correction...

i accidently put a different headline on the preview of the 2013-2014 Anaheim Ducks... i corrected that mistake,to "2013-2014 Anaheim Ducks... sorry,folks...

2013-2014 Anaheim Ducks...

with possibly the best pure skater in NHL history,Teemu Selanne,who is entering his 21st season,the Ducks have a team that could be playoff bound... Selanne may not be the best overall player on the team,he is the heart of the team,i have to admit,and where he goes,the team goes,because he is a phenom,even at his age(43)... with Saku Koivu,he anchors a very talented team offense,and to remind you,that if not for a slashing penalty,on defenseman Sheldon Souray,they had the Red Wings on the spit,ready to roast,in game seven of their opening round seven game series... the penalty put the Red Wings on the power play,and then shortly the Red Wings ended the Ducks' season,in overtime... with Jonas Hiller,and Viktor Fasth,backing him up,in goal,the Ducks will be tough to beat,because Hiller and Fasth are a very good goaltender duo,period... the team defense is anchored by Hiller,with Souray adding some grit,to a very talented defense... the team will be fighting for a playoff spot,and they have the talent to contend for the Pacific Division crown,but without Bobby Ryan(in Ottawa),it may be somewhat tougher,but honestly,they are a playoff team,on paper,but again,paper does not win anything... watching them play will be fun.... historic note:Selanne holds the goal scoring record as a rookie,when he torched the NHL,for 76 goals,with the(original)Winnipeg Jets,in 1992-1993...

2013-2014 Phoenix Coyotes...

Shane Doan is the last original Winnipeg Jets' player on the Phoenix Coyotes roster,and i feel like he deserves a shot at a playoff run going for the Stanley Cup... he is a class act,period... Martin Handal,and Doan are the backbone of the Coyotes' offense,and they will score goals;being a gritty team,and crashing the net... they have a very good team offense,and goaltender Mike Smith is very good,the team defense does have a firecracker in Keith Yandle,who is becoming one of the best defenseman,in the NHL,and Derek Morris who is a gritty defenseman... they have a gritty team defense;blocking shots,and being a physical team... but what stops Phoenix??? being in the same division,with the Los Angeles Kings,Anaheim Ducks,Vancouver Canucks,and the San Jose Sharks??? the Coyotes should be fighting for a playoff spot,in the Western Conference,and can they score enough goals to compete with everybody else,in the conference,including the Pacific Division... tough division,isn't it???

funny man,that Teemu...

like i hinted earlier on blog,about coming back,Teemu Selanne released a humorous golf video;throwing his golf bag,in mock frustration in a pond,and then forgetting his cell phone,in the bag,and swimming after it,retrieving the phone,and calling Anaheim Ducks' general manager Bob Murray,and telling him that,"i'm coming back... this is it... this is my final one..." he signed an one year,$2 million contract... going into his 21st season,he has 675 goals,and should be representing Finland in 2014 Winter Olympics,in Sochi,Russia,for the sixth time...

commentary...

it has been a very long off-season for true hockey fans... i am anxious to find out how the Red Wings will fare in the Eastern Conference... i have a nervous stomach(butterflies),because of it,but things will work out quite fine,i believe,but who knows,but knowing the coaching staff,and the front office,they will be ready to face the Buffalo Sabres,October 2nd,2013(their opening night),at Joe Louis Arena... it will be a new beginning for the Red Wings,after years of wanting to be in the Eastern Conference,they get their wish,so,GO RED WINGS!!!!!!!!

2013-2014 Vancouver Canucks...

the Vancouver Canucks are a team with much talent... a team who lost to the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals,in 2011,and who has been a very good team for years... people have been telling the hockey world for years that the Canucks are a very talented team just waiting to win the Stanley Cup... they are that,but when they had a chance to win Stanley,they were out-scored 23-8,in seven very good,strange,but weird Finals' games,by the Boston Bruins,in 2011... only Roberto Luongo kept them in that series,having his best playoff run,in his NHL career... the Sedin twins(Henrik,and Daniel),along with Ryan Kesler,highlight the team offense,and they have Luongo in net,but is he the same goaltender,as in 2011??? Kevin Bieska and Alexander Edler head a rough and tough team defense,and they can contribute to the offense,and the weakness,if any,would not be physical,but mentally,they may be fragile in the Stanley Cup playoffs... interesting team,this season...

