With football starting early in the fall. most people forget the NHL season starts about a month afterward.  This season, I plan to watch more hockey than ever, mostly due my location.

I moved to Minnesota over the Summer.  As school starts, I am starting to realize how big hockey really is here.  Everyone plays it, everyone follows it.  Everybody can talk hockey here, and know what their talking about.

So as the season approaches, the NHL will get a preview from me.  Multiple columns will help preview and predict the season.

After my New York Rangers lost the

Hold on..

Let me cry a bit….

Ok…

Alright.

After my New York Rangers lost the Stanley Cup in Game 7 versus the Los Angeles Kings, I took into deep consideration how great hockey really is.  I thought not only about that series, but how the whole Playoffs went.  So many incredible series, game-winning goals, and upsets really made me appreciate it.  Knowing I was moving to a state that lives it, I had to.

That leads us here.  Me, and you the reader, talking, reading, writing about the upcoming and sure to deliver hockey season.

The Lock Em’ Downs

East

• Pittsburgh
• Montreal
• New York Rangers

The Canadians had a great year in 2013-2014.  P.K. Subban finally gained everyone’s attention, and by that, he got paid this offseason.  A great team surrounds him, and I think this year, they could end making a even deeper playoff run.

As long as Sidney Crosby is on the the Penguins roster, you can’t count them out.  The Pens got the 2nd seed behind Boston last year, and I expect them to be up there again.  Knocked out of the Playoffs by the Rangers, the Pens, if Crosby stays healthy, could end up making it farther than that.

The Stanley Cup runner-ups have to be considered.  Their are so many good players on this team, and the Martin St.Louis trade remains one of the best moves, honestly, ever during the season.  He brought so much emotion and talent to a already great team.  If the Rangers can stay healthy, then expect to see them back in at least the Conference Finals.

West

• Anaheim Ducks
• Chicago Blackhawks
• Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles is all the sudden a hockey town? What?

Yea, and both teams are pretty good.

The Kings, Stanley Cup Champion Kings, are loaded again and will be in the thick of things.  The question is, how far can they go?  The Kings got lucky last year.  After being down 3-0 (drying up a tear, check the My Teams page) they came back and won the opening round 4-3.  One of the greatest comebacks ever, they rolled through everyone else, then won a nail biting, exciting Cup.  The Kings simply got hot at the right time.  Johnathan Quick goal-tended outstanding, Drew Doughty played amazing defense.  It all came together.  I’m not saying they’re going slide, even though they finished with the 6th seed last year, but their postseason run might not be so extensive.

Moving South, the Ducks clinched the No.1 overall seed for the Playoffs last year.  A monster 54 win season carried them to Playoffs, only to knocked out by the crosstown Kings in the second round.