In Glacialis Blog

Pro vos moere super alius viscus in turba agri of blogs, animadverto quisnam is est secundum keyboard. Yesterday, Dmitry Chesnokov sent nos vox ut Alexander Ovechkin eram super libro suus own blog. Hodie, secundum confirmation, is has dummodo link.

Tametsi is ero valde audire sententia ex Sasha sui, suus’ in Russian. Quod inibi lies rub; si vos es non felicis satis habeo obvius ut reddo vox of Dmitry, Babel Piscis piscis ero vestri amicus.

Ex a Babel Piscis piscis reddo:

“in magis retineo super panton vos iam ero validus ut lego in meus bloge. Ut mihi is mos valde volup animadverto vos hic puella, socius quod totus fans of Russian lusum. Nos mos socius hic tenus possible. EGO mos refero vestri questions, quod vos mos succurro mihi disco novus ex Russia; ) Spero ut is blog mos licentia in totus a bonus impression.”

Vacuus porro ado, utorAlexander Ovechkins’ Blog. Quod exspectata ut blogosphere, Alex.

In veneratio of Opus Dies Weekend, hic’ primoris in a serius of hockey- commemoro videos ex Canadian- producto produxi productum ostendoQuam Suus’ No. Scientia Channel portatus ostendo in U.S.

EGO sententia Canadian Mike Myers eram a hockey fan? If sic, quispiam induco suus fan stipes pecto: Myers est stilus quod stelliger in a Romanorum adveho accersitus Diligo Guru, co- stelliger Justicia Timberlake ut Jacque Amplitudo of L.A. Rex rgis.

Oh, is doesnt’ terminus illic; Verne “Mini- Mihi” Troyer lascivio cogo of Toronto Maple Folium quod Jessica Alba est aut Folium’ erus vel astrum’ diligo penitus ( iacio isnt’ finalized). Certus, Alba mos suggero mirus oculus candy—particularly si is lascivio a mute—but vere, is est iacio ut Myers contraho parumper hockey adveho? Maybe is instar ut Timberlake mos addo nonnullus intentio ut lusum ex non-fans… tamen EGO dont’ animadverto avid Teen Pello pepulli pulsum lector torrens sicco emo season tickets secundum seeing membrana.

Dont’ adepto mihi nefas: Timberlake can exsisto a funny guy. Suus SNL “Dck* in a Arca archa” video (embedded subter supter) est a ordo, quod suus recurring verto ut Robin Gibb in SNLs’ Sterilis Gibb Sermo Ostendo sketches est rideo risi risum- sicco-loud hysterical.

Tamen animadverto quis illud duos fun Timberlake exempoator have in vulgaris: sono Nisi theyre’ planning facio Diligo Guru in a musical… tamen haud, Ive’ said nimium. Si Myers gets ventus illius informatio is iustus may operor is.

Membrana satus in Toronto tunc mensis, sic vado in usque stargaze quod vigilo partum of a Hollywood Zamboni pessum do. Im’ hoping Im’ mortuus wrong and evenit futurus a goofy adveho prosperitas a la exemplarAustin Vox velWaynes’ Universitas.

Tamen donatus premise quod iacio, Id’ narro suus’ magis amo ut Michael Vick populus 2008 Westminster Kennel Stipes Canis Ostendo.

Ut primoris seen inMike Vogels’ blog quod laxus renuntio per team, Lavatio Caput have left hockey- exosus SportsTalk980 quod subcribo a tracto Bonneville International Corporation. Caps ero auditus inSermo Radio 3WT procul 107.7 FM, sesquimellesimus Sum, quod 820 Sum. Bonneville est parentis vexillum of WTOP, quod aired Caps nonnullus annus tergum.

Bonneville has shuffled plures constituo quod frequentatio in permaneo three annus per tardus advenio is September. Is eramrenuntio is week ut Bonnevilles’ consortio per Lavatio Stipes pro Lavatio Stipes Radio, WTWP, mos terminus in September 20th.

