GetItNext Blog

GetItNext eBay Seller of the Day - Byron's Hockey Land Dec 5th 2008

Today's GetItNext Seller of the Day is Byron's Hockeyland.  This was an easy pick for us as we are huge fans of the game and Byron is one of the top sellers in the hockey collectibles business.  Not only has he been selling for over 25 years he's also been published in Beckett Hockey.  If you're looking for a reputable, hockey collectibles dealer check out Byron's store on eBay. 

Have you come across any exceptional eBay sellers and want us to consider them for our seller of the Day?  Or if you're so inclined you can nominate yourself, after all times are tough and everyone can use a little free promotion.  In order to nominate a seller/store drop us an email about your nomination and a quick blurb on why they are an exceptional eBay seller.  Email us at selleroftheday AT getitnext DOT com.

NHL Season Preview - Eastern Conference

The Ducks and Kings split a two game series to start the 07-08 NHL season in London. I personally can't wait for the season to get fully underway, but I can't lie, being a Leaf fan is one tough thing these days. Don't get me wrong, I bleed blue and white and I will forever, but there is going to be some awesome competition this year. Here's what to look out for in the Eastern conference.

Starting in the Atlantic division, I think the teams to beat are going to be the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers. There is no going wrong when Sid the Kid is on your side, I mean, the team was very good last year and gave the Senators a decent go in the first round of the playoffs, and they are only going to grow as all their young talent matures. With some more experience being added in the off season (Peter Sykora and Darryl Sydor) I think this Penguins team will be the team to beat in the Atlantic. The Rangers will be right behind them though, giving them a good run for their money. Their acquisition of Chris Drury and Scott Gomez is sure to add some talent up front and put up some big numbers, hopefully offsetting the loss of Michael Nylander, however, I don't think it will be enough to overcome young talent present in Pittsburgh. Come to think of it though, New York has always (for the last few years) looked good on paper without being able to perform. Last year we saw them actually perform, and hopefully this will continue into this year. Keep your eyes on this division, it is sure to be quite the battle.

As for the Northeast division, not a whole lot has changed (except for in Buffalo with the loss of Chris Drury and Danny Briere). I expect that this division will be similar to how it was last year, except I think my Leafs may have a legitimate shot at the post-season. After going undefeated in the pre-season, I think that the Sens are going come out of the gates real hot this season, and they are definitely the team to beat. After missing the playoffs by one point on the very last day of the season last year, I expect the acquisitions of Jason Blake and Vesa Toskala to help the Leafs at least make it to the playoffs (but I doubt they will go very far). At least for once in Toronto there will be competition for the top goaltending spot, and Raycroft and Toskala will both work extra hard pushing for playing time. I think the team to look out for in the Northeast though is clearly the Senators (I know, it hurts).

Finally, the Southeast division will be interesting to watch as it is very unpredictable. With Michael Nylander in the mix, the Washington Capitals (Ovechkin and all) is expected perform better this year, but without the depth of many other teams, it will be difficult for Washington to go very far. We will see if some of the third and fourth liners on the Caps will be able to complement their top line, and of course, we will see if Olaf Kolzig can pull it together for a half decent year. The team to watch though, will be the Carolina Hurricanes. Despite their very hot/cold nature, I think missing the playoffs last year did this team well and they will be more competitive this year. Cam Ward is the key player here, as goaltending will play a big role in this division. For Carolina's sake, lets just hope that the Conn Smythe winning Ward shows up to play!

I think the division to watch this year though will be the Atlantic division. It will be very exciting to see how the many off-season changes will benefit these teams. Let the games begin! Be sure to stay tuned for my Western Conference predictions as well!

Jared Paty
GIN...the tonic for searching eBay

Best Fights & Hits in Sports!

If you've had a pretty dull day then this is a must-watch set of sports fights/hits to get the adrenaline pumping! In a hurry? I would recommend checking out Phaneuf's hit on Hamel. If you enjoy hockey as much as I do I would check out our hockey blog with all of the latest hype in the NHL as well as all of the newest updates on the new rbk hockey jerseys.

UFC: Rashad Evans KO’s Sean Salmon With a Monster Kick

Pistons, Pacers, Artest... Need I say more?

Big Scrap Between Philadelphia and Ottawa (Goalies Fight Too!)

Soccer Fight: Portuguese Soccer Field All Out Brawl

Phaneuf Lays Out Hamel!

Collection of the Best Hits in The NFL

If this really got you going you can check out the nhl "big hits" video recently uploaded to the hockey blog.

NHL 2K8 - A Let Down

The hype around the launch of the newest installment in the 2K NHL series was amazing, the game promised a pro stick comparable if not better than the one EA put out for their NHL 2007 game. 2K8 also promised A.I. that would seriously enhance game play by simply disallowing you to pound them into the ground the same way. Basically the game was suppose to blow every other NHL game out of the water.

Of course this wasn't the case at all. The pro stick is unresponsive and is a very cheap, half hearted effort to try to beat the amazing control that EA gives its users. The stick still adds a very positive dimension to the game however it just isn't where it should be technologically. My main concern however is the new control scheme that just complicates everything, from having to speed burst buttons, to having to hold down separate buttons while shooting in order to fire off a slap shot.

The A.I. is a lot better than it has previously been, however it is no where close to what anyone expected, basically it just took the old A.I. and added a few minor tweaks that really aren't noticeable. The only real noticeable difference that I found was that the computer does a far better job avoiding the big hit in this game.

Overall the game is still very fun and the goaltending is still the best in the field, and 2K8 finally improved the scoring in the game because now it no longer depends on the one-timer. So the goal tending and new scoring still make 2K8 my favorite NHL game, however this game didn't improve as much as it was expected to so I expect huge things from the 2K team by 2010 in order to re-assert their dominance over EA.

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