In Glacialis Blog

SI.com nuper did a column super quinque pessimus stadiums. Is got mihi reputo super hockey pulvis; erant’ felicis in Lavatio habeo a valde unus iam ( sententia nonnullus vires oro ut Solio Centre had suus deliciae). Nimirum, non totus teams es sic felicis. Hic’ pauci off caput capitis of meus caput capitis:

- Nassau Mausoleum Coliseum. Ut vox “ senium” est saepius adsuesco assuesco exsequor vestri pulvis, vos teneo suus’ nocens.

- Mellon Pulvis. Non totus vetus pulvis es awful; Im’ a ingens fan of ancient compages amo RFK vel Dodger Stadium, quod EGO diligo Vet. Tamen is est unus locus ut’ preteritus suus prime. Fortuna pro Pens fans, they tantum have pauci magis annus perfero illic.

- Aer Canalis Centre. EGO teneo, Im’ in pupillus hic. Tamen super beer vitualamen ( diversus amplitudo of beer, quod beer Vendolius), EGO wasnt’ desparatus infigo. Is wasnt’ pessimus pulvis Ive’ been in, tamen EGO didnt’ amo railings inter rows ( in nosebleeds, usquam) quod res eatenus a factum. consentaneus (pictured) vultus magis amo they erant secui of a dollhouse quam an pulvis. UtiqueMaple Folium Ortus had verus character quod a melior locus. (ego did, vero, utor ACCs’ mini-museum of Folium history.)

Suus’ aliquantulus tristis ut plurimus pulvis es mereo acceptable, instead of palmarium. Tunc iterum, is doesnt’ succurro ut pulvis es typically multi- utor facilities, quod hockey teams have communico tractus per NBA teams vel ambitus. Nonnullus Id’ amo impetro ut totus of pulvis, similis ut 30 Venatus in 30 Nox noctis guy, quod expiscor optimus of bunch. Suus’ quoque securus ut reperio pessimus ones.

Meus three astrum of seasons’ primoris vicus es:

(3) Pascal Leclaire — backstopper of BlueJackets, disbelievingly in lascivio litis, per a .940 servo percentage, 1.59 calx- obviam ( secundus- optimus in league) quodquinque shutouts. Hes’ meus Vezina Trophy victor pro prothoplastus vicus;

(2) Henrik Zetterberg — antea a magnificabiliter ustulo porro, iam a superstar, quod videlicet a magis dynamic talentum sursum frons pro Pennae quam Interfixus Datsyuk. Nunc futurus pensus sic?;

(1) Vincent Lecavalier — simplex having suus optimus season ut a pro, leagues’ plumbum ustulo per 32 pts.; dominion suus contradictio quod condita quis eram puto futurus a caput capitis- gravis somes of Telum’ porro in a primoris versus ut’ sic bonus is res parum quis contributions, si ullus, insisto. Hes’ meus Hart Trophy victor pro prothoplastus vicus.

Recolitus profero: Jarome Iginla (26 cuspis in 19 venatus) est having an MVP species season, tamen hes’ laboriosus in a nixor Flamma stipes. Quod Comcast, pro coming per per NHL CenterIce, NHL Network, quod Lisa Tumulosus.

Cado astrum:

(3) Lavatio Caput

(2) Proficiscor Andre Fleury

(1) Reebok

Midwest Mojo: Redivivus in Pullus quod St. Louis es ahead of passus quod infigo. Pium Kane est meus Calder Trophy victor pro prothoplastus vicus. Robert Lingua, per 19 cuspis in 20 venatus, quod skating a +7, est giving Hawks subtilis quidam quaedam quedam quidam uber, veteran gubernatio theyd’ spes pro in caput capitis versus. Etiam, Hawks have proventus — in suum tergum terminus. Theyve’ trado 61 calx, quod utriusque Khabibulin quod Lalime lusum sub-.900 servo percentages. Tamen secundum a decade of dreariness, Hawks es fun ut vigilo iterum. plumbum ustulo pro Puteulanus es greybeards Paul Kariya quod Keith Tkachuk. Exinde, suus’ a lunchpail outfit ut’ outworking suus inimicus. Illic’ multus of juvenis illius roster, sic is may fulcio ut season progrsses. Quod quis of Rudis, vindicatum of Jiri Novotny quod Kris Beech? They es duodeviginti obvius Occasus, quod 6-2-1 domi.

In Oriens, Montreal quod Insula have been attonitus prosperitas repono. Suus’ a pondera tentatio in Montreal: Habs iam have duodeviginti ludio ludius in geminus digits in ustulo. Quod memor quam everybody in hockey eram misericordia Isles secundum oris hora of solvo procurator, ut guys amo Jason Blake, Tom Venenum, quod Viktor Kozlov telum? Ted Nolan est opus suus secundus consecutive miracle in Isle.

Vires in Michaels. Mike Richards quod Mike Cammalleri have talea sicco take- is- ut--bank Totus Astrum venatus lectio. Richards (23 cuspis in 19 venatus) est Philadelphias’ plurimus convenienter quod dynamic tractare, a cuspis-per- venatus ludio ludius quisnam is season has transitioned ex spondeo youngster ut elite, caput- species talentum. Suus three shorthanded procerus plumbum league. Cammalleri (12 calx, 7 succurro) est orsa ut vultus multus amo Occasus placitum’ poema poematis of Bellicus St. Louis.

