#13

RBC Center – Carolina Hurricanes

Convenience/Access - Getting here from our hotel in Cary (W hy Cary? Good question) was easy. Without knowing much about the travel patterns in North Carolina, apparently it’s quite convenient.

Location/Scene - With few exceptions and allowances for instances where it isn’t feasible, we prefer rinks be located in a downtown/central/core area of a city. Even if that city is small or barely qualifies as one to us big city folk (see: NJ, TB, NAS, etc.). Carolina loses points here, as RBC is in the middle of a lot of nothing near the NC State campus. However it does redeem itself with excellent tailgaiting. Basically if the rink is in a damn parking lot, it had better have a tailgate scene. Carolina does, and we expected as much in the south.

Outside Appearance - Another in the line of large white ovals with moderate amounts of glass. It isn’t unattractive, but its certainly lower-tier as looks go.

Inner Aesthetics - The inner look of RBC elevates it to a ranking it would never get if we didn’t care so much about this category. The seats are all red. This looks cool. The setup of the seats is very simple yet effective and the luxury boxes are barely noticeable. It’s a bit worn and not a fancy-looking place, but we all liked it quite a bit.

Concourse - Your basic oval concourse. Lots of width and even with a sellout did not feel cramped at all. Beyond that it is very bland and even comes close to being that unforgivable trait, ‘sterile’.

Sightlines - Fantastic. We had among the worst seats in the house and felt close to the action. Good seat angles too.

Concessions - More blandness. We saw a few BBQ/sticky rib type kiosks, but little else to enhance the feeling of being in the South. American, macro-centric selection of beers.

Fans/Atmosphere - This was the first game we all hit up together in a “non-traditional” NHL market. It was also in the season the Canes went on to win the Cup. The atmosphere here was very, very boisterous. This place got LOUD, and at times in the game usually reserved only for crowds in Canada (i.e., times other than the Noise Meter, power plays, and goals.) For that alone, it gets high marks. Also cool: after goals a fan waves the flag of the home country of the goal scorer. Once the Cup Finals rolled around in ‘06, everyone got to see for themselves how awesome the atmosphere was. Granted that was a Cup final, but anywhere that can produce the noise level we experienced for a random game in March is ok by us. As for the actual hockey/overall acumen of the individual fans we encountered, well, that’s a different story.

History/Banners - The Hurricanes, due to legal squabbles, do not have any acknowledgement/link to their Hartford days on display. They also have (especially when we were there prior to their Cup win) very little history or success to acknowledge. So instead of doing what far too many other teams do and litter their rafters with cheap logo pennants of all 30 NHL teams, or worse, raise an inane banner commemorating “Fans #1”; Carolina had banners honoring the international success of its players- small tasteful banners with a player’s name and home country for the at the time upcoming Olympics (and presumably gone now). We liked this a lot. We also liked seeing Tom Gugliotta honored.

Cool Stuff - Besides those banners, there was a nice mural of the team’s first Cup run.

Bars - We stopped at one small but decent bar in the concourse. If there was much more, we didn’t see it.

Store - The Eye! Great name. Very small store but it had a very good selection.

Value - Probably better than average. Nothing seemed crazily priced, and the tickets were reasonable.

Overall – It’s pretty damn hard to write a long, interesting review about the RBC Center. Sorry. In short, we all had a very good time there and it probably beat expectations. But, paraphrasing EP, red seats will only get you so far.

#14

HSBC Arena - Buffalo Sabres

Convenience/Access – Central location and walkable from pretty much anywhere downtown. Getting a cab outside of the arena was not difficult.

Location/Scene – Its not exactly surrounded by things to do, but the walk to them isn’t long (or scenic).

Outside Appearance – A lot of the newer rinks look the same, and while HSBC may not be the most unique exterior around, it is still great looking. Big and imposing while not looking completely gargantuan or out of place.

Inner Aesthetics – This is a good time to divulge an important detail of our overall ratings. In general, the way the rink looks when you first walk into the seating bowl and take a glance around is the most important thing for us, combined of course with the look of it while you are sitting in your seat. It is why this rink (and others) is comparatively low despite being great in many other regards. HSBC in particular ranks very low on one of our lists (JP) specifically because of this (JP is the inner look czar). It’s unfortunate, and for some it may not be as important as, say, a gaping concourse with 20 microbrew bars. Anyway, the inner look of this rink is not great. The luxury boxes are pretty intrusive, it feels very open and cavernous inside, and the layout is boring and not especially appealing visually.

Concourse – Fantastic, massive, clean lobby upon entry. The concourse is one of the best, although also an example of a rink that makes their lower, primary concourse a thing of excellence and then skimps on the fans who use the one up top. The good one is slightly asymmetric and has plenty of room and stuff to see. The upper one has a bunch of carts selling Canadian beer and gets muddled with bathroom lines.

Sightlines – We have made visits to this rink and sat in good seats, which had great views. The views from the worst seats is not good, and not comfortable.

