NHL Is Back, But My Passion Is Not

It is a sad state of affairs when one realizes that the NHL is back and I am actually a little upset about it. In the beginning it was all about when are they coming back to drop the puck. Now, it is more 'I wish they would have scrapped the season'. The damage has been done to a whole lot of life long NHL fans. I was hoping that the season would be lost to punish both the owners and the players. The only plus that is coming from this is that the fringe and peripheral people are able to get their jobs back and start working games. The workers at the arena's, the concessions the parking people and all of the local establishments that have taken a hit on game days where fans become patrons and come in for the games. The last lockout I understand, there were things that needed to be fixed...i just wish they would have fixed it right the first time 6 years ago so we could have avoided all this mess.

I am at the point right now that I am more interested in Woman's Soccer then I am in the NHL. To anyone who knows anything about anything that is an alarming statement!

Maybe when the games actually begin I will slowly come around again. Maybe it will be sooner then even I may think. But then again maybe not. I know for one thing, I will not be rushing out to buy tickets to any games. There has not been any mention to this point that the teams will be offering deals but even so, it seems like it is a hollow gesture.

I am more concerned about baseball at this point then hockey. That does not bode well for any hockey pools. My interest level, knowledge of players and what they have been doing, who is playing where and in general what is going on. Once I think about it a little, I am unsure about a lot the late movement and signings as well there are players with teams that I completely forgot about being moved. A sad thing too is that there are a lot of off ice transactions of players that need to be signed and likely trades to be made and at any other time would be super exciting but it has been tarnished by this lockout.
They have ruined a lot of fun for the fans from not just watching the games to just following the roster moves and hot stove talk that come from the league being up and running. The game might be back but it may be a long road back. I wish that people would make it hard on the teams and league before just forgiving and forgetting.

Sadly, in Canada I suspect that fans will fold like a cheap suit and come back like sheep but it would be nice to have them hurt a bit and show that they have done some real damage to a game that was just starting to gain some traction. With the Kings winning the Stanley Cup last year in a major US market could have been huge but the league has robbed the US and the Kings fans of celebrating that championship.

It should be interesting to see what the reaction is the first few weeks of the season.

Kings In Their Castle

With the Senators looking like they are on their way out of the playoffs and the St. Louis Blues deciding to start to play well after they had already been all but eliminated from the playoffs it is nice to see those Kings in LA at least putting up a fight versus the Vancouver Canucks. They are currently 2 games a piece but there are lots of hockey left to be played between these two teams. The Kings Power Play is keeping the team in the games but unfortunately scoring at 5 on 5 is proving to be a difficult task for this team with not a whole lot of natural goal scoring. I usually root for the Canadian teams to succeed during the run for the Cup but since I have adopted both the St. Louis Blues and the LA Kings as my Western favorite teams I have to put all them cheering behind the somewhat surprising Kings. Sure it is early and I will be very difficult for them to get past Vancouver but after the struggles they had finishing out the season and the difficulty to score 5 on 5 it is nice to see them doing so well.

Watching games at the Staples Center in LA is a nice treat. The fans may not be for lack of a better term knowledgeable as the die hard Canadian fans but give them a winner or something to cheer for and they are just as loud and passionate as any building in the league. After being starved for playoff hockey during a lengthy rebuilding period they have made it back to the post season, not only with a decent team but also an organization with depth. A rare thing for the Kings. There is a pipeline of young players and prospects at both the AHL and junior level and hopefully they will have a successful draft this year to further solidify the coffers. The youth may prove to be both cap busters for value and talent but also may be used as leverage to acquire some legitimate scoring threats in the top 2 lines. They do have a bit of flexibility in terms of the cap as well so hopefully they use that space wisely in the off season and continue to get stronger deeper and better.

Kings Of The Castle

Los Angeles Kings have been accused of selling hope, and nothing else which may have made my decision to adopt them as one of my own a difficult one but so far this season they have proven that they were a worthy choice. Clearly the Blues have stumbled out of the gates and are having a tough time finding the back of the net. Injuries are a factor but can not be used as an excuse, just an explanation. Given time the youth will pick things up and get back to the place they were at the end of last season where they just started to click and just kept winning.

As for the Kings, the moves made in the off season so far have looked pretty good. I will admit that I was sceptical about the acquisition of Ryan Smyth but much to my pleasure he came in healthy and ready to contribute. He has slipped right into the top line and found some great chemistry with his line mates: Justin Williams and Anze Kopitar (let the record reflect that it is not An-zee.... It’s Ahn-jay). It doesn’t hurt that Kopitar is leafing the league in scoring and is probably the most underrated star in the league. The ability to be able to score so far this season I making all the difference. Sure they could use another shooter but as it stands now they are doing OK with what they have.