2013-2014 Edmonton Oilers...

this should be an easy preview to write,but the Edmonton Oilers is an enigma to me... they have bountiful riches in talent,but they also finished dead last,and next to last in the NHL,to collect three straight number one draft picks... Tyler Hall,Ryan Nugent-Hopkins,and Nail Yakupov,along with the last player to score eight points in a game-Sam Gagner power a high powered offense... the Oilers are a team that is young and inexperienced,but improving every year... the team defense is anchored by Ladislav Smid,Nick Schultz,and Denis Grebeshkov,but gives up too many shots,and yet,is improving every year... in net is Devan Dubnyk,a young,and improving goaltender,who honestly beat the Red Wings for his first career NHL win,in goal,after going zero for seven,in his first seven starts... he is very,very quick,and is improving in net... the fact is the Oilers are an improved team,and is improving in every way...(get the point!!!!!) IMPROVING... can they make the playoffs this upcoming season??? very possible to be fighting for a playoff spot,but they could also be struggling,depending on their start to the season...

comments...

the Red Wings will be in a real dogfight this season,to just settle into the Eastern Conference,and get used to playing teams that they have not played too many times,in the past,and in the next month,i will be preparing to know every team,in the Eastern Conference,like i know the back of my hand... opening night of the 2013-2014 NHL season will be challenging to me,but i will be ready!!!!!!!!!

2013-2014 Calgary Flames...

when you have 36 year old Miikka Kiprusoff as your best player,and have a basic unknown roster of players,your team is in deep trouble... the Calgary Flames are a rebuilding team,no doubt,and that is misery for the fans,or patience,if you must believe... when Jarome Iginla was traded to Pittsburgh(now in Boston,with the Bruins),that was a very sad day in Calgary,and now,there were grumbles that Kiprusoff may retire,but was talked out of retirement in Finland... Mike Cammalleri,and Curtis Glencross head a basically unknown group of players on offense,and Mark Giordano,along with Dennis Wideman bolster a group of hard nosed players that does work hard on defense,and with Kiprusoff in net,they will have very good team defense,but can they score that many goals,to compete in the Pacific Division??? that is the $64,000 question that has to be answered....

blog statement...

i will preview the rest of the Pacific Division,starting tomorrow,then the Central Division ending with the Stanley Cup Champions Chicago Blackhawks...

comments...

it has been a very long off-season for me... it also has been boring,period... i can not wait to see the NHL,this upcoming season... it will be different,interesting,and still a dogfight,for the Red Wings,in the Eastern Conference...

KHL update...

the Kontinental Hockey League opens their season 4 September 2013,and Lokomotiv Jaroslavl plays Yugra-Khanty Mansiysk,on 6 September 2013...

commentary...

before you criticize my Sharks' critique too much:let me remind you that when you do not change the team dynamic for five different seasons(having Joe Thornton,and Patrick Marleau,as your team's top guns during that time),and have an AHL team that has not produced any really big scoring help,besides Logan Couture,in years,and your total points go from 117,in 2008-2009,to 96,in 2011-2012,the rest of the NHL either has gotten better,or your team has become static,has not gotten any better,or besides your goaltender,your team has not seen any noticeable improvement on your team roster,which is the fault of the front office,and not your coach,who is one of the best in the NHL... give your coach some team roster help,and maybe the Sharks will improve,and move further into the Stanley Cup playoffs... i never said that the Sharks were not a Stanley Cup contender,did i??? they are a contender,as long as Niemi is in net,because he is one of the best goaltenders,in the NHL,period...

2013-2014 San Jose Sharks...

