Is this a Taylor-made Calder year? Good read here about Taylor Hall's pursuit of the Calder Memorial Trophy and a comparison to other forwards taken #1 overall. A strong finish will have him right in the thick of things. [Toronto Sun]

Questions I have about Canada/NHL/Etc.

So this past Friday night after getting home from the rink I discovered the Oil Change series on the Edmonton Oilers official team website.

I guess a few primary questions:

1) Is Steve Tambellini in over his head as much as he appears to be at times?
2) The Oilers players appear to walk through a decorated hall before entering the rink at Rexall Place. What is this hall where they appear to walk past fans?
3) Why do the Oilers do so much rotating of goalies Devin Dubnyk and Nikolai Khabibulin?
4) Why do they spell it 'Centre' and 'Defence'?
5) It seems as if hockey is an intramural sport to Canadians. It's really cool. Instead of heading down to the gym to play a game of hoops, everyone is on a hockey team.
6) Is Jasper Avenue the happening spot in Edmonton? I hear a lot about it.
7) Tim Hortons is like the official coffee of Canada isn't it?

That's all I can remember for right now. I've been pretty enchanted with the series so far because it's helping me learn about the game of hockey and it's a little bit like Hard Knocks.

I grew up on NHL 93

Oilers fall to Wings 5-3

EDMONTON 3

VS.

DETROIT 5
------------------

This was a really strange game even if it ended with the usual result this year, and the usual Tuesday result of the last couple years (apparently we STINK on Tuesdays).

Looking at the game from back to front, we dominated the third period. Most forwards looked exceedingly confident with the puck and forced the play for the entire 20; even after the 2 DET goals we looked very good. I can't understand for the life of me how we didn't have about 8 PPs in the third period. The only thing more brutal than the Wings were the refs at that stage. On the 4-3 goal alone there were 2 totally blatant picks (including one by neanderthal-boy himself) that were ignored (I won't say unnoticed, because there's no way). Add in tackling Taylor Hall (which has apparently become a new league sport) on several occasions and we should have had at least a couple 5-on-3's. With the way they were playing and #23 in the lineup, this surely would have resulted in at least one goal, and of course no goal on the winner.

It's true the Oilers weren't very good in the first 40. Mostly the first 20, but even then they weren't so bad as to be allowing DET great chances. Osgood won the goalie matchup by a WIDE margin tonight. It wasn't close. Detroit looked rather uninspired for most of the game and certainly felt the absence of some of their best players. Despite those first couple periods, I really felt we got hosed tonight.

Credit to Renney for overshifting the top 2 lines at a key point early in the third. This shifted the momentum permanently and set the stage for a comeback. Once again we had some trouble off the top of the game, but again the score was more the result of being outgoaltended. Rather than a timeout, Renney should have pulled #35 after the 3rd DET goal. Even though a weak D pairing had just been schooled, it was clear that Khabibulin wasn't all there tonight. He'd nearly screwed up a couple other plays besides the goals, and with that let's move on to PLAYER REPORTS
-------------

Khabibulin
- As noted above, he had his lunch handed to him by Osgood tonight. The first goal he wasn't ready, the second (despite a HORRENDOUS sequence by Cogliano) should have been a routine save and the third he didn't even put up a fight even though Draper telegraphed his move. After that he settled down for some time; and though I can't fault him for the fourth, again he didn't look ready. The fifth was a pretty nasty screen, but again, a goalie should be making himself as big as possible at that point, not as small as possible. I'm not saying all the goals were bad, but I am saying 35 looked unprepared and slow all night. He has nights like this and the coaching staff needs to start recognizing them at 2 or 3 goals and yank him outta there.

Peckham
- Despite a rather unfortunate skate-pick on the fifth Detroit goal that made him look rather stupid, I liked Theo's game a lot tonight. His goal was a great example of knowing the situation and taking advantage in that DET had a delayed penalty and Peckham took that opportunity to leap into an empty slot, get open for a pass and make no mistake. Great read. He also had a number of nice hits and was generally solid with the puck.

