NHL: It's Crosby's time to drink from Cup
By Paul Doyle
The Hartford Courant
Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated:10/03/2007 02:38:45 AM MDT
The Stanley Cup resides in Southern California, but the eyes of the
NHL are on Broadway.
Chris Drury has come home and his arrival has even the most
pessimistic Rangers fan dreaming of the Cup.
Of course, Sidney Crosby may have something to say about where the
Cup lands.
The story of the NHL season? We'll offer nine:
1. And The Winners Are:
The Ducks look poised to repeat, with Jean-Sebastien Giguere back
in net and a veteran team in front of him. Their biggest challenge
will be getting past Joe Thornton and the Sharks in the Pacific
Division and advancing out of a Western Conference that includes the
Red Wings, Avalanche and Canucks.
The Rangers are a trendy pick in the Eastern Conference and it's
hard to pick against any team with Drury in uniform. But this is the
Year of Sidney, so Crosby and the Penguins will win the Eastern
Conference.
When it's over, the Stanley Cup will be back in Pittsburgh.
2. Anyone Out There?
The NHL started its season with the Kings and Ducks playing in
London. Fitting that the league's opening was lost amid a busy sports
weekend, so no one seemed to notice. The Stanley Cup Nielsen rating
was 1.1 for Game 3, matching the lowest of any prime-time offering in
NBC's history. 3. Crossing The Bridge:
The Rangers may be the most interesting team in the NHL. Drury,
Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan and free agent addition Scott Gomez
make them an entertaining offensive team. And Gomez, who has spent his
career in New Jersey's defensive system, should flourish with the
Rangers. That will add some juice to the Rangers-Devils rivalry. 4.
Cam To The Rescue:
It's the same old story in the former Hub of Hockey. The Bruins
have a new coach (Claude Julien), a new goalie (Manny Fernandez), and
no one expects much. Cam Neely, one of the most popular players in
franchise history, was recently hired as vice president and is being
billed as the new face of the franchise.
5. America's Player:
The sport may be losing interest among American fans, but the
country is producing players. The last two No. 1 draft picks have been
American - defenseman Erik Johnson, from Minnesota, in 2006 and winger
Patrick Kane of Buffalo in 2007. 6. Changes In Jersey:
It has become a perennial story at the Meadowlands: The Devils
start another season with a new coach. Brent Sutter is the team's 10th
coach since 1998. That run includes two stints by Larry Robinson and
two by franchise president Lou Lamoriello, who finished behind the
bench last year. 7. First To Worst:
Carolina won the first Stanley Cup in franchise history in 2006,
then failed to make the playoffs last season as they finished 11th in
the Eastern Conference. General manager Jim Rutherford did not
overhaul the roster, so we'll see if Carolina can return to Stanley
Cup form. 8. The New Great One:
At 20, Sidney Crosby is carrying the NHL. The Penguins standout
had 120 points and led his team back to the playoffs last season,
solidifying himself as heir to the Wayne Gretzky-Mario Lemieux throne.
9. Not So Great One:
Like Ted Williams failing as manager of the hapless Senators and
Rangers, Gretzky is finding life difficult as a coach. In two seasons
with the Phoenix Coyotes, Gretzky is 69-85-10 and has not been to the
playoffs.