What Have We Learned: Opening Night 2009

For the first time in two seasons, the NHL started their season in North America, with the two previous stops being in Europe. It had it's ups, downs, and our first overtime of the young seasons. Wins all around.

-Alex Ovechkin picked up where he left off, potting two goals and an assist with Brooks Laich putting up two goals and Niklas Backstrom tallying three assists for the Caps in a 4-1 win over Boston. Jose Theodore was shaky at first, but had 19 saves in his win. Who knows what the situation will happen with the Caps goaltending, but it could be a storyline for the rest of the season. At least the offense is not in question.

-The Leafs definitely showed how much they were willing to throw the body around. The new look team was very physical, but it didn't help intimidate too much, especially with the Habs staying in it all game. Also, the number of penalties drawn could have been avoided and was a cause for the first goal. Matt Stajan was the offensive force for the Leafs, with two goals, which is something they had hoped for from him for a while. However, the goaltending from Toskala is still suspect....at best.

-Meanwhile, the Habs did look shaky at times, but Carey Price took a barrage of shots and got the win out of it. Price looked shaky at times, but was able to keep his team into it. The rest of the Habs, though small, got their top guys going with Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez playing somewhat well during their first game, Gionta scoring a goal in his debut.

-Whether it was the mojo of Joe Sakic being in the crowd or not, the Colorado Avalanche looked good against the President's Trophy winning San Jose Sharks. Wojtek Wolski played an amazing game and showed why he could be the new fire power for the Avs, as his two goals led the way for the Avs. Of course, Paul Stastny, the heir apparent to the Sakic leadership, added two helpers, quietly, for Colorado, as well. Craig Anderson faced a ton of rubber, stopping 38 of the 40 shots he saw; but if this will be the same story every night, it could wear Anderson down quick. Peter Budaj better keep sharp in all of this.

-The Flames retro uniforms are very bright, let me tell you. Also bright is the Flames' role players, who contributed all of the goals for the Flames in their victory, sans Dion Phaneuf's open-netter. Rene Bourque, Brandon Prust, Adam Pardy, and Mark Giordano had the other four goals, while Miikka Kiprusoff was a rock in net for the Flames, like he usually is. However, the new defense didn't look too improved, as Kipper had to face 42 shots, 21 coming in the third period, which was the letdown period for the Flames.

-Speaking of that third period, that's the only period the Canucks seemingly came out for. The first period was a write-off, as Roberto Luongo looked like he did in Game Six of the Conference Semis last year. The new defense was shaky at first, but Willie Mitchell brought up the point of most of these guys not playing alongside each other in the pre-season at all, which ruined chemistry. Also, the lack of aggressiveness early on allowed the Flames to control the hitting game and allowed Calgary to win the small battles-- which set the tone for the game.

-The Conference's two best teams last season really stunk up the joint at the start of this campaign.

-First, the Bruins seemed to control the play in the first period, but something happened during that first intermission which made them have a letdown for the rest of the game. The reigning Vezina winner, Tim Thomas, played well, but still had some letdowns on some goals. That shouldn't be all on his shoulders, as his defense was a little shaky. Although, two goals came on the power play, which could be a lack of discipline for the Bruins in the early going.

-The loss of captaincy may have brought Patrick Marleau out of his shell, as he put up the only goals for the Sharks, but the rest of the team was fairly horrific. While new acquistion Dany Healtey got over 21 minutes of ice time, he was also a minus-3 on the night. Evgeni Nabokov only faced 20 shots and only stopped 15, which is not a good case for him to carry this team. Joe Thornton apparently played as well, though he was really a non-factor it would seem. The only other bright spot for the Sharks was Joe Pavelski, who set up both of Marleau's goals.

So, that's the first night of the NHL season. On Friday, there's morning/afternoon hockey, depending on where you live-- of course. Then everyone plays on Saturday to give people watching Center Ice endless hours of hockey enjoyments. Huzzah for hockey season again-- huzzah!!

