The Return of Hockey!

So far, my baseball predictions look good. :P And in a 5-game series, winning game 1 is huge. The losers in game 1 will have to take 3 of 4 to win the series. It's a bit ridiculous tonight's Yankees-Angels game doesn't start until 10:15pm EST. I don't think I can bring myself to stay up til 1:30am on a work night, even for playoff baseball...

But before that game, we get the return of hockey! Here's a few things to keep an eye on. And yes, I am excited about it…

New Rules!
They added some new rules to try and increase the offense, and make the game more exciting for fans to watch. Here's a few key ones:
* The offensive zone is bigger. Should result in more effective power plays and less offsides penalties.
* Goalies cannot go behind the net to play the puck. So the dump in from the blue line should be a more effective way of getting into the offensive zone.
* No two-line passes. Get ready for some serious goal hanging and a ton of breakaways.
* Stricter enforcement of holding, grabbing, and stick penalties. If they want more wide open play, they'll need to stop players from grabbing one another without the puck.
* And last, but not least.. Shootouts! I've been hoping for this for years, and they've finally done it. No more ties. At the end of regulation, they'll play the usual overtime period. If the game is still tied, it's shootout time! One on one. Skater versus the goalie. Should be fun to watch.

New Network(??)
Apparently ESPN and FOX didn't want to touch hockey with a 50-foot pole for a television contract. So the NHL went elsewhere. The winner? OLN. "What the flying fuck is OLN?" you might ask? Outdoors Living Network, or some shit like that. The "O" is for Outdoors. Even though professional hockey is not played outdoors. Apparently this network's claim to fame is televising the Tour De France. Yikes. Still, it looks like they got veteran announcers hockey fans will be familiar with, so the broadcasts should be just fine. As long as you can figure out what channel it is on your cable or satellite provider…

New Superstar
Sidney Crosby, an 18-year old kid drafted #1 overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins, is expected to be the next big NHL superstar. With Mario Lemeiux at his side and a decent supporting cast in Pittsburgh, he ought to have a good chance to put up nice numbers in his rookie campaign. Here's hoping he does better than previous "next Gretzky", Eric Lindros (who is back playing in his hometown Toronto, by the way).

Same Old Rangers
Well, the Rangers have Jaromir Jagr… and uhhhhh…. Prospects? Seems the Rangers are finally admitting they are rebuilding, but probably couldn't have picked a worse time, when fan interest is already hurting due to the long layoff. Gone are Messier, Leetch, and Richter. The Cup winning 1994 team is a faded memory. Hell, this team hasn't even made the playoffs in like 5 years. Basically, all Ranger fans can hope for is that some of their young players show some growth and promise, and that the team drafts well the next few seasons. And maybe we can sell off Jagr for decent return value if he puts up big numbers and a playoff contender shows interest.

With the baseball playoffs in full swing now, and the NFL just starting to heat up, there probably won't be a lot of interest in the NHL. But wait until February.. When baseball is long gone and football is over. That's when the Winter Olympics step in, and the NHL has agreed to take a few weeks off from the season to allow the pros to play for their countries. If we get a good competitive display from Olympic hockey (and we almost always do), when the NHL picks back up, it could renew fan interest. Hell, there will be nothing else to watch anyways.

I just hope the Rangers aren't mathematically eliminated from the playoffs by February.

I'm still a little pissed they allowed last season to be totally cancelled. But I am happy it is back.