New NHL jerseys

I have been searching the internet (not quite all of it though) for pictures of new team jerseys, but have managed to find just a few. So far most of them suck real bad!

However, I do want to start off with the only jersey to get five stars from me (so far), Boston Bruins. This jersey absolutely reeks of tradition and class. Unfortunately, not many teams nowadays seem to value those things. The original six teams have always passed in my book simply because they are all 200 years old and no one dares to mess with tradition in places like Montreal, Toronto and Detroit.

It seems like most of the newer teams just let Rbk do what they felt like and go crazy (which is exactly what they did). Nashville's (a jersey I have always hated) doesn't even look like a hockey jersey anymore. It looks like a really ugly football shirt, that someone threw up on, with way too many vertical lines, designed to attract younger fans how could care less about traditon and probably even like football more than hockey. The Los Angeles jersey is ok I guess (although I never cared much for that purple color), except for the Los Angeles text at the bottom. I always thought the shark logo looked kind of stupid (though not nearly as stupid as that damn duck), but now someone redesigned it so it looks like it's from a Disney comic book. Worse! If the Florida Panthers would lose that big red vertical patch on the arms it actually look alright. I think the Ottawa Senators look ok. There is nothing in that jersey to get me irritated. But, there is also nothing that gets me excited. The old roman logo looked cooler.

That is pretty much all I have seen so far. I will get back with more once I have viewed the rest. I am very excited to see how bad the Canucks will have messed up with their new jersey. Will they perhaps bring in yet another new logo (hate that whale one). I wish they would come to their senses and just stick with one design, preferably the black, red and yellow from the 90s or the blue, green and white from the 70s.

Any greatness left?

With almost two months passed since the UFA circus began, there are still a few high profile names out there. A healing Peter Forsberg has sparked an interest from several teams, including Vancouver, Detroit and Ottawa. In addition to that his previous teams Colorado, Philadelphia and Nashville are also in the hunt for his signature. The injury prone forward is a gamle and every one knows it. He could end up playing 30-40 games scoring around as many points. However, he could just as well be the one to tip the scale, pushing that team all the way to the cup.

Eric Lindros seems to be heading for retirement as a player. I think his main motivation and future is with the NHLPA, which he is putting a lot of work into. Healthy or not, these days he is only average as a player, a shadow of the guy who once led the Legion of Doom.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have shown an interest in Michael Peca, and that seems like a good fit to me. They have an up and coming team with lots of young players. A great defensive-minded veteran like Peca is just what they need. Granted he's not the player he was ten years ago (who is?), I still think he has a couple of miles left.

Last but not least, Ed Belfour has been rumored to be heading to Sweden to play for Leksand Stars in the second division (not the Elite League as stated by TSN.ca). I seriously doubt the truthness to this claim, and I also hope for it to be untrue. I can se it now.. Belfour is paid way to much (as a crowd pleaser) and ends up playing a handful of games before breaking the contract and flying back to Canada after some drunken brawl with some locals somewhere in Sweden. As a supporter of Leksand I am hoping the Eagle will see that it is time to finally draw the curtain on a fantastic carreer.

Penner strikes Oil.. and gold

I can't say I'm surprised over Michael Nylander's choice to play with the Washington Capitals instead of the Edmonton Oilers. For some time I have been wondering what the hell is going on in this former great club, and had I been in Nylander's skates, or anyone else's for that matter, I would have thought long and hard before accepting an offer from Edmonton. This is, of course, unless I was paid $4.25 a year. For that money I guess I would play pretty much anywhere.

Is Dustin Penner worth this much? Of course not! Only a few players in the NHL are worth that much and he certainly isn't one of them. This guy posted 29 goals and 45 points last season, adding 8 points in the Duck's playoff run. I might be wrong here and Penner may very well be a success in Edmonton, but it still can't be worth it financially.

Wouldn't it have been both better and cheaper to keep Ryan Smyth, the heart and soul of the team, than to send him packing over a couple of hundred thousand dollars? The only good thing in this story is both clubs are losers and Smyth and Penner are the only winners.

Forsberg heading for Motown?

Rumor has it that the news of Peter Forsberg's successful foot operation now has several clubs around the league interested in signing the 34-year old. Supposably, the Detroit Red Wings is one of them. Now I'm not sure if Ken Holland has enough room under his salary cap to fit Forsberg, who I'm sure won't take the first offer that comes along, but it sure tickles my mind to see him in playing in red this coming season. However, even though he had a short stint with Nashville last season, I doubt Forsberg will play for any other Western Conference team than Colorado. This is one reason he headed to Philly, he sure wasn't short on offers out west. So is it likely he'll return to Denver? I think so, and I know there are plenty of people who would like to see that happen, of whom several play for the Avs.

The last of Yashin?

So Alexei Yashin and his agent are not happy with the offers a couple of clubs have given them. I am fairly sure this money horny Russian will return home to Russia next season. How can he be so stupid as to think he is worth more than he's been offered. I don't know which clubs wanted him, but I'm sure the offers were fair, based on his poor performance lately. Wouldn't surprise me if Toronto, Nashville and Boston made him offers. No, I think the time has come for him to go back home, where they are still willing to overpay this former great player.

Look out for the blueshirts of Broadway next season! With Lundquist and Shanahan secured the Rangers are looking mighty strong.

Winners and Losers

As the free transfer circus kicked into gear over the weekend; Who are the winners and losers? Here's my take on that.

The Philadelphia Flyers are certainly looking better and better, now with Daniel Briere in the line up they look sure not to repeat this years disasterous season. The Rangers chose not resign these playoffs leading scorer, Michael Nylander, and instead grabbed top centres Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. They are well below their salary cap and only need to reink Shanahan, Lundqvist and Avery. The Broadway Blue are looking really strong. Islanders did what they could to keep Ryan Smyth on Long Island, but in the end he chose to play with Colorado Avalanche in the western conference. I have already said the Avs will be a top team next season, and this certainly enforces that belief. Ken Holland showed smartness when signing Michigan boy Brian Rafalski after losing Mathieu Schneider to the Ducks.

And the losers? New Jersey, Nashville and the Islanders. I am interested to see what the Devils will do to rebalance the team after losing both Rafalski and Gomez. Do the Islanders have any forwards left? The Nashville Predators aren't likely to resign Peter Forsberg and now the team is falling apart. Maybe the move will do them good.

Toronto? Jason Blake.. what a blockbuster move! It's becomming clear they will have to wait another hundred years for the cup in TO.

Nylander moving again?

Philadelphia Flyers' GM, Paul Holmgren, is showing interest in Rangers forward Michael Nylander. Holmgren coached Nylander in Hartford, and with the season he just had I'm not surprised he wants him back. However, I think Nylander should stay in NY and I think they will come back with a better offer.

Vesa Toskala to Toronto. I like that trade. In fact, it's the trade I was hoping to see Detroit make.

I will be away for a week, so all you devoted readers; Hang in there!