2008-09 Top Ten: #3 - Team Self-Esteem Wins the Kevin Hunt Memorial

I didn't want to go this whole countdown without including a personal achievement. Unfortunately, I didn't have too many opportunities during the past year to make some noise on the playing field. There was one weekend in early April, though, when my partner and I dominated play on the beer pong table.

During my college career, I considered myself to be a pretty good beer pong player. Like anyone I had my off nights, but those were definitely outweighed by the fireworks often seen from my side of the table. Sometimes they would come from me teaming with Joe Flannery (the Twin Towers), other times Shane Kline (Team Hi-Lo). On the magical night that made the top three on my countdown, though, I was paired with the one and only Kevin Hunt, when Team Self-Esteem was reunited.


Hunt made his return to Athens during the first weekend of spring quarter, and we knew we had to do something big. I had never created an event on Facebook before, but I knew this definitely warranted one and was the best way to inform people of Kevin's return. In the week's leading up to it, I asked him what he would call a party being thrown in his honor, to which he replied(with a laugh), "The Kevin Hunt Memorial Beer Pong Tournament." I didn't even have to think about it. Not only was the use of the word memorial hilarious, but it gave the night a pong tournament hook, which I loved and knew would bring in more people.

When the night finally arrived and Hunt and I teamed up as partners, I had a good feeling about it. He brought his recently purchased Eric Metcalf Browns jersey to wear during the tournament, and I knew that my Tim Dwight Falcons jersey was the perfect complement. Right away there were positive vibes running through Team Self-Esteem, which we had been dubbed in the past because of the tendency for unlucky things to happen to both of us.

The tournament began and ended with eight teams, but definitely not the same eight. Thankfully Shane neatly re-made the bracket after the tournament to properly document it. The official double-elimination bracket can be seen below along with Shane's explaination of what happened, which may seem confusing and ridiculous, but is completely accurate.

lets see....jake n kristi filled in for andrea and baxter, but kristi's ensuing concussion meant justin and dan who replaced beta and garrett advanced to take on petrello and new teammate sponz who replaced a drunk andy.....and it didnt even matter cuz khunt won his own tournament

Let's take a look at a couple of the teams in this bracket. Obviously the favorite had to be Shane and J-Flan, who somehow each ended up without a partner and then paired up to form a tournament super-team. The other main thing that jumps off the page shows why a random draw for first-round matchups can be a bad thing. Take a look at the bottom game in the first round of play: Julie and Natalie v. Jaime and Andrea. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they came and helped make the Kevin Hunt Memorial possible, but it was pretty ridiculous that one of those two teams was guaranteed a spot in the second round of the winner's bracket...especially considering the first round matchup we drew.

On our road to the tournament title, the best game took place in the first round when Hunt and I took on Nick Petrello and Andy Mulcahey. I don't remember exact numbers, but I know that each team hit multiple rebuttals to stay alive before we finally prevailed with a hard-fought win. Andy then proceeded to get pretty drunk and completely disappear from the house and any type of contact, in typical Randy James fashion(see above for how Petrello still managed to pick up a partner and stay alive for a few more games). Luckily we got to play the winner of that lame first-round game in the second round, so it was a bit of a breather after an epic first game.

In the winner's bracket semis, the odds weren't in our favor, taking on Shane and J-Flan. On paper, we were definitely the underdogs. In that game though, Hunt and I controlled the play and won by a few cups, surprising considering our opponents. I knew we probably wouldn't get off that easily, though, as that team had to win just one more game to set up a rematch for the tournament title.

Sure enough, Shane and Joe cruised through their loser's bracket game against Justin and Dan and we met again. We had the advantage because they needed to beat us twice to win the title, while Hunt and I only needed one win. Still, I knew we would be in trouble if they took that first game...you can't afford to give up that kind of momentum in beer pong.

You could tell there was a lot on the line in the rematch because the game was much tighter than the first. I think we actually fell behind early but were able to catch up and, if I remember correctly, it came down to one cup apiece. It was then that Kevin and I made the strategic move that won us the tournament.

Kevin and Luke Florence are known for playing beer pong together in which they each say the names of Browns players before each shot, one picking "old Browns" and the other "new Browns." I always loved this idea and sometimes do the same thing with Atlanta Falcons players, past and present.

Since we both had jerseys on from our respective teams, we felt it was appropriate start calling players before we shot. We each went through one or two players without success. Then Hunt, shooting first, called out "Brian Brennan" and sank his shot. With a chance to end the game, I knew I couldn't afford to just throw any name out there. The one that then came to mind was one of the Falcons' all-time defensive greats, linebacker Jessie Tuggle. When those words came from my mouth, Shane and Joe knew they were in trouble. I sank the shot, and Hunt and I won his namesake tournament with an unblemished record.

It may seem extreme to put a drinking game victory so high on my list, but don't jump to conclusions too quickly. After all, this was a tournament, which is the setting in which many great sports moments occur. And take a moment to think about what Hunt and I actually accomplished: we played against a field of some pretty good beer pong players, if seeding was done beforehand we probably would have been third or fourth out of eight teams, we were on the ropes more than once during our run, and we still managed to go undefeated through the tournament. Not only was it an incredible run to the title, but we won the tournament that was named after one of us...there's no parallel to that in any sport.

After reflecting on Team Self-Esteem's unexpected run to a tournament title, the next item on my countdown showcases an event that almost shocked the entire sports nation.