The balance on the lines is a benefit to have as they can roll their lines a little more and have confidence in spreading things out a little. Would I prefer to not see Raitis Ivanans in the lineup, sure but in the long run it is probably best to allow some of the younger players mature in the AHL and season a bit. Knowing that there are some good young talent in Manchester is a nice little bonus. With a little more experience to players like Oscar Moller, Andrei Loktionov, Justin Azevedo and still in Brandon with the Wheat Kings young Braden Schenn should help out offensively over time and on the back end having a Thomas Hickey almost making the team out of camp and Vyacheslav Voinov there as well and Colton Tuebert still in junior gives some nice options going forward. Jonathan Bernier (who was in nets for the AHL All Star Game last night) and Jeff Zatkoff as the goalies in the system it gives some good slid depth and the ability to use them as possible trade bait should the need arise in the future. How good Jonathan Quick continues to play in the future will likely dictate what the team chooses to do in the near future with these two. One can’t discount what depth and even a little bit of cap room can do. Flexibility going forward could become a big deal as this team grows together.

With all that is going on in Atlanta with the lack of attendance and the fact that there are ownership issues there and how long the team will be viable in that market may force the team to part with their superstar Ilya Kovalchuk. Should his services become available and they are allowed to negotiate a contract with him to ensure that he stays, a trade to the Kings could be a very interesting option. Depending on the cost and the players that would need to be involved, finally getting an established player that can elevate an already decent team and give them a legitimate scoring threat could do great things out on the coast. I am not saying that a deal would do what a Gretzky did when he came but marketing would have a field day, ticket sales would probably get a boost and best of all the product on the ice would likely improve. An addition like that could be just what the team needs. They do have some cap space to work with and depending on what would need to be involved in any possible deal may just be a viable option.

I will sit back and watch and see how this all plays down with one half of my new adopted teams. Or if Kovalchuk were to end up in the Blues (unlikely as it may be) then that may work out as well.

With The First Overall Selection, I will Select....

So upon further review and after numerous self imposed deadlines have passed it looks like we may now have a winner for my affection in the NHL’s Western Conference going forward. As I had listed previously there were a few teams in the running. The Blues, The Coyotes, The Kings and The Blue Jackets.

The league essentially is in control of the Phoenix Coyotes as a caretaker and not an owner, at least as it stands now. The future still in doubt both as a franchise and the location of the city. There is also question marks regarding the how the team may be structured in the near future because of this move I am just not confident hitching my wagon to this horse. The coaching staff is now as solid as it can be but that just isn’t enough. The Blue Jackets were a surprise dark horse and managed to prove that they are on the right path, but the management still doesn’t re-assure me and that took them out of the running. the endorsement of Antoine Vermette didn’t help their position.

So then it went right down to the wire between the Kings and the Blues...The Blues and the Kings. Where to go? What to believe? Is one better off in the next few years, is one poised to be better in the long run? St. Louis is looking strong up front but LA looks deep on the back end. Should I just go with the prettiest colours and nicest logo? Can I allow Chris Mason’s former beard sway my decision? Does the speculation about Jack Johnson’s attitude play a factor? All these things factored into the agonizing decision. Both have great Pros and even the Cons aren’t that bad. The Blues made the playoffs so that gives them a head start, good young offence and a promising defence. The Kings have some cap space, prospects and a nice first rounder from last year in Brayden Schenn in their back pocket. This makes them comparable or equally appealing.
Well since right now not much can really happen either way for either of these teams until likely the trade deadline or a major injury, I may as well just go ahead, take the plunge and make a decision. The decision has been made...no delays....I am going to tell you....i’ll do it right now...

The team is...

THE LOS LOUIS BLUE KINGS, and I suppose that is going to have to be my final answer. Cheap call? Perhaps. I don’t consider it sitting on the fence. It is just like a goaltending situation in hockey or a running back situation in football. It is a 1A/1B deal or like they call it a two headed monster. I went back and forth so many times that I decided if it was such a close race what is the harm in a tie. It also occurs to be that both have good solid Gretzky ties and that is not a bad thing, Share the wealth.

