Joining the Wolfpack

Five months and two weeks ago, as I sat in the locker room before a beer league hockey game, two parents were considering moving their kids to other organizations because of the lack of coaches within the Whitestown organization. I struck up a conversation with them and said I’d always thought about getting involved. The next day, I was in touch with the coaching coordinator for the organization to get more info. Later that day, I was signed up for USA hockey for the first time in more than 10 years, and enrolled in the required courses to be ready for the 2017-18 season. The rest of the ride was unbelievable. I’m not sure words will capture what it meant to me, but I’m going to try.

Ever since I graduated in 2006, I’ve thought about getting back involved in the game. My biggest regret has been not at least attempting to try out as a walk on during my time at Brockport. Between now and then I’ve played in various beer leagues, intramural teams, fundraisers, alumni games, and so on. One of my favorite things to remind the kids is that we’re privileged to be able to play the best game in the world, just enjoy every minute of it. A few times I’ve thought about officiating, a way to get involved and get paid! But, I never made the move to do it. Coaching crossed my mind of course, but without my own kid involved, how fun would it be? Turns out, it can be incredible!

This weekend we had the season ending Snowbelt Jam. A culmination of the results from the year, seeding us 8^th out of 20 total teams. Against some tough competition (seeds 5-7), the boys left it all on the ice. Unfortunately we came up 2 goals short of making the Championship game. Considering we had a combined one win in six games against these same teams during the regular season, it definitely shows how far they’ve come this season. It was quite somber as we left the rink, some tears in the locker room, some stories from the season were relived, but everyone knew the season was over. The ride home with my wife, A’nna, was rough on me.

As we talked about the season, all I could say was that I wasn’t ready for it to end. The road trips, the practices, the daunted thirty second drill (which coach admitted to the players post game usually ran 50 seconds), the chit chat with the kids, just everything. Ironically, my google guides popped up just this morning and said I had spent sixty hours in the car this month, I was surprised it was that low. Over the season, we traveled a total of nearly six hours for one game on a Sunday afternoon. We sped up to Pulaski to beat the weather, only to find out the tournament might not happen at all, and that we had 2 non-refundable nights booked at the hotel (it did take place). We spent a weekend in Niagara Falls and got to unwind and spend some quality time with the parents of these kids who I’m spending all this time with. On the ice and in the locker room, I’ve learned from the kids as much as it feels like they’ve learned from me. By the end of the year, I was fielding questions every day about different scenarios that happen and what I would do. My first commitment to them, was that I’d never ask them to do something that I couldn’t. That is why every practice, I made sure to skate the sprints with them, always pushing them to be their best. I didn’t get much pushback from most of them this year, if you asked them to do it, it was done. I had to adapt to teaching as well. Learning to lose was what surprised me the most about myself. I live on competition and winning, I don’t typically lose anything well. This isn’t the way youth sports work though. With all twelve losses this year, I was able to brush them off and focus on the positives. Did a few leave a really sour taste? Of course, but when it comes down to it, none of these kids will remember our record in a few weeks. I’ve always played the game, fairly well at times, but trying to communicate and teach is a whole different animal. I’m happy with the way both sides adjusted and how we were able to work together to make both groups better. These, not the scores or results, are the memories I will take with me from this season.

I landed an awesome pair of coaches to start my journey with as well. Chris was the official head coach of the team. He put in countless hours preparing everything for the kids and the coaches for that matter. Drawing up practice plans between 11pm and 2am seems to be his specialty. Eric was in the same boat as myself, registering for courses at the last minute to get involved to help out. He was always willing to do some research to find ways to add on to existing drills, or the best way to explain new concepts to the boys. These two, and their wives and children, became our road family. I have a feeling we’ve made some long lasting friendships. Now, we would be in good shape if we could find just one good knee out of the 6 that we have combined (probably not a good sign that the artificial one is the strongest).

A’nna has been a trooper through the whole season. She told me to sign up when I first told her about coaching, I’m not sure she realized what exactly it was that she was getting into. She made all the road trips with me, attended most of the home games as well when she didn’t have to work. To her, I say thank you, and I love you! Please don’t delete all my registration emails next year when they start up just to keep me from jumping back into it. She and I were both happily accepted by the “hockey family,” I’m very grateful for this as I’m not sure she would have made it the whole season sitting by herself.

