Tonight the Nashville Predators take on the Columbus Blue Jackets in Nationwide Arena, and yours truly will be in attendance. However, I do not plan on getting a burger there, as we all know how that ended last time. It’ll be interesting to see who makes the trip here to Columbus, especially since the NHL repealed its 8-veteran rule due to the World Cup of Hockey, but I’m crossing my fingers that we get a good, long look at Juuse Saros, Kevin Fiala, Vladislav Kaminev, and Pontus Aberg.
On the flip side, the Blue Jackets have some exciting prospects. Other than their 3rd overall pick last summer Pierre-Luc Dubois (seriously, with a name like that, the kid has to be a stud), their minor league affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, won the AHL last season. That lineup included exciting players like Zach Werenski, who will be hoping the Buckeye faithful in the crowd forget that he played at the University of Michigan. For more on tonight’s opponents, head over to The Cannon for our writers who have probably gone deaf from that cannon everyone “loves” oh so much…
Oh, and I want to see Seth Jones on the ice as much as possible. Please. C’mon Torts, you know you want to play him. He’s not Phil Kessel, so let’s make it happen.
Nashville Predators News
Samuel Girard Signs Entry Level Contract – On the Forecheck
In case anyone wasn’t around yesterday, the Predators locked up one of their key players picked up in the draft.
THN’s 2016-17 NHL season preview: Nashville Predators | The Hockey News
Carter Hutton is a key departure? I dunno man, doesn’t he have to play to be key?
Preds Training Camp Day Seven: Rinne Returns – Nashville Predators
Everyone’s favorite Finn is back in town! (I still love you though Kimmo Timonen).
World Cup of Hockey News
Empty seats, subdued crowd in Canada World Cup win – Yahoo! Sports
Which is really too bad. It was an exciting game in the 3rd and Europe never relented. But really, the World Cup of Hockey will never match the Olympics and the NHL needs to come to terms with that fact.
The World Cup of Hockey’s biggest flaw? Canada is too good – The Globe and Mail
Going back to 2010, I pose the question: is this iteration of team Canada the most dominant international hockey dynasty after the great USSR teams?
Kesler was ‘really disappointed’ with World Cup atmosphere – ProHockeyTalk
And I was ‘really disappointed’ with Team USA’s performance. But hey, I’m sure that playing in a meaningless group stage game after already being statistically eliminated had nothing to do with the empty seats against the Czechs… -sips tea-
Other Hockey News
Could The Bruins Deal With Brad Marchand Have Hurt The Flames? – Matchsticks and Gasoline
The Bruins just paid Marchand just under what the Flames were offering Johnny Gaudreau. The Flames need to pay the kid.
McDavid: Milan Lucic is ‘almost a perfect winger for myself’ – Sportsnet.ca
My fantasy hockey league has a keeper’s rule where you can keep a player if you give up a draft pick four rounds higher than where you drafted him the previous year. I took Lucic in the 13th. Yeah, I’m feeling good.
Statistically Speaking: The NHL’s buyer beware – Article – TSN
Some candidates for regression this season. Let’s hope their Patrick Kane prediction is on the money.
Organ installed at MTS Centre in time for 2016-17 NHL season – Manitoba – CBC News
Just as every kid needs a net to shoot on, every rink needs an organ. St. Louis showed it more than anyone else with their sad rendition of the now-infamous “Chelsea Dagger” when the Blues eliminated the Blackhawks last year (why does such a great song have to trigger such horrible memories?).
Will the Toronto Maple Leafs land Jacob Trouba to play with Morgan Rielly? Six teams that could trade for the Winnipeg Jets defenceman – The Province
Nobody from the central is mentioned. I can’t see the Jets settling much. The rumor has been that they want a similar calibre player and, considering that their playoff window is on track to open wide up in one to two years, taking less and some draft picks on the side would be putting their well crafted plan off track.
Gameday Hockey Lingo Word of the Day (use at least once in daily conversation)
I’ll be jumping into some of the pregame coverage this year. Since Alex has a “song of the day” and Anish has his “drink of choice”, I will be taking the high road of Sesame Street and sharing my Wisconsin-bred depth of hockey slang. Grab your twigs and buckets, you dirty beauts.
Hoser [hoh-zer], noun
1. Slang for a Canadian.
Its origin comes from the P.Z. (pre-Zamboni) era when hockey players would have to resurface the ice by using a water hose.
Example: “How I Met Your Mother” character Robin Scherbatsky, a native of Vancouver, was a true red and white hoser.
2. A loser.
Its origin comes from the P.Z. (pre-Zamboni) era when hockey players would have to resurface the ice by using a water hose. Except, you know, only the bums who lost had to hose the rink down.
Example: I have forty seconds each shift, I can’t waste it dropping my mitts with a hoser like you, Shaw.