z-Archives (other articles)

With a mere eight or so games left in the 2006-07 regular season, now is the time to turn away from the bigwig contender teams and look small. That's where you stand to find the best young kids as they earn call-ups with their craptacular parent clubs. As vets sit out the rest of the year healing wounds they'd normally suck up for the postseason, these future stars will start seeing big ice. And there may be the odd gem among several stinkers as longshot prospects get a look. Here are some recent such performances- both good and bad.

Most NHL teams have about nine or ten regular season games left. For those teams fighting for a playoff spot every game is important. Now is the time teams need to dig deep and find the extra strength to pull off a win and make the playoffs. There are several teams competing for the seventh and eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. It is do or die time for these teams.

As fantasy hockey goes, we have just hit our so-called off-season. No more trades can be made, our lineups have pretty much been tweaked as much as they can, and with the exception of a few possible rookie call-ups, the waiver wire has been worked over more than a Playboy magazine in a teenager’s room. So I say we should all take a little breather, and actually sit down and watch a game or two. Perhaps we can even challenge ourselves to the extreme, and not check the box scores until all the games for that night have been completed. I know I know … it seems a little overwhelming, but it can be done people.