On a personal friendship level, coaching brought me back to people I never would have expected it to. On 5 different road trips, I was able to catch up with friends I hadn’t seen in a long time. Trips I probably wouldn’t have made if I wasn’t coaching. It’s funny how things come around when you’re not expecting them.

The family aspect of hockey is something I had forgotten some of. I guess 15 years out of hockey (and just being a participant, not a parent) will do that to you. One of the first comments I remember from this season was a quick quip with one of the parents in the lobby before practice. They asked why my kids were running around. I said, “I have no kids here, not my problem!” The response was, “You have 30 kids here, they’re all your problem!” We laughed at the time, but as we got further into the season I realized just how right they were. While walking around the hotel in Niagara Falls, I felt responsible for each and every Wolfpack player there (even the siblings who were at different levels). I’m proud of these kids though, I made comment to A’nna about how much more well behaved our kids were than others who were causing far more commotion and problems.

I’m still having a hard time believing that we played 37 games already. It feels like just yesterday I was rushing out to Schenectady to get my level one CEP course completed. I’m also not ready to accept that after our closing events this week, the season is over. My only regret will be not starting coaching sooner. As far as everything else this season, I would repeat every single bit in a heartbeat!  I want to thank everyone that was involved from the bottom of my heart. I hope that every season after this can live up to the standard that this one has set.

Until next year, summer skate, dry land, or backyard shooting,

Thanks again,

Coach Otto

Thoughts From the Road on The Ride of Hope

Before I begin, I will start with the idea that everything seems to be coming back to:

It is fun to be part of a team because everything is more important than the individuals. On The Ride of Hope, the mission was bigger than even the team.

Saturday’s opening ceremonies were amazing. We were so lucky to have so many families of missing children whom were willing to come and take part. Jonnie Carter on behalf of Bethany Markowski, Amy Marchbanks on behalf of Sean Googin, Lisa Buske on behalf of Heidi Alen, Gary Plunket on behalf of his neice Sabrina, Pam Riley on behalf of Laquanta Reily and Mary and Doug Lyall on behalf of Susan Lyall. In addition we had our first team, along with the Sauquoit Valley class of ’99, present our first set of designated riders. Dick Jordan, one of the founders of the ride and only rider to complete all three rides to Washington, introduced us to the story of Lauren Spierer followed by a member of Sarah's class to tell the story of Sarah Ann Wood.  After the emotions of finishing my first full CNY Ride on Friday, my mind was completely preoccupied when we left on the bikes, to the point that not a single thing was bothering me physically. The opening portion of the ride included a police escort from the New Hartford Rec center all the way to Oriskany Falls. Thank you to both the New York State Police and Town of New Hartford police for something that we all certainly appreciated. It was a mix matched day for our team, named by most, Team Hammer. Ryan had to leave early due to a prior engagement and DT broke a spoke and had to head to Binghamton early to avoid having to ride for a couple extra days on a bad tire. I joined on with Jim and Becky and they were kind enough to pull me along for a while. After some miscommunications, we re-grouped a couple miles outside the hotel and were able to roll in with much of the group together. For an 87 mile day, the ride was pretty uneventful, which is definitely a good thing.

Sunday’s morning meeting opened with a bang. Ahmad Rivazfar gave us all a beautiful reminder of why we were riding and really set the tone for the rest of the ride. The opening presentations were given by the teams to honor Sara Rivazfar, Elizabeth Smart, Trenton Duckett, Ivory Green, Heidi Allen Sean Googin and Tammi McCormick, our designated children of the day. Pennsylvania definitely tested the patience and endurance of all the riders. I don’t know if we rode on a well paved road the whole time we spent in that state. Add on to that, the ups and downs of the emotions and landscape and it was truly a test. It was today that the gravity of what we ride for really hit me. As we climbed what I believe was our largest hill of the trip (right before crossing the river) I kept thinking, there is a sag with us you can just pull off and catch a ride up. Then it hit me, my lungs were burning, my legs were screaming, and my back was sore, none of this mattered. We were riding for families whose pain is so much more, no one was going to have a bit of sympathy for me and my “aches and pains,” nor would I be deserving of any of it. I kicked it up a bit and fought to the top of the hill. I will take a moment to enjoy that, as I believe it was the only time I caught DT and Ryan and beat them to the top of one. We got into the Wilkes-Barre hotel, fittingly at the highest point of the city after 88 miles, a bit before the other teams and were able to talk to the media briefly as one of the reporters was in a hurry to get on to another story but wanted to be sure to cover ours. I went back out as each of the other teams came in to cheer them in. Doing this was one of my favorite things as you get to witness the accomplishment on everyone’s faces as the pull into the destination.

