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AND THE TOP FOUR TEAMS IN THE WEST WILL BE... |
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OK... We all hate predictions...I hate them because frankly who the heck knows and since I try to be Mr. Positive I hate telling a fired up fanbase that I believe their team won't make the playoffs. It stinks, but it is part of the job. This year, like last, is so very hard to predict, so knowing that anything can happen. And if you think I am an idiot then, hey, be happy I said your team was out of it...I will do this in installments since I am also doing a lot of work digging into the Sundin and Schneider situations.
More Sundin to come shortly....some interesting stuff.
#1 San Jose:
I love bringing in Rob Blake and Dan Boyle to the team that was already the toughest in the league to beat in my opinion. Also the time was perfect for a coaching change.
#2 Detroit:
The Wings are really a 1A for me. Adding Hossa to a dominant Cup contender is awesome of course. I just feel that the Wing's record will suffer a bit from the improving Central Division. The Hawks, Blue Jackets, and Blues are all MUCH better teams and the Preds are staying the course.
#3 Edmonton:
Yes, Edmonton. I love the moves, and the additions of Cole and Brule. Look at the top three lines of the Oilers and tell me that they are not the best team in the Northwest. Cole-Horcoff-Hemsky, Nilsson-Cogliano-Gagner, Moreau-Pisani-Penner. And that is without saying that Brule and Schremp can't crack the top three lines. The Defense is six strong and look for Visnovsky to have a killer year. Edmonton and Montreal are the two fastest hockey teams in the world.
#4 Chicago:
So much talent. Let the coming out party begin. The defense is solid. When you sign Campbell to that giant contract and he is your third or fourth best d-man. Toews healthy will notch 100 pts. Havlat healthy will notch 90. Both question marks. It could be a hard year for Kane, but we will see. Goaltending is really curious. A lot of money spent, but who really is the best goalie here? I believe in Khabibulin, big time. I don't think they do. I think they will move him which I feel is a mistake. Huet needs a more physical D in front of him. This is a run and gun team. A fun team to watch for sure.
Although there are mixed reports out there regarding Schneider, I am told that today is the key day and I agree with Andy Strickland when he says it is down to one team in the West and one in the East.
At this point however I don't get the sense that the team in the West is LA. To this point all indications are the two teams have been very much opposed to dealing with one another on the level needed to make this thing happen.
So who are the teams?
I have yet to be able to narrow it down to the two, but I am hearing Vancouver, St. Louis, Boston, Montreal, NJ, and the NY Islanders.
Speaking of Boston...How great was it to see Patrice Bergeron return with four points and incredible jump in his skates? The Bruins were a team that continually got better as the year went on last season and if they have a healthy Bergeron they are a dangerous force in the East. His addition is as big as any UFA that was signed in the Eastern Conference.
I am working on my Western Conference Picks for this afternoon, so get yours ready. It is a conference that is as hard to predict as any in recent memory. Who will be out?
Also a big tip of the hat to the folks in Nashville during this ticket drive day. I remember last year when I attended the rally and as I have said many times, it was the most rewarding day I have ever spent in hockey. There is a huge future for the sport in Nashville and anyone who has seen a game in that arena and stepped out into the country music night will tell you that. It is as purely an awesome place to see a game as there is and they run an organization that is second to none. The Preds fans are as communal, vibrant and fired up as any fans in any arena anywhere. They are as loud as Edmonton or San Jose.
I consider myself fortunate to have witnessed this and I am confindent that the Preds will hit their goals today. It is quite a testament to the city and their players that despite a current cap floor that is higher than the original post-lockout ceiling the young Preds are ALWAYS competitive.
There will be arguments about the feasibility of the NHL in Tennessee, and I know them all. So do they. As I sit here in Philadelphia, a city that is widely viewed as one of the best hockey cities anywhere, I can tell you that the bottom line is it takes time to get into the culture and blood of a society. The Spectrum is closing this year and to many of us it is a cathedral...But early year pictures will show you a half full arena...It took time and it took two Cups, but hockey is a part of our blood now.
The only question one can have about a hockey city is: "Is the city worth the time needed?" It is a judgment that is really impossible to make, and frankly wrong to imply that we are "above" the people of any place to pass such a judgment. The fact is hockey is in Nashville, and hockey is viral. To lose it is worse than having never had it at all. The People of Winnipeg and Quebec know this all too well. Hockey should not have left those cities either. And had I been blogging then I would have gone there too, like I did in Pittsburgh last year.
Whenever I write about Nashville like this I get the people who are angry that their city doesn't have a team. This is not about that. Nashville is not an either/or. Nashville is.
Is Nashville worth it? All I can tell you is first hand, I have seen it. I have seen the families, the college kids, and I have heard the chant. When your heart bleeds hockey you can see it, and I know that the people of Nashville bleed it as well. It is very clear to me, and I for one feel the current group of fans that follows the Preds have something special. And in time that group will grow and the sport will solidify its roots. So yes...It is worth the time needed.
Stay tuned and remember we are all family in this hockey world. Hockey unites us and therefore we should stick together and support our fellow hockey fans.
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