Locals Absent As NHL Season Kicks Off

No Chatham-Kent product was in an NHL lineup this weekend as the lockout shortened season got underway.

Chatham’s Ryan Jones of the Edmonton Oilers continued to allow his eye injury, which is expected to keep the veteran forward out until February, to heal from the sidelines.

Jones Tweeted Sunday before the game, “Can’t wait to watch the boys take on the Canucks tonight. Wish I could be out there with them.”

Edmonton defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in a shootout to open the season.

Dresden’s TJ Brodie was absent from the Calgary Flames lineup as a healthy scratch Sunday. Brodie made the team out of camp as part of a seven man defense corps Calgary decided to carry. Calgary was defeated 4-1 by the San Jose Sharks in their opener Sunday afternoon.

Veteran blueliner Derek Smith was Calgary’s sixth defenseman in the game, playing a team low 14:07 among blueliners.