NHL Preview 2009-2010 Season

I am sorry for being a little bit late on this one. The life was been hetic lately with alot of news.

No hockey fans, I do not diss the puck like everyone else! I promise you, especially with three local teams on all year, and the NHL Open Ice Package ready to go.

The NHL finally got some TV Ratings last season, as the Penguins/Capitals clash, and the eventual Stanley Cup Finals between the winning Pens and the Red Wings got the general public back into watching. As the league is trying to generate some momentum off of that, here are some of the questions leading into the new season.

The Top Ten Storylines for the 2009-2010 NHL Season:

1. Can the Penguins repeat?

The young core is set and will be intact for a long time, consisting of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, and Marc-Andre Fleury. Although they took a big hit on the blueline, losing Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill, the Pens also have veterans that are now willing to take less money to play with this core. Bill Guerin took a paycut to remain in the fold in Pittsburgh.

The real question is, can the Pens be more consistent than last season? If they cannot, they will need to catch fire at the same exact time as they need last season.

2. How much will the Olympics effect teams?

Most teams will be well represented with players from their rosters playing for their National Teams. Some teams will be heavily represent,  like the Red Wings, Capitals, Sharks, and Flyers. These teams will not have the luxury of having a break that could be well needed rest.

No team will be effected more by the Olympics than the Vancouver Canucks. Since the Games are being held in Vancouver, the Canucks will have a very lengthy road trip that could spell out diaster for the franchise. If are in a bad funk going into that road trip, they might even miss the playoffs.

3. Just how good is Alexander Ovechkin?

There is no real answer for this. The sky is really the limit. Ovy is just about the complete package. He has an excellent playmaking Center that he is lined with in Nicklas Backstrom. He has a lethal shot, skates like the wind, and unlike most Euro players, he hits like a freight train. Expect 60 goals and 110 points again, like always. If Ovy decides to play with a chip on his shoulder, he is the guy that could possibly catch Wayne Gretzky's goals records for both the season and career.

4. Did the San Jose Sharks finally acquire the missing piece?

Sniper Dany Heatley basically bitched and whined his way out of Ottawa this offseason. He has now landed on a team that can never get over the playoff hump. It is now time to put the pacifier back in your mouth, be quiet, and produce. He should see plenty of goals with Joe Thorton dishing him the puck all season.

This has to be the year for the Sharks. Patrick Marleau is a UFA at season's end, and alot of the good young players will soon be due for hefty pay raises. They are hoping Heatley is the guy that will not disappear in the postseason. That has been a bit of a problem the past few seasons in the Bay Area.

5. Pronger in Philly is understandable, but Ray Emery?

When the Flyers made a draft night deal to acquire physical Defensemen Chris Pronger from Anaheim, it was a move that made a bold statement that they want to win now. Pronger will clear the crease for the Flyers goaltenders.

That is the thing. The Flyers Stanley Cup hopes are on the shoulders of a guy that did not even play in the NHL last season. Ray Emery was basically banished to the Russian League the past couple of seasons. Now, he is back, but is Emery really up to this pressure? Remember, it is Philly, where the media and fanbase eat athletes in situations like these.

6. Did the window finally close on the Red Wings?

Hockeytown took a hit this offseason. The Red Wings lost alot of scoring when Marian Hossa, Mikel Samuelsson, Jiri Hudler, and Tomas Kopecky left the team via Free Agency or bolted overseas. The Wings are relying on kids, Ville Leino, Darren Helm, and others, along with reclammation project Todd Bertuzzi.

Nicklas Lidstrom is turning 40. The goaltending is not exactly top notch. This is the season that the Wings still make the playoffs, but not at the dominanting level they have done it in for the past decade.

7. Welcome back Coach

The New Jeresy Devils brought back former Head Coach and Stanley Cup winner Jacques Lemaire to lead the team behind the bench. The question now is, do the Devils have the personnel that Lemaire requires to play his defensive style of play?

Well, the Devils were more of a scoring team last season, led by superstar in the making Zach Parise. To be at their most effective, Lemaire is going to have to find a median between the two. Marty Brodeur back healthy for a full season will help reguardless of the style of play.

