NHL Pre-Season Predictacular

Well, it's nearly that time of the year, when I feel the need to put it all on the line and make a series of predictions for the upcoming NHL Season. After a very busy off-season it seems like there are a lot of interesting questions to start the season out.

Can the Penguins repeat? Will Crosby, Ovechkin, or Malkin win the scoring title? Can the Wings go deep in the playoffs? Who will make the Olympic teams? Who will own the Coyotes?

I certainly don't feel like I can answer too many of those questions, but I can make some educated guesses as to where the teams will place in the standings. These are of course guaren-damn-teed*

*Guarantee not valid anywhere*

EASTERN CONFERENCE

The last two seasons have seen a surprise Original Six Northeast Division team snatch the first seed, after the Habs and Bruins were able to pull it out the last two years. Logically that means that the Leafs will shock the hockey world and finish first in the East. Right?

Hang up the phone, don't call Vegas, and make that wager please. The Leafs should certainly be the most improved team in the Conference this coming season, and will be a lot of fun to watch for the first time in eight years or so. However, there have been a lot of proactive teams this off-season who should be able to tough it out past the Buds to make it in the Top 8.

The other Canadian teams have undergone similar make-overs, with the Habs having completely revamped their roster, and the Sens making slightly less drastic, but still noticeable changes. The Canadiens have one of those teams that is difficult to put your finger on. They could easily miss the playoffs, but could just as easily be in the Conference finals. Seriously. I'm going to lean towards the former, but if they get off to a hot start I'm changing my mind, and jumping on that band wagon. The Sens on the other hand, I am actually quite optimistic about. A full season with Pascal LeClaire gives them probably the most stability at goaltending that the team has had since the 1920s. Also, their offensive depth is pretty staggering as they have probably the best top 9 forwards in the Eastern Conference for a team that is not based in Pennsylvania. Their defense is questionable, but I think that Phillips and Volchenkov can more than shoulder the load. And if Cloughston can coach as well as he did near the end of last season, they should have a chance to play in the spring.

As for the rest of the Conference, obviously the main focus will be on Pittsburgh and Washington. Can the Pens repeat? Can the Caps make the next step? To be honest, I think that the answer to both of these questions is: no. The Pens have all of the talent on paper to make a run for a repeat, but I think that they may be lacking that extra special oomph to sip from the Mug once more, much like the Ducks a few years ago. The Caps have all of the offense but are lacking a bone-crushing defenseman, and Theodore and Varlamov are big question marks in net. They should have a successful regular season, but I just don't see them getting too deep in the playoffs.

I think that the three biggest usurpers stand to be the Philadelphia Flyers, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers. The Flyers have fantastic depth at forward, incredible defense, but a question mark in net. If Ray Emery can play like it's 2006 and not like it's 2007 then this team should be a Stanley Cup favourite. The two Southeast teams made huge strides last year and are still looking up, I think that the Panthers will finally end their playoff drought this year, with or without Bouwmeester.

As for the rest of the Conference. I think that the Bruins and Devils are still going to be a threat, while the Rangers lack of offensive depth hurts them down the stretch. The Sabres, have the talent to make it to the playoffs, but I think that they are going to suffer from playing in a tough division and will not quite be able to make the dance. The Thrashers and Islanders should toil in obscurity a bit longer, while the Lightning should improve, but not nearly enough. When it's all said and done I think that the Conference should look like this:

1. Boston Bruins
2. Washington Capitals
3. Philadelphia Flyers
4. Pittsburgh Penguins
5. Carolina Hurricanes
6. New Jersey Devils
7. Ottawa Senators
8. Florida Panthers
9. Buffalo Sabres
10. Montreal Canadiens
11. Toronto Maple Leafs
12. New York Rangers
13. Tampa Bay Lightning
14. New York Islanders
15. Atlanta Thrashers

With the Conference finals coming down wot the Bruins and the Flyers, with the Flyers pulling it out. Pronger always gets results in his first year with a new team.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

And now things get interesting.

Let's start this out with something easy. The Red Wings and Sharks are going to be at the top of the pile. The Coyotes and Avalanche are going to be at the bottom of the pile. Everyone knows that. It's the rest that leaves a lot of question marks.

After a successful season expectations are high in Vancouver. Despite an injury to Luongo and Sundin doing not much, this team still won a very difficult division and made it to the second round of the playoffs for only the second time in a decade. The core of their team is still intact, and they added a lot of depth to their defense, and made a great signing in Michael Sammulson. But at the end of the day, I just don't buy it. Their defensive core of Bieksa, Mitchell, and Salo are always injured, so I wouldn't be shocked if they all miss substantial time this season. Also, and more importantly, the Canucks have to go on a record setting 14 game road trip in February because of the Olympics. If this team doesn't go at least .500 on this trip than their season could be in jeopardy in their ultra-competitive division. I know that the Canucks will make the playoffs, but I just don't see them clinching their division again. I instead see them competing with Chicago for the 4-5 spot.

That honour should instead go to the most proactive team of the summer, the Calgary Flames. They made a huge addition getting Jay Bouwmeester, which will give them the best defense in the league, bar none. Also, and probably more importantly, they made a big change behind the bench getting Brent Sutter behind the bench. Sutter deserves all sorts of credit for his work in New Jersey last year, guiding them to a division crown, despite the fact that Brodeur went down with an injury. He should be able to take this ultra-talented team and lead them to the top of the division.

The last Canadian team, Edmonton, is showing a lot of promise. Khabibulin should be an asset between the pipes, and they have a fantastic amount of depth up front, also Souray and Vishnovsky should still be solid powerplay contributors. I think that they will be in a grind with the likes of St. Louis, Minnesota, Anaheim, Columbus, LA, Nashville, and Dallas in the very nebulous 6-13 region of the Western Conference, which really could go anyway for any team.

As for that very large group of teams, I think that the Blues are in the best shape. They have the same great young team that they did last year, only their former-future-franchise Eric Johnson will probably not be injured in a freak golf cart crash. Add in another year of development for the likes of Perron, Backes, and Oshie, and an injury free season for Kariya and MacDonald and they should be a lock to be at the top of that pile.

I am not certain what to think about Minnesota and Anaheim who both made some pretty drastic changes in the off-season, both in terms of players and more importantly, in terms of philosophy. The Wild are trying to open up and the Ducks are thinking about rebuilding. As a Sens fan I know that it is foolish to count on Havlat to be both healthy and productive in the first year of his contract, so I think that the Wild will be disappointed, while I think that the Ducks will be just barely on the outside looking in.

Next up, there is the feel good story of the Blue Jackets, who made it to the playoffs for the first time last year on the backs of a rookie goalie. While this young team seems likely to make it back to the dance. However, I think that this is far too much pressure to put on a sophomore goalie, who is bound to undergo a few growing pains. Just ask Carey Price.

The Predators, Kings, and Stars seem easy to write off after last season, but that would be premature in all of these cases. The Preds have a long history of being better than the sum of their parts, and if their rumoured interest in Kessel was true, then they may be looking to actually increase their payroll, which could make them a challenging team. The Kings are once more one of the NHL's most promising teams, who should finally compete for the playoffs, but have too many questions in net to secure a spot in the Top 8 at this time. Lastly, there is the Dallas Stars. This is a team that one year ago had very lofty expectations, but fell severely short in the end. Some blame Sean Avery, some blame Marty Turco, and some blame Brendan Morrow's ACL. The truth is, it's probably a bit of all three. However, now Avery is gone, Morrow has been healed, and Turco has the opportunity to bounce back. I'm going to go out on a limb, again, and say that the Stars should be able to find their way back into the second season, to the surprise of many.

So it should look something like this:

1. San Jose Sharks
2. Detroit Red Wings
3. Calgary Flames
4. Chicago Blackhawks
5. Vancouver Canucks
6. St. Louis Blues
7. Dallas Stars
8. Edmonton Oilers
9. Columbus Blue Jackets
10. Los Angales Kings
11. Minnesota Wilds
12. Anaheim Ducks
13. Nashville Predators
14. Colorado Avalanche
15. Phoenix Coyotes

With the Conference finals coming down to San Jose and Calgary, and just like 2004 the Flames will come out on time. This leads to a showdown between Calgary and Philly. As much as I want to go with Calgary, Philly seems too good...ahh screw it, CALGARY IS WINNING THE CUP IN 2010!!!!!!

Crazy? Let's find out...game on!

