No. 1 star: Steven Stamkos(notes), Tampa Bay Lightning

The 2008 No. 1 overall pick continued his breakout year as his 15th goal of the season in overtime gave the Lightning a 4-3 win over the Atlanta Thrashers. Currently tied for fourth in the NHL in goals scored with Jarome Iginla(notes), Stamkos, along with Ryan Malone(notes), is carrying the Lightning offensive load as Vincent Lecavalier(notes) and Martin St. Louis(notes) struggle with a combined nine goals. 

No. 2 Star: Antti Niemi(notes), Chicago Blackhawks

The 26-year old Finn backstopped the 'Hawks to a 1-0 win in Vancouver by making 30 saves for his second shutout of the season. Chicago swept the Western Canadian portion of their roadtrip and will finish things up with three games in California beginning Wednesday at Anaheim. With the win, Niemi improves to 4-1-1 on the season.

No. 3 Star: Antero Niittymaki(notes), Tampa Bay Lightning

Making 28 saves on the evening, Niittymaki won his sixth game of the season and his 15th straight over a Southeast Division opponent. Atlanta rallied back with three goals in the third period, but was unable to record a shot in overtime before Stamkos won it. Niittymaki currently owns the NHL's best save-percentage at .936.

Honorable mention: Martin St. Louis had three assists including one on Stamkos' overtime winner ... Stephane Veilleux(notes) and Kurtis Foster(notes) both scored their first goals of the season for the Lightning ...  Evander Kane's(notes) seventh goal for Atlanta puts him in second place behind New York Islanders forward John Tavares(notes) among rookies ...  Bryan Bickell(notes) scored the winner for Chicago 1:12 into the third period. It was his first goal in over two years ... Roberto Luongo(notes) did all he could for the Canucks making 16 saves, but was let down by his offense ... Ben Eager(notes) and Rick Rypien(notes) discussed the MLS Cup Final in their own special way:

Did you know?: With his win against Atlanta, Niittymaki is now 15-0-0 against the Thrashers in his career. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: Atlanta ended their homestand by losing their last three games ... Not a good weekend for Thrashers captain Ilya Kovalchuk(notes). A day after earning 19-penalty minutes against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Kovy couldn't beat Niittymaki on seven shots and finished a minus-3 ...  Even with the win, Joel Quenneville couldn't have been happy that the Blackhawks were 16-for-42 in the faceoff circle.

(No, the first decade of the 21st century doesn't technically end until 2011. Save your bellyaching. But we've had nine NHL seasons and one stolen from us since 1999-2000, and Yahoo! Sports has decided it's time to rank the best and worst of the last "decade." Enjoy, and snark freely in the comments.)

Let's get this out of the way right off the top: This isn't a list of the best individual teams that didn't win a Stanley Cup.

This isn't a list that will feature the 2000-01 New Jersey Devils, 2001-02 Carolina Hurricanes, 2002-03 Anaheim Ducks, 2007-08 Pittsburgh Penguins or 2008-09 Detroit Red Wings -- those four teams (or franchises) got their rings this decade.

This list is about the franchises that have excelled this past decade, but for one reason or another came up short in their quest for a title. Listed here are President Trophy winners, conference champions and annual Cup contenders that couldn't finish the job. They hold the fan bases that had their high expectations dashed by a less than fruitful spring.

With that, our 10 best teams to never win a Stanley Cup this decade are ...

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Minor League Malarkey focuses on the goofy world of minor-league hockey; from the characters to the fights to the promotions to the die-hard fans that half-fill the stands. Know of a quirky upcoming hockey promotion? Drop us a line at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com

There's a never-ending supply of pure comedic gold when minor league sports teams develop jerseys for special promotional nights. As we saw recently with the Bakersfield Condors of the ECHL and their Michael Jackson-inspired jerseys for "King of Pop Night", the limits on the ridiculousness of how a jersey is presented knows no bounds.

The latest minor league hockey team to show off their fashionista skills will be the Missouri Mavericks of the Central Hockey League this Friday as they host the Tulsa Oilers. For "Truman Night," which will benefit the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, the Mavericks will wear these ridiculously ridiculous jerseys honoring the 33rd President of the United States:

While patriotic indeed, the floating head of the man who was thought to have lost to Thomas Dewey front and center is both eerie and inspirational at the same.

After the game, the jerseys will be auctioned off for fans in attendance and lucky winners will get a photo with the player whose jersey they won.

Stick tap to Jason Cohen of Zamboni Rodeo for the find.

No. 1 star, Kristian Huselius, Columbus Blue Jackets

Huselius used special teams to his advantage in Columbus' 4-1 win over Dallas. His shorthanded goal with one second left in the first period and power-play tally midway through the second sunk the Stars. He helped open the scoring by assisting on Rick Nash's 14th goal of the season in the first. Steve Mason made 25 saves as the Blue Jackets extended their winning streak to three and have now won five of their last six.

