With the opening of the Devils' Prudential Center come new dreams, limitless expectations, fond memories of past eras, and statistics. Heaps of statistics, and not statistics, but facts and figures as well. Ah, statistics, facts and figures, you gotta love the joy they accomplish in their simplicity. The answer to the question yet to be asked, just waiting for something to happen so they can be relevant and important. The magical unsung hero of so many sports, which appeal to the repressed mathematician or burgeoning historian in us all.
Who scored the last goal at Continental Airlines arena? Who scored the first goal there? Who scored the first goal at the new Prudential Center? Who scored the first goal in the McNichols Sports Arena? Who cares?
The answers are irrelevant. But in case you're just that curious they are as follows: Scott Gomez, Don Lever, Andrej Meszaros, Larry Skinner and possibly you. The point remains that they are out there just waiting to be uncovered like an ancient artifact. Maybe you don't care, but I find it extremely interesting that in 1974 Yvon Labre scored the first goal at what was then called the Capital Centre (as eulogized by Tony Kornheiser). I spent many games throughout my younger years sitting in that arena wondering why his number hung above me. Apparently it was because he scored their first goal at home. Maybe there are a few more reasons, but I have yet to look that thoroughly through the yearbook.
Scoring the first goal in a new arena instantly places a player into the record books, regardless of what else he accomplishes in his career. Andrej Meszaros solidified his spot last Thursday night even if he never makes it back to the Stanley Cup Finals to get his name engraved on the Cup. That first goal in an arena can be as traumatic as Jari Kurri scoring the first at The Saddledome in Calgary. It can be as undeniably perfect as Milan Hejduk scoring the first goal at the Pepsi Arena in Denver less that two years before he would celebrate a Stanley Cup Championship with Ray Bourque and those same fans.
Going down the list of first goal scorers there are plently of other recognizable names: Al MacInnis at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, Anson Carter at the Staples Center in LA, Vincent Damphousse at Bell Centre in Montreal, and Steve Yzerman at GM Place in Vancouver. But there is an equally unimpressive list of guys who where at the right place at the right time, like Steve Washburn at the Verizon Center in DC, Krzysztof Oliwa at the Philips Arena in Atlanta or even the forgettable Bruce Gardiner who scored the first goal in Columbus Blue Jackets franchise history at Nationwide Arena.
There is something special about the first goal in an arena. It creates an instant bond between player and rink, between record and book. Maybe that last one is a stretch, but whatever bond it does create became official between Andrej Meszaros and the Prudential Center last Thursday night. All that remains to be determined now is whether or not his name will be be in the "recognizable" column in another two decades. I'm guessing it will be.
Beginning tonight, Monday, October 29th, the NHL will launch a new advertising campaign featuring the new tagline, "Live Every Shift".
According to NHL.com:
The first of the TV spots features NHL stars asking “Is This The Year?” that various milestones are reached. Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabresand Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins askif the Stanley Cup will land in their respective city. Phoenix Coyotes head coach Wayne Gretzky asks if this is the year “that someone scores 93” goals in one season, breaking his record of 92. Eric Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes asks if this is the year we “finally figure out who is dad’s favorite,” in reference to his hockey-playing brothers.
The second spot promotes Shop.NHL.com and features the new Rbk EDGE jerseys as NHL stars make hockey-related pledges. In it, Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals vows “to make one-timers happen, way more than once,” while Vincent Lecavalier of the Tampa Bay Lightning assures that his team “will scrap for every point on the schedule.” Finally, Sidney Crosbypromises to “play for the logo on the front, not the name on the back,” of his jersey.
You can view both spots by following the links below:
According to a recently released Reuters article , "eight to 10 players are set to begin trials in mid-November" testing out a new technology of hockey skate blade geared not only to improve the speed of the game but ideally reduce fatigue among players as well.
The heated, yes heated, skate blade developed by Therma Blade Inc. of Verdun, Quebec reduces friction by heating the players' skate blade to just above freezing. That slight amount of melt creates a thin layer of water that acts as a lubricant for the blade and reduces friction between it and the ice.
