11:56 PM: A couple of closing thoughts for January of 2010 on the eve of February 1st...for starters, it was the mildest January in Ottawa's history, weather wise - but I have a feeling we're going to pay for it in February...a nice Snow storm is brewing as I type this...(actually, the flurries started a few hours ago, and are still going...)...

And I have to give props once again to ESPN.com and their "Simulate This Matchup" section of the NHL scoreboard...it never ceases to interest me - although, not to be a nitpicker, but see if you can find the flaw in today's statement:

"Tearing down the fourth wall here: in NHL '94, the Avalanche are an amazing team. (We mean the video game.) In real-life 1994, the Rangers won the Cup. What does this mean for tonight? Nothing. However, that's why you need the sim."

Did you catch the flaw??  Actually there are a couple...but one glaring flaw: the Colorado Avalanche didn't move to Denver until the 1995-96 season - NHL '94 was released in September of 1993, which means in that game the Colorado Avalanche would actually have still been the Quebec Nordiques...and I played that game to death, they weren't that good...I was able to beat them with the Ottawa Senators in a 7 game series...no joke...more than once I might add...the best teams IMO in that game - the Habs (at the time they were the defending champions), Chicago (how good were the Hawks in the early days of the NHL series?  We used to have a No Chicago rule), Dallas (this was actually the year the Minnesota North Stars moved to the Lone Star State), and oddly enough - San Jose...seriously...that year we also said hello to the Florida Panthers and the Anaheim Ducks (well of course back then they were the Mighty Ducks)...I still remember the folks at Disney did what they do best - they had a parade on the ice to inaugurate the team...it seemed odd for Hockey at the time, but what can I say, it worked...and of course the game wasn't anywhere close to what it is today - it was the great 16 bit technology the Sega Genesis was famous for...

The Rangers weren't all that great in that game either...for some reason, I don't know why, but I remember a heated New Year's Eve match between myself and an old buddy of mine - I played the Rangers (I mean by then half of the team was former Oilers, including Mark himself), and he played San Jose...and beat me...of course, later on that season, even though the Rangers did win the Cup, the San Jose Sharks pulled off a monumental 7th game upset of Detroit...if you wonder why those two have had some heated series between them, it started in 1994...

Probably important to note - The Rangers actually won today's game - 3-1...snapping a 5 game skid...Gaborik with all 3 for NY...Cody McLeod for the Avs...

I'm still reeling over how Toronto managed to steal the spotlight without having played...

OK...enough - it's now February 1...12:06 to be exact...and I may have spoken too soon - the snow stopped...we got a bit of a dusting...the wind chill has really reared its ugly head in the last week or so...

6:32 PM: Leave it to Brian Burke to end the month of January with a bang, as in not one, but TWO blockbuster trades...I can only wish Edmonton's G.M. had this kind of guts...in all, 10 players involved - 6 Toronto players headed out, 4 coming in...remind you of back when Doug Gilmour became a Leaf?  Well - it will...read on...

The deals:

Toronto sends Niklas Hagman, Matt Stajan, Jamal Mayers and Ian White to Calgary, for Fredrik Sjostrom, prospect Keith Aulie, and GET THIS: Dion Phaneuf

And Burke was NOT done there...in retrospect, you had to think this one was going to happen sooner or later...Vesa Toskala is headed back to California, this time to Burke's old team the Anaheim Ducks, along with Jason Blake - coming back to Toronto, no big surprise here - Jean-Sebastien Giguere.  When Burke hired Giguere's old goalie coach Francois Allaire, you just KNEW at some point he would make this trade...it was probably the main reason Giguere waived his no trade clause to allow the trade to happen...

I am simply speechless...well, Burke said he wanted a contender, and he meant it...it might be too late for this season, but look out next year...

Not sure if anybody saw this coming yesterday when Anaheim announced the re-signing of Jonas Hiller to a multi year deal, but I'm pretty sure nobody expected to see Giguere in a Ducks uniform past the deadline...

4:57 PM: Well, Carrie Underwood is probably cheering the loudest after this one - Mike Fisher with the winner, 3 on 3 to seal the deal - 3-2 the final, Ottawa wins 9 straight for the first time in their modern history.  We don't see 3 on 3 very often, especially in OT, but after what probably should have been a penalty shot was called on Jason Spezza to put the Sens up 4 on 3, Spezza himself just seconds later got called for a penalty - and the rest is history...Ottawa is now one point behind idle Pittsburgh...next up - Buffalo on Wednesday...on the road...and Vancouver visits the Bank on Thursday...a week from tonight, it's the Battle of Ontario....now those will all be fun games...on Wednesday night - Philadelphia visits Edmonton...yeah, not so much...

