Sunday, February 28, 2010
Canada Wins Gold, Heartbreak for USA
All the pressure on Canada to win at home in the final event of the Olympics and a surging undefeated USA team with upset on their minds. An amazing game that by far lives up to the hype that came with it. USA knew coming in that Canada would demand the play and puck possession and that their game would be more about weathering the storms and counter attacking. USA had already beaten Canada to secure their place in the quarterfinals and create a harder road for Canada. The Americans did just as Captain Jaime Langenbrunner said they would as they played well in their defensive zone and took the chances when they came. Canada would score first though as Mike Richards made a great play and gets the puck for Jonathan Toews who buried the puck from the side of the net. Canada would score again on a nice play from Ryan Getzlaf who threw the puck in front as it found its way to an open Corey Perry who puts it past the tournament MVP Ryan Miller. As the first period ended a slight altercation occurred when Jack Johnson, defense man for Team USA and the LA Kings, bumped Sidney Crosby cause him to fall. Players gathered and it was quickly broken up. This play seemed minor yet also showed that USA was very much awake and not ready to go down with out a fight. USA would counter late in the second when Patrick Kane took a simple wrist shot towards the goal that was tipped by Ryan Kessler in front and it squeaked by Roberto Luongo. USA played well but none better then Ryan Miller who kept his team in it and confident. The third period was nothing but great hockey. Both teams had heavy surges through out making for an exhilarating 20 min. With the clock ticking down USA was putting on the pressure trying to tie the game and it was getting tense. USA would pull Ryan Miller to add an extra attacker and give everything they had. A shot from the point came in on Luongo who was unable to grasp the puck. So instead of a whistle USA pounced on the puck and continued to pressure the play. The puck found its way to Patrick Kane who took a shot from the slot. Somehow Zach Parise and Jaime Langenbrunner found themselves behind the Canadian defense and right on the doorstep in front of Roberto Luongo. The puck came free and Parise slammed in the rebound with 24 seconds to go. An incredible effort from team USA to tie the game and send it into overtime. The Canadian fans now filled with doubt, silent as could be after the goal. 4 on 4 overtime would commence, anyone could score to finish the game and instantly become a hero for their respective country. The overtime was tight with both teams getting scoring chances, more so for team Canada. Sidney Crosby and Jerome Iginla were playing well down low when Iginla found Crosby with some open space. Crosby turns and quickly fires the puck low through the pads of Ryan Miller. The Stadium erupts in excitement as Canada had indeed won gold in front of their home fans. The rest of team Canada would continue to jump on Crosby and celebrate as who other then the Pens captain and one of the ambassadors of today's NHL scored the winner. If you are not a fan of hockey and you saw this game and it doesn't make you want to watch the NHL then something is seriously wrong, for that was the greatest hockey game in some time. All the emotions and all of the talent on the ice made for one incredible spectacle. The Americans showed tremendous heart and determination and have shown how far hockey has come in the United States. I have never been prouder to be an American hockey player.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Olympic Preview
With the Olympics fast approaching there is a lot of talk on who will take the gold medal in Vancouver. As long as injuries don't continue to affect some of the teams, this year should be an incredible spectacle. Many teams have a shot at a medal in these Olympics which should make for quite the show. Lets take a look at the teams with a legitimate shot to make some noise in Vancouver.
Team Canada- Clearly the place to start is with Team Canada. A big favorite, Canada always makes headlines with who they choose and who is left off the list. Canada has added pressure with the games being in Vancouver as well. Big names include Sidney Crosby, Joe Thornton, Jarome Iginla, Dany Heatley, Rick Nash, Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, Martin Broduer, and the surging Patrick Marleau. Key names left off the list include Jeff Carter (led all Canadian players in the NHL last season in goals) Vincent Lecaviler, Martin St. Louis, Ryan Smyth, and Shane Doan. A recent injury to Ryan Geztlaf may pave the way for Jeff Carter to make the squad after all. However would that be better? How will Corey Perry play if Getzlaf cant play? There is always some debate on who should make the list but it's difficult to argue with the choices of future Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman. Canada is usually always a favorite and these Olympics are none different. They have the fire power, the experience and the goal-tending to win gold in Vancouver and they may just do that.
