Hockey's Back, And Not Just On Versus!

Oh, come on, you didn't really think we were going to ignore opening night of the NHL, did you?

The biggest niche sport in North America — arguably — returns tonight, and, as always, we remain surprised it was gone so long: The season is, like, 11 months, right? We have been upfront about our lack of expertise in the sport — though, yes, we were excellent at making Gretzky bleed — but that doesn't mean there aren't some pretty fantastic hockey resources on the Web.

Our favorites:

• Off Wing Opinion: The first, and the best.

• James Mirtle: A hockey journalist for The Globe And Mail, and he even thinks the Bruins have a chance this year. (Not our Blues, though.)

• Out Of Left Field: Even though we can't figure out where "left field" is on a hockey rink, the guy has been previewing like mad.

We'll be wrapped up in the baseball playoffs tonight, but, yes, whether you believe it or not, we are extremely happy to have hockey back for the next 11 months, or whatever. Game on!

(Getty Images Photo)