It's at least the second OT winner of the season for Fisher, but could even be his third...I remember him getting one against Washington earlier in the season...

Not a bad way to start the triple header - Leafs-Canucks at 7 and Oilers-Flames at 10...

4:37 PM: OT at the Bank...Brian Gionta tied it 2-2 with a late power play goal...

3:47 PM: 2nd Intermission in Ottawa (I think)...

Philadelphia hangs on for the 2-1 win...that is now a final score...is John Tavares hurt or something?  Haven't heard his name in awhile...

3:33 PM: It seems the injury has been the best thing to happen to Jason Spezza this season - he's now on a 6 goal streak in his last 6 games - his 9th of the year comes on the power play, and the Sens lead 2-1 with about 5 minutes left in the 2nd...Habs just scored on a power play of their own to break the shutout bid - Benoit Pouliot, the Alfred native, again...his 13th of the year...his 11th in his 18th game as a Hab...this season, he only got 2 in 14 games with Minnesota before the trade...in 2 previous seasons with Minnesota he only had 7 goals...I'd say that was a good trade...

I can't figure out if the game is being played in Kanata or Montreal - according to the graphics on the ice, the game is at Scotiabank Place...but close your eyes and listen to the crowd and I'm not so sure...

3:07 PM: Ottawa 1  Montreal 0  2nd - Just underway with the 2nd period - it's Alex Kovalev with the goal...both sides eager to put on a show...it's back and forth action...

Nice piece on the 1987 Canada Cup during the intermission...

Well, the weekend picks rivalry is heating up - seems this week uLAr and I both see eye to eye on most of the matchups - now he thinks I'm accusing him of not playing fair - I just happened to observe that we only disagree on 2 of the games this weekend...well, for the record - it's my OWN fault that I'm 4 games behind - last week I was within 2 and second guessed myself on the Saturday games...I can't blame my opponent for not playing fair if I don't make the right picks...but in fairness, I am a little bitter about it for not going with my gut instinct...well no more...

Philadelphia is holding on to a 1 goal lead in the 3rd - it's 2-1 - Scott Hartnell with the potential GWG...and it's Josh Bailey with the lone goal for the Isles...time for Moulson to step it up...

The tradition continues...

1:34 PM: Well, I'm almost ashamed to admit this - but I had NO IDEA today was Hockey Day until uLAr e-mailed me to remind me I was first up with weekend picks (is this what Alzheimer's is like?)...as you may have read in my recent Puckin' Article, I've been pretty oblivious all season long to what's been happening on the ice - but in the last couple of weeks I thought I had been starting to pay a little more attention...well that one went WAY over my head, what can I tell you!?...

In any event - it's the annual All-Canadian triple header - Ottawa is home to Montreal at 2 (seems they've met the MOST during these annual get togethers), Toronto is home to Vancouver and Edmonton is in Calgary to finish their season series and finish up what has been nothing more than a dreadful January...it's kind of eerie - Edmonton has Dustin Penner leading in all scoring categories (goals, assists, points), and Calgary has Jarome Iginla doing the same...but the similarities end there - Calgary has 60 points, Edmonton 38...10 of those points taken in five previous games against each other...if the Flames can sweep the season series, they'll also make the Oilers 0 for January...sometime before the end of the night I'm going to research as to whether any team has ever lost every game of a calendar month...I don't even think the Ottawa Senators were that bad in their first year...don't forget, we now live in an era where ties don't exist anymore...anyway - more to come on that...

The venue for CBC this year is Stratford, Ontario - they're on the pond right behind Peter Mansbridge's house...he had an awesome story about the local rink that was built in 1924 and recently restored to its original look - they restored everything from the original seats, the bolts, the hardwood floors...new machinery for the ice and new boards, though...Stratford has a hockey history that rivals Montreal's...as many of you should already know, it's where Chris Pronger and Ed Olczyk came from, just to name a couple...

One game is already underway - and it's Daniel Briere with the day's first goal - 1-0 Philadelphia in the 1st against the NY Islanders...speaking of teams on a losing streak...

11:59 PM: Alex Steen with the GWG, and the Blues win 2-1 - losing streak for Edmonton is at 12 straight...1 win in 22...this reminds me of the Ottawa Senators' first season...

And the Alberta curse continues...it went to a shootout in Calgary, but Phoenix prevails - 3-2...Robert Lang and Lauri Korpikoski both scored, and Ilya Bryzgalov saved both Flames attempts...if Bryzgalov gives Phoenix the goaltending he gave Anaheim, the Coyotes could be a Western Conference Dark Horse...