Gilbert
- Again, one really unfortunate play tainted an otherwise solid game. On the fifth DET goal, Gilbert reacted to Peckham's incident by making an awkward play that completely screened his goalie. I'm not sure what caused him to react like this. It would have been much better if he'd reacted by being way too aggressive as opposed to way too backed off. This helps no one in these tight plays, especially on D. At least if you go for broke, you can say you tried and give your goalie a chance to bail you out. Other than this, Gilbert was solid. He and Theo are coming along nicely as a mid-range D pair. It's not ideal for a championship team of course, but it's nice to see progress anyway.

Foster
- Possibly his worst night as an Oiler. Where to start...his passes were ineffective, his pinches (both during the main game and late when trying to force a goal especially) were just plain horrible (he pinches too much with his stick and not enough body position), he didn't hit anyone, his shots didn't get through and his defensive positioning was a joke. I know that it can be tough playing with Vandermeer, but we usually don't make it look this bad. Why he continues to get shots from the coaching staff late in games when he's proven he won't deliver is beyond me.

Vandermeer
- Came back and didn't look all that solid. He was slow and having to play catchup; which is kind of expected after an ankle injury. It will be interesting to see if he can elevate his game back to the decent area he was playing in before the injury.

Smid
- Generally solid game with an unfortunate bounce that cost us big. I liked the way Smid used his physicality and moved the puck for most of the night. It can be tough playing with a young D partner, but #5 did a solid job supporting Petry all night (not that he needed a ton, just that it can be a specialized role of sorts).

Petry
- Well, the butterflies appear to be gone. Jeff was big-time solid from the word go and spent the night using solid body positioning and a strong stick to take pucks away from DET forwards even if they held them in a strong position. I haven't seen a game like that since Joni Pitkanen and they have a lot of similarities in style (this is a VERY good thing!). He also got a really strong shot on net and I firmly believe he should be placed into a majority of the offensive situations that Foster has been receiving as he's shown he's capable. He moved the puck well, played aggressively and maintained solid defensive footing. This kid looks very good. If there's a solid story on D this year, it's the development of he and Peckham.

Jacques-Fraser-Jones
- Jacques had a game just like Foster did. He missed mulitple hits due to his bad technical skating, missed multiple pucks due to the fact he seems to have forgotten the game is played with one, and even sat there twiddling his thumbs on the bench when called for a shift at one point. How he keeps getting chances, no one may ever know. I was heckling him even harder than usual tonight as he was just making so many mistakes I could barely believe it. Playing Ryan Jones on this line completely wasted the fact that he's been playing so well and can be an offensive contributor. He needs people to get him the puck and both Jacques and Fraser are allergic so that was just impossible. He laid a couple hits but was very quiet. Again, Fraser had no sublime offensive or defensive efforts.

Reddox-Brule-Omark
- It turned out that this line worked pretty well. Reddox played the exact kind of game I expect from him, but with more polish than past editions of #85. His skating lines were excellent, he hit people, he fired a couple solid shots and always seemed to be aware of his and his linemates positions. He shouldn't be sent back down as on this team he's definitely top 12. Great little play and pass for his assist from behind the net as well. Omark had a very good rebound game after his brief journey to OKC (which I believe saw him get 4 assists in one game?). He was excellent on the PP and I honestly prefer him handling the puck on the half boards to Ales right now. He's just very dynamic from there. He landed some hits and kept things simple but effective on a lot of shifts by playing a solid dump and chase game. He's one of the few guys we have smart and fast enough to make the play effectively. His assist wasn't spectacular, but he made many other solid plays that should not have gone unnoticed. Brule was certainly better than he has been lately, and I liked his goal, but I'll be interested to see if this was him riding on the energy and chemistry of Reddox-Omark or whether Brule got some steam back in his game. He still wasn't hitting anyone which has really shocked me this year as this has always been a key part of his game.

