Category: NHL

As training camps begin to open in the National Hockey League, it is never too early to look into the crystal ball and see how this season will play out. This off-season saw its share up interesting head scratches and stories. We started the off-season with even more of the human soap opera that is Todd Bertuzzi, and then ended with the summer blockbuster of Evgini Malkin. This has been one amazing off-season.  So, who’s going to win the drink and who’s going to be on the clock in Columbus? In a six part series, we will look at the six NHL conferences and how they will stack up at the end. We’ll break them down alphabetically, and look at the one major off-season transaction that will determine where they go.

Tonight, Todd Bertuzzi finds himself with a new address. The former Islander turned Canuck was traded to the Florida Panthers along with Alexander Auld, and Byran Allen for Roberto Luongo, Lukas Kraijeck , and a 2006 sixth round draft pick. With that, this ends two years of controversy.

Ladies and gentlemen, put on your tuxes, because it is time for the NHL’s annual awards ceremony. Tonight, we honor the best the NHL had to give us this year. Here is a breakdown of awards and who got them, along with my analysis of what happened.

by Matt Wells

Depth: Strength held in reserve, especially a supply of skilled or capable replacements.

In the sports world, depth is an asset that every team in every sport wishes to have.  Each sport has a particular position where depth is most wanted. Though it is wanted at all positions, depth is most desirable at a certain position.

In football, you hope to have depth at the quarterback position.  In baseball, you want pitching/bullpen depth, for pitchers seem to get hurt the most often.  Basketball might be the only sport where depth is needed at each position; after all, you want a strong bench.  And then, there’s hockey.  The position of goaltender is where you want the most depth.

NHL pundits have traditionally relied on the old adage that the key to winning the Stanley Cup is solid goaltending.  “Build the Cup winner from the goalie out” is commonly heard as color commentary.  Well, this first year of the “new NHL” may put that generally accepted assertion to the test.