Upper Deck now owns the rights to the long-running OPC brand, once a Canadian Topps subsidiary.   Friday, UD issued a press release regarding the newest hockey card set.

Just as the first pucks were ready to drop to open up the 2008-09 NHL Season, Upper Deck’s latest O-Pee-Chee Hockey release was hitting store shelves across North America.  With a 600-card base set,  the 2008-09 NHL O-Pee-Chee launch features a wide array of elements that Upper Deck says are sure to ignite the underlying passion of rabid hockey card collectors everywhere.

The overall collection is complemented by a stunning array of rookie cards (“Marquee Rookies”) and legends (“OPC Legends”) that combine at a rate of one in every two packs, on average. But it’s the loaded assortment of very cool inserts that will keep pack-crackers coming back for more.

The memorabilia and signature cards are headlined by “OPC Triple Materials” (1:108 packs); “OPC Signatures” (1:432); and “OPC Autographed Buybacks (1:432). Some of the top “Triple Materials” cards include star-studded scoring trios like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Mark Messier, as well as extraordinary netminders like Patrick Roy, Grant Fuhr and Ron Hextall. Some of the more sought-after signature cards in this season’s O-Pee-Chee launch include Alexander Ovechkin, Marty Turco, Martin Brodeur, Jonathan Toews, Nicklas Backstrom and Joe Thornton. The autographed buybacks afford a special look at yesteryear with former legends like Bobby Clarke (Flyers), Tony Esposito (Blackhawks), Brian Leetch (Rangers), Billy Smith (Islanders) and Phil Esposito (Bruins) headlining the list.

There is also a 1979-80 “Vintage Variation” series of cards inserted in every pack, with a retro set rainbow parallel that’s numbered to 100. A gold parallel of the regular base cards as well as the rookies and legends, inserted 1:4 packs, further bolsters the vast elements included this season.  And a lineup of five “Old-School” inserts, combining at a rate of 1:4 packs, provides a nostalgic look at seasons past. The “Team Checklists” (sporting a retro look); “Season Highlights”; “Trophy Cards”; “First, Second Team All-Stars & All-Rookie Teams”; and “2007-08 Stat Leaders” cards will add history and old-school design to this latest offering.

“O-Pee-Chee has a terrific fan following and this year’s release has something for every level of collector,” said Josh Zusman, Upper Deck’s Hockey brand manager. “With the new season just underway, now is the perfect time to launch a product of this magnitude. The ‘Triple Materials’ memorabilia cards and the autographed buybacks are two of my favorite inserts.”

Upper Deck’s 2008-09 NHL O-Pee-Chee carries a suggested retail price of $1.59 per six-card pack with 36 packs per box. Boxes and singles are already available on eBay.

CONTENT HIGHLIGHTS:

·600-card set ideal for set collectors

· ’79-80 Retro variation of the entire regular set

o All 600 players in new photos and a design commemorating the popular set (one per pack)

· Autographed Buybacks return, delivering an average of one per case

· Collect Winter Classic Highlights, averaging 1 per box

o These laminated cards are must-haves for anyone who enjoys hockey in its purest form

· Look for in-pack rookie cards of players who debuted near the end of the ’07-08 season

· Triple memorabilia cards (averaging 4 per case) and OPC Signatures (averaging 1 per case) give the set some big-time punch

· Five old-school inserts combine to deliver hits (1:4) the way they did in yesteryear

Ouch!

"Washington coach Bruce Boudreau called the loss "unacceptable."

"There were too many guys not doing their job," Boudreau said. "When you don't do your job, anyone can score seven goals."

I would say so....

"Washington star Alex Ovechkin was held without a point on six shots."

double ouch....

One night, let's hope it's just one bad night..

What I do, to a certain degree think is that he is a spokesman for the NHL. I don't think he should tow the line, but I think he needs to be a little bit smarter when it comes to his comments on the stars of the game.

""He's not going to get any better. I don't think he'll do as good as last year," Cherry, speaking on an NHL conference call, said yesterday of the dazzling Russian. He was doing things he shouldn't do. He was always cutting into the middle and he got away with it,There will be a lot of guys waiting for him this year. He's not going to be running around like a bull in a china shop."

Now, why would he say that? Once again, I ask, what's the point? Ovchekin is, in my opinion anyway the best all around player in the league right now. He is everything a hockey player should aspire to be. He is fast, he is smart, he is physical, he has great hands and he cares. Why dump on a guy with those attributes. He is not to blame for any more shortcomings of any of his breathern from over seas, the same way Sid Crosby isn't for any brutal north American (or Canadian) players. He is arguably the most exciting guy in the league. He is one of a few players that I would pay to watch. He works his tail off every shift. All of that is a good thing for the game. Bashing the guy just isn't smart, nor is it called for. I think Grapes knows better too.

One of the publications that's keeping me from becoming a mortgage casualty (for now) has some nifty previews up of every team. I invite you to check out ESPN.com's analysis, starting with a look at mon equipe de choix, the Montreal Canadiens. Dig this bit of optimism:

The Montreal Canadiens are hoping not to follow in the footsteps of the New York Yankees by dampening a historic season with a flop. So, while the Yanks closed out historic Yankee Stadium by missing the playoffs for the first time since 1993, the Habs hope their 100th anniversary will instead be mirrored by a season to remember. And perhaps a first Stanley Cup since 1993?

On paper, at least, they have a club that once again will contend for first place in the Eastern Conference and possibly long playoff run.

