Week In Review: Short Shifts

NESN personality Hazel Mae (she’s Canadian) reported yesterday morning that the Bruins had painted the new logo on TD Banknorth Garden’s floor. The boys are skating at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington until training camp opens next Thursday at the Garden.

The team travels to St. John’s, Newfoundland (where the AMHL photographer and I will be in late November), for the first of six pre-season games, on September 18th. There on “the Rock” they’ll battle the New York Islanders, whom Boston will face again in “the Hub” to conclude the pre-season.

The Bruins open the regular season on October 5th in Dallas. The next morning, the New England Hockey Radio Show returns to ESPN 890.

Three weeks later, I’ll be in Lake Placid for CAN/AM hockey camp, hoping to improve my AMHL game.

In AMHL News…

… Scott Gelin will return from his two-week hiatus from Las Vegas. I know “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”, but I can disclose that Gelin (rhymes with “not tellin’”) has made time to check out this blog. His room at the Venetian must have come with free Internet access.

The Internet: Blues’ forward Peter Kokas, who’s second in AMHL all-time scoring, will be watching at least one AMHL game via streaming audio. The power forward busted the pinky toe on his right foot while walking up the stairs at home. Lame injury, lame excuse. But Kokas says, “No way is it going into a skate right now.” He’s questionable for Tuesday’s tilt against the Penguins.

Scott Arnold, a veteran AMHLer who missed the last two seasons with a bad back, has made a comeback. The Capitals’ forward has five points in three games so far, and his back is holding up just fine. Arnold says about next Thursday, “I’m coming back.”

Arnold’s would-be teammate Pete Bagley, an AMHL fixture, was ready to make the transition from referee to player—until a zebra shortage forced him back into black and white stripes. No matter; you’ll find “Bags” yucking it up in the donut room after games.

In donut news…

…Dunkin’ Donuts’ Pumpkin Spice creation, a fan favorite in the AMHL, has returned to the shelves in nearby Stow, MA. The tasty ring of joy has not found its way to the West Concord store, which supplies the post-game spread for AMHLers. But if you’re reading from Buffalo, maybe you’ll find this tempting masterpiece at a local Dunkin’ Donuts? I’ll let our donut friend in Buffalo, the Blognut, comment on that.

Until next time, hockey (and donut) fans, I’ll either see you at Ristuccia, Valley Sports, Dunkin’ Donuts–or at a great site I discovered today.