We were reading the other night, with a hockey game on TV in the background: Devils vs Blackhawks, when a strange word was uttered: "schmaltz". Did the announcer go to a Jewish deli or something, we thought, and went back to reading.

There it was again: schmaltz. So we looked up.

For those blissfully unaware, schmaltz is a spread made from chicken fat that is traditionally used in Jewish cooking. What was it doing at a hockey game?

Turns out it wasn't schmaltz, but Schmaltz: Nick Schmaltz, the Blackhawks' young forward. And the Schmaltz is multiplying, as older brother Jordan plays defense for the St. Louis Blues.

Now, despite schmaltz being traditionally Jewish in America, it doesn't look like the Schmaltz brothers are: they come from German stock. Apparently, in Europe, Germans have their own version of schmaltz, which is not made from chicken, but rather beef or pork.

So that explains the Schmaltz. As for schmaltz? If you were blissfully unaware, we highly suggest you remain so...