So Long, NHL Network

Today, I called Cablevision to cancel my subscription to the NHL Network. I was a bit sad about it... but not as sad as I thought I would be.

The way Cablevision works is they put the NHL Network in a package called the iO Sports Pak. For $5.95 per month, you get the NHL Network and a bunch of other sports networks. Of the extra channels, the only worthwhile network is GolTV, which doesn't show any of the leagues I follow. So it's essentially $5.95 for the NHL Network. Initially, I gladly paid this amount. However, over time, the quality of the NHL Network has fallen drastically, much to my displeasure.

When the NHL Network first hit the United States in October 2007, it was honestly the best thing to happen to me all year. The network was full of old games and horrible commercials; in short, it was heaven. There were times when literally half of my 100-hour DVR was filled with games and telecasts from the NHL Network. Getting up with my then-infant daughter for 3 AM feedings was a pleasure because there was always hockey on my TV.

Unfortunately, things changed.

This past year, the NHL Network has become much more of a "now" network. On one hand, that's a good thing, because it showcases today's top stars and storylines. On the other, it's awful. This is a channel that's buried on premium tiers on most cable networks; only the most diehard hockey fans, all of whom are already up on the latest happenings of the NHL, even subscribe to the network. So, in many ways, the NHL Network is preaching to the choir.

I became hooked on the NHL Network for two main reasons - NHL On The Fly and the footage of old games and playoff series. When NHL Live started airing, that became a third reason. When NHL Live was hosted by Don LaGreca and EJ Hradek, it was must-see TV. It was a heavy influence on me purchasing an XM subscription. Now that both LaGreca and Hradek have departed the show, NHL Live has suffered. It's informative, sure, but it's hard to get into the show when it's hosted by a revolving door of guests. Not so coincidentally, I canceled my XM service yesterday in another cost-cutting move.

But NHL Live is not what killed the NHL Network in my eyes. These days, the NHL Network shows too much of the same crap over and over again. Take today for example. The replay of NHL Live aired from 4 to 6 PM. This was followed by a pre-game show for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. Then, they showed the same pre-game show AGAIN before the 8 PM start time of Game 3. After the game, NHL On The Fly airs - until noon tomorrow. That's followed by NHL Live, a replay of last night's game, and the replay of NHL Live. See what I'm saying? We have a 24/7 hockey network that shows more talk shows than actual hockey action. It's annoying.

I understand that not every NHL fan is as obsessed as I am with seeing games from the 1980s. But I think the NHL Network could clearly do a better job. For example, why isn't there a marathon of clinching games from previous Stanley Cup Finals? Instead, I turn on the NHL Network, excited to watch some hockey, only to see Patrik Elias in Belize or clips from The Hockey Show that already aired on NHL.com.

I'm sure I'll be back. If they end up showing a ton of classic games over the summer - and really, they have no reason not to - maybe I'll re-subscribe. But for now, it's not worth my $5.95 a month to not watch hockey. I'll miss the NHL Network - I'll miss the channel I fell in love with during 2007 and 2008, not what it's become in recent months.

It's funny - when the MLB Network launched in January, everyone raved about what a great job they did. I remember thinking to myself, "If these people could just give the NHL Network a chance, they'd see an even better network." Now, the MLB Network has clearly surpassed the NHL Network, and it's a damn shame. The NHL Network has already shown how great it can be - I hope it reaches that point again in the near future.

Day in the Life...

The NHL Network has a show entitled "Day in the Life," which follows a player around from morning to night on the day of a game. Most episodes are pretty cool, and show a player at home with his family, eating (creepy, I know), going to morning skate, going to lunch, interacting with fans, taking a 2-hour nap (they don't show that), then playing in the game.

The Shea Weber episode was boring. I think he lives with his parents - I could be wrong there. For the most part, that episode was them sitting in meetings and Nashville Predators' coach Barry Trotz warning the team that Zach Parise is a good player. (Uh, yeah, he is.)

The Ryan Clowe episode also was boring, because they were on the road in Columbus so we saw nice shots of him eating eggs in the hotel (he also eats oatmeal sometimes). Clowe also has the personality of a pineapple.

Right now, I'm watching Derek Morris. I know that it sucks that Petr Prucha was traded for this guy, who is going to be an unrestricted free agent in less than 4 months, but he is a good player. He also has a big, big, big shot from the point. (His oldest son also has a huge slapper... I think the kid is like 8). He's got a good personality and he seems like he cares about winning. Ah, if only Don Maloney was stupid enough to take Aaron Voros instead of Prucha.

Anyway, point of the story is 1) I think Morris will really help this team and 2) to tell you to TiVo this show. They show random episodes at random times. I know Mike Green is sometime this week.

Oh, and Scott Hartnell's wife is really hot.

Real Quick, Real Funny...

Just heard a comment on NHL on the Fly on the NHL Network, about Jay Bouwmeester not being traded. "This is good news if you're a Florida Panther fan."

Yeah, buddy, just in case any of the 9 Panther fans have the NHL Network and happen to be watching it at 2:34 in the morning.

