Dagens matcher kan väl få luta åt rätt håll... Där det i en egosistisk tankebubbla blir torsk för Rögle och HV. Detta då dessa lag kan anses vara lite lättare att ta pinnar av. Lite...

Rögle - Linköping. Dags att vakna nu Rögle. Ni har sprattlat fördigt. Inse det och slutya snegla på humlan Brynäs som inte kan men skiter i det. Linköping har en förstaplats att spela för, tar tillbaka ettan ikväll och det genom en tvåa... 2-6...

Färjestad - HV71. Ojdå... 16 mot 15 poäng och en fjärde mot en sjätteplats Och då med HV EFTER FBK. Trodde vi inte-kategorin används igen. Tror däremot på FBK igen och det borde väl lugna en sjuk Therese som stannar hemma från math idag. Hon måste vara riktigt sjuk... 5-3... i en tät och intensiv match där båset man sitter ensam i knappast kommer kännas öde... Tufft mao... 

Modo - Luleå. Ja men någon gång ska väl vara den första... på länge. 5 torskar förra året ska bli en radda segrar i år och det börjar nu. Revansch för försäsongens 1-7:a... Barteckoeffekten kvarstår, vi får en behaglig dos och Zoccersjuka Modo får inte en chans. Hoppas kan man och även om man på allvar tror på Luleå så är det med stor respekt för Modo. Trots detta må man vara lte optimist och visst ska vi ta det här. Inga 0-18 men väl en 1-4...

Garvar ni...? Bra, det är meningen. Man ska ha kul och ett gott skratt förlänger hockeylivet. I all fall till nästa match, period, byte, närkamp...

And if you'd like to send Mike Komasarek to Philadelphia, I am willing and ready to take him.  He's gritty, positionally sound, and involved in every scrum.  He is truly my dream defenseman. 

Back to Philadelphia.  The Flyers fought hard the entire night, and I don't mean fisticuffs.  They struggled against the puck throughout the evening.  I don't know whether the ice was bad - several of the good skaters like Braydon Coburn and Simon Gagne were catching edges and looked slower than usual.  However, the Canadiens managed to deal with it, which suggests to me that the Flyers need to stop gripping the sticks too tightly and work on their chemistry.

On top of the wildly bouncing puck, the Flyers tried far too many fancy plays.  If the puck won't settle down, you can't be constantly trying to create the most awesome give-and-go ever.  Mike Richards attempted a dipsy-doodle around one of the large Canadiens that failed, and he ended up on his butt watching the first goal of the game go into the net.  Pretty plays only matter if they result in goals.

And then we arrive at Martin Biron.  It's quite easy to tell when Biron is playing well - and I'm not referring to score sheets.  The stellar Biron, who showed up in the playoffs, squares his shoulders to the shooter, is confident in his crease, and sucks up the rebounds.  I once heard Marty himself compare the feeling of playing like that to having a vacuum in the crest of his jersey.

When he's not playing good hockey, well, you get last night.  Rebounds careened off Biron like pinballs at the arcade.  That's extremely difficult to defend against, and it proved the difference-maker in that game.  At the opposite end of the ice, Carey Price stifled the Flyers' forwards by controlling the puck, never giving rebounds as the Orange and Black came crashing towards him. 

The Flyers' first road trip of the season begins tonight in Pittsburgh.  It's a chance to start anew.

UNO played Manitoba.  Manitoba was a 3-7 Canadian College Hockey Team.  We can't draw too much from this.  That said, the Mavs looked good in my opinion.  Love to see a clean sheet (there goes my soccer side..), and the penalty kill looked good (even if it was out there all night).

Here's what I do want to draw on. The following players saw their first ever action for UNO: Defensemen Matt Smith, Defensemen Kyle Ensign, Forward Jordan Willert, Forward Jake Skjodt, Forward Ryan Kretzer, Forward John Kemp, Forward Alex Hudson, and Goalie John Faulkner.  That's 8 freshman to break in!  

These players started their 2nd season: Defensemen Alain Goulet, Defensemen Nick Von Bokern, Forward Rich Purslow, Forward Joey Martin, Defensemen Eric Olimb, and Forward Matt Ambroz.  That's 6 more underclassmen, bringing us to 14 and 6 of those are defensemen.