2008-09 Top Ten: #4 - The Atlanta Falcons

Whenever I tell people that I'm an Atlanta Falcons fan, they always have to know why, which is understandable. After all, I've lived in Ohio my whole life, which has two NFL teams of its own and the nearby Pittsburgh Steelers. However, living in Columbus I wasn't especially close to any of these teams and my dad never had a favorite NFL squad, so I never really had any connection to a particular team. Then one Christmas I got Tecmo Super Bowl for Super Nintendo (great game, by the way) and for some reason, I decided to play as Atlanta...and the rest is history. I almost always was the Falcons playing that game, in which they were led by Jessie Tuggle, Eric Dickerson and Andre Rison, and from then on I was a Falcons fan. I was a fan of the Jaguars when they entered the league and the Buccaneers for a while, when they changed their logo and boasted the thunder and lightning combo of Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn, but I still remained a fan of the Falcons and they now hold my sole NFL allegiance.

After a very quick plunge to becoming one of the NFL's worst teams, the 2008-09 Falcons completed an amazing turnaround, going 11-5 and reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2004-05. Obviously this was a great thing to see as a fan of the team, and one of my favorite things about the past sports year. Let's take a look at just how impressive last season was for the Dirty Birds.

It would have been hard for 2007 to go any worse for the Falcons than it did. Things started in the offseason with the accusations of quarterback Michael Vick's involvement in a dog-fighting ring. Team owner Arthur Blank stood by Vick, who had become the face of the franchise, as he denied the allegations, only to have Vick eventually admit his involvement and make a fool of everyone who believed him. The team then cut ties with Vick and added a competent quarterback to its long list of needs.

With Joey Harrington at the helm of the Atlanta offense for most of the season (don't even get me started) and a defense with more than its fair share of holes, the Falcons finished 2007 with a 4-12 record, tied for the second worst mark in the NFL. The immediate question became who would the Falcons take with the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. As draft day drew closer, the consensus among experts was that Atlanta would take Boston College's Matt Ryan, the top quarterback in the draft class.


To be honest, I didn't want the team to take Ryan with the pick. I'm not saying I thought he would be a bad NFL quarterback, I actually had only seen him play a little bit in college and didn't know too much about him. My thinking was that on a team with so many needs, why take a quarterback with the third pick when it is often the position with the most top-pick bust potential(Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, etc.)? Clearly this is why I don't work in the front office for an NFL team, because it was the perfect pick for the team(once he officially became a Falcon, I became a fan of him, and I do now own a Matt Ryan jersey). Ryan started every game in his rookie season and was named the NFL's offensive rookie of the year. He's not the gamebreaker quarterback who will throw for 300 yards every week (though he did twice as a rookie), but Ryan showed that he is poised beyond his years. He can manage the game very well and minimized the amount of rookie mistakes he made in his first NFL season, largely due to the fact that he had a great running back to shoulder a lot of the team's offensive load.


Along with drafting Ryan, the Atlanta brass also made a splash in the free agent market before the 2008 season, signing Michael Turner to a six-year contract. The Northern Illinois product had spent his entire pro career as LaDainian Tomlinson's backup and decided to test the free agent waters...and I'm very glad he did. Sure Atlanta paid a lot(the contract will probably end up being worth around $35 million) for a guy who hadn't been a starter, but some team was going to pay him a lot of money, and he didn't disappoint. Turner rushed for 17 touchdowns and nearly 1,700 yards(1,699 to be exact) and gave Atlanta the solid running back every NFL team needs. Not only was the main weapon of the team's offense, but his presence in the backfield was huge for an offense asking a rookie quarterback to start every game and, essentially, turn a team around. Without Turner, Ryan and the Falcons wouldn't have been nearly as successful. Now, the team boasts one of the games best running backs and one of its top young QBs. I also can't go this entire entry without mentioning Roddy White, who over the last couple years has shown he is a top-tier NFL receiver and was a big part of the Falcons' offensive turnaround.

Atlanta really had to change just about everything, including its coaching staff, before the 2008 season. Bobby Petrino was brought in to coach the Falcons in the 2007season and, to be blunt, failed miserably. Not only did his team play uninspired football, but he didn't even have the guts to finish out the season, leaving the team after 13 games(he was 3-10, by the way) to return to college football.

Enter Mike Smith.


Smith had been working as an assistant coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars and never held a head coaching job in his coaching career, but you wouldn't know it by watching his team. Smith's smart approach to the game created a seven-game turnaround from 2007 to 2008, got the Falcons to the playoffs, and made him the NFL's Coach of the Year.

While the Falcons lost in the first round of the 2009 playoffs(30-24 to the eventual NFC champs), you can't downplay the remarkable strides this team made. For a team that finished 4-12 in 2007 to go through so much turmoil in the offseason and personnel turnover, finishing 7-9 would probably have been considered a success. The Falcons surpassed expectations and are now just as relevant as when Vick led them to the NFC Championship. Ryan has become the new face of the franchise with one of the game's top running backs and a great supporting cast (which now includes Tony Gonzalez, one of the best tight ends to ever play the game).

This season's Falcons seem to be even better than the 08-09 version, but I'll always remember how happy I was to see the success of my favorite team after it went through so much adversity in a short period of time.

We're reaching the home stretch of my countdown, and the next item on the list is not only one of my favorite moments from last year, but the last four years.

2008-09 Top Ten: #5 - Ohio Wins the CSCHL Tournament

Despite its status as a club sport, hockey is one of the most successful and most-attended sports at Ohio University. The team has won four Division I American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) national championships and is practically always among the top contenders for the national title.

