Alright folks, it's Monday morning - grab your coffee, freshen up that desktop with a wallpaper to celebrate the All-Time Nashville Predators Team, and let's get rolling. It's just 6 more weeks until the NHL regular season kicks off!

After the jump, we've got your daily dose of hockey news from Nashville and around the league. Two Preds defenseman take their shot at making the Canadian Olympic team today, a Detroit blogger makes his pick for how Nashville will fare this upcoming season, and Puck Daddy gives us good reason to stop bemoaning the hockey ignorance of local sports columnists. All this, and a whole lot more!

Predators News

Shea Weber hopes for chance to touch Olympic ice - The Tennessean
John Glennon checks in with Shea Weber and Dan Hamhuis as they attend the Canadian Olympic orientation camp in Calgary today.

Nashville Predators 101: Where should I sit?
Jim Diamond provides a nice overview of the different options available for prospective season ticket buyers. I'll be in section 308 this fall, so be sure to look me up.

Central Division Preview – 5th Place - Octopus Thrower
A Red Wings blogger starts his division preview with his projection for last place... and guess who he's got there.

Interview with Nashville Predators' Top Prospect Ryan Ellis - Bleacher Report
Andrew Echevarria has a few words with 2009's 1st-round Predators draft pick Ryan Ellis.

Around the NHL

Media Notes: End of general sports columnists good for hockey - Puck Daddy
Are you sick of the fact that the main sports columnists in Nashville, David Climer and Joe Biddle, still apparently can't tell a BC Two-Hander from a Slew Foot? In this wonderful weekend piece by Greg Wyshynski, a strong argument is made that general sports columnists like them are going the way of the dodo. I would make the case that while blogs (whether written by beat writers or independents) are becoming the medium of choice for dedicated hockey fans, there's still a place for the generalists for the purpose of tapping into the broader audience.

15 prime Avs games for 20 bucks each - All Things Avs Colorado
After the Colorado Avalanche tumbled to the bottom of the Western Conference standings last season, the team is whipping out a host of promotions to draw fans back into the Pepsi Center, including steeply discounted tickets, and a number of "Alumni Nights" celebrating the 1996 Stanley Cup champions.

Peverley’s Play Dispensed Doubts - Ice Man
Atlanta is reveling in what a full season with the Thrashers might mean for the Nashville cast-off they call "The Pevs Dispenser."

PP Scoring Amongst Juniors - mc79hockey.com
An interesting case is made that when evaluating junior players for their NHL potential, you might want to ignore their power play performance.

Why coaching legend Ernie McLean will outlive us all - Puck Daddy
You won't believe the story of this unstoppable 77-year-old hockey coach in B.C., who was lost, and rescued several days later, on a camping trip. But that's just the least of his exploits...

Tampa Bay Lightning to donate proceeds of charity game - Lightning Strikes
Members of Tampa Bay Lightning are going to play a charity game to benefit the family of Cpl. Mike Roberts, who "was killed in the line of duty in Tampa last Wednesday, August 19 during a confrontation with a heavily armed man."