Five Things to Look Forward to this NHL Season
October means different things to different people. To some, it's the major league baseball playoffs or the feeling of football in the air. To others, it's the end of golf season and time to head back into the rink for hockey.
The 2010 NHL season will kick off in five days when the new look Toronto Maple Leafs host an original six and Canadian rival, the Montreal Canadiens. In honor of the NHL season approaching, here are five things I'm looking forward to this season:
5. 2010 Opening Night, Habs vs. Leafs: Is there a better way to open the NHL season than this match-up? One of the greatest rivalries in sports history will pave the way for what promises to be a great (and unpredictable) NHL Season. The Leafs GM, Brian Burke, put together a team that should get Toronto back into the playoffs. The Habs, well, they gave up their playoff proven goaltender in hopes of the next "Messiah", Carey Price playing to the level the front office thinks he can. He may have more pressure on him now than ever before as the Les Habs look to top their Eastern Conference Finals appearance from last season.
4. NHL Goaltending: Last season we saw some goalies emerge from almost nowhere and lead their teams deep into the playoffs. Can Michael Leighton do it again for the Flyers? Will Jaroslav Halak do in St. Louis what he did for Montreal? How will the Stnaley Cup Champion Antti Niemi react after being snubbed by Chicago? Will Tuukka Rask keep his starting role over veteran Tim Thomas in Boston?
Some think it's time for a big name goalkeeper to steal the show again. Names like Luongo, Lundqvist, and Brodeur are still expected to win. If goalies want big contracts in the future, these three will have to elevate their game prove the big salary goaltender is still worth the investment.
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