This show comes weeks after the last one that I put on the podcast block, but no worries, more are soon to follow. The hectic life I lead has placed a lot of restrictions on my schedule, but it will eventually slow down. From school work to color commentary, things have bogged me down to finding precious moments to get some "me" time. I found some "me" time to put together this show dispite the fact that it has come a little late into the beginning of the NHL season. The opening clip after Mike's introduction to the show is a compilation done by my Play-by-Play man, John Baranowski. You'll hear me in there a couple times. So, I thought I'd like to share the joy of my line of work with all of you.

This show briefly skims over the topics I want to address in the near future on the show, and also I look at the standings in the NHL from where stand right now. Enjoy, and stay tuned for many more shows.

Download Show 43 right here

Well, the first five contests that the Anaheim Ducks have completed churned out a record of 1-3-1. Not what you'd expect from a full forced team like the Ducks considering their depth has not changed much from last year. The fact of the matter is that, well, yes the team has lost out on retaining Dustin Penner, retirement contemplations by Teemu Selanne and Scott Neidermayer. But, these shouldn't affect the team fully due to the fact that we have Selanne's right wing slot has been filled by Todd Bertuzzi, Dustin Penner's left wing has variety from Chris Kunitz, Brad May, Drew Miller, and Travis Moen. Scott Neidermayer's absence has been filled by defenseman Shane Hnidy, but I wouldn't call it filled in respect to the impact that Scott had. Hnidy is a welcome to the team and being on the same side with Chris Pronger is always a good thing.

Yet, there's this slow start! It is a known fact that the Anaheim Ducks have a history of slow starts, but can they be on the brink of becoming another 'Cup Hangover' team? The Hurricanes' slump and missing the playoffs was some kind of an amazing turn of events for the champions at the time, but can the same hold true to the Anaheim Ducks? The preseason for the Ducks was an uncertain 3-3-1 record, which included an OT loss to the Coyotes and regulation loss to the Kings. Regular season opener in London, first game, we saw the Ducks fall 4-1 to the Kings. The following night they did rebound and returned the favor with a 4-1 win. But, the London get-away had no honeymoon after the team's first season win. What followed was simply disappointing. An OT loss to Detroit to begin things back on North American soil. Ok, an OTL is better than an L, but what happened next gripped me as unimaginable. Getting shutout by the Columbus Blue Jackets is like being hit in the face with a purse full of bricks. It seemed to ring throughout the league that the Ducks were shot down in what could be termed as 'Duck Season'. It's only fitting considering the fact that the year after you win the Stanley Cup every is then gunning for you. Well, the 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins didn't help their case any.

The game was so interesting up to the last 5 mins when the Penguins seemed to unleash some beastly power that they appeared to be holding back. I watched this game among many others at the same time. Yes, the glory of Center Ice Online, NHL radio, and television...I had fun. Watched four games and listened to one on the laptop, then I watched the Penguins and Ducks on TV while also flipping between that game and the Erie Otters vs. London Knights game. Well, during the time-frame of my engulfing a huge OHL brawl on the screen, I forgot about the Penguins game for a mere 3-5 minutes. When I flipped back to FSN Pittsburgh, I thought I had to put my glasses on over my contacts because my eyes were deceiving me. What was once a messy, unorganized, and frustrating game to watch became a flowing Penguins gongshow. The Pens left no chances for the Ducks to make any comeback until Hiller was pulled from the Ducks net and the extra attacker allowed for Anaheim to bank one in. I'm just going to stop blubbering over this game because neither team looked solid by any means.

Wednesday, the Ducks will have their North American home-opener hosting the Bruins. What is supposed to be a celebration may become a shock to all those who are there to see the banner raising. If the Ducks lose to Boston, then I think it's a clear sign of the Ducks heading down Hurricane Lane. Things don't get any easier after that game either. They play host to the Wild, Red Wings, and the Predators. Follow that up with a dose of the Stars, and you might just have a team dug into the ground pushing up daises on the rest of the year. How difficult would that be for a team that finished last year at number two? Well, I suppose you could talk to the Buffalo Sabres fans on this, but that would be a cheap shot. There's 80 games for the Sabres, and plus there are a lot more X factors that have to be looked at in Buffalo's situation. But back to the point of my argument with the Ducks, I think that going 1-8-1 would be a nightmare for a team that just won the Cup the year prior. Which all brings me to the point I meant to make from the very beginning of this rant.

