No, this is not my zombie costume. I didn’t sleep so well.
Still, at least we had one more win in the tank, with our recap, the other side of the aisle, Puck Daddy, Puck Rakers, DBJ, bluejackets.com, LTL, the OC Register, CTF, Heart Of A Jacket, and two takes from Pro Hockey Talk. Whew!
Something fun at Backhand shelf: A look at why goalie improvements will not stop more scoring.
Let’s clear the other elephant out of the room: The question of if Scott Arniel and Scott Howson could be in danger of losing their positions. We’ve got reactions from Full Mental Jackets, Heart of a Jacket, both Gallos and Mr. DBJ over at Dark Blue Jacket, a sharp critque from Ten Minute Misconduct, LTL looks at Craig Button’s denial, a reaction in the Dispatch from team president Mike Priest and Michael Arace calling for non specific yet major changes. Here’s an idea for a major change: Let’s let Jeff Carter and Mark Dekanich come off the IR?
(Dex, by the way, might be closer than we think – not only did he work with the team on Saturday morning, but there has been talk that he could be sent to the AHL later this week for some conditioning starts with the Falcons.)
We also say “hello!” to a new Jackets’ blog – Down Goes Shelley, who looks at the whole mess and considers if it might be time to Fail for Nail.
Personal take: The guys in the locker room are pissed about the whole thing, and I’d say that in general they seemed offended at the idea that Arniel might get tossed. They recognize that the team is in a very nasty spot right now, but they put the onus for that on themselves, too, not simply the men in the suits. Will it matter? We’ll see.
Over in Boston, the Stanley Cup champions think they’re under undue scrutiny, Ron Wilson is currently BFFs with his captain, there was a surprising lack of Shanabans yesterday, though we understand that the Oilers Andy Sutton will have a hearing later today, Colorado can do everything but win on home ice, the Ottawa Senators are on a roll (so maybe there’s hope for us yet), and after several years in the basement, it seems the Oilers are finally taking off, but it could well be a false dawn.
Douchecanoe alert: Someone has stolen the Stinger mascot from R-Bar. Please help with its return if you have any information.
Over at Crimespree Hockey, a Flyers fan decided to go down and get back to the roots with a trip to watch an ECHL game.
Something fun at Pucks & Stuff: A Blue Jackets family cookbook. If these recipes actually came from the team and their families…wow. Nutrition really has changed at the pro level over the last 10 years.
Finally, your Puck Daddy wraparound: some odd costumes at BOTB, some questionable costumes worn by NHLers in real life, some interesting stats that aren’t likely to hold up, some great hockey halloween costumes and pumpkins, a look at the proposed 4 division realignment that appears to be building steam (first two rounds of the playoffs in the division? With potential playoff matchups against Buffalo and Pittsburgh if Columbus goes into the eastern conference spot? Oh HELLZ yeah.), and Sean Avery may just appear on 24/7 after all – he’s reportedly going to be put on re-entry waivers later today.
Oh, and Matt Calvert is apparently interested in fixing up John Moore for trick or treat tonight. It’s important that they go in a large group, as they’re being allowed to stay out after dark.