So here we are. I am here with a guest blog as Eklund is out of commission. Get well soon, Ekky.
I will take this moment to introduce myself to those who haven't quite followed my hockey musings...
I am the NY Islanders blogger here on Hockeybuzz. I am also one of the original members selected by the NY Islanders for the Blog Box program. Yadda…yadda…yadda…let’s get to it...
The season has unfurled itself upon the October calendar. It splays out upon landscape of fans hungry for a new tale to tell.
The
NY Rangers answered the post-Jagr question so far with flying colors. The mix of vets and youth has paid dividends already. My Ranger blogger brother must be beside himself in surprise. Not many felt steady feet with all those changes this summer.
Scott Gallof’s official quote on the Rangers:
“God’s gift to hockey”
Yes, it’s true. He was dropped on his head several times. No really. Numerous occasions.
Luckily he followed up with this:
”Speedy defensive-first minded team. Not yet firing on all cylinders, but getting scrappy wins behind solid goaltending.”
Numerous occasions I tell you. His eyes are still glazed over.
Meanwhile, the
Penguins, despite the dismissive opines of those in the peanut gallery, are still looking good. How could they not? Despite the changes, their core is strong and only getting better.
Meanwhile
Montreal and
Buffalo race like runaway steam engines
The Sabres have the most impressive differential in Goals For (26) and Goals Against (13).
In the West,
San Jose has leaped out the gate with the always powerful
Detroit Red Wings.
But all is not wine and Howie Roses.
The
NY Islanders struggle as many expected…well except for them, evidently. Some of the vets still talk about competing. But as Amy Winehouse says:
Cough*HACK*Cough Oops…I mean that other thing she says:
..No…No…No...
Right now, the Isles have the worst goal differential in the league. Goals for of 14 to Goals Against of 21. These are just not good stats and might indicate the deepest of issues for Long Island’s team facing a rebuild. Currently there isn’t enough NHL-level offense nor defense. This is why they sit at 15th in the Eastern Conference.
Maybe as DP comes back and gets up to speed they have a chance to lift from the cellar. Plus the coach's system needs time to be absorbed.
But, hey, we are not alone:
We have seen the stutter step in the sweeping brush that attempted to repaint
Tampa Bay. There is nothing better than a committed (in the good way) owner looking to reface a team. We will see a bit more of their mettle as they then discover that the results they want will take a bit of time. Personally, I remain unconvinced on the quaff behind the bench or the real ability on that defense. However, one must give them time to find their sea...errr...Bay legs.
We have seen the issues come to bear as people scratched their head to regard the
Colorado Avalanche goalie situation. One of the most pivotal positions is the goaltender, and you don't leave that with a huge question mark for a team that needs a playoff berth. This is a team that made TWO sweeping boffo deals for goaltenders in recent, ok somewhat recent history: Roy and Theodore. I’ll let you guess which one worked out better.
Yet now the Avs are on a winning streak as Budaj has one of his better games. Still a concern: a .868 Save Percentage while Raycroft carries a .875. The Avs can’t merely compensate for mediocrity. They need someone to take those reins and hold them . . . or else. Luckily, they will ride that offense which is still top-notch.
Word is from our own Andy Strickland is that Manny Legace of the startling good
St. Louis Blues tripped on a rug and sustained the nouveau NHL-worded styling:
Lower Body Injury. Any Big Lebowski fan knows that the rug tied the room together.
Speaking of injury reports, most team actually narrows the scope to where an injury might be. For example:
The visiting team for the Saturday tilt of Carolina vs. NY Islanders injury report reads as follows
Hand
Concussion
Leg
Groin
Achilles tendon
The Isles list?
Lower body
Upper body
Hand (thanks to the player admitting it during an autograph session)
Lower body
Hip (surgery over the summer)
In fact, if I look through the injury reports, I see some interesting things. Basically, so far the Isles , Minnesota, Tampa (for one player) and San Jose (also one player) use such loose terming as Lower Body or Upper Body injuries.
In a game where numbers, stats, and players status are fans meat, couldn’t teams be just a bit more specific? How about it boys? Let’s end this silly soft-speak jargon that is more fitting for a political debate than the rough tumble of what is hockey. Let’s finally admit that the vote to support this type of chicanery does not serve fans and actually gives the vaunted fabric of this sport a shake. This sport is built on better brick and mortar than this silliness.
But none of this is the UGLY of this NHL season. Where the UGLY might be...
As the economic slide continues outside our windows and shouting from our news, we follow a sport where many smaller markets still lose money and are digging to get back into fan hearts. What will be the effects of a possible recession? I don’t see much on this in the hockey news cycle.
Meanwhile, Canadian teams are watching the Canadian dollar drop with clenched fists. Analysts predicted earlier this year. If it continues, there will be cracks in this post-CBA feel-good cap rising. Could Canadian teams feel a pinch if this becomes a much longer trend? After all, NHL players are paid in American dollars.
The NHL chugs along with its niche market share, whistle Dixie, but there is a foul storm a coming if things continue with a prolonged downturn. A fan penny-pinch will mean less ticket sales. Less products sold. Less food chewed and drink swilled. Less things thrown on the ice, which Sweden officials might breathe a sigh of relief.
After all, Jelly Dongs don’t grow on trees.
Point is that the NHL and many markets can easily get wrapped up in this economic tidal wave along with fans that have been coming out and buying merchandise. They might want to really consider a bit more than just inviting a controversial Hockey Mom to drop pucks. Because in the end, there will be less dropped dollars on the line soon enough if things continue.
In NY, due to the local baseball teams tanking, we've noticed a lot more hockey being played at local bars here on Long Island and in NYC. Not all markets, however, have the luxury to capitalize on high-money baseball failure. Meanwhile, one of the top markets in all of hockey sit with a team still trying to raise itself from the doldrums in Toronto.
There are good things, bad things, and some ugly that might be peeking down the line. Enjoy the season, but Casey Jones, watch your speed.
-BD
How am I driving? Email: B.D. Gallof 
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