Lest we forget when the Panthers laid off 10 employees in order to pay Jassen Cullimore's salary?

Voices: Howie Rose

For anybody who's even remotely interested in the business of broadcasting or even the lives of broadcasters, the NHL Network's Voices is a must-see. Each week, the show profiles a different broadcaster, including clips and interviews with that particular announcer. This week, Islanders broadcaster Howie Rose was on the show.

Overall, the show did a great job of showcasing the abilities of Howie Rose. Howie's a hard guy to dislike; Rangers fans still have reverence for his work with their team, while Islanders fans can claim him as one of their own. Stan Fischler, one of the other broadcasters interviewed, mentioned the difficulty Howie had being accepted by Islanders fans after leaving the Rangers. While the program didn't discuss this at all aside from Fischler's remarks, it remains a remarkable accomplishment that Howie has acclimated himself so well to Long Island.

Obviously, Howie Rose and Stephane Matteau will be forever linked, and Voices devoted an entire segment to the spring of 1994. Islanders fans probably don't want to watch this part, but it's an important part of Rose's career as well as hockey history. Howie discusses his admiration for Marv Albert and how proud he was to share the broadcast of Game 7 versus Vancouver with his idol. In the segment, Rose admits he grew up a Rangers fan and was horribly nervous throughout the third period, which Albert called. At the end, pictures are shown of Rose kissing the Stanley Cup - and after that Matteau call, he has every right to do so.

Unfortunately for Islanders fans, there isn't much devoted to any of Howie's great Islanders calls, probably because there haven't been all that many great moments in his tenure. They did show the Wade Dubielewicz pokecheck that put the Islanders in the playoffs in 2007 as well as some of his amateur calls, which were done on a hand-held tape recorder. Quotes from Rose's current partner Billy Jaffe, his former partner Joe Micheletti, and Rangers announcer Sam Rosen all paint Howie Rose in the best possible light. 

The Voices crew trailed Howie Rose the day of an Islanders-Rangers game on January 13 and gave fans the true experience of a broadcaster. Howie is a noted opponent of the morning skate, so when he showed up to the morning skate and asked Scott Gordon a question, Gordon quipped, "Who's the new guy?" We also got a look at how Howie prepares for the game (mostly game notes and interviews, in contrast to some other broadcasters who pen entire notebooks) as well as a trip inside the booth. Perhaps the most interesting part of the booth is the assistant next to Rose who writes pertinent facts on a Dry-Erase board so Rose and Jaffe can quickly state timely information.

All in all, Voices with Howie Rose was fun and informative, and to be quite honest, it was just nice to see the Islanders being treated like a real team instead of a punchline. Howie Rose's episode of Voices replays tomorrow (Friday) at 4 PM as well as Tuesday at 4 PM. It's definitely worth a look.

News Items

Just a couple of items you might be interested in, with the first topic being of extreme importance...

- 1050 ESPN Radio (by way of Sean Leahy's Facebook status) reports that Tom Renney will be fired tomorrow. This is the only outlet to report this news, so take it as you will. But it wouldn't surprise me one bit. Either way, it's just speculation at this point, so there's not much to discuss. His firing wouldn't be a surprise, nor would it be surprising to see him coach for the remainder of the season. We shall see.

- Howie Rose will be the focus of the show "Voices" on the NHL Network this coming Thursday. This news comes courtesy of the iO Digital Cable Channel Guide. Howie mentioned on the air a few weeks ago that they were following him around for the show, but I can't remember which game it was. Either way, I look forward to hearing what Howie has to say. If I could interview any one person in the entire Islanders organization, it'd be Howie Rose.

- I played the demo of 3 on 3 NHL Arcade tonight for PS3... that's one fun game. The demo is extremely limited, but the gameplay is all kinds of awesome and fun. It looks like the game's options are a bit lacking, with the main gripe being that you just pick four guys from a pool of NHL stars as opposed to playing as the NHL team of your choice. This also means there's no "season" mode or anything, which is kind of weak. Still, for $10, it's not bad at all. And for those interested, Rick DiPietro appears in the demo as one of the two goalies, with Roberto Luongo being the other. It's always interesting to see how the careers of these two intertwine as time goes on.

I'm watching my tape of the Islanders game right now - I already know they lost. But that's okay. For the first overall pick, these are the games you need to lose. This is still a much better team than the one who sucked it up throughout December and much of January. I can live with these losses as long as the team shows signs of improvement, which they certainly have since the All-Star Break.

NHL Live Gets Rick-Rolled

This has very little to do with hockey, but I found it funny nonetheless. I'm watching the replay of NHL Live on the NHL Network and a "Rick in Texas" called in with a question about Brenden Morrow. Suddenly, he stops talking and starts playing "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. Both Don and Billy took it in stride and got a good laugh out of it, as they should - it was pretty damn funny.