“ novus constituo mos pluma locus quod syndicated sermo ostendo ut restituo programming dummodo per Stipes. WWWT, dubbed “ sermo Radio 3WT,” mos suscipio airing Sept. 20. WWWT ero simulcast in idem eadem idem frequentatio in quod Lavatio Stipes Radio iam airs: sesquimellesimus Sum, 107.7 FM quod 820 AM.”

press solvo ex Lavatio Caput civitas ut duos- annus paciscor mos accerso totus 82 venatus futurus broadcast, comprehendo pre- quod postgame ostendo. constituo mos quoque aer a weekly unus- hora Caput magazine ostendo in Imbuo nox noctis procul 6 p.m pariter ut crux crucis promotions in sanctimonialis constituo WTOP (103.5 FM quod 103.9 FM).

“The addition of alius premier professio lusum suffragium in nostrum radio constituo planto nos plumbum suggero of lascivio- per- lascivio lusum in Lavatio in unus of plurrimi recedentia- tenus signum in area,” said Bonneville D.C. senex vitium praesieo Joel Oxley. “The iunctura of compelling sermo per dies, quod lascivio- per- lascivio lusum procul nox noctis quod in weekend vindico a validus programming versus pro 3WT.”

“We es fervidus ut socius per Bonneville quod addo nostrum venatus ut talis validus signals,” Caput chairman quod major domus erus Ted Leonsis said. “This consensio mos sino Caput fans per tellus audire nostrum venatus, quod promotional elementum mos succurro nos pervenio novus fans ut well.”

Is est praeclarus novus pro Caps’ fans, ut sesquimellesimus frequentatio est a whopping 50,000 watts quod can audimini procul a aliquanto loginquitas ex Quin Center, singulariter procul nox noctis.

Dont’ specto ullus lacrima futurus effundo ex sic- accersitusLusum Opinio.

In Wednesdays’ CapsReport, a auditor asked Mike Vogel ut forecast Caps’ porro versus iunctura pro 2007-’08. Ut’ usquequaque a fun offseason exerceo. Ut vos vires specto, illic erant haud admiratio inter Vogels’ caput capitis 6. Tamen ut is got ut tertius versus MV dedi sursum nonnullus scrupulosa:

Pettinger-Gordon-Steckel.

Res Pettinger est an statutum tempus talentum in magnus league. Boyd Gordon had quis certainly videor futurus a effrego annus in suus professio tutela permaneo season, admittedly in suus infantia. Tamen Dave Steckel? An L.A. Rex rgis’ iacio duos seasons abhinc, mereo ordinarius quod maximus minutes in a lascivio aspiring stipes?

Vos bet.

Steckel meritus a opulenter mereo mereor dico per Caps tardus permaneo season secundum piling sursum tutela obscoena numerus pro Ipsa Gero, quod in a venatus in Atlanta in April 4, socius a ovis of glacies per amo of Ilya Kovalchuk, Caltha Hossa, quod Alexander Ovechkin, Steckel scamnum sicco ut optimus ludio ludius in glacies in totus three plaga. Is est quis EGO wrote super suus effectus pro OFB sequens oriens:

“ Dave Steckel EGO vigilo in Atlanta permaneo nox noctis vultus identical ut unus EGO secuutus sursum in Novus Hampshire quod Pelagus permaneo mensis — vis in duos ends of rink, tamen per unus key ornamentum: is aliquando left glacies in suus Bears’ sudo pro versus changes. Tamen permaneo nox noctis pro Cogo Hanlon, I’m non certus EGO saw him licentia glacies in tertius period.

“is eram unus venatus, tamen in season intus a season, unus qua plures guys es condita editio ut procuratio super jobs pro autumn, Dave Steckel permaneo nox noctis renuntio quinymo loudly ut he’s amo facio a serius run procul a roster macula per parentis stipes adveho palaestra castra”

Inter six weeks laxus, EGO eram sessio in Giant Center press arca archa tunc ut Joe Nidor per Gero’ postseason run. Quondam iterum, Steckel eram a sto in ovis subter supter. Per Vogs ut meus vox, is eram a press row chock plenus of Steckel boosters, tamen Nidor’ reflections in Gero’ rector vere caught meus intentio: “is should have been a [Caps’] ordinarius permaneo season,” Nidor told mihi.