So now with this selection I now have an Eastern Conference team to root for in the Ottawa Senators and a pair Western Conference teams in the LA Kings and the St. Louis Blues. I guess now I may have to go in search for my favorite player on all my teams. In Ottawa it was Dany Heatley without a doubt. Dany is still number 1 overall but as for the team that is questionable. I will also have to think about an LA and St. Louis player as well. That will be the next tall task, hopefully it will be easier then picking the teams were.

The beauty of LA is that they have 3 distinct looks and that gives one options when it comes to merchandising. I can go new with the Purple/White Crown (Drew Doughty style), retro with the less desirable Yellow and Purple Crown (maybe Brian Kilrea Style) or the Straight outta Compton - Grey and Black look (old school Gretzky style). St. Louis pretty much just has the 1 true look so that limits any possible decisions.
Yes, I think this sound may play well here. I think the correct decision has been made and I have come to peace with it.

Hockey Starts Here

So tonight is the night when it all gets started. The NHL will drop the puck with 4 games on the schedule, (Washington at Boston 7:00 PM, Montreal at Toronto 7:00 PM, San Jose at Colorado 10:00 PM , Vancouver at Calgary 10pm), and it is about time. After a very long off season, especially in Ottawa without making the playoffs some real games on the ice will be a welcome change. A very difficult off season brought on by the Dany Heatley saga, the turmoil within the ranks of the NHLPA and worst of all the situation in Phoenix a real distraction of actual games will be welcome.

After yesterdays court decision to deny both bids by Jim Balsillie and the NHL to own the club it looks like, at least for the time being that the NHL will operate the club and help look for a "suitable owner" and figure out a plan to get out of the quagmire that is the Coyotes. It appears that Mr. Balsillie has decided not to appeal and is resigned to the fact that he will not be able to get control of this team. Will he try another team and go about it in a more up front way... probably at some point, but at least for now it should be over. With some of that mess gone maybe the NHL can keep the dealings on the team out of the media for a while and we can only hope that the next major public announcement on this matter is they have a new owner ready to step in and take control.

A good line up of games to get things started will be very welcomed. It should be interesting to see 2 original 6 teams and rivals go head to head, both with vastly different teams with that of what they ended with last year. New Looks and new attitudes will be on both benches tonight and should be interesting. Along with that the Sharks will be in action after an interesting and eventful off season. They too have had a lot of turnover, not only in player personnel but also in leadership. Heatley is in, Christian Ehrhoff Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo are out. Patrick Marlow had the "C" taken from him and that was given to Rob Blake and an "A" was given to Dan Boyle and back to Joe Thornton.. That will surely also be an experiment worth watching throughout the season.

Tomorrow there will be 2 mid-day games from overseas involving the Blues, Wings, Blackawks and Panthers in the NHL’s attempts to grow the game and the NHL brand in Europe. This will be a good chance to see what the Blues look like with back to back games. They are still in the running for my affection and are just jostling for the position of 1A and 1B with themselves and the LA Kings (I figured that if I am this torn between them, perhaps it isn’t fair to just cast one of them away... sometimes it is good to play the field a little). I am sure to have something more to say on that front soon enough.

Why Dany Heatley to the LA Kings is a good idea.

Even with all the bad feelings in Ottawa in regards to Dany as well as the situation in general one thing is for sure, he is still a good player with a proven track record and can help just about any team. All parties involved are sure to be just about ready for the circus to fold up a go so hopefully a quality resolution is going to come soon.

Personally I am still on the fence about which team to throw my support behind and am pretty much just waiting the Heatley shoe to drop. If he goes to LA then that will probably seal the deal and slide them ahead of St. Louis. As it stands now it is 1 and 1A and both may get a bit of love from me going forward, I think that may be the only fair alternative.

- As far as Ottawa is concerned it may be in their best interest to pull off a deal before camp if nothing more then to just put the whole ordeal behind them. After a long summer of speculation getting a fresh start would not be a bad thing
- Getting a decent current player and maybe a defensive prospect or and a draft pick or another young body could be just what the doctor ordered for Ottawa
- If Heatley goes to LA they would get a true scorer which they really need. There is some good talent coming down the pipeline but they a still a bit away.
- The Kings are in a position financially to fit Heatley into the mix and still leave them with some flexibility as well.
- LA has some very attractive pieces that I think could be potentially be moved that Ottawa could be or even should be interested in.
- Heatley would fit well in that market if in fact he wants a bigger role, this is a young team that struggles to score so he could go in and be a leader on the ice in regards to scoring, ice time and power-play time.
- The market may be good too, LA is LA, nice weather and not a lot of media attention. There is so many other famous people around that he would be able to blend into it all. A move there would be big but by no means is he going to overshadow Kobe.

