The Detroit Red Wings have suffered a lot this year, mostly from injuries. At one point, the Wings had nine of their 18 starters on the injured reserve and were forced into relying on rookies called up from the AHL.

Not only that, but they also started the season with goaltending trouble. Both Osgood and Howard had some of the worst save percentages in the NHL (both below 90%). Neither goalie was able to escape the questions that came up. Fans questioned Osgood’s age, as well as Howard’s lack of experience.

I can actually remember talking to one Red Wing blogger who said that he had completely given up on the Howard “experiment” as he called it. I’ll admit, I wasn’t too sure about Howard either. I thought that they should have kept Ty Conklin and gotten rid of Osgood. Conklin would have had a few more years than Osgood, and I didn’t think that Howard was ready.

As it turned out, I was wrong. Eventually, Howard started seeing more success, and is now a possible candidate for the “Rookie of the Year” Award.

However, I can’t blame the beginning of the season on the goalies, because defense was also a huge concern. In October, they were allowing an insane amount of goals and actually averaged 3.4 goals against per game. To me, it’s not surprising that they struggled. After all, the defense was a weakness last year for the Wings in the playoffs, and it was also a concern coming into this year.

As you can see, the Wings have faced a ton of problems, and all of these problems have contributed in some way to their current position. Right now, they are eighth in the Western Conference with one point on Calgary, and one point away from Nashville.

Recently, everything has turned around, most notably, Jimmy Howard. A lot of this improvement in skill has been from a jump in confidence. As he started seeing a little bit of success, he started becoming more confident, and as he became more confident he started seeing more success.

Just as importantly, the injured players have made their returns. The biggest return was Johan Franzen, who missed most of the season with a serious knee injury. However, many other players have returned as well, including Andreas Lilja and Niklas Kronwall.

It seems like everything good is happening at the same time for the Red Wings. They have a really good team, which has more talent on the ice now then it has had for the entire season.

Not only that, but they’re in the most desperate position they’ve been in for over a decade. When a team is in a desperate position like this, we usually see a much higher work ethic. That could certainly happen to the Wings, and it would make them very difficult to beat.

I said in my Western Conference Predictions that the Red Wings would finish in seventh place, and I’m sticking to that prediction. This team has a ton of talent, a confident goalie, and more incentive to win than most of the teams in the NHL.

My bet, is that we see the Red Wings in seventh place as they increase their work ethic, and finally bring the level of talent that they’re capable of. They could end up being one of the hottest teams in the NHL, and that would all but assure them a spot in the playoffs.

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I’ve heard a lot about the Chicago Blackhawks’ goaltending situation. A lot of that is from other writers talking about the goalies, but more recently, from the Vokoun trade rumors that floated around the NHL.

Personally, I think that the rumor was fueled by a bunch of Chicago bloggers that got excited from the speculation thrown around by ESPN radio. I don’t think that there was ever much truth behind it, and I’m actually a little surprised that it got as far as it did.

The important part about that lack of a trade is that the Blackhawks’ goalie situation is still the same. They are still unsure whether or not Cristobal Huet or Antti Niemi should see more starts. Recently, both have been seeing playing time, but neither one of them have been putting up impressive numbers.

Huet’s numbers have been the worst. He currently has a save percentage of 90.0%, which makes him 37th in the NHL, and Niemi is tied for 22nd in the NHL with a save percentage of 91%. Neither one of them are producing the exciting numbers that you would expect to see from a playoff favorite.

However, this is not a new issue for the Blackhawks. As you probably know, they have been struggling with this dilemma for the entire season.

Fortunately for Chicago, this lack of a solid starting goaltender has not stopped them from having one of the NHL’s best records. They are still an extremely talented club with a lot of strong individual players.

Many of these strong individual players are on the offense, which scores an average of 3.2 goals per game (2nd in the NHL). Marian Hossa, Jonathon Toews, Patrick Kane as well as many others have helped the Blackhawks in that department.

Obviously, this offense has been one of the biggest reasons that they’ve been able to win games, and that has to continue. Now, the question is whether or not that offense is going to out-weigh the goaltending. Normally, it wouldn’t, the Atlanta Thrashers are a prime example of that.