No. 2 star, Chris Phillips, Ottawa Senators

It was a memorable 800th career NHL game for the long-time Senators defenseman. Two goals in 2:03 in the third period were enough to chase Marc-Andre Fleury in a 6-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Heading into tonight Phillips had scored just once in 18 games. It was a confidence-boosting win for the Sens who will play tough conference games in the next week against Buffalo, Washington, New Jersey, and Boston.

No. 3 star, Cristobal Huet, Chicago Blackhawks

The surging Blackhawks put forth a strong effort against Calgary in a 7-1 rout of the Flames. Huet stopped 27 shots for his 10th win of the season and fifth in a row. Chicago's win in Calgary was the first game of a six-game western road trip. His performance tonight against the Flames was a measure of revenge for Huet after Calgary chased him early in their first meeting of the season back October 13th. The Blackhawks would come back from a 5-0 first period deficit to win 6-5 in overtime.

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Hockey goal celebrations have evolved over time from the simple arm-raise to the firecracker approach made famous by Alex Ovechkin(notes). The jump-into-the-glass goal celebration made famous by Ovechkin has become commonplace in the NHL with variations from the belly flop into the glass to the sideways cannonball.

We've not, however, seen a version of the glass jump that Henrik Andersen came up with. The 18-year old winger was celebrating his first goal of the season for Swedish Tier 2 team Leksand when he attempted to channel his inner Ovechkin and things went terribly wrong:

(The Bobby McFerrin soundtrack is a nice touch.)

Andersen, who wasn't selected in last June's NHL Entry Draft, was not injured and Leksand defeated Bjorkloven 4-0 to put themselves atop the standings in Allsvenska. Despite his unlikely future playing in the NHL, Andersen has now made himself a YouTube superstar and guaranteed his addtion to blooper reels around the world. 

stick tap to DayWalk3r for the tip

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(No, the first decade of the 21st century doesn't technically end until 2011. Save your bellyaching. But we've had nine NHL seasons and one stolen from us since 1999-2000, and Yahoo! Sports has decided it's time to rank the best and worst of the last "decade." Enjoy, and snark freely in the comments.)

As we continue our rankings of the best and worst in the last decade, it's time to look back at the worst teams that the 2000s have produced.

Sixteen teams make the National Hockey League playoffs every spring. Fourteen start their summer vacation early. And of those 14, a handful place their hopes in a ping-pong ball, thinking that if it lands just right, their future fortunes may change. It's an annual rite and for some franchises, the pain of losing and putting a bad hockey product on the ice takes much longer than anticipated.

Some teams have excuses for poor seasons: injuries, declining production in players, and bad luck all play a part in making a bad hockey team.

While there have been a lot of good hockey teams this decade, there have also been a lot of bad ones.

With that, the 10 worst teams of the past decade are ...

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No. 1 star, Jussi Jokinen(notes), Carolina Hurricanes

It's no accident that if the Hurricanes were to break their 14-game losing streak in a shootout, Jokinen was going to be a major factor. He scored the only goal in the shootout as Carolina prevailed over Minnesota 5-4. Jokinen opened the scoring 2:45 into the game and played the hero on the second shootout attempt for the 'Canes. The shootout goal was Jokinen's 25th of his career, an NHL best.

No. 2 star, Brent Seabrook(notes), Chicago Blackhawks

On "Jeremy Roenick Night", Seabrook capped a Blackhawks comeback with his second goal of the season coming 41 seconds into overtime as Chicago beat San Jose 4-3. The Sharks held a 3-1 lead after Patrick Marleau's(notes) 12th goal of the year early in the second period, but Patrick Kane(notes) and John Madden(notes) scored to even things up. Chicago has now beaten the Western Conference's top three teams on its current homestand. 

No. 3 star, Slava Kozlov(notes), Atlanta Thrashers

Kozlov picked a great time to score his first goal of the season as his game-winner broke a 2-2 deadlock with 8:01 remaining in the third period against the Oilers. The goal gave Edmonton its sixth loss in seven games and extended Atlanta's winning streak to four. 

Honorable mention: Scoring their first NHL goals tonight were Jason Demers(notes) of the San Jose Sharks and John Scott(notes) and Robbie Earl(notes) of the Minnesota Wild. Earl added a second goal in the third period against Carolina ...  Andrew Brunette(notes), Kim Johnsson(notes), Mikko Koivu(notes) were all a plus-three, while Brent Burns(notes) was a plus-four for the Wild ...  The 'Canes made the most of their power-play opportunities, banging in three goals on six chances ... Johan Hedberg's(notes) 34 saves were vital in Atlanta's one-goal win over the Oilers. Hedberg has now won his last three starts ... Rich Peverley's(notes) two assists gives him six points in three games and his sixth multi-point game of the season ... Duncan Keith(notes) and Jonathan Toews(notes) each had two assists with the Chicago captain helping to set up the Seabrook winner in overtime. 