Jolly Ole Uber St. Nik. Nik Antropov est sanus quod lascivio virtually a cuspis-a- venatus hockey pro Folium, quod skating a +9. Quisnam knew is could? Is had 33 cuspis permaneo season, quod a altus of 16 calx quod 29 succurro in 2002-03. Obviously hes’ in passus parumper tutela annus. Alex Kovalev est in passus pro 40 calx. Meanwhile, Jonathon Cheeechoo has iustus 3 calx in 21 venatus pro Partis. Jaromir Jagr, Im’ tristis ut opinio, est in passus pro 16 calx is season, quod Sarcalogos Drury (3 calx!) vel minor. Etiam, suum Rangers have serio fervens sursum in Atlantic.

Jeremy Roenick — memor him? — est outscoring Mike Modano, Brendan Shanahan, Thomas Vanek, Drury, Sarcalogos Higgins, Vepres Gionta, quod Pium Mara. Unus of causa Tampa eram validus supersto damnum of Dan Boyle pro ultum of seasons’ primoris vicus eram lascivio of Paul Ranger: 4 calx, a +11, quod an validus pensator in vox lascivio cuspis.

Is certus videor tanquam Peter Forsberg has ludio ludius suus permaneo venatus in NHL, quod forsitan in pro hockey period. Tunc subsisto, Aula of Laus. Minor liberaliter sidelined, in meus ratio, es Scott Niedermayer quod Teamu Selanne, quisnam videor ut volo permitto suum Ducks teammates ut umerus humerus mane ordinarius seasons’ bumps quod livor pro forsitan rejoining lemma pro tendo run quod postseason. Im’ rumex, tamen hockey ludio ludius lascivio hockey ut hockey satus, non perfectus. Vacuus lemma, vallo champion Ducks es tenura is una quinymo puteus.

Guy Carbonneau quod Ted Nolan partis Jack Insuadibilis Trophy pro seasons’ primoris vicus, ex meus vantage. Recolitus profero: Ken Hitchcock.

Permaneo nox noctis, EGO vigilo Flyers quod Insula pugna is sicco in Venatus 6 of 1980 Sto Vas Denique in NHL Network. Unus of res ut EGO couldnt’ succurro animadverto erant awesome mustaches, talis ut illud lusum per Bryan Trottier quod Expedio Gillies. Miserabile, they iustus dont’ grow ‘em amo ut anymore. Solus mustachioed vir quisnam statim adveho ut mens inter current NHL ludio ludius belongs ut Ducks: George Parros.

Est illic a ludio ludius sicco illic quisnam can erigo talea in mustaches? (illud nasty Oreo crustulum mustaches dont’ duco, aut) Olie had a bonus satus fere viginti annus abhinc, tamen is eventually added goatee pro eschewing facial saeta omnino. Lascivio barba quoque dont’ duco, acsi Ovechkin did lucror “ lascivio Barba of Mensis” exPlayoffBeard.com. Utpote fossa es cyclical, suus’ tantum a res of vicis pro mustache formo est tergum. Quod EGO dont’ volo video vidi visum illud penicullus- tenuis tardus ’80s mustaches. Reputo Ius Nazi ut econtra ut John Aequora.

Donatus Folium C Jiri Tlustys’ repensnaughty photo incident, maybe is should satus growing a magnus ol’ mustache illo dissimulo vultus ( tamen non quoque Volubilis Fingers vel quisquam). Iustus a sententia.

Vel in stipes- obfirmo NHL, astrum procul a 2-0 lacuna per alter intermission est daunting. Sessio tunc ut Gus, quod having absorbed duos periods of Caps outshooting quod outplaying Isles tamen vigilo reus bumfuzzle Caps — cosmic justicia pro nostrum rudis unmerited victoria in Insula 10 dies abhinc, EGO sententia — EGO told meus bloggermate, “ is would take lectulus miracle, sive they could iustus traho punctum ex is nuntius”

In cuspis of res, a fanaticus quod pervicax Caps’ team no tertius-period comeback vultus quinymo securus: is eram knotted sursum procul 2 puteus pro 10-minute vestigium of sto.

Tamen ut adversus centers took center- glacies duco a subitus mortifer, EGO verto iterum ut Gus quod said, “ congelo secui isnt’ necesse vesper res sursum, suus’ captus tunc step, vere victum, quod rapio a venatus per a plenus- in nixus per denique frame.”

Ive’ vigilo EGO reputo 10,000 hockey venatus in meus vita, forsitan magis. Ive’ seen comebacks subtilis amo Caps’ permaneo nox noctis a iugo of centum vicis. Nonaginta three vicis ex centum, Id’ praesumo, comeback kids fortiter constans themselves quod altivolus phasmatis of domus fautor ut stratosphere, tantum, utlimately, ut trinus themselves sursum, perdo, quod opus inritus.

Caput Sarcalogos Expedio, secundum Rick DiPietros’ net quod puck a inermis 199 feet, 9 inches ex Olie Kolzig, trinus sursum an Isles sedatus dum suus team eram in rabies’ plenus fuga. . . quod per ut erroris genitor terminus of comeback. EGO said quantus quantus ut Gus ut haud. 17 skated ut sin bin; is didnt’ velitatio mihi. Accidit fere sulum vicis. Is eram absolute pessimus locus in glacies sumo a poena procul valde pessimus vicis. A dementis comebacks’ navitas repente screeched sullen quod silens. Tunc vos could audite a callide gemo inter hockey cognescenti in suum sessio.

agnitio.