Until next time,

G

NHL Off-Season Winners and Losers

NHL training camps all around the league are opening up in the next few days. It certainly has been a busy off-season as all sorts of big names have found new homes. But what teams are better than before? Which ones are worse off? I'll give you the lowdown on my opinions of the current NHL landscape after the shakedown of the last few months.

Winners

Philadelphia Flyers: Chris Pronger makes an already potent defense corps absolutely terrifying. He will log big minutes against big stars and do big damage. Also, Ray Emery is certainly an interesting addition. I think that Ray has a lot to prove after his disastrous last season in Ottawa. I fully expect him to bounce back, which should make the Flyers a legitimate threat in the East.

Toronto Maple Leafs: As much as a I hate to say it, they are looking good right now. A top four defense that boasts Tomas Kaberle, Mike Komisarek, Luke Schenn, and Francois Beauchamin is down right terrifying. Also, if Gustavsson turns out to be as good as everyone says that he is, they are definitely solid in between the pipes. However, I really have no idea who is going to score any goals for this team. They will probably miss the playoffs yet again, but should be in better position then they were before.

Montreal Canadiens: Now this is going to be a team to watch for the first month or so of the season. The completely new look first line of Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, and Mike Cammelleri will either crash or burn. If Gomez and Gionta can reignite their magic from a few seasons ago, and Cammelleri can build on his career year then it should be the former, but one never knows. The defensive additions of Spacek, Gill, and Mara are certainly interesting, and Spacek in particular should help their ailing powerplay. Also, a very understated signing was Travis Mohen, who is a very effective defensive forward, and should add a good amount of grit to a team that looks soft on paper. After the disastrous closing of the Centennial Season the team needed a drastic change and that is certainly what it got.

Anaheim Ducks: Sure losing Pronger is a big hit, but they were able to get a Joffrey Lupul and two first round draft picks in exchange for him. They also were able to become Finland's favourite team by uniting national heroes Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu. Those three players should make an excellent second line to compliment their big three of Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, and Corey Perry. Of course, if they can parlay J-S Gigure for even more help up front they could get even better.

Calgary Flames: Remember what I said about Toronto's defense? Now replace those four names with Dion Phaneuf, Jay Bouwmeester, Robyn Reghr, and Corey Sarich and you may as well call them War, Famine, Death, and Pestilence because they will bring an Apocalypse on their opposition. Also add in the highly predictable coaching change, and the Flames may just be able to finally get over the hump and be a Western Conference powerhouse. Of course, they will need to add some offense to replace Mike Cammalleri's missing goals, but they should be able to figure something out.

Florida Panthers: I gave this team a lot of love last year, and I'm ready to do it again. They knew that they were going to loose J-Bo, but were able to add Jordan Leopold which is certainly a step up from nothing. They also added Scott Clemensen who was simply brilliant in New Jersey last year, and I honestly thought that he would end up starting somewhere. This gives the Panthers lots of options in between the pipes. Their forward crop of Nathan Horton, David Booth, and Stephen Weiss grew in leaps and bounds last year, but fell just short of making the playoffs. I think that this team legitimately has a chance to make it to the big dance for the first time in ten seasons.

Boston Bruins: Sure they didn't add anything, but they didn't lose anyone. Their core of Kreji, Lucic, Savard, and Kessel are still Bruins and that should terrify the rest of the Eastern Conference.

Losers:

Chicago Blackhawks: Last season I applauded them for their big additions of Christobal Huet and Brian Campbell, but both ended up having terrible seasons. Somehow though, the team was able to make it to the Conference Finals despite their big name, big money signings. The team then signs a 30 year old Marian Hossa to a staggering 12-year contract, which is being investigated by the league for attempting to circumvent the salary cap. For their sake I hope that they were being crooked, because a 42 year old Marian Hossa would be next to useless, especially given how much of a “contract year” type player he has turned into. To top off the idiocy, they mess up the offer sheets for Cam Barker and Kris Versteeg, two of their building blocks, and are forced to pay more to keep them around. This puts them closer to the cap, and given the fact that both Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are in need of big money contract extensions in the near future, makes this once promising team look a little bit bleaker in my eyes.

Atlanta Thrashers: If this team has any hope of resigning Ilya Kovalchuk, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent, then they need to surround him with talented players. Nik Antropov and Pavel Kubina were wastes of space in Toronto, chances are they will be again in Hotlanta. Look for this to be Kovalchuk's last season as a Thrasher, which will make this team even more pathetic in the future. Ah well, not like anyone will notice.

New York Rangers: Their multi-year signing of Marian Gaborik was the summers biggest gamble. As he could end up scoring 50 goals, or he could end up missing 50 games due to an injury. Both seem equally likely. While they were able to free up cap-room in trading away the over paid Scott Gomez, they are still stuck with Redden and Drury's massive contracts. They also added Ales Kottalik to their long list of over-priced contracts, signing him to $3 million a year, which must make sense to someone, because it sure is not me. Also, they chose to allow their most consistent scorer last season, Nikolai Zherdev walk away in arbitration over $600,000. Not the best decision for a team that struggled to score goals last year.

In Between:

Ottawa Senators: Kovalev was certainly a good signing, and he should mesh well with Alfreddson, Fisher, and Spezza. However, as of this posting Dany Heatley remains a Senator, so I have no choice but to keep them here. This has proven to be a massive distraction for the entire organization. One has to wonder if they had not spent so much time dealing with him than perhaps they could have made some bigger splashes. Had the rumoured Penner/Smyd/Cogliano trade happened then they would be squarely in the winners category. Also there is talk of him going to San Jose for Ehroff, Cheechoo and a first round pick, which is at the very least intriguing. However, given the way things are now, I'm on the fence for their chances next year.

New York Islanders: They made the right decision in taking Tavares first overall. Sure they need defense more and Hedman would be a perfect fit for that, but this is a team that needs fans and desperately needs a face for the franchise, which he should be. I think that he may not have a Crosby/Ovechkin/Malkin/Kane/Toews style rookie year that we have grown accustomed to in recent years, but rather he should have a slower build much like Joe Thornton and Vincent LeCavalier went through a decade ago, and hey they both turned out to be not too bad. But they started making some bad decisions when the free agency period began, signing two goaltenders in Martin Biron and Dwayne Roloson. Does this mean that DiPietro has not yet recovered from his injury? Or are they planning on holding one to trade to another team should their goalie either fail or get injured? Also, they really should be chasing some sort of offensive help for Tavares in his rookie year, because right now he has next to none.

Vancouver Canucks: I never know what to think of this team in the off-season. The signing of Mikael Samuelsson was a good one, and he should compliment Kessler and Burrows as excellent two way forwards. However, they let Ohlund go and do not replace his big minutes. While it seems like Mitchell, Salo, and Bieksa can shoulder the load, the fact remains that those three have missed a ton of time for injury in the past few years, so it remains to be seen if they will be able to provide those big minutes. Also, it appeared the Cory Schneider was developing well as an NHL backup, yet they got and sign Andrew Raycroft of all people, leaving Schneider to play in the minors. On the plus side, it appears that Cody Hodgson is poised to make it in the big time for the Canucks, and has already been touted as a favourite for Rookie of the Year. Let's hope they don't screw him up!

San Jose Sharks: After their absolutely embarrassing first round loss they promised all sorts of changes. There was all sorts of talk of Marleau and/or Thornton finding a new home. So far there have been no major additions, which could just mean more of the same for this talented but underachieving team.

Los Angeles Kings: They definitely made the right call in picking Brayden Schenn as opposed to trading him, but after that I start to wonder what exactly is going to happen with this team. In bringing in Ryan Smyth and Rob Scuderi they add two solid depth players with winning pedigrees who should be positive influences on their young players like Dustin Brown and Jack Johnson. However, I do feel that they are overpaying for both of them. Scuderi is not at all worth the $3million plus that he is set to receive and Ryan Smyth is a fantastic character addition, but has been a career 70 point man, certainly not worth making over $5 million. Also, Kyle Quincey who was traded as part of the package for Ryan Smyth was blossoming into a solid top four defenseman, who certainly cost less than Scuderi. This team is a solid dark horse candidate to make the playoffs, but when they have to play San Jose and Anaheim eight times a year, one never knows.



Right? Wrong? Let's spend the next few months finding out...

Until next time,

G

Olympic Camp Breakdown

As I type right now some of the best players in the world are in Calgary trying their heart out to represent Canada next February. Any of the 46 players at the camp would make great members of an All-Star team like this. However, once it is all said and done only 23 players (plus maybe a few alternates) will be playing. I have broken down my thoughts for most likely team that I see happening.

