Monday, October 26, 2009

30,000 plus apparently looking for a new commissioner




The NHLFA, the fan based organization that from time to time offers up some interesting proposals for the NHL's executive offices to consider, have come up with one that we suspect won't get too far along the food chain at the New York office.

In an email forwarded to the organizations 30,000 plus registered members on Sunday, the call for some feedback on the potential replacement of Gary Bettman was put out.

The content of the letter is as follows:

Recently, many suggestions have been received from Members related to the activities the NHLFA should pursue in its attempt to have Gary Bettman removed as the commissioner of the NHL this season. One such suggestion is to coordinate a league-wide protest week that will rally fans attending games to hold signs calling for the dismissal of Bettman.

If you would like to contribute an idea, please visit

The link provides access to the organizations mini poll, as well as a place to outline some creative ideas, designed to move Mr. Bettman out to pasture.

While we suspect that they are preaching to the converted in many locations across Canada (with no doubt a huge response to come from Hamilton where we imagine servers will crash in the avalanche of he's gotta go support) it really in the long run won't mean too much to the various suits that sit around the Board of Governors table.

The thirty (ooops 29, cause really who the hell owns Phoenix anyways?) owners are probably more concerned about their financials, than the hurt feelings or angst of the frozen land above the 49th parallel.

They in the end may find that its becoming tiresome this need to be constantly propping up teams such as Phoenix because of the Commissioners refusal to see the light, and that just maybe Mr. Bettman's time is up.

But then it will be more because their wallets are getting lighter, rather than their conscience is bothering them about the dismissive nature of returning hockey to Canada.

Still, for the fans, who feel rather powerless in all of this these days, the chance to vote and vent will most likely prove to be rather popular.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Green is the colour, Hockey is the game!


As they say when in Regina (or Saskatoon for that matter), wear as the Saskatchewanians wear....

In honour of Saskatchewan's hosting duties for this year's World Junior Hockey Championships, Team Canada will don Green uniforms for two matches, a nod at the favourite colour of some of Canada's most dedicated sports fans.

The uniforms made their debut during the Saskatchewan-B.C. Lions Canadian Football League game in Regina on Saturday.

The World Juniors are returning to Saskatchewan for the first time since Regina and Saskatoon last hosted the tourney back in 1991 , so Team Canada officials felt that a show of respect would best be achieved by adopting the province's most recognized colour scheme.

We suspect that the remainder of the participants in the World Juniors will be green with envy, when they hear the reaction of Saskatchewan fans when Team Canada skates out in the green.

Let's just hope that the team doesn't take it as a sign to dedication to energy conservation!

The tournament gets underway on December 26th, Hockey Canada will offer up the game worn uniforms for purchase on eBay shortly after the end of the World Juniors, or Canadians can pick up replica copies at nationals sporting goods stores when delivered, all designed to help Hockey Canada collect some green from the green.
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Friday, October 23, 2009

Bad Boys, Bad Boys, whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when Mr. Campbell comes for you. 2009-10 edition


With a new season underway, Chief Justice Colin Campbell of the NHL Supreme Court stands by to mete out justice for those that can't play fair on the frozen ponds of the NHL.

We will follow the efforts of Justice Campbell as he does his best to punish the offenders and set forward those good examples to keep everyone on the straight and narrow.

We'll track the need for discipline through the season, as the offenders make their appearances in the halls of NHL justice, our offenders may now approach the bench.

Pittsburgh-- Nov 29-- Matt Cooke suspended two games
Canucks-- Nov 4-- Shane O'Brien, one game

Running Total to Date-- 38 Games

Suspensions By Team 2009-10

Anaheim Ducks -- 5 games
Calgary Flames-- 3 games
Carolina Hurricanes-- 3 games
Dallas Stars-- 2 games
Philadelphia Flyers-- 6 games
Montreal Canadiens -- 5 games
New York Rangers-- 1 game
Phoenix Coyotes-- 4 games
Pittsburgh Penguins-- 2 games
Vancouver Canucks-- 2 games
Washington Capitals-- 5 games

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Off the radar in LA, yet Smyth may yet be named to Team Canada


When Steve Yzerman and Hockey Canada get around to naming that final Team Canada roster for the 2010 Olympics, we may not be too surprised to see Ryan Smyth's name on the line up cards.

