It's Hockey Season!!

“is Eric Lindros going to retire?”

“I don't know and couldn't care less.”

“Go Redwings!”

“They have to get through the door before they can go anywhere.”

“Geo, I think your post represents the entire Delaware Valley on the feelings of Eric Lindros. I think he was a cry baby and his dad created alot of headache. Bobby Clark was no innocent in the saga though. Eric played some exciting hockey while in Philly and I really enjoyed it when he was on top of his game even amongst all the drama and bs.”

“I like the Nashville Preds now adays. I got to rooting for them while I lived in Nashville. If hockey lives, I think they will be an up and coming team.”

“Yeah, it does take two to tango, but ultimately Clarke brought home two cups and Lindros exactly none, and they traded away a lot of talent to get him. At some point players need to shut their piehole and play the game, a fact that also seems to be lost on a lot of the Phillies this year.

When a team goes down fighting, like the 93 Phillies or last year's Flyers, that's all fans can ask for. But when they just fade away or get blown out because they have their heads up their butts, that's another thing.

Yes, Lindros was good at one time, and he had all the potential in the world. But he got sidetracked somewhere along the way and was never of much use after that. Both his parents got into his head. The absolute worst thing any athlete can do is feel sorry for himself. Pity parties are not the reason they pay the big bucks. Championships are. Either win or go down fighting, but earn the pay.”

“I may buy a season ticket to the Orlando Seals. Jim Paek former Penguin is the coach and they did well last season. But a huge diff between them and the NHL.

I read that they will both be back at the table Aug 16th. The owners presented the union with 6 different plans.”

“I've got two minor league teams to choose from and two NCAA college teams all in my area. With that I should be able to get my hockey fix.”

“We do have the Phantoms, but how ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm after they've seen Paree?”

“The Phantoms... heh heh.... how ironic...

Anyways, the ECHL will have to be a backup, if necessary (hopefully not...) Sovereign Bank Arena and the Trenton Titans are minutes away from me, and you can decide to go see a game on a given day and actually be able to get tickets for that same day. Eat that, NHL!”

“Apparently Lindros didn't help out much in New York either. So glad they finally dumped him (along with everyone else -- Sather should have done that purge first thing when he came in).

Perhaps competitive hockey is finally begininng to get restored in New York, this is of course, pending there will be a season this fall...”

“I love the ECHL. The Dayton Bombers are a pretty good team. They've started falling short recently though. My philosophy is that being able to sit next to the glass for less than $15 is a pretty good deal. Especially considering the Blue Jackets are charging over $20 for the nosebleeds. I enjoy the game but I think the NHLPA needs to agree to a salary cap or disband into the smaller leaques.”

“I wonder how many players will be playing in Europe. There may be some coverage. I'd watch”

“The Penguins will open their pre-season schedule on Saturday, September 25th vs. Boston at Mellon Arena.”

“Well, one thing the Pen's have going for them is they seem to have their salary's down to a reasonable level, so a salary cap probably won't affect them. I can't imagine the league budging on the issue either. Unlike Baseball I know I'll watch hockey as soon as they're back off strike, if it comes to that, and the league is probably well aware of the fact fans will flock back to the arena once this is all over.”

“Either way, they need to get something worked out and fast -- a whole season without play, or even half for that matter can do some major damage to the smaller-market teams, like the Sabers, or Penguins, or Hurricanes, or Coyotes, or Flames, etc., etc.”

“Just got all my son's equipment. Put out $100 and got it all used. Hockey season will live on. Even if it's just the mini-mites.

They also gave me a pass to the Lefty McFadden Tournament on 10/9/04. It looks like Michigan vs. Boston and Miami vs. Northeastern. 2 games in one night means I don't have to stop drinking after the second period! Yeeeahhh!”

“How old is the kid? Shat position does he play?”

“I moved from E. Lansing, MI to Asheville, NC a while back and am having SERIOUS hockey withdrawals. In MI, I played on 2 beer leagues and did drop in at least once a week.

Now, I have to drive an hour + to get to a rink in S Carolina to play in an old run down barn (although it's getting revamped this month).

Asheville does have a new Souther Professional Hockey League team (what the heck is the SHPL????) that I'll be able to check out.”

“He's 6. This is his first year so he hasn't really played any positions so far.”

“It was one year ago - August 11, 2003 - that Brooks was killed in a one vehicle accident on a Minnesota highway en route to a speaking engagement. He was 66 years old.

There have been numerous tributes paid to Brooks in the past 365 days. Hockey dignitaries from across North America attended his memorial service in St. Paul, the Minnesota Wild erected a statue of the former Golden Gophers head coach outside the Excel Energy Center, and a movie commemorating his greatest coaching achievement proved to be a box office success.

But none of those honors, as wonderful as they are, would mean very much to Herb. More than the medals or numerous awards he accumulated, Herb cherished the relationships he forged through his participation in the game even more.”

“...if you listen closely to the wind, you can still faintly hear those legendary chants of "USA! USA! USA!..."”

“Long after 1980, in the early 90s, I went on a one-week BP trip to the Daks. I normally get a hotel room and spend my first night in Lake Placid. The next morning, after breakfast, I went to the Olympic Arena, went inside, and stood above the seats and the ice.

The memories flooded back, sharp as could be, and the chants, USA, USA, USA. I could even imagine the guy with the rainbow wig holding the John 3:16 sign. It was a magical time, when Herb took those kids to the top of the world, and the magic had not worn away a dozen years later.

Of course, Lake Placid has other ghosts: Eric Heiden, Sonja Henne, but that 1980 hockey team was the best.”

“Amazing Geo!”

“It was indeed.

Stay safe, Tango.”

“Thanks Geobabe! Kinda calm right now.”