Paajarvi-Gagner-Hemsky
- I really didn't like this combo a lot of the night despite the fact that Ales wound up with 2 assists and Sam got 1 and 1. There was just something wrong about them. They kept rushing 3 strong up the right hand side of the ice and trying to make plays, which sort of worked early in the game and then derailed later. Magnus was really hit and miss as I thought he got to some very nice places on the ice early, but couldn't create any good chances, didn't really use his speed and took kind of an ugly penalty. I just don't think he compliments Ales as well as some of the other players. This was a rougher night for Hemsky than most. He struggled a little with the puck in the offensive zone and didn't get any bigtime scoring chances. It is true that DET plays him tighter than most teams and seems to know the areas he shoots from better, but I still expected more. At least he was still solid in the D and neutral zones. I liked both Sam's goal (quick thinking, solidly taken shot) and pass (good composure, good skate and great play to spot and feed Peckham) a lot. This was probably one of his better games and her certainly looked fired up, but he does need to be better on the faceoff dot. Why can't he be made to play a wing? I like the way he plays wing. The only thing I'll dog #89 for is missing the breakaway he had in the second; while he made a great little skating play to generate it, you have to finish when you deke out a goalie like that. What's with all these guys thinking they can go low nowadays. Nothing has ever or will ever beat a strong move to your forehand then going high.

Hall-Cogliano-Penner
- In 2 years on a night like this, Hall gets between 2 and 4 goals. He was really really dangerous despite getting absolutely badgered by the wings, especially in the third. There was specifically a key chance with under 2 to go where I still am not sure how he didn't score (Osgood did make a nice play on this one, but Hall still should've finished). Were he an older player I might be dogging him a bit for missed chances on a night like this, but it really helps his case that he generated many of the chances with singular efforts of skating and stickhandling. Heady days are surely not far away, I just hope the guy doesn't get frustrated. He seems to take the beatings and stonings by trying harder (and not in an "I'm frustrated way) which is a positive sign, but man he deserved a couple goals tonight. Cogliano got absolutely schooled chasing around behind the net on the Bertuzzi goal. He really needs to learn to STOP skating like a mad man sometimes. It's costing him dearly in the defensive zone as he uses it as an excuse to neglect his position. No offence generated by 13 tonight. Penner did not have one of his better games in that he seemed to be one step off the puck in both the neutral and offensive zones. With DET playing rather uninspiringly, this could have been a big night for #27 and it just wasn't, especially on the PP.

------------
[Box Score]

New Years Sleeper for the Oil

EDMONTON 1

VS.

CALGARY 2
---------------

I put up the Oil City picture because of the following e-mail tips:

A friend of a friend who works at Oil City saw Hall grinding on six chicks on the dance floor with his shirt around his head... this was on New Years Eve... true story. Soooo I'm getting most of the Oilers were way too hungover to play a good game.

Our effort was really weak...I can probably count on one hand the amount of times we beat Flames dmen clean, we just weren't willing to work for it. This was true in the defensive end as well; we just didn't want to beat anyone tonight.

Obviously losing Eberle was a huge blow; he brings so much calm and well executed play that we suffered without him. Renney's pregame decisions (dressing Jacques, sitting 91, sending down Omark and not having him available, and playing 43 over Petry specifically) handicapped us offensively (and defensively I would argue as well) before puck drop and we really couldn't get any kind of offensive flow going. It is true that some of this was because the Flames were allowed to clutch and hold all night (we had what, 1 PP?) but we also didn't force them to take us down or hook. We weren't skating past anyone, and that's the key to drawing penalties. It's also something 91 does better than anyone on the roster. It'd be nice if we could give the young offence a rest sometimes, but we're clearly not talented enough to do so and compete.

It is clear this team has problems starting games at home with enthusiasm and focus. I'm really not sure why this is; other than that maybe through lack of competition our roster has gotten too comfortable. There is no actual pressure on the bottom lines because of the way we manage players. It doesn't make a lot of sense.

The Flames are a sorry bunch right now; they just laid back all night despite our lacking efforts in all zones. We should've been torched for 4 or 5 tonight. Our D wasn't solid and our neutral zone play was brutal, but they didn't even look interested in playing. If Jackman doesn't score a semi-lucky one this game probably goes 18 rounds in a SO before Jason Strudwick falls headfirst into Kiprusoff and takes the puck in with him. It was that BLAH tonight.

The only positive that comes out of this game is that maybe Omark gets recalled and some entertainment value comes with him. We're not exactly looking stellar right now in that regard.

