from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,

They came down from the mountains Monday to start a week of NHL exhibition games – first in Calgary, then Edmonton, and then Thursday, in what might be September’s most-anticipated meaningless game, Alain Vigneault’s New York Rangers face off against John Tortorella’s Vancouver Canucks.

Three networks are televising the game, which is bizarre but also wholly predictable. There is great anticipation about what happens next in both markets, after Vigneault took over Tortorella’s team last summer, and then Tortorella was hired by Vancouver to fill Vigneault’s old job....

The chance to go to Vancouver now will help Vigneault get his homecoming out the way early. It also means Tortorella will get to fence with the New York press corps, just like old times. Most of them skipped the trip to Banff, but will be on site in Vancouver, just in case there are fireworks.

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