Alexei Cherepanov, the New York Rangers’ first pick in this year’s draft, was injured yesterday during the Russia vs Canada game in this year’s Super Series. Cherepanov came down the ice into his own zone, clipped Canada’s Brandon Sutter on the leg, knocking him to the ice. Cherepanov then received the puck and brought it into the Canadian zone, pulled up to look towards the net and was met with an elbow to the head by Sutter. Not only was the hit mainly with Sutter’s elbow, but he also left his feet when delivering the hit. Cherepanov sustained a mild concussion on the play, and is said to be out at least the next two games.

At what point does Glen Sather get on the phone and have his number one draft pick removed from the tournament? I understand the fact that Cherepanov is thrilled and honored to be representing his homeland Russia in this tournament, but the Rangers have an asset to protect. Cherepanov has been compared to Pavel Bure by several scouts recently. If that’s true, he would be a force in the NHL in the coming years. Pull him from the tournament, let him get healthy in time for training camp and watch him start to light the lamp in the Rangers’ system for right now. He has a whole career ahead of him in the NHL to look forward to, let’s not jeopardize it now before he even gets here.

The video can be seen on youtube via this link:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=x7WTtWHOmf4

According to a report, Pittsburgh and Buffalo will take each other on at Ralph Wilson Stadium on New Year’s Day at 1:00 PM on NBC.

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/rss/s_523982.html

Neither NBC or NHL officials would confirm, but the announcement is expected on Sept. 10

After setting a deadline of today to be offered a contract by the New York Rangers, it looks like Michael Peca will be joining.. the Columbus Blue Jackets. Glen Sather opted to pass on signing Peca, and I for one feel it is a good non-signing. Leaving the cap room available should we acquire a defenseman is the first good thing that comes from this. Second, should Hossa not be on the top line, replaced by Straka, it gives some kids a chance to compete for the third line center position. Thoughts?

Keep Boltsmag head-man John Fontana in your thoughts, as he is recovering from surgery right now. John has helped with a couple of my undertakings over at SFM, and is a stand-up guy. Pray for him.

Oh boy. Let me contain my excitement.

Tom Gulitti is reporting that it’s a multi-year deal.

All I know is that it’s time for Pauly Martin to man up this year and show off the potential we all thought he had.

Here are the games where the NHL has Exclusive Treatment for VERSUS.

Oct. 3, 7:00 - Ducks vs. Red Wings
Oct. 3, 9:30 - Stars vs. Avalanche
Oct. 9, 7:00 - Hurricanes vs. Maple Leafs
Oct. 16, 7:00 - Thrashers vs. Flyers
Oct. 23, 7:00 - Rangers vs. Penguins
Oct. 30, 7:00 - Penguins vs. Wild
Nov. 6, 7:00 - Rangers vs. Islanders
Nov. 13, 8:00 - Red Wings vs. Blues
Nov. 20, 8:00 - Bruins vs. Maple Leafs
Nov. 27, 7:00 - Flames vs. Red Wings
Dec. 4, 7:00 - Red Wings vs. Canadiens
Dec. 11, 7:00 - Penguins vs. Flyers
Dec. 17, 7:00 - Capitals vs. Red Wings
Dec. 31, 7:00 - BLues vs. Red Wings
Jan. 14, 7:00 - Rangers vs. Penguins
Jan. 21, 7:30 - Capitals vs. Penguins
Feb. 4, 7:00 - Penguins vs. Devils
Feb. 11, 7:00 - Coyotes vs. Stars
Feb. 18, 8:00 - Red Wings vs. Avalanche
Feb. 25, 7:00 - Flyers vs. Sabres
Mar. 3, 7:00 - Bruins vs. Capitals
Mar. 10, 7:00 - Rangers vs. Sabres
Mar. 17, 7:00 - Avalanche vs. Wild
Mar. 24, 7:00 - Penguins vs. Islanders
Mar. 31, 7:00 - Penguins vs. Rangers

-Really, Montreal? Well, I guess it’s a start. But I guess their appearence over 8 NHL teams in the US is ok, I suppose.

-The schedule’s fine with me, as long as NBC’s willing to select the right game. I mean there are a few obvious choices (Sid vs. Alex, Rangers-Devs on the season’s last day) but many of the choices WILL likely hinge on the team’s performances this year.

-3 selections for the Philly-Pittsburgh rivalry, 2 Boston-Rangers games, 2 Nashville-Detroit games.

-Carolina, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, the Isles, Phoenix, St. Louis and Tampa Bay will make no appearences on NBC regardless of flex scheduling.

-The Rangers are on the potential schedule 8 times, Detroit and Pittsburgh 7, Boston and Philadelphia 4, Washington and Buffalo 3, Anaheim, Chicago, Dallas and Nashville twice, and Atlanta, Colorado, Columbus, New Jersey and San Jose once.

-The real judgement will have to be made down the road on what games are selected. NBC’s courage to take the better game over the big markets will mean a lot.