Martin Havlat got the goal, Josh Harding got the shutout, and Minnesota beats Colorado 1-0, snapping their 6 game winning streak...

And it's 3-2 for Chicago over San Jose after 2 periods...Joe Pavelski with both goals for SJ, Troy Brouwer, Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd for Chicago...a win for the Hawks will tie them at 78 points with the Sharks, but they will take back 1st place by virtue of more wins...

10:46 PM: Oilers leading scorer in all categories - Dustin Penner - with his 22nd...Keith Tkachuk with his 13th...it's 1-1...

2-1 Coyotes over the Flames after 2...Shane Doan keeps his scoring streak going...it's still scoreless in Denver after 2...

10:40 PM: So now perhaps Eugene Melnyk has something to crow about.  Maybe it was his vote of confidence at the beginning of the win streak, maybe it was just he saw something in this Ottawa team nobody else did, until now...

Make it Eight - as in 8 straight wins...the Ottawa Senators tie a franchise record, and can break it Saturday vs the Habs...Brian Elliott is the man in net...coming off a shutout of Marty and the Devils on Tuesday, and tonight, beating the Stanley Cup Champs of Pittsburgh - with a 4-1 win.  Fisher, Spezza, Kelly and Foligno - players that needed to start producing, have finally started hitting the net...

A colleague of mine told me at the very beginning of the season, even before the first regular season puck was dropped - he told me he felt that for the first time, it feels like we actually have a Hockey team...this was just after the Dany Heatley trade, no less...well who knows, he may turn out to be right...

At the very least, people are beginning to talk positively about the Sens for the first time in a long time...but once again they manage to start a goalie controversy - how do you play Pascal Leclaire, if and when he is ready?

In other notables today - the Chicago-San Jose game is about to get underway - Calgary is losing 1-0 to Phoenix late in the 2nd...and Edmonton-St. Louis is scoreless, mid way through the 2nd...unfortunately, when you're a fan of a team that's only won 1 of their last 21 games, you tend to not pay attention anymore until the 3rd period...Mike Comrie is finally back in the lineup after missing almost 1/2 the season with a concussion...Minnesota and Colorado is also scoreless in the 2nd...Atlanta edged Philadelphia 4-3 - 2 goals for Jim Slater there...4-1, L.A. over Columbus - usual suspects in that one (Kopitar with 2 more)...and Carolina scores 4 against the NYI - Matt Moulson gets his 20th in a 4-1 loss...if he gets no more this season it's been a very respectable rookie campaign...

11:15 PM: I know you're all going to think I've flipped my lid, but what else is new?

Michael Jackson's spirit is alive and living in my house.  Seriously...

I was watching the "Thriller" sequence in the "This Is It" movie recently and heard a noise from upstairs...I have one of those little Egg shaped pedicure devices for my feet, and it had somehow fallen into the tub from my shower organizer...if you saw how I have it positioned, you'd wonder how it happened...I'm still wondering...

OK, OK, so maybe it was on the edge of the tub and slid in...but nonetheless, seems like a coincidence that it would happen while I was watching what would turn out to be one of his last dress rehearsals ever...he spoke to me...

"This Is It"...available now on DVD and Blu Ray...HMV has an exclusive two in one package - you get both the DVD and Blu Ray in the same package...even though I've had an "advance" copy for weeks now, certainly it was one disc I had to buy...

Too bad he can't somehow take some of that musical and choreographic genius and make the Oilers a better team...it's 4-1 for Chicago now after 40 minutes...not so sure if I expected anything less from this game...but our old friend Fernando Pisani has Edmonton on the board...a glimmer of hope...or was that a whimper of hope?   The hockey gods are definitely not on my side this year...but as always...the music always is...

10:37 PM: I didn't think this possible a month ago - but now, the Ottawa Senators are keeping the pace with the Washington Capitals (as far as winning streaks go that is) - they won their 7th in a row tonight - a 3-0 shutout against Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils - after letting in 3 goals on 12 shots, after 40 minutes, Brodeur was given the final frame off in favor of Yann Danis - was a perfect defensive game from the Sens - Brian Elliott gets his 3rd shutout of the year, and the streak continues.  When I say keep the pace with Washington - they too are on a 7 game win streak after they obliterated the NY Islanders tonight by a score of 7-2...no Ovechkin on the score sheet if you can believe that...

Caps and Isles are separated by 20 points in the standings...74 for O.V.'s crew, and 54 for Tavares and company...NY finds themselves sitting in 12th, but are only 1 point out of 8th...6th thru 9th all have 55 points - Philly, Rangers, Florida and Montreal...Montreal falls out of 8th thanks to a crucial 2-1 loss tonight against Florida - Matthias with both goals for Sunrise...you think the Cats remember that the Habs won the tiebreaker against them last year?

