HOCKEY IS BACK!!!

and Better than ever!! watch my first pre-season game of the year last night Islanders Vs. Rangers, isles took it to them with a commanding 5-1 victory! zhitnik 2 goals and the new islanders captain Alexi Yashin had a goal & an assist! the rangers won the shootout(all pre-season games despite the score go to the shootout so teams can practice it) the flow of the game with the new rules is unbelievable its the best hockey i have seen since the '93 playoffs, and it might be better. there were so many powerplays, a lot of long passing each team had at least 4 breakaways each and there was hitting but no obstruction and very odd not one fight or major altercation(a rangers/Isles Pre-season game? its usually a slugfest), i didnt mind it at all because the skill of the game finally was put at the forefront.

i went to New York in January and me and my pals had the intention of watching some hockey, Typical Brits we didn't bother to do any research, we knew where the rangers played so we decided we'd go there.

got there and going through customs and the guy behind the counter goes to us,'you here to see the paly-offs?'. we told him we wanted to see some hockey, he told us about the strike that was on

we went to watch the sack of shit that is basketball instead, Knicks Vs Bucks, probably the worst 3 hrs i've spent ever

...AND SO IS PAVEL DATSYUK! I am very, VERY excited, to say the least. :D

did he sign with detroit? i thought he had signed already in Russia and Wasnt going to be playing in the N.H.L. This year?

frank smarra wrote: did he sign with detroit? i thought he had signed already in Russia and Wasnt going to be playing in the N.H.L. This year?

He wised up and is coming back.

Dan Delgado wrote:

frank smarra wrote: did he sign with detroit? i thought he had signed already in Russia and Wasnt going to be playing in the N.H.L. This year?

He wised up and is coming back.

Damn right.

Speaking of my beloved Wings, I'm happy to report that they beat the Avs in OT last night. And it wasn't a shootout. I will be going to see them in Colorado on February 4. :D

that is great for the league and the wings, pavel will score a ton of goals in the new N.H.L. a lot of the guys that got jobs being tough guy checkers are out of jobs now, the smaller faster skill players are back in favor. its going to be a great season

sidney crosby got an assist in his 1st Pre-Season game last night

Petr Svoboda had a long solid career nic. are there still the rumors flying around that Theodore will be traded to Florida for Luongo? i hear Keenan Demanded Michael Rider Too!

Spotnick wrote:

frank smarra wrote: Petr Svoboda had a long solid career nic. are there still the rumors flying around that Theodore will be traded to Florida for Luongo? i hear Keenan Demanded Michael Rider Too!

No, this is a dead rumour now that Theo is signed.

Plus, we have depth at this position... the best goalie in the NCAA 2 years ago, and our first round pick this year, so when Theo's contract will expire in 3 years, all of them will be ready.

How do you think the Habs will do this year?

Spotnick wrote: The North East Division is IMHO the worst of them all... it's going to be tough.

Injuries will be the factor, although the Habs are the only team with a star goalie in his prime.

I predict we will finish 6th in the east, but roll the dice, anything can happen, I'm sure between 4 and 12, there will be less than 8 points.

The worst division? Even with the Habs, Sens and Leafs? The Bruins aren't great, but they aren't bad, either. I think the Southeast division is easily worst.

Or maybe I should be asking what you mean by "worst."

frank smarra wrote: that is great for the league and the wings, pavel will score a ton of goals in the new N.H.L. a lot of the guys that got jobs being tough guy checkers are out of jobs now, the smaller faster skill players are back in favor. its going to be a great season

Who do you think he will play on a line with?

I Dunno who is still on the wings? lang? zetterburg? Stevie Y?

I read Osgood hurt his groin, i expect there will be a lot of injuries like that this season being that not everyone has played competitive hockey for more than a year.

i saw some highlights of crosby last night, this kid is good! he didnt score but he was putting himself in the clear with his skating and creating some exciting scoring chances.

Pens are Visiting the Isles in Eatly November, i cannot wait i tried to get Opening night tickets to the Devils/Pens but it sold out in minutes, the devils never do that, i get devs playoff tickets the day of the game from the box office!

Spotnick wrote:

Church of the KLF wrote:

Spotnick wrote: The North East Division is IMHO the worst of them all... it's going to be tough.

Injuries will be the factor, although the Habs are the only team with a star goalie in his prime.

I predict we will finish 6th in the east, but roll the dice, anything can happen, I'm sure between 4 and 12, there will be less than 8 points.

The worst division? Even with the Habs, Sens and Leafs? The Bruins aren't great, but they aren't bad, either. I think the Southeast division is easily worst.

Or maybe I should be asking what you mean by "worst."

Worst division to win ;) Most difficult.

Sorry, bad translation ;)

Oh no no don't be sorry! I just didn't know exactly what you meant. It makes sense though. :)

I think the Atlantic Division is a competitive one, too. But you might be right - the Northeast Division is going to be a VERY tough one this year. The only "odd team out" is Buffalo. The other four are serious contenders.

Spotnick wrote: And Buffalo is full of youngsters that can surprise anybody anywhere...

Sure they lost Satan, but I'm not that sure it will have an impact.

Yes, they definitely have some good talent. But do you think they are a playoff team?

Church of the KLF wrote:

Spotnick wrote: And Buffalo is full of youngsters that can surprise anybody anywhere...

Sure they lost Satan, but I'm not that sure it will have an impact.

Yes, they definitely have some good talent. But do you think they are a playoff team?

No way is Buffalo a playoff team. Losing Satan and Zhitnik and replacing them with no one was not the most encouraging thing for Sabres fans. I think they'll be finishing in last this year in the NE Division.

i was able to watch Chicago/Minnesota Last night on my dish. i dont think either team dressed any star players, dwayne roloson and brial ralston were the only guys i really recognised, but it was an enjoyable game thay wern to o.t. which was great they called the blackhawks for 2 penalties in OT! the wild had 5 on 3 but couldnt score so it went to a legitimate shootout and in the hawks won it after 5 shooters. lesss than 2 weeks till the real thing!

Dan Delgado wrote:

Church of the KLF wrote:

Spotnick wrote: And Buffalo is full of youngsters that can surprise anybody anywhere...

Sure they lost Satan, but I'm not that sure it will have an impact.

Yes, they definitely have some good talent. But do you think they are a playoff team?

No way is Buffalo a playoff team. Losing Satan and Zhitnik and replacing them with no one was not the most encouraging thing for Sabres fans. I think they'll be finishing in last this year in the NE Division.

I absolutely agree.

frank smarra wrote: I Dunno who is still on the wings? lang? zetterburg? Stevie Y?

I read Osgood hurt his groin, i expect there will be a lot of injuries like that this season being that not everyone has played competitive hockey for more than a year.

i saw some highlights of crosby last night, this kid is good! he didnt score but he was putting himself in the clear with his skating and creating some exciting scoring chances.

Pens are Visiting the Isles in Eatly November, i cannot wait i tried to get Opening night tickets to the Devils/Pens but it sold out in minutes, the devils never do that, i get devs playoff tickets the day of the game from the box office!

Red Wings Roster

Lang, Zetterberg, Stevie Y, Shanahan, Maltby, Draper, etc are all still Wings forwards.

I can't wait to see the Pens play.

On Opening Night i will be constantly Switching between the Isles/Sabres game and the Devils and Pens!

frank smarra wrote: On Opening Night i will be constantly Switching between the Isles/Sabres game and the Devils and Pens!

I am extremely upset that there is no way for me to watch the games until December 22 on account of my being in Denmark. I can't believe it. But I scored tickets to see the Wings/Avs game (in Colorado) on February 4, so I'm pretty excited. I'm also going to see the Avs take on the Habs and Flames. I'm excited!

I wish I could watch those two games, as well. Go Isles and go Pens!

frank smarra wrote: On Opening Night i will be constantly Switching between the Isles/Sabres game and the Devils and Pens!

Ah, I'm not sure if my cable company offers Center Ice. After having the Dish for the last few years I took that sort thing for granted. Now I may be stuck with OLN and going to bars to catch the Isles.