Nonnullus in Quin Center sto lima sicco permaneo nox noctis reputo of mollis ut slithered preteritus quod humiliated Kolzig. They erant mollis, etiam. They vulnero, certainly. Tamen they erant’ ut terminatio ut Expedio miscue.

threatening committo snake had been tabernus- venter in obsequens per Russian snake- lepor lepos taedium haud. 8. (nos in sto erant quinymo lepor lepos ut puteus) Is eram officium of suus teammates — totus of lemma — non ut permissum suum Bauers sursum off caput capitis of snake.

Duos minutes pro tripping.

viper recoiled.

Hockey teams amo Isles in suscipio terminus of talis torva surges es verum inops. Versus change inter dominor tamen glacies somes tilted. coaching baculus of beleaguered can hortor, reassure, vexo towels vel unda solum, is res nullus. Suus’ accersitus hockeys’ momentum, quod in tertius periods suus’ directus procul defying nex — losing. Quod may planto is sic validus, sic unprecedented ut ceterus of mane factum. Suus’ a rectus vis, vis 10 of rabies.

Quod is can exsisto laxo in an instant.

Insula erant sursum, quod Caps, puteus, suus’ ferreus loquor si they erant sursum vel down. Eram is a nocens venatus, vel est is suum verus campester? Illic videor futurus nonnullus sloppiness, quod tardus collapse est quispiam Caps’ fans es adsuesco assuesco ex preteritus duos seasons.

• Im’ non a bandwagon jumper, tamen maybe, iustus maybe, can nos suscipio reor ut vox lascivio est a forsit pro Caps? Quod suus’ non iustus alio? Questus plaga eram volo futurus a vires huic team, quod is eram ferreus ut vigilo rudimentum tonight. Weve’ auditus pro duos seasons ut is wasnt’ coaching, is eram talentum. Developing chemistry has been susurro-phrase pro molestus, tamen iterum, teams ut volo facio playoffs is annus postulo impetro res in ordo ASAP. cuspis in October duco iustus quantus quantus in Proficiscor, ita operor sollicitudo.
• Jeff Schultz vires non have had suus optimus dies. Is eram caught in haud- moenia’ terra in primoris calx, quod vultus ex genus. (emendo EGO mis-identified Venenum pro Schultz in primoris calx. Apologies ut totus secui involved.)
• Si Boyd Gordon est universus of Caps’ PK, ut may postulo oratio, quoque.
• Alex Ovechkin eram a domus in incendia quisnam had perturbo corralling puck, singulariter mane. EGO persevero ut admiratio si is postulo redeo ut a redactum- pandus virga, ut suus’ non suus offa ut est proventus, suus’ puck imperium.
• Ut said, bonus calx, Ocho.
• Caps sicco- offa Insula, tamen Ricky DiPietro didnt’ have congelo nox noctis of suus vita. Isles ludio ludius somes quod kept is simplex, plerumque, quod took commodum of a fortuitus reus.
• Vir, eram EGO nefas super Bill Guerin.
• Pestifer, ut a universus, postulo futurus conicio sicco fenestra ut is adveho ut is damnum. Is eram a winnable venatus, per ubertas of vicis, tamen Caps overhandled puck, exspecto diutius, quod didnt’ simplex. In a team per puck imperium talentum ut they have, queritor is ‘n’ rip is vires exsisto nonnullus decens consultum. Caps could utor nonnullus turpis calx.
• Brendan Witt eram ledo in vultus per a puck. Haud vox vel ullus threat ut receptum postea. Totus kidding aside, vos cant’ amo an malum amo ut quod nos spes suus’ nusquam ut mos causa ullus perturbo. Hopefully Witt est sursum quod tergum ut suus usitas peius- tempero ego nunc.
• Tomas Fleischmann had suus optimus venatus is season, vel discounting calx. Is had nonnullus voluntas amoveo, quod wasnt’ afraid protelo iuncus. Maybe caput capitis versus isnt’ locus pro him?
• Permaneo-minute addition: Nicklas Backstrom eram a magnus secui of causa ut Flesichmann ustulo hodie. Si nos could animadverto ut multus magis obvius tener Swedes’ tutela, ut would exsisto teres. Maybe vel predictable?

Ferreus ut exspecto totus week parumper venatus amo ut, tamen Caps es procul .500, quod, vacuus totus sermo of playoffs in preseason, wed’ exsisto gauisus per. Lets’ adepto team ut chalk is unus sursum, animadverto ut illic es res ut postulo fixing tenus ars goes, quod apparatus sursum pro Ryan Malone hype apparatus in Imbuo.

Illic es venatus qua vestri obscoena superstars lucror vos venatus per dazzling puck- tracto quod concero- questio absentis. Illic es alius venatus ut es won per frendo: ferreus- opus, dedicated ludio ludius effectus a interdum- desparatus officium.

Loco is unus statim in hoc numerus.

In a dies ut plures Americans celebrate inventor of Bahamas quod nostrum Canadian brethren celebrate Thanksgiving, plures of Caps took dies off pariter, decessio is ut a validus poena iuguolo, energetic lascivio ex solum duos versus, quod firmus calx- tendo ex a ferreus- opus veteran praemunio duos cuspis.

