It's Begun......

It's begun...... and who would have thought teams like New Jersey, Vancouver and Detroit would be the teams without a win and teams like St Louis, Colorado and Columbus would be thriving so early.
Now as a die-hard Vancouver fan I refuse to believe this is a sign of things to come. With the Canucks, losing their first three against Calgary, Columbus and Colorado, heads are being turned in Roberto Luongo's direction. Of course that captain insists that things are about to change, but what else are you suppose to say when your preformance has been less then brilliant.
Then again it is only a week into the season, but some number are just too hard to ignor. Vancouver has 13 goals against, last in the league....... yes even worst then Toronto at 12 goals against.
Now on a more positive note, Philadelphia, the Rangers, Washington, Calgary and San Jose, all have 10+ goals for; in just 10 games. And where as some players can go all season without a point, every player on Calgary's current roster has at least one point. Adam Pardy had 1 goal and 9 assist in all of last season, and now, has 1 goal and 2 assist in 3 games. Considering he's generally about a 60-65 (ish) games per season, kind of player thats putting him on pace for about 60 points this season. Unlikely, but possible.
We all know that stars shine bright, no matter what the season, and this one being no exception. The sky must be really clear in Washington because a few stars are brighter then others. The Great 8, Alex Ovechkin already has 5 goals, 4 assists and is a +6. Nicklas Backstrom has 8 assists and is a +5 rating. Alexander Semin has netted 4 goals and has 2 helpers and big # 21, Brooks Laich, has 3 of each, goals and assists.
Soon the 09-10 season will be in mid-flight and everyones true colors with come through. Who will be the surprise breakout player? Which rookie will step up? Which new acquisition will prove to be a smart deal and which one will be a disappointment? Will a budding Chicago squad make it to the cup finals and lose, making it three straight season, with 3 different teams, Hossa's been close enough to taste victory and be denied the chance to drink from Lord Stanley's cup? Who know, but it's sure going to be fun finding out. Let's all just sit back and enjoy!!! =]

What Sound Does A Blackhawk Make?

~What sound does a blackhawk make?

It sounds something like 19000+ crazy fans screaming inside The United Center in Chicago!!

Deafening, I would assume.

Now unfortunately game 6 of the Hawks-Flames series, in which the Blackhawks dominated, was in Calgary, so everyone left with their hearing intact.

Calgary fans only had one occasion to cheer, when Bertuzzi scored his first and last goal of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, at the beginning of the 3rd period. The Flames were already down by three and Dustin Byfuglien eventually potted an empty netter to make it 4-1 and finish the Flames season.

Chicago, finally back in the playoffs, with more then just fighting words, a legitimate chance.

Youth is proving to be quite an asset. Experience is sparse upfront, but strong between the pipes. It's possible that 17 players on the Hawks roster could have made their post season debut this season.

Their Playoff experience looks something like this:

Nikolai Khabibulin--1 Stanley Cup Ring
---57 games----31 wins----25 loses----6 shutouts----.921Sv----2.29 GAA

with Winnipeg, Phoenix and Tampa Bay

Andrew Ladd--1 Stanley Cup Ring

---17 games----3 goals----2 assists----4 PM

with Carolina

Sami Pahlsson--1 Stanley Cup Ring

---64 games----7 goals----16 assists----50 PM

with Anaheim

Martin Havlat

---51 games----14 goals----20 assists----34 PM

with Ottawa

Brent Sopel
---42 games----2 goals----9 assists----10 PM
with Vancouver

Brian Campbell
---47 games----4 goals----16 assists----30 PM
with Buffalo

Christobal Huet
---13 games----5 wins----8 loses----.918Sv----2.65 GAA
with Montreal and Washington

Patrick Sharp

---12 games----1 goal----2 PM

with Philadelphia

Matt Walker
---4 games----1 assist
with St. Louis

Ben Eager

---2 games----26 PM

with Philadelphia

Playing the Captains Role --Part 1 of 6

Anahiem to Colorado

Anahiem
Who Is: Chris Pringer "C", Rob Niedermayer "A", Chris Kunitz "A"
Who Should Be: Andy McDonald "C", Ryan Getzlaf "A"
Who Shouldn't Be: Chris Pronger "C"
In The Future: Ryan Getzlaf "A", Corry Perry "A"

Atlanta Thrashers
Who Is: Bobby Holik "C", Marian Hossa "A", Ilya Kovalchuk "A", Slava Kozlov "A", Niclas Havlid "A"
In The Future: Marian Hossa "C", Tobias Enstrom "A"

Boston Bruins
Who Is: Zdeno Chara"C", Glen Murray "A", Marc Savard "A"
Who Should Be: Marco Sturm "A"
In The Future: Phil Kessel "C"

Buffalo Sabres
Who Is: Toni Lydman "C", Brian Campbell "A", Jochen Hecht "A"
Who Should Be: Derek Roy "A"
In The Future: Jason Pominville "A", Derek Roy "A"

Calgary Flames
Who Is: Jerome Iginla "C", Owen Nolan "A", Stephane Yelle "A", Robyn Regehr "A", Rhett Warrener "A"
Who Should Be: Dion Phaneuf "A", Daymond Langkow "A"
Who Shouldn't Be: Stephane Yelle "A", Rhett Warrener "A"
In The Future: Dion Phaneuf "C"