Enjoy:

January 20th, 1:30 PM
Boston vs. NY Rangers OR
Anaheim vs. Dallas

February 3rd, 2:00 PM
NY Rangers vs. Montreal

February 10th, 3:30 PM
Anaheim vs. Detroit OR
Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh OR
NY Rangers vs. Washington

February 17th, 3:30 PM
Detroit vs. Dallas OR
Pittsburgh vs. Buffalo OR
San Jose vs. NY Rangers OR
Colorado vs. Chicago

March 2nd, 12:30 PM
Detroit vs. Buffalo OR
Philadelphia vs. NY Rangers OR
Atlanta vs. Pittsburgh

March 9th, 12:30 PM
Pittsburgh vs. Washington OR
Boston vs. NY Rangers OR
Nashville vs. Detroit

March 16th, 12:00 PM
Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh OR
Detroit vs. Columbus OR
Boston vs. Washington

March 30th, 12:30 PM
NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh OR
Nashville vs. Detroit OR
Boston vs. Buffalo

April 6th, 12:30 PM
Chicago vs. Detroit OR
NY Rangers vs. New Jersey OR
Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia

- Well, Bill Clement’s firing from NBC looks less ambiguous now. It’s clear he’s prepping for a return to ESPN when they bid for a piece of the NHL rights, so he may re-join Gary Thorne.

- For a small profile of Bill Patrick, not to be confused with William Patrick Hitler (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Patrick_Hitler), check this USA Network profile, since he heads up their PGA coverage as a play-by-play man: http://www.usanetwork.com/sports/pgatourgolf/theshow/characterprofiles/patrick/index.html

- The schedule is fairly standard, your usual load of lots of Rangers, Flyers, Wings, Avs and Pens. Lots of Sabres and Bruins as well. Once again, most of the games feature Eastern teams, and the Western Conference clubs, particularly everyone but Detroit and Colorado, are mostly ignored. Because the Stanley Cup Finalist from the Western Conference never comes from the Pacific Division or Canada or anything.

-Speaking of Canada, all 6 teams from the Great White North make at least one appearences, with the Maple Leafs making three appearences and the Canadiens making 5, more than about 15 American teams. It’s clear the NHL is using these two clubs, Original 6’s with fans around North America, to draw some interest into the league.

-The NHL on VERSUS’ 3 Inter-Conference games are real barn-burners: Carolina-Nashville, Washington-Detroit, and Pittsburgh-Minnesota. To be fair, Caps-Wings should be exciting, but Canes-Preds and Pens-Wild? Okay, you go do that VERSUS.

-Overall, there’s really not much to say. VERSUS should be covering the Saturday London game, but they’re not due to a Big 12 telecast. NBC can’t cover it due to their round the clock President’s Cup coverage. Perhaps the first game will be a launching pad for the NHL Network? Eh, maybe they’ll just be dumb enough to not show it. Never know with this league.

VERSUS RELEASES NHL SCHEDULE FOR 2007-08 REGULAR SEASON
Schedule Features 57 Exclusive Games Including Game of the Week

Network Also Announces Addition of Bill Patrick as New Studio Host for “Hockey Central”

STAMFORD, Conn. (August 15, 2007)—VERSUS, the national cable television home of the NHL, today announced the television schedule for the 2007-08 regular season and the addition of Bill Patrick as the new studio host of “Hockey Central.” The network opens its coverage with a southern California showdown between the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings in London on September 30 at 12 p.m. ET. Then, on October 3, VERSUS’ coverage returns to the U.S. with a double-header featuring a match-up between Anaheim and Detroit at 7 p.m. ET and Dallas and Colorado at 9:30 p.m. ET. Bill Patrick will be making his “Hockey Central” debut on October 3. All of the network’s regular-season games are exclusive and VERSUS’ regular-season schedule features an exclusive Game of the Week wherein VERSUS will be the only place on television to watch the NHL game in the U.S. at that time. Every NHL game on VERSUS will be produced and shown in hi def where available.

VERSUS’ 2007-08 NHL schedule highlights some of the most exciting hockey games of the season and every U.S.-based team will be featured on VERSUS at least once during the regular season, with teams like the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Colorado Avalanche, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Philadelphia Flyers making a season-high eight appearances each. In total, VERSUS will present 57 regular season games, All-Star weekend, wall-to-wall playoff action and the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final. Mike “Doc” Emrick will return as the network’s lead play-by-play announcer. He will be joined all season long by the best NHL announcers in the game today, including Eddie Olczyk, Joe Beninati, and Darren Eliot. Additions to the network’s hockey commentating team will be released as details become available.

“In the network’s third year as the exclusive cable television home of the NHL, we worked closely with the league to deliver a schedule that features the best match-ups and most exciting games to continue building off the momentum of last year’s 31-percent increase in viewership during the regular season,” said Marc Fein, Senior Vice President of Programming and Production for VERSUS. “With our superior production quality, all games produced and available in hi def, along with first-rate announce teams and the addition of veteran sports broadcaster Bill Patrick as the host of ‘Hockey Central,’ VERSUS’ coverage this season will be the best viewers have ever seen.”