Ah, Monday. This was by far the most physically demanding day of the trip. Top mileage of any day, plus a tight deadline on our two school appearances. Of course, as with Sunday, the terrain didn’t cut us any breaks. From the start we had some logistical issues, the plan was to drop everyone off at a starting point outside the city limits to avoid some rough road and rush hour traffic. However, not everyone had space yet to fit all the people and bikes, which don’t work too well without both parts present I hear. The morning designation was done for Mary Opitz and Bethany Markowski and then we were off.  A group of about 10 of us left a bit ahead on bikes to make room for others in the SAG vehicles. The smaller group was definitely a good idea, we had some of the worst roads we encountered the whole trip on the way down though the city. Once we met up with the rest of the group, we were on our way to our first school of the trip. Our arrival was amazing! The students of Orange St Elementary, many of whom ride their bikes to school, were all outside cheering when we got there. They brought in the band as well to play some pep music to liven things up. After slapping hands and a cheer contest (brought upon by DT and Joe, who’s surprised?) we went into the class rooms to share safety tips, bike tips, and answer some questions. Once we were done, we got our team photo in front of the school and were on our way, a bit later than anticipated but we did ok. Lucky for us, the next school had pushed back our arrival half an hour. We had to cover 20+ miles in an hour and a half to get to the next school on time. We traveled mostly as a group on our way to Danville Elementary and got to ride through almost immediately upon arrival. We broke apart into the classrooms, sharing our messages again. Afterwards the children had to continue with their regular day, we all regrouped again for the presentations of the day’s designated riders. We left the school and stopped for some Burger King, the benefit of riding so much is that even a BK hamburger tasted amazing. Once we took off again we still had about 70 miles to the hotel and the rain cloud could be seen in the distance. Once we hit the highway, with the wind at our backs, we took off. The three of us averaged about 22-23 miles per hour over a close to 30 miles stretch. It took everything I had to keep up with these guys. We were able to keep just ahead of the storm, coming close enough to feel the temps drop and then getting back ahead where it warmed up again. Somehow, we avoided it all. Other groups weren’t so lucky and did get a little wet. We got to the “end” of the day at 101 miles but didn’t see anything prohibiting us from continuing on so we did. Thanks apparently to an alternate route than what the rest of the group took, we rolled our bikes 122 miles in 11 hours and 45 minutes, into the hotel parking lot. I was part of the 2003 Whitesboro hockey state championship hockey team, this day of the ride had me on a more emotional and physical high than I’ve ever been on, including that state championship. It was simply amazing. Cleaning out the vehicle looked like a recycling center with all of our Gatorade and water bottles from the day. We got back and got a nice dinner and followed along with the Comets game only to hear them fall, forcing a game 7 we knew we’d be watching on Wednesday.

Tuesday was a great day to ride. After our morning dedication to Elizabeth Collins, Lyric Cook, and Laquanta Riley as well as a special presentation by Wendy to Tracy King, we were ready to take our time. The temperatures started a little more comfortably and we knew there were was no itinerary for our 38 mile day. It was also the first day that Ana Rivera, our awesome reporter (teamed with her camera woman Christa Calcari) got to get on the bike. She got some quick lessons around the parking lot before we took off and had the luck to ride with Team Hammer to open up. Yes, we even forced her to ride up a hill that she wanted to give up on. With no time restrictions, the groups were much bigger for this ride. We of course got a picture at the infamous guard rail crossing. One of the highlights on this leg, with hardly any convenience stores, was riding by a church and asking for bathrooms. Of course we were welcome in with open arms. Before being allowed to leave we were blessed with a heartwarming prayer. The rest of the ride in was methodical and cheery, it was nice to chat with riders I hadn’t spent time with yet. Upon getting there I made my biggest mistake of the trip. I showered up and prepared for the rest of the day. After resting for a bit, a bike trip (we’re all crazy, I’m aware) was suggested and a dozen of us rolled around Gettysburg led on tour by history buffs Jeff Hudson and Joe DeCola. I of course forgot to re-apply sun screen and in the 2 hours we were out got completely roasted. The history in the area is amazing though, I will be visiting both Gettysburg and Washington again someday, as this was my first time to either place. The family aspect could be seen growing at this small Gettysburg hotel. Many of us sat around that night in the lobby, drinking beer and sharing our stories. A true bonding experience. 

