What do our HOCK.ly contributors really think? The results of the poll offer a behind the scenes portrait of how our contributors feel about NHL players, coaches and issues. Hopefully we’ve provided enough credible contrasting information to start a line brawl in your house. This is the one and only, totally unofficial NHL poll sanctioned by HOCK.ly.
We open with our awards predictions
2013-14 Stanley Cup winner
Alex Muscat – Boston Bruins.
Alexis Boucher - Chicago Blackhawks - As difficult as it is for NHL teams to repeat in this day and age, the ‘Hawks remain stacked. There were some departures over the shortened summer, but the core remains largely intact. Crawford, Toews, Kane, Sharp and Keith… just to name a few. These guys are familiar with each other and definitely know what it takes to win. Definitely a team to watch.
Cheryl Adams – Chicago Blackhawks - Things look good for the Blackhawks to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. They kept most of their Cup-winning roster from last year, and the few new players were already established from within the team’s deep system of prospects. If it can’t be the Blackhawks, then maybe a Canadian team winning the Cup might make up for Team Canada not repeating gold in Sochi.
Christopher Triantafilis – Chicago Blackhawks - The first back-to-back champion since the Red Wings won back-to-back Cups in 1997 and 1998. The Hawks’ roster remains intact after winning this title, and they were dominant in 2013.
Cris Cohen – St. Louis Blues - I was high on them last season and unfortunately they were knocked out in the first round by the Kings. A year older and last year’s lessons (hopefully) learned, their strong goaltending, solid defense and Ken Hitchcock behind the bench should give them a solid base on which to make a Cup run.
Jon Pitonzo – Boston Bruins.
Puck Sage – Boston Bruins.
Seth Levin - Los Angeles Kings - They are hungry after last year's disappointment and with Quick between the pipes and more young talent on the way, this team is deep enough to get back to the top.
Tom Dougherty - St. Louis Blues - Their defense is way too stocked. A healthy Tarasenko gives that team a legitimate scoring threat and they’re strong in net. Hitchcock’s last shot in St. Louis, possibly.
W.B. Philp – Detroit Red Wings – Detroit has the best General Manager and coach in the league. The move to the Eastern Conference, Jimmy Howards Vezina winning performance and the additions of Alfredsson and Weiss put the Wings over the top.
President’s Trophy (Best overall record – points)
Alex Muscat – Chicago Blackhawks.
Alexis Boucher - Vancouver Canucks – The Canucks will experience a resurgence under the iron hand of new head coach John Tortorella. A tougher playing style will work to their advantage against some of the weaker teams in their new conference.
Cheryl Adams – Los Angeles Kings - The way the Oilers have been lighting up opponents in the pre-season makes me tempted to say Edmonton for this! But realistically, I’m thinking the Kings are going to have a pretty good run this year.
Christopher Triantafilis – Chicago Blackhawks - The Detroit Red Wings moved out East, and replacing them are the Winnipeg Jets. The newly formed Central Division only has 3 teams that made the playoffs last season – the Minnesota Wild (8th seed) and the St. Louis Blues (4th).
Cris Cohen – Chicago Blackhawks - They didn't undergo the type of major dismantling they did when they won in 2010. That should help them capture the trophy for the second straight season.
Jon Pitonzo – Boston Bruins.
Puck Sage – Chicago Blackhawks.
Seth Levin - Detroit Red Wings -This team is built for the long haul, with a lot of talent across the board. The regular season shouldn't be an issue, I like the addition of Stephen Weiss and Daniel Alfredsson to what was already a pretty deep lineup of forwards.
Tom Dougherty – Chicago Blackhawks - The team is strong and didn’t lose much from last year, unlike after previously winning the Cup. They’ll go to Conference Finals, but lose to the Blues in 6.
W.B. Philp – Detroit Red Wings – Less travel, easier schedule, Holland, Babcock, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Alfredsson, Weiss and Howard. Boom!
Hart Memorial Trophy (Most valuable player)
Alex Muscat – Sidney Crosby.