Team Russia- Russia is an interesting place to visit next as they have some controversy along with them. With the KHL already slowly becoming an issue with the NHL, trying to lure players over with large claims of offering more money. They now find themselves as a big part of team Russia as well. Russia feels it needs to use many of its KHL players on its squad which may or may not help them in Vancouver. Many of the KHL players on team Russia are names not well known by anyone outside of the nation, however there are some names that use to be prominent names in the NHL. Names like Sergei Federov, Alexi Yashin and Sergei Zubov. The NHL stars on team Russia make them a pose able threat to team Canada. Key names for team Russia are as follows: Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk, Alexander Semin, Alexander Frolov, Sergei Gonchar and Andrei Markov. Goalies are another plus for team Russia with Ilya Bryzgalov, Evgeni Nabakov, and Semyon Varlamov. Russia is one of the favorites to upset Canada however, they will have to play some of their best hockey.
Team Sweden- Sweden is another team primed to upset Canada as they were winners of the gold medal in Torino in 2006. The names are there for Sweden but they are older. With most of the talk being about Canada and Russia, Sweden is looking to stay under the radar. But how can you overlook names like Henrik Zetterberg, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Nicklas Backstrom, Daniel Alfredsson and Nicklas Lidstrom. Then having Henrik Lundqvist as your tender doesn't hurt either. Johan Frazen was recently added to the line-up after missing significant time due to a torn ACL. He will replace Tomas Holmstrom for team Sweden. Oh and let's not forget about Peter Forsberg and what he may or may not bring to the table for the Swedes.
Team USA- USA has a much different looking team then in Olympics past. They big veteran names are not there, instead the team is full of youth looking for experience. No Mike Modano, Bill Guerin, Kieth Tkachuk, but instead there is Patrick Kane, Zach Parise, and Jaime Langenbrunner. This team is filled with young talent which will be leaning heavily on the play of goalie Ryan Miller. Much has been discussed however, about the fact that this a short tournament and a lot can be said for a hot goalie. If Ryan Miller plays the way he has so far this season for Buffalo you may see team USA on the podium. But is it enough for gold? I for one am excited to see what this team could put together. If USA is able to put themselves in that gold medal game it would say a lot for the future of hockey in America. Canada vs USA should surly be the final for the woman's tournament and if the men can make it happen it may catch the attention of more fans out there and may create new ones for the NHL.
Team Czech Republic- I personally don't see the Czechs with a medal as the competition is very steep. That's not to say they don't have some talent but there is no Dominc Hasek and an aging Jaromir Jagr just will not cut it. The names on this team are recognizable and talented however, the other teams are lead by NHL superstars and will be just to much to handle. Martin Erat, Patrik Elias, and Tomas Fleischmann are all having decent seasons for their respective teams however, I just don't think they have the squad this year to make much of a dent.
Team Finland- No one thought much of "boring" Finland in 2006. They then went on to win the silver medal. Teemu Selanne, Oli Jokinen, Saku Koivu, Kimmo Timonen, Anti Miettenen, Mikko Koivu and Niklas Hagman make this team one that maybe shouldn't be written off so early. They may be a bit weak on defense however, in goal they have Mikka Kiprusoff. My personal thought is that they will not compete for gold but have a shot at a bronze medal depending upon how USA fairs.
Team Slovakia- The Slovaks have a bit of firepower in the form of Marian Hossa, Marian Gaborik, Pavol Demitra, Zdeno Chara and Ziggy Palffy makes his return. In goal they are unproven but the play of Jaroslav Halak in Montreal will have him as the starter. The last Olympics in Italy saw Slovakia go 5-0 to start the tournament only to fall to the Czechs in the first elimination game. That alone makes this team a bit unpredictable and when mixed with USA, Finland and the Czech Republic the Slovaks may have a chance to upset.
Team Russia- Russia is an interesting place to visit next as they have some controversy along with them. With the KHL already slowly becoming an issue with the NHL, trying to lure players over with large claims of offering more money. They now find themselves as a big part of team Russia as well. Russia feels it needs to use many of its KHL players on its squad which may or may not help them in Vancouver. Many of the KHL players on team Russia are names not well known by anyone outside of the nation, however there are some names that use to be prominent names in the NHL. Names like Sergei Federov, Alexi Yashin and Sergei Zubov. The NHL stars on team Russia make them a pose able threat to team Canada. Key names for team Russia are as follows: Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk, Alexander Semin, Alexander Frolov, Sergei Gonchar and Andrei Markov. Goalies are another plus for team Russia with Ilya Bryzgalov, Evgeni Nabakov, and Semyon Varlamov. Russia is one of the favorites to upset Canada however, they will have to play some of their best hockey.
