Photo of Martin Brodeur of the Devils stopping a shot by the slanders' Mike Comrie in a pre-season game by AP Photo/Frank Franklin II; Photo below of Henrik Lundqvist throwing a t-shirt by AP Photo/Petr David Josek The NHL season starts a little earlier than usual for our local teams. The Rangers are opening their season in Prague this weekend with two sold-out games against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Islanders and Devils open......

Back in 1997, the Rangers lost their captain when Mark Messier headed to the Pacific Northwest to play for the Canucks. On Thursday, they brought Vancouver's captain, Markus Naslund to New York with a two-year, $8 million deal. Thanks to the salary cap and other roster considerations, this move means Jaromir Jagr's New York career is over. Rangers general manager Glen Sather sounded like he had gotten tired of waiting for Jagr to decide what......