During my time in Athens I was lucky enough to broadcast Ohio hockey games every year and to see some great Ohio teams play. I got the chance to know head coach Dan Morris fairly well, who is a great coach and hockey mind, through both covering his team and doing some coaching of my own for the Athens Youth Hockey Association. The Bobcats won the Central States Collegiate Hockey League (CSCHL) regular season title in the 05-06 and 06-07 seasons, but failed to win the league's end-of-the-year tournament, and to advance deep into the national tournament.

Of the four years I covered this team, it had what seemed like its least successful season in 2008-09, my senior year. The Bobcats finished fourth in the CSCHL standings and their record hovered around .500 for most of the season, which is unusual for this constantly successful team. Ohio had some experienced players, and one of the best goalies in the country in Paul Marshall, but for the most part the 08-09 Bobcats were very young, and it showed. For most of the season, the team just wasn't playing the typically solid hockey game Ohio is known for. The Bobcats did, however, start to click at just the right time - during the CSCHL tournament in Dearborn, Michigan.

Ohio's first game in the tournament pitted the Bobcats against fifth-seeded Kent State, the only other ACHA Division I team in the state of Ohio. The Bobcats won the game 2-1, but really controlled the play for most of the game, which was a good sign. After that win, though, it seemed like the tournament might end for Ohio, as it had to take on the top-seeded Lindenwood Lions. Not only did the Lions win the CSCHL regular season title, Lindenwood was #1 in the nation and finished the year with an incredible 36-2-1 record (spoiler alert: they won the ACHA national title). On this day, though, the Bobcats got the better of the Lions, winning the game 3-2 and setting up a showdown with Iowa State for the tournament championship. In the finals, it again seemed like Ohio's time had run out, as the team trailed the Cyclones 3-1 in the third period. The Bobcats did not quit, though, and three straight goals by Zack Barbis, Josh Fodor and Zach Tisdale gave Ohio a 4-3 win and its first CSCHL tournament title since 2005.

You may wonder why this event made my countdown. After all, the Bobcats had a bit of a down year by their standards, and after winning this tournament they went one-and-done at nationals. That, however, is the main reason why I think it was such a great moment. Sure, the Bobcats didn't dominate teams like they often do. They didn't even finish with a winning record in league play (8-9-1), but they didn't let that stop them. This young team made a ton of progress during the season and it paid off in the form of a league tournament title.

Another reason this championship is so impressive is the team's goaltending. Remember the goalie, Paul Marshall, who I mentioned earlier? He's actually so good that during the CSCHL tournament he was in China representing the United States at the World University Games. This meant that backup Chris Carlson played all three tournament games...and was outstanding. Marshall was usually the man in net for the Bobcats, regardless of who they were playing, so for Carlson to all of a sudden become the team's starter in a high-pressure postseason scenario, it would have been impressive if he simply kept games close. He not only did this, but he was the main reason Ohio won the tournament, especially the game against Lindenwood, a team that scored 122 goals in 20 league games during the regular season.

Finally, this made my list and cracked the top five because I got to experience this tournament with the players. I'm not saying I felt like I was a part of the team, far from it. I went on a handful of road trips with the Ohio hockey team during my college career and I always felt fairly awkward. We all went to the same school and were at the same stage in our lives, but for some reason I always felt weird. While this feeling didn't disappear, I did feel more welcome than ever before on this trip to Dearborn. Some of the players actually started to engage me in conversation at times and I didn't get the feeling that they thought I didn't belong with them, even though I wasn't really a part of the team. After spending the whole weekend with those guys, when they won the final game against Iowa State, I felt a tremendous amount of pride in our school and the team. The players knew they hadn't had the overall season they'd hoped for, but at that moment it didn't matter. They had accomplished something great that made the struggles of an entire season completely worth it. While I never experienced the same thing as an athlete, it was amazing to witness it first-hand.

With the countdown back underway, the next stop will head back to the professional ranks.

2009-10 Columbus Blue Jackets Season Preview

Early October is one of my favorite times of the year for two reasons: the rise of fall weather and, more importantly, the return of hockey to the sports landscape. I've already taken an in-depth look at the NHL as a whole (if you missed it, check out my NHL preview here) and wanted to take some time to further break down my team, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

After an existance of futility, the Jackets finally got a taste of playoff hockey last season. Sure, they lost four straight games to the Red Wings and only competed in one of them, but reaching the postseason was something this team desperately needed. The fans in Columbus are now excited about hockey again, which hasn't really been the case since the Blue Jackets arrived in 2000.

The thing about success is that it raises expectations. Members of the organization (players, coaches, upper management) and fans alike have been quoted as saying, "Just getting to the playoffs won't be enough anymore." Playing in the NHL's highly-competetive Western Conference, reaching the playoffs is still not a guarantee, so this team can't afford to get ahead of itself. However, I still think that this year's Blue Jackets are improved, will return to the postseason, and will make more than a murmur once they get there.

Let's take a look.

