Expansion to Europe

The defending Stanley Cup champs and the Los Angles Kings started the 2007/08 season in England and the biggest surprise was the Kings owning the Ducks right from the drop of the puck but now on to the real topic….can the NHL expand into Europe in a few years? Simple answer no, not going to happen and here is why….Florida, Nashville, St. Louis, Long Island, these are just a few of markets you have to fix in North America first! Next problem with expansion to Europe is the traveling, it’s way to far to go for a game or two, second what if a European team had the first pick and drafted the “next one” and move him to Europe on his own, most likely it would destroy the kid being away from home and in another country…Do I like the idea, absolutely but it just isn’t realistic….now if the NHL opened the season in Europe every year or other year that would be great from the game…what about a game in Sweden, Russia, Czech Republic or Switzerland and last but not least what about a game between the NHL champs and the European champs? This idea I do like.

Raycroft or Toskala?

The biggest question in Toronto these days is who's going to be in between the pipes for the start of the regular season. Last night Toskala look just brutal letting in 7 goals on 36 shots and has not one a game yet in a Leafs uniform, while on the other hand Andrew Raycroft has won one and lost one so far but has also allowed his share of weak goals. Raycroft was the escape goat last year even know he won a club record 37 games with a 2.99 GAA but had a save percentage under .900…playing last season in San Jose, Vesa Toskala post stellar numbers winning 26 games and only losing 10, he posted a GAA of 2.35 and a save percentage of .904...Now last season when The Hockey News came out with the top 30 goalies in the league, Vesa Toskala was ranked 9th while Raycroft sat at 19th....but was this is a case of Toskala playing with a great team playing in front of him, a team that could post five 20 goal scores in the blink of an eye...While the leafs posted three last year and Raycroft was coming off his worst season's only winning 8 games and was tossed into the hockey hot bed of Toronto...Now John Ferguson Jr has signed Toskala to a two-year, $8 million extension which would make you think he's head coach Paul Maurice's number one guy but not so fast, Maurice stated that he would play whoever has the hot hand...and would the Leafs really want to give up on Raycroft after trading away top goalie prospect Tukka Rask? Judging by the pre-season, Raycroft has had a stronger camp just based on the fact that he didn't get blown out in either of his games and has won one of them...finally Paul Maurice plans on icing his opening day roster tomorrow night against the Detroit Red Wing, so whoever starts tomorrow you would have to think will be in net when the Leafs open up the season in Toronto against the Ottawa Senators.

What was he thinking?

Now if you haven’t seen this video yet you should really take a look - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWtcGrjyS1k&watch_response

so my question is what was Steve Downie thinking? He seriously couldn’t have thought that this would help him make the opening day roster? This is the same Steve Downie that got into a fight with a teammate because of hazing while playing in the Ontario Hockey League. Now if you saw the game live on television you would notice that Downie started charging towards a helpless Dean McAmmond and lunged at him with his elbow. So how long should he be suspended for? Well you would have to think at least 25 games, after all last year Chris Simon got 25 games for his stick to the face of New York Rangers winger Ryan Hollweg...What is worse a stick to the face or someone coming charging at you with a plastic elbow pad, I would have to say the Downie hit was much worse the Simon stick to the face just based on the fact that Downie came out of know where and McAmmond was in a vulnerable position and now has a concussion and when Hollweg got hit in the face he got right up and played the very next game for the Rangers…don't be surprised if Downie gets between 35 to 40 games because of this stupid act. Even worse news for the Philadelphia Flyers is that newly acquired winger Joffrey Lupul and Scottie Upshall both broke there wrist's in this game and forward R.J. Umberger broke a finger on his left hand, so Downie had a good shot to make this Flyers team coming out of camp until he decided to try and behead Dean McAmmond.