This year's team has 7 Juniors (Goalie Jeremie Dupont, Defensemen Eddie DelGrosso, Forward Jeric Agosta, Forward JJ Koehler, Forward Nick Fanto, Defensemen Mark Bernier, and Forward Dan Swanson).  These 7 are some big names on this team, and this year will need to step up and start leading.  

There are only 4 Seniors, a Trio of Forwards (Tomas Klempa. J.P. Platisha, and Dan Charleston) and a Goalie (Jerad Kaufmann).  These guys are great and will be good leaders.  The job of these 11 upperclassmen though will be to lead the underclassmen.  To get the Freshman adjusted to college hockey and make sure the Sophomores keep getting better.

On the Blue Line (defensemen) is where this could be the biggest impact.  There are 2 Juniors, 4 Sophmores and 2 Freshman.  The Sophomores are going to be expected to contribute heavily, and are somewhat prepared after getting experience last year.  But we will see some mistakes, make no mistake about that.  The Blue Line will make you groan a few times this year...

Looking at the Forwards we see a trio of seniors and 4 juniors.  They will be expected to bear the brunt of the scoring burden.  The sophomores and freshman will be able to fit nicely into the plan and work hard, but won't have the same pressure as the defensemen.

Between the pipes, Dupont and Kaufmann are both experienced.  One of the two will play well, if not both (as I expect).  Faulkner will get some time I'm sure, but is there to help spur these two on and learn.

Now what does this mean?  UNO is young.  Very young.  IF, and this is a big if because with the schedule this team has... they have a chance to do some damage, pull some upsets and have a good year, the team struggles this year... don't fret too much.  This team is built for the future.  For the next few years.  This year is a bit of a building year.  We can see some big results this year as well I think thanks to a great schedule, but this isn't the year we worry about.

P.S. Sophomore defensemen Mike Phillippi will redshirt and focus on his grades.  A very good idea I think.  I applaud Coach Kemp for making the right choice here and putting Student before Athlete in this case.

Färjestad-HV 71: Under 5.5 mål

1.909 hos Pinnacle. 6/10 units.

Spelstopp: Tis 14 Okt kl 19.00

Färjestad har varit extremt målsnåla i år och inte mindre än 8/10 matcher har slutat med färre än 5.5 mål. Senaste matchen som man vann borta mot Timrå med 6-4 var verkligen ett undantag, och då ska man också hålla i åtanke att i Timrås matcher är det svängdörrar åt båda hållen. Timrå har nämligen både gjort och släppt in flest mål i årets Elitserie hittills. På hemmaplan har Färjestad målskillnaden 5-7 på fyra matcher, alltså ett snitt av bara tre mål per match.

HV 71 är också de ganska målsnåla. 6/10 matcher har slutat under 5.5, och bara en match av de sex senaste har slutat med fler mål när man slog Modo med 5-1 borta.

På fem möten mellan lagen förra säsongen slutade fyra med färre än 5.5 mål. Jag tror hårt på att det blir en tillknäppt tillställning även idag och underspelet till 1.909 spelas till sex units.

Modo-Luleå: Luleå draw-no-bet

3.44 hos Pinnacle. 3/10 units.

Spelstopp: Tis 14 Okt kl 19.00

Jag tror till skillnad från många andra att Luleås "Bartecko-effekt" kan hålla i sig. Inte bara har man fått tillbaka en mycket bra spelare som höjer hela laget, utan man har nu även möjligheten att spela på fyra fulla kedjor och därmed orka hela matcherna, något som varit ett problem tidigare under säsongen. 8-2 mot Förlunda senast har givetvis gett råg i ryggen till Luleå-björnarna, och när man nu åker till Ö-vik och möter ett Modo som har två raka förluster mot Skellefteå och HV 71 ser jag ingen omöjlighet att man åker tillbaka till Luleå med alla tre poängen. 3.44 klart spelvärt på Luleå-seger, och alltså pengarna tillbaka vid oavgjort. Mer än tre units vill jag dock inte riskera här.

Över till den finska hockeyligan:

JYP-Kärpät: 1

2.00 hos Bet365. 4/10 units.

