Today's the day!
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
... the day that I got my Pell Grant check! Hoho!
But, no. That isn't the big news today. The big news, of course, is the start of the 2006-07 NHL season, which begins at 7:00 PM EST tonight with a pair of games! The Sabres at the Hurricanes on VERSUS, the Senators at the Maple Leafs on TSN (at 7:30 PM EST), and then both channels covering the Stars at the Avalanche starting at 10:00 PM EST.
It's a great time to be a fan of hockey. I don't know what it is, but you just get this good feeling about what to expect this season. I don't even mean that in terms of just being a fan of the Blue Jackets, but of the NHL and the sport itself. Like there's all this pent up energy that'd been held in check since the lock-out ended, largely because no one was sure how to really react during and after the end of last season, as many people wondered if hockey's return was a bust or not.
Regardless, one of the big things I am interested in is seeing how the NHL and VERSUS present the game this season. We've all heard and said the same things ... the MyNHL campaign or that "Warrior" ad campaign were a bunch of hooey. Or how OLN had to practically pull everything together in the span of just a few months before the season started. Here's some burning questions I have concerning what we'll see tonight on VERSUS:
-Will we start to see some quality CG opening graphics like the ones that ESPN and ABC used for the opening montage to hockey games?
-Who are the official announcers? Remember last season it was a proverbial merry-go-round as play-by-play analysts and color commentators came and went throughout the season, all the way up until the playoffs and even up until the Semis or Conference Finals. Emrick can't be there all the time, being the Devils' play-by-play analyst, and I'm not sure if Brian Engblom will stay in the booth with Clement or go down to the commentator's booth along with someone else.
-Will these longer intermissions and commercial breaks actually be used for giving us an extra focus on the game and the players themselves as has been advertised, or will they just feed us some more "You are a buffet of manliness" or "Silly little fairy" commercials with that extra time?
Hopefully at least two of these three questions can get some answers by the end of the night.
In any event, I know I'm ready for opening night tonight. And then opening CBJ night in two more days! I even have the ticket to prove it:
So let's get the ball rolling! Let's go! This several hour wait before the first puck drop of the season is like when you're a kid, and you stay up all night on Christmas Eve because you just can't sleep.
But, no. That isn't the big news today. The big news, of course, is the start of the 2006-07 NHL season, which begins at 7:00 PM EST tonight with a pair of games! The Sabres at the Hurricanes on VERSUS, the Senators at the Maple Leafs on TSN (at 7:30 PM EST), and then both channels covering the Stars at the Avalanche starting at 10:00 PM EST.
It's a great time to be a fan of hockey. I don't know what it is, but you just get this good feeling about what to expect this season. I don't even mean that in terms of just being a fan of the Blue Jackets, but of the NHL and the sport itself. Like there's all this pent up energy that'd been held in check since the lock-out ended, largely because no one was sure how to really react during and after the end of last season, as many people wondered if hockey's return was a bust or not.
Regardless, one of the big things I am interested in is seeing how the NHL and VERSUS present the game this season. We've all heard and said the same things ... the MyNHL campaign or that "Warrior" ad campaign were a bunch of hooey. Or how OLN had to practically pull everything together in the span of just a few months before the season started. Here's some burning questions I have concerning what we'll see tonight on VERSUS:-Will we start to see some quality CG opening graphics like the ones that ESPN and ABC used for the opening montage to hockey games?
-Who are the official announcers? Remember last season it was a proverbial merry-go-round as play-by-play analysts and color commentators came and went throughout the season, all the way up until the playoffs and even up until the Semis or Conference Finals. Emrick can't be there all the time, being the Devils' play-by-play analyst, and I'm not sure if Brian Engblom will stay in the booth with Clement or go down to the commentator's booth along with someone else.
-Will these longer intermissions and commercial breaks actually be used for giving us an extra focus on the game and the players themselves as has been advertised, or will they just feed us some more "You are a buffet of manliness" or "Silly little fairy" commercials with that extra time?
Hopefully at least two of these three questions can get some answers by the end of the night.
In any event, I know I'm ready for opening night tonight. And then opening CBJ night in two more days! I even have the ticket to prove it:
So let's get the ball rolling! Let's go! This several hour wait before the first puck drop of the season is like when you're a kid, and you stay up all night on Christmas Eve because you just can't sleep.
