The Sports Fist

Western Conference- After taking a look in the east, we head out west to the ultra competitive Western Conference. The difference between the Eastern and Western conferences is mainly the teams from top to bottom. In the west it isn’t just an 8-team race, barring about two teams, everyone has potential to reach the playoffs.

1-Detroit Red Wings- The Cup champs, the mighty Red Wings. This team is basically All-World with the diversity on their roster. Adding Marion Hossa for a 1-year contract only makes them a more formidable foe. They re-signed Valtteri Filppula to a 5-year deal, which is a great move for their future, another great front office move. It also looks like they are going to stick with Chris Osgood between the pipes and their defense should hold strong with Rafalski, Lidstrom and some young talent in front of the goal. Chris Chelios does not look like he will be coming back, but the Wings are no strangers to experience, so that is no loss. I expect another huge year for Detroit, winning on a consistent, nightly basis.

2-Anaheim Ducks- The Ducks seemed to have a Stanley Cup hangover last season in the early going. After a while, they came to look like the team we saw who won the Cup in the 2006-07 season. The major issue with the Ducks was their lack of scoring. They were 27^th in the league in goals scored. They made a stride towards more offensive production, nabbing Brendan Morrison. Morrison can add some speed and poise to the Ducks if he is healthy. They re-sighed Perry and have a star Ryan Getzlaf. I feel this team has zero pressure this season and with Selanne being ready right off the bat, the offense should be improved. The defense has no issues, best blue line in hockey with Schneider, Pronger, Niedermayer and Beauchemin.

3-Calgary Flames- The Flames lost some players that had been with them for their runs over the last few years. Alex Tanguay, Kristian Huselius, veteran Owen Nolan and D Rhett Warrener are all gone. But they replaced each accordingly; they signed Michael Cammalleri to fill the void of losing Huselius. They also added Todd Bertuzzi, the troubled forward, who has not seemed to get his offense on track since that incident in Colorado. He only had 40 points last season, down from his average; however, Bertuzzi can still be a physical presence and be valuable down low. Aside from additions and losses, the Flames still have that Iginla guy, one of the best all around players in the league. Along with Iginla, there are youngsters in the fray now in Curtis Glencross and Rene Bourque to compliment the offense. Mikka Kiprusoff is the best goalie in the west in my opinion and should anchor this team towards a division title this year.

4-San Jose Sharks- I hate to see this team fail for some reason. When a team is as talented as the Sharks, it just does not seem fit. They have a great core of players on offense and Vezina contender Evgeni Nabokov, who had an outstanding season. On D, Brian Campbell bolted to the Hawks, however, the Sharks just signed a few vet’s to strengthen the point. Rob Blake, Dan Boyle, Brad Lukowich will all contribute soundly for them. The Sharks are like clock work during the season and they have no problem winning on the road, they just have to face getting over the proverbial playoff “hump”. This is the year they do just that.

5-Dallas Stars- Dallas has what the Sharks don’t have yet. That is playoff experience and a killer instinct when they hit the post-season. Marty Turco had a sick playoff performance, shutting the mouths of any doubters. The ever-irritating Sean Avery comes to Dallas from New York and will add some grit and those always-important “garbage” goals. The Stars are not the youngest team out west, but they do have some young talent all the same. Brad Richards will be with the team for a full season, adding to the scoring presence along with speedster Mike Ribeiro. The Stars, Sharks and Ducks will seemingly jostle all year long for the first spot in the Pacific Division.

6-Chicago Blackhawks- The youngest and most talented team in the league in my opinion. I am not just singling that out to future superstars Patrick Kane (19) and Jonathan Toews (20), but also Andrew Ladd (22) and Dustin Byfuglien (23). All will contribute to this teams rise in success though out this year. Also, they now have Cristobal Huet in net, leaving Khabibulin on the outside looking in. Huet is better for this club with more to offer in the coming years. Not to mention they now have Brian Campbell to fortify that defense. The Hawks also have a date on New Years Day at Wrigley Field to face Original Six member, the Detroit Red Wings in an inter-division match up for the ages. This game should be incredible to watch and it is a fitting pairing seeing as the Blackhawks will offer the Wings the most competition within the Central.

