Five Story Lines to Watch
If Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals and Sidney Crosby and the Penguins measure up to expectations, the past two MVPs could battle for the scoring title and the Stanley Cup.
(Reuters)
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Ovechkin vs. Crosby
Will the NHL finally get its dream matchup, Alex the Great vs. Sid the Kid? If Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals and Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins measure up to expectations, the league's past two MVPs could battle for the scoring title and then cross paths in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time next spring. Adding to the interest level and marketability of such a matchup is the fact that Ovechkin and Crosby (not to mention their fans) aren't particularly fond of one another.
Hossa in Hockeytown
In Detroit, hockey's best team appears to have gotten even better after the offseason acquisition of high-scoring winger Marian Hossa, the best free agent on the market this summer. So in a salary cap era that is supposed to keep the rich from getting richer, how exactly could the Stanley Cup champions afford Hossa? Shrewd general manager Ken Holland persuaded Hossa to exchange the security of a multiyear contract for a one-year shot at hoisting the big shiny trophy at season's end.
Raze the Roof
Last year's inaugural Winter Classic between the Penguins and Sabres attracted a league-record 71,217 fans to Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., and a huge television audience (by NHL standards, anyway). On New Year's Day, the league hopes to duplicate that success when the Red Wings and Blackhawks meet at Chicago's Wrigley Field. If the spectacle of Original Six rivals playing hockey at one of sport's venerable venues isn't enough, the Classic also features two of hockey's most exciting lineups.
New Blood Behind Bench
Bruce Boudreau's success in leading the Washington Capitals to the Southeast Division championship in his first season as head coach has opened the door for other coaches without previous NHL head coaching experience. Boudreau's best friend, John Anderson, has taken the reins in Atlanta after years in the minors, just as Boudreau did. Peter DeBoer, Florida's new coach, made the jump from juniors, and Scott Gordon, the New York Islanders' new bench boss, came from the American Hockey League.
Not-So-Familiar Faces
The NHL has implemented a new schedule format, which will ensure that superstars such as Ovechkin and Crosby will face each of the league's other 29 teams at least once per season. Last season's Stanley Cup finalists, the Red Wings and the Penguins, did not meet in the 2007-08 regular season. Instead of playing 32 games within the division, which was the case the past three seasons, teams will play just 24 games against division opponents this season, 40 against teams from the rest of the conference and 18 against teams from the other conference.
