2009 preview: Pittsburgh Penguins

Last year, the Pittsburgh Penguins won a game seven Stanley Cup final to win the title for the first time since 1992.
Now, as defending champions, everyone will be gunning for them. Teams will try to build confidence, and a regular season victory over the Stanley Cup champs will be seen as a victory for [...]

2009 preview: St Louis Blues

 The St. Louis Blues surprised everyone last year by making it to the playoffs.
They won’t be doing that again.
Teams are going to be ready to play this young team that matured quickly last season.
The Blues will have to play their best every night if they want to make it back to the postseason.
Story of [...]

2009 preview: Philadelphia Flyers

When it comes to knocking off the Pittsburgh Penguins stranglehold on the Eastern conference playoffs, the Philadelphia Flyers have the best chance.
They’re a young team that is maturing quickly. They can play rough and physical hockey. They can get involved in high-scoring affairs. And they now have the dirtiest defenceman in the game in [...]

2009 preview: San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks will undoubtably be one of the best teams again this season.
Just like they are every season.
Domination throughout the regular season. Beating up on teams. Making things look good for poolies.
And then we get to the playoffs.
Story of the season: Can the Sharks win in the playoffs? No matter what the [...]

2009 preview: New York Rangers

The New York Rangers are a team in limbo.
They just don’t realize it yet.
They don’t have a lot of young superstars in waiting, they have overpaid some of their players and they have a few people who are a distraction to the team (including the coach).
It’s going to be a long season in New [...]

2009 preview: Phoenix Coyotes

How can fans continue to support this team, knowing that a) they could be moved at any time and b) they have the longest playoff drought in the NHL? And it doesn’t look to end anytime soon. While this will be a young, competitive team, the smart money is on them going through a disastrous [...]

2009 preview: Columbus BlueJackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets has a style of play where they put the fans and opponents to sleep by playing a dull first period.
They play defensively, which is why the goalies have always posted such good numbers.
It’s not fun to watch, but it’s working.
Story of the season: Can the Blue Jackets improve on their [...]

2009 preview: Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes is a team that shouldn’t sneak up on anyone, but will probably still catch a lot of fans off-guard. They don’t get a lot of media attention, and despite some decent playoff success the past five years, a lot of people don’t believe they are for real. Look for a lot of angry [...]

2009 preview: Anaheim Ducks

This team reminds me of my fantasy hockey team.
Young at forward, old on the defence and a mix for goaltending.
They’ll be a contender this season. They have enough experience all around to be one of the top teams in the west. It just depends if they have enough experience to be a contender in [...]

2009 preview: Colorado Avalanche

If recent history is any indication, the Colorado Avalanche will make the second round of the playoffs, only to be swept at that point.
The Avalanche, once one of the heavyweights of the NHL and sold out every game every season, is now relegated to bottom-feeder status. They have to rebuild this team, and it [...]