Therma Blade Inc., which include Wayne Gretzky as one of its investors, accomplishes this revolutionary technological advancement though its inclusion of a microprocessor-regulated rechargeable battery attached to the blade by a tiny resistor. Try saying that three times fast.
Need more clarification? Take a look at the image below.
What do I think? Well I'm glad you asked. I don't think the NHL would be as great a game without goalie masks, curved blades, composite sticks, or any other of the less obvious improvements the game has made to help players compete at the highest levels. I see these skate blades as just another progression in the continuous evolution of the sport. Plus, there is also the fact that it's being endorsed by "The Great One".
Both of you reading this are probably wonding, "what happened to that good ole Sweater Showdown?" You, third person, who googled something else but ended up here and have no idea to that of which I refer are probably confused.
The Sweater Showdown consists of web site that features a bracketed competition where visitors are urged to vote on which “new” jersey he or she prefers. Although, I must mention that while at first it seemed like a novel idea it has now degraded into bupkis*. ___________________________________________________
Main Entry: bupkis Part of Speech: n Definition: something worthless; nothing ___________________________________________________
Why do I feel this way? What has tarnished the reputation of such a worthy attempt to combine the two great pastimes of hockey and bracketed competition? The answer to that question must be answered in two parts, each of which involves the other.
First, the Caps jersey lost. I’ll say it again. Bupkis. How can anything top what the Washington Capitals have done with their uniform this year? What? You don’t have an answer? That’s because there isn’t one. Nothing can top combining a slightly new design and classic colors with retro throwback foundation. I’m not even doing justice to what the organization was able to accomplish with the creation of their new jerseys. And yes, I mean new.
Which brings me to my second point. As the sweater showdown (yes, it has been downgraded to all lowercase) has reached the final four jerseys, it should be noted that all 4 of them are Original Six jerseys. Now, one could look at this as a good thing and take it as the voting public recognizes that the classics never need to change to be the best. And I probably would look at it the same way if the Blackhawks uniform hadn’t beat out the Caps. My issue centers more on the idea that none of the Original Six jerseys are new. They are classics, I get that, and in fact I agree, but they aren’t new. Sure the Bruins (barely) changed their font and the Hawks have different piping on their sweaters, but still, neither is actually new in a general sense.
Actually, based on that logic the Caps isn’t really new either but more a recognition of that which is classic. And I guess what I’m really saying is that they should be rewarded for that by winning the sweater showdown. At the end of the day though, it doesn’t matter. I’ll just pull on my sweet new Caps sweater with the big 8 on the back and be completely satisfied regardless of whether or not 58% of hockey fans would rather be wearing a Jonathan Toews jersey.
"bupkis." Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.7). Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. 24 Oct. 2007. .
Even if you arrived here because you thought you were coming to an extermination site you need to take a look at this goal by Chicago Blackhawk's phenom rookie Jonathan Toews (TAYVES, JAWN-ah-thuhn).
It is an absolutely unforgettable goal by the 3rd overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft that is on par with 'the goal' scored by Alex Ovechkin against Phoenix.
Attention citizens of Massachusetts, Vermont, Michigan and Minnesota: the NHL Network will soon be available in the United States. Am I forgetting any other states that actually watch hockey in America? New York and North Dakota? Ok I’ll give you those but that means I’ll have to pretend there are more than forty-three people in North Dakota with a TV.
Now I understand that the majority of the country will not care about the addition of the NHL Network to his or her broadcast provider. I also recognize that there are few people out that are going to name his or her first two children Gordie and Wayne like I am (regardless of the gender). Pardon the digression.
The point remains that it is somewhat noteworthy simply for the fact that Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications, DIRECTV, DISH Network and Time Warner Cable even agreed to carry the network. The press release asserts that the NHL network will now be accessible to 75 million homes. 75 million? Amazing. The numbers of people not watching hockey programming available to them is going reach record numbers.