8. The Rebuild/Reloading of Brian Burke in Toronto

GM  Brian Burke said he needed to do two things in the offseason. First, was to get more tough and physical. The Maple Leafs got rough up last season, and it was not going to happen two years in a row. So Burke went out in Free Agency and signed D Mike Komisarek and Franny Beauchemim, and RW goon Colton Orr. I do not think many teams will want to mess with the Leafs this year.

Burke's second endeavor was to find a goal scorer, and one that will be a permanent fixture in Toronto for years to come. Burke had one target in mind the entire time, and that was former Bruin Phil Kessel.

Burke was rumored to try and trade for Kessel at the draft and it fizzled out. Two months later, Burke went very proactive, and dealt a boatload of draft picks for the 21 year old sniper. Kessel was immediately signed long term.

Burke accomplished what he wanted in the offseason, now will it be enough to make it back into the playoffs this season?

9. The Rookies

This year's Entry Draft had a Top 3 that could one day rival any other drafts. The New York Islanders selected the well known talent of  C John Tavares. The Tampa Bay Lightning immediately snatched up huge D Victor Hedman. Last, the Colorado Avalanche selected all around great talent C Matt Duchsene.

All three have made the Opening Night rosters, and will most likely remain on the club the entire season.

The Islanders hope they finally got the new face of their struggling franchise in Tavares, who Islander fans hope can score goals like former legend Mike Bossy.

Hedman is the type of Defensemen that front offices drool over. Hedman is 6'6", he can skate, and has a bomb of a slapshot. The Lightning envision that he could become their anchor on the blueline in the mold of another Defensemen that should be playing power foward somewhere, Zdeno Chara.

Duchsene is the guy of the three that can become the all-around, gritty two way foward that can one day wear the "C" for a team. Some even questioned if Duchsene should of went 1st overall in the draft over Tavares.

Other rookies to watch out for this 09-10 season is the Flyers LW James vanRiemsdyk, Thrashers C Evander Kane, Blue Jackets LW Nitika Filatov, Red Wings F Ville Leino and Justin Abdelkader, Rangers D Michael Del Zotto, Panthers D Dmitri Kulikov, and Leafs G Jonas Guastavsson.

10. What will happen to the Phoenix Coyotes?

With ownership up in the air, this offseason has been utter chaos for the Coyotes. Canadian tycoon Jim Balsillie offered to buy the Coyotes and relocate them back into Canada, where they first came from. With the NHL rejecting his offer, and now Wayne Gretzky resigning from being behind the bench, the Coyotes are sort of a lame duck this season.

Do you really think the fans want to go cheer on a team that most likely will not be there in 2010-11? How are the players going to react to being in limbo? Yotes Captain Shane Doan takes offense to being overlooked by this, but how do they overcome this mess?

Predictions: (Playoff Seed in parenthesis)

East                                                                                    

Atlantic Divison                                                                    

1. Philadelphia Flyers (1)

2. Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

3. New York Rangers (7)

4. New Jeresy Devils

5. New York Islanders

Northeast

1. Boston Bruins (3)

2. Buffalo Sabres (6)

3. Montreal Canadiens

4. Toronto Maple Leafs

5. Ottawa Senators

Southeast

1. Washington Capitals (2)

2. Carolina Hurricanes (5)

3. Tampa Bay Lightning (8)

4. Florida Panthers

5. Atlanta Thrashers

West

Central

1. Chicago Blackhawks (3)

2. St. Louis Blues (4)
3. Columbus Blue Jackets (5)
4. Detroit Red Wings (7)
5. Nashville Predators

Northwest

1. Calgary Flames (2)
2. Vancouver Canucks (8)
3. Minnesota Wild

4. Edmonton Oilers

5. Colorado Avalanche

Pacific

1. San Jose Sharks (1)

2. Anaheim Ducks (6)
3. Los Angeles Kings
4. Dallas Stars
5. Phoenix Coyotes

Stanley Cup Finals : Calgary Flames over Philadelphia Flyers in 6 games.