NHL.com's team preview got me thinking...How do you think the Phoenix Coyotes will do? The additions of Petr Nedved, Brett Hull, Curtis Joseph, Sean O'Donnell, Boyd Devereaux, Oleg Saprykin and Mike Ricci on the ice and Gretzky behind the bench are undoubtedly huge, but there are still huge question marks.

How good will Gretzky be as a coach? There is really no way to predict. He will certainly inspire his players, though. I can't imagine playing for Wayne Gretzky. Wow! But it remains to be seen how good a coach he will be.

Curtis Joseph is a BIG question mark in my mind. I was not happy with his play with the Wings, and frankly he will need to do a lot to convince me that he is not way past his prime. I just don't know that he can be a formidable starter in this league anymore. And things are only going to be tougher for goalies with the new rules. I have a feeling he might be kind of a bust, but who knows? He used to be ace.

I like Ricci, though. He's getting older but her always plays with a lot of heart and grit. He can score timely goals too. I like Nedved a lot but I don't know how well he's going to play. The new rule changes will be good for a player like him, at least. Brett Hull will probably be good for at least 20 or 30 goals, maybe more. His age is the only real concern - obviously he's one of the best goal scorers of all-time.

My prediction: 3rd or, perhaps more likely, 4th in the Pacific, missing the playoffs by only a few points.

i think its going to be hard to predict what teams will do, new rules, Mass Player Movement and the injuries that are sure to occur makes this year hard to call. hell the predators could win the cup this year!

the one team that i think will definetly be contenders for the cup are The Flames, they got basically the same team, they are built for the rule changes and they have strengthened their D

teams that have no chance:Rangers, Leafs & Atlanta(Unless they Sign Kovalchuk)

i would love to see the isles do it but i think they need to get stronger on the Blueline, upfront if yashin delivers they will be fine

frank smarra wrote: i think its going to be hard to predict what teams will do, new rules, Mass Player Movement and the injuries that are sure to occur makes this year hard to call. hell the predators could win the cup this year!

the one team that i think will definetly be contenders for the cup are The Flames, they got basically the same team, they are built for the rule changes and they have strengthened their D

teams that have no chance:Rangers, Leafs & Atlanta(Unless they Sign Kovalchuk)

i would love to see the isles do it but i think they need to get stronger on the Blueline, upfront if yashin delivers they will be fine

Yes, this year will be very hard to predict. Who knows how each team will perform??? I am VERY curious to see how the Penguins do, in particular. I really wonder how they will click as a team, and how Crosby will play.

I agree that the Flames are major contenders. But I think that the Flyers, Lightning and perhaps the Wings and Senators are teams to be taken seriously, as well. What do you think about them?

i really think the flyers have made a fatal error on defense signing thease big immobile guys, they are going to take a lot of penalties and they may score a lot of goals but i think they are going to give up even more. ottawa suould still be strong, just have to see if Hasek can shake the rust off and if heatly can recapture that scoring touch of his. Tampa will not repeat they lost their starting goaltender and some important depth, they will still be a good team though

Church of the KLF wrote:

frank smarra wrote: i think its going to be hard to predict what teams will do, new rules, Mass Player Movement and the injuries that are sure to occur makes this year hard to call. hell the predators could win the cup this year!

the one team that i think will definetly be contenders for the cup are The Flames, they got basically the same team, they are built for the rule changes and they have strengthened their D

teams that have no chance:Rangers, Leafs & Atlanta(Unless they Sign Kovalchuk)

i would love to see the isles do it but i think they need to get stronger on the Blueline, upfront if yashin delivers they will be fine

Yes, this year will be very hard to predict. Who knows how each team will perform??? I am VERY curious to see how the Penguins do, in particular. I really wonder how they will click as a team, and how Crosby will play.

I agree that the Flames are major contenders. But I think that the Flyers, Lightning and perhaps the Wings and Senators are teams to be taken seriously, as well. What do you think about them?

I'm pretty curious about the Pens myself. They can either sink or swim. I could easily see Ziggy, Mario, and LeClair all sitting on the sidelines with injuries all year just as easily as I can see those three guys flying all over the ice. Health and how well Crosby fares will the big factors there.

I totally agree that Calgary will continue to be a force. They made solid moves this off-season and already had a great team to begin with. The Wings should always be taken seriously but they've lost a few key guys and Shanny and Stevie Y. aren't getting any younger, not to mention I think they have some question marks in goal. I think Datsyuk and Zetterburg will really have to be the point leaders on this team.

Did Datsuyk sign? i couldnt find it anywhere!

frank smarra wrote: Did Datsuyk sign? i couldnt find it anywhere!

Read all about it here. Two years, $3.8 million.

Ah tsn.ca, the hockey fans best friend.

how did i miss that. he is going to be great with the new rules. there could easily be 25 100+ point getters this season!

frank smarra wrote: how did i miss that. he is going to be great with the new rules. there could easily be 25 100+ point getters this season!

We can only hope.

How long before Kovalchuk comes to his senses?

the Thrashers need him badly, if he doesnt sign it will be a huge step backwards, Hossa should have a great season but Signing Bondra wasnt the solution they need kovalchuk. i know the teams have the edge now but the european players can make some pretty good money overseas not much less than in the NHL and they can stay at home.

Well you could look at it as Bondra and Holik replacing Kovalchuk. But I agree. Atlanta has some nice forwards (Kozlov, Savard, Hossa) but Kovalchuk makes them contenders. Without him I don't think they make the playoffs.

I just don't understand what these are thinking sometimes. The NHL is back, finally some financial stability, the rules favor scoring, so now you decided to hightail it back to Russia. Whatever.

And nice to see the cap working. See New Jersey having to give away Jeff Friesen was kinda nice.

Poor Friesen the caps have no chance this year, it was hard to believe that of all the teams the Devils went over the cap! my girlfriend got me tickets for thursday's Islanders Rangers Pre-Season Game at the Garden, i will have to wear my Denis potvin Jersey

I feel for Friesen as well. I like the guy. But Caps stink. You would have figured that the Devils would have managed the cap better than anyone. But I think the losses of Stevens and Neidermeyer may have made Lou Lamorillo over compensate the D-men he did sign. I kept reading how great it was he acted quickly to sign a bunch of guys but really, are you going to get all that excited about Vladimir Malakov?

You're so lucky. This Thursday I have tickets to the Panthers/Hurricanes pre-season game.

well the Panthers have an Up and COming Team, they could make the playoffs if they win that weak Division, and say what you want about keenan but he usually gets his teams to win and Martin is a good coach too, Luongo is great(you can thank Milbury for that one)they have some great young players and now some vetrans, carolina though

Spotnick wrote: I don't think the Leafs will make the playoffs though... and it pisses any fan if you try to remind them :D

Leafs fans seem to be quite pissy in general.

They're kind of like the all reject team with Lindros and Allison. Could go either way but I don't think they'll be making it in either.

i listen to a toronto based radio station at work(Fan 590) and the comments made by leafs fans are laughable, when they did nothing ealry in the free agency period they were all saying how they had to sign Domi because they lost Roberts and Niewy and they needed Tie's Leadership and Scoring Touch? now forget it Allison and Lindros are Hailed to split the Heart Trophy and Art Ross this season. and now the leafs fans, after having gotten creamed by the sabres last night, are crying this mornming about the penalties and saying the game is turning into the NBA. how can you not love the new style of Hockey being played? they were unprepared for the new NHL , like the rangers, draft Terribly, buy for name and not Skill, and think they run the league. not happening, and hey i used to love the leafs(Douggie Gilmour!) but enough is enought they are always crying about something, and just to show how dumb the fans are, remember how they booed Larry Murphy, then they gave him to the wings for nothing and he won 2 more Cups!

Tie Domi has a scoring touch?