Sounds good to me. I can't wait to get back to TD BankNorth Garden for some hot Habs-Bruins action in Boston. Had a great time doing that last season, both during the regular season and in the playoffs. Might be a time for my first trip to a hockey game back home in many years too.

As I discussed recently with Dave Dameshek on his excellent ESPN.com podcast, the NHL has had a great revival since emerging from its one-year lockout a few years ago. The game is much faster and more action-packed than it's been in years, at times conjuring up memories of some of those great Edmonton Oilers teams from the 80s. There's a tremendous amount of young talent in the league now, with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Ovechkin and many other young stars emerging. If you've never been much of a hockey fan before, now's a great time to start. Go to a game at your local arena before you start flipping through your TV dial, though. No sport has a bigger enjoyment gap between being there live and staring at your screen than does the NHL.

Oh, and for you Simpsons nuts seduced by the "Bart The Lover" reference...I couldn't find the appropriate YouTube clip, but you can flash back to Bart impersonating Gordie Howe comme ça.

Very presidential, no? (Photo from above linked article.) I'd vote for him.

Dan Carcillo is the most valuable player in fantasy hockey this year (at least in Yahoo leagues that count PIM). How is it possible that a guy your father has probably never heard of be more important than Crosby, Ovechkin or Malkin? It comes down to one number: 324. Or, more specifically, 5.7. That's how many PIMs Carcillo racked up last year. Carcillo is the only player in the league (except Roberto Luongo on one of his doesn't-give-up-a-goal-for-a-fortnight streaks) who can guarantee a roto win in a statistical category—whether it's weekly in a head-to-head match-up or over the course of a season. The difference between Ovechkin and Malkin in points last year was 6: 112–106. The difference between Carcillo and Jared Boll was 324–226. And that was with the 25 games Carcillo missed thanks to his "rage issues".

Moreover, Carcillo isn't completely useless on the hockey rink with the exception of his fists. in his 57 games last year, Carcillo racked up 13 goals and 11 assists, was plus one, and had 8 powerplay points, essentially making him a rich man's Sean Avery without the metrosexualness and douchebaggery and more anger.

Some argue that Carcillo will fight less this year with the addition of Todd Fedoruk and Brian McGrattan, but the key to Carcillo's brilliance wasn't his fighting ability; it was the way he went the extra mile to get the extra minutes. By my very rough count, he was kicked out of five games last season and suspended twice. And he had five more misconducts beyond that. The guy is insane, and he'll keep calling opponents, fans, officials, the team owner, whoever a cock-sucking motherfucker, even if he's not fighting as much this time.

So yeah, drafting Carcillo is the key to success this season, just as picking him up off wiavers was the key to winning last year. I'm not saying take him first overall or anything like that, but if he's around in the 8th-ish round (you should have 5–6 scorers and at least 1 goalie before picking him up) pounce on him in a hurry. You can thank me later.

1920-The National Football League organizes in Canton, Ohio. 12 teams pay $100 to join the association.

1947-Jackie Robinson named rookie of the year

1961- Minnesota Vikings first NFL Game, beating the bears 37-13

1967- New Orleans Saints first NFL game, losing to the Ram 27-13

1984- Reggie Jackson hits #500 as a California Angel

1993- Nolan Ryan records his final ML Strikeout, #5,714, striking out Angels catcher Greg Myers.

1996- Hideo Nomo No-hits the Rockies at Coors Field, winning 9-0. He struck out 8 and walked 4.

2004- Barry Bonds hits his 700th Home Run off of San Diego's Jake Peavy

Happy Birthday to Mark Brunell, George Blanda, Dan Haren, John Franco, Phil Jackson, Rasheed Wallace, and Alexander Ovechkin

For the first Buffalo Superfans article, myself and Chris Goodz will be squaring off over 5 different questions we created for the average fantasy hockey fan.  Drafts are quickly approaching and everyone wants that help on getting the upperhand in their leagues.  Sure we all know that Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby are awesome.  But are there players that are being over-hyped going into the season?  What player is going to benefit from a change of address? Can polar bears play ice hockey?  Those questions, except for one, will be answered.

Question #1: Most over-hyped fantasy player going into the 2008-09 season?

Don's Answer: Jean Sebastian-Giguere, Anaheim Mighty Ducks. For both ESPN and Yahoo Sports, he was ranked in the top 20 (ESPN had him top 10!) for Fantasy Projections.  There's several things wrong with that.  For one, his team has lost the idea that scoring wins games.  Aside from a great young first line, the team has no other offense, and their defense is still great but only getting older.  I don't have him in my top 5 goalies even. Chris's Thoughts: I think Jean Sebastian is a good goalie, and I feel Anaheim will still have a playoff-bound season, but I agree that he is over-hyped. ESPN has him in the top 5, which is completely ridiculous. I definitely wouldn't waste a first round or even second round pick on him.

Chris's Answer: Jonathan Cheechoo, San Jose Sharks. Coming off a season in which Cheechoo had a weak 37 points in 69 games, Cheechoo is ranked 30th on ESPN. 30th!!! (ABSURD!) Derek Roy, who Donnie picked as the most under-hyped player in the NHL, had 81 points in 78 games, and he is ranked 88th! Cheechoo had one good year, and has faltered since. I am not expecting much out of San Jose this year, and I'm not expecting much out of Cheechoo either. If I were you, I wouldn't take Cheechoo until maybe the 10th or 11th round.  Don's Thoughts: To be honest, i didnt even consider him because I had assumed he had dropped out of the top 50.  His upside is maybe 30 goals if he is lucky, also he is from Moose Factory, ON.

