Who's Ready For the New NHL Season? The Starting Five.
A look at some of the issues certain to affect the NHL season when it gets underway in October.
With the NFL now underway, and the NBA's immediate future seemingly uncertain, the NHL could have a big part to play in our sporting lives when the regular season begins.
The 2011/12 season starts with the current Stanley Cup holders, Boston's Bruins, facing off against the Philadelphia Flyers, a team who have made a number of changes in the off-season. This match, along with NHL teams traveling to Helsinki, Stockholm and Berlin, begins the 82-game regular season which has much to build on after the spectacular way the 2010/11 season was ended.
So many stories, trades and angles are sure to be discussed in the next nine months, and here are a few of the most pressing one...
Do the Bruins Start as Stanley Cup Favourites?
Defending the cup they won back in June with a game seven showing against the Vancouver Cannucks, Boston will certainly be amongst the favourites to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. A fairly settled summer, the prospect of Nathan Horton returning, and a continuation in the brilliance of Tim Thomas will mean that the Bruins along with the Penguins and Cannucks will likely be the amongst the teams to beat
Will Canada Recover From the Cannucks Loss?
Aside from the obvious riots in the wake of their defeat to Boston in the Stanley Cup final, Vancouver will do their best to propel Canada back to success after Game Seven defeat followed losing 8-1 in Game Three, as well as blowing a 2-0 and 3-2 game lead in the finals.
The Bruins did the Canadian double by beating the Montreal Canadiens before dispatching their cross-country rivals, and having lost both series 4-3, Canada will be hoping to gain a measure of revenge in 2011/12.
Can the NHL Continue to Prosper Post-Lockout and (Probably) Minus the NBA?
Game Seven of the NHL Finals drew 8.5m US viewers making it the most watched NHL broadcast since 1973; and in Boston and Vancouver it received an incredible share of the native audience. Only topped by the USA - Canada 2010 Olympic Final, the rivalry between the two countries has re-ignited the interest in hockey in North America.
This season the NHL will seemingly have a free weekly reign to itself once the MLB ends in the Fall, and from then on, Comissioner Gary Bettman will be hoping to capitalise on the uncertainty over the NBA lockout.
Having gone through a missed season of their own, the NHL has built on an exciting return since 2005, and in 2011 it pushed the envelope particularly in the playoffs which has a number of thrilling series, and ended in the perfect fashion with a Game Seven finale.
If the NHL is truly to make the most of the NBA's absence, and the current buzz surrounding the Stanley Cup, then teams from both sides from the North American border must continue to compete and the league's stars must be available to guide their teams to success......
.....Speaking of which......
When Will Sid the Kid Return?
Not only the face of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but some may argue the poster child for the whole league, NHL fans league-wide and competition officials will be crossing their fingers for Sidney Crosby to return.
Not seen on the ice since January, Crosby suffered a season-ending concussion which kept him out of final few months of the season as well as the playoff campaign which was ended by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Crosby's presence is a huge part of the season for the Pen's success, and surrounded by Dr's on a recent TV appearance, the hockey world waits with baited breathe for the NHL's most recognizable player to get the OK to return.
Currently only able to take part in non-contract drills, Crosby seems a doubt for the beginning of the 2011/12 season. When he returns to the game remains a huge doubt, and the worry of if he returns remains an even bigger fear.
Can San Jose Take 'The Next Step'
Each of the National Leagues has had its version of the San Jose Sharks throughout their history. Currently, the NFL has the Jets, the MLB has the Twins and the NBA have the Jazz. Each of these four franchises has been tortured by their lack of success, and the only way they succeed is by providing seasonally hopes installed into their fans before falling short.
Were it not for the Washington Capitals, the San Jose Sharks record of four seasons in a row in which they have finished 1st in the Paciffic division and not made it to the Stanley Cup Final would likely be more scrutinised.
Signing Anti Niemi, fresh off success with the Chicago Blackhawks, the Sharks rolled to the conference finals before losing 4-1 to losing finalists Vancouver. San Jose will be hoping for a turnaround in their fortunes which will result in some improved post-season performances.
