Hopes

Having followed the first 8th of this new NHL season, i withhold hoping too much. But if i did have hopes, perhaps they would be:

• A Ranger turn-a-round.

The Rangers have started off without any consistency. It would be hard for me to point at any one player. The team just has not yet gelled. Will they? That would be my hope, if i did hope. But over the years i have learned that hope is more closely a dream than anything real. The team has talent...Jagr leads the way. But take any of the top-six offensive players and any team would take them. The defense is maturing. I don't that is a talent issue either. Last season, from the midpoint on - this team played very solid defense and the pieces haven't changed too much. Will Gomez fit in? Once again i refuse to hope. The memory of Bobby Holik is too fresh. But Gomez certainly possesses the talent to fit well centering Jagr. With Jersey his puck distribution and movement was as good as anyone - primarily transitioning the puck from the d-zone to the o-zone.

• Enforcers carving out a clearer role.

The drive for fans pushed the NHL into a family friendly mode. A good notion - if the NHL can draw families, ticket sales increase now and in the future because the young ones grow into old hockey fans. But families can't condone violence. So the NHL began taking hard swipes to cull the violence that is natural to such a rough game. This hurt the game more than any would have predicted - defense became easier. Anyway, the New NHL, i thought, would curb this sort of protector mentality even more. However, the goon is still alive and with the ways of Brian Burke's Ducks as a model of good GMing. The goon may gain more importance in the coming years. I am not one for fighting just to fight, but i do love the quick justice that an enforcer/goon/protector can bring to a situation. If i were to be hopeful, i would hope that the NHL comes closer to the needed balance that goons can bring to the game.