Bathrooms – Clean, but there were some long lines and a lot of loitering going on in there.

Concessions – Not as cheap as we’d have liked, but outstanding selection and JP still drools over the beef on weck consumed here. In general this is an underrated food city, and this rink does Buffalo proud.

Fans/Atmosphere – Sadly for a city and an area known for awesome people, there was a high jackoff quotient experienced on multiple trips here. A bunch of college kids sitting in cheap seats makes for a good atmosphere…sort of. It also can be really annoying when said college kids are non-hockey savvy d-bags. We have to be fair here. We know that Buffalo fans are legit and there's a good vibe in this rink. It just so happens that on our trips here, the overall experience wasn’t optimal. The inverse of this will show up later in other rinks.

History/Banners – Terrific French Connection banner. That’s pretty much it. Sporadic at best in the displays of tradition and history, and then of course there is the blatant ignoring of most fans’ wishes with respect to their logo and jersey.

Cool Stuff – The Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame greets you when you enter, and has a lot of interesting items to check out. Beyond that there isn’t that much to stand out in our memory.

Store – The best store in the league so far, without any close competition. Big, with everything you might want, and an absolutely awesome and unparalleled selection of ready-made jerseys of all styles. God damn shame about that new logo though.

Value – For a team that uses one of those stupid tiered-pricing structures based on date/opponent, forty bucks for horrible seats against Florida really cant be considered good value. Concessions/store/etc. were average, although for WNY some may consider them overpriced.

Overall – One of a small group of rinks where one of our ranks probably alters its consensus rating. It would be a spot or 3 higher under different circumstances. But this is a 3 man crew, and we’d all agree that while this is a very nice, attractive, and totally acceptable rink, it definitely doesn’t threaten the upper-crust of our hierarchy.

Random - Wonder what Olli Jokinen's agent/handler/hanger-on is up to these days.

#15

Tampa Bay Lightning - St. Pete Times Forum

Location/Scene – None of us can really be considered fans of central * Florida, but the location is fine, right in “downtown” Tampa. The usual nice weather means there are probably always a good amount of people hanging around the rink. There were a few exhibits/stands set up around the entrance. More importantly, across the street is Andreychuk’s, which is possibly the best hockey/pregame bar we’ve been to yet. Nice time there.

Outside Appearance – This place is massive looking from the outside. Tons of clean lines and glass make it a very appealing exterior. Simple, but very attractive.

Inner Aesthetics – One of the easiest ways to please us in terms of the seating bowl of a rink is to make the damn seats match the arena and team colors. This is especially true if the hockey team is the lone/major tenant. SPTF gets this right; the seats look great and make an otherwise cavernous and boring interior look great. Still, the place is giant and you definitely feel like you’re a mile from the ice when you’re up top. The rest of the layout is nice, as is the scoreboard.

Concourse – Bland. Another instance where if we’d come here just having experienced NVMC and MSG in our lives, this would be a palace. But there isn’t much to distinguish it, give it a local flair, or attract your attention. Strangely, the font used on the exterior section markers is tiny and hard to read.

Sightlines – Very good for a big rink, which usually means very vertical. We had pretty poor seats and yet the view was as good as a lot of other, smaller rinks. A good hockey-watching venue

Bathrooms – The only thing worth a comment is that there were a ton of them. Has to be a good thing, right?

Concessions – Good quality, selection, and price; but poor in terms of interesting or unique items.

Fans/Atmosphere – Quite good, as is usually described. The building gets quite loud and the fans don’t need stupid prodding to get into the game. Not afraid to voice their displeasure (appropriately) either. Yet another in what will be a trend of very, very good crowds and savvy fans in non-traditional areas.

History/Banners - The banners are absolutely awesome. Beyond that there is very little honoring their history. Obviously, they were bad for so long but they had some players the fans liked. Brian Bradley, Darren Puppa, John Cullen. Put freaking pictures of them up or something. Represent.

Cool Stuff – Not much, which is made worse by the fact that there’s plenty of room for it here. Probably two times more interesting stuff outside of the building than in it.

Bars – Actually quite a few places to get cocktails, which is great for us. A few larger spots with seating.

Store – Another rink with a lot of stands cluttering up the concourse that offer a whole lot of nothing. Between the two visits we can’t remember anything cool or worth buying (again- that is saying something for this group). CC remains appalled at the lack of player t-shirts here. Note to NHL teams: after you load up on pink jerseys and rally monkeys and 70 dollar hoodies, go ahead and stock some non-superstar name and number shirts. We will buy them.

Value – The upper tickets were very cheap. Probably a big reason they draw so consistently well. Nothing else stood out as crazy one way or the other.

Overall – Can’t put it much better than CC did after his 2nd (solo) visit here: Positives include the awesome blue seats, a nice scoreboard, pretty solid fans, reasonable tickets and food, plentiful bathrooms, good sightlines (though it is massive), and the great pavilion out front highlighted by the lightning bolts. On the negative side the place is pretty bland. Absolutely no bells and whistles. Not one food item that approaches unique. Their hallways are boring. A middle of the pack building as it is now.