“That will change. They're predicting a 10-foot tidal surge with the eye coming ashore at Tampa Bay. Orlando will be in the northeast quadrant, where winds are strongest and tornados form. The forecast couldn't get much worse than that for a Cat III storm.”

“OTTAWA - Wayne Gretzky has again bestowed the honor of captain on Mario Lemieux.

Team Canada named Lemieux as its captain for the World Cup of Hockey, which begins August 30.

The Pittsburgh Penguins superstar center served as captain for Canada’s 2002 gold medal winning Olympic team in Salt Lake City.

“Mario is a great leader and we are very happy to again name him as the captain of Team Canada,” said Gretzky, Canada’s executive director.

Let THE HOCKEY begin!”

“At least I won't get Olympic withdrawals....bring on Hockey.”

“Mon, Aug 30 Hartwall Arena, Helsinki Czech Republic vs. Finland 1:00 PM EDT ESPN,CBC
Tue, Aug 31 Globe Arena, Stockholm Germany vs. Sweden 1:00 PM EDT ESPN,CBC
Tue, Aug 31 Bell Centre, Montreal Canada vs. United States 7:00 PM EDT ESPN2,CBC
Wed, Sep 1 Globe Arena, Stockholm Czech Republic vs. Sweden 1:00 PM EDT ESPN,CBC
Wed, Sep 1 Bell Centre, Montreal Canada vs. Slovakia 7:00 PM EDT ESPN2,CBC
Thu, Sep 2 Cologne Arena, Cologne Germany vs. Finland 1:30 PM EDT ESPN2,CBC
Thu, Sep 2 Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul United States vs. Russia 7:00 PM EDT ESPN2,CBC
Fri, Sep 3 Sazka Arena, Prague Czech Republic vs. Germany 1:00 PM EDT ESPN,CBC
Fri, Sep 3 Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul Slovakia vs. United States 7:00 PM EDT ESPN2,CBC
Sat, Sep 4 Hartwall Arena, Helsinki Sweden vs. Finland 1:00 PM EDT CBC
Sat, Sep 4 Air Canada Centre, Toronto Russia vs. Canada 7:00 PM EDT CBC
Sun, Sep 5 Air Canada Centre, Toronto Slovakia vs. Russia 7:00 PM EDT CBC
Mon., Sep. 6 QUARTERFINAL
Home Arena of E1 E1 vs. E4 1:00 PM EDT CBC
Tues., Sep. 7 QUARTERFINAL
Home Arena of E2 E2 vs. E3 1:00 PM EDT ESPN,CBC
Tues., Sep. 7 QUARTERFINAL
Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul NA1 vs. NA4 or
NA2 vs. NA3 7:00 PM EDT ESPN2,CBC
Wed., Sep. 8 QUARTERFINAL
Air Canada Centre, Toronto NA1 vs. NA4 or
NA2 vs. NA3 7:00 PM EDT ESPN2,CBC
Fri., Sep. 10 SEMIFINAL
Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul 7:00 PM EDT ESPN2,CBC
Sat., Sep. 11 SEMIFINAL
Air Canada Centre, Toronto 6:30 PM EDT ESPN2,CBC
Tues., Sept. 14 CHAMPIONSHIP
Air Canada Centre, Toronto 7:00 PM EDT ESPN2,CBC”

“I been keeping up with the World Cup. Hadn't read that article though, thanks. I am going to tape all the games and watch them every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday October thru May!”

“"I think the owners would like to crack the union," U.S. forward Mike Modano said. "It's been nothing but headaches for them. I think they'd like to create a football, NFL kind of policy and atmosphere, and if that's the case, we're never going to see hockey again."”

“United States vs. Canada @ 7:00 p.m. on ESPN!

Should be a good game and an opportunity to see several Tampa Bay Lightning stars!”

“Saw a bit of the Czec vs. Finland game yesterday....but didn't see the whole thing.”

“VCR all set! I'll be watching Mario all season long!”

“I think we have a stalker here. :o)”

“Not a bad game. Some pretty good intensity. Canada will always be better talent-wise. But Esche was very good. The US just didn't get enough pressure in the Canadian zone in the 3rd.

But, really, this was not the game for the US to win anyway. I figure they can beat Canada once in a tournament, but not twice. You don't want to piss off the Canucks in the first game and blow the chance for victory in the finals.

Mario got into a fight, BTW. Where's the box?”

“Damit I missed it. Wasn't home to watch.”

“'Twas a good game, even though the US lost. Still, much better than the Finland/Czech blowout last night...”

“I'm going to have something to watch October thru May!

That first period was something though!”

“That's a great idea Tango. You never can tell when the score might turn out different. Sometimes your team loses the game, but when you watch the replay, they could win. You never know.

I'm still watching Civil War programs. The South has not won yet, but one day ...”

“Brodeur has the wall up tonight.”

“Canada whips Slovakia 5 to 1.

If the canucks can hold off the Yanks and Ruskies....the trophy should be ours.”

“The US team is pretty good this year, so even if they do win, they'll get a run for their money. With the US team, it'll depend on how well they hold together as a team. The Canadian team has way more talent than the US team could ever hope for.

The Russian team is less than lousy this year, so I wouldn't expect too much of a threat from them, as many of their superstars have decided to sit this one out (what's up with that?)

Don't forget about Sweden -- they've always been like the wild card that messes everything up...”

“Massachusetts native Keith Tkachuk scores 4 goals (count 'em 1, 2, 3, 4) as Team USA eliminates the Russians 5-3 in the quarterfinals game.

Bring it on, Finland!”

“It's kind of nifty the way this is playing out. They'll beat Finland and face Canada in the final. Dude, they could win.”

“Team Canada is kicking butt tonight.”

“Brodeur just got his first World Cup shutout!”