NFL Week 4 Picks

Last week in this column, I asked for the repeat 12-4 record in the picks. I almost got there, as we went 11-5 in Week 3. Let's not cry over spilled milk. The overall record is now 32-15 for the season.

We have seen the good (Ravens, Giants), the surprising (Jets, Broncos), and the ugly (Raiders, Chiefs). I have to make an entirely new category for the Browns and Rams. I think we will just call those two teams FUBAR. If you do not know what FUBAR means, just look it up, you will be in total agreement with yours truly.

Now, onto the picks:

Houston Texans 24, Oakland Raiders 10 - The Texans, with all that talent on offense, is disappointing to almost tears. Last week, Gary Kubiak should of been shot for taking out RB Steve Slaton for the goal line carries and inserting Chris Brown. Slaton was running rough-shot over the Jags. Boom, fumble, Jags ball, Texans lose. Let's see you try that maneuver again Einstein. In a shocking development, Jamarcus Russell will complete 45% of his passes this game, but its not enough. Why am I not surprised?

Tennessee Titans 20, Jacksonville Jaguars 9 - The Titans are the best 0-3 football I have seen in a long time. RB Chris Johnson is worth the price of admission, tune in your TV to watch this talent. Oh, thats right, this game will probably be blacked out. Maybe Jack Del Rio and David Gerrard should be worried about filling out that stadium than a petty radio show.

Baltimore Ravens 27, New England Patriots 20 - Tough to pick against the Pats at home, especially after how good they looked last week against the Falcons. I just think the Ravens are on a mission, and they will go after Tom Brady. No middle finger 4th quarter bombs for Joe Flacco in this game.

Cincinnati Bengals 31, Cleveland Browns 9 - The Bengals are pretty good. The Browns are Fubar. Eric Mangini just fined me for saying that.

New York Giants 34, Kansas City Chiefs 10 - Even SI.com's Peter King looked at the Vegas Line of this game and said they messed up. Remember Mike Tyson's Punchout for Nintendo? Well, the Chiefs are Glass Joe, the awful mess you fight initially. Well, the Chiefs are not fighting Little Mac, they are fighting Super Macho Man. Hide the children from this massacre.

Sidenote: How funny is the resemblance of Glass Joe, to Owen Wilson? Great call by Danjewish. Read the Casting Call for Mike Tyson's Punchout. It is a riot.

Chicago Bears 23, Detroit Lions 20 - I really wanted to have the stones to call this upset, but I finally see Matt Forte going for 100 and 2 TD's. The Lions can move the ball this season. Matthew Stafford is going to be all right.

By the way, Calvin Johnson's nickname of Megatron is definitely top 5 in sports. I can only think of Pablo Sandoval's Kung Fu Panda and Kobe Bryant being The Black Mamba that top it.

Washington Redskins 21, Tampa Bay Bucs 10 - The Bucs are about three weeks away from being fubar as well. They get a pass because at least the Bucs have a plan. Well, I dunno what it is, but I am sure they do have one. If the Redskins lose this game, Jim Zorn should just pack his bags and walk into the sunset. By the way, Ground Control to Clinton Portis, are you alive?

Indianapolis Colts 27, Seattle Seahawks 20 - For some strange reason, I do not think the Colts are going to run the Hawks out of the stadium. Seattle showed me a lot of grit in that loss to the Bears last week. If you are still alive in a Knock Out Pool, take the Giants, be very weary of this one. Of course, I am not going to pick against Peyton Manning at home though.

New Orleans Saints 23, New York Jets 16 - I originally had the Jets winning this in an upset, but then the news broke wind that CB's Lito Sheppard and Donald Strickland are out for the game. Down your 2nd and 3rd CB's against Drew Brees is not a good combination.

Buffalo Bills 16, Miami Dolphins 13 - I rather watch paint dry off my walls than sit down and watch this game for three hours. Trent Edwards is horrible. I hope the media finally stops giving excuses for this victim. Miami is breaking in a new QB. Yawwwwwwwwwwwwn!

San Francisco 49ers 23, St. Louis Rams 13- Tough kick to the chops for the 49ers last week, but they proved to everyone that they are legit. No Frank Gore, no problem, you are playing a team that has not won since Napoleon was a cadet. I feel bad for Steven Jackson. He will probably see nine-man fronts all day.

