Enjoy, as they say 'there aint any friendlies in hockey'

Hoping to get across to Chicago later this year and catch a couple of games

Ex Sheffield Steelers Player Coach Ben Simon has been given the Assistant Coaches job at Rockford Ice Hogs!! Wonder if this will lead to a few more Brits given a chance to go over and try out in the minors. Was disappointed to see Dave Phillips come back, thought he may have stayed a long while over there.

Year of the Blueshirts next year. Got Callaghan, Dubinksy locked up and adding Richards gives us a great few lines and still have King Henrik between the pipes.

Rick Rypien found dead in his home in Alberta Wade Belak has been found dead!!!!!

Apparently took his own life.

Thats 3 NHLers is just over 4 months.

Think the NHL need to takle a look at what is happening with the players mental welfare in what is at times a brutal contact sport particularly for the enforcer/fighters of which all 3 of these guys were.

Saw Belak play a few times whenever I was in Toronto and was lucky enough to see him ply his trade in the UK during the lock out year.

Such another sad loss

R.I.P Fella

R.I.P Wade Belak

More tragic news for ice hockey fans this off season with the plane crash in Russia today with the Lokomotiv KHL team on board.Over 40 people died including a few former nhl players.Vasicek,Skrastins,Demitra and Salei are said to be among the dead.

Tragic and awful news. Brad McCrimmon was the Coach and Hawks ex player Igor Korolev was assistant coach.

R.I.P

R.I.P

Boston Bruins have re-signed restricted free agent Brad Marchand to a two-year, $5 million contract

We're a few days into the pre season and i'm getting worried that there won't be any NHL on tv this year as the NHL have sold broadcasting rights for the next 5 years to somebody called AMI and they so far haven't got an agreement with anybody in this country to show games.I'm still hopeful ESPN can agree a price to show it or I will have to sign up for gamecentre online as I can't go without watching hockey.

Lets Go Bruins!

Got a link for Game Centre this side of the Atlantic?

I've not got it yet but if you go on nhl.com you can sign up for it on there.On the HF Boards forum there's a discussion about the european sign up for nhl gamecentre and some people are having problems with it so i'm waiting for the season to start before getting it so i know it works properly for us over here.