For any Center Ice Customers outside the Pittsburgh
market but within the United States, today's post is for you. If you recall last season, when the NHL
Network was unveiled within the United States,
the network aired several games from across the league. Some of those were
Penguins games.
For Center Ice Customers outside of Pittsburgh,
that meant you couldn't get those Penguins games on NHL Network through the programming you
paid $160 for. (Sorry, $159.)
In order to get those games, you had to get NHL Network
separately from Center Ice. (Assuming
your cable or satellite provider even offered the channel.) And when you
subscribe to NHL Network, you also have to subscribe to the "sports" package
that most providers offer.You want NHL Network? You have to buy it along with
the Tennis Channel and the 234 other channels you won't watch. Unless you're
really into squash tournaments in Dubai in
January.
We haven't yet confirmed this would be the arrangement for
this season yet with one of the money-grubbing pigs with the NHL, but we would
be shocked if things are different this season. The NHL is a business above all
else. A poorly-run business that does a terrible job of servicing its paying
customers, but a business nonetheless. We will try and contact someone with the
NHL to verify all of this.
We bring this up because tomorrow's Penguins-Senators game will be shown nationally by NHL Network. If you live within the Pittsburgh
market, don't sweat. FSN Pittsburgh has the local broadcast. But if you live
elsewhere within the United States
and you're a Center Ice customer, we just wanted to give you a heads up.
UPDATE: We just talked to an official with the NHL. Games on national networks within the United States such as NBC, NHL Network and Versus (snicker), ARE NOT AVAILABLE through Center ice again this season. So if you were planning on watching tomorrow's game through your Center Ice package, you'll need to make alternative plans.
EMPTY NETTER ASSISTS
Penguins
-They shrank the rink the Penguins are going to play on in Sweden
to meet NHL standards. The only problem is, they shrank it too much.
-Evgeni Malkin and Brooks Orpik are your alternate captains.
-Paul Bissonnette doesn't exactly sound too eager to fight
former Penguins enforcer Georges Laraque.
-The Pensblog
offered their always entertaining season preview.
-It's been a long summer for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
defenseman T.J. Kemp.
-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
forward Adam Heinrich can do a little bit of everything.
-The Wheeling Nailers announced their training camp schedule.
-Former Penguins forward Matthew Barnaby is set to debut on
ESPN Oct. 8.
-Maxime Talbot. Smoking Hot Burgher?
-The Penguins scouted a Blue Jackets game last night.
The Blue Jackets have a surplus on defense. Hmmmm...
-For the record, we would love to see the Pengins pick up Ole-Kristian Tollefsen simply because his name is so awesome. And he would be the first Norwegian member of the Penguins in team history.
-Ross McKeon of Yahoo!
thinks the Penguins and Red Wings will suffer from a Stanley Cup hangover.
-Are the Penguins shaping up to be the next Oilers?
Atlantic Division
-The Islanders signed 2008 first round pick Josh Bailey to a
three-year entry level deal.
-Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro (right) will make his
preseason debut Monday.
It will be his first game action since undergoing hip and knee surgery in the
offseason.
-The Flyers demoted forward Claude Giroux to their AHL
affiliate.
Northeast Division
-Former Penguins goaltender Patrick Lalime made 27 saves for
the Sabres in a 5-2 win at Columbus.
-Maple Leafs defenseman Jeff Finger is dealing with a foot
injury.
-Toronto's
management wants forward Ryan Hollweg to fight less.
-Bruins forward Petteri Nokelainen (hip/groin) and
defenseman Mark Stuart (leg) are dealing with injuries.
-Daniel Alfredsson scored a goal and had an assist for the
Senators in a 4-1 preseason win over Swedish team Frolunda.
-Forward Brad Isbister did not report to the Senators' AHL affiliate
in Binghamton.
-Ottawa owner
Eugene Melnyk wants to make Alfredsson a Senator for life.
-Are the Senators a Stanley Cup contender?
-Check out this insane save Montreal
goaltender Carey Price made the other night:
-Montreal's
Georges Laraque
is getting healthier.
-The Habs need former Penguins forward Alex Kovalev
to come
up big this season.
Southeast Division
-Here's a shocker. A team in Florida
signed another ex-Penguin. The Lightning are ou... wait. What? It's the Panthers
this time? The Panthers
signed forward Karl Stewart.
-The Capitals are considering using Sergei Fedorov, a
forward by trade,
as a defenseman.
