20 Half- Assed Predictions For The 2013-14 NHL Season – The Review

On the first day of the NHL season I wrote a list of predictions… many of them were pretty ridiculous. Some of them were based in real opinion and expectation. And now that we’re inches away from the end of the regular season I’ve run them all down to see just how accurate I was for the season.

Also, if your team isn’t going to the playoffs this season, I feel for you. Here’s hoping you can still enjoy the hockey that is left to be played.

Here we go.

1. I will win my fantasy pool.
Lost in quarter-finals. I’ll get ’em next year.

2. Jarome Iginla will lead the Boston Bruins in scoring.
With 4 games left on the schedule Iginla leads the Bruins with 30 goals and is 2nd in points. This prediction was never supposed to come true and it’s way closer than I ever thought it would be.

3. George Parros will log the most fighting majors of any Montreal Canadiens player in 20 years.
Well that didn’t pan out as planned now did it… especially after opening night.

4. Phil Kessel will play up to the level of his new ($8 million per year) contract. David Clarkson will not.
It’s always debatable as to whether a player is worth $8 million… but it’s not debatable that David Clarkson has not played as well as expected, or up to the standard that his $5.25 million demands with his play this season.

5. The Edmonton Oilers will make the playoffs on the last day of the season.
Hopes were way too high on this one. And with 4 games left the Oilers are 24 points out of the playoffs in the Western Conference.

6. Roberto Luongo will win 42 games in the regular season.
In another weird year for Luongo there are only 23 wins on his stat line. Here’s hoping next season is better for him in Florida.

7. Cory Schneider will win 16 games in the regular season.
With 4 games left in the regular season Schneider has exactly 4 wins…

8. Steven Stamkos will not lead the NHL in goals.
Listen, I’ve been a little worried that I jinxed Stamkos with this prediction. That injury sucked! But still, another correct prediction has been made.

9. Both the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks will make the playoffs with their new coaches.
The Rangers look good to make the playoffs with 3 games left, another win should wrap it up for them. But the Canucks need to win out and to get help. It looks like I was only half right on this one.

10. Jay Feaster will not be fired in Calgary. Until the Olympic break that is.
So the firing came 2 months sooner than I thought it would. Is anyone surprised?

11. Daniel Alfredsson will have 3 goals and 6 assists vs the Ottawa Senators this season.
Alfie only came through with 1 goal and 2 assists vs the Sens this season… he was also a +3 and looks like he’ll be in the playoffs.

12. The Leafs and Habs will meet in the playoffs. 6 games. Montreal wins 4-2.
Unfortunately the Maple Leafs will not be joining les Canadiens in the playoffs this year, so this prediction is a bust.

13. Tim Thomas will make politically insensitive comments and be suspended by the league.
Probably for the best that I was wrong about this one.

14. Jason Spezza will play 76 games and assist on 24 Bobby Ryan goals for Ottawa.
Spezza won’t get to 76 games… and Bobby Ryan only has 23 goals… the math adds up to me being wrong.

15. Danny Briere will score 24 goals for Les Canadiens.
With 3 regular season games left, Briere has 13 goals. So wrong again.

16. The Chicago Blackhawks will make it to the Western Conference Finals. And lose.
We’ll have to wait and see on this one!

17. Ryan Miller will play the entire depressing season in Buffalo.
Thank goodness for Miller that I was wrong here. That Blues team looks like it could be the one to knock off the Blackhawks in the conference finals.

18. Alexander Ovechkin will finish the season with 87 points. Sidney Crosby will have 99.
Ovie has 74 points with 4 games left in the season and Sid has 102 points with 4 games left as well.

19. The Phoenix Coyotes will make the playoffs. The Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators will not.
As I write this Dallas sits in 8th, Phoenix in 9th and Nashville is 10th with a few games left before it’s all said and done. I could end up right here.

20. Patrick Roy will prove to be a great coach for his young team. But the Colorado Avalanche will finish 9th in the West.
Saint Patrick has done a great job coaching his young team… and they will be in the playoffs. I’m glad to be wrong.

Enjoy the end of the season and the playoffs.

It should be awesome!

Why The Olympics Matter

The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics are coming soon. The countdown is ticking down to February 7th when Hayley Wickenheiser will carry the flag and lead Canada’s athletes into the Opening Ceremonies.

These Olympics are not without controversy, we all know that. And at this time there are also safety concerns that are leading to some athletes making decisions not to bring their families to Russia to celebrate these games and their accomplishments with them.

That’s sad. It’s really sad.

But these Olympics and the Olympic Games in general still matter.

