Looking Ahead To 2010

ESPN.com's experts are already cobbling together their Canadian and American rosters for the 2010 Olympics, and Scott Burnside has put a Cap on each team:

Chris Clark [Team USA]
Captain of the Washington Capitals had 30 goals two seasons ago and will go through a wall for you.

Mike Green [Team Canada]
Led all NHL defensemen with 18 goals last season and skates like the wind. Surely there's room on this squad for a player like that.

Neither E.J. Hradek nor Pierre LeBrun have a clue either player making their respective country's squad. Clark I can understand, but it will be something of a shock if, a year-and-a-half from now, Mike Green isn't one of the top-six Canadian defensemen in the world and loses out on an Olympic roster spot to Chris Phillips or Robyn Regehr.

Update: Corey = teh smart

The Pause Heard 'Round CapsNation?

Bruce Boudreau was on NHL Live (XM 204) this afternoon discussing everything from the Cup Finals to his goalies (when he follows an awkward pause by noting that there are "some good goaltenders out there and we'll find one of them," is he implying that Cristobal Huet won't be back? How did E.J. Hradek not follow up on that point?).

Anyway, here's the interview (in two parts), with the goalie chatter coming midway through the second part:

Thursday Roundup/Flyers 2, Caps 1

[AP Recap]

Not much in the way of recaps of last night's action (which featured few regulars and no official stats), so read Vogs' and move on.

Tim Leone shares Caps blueline prospect Patrick McNeill's NHL role model with us, Tarik profiles Mike Green and Corey takes a look at Tom Poti - I guess it's D-day. The Lebanon Daily News says to expect at least three more cuts from D.C. on Thursday, and believes the Caps will open the season with 13 forwards and 8 defensemen on the roster. Oh, and E.J. Hradek's got the Caps finishing in the Southeast cellar while his buddy at the Worldwide Leader, Scott Burnside, has them doing a bit better.

Finally, they may not have published the stat from last night's game, but I'm pretty sure that this earned Donald Brashear five for fighting and Riley Cote five for receiving:

Photo: Getty Images

Team-By-Team Season Previews

With less than a month before the first faceoff of the NHL season, numerous outlets are kicking their season previews into gear, and I wanted to note a couple of them. Each of the individual team previews from the following sources will be linked to in the "What We're Reading" sidebar, so make sure you're looking for 'em:

1. FanHouse - Eric kicks off our preview-a-day coverage today with his look at the Ducks. I'll be previewing each of the Southeast Division teams (natch), so look for my take on the Thrashers tomorrow.
2. E.J. Hradek's "Better or Worse" - I'm digging Hradek's approach (though just about everyone seems to be "better" so far).
3. Barry Melrose Rocks - A wildly entertaining site in general, his "2007-08 Preseason Foreplay" series is everything you'd want in a team preview: snark, pretty girls and even some analysis. Start with the Habs and catch up with the links at the bottom of that post.

Have any other preseason must-reads? Let us know in the comments.

Let's Take This Outside!

ESPN's E.J. Hradek says there will be an outdoor game on the NHL's 2007-08 schedule. No word yet on the teams, date or venue, but I'd suggest that the Coyotes and Panthers in October probably wouldn't be the League's best option.

Ol' School Goalie

E.J. Hradek, inspired by Gump Worsley's recent passing, lists his top six old school goalies - guys who would have "made it" during the Original Six era. As he puts it, "If there were just six teams, which six stoppers would have a job in the NHL?" Not surprisingly, one of his choices is Olie Kolzig:

I want an old warrior in my group, so I add Olie the Goalie to the list. Playing behind a subpar defensive unit in Washington, the 36-year-old netminder continues to put up good numbers (his .911 save percentage speaks volumes for his play). Kolzig has played in at least 59 games in each of the past eight seasons. I like that kind of durability.

There's no doubt in my mind that Olie would have been great in any era, and his temperment does tend to remind one of an earlier generation of players. That said, I wouldn't be so quick to call Olie "old" quite yet.