Finally,

The NHL regular season begins tomorrow night with some really sweet games.

Boston v Washington - I can't wait to see Tim Thomas give up a goal and flip out.
Montreal v Toronto - I imagine that the Canadiens will have about 10 power plays to the Leafs 2
San Jose v Colorado - I probably would turn this off right after the Sakic ceremony, but now I want to see if Heatley will get a hat trick with Thornton having all of the primary assists. Does anyone know who is wearing the C, for both of these teams?
Vancouver v Calgary - I'll be staying up to watch this one.

Friday's schedule is a little strange. All the teams that are opening the season in Europe are playing. That means the start times on the east coast are noon and 3pm. Why? Why aren't they playing on Saturday and Sunday. Why does the NHL have no games scheduled for Sunday?

Here are more questions I have about the upcoming season (and my guesses):

Will Marion Gaborik play more than 51 games? No

Who will be the first coach to get fired? Randy Carlyle

What D-man will have a huge regular season and then falter in the play-offs? Bouwmeester, I'm not saying the Green will be good in the play-offs, I just don't think he will have a huge regular season.

What team will get the 1st overall pick? Islanders, but not because they were the worst team, they'll just win the lottery. The Avalanche will be the worst team in the League this year.

Who will hit 50 goals first? Heatley first, then Nash, then Ovechkin, but somehow Ovechkin will still win the Rockey Richard Trophy.


Nemmy (I think), has finally finished his team preview series. I won't go into any detail, but below are my play-off teams for each conference(in no particular order), what I think the conference finals will be, and then the stanley cup finals.

East:
Penguins
Capitals
Bruins
Hurricanes
Flyers
Devils
Rangers
Canadiens

West:
Canucks
Flames
Stars
Sharks
BJs
Red Wings
Hawks
Kings


Conference Finals:
Penguins v Devils
Flames v Canucks

Stanley Cup Finals
Penguins over Flames in 7

Crib Notes - Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers
Finished 3rd in the Southeast. Did not make the playoffs
Let Nick Boyton and Karlis Skrastins go unsigned.
Signed D Ville Koistinen as a free agent.
Richard Zednik signed with a KHL team.

Questions going into 2009-2010:
Looking back, was it a good idea to trade Jay Bouwmeester and not resign him?
Does this team have enough depth for a playoff run?
Can Jordan Leopold do enough to make the team forget about Bouwmeester?
Can Booth, Weiss, Frolik and Greg Campbell top last season's results?
Why did the creators of Seinfeld make Larry David's character an Italian?
Did you know that the Panther is an endangered species in the state of Florida?

Poised for a breakout season:
The Panthers had a couple of players last season that raised some eyebrows.
David Booth had over 30 goals. Stephen Weiss had over 60 points. Michael Frolik was great out of nowhere.
If Vokoun stays healthy this whole team has a breakout season.

If you had to buy one Panther sweater:
I am a fan of the dark blue jerseys. If I was an 8 year old in Sunrise I'd ask for a David Booth (with the new "A") for Christmas. If I came across a Scott Mellanby for cheap on eBay I would be pumped.

Player whose game you like:
Nate Horton is a 30 goal scorer who hits, fights and plays in traffic. There's alot to like here.

Player whose game has abandoned them:
Bryan McCabe. He's still got the hammer from the point and is a bear on the power play but that's really it now. Remember how much of a beast he was the first few years in Toronto?

Old guys:
Cory Stillman is 35
Bryan McCabe is 34
Steve Reinprecht and Tomas Vokoun are 33

Young guys:
Michael Frolik is 21
David Booth is only 24

Tough guys:
Ballard and McCabe still bruise shit up.
Nathan Horton is a wrecking ball.

Favorite old school Panther:
Paul Laus was our generation's Lyle Odelein. I don't know what that means.



Goaltending coach:
Former Bruin Rob Tallas

Nostalgia:
Florida fans chucking rats on the ice after Scott Mellanby killed one in the locker room. I used to think it was dopey but now I sneaky like the idea of it.




Interesting?:
You can buy a Panther Ice Dancer swimsuit calendar! Seriously, check out Judy.

NHL 94 players:
Brian Skrudland, Andrei Lomakin and Scott Mellanby up front.
Gord Murphy and Joe Cirella on D with John Vanbiesbrouck in net.
I don't think I have ever heard of Andrei Lomakin - honestly.

Prediction?
The Panthers make the playoffs. And this chick has sex with a dolphin.

YouTube:
Lefty goalies freak me out so it's nice to see a guy go back hand over the glove side on a shoothout attempt.



- Nemmy

Post Merica weekend and into the summer swelter

Can someone tell me what a welter weight is?

There has been some crazy movement since the draft, my goodness!