* The state of

#16

Phillips Arena - Atlanta Thrashers

Convenience/Access - Its right in downtown Atlanta (whatever the hell that even means) and easy to walk to from much of the city. There was plenty of parking, including a massive garage that we mistook for the rink for about 5 minutes.

Location/Scene - Inside the CNN center which is basically a fancy mall. There wasn't much of a scene but there were a lot of people milling around.

Outside Appearance - Very nice. Lots of windows and a cool "Atlanta" sculpture on the front. The outside look sort of masks how giant this building is inside.

Inner Aesthetics - One of the only real unique layouts in the league here- all of the luxury boxes and club seats are stacked on one side of the ice. They themselves look nice, but overall this gives the whole inside an odd look when you're sitting across from them. The look of the seating bowl and seats themselves is decidedly average. Light blue dividers between glass panes is nice. Gray steel steps and barriers visible everywhere is not.

Concourse - Probably the biggest concourse we've ever seen in an indoor stadium. Big enough to have a nice, multi-story lobby in the front. Big enough to have the old scoreboard from the Omni (sweet) sitting there and not look overly big. There is a ton going on out here- stores, food, non-sports shops, a million televisions, and nooks and areas that seem like they've never been discovered. There is no denying that it's a really nice concourse but we all agree that the overall impression becomes a bit too much. Also, on the upper level, due to the aforementioned layout of the luxury boxes, you cant make a 360 degree lap around the arena. This is a major, major ding to us.

Sightlines - The upper seats are pretty far away. Once more, nothing of note to report here.

Bathrooms - Big and clean. They were definitely used thoroughly by at least 2 of us.

Concessions - Everything you could possibly want, it really does remind you of a mall food court. Quality was good.

Fans/Atmosphere - We aren't going to pile on Atlanta here. They have had it really rough. But even with Philly (and a lot of their fans) in town, there was nothing in the atmosphere here to warrant a positive or even condescendingly upbeat comment.

History/Banners - The Thrashers have no history, but the Hawks banners were awesome.

Cool Stuff - Let's see. There's the aforementioned scoreboard. Tons of TVs with other games from around the league on (something we haven't seen enough of across the trip). Two bird head type structures dangle from the ceiling and spew fire whenever the Thrash do something good like score (or, presumably, win). But its unlikely anything will ever approach the cool factor of stumbling (literally) into a random (and giant) room somewhere just off the concourse to find boxes of Hawks promotional items. It's generous to count this in the arena's overall favor, but damn right we are going to.

Bars - There were certainly tons of them, but we were too busy combing the bowels of this mega-concourse to be distracted by them.

Store - The store here is excellent and had the largest amount of off-the-rack player customized jerseys we've seen outside of Buffalo. This store spawned the most absurd impulse purchases of the trip when Justin and Mike simply could not resist 40 dollar Hawks jerseys. There are multiple stands where you can bring a jersey and get it professionally stitched right there.

Value - We paid well under 40 dollars to see an NHL game and an NBA game in a nice building in a span of 18 hours. Win.

Overall - Here is where we start to see the difficulty in ranking these places. Phillips is a sweet building. It is has a lot of quirks and is clean and easy to get to. But as a place to watch a hockey game, we all agreed that it is overwhelmingly bland. Juxtaposing those 2 things is hard to explain, but you'll have to trust us.

#17

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum - New York Islanders

So yeah, the write up here will be much longer than usual, since this is one of our "home" rinks. Between the three of us we have seen more NHL games here than anywhere else. That's unfortunate, but really no better base to get an appreciation for what else is out there. Listen, the Coliseum sucks. Really, really hard. It's bad for visiting players, bad for the home team, bad for fans. Yes, its old-school and no frills. Yes, it has the best sightlines anywhere in the league- too bad this simply affords one a superlative view of Andy Hilbert. But there are places that give you these things and still act as viable locations for professional sporting events. The Isles need a new facility to survive as a franchise, plain and simple.

Convenience/Access - There are two ways to assess this category for the NVMC. If you live on Long Island, then you likely own a car (or three) and are used to ridiculous traffic and giant parking lots. The location of the rink is fine and relatively central population-wise. The other way of looking at it is that there is next to no way to get here via public transport if you don't live on the Island, are coming from out of town, cant drive, or would like to imbibe heavily while watching Freddy Meyer and Chris Campoli. A shuttle service from the nearest LIRR stations would do wonders here. Note that nearest does not mean close. In the end its probably unlikely that the location of NVMC keeps that many people away, but it for damn sure doesn't bring anybody, either.

Location/Scene - The only things within legitimate walking distance of NVMC are a Marriott (where many opposing teams no longer even stay) and a few delis/pizza joints across a 6 lane highway. Not so sweet. There is some proper tailgating on weekend games.

