http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/nhl-2015-16-off-season-power-ranking-grades-maple-leafs-acquistions-trades-rating-canucks/
This gave me the idea to publish my own power rankings. However the theme to this one is in order of my own personal preference with reasons for liking and/or disliking that particular team, so it is extremely biased and cant be taken too seriously, it is simply here just for a bit of fun:
1 - Pittsburgh Penguins - Quite simply the greatest hockey team in the NHL. It started when I discovered the video game NHL 93 and noticed that Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr were 'decent' players. They were always my team on the Sega Mega Drive and so when Channel 5 started with the NHL coverage in 1998 there was only ever going to be one team I would choose to support. That team saw Jagr leading them, along with Martin Straka, Robert Lang, Alexei Kovalev, German Titov and Alexei Morozov. Super Mario then returned before the team tanked and re-built with draft picks, bagging Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal. Back-to-Back Stanley Cup Finals in 08 & 09 saw the Pens became a major contender again. However since landing that cup in 2009 the Pens have struggled to win a playoff series never mind another Cup. Still they'll always be my team.
2 - Dallas Stars - With UK NHL coverage in full swing courtesy of Channel 5 it meant I got to watch the 1999 Stanley Cup playoffs. Dallas were in the finals, I needed to choose a team to follow, and it was never going to be the Sabres was it? It proved to be an inspired choice as the Stars won the cup with a good team that included franchise player Mike Modano, defensive forward Jere Lehtinen, goal-scoring super star Brett Hull, along with Joe Nieuwendyk, Jamie Langenbrunner, Guy Carbonneau, Pat Verbeek, Sergei Zubov and Ed Belfour.
Since then the Stars have always been a team I have liked. This season looks good for them with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn scoring goals for fun. Patrick Sharp finding a new lease of life since leaving the Blackhawks and Valeri Nichushkin looking like he is finding the form from his rookie season. If anyone needed further incentives, Derien Hatcher once broke Jeremy 'Motor Mouth' Roenick's jaw. Surely that is reason enough to like the Stars right?
3 - St Louis Blues - A perennial play off team that always seemed to match up with the Red Wings throughout the 1990s. Brett Hull made his name here whilst playing alongside Adam Oates, then there was Al MacInnes, a great offensive defenseman, but it is the current team that has really grabbed my attention the last 3 years or so. Vladimir Tarasenko, is probably the most exciting hockey player in the NHL right now. Jori Lehtera has been a great addition too, and with Alexander Steen, Paul Stastny, David Backes and Patrick Berglund also leading the attack they have a team stacked with talent. Even the blue line has quality with Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk and Jay Bouwmeester there. The Blues have never won a Stanley Cup, and having joined the league in 1967 are also the oldest franchise never to have won one. If the Pens can't win this year I would love to see Vladimir Tarasenko hoisting Lord Stanley's cup aloft next June.
4 - San Jose Sharks - The Sharks have always seemed to have exciting teams throughout their existence. In just their third season they eliminated the Wings with a team that featured Soviet stars Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov.
By the end of the 1990s they had built another good side and even prised Teemu Selanne away from Californian rivals Anaheim. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau also arrived and helped lead the side to three Western Conference Finals [2004, 2010, 2011]. Right now players like Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl and Matt Nieto are great to watch. Melker Karlsson looks like he could be a decent player too, and with Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Brent Burns on D the team is very likeable. Much like St Louis, I would love to see the Sharks lift a Cup. Thornton and Marleau certainly deserve one.
5 - Chicago Blackhawks - Aside from the 1992 Stanley Cup Final team which contained Jeremy Roenick and Chris Chelios, times have been hard for the Hawks. By the late 1990s Tony Amonte and Bob Probert were the only star players left, but when old man Wirtz 'moved aside' in 2007 for son Rocky to take over the team was transformed. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have been flag bearers of that turn around, helping the Hawks to three Stanley Cups in six seasons. Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp formed a great group of Four forwards during that time. Between Cups, the Hawks have made a lot of changes to adhere to the strict salary cap. That has seen Brandon Saad leave for the Blue Jackets but given a chance to some other exciting players. Artem Anisimov and fellow Russian Artemi Panarin could form a great partnership on the second line, while young Finn Teuvo Teravainen looks a great prospect. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are the best defensive pairing in the league. While my Pens seem to find more ways of messing up a shot at another Cup, there is some comfort in the Hawks winning them instead. Chicago is possibly the greatest city I have been to, I have some good friends from the city who are Hawks fans and they are certainly a team close to my heart. More than that though the Hawks are just a proper hockey team, an original six member, with an awesome logo, very similar to the Whitley Warriors in fact.