• Caps vultus mediocris procul vel vires, penuriosus in vox lascivio quod valde in PK. Suus’ three venatus in, tamen EGO reputo wed’ totus antepono video vidi visum nonnullus lenimentus in vox lascivio in tunc pauci venatus.
• Caps erant pessime sicco- offa, sepius due ut obduco sursum a simplex lascivio pro mico unus, singulariter in vir- sursum. Suus’ forsit non a congruo ut ut Caps instruo a simplex lascivio postulo nonnullus ferreus opus, Michael Nylander ut Vepres Pothier pro cuspis offa, quod subnixus Revolvo Laich ut exsisto in positus pro rebound, they ustulo. Reputo Hanlon animadverto Laichs’ lascivio?
• Plures Caps vultus amo they coepi suum feriae celebration mane, per Nylander in proprius having nonnullus novus tribuo- absentis plumbum ut Insula ustulo chances. Tom Venenum mereo mereor nonnullus kudos pro opus suus penis off impetro tergum quod subsisto a Mike Sillinger effrego- absentis, causa per a Nylander turnover.
• Quis est is per populus altus- virga Alex Ovechkin is season?
• Insula pluo quare they have had a bonus satus: they kept pressure sursum quod vis Kolzig facio nonnullus difficilis servo in traffic, singulariter tardus.
• Viktor Kozlovs’ virga- tracto virtus eram in propono in unus lascivio procul terminus of tertius period, ut is kept possessio of puck quod instruo Sarcalogos Expedio parumper offa in socors — per Bill Guerin pallium totus super him.
• Vos cant’ narro satis super Pettinger-Gordon- Expedio quod Procax-Steckel-Laich versus. Suum diligentia quod nixus in totus three plaga dummodo valde pro skids hodie, ut they jugiter took somes, no tutus, smart lascivio, quod drew poena.
• Milan Jurcina caught meus oculus hodie, per smart puck- tractus in secundus- iunctum vox lascivio, quod suus persevero physical torqueo of tutaminis.

Super vicis, rapio cuspis in conflictus ut maybe vos shouldnt’ have won est quis singulus bonus teams ex okay teams. Suus’ quoque mane ut dico quam bonus Caps es, tamen unus res est pro certus: illic es haud nocens via wins.

What would a band of hockey bloggers be without predictions for the new NHL season?

We don’t claim to possess either a crystal ball or spy’s eyes inside the training camps of 29 other clubs, but we thought it might be helpful to our readers to compile a list of offseason (and late last season) player movement, in a concise file, and have a little fun offering up none-too-accountable “Thumbs Up” or “Thumbs Down” forecasts for all 30 teams.

Basically, a team earned a “Thumbs up” if we thought its manuevering and maturation suggested that it’d improved upon its 2006-07 points total. Clubs that “stayed pat” or engineered boneheaded signings and/or inexplicable, high-end free agent farewells were awarded “Thumbs down.”

So we’ve provided everything “primer” a puckhead could need here.

Except the beer.