It all starts with Steve Mason. Last year's Calder Trophy winner was the key to Columbus's run to the playoffs, leading the league in shutouts and stealing more than a few games that the team otherwise would have lost. A sophomore slump could be tough to avoid, depending on your definition. It's highly unlikely that Mason will be able to match his numbers from his rookie season (10 shutouts, 2.29 GAA, .916 save percentage) because he's not going to be the hot shot goalie taking the league by storm. Teams have now seen him for a season, they know what he does well and have seen ways to score on him, part of a reason why Detroit scored 18 goals in its four playoff wins over Columbus. That being said, I don't see Mason as one-year wonder. He clearly has top-level talent and the potential to be one of the NHL's top-five goalies for years to come. One luxury Mason and the Jackets will have this season is a competent backup. The other major factor that led to Mason's difficult playoff debut was his intense workload. He had to play in practically every game just to get his team into the playoffs...the guy was playing with mono for crying out loud. This season, though, that won't be necessary. Outside of Rick Nash's contract extension, the signing of backup goalie Mathieu Garon was the biggest move of the offseason made by GM Scott Howson. Garon brings NHL experience and success (including a Stanley Cup ring) to the team and is someone Ken Hitchcock won't have to fear playing when Mason needs a break.

Defensively the Blue Jackets are solid, but not spectacular. Jan Hejda and Mike Commodore are a strong top pair to match-up against opposing first lines. I still don't think Commodore is worth the money he's making, but he's a good shutdown defender with a Stanley Cup ring, a good guy to have on this team. Hejda doesn't get very much publicity but is incredibly valuable to the Jackets: his plus-43 rating over the past two seasons speaks for itself. Fedor Tyutin proved to be a great pickup last season, leading the team's defensemen in scoring (9-25-34) and playing well in his own zone. We can't say the same for Christian Backman, but he's no longer with the team (couldn't go through this preview without mentioning that, high-five for him being gone). Rostislav Klesla, the Jackets' first ever draft pick, only played in 34 games due to injury but has developed into a strong two-way defender and was one of the team's best players in the playoffs. Kris Russell is still pretty green but showed flashes last season of the start-the-rush player Columbus hopes he will become. Russell's biggest issue is his confidence, which he tends to lose after making a mistake (a short memory can be a wonderful thing for a young defenseman). Marc Methot probably won't ever be a top-four defenseman, but he showed at times that he can perform at the NHL level. The Blue Jackets picked up a seventh D-man earlier this week, acquiring 23-year-old Anton Stralman from Calgary. He's entering his third NHL season and will be a rare right-handed shot on the Blue Jackets' blue line. While Stralman probably won't play in the team's first couple games, but they picked him up for a reason: to improve the NHL's worst powerplay. He will likely only see time on the team's third defensive pairing, but he should be in the lineup quite a bit once he gets acclimated to his new team.

For the first time in their history, the Blue Jackets have the potential to score quite a few goals. Rick Nash is turning into one of the NHL's top wingers and set a club record for points last year (40-39-79). His numbers could climb quite a bit higher this season by, potentially, playing with a playmaking center for an entire season. Derick Brassard played with Nash on the top line to start last season and led all rookies in scoring (10-15-25) until suffering a season-ending injury after 31 games. Nash still managed his best season yet playing with Kristian Huselius (who will return to the top line) and Manny Malhotra, who is a good checking line center but not a scorer. Columbus also has a potentially dangerous second scoring line as well. Center Antoine Vermette came to Columbus at the trade deadline and is a great two-way forward and faceoff man. He'll be joined by Jakub Voracek, who quietly had a very strong rookie season, and rookie Nikita Filatov. Filatov could be the X-factor for this team. Last year he was named hockey's top prospect by The Hockey News and scored four goals in his eight-game NHL debut. He has good speed and a great set of hands, but can get caught trying to do too much by himself, something a lot of young forwards have to fix when they enter the league. I like that he's getting a chance to start the season in the team's top-six, but if he struggles or isn't playing "Hitchcock hockey," the head coach won't be afraid to take him down a few pegs for a few games. This shouldn't be a problem; after hearing Filatov talk a few times you can tell he's definitely not the second coming of Nikolai Zherdev, but he's still a rookie and has a lot to learn about playing in the NHL. With Malhotra and Michael Peca gone, Howson's move to sign Sammy Pahlsson this summer was perfect. Pahlsson is one of the best penalty-killing forwards in the NHL and the perfect third-lind center for a Hitchcock team. Don't be surprised if his line gets in on the scoring a little bit: Jason Chimera can't really handle the puck, but he's incredibly fast and R.J. Umberger set a career-high with 26 goals last season. The forwards are rounded-out by Andrew Murray, who won the fourth-line center job out of training camp, Raffi Torres, Jared Boll, Derek Dorsett and Michael Blunden. Most of them won't see much else this season, barring injury problems, but Torres would probably be the one to move if things aren't clicking on the top-two lines. Fredrik Modin is starting the season in injured reserve, so it will be interesting to see what happens to the lineup when he returns.

After examining this team and seeing what its players and coaches have to say, I have two concerns: its powerplay and its youth. The Blue Jackets statistically had the worst powerplay in the NHL last season (12.7%) but you didn't need that number to know how bad they were with the man advantage. It seemed like half of the time the Jackets couldn't even gain possession of the puck in the offensive zone. When they did, they didn't get a whole lot accomplished. Powerplays usually consisted of all five players standing still, passing the puck around, rarely getting a shot to the net. It's very easy for penalty killers to deal with a team that doesn't move...the idea is to tire them out by making them chase you around, then exploit their fatigue. Columbus has to improve its powerplay to make it back to the playoffs and, in theory, it should be much better. Stralman's presence on the point will help, as will a healthy Brassard. Filatov's skill will be a welcome addition too, as long as he doesn't try to do too much by himself. Russell is still adjusting to the NHL game, but he seems to be getting more comfortable manning the point on the powerplay. Add-in Nash, Huselius, Vermette, Voracek and even Umberger, and the Columbus powerplay should drastically improve...it'd be kind of hard not to after last year.