6 - Minnesota Wild - The Wild have been around since 2000 but haven't often made the play-offs. That all changed three years ago and the Wild faced and lost to the Hawks on each of those three occassions. In Zach Parise and Jason Pominville they have two good goal scorers. They are complimented by Finnish pair Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund. Jason Zucker, Nino Niederreiter, Thomas Vanek, Charlie Coyle and Justin Fontaine. Ryan Suter and Jonas Brodin are the top defensive pairing while Devan Dubnyk was the find of last season in goal. The Wild are such a likeable team, and the Minnesotans I met whilst there in April were really great people. The team's slogan is 'The State of Hockey'. It's the hot bed of American hockey with the Gophers College team based in Minneapolis. Hopefully these hockey crazy fans will have a winning team for some time to come.
7 - Winnipeg Jets - Originally the 1999 expansion Atlanta Thrashers, the team moved North to Manitoba in 2011. Since then it has been tough for the Jets, but last season represented the teams best, qualifying for a Playoff Wild Card berth. I was lucky enough to watch the Jets at home back in March and they put on a great show in a 5-2 win over the Sharks. Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler and Michael Frolik were well established on the team. Drew Stafford and Tyler Myers arrived as part of the Evander Kane trade from Buffalo. Mark Scheifele and Mathieu Perreault were good additions, with Lee Stempniak and Jiri Tlusty too. Big defenseman Dustin Byfuglien was an imposing presence as well. The Jets have an exciting team right now and hopefully will continue that into this season.
8 - Detroit Red Wings - For a long time the Wings were my second team. Growing up the Wings were always contenders. Sergei Fedorov was one of the all time greats and possibly the best two-way player ever! Equally at home at Center or Right Wing, he could also drop back to the blue line and direct play from there. He was also dating Russian Tennis hottie Anna Kournikova with rumors they were actually married at one stage. For that alone he was my hero. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. The roster back then read like a who's who of hockey: Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, Niklas Lidstrom, Chris Chelios, Dominik Hasek, Chris Osgood and Mike Vurnon. There was the Grind Line of Darren McCarty, Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby. The rugged forward Marty Lapointe and of course the Russian Five. Fedorov was on a forward line with Slava Kozlov and Igor Larionov, once part of the fabled KLM Soviet Line. There was the legendary Slava Fetisov on the blue line alongside tough defenseman Vladimir Konstantionov. So many reasons to love the Wings, but then after the lockout of 2004-05 the salary cap meant the team had to cut some of their talent and it wasn't quite the same, but with former Whitley Warriors defenseman Mike Babcock in charge the team remained serious contenders. The 2008 and 2009 Stanley Cup Finals pitted both my teams against one-another and made for two great series. With Babcock now moved on to Toronto, Detroit enter what will be a new era, but there are still plenty of talented players there to lead them through it.
9 - Colorado Avalanche - I liked the Quebec Nordiques, and when Captain Concussion left for the Mighty Goons of Philly, the Nordiques were able to assemble a championship winning team, only by the time they were any good, they upped sticks and moved to Denver. There were aspects of the team I disliked. Dirty Claude with his horrible hit on Kris Draper in 1996, Patrick WAAAAAW was odious too, although it has to be said also a great goalie. But during their rivalry with the Wings between 1996-02 both teams pushed each other onto greater achievements. Joe Sakic was the Av's version of Steve Yzerman, and Valery Kamensky was from the same CSKA Moscow team as Sergei Fedorov. Peter Forsberg could be childish at times, but what a player he was when he wasn't trying to get revenge on someone for hitting him. Milan Hejduk and Alex Tanguay were introduced in time to win a well deserved cup in 2001, but things went down hill after that. With Sakic now GM and Roy behind the bench, the team is starting to get back to being a serious contender. 'Semi-on' Varlamov is one of the best goalies in the league, Matt Duchene has the speed of a rocket and Nathan MacKinnon has the potential to be great.
10 - Columbus Blue Jackets - CBJ! as my friend John from Ohio will message me. I have always had a soft spot for the Blue Jackets, right from their expansion in 2000 with the Wild. The team has struggled, but I always liked them and their jersey color scheme is also pretty good. During my first trip to the States in 2011, following Newcastle United's pre-season tour, I ended up at the Columbus Crew, but before that I had to go visit the Nationwide Arena. I was in my first hockey town on the trip and had to make the pilgrimage to an actual NHL Arena. The staff there were brilliant and their warmth and kindness has always stuck with me. With this being July and the ice not ready, the arena was being prepared for a concert, but that didn't stop me getting a free tour of the arena and a chance to walk out to where center ice would be. I made a promise then, that one day I would return and take in a game there, which I did earlier this year. The likes on Ryan Johansen, Artem Anisimov, Nick Foligno, Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson all appeared in that game. There was even the chance to see Will Ferrell look-a-like Scott Hartnell. I did manage to restrain myself from shouting 'More Cow Bell' though, Just.