i have pounded on the San Jose Sharks for years,because their roster has been rebuilt a number of times,and they keep on saying that they are going to make a run at the Stanley Cup,every year,and yet,they have come up short... they have the second longest current NHL streak of playoff appearances,at nine years,behind Red Wings' current 22 year streak of making the playoffs... that is the good news... the bad news is that in the last five years of their last playoff series,that year,the record that they have is a very,very paltry 7-20,against the opponents that booted them out of the playoffs,those seasons... they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks,and the Vancouver Canucks,in back to back years,in the Western Conference finals,winning only one game,between those two years... Chicago won the Stanley Cup,in 2010,and Vancouver lost to the Boston Bruins,in seven weird games,in 2011... in the last four complete NHL seasons,they have declined every year,in total points,from 117,in 2008-2009,to 96,in 2011-2012,and have dropped from first,in the Pacific Division,in 2008-2009,to third,last season(2013 NHL season)... their best player just signed a five year contract extension,in Logan Couture,but i believe the problems that the Sharks face are three-fold:1)their roster has not changed that much,since 2008-2009,and 2)the mental state of the team during the Stanley Cup playoffs,because the team has had some very good,sometimes superior,regular seasons,but some spectacular playoff collapses,and 3)their static front office that seems not to have a clue to build,or rebuild,a team that is going nowhere fast... they have talent to make the Stanley Cup playoffs,but the stars on the team are getting older,and their American Hockey League affiliate,in Worcester,Mass. needs to step up to restock their team... Joe Thornton,Patrick Marleau,and Couture bolster their team offensive core,but Thornton,and Marleau are getting older,and they are almost predictable in the way they play their games,which is not always a bad idea for a team,but with a team that has some stars who are long in the tooth that may not be that good... Brad Stuart heads a team defense that may give too many shots,in the games that they played,last season... Antti Niemi is one of the NHL best goaltenders,period,but facing too many pucks,may be the team's downfall,but again,Niemi is one of the best goaltenders,in the NHL,so it will be interesting to see them play,in a reconfigured Pacific Division,with the Vancouver Canucks,the Calgary Flames,the Edmonton Oilers,the Phoenix Coyotes,the Anaheim Ducks,and the Los Angeles Kings...

2013-2014 Pittsburgh Penguins...

the Pittsburgh Penguins have two of the top players in the NHL,in Evgeni Malkin,and their captain,Sidney Crosby(ranked last year,as the best player in the NHL),to bolster their offense,but why are they talked about in second tier terms,in some areas of the hockey world,because their team defense in the last two playoff runs has been anything but stellar;in 2011-2012,they lost a playoff series that was a total shootout,every game,against hated rival Philadelphia Flyers,in a brutal six games(for example:Philadelphia won game two,and three,by a combined score of 16-9(8-5;game two,and 8-4;game three),and then Philadelphia lost game four,by an unbelievable score of 10-3)... they also lost a series to Boston in the playoffs,last season,in which they scored only two goals... are they a team who scored a ton of goals and lose,or are they a team who can not score a lick,while under pressure??? near the Stanley Cup last season,their goaltending was very bad compared to other seasons... Marc-Andre Fleury had his worst season in net(so much so that Tomas Vokoun was starting goaltender in the playoffs but he is 37 years old),and has to improve for the Penguins to go anywhere near the Stanley Cup... the Penguins have enough talent to make the Stanley Cup playoffs,but can they get past other teams in the playoff tournament that is the run for Lord's Stanley Cup... time will tell...

comments....

Red Wings' forward Pavel Datsyuk created some controversy,when he was interviewed by sovsport.ru,in Russia,on the subject of gay rights... he simply said,when asked about gay rights:(Google translated)"i am(Russian)Orthodox,it says it all"... my opinion:i really do not care about what he said,but as for gay rights,i am,"let them live as they want,and it is simply none of my business"... simply said!!!!!!!! the opinions of other people are their own....

2013-2014 Philadelphia Flyers...

the fans of the teams of the city of Philadelphia are notorious for being passionate about their sports teams... at the Vet,they actually booed Santa Claus,and lustfully cheered when Dallas Cowboys' Hall of Fame member Michael Irvin got his neck injured,and carted off the field(he shortly retired after that)... during the glory days of the Flyers,and the days,of "the Broad Street Bullies",the Soviets refused to play a game(during the game),because the rough and tumble play of the Flyers... the Soviets did walk off the ice,and into the visitors' dressing room,but came back,and finished the game,under protest... at the ECW arena(basically a bingo hall,in South Philadelphia),the fans were so rowdy that they even brought something into the arena to let the wrestlers bash each other with,during matches,and then cheer for blood,screaming,"ECW,ECW,ECW",in the process... during the 1974-1976 seasons,in which they won the Stanley Cup,a player(noted earlier,in blog)set the NHL record for most penalty minutes in a season that still stands(472 penalty minutes)... the Baltimore Ravens even refused to play a exhibition game,at the Vet,because of the condition of the Astro Turf was so bad that pieces of the turf came up before the game and the seams were so bad that head coach Brian Billick simply refused to play,so game was cancelled... i bring that all up as a prelude to the current team... the Flyers have been known as a physical team throughout the years,and with Wayne Simmonds,and Jakub Voracek on the team,that will not change... Claude Giroux,and new Flyer,Vincent LeCavalier head the offense,and should bolster their offensive scoring,and Kimmo Timonen,and Mark Streit anchors the good,unknown(as having very few players known outside Philadelphia),and physical defense... in goal they have Ray Embry,who was 17-0-1,as the Chicago Blackhawks' backup,last season,and then promptly got traded... he should be the usual Philadelphia Flyers' goaltender,rough and tough,and refuse to take any guff... teams who play the Flyers should,and will be,in for a rough night in Philly...

comments...

