The NHL season is here! It's been pretty good so far. We've got some great games, some high scoring action, and Patrick Roy is already going completely bonkers and he's only coached one game. Roy will not rest until he sees his enemies driven before him and hears the lamentations of their women. The first weekend of the NHL season is upon us. There are 11 games Saturday and three Sunday. Right now, pretty much every game is intriguing, because we don't know who these teams are yet. However, some games are a bit more interesting to me, and let me point them out to you.
First off, Hockey Night in Canada! This is not exciting to people who aren't in Canada or near the Canadian border so they pick up CBC, of course. Still we've got Ottawa against Toronto early and Edmonton versus Vancouver late. Both good games, and the Leafs are off to a good start. Take that, inevitable regression toward the mean!
Detroit plays Boston, a matchup we will be seeing a lot more often now. Philly takes on Montreal. The Blackhawks against the Lightning is interesting to me, because Chicago is still the defending champs, so they are worth monitoring. Plus, Steven Stamkos. Washington against Dallas is pretty good, because the Capitals have been scoring in bunches thus far. The day ends with Phoenix against San Jose. So, you know, that's something.
Sunday is... not interesting. Carolina, Winnipeg, and Calgary are all playing, and they may be the three least intriguing teams in the league. I guess the Flyers against the Hurricanes is alright. Peter Laviolette will have his revenge on Raleigh.
Still, it's NHL hockey. The games count. Watch them. Enjoy. It's the first weekend of hockey of many.
