Shrapnel - 9/13/11
As predicted, with Media Day yesterday down at Nationwide there is a LOT to get into, so we'll jump right in.
We've got looks at the team from The Hockey Writers, a recap by Lori Schmidt, an editorial from Michael Arace (grains of salt suggested), some notes from Aaron Portzline, talk of the added pressure from Eric Smith, discussion of the team's new confidence from the AP, and an overall look at the team from Columbus Wired.
(And, of course, don't forget part one of our coverage from yesterday, now with more video! Part two is coming later today!)
Are the New Jersey Devils in danger of bankruptcy? The Club claims the reports from the NY Post are false, but at the same time they admit to working on a restructuring / refinancing. The biggest news is that some of the team's minority owners are "close" to being bought out, which might put the team on stronger financial footing.
The Jacket Backers, Arch City Army, and R-Bar are putting on an NHL 12 tournament for charity next Monday!
A nasty surprise for Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp, who was hospitalized for an emergency appendectomy yesterday. The recovery time from the surgery could see him miss the start of the regular season.
Over at HOTH, they're looking at Mark Dekanich as a potential breakout star this season.
We mentioned the LA Kings held their fanfest last weekend, and Crimespree Hockey was there - check out their writeup!
Alison takes a great look at why the Blue Jackets could appeal to OSU fans over at Heart of a Jacket.
The Rangers named Ryan Callahan their new captain yesterday, and PHT has some suggestions for the NHL teams still looking for leadership.
Over at DBJ, he considers the buzz from Media Day, but cautions that we need deeds, not words.
The Bruins have announced that Marc Savard will have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup. Well done, Bruins. Well done, NHL.
LTL gives us a look at the success of Hockey Beats Down and the building enthusiasm for the Nashville road trip. Want to help fill that third bus? Get to the Jacket Backers to sign up and help keep getting the word out!
Somewhat lost in reports about their finances was news that the Devils sent out some camp invites to several former NHL players, including former Devil Petr Sykora and former Jacket Anton Stralman. I wish Anton luck, but he's going to have some tough sledding ahead of him with the whole "Play Defense" thing.
Flyers Focus takes an excellent look at the Jeff Carter trade, going all the way back to Philadeplhia's playoff run in 2010. It gives you a sense of just how long Scott Howson had been trying to put this deal together - and imagine, just for a moment, what things might have been like if he'd traded for Jeff Carter instead of drafting Ryan Johansen?
Alex Ovechkin puts reports of being out of shape to rest by reporting to camp 9 pounds lighter than last season, and in the best shape his strength coach has ever seen him in.
Real GM Hockey has a Blue Jackets all time roster up - there are a lot of familiar faces.
Finally, I'm sure that a lot of you have it on your calendars already, but don't forget that the on-ice portion of training camp opens this Saturday at 9am!