Whoa.

Carnival of the NHL #14 went up, and I almost missed it—shows you how much I pay attention when I'm not busy busting the chops of high-schoolers for trying to buy beer and smokes with fake IDs. Please, try to convince the daughter of a US Navy lifer with a Purple Heart that you served on BB-39 while you're wearing an “Athens Drive Class of 2006” t-shirt and reek of Eau de Clearasil. I dare you.

History-geek points to anyone who know what ship had that designation. Go Navy!

Anyway.

The Serene Master of Malik-fu has done it again, scoring his first regulation game-winner as a Ranger in a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden. Too bad it wasn't from “Harry's Corner” (the left-side corner behind his own goal line). That would have made it even cooler, in my opinion. Can't speak for the rest of the Caniac Nation (est. 1997), but I and the rest of the Cult of the Sub-Holy Defenseman miss you, big guy.

As much as I do like the Nashville Predators (and I like them a lot), and as much as I loathe the Detroit Red Wings (and I hate them with every fibre of my being), I must question the wisdom of allowing the game to start with a 1-0 score, yet be played from the very start. To me, that just doesn't seem right to start from the beginning rather than from where play halted on that horrible night. However, since both teams were consulted and have agreed to it, then I'll accept it.

In other news, the Boston Bruins have officially lost their minds. I look at the Thornton trade as just another reprieve for Mike Sullivan, who has reached a Paul Maurice 02-03 level of futility in trying to get his players to listen to him. Bar Fight Joe has been unfairly (IMO) pilloried in the Bahstan media (particularly by the Boston Globe, who has always kissed the lily-white asses of Bruins manglement) for the sins of management and even the coaches who babied him when they should have pulled a John Tortorella and gotten tough with him. In the wake of the trade, Globe columnist Kevin Paul Dupont was practically jizzing himself over having somehow moved the heavens and the earth to get what he called a “disinterested, disconsolate” player traded out of town. For my part, I think that Bar Fight should never have been given the C before he was mature enough as a player to handle it.

I predict that Sullivan's next move once the post-trade euphoria wears off and the Bruins start getting pwned again on a regular basis will be to skate his players until Craig MacDonald collapses.

Thank you, I'll be here all season.