The NHL is back and this weekend proved that this league can survive yet another set back as fans jammed the rinks to watch their teams play. It’s been a long four months for us, and even though we’ve been robbed and scorned by the players and owners, it’s good to have hockey back.
Courtesy: Associated Press
It is also good to see that the NHL is still full of surprises.
– 40 somethings: Teemu Selanne and Jaromir Jagr each had 4 points in their first games of the season. Selanne helped the Ducks smoke the Canucks 7-3 while Jagr scored in his debut in Dallas. The two are neck-in-neck on the all-time goals list.
– Almost 40…: Alexi Kovalev proved he can still dangle with a three point night in Florida.
– “He’s just a boy”: Tarasenko made the Detroit defense look stupid with two goals in his first NHL game. Justin Hubedreau scored in his first game for Florida.
– Columbus… wins?: The Blue Jackets beat the Nashville Predators in a shootout. They played like a team that has nothing to lose – and they don’t. If they can keep that up this year they could crack the top 8 in the West. Sergei Bobrovsky played his butt off in goal. This is a new team.
– How the Mighty Have Fallen: The Detroit Red Wings were shelled 6-0 by the St. Louis Blues. The Wings looked disorganized and lost as the new powerhouse Blues danced and walked right around them. It’s could be a strange year for the Wings as they have a chance at missing the playoffs for the first time in 22 years. They have to find their groove and get over the fact that Lidstrom is gone. New leadership from Zetterberg and Datsyuk is needed.
– So far, so good: Parise has three points in 2 games and Suter looks right at home with the Wild. They are earning those contracts at the moment.
– Wild Man: Parise is taking all the attention away from Dany Heatley – which is just what Heatley needed. He scored two goals against the Avalanche.
– Not So Much: The Canucks might want to hold on to Luongo for the time being. Cory Schneider looked awful letting in 5 goals on 14 shots. Lou lost the next game 3-2 in a shootout. The ‘Nucks need to step it up.
– Capital Punishment… for the fans: The Caps looked like shit. They need to stop playing with the puck and get it on net. Joel Ward scored 2 goals against Tampa, but the Bolts scored 6 against Holtby. The young netminder did not look comfortable and needs to stay in the net and stop floundering around. I hope the playoffs last year weren’t a fluke.
– King for a day: The Blackhawks spoiled the Kings Stanley Cup Banner raising with a 5-2 win. The Kings looked awful – but they were awful in the regular season last year too.
– Shark Bite: Scott Gomez is talking with the San Jose Sharks about a possible contract offer. The Sharks are the only team to take interest in Gomez, but nothing is set in stone yet. They are just kicking the tires.
– I got the Blues: Wade Redden signed with the St. Louis Blues for a song (pun intended). Great pick up by St. Louis as Redden still has a lot to give and a lot of experience to pass on to a talented young defense.
More to come…
