So, here it is, the 4th free hockey computer wallpaper from eBrush Design and Hockey Shirt Shop. This one is called ‘Hockey Fossil’. Yeah, I know, WTF? Look, don’t even try to figure out why I’m designing wallpaper of fossilized hockey equipment. I’ll be damned if I know where these disturbing ideas come from. I was fooling around with textures and earth tones and this thing just kinda happened. But, hey, it does make a really sick desktop.

And as always, this wallpaper is free for your personal use only and remains the intellectual property of eBrush Design. You may not use it for any commercial purpose. Please do not post it anywhere else without my permission. Links directly to this blog post, however, are welcome.

Download links (choose your screen resolution):
1024×768 1280×800 1280×960 1280×1024 1440×900 1440×1050 1680×1050 1600×1200

If you missed the other 3 free wallpapers, just click the ‘Freebies’ category on the piece of notebook paper to the right.

It’s all about the dangle. We here at Hockey Shirt Shop understand this. Our eBrush Design collection of hockey t-shirts already has a few designs that promote the art of the dangle, as well as your personal dangleness. We’ve just added new color and shape options to our classic ‘iDangle‘ iPod parody design. And don’t forget the two dangle-ized definition designs, ‘disendangle’ and ‘endanglement‘.

But three designs, my friends, are simply not enough. Because we all know you really can’t overstate one’s dangleocity. So, allow me to present an eBrush Design creation for those with the sickest of all sticks  – ‘The Danglemeister‘ – now available in admittedly way too many variations (I got a little carried away).

Guess it’s about time I post a couple new designs. I’ve been spending too much time watching the Stanley Cup playoffs and not enough time working Here are the latest creations from HockeyShirtShop. The first is the classic coach’s mantra ‘Put the Biscuit in the Basket’ and the second one is the declaration of dedication ‘Go Hard or Go Home’. I created versions of ‘Go Hard’ with and without a hockey stick. So it works for any sport.

If you’re a individual of few words, you might want to opt for a design I released a few weeks ago that pares that message down to a single word . . .  ‘Hard’.

I’ve been feeling sorry for myself lately. In a couple of months I will send my first born off to college. It’s going to be very tough for me. We’ve spent so much time together over the last 18 years. So much of it at ice rinks. So many long drives, early morning practices and airplane flights. Weekends in hotel rooms, trying to get to sleep after a big win and cussing the alarm clock together the next morning. I don’t know what I’m going to do with all the extra time . . . besides miss him.

Yeah, I’ve been feeling sorry for myself. Then, yesterday I got this email.

It was from Rod Churchill of Newfoundland, Canada. He wrote to tell me that he had just bought a couple t-shirts from my website and that he really enjoyed my blog. As I was typing up a thank you response, I noticed way down at the bottom of his signature information, was a link. It said, ‘Tribute Site: www.matthewchurchill.ca’. I clicked it.  Oh my God, I thought, it’s his son – he lost his only son to a hit and run driver in 2005. As I clicked through the site and read the heart-wrenching wounds of this mother and father laid bare, I cried. I cried for the Churchills, and all of the parents who have lost a child.

I can’t know what it must be like to suffer this worst of all tragedies. And God, I hope I never do. But it must be beyond any pain imaginable. Many people never climb out of the abyss. I lost a 12-year-old cousin to brain cancer recently and I’ve seen the devastation that it leaves in it’s wake.

I thought about all the times I felt frustrated because my son got a short shift or his team lost a close game. Then, I thought about how Rod would surely give anything to see his son get a short shift, to see his son’s team lose a close game . . . to see his son. It’s so hard for us to keep things in perspective all the time. However, it’s stories like this one that can quickly make things fall into their proper place.

But from tragedy, sometimes the phoenix of inspiration rises. Rod Churchill has found a way to stay connected to his son Matthew through hockey. He has spent the last 5 years coaching other young men. Obviously, I’ve never seen Rod Churchill coach. But I’ll bet you one thing. I’ll bet Rod teaches these kids more than how to win. I’ll bet they take more away from their time with him than how to make a proper hip check. I’ll bet they learn something about life, and priorities, and what’s really important. And I’ll bet you somewhere, his son Matthew is smiling about that.

Dude! It’s on! The Stanley Cup playoffs!

If you’re a hockey fan, I think it’s safe to say you’re lovin’ you some Versus right now. But for some of us that’s just not enough to ease our hockey jones. So here, HockeyShirtShop will do our part. Check out these fascinating cup-related links while you’re between games.

Really great stuff on this page!
Records, great stories about chasing the cup, videos, commercials. And best of all – you really need to grab this – an awesome, free downloadable .pdf media guide as well as individual media guides for all playoff teams.

Believe me, you could blow a bunch of time on that page alone. But if that’s still not enough, check out these really sick ‘Top Ten’ videos.

Top 10 NHL Playoff Moments (CBC Digital Archives)
Top 10 NHL Playoff Goals (ESPN)

Spring is here and it’s playoff time! The offices here at HockeyShirtShop are buzzing. We’re super-psyched! Not because of the playoffs, although we are certainly excited about that, but we’re all revved up over the long-awaited announcement of an exciting new product. A product that has been in the works ’round here for a very long time . . . The Hockey Fan Hat!