Of course, this is all based on speculation at this point, and making the best possible "paper team" that is available. Also, Yzerman has been clear to point out that the camp selections may not be limited to players who are attending the camp. However, I would be shocked if anyone not on this list becomes a member of the team.

Next to each player is a blurb about why I think that they will/won't make the team, also a number between 1 and 10 for how likely I think that they are to make the team.

So without further ado...

Goalies

Martin Brodeur – Makes it on legacy alone. Add in the fact that he can still get it done, and this is one of the most certain choices at the camp. He will certainly have his work cut out for him to keep the starting spot though. 10

Marc-Andre Fleury – I think that he was able to close the “chocker” label that had haunted him for most of his career. He was simply astonishing in the playoffs especially in both game 7s he had to play. However, there is certainly a backlog in net and I think that he needs to have a great start to the season to get on the roster. 6

Roberto Luongo – See Brodeur, Martin. I think that he's the favourite to be the starter for now, but Babcock will go with whoever is hottest. 10

Steve Mason – He'll be under more scrutiny than anyone else at the start of the season. Was his phenomenal rookie year a fluke? Will he have the dreaded “Sophmore Slump” (a la Carey Price)? I think that those are both clear no answers. He's probably neck and neck with Fleury right now. 6

Cam Ward – Probably the favourite to be the third goalie. He is 6-1 in playoff series' which is pretty stunning to say the least, especially when you consider how none of those six victories would have came without him. Still, he needs to start out strong, and more importantly, he needs to be as good, if not better than Fleury or Mason. 7

Glen's Picks:

Luongo
Brodeur
Ward

Defencemen

Francois Beauchemin – Pro: He's a great physical presence with a great shot. Con: The describes to many other bigger names at the camp. He'd be a great addition to any roster, but I don't think that they have quite enough room for him on this one. 3

Jay Bouwmeester – Let's see, he's one of only three defenceman at the camp to have Olympic experience. He consistently leads the NHL in minutes played, he is one of the best skaters at the blue line in the league. Must I go on? 10

Dan Boyle – An interesting choice if there ever was one. He had a great bounceback year after leaving Tampa (surprise, surprise), and he was a member of the practice squad at the 2006 Olympics. However, I think that there may not be quite enough room for him on this roster. A strong start of the year could bump him up though. 6

Brent Burns – An even more interesting choice. He seemed like a lock after his stunning play in the 2008 World Championships, however a sub-par season had him fall off most depth charts. However, it should be noted that he spent a fair portion of the year playing as a forward. This gives him a great deal of versatility which can never be overstated in such a short tournament where one injury in a key position can create a large opening. I think that he would make a great addition to the alternate roster, but is a stretch to make the main roster at this point. 4

Drew Doughty – He's an absolute lock to be at the top defensive pairing...in 2014. Doughty showed an incredible promise for most of the season and should be a cornerstone for the Kings for years to come. However, his lack of experience hurts him at the moment. Still could be a great member of the alternate roster. 2

Mike Green – Was an absolute lock until his sub-par playoff run. However, he is still one of the most gifted offensive defencemen in the league. I think that he's a very likely candidate, even if he just mans the Powerplay. 8

Dan Hamhuis – He's a very prototypical Canadian defenceman. However, I don't think that he quite has enough to crack a very deep defence corps. 2

Duncan Keith – Shot up in the rankings in the playoffs, and with good cause. However, it is odd that he was not discussed more before that run, he was an All Star the year before after all. 7

Scott Niedermayer – Let's see, the Olympics are in his hometown, he has won more championships than any other active hockey player, and he's playing one extra year just to be eligible for the Olympics. Not only is he a lock but he should be a favourite for the Captaincy. 10

Dion Phaneuf – He had a bit of an off year which dropped him from a lock to a bubble player. However, I think that he'll start the season off incredibly motivated to atone for his slump. He's one of the best all around d-men in the league and should play like it again next year. 7

Chris Pronger – Apparently, after he was left off of Pierre McGuire's list last February and he called McGuire to guarantee that he would make it when it counted. His excellent playoff run certain helped emphasize that point. I certainly would not argue with him. 9

Robyn Regehr – As much as I would love to put him in there with the other Flames defencemen, I just don't see it happening. He's a great team player and would be an excellent choice, but I think that the “stay at home d-men light on the offensive talent” quota is being filled by Duncan Keith. If Keith falters, expect Regehr to take his place. 6

Stephane Robidas – I had no idea he was even in the running to be honest. He's solid, but this is supposed to be a spectacular lineup. 1

Brent Seabrook – As great as it would be to have Seabrook and Keith play together for the Red and White, I just don't see Seabrook making the final cut. He should fight it out with Regehr for a spot on the alternates. 6

Marc Staal – He will probably join Doughty on the top pairing in 2014. He has scores of potential, but potential doesn't win championships, certainly not at this level. I just don't see it happening, unless he blows the doors off of Madison Square Garden this year. 2

Shea Weber – Funny what difference a year makes doesn't it? He seemed like a long shot this time last year, but now seems like a lock. Hopefully, he won't be one of those Good Year-Bad Year players. 8

Glen's Picks:

Pronger – Neidermayer
Phaneuf – Weber
Keith – Bouwmeester
Green

Alternate: Regehr


Forwards

Jeff Carter – Seemed like the odd man out in Philly a year ago, but after scoring more goals than anyone whose name doesn't end with “echkin” this season I think that he's made a strong enough case for himself. 9

Dan Cleary – Interesting and sympathetic choice. He's been around for a long time now, and he seems to get better every year. However, after Kris Draper's curious inclusion in 2006, I think that they may have learned their lesson on Red Wings defensive forwards. 1

Sidney Crosby – Are we actually discussing this? 12

Shane Doan – Consistently puts up great numbers with little to no support in Phoenix. Always plays for Canada, and has no problem getting his nose dirty and shutting the big names down. He'll be playing. 10

Simon Gagne – I want to take him, really I do. He has a great success story, and put up very good numbers last year, but I think that he's getting bumped out for younger players, ironic considering his role on the 2002 team. Also, an injury early in the camp really hurts his chances here. 5

Ryan Getzlaf – He was a lock before his amazing playoff run. He's probably second after Crosby on the centre depth chart. That may not sound like much, but have you seen the other centres playing? 10

Dany Heatley – Easily the most contentious pick. Was a lock before his turbulent summer. This raises a ton of questions about his commitment to a team. However, he is Team Canada's all-time leading scorer at the World Hockey Championships. If we take him and don't win, it'll be his fault. If we don't take him and don't win, it'll be because he wasn't there to score goals. I'd take my chances in winning with or without him. 7

Jarome Iginla – Not only a lock, but another strong favourite for the Captaincy. 10

Vincent Lecavalier – He's won the Rocket Richard Trophy, a Stanley Cup, a World Cup, and a World Hockey Championship. I think that we can safely lock him up here. 10

Milan Lucic – I would love to see him on the team, just to see him hammer Malkin and Ovechkin. However, he is probably just going to miss the cut on the “hard hitting forward” category. He would be an interesting choice for the alternate roster though. 3

Patrick Marleau – I've gone up and down on my thoughts on Marleau. If he starts out hot he could end up with a spot on the checking line, but I think that he has an uphill battle after yet another short playoff run. 2

Andy MacDonald – I'm rather surprised that they invited him to the camp ahead of Marc Savard. Both are smooth skaters and crisp passers, but if you look at this list you will notice that passers are not exactly in short supply. I'd be shocked if he's playing in Red and White. 1

Brenden Morrow – He was a lock after his near-legendary play in the 2008 playoffs, however there are questions of his health at this point. He has spent the last few years going healthy-unhealthy-healthy, so he should be fine this year. I'd take him, and if he starts out great I think that Yzerman would be stupid not to. 7

Rick Nash – He scores 40 goals a year playing for Columbus, how do you think he'd do with Crosby feeding him? 10

Corey Perry – He would be a great addition to this team, but will probably be lose out in the logjam for the last few spots on the lineup. He should be favoured to be an alternate though. 6

Mike Richards – Probably the best two-way forward in the league who does not play for Detroit, thus making him Canada's best option. He'll not only play but he'll log some major minutes trying to contain the world's best. 10

Derek Roy – Skilled playmaker who is responsible in his own end, what's not to like? Sadly though, he is probably going to just miss the cut. 5

