When do we get National Hockey Night?
by oiler on Wednesday, October 10th, 2007 at 10:01am
The Leafs and Canes were the lone game on the NHL schedule Tuesday night. While playing before a national audience in the US, the 7-1 blowout reminded me again why the league needs a Monday Night Football or Sunday Night Baseball or Hockey Night in Canadia type event in the United States.
Saturday nights just won’t do it in America. Since it doesn’t get -20 degrees (F) in the states during hockey season, most people down here are out on Saturday nights and not next to a fire in front of their tv. But a Tuesday or Wednesday night that features one marquee game sounds like a good idea that can’t hurt.
On the ice Tuesday, the Carolina Hurricanes scored 7 straight goals in a rather wide open fashion against the ever-struggling Toronto Maple Leafs.
And in case you missed it, Leafs winger Jason Blake has been diagnosed with “a rare form of leukemia” but is already receiving treatment for it and isn’t expected to miss any considerable playing time. Cancer is nothing new in the hockey community, most recently noted when Canadiens captain Saku Koivu missed most of the 2001-02 season with abdominal cancer and of course Mario Lemiuex’s battle with Lymphona in the mid-90’s.
12 games scheduled for tonight, including 20 year old Carey Price’s first start in net for Montreal. He’ll have the good fortune of facing the Pens in Pittsburgh.