Pre-season Game 1: Get yer ya-yas out

Oh glorious hockey! How good it is to see you!

Sure the gumby-legged tentative display wasn't exactly what we were hoping to see, but it's pre-season. None of these guys have played against another team since Nathan Horton's fugly face was front and center on our screen. (And if you do the "ya but" crap, please note that most of the Stars players did play in that silly rookie tournament thing). However I must congratulate the crowd: they were chill. It was refreshing. They even cheered the team politely at the end and were rocking the house when the team started waking up. This is encouraging! Perhaps they finally understood what PRE-SEASON is?

Naturally in the first wonky game it's a little difficult to make evaluations on the players considering they're rusty and aren't really up to game speed. To me, I look at how one progresses during the course of the game, especially the rookies or newly imported European players. If they show a gradual improvement, then they'll be fine. Players like Palushaj got going gradually into the 3rd after a very wary and tentative start. (He literally looked terrified at the start). Players like Massé, however, did little throughout the game to improve their position on the team and will most likely head down to Wheeling eventually.

So how about some pre-season bullet points!
- I'm very proud this crowd has finally understood what a "moment of silence" means. You could hear a pin drop during the reflections on the terrible events of this past offseason.
- RDS in fine form: starting early with their Mickey Ribs lovefest. Thank god we only see these guys once a year, and thank god it's in February.
- And yea whatever Mickey Ribs, you look fantastic going through a bunch of rusty rookies.
- Yannick Weber was the best defenceman on the ice, with the most minutes on the team and the only one (other than Tinordi) who was a plus.
- Pre-season taught this team in the 2nd that yes there was indeed a whole new world on the other side of the other blue line!
- And shoot high on Raycroft. Instant goals.
- Also pre-season taught everyone that this team still sucks at faceoffs.
- Erik Cole gets the first goal. (Hit the crossbar just before). So nice to see him victimize goaltenders for OUR team instead of victimizing our goalies...
- Andrei Kostitsyn was a beast. He showed that when he is The Man on his line he can do wonderful things. It was wonderful to see him protect the puck for long stretches of play and using nearly the entire rink to do so while having at least two guys on his back trying to get the puck, even after he circled their zone a few times and had it pushed offside he never let up. Had a killer goal that knocked the water bottle off. (Assisted by Price!)
- Woywitka was insanely happy to score a goal. Still needs work on the rest of his game but he'll make a fine injury call up.
- Defense is not throwing yourself into your goal crease and interfering with your goalie, but I'm sure you'll stop doing that right?
- Brock Trotter was the best non-starter forward but needs linemates that can follow his speed and skill. Crowd went wooooo on his spin-o-rama.
- Brock Trotter's pretty face still hasn't changed either.
- Ian Schultz made a few British fans happy. After all, they came for the fights.
- Yemelin looked good! And sent a guy cartwheeling.
- Diaz's shot is excellent. I do believe he'll be hard at work in Hamilton and will be looking at those points records PK and Weber set up.
- Poor Hal Gill was the baby sitter tonight.
- Pleky's skills are so underrated.
- Our Swiss Misters are fantastic young players with plenty of upside.
- Oh and please, Raphael Diaz, keep talking. I love the way you speak.

Tomorrow Team B takes on the Sabres. Looking forward to see how Jorje is, and how Dumont will take the bright lights of the Bell Centre. He loves that stuff.

I missed you, hockey. I really did.