There are a couple of things I need to disclose. First, in one of those things that only happen in a job you absolutely despise, Rick Astley became an obsession in our office over the past year, to the point that I received a copy of Rick Astley's Greatest Hits for my birthday this year. Secondly, and more importantly, my first ever Islanders game was an Islanders-Oilers game in March 1988. While the Islanders were warming up, they played "Never Gonna Give You Up" over the Coliseum PA. The Islanders won that game by a score of 5-4; it would be the first and last time I'd watch my idol Wayne Gretzky play live. Sadly, aside from the score, I don't remember a thing about the game. The only thing I remember about the game is Rick Astley.

Well, That Didn't Take Long...

The Tampa Bay Lightning fired (or, as they say in England, sacked) Barry Melrose after just sixteen games. Lots of people predicted an unhappy ending to this marriage, but it's jarring to see a coach fired so early.

I don't agree with firing a coach any earlier than the midway point of the season. If I were the Lightning's attention-starved new owners, I'd have stuck with Melrose for two main reasons. First, Melrose is just learning the NHL game again after a long time away. When Joe Gibbs returned to the Washington Redskins, he had an awful first year, but it didn't take too long for him to catch up. We'll never know how Melrose would have adapted to the new NHL with more time. Secondly, and more importantly, the Lightning has undergone a ton of change over the past year. Between the eight free agents they added this summer and the three players acquired in the Brad Richards trade, just about half of the Lightning roster consists of new players who haven't learned how to play with each other. That's a tough job for any coach, let alone a coach who hasn't been in the NHL in thirteen years.

It's hard to say what happens with Melrose at this point. Nobody's going to hire him for a head coaching job after the failure of his Lightning stint, and ESPN seems to have moved on with Matthew Barnaby taking over the old Melrose role. The best option for Melrose might be to latch on somewhere as an assistant. He's got a good hockey mind and probably shouldn't have been fired just yet. But the Lightning were last in the league in goals per game and were struggling to stay competitive in an awful division, so the Lightning did what they felt they had to do. After seeing how such a move impacted Washington just one year ago, it's easy to see why they acted now.

So, once again, our world is without Barry Melrose. Which means the NHL Network, now unable to show the Barry Melrose-Carrie Milbank ad, is going to have an awful lot of ad time to fill. "Scouting, scouting... always scouting." Not anymore, Barry. Our reward? More ads for the Iron Gym and Sonic Scrubber. Just what we all need.

Islanders DVD News?!?

Today is a Rangers day, no question about it. Two out of two in Prague is pretty impressive. Even if you hate the Rangers - and even if you saw how terrible the Lightning were this weekend - you have to give the Rangers credit for winning four straight games in Europe, away from everything familiar to them.

Anyway.

You may recall over the summer, Zach and I created our own dream DVD sets for our respective teams. The Rangers one is here, the Islanders one is here. I always felt bad for people who searched "Islanders DVD" on Google, found our blog, and thought it was real. Sadly, it was just something to do over the summer when nothing else was going on.

Or was it?

Looking at the Islanders' website today, I couldn't help but notice the rather interesting poll on the right-hand side of the page. If you're too lazy to look, it asks which game fans would most like to see on an Islanders DVD box set. The current leader is Game 4 of the 1983 Cup Final, which wasn't all that great of a game. As Wayne Gretzky said in his autobiography, "They scored three goals in two minutes and we spent the rest of the night wondering what our consolation speech would sound like." Of course, if you've heard the story about Gretzky and Kevin Lowe passing by the Islanders' locker room after that game, you know the Oilers' dynasty begun that night. So it's natural to include the Dynasty's final moment of glory on the DVD.

But that's not the point.

This is the point. You don't see polls like this on an official website for no reason. Something tells me the Islanders actually are making a DVD of their history and want some fan input regarding which games to include. To be honest, if they didn't go ahead with this thing after teasing the fans with this poll, I'd be pretty pissed. Let's face it, there's not going to be much good coming out of Islander Country this year. We may as well have some vestiges of the past to enjoy.

In other words: the sooner, the better. Maybe I can finally delete the 1993 Islanders-Penguins Classic Series show from my DVR.

Sirius/XM

Zach sent me an interesting text today. He said that I should turn on Sirius channel 208 and check out NHL Home Ice. It's the NHL channel that people who have XM already know well, and it's the channel I hear every single time I'm in Zach's car. And, much to my surprise, it's now available on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Sort of.

If you have Sirius, you can get NHL Home Ice, along with the MLB package, Opie and Anthony, and the biggest draw of them all, Oprah Winfrey. And if you want these, all you have to do is call Sirius and upgrade your package to the top tier, which is $16.95 a month. Then, you'll get the NHL on the road.

Sort of.

When I tried to do this today, I was told my radio isn't compatible with the XM channels. I've had my radio for four years, which I guess is a good reason. Then again, the ads did say nobody would have to buy new equipment as a result of the merger. Obviously, that's not the case. I called them to see if there was anything I could do, and they pretty much told me to buy a new radio. In other words, no freebies for this scribe. That sucks.

Having said that, NHL Home Ice is a quality station, well worth the extra $4 a month if you're a Sirius subscriber. Between Home Ice, the NHL Network, and NHL Center Ice, it's a great time to be a hockey fan. Those of us who have complained about the coverage of the league really can't say that anymore; today, we have all the tools we need. Who needs ESPN?

