Zamboni Ramblings: F--- Rick Rypien

By Eric Rosenhek

We’re less than a month into the new season and the hockey well is overflowing with all kinds of goodies. Let’s have a look:

Name that arena!

What the hell is the Wells Fargo Center?!

Oh, wait… it’s the Flyers’ arena, formally known as the Wachovia Center.

Yes, changing your arena’s title sponsor is now in vogue. Vancouver’s GM Place became Rogers Arena. Calgary’s Pengrowth Saddledome became Scotiabank Saddledome. And now, the Flyers have joined the trend.

There’s a purpose for title sponsors. But when some corporation puts its name on an arena, the facility loses its character and becomes a very generic place.

I miss the days of the Montreal Forum, Maple Leaf Gardens, the Aud, the Great Western Forum, the Boston Garden, the Chicago Stadium, Pacific Coliseum, etc; those were arenas with character, their own unique qualities.

Title sponsors are not going away. But thankfully, there are still some arenas that keep a traditional name. Kudos to New York’s Madison Square Garden, Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum and Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena.

Good on you, Rick Rypien.

Be honest, who didn’t enjoy watching Rick Rypien go after that fan in Minnesota? Yes, it was wrong. Yes, he deserves to be punished. But deep down inside, there’s a part in all of us that loved the incident.

Who hasn’t wanted to drop moral values for just one moment? Who hasn’t wanted to do something bad, even though we know it’s bad? Who hasn’t wanted to act out, despite the consequences?

So thank you, Rick Rypien. Thank you for letting us live vicariously through you. Thank you for being the scapegoat.

Where in the world is Martin Gerber?

After spending a year in the Kontinental Hockey League, where he nearly had his neck broken, Marty Gerber has returned to North America. The Swiss goaltender signed with Edmonton in August and is currently starting for the Oilers’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons.

On October 24, Gerber was awarded the first star after the Barons beat the Hamilton Bulldogs in overtime 3-2.  So far this season, Gerber is 3-4-0 with a 2.66 GAA in seven games for OKC. He will likely be called up should anything happen to Edmonton’s current contingent of goaltenders.

Kings bring back purple and gold

I really hope you had a chance to catch Vancouver’s home opener.

The Canucks were celebrating their 40^th anniversary and wore their “throwback” uniforms for the occasion. The Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver’s first-ever regular-season opponent, helped out by wearing their own throwback uniforms – the classic purple and gold design with a giant crown in the centre.

Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick even took it up a notch by wearing brown pads, along with a brown blocker and glove. It was a nice tribute to the original standard colour for goalie equipment. Quick’s whole ensemble was beautiful.

Hopefully, the Kings will continue to wear these retro uniforms. Sometimes, keeping it simple says a lot.

One more thing about the KHL

The KHL is its third season; yet, no one has pointed out the glaring spelling error.

Seriously, who spells continental with a K? Kome on!