I'm not sure it was really talked about a ton this summer, but how huge is Brian Rafalski for Detroit? He sure fit right in last night, dishing and shooting, and playing that tenacious Jersey defense. I watched him fairly often when he was a Devil, and I always thought he was solid, but unspectacular. Watching him last night against the Ducks, his -1 and all, I was really impressed. That's the thing about the Devils. They always have/had great players, but they never get any kind of chance to shine. Brent Sutter, the Devils' new coach, is trying to reinvent the Devils, going so far to wonder about the role of a checking line. Sutter mused aloud to the Post: "I'm not saying there's anything wrong, but I don't like the idea of having a checking line that's just your checking line." That's like Bruce Springsteen asking if every song needs a saxophone solo. It's just madness. But maybe the Devils are going to try and let their talent hang out a little more.
Detroit beat the Ducks in the shootout, 3-2.

So Jason Smith, aka not Sami Kapanen, is the new captain of the Flyers (login info.).
Obviously, I wasn't consulted on this. I guess it's better than Buffalo's Captain of the Month Club. The C comes with a nice mustard, too, as part of Buffalo's ongoing commitment to the criminally underused Mustard of the Month Club concept.
Also, I know this is old, but I kind of forgot to mention it: how is Jay McKee injured already? At this rate, St. Louis will be lucky if they get 100 games out of his contract.
Also, here is my take on the NHL off-season for n+1, the journal of politics, literature, and culture.

When we talk about good mainstream newspaper bloggers, I don't think we talk about Christine Daniels enough. Or at least I don't. She had a funny bit yesterday:

DUCKS, KINGS Over the weekend: They traveled a long way for a measly two points apiece, splitting a season-opening series in London, where they were surprised to learn the British sports culture is not so different after all. In England, it’s tough to find Versus on the telly too.

And while we're talking about the Ducks and Kings in England, how does the LA Times cover that as a road game while not covering road games in the United States (login info.)? I think the NHL totally punk'd the Times with this.

Last week, there was some weird buzz about the Rangers fighting the NHL over control of their own Web site. Yesterday, Larry Brooks got into the details, speculating the issue isn't just the Rangers' Web site. Brooks says the issue also involves the direction, or lack thereof, of the NHL itself. This paragraph pretty much sums the whole thing up:

According to one source, the NHL projects revenue of merely $4 million through European enterprises this season, that compared to the approximately $125 million the NBA is believed to generate from its international endeavors. Despite a player base that's greater than 30 percent European, the NHL has failed to take any meaningful initiatives regarding globalization, just as it has failed to take any meaningful economic initiatives at all - other than redesigning its clubs' uniforms to capitalize on retail sales, that is.

On a semi-related note, Tim Panaccio, via Spector says the six Canadian teams represent more than a third of the league's revenue. I'm not sure if that was measured before or after the surge of the Canadian dollar, but it does spotlight just how the NHL really hasn't made any inroads anywhere. The NHL in Prague next season? Was England that much of a priority? During the World Cup?