Patrick Sharp – Probably the most interesting “long shot” at the camp. While he is far from a superstar in the league, he is certainly dependable and a good finisher, and is one of the best penalty killers in the NHL. That is the kind of versatility that should appeal to the powers that be. Still, he has got to be a long shot. 5

Ryan Smyth – Sadly the time has come for Captain Canada to pass the title on to Shane Doan. It's been a great run Ryan, thank you. 2

Jason Spezza – The fact that he was a last minute addition to the camp certainly makes it seem unlikely that he will have a spot. I don't see this working out for Mr. Spezza. 3

Eric Staal – Was left off just about everyone's roster at the start of last season, and jumped up to a spot on the first line during the playoffs. The truth is he is somewhere in between. He's got the talent, and everyone's attention. Anything other than a disastrous start to the year will give him a spot. 8

Jordan Staal – I'd love to see him on the team, but I think that centre is just too deep for him this year. However, the debates should start now, will we see 4 Staal's on our 2014 team? I'm leaning towards a yes. But that's four years from now. 2

Martin St. Louis – His fantastic play at the world championships probably vaulted him above players like Perry, Gagne and Heatley for one of the final spots on the roster. I think that it's his for the moment, but that could change of course. 7

Joe Thornton – Got a lot of flack for having yet another terrible playoff. However, few in the NHL have his kind of scoring pedigree. He'll play so well at the start of the season that all of that should be forgotten. 8

Jonathan Toews – He'll be captaining the team someday. He may as well get some time to play right now. I think that he would be a perfect choice for 13th forward as he really can fit into any situation. 7

Glen's Picks:

Nash – Crosby – Iginla
Carter – Getzlaf – Thornton
Staal – LeCavalier – St. Louis
Morrow – Richards – Doan
Toews

Alternates: Perry, Sharp

Until next time,

G

The Summer That Was...2009 Edition

Well other than one quick post last week, I have missed a great deal to blog about over the past few months. So for the third time ever here, I'll do a quick recap of a few different things.

So without further ado, here is a recap of the last few months...



The King is Dead

Obviously the story that received the most media attention this summer was the passing of Michael Jackson. While it is certainly sad to see anyone pass away at a mere 50 years, I am certainly in the camp of people who say that this story was massively overblown. I have certainly always been a fan of his music, but his all too bizarre public persona left a great deal to be desired. I am wondering exactly where all of these fans and celebrity friends of his were when he was slowly poisoning himself with drugs and on this sad downward spiral that we all played witness to. From all reports it seemed like Jackson took the media's fascination with his self-destruction to heart, causing him to self-destruct even more.

While any of Jackson's choices remain his own to make, the media, and those of us who consumed any story about how weird he got with great zeal need to shoulder some of the blame for what happened. Everyone talks about how tragic his death was, but the reality is that his life was the real tragedy.

Of course, yesterday there was a huge bomb dropped, where it was revealed that his death is being treated as a homicide. I'm not sure what to believe anymore. I'll reserve comment on that for a later time I guess.

The Point Guard Makes the Pass...or Something Like That

Another huge story over the summer was Sarah Palin's resignation as Governor of Alaska. I know that I was certainly surprised by this one, yet in hindsight I don't know why. Since bursting onto the national stage less than a year ago, she has done everything she can to stay in the spotlight. As she returned to Alaska people started to forget about her. She needed to jump back into centre stage, and Alaska is certainly not the place for her to do that.

I do not truly understand the appeal that this woman has. It's as if someone in the Republican Party said “Hey, George Bush is not stupid, folksy, Evangelical, or hawkish enough” and Palin was born from that. I honestly feel that this woman is the biggest threat to the United States in the world, and the thought of her holding the highest office in the land is downright terrifying. For some reason the Rush Limbaugh wing of the party seems to love her, despite the fact that she proved to be a disastrous addition to McCain's campaign and ultimately lead to his downfall. She is just as much of an empty headed celebrity as they claimed Obama to be.


Free Agent Frenzy

Yet again the NHL's annual summer auction was fast and furious with all sorts of big names changes homes. I will have more to talk about this one later on, but I think that the signings of Cammalleri and Komisarek were the best, with the Hossa and Gaborik signings being the worst. I also really liked the Pronger trade, for both teams, and I think that it places both teams in a solid position when the fall starts.

Heel Turn of the Century

Once more I am going to talk a bit about internet darling CM Punk, who shocked the world when he cashed his Money in the Bank contract in at Extreme Rules on Jeff Hardy. Since then they two have been involved in one of the best feuds that the wrestling world has seen in a while which seems to be wrapping up now with Hardy leaving the company.. I couldn't be happier with this as Punk was made to play a heel, and I'm frankly surprised that it took the WWE this long to cash in on the heel potential of Straight Edge wrestler. (For the record: I CALLED IT...even if I didn't think that it would happen this soon).

Lockdown

After a series of civil unrest in China and Iran, internet censorship is back in full force. Web 2.0 in particular has been blocked. With Twitter, Facebook, and yes even Blogger all getting blocked. Right now I am posting through a VPN. This slows things down and makes life rather difficult.

While I am complaining about it as a mere inconvenience to me, there are many people who are under severe oppression as a result of this. Ignorance remains strength.

On a Personal Note

I had the pleasure of returning to Canada for the first time in almost a year for most of July. It was fantastic and surreal to return after so long, as I truly missed a great deal about home. I also got to head to New York City for the first time ever and I was able to travel for a bit in Western China, which was both all kinds of awesome (read about those adventures here).

Now for the first time since I graduated from Acadia in 2004 I will be doing the same thing for two years in a row. While I find the familiarity of returning to Suzhou a touch daunting, I am excited to be a little bit more settled, even if it is for just a short time.

Until next time,

G

State of the NHL

Well it's been a while since I yammered on a bout hockey, now hasn't it? To make up for it I'm posting a bit of an NHL roundup, talking about my thoughts on the finals, a Senator that is looking elsewhere, our nations best hopes, a variety of wheeling and dealing, and of course Hamilton, Phoenix, and the story that will never end.

Pen-sational!

Alright so all of the good “Pittsburgh”, “Penguin” and “Steel” puns were taken, so this was all that I had left. But the fact remains that it is GREAT to see the Penguins win the Stanley Cup. They have two of the best players in the world, and a fantastic organization from top to bottom. There is nothing to not like about this except if you live in Detroit or are Marian Hossa.

While I still consider Crosby to be the best in the world, it is hard to deny Malkin the Conn Smythe. He had a fantastic run, and scored more points in one playoff series by anyone not named Wayne or Mario. Not too bad. Of course, one could argue that Crosby drew the best of the opposition more often than not (especially against Detroit), so Malkin had it a bit easier, but none the less, well done Geno.

I would also like the record to show that I officially defeated a piece of Chinese Currency and two of my friends (in that order) to claim the Prediction Title for 2009, even with my disastrous Columbus, Montreal, and St. Louis picks.

Bye, Bye Danny

It looks like Heatley is on his way out of Canada's Capital. This is a shame, as I have always liked Heatley's ability, and there are not too many multi-time 50 goal scorers in their 20s playing at the moment, but if he doesn't want to be part of the system, good riddance.

There has been all sorts of talk about which teams are in the market, and if I were a betting man, I'd say that he ends up in LA. They have the cap room and are searching for a big named star. If they end up making a deal for LeCavalier that renders the point rather moot. Not certain if Heatley will waive his no movement clause for a trip to Hollywood, but it would be a good fit for both sides. Let's face it, if he ends up in a hockey-crazed city he'll end up a scapegoat yet again and end up getting jeered for his inability to backcheck. People keep saying the Sharks, as a Thornton-Heatley pairing sounds good, and could probably combine for 200 points in a regular season, but would struggle to get 5 in a playoff season. I hope for the Sharks sake that they stay away, they don't need him.

Olympic Posturing

I think that Heatley's current situation may have really hurt his chances to play in Vancouver next February. Let's face it, the GM of Team Canada, Steve Yzerman is a team first kind of guy, and to take a trade demand public, especially over a coach's decision to put him on the second power-play unit is not Stevie Y friendly.

With Canada having so much depth, with all things being equal who would you choose: someone who is concerned about the amount of goals he scored playing on a team that happened to underachieve (but has potential for next year) or a guy who consistently puts up good numbers for a terrible team and lit it up for Canada on the International stage last year? The second one, right? Replace those names with Heatley and St. Louis and Stevie's job may have just gotten easier.