Steckel had multus of folks in D.C. purgamentum suum eyes admiratio si theyd’ lego quis theyd’ vere lego in praeter pauci venatus ratio permaneo season. Is ustulo quinque shorthanded calx pro Gero in ordinarius season, comprehendo unus obviam Albany in April 18 dum caedes a 5- in-3 Flumen Rats vox lascivio.

Alius res Vogel may have had in mens Wednesday meridianus eram Steckels’ res Boyd Gordons’ linemate per Gero’ postseason proficiscor ut Calder Vas in 2006. They erant duos of Hersheys’ optimus ludio ludius tunc, utilitas probus per Bruce Boudreau in totus venatus locus.

Ultra a verus magnus pro physique quod duos rectus seasons of significant development, Steckel mos addo ut Caps’ palaestra castra in duos weeks’ vicis a reputation namque optimus reputo of venatus ut hes’ sicco in glacies. Sit quoque fantastic in duco. Vogel may vel may non have had ut in mens yesterday in suus versus formations; si hes’ vox, ut Boyd Gordon gets fugo ex visio orbis is season, is could exsisto restituo per suus par procul duco. Sic duos- tertius of Caps’ tertius versus would exsisto inclutus inclitus pro suus ars reputo, defensabiliter awareness, visio acumen, quod fiducia in sulum plaga of glacies. Quod exsisto iunctus per significantly ingeniosus Pettinger.

In suus tertius plenus season secundum Caps’ scamnum Glen Hanlon est iens habeo quot versus iunctura bene ut hes’ umquam had. Plurrimi infigo may insisto magnus guns in caput capitis 6 quod suo a uber forensis of duos- via torqueo ut lascivio a ingens persona in plumbum Caps tergum ut league- prolixus honestas.

Fere totus of Dan Steinbergs’ dizzying subcribo talentum es in propono huicfantastic lima. Is moneo nos of quare nos erant sic effusio in nostrum laus of suus opus mane permaneo autumn tunc effor licentio ut is desolo nostrum lusum per hiberna quod ver. Ut vos lego lima, scisco vestri is question: could suus prosperitas have been perficio had suus satus been in ullus ballpark vel lascivio agri alius rink?

Nos reputo suus’ a rhetoricus question.

Usquam, suus’ a ingurgito affero procul a puck- astrum period in calendar. May is exsisto mereo Bogs’ palaestra castra in a season- porro diligo res per a thema magnificus dignus suus talents. 

In decertatio ut wasnt’ ut propinquus ut denique ustulo, Canalis took Venatus 2 in Eximius Serius per a 3 0 procerus. Is eram a magis physical conflictus quam Venatus 1, quod had aliquantulus of trado pariter, per a lux lucis vestis of fog in lascivio superficies. Notabilis ut Caps fans est ut Josh Godfrey ( canalis) quod Simeon Varlamov (Russia) did non lascivio.