NHL off-season is absolutely BORING!!!!!!!!! there are only a certain number of days that you can talk about free agent signings,and own team signings without going crazy,and start acting like everything is so important... they call this "the silly season",and right now,i am at the wit's end of talking about NHL hockey,even though i will finish previews of the Eastern Conference teams(Philadelphia Flyers,and the Pittsburgh Penguins),tomorrow... i really can not wait for the 2013-2014 NHL season to start...

blog statement...

today is my birthday... so day off today... celebrating one more candle on cake...

odd hockey trivia...

if you are wondering about the International Hockey League,question:did they ever have teams in California,and overseas??? answer:yes:the San Diego Gulls,from 1990-1995,and the San Francisco Spyders,in the 1995-1996 season,most likely,based in the Cow Palace... they even had a team in Russia,called the Russian Penguins,and then the Soviet Wings,in the 1994-1995 season(Penguins),and the 1995-1996 season(Soviet Wings)... note for you Red Wings' fans:funny thing is that the Grand Rapids Griffiths were members of the IHL,from 1996-2001...

a total class act...

the ECHL(once known as the East Coast Hockey League)has an expansion franchise in Orlando,Florida... it should be small news in the hockey world,but folks,it is not small news,after all... the team will be known as the Solar Bears,and will an affiliate of the Minnesota Wild... why,oh why,is it not a blurb on a sports page,and only a blurb... well,the Solar Bears actually won a championship,in the International Hockey League,in 2001,then the league disbanded,winning the final Turner Cup,in the progress... when the ECHL expanded,they came to Orlando,and named the team the Solar Bears,so they got ahold of the Hockey Hall of Fame,and got their permission to use the Turner Cup,when they raise the Solar Bears' 2001 IHL Championship banner,in Orlando... most of the team will be in Orlando(RIP Dan Snyder) for the banner raising ceremony,and the expansion Solar Bears will wear throwback sweaters(jerseys),in honor of the 2001 IHL Champions,that night... so the Solar Bears will actually celebrate a championship,twelve years late...

2013-2014 New York Rangers...

when Henrik Lundquist is the face of your team,as the New York Rangers are,you have a team who have a chance for the Stanley Cup playoffs... they call him,"the King"(cheesy,no doubt),but he is really that good... even though they have improved over the last three seasons,making the Stanley Cup playoffs each season,they are a team who have been offensively challenged,but with Lundquist,they are a rough and tumble team,and are a very tough team to play,on defense... Rangers' captain Ryan Callahan spearheads a very young and talented offense,but can they score enough goals to be consistent to compete,with the other Eastern Conference teams... however,with Lundquist in net,and the defense that reminds me more,of rough and tumble Philadelphia,than finesse minded Pittsburgh,it will be interesting to see whether the Rangers can make the Stanley Cup playoffs this season...

comments...

i will finish previews of the Eastern Conference teams,starting tomorrow(New York Rangers,Philadelphia Flyers,and Pittsburgh Penguins-in that order),then the Western Conference teams,by end of week...

blog statement...

it is break time... day off... mentally,i need to "recharge" batteries...

2013-2014 New York Islanders...

the New York Islanders are a very young team who made the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs,and they put a real scare into the Pittsburgh Penguins,before the Penguins straightened out their team defense... with Michael Grabner,Kyle Okposo,and John Tavares,and Matt Moulson,on offense,they have a real strong offensive core of players... Lubomir Visnovsky,Andrew MacDonald,Mark Strait anchor their very good team defense,but their main weakness is in goal,not because of talent,but because of age,in Evgeni Nabokov,who is 38 years,and even though he had basically a career year in net,the question remains:can he repeat the great(and they were great)numbers,in net,for the Islanders???