Question #2: Most under-hyped fantasy player going into the 2008-09 season?

Don's Answer: Derek Roy, Buffalo Sabres.  This is going to come across as a total homer pick.  But whatever, I don't care.  What is universally known is that during the final half of the NHL Season, Derek Roy was the in the NHL's top 5 scoring leaders.  Not just for the Buffalo Sabres, but for the ENTIRE NHL.  In his second full season of expectations (aka contract), I see Derek Roy becoming a 90 point player, potentially 35+ goals.  Chris's Thoughts: I love this pick. Maybe it is because I'm a Sabres' fan, but that's besides the point. The point is Derek Roy is a player. He finished the season on fire. He will be on a line with Vanek, who I think is also going to have a monster year. He will have a crapload of assists, and he plays on both the powerplay and in shorthanded situations. 

Chris's Answer: Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks. Barely cracking the top 30 on Yahoo!, I think Getzlaf is by far the most underrated player in the NHL. Getzlaf had 82 points in 77 games last year, along with 94 PIM. He also posted a +32, which was fourth in the league. He's on a great young line with Perry and Kunitz, and I think he will crack both the 60 assist and the 30 goal marks this year. Look for a big year form Getzlaf, who I think is worth a first or second round pick.  Don's Thoughts: I really don't like Anahiem this year.  Call me crazy but I think there getting older and less offensive.  I do love Getzlaf and think he can potentially be a 40 goal scorer.  But my fear of their decline is keeping me away from drafting their players, although good PIM's.

Question #3: What player is going to make or break your team, a true Fantasy MVP?

Don's Answer: Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings.  Aside from injuries destroying the roster, there is no reason to think he can't get 80-90 assists this year (I'm serious!).  He will potentially be centering a line with Henrik Zetterberg and Marian Hossa.  Sure Alexander Ovechkin will score 50 goals, and Crosby will break 100 pts.  But Washington hasn't done anything to impress me in the off-season, and I fear for a potential Stanley Cup hangover for Pittsburgh, especially with the loss of Hossa.  Pavel Datsyuk is in the top 10 regardless, but should seriously be considered for a top 3 pick.  Chris's Thoughts:  I'm not a big fan of this pick. Yes Datsyuk is a great player, but for some reason I'm just not feeling the Red Wings this year. Don't get me wrong, Datsyuk is good, but predicting 80-90 assists is a tad overboard. Spezza centers Heatley and Alfreddson, and he's never had an MVP calibur season. He's not in my top 5. I prefer Zetterberg to be quite honest.

Chris's Answer: Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning. This may come as a bit of a surprise, but Vinny will be the fantasy MVP this year. He is only rated 19th on Yahoo! and I believe 24th on ESPN, but I don't understand why. Tampa Bay is chalked full of offensive talent this year. St. Louis, Malone, Stamkos, Prospal, and Vrbata. Lecavailer will get at least 40 goals and 100 points this year. His plus/minus may not be great, but he will make up for it with his great offense.  Don's Thoughts: The Tampa Bay Lightning are the Cleveland Brown's of this year.  They are way too sexy of a pick, and I am not buying.  Sure Pittsburgh one year went from worst to playoff's but I don't think Tampa Bay has that same talent (Olaf Kolzig is their starting goalie?, really?).  I'm honestly interested in seeing what new coach Barry Melrose does with Vinny.  This also hinges on what Martin St. Louis they get, last year's or the 2003 MVP.

Question #4: Best Fantasy Goalie for 2008-09?

Don's Answer: Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers.  This is his Vezina year.  Martin Broduer is only getting older (35 this year) so eventually age has to creep up and take away his stats (right?).  Luongo has absolutely no scoring help (Pavol Demitra can't stay healthy for more than 40 games).  Lundqvist is bound to put up 40+ wins and potentially 10+ shut outs.  Chris's Thoughts: I think Lundqvist is going to have a great year. I don't even know who his backup is, so he's going to play a lot of games. He's been playing consistently well since he won the gold in 2006. They're going to lose some offense, with Jagr going to Russia, Avery going to Dallas, and Shanahan remaining unsigned. I don't think Lundqvist will win the Vezina, but he'll definitely be in the running.

Chris's Answer: Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins. Fleury has been flying under the radar this offseason, being drafted in the 3rd or 4th rounds of drafts all around the world. Well, at least North America. After coming back form his injury, Fleury won 10 out of 13, and led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals. Now that Conklin is gone, Fleury will be the number one guy all year, and has the possibility to win 40 games at least. He had four shutouts in 31 starts last year, so look for him to be right around the 8 or 9 shutout range as well. Is Fluery french for Vezina? I think so.  Don's Thoughts: As stated above, I think the Penguins will have a stretch of bad luck with a Stanley Cup hangover.  In fact the last 2 stanley cup losers had pretty poor seasons the year following the finals (Edmonton, Ottawa).  Also, at points last year Fluery wasn't even the best goaltender on the team.  He has a big new contract and hopefully won't choke under pressure, he'll have a good year but I have him ranked 5th/6th for my goalies.

Question #5: Best Player with a new team for the 2008-09 season?

