Pacific Division

For so long the Pacific Division was the best in the NHL. Most post-seasons saw 4 of the 5 teams make the Western Conference Playoffs. Dallas, much like Colorado in the Northwest, owned this division from 1998-2002, with San Jose also being up there. Phoenix would sometimes qualify with either of the 2 SoCal teams, Anaheim in 1999, and the LA Kings in 2000-2002.

Dallas had an awesome team between 1997-2000, with the Stars winning the Presidents Trophy and the Stanley Cup in 1999 before losing to New Jersey in the 2000 finals. The top line of Mike Modano, Brett Hull & Jere Lehtinen was one of the best in the NHL during that era, and with a second line containing the likes of Joe Nieuwendyk, Jamie Langenbrunner & Dave Reid, its no surprise why the Stars were up there competing for the Stanley Cup each year. Looking back further down the roster in 1999, Mike Keane, Guy Carbonneau and Pat Verbeek were also part of that succesful side, along with defensemen, Derian Hatcher, Sergei Zubov, Darryl Sydor & Richard Matvichuk. Even the goaltenders had a familular look to it, Ed Belfour, Roman Turek & Manny Fernandez, all spending time between the posts. Ken Hitchcock's team might have been a defense-first side but they did it in a way that wasn't boring, unlike New Jersey. With me following the playoffs in 1999, and the Pens and Wings long since eliminated the Stars become he team I wanted to see, lift the Stanley Cup. Ever since then I have had a soft spot for them.

That same season saw the Phoenix Coyotes Ice, possibly their strongest side. Trying to keep up with Dallas in their division, and Colorado & Detroit in the conference, the Coyotes became the West's 4th team. They had a good team, that was physical, and even their skill players like Keith Tkachuk and Jeremy Roenick could mix it with the best of them. Dallas Drake, often found himself on the top line with KT & JR. With around a month or two of the regular season remaining, a Coyotes game (the exact one escapes me) was screened live on channel 5, and it was around then that they took the honor of being my second team after Pittsburgh. The second line of, Greg Adams, Robert Reichel & Rick Tocchet, was put together for the first time and were a good team to watch. They were involved in an exciting series with the St. Louis Blues, who came from 3-1 down in the series to eliminate them. Over the next few years Phoenix's fortunes hit a downward turn. Wayne Gretzky, headed up a consortium to buy them out in 2001, but that wasnt enough to stop their top stars such as, Tkachuk, Roenick, defensemen Teppo Numminen, and goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin from leaving. It meant they have slid down in my rankings recently, but things look to have improived recently though, with the Coyotes having their most succesful season in franchise history, making the Western Conference finals.

Its tough to choice between the next 3 teams, in 1999 I would have had Anaheim in third as they were lead by Paul Kariya & Teemu Selanne, 2 great goalscorers. However since winning the Stanley Cup in 2007, and changing their iconic Purple and Green shirts into the mess they now wear, they have slipped down. The LA Kings have done the opposite, I never thought much of them back then, but watching their journey the lifting the cup last summer was great, and in Anze Kopitar they have a great player. I was also lucky enough to be In Southern California 3 weeks after the Kings won the Stanley Cup, and so just had to visit the Staples Center Arena. San Jose, were a team I liked but I never thought they had iconic players in the way say Detroit, Colorado & Dallas did, or even Phoenix, St Louis or Anaheim.

My Rankings
1 - Dallas Stars
2 - Phoenix Coyotes
3 - Anaheim Ducks
4 - San Jose Sharks
5 - Los Angeles Kings

Estimated 2012-13 Finish
1 - San Jose Sharks
2 - Los Angeles Kings
3 - Phoenix Coyotes
4 - Dallas Stars
5 - Anaheim Ducks