Outside Appearance - It's a big white dish in the middle of a parking lot. There are no windows. It isn't attractive, but it does scream 'hockey rink'. It would scream 'hockey rink' even more if there wasn't an equal-to-the NYI-one-sized New York Dragons (that's the Arena Football League, folks) banner draped hideously across the front. We're All Islanders. Or Dragons.

Inner Aesthetics - This place looks great largely because you can see all of it so easily. It is small, and it feels small. The seats are close to the ice, and there isn't much wasted space (except for a wide walkway behind each net). You really do feel like you could pick out someone sitting at the other corner of the rink, or in one of the luxury boxes. When half the building isn't empty, it looks even better. The seats/interior are slightly drab looking, but not enough to be a negative. The scoreboard, after a much-maligned absence and reemergence a decade ago, is small and basic but plenty adequate for such a small rink.

Concourse - Word up to Mellon Arena, which has given us new perspective on how poor a concourse can be. We now know that NVMC sports only the second-worst concourse in hockey. The floors are nasty and hideously tiled, it gets crowded due to the lines for the bathrooms which snake along the length of 3 gates, and there is absolutely nothing to do or see except possibly sign up for Newsday and ruin your credit rating. Ask Eric.

Sightlines - This is an outstanding rink to watch a hockey game in, possibly the best in the league. While it wouldn't be 100% accurate to say that there isn't a bad seat in the house, (some back row seats have really bad views under a low overhang) its damn close. The upper sections are closer to the ice than anywhere we've seen. The front rows of the upper tier and back rows of the lower tier are probably the best vantage points for a hockey game in the NHL. The sightlines here are phenomenal and you can feel the game from anywhere in the rink.

Bathrooms - Oh, the coliseum bathrooms. The stuff of lore. At 6:30 on a weeknight, during warm-ups, even with < style="font-style: italic;">
Concessions - Nothing interesting or really worth getting. There are more than enough stands though.

Comfort - The seats have above-average comfort, but with below-average legroom. It is consistently very, very cold in this rink.

Fans/Atmosphere - Everything that's written about the Coliseum atmosphere on a big playoff night is true- the place is loud and awesome. The low ceilings and tiny seating bowl equate to a lot of noise. But let's not kid ourselves- most people who just come to LI to see one game here will leave thinking that this is nothing short of a brutal, mid-tier ECHL team atmosphere, if for no other reason than that the Islanders rarely draw more than 12k, and put on the most heinous, insulting-to-fans game presentation of any major sports team in history. That is not an exaggeration. Buzz during NYI-NYR games is fantastic.

History - On one hand, the Isles bleed every possible event they can out of their 4 year glory run. There are alumni appearances/'nights' pretty much every season, as well as anniversary tributes and special appearances designed to get fans in the rink. They are always done with class (amazing for the Isles) but are way too frequent and have thus lost much of their cache. There are a lot of nice pictures around the concourse windows of past players, but no plaques or other informative displays. Of course, a large portion of the Islanders' history has no business being displayed. As for banners, NVMC should get a high score here, as the Isles have tons of players and accomplishments to celebrate. However, it took until very recently for management to see fit to clean any of the white banners, which were visibly soiled and had looked atrocious. They are also hung haphazardly and the font on the retired player banners is not consistent. More bush league, easily fixable stuff from the Isles here that goes from odd to completely infuriating once you've been to enough games.

Cool Stuff - There is absolutely nothing cool or interesting or interesting to see in this arena.

Bars - There is one on the lower level. It's always crowded and we've never hung out there. Last year they put a few tents outside and have tables and beer stands set up, which is a good start and sort of expands the concourse.

Store - Scattered booths around the concourse offer the usual stuff, all very expensive. There is actually a pretty good selection of player t-shirts, which is vital to us. You can buy NY lottery tickets here.

Value - Very overpriced tickets, which leads to a vicious cycle of poor attendance and ownership having to keep prices up to compensate. The 10 dollar walkup tickets are a good initiative which should be extended.

Overall - The Coliseum is a dump, and has been for some time. Its sole selling point- tiny size and terrific view- gets swallowed up among a litany of negatives. Justin‚s hockey credentials have been impeccably hardened here- watching one of the worst team in the league in one of the worse structures in the sport. We love it, and yet, we hate it.

Random - This will always be a funny sidenote in our chronicles- we all attended this rink together in 1997, a solid 8 years before the genesis of this quest. We sat in 3 different places and it was totally unknown at the time. We were (separately) with some of the other jabronis who we would, a decade later, drag along (or try to) on future trips. It was also a hilarious 3-3 tie with STL, the team which Eric would later become a full STH of, and featured one of the most Coliseum-defining moments ever (the re-unveiling of a new, slightly-less-crappy scoreboard- complete with black drape and spotlight). Feeling that this experience wasn't enough, we ventured back there together for a mid-year NYI-NJ contest which had all the potential in the world of being one of the least interesting games in NHL history- and somehow wound up being an awesome and entertaining game with a boisterous crowd.

2010 Olympic teams

My first post in quite a while. Here are my picks for Team USA and Team Canada for the 2010 Olympics.