Spelstopp: Tis 14 Okt kl 17.30

JYP är mycket starka hemma och kan överta serieledningen från Blues om man tar en trea ikväll. JYP:s form ser väldigt bra ut och man har fem segrar på de senaste fem matcherna. Gästande Kärpät tog en vinst senast hemma mot Pelicans men dessförinnan förlorade man två raka bortamatcher mot Ilves och HIFK och jag tror att man ytterligare försämrar sitt redan dåliga bortafacit idag.

Pelicans-Tappara: Tappara draw-no-bet

2.50 hos Pinnacle. 3/10 units.

Spelstopp: Tis 14 Okt kl 17.30

Två lag vars formkurvor korsar varandra. Pelicans har två raka torskar medan Tappara kommer på besök med tre raka segrar bakom sig, varav två på bortaplan. 2.50 på bortalaget med void vid kryss känns bra till en låg insats.

Blues-HPK: HPK Draw-no-bet

3.54 hos Pinnacle. 2/10 units.

Spelstopp: Tis 14 Okt kl 17.30

Dagens största chansning, men då går jag också bara in med två units. Blues leder serien men har känns ändå inte helt stabila, och jag tänker då främst på när man förlorade hemma mot Ässät med 2-3 för ett par omgångar sedan. HPK har spelat alla sina nio matcher på bortaplan hittills och har ändå skrapat ihop tolv poäng, vilket är ett betydligt bättre poängsnitt än de flesta andra lag i ligan. För bara en vecka sedan möttes lagen och den gången vann Blues med 3-2. Kan HPK kanske göra det ytterligare lite bättre idag och rentav vinna?

It's early, but 3-0 is a great start. Let's see if they can extend it to four.

Eller...?

Det sitter i skallen säger man ofta och man undrar ju hur sånt där sitter egentligen. Jag har själv ett gammalt bankkontonummer (nej det är inte personkontot) som jag kan rabbla när som helst, till absolut ingen nytta. Men radera det...? Nej det går inte. Det sitter i skallen... Andra koder däremot...

Så med den plättlätta matchen i skallen får man väl i alla fall delvis tänka om inför kvällens match mot Modo som absolut inte är gamla och definitivt inte ett lag man bara behöver göra en bra period mot. Ja gör man 6-0 i sista kan det räcka långt men man måste nog vara mer på tårna än hittills. Mot Frölunda släppte massor med betong och visst är det Bartie-effekten som avspeglas. Annat kan man inte påstå. Visst fanns kunnandet innan men att dom bara fattade det på Bartecko-språk...?

In med friska skallar och pigga ben redan från början och var inte räda för att vinna med 8-2 igen, var inte heller rädda om, sorry, när vi tar ledningen. Backa inte hem med 1-0. Sånt kostar, det vet vi. Tre poäng brukar priset vara... Och nu är varje trea en sexa. Lite happy hour så att säga. Två för priset av en... Och på torsdag kanske ännu mer...

Önskemål...;

Mål såklart men även Ejdepalm på läktaren och Olsson/Styrman på isen. Burra defensivt och INTE som avslutare vid likaläge i slutet av matchen. (Kaffe och chokladbollar snart Burra...?) Han har sin styrka i defensiven och gör väl några pinnar framåt. Men dom är mera slumpartade än den mäktiga deff han kan... Surprice ändå so far... 

Gusten i mål. Annat vore puckat självmord, coacha många spelare. Inte 2,5 femmor. Det orkar man inte med. Werner kan vi reta upp så han drar ifrån utvisningsligan ytterligare. Zoccerbiten smälter vi ned med riktiga brösvärmare och sen är vi hemma...

En morot är väl att vid seger lämnar vi tolvan...

Tre sistaperioder som mot Frölunda och vi tar det här med 18-0... Plättlätt som sagt.

-----

Junisarna går som tåget med Bulan som lokförare och Nilsson som konduktör... Tillbaka till framtiden redan nu...? Låna in några med flyt, ge dom några byten och jag blir så glad...

----

Det dör en kille i samband med en hockeymatch och visst är det tragiskt. Fruktansvärt tragiskt. Priset är ibland högt, grymt högt för att få göra det vi älskar allra mest... Kanske något att tänka på när vi spyr galla över vad vi nu hittar på att spy våran galla över. Livet är här och nu och får man göra det man älskar mest av allt så blir det värt att leva. Och i vissa fall dö för... "Han dog lycklig" säger man om en del som dör i spänningens ögonblick. Hur vi kan veta det vete fan, kanske en klen tröst bara... Hur det än är så är det alltid några som blir lämnade kvar med sorgen... Dom tänker vi på nu...