Smyth, who has performed yeoman like for Canada over the years, was probably considered to be on that sharp line between roster status and thanks for coming platitudes, his years starting to add up it may have been easy to suggest that his time had passed in service to his country.

But never underestimate the passion for hockey that can send a player off to save reputations and earn a medal.

Smyth who is toiling away in hockey's version of Siberia, albeit a rather comfortable version in LA, has had one of those eye opening starts to the season for the Kings, racking up points and showing the skill sets that still make him one of the most dangerous and valuable assets for a hockey team that there is.

He is by far one of the top leaders on the Kings this season, taking that struggling squad on to success in his early days in California. His confidence and poise on the ice is providing the spark that the Kings need to get off to their pretty remarkable start, those very well may be the same kind of traits that Hockey Canada will be seeking for Vancouver.

Captain Canada, may yet be pulling on that Maple Leaf one more time and judging by his start to the NHL season, he may very well be the safest bet there is for success in February.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

If they build it, will Gary drop the first puck?


The quest for Quebec City's return to the NHL has heated up a bit, as the Mayor of the Quebec capital, currently involved in a re-election campaign for municipal office, outlined his plans for a new ice palace for the city and the hopeful home of one of the NHL's under performing and potentially relocation seeking franchises.

Mayor RĂ©gis Labeaume, who has been swatting aside the complaints of his competitors of late, outlined the details of his ambitions 400 million dollar project, the vast majority if not all of which would apparently be funded by tax payer dollars.

Mayor Labeaume, did make a nod towards fiscal sensibilities, suggesting that some of the funding for the new rink could come from private sponsors, a special lottery or money from the tobacco tax that will help government recover its share of the funding.

The Federal Government offered up a wink of the eye, suggesting that any potential Federal share for the new rink could come out of the federal contribution to the province's infrastructure pool, putting the onus on the Provincial government to say oui or non, the prospect of a new home for hockey, concerts and any other function that might find a home in an 18,000 seat structure.

There's no guarantee that Quebec City will get an NHL franchise again, in fact they need only look down the MacDonald Cartier freeway in Hamilton to see a once state of the art facility which once too had aspirations of NHL glory.

So far, Hamilton has had more than a few swings around the dance floor but yet to find themselves permanently booked for the big dance, though not for a lack of trying.
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Then again, Quebec City has a bit of history behind it, an enthusiastic fan base, a market outside the orbit of the nearest franchise in Montreal and most importantly for Gary Bettman we imagine, nowhere on the prospective owners list does the name Jim Balsillie appear, which at least moves the Quebec file one shelf up on Mr. Bettman's inbox...

Globe and Mail-- Arena plans: Quebec wants in NHL

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Pregame Skate: Los Angeles Kings 2011-12 season

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Pregame Skate: Dallas Stars 2011-12

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Pregame skate: San Jose Sharks 2011-12 season

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Pregame skate: Anaheim Ducks 2011-12

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Friday, October 16, 2009

The Leafs dodge the blahs for one day!



The coach wants us to do what?
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It was fun and frolic on the ice at the Leafs practice Thursday, as head coach Ron Wilson tossed away the pucks and tossed out some tennis balls, offering up a game of dodge ball for his squad. It's rumoured that the coach may even have offered up a smile or a chuckle during Thursday's extensive on ice endeavours.

Designed to add some fun to the scene for what is quickly becoming a rather fragile group, it's no doubt hoped that just taking their minds off of hockey (and keeping them on the ball), will help to relieve the stress of playing hockey in one of Canada's most over analyzing city.





With no wins to show on the season so far, spending the idle times listening to the radio, reading the papers or watching the television in Toronto is probably enough to send even the most secure of individuals off to a therapist.