The first Calgary goal was an utter debacle for 43, 45 and 13. All were out of position and made bad choices. 13 needs to learn to cover someone, ANYONE in his defensive zone. Just about every Oilers forward on the roster is better at this than he.

The second Calgary goal was an unfortunate sequence; Hemsky and Penner got tangled on the draw, then Hemsky didn't make it to the point while Penner failed to lift Jokinen's stick as the puck came through. Unfortunate play.

Our goal was a beauty; great backhand pass through Calgary D's legs to Gilbert, who sold the shot hard and then made a great pass to Jones who streaked into a perfect position and scored. One of the only solid offensive outbursts of the night.

PLAYER REPORTS
-----------------

Khabibulin
- Wasn't really tested with tough shots tonight as the Flames couldn't jump onto offence very well. He played well enough for us to have a chance to win though, especially in the first period. No complaints.

Belle
- Though he showed some solid wheels and skated the puck alright, he struggled more defensively than during his last go round. He kept drifting out of position or playing a little too far from his man. I know playing with 43 probably didn't help, but he needs to be better. Watching him skate with the puck, I'm kind of amazed no one's ever tried him at forward. He could be a rather interesting power-winger.

Strudwick
- There were multiple times tonight where 43 stood, looked around, then seemed to realize that "Oh yeah, I'm playing hockey and have to move, there's also a black disc near my feet...hmmm". He was even worse than usual and certainly contributed to the loss. Every time Renney sent 45-43 over the boards on a shift with the first line, they managed to bugger up the play. This is an element of coaching logic I've seen from both MacTavish and Renney that I don't understand at all. Playing 43 over Petry might've lost us the game frankly, because with 2 more decent breakout passes, or a decent play on the PP or opposition blue, maybe we pop a goal or two and it is anyone's game.

Gilbert
- Struggled a little more defensively than he has in past games, but still joined the rush and made a decent pass or three. Certainly not on him tonight.

Peckham
- I expected a lot more from him tonight; he didn't smack the Flames around and we needed that fairly badly. He was decently positionally and moved the puck alright, but he could've been the X Factor in this one.

Foster
- A few more stupid shots that had no chance of going in. These might as well have been giveaways. One thing I've noticed is he's becoming lazier in terms of trying to rely on his reach rather than skating to and through the puck. This is an unfortunate trend. He wasn't physical either and didn't contribute much.

Smid
- Liked the way he was moving his feet a bunch tonight, and certainly had an improved defensive outing. I was surprised however that he didn't do more offensively. There was one really nice sequence he had which I believe was late in the first, but that was it. Does anyone have any idea why we can't teach him to use his talents to become a more successful offensive player? All the elements are there except a plan...

Jacques-Fraser-Stortini
- Stortini doesn't look near as good playing with this group. He showed some early jump but honestly got pushed around and then backed off a bit. Very disappointed he couldn't follow up last game's strong effort. I'd like to address a point that's been made about Fraser lately: I am not ignoring his defensive game, it just doesn't impress me either. He's not a guy that will go get the puck, win races, throw defensive hits or make great blocks. He literally does nothing, even when he gets the puck in clear open ice, which is just plain not good enough for anyone on an NHL roster. Jacques made his best play tonight without a stick; that says all you need to know about #22. He even got muscled off a puck he was driving down the boards into the Calgary zone by a weak-ish check from a Calgary defender he had excellent position on. What's the point of being a big forward if you can't execute that?

Brule-O'Marra-Jones
- O'Marra was effectively benched after the Eberle injury, which I really don't understand because he is holding his own and playing better positionally than guys like Cogliano, Brule and Jacques. He's also a better hockey player than Stortini most nights this year. Not sure what Renney thinks he's doing there. Brule still didn't show me anything; no indication that he's learned from his benching. His offensive game has degraded and he no longer shows any boardplay or physicality. If they won't let him take faceoffs, what else is he supposed to do? Jones played alright after being promoted to an offensive line. It's nice to have a guy who's versatile like that. It was also nice to see that he kept his effort level up and didn't get frustrated like many of his mates seemed to as the night went on. I would've liked more hitting, but at least he could take a pass.