7-Columbus Blue Jackets- The Blue Jackets are the most improved team through the free agency and in the future, through the draft. Umberger, Hueseluis, Commodore, Fedor Tyutin, Christian Backman, Raffi Torres. All of those coming from free agency, not to mention the Russian draft choice Nikita Filatov, only 18 years of age. All of this under the guidance in a great coach, Ken Hitchcock. These new additions will suit well for superstar Rick Nash, who in his own right is coming off his best statistical year to date. With the defense improved, it should bode well for potential star goaltender, Pascal Leclaire, only 25 years of age, who had 9 shutouts last year and a solid 2.25 GAA. The Blue Jackets will be happy to make the playoffs, but are right now geared for even more success down the road.

8-Edmonton Oilers- Edmonton had a winning season last year after a strong finish. They won 14 out of their last 20 games, and only three points away from the last playoff spot. They are young and ready to make a stride towards the post-season this year. The Northwest division is not out of their reach as the Wild lost some players in the off-season and the Avalanche have goalie issues. The Oilers main struggles will be in the Alberta rivalry with the Flames. They have a real young talent in Sam Gagne, only 18 years old, who had 49 points in his rookie year. They got Erik Cole, who can put the puck in the net, if healthy. Ales Hemsky and Shawn Horcoff are the leaders on this squad and being in a winnable division, they should have big years for the Oilers.

9-Phoenix Coyotes- Shane Doan was the Coyotes best player last year. Now they have Oli Jokinen, who had a good 71 points last year, and will undoubtedly help the Coyotes struggling offense. Starting last year with a goalie by committee system was no help. Now they have Ilya Brygalov, a decent goaltender, who can keep them in games. The number 9 spot seems high now, but through the year the Coyotes will progress.

10-Minnesota Wild- These guys are a fairly young team also. Minnesota lost Brian Rolston to free agency; however, they are a defensive minded team under Jacques Lemaire. Marion Gaborik may not be a league-leading superstar like we thought he may become, but he is a staple on the team and will provide critical points for them. Nik Backstrom had a great 33-win year last year and should only improve on that.

11- Vancouver Canucks- Down and out are the Canucks. Roberto Luongo is their best chance at winning games this season and I honestly feel he is the reason that the Canucks wont be any lower then this spot. They lost veteran Marcus Naslund, but he has been down for a few years anyway. Also, losing Morrison hurts them. Ryan Kesler, Taylor Pyatt and the Sedin twins are the most productive players, but are no superstars. It will be a down year for ‘couver.

12- Colorado Avalanche- A poor playoff showing by the Avs last year. But in their defense they were riddled with injuries at the time. The young talent will make a push this season as the team’s main focus. Joe Sakic is on the cusp of retirement, but don’t get me wrong, he can still play. The major issue will be at goalie, Raycroft and Budaj have never been #1 guys. If the Avs want a chance at the playoffs and of making quick strides, one of them will have to step up and play out of their minds.

13- St. Louis Blues- A lot of young talent here, this may seem like a bad team being in a 13 spot, but the front office are doing things right in St. Louis. The Central is a competitive division and will offer a difficult time for the Blues. One bright spot, Chris Mason comes over from Nashville to add some stability in front of the twine.

15- Los Angeles Kings- The Kings need help on defense, they were in the bottom of the league in GAA and they don’t have much help scoring either. It will be a while before the Kings are competitive again. They will show signs of life through out the year, however, they are very young team, inexperienced, and do not have a shut down goaltender. Expect Anze Kopitar to improve this year however, 77 points last year will easily get into the 90’s this year.

We are in the tail end of the summer now, fall is approaching and Hockey will be here soon. Granted most people out there are Baseball fans right now, however, one thing I hold true above all other sports is that Hockey is the fastest sport that asks for more out of you conditionally then any other sport. Although I’m sure there are some Baseball fans out there trying to think of arguments against that since a lot of people could care less about Hockey. However, for those of you that realize what Hockey is all about, here is a little preview of the NHL season, starting out with an East Coast bias.

1- Washington Capitals- I have never seen a team make such a drastic improvement within a single season in all my life. Under Bruce Boudreau the Caps made leaps and bounds toward a Southeast title and in the playoffs for the first time since 2002-03. The Defense is talented with an offensive defenseman in Mike Green leading the way. With reigning MVP Ovechkin, I would expect the Caps to surprise many and take the East by storm. The only question in my mind is Jose Theodore, if he plays like he did in the playoffs they should be all right between the pipes.

