* What happens if the Detroit Red Wings fail to recover from their slow start and miss the playoffs?

Fans in 29 cities would be jumping for joy, while fans in one city may be jumping off the nearest bridge.

* Wouldn't it be something if Philadelphia Flyers fans actually would be polite and respectful of the opposition for a whole game?

Not going to happen -- they have a reputation to hold up.

* Another month of fantastic goaltending by Craig Anderson of the Colorado Avalanche and he'll need a new nickname. Maybe 'Roy'?

* If the Los Angeles Kings continue to play well, maybe we would see Jack Nicholson banging on the glass.

* What happens when a goalie gets in a player's head?

Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks has done that lately. He's been forcing players to change their shot when attacking the net and most likely getting them thinking way too much.

* If the Atlanta Thrashers continue their offensive onslaught, they will become a must-watch team on a nightly basis.

* Just maybe, Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets is the best all-round player in the NHL. Nash is doing everything, and is offensive even on the penalty kill.

* Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks is playing the way he was expected to play the last two seasons. Motivated and being injury-free sure has changed his game around.

* The Buffalo Sabres have only one loss in regulation and one in overtime. The reason? Ryan Miller has been outstanding. Good goaltending equals winning.

* I'm loving all the hockey games. The action is fantastic, the game is not over in most cases until the final horn blows and I am looking forward to a great season.

Remember to invite a non-hockey friend to watch a game with you and turn them on to our game.

Hooked on Twitter -- If you are a fan like me and want to be kept up-to-date on the latest and breaking news within the hockey world, you have to be on Twitter.

I committed myself to the Twitter scene this season and have found it to be a valuable resource for hockey news.

I asked two media types, Elliotte Friedman of CBC/Hockey Night in Canada and Craig Custance of the Sporting News how Twitter has changed the way they follow and report hockey news?

Elliotte's response: "If you're not on Twitter, you're behind in covering news. It's fast and it's your own voice. I'm not into Facebook or MySpace but I love Twitter. It's like a fast wire service. With all of the links, it's more time-effective than searching the Web."

Craig responded in this fashion: "I love the immediacy that Twitter offers. It hasn't necessarily changed the way I report, it has just given my work another outlet.

I love to use Twitter for breaking news and to share things I won't include in a story or for something that might be outdated by the time my story runs.

It's also fantastic for interaction with hockey fans and with players, agents and other people around the game.

As far as following hockey news, Twitter has become one of the first Web sites I check for news updates. Chances are the people I'm following will have news as quickly, if not faster, than any typical news Web site.

As you can see, Twitter is a valuable tool to keep up with all of the hockey news.

If you are not sure if it is for you, just try it out and make sure to follow some of the key people within the hockey world. Do a search-engine inquiry on your favorite hockey writer or Web site, click follow and now you, too, can be on top of the hockey news many of us live for.

Enjoy the week of hockey, and as always, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected] or follow me on Twitter.