Team USA

Head Coach: Peter Laviolette
Assistant Coach: John Tortorella
Captain: Chris Drury
Assistant Captains: Mike Komisarek and Zach Parise

Patrick Kane-Paul Stastny-Dustin Brown
Zach Parise-Scott Gomez-Phil Kessel
Patrick O'Sullivan-Chris Drury-Brian Rolston
Erik Cole-Brandon Dubinsky-Joe Pavelski

extra forwards; Jason Pominville and Peter Mueller

Brooks Orpik-Brian Rafalski
Ryan Suter-Mike Komisarek
Ryan Whitney-Erik Johnson

extra defenseman: Jack Johnson

Ryan Miller
Rick DiPietro

extra goalie: Tim Thomas

It's remarkable how much more depth we have compared to 2006. Assuming our up and coming young players develop the necessary leadership skills, USA Hockey should be fine for a while. We've got as much or more talent than we did in 1996 when we won the World Cup and in 2002 when we almost made away with a gold in Salt Lake City. This team was very hard to pick. Just 4 years ago at the World Cup we had the likes of Steve Konowalchuk, Ken Klee, and Jeff Halpern suiting up for us. All solid citizens, but basically third liner/third pair types. (Sorry Powers, not picking on ex-Caps). We've got a lot more to choose from now.

The same old problem persists though. We don't bring the consistent level of urgency to tournaments that other bring. We want to win but we'll never have the pressure of the other hockey playing powers. If Sweden or Finland are in a gold medal game, their countries shut down to watch it. Same in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. I wouldn't be surprised to learn of heads literally rolling in Russia if their team ended a tournament with a loss. Canada is Canada. They have to win.

Team Canada

Head Coach: Mike Babcock
Assistant Coach: Lindy Ruff
Captain: Sidney Crosby
Assistant Captains: Jarome Iginla and Chris Pronger

Rick Nash-Sidney Crosby-Jarome Iginla
Martin St.Louis-Vinny Lecavalier-Dany Heatley
Mike Richards-Jonathon Toews-Shane Doan
Eric Staal-Jordan Staal-Ryan Getzlaf

extra Forwards: Jason Spezza and Joe Thornton

Chris Pronger-Brent Burns
Dion Phaneuf-Shea Weber
Brian Campbell-Mike Green

extra defenseman: Dan Boyle

Martin Brodeur
Roberto Luongo

extra goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury

Canada's teams are always disgustingly good, but this one seems more so. Not since Steve Yzerman was getting snubbed for Canada Cup teams has someone with as much skill as Joe Thornton or Jason Spezza not gotten the call of duty. Poitras convinced me that Crosby would be a better captain than Iginla. This trio of captains will stare a hole through your soul if you fail to pick up your man. As long as the pressure their country puts on them doesn't unravel them it's hard to see them not at least making the gold medal game.

#18

Mellon Arena - Pittsburgh Penguins

Convenience/Access - It isn't hard to get to and its in Pittsburgh proper. There are probably few to no people who walk here, though. Its not in a crowded area.

Location/Scene - The only thing that seemed remotely walkable was the hotel down the street. Hop in your car (perhaps a Mercedes truck) if you want a postgame scene.

Outside Appearance - It's a big white dish in the middle of a parking lot. Aah, the parallels with Nassau continue. (they aren't done). After some debate, we all agreed that this place is actually quite cool looking. The roof is definitely unique and doesn't look so bad from the outside. The outside of the structure is nice.

Inner Aesthetics - The roof is a goddamned bubble! It is Idaho-level white and looks completely jarring, especially with giant ads plastered brutally all over it and scaffolding hanging down. The seating bowl is unique looking and hard to describe. It certainly isn't the oval/igloo shape you might expect. The seats are all red, except for the club seats, which are black. This would look good if the Devils played here. The scoreboard and signage are sub-par.

Concourse - It isn't common for the three of us to completely agree on something rink-related, much less use the same adjectives and superlatives when describing it. Yes if each of us had to summarize the Mellon concourse, it is a five-star lock that we would all use the following three words in some order: hazard, brutal, fire. There is nothing much to see or do other than pray for a swift return to your seat, or out of the building.

Sightlines - We expected better. They aren't bad of course, but for an old, smallish rink they certainly aren't outstanding. We have no idea what the view is like from the upper seats behind the nets that basically touch the roof as it slopes inward.

Bathrooms - Unacceptable. First you have to navigate there, and then you have to handle them. Just hold it.

Concessions - Apparently all of the decent sporting event food in this city is at PNC. Expensive too. Iron City beer gets 2 out of three thumbs down.

Fans/Atmosphere - Thanks to a great young team, Pitt has gone from almost being relocated to Waterloo to being a tough ticket and an obnoxiously popular team. When we went the fans were loud but there was a high asshole contingent behind us. Its worth noting that besides that, every single encounter all three of us have ever had with Pittsburgh people is overwhelmingly positive. Some great folk in western PA.

