By TOM JONES, Times Staff Writer
Published October 9, 2005
EVEN JESSE VENTURA NEVER DID THIS
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty was supposed to drop the ceremonial first puck on opening night at the Flames-Wild game. He dropped something else: an expletive.
The big thing in Minnesota is for the game to open with some local celebrity saying, "The time has come to drop the puck." And then that celebrity leads the fans into a chant that has been used in Minnesota for decades: "Let's ... Play ... Hockey."
Except Pawlenty said, "The time has come to drop the (expletive)."
"I realized that as I was starting to say "puck,' other sounds were coming out of my mouth," an embarrassed Pawlenty told reporters the next day. "It was an unfortunate slip of the tongue. ... It just came out wrong. I apologize for that."
QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GOALIE
Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro turned down an offer to be the next star of The Bachelor. Seeing as how it did wonders for the career of former Giants quarterback Jesse Palmer, who is now toiling in the Canadian Football League, DiPietro probably did the right thing.
He has agreed, however, to go on another reality show. He and two teammates will be featured in an upcoming Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
STRANGEST INJURY OF THE WEEK . . .
Goes to Wild goalie Manny Fernandez, who missed the opener with back spasms he says were caused from toweling off after taking a shower on Tuesday.
"He must have pulled it wrong," Wild GM Doug Risebrough told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "They can be rough, very painful. I've had them."