The 2nd video is his last minutes on the bench. Warning: the 2nd video is disturbing. RIP Alexei.

I actaully feel bad for her daughter. Not only is she getting booed by whom she pals around with (her dangerous, Un-American mom), but she has to listen to that horrible accent EVERY SINGLE DAY.

While it is a common trend to see sports cards rise in price after the death of a player, as of now I could not find any Alexei certified autograph hockey cards. There are plenty of autographs available, but no official ones on cardboard.

Alexei was expected to make his N.H.L debut during the 2009-10 season.

     Beautiful.  Keep up the good work fellas, and LET'S GO RANGERS!

     One more hockey note to pass on, this one far more somber.  Alexei Cherepanov, a 19 year old Rangers Prospect,  died of a heart attack at a game in the Russian continental league today.  He had fallen on the ice during his last shift, and was talking to Jaromir Jagr on the bench after a shift when he collapsed. After a few frantic minutes trying to revive him on the bench, they took him to the locker room, where He had apparently been revived, but The Ambulance that usually stays at games had left, and took 15-20 minutes to return to the arena, and the defibrillators there had problems. He was pronounced dead later on in the day at the as yet unnamed hospital.  Click here to read the story.

    Alexei Cherepanov, dead at 19.  January 15, 1989 – October 13, 2008    Rest In Peace.

  A moment of silence, then onto other things.

       Business news: The Dow Jones Industrial Average went up an Amazing 11.08% today, 936.42 points ahead of the it's previous close, and at one point was up over 40 points more than that.  The Nasdaq Composite was up an equally amazing 11.81% , 194.74 points higher than it's start number.  The S&P 500 was up 11.38% or 104.13 points.  Is this the beginning of a stock market turnaround? I'm hoping so, but I tell you i am still expecting rough days ahead, there's still too much bad debt out there but things look good right now, and let's hope that this helps minimize the effect of the Mortgage based debt that dragged the system down last week.  More Good news.  As of 10:02 p.m.,  Dow Futures are up 185 points.  Nice.

    Let's hope the news stays positive.

   Political news, Slightly silly stuff as well.  Sarah Palin apparently mistook some zealous fans of hers for Hecklers.  Apparently there were a fair number of people out there and not everyone could hear her, and the Chant, "Louder, Louder" came from the back of the crowd.  But those in the front, and Misses Palin herself mistook the people in the cheap seats for hecklers and told them:   

I hope those protesters have the courage and honor to give veterans thanks for their right to protest.

      Well, I for one hope that either the McCain people get a proper sound system, or that Mrs. Palin get her hearing checked.   Some people in the crowd tried to tell here what was going on, but it fell on deaf ears. Things otherwise went off without a hitch. 

      Now a video: Fun with Penn Gillette.  A man whom I admire making a valid point about big government and people who are advocates thereof by asking a question.  Watch and enjoy.  BTW Penn, Yer hair is pretty dude, relax. Really.  

    That's about it for me.  Later!

Today's Nuggets, Via Wikiquote :  I'll show you politics in America. Here it is, right here. "I think the puppet on the right shares my beliefs." "I think the puppet on the left is more to my liking." "Hey, wait a minute, there's one guy holding out both puppets!" "Shut up! Go back to bed, America. Your government is in control. Here's love connection. Watch this and get fat and stupid. By the way, keep drinking beer, you fucking morons.   Bill Hicks

Take away the right to say fuck and you take away the right to say fuck the government.   Lenny Bruce

Rewind the DVR for a moment to June. The NHL enjoyed a dream Stanley Cup Finals match-up with Detroit and Pittsburgh. Both teams delivered the goods in six entertaining games. The Chosen One, Sidney Crosby finally had the national stage. And America’s hockey dynasty raised its 11th Cup in team history.

Ratings for the NBC games were solid (Just imagine if the league had an actual television contract!).