Niklas Kronvall is out for at least six weeks.

frank smarra wrote: i listen to a toronto based radio station at work(Fan 590) and the comments made by leafs fans are laughable, when they did nothing ealry in the free agency period they were all saying how they had to sign Domi because they lost Roberts and Niewy and they needed Tie's Leadership and Scoring Touch? now forget it Allison and Lindros are Hailed to split the Heart Trophy and Art Ross this season. and now the leafs fans, after having gotten creamed by the sabres last night, are crying this mornming about the penalties and saying the game is turning into the NBA. how can you not love the new style of Hockey being played? they were unprepared for the new NHL , like the rangers, draft Terribly, buy for name and not Skill, and think they run the league. not happening, and hey i used to love the leafs(Douggie Gilmour!) but enough is enought they are always crying about something, and just to show how dumb the fans are, remember how they booed Larry Murphy, then they gave him to the wings for nothing and he won 2 more Cups!

Larry Murphy played brilliantly with the Wings. He and Nicklas Lidstrom were perhaps the best defensive pairing in the league for several seasons. I miss him.

frank smarra wrote: i really think the flyers have made a fatal error on defense signing thease big immobile guys, they are going to take a lot of penalties and they may score a lot of goals but i think they are going to give up even more. ottawa suould still be strong, just have to see if Hasek can shake the rust off and if heatly can recapture that scoring touch of his. Tampa will not repeat they lost their starting goaltender and some important depth, they will still be a good team though

I aree about the Lightning. There's no way that the tandem of John Grahame and Sean Burke is going to take a team to the Cup, even if they are the defending champs.

And I also agree with you about the Flyers. D-men like Kevin Hatcher are probably not going to be as effective as they used to be, especially with the new rules. Speaking of which, how will the role of the defenseman change with the new rules? Will speedy defensemen become more important than big, bulky bruisers? I think they probably will. Defensemen will need to be smarter rather than tougher. Look for Nick Lidstrom to have another great season for that reason. :D

What do you guys think?

Dan Delgado wrote: Tie Domi has a scoring touch?

He gives people a touch, alright.

Lidstrom will have a great season again, he is perhaps the most steady Defenseman of the last decade and the new rules will only help that.

i got a treat on the dish last night Ottawa V Buffalo

but i didnt discover it until the shootout, ottawa won the game 5-2, but buffalo took the shootout beating the Dominator Twice, heatly scored the lone shootout goal for Ottawa on a nice shot throught the 5 hole

I've hardly even seen any highlights of the pre-season, much less a game.

Tonight I will be hitting that hot ticket Panthers v. Canes though.

Islanders/Rangers Tonight, i will be there!

frank smarra wrote: Islanders/Rangers Tonight, i will be there!

Bastard!

Islanders Won it in the Shootout, Bates and Parrish Scored for the Isles and Jagr for the Rags in the Shootout the regular Games Was 2-2, in all honesty thought the rangers outplayed the islanders for the last period and a half ans hit the posy a couple of times, the isles started strong and scored about a minute and a half in and were all over the rags but early in the second the islanders stopped skating and were playing sloppy. Di Pietro took a penalty for playing the puck in the Restricted Area, and godard fought Purinton, it was a draw. well thats it for the islanders till wednesday when they open the season in Buffalo! Cannot Wait

Also have a happy Birthday dan:baloon:

, mine is on Monday

Thanks Frank.

frank smarra wrote: Islanders Won it in the Shootout, Bates and Parrish Scored for the Isles and Jagr for the Rags in the Shootout the regular Games Was 2-2, in all honesty thought the rangers outplayed the islanders for the last period and a half ans hit the posy a couple of times, the isles started strong and scored about a minute and a half in and were all over the rags but early in the second the islanders stopped skating and were playing sloppy. Di Pietro took a penalty for playing the puck in the Restricted Area, and godard fought Purinton, it was a draw. well thats it for the islanders till wednesday when they open the season in Buffalo! Cannot Wait

Oh man I cannot wait either. So exciting. Sounds like a fun game.

The Wings are down 2-1, midway through the second against the Leafs. Disgraceful.

So it looks like the Devils need to deal another forward...Who will it be???

Seems like they may have promote someone since they are still hanging heads against that cap.

Checking tsn.ca, I see that the Devils are still over the cap. They 20 players signed for $41 million. Expect another trade soon.

Didn't The Devs just dump Freisen to the Caps? (they need anything they can get)

Ed Dalder wrote: Didn't The Devs just dump Freisen to the Caps? (they need anything they can get)

They did, but they are STILL over the cap and need to get rid of another forward.

It's only two more days...

i think the devils are okay with the cap now that Friesen is gone, i think the deadline was October 1? Steve thomas did not make the maple leafs! so i guess he will be retiring.

frank smarra wrote: Steve thomas did not make the maple leafs! so i guess he will be retiring.

Really? I think that's likely, but there's always a chance someone will sign him to a tiny contract a few months into the season or something. I think he might still have a little something to offer a team short on forward depth or in need of a little veteran leadership.

Happy birthday Frank.

tsn.ca is still listing the Devils as being over, even without Friesen. But I think Elias won't count until he comes back in December so I guess they are okay for now.

THANKS!

yeah you are right i forgot about Elias and they have until he comes back to get under the cap.

Church of the KLF wrote:

frank smarra wrote: Steve thomas did not make the maple leafs! so i guess he will be retiring.

Really? I think that's likely, but there's always a chance someone will sign him to a tiny contract a few months into the season or something. I think he might still have a little something to offer a team short on forward depth or in need of a little veteran leadership.

Thomas was offered a contract with the red wings but opted to go to the leafs camp W/O a contract because he doesnt want to move his family away from Toronto. maybe he will change his mind, but he is 42 and this is the New NHL I think a lot of young skilled players will be given more of a chance to play on the 4th line and those gooney/grinders (not that thomas is either one)are out of work, but its hard to tell we will know more about how teams plan to operate by the all star break

frank smarra wrote:

Church of the KLF wrote:

frank smarra wrote: Steve thomas did not make the maple leafs! so i guess he will be retiring.

Really? I think that's likely, but there's always a chance someone will sign him to a tiny contract a few months into the season or something. I think he might still have a little something to offer a team short on forward depth or in need of a little veteran leadership.

Thomas was offered a contract with the red wings but opted to go to the leafs camp W/O a contract because he doesnt want to move his family away from Toronto. maybe he will change his mind, but he is 42 and this is the New NHL I think a lot of young skilled players will be given more of a chance to play on the 4th line and those gooney/grinders (not that thomas is either one)are out of work, but its hard to tell we will know more about how teams plan to operate by the all star break

I see! I didn't realize that the Wings had offered him a contract. That would have been a nice addition for the season. But if he turned that an offer from a city so close based largely on geography, I bet he will retire. Thanks for explaining this.

And happy birthday, Frank! :\party:

THANKS!

no better present than the return of NHL Hockey(well in 2 days anyway)

It's only one more day.

Anyone have any predictions for this year?

Here are a bunch of boring, conservative predictions:

The Flyers will not win the Stanley Cup.

Crosby will have a good year, and maybe even win the Calder, but he won't score 60 goals and 150 points or anything like that (which a lot of people seem to expect him to do).

Gretzky will have a great year as a coach, but the Coyotes will stay quite a ways away from the Cup. CuJo will have a mediocre year. I still have a bit of a hunch that they will make the playoffs, though.

The only team in the Atlantic division that won't make the playoffs will be the Rangers.

One of the former big three of the Western Conference - Detroit, Colorado and Dallas - will not make the playoffs.

Playoff teams from each conference (in no particular order):

EASTERN

NYI Pittsburgh New Jersey Philadelphia Ottawa Montreal Tampa Bay Atlanta

WESTERN

Detroit Nashville Calgary Vancouver San Jose Anaheim Colorado Phoenix

Of course, who the heck knows. I think picking playoff teams right now is like trying to predict who the pope will be in 2080.

Also, I think Nick Lidstrom is going to have a heck of a year.