Of course, the real money could be in taking on the Maple Leaf Nation as clients, since the start of the season all of six games ago, the faithful who follow the Blue and White have been positively apoplectic over their fate, the smell of panic from the fans almost as overbearing as the normal state of superiority that they frequently try to project (all be it with little in the way of evidence)
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Still, with a restful game of dodge ball behind them, perhaps the Leafs can rebuild on the fundamentals, win a few games and keep their fans from tumbling from their viewing perches without too much more in the way of angst.

Globe and Mail-- Maple Leafs coach shows fun side

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Pre Game Skate: Nashville Predators 2011-12

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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Bringing the boys back home?




In the space of only a couple of weeks the hockey world has gone from discussing a potential move of the Coyotes to Hamilton (seemingly at an end thanks to the bankruptcy ministrations of Judge Redfield T. Baum) to a sudden interest in Winnipeg, to this weekends latest pin on the Rand McNally map of a return to Quebec City.

Globe and Mail-- Quebec moves closer to getting NHL team
Vancouver Province--Quebec a capital sports town
Toronto Star-- Nordiques ready for a rebirth in Quebec?
Edmonton Sun-- Peladeau promoting Quebec team
Winnipeg Sun-- Big money talks
CBC-- Talk of NHL return to Winnipeg premature
Ottawa Citizen-- Thomson the key to talk of Winnipeg
Winnipeg Free Press-- Players dipsy-doodling
Winnipeg Free Press-- Winnipeg could be NHL winner -- by default

A potential welcome jump in Canadian content, that would put the league back into to dedicated hockey markets once deemed to small, now apparently just what the NHL is looking for in its hour of need.

With perhaps up to nine NHL franchises (all American, many southern) reportedly being shopped around, it's no wonder that cities where the game still resonates (ie: where people still care) may get a second chance.

Both Winnipeg and Quebec are perceived by many Canadians as having been robbed of their teams back when the NHL thought that sunbelt locations were the future, leaving behind those small provincial towns that just couldn't compete with the bright lights, sand and surf of the southern locales.

But with losses increasing yearly, the interest factor dropping just as fast, retrenchment back in the cradle of the game seems to be but a governors vote away.

Quebec has been actively courting the NHL over the last few months, most recently with a meeting with Gary Bettman in New York (though some suggest that those meetings are more a case of a grandstanding mayor up for re-election than a solid plan of return) and while the movements of any potential Winnipeg franchise have been held under cover, there seems to be enough smoke starting to waft around to get people talking and thinking that the long held dream of a return to the NHL my not be that far away.

The immediate impact of the two former NHL cities returning would be welcome, instant rivalries would be rekindled and the prospect of playing in front of full houses as opposed to near empty ones must be a comforting thought to the other NHL owners who must be worried that if things keep going the way they are, twenty will be splitting the cost of the other ten.

Lost in all the sudden flag waving however is Hamilton, a community that seems to always be the bridesmaid of late in all these rumoured franchise shifts, the most recent shot that they had at joining in on the hopeful Stanley Cup parade, was with the Jim Balsillie efforts in Arizona, which ended in more than a fair amount of acrimony with other NHL owners.

You wonder if Hamilton has not been mortally wounded in their quest after the latest twist in the Coyotes saga, of so, it doesn't seem fair. Their market is probably just as likely to be successful as Quebec City and Winnipeg would be, yet their stock seems to be dropping as the other two rise.

Then again, with those rumoured nine teams apparently anxious to find new owners, there may be hope for the Hammer yet, in the end any city with a pulse beating faster than the southern cadavers could be chosen.

Toronto Star-- Hamilton won't quit NHL fight
Hamilton Spectator-- Hamilton holds onto NHL dream
Canadian Press-- Hamilton residents refuse to give up NHL dream despite U.S. court decision

Still for Canadian hockey fans one or all three would be greeted as a positive step, though one has to wonder if perhaps all of this repatriation talk is not a move by the NHL to deflect some of its troublesome baggage of late.

