The Gaustad Gerbe Show

Some people hold the opinion that opposites attract. Marx, Hegel, Paula Abdul. A proton and an electron make hydrogen. Gaustad and Gerbe make frozen chemistry when they're on the ice together.

Gaustad stands at 6'5" and is an obvious physical force on the ice. Gerbe is exactly one foot shorter at 5'5", and what he lacks in physical presence he makes up for in his aggressive play. I've been a huge fan of Gaustad for years. He's a hard worker on the ice and a team player. Gerbe definitely caught my eye a lot more last year with his pesky attitude on the ice. He's pretty fearless and definitely doesn't let anyone intimidate him. One of my favorite memories of last year is watching him check Zdeno Chara, the 6'9" defenseman of the Boston Bruins.




In the off-season, Gaustad and Gerbe spent most of their time in Buffalo with linemate Patrick Kaleta. The three of them worked out together, running, skating, and watching game videos. Their "relationship" has moved beyond being teammates, and I think it's safe to say that these two are having quite the bromance with a slice of Kaleta on the side. Yesterday I caught the majority of the Sabres game against Tampa Bay. The announcers were commenting on how Gaustad was talking to Gerbe on the bench after some shifts they played well but didn't score on. It was like watching a big bear give advice to a little bunny rabbit. And it worked. They kept at it and eventually Gerbe scored this goal off a feed from Gaustad:



The Sabres lost to the Lightning 4-3, but I'm excited about the sneak preview of the Gaustad Gerbe Show that I got.

NKOTB

The air is cooler, the leaves are turning, and baseball is no longer of any significance. This can only mean one thing: HOCKEY.

The season kicked off a couple weeks ago, and I knew there would be some changes to my favorite rosters. For the Sabres, not much has changed. For the Flyers, there have been a boatload of changes. I think that there's no better way to start the season than by looking at these new kids on the block.

The Sabres have picked up a few new defensemen and one very familiar center: Ville Leino. Leino was one of my favorites when he played with the Flyers. He scored 21 points in 19 games during the 2010 playoffs, which ties the record for most points in the playoffs. When he's hot, he's hot. I'm curious to see how he'll blend in with the rest of the Sabres roster. He's not necessarily a new kid to the NHL, but he's new to Buffalo, and other teams need to keep their eye on him.

The Flyers have a crew of new kids ranging from 18 year old rookies to 39 year old veterans. I feel the need to make flash cards to learn the new roster. The young buck on the team is Sean Couturier, the 18 year old rookie who signed a 3 year deal with the Flyers. There is plenty of talk about whether or not this kid should remain on the roster for this season, or whether he should go back to the Juniors. He's going to have a long, impressive career in the NHL, and the question right now is whether the Flyers need his talents to fill a void on the team. Time will tell, the decision needs to be made before he plays 10 games.

Jaromir Jagr is the old head on the team. He has an extensive career in the NHL and KHL. He is an offensive machine, scoring goals and racking up assists for every team he's played for. I'm hoping that he turns it on for the Flyers, he's yet to score a goal this season.

Have the Flyers found a goalie in Ilya Bryzgalov? I'm not convinced yet. The season is still young and it's obvious that the team is trying to get to know each other and build chemistry. Bryzgalov looks inconsistent to me so far, and I hope he settles down soon.

Matt Walker and Andreas Lilja are new on defense. Walker seems fiesty and not afraid to drop the gloves, so I'm sure he'll be a favorite of mine as long as he doesn't do anything stupid with the puck. Matt Read, Wayne Simmonds, Maxime Talbot, and Jakob Voracek join what's left of the offense.

I'm not sure what this season holds for the Flyers. It may be too much of a transitional year to hope for anything. I'm putting my money on the Sabres and their established roster.