The toughest division just got tougher. Not only does the Atlantic Division host the defending Stanley Cup champs but offseason moves saw future hall-of-famer Chris Pronger and superstar scoring Marian Gaborik join this already tough division. Oh yeah, and the best goaltender of all-time still roams the net in New Jersey. Two straight years have seen the Atlantic send 4 teams to the playoff and we will see that again this season.
Archive for September, 2009
Southeast Division Preview
Monday, September 14th, 2009 Written by: A.J.Welcome to the Southeast, home of more Chick-Fil-A’s per square mile than hockey fans. All joking aside, while hockey may still be catching in warm weather markets, this division does have some of the best kept secrets in the NHL. Two of the previous five Stanley Cup champions reside here (Tampa Bay in 2004, Carolina in 2006). Though the most recognizable player is Alex Ovechkin, other great hockey players also make their careers south of the Mason-Dixon line. Just a taste – Ilya Kovalchuk, Mike Green, Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Nicklas Backstrom, Eric Staal, and Cam Ward. Perhaps the best kept secret of this division is while it usually comes down to Washington or Carolina to finish first, any team has a realistic shot to take the crown this year. The Southeast is just as competitive as any other division in the NHL. Here is my take on how the division will shake out this season.
Pacific Division Preview
Sunday, September 6th, 2009 Written by: Eric SutterWelcome to the Wild, Wild West! A lot of us on the east coast don’t stay up late enough to see the great hockey action that happens on the west coast, so don’t forget that the President Trophy team came from the Pacific last season. The Stars are two years removed from a Western Conference Finals run and the Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007. Then, there is the bottom of the division: the Hamilton/Phoenix Coyotes and Los Angeles-two-years-away-Kings. So here we go in our exploration of the Pacific Division.
