My thumb is up to Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens, who scored the first goal of the NHL season on Wednesday. He did that at the 4:42 mark of the first period against the Leafs at the Air Canada Centre, and at that precise moment, Pacioretty was, or should have been, the envy of every other NHL forward. At that moment, Pacioretty was the only one who did not have to worry about scoring his first goal, and did not have to wonder when it would come. Scoring slumps happen, and the only way to deal with them is to know that they will end. But theres something about a slump that occurs at the beginning of a season and has a zero attached to it, thats the slump that players dread and often try too hard to break. Pacioretty was the first to sigh with the relief that comes with knowing that the first goal has already been scored. If he wants to fuss about the second goal, well, thats another, much smaller matter. But if he aims to do one better than last season, when he scored 39 goals to lead all players on Canadian-based teams, he now needs only 39 more. No sooner had the Buffalo Sabres lost their first game of the season than the tank talk began. So Ill use both thumbs here, one thumb is down to anyone who asks to be taken seriously as an NHL observer while suggesting that the Sabres, or any other team for that matter (Carolina?), should aim for a 30th-place finish. The other thumb is down to the NHL for refusing to deal with the issue by maintaining a draft lottery system that offers an incentive to do so. It is true that a last-place finish does not guarantee a number-one draft selection, but as long as a last-place finish brings with it the best odds of picking first, 30th will be preferable to 29th. The easy and right solution is to give all 14 non-playoff teams an equal shot at winning the draft lottery. The word tank need never be mentioned again. The injection of real drama into the draw and the increased audience it would generate automatically puts to shame the event in its current form. And dont tell me that the worst team needs to get the best player, because theres no guarantee of that now. If the NHL wants that, it should scrap the lottery and trust that no one will cheat. If it wants to keep the lottery because somebody might remove a skate from the pedal, fix the lottery by making it wide open. Oh yes, and Buffalo plays at Carolina on Tuesday, October 14. As you read this, stories that say the loser will be the winner are being prepared. Zapatillas Adidas Outlet España . Raonic, the mens No. 8 seed from Thornhill, Ont., needed more than three hours to overcome Frenchman Gilles Simon 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 and become the first Canadian man into the fourth round at Roland Garros. Zapatillas Adidas Baratas Chile . Colton Sissons also scored for Milwaukee (19-12-8), which went ahead with a two-goal third period. Wade MacLeod and Greg McKegg replied for Toronto (23-12-4). http://www.zapatillasadidasbaratas.es/. Teams one through twenty competing in Englands top flight are each fatally flawed. A wide-open, highly competitive and mistake-filled season has followed. Adidas España Outlet . The two-time former Formula One champion downplayed his third-place finish three weeks ago in China and said progress is going slow for Ferrari as it tries to make up ground on Mercedes. Zapatillas Adidas España Baratas . Or at least on everyone elses expectations. Costa Rica followed up its surprise win over Uruguay with another World Cup stunner on Friday, beating four-time champion Italy 1-0 to secure a spot in the next round and eliminate England in the process.An 18" deep fried corn dog, filled with bacon, jalapenos and cheese, served on a bed of fries. It is a corn dog the size of a baseball bat. For real. You can buy this. Texas Rangers Bacon on a Stick Just straight up some bacon on a stick. This will not be the last time you see Texas on this list. Minnesota Twins Bloody Mary Ive seen some interesting things put in a Bloody Mary before, but never an entire hamburger. I guess it really is a meal in a glass. Houston Astros Texas Hold Em In an attempt to keep up with their neighbours in Arlington, the Astros have perfected this beauty. A BBQ chicken sandwich with cheddar, tomato, cole slaw and french fries right on top, all served on thick Texas toast. Because why eat fries on the side when you can just shove everything in your mouth at once? Philadelphia Philles Cheez Whiz Bacon Hot Dog Philly Cheese Steaks are already gut-busters, so its no surprise theyd make the jump with their hot dogs as well. The name pretty much explains itself. Arizona Diamondbacks Venom Dog In our second masterpiece from Arizona, we have the Venom Dog, a foot-long habanero sausage with beans, guacamole and sour cream. Though not as large as its cousin, the addition of beans means you may have to visit the washroom twice as fast. Seattle Mariners Cheese Curds This one is a whole other level of disgusting. Poutine lovers will be familiar with cheese curds, but this bad boy goes a step further by DEEP-FRYING the curds. They drizzle some honey on top so that theres a sweet taste in your mouth as your arteries come to a halt. West Michigan Whitecaps Augger Dogger Alright, you cant get this one at an MLB ballpark, but the Detroit Tigers Single-A affiliate offers up this deep-fried hot dog on a stick surrounded by potato chips. Im impressed by the artistry on this one more than anything. Texas Rangers Frozen Beer While not technically food, this is one had to crack the list.dddddddddddd In honour of Yu Darvishs Japanese heritage, the Rangers will be serving up frozen <i>Kirin</i> beer, the Japanese equivalent of Bud. Of everything Japenese they could have gone with, they went with this. Pittsburgh Pirates Tatchcos Taking you back to your high school cafeteria, the Pirates are offering Tater Tots doused in chili, spicy nacho cheese, sour cream and scallions. Texas Rangers Burger Once again we head back to Texas, where Nolan Ryan is apparently supplying his own beef for this monstrosity, which is essentially a giant piece of lasagna filled with a hamburger patty. Some things just dont belong together, these are two of them. Detroit Tigers Poutine Dog Another team who decided to take two things that, on their own, are delicious, and smash them together in some weird life-threatening science experiment. This might not even be the craziest hot dog they offer, as their Late Night Dog has bacon, fried egg, and cheddar cheese on it. And you wonder why people associate America with obesity... Chicago White Sox 12-Scoop Banana Split Finally, some dessert! If you werent lactose intolerant going into this one, you will be coming out. Twelve scoops of ice cream, whipped cream, cherries, chocolate sauce, and banana (to keep it healthy) are served up in a FULL SIZE BATTING HELMET. SERIOUSLY. Texas Rangers Choomongous The signing of Shin-Soo Choo in Arlington brings us the Choomongous, a 24" spicy-Asian beef sandwich that comes wit its own wheelchair to wheel you out of the ballpark when youre done. Tampa Bay Rays 4lb Burger Finally, Tampa Bay is offering a challenge to their fans: eat a four pound burger and a pound of french fries, and theyll give you two free tickets to the game (and a t-shirt)! Just dont try to squeeze into the t-shirt after finishing up. Play ball, and good eating folks! ' ' '