Hall-Gagner-Eberle
- Hall missing that breakaway killed. I don't know why he went backhand, much less 5-hole backhand (I'm not sure there's a weaker combination in the game), but if he finishes that chance it's a HUGE momentum swing after Khabibulin took that STUPID penalty. He had a couple of other chances as well, but couldn't seem to get anything going. He's also firing wide again, and seemed to have trouble controlling the puck in the Flames' zone. Eberle was playing fairly well before his injury, generating a couple of our best chances. It's going to be tough watching the games without him, but maybe this will force Renney to be a little more original in his line combinations. Gagner was a little less visible than usual tonight. I've noticed he often rushes up the right side rather than the center slot with Hall and Eberle, but I'm not sure how well this play is going to work long-term as that's a hard spot for him to finish from.

Penner-Cogliano-Hemsky
- Cogliano tried to do too much again, and also couldn't take a pass. Combine that with the previously noted defensive struggles and I really hope he's off this line for my own sanity's sake. I know this might be a nice way to gain him some tradability, but it hurts to watch. Hemsky struggled more than usual in the offensive zone tonight, mainly because Calgary blocked the shooting lanes very well and he got frustrated and started to force the play a bit much. The lack of support from the blue and Cogliano certainly didn't help, but Ales needs to be better than tonight. Penner was just okay. He had some great moments of knocking Flames around and making that pass, but wasn't really interested in willing this team to a win or drilling a hole for Hemsky to score from. Even if just these guys had been going tonight, we win.
----------

Certainly an unfortunate followup to our last 2 periods. That was the quietest EDM-CGY Saturday game I've been to in a long time.

A note of congratulations to the SSAC club that won the Mac's Cup today. A friend of a friend is their head coach and his boys survived a scary penalty-filled third to win one of hockey's finest tournaments at the Midget level. I was an MLAC man myself, but congrats to the boys on a wonderful title.

[BOX]

Oilers Rexall comeback vs. Avs falls short

[Box Score]

Hall, Cogliano and Hemsky all got in the net after the Avalanche jumped out to a 3-0 deficit last night to tie the game at 3 all and send it into overtime and an eventual shootout before losing 4-3. So the Oil loses last night despite Taylor Hall's 12th career scoring goal. It's still POINTS! And the first points the Oil have tabulated since I've become a fan of the club.

We're getting pretty close on the 2010 Winter Classic. By the way--awesome Pens blog here Igloo Dreams. I might start doing my Oilers game posts on that format.

Taylor Hall first goal on NHL 11

Last night at the United Center in Chicago, in a 3-0 victory over the World Champion Blackhawks, my franchise player Taylor Hall scored the first goal of his career. He later on in the night added one in Hockeytown at Detroit. He's now got 2 goals and 3 assists in his short career.

I am actually winning a few games now. Four wins and eight losses with several of them being overtime losses. I'll continue to update on my dynasty here. Man, Zdeno Chara is a freaking beast on the game.

Good read about the rebuilding process going on in Edmonton right now in real life NHL in the Edmonton Journal. Actually some mention of Taylor Hall ending up on a PK line or two before the year is out.

And there's a game tonight, the Colorado Avs come to Edmonton for the 36th game of the year.

Sid's point streak ended last night at 25. I think it's better than even money that he starts a new one Saturday at Heinz Field.

If I'm going to be a full-time NHL fan now, I need to learn more about this Alumni Game that I'm reading about around the hockey blogs.

....More to come later tonight in recap or response to the Oilers game. Or if I think of anything before that.

Two Taylor Hall goals that need archived

He actually scored his first career goal in my hometown Columbus, Ohio.



First career game winner above.

I watched a good portion of the Edmonton/Buffalo game tonight on channel surfing. I love how I can basically catch any hockey game I need to somewhere on the internet nowadays. It's one of the truly great things in life.

Edmonton lost 4-2 after fighting hard all night. Read about it if you want. Man it's a great time to be a hockey fan.

Sidney Crosby kept it rolling last night. It's hard to believe but he's playing the best hockey of his career. I'm a big Crosby fan and if you like hockey how can you not love seeing what he's doing right now? It's now been 25 straight games with a point for Crosby.