History/Banners - Tons of great success in this place's past, but like on Long Island, you can't really feel it just being here. Its got the banners and such but you're not swimming in it (which we thing you should be) like in many other rinks.

Cool Stuff - We think we remember some table hockey games set up somewhere.

Bars - nah.

Store - The main store seemed decent, but the smaller kiosks were way too expensive and boring. This is one of the rare arenas where none of made an impulsive souvenir buy.

Value - Our tickets were very expensive for the quality, as was just about everything else. Apparently there are good student programs here.

Overall - We all like Pittsburgh a lot as a city. We all like the Igloo. It‚s just old and decrepit and needs replacing- and unlike with the Islanders, it will be soon. PNC Park is off-the-charts awesome, and Heinz is always rated highly as well. Consider also that Pit is one of the few NHL teams making money, and there are plenty of reasons to expect the new arena will be boss. But for now, the fact that it's a hilarious bubble and has a cool nickname does not cover up its warts, making it our choice (albeit a contentious one) for worst of the rinks so far.

Random - For lack of anything else better nearby to do, we hung around in the parking lot after the game on a really fucking cold night. Doing so provided us with humor and pictures that still stands out among trip moments.

USA 2010, take 1

Vancouver 2010 Team USA, by Justin.

Coach: Peter Laviolette

Alternate Captains: Mike Komisarek, Dustin Brown

Captain: Chris Drury.

Drury isnt the first guy who leapt out at me. I could certainly make a damn good lineup without his name in it. But this is the right player. By 2010, one of two things is likely to have happened, and USA-wise, it's a win-win for his role as Captain. 2 years from now Perhaps Chris Drury has led the Rangers to a Cup Final, or even a Cup. He will be revered in New york and in hockey circles to the point of nausea. Vancouver will give him the chance to cement his status as Legend, and you have to believe he will be raring to go. Or, NYR will have been stuck in neutral and maybe he will have struggled as Captain with the rumblings that he isnt vocal enough, that he's overpaid, that he has largely failed as "the guy" in a tough market. The pressure will have gotten pretty high. Doubts creeping in. Here, he can forget that weight and focus entirely on the Olympics as a fresh slate. He gets a team with (like NYR) a good mix of young and old guys, some teammates he is already comfortable with, and he can really step up and take the team into a hostile environment. He doesn't have to be a big scorer. He doesn't have to be a shutdown
player. He doesn't even have to play center. He just has to be a calm leader who has been in these spots before and can get some of these guys fired up for the opportunity. This may be more thought than necessary for a 5 game tournament's Captain. But it shouldn't be an afterthought.


Goalies:

Ryan Miller, Rick DiPietro
- Miller starts. I along with all Isles fans hoped that by 2010 DP would have taken this mantle and run with it. It doesn't look good. So its Miller Time.


Defence:

This wasn't as hard as I thought. There isnt room for sorta-good offensively, nondescript defensively guys on here. If you're an elite offensive threat, great. If not, you need to be able to move and possibly scramble for a long shift in your own end; move the puck quick and well; and most importantly have the ability/desire to break an NHL teammate's wrist in the corners with no hesitation in the course of a gold.

Brian Rafalski - Mike Komisarek
- I'm not too concerned about 2 lefties. This is a no-brainer top pairing. Both are used to playing with a partner very similar to the one they have here- Komi knows how to cover for a guy who likes to rush and might get beat in the corners once in awhile. He's also a fucking beast. Rafalski can be really nondescript at times, but when part of a good team playing well, he becomes elite.

Keith Ballard - Jack Johnson
- Johnson is very suspect at this point. This is a lot of pressure to put on him. Well, all the better chance for him to step up and make party. There aren't many guys in the USA stable that I think would relish being public enemy #1 in a Canadian city at the olympics. JJ probably never saw or used a microscope at UM, but his play and his demeanor will be under a really fucking big one here. Do it. Ballard is steady as hell.

Erik Johnson - Ryan Suter
- If I'm being optimistic, I can hope that by 2010 this pair can rival almost any in the olympics. EJ missing '08 made him incredibly hard to put on here. But you have to be able to play rugged defence, and you have to be able to make a difference out there. Will he make more mistakes than Paul Martin might? Yeah, but he has 100x more upside too and is a potential game-breaker.


Forwards:

Now THIS was hard. But this is the lineup that would ideally play in every game. I copped out and named 2 extra F, but they are basically just token guys for the room. The 4 lines roll this way, no substitutions. COMPETE.

Dustin Brown - Paul Stastny - Patrick O'Sullivan
- I love this line. Awesome hockey smarts all around. Since the first 2 lines are definitley 1 and 1A, I didn't see any reason to split DB and POS. This puts a lot of faith in Stastny to be the guy to elevate this line to elite.