NHL news,and comments...

the Anaheim Ducks,and perhaps their best player in franchise history,Teemu Selanne are again talking about a contract,for 2013-2014,which is not strange,because they did the same thing last season... my opinion:he is training in Southern California,so he should be back,with the Ducks,in 2013-2014...

NHL news...

Gabriel Landeskrog,captain of the Colorado Avalanche,signed a seven year,$39 million contract extension... my opinion:Landeskrog may be the best Avalanche player,since Peter Forsberg,and Joe Sakic...

NHL news,and commentary...

NBA's Philadelphia 76ers' owner Josh Harris has been approved as new owner of the NHL's New Jersey Devils... the Bergen(N.J.)Record indicate the deal is worth in the area of $320 million... note:other NHL owners,who have owned other league teams:Charlie O. Finley,who was one of the owners(one of many)of the NHL's California Golden Seals... one story of Finley's oddities as owner:he painted the skates white,as the Oakland Athletics,which he also owned... at the end of the season the skates weighed as much as twenty pounds... Wayne Huizenga owned the Florida Panthers,the now-Miami Marlins(then the Florida Marlins),and has 5% of the Miami Dolphins,now,and finally Ted Turner,who owned the Atlanta Thrashers,Braves,and Hawks,at the same time...

commentary...

i love the beautiful game of hockey... it is a game of a kid skating on ice,and just shooting the puck into an empty net,practicing his shots and skating... people may believe hockey is a tough game to play... they are wrong in saying that,because it is an easy game to play,but it is a game that is tough to master,and the NHL is the top league in the world... the roster of NHL teams consist of twenty three to twenty five players/per team,and that is for the regular season,and they increase that for the Stanley Cup playoffs,but,honestly,the number of players who play NHL hockey are the best of the best,and very few are in that realm of near perfection... the game of hockey is beautiful,easy to play,but hard to master...

2013-2014 Washington Capitals...

who is Alex Ovechkin??? one of the most amazing goal scorers in NHL history,period... the Washington Capitals are a team,who have an abundance of riches in goal,in Braden Holtby,and Michal Neuvirth,who are two of the younger goaltenders,in the NHL,but,perhaps,two of the most talented goaltenders... the Capitals are known to be a offensive scoring machine,but Ovechkin has had lower goal numbers,over the last few years,but honestly,the Capitals' offense has not been clicking on all cylinders,for a couple years,now... however,they went on a goal scoring binge,supplied mostly by Ovechkin,and Nicklas Backstrom,who is very,very talented,to make the playoffs last season,but got hammered by the New York Rangers,losing in seven games,but losing four of last five games,after going up two games to none,and they scored only one goal,in last three games(a 2-1 loss),and losing 1-0,in game six,and then getting hammered,5-0,in game seven... their team defense has to improve,to go anywhere near the Stanley Cup,and they have young talent,and their big gun,in Mike Green,on defense,who was a finalist for the Norris Trophy(best defenseman)has to really get back to his elite status,as a defenseman,but honestly,has not played up to that level for awhile... will he??? time will tell,folks...

unbreakable historic hockey trivia...

what is the NHL record for penalty minutes,by one player,in one season??? answer:Dave Schultz had 472 penalty minutes,in 1974-1975,with the Philadelphia Flyers... note:it was in the era of,"the Broad Street Bullies"...

2013-2014 New Jersey Devils...

the New Jersey Devils are an enigma this year... financially,the Devils are looking for an owner,and there are grumbles that the NHL may take control over ownership,until there are an owner is in place,and there are suitors looking at the Devils... on the ice,Travis Zajac and the Devils' offense should be better,with the addition of Ryan Clowe(from the New York Rangers(a cup of coffee),and the San Jose Sharks)... the team defense has been very good for years,but a 41 year old Martin Brodeur backstops the defense,and even though,Marty is a sure fire Hall of Fame member,how long can he go on??? he has been rather injury free in his long career,but has had an injury,in last few years,that took a season from him(arm injury)... the trade of Vancouver Canucks' starter/backup Corey Schneider at the NHL Draft made great sense for the Devils,at this point... getting mentored by Martin Brodeur should pay great dividends to Schneider,and the Devils... Schneider split time with Roberto Luongo,last year,in Vancouver,so he should be the perfect grooming prospect for New Jersey,as he eases into being the starter for the Devils,going into the future...

blog statement...

having a nice day... too nice to be blogging... be back tomorrow...