Wednesday morning was our first cooler morning, a good thing too since it was another day with time restrictions. Our team presented our children, Brian Sullivan and Craig Frear, in the morning and Wendy introduced Raymi, Amaru, and Ork'o Frisancho, whose father, Augusto would be meeting us in Gaithersburg that night. She also introduced us to Gabriel and Anastasia Hunkovic, whose father was scheduled to meet us as the hotel but had an emergency which kept him from doing so. A small group left early to insure that everyone got to carry the plaque bag for their portion of the trip and it could be done on time. Once the rest of the group departed we were on our way to another school. We were assured of another hilly day, as we rolled past our first Maryland sign and up a nice steady hill. As we rolled past St Mary’s University, John Walsh Way was pointed out, dedicated to the co-founder of the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It was a touching moment to say the least. We re-grouped outside of the school, did a couple loops around the parking lot then went in to talk to the students in their class rooms. After, it was our teams turn to take the plaque bag. We left a few minutes early knowing we would have a couple extra stops on the way to exchange plus the hills which weren’t looking kind based on the elevation maps. As hard as we pushed, we arrived at the next school stop just 15 minutes before we were supposed to. We waited for the rest of the groups to arrive, then rode in unison into the basketball courts where the children were all waiting, screaming at the top of their lungs. Luckily the school was able to be flexible with their scheduling due to the late arrival. Karen gave an extremely enthusiastic presentation to the entire school which even got the riders excited for the message she was giving. Once she was done, we got to mingle with the students, handing out stickers and pencils, which the students found a variety of uses for but all loved the same. Wendy and crew ordered some pizzas for us to eat before heading for the hotel, I for one was excited for some solid food. At departure we were only 7 miles from the hotel, an exciting idea for all. The welcome to the hotel at Gaithersburg was both unexpected and amazing. The entire crew from the hotel was outside to greet us, as well as a city councilman and Augusto. They had prepared an excellent buffet of hamburgs, pulled pork, salads, and most excitingly they had a huge cooler filled with CHOCOLATE MILK! After getting to meet everyone a big group went down to the train station to help record Ana’s live shot at 6. From there we went to Dogfish Head Ale House (are we seeing a theme yet), for dinner. The server was great, being a wise ass he fit right in with the group, plus once he heard our story, he wore one of our stickers on this sleeve for the rest of the night. The news crew also met us at the restaurant where we got to tell Ana’s parents how great she was (not that they didn’t already know). Upon our return, there was a group in the hotel lobby watching the Comets game on a laptop screen, I was cheered upon entering since everyone knew I had brought the TV hookup with me. All the season ticket holders on the trip, plus many more gathered in the lobby and we cheered loudly as we realized he hadn’t missed the last home hockey in the AUD. Another great night of bonding with the group, we all stayed up late knowing it would be our last night together.

Thursday morning rolled in and the weather wanted to be sure it made in impact on the whole group at least once. I was mocked for excessive layers early but after our morning dedication to Suzanne Lyall and Colin Gillis as well as Wendy’s dedication to Jackson Miller and Joanne Seaquist, most people joined me in an extra layer and rain clothing. We also got to hear a special message from Gary Plunkett about how this ride has gotten him that much closer to his niece Sabrina. We got a late start to the day again, but only due to the amazing stories being told. We hit the road with an amazing, and completely needed, escort from the Gaithersburg police. They took us out to the city limits where we were on our own again. The rain was intermittent early, eventually becoming steady as the temperatures dropped. It became eerily similar to my first CNY Ride for Missing Children just a year before. Luckily the rain never got that heavy. We hit the trailhead where we gained some tree cover which helped a bit as well. Once we got near the city, the trail changed and we missed a couple turns. In good weather this would have been fine as we got to see some different things. Luckily we had some riders who were light hearted to remind us that getting lost and being cold had no impact on our mission, which helped to keep everything in line. Eventually we arrived in the streets of Alexandria, VA and everything started to build. Every worker lined the road outside of headquarters, in the rain to cheer us in. You couldn’t help but be excited for what we had just achieved (even if we still had 15 miles to go to officially finish the ride. Once we entered, we got dry towels (who would have guessed that would be most exciting), drinks, food, and a goodie bag with NCMEC stuff in it. We also received pins with the new “forget me not” stamps on them. The group from headquarters presented to us everything that they do and are working on. A great way to celebrate the 20 year anniversary. We weren’t done yet, it was finally time for Skip to turn over the plaque to the center. Along with the plaque, there was a signed jersey for them as well as one for Ed Suk. Even without standing next to him, it felt so great to be a part of the presentation which summarized what it was all about. Once we wrapped up with some pictures, we took back to the trail to finish our journey (mainly because we didn’t have vehicles to get us back). It was a nice relaxing ride, except the gravel road, knowing that our journey was over and every single one of us played a role in it.