Just suggesting that they are thinking of a return to some of Canada's once spurned cities, could buy them enough time to put out some of the many fires that seem to be burning around the NHL offices these days.

One hopes that in the end, it's not the fans of Winnipeg, Quebec City and Hamilton that end up getting burned.

Friday, October 09, 2009

Chelios to howl with the wolves?




No longer wanted it seems in Detroit and having been passed over by any number of NHL teams, former All Star and three time Stanley Cup winning champion Chris Chelios may soon be lacing them up for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.

The Wolves apparently won't have anything to say on the matter until they return from a road trip, but the rumours are flying around the Windy city that Chelios may soon be found on their blue line.

If he does end up signing with the wolves it would bring his career full circle back to his hometown and not too far from where he played for nine years with the Black Hawks.

Still, it's going to be a slight drop from his days of glory in the NHL, which included his early formative years in Montreal before he went to Chicago and then Detroit.

Considering the desperate state of the Canadiens defense these days, we're surprised that they haven't thought about bringing him back for one more skate, especially after Wednesday nights touchdown spread victory by Vancouver over the Habs.
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With Montreal's defensive play positively horrendous these days, Chelios may want to drag out the negotiations with the Wolves just a little bit longer, just in case...

Chicago Tribune-- Former Blackhawk Chris Chelios will skate with Chicago Wolves

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

The Trading Post: 2009-10



The trade, it can change a players career for good and sometimes for the bad. An opportunity for a fresh start for some players, or just one final indication that their days in the pros may soon be coming to an end.

For the General Manager it provides the opportunity to improve a team heading towards a playoff spot or fill in some gaps that suddenly become urgent due to injuries. For teams that are going nowhere fast, the trade can line up future prospects or remove burdensome contracts in preparation for a better tomorrow.

We'll track the deals as the come to pass during this 2009-10 season, providing some background for the names that may soon have to change their mail delivery notices.

February 4-- New Jersey surprises all with trade for Kovalchuk

January 31-- Leafs send Toskala and Blake to Anaheim, reuniting JS Giguere with GM and goaltending coach

January 31-- Dion Phaneuf is Toronto bound as theFlames and Leafs make a seven player deal

December 28-- Jason Chimera heads for Washington in exchange for Chris Clark and Milan Jurcina

December 8-- Columbus acquires Brendan Bell and Tomas Kana fro St. Louis in exchange for Pascall Pelltier.

November 23-- Montreal Canadiens trade Guillaume Latendresse to the Minnesota Wild for Benoit Pouliot

October 20-- Boston Bruins acquire Daniel Paille from the Buffalo Sabres, sending a third-round pick and a conditional fourth-rounder in next spring’s draft to Buffalo.

October 18-- Boston Bruins trade Chuck Kobasew to Minnesota, in return the Bruins receive Minnesota’s 2011 second-round pick, the rights to recent fourth-round selection Alexander Fallstrom, and 28-year-old depth forward Craig Weller.

October 7-- Calgary Flames trade minor league player, Kyle Greentree to the Chicago Blackhawks for journeyman defenceman Aaron Johnson.

Good tickets now available, providing you can get to the game!

We sat down to watch some of the Sharks / Kings game on Tuesday night, taking in the action courtesy of the Fox Sports broadcast out of LA.

We're not sure what this suggests about Kings fans (or maybe the players, then again more likely the owners!), but we were fascinated by this commercial, one of the many and frequent offerings from a local sponsor of the night's broadcast.




So next time you head off to the Staples Centre, maybe get to know the folks sitting beside you a little bit better .......... or perhaps not...

Kelly fiasco continues to control NHLPA agenda


It's been a few weeks now since the midnight cabal of the NHLPA held the Star Chamber meeting that dismissed their executive director, but if they thought that time would diminish the controversy they were apparently sadly mistaken.

Buzz Hargrove continued to stir the embers today with a radio interview with Toronto radio station AM640, during the course of his conversation, Hargrove outlined how he believes the Players Association was justified in removing Kelly from his job.