Team Finland- No one thought much of "boring" Finland in 2006. They then went on to win the silver medal. Teemu Selanne, Oli Jokinen, Saku Koivu, Kimmo Timonen, Anti Miettenen, Mikko Koivu and Niklas Hagman make this team one that maybe shouldn't be written off so early. They may be a bit weak on defense however, in goal they have Mikka Kiprusoff. My personal thought is that they will not compete for gold but have a shot at a bronze medal depending upon how USA fairs.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
NHL Power Rankings( January 12th)
1. Chicago Blackhawks- Without a doubt have been the most consistent and complete teams thus far this season. Antti Niemi has been a stellar back-up to Cristobal Huet with huge wins this season as well as the addition of Marian Hossa in between Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews makes for one of the best lines in hockey.
2. New Jersey Devils- The New Jersey Devils have been a shining light this season after losing the likes of John Madden, Brian Gionta, and Scott Gomez the Devils haven't missed a step as they find themselves atop the Eastern Conference.
3. Washington Capitals- The Caps have been been great this season with the play of Semyon Varlamov. Washington has a potent offense with Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin, and "defenseman" Mike Green. They have won 3 straight with a goals differential of 17-5 in that span and at one point this season were fighting for the top spot in the NHL.
4. San Jose Sharks- The San Jose Sharks are one of the best regular season teams of the last few seasons and with the addition of Dany Heatley continue to fight the Blackhawks for the top spot. However a recent loss to the injury riddled Detroit Redwings takes them a step back.
5. Buffalo Sabers- The Buffalo Sabers have been incredibly impressive this season and mostly due to the goaltending of Ryan Miller. They have a balanced team that is having a great season and have a better record then the Washington Capitals, however their +21 team +/- is half that of the Caps.
6.The Calgary Flames- A lot of weight is on the shoulders of Miikka Kiprusoff for the Calgary Flames team to make a playoff run, but since its only the midway point of the season they definitely deserve a spot in the top 10 having won 6 of their last 8.
7. Colorado Avalanche- The Avalanche have been one of the surprise teams of the season. No real stand out player other than goaltender Craig Anderson who had a chance at making team USA for the upcoming Vancouver Olympics. Big game against Calgary coming up.
8. Vancouver Canucks- Vancouver has played well in front of Roberto Luongo and are (7-0-2) in their last 9. Now with two healthy Sedin's and a surging Burrows the Canucks are looking dangerous in the crowded Western Conference.
9. The Phoenix Coyotes- Yes that's right! The Phoenix Coyotes have been extremely impressive this year in what has been a year full of goalies stepping up. Ilya Bryzgalov already has 5 shutouts and remains near the stop of every statistical category. He has been huge for a team that has won a lot of games and has not scored many goals. Dave Tippett has come in with his defensive system and put the Coyotes in place for a playoff spot for the first time in 8 years.
10. Nashville Predators- Nashville, the team that no one talks about till the scare Detroit a bit in the playoffs. The Predators had a horrendous start to the season but with a healthy Steve Sullivan and decent scoring from David Legwand and Martin Erat and a sometime healthy Jason Arnott the Predators find themselves well in the playoff hunt may finish high enough to not be the underdog.
11. Pittsburgh Penguins- Last years Stanley Cup Champions and two time Eastern Conferences Champs find themselves maybe not as high as they would expect in the overall standings. The 29th ranked power play in the league is surprising and needs to be solved and a big win over Toronto is nothing to cheer about. Down a bit for now but certainly not out of competing for the top spot in the conference.
12. Los Angeles Kings- The Kings started off with a bang leading the Pacific and even the Conference at one point, then Ryan Smyth got hurt. Anze Kopitar shot out of the gate but his scoring production has slowed lately. The Kings have been less impressive as of late but still have had a monster first half. Goalie Jonathan Quick also will be the 3rd string for the USA in the Vancouver Olympics. Although the talk around LA now is whether or not they will get Ilya Kovalchuk.
13. The Detroit Redwings- Injuries to Franzen, Kronwall, Ericsson, Filppula, Zetterberg, and Lilja have made things hard on the Redwings this season yet they remain just outside the playoffs. Look for this team to be the same "old" Redwings come the playoffs "if" they can get healthy.