2/3rds of the egg line will be back in play up in Montreal. Gomer and Gionta and I assume that at the start Cammaleri would be a good fit until proven wrong because he is quick and so is Gomer and Gio. This line could be sneaky spicy this season. Knuble to DC...grab him next season...he WILL be playing with OVY and Backstrom. 1000! on that line as well. Hossa - 12 years! Jeez. They lost Havlat but picked up Hoss. More positive than negative but not THAT much more positive. Injury prone Havlat so maybe HUGE positive in that respects.

The Rangers grabbing Gaborik is sick for them. Obviously the injury prone disaster that he is...but what if he isn't for 3 seasons...HIGHLY unlikely but what if he averages high 60 low 70 game seasons. He is a one man show and he gives the Rangers something that they haven't had in a long time. A one man goal scoring I don't need a center crazy person. Believe me it will help if he has a center but 100% does NOT need one to get 40 on the board this year. Huge pick up for them.
Pronger PIMS to dirty gritty Philly. With him back there the Islanders aren't even gonna come close to beating them this season. All jokes aside, thats a big move for them...they gave up a decent amount for him but I think that it works more than it doesn't. Look for the coming of the Power "I" Mike Richards at the coming of the fourth light with Gandolf the White, Philly will be stark and staunch as usual.

J Black Bouwmeest moving to the northwest. Going to be a different type of landscape for him but I think he will fit in just fine. That powerplay point with Bowmeest and Phaneuf is goign to be very cement like...very intimidating and very Olympic starting D-pair-like for Canadia.

Ryan Smyth to the Kings - pulled pork sandwich without the pork - whatever.

Havlat to the wild - he's probably never gonna play there anyway so whatever again.

Keva Rosenberg from Robocop - an unemployed person depciting the dregs and poverty in Detroit of the future from RoboCop - amazing. Amazing before this morning when it became 10,000 when Weinbrom found out that it was Eddie Van Halen playing this role. Can anyone speculate as to how he got this bit-part. Did he say yes to some producer wasted at an afterparty or something. Best part of July so far.



And this quick one line scene at the end of the movie with Cop and the CEO of the company just gives me the chills...I don't know why. The music fades in...the leg holster...his walk out.

And off RoboCop until maybe Friday and onto this past Thursday night out on the island. Me and my boyz (non-2man affiliates) but very much in the nuclear family headed to this new bar/club/sheaky spot nearing black out points throughout the evening. Chateau Briand, a nice place. We get there and no joke there is at least 150-200 people waiting outside the doors. It's a complete joke until Aaron leads us in thru the side where we walk in, without being ID'd and stopped or questioned. Right up to the main bar and into 1000. Before we approached the main bar Jeff Tambellini looks up and spots me and I the same. A nice embrace of familiarity and onto some drinks. After some chat about his summer plans and me trying to convince him to buy a house (Why, I don't know) Oh I know the shot girl in the short white skirt that was killing us all night long! Weinbrom asked Jeff what he thought of Tavares and such and he seemed very serious about his potential. High hopes and aspirations and long and strong into this upsetting Monday back from a long lengthy awesome weekend. So think of Keva Rosenberg and getting Tan. Think of a glass of Jack and a chicken qusadilla. Think of Thursday and Friday night. They will be here soon. I went to court this morning to get points off a ticket and need someone to guide me from here becuase I'm lost.

- Barbonite

What you missed last night because you were listening to Gary Thorne call the Frozen Four

Sorry for the delay, a bit busy on the desk this morning. Also, I really didn't watch any NHL last night, so these haikus might be random.


Canucks shut-out the Kings, 1-0:
A soccer score with
the captain having a shut-out.
Dangerous in May?

Bruins beat the Canadiens in OT, 5-4:
I would love to see
this as another first round
match-up. Lots of blood!

Rangers beat the Flyers, 2-1:
Rangers are in - great.
Flyers lost, but still party
at Mirage. Right Zimm?

Panthers beat the Thrashers, 3-2:
Say goodbye to the
Bouwmeaster. They needed to
beat the Thrashers more.

Predators beat the Red Wings in the shoot-out, 4-3:
No one wants to see
this as a first round match up.
Preds tease and then lose.

Coyotes beat the Sharks, 4-1:
Montoya has a
bad-ass mask and a sick goals
against already.

Penguins win over the Islanders, 6-1:
Long Island ladies
get ready to look up at
Mr. Tavares.

Devils win over the Senators, in the shoot-out, 3-2:
Is Marty back on
his game? The Devils went bust
to soon. Still cup faves?

Capitals beat the Lightning, 4-2:
Will Theodore be
able to carry the Caps
into second round?

Sabres beat the Hurricanes, 5-1:
No Buffalo in
this years play-offs. Are Canes still
hot? Only time tells.

Stars win over the Avalanche in the shoot-out, 3-2:
The next goalie to
face Ribiero should just come
out and punch him. BAM!