Surprises Under 3 Points

The season is well underway coming to the end of Week 2. Quite a few teams have played upwards of five games already, so it should be no surprise that some of the top players are already on a point-a-game pace... but some are not. The surprises come more from the top line players that were included in Boxes 1 through 6 and 13 through 18. These guys should be the top players in the West and East respectively.

In the West, it is a slight surprise that a guy like Paul Kariya has not picked up his pace. He has been hampered with a hamstring tweak, but that shouldn't really hamper the all-star. The Predators have lost their first three games, but have scored 12 goals in the process... Kariya isn't relied on for defense, pretty much just offense.

I'm not gonna beat a dead horse with a stick, but the Flames are not scoring. How well documented is that? Alex Tanguay is probably the most guilty in the pool... since he was taken about 10 times so far this season and has only 2 points to his name. Daymond Langkow is yet to register a point, but nobody cared about him in the pool. Dion Phaneuf and Roman Hamrlik only have a point to their name... it's a good thing that all you Flames fans like Kiprusoff for points... he's about the only one doin' it.

Do you remember the days when Milan Hejduk scored 50 goals? I do... but I haven't seen that sort of form just yet this season. In three games this year, Hejduk is yet to find the back of the net. Still early... can't preach that enough, but Hejduk should be relied upon for scoring goals in this new Avalanche team that lost a bit of depth in the off-season. This is still a surprise, however.

Can you believe Ilya Kovalchuk is still without a goal as well?? Kovalchuk... one of the most electrifying players in the league. A prolific scorer... still hasn't done it yet. Yes, this is a big surprise. With the Thrashers winning games on the shoulders of Kari Lehtonen, Kovalchuk has lost a bit of the spotlight in Atlanta due to his poor form of late. He'll have to get his act together soon... there are lots of teams counting on him.

How about those Ottawa Senators... did you really think that the loss of Zdeno Chara would make such a large impact. Well Jason Spezza and Wade Redden haven't exactly clicked yet this year... Spezza with only 2 goals and Redden still with a goose egg in the points department. The Senators are also struggling in the win department and there are a few teams struggling in the points department here in the pool, all in thanks to the non-performance of these two superstars.

If you're good long enough, teams learn to play against you. This couldn't be any truer for Bryan McCabe. McCabe, an offensive dynamo last year, has not enjoyed the same success in the early part of the season yet with the Leafs. McCabe's 2 points in 5 games is cause for concern. The Leafs powerplay needs the star defenseman to make good on his big contract to be successful... much like the 11 teams that picked him.

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The Pressing Stories...

For all eight teams with Evgeni Malkin, relief may come sooner rather than later. Malkin has been skating with his teammates of late and should be starting full-contact drills in the next little while. This should suggest that he is ahead of schedule and possibly will be re-evaluated before the two weeks they suggested earlier.

Atlanta Thrashers' 2003 1st round draft pick, Braydon Coburn must be close to recovering from his shoulder injury as the Thrashers have sent him down to their minor league team in Chicago today. Coburn, a blue-chip prospect, was taken a few times in hopes that he'll benefit from the offensive talent that Atlanta has to offer. Not a bad bet, if you ask me. In other Thrasher news, Greg de Vries left in the third period last night after taking a puck to the face. He did not return, as the Thrashers were up two goals at the time. There is nothing to suggest he'll miss any time, but he'll be re-evaluated today to be sure.


Flames Pay-Per-View will have tonight's clash between Calgary and Ottawa tonight. The Senators will start Ray Emery against the Flames tonight, while Alex Tanguay will more than likely start down on the second line. The four teams with Kristian Huselius will rejoice when they see their winger up on the top line again with Jarome Iginla, in hopes that rekindles the offensive fire. Dany Heatley will look to score his first goal of the season against his hometown Flames and Wade Redden will try for his first point of the season on the blueline.

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Box 22 Blues

Just when you thought it was safe to pick another defenseman in Box 22, the defenseman of choice goes down with injury. Box 22 has been somewhat of a injury plague for these Eastern defensemen and now with Pavel Kubina going down for what could be six weeks, teams who have just picked him up because of the loss of Frank Kaberle are left scratching their heads wondering if they should use another trade to get a healthy player. Kaberle, probably done until the new year now and Kubina will be out until at least mid-November provides even more question marks as to who is going to get you more points down the road. With Braydon Coburn out for a while, Chris Campoli in the same boat and Paul Ranger also injured, it does narrow down who you can choose to pick-up, if you choose to drop (or drop again, in some cases).

There are some talented players in Box 22, one or two, who have been known to put the puck in the net themselves once and a while. Brad Stuart of the Bruins had a 43 point season last year between the Bruins and the Sharks... including 12 goals. Stuart can shoot from the point and probably will see a lot of ice time on the powerplay for Boston. Craig Rivet only scored 7 goals last season, but he did add 27 assists for a reasonable year... a year that he also spent 100+ minutes in the box.

Pavel Kubina was worth 38 points last season with the Lightning... but if he's out for a number of weeks, are you going to be able to recover those points in the long run?


Tonight on TSN, the Flyers are in Montreal to face the Canadiens, one night after defeating the Rangers 4-2. Peter Forsberg has started to pick his game up, while David Aebsicher will try and do his best to keep him from amassing anymore points.

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More News

Defenseman Keith Ballard (Box #5) blocked a shot with his hand yesterday and left the game, not to return. Coyote brass is fearing the worst... a fractured or broken bone in his hand. That could keep the young defender out of the line-up for a month. Only one team has been affected by this loss.

It's been reported this morning that Barrett Jackman (Box #5) will miss a month with a knee injury. Jackman, who was looking to rebound from somewhat of a poor performance last season, will have to wait to bring points to the only team who picked him in the pool.

Much to the chagrin of the three Cristobel Huet owners, Habs coach, Guy Carbonneau, has said that David Aebischer will get the start in the Canadiens next game (Wednesday in Philly). Huet, pencilled in as the number one at the start of the year, has yet to register a point in the pool. Aebischer, on the other hand, won his only start this season... two points collected only by one team.


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New Leader In Points

With two shutouts to his name, Thrashers goaltender Kari Lehtonen is now leading the pool players in points with eight. Lehtonen shut out the Panthers on Saturday night and then the Lightning last night. The Thrashers were in desperate need of this kind of goaltending early last season, but Lehtonen had gone down with a groin injury that kept him out of the line-up for quite some time. Now, the Thrashers have a legitimate chance of reaching the playoffs and making a run as well. Only two teams in the pool have selected him... Clayton and Greg.

Looks like the injury bug has bitten the Bud's blueline again. Pavel Kubina (Box 22) suffered a knee injury in the game against Florida last night. Kubina, new-acquired in the off-season, joins a huge list of Leaf defenseman struggling to make it back into the line-up. Kubina will be missed from the 8 sheets he has been selected on, including the pickup that was made on the weekend.


The marquee matchup tonight sees the Flyers (0-1-1) in the Big Apple to face the Rangers (2-0-0). The Rangers have 40 selections in the pool (9 picked Martin Straka and 8 picked Jaromir Jagr)... much more than the lesser-favoured Flyers, who only have 13 (Simon Gagne, Joni Pitkanen and Robert Esche all picked twice). If the Flyers make a big game out of it, it's the sort of thing that will drive up only a few teams in the Standings rather than a big game by the Flames, which nobody gets a clear advantage from.


On television tonight, the Canucks and Wild battle for top spot in the Northwest Division on TSN tonight. That game faces off at 7pm MT. See if the Canucks can go 3-for-4 on their opening road trip or if the Wild can remain undefeated to start the season.


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Week One Newsletter

Welcome to the Week One Newsletter everyone and thanks again for joining the Hockey Pool this year. Well, it looks like we're finishing with 40 teams in the pool, there is a small chance that a 41st team, which is chosen, but timing and schedules haven't allowed the sheet to be entered. I'm trying not to promise much, but just so everyone knows, it may happen.

40 or 41 teams, we have a fair sized base for competition and prizes this season. The race for money will be fast and fierce as 6th will get a little bit more than their money back, so there is lots of incentive to make your trades and play the game all year. Check out the prize breakdown here.

All the information you may need should be on the Standings page and if you can think of anything else that would be helpful or handy, drop me an e-mail.

Good luck to you all and let's get to the news!