Don's Answer: Dan Boyle, San Jose Sharks.  This is all conditional on his health.  Pre-injury he was a top 5 offensive defensemen pick. He is going from a team that had only 1 solid offensive line to a team stacked with young offense.  A good power play, and a team that encourages offense.  All of these combined should provide a good 20 goal/ 60 point season.  Chris's Thoughts: I'm a big Dan Boyle fan. I don't think San Jose is the right place for an offensive defenseman though. Brian Campbell only had 3 goals in 20 games with San Jose. Boyle will get some assists if he stays healthy, but I don't think he will be the scoring threat he was in Tampa.

Chris's Answer: Ryan Malone, Tampa Bay Lightning. I pick Malone for the same reason I picked Lecavalier, Tampa Bay has so many offensive weapons. If Malone isn't paired with Vinny and St. Louis, he will be on a line with a combination of either Prospal, Vrabata, and Stamkos. He is going to be on a great line, and I expect him to have a great year. He will really bring some fire power to Tampa Bay.  Don's Thoughts: I think this blog clearly states my thoughts on the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning (not a fan of either).  Ryan Malone is this year's Dustin Penner.  By that, I mean a player inflated by the team he played on.  Sure, Malone will be surrounded by offensive players around him but I do not see him making a step up and having a "top 50" player type year.

Team Sweden, who won the gold in 2006, was lead by Mats Sundin, Nick Lidstrom, Daniel Alfredsson, Peter Forsberg, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom, and Henrik Lundqvist to name a few.  Silver medalist Finland included names like Jokinen, Koivu, Lehtinen, Ruutu, Selanne, Backstrom, and Nittymaki.  These ultimate all-star teams clash to prove who is the best in the world. 

But let's look ahead to 2010.  The Czech team is going to look a lot younger than it has for the past few Olympic Games.  Names such as Elias, Hejduk, Jagr, Lang, Straka, and Hasek could likely be missing from the 2010 roster.  Even though Jagr's last words before heading to Russia were, "Maybe I will see you in 2010," it is more than unlikely he will play. (SF Gate- AP).  Jagr will be 38 years old, and two years removed from facing NHL talent.  Not only that, but the Czech take a lot of pride in the sport of hockey.  Winning gold in Nagano in 1998 with easily one of the most powerful teams in Olympic history set the standard.  Bringing home the bronze in 2006 was not good enough.  Do not be surprised to see Olympic teams start to look younger, building on the same strategy as the "new NHL."

I think two teams will be heavy favorites for the gold medal: Canada and Russia.  Team Canada will be lead by superstars Sidney Crosby, Vincent Lecavalier, Jarome Iginla, Eric and Jordan Staal, Martin St. Louis, Rick Nash, Roberto Luongo, Marty Turco, and most likely Marty Brodeur to name a few.  The roster for Team Russia will include talents such as Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Alexei Kovalev, Pavel Datsyuk, Ilya Kovalchuk, Viktor Kozlov, Maxim Afinogenov, Sergei Fedorov, Sergei Gonchar, and our old friend Alexei Morozov.  These two teams will display some of the most preeminent talent to strap on a pair of skates.

So as you watch teams battle in handball and doubles table tennis for gold in 2008, we can always look forward to Vancouver in two short years for a hockey spectacle we may never forget.

~Dan @ Pittsburgh Puck Talk

Major moves in free agency will have serious impacts for some teams, while others will suffer from a lack of depth due to in-activeness during the off-season. Free agency doesn't determine everything though. Some teams have much talent returning, which in my mind is more important that anything.

My predictions are based on what each team will start the season with as of right now. It's impossible to know what will happen in the future, and if moves are made I will make note of such. Also, it's impossible to know if injuries will happen, so I'm assuming players to be as healthy as can be.

Enough jabber. Your Southeast Division standings are...

1. Washington Capitals

Washington will repeat as Southeast Division champions. This time it will be another close race, though.

The Capitals will probably have the best defense in the division, which will make all the difference. The young corps is still in place and, being the second best defensive team in the Southeast last season, I expect them to be the best this year.

Offensively the Caps are, and always will be, scary. Nothing should change from last year, so look for more highlight reel performances from Alexander Ovechkin and crew.

I think Jose Theodore will do well in Washington. With an improved defense, as well as potent offense, more attention should be directed toward the other half of the ice. If he can stop 90% of his shots faced or more, that should be enough.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa will jump from last to second in an up and down season. The up and down being a product of great offense and porous defense.

It's just hard to believe that the second worst defense in the NHL will do a 180 and magically be firmed up. Don't get me wrong, I think this unit will be better thanks to chemistry and a better offense. However, not good enough to claim the top spot in the division.

As already mentioned, the offense will be great. Maybe the best in the division, and potentially the Eastern Conference for that matter. The way I see it, there are two - potentially three - threatening scoring lines. Opponents are going to have a lot of trouble defending these guys.

Playing against the bottom teams in the conference six times a year will help the Lightning as well, considering the conference is weak as a whole on defense.

It all comes down to how Barry Melrose manages this talent. The sky is the limit, to be as painfully cliched as possible. He should do just fine though. This is not a tough situation to walk in to.

3. Carolina Hurricanes

The defense is younger, but is it better? Younger seems to be better in the NHL as a whole, but a lot of leadership left with Bret Hedican and Glen Wesley. The defense will have a lot to prove, and I think it will be better than last season.

However, offense is the big issue for this team. Losing Erik Cole is a hit to the offense. The bigger hit...not one legitimate move has been made to try and fill the void he will be leaving.

Tuomo Ruutu is a nice, young guy to have and should continue to improve as a player. However, he's not going to magically morph in to a 20-20 guy like Cole is. Therefore the offense is taking a step down.