A lineup that would have a look like this could make them into a team that could fight for a playoff position in the coming year, Just think, wouldn’t this lineup look good for the Purple and Silver? This is just a hypothetically if the trade were to take place and say a Frolov-Moller-Hickey deal. Sure the back end is a little thin but that can leave room for a young kid to step up and earn a spot and maybe surprise some people.

C-Anze Kopitar F-Dustin Brown F-Dany Heatley
C-Michal Handzus F-Justin Williams F-Ryan Smyth
C-Jarret Stoll F-Wayne Simmonds F-Ted Purcell
C-Brian Boyle F-Trevor Lewis F-Brad Richardson

D- Drew Doughty Rob Scuderi
D- Jack Johnson Matt Greene
D- Sean O’Donnell Colten Teubert

G-Jonathan Quick G-Erik Ersberg G-Jonathan Bernier

Still Very Quiet On The Western Front - What Is The Endgame?

The first day of free agency has come and gone and Ottawa looks about the exact same as they did the day before. I was hoping that Dany Heatley would help out Bryan Murray in handcuffing him enough that he wouldn’t be in a position to make any bad moves or be trigger happy and overpay on anyone. Sadly that was not possible, he tried and he tried but in the end Murray did manage to find the time to make 1 bad decision and over pay on money as well as term on Chris Neil. 4 years and $8 million. I would much rather have a sub $1mil on a Cody Bass or someone of that nature. I fear that this was a knee jerk reaction to Bryan Burke and his moves to get bigger and a little tougher on defence with his moves as well as trying to keep him away from Burke getting him in a Leafs jersey as well. After seeing how the Kadri situation on draft day went between the two teams, I just hope the deal wasn’t made out of spite even if it was just a little.

As far as the Heatley situation goes I am not in the majority of calling him out as much as everyone else. Sure I am a little disappointed that nothing came from all the talk and speculation about going to Edmonton but only a little. After looking further into the deal it began to look less and less great from an Ottawa perspective. I was never a Penner fan, and questioned the offer sheet that he was signed to by Kevin Lowe, Smid is a decent young player and a nice piece coming back and Andrew Cogliano is a decent player but I have been looking at him with Maze and Gold coloured glasses from his Michigan days and thinking that he is a better player then what he is.

The $4 million bonus that has had to be paid to Heatley sucks from an Ottawa perspective but maybe it allows the Sens to get a bit better of a deal and be able to either get a better player or pick or maybe move out a little more money by throwing in a Jason Smith, Chris Kelly or Christoph Schubert contract into the mix and freeing up and recouping some of the $4 mil. If that doesn’t happen then either another team needs to step up or there will have to be some major Reconstruction to the bridge that was burned to have him back in Ottawa at the start of camp.

In an update on the 2 team showdown of my Western Conference favorite between the St. Louis Blues and the LA Kings there is little to report just yet. Both teams were very quiet yesterday with the Blues only adding Ty Conklin in net. LA still has a lot of space left which is important going forward but showed good restraint in not spending money recklessly and overpaying on either risky guys or over hyped players. Having a plan and sticking to it is impressive. Sometimes the move not made is the best move. I will give it a little longer as there are still lots of mid level free agents left out there that may sign but also may come at more of a reasonable price.

Around The Horn

I don’t know if I should be more impressed with the news that LA Kings Centre Jarret Stoll as reportedly broken off his wedding to Rachel Hunter or the fact that he did it by email. Not knowing the inter workings of the relationship you have to figure that Stoll either has something even better on the horizon but to drop a bomb like that by email is a ballsy move. The only saving grace is that he didn’t do it by Twitter.

The United States made soccer history when they stunned the No. 1 ranked team in the world making the finals of the Confederations Cup with a victory over the Spain. Maybe it is the "Miracle on Grass" maybe not, If this is what it takes for the US to care about soccer then this victory greatly upsets me. I have little or no respect for anything that may, in any way promote this game. I know that America is very patriotic about anything that makes them feel big and mighty but they need to just forget about this one for the greater good....soccer sucks.
Shaquille O’Neal is headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Big ‘Shaq-tus’ is headed from Phoenix to Cleveland to be a big man that LeBron can work with in his quest to win a championship. Does he have anything left? Good question, but it is interesting to see how many more big deals will be made before or during tonight's draft.

