It's Friday...

1) Of the 4 Veteran S's, one has finally re-signed. Joe Sakic is back in Colorado, presumably for his last season. Now, if only Sundin, Selanne, and Shanahan would come to a decision. To be honest, I'm not losing sleep over it, but it would be nice to get a glimpse of how rosters are going to shape up for the 2008-09 season.

I don't think any of these guys will land on Broadway (not that there ever has been a Selanne-to-Rangers rumor), but it is a remote possibility, and some closure on the issue would be nice.

2) While I still think Florida is the most poorly run organization in the NHL, the LA Kings might be the winners of Worst Offseason Ever. While they did trade for Jarrett Stoll, they did not sign one unrestricted free agent this summer. They did lock up a few draft picks and restricted FAs, but they have just over $27M in payroll for the next season. I don't even know if that would have been enough to hit the Salary Cap floor in the season after the lockout, and it certainly isn't enough to hit the floor this year.

While they do have a big future (think of them as the Penguins from a few years back), they need to sign some veterans to overpriced contracts just because they need to add salary to meet the NHL's minimum requirements. I have been expecting a Glen Murray signing ever since he got released from Boston, and there are still a few other players out there who haven't signed on with an NHL club or jumped ship to Russia.

Okay, so their future isn't as bright as the Penguins, but they do have a plethora (nice word) of young talent on the club and in the pipeline, and they will have a lot of high draft picks this year too, as long as they sign veterans to one-year deals and then ship them off at the trade deadline.

3) Two thumbs down to whoever writes the ticker on the bottom of the screen on the NHL Network. Yesterday, I put the channel on at work (I'm a bartender) and it was a classic series between the Washington Capitals and the Rangers from 1991. Fantastic.

Anyway, I had turned it on to see if the Joe Sakic news had broken yet (I knew there was a press conference scheduled so he could announce his decision). The ticker listed what they have listed all summer, free agents on every team, in alphabetical order. Once again, this bored me to tears, because I know who they are, and most of the un-signed free agents left are middling, Ryan Hollweg type players who should be signed to two-way deals. Case in point: the Chicago Blackhawks signing a guy named Tim Brent is not news, nor was the fact that he was a free agent at one point.

Not only did they have this "news" feed scrolling the bottom of the TV, but they also had not updated it in over a week. They told me that Aaron Downey of the Red Wings was a free agent. Well, a quick glimpse at TSN shows me he re-signed on August 20th. Yesterday was the 28th. On top of that, did anyone besides his immediate family and close friends really care if Aaron Downey was still a free agent?

That's like CNN scrolling false facts on the bottom of their feed that nobody cared about even when the facts were true.

4) I did it. I signed up for a package. Didn't even hesitate. The Rangers emailed me, and 10 minutes later I was on the phone. I hesitated so little, in fact, that I forgot to ask how much the package was. Luckily, a letter with prices came, only to confirm my theory: prices had gone up. And why wouldn't they? I mean, the Rangers won 5 playoff games last season, including 2 at home in the Garden. So, why wouldn't Jackass Jim Dolan raise ticket prices?

Prices didn't go up the year after the lockout, not because of the lockout, but because the Rangers hadn't made the playoffs in 2003-04. Every year since, however, prices have steeply risen, and a ticket that would have cost $44 then now costs $60. I believe it's even more money if you don't have a package (I think someone else would pay $64.50 for my $60 tickets).

What kills me though is preseason. You would think that since those games don't sell out, they would give some tickets to real fans who can't afford them, or at least put preseason tickets on sale for like $30 for the $60 seats. I don't really want to go to the preseason game, but I will, because they make you get it when you get a package. It's fun to watch the young kids - I saw Marc Staal's first NHL point in a preseason game last year - but it's very expensive, not to mention it's an extra $14 for the train, I might have a beer, maybe a soggy pretzel, and now a preseason game featuring Brodie Dupont has cost me $100.

Who Improved and Where the Rangers Stand...

Last year, the Eastern Conference was a crapshoot. Much like David Caruso's career, Ottawa started real hot then dropped off the face of the Earth. Montreal and Pittsburgh, boosted by strong power plays, were the obvious best teams in the East, but they only rose to the top of the standings around early-March. Every other team was mediocre. 

If it was pre-lockout, the Rangers might not have made the playoffs, but they did last season because of Brendan Shanahan, Nigel Dawes, and Henrik Lundqvist's shootout performances. Washington clinched the playoffs on the last day possible. Carolina lost out on a playoff spot on the last day possible. Even the Islanders were relevant until March's injuries piled up. Boston made the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and nearly beat the #1 ranked Canadiens.

What I'm saying is that it's anybody's conference to take. In the West, you knew Detroit will be up there, and Anaheim, San Jose, and Dallas should make the playoffs, while Phoenix, LA, Chicago, Edmonton, St. Louis, and Columbus would be awful. 

Will anything change in the East this year? Probably not. Who really improved in the East in the offseason?

* * * 

Far and away the winners of the East are the Tampa Bay Lightning. Vaclav Prospal returns next season, Matt Carle is in on defense, and they signed Ryan Malone, Radim Vrbata (both people I think the Rangers should have tried to get), Gary Roberts, Olaf Kolzig, Mark Recchi, and power play QB Andrew Hutchinson. Oh, and Steven Stamkos should transition well in the NHL playing alongside Vinny Lecavilier. While their goaltending still is a question mark (Mike Smith and Kolzig are both a half-step up from being backup goaltenders), their beefed up offense should make up for a shaky back half. The only one missing from their team is expensive Dan Boyle, but now that they have an owner who wants to spend money, a trade deadline deal for a top defender is certainly possible.

Atlanta was awful last season and should be this season. They did rob the Penguins blind in the Marian Hossa deal, but Angelo Esposito probably won't catch fire this season, even if he makes the roster. The additions of Erik Christensen and Colby Armstrong from Pittsburgh do help, but they are role players who aren't going to pot you 40 goals like Hossa would have. When your big offseason acquisition is named Ron Hainsley, you aren't moving forward.

Florida is also a team that is going nowhere. They might be the worst franchise in all of professional sports, Knicks included. They traded Olli Jokinen for a bundle of nothing, somehow re-signed Jay Bouwmeester even though we all know that he will not be there next season. Their lone spotlights are Nathan Horton and Tomas Vokoun. These guys are not a threat for anything except John Tavares in next year's Entry Draft.

Finishing off the Southeast, the Hurricanes and Capitals stood pat. While cash-strapped Carolina would up getting the defender they needed in Joni Pitkanen, it cost them heart-and-soul man Erik Cole. Yes, they signed Darcy Hordichuk, but can a 4th line goon lift you over the hump and into the playoffs? After making the playoffs last year, the Capitals decided to go with the same team this year. Sergei Federov, a good deadline deal, is back for another older, slower season, and their goaltending tandem of Jose Theodore and Brent Johnson is not as good as Kolzig and Christobal Huet were last year.

Long story short: One team will make the playoffs from the Southeast, and that's just because those are the rules.

* * * 

In the Northeast division, the Toronto Maple Leafs aim to miss the playoffs for the 4th straight year, which would be a new team record. Overpaying for Jeff Finger, trading for Jamal Mayers and Ryan Hollweg, not-yet-re-signing Mats Sundin or moving Bryan McCabe. I like GM Cliff Fletcher, but what exactly is he doing?

The Montreal Canadiens improved by leaps and bou-- no, they didn't improve at all. They missed the boat on Hossa, they probably won't get Sundin, but don't worry, Georges Laraque has arrived in Montreal! Alex Tanguay should help their already strong offense though and he came cheap in the form of just draft picks. They shouldn't miss Mark Streit on the power play too much, but can Alex Kovalev have another great season? While they are a good team still, the fact is, they aren't much better than last year, if at all.