I think that Thornton and Marleau's sub-par playoff runs really had them drop down on the depth chart with Heatley. The same also stands with Jeff Carter and Mike Green (although they are young enough to be given a pass I think). Crosby and Getzlaf's spot on the roster was never really in doubt, but their runs in the post season really solidified them as the top two centres on the squad I think. Add in Eric Staal's borderline legendary first two rounds, Jonathan Toews clutch play, and Martin St. Louis, Shane Doan, and even Steven Stamkos' world championship and I think some big name forwards may be enjoying a two week break in February.

The back end is slightly more stable. Chris Pronger proved that he can still go, and should not get bumped. Brian Campbell continued to be a disappointment, getting jumped by teammates for the biggest potential move in defense, Duncan Keith and maybe even Brent Seabrook, who did a fantastic job in a shutdown role in the first two rounds. Otherwise there should be little movement on the D from most pre-season predictions.

In between the pipes both Ward and Fleury made some noise for their inclusion on the team, while Price made even his most ardent supporters (I.e. me) question his ability under pressure. However, all of the competition appears to be for the role of third wheel/press box warmer as Brodeur and Luongo seem destined for the top two spots.

Draft Day Dealings

I'm not certain if Heatley will get moved before the draft, since he has a $4 million bonus coming on July 1st which some teams may be hesitant to pay for. However, there are some big names that may get dealt. I think that Philadelphia is going to make some big moves, most likely involving any of Daniel Briere, Simon Gange, and/or Joffrey Lupul in an attempt to clear up some space. They seem to have their sights set on Jay Bouwmeester, and they need to clear up some cap room. I would not be surprised to see them make a trade for Bouwmeester's rights much like they did with Hartnell and Timmonen a few years ago.

In other trade news, I think it's safe to say that the Leafs will NOT end up with Jonathan Tavares. The Islanders would be stupid not to take him at this point. They do not have much going on in their organization, other than Kyle Okposo, and as Pittsburgh and Chicago are showing, a dynamic duo up front can go a long way. Of course, every team needs more than just two forwards, but it is a pretty good start, especially when it comes to marketing. The Leafs talk of trading Luke Schenn is stupid for a variety of reasons. For starters Schenn is going to be a cornerstone of any franchise for years to come, but also because the pick that the Leafs traded for to get Schenn was with the Islanders. If they wanted him, they would have taken him last year, instead of trading down with the Leafs.

That being said, the Leafs will very likely move up in the draft, especially if they dangle Tomas Kaberle out there. I think that they would be very happy to end up with Brayden Schenn (Luke's brother), Evander Kane (Patrick's brother) or maybe Matt Duschene (nobody important's brother) to help their anemic offense.

Free Agent Frenzy

In addition to the previously mentioned Bouwmeester there are some big names available. The D-man should be the biggest prize, with some other great options, in particular up front, with Marian Hossa, Martin Havlat, the Sedin twins, Marian Gaborik, and Alex Tanguay being the biggest names.

While it is virtually impossible to predict at this point, I am going to try anyway! I think that the Flyers or Bruins are going to land big Jay, while the forwards are probably going to be scattered about on the following teams looking to make a big splash: Los Angeles (unless they end up with Heatley or LeCavalier), San Jose, Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, and maybe even Florida. I think that the Sedins are going to end up on the Blue Shirts, Hossa in San Jose, Gaborik in Montreal, Havlat resigning in Chicago, and Tanguay maybe even going to Ottawa.

Desert Dogs

It looks like, for the time being at least, that the Coyotes are staying in Phoenix to loose millions of dollars yet again. I, for one, will not claim to be shocked about this one. Sooner or later though, the NHL needs to realize that loosing money is a bad, bad idea. Franchises like Phoenix, Atlanta, Carolina, and Nashville are simply not viable in the long term. They are going to need to move somewhere else eventually. While everyone who understands the game sees that Southwestern Ontario is a better hockey market than the Southwestern United States, it seems like that is just not going to happen for the time being. I imagine that the next team to get an NHL team will be Kansas City, with Las Vegas as an outside second choice.

I think that if a team ever ends up in Hamilton, or anywhere else in Ontario they will probably have to pay $100 million to the Leafs and about $40 million to the Sabres. Ballsillie has deep pockets, but I think that even he has his limits, which is a shame because with the current economic climate a wealthy owner who likes the game sounds like a great idea. But what do I know about economics anyway?

As I said in my previous post on the topic, this is not about dollars, or about sense. This is about pride, which is a damn shame.

But fear not Canadian hockey fans, this was Ballsillie's third attempt to get a team in Hamilton, and probably the one that came closest to succeeding. With enough troubled franchises out there, he can always wait until next year.

I guess he has a lot in common with the Leafs on that one.

Until next time,

G

Stanley Cup Final Prediction

Well here we go yet again, this time for all the marbles, three men and a coin all find themselves confronted with a mysterious bit of deja-vu. My apologies for this being posted after Detroit's Game 1 victory, but I assure you that nothing has been changed at all, sorry but a 12 hour time difference gets in the way sometimes...


Going 1-1, upping his point total to 9, which is far below his Monkey-esque run in 2008 is last year's undisputed Champion, Jeff...

Jeff Says: So, the third round is over and again i was wrong on another one. Carolina really crapped out. Pittsburg played pretty solid, i will admit, hard to stop both Malkin and Crosby and they were both on fire. So no worries Carolina, you played well, and had a good run. Same to Chicago, who had to face Detroit which is a daunting task at all times. They played with heart and put forth a good effort. Detroit is just to deep, and simply to good.

Also going 1-1 to bring it's total to 11 is an inanimate object, the Chinese Reminbi.

Going 2-0, with an extra point for predicting the length of Detroit's victory, giving him four out of six picks (with two extra points) is Troy, who is short on words this time.

Troy Says: Hey bud, I'm in.

Seriously, that's all he had to say...

And going 2-0, with another point for Detroit's victory, is this blog's namesake. This brings his total up to 11, tying him with a piece of foreign currency.

Glen Says: After the best second round in recent memory, we get treated to perhaps the most anti-climactic Conference finals we could have asked for. Neither series was ever in doubt, as last year's finalists truly proved to be a cut above their competition dominating the next big things and the team of destiny. That being said, both Chicago and Carolina should be incredibly happy for their deep runs, and both teams should be ready to do some serious damage next season.

We have decided to add to the predictions by including guesses for MVP and favourite moment of these wild playoffs.

STANLEY CUP FINALS

Detroit Red Wings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Jeff Says: So here we go, Pittsburgh vs Detroit part 2

This will be a good series. Pittsburgh is older and more mature. At this point in time their best two players are the best two players in the playoffs so Detroit is going to have to step up. Fleury is playing super well and the team seems to be rolling. Detroit is battling injuries so if Pittsburgh is smart they will capitalize early on this. Those players will be back eventually, so they need to win, and they need to win now.

Detroit can muster up some talent as they are deep so by no means is it going to be easy for Pitt to win, but I think they can steal a game in Detroit for sure, if not both. However, having said that, it is Detroit we are talking about and I do believe they will emerge victorious again. I think this will be a harder fought series then last year so that means a game 7 could be very likely. I think the most interesting thing about this series is the Hossa situation. It would be funny to see him lose with Detroit after having switched after losing with Pittsburgh, :) not that i wish any ill will towards Hossa as he is very good. Just would be humourous. I do believe he will get his ring though.

Prediction: Detroit wins in 7

Troy Says: My pick...

Prediction: Pittsburgh in 7.

Coin Says: Detroit in 7.

Glen Says: Here we go again! I for one am very excited to see the two teams that were unquestionably the best of the Spring go head-to-head. Everyone keeps saying that this is youth vs. experience, but that was so last year (or even last round with Chicago). The Penguins are a fundamentally different team this year.

Oddly they have been able to add by subtraction. No matter how you look at it losing Whitney, Roberts, Malone, and Hossa in exchange for Satan, Fedetenko, Guerin, and Kunitz is a loss. However, somehow the Pens are a better team than they were last year. Both Crosby and Malkin are on an absolute tear, playing with a purpose. Also add to the fact that the Penguins wingers are going well (namely the four that I mentioned), and most importantly, they are being much better coached than they were last year.

That being said, the Pens can not exactly claim to be the heavy favourites here. Despite injuries to Lidstrom, and the disappearance of Pavel Datsyuk, the Wings are still rolling along. Henrik Zetterberg continues to be the best two way player in the league, Johan Franzen is still a clutch performer, and roll players like Clearly and Helm are contributing and then some. The Red Wings very clearly have the best organization in the league, and possibly all of professional sports, but the time has come for the best two players in the world to assume their place in hockey history, by slaying the big red dragon.