My favorite parts of the trip was the bonding between us all and naturally the kids. Every kid that we are in front of gives us a chance to make a difference in their life. There is nothing more important than that.

I only have two regrets from this trip, the first is not bringing all of my pins with me for Thursday’s ride into the center. While our team was dedicated to Brian and Craig, every time I pull the jersey over my head, I’m riding for each and every child that I’ve represented (and will going forward). The other was not having my jersey signed by each person in our family. It was an honor and privilege to be part of it with you. I hope we can organize a picnic this summer to ensure that we all keep in touch.

Just to wrap up a few thank you’s. First to Doc, Joe, Chip and Bob for being the driving force behind this ride. Second, to the sag drivers, we couldn’t have done it without you guys. Dave Hogan for his magical morning prayers. Also, to the Ana, Christa, and WUTR/CNY Homepage in general for helping us get our message out there. To my team, DT, Ryan, Daryl, and Ting. You guys were awesome to spend a week straight with. Finally, to anyone who doesn’t fit one of these categories, thank you. Great things like this don’t just appear out of thin air. It take a lot of time and effort by everyone involved to get them done, even if it doesn’t go perfect. This was truly more than a team, it was a family with a mission;

“To make our children safer…”

For pictures, videos, and stories from the trip please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheRideOfHope/

#ThruwayPuck Season 3, Episode 1

We're back! In the first episode of the season, Dan and Otto catch up on the season for far, All Star Games, The World Cup of Hockey, AHL re-location and more. Check it out here or download it on Itunes, Just search #thruwaypuck. Find the guys on twitter at @oisen25 and @dpron1.

Thoughts about the Frozen Dome Classic

I start this first and foremost by thanking Howard Dolgon and the Syracuse Crunch for choosing to put on this event. It was an event of a lifetime and while I do have some issues with it, none of it could have happened without their efforts.

The first missed opportunity for the game was the marketing of merchandise. I understand this wasn’t an AHL event so they were able to do whatever they wanted. However, as a Comets fan, I had no interest in any of the t-shirts which all had the Crunch logo on them. Even using both logos would have at least made me consider buying something related to the game.

I had seats in section 303, which fell right behind the net. For the price, the tickets were a good value, I can’t complain in the least about our view of the game. I did notice that after the first period that on the bench side, the ice level seats were empty for about the first 15. I wasn't sure why until a couple days later when I talked to someone who had seats there. Apparently the seats were below ice level, so once players were on the bench, there was no view from those seats. Fans in those areas had to be moved to locations where they could see. You would imagine that this would be one of the first things to be considered before setting up seating arrangements. However, the need to sell tickets at the higher price was the priority.

There was no re-entry policy for the event. This was probably the biggest complaint I had about the event. If you wanted to see all of the games, it would have been about an eleven hour day. Eight dollar beers and food prices in the same range made it a ridiculous day out if you were to have brought a whole family had had to feed them one meal, if not two. As a rebellion, not that those in charge care about 5 people, my family and I avoided buying anything from the concessions. Another issue I had was that there was the time taken to plan out the Utica Strong get together as well as one for Syracuse fans. Those who wanted to see the college game were unable to get out to take part in any of them. There is no doubt that there could have been a much larger crowd for the Pioneers versus Lakers game had people been able to leave for the three hour layover between games. I have a hard time believing that a hand stamp and retaining the ticket is that hard of a policy to enforce to allow re-entry into the game.