Incidentally - in case you were curious - the last time the Sens were on a streak this long, that happened in November 2007 when they rolled off 8 straight...next two games for Ottawa: Pittsburgh at the Igloo on Thursday, and Montreal at home on Saturday...hard to bet against them right now...but even as good as they've been, they're still 5 points out of 4th...but most importantly, they're 5 points out of 1st in the Northeast Division, held down by Buffalo...they will at the very least attempt to reduce the spread to 3 points behind Pittsburgh on Thursday...

Not so lucky for the Edmonton Oilers...it was 1-0 less than 30 seconds in, on a failed communication regarding a line change...Jonathan Toews has Chicago off to an early lead...they're at the first intermission there...Pat Quinn was trying to get the Oilers to try a new strategy, but it is very evident to me at this point they are tuning him out and doing their own thing...not paying attention to shift times, not paying attention to defensive matchups...the Oilers are a mess right now...all I can say is it would be nice to win at least one game in January...

Hawks next opponent - San Jose...on Thursday...40 points separate 1st from last in the Western Conference...Sharks with 78 points...Oilers with 38 points...

Phoenix with a huge overtime win against Detroit - 5-4, Shane Doan with the winner...the Red Wings had a 4-2 lead with less than 5 minutes left in the 3rd, and looked like they'd be full marks for the win...but the wheels fell off...Doan assisted on the two late goals to tie it at 4-4...so explain to me, Mr. Yzerman, exactly why is this guy not on Team Canada?

Not to mention, Captain Canada himself, Ryan Smyth, had a big game in Toronto tonight, his 15th of the season turned out to be the GWG - Kings 5  Leafs 3...seems to me L.A. has had Toronto's number ever since that classic series from 1993...sorry to bring that up again, Leaf fans...

Now...time to hear about Howard Stern's colonoscopy, while I watch the rest of the Edmonton game on mute...Troy Brouwer has just made it 2-0 Hawks...so much for the Shawn Horcoff on Jonathan Toews experiement...can nobody win a faceoff on this team!??!  Seems Dustin Byfuglien is up to his old tricks again...just caught Ryan Potulny napping...Potulny, one of the few bright spots on a terrible team...even he can't beat John Madden at the neutral zone dot...

...and two more to tell you about - Columbus handed Nashville their 4th straight loss - 3-2 final there - seems Mason is slowly getting back on his game...and Atlanta edged Anaheim 2-1...if the Thrashers make the playoffs, who do you play in net - Hedberg or Pavelic!??  Both have been solid.  Like the Islanders, the Thrashers are at 54 points...but have to somehow leap over 5 teams...

3:33 PM: Make it 6 for the Sens...Ottawa 2  Boston 1 - Bruins outshot the Senators 33-23, but the returning Jason Spezza had the eventual GWG...this one was scoreless until Daniel Alfredsson got the puck rolling with 5 seconds left in the 1st...Boston could never seem to get it going after that, but momentum swings were plenty...

The current streak for Ottawa puts them 3 points back of Pittsburgh for 4th in the East...up next - New Jersey on Tuesday...a 7 point spread there...

It's late in the 3rd in Philadelphia, and the Flyers lead the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2...Carcillo, Pronger and Carter for Philly, Staal and Brind'Amour for the Canes...

10 more games today...Buffalo continues their road trip in San Jose and Chicago continues their Canadian road trip in Vancouver...just to name a couple...and the Habs, minus Georges Laraque, will host the Rangers...

Make it a 4-2 win for Philly - Carter with his 2nd of the game into an empty net...that is just a final...for the time being the Flyers win all the tiebreakers for 6th in the East...Bruins fall into 8th...

11:43 PM: Just getting ready to turn in for the night...

Well I called it...Red Wings win 4-3 in a shootout...

It's tied 2-2 between the Stars and Canucks - tied 1-1 between the Sabres and Kings, Hawks are up 2-1 over the Flames with about 8 mins remaining in the 3rd...looks like Kane might end up with the game winner there...and the Sharks are up 1-0 over the Ducks...

Coyotes win again - 4-2 over Nashville...former Predator Scottie Upshall turned the trick...that had to feel good...Phoenix is impressing me this year...amid all the ownership and money woes, they're getting it done...who knew not having the Great One behind the bench would be a good thing?  In all honesty, though, as good as Gretzky was throughout his illustrious career, he's one of those once in a lifetime talents that you can't teach, no matter how hard you try...I know the players all respect and look up to him, but at the end of the day you either have it, or you don't...and so far, without Gretzky, the desert dogs have it...

And I didn't mention this before, but Columbus managed a late 3-2 win against Boston - R.J. Umberger with the GWG for the Jackets...

Buffalo just scored - it's 2-1...about 8 mins left in the 2nd...

Good night all...I'm headed to bed...

10:13 PM: 6-3 final from the Igloo - Ovechkin with his 2nd of the night, 32nd of the season...Penguins are losing some big games lately (by some big scores)...something about January and this team...am I reading this right - Jose Theodore with 35 saves for the win???

It's going to be an interesting playoff race in the East - as of right now four out of five Atlantic Division teams are in the top 8 - and Philadelphia sits in 9th, behind the Islanders by 1 point (thanks in part to a 2-0 shutout of the Rangers...didn't this just happen a week ago against Ottawa?!?  Ironically enough, tonight it was Ottawa's former goalie Emery posting the goose egg)...New Jersey and Pittsburgh should be a virtual lock, provided they keep up their winning ways, but will the Rangers, Islanders and Flyers all make it, or none of them?!?

Long way to go yet...

Chicago is in Calgary, that one is scoreless late in the first - late games have Dallas at the Garage in Vancouver (for REAL this time - I checked it twice...;-P), the Buffalo Sabres in L.A., and the Ducks invade the Shark Tank...should be a bloodbath...

Red Wings were leading the Wild 3-1 in the 3rd, but Minny has come back to tie it at 3...I'm calling another Shootout...how does Todd Bertuzzi have as many goals (14) as Andrew Brunette!??!  Better yet, how does Brunette have more goals than Martin Havlat (9)?!

Take care fans...I'm turning on my PS3 and Sirius radio...tune in this weekend for more picks...uLAr is back from NYC...sent me some nice pictures...Hey nowwwwwwww...

9:49 PM: Some action on a Thursday night - the Ottawa Senators extended their streak to five wins in a row after a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues - it's the first loss for the Blues on Canadian soil this season (according to Dean Brown...who gets paid way more than I do to know these things...)

The Washington Capitals are up 5-3 late in the 3rd against Pittsburgh - about six minutes left there...The Ovechkin vs Crosby goal count is tied 1-1...five different scorers for the Caps, and 3 different scorers for the Pitts...31 on the year for O.V. and 33 on the year for Sid...(and PLEASE stop calling him the Kid, the man has a Cup Ring for heaven sakes!!!)

The Islanders win again - 2-1, in a shootout against Florida...not sure if they were chanting "Roli" or "Robbie"...either way I love seeing a player have success after moving from a team who didn't want them anymore...Of course, Robbie is referring to Rob Schremp - who, along with Matt Moulson, scored the game winners in the shooutout...

And it's looking like Carolina is finally getting it together - 5-2 against Atlanta...sadly the same can't be said about Toronto - the only team Edmonton has been able to beat in the past month...Leafs lose again, 3-2 - in OT, to Tampa Bay...nuff said...

8:41 PM: This is why I hate Montreal, the city, their hockey team, their fans - for this very mentality which I'm about to talk about.  Now I know this doesn't reflect on every citizen who calls Montreal home, but it's just things like this which continue to tamper with my perspective...so here goes...a lot of you Quebecers and Habs fans alike aren't going to like what I have to say, so I'm warning you now...

I've always been one who's believed you don't kick a man (or woman for that matter) while they're down.  For those of you who aren't aware, recently there was this awful event in Haiti called an earthquake which has done nothing but create chaos and devastation.  Haiti is not a rich country by any stretch, and just seeing the images on the news illustrating all the pain and suffering that has come as a result of the massive quake on Jan 12 are simply depressing at best.

Georges Laraque, who I agree has far from worked out for the Habs, actually got on the scoreboard last week in their game against Dallas.  In case you didn't already know, Laraque is of Haitian descent, and naturally, he dedicated his goal to the victims of the earthquake.  Evidently, he has family members who unfortunately have been involved in the devastation we continue to see very graphic images of in the news...just horrible...

So, what does Bob Gainey go and do?  He announces today that Laraque has played his last game for the Habs.  It's not clear if the rest of his contract will be bought out, but he apparently will be paid for this season and has essentially been told he is not welcome at Le Centre Bell any more.  Yet, he still, for the time being, gets to keep his roster spot...my guess is until they either buy him out or trade him.  They can't send him to the minors or put him on waivers as he is well into the 2nd year of a 3 year contract which has a no movement clause.