Five Ways I'd Change The NHL

Yeah, so after seeing Puck Daddy's series, every hockey blog on the entire Internet has done one of these. But honestly, what else is there to write about?

1) Reduce the size of goalie equipment. I know they've been working on this one, and I know we've seen worse. But the average hockey fan can't tell who the really good goalies are because so many guys can stop any shot just by getting square to the shooter. Pads are supposed to protect the goalie, not the net. Clearly, we could do a little better in this area. Smaller pads would not only increase scoring, which we all know the NHL desperately wants, but would also separate the elite goalies from the Garth Snows of the world.

2) Ban all non-wooden sticks. It's not fair that everyone dumps on the size of goalie pads when 90% of NHL players have enhanced shots thanks to composite sticks. It's not quite the difference between an aluminum baseball bat compared to a wooden one, but the shooters have an unfair advantage. And if we're going to be reducing the size of these goalies, the shooters have to make a bit of a concession as well. Besides, if I see one more slapshot from the point ruined because a composite stick decides to shatter upon impact, I'm going to scream.

3) Make replica jerseys more affordable. If you enjoy wearing your team's colors, it's going to cost you dearly. A RBK Edge jersey from NHL.com, currently "on sale", costs $114.99. A pre-customized jersey you'd buy at Dick's or Modell's costs $149.99. That's ridiculous. For that price, you could buy two NFL or MLB jerseys. Word-of-mouth advertising - or, in this case, word-of-clothing advertising - does more than anything else to elevate a league. The more someone sees of a league and their apparel, the less likely they are to tune the product out. The NHL could do worse than to see thousands more people wearing their stuff.

4) Get the NHL Network on basic cable. On Cablevision, NBA TV is a top-tier channel and the NFL Network isn't even available. The upcoming MLB Network will be available as a basic channel. The NHL would do well to join them. Not only would this be a bone thrown to the many fans who don't get Versus, but it'd do the league a world of good in terms of exposure. You'd take fans who are completely unable to watch hockey and are therefore unable to get into the game, and you'd be able to transform them into knowledgable, attentive fans. It'd cost money, sure, but the NHL Network has plenty - and I mean, plenty - of ad space to sell.

5) Copy baseball's scheduling format. We can pretty much all agree that the NHL could schedule its games better. They should look at how baseball does it. In baseball, the divisional games are pretty much all played in April, June, and September. The relatively meaningless interleague games are played in May and June, and the other games fill in the blanks. Why couldn't hockey do this? You could play all the divisional games in October, November, and March/April. Throw the inter-conference games in during January or so, when nobody's paying attention to hockey to begin with, and then play the rest of the games whenever it's convenient. This way, you only have teams making one cross-country trip each, and you have the rivalry games when they really matter - at the beginning of the season and the end of the season. Lastly, each team would be required to do one home-and-home series - on consecutive nights - with each significant geographical rival. So while the Islanders might only do one with the Rangers, the Rangers would do one with both the Islanders and the Devils.

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.

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!

Good News, Islander Fans...

...and I don't mean the fact that the Darryl Sittler ad is back in heavy rotation on the NHL Network (as awesome as that is).

It's no secret that the Islanders had planned on putting out a third jersey for the upcoming 2008-09 season. I'd heard through the grapevine that it was going to be similar to the jerseys the Isles wore a few years ago for Throwback Night, but was never able to confirm it.

Until now.

Isles Blogger reports that the Islanders are indeed going to their retro look as a third jersey in 2008-09. This has been confirmed by HockeyBuzz. I know HockeyBuzz is hardly a bastion of journalistic integrity, but this was something I'd heard about from multiple sources before HockeyBuzz "broke" it.

Anyway, here's what we're looking at for next year...

(images taken from an eBay listing for this very jersey)

Ooh.

To me, the lettering makes the jersey. People have said the white sleeves look stupid, but not with everything else going on. Anyway, I'd expect some minor modifications to this look, so as to fit the RBK Edge template, but I'm sure this is pretty close to the real thing.

I've been secretly excited about this jersey for a very long time, but didn't want to post anything about it and then have it fall through. You know, because we break so many stories around here.

So there you have it, Islander fans. You now have the coolest third jersey in franchise history.

Time For DP To Make "The Leap"

Is this the year Rick DiPietro joins the league's elite?

Sorry to conjure memories of one of the NHL Network's most played ads, but it's a question worth asking. Some would say he's well on his way. Others would argue he's already there. Still, others say he'll never be any good and that his 15-year contract is the worst in NHL history. Clearly, there's no consensus here.

My personal opinion is that DiPietro played like a top-five goaltender (and that's top five in the NHL, not the Atlantic Division) for the first half of the season, then was never the same after "f'ing up his hip" at the Skills Competition. As fate would have it, it was at that same Skills Competition when we saw exactly what Rick DiPietro can be in this league.

