Oh the beloved kid's table at the family Thanksgiving dinner. You know it doesn't matter how old you are. I'm 33 and I still have to sit at the "kiddie table". And it's always one of those 45 year old fold out card tables with the wobbly leg draped by some just as ancient table cloth, isn't it? While the head table is this massive oak thing that your great-great-great grandfather's grandfather carved out by hand! You see the problem is that the main "adult" table can only fit so many chairs around it. So the only way to go from the kiddie table to the adult table is to have some old relative with a seat at the main table die so that you can "move up" and fill their seat in some strange "royal secession like" holiday ritual. It's kind of like moving up from the checking line to the third line, no? Now don't go giving your grandparents the evil eye (or plot to mail them some anthrax) during dinner or anything, just wait your turn patiently and hope that your family doesn't have any of that longevity DNA stuff floating in their gene pool. Because if they do, you may wind up sharing that beat up card table with your own kids some day (or perhaps you already do?). And that's enough to make anybody "slip a little something" into Grandpa's cranberry sauce…

OK, sorry for the digression, let's get back to hockey… The Buffalo Sabres appear to be quite rattled after going winless in 12 straight contests. But never fear, help is on the way to upstate New York! No they haven't entered into a deal with the devil (although one could argue that Miroslav Satan IS under contract), they've just gone out and got themselves a new owner. The NHL has determined that Buffalo businessman Mark Hamister is worthy of purchasing the team currently being run by the league. Now it doesn't say what price Mr. Hamister's got to pay but from an inside source I do know that in addition to the franchise fee, Hamister's also agreed to give the NHL John Spano's payment coupon book, a cable TV converter box signed by John Rigas and Bruce McNall's coin collection…

The Atlanta Thrashers have a new goalie as free agent Byron Dafoe has signed on and will shortly take his place amongst the mighty Thrasher goalies of the past. Rhodes, Hnilicka, Maracle, Fankhouser, Nurminen. Strikes fear into the hearts of men, doesn't it? Well if that list doesn't scare Dafoe, perhaps the Thrasher defense (or lack thereof) will? The Thrash have been giving up 3.27 goal a game prior to the signing. Does the team really think he's going to be able to do that much better? All I've got to say about this, and it's en francais so please go back to Week 1's column and the translator or ask Phantom Ron, is "Seigneur Byron est fromage du Suisse!"

Well from one personnel move to another as the Blackhawks now have a new radio announcer, and it's Bob Probert! Alongside Probert in the booth for Hawks games on WSCR ("scar", how appropriate!) Radio 670 AM will be Jim Lampley, Bobby Czyz, Max Kellerman and the Fight Doctor Ferdie Pacheco… It certainly looks like the wrong week to be a Wright as both Tyler (CLB) and Jamie (CGY) Wright both go on the IR… Take a look at the Predators new 3rd jersey, the "predator" on it looks like one head of that three-headed dog Fluffy, guardian of the entrance to the chamber holding The Sorcerer's Stone in the first Harry Potter movie! In fact, during face-offs, with three guys standing next to each other…

I was reading that Mike Richter is out with another concussion and is scheduled to have his head examined. And why should a concussion be a catalyst for going to have your head examined? Shouldn't playing for the Rangers be reason enough… For you other computer programmers out there I give you Minnesota Wild left winger Pascal Dupuis. Pascal's amongst the league leaders in plus/minus but he's better know for his play in the Quebec Junior Leagues where he starred on a line with Fortran Richard and Basic Programme. Oh, and they had this kid named Cobol Johnson in net as well…

We've got a tanker sunk off the coast of Spain and it's spilling Edmonton Oilers all over the Mediterranean Sea! Quick somebody get Georges Laraque out of there before he washes ashore and beats up all the seagulls… This quote from Jeremy Roenick courtesy of Stan Fischler's Bluelines column on MGSNetwork.com: "I would trade anything professionally to be part of a cup". Eh? Are we talking Stanley or Dixie Cups here Mr. Roenick? Oh well, you know what they say, "if you can't be an athlete, be an athletic supporter"… I'd like to welcome Jean-Francois Labbe back to the NHL. Jean-Francois recently gave up three goals in a period and a half of play for the Blue Jackets (or "les vestes bleu" if you prefer) making him a perfect candidate to solve some of Rob Hanratty's goaltending woes. Come on, how perfect would J.F. Labbe be on a team that was known last season as Left Wing Labia? Rob I dare you…

And finishing up the column our weekly kudos to the league leader as the Fargain Hansons remain atop the league despite Brian Boghosian haven falling off the face of the earth (well at least his e-mail address is no longer valid on AOL). Brian if you're out there, drop me a line and let me know how to reach you! We've got four teams scoring in the 50s, the other seven in the 30s, so right now the standings are looking a little "stratified" (no not Trish Stratus-fied, don't get all excited on me, although I do much prefer Stacey Keibler), but there's a whole lotta hockey left to play. Heck, football season isn't even over yet! Gotta go, au revoir means goodbye. 'til next week…