Youth can be a great thing in sports. I mean, we're in the middle of what's been dubbed hockey's "youth movement," so clearly there are some perks to being young and talented. Look at what Johnathan Toews and Patrick Kane have done in Chicago, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh, Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom in Washington. All young, all leading Stanley Cup-contending teams. The NHL game is a lot faster and more talent-driven than ever, becoming more of a young-man's game every year, and the Jackets have a deep crop of talented youngsters. Young players have that jump in their stride some players have lost and are usually eager to prove themselves in the best league in the world. That being said, you can't take over the NHL overnight. After the Blue Jackets' final preseason game, Hitchcock said that an observer could have watched the game and known that Columbus has a lot of talent on its team. He also said that his team didn't really accomplish anything the entire game. Hitchcock took over the Blue Jackets in 2006 and pretty much had to use the Norman Dale coaching method from Hoosiers ("I'm gonna break them down, then I'm gonna build them back up"). The Blue Jackets are finally playing tough, gritty Hitchcock hockey. Now that they have more talent than ever before, they can't forget what made them a contender. Nash bought into Hitchcock's system, and he and the team are better for it. Columbus needs the rest of its young players to do the same. The stuff that worked in juniors won't in the NHL: constantly carrying the puck into the zone, dangling around defenders, coasting to get back on defense. Not only will it not work, but Hitchcock won't stand for it. It's not that he doesn't want his players to use their offensive skills, he's just as excited about his team's talent as anyone is, but he also knows what it takes to win in the NHL (just ask his 500+ wins). He's not afraid to bench players for getting cute with the puck or being lazy defensively.

Now, I'm not saying this team's youth is a concern because I think its players are immature prima-donnas. In fact, Hitchcock has even addressed this issue and says he isn't worried about his team's maturity level. Still, you can't be so naive as to not expect some growing pains. Do I think this is the best Blue Jackets team to date? Yes. But me or anyone else thinking that means nothing, they still have to get it done on the ice. All-in-all, I think this team will go as far as its young players take it.

Here's hoping that's back to the playoffs.

2009-10 NHL Preview

Today marks the start of the new NHL season, a.k.a. what I've been waiting for since Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and company hoisted the Stanley Cup in June. The start of a new season is a time for optimism in any sport, and there are plenty of questions to be answered in the NHL this season. Big-name free agents have swapped sweaters, teams have another year of experience under their belts and a new crop of rookies is ready to make a splash and continue hockey's recent youth movement. I took some time to contemplate the upcoming season today and made my own predictions of where teams will finish in the standings, division-by-division (my picks for playoff teams are in all-caps).

Eastern Conference


Atlantic Division


PITTSBURGH PENGUINS - Let's start with the champs. One thing Pittsburgh won't have to worry about is scoring. Malkin and Crosby return after winning their first Stanley Cup and will both likely finish among the league's top 5 scorers...again. Add 21-year-old Jordan Staal and the Pens are one of the deepest teams down the middle in NHL history. Last season's additions of Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin gave a boost to Pittsburgh's offensive output, as did timely goals by third- and fourth-liners. The Pens are also good-to-go in goal with Marc-Andre Fleury. The former top draft pick has developed into a legitimate NHL starter and is still only 24. The biggest concern for the defending champs is their depth on the blue line. Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi were lost to free agency, and while they aren't necessarily marquee names, they played a huge role in the Penguins run to the Cup. The pair was the team's best set of shut-down defensemen and always matched up with opposing teams top lines. Sergei Gonchar is still a strong defender but is getting up there (35) and youngster Kris Letang still has a lot to learn about defensive responsibility. If Brooks Orpik, Mark Eaton and offseason addition Jay McKee can fill the void left by Scuderi and Gill, a repeat is not out of the question for the Penguins.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS - I only recently examined the Flyers roster and now realize that this team could be great, apart from two problems: goaltending and Scott Hartnell. Alright, the first one is the actual problem, I just don't like Hartnell. From what I can tell, Ray Emery is going to start for the Flyers. He took Ottawa to the Stanley Cup Finals, but hasn't done anything since and has the reputation of a head case. With such a big question in net I don't think the Flyers will advance deep into the playoffs...but they should win plenty of games this season. The Philly defensive corps should be able to cover for the team's sub-par goaltending, especially after adding Chris Pronger in the offseason. He and Kimmo Timonen are great veteran leaders for a young blueline (getting Braydon Coburn for an over-the-hill Alexei Zhitnik is still one of the most ridiculous trades I've ever seen). The Flyers also have a ton of depth up front. Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and a healthy Danny Briere are terrifying to see in the same lineup. First-round picks Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk are also in the forward mix and could contribute.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS - The Devils made themselves a consistent winner with defense, and while that reputation still stands, this team can also put the puck in the net. Zach Parise has emerged as one of the league's young stars and top scorers while fellow North Dakota alumnus Travis Zajac broke the 20-goal and 60-point plateaus in his third NHL season. Captain Jamie Langenbrunner is known for his leadership but also set career-highs in goals and assists last season. Even defensemen Paul Martin and John Oduya have shown that they can contribute offensively. That being said, this team is still great defensively and has one of the game's best goalies between the pipes in Martin Brodeur. Despite playing in just 31 games last season, Brodeur was still in good form when in the lineup...and the Devils still won the Atlantic Division. If New Jersey's young talent continues to develop and its trademark defense holds strong, the Devils could still fight for a division and conference title.

