Surprise! It's Hockey Season!

Bet you didn't see that one coming, huh? But it's true, the NHL season begins Saturday in—where else?—Prague! Followed closely by a second regular season game in Stockholm, as part of the league's ongoing "Thanks for all your players" European initiative. But there's so much other goodness in store this season, as well. The North American portion of your program beings October 9 with Toronto going to Detroit to watch the Red Wings hang their latest banner. There's also that New Year's Day game at Wrigley Field (the Blackhawks are already down 2-0, btw) and it's the 100th season for the storied Montreal Canadiens franchise. Oh, and Sidney Crosby says he wants to shoot more, which means that guy is going to be scoring more than well ... Sidney Crosby. (We think he does all right for himself.) You can check out the various season previews below, but what's the point really—EA Sports already played the whole season on their fancy video game machines and the Red Wings won again, so we think that means they get their names on the Cup, right? Maybe they can play the games anyway, just for a goof. • NHL continues expansion of European presence [AP/Yahoo] • "Flattering comparison: Penguins might be shaping up like the great Oilers teams of the '80s" [Vancouver Sun] • 2008-2009 Season Preview [NHL.com] • Team Previews [@ Melt Your Face Off]