This weekend the debate took on a whole new direction with the revelation that it was an opinion from former Ontario chief justice Roy McMurtry that helped to shape the overnight dismissal session that saw Kelly removed from his position less than two years on the job.

That topic made for a lively discussion on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday night, with only Ron MacLean apparently finding no problem with McMurtry's contribution to the coup, that of course despite his close relationship with Alan Eagleson, the disgraced former head of the NHLPA and the subject of Mr. Kelly's interest in his previous life as a prosecutor in Boston.
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The fact that the NHLPA's decision to remove their Executive Director was based on McMurtry's discussion points has raised more than a few eyebrows, with many wondering if his opinion was as unbiased as one would hope for, considering his close ties to the pariah of the players association Eagleson.

Those developments of Saturday perhaps helped to frame the discussion for the NHLPA reps on Sunday who met in telephone conclave, to try and come to some kind of consensus on how to proceed next and in what direction.

Judging by some of the media reports though, that process still is apparently a work in progress with only a recitation of some very confusing items from the Sunday discussions to work with.

What does seem clear however is that Paul Kelly will be getting a negotiated settlement as his parting gift from the NHLPA, which instead of having to deal with more legal problems will somehow try to come to an arrangement on the remainder of Mr. Kelly's contract, Kelly has one year remaining paying him $1.5 million (all currency U.S.) and a $400,000 bonus. There will also be the matter of a two-year option to sort out.

Even more intriguing however is the fate of the latest to ascend to the PA throne, with reports that the player reps voted on the fates of Ian Penny, Buzz Hargrove and Ron Pink, but owing to a lack of a quorum, those votes were now considered more of a straw poll than a final decision. Though one is left with the impression that a few more heads will be rolling out of the NHLPA offices in short order.

All in all, the events of the last three days continue to leave the NHLPA with far more questions about the way its affairs are being handled, a situation which leaves the Players association once again under suspicion and tempting the fates of irrelevance with every passing day.

What clearly is needed is a General Meeting of all the player reps of the teams, the players of each team and their agents, there is a serious need to resolve this mess before it becomes any more embarrassing. One shudders at what the next revelation may be as an already unseemly mess gets uglier and uglier with each updated report.

Somewhere along the way, those that are supposed to be in charge seem to have forgotten that the mission isn't to build little Kingdoms inside the Association, but to best represent the players interests with the NHL owners, so far they've neglected the latter far too much.

CBC Sports-- Ference candid about shedding role as player rep
Canadian Press-- Don Cherry rips NHLPA over firing of former union boss Paul Kelly
National Post-- Cherry dead on when it comes to NHLPA mess
National Post-- NHLPA members discuss Kelly firing in conference call

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Hamilton is off the burner, Winnipeg moves to the front


A casual mention during the Hockey Night in Canada feature The Hot Stove has started the ball rolling it seems for more discussion on whether Winnipeg should return to the NHL.

During the course of the program Al Strachan dropped the hint that there were Toronto business interests working on purchasing the Atlanta Thrashers and moving them to the Manitoba capital.





If so, they surely must be working under the deepest of covers, most of the media reports collected on Monday outlined how there was no truth to the rumours.

In Atlanta the current ownership called the suggestion a totally false concoction, while in Winnipeg there didn't seem to be much of any hard facts to back up the potential move, just a lot of wishful hoping.
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There has been much made of the past animosity among that Thrasher ownership group, so it's not beyond the realm of reason that it could all unwind in the south making the need for an exit strategy something of a priority. And with so many American markets currently it seems under duress, moving to a more stable hockey environment in Canada would make sense (which probably, knowing how the NHL works, means it won't happen)

Current Manitoba Moose owner Mark Chipman, the current tenant at the MTS Centre had little to say about the discussion, nor if he was involved in any potential franchise acquisition. Though he has had dealings with the Ontario based group in the past and has always been considered the front runner to be the local face of any NHL returnees.

