I Don't Tan, I Am Two Toned!

So what, I can’t leave for a few days, get some rest, soak up some sun in Florida, maybe miss a few Caps games (i.e. no internet, barely cell service, no cable). I took the opportunity to kind of recharge the batteries, make some life decisions (not really) and made the decision to stop reporting the games as so much as to comment on them on my blog.

That means Puckhead’s Thoughts is going to go through some changes. Maybe a new look to my site and maybe I will update those links so the other 500 Capitals’ bloggers don’t feel snubbed (so bloggers send me your links and I will promise to try and get them up).

So much has happened since I took a plane ride to Sarasota and back that I just don’t know where to start. I want to talk about a plethora of things as we head into All-Star festivities in Dallas. The new jerseys, the fact that I can call Ovechkin an all-star winger now, Luc Robitaille’s tearful speech as they retired his jersey in L.A., the fact that I missed like 4 episodes of “I Love New York” on VH1, just so much going on!

Alright, let’s start with the jerseys. I was going to raise a huge stink after seeing the Olympic jerseys as the NHL goes for a more sleeker look. Personally, I did not like the form fitting jerseys that the Canadians and Americans wore. I prepared to go off on a huge rant about the new jerseys.

Then I saw the new look in USA Today and read the article. The league is not doing away with horizontal stripes, they are not going to be tucking in the jerseys, and the jerseys are not that form fitting (although days of speedy guys ripping down the ice and the jerseys flapping behind them is gone).

I found my self actually liking the new look. What the Caps sweaters are going to look like down the road remains to be seen, I may end up hating those. The rumor of the Capitals returning to their red, white and blue days seems more and more likely with the arrival of the new jerseys (plus it will be easier for Ovie and Semin to wear the red, white and blue when they go back and play for the Russian national team).

A lot of people have been making some gruffling remarks about the new apparel, saying the NHL is just looking to make money off fans who have to buy the new jerseys. Well, yea. I mean the NHL is not a non for profit people. Some in Canada think it’s a disaster that Reebok is “Americanizing” the game of hockey. Um, okay. You don't want the game to be Americanized, but the league can't survive with out the U.S. markets, hmm.

The only downside to the new jerseys, in my opinion, is it’s too soon. The league has just survived a lockout, a new CBA and a salary cap. We have new rules in place and new players to promote, too much is going on all at once. The jerseys can wait, let the NHL soak in a few years before you go changing everything.

The game is faster, and more fun to watch, especially in person. Let that be the league’s selling point, instead of some flashy new jerseys (Buffalo, are you listening?). You have to ease those old traditionalists into the hot tub of the new hockey or they just will gripe and complain about the water being too hot. These are the same guys that would like to bring clutching and grabbing back into the league, fyi.

So as much as I like the new jerseys, I just think Gary Betteman should have given it a year or two for the new NHL to start growing some roots.

Other NHL News:

Just because Ovie has tickets to Dallas, doesn’t mean the other players are sitting around picking their noses. Want to know what players are doing during the five day break, check out washingtoncaps.com’s article.

Luc Robitaille’s number was retired at the Staples Center. I met Luc twice as a kid, both times he was extremely nice. The last time I met him was under a couple of bags of ice in the locker room and I remember thinking “Wow, he must be in some pain.” But Robitaille was very nice and said hello.

Alex Ovechkin is finally an all-star winger, I have wanted to say that since I witnessed his two goal start to his NHL career against the Blue Jackets over a year ago. Now I can. He will be on a line with Sid “the Kid” Crosby. It should be highly entertaining.

Okay, it’s not NHL news, but it is for me. I have started working for XM Satellite Radio in DC. I mostly work overnights on the traffic channels. It’s my first radio gig since leaving Tucson. Although it’s not the big pay check I had hoped for, it is fun to work the overnights again. So if you have XM and are up at 3 am, you can listen to me slaughter street names in Orlando (or other cities as well, I am an equal opportunity mispronouncer). If you don’t have XM, I am required by contract to call you a loser and tell you to get it because all the cool kids have it. Plus they carry NHL games, can’t beat that. (P.S. there is nothing I can do about the massive commercial presence of XM on NHL.com, live with it).

That is all I got.