However, offense is not the only strength that Chicago has. Despite the fact that the Blackhawks are struggling in goal, they are not struggling defensively. In fact, they have allowed the least amount of goals per game of any team in the NHL (2.36). Most of that is from the players in front of the goalies, who have played very well.

Normally, I would say that having a strong goaltender is a huge factor in how far a team goes in a season. Take Team USA for example, they probably wouldn’t have made the Gold Medal game if Ryan Miller hadn’t been in goal. Usually, the same is true in the NHL. You need to have solid goaltending to win the Stanley Cup. So far, the only exception to this rule has been the Chicago Blackhawks.

That’s because they still have one of the most talented rosters in the NHL. More importantly, they have an offense that is very good at keeping the puck in the attacking zone (which has also helped them score more goals), and a defense that is very good at limiting opportunities in the defensive zone.

I’ve seen a ton of people disagree with my assessment, most notably Jeremy Roenick. He did say that the Blackhawks didn’t have the goaltending to win the Stanley Cup. However, that is Roenick talking, and I definitely wouldn’t trust everything he says.

He is right about one thing though, if you want to beat the Blackhawks, then you have to attack the goalies. However, before you can attack them, you’ll have to get the puck out of your own zone around some of the best forwards in the NHL, and then get it past some of the best defenders in the NHL. And then, you can think about taking a shot.

This is why teams have such a hard time scoring. It’s not because the goalies are awesome, it’s because the defenders in front of the goalies are awesome.

As long as they keep playing the same style of play that they have been, then they’ll go a long way. There’s a reason that they keep winning games, and there’s a reason that they’re still on top of the standings. That reason is because they’re a great team offensively and defensively.

This style of play could easily make them a Stanley Cup favorite in May or June, as long as they keep it up. However, that’s easier said then done, and we have yet to see whether or not their play in the playoffs will be as good as their play in the regular season.

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Although Rupp definitely won the fight, I don’t think it says anything about who’s stronger. It’s very difficult to fight when you have an injured hand, and when Gaustad injured his hand, he no longer had a chance in the fight.

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With the end of the season quickly approaching, the playoffs have started to come on everybody’s mind. Many teams are currently fighting for a better spot, and some are fighting for a spot at all. These games are the most important games of the entire season. With that said, here are my predictions for the 2010 Western Conference Bracket.

1. San Jose Sharks
2. Chicago Blackhawks
3. Vancouver Canucks
4. LA Kings
5. Colorado Avalanche
6. Phoenix Coyotes
7. Detroit Red Wings
8. Calgary Flames

#1: Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks have put together one of the most intimidating rosters in the NHL. During the off season, they added some talent in Tomas Kopecky, but more importantly, the Hawks added Marian Hossa. This increase in talent has signaled a not-so-subtle run for the Stanley Cup.

Right now, they have the fourth best offense in the NHL (3.13 goals per game) and the second best defense (2.36 goals against per game).

However, this defense is covering up a weakness in goaltending. Many fans are disappointed in Cristobal Huet because he hasn’t been the solid goaltender that the Blackhawks need. And really, he hasn’t been. His goals against average is good (2.31), but that’s because of the defense in front of him. His save percentage is actually at 90.2%, which is 33rd in the NHL.

Usually, the goalie is the most important player on the team because of the role he plays. However, the Blackhawks are the exception to this rule. They are able to rely on a potent offense and solid defense in front of the goalie to win games. As long as they keep doing this, they will continue to see success.

#2: San Jose Sharks

Last year, the San Jose Sharks were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the Anaheim Ducks. This year, they are once again at the top of the standings and will be looking to redeem themselves for last year’s early exit.

Right now, the Sharks and Blackhawks are the front-runners of the Western Conference, and either team could easily come in first. However, the difference is going to be in the schedule.

Most of the games that the Sharks are going to play are against teams that are in the middle to lower portion of the standings. Normally, that would work to the advantage of a team as good as the Sharks, but at this time of the season, these teams are extremely desperate and will stop at nothing to win games.

The Sharks will have to deal with a lot of desperate, hard-working teams that will have their backs against the wall. Although they have the talent to win every game they play, they won’t have the incentive that their opponents will.