What do you guys think?

frank smarra wrote: THANKS!

no better present than the return of NHL Hockey(well in 2 days anyway)

No problem! Yeah, it will be a nice early birthday gift for me, as well. I cannot wait. Unfortunately, here in Denmark, I won't be able to watch anything. I'll have to check and see if any bars will be showing any games late at night. I can't wait to get back to the States in late December, if only for hockey-viewing reasons. :D

some small news, Curtis Lescyshin of Ottawa Retired and the New Rangers Captain is Darius Kasparaitis(After Jagr Refused, in not joking). the Islanders Sent Down Sean Bergenheim, wixh is Dissapointing because i think he was great during Preseason.

and i found this for Islanders Fans

Islanders Country

Finally, Oct. 5th is here!

Okay here are some lame predictions.

In the East...

Pittsburgh doesn't make the playoffs and Sid the Kid has a good season but not quite what everyone is hoping for. Also injuries abound.

Playoff teams:

Philly Ottawa Tampa Bay New Jersey Boston Isles Montreal Atlanta

In the West...

Finally some change as Calgary and Vancouver emerge as the best teams instead of Detroit and Colorado.

Playoff teams:

Calgary Vancouver Nashville San Jose Edmonton Minnesota Detroit Colorado

I heard that Sidney Crosy's Nickname is... Darryl! ??? he explained to the Media that his nickname comes from a night when he scored 8 Points in Jr. Hockey and they compared it to Toronto's Darryl Sittler's 10 Point game and his teamates called him darryl from then on, he even has it printed on his gloves! so for get, sid the kid, the next next one, just Call him Darryl!

here is the story Darryl!?!

The Wings are dominating the Blues, 4-1 in the second period, and I couldn't be happier. Datsyuk had a quick goal and then an assist to open the scoring. I'm pleased that newcomers Mikael Samuelsson and Brett Lebda have goals and Dan Cleary has an assist. Lebda's +2, as well. Hopefully this is a sign of his play to come, what with Kronvall's very unfortunate injury. It sounds like Cleary is playing a good game, as well. Let's hope this is a sign of things to come.

Sabres up 3-2 after two against the Isles - let's hope Yashin & Friends can put together a big final frame.

And how about those Kings, up 3-0 on the Stars? I noticed the Devils are beating the Pens 3-0, as well. It looks like Brodeur's made 25 saves already. That'd be a shame if the Pens opened up the season by being shut out! :(

God, I'm glad that hockey is back. :D

Correction: FIVE to one, Wings. :D

3-2my beloved Capitals win

OK it is the Blue Jackets-but Alexander Ovechkin scored two goals-sweet

ummm that kid is pretty good

Ed Dalder wrote: 3-2my beloved Capitals win

OK it is the Blue Jackets-but Alexander Ovechkin scored two goals-sweet

ummm that kid is pretty good

I know! I think he's definitely the real deal, as they say. He had a hell of an opening night.

Ovechkin was Awesome!, crosby looked good too but martin brodeur looked even better! i watched the leafs Senators too and daniel Alfredsson had 2 goals, and he had one in the shootout to help the sens win it. despite a fluke goal from the center ice Redline from Alexi Zhitnik the isles got Pummled by the Sabres. they were out hustled and their power play was terrible, sayan and zhitnik were booed all night. and how about all those comebacks? the rangers? the Stars ,i guess its the new NHL at work

frank smarra wrote: Ovechkin was Awesome!, crosby looked good too but martin brodeur looked even better! i watched the leafs Senators too and daniel Alfredsson had 2 goals, and he had one in the shootout to help the sens win it. despite a fluke goal from the center ice Redline from Alexi Zhitnik the isles got Pummled by the Sabres. they were out hustled and their power play was terrible, sayan and zhitnik were booed all night. and how about all those comebacks? the rangers? the Stars ,i guess its the new NHL at work

I was actually happy to see the Rangers come back against the Flyers. The games were all very exciting. 8 teams scored five or more goals last night!!! How great is that? I'm so excited for this season.

I Agree, despite my Dissapointment that theIslanders came out flat, most of the games i saw were great! and almost all the tems picked as favorites lost! Flyers, Flames, Penguins. Minnesota!!! scoring goals in bunches! where did jaques lemaire come up with that!, and on the flipside Roberto Luongo With the Shutout in Florida! Nasville/San Jose was a Fun Game too, Preds came back to win the game 3-2, tonight its the Habs/Rangers, have to wait till Saturday for the Isles/canes

also did anyone see the lightnings Stanley Cup banner? it was Friggin; HUGE! lightning looked pretty good too i know its early but lookout Sidney!

i dont follow hockey, but im curious to know how the Sabres look this yr.?

The Sabres beat the Islanders last night 6-4, they looked really good, they skate hard, finish their checks and can score goals. they are well coached too. they have some really good young players like Briere, Afinigenov, Vanek , and its good to see tim connolly back after the concussion Problems he had, he looked pretty good last night

That'd be interesting if the Sabres had a good season. They definitely do have a lot of good, young talent that can surprise you, as Spotnick pointed to a few weeks ago.

What do you guys think of the Bruins? Are tey to be taken really seriously? The Fourth Period just ranked them as the number 7 team in the league, which I personally just have a hard time agreeing with. In fact, what do you all think of this power ranking, generally?

The Fourth Period Power Rankings

(note Ottawa ranked as number 1)

I gotta say, I am extremely impressed by the Wings' young guys. Lebda has an assist after his first NHL goal ever last night, Samuelsson has yet another goal, and Jason Williams has two assists tonight. And all this is without Yzerman. Dan Cleary had a great night last night too - we'll see what he does tonight. What I'm wondering is what they'll do when Stevie Y comes back! I don't really want anyone to be taken out of the lineup. Lilja is apparently doing really well, too - they've paired him with Lidstrom.

Maybe the Wings have a lot more depth than people have been giving them credit for? Of course, we'll see if they all can keep up their production, and it's only the SECOND game of the season, but so far, so good!

How about that Michael Ryder? Two goals against the Rangers tonight, including the game winner in OT, after getting a goal against the Bruins on Wednesday.

Jason Williams is up to 3 assists for the night in the Wings game. 4-1 after 2. :D

Michael Ryder is coming up big for me & my Fantasy Team! and i love anyone who sticks it to the rangers. i strongly disagree that Boston is the 7the Streongest team in the League. and detroit looked great in their 1st game and they always seem to draft thease gems that play well for them

There were SIX powerplay goals scored in the Thrashers-Caps games tonight. SIX!!!

frank smarra wrote: Michael Ryder is coming up big for me & my Fantasy Team! and i love anyone who sticks it to the rangers. i strongly disagree that Boston is the 7the Streongest team in the League. and detroit looked great in their 1st game and they always seem to draft thease gems that play well for them

Damn right on all counts.

How about the massive number of power play goals being scored??? It's ridiculous! A 65% penalty killing success rate is going to be considered good!

So what are your impressions a few games into the season? Any suprises? Any things you predicted?

Not so good start for Sundin

CLICKY

Rian wrote: Not so good start for Sundin

CLICKY

Criminy, that's awful. I hadn't seen a picture of him until now. I hope he recovers completely and quickly.

Church of the KLF wrote:

Rian wrote: Not so good start for Sundin

CLICKY

Criminy, that's awful. I hadn't seen a picture of him until now. I hope he recovers completely and quickly.

The eye globe is ok. Thank good.

Rian wrote:

Church of the KLF wrote:

Rian wrote: Not so good start for Sundin

CLICKY

Criminy, that's awful. I hadn't seen a picture of him until now. I hope he recovers completely and quickly.

The eye globe is ok. Thank good.

Yeah, definitely. That would have been absolutely terrible if the eye itself had been damaged!

