Every day is much better when it’s hockey season!
Before I turn into gushing, squealing fangirl, I want to acknowledge both the NHL and the Blue Jackets for the touching memorial montage presented at the beginning of last night’s first pre-season game in tribute to the players who died in the Lokamotiv airplane accident. Although I was not familiar with any of the players, I found myself blinking back tears and I know I was not the only one.
And now, without further ado, my thoughts
on the two games I personally witnessed:
The Good:
Maksim Mayorov: He’s good. Really good. Tonight he had a goal and an assist and he seems to flow to the puck. I think he’s going to make it difficult for the coaches to send him back to Springfield.
Radek Martinek: We all know about Wiz and what he is expected to contribute to the team, so much so that Martinek seems to have slipped under the radar a bit. He didn’t play tonight, but he seemed to be everywhere last night when he played. He’s going to be an asset to the team.
Nick Holden, David Savard: They both had goals. They both made their presence on the ice known. They both didn’t allow themselves to be pushed around. And they both looked very very good.
The Bad:
Tomas Kubalik’s concussion. He’ll be evaluated in five days, but after hearing so many good things about him, I feel cheated that I may not be able to see him play. Oh, and Jets? Its the preseason…no need to go out to injure people on purpose.
Mark Dekanich’s high ankle sprain. I was originally going to place his period of play under “Good” or, rather, make that “Great”, but the fact that he is out of the next 4 weeks makes me more unhappy that I care to admit. Yes, I have a new “favorite” player. Seriously, though, Dexshow looked sharp. He was quick, fluid, and made everything look easy.
The Ugly:
So many fights. I’m not particularly a fan of fighting, but I know it has a place in the game and so I can acknowledge that for now, it isn’t going anywhere. But seriously? Joel Rechicz from the Capitals picked a fight with Jared Boll and practically had to be pushed away from Derick Brassard tonight. I asked around and no one seemed to have seen if Brassard chirped at Rechicz or pushed him around or what. Theo Ruth had a fight tonight, and there were some “international relations” going on last night. I know players want to get noticed, but is this the way to get the coaches’ attention?
The passing. Yes, I know its only preseason. Yes, I know that I haven’t got one iota of skill to be a professional hockey player. Yes, I know the players are rusty. But I can’t help thinking that passing the puck shouldn’t be a skill that gets so rusty that extremely skilled players forget how to to it.
I’ll be following along for the next pre-season game and will be at Nationwide Arena on Sunday for the next home preseason game. Stop by and say hi to me and give me your opinion of the preseason games or just leave me a comment.