Zach Parise - Scott Gomez - Pat Kane
- Listen up Scotty: Every other line on this team has pretty good defensive players on it. It would have been easy to make sure you line up with some bruisers and backcheckers so you can focus on dishing. No. You were unknown in the purgatory of NJ, now you're a guy who chased the money and is happy being a good player on a good team. Enough- this is your time to be a superstar. You know Parise's game. He and PKane are not here to cover their wingers. Time to prove you can be a devastatingly effective setup guy and use your speed on the big rink to still cover them up defensively. Show it. Kane and Parise- light it up. No excuses. This must be a consistently effective offensive line or USA sinks.

Phil Kessel - Ryan Kesler - Jason Pominville
- Spend any time getting caught up with Kesler, or chasing Phil around while he flies all over, and Pominville will quietly blaze you, like he always does. This can be a really effective line in a lot of different ways. Speed, hands, grit, assholeness and all three of these guys should and will have a nice chip on their shoulders and be salivating to make their mark on a USA team in Vancouver.

Chris Drury - Peter Mueller - Brandon Dubinsky
- So much to work with here. Initally the 4th center spot had Dubinsky and David Booth penciled in with a speedy winger. But then there wasn't much that fit. There cant be a straight grinding line in this tournament. I'd rather a fast, responsible 4th line with wads of potential. Booth-Dubi-Pavelski sounds wonderful, but to be fair it would probably get fucking devoured.

Extras: Chris Higgins, Erik Cole. I'm sorry guys. 2 dependable, reliable scorers and workers passed over for playing time in favor of some shit-disturbers and young assassins. Enjoy the Salmon in B.C. though.

Landslide

The Curse Continues

The Curse of Palin

Did anyone notice how the economy burst right after Sarah Palin came onto the national scene? Or that the presidential race suddenly became a lot nastier when she was on board?

Well now two lucky teams get to deal with the Palin Curse: your very own Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues.


Let's look at the facts:

- After going to the conference finals last spring, the Flyers are STILL winless after six games played. Their goalies are letting anything in the net, as long as it's hard, black, and made of vulcanized rubber.

- To be fair, Philly has some major defensemen injuries. And they've played some tough teams: San Jose twice, the Penguins, the Rangers, and Montreal. But the big bad Flyers couldn't even get a win from Colorado, which, between the beaten-down Andrew Raycroft and the hapless Peter Budaj, is all but without a starting netminder. In fact, the Flyers got creamed that game, 5-2. Is this really the same team that completely shut down juggernaut Montreal in last year playoffs?

Needless to say, things are not looking good for the Flyers.

In the end, surely Sarah Palin brings some modicum of excitement to a game. Let's not forget, this is a hockey mom we're talking about here. But the real lesson is this: if I'm a team president or GM, and Palin's handlers call me asking if she can drop the puck, I'll tell her to scoot her butt to another rink. For all I care, she can go ask Oren Koules if Tampa is free. He's always up for a gimmick.

Why the Bubble Will Burst

A quick note on the Blues, who last night failed to come from behind against the Red Wings the way they had against the Leafs, Predators, and Blackhawks:

The bubble will burst. Oh yes it will. This team is good, especially on the power play, where they are first in the league. But here are some very telling statistics:

Paul Kariya, -1
Andy McDonald, -6
Brad Boyes, -5
Keith Tkachuk, -1
Eric Brewer, -4

That's only through six games - four of which the Blues won!

Once this power play stops functioning, which could happen anytime, the team is in trouble. Also, it's interesting to note that the team uses either four or five forwards on the power play, depending on whether forward Lee Stempniak is hurt. That's a good strategy, but teams will start picking up on it. I'd like to see them try that against the Penguins. My prediction: Jordan Staal will net two shorties.

For those of you looking for hope, it comes in the form of the youngsters, who look fantastic so far.

David Perron, 5 points in 6 games, +2
T.J. Oshie, 3 points in 6 games, +1
Patrick Berglund, 3 points in 5 games, +3

These kids are gonna be alright. And when they get Erik Johnson and Alex Pietrangelo back, they're gonna be more than alright. For now, though, don't expect the status quo to continue.

The Caps Have Arrived

The Caps look good tonight - VERY good. They're doing things I haven't seen them do before, even during last year's admittedly short-lived playoff run. Let's take a look at tonight's game versus Vancouver (currently 5-1 through two periods):

- Alex Semin looks for real. I've always said that he's one of the most talented players in the league, but that he lacked heart. Now it looks like he has a little of that, too.

- Mike Green has taken a clear step forward

- The Caps PP looks unstoppable.

- Remember, the Caps won the division and took the Flyers to seven games all without Nylander. And now he's back. He has a goal and two assists and is +2 so far tonight.

- Sergei Fedorov is playing defense!

- They chased Luongo - the goalie many picked to win the Vezina this year - after two periods. You're not MVP-worthy tonight, Robert.

- This has all happened with Ovechkin not making a mark on the score sheet.

The one question, obviously, is the goalie position. But if you can score 5 goals a game, maybe the tandem of JT60 and Brent Johnson won't be so bad after all.

To be sure, the Caps won't (can't) do this for 82 games. But damn if they don't look good. They're really firing on all cylinders. This could be a special season, folks.

Saturday Scraps

First, I'll bite on these, we haven't tackled arena stuff in awhile.