Patriotism
As Canadians we grow up watching our favourite hockey players skate for their NHL teams for as many as 9 months a year. But every 4 years when players like Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, and their Olympic teammates put a maple leaf on, it’s different. We remember the cheers and smiles and emotion when Team Canada won gold in Men’s Ice Hockey in Salt Lake City. We remember the feeling that we had just 4 years ago (it doesn’t feel like 4 years, seriously, where does the time go?) in Vancouver with the Golden Goal. It’s special. It brings people together.

And it does the same for other countries as well. The Dutch are fiercely proud of their speed skaters. The Chinese love to cheer for their figure skaters. The Germans love their biathletes. And during these Olympics the Russians will be cheering for all of their athletes with the same emotion and fervor that Canadians did during Vancouver 2010.

The Olympics may only last 2 weeks, but they matter to countries all over the world as a way to celebrate and be proud of our brothers and sisters.

Inspiration
There are more than 325 Canadian Olympians and Paralympians competing at the 2014 Games. 25 of them are professional hockey players. That means that more than 300 athletes are not. They compete in biathlon, luge, skeleton, sledge hockey, moguls, and more. And every time one of them wins a medal or sets a personal best or shows the world their drive and perseverance, they inspire us.

It should also be noted that these inspiring moments don’t only come from our own athletes. Sport is a universal language and I can tell you right now that at some point during these Olympic Games an athlete will do something spectacular and bring us all to our feet. Someone’s drive and personal story will tug at our heartstrings the way that Joannie Rochette did by powering through and winning the bronze medal after losing her mother just 2 days before her competition.

We will be inspired as a country, as fans, and as people.

Hope
Months ago, before many of the athletes had qualified, before the venues were completed, there were calls to have the 2014 Sochi Olympics boycotted or moved or both. Russia’s new anti-gay laws, spearheaded by President Vladimir Putin, are awful and discriminatory and absurd and unfair and they go against everything that so many people have been working towards in equality and love.

But that is exactly why the world needs to go to these games. We need our athletes to show the world that they will not be stopped in the celebration of their skill and hard work and commitment.

We need to show Russia that their oppression will not stop the world from continuing with our lives and passions and commitment to equality.

I don’t know if we’re going to get a Jesse Owens type moment in Sochi. I don’t know what I would like to see happen or not happen. I am worried that the Russian government will try to stick to their guns so to speak if an athlete makes an overt statement in support of the LGBT community.

But in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I know this, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

The Olympic Spirit is the light. And in less than 2 weeks we will see that light shining brightly in the form of the Olympic flame and the performances of over 2,500 athletes from all over the world.

That is why the Olympics matter. Maybe this year, in this country, more than ever.

My Team Canada Includes…

The official Team Canada Olympic Men’s Hockey roster will be announced this Tuesday, and Canadian hockey fans and pundits are already buzzing with what-ifs and who-shoulds.

Note: The additional buzz added because of Team USA’s shenanigans is just icing on the cake for anyone who wants to make something out of, what is at this point, nothing for Team Canada.

However, there are some controversial picks to be made or not made when General Manager Steve Yzerman makes the Team Canada roster announcement on January 7th.

We know that this is a team decision that has fallen on Doug Armstrong, Ken Holland, Kevin Lowe, Bob Nicholson, and Brad Pascall as well. It’s not an easy job… there are going to be people that question this team selection. That’s what Canadian hockey fans do.

Now we’re not talking about picks like forwards Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews or John Tavares. Or even defencemen like Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith and Shea Weber.

We’re talking about the bubble players. The guys who people can’t agree on for one reason or another. The players who have all-world skill and are stars in the NHL… but may or may not get a chance to wear the maple leaf on their chest in Sochi this February.

For some reason there isn’t 100% consensus about Patrick Sharp. I don’t understand this at all. Sharp was invited to the ball hockey practice in Calgary last summer. He’s an All-Star forward who has familiarity with Toews, Keith and Seabrook. And he’s one of the hottest hockey players on the planet right now with 13 points in his last 10 games, 24 points in his last 20, and he’s a +22 through 44 games with Chicago this season.

This dude needs to play for Team Canada in Sochi. End of story.

Another player who can’t seem to get the country’s hockey lovers to agree on his place on Canada’s Olympic Men’s Hockey Team is Pernell Karl Subban.

P.K. is coming off a Norris Trophy winning shortened season. He’s a plus player on D. He regularly plays against the top forwards in the NHL. And so far this season he sits 3rd in the league in scoring by defencemen. The only Canadian d-man he trails… Duncan Keith. How do the 2 match-up? Keith has 13 more assists, but 4 fewer goals. Keith is +18, Subban is +13. Keith plays 24:21 a night, Subban plays 25:10. I’d say that P.K.’s numbers fair pretty well against a dude everyone agrees needs to be on this team.