The season only started on Wednesday, so the Player of the Week numbers might be a little low... we'll probably see some better numbers in the weeks to come. We did see some great opening week performances, but there was one that stood out above the rest in Week One.

Martin Havlat of the Blackhawks has made the best of his $6 million contract he signed in the off-season. His six points (three goals and three assists) were the best in the pool and was actually taken once in the pool as well (Caterina). Havlat was a big point-getter in Ottawa during his tenure there and there isn't any reason why he shouldn't be again... okay, maybe one. He's in Chicago. The Blackhawks may take a cue from this though and start producing some wins and the trickle down effect may see some player switches to guys in the Windy City before too long.

The Mover & Shaker award goes to the biggest week in the pool. Not necessarily who had the most points in the week, the most points in the pool, but the team that moved the most in the Standings. But since we don't have a really good point of reference to compare where teams were... we're gonna choose the best team in the pool after Week One.

Week One's leader, Caterina, takes first place on goals scored this week. Caterina's crew outscored Russell's team by one goal and that's all it would take to claim first place after the first week of the season. Caterina's goal scoring came from some familiar faces in the pool (Daniel Sedin and Alexander Ovechkin) and a couple unique picks (Martin Havlat and Milan Michalek). If everyone keeps up their pace for Caterina, there isn't any reason why she couldn't take the crown at the end of the season, but remember... it's still early.


The Basement Dweller of the Week is more an infamous distinction more than anything. When teams are hit by injuries or scoring slumps or winless streaks, you might find that they will be displayed under this header. This is usually reserved for the worst week in the pool and in the first week of the pool... you immediately look at the last place team.

For Week One, Derek & Nicole had a little bit of a weak week, if you will. Still only two points behind 39th place, there is lots of time in the season and they do have players to get them out of the basement. Dealing with a couple of injuries and a few more scoring slumps, Derek & Nicole shouldn't be down there for too long when Ilya Kovalchuk and Simon Gagne get going.

You will also notice that every team that gets a distinction on the Newsletter this season, the header will appear on their team page for everyone to see.

Long-term Injuries and Pool Trades
Week One saw one injury that may be somewhat long-term. Mike Rathje has been sidelined with a herniated disc in his back and will be out of the line-up indefinitely. Two teams, Benson Greenley and Rob Andersen will take some time to consider trading Rathje for another defenseman.

Trades have already occurred for Week 2 and you can catch them all on the Player Movement page off the Standings page. Don't forget... if you want to make a move on your team, be sure to e-mail me with your change. Use your five changes wisely!


On Monday, the marquee match-up of the week will see three of the most popular players in the pool showcase their talents. Joe Thornton and the Sharks will meet Jarome Iginla, Miikka Kiprusoff and the Flames at the Dome. If you're not going to make it to the game yourself, the game will be on Sportsnet West at 7pm. It should be a great game and there will be a lot of points on the line.

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Malkin Still A Couple Weeks Away

For you 8 teams (you know who you are) that have incorporated the young talent, Evgeni Malkin, you're going to have to wait at least a couple more weeks before he is even re-evaluated by doctors. He had separated his shoulder when he collided with teammate John LeClair in a pre-season game a couple weeks ago. For those eagerly anticipating the favourite for the Calder Trophy... be patient. He'll arrive... and when he does... look out!


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Four is the Magic Number

There were lots of points to be had last night... and there were lots of points missed out on. For those few who picked Andrew Raycroft, they cashed in on the Leaf's revenge on the Senators last night. Raycroft made 34 saves for his first shutout of the season as the Leafs walked over the Sens 6-0. Fine retribution for the 4-1 loss the night before.

There were also three players you wish you had... Kyle Wellwood (who was taken once) had 4 assists, Martin Havlat had a pair of goals and a couple of assists and Marc-Andre Fleury also shut out the Flyers.

Steven Reinprecht of the Phoenix Coyotes, who wasn't on the selection sheet had a goal and four assists last night.



Tonight on TV, the Habs are in Buffalo to open their season against the Sabres. TSN will be broadcasting the game tonight, game starts at 5pm. There are four other games on tap tonight... the Devils are in Carolina, the Blue Jackets host the Canucks, Kings & Ducks go at it and the Bruins will meet the Panthers in Miami.