Prediction: Pittsburgh in 6.

CONN SMYTHE PREDICTION

Jeff Says: As for MVP I think that Crosby will get it, even if they lose. No player on Detroit has been dominant. Very good yes, I think Cleary or Osgood have the best shot really. But I think that regardless, if Crosby has a great series he gets it. Maybe even Malkin. They have just been to good to not get it. Unless a player on Detroit absolutely steps up and dominates this next series (I am looking at you Franzen or Cleary) then a Pittsburgh player is getting it.

Glen Says: I hate to agree with you Jeffrey, but Crosby is my prediction for this. He was at the start of the playoffs, and he has been simply dominant these playoffs. That being said, Malkin has been no slouch, and is somehow underrated for reasons that I don't fully understand. They are able to do so well because of one-another. Even if they don't play together, one of them are going to draw the oppositions best checkers (i.e. Zetterberg and Lidstrom) and the better one plays, the more room the other gets. If it were possible to have it be a tie, I think that it should be given out, but this isn't soccer, so I'm going to go with the Kid.

FAVOURITE PLAYOFF MOMENT

Jeff Says: As for my favourite memories....I can't help but get chill from when Lebron hit that winning 3 pointer with 1 second left.....oops, wrong sport......umm.....I think my fondest memories will simply be the second round which had 4 series almost go to game 7 having 3 of them do that. I think that was the best hockey I have seen in a while. With the Crosby/Ovie hat trick night being absolutely amazing and Carolina's 90 second miracle also being near the top. It has bee a great playoff run for the NHL. I still just wish St.Louis could have won at least one game :) lol.

That's about it.....I would once again like to thank Glen for inviting me to do this, even though I have had a challenging time predicting it this year after my near perfect run last year.

Troy Says: I'll go with the 90 seconds for Carolina against Jersey.

Glen Says: Damn, they stole my two choices...but I think that I am going to go with Game 2 of the Pittsburgh/Washington series. The three best players in the world on the same ice at the same time, is going to be special no matter what, but when you have two of them put on what was arguably the best game of either of their lives, both getting hat tricks is something special. To have that game get followed up with Evgeni Malkin absolutely taking over, showing that he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as those two was pretty great as well.

But my favourite moment will be Crosby hoisting the Cup, can't wait for it!!!

Until next time,

G

3rd Round Playoff Predictions

Well it's getting down to the wire. While the playoffs are technically half over, the field has been reduced to a quarter of it's original size. After perhaps the best second round in recent memory, the next round has all sorts of potential as well. Our experts put their money where their mouth is trying to predict the next round...


Finishing a shocking 1-3 (after going nearly perfect last year) bringing his point total to 8 is Jeff...

Jeff Says: So that round went rather poorly for me. But at least all series were close and not complete blowouts. I thought Boston had it in them but clearly Carolina is playing really well and have a lot of heart and momentum. Vancouver/chicago could have gone either way. I thought Luongo would have stood out and stolen some games for them. Chicago is playing well. Detroit won a competitive series, something they have not had to do in a while. And Washington came just short. Ovie did everything he could, but in the end depth was probably an issue. So yah, did not do to well. Been a tough year to call them.

Anyways, onto round 3!

Going 2-2, with an extra point for correctly predicting Carolina's seven game thriller is Troy...

Troy Says: It's that time again where I make a complete ass of myself. But hey...I was perfect in the eastern conference!.

Going 3-1, with one extra point (also for Carolina) is yours truly, the 8 points currently puts him in a tie with Jeff...

Glen Says: Seriously that may have been the best second round ever. We have a shocker of an upset, an upset that almost happened, a coming of age, and well, Crosby-Ovechkin. What more could you ask for really? I'm rather for excited for a youth vs. experience match-up out West, and a brotherly showdown in the East this round...

Going 4-0, and gaining 2 extra points for correctly predicting the Carolina and Detroit series lengths is the Coin...it has a total of 10 points now, putting it in the lead...yes, we are all rather embarrassed.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #6 Carolina Hurricanes

Jeff Says: This is a tough one to call. It is going to be a very good series. Both teams some in riding game 7 highs and i like the match-up between the brothers Staal. I think Eric will enjoy a bit more of a favourable match-up now that he doesn't have to hang out with Chara every shift. So he will be quite the factor in this series. Crosby is playing like an MVP and will win the Con Smyth if they win the cup for sure. This round Pittsburgh has to face a better goaltender then they did against Washington so that is going to give them issue. Carolina gets to play a less physcial team or well less overbearing team size wise so they will be able to play with speed and skills right along with pittsburgh.

Prediction: Carolina wins in 6 (or 7 since they really like these game 7's)

Troy Says: Last year the Penguins steamrolled their way into the finals, never going deeper than 5 games in any series until they finally met up with the big red freight train. This year though the Pens are even better. Better offense, better goaltending, better defense, and more experience. I think this experience will serve them well in this series. We must not forget though that Carolina is a very experienced team as well. I tend not to think of them as an elite team but they know how to win in the playoffs. Cam Ward is now 4-0 in game 7s and although he is still very young, he's very experienced in the NHL playoffs and that can go a very long way. In my opinion though Pittsburgh's offense will put them over the top in this once. Also, when the game is on the line there is no one better right now than Crosby. He raises his game and puts his team on his shoulders. Just ask Alexander Ovechkin and the rest of the Washington Capitals. I don't think this is going to be an easy series for Pittsburgh though. Carolina is always a tough team in the playoffs (just ask my Montreal Canadiens) and they never go away easily.

Prediction: Pittsburgh in 6.

Glen Says: Well, I had the Pens penciled in as champions at the start of the playoffs, and I don't plan on changing it now. These guys are good, really, really good. They made two very good teams in Philly and Washington crumble, and on paper they should have an easier time this round than before. That being said, there is no team that has opened more eyes that the Hurricanes. Both Eric Staal and Cam Ward have upped their Olympic stock a great deal, and Eric Cole is looking like one of the best deadline (re) acquisitions ever. But, Fleury is no slouch, and well, there is that simple matter of Mr. Crosby. Sid has been unreal, notching 12 goals in the first 2 rounds (the record for most in a single playoff is 19), and he seems to have taken last years finals loss, and his early season slump personally. Make no mistake about it, this man is on a mission, and no team of destiny is going to stop that.

Prediction: Pittsburgh in 6.

Coin Says: Carolina in 5 (EDITOR'S NOTE:...ballsy...)

WESTERN CONFERENCE

#2. Detroit Red Wings vs. #4 Chicago Blackhawks

Jeff Says: Both teams come in after hard fought series'. Chicago is young and super talented and their goalie is playing well. Detroit comes in, well, as Detroit. Super skilled offensively and defensively and Osgood is good enough to keep them in any game. This is a tough series to call, or not as I have maintained all along that Detroit is going to win the cup again...as usual. So yeah, although the series could be exciting, I see no way Detroit loses after surviving Anaheim, a team that probably would have gone to the cup and won had they beat Detroit. I do wish however that Anaheim would have won because it would have been great seeing former London Knights alumni playing each other. And it would have been simply a very entertaining series overall. Plus a Anaheim/Pittsburgh series would be a great one. Well any of the combinations would be great.

Detroit wins in 6

Overall, I'm calling it, Detroit vs Carolina for the cup and Detroit winnnig in 5.

Troy Says: Although I'm not a huge Red Wings fan, I must say that there is a piece of me that thinks it's nice to see an Original Six matchup this deep into the playoffs. This should be a very series and to this point I have been thoroughly impressed with the fortitude of Chicago's young talent. Having said that though, so far in the playoffs the Black Hawks have played Calgary and Vancouver, two teams which have struggled big time with putting pucks in the net. The Detroit Red Wings do not have this problem. The Wings have one of the best offenses in the league and Chicago has yet to face a team with this type of talent. So far Chicago's young stars have been great at scoring goals but in this series they're going to have to be great at stopping goals. Detroit's only weakness in this series will be their goaltending. Fortunately for the Wings though their offense is so good that on most nights their goaltending only has to be good - not great- for them to win. This series makes me think a little bit of the Cup Finals last year between Detroit and Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh was a great team but young and inexperienced and Detroit picked them apart. (We all know that series had no business going 6 games). I think Detroit will do the thing this year to Chicago.

Prediction: Detroit in 5.