Alexis Boucher – John Tavares – He’s been good for a long time, but no one really seemed to notice. An integral part of the Isles’ success last season, Tavares’ improvement over the last four years has been pretty impressive. He’ll only get better from here.
Cheryl Adams - John Tavares - I think he could’ve gotten it last year and the Islanders just haven’t gotten enough positive attention. But the Islanders are poised to really have a breakout season this year, as their draft picks and acquisitions have started to really come together and I think Tavares, as the new Captain, is going to lead them to a strong season.
Christopher Triantafilis – John Tavares - I’m expecting Tavares’ first 50-goal season after he fell one short of 30 through 48 games last season. Combine that with approximately 50 assists, and you have a huge season from the Isles superstar.
Cris Cohen – John Tavares - Tavares was a finalist last year and finished third in voting behind a player that woke up and decided to actually play midway through the season and a player on a team so stacked with offensive talent, they chugged along without him while he was injured. I thought Tavares should have taken home this award, single-handedly placing the Isles on his back and getting them into the playoffs. With realignment and the new playoff structure I don’t expect the Isles to make it, but I expect “J.T.” to demonstrate once again just how valuable he is to this franchise and take it home this time around.
Jon Pitonzo – Pavel Datsyuk.
Puck Sage – John Tavares.
Seth Levin - Jonathan Toews - A ton of good candidates, but Toews and his skill and leadership in Chicago makes him as good a candidate as any.
Tom Dougherty – Sidney Crosby.
W.B. Philp – Sidney Crosby – The leading point man and captain of the Penguins leads the team to the Conference final.
Art Ross Trophy (Top point scorer)
Alex Muscat – Sidney Crosby.
Alexis Boucher – Sidney Crosby - There’s no denying Sidney Crosby’s skill on the ice. Were it not for late season injuries, he most likely would have walked away with the Ross last season. If he can stay healthy, there’s no reason why he can’t bring home this piece of hardware after a full season.
Cheryl Adams - Evgeni Malkin - Malkin is going to have a powerhouse season and get all the Russian fans pumped up for the Olympics.
Christopher Triantafilis - Sidney Crosby - He’s just too good. With 56 points last season, Crosby finished 4 points shy of Martin St. Louis’ Art-Ross-winning total, and he missed 12 games. If Crosby stays healthy, it’s Crosby all the way.
Cris Cohen – Evgeni Malkin - He's won it before, and he's quite capable of repeating that kind of season should he remain healthy.
Jon Pitonzo – Evgeni Malkin.
Puck Sage – Jason Spezza.
Seth Levin - Sidney Crosby - If he can stay healthy, no reason to think Crosby won't return to the top of the scoring race once again.
Tom Dougherty – Sidney Crosby - No questions asked. The guy is the best in the game and one of the best ever to play. Look at what he did last year, injured, played in half the games, and yeah, just go check the stats. He wins it.
W.B. Philp – Sidney Crosby – “The Kid” averages 1.61 points per game. If he stays healthy (and that’s a big “if”), he’ll net over 125 points. He’ll finish far ahead of anyone else.
Vezina Trophy (Top goalie)
Alex Muscat – Jonarhan Quick.
Alexis Boucher – Tuukka Rask - He has emerged out of Tim Thomas’ shadow and is forging his own path as a number one netminder. He had a .924 save percentage last season, better than two of last season’s finalists for the award. His GAA was tied with Sergei Bobrovsky. Rask will continue to improve and emerge as one of the elite goaltenders in the NHL.
Cheryl Adams - It’s going to be a Finn! - Antti Niemi will finally get the credit he’s due out in San Jose; Pekka Rinne will have a bounce-back season for the Predators; and Tuukka Rask will prove he can be a workhorse in his first 82-game season as starter – and together, they’re going to make figuring out who will be Team Finland’s starter in Sochi very difficult. Sisu!
Christopher Triantafilis - Tuukka Rask - IBoston struggles a bit in 2013-14, but it’s Rask who ultimately pushes them into the playoffs.
