With the NHL season fast approaching, we get a head start on hockey talk.
Nothing against the Olympics but I'm ready for the Olympiques, as in the junior hockey Gatineau Olympiques.
And enough about Michael Phelps.
I'm partial to Don Phelps, the long-time coach of the Calgary Canucks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
Yes, training camps at the junior level are already getting underway and in the ultimate sign of shinny sickness, I'm planning to be at the rink for an exhibition tilt on Friday.
NHL camps, on the other hand, don't get going until next month but there's nothing that says we can't offer up a few pre pre-season puck predictions.
1. It's been five years since Todd Bertuzzi fired home 46 pucks for the Vancouver Canucks. Now he's making yet another attempt to find his game with the Calgary Flames, a move GM Darryl Sutter ran by captain Jarome Iginla before going through with it. To try and keep up in the faster paced NHL, Bertuzzi has dropped a few pounds. However, he's still carrying lots of baggage from his infamous attack on Steve Moore and it's just too much of a long shot to believe that Big Bert can return to being a big star.
2. After celebrating a Stanley Cup victory in 2006, the Carolina Hurricanes have suffered from a lengthy hangover and missed the playoffs the past two seasons. One reason? The inconsistent play of netminder Cam Ward, the Conn Smythe winner in '06 who at one time was expected to make a strong bid for the 2010 Canadian Olympic team. With that said, he's still only 23-years old and look for Ward to have a breakout year as Carolina returns to the post-season dance.
3. Much is being made about Scotty Bowman coming on board as a senior advisor with the Chicago Blackhawks. Not only do the 'Hawks inherit a legend, it also allows Scotty to spend time with his son, Stan, Chicago's director of hockey operations who's currently battling cancer. But while the Bowman angle definitely tugs at the heart strings, one of the untold stories surrounding the Hawks is the impressive work of assistant GM Rick Dudley. One of the hardest workers in hockey, Dudley spends most of his time scouting the young talent Chicago has drafted to become relevant once again. Expect rising stars such as Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews to continue their growth and while a playoff spot might be asking too much, don't be shocked if the Hawks find a way to sneak in.
4. A lot of people were surprised when the most hated man in hockey, Sean Avery, signed with the Dallas Stars. Then again, it's not that much of a stretch for Avery to go from dating New York fashion models to cuddling up with Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Say what you want about the guy, but he's become one of the most famous faces in the game. The upside for Avery? In Stars GM Brett Hull, he's working for a man who never met a microphone he didn't like and strongly believes the NHL needs more characters to help sell the game. So, safe in the knowledge that the boss has his back, look for Avery to become more despised, and even more effective.
5. Forget about the fact that Detroit has captured four Cups in the last 11 years. The real reason to fear the Red Wings is their penchant for making everybody else in the league look stupid. Motown is famous for taking late round draft picks such as Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg and turning them into stars. Their latest project? Jonathan Ericsson, a swift-skating Swedish defenceman who the Wings grabbed with the very last pick of the 2002 draft. Ericsson is now being groomed to make his Detroit debut and it's these kind of savvy moves that will allow the Wings to keep the Cup when the playoffs roll around.
6. Outside of watching Kevin Lowe beat up Brian Burke inside a UFC octagon, nothing would make Edmonton Oilers fans happier than a return to the playoffs. Lowe has moved up the front office food chain, allowing Steve Tambellini to take over the GM's duties after years of paying his dues as an assistant in Vancouver. But it's Lowe that's done a great job of laying the ground work for a fresh-faced, up-tempo club with more upside than their rivals in Calgary and in fact, expect the Oilers to finish ahead of the Flames this year.
7. The most-storied franchise in hockey has yet another reason to celebrate this season, as the Montreal Canadiens mark their 100th anniversary. Nobody does a better job than the Habs of honouring their hockey heroes of the past, however the current edition of the Canadiens is determined to give their fans something to celebrate as well. This is a very good hockey club with an excellent chance of representing the Eastern Conference in the Cup final. Goaltender Carey Price is simply too good to suffer from a sophomore slump and Bob Gainey made an outstanding move adding potential 30-goal scorer Alex Tanguay, a native Quebecer who didn't mesh with Mike Keenan in Calgary.
8. In New York, call it a case of addition by subtraction. Jaromir Jagr has left the Rangers for the big dough in Russia and while he still has something left in the tank, the perplexing Jagr was also guilty of tanking. Tom Renney was forced to handle his moody superstar with kid gloves and now that Jagr is gone, an excellent coach becomes even better. Similarly, the Rangers are hoping Jagr's departure will allow Chris Drury to take on more of a leadership role, something he seemed reluctant to do during his first season in the Big Apple. The Rangers will definitely make the playoffs and if Mats Sundin happens to land on Broadway, they could even challenge Montreal for the title of top dog in the East.
9. And speaking of dogs ... "Ladies and gentlemen, your Ottawa Senators." Let's face it, even Freud would scratch his head over this wacky bunch. Following last year's fiasco, the Sens tried to correct some of their sins by adding gritty customers such as Jarkko Ruutu and Jason Smith. However, they're still a one line hockey club with major questions between the pipes. While Ray Emery appeared to wear out his welcome in Ottawa, the fact is the Senators didn't do much to replace a netminder who helped them get to the Cup final two years ago. A playoff team by default, but the Sens window of opportunity has already come crashing down on their fingers.
10. At least the Senators have fingers. Toronto, meanwhile, has just one Finger, an unheralded defenceman named Jeff who was one of the Leafs major off-season acquisitions. The good news for Finger? He signed a four-year deal worth $14 million. The bad news? That kind of cash puts him under the microscope of the rabid fans and media in Toronto, making it almost certain that he'll replace Bryan McCabe as the No. 1 whipping boy. But even if Finger turns into a franchise player, the Leafs are destined to be lousy and the team's only hope is that they're terrible enough to be in a position to take the highly-touted John Tavares with the first pick at next year's draft.
(Coming up Friday, another perfect ten of early bird NHL predictions to satisfy your hockey hunger.)