New Jersey(s) IV

Like a bad Star Trek movie sequel ... we continue with post No. 200.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS – D: After a 108-point season in 2006-07, this is a team in turmoil.

Canadian carpetbagger Jim Balsillie – rebuffed in his attempt to buy the Penguins – tried to buy the Preds and hijack them to Hamilton, Ontario. Vokoun. Kariya. Timonen. Forsberg. All gone, off too Miami, St. Louis, Philadelphia … and possible retirement.

This team has a chance to be one of the league’s worst – and they’ll be dressed like one of them. Despite the insipid piping, I can deal with the home blues. The road whites, though – why Nashville across the top in letters so small that you’d think you were taking an eye test at the DMV?

But wait, readers may say, ‘You liked it when Vancouver did it. What’s the difference?’ With the Canucks, there was an element of history there from the old WHL teams. The Predators barely have a history, as this will be their 10th season.

Oh, yellow piping on a white jersey? Nice choice … as I roll one eye in the back of my head.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS – A-: Having lived in the ‘Burgh for a year, I can tell you that the residents of that dump have an unhealthy obsession with black and gold. Except on Friday nights at PNC Park when the Pirates break out the red Heinz 57 vests.

Let me say this: I don’t care if he runs the bases, sinks the 3 or skates the length of the ice – Jack Lambert no longer plays there. Neither do Jack Ham, Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier. And Mike Webster, Justin Strelczyk and Steve Courson will not be walking out of Primanti’s any time soon.

With that, I am glad to see that Penguins resisted the opportunity to change the current Vegas Gold back to the French’s mustard yellow that Lemieux and Jagr wore back in the day when they won back-to-back Stanley Cups. To me, it means that they want to continue carving out their own identity with the likes of Crosby, Malkin and Staal and with a slight nod to city’s other great teams.

Keeping the skating penguin – very cool, too.

DETROIT RED WINGS – A: Once again – simple and classic are GOOD. No changes to the winged wheel. No addition of black or silver as an “accent color.”

The only thing that keeps this from being and A+ is that the ‘C’ and ‘A’ for the captain and assistant will be on the upper left side – it will be different and odd, but they could have done far, far worse.