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Let the games begin The 2000-01 season should be one to remember
Give NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman credit. He's not given to the same hyperbole that seems to flow freely from the mouth of Olympic pres Juan Antonio Samaranch. Let's face it. You knew two days into the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia that Samaranch was bound to declare the Sydney Games "the best ever" -- doping scandal or no doping scandal. Samaranch's boast was predicted way before television buffs would start to confuse NBC for the History Channel because of its tape-delay broadcasts. Bettman must wait until next June before he can announce the 2000-01 as the NHL's best ever, and he just might be prone to make the pronouncement. No doubt you'll hear about another attendance record come playoff time, but when you expand by two teams (Columbus and Minnesota) and add, say 36,000 seats multiplied by 42 home gates, check the math. Maybe the only number that will be greater than the total attendance figures is the total of the penalty minutes called because of yet another push to chase slashing, hooking, holding and whatever else that catches the eyes of the NHL's new director of officiating, Andy Van Hellemond, out of the game. There's no real burning issues facing Bettman, but he'll have a rash of brush fires (injuries, bad ice, Carolina's attendance woes) to deal with before St. Louis -- you heard it here first -- wins the Stanley Cup. After all, this is the NHL we're talking about. But there is reason to believe the NHL season could be one of the best in years. There are at least seven teams -- Buffalo, Washington, Toronto, Ottawa, New Jersey, Florida and Philadelphia -- who can emerge from the Eastern Conference and challenge for the Cup. Pittsburgh is on the lip of the crease looking in and much depends on their goaltending. But watch for Buffalo to make its second appearance in the Cup final in three years. The motto is never rule out a team that has Dominik Hasek in goal, and come trade time, they have a top prospect in goalie Mika Noronen to offer as bait to get a player over the hump. It's tight in the Western Conference, but not as deep. St. Louis, Colorado, Dallas, and Detroit are formidable opponents. Phoenix needs a goalie (hello Nik Khabibulin ) and consider the remaining clubs as works in progress, with some needing more work than others. The Blues will win the West because they have the best team. Since I've awarded the Blues the Stanley Cup, it is worth mentioning what else to look out for this season. The NHL season opens with Eric Lindros on the sidelines with concussion-related problems. When he is healthy, he's one of the top players in the game. And when there's a hint that The Big E is close to returning, the bidding for his services will begin. Lindros wants out of Philadelphia and the Flyers are more than willing to oblige. Hello New York or Toronto. Sometime soon -- or so they say -- Wayne Gretzky will own a piece of the Phoenix Coyotes and once he gets control, he's in charge of all hockey-related decisions. The Great One was a great player, but can he build a great team? This is worth watching. Gretzky's old pal, Mark Messier, returns for a second run on Broadway and he's already promised that the New York Rangers will make the playoffs. Maybe Messier wants Samaranch's job. Ottawa's Alexei Yashin lost BIG TIME this past season when he misplayed his cards in a contract dispute and now the multi-talented Russian has a lot to prove. Yashin must show he's not as selfish as some people think or he'll never make the $10 million per season he thinks he is worth. As always, players will be chasing milestones, in particular Patrick Roy. The Colorado goalie starts the season three shy of Terry Sawchuk's mark of 447 wins as the NHL's winningest goalie. Last, but not least, is the fact that the NHL's version of the color barrier has been broken. For the first time ever, there are two European head coaches. Alpo Suhonen is a Finn who runs the Chicago bench, while Ivan Hlinka of the Czech Republic is the main man in Pittsburgh. The team to watch: Vancouver. Why? They're young, fast, and have twin towers Mattias Ohlund and Ed Jovanovski on the blue line. The Canucks also have the Sedin twins -- Daniel and Henrik -- and while they will rack up the points, there are nights they will be defensive liabilities. For you hockey poolies, look for Keith Tkachuk to rack up the points. He can't do any worse than he did this past season, and he is going into a contract year. Simon Gagne won't make Flyers' fans forget about Lindros but he's worth watching. And Ottawa's Martin Havlat will win the Calder Trophy. Drop the puck, and let's get going.
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