With the offensive talent in Tampa Bay and Washington, this defense needs a capable offense. Such is not the case for the Hurricanes.

4. Atlanta Thrashers

Yes, it's true. Atlanta will not finish last in the division! However, don't think that takes them out of the running for the No. 1 pick in next year's draft lottery.

They scored the least and gave up the most last season, yet somehow finished five points ahead of Tampa Bay.

Defense is a serious issue. The franchise seems to be counting on rookie Zach Bogosian to assume a starting role. That's risky to say the least. However, the five defensemen on the roster are rather dependable.

There honestly is one reason that the Thrashers will not finish dead last, and that is Ilya Kovalchuk. He single-handedly gives his team a chance to win. There aren't many complimentary forwards for him to play with though. Hopefully the addition of Jason Williams will be of service.

The one surprise could be young prospects that make their first marks in the NHL. It seems this franchise is looking to rebuild around it's youth.

5. Florida Panthers

This team just flat-out lost the most over the free agent signing period. They lost their captain and two leaders on defense.

The offense was a problem to to begin with, and now will rely on David Booth to produce numbers that are beyond his reach.

Defensively, it gets even worse. For a unit that made the team competitive, it's a shame to see the management in Florida not keep some guys around. At least Jay Bouwmeester was re-signed, but it's not going to be nearly enough.

The lone bright spot on this team it Thomas Vokoun. Unfortunately for him, he will be facing a lot of shots and seeing a large drop in his numbers. This, however, will be no fault to him. The men in front of him are just not good enough to get the job done.

Keep posted here at Pittsburgh Puck Talk as I will be previewing the Northwest Division, starting team-by-team analysis tomorrow.

~Chris @ Pittsburgh Puck Talk

Last year's standings at season's end (ESPN.com):

The Southeast Division will be the first on my list, coming in order of strength from last season.

In 2007-2008, the Southeast was the joke of the Eastern Conference. However, it was also home to the most exciting regular season finish of the year. The Washington Capitals ended up beating out the Carolina Hurricanes, who failed to surge at a time when it was most needed.

The Caps deserved to win the division, winning nine of their last 10 games. Carolina deserved to lose it, playing .500 hockey down the stretch.

With the off-season improvements of the Tampa Bay Lightning, expect another exciting race for the Southeast Division crown in 2008-2009. I'll start with the Washington Capitals.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals are a bit weaker in net with the departure of Cristobal Huet.

Jose Theodore will assume the starting goaltender position. With nearly 30 wins in Colorado last season, posting a 2.44 GAA and .910 SV%, he overachieved on a weak team. In Washington, Theodore will benefit from a team that dominates offensively.

However, a weak defensive corps may give him problems. In the long run though, the Capitals will likely benefit from having a the same guy in net every night that is not named Olaf Kolzig.

However, if Theodore goes down to injury, or fails to perform, Washington will have few places to turn with Brent Johnson as a backup. Theodore has been prone to injury in his career.

Johnson is a big body in net, but has failed to perform well enough to be a reliable backup in Washington. In the last three years (all in Washington), he has averaged a 3.24 GAA and .900 SV%. Management has to hope he can replicate numbers from last season that were his most consistent since playing in St. Louis in 2001-2002.

Defensively, this team is young and it is hard to predict how they will play. If you take the Pittsburgh Penguins as an example, the defense has improved each season and now is rated as one of the stronger units in the league.

Last year, the Capitals defense was suspect. Working in the team's favor is that the same guys are back again. To reference the Penguins once again, the stability and chemistry developed by the same guys playing together has created much success.

Washington's defense allowed the second fewest amount of goals in the Southeast Division, and benefited from playing eight games a piece against the two worst defensive teams in the Eastern Conference: Tampa Bay and Atlanta.

The Capitals should be better defensively. How much better is the big question.

Offense hasn't been an issue since Alexader Ovechkin entered the picture, and it doesn't figure to be any time soon. Their defensemen can score and their forwards can score.

It is relatively the same team from last year. The big question is, will that be enough to hold off other teams in the division that made strides to improve over the off-season?

Time will tell, but I will tell sooner. Following the way they finished in '08, I will next preview the Carolina Hurricanes.

The new arrangement in the National Hockey League has the Penguins playing 64 games within the Eastern Conference, and 18 more against Western Conference opponents. Every team will play every team this season.

And yes, we can finally say THIS SEASON.

Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby will meet each other early in the season in '08, as the Washington Capitals make their first visit on October 16th. The series really means nothing between them, being that Sid has a clear advantage in in the win column, however it it always fun to watch two of the best players in the league go at it.

Just two days later, be prepared for the Maple Leaf fans to make their first invasion of the Mellon Arena. If you've been to a home game against the Leafs, you know how terribly annoying the games with Toronto can be if the Penguins are losing. It turns in to a veritable home game the boys up north.

Me and my family went for my father's birthday in Crosby's rookie season when ticket sales were still struggling. There were so many of them there that it was hard to pick out Pittsburgh fans. They were so obnoxious that I took one of their flags and broke it in half. Let's just say that Geno's hat trick last year was sweet revenge.

In Novemeber the Penguins make a swing around some of the Western Conference, and land in Detroit on November 11th. Mark your calendars for this one. It proves to be as heated a game as any, especially since number 18 will be in red and white.

The BIG one happens February 8th. Detroit comes to town for a 3 p.m. game that will likely be on NBC. I hope to be there, and I expect an atmosphere very close to that of the Stanley Cup Finals.

