Ahira's Hangar

The core of the Swedish national team, in their regular uniforms.

Man, less than a month until training camps start!

For the hometown boys that will be on Sept. 12 up in one of the most beautiful places in the country - Traverse City.

I still cannot get over the Hossa signing. Wow, he turned down a boatload of money and multiyear contracts to come to Detroit. But then again, if you watched the finals, he was the lone Pen who stuck around out on the ice to watch the Cup ceremony - plus he has a good friend and countryman on the team, and both had a lot to do with the signing, IMHO.

Sounds like Chicago will be on the rise this year. Scotty Bowman left the Wings for the Blackhaws, so he could work with his son, who is in management over there. So the team should get better just from the managerial genius of Bowman. Throw in the Winter Classic game over there this year, and hopefully one of the Original Six fanchises will start to get some fan interest and support again. Now if only someone could do something with the Maple Leafs... Toronto fans deserve better...

Bowman went to Chicago? The Blackhawks haven't been Cup contenders for a long time now, correct? Bowman's got his work cut out for him - but then, he would enjoy the challenge.

From my perspective, I don't feel particularly sorry for the Maple Leafs, heh heh. They're like the New York teams, in that they've got boatloads of money to throw around, but with little to show for it (in terms of recent history).

Yes, Bowman went over to Chicago so he could work with his son, and that is certainly understandable. The Chicago team has been in trouble with little fan support for a long time (and who could blame the fans given how bad the team has been???) - it is my understanding that their games have not even been carried on local cable channels in recent years. Plus they are over the salary cap with very little to show for it. So it would be good for that franchise - one of the original six - to be returned to respectability.

As for Toronto..man, that franchise has been bad (and worse than bad) for most of my lifetime. I hate seeing original six teams flail and fail. Reminds me too much of my childhood and the Dead Wings and Dead Things Era.

Well then, is eager for the season to start.

(That is Marion Hossa, who is apparently so happy to be a Wing he has been practicing in Wings gear this summer over in Slovakia, where this photo was taken).

Ack...I don't wanna see ice so soon! I admire his dedication to hockey and to the Red Wings...but geez, the guy should be outside with a golf club in his hands, not a hockey stick.

Heh...I bet it'll be a cybernetic Chelios on the treadmill.

It's incredible to think that Chris Chelios has been around since I began watching NHL hockey in the mid-80's. I just can't recall if he was with Montreal or Chicago back then.

Yeah, to show you how old I am, he was playing with Montreal when I first started watching him play. Now I see him running around town with his daughter, who is older than I was back then. And his son comes and works out with him and some of the Wings to prep to play juniors.

Good to see, especially given how terrible the Tigers have been this year, and the disastrous starts to both the UM football and Detroit Lions seasons.

Scotty Bowman lives in Amherst, a Buffalo suburb.
They had a piece about him on the local news a week or so ago.
They showed his basement "memoribilia" (sp?) room......can you say Stanley cup out the wazoo?!?!?!!?
The guy is truly a class act and is always doing some community minded thing
Some of the stuff they were showing that he had in his house was unreal - signed unis, sticks, photos, certificates....you name it.
really cool to see

Yeah, Bowman is a good guy. Everyone here wishes him the best, and we are all looking forward to the Chicago team returning to respectability.

And official training camp finally began today in Traverse City, Michigan.

my Sabres have played 2 pre-season games already, dam, I guess the fall is here!
They played Montreal in some dinky town just north-east of nowhere last night.
The announcers were commenting on the bus having moose warning devices!!
This town won the NHL Hockeytown contest they had
I am ready for the real games to start already!!
(insert Sabres logo here...)