Everyone points to his post-All-Star Game fade, but people forget that DP was just about made a star during All-Star weekend. He was probably the athlete the hosts talked to the most during the Skills Competition, he wore a mic during the game, and got hyped up pretty good by Versus. Oh, and he also started the All-Star Game itself and only let in one goal the entire weekend - and that was when one of the idiot announcers was talking to him. Despite being a goalie in the offense-heavy All-Star Game, he was a solid MVP candidate - not too bad for someone many considered lucky to be there.

So it all came crashing down after that. So what? Those who watched the Islanders play in the first half know how many games DiPietro singlehandedly won for them. If the Vezina vote took place in February, he would have gotten some serious consideration, not to mention quite a few votes. That's half a season of stellar goaltending, which is certainly an upgrade over the years when Tommy Salo and Felix Potvin graced us with their presence.

The challenge, now, is translating that half-season of greatness into a full year of Vezina-quality goaltending. Is DiPietro ready?

Well, here's the thing. He pretty much has to be.

The Isles are going to struggle to do much of anything this year, at least as far as making a playoff push goes. If they're going to have a decent year - and they're going to need to in order to attract free agents - DP needs to be spectacular. But it goes deeper than that. DiPietro himself needs to have the kind of year that really puts him on the map across the league. Believe it or not, he was drafted eight years ago. It's time for him to step up - and, at this point, we all pray his hips can keep him up.

And then, there's this. The NHL is dying to shove DiPietro down our throats, a la Crosby and Ovechkin. It just hasn't worked out yet. Why? Because DiPietro hasn't turned in that superstar-caliber year that would put his team over the top. Look at the aforementioned Crosby and Ovechkin. Crosby took a team that was headed to Kansas City and made it a Cup Finalist in three years. In that same amount of time, Ovechkin took a crappy Capitals team with crappy uniforms and filled the Verizon Center like never before. These teams are no longer bottom-feeders; they're exciting teams that people want to watch. This is why they're on NBC every Sunday.

Could DP preside over such a rebuilding act? In terms of hockey, doubtful. In terms of image, though, it's not that far off. If the Islanders can stay competitive this year and DP has a great season, that's a start. The following year, if the Islanders manage to make the playoffs and steal a round, then the stage is set for DiPietro to really set the hockey world ablaze. That's something the Islanders need. It's one thing to have a goalie locked up for the next twelve years; it's an entirely different thing to have one of the game's best players for the rest of his great career. We're hoping for the latter.

We're also hoping that this year is the continuation of what we saw more often than not last year - game-saving plays, smart goaltending, and quality leadership. If DiPietro can make "the leap" this year, it won't only help his stature out, but it'll drastically change the perception of the New York Islanders. Instead of being a laughingstock as they're said to be now, they will be seen as a team on the rise. And that just might be the kind of thing that can get the ball rolling.

Your Guide To The 2008 NHL Entry Draft

Tomorrow night, young prospects from all over the world will convene at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. The first round will be shown in prime-time on Versus. Look no further than The Rivalry for your one-stop shop for information about the Draft. We're not going to do a mock draft or anything like that; after all, the one thing in common about all the draftees is that we don't know anything about any of them. That said, we'll still be watching, as we think all hockey fans should.

And away we go!

When and where is the draft taking place?
The 2008 NHL Entry Draft will be at the ScotiaBank Place in Ottawa. The Draft will be split up into two parts. The first round will take place Friday night at 7 PM. The Draft resumes Saturday morning at 10 AM, when the remaining six rounds will take place.

How can I watch the Draft?
For the second straight year, the first round is airing in prime-time on Versus. Saturday's portion of the draft will be broadcast on the NHL Network.

What can we expect to see?
We have yet to see even one second of footage of any of the top prospects at the Draft. So we have no idea of who will be picked where, which teams are likely to take what players, or any of the actual "draft" stuff. However, there are a couple of picks we're willing to take to the bank. And, since it's hard to get excited about a player we might not even see for five years, these items provide the most entertaining part about the draft.

• At least thirty mentions that this is "the deepest NHL Entry Draft in years".
• An awkward introduction by Gary Bettman where he thanks the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins for great TV ratings... err, a great Stanley Cup Final.
• Steven Stamkos showing up to the Draft with his parents, wearing a suit that combines the colors black, blue, and silver.
• Only one team will provide its' first-round pick with a jersey with the player's actual number on it - the Tampa Bay Lightning (Stamkos, #91).
• Each team will send a gaggle of executives and one alumni member to the Draft. The group will make a 5-minute speech, congratulating the Red Wings on their Stanley Cup win and thank the Ottawa Senators and city of Ottawa for their hospitality. Then, the pick will be announced, and the last name of the player will definitely be mispronounced.
• Lots of footage of the draftees, accompanied by lots of awful jerseys and lots of corporate sponsors all over those jerseys.
• Lots of bad interviews with players who are either nervous wrecks or are overly relieved to be chosen (or both). The phrases "happy to be here", "the organization", and "looking forward to training camp" will be said approximately ten thousand times. Each.
• Versus will air that Dockers commercial they showed a million times during the playoffs another fifty times on Friday night alone.
• Live cut-ins to Draft Parties around the country, where at least one team's fanbase will boo the pick of a player that they've never even seen play.
• Plenty of lagged interviews with GMs who will state that they got who they wanted, even if it's a blatant lie.

