Game on!

"Hello out there, we're on the air. It's hockey night tonight." If you're a hockey fan, you definitely know what that phrase means. The NHL season has arrived, and around these parts, it means we finally can root for a team that actually has expectations for the new season; the Tampa Bay Lightning. Last year, the Bolts looked to be a sure bet to at least reach the Stanley Cup Final, but they ran out of gas in the conference final vs. Washington, and for the third time in four years, fell short of their ultimate goal.

This year, you'd think they have to win the Cup, or they'll pretty much be the late-90s version of the Atlanta Braves or the early-90's New York Knicks; teams that had immense talent but couldn't win it all. Yes, the Braves won it all in 1995 but what are they best known for? Falling apart come the postseason. The Bolts have pretty much the same core group from last season, however there will be a notable difference in the front office. Steve Yzerman will step down as GM, and his assistant Julien BriseBrois takes over. Y will stay around for one more year as senior advisor before taking over the same position at Detroit spending more time with his family.

As for who I'll pick to win it all, I'm not making one. Because if last year proved anything, the NHL is by far the most unpredictable of the Big 4 sports leagues. You could say it is the opposite of the NBA (where we've seen Golden State vs. Cleveland in the Finals the past four years and LeBron in the last eight). Case in point, here's who I picked in the playoffs last year:

TB over NYR

TOR over MTL

PIT over BOS

CBJ over WSH

NSH over STL

CHI over MIN

ANA over SJ

EDM over LA

TB over TOR

CBJ over PIT

CHI over NSH

EDM over ANA

TB over CBJ

EDM over CHI

TB over EDM

Montreal, New York, Chicago, St. Louis, and Edmonton missed the playoffs entirely. I had Washington flaming out in the First Round as usual (though I did get the matchup right), And Vegas and Winnipeg surprised everyone. This year, expect more unpredictability, and as Doc Emrick would say, "What chaos!"

I do hope the Cup comes back to Tampa though.

Game on!



CT