1-3-1...the Hurricanes started the 2006-2007 season the same way the Ducks did record-wise. Then finished off October at 5-5-2. The rest was history. The Canes were left fighting for a playoff spot and lost out on that bid in the dying games of the season. The Canes lost just as many players as the Ducks did. Doug Weight to St. Louis, Martin Gerber to Ottawa, Matt Cullen to New York (R), Aaron Ward to New York (R), and Mark Recchi to Pittsburgh. Cam Ward made Martin Gerber replaceable, so goaltending was not an issue. As for Weight, Cullen, Ward, and Recchi, I think that blow is the equivalent of the Ducks' loss of Penner, Selanne, and Scott Neidermayer combined. In the mix, you have leadership through experience, and also goals and assists when called upon. There are similarities here between the two team's losses in the off-seasons after winner their championships, but the gains on both ends should have compensated. The Canes' gains in Brad Isbister and Jesse Boulerice should have been enough. The Ducks' pickups should be enough, too, but this could be similar to the Canes' situation as well.

Overall, you can see where I'm coming from. The irony in the matter is that the Carolina Hurricanes are not too much different from last year, but they are looking strong as ever considering some big wins recently to start the ball rolling (aside from the hic-up against the Capitals). The Ducks, in my preseason predictions formulation (yes it was a scientific compilation), the team will fall into fifth place. I wouldn't doubt the team seeding lower in the Western Conference food-chain if they finish like the Canes did the year after their Cup at 5-5-2 at the end of October. Though they will have played 13 games by the end of the month, but lets say 5-6-2 or 5-5-3, then they'll play out the Hurricanes card this year and sit this one out. If the Canes rebound this year, then maybe the Ducks will do the same next year if this scenario plays out. It's all in the hands of Randy C and Brian B. We'll see.

Next blog or podcast will talk about Patrick Kane; the first rounder in this past draft and his impact on his Chicago Blackhawks club. All I have to say at this point is two words: Good Stuff

 

Before I go ranting on about how the season starts, let me publish here and now the season predictions I have going on:

Eastern Conference:
1) Ottawa
2) New York Rangers
3) Atlanta
4) Pittsburgh
5) Buffalo
6) Tampa Bay
7) New Jersey
8) Toronto
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9) Philadelphia
10) Carolina
11) Washington
12) New York Islanders
13) Florida
14) Montreal
15) Boston

Western Conference:
1) San Jose
2) Detroit
3) Vancouver
4) Calgary
5) Anaheim
6) Dallas
7) Nashville
8) Minnesota
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9) Colorado
10) St. Louis
11) Los Angeles
12) Chicago
13) Edmonton
14) Columbus
15) Phoenix

All right, now that I got that out in the public light, lets now start talking about how opposite those standings look compared to results of what we saw in the opening nights of the 07-08 season...WOW.

Ok, my question to everyone is, "Who the hell are the Columbus Blue Jackets?"
The point and case of this is the job they pulled over the defending Stanley Cup Champion Ducks last night. Where did that performance come from? Is Ilya B. not the Ducks' real go-to goalie? Rick Nash has come alive folks! Two goals, two assists, on the fours goals for the Jackets? This guy is on the wrong team, but let me tell you what the secret is to the success of the team in that game; Federov with Nash and Vyborny. Why didn't this line come together last year? Honestly it must have taken Hitchcock all summer to dream up a fearful threesome like this. The numbers don't exaggerate anything in this case. Just the way the puck was moving tape to tape, the formulation of positioning and chemistry between the three, it all just left me speechless to say the least. Columbus (and possibly Chicago) can be the black horses in the NHL that will rise up and surprise everyone. Pascal Leclare gets a shut-out too? The NHL goes through a lock-out, the Sabres make the playoffs after a dead spell. The NHL switches jersey technology, and the Columbus Blue Jackets may use it to their advantage in some mysterious way. Though it has only been one game in for the Jackets, if this keeps up and Chicago prevails, then this Central division may prove to be much more than just Nashville and Detroit's battle-field.

Since I'm batting at the topic of the Chicago Blackhawks, I did get a chance to see the Hawks battle the Wild on Thursday night on Center Ice online. First off, my condolences go out to the Wirtz family for their loss of Bill, a powerful figure in Chicago Blackhawks history. He died after his long bout with cancer which is so sad considering his impact on all those who came to know him at some point during his life. He was 77 years old.