The miniature Penguins, also known as the Tampa Bay Lightning, will bring their host of former 'Guins to Mellon Arena on December 23rd. As much hate as there will be against Detroit, there should be just as much opposite respect in the game against the Lightning. It'd be far to hard to boo the likes of Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts.

Western Conference teams that visit Pittsburgh are the Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames.

Games against the Western Conference at home have always lack atmosphere at the Igloo. Hopefully the new schedule this season will revamp those matchups. It will be cool to watch Vancouver and Calgary come to town, teams that I haven't seen in years.

Finally, here are the Pens vs. Flyers dates:

Tuesday Oct. 14 - Flyers @ Penguins, 7 p.m.

Thursday Nov. 13 - Flyers @ Penguins, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday Dec. 13 - Penguins @ Flyers, 1 p.m.

Tuesday Jan. 13 - Penguins @ Flyers, 7 p.m.

Saturday Feb. 21 - Penguins @ Flyers, 1 p.m.

Sunday March 22 - Flyers @ Penguins, 3 p.m

Mark your calendars.

*Update 7/17/08 @ 1:26 p.m.

If you have trouble reading the schedule at NHL.com, here is the version from penguins.com:

Sat., October 4^th @ Ottawa, 2:30 PM (Sweden)
Sun., October 5^th vs. Ottawa, 2:30 PM (Sweden)
Sat., October 11^th vs. New Jersey, 7:30 PM
Tue., October 14^th vs. Philadelphia, 7:00 PM
Thur., October 16^th vs. Washington, 7:30 PM
Sat., October 18^th vs. Toronto, 7:00 PM
Mon., October 20^th @ Boston, 7:00 PM
Thur., October 23^rd vs. Carolina, 7:30 PM
Sat., October 25^th @ New York Rangers, 7:00 PM
Tue., October 28^th @ San Jose, 10:30 PM
Thur., October 30^th @ Phoenix, 10:00 PM
Sat., November 1^st @ St. Louis, 8:30 PM
Thur., November 6^th vs. Edmonton, 7:30 PM
Sat., November 8^th @ New York Islanders, 7:00 PM
Tue., November 11^th @ Detroit, 7:00 PM
Thur., November 13^th vs. Philadelphia, 7:30 PM
Sat., November 15^th vs. Buffalo, 7:30 PM
Tue., November 18^th vs. Minnesota, 7:00 PM
Thur., November 20^th @ Atlanta, 7:00 PM
Sat., November 22^nd vs. Vancouver, 1:00 PM
Wed., November 26^th @ New York Islanders, 7:00 PM
Fri., November 28^th @ Buffalo, 7:30 PM
Sat., November 29^th vs. New Jersey, 7:30 PM
Wed., December 3^rd @ New York Rangers, 7:00 PM
Thur., December 4^th @ Carolina, 7:00 PM
Sat., December 6^th @ Ottawa, 7:00 PM
Mon., December 8^th vs. Buffalo, 7:30 PM
Wed., December 10^th @ New Jersey, 7:00 PM
Thur., December 11^th vs. New York Islanders, 7:30 PM
Sat., December 13^th @ Philadelphia, 1:00 PM
Thur., December 18^th @ Atlanta, 7:00 PM
Sat., December 20^th vs. Toronto, 7:00 PM
Mon., December 22^nd @ Buffalo, 7:00 PM
Tue., December 23^rd vs. Tampa Bay, 7:30 PM
Fri., December 26^th @ New Jersey, 7:00 PM
Sat., December 27^th vs. Montreal, 7:00 PM
Tue., December 30^th vs. Boston, 7:30 PM
Thur., January 1^st @ Boston, 7:00 PM
Sat., January 3^rd vs. Florida, 1:00 PM
Mon., January 5^th @ New York Rangers, 7:00 PM
Tue., January 6^th vs. Atlanta, 7:30 PM
Thur., January 8^th @ Nashville, 8:00 PM
Sat., January 10^th @ Colorado, 3:00 PM
Tue., January 13^th @ Philadelphia, 7:00 PM
Wed., January 14^th vs. Washington, 7:30 PM
Fri., January 16^th vs. Anaheim, 7:30 PM
Sun., January 18^th vs. New York Rangers, 3:00 PM
Tue., January 20^th vs. Carolina, 7:30 PM
Wed., January 28^th vs. New York Rangers, 7:30 PM
Fri., January 30^th @ New Jersey, 7:00 PM
Sat., January 31^st @ Toronto, 7:00 PM
Tue., February 3^rd @ Montreal, 7:30 PM
Wed., February 4^th vs. Tampa Bay, 7:30 PM
Fri., February 6^th vs. Columbus, 7:30 PM
Sun., February 8^th vs. Detroit, 3:00 PM
Wed., February 11^th vs. San Jose, 7:30 PM
Sat., February 14^th @ Toronto, 7:00 PM
Mon., February 16^th @ New York Islanders, 2:00 PM
Thur., February 19^th vs. Montreal, 7:00 PM
Sat., February 21^st @ Philadelphia, 1:00 PM
Sun., February 22^nd @ Washington, 3:00 PM
Wed., February 25^th vs. New York Islanders, 7:30 PM
Fri., February 27^th @ Chicago, 8:30 PM
Sun., March 1^st @ Dallas, 3:00 PM
Tue., March 3^rd @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 PM
Thur., March 5^th @ Florida, 7:30 PM
Sun., March 8^th @ Washington, 3:00 PM
Tue., March 10^th vs. Florida, 7:30 PM
Thur., March 12^th @ Columbus, 7:00 PM
Sat., March 14^th vs. Ottawa, 3:00 PM
Sun., March 15^th vs. Boston, 3:00 PM
Tue., March 17^th vs. Atlanta, 7:30 PM
Fri., March 20^th vs. Los Angeles, 7:30 PM
Sun., March 22^nd vs. Philadelphia, 3:00 PM
Wed., March 25^th vs. Calgary, 7:30 PM
Sat., March 28^th vs. New York Rangers, 1:00 PM
Wed., April 1^st vs. New Jersey, 7:30 PM
Sat., April 4^th @ Carolina, 7:00 PM
Sun., April 5^th @ Florida, 5:00 PM
Tue., April 7^th @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 PM
Thur., April 9^th vs. New York Islanders, 7:30 PM
Sat., April 11^th @ Montreal, 7:00 PM