If the Thrashers do make the migration north, it will mark the second time in NHL history that a Canadian city has become the new home for a former Atlanta franchise, the Flames made the first migratory flight back in 1980, a move that seems to have worked out well for the NHL and for Calgary.

However, like their fellow travellers in tantalizing misery in Hamilton, Winnipeg has been down this road many times before, so we suspect that they'll be taking this latest bit of anticipation with more than a few grains of salt.

National Post-- Thrashers deny Winnipeg rumour
Winnipeg Free Press-- Chew on this NHL rumour...
Winnipeg Sun-- Thrashers new Jets?
Winnipeg Sun-- Cautious optimism
CBC Sports-- NHL rumours put Winnipeg back in spotlight
Atlanta Journal Constitution-- Ilya Kovalchuk, and the rest of your Winnipeg Thrashers!

Sunday, October 04, 2009

Pat Quinn's teaching tool video for the agony of defeat


“Those things happen in sports, but I certainly don’t like that we lost. We have to learn not to beat ourselves. I didn’t like any one of the goals.” -- Oilers head coach Pat Quinn, expressing his disappointment in the end result and the path that took his team there on Saturday night..

No doubt there will be a special bit of tutoring on the skill of puck handling (or lack of) by goaltenders when the Oilers hold practice for the next little while.

Saturday night's contest with the Flames ended on the most embarrassing of notes as Oilers goaltender, the usually reliable Nikolai Khabibulin fumbled the puck in his own end, losing control of it as Calgary Flame David Moss sweeps in and swipes it into the gaping hole of an Edmonton net. A Rexall Centre silencing moment, that removed the need for an overtime session by providing the Flames with a 4-3 victory.
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Khabibulin, the much heralded off season acquisition certainly gets off to a rough start for the hometown crowd with his faux pas and will no doubt be the highlight reel icon for most of this season.
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More importantly for him than the thoughts of the Oilers crowd and the media video archivists however, may be the thoughts of head coach Pat Quinn who showcased one of those looks of bewilderment that perhaps he thought he had left these kind of mental mistakes behind back in his days in Toronto....
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Edmonton Journal-- Bulin Wall crumbles
Edmonton Sun-- Bulin wall cracks

Friday, October 02, 2009

A few tweaks to the blog as the season starts

Regular readers may have noticed a flood of entries over the course of the day on Thursday as we launched a new feature for the blog.

While it's still a process in progress (our apologies to the Pacific Division for our tardiness, we hope to have all our pages complete shortly) we have introduced the Pre Game Skate, a location on our portal for fans of all thirty teams to find some items of interest about their favourtie squad.

You can find it on the top left corner of the blog, featuring a number of links to official websites, blogs, podcasts and media reports, all the latest developments for each team will be found through those links.

As well any items from the blog itself about each team will be arvhived in each teams pre game skate page.

We'll be adding a section for the Olympic Hockey tournament to that feature as well, providing an advance look at the different teams looking for Gold in Vancouver.

There will be other features changing or finding revisions as we move along through the season and as always if you have any comments just drop us a line at HockeyNation001@yahoo.ca

While it seems that the break between the Stanly Cup and training camp gets shorter and shorter, once Fall arrives, it really is hockey season, the puck has dropped, so drop by frequently to see what we have to offer.

On day one, every team has a shot for Stanley...



The 2009-10 NHL season is officially underway, the first puck drop of the season taking place in Boston where the Bruins were playing host to the Washington Capitals.

That game signalled the start once again for the chase for Lord Stanley's Mug, a quest that will end for many on April 11, 2009 when the Oilers and Ducks meet in the last regular season game of the year.
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For some there will be playoff hockey and the eventual skate with the cherished Cup, for others there will be disappointment and change, much of that dependant on how they perform over the next seven months.

While the on ice activities both dramatic and mundane follow their course, there will be more than a few off ice activities to keep an eye on this year.

The fragile state of not only the Phoenix Coyotes (currently wards of the NHL but not owned according to law it seems) but a handful of other teams which may be setting a course for much the same direction as the Dogs of the desert.