• Canalis’ tutaminis est valde bonus, tamen Russian team didnt’ tendo urgeo socors procul vel vires procul totus. Russias’ offa erant pelagus ex perimeter, per a Canadian ludio ludius in inter surculus quod Jonathan Bernier. Simplex loco, obviam talentum campester of Canadians, ut’ an praeclarus via perdo a hockey venatus. Is vires non exsisto fun, tamen Russian porro may postulo ut vir- sursum quod vado vox in dentibus of tutaminis ut partum ustulo chances.
• Torqueo Sutter certainly brought suus physical venatus hodie, conicio plures magnus hits, comprehendo a altus ledo in Alexei Cherepanov, quod eram penalized.
• Narro of Cherepanov, solers volatilis est certainly an interesting ludio ludius. Exertus praecessi caput capitis 5 in 2007 Draft, is lubricus ut Rangers procul 17th. Suus’ non ferreus video vidi visum quare suus solers- paro est altus sententia of, ut is traho plures valde lubricus permoveo, comprehendo a nice torqueo- quod- extraho in vox lascivio statuo a teammate. Procul unus cuspis, is videor vexo per Canalis peractio suum reprehendo, quod threw unus of suus own. Ut said, is ludio ludius intentus in perimeter, quod plures of suus offa erant foris.
• Canalis’ primoris calx highlighted distinctus inter teams: Turris quod Perron ( quisnam ustulo in an praeclarus unique nixus laxus in venatus) opus a tribuo- quod- vado amo they had been practicing is una pro mensis, praecessi in Canadians’ primoris calx. Russian team, vero, vultus discerpo quod uncoordinated, quod ut they had facio praeter unus obduco statuo a lascivio, is videor occumbo seorsum pro lemma.
• Karl Alzner wasnt’ ut noticeable huic venatus ut is eram in Venatus 1, quod ut’ forsit a bonus res. Is may sumptus him a chance procul inhio fur hat, vero.

Non plus loquor quam ut. Team Canalis vultus amo a puteus-oiled apparatus quod Team Russia vultus amo a contraho of unique talentum, per predictable praecessi. Nisi Russian squad traho una ut a team quod gets inconsideratus in socors, prospicio of lemma captus decertatio ex suum North American certantibus videor tenuis.

Iocus’ Rink permissum Caput’ angustus season ticket contemplatio ex pera ut quondam iterum broached thema of “ glacies Puella”. Neither OrderedChaos neque nec EGO suscipio season ticket contemplatio, sic nos dont’ teneo si is comprehendo praeter quinque questions memoratus per Iocus’.

Tametsi nos have penso informatio of Lavatio Caput’ Glacies Puella, nos dont’ teneo si is est a perfectus paciscor necne. Potissimum ceterus teams have iam held suum tryouts. Est Lavatio secundum curvo, sic oro? Vel have eximius specialis auditions iam been held quod glacies puella es promptus pello pepulli pulsum glacies in September 8th?

In ullus theca, nos erant curiosus ut ut quot alius teams have talis squads. refero may admiratio vos.

• Anaheim Ducks Vox Ludio ludius
• Atlanta Thrashers Puteulanus Crew
• Boston Frendo Glacies Puella ( link ut Glacies Puella pelagus page eram lost secundum profugus ut NHL servo)
• Calgary Flamma Glacies Crew
• Carolina Turbo Tempestas Squad
• Pullus Blackhawks Glacies Crew
• Columbus Puteulanus Jackets (quisnam vere have 2 humus) - Vox Patronus & Glacies Crew
• Dallas Astrum Glacies Puella
• Florida Pardus Glacies Presul
• Nashville Predators (quisnam quoque have 2 humus)
• Calx Puella
• Presul
• NY Insula Glacies Puella
• Ottawa Orchestra Vox Patronus (magis of a phasmatis humus quinymo quam glacies puella/cheerleaders)
• Philadelphia Flyers Glacies Team
• Phoenix Coyotes Sarcina
• Pitsburgh Penguins Pens Patronus (magis of a phasmatis humus quinymo quam glacies puella/cheerleaders)
• Tampa Sinus Levitas Puella
• Vancouver Canucks Glacies Team

update[: Dan Steinberg est procul Kettler quod has non seen ullus “ glacies- substructio letifico alio”]
update[ 2: Dan Steinberg suscipio confirmation ex Nate Ewell, Presul of Interventus Consanguinei, ut illic erohaud glacies- substructio letifico alio roaming Phone Tabernus is season.]

