TEAOTAS returns for the preseason.

Tamara and I actually attended the Leafs game together too, but since I made a video for that game I figured it was unnecessary for the TEAOTAS post. So for the first time this season, TEAOTAS has returned! I know you're all excited to hear about our stupidawesome adventures throughout this season as we go to games. We sat fairly close at the game yesterday and neither of us brought our cameras. Can you say epic fail? Ah well, I'm dangerous with a camera to begin with and sitting up close would have been more of a disaster if I had it on me. Tamara and I apparently were on the Flyers feed at one point if you were watching online or on the NHL Network, and were seen talking. Honest to God, that's not different from how we usually are during games anyways.

The Flyers got off to a quick 2-0 start and the annoying Flyers fans that were sitting near us caused a ruckus. Then that's when the onslaught began with eight straight goals. I was hoping for ten, but I GUESS nine is okay. :P It was a good way to end the preseason with a huge win like that, but as Flyers fans would probably say 'YOU BEAT OUR B-TEAM!!!111' That's your B-Team? They need some work. Better get on that, Phantoms.

Can we talk about Drew Stafford for a minute? You already have? I'm going to talk about him again anyways. I'm talking about the goal. You know what I'm talking about. As soon as the puck went into the net, I turned to Tamara and went 'that was an Ovechkin goal'. There's no video of it online as of yet, but it reminds me of the goal he scored against the Leafs two seasons ago. I stand by my statement that I said on Twitter that the guy is going to get 35+ goals this season. Not good in a contract year? I don't care, the guy deserves a good season and everyone to get off his back. He also got the first star which we were happy to see. :) Aww, Drewseph.

It's weird to think that the real season starts on Thursday for the league. It's about time, to be honest. I just wonder how the boys are going to come out against Ottawa on Friday...we shall see, won't we?

As an end to this post, I am leaving you with the new Ryan Miller ad. If you haven't seen it yet, please do. There's something about the frustration in his eyes when Don LeGreca says over the commercial 'but do you think they can be a Stanley Cup contender?' It speaks for this city, those eyes. Enjoy.

We Sabres fans thought that Vanek contract was bad.

Tamara is always awesome with informing me with hockey news, especially because of me working now often. I work through all the exciting stuff to happen. So she texted me and when I got out of work, I learned that Ilya Kovalchuk had signed with...

New Jersey.

For real? Okay, so I had a feeling that he might pull this sort of stunt to screw with our heads. Keep sitting on his hands until the RIGHT deal came up and it was with the same team he was on at the end of the season. I just never thought it would go through like that. So I thought to myself 'Okay Ilya, you're the ultimate douche and I hope the system kills your playing ability' etc. etc.

This was before I heard what the contract was. Seventeen years at nearly $150 million. I have no idea what the cap hit is per year, but to put it bluntly, holy shit. What happened to the salary cap? Could the NHL possibly go into a lockout mode sooner than they expected, again? This is ridiculous. I saw on Twitter the other day that maybe each team should have a maximum number of years they can sign a guy. I mean, who really thinks Ilya is going to play for seventeen more years? Anyone? He upped my shock face from when the Blackhawks signed Marian Hossa to that fifteen year contract last summer. I wasn't that surprised when Ovie was signed to a thirteen year deal though...

And Sabres fans were afraid of that Vanek contract. Some people still are. It makes me wonder if that was the contract that started everything. I hope not.

Postgame: 12-9-09

Ryan Miller got a shutout. Thomas Vanek was a presence on the ice, even though he didn't get any points. Nathan Gerbe scored his first NHL goal. Overall, a pretty damn good night for the Sabres! I was certain Alex Ovechkin would score in this game only because he always seems to score on the Sabres in every single game he's played against them. Out of all the games he's played in against the Sabres, he hasn't scored in four of them. Simply insane. It seemed every line that was put out against him played well though. I was equally excited when they showed Thomas give him a little bump to knock the puck away. Glad to see he didn't get on the scoresheet.

I had been beginning to miss the wonderful pan shots of Thomas and him spewing the f bomb everywhere. I got my wish tonight. They just always seem to put him on the screen when he's yelling at himself or just in general. Love it.

If the Sabres played like that every game, they would have a good chance to win night in and night out. It was a good response to two pretty bad games on Saturday and Monday. I hope they can do the same against 20 Cent and the Hawks on Friday, since Tamara and I are going to that game. I'm really glad that I've been getting to see a lot more western conference teams than I ever have in person this season. It's a nice change.

'Cause you're everywhere to me.

The image is from NHL Snipers.

Everywhere I look, I see these two. They are all over NHL.com today. This is because of the rivalry and the hype of the Penguins and Capitals meeting each other in the playoffs. I'm sure the marketing will be great for this series and what it's going to bring (and what it's brought so far, today). Two of the great superstars of the NHL of today facing one another for possibly seven games in the race to the Cup. I do not believe this rivalry crap for one second, though.

It might be because I like how both Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin play. Sure Sidney doesn't celebrate like Ovie does, and Ovie isn't a captain like Sid is, but they are each different in their own ways. The league are constantly playing the rivalry game, and I'm sure it's to amp everyone up when they face one another and to bring in tons of interest for the game. They could get so many viewers by hyping this entire series which I'm sure they have successfully done, myself being one to watch. That's because I like the Penguins.

Sidney and Alex are two different players. I believe they play two different styles of hockey. I don't care how great it is for the league to compare and contrast the two until it's beaten into everyone's skulls, and I sure as hell know they don't care what I think - But considering them to have a 'rivalry' is ridiculous. They are both superstars in their own right. I'll just leave it at that.