In case you missed it (and I mean that in at least two senses of "miss"), the 2005-6 NHL season started yesterday. I'm excited about this. There have been so many trades, deals, and signings that practically no-one is with the team they were with when I last saw them, and I think this is a good thing. It means, for example, that Paul Kariya now plays for a team within a day's drive of me, one without an embarrassing cartoon name and logo (yet sadly one not in the same division as the team down the street, so they meet only twice this season).

Tomorrow night we're going to see the Carolina Hurricanes' home opener against Pittsburgh. Should be a good one--Lemieux is still workin' and they have a new rookie sensation who's already been crowned the new Chosen One. Meanwhile Carolina has a new rookie goalie, who will get his first NHL start because their intended starter is busted somehow. Carolina also has a bunch of ex-Ducks, including one their former centers and a defenseman or two (Hey Hurricanes, I know where you can find a great ex-Duck left wing, but he ain't cheap, even after that totally lackluster year in Colorado). Both teams lost their season openers, with Lemieux going scoreless and rookie Crosby picking up an assist (over in Nashville, Kariya had scored a goal and (gasp!) served two minutes in the box in the Preds' win over San Jose). Should be a good game, since nobody wants to start the season 0-2. Rookie goalie + one of the two greatest players to ever play the game could possibly = blowout. We shall see.