Heading into Opening Night last Thursday, there were more reasons for optimism in the league than at any time since the late 1980s. 24 of 30 teams have a legitimate shot at the playoffs. Names like Crosby and Ovechkin appear ready to battle it out for the Hart trophy for the next decade. And even ESPN appears ready to jump back in as they fawn all over their colleague Barry Melrose and his return to the bench. (If you ask me, ESPN’s hiring of Don Cherry to appear alongside Melrose was all the push he needed to head back into coaching.)

But the real test for all this optimism is going to be ticket sales in the face of a floundering global economy. Are people going to come to the arena with an ever-tightening wallet? Will the casual fan choose hockey when disposable cash is scarce? As always, the proof is in the live product. This is the greatest game in the world and only attending a live game could possibly convince a novice fan.

Here’s the truth. If you stay away from hockey this year, you’re going to miss a ton.

You might miss Martin Brodeur become the winningest goalie of all time. You might miss an Original Six match-up at Wrigley Field on New Year’s Day between Detroit and Chicago. You might miss Sean Avery become the most hated hockey player since Claude Lemieux. You might miss the Red Wings realistic shot at having 10 different 20-goal scorers. You might miss five different players score over 100 points. You might miss Philadelphia boo a major party’s Vice Presidential candidate off the ice (oh wait…).

I’m so fired up for the season, I couldn’t contain my preview in just one installment. Without further ado, and with five days of hindsight, I bring you my Giant Four-Part NHL Preview, beginning with the Eastern Conference (In order of predicted finish).

NOT READY FOR PRIMETIME

15. New York Islanders
Good News: Fans get to watch Bill Guerin and Mike Comrie for four months. Also, Rick DiPietro is a solid goalie if he’s healthy, and at 27, he can still get better.

Bad News: Guerin and Comrie are un-restricted free agents after this year and could be headed out of town at the trade deadline. It doesn’t help that the Isles play in the most competitive division in the conference. It also doesn’t help that DiPietro might not be fully ready to play yet. Joey MacDonald in goal on opening night against New Jersey is a bad sign.

Why you should buy a ticket: Rookie Head Coach Scott Gordon wants a fast pace that could make for some exciting hockey.

The Verdict: This is a team heading in two directions. The youth movement combined with aging veterans will make for a tough season on The Island.

14. Toronto Maple Leafs
Say this much about the Maple Leafs: They seem to finally have a direction after spending the last three seasons pretending they weren’t in rebuilding mode. Ron Wilson is a great hire for the Leafs, and you can already see his impact in their aggressive defense. But this is a team that’s looking to the future. Mats Sundin left a gaping hole up front. There’s some solid professionals here, but Jason Blake, Nik Antropov and the addition of Niklas Hagman aren’t going to be able to make up for the loss of the future Hall-of-Famer.

Why you should buy a ticket: Let’s be honest, Leafs fans don’t need an excuse to buy a ticket. Hockey is a dominant cultural event, and the national pastime in Toronto. But here’s a reason to catch the Maple Leafs if they come to your city: 18-year-old Luke Schenn. One of a series of highly-regarded teenagers in the league this year, Schenn looks like the real deal. He held his own against a loaded Red Wings lineup on opening night. Like the rest of the team, he’ll have some growing pains, but he gives fans hope. That’s good enough to keep ‘em walking through the turnstile at Air Canada Centre.

The Verdict: In the words of Matthew McConaughey’s Wooderson, “Patience, darlin’.” Coach Wilson needs time to develop the system and mold this team in his image. Toronto is under a constant microscope North of the Border, but even the 732 beat writers that follow the Leafs will have to have a realistic eye this year. 70 points sounds about right here.

13. Florida Panthers
I’m going out on a limb here. The Florida Panthers are far and away the most anonymous, least popular club in the NHL. They had a solid run early in the franchise’s history, landing in the finals in ’96 against a loaded Colorado team, and it’s been mediocrity and anonymity ever since. It doesn’t help that South Florida is the worst possible market to carry an NHL franchise. This is a fan base that ignores every team except the Dolphins. In fact, if Kansas City is serious about eventually landing a team, you might look at the Panthers as a prime target.

That being said, there’s a foundation here. If you build a team from the goalie out, the Panthers have a start. Tomas Vokoun is solid (though he’s no Roberto Luongo) and the blue line will keep this team in a lot of games. But I just don’t know who’s scoring goals here. If you trade Olli Jokinen and his 71 points, logic dictates you should have a plan to replace that scoring. Cory Stillman, a nice complimentary piece, shouldn’t be a team’s leading scorer.

