The Hockey News Stanley Cup 2015

ON THE DAY I MADE MY STANLEY CUP PREDICTION, six teams were tied for first overall, four more were within striking distance and I identified 10 in total I wouldn’t be surprised to see win it all – including one that, technically, wasn’t in a playoff position. So how do you whittle it to The One with any confidence? You shut a bunch of hockey geeks in a windowless room, without sustenance, and give them one task: don’t come out until you’ve reached a consensus. When the ice chips settled, the chosen ones were the Tampa Bay Lightning (see pg. 38 for more), a selection we all stand behind even if it wasn’t everyone’s first pick. You win as a team and lose as a team. You play for the…

@THEHOCKEYNEWS /THEHOCKEYNEWS /+THEHOCKEYNEWS I read Ken Campbell’s cover story on Phil Kessel (March 9) and had to laugh. Why is it when people in this article (and many others) have wonderful things to say about an individual they are identified? But when something negative is said they are almost always “a former teammate who requested anonymity” or “a rival team executive”? If they don’t have the balls to put their name behind a quote, don’t print it. Be accountable like Ron Wilson was. Ed Nudge, Glendale, Ariz. LOVE OR HATE ONE OF OUR FEATURES/STORIES? LET US KNOW BY EMAILING US AT LETTERS@THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM MAN UP? The Kessel story was very enlightening. Not so much about Kessel himself, but more about a certain kind of dinosaur that still roams the hockey world. It’s 2015, spurting b.s. about alpha males…

THE PLAYOFFS WERE ALWAYS MY time of year. That’s because no matter what kind of a season you had, the post-season is what everybody remembers. Whether it was a good year, a bad year or an average year, it didn’t matter. You write your ticket in the playoffs. Make no mistake, there’s a huge difference between playing in the regular season and playing in the playoffs. Some NHL players raise their level of game at the most important time of year. Others who may star during the season disappear in the playoffs. It’s a time for desperation. You know if you lose, you’re going home. That’s what motivated me. We all play for the opportunity to win the Stanley Cup. It’s been a dozen years now since I last played in the…

The Best & Worst OF THE HOCKEY WORLD PLUS MINUS +PLUS PHAN-TASIC The Youngstown Phantoms, led by 2015 draft prospect Kyle Connor, become the first modern-era USHL team to win 17 consecutive games. –MINUS TANKS VERY MUCH Buffalo fans are excited about their great odds of drafting Connor McDavid, but cheering a home loss to Arizona? That’s weak (wing) sauce. +PLUS IT’S ABOUT TIME A new women’s league, slated to begin play next season, will pay its players. The NWHL will have teams in Buffalo, Boston, Connecticut and New York. –MINUS DULLED BLADES Saskatoon wins the WHL draft lottery for the second straight year, but due to past trades, that pick, just like last season, goes to another team.…

5. STEVE SMITH’S OWN GOAL (April 30, 1986) The dynastic Edmonton Oilers seek a third straight Stanley Cup and are deadlocked with their bitter rivals, the Calgary Flames, in Game 7 of the Smythe Division final. With the score 2-2 and 14:48 remaining in the third period, Smith corrals the puck behind his net. He attempts a long breakout pass up the middle of the ice and through Grant Fuhr’s crease. The puck banks into Edmonton’s net off Fuhr’s skate. Smith falls to the ice and sobs. It’s his 23rd birthday. It’s the final goal of the game and eliminates the Oilers. Thankfully for Smith, he’s part of two more Cups, including one the next year, after which captain Wayne Gretzky passes the Cup to Smith. Still, Smith’s gaffe makes us wonder if…

WHEN IT COMES TO BUILDING a Stanley Cup winner, there’s a lot to be said for analytics and advanced statistics. When it comes to predicting a Stanley Cup winner, well, there’s a lot to be said for tarot cards, crystal balls, coin flips and a game of rock, paper, scissors. That’s due to the unpredictability of the playoffs. It’s not that advanced stats are useless for those trying to project the conference finalists, but we wouldn’t recommend taking them to the proverbial bank. Part of the reason for that is the playoffs essentially cut the league in half, and that half consists of 16 teams in which the differences in quality are far more minute. Smaller differences make it more difficult to predict who’s going to win. Don’t trust us? Just look…