Pittsburg Penguins' Sidney Crosby celebrates a goal by Ryan Malone during last year's Eastern Conference Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Wrapping up the east is the Northeast division. Montreal goalie Carey Price, said to be the second coming of Patrick Roy, proved his worth last year. The Canadians dumped some useless salary and are still attempting to bring in will-he-or-won't-he free agent Mats Sundin, your Roger Clemens of hockey. They should finish first in the division.
Montreal's archrival, Boston is going to turn some heads this year. Barring any more injuries, they will be contenders, along with Ottawa and Buffalo in the division. Ottawa is going backwards, and Buffalo is at a stalemate. Now is the time for Buffalo to make its move. Watch for a big trade deadline deal for the Bruins.
Back out west, we find the Northwest and Pacific divisions. In these two, you will find some of the best goaltending and defense in the NHL. It's all about hardnosed hockey here, with the occasional sprinkling of offensive firepower in San Jose and Detroit. The Northwest division lost a lot of talent and players shifted around to teams in the same conference. Anybody can win the Northwest -- it's that simple. Every team has a solid defense backed by exceptional goaltending.
The Pacific division is home to a perennial regular season powerhouse, the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks' problems come in the playoffs, and that is why they fired their coach Ron Wilson last year and brought in one of Detroit's assistant coaches, Todd McClellan, to give the team a new, winning attitude. This coupled with the addition of a revamped blueline -- Rob Blake, Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich -- means the pieces are once again in place for a deep playoff run.
The Stars and Ducks are going to give the Sharks everything they can handle, though, especially with goalies like Marty Turco and Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Anaheim did not make any huge moves in the offseason, and Dallas lost a few key players from their Conference Finals run. That will not stop them from competing though. Both teams have superior coaches.
With all of that said, this looks to be another fantastic hockey season. More and more fans are tuning in and attending games, bringing back the love for hockey in America. It is truly a great and exciting sport. There is nothing more emotional in sports than seeing players lift the Stanley Cup after a strenuous eight-month journey. That journey begins tomorrow.
Continue Reading: « Previous12
Leave a comment 9 Comments Write a letter to the editor
All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.
What does Hockey have to do with Virginia Tech? Hokie sports? or Blacksburg?
Reply to this Top
hockey, seriously who cares?
Reply to this Top
A fascinating article! Us hockey enthusiast appreciate your writing and look forward to more reviews.
Reply to this Top
good article.. and for all you hockey haters, whens the last time you heard about drugs being used or people who play hockey being arrested? exactly.. cleanest sport there is..
Reply to this Top
The two people on campus who like hockey probably enjoyed this article. Really....hockey? Will the CT provide us with a synchronized swimming article next week?
Reply to this Top
You don't hear about drug use or arrests in speed walking either. Doesn't mean anyone wants to watch it.
Reply to this Top
i think its strange non-hockey fans bother to check out this article and make time to post a comment when they're not interested in the sport. (dude, you made waves!) these guys truly live up to their name posted... ha!
Reply to this Top
...made waves! Perhaps you could say the writer, "broke the ice!" -Liked the article.
Reply to this Top
Nice to see hockey getting some representation down here! Go Flyers!
Reply to this Top