chipperAnd that means that the hockey pools are open as well. The NHL Hockey pool that I play in is over on The Score, and will attract a good 200,000 folks to participate in the pool. I'm looking forward to trying and having a good year in terms of my picks and choices this year, and I suspect that I'll have another middling year... after all, how can one predict the up-and-down performances of various players over the 82-game schedule with enough accuracy to win the overall pool pot? Okay, well, someone *will* win the overall pot, but I suspect that it's more a matter of luck than it is real strategy.
As for the NHL season itself... The Ottawa Senators are definitely not favoured to win Lord Stanley's cup this year, but to be honest, I just want to see the team come out and play competitive hockey all season long, and give themselves a chance to win a decent number of games. If they can do that, they'll probably make it into the playoffs, and then who knows what can happen? This is not the same Ottawa Senators team that took to the ice last year, starting with new coach Craig Hartsburg, and then going to a much physically stronger and tougher, but less mobile defense. Up front, Alfie will be expected to give the team the leadership that it requires, and Jarko Ruutu will give the team some of the toughness that it needs. Beyond that, it's just a matter of how many pucks the team can keep out of its net versus how many it can put in the other team's net. The team got off to a good start with the two games in Sweden versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, but over the course of 82 games, well, we'll just have to see...
Go, Sens, Go! :)