#3: Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks have struggled with two things this season. The first is their play on the road. Despite the fact that they currently are winning their division, they have only won about half of their road games. This has cost them points during the 14 game road trip that many believe will decide their season.

The other problem that they had to deal with came at the beginning of the season. It was a combination of losing Daniel Sedin to injury, and the fact that Roberto Luongo started the season in a slump. Although this was a problem at the beginning of the season, it’s long gone. However, it did cause the Canucks to lose out on some points that would have assured them the division lead.

In the playoffs, the top three spots are reserved for the division leaders, so even though they may have a worst record than the LA Kings, they will still get a better playoff spot.

As debatable as that is, it’s still the reason that the Canucks are going to finish third in the conference. The only team they have to beat is Colorado, who is very young and lacks experience. The Canucks have an experienced goaltender as well as a first line that is widely considered to be the best first line in the NHL. These two factors are going to make a huge difference during the last few games.

#4: LA Kings

Recently, the LA Kings have been one of the league’s hottest teams. In fact, last month they won a franchise record nine consecutive games. This hot streak propelled them up the standings and turned their playoff hopes from questionable, to certain.

Right now, the Kings have the 12th best defense in the league (2.66 goals against per game) as well as the eighth best offense (2.9 goals per game). During the past few months, they have played exceptionally well in both areas.

The interesting part about the offense is that Anze Kopitar and Ryan Smith are the only players producing a bunch of goals. Instead, they have an offense that is very well spread out, with six other players scoring ten or more goals. This is very difficult for other teams to defend.

Defensively, the Kings have improved a ton over the last few years. Two seasons ago, the Kings were ranked 28th in defense and last year, they were ranked 11th. Even though their defensive ranking has dropped to 12th, they are still allowing less goals per game. This too has made a big difference.

#5: Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche are characterized by one thing….youth. They are a very young team with a very young goaltender. With the exception of a solid veteran in Milan Hejduk, most of the team is very inexperienced. This will definitely be a disadvantage when they try to make the playoffs.

The biggest concern for the Avalanche is going to be Craig Anderson. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good goalie. However, we’ll have to wait and see whether or not he’ll be able to perform under the end of the season pressure.

For the entire season, the Avs’ record has gone up and down with Anderson’s style of play. For example, at the beginning of the season, when Anderson was playing extremely well, the Avs were at the top of the standings. As teams started figuring him out, the Avs started losing. Before the Olympic break, he was playing well again and Colorado was winning their games.

Right now, the Avs are in a division race with the Vancouver Canucks. The winner of that race will finish third in the Western Conference. Obviously, every game is a must win, and the Avalanche simply don’t have the experience that the Canucks do.

#6: Phoenix Coyotes

The Phoenix Coyotes are one of the most surprising teams in the NHL. With all of the distractions they faced during the off season, it’s a minor miracle that they are in playoff contention at all. However, they do have a great goalie in Ilya Bryzgalov who has definitely played a huge role in this team’s success.

Phoenix’s defense has been able to counter a under average offense, which is their biggest weakness. Currently, their offense is ranked 23rd in the NHL and has remained pretty consistent for the entire season. At the same time, their defense has remained solid and has consistently limited the goals that are scored against them.

The key for the Coyotes is going to be keeping that up. If the defense falls into a slump, then the Coyotes will drop in the standings. However, the defense hasn’t had any major slumps for the entire season, and I don’t see any reason that they would now.

#7: Detroit Red Wings

Although every team has been affected by injuries this season, the Detroit Red Wings were hit the hardest. At one point, they had nine of their 18 starting players on the injured reserve. This forced them to bring in a ton of rookies from the AHL.

Another problem at the beginning of the season was goaltending. Both Jimmy Howard and Chris Osgood struggled in net, and it was unclear which goalie should be the starting goalie. There was actually a point where Howard had the worst save percentage in the NHL and Osgood had the third worst save percentage in the NHL.

Right now, the Red Wings have been given a huge break. The injured players have returned and have started making a difference. Most notably, Johan Franzen has returned from his knee injury and already started producing goals. However, other players like Niklas Kronwall, Andreas Lilja, and Tomas Holmstrom have also come back from injuries.