Ouch mats looks terrible! need to wear that Visor or you will end up Like Berard, they are actually thinking of making the visor mandatory because teams lose a lot of money when the stars get hurt for long periods of time, it would be grandfathered in like they did with the helments, players up to a certain age will have to wear it on the season the biggest suprise is all the comebacks, teams down 3 or 4 goals in the third wind up winning! this year is so exciting already and i think crosby looks great once he gets settled in Lokk out i think he will have a big year, sadly i have seen lemieux play a lot already and he doesnt look good, his hands are still there but he has no mobility, i love Mario and ahte to see him struggle like that. in my opinion he was the greatest Skilled Player of all time

Rian wrote: Not so good start for Sundin

CLICKY

My God, it looks like he lost an eye!

Put on a visor Matty!

thats the New NHL Nick its Crazy i was able to catch a few Habs games and they look really good and they are getting a lot of Scoring From their Young Players, its All about how you draft now and the canadiens have drafted pretty well in the last few years

my free preview of the Center Ice Package is over, it was nice but i m not spending 130.00 on it , i have 3 local team so that enough hockey for me

Spotnick wrote:

frank smarra wrote: thats the New NHL Nick its Crazy i was able to catch a few Habs games and they look really good and they are getting a lot of Scoring From their Young Players, its All about how you draft now and the canadiens have drafted pretty well in the last few years

my free preview of the Center Ice Package is over, it was nice but i m not spending 130.00 on it , i have 3 local team so that enough hockey for me

Are the games on local TV? or only on OLN?

In every city I know of, they are on both local TV and on OLN.

Brett Hull just retired!!!

well the Golden Brett was not his old self. That means Stevens, MacInnis, Ron Francis, Messier have all left the building too

That is gonna be one crowded induction ceremony at The Hockey Hall of Fame in a few years...

Mario should be a long soon. The hands are there but tthe legs are gone

Ed Dalder wrote: well the Golden Brett was not his old self. That means Stevens, MacInnis, Ron Francis, Messier have all left the building too

That is gonna be one crowded induction ceremony at The Hockey Hall of Fame in a few years...

Mario should be a long soon. The hands are there but tthe legs are gone

well i think they can only put 3 players in the hall at once, maybe four, im not sure. its funny that brett hull has been lobbying fo this type of hockey forever(and rightfully so)and it finally came and he retires, he is old thought, you need the legs going in the new nhl and when you dont skate your team get s blown out. brett hull was truly a great player a goal scoring machine is his day and he always had respectable goal totals even later in his career. islanders look to be in trouble, home and home with the rangers will be the test if they cant get up for this i dont know what they will do for the rest of the season. the games here are on local cable channels OLN has games only on Monday right now, but its usuallt the rangers. we have Fox Sports New York and MSG Network, they are all owned by the same Company so the devs isles and rags can be on all the stations at any given point, although the rangers are mostly on MSG.

Spotnick wrote: Mario is already in the hall of fame though ;)

he sure is, but can he be put in now as a builder since he bought the Pens and Saved them yet Again?

thats why i put it up Nic oh on another note , whats up with this sean Avery guy? he might be the biggest idiot in the Whole League, first he bashed ALL french Canadian Players saying basically that they all play tought but when it gets down to it they hide behind Visors?!?!, all because Daniel Gauthier Checked roenick with a clean hit in a pre-Season game. then Ian Laperriere of the Avs Challenged him to go and he wouldnt, now he is accused of making a Racial Comment to Georges Laraque(who is Black), i also remember his making some stupid comments during the lockout about why he should be paid Such & such amount of money, his comments really put me off the players attitude. basically i read an article that stated he is a no name player making a name for himself with moronic comments, and i must agree

Big game in NYC tonight...Rangers just knotted it up at two, late in the third. I hope the Isles pull away with a win.

Did you go to the game, Frank?

THE ISLES JUST WON VIA THE SHOOTOUT! Surely there won't be as much heat on Satan after his performance tonight!

Church of the KLF wrote: THE ISLES JUST WON VIA THE SHOOTOUT! Surely there won't be as much heat on Satan after his performance tonight!

They're still a bunch of sluggish bums!

Love my team but they need to move those feet more.

i knew the isles were in trouble when they scratched martinek and put in pettinen and sure enought he almost cost them a point with that nice deflection past DiPietro, i didnt go to the game, and they play again tonight and im not going to that either, i want to wait till later in the season before blowing big bucks for tickets. the rangers really took it to the isles last night DiPietro was the difference it shouldve been 4-1 rangers at the end of the 1st, i hate to say it but the rangers are the hardest working team i have seen this season. hats off to "the Rick" for the victory

So who do you think is the best team in the league so far??? I obviously have a tremendous bias, but I'm going to have to go with the Wings. They're playing incredibly good hockey, and Legace is playing great. Their young guys are doing VERY well, and they have two of the league's biggest surprises in Mikael Samuelsson and Jason Williams. Everyone is contributing, and their puck movement seems to be consistently getting better and better. It turns out that they actually will have plenty of depth on every front this season, and well into the future! But I am still waiting too see if they keep this up all year. Surely their older guys will show a bit more wear 'n' tear as the season progresses. But I don't know if that will be much of an issue with the energy and great play of their young guys. But how Legace and Osgood play over the course of the long season and playoffs remains to be seen. I have high hopes, though.

The Senators are also looking quite good - perhaps even better. There's something about them that doesn't quite sit right with me, though. I don't know if they have the character they need to win the Cup - obviously that has been a recurring issue in recent seasons, what with their consistent playoff failures. I'm also curious to see how Hasek holds up. But if he keeps playing well, they'll be tough to stop. They're a dangerous team, for sure.

And who is the most disappointing team? I have to say the Pens - the only winless team. Most surprising? The Rangers!!! I never expected them to be doing this well. We'll see how the season develops, though. I still have my doubts.

The Predators and the Flames are also big surprises. I don't think the Preds will keep up this pace all year, though - they still have a ways to go before they will be serious contenders. And the Flames' terrible play makes so much sense now that I think about it. They are a mucking team that was successful largely due to clutching and grabbing, and now that they can't do that anymore, they're floundering! Kiprusoff really needs to get his act together - but maybe without the stifling defensive play in front of him, he's just not that good a goalie. Bad move by the Flames to pick up Marchment - they don't need another slower, big-hitting, stupid-penalty defenseman. They need someone fast and smart - the type of defenseman that will be successful in the new NHL.

i think the pens are a huge dissapointment, i do think the predators are for real!, they have great speed, Depth and a great Goalie in Vokoun. the wild are very surpising too, a jaques Lemaire team Putting up 5+ Goals a night! the wings have not missed a beat, hats off to them. the bottom line is that anything is possible now, the game are exciting start to finish, 3, 4 sometimes 5 goal leads mean nothing, even in the third Period, and even if a goalie is on, its tought to stop all the chances that the new rules are creating.

The Rangers are really the surprise but I think it's a bit too early to tell if they will be able to keep it up. I think 20 games in will be a more accurate measurement.

That said I like Ottawa and Vancouver as the class of the league so far. Yeah Pittsburgh is a disappointment so far but I think teams that have a lot of new faces need more time to gel.

Overall the I think the new NHL is is fantastic. Shootouts, odd man rushes, offense. All things this sport needed. My personal favorite rule change is the elimination of the red line.

well i am happy!, the isles beat the Rags yet again, Despite the Jagr Hat-Trick. the ilsnaders cam eout Stron With 3 Gaols in 2:47! The Rick wasnt as Dominant as he was in the Prior game but was still Pretty Good, looks like weekes may have lost his starting job, and Rightfully so because Lunquist has looked great for the rangers as of late. but the win propells the ISles to 2nd place in their division 2 pts behind the rangers, so saturday its the Isles Vs. Les Canadiens. hopefully the islanders wont go flat, they usually do after Victories against the rangers, plus Montreal is a really good team.

frank smarra wrote: well i am happy!, the isles beat the Rags yet again, Despite the Jagr Hat-Trick. the ilsnaders cam eout Stron With 3 Gaols in 2:47! The Rick wasnt as Dominant as he was in the Prior game but was still Pretty Good, looks like weekes may have lost his starting job, and Rightfully so because Lunquist has looked great for the rangers as of late. but the win propells the ISles to 2nd place in their division 2 pts behind the rangers, so saturday its the Isles Vs. Les Canadiens. hopefully the islanders wont go flat, they usually do after Victories against the rangers, plus Montreal is a really good team.

