Odds and Ends

I don't really have a lot to add to the whole suspension thing, but there is one thing that really bothers me. I've seen numerous hockey writers and talking heads write and tweet that the suspension would have been greater if Jason Pominville had been injured. That absolutely sickens me because he WAS injured. He suffered a freaking brain injury.  With all the studies and reports showing how serious concussions are to a person's long-term health and with all the talk the NHL has done about taking concussions more seriously, I find this attitude galling. The NHL can say whatever it wants, its actions show that it's still ruled by the "Awww, he just got his bell rung!" culture. I fully believe that had Pominville ended up with his arm or leg in a cast, the suspension would have been greater. I also fully believe that, in the long-run, Pominville probably would have been better off with a broken bone than a concussion.  The league has to get past this whole "I can't see it so it can't be that bad" mentality.

I babysat through the first part of the Devils game but before I left I gave Mark very strict instructions to DVR any interviews with Henrik Tallinder. I was really excited when I got home during the first intermission and discovered I had just missed it. I plopped down on the couch, rewound the recording, and well...

It was really, really weird.  One of the advantages of kind of ignoring hockey in the off-season was that I didn't think that much about Hank not being a Sabre anymore.  Even the beginning of the season was fine.  But actually seeing him on the ice wearing a Devils jersey was weird.  Watching him play against Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy was weird.  Watching that interview with Rob Ray was weird.  I'm not going to lie, I was pretty sad.  I'd told myself that all the "Oh, I'm devastated, let me ease some pain with ABBA" stuff was a put-on but while it was exaggerated, no, I really am pretty sad.  Hank is as twinkly and smiley as ever but he's twinkly and smiley in a Devils jersey.  The DEVILS.  The Devils are the least twinkly and smiley team in the NHL.  I do love Jochen Hecht, but it's going to take some time to get used to this.  (For Tyler Myers too it appears.  I'm not going to say I told you so but...)

(Sidenote: I love Rob Ray's expression in the above phot.  He must have the worst poker face in the world.)

I'm making my first trip to HSBC tonight for the Montreal game so I'll have some more thoughts after that.  I think it'll be the first full game I've seen this season so I'm pretty excited.