The Vig

Despite all the hooey of the summer, this year’s opening night was kind of cool.  I mean despite the bagpipers during player intros, and the ongoing saga of the video screens (more on both down below), this year’s opener seemed like a fresh start.  Gone was Jack Donovan’s opening night comments.  Heck, for the first time during the new reign, I didn’t see Donovan in the building at all!

I think the fresh start can be summed up in two separate conversations I had yesterday.  I remarked how semi-embarrassed I was to be there despite declaring not three months ago that I’d washed my hands of the franchise.  Others were equally embittered.  Yet there we all were.  Liz T. was there.  Dwight Jaynes?  He was there.  John G. and Jerry H. were there too.  Despite everything, the regulars showed up.  Of course, no one else did (3200 on a Saturday night?  Wow. Nice work, ticket office!).  And we got to see some pretty decent hockey to boot.

It appears that we’re only a few short weeks away from the end of the Goldsmith/Donovan/Other Guy-era.  The regulars have made their peace with that and want the next few weeks to be about hockey.  Good on all of them.

Thoughts:

White: Back during the trade deadline last season, there was talk of moving Mucha.  In fact, I seem to recall someone telling me the deal was done, but it fell apart at the last second.  Either way, the operating theory was White would be a capable goaltender while we groomed the next guy.  And last night he showed that.  Yeah, he didn’t face a shot for the first 17-minutes of the first period.  The shots he did see, he handled well.  He gives me confidence that life will go on should Mucha get moved at this year’s deadline.

Hutt: John G. said he’s got a little Marty Standish in him.  That’s like three jokes all wrapped into one.  John G. is a funny funny dude.  Seriously though, he’s a scrappy guy.  I think we’re going to cotton to him just fine.

Brett Freaking Ponich: I think they announced him last night at 6′8″.  The Hawks site has him at 6′7″.  Either way, that dude is a monster.  And he was in a lot of good places last night.  Here’s hoping he takes a big step forward this season.  Lord knows there’s opportunity out there.

Valchar: Radim Valchar has no use for your offsides rule.

Kerr: “That guy can’t skate!” declared Jerry H.

“Maybe so”, I replied, “but he’ll punch you in the mouth.”

I said this early in the third period.  It’s called foreshadowing.  I remember in his first game here last season, he came through and cleared the crease on his first shift in a way that hadn’t been done in a few years.  That alone made him one of my favorite players.  Last night cemented his place in my heart.

Eeewwww…..

I see in the scoresheet this morning that he indeed picked up a game misconduct last night.  It was hard to see how he didn’t, what with the attempting to charge the Chiefs’ bench then slamming his helmet on the ice.  Big Snakian…

The replay screens: John G. remarked during the second period that the screens will go down as the symbol of the Goldsmith group.  Endlessly hyped and ultimately worthless.  They worked for an entire period before crapping out.  The new guys may spring for new screens, but I don’t see why.  The team will be playing exclusively in the Rose Garden in a year, thus negating the need for screens in the MC.  D’oh!  Did I say that outloud?

Jerry Moss: Moss did exactly what he was hired to do last night, work the mike, make his announcements, and get the crowd fired up.  On all those points, the guy gets an A.  But like the socreboards, he’s a symbol of the present ownership, and thus the second the new guys come in, he needs to go.  Watching a guy running around the arena bowl in his pajamas, imploring the crowd to get rowdy, is not my idea of a good time.  I realize he’s not targeted at me, but still.  Like Tom-A-Hawk and that freaking drum, the Moss act is annoying.  This does not, however, take away from his groundbreaking work with Herb Alpert.

Rutkowski: He earned Andy’s third star last night.  This, of course, means I missed something.  All those new numbers and new players out there, it’s gonna take me a game or two to catch up.  I’ll pay more attention when #2 is on the ice, then I’ll try to remember it’s not Bo Montgomery.  Or Jordie Fike.

Ross: He’s gonna be a good one too.

Andy, as usual, has posted excellent training camp recaps here and here and even makes some suggestions predictions as to who folks might see in Everett this weekend.  Chip Petrino has apparently been let go by the club.  He was a tweener last season and a guy who never made a big impression while on the ice.  I kept waiting for #8 to do something and he never did.  A good move by the Hawks?  It’s more of an “eh”.  Life goes on.  I do wish him success where he lands.

The other name which kind of shocked me was Scott Gabriel.  Shocked as in I’d completely forgotten he was still on the roster.  And with the bumper crop of d-man coming to town (Welcome Brett Ponich!  May your stay be long and productive!) I’m guessing we could see Gabriel in another uniform at some point.  Packaged with a pick for a 20?  Hmmmmm……

I didn’t make it down to camp this year which is a bummer.  I had a blast last season watching a couple of games.  It just wasn’t in the cards this time around.  I’m curious to see how different Kromm is from Williamson.  I read a couple of quotes about mental and physical preparation.  How he wants “his” kind of kids.  It’s all well and good, I suppose.  But it’s all coach speak and I’d be shocked if you didn’t hear the same sorts of things out of Williamson.  So what’s the difference?  I don’t know.  It’s all change for change’s sake.

The players, from what I’ve read and heard, have all come in motivated and ready to go.  Several veterans were back in town a week early to prepare for the coming season.  That’s a good sign particularly coming off what had to have been a depressing season last year.  Mucha is a little taller andthere have been good reports on the new Euro.  All good good signs.

So I don’t know about you, but I’m about ready for the puck to drop.  My Oregon State Beavers kick-off on Thursday night to start the season.  That means the Fall is just around the corner.  Good times.

Oh!  Almost forgot to mention.  Some unknown party has created a Google Calendar for the coming season.  It’s easily dumped into the calendar program of your choice.  Makes setting your schedule a breeze.  So a quick shout-out to the kind soul who put in the effort.