This year's visits: all hopeful- Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Minnesota Wild.

The stadiums I'm most excited to visit: The Joe, GM Place, HP Pavillion, Xcel.

Most overrated stadium: Overrated is a pretty impossible term to use, but I'll assume we mean overrated by those outside our travel group. In this case- Atlanta, which is always mentioned as kick-ass by visiting announcers and media. It's the kind of place that seemed sweet when it was the 5th rink we'd been to, and now offers up very little.

Most underrated stadium: I'll echo the Sommet Center. h/m SBP in Ottawa, which only improves in my head the longer its been, which is rare.

Stadium that doubles as a death trap: Uh, yeah, Mellon. Stampede.


Honorable mention: NVMC bathroom line during NYI/NYR.

One thing I'm especially proud of: Defacing property in multiple cities with our current arena count.

Also: Combing the bowels of Phillips for Josh Childress replica cutouts.

Most nondescript arena: St. Pete TF. Blah.

Something I've done that you havent: Seen an NHL game in all 4 time zones.

How many stadiums have you been to at least twice? Wow, 9 as well. I've got : NVMC, MSG, Bell/Molson, Prudential, Continental, Verizon, Scottrade, AAC, Wachovia.

Finally: With about a dozen to go, PHI remains the consensus pick for best arena.

One more thing

Of the stadiums I've been to, the ones I most want to re-visit are: San Jose, Boston, Pittsburgh, Columbus. In that order.

30-30

I've been to 21 hockey stadiums. 18 of these stadiums are currently still used for hockey. The stadiums I've been to, in order, are:

1. old Washington - Capital Centre/US Air Arena/US Airways Arena
2. old Philadelphia - The Spectrum
3. Washington - Verizon Center
4. Boston - TD Banknorth Garden (formerly Fleet Center)
5. NYI - Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
6. old NJ - Brendan Byrne Arena/Continental Airlines Arena
7. Philadelphia Wachovia Center (formerly the FU Center, best-named stadium in all of sports)
8. NYR - Madison Square Garden
9. San Jose - HP Pavilion
10. Pittsburgh - Mellon Arena
11. Columbus - Nationwide Arena
12. Buffalo - HSBC Arena
13. Atlanta - Phillips Arena
14. Carolina - RBC Center
15. St Louis - Scottrade Center (formerly Savvis Center, Kiel Center)
16. Tampa - St. Pete Times Forum
17. Florida - BankAtlantic Center
18. Chicago - United Center
19. Dallas - American Airlines Center
20. Nashville - Sommet Center (formerly Gaylord Arena, worst named stadium in pro sports)
21. New Jersey - Prudential Center

This year's visits: Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs. Maybe Minnesota Wild.

The four stadiums I'm most excited to visit: Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, The Forum in Montreal, XCel Energy Center in Minneapolis, Pepsi Center in Denver.

Most overrated stadium: Scottrade Center. I hate to say this, but it's true. Compared to other arenas, this one is absolute garbage. But it does have a statute of Bernie Federko, and it has kept me sane during law school. So I cant hate on it too much.

Most underrated stadium: Sommet Center in Nashville. This place is FOR REAL. Great game entertainment, too.

Honorable mention: United Center in Chicago

Stadium that doubles as a death trap: Mellon Arena, going away.

Honorable mention: Phillips Arena

One thing I'm especially proud of: Ish, JP, and I have been to 14 of 18 existing stadiums together - including all of the last 12 new ones I've been to.

Something I've done that you havent: Gone to at least 40 games in three different stadiums (Capital Centre, Verizon Center, Scottrade Center)

Also: I know all the secrets of the Verizon Center.

How many stadiums have you been to at least twice? Nine. (Capital Centre, Verizon Center, Scottrade Center, The Spectrum, Wachovia, TD BankNorth, American Airlines Center, Nassau, MSG)

Finally. I'm almost two-thirds done. This has been a fun ride.

what what?

The Blues PP scores 4 goals, including two by Fat Keith?

The Isles start off the season with Joey MacDonald in net?

The supposedly "vaunted" Florida defense allows 6 goals?

Alex Ovechkin plays 23 minutes and registers no points?

Jose Theodore lets in 4 goals on the first 17 shots he faces as a Cap? (Who are we kidding, this was predictable)

This could be a long and unpredictable season. It will be fun (or scary) to look at the preseason picks in April.

Rookie Scoring Bet

This will never replace The Sheet, but why the hell not, let's document dumb wagers here as well. Maybe sending fewer enclosures back and forth will help close the Vortex.

Total points only. Prize is TEN DOLLARS. Oh yeah.

E
Kyle Turris
Jakub Voracek
Fabian Brunnstrom
Brandon Sutter
Mikkel Boedker
Drew Doughty
Alex Goligoski
Karl Alzner

J
Kyle Okposo
Derrick Brassard
Shawn Matthias
Teddy Purcell
Claude Giroux
Brian Lee
Anssi Salmela
Jonas Ahnelov