It's now the middle of Novemeber and time to again evaluate the team. We're in such a tough division, it's difficult to tell how good we are looking at the standing. It's like judging the Pats, 6-3 and in 4th. So, right now we are not in 1st place. Big deal. Very rarely does the President's Trophy winner get the Cup. I've seen a plethora(big word) of things I've loved so far. Here are a few:

The play of Volchkov. Almost everyone wrote this kid off. He was supposed to be great. Better than great. He was horrible for the first 3 years, I'll give you that. Now he is playing to the level we expected. He shoots, passes, hits, and plays great defense. Give Washington a 5 game losing streak, and we've got no Alex. I don't want to hear about "contract year." It's a mature year. He's figured it out. He's older and better. He'll be in the top 20 scoring in the NHL later in his career.

Mike Peluso's attitude. Mike can score, we all know that. I think somewhere in the offseason, he stopped by his cousin's house and had a few lessons. You can learn a lot from a Stanley Cup bruiser. Mike is scoring, skating, banging, getting it done. He's out with a brain bruise right now, but he'll be back. The shoulder is fine. You've got to love a guy who brings all aspects like Tkachuk.

Whitfield's forecheck. Does that guy ever run out of gas? He screams into the other zone, bothers the defensemen, and then gets back in time to play D also. Reminds me of the play of Mike Peca. Trent turned a corner this summer and it is well noticed. I'll take him on the Caps penalty kill any day of the week.

The Guardians. Kent Hulst and Steve Poapst. I have yet to find a problem with either one of these guys in any game I've ever seen them play. Hopefully, for them(and not for us), with expansion they can find homes in the NHL. I can name 30 guys at their respective positions that these horses are better than. Maybe next year...

Elomo, Elomo, Elomo... Points, points, points. Another guy who found his heart and skill. Bye bye soon. Tell Mr. Wilson we said hello.

Barrie Moore's contribution. He's always figuring in something. GWG in this game, GTG in this game, always giving 110%. I'm a Moore fan, what can I do?

Jeff Toms streak. If not for injury, he'd probably still be going.

Brochu's shutouts. They erase his 5 GAA games and give us a great overall GAA.

Drapeau's intensity. He kills himself every shift. I can't understand how he plays the minutes he does. Bang, bang, bang, skate, skate, skate, bang, bang, bang, fight, bang, fight, skate, skate...bang...

A much better Boileau. He's 10 times better than he was last year. Give him a season or 2 more and he'll be in the NHL.

The fans. It's people like Nick Abrams, Art Kiersted, Charlie Logan, Pamela Harwood, Danny Jackson, Roseann Flores, Mary Arnott, Matt Marcello, Rob Hanson, Sterling Shepperd, and Rick Leavitt that keep me excited.

What I have not loved:

Trevor. Please get better. Portland hockey is not the same without you.

No Metro. We were riding high on this guy. He was our new JP. I'm happy for him that he's up in the NHL, but I wish we could have seen him longer. Good luck, Metro. You've always got a spot on our 1st line.

Depleted defense. Huscroft and Tezikov are up. Baumer is out, Zettler is out. Our boys have held their own, don't get me wrong, but if these guys were here, what a difference it would make. Thank Lord Stanley for Steve Poapst.

The Police. I've seen enough cheap shots this season to fill the Cumberland County jail. When are the "big boys" going to come in quell this? The last thing I would ever do is speak poorly of a guy who fights for a living, being 5'7, 155. Honestly, they've got to get in there. Downey would not let his hotshots take 2 cheap shots, neither would Purinton. Martin Laitre would not either. I guess that is why the people of Portland loved Kaminski.

(this one will be really popular) Unsteady goaltending. On some nights, Brochu could stop the top Oilers line from '87 and the top Canadiens line from '55 and '78, on other nights, he's not good enough to unseat Evegeny Riabchikov. The quick glove and and quick pad are great, but keep him close to the crease. We've given up a few because he's wandered too far. The backups are backups, and will always be without proper playing time. We could have a much better record with more reliable stopping in the nets.

Where is Parrish? He played great last year. "The Banger" should be here.

The Unnoticed as of yet:

Nelson. What happened to 107 points? Herr. Made Caps team starting last season, and this year? Mulhern. 2 big point games does not make a player.
Ficenec. I'm waiting.
Shirreffs. We traded Bennie for him?
Fortin. The young guy will have his day in the sun.

Overall, this team is clearly much better than last year's team. They pass better, they play better, they win better. There are a few things to fix, and a few things to unearth, and when those are done, the Calder Cup will sit on the bar at Brian Boru and share a pint of Guinness with all of us.

Until next time...
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