11 - Phoenix Coyotes - I used to love the Yotes. It starts back when they were the original Winnipeg Jets with Teemu Selanne. Then after they moved to the desert of Arizona, Channel Five in the UK started showing NHL games. During one occasion in the Spring of 1999 Todd Macklin (the studio expert) spoke about the new second line that had assembled. There was former Penguins Rick Tocchet, flying Winger Greg Adams and newly signed center Robert Reichel. It was that single moment that got my obsession with hockey lines started, as before then it wasn't something I paid a great deal too. The team had a great season and with Keith Tkachuk, Jeremy Roenick, Teppo Numminen and Nikolai Khabibulin all starring, they became my second favourite team. They also had this unique jersey with a Kachina style pattern to it. A lot of people slated that Jersey but I loved it! The next few years were tough but when Wayne Gretzky bought the team it set up the weird situation of having my two favourite ever hockey players owning my two favourite teams (Mario Lemieux and the Penguins being the other side). Fast forward to 2013 and the team got off to a great start to the season which coincided with my visit to Glendale Arena. Radim Vrbata and Lauri Korpikoski were great to watch around that time, but by December the team fell apart, expensive signing Mike 'Skeletor' Ribeiro fell off the wagon and I fell out of love with them. Last season matters were made worse when the geriatric Shane Doan delivered a cheap-shot to Kris Letang, that screwed any chance the Pens had of progressing in the playoffs. I do still have happy (fading) memories of the Coyotes, but this current team sucks big style, and things wont improve, as they attempt to grab more number 1 draft picks over the next few seasons. They also have some Douche bag fans, probably due to being in a non-hockey market. Hopefully though the team will stay in Arizona. The last thing I want is to see the Las Vegas Coyotes!
12 - Vancouver Canucks - People say you never forget your first, and for me that would be the Canucks. They were the first NHL team I got to see, when I visited the Rogers Center back in 2013. Before that visit I always had mixed feelings towards them. The team of the early 1990s that included Pavel Bure and Trevor Linden were great although the Black jerseys were not so much. Then when the Jerseys changed so did the team. Not even the Messiah (Mark Messier) or Alexander Mogilny could save them from tanking, but that did mean the Sedin twins could arrive and with Brendan Morrison and Markus Naslund also in BC it meant the team improved once again. They really should have won the Cup in 2011. Despite the Leafs being the Newcastle United of the NHL, it's the Canucks fans that are more aligned to the Geordies. Only in Vancouver and Newcastle, could you get fans to smash up their own city after another cup finals loss. Although there have been no reports of a Canadian Mountie having his horse punched unconscious like what happened in England.
13 - Los Angeles Kings - The Kings have always tried to throw money at star players in the hope they could mesh into a team, kind of like a West Coast New York Rangers. But in 2012 they decided to do things differently. They just sneaked into a playoff spot, and proceeded to pick off all three Western Conference Division Winners (Vancouver, St Louis & Phoenix) on their way to landing their first ever Stanley Cup. It was done with a great team lead by Slovenian star Anze Kopitar. Over the next two years they made the Conference Finals again, capping a fine 2014 with a second Cup. Kopitar can now rely on Marion Gaborik and Milan Lucic on his line in a bid to make it Three Championships in five seasons.
14 - Montreal Canadiens - There was a time I really didn't like the Habs. It was around the late 1990s and their team sucked, aside from Saku Koivu. Then two years ago I read a great book which chronicled their history and now I have nothing but admiration for them. The 2013-14 season showed they had a good side with Gallagher, Pacioretty, Galchenyuk and Plekanec starring, now they just need to take that next step.
15 - Florida Panthers - The team from Sunrise, have always been a struggling franchise, barely making the post season, but they have had some great players over the years. Between 1999-02 the Panthers were able to call upon Russian stars such as Pavel & Valeri Bure, Viktor Kozlov and Oleg Kvasha. Now they are building something good, with Veteran Czech star Jaromir Jagr part of a quality top line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. They probably wont make the playoffs this season but they have a young and exciting side to watch.
