Remember, it was Duhatschek that got the ball rolling yesterday.

But there could be an argument made that right now, as October draws to a close that the league’s best player could be one that wasn’t chosen until the 210th overall pick of the 1999 entry draft; who stands a modest 5-foot-11; who just turned 27 earlier this month and has quietly averaged more than a point-a-game in the two-plus seasons of the post-lockout NHL.

Not so quietly anymore Eric. If he (Zetterberg) keeps this up visiting diggers will have their hands forced. No more Chelios The Ancient stories. No more “if Hasek stays healthy” leads. Helene St. James was astounded, shocked, perplexed yesterday in the visiting room when she saw real interest in a Red Wing from a large number of media. Not the norm where she comes from, so we’ll cut her some slack.

There was a funny scene Monday afternoon in the visitors’ dressing room at Rexall Place, where tonight the Red Wings will pit their NHL-leading 19 points against the Oilers.

Pavel Datsyuk was attempting to clear a path to his dressing area but found it impossible because linemate and league-leading scorer Henrik Zetterberg was surrounded by reporters.

Perhaps Helene wouldn’t have found the scene so LOL-hilarious had she read James Mirtle’s blog from yesterday afternoon. Of course, the Detroit diggers don’t read hockey blogs. Their bosses in the Wing Communications Compound won’t allow it. But if she had…

...he’s going to fall off that pace at some point, but the only challengers within four points of him at the moment are greybeards Mats Sundin and Rod Brind’Amour, who as much a threat to win a scoring title as Chris Osgood at this point.

There’s a bit of a cushion there, with Jarome Iginla and the fellows in Ottawa likely to play some catchup here in November, but when it’s all said and done, Zetterberg should finally finish among the top 10 scorers and get some consideration for the league MVP.

It doesn’t take a Hart to get the Oil media machine moving. Just a nudge from the boys in Toronto. John MacKinnon from the Edmonton Journal sounds like he’s got a poster of Hank on his bedroom wall, kinda like the one I had of Cheryl Tiegs that I threw away but sometimes still look at no not really but I know where it is in my garage in case I need to throw it away instead of keeping it which I have for twenty five years but only because it’s a piece of history not because she’s hot.

Detroit Red Wings high-scoring winger Henrik Zetterberg has the stylishly unruly blonde mop, well-tended facial scruff and laid-back manner of a surfer dude.

Read the article and you’ll see it isn’t entirely about MacKinnon’s man crush on Zetterberg, but focuses more on the chemistry of the Flying Circus.

“To me, that’s the best line in hockey right now,” said Draper, the 36-year-old two-way centre and three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Wings, who recently signed a three-year contract extension. “I’m very biased toward them, but they’re playing unbelievable hockey.”

Ted Kulfan, who can’t shy away from a story already covered by literally five other beat writers, clearly saw the commotion in the Wing room and maybe even took a note or two.

Zetterberg shied away from the individual attention and discussion. He preferred to concentrate on the success he and linemates Pavel Datsyuk and Holmstrom have had since being put together at the halfway point of last season.

“Good things can happen when you play with good players,” Zetterberg said.

Nearing the end of the first month of the season, there’s no question Zetterberg ranks among the better players in the league.

Maybe, the best.

*Above passage written and approved of by John Hahn, Detroit Red Wing Director of Communications

Derek Van Diest of the Edmonton Sun seemed to be the only Digger in town yesterday who decided he wouldn’t get fired for deviating from the Hank-fest even slightly. His angle deals more with stopping the league’s best team, as opposed to just the league’s best player.

The Edmonton Oilers just beat the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Now it’s on to the best team in the NHL.

Today the Oilers host the Detroit Red Wings, a team that heads into the contest with the best record in the league and the top scorer in Henrik Zetterberg.

“They have the best record in hockey and we know them pretty well,” said Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish.

In case you didn’t catch that, Mac-T’s referring to The Punch In The Face...“knowing them pretty well”. We get it. Then again, he could be talking about last year’s regular season. Detroit was 1-1-2 against Edmonton.

Khan(!)? Khan(!)? Khan(!)? Oh, there you are. Right next to your Uncle Mike.

He’s a great two-way player, he’s unbelievable without the puck and he’s very dynamic with the puck.

“(With) his sidekick, Pavel, the two of them together are better than they are apart. They push one another and they obviously push our team to be better.”

Woops. Real news alert. “...together are better than they are apart.” He threw you an easy one Ansar, a gift to let you prove your worth as Deep Digger captain. Ask the question…ask….the…..question.

The Red Wings take a five-game winning streak into tonight’s contest in Edmonton. The Oilers, like every Detroit opponent before them, will be keying on Zetterberg.

Not yet. Guess it wasn’t the right time. No worries. You’re still our Captain. In fact, you solidified the job.

Don’t fret. Alternate Captain Helene St. James was all over it. According to her, it would appear the Circus will remain intact at least for the time being.

Johan Franzen (sprained knee) and Dallas Drake (fractured cheekbone) are expected back tonight, but while Franzen was playing with Datsyuk before getting hurt Oct. 6, he practiced Monday on a line with Drake and Tomas Kopecky, so it doesn’t look like Babcock has plans to break up Datsyuk and Zetterberg.

More later today. Not sure when. Live blog tonite? We’ll see.