The Boston Bruins signed unproven, unmotivated forward Blake Wheeler (although he did want to play in Beantown) and overpaid for Michael Ryder to replace Glen Murray. Is that any way to build a playoff contender? However, I think they would take a step forward if they would finally just admit to themselves that Tim Thomas is their starting goaltender. This guy is so motivated it's incredible.

Buffalo... uhhh, did the Sabres have an offseason? Yes, they traded away Steve "Brian Campbell" Bernier. Campbell's replacement is Craig Rivet, a journeyman who, while solid, won't stop a Crosby, Ovechkin, or Malkin from scoring. They also re-signed the aging, unhealthy Teppo Numinen, presumably as a locker room presence. 

Ottawa's big offseason move was what they didn't do - they didn't trade Antoine Vermette, which is huge. He can be a great player if any of their Big 3 - Heatley, Spezza, Alfredsson - falter or get hurt like in 2007-08. Their goaltending is a question mark as well, with Martin Gerber and the well-traveled Alex Auld standing guard. That shouldn't inspire confidence in Canada's capital.

* * * 

Now, the East. I won't dwell too much on the Rangers, but regardless of what you think of their offseason moves, they are a better team today than they were in May.

Wade Redden and Dmitri Kalinin, and whoever turns out to be the 7th d-man are better than the likes of Tyutin, Backman, Malik, and Strudwick. Plus, Paul Mara returned at a discount, and Marc Staal and Dan Girardi should continue to excel this season.

Markus Naslund and Nik Zherdev are being counted on to have comeback years, and that may be asking a lot, but atleast the offense is styled differently. Plus, their power play should click this year without Jaromir Jagr to receive passes from Michal Rozsival and Marty Straka.

The one big loss is Sean Avery, a winger who could change games with his gritty style as well as put the puck home in big situations (just ask Martin Brodeur). Losing Ryan Hollweg for a draft pick was a no-brainer, and Aaron Voros and/or Patrick Rissmiller will take over his role and make it more offensive as well.

Did the Pittsburgh Penguins improve? Not too much. As well as losing roster players in Christensen and Armstrong and a top prospect in Esposito, they essentially traded hometown-boy Ryan Malone and Hossa for Miro Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko, two middling wingers who had bad seasons. Their bright spot of the offseason was getting Brooks Oprik back when it looked like he would be on the way out. They still have their core, and they will be dangerous, no doubt. But they question is, did they improve? The answer has to be no, they did not.

We all know the Islanders' problems, starting with Charles Wang and Garth Snow and moving out. Streit should help the team and make up for losing Marc-Andre Bergeron and Bryan Berard with the man-advantage.  Doug Weight will help as well, that is until February, when he along with a bunch of other expiring-contracts are traded to contenders for draft picks and prospects.

It was Old Timer's Day in July for the Devils, as they signed former players Bobby Holik, Brian Rolston, and Scott Clemmensen as their 3rd goalie. Rolston is a great utility man, but I think the Devils will overuse him. Holik is a serviceable 3rd line center these days, but the days of him shutting down other teams top lines are over. They also overpaid for Bryce Salvador, but they did need a big body on the blueline. While Rolston was a good pick-up, their defense is still holier than the Bible Belt, and their offense can't make up for it. However, while I expect big years from Zach Parise and Travis Zajac, I can't say they improved much.

The Flyers were active in getting Glen Metropolit in his declining years, Steve Eminger, a few Finnish defensemen whose names I can't pronounce, and re-signing Jeff Carter, but it came at the cost of young gun R.J. Umberger and Prospal. Still, I would say the Flyers improved, if only slightly. Their defense is suspect with Derian Hatcher still there and Jaroslav Modry gone, but Braydon Coburn can only get better. Him and Kimmo Timonen on the same pairing could be one of, if not the best in the East.

* * * 

I didn't mean for this to be this long, and if you made it this far, I applaud you.

Who improved? Tampa, for sure. Probably the Flyers. Other teams just swapped one player for another, getting rid of a Malone for a Satan, or a Sergei Brylin for a Holik. That doesn't necessarily make them a better team, just the same team with different names on the back.

On paper, it appears the Rangers are one of the most-improved teams in the East, if not only by their additions then by their subtractions. That's not to say I didn't love Jagr and Straka and Shanahan, but it will be a completely different team, and that can't hurt.

Celebrating Six Months Of Mediocrity

This week, The Rivalry turns six months old.

Hooray for us.

I can still recall when we started this thing up. We were looking at two home-and-home series between the Islanders and Rangers, one in March and one in April. Remember, the Islanders were still very much alive in the playoff picture at this point. We wanted to be up and running by the start of the first series, and we barely made the cutoff. Not that it really mattered - nobody knew who the hell we were at that point.

It took us a while to really get going, but we had some gems early on. I managed to call Kyle Okposo's promotion to the Islanders. Zach managed to call Wade Dubielewicz's departure at season's end. Zach tried to convert me into a Rangers fan; I refused.

And then the playoffs started, and we essentially became a Rangers blog. At least, it did after Zach shouted out the Capitals and I trashed my favorite team. Convinced it'd be the best thing for hockey if the Rangers made a playoff run, I even pledged my allegiance with the enemy. Zach complained about the officiating in the Devils series, and with good reason. Zach also prayed for a Rangers-Flyers playoff so he could eat cheesesteaks, while I wished for a potential Rangers-Penguins ratings bonanza. Zach was the first to grill Ryan Hollweg for blowing the Rangers' season, something I'm sure took a lot of guts, given Zach's status as the sole Ryan Hollweg jersey owner in the Tri-State Area. Zach then proceeded to write a two-sentence live blog of Game 5, followed by a bitter post that very night.

Once the Rangers finished losing to Bettman's Chosen Ones, we focused on the rest of the league. I noted the fifteen-year anniversary of David Volek's vanquishing of the Pens in '93, while Zach talked about American Idol and Point Break. We discussed retired numbers and Stanley Cup celebrations. Zach broke down the upcoming Rangers' season into three parts; I did the same for the Islanders, only in one extremely long post. Speaking of marathon posts, we live-blogged the NHL Entry Draft despite boisterously proclaming we couldn't care less about the Draft.

July 1 came around, and we were all over it with a record eight posts. Zach proclaimed he wouldn't be buying a ticket package next year, only to rescind his boast later on. I wrote about Sean Bergenheim's upcoming (and eventually, averted) arbitration hearing, which would mark the first time I noticed our stuff being ripped off. Ted Nolan got canned, I called them bringing in a minor-league coach to replace him, and Zach reasonably stated that the Isles could be pulling a tank job next year. And, to top off our highest-traffic month yet, we actually got credited with "breaking" news as it related to the Islanders' new third jersey.

August has been a slow month, but we're trying. Zach went to (and returned from) Vegas, while I discussed the Isles' new aimed-to-please ticket plans. We also devoted some time to hockey DVDs and books that we've given our seal of approval. Lastly, the Islanders made a few organizational moves.

So there you have it. Six months of The Rivalry, all summed up into one self-indulgent post. We hope to have as much to be proud of when we hit our one-year anniversary in February. With the season coming up and (hopefully) a trip to the Blog Box on the horizon, there's a lot to be excited about as we approach October. Here's hoping for quality performances by both teams.

Two for Tonight...

1) As I have written about before, I have bad luck with Ranger jerseys. I currently own no jerseys of anyone on the team. I bought a Pavel Bure jersey when he was injured and he didn't return (it's a Russian jersey). I got an Eric Lindros one and then he got injured on a cheap shot by Jason Doig (currently a scrub in the Swiss leagues). He never returned as a Ranger and went to Toronto after the lockout. My Steve Rucchin jersey was short-lived, as he signed in Atlanta the next year. Then, I got a Ryan Hollweg jersey that lasted two seasons, although he was awful in both seasons. My Sean Avery jersey lasted one entire season until he signed in Dallas. I did, however, turn a vintage Rangers jersey into a Jaromir Jagr one, and although I didn't wear it much, it was available to me over 3 seasons.