Fans of Lavatio Caput hockey, rejoice: team privatus retineo super suum Rookie Castra quod Palaestra Castra, quod is vultus futurus per celebration. Fan Solemnitas satus in Friday, Sept. 14, secundum a unus-week Rookie Castra; hic’ a sampling of vices:

• Kids Dies, featuring a kids’ solers competition, a kids- tantum chirographum session, visio pictor, caricature artifex, quod a “ proprius giveaway”
• Vir Dies, dedicated ut veneratio locus vir in bellicus, excolo muneris, firefighters, quod primoris respondeo
• A urbs aula- penicullus placitum per Ted Leonsis
• Rutilus Thursdays, ut totus fans taedium rutilus ut Kettler Caput Iceplex mos suscipio a solvo ticket ut a preseason venatus
• Viewings of Calder, Rex rgis Gens, Norris quod Vezina trophies

Plenus retineo es in Caput’ site. Animadverto vos illic!

Iustus a hunch, tamen secundum quis nos saw Monday in villa in Richmond, EGO suspectus nos moris’ ultum audite Baha Mens’ “ quisnam Permissum Dogs Sicco?” ludio ludius super NFLs’ loudspeakers orsa Sunday secundum tunc. (amo EGO knew quisnam Baha Men erant; proh, Google.) Dico is Genu-jerks of an incrementabiliter disaffected contemporary lusum fan.

• An ESPN Radio personality took ut Vulpes volpes Novus permaneo nox noctis quod opinio ut utpote annus 2000, praeter 300 NFLers have been prehendo. Praeterthree centum. Is ESPN personality relatum ut is civitas of res ut leagues’ “ escendo of criminality.” Ya reputo?

• Mos nos postulo an additional Villa channel mereo tectum scelestus jurisprudence of parcus, non-hockey- lascivio pro athlete?

• Is would exsisto interesting redeo in vicis, ut ESPNs’ instituo annus of 1979, quod foedus a weeks’ dignitas of SportsCenter repono tunc ut they finitumus athlete scelestus poema poematis ut of super 25 annus laxus.

• Vestigium Twain est refer habeo praeclarus said ut is volo ut exsisto in Cincinnati in dies orbis terrarum nisus, instar is would terminus illic aliquanto laxus. Tamen quis si Twain could have been induco ut contemporary Cincinnati Bengals, quisnam own suum mediocris partis of quantum quam 300 perp ingredior? “volo ut exsisto in Newark in dies orbis terrarum ends” doesnt’ per have idem eadem idem orbis prurigo.

• In current escendo of lusum scelestus, we can really admit any further discussion of closing Gitmo?

• On relativity: I’m going to be in the Midwest this Labor Day weekend, keeping an eye on my beloved Fighting Irish footballers. Years back, the then perceived ruffian Miami Hurricanes visited Notre Dame Stadium, and ND students t-shirt marketed the matchup as “Catholics vs. Convicts.” Steve Walsh I believe was the ‘Canes QB then. But beyond being a bit boorish for the times, did the ‘Canes of ‘90 really have anything on the gridiron grossness of today?

• I have it on reasonably good authority that the NFL’s Security Office employs no small number of successfully recruited, or retired-from-but-still-in-their-prime, FBI personnel. Apparently they are very, very busy in the leadup to the NFL draft. A pro league might do well to hire a Bureau vet to head up its security office, but a veritable army of them?

• He’d never admit it, but if anyone in America is grateful (in muted fashion) for the current mess in Atlanta and Virginia, it’s David Stern. Doesn’t the Pacers-Pistons brawl of 2004, and all of the talking head tongue wringing it ocassioned, seem like a calamity of about 22 years ago?

• A generation or so ago pro tennis was plagued by bad actors on its courts, and today it’s known for the comparatively quiet and respectful demeanor of its athletes. I get mildly optimistic thinking about this example. But then I think: there’s a world of difference between Ille Nastase screaming obscenities at a linesman and say a QB electrocuting or hanging canines.

Actually this splendid chapeau is the Most Valuable Player hat, worn by 2007 Capitals draftee Karl Alzner after Game 1 of the Canada-Russia Super Series hockey tournament.

