Although suspended for the first five games of the official season, Simon made his presence known on the preseason ice up in North Bay.  Granted, I didn't get to actually SEE much of the game because the NHL was obviously NOT prepared for the influx of registrations for their service to view preseason games on line.  But what I did see those few minutes the picture was MOVING made me remember what it was like to watch an Islander game.  Especially one with Chris Simon in the line up.

The announcers, who normally cover more local games, remarked repeatedly at his SIZE and presence on the ice.  He was skating well and actually kept pace with the pack.  Since the feed was so blurry, I couldn't see the expressions on the players faces, so I could only really concentrate on the puck and the backs of the new jerseys.  Which really look pretty damn sharp on the ice.  Complainers:  You wasted your breath!  And personally, I LIKE the numbers on the fronts so I can tell who the heck everyone is considering that I kept reading the names on the backs of the jerseys and saying to myself "WHO?."

I may as well have been watching a college game because there were so many new names on the backs of those jerseys.  I tried to find those I was familiar with, but it was easier to watch the ice as a whole.... When I could actually SEE the damn thing!!!

The pricing of the package seems a little steep as well.  After the hour that it took me to finally get the damn thing up and running, I had to agree to the free preview and give them my billing information.  The full package is about $150.00.  Same price as the Center Ice on HDTV.  I was glad to see that when I received the order confirmation email, they mentioned they would be giving a 50% discount if you bought both.  But still... $75 to be able to watch on line still seems steep.  But t his is hockey, and hockey is expensive.  So I guess I'll make my choice and just live with it.

I did loose internet connection for a while because my FIOS service is one HUGE pain in the butt, and when I tried to get back on, they wanted me to fill out the billing information once again and re-register.  So, there are obviously glitches in the system that need to be fixed. Get to it NHL.  Time's a wastin'! 

All in all... it's a nice start.  So, Welcome BACK Chris Simon, Campoli-oli-oli-ooo, Bruno and the Owen Wilson Look-a-like.  Good luck tonight.