"I told him that he would not be continuing as part of our group for the rest of this season, for reasons of lack of productivity and distractions to our group," Gainey said. "We felt our goals were more achievable to continue without him as part of the group."

OK fine, I'm not questioning the decision - but I am questioning the timing - couldn't this have been something Gainey could have done quietly during the Olympics or something?!  Like, pull him into a room, quietly, and basically say - you're not working out, we'll give you one more game to prove yourself, then you're gone - you've been warned.  We probably wouldn't have been any the wiser.  Of course, the Sports media being what it is, we would have found out about it sooner or later, but just a real inhumane move as far as I'm concerned.  Bob Gainey - any respect I used to have for you is now gone.

The sad thing is this goes on far too often - for those who are not so lucky to not have no movement clauses, they just end up getting buried in the minors, never to be heard from again...

What's sad for me, is I've always enjoyed watching Laraque play - he may not put up the points every night, but he will send a message loud and clear to the other team - we won't be pushed around.  Of course, his return to Montreal has been nothing short of a disaster - 1 goal over 61 games.  Maybe he shouldn't have called out his team in the media...you kind of had to see the writing on the wall when he did that - but it isn't like what he said wasn't true...

Anyhow - hold your head up high Georges, I'm pretty sure somebody will take a chance on you...and if not, well I hope you can at least leave the game you love with dignity...

12:42 AM: KABLOOOOIE!!!!!!!!  That's the sound Pat Quinn's head would make if it exploded...and it looked like it might at the end of this one...

You have to think the Oilers deserved a better fate in this one - Devan Dubnyk kept them in it as best he could...but once again, a blown lead...and this time at least they salvage a point...but it's Vancouver with the 3-2 win.  Daniel Sedin with the eventual game winner, on a 4 on 3 power play - I mentioned how Edmonton's power play has been good of late - well unfortunately, their penalty killing, has not...

All I can do is laugh at this point...this season is just beyond laughable...and I thought they were pathetic during the 20 or so games AFTER the Ryan Smyth trade?...nothing compared to this...and they already got rid of Craig MacTavish last off season...how do you fire another coach?  Well, it might happen, but I can't see it happening, as much as I don't like Quinn...I mean, I respect what he's done in his hockey career and I respect his tenure, but I just don't think he's the right man for this team...period...

As I said in my latest column...there's always next year...Taylor Hall is looking better all the time...(he got the Game winner for Team Cherry at the Prospects Game)...Hall and Eberle!?  Are you kidding me!?  Bring it!!!

12:04 AM: Potential GWG scored by Sheldon Souray in the 2nd - Oil lead 2-1...but we've seen this movie before...I'm keeping quiet...

Can't say enough about Martin Brodeur - the win was his 30th of the year - what's most amazing - the Devils have 33 wins...stop the voting now - Vezina goes to Marty...hell...give him the Hart...if there's a more valuable player to his team right now, tell me who...

I'll tell you what - if Ottawa can beat New Jersey on Tuesday night (Jan 26), then Eugene Melnyk can boast about his team all he wants...wouldn't it be cool if both Brodeur's played that game!?!?  Just sayin'...although maybe Pascal Leclaire will be good to go by then...man that guy is injury plagued like I've never seen...especially for a goalie!!  I've never seen a guy get injured as much as Leclaire has without even playing in a game...sitting on the bench, and the latest (concussion I think) was in practice!!!

10:57 PM: Tied 1-1 after 1...Sam Gagner for Edmonton, Alex Burrows for Vancouver - both goals power play markers...interesting stat - Oilers are 5 for their last 8 power play attempts at home...have to draw any positives I can at this point...

Can't wait to see Coach's Corner on Saturday night - the annual Prospects game was tonight - and Team Cherry beat Team Orr 4-2...more than likely Cherry's team was filled with players from London and Windsor...

Yet another shutout for Brodeur tonight - Devils 2  Panthers 0...I have a feeling that shutout record is going to be like the Gretzky scoring record...untouchable...NJ this season since Lemaire returned behind the bench - 33-14-1...unbelievable...another Devils tidbit - was Dean McAmmond a dark horse pickup or what?

And the St. Louis Blues beat the Habs 4-3 in OT...Andy McDonald the hero there...the Sens would do well to get on the Blues early and often tomorrow night...it'll probably take them a period or longer to get their legs back...as for the Habs, how good has Pouliot been for them since the trade (and ditto Latendresse for Minny?)?!  2 more for Benoit tonight.  Reminds one of when John LeClair was traded to Philly...well, maybe not...

Now, time to take out the trash before the second period starts...for real, I'm not kidding...garbage day is tomorrow...long before I get up...

