There will be more on the line than usual when the puck drops across North America and in Europe this week for the new National Hockey League season.
With the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games looming in February, the players will be under a microscope early from general managers seeking to complete their Olympic team rosters.
"A lot of teams' top athletes are playing in the National Hockey League," Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller told AFP. "All I can do is go out play hockey and at end of December everything will be official.
"It is easy for me because it goes hand in hand with my other goals. When I have a good regular season it puts our team in a position to make a run at the Stanley Cup. That aligns itself with the Olympics and winning a gold medal," said Miller who hopes to make Team USA.
The regular season kicks off Thursday with four games, including one of the biggest rivalries in North American sports as the Montreal Canadiens travel to Toronto to face another original six team in the Maple Leafs
A pair of games in Europe highlight the second day of the 2009-10 schedule as Florida and Chicago battle back-to-back nights in Helsinki, Finland. St. Louis and Detroit do the same in Stockholm, Sweden.
Another outdoor game is on the horizon. This year's showcase features the Boston Bruins squaring off against the Philadelphia Flyers on January 1 at Fenway Park home of the baseball Red Sox.
It is said the Red Wings don't rebuild they just re-tool every season. The Wings have made the playoffs 18 consecutive seasons and they have nine-straight 100 point seasons.
They got rid of bad-luck charm Marian Hossa but with their depth and emerging players like Johan Franzen of Sweden it shouldn't be too hard to replace Hossa's 40 goals.
Flash meets substance and skill whenever Russian Alex Ovechkin and Canadian Sidney Crosby square off. The rivalry between the two is the best thing that has happened to the NHL since the glory days of Wayne Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s.
It has also silenced the critics of a couple years ago who claimed hockey was on its death bed in the United States. Ovechkin is the most electrifying player in the league and will most likely lead the league in goals but Crosby now has a Stanley Cup ring which Ovechkin can only dream of.
"Purists have an attachment to Sid," Greg Millen, a Canadian CBC hockey analyst, told ESPN sports magazine. "He represents what Canadians think they are: proud but humble.
"Ovechkin may be the villain in hockey circles, but the kids eat him up. They think he is sick."
Crosby's defending champion Penguins are seeking their third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup finals but they better not look back because the Flyers are gunning for them in the East Division.
If they can get the goaltending they need from newcomer Ray Emery, the Flyers could contend for the Stanley Cup.
Much has been made of the addition of defenceman Chris Pronger which might be a bit overstated. Chances are that it will be the leadership of players like Jeff Carter (46 goals) and Mike Richards (80 points) that will take them far into the playoffs.
Another good move was adding veteran Ian Laperriere from Colorado. The 35-year-old Canadian is tough as nails and a leader in the dressing who lives by the code and keeps the players on the other teams honest.
In the West Division, Chicago, Vancouver, Anaheim and San Jose have the best shots at the Stanley Cup.
After a couple seasons of steady improvement, let's hope the rebuilding process in Chicago isn't derailed by their off ice problems.
Since their semi-final playoff loss to the Red Wings, the Blackhawks lost their top goaltender (Nikolai Khabibulin), failed to resign their top scorer (Martin Havlat) and fired their general manager (Dale Tallon).
They tried to smooth things over by signing covetted Slovakian free agent Hossa and then learned he needed shoulder surgery and wouldn't be available until November. To top it off their young American star Patrick Kane was arrested in August for assaulting a cab driver after a night of partying.
The addition of forwards Saku Koivu and Joffrey Lupul finally gives the Anaheim Ducks two players who can compliment Teemu Selanne. It also provides them with a solid second line that has been lacking in their lineup.
Anaheim has some holes to fill on the back end after losing defencemen Pronger and Francois Beauchemin. Beauchemin could be the biggest loss because of his toughness and mentoring skills with the younger players.
Another major NHL offseason move involved smooth-skating defenceman Jay Bouwmeester leaving the Florida Panthers for the Calgary Flames.
Canadian Bouwmeester is being hailed as a saviour in Cowtown but is he really the missing piece of the puzzle for Flames' fans. Bouwmeester has never played in a playoff contest and -- in the only meaningful games he has played in the past couple of years -- he struggled mightily to keep up in the World Championships in Halifax and Quebec City.
The biggest name missing this year is Joe Sakic who retired after spending all his 20 seasons with the same Quebec/Colorado franchise. Jeremy Roenick, Claude Lemieux, Olaf Kolzig, and Theoren Fleury also packed it in.
Copyright 2009 AFP American Edition