Team	Comings	Goings	Youth is Served	Verdict
	Mathieu Schneider	Selanne and Neidermeyer (for now?), Dustin Penner	Bobby Ryan
	Eric Perrin, Ken Klee, Todd White	Scott Mellanby, Shane Hnidy, Glen Metropolit, Keith Tkachuk, Denis Hamel, Eric Belanger,	Bryan Little (?)
	Glen Metropolit, Aaron Ward, Peter Schaefer	Shane Donovan	Matt Lashoff (?)
	Jocelyn Thibault	Almost everyone	Dan Paille, Drew Stafford
	Adrian Aucoin, David Hale, Cory Sarich, Owen Nolan	Tony Amonte, Jeff Friesen, Roman Hamrlik, Brad Stuart, Andrei Zyuzin	Eric Nystrom (?)
	Matt Cullen	Jack Johnson, Anson Carter, David Tanabe	None	Hmm . . .
	Brent Spoel, Robert Lang, Sergei Samsanov, Andrei Zyuzin, Yanic Perreault	Michal Handzus, Adrian Aucoin, Peter Bondra, Jason Cullimore	Jonathon Toews, Patrick Kane, Jack Skille
	Scott Hannan, Ryan Smyth,	Ken Klee, Pierre Turgeon, Ossi Vaananen, Patrice Brisebois	None
	Michael Peca, Jiri Novotny	Brian Boucher, Bryan Berard	Gilbert Brule, Derick Brassard (?)	Hmm . . .
	Todd Fedoruk	Matthew Barnaby, Jon Klemm, Eric Lindros, Ladislav Nagy, Patrik Stefan, Darryl Sydor	Niklas Grossman
	Brian Rafalski, Dallas Drake	Robert Lang, Todd Bertuzzi, Kyle Calder, Danny Markov, Mathieu Schneider	Igor Grigorenko
	Sheldon Souray, Joni Pitkanen, Dustin Penner, Denis Grebeshkov, Dick Tarnstrom	Ryan Smyth, Joffrey Lupul, Petr Sykora, Jason Smith	Sam Gagner, Ryan O’Marra (?)	Hmm . . .
	Richard Zednik, Radek Dvorak, Tomas Vokoun	Ed Belfour, Alex Auld, Martin Gelinas, Chris Gratton, Todd Bertuzzi	None
	Brad Stuart, Tom Preissing, Kyle Calder, Michal Handzus, Ladislav Nagy	Mathieu Garon, Jamie Heward, Tom Kostopoulos, Jamie Lundmark, Aaron Miller	Jonathon Bernier, Jack Johnson
	Eric Belanger, Sean Hill,	Manny Fernandez, Todd White	Benoit Pouliot (?)	Hmm . . .
	Roman Hamrlik, Bryan Smolinski, Tom Kostopoulos	Sheldon Souray, Radek Bonk, Sergei Samsanov, Mike Johnson	Carey Price, Kyle Chipchura, Andrei Kostitsyn
	Martin Gelinas, Radek Bonk	Almost everyone	Ville Koistinen, Kevin Klein (?)
	Dainius Zubrus, Vitali Vishnevski, Kevin Weekes, Karel Rachunek	Scott Gomez, Brian Rafalski	Nicklas Bergfors (?)
	Bill Guerin, Mike Comrie, Ruslan Fedotenko	Almost everyone	Sean Bergenheim (?)
	Scott Gomez, Chris Drury	Michael Nylander, Karel Rachunek, Matt Cullen, Kevin Weekes, Brad Isbister	Marc Staal, Ryan Callahan (?)
	Shean Donovan, Luke Richardson, Denis Hamel	Mike Comrie, Tom Preissing, Peter Schaefer, Oleg Saprykin	Nick Foligno, Brian Lee
	Daniel Briere, Joffrey Lupul, Jason Smith, Martin Biron, Scott Upshall, Kimo Timonen	Peter Forsberg, Joni Pitkanen, Kyle Calder, Robert Esche, Todd Fedoruk, Mike York	Braydon Coburn, Ryan Parent
	Alex Auld, Radim Vrbata, Niko Kapanen, Mike York	Owen Nolan, Jeremy Roenick, Curtis Joseph, Mike Ricci	Peter Mueller
	Darryl Sydor, Gary Roberts, Petr Sykora	Eric Cairns, Joel Kwiatkowski, Jocelyn Thibault, Michel Ouellet, Nils Ekman, Josef Melichar	Kristopher Letang
	Craig Rivet, Jeremy Roenick	Scott Hannan, Bill Guerin, Vesa Toskala	None	Hmm . . .
	Paul Kariya, Keith Tkachuk	Radek Dvorek, Dallas Drake, Glen Metropolit, Jamie Rivers	Erik Johnson
	Michel Ouellet, Chris Gratton, Jan Hlavac	Cory Sarich, Ruslan Fedotenko, Eric Perrin	Karri Ramo (?)
	Jason Blake, Mark Bell, Vesa Toskala	Jeff O’Neill, Michael Peca, Yanic Perreault, J.S. Aubin	Jiri Tlusty (?)
	Brad Isbister, Ryan Shannon	Bryan Smolinski, Brent Sopel, Jan Bulis, Rory Fitzpatrick,	Luc Bourdon (?)
	Michael Nylander, Viktor Kozlov, Tom Poti	Dainius Zubrus, Kris Beech, Bryan Muir, Jiri Novotny	Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, Tomas Flesichmann

Japers’ Rink let the Capitals’ limited season ticket survey out of the bag that once again broached the subject of “Ice Girls”. Neither OrderedChaos nor I received the season ticket survey, so we don’t know if it included more than the five questions mentioned by Japers’.

Although we have pondered the idea of Washington Capitals’ Ice Girls, we don’t know if this is a done deal or not. Most of the other teams have already held their tryouts. Is Washington behind the curve, so to speak? Or have super secret auditions already been held and ice girls are ready to hit the ice on September 8th?

In any case, we were curious as to how many other teams have such squads. The answers may surprise you.

• Anaheim Ducks Power Players
• Atlanta Thrashers Blue Crew
• Boston Bruins Ice Girls (the link to the Ice Girls main page was lost after migrating to the NHL servers)
• Calgary Flames Ice Crew
• Carolina Hurricanes Storm Squad
• Chicago Blackhawks Ice Crew
• Columbus Blue Jackets (who actually have 2 groups) - Power Patrol & Ice Crew
• Dallas Stars Ice Girls
• Florida Panthers Ice Dancers
• Nashville Predators (who also have 2 groups)
• Goal Girls
• Dancers
• NY Islanders Ice Girls
• Ottawa Senators Power Patrol (more of a spirit group rather than ice girls/cheerleaders)
• Philadelphia Flyers Ice Team
• Phoenix Coyotes The Pack
• Pitsburgh Penguins Pens Patrol (more of a spirit group rather than ice girls/cheerleaders)
• Tampa Bay Lightning Girls
• Vancouver Canucks Ice Team

[update: Dan Steinberg is at Kettler and has not seen any “ice-based cheer persons”.]
[update 2: Dan Steinberg received confirmation from Nate Ewell, Director of Media Relations, that there will be no ice-based cheer persons roaming the Phone Booth this season.]

In these dog days of hockey-less summer, we are grateful for OFB friend Dmitry Chesnokov providing another translation—this time an interview with new Capital Viktor Kozlov conducted by Pavel Lysenkov of Sovetsky Sport.

ABOUT PASHA [PAVEL] AND SASHA [ALEX]

Viktor, is your training camp in St Petersburg almost over?