Cris Cohen – Henrik Lundqvist - His GAA and SV% won't be as sexy as they were in his Vezina-winning ’11-‘12 season, or what you would expect from a Vezina winner. In Alain Vigneault's more open style of play in which the defensemen will be encouraged to get involved offensively, he'll be called upon even more to make big saves when needed. He's still going to be the solid backbone to this Rangers team.
Jon Pitonzo – Ryan Miller.
Puck Sage – Sergei Bobrovsky.
Seth Levin - Craig Anderson - Probably would've won it last year had he stayed healthy, Anderson plays in a nice defensive system and has the horses to help out around him.
Tom Dougherty – Jonathan Quick - While Sergei Bobrovsky won’t repeat as the Vezina winner, he’ll be in the running with Quick, who is just too good not to win the award. With Bernier gone, he has the job fully to himself.
W.B. Philp – Jimmy Howard – He’ll play 65 games with a .925 save percentage and have with the most wins for the Eastern Conference champions.
James Norris Memorial Trophy (Top defenseman)
Alex Muscat – Erik Karlsson.
Alexis Boucher - Zdeno Chara – Chara doesn’t seem to be in too many preseason Norris conversations. He brings a big and bad game to the ice every night. The Bruins captain can hit, pass, and score. He casts a long shadow (ha ha) and is arguably the top defenseman in the league.
Cheryl Adams – Duncan Keith - While a lot of people might lean towards Ryan Suter, I’m going to go with Keith. He’s a fierce competitor and I don’t think winning two Cups in four seasons has made him any less hungry for success. If anything, I think missing out on a top three nomination in the past couple of seasons will light even more of a fire under him. Having just watched him in training camp for a couple weeks, I think Keith is just starting to really come into his prime.
Christopher Triantafilis - P.K. Subban - In my opinion, he was the best defensman by far in 2013. He’s only going to get better. After his 38 point showing in 42 games last season, I wouldn’t put it past him to hit 75 points this season. Subban wins for a second consecutive season.
Cris Cohen – P.K. Subban - The brash Habs' blueliner put himself among the league's elite last season by winning the award, despite missing training camp and a few games in a contract dispute. I expect him to continue that level of play this season and edge out Shea Weber and Ryan Suter for the award.
Jon Pitonzo – Erik Karlsson.
Puck Sage – Shea Weber (Finally).
Seth Levin - Shea Weber - The guy is an absolute beast and can simply do it all. It's about time the Norris falls his way, it's overdue.
Tom Dougherty - Alex Pietrangelo - The long wait for a contract won’t hurt his play as he’ll prove to be the best defender in the league this year.
W.B. Philp – Kris Letang – Letang was a point per game man prior to the toe injury last season. He’ll play 25 minutes per game and accumulate 40+ points, while quarterbacking the league’s best power play unit.
Maurice Richard Memorial Trophy (Top goal scorer)
Alex Muscat – Steven Stamkos.
Alexis Boucher - Steven Stamkos – Stamkos will continue his goal scoring wizardry for the Tampa Bay Lightning. He faded a little at the end of last season, but this sniper will be in the hunt for another goal scoring title. It will be difficult not to be with Marty St. Louis setting him up on a regular basis.
Cheryl Adams – Steven Stamkos - This is a tough call among some excellent talent across the league, but I’m going with Stamkos on this one. The Lightning have made some interesting tweaks to their roster this summer and I think Stamkos will continue his high-scoring career.
Christopher Triantafilis - Steven Stamkos - There is so much offensive talent around him. Martin St. Louis and Stamkos have unbelievable chemistry together and now Tampa has added Jonathan Drouin to the mix. Stamkos is going to score a lot of goals this season. He could hit 60 again.
Cris Cohen – Steven Stamkos - With all the attention placed on Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin, Stamkos has quietly gone about having 40+ goal seasons 3 of the last 4 years (and would have been on pace for around 50 in a full 82 game season last year). With that track record of consistency, he’ll add a third Rocket Richard Trophy to his impressive resume.
Jon Pitonzo – Alex Ovechkin.
