Hump Day Hockey: 8 Days until the Puck Drops
Philadelphia Flyer goaltender Michael Leighton will miss a month of the season due to a bulging disc in his lower back; however, the defending Eastern Conference champs got some production out of backup net minder Brian Boucher during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs and should expect the same while Leighton recovers. The Flyers biggest concern at this point is the status of center Ian Laperriere, who recently informed the team that he’s still recovering from a concussion suffered during the first round of last year’s playoffs (April 22 against the Devils). As I mentioned in last week’s post, the NHL has stepped up their enforcement against hits to the head and with stories like this seemingly overwhelming the offseason hockey scene (Bruins’ Marc Savard could be placed on the long term Injured Reserve which “requires a player miss 10 games and 24 days prior to returning”), they may have to do more if their new rules don’t work.
The NHL and HBO announced plans for a documentary series detailing the 2011 New Years Day Winter Classic between the Pens and Caps. HBO had great success with their Hard Knocks series (documentary show focusing on a single NFL team during training camp) the past few years, which most recently featured the New York Jets. Hopefully: the show will generate more puck fans; likely: the show attracts viewers solely for the purpose of the Ovi-Crosby rivalry and slightly bumps the ratings on the Winter Classic.
Rapid Fire
· The Stanley Cup returned to Chicago yesterday with the names of Blackhawks players, coaches, personnel freshly engraved.
· A tropical storm in Florida forced the Panthers to cancel their pre-season game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Let the Hurricane vs. Tropical Storm jokes begin.
· Veteran Patrick Lalime will continue to get playing time behind Ryan Miller.
· Mike Fisher, who most know not for his excellent hockey skills but his marriage to singer Carrie Underwood, says that the attention drawn to him due to the Summer wedding hasn’t been too extravagant:
“You know what, living in Ottawa, we’re kind of protected from a lot of it,” Fisher says. “Nashville, the same. It would be different if we were living in L.A. or New York or something, but we’re fortunate to be living where we are.”
· Ben Bishop’s performance through the first few pre-season games provides the Blues with a solid backup to Jaroslav Halak, who St. Louis signed after his amazing playoff run with the Habs.
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