During the season coaches will be fired, some will be hired, players will be traded, some may retire. Youngsters may shine and the long in the tooth may get that final tap on the shoulder that it's time.

Fans will enjoy that thrill of victory and for some the sadness of defeat, while the Television networks in Canada will find once again that Hockey season is earning season, below the 49th the NHL will battle with the tractor pulls, fishing shows and wrasslin matches seeking a slight bump in the numbers and glimpse of growth for the game.

There will be an Olympic tournament in February as Vancouver hosts the world and Team Canada tries to use home ice advantage towards its goal of Gold. A pressure that will surely test their resolve and lead the nation on to a roller coaster once again.

The puck dropped Thursday on a new season, there's fresh ice in the rink, fresh paint on the ice and after a summer of legal mumble jumble over franchise relocation, Thursday brought a breath of fresh air in that we can once again keep our stats on more than the number of legal briefs filed in the course of a day.

It's nice to have the ice back in, so lets settle in for the season once again.

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Headlines of October 2009

Tracking the daily headlines for the month of October.

October 31-- Kitchener player hospitalized after hit
October 30-- NHLPA interim leader out
October 29-- Malkin out 2-3 weeks
October 28-- Crosby and Penguins prove too much for Canadiens
October 27-- Maple Leafs' reunion tour rolls on
October 26-- Moyes agrees to sell Coyotes to NHL
October 25-- West suffers from East's hockey whims
October 24-- Canada's new junior hockey jerseys to be green
October 23-- Harper backs NHL growth in Canada
October 22-- Artyukhin suspended for three games
October 21-- Drama set to begin for NHLPA
October 20-- Clouston has Ottawa playing inspired hockey
October 19-- Chelios may still get way with NHLPA
October 18-- Who will get the first win?
October 17-- Kovalev's return haunts Montreal
October 16-- Arena plans: Quebec wants in NHL
October 15-- Moyes proceeds with antitrust suit
October 14-- Theo Fleury finally moving on
October 13-- Floundering Flames edged by Blue Jackets
October 12-- Leafs continue winless ways
October 11-- Book says Oilers nearly swapped cities with Leafs
October 10-- Quebec moves closer to getting NHL team
October 9-- More details of Fleury's troubled past emerge
October 8-- It's Portage and bane as rumours fly again
October 7-- Roy ruling: Court balks at setting precedent
October 6-- Disgruntled Hab reports to AHL club
October 5-- ’Battle of the Blades’ proves popular in NHL
October 4-- Tippett pays instant dividends
October 3-- Khabibulin gaffe gifts Flames victory
October 2-- Sexton joins Panthers as new general manger
October 1-- Avs retire Sakic's No. 19

Pre Game Skate: St. Louis Blues 2011-12

We provide a starting point for all items of note for the Blues for 2011-12.

From web page information, to radio links, news service sites, HockeyNation archive items and any other forms of content we'll list it here, a quick reference spot for Blues fans wherever they may be.

Blues homepage
Blues schedule
Blues roster
Blues management/coaching staff
Blues On line store
.
Farm Clubs:
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AHL- Peoria Rivermen
ECHL- Alaska Aces
.
Radio Broadcast outlet:
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KMOX 1120 AM
.
Newspaper links:
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St. Louis Post Dispatch
Belleville News Democrat
.
Other Links:
.
Wikipedia
Facebook
Twitter
Linked In

.
Bloggers:
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St. Louis Game Time
Frozen Notes
Blues Note by Note
.
Podcasts:
.

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HockeyNation Archives

Pre Game Skate: Detroit Red Wings 2011-12

We provide a starting point for all items of note for the Red Wings for 2011-12.

From web page information, to radio links, news service sites, HockeyNation archive items and any other forms of content we'll list it here, a quick reference spot for Red Wing fans wherever they may be.