Did you know? The Minnesota Wild are now 0-4 against the Hurricanes in Carolina.

Dishonorable mention: Carolina was on its way to an easy streak-busting win after Ray Whitney's(notes) goal put the 'Canes up 3-0, but Minnesota roared back with three goals on 17 shots in the second period ... In each of Michael Leighton's(notes) four appearances for the Hurricanes he's allowed three goals or more ... A frustrating loss by the Edmonton Oilers could be blamed on two things: being 0-for-5 on the power-play and 18-for-52 in the faceoff circle.

No. 1 star, Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings

The 29-year old Swede recorded his fourth career NHL hat trick and added two assists as the Red Wings rolled to an 7-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Zetterberg scored four points in the third period, including all three goals and the game-winner. It was his first multi-goal game of the season as the Red Wings won for the sixth time in seven games. 

No. 2 star, Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks

Another Swede, another hat-trick. Sedin's first NHL hat trick helped Vancouver rout Colorado in Denver 8-2. After cutting the Canucks lead in half mid-way through the third period, the Avalanche couldn't withstand the Vancouver attack and allowed four goals in the final eight minutes. The Canucks win ended a three game losing streak for the team and extended Colorado's current losing streak to three games. 

No. 3 star, Steve Sullivan, Nashville Predators

Sullivan matched his season goal total in a 2-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens as he dad watched from the stands. His two goals were enough for the Predators to win for the sixth time in their last eight games. It was Nashville's second shutout of the season. Last season's Masterton Trophy winner also led both teams in shots with 11.

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Here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.

Preview: Buffalo Sabres at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m. EST. One day after topping the Calgary Flames at home, the Sabres visit Philly in a game that can give them a true test of how good they really are. Ray Emery is expected to be in net for the Flyers after backstopping them to wins in their last five games. In that stretch Emery has posted a .954 save-percentage and 1.39 goals-against average. It should be quite the goaltending duel between Ryan Miller and Emery. 

Preview: San Jose Sharks at St. Louis Blues, 8 p.m. EST. Times are tough for the Blues and owner Dave Checketts let it be know that he's not happy: "All year long, we should compete for first or second in our division. This team is good enough and that's what we expect from them. I think everyone can expect that. And it's top to bottom ... everybody in the organization has to be on that page. It's time to win. We have everything we need to win. There's no excuse." They'll face a red hot Sharks team that is 8-0-2 in their last ten games. 

Preview: Vancouver Canucks at Colorado Avalanche, 10 p.m. EST. A losing streak is going to come to end as these two face each other for the third time already season (both shutouts). Milan Hejduk is expected to be back in the lineup for the Avs who are trying to avoid a three-game losing streak, which would be their longest of the season.

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Aside from hair metal, Cooperalls and Nintendo, one of the thousands of everlasting memories that the 1980's bestowed upon the world were professional and amateur sports teams creating their own music videos.

We all remember the 1985 Chicago Bears and the infamous "Super Bowl Shuffle" video that was produced before their meeting with the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. A few years later the Calgary Flames said "Screw a cappella, break out the brass instruments" and released a video gem of their own that we should all hope and pray shows up on the next installment of "Rock Band".

In the years between the Bears and Flames videos, the Boston College men's hockey team attempted to raise the bar and promote their appearance in the 1986 Beanpot Tournament with a video of their own, the "Beanpot Trot":

(Warning: Watching nine white guys in 1986 attempt to dance and rap at the same time may be hazardous to your health)

"This is our song, we're not getting cocky/We're just here to rap about hockey."

Yes, that's current New York Islanders Head Coach Scott Gordon, who not only identifies himself as "Flash" but is also the most natural performer of the group. (C'mon New York media -- we want Gordon on the record about his musical past.) The split at the end? That's just the cherry on top of the entire performance.

Unfortunately for Boston College, the hockey gods weren't fans of their work and the Eagles' play on the ice in the Beanpot Final didn't back up their lyrical abilities as they ended up losing to Boston University 4-1 in the championship game. Qualifying for the NCAA Tournament later that season, BC lost in the first round to Michigan State after a two-game aggregate series.

We're still waiting for Bemidji State's "Crank Dat Beaver" video to somehow surface from last spring's Frozen Four ...

Stick-tap to NHL Fans and TheVotl.com for the clip.