I have to say, there are several players still around that have stood the test of time to take me from being a young boy to a grown man ( Tkachuk the Jet, Owen Nolan the Nord, Pronger the Whale, and… Gasp… Doug Weight the Ranger) I have to say though In the veign of bringing in a vet to be THE leader of this team, I LOVE Doug Weight, he has nothing to prove, and since he too JT in his home, he will never have anything to prove to any of us.

It might be a tough one to keep dougy involved another year and keep a roster spot when we are looking to strengthen the team, you’d have to hope that a guy like Trent, who low and behold is not only a vet but a vet with crazy tenure, can take the mantle. Speaking of that aformentioned group, you know who’s also in there? Kovalev! I remember the guy scoring a tag up break away vs the Nordiques in the playoffs! I believe Teemu Sellane score 74 goals 17 years ago. I love this sport.

and that he really likes the role he has here.

Good for him.

Something tells me that should the Isles make the playoffs these next few years and go on a run we’ll be seeing Dougie in the stands rooting for them.

…..there is a very rare commodity , especially so to this team until recently, in that locker room, and it’s being displayed on the ice this season on a near-nightly basis: LOYALTY. No more Peca or even possibly KJ wanting to flee before a season ends, or hushed-up finger-pointing at each other behind closed doors (Hello, Chris Campoli – I’m speaking of YOU. I would also note that, perhaps somewhat ironically and coincidentally, the last instance might’ve been by a person now out of the line-up, Brendan Witt, concerning his misgivings about Gordon’s overspeed approach). Instead, there is a confidence unlike any I’ve seen in over 2 decades (even the 2001-2002 team didn’t possess it to nearly the same degree, and the 1992-93 contingent probably didn’t have any sense of their impending accomplishments beforehand) and it feels very, very strong; this team, very resilient….