Red Wing homepage
Red Wing schedule
Red Wing roster
Red Wing management/coaching staff
Red Wing On line store
.
Farm Clubs:
.
AHL- Grand Rapids Griffins
ECHL- Toldeo Walleye
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Radio Broadcast outlet:
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97.1 The Ticket
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Newspaper links:
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Detroit Free Press
Detroit News
Macomb Daily
.
Other Links:
.
Wikipedia
Facebook
My Space
Twitter
Linked In
You Tube
.
Bloggers:
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Hockeytown blog
Winging it in Motown
M Live Redwings
.
Podcasts:
.
Wingscast
97.1 The Ticket podcasts
M Live Pressbox podcast
.
HockeyNation Archives

Pre Game Skate: Boston Bruins 2011-12

We provide a starting point for all items of note for the Bruins for 2011-12.

From web page information, to radio links, news service sites, HockeyNation archive items and any other forms of content we'll list it here, a quick reference spot for Bruin fans wherever they may be.


Bruins homepage
Bruins schedule
Bruins roster
Bruins coaching staff
On line store
.
Farm Club:
.
AHL- Providence Bruins
ECHL- Reading Royals
.
Radio Broadcast outlet
.
WBZ
.
Newspaper links:
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Boston Globe
Boston Herald
.
Other Links:
.
Wikipedia
Twitter
Facebook
.
Bloggers:
.
Bruins Blog
TheBruinsBlog
The Bruins Report
Bruins Insider
.
HockeyNation archives:

Pre Game Skate: Buffalo Sabres 2011-12

We provide a starting point for all items of note for the Sabres for 2011-12.

From web page information, to radio links, news service sites, HockeyNation archive items and any other forms of content we'll list it here, a quick reference spot for Sabres fans wherever they may be.

Sabres homepage
Sabres schedule
Sabres roster
Sabres management/coaching staff
Sabres On line store
.
Farm Club:
.
AHL- Portland Pirates
.
Radio Broadcast outlet
.
WGR 550
.
Newspaper links:
.
Buffalo News
.
Other Links:
.
Wikipedia
Facebook
MySpace
.
Bloggers:
.
Beyond the Boards
Die by the Blade
SabresEdge
Sylvester's Blog
.
HockeyNation archives:

Pre Game Skate: Montreal Canadiens 2011-12

We provide a starting point for all items of note for the Canadiens for 2011-12.

From web page information, to radio links, news service sites, HockeyNation archive items and any other forms of content we'll list it here, a quick reference spot for Canadiens fans wherever they may be.

Canadiens homepage (English)
Canadiens homepage (Francais)
Canadiens schedule
Canadiens roster
Canadiens management/coaching staff
Canadiens On line store
.
Farm Club:
.
AHL- Hamilton Bulldogs
ECHL- Cincinnati Cyclones
.
Radio Broadcast outlet
.
CJAD (English)
CKAC (Francais)
.
Newspaper links:
.
Montreal Gazette (English)
La Presse (Francais)
Le Journal de Montreal (Francais)
Le Devoir (Francais)

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Other Links:
.
Wikipedia
Facebook
Twitter
.
Bloggers:
.
Habs Inside Out
habsblog
OhCanadiens
.
HockeyNation archives:

Pre Game Skate: Ottawa Senators 2011-12

We provide a starting point for all items of note for the Senators for 2012-12.

From web page information, to radio links, news service sites, HockeyNation archive items and any other forms of content we'll list it here, a quick reference spot for Sens fans wherever they may be.

Senators homepage
Senators schedule
Senators roster
Senators management/coaching staff
Senators On line store
.
Farm Club:
.
AHL- Binghamton Senators
ECHL- Elmira Jackals
.
Radio Broadcast outlet
.
Team 1200 (English)
104.7 FM(Francais)
.

Newspaper links:
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Ottawa Citizen (English)
Ottawa Sun (English)
Le Droit (Francais)
.
Other Links:
.
Wikipedia
Facebook
Twitter
.
Bloggers:
.
Sens Army
Silver Seven
SENS Town
The 6th Sens
.
Podcasts:
.
Hockey Capital Podcast
.
HockeyNation archives: