Hockeybird.com: It Begins

The NHL opens the 2003-2004 season with three games tonight. Can you hear the trumpets blaring? The rumble of the kettle drums? The crash of the cymbals?

No, neither can I. Wait, I think I might hear a flute somewhere. Or maybe that's a piccolo. I can't quite make it out.

Honestly, it's a less than thunderous opening of the new season. Among other things, with the off-season deaths of former coaches and players, the ever-present threat of a lockout and the highly entertaining baseball playoffs, the new season isn't exactly crashing through the door, demanding to be noticed.

Case in point, look at how the opening night starts off: Three games, all of them on at the same time, all on the same network, up against simultaneous Red Sox/Yankees and Cubs/Marlins playoff baseball games. In the East we'll likely get the Devils/Bruins game - one team that everyone is sick of and another that no one cares about. The other games are Dallas/Anaheim, a rivalry that extends all the way back to a six game playoff series last season, and Minnesota/Chicago, which is zznf... mmgh... bzzrp... zzzz. Smashing job, NHL!

In scanning the Ranger news this morning, things aren't much more cheery. The Post, Daily News and Journal News report Leetch still isn't close to returning and him playing at all in the month of October is optimistic. Thankfully, Newsday brightens things up a bit with articles on the Rangers strong goaltending situation and fifteen Rangers to watch this season. Gee, only fifteen?

I don't want to send you off into opening day in a gloomy hockey mood, so this short and deliriously happy music video (Quicktime required) will undoubtedly get you singing along and eager for hockey. It's called Hockey Monkey and it's about, uh, hockey. And monkeys. I guarantee the song won't leave your head for days.

And it's 1.. 2.. 3! The kids love the monkey!
And 4.. 5.. 6! The monkey's got a hockey stick!
7.. 8.. 9! Havin' a good time, yeah!

Being stuck with the Bruins/Debbie game is reason enough to switch to satellite for the Center Ice package.

For 159 bucks Center Ice is one of the few sports packages that is actually worth the money.

BTW it is official Pete the Rangers are in DEEP DOO-DOO as Neil Smith tabbed them as his breakthrough team

Posted by: Jess on October 8, 2003 05:53 PM