Everything Else

They hate it when you say “Exhibition.” Or is that the NFL? They definitely hate it when you say that. Though the NFL knows they’re perpetrating an even bigger scam with their preseason than the NHL does. I mean, the NFL preseason is 25% of the regular season, whereas both the NHL and NBA are less than 10%. Whatever, I’m getting off the rails again.

Anyway, let’s discuss some talking points from last night. Or at least the ones I gathered as I wasn’t there. Though it didn’t take long for the beaters to start complaining through Twitter, did it? Hey guys, you didn’t miss much. The baseball was pretty dreadful. You’re not in Edmonton in February yet.

Everything Else

Staying out east, it’s now time to take a look at the other half of the realignment mess that is that conference with the Metropolitan Division, which consists of all of the Mid Atlantic teams, and somehow Columbus and Carolina, which is the first time either place has been referred to even remotely as metropolitan. Most of the punditry will tell you this will be the best division in the new alignment. But just because it’ll be competitive doesn’t mean it’ll be well played.

Everything Else

We’ve been looking inward for a bit now, and you know what happens when you look inward for too long. You start thinking you have complexes and shortcomings that aren’t there, and deciding this or that is the reason you can’t love or can only get off by being spanked with a cricket bat and then you dump all your money to some therapist before you end up sitting on the floor in your apartment with a bucket of chicken wearing nothing more than your underwear as you smear the grease on your chest and….oh, wait, this was just my Saturday night. Ok then…

But sometimes, it’s best to look at everyone else and point out their faults. Well, maybe not best but it sure is a hell of a lot more fun. And it’s easier to blame others for your problems than yourself (unless you’re Catholic). So let’s start that process today by examining what should be the Adams Division or maybe the Northeast except for that thing where the two Florida teams are involved because Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa fans love to go to Florida in the winter if they don’t live there already. Seriously, have you been to that stretch between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami in January? It’s lousy with French-Canadians. They’re everywhere, interspersed with the old Jewish men who constantly looked bewildered. Probably because they are. Oh, and Scum. Because Detroit is so far Northeast.

Everything Else

We’ve been looking inward for a bit now, and you know what happens when you look inward for too long. You start thinking you have complexes and shortcomings that aren’t there, and deciding this or that is the reason you can’t love or can only get off by being spanked with a cricket bat and then you dump all your money to some therapist before you end up sitting on the floor in your apartment with a bucket of chicken wearing nothing more than your underwear as you smear the grease on your chest and….oh, wait, this was just my Saturday night. Ok then…

But sometimes, it’s best to look at everyone else and point out their faults. Well, maybe not best but it sure is a hell of a lot more fun. And it’s easier to blame others for your problems than yourself (unless you’re Catholic). So let’s start that process today by examining what should be the Adams Division or maybe the Northeast except for that thing where the two Florida teams are involved because Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa fans love to go to Florida in the winter if they don’t live there already. Seriously, have you been to that stretch between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami in January? It’s lousy with French-Canadians. They’re everywhere, interspersed with the old Jewish men who constantly looked bewildered. Probably because they are. Oh, and Scum. Because Detroit is so far Northeast.

Everything Else

Going to pause our season preview a bit and just clean up some stuff today.

-I think it’s best to delve into what bothers me most about this whole Saad-at-center thing. I’m not opposed to experimentation in camp, because it’s the best time to do it. And while every beat writer seems to want to race each other in being the first to say it looks pretty good so far, here’s my biggest issue (and it’s not that there are two natural centers right there for the choosing, although it’s close).

The Hawks are not blessed with power forwards. Bryan Bickell is considered one, and at times he is. But as all of you who have watched the Hawks closely for years know, he’s not always. Maybe he will be now with continued top six time, but have we seen him do it for a season?

Everything Else

With actual blades hitting actual ice today, and the temperature dropping below Bikram yoga in hell, it actually feels just a little bit like hockey is pretty close. Not so you could reach out and touch it, but soon enough.

Today I’m going to make up my own question to answer, because that’s just the guy I am. And it addresses who the Hawks will miss most that is gone from last year’s team.