We have one more week of good training! We are already skating with SKA [Russian Superleague club from St. Petersburg]. Barry Smith [former Coyotes assistant coach] is working with SKA now—all of his workouts are very fast-paced, just like the NHL. This is a perfect scenario for all players getting ready for the upcoming season.

Do you skate with Ovechkin?

No. We skate in two groups. My group includes Malkin, Nikolishin and Gonchar.

But do you and Alex at least discuss how you are going to play this season?

I’ve joined the Capitals but I cannot be sure that I will play on the same line with Ovechkin. It is up to the coach.

A lot of Caps’ fans see you on the first line with Nylander and Ovechkin.

I would be delighted to play on the same line with such great forwards.

But with it also comes great responsibility. A lot of people expect Ovechkin to score at least 60 goals.

And what does that mean for me? Pass the puck to him at the right time and then get out of the way. Then stand on the sideline and watch him score a goal. That will also help your stats [laughing].

You already had something similar in your career in Florida when you were on the first line with Pavel Bure.

Yeah, Alex and Pavel are supercharged and explosive players. It was so great to play alongside Bure. All defensemen marked him, and as the center I had a lot of room going forward. I think it will be the same in Washington. What is the difference between the two? Ovechkin plays more physically. Although I have never really played with him on the same team; I don’t take the Turin Olympics into account because we only played a few games together. But Bure… I have never seen a player so focused on scoring. When Pavel was one-on-one with a goaltender, everyone was sure that the puck would hit the back of the net.

Some suggest that if Nicklas Backstrom turns out not to be ready to center the second line, you might be moved there to pair with Alexander Semin. Would it be easy to switch from right wing to center?

I had the same experience when I was with the Islanders last year. I will play wherever the team needs me the most. I can even play in goal, if Coach Hanlon decides to risk that [smiling]. (Continued)

The news that the Islanders have lured Hall of Fame Coach Al Arbour out of retirement to come back and coach a single game behind their bench on November 3 has the smell of misguided gimmick to it. (He’ll sign a one-day contract the previous day, which the league  apparently will honor.) Certainly the move doesn’t bolster the credibility of the long ridiculed length and alleged meaninglessness of NHL regular season games. And if the Penguins and Islanders are entwined in a tight affair late that night, does Ted Nolan really want a man removed from NHL bench leadership by more than a decade making the vital line calls? Perhaps Arbour won’t, in which case this is a genuine gimmick of credibility demeaning nostalgia. A long disorganized and unserious organization has this week freshly reminded us of the merits of its laughingstock status.

Nolan, apparently, is particularly disturbed that Arbour’s games-coached tally has been stuck on 1,499:

“Every day last season I would walk by that big board outside our locker room at the Coliseum that lists the franchise’s award winners and milestones,” said Nolan. “And every day it would kill me when I’d see Coach Arbour made it to 1,499 games.”

Aren’t players and coaches supposed to leave the game when their genuine and general effectiveness is finished, irrespective off well-rounded-off participation numbers? Isn’t that at the heart of credibility in our games?

To some extent hockey is prone to these showmanship stages of stupidity. Remember Gordie Howe’s appearance in a Detroit Vipers’ uniform at the age of 69 in 1997? It was an outlandish attempt by Howe to obtain credit for “skating professionally” in his sixth or ninth decade. Mr. Hockey has no greater admirer than yours truly, but there were forays in his later years that invited universal criticism for irrefutable unseemliness. And of course there’s the ubiquitously negative association, explanation altogether unnecessary, with Gary Bettman’s “Glo-puck.”      

I’d be interested to know what Don Cherry’s take on this Isles’ prank is this morning.

But here’s a big “but” to my critique of hockey’s looking to the past and attempting to honor it. Such attempts, when appropriately conceived, can be enriching events. Not long after my early visits to Kettler Capitals this past season I had a few discussions with various members’ of the team’s communications staffers about the general appeal and terrific possibilities associated with the Caps’ annual Alumni game. In this shinny new showcase home the game, I told them, could be must-see affair for Caps’ fans of all ages and patronage periods. We all agreed that sooner rather than later the stands would be teeming with puckheads embracing a glimpse of the team’s past.

That alumni game has drawn largely middling participation from Caps past, most commonly of those who’ve remained reasonably near D.C. after their careers ended. But with the team’s uniform unveiling and Entry Draft party last month, we saw the dawning I think of a refreshing embrace of that past, by the team and its alumni, with the likes of Langway, Sylvan Cote, and especially Mike Gartner returning home. I would expect all three to skate in next spring’s Alumni Game, schedules permitting.

Now then, I have this idea for expanding the production values and overall quality of that game. There should be an audio call of it, broadcast in Kettler and on the team’s web site, by a broadcaster lured, for one night, out of his retirement. That same night, this broadcaster should be honored with his own banner raised in the rink. His name is Ron Weber.     

The Capitals did as promised: they were major players in the free agent market this offseason. And it’s no sure thing that they’re done dealing, as pursuit of RFAs via trades has been a stated goal of the team for months.