Glen Says: With a look at the offense from top to bottom, we may just have the most exciting and explosive series since, well...Pittsburgh-Washington. If that was the battle between the two best pure talents in the league, then this is going to be a match up between the two best duos that the game has to offer, as Zetterberg and Datsyuk take on the challengers in Kane and Toews. Chicago has done a fantastic job of coming back in games that they had no business winning, and have really impressed me with their perseverance, as they are playing well beyond their years. While it is one thing to continually come back against second tier teams like Vancouver and Calgary, it is another thing to do it against the mighty Red Wings. This is a team that knows how to play well at both ends of the ice, and I just don't see the Hawks being able to come back against a team like this. If you take away those emotional come from behind wins, the Hawks lose a lot of momentum and steam. As much as I know that the league would love a Chicago-Pittsburgh final, I think that we're going to end up with a rematch from last year's main event.

Prediction: Detroit in 5.

Coin Says: Detroit in 6.

But I guess we shall have to see...

Until next time,

G

The NHL in Hamilton

It seems like this comes up every year, doesn't it?

CEO of Research in Motion, Jim Balsillie, is in the middle of making his third attempt to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes and move them to Hamilton, Ontario. This after failed attempts to do the same for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators in 2006 and 2007 respectively. However, this time it seems a little bit more serious. Everyone knows that the Coyotes are hemorrhaging money, and that the NHL had to assume control over them in the fall (despite having denied it for months) and despite this, Balsillie is willing to put up $212.5 million dollars to purchase the team and move them to Hamilton, which he insists is a viable hockey market.

To put it simply. I don't get it. I don't understand why Balsillie offered so much money for an NHL team, especially for one with as much debt as the Coyotes. And more importantly, I don't get why the NHL is being so difficult here. Here we have an enthusiastic owner, who wants to take a team that is losing money, and have them make money, in this economy no less.

I don't get why the NHL is standing so tough on defending the Coyotes, insisting that the NHL can be viable in that market. I mean, they have had 13 years now to make money, and they still haven't. Surely, at some point, someone has got to pull the plug, right?

The most interesting twist in this has been the apparent desire for someone else to move the Atlanta Thrashers to Hamilton as well, but apparently the mayor of Hamilton is only in talks with Balsillie. Atlanta, and Phoenix, coupled with Nashville, make an interesting trio of teams on the brink of bankruptcy (or in it with Phoenix, depending on who you ask) that may just end up being sold and/or relocated.

All three of these teams have came to be during the Gary Bettman days at the front of the front office. He saw the expansion into Atlanta and Nashville, and was a key part in the relocation of the Jets to Phoenix. From 1991 to 2000 the NHL saw a huge change in its landscape with nine franchises added and four relocations, let's have a look at them all, shall we?

San Jose: Strong fan support, even when their team was pretty bad in its early years.
Ottawa: Incredibly strong fan support, even this year when their team was very bad. Almost moved to Houston in late 90s, but have benefited from the new NHL.
Tampa Bay: After a brief love affair with the team in the early 90s, fan support dwindled. Won the Cup in 2004, nobody cared.
Dallas (from Minnesota): Consistently high attendance, very successful, despite everyone thinking that they wouldn't be. Probably the reason that the NHL became so convinced that they could succeed in non-traditional markets.
Anaheim: Have high attendance since their 2007 Stanley Cup victory, but horrible attendance and apathy before then.
Florida: It all went downhill for them once they weren't allowed to throw rats on the ice.
Colorado (from Quebec): Usually high attendance suffered a set back this year due to poor on ice results.
Phoenix (from Winnipeg): Losing money all over the place.
Carolina (from Hartford): Have gone from toast of the town to afterthought and back again so many times its hard to keep track. Averaged less than 89% attendance three seasons removed from the Stanley Cup, certainly not a good thing.
Nashville: Have never made money. Had low attendance, even when they were among the best teams in the league a few years ago.
Atlanta: Only team to have less than 80% attendance this past season.
Minnesota: Have been among the league leaders in attendance since they came into the league, despite inconsistent results.
Columbus: Have been near the bottom of the NHL's attendance, but have never had a playoff team until this season.

Now there are some obvious successes in there namely Colorado, Ottawa, and Minnesota, which should really surprise nobody. However, of the southern teams, the only ones which can be declared a true success are San Jose and Dallas. Carolina, and Anaheim are in between, and the jury is still out on Columbus, but the others have to be seen as failures. Atlanta's attendance is horrible, the Predators fans are non-existent, and really, who thought that two NHL teams in Florida was a good idea?

I'll tell you who: Gary Bettman's pride.

He has visions of the NHL being a first rate league like the NBA and NFL, but the point remains that it is an afterthought in the United States, especially in the south. People get more passionate about a sport if they can play it, and really, how can someone in Miami or Atlanta skate on a pond and pretend that they are Sydney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin? It simply doesn't work that way. The mechanics of the game make it impossible. You need ice to play hockey, and you need cold weather to have ice in your backyard. Sure people can play road hockey or go to a rink, but it is really not the same. Compare this to the fact that anyone, can pick up a ball and start bouncing it at any time. As much as I love hockey, it's just something that people en masse in the South are going to get into, it's harder for them to identify with.

Now I am not one of those traditionalists who says that the NHL should not be anywhere in the south, it obviously has it's places (i.e. San Jose, Dallas, even Los Angeles) but the fact remains that it is not working in a lot of places, and that puts the NHL in jeopardy of losing more money than it can afford to lose.

The other factor in Bettman's pride is that he simply does not want to admit to making a mistake. He received a lot of flak for moving the Jets to Phoenix, and so much of his image, and legacy, is tied up to that franchise succeeding. The Jets had a loyal fan base, and while they struggled financially in the old NHL, they could easily succeed in the new one, just like Edmonton and Ottawa are doing now.

Lastly, there is the image thing. There seems to be an important part of the league's image to have teams in certain large markets, like somehow not being in them makes your league appear "second rate". There is also concern that the NHL will look bush league if the lights on Madison Square Garden read "Tonight Rangers vs. Hamilton", although how that looks any less professional that Nashville or Columbus is a bit beyond me. What the NHL needs to realize, is that it's ok to retread from big name markets if they are not making any money. In the 90s the NFL moves two teams out of Los Angeles, and one out of Houston (the 2nd and 4th largest cities in the US), and they maintain one in Green Bay (the 261st largest) and they are doing just fine. Meanwhile, the NBA has moved a team from Charlotte to New Orleans (19 to 62) and from Seattle to Oklahoma (24 to 31) and they are doing just fine (all figures come from the source of all knowledge).

My point being, that image is nothing, results are everything. The NFL, North America's most successful sports league does not have a team in Los Angeles, because it simply did not make any money, yet they are doing fine. I think that the NHL can do just fine without a team in Phoenix, Nashville, or Atlanta (the 5th, 25th, and 33rd largest cities in the US), especially if they are all losing money.

Gary, please, it is time for you to swallow your pride and get that team out of Glendale, if you really don't want to move them to Hamilton, consider places like Kansas, Portland, or even Winnipeg. And besides, it's not like anyone in Phoenix would notice.

Until next time,

G

2nd Round Playoff Predictions

Greetings one and all to the predictions for the 2nd round of the NHL's playoffs. This time Jeff, the Coin, and I will be joined by Troy, who has been seamlessly added to the logo...



New to this prediction this round is this blogs frequent prognosticator, Troy.

Troy Says: Well, I must say that after my very long sabbatical it is great to be back in the greatest blog on the internet. I like to thank both of my fans for all their support while I was away. Now lets get to the picks...

With a total score of 4, for getting 3 series right and one at the correct length is this blog's namesake...

Glen Says: Well, it was a bit of a rough first round for me. While I knew that there would be some upsets, I called the wrong ones, as my gamble picks of St. Louis, Montreal, and Columbus failed to come through for me, while my top ranked predictions of San Jose and New Jersey failed me. That's right, after the first round I was a dismal 3-5, with only Pittsburgh, Washington, and Chicago coming through for me.

Ahh well, there is always next round, which poses some VERY interesting match-ups, as we have the last two Stanley Cup champions coming toe-to-toe (which hasn't happened since 1991), two tough teams that ended their regular season contests with an intense brawl, a team of destiny going up against a giant, and of course the first Crosby-Ovechkin playoff meeting. The first round did not disappoint, and the second round looks to be even more intriguing.

Going 4-4, which included a perfect Eastern Conference prediction, and 0-4 in the West is the 1RMB Coin, which had to be silenced for obvious political reasons.

