Teebz's Book Club

I never thought I'd have a picture of Oprah on this blog, but now I do. Why? For starters, she has always been an advocate of reading, and she does a great job in promoting great authors. Her book reviews are generally pleasant, but her reviewers do a good job in the reviews themselves. Well, I've been given the opportunity to review books as well, so I am proud to say that I am starting "Teebz's Book Club" today in order for you to get an insight on a few good hockey books. And I've already started with a few great books.

I'm going to try to have a review ready for the start of each month at this early point in time. I have three books on the go right now, and one is nearly done. That is the first book I will review. The others will be finished as soon as humanly possible, and those reviews will be tentatively set for early November and December. If you know of a hockey fan, these might be invaluable to you as Christmas gift ideas, and I will link back to a site where you can get these books.

In all honesty, I am excited to bring this sort of activity to this blog for the people who enjoy reading this site, and for people who enjoy reading as it is. Teebz's Book Club will mainly deal with hockey literature, but I also may branch out into other areas that have hockey-related items included. My first review should be done before Halloween, so check back soon if you want to see what I am reading.

I do want to say thank you to a lady by the name of Kate Henderson. Without her, this new endeavour on Hockey Blog In Canada may not have been possible, or even considered. Thank you, Miss Henderson.

How The Mighty Have Fallen: If you look down the standings in the NHL today, there are two franchises who posted 100+ point seasons last year that are at the bottom of their respected divisions.

Last season's President's Trophy winners in the Barney Rubble Hairpieces have posted a 3-4-0 record in seven games this season, and currently sit ten points behind division-leader Ottawa. It was expected that the Hairpieces wouldn't be as strong as last season after all the departures, but I don't think anyone would have expected Lindy Ruff's team to struggle this much early on. Hopefully they can turn it around because they have a young, exciting team.

The other team sitting in the cellar of their division is the Nashville Predators. Nashville is 2-5-0 in seven games thus far, and have only shown brief flashes of the team they were last season. In fact, Chris Mason hasn't been close to his phenomenal record of last season, and the team is hurting for scoring after the departures of Peter Forsberg, Paul Kariya, Scott Hartnell, and Kimmo Timonen. They are nine points back of division-leading Detroit, and trail perennial cellar-dwellers in Columbus, Chicago, and St. Louis. Barry Trotz has to get his team on track, or it will be a long season of empty seats in Music City.

Atlantic Flip-Flop: If you look quickly at the Atlantic Division's standings, you might do a double-take. Philadelphia, who finished last season in last place, is leading the division with twelve points. The New York Islanders, who finished fourth in the division, is second with ten points. Pittsburgh, who finished second last season, sits third with eight points. The New Jersey Devils, who won the Atlantic Division last season, sit fourth with seven points. That leaves the New York Rangers, who finished third in the division last season, in last place with five points.

The Rangers, who have been struggling thus far this season, were picked by many pundits to win their division, and possibly advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. If Tom Renney can't right the ship in Madison Square Garden, don't be surprised if GM Glen "I'll trade anyone" Sather starts heating up the phone lines.

Hank Is On Fire: Your leading point-getter this season is Henrik Zetterberg after three weeks. He sits atop the leaderboard with an astounding 17 points (7G, 10A) in nine games. If Zetterberg can play in all 82 games this season, he's on pace for a 154-point campaign.

Now, we all know that streaks come and go, but Hank has been firing on all cylinders so far, and Detroit has rode that streak to a 6-2-1 record. For the 7th-round, 210th overall pick in the 1999 entry draft, Detroit has shown that there is no dollar value on good scouting. Especially when it leads to continual winning.

Tonight's Sked: There are some big games in the NHL tonight. I'll run them down quickly with the overview of what each team needs in their respective game.

1) New York Rangers @ Pittsburgh Penguins - Rangers need a win badly, and Pittsburgh looks to continue to build after starting slow.
2) Atlanta Thrashers @ Toronto Maple Leafs - both clubs need a win desperately. Atlanta and Toronto can't afford to fall further behind if they want to make the playoffs.
3) Colorado Avalanche @ Edmonton Oilers - Ryan Smyth returns to Rexall Centre as the Oilers look to beat a divisional rival in their quest for the playoffs.
4) Columbus Blue Jackets @ Chicago Blackhawks - both teams look to build on decent starts as they work towards a playoff spot. Toews and Kane look to continue their run for the Calder Trophy.
5) Anaheim Ducks @ St. Louis Blues - both teams started slowly, and both are looking to make their way up the standings. Kariya faces the Ducks on home ice in St. Louis for the first time.
6) Nashville Predators @ Los Angeles Kings - two struggling teams look to turn their seasons around with a win tonight. Mike Cammalleri shares the goal-scoring lead with eight goals. Nashville must shut down Cammalleri and Kopitar.

That's all for today. I should have my first review up in the next couple of days.

Until then, keep your sticks on the ice!