The ice was a major issue in terms of the actual game play. It appeared to be very soft ice and was definitely slow; the water from the Zamboni took until halfway through the period to set up. Holes were constantly being patched, I’m sure the head referee would have appreciated it, as he found himself on the ice multiple times during the course of the game. I’m not sure I've been a puck bounce around as much as I have in both of the games on the big day. A big part of this I associate with the timeline of the event, which was mostly out of the control of the organizing committee. Another couple days to monitor the conditions would have allowed them to set the temperatures to the idea levels. I just hope the soft ice wasn't an intentional result of knowing it needed to be broken up right after the game. Another good idea would have been to keep the Crunch off the ice on Thursday before the game. They held a skate, even though they had to have cones on the ice to keep players away from problem areas. Getting the ice to idea conditions should have been the priority. Overall, there were 5 games in about 24 hours, while this will take its toll on any ice surface, I do believe that there was an opportunity to have better conditions.

As for the game lineup, it was a very pleasant day of hockey. Both games that I watched were great games considering the circumstances listed above. There was a solid contingent of both UC and Comets fans which helped make the games more fun since we weren't outnumbered as bad as it could have been.

This was my first time at a major event at the Dome. I had attended the Iowa-Syracuse football game years ago, but to say the environment for that was underwhelming would be kind. This event had a buzz from the beginning, even if it did take Comets fans starting chants to get the Syracuse fans going during the AHL game (all but once as far as I could tell). This wasn't all that surprising though given the similar situation at the War Memorial for the one game I attended last year. It was nice though to not experience any disrespectful fans. I’m sure there are situations contrary to mine, but when the biggest insult that I heard from a noisy Syracuse fan near us was “you’re from Utica” I can deal with that. It also made me realize that I need to attend an Oswego hockey game in Oswego. While I couldn't always understand what they were saying, The couple hundred Oswego fan were constantly chanting things, which is exactly how a student section should be. Overall the fan experience was the best part of the day, 30,000+ people watching a local hockey game was awesome!

For the entertainment that the hockey products provided, the rest was lacking a bit. The honorary puck drop was ok, I’m glad they honored the hockey players and the military member as well. However, this was not a Syracuse University event, the basketball and football was irrelevant to anything happening that day. I would have rather seen the owners of the Comets and Crunch if they insisted on filling all of the carpet that they rolled out. I would assume I am in the minority on this given my lack of caring about anything Syracuse sports but that’s the way I see it. Intermission entertainment was pretty weak as well. The Steve-O bit had potential but should have been planned out before the game. Syracuse has plenty of ice rinks around, figuring out the logistics of getting someone past centre ice on a sled (should have been a saucer) wouldn't be that difficult. The Hockey Hall of Fame exhibit was beneficial; it allowed me to kill a few minutes between games and gave me the desire to return to Toronto so that I can actually visit the hall again. I didn't have the patience to push through the lines of people to get to read all of the available information.

This list may seem that it wasn't enjoyable, but I want to clarify that it was a great time and I would certainly do it again. I just feel that there were many things that could have been modified slightly to increase the experience for all involved. A Comets win certainly would have been among those things, but redemption on Wednesday took care of that for me. I’m looking forward now to see how the Comets staff and the AUD do hosting the All-Star game in the near future.

Dan's 2014-15 Picks

I will preface this post by saying that I have not had much time to put a lot of thought into my preview so this will be short and sweet.  Though now that I think about it, my past picks have been terrible so maybe a change will help?