Wimbledon is in full force and Roger Federer is looking to surpass Pete Samprass at the All England Club. In sad news Russian Maria Sharapova was ousted early. Watching her match, the talk of curbing the level and volume of grunting clearly hasn’t filtered down to the players (Maria managed to turn up the volume to a staggering 101db during her first-round). I figure that a little yelling and grunting on shots isn’t too bad. However it should be outlawed on the men’s side.
Lance Armstrong’s bike was stolen some time ago and just recently the verdict came down for the punishment for this crime. 40-year-old Lee Crider is to be sentenced to three years in prison for burglary and theft.---Dante Stallworth hit and killed a pedestrian while being intoxicated...he got sentenced to 30 DAYS in jail, Mike Vick is already out of the pen for his involvement in the dog fighting ring. That is some even justice system.

Action Off The Ice Too

On a night that could see the Pittsburgh Penguins sweep out the Hurricanes in 4 straight and send them back to the Stanley Cup finals in a probable rematch of last years finals with the Red Wings there are some other very interesting happenings off the ice that are worth mentioning.

In the City of Champions the Oilers have announced that they have solidified their bench by hiring both Pat Quinn as the new head coach with former Rangers coach Tom Renney being named an associate head coach. It was much rumored that Quinn was a front runner for the job, but it is a little surprising that Renney would be hired too as an associate. With all the openings for coaches one may have thought that he may have opted to take a run at a Head coaching gig. Maybe he did and there was no interest but he is a good hockey many and you would have thought that he may have at least been interviewed a few places first. In any event the Oilers have a pretty solid duo to lead the young team going forward and maybe this will help the recruitment of some free agents this off season.

Next up is the Calgary Flames where Darryl Sutter says he’s the best man right now to coach the Calgary Flames but will look at other candidates before making a final decision. It was an interesting decision to go public with comments like this. If he does hire someone other then himself he is already telling them that they are at best his second choice. Sure He may like to get brother Brent to take the job but that is very doubtful to happen with his position within the Devils.

The KHL may not be the safest place or the highest level to play but it just keeps attracting some native Russian talent. Jaromir Jagr went back last season and Alexander Radulov went back home too. Now it looks like Viktor Koslov and Sergei Federov are both planning to apply their craft back home. At the very least it opens up some positions and could possibly weaken the team a bit in Washington and also keeps the door open for other players to follow them and head over. LA Kings Jack Johnson has been linked to have some interest in that for at least a season. Things could be worse it could be more devastating to loose top level veteran talent to this league if it weren’t for the great development and influx of youth from the junior ranks that can more then make up for the loss of some ageing talent at the pro level.

The Kitchener Coyotes??

Undeserved market... this is what you are going to hear from Jim Balsillie now and into the future. The future that I speak of involves the Phoenix Coyotes and the news that they have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday. We all knew for some time that things were bad in the desert but I don’t think many knew that it was just this bad.

The RIM (Research in Motion) CEO made his intentions known in a media release on Tuesday stating that a $212.5 million (US) offer was on the table to purchase the team. One of the condition was that the team would relocate to an unspecified region in Southern Ontario.

I am all for this move. Take a team from a struggling US market and place them back in Canada in, as we we have heard before, an undeserved market. If it is true that there were talks about a possible second team in Toronto then a team in Southern Ontario isn’t far fetched. Only question is, just because it may be a viable and a good market and the NHLPA would probably be in favor of it, will Gary Bettman want to allow Jim Balsillie into the league. It almost seems that there is a personal vendetta from Bettman and it may be getting in the way of business.

The NHL and the Board of Governors will have some things to say about this for sure and this is sure to be an interesting story not only on sports talk shows but also for the court reporters. Even if Balsillie gets the team, which is not a sure thing, be assured that the NHL is going to throw up some bumps saying that any team movement needs league approval and no doubt use the NHL shield as a battery ram to flex it’s muscle. The potential for a lengthy battle is very probable. This will be very interesting to follow and see what direction this takes. I will be sure to keep an eye on this going forward.

I have also yet to announce the selection of a new favorite team from the west...I had it down to the Blues and the Kings...does a team in the Golden Horseshoe make a re-emergence on the list? Stay tuned.

Team 4- The Final Installment...ish

Round 4 of selecting a NEW TEAM has landed on the LA Kings. This is a team with some interesting pieces and makes them one of the more attractive teams to choose from.For the last few years they have been a bit of a joke on the ice and there were questionable decisions being made in the front office. On the bright side it was those years that put them in a position to start building their team through the draft. The decision to bring in Marc Crawford probably wasn’t the right choice and by all accounts his endorsement of Dan Cloutier in nets did nothing to further the development of this team.