Saturday is going to be tough. But if the Isles can put together 60 solid minutes of hockey they should be able to beat anyone. Of course getting those 60 minutes is always the problem.

Panthers-Ottawa game postponed until Dec. 5th or so because of Hurricane Wilma. Which is lame since the damn thing won't be here until Monday night anyway! They just wanted to piss me off since I have tickets that night.

Dan Delgado wrote:

frank smarra wrote: well i am happy!, the isles beat the Rags yet again, Despite the Jagr Hat-Trick. the ilsnaders cam eout Stron With 3 Gaols in 2:47! The Rick wasnt as Dominant as he was in the Prior game but was still Pretty Good, looks like weekes may have lost his starting job, and Rightfully so because Lunquist has looked great for the rangers as of late. but the win propells the ISles to 2nd place in their division 2 pts behind the rangers, so saturday its the Isles Vs. Les Canadiens. hopefully the islanders wont go flat, they usually do after Victories against the rangers, plus Montreal is a really good team.

Saturday is going to be tough. But if the Isles can put together 60 solid minutes of hockey they should be able to beat anyone. Of course getting those 60 minutes is always the problem.

Panthers-Ottawa game postponed until Dec. 5th or so because of Hurricane Wilma. Which is lame since the damn thing won't be here until Monday night anyway! They just wanted to piss me off since I have tickets that night.

How do you think the Panthers will do this year, Dan?

Also - I can't remember if I've told you this already - nice avatar! That's one of my favorite Hitchcocks.

The Colorado Avalanche decided not to pick up the options of Joe Sakic and Rob Blake after this season!!! Now, they are probably going to just try to renegotiate new extensions, but if that doesn't work, what on earth are they going to do? Trade them? Hard to imagine losing Adam Foote and Peter Forsberg one off-season and Joe Sakic and Rob Blake the next!!! They have some quality youngsters, but not too many of them. The cupboard will be looking mighty bare if they lose those two!

But that's a big "IF".

I did quite enjoy Hockey at school

Johnny wrote: I did quite enjoy Hockey at school

Church of the KLF wrote: The Colorado Avalanche decided not to pick up the options of Joe Sakic and Rob Blake after this season!!! Now, they are probably going to just try to renegotiate new extensions, but if that doesn't work, what on earth are they going to do? Trade them? Hard to imagine losing Adam Foote and Peter Forsberg one off-season and Joe Sakic and Rob Blake the next!!! They have some quality youngsters, but not too many of them. The cupboard will be looking mighty bare if they lose those two!

But that's a big "IF".

im Sure Sakic will resign, i have heard him say he wants to finish off his career with the Avs, imagine that his whole career with one organization? if it does happen im sure it will be the last time(unless Mike Milbury signs DiPietro to that 15 Year Contract) did you watch the game Saturday Nick? Well the Habs took it to them, if Satan Wasnt on Such a Hot Streak We Would have Lost 4-0

i think the rangers are running out of gas, havent looked good since the isles beat them (DiPietro) in the Shoot out going back to Weekes didnt help them either, Telquvist has played really well fo them and as for Jose if he was playing like he did the MVP Year the Habs Would be Undefeated, they are a fast Team and They score in Bunches

I'm pretty pleased with my Wings' back-to-back 6 goal games against the Blue Jackets in Columbus (giving up two goals tonight and NONE on Saturday). They are looking absolutely fantastic, even without Stevie Y. Legace just won the Defensive Player of the Week award, too. :D

It will be interesting to see how various teams' play changes or stays the same, now that October is nearly over. Some teams will slow down while others come together and improve their play, etc. I think the Rangers will probably lose steam and slow down a bit; same with the Predators. I finally take the Preds more seriously, but I still don't think they're an elite team just yet. But they might change my mind if they keep playing this way for several more months.

Also - trades. Certain teams are starting to get antsy (like the Oilers and the Avalanche) and are looking to shake things up. I am very curious to see what happens. I am looking for the Pens, Avs and Oilers to make some deals. I think that, in each city, continual poor play would go over particularly poorly with the fans. It's interesting because the Avalanche have never been a bad team while they've been in Denver; I'm curious to see how they react. And with all the hype about how great this Pens team was supposed to be, I think that if they don't start winning soon, the fans are going to become VERY disgruntled. I think the Oilers fans will grow unhappy if they don't start seeing better performances, as well. They have had high expectations heading into this season, what with the acquisition of Chris Pronger and all.

frank smarra wrote:

Church of the KLF wrote: The Colorado Avalanche decided not to pick up the options of Joe Sakic and Rob Blake after this season!!! Now, they are probably going to just try to renegotiate new extensions, but if that doesn't work, what on earth are they going to do? Trade them? Hard to imagine losing Adam Foote and Peter Forsberg one off-season and Joe Sakic and Rob Blake the next!!! They have some quality youngsters, but not too many of them. The cupboard will be looking mighty bare if they lose those two!

But that's a big "IF".

im Sure Sakic will resign, i have heard him say he wants to finish off his career with the Avs, imagine that his whole career with one organization? if it does happen im sure it will be the last time(unless Mike Milbury signs DiPietro to that 15 Year Contract) did you watch the game Saturday Nick? Well the Habs took it to them, if Satan Wasnt on Such a Hot Streak We Would have Lost 4-0

Let's not forget Steve Yzerman. Of course, this season will probably be his last, as well. You may be right about Sakic, although I could easily see him playing a couple of more seasons before calling it quits. He's off to a good start (9 points in 8 games, 3 of them goals), but who knows. If he can't play for Colorado, it is indeed possible that he would just retire. But I bet they will offer him a smaller contract, and if playing for the Avs means that much to him, I bet he will gladly accept a pay cut. Otherwise, he would be a much sought-after free agent, as would Rob Blake. I just hate to think about what Avs fans would do if their team lost Foote, Forsberg, Blake and SAKIC within about one calendar year. Things wouldn't be looking too bright for them since they don't have the best prospects in their farm system. But who knows - Pierre Lacroix has been known to make some huge deals when you least expect it. But it will be very difficult for him to deal his way into securing the Avs' future without better drafting. It might be a while before they are an elite team again.

What do you guys think about the Avalanche?

Oh, man. What a heartbreaker for the Pens tonight.

habs with the OT Win! Pens are really Dissapointing, and despite our Swiss Cheeze D, the islanders Won Again thanks to The Rick!, and the monster hot streak that Satan is Riding, Yashin played well too. Nick Aren't the Canadiens about Due for a Cup? they have won at least one in Every Decade since the 1920's i think? well it is still way too early to be thinking about that, it seem's like Hockey has been back for a while but it hasnt even been a month!?!

Spotnick wrote:

frank smarra wrote: habs with the OT Win! Pens are really Dissapointing, and despite our Swiss Cheeze D, the islanders Won Again thanks to The Rick!, and the monster hot streak that Satan is Riding, Yashin played well too. Nick Aren't the Canadiens about Due for a Cup? they have won at least one in Every Decade since the 1920's i think? well it is still way too early to be thinking about that, it seem's like Hockey has been back for a while but it hasnt even been a month!?!

Yeah, one every decade is true, but even though we have one of the biggest income of this league, the weakness of the canadian dollar up until 2 years ago was a serious issue in terms of having good players.

That's why you saw canadian teams packing up this year, the currency is 20 cents higher it was back 2 years ago, that's 20% more money for the payroll.

The Habs due for a cup? considering the competition, it would be a miracle. The Habs never managed to pass the 2nd round since they changed the playoff format to a conference thing instead of division... last time was '93 when we faced the Isles in 3rd round.

Anyways, in the league these days, I have high doubts the Habs will keep this decade thing.. we don't have Patrick Roy anymore, and Thédore is not to that level.

