I will be away from October 22 till October 29, I am going on a cruise to Cabo San lucas and Ensanada, Mexico. I will think of all of you guys that are staying here in the cold. By the way office will stay open during that period of time.

The true lucky charm of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the start of the season of season 41, rocker Ozzy Osbourne will be on the ice of the Pittsburgh Civic Arena for the ceremonial puck drop and for a post-game show that promises to be colorful on Monday. The Penguins will take on the Boston Bruins for this occasion in a highly physical and exciting match.

john Michael Osbourne, by his real name 

 His powerful and emotionally charged interpretation of Crazy Train and No More Tears, along with the strong smell of marijuana, will every time galvanize the approximately 21,000 spectators gathered at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena.

the starting lineup for this first match of season 41 will be

1- simmer-young-paiement

2- macadam-Oddleifson -McNab

3- plett-larouche-ververgaert

4- sinisalo-rogers-smyl

defense

1- Seiling - Stackhouse

2- Potvin - Persson

3- Langevin - Bladon

starting goalie Denis Herron

second mike liut

let's start the rumble

good season to all the gm

Reggie Dunlop Pittsburgh press

The back to back Stanley Cup champion Vancouver Canucks are showing no signs of slowing down.

The Canucks, who have also won three of the last four Presidents trophies, are led by a core group that are in their prime.

Goaltender Vladislav Tretiak has won five consecutive Vezina trophies and the most recent Conn Smythe trophy and has an unmatchable win/loss record in that time. Erich Kuhnhackl, the monstrous center from Germany, is the best two way player in the game, and linemate Lanny McDonald is right there too. John French, who won every major award possible two seasons ago, is the offensive catalyst while physical Darryl Sittler is the team's heart and soul.

But the Canucks have an army of youngsters ready to emerge. Peter Stastny has already won an Art Ross trophy under his belt. Soon his brother Anton will join him by his side. Ron Sedlbauer, Terry Ruskowski and Rich Preston are ready to bring their game to another level. Then there are the Baby Bulls. The farm has won three AHL championships in GM Joe Pelletier's 8 year reign. Now Joey Mullen, Kelly Kisio, Tapio Levo and Kari Eloranta are ready to make the jump to the AHL.

The Bulls have stockpiled an embarrassment of riches on the farm, with new players ready to emerge every year. In addition the Canucks have the most prospects and the most draft picks in the league - including 18 in the next entry draft.

All of this means the Vancouver Canucks will be Stanley Cup contenders for years to come.

DETROIT, MI -- It looks like some K-Wings might finally get their Red Wings.

Heading into training camp, the Detroit Red Wings have a number of young prospects knocking on the door to join the NHL ranks along with a few players that, after a season in “The A” will look to ply their trade in the bigs once again. Defensemen Rod Langway and Rick Lapointe, along with forwards Holger Miettinger and Mel Bridgman, are nearly locks for the roster based on either talent or contract status. Meanwhile, forwards the likes of Billy Harris and Alexander Bodunov have proven they deserve another serious shot at an NHL roster spot along with rear-guard Merv Haney who after multiple stints with the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate in s32 and again in s38-s39 looks to finally be given a shot at an NHL roster spot.

For a team built on scrap-heap depth finds last season, the incoming youth movement along with its MASSIVE potential is somewhat of a paradigm shift. Whether or not any of these young players crack the roster come opening night, the fact that there are potential rookies nearing readiness is exciting, especially to those in the front office.

“There's something unique about the energy of youth, guys getting their first NHL games, guys competing for spots — there's a sense of urgency to them,” Red Wings GM Chris Baker said September 8th. “I think you'll see that in all those guys in camp. I just think it's healthy. I think sometimes with that proper mix, it can push the team a little bit. That's what we're looking for from those guys.”

How could Baker not be excited about young reinforcements? Whereas Detroit was a more competitive team last season by leaning on free agency, this time, some high potential homegrown talent could come through the door. Nevermind the way their rookie deals allow for a more flexible salary cap. There’s also plenty of untapped potential and high-level skill that Baker can draw out from the young prospects that has largely been explored among the older ranks of the roster.

It's easy to label these players as roster hopefuls prior to official puck drop, when they've yet to take the ice and show both their strengths and their flaws. With an excess of potential over experience, there’s a lot of room for these young prospects to make mistakes and show where their game lacks. This is the hard part of fielding rookies, the expected failures they must learn to overcome from experience.

How this youth movement shapes up hinges on training camp and the preseason, where these players are sure to get extensive looks. If they bring the energy — that “energy of youth” that Baker is so excited about — along with their skill, they might be Motor City bound by the end of camp.

DETROIT, MI -- Having made a couple of moves last week in which Rick Kehoe was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Rene Robert and defender Jean Potvin was brought in from the Toronto Maple Leafs for Bill Nyrop, the Detroit Red Wings were at it again today.  

Going back to a familiar source, the Wings struck a deal with the Penguins once again.  This time, the clubs swapped defenders in a deal that sees Detroit land young rearguard Garry Lariviere - an offensive minded, puck-mover with a real opportunity to show his mettle with the Red and White.  Heading the other way is Claire Alexander - a 33-year-old veteran that has put together a nice season after being signed in free agency this past offseason.

"Garry  is a player that we had conversations about while discussing the Kehoe/Robert deal," said Detroit GM Chris Baker.  "He's a guy that we feel with our puck-moving system could really flourish given the chance," he added.

So the 24-year-old Lariviere will join a veteran-laden d-corps in which half are over the age of thirty, and only Reed Larson  at 23 years is younger.  

"I'm excited, said Lariviere when asked about heading to the Red Wings.  "They've really turned a corner after last season.  I think my style of play could really fit well over there."  

Baker and the rest of the Red Wings organization are banking on it!

DETROIT, MI - Reluctant to tinker too much with a currently winning formula, the Detroit Red Wings swung a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins to acquire winger Rick Kehoe.  In exchange, the Red Wings parted ways with Rene Robert.  In Kehoe the Wings get a 27-year-old that checks all the boxes for General Manager Chris Baker.  "First and foremost, let it be known that we loved having Rene [Robert] and everything he provided.  In Rick though we get a player that has a little more interest in playing more of a 200-foot game.  He's far more defensive minded than Rene and that's not to take anything away from Rene either.  We just feel like having Rick in our lineup, we can use him more effectively up and down the lineup more than we could have with Rene," said Baker.

Through 48 games with the Penguins, Kehoe hasn't exactly lit the world on fire by any means.  With eight goals and 16 points, at first glance he grades out more as a third-line option than a player that can hang in the top-six.  Given Robert's production (11-19-30), on statistics alone this looks like a puzzling move from the Wings perspective.  "We're aware of the statistical imbalance between them, said Baker.  We also know that Rick will be given ample opportunity to fill in the hole that Rene has left.  We feel Rick will produce just as Rene did.  With more defensive awareness."

For a team coming out of nowehere to now be leading the entire league by five points, this does seem like a risky move to say the least.  Have the Red Wings messed with team chemistry?  Only time will tell, but for now Baker and the rest of the organization feel confident this move will pay off.