Hello, Hockey World and Hockey Buzzards:
Apologies for my extended absence away from the blogsphere as I have been focusing on family and self-care the past month. For that, let's remember what has gone on the past month.
The Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
1. Zdeno Chara
2. Duncan Keith
3. Joe Thornton
4. Alex Mogilny
5. Jennifer Botterill
6. Brianna Decker
7. Jack Parker
8. Daniele Sauvageau
2026 Candidates
• Patrice Bergeron - triple Gold club, first ballot
• Phil Kessel - three time cup winner, first ballot
• Eric Staal - cup winner, will get in eventually
• Carey Price - no cup
• Patrick Marleau - no cup
• Henrik Zetterberg - overdue for the hall.
• Jermey Roenick - one of the best American born skaters
The NHL All Star Game Announcement
The New York Islanders and UBS Arena are getting the 2027 NHL All-Star Game after the 2026 Olympic Celebration was postponed. Please keep it as international player for increased viewership. The conference or star concepts are dated.
The NHL Outdoor Series Announcement
The Dallas Stars will be playing at the home stadium of the Dallas Cowboys in the Winter of 2027 with no opponent revealed at the time of writing. Speculation is the Colorado Avalanche as the front-runner foe in a playoff rematch. Could also promote the stardom of Rantanen and his revenge against the team that drafted him and won the Stanley Cup with.
Goal #900
Alexander Ovechkin continues to break the NHL goal scoring record with every single occurrence. His milestone 900th came against the St. Louis Blues and starting goaltender Jordan Binnington, who tried to store the puck for himself in his hockey pants. Binnington was then instructed by the linesman to retrieve the puck as it was going to go to the Hockey Hall of Fame to be displayed as Ovi is the only skater to ever accomplish this feat.
The Resurgence of 2010s Best Teams
1. The Pittsburgh Penguins had a hot October with the performances of Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Tristan Jarry, Arturs Silovs, Anthony Mantha, and rookie Ben Kindel all coming in strong for the Pens.
2. Anaheim has been built under the discipline of Pat Verbeek with acquiring veterans from deep postseason runs and young pipeline on defense and offense.
3. Chicago has had elite goaltending from Spencer Knight and the aura of Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar is Toews/Kane lite.
The 500 East Race
Every team in the Eastern Conference appears to be winning one and losing one besides Carolina, New Jersey, and Montreal. No surprise for those three near the top, but the rest of the class being so close is not expected. One bad stretch could ruin a season for a franchise. The biggest worry is the Washington Capitals in the East, who have fallen to 14th in the Conference with Columbus and Buffalo below them. The Capitals have lost depth and have had a worse goalie performance from Lindgren.
The Struggle of the West
1. Calgary without an all star goaltender is a lottery team.
2. Nashville is not properly constructed. Restart the rebuild and ship out Stamkos.
3. St. Louis is the 2024 Predators. Trade Kyrou and Binnington for futures.
4. Vancouver is dealing with the Hughes and Petterson drama. Just scorch earth this ownership.
5. Minnesota being worse than Chicago and November is a tough look for mid-November. Once the rest of the team gets going, they will be fine. Otherwise, fire Guerin since he risked it for this franchise.
One Word to Describe Each Team to Start the Season
Anaheim - Impressive Boston - SurprisedBuffalo - DisappointedCalgary - LotteryCarolina - ContenderChicago - YoungColorado - FastColumbus - UnitedDallas - SteadyDetroit - ResurgentEdmonton - EmbarrassingFlorida - DynastyLos Angeles - PretenderMinnesota - UnderwhelmingMontreal - RealNashville - LotteryNew Jersey - RisersNew York Islanders - RebuildNew York Rangers - OppositeOttawa - PeskyPhiladelphia - OutPittsburgh - McKennaSan Jose - FunSt. Louis - SadSeattle - MidTampa Bay - IrrelevantToronto - UnstableVancouver - TroubledVegas - ForceWashington - ConfusedWinnipeg - Relevant