What will the local teams be doing for the Draft?
The Islanders, no strangers to high draft picks, will be hosting a Draft Party at the Coliseum. John Buccigross gets the night off from the Boston sports circlejerk that is SportsCenter and is slated to be the MC. Jack Hillen and Robin Figren, with a combined two games of NHL experience between them, will be there to greet fans. The event will feature interviews with Garth Snow, Ted Nolan, and whomever the Islanders pick.

The Rangers... um... don't get to have a Draft Party anymore now that the NHL hates them and wants to kick Charles Dolan out of the league.

As for the actual Draft?
Well, the Islanders' draft promotion says it all. "2000: Rick DiPietro. 2006: Kyle Okposo. Who's next?" I guess they'd like us to forget about Raffi Torres (traded for Janne Niinimaa), Jason Spezza (traded for Alexei Yashin), Robert Nilsson (traded for Ryan Smyth) Petteri Nokelainen (traded for the immortal Ben Walter), and Ryan O'Marra (also traded for Smyth). In other words, Isles fans, don't get your hopes up.

The Rangers have recovered from the era of Pavel Brendl and Jamie Lundmark to have a very impressive draft record in recent years, particularly in the later rounds. If they don't wow you early on, just be patient - they'll get at least one or two solid NHL players in this draft, which is more than can be said for a lot of teams out there.

Will there be any trades?
Tough to say. We have all heard for months about how deep this Draft is and how nobody wants to trade their picks. Is this true, or was all that talk simply posturing for a bigger deal later on? We'll find out this weekend. The truth is, the sure thing of a quality player now means more to GMs than a player who might be good down the line, especially with a lot of teams feeling like they're just one or two players away. This year's free agent crop is pretty weak, which might force a few hands this weekend, so don't be shocked if there's a good amount of trade activity. However, don't be surprised if teams opt to simply take the best players they can with the picks they already have.

Anything else?
Nope. We hope you enjoy the Draft; after all, Versus could use good ratings so that they can bring us more quality NHL action next season. Seriously, even though these prospects are all mysteries to us, we still watch the Draft each year and are entertained by it. Hey, why not? It's hockey.

Oh, and if you actually care about who's good in the Draft, here's TSN's Top 60 Prospects. Enjoy!

Round 2... So Far

It's a bit early to make judgments about the second round. But why not make them anyway?

- Detroit-Colorado: This series is pretty much done already. Jose Theodore's magic is gone, and I don't mean Propecia. Peter Forsberg is injured yet again, and the only thing that could save the Avs is a big win at home in Game 3. However, I'm not too optimistic. I can't see Colorado winning more than one game the rest of the way. They sure as hell aren't going to be winning any games at Joe Louis Arena anytime soon.

- Montreal-Philadelphia: It's a shame this series isn't getting more publicity. It's going to be a good one. Montreal's offense vs. Philadelphia's physical play. You can tell that even though this series is going to be a war, the goaltending is what's going to decide it. Montreal might have won tonight if not for the stellar play of Martin Biron. Similarly, Carey Price will most likely be stealing one for the Habs at some point in this series. It's very possible that the winner of this series will have the Token Hot Goalie required to make a Cup run.

- Pittsburgh-Rangers: The aforementioned Habs-Flyers tilt might actually be the more competitive series, but this is the one that NBC and Versus are creaming their pants over. We already explained the appeal of this series, and it's great that we get to see it. The blood is already starting to boil, and it might not be long before the chippiness reaches the levels we saw in the Rangers-Devils series. This is one of those series where it's not going to really matter who wins to the neutral observer - it's just great to see these two teams beat the hell out of each other, making the young guys on both teams better and watching this become a big-time rivalry. You just hope the refs don't become bigger stars than the players, as was the case in Game 1.

- San Jose-Dallas: I can't get into Dallas for some reason. But I love watching the Sharks play. And if the Sharks want to reach their potential this year, they will have to dispose of a tough Stars team. Most people expected San Jose to take Game 1 at home, but they lost it in overtime. They should bounce back; however, this series is far from a cakewalk. Hell, everyone thought Calgary would be easy pickings for the Sharks, and look at how that turned out. I still see the Sharks winning this series, but it's going to test their mettle big-time. After all, it's hard to imagine San Jose doing well against Detroit coming off two slugfest series. As for Dallas, now that they've captured home ice, you never know... but I don't see the Sharks going down too easily.

Now that Versus is showing nearly every game, my Center Ice package is pretty much useless. It's been a good run. It's also really hard to watch hockey in bed while considering the needs of a sleeping (or crying, as the case may be) baby. Anyway, we'll see about re-upping on Center Ice next year - I really enjoyed seeing the West Coast games I never would have seen otherwise. One thing's for sure, though - I absolutely cannot live without the NHL Network.

Let's Go... Rangers?