Learning the Edmonton Oilers

I know the Edmonton Oilers roll with young guns. That's why they appeal to me. I want to root for a shitty team that doesn't have a bunch of bandwagon fans and watch the kids grow up in front of my eyes.

As I try and get my hand around the roster--here's what an Edmonton fan had to tell me today:

First year NHL'ers Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle are the Oilers best players most nights, this speaks volumes about the rest of the forwards on this team. They need to tank this year as well as moving a body or two out in exchange for picks at the deadline to improve their options this coming June. Two more top five picks could signal the end of the rebuild here 300kms north of the sad sack Suckville Flames.

I think that Bos/Tor pick is available, the Bruins are close, sending them Penner and whatever else they want to help push them over the top this year is a possibility, the Oilers may have to take a player or two back but as long as we get that pick, they could pretty much have anyone of this roster not named Hall, Eberle and perhaps Paajarvi.

Hemsky and Gagner to the Islanders for their first pick this June. The Islanders have along history of knee jerk moves....Hemsky and Gagner could be that ticket to that other top 5 pick.

I'd even do both moves if it were possible, as long as one comes through we should be set with our own pick this coming June as well.

I'll be back to blog about the game against the Sabres tonight. I'm going to try and watch it on Channelsurfing.net.

Re-dedicating myself to HNTB

I just got NHL 11 by EA Sports for Christmas. I've started a franchise with the Oilers and I'm re-dedicating myself to this blog which has thus far been a distant project.

I plan on spending a good part of New Years day immersed in Hockey Night. The Winter Classic takes place early in the day (hard for a college football fan to miss all the bowl games) and the Battle of Alberta takes place at 10 that night with my Oilers taking on the Flames.

But at the center of all this is Taylor Hall. I'm really intrigued by this kid and he's turning me into a bigger hockey fan. Great article here about Hall by Bob Stauffer at the Oilers Official Site.

I think I need to start watching 24/7.

Pens lose 3-2 Opening night to Flyers

[Event Summary]

*Definitely check out Empty Netters for a full recap of Opening Night.



I watched a lot of this game on my computer hoping to see a Penguins victory; but the Penguins begin the season in an 0-1 hole with a nip and tuck loss to the rival Flyers.

-Don't forget that last night was Hockey Night in Canada's opener too.

Hockey season is back!

Tonight the 2010 NHL season opens up with the Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the Philadelphia Flyers.

Predictions from Pro Hockey Talk & ESPN.

I've always loved the NHL season. I know more about the NFL and Major League Baseball, but ever since I was a kid I've had an outside curiosity and fascination with the frozen pond game.

I wish it had the popularity here in the States that it did in Canada. It's a neat sport, with a neat tradition. And I think Hockey players seem like some of the coolest dudes of all of the professional athlete spectrum. It's low-drama outside the rink. It's fun to watch. It's just a great fucking sport.

I'll be back to wrap up the action from the first night of the regular later tonight. I'll also be writing a lot on this blog during the season to keep me busy.

GO PENS.
Keep it locked on Empty Netters (Post Gazette's Pens Blog)

Toews, Kane, Keith unsigned

The Chicago Blackhawks are going to need to work to keep the young nucleus of talent that they have together. And none of the three are under contract yet for 2010. Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews, and Patrick Kane are all free agents at the end of the year.

``There’s no contract, but I like it here and I want to stay here,’’ said Keith. ``It’s a good feeling to be a part of this group. I’d like to be here a long time.’’

``It’d be cool (to stay with the Hawks),’’ said Toews, ``but that’s still something to be determined. I’m not going to lie. It’s exciting to think about, but it’s handled by other people for you. Hopefully the fans want us to stay here a long time, because we do to. We’ll see how it goes.’’

If any of these guys leave, namely Kane or Toews; it's the equivalent of letting Crosby or Malkin walk out of Pittsburgh. You simply cannot let it happen. Get it done Chicago!

Yahoo touched on this earlier, saying that it's impossible to keep all three.

