Toe Drag Update Re: ESPN

Seriously? Why can't we just consume more sport in general? This is what I mean when I say ESPN attempts to shove football down the American peoples' throats.

A Plea to ESPN

I've recently been picked up by another blog and am now writing for Arctic Ice Hockey of SB Nation fan. I shall be covering the Winnipeg Jets for the foreseeable future so all Jets fans can catch me on arcticicehockey.com. However, I am also committed to Toe Drag and will continue to write for Toe Drag for the foreseeable future as well. So keep visiting Toe Drag and visit Arctic Ice Hockey if you want to read some Jets coverage. I'm in the company of some pretty talented writers and great hockey minds over there as well as on here with Steven. I just felt that I should inform everyone that I'm currently wearing two hats in the blogosphere. So without further ado, my first post since becoming a member of Arctic Ice Hockey. Check it out after the jump. 

Goals of the Week

There are definitely some good ones this week, probably the best week of the year

5. Mikael Grabovski vs. Montreal

4. Thomas Vanek vs. Florida

3. Nick Foligno vs. Florida

2. Matt Duchene vs. Los Angeles

1. David Backes vs Edmonton

Quick Hits: October 29th

After a slow night last night (only 4 games), we'll cover what happened last night as well as upcoming storylines this weekend.

NHL.com: EJ Hradek writes about how a few hyped players and one hyped team aren't quite living up to expectations.

TSN: My fantasy hockey team is saved as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will be staying with the Oilers.

Puck Daddy: Can't really explain this one. Just go to it. Brendan Shannahan mania would be my best effort to describe it

Stltoday.com: The Blues have a new owner on top of the Cardinals winning the World Series. A begrudging congratulations to them and all their fans.

Ottawa Sun: Kyle Turris' trade demands have piqued the interest of the Sens.

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Staying at 18

4 players drafted in this last NHL draft are here for the long haul as their respective teams have decided to keep them on the roster. each player at only 18 years of age will continue this season with their NHL clubs.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: selected #1 overall by the Edmonton Oilers, Nugent-Hopkins has shown plenty of promise. The main knock on him coming into this season was his weight, though that hasn't stopped him from playing his game. in only his first 9 games he's already scored 5 goals and 4 assists (9 points), which includes his first career hat trick, and a +3. He will center 1 of the top 2 lines for the Oilers this season.

Gabriel Landeskog: selected #2 overall by the Colorado Avalanche, Landeskog had the size and intangibles to make it this season, but no more speculation, he's here for good. scoring 4 goals and 2 assists (6 points) with a +2, Landeskog has been off to a great start and looks to keep that strong play to continue all season long. look for him to stay on 1 of the top 2 lines on the wing.

Adam Larsson: selected at #4 by the New Jersey Devils, the 6'3 200lbs swedish defenceman, much like Landeskog, was expected to crack the club this year, and he did. Helping a D-corps that severely needed some help in New Jersey, Larsson brings size and skill to the backend, looking to be the backbone of the D-corps for years to come. Larsson is still trying for that first NHL point.

Sean Couturier: Selected by the Philadelphia Flyers at #8 overall, after aquiring that pick from the Blue Jackets in a trade, Couturier is a big kid with plenty of skill, and he's shown it. He'll be center the 3rd line most likely for the Flyers, which is impressive to say the least with how much depth they have on that team, this will make things much more difficult for injured future-star Brayden Schenn. scoring 2 goals and 2 assists in 10 games, to go with a strong +5, Couturier uses his size and skill to create opportunities for him and his team mates and will be looking for continued success as the season progresses.

The Big Debate: Visors in the NHL

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

On Monday night, Philadelphia Flyers captain Chris Pronger took a stick to the eye courtesy of Nikolai Kulemin of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Soon after, it was determined that Pronger would miss 10 days, and would be restricted to bed rest, which was announced by Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren. This sparked a firestorm among the media outlets of the NHL, and the hot topic of the week has been making helmet visors mandatory. Popular among European players, not to mention mandatory at the college level (full face shields) and in the AHL, the visor hasn't been so quick to catch on with North American players. However, progress is being made according to a tweet by Darren Dreger which stated that roughly 70% of NHL players wear a visor. This is not good enough for some people; there are many out there calling for a mandatory visor rule and just as many that think that notion is a bunch of hogwash. We'll cover both sides of the debate, and you'll hear my opinion as well. See the great helmet visor debate after the jump.

Quick with 3 straight Shutouts!

LA Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick just completed his 3rd straight shutout after defeating the divisional rival Dallas Stars and turning away all 28 shots. his 1st shutout this season was against the St. Louis Blues, stopping all 27 shots. the 2nd shutout coming against another divisional rival in the Phoenix Coyotes, blocking all 28 shots. Quick is now 5-0-1 on the season. He's 3rd in the league in wins (tied with Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury). 2nd in the league in GAA (goals against avg.) with a stunning 0.81, only behind Oilers goalie Khabibulin who's only played 4 games compared to Quick's 6. naturally, first in the league in shutouts with 3, no other goalie thusfar have multiple shutouts except for Quick. As well as a league leading .972 SV%. Jonathan Quick will have to wait for now to collect a possible 4th straight shutout, kings coach bob murray is starting jonathen bernier on tuesday against the New Jersey Devils. This is the first time in Kings history that a goalie has had 3 straight shutouts and first time in the league since Steve Mason of the Columbus Blue Jackets did it back in the '08 season. Quick was named the NHL's 1st star of the week.