- Games. Do you remember what that word means? I hardly do. Thankfully, the NHL has you covered and the first preseason games were held last night.
Nashville 3 @ Florida 4 – Carolina 1 @ Buffalo 3
Nashville 5 @ Florida 3 – Ottawa 2 @ Toronto 4Obviously these aren’t meaningful, but when was the last time we could talk about the score of a game? Hockey is back, people.
- Johan Franzen scored two goals in scrimmage yesterday as Team Howe beat Team Lindsay 6-3. Even The Mule knows he needs to score more. Let’s hope this is an indication of what his season will look like. 2 goals per game puts him at about half of what Gretzky and Lemieux used to do, so that’s a good place to start. [Detroit Free Press – Boxscore for Scrimmage via PointStreak]
- Is Justin Abdelkader – Darren Helm – Todd Bertuzzi the third generation of our Two Kids and a Goat line? We’ll find out when the season begins, but I sure hope so. That is a nasty line. [Detroit Free Press]
- This disappointed me when I read about it yesterday; Dustin Penner and Dustin Byfuglien both reported to camp in shape and ready to play. Time to retire the #DustinByfuglienIsSoFat meme. [Puck Daddy]
- The Kings ended a contract holdout, only not the one they were hoping for. Kevin Westgarth signed a 2 year $1.45 million deal yesterday. Westgarth is an enforcer for the Kings, averaging 35 PIM for every point he scored last season. [Yahoo! Sports]
- Jimmy Howard sat out of training camp yesterday with a bruised foot. Doesn’t sound as serious as the “BREAKING NEWS” we got yesterday regarding Zdeno Chara being hit in the leg with a puck, so the Wings should be able to practice today. [MLive]
- As Wings fans, we are generally lucky that our players take paycuts to continue playing for us, especially as they near the end of their career. The Devils hope to find themselves in a similar situation as Martin Broeduer’s contract comes to an end after this season. In Lou We Trust tries to evaluate just how much Brodeur is worth at this point and determine just what he will demand, using Nicklas Lidstrom and Teemu Selanne as hopeful contract comparisons. [In Lou We Trust]
- As JJ pointed out yesterday, the Wings have officially cut ten from their training camp roster. Most notable amongst the cuts are Petr Mrazek and Xavier Ouellet who both have NHL potential. [The Production Line]
- The Senators want fans to pick their goal song. Any suggestions? [NBC Sports]
- Matt from On The Wings has some thoughts from training camp. A very good, very brief read that includes Matt not being impressed by Fabian Brunnstrom, which I didn’t think was possible at this point. [On The Wings]
- Nucks Misconduct has their Western Conference preview up and apparently they think the Wings will finish 6th, 3rd in the Central. Yes, St. Louis will be better than us this season, apparently. [Nucks Misconduct]
Discussion of the Day: I want your vanity lines with names. Two Kids and a Goat is back, so it is up to you to come up with some others. Grind Line 3 is always available, too.
