Cats Season Preview: The WWL

Who slammed the door and woke up ESPN? Well now that they're aroused, we'll let 'em in, if only because of the beautiful and completely unexpected NHL Season Preview edition of ESPN The Magazine.

Similarly, is there ever, and I mean ever, an occassion where referring to "ESPN The Magazine" as "ESPN Magazine" is allowed in society? I mean, no matter how often or hard they try to pound it into us we still refer to "The Home Depot" as "Home Depot" That will never change. So stop making it sound retarded in the television ads. No self-respecting bacon-and-egger swingin' hammer and hangin' door will ever call it "The Home Depot".

OK. ESPN. Their preview, written by Scott Burnside, is loaded with info, and rather impressive for the WWL considering this is a sport they don't cover with any enthusiasm. At all. However, so real effort went into their presentation for 2008-09.

"Not only do the Panthers boast a bevy of top prospects, they also boast the hottest young coaching property in the NHL."

Rather impressed, and worth reading all of the Southeast Division previews.

DeBoer Anxious, Groulx Excited, MacLean Still Doesn't Own the Lightning

"No, this hat ain't for falling expectations..."

New Cat coach Peter DeBoer is ready to get to work, as profiled by an AP story in The Sporting News (and I'd swear I read most of it days ago in one of the Big 3 locals):

"He's also in a city (Miami) where he's already looking forward to wearing shorts to the practice rink in January."

Miami again. Hey...fantastic idea for a new poll! I'm on it. Finally on P-Deb (do I supremely suck or what?), he's been contrasted with Washington first-year phenom Bruce Boudreau in many circles. I'm trying to work up a crafty Slap Shot 2 reference but find I'm creatively bankrupt at the moment.








Hockey Canada gives it's blessing to coach Benoit Groulx and his ascension to Rochester, according to the Ottawa Sun:

"We have a lot of depth in the coaching ranks. I understand his desire to get to the next level. That's the way Hockey Canada should be."

Nice, thoughtful explanation. Kinda flies in the face of their naming this guy as Groulx's replacement, however.

"Not so fast with that sweater, Dougie!"

Former Panthers coach (the last one of the morning, I assure you) Doug MacLean is gonna gab season-long on HockeyCentral, a show on Sportsnet. For our many puckhead friends in Phoenix, Sportsnet is a sports-related cable television channel in Canada that headlines with hockey. Read that last part again. It's the anti-ESPN.

Anyway, MacLean will be doing opinion and commentary. That's better than team ownership, right?