As always, the network will wrap up the evening with its stellar NHL studio show, “Hockey Central,” with new host Bill Patrick and returning analysts Keith Jones and Brian Engblom. A veteran broadcaster, Patrick currently serves as an anchor for NBC’s Sports Desk and recently completed his fifth year as play-by-play host of USA Network’s PGA Tour coverage. Patrick, who first attained national prominence as a SportsCenter anchor on ESPN, has covered world-class sporting events such as the Super Bowl, NASCAR, Stanley Cup Final games, U.S. Open Golf and Tennis among other high-profile events during his 30-year broadcasting career.

The network’s full schedule follows (subject to change):
*Denotes exclusive Game of the Week

DATE GAMES TIME (ET)
Sun. Sept. 30 Anaheim at Los Angeles 12:00 PM
Wed. Oct. 3* Anaheim at Detroit 7:00 PM
Wed. Oct. 3* Dallas at Colorado 9:30 PM
Tue. Oct. 9* Carolina at Toronto 7:00 PM
Wed. Oct. 10 N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders 7:00 PM
Mon. Oct. 15 Toronto at Buffalo 7:00 PM
Tue. Oct. 16* Atlanta at Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Mon. Oct. 22 Boston at Montreal 7:30 PM
Tue. Oct. 23* N.Y. Rangers at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM
Mon. Oct. 29 San Jose at Dallas 8:00 PM
Tue. Oct. 30* Pittsburgh at Minnesota 7:00 PM
Mon. Nov. 5 Philadelphia at N.Y. Rangers 7:00 PM
Tue. Nov. 6* N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders 7:00 PM
Mon. Nov. 12 Carolina at Florida 7:30 PM
Tue. Nov. 13* Detroit at St. Louis 8:00 PM
Mon. Nov. 19 Tampa Bay at Atlanta 7:00 PM
Tue. Nov. 20* Boston at Toronto 7:00 PM
Mon. Nov. 26 Buffalo at Washington 7:00 PM
Tue. Nov. 27* Calgary at Detroit 7:00 PM
Mon. Dec. 3 Dallas at Columbus 7:00 PM
Tue. Dec. 4* Detroit at Montreal 7:30 PM
Mon. Dec. 10 Boston at Buffalo 7:00 PM
Tue. Dec. 11* Pittsburgh at Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Mon. Dec. 17* Washington at Detroit 7:00 PM
Tue. Dec. 18 Ottawa at Boston 7:00 PM
Mon. Dec. 31* St. Louis at Detroit 7:00 PM
Wed. Jan. 2 Atlanta at Carolina 7:00 PM
Tue. Jan. 8 Colorado at Detroit 7:30 PM
Mon. Jan. 14* N.Y. Rangers at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM
Tue. Jan. 15 Montreal at N.Y. Islanders 7:00 PM
Mon. Jan. 21* Washington at Pittsburgh 7:30 PM
Tue. Jan. 22 Boston at Montreal 7:30 PM
Sat. Jan. 26 All-Star Skills 7:00 PM
Sun. Jan. 27 All-Star Game 7:00 PM
Tue. Jan. 29 Buffalo at Tampa Bay 7:00 PM
Tue. Jan. 29 San Jose at Edmonton 9:30 PM
Wed. Jan. 30 Anaheim at Minnesota 7:00 PM
Wed. Jan. 30 Chicago at Colorado 9:30 PM
Mon. Feb. 4* Pittsburgh at New Jersey 7:00 PM
Tue. Feb. 5 Carolina at Nashville 8:00 PM
Mon. Feb. 11* Phoenix at Dallas 7:00 PM
Tue. Feb. 12 Philadelphia at N.Y. Islanders 7:00 PM
Tue. Feb. 12 Anaheim at Colorado 9:30 PM
Mon. Feb. 18* Detroit at Colorado 8:00 PM
Tue. Feb. 19 Chicago at St. Louis 8:00 PM
Mon. Feb. 25* Philadelphia at Buffalo 7:00 PM
Tue. Feb. 26 New Jersey at Carolina 7:00 PM
Mon. March 03* Boston at Washington 7:00 PM
Tue. March 4 Buffalo at Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Tue. March 4 Vancouver at Colorado 9:30 PM
Mon. March 10* N.Y. Rangers at Buffalo 7:00 PM
Tue. March 11 New Jersey at Montreal 7:30 PM
Mon. March 17* Colorado at Minnesota 7:00 PM
Tue. March 18 Atlanta at Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Mon. March 24* Pittsburgh at N.Y. Islanders 7:00 PM
Tue. March 25 Philadelphia at N.Y. Rangers 7:00 PM
Mon. March 31* Pittsburgh at N.Y. Rangers 7:00 PM
Tue. April 1 TBD
Tue. April 1 Colorado at Vancouver 10:00 PM

VERSUS (VERSUS.com) celebrates real competition in all its forms. Now in more than 72 million homes, the network is the national cable home of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Stanley Cup Playoffs as well as best-in-class events like The Tour de France, the America’s Cup, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), Professional Boxing, the Boston Marathon and Davis Cup. The network also offers collegiate sports from top conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12 and Mountain West. VERSUS features the best field sports programming on television and is a destination for sports fans, athletes and sportsmen to find exclusive, competitive events that audiences can’t find elsewhere. VERSUS, a wholly owned company of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.