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Bryan Rubin NHL: Why You Should Care
Photo Credit: Courtesy of ThrasherDave via Flicker.com
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Written by Bryan Rubin, Sports Writer
To all hockey fans, the off-season is over and the NHL is back. After the long, grueling three month wait, the greatest players in the world return to the ice. In case you didn’t follow the NHL last season (like millions of other Americans,) Sidney Crosby, the face of the league, captured his first career Stanley Cup; this came in a thrilling, seven game series against the defending champion Detroit Red Wings. Maybe you could have watched this amazing feat if you knew what channel Versus was. But despite the lack of viewers, hockey will still go on and there are a lot of things to be excited about this season, such as the three below.
John Tavares, #1 overall pick
The New York Islanders have been horrendous for the past four years. After picking in the top five every year, they finally have enough young talent to be competitive. I’m not saying that the Islanders are going to the playoffs, but their fans can begin to slowly remove the paper bags that cover their faces. In June, New York drafted John Tavares, a nineteen year old stud from the Ontario Hockey League. In just four games this year, Tavares already has five points. A player this young making an immediate impact brings flashbacks to Crosby and Ovechkin during their rookie years. Keep an eye out for the emerging star in Tavares.
Outdoor Classic
Every year on January 1st, New Years Day, two teams play outdoors in a regular season game. The Philadelphia Flyers will be playing the Boston Bruins in Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. This is the premier event each season and has always lived up to the hype. Detroit and Chicago played last year in Wrigley Field and Pittsburgh traveled to Buffalo the previous year to play in Ralph Wilson Stadium. With just 269 miles separating two of the top five teams in the east, this game should be far from a letdown.
Olympic Break
In February, the 2010 Winter Olympics will be located in Vancouver, Canada. This will take the place of an All-Star game this season. In 2006, Sweden took the gold behind NHL stars, Henrik Lundqvist, Nicklas Lindstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, and Henrik and Daniel Sedin. The Olympics will be a great time to see the international side of hockey. Players will put their NHL teams behind for a couple weeks in the battle to bring back the gold for their native land.
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