Hockey is Back

Hockey has returned and I for one am glad I did not think I was going to get so excited by the return. I have been looking forward to watching the game and seeing how the changes have impacted the game. I was able to watch several pre season games but the games did not have the intensity of regular season games.

The games tonight were exciting and even though I am a Hockey Purist I enjoyed the shootout, I just hope that a playoff series is not decided by a shootout. The crackdown on clutching and stick use does make the games flow much faster. It is only the first night but I am excited by the prospect of exciting games.

I also see a lot of parity in the league so mistakes on the ice will cost teams dearly and I think the Northwest division is probably the best and toughest in the league.

Since I am Flames fan I really excited to see the changes they have made while keeping a good core to build upon. Yes they did lose tonight but I do not think we can make any judgments until about 15 games into the season as the players get accustomed to the changes and we get a better idea of how the new rules will impact play and allow the league to make any tweaks they find necessaary.