2- Pittsburgh Penguins- This prediction may be a reach to some of you out there. The Pens lost LW Ryan Malone to the Tampa Bay Barry Melrose’s, however, the leadership Crosby is showing and the play by Fleury last year convinced me they would be around for a while. Another Atlantic title for the Pens.

3- Montreal Canadiens- Tanguay was a nice addition to this Habs team in the off-season. I expect Carey Price to have a huge year. He now has the experience of the playoffs in him and the experience of defeat, he will come back strong. I like Montreal out of the Northeast simply due to the other teams in the division lacking depth. The Hab’s really need an impact player through out the season though.

4- New York Rangers- Lundqvist is in his prime now and will seemingly have another big year for the Rangers. He plays well within his own division and has a good defense in front of him, especially with the addition of Wade Redden. A few other good additions for NY in the off-season, Nikolai Zherdev came over from Columbus who had his best season last year with a solid 61 points. Also, the aging Naslund will be there to hopefully fill in the spot of Jagr, but don’t expect that to happen Ranger fans.

5- New Jersey Devils- They do it every year. This is the year they are going to miss the playoffs right? Or was that supposed to be the last 3 years? Until the Devils don’t have one of their typical seasons, I am going to expect them to do what they do every year, Brodeur will play 95% of the season and have a 40+ win season again. Aside from the usual, New Jersey made some decent moves in picking up Brian Rolston and a good third liner in Bobby Holik.

6- Philadelphia Flyers- Yes, yet another Atlantic Division team. Let’s face it, it’s the most competitive division in the NHL. Here are the flyers. They finally have a goalie in Martin Biron, a go to guy in Daniel Briere, young players in Richards and Carter. They are a good, solid team. So why not higher? They are too inconsistent and will be much of the same this season, however, in the playoffs they could make another surprising run.

7- Tampa Bay Lighning- The Lightning have a new face to look at everyday, Barry Melrose. Melrose has been out of coaching for a while now, so as far as his ability to lead a team goes, it is unproven as of now. But something new is what the Lightning needed. There is no doubt they have plenty of talent and now have a goalie in Mike Smith and signed Olaf Kolzig as a strong back up. The Lightning will play hard; don’t expect easy wins against them this year folks.

8- Boston Bruins- This is a young team on the rise. In the eighth spot, down from seventh a year ago. If it wasn’t’ for the talent and experience of the teams ahead of them I would have them higher. They do have a goalie issue though, Thomas is still a bit unproven as a #1 goalie.

9- Atlanta Thrashers- With Kovalchuk on the squad the team can score every night. Khari Lehtonen is a talented goaltender, however, has a weak defense in front of him.

10- Ottawa Senators- The complete opposite of the Washington Capitals last year. Like I said about the Caps, I never have seen a team collapse as badly as the Senators. With the majority of their best players getting older, this team is on the downward trend again. Goalie issues as well.

11- Carolina Hurricanes- They lead the Southwest much of last season, up until the surge of the Capitals wiped them out of first, and into 9th place. Tough fall. They have Eric Staal, a proven tough shooter. Jason Williams is a solid player also, they just don’t have much other then that. Cam Ward is an “iffy” goalie in my opinion, I still feel his cup run a few years back was a one time thing.

12- New York Islanders- Mike Comrie, Blake Comeau and goalie Rick DiPietro. Those are three men. You need a lot more then that Islanders.

13- Buffalo Sabres- This team has taken hit after hit since they went to the East Finals two years ago. Still feeling the effects of loosing Drury and Briere, now D-man Campbell. Ryan Miller will face a lot this year. He is their best player and will keep them in many games, they just don’t have enough to win on a night in and night out basis.

14- Florida Panthers- I have heard some critics talk about the Panthers having a break through year. I can not see it happening just yet. Young team, still needing a bit more. Vokoun in my opinion is amongst the best in the East behind Brodeur and Lundqvist.

15- Toronto Maple Leafs- Ohhhhhhh Canada! This team needs help. I hope Mats Sundin gets out before it’s too late. It will be a very long year for the Leafs. Who will start in net? The 41 year old Curtis Joseph? Vessa Toskala is the starter in Toronto, I just can’t see him getting any help this year.