NEW YORK RANGERS- I'm not quite sure what to make of the Rangers, but I do think they should make the playoffs again, mainly because the East isn't an especially deep conference. Having Henrik Lundqvist in net gives New York a chance to win every night, and while the Rangers are decent defensively, they're not great. Wade Redden was a colossal disappointment during his first season in New York and needs to return to his Ottawa form. Still, Michal Roszival as an underrated defender and 22-year-old Marc Staal is only going to get better. Cutting ties with Nikolai Zherdev was a good addition-by-subtraction move, and the signing of Marian Gaborik gives the Rangers superstar talent on the wing, as long as they can keep him happy. The Blueshirts need Vinny Prospal to bounce back from a sub-par season and Chris Higgins to prove himself as a top-6 forward.

New York Islanders - To put it bluntly, this team's got problems. John Tavares, the top pick in the 2009 draft, hasn't played an NHL game and might already be the Islanders' best skater. Defenseman Mark Streit led the team in scoring last season, followed by rookie Kyle Okposo. The Islanders are theoretically set in goal, with Rick DiPietro under contract until 2021, though he only played in 5 games last season before having knee surgery. While the Isles might not win too many games this season, they will gain some much-needed experience: 13 players on the current roster are 25 or younger.


Northeast Division


BOSTON BRUINS - The B's cleaned-up at the NHL awards this summer and boast last season's top goaltender (Tim Thomas), defenseman (Zdeno Chara) and coach (Claude Julien) and should make an even stronger push for the Eastern Conference title this season. Dennis Wideman also had a breakout year on the blueline for Boston, tallying 50 points with an insane plus-32 rating. He and Chara, along with Mark Stuart, Andrew Ference and newly-acquired Derek Morris give the team a very strong group of defensemen. Despite the recent trade of Phil Kessel, the Bruins remain fairly deep up front. Marc Savard never seems to get the recognition he deserves as one of the NHL's best playmakers and Patrice Bergeron is a capable second-line center if he stays healthy. On the wing Milan Lucic made some noise at Team Canada's Olympic camp and is poised for a strong season, as is Blake Wheeler after putting up 45 points in his rookie campaign.

MONTREAL CANADIENS - There's been a lot of turnover in Montreal since last season, but once they get going this year the Habs should be firmly entrenched in the playoff picture. Former New Jersey teammates Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez are re-united and Mike Cammalleri also joins the Canadiens after setting career-highs in goals and points last season in Calgary. Montreal lost young Mike Komisarek on defense, but brought in Hal Gill and Paul Mara, who won't contribute much offensively but are both terrific in their own zone. Andrei Markov dished out 52 assists last season and is one of the game's underrated puck-moving defenders. The big question for Montreal is in net, where Carey Price has been dubbed the team's savior, but took a step backward last season. His numbers were still respectable (90.5 save percentage, 2.83 GAA) but he hasn't become the gamebreaker the Montreal faithful expect him to be. Still, the kid's only 22 and has plenty of time to develop. With Price still learning and a lot of new faces it could be a slow start for the 09-10 Canadiens, but they should start clicking and make plenty of noise by the season's end.

Buffalo Sabres - The Sabres managed to hang onto goalie Ryan Miller, but they just don't seem deep enough to be a playoff team. Derek Roy, Jason Pominville and Tomas Vanek are the Sabres' most proven scorers and their blue line is a hodge-podge of random players. Henrik Tallinder, Toni Lydman and Steve Montador headline the defensive corps, which doesn't sound particularly good. Still, Miller will give Buffalo a chance to win a lot of games and the Sabres are going to give some of their young players opportunities to contribute. If they're able to, this team could be surprisingly relevant.

Toronto Maple Leafs - I maintain that the Leafs gave up too much to acquire Phil Kessel from Boston, but it could pay off for them...we won't really know until he returns to the ice in November. In theory, though, he'll give Toronto a dynamic forward that they haven't had for years. Matt Stajan could be the perfect set-up man for Kessel and veteran Jason Blake should continue to produce up front. Goaltending has to be a concern for the Leafs (Vesa Toskala is not the answer for this team), but they're pretty much set on defense after acquiring Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin over the summer. I'm actually not convinced that Beauchemin is as good as people think he is, but this season will show his true form as he'll no longer be playing alongside Scott Niedermayer or Chris Pronger. Toronto veteran Tomas Kaberle remains a presence on the blue line and 19-year-old Luke Schenn should only improve in his second pro season.

Ottawa Senators - Oh how the Senators have fallen. For years it seemed like Ottawa was inches away from finally winning the Stanley Cup. The Sens have gradually lost key players while acquiring lesser replacements, the most recent example being the trade of Dany Heatley to San Jose for flash-in-the-pan Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek. Heatley wanted to leave town, so I get that the Senators had to get what they could, but don't expect a whole lot from Cheechoo...his goal production has fallen off a cliff since scoring 56 in 05-06, including a whopping 12 tallies a year ago. Michalek has some potential but is still nowhere near Heatley's caliber. Maybe playing with Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson will give them a boost. Ottawa's defense is nothing to write home about, so I won't say anything more about it. Former Blue Jacket Pascal Leclaire will start in goal, which should be a good thing for this team. He certainly has the ability of a strong NHL starter, but he has to stay healthy to realize that potential. Hopefully the change of scenery will do him good.