16 - Toronto Maple Leafs - The Newcastle United of the NHL. Huge fan base that hasn't won a trophy since the late 1960s that's mainly due to a series of mismanagement. The Mid-90s team is the first one to stick in the memory with Doug Gilmour leading the team. Then by 1999 we had the team make the Conference Finals with Mats Sundin and Tie Domi. The last 15 years have been tough for the Leafs, but with former Whitley Warrior Mike Babcock taking over coaching duties this summer and with the surprise appointment of former New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello, there is a belief that finally Toronto are assembling all the right parts to build something the right way. This season will be tough as the rebuilding process begins, but given their stature in the Hockey world, having a winning Leafs side is a good thing.
17 - Edmonton Oilers - Let's face it other than Flames fans, who doesn't like the Oilers. The team from the 1980s that contained Gretzky, Messier, Tikanen, Coffey, Anderson, Fuhr et al will go down as one of the greatest ever. Since those heady days though its been a tough existence for the team from Alberta. All that is set to change with one of the most exciting seasons in prospect after landing yet another number 1 draft pick in Connor McDavid. The rookie is expected to be the best player to be drafted since Sidney Crosby ten years ago. When you throw in the likes of Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Benoit Pouliot, Jordan Eberle, Nail Yakupov and Lauri Korpikoski, the Oilers have a great set of Top Six Forwards. Even their Bottom Six has been strengthened along with some much needed experience on D and in Goal.
18 - Nashville Predators - The Preds are one of those teams I have nothing against. In fact had they been in any other division than the super competitive Central they would have ranked much higher. There is a lot to be optimistic for, Filip Forsberg is coming off a great season last time out, James Neal guarantees goals, Shea Weber is one of the best blue-liners around right now and in Pekka Rinne they have an excellent shot-stopper who will win games. All they need now is to keep Mike Ribeiro off the booze and the Preds could go deep into the post season again.
19 - Washington Capitals - I can't believe I am finding myself saying this, but I am actually starting to like the Caps. Normally they would be found 10 places lower down on this list keeping the Goons of Philadelphia company. Much of that was down to the playoff battles with the Pens over the years. The dirty treatment dished out by the Caps in 1996 saw Super Mario forced to drop the gloves with Todd Krygier, then in 2001 when he just returned from his first retirement the dirty hits continued on him. The present season promises to be an exciting one however, with Justin Williams arriving from the Kings and T.J. Oshie from the Blues. They should compliment a strong Russian contingent in Alex Ovechkin (I still think he is overrated), Andre Burakovsky and Evgeny Kuznetsov.
20 - Tampa Bay Lightning - When the Bolts arrived in the NHL they were a losing team for years, then they found Marty St. Louis who scored goals for fun, and brought in veteran Dave Andreychuk still trying to get his hands on a cup for the first time. John Tortorella was the perfect coach for that team, and they were good to watch in 2003-04. The 'Triplets Line' of Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov are great to watch now, along with former Wings player Valtteri Filppula and of course Steven Stamkos.
21 - Calgary Flames - Never thought much of the flames, in fact when they suck they really suck, but last year they improved massively and Johnny Gaudreau had a great rookie season.
22 - Buffalo Sabres - For such an unfashionable market, the Sabres have always been able to attract some quality players: Dominik Hasek, Pat Lafontaine, Alexander Mogilny and Dave Andreychuk to name but a few. Their current Dark Blue and Yellow jerseys are pretty bad-ass too.
23 - Ottawa Senators - I have nothing against the Sens, in fact in the late 90s they had a very talented young team with Alexei Yashin and Marian Hossa leading the charge. Right now they don't particularly have any stand out players to make me like them but Chris Neil is a douche bag of the highest order.
24 - New Jersey Devils - Back in the late 90s early 00s New Jersey used to bore teams to death with their neutral zone trap. If that didn't work Scott Stevens would try and smash the opposition through the boards. I used to hate this team at the time, but as the years have passed I have actually grown to appreciate what they achieved. Their 1999-00 Cup Winning team was probably their best. Right now the team is a mess, since losing Ilya Kovalchuk they have been in re-build mode.
25 - New York Rangers - When Wayne Gretzky wound down his career with the Smurfs, they were a team I quite liked, but since the Great One retired, the Rangers became something of a joke, buying up a collection of expensive players that would never mesh into a team. Over the last few years the Rangers have had a hold over the Pens, that included eliminating us from the playoffs the last two seasons, even though the Rangers had a weaker team. Also Adam Graves' dirty slash that broke Mario Lemieux's wrist was unforgiveable and so they will be way down the rankings.