"I don't mean to sound defensive... but some of you might find this offensive."
- The coach from the NHL Network commercials

No, I'm not going to call my offense my defense and my defense my offense. But I am doing something that could easily be considered offensive. It's only for a short period of time... and trust me, I do not feel good about it.

I'm turning to the darkside.

After a lifetime of hating the Rangers, I'm rooting for them in their first-round series against the Devils. It's not going to be an easy thing, but I feel like it's the right thing to do. Consider it an endorsement; after all, we're in an election year.

Why, you ask? Two main reasons come to mind.

1) I've gone on record many, many times as stating that a good Rangers team is good for the league. I want to see the NHL restored to its former glory... a glory, coincidentally enough, that peaked when the Rangers won their last Stanley Cup in 1994. A Rangers playoff run is something the NHL desperately needs. It will generate interest in hockey in a major market. It will increase TV ratings. It will get people talking about hockey in an area where basketball isn't in direct competition. All of these things aren't just good - they're necessary.

What does a good team in a major market do for a sport? Well, think about how many people in New York are talking about basketball now that the Knicks are awful. Think about how many New Yorkers follow college football and college basketball, given that the top teams are hundreds of miles away. Think about how little baseball is discussed in New York when the Mets and Yankees are out of the playoffs. And most people consider New York to be a baseball town. So, then, if baseball can't even sustain itself here when the local teams aren't good, how could hockey possibly be expected to succeed?

We all know hockey fans are generally a niche group of hardcore supporters. But the NHL needs the casual fan to succeed. That's where the Rangers come in. They're a big-market team. They're supposed to be good. Or at least that's what people who don't follow hockey would think. A Cup run for the Rangers would do a lot of good toward capturing the imagination of these people - the people the NHL needs to convert into hockey fans.

2) Going along with the first point, if casual fans are going to be watching playoff hockey - by far, the most exciting tournament in sports - they deserve to watch quality hockey played by quality teams. By that, I mean that they should not be subjected to the horrifically unwatchable style of hockey fashioned by the New Jersey Devils.

Aside from seeing their own teams succeed, hockey fans only ask for a few things out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They want good, exciting hockey played in front of passionate fans. They want highlight-reel goals. They want games that go to triple overtime... but not too many of them. They want to see superstars show their brilliance, long-suffering grinders achieve glory, and new players emerge to stake a claim to elite status. The Devils can provide none of these things. Do you really want to have the Devils - a team with no offense, a boring style, and a half-empty arena - be the team that's charged with showcasing all that's good about the NHL? Do you want this to be the team you show to your friends who don't follow hockey? God, I hope not.

Have you ever seen Devils highlights and wondered why they play that damn goal siren at deafening levels? It's because nobody's cheering for the home team, and the noise has to come from somewhere... so they play the foghorn at 200 decibels. You'll hear fans at The Rock in the first round because Ranger fans are going to fill the place. In fact, there's a pretty good chance that the Devils home games will resemble the scene at the Coliseum last Thursday, when Ranger fans celebrated in delerium as they clinced their playoff spot in enemy territory.

Will I actually applaud the Rangers as they succeed against the Devils? Probably not. But they do have my support. Unlike a lot of Islander fans, I understand the Rangers' place in the game. This is a team the NHL needs to be prominently featured among the league's elite. The Rangers might not be the free-wheeling, score-at-will team we'd all like to see, but they're far more watchable (and marketable) than the Devils. And if there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that we don't need another Devils snoozefest in the Stanley Cup Final.

I'm not on the bandwagon. I'm just doing the right thing. And doing the right thing isn't always easy.

Exposure, ESPN, And Selling Out

I happened to catch NHL Live on the NHL Network yesterday, thanks to a week-long cold that refuses to go away. The show itself was pretty okay, but there were two topics addressed on the show that really got me thinking.

The first one came up just minutes into the show. The topic of the Boston Red Sox and Oakland A's opening up the Major League Baseball season in Japan was mentioned, and host Don LaGreca was not very impressed by this move. LaGreca said, paraphrased, "It's a joke. Major League Baseball opens up and nobody even knows about it, and nobody says a word. God forbid the NHL did something like this, you'd never hear the end of it." And he's right. You didn't hear many good words about the Ducks and Kings opening the season in England; instead, all you heard about was how miserable the teams were and how the fans wanted to see a fight. Aside from the whole flap about the Red Sox assistants not being paid, have you heard even one bad word about MLB's trip to Japan? I doubt it.

The second, and more critical point, came later when Patrick and Jonathan Roy were inevitably brought up. Both LaGreca and E.J. Hradek bashed the media, stating they only show highlights of hockey in times of a violent incident. Hradek mentioned the name of Steven Stamkos, an OHL player who may very well be the first overall pick in 2008. Stamkos scored four goals on Tuesday night and didn't get one-millionth of the publicity the Roys did. While it might be unreasonable to expect the American media to get all over some kid from Ontario, Hradek's point was well taken.