This afternoon, I went to NHL.com and bought a new one. It's a road white Dan Girardi #5 jersey. I did research and made sure friends didn't want a Girardi jersey so we wouldn't look like tools in the same exact jersey. It helped that I put the word out towards the end of last season that I wanted a Girardi, and that my friends should get Marc Staal or Brandon Dubinsky or Nigel Dawes.

I think it would have been easier to just replace the nameplate on my Dale Purinton #5 jersey with a Girardi nameplate, but, alas, I never had a Purinton jersey. I did see one though, once, after a game, in Penn Station. The lady was too far away but I wanted to ask if she was related to him. Who gets a jersey of a 7th defenseman with marginal skills even for the AHL?

2) I watched Olympic soccer between Argentina and Nigeria on TV last night, which is the only thing more boring than Islanders hockey. Hey-oh!

Let Me Get This Straight...

So the Rangers are going to retire Adam Graves' #9 on February 3rd, 2009. Good for them. But did you know that they're going to retire that same number again just three weeks later?

That's right. On the 22nd of February, the Rangers are going to retire Andy Bathgate's number. Of course, that's the same #9 that they're retiring for Graves.

My head hurts just thinking about this.

The obvious question is this - why not just retire both on the same night? It's fine to honor two players who wore the same number, though it does beg the question of why the Rangers are suddenly honoring someone who played for them fifty years ago. In any event, the Montreal Canadiens retired #12 for Dickie Moore and Yvan Cournoyer on the same night in 2005. Obviously, the Rangers could do something similar.

However, the Rangers are opting to pair Bathgate's ceremony with the retiring of another number - Harry Howell's #3. It's understandable that they'd do this at the same time, as the two played together for many years, but it's confusing. My only guess is that they don't think people are going to remember either Bathgate or Howell individually, whereas Graves is fresh in everyone's minds because he played so recently. Of course, both Bathgate and Howell are in the Hockey Hall Of Fame; the only way Graves gets in is if he buys a ticket. Take that as you will.

For a team that does a pretty awful job of honoring its lineage - all eighty-plus years of it - the Rangers would do well to take advantage of this opportunity to link its past to its present. Instead, the Rangers would rather pretend that 1994 was the only important year in franchise history and that the rest of it was just killing time. Yeah, every Hall Of Famer will have their retired by March, but a lot of Ranger fans don't know a lot about the history of their team; worse, the team won't give them any reason to even care. That's unfortunate.

One last rhetorical question - if the Rangers are so insistent upon doing these ceremonies on separate nights, why are they being done just three weeks apart? Since they're both in February, seems like they're trying to capitalize on a period of time when nothing else is going on in the sports world. Then again, the Rangers should know better than to think they'd make the back page of a newspaper in New York.

New Team President...

The Islanders have promoted Chris Dey to Team President. Dey was formerly the Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Event Operations.

Uhhh... hold the boat here. The Islanders, 25th in the league in attendance (generously listed at 13,600, including thousands of free tickets every game), have promoted the person in charge of sales to President. Isn't that like taking the kid in 12th grade who failed three of his final exams and making him valedictorian?

What's next, Blair Betts taking over first line center duties for the Rangers?

I don't know. Maybe this is like that episode of Seinfeld where Elaine can't fire the crazy guy in the mail room so he eventually becomes the head writer. Maybe Chris Dey has connections in the mob. In which case, congratulations on your promotion, buddy! My cake is in the mail!

Review - Boss: The Mike Bossy Story

Our sporadic summer reading series continues with a look at Mike Bossy's autobiography.

(cover image unavailable)

Boss: The Mike Bossy Story

Author: Mike Bossy with Barry Maisel

Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Release Date: Late 1988

Availability: Out of print; available through Amazon Personal Sellers

"Each time you knock me down, I will get back up and score more goals." -Mike Bossy

Mike Bossy, along with Wayne Gretzky and Pat LaFontaine, was one of my three heroes growing up. I never really got the chance to see Bossy in his prime; in fact, by the time I went to my first game at Nassau Coliseum, Bossy had already retired. Still, as a diehard Islander fan and someone who was very willing to latch onto a star player (and really, what five-year-old isn't?), I developed a very soft spot for Mike Bossy.

I'd heard about his autobiography from a variety of other sources, which was the main inspiration behind my purchase. I'd heard hockey players praise it for the helpful advice it gave them. I'd heard fans say it was a great read. But I'd be lying if I didn't say a major reason I sought this book out is the not-so-glowing review Bossy gets from Wayne Gretzky in his own autobiography (a.k.a. the greatest book ever written). Gretzky goes out of his way to slam Bossy on quite a few occasions, with one of his criticisms being that Bossy names himself to his own all-time team. Naturally, upon receiving this book, the first thing I did was look for that passage.

I didn't find it right away, but when I did, it turns out all Bossy really did was say he was a better player than Jari Kurri. It was a series of comparisons between the Islanders dynasty and the Oilers dynasty, and Bossy certainly didn't seem too intent on sparking any controversy. Looks like he did in the eyes of The Great One. However, the long-rumored part where Bossy claims he always aimed five-hole in order to avoid missing the net was nowhere to be found.

What is in Boss, though, is a comprehensive summary of Bossy's stellar career. A lot of autobiographies contain surprises about their subjects. This one's no different. I always assumed Bossy was this quiet guy who just scored goals. Nope. Turns out he was very outspoken, not only within the clubhouse, but with the media as well. But none of that compares with the pressure he put on himself. We hear all about the goals he set for himself each and every year; some might mistake this for Bossy putting his stats before the team, but he had these lofty expectations in mind so that he could help his team out. Would he ever have broken the rookie scoring record or achieved so much without holding himself to the highest possible standard? Bossy himself doesn't seem to think so.

Bossy devotes an entire chapter to his pursuit of the fifty goals in fifty games mark, something that seems a bit silly after Gretzky himself massacred the record just one year later. But it's synonymous with Bossy's career (Gretzky himself, on the Ultimate Gretzky DVD, praises Bossy for giving the mark so much notoriety), and it deserves considerable mention. After all, before Bossy, only Rocket Richard had pulled it off. So Bossy takes us along for the ride, starting back when it was just a pipe dream and going through all the stress that comes with letting the media know about such a lofty goal. When he finally achieves it, even if you know how it happens, it's hard not to smile.

You get the impression that goals such as fifty in fifty were the only things that could possibly raise Bossy's game. He'd just won his first Cup the year prior; as the Islanders approached the 1981 finals, they openly admited to being mostly concerned with how many games it'd take them to win. You can also see how much it bothered Bossy that he was never considered the game's best player. As Guy Lafleur slowed down, Gretzky took the mantle, leaving Bossy wishing for the recognition he deserved. Bossy describes how hurt he was when Butch Goring won the 1981 Conn Smythe, one of the many awards Bossy was passed over for. So it's no surprise that Bossy devotes an entire chapter, aptly titled "MVP", to the twelve-month span in which he won the MVP award of the Canadian team at the 1981 Canada Cup, the 1982 All-Star Game MVP award, and the 1982 Conn Smythe. Despite having the best goals-per-game average in NHL history, it's astonishing how much hardware Bossy didn't win.

But Boss is about more than Bossy's NHL career. We get a down-and-dirty look at the state of junior hockey in the 1970s, something that many people have heard about, but never really experienced. After reading Bossy's take on the situation, it's clear that the junior game at that time was absolutely revolting. It's sort of easy to see why the juniors are so dirty, with so many players trying to get noticed any way they can, but it can be downright dangerous. Bench-clearing brawls were the norm back then, as were coaches who would demand their players to intentionally injure opponents. Gretzky tells a story in his book where an opposing coach offered his players $2 for each hit laid on The Great One, but that's nothing compared to Bossy's tales. In one particularly disgusting instance, Bossy's coach gave his players amphetamines before a game to enhance their abilities. Sadly, this was just one sign of the times.

