The relationship between Russia and North America has been strained to say the least over the course of the past fifty years. From nuclear standoff to endless political posturing, the areas that are brought together by the telescopic eyesight of Sarah Palin have rarely seen eye to eye. This is in the case in hockey as well.

The Summit Series will forever live in folklore or Canadian hockey, as the feisty team of NHL'ers defeated the great Russian bear with the help of a targeted broken ankle or two. The eventual arrival of Russians into the NHL ruffled a few feathers along the way as well, and the recent creation of the KHL has done little to ease the tensions between Moscow and Toronto. The creation of the Kontinental league was supposed to act as a serious contender to Bettman's squads, but it has caused little more than a ripple since an early wave of defectors.

Radulov, Jiri Hudler, Filatov, Jaromir Jagr, Yashin, Grebeshkov. A few of the names that made the jump from the NHL to the KHL. Those who still have the skills have made the return to the most profitable league in the world, as life on the road in the former Soviet Union is not quite as attractive as it was supposed to be. Tax-free money is nice and all, but an envelope of money every few weeks is only comforting as long as they keep showing up.

A revolution has begun! The fans of the Columbus Blue Jackets have declared war on the team. And with the team recently agreeing to stay in the city until 2039, now is the perfect time for the fans to defend their ground.

A new advocacy group in the city Columbus was formed in early March to bring a winning hockey club to the city. Simply named "CBJ F.A.N.S.", their goal is to restore and maintain the franchise's honor. CBJ F.A.N.S. (For A New Start), have begun to travel the long road in hopes of not being the butt of every NHL joke.

According to the group's website, they are demanding three specific things:

It's rare that we here at Puck Drunk Love have the ability to write a positive story about Rick DiPietro. The injuries, the crushed expectations and the bloated contract make it awfully tough for a writer to find the bright side of what has been a devastating stretch for the Islanders netminder. 

On April 1st, DiPietro gave us a reason to say something positive - and it isn't an April Fool's joke (that we know of). The Islanders are hosting their Fan Appreciation Day on April 1st, and during a time that is meant to thank the fan for their loyalty and devotion, DiPietro has personally desired to thank fans with his own cash. The first 5,000 fans at the game can get a hot dog and small soda all on DiPietro's time - lunch is on him.

News reports are often pretty stale and bland. Sports reports are usually worse, using the same cliches and optimistic attitude even in the most dismal of situations. If your team is bad, or even extremely bad, you'll rarely hear a news report even hint at that fact, instead saying such seasons are unfortunate and not for a lack of effort. 

CTV took things a bit differently and it couldn't be more refreshing. They asked the tough questions to Toronto players and coaches that most reporters wouldn't dare ask for fear that team management and players within the organization might take offense. CTV pressured the Toronto Maple Leafs and asked questions that all Maple Leafs fans have been asking for quite some time - why are you guys so terrible?

There haven't been any specific rumors of the Blue Jackets' pending doom/relocation to Quebec City, but just in case you were getting worried about the franchise's future: don't. Despite the losses and despite the questionable front office of the team, Franklin County, Ohio has agreed on a purchase agreement that will enable the Blue Jackets to stay in Columbus at least until 2039. The funds have been raised via county and city casino revenue, so taxpayer dollars won't specifically be used (are you listening, city of Glendale?). According to the Columbus Dispatch, here's how it's set up to work:

With maintenance, operating and debt service costs, arena ownership is expected to cost the city and county more than $250 million through 2039.

The deal is expected to save the struggling Blue Jackets $9.5 million per year through a rent-free lease with the authority. Nationwide, the former majority owner of the arena, agreed to invest $52 million in the Blue Jackets to take a 30 percent ownership interest in the team. It also will pay the team $28.5 million over 10 years for naming rights to the arena.

Honestly, I don't think that you can get more cost efficient than that. A team losing money gets to save some, you're not using taxpayer funds, you have a $52 million investment in the worst team in the NHL this season, and the team seems to be staying put.

There is a small loophole in all of this, as Jason Brough of PHT notes:

Now, it’s worth noting that there’s a way for the Jackets to skip town before 2039 — they just have pay $39 million in damages. And while $39 million isn’t peanuts, if Columbus keeps hemorrhaging money, it might become a price worth paying to move to a more profitable market.

As we saw with the Thrashers, if someone wants a team badly enough they'll pay the extra fees. True North Sports and Entertainment paid the NHL an extra $60 million relocation fee to get hockey back in Winnipeg. If a big enough company shows up to whisk the Blue Jackets away, it can still happen.

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded by the NHL to the player that "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey", as stated by NHL.com. One nominee is selected from each team by the local Professional Hockey Writers Association. The association as a whole then votes collectively to decide the lone winner from the original group of 30 nominees.

With so many nominees and so many positive stories in the NHL in 2011-12, which player deserves the Masterton Trophy most? The answer isn't easy. 

It's a topic we talk about every year - which player will be on the cover of EA's latest NHL video game? This year EA is doing things a bit differently and is allowing the fans to select which hockey player will be on the cover of their newest game NHL 13. 

Set up in an online format, NHL fans can go vote for which player they want to represent each team from around the league. Once the field is narrowed down to the 16 players that have earned the most votes, the system will then follow a March Madness style bracket until one ultimate winner is chosen to grace the cover of NHL 13. Fans can head on over to NHL.com/CoverVote to start voting.

The riots. The destruction. The mountain of work for Vancouver's Police, Fire, and EMS departments. The ending to the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals was a dark time for the city. The Canucks are taking steps this year to make sure history doesn't repeat itself.

Canucks Sports & Entertainment announced this morning the launch of their new public service initiative called 'This Is Our Home'. In the initiative, the club will be releasing three video public service announcements, a radio PSA, and four posters that will be placed around the arena. The PSAs feature players, former players, and fans celebrating the city of Vancouver and promoting courage, integrity, honor, humility, and passion. Those wishing to see the entire campaign can do so by visiting the Canucks website.

As a hockey community, we applaud the Canucks for taking the initiative on this issue. While it is a sad fact that we have to address such things, the last thing we want to see are the riots all over again. With the Western Conference being so competitive, nobody can accurately predict when the Canucks season will end. Therefore, launching this campaign before the playoffs begin was a great move by the club. Let's hope those who need to listen will take this message to heart.

Watch the one-minute PSA video after the jump:

There are few certainties in the modern NHL. One of the few certainties is that Steven Stamkos will score goals when he is healthy - lots of them. Now he has a record that proves it.

In his team's game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Stamkos notched his 53rd goal of the season, breaking the original record of 52 that he and Vincent Lecavalier shared for most goals in a season in franchise history. Lecavalier set the record of 52 tallies back in the 2006-07 season which Stamkos then tied on March 24th prior to breaking it on March 26th.

March 26th, 1997 marks a special day in NHL history for all the right or wrong reasons depending on your stance on fighting in the NHL. Fifteen years ago today fans saw one of the biggest, most heated brawls in the modern NHL. The incident might be most remembered for the specific tussle between goaltender Patrick Roy and Mike Vernon.