NHL 08/09 Season Preview

Les Canadiens de Montreal

Sid can now drink Legally

The NHL regular season start is today in the Czech Republic and Sweden. The Senators, Penguins, Lighting, and Rangers will be representing the league in two games a piece. If you have a chance to see one of the games in Europe, I am sure the experience will be very rewarding. Ice hockey, in my opinion, is the best sport to see in person. Watching the game on TV is not as rewarding because you can’t anticipate the play and are at the camera man’s mercy. Since HD television has become more prevalent the game has been much more enjoyable to watch on TV then in the past. Also since the addition of dedicated player camera’s and my favorite, on ice microphones the game broadcasts have become much better. But, nothing beats being at a game in person. I really enjoy watching the play away from the puck, seeing guys break into open ice and seeing the chippy/dirty stuff behind the play. Having played hockey my entire life I am able to see a lot of the nuances of the game that isn’t necessarily talked about during tv broadcasts. One of my hopes of this blog is to have my contributors and I introduce some of those things to the public. So here are my top 16 teams to start the NHL season.

Alex the Great

Montreal Canadiens - Plenty of offensive scoring power and a solid young goaltender. The Habs should be a lot of fun to watch.
Pittsburgh Penguins - So the Pens missed out on Hossa in the off-season, well they still have a solid group of young talent. Missing Gonchar for almost the entire season could hurt, but could also give a big lift come playoff time.
Detroit Redwings - The defending Stanley Cup Champs actually got better in the off-season, imagine that. The Wings should be able to dominate the west this season.
Washington Capitals - Probably the most exciting team to watch with the scoring of Ovechkin and Mike Green. Should be years of fun for Caps fans.
Anaheim Ducks - A solid team has been built in Cali, and will always be a threat come playoff time. Watch for Ryan Getzlaf to take the next step this season.
Mighty Cheerleaders
Colorado Avalanche - The Avs have a lot of young talent and veteran leadership. I think the Red Wing/Avalance rivalry will heat up again this season.
Tampa Bay Lightning - New look for the Lightning this year, new coach, new players, but same core talent that won a Cup.
Dallas Stars - Some people have been down on the Stars this season. I don’t see it and think Marty Turco will be Mr. Stability.
San Jose Sharks - I like the Sharks this season because they have a great group of Veterans and are starting to mix in young talent. The West is a tough conference as usual.
Philadelphia Flyers - The Flyers actually might have benefited from not being too active this post season. Look for this group to gel over the season.
Calgary Flames - The Flames play a solid defensive style game and will be in the playoff hunt. Look out for the Oilers this season though.
Look out for the Blackhawks
Ottawa Senetors - The Senetors became a mess during the start of the playoffs last year. Hopefully they can straighten up the ship over the course of the season.
New Jersey Devils - When you have Martin Brodeur you are going to be a contender every night. He is probably the greatest goalie of this generation.
Vancouver Canucks - The Canucks also have a similar goalie situation as the Devils. Bobby Luongo is solid and enormous.
Chicago Blackhawks - One of my favorite up and coming teams. A lot of great talent that is very young and a few solid free agents came in during the off-season. The Blackhawks are going to make a playoff push this season.
Boston Bruins - I also like the Bruins this year, I think they have a similar mix of young talent and solid veterans like Zdeno Chara.