The change in philosophy on how prospects are evaluated and developed under the guidance of Dean Lombardi and his hockey operations staff is a big reason for optimism. Lombardi did a good job at putting together the San Jose Sharks and looks to be doing that in LA. The Kings have what looks to be one of the deepest roster of quality of prospects in the NHL. They have 3 good looking goaltenders in Jonathan Bernier, Jeff Zatkoff and Jon Quick...all under the age of 23. Quick just came off a very solid rookie year as the starter. His play will allow the team to be patient in bringing along the other 2 and will allow for some competition on the farm team. Another luxury they have is a very deep defence both at the NHL level and in the system. Drew Doughty very easily could have been a contender for rookie of the year and was selected to play for Canada at the World Championships. Jack Johnson is a big body First Round Pick and has that Michigan pedigree. In the minors and in junior may be the best grouping of young defence. Canadian World Junior captain Thomas Hickey was an early pick and looks to be a good 2 way defenceman, smart and savvy Russian Vyacheslav Voynov has some real potential, towering pivot Brian Boyle may play center or defence but is a pig body for sure and then last years 13th pick the rugged Colten Teubert ( I have a softy spot for Teubert as I have met him and gotten his autograph. He seemed really down to earth very chatty and outgoing just a nice guy...also watching him in the World Juniors in person as a first pair shutdown player doesn’t hurt. He looks to possibly be a very solid player).

Where I see the team lacking is up front. After watching a few games and looking into the team they are a little weak up front. Scoring was an issue all season and they will need to do something soon to address this. There have been talk that maybe a Marian Gaborek may come as a free agent and even some talk of Vincent Lecavalier being dealt to LA. If that is the case they do have some pieces that could be moved in a possible deal as Tampa has NO DEFENCE. The Entry Draft this year will be very interesting for them as they do have the 5th pick and are assured of a good player or it could be used to get a top flight forward that can put the puck in the net.

Already on the team or on the verge that look to be making positive strides are Oscar Moller,Wayne Simmonds, Teddy Purcell, and Trevor Lewis. These youngsters along with Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Jarret Stoll and Alexander Frolov allow for a decent core to build upon.

So here we are, 4 teams that are in the running to become my favorite Western Conference team. This is where things begging to get difficult and a little murky. I will admit that I did have a bit of a lean when I began thinking about this and LA had the early lead. The only problem was that as time went by and i started doing a little research the balance of power began to shift. As of right now I have widdled the selection down to 2 possible choices....The LA Kings and....The St. Louis Blues. and that I am afraid is where it will need to stay right at this moment. It is just too close to call and I will have to give it some real thought and weigh the pros and cons. At this point it is just too close to call...a photo finish as it were. I hope to have an answer to this burning question very soon, within the next few days but I just don’t know which way to go at this point. Wish me luck, it looks like I will need it.

Blackhawks Ice Crew

During a scouting mission for my new favorite Western Conference team I had to watch the Chicago Blackhawks vs LA Kings game on WGN. The Blackhawks would be a good team to throw my support behind but they are too good right now and are in the playoffs so that has taken them out of contention for my support. After years of being VERY bad they have managed to draft well (bad teams and top picks will help in that regard) and are now seeing the results paying off. Even the fans are getting behind them and are filling the United Center. I was watching this game to evaluate the LA Kings and see what they had and if they were worthy of my support. When I post my series on the teams I will make a case for them as they are an early front runner.

What I did see while watching the game was that of the many US arenas that I would like to watch a game, The United Center is one of the tops on the list. They always said that Old Chicago Stadium was one of the best and loudest places to play. That may be true but right now the United Center is more then holding their own. It has everything to do with the team on the Ice. Sure the Blackhawks are fun to watch but I am talking about the Hawks Ice Crew. They put every other team to shame. This is some fine marketing and a great idea. Not only do these lovely ladies do a great job managing the ice but they are all style while doing it.

I think that The Ottawa Senators should adopt this idea, it would be great for ice conditions as well as the total entertainment value while at the game.. Mr. Mlakar think about that for next year to turn around the fortunes of the team. Just look at what having Mike Fisher sign Carrie Underwood then trading for Hillary Duff...errr Mike Comrie did to help the team change their loosing ways.

To learn more about the Ice Crew visit the Chicago Blackhawks website: http://blackhawks.nhl.com/icecrew/0809icecrew.htm