Bettman’s continued gamble to make inroads on Putin’s private little league, the KHL, another set of teams opened their season in a European country which loves hockey. This time in Prague and with two teams that are not rivals, mine and the Blackhawks. I can’t see the appeal of either with the Czechs; the Blackhawks aren’t a winning franchise anymore and the Flyers don’t receive much respect even when their parent corporation owns NBC.
But a W is a W and I’ll take it. The benefit of playing far away was getting to catch the outcome piecemeal over the Internet while I was at work and before I go to my Stars’ season opener in North Reaganstan.