“NHL Network’s success in Canada has paved the way for the network’s launch in the U.S.,“ said Rick Brace, President, Revenue, Business Planning and Sports for CTV Inc.
Really? Because I didn’t see any other way it was going to end up coming down to the States. If it had tanked in Canada I can’t imagine anyone thinking, “well I didn’t work in up North, lets try the US.” But I still wonder if there isn’t a bit of flawed logic to it. Let’s take something where it’s most popular and introduce it to a group of people that would rather sit and watch a guy point at suitcases for an hour. Then again, I thought the Bruins, the Islanders and the Flyers would already be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs at this point in the season, so what do I know?
Look, I don’t mean to have a negative attitude toward hockey appreciation in the United States, but there is a reality that we hockey fans tend to overlook. Canadians love hockey, its their national game. When combined with the fact that the majority of US hockey fans are involved in the hockey community, it creates a warped sense of perception. Personally I don’t get why anyone, after watching even one period of a Pee-Wee game, wouldn’t agree that it’s the greatest sport in the world. But there remains an overwhelming amount of disrespect for the sport among Americans.
Every time I step out of my hockey-filled world and have conversations about the sport with the less enlightened majority I always seem to get the same response, “hockey is okay, I just don’t like to watch it.” That is something I just don’t understand. Sure, there are other reasons as well, but not enjoying watching it would definitely be number one if that question ever made it to Family Feud.
Which brings me back to my original point about being surprised the NHL Network is coming down from Canada like an illegally smuggled vegetable and will probably receive just as much fanfare. Although, as long as they show that clip of Terry O’Reilly going into the crowd to attack that guy everything could turn out all right.
Before I end this post I first have to admit that my personal feelings about this announcement boarder on orgasmic euphoria. Upon learning that is was not only coming, but coming in HD, I treated myself to a early skate sharpening just so I could talk about it with the guy at the pro shop. The sad part is, my skates weren’t even somewhat dull. Technorati Link
Predictions aren't unique to hockey. In fact, predictions aren't unique at all. Yet, year after year, people buy publications, watch in-depth analysis and fool themselves into believing that they are absorbing something different than they did the previous year.
Yes, I'm talking about you. Not only am I talking to both of you that actually watch hockey, but I'm also talking to you the football fan, you the basketball fan (of course I only mean college), and even to you the baseball fan. The only thing that really changes among predictions between sports is the positions.
The following generic predictions might clarify what I mean: [Please note: the below statements are intended to follow something like “Team X can be a (playoff, championship) team…]
[It helps if you can imagine someone with a scratchy, aged smokers voice narrating these predictions: think a cross between Tom Waits and Tom Sizemore]
1. If _______ can rebound from his injury that kept him out most of the season last year and become the leader his team needs.
2. If goalie _______ can step up this year and claim the number one goalie job.
3. If free agent ______ can have a career season and live up to his substantial contract.
4. With all the parity in the league (for parity, see NFL) due to the new financial structure, Team X needs youngsters _______ and _______ to prove that they matured in the off-season.
There are obviously more generic prediction formats, but I can’t cover them all during my lunch break. What really determines the quality of a prediction is the credibility of the predictee. No, “predictee” isn’t actually a real word, but I like it more than “predictor”. The point being that a well established writer or TV analyst could make a statement like, “all the Bruins’ need are a few guys to step up,” and people will believe it. While I could write that same comment, and it would be on par with me stating, “Emanuel Lewis had the potential to be a great power forward in the NBA.”
If you have decent credibility and either a cleanly shaved bald head, a grey-haired mullet, or had over 400 minutes of penalties during any season in the NHL (regardless of how long he actually lasted in the league), then almost anything you say about hockey becomes incontestable. And, it almost guarantees you a job with Versus.
Actually, I'd love to put one of the married Ducks on the spot and ask him how the Cup ring compares to his wedding ring. But,that just wouldn't be right.
