First, yesterday I had a new record for page views for one day at 79. That's absolutely wicked! Thank you to all of the readers who made it happen! My blog usually averages around 20 views per day, some days much lower than that. But to get so many views in one day for me is really cool! I know there is no way I can keep up that number every day, but maybe if this blog keeps going, I can top that number again. Hopefully with more content, which will be easy when the season begins, the community for this page will get bigger and bigger.
But just one day at a time for now.
*********************************************************************************
Second, out of some captaincy news from the NHL, Jaime Benn has been named captain of the Dallas Stars, and Mark Giordano has been named captain of the Calgary Flames.
If anyone remembers my "Oh Captain, My Captain" post from a few weeks ago, I predicted that both would be named captain of their respective teams. I would have picked Glencross as captain for the Flames personally, but Giordano seemed like the heir to the "C". Benn, on the other hand, was an obvious pick. He's the face of the franchise, and it's about time that he becomes the distinguished leader of the team. The perfect cap to the remodelling of the franchise.
*********************************************************************************
And one last note, Ty Rimmer will get to play half of Edmonton's game against the Canucks tonight. Rimmer is an undrafted goalie who spent some time here in Lethbridge last season. Despite the Hurricanes not having a great season, Rimmer played well and had a few really good hot streaks through the season. He also had a great season in Tri-Cities the year before, and also played in Prince George for the Cougars.
An Edmonton-born prospect, he's so far looked really good during training camp for the Oilers, and will get his first NHL action tonight for his hometown team, sharing the net with vet Jason Labarbera.
I've watched him play here in Lethbridge, and I'm really rooting for him to land a contract with the Edmonton franchise. The game is on HNIC tonight, so I'll definitely be watching.
*********************************************************************************
For the main topic of today, it was announced yesterday that Washington will host the 2015 NHL Winter Classic.
It's not exactly a surprise choice. Washington is a popular hockey market, and there are a host of teams that could make the game an exciting rivalry match.
The venue, nor the opponent, has been decided yet. The problem is, most of the main "rivalry" teams that Washington should play have played in at least one Winter Classic.
Rangers? They've played one in 2012, and are due to play two games in 2013-14. Probably not.
Islanders? Playing next season, but wouldn't be a bad option.
Philadelphia? They've already played two, last in 2012. They don't play one next season, so its likely they could be involved.
Pittsburgh? The rematch? Would be cool, but I'm sure the NHL would want another match up. Pittsburgh also plays next season, and has already been involved in a few Classics themselves.
Carolina? An old "Atlantic" division matchup, that people may actually care about. I'd watch if Carolina wore some green and blue.
Tampa Bay? An exciting team to watch, but are they a good draw for a large game like this?
Ottawa? Bringing back the Captial Cup would be a good idea, but Ottawa plays in a game next season, so its less than likely.
Columbus? So no one really cares about Columbus, but from an NHL standpoint, this could help the struggling franchise, while maybe developing a new divisional rival. I wouldn't rule this one out.
*********************************************************************************
And I'd like to point out, that it is speculated that the 2015 Winter Classic will NOT be the only outdoor game next season. There is talk that there could be 4-5 outdoor games. I assume that will mean the NHL Winter Classic in Washington, 2-3 Stadium Series games, and a Canadian Heritage Classic.
It should be interesting to see who gets involved for 2014-15. I'd love to see some western teams get involved finally. I know California gets a good taste of outdoor hockey next season, but where is Colorado, St. Louis, Minnesota, or Winnipeg? I'd love to see some outdoor hockey there.
But lets not get ahead of ourselves, we still have 6 games to watch this season before we get there.
No comments:
Post a Comment