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New Injury News

The first player to leave the ice with an injury within the pool was defenseman, Tom Preissing of the Senators. Sure, there have been a few players who were injured before Day 1 of the schedule, but this is news from the regular season. Preissing left with what was described as a "lower body" injury and there has been a player called-up from the minors today to take his spot in the line-up for the game tonight against Toronto. If he's not getting you any points tonight, this is why.

When his status is updated, the Standings page will reflect it.

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Last Night and the Look Ahead

Opening night's star was a Star. Marty Turco took advantage of the rules and recorded a three-point night. The win and the assist on Darryl Sydor's game-winning goal gave him an early three points on the season. The Stars beat the Avalanche in overtime, 3-2.

Despite the massive popularity of Miikka Kiprusoff, Marty Turco did find his way onto one pool team early on this season and he rewarded those who took him. His counterpart in the match, Jose Theodore, was also taken once in the pool and looked like he could have come away with four points after two periods... but 52 seconds into the third, the game was tied.

A couple marquee matchups face-off tonight on Night Two of the season.


The Canucks will stroll into Motown to face the Red Wings tonight. The often-mocked, but surprisingly popular (pool-wise) Sedin twins will take on the Red Wings popular players, Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk. The Canucks and Red Wings will feature on Hockey Night in Canada out here in the West instead of seeing the Senators and Leafs face off again.


Miikka Kiprusoff and Jarome Iginla will open the season in Edmonton when they face off against Ryan Smyth and Petr Sykora for pool supremecy. The Battle of Alberta will feature as the second game on the Thursday edition of Hockey Night In Canada tonight, so stay tuned to keep up with all your pool picks.


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Opening Night

First game on the tube, on TSN, sees the Battle of Ontario kick off at the Air Canada Centre. This game has it's share of popular players in the pool... Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, Wade Redden will headline for the Senators, while Bryan McCabe and Tomas Kaberle ride their popularity last season into the new year.


Last season's champions, the Carolina Hurricanes will host the new-look Buffalo Sabres tonight in Raleigh. The 'Canes will raise their Cup banner before the game. There's a spray of Sabres players throughout the pool, mostly taking back-up goaltender Martin Biron to start the year, but others like Teppo Numminen and Jaroslav Spacek also proved to be somewhat popular among the masses. For the Hurricanes, injured Cory Stillman and Frank Kaberle were popular picks, but won't see much time early on... healthy players like Eric Staal, Erik Cole and Mike Commodore appear on one or two teams a piece.

The only Western Conference battle on opening night sees two teams who are looking to reclaim their dominant identities with brand new faces. The most popular Avalanche player taking the ice tonight is defenseman, Brett Clark, while Joe Sakic was taken sporadically as was Pierre Turgeon & Andrew Brunette. The Dallas Stars were not a very popular team amongst pool pickers so far... Jussi Jokinen and his shootout skills (which don't figure in pool stats) were very popular as was defensemen Daryl Sydor and Jaroslav Modry.

It will prove to be a good start to the season tonight, hopefully there's a lot of points to go around.

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Today Should Be The Deadline

If you want in to the pool today, you're gonna have to fill out your sheet today. If you are in desperate need of a sheet this morning, click here and download one. Forward it onto opiated@telus.net and we'll arrange payment as well to qualify for prizes.





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Pool News

Eric Belanger and Oleg Tverdovsky were the first players to be moved on the sheet and the season hasn't even started yet. Belanger, listed as a Los Angeles King forward, was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in a deal which saw defenseman Tverdovsky go the other way. Defenseman Tim Gleason joined Belanger on the way to Carolina and future pool player, Jack Johnson also made the trip to California.

Back-up goalie in Box 12, Ty Conklin, was shipped to the minors on Friday. He wasn't able to make the cut with the Blue Jackets and will see some time in the minors until he is either dealt or there is some injury in the Columbus line-up for a mid-season call up.

Box 20 forward, Mike Riberio was dealt from the Canadiens to the Dallas Stars on Friday. The center will move over to the Western Conference and will play underneath guys like Mike Modano and Eric Lindros and should pick up some more offensive talent. Something to be considered if you are still picking your team.



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