2009-2010 stanley cup champions: Chicago blackhawks.

The NHL season starts in about 3 weeks from now, so I'm gonna start a topic where people can talk about various matches, predictions and so fourth.


So right now, even though things haven't officially started, we've got a pretty good idea of the lineup of our favorite team(s). Any thoughts/predictions?

Does anyone think a specific team did any bad/good move during the free agency month? What about draft picks, anything interest you?

Who might win the cup this year, looking at the current lineups?

All I know is that the Maple Leafs are gonna suck ass again this year and yet they'll probably make more money than half of teams combine in the league.

It's depressing being a Toronto sports fan sometimes.

Because of what little firepower they had, they traded away? Is that what your referring to?


For me personally, last year was just...horrible as a HABS fan...I thought for sure things were going to go for the better when I heard that they signed Alex Tanguay and the fact that they finished first in their division 2 years ago.

Oh how I was wrong.... :roll: Now the Montreal's first line is no more, and they have to start from scratch.

The Habs will always suck buddy. There's no way to hide the truth no matter how much they try. :P

Reasons why Leafs will suck again this year:

- Toskala sucks
- Jason Blake is our top scorer (think about that)
- The team is way to young to do some damage
- The extra toughness won't change anything
- MLSE

Well the Leafs got Phil Kessel now. And Wayne Gratzky no longer the coach of the Coyotes.

For all the money they're paying him, he better do good this season. I seriously believe they're overpaying him.

Yea, he only had a good season last year cause he was in a pretty good team. Now he's with the Leaf's, it'll be interesting to see how he does over there.

He's probably gonna get injured and then suck when he comes back from said injury.

The Leafs might struggle again this year but I doubt thing'll be as bad as the situation in Colorado. They were the worst team last year.


Also , Dave Tippett's the new coach in Phoenix and things seem to be going well with the Rangers since they acquired Marian Gaborik.


And what a surprise, the Canadiens lost again...vs the bruins..../sigh.

**edit**

And Patrice Brisebois retires.

Yeha, but you can't compare Colorado to Toronto. We have the largest fanbase, the most money and yet, we can't freaking make it to the damn playoffs. Being a Toronto fan in any sport is really annoying.

Here in T.O. we expect nothing less than winning. Also, our fans here a fickle as hell. I'm perfect proof of that.

Let's take a trip back in time, a few years ago when the salary cap didn't exist, around 2002 if I remember correctly. Do you remember what the Rangers were like? How much did it cost them to have the players that they had? They must of been in the 100+million or something...I mean they had a bunch of big names in their lineup. AND YET THEY STILL SUCKED! lol. I mean, wtf, you get some of the best players in the league and your team still can't win for shit....They might not have as big a fanbase as Toronto, but they certainly have the same wallet.








Anyway, Dany Heatley with the Sharks. Will that help the team win the cup, or at least get further then one round into the playoffs? Do the Senators stand a chance of getting into the playoffs this year?

God I can't wait for the season to start..pre-season matches are lame, lol.

What about Montreal fans? They boo their own team like they're worth nothing, there was one game where even the commentators thought the fans were going too far. High expectations there.

Looking at things, Montreal probably borderline again this year. Don't know about Ottawa. Seems like every year more Canadian teams fall below the Playoff line. Soon there won't be any teams left for post season.

The west always seem to surprise me so I'm gonna wait until season actually starts to decide.

Go Sharks! I hope we don't fail again.... Jeez.... That's like, 5 years in a row of failure.

Last year was a combination of frustration and extreme disapointement. I am one of the HABS fan....yea, I know they suck. It's just that last year I thought things were going to get better for them only to see the exact opposite...and now Kovalev's with the Sens, which was a bad decision to let him go IMO.




Lol, yea I hope to see them further in the playoffs this year.

I'm a Canucks fan. They better not screw up. 6-0-2 in the preseason but that means nothing. Always a second round exit in the playoffs. Last year showed such promise too. Swept the Blues but then got destroyed by Blackhawks.

Yeah, but that's New York City. The Yankees alone make up for all that losing teams in that city.



That's because people in Montreal have no shame. They are also still bitter that their city in not the best one in Canada anymore. They usually release and blame their own frustration on their own hockey team.

How sad.

I'm a fan of them too but the problem with it is the sole reliance on Luongo. He's one of the best but he's only human, the occasional goals gets in here and there, especially if the opponents got snipers. Defense comes first but also knowing when to keep offense instead of sitting back and defending is key too. Since they failed that in Games 4 and 5 against Hawks. Do hope they make it far this year.

No Sabres fans? ;^;
Last year, they would made it into the playoffs if they didn't give away some many games with stupid passes. =\
This season, they should at least get to the Quarters.

Thought this might interest people:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=500394&navid=DL|NHL|home]East teams confront key questions as season nears


http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=500411&navid=DL|NHL|home]
Western teams confront key issues as season nears



Those links basically explain the major changes that each team went through during the off-season. And there's also a poll on each page asking which team will finish first in their respective conference.

Tonight, Sharks opening game against the Avalanche on VS. Lol. I'm gonna watch it!