The festive season has come and gone, the holiday roster freeze is lifted, and the hockey season is nearly half-over. In honor of Christmas and the New Year, here are 12 random thoughts

1. The most surprising team in the NHL this season has been the Columbus Blue Jackets. They finished last season last in the Metropolitan Division (27^th overall in the league) with a 34-40-8 record. Thus far, they are an entirely different team thanks to outstanding goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky. They are 12-0 in December alone and 24-5-4 overall, including a 10-0 shellacking of the Habs back on November 4. Columbus is a team to watch out for in the New Year.

2. Carey Price is right. The big question mark heading into the season was the health of Carey Price. He missed all but 12 games last season with a suspected sprained MCL. The good news is that Price has shown no lingering effects from the knee injury and is back to top form. At the Christmas break among starting goalies, Price is 2^nd in wins (18), 4^th in save% (.934) and 4^th in GAA (1.91). The Habs will go as far as Price is able to carry them in the playoffs, which is a good thing.

3. Speaking of goaltending, there has been a disturbing trend of goalies getting run into while playing the puck. The most blatant example was Dallas Stars forward Cody Eakin slamming into Henrik Lunqvist as the Rangers goalie played the puck behind the net. Eakin was suspended 4 games. A week prior to that Kyle Palmeiri “accidentally on purpose” slid into Price, who then proceeded to pummel the Devils forward with his blocker. Heading into the second half of the season, the NHL should take a harder stance on goalies being run into. As the standings tighten up and teams fight to make the playoffs, part of the strategy of beating elite goaltending will be to run the goalie. I would like to see more goalie interference penalties. And so would Carey Price.

4. December saw several bad hits. On December 6, Vancouver Canucks defenseman Phillip Larsen was knocked unconscious by New Jersey Devils forward Taylor Hall. Ten days later, Habs forward Andrew Shaw was levelled by Bruins defenseman Torey Krug. Neither Hall nor Krug were suspended or even faced a disciplinary hearing. In both cases Hall and Krug took advantage of their opponent being in a vulnerable position. It shouldn’t take an injury for the NHL to suspend a player. I get that hockey is a fast game and it can be difficult to penalize a player during a game, but the NHL should start enforcing its own rule book and not just interpret the rules based on the team, player or injury.

5. There has been some quirks in the NHL schedule this season. This past week saw the Canucks face the Jets at Roger’s Arena twice in three nights. It happens occasionally where two teams meet twice in a row, but usually it’s a home-and-home mini-series. Evidently, the NHL is trying to manage the travel schedule. Another quirk in the schedule saw the Canucks face the Panthers in Florida December 10 and the Capitals in Washington less than 24 hours later. The Boston Bruins are known to have more early start times in their schedule, which could become an issue as the NHL tends to have more matinee games down the stretch. Hockey players are creatures of habit, and throwing quirks into the schedule can create unfair advantages for some teams. Every hockey game should start at the same time.

6. Jaromir Jagr moved into second place in the record books for points trailing only Wayne Gretzky. Only a select few players have been able to play and remain effective as long as Jagr has. Gordie Howe and Teemu Selanne are two examples of players who played into their 40’s. Jagr’s longevity and consistency are a tribute to his training regimen and playing style. It’s unlikely we’ll ever see a player of his stature in the NHL again.

7. On the other end of the age spectrum are rookies Patrik Laine and Auston Matthews. Laine, the number 2 overall pick from the 2016 draft, has drawn parallels to fellow countryman Selanne. While it is unlikely his will match Selanne’s record 76 goal rookie season. Through 36 games, Laine has 19 goals. It is possible he could hit 40 goals in his rookie season. Auston Matthews hasn’t been quite as productive but he is playing on a weaker team than Laine and the talent around him isn’t as NHL ready. Look for these two in the second half of the season and beyond, as the NHL’s youth movement continues.

8. The World Junior hockey tournament starts this week and Habs fans should get to see Canadiens prospect Mikhail Sergachev, who currently plays for the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. The other Habs prospect playing in the tournament is Canadian Noah Juulsen. The tournament will also showcase prospects who will be eligible in future NHL drafts. Watch the games to see some of the best teens in the world playing head to head. Games are being played in Toronto and Montreal.

9. There are three coaches in the Western Conference who could be on the hot seat in the New Year: Willie Desjardins of the Canucks, Paul Maurice of the Jets and Jared Bednar of the Avalanche. In Vancouver, GM Jim Benning and President Trevor Linden sold the Canucks as a playoff contender to the fans. The season started off great with 4 straight wins. The good times did not last, as the Canucks then lost 10 straight. Since that losing streak the Canucks more or less alternated wins and losses for the remainder of November. A major problem for the Canucks has been on the road where they’ve won just 4 of 17 games. In Winnipeg, the Jets have been a disappointment. Expectations were pretty high with Laine joining the team. The Jets also have a solid core that on paper should be contending now. Finally, Colorado’s season has been nothing short of comical. Before the season even started then head coach Patrick Roy quit, stating philosophical differences with management. Montreal clobbered the Avs 10-1 December 10, and Colorado has been unable to string wins together. The Avs must decide who they want to build their team around and what kind of identity they want to have.

10. It has been a rough year in the hockey world with the passing of legend Gordie Howe and the tragic ending to Arizona Coyotes prospect Craig Cunningham’s career. Cunningham collapsed prior to an AHL game. Cunningham’s situation puts the game of hockey into perspective. Every night NHL players put their body’s on the line to play the game they love. The NHL and other professional leagues put many measures in place to give players instant access to emergency medicine if needed. Paramedics and doctors are present in the stands and the bowels of the arenas. The training staff are ready to jump on the ice to aid a player. Let’s all take a moment to thank the medical personnel who are there to ensure player’s health and safety.

11. Ottawa Senator’s goalie Craig Anderson deserves the Bill Masterson award this year. He is currently on indefinite leave from the Senators to be by his ailing wife as she battles cancer. Anderson briefly came back for 5 games when backup Andrew Hammond went down with injury. In those five game Anderson won the first three, including a 33 save shutout of the Rangers and gave up 12 goals in the last two he would play before going back on indefinite leave. Here’s hoping his wife pulls through treatment.

12. Finally, the NHL has a big decision to make in the coming weeks/months about going to the 2018 Olympics in ?Pyeongchang?, South Korea. The NHL is leaning towards abstaining from the next Winter Games, citing not wanting to shut down the league for two weeks, insurance concerns and injuries to star players. The players such as Alex Ovechkin have stated they will play for their country no matter what. If the league decides not to participate, players could be suspended by the NHL and/or their teams for breaching their contracts. Personally, I think the league should go to the Olympics because it opens another Asian market. Also, injuries can happen any time of year. The NHL had a world cup of hockey tournament prior to the season and there were injuries to players such as Marion Gaborik. Time will tell if the NHL goes to the Olympics in 2018

To all readers of this blog Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and happy holidays.