Dallas Cowboys 24, Denver Broncos 16 - Ok Denver and Mini-Belichick, prove it to me against a decent team. I do not think Kyle Orton plays a mistake-free game this time. Demarcus Ware finally gets his first sack of the season.

Pittsburgh Steelers 19, San Diego Chargers 10 - The Bolts OLine is too banged up for this Steeler pass rush to not salivate. The Steelers should feel desperation right now, and they will come through. They hold the fort and Troy Polamalu is close to returning.

Monday Night game will come in the Weekend Wrap Up article on Monday morning, along with the belated NHL Season Preview.

College Football Picks

After last week, where the Polls were more volitale than the Nasdaq last year, the college football season is turning into an unpredictable season.

Who would have thought after Oregon got embarrassed by Boise St. opening night, that they would destroy Cal. and beat Utah?

Miami climbing the mountain, then freefalling off of it last week?

Two Non-BCS teams with legit shots at being in the Title Game in Boise St. and TCU.

USC walking on air in the polls for no reason. Ok, so that one is easy predictable. Sue me.

Few good games this week, more than likely a few more surprises in the bag as well. Let's take a gander at them:

Penn St. 27, Illinois 6 - No way Penn St. loses to games in a row. JoePa and team will want to put a hurting on someone, and Illinois is the perfect patsy for that. There is no Fight in the Illini anymore.

South Florida 23, Syracuse 12 - This could be such a trap game for South Florida. After beating Florida St., and the offensive machine called Cincinnati next week, this does fit the bill. There is just no way I see Syracuse pulling this off. QB Greg Paulus has not seen a defense like this since Villanova in the Basketball NCAA tournament.

Tennessee 20, Auburn 17 - No one has been able to stop Auburn's new wild offensive explosion, averaging 45 a clip. I just really like this Tennessee defense. They have the right personnel and coaching in Monty Kiffin. Big day at Rocky Top.

Stanford 23, UCLA 17 - UCLA is such an enigma. Stanford is the model of consistency on both sides of the ball this season. Jim Harbaugh has done a solid job with this program.

Michigan St. 34, Michigan 31 - UPSET SPECIAL! Michigan looked stale last week against Indiana, and Michigan St. does not want to lose to both Notre Dame and Michigan in the same season. Freshman QB Tate Forcier gets his first taste of a hostile crowd, and defeat.

Houston 52, UTEP 21 - I just love watching this Houston offense. They are so unpredictable and exciting. UTEP got buried last week by Texas, expect more of the same.

Arkansas 45, Texas A&M 41 - Arkanasas got throttled last week by Alabama. I do not expect the Razorbacks to be shut down again. The Aggies are putting points on the board as well. Shootout Central, here we come.

Notre Dame 31, Washington 24 - In a game that might possibly have the two best NFL QB prospects in it, I expect Jimmy Clausen and Jake Locker to put on a show. Somehow, Notre Dame, Clausen, and all of his playmakers pull this one out late in the 4th.

USC 31, California 17 - I had Cal winning this game at the same time last week. Then, they went to Oregon and got taken like a young boy in a San Francisco Bath House. USC is banged up, and we wish the best, and a speedy recovery for RB Stafon Johnson, but the Camp Carroll does have an unlimited amount of talent. Sets up the USC-Oregon game for the Rose Bowl. RB Jahvid Best only had 30 yards rushing year against Trojans. Not a good sign.

Oklahoma 28, Miami 17 - I really want to pick the Hurricanes here. I just do not see them scoring enough against this great Oklahoma defense. Virginia Tech last week gave the blueprint on how to beat the Canes. The Sooners just follow it, with or without Sam Bradford.

Georgia 37, LSU 31 - UPSET SPECIAL #2! This game last year was a shootout, with no defense in it. Georgia has not played defense this season since the first game against Oklahoma St., but WR AJ Green is going nuts. LSU should not be ranked 4th. When in doubt though, take the home team. I just hope they do not move up USC to 4th ahead of Boise St. after this game.

Last Week: 7-4     Season: 24-18