Puck Sage - Steven Stamkos.
Seth Levin - Steven Stamkos - A goal-scoring machine, Stamkos can put the puck away from just about anywhere and in multiple fashions, be it a one-timer, breakaway or anything else.
Tom Dougherty - Phil Kessel - Toronto takes a step forward from last year and he’s the man who leads the way by scoring tons of goals.
W.B. Philp – Alex Ovechkin – Because in Russia, puck shoots you.
Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the year)
Alex Muscat – Jonathan Drouin.
Alexis Boucher – Jonathan Drouin - He may not have gone first overall, but Drouin will make a huge mark in the coming season. If he sees extended playing time with Stamkos or Marty St. Louis, his skills will be on full display. Drouin has already shown off his speed and puck virtuosity in the preseason. This kid is one to watch.
Cheryl Adams - Seth Jones - While I think there are some very exciting new draftees and other prospects ready to make the leap to the NHL, I think Jones will make Colorado, Florida, and Tampa Bay regret not picking him number one.
Christopher Triantafilis - Jonathan Drouin - He will be in the best situation to succeed. The third overall pick in this year’s draft is with Stamkos and St. Louis. That offense will be scoring a lot of goals in Tampa, and Drouin will have a hand in that.
Cris Cohen - Jonathan Drouin - If it works, playing with Stamkos and St. Louis will make 2013's third overall pick shine even brighter.
Puck Sage - Seth Jones.
Seth Levin - Seth Jones - Playing alongside Shea Weber might help. However, being passed over by three teams, Jones will be motivated to prove his doubters wrong, and should help Nashville get back to the playoffs this season.
Tom Dougherty - Jonathan Drouin - Seriously, this kid is a superstar and he’ll blow people away in his rookie year. He’ll have many points.
W.B. Philp – Seth Jones – Driven by being passed up in the draft, the NHL ready Jones will start on the third pairing and eventually play big minutes on Nashville’s blue line.
Lady Byng Trophy (Player who displays gentlemanly conduct)
Alex Muscat – John Tavares.
Alexis Boucher - Pavel Datsyuk - It’s been too long since his last broken English speech at the awards show.
Cheryl Adams – Patrick Kane - Kane is going to prove just how mature of a player he’s become and wrap this up. That is, of course, so long as publicly undressing defensemen and shaming goalies with his sick, filthy moves doesn’t detract from “gentlemanly” conduct.
Christopher Triantafilis - Matt Moulson - . Rarely penalized, Moulson has lost out to St. Louis in each of the previous two seasons. Not this year. Tavares is about to take his game to the next level, and he will be bringing Moulson along with him. 70+ points and fewer than 10 penalty minutes will earn Moulson the Lady Byng in 2013-14.
Cris Cohen – Teemu Selanne - Not that an athlete of his caliber who oozes nothing but class on and off the ice couldn’t win it strictly on those merits, but I expect this to be the professional hockey writers’ sentimental farewell to the “Finnish Flash” for what is his final NHL season.
Jon Pitonzo – Martin St. Louis.
Puck Sage – Martin St. Louis.
Seth Levin - Teemu Selanne - May be the parting gift in what has been a career full of things to celebrate, Selanne is perhaps the most respected player in the league today and is considered a true gentleman. It would only be right to top it off with his first Lady Byng Trophy.
Tom Dougherty - Martin St. Louis - He wins it a lot, so it’s tough to say anyone else.
W.B. Philp – Martin St. Louis – Who else?
2014 Olympic Gold Medal
Alex Muscat – USA.
Alexis Boucher – USA – The United States team has come a long way in recent years and that definitely showed in 2010. If anything, the 2014 squad will be better. USA all the way. Yes, I am biased.
Cheryl Adams – Sweden - As much as I want to say Team USA, I’m looking for Scandinavia and the Europeans to really excel on the larger ice sheet. I’m very tempted to say Team Finland – their goaltending choices alone (Rinne, Rask, Niemi, Backstrom) could single-handedly carry their teams to victory; but unfortunately, I’m not sure their forwards/d-corps could balance that out. Team Switzerland is also highly tempting, as a marvelous underdog story follow-up to last year’s World Championship. But ultimately, my prediction is for a beautiful and deep Team Sweden to own the Olympics in Sochi.