After reading about Bossy's struggles in juniors, you can see why he was so adamant about getting rid of fighting in the NHL. But what's really surprising is that he wasn't the only Islander who felt that way. Both Bossy and Bryan Trottier, his close friend and roommate, were heavily against fighting, but Trottier felt Bossy would be a better ambassador for the cause, so Bossy got all the credit (and criticism). Even more shocking than that is that Clark Gillies, considered by some to be one of the best fighters ever, had grown to hate fighting by the time Bossy reached his prime. In fact, Bossy opines that it was Gillies' burgeoning nice-guy nature that caused his skills to erode so quickly; since Gillies refused to play a physical game late in his career, he was unable to be of worth to the Islanders.

Boss also does a good job of showing the human side of Bossy. There are stories about his drunken exploits on the Islanders, his long-term relationship with his wife, who didn't drive or speak English when Bossy was drafted, and his distant relationship from his brothers and sisters. Bossy doesn't shy away from talking about his personal life, but doesn't boast about it as many athletes tend to do while penning their memoirs.

Although Bossy and Gretzky were rivals on and off the ice, their books are remarkably similar. Both are written in a rather informal style and cover the same sort of material - the dirty nature of juniors, learning how to win, and their devotion to their respective teammates. It's almost strange to know that Gretzky would so willingly trash someone so similar to him. And it's remarkable how it almost worked out with those two.

The book closes in 1988, as Bossy concludes his year off from hockey not sure if he'll ever play again. We know that he was forced to retire from his back injuries, which is detailed in the book. However, what not everyone knows - and what might not even be true - is that Kings owner Bruce McNall supposedly tried to recruit Bossy to come to Los Angeles that summer to play with Gretzky, who had just been acquired by the Kings. Imagine Gretzky, Bossy, and Robitaille on the same line! It's a shame it never happened.

If you can find a copy, Boss is highly recommended. There are better books out there, but this one's a bit different than you might expect. If you've ever wanted to know about the behind-the-scenes stuff, like negotiating contracts, self-doubt, and the importance of staying happy in spite of greener pastures, this is an interesting read. If you just like Mike Bossy, you'll enjoy it just the same. And if you'd like to take a look back at the NHL in its so-called Golden Era, Boss is a good place to start.

Back to the Real World...

I'm back from Las Vegas, and I'm in the black. Or in the red. Whichever one means I lost money. Little to nothing from my wish list of Things to Happen While I Was Away happened, except that the Islanders made a personnel move by hiring Scott Gordon. However, Mats Sundin, Brendan Shanahan, Teemu Selanne, and Joe Sakic are all still unemployed, not to mention hovering around age 40.

Did Glen Sather do anything whilst I was away? With limited cap

space and way too many forwards, he appears to be fishing down in South Carolina on Mark Messier's boat.

While I was gone, ESPN added the Jets to their upper-echelon of sports teams receiving non-stop coverage, joining the Red Sox, the Yankees, and the Patriots. For this week, Michael Phelps will also be in on the action - and deservingly so. He won a race by .01 of a second. That's a fingernail of a difference. That means he grew out his fingernails last week while the person he lost to had an ill-advised nail-biting session the day before the event, probably brought on by the stress of having to face Michael Phelps in an Olympic race.

I guess the big news that I missed while I was gone was Mike and the Mad Dog breaking up. This impacts Ranger and Islander fans in no way at all. I believe hockey got a total of 3 minutes a week on their show, while 3 out of every 5 minutes were dedicated to Alex Rodriguez. Now, I did like them, but I just never listened to them once I got XM Radio, complete with its own hockey channel, Home Ice 204. I think they did know their hockey well, but their audience always wanted to talk about ignorant morons like Stephon Marbury, Michael Strahan, and Archie Manning. (For the record, Marbury is one of the dumbest human beings ever born. In a Georgia Tech press conference declaring his intent to join the NBA, he was verbally-illiterate, meaning he couldn't even speak he was so stupid. Watch this please, and if you get bored of his linguistic fouls, fast forward to 57 seconds in.) Whenever they interviewed a hockey person, they knew their stuff, but it was very rare that they would have a Ted Nolan, Brian Leetch, or Neil Smith on the show.

I thought I had more to say, to be honest. Now that my Vegas vacation is over (I couldn't capitalize the word "vacation" because Chevy Chase wasn't on my trip with me), I have little to look forward to until training camp. Man, August really is a slow hockey month.

I hate summer. Give me winter any day.

View of my hotel, the MGM Grand, from the bridge

connected to New York, New York. MGM Grand will be holding a pre-season game in September, Avs vs. Kings.

Your 2008-09 Islander Ticket Packages

While many have already written off the upcoming Islanders season as a colossal waste of time, the team itself isn't ready to make that determination. However, they are making a very concerted effort to get the fans involved, and their method for achieving that is through their extensive ticket options. Who needs individual ticket sales when you can pick one of their many partial plans?

In all seriousness, those of us who had to sit through the Mets organization telling us, "If you don't get a ticket plan, forget about going to Opening Day, the Subway Series, or the last game at Shea," are in for a serious treat. The Islanders are going out of their way to hook us up - God knows we deserve it - and actually do have something for everybody. The full list of plans, opponents, and discounts off face value can be found at the Islanders' website.

With that in mind, we here at The Rivalry, knowing that money and time are tight for a lot of people, have the highlights of the Islanders' offerings for your perusal. So here we go. Everyone knows what a full season package is. Boring. They also have first-half and second-half plans. Ooh. What new and exciting things do the Islanders' sales staff have in store for us?

- Full Season With Flexible Seating. This is pretty cool. You pay for a season ticket in the upper deck, but get moved down to the lower level for ten games. And it's not the crappy ten games you'd expect, either. You get Opening Night, all three Ranger games, and two each against the Devils and Flyers in the good seats. Oh, and you don't pay anything extra for the right to watch the Isles' best games in the lap of luxury. Not bad, eh?

- Flex 20 Plan. You're given 20 ticket vouchers and a slate of 25 games. You can mix and match them any way you'd like. For example, you can bring nineteen of your closest friends to one game, or you can go to twenty different games by yourself. Interesting.

- Weekday Choice Plan. You get all three Ranger games. You also get to pick twelve out of nineteen select weekday games, not to mention playoff options (stop laughing).

- Experience: Hockey Plan. Pick three out of five games you'd like to attend. But there's more. You get skating lessons at Iceworks, "Chalk Talk" with the team (whatever that is), and the right to - and this is a direct quote from the Islanders' site - "HIGH-FIVE the players on their way onto the ice". I'd like to see how someone in Row O of section 302 high-fives a player. I guess that's part of the plan's magic.

- Upgrade Plan. This one's sort of confusing, so bear with me. You pay for an upper-deck ticket, then bring it to the game, at which time you're given an upgrade to a lower-level seat. It doesn't apply to the Ranger game, but seven out of eight isn't bad. Who needs the same seat every game if you can sit with the high-rollers in the 100s for half the price? Given that two of the games are against Atlanta and Los Angeles, there should be plenty of great lower-level seating to be had.

- Big Value Plan. By far the steepest discount off face value available outside of full-season packages. And there's a reason for that - the first-half plan features games against Columbus, Dallas, and Vancouver; the second has games against Los Angeles, Carolina, and Colorado. If you've been clamoring to see the stars of the West, this one's for you. Or, if you just want to sit in the lower level and don't care who the Islanders play, hit up the Lower VIP End Zone section for $38 per game.

- Victory Plan. If anyone ever tells you gambling is illegal, just point them in the direction of this plan. The premise is this - if the Islanders win any of the games in this plan, you get a free ticket to another game. They disclose the tickets you'd be winning in advance, so it's not like they're giving you leftovers from a low-drawing night. The problem is, of the four games, three of the opposing teams won their divisions last year. Gulp.

