F2B&G

NHL.com seems to indicate that Crysob/Ovechkin/Cammy/Toews/Miller will air nationally, while spots for the remaining 25 teams will air locally and be similar to the Toronto example above.

Tampa, if Dan Ellis turns out to be the answer in goal. Toronto, if they are truculent enough. Florida, once Dale Tallon has tanked the team enough over the next 3-4 years to get a bunch more high draft picks. What little hopes the Isles may have had are gone now that Streit is done for the year and Okposo is out 2-3 months for his shoulder.

Time to kick some Toronto Make Me Laugh arse. Leafs 2 Wings 5

Will they film Ovechkin's visits to his 'roids dealer? Crosby After Hours: A Night with Sid & Gary :nonono: :puke:

This kind of crap just shouldn't happen in the preseason. Period. About this time last year, I was watching on TV as Kyle Okposo (I think it was him) was carried out of the Saddledome in Calgary on a stretcher, after Phaneuf laid him out like it was the playoffs. In that case, Okposo had his head down and it was a legal hit, but in my mind there's no excuse for patently dangerous plays in a meaningless game. I'm very happy that Bertuzzi got in there and gave Orpik the business.

I'd leave a comment, but I'm not a YouTube member. Vid looks good though. Due to his recent commitment to Michigan Tech, I'll be keeping an eye on Andrew Kolb's progress this year.

Don't mean to be a smarty pants, but the USHL technically isn't a major junior league. It's just Tier 1 Junior (and arguably the top league of its kind in North America, stacked up against the BCHL, AJHL and SJHL). If it was MJ, none of the players could make NCAA commitments.

I don't see him replacing McCrimmon, but I also don't see him having a shot at an NHL head coaching gig this season (at least, until January/February). You never know, I suppose.

Also correct; NCAA hockey players are only permitted to attend the prospect/rookie development camps held earlier in the summer, and only for a limited time period on the team's dime (I believe it's either 48 or 72 hours). If they stay beyond that time frame, they have to pay for all of their additional expenses. Of course, this is the same NCAA that will turn a blind eye to the perks quietly given to football and basketball players, while reading the riot act to all the sports that don't make a lot of money.

Because Notre Dame started classes three weeks ago?

Babcock: "We're back" Oh my God, this team is going to be AWESOME!

"...I kept it under seven goals, so improvement was made..." That comment to the media after this year's series loss to Chicago basically sums up his worthiness to be captain. Pretty sure they aren't paying you the big bucks to keep it under 7 in the playoffs, Roberto.

Why would the NHL do that when the Cup is simply the ultimate reward for what you accomplished on the ice? Besides, if you're going to judge Khabibulin, you have to judge everyone else with a character flaw, alcohol/drug problem, etc. whose name is on the Cup (and there are a number of those guys who were good or even great players). The NHL has only removed a name from the Cup once, and it had nothing to do with character flaws (heck, he wasn't even a player or a significant part of the front office). I really doubt they would ever deny a player his on-ice accomplishments due to an ex-post facto incident.

The irony of any Pittsburgh player, fan, or resident calling Detroit a craphole is laughable. That city has been just as much of a dour, smog-choked dump since the steel industry packed up and left for China.

I like Backes, but...he's a top line center now?

I know, it was a joke in reference to the whiny Chicago bandwagon.

That's because we remembered to include a fat check for Bettman.

For the price, it's fine. He won't be asked to play Lidstrom or Pronger-type minutes, and he can chip in a few points. The only question is whether or not he stays healthy, and if he does, whether or not he still gets his nose as dirty as he used to.

I agree. A large number of fellow Wings fans always seem to think he's a lock, but the reality is that he's borderline at best, and if he does get in, it will be years off. A good, reliable goalie with a good postseason track record, but was never a Vezina finalist, and earned most of his playoff wins with the most dominant franchise of the last two decades. It's alright though, he'll always be a legend in Motown. EDIT: And for the record, I don't think Cujo belongs in the HoF either.

Of course there are going to be people who don't like Modano. The guy had a reputation for being a whiner back in his prime years (earning the nickname "Madonna" for it), and was the proverbial "I score goals and am pretty" type of player. Let's be honest folks. He's here because he can still produce some points and maybe give the younger forwards some offensive pointers, not because he's going to be the blue collar guy who hits everything in sight, fights, and is a penalty killing machine. I guarantee there are going to be times when we'll be unhappy with his play, just like Bert last season. We'll ride it out, and I think that in hindsight next offseason, most of us will have a favorable opinion of what he brought to the Wings, especially for $1.25 million. With the addition of Modano and the return of Huds we've got a serious third line, now we hope everyone stays healthy. I'm chomping at the bit to see what this team can do.

Anyone want to place bets on how long until we see the first "Modano sucks and is lazy" thread. This is a boom or bust signing, IMO. He'll get some chemistry going with Hudler and Cleary and it'll be a legitimate third scoring line, or our bottom six is in trouble again.

Pretty painful to get the boot from your hometown club, especially after he competed harder than many of the team's higher-paid players in the first round of the playoffs. He could develop into a solid third liner, and someone will pick him up.

Not So Bold -Turco will be benched by the Hawks at some point during the season, though he will be given a second chance because they will have no choice. -The Rangers, in spite of offseason changes, will find a way to just barely miss the playoffs again. -Due to the current top-heavy nature of the East, Tampa Bay will slip into the playoffs. -Halak will find life in the West much more difficult and have trouble adjusting his game Bold -The Kings, Preds, and Avs (seeds 6-8 last year) will all miss the playoffs -Ovechkin will end someone's career with a cheap hit, and get a perfunctory "Superstar Suspension" that won't exceed ten games -The Caps will fire Bruce Boudreau after another first or second round exit.

I agree, their core is still there. Make no mistake, the Central should be very competitive, with Detroit and Chicago vying for the top spot, and Rinne/Halak stealing several games for the Preds and Blues respectively. As for the Stanley Cup, a lot of times it's all about who gets hot and when. If Osgood didn't step up to the plate a couple years ago, would Detroit have won in 2008? Would they have had a shot to repeat in 2009 without his play in net? Chicago has about as much chance of repeating as Detroit has of getting back to the pinnacle. At least we'll all get to make C-bus our *****.