Fairing much better was an actual human, Jeff, who went 5-3 on predictions, and correctly guessed the amount of time it would take both Detroit and Chicago to win, bringing his total points to 7.

Jeff Says: So the first round did not go as planned....seems every year is supposed to be San Jose's year, and yet again they exit early. Maybe we will all learn our lesson and never pick them to win again....probably not. They did run into Anaheim that is well, a really good team with a terrible regular season record. Lets be honest, Anaheim is a power house, they slept all year and are waking up at just the right time. Poor SJ. Remember when I picked Joe Thornton to be MVP........As for my Blues, I expected more of a fight from them. Although the series was not a blow out, I wish they could have at least won one game. Young team, they'll be back. Philly, such a dissapointment. Last year they did wonders for me, this year, not so much. Everything else went as planned however....even if it was tight.

As for round two, there are some interesting match-ups that will have me glued to the tv for sure i think. Lets get started.....

WESTERN CONFERENCE

#2. Detroit Red Wings vs. #8. Anaheim Ducks

Troy Says: Well well well Detroit....time to face the music. How great would it be to see the 8th place Ducks knock out the defending champs....again? It would be fantastic. And the truly great thing about this is that I actually believe they have a decent shot of doing it. The play of super-rook Bobby Ryan has been great and one of Detroit's greatest strengths (besides an insanely good offense) is playoff experience and knowing how to win the big games but that strength is shared by Anaheim as well.

Anaheim may be an 8th place team but they definitely don't play like one.

Prediction: Anaheim in 7.


Glen Says: Well last round I was totally convinced that the Wings would screw up, and I want to pick against them so badly. The Ducks are good, don't let that #8 in front of them cloud your view, they have a ton of talent, however so do the Wings. The last two times that these teams have met the Ducks have won, and moved onto the finals as a result. Even though it pains me to say so, I see the 2008 Champion defeating the 2007 Champion, in what should be a hell of a series.

Prediction: Detroit in 6

Coin Says: Detroit in 7

Jeff Says: Anaheim is a monster this year just like Dallas was last year. A sleeping giant that nobody really thought much of because of a lackluster series. They have all the tools to win the cup just like they did years ago. I think that they could go very far in these playoffs.....however they are facibng Detroit and will not go any farther....sorry guys......Detroit wins this one......and eventually probably the Cup again.......nuff said....

Prediction: Detroit wins in 5

#3. Vancouver Canucks vs. #4. Chicago Blackhawks

Troy Says: Well since two of my favourite teams (Montreal and Calgary) both decided that they'd rather play golf than hockey I've now fully jumped on the Canucks' bandwagon. Luongo is one of those goalies that can not only steal a game, but he can outright steal a series. Vancouver had no business sweeping St. Louis in the first round but thanks to Luongo that's exactly what happened. This is going to be a very tough series though because Chicago's young talent is incredible and up to this point they don't seem to be shaken by the pressure that comes along with being under the playoff spotlight.

I think Chicago is the better team here but not by a huge margin so I'm going to take Vancouver on the strength of their captain, Luongo.

Prediction: Vancouver in 6.

Glen Says: How much does the league want Chicago to be in the finals against either Pittsburgh or Washington? I am really torn on how to asses the Hawks performance in the first round, did they play well, or did Calgary just play bad? While it's impressive that the Hawks came back so many times to win, the Flames were almost out of defensemen by the end of the series. And with all due respect to the Flames goalie, he's no Roberto Luongo. The real test for the Hawks is how they can perform when they are down in a series, which never happened against the Flames. I just don't see them being able to rally back after Luongo steals a game, which is bound to happen a few times.

Prediction: Vancouver in 6

Coin Says: Chicago in 7

Jeff Says: This is a tough series to call. Both teams are fast and physical and have great goaltending. They both beat teams rather easily, well, Calgary put up more of a fight, but Vancouver played well and weathered a couple St.Louis storms. Luongo seems to be hot right now so look out. I am really not sure who is going to win this one. I can only expect that each team will win their share of games. I wanna say this will go to 7 however I think one goalie will make sure that does not happen.....and I think that goalie is going to be Luongo.

Prediction: Vancouver wins in 6

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#1. Boston Bruins vs. #6. Carolina Hurricanes

Troy Says: Before I talk about this series I would like to say something to Carolina's last opponent, New Jersey, about what it feels like to lose a game 7 with very little time left in the game .....ahem.....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... now you know what the 2003 Ottawa Senators feel like suckers!! New Jersey was actually WINNING with 80 seconds left! BAHAHAHAHAHA!!! But I digress...time to talk about Boston vs Carolina. I think this will be a tough series and I'm almost not sure who to go with but since Glen pays me....well....let's face it...A LOT of money to make predictions I will do just that. I will take Carolina for two reasons...Firstly....Boston sucks and nobody likes them and Two....Cam Ward is 3-0 in game 7s and I think

Carolina is strong enough to push this series to the limit.

Prediction: Carolina in 7.

Glen Says: Easily the most difficult series to predict. Boston looked completely dominant against Montreal, while Carolina looked to be as much of a "Team of Destiny" in the first round as imaginable, seriously, who scores a goal with 0.2 seconds left, what is this basketball? Also, down by 1 with 80 seconds to play against the greatest goalie of all time, only to come back and win. That happens? Carolina's emotional high, coupled with Boston's lull, should propel the Canes to an early charge, which should give them at least a split in the first two games in Boston. Then, at the end of the day, it's all up in the air from there. Both teams match up very well, with a strong work ethic, a balanced attack, and phenomenal goaltending. I think that the Bruins are going to be realyl special in no time, but I'm going to give it to the team of destiny on this one.

Prediction: Carolina in 7.

Coin Says: Carolina in 7.

Jeff Says: One of the hottest teams of the second half won game 7 in a minute and a half....what a game that was. Now they face the Bruins who are rested and well prepared. Carolina has a great team, they are playing well, and they are fast. Boston has a solid all round team that can beat you up and make you pay on the score board. I like Carolina, and hope they do well, however, I think Boston will take this series. Their goaltending is top notch and they have the scoring and defence to shut down Staal and Whitney. It could be a good series, and I hope it is, but oston takes this on. (Remember when Paul Maurice was fired as head coach by a certain team not to be named.....shucks.....he must really look back and complain about that)

Prediction: Boston wins in 6

#2. Washington Capitals vs. #4. Pittsburgh Penguins

Troy Says: This will be an AMAZING series and you know the NHL is lovin' this! My gut is telling me that Pittsburgh will pull out to a 3-1 series lead and then blow it but these are definitely not the same teams that met frequently in the early to mid 90s. If you look overall I think you'd have to say Pittsburgh is the better team here. They have a better offense, a deeper defense and stronger goaltending. Simeon Varlomov is still an unknown at this point and although we've seen Fleury be shaky at times we've also seem him stand on his head and steal games that Pittsburgh had no business winning. In this edition of the Crosby-Ovechkin rivalry (the best player rivalry in a long time) I'm taking Crosby. I think last year's run to the finals will really pay off this year for the Penguins.

Prediction: Pittsburgh in 6.

Glen Says: Here we have the main event of main events. Crosby and Ovechkin are going to do something that Gretzky and Lemieux never did, meet in the playoffs. Needless to say, the entire hockey world is drooling over this one. This is going to be a wide open, end to end series, and at the end of the day, it's sad that only one of these teams can move on. All that being said, I don't expect this series to last seven games, because quite frankly, the Penguins are too good here. Sure the Caps won three straight, and rookie sensation Simeon Varlamov has been playing great, allowing only 7 goals in his 6 games, but he never had to face Crosby or Malkin in the last round. The Rangers offense is really quite weak, and I just don't think that he can match those numbers against the Pens. This should be a very high scoring series, but I think that Fleury has more in him to shut the door, and the Pens should be able to move on here.

Prediction: Pittsburgh in 5


Coin Says: Pittsbugh in 5

Jeff Says: This is going to be a great series to watch. Three maybe 4 or 5 of the bestplayers in the league this year are in this series with Wshington owning 3 of them. I think these two teams match up well. They both have scoring from both the forwards and the defence. Pitt is deeper but Washington didn't finish as hig in the standings as they did because they suck. Ovie will e fired up in this series as his rivalry with Sid the Kid and Malkin will make him want to one up them. I picked Washington to make it to the finals and I am sticking with that prediction. Hoping the goaltending stands up.....

Prediction: Washington in 6.

Let's see how this one unfolds...

Until next time,

G