2013-2014 Columbus Blue Jackets...

when your goalie wins the Vezina Trophy,for best goaltender,in NHL,and you do not make the Stanley Cup playoffs,because of the first tiebreaker(regulation/overtime wins),you have a bright future,or you suck,because you could not win a game,in regulation,or overtime,last season... Sergei Bobrovsky won the Vezina Trophy,and he was the Blue Jackets' most valuable player,period,last season... they beat the Red Wings every game last year,but had a seriously hard time beating anybody else... they had Marian Gaborik on offense,and they were very tough on defense,but they scored very few goals,against the top teams,in the Western Conference,and it was a mystery to me how they beat the Red Wings... i guess the Red Wings overlooked the Blue Jackets,and it honestly made the Red Wings' playoff run much harder,and it showed that the Blue Jackets that they were a scrappy team,last season... now that they are in the Eastern Conference,it may be easier,but again,it may be much harder facing,for example,the Pittsburgh Penguins,with Sidney Crosby,and Evgeni Malkin,and company,as the Penguins,and Blue Jackets,are division rivals,in the Metropolitan Division... much luck,Blue Jackets!!!!!!

sorry,folks...

the blogpost about the Columbus Blue Jackets,and their preview will be tomorrow... my head is throbbing(not bad),but i really had a hard time concentrating on anything,but folks,i will be fine...

hockey's most historic trade...

twenty five years ago today,history was made when the Edmonton Oilers traded one player to the(at that time) lowly Los Angeles Kings... it broke the city of Edmonton's collective heart,who had just won their fourth Stanley Cup,and yet,it expanded the beautiful game of hockey,to national levels,in the United States,in terms of appearances... who was that player??? answer:Wayne "the Great One" Gretzky...

comments...

even though,it is NHL off-season,sometimes,it is absolutely boring to talk of player signings,day after day,so i take this day off to recharge my "mental" batteries,and will be back tomorrow... folks,i love the beautiful game of hockey,and will preview the Columbus Blue Jackets(Metropolitan Division),tomorrow... i started the Metropolitan Division with the Carolina Hurricanes,yesterday...

2013-2014 Carolina Hurricanes...

i am going through the Eastern Conference first,then the Western Conference:now for the Carolina Hurricanes:the offense will be bolstered by Jeff Skinner,the Staal brothers(Eric,and Jordan),and Alexander Semin... those four players will be the offensive core... the team defense will be backed by Tim Gleason,and Joni Pitkanen... the man in goal has won a Stanley Cup(Cam Ward),in 2006,but he needs to be better,and right now,they note him to be on injured reserve... injured reserve in NHL is much different than the NFL,but coming off an injury is not easy... luckily,it is not training camp,yet... Ward is honestly the backbone of the team... as he goes,the former Hartford Whalers franchise(have to put that in)the Hurricanes go,period... you talk about offense most of the time,but here in Raleigh,the major key is Ward... you talk about goaltenders who have won a Stanley Cup,but honestly,Cam Ward is the "quiet man",of the NHL... he just goes to work,does his job(most of the time,very well),and goes home... a very good goaltender,indeed...

blog statement...

i will try to go through the rest of the NHL,and give previews of every team in the League,starting tomorrow...

2013-2014 Detroit Red Wings...

the Red Wings have been to the Stanley Cup playoffs 22 straight seasons,but this upcoming season is somewhat different... the Red Wings are now in the Eastern Conference,and i have a very hard time gauging how the Red Wings will fit into the conference... i have talked about the talent of the Red Wings for years,and i honestly feel that the Red Wings' talent,including goaltender Jimmy Howard,will fit into the Eastern Conference quite nicely... one poll this offseason ranked Howard 17th in the top 30 goaltenders... he may not be the best goaltender in the NHL,but 17th??? what morons voted him 17th(YAHOO)... he was Red Wings' MVP last season,no doubt... with Pavel Datsyuk,Henrik Zetterberg,Stephen Weiss,and Daniel Alfordsson,on offense,and with Niklas Kronwall(Kronwalled-a crushing butt-first hit)and my favorite defensive player for that big hit,folks,along with Jakub Kindl,and Jonathan Ericsson on defense,the Red Wings will score goals,however somewhat inconsistently,but the offense,and power play will be ultimately better,with the additions of Weiss,and Alfordsson,and honestly,can the Red Wings play better overall team defense,when they play some of the best offensive teams,in Tampa Bay(with the Lightning,and Steven Stamkos,and Martin St. Louis),Washington Capitals(with Alex Ovechkin),and the Pittsburgh Penguins(with Sidney Crosby,and Evgeni Malkin)... first year,in the Eastern Conference should be interesting,folks,in Motown!!!!!!