Southeast Division


WASHINGTON CAPITALS - I love this team, but I'm still not sure that they're ready to make a run at the Cup. The Caps have plenty of young talent with forwards Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin and defenseman Mike Green. All four scored more than 70 points last season and Green was a finalist for the Norris Trophy. Even with all this ability, though, it seems like they could be so much better because they seem to be getting by on talent alone. I don't know if Bruce Boudreau just doesn't implement an offense, or if the players simply don't follow his instructions, but the Caps never seem to have a plan on offense. The addition of veterans Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison could help give the young Washington forwards some guidance. Jose Theodore was supposed to be a solid presence in net, but was pulled early in the postseason for Semyon Varlamov, who has now played more NHL playoff games than regular season games. Whoever starts in goal will need play consistently well to give the Caps a chance to make a postseason run.

CAROLINA HURRICANES - Carolina made an impressive run to last season's conference finals and I'm still not totally sure how they did it. Cam Ward is a pretty average goaltender during the regular season, but hits another gear if the Hurricanes reach the playoffs. Eric Staal is obviously the team's offensive leader and ageless wonders Rod Brind'Amour and Ray Whitney don't appear to be running on empty. This team also has the tendancy to get a lot of timely goals from its third and fourth lines (ex.: Scott Walker in game 7 against Boston). The Canes' defense seems pretty thin to me after Joni Pitkanen and Joe Corvo, but it's mostly the same group they had last season. I don't think Carolina will really threaten to win the East, but it should still be in the playoff picture.

Florida Panthers - The Panthers might not be as bad as I originally thought, but I don't know that they'll be good. Bryan McCabe, Jordan Leopold and Dennis Seidenberg is a pretty strong trio of defensemen to build around, and Tomas Vokoun put up some impressive numbers in net last year. I'm not really sure where Florida's goals will come from, though. Stephen Weiss, Nathan Horton and David Booth make a good top line, but the Panthers don't have much beyond those three. They'll need to find some secondary scoring because teams will be able to shut down a single line if they really want to.

Tampa Bay Lightning - On paper, this team should be able to simply out-score a lot of its opponents. Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis are two of the NHL's most skilled forwards and Steven Stamkos is one of its top prospects. The Lightning also brought in Alex Tanguay this summer, who could end up being a steal if he can return to his 2003-07 form. The problem is Tampa is going to give up a lot of goals, too. Mattias Ohlund is the team's only proven defenseman and Mike Smith isn't really a number one goalie. Rookie defenseman Victor Hedman made the team out of training camp and could become one of the team's top defenders, but will have plenty of growing pains, as all young defensemen do. Despite these problems, I think the Lightning will be much improved from last season, and will definitely benefit from playing in a weak division.

Atlanta Thrashers - For the last few years this team has basically been Ilya Kovalchuk and Kari Lehtonen, there's not much else there. The Thrashers did pick up Maxim Afinogenov to complement Kovalchuk, but he's seen a staggering decline in production over the past two seasons. Rookie Evander Kane will get a chance to contribute offensively, and he'll need to if Atlanta wants to win some games. The defense in front of Lehtonen is pretty green, with the exception of Pavel Kubina. Zach Bogosian and Tobias Enstrom are the future for Atlanta on defense, but they're not there yet.


Western Conference


Central Division


DETROIT RED WINGS - This could be the year the Wings don't win the Central, but I just don't see it happening. I'd like to see it as much as anybody, but this team is just too good. Only an incredibly talented and deep team could win so much with a glorified backup goalie, which is what Detroit does. Sorry, but Chris Osgood is average at best, though he usually steps it up in the playoffs. Pavel Datsyuk is definitely on the same skill level as Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin, he just doesn't get as much recognition because he only scores 90 points instead of 100. Henrik Zetterberg is great too and Tomas Holmstrom is the best in the game in front of the crease. Also, keep an eye out for Darren Helm this season. he was great in the playoffs, has a ton of speed and pretty good hands. Led by Nicklas Lidstrom, the Red Wing defense will continue to be rock-solid. I don't think the Wings will have the conference's best regular season record, but they'll still make a run at the Cup...they always do.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS - The time is now for the Blackhawks. They have a boatload of young talent that they won't be able to keep under contract over the next couple years, so this might be their best chance to bring the Stanley Cup back to Chicago. Johnathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Kris Versteeg are joined by veteran Marian Hossa, which is just sickening to think about if you're not a Blackhawks fan. Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Brian Campbell and Cam Barker might be the most complete set of top-4 defensmen in the NHL. As it is with many teams, the concern for the Hawks is in net. Cristobal Huet claims he's ready to shoulder the load of an NHL starter, but I'll believe it when I see it. Still, this team is so loaded that it might be able to pull a Detroit and win with a mediocre goaltender.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS - I sure hope last year wasn't a fluke. Truthfully though, I don't think think it was. Goaltenders are a tricky bunch and you can't help but wonder if Steve Mason was a one-year wonder (Jose Theodore, circa 2002), but I don't think that will be the case. Plus, the defense in front of him should be stronger after another year of experience, as long as they stay healthy. For the first time, scoring shouldn't be much of an issue for Columbus, as long as its crop of talented young players continue to develop. Rick Nash is the team's unquestioned stud and finally has a playmaking center in Derick Brassard to get him the puck. Don't forget, Brassard led all rookies in scoring before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury last year. Jakub Voracek quietly had a very good rookie season, and Nikita Filatov will get a chance to play on the team's second line with Antoine Vermette, who was acquired from Ottawa at the trade deadline. Barring some horrible setback, the Blue Jackets should make the playoffs for the second time this season.