Why you should buy a ticket: Hmmmm. If you live in Miami, you’re probably a Rangers fan. You’ll have two chances to see them at home this year! So you got that going for you.
The Verdict: Lots of defense and very little else. Panthers Fever. Catch it!

12. Atlanta Thrashers
I’m really torn now. I just watched opening night from Blueland, and the place was absolutely jumping because the Thrashers pelted Washington’s goalies all night, scoring seven goals, the most on opening night in the clubs short history.

It was a cathartic experience for the home crowd that hasn’t had much to cheer about since reaching the 2007 Playoffs. Let’s review, shall we? (Careful, this gets ugly):
• Atlanta got swept in four straight games in the opening round against New York in 2007
• They started last season 0-6-0, and immediately fired Head Coach Bob Hartley
• After a brief resurgence to respectability, it became clear that the team was headed nowhere, as the defense continued to spring leaks all season. (Braydon Coburn for Alexei Zhitnik is an entirely separate column)
• Marian Hossa left for Pittsburgh along with Pascal Dupuis at the trade deadline
• Team Captain Bobby Holik fled back to New Jersey in free agency
• After flirting with free agents like Brian Campbell, the highest-profile signing of the summer was Defenceman Ron Hainsey (you’re darn right I’m giving you Canadian spellings!)
• The hiring of John Anderson, while he is highly regarded within the franchise, didn’t generate a great deal of positive publicity outside of Atlanta
So, to say it’s been a tough year in The A is an understatement. John Kincade of 680 The Fan, widely acknowledged to be the only hockey guy in the local broadcast media, has already written off this season as a total disaster. But I’m seeing all sorts of reasons to believe something is happening here.

Why you should buy a ticket: Mathieu Schneider recently fell into their laps in a payroll move by Anaheim. He adds instant credibility to the blue line. He’s also a puck-moving defenceman, which is exactly the type of player Coach Anderson needs to jumpstart his new attacking system. Suddenly the team has the makings of a defense. Schneids will be pared with the team’s first-round pick, Zach Bogosian, another member of the league’s teenage movement. This means the rookie will get a nightly tutorial from someone who’s played at a high level in the NHL for 19 years. Of  everything I saw Friday night, this was Anderson’s smartest move. (Bogosian’s “Welcome to the NHL” moment also came at the end of the game when he fought legendary brawler Donald Brashear. This moment stood out to me because everyone got the sense that this teenager is someone who can be around Atlanta for a long time)

The Verdict: But let’s temper this for a moment. One game does not a season make (I’ve always wanted to say that). Washington isn’t winning any championships with goaltending that putrid. Atlanta is going to steal some wins this year, and they still have Ilya Kovalchuk, last season’s second leading goal scorer. But there’s just not enough quality depth to think this team is ready to contend for the playoffs. The defense has to figure out how to reduce the number of shots goaltender Kari Lehtonen sees (43 Shots in the first game, 39 against Florida the next night). At this rate, poor Kari isn’t going to last 50 games before he burns out.  Still, it looks like there’s a plan in place now. It’s just not time yet.

11. Ottawa Senators
Did you know that Ottawa has been one of the most consistent playoff participants in the league? Here’s proof: they’ve made the playoffs every year since the 1996-97 season, and have tallied at least 94 points every year since the 1998-99 season. But there’s a problem. The Eastern Conference improved significantly this year, while the Sens, if anything, have taken a step backward. The offense will still be there, but losing Wade Redden is a big deal. Captain Daniel Alfredsson isn’t healthy yet, and Martin Gerber is not a long-term solution in goal.

Why you should buy a ticket: When healthy, Ottawa still boasts one of the top first lines in all of hockey with Alfredsson, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza. There’s no reason to think the Sens won’t still score a ton of goals.

The Verdict: A lot has to go exactly right in Canada’s capital for the Sens to return for a 12th straight trip to the playoffs. I just think they’re finally at a point where the losses have caught up with them. All signs point to fans in Ottawa finding an unfamiliar territory this year: missing the playoffs.

