Quick Hits: The First Weeks of the NHL Season

The NHL might have dropped the puck on the new season over in Europe, but the season is now in full swing for all the teams. Here are some news, notes and my observations for the 2008-09 season so far:

Toronto spent $3.5 million to bring in Jeff Finger for four seasons, and he has yet to play a game. A “bruised foot” has kept him out of the line-up since October 5.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin started off pretty slow this season—at least, until they were put on the same line against the Maple Leafs. Crosby netted his first goal of the season along with three assists, and Malkin had four assists of his own.

I think their trip to Europe to start the season is going to come into play as the season goes on. The NHL is a pretty travel-heavy league already and that two-week-long trip is going to cause some fatigue as the season goes on.

Former New York Ranger prospect Alexei Cherepanov died during a KHL game. The footage of this made it to YouTube in about 18 seconds. The video shows just how the KHL compares to the NHL. The KHL has more similarities to my college games than it does to the NHL—bad between-play music, no medical care, and a crappy rink.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Barry Melrose are 0-5 to start the season. The former penguins they brought in (Recchi, Hall, Roberts, and Malone) have a total of four points combined and No. 1 pick Steve Stamkos has no points in limited ice-time.

Pass it on

Hide Sites