Western Conference
This conference is by far the superior conference and is loaded with good teams.  I am willing to bet that teams 9-11 in the West would be in the top 8 in the East.  Based on the fact that there are usually a couple of changes of playoff teams I break it down like this....  Anaheim and St. Louis win their divisions, the Ducks behind a younger line up (sorry Teemu and Saku) and a legitimate 2nd line center in Kesler.  My gut says that John Gibson takes over the #1 job in net.  The Blues added a #1 center in Paul Stastny who deepens their lineup and takes some pressure off David Backes who was being asked to be a shut down center and top scorer.  Jake Allen is ready to be a #1 goalie and will prove it.  In the west, San Jose and LA are too talented to not make the dance.  The Kings seem to take the first couple months in cruise control and then kick it in to gear around February.  Despite all the nonsense that went on in SJ, they still have a lot of talent on the roster.  I then will pick Arizona to be the new girl at the dance.  Injuries really hurt them last year especially the one to goaltender Mike Smith.  If he stays healthy, they make it.  The Canucks will be better because they fired Torterella and finally moved all the guys who didn't want to be there (Kesler, Lou) and brought in Ryan Miller.  He will solidify that spot and the Sedins return to being a dynamic pair.  Not sure where else they get goals from which keeps them out.  The teams in Alberta will again miss the playoffs but they will be better.  Edmonton still has too many questions on D and Calgary can't score.  The rest of the Central will break down like so.  The Blackhawks have one more kick at this thing before the salary cap punishes them for having too many good players.  The darlings of a lot of people are the Stars.  Adding Spezza is huge as long as he stays healthy.  Still worried about their D but coach Lindy Ruff has made a career of making poor talent serviceable on D.  The Avalanche will make a drop from winning the division last year but they again have a lot of talent and a good goaltender.  Just missing the playoffs, is the Wild who will suffer from no goaltender and streaky scoring.  Nashville will be better because their coach is a very good one, and Winnipeg will be in the McEichel sweepstakes.
Pacific                
Anaheim*
San Jose*
LA*
Arizona*
Vancouver
Calgary
Edmonton
Central
St. Louis*
Chicago*
Dallas*
Colorado*
Minnesota
Nashville
Winnipeg

Eastern Conference
As I stated earlier, the East is the least.  In the metro (who named these divisions?)  Pittsburgh will be improved with a new coach, and a fresh outlook.  Their problem is in the playoffs, not making them.  The Rangers lost a couple pieces but are still a solid core, and have King Henry.  The Devils make a big jump.  I really think Broduer was a distraction last season and now Corey Schneider will show off his talent and carry my fantasy team to victory!  In Philly, they seemed to have figured some things out with their new coach.  Giroux loses his pal Hartnell but I think Simmonds steps in to be a top line winger.  Just missing the playoffs are the CBJ's and Islanders.  The Jackets miss because they have a couple key injuries to top 6 guys and they have to play a hard game nigh in and night out.  I just don't see them doing it again this year.  The Islanders will also be right there and could make the dance.  There are some question marks in the line up still but I do like the additions they made in goal and on D.  At the bottom of the division will be the Caps and Canes.  The caps live and die on the power play and Ovie carrying the load.  The Canes aren't sure who their goalie is and have a couple of big injuries they will get a top 3 pick in June. 
In the Atlantic, the Bruins will once again be the top dog in the group.  They have one maybe two kicks left before Chara gets too old and the cap hurts them.  The Lightning continue to improve and will challenge for the division title.  I really like the addition of Jason Garrison to their D and PP.  The Canadians made some interesting changes by letting Gionta and Gorges go to Buffalo and will rely on their younger kids to be their go to guys.  They still have Subban and Price to anchor the team.  The Leafs get back in the dance behind a Rocket Richard season from Phil Kessel and a Vezina season from Jonathan Bernier.  If those guys are their best players then they have a shot.  Just missing the playoffs are the Panthers.  They should be much improved from last year but I just don't think their kids are ready to lead.  I'm thinking that Detroit misses because it's just time for them to miss.  I'm probably wrong but why not.  Ottawa is a little bit of mess in my opinion.  I do not like making Karlsson captain.  Just because he is your best player does not mean he should be your captain.  Anyhow, they were a mess last year and lost their number 1 center.  They did make the playoffs 2 years ago so they could bounce back.  Then there's Buffalo.  The suffering is almost over, one more season and then they can get McEichel.  They could win 10 more games than last season and still be in last place.  Just let that sink in.
Metro
Pittsburgh*
New York Rangers*
New Jersey*
Philadelphia*
Columbus
New York Islanders
Washington
Carolina

Atlantic
Boston*
Tampa Bay*
Montreal*
Toronto*
Florida
Detroit
Ottawa
Buffalo

East Winner:  Tampa Bay
West Winner:  St. Louis
Stanley Cup:  St. Louis

2014-15 Season Predictions

Otto's Picks:

Atlantic	Metropolitan	Central	Pacific
Boston*	Pittsburgh*	Chