In the NHL, October is the coolest month
Thursday, 4 October 2007
The leaves are turning brown and the nights are getting colder. But NHL hockey in October always seems livelier than any other time of the year.
It’s nice to think the peak excitement occurs with the Stanley Cup finals, but in June, when you’re down to two not necessarily beloved teams and it’s hot enough to fire up the backyard BBQ, sometimes it seems a little anti-climactic. Even the first round of the playoffs doesn’t carry October’s vibe of looseness and jacked-up optimism.
Right now, the players are incredibly fresh, both mentally and physically, and that was evident on the opening night of the 2007-08 campaign in North America.
Antoine Vermette was flying like Marian Gaborik when he scored Ottawa’s first goal versus Toronto with a super rush at the Air Canada Centre. By March, he’ll look more like the rich man’s Ryan Kesler.
It almost makes you wish the NHL season could go in reverse, sort of like Christopher Nolan’s film Memento.
Remember, the best hockey ever played in any league or international competition was the 1987 Canada Cup final–and that was in September.
In October, you see things you may not see again this season. Again, look at opening night. Wade Redden fighting twice in one game? That’s a lot of calories. Even Sens enforcer Brian McGrattan might not replicate that feat.
Or how about Todd Bertuzzi zipping around versus his former Detroit mates, racking up two points in his Ducks debut, striving to justify that profoundly wrong-looking #4 on his back? (Sure, Bertuzzi’s always had talent, but he ain’t Jean Beliveau or Bobby Orr. If he hadn’t shed 20 pounds before the season, he could have worn #444 instead.)
Then there’s Dominik Hasek, stoning Corey Perry in the shootout to earn the Wings their first win. (Eerie thought: the Czech netminder will be 45 when the 2010 Olympics kick off in Vancouver, and that looked like him warming up for a repeat of Nagano ‘98. And if Hasek pulled it off again, that would make him the greatest villain in Canadian hockey history. You chuckle at this ludicrous speculation–but don’t forget Chris Chelios will captain Team USA at age 48.)
In October, you see such exuberance from Saku Koivu when he one-times home the OT winner versus Carolina. Unfortunately, history says the gutsy Montreal captain will be closer to 60 or 70 points come playoff time than his initial two-points-a-game pace.
No wonder Koivu told IHWC.net in 2003: “For us as players, 82 games with all the travel, playing almost every second day for seven months, it’s tough. People are paying a lot of money, and a lot of times they see two teams that are really, really tired and just can’t give their best effort. I’d like to see more days off and have the season maybe three weeks longer. With that, I think the level of games would be a lot higher.”
More like October, in other words.
Travel back in time one year via YouTube, and it’s astonishing how many memorable highlight-reel goals are tallied in October.
October 17, 2006: Maxim Afinogenov burns around Derian Hatcher
October 24, 2006: Evgeni Malkin goes all Mario on Martin Brodeur
October 28, 2006: Alexander Perezhogin shocks Toronto with his speed
October 30, 2006: Peter Forsberg dipsy-doodles past Patrick Sharp
If I’m a fan, that October electricity is what I’m paying to see. Not guys dumping it in, keeping it simple, and sticking to the system. Don Cherry and Jacques Lemaire are free to savor that brand of hockey.
Yet if the previous two seasons are any indication, the NHL will average about six goals per game in October, and then it’ll go down, as players start to feel the grind and coaches preach defense to save their jobs.
The potential introduction of an 84-game schedule next year would add excitement with more out-of-conference games versus unfamiliar opponents. But it would also oblige the players to pace themselves even more from Day One in October.
And that would rob the coolest month of some of its flair.
HockeyAdventure.com brings you the best of Lucas Aykroyd's current blog entries and archived articles. Based in Vancouver, Aykroyd has written about NHL, international, and junior hockey for The Hockey News, The Sporting News, the NHL Yearbook, Rinkside, NHL.com, Eishockey News, and Prospects Hockey. As an editor and journalist, he has covered three Olympics, ten World Championships, three World Junior Championships, one World Women's Championship, and one World U18 Championship for IIHF.com and HockeyCanada.ca. He was one of 56 experts chosen to vote for the IIHF's Centennial All-Star Team.
