Bourquie says he’s going to DC, dammit. Of course, the cynical heckler in me says that this is just him running his mouth again, as he is wont to do.

“I’ll do anything I can to make the big club — even be a fighter,” Bourque, who has one career fighting major in three pro seasons, joked. “I’d probably get beat up all the time, but I’d be happy if it was in the NHL.”

After watching him for a season, I really think that what he needs to do is cultivate his inner Jarkko Ruutu, and learn how to pester people into doing dumb stuff. Unlike Robitaille, it seems to me that Bourque’s on-ice skills combined with a willingness to be obnoxious could actually be a pretty formidable combination. Not only would he piss people off verbally, but also potentially for his ability to actually play a killer game.

I’m hoping, rather selfishly, that CapsChick’s Fuckhead (aka Fleschmann) gets the hook, and Bourque, Gordon and Beagle rotate through the extra random Caps forward spot and/or get the callup for injuries. I just can’t bring myself to wish the axe to Fehr or Steckel, however awesome it would be to see two of the Bears finally on the big team.

In other media, the Sporting News released their preseason hockey article in the last little while, and I finally picked it up the other day. While a lot of it just seemed like space filler, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they took the time to spell the Cheez’s name right. Instead of being Darren Macheserny or Machessney or Machesnney, he was actually Daren Machesney, so that’s worth some good karma points to TSN at least. They lose a few, however, for all but handing a defenseman spot to Alzner. I understand that he’s great, and he’s awesome, and he’s really good and all that, but after watching him and Lepisto on the ice together at development camp, I really think it’s going to be more of a battle for blueline spots than the generic hockey media realizes, especially when all the baby players know this is a chance to make it big.

And for one last hijacking, this time me hijacking my blog for my own nefarious purposes, anyone who’s in the DC area saturday night should come out and get their contact sport fix when the Harrisburg Area Roller Derby Nuclear Knockouts take on the DC Rollergirls at the Dulles Sportplex. Doors open at 4, bout starts at 5, $12 admittance for all the bodily harm to others you can take.

If you’re gonna support the Knockouts, come wearing your best lime green. And if you can start a hockey chant in the stands, I’ll be the one in the union jack hotpants laughing my ass off on the bench.