I’m not saying that Michael Nylander, Viktor Kozlov and Tom Poti were the absolute best hockey players up for grabs; but the signings represent smart moves that directly address the team’s needs without mortgaging the future. Most importantly, the moves improve the team immediately while keeping enough funds handy to lock in Ovechkin and Semin — I’d rather see the team ante up for those two over any of the big-name forwards in this year’s UFA crop. The Los Angeles Kings took a similar approach to the Capitals’, signing pivot Michal Handzus (four years, $16M), wingers Ladislav Nagy (one year, $3.75M ) and Kyle Calder (two years, $5.5M) and D Tom Preissing (four years, $11M). Another relatively responsible restocking in this offseason of big spending.

How did the other 28 teams fare? Well, let’s review a few of the notables. Rather than a typical grading system, I’ll attempt a Hollywood Starlet system instead: Scarlett Johansson, Lindsay Lohan, or Nicole Richie.

Scarlett Johansson

Undeniably attractive, smart, and sexy. And Scarlett ain’t bad either. Some teams made just the right moves, not only in their choice of players but also with the deals they offered. Rather than spending like Donald Trump’s ex-wives, certain teams found the right player(s) for the right price.

Avalanche fans will be thrilled with Ryan Smyth’s arrival in Colorado. By bringing in Smyth (5 years, $31M) and Scott Hannan (4 years, $18M), the Avs get two rough-and-tumble players whose styles fit the team perfectly. 31-year-old Smyth’s five-year deal is not only a fairly affordable cap hit, but a reasonable duration as compared to some other signings.

The Detroit Red Wings continued their less-is-more approach by signing just one notable player in the first two days of UFA-Fest: Brian Rafalski. After losing 38-year-old Mathieu Schneider to Ducks, the Wings managed to upgrade while not losing a dime by signing 33-year-old Rafalski. His $6M per year for five years is about what the Ducks are paying Schneider per year; yet Rafalski is five years younger. In addition, Rafalski notched 55 points last season (30 on the PP) while playing the Devils’ ultra-conservative system. One would think he’ll perform even better in the Motor City’s more exciting style of play. Once again, Detroit’s management manages to make the right moves without breaking the bank; it’s no wonder they’re perennial contenders.

Lindsay Lohan

Some teams went on benders to rival Ms. Lohan’s. The New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers signed big name players to obscene contracts — making sexy but crazy moves. Like Tyrone Biggums with crack cocaine, neither team could resist the allure of spending with abandon. Clearly both teams’ rosters are dramatically improved for next season; but this sort of freewheeling spending backfires more often than not. They both are trying to buy championships; and in hockey, that rarely works.

Philadelphia began their binge early, throwing crazy pre-July 1 deals at Kimmo Timmonen and Scott Hartnall — both appealing but now-overpaid players — whose contracts are crazy not so much in terms of annual salary as they are in terms of duration. Then the Flyers topped themselves by giving spear-to-the-groin Daniel Briere an eight year deal. Each of these players is undeniably talented; but the dollars and duration of these contracts makes one wonder if Bobby Clarke is still in Philadelphia, working the levers as the man behind the curtain.

Mind you, the Rangers’ attempt to make the New York Yankees seem like cheapskates is just as stunning. Snagging both Chris Drury and Scott Gomez is quite a feat to be sure. But $7M per year to Drury, combined with a $51.5M seven-year deal to Scott Gomez (who has exceeded 20 goals just once in seven years of play), is insanity.

Including Jaromir Jagr, they now have spent over a third of their salary cap on three players, and they have not signed Brendan Shannahan, Sean Avery, or Henrik Lundqvist yet. Yikes. One wonders how long it will take Jagr to complain about the loss of Nylander if his adjustment to Gomez/Drury is less than perfect. In fact, it sounds like he’s already laying the groundwork for future complaining.

Nicole Richie

So far, the other 2/3 of New York was brutally pillaged by free agency’s raiders. Like Nicole Richie, the Sabres and Islanders are skeletal remnants who practically qualify for Federal disaster assistance.

The Sabres lost both their co-captains and seem to have returned to their spendthrift ways. After their season of excellence was eclipsed by the Ottawa Senators, Sabres management let both captains walk away with apparently minimal effort to stop them. With intense league-wide interest in both Drury and Briere, nobody expected the Sabres to retain both players. But losing both is a crushing blow to the team, not just in terms of skill but of leadership as well. Management’s half-hearted contract offers, particularly to local hero Drury, indicate a “well, we tried” attitude settling in with Buffalo’s brass. Here’s one Sabres fan writing for ESPN who certainly feels that way

As for the Islanders, they lost Kozlov, Poti, Ryan Smyth — who turned out to be a rather expensive rental, costing two former first-round picks plus this year’s first rounder — captain Jason Smith, and Richard Zednik. They appear to be emulating the Florida Marlins, only without the championship (well, not in the past 20+ years). Next they’ll rename their arena to Nassau Mausoleum. Isles fans cannot be happy losing three of their top six scorers — and their sole UFA signing of Jon Sim is not the answer. Dark days are ahead on the Island.

And . . .

Other teams were relatively silent, most notably the Caps’ Southeast rivals. A View from the Cheap Seats looked at the Caps’ divisional foes, and is similarly unimpressed with their signings so far.

A few other moves of note: the Blues snagged Kariya and Tkachuk (a.k.a. “The St. Louis Boomerang”), the Leafs acquired Jason Blake from the decimated Islanders, and the Penguins wisely re-signed Ryan Whitney (but what’s with the Darryl Sydor signing? Shades of Philly’s Derian Hatcher mistake), and Chicago brought in Robert Lang. The Ducks overpaid Todd Bertuzzi to ensure they have someone to take stupid penalties if Pronger gets hurt. Nothing too exciting there, though the Blues are clearly looking to return to the playoffs with those veteran deals.

