First Post

Posted by Gord Wilson on September 18, 2007

Well, can you believe it? Three months gone in the blink of an eye, and we're set to embark on another NHL season. June 6th, 2007 saw the Anaheim Ducks hoist the Cup in their own rink, and I'm sure Southern California has never been the same. My goodness, the partying that must have gone on there!

Alright, yes, you are sensing sarcasm. And for good reason. While the Ducks fully deserved the win, I don't think that part of North America deserves or fully appreciates the celebration that should go with winning the championship.

Case in point ... there were more fans at the Ottawa Airport on June 7th cheering on the return of the losing team than there were outside the Honda Center in Anaheim, the night their team won everything.

What's wrong with that picture!

In any case, I digress.

What this Blog is all about is life around the NHL. An opportunity, on a regular basis, to offer up an opinion or two on the happenings around the league. Whether it be a player trade, a coach firing, a bonehead comment from an overzealous general manager, or maybe it's a quirk in the schedule. Here's the forum to comment on it. And I welcome your comments as well.

The off-season was an interesting one for a lot of teams in the NHL. Interesting for teams that didn't make the playoffs, and interesting for teams that did.

July 1st was obviously the day everyone anticipated really from the last day of the regular season. Teams that didn't qualify for post season play, were already laying the groundwork for the most significant "unrestricted free agency" day of the year.

And while I don't think it completely lived up to the hype ... there certainly were some interesting signings. On July 1st, Eastern teams caught much of the spotlight. The Philadelphia Flyers were one of those, and they had to. An awful year last season meant they had nowhere to go but up. The big question is, can a player 5-7 be enough to put them back to where they're used to being. Daniel Briere plays big for a little man, but are his shoulders broad enough for Broad Street. Briere is one of 5 significant moves general manager Paul Holmgren made during the summer. Adding Hartnell and Lupul up front gives Philly more depth and scoring, while Timonen and Smith on defence gives the back end more skill and experience. Getting Martin Biron under contract long term doesn't hurt ... but how much does it help? Biron hasn't been " the man" yet in his career. A slow start could lead to his undoing, if the Flyer faithful stay true to form.

For me, it's the New York Rangers who got the biggest bang for their buck. Adding heavyweights Chris Drury and Scott Gomez should push the Rangers to the top of the Atlantic Division, if not the Eastern Conference.

I'd also keep an eye on the Florida Panthers. Our old buddy Jacques Martin got the goalie he so desperately needed in Tomas Vokoun, and his young players should benefit from last season's late push that saw the team just miss making the playoffs. To me, the Panthers are playoff bound this year.

Sid the Kid will have another phenomenal year, but will the rest of his Penguins? Remember, they weren't expected to do all that much last year (certainly not have a 105 point season), but expectations and pressures will be different this time around.

Out west, I don't think anyone is wrong in expecting the Ducks to be the team to beat this year. With or without Scott Niedermayer, Randy Carlyle won't let anyone rest on laurels, especially the young talent this club is blessed with. I suppose it will be easy to write off the Predators. And what a shame. Once thought to be a good young team for years to come, now it almost seems like it's back to square one for David Poile and company.

The Canucks will be an interesting team to watch. It's quite possible they could challenge for top spot in the conference, if Roberto Luongo has another MVP type season.

Over the last few seasons, too many people have pegged the Sharks to be the team to watch, but over the last few seasons, the Sharks have made fools out of too many people, so in this Blog, I'll stay away from San Jose.

I will predict this about the West ... at least 2 teams that failed to make the playoffs last year, Colorado and St. Louis, will finish top 8 this time around.

In my travels around the NHL over the next 8 months, I hope to use this Blog to share my experiences. Voice an opinion. And hear from you as well.

Cheers, Gord