Random NHL Notes

Still loving the bullet point format.

• Calgary at least seems like a team tailor-made for "Iron" Mike Keenan. Calgary seems to be built more in the mold of teams of Keenan (e.g. Chicago, circa 1991 and 1992) that won and that Keenan liked. Calgary has veteran toughness and veteran players. I can see Keenan succeeding in Calgary; of course, I can also see at least one or two players (probably good players, just not Keenan style players) being shipped out quite quickly, too. But one thing is for sure: with Mike Keenan back behind the Calgary bench, there will be nary a dull night for the Flames.

• Petr Nedved went back to the Czech Republic. So what you will of Nedved, but the mere fact that he defected as a teenager won my respect and admiration. As I wrote last summer, I firmly believe that decision to defect (of Nedved and Alexander Mogilny) showed all the traits of heart and guts and courage that both players were routinely accused of lacking at some point in their NHL careers. Besides, Nedved will always have a soft spot in my heart for scoring the game-winning goal in quadruple overtime against the Capitals back in 1996. Aside from the Cup victories, it's pretty far up in the highlights of memorable Pittsburgh playoff goals along with Jagr scoring on one leg to beat New Jersey and Kaspar's winner sending the Pens to the Eastern Conference Finals.

• Alexei Yashin returned to Russia. Yawn. Chris Simon returned to the New York Islanders. Am I crazy to think they would have been better off with Yashin? (And I've never liked Yashin. Nor has he ever had my respect or admiration for anything.)
  

• At present, I don't see much in between boom or bust for the New York Rangers. Complicating this is the fact that I think anything short of a conference finals appearance is "bust" for the Rangers, at least in terms of the expectations of fans and management. I see the Rangers coming close to winning the Cup (provided their defense is somehow shored up) or for all intensive purposes sitting out the playoffs (and by that I mean being bounced in the first round, too). But I definitely see boom or bust for the Rangers.

• Aside from Jason Smith and Kimmo Timmonen, would a Flyers fan ('fess up) deign to inform me as to how Philadelphia's defensive corps has changed from the group that "graced" the Philadelphia blueline last season? (Seriously, in the midst of the insanity I have been spending my summer reading online, I haven't managed to bring myself to read Flyers' fans claims about how their team will win the Atlantic Division or a playoff spot or anything. So inform me, please, but preferably in the style of Daniel Briere and not Bobby Clarke.) Improvement to the forwards aside, I'm wondering if Michel Therrien would deign to "play matchups" to ensure Sidney Crosby can continue to exploit Derian Hatcher in 2007-08.
  

• The Penguins are special. Al Arbour gets to coach his 1,500 game against them. Hopefully it ends better for the Pens than did that 1993 game. At age 11, that David Volek goal marked the official end of my "dreams do come true" childhood. And until Sidney Crosby and his current crop of Penguins restores that whole "dreams do come true" mantra, I will always hate the Islanders. Sidney, captain your team to victory. (And, with this last bullet point, in all likelihood I have reached the official cusp of insanity.)