OK. I'm broke, but I think even I can swing the Big Value Plan. And I just might go for it. For now, though, my friend Leslie got the Borrelli's All-Star Plan, which I'll mooch off of as often as possible. Hey, Islanders management, here's one - instead of giving us gift cards to Italian restaurants, why not give us a Hooters Plan? Or even a plan that guarantees ticketholders unlimited pretzel twists. Now that could be useful.

They Didn't Screw It Up!

I'm almost shocked.

The Islanders actually did the right thing. And quite frankly, we fans deserve the right to say that.

Is Scott Gordon an upgrade over Ted Nolan? That remains to be seen. But at this point, it would certainly seem that Gordon is a better fit for this group of players. I guess that's all you can ask for in a coach. The Islanders got that, and perhaps much more.

We can gather that the Islanders will end up paying Gordon less than they would have paid Paul Maurice or Bob Hartley. We can also assume that Gordon has more to prove than any other coach they could have hired. In other words, we don't have to hear about how so-and-so won at some other city. Instead, we get to watch a coach show us he's earned the right to be the head coach of the New York Islanders. A hungry team combined with a hungry coach.

What does that mean? There's a great chance he'll do a better job than any of the other candidates would have.

I can now say that I'm officially excited about this upcoming season for the Islanders. I know it's going to be pretty brutal - we'll be adding the phrase "growing pains" to our Islanders drinking game this season. But there's an optimism now that hasn't been here in some time. We're not staring at a perpetual chase for the eighth seed. We can now look toward the future as a tangible entity, not just the catalyst for more bad trades and rebuilding projects. That does a lot for the fanbase. It'll still take some work to get the casual fans back into the building, but as time progresses, the job will become easier.

It was so important that the Islanders did this right, which is why so many of us have tried to joke about it. Notice how Sparky The Dragon is the leading vote-getter in our poll for who would become the next Islanders' coach. As I've said to anyone who would listen, I'd sooner they went into December with an interim coach and gotten this right than have them hire a retread coach that they'd fire two years from now. This would qualify as getting it right.

Now, the work begins for Mr. Scott Gordon. The Islanders don't like to talk about this one too much, but it's true - with the exception of Al Arbour, no Islander coach has ever made it more than two consecutive seasons without being canned. Is Gordon the guy to change that trend? Let's hope so.

The Final Three

We take a break from Gretzky Week to report - get this - actual, real NHL news.

As per the only person who actually reports on the Islanders, Greg Logan at Newsday, Garth Snow has narrowed down his list of coaching candidates to three. The lucky three are Bob Hartley, Paul Maurice, and Scott Gordon. While the first two are hardly surprising, the inclusion of Gordon on that list is the wild card. Something tells me he's the one with the best shot at the job.

This is the way I see it. While Hartley has won a Stanley Cup and Maurice brought Carolina to the Cup Finals, both of them have faltered on less-talented teams. I'd wager that this year's Islander team won't be as good as Hartley's Thrasher teams or the teams Maurice had in Carolina and Toronto. Do you really want to be stuck with someone who has proven that he can't win without talent?

Sure, whoever takes over this team is coaching with at least one eye on the future. But a competitive team in the short-term is important to keep fan interest alive on Long Island. I'd hardly call a Southeast title in 2007 for Hartley evidence of his ability to help this team win now. Nor would I overlook the fact that Maurice hasn't won a playoff series outside of his 2002 run to the Finals. If we can all agree that we can do without mediocrity (or, at least, the potential for mediocrity), we can also agree that there's a better answer out there.

Enter Scott Gordon.

Islander fans may recall the last time they plucked an unproven coach from the Providence Bruins of the AHL. That was when they hired Peter Laviolette. He's probably the best coach, with the obvious exception of Al Arbour, that this team has ever had. (Hard to believe, right? Look it up.) Now, the Islanders are looking to his roots to find their successor. And, quite frankly, they could do much worse.

Scott Gordon is the reigning AHL Coach Of The Year. His teams have steadily improved over the years he's been coach; while the point totals remained relatively modest until this past season, the Bruins' goal differential has either remained constant or increased each year. He's developed a number of youngsters that were a part of Boston's resurgent season in 2007-08. And while his playoff record isn't all that impressive, it's worth noting that his best performance was an appearance in the AHL Conference Finals in the lockout year of 2004-05, when every team was stacked. (Fun Fact: Guess who the leading scorer in Providence was that year? Andy Hilbert.)

I know that there's a bit of doubt about Gordon, as there is (and should be) about any coach without NHL experience. There are also those who will say that we're better off with that which we do know than that which we don't. But I disagree with that line of thinking. Besides, think about what we do know about Hartley; namely, that he's been fired twice and couldn't win in an awful division with Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa at his disposal. What do we know about Maurice? That he, like Hartley, has been fired twice and couldn't compete in the crappy Southeast. Do we want a coach that can't win with 25% of their season played against the likes of Florida? Jeez.

That's why I say Gordon's the answer. Considering the alternatives, he pretty much has to be.

Now, let me stress that the Islanders absolutely cannot screw up this chance. I'd sooner they go into the season with an interim coach, then hire the right coach in November. They can't be in a spot when they're firing their coach right at the time when the young guys are ready to hit the big-time. Get it right now, and deal with the fall-out this season. In all honesty, it's not going to be anything to write home about anyway.

All this said, I could deal with any of the three on Snow's final list. But the Islanders are fooling themselves if they think Hartley or Maurice can turn them into a winner any sooner than Gordon. And since Gordon is the better developer of young talent, it's pretty clear that he should be the guy.

My Last Post...

This will be my last post for about a week on this blog. Tomorrow, I catch my pre-8 a.m. flight to Las Vegas.

Sorry to usurp Bryan's Gretzky DVD post (found below) but here is my wishlist for when I get back on Thursday:

- for Brett Favre to no longer be on the back page of the newspaper

- for hockey to become larger in popularity than basketball

Since neither of those will happen in the next 6 months, here is my back-up plan...

- for Mats Sundin to finally sign somewhere, so the hockey media can concentrate elsewhere

- for the Islanders to have signed a new coach, hopefully someone like Scott Gordon (as I write this, it's been reported that John Tortorella will no longer be considered)

- for Michael Phelps to be en route to 8 gold medals

- for the Rangers to have a definitive answer on Brendan Shanahan (I love Shanny, but I'm hoping the Rangers lean away from him this year)

- for the Rangers to clear up some roster space, maybe trading a middling player or two for a draft pick or a 7th defenseman (hey Dan Fritsche; how are you, Tomas Pock?)

- for enough season ticket holders to not renew their package at the Garden so I can move up (contrary to me telling everyone I wouldn't be renewing my package, I will be... just call me "Brett Kerry Edwards Sundin")

- for $5,000 extra cash in my pocket from playing craps and/or poker

- for Bryan to text me if anything huge, NHL-wise, goes down... unlikely!

Review: Ultimate Gretzky DVD Set

Gretzky Week continues with a look at the re-release of "Ultimate Gretzky". Initially issued as a documentary, this four-disc DVD set comes loaded with extras, not to mention five of The Great One's finest games.

Release Date: Initial release in 2003; re-released in 2006

Availability: Amazon, Best Buy, etc.

Price: Approximately $25


In the NHL's perpetual struggle to remain relevant, we've seen other sports pass hockey by in many areas. One of those areas is the availability of older games and old footage. NFL Films does a tremendous job with its footage library; not only is their older coverage well-presented, but it looks great. Major League Baseball has offered broadcasts of classic games on its website for years. The NBA is just about the only sport seen on ESPN Classic. And while the NHL Network has done a great job bridging this gap, perhaps even eliminating it, the network just isn't in the amount of homes necessary for people to take notice.

The other sports have all branched out into the DVD world, something the NHL hasn't exactly done well. While baseball gives us entire World Series on DVD and the NFL and NBA have given very detailed DVDs on most teams, the NHL has given us crap like "NHL's Greatest Goals" and other hour-long fluff pieces that don't really do anything for hardcore fans. We want something more. We want something that does more than remind us of the game's past; instead, we want to relive the past.

