And we're off

Head over to the Pensblog for your recaps and funnies, short of the newspapers that's your best bet for timely/funny/in depth game by game recaps. My job and alcoholism doesn't usually let me update as quick or humorous as them.

The important thing is we're playing hockey again. Some key points:

• Capacity house 21,000+ to see a preseason game. Say what you will about Canada, but damn they love hockey. The atmosphere was closer to a post-season game than game 1 of the daggone preseason. You may think that's ridiculous, and it is ridiculous. But somehow it's true.


• Someone named Andrew Archer dished out a big hit on public enemy #2 former hometown boy Angelo Esposito. Georges Laraque soon made his acquaintance.

First hospitilization of the season

• Laraque took heat from Pens fans for not dropping the gloves more down the stretch last year, but it's difficult to get guys to go when they don't want to. Still, with the harsh feelings had by both Edmonton's organization and Phoenix's fans towards Laraque, sometimes maybe you wonder how he feels about consistently being an enforcer. I think having his old junior coach Michel Therrien there, someone who knows Laraque and certainly knows how to call his own players out, only helps.
• Jarrko Ruutu got under the skin of everyone, especially Mike Komaserek. Again when a player says after the game something like: "He's [Ruutu] the toughest guy I've ever seen when the linesmen are between us.... Let him talk all he wants. Let him talk until his lips fall off." you know it's just a little more intense than an average preseason game
• Crosby 1 goal, 1 assist. Nice to see him shake the rust off a summer where he practically got no training in due to a little rest for a broken foot he played on for over a month.
• It sounded like both goalies (Fleury but especially Huet) played excellent. I heard Huet in particular had several monster saves, including reaching back and stopping a Petr Sykora bid right on the goal line.
• For the Habs, it sounded like Alexei Kovalev and Andrei Kostyitin (spelling) were huge and all over the ice. As I said earlier, I'm astounded how few goals Kovalev scored. He's kinda like Jagr in that he's a supreme talent, but almost emotional and if the media or fans are giving it to him, he almost gives up and doesn't try as hard. Certainly neither perform as well. I like Kovalev, I hope the Montreal media just lets him go out and play, that would be the best for both parties there.