Time, for a change

The Winter Classic will have a bit of a twist. Midway through the third period the goalies (presumably Ryan Miller and Ty Conklin) will switch ends. If overtime is needed, the ice will be divided evenly, too. This has been determined to eliminate any chance of a wind or sunlight advantage.

We think this highlights a need to have the NHL consider a change in how all NHL games are played.

The new NHL has given us the shootout, restricted the size of goaltender's equipment and removed the center red line to make the game more appealing. Purists balked at tampering with the tradition, but the game has improved. So how can the NHL make anymore improvements? No, the net doesn't need to get bigger.

We would suggest the NHL adopt a four period game. Four 15 minute periods. Before you think that it would add too much time, consider that it only takes about half the time alloted to clean the ice during intermissions. It takes seven minutes for two Zambonis to flood the ice between periods. The NHL should mandate the ice be off-limits for things like Sumo Hockey, Turkey Bowling and pee-wee shinny. Instead of two 20 minute intermissions, why not two ten minute intermissions between the first and third and a regular 20 minute halftime?

The ice would be smoother longer making the game faster.

It would reduce the second period burden of having to skate to the far bench for a line change.

Fans would have equal opportunity to see their team shoot twice at their end of the building. Think the folks up in F-32 would mind seeing the Pens shoot there for an extra stanza?

Blues for thirds next year

This year's league-wide uniform change meant no team was permitted to use a third, or alternate jersey. That could change for Pittsburgh next year as the team is expected to ask the NHL for permission to wear an alternate for the 2008-09 season. The popularity of the Columbia Blue jersey being used for the Winter Classic game has not gone unnoticed by the team. Expect that to be the basis for the new jersey.

Scrambled EGGS?

No doubt that Coach MT uses a Yahtzee! cup to assemble his lines. But finally, he's got a hot line with Erik Christensen, Gary Roberts and Georges Laraque. Each member of the line had multiple-point game against the Bruins today. They have been a controlling trio.

They cycle, rotate, and scramble in the offensive zone. They forecheck like crazy and play killer keep--away. Two thirds of the trio have scrambled the brains of willing challengers.

Hockey doesn't have those famous-named lines of the past. Names like the "Century Line" of Syl Apps, Lowell MacDonald, and Jean Pronovost – also known as "The Bicentennial Line" – as they scored 100+ goals and 200+ points for four straight seasons. While we're are feeling all retro, why not call the Erik, Gary and Georges the EGG line? Why not the Scrambled Egg line?

We don't think any one will pick up on this, like, uh, "Boom! Goes the Dynamite," and the most likely thing to be scrambled are all of MT's lines.

Sneak peak at the throwback

Congrats to Gary Roberts on his 900th NHL point, but by far his highlight of the month was his dismantling of Philadelphia's Ben Eager. Old time hockey, for sure. Looking forward to the look of old time hockey in the New Year's Day Winter Classic when the Pens will sport the old Columbia Blue uniforms.

The goalies will be wearing retro-painted masks in blue and white and old-school brown leather pads. The team will break-in some of the new gear during tomorrow's practice.

Silly Simon

New York Islanders Chris Simon was suspended for a record 30 games for his stomping on Jarku Ruutu's leg.

This suspension is five games longer than previous NHL record for time off for bad behavior set by, you guessed it, Chris Simon.

The suspension, Simon's eighth in a 15-season NHL career, was announced hours before the Islanders played their first game without him since his latest infraction.

It's time to go, Simon.

RBK lost an Edge

What's more embarassing:
1. Having the nation watch your brand new sod field wash away on Monday Night Football?
2. Losing a chance to play for the BCS Championship because you were upset by a 28-point underdog rival?
3. Getting waived the day after your bobblehead night? or
4. Having your company's star client unhappy with your product?
Something you won't hear in the Reebok ad campaign: "In this jersey...I promise to fill my skates with sweat." The RBK EDGE jersey system - new and improved, moisture-repellent material - has gone the way of the synthetic NBA ball.

There had been rumblings that players league-wide had not embraced the jersey material. Players said the jerseys were indeed staying dry, but the moisture was seeping inward, making gloves and skates fill with sweat and ice. This gave equipment managers an extra headache because they had to buy more gloves, more skates and more glove drying trees. The sweatband budget tripled too.

Seats near the dressing room runway at last night's Pens-Coyotes game confirmed what we suspected we were seeing on HD broadcasts. The Pens uniforms have changed. The Pens are wearing jerseys made with different material. Counting the pre-season uniforms, the Penguins are five games into their third set of jerseys.

Reebok very quietly offered to replace the jerseys with modified versions of the EDGE to individual players that requested a change. Teams were given the option on what players to swap out and the Pens have swapped the entire team set

So, what material is being used now? AirKnit - the same material that had been used for the last ten years.