With the NFL now underway, and the NBA's immediate future seemingly uncertain, the NHL could have a big part to play in our sporting lives when the regular season begins.
The 2011/12 season starts with the current Stanley Cup holders, Boston's Bruins, facing off against the Philadelphia Flyers, a team who have made a number of changes in the off-season. This match, along with NHL teams traveling to Helsinki, Stockholm and Berlin, begins the 82-game regular season which has much to build on after the spectacular way the 2010/11 season was ended.
So many stories, trades and angles are sure to be discussed in the next nine months, and here are a few of the most pressing one...
Do the Bruins Start as Stanley Cup Favourites?
Defending the cup they won back in June with a game seven showing against the Vancouver Cannucks, Boston will certainly be amongst the favourites to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. A fairly settled summer, the prospect of Nathan Horton returning, and a continuation in the brilliance of Tim Thomas will mean that the Bruins along with the Penguins and Cannucks will likely be the amongst the teams to beat
Will Canada Recover From the Cannucks Loss?
Aside from the obvious riots in the wake of their defeat to Boston in the Stanley Cup final, Vancouver will do their best to propel Canada back to success after Game Seven defeat followed losing 8-1 in Game Three, as well as blowing a 2-0 and 3-2 game lead in the finals.
The Bruins did the Canadian double by beating the Montreal Canadiens before dispatching their cross-country rivals, and having lost both series 4-3, Canada will be hoping to gain a measure of revenge in 2011/12.
Can the NHL Continue to Prosper Post-Lockout and (Probably) Minus the NBA?
Game Seven of the NHL Finals drew 8.5m US viewers making it the most watched NHL broadcast since 1973; and in Boston and Vancouver it received an incredible share of the native audience. Only topped by the USA - Canada 2010 Olympic Final, the rivalry between the two countries has re-ignited the interest in hockey in North America.
This season the NHL will seemingly have a free weekly reign to itself once the MLB ends in the Fall, and from then on, Comissioner Gary Bettman will be hoping to capitalise on the uncertainty over the NBA lockout.
Having gone through a missed season of their own, the NHL has built on an exciting return since 2005, and in 2011 it pushed the envelope particularly in the playoffs which has a number of thrilling series, and ended in the perfect fashion with a Game Seven finale.
If the NHL is truly to make the most of the NBA's absence, and the current buzz surrounding the Stanley Cup, then teams from both sides from the North American border must continue to compete and the league's stars must be available to guide their teams to success......
.....Speaking of which......
When Will Sid the Kid Return?
Not only the face of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but some may argue the poster child for the whole league, NHL fans league-wide and competition officials will be crossing their fingers for Sidney Crosby to return.
Not seen on the ice since January, Crosby suffered a season-ending concussion which kept him out of final few months of the season as well as the playoff campaign which was ended by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Crosby's presence is a huge part of the season for the Pen's success, and surrounded by Dr's on a recent TV appearance, the hockey world waits with baited breathe for the NHL's most recognizable player to get the OK to return.
Currently only able to take part in non-contract drills, Crosby seems a doubt for the beginning of the 2011/12 season. When he returns to the game remains a huge doubt, and the worry of if he returns remains an even bigger fear.
Can San Jose Take 'The Next Step'
Each of the National Leagues has had its version of the San Jose Sharks throughout their history. Currently, the NFL has the Jets, the MLB has the Twins and the NBA have the Jazz. Each of these four franchises has been tortured by their lack of success, and the only way they succeed is by providing seasonally hopes installed into their fans before falling short.
Were it not for the Washington Capitals, the San Jose Sharks record of four seasons in a row in which they have finished 1st in the Paciffic division and not made it to the Stanley Cup Final would likely be more scrutinised.
Signing Anti Niemi, fresh off success with the Chicago Blackhawks, the Sharks rolled to the conference finals before losing 4-1 to losing finalists Vancouver. San Jose will be hoping for a turnaround in their fortunes which will result in some improved post-season performances.