I Might Just Be A Hockey Fan In California (Nov 14)

“I Might Just Be A Hockey Fan In California” is a feature that will be posted every Saturday here at the View From My Seats. There are plenty of things going on in the hockey world (and even the sports world); and you know everyone has an opinion. This is a place for some quick hits of the week that was.

_______________

I might just be a hockey fan in California, but:

- There was only one game in the NHL on Monday night. It was a very intriguing match-up between the young Chicago Blackhawks and the young Los Angeles Kings. It really would have been nice to catch that game.

- The only difference between Mark Messier’s M11 helmet and the helmets on the market now is that the M11 is much bigger to protect a HUGE head like Messier’s.

- For all the talk about how many surprising teams there are this season, the Penguins, Capitals, Blackhawks and Sharks are all in 1st place. It’s not THAT surprising.

- Steve Yzerman, Luc Robitaille, Brian Leetch, Brett Hull and Lou Lamoriello are a pretty impressive Hall of Fame class.

- Only in hockey will you hear the phrase, “Reports are saying that he broke that finger and he’s day-to-day.”

- Early November is too soon to start talking about baseball free agents.

- How happy was Drew Miller when he was waived by the Tampa Bay Lightning and was picked up by the Detroit Red Wings?

- Stan Fischler may be a great historian, but I’m convinced that he’s that crazy old guy at the end of the bar in his spare time.

- How important is Sergei Gonchar to the Penguins? Well, they’re no longer in first place—read into that however you wish.

- Versus isn’t on DirecTV. Dish Net isn’t picking up approx. 20 Stars and Blues games for their subscribers. Center Ice subscribers can’t get most MSG games in HD. Yeah, the NHL’s television situation has never been better.

- The economy is rough. If you want a bang-for-your-buck value, you should hit up a Blackhawks/Avs game or Caps/Isles. Six total games—all 6 have gone to extra time.

- It’s not too soon for Carolina Hurricanes fans to start looking forward to next season.

- Andrew Raycroft does not suck. The last two teams he played for, however, did.

- It’s fun to see your team be an offensive powerhouse. But it’s even more fun to watch your team win.

- I heard some talking heads mention that a shootout that goes 11 rounds just drags on. I’m sorry, 8 breakaways in a row when the game hangs in the balance is NOT boring. You can say what you want about the shootout and if it should decide games—but it’s certainly not boring.

- For all the talk about how great the Penguins started the season, it’s interesting to see that it’s the Devils that are on top of the Atlantic Division. 8-0 records on the road will do that.

- Do you think any of the Blue Jackets actually said “Mercy” during their 9-1 loss to the Red Wings?

- Is there anything in North America that is more dysfunctional that the NHL Players Association? No, “Real Wives of the OC” doesn’t count.

- Andrei Markov is STILL 3-4 months away from coming back. I’m really sorry Habs fans.

- There’s a better chance of Dany Heatley buying a summer home in Edmonton than there is of Eugene Melnyk (Sens owner) recouping the $4 million bonus in his lawsuit against former Senator.

- How much would you pay to be a fly on the wall during the GM meetings?

- Gary Bettman is a pompous little person that needs to be fired for the good of the game.

_______________

So what were your thoughts from the NHL week that was?

If you've been back this many times and aren't a subscriber, what are you waiting for? Even if our RSS feeds scare the hell you (because you don't quite understand RSS), we promise the email alerts aren't painful at all. Seriously, a money-back-guarantee-even-though-its-free kind of promise.