Hope Springs Eternal

The day has arrived. Tonight, at ten o'clock PM eastern standard time, the Comrades are back in action. Yes, the skates will be laced, the sticks taped, and the legs stretched. Though the roster may not look the same as the past two squads that won the Jenkins Cup, make no mistake about it folks, this team is more than capable of rethreepeating.

The excitement around Yohoo Red Army Skateplex has been palpable the last few days. Players are excited to be reunited and look forward to meeting some of the new faces. It's those new faces that have several players pumped up.

"As the captain, yeah, I called a few of the new guys," Steve Hand said. "Well, I didn't call them, I texted them, and it was only Neal. I sent him a text to tell him that he was centering me. With Neal as my center, we could be looking at a 50 goal campaign for me here."

The captain then paused, smiled, and laughed before continuing, "Okay, okay. Forty-five."

With the additions of the twins, the Red Army made significant improvements in the speed and creativity departments. Both Neal and Brian "Beege" Hendricks possess the capabilities to create plays that others simply cannot. With Beege on the blueline, it also adds another defenseman who isn't afraid to join the rush. The other addition, Drew (forgetting the last name right now), is another defenseman who used to play in the gold league a few seasons ago. Not much is known about Drew, but when your resume includes some time in a gold division, you're good.

What does it equate to for the Red Army? Well, I liken it to a young kid getting rewarded for his hard work in school and his parents buying him a new car. The old car wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing of vehicles, and parts of it were worn down, but it worked. Now he's got a shiny new Lamborghini that's waxed and ready for the open road.

Confusing analogy? Perhaps. But the point is this: the Comrades are going to have a lot of talent on their team this year, and with great talent, comes great responsibility... or something like that. Players know that there are going to be pretty passes, pretty dangles, and pretty plays. They also have to know that what has won them two championships in a row has been a blue collared work ethic that revolved around getting bodies and pucks to the net.

So I'll wrap it all up with one last point. Yes, the Red Army will look good this year. They will win some games in style and make the highlight reels. But it is up to them to understand that not every team is going to be beaten on just talent alone. If they can adjust and mesh a finesse game with a grinding game, they will be fine.

If not, that new Lambo might get wrapped around a tree in the first round.