Ultimate Gretzky is a significant step forward in this regard. The re-issue contains five classic games from Gretzky's career, but that's only the start. There's an entire side of a disc devoted to extras. And the documentary portion, the crux of the DVD, is extremely well-done.

Let's start with the documentary; after all, this comprises the entirety of the original Ultimate Gretzky. Our "host" is Kiefer Sutherland, the NHL's hired gun when it comes to cross-promotion. The program itself is an interview done with Gretzky (and sometimes his dad) by John Davidson. I'm supposed to hate JD because I'm an Islander fan, but I've always loved his work, and he does a great job here. He lets Gretzky tell the story, and it's clear Gretzky did his homework, which makes for a very compelling tale.

We get a ton of great footage in this documentary portion. Clips of Gretzky playing for the Oilers of the WHA. His greatest and most famous goals. His first time hoisting the Stanley Cup. The reactions of Edmontonians as he was traded to Los Angeles. Gretzky himself says that the footage itself is what he looks to most as he remembers his playing career, and we're very fortunate that so much is available.

But the documentary is so much more than a series of clips. Gretzky has some gems in store for us. He's not as candid as he was in his autobiography, but he says a lot of really interesting things, most of which make a ton of sense. At one point, he's given a chance to trash the state of hockey today, but instead, he diplomatically points out that it's a different game and it's just not as offense-driven as it used to be. He also becomes among the first to state that the only way to increase scoring is to decrease the size of the goaltending equipment. This is one of those moments where you see exactly why Gretzky has been such a great ambassador for the game of hockey.

One of the best parts about this DVD is how balanced it is. It might seem like the DVD starts to crap out after Gretzky scores his 802nd goal, but that's not really the case. Instead, we get to see the things that meant a lot to Gretzky, but don't get a lot of coverage, like the 1999 All-Star Game. There's also extensive coverage of his retirement, the 2002 Olympics, and Gretzky's progression into ownership with Phoenix. How ironic it is that Gretzky becomes part-owner (and later, coach) of a team that wouldn't be anywhere near Phoenix without his influence.

Then, we get to the bonus disc, which is kind of a mish-mash of stuff that didn't make the final cut. We get to see a ton of really cool clips, including ceremonies related to his retirement, his jersey retirement ceremonies in Edmonton and Los Angeles, his wedding, so on and so forth. My personal favorite would have to be the "Pond Of Dreams" short that was shown before the 2000 All-Star Game. It gets me every time. This was so good that ABC actually ran it twice. Can you imagine a network actually going on the air and saying, "Our open was so awesome that we're going to show it to you again."? I don't think so. Anyway, it's on the DVD, along with a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the short.

So with all that said, let's get to the games. We'll go in chronological order, just as the DVD does.

- 12.30.81 - Flyers at Oilers. This is the game where Gretzky scores five goals to hit 50 in 39 games. It's your typical 80's affair - tons of scoring and some pretty awful defense - but it's actually a close game that's fun to watch. Also, it's worth noting that the Flyers are wearing Cooperalls - and it's also worth noting that they actually look pretty cool. I'm still trying to figure out how they didn't catch on league-wide.

- 2.8.83 - NHL All-Star Game. Remember back when the Nassau Coliseum was worthy of hosting an All-Star Game? Me neither. I was a whopping sixteen months old when this one aired. It's most well-known for Gretzky's four-goal performance in the third period to win the game for the Campbell Conference. To be honest, it's not all that enjoyable to watch. If you insist on checking it out, just skip to the third period.

- 5.19.84 - Islanders at Oilers. The torch is passed. I'm supposed to hate watching this, but it's a very interesting game. You can tell the Islanders are done and the Oilers have surpassed them in every way. It's also clear how much respect the Oilers had for that Islander team. Islander fans might no love watching the Oilers blow their team out in this one, but it's worth watching for the emergence of Pat LaFontaine, called up after the 1984 Olympics and immediately given valuable minutes.

- 5.29.93 - Kings at Maple Leafs. Here's the famous Game 7 hat trick game. This is one seriously awesome game. Both teams were pretty much stacked at this point in time, but Gretzky carries his team on his back to get the win. One thing Gretzky says about this game in the documentary - the final minute represents the only time in his career he had to beg off from playing because he was too spent. It's also fun to hear the blatantly biased CBC announcers bash Gretzky after his third goal.

- 3.23.94 - Canucks at Kings. Gretzky scores #802 in front of the Kings faithful. It's a great moment, but the entire game was a trifle unnecessary. The ball is dropped even further when it's noted that the ESPN telecast of this game - complete with Gary Thorne's awesome call -isn't used. Instead, it's someone different; apparently, it's the Canucks' feed. How appropriate. Oh, and the Kings don't even win this game, which isn't a surprise, as they only won 27 games that year.

The games, obviously are nice to have, but they certainly could have found some better choices. For example, Game 2 of the 1987 Canada Cup would have been exceptional. Not only have many of us never seen the game, but it's not available elsewhere on DVD. I also would have taken the game when Gretzky breaks the all-time points record; not only does he do it in Edmonton, not only does he break the record with a game-tying goal in the final minute, but he scores the game-winner in overtime as well. Oh well. I guess you can't have it all.

The other thing that drives me crazy about this set? None of the discs have disc numbers on them. So if you're a slob and leave DVDs lying around without putting them away (not that I know anything about this), you end up putting the wrong disc in all the time. Hell, even if you do put the discs back into the case, it's hard to tell which is which. This is one of those stupid things that should have been spotted long before the set's release, but it never happened. Also, the dual-sided discs tend to get dirty and scratched, but it sure beats paying more for extra one-sided discs.

Ultimately, these are minor complaints. The important thing is that we not only have a definitive document of Wayne Gretzky's career, but we have the standard by which all other NHL DVDs should be judged. There's no reason why we can't see similar productions for Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier, or anyone the NHL wishes to commemorate. Now that we've seen what a hockey DVD can be, let's see the NHL take the initiative and satisfy its fans.

If We Covered Football...

If we covered football at this blog, we'd probably have about 3,000 hits today.

Review - Gretzky: An Autobiography

As part of our Gretzky Week celebration, we take a look at Bryan's all-time favorite book - Wayne Gretzky's autobiography.

Gretzky: An Autobiography

- Author: Wayne Gretzky with Rick Reilly

- Publisher: HarperCollins

- Release Date: Late 1990/Early 1991

- Availability: Amazon.com Personal Sellers



When I was in fifth grade, I didn't read much. Come to think of it, I didn't read at all. My life revolved around hockey, wrestling, and Super Nintendo. Clearly, there wasn't much room for literary pursuits. That's when my mom stepped in. She thought to herself that if she got me a book about my favorite hockey player, maybe I'd actually read it. And that's how Gretzky: An Autobiography came into my life.

So I read it. A couple hundred times, to be precise. And when I moved out of my house three years ago, I was dismayed because I couldn't find parts of the book. I read it so much the spine cracked, separating this classic tome into a random assortment of pages. Thanks to the wonder of the Internet, though, The Great One is back on my bookshelf where he belongs.

What makes this book so great? I really couldn't tell you. It's hardly a literary masterpiece, though it was ghostwritten by Rick Reilly. There are contradictions and tangents galore, and some things just don't make sense. But there's a certain charm to the book, a casual style I must have picked up on at the ripe age of ten and never relinquished. After all, for all I knew, this is how everyone wrote.

Gretzky is funny and sarcastic when he wants to be - two things most people don't associate with our game's leading scorer. One other thing that I didn't really get the first time around - he was quite bitter about being traded from Edmonton.

