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First the bad news. There are 1,230 NHL games to get through before the real season begins in April with the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Just kidding. It really won't be all that bad for the next seven months, even if it might seem that way in January when the Nashville Predators are playing the Tampa Bay Lightning and most likely jockeying to see who will get a crack at the first overall draft pick next year.
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| Jaromir Jagr finally will get a chance this month to line up against his mentor, Mario Lemieux.(Allsport) |
Not that we're expecting you to stay tuned each night, but here are nine dates on this year's NHL calendar that you might want to circle.
Oct. 19, Florida at Columbus: No, we're not crazy including this early season contest between two of hockey's worst teams. The Panthers and the Blue Jackets finished 28th and 29th last year, which gave them a crack at two of the top players available in the draft. Columbus picked first and came up with left wing Rick Nash, a power forward in the Cam Neely mold, while Florida grabbed defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, whose skating and offensive abilities are often compared to Paul Coffey's. Both teams signed their prizes just moments before the deadline to return them to the juniors, and they'll get to square off quickly for bragging rights.
Oct. 28, Washington at Pittsburgh: Jaromir Jagr played twice against his former team at the Igloo last season, but on both occasions, his idol and former mentor, Mario Lemieux, was not in the lineup. Lemieux didn't see any action for Pittsburgh during this preseason either but claims he is healthy and ready to play 70 to 75 games. Barring any unforeseen relapse, Lemieux will definitely be on the ice when the Caps hit town later this month. The Penguins have an off night before the game, and the first official confrontation between the players who led Pittsburgh to two Stanley Cups a decade ago should guarantee the home club one of the few sellouts it will enjoy this season.
Nov. 8, Toronto at Dallas: When things were going well for goaltender Ed Belfour, chants of "Eddie, Eddie, Eddie" rang from the rafters at the Stars' arena. It's unlikely he'll hear that when he returns to Dallas for the first time as a member of the Maple Leafs. Still, Belfour remains a popular figure with fans in the Lone Star State. His five years with the Stars were as productive as they were tumultuous, even though it became obvious last year that it was time for a change. Dallas didn't make the playoffs, and Belfour lost his job amid whispers that he was washed up at 37. He doesn't believe so, and he'll be out to prove as much when he faces the Stars.
Nov. 16, Detroit at Toronto: The reason Belfour joined the Maple Leafs is Toronto needed someone of stature to replace Curtis Joseph in goal. Joseph was the Leafs' most valuable player for more than four years, but a deterioration in his relationship with coach and GM Pat Quinn led him to skip town when the Red Wings came calling. Toronto fans were incensed that it got that far, but they'll be delighted if the home team can shell him when the Stanley Cup champions visit for the first time to renew one of the oldest rivalries in the NHL.
Nov. 29, Detroit at Carolina: The longstanding competition between Michigan hockey aficionados Peter Karmanos and Mike Illitch reached its zenith in June when their NHL clubs met in the Stanley Cup Finals. Both men sponsor superb development-hockey programs in their home states -- Karmanos through his Compuware company and Illitch through Little Caesars -- and have been trying to one-up each other for years. Illitch holds the edge in the NHL because of the success of his Red Wings, but Karmanos' organization has made great strides and did not look out of place in the Finals. This will be their only meeting of the regular season, and you can be sure it's a date both teams will be looking forward to.
Dec. 6, Toronto at N.Y. Islanders: These teams met in a bitter first-round playoff series that was low-lighted by the cheap shot Toronto's Darcy Tucker delivered on Islanders captain Michael Peca. The hit wrecked Peca's knee, forcing him to undergo surgery that will keep him sidelined until January. Tucker shouldn't rest easy just because Peca won't be there to exact revenge. Jason Wiemer will be. Wiemer was suspended for seven games last year when he was with the Panthers for high-sticking Tucker. The Florida player said he was defending Pavel Bure, who was being bothered all night by Tucker. Imagine what Wiemer might do this time around.
Jan. 8, Phoenix at Chicago: Few Blackhawks players have been as popular in Chicago as Tony Amonte, but that wasn't enough to make the organization do all it could to re-sign the speedy sniper. Amonte was allowed to walk over the summer and ended up surprising people by hooking up with the Coyotes, not a team that usually spends money on free agents. Amonte signed a creative back-loaded deal to make things work for Phoenix financially and is being counted on to help kick the improving young team's offense into high gear. He should get something approaching a hero's welcome when he returns to the United Center, but you can bet he'll be anxious to turn those cheers into boos before the night is over.
Jan. 17, N.Y. Rangers at New Jersey: For 10 years, Bobby Holik was the heart and soul of the Devils, and quite often its true conscience. Still, it didn't prevent the organization from trying to low-ball him in contract talks two years ago. That soured the relationship and led the big center to join the Rangers this summer as a free agent. Holik was a popular figure with New Jersey players and fans and has admitted it will be tough to face them in another uniform. He'll be eased into the situation this month and in December when the teams face each other in New York, but the game in January will mark the first regular-season game Holik plays in New Jersey with the Rangers. His reaction that night and that of the fans will be worth watching.
Feb. 25, Dallas at Boston: Over the past few years, the Bruins have shown a strange propensity for paying big money to other team's free agents, but allowing their own top players to get away when it came time to giving them raises. The latest example of that is Bill Guerin, who has been one of the NHL's leading snipers for the past three seasons. Boston didn't make a serious offer to the homegrown star and instead let the Stars swoop in and steal him away. The season will be in the playoff home stretch by the time this game takes place in February, which should make it easy for both teams to get their best game faces on. Especially for Guerin.