The simple truth is that the media loves negativity. Look at Britney Spears. They play her songs and keep her in the public eye, just so they can bash her. It's the same with the NHL. What stories have hit the major mainstream media over the past five years? The Todd Bertuzzi incident, the lockout, the Rick Tocchett gambling ring, the first Chris Simon incident, the Winter Classic, the second Chris Simon incident, and the Jonathan Roy incident. Of those seven things, only one painted hockey in a positive light. But what else would you expect when you don't have the promotional wing of ESPN in your corner?

Ah, yes... ESPN. Remember them? The network that used to air NHL games. Did you ever notice how, once they stopped broadcasting hockey games, they ceased virtually all coverage of the sport? As ESPN's ombudsman, the excellent Le Anne Schreiber noted last year, coverage of the NHL on SportsCenter was down 28 percent from three years prior, when the games were still on ESPN. Hmm.

It's a personal belief of mine that ESPN is out to ruin the NHL and make it look bad, just because big bad ESPN can. If you regularly visit ESPN.com, you may remember a headline on the front page about the NHL's record-low Stanley Cup Finals ratings. However, what you might not have seen a week later was the article about the all-time low rating for NBA Finals play on ABC. ABC and ESPN are both owned by Disney. Hmm.

Get the picture? Get ESPN in your corner, you're gold. Turn your back on ESPN, and you're facing an extremely tough battle. Need proof? Look at Arena Football, which ESPN bought and shoved down our throats. Major League Soccer signed a new deal with ESPN in 2006 which not only got them a weekly prime-time game, but increased time on SportsCenter and more exposure on ESPN.com. And if you're wondering what the big deal is about ESPN, it's simply America's most popular sports outlet, which essentially means it dictates the sports-watching trends for America. If you're not prominently featured, you're in trouble. And that's the predicament the NHL finds itself in.

Rumors were swirling last summer that the NHL and ESPN were talking again, but it appears as though nothing came of the discussions. The NHL re-upped with Versus, and there's still a chance ESPN could come on board if Versus were willing to drop its status as the NHL's exclusive cable partner. Time will tell if that will ever come to pass.

The thing of it is, as much as the NHL needs ESPN, I really don't want them to come to terms. As much as people love to bash Versus for not being very available on cable (and, quite frankly, neither is the NFL Network or NBA TV), the network has done a great job with the NHL package. They've made hockey a real event on Versus; even if that's only because WEC Wreckage and PBR Rodeo haven't hit the big time yet, it's still impressive. Let's face it, when ESPN aired the NHL, the sport was sort of an afterthought. You got the impression that they couldn't wait for the game to end so they could throw it back to SportsCenter. And once ESPN got a hold of the NBA, the NHL really got the shaft. At least Versus programs an entire two nights around hockey, whereas ESPN would just show random games, Dodge Intermission Reports, NHL2Night, and that was about it. Come to think of it, aside from the opportunity to hear Gary Thorne calling hockey on a regular basis again, there's not much I'd welcome about ESPN's potential return.

That said, I'm all about what's best for the league. And the truth is that ESPN would do a world of good for the NHL. Not just in terms of coverage on SportsCenter and all the other frills, but for purposes of credibility as well. I think we all want the NHL to be seen as a legitimate top sport, and now's a good a time as any. The game is better than it has been at any time since the '94 lockout, and the American sporting public needs to see what the NHL has to offer. I'm sick of Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin being the only two people to crack the main page of ESPN.com. I want the whole league to be embraced and promoted, the way it should be. And I'm more than willing to watch my favorite sport sell out to ESPN to make that happen. Truly, it's the only possible way.

The Bigger Picture

As an Islander fan, you sort of get tired of your team having nothing to play for. You don't want to watch the games. You don't want to read the papers. You just sort of want to shut it down and get ready for baseball season.

This year, though, is a little different. For me, anyway.

I have to say that, despite the awful performance of the Islanders in the second half, I have probably enjoyed this regular season more than any regular season in my life. Sure, part of that has to do with going to 15 Islander games and only paying for six of them, but there's more to it than that. Thanks to the NHL Network and Center Ice, I finally felt like our beloved sport of hockey was a real sport. It no longer bothered me that ESPN stopped caring about hockey because I finally found out that I'm not the only obsessed hockey fan out there. I got to devour hour after hour of games, both old and new. My DVR is currently filled with Vintage Games, Classic Series, and Top 10 Countdowns. I can watch the Islanders at 7 PM and put on the Sharks or Coyotes as I'm winding down. For the first time in a very long time, I feel like I actually know what's going on in the league, not just the New York area.

And that's a good thing. Because this season has been extremely memorable... and I'm not quite ready for it to end. I don't want to see the Islanders' website to turn into constant Central Scouting updates just yet. I'm going to enjoy the hell out of their final six games, and then I'm going to watch as much of the playoffs as I possibly can. Why should I stop caring about hockey just because my team's out of it? I'm a fan of the NHL first; the Islanders come second.

In the end, it doesn't matter what the Islanders do. There's nothing like playoff hockey, and absolutely nothing compares to seeing a team's captain hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time in front of his home fans. The Islanders could finish in last place for the rest of eternity, and I wouldn't stop watching.

Baseball can wait. The real season starts in two weeks.