2018-19 NHL thread

That's OK. I didn't mean to be pedantic as much as I enjoyed spreading the gospel of college hockey. As a youngster who was raised a three-hour drive from the nearest professional sports town (and that's Green Bay, so it's more like 4 1/2 to Milwaukee or 6 1/2 to the Cities) and five hours from the nearest Big 5-conference program, college hockey has done as much to lure me into this business as anything.

 

College hockey is fantastic. It's also the only college sport Boston gives a shit about.

 

Thanks to Hockey East, there are always at least two top-shelf college hockey games each Friday and Saturday night within a 30 minute drive of my home. And if I feel the need to ECAC, there's Harvard. It's great, and except for a few games, like BU-BC, tickets are not usually an issue.

 

How’s Kesler playing these days?

 

Not that good. He is 52 percent on faceoffs but everything else is subpar. He is minus-9. Ducks PK has been pretty good, but the offense really bad. Here is what Eric Stephens (former co-worker and still good friend) wrote in The Athletic in his quarter-season report card a few days ago.

Ryan Kesler
Grade: C-
The good is that the repaired and rehabilitated hip has not forced him to miss a game since he became ready to play on Oct. 10. He has been in most of the scheduled practices. The bad is he still looks a step (or two?) behind when it comes to putting himself in position to be the nuisance he is on the ice, whether in being a defensive demon against top centers or a forechecking beast that once drove the Ducks’ best puck possession line. Right now, his offense is almost nonexistent.

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I think it's an accurate assessment.

I didn't want to challenge Elliotte here on what he wrote about Kesler. Elliotte is at the top of his game, is a go-to guy for information and is someone I totally respect. I'm a retired sportswriter with some knowledge, but no access except what I see and read. Elliotte, in my opinion, used a technique I hate when he wrote that Kesler "might" miss the whole season. The mighty "might" gives the writer license to write any damn thing he wants. Well, he "might not" miss the whole season. Makes it so vague, but he created an issue and got some headlines.

On the ice, every time Kesler goes into the boards or gets dumped in the crease, I look to see how he is when he gets up, if there is any sign of a limp. So far, none. I cringe in OT (Ducks have played a league-high 8) because I fear he won't be able to keep up with the play on wide-open ice. That hasn't been a problem either. He is smart enough to overcome that defensively, but his OT offense is nil.

Very hard to assess the Ducks right now because of their injuries, but I stick by my original thought two offseasons ago that the Carlyle hiring is a mistake and he should be gone, sooner rather than later. His system does not work, 10 goals in the past 7 games.

 

One of the most bizarre things of the current college hockey age is that Minnesota teams are 1, 2 and 3 in the national polls and none of them are the Gophers (St. Cloud, UMD and Minnesota State Mankato).

 

Mick McGeough was one of the last to officiate without wearing a helmet.

Regina’s Mick McGeough, long-time hockey referee, dies at 62

 

Caps-Rangers has been fun so far. Skjei scored a goal on a shot so hard it nearly ricocheted to the blue line from inside the goal. Then two for the Caps, including a dazzling little up and under speed play from Vrana.

Yesterday might have been the first Caps game I have missed in years. So much else going on that a 4 p.m. Thanksgiving Friday game sort of fell off the radar.

 

And Tom Wilson with the empty netter. Cheers, Ragu.