Unlike my co-blogger, I have been beyond delighted for pre-season hockey. Sure, it doesn’t count, but it means that the stuff that does count is just around the corner!

Mark Cundari, re-called to the Blues, will not be playing in the Rivermen pre-season (via milwaukeehockey/Flickr)

The good news: The first Peoria Rivermen hockey game of the year is to be played at Carver Arena tonight vs. the newly affiliated Chicago Wolves. Over the past few seasons, the Rivermen-Wolves rivalry was my favorite to watch play out, therefore, I am hoping the this new rivalry can keep some of the intensity of the old one. Tomorrow night, the Rivermen will take on the IceHogs in Rockford as a conclusion to the pre-season.

The “meh” news: According to Brendan Burke, Brennan Evans, TJ Hensick and Jake Gannon are wearing A’s tonight and no captain has been named. Burke also says that he “wouldn’t read too much into it.”

The sad news: Anthony Nigro has been diagnosed with a concussion and will miss both pre-season games.

The bad news (for the Rivermen): Jonathan Cheechoo, Anthony Peluso, Brett Sterling and Mark Cundari were all re-called this afternoon by the Blues. It’s unknown how long they will remain there, but it’s likely that the Blues management wanted another look at the four. Also, with Jason Arnott’s eye surgery, the Rivermen may be short one forward if he’s sidelined for longer than the expected seven days.

Image flickr/Brie Bird

We’re getting down to a point where these games ALMOST look like they matter. The roster is getting trimmed down day after day, and the team that hits the ice is starting to sound like the same team that will be doing so for the upcoming months.

I’m so ready to get started.

There’s so much to look forward to and so much to overcome. Though many of the names that will be seen on the ice are the same, it feels like a very different team to me.

There are things to be worried about, (especially Brad Lee hating the Blues), but even more than that, it’s time to be excited.

This sport that we all love so much is coming back to us. It’s like having said goodbye to an old friend for summer vacation, and we’re gearing up for the first day of school again, with our lunches packed up and our boots tied tight, not really being sure which players will be getting into fights.

We have ten days, ten days left to find out who from this list will be heading to Peoria for Marissa to affectionately dote on, and who will be in the Scottrade, trying to not awkwardly avoid the fact that Louie never wears pants.

Guys. Ten days.

LET’S GO BLUES!!

Image flickr/Bridget Samuels

So the Blues have won their first two preseason games.

Ok.

Guys, I have a really hard time with preseason stuff. It doesn’t count, thus I don’t care. At all.

I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Am I excited for the regular season? You bet your sweet ass I am. Does this mean I’m going to sit here and pay attention to Every. Single. Second. of preseason stuff? Not even a little.

Training camp and preseason games blend together for me, just instead of playing against teammates, they’re scrimmaging against other teams. Woo hoo?

Look, I take scrimmages about as seriously as I take running drills. They’re undeniably important….to the team. As a fan? I’m certainly glad they’re working hard, and showing promise, and all that jazz, but I can’t bring myself to get worked up over it, to write previews or recaps, or hell, to even post lineups that are easily found, oh, everywhere.

What is important to me are the games that start October 8. It’s important to me to see our boys on the ice every night, working and hustling like it’s the last game they’ll ever play. I want to see grit and determination, and well, everything Gallagher listed at Game Time the other day. It is important to me for our current owner to stop being an idiot.

I’m not saying that I think it’s wrong to be overly excited for preseason, as it means our beloveds will be on the ice competing for realsies oh so very soon, that it’s not a perfectly good excuse to toss on that comfortable Backes jersey, with its newly embroidered C, and scream and yell like it’s your job. Hell, I’ll even wear my own jersey (still currently missing the aforementioned C) to the one preseason game I’ll be able to make it to. The difference is if the team loses, it won’t break my heart. I’ll be just fine.

Come October 8? All of that apathy up there changes.

Sixteen days.

I’d just like to start out by saying congratulations baby Blues! Everyone definitely worked really hard and played well to get that third place spot.

Jake Allen, while playing for the Peoria Rivermen

Some of the highlights of the tournament include:

• The Blues finished 3-1-0, just behind the Buffalo Sabres in first and the New York Rangers in second.
• Joel Edmundson sprained his ankle in practice (before the tournament even began) and Mark Cundari took his place
• Cody Beach had two fights in the tournament; one vs. Randy McNaught of the New York Rangers and the other vs. Dalton Smith of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
• Philip McRae had seven points in four games; four goals and three assists.
• Jake Allen made 104 saves, most of any other goalie in the tournament and was listed as one of nine players who stood out in Traverse City
• Jordan Binnington finished tied for first in tournament goals-against average (1.00) and had one win.

Ho k. So. Here is the earth.

Petro -- one of the few on the team who is NOT a captain of some sort

We know who the (many) Captains are.

We know training camp starts Friday.

We know that Ann is a big giant liar and won’t actually be able to make it to a single training camp practice session, which is the biggest disappointment ever.

We know how absolutely, ridiculously, abysmally awful the slogan for the new season is.

We know even more speculations about potential owners.

All of that, though, doesn’t even compare to what we know for sure.

Blues hockey starts in 24 days.

Hallelujah!

Image flickr/Bridget Samuels

Image flickr/Bridget Samuels

BACKES!!!

For real, I am not even processing this right now.

With Jackman, Langenbrunner, McDonald, and Steen wearing the As?

So excited. So, so excited.

Maybe I’ll actually put words into sentences when I’m finished with my super stoked freak out right now.

My post went up on Hockey Broad yesterday. I might be just a little giddy about the whole thing.

She’s got a fantastically succinct wrap-up of our boys during the offseason.

Go check it out!

Guys, did time stop? It had to have, because I don’t feel like hockey is any closer now than it was a month ago. I should think so, given the fact that I FINALLY wrote down a Blues game on my dry-erase calendar (yeah, it’s pre-season, but WHO CARES), but still. It feels like hockey is never going to start.

That makes me sad.

However, it is starting soon. Camp opens in less than two weeks. LESS THAN TWO WEEKS. I love just how many sessions are open to the public, and I can’t wait to see our boys on the ice again.

Let me edit that. I can’t wait to see our boys on the ice again during the ONE SESSION I’ll be around to see. Stupid mini-vacations. So how about this.

Sunday, September 25, the blue and gold teams both practice at The Mills. That’s when I can go see them. Let’s meet up! If you can get there, shoot me something, and we’ll say hello! It will be fun.

Other stuff. Hmm, well, Arnott sat down for a Q&A. I’m really looking forward to seeing the influence he and Langenbrunner will have on all the younger guys, and this was a great way to get to know him just a little better.

I seriously cannot wait for this season to start.

Thirty-three days.