ST. LOUIS BLUES - The Blues run to the postseason was particularly impressive, as they did it missing a large chunk of their lineup. With Paul Kariya and Erik Johnson healthy, St. Louis should be even better this season. The Blues are strong on the blueline with Johnson, Eric Brewer and Barrett Jackman, and T.J. Oshie emerged as an effective scorer last season. If Chris Mason can repeat his success in net from a year ago, expect to see the Blues in the postseason again.

Nashville Predators - The Predators seem to have lost a lot of players recently without acquiring nearly as many. Their problem is depth, especially forward depth. Jason Arnott and Steve Sullivan aren't getting any younger, and J.P. Dumont is a decent scorer but can't give you 30 goals in a season. Nashville should do alright defensively, and Pekka Rinne had a strong rookie season in goal, but it just doesn't seem like this team will score too many goals.


Northwest Division


CALGARY FLAMES - Calgary acquiring Jay Bouwmeester may have been the biggest move this offseason. He and Dion Phaneuf are two of the NHL's top defensemen yet to reach their primes. Captain Jarome Iginla has scored 281 points over the past three seasons and could see his production climb even further, playing with Olli Jokinen for an entire season. If Miikka Kiprusoff is consistent in net, the Flames should be one of the best teams in the West.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS - With Roberto Luongo in net, any collection of players has a chance at winning. The re-signing of the Sedin twins was highly publicized, but signing Mikael Samuelsson to play with them might be the bigger move for Vancouver. Losing Mattias Ohlund will hurt the Canuck defense, but Christian Ehrhoff is a decent replacement with good puck-moving ability. This team isn't incredibly deep, but with Luongo between the pipes, anything seems possible.

Minnesota Wild - Without Marian Gaborik, this team just seems boring to me. The Wild did pick up Martin Havlat, who led the Blackhawks in scoring last season. Unfortunately for him, Minnesota doesn't have half the forward talent Chicago does. Niklas Backstrom is a top-notch young goalie, and Minnesota is known for playing tough defense, but this team just seems like its missing something...I'm not sure what.

Colorado Avalanche - An Avs team without Joe Sakic is kind of like seeing Bobby Orr in a Blackhawks jersey...it just doesn't work. This team has some potential, but right now that's all it has. It was important for the Avs to re-sign Milan Hejduk to provide some veteran leadership for Wojtek Wolski and Paul Stastny, but they just don't have as many weapons as they used to. Colorado also has goaltending issues and isn't very deep on defense. Scott Hannan and John-Michael Liles are solid, but Adam Foote is too old and slow to be effective anymore. I think it's pretty safe to say Colorado is in a rebuilding stage.

Edmonton Oilers - The Oilers look a lot like the Avs: some talent on offense, little-to-none on defense. Ales Hemsky has the ability to take over a game and Sam Gagner has shown flashes of brilliance in his first two seasons, but there isn't much else to talk about in Edmonton. The Oilers did pick up Nikolai Khabibulin, but he won't get too much help from his defensemen. In such a deep conference, this could be a long season for the Oilers.


Pacific Division

SAN JOSE SHARKS - With Dany Heatley, the Sharks should be better than ever. The question is, what does that mean? The finished last seson with the best record in the NHL, only to lose in the first round of the playoffs. With Heatley, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dan Boyle and Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose is strong from top-to-bottom and there is no reason why the Sharks shouldn't be one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. The problem is, that's been the case for years. I've never seen a team inexplicably fail in postseason play like the Sharks. I think they'll have a great season, maybe even win another President's Trophy, but until I see them win in the playoffs, I can't expect them to.

LOS ANGELES KINGS - The Kings are my surprise team. They did a great job in the offseason by bringing in Ryan Smyth and free agent Rob Scuderi. Smyth gives L.A. a presence in front of the net to compliment Dustin Brown, Alexander Frolov and Anze Kopitar (one of the best young players nobody talks about). Scuderi brings playoff experience to a young defensive corps led by Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty. Jonathan Quick played 44 games in net last season and finished with a winning record, despite playing on the second-worst team in the Western Conference. If the progression of the Kings' young defensemen and goalie continues, the Kings could surprise a lot of people this season.

Anaheim Ducks - For some reason I think the Ducks are in for a down year. Chris Pronger is gone and while they still have Scott Niedermayer on defense don't forget, he didn't even know if he wanted to play a couple years ago. Last season's acquisition of Ryan Whitney will help, but nobody plays the game like Pronger does. Anaheim's top line of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan is terrific, but there's quite a drop-off after those three. Jonas Hiller played well in net last season, but he will probably have to cope with a heavier workload this season.

Dallas Stars - Marty Turco could be hung out to dry a lot this season. The Dallas defense is just not very good. Up front Brad Richards has had injuries problems and been a bit of a disappointment, considering how much money he makes. Mike Modano is in the twilight of his career and while Brendan Morrow is a good captain, he's not a scorer. Loui Eriksson scored 63 points last season and has a bright future, but the Stars have a long way to go to become the contender they once were.

Phoenix Coyotes - Who knows what's going to happen to this team. Its ownership is an issue and Wayne Gretzky resigned as head coach less than two weeks before the season. Those problems combined with a lack-luster lineup do not bode well for the Coyotes. Shane Doan is the team's only veteran scorer, and the Coyotes will likely look to Mikkel Boedker(19) and Peter Mueller(21) to pick up some of the offensive slack. Sorry Phoenix, but don't expect too many fireworks in the desert this season.

Now, let's drop the puck.