More importantly, Jimmy Howard has found his game. He has gone from being one of the worst goalies in the NHL to being a rookie of the year candidate. Once he started seeing a little bit of success, his confidence grew, and as his confidence grew, he started seeing more success.

However, the biggest factor to consider is that the Red Wings simply have to win. They haven’t made any trades at the trade deadline and will be going into the playoffs with the team they’ve got. When you have a great team, like the Wings, which has its back against a wall, you get some of the best players in the NHL working extremely hard for wins. This combination is very difficult for other teams to overcome, and will lead the Wings up the standings.

#8: Calgary Flames

At one time, the Calgary Flames were pretty much assured a playoff spot. Mikka Kiprusoff was playing extremely well, and their defense was among the best in the league. However, once that defense broke down and slumped, everything started collapsing for the Flames. They dropped from what looked to be a safe playoff position, all the way out of the top eight. At one time, they were as low as tenth in the conference.

However, they have fixed their offense, which used to be their biggest weakness. In a blockbuster trade with Toronto, they added Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, and Ian White. All of these players are huge assets for the Flames and will help them make a playoff run.

With the improvements that the Flames have made to their team, they are likely going to rise in the standings. Not to mention the help they’ll get from the players they already have in Kiprusoff and Jarome Iginla.

Conclusion

The fight for the playoffs is usually just as entertaining as the playoffs themselves. There are a lot of great teams this year, and a lot of possibilities. It definitely wasn’t easy to make this list.

Over the next week, I’m hoping to have my Eastern Conference predictions up as well. If you would like to be updated, then subscribe to my newsletter. You can see the form in the top right hand side of the screen under the “How to Get More from Tips for Hockey” headline.

As always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed my article.

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There’s not much to say about my first medal predictions. Those were pretty much taken away with the first USA vs. Canada game. I had picked Canada to win gold, Russia to win silver, and Sweden to win bronze, but a couple of upsets made that impossible.

But, that’s hockey. It’s very easy to say that the favorite is going to win the Gold Medal, but it’s very hard to say that there’s going to be an upset or two. I don’t know how many people would have said that Sweden (or Russia) would have lost to Slovakia, or Canada would have lost to the United States.

With that said, I’m going to make some predictions about the Gold Medal game between the US and Canada. Canada is still the favorite, and a bit of an obvious pick, but Team USA proved last time that anything can happen in the Olympics. If the United States wins, it will be an upset because Canada has better depth and more talent.

However, that’s not the only thing Canada will have in this game. There’s one thing that the Canadians have this time that they didn’t have the first time. This time, they have a bigger incentive to win. After the last game with the United States, Canada was taught the harsh reality that even if you’re a favorite, you still have to play every game well. The Gold Medal game will be a “redemption” game for Team Canada.

That factor alone could cause the game to be a blowout. Canada wants this medal more than any country ever could. Couple that with the fact that the United States has been making some mistakes in their games over the entire tournament, and you get a ton of goals for Canada.

Another factor in tomorrow’s game will be goaltending. After the loss to the United States, Canada pulled goalie Martin Brodeur and replaced him with Roberto Luongo. With Luongo in net, they have seen better results.

Goaltending is also the greatest advantage for the United States, and one of the few places that they have the advantage. Ryan Miller is better than any goalie on Canada’s roster, and in my opinion, is the best goalie currently in the NHL. He currently owns the second best save percentage in the NHL (93.0%) and the second best goals against average (2.16). His play in the Olympics has also been lights out. Miller definitely stole a win from Canada the last time they met, and will be a big factor in how well the United States fairs in the Gold Medal game tomorrow.

Although my predictions for Team USA finishing in fifth place were simply wrong, my prediction on Miller being the biggest factor in how well they do was correct. The first time they played each other, Canada peppered Miller with over 40 shots. That includes a ton of scoring opportunities towards the end of the game where Miller came through with some huge saves that many goalies would have missed.

If the United States wants to win the Gold, Miller will have to play another great game. However, I don’t think that the United States will be able to defeat the Canadians again. Canada simply has more depth and more talent. More importantly, they have the “will power” that they didn’t have in the round-robin tournament. That should provide a huge difference in Canada’s effort, and also be a big factor in how tomorrow’s game ends up.