14. Boston Bruins- The Bruins and Flyers were looked to challenge for the Eastern Conference title coming into this season much why they were chosen for the Winter Classic in Fenway Park. Both teams have been disappointing at this point of the season yet the Bruins have started to right the ship. The Flyers have too right before the big game and it made for an incredible overtime finish in the Winter Classic. Bergeron and Savard are out for now and it has slowed them down since.
15. The Philadelphia Flyers- Not sure whether the Flyers deserve to be this high but they have shown signs of life. With yet another injury to Simon Gagne, Blair Betts and to netminder Ray Emery the Flyers struggled mightly in late November through December. Since getting Betts and Gagne back the Flyers have had winning streaks over many conference opponents. Michael Leighton has maybe earned the back up position away from Brian Boucher who has a season record of 4-11-1. If the Flyers get production from Jeff Carter, who had 46 goals last season and lead all Canadian Players ( Was not named to team Canada), they can be not only a playoff team but a dangerous playoff team.
16. Ottawa Senators- Ottawa has been without Spezza and Alfredsson and has stayed a float in the Eastern Conference and currently find themselves in a playoff spot. When healthy, at least making the playoffs should attainable in a poor Conference.
17. Dallas Stars- No goalie has been hurt more by the trapezoid rule then Marty Turco, a valuable asset in having another defenseman in the D zone that is able to make full ice passes and get the puck out of the zone. Marty Turco has just not been the same and may find himself starting less games this season. The stars offense has been good however I still find that I often forget that Brad Richards is on this team.
18. The New York Rangers- Wow, what a great signing in Marian Garborik who finds himself a top the league in goals this season. However the Rangers have no one else who can put up much of anything in the scoring department. Chris Drury has been MIA but Lundqvist has been steady and can maybe get this team to the playoffs this year but they will be an easy first round out.
19.Minnesota Wild- Martin Havlet is no Marian Gaborik.
20. Anaheim Ducks- The Ducks have been incredibly disappointing this season with names like Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer its difficult to see where the issue is. A big loss in Chris Pronger may be some of the reason but this is a team that should be much more exciting then they have been.
21. Montreal Canadians- The Canadians made many personnel changes trying to make their team a quick fix. It's safe to say that hasn't happened as they find themselves outside the playoffs. The Canadians need to give themselves some time to gel together before jumping ship.
22. Florida Panthers-The Panthers have some young talent that is finally showing some significant improvements, however this team does not have the money to have a winning season any time soon. Their young talent will soon out grow the Panthers and will demand more money and will find new homes.
23. New York Islanders- The Islanders have won a few games lately even shutting out the New Jersey Devils and a few wins can move a team up a few spots in the East but when it comes down to it John Tavares isn't enough yet to get them to the playoffs. Nor having 3 starting goalies in Dwayne Roloson, Martin Biron and Rick Dipietro.
24. St. Louis Blues- The St. Louis Blues have young talent in Eric Johnson and T.J. Oshie but Paul Kariya and Andy McDonald have been no shows. St. Louis made the playoffs last year but they won't be doing able to this year's Western Conference.
25. Columbus Blue Jackets- Columbus looked to have turn the page on their losing ways when they made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last season, even though there were an easy out for the Detroit Redwings. With seemingly the same team the obvious difference appears to be the play of goalie Steve Mason. No where near the goalie he was last season, Steve Mason has made things harder on a Blue Jackets team that it struggling mightily.
26. Tampa Bay Lightning- Tampa has names like Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis and are out of the playoff picture. The Lightning won the cup in 2004 and then came the lockout. Since then Tampa Bay has been below average and sent off Conn Smyth winner Brad Richards to Dallas and this year talk has been about sending the French Canadian and team captain Lecavalier to Montreal.
27. The Atlanta Thrashers- The Thrashers are still awful as usual and the only reason anyone has even talked about them is because everyone wants to know where Ilya Kovalchuk will land. Johan Hedberg has been decent and Maxim Afinogenov has shown signs of life after appearing dead in Buffalo but Atlanta finds themselves where they always do, in the middle of a poor division.
28.The Toronto Maple Leafs- New Head Coach Ron Wilson and forward Phil Kessel have not been enough to make Toronto as much different from what they appear to be. An early spark from Kessel and Gustavsson has done little lately for a bottom of the barrel team in the highest hockey market the league has.
29. The Edmonton Oilers- A lot to look at coming into this season with Pat Quinn and Tom Renney joining on the coaching staff and with the signing of Nikolai Khabibulin. Injuries to Ales Hemsky and Khabibulin leave this team no where near able to claim a playoff spot in the heavy West. Its unfortunate as we will have to wait to see what this team could accomplish healthy and it is also hard to judge the job of Coach Pat Quinn.