I think the Habs went a little further than the third round in 1993, Nic!:)

I personally think the Habs have a shot at winning the Cup in the next four seasons. They have a lot of good young talent and I think that they are already one of the better teams in the league. I think there's a decent shot at a Cup headed your way.:D

I remember '93 all too well, isles had a good run and where Hot and the habs made Quick work of them. how things change in '93 i loved islanders Rookie D man Darius Kasparaitis, now he is the enemy and i cant stand him, in fact a lot of our '93 team Became Rangers, Healey, Kasp, Ray Ferraro, Malakhov, Flatley, Pilon. '93 was also a big year for my All time Fav Doug Gilmour with the Leafs, especially that Series Against The Blues. Imagine Kerry Frasier Made that High Stick Call on Gretzky and the leafs won, it would have been the 1st Leaf's/Habs Final Since 1967, what Could have been, Montreal Would Have won anyway, Roy was unbeatable that season

Bertuzzi Returns to Denver tonight! Maybe brad may Will put a bounty on Todd's Head the Devils are in some Serious Trouble, Brodeur is Hurt! i havent heard how long but they are Struggling as it is, this cant be Good. and The Preds have Finally Lost.

in Other News i had an Assist last night in a 5-3 Victory Filling in on my Friends Roller Hockey Team at Chelsea Piers, just missed Opening the Scoring 2 Mins in, shot wide from the High Slot, the goalie Never saw it, but my aim was not true

I thought I'd resurrect this thread.

So what do you think of the two big trades recently, namely the Joe Thornton and Sergei Fedorov deals? Who won?

I think the Sharks absolutely got the better end of the Thornton deal. As everyone has been pointing out, the Bruins now lack a number one center, which is a huge, huge problem. Sturm and Stuart are good players and Primeau provides decent depth, but they aren't worth a superstar.

In terms of Fedorov, I can't decide. I love the guy and I think he's INCREDIBLY talented, but he's a moody player. He only turns it on when he wants to, and I think that that might only be when he really thinks he's on a good team. If he was back on the Red Wings, for instance, I bet he'd be playing great hockey right now. He will probably be a great fit with Rick Nash though, and that could potentially help the team tremendously. But thus far, he's done very little, although Nash hasn't returned. The jury's still out on this one.

Also, what are your general impressions thus far? The Senators look like the team to beat now that my beloved Wings have started to stumble. I know they're not out of it though.

So are the Flames for real? And the Rangers?

Church of the KLF wrote: I thought I'd resurrect this thread.

So what do you think of the two big trades recently, namely the Joe Thornton and Sergei Fedorov deals? Who won?

I think the Sharks absolutely got the better end of the Thornton deal. As everyone has been pointing out, the Bruins now lack a number one center, which is a huge, huge problem. Sturm and Stuart are good players and Primeau provides decent depth, but they aren't worth a superstar.

In terms of Fedorov, I can't decide. I love the guy and I think he's INCREDIBLY talented, but he's a moody player. He only turns it on when he wants to, and I think that that might only be when he really thinks he's on a good team. If he was back on the Red Wings, for instance, I bet he'd be playing great hockey right now. He will probably be a great fit with Rick Nash though, and that could potentially help the team tremendously. But thus far, he's done very little, although Nash hasn't returned. The jury's still out on this one.

Also, what are your general impressions thus far? The Senators look like the team to beat now that my beloved Wings have started to stumble. I know they're not out of it though.

So are the Flames for real? And the Rangers?

Doug MacLean has no idea what he's doing anymore. It's not a bad idea to finally get a real number one center in there and when Nash returns we'll see what happens.

Thornton is still only 27, can still improve, was the leader on that team. What a shocker that was. Still Boston didn't get totally fleeced on the deal, but it's hard to wonder what Mike O'Connell is thinking. Number one centers are pretty hard to come by these days.

The Flames are for real. The Rangers look like they'll break that playoff draught but if that happens I don't think they'd go very far.

I have a feeling we'll be seeing a few deals start shaking out soon. The Devils has to make room for Elias.

As for the Rangers, let's be honest here.. depends 100% on Jagr's mood.

watched the Rags play my Caps last night and I wondered if Jags & Co. took the night off....I mean a ranger D-man coughs up the puck and Ovechkin just lanches a smoooth wrister past Lundquvist....Alex is prolly the only reason I watch their games (I really want his jersey for Xmas-he is rather good)

The Bruins definitely didn't get fleeced, as Dan pointed out. It's not like they traded Thornton for Wayne Primeau and a 4th-round draft pick. But yes, it is hard to justify giving up a #1 center.

Also, I don't know that Thornton is necessarily overrated. He hasn't completely lived up to his potential yet, but he's having a great season so far, averaging well over a point a game. He really needs to step up his game in the playoffs though, and prove he can lead a team deep into the postseason.

So now the question is: where do the Sharks and Bruins go from here? What do you think?

I think that the Bruins were a vastly overrated team this preseason. As you may (or, perhaps more likely, may NOT) recall, I complained a few months back about how several websites had ranked them as a TOP FIVE team heading into the season. Obviously, they haven't played that way thus far, and I certainly don't think their fortunes are going to change that drastically after this trade. Heck, I don't even know if they're going to make the playoffs.

The Sharks. I don't know what to say about them. They are traditionally slow starters, but this is ridiculous. I think this trade will improve their team, and perhaps they will begin playing much better. I think they are definitely a team worthy of the playoffs if they can get it together and begin playing to their potential. Thornton should provide a scoring punch and give them a good 1-2 center combo (he and Patrick Marleau) that will also take some of the pressure off the latter. Plus, this should shake up the team. I think this will mean an improvement, as the Sharks should begin to crawl up into the top half of the Western conference. Even before the trade, that's where they belonged.

I dont know abou tthat one, thornton, although he hasnt lived up to the hype, still is a great player and they really didnt get all that much for him, i know he gets all the flack for them losing to the habs in the playoffs but he was injured and they they made him the scapegoat a change of scenary might make him work harder and help him to become the player that he was projected to be. lately i have been praying that the islanders 1) trade, waiver, kill.. Janne Niinnimma, i hate him he turns the puck over contantly and takes a lot of stupid penalties and 2) fire stever sterling, this guy is a pee wee coach who overplays his goalie, doesnt give young players a chance and just seems like he doesnt know his ass from his elbow, and finally 3) Fire Mike Milbury, we need a fresh start and its only a matter of Time before he pulls off another stupid deal to send young talent for useless players that do anyting (see oleg kvasha) imagine hat the isles could have had Chara, Spezza, Luongo, Heatly or gaborik, tim connolly, Raffi Torres, Eric Brewer, there are more another thing is here in the states without NHL on ESPN there is no hockey news, they took OLN of of my Satelite and all i see are the Isles, Rangers & Devils, i miss the colorad/detroit games they would show quite often on ESPN

frank smarra wrote: I dont know abou tthat one, thornton, although he hasnt lived up to the hype, still is a great player and they really didnt get all that much for him, i know he gets all the flack for them losing to the habs in the playoffs but he was injured and they they made him the scapegoat a change of scenary might make him work harder and help him to become the player that he was projected to be. lately i have been praying that the islanders 1) trade, waiver, kill.. Janne Niinnimma, i hate him he turns the puck over contantly and takes a lot of stupid penalties and 2) fire stever sterling, this guy is a pee wee coach who overplays his goalie, doesnt give young players a chance and just seems like he doesnt know his ass from his elbow, and finally 3) Fire Mike Milbury, we need a fresh start and its only a matter of Time before he pulls off another stupid deal to send young talent for useless players that do anyting (see oleg kvasha) imagine hat the isles could have had Chara, Spezza, Luongo, Heatly or gaborik, tim connolly, Raffi Torres, Eric Brewer, there are more another thing is here in the states without NHL on ESPN there is no hockey news, they took OLN of of my Satelite and all i see are the Isles, Rangers & Devils, i miss the colorad/detroit games they would show quite often on ESPN

It's amazing to think about all the incredible players the Isles have given up. It's a shame, really.