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Team Canada entered the tournament as a Gold Medal favorite. With a bunch of talent and experience on their roster, most people expected them to glide through the round-robin tournament undefeated. Yes, I am one of those people, I actually predicted them to win the Gold Medal.

Canada’s epic loss to Team USA on Sunday night is forcing an entire nation to question their Gold Medal chances. In what some are calling the second “Miracle on Ice”, the United States was able to quiet a rowdy nation by defeating them in the game they invented. This year was supposed to be a redemption year from 2006, and this game was supposed to be a redemption game from the game they played against the Swiss.

In 2006, Canada finished in an embarrassing seventh place despite having some of the best players from the NHL. A lack of chemistry was a major factor in that performance, and coaching was another issue they had to deal with. Both issues were supposed to be fixed, and this was supposed to give Canada a much easier time in the tournament.

Canada has more experience than the Americans, more talent, and more depth. Their goaltending isn’t bad and their chemistry is good too (especially at the end of the game when they were attacking the Americans with absolutely everything they had). Statistically, there is no way that they should have lost this game.

The Americans beat the Canadians by playing a great game themselves. However, that doesn’t tell the whole story. A great game from Canada would defeat a great game from the United States. If Canada had played its best, like the Americans, then the outcome would have been different.

Sunday night, the best players in the world were not playing like the best players in the world. The first goal that the Canadians scored was off of an accidental deflection by Sidney Crosby only 40 seconds into the game. The second goal was off of a mental error by Martin Brodeur where he attempted to clear the puck, but instead gave the puck right to Brian Rafalski. Rafalski was able to capitalize on this rare but serious mistake from one of the best goalies of all time.

Goaltending is where the Americans had a huge advantage on Sunday. Ryan Miller may have played the biggest game of his career, and he showed why I consider him to be the best goalie in the NHL. He was peppered by the Canadians, facing 45 shots and only allowing three goals. This is compared to Brodeur who faced half as many shots, but allowed more goals.

Unfortunately for Canada, a bunch of shots were all they were able to create. Normally, the amount of pressure that they were putting on Team USA would have been enough to generate more goals. Although they had some great scoring chances, Miller was able to come up with huge saves for Team USA. Couple that great performance by Miller with the fact that Canada hung themselves on a couple of crucial goals, and you get the second “Miracle on Ice”.

Recently, Mike Babcock announced that he was going to sit Martin Brodeur for the next game against Germany. Instead, Roberto Luongo will take the crease for Canada. Luongo played in the shutout win over Norway at the beginning of the tournament and is a great goalie to replace Brodeur with.

One thing that we have to remember is that this doesn’t eliminate the Canadians from the tournament. They are still a threat to win the Gold Medal, and they can still be considered one of the favorites. This loss did come in a qualifying game, and in the grand scheme of the tournament, won’t be a big decider in who wins a medal. However, if Canada plays another game with the mistakes that they made against the United States, they will be a long shot for a medal, even with their great roster.

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I’ve been writing a lot about the Olympics for the past few weeks. I’ve written articles on this website and other websites which have compared teams, talked about strengths and weaknesses, and even given medal predictions.

However, I haven’t really focused on the players. After all, those are the people that will be representing their countries. We’ve all heard about the star players like Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, or the Sedin twins. However, when these players play against each other, everything is even. Every single one of those players is good enough to be productive in the Olympics. So, when they’re on the ice together, nobody has an advantage.

The team that wins will need to have depth, chemistry, solid goaltending, and veteran leadership. To me, the deciding factors are going to be chemistry and depth, since every team expected to finish in the top five has solid goaltending and veteran leadership. It’s likely that the gold medal will be won by players on the lower lines. These players are who you’ll have to watch for.

However, that’s only a little bit of how I chose this list. If I want to make a list about the players you need to watch in the Olympics, I have to consider the “WOW” factor. After all, that is why people enjoy watching hockey.

#5) Jonathon Toews – F – Team Canada

Jonathon Toews is a big star back in Chicago. He has been having a great year with the Blackhawks, tallying the fourth most points on the team. His role on Team Canada isn’t going to be as big as Chicago, but it will be just as important.