-Speaking of Capitals defensemen, ESPN recently compared Washington's Mike Green to former Penguins hall-of-famer Paul Coffey. Uhhh... Note quite.
-The Thrashers' 2008 first round pick, defenseman Zach
Bogosian, will benefit from playing alongside Mathieu Schneider.
-Atlanta is
expecting big things out of defenseman Ron Hainsey.
-Thrashers prospect and former Penguins first round draft
pick Angelo Esposito will spend this season with the Montreal Juniors of the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
(Last note.)
-Hurricanes defenseman Niclas Wallin is dealing with a
concussion.
-The Lightning named forward Martin St. Louis and defenseman
Andrej Meszaros as alternate captains.
-Earlier this week, Lightning forward and former Penguin
Ryan Malone got into a fight with Richie Regehr of Berliner Eisbaren, a team in
Germany.
Regehr, the brother of Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr, checked a
Lightning player from behind into the boards and Malone took the wood to him:
Central Division
-Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios (above, center)
will be
out six weeks with a fracture in his right leg.
-Chelios' injury will actually put the Red Wings
under the
salary cap.
-The Predators' ownership
has defaulted on a $40 million
loan.
Someone just pull the plug already and move this team to Kansas
City or Hamilton
or Blawnox or wherever.
-Blackhawks goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin
is considering
playing in the KHL.
-How easy is it to play in goal for the defensive-minded
Blue Jackets? Columbus
is suiting
up a 56-year-old Catholic bishop between the pipes.
-Blues forward Jay McClement
can squat press more than
Orpheus Roye.
Northwest Division
-Wild goaltender Josh Harding
has a scratched cornea.
-Oilers forward Ales Hemsky
finally has some help.
-After being injured on and off the past two seasons, Edmonton
forward Ethan Moreau
is taking it easy this preseason.
-We can kind of understand Penguins fans blaming the loss of
free agents like Ryan Malone and Jarkko Ruutu on Marian Hossa. The
Oilers
blaming the loss of forward Curtis Glencross is ridiculous.
-The Canucks
will unveil a new third jersey Nov. 15.
Pacific Division
-Forward Bobby Ryan might not make the Ducks' roster
simply
because he makes too much money.
-The Globe and Mail is reporting the NHL will keep a keen
eye on any potential transactions between the Ducks and Maple Leafs this season.
Ducks general manager Brian Burke has been connected in rumors surrounding the
same job with the Maple Leafs.
-Stars forward Sean Avery went off on CBC commentator Don
Cherry.
This is like Fidel Castro complaining about Muammar al-Gaddafi. There really is not side to root for.
-The Stars' ticket sales are up 45 percent from last season.
-Sharks defenseman Rob Blake is happy to be playing the
point again.
Smythe Division
-Tickets for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver
officially go on sale today.
-You probably shouldn't put too much weight into preseason
games.
-Remember how we told you former Penguins forward Aleksey
Morozov is tearing up the KHL this season yesterday? Here's the proof:
(
Photos: Getty Images)
Posted
Oct 03 2008, 06:53 AM
by
Seth Rorabaugh
Filed under: Jarkko Ruutu, Aleksey Morozov, Brooks Orpik, Ryan Malone, Tampa Bay Lightning, Minnesota Wild, Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres, Patrick Lalime, Georges Laraque, Marian Hossa, St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders, Curtis Glencross, Sean Avery, Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators, Petteri Nokelainen, Atlanta Thrashers, Ron Hainsey, Rob Blake, Stanley Cup, Sergei Fedorov, NHL, Angelo Esposito, Paul Bissonnette, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Andrej Meszaros, KHL, Alex Kovalev, Maxime Talbot, Mathieu Schneider, Daniel Alfredsson, Nikolai Khabibulin, Chris Chelios, Josh Harding, Robyn Regehr, NHL Center Ice, Mark Stuart, Montreal Juniors, Brian Burke, Richie Regehr, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Niclas Wallin, Eugene Melnyk, Ryan Hollweg, Binghamton Senators, Rick DiPietro, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, Jay McClement, Martin St. Louis, NHL Network, Matthew Barnaby, Ales Hemsky, Wheeling Nailers, Josh Bailey, Muammar al-Gaddafi, Karl Stewart, 2010 Olympics, T.J. Kemp, Claude Giroux, Berliner Eisbaren, Brad Isbister, Zach Bogosian, Carey Price, Bobby Ryan, Fidel Castro, San Jose Shark, Adam Heinrich, Don Cherry, Ethan Moreau, Mike Green, Paul Coffey