30. The Carolina Hurricanes- The Cane's ended last season in the Eastern Conference Finals losing to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. This year they will find themselves looking for the top spot in the lottery. Cam Ward is still a tremendous goaltender but its not enough to keep the Hurricanes above water.
2. New Jersey Devils- The New Jersey Devils have been a shining light this season after losing the likes of John Madden, Brian Gionta, and Scott Gomez the Devils haven't missed a step as they find themselves atop the Eastern Conference.
3. Washington Capitals- The Caps have been been great this season with the play of Semyon Varlamov. Washington has a potent offense with Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin, and "defenseman" Mike Green. They have won 3 straight with a goals differential of 17-5 in that span and at one point this season were fighting for the top spot in the NHL.
4. San Jose Sharks- The San Jose Sharks are one of the best regular season teams of the last few seasons and with the addition of Dany Heatley continue to fight the Blackhawks for the top spot. However a recent loss to the injury riddled Detroit Redwings takes them a step back.
5. Buffalo Sabers- The Buffalo Sabers have been incredibly impressive this season and mostly due to the goaltending of Ryan Miller. They have a balanced team that is having a great season and have a better record then the Washington Capitals, however their +21 team +/- is half that of the Caps.
6.The Calgary Flames- A lot of weight is on the shoulders of Miikka Kiprusoff for the Calgary Flames team to make a playoff run, but since its only the midway point of the season they definitely deserve a spot in the top 10 having won 6 of their last 8.
7. Colorado Avalanche- The Avalanche have been one of the surprise teams of the season. No real stand out player other than goaltender Craig Anderson who had a chance at making team USA for the upcoming Vancouver Olympics. Big game against Calgary coming up.
8. Vancouver Canucks- Vancouver has played well in front of Roberto Luongo and are (7-0-2) in their last 9. Now with two healthy Sedin's and a surging Burrows the Canucks are looking dangerous in the crowded Western Conference.
9. The Phoenix Coyotes- Yes that's right! The Phoenix Coyotes have been extremely impressive this year in what has been a year full of goalies stepping up. Ilya Bryzgalov already has 5 shutouts and remains near the stop of every statistical category. He has been huge for a team that has won a lot of games and has not scored many goals. Dave Tippett has come in with his defensive system and put the Coyotes in place for a playoff spot for the first time in 8 years.
10. Nashville Predators- Nashville, the team that no one talks about till the scare Detroit a bit in the playoffs. The Predators had a horrendous start to the season but with a healthy Steve Sullivan and decent scoring from David Legwand and Martin Erat and a sometime healthy Jason Arnott the Predators find themselves well in the playoff hunt may finish high enough to not be the underdog.
11. Pittsburgh Penguins- Last years Stanley Cup Champions and two time Eastern Conferences Champs find themselves maybe not as high as they would expect in the overall standings. The 29th ranked power play in the league is surprising and needs to be solved and a big win over Toronto is nothing to cheer about. Down a bit for now but certainly not out of competing for the top spot in the conference.
12. Los Angeles Kings- The Kings started off with a bang leading the Pacific and even the Conference at one point, then Ryan Smyth got hurt. Anze Kopitar shot out of the gate but his scoring production has slowed lately. The Kings have been less impressive as of late but still have had a monster first half. Goalie Jonathan Quick also will be the 3rd string for the USA in the Vancouver Olympics. Although the talk around LA now is whether or not they will get Ilya Kovalchuk.
13. The Detroit Redwings- Injuries to Franzen, Kronwall, Ericsson, Filppula, Zetterberg, and Lilja have made things hard on the Redwings this season yet they remain just outside the playoffs. Look for this team to be the same "old" Redwings come the playoffs "if" they can get healthy.
14. Boston Bruins- The Bruins and Flyers were looked to challenge for the Eastern Conference title coming into this season much why they were chosen for the Winter Classic in Fenway Park. Both teams have been disappointing at this point of the season yet the Bruins have started to right the ship. The Flyers have too right before the big game and it made for an incredible overtime finish in the Winter Classic. Bergeron and Savard are out for now and it has slowed them down since.