Am I more passionate about Subban because I’m a Canadiens fan? Probably. But if he’s not one of the top 7 defencemen in Canada, I’m a fool.

The last roster spots that even the experts can’t seem to agree on belong to Team Canada’s goalies. We know that 3 men will get the call to join the Olympic contingent in Sochi, Russia from February 7 to 23.

Many of us expect that there will be a change from the trio of Roberto Luongo, Martin Brodeur and Marc-Andre Fleury that wore the maple leaf in Vancouver 4 years ago. In fact, 2 of those 3 goaltenders could be left off of the 2014 roster.

Who will go and who will start? Those are the 2 most important questions that need to be answered. Yzerman will answer the first one on Tuesday. The 2nd one won’t be answered until the tournament starts and the coaches, led by Mike Babcock, make their decision. But for my money the starter in goal for Team Canada this winter has to be Carey Price.

Again, maybe I’m a little prejudice because of the Habs fan thing. But I don’t really think I’m alone in thinking that it’s Price’s turn to take the ball and run with it. Luongo has been streaky in the last 4 years and Price has only improved since the Halak trade that officially gave him the crease in Montreal. Price also has experience winning gold for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships. Carey gets my vote.

So, if Carey Price is the starter and Roberto Luongo returns to Team Canada as the 2nd goalie, who gets the 3rd spot on the roster?

I’ve got it as a 3 man race for that 3rd and final spot. We know that Chicago’s Corey Crawford and Phoenix’s Mike Smith were both invited to the orientation camp in Calgary and both have endeared themselves to various hockey people across the country. And while I don’t think that either of them have made a rock solid case to be a lock for Team Canada, I do think that they both deserve to be discussed.

My 3rd guy is coming from off the board. Jonathan Bernier has had a very sturdy start to the season in Toronto with the Maple Leafs. And Team Canada management made it clear that they were going to look at who was playing the best hockey when it was time to go to Sochi. With that in mind I think that Bernier also deserves to be part of this conversation. Heck, he has a better GAA and Save Percentage than both Smith and Crawford.

I think it’s fair to say that whoever goes as the 3rd goalie is going to sit in the press box most nights, but I don’t think any of them would turn the opportunity down.

No matter which names get called on Tuesday morning you can be sure that there will be outrage and second guessing and upset fans scattered throughout the country.

The best that we can do is trust that Steve Yzerman and his team know what they are doing and get ready to cheer with our hearts on our patriotic sleeves.

There are only 34 days left until we start the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.

Get ready!

20 Half- Assed Predictions For The 2013-14 NHL Season

So the NHL season started last night with 3 games on the schedule and now we are officially into 2013-14.

As I’ve done in the past with the NHL and MLB I’ve got a list of predictions for the new season. Some of them are more likely to happen than others. Some are unlikely to happen at all. And one looked really likely going into last night, but now we don’t know.

Let’s take a look at my list of 20 Half- Assed Predictions For The 2013-14 NHL Season.

PS. These predictions come in no particular order.

1. I will win my fantasy pool.

2. Jarome Iginla will lead the Boston Bruins in scoring.

3. George Parros will log the most fighting majors of any Montreal Canadiens player in 20 years.
Note: This is the prediction that looked great… but now we all have to wait and see how big George recovers from his concussion. Get well soon buddy.

4. Phil Kessel will play up to the level of his new ($8 million per year) contract. David Clarkson will not.

5. The Edmonton Oilers will make the playoffs on the last day of the season.

6. Roberto Luongo will win 42 games in the regular season.

7. Cory Schneider will win 16 games in the regular season.

8. Steven Stamkos will not lead the NHL in goals.

9. Both the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks will make the playoffs with their new coaches.

10. Jay Feaster will not be fired in Calgary. Until the Olympic break that is.

11. Daniel Alfredsson will have 3 goals and 6 assists vs the Ottawa Senators this season.

12. The Leafs and Habs will meet in the playoffs. 6 games. Montreal wins 4-2.

13. Tim Thomas will make politically insensitive comments and be suspended by the league.

14. Jason Spezza will play 76 games and assist on 24 Bobby Ryan goals for Ottawa.

15. Danny Briere will score 24 goals for Les Canadiens.

16. The Chicago Blackhawks will make it to the Western Conference Finals. And lose.

17. Ryan Miller will play the entire depressing season in Buffalo.

18. Alexander Ovechkin will finish the season with 87 points. Sidney Crosby will have 99.

19. The Phoenix Coyotes will make the playoffs. The Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators will not.

20. Patrick Roy will prove to be a great coach for his young team. But the Colorado Avalanche will finish 9th in the West.

Enjoy the season kids.

Stay Awesome!