Toews is one of the big depth players on Team Canada. His line is going to be playing against the lower lines of other countries. This depth is the thing that tips the gold medal scale in favor of the Canadians. He won’t be seeing as much time on the ice as Crosby, Thornton or any of those players, but when he is on the ice, he will have more talent than anybody the other team has on the ice.

When Canada plays Russia or Sweden in the medal round, he will have to play extremely well. Again, that’s because the top lines are a virtual deadlock. The bottom lines are the only place that Canada has a clear advantage over every other team in the tournament.

#4) Nicklas Lidstrom – D – Team Sweden

Nick Lidstrom has been around the game for a while. His veteran leadership on Team Sweden is going to be crucial for the team’s gold medal hopes. Not only that, but he’s also one of the most talented defenders that Sweden can put on the ice.

He’s also the player that Sweden will be using to fend off some of the weapons that Russia or Canada will bring against them in the medal round. Lidstrom is going to be the first line of defense against players like Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Joe Thornton or Ilya Kovalchuk. His role on Team Sweden is going to be crucial, because they will be in a lot of trouble if he fails.

#3) Pavel Datsyuk – F – Team Russia

This is where the “WOW” factor that I mentioned earlier comes in. Pavel Datsyuk is widely known around the NHL as a “dangler”. He’s very good at pulling moves, and very creative when he does it. However, he doesn’t usually have to face a bunch of the NHL’s best defenders at the same time.

The fact that Datsyuk is going to face the world’s best defenders means that he’ll just have to be more creative with his moves. He’s always a threat to do something you’ll never see coming. That’s something that the defenders know and respect.

However, Datsyuk has made a habit of making big dekes at crucial points in the game. In fact, the more important the situation, the more likely he is to pull a deke. He has the best chance of pulling a move that will be on the highlight reel for the next few decades.

#2) Teemu Selanne – F – Team Finland

If Finland wants to medal, they have to rely on three things. The first is chemistry, which is the most important thing they will need to have. The second is goaltending, which also looks pretty solid. The third thing is veteran leadership, which is where Selanne comes into play.

How well Selanne plays is going to rub off on the rest of the team. He’s a person that the younger players can look up to, and if he elevates his game it’s going to help the other players decide to elevate theirs. Selanne has to come up with timely goals and make great plays to help inspire his teammates.

#1) Ryan Miller – G – Team USA

Ryan Miller has already established himself as one of the best goalies in the NHL. He’s second in the NHL in both save percentage (93.0%) and goals against average (2.16). However, he has to be even stronger in the Olympics.

For most of the season, the Buffalo Sabres have run a defensive first system. Whenever they were in the attacking zone, they would have three players on or near the point. This made it virtually impossible to get around their defense. This also made Miller’s job easier because he didn’t see as many scoring opportunities against him. Although they have moved away from that strategy (or just stopped executing it as well), Miller has still been solid.

Like the Sabres, Team USA also has some great defenders on the team. However, these defenders will be no match for the weapons that Canada, Russia, or Sweden will throw at them. If Team USA wants to go anywhere, Miller has to be more than solid, he has to be god-like.

We’ve already seen that in the first two games that Team USA has played. They made some crucial mistakes against Switzerland that Miller had to bail them out on and they also made mistakes against Norway which Miller also had to bail them out on. He’s going to have to be even stronger when he plays against teams that have the talent to capitalize on these mistakes. Of course, Team USA could just not make mistakes, but the way they look this year, I don’t think that’s likely.

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The men’s ice hockey tournament has been the center of a ton of hype, publicity, and excitement since the beginning of the NHL season. Hockey fans have waited to see their country’s best players compete against other countries’ best players.

The tournament starts on Tuesday, February 16th and ends with the gold medal game on February 28th. During this time, you will get to see the best players in the world compete in a total of 30 games. Here are some of the things that you will want to pay attention to, and some of the headlines you may see. Make sure to check out my medal predictions as well.

Favorites

Team Canada

Canada is coming off of its most embarrassing performance in history. In 2006, the finished in a dismal sixth place because they lacked chemistry. This year, that has become the focus of the team. They are one of the favorites that is expected to win a medal.