15. The Philadelphia Flyers- Not sure whether the Flyers deserve to be this high but they have shown signs of life. With yet another injury to Simon Gagne, Blair Betts and to netminder Ray Emery the Flyers struggled mightly in late November through December. Since getting Betts and Gagne back the Flyers have had winning streaks over many conference opponents. Michael Leighton has maybe earned the back up position away from Brian Boucher who has a season record of 4-11-1. If the Flyers get production from Jeff Carter, who had 46 goals last season and lead all Canadian Players ( Was not named to team Canada), they can be not only a playoff team but a dangerous playoff team.
16. Ottawa Senators- Ottawa has been without Spezza and Alfredsson and has stayed a float in the Eastern Conference and currently find themselves in a playoff spot. When healthy, at least making the playoffs should attainable in a poor Conference.
17. Dallas Stars- No goalie has been hurt more by the trapezoid rule then Marty Turco, a valuable asset in having another defenseman in the D zone that is able to make full ice passes and get the puck out of the zone. Marty Turco has just not been the same and may find himself starting less games this season. The stars offense has been good however I still find that I often forget that Brad Richards is on this team.
18. The New York Rangers- Wow, what a great signing in Marian Garborik who finds himself a top the league in goals this season. However the Rangers have no one else who can put up much of anything in the scoring department. Chris Drury has been MIA but Lundqvist has been steady and can maybe get this team to the playoffs this year but they will be an easy first round out.
19.Minnesota Wild- Martin Havlet is no Marian Gaborik.
20. Anaheim Ducks- The Ducks have been incredibly disappointing this season with names like Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer its difficult to see where the issue is. A big loss in Chris Pronger may be some of the reason but this is a team that should be much more exciting then they have been.
21. Montreal Canadians- The Canadians made many personnel changes trying to make their team a quick fix. It's safe to say that hasn't happened as they find themselves outside the playoffs. The Canadians need to give themselves some time to gel together before jumping ship.
22. Florida Panthers-The Panthers have some young talent that is finally showing some significant improvements, however this team does not have the money to have a winning season any time soon. Their young talent will soon out grow the Panthers and will demand more money and will find new homes.
23. New York Islanders- The Islanders have won a few games lately even shutting out the New Jersey Devils and a few wins can move a team up a few spots in the East but when it comes down to it John Tavares isn't enough yet to get them to the playoffs. Nor having 3 starting goalies in Dwayne Roloson, Martin Biron and Rick Dipietro.
24. St. Louis Blues- The St. Louis Blues have young talent in Eric Johnson and T.J. Oshie but Paul Kariya and Andy McDonald have been no shows. St. Louis made the playoffs last year but they won't be doing able to this year's Western Conference.
25. Columbus Blue Jackets- Columbus looked to have turn the page on their losing ways when they made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last season, even though there were an easy out for the Detroit Redwings. With seemingly the same team the obvious difference appears to be the play of goalie Steve Mason. No where near the goalie he was last season, Steve Mason has made things harder on a Blue Jackets team that it struggling mightily.
26. Tampa Bay Lightning- Tampa has names like Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis and are out of the playoff picture. The Lightning won the cup in 2004 and then came the lockout. Since then Tampa Bay has been below average and sent off Conn Smyth winner Brad Richards to Dallas and this year talk has been about sending the French Canadian and team captain Lecavalier to Montreal.
27. The Atlanta Thrashers- The Thrashers are still awful as usual and the only reason anyone has even talked about them is because everyone wants to know where Ilya Kovalchuk will land. Johan Hedberg has been decent and Maxim Afinogenov has shown signs of life after appearing dead in Buffalo but Atlanta finds themselves where they always do, in the middle of a poor division.
28.The Toronto Maple Leafs- New Head Coach Ron Wilson and forward Phil Kessel have not been enough to make Toronto as much different from what they appear to be. An early spark from Kessel and Gustavsson has done little lately for a bottom of the barrel team in the highest hockey market the league has.
29. The Edmonton Oilers- A lot to look at coming into this season with Pat Quinn and Tom Renney joining on the coaching staff and with the signing of Nikolai Khabibulin. Injuries to Ales Hemsky and Khabibulin leave this team no where near able to claim a playoff spot in the heavy West. Its unfortunate as we will have to wait to see what this team could accomplish healthy and it is also hard to judge the job of Coach Pat Quinn.
30. The Carolina Hurricanes- The Cane's ended last season in the Eastern Conference Finals losing to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. This year they will find themselves looking for the top spot in the lottery. Cam Ward is still a tremendous goaltender but its not enough to keep the Hurricanes above water.
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