Home games in BOLD

All start times are in Pittsburgh time.

On April 30th, 2008 I made some predictions of who would win various awards on this night.  Lets take a look at how I did:

And yes, that is Gary Coleman and an almost naked Mark Messier (who looks like he is drinking a Red Stripe?) after some playoff game for what I'm going to assume is in his Edmonton Oilers days.

1. Lady Byng Award: Awarded for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct on the ice.

• My guess: Pavel Datsyuk
• Award went to: Pavel Datsyuk

2.  Frank J Selke : Awarded to most outstanding defensive forward.

• My guess: Pavel Datsyuk
• Award went to: Pavel Datsyuk

3. James Norris : Best defensemen trophy

• My guess: Niklas Lidstrom
• Award went to: Niklas Lidstrom

4. Jack Adams Award: Best coach

• My guess: Guy Carbaneau (MON)
• Award went to: Bruce Bordeau (WAS)

5. Vezina Trophy: Most outstanding Goaltender

• My guess: Evengi Nabakov
• Award went to: Martin Brodeur

6. Calder Trophy: Rookie of the year

• My guess: Jonathan Toews
• Award went to: Patrick Kane

7. The Hart Memorial Trophy : MVP of the League

• My guess: Alexander Ovechkin
• Award went to: Alexander Ovechkin

Overall I was 4/7, not too good.  And considering that I think Nabakov was ROBBED, and that Toews will end up being sick nasty, I feel that it could very well have been 6/7.   More prediction's soon with sports, and incorporating my cousins who I almost bet with on a daily basis.

- There was a tie for Most Unintentionally Funny Moment of last night's game. Our winners are: Mark Messier chowing down on his nachos quite happily and Alexander Ovechkin completely rocking an Uncle Jesse from Full House look. I only hope that the rest of Ovie's just-announced clothing line does not pay as much homage to Full House. We don't need anyone to bring back the Michelle Tanner jumpsuit or the Aunt Becky oversized, button down men's shirt.

- We've all seen the NHL's new commercial that reminds us all of a Stanley Cup flip book. There's also a print component to this campaign. The ad features past notable Stanley Cup winning players photoshopped into the traditional photo that each team takes on the night they win Stanley. Players included in the photo include the Niedermayers, Mario, the Great One, Bobby Orr, Marty Brodeur, Lanny MacDonald, Dave Andreychukm Mark Messier and other assorted characters. What's also really nice is that the players are the focal point of the ad. The network logos have been relegated to a lockup area at the bottom. Next time you're out at your local book or magazine retailer, pick up the new Sports Illustrated (the one with Josh Hamilton on the cover) and turn to page 51. The ad is there in all its glory.

- Moving on, Ryan Miller gets a cookie for using in his blog the idiom "let me pump some tires" as a way of giving kudos to someone. I can see him busting out with the tire pumpage phrase in the locker room, and some poor soul taking him literally and looking around for an air compressor thinking he's going to save 75 cents on getting his tires filled.

In addition, he's even analyzing the analysis of his little pre-game routines in his blog.

The funny part is, for all my routines I look insane and the purpose of routines is to eliminate overthinking. It's what may be keeping me sane.'

Oy. Maybe he just needs to take the advice of Dr. Sidney Friedman and just pull down his pants and slide on the ice.

That means go with the flow, for those of you that haven't seen MASH in a while.

- Why did I never get to do fun and creative stuff like this when I was in school? So not fair.

The kitten was also supposed to be a girl cat to counterbalance all of the testosterone in our house ( I was pregnant with 2nd child and 2nd boy, then there's my husband). Dear Husband went on his lunch break to the shelter and found the perfect sweet girl kitten. Number one son and I met my husband at the shelter and agreed that Pat (this was the name assigned by the shelter) was the kitten for us, she had been spayed already and was ready to go home. Three girls and three boys for our house. We renamed Pat Sasha (die hard hockey fans will notice the theme) but probably should have just left it alone.

At the first vet appointment, after a quick check, our vet asked me if I was sure Sasha was a girl. I told him yes, based on what the shelter told us, not based on any medical fact. A grinning vet informed that he thought Sasha was actually a boy and took him to the back to double check with another vet. The next sound heard was a lot of laughter from the vets, at the crazy pregnant lady up front who thought she adopted a girl cat. Apparently determining the sex of kittens is difficult work and poor Sasha was mis-classed. Who knew? Luckily for us, Sasha can be a boy or girl name, so the poor cat didn’t have to suffer through a name change along with a sex change. But we could have just stuck with Pat and been fine.