10:04 PM: My bad - Canucks are actually visiting Edmonton at Rexall Place...not the other way around...later start than normal, I guess that's what threw me off...

Time for the Oilers to make a statement tonight...baby steps...hey, if Eugene Melnyk can dream, so can I!!!

8:39 PM: Interesting little tidbit found today on ESPN.com's "Insider Pick Center", where they pick a game and then allow you to "simulate the matchup".  Interesting feature if you haven't already seen it - you can find it in the scoreboard section (hint: our scoreboard link will take you right there!).  Well, a lite 3-game Wednesday schedule sees Edmonton invade The Garage in Vancouver at 10:00 EST, and tonight this is the game you can simulate - check this out:

"Weird story: one of the pick center editors lives in Queens, New York. At a local restaurant near him, they have NHL Center Ice package. Every night there's a Canucks fan and an Oilers fan. Odd. Tonight should be fun." 

Sure...about as much fun as a matchup of two teams separated by 21 points in the standings can be, I guess...I don't know what's so odd - it's NEW YORK for crying out loud...I'm sure you'll find a fan of all 30 teams somewhere in the city...

Speaking of which - the Rangers are on a bit of a tear lately...8-2 yesterday...OK, OK, so it was Tampa Bay...John Tortorella must have offered up a round to the team if they could beat them...

Of course, all the talk around Ottawa today was their big 4-1 win last night against Chicago.  Apparently, Sens owner Eugene Melnyk is so proud of his team after the latest win streak that he is boldly suggesting the team will carry that momentum right into the postseason, and beyond...and with the way attendance has been this season, he better hope so.  Last night's attendance for a matchup against the top team in the NHL - 17,556...but let's be fair - Chicago was FAR from on their game - and that was to be expected on the back end of 3 games in 4 nights and 4 games in 6 nights...but, according to the Ottawa media today, we can overlook that because the Senators, too, were playing their 4th game in 6 nights..."Senators stun Blackhawks 4-1 for fourth straight win"...gimme a break...I love how things turn on a dime in this city...last week they were ripping the team for losing five of six games...for Chicago, this game meant nothing, or at least not as much as say a game against Detroit would mean...at least Ottawa can count on getting some of their top scorers back in their lineup - Milan Michalek could be back by tomorrow's game against the St. Louis Blues, and Jason Spezza could return Saturday...if you ask me, they should leave Spezza as a healthy scratch...but that's just me...

Back in Newark - it's 1-0 after 2 for the Devils against the Florida Panthers...shots are 25-13 in favor of NJ...looking like it could be another good night for Mr. Brodeur...he just keeps getting it done, doesn't he?

The only other game tonight sees Montreal at home to St. Louis - the Blues are up 3-1 in that one...early in the 2nd period there...

12:27 AM: In the late wee hours of a Monday that saw 10 games - yet, all eyes were on the Quebec junior league and yet another unfortunate hit - this time involving Team Canada captain Patrice Cormier, who had an outstanding tournament.  Now, he may face criminal charges after Patrick Roy's team, the Quebec Ramparts, were the victims yet again - Cormier, who showed during the Junior tournament that he is a physical player, caught Mikael Tam with his head down in the neutral zone.  Tam is in hospital recovering from Brain Trauma - is apparently listed in stable condition.  Cormier, on the other hand, is suspended indefinitely pending a decision by QMJHL disciplinarian Raymond Bolduc.

Seems the OHL is investigating an incident involving Windsor Spitfires' Zack Kassian.  The Buffalo Sabres' draft pick and recent Peterborough Petes acquisition was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct after a hit on Barrie Colts' Matt Kennedy.  Kassian, like Cormier, is also suspended indefinitely pending a decision.

I still stand by what I wrote in my latest column.  Both are unfortunate incidents, but, especially when you look at the Cormier play, it's another classic case of head down at the wrong time...heads up boys!!!

It has not been a good night for Alberta teams - Calgary and Edmonton combined have been outscored 15-1 - it was a 6-0 lambasting for the Colorado Avalanche against the Oilers on the strength of a two goal performance from both Matt Duchene and Kyle Cumisky...and with under five minutes left in San Jose, it's 9-1...they have to be chanting "we want 10!"...8 different scorers for the Sharks, Heatley if he can get the 10th goal will have another hat trick...Robyn Regehr with the lone Flames goal...

Heatley's former teammate, Daniel Alfredsson, is red hot after returning to action Saturday - he had a hat trick and the Sens steamrolled the suddenly cold Boston Bruins - final was 5-1 in that one...you have to think the Ottawa Captain was NOT happy over his team's recent skid...Jonathan Cheechoo has his 5th of the year...that may make all the difference in my hockey pool...

