Nothing eliminates the enjoyment out of a nice, ice-cold beer like having a cold, especially one you’ve been battling for nearly three weeks. Instead of a relaxing drink to wind down at the end of the day, what you get is a bitter, nasty-tasting headache in a bottle.

I hoped maybe I could take the edge off of what’s basically been a seemingly endless bad mood that has everyone in the house tiptoeing in my presence. It didn’t quite work out that way. Fortunately, I’m at least smart enough to realize that nothing takes the enjoyment out of reading a hockey column more than when the author does nothing but complain, so instead of prolonging the agony any further, let’s get down to business...

The Providence-Boston Railway

With all the criticism surrounding Boston’s goaltending situation, all the panic, all the I-told-you-so’s when Andrew Raycroft rolled into town with a Maple Leaf on his jersey, it was tough seeing Hannu Toivonen sent down to Providence. I’ve heard varying comments both in the media and among fans, and I think it’s really important to put things in perspective: The Hannu Toivonen we’ve seen in Boston’s net for the bulk of this season did not resemble the Hannu Toivonen I’ve watched for the past couple years. He looked like a 22-year-old kid coming off of an injury and trying to find his rhythm, with a team that just hasn’t found its identity yet. Couple that with the high expectations and added pressure from Boston’s fans and media, and I think it’s pretty fair to say the odds were stacked against him.

Maybe if he’d begun the season in Providence, things would have gone differently, but the gamble to start him in Boston was much more than just the Bruins being the Bruins. The reason he started the season in Boston is because he really is an NHL caliber goaltender. Unfortunately, he doesn’t yet have the experience to make it through some of those bumps in the road, and for that reason, it was probably the right decision to send him down. It may be a few games down the road, or it may be more, but don’t be surprised if you see a rejuvenated Hannu Toivonen return to the net in Boston some time this season.

Speaking of Providence…

The Providence Bruins rolled into the weekend riding a five-game win streak and ready to face three tough Eastern conference opponents in a weekend. November marks the beginning of a busier schedule for Providence, who had only played ten games since opening the regular season on October 7th. Neck in neck with the Portland Pirates, the early part of the season has them at the top of their division, but it’s something that could easily change.

“We certainly have a tough road ahead of us. The next few teams that we play are all in the upper part of the division, so the competition’s going to be a little bit stiffer, and it will be a good measure to see where we’re at,” Providence head coach Scott Gordon said just prior to the weekend’s games. “We just want to make sure we’re going in the right direction, and I think from our standpoint, as coaches, it’s good timing, because it’s very easy to get your head filled up with overconfidence.”

Providence made it through the weekend with two wins in three games, so they must be doing something right. They opened the three-game stretch at home against the Norfolk Admirals, with the highly anticipated guest appearances of Hannu Toivonen and Mark Stuart. Toivonen put together a solid performance after letting in two goals in the first, with 29 saves on 32 Norfolk shots, and aiding the Bruins to their sixth straight win. He got plenty of help from the Providence offense, who made it 6-3 by the end of the game.

Providence was not so lucky on Saturday night, when they faced the Sharks in Worcester and limped away on the wrong end of a 6-3 final score, with a hurting Hannu Toivonen in tow. Toivonen’s injury (a “mild” sprain) isn’t believed to be serious, but it does delay any progress he may make in Providence. The loss was sandwiched between another P Bruins win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday, which brings their overall record to 9-3-1 on the season.

Rookies are Coming Along

One of the biggest positives with Providence’s offense is that it has come from several different players. This past weekend alone, they had ten different goal scorers. This year’s crop of rookies is beginning to produce as well, something that will no doubt improve as the season goes on.

“This time of year, it’s important that they understand they have to work a little bit harder than they have in the past and to get out of their comfort zone,” explained coach Gordon. “The second thing is positional play - you combine the two, and at times early in the year you’re going to be off, you’re going to be unsure of where to go and what to do in different situations, but the last two weeks have been good.”

Gordon is seeing a little more familiarity, a little more understanding of the team’s system and the expectations of the coaching staff, which has been reflected in the performance of the rookies. Some of these rookies, such as 2005 draft pick Petr Kalus, come with very high expectations. What’s important to remember is that while the results might not yet show on the stat-sheets, these players are learning and making improvements with each week.

“Where he is now, and where he started, is like night and day,” Gordon said of 19-year-old rookie Kalus. “His first game with us, he’d first come down from Boston, and he was just kind of all over the place. Now he’s gradually getting to the point where he knows where he has to be on the ice and when.”

So far, Kalus has about five points in his first eleven games, but he’s tremendous when it comes to creating scoring opportunities, and it seems like it’s only a matter of time before he starts producing. The Czech Republic native has just one season of North American hockey under his belt, with the Regina Pats of the WHL. While he could have returned to juniors, the pace and level of competition at the pro level should ultimately make him a better player.

Rookie Martins Karsums is finally starting to find some offense. Karsums is coming off a four point weekend, three of which were goals. He’s another player that Gordon feels will put up more points as he grows more comfortable with the pro game.

“Marty’s a little bit different, in that I think he’s more accustomed to North American hockey. All of our European players have played in juniors, but I think his level is maybe above what we’ve seen from some of the other European players, in that he really understands, he’s a smart hockey player, he’s defensively responsible, and he just plays a hard game.”

Rookie David Krejci also comes with high expectations. Krejci has been a little quicker to put up points, but was sidelined this weekend due to illness.

“With David, we obviously had high expectations that he was going to produce offensively, but the thing that’s been a pleasant surprise, is that he doesn’t sacrifice defense to do it. I don’t want to say that he’s exactly like Patrice Bergeron, but the things we see as coaches - there are a lot of similarities with the things he does with the puck and his head for the game. He’s not a guy who just puts on a uniform and takes things for granted.”

Miscellaneous Notes

Milan Lucic (2006 draft pick) had a two-goal, two-fight weekend. Lucic plays for the Vancouver Giants of the WHL, where he’s become notorious for his high energy, tough physical game. Whether it’s a well-placed hit to create some space for his teammates or dropping the gloves to help fire up his team, Lucic is an extremely hard working player and is showing signs that he can be much more. He is already close to last year’s point totals in nearly a third of the games.

The Long Beach Ice Dogs now have two wins this season, the latest thanks in part to Chris Collins’ overtime goal Sunday against Las Vegas. Collins had two goals in the 7-6 win, and is now at ten points in his first 12 games with the Ice Dogs. T.J. Trevelyan currently leads the Ice Dogs with 13 points in 11 games.

Junior netminder Kevin Regan had a superb performance in UNH’s 8-2 upset of the top ranked Maine Black Bears on Sunday. Maine had been the last undefeated team in Hockey East, and despite out-shooting the Wildcats by a margin of 35-23, were only able to get two goals past Regan, both on the power-play. Regan is now 5-2-1 on the season.