So now I am outnumbered in the house and Sasha acts just like a little boy should, he's loud (for a cat), runs around like a lunatic and constantly picks on his older sister Hunter- he fits right in.

Voilà que que selon un sondage de la revue The Sporting News, Bob Gainey aurait été choisi meilleur DG de 2007-2008 par les autres DG de la LNH.

J'ai peine à croire que c'est vrai quand on regarde le classement, l'équipe la plus améliorée depuis l'an passée est les Flyers de Philadelphie.

Mais bon le sondage était effectué qu'auprès de 12 DG de la LNH, ça me rassure.

Toujours issu du même sondage, Mike Babcock, des Red Wings de Detroit, a été choisi l'entraîneur par excellence, Alex Ovechkin, des Capitals de Washington, le joueur de l'année et Patrick Kane, des Blackhawks de Chicago, la recrue par excellence.

Cela fait beaucoup plus de sens.

Just imagine . . . Ovechkin, Lecavalier and Iginla on one line.  Or a defense with both Dion Phaneuf and Mike Komisarek . . .

Beginning with the 2005-2006 season, the NHL started using a new schedule structure.  The new system had each team play 2 additional games against the other four teams in their division (four home games, four road games).  They still played four games against the ten teams in the other two divisions in their conference (2 home games and 2 road games).  The remaining 10 games were played against ten teams from the other conference (5 at home against one division, 5 on the road against another division).  Teams did not play the 5 teams in the third division of the other conference.  The interconference matchups rotated every season and after 3 seasons, every team had played every team in the other conference both at home and on the road once.

When the league changed the schedule structure, they were trying to emphasize rivalries within the divisions.  The problem was that not many rivalries within divisions existed outside of the Atlantic and Northeast divisions.

Hold on a second.  Was the NHL trying to start new rivalries to get more people interested in the sport and bring back the fans they lost after cancelling an entire season?

Establishing new rivalries was just one of the ways that the league was trying to reestablish itself in a country that loves Baseball, Football, and watching cars drive in circles for 3 hours.

Some owners had problems with this new system almost as soon as it was put in place.  Because the Red Wings and Blackhawks are in the Western conference, they would not be able to maintain their rivalries with the other 4 Original Six teams in the Eastern conference.  The Red Wings didn't really consider the Predators or the Blue Jackets to be great rivals.  Honestly, no one saw those matchups as big rivalries either.

In just 3 seasons under the new system, games between teams like the Red Wings and Blue Jackets have become much more entertaining not only because they play each other more often, but because the Blue Jackets, Preds, and Blues have actually been putting up a fight.

Additionally, many teams in the Western conference would have to wait 2 or 3 years before playing a home game against the Capitals or Penguins.  That meant no Ovechkin and no Crosby.  Honestly?  Are they saying that the only way they can put asses in the seats is to have Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin come play in their arenas?

It's not as if the teams in the west have no young, talented players.  There's Marek Svatos and Paul Stastny in Colorado, Dion Phaneuf in Calgary, and Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in Chicago just to name a few.  Maybe they should try promoting their own players?

I'll concede that Crosby and Ovechkin are big draws for a team in a small market.  But only about 20,000 people will actually be able to watch the game at the arena.  The majority of fans in those markets are still going to be watching on TV.

So why now, must every team play every other team once during the regular season?  Before 1997, the teams in Baseball's National League and American League never played each other except during the World Series.  Teams never complained that the best players in the National League never played the teams in the American League and vise versa.  Even with interleague play, teams still don't play every other team in Major League Baseball.

New rivalries actually began popping up all over the country.  The Subway Series (Mets vs. Yankees),  Windy City Series (Cubs vs. White Sox), and the Bay Bridge Series (Athletics vs. Giants) are some of the more popular interleague rivalries that started because of the new schedule adopted by Major League Baseball.

The NHL should have given the new system more time to see if the new rivalries would actually pick up.  Rivalries do not just start overnight.  Teams have to play each other more often to let the seeds planted grow into entertaining rivalries.  No offense to the western conference teams, but as a Rangers fan, I would much rather watch the Rangers play the Islanders or Devils or Flyers than the Red Wings, Stars, or Flames.  While those interconference games are entertaining, the games against the Islanders, Devils, and Flyers just mean more in the standings.  That alone makes the games more intense and the playoff races much more exciting.

in the eastern conference we've got a pennsylvania face off, with the penguins of pittsburgh against the flyers of philadelphia. the flyers really suprised me in their elimination of a very strong #1 seed in the montreal canadiens. but, the penguins have been my pick all along and i'm going to stay with them in this series. i think sidney, evengi & co. will win in 6. and for the record my vote for nhl mvp goes to evengi malkin. i think alexander ovechkin will clearly win, but malkin deserves it. ovechkin will probably win plenty of them in the future, let evengi get his! moving along...

in the western conference it's the red wings of detroit against the stars of dallas. talk about suprises, i was shocked at how the stars dismantled a, imo, far superior san jose sharks team (though apparently they weren't!). i am admittedly biased in this match-up, as i am a hockey purist and am opposed to all sun-belt teams (unless they have a UMAINE alumnus) and think a hockey team in dallas is a joke. but, those feelings aside, the red wings are just a better team, and i think they might take this in 5. it could go 7 with how well the stars are playing, but either way, detroit will be facing off against the penguins for lord stanley's cup...just as i picked it at the beginning of the season. i should really look into placing sports bets :)