We designed and built this puppy for you, the (been-workin’-all-week-and-now-I’m-gonna-get-nasty-at-the-rink) hockey fans.
It’s SAFE! Sportin’ a state-of-the-art full-helmet cage made of space-age polymer. Take a puck, or a fist in the face and laugh it off.
It’s WARM! Lined with synthetic bleached weasel fur. And not to worry, even with the lining, there’s plenty of room for your flow to retain it’s full awesomeness.
It’s RECEPTIVE! No more wrestling pucks away from young children. Take ‘em right off the stick with the patented head-mounted ‘Scrotuff’ microweave puck catcher.

I hope you are as excited about this new bucket as we are. Just download the flyer/order form by clicking this link and get ready to wear the most exciting, innovative hockey gadget in years. The ‘Hockey Fan Hat’ from HockeyShirtShop!

Come and get it! Presenting “Stick Spectrum”, the third in a series of free hockey-themed computer desktop wallpaper from Hockey Shirt Shop and eBrush Design. This one lays out a pattern of hockey sticks in a spectrum of color, crowned by a sparkling puck. This design is also available here as a framed print as well as on t-shirts and other gifts.

As always, this free wallpaper is for your personal use only and remains the intellectual property of eBrush Design. You may not use it for any commercial purpose. Please do not post it anywhere else without my permission. Links directly to this blog post, however, are welcome.

Download links (choose your screen resolution):
1024×768 1152×864 1280×800 1280×960 1280×1024 1440×1050 1600×1200

Links to past free wallpapers:
FaceOff
BlackStack

Here’s another free wallpaper for you hockey fans that like a relatively quiet desktop on your computer. This wallpaper, tagged “BlackStack”, was composed in black and white, but I’m making a color version available for those that need more flavor. Again, my theme is the hockey puck itself. Please feel free to download the resolution that best fits your display. Remember, these are for personal use only. They may not be used for any commercial purposes. And please do not post them anywhere else without my permission. However, links directly to this blog post are welcome.

“FaceOff” wallpaper is also still available as a free download. And as always, thank you for following my blog at HockeyShirtShop!

“BlackStack” download links:

1920×1200 BlackStack or ColorStack
1600×1200 BlackStack or ColorStack
1280×1024 BlackStack or ColorStack
1280×960 BlackStack or ColorStack
1024×768 BlackStack or ColorStack

I thought it was about time I created a few designs exclusively for the hockey ladies. Not the puck bunnies or the hockey moms, but the women who actually play the game. Every time I watch a women’s hockey game I’m always impressed with the high level of skill at which these ladies compete. The competition is often just as fierce as the men. So, while the USA Women’s Ice Hockey team is in the Olympic spotlight, let me introduce two new hockey designs from eBrush Design and HockeyShirtShop, specifically for the chicks with sticks. You go, girls!

Women’s Hockey Symbol
Sugar & Spice on Ice. Yeah, Right.

O.K. I realize I’m a little late to the party on this one, but I just gotta have a link to it on my blog. It’s simply one of the most creative goals I’ve ever seen.

It happened on March 31, 2009 by Linus Omark of Sweden in an exhibition game against Switzerland.

Related designs from the eBrush Design hockey collection? Of course there is!
But only one that does it justice . . . Wicked Sick & Nasty

A few days ago a friend of my asked if my hockey designs were available on neckties. She was looking for one for her hockey-playing son. I told her not currently, but I’d be happy to create a couple and make them available to her. Whap! It suddenly occurred to me that cool hockey-themed ties might be something that youth hockey players would find a bit more tolerable than that paisley clip-on that Mom bought them. I mean, when coach insists that the whole team wears a tie to the rink, they all groan like they just took a slap shot in the cup. But what if, instead of borrowing Dad’s old-man tie, they could rock a tie with a sick hockey design on it?

Well, as you might have guessed, I went to work creating neckties using nearly every eBrushDesign hockey graphic available on HockeyShirtShop. And get this, they are all customizable. You can make the tie any color you want, make the design smaller or move it around. Even add type to it. Put your name, team name, position and number on it if you want.

Click here to check out over 100 new youth hockey necktie designs and customize your own today!

There are many reasons that fights occur during a hockey game. One, that’s been around throughout the history of the game, is a baiting tactic called a “face wash”, also referred to by players as “stinky glove”. It’s when a player rubs his wet, putrid gloves into the face of the opposing player in an attempt to bait them into retaliation, thus drawing a penalty. There’s a New York Times article that goes into detail on this long-standing instigation technique. It’s pretty humorous to say the least.

I made a new hockey t-shirt design on this time-honored tradition. It’s called “Fear The Face Wash” and is available through HockeyShirtShop.com.

On a marginally related note, I also released another new hockey t-shirt design called “Wicked, Sick & Nasty” that is intended to refer to one’s hockey skills. But I suppose it could also refer to a perfected “face washing” technique

And while we’re on the subject, there is also our top-selling “Smell My Bag” design.

