More Hockey

More news for puckheads:

1. Alexei "Piece Of" Zhitnik signed with Team Gorton.


2. Squirrelly C Pavol Demitra left St. Louis for the Kings.


3. Playoff expert Martin Gelinas joins Gary Roberts and Joe Nieieuiueiuieuwiendyk in Miami.

I'm curious to see whether the Lightning will contend again. After being the most forgettable champions in league history (they were neither fearsome dominators nor lovable underdogs), with a young roster, having rode to the Finals as one of the "hot" teams... the signs aren't so good. But their roster is set up extremely well: solid goalie, good defense, young horses up front who stand to improve. So while conventional logic suggests they played over their heads last season, they do have an excellent shot to maintain their elite status. After all, with many of the other Eastern Conference giants breaking up (Philly and Toronto notably) they have less established competition to worry about. Finally, they're led by native Prince Edward Islander (and 2004 Conn Smythe and Lady Byng winner) Brad Richards... given that he's from PEI he's probably a cousin of some kind (everyone's family up there) so I've gotta root for him.