It’s finally here. The first day of September means two things. Back to school. The return of hockey. It also means football. There will be plenty of excitement for both the Jets and Giants. Especially if you root for Gang Green like Jersey blogger, Hasan.

If you include the U.S. Open like I do, that’s four. Unfortunately, I’m reduced to watching matches on ESPN Plus. Thanks to the corporate greed of Disney and Spectrum. At least they give you other matches on different courts. I even watched some women’s doubles.

Of course, this is a hockey blog. We’ve been around for a long time. Battle of New York originally was created twelve years ago. That was a good time. Both the Rangers and Devils were in the midst of a big season when the rivalry added another chapter. I refer to it as Marty’s Revenge. For the Jersey side, they got us back.

With the calendar on September 1, what’s in store for the upcoming season? We’ve already covered a lot of players changing teams during the off-season. Summer isn’t over yet. The holiday weekend promises another heatwave into early next week. You can still enjoy the little things.

As schools start up, we’ll be getting closer to prospect tournaments and training camps, followed by the preseason. Before you know it, October will be here.

There still are some players who don’t know where they’ll be playing yet. That might include trades if Connor Hellebuyck gets his wish. John Gibson also wants to play in another city. What you usually see is some veterans signed to pro tryouts. If they impress, then they make the roster. That’s become the trend. Especially in a salary cap era that forces teams to make tough decisions.

In the meantime, we can at least take a glimpse into what the Eastern Conference will look like. I’ll focus on teams from both divisions. That way, we’ll have a better idea of what to expect for 2023-24.

Starting next post, I’ll begin with the Atlantic Division. One team on different days. Keep an eye out for it.

Here’s a throwback of some highlights. See you soon.