10. Tampa Bay Lightning
The mullet is back! (Here, I’m actually speaking of Barry Melrose, not the rest of the citizens of Tampa) It’s possible that Jaromir Jagr departing for Russia prompted the NHL to force Melrose back behind the bench of a team to ensure there would be a sufficient quota of mullets in the league this year.

This team is tough to figure out. Talk about overhauling your lineup. Brad Richards is gone. Dan Boyle (Former Miami Redhawk) is gone. A host of free agent signings took place since the end of last year. Enter names like Vinny Prospal (round two), Gary Roberts, Ryan Malone, Olaf Kolzig, and Radim Vrbata. I understand most of these signings, but I don’t get why they traded away Boyle, one of the better puck-moving defencemen in the league.

Melrose wants the team to develop a nasty streak, but without much experience on the blue line, that’s not likely.

Why you should buy a ticket: Top overall pick Steven Stamkos, another of the NHL’s Teenage Brigade, is the definition of highly-touted. He’s going to have a trial by fire this year, but every scouting report says this kid can be a star. Plus you still have Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis leading the charge on offense. If nothing else, they’ll keep things exciting.

The verdict: The new ownership group wasn’t kidding when they promised to rebuild the team. There are just too many holes after the front lines.

9. Buffalo Sabres
Good news Buffalo! The Bills are doing great this year. Let that be a distracter here. Because the team on the ice doesn’t appear headed back to the playoffs. This is another case of the rest of the conference getting better. The Sabres still have Lindy Ruff, one of the best coaches in the NHL, and a great nucleus for the future. But Craig Rivet isn’t the same thing as Brian Campbell on defence. There’s really no way around that. This looks like a one-year hiatus from the playoffs in Buffalo.

Why you should buy a ticket: Was there something else you had going on in Buffalo during the winter?

The Verdict: In my mind, the Sabres miss the playoffs this year because their fans are just about the most annoying group that comes into Philips Arena every year. (Whoever the guy is that screams “Let’s Go Buff-A-Lo” throughout the entire game while sitting right behind me, I’m blaming this playoff miss on you! Just know this is on your head.) Ryan Miller and Jason Pominville are signed long-term, and long-term this team will be fine. Just not this year.

Part Two: The Playoff Teams coming soon.

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Helpful Resources:

1. Sports: Sports Briefs: Bowling for Loops - The Post Chronicle

   ... Wilson. Jan ... hobos who were there just for free cake) turned in admiration. ... was soon escorted from the pool table, after he brandished a cue ...

   www.postchronicle.com/news/sports/printer_2124346.shtml

2. Billiards Table With Built-in TV/DVD Entertains Even The Spectators ...

   The ultimate pool table has it all: an LCD TV, stereo with flat paneled speakers, ... Karen Wilson. on GT5P Pod - A pricey toy to...

   bornrich.org/entry/billiards-table-with-built-in-tvdvd-entertains-e...

3. Fusion Table - Pool Table Disguised As Dining Room Table - Born Rich

   Cruise to the luxury lifestyle ... Karen Wilson. on World's oldest running car... but he's not having any wedding cake. 20 hrs ago ...

   www.bornrich.org/entry/have-dinner-and-play-pool-on-the-fusion-table

4. RestMart.com - Restaurant for Sale database

   Has pool tables, karaoke four times a week, lots of televisions, video games and ... Breads, Cakes and wonderful pastries and more all come out of this very well ...

   restmart.com/ResByState.asp?...&City=&state=Tennessee&id=43

5. Jamestown Parks and Recreation

   Activities available are pool table, air hockey, foos ball, music and big screen ... Jamestown Municipal Swimming Pool John L. Wilson Arena Picnic Shelter Rentals ...

   www.jamestownparksandrec.com/page.asp?id=5

6. Jamestown Parks and Recreation | Facilities

   Jamestown Municipal Swimming Pool " John L. Wilson Arena " Picnic Shelter Rentals " ... Activities available are pool table, air hockey, foos ball, music and ...

   www.jamestownparksandrec.com/facilities/?ID=5

7. Queen of the green baize

   "I was taking coaching from Sir Wilson Jones. ... "At the moment we don't even have pool tables in Mumbai, so I am not really getting any practice. ...

