I don’t really see how National Hockey League players can now stop going to the Olympics after the hockey we’ve seen in Vancouver. And at the end of the day, I think they’ll all be in Russia in 2014, but I guess we’ll see.
Regardless, the rest of the NHL season is going to be very interesting once the regular season resumes after the Olympic break. It might seem like a come down to many after the Olympics, but I think the NHL is having one of its better years in quite some time actually.
We’ll see what happens after the trade deadline, because a major deal or two could certainly change the balance of power in what is already a very competitive league. But here are in my mind – at least right now – the five biggest questions to be answered post-Olympic break in the NHL.
1. Can the Washington Capitals break through? There is no doubt that the Caps have been the best team for most of this season to date, and Alex Ovechkin is the best player in the game in my mind. But are they ready for a break though ala Pittsburgh last year, or will it take a little more time for this team to get playoff tough? And is the goaltending good enough?
2. Can the San Jose Sharks break through? Just like the Capitals the Sharks have dominated so far in the regular season. Yeah, but we’ve seen that act before! Is this the year that the Sharks finally follow up a great regular season with a great playoff run? Surely Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton can’t come up short again, can they?
3. Are the Detroit Red Wings playoff bound? Although the defending Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins are still considered very much to be a Stanley Cup contender this season, last year’s Cup finalists are life and death to make the playoffs this year. But the Wings missing the playoffs, that can’t happen, can it? And if they do make the playoffs, how about a first round match-up with the Sharks – how much fun would that series be!
4. Are the Ottawa Senators for real? This isn’t just a little roll the Senators are on, they have been one of the better teams in the NHL for a good stretch of the season. Can the Senators keep up their pace and cause a headache or two in the playoffs? Remember this team went to a Stanley Cup Final not that long ago and has been wildly inconsistent since then – time for another surprise maybe, as they seem to play their best when the expectations are low.
5. Who is this year’s sleeper? Come on, there is always one! Will it be the stunning Phoenix Coyotes, or Los Angeles Kings, or maybe the Nashiville Predators, who stun the hockey world with some long playoff success? Anything can happen in a seven game series, we’ve seen that before so those teams and other are worth keeping an eye on.
Yes, the Olympics have been something special, but the rest of the NHL season has the potential to be pretty darn good too.
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The Ontario Hockey League playoffs are really going to be something special this year, if last Saturday night is any indication.
The Barrie Colts and the Windsor Spitfires hooked up at the Barrie Molson Centre and while some Toronto area fans might be surprised to hear this, the game was so hotly anticipated that there were scalpers outside the building getting some big-time dollars for tickets.
Scalpers at a junior hockey game? Absolutely! That’s how much interest there was in the game between the top two clubs in the OHL as we head towards the post-season.
The visitors were the defending Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires, who feature such future NHL stars as Taylor Hall and Ryan Ellis, taking on the powerhouse Barrie Colts, who have players like Alex Pietrangelo in their star-studded lineup.
Barrie won the game 8-5, but since the Colts play in the Eastern Conference and the Spitfires play in the West, these two teams are widely expected to meet in the OHL Final.
But the OHL is so good this year, that is far from a certainty! As the Olympic hockey has shown, anybody can win on any given day, and there are many who suggest that teams like the Mississauaga St. Michael’s Majors in the East and the London Knights in the West, match-up very well against the Colts and Spitfires despite all the hype surrounding those two teams.
Regardless, the OHL playoffs could produce some of the best hockey seen in recent years. You won’t be able to get a ticket in either Barrie or Windsor as the playoffs draw on, and most of the other centres across Ontario will be eating this all up as well.
Here’s hoping that fans in Mississauga and Brampton come out to these games as well. The perception in the GTA is that junior hockey isn’t that popular, but nothing could be further from the truth.
The Colts and Spitfires last Saturday showed just how hot junior hockey is in some markets in Ontario. Now’s the time for the Toronto area to get in on the party and start heading to these games as well.
Here’s hoping, anyway….