The 23-year-old Carolina Hurricanes goaltender shed 20 pounds working out this summer in Raleigh. Now the Canes hope Ward can shed any doubts that he could match his 2006 playoff performance after awarding him a three-year, $8 million contract.

Looking up: Chicago

Not only do the Blackhawks have a cadre of great young players, but owner Bill Wirtz's (largely successful) plan to run the once-proud franchise into the ground and make it a laughingstock came to a screeching halt last week when he passed away. Maybe now they'll put a home game on TV.

Looking down: Buffalo

Free agents Daniel Briere and Chris Drury left the Sabres almost as quickly as Buffalo natives migrated south to North Carolina and other warmer surroundings. The pair of star centers likely took the Sabres' Stanley Cup hopes with them when they left town.

Looking down: Nashville

A week before the Predators' season-opener, about 2,700 tickets remained unsold for Thursday's game against the Colorado Avalanche. Another 8,000 seats were available for Saturday's home game. Not a good sign for a franchise that must average at least 14,000 in paid attendance to maintain the team's lease with the city. Makes you wonder about the shelf life of the "Save the Predators" stickers spotted on the windows of Nashville bars and restaurants surrounding the Sommet Center.

The NHL: Foundering at home, flopping in London

No one has disputed the National Hockey League's marketing prowess, at least not in the past two minutes. Yet there were some early signs that the league's decision to usher in the 2007-08 season on Sunday with an Anaheim Ducks-Los Angeles Kings opener in London would not earn even the lukewarm reception reserved in England for say, George W. Bush offering Queen Elizabeth a back slap and a "You're doing a heckuva job, Queenie."

As documented by The (Vancouver) Province, Londoners hardly marveled at the spectacle of Ryan Getzlaf and other Ducks players touring with the Stanley Cup last week -- a trophy originally donated by a Brit, Lord Stanley of Preston, the 16th Earl of Derby.

"I don't really know why they're here, though I do know the NFL is due here next month," onlooker Steve Campbell said after seeing the Stanley Cup champs pose in front of Big Ben. "Maybe it's a bit of promotion due to that, possibly?"

That's the genius of the NHL, tying itself into the frenzy surrounding an Oct. 28 Miami Dolphins-New York Giants game at Wembley Stadium.

Coachspeak-to-english translation

"Everybody breathe deep, go home, drink some camomile tea, something like that. Relax. This team will be hard to play against."

-- Toronto Maple Leafs coach Paul Maurice the morning after his team's 7-2 exhibition loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Sept. 26.

Translation: "I know this is Toronto, but can the mouth-breathers among you wait a week or two to press the panic button? When I coached in Carolina, I had until December before my job was on the line."