Moving on into the game that took place on Thursday, the Minnesota Wild played host to the Blackhawks in what I would call a surprise come around for the Hawks. The first game for Patrick Kane turned out to be quite the exciting one. Mr. Kane, straight from being the number one pick in this past June draft, looked like a natural on the ice. Shock was the word that came to mind. His small stature made him look vulnerable, but that was the deception that worked to his advantage. The passing, the speed, the quick reads, all around this kid is proving to be more than what meets the eye. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the final score though. 1-0 Minnesota wins. 4:47 into the second period, the only goal scored by Bouchard at even strength was the only tally on the night. Khabibulin and Nik Backstrom were stellar on both ends, and Backstrom proved that last year was not just a one shot deal. This year he looks to repeat his amazing performance in between the pipes for the Wild, and he proved he can by spoiling Kane's debut. Kane saw just under 17 minutes of ice time. That's a lot of time to invest in this new kid, especially in his first game. It should be interesting to see what he can do in the games to come this season, and overall the Blackhawks look healthy and if they can stay that way, they will become a force to come to grips with in the Central.

Pittsburgh fell hard to the silent Hurricanes. Unbelieveable as it may sound, the Canes look like they just might be as resilient as they were in the years of Cup contention. I'm expecting them to miss the playoffs, but if this holds true from my predictions, then they will miss by not very much at all. They could nip their way into the 8th spot by the end when all is said and done, but my initial impression is that they are much better than they were last year after the Cup hangover. To watch this team topple a force like the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 4-1 victory that almost could have been a 4-0 shutout if it wasn't for Mark Recchi's goal with under 3:30 left in the game, I was shocked to say the least. Eric Staal's two goals in the first period set the tone immediately for the team and goes to show that there's a little fire that may grow througout the season under Peter Laviolette's rebounding squad. Crosby needs to step up his game and lead this young team into the next 81 games with the attitude that this is their year. The early exit from last year's playoffs should be enough to inspire this team considering their amazing bounce from the bottom of the standings the year before to their incredible position in the season's finish in the 06-07 season. They'll need to win tonight's game against the Ducks to get that ball rolling. The Ducks, I'm sure, are still reeling from their unbelieveable loss to the Jackets, and they are also looking to get back on the right track considering their missing out of some offense from the subtraction of Penner and Selanne.

Buffalo looked to set an early tone like they did last year against the team they bounced in five games in the first round of the 06-07 playoffs, but the tables turned thanks to some new Islanders. It was more or less the Mike Comrie show as he tallied for two goals and two assists on the night as the the Islanders won an exciting bout with the Sabres. A couple breakaways for both teams, but the goaltending didn't look to shabby at all. The defense is much to blame in this high scoring contest. Some risky decisions by Lydman didn't prove helpful, especially when one turn of events resulted in a Comrie breakaway goal. I'm sure Lindy Ruff wasn't too happy with the defense, but Miller did make some spectacular saves to keep the game under some control. DiPietro on the other end of the ice was making just as many amazing saves, but the four goals he allowed in the first and second period don't really do him any justice. The six goal first period splitting three aside made this game project a feeling that the final outcome would likely be an 10-9 finish, but the powerplays for the Islanders, especially a 5 on 3, gave NY a big push ahead in taking this one. The special teams really did spotlight this contest, and both teams will have to work out the kinks going into NY this evening as both teams meet again at the Nassau Colliseum on the island.

Another upset came in the form of the Atlanta Thrashers taking a beating from Southeastern division rival Washington. This one had a similar feeling of development like the Islanders game because it was the newcomers that made the spotlight. Goal tallies from Michael Nylander and Viktor Kozlov proved to strike it rich for the sharp looking Washington Capitals in this 3-1 victory. The surprise comes as I begin to rethink where I placed the Thrashers to finish consider they start the season without many players that they had on the roster from last year. DeVries, Mellanby, and Tkachuk are all no longer Thrashers, but we'll have to see where things go for this defending Southeastern division champion team.

I'm going to end it here and probably add on many more things throughout the day, or maybe even wait until after tonight's games to interject more into the crazy mess that has started out this fresh and exciting season. We'll talk more soon!

The Podcast will be back in a matter of days or sooner, so don't fear. Keep it here, as the season gets rolling.

Here is the show that addresses my feelings on the Winter Classic ticket problem and response to your emails. I do apologize if my verbalization of some things is a tad offensive. Also, when I speak earlier in the show about Dallas, I call them an exception because they are in the southern US. I listened to the show and thought to myself, "That just sounded like I called them an expansion team in the last 10 years." That portion didn't flow well, but my point was well delivered.

Enjoy the hardcore rant. Email me back with comments and feedback. This show may become a controversial one.

Download Show 42 right here