26 - Carolina Hurricanes - I used to love the Hartford Whalers, but then they moved to a non-hockey market in Raleigh, NC. Now, although I don't necessarily dislike them, they are just a boring team that is easily forgettable. How many people in the UK would actually say 'yeah, you know what I'm going to support the Hurricanes?' or can actually remember the Canes winning a Stanley Cup nine years ago for that matter? It certainly seems a million miles away now with the current team sucking as much as they do right now.
27 - New York Islanders - Pittsburgh were all set for a three-peat in 1993, until a horrible, boring, defensive team full of players no one had ever heard of stopped them in their tracks. Super Mario should have had his dynasty and for that I will never forgive the fish sticks. Also Billy Smith was a bit of a dirty dog back in the 1980s.
28 - Boston Bruins - Another team that the Pens have a decent rivalry with. It started in the early 90s when both teams met in the Conference Finals of 1991 & 1992, as Pittsburgh went on to lift their first two Cups. Ulf Samuelsson was always an uncompromising defenseman, and developed a divisional/local rivalry with the Bruins Star player Cam Neely, whilst playing for the Hartford Whalers. Neely, hardly a saint himself, took exception to a hit to his knee, during Game 3 of the 1991 Finals, and has never shut up about it since, becoming a whiney bitch. Fast forward a few years and both teams met in another Conference Final, this time it was 2013. The vile Brad Marchand did a dirty hit on James Neal and Chris Kelly spent Game 1 going after Matt Cooke.
James Neal had his revenge the following December when he appeared to Knee Brad Marchand in the back of the head. This provoked all out war with Scott Thornton hospitalising Brooks Orpik with a cheap shot, punch to the back of the head. Thornton added insult to injury by sending Orpik a Hockey Helmet full of fruit in a vain attempt to get his suspension reduced. Even the normally passive Pascal Dupuis slashed at Chris Kelly, breaking his ankle. The main reason the dis-liking the Bruins right now is Brad Marchand. Again he is someone just asking for a good old-fashioned ass kicking. The Bruins first visit back to Vancouver after winning the 2011 Stanley Cup saw Marchand skating past the Canucks fans and lifting an invisible cup to taunt them.
My final reason for dis-liking the Bruins was a cheap hit by Chris Kelly which took out Evgeni Malkin towards the end of last season. Normally it wouldn't be too much of an issue but it meant the injury sustained kept Geno out of the game at Phoenix a few days later, a game I was attending and so denied me probably my only chance of getting to see Malkin play for the Pens.
29 - Anaheim Sucks - Back in the late 1990s when they were known as the Mighty Ducks, Anaheim were a decent team. They had Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne scoring goals for fun. Then in 2003 Whitley Warrior's very own Mike Babcock coached them to game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. However, things change. Babcock moved on to bigger and better things at Detroit, Kariya disappeared while Selanne did return. With a new era being ushered in a name change saw the 'Mighty' disappear and their jersey colors going from unique and interesting (Green/Purple) to dull and boring (Black/Orange/Gold). When the Sucks did win a Stanley Cup they did so following the Flyers, blueprint of gooning it up. There is no coincidence that Chris Pronger has played for both teams, and spent his entire time going out of his way to banjo opposing players. Over the last few seasons we have seen Ryan Getzlaf and Kyle Palmieri delivering some dirty plays, but the biggest reason to dislike the team from Orange County is, the odious Corey Perry. He goes through games dealing out cheap shots, late hits and thinking he is some sort of tough guy, until someone drops the gloves and he bottles it. Basically he is like a poor man's Jeremy Roenick, that is a moniker no one should wish for. Surely someone, eventually will give Perry the ass-kicking he deserves, and finally wipe that smug, gormless look off his face.
30 - Philadelphia Flyers - Goes without saying being a Pens fan I hate these guys. It doesn't help the fact that the Flyers have always been the dirtiest hockey teams in the NHL, from the Broad Street Bullies to Todd The Dork (Fedoruk). When CSKA Moscow played them in a series back in 1976, the Flyers goons targeted the Russian's skill players, trying to injure them. Fast forward 25 years and Fedoruk was doing the same to Mario Lemieux, although he will go down as one of the worst goons in history, anyone remember Colton Orr knocking him out? They had captain concussion Eric Lindros, who never covered himself in glory with the way he refused to play for Quebec. Their jersey's are terrible, something resembling a squashed pumpkin left over from Halloween. Simply a vile hockey team always has been always will be.
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