The Caps today announced the re-signing of defenseman John Erskine to a two-year pact. Erskine, 27, missed almost 40 games last season with a fractured foot and a dislocated thumb, but the 6 ‘4, 216-pound rearguard brings some much-needed snarl to the Caps’ blueline. He plays a simple but effective game in his own end. His seven points in just 29 games with the Caps in ‘06-07 were a career best.   

Per Nate Ewell of the Washington Capitals Media Relations Department, General Manager George McPhee is scheduled to appear on XM’s Home Ice, channel 204, at 4pm today for an hour of Capitals talk.

Unfortunately, none of us at OFB is an XM subscriber, so we would appreciate any updates from our readers.

The first Juniors Super Summit game was a push-me, pull-you affair: the Russian team got ahead and seemed to be in command early, but Canada’s smart, physical game eventually broke through to the tune of a 4 2 win over the hosts.

• Karl Alzner’s game is often described as ’smooth’, and today was no different, less an out-of-character tripping penalty. The Caps’ first pick in the 2007 draft has an effortless stride, a low panic-point, and an active stick. He poke-checked a puck destined to be a Russian open-net tally out of danger, blocked a shot man-down, and received plenty of ice time. Not flashy, but effective.
• Josh Godfrey (drafted 34th overall in 2007) demonstrated his power point shot three or four times, though he only put it on-cage once. He didn’t seem to get many even-strength minutes, but was a fixture on the power play, and his slapshot drew comparisons with Al MacInnis’. Later, he showed decent speed by getting back to try and foil a Russian short-handed chance.
• Both goaltenders gave up some soft goals, but Canadian netminder Steve Mason settled down later in the game, where Simeon Varlamov (drafted 23rd overall, 2006) of Russia struggled for consistency and was weak on the ice, allowing several 5-hole strikes and giving up all of Canada’s goals low.
• The Canadians looked faster than the Russians overall, and were much more aggressive on the forecheck.
• Canada carried the physical play for the most part, but the best hit of the day may have been Russia’s Vyatcheslav Voynov clobbering pheonom John Tavares in the first.
• Evgeni Dadonov was one of the few forwards that showed a pulse for the host team, using his speed to get wide on Canada’s defense and create several scoring chances.
• Alexei Cherepanov displayed some of his exciting skill-set, but didn’t figure on the score sheet, and didn’t have many scoring chances.

In the end, the game was decided by a combination of Canada’s excellent penalty killing and Russia’s confused-looking power play. The referees called things very tight, and the special teams of each squad got quite the work-out. If Russia wants to get back in the series, it seems that Varlamov must settled down, and Russia must convert on their man-up opportunities.

Mostly, however, it’s nice to see competitive hockey again. The level of young talent and passion on the ice is an excellent lead-in to the 2007-2008 NHL campaign.

As the calendar pages slowly turn, competitive hockey returns in the form of the Canada/Russia Super Series, a set of 8 games, 4 in Russia and 4 in Canada, contested by some of the best young hockey talent both countries have to offer. Why does this matter to Caps fans? Well, a quick look at Canada’s roster shows that the Caps’ top two picks in the 2007 draft, Karl Alzner and Josh Godfrey, will be representing their native Canada while 2006 Caps draftee Simeon Varlamov will be patrolling the net for the Russian squad.

The series kicks off this morning at 9 am EST, and you can find broadcast information here.

Here’s the latest on the Verizon Center’s new screens: Mitsubishi Electric is installing the first-ever indoor High Definition LED scoreboard, and it looks to be a doozy.

According to LEDs Magazine, the Phone Booth’s four new screens will be 14′ 5″ high and 25′ 2″ wide (total screen area of 365 square feet each). The United Center in Chicago has a similar setup, though it’s two years older, a bit smaller, and not true HD (take that, Blackhawks!). The photo at the right is from the United Center, just to give you a taste of what’s to come; for more information on the Verizon Center’s new system, read on:

In addition to the high-definition boards, the new center-hung scoreboard will also feature four 10mm 5-foot, 3-inch high by 25-foot 6-inch wide LED video matrixes and two 20mm LED rings.