Today's autobiographies are controversial, but are done so intentionally. Tiki Barber trashed Tom Coughlin in his book at least partially to give himself credibility heading into his journalistic career. Many of the pro wrestling autobiographies that come out include shots at other wrestlers just to generate a buzz. But Gretzky shoots from the hip. His hatred of Peter Pocklington can barely be concealed. Gretzky tells us that Pocklington gave other teams permission to call The Great One while he was on his honeymoon, that Pocklington's agent threatened to sue Gretzky for $50 million if he didn't re-sign with Edmonton, and that Pocklington's gifts often came with unpaid tax bills that became the responsibility of the recipients. Gretzky also says he will refuse to come back to Edmonton for his jersey retirement or any other special events. Well, he didn't keep that promise, but as they say, time heals all wounds.

Time, however, doesn't stop this book from being a classic. It's an extremely balanced book, one that focuses just as much on the dynasty in Edmonton as it does on Gretzky's first two years in Los Angeles (the book was released around the close of 1990). We hear a lot about Gretzky's self-doubt as he entered into the deal with the Kings and how it was erased by little things, like seeing kids playing roller hockey on the street. Gretzky's take on the future generation is rather interesting, and is most certainly colored by his own experiences as a prodigy who was booed in his own building at age ten.

If you thought you knew everything about Gretzky, you were wrong. Aside from his troubled youth, there are some bits in here that will blow you away. For example, he almost retired after the 1986-87 season and came even closer to skipping that year's Canada Cup. Also, he didn't want to break Gordie Howe's record total of 1,850 points, feeling that the best player ever should have the most points ever. He also tells the story of the time Johnny Carson wanted Gretzky to appear, but it never happened because the NHL refused to pay for his flight out to New York. This is The Great One revealed, or at least as revealing as a book around the turn of the '90s could possibly get.

There are a lot of funny stories in this book, but there's nothing too risque. Which is good, because I think we all want to view Gretzky as a larger-than-life figure. This book does nothing to hurt that mindset. If anything, it enhances it. Gretzky lets us in on his personal life and what was going on behind the scenes, and his honesty is so frank that it reminds us that he's a regular guy. He bashes the NHL's owners regularly, stating that "they have no idea what they're doing," and that they only care about making money. His ten-point guide to saving the NHL is particularly interesting, if only because so many of those things have actually happened. And, in an eerie bit of foreshadowing, he trashes the NHL for bailing on ESPN for SporsChannel America because of the larger payday for the owners. Little did he know how important that would be fifteen years later.

It's hard to find the words to express what makes Gretzky: An Autobiography such a hit in my mind. Sure, part of it is nostalgia, and the fact that I can recite entire chapters doesn't hurt. But I think there's something more. It's Wayne Gretzky as we want him to be - obviously very skilled, but humble and charming. Reading the pages he wrote eighteen years ago, it's easy to see why he helped sell the sport so well.

Clear Out Your DVRs...

It's Gretzky Week on the NHL Network. Hooray!

Folks, this is as good as it gets. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Great One's trade to Los Angeles, the NHL Network has an entire slate of Gretzky-related items for our perusal. It's going to be a fun week.

You can find the schedule here, but here are the highlights...

- Wednesday @ 9 PM - 8.9.88: A Day That Changed The Game. A documentary on the trade. It should be interesting to see how they play this one, given the time that's passed and how much more we know now. I also doubt it can possibly be as candid as Gretzky's own take in his autobiography.

- Wednesday @ 10 PM - Red Wings at Kings, 10.6.88. Gretzky's first game as a King. Kind of a big deal in LA. Fun fact: He scores on his first shot.

- Thursday @ 10 PM - Kings at Oilers, 10.19.88. Gretzky's first game in his old arena. This is still during the time when people believed Gretzky requested the trade. Don't be surprised if the fans don't fawn over him.

- Friday @ 9:30 PM - NHL Cool Shots: Wayne Gretzky. This is an interview that was done to promote his "Ultimate Gretzky" DVD. He reveals some pretty neat stuff about his career and his decision to retire.

- Friday @ 10 PM - Kings at Oilers, 10.15.89. Gretzky breaks the all-time point record... in Edmonton, of all places. Imagine that?

- Saturday @ 7 PM - Kings at Maple Leafs, 5.29.93. Gretzky scores a hat trick in Game 7 of the Campbell Conference Finals to lead the Kings to the Stanley Cup Final. Gretzky calls this the best game he played in the NHL. Hard to argue.

- Saturday @ 10 PM - Canucks at Kings, 3.23.94. Gretzky scores #802. Pray to God that they have the ESPN feed so you get to hear Gary Thorne's amazing call. Also, notice how many ex-Oilers are on the ice when Gretzky scores the goal.

We here at The Rivalry will have our own Gretzky Week celebration, as we'll have reviews of his aforementioned autobiography and DVD set. Both are excellent, as we've come to expect from The Great One. Take a break from the Islanders' endless search for a coach, take a break from the Rangers' fruitless pursuit of Mats Sundin, and enjoy Wayne Gretzky at his finest. Who knows where this great game of ours would be without him and his trade to the Kings?

The NHL Network Drinking Game, Version 1.0

Truly, we are knee-deep in the dog days of summer.

Hockey is completely off the radar for many people. However, for those of us who want to keep it alive, it's a tough battle. We know better than to rely on ESPN for our sports news, but if we did, all we'd hear about are the Red Sox, the Yankees, and Brett Favre. Frankly, we've had enough. So we turn to the one ally that hasn't let us down yet - the NHL Network.

You thought I was going to say alcohol, didn't you? Well, you're in luck. We here at The Rivalry have got both bases covered. Stay cool with some frosty brews (we recommend Molson Ice) and some hockey action! What could be better? This drinking game is not necessarily designed to get you hammered, though you're more than welcome to actually play along if you'd like. Hey, anything's better than more Brett Favre news, right?

Enjoy!

Note: We chose not to create rules for the random playoff games they've been showing lately. Quite frankly, we can't in good conscience recommend watching Game 1 of some first-round series that didn't mean anything.

GENERAL RULES
These rules go for everything. The basics upon which the NHL Network is built.
- If your program is hosted by Dan Pollard - drink
- If your program is NOT hosted by Dan Pollard or Todd Lewis - check your listings; clearly, you aren't watching the NHL Network.
- If a Canadian team is prominently featured - drink
- If you're thrown off by the wrong feed (as in, you're expecting to hear Gary Thorne, but you hear Bob Cole instead) - chug
- If you catch an announcer being blatantly biased toward a Canadian team/player - drink
- If you catch an announcer categorizing a European as soft or lazy without a good reason - chug
- If the ticker on the bottom of the screen shows something that happened more than three days ago - chug
- If the program is clearly stalling for time (i.e. a Classic Series where the last segment has nothing to do with the series itself) - drink

NHL ON THE FLY
It's not currently airing... but those who watch it regularly during the season know it's the best NHL recap show out there.
- If the analyst is a coach that recently got fired - chug
- If an analyst is critiquing a player he coached/drafted - drink
- If the analyst awkwardly tries to take credit for that player's success - chug
- If you're watching a replay of On The Fly Final - take one drink for each time you've watched it already
- If you can tell the exact point in the intro when it switches from tonight's highlights to a pre-recorded package - chug
- If they play the other team's announcer's calls when showing your team's game - drink
- If the hosts trash your team - chug
- If there aren't any shootouts to recap at show's end - drink
- If the hosts are plugging a different game for "Our North American viewers" - drink