Speaking of red hot - Rick DiPietro had his second straight win as the NY Islanders get a rare shutout against the New Jersey Devils...4-0...

And it will not happen - Sharks win 9-1...that is just a final...

Tune in Tuesday night - Alfie and the Sens are home to face the Chicago Blackhawks...

11:33 PM: Well, unless there's a monumental end of 2nd period or 3rd, the Pittsburgh Penguins are not going to sweep their Western Canadian swing - it's now 6-2 for Vancouver...six different scorers for the Canucks, and for the Pens, Malkin and former Canuck Matt Cooke...still a few minutes in the 2nd, but this one looks over...

The LA Kings came back and sent their game against Boston to a shootout, and they'd eventually get the win - 4-3, Kings...no such luck for Edmonton - 4-2 was the final for San Jose...

In another shootout - the Islanders beat the Sabres 3-2...first win of the season for Rick DiPietro, who is finally healthy...

Daniel Alfredsson's return had an immediate impact, 1G 2A and the Sens beat the Habs 4-2...

The Cats win the Florida showdown, 5-2...

And the one weekend I DON'T pick them, the St. Louis Blues win...4-1 against the Rangers...so looks like uLAr and I are still separated by 4 points in the picks...

Never got to the theatre in time to see the Chipmunks Squeak-quel - I guess I lost sight of the fact it's Saturday night and that there might be a line up for tickets (actually, unbeknowst to me, there was a $10 ticket, drink and popcorn promo!), so ended up seeing "It's Complicated" - the one with Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin...I'm not big on romantic comedies, but this one I highly recommend...very funny!!

Now which one of my many DVDs do I watch?!

5:42 PM: 3-1, Avs - that's a final from Denver...Wolski with the Empty Netter to seal it...GWG scored at 18:32 of the 1st period, by T.J. Galiardi...his 6th.  For the Devils, Rob Niedermayer with the shutout buster...

It's same score in Los Angeles in favor of the Boston Bruins, at the second intermission...

5:33 PM: Oddly enough, this is the first Saturday in awhile that I've sat down and actually paid attention to some of the on ice action.  If you haven't already noticed, there's a new Puckin' Around posted.

uLAr is somewhere in New York City - it's his first ever trip to the Big Apple and so far he seems to be enjoying himself.  He arrived on Thursday, the same night the Ottawa Senators invaded Madison Square Garden and left with a 2-0 shutout.  The goalie of record?  Mike Brodeur - only about 900 more shutouts to go to catch up with Marty...

Puckin' Around is going to get more regular updates over the coming months.  My good friend Ron Barr over at Sports Byline has a newly revamped website design, and I've made a commitment to write something at least once a month (which is more than I've been doing of late).  Realistically, you might see articles once every couple of weeks.  As such, I've started paying a little more attention to some of the games.

So far today - Detroit and Dallas have already played - weird finish to that one - it took 12 shooters in a shootout to decide, with Steve Ott getting credit for the GWG.  It took officials about 10 minutes to call the war room in Toronto to decide if the goal was good - all replays I saw were inconclusive as to whether or not the goal was good - and the call on the ice initially was no goal - all the angles I saw, the puck was laying on the goal line but never completely crossed it.  Obviously they saw something in Toronto...

Anyhow, it's a 3-2 Dallas win.

Chicago won 6-5 in a shootout of their own - a high scoring game against Columbus.

In San Jose, it's 4-1 at the second intermission - a 2 goal effort so far from Devon Setoguchi - Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton have the other two Sharks goals - Denis Grebeshkov pulled Edmonton even 1-1, but since then the Oilers have been Shark Bait...words cannot describe the season that it has been for Edmonton - things were supposed to be different this year...Jordan Eberle, where are you?

In Denver, the Colorado Avalanche are leading 2-1 against New Jersey, late in the 3rd.  A scary moment in the 2nd for the Devils and Team Czech Republic - Patrick Elias left on a stretcher after sustaining a shoulder hit to the head from Ryan Wilson...he seemed to be showing good vital signs...that game is late in the 3rd...

Two other games of interest today have the Ottawa Senators on the road in Montreal - Alfie is expected to return from a shoulder injury, and Kuba is also expected to return to help the Sens' dwindling blue line...

The late game has Sid and the Penguins meeting the Vancouver Canucks for somewhat of an early Olympic Preview...

Stay tuned...I'm heading out to the new Empire Theatre multiplex that opened just before Christmas, but will be back later...more than likely will be checking out "The Squeak-quel"...

For questions, comments, disagreements, or just to say hi, please send E-mail to puckin45@puckinaround.net

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