“Arenas are being built all over the country and in order to compete, you need to be ahead of the curve,” said Abe Pollin, chairman of Washington Sports & Entertainment. “Partnering with ANC Sports and Mitsubishi Electric, who have created the first true high definition scoreboard, is a perfect example and we’re excited to be able to expand our resume of firsts for sports and entertainment facilities.”

Operated through ANC’s unique VisionSOFT software application, the signage system is capable of exhibiting separate game prompts, statistics and 3D animation in real time to build an energetic environment throughout the building.

“We are excited to partner with Washington Sports & Entertainment in delivering a one-of-a-kind event experience at Verizon Center,” said Jerry Cifarelli, president and CEO of ANC Sports Enterprises. “Combining Mitsubishi’s technology with ANC’s revolutionary software and graphic content will create visuals that indoor entertainment has never been able to feature before.”

No official go-live date has yet been announced; it’s slated for completion some time this autumn. Soon the Verizon Center’s video system will be the class of both the NHL and NBA.

I am excited about the system not only for Capitals games, but also for concerts. This summer I’ve seen the Virgin Festival at Pimlico, Rush at Nissan Pavilion, and The Police in Hershey. All three shows were a blast, but the screens were woefully inadequate at each venue.

The Phone Booth is already an appealing concert spot due to its public transportation-friendly location; the heinous traffic to and from the three locations mentioned above seriously detracted from the overall concert experience. These new HD screens will make the Verizon Center an even better concert destination than it already is, and they should certainly enhance the in-game experience for Capitals and Wizards fans alike.

OFB is fortunate to have some of the best readers in the blogosphere. Case in point, friend and loyal reader Tomppav sent us a much needed bit of fresh hockey news and video to help us bide our time for the next two weeks until rookie camp starts.

Team Jagr played a friendly match twice against Team Demitra this week. Washington Capital Milan Jurcina played on Pavol Demitra’s team and former Capital Jiri Novotny was on Jaromir Jagr’s.

Here’s line-ups and box scores for the games.

Jágr Team roster:
Kopřiva (30. Pöpperle)
Melichar, T. Kaberle, Pilař, Schnabel, Krajíček, Stehlík, Rozsíval
Jágr, Hrdina, Ručinský Hlinka, Plekanec, Hemský Tlustý, Kotalík, Průcha Novotný

Demitra Team roster:
Halák
Meszároš, Chára, Višňovský, Škoula, Jurčina, Sekera
Marián Hossa, Demitra, Gáborík Ronald Petrovický, Nagy, Kopecký Marcel Hossa, Radivojevič, Bartovič Boogard

Game 1 : Demitra Team 6 Jagr Team 5
Goals and assists:

Game 2 : Jagr Team 9 Demitra Team 7
Goals and assists:

You can watch the game via this link:
http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/specialy/mshokej2007/?video_id=875

Thanks again to Tomppav for the info and link.

“No five-hole, no five-hole . . . Oops, forgot about glove.”

I greatly appreciate my bloggermate Orderedchaos’ initial survey of preseason prediction silliness. Outside of Entertainment Tonight, there can be little in this world as vacuous and vapid as “experts” engaged in summertime “prognosticating” about the performance of sports teams.

I’m a college football enthusiast, and there are at least a half dozen published preseason magazines on newsstands this month, all offering specific rankings for all 117 D-I college football teams. Each team has 85 scholarship players, with approximately 20 graduating and 20 newly arriving each season. Many returning players markedly remake their bodies over the offseason with increasingly sophisticated and effective physique-altering training regimens. They also mature. There are, additionally, widespread personnel changes among the ranks of teams’ assistant coaches every offseason.

All of these publications have their preseason forecasts put to bed long before players report for physicals for fall camp. In short, the variables of change in college football are staggeringly enormous from season to season, and yet few of them are reflected in these “forecasts.” Still, the editors of these magazines would have you believe that from their New York offices they can accurately, magically divine the fates of nearly 10,000 football players scattered across the country, most of whom they’ve never seen play.

It is with the same skeptical, dismissive eye that we ought to weigh NHL forecasts offered up in summer. These endeavors are franchises of fraud. That Sports Illustrated could label the ‘05-’06 Carolina Hurricanes a lottery loser and then watch them go on to hoist Lord Stanley seven months later should forever preclude the magazine from forecasting again. There’s getting it wrong and then there’s blindfolded dart-throwing. In the case of the ‘05-’06 NHL season, dart throwing would have aided SI.

Now to be fair, the league had been shut down the preceding season by the lockout. But even in the instances of uninterrupted competition, across sports, these forecasts are exercises in little more than slickly marketed, superficial guesswork. And they are unified in their being reliably wrong. They exist because they exploit the sports fans’ enduring and insatiable thirst to know what will lie ahead for their heroes. And they are partly fueled by the troubling intersection of modern sports and high-stakes gambling (on- and off line). The fantastic popularity of fantasy sports participation has also mushroomed the popularity of the forecasting industry.

As mindless diversion for beach chair reading, they do no real harm. But they take on a larger-than-life credibility as their rankings and rationales are echoed about message boards and blogs and picked up and regurgitated by the electronic editions of mainstream media outlets. Hockey in particular ranks among the most difficult of sports to forecast; it is why there’s so little action on it in Vegas. How do you wager on or forecast a goalie standing on his head? On some nights, you know, Kerry Fraser doesn’t bring his best evaluative acumen to the sheet.

The Capitals, a few early prognosticators have weighed in upon, will make only modest improvement in the standings this season over the previous two. They will miss the postseason again, we are told.

Such assessments can only be premised on this variable: the team’s free agents signings were nice or decent but not on the order of rink shattering. But no one can know how Nicklas Backstrom will adjust to hockey in North America on the smaller sheet and over 80-plus games in his rookie season. The difference between his notching say 47 points versus 67 points almost certainly determines the team’s playoff viability, but who is confidently able to tell us which tally will prove true?

Who among the soothsayers knows how much if at all the team is improved in the shootout? Will Kolzig hold up and perform at an elite level for at least say 65 games? And certainly the team’s young blueline must have been judged in a development vacuum, within which none of Steve Eminger, Milan Jurcina, Shaone Morrisonn, and Mike Green could appreciably improve over a year ago . . . else, joined by the improvements up front, the team would have to seriously flirt with the postseason, if not outright qualify.

Hockey, too, has its future shrouded in a marvelous mystery of the unknown impact delivered from abroad. Raise your hand if last summer you saw 40 goals in Alexander Semin’s 2006-07 arsenal. You probably had Petr Prucha down for 30 in his rookie season on Broadway, too. It is North American media offering up these rigid preseason assessments, none with any notion of what impact virtually every team will enjoy from its new imports.

Hockey prose is fine for inclusion in any Labor Day beach reading list, just know that if it’s marketed as new season forecast, it’s fiction.

NHL preseason predictions, as with all sports, are generally silly. With summer roster turnover dramatically changing teams and significantly altering team chemistry, picking season-ending positions at this point is like playing fantasy hockey—too much fantasy, not enough reality.

Nonetheless, The Hockey News and McKeen’s have published their 2007-08 predictions. Not surprisingly, the Capitals get no respect. Here are the Eastern Conference rankings:

While it’s somewhat gratifying that both sources see the newly-bolstered Flyers missing the playoffs, THN predicts a tenth-place Capitals finish, and McKeen’s sees the Caps in 12th. We don’t have Sports Illustrated’s ‘07-’08 forecast yet, but as a reminder of the generally wildly erroneous status these evaluations carry, in 2005-06, SI predicted Carolina finishing 28th out of 30 teams. Cam Ward didn’t get that memo.