Team Russia

Russia has not won a gold medal in men’s hockey since 1992 when they were known as the “Unified Team”. They have stacked their roster with some of the best players in the world including Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk, and Evengini Nabokov between the pipes. Like Canada, they are also expected to medal.

Games to Pay Attention To

Unfortunately, for the next week, most of the games are going to be pretty one sided. The big powerhouses don’t get together until Sunday, February 21st. However, there are other games that will help decide the lower portion of the standings.

Sweden vs. Finland – February 21st

Sweden is the defending gold medal winner, and Finland is the defending silver medal winner. In 2006, these two teams were pretty evenly matched and it’s looking to be the same in 2010. This is the most entertaining match-up until the medal round.

USA vs. Canada – February 21st

The game against Canada is going to be the biggest test for Team USA. They finished in a disappointing eighth place in 2006 and will be looking to climb back to the top of the standings. The game they play against Canada will be the perfect opportunity to see how much better this team has gotten. We will be able to find out if they can, once again, compete with the best.

See My Olympic Medal Predictions

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• Reasons Canucks Shouldn’t Worry
• Who Needs to be Blamed for Carolina’s Season
• What’s Up With Ovechkin’s Suspension?

With all of the hype surrounding the opening ceremony and the many different competitions that are going to be in the Olympics, many people are making predictions on who they think will win. I’ve decided that it’s time to throw my own predictions into the mix regarding the men’s hockey tournament.

GOLD MEDAL: Team Canada

Right now,there are two teams that are being seriously looked at as gold medal contenders, one is Team Canada, and the other is Team Russia. Both have loaded their roster with a ton of talent. A match between these two teams would be a toss up.

In 2006, Team Canada had it’s most embarrassing showing in history. They finished seventh in the world despite having some of the world’s best players on their team. The 2006 team suffered from a lack of chemistry and wasn’t able to produce the amount that they should have.

This is a mistake that they made sure to avoid when they picked the 2010 team. Steve Yzerman has said that he is not looking for the players with the best stats, he’s looking for players that will work well together. In fact, some of the players that were on the team in 2006 are not on the team in 2010. Most notably, Marty St. Louis and Shane Doan both missed the cut.

Although they have made changes offensively, their goaltending isn’t going to change at all. They will be able to throw Martin Brodeur or Roberto Luongo in goal. Both would be able to handle the Olympic level of play.

With that said, these Olympics are going to be about redemption for the Canadians. They will be looking to prove that 2006 was a fluke, and when better to do that than in front of their own crowd? The determination that this team is unmatched by any team in the NHL.

SILVER MEDAL: Team Russia

The Russians have not won a gold medal since they were known as the Unified Team in 1992. That ended decades of domination. This year, they will be looking to reestablish their previous glory by taking the gold medal. Russia has established an intimidating roster that no team wants to face.

They’ve done that by getting some of the NHL’s elite talent to lead the team into Vancouver. Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk, and most importantly, goalie Evengini Nabokov will all be crucial players for Russia. Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, and Datsyuk have the ability to overwhelm any offense they face and Nabokov has the ability to play well against any team.

However, the Russians have not made chemistry the focus. Instead, they took the players with the best stats. They also have KHL talent at the bottom lines, which doesn’t match the NHL talent that the Canadians will be putting on their lower lines.

Russia is going to be forced into relying on its top line to score most of its goals. That shouldn’t be a big problem until they play Canada. The Canadians are the only team that have the talent on the first line that matches the Russians, and the defenders will be less likely to fall for the moves that the Russian forwards will try to pull. This is going to make it very difficult for the Russians to score the necessary goals.

If the Russians want to win, they have to figure out a way to beat the Canadians on the first line and contend with them on the bottom lines. If they can’t do that, then they have no chance.

BRONZE MEDAL: Team Sweden

Team Sweden is the defending gold medalist and has a lot of players returning from 2006. There really haven’t been a lot of changes to this team. They are looking to get a similar result with a similar lineup. Unfortunately for Sweden, they didn’t have to face the quality of talent that Russia or Canada is going to be throwing at them in the last Olympics.