Benjamin Woodward – USA - If I answered anyone else, where's the fun?
Christopher Triantafilis – Canada - Every team has become so close in terms of competitiveness; however, I think Canada comes away with gold in Sochi, the x-factor being Tavares, who is arguably Canada’s most dominant international player over the past four years.
Cris Cohen – Canada - Much as it pains me, even though the goaltending is not on par with say, Team USA, I expect Canada to repeat. There is so much Canadian talent, they could probably ice two highly competitive teams at the Olympics, if they were allowed to.
Jon Pitonzo – USA.
Puck Sage – Finland.
Seth Levin – Canada - Russia will be set up to fail in front of the home folks and the pressure will be immense. Their roster simply is deeper than any other country, although goaltending will be the one potential downfall as the selection of the starter will be key.
Tom Dougherty – Canada - As much as I think the US will compete, I just can’t pick against Team Canada. It’s their sport; their game and the best players still come from that country. Canada over USA…again.
W.B. Philp – Canada – Team Canada’s roster will be an embarrassment of riches. They’ll repeat, rather easily.
We conclude with our writers answering the eight hot-button questions concerning the 2013-14 NHL season.
First coach fired.
Alex Muscat – Claude Noel.
Alexis Boucher - Peter Laviolette.
Benjamin Woodward – John Tortorella - He may not be the first to go, but I can't foresee the marriage between Torts and the Canucks lasting very long.
Cheryl Adams - I’m still trying to figure out who WASN’T fired last year.
Christopher Triantafilis – Kirk Muller.
Cris Cohen – Peter Laviolette - If the Steve Mason and Ray Emery tandem doesn't work and Vincent Lecavalier turns out to have not much left in the tank, who else could the Flyers make pay?
Puck Sage – Dan Bylsma.
Seth Levin – Mike Yeo.
Tom Dougherty - Dan Bylsma – I think the goalie situation costs him his job.
W.B. Philp – Dan Bylsma – Because of his sick and twisted love affair with Marc-Andre Fleury, he’s forced into hiding.
First player to be “Shanabanned.”
Alex Muscat – Duncan Keith.
Alexis Boucher - Matt Cooke - He’s been dormant for far too long.
Benjamin Woodward – Steve Ott.
Cheryl Adams - Raffi Torr– oh wait, he’s on IR.
Christopher Triantafilis – The Matt Cooke of old returns.
Cris Cohen - (Is there anyone left to Shanaban with how the preseason’s gone?) Patrick Kaleta. Would it be an NHL season if he didn't earn at least one suspension-worthy thing?
Puck Sage – Adam Burish or Andrew Shaw.
Seth Levin - Does Phil Kessel / David Clarkson not count? If not, Colton Orr on what will be the inevitable retaliation
Tom Dougherty – John Scott.
W.B. Philp – Colton Orr – He’ll take it on himself to retaliate and avenge Lumberjack Kessel.
Most likely to leave the bench for an altercation.
Alex Muscat - David Clarkson..oops, that happened already. I’d say Rich Clune.
Alexis Boucher - Radko Gudas’ beard.
Benjamin Woodward – John Scott.
Cheryl Adams - I think the Buffalo - Toronto preseason game has ensured that it won’t be a Toronto player.
Christopher Triantafilis - Nobody – not after David Clarkson did so already.
Cris Cohen - Raffi Torres - Whenever he returns from his ACL woes.
Puck Sage – P.J. Stock.
Seth Levin - Do we really expect a third? I'll say John Scott. He seems to be a nice sacrificial lamb.
Tom Dougherty – John Scott.
W.B. Philp – Not sure which one, but, if history tells us anything, it will be an Avalanche player as new coach Patrick Roy will direct someone to go over the boards and throw down on an already turtled opposing player.