   in.rediff.com/sports/2006/aug/29anuja.htm

8. Spartanburg Bars, Pubs, & Clubs Businesses & Services by Yahoo! Local

   Pool tables, darts, great all around bar. Karaoke on Wednesday nights, Johnnie Wilson's one man ... out of this world along with the vanilla bean cheese cake. ...

   local.yahoo.com/sc/spartanburg/Entertainment+Arts/Bars,+Pubs,+Clubs

9. DallasChild - Add Some Fireworks to Your Fourth of July Party

   Dallas party planner Tara Wilson suggests making do-it-yourself coaster ... For a pool party, cover the table with colorful beach towels and use beach toys, ...

   www.dallaschild.com/showarticle.asp?artid=500

10. MySpace.com - Noah - 26 - Male - Seattle, US - www.myspace.com/1515761

    ... Fagen, Pool, Table Tennis, Religious Pluralism, Post-Modernism, Love, and Peace ... Brian Wilson, Brigitte Bardot, Brookville, Burt Bacharach, Cake, Calling ...

    profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&...

Do you see the optimism, or take the "sky is falling" approach? I'm in between too. Maybe Flyers fans aren't far enough removed from our last-in-the-league losing season.

John Stevens said it was defense, Biron didn't have a chance on a couple of those,

These two losses, they are just starting a very long first week for the Flyers, and they are to teams that stand in the Flyers way during the playoffs. I don't think this is a good sign. Defense needs help - and not some big d-man who scored only 1 goal in two seasons... But what is a good thing (well, a great thing) is that if the Flyers play the same way they played for two periods, it will be another good season

Don't really know what to say. Was looking forward to seeing him play as a Ranger. I'm totally shocked to hear about this, and the way it all happened. I wish anyone that feels ill about this the best, and I hope somehow this kind of thing can be prevented in the future.

From the little I've seen on YouTube, it is apparent that Cherepanov was a terrific prospect who looked like he had all the makings of a great NHL player.

More details here, courtesy of the New York Post.

As a foolish hockey aficionado I'm just happy that the NHL season is back which mean staying up in the Wii hours watching my Vancouver Canucks games. So far the new VIP playa's are out of the club with a great start, the Sedin twins are doing what they always do and Mr. Demitra is make the key passes to everyone. All in all, I'm happy at the moment.

Johnson will undergo shoulder surgery later this week and is expected to miss two to three months.

To fill Johnson’s spot on the roster, the Kings claimed defenseman Kyle Quincey off of waivers from the Detroit Red Wings.

Quincey, 23, played in six games for the Red Wings last season. In 66 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League, the 6-2, 206-pound native of Kitchener, Ontario scored five goals and added fifteen assists for twenty points with 149 penalty minutes.

In thirteen National Hockey League regular season games, all with Detroit, Quincey has one goal with four penalty minutes. He also played in thirteen playoff games with the Red Wings.

Quincey, who will wear jersey number 27 with the Kings, was selected by the Red Wings in the fourth round (132nd overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He will earn $500,000 this season, with his average salary hitting the Kings’ salary cap at $525,000.

Photo from Creative Commons

With the new Hockey Night in Canada theme song selected by the public through the CBC, people are wondering,

a) was that truly the best we could do, and

b) should I tune into TSN next Leaf game to pay homage to a song which defined Canadian hockey.

There is no doubt that the winning song, elected from a group of approximately 15'000 others, is brilliant in many aspects but of course not everyone has the same taste in music and while it can be said it is Canadian in structure and integrity questions arise of concern that the CBC may have "rushed" the contest a bit too quickly as hinted by a Toronto-based radio station but as Ron MacLean said prior to the voting session in paraphrase, "Canadians won't stand for a bad anthem."

The essential issue concerning if this song is right for hockey might just also be a dying attempt to regain the original tune and restore to the CBC. There's an old saying that if something's not broken, you do not need to fix it, and the original anthem was just that. However regardless of what might have happened if the song had remained a part of the present CBC, as it will always be a part of the past, it certainly might make some hockey fans watch TSN to get another glimpse of pure Canadiana.

*Husky Note: This "blog post" is not intended to belittle the new Hockey Night in Canada Anthem nor the CBC, all efforts, I assure you! have been taken to  maintain the accuracy of claims/stated points of observance.