Too often today, professional athletes are better known for their run-ins with the law and their transgressions against society. However, when they do good, it often goes unrecognized.

Today, Vincent Lecavalier won the MVP trophy, maybe not the one named Hart, but the one that matters, Most Valuable Person. Today, it was announced that Lecavalier made a 3 million dollar commitment to a All Children’s Hospital in St. Pete for a children’s pediatric cancer unit. Now that’s a natural hat trick!

Some more visions of how the upcoming Lightning season will play out. The Hart Trophy winner will be Sidney Crosby, the Hype Machine will see to that. However, the best player in the league, will be Vincent Lecavalier. I think there are only two players in the league capable of passing the 60 goal mark in a season and neither of them are named Crosby. Vincent Lecavalier and Alex Ovechkin are probably the only guys in the league who can score 60 and I will say Vincent Lecavalier is the only one who could sniff 70+ goals.

First off, let’s get it straight, and I have been a critic of Lecavalier in the past, but give a man his due, he is by FAR the most complete player in the league. Scoring??? Save it Joe Thornton fans, look at Lecavalier’s balance. Crosby??? Talk to me when he can kill penalties on a nightly basis, finish checks and not flop when someone farts. And oh yeah, throw hands. Don’t forget, Lecavalier got the better of Inginla in the Cup finals, you think Sid the Kid can mix it up with Lecavalier?

Is this the year the Lightning raise Lord Stanley’s Trophy again? I think it’s a long shot, but I’ll jump in with both feet and say the the Bolts will be playing in June and Lord Stanley will get a tan! Goal tending is what will hold this team back, but I think by mid season we’ll be able to see if I will be close on my bold prediction. Johan Holmquist will need to be the goalie that rises to the occasion, and if Holmer proves to be the goalie the team thinks he can be, the Lightning will have a short summer in 2008.

Oh the good ole hockey game is the best game you can name…
And the best game you can name is the good ole hockey game…

That’s right hockey fans, Thursday night is the opener for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Of course, I’ll be at the game and I can’t wait for the puck to drop. I’ll be posting my predictions for the upcoming Lightning season, so hold on.

Thursday night is my new hockey night. It’s been three weeks since we’ve been on the ice for drills and scrimmage, and man did I miss it. Luckily, I’ve been able to get some skates in on open sessions, keeps the legs and edges fresh, but my back, neck and shoulders are feeling it. Thank god for Advil and beer.

Wednesday morning I drove to Brandon for a morning skate. While I was there, there was a what I thought was a pickup game going on the other ice. I thought, “Wow, those guys are really good, and pretty big, for even ‘A’ leaguers.”

After they finished, a couple of guys kept skating. One of them took off their helmets and it was Vincent Lecavalier! The Lightning use the ice in Brandon for their training camps, and a lot of the guys are already in town skating. Vinny, Brad, Marty and Dan were on the ice by themselves. Pretty cool.

Last Saturday morning I had my first Fantasy Football Draft of the week. I’m looking forward to the upcoming season and reclaiming what is rightfully mine. The league championship and the free beer and bragging rights that come with it. I had to draft in no mans land, number 7 in a twelve team draft, but I still am happy with my picks. I can’t wait for the play to begin!

Bum-Bum-Bum- Let’s Go Blue! That’s right. The good citizens in Columbus, Ohio were surely playing the Michigan fight song Saturday night. In Jest. As the number five ranked Michigan Wolverines got beat by I-AA Appalachian State University in their season opener. It marked the first time an A.P. ranked team got beat by an I-AA school. Boone, N.C, is sure to be rocking!

Saturday is the big day! The first fantasy football draft of the two leagues I’m in. My Saturday draft will be the first time I am NOT at a Disney resort with a cold beer in my hand, doing my draft, while the family is enjoying the heat, lines and crowds of the Magic Kingdom. We squeezed all that fun in last weekend. At least there will still be cold beer…

It’s the end of August and I can already feel the chill in the 86 degree night air. It’s the chill that only ice can bring, and tells us Tampa Bay Lightning hockey is only two weeks away from starting. Training camp begins in two short weeks! Go Bolts! I can’t wait for the upcoming season…