Friday, April 21, 2006
'Fessing up: NHL predictions gone wrong
As the NHL regular season has ended and the playoffs have begun, I thought I'd review some of my predictions I made before the season began and, well, show you how once in a while SBP can be mistaken:
1. Pittsburgh Penguins - The additions of Sydney Crosby, Mark Recchi, John Leclair, Sergei Gonchar, Jocelyn Thibault and Mario Lemieux made me think this team was going to do a complete 180 from their previous dead last finish and become a contender. Turns out adding old veterans to a new, speedy game wasn't a good idea, and Super Mario had to call it a career part-way through the season. They started winning as the season wound down, though, and Crosby definitely found his stride. All is not lost.
2. Carolina Hurricanes - I didn't think they'd make the playoffs. But the great play of Martin Gerber in net, combined with the leadership of young Eric Staal, transforming from a 60 point guy to a 100 point guy in just one season, was a formula that made them winners.
3. Buffalo Sabres - They missed the playoffs five years in a row, and with unproven goaltenders and an inexperienced lineup made me think things weren't going to change. But give coach Lindy Ruff credit for grooming their young guys and taking advantage of their speed to be a super-hot team. If Ryan Miller can continue to keep the pucks out of the net, they'll go far. And if Daniel Briere can stay healthy, he could be a Hart Trophy candidate one day.
4. New York Rangers - I thought GM Glen Sather did a horrible job pre-season to get the team prepared for a new-style NHL. But who'd of thunk Jaromir Jagr would regain his passion for the game? Surrounding him with teammates from his homeland of the Czech Republic, Martin Straka and Martin Rucinsky, made all the difference. And Sather struck gold with rookie Henrik Lundqvist in net putting on a clinic all season long, backstopping a gold medal for Sweden along the way.
5. Chicago Blackhawks - Signing a #1 goalie in Nikolai Khabibulin and a #1 D in Adrian Aucoin made me think this Original 6 franchise was going to turn things around. The 'Bulin Wall ended up being a perennial bust and Aucoin was sidelined for almost the entire season. Things don't look like they'll be getting much better.
6. Vancouver Canucks - Returning from his suspension, I figured Todd Bertuzzi would be playing high octane hockey that made him an all-star. That didn't happen, and the once best line in hockey with Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison didn't carry the load as expected. Multiple injuries to Ed Jovanovski, Sami Salo and goalie Dan Cloutier pretty much sealed their fate, and these once Stanley Cup hopefuls finished in 9th place.
1. Pittsburgh Penguins - The additions of Sydney Crosby, Mark Recchi, John Leclair, Sergei Gonchar, Jocelyn Thibault and Mario Lemieux made me think this team was going to do a complete 180 from their previous dead last finish and become a contender. Turns out adding old veterans to a new, speedy game wasn't a good idea, and Super Mario had to call it a career part-way through the season. They started winning as the season wound down, though, and Crosby definitely found his stride. All is not lost.
2. Carolina Hurricanes - I didn't think they'd make the playoffs. But the great play of Martin Gerber in net, combined with the leadership of young Eric Staal, transforming from a 60 point guy to a 100 point guy in just one season, was a formula that made them winners.
3. Buffalo Sabres - They missed the playoffs five years in a row, and with unproven goaltenders and an inexperienced lineup made me think things weren't going to change. But give coach Lindy Ruff credit for grooming their young guys and taking advantage of their speed to be a super-hot team. If Ryan Miller can continue to keep the pucks out of the net, they'll go far. And if Daniel Briere can stay healthy, he could be a Hart Trophy candidate one day.
4. New York Rangers - I thought GM Glen Sather did a horrible job pre-season to get the team prepared for a new-style NHL. But who'd of thunk Jaromir Jagr would regain his passion for the game? Surrounding him with teammates from his homeland of the Czech Republic, Martin Straka and Martin Rucinsky, made all the difference. And Sather struck gold with rookie Henrik Lundqvist in net putting on a clinic all season long, backstopping a gold medal for Sweden along the way.
5. Chicago Blackhawks - Signing a #1 goalie in Nikolai Khabibulin and a #1 D in Adrian Aucoin made me think this Original 6 franchise was going to turn things around. The 'Bulin Wall ended up being a perennial bust and Aucoin was sidelined for almost the entire season. Things don't look like they'll be getting much better.
6. Vancouver Canucks - Returning from his suspension, I figured Todd Bertuzzi would be playing high octane hockey that made him an all-star. That didn't happen, and the once best line in hockey with Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison didn't carry the load as expected. Multiple injuries to Ed Jovanovski, Sami Salo and goalie Dan Cloutier pretty much sealed their fate, and these once Stanley Cup hopefuls finished in 9th place.
# posted by SBP : 11:53 PM
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