Impressive ring though, I gotta admit it. Everyone except Emilio Estevez must be damn glad that logo got changed. I wonder if he got an honorary ring? He did technically lead the Ducks to their first championship.
Please note that the ring does make a reference to it being "California's First Cup". No, really? I was pretty sure the Golden Seals took the Penguins in seven games back in '69, but after actually looking at the facts it appears I'm wrong.
Only 50 copies were made of the version show below to give to the players, coaches and close personnel. More copies went out to other people throughout Anaheim but they're not as ritzy at this version:
Round 2 of the Sweater Showdown has begun and I urge you to go and vote. Nothing may be more important to the future of our society as figuring out which hockey jerseys the fans prefer. Debate that among yourselves if you don't agree with me, but that's my stance.
Only three Original Six teams remain in the showdown and two of those three are facing some pretty tight competition. But, seriously, stop reading about it and go vote for yourself. You might very well be determining the future of all society.
The Round 2 matchups are listed below: [Round 2 Voting Ends Oct. 18th]
You know you have an opinion regarding the new NHL jerseys. I know you do. With hockey fans, it's just to be expected. It doesn't mean that you like fashion, which doesn't insinuate that you like figure skating, which doesn't mean you should put a toe pick on your hockey skates. Not that there is anything wrong with that [see Brown, Bobby - My Prerogative]. Just like there is nothing wrong with ending a sentence with a preposition, right?
If you do have an opinion on jerseys and aren't afraid to admit it then I suggest you check out the jersey critiques written up by EKay: The Guy (Spin Columnist) and his gang of jersey junkies. Yes, I just busted out the term "jersey junkies". And, yes, I'm trademarking that shit.
EKay and the "Jersey Junkies"TMcritiques are broken down by conference, but even more exciting is the bracketed format being used to determine the eventual winner. I hate to admit it, but I'm a sucker for brackets.
Disclaimer: If you work for my employer, everything you are about to read is pure fiction. At no point during my employment with said company have I, or would I, ever waste time doing anything but working diligently and efficiently.
Columbus Day treated me well, very well.
I watched hockey all afternoon. I did. And it felt damn good. Was I at home? Did I take the day off? No, not at all, I was at work all day. Then how did I watch hockey you ask? Well, I'll pretend you asked.
Apparently Center Ice became available online this year. If you are unfamiliar with Center Ice, you're either 1. Not a hockey fan, or 2. Someone living in the same general area as you were when you were born. If #2 sounds like you, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that as long as you have HDTV. If you don't have a HDTV and you love hockey I recommend you either get one or start frequenting bars that have one. Although it might be cheaper to just by your own, and probably healthier.
The video quality was impressive. It never lagged or even did anything frustratingly common with online video. Sure I killed the bandwidth for the entire office, but I needed my hockey fix. Come to think of it, a lot of people were complaining about how slow the internet was today at work. Oops.
This is where I would usually talk about the games I watched, but due to superstitious hangups, there won't be much discussion involving the Caps @ Isles. Although it must be mentioned that the game ended 2-1 with Viktor Kozlov scoring his second goal in three games during the win. If you're thinking "Wow, the Isles are lucky to still have him" then you probably aren't aware that Mr. Kozlov was signed by Washington as a free agent in the off-season. Ouch.
So much for not commenting on that game. Talking trash is that much better when you do it against the team that let you get away. The other game I watched was Devils @ Sens, but since I could've been hypothetically watching this at work, let's say I hypothetically had a meeting. As a result, I wouldn't comment on this game since it would remind me of the meeting that deprived me of hockey.
It's getting late and with 10 games on Wednesday, I need my rest.
Imagine, just for a second, that the preseason actually mattered.
Actually, while we're in dream mode, let's pretend that I was a top tier Junior player until I suffered a career-ending, let's say, knee injury. There, that should help the credibility of the preposterous path I'm about to lead you down.
