Well, the season has started. I'm sure you were all at the game Saturday night. I saw some great, some good, some bad and some ugly some missing/unimpressive and the typical.


THE GREAT

Whitfield. Was he everywhere? Can you believe his wheels? Like I've said many times before, he can change a game himself. Whitfield on the penalty kill almost makes it 5 on 5. He skated his heart out on Saturday, banging everyone, shooting, backchecking...

Mike Peluso. Skate, shoot, backcheck, throw a few shoves. Mikey wasn't taking any crap. If he keeps it up, he'll be in Washington before we can say, "Zednik."

Elomo. The shots, the speed. No, wait... that's right... the GOALS!!! Glad he found out how to play in this league, for now. Let's see if he can keep it up. Bad penalty in the 3rd to nullify the powerplay. I bet Barrie Moore would have scored.

THE GOOD

Metro. He can fly. He shoots well, and a lot. I saw him slacking a few times, however. He would be great, but because of that is is just good, for now. It seemed as though he was always involved, I'm happy he is here.

Baumer. He was a rock.

The Captain. That move in the 3rd period at the goal line(I hope you saw it) made me say to JF Fortin, who was standing beside me at the time, "Who was that?" Then I saw the #10, and I said, "It figures." He had quite the edge also, dropping the gloves at the end of the 2nd.

Vochkov. Clearly(not Cleary) he now understands backchecking. Guys like Art and Brochu appreciate his efforts now. Get him the puck.

Ficenec. I think he's going to be really good. He was screaming on offence and defence.

Huscroft. That hit in the corner took the cake as the best check I've ever seen a Pirate throw. For more on Huscroft, see THE UGLY.

Brochu. A couple of great saves allowed us not to be embarrased. Let's hope he holds.(You are welcome, Art.)

Fortin. No, he didn't play. I watched most of the 3rd period with him. We chatted about the players, and he had great things to say about every one of them. He is just a regular guy, with skills 2 million times better than me. Typical Portland player, really nice to fans. I asked him, just making conversation with the guy standing next to me, why Huscroft was on the powerplay. In a strong French accent, he said, "He's a veteran." I said, "Who do you play for?" I thought I recognized him, but didn't want to be rude. "Pirates, Fortin," he said, and extended his hand for a shake. Glad to meet you JF. Let's hope you can make THE GOOD list when you play, too.

THE BAD

The music. nope, this is going under THE UGLY

Siklenka. He's big and powerful, but my lord, is he slow. Size isn't everything, do something.

Cannonball's cannon. What was that? Great idea, but they could only put shirts on Sputnik with the velocity!

Brochu. Just because the low outside goal could have been stopped by Art. For more on Brochu, see THE GOOD.

Paul Cahalane. Skipped the second game of the season because his buddy Tony was getting married in Mass. Hey, what could I do?

Shmyr. The first fight was good, the second was bad. He did ok, but I really wanted more from him. Hopefully, he's just working out the bugs of the game. He's not dropping them as much as I thought he would, but we'll see..

THE UGLY

Huscroft. What on the Green Earth is this guy doing on our powerplay? He could not score on Art, he's certainly not going to ring up a slapshot from the blueline. For more on Huscroft, see THE GOOD.

The music. As much as the music is for us, the players hear it too. For the players, play more rock. No way a guy lining up is getting excited because the Dixie Chicks are playing across the PA. How typical is "We Will Rock You?" We need a song to start the game that is distinctive to Portland. I'd suggest a song by U2 on the Pop album, "MoFo." That tune would get anyone pumped at the start of the game. I hate "Green Acres."

THE MISSING/UNIMPRESSIVE

Mulhern. Zettler. Herr. I hate to say it, but Moore. These guys have to be there, ready to get the job done. Didn't happen. Especially Herr. He's supposed to be a great prospect. I remember watching him at Piney Orchard a couple of years ago. I thought, "Wow, that kid is going to be here." (That was when I was living in Washington DC) Nope, not unless he starts showing us the tools that got him to Portland.

THE TYPICAL

Steve Poapst. No flash, no spotlight. Just solid. Every game.

That is what I saw. Overall, I see a much better team than last year. We've got speed, power, defense and brawn. We'll surely make the playoffs. I'll be happy with that.

Do or Die
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