It's Christmas time, and that means happy stuff and gifts. I'm in a giving mood, so here's 30 Christmas wishes for 30 NHL teams.
Anaheim Ducks - A return to last season's form. Not sure why the 2011/2012 Ducks are not as good as the 2010/2011 Ducks were, but the NHL was a better place when they were rolling.
Boston Bruins - What do you give the kid who has everything? My wish for them is top line minutes for Tyler Seguin. He's an unbelievable talent and all-around good guy.
Buffalo Sabres - A healthy rest of the season for Ryan Miller. He's been run one time too many, so let's hope he doesn't get hit anymore.
Calgary Flames - A new General Manager. I'm not trying to be a jerk here. Jay Feaster is really bad at his job and he's sentencing Flames fans to a future of non-playoff hockey. The team needs a GM who is ready to bite the bullet, and start the rebuild now.
Carolina Hurricanes - They need Eric Staal to come back. Where have you gone, Mr. Staal? Without Staal playing his best hockey, this team struggles tremendously.
Chicago Blackhawks - To stay healthy. Could you imagine a Chicago/Boston Stanley Cup Finals this season? Clash of the titans. Outside of the Oilers, the Hawks are my favorite team to watch. If their big guns can stay healthy all season, this is the team to beat.
Colorado Avalanche - A do-over on the Eric Johnson deal. This one hasn't worked out great for either team. While EJ continues to struggle in Denver, Chris Stewart looks terrible in St. Louis.
Columbus Blue Jackets - A 10 game winning streak. No team in hockey deserves this more than the Jackets, who have had a terrible year at a time when they expected to contend for a playoff spot.
Dallas Stars - Ticket sales. They have a new owner and he's someone who is committed to the city. The team hasn't been bad this season, either. Hopefully, fans will start to buy tickets and will help turn things around in Dallas.
Detroit Red Wings - Here's hoping Nick Lidstrom signs on for one final year. He might be in his 40's now, but he's still one of the league's best three defenseman.
Edmonton Oilers - My wish is for Ales Hemsky and Ryan Whitney to return to form. The Oilers would be a pretty good team this year if both of these guys were playing to potential. Both are playing hurt, so they're doing the best they can.
Florida Panthers - For the clock to not strike 12. Remember before this season how everyone said they would be terrible? They're Cinderella, and they're at the ball. Hope it continues all year.
Los Angeles Kings - Here's hoping (for his sake as well as the team's) that Dustin Penner catches fire. At times, he looked like a great player in Edmonton. During other times, he looked disinterested. In LA, he's been flat-out terrible. Perhaps he can catch fire and win some friends back before the end of the year.
Minnesota Wild - Respect. I give them absolutely none. Lots of bloggers are the same way. They might be in a current losing skid, but they have over-achieved and have been impressive as hell this season. They deserve to be respected.
Montreal Canadiens - An entirely new management team. The Canadiens need to clean house and to start over, bringing in a whole new group. I don't know if Patrick Roy is the solution, but considering how things are going now, trying Roy couldn't make things worse.
Nashville Predators - Enough money to sign Shea Weber and Ryan Suter to long-term contract extensions. Without Weber and Suter, this team is nothing.
New Jersey Devils - I hope they have the brains to re-sign Zach Parise to a long-term deal. Parise is a brilliant talent and if the Devils hope to improve, they need Parise on board.
New York Islanders - Health. This poor team is a MASH unit. Give them the second half of the season with their entire roster healthy, and we'll see if they're the worst team in hockey.
New York Rangers - Confidence heading into the playoffs. This is a team I expect great things from, and they're having a solid season even though Marc Staal has yet to play. Imagine how good things can be once he gets back! Be confident, Rangers players and fans...this team is outstanding.
Ottawa Senators - Big things from newly acquired Kyle Turris. The Sens have some great young defensemen, and a true #1 center in Jason Spezza. If Turris and a prospect like Mika Zibanejad can work out as hoped, the Sens will be a good team quicker than people realize.
Philadelphia Flyers - My wish for the Flyers is that Chris Pronger's career isn't over, and that he recovers from his severe concussion. I might not like the guy, but he's had a Hall of Fame career. Let's hope he doesn't go out like this.
Phoenix Coyotes - A sale and a move to a city (Quebec) where people actually care about hockey.
Pittsburgh Penguins - Sidney Crosby. The league needs this guy, not just the Penguins. Get healthy, and get back to dominating league scoring, Sid.
San Jose Sharks - My wish for them is a four-game sweep of their first round playoff opponent. I won't wish them more success than that though. I'd rather see the Hawks and Canucks in the third round.
St. Louis Blues - The return of Jaroslav Halak. Remember when some people thought he was even to or better than Carey Price? Halak isn't even "the man" in St. Louis right now. Here's hoping he can turn things around.
Tampa Bay Lightning - A goaltender. Someone who is under the age of 30 preferred. Dwayne Roloson is out of gas.
Toronto Maple Leafs - A top line center to emerge. Perhaps it will be Kadri who develops into their true #1. Perhaps the team will make a deal to land a big fish. The only thing more amazing than the play of Phil Kessel this season is the knowledge that he's doing it without having a star center on his line.
Vancouver Canucks - I hope for Roberto Luongo that people get off his back. He's a great goalie and a big reason behind the Canucks success. He doesn't deserve half the flak he gets.
Washington Capitals - For Ales Ovechkin to go on an absolutely scoring tear. I want to see 40 goals in the final 40 games of the season from Alex the Great.
Winnipeg Jets - Here's hoping everyone will continue to be in love with this team and the city once the honeymoon is over. For now, the Jets are the darling of the NHL. Sooner or later, the realization will set in that the team is in Winnipeg and the rink only holds 15,000 people.
Merry Christmas. Don't be surprised if there isn't a new blog up until Boxing Day. I have the French Catholic family thing on Saturday, and my significant other's thing on Christmas Day. I'm broke and swamped with family and friends. Have a great Chrismtas and speak soonies.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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