COMMERCIALS
Oh, boy... If you watch the NHL Network regularly, you probably want to kill yourself when these ads come on. But they're funny. Pick one that's "safe"; you're exempt from drinking during that ad. The rest, though, should have you blitzed in no time.
- If a commercial features Billy Mays, the patron saint of infomercials - chug
- If the commercial is a rather shady infomercial (My Free Laptop, etc.) - drink
- If it's a "Moment On Ice" - drink
- If you correctly guessed which "Moment On Ice" it was - chug
- Drink every time you hear the following phrases...
+ "Young Nathan has a rare blood disodda"
+ "It only takes about an ow-uh!"
+ "A little pahsta and a steak"
+ "There's no 'I' in hockey. Period."
+ "Government coupon pro-grum"
+ "The game has changed. So should the way you watch it."
+ "Hosted by" (as in, "Nobody cares who's hosting this crappy NHL DVD, but we're going to include it in the commercial anyway")
- Every time "The Coach" appears - drink
- If "The Coach" appears twice in a row - chug
- If someone recognizes "The Coach" from his bit role in "Tommy Boy" - chug
- If you've ever actually wondered why our sport isn't called puckey - kill the beer, then smash the bottle over your head
- If they show the ad about the digital converter boxes - drink
- If you find yourself wondering who would have this network (available on Cablevision only via a special package) and still be watching on an analog set - drink
- If the ad with the Stanley Cup being held by all the different players comes on - don't drink. Watch it and appreciate how awesome it is. Then take a long chug if you're convinced ESPN will rip this off for next year's NBA Finals and everyone will say how innovative it is.
- If one commercial is significantly louder than the others - drink
- If your spouse yells at you to turn the TV down because of that loud commercial - chug
- If a program ends with the "NHL Network" bumper ad and is followed immediately by an ad for the "Just Like Me" DVD - chug

NHL LIVE!
On hiatus until September 15th. Still, an awesome show.
- If you're watching the show on replay - drink - If E.J. Hradek isn't in the studio - drink
- If there's a cardboard cutout of E.J. in his place - chug
- If the cardboard cutout has been defaced in some way - chug again
- If the NHL Store looks empty - drink
- If you see someone make a purchase - drink
- If someone buys a jersey of a player who's no longer on that team - chug
- If Don trashes the media for treating the NHL unfairly - raise your bottle in agreement, then take a nice big swig
- If you ever catch Don (employed by ESPN Radio) or E.J. (employed by ESPN.com) on the verge of trashing ESPN, then think better of it and stop - drink
- If they actually go through with it - kill a beer
- If E.J. forgets who the day's hosts are - drink
- If a caller talks for more than a minute straight - drink
- If the hosts actually cut the caller off - chug

VINTAGE GAMES
The real shining star of the NHL Network. Enjoy the games of yesteryear while simultaneously enjoying some nice Canadian brew.
- If the game is in black and white - chug
- If there are no ads on the boards - drink
- If a goalie is wearing a Jason Voorhees mask - drink
- If a goalie is using an old waffle-style blocker - chug
- If the game is being played at an arena that doesn't exist anymore - drink
- If the arena still exists, but now has a corporate name - kill a beer
- Every time someone makes a remark about how much different the game looks (i.e. the goalie's equipment, the size of the players, the amount of open ice) - drink
- If a goalie lets in a particularly bad goal - drink
- If you can't tell which team is at home by the color of their uniforms because you aren't sure which color the home team wore during the game's time period - chug
- If a decent portion of the game is cut out with no explanation - chug
- If you see something that would be totally unacceptable today (i.e. a huge brawl, uncalled obstruction penalties) - drink
- If the game typifies the style of that era (i.e. a high-scoring game from the 80s, a snoozefest from the turn of the century) - drink

CLASSIC SERIES
Past playoff series, assembled for our viewing pleasure. Some are real duds; some truly are classics. All are to be enjoyed.
- If you already know what happens in the series - drink
- If it's a historically significant series (i.e. a Cup Final, Game 7 OT winner, etc.) - drink
- If a team tries changing their goalie to change their luck - drink
- If it actually works - kill a beer
- If a team's star player gets shut down - drink
- If the star player wakes up just in time to put the screws to the underdog - chug
- If an interview with the star player reveals that he "knew'd he'd start getting the bounces" - kill a beer
- If a coach complains to the media about the officiating - chug
- If a game ends with an overtime goal by a role player - drink
- If the series was a sweep - chug
- If a player picks up the conference championship trophy - kill a beer
- If they show the post-series handshake line - drink

EDIT: We forgot about the Top Ten. Whoops. That'll be covered in Version 2.0!

But Isn't Nikolai Zherdev Going to Wear Number 13...

Reports, false or otherwise, have the Rangers still interested in Mats Sundin, even with all the forwards and high priced players already on their roster. 

While I do doubt that he will play on Broadway, there is a chance, and we do know that he spoke to the Rangers' organization even before Toronto gave Montreal permission to talk to him. So, there is an outside chance.

Of course, the Rangers would have to move salary to get him there. And he would have to agree to a discount. Vancouver's $10M per year for 2 years deal is still on the table. Would he give that up to play for a chance at the Cup in Manhattan, even if it means taking less money than 2002 All-Star Wade Redden's $6.5M? Would Sundin also accept a one-year deal?

Part of me thinks the Rangers should give this up and continue with the rebuilding that has renewed the organization since the lockout. They have homegrown talent named Dawes, Callahan, Dubinsky, Korpikoski, Anisimov, Byers, Moore and Prucha who can put the puck in the net (yes, I realize they all will not be on the team come October). Those people have rejuvenated the franchise, and another big-name veteran would again delay their development.

Also, with 5 centers on the roster (Gomez, Drury, Dubinsky, Fritsche, Betts), another 3rd first-line center would be overkill.

However, there is no denying his skill, even at 37. He was drafted in 1989, a year before Jaromir Jagr, two years after Brendan Shanahan, and one pick before the Islanders drafted Dave Chyzowski (nice cheap shot).

His stats have never wavered. Most superstars tail off towards the end of their careers. Mark Messier had a great season in 1996-97, then never again reach point-per-game status, scoring 60, 48, 54, 67, 23, 40, and 43 points until he retired. Mike Modano, drafted the year before Sundin went 1st overall, had good seasons in 2002-03 and 05-06, but has been a damper on the team in other years. In Eric Lindros' last 2 seasons, he played a total of 82 games and scored 48 points, a far cry from his pre-concussion 70 points in 41 games in 94-95 and his 115 points in 73 games in 95-96.

Sundin has had a couple of off-years, but ever since his rookie year (58 points, 82 games) he has gotten atleast 72 points (47 in 47 in the strike-shortened 1994-95 year). He has averaged over a point per game every year since the lockout, an accomplished feat on a team that has been just under mediocre and missed the playoffs in each of those 3 seasons.

I guess I wrote this post to maybe convince myself that if I log onto the computer tomorrow and read "Rangers Trade Prucha, Sign Sundin", or I get a text while I'm Vegas saying "sundin a ranger, sweet", I won't be upset.

After all, he is a leader who stands up and takes responsibility. He's a Brendan Shanahan type player who will always face the media and take the heat when needed, except he can still play unlike the older and more-injured Shanahan.

I still think they should take the team they have now, but if they do sign him for one-year, it automatically makes them favorites in the non-improved East. 

Think about it: Pittsburgh replaced Marian Hossa with two former Islander journeymen. Montreal's biggest signing was Georges Laraque. Philadelphia didn't do much. Boston signed an unproven kid (Blake Wheeler) and bought out a veteran who will end up in Hollywood (Glen Murray). Atlanta is horrible. Washington didn't do much either besides locking up their own players and getting worse in goal. The Devils signed two back-up goalies and one past-his-prime center (Bobby Holik) and one solid winger (Brian Rolston). But besides Tampa Bay, who has really improved? Nobody. Whoever lands Sundin automatically becomes a favorite... unless it's Toronto, who might never be good again.

Still Here...

Don't worry, New York hockey fans. We're still here. However, as the temperatures rise on Long Island - I woke up sweating at 7:30 in the morning with my air conditioner on - hockey is far from the minds of most New Yorkers. 

Plus, nothing really has been going on with the teams we write about, unless you include Petr Nedved's pity-invite to training camp and Joel Quenneville not going to be the next Islanders coach newsworthy.

Hang tight. Play craps. Eat at buffets. Yes... I'll be in Vegas in 9 days.