National Hockey League
Well well well... there is a 2013 NHL season after all.
Let's just forget the last 6 months or so of the NHL lockout and focus on the hockey that is on the way next week.
Last year -
www.wdnicolson.com's
NHL Predictions for 2011/2012 did better than expected - we are happy to report.
We picked the Kings to come out of the West, the Hart, Ted Lindsay and Art Ross winner in Evgeni Malkin, Gabriel Landeskog as the Rookie of the Year, picked 5 of the 8 Eastern Conference playoff teams and nailed 6 of 8 Western Conference playoff teams.
Yes the Penguins fell short of living up to our prediction as the Cup winners, but getting the Kings as the best of the West - and they went on to win the Cup beating the Devils - isn't a bad effort.
Here's what we said about the Kings prior to 2011/2012...
The Los Angeles Kings at $17.00 - Made a massive addition to their talented squad by getting former Flyers' captain Mike Richards in an off-season trade. His drive (and intent to stick it to the Flyers for trading him) could get them past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2000/2001 and who knows maybe another trip to the Stanley Cup Finals (Wayne Gretzky led the Kings to the promised land in 1992-1993)? Adding Richards to Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson and Dustin Brown looks like a very good mix.
And for good measure we didn't write off the Devils either...
The New Jersey Devils at $23.00 - They are here simply because Martin Brodeur might have one last great season left in him. That didn't look the case last year when he was awful to begin with and the team badly missed Zach Parise - but both say they are fine entering the season and Ilya Kovalchuk can't scrape around for 60 points in 81 games again surely? Travis Zajac's injury keeps him out until the new years and that is a concern but don't bet against Brodeur and Parise really lifting this team off the canvas.
Mind you - it's worth re-iterating that we got the Pens wrong as Stanley Cup champs... and knowing where our loyalties lie - may do so again.
Below is another truncated but hopefully rather punchy NHL Preview.
After we go through the East and West regular season standings - we'll list our favourites and dark horses like last year.
Who is your pick for the Stanley Cup? Feel free to comment below or tweet me @wdnicolson
2013 REGULAR SEASON PREDICTIONS: