MDPucks

Winter Classic in Fenway isn't happening soon because the Red Sox have scheduled rehabing the facility over the next 3 winters at least. Last winter there was a giant crain in the middle of the diamond while the lights were replaced. Only options in Boston are BC (never happen since the NIMBI locals in Chestnut Hill despise all night football games), Harvard (too small & old), or Gillette Stadium (probable schedule conflict with Pats playoff games). Its obvious that the Rangers will play the Red Wings if this game happens. I wouldn't mind it being Rangers-Montreal though.

The Southeast Division, Buffalo, and Philadelphia are the reasons why Washington is still a playoff contender. Brashier and Poti are complete tools and Erskine is just an idiot. Not only does Brashier high stick the guy drawing blood but then sucker-punches and drops Hnidy all in front of the ref for a 6 minute penalty. Then Poti breaks Murray's stick in half with a slash after the first 5x3. The Caps message board is having a civil war right now between blaming the refs and blaming Brashier and Poti. Its these moments I just like to sit back and get out the popcorn. I just think this is going to piss off the Caps more for tomorrow's game against Pittsburgh which would help the Devils out a lot. Since I'll be there I'll probably wear my old-school Stevens Caps jersey that I own.

When it comes to the outdoor game the weather has zero factor with the exception of putting it in a place where outdoor ice can freeze in January or February (I-70 or north, preferably I-80 or north). Wind, snow, whatever it doesn't matter in terms of playing a "true game". Wrigley has the historic atmosphere but it has very limited club seats/skyboxes and modern ammenties. While it isn't on the lake its only 5 blocks from lake so the wind argument is nil between it and Soldier Field and even US Celular Field (about 8 blocks inland). If its windy in Chicago its windy everywhere with it being the worse around the canyons created by the downtown buildings. A Chicago game I'd see either Detroit or Pittsburgh again (going on the Syd celebrity again) being the opponent. I do like the New Years Day scheduling of the game as a new NHL tradition.

In Marty's recent biography at least a chapter was dedicated to how great it is to live in New Jersey where people know you but leave you alone versus being in Montreal where he'd be on Page 6 everytime he went to the gas station. I remember reading that he'd only consider going to Philadelphia, Boston, or Dallas if he ever left New Jersey.

Just got back from the Capitals-Bruins catastrophy. Great to see Ovetchkin go for Gretzky's goal scoring record in one game. The Caps should pay me to attend games. In the last 8 days I've been to both Devils games and tonight's Bruins game and between the three the Capitals averaged 5.3 GPG. 6th sign of the apocalypse... Donald Brashier is one goal way from 200 in his career.

Defense is overrated anyway... 4-3 blueshirts Both Nitty and Irbe pads Henrik have been yanked.

Refs or not this game is simple... If you can't score you won't win... 4 goals (2 of which were garbage goals) in the last 4 games is simply not going to cut it.

Marian Hossa's knee being looked at in Pen's dressing room per NESN. Won't return.

3-0 Boston Conklin out, Fleury (and new white pads) in. 1-0 Ottawa and Biron is going at it wit Spetza

Ty Conklin finally remembering that he's Ty Conklin tonight in Boston. 2-0 (and a very loud post) Bruins in the 1st.

I've been to the Prudential Center for three games so far this season including the opener. Each time I took the PATH train over to Penn Station after parking in a lot next to the Harrison PATH station. Tomorrow night I'll be driving up with friends from the DC area for the Devils-Capitals game and will be hopping the NJ Transit train in Hamilton right off of I-295. The goal is to grab either the 4:54, 5:09, 5:30, or 5:58 trains into Newark. My question is does anybody know what the parking arrangement at the new Hamilton station is? Do you need to pay? Is it weekday reserved like half of the stations on the NJ Coast Line? Also do these trains on the NEC line tend to be on-time?

The Leafs are just the Canadian and NHL version of the Knicks. Full of old, expensive players; hopeless on the defensive end who all have terrible contracts and are run by an ownership with its head permanently implanted up its rear.

More local and college programming? Maybe they can start with covering some college hockey with Princeton, Army, Quinnipiac, and Yale? Or maybe some local big high school games?

This just in... Ottawa trades Ray Emery to Belfast of the British Elite League for a used puck bag and a case of Guinness. Belfast held out for only the puck bag but Ottawa insisted on the case of beer.

The Flyers win the Stanley Cup! ... oh wait... The Flyers win a game!

I hate this time of year. Ugh, I hate being forced to root for the God's Gift to Hockey Maple Leafs.

This just in... that Brodeur guy is kinda good. Just got back from the game and all I have to say is Marty better not pay for a single round tonight. His best play he didn't even get credit for a save with the lunging poke-check of Green in OT. Madden, Langenbruner, Ellias, Pandolfo, and White were basically the only skaters that showed up for the entire 64:00. Zuberis continues to play with his head up his rear end and Johnny Oduya is being typical brutal Johnny Oduya. I also didn't like Brylin's game today as he should have hauled down Semin before he scored the goal. This was simple highway robbery via Saint Martin.

If I were a Flyer fan which bridge would you choose? Commadore Barry? Walt Whitman? Ben Franklin? Betsy Ross? Tacony-Palmyra? While there are some Philly fans there Ocean County is more North Jersey-New York based than Philly-based. To understand your typical Philly fans all you have to do is listen to WIP. Its the true fellowship of the miserable.

I will be in the upper tier, center ice. Good chance that there will be 2000-3000 other Devils fans in attendence too.

Verizon Center has the same problem that The Rock has in that all of the corporate seats in the lower bowl and club seats are empty but the crowd in the upper tier is packed. It especially looks horrible on television. The Capitals don't control the club seats (the Wizards do) so back in the 1998 Cup Finals the entire club sections were sold to Detroit fans which ticked everybody off in Washington except Wizards Scrouge owner Abe Polin. They just put in a huge new scoreboard (bigger than The Rock's) and sound system which as improved the game atmosphere much more.

Pre-1996 (Construction) 1- Hartford Civic Center 2- The Spectrum 3- Meadowlands 4- Madison Square Garden 5- Nassau Coliseum 6- Mellon Arena 1996-2000 1- Verizon Center 2- Centre Bell 3- Wachovia Center 4- St. Pete Times Fourm 5- TD Banknorth Garden 2000-present 1- Prudential Center 2- RBC Center I'm only 4 arenas shy of completing the whole Eastern Conference. AHL 1- Old Hershey Park Arena 2- The Spectrum 3- Cumberland County Civic Center (Portland,ME) 4- Pepsi/Knickerbocker/whatever Arena (Albany,NY) 5- DCU Center/Centrum (Worcester, MA) 6- Dunkin Doughnets Center/Civic Center (Providence, RI) 7- Springfield Civic Center (Springfield, MA) 8- Baltimore Arena (Baltimore, MD) ECHL 1- Soverign Bank Arena (Trenton, NJ) 2- Showplace Arena (Upper Marlboro, MD) *defunct Chesepeake Icebreakers* College Hockey (old) 1- Alfond Arena (Maine) 2- Matthews Arena (Northeastern) 3- Walter Brown Arena (BU) 4- Schneider Arena (Providence) 5- Hobey Baker Rink (Princeton) 6- RPI Fieldhouse (RPI) 7- Bright Hockey Center (Harvard) 8- Tully/Chelmsford Fourm (Mass-Lowell) 9- Volpe Complex (Merrimack) College Hockey (new) 1- Mullins Center (UMass) 2- Tsongas Arena (Mass-Lowell) 3- Whittemore Center (New Hampshire) 4- Value City Arena (Ohio State) 5- Conte Fourm (BC)