The Isles beat my Wings the other night! I was quite disappointed, but knew that you'd be pleased, Frank. Congrats!

i was so sure that the isles would not beat the wings that i turned it off after the 1st period!, DiPietro let in a weak one from Schneider(another forme isles), and i was sure the wings were going to crush them, i was at family's house so i figured i would turn it off before it put me in a bad mood, and sure enough they pulled it out!?!?!

Spotnick wrote:

frank smarra wrote: there are more another thing is here in the states without NHL on ESPN there is no hockey news, they took OLN of of my Satelite and all i see are the Isles, Rangers & Devils, i miss the colorad/detroit games they would show quite often on ESPN

Welcome to the real world

Here, beside being able to watch the 82 Habs game on cable, you can only get the other canadian teams and sometimes if you are lucky, you might catch another game on TSN/RDS.

But to be honest, I'm more a Habs fan than a hockey fan.. watching a game without having a team to root for isn't fun.. :(

i would kill for TSN, mostly for the highlights and extras, the games would be a bonus

The Isles and Wings BOTH won last night. Stevie Y's goal made me quite happy - what a beauty that one was!

Well, in three games since joining the Sharks, Thornton has five points and the Sharks are 3-0-0. If he keeps this up, that trade will keep looking better and better if you're a Sharks fan!

Spotnick wrote: It seems nobody actually mind that SHUG is killing you guys in our fantasy league and he's coming at ME!!

Seesh, Shug doesn't know anything about hockey, you should all be ashamed of yourselves

I wish I had signed up to be in the league. Oh well, there's always next year. That's hilarious about Shug, though!

Spotnick wrote: It seems nobody actually mind that SHUG is killing you guys in our fantasy league and he's coming at ME!!

Seesh, Shug doesn't know anything about hockey, you should all be ashamed of yourselves

Gary Bettman does not know anything either

jesus i havent even had time to pay attention to fantasy hockey, i always lose interest.

The Canucks beat the Sens in a shootout last night! Vancouver just keeps beating the top teams (Detroit twice, now Ottawa), but managing to lose to some lesser teams. They should be tough to beat, come playoff time. I highly doubt they will make it to the Finals though, due to their shaky goaltending situation (what else is new?).

fellow puckheads-I am looking for a paticular jersey-a White Washington Caps jersey with the name & number of my boy Alex Ovechkin

Nhl.com does not even have the white-will nor get it til after Xmas. The Caps home pratice rink is about 15 miles from my house. Anybody got any other ideas?

Ed Dalder wrote: fellow puckheads-I am looking for a paticular jersey-a White Washington Caps jersey with the name & number of my boy Alex Ovechkin

Nhl.com does not even have the white-will nor get it til after Xmas. The Caps home pratice rink is about 15 miles from my house. Anybody got any other ideas?

these guys have everything, might be too late to get the jersey by X-mas though, i know they get really busy

i have ordered jerseys from them before and they come out perfect

River City Sports

The only authentic sweater I've ever owned was a Stevie Y road jersey with the 97 Cup Finals patch, identical to the one he wore in games one and two. Brilliant stuff - I didn't bring it with me to Denmark but I'll be sure to don it when I return to the States on the 22nd.

Good luck getting the Ovechkin sweater! He's a heck of a player.

Anyone going to be watching the Wings-Pens game on OLN tonight???

Dish Network has taken OLN from me and before they did they blacked out all the game for some reason i only saw the opener(rangers vs. Flyers)

I'll be watching tonight, as I do pretty much every Tuesday night or Wednesday night.

Boy, that OLN broadcast has not improved one bit since it started in October. I'm actually starting to miss Barry Melrose.

Spotnick wrote: It seems nobody actually mind that SHUG is killing you guys in our fantasy league and he's coming at ME!!

Seesh, Shug doesn't know anything about hockey, you should all be ashamed of yourselves

I should probably start paying more attention to that I guess.

frank smarra wrote:

Ed Dalder wrote: fellow puckheads-I am looking for a paticular jersey-a White Washington Caps jersey with the name & number of my boy Alex Ovechkin

Nhl.com does not even have the white-will nor get it til after Xmas. The Caps home pratice rink is about 15 miles from my house. Anybody got any other ideas?

these guys have everything, might be too late to get the jersey by X-mas though, i know they get really busy

i have ordered jerseys from them before and they come out perfect

River City Sports

I can do that-but 4-6 weeks! o well. I wanted that jersey for xmas like a 6 year old

nice-thanks to XM Radio-I got to listen to it, damn cool to hear "O Canada" in French

It's back again.

Anyone ready for the stretch drive starting tonight?

oh no!

dodgeball on ice.

with pucks!!

Puck that!!!

im ready, i enjoyed the olympics(when i was able to see the damn games) there were some realy good games and although my interest in hockey is on the wane this season(mostly because my team is unwatchable) i am a bit excited for the stretch drive and there are really some great players that get to shine with the new rules

Lets go!

frank smarra wrote: im ready, i enjoyed the olympics(when i was able to see the damn games) there were some realy good games and although my interest in hockey is on the wane this season(mostly because my team is unwatchable) i am a bit excited for the stretch drive and there are really some great players that get to shine with the new rules

Lets go!

Your team is my team and I can admit to feeling some apathy as well recently. But the two week layoff has me ready for more punishment.

Dan Delgado wrote:

frank smarra wrote: im ready, i enjoyed the olympics(when i was able to see the damn games) there were some realy good games and although my interest in hockey is on the wane this season(mostly because my team is unwatchable) i am a bit excited for the stretch drive and there are really some great players that get to shine with the new rules

Lets go!

Your team is my team and I can admit to feeling some apathy as well recently. But the two week layoff has me ready for more punishment.

dan do you get the Isles Broadcasts? saturday night before they play the flyers they are doing a tribute to the 1980 Cup Team, it starts about 6PM Eastern

being an Islanders fan since i was about 8, i am used to the pathetic play, im telling you it was great as a kid with them winning every year but there hasnt been too much in the way of positives with the team since 1987, with the exception of that Run in '93 when they knocked off the pens, '02 was exciting for the 7 games they managed to hang around for, but 03 and 04 they were hammered in the playoffs four straight, it was pretty bad

but they are my team and i have no choice but to die with them

frank smarra wrote:

Dan Delgado wrote:

frank smarra wrote: im ready, i enjoyed the olympics(when i was able to see the damn games) there were some realy good games and although my interest in hockey is on the wane this season(mostly because my team is unwatchable) i am a bit excited for the stretch drive and there are really some great players that get to shine with the new rules

Lets go!

Your team is my team and I can admit to feeling some apathy as well recently. But the two week layoff has me ready for more punishment.

dan do you get the Isles Broadcasts? saturday night before they play the flyers they are doing a tribute to the 1980 Cup Team, it starts about 6PM Eastern

being an Islanders fan since i was about 8, i am used to the pathetic play, im telling you it was great as a kid with them winning every year but there hasnt been too much in the way of positives with the team since 1987, with the exception of that Run in '93 when they knocked off the pens, '02 was exciting for the 7 games they managed to hang around for, but 03 and 04 they were hammered in the playoffs four straight, it was pretty bad

but they are my team and i have no choice but to die with them

I wish I did. I had Center Ice for the last few years but where I live now it's not available and I can't get a dish in my apartment. I need to move.

I will go head somewhere that I can catch that though. I still have that Game 7 against the Pens in '93. Last night was another disappoinment. I hope they fill that GM position. I'd like see Dean Lombardi get it, someone with actual experience at building a team. Let's hope someone is in place by deadline time in a couple of weeks.

I Have '93 game 7 on Tape too!! its nice to watch now & again, i think i have game 6 of the '80 finals too. oh well in the real world the silanders suck, but i was hopin gthey woul dhire dean Lombardi too, what are they waiting for? steve tambellini has no experience and as nice as it would be, neither does Brent Sutter. we havent had a real GM since Bill torrey and a real Coach Since Al Arbour, its A disgrace what has happened to this team from this to this to this