First player romantically linked to Sean Avery in another online gag from @Iamseanavery.
Alex Muscat - Certainly not Dion Phaneuf.
Alexis Boucher - Paul Bissonnette - Already famous on Twitter, it’s a natural next step for the fourth liner. Also: not afraid to don a speedo.
Benjamin Woodward – Paul Bissonnette.
Cheryl Adams - No comment. #youcanplay
Christopher Triantafilis – James Wisniewski.
Cris Cohen - Dion Phaneuf - Figuring out which one of the two would be considered the "sloppy seconds" of the pair would be fun for all.
Puck Sage - Jeff Skinner.
Tom Dougherty – Dion Phaneuf.
W.B. Philp – James Wisniewski – Gesture or invitation? You decide.
First Fanbase to have a conniption.
Alex Muscat – Vancouver Canucks.
Alexis Boucher - Toronto Maple Leafs - It’s really just a matter of time.
Benjamin Woodward – Toronto Maple Leafs – Isn’t it always?
Cheryl Adams - Who plays the earliest games on Opening Night? Toronto vs. Montréal? Ok – whichever of those teams receives the first weak penalty call.
Christopher Triantafilis – New York Islanders - Because when aren’t they?
Cris Cohen – Vancouver Canucks - (Although the sky already seems to be falling on Broadway, according to some in my Twitter feed)
Jon Pitonzo – Washington Capitals.
Puck Sage – Pittsburgh Penguins.
Seth Levin – Toronto Maple Leafs.
Tom Dougherty – Boston Bruins.
W.B. Philp – Buffalo Sabres – After sitting through just two games with the team wearing the new Nashville Predators ugly cousin’s third jersey, that looks as if it is held together with Duct Tape, the Buffalo fans simply stop showing up.
First player penalized for “tucking.”
Alex Muscat – Nail Yakupov.
Alexis Boucher – Alex Ovechkin.
Benjamin Woodward – Pavel Datsyuk.
Cheryl Adams - Alex Ovechkin - He will probably spend the entire first game with his jersey tucked in, in protest.
Christopher Triantafilis – Jaromir Jagr.
Cris Cohen – Alex Ovechkin - Seems obvious, but with it being a signature of his, he'll likely be the most closely watched and likely nailed for it.
Jon Pitonzo – Alex Ovechkin.
Puck Sage – Alex Ovechkin.
Seth Levin – Alex Ovechkin.
Tom Dougherty – Alex Ovechkin.
W.B. Philp – Alex Ovechkin – Because in Russia sweater tucks you.
First goalie to blame diminished pad size for a poor performance.
Alex Muscat – Ray Emery.
Alexis Boucher - Marc-Andre Fleury.
Benjamin Woodward – Roberto Luongo.
Cheryl Adams – Mike Smith.
Christopher Triantafilis – Ryan Miller.
Cris Cohen – Roberto Luongo - And he'll do it via a witty tweet
Jon Pitonzo – Tim Thomas.
Seth Levin – J.S. Giguere – I would love to say Lundqvist, but I don't see him using it as an excuse.
Tom Dougherty – Ryan Miller – He whines about everything.
W.B. Philp – Patrick Roy.
Over/under - 10 games for Torts to “Brooksie” a writer.
Alex Muscat - Under! I give it eight games.
Alexis Boucher – Under.
Benjamin Woodward – Under.
Cheryl Adams – Under - As his patience is probably worn thin from a losing preseason and as he begins to relax and turn back to regular Torts vs. New-In-Town-Torts, I’m thinking that whoever hands the Canucks their most brutal loss vs. a ‘so-so’ team early in the season – maybe after the Sabres game on Oct. 17th. (8)
Christopher Triantafilis – Under- Torts is Torts.
Cris Cohen – Under – But it depends on whether or not the offending writer is someone he perceives that got beat up at the bus stop as a kid. I’ll take the under and give it seven games into the season.
Puck Sage – Over.
Seth Levin – Under.
Tom Dougherty – Under…WAY under.
W.B. Philp – Next question.