Now, back to pretending that the preseason provides us some insight into which franchise will eventually hoist Lord Stanley's Cup. Who, I'd like to mention, is a friend of mine on my NHL Community blog. Pardon the digression again, but sometimes name-dropping is necessary. Sadly, he is my only friend.
Back to the point at hand. May I direct your attention to the final preseason standings below?
----------------------- TEAM STANDINGS -------------- Eastern Conference Northeast Division Team (RK) GP W L OT GF GA PTS Ottawa ( 1) 7 7 0 0 26 15 14 Montreal ( 4) 8 4 3 1 21 24 9 Buffalo ( 5) 6 4 2 0 22 18 8 Toronto ( 8) 8 3 3 2 22 30 8 Boston (15) 6 1 4 1 13 19 3 Southeast Division Team (RK) GP W L OT GF GA PTS Atlanta ( 2) 7 5 2 0 20 15 10 Carolina ( 3) 6 4 1 1 15 11 9 Florida ( 7) 7 4 3 0 15 14 8 Washington (11) 7 3 3 1 21 21 7 Tampa Bay (13) 5 2 2 1 12 16 5 Atlantic Division Team (RK) GP W L OT GF GA PTS New Jersey ( 5) 6 4 2 0 19 10 8 N.Y. Islanders ( 9) 9 3 4 2 22 30 8 N.Y. Rangers (10) 6 3 2 1 17 23 7 Philadelphia (12) 8 3 5 0 20 24 6 Pittsburgh (14) 6 1 3 2 17 21 4 Western Conference Central Division Team (RK) GP W L OT GF GA PTS Detroit ( 1) 9 6 3 0 34 19 12 Columbus ( 9) 8 3 3 2 18 19 8 Nashville (10) 6 3 2 1 14 14 7 Chicago (12) 8 3 4 1 23 27 7 St. Louis (14) 7 2 5 0 19 28 4 Pacific Division Team (RK) GP W L OT GF GA PTS San Jose ( 2) 7 5 0 2 20 15 12 Dallas ( 7) 7 4 2 1 30 28 9 Phoenix ( 8) 8 3 2 3 21 23 9 Anaheim (11) 7 3 3 1 17 15 7 Los Angeles (13) 5 3 2 0 19 20 6 Northwest Division Team (RK) GP W L OT GF GA PTS Edmonton ( 3) 7 5 2 0 25 22 10 Minnesota ( 3) 7 5 2 0 25 19 10 Colorado ( 5) 6 4 0 2 25 19 10 Vancouver ( 6) 8 4 2 2 23 25 10 Calgary (15) 8 1 5 2 13 24 4 -----------------------------------------------------
What does this tell us? Well, for one thing, it shows everyone that I'm money when it comes to cutting & pasting (I even used keyboard shortcuts). Another thing, which I think we can all agree on, is that there is a distinct possibility that the standings could unfold in just this very way.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we can all agree that Pittsburgh will finish last in the Atlantic?
What's that? No? Why not? Oh, I see.
Well, I don't know if I'm buying that Crosby-Malkin-Fleury-Gonchar-Esposito-Staal-Recchi explaination as a way of discounting the accuracy of pre-season stats. That's as ridiculous as saying the Islander's new look won't have anything with them making the playoffs? You don't agree? No?
Okay, so I see there is some reticence in accepting my theory that pre-season rankings are meaningful. And there is a small chance I might agree, even after all I've said. But I do find it interesting that all the pre-season "Division Winners" actually have a darn good chance of winning their respective divisions (with Edmonton being the least likely as I see it).
I guess I see it like this: pre-season tells us which teams have grown since last year. Of course, that growth is somewhat contingent on the final status of last years team. And, injuries and scratches have to be factored in to the pre-season results as well, but it can provide some insight regardless.
Who knows what it will mean? Maybe nothing, but it should be mentioned that after 2 games Ottawa is 2-0 after going undefeated in the pre-season. Then again, they did play the Leafs twice. Sorry guys, but it needed to be said.