What Have We Learned: Skills Competition

The most exciting part of the All-Star Weekend, the Skills Competition, was held tonight and I must say-- there was some good, some bad, some ugly; but it happened. Here's what we learned.

-Need for Speed: I honestly believe that Mike Gartner could have come out and won this event at 40+ years of age. Not to knock on the skaters in the event, but no one coming close to a sub-13 second time makes me wonder what the hell is going on.

-Breakaway Challenged: There was a lot of tricks put out, but it was very bland as a whole for this event. A lot of nice stickhandling moves by the participants, but it was the same thing over and over again. Luckily, Alex Ovechkin's flair helped save the whole deal with his tourist motif he put on with an assist to Evgeni Malkin.

-YoungStars Killer: I can understand allow a time for people to text in their vote for the Breakaway gimmick, but this game was like a pregnancy-- it was a flow killer. Leave this game to open the events and then go into the Skills Comp. Put the breakaway deal at the start and let the fans test their votes through the last event or something like that. Put a time limit on it. Do something, but don't ruin the flow of the Skills Comp.

-The Price is Wrong: It's only an exhibition, but Carey Price looked very shaky. I know he's been on the shelf, but you have to wonder what's this kid's confidence level is right now. We'll see what he can bring to the All-Star Game, but it may be time for Price to re-focus himself.

-Accuracy in Marketing: It wasn't so much how well Malkin did going 4-for-4 and 3-for-4 in OT, but how the NHL is selling sponsorship on anything. Gotta love the McDonald's accuracy plates.

-Skullet Unseat: Thanks to composite sticks and insane genetics, Zdeno Chara set a new Hardest Shot record with 105.4 MPH (169.62 KPH). It was nice to see that Chara was able to fashion a toque out of a bookmark, but if that's his crazy Slovakian style, more power to him.

-Elimination of Insomnia: Great idea, somewhat good execution, but boring as hell. At least this was something everyone was in on and gave them a chance to shine, which is what Shane Doan did in winning the whole thing. Maybe think of something different for next time and maybe get all six goalies in on it rather than just four.

All in all, it was a very dull skills competition in comparison to other years, at least what I can remember. I don't know why they don't give the goalies more events, but I guess the risk of injury is a little much for them, but still. They'll get lit up during tomorrow's game-- that's for sure, but that's the way this glorified shinny game is supposed to be like anyway. Pick the over in this game folks.

What Have We Learned: Winter Classic '09

Now that the 2009 Edition of the Winter Classic is over, it's time to steal a bit from "Opie and Anthony" and play What Have We Learned.

-The Ice Was Right: NHL ice czar Dan Craig and his crew deserve all the credit they get and more. The ice they made on Wrigley Field was perfect for game and allowed a great flow to the game and allowed the players to make crisp passes and solid dekes as opposed to the ice from a year ago.

-More Doesn't Mean Better: Luckily, I was able to get both the NBC and CBC feeds for the game. While NBC had more angles and more cameras, the CBC's angles and camerawork was much better with the less cameras they had. The shots were tighter and more precise than what NBC presented. Sure, CBC has been doing this for years, but you'd think NBC would hire guys who knew how to deal with hockey games....or not.

-Field of Dreams: For all the doubt that a baseball field would work, by all accounts the sightlines were very solid regardless of your seats. Of course, sitting higher was probably better in this case, but still-- it wasn't as awful as some people may have thought.

-Ty's the Guy: If I'm a team, I'm looking to get Ty Conklin through free agency or a trade because that almost guarantees an outdoor game. This is Conklin's third start in an outdoor game and has the experience to deal with the elements.

-Tale After 20 Minutes: The Blackhawks took it to the Wings in the first period, but after that it was all Detroit. You have to wonder if the buzz in the first helped the Hawks get out to the 3-1 lead, but why couldn't they have held that intensity for the other 40 minutes that remained and that counted??