Breaking NHL news...

the NHL Board of Governors approved Renaissance Sports,and Entertainment,also known as IceArizona,as the owners of the Phoenix Coyotes...

2013-2014 Montreal Canadiens...

expect the Montreal Canadiens to be rough,tough,and very physical... with Danny Briere,Brian Gionta,and Alex Galchenyuk,on offense,they should be nasty,physical,and a load to play every night... with George Parros,on offense,and P.K. Subban,on defense,they have two notorious fighters(Parros being the better fighter),and they have offensive firepower,but Subban is a very good defensive player(winning the Norris Trophy,in the 2013 NHL season),so they should be very good on team defense,and with Carey Price in net,they have a very,very good chance to be in the Stanley Cup playoffs,in 2013-2014... what division the Red Wings landed in this season... a rough and tough division...

2013-2014 Ottawa Senators...

with Jason Spezza,and Bobby Ryan(signed from Anaheim)on offense,and Erik Karlsson,one of the best defensive players,in the NHL,and a coach with Red Wings' roots,in Paul MacLean,the Ottawa Senators should be in the playoffs,or,at least,be fighting for a playoff spot... the goaltender in Ottawa is Craig Anderson,a serviceable goaltender,who also played in Colorado,with the Avalanche,who had a very good year last season,and like i have said before:can he repeat those good numbers year after year... Ottawa had a very good year last season,but with the stacked teams in the Atlantic Division,are they an elite playoff team this upcoming season??? they are a rough and tough team(being physical)... they will score goals,but like Tampa Bay,noted earlier,can they stop enough pucks to be competitive,in the Atlantic Division??? again,an very interesting team to watch this season...

blog statement...

having a day off... too nice outside...

commentary...

CBC's exclusive window to negotiate with the NHL expires next month,so if it elapses,what happens to Hockey Night in Canada(HNIC,from now on)??? CBC can give the NHL greater time on air than TSN,or CTV,and they will make up to $400 million,or more,for broadcasting rights of the NHL,and the Stanley Cup playoffs... HNIC is 60 seasons strong,and i honestly believe that the NHL,and CBC will work out a deal,but they had trouble in 2006,and 2007,because NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman wanted to spread out NHL games,and gave CBC the hard real shaft,by putting off the negotiations with CBC,until the very bitter end of time allowed,in negotiations...

news...

i have to note that the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament starts tomorrow... it is also known as the under-18 Junior World Cup... the United States team won the tournament in 2003...

2013-2014 Toronto Maple Leafs...

now to talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs,the bad news:they were up 4-1,5:29 into the third period,in game seven,opening round,against the Bruins,and lost in a very bad collapse,5-4,in overtime,last season... now for the good news:they have enough talent to get back into the playoffs this upcoming season... Phil Kessel,Joffery Lupul,and the player that ended the 2013 NHL season,when he scored the Stanley Cup winning goal,against the Boston Bruins,in game six of the Stanley Cup Finals,for the Chicago Blackhawks,in Dave Bolland,power the Leafs' offense,and captain Dion Phaneuf,and John-Michael Lilies stock up their defense... the goaltender of the Leafs is James Reimer,who is a young stud in goal,and really should be very good for years... interesting team to really look at,because they have real talent to go back to back into the Stanley Cup playoffs this upcoming season,but are they a team to get there,or they a team that collapses at the end of the season,like they have done too many times,to count,recently???

Red Wings' news...

Red Wings will retire former captain Nicklas Lidstrom's number 5 sweater,on March 6,2014,before game,against the Colorado Avalanche...

2013-2014 Buffalo Sabres...

the Buffalo Sabres are a team,who has a goaltender,in Ryan Miller,in which he can be very good,or very bad in net... his confidence has been shaken,by the fact that the Sabres are basically rebuilding,and have been for a couple years... Thomas Vanek is their best offensive player,but without the best that Miller can do,the Sabres will be fighting for the last playoff spot throughout the season... the Buffalo Sabres have been like the city:gritty,and tough... they have some very good players,but without outstanding play,by Miller,and Vanek,they will be rebuilding this year,and years to come... note: the NHL playoff structure has been changed,but before i give it out,i want to get it correct...