This is going to be the first time that they face the skill that Russia will be throwing at them as well as the chemistry that Canada have. These differences are going to make it a lot more difficult for the Swedes to win the gold.

With that said, they also have a lot of talent on their team. It’s never a bad thing when you pull the majority of your talent from the Western Conference Champions and then add the Sedin twins and a solid goalie. To me, they’re much better than Finland or the United States. However, I don’t think that they will match the Canadians or the Russians.

They also don’t look as good defensively. On defense, they have a lot of players that play really well for their NHL teams. However, they don’t have a lot of players that will be able to consistently handle the talent that Russia and Canada will throw at them. Eventually, that will be the undoing for the team.

And Team USA Finishes In….

One of the things that I get asked a lot is where Team USA will finish up. In 2006, they finished in a distant eighth place and this year is only going to be a little better. I’m predicting that they finish in fifth place behind Finland.

The reason is simple. Back in 2002, Team USA won the silver medal with a bunch of veterans on their team. However, they did not do a good job developing young talent to replace the veterans when they left. The US really suffered from that back in 2006, but they are not out of the water yet.

Their defense won’t be able to handle the scoring threats Russia or Canada will throw at them, and their offense isn’t going to be strong enough to penetrate the defense. With that said, Team USA does have a bright future. Their junior team actually defeated the Canadians to win the Junior tournament. Although this year doesn’t look good, Team USA’s future looks bright.

Related Posts

• Top 3 Hockey Fights of the Season (so far)
• Winners and Losers of October
• Reasons Canucks Shouldn’t Worry
• Who Needs to be Blamed for Carolina’s Season
• What’s Up With Ovechkin’s Suspension?

For the past few months, Ilya Kovalchuk has been the figurehead of the trade market. He grabbed the attention of the media and started debates all over the internet. With New Jersey ending the drama by acquiring Kovalchuk, we have to wonder where the next “sweepstaks” going to be.

While the media was busy being distracted by Kovalchuk, there were other things that happened as well. Right now, there is a player that is beginning to capture the attention of the media, and his current position could cause as big of a controversy as Kovi did.

The player is Ray Whitney and the team is the Carolina Hurricanes. Although the ‘Canes are being the ‘Canes, Whitney represents a wealth of talent on the team. He is currently third on the team in points and goals, despite being 37 years old. However, his age is what makes Carolina want to trade him. The thing that makes this interesting, is that Whitney has a no trade clause and will get to chose which city he plays in.

After this trade, Whitney is going to try to finish his career in one city. The reason that he didn’t accept the trade to the LA Kings was because they refused to sign him to a three year contract extension. That would probably be until the end of his career.

Although Carolina could sign him to a three year extension, it’s not an advisable move. With his age, he’s not going to make a meaningful impact in the long term success of the team. By the time the Hurricanes are ready to make a long playoff run, Whitney may only have one or two years left in him. Because of that, Carolina needs to trade him for a few prospects that will at the top of their game in a few years.

Right now, the team that he’s most likely to go to is the Pittsburgh Penguins who have indicated that they would sign him to the three year extension that he is looking for. Although nothing has come up yet, it’s looking like the Hurricanes will get a few prospects for Whitney, which is exactly what they’re looking for during a rebuilding phase.

As for the Penguins, they would be strengthening their first or second line offense as well as their power play. This could also help the Pens reestablish the momentum they had at the beginning of the season and make another strong playoff run.

I have heard rumors about other teams that may be interested, but I’m not sure how true they are. I’ve heard rumors about the New York Rangers, the Nashville Predators, the Phoenix Coyotes, and the Buffalo Sabres as well. All of those teams would benefit to having a strong winger like Whitney play on their team.

With that said, Whitney would be a great addition to any team and I’m surprised that more teams than the few I mentioned aren’t trying to go after him. Just about every team could use a player with his level of talent. If anything, we might have to turn our attention from the “Kovalchuk Sweepstakes” to the “Whitney Sweepstakes” which promises to be just as entertaining.

Related Posts

• Top 3 Hockey Fights of the Season (so far)
• Winners and Losers of October
• Reasons Canucks Shouldn’t Worry
• Who Needs to be Blamed for Carolina’s Season
• What’s Up With Ovechkin’s Suspension?