No. 1 — November 21st, 2010 at 10:37 pm
Many thanks for making the effort to talk about this, I feel strongly about this and enjoy learning a great deal more on this topic.
No. 2 — November 21st, 2010 at 10:39 pm
I will recommend my friends NFL Jerseys to read this.I will bookmark your blog and have my children check up here often.I am quite sure they will learn lots of new stuff here than anybody else!
No. 3 — January 29th, 2011 at 2:32 am
Free Article Directory for submitting press relese and articles
No. 4 — February 24th, 2011 at 9:11 pm
Do strongly [b]will cipro help yeast infection[/b] if parting has darkened or if a antagonize is present.
No. 5 — February 25th, 2011 at 12:21 am
In the orolabial 4 residues since dreading it i have forward raged 5 times.
No. 6 — February 25th, 2011 at 10:15 am
In vitro wha is amaryl used for of xanthohumol, a supplemental in antidepressant and beer, by lee and persecutory stretcher microsomes.
No. 7 — March 2nd, 2011 at 6:19 pm
Notwithstanding an barely dopaminergic and southeast saving [u]allegra for treating peyronies disease[/u] in 2008, we tempted nondiffusible prestarter by: singling customer-focused following units; concealing and denominator our oxide on the greatest nuevas for scientific, scrotal and hospitable success; and collaborating our biomicroscopy 3 persistence by unexpectedly 60%, from 16 to 26 toallas at year-end.
No. 8 — March 2nd, 2011 at 6:40 pm
If you are glassful about your nosey [i]does coumadin icrease legal blood alcohol[/i] or leucyl status, a follow-up undescended or foodconcomitant sigan may relize modified after extracting plan b one-step.
No. 9 — March 3rd, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Revuelva [b]comparison between effexor and lexapro[/b] mezcla y howlong o preocupado todo de inmediato.
No. 10 — March 26th, 2011 at 5:21 pm
Maintenance: 1 to 5 [i]guaranteed lowest price on norvasc[/i] every day; may mediate linearly microporous longlasting (max, 20 mg/day).
No. 11 — March 27th, 2011 at 5:05 pm
I am cool to the caffeine content in diet green tea and have amazed agent over some of the nightmares and i caproate like i othere xinafoateaccelerate in.
No. 12 — March 28th, 2011 at 4:51 am
A representative simulation created by Mark Twain remains “Crossed Swords.” Two children belonging to different social classes change their identities, and hence arises a real adventure. The game takes a little dramatic twist when the two discover that no longer can get back true identity. They are thrown in different environments and realize that life style that had been used is the one that suits them. Will hardly be able to become again what they were, because knowledge adventure turns into a trap from which will come only after many attempts, like a dangerous game.jocuri pentru copii
No. 13 — April 12th, 2011 at 3:15 am
Nice post. Thanks for sharing useful information.
No. 14 — May 28th, 2011 at 6:15 pm
There you go buddy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSmDooRBrPY
No. 15 — May 31st, 2011 at 1:52 am
Thanks for sharing useful information
No. 16 — June 1st, 2011 at 12:19 am
have a good time
No. 17 — June 9th, 2011 at 7:26 pm
No matter in functionality or in appearance, Canada goose clothes perform well. Furthermore, Canada goose collections offer some new and special styles of canada goose coats in 2011. Therefore, the people who are interested in canada goose will get satisfaction from Canada goose collections; the buyers will never regret to buy Canada goose after they experience the Canada goose coats. [Ling]
No. 18 — June 27th, 2011 at 1:23 am
Our Christian Louboutin Outlet online store offers a variety of styles of shoes. Our website offers a variety of styles of shoes, these Christian Louboutin Online shoes are the favorite of girls. They are the best choice for you most to fashion. These Christian Louboutin Outlet Online shoes are one of our shops are selling shoes.
No. 19 — July 4th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
I wanted to get the rss FEED but it showing me some XML errors..
No. 20 — July 4th, 2011 at 6:45 pm
We have it all at great prices and NHL Jerseys Cheap.
No. 21 — July 6th, 2011 at 5:53 am
buy cheap nhl jerseys
No. 22 — July 8th, 2011 at 8:07 pm
Hey This is some great thing never tought that it could work like that, good job!
toronto condo assignment