After the long holiday, Inside the NHL is back for the New Year with plenty of material.
The new NHL just continues to impress America, as the league posted the best January attendance in its 88-year history, averaging 16,795 people per game, about 91.6 percent of capacity.
Meanwhile, the standings have maintained a resolute consistency for the last month, as the Ottawa Senators continue their astounding dominance, led by Dany Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza, each of whom occupies various scoring leader boards. They are clearly the team to beat, not just in the East, but across the league. Early Stanley Cup Final predictions have them as the clear favorite.
The Philadelphia Flyers are the other Eastern team to assert themselves lately. Over the break, the Flyers went on an unprecedented 11-game road trip over three weeks, due to the annual "Disney on Ice" performances at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. Their improbable 9-1-1 record during the stretch set a road trip record for victories and elevated them to the top of the Atlantic Division.
Led by Peter Forsberg, the ever-impressive Simon Gagne and recently reactivated Joni Pitkanen, the Flyers are getting it together for a run at the Cup. They also recently traded young defenseman Dennis Seidenberg to the Phoenix Coyotes for veteran center Petr Nedved, an addition that adds more firepower to an explosive offense.
The growing excitement in the hockey world is due to the upcoming Olympics, which begin on Feb. 10. The NHL will take a two-week hiatus, allowing its national and international players to focus entirely on the success of their respective nations. Canada, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic will be the teams to watch.
Canada has an abundance of talent, including NHL leading scorers Gagne and Heatley and star goalie Martin Brodeur. That they can afford to leave phenom Sidney Crosby off of the roster speaks to the strength of their squad.
Sweden is led by Philadelphia's Forsberg, while Finland boasts the new wave of star goaltenders: Mikka Kiprusoff of the Calgary Flames, Antero Nittyamaki of the Philadelphia Flyers and Hannu Toivanen of the Boston Bruins. The Czech Republic is a dark horse candidate, led by NHL points leader Jaromir Jagr and superstar goalie Dominik Hasek.
The two-week Olympic tournament promises at least the same excitement as the NHL. European hockey is a faster game with less hitting and a greater focus on skating and style. A medal for the United States will take no small miracle.
Captained by veteran household name Chris Chelios and led by Eric Cole of the Carolina Hurricanes and Brian Gionta of the New Jersey Devils, the squad is as talented as it is inexperienced. Former Boston University star Rick DiPietro of the New York Islanders and Philadelphia's Robert Esche will be in goal. The US is outmanned tenfold by Canada alone, so it will likely take a performance reminiscent of the 1980 Olympics for a place on the medal stand.
