AUTHOR: The Maven TITLE: The first of many musings DATE: 10/04/2006 01:40:00 PM ----- BODY:

MY RANGER CONCERN: Heading into Thursday nights opener against Washington, I look at the Rangers with more optimism than in years; but one thing bothers me about the Blueshirts and that concerns the negative talk that has enveloped Darius Kasparaitis since the two of us chatted at the Rangers golf outing last month. Never did I doubt that the Larrupin’ Lithuanian would have any doubts about making the Final Four on D. Yet, front office soundings – especially from coach Tom Renney – leave me wondering how far Darius is from taking a regular turn. This much is certain; there is no better liked player on the team and no one whose leadership qualities come so naturally. Hopefully, he’ll recover from his off-season tribulations and return to the coveted spot he once occupied. A BRODEUR BOOK: The journalist in Martin Brodeur has been evident for the past couple of years while he authored a column for a French language Montreal daily. So, it seems perfectly natural that the Devils goalie would move up to the realm of book writing. The result is Brodeur: Beyond The Crease, Wiley Publishing. The most surprising aspect of Marty’s venture is that his co-author is Damien Cox, a columnist for The Toronto Star. Actually, the explanation is simple: they met through a mutual friend, hit it off – that’s easy with Marty – and the result is 276 pages of good hockey reading. THE FORGOTTEN MARTINEK: With all of the hullabaloo over the Islanders acquisition of Brendan Witt not to mention Mike Sillinger, the most overlooked Islander as they prepare for their opener at Phoenix on Thursday night is defenseman Radek Martinek. Until his injury a few years ago, the Czech backliner struck me as someone with Second All-Star potential but injuries and managerial disfavor militated against it. I say this is going to be Martinek’s breakout year and if he stays healthy it wouldn’t surprise me if he becomes one of the top two Islander men of the blueline. WHAT DO THEY WANT FROM LOU? I had to laugh reading a Bob McKenzie piece in which he infers that some general managers are upset with Lou Lamoriello for the magical way in which he seemed to escape – Houdini-wise – from what appeared to be a hermetically sealed Cap. What did they expect Lou to do – sit in the corner and mope? The man did precisely what any solid general manager would do, what was best for his team. For those who question the legality of the process, all they have to do is read the words of Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly who carefully explained why the Vlad Malakhov trade was on the level. “Obviously, as with any trade, we scrutinize the facts of every trade. This one was no different. Ultimately, at the end of the day, it's our responsibility to uphold the spirit and letter of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. We consulted with the Players' Association on this. The bottom line was, in its form, it was a legitimate hockey trade with a trade of player rights and draft picks. It was not something we had any basis to object to or reject. “First of all, Malakhov, while he is -- his current status is he's a suspended player. He has not formally or officially signed his voluntary retirement papers. As a result, he is not ineligible to play in the League. If he were, it may have been a different answer on the permissibility of the trade. But he is not getting paid. He's a suspended player. There is no cash changing hands. There is a cap charge related to his contract on the basis of him having been an over 35 player at the time he entered into his contract. But there is no payment being made to him. ” Case closed! SABRES FIND: Any doubt that Buffalo still has the goods was dissipated on opening night at Raleigh. The club’s shootout win underlines the fact that the goaltending pair of Ryan Miller (last night’s winner) and Marty Biron gives coach Lindy Ruff as good a duet in the crease as any in the league. The Sabres showed poise amid a hostile opening night crowd that featured all the attendant Stanley Cup hoopla. Briere demonstrated with his splendid shootout goal that he should have another sensational year. Okay, it was only one game. But Buffalo comes off with a grade A for starters.

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Anonymous DATE:10/06/2006 10:17:00 PM Nice looking new blog there! I think Marty will break one or two records this season. Maybe not in the literary circles, but definitely in the crease. Witt is a welcome addition on the Islanders, but there are so many questions that can't be answered yet. Only time will tell, and eveyone will have their predictions, and we can all laugh about them come April. Only definite... "in Nolan We Trust"! ----- --------