Blackhawks 4 Kings 1 in Toews' return

[Box Score]

Let the record show that in Jonathan Toews' return to the Blackhawks lineup, they scored a couple of power play goals en route to a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

The lone Kings goal was scored by Anze Kopitar, who is a legit superstar in the making. Toews also scored his 2nd goal of the season in his return to the ice, a very good sign for the Hawks.

[Sun Times]

[Puck Daddy]

Jonathan Toews to return Monday night

Jonathan Toews says he is ready to return tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Kings after missing six games with a concussion.

"I got my jump and my energy back," Toews said after practice. "When I'm moving my feet everything feels good and you handle the puck and shoot well too.
That's kind of the deal right now."

This couldn't come at a better time for the Blackhawks who have dropped the past two games without their 21 year old captain. That included an OT loss to the Avalanche out west that was lost in 8 shootout rounds.

Passing the time with NHL 10

While I wait for the brutal stretch to pass for the Blackhawks without Jonathan Toews, I have found myself playing a lot of NHL 10 on the XBOX 360. I gotta say it's a lot of fun, the gameplay is smooth and really a great game of hockey gets carved out. I wish it were a little bit easier to score but I guess it makes it all that much more special when I do.

Operation Sports had a nice article about the top five EA Sports hockey games ever made.

You have to love how they gave NHL 94 on the old Genesis some props. That game literally made me and my friends hockey fans. We used to fight over who would be Steve Yzerman. It was a blast growing up with that game.

Toews to miss fifth straight game for Hawks

Jonathan Toews will miss his 5th straight game with concussion symptoms tonight. This is not really a surprise as concussion is an injury that lingers and if you saw the hit that Toews took, you know it was a bad one.

"It's only been two days I've been back on the ice so it's more than just feeling good, it's about getting your game and getting your legs under you a little bit," Toews said following Thursday's morning skate. "I'll keep working hard and have a couple of good workouts here and see how it goes. Hopefully I'll keep progressing."

Toews was unsure whether he would return for the Hawks' game against the Avalanche in Colorado on Friday night.

"We'll take it day by day just like we have the last couple of weeks," Toews said. "Today was better than yesterday and hopefully tomorrow is the same case. We'll see how everything goes at the morning skate (Friday) morning.

Bummer. We'll recap the Hawks action tonight out in Arizona anyways. Our bet is that he plays next game out.

Columbus Blue Jackets having financial struggles

I live in Columbus. So it's no secret to me that the Blue Jackets are having trouble drawing fans to games. They're losing an annual amount of $12 million dollars a year.

Columbus may have trouble holding on to the NHL's Blue Jackets because the club has been losing $12 million a year in central Ohio, according to a report released Thursday by a business group.

The report from the Columbus Chamber offers a variety of options for strengthening the hockey team's financial position, such as new taxes or fees to support it.

Other suggestions include allowing the team to renegotiate its lease for Nationwide Arena or trying to attract a second major tenant, such as a basketball team.

"It is important that our community retain this team," Dave Blom, chairman of the Columbus Chamber board, said. "The Columbus Blue Jackets impact our regional economy, support thousands of jobs and bring millions of dollars in tax revenue that contribute to our quality of life."

It would be a shame if Columbus lost this team now because they've finally found the right coach with the right roster mix. Plus what are they going to do with that start of the art Nationwide Arena.

It will be interesting to see if the winning we anticipate for the Jackets (who first made the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season) starts to decrease this loss they've experienced.

Toews returns to ice

No word on whether or not Toews will play on Friday night when the Blackhawks next take the ice, but him being able to skate again after his concussion is great news.

After missing two weeks of practice and sitting out four straight games, Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was back on the ice with his teammates Wednesday.

It's not certain whether Toews would be cleared to play in Thursday's game against the Phoenix Coyotes or Friday's contest in Denver with the Colorado Avalanche.

Coach Joel Quenneville is expected to address the media after today's practice is completed

Updates to follow, hopefully Toews is back in game action on Friday night.

Jonathan Toews gets hit by Willie Mitchell

First post on here in a while. We're going to be covering a lot of Chicago Blackhawks in the near future. Hopefully Jonathan Toews makes it back from his injury sooner rather then later. He hasn't skated in two weeks.