I started on this design 2 years ago. No, my designs usually don’t take that long but I could never get this one right. I’d go back and work on it from time to time, get frustrated and move on to something else. Last week, I decided that I was going to finish it, for better or worse. I’m pretty happy with the outcome. I hope you like it. It even comes with a bonus latin translation!

Apparently, the origin of the term ‘Rink Rat’ comes from Canada, circa 1940-45. It was a term used to describe a youth that spent a great deal of time at a hockey rink, helping with maintenance work, often without being paid, in exchange for free ice time. I’m sure you know some old school rink rats.

Today, the term seems to be used to describe anyone that spends an inordinate amount of time at the rink. In fact, I’ve embellished  that definition a bit to create a second Rink Rat t-shirt to go with my ‘Hockey Definitions’ line of designs.

So here they are, two new Rink Rats t-shirts for the eBrush Design collection. Hope you know someone that fits the description and would wear them with pride.

I’m on a goalie roll. I’ve cooked up another design for our heavily-padded friends. On the heals of my last post, which introduced a new goalie design “My Goal” and rounded up all the others, I come up with yet another. I guess I should have waited. But isn’t that always the way it goes? You mop the floor an hour before your cocker spaniel pees on it?
Alrighty, then! Let me introduce you to “Crease Monkey”. It comes in three flavors; black, white and chrome, and on lots of great products.
“Crease Monkey” product link
For links to my other goalie-themed designs, click this link to my last post.

God knows the goalies need some love. What a special breed they are, huh? Is there any position in any sport with more pressure on them than an ice hockey goalie?

One of my favorite all-time hockey quotes was by Jacques Plante, speaking on the matter of his occupation: “Goaltending is a normal job, sure. How would you like it in your job if every time you made a small mistake, a red light went on over your desk and 15,000 people stood up and yelled at you.”

I made a new goalie t-shirt this week. Actually, it’s a new graphic approach to a classic phrase that has appeared on many hockey t-shirts over the years; “My goal is to deny yours”. I should point out that I have made three other shirts specifically for the netminders. You might want to take a look at these. Odds are pretty good that there will be a night in the near future in which your special goalie will need something to cheer him up – something to remind him that he is THE MAN between the pipes.

Links below to designs in photo above.

Brick Wall Goalie “Bring It”

Iron Goalie

OMG “One Magnificent Goalie”

“My Goal is to Deny Yours”

Pat Crowley, one of the most creative, talented people I have ever worked with, recently started a blog called “My Handsome Life”. It’s a tongue-in-cheek look at society’s last taboo, conceit. Join Pat as he explores his inner, and outer handsomeness and celebrates the handsomeness of others. Read along as he shuns the surgery-enhanced “beauties” of today’s society as merely “nouveau riche”. And celebrates the vanishing world of “Old Money” handsomeness.

Yea, I know. Pat’s blog is not really about hockey. But there is handsomeness to be found on the ice, for sure. In fact, this blog inspired my latest t-shirt design – “Hat Trick”. Sick Speed, Mad Skills AND you’re Handsome! That’s a Hat Trick, and you’ve got it.

I don’t know about you but I like to be able to find the files on the desktop of my computer. So I choose clean and simple designs that still make a statement for my wallpaper. With that in mind, I created “FaceOff” and I’m making it available for free to you, my loyal blog readers. “FaceOff” is available in six common screen sizes so you can download the one that works best for you. I only ask that you use these for your own personal use only. They may not be used for any commercial purposes. And please do not post them anywhere else without my permission.

Remember to visit my online store for unique hockey gifts for the hockey fans in your life!

“FaceOff” Desktop Wallpaper download links:

1920 x 1200
1600 x 1200
1280 x 1024
1280 x 960
1024 x 768
800 x 600

My last post was a smelly hockey equipment commercial. If you could relate to that, here’s another one for you.

There are actually quite a few hysterical hockey commercials out there. Unfortunately for Americans, many of them seem to get released only in Canada. And If you don’t look for them on the Web or have a source like The HockeyShirtShop Blog, you may never see them. But hey, I’m here for ya! For example, the first three links below are McDonalds commercials only released in Canada. Below those are just a few of my favorites.

McDonalds commercial #1
McDonalds commercial #2
McDonalds commercial #3

ESPN Security
Figure Skater
Spitball
Roller Girls
Ice Bath
Stud Goalie
Hockey Baby
Bowling

If you’ve played hockey, or have a child that plays, you know just how stinky hockey equipment can get. I came across this commercial that just cracked me up. It’s really gross! So watch it at your own peril.

Speaking of stinky hockey equipment, here’s a link to one of my t-shirt designs that happens to address this particular olfactory offense – “Smell My Bag” Disgusting? No doubt. But it happens to be one of my best selling t-shirts. What is wrong with you people?

I certainly never intended this blog to be a rah-rah site for my personal favorite teams. So to all of you that aren’t Pittsburgh fans, I apologize and ask you to indulge me one more time. It was just such an unusual year. A friend sent me a link to this video and I had to share it with all you Penguins/Steelers fans out there.

Also, if you get a chance, check out my Pittsburgh t-shirt designs “got ‘burgh?” and “The Joy of Six“.