As for the Capitals, fans seem pretty happy about the teams’ acquisitions; some may even renounce their hockey grumpiness. The Hogs are similarly pleased, and Off Wing Opinion has some interesting quotes from the GMGM conference call.

All in all, it’s been a good couple days for Capitals bloggers and fans alike . . . with perhaps more good news on the horizon.

[Feel free to post your take as a comment — either on the Caps’ moves or other teams’ signings.]

A compelling early storyline on the 2007 free agent season is the arms’ race within the Atlantic division — wildly resembling the free-spending days previous to the NHL’s 2004 lockout — while the Northeast division appears content to be picked clean.

The Flyers and GM Paul Holmgren signaled their intention of expensively revamping their roster ahead of last weekend’s Entry Draft, when they lavishly overpaid for a pair of six-year contracts for recently acquired Predators Kimmo Timonen ($38 million) and Scott Hartnell ($25 million). To this they added UFA pivot Daniel Briere on Sunday, locking him up for eight years at $6.5 million per.

Also yesterday Holmgren shipped out promising young Finnish defender Joni Pitkanen for Oilers’ captain Jason Smith and on-again, off-again winger Joffrey Lupul. If there’s one thing to be gleaned from all the sweater-changing on Broad Street this offseason, it’s that locker room chemistry last season was a bit of a weakpoint. Another might be: Holgren and Flyers’ management is hell-bent on spending their way out of it. 

Not to be outspent by a division rival — or anyone, for that matter — Rangers’ fantasy league GM Glen Sather ponied up a combined $85 million on Sunday for a pair of no. 1.5 centers, Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. Drury has 70 goals his past two seasons, and as such perhaps is signaling himself a legit 30-goal guy (at least on 110-pt. Sabre clubs), but in six of his eight seasons he scored fewer than 25. He turns 31 this August. Gomez is coming off a 13-goal campaign in Jersey, and in six of his seven big-league seasons has failed to score 20 goals. So no wonder he earned a $7-million-dollar-a-year deal. At least it can be said that while with the Devils Gomez skated in an offensively restrained system, and now on Broadway, he’ll enjoy a good deal more freedom. Like Briere’s deal in Philly, those for the new Rangers’ centers extend well into next decade.       

Drury and Gomez are terrific hockey players, and they are exceptionally wealthy now. But they also appear to be very similar to the caliber of players whose July contracts drove the NHL into financial panic a mere three years ago.

Pittsburgh apparently believes that its Stanley Cup aspirations require an anti-youth movement: its three most significant roster additions, beginning with February’s trade deadline and continuing into free agency, are Gary Roberts, Petr Sykora (the decent-but-in-decline one), and Darryl Sydor.   

I have a difficult time working up any sympathy for Jersey DevilLou, but in just the past couple of years he’s watched the likes of Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Petr Sykora, and Scott Gomez walk away, uncompensated for. He’s got a brand new building to fill showcasing hockey that this morning appears, if possible, even more boring than that of the past six or seven years.  

But to the extent we should feel any sympathy for any other Eastern conference rival (and I’m not suggesting we should), take a look at the roadkill carcass on Long Island. Gone are Ryan Smyth, Tom Poti, Jason Blake, Viktor Kozlov, and (mercifully) Alexei Yashin. Team Wang did add Jon Sim. (That’s no doubt got the phones of the Isles’ sales staff buzzing.) Remember last summer when UFA signee Brendan Witt talked of something special being built on Long Island? It’s not a long overdue replacement for Nassau Mausoleum, and it’s sure not a postseason hockey club in ‘07-’08.  

Meanwhile, things sure are acquisition-quiet in the Northeast, which certainly is better than being the road pickings on the Isle. For weeks all I heard among the ‘Net chatter was how Bob Gainey and Montreal were posied to make a big overhaul of a middling roster. That may still happen, buit it’ll take trades to achieve it — the high-end free agent movement passed them by unacted-upon. Free agent “Bridesmaids” is the operative word out of Montreal early this week. Gainey lost the game’s most fearsome point presence in Sheldon Souray and late this afternoon replaced him with Roman Hamrlik. Downgrade.   

The Leafs, like the Habs, were forecast to be offseason roster movers and shakers. They came out of the gate Sunday and signed Jason Blake. His 40 goals last season were a breakthrough. Or a Brady Anderson flash-in-the-pan. He turns 34 this September.

The Bs missed the playoffs and have also sat still. Ottawa is in the best shape of anybody in the Northeast, having drafted so well at the top, middle, and late in drafts, up front and on the blueline. Still, late Monday it appeared as if the Eastern champs were slated to lose quality blueliner Tom Preissing. The Sens have been picked at the past two summers by free agency and are now joined by Buffalo as victims of their standings success.  

If the Islanders have a rival in roster-gutting, it’s Buffalo. Last season the Sabres were lauded for their four-line depth. They’ll need emergency reserves in ‘07-’08, cause they’ve lost 150 points down the middle. Sad, isn’t it?

The Southeast has, I think, showcased only one headline player in free agency thus far, and that’s who it needed to be: we in D.C.  

Much has been made lately a