I did get Anaheim and Atlanta out of the way, and I was looking to get Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, and Carolina on the air tonight, but I need to change it up.  Since the LA Kings and Anaheim Ducks are starting the season off really early this year, I will cap off the Season Preview with a glimpse at divisional breakdowns and then ultimately each conference's predicted finishes.  I have been bouncing my arguments off a few people and they didn't seem to happy when I said Minnesota was going to miss the playoffs and Edmonton would do the same.  I'm getting heavily criticized, but you'll find out why in the next few shows.

BUT...before all that takes place, I will air a special show on the Winter Classic Outdoor game and the controversial aspects of ticket sales and resales.  The publicity of the game in the marketing scheme is also a big factor in the mix along with an image issue.  For example, College Bowl day?!?! Of all days, why didn't you pick February 17th Gary? Honestly.  That's ok.  The fans' outcries of support for this game may surprise everyone, but if you didn't get your ticket, I have one question: Ice Bowl or Rose Bowl? That's where it gets tricky.  My guess is that the only people that'll end up watching will be the people from Buffalo and Pittsburgh inside and outside the stadium.  That's probably going to be just about it.  OH, and Canada too, of course.  There are a lot of X factors here.  I'll weigh in on where my  more educated stand is on the issue in the NEXT show, followed by the Season Previews.

Stay Tuned

Next up on the NHL 07-08 Preview is the Southeast Division winners, victims of a first round sweep last year in the playoffs; the Atlanta Thrashers.

Download Show 41 right here

I've been receiving quite a few emails and spoke with many disappointed people when it comes to getting the equal opportunity to get tickets to see the famed Winter Classic (also known as the Ice Bowl) outdoor game between the Sabres and Penguins.  I have a lot of grief to dish out on this, as well.  I will interrupt my coverage of the NHL team-by-team preview with a special podcast centered around the issue of access and afford-ability of tickets to this game and also the issue of marketing flaws that the NHL is experiencing overall.  This outdoor game is just the tip of the ice-berg when it comes to problems with the NHL's marketing strategies.  The lack of reasonable access to these kinds of events contradicts the direction that the NHL claims to be going for in expanding the game.  I'm going to address this issue and the many others in a special edition today after I publish the Atlanta preview.

Stay tuned.

This is the first of many episodes covering each team in a preview format looking back at last year and also their off-season moves. The first team: The Stanley Cup Champions; Anaheim Ducks

Download Show 40 right here

This show will serve as a feeder into the next several shows where I will look at each team and analyze where they finished last year and where I think they'll end up this coming season. A lot has happened in the off-season, and a lot of teams will shift around because of it. So, for the next dozen shows, I'll be dividing up shows by teams and give my take on everything going on in each organization after looking at all sides of their previous season and their mindset going into a new season.

Download Show 39 right here