-Depth Kills: The Red Wings had 10 players with a point, three with multi-point games, and five goal-scorers. Marian Hossa, Jiri Hudler, and Henrik Zetterberg all had three points, while the Wings also got goals from unlikely sources like Brian Rafalski and Brett Lebda.

-Home Ice Disadvantage: No home team has won an outdoor game, but this edition was the first to not to be a one-goal game. You have to wonder if teams would not lobby to take in the outdoor game in fear of a loss, but would love it because of the extra revenue.

-Cheli's Swan Song??: Chris Chelios only played 1:57 and you have to wonder if this was it for him in terms of playing. His injuries this season have hampered him and this could be the best way to go out, playing in the Winter Classic in his hometown in a victory for his squad. His heart may be there, but the body may not have enough in the tank.

-Huet's Mr. Hyde: There's times he looked amazing, but Cristobal Huet's Jekyll and Hyde routine continues as he let up some soft goals and was bobbling the puck many times in the 43+ minutes he played in. However, without much help in front of him, the blame shouldn't be put too much on his shoulders.

Now, we await to see where the next venue will be for the Winter Classic in 2010 and if the trend of home teams losing continues and if Ty Conklin will get another outdoor start.

What Have We Learned: European Openers Edition

The weekend that was the NHL Premiere started up in Prague and ended with Stockholm and had one series that had the same result each time and the other splitting it up the middle. Did this show that the NHL can thrive in Europe?? The fans were pretty dormant and got up for the right times, but I think the jury is still out on all of it.

New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning in Prague, Czech Republic-The Lightning gave up 80 shots in the first two game, but only allowed four goals. The problem with that is that the offensive power the Bolts were hoping for didn't click in the first two games. Unless goal support happens or some sort of defense formed, Mike Smith and Olaf Kolzig will be two tired goaltenders by the All-Star Break. No truth to the rumor that they'll co-own a Goodyear store by that time since they'll be experts at rubber treads that that point.

-It looks like Markus Naslund could be regaining his old form. With a goal and an assist in the series, he seems to be clicking well with Scott Gomez.

-The Rangers stingy defense is back again, only allowing 40 shots and two goals in the series and the rumors about Henrik Lundqvist possible knee problems could be just those-- rumors. He looked pretty solid this weekend, which is a great sign for the Rangers fateful.

-Steven Stamkos looked like he has all the tools the people were going crazy about this summer. He has the speed, the shot, but just needs to hone the accuracy and get a break here and there and he'll be good to go.

-It looks like Andrej Meszaros and Matt Carle will be the top dogs on the Bolts defense. The problem with that is if they get burned too much, the odds are they'll get wrecked before they can reach their full potential.

Ottawa Senators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins in Stockholm, Sweden
-The whole Darth Gerber look doesn't go over well with white pads. And speaking of helmets, I think Alex Auld's mask looks overall better than the Gerber dark-side stuff. However, there could be a fight between Auld and Gerber, especially if Auld can keep up a solid play and Gerber lets up softies every now and again.

-If you wanted special teams play, these were the games for you. Six of the 11 goals scored came on the special teams: four on the power play and two shorthanded goals on Saturday's match-up. Both these teams have high octane power plays, but Ottawa connected on three of the power play goals scored.

-Kris Letang looked really solid out there as he seems to be the new wave of defensemen in the Penguins system. He'll need to prove himself beyond this weekend, but looks like he could improve solidly throughout the season.

-With this weekend done, Sidney Crosby is on pace for 82 points, which will be a huge disappointment to poolies if he actually only can get a point-per-game.

-If Shean Donovan is going to be part of the Senators secondary scoring-- it could be a long year. The top three for the Sens were the ones who got the job done, of course. However, it's the same thing for the Sens every year-- the need for someone else to help pot goals at a consecutive rate in order for the team to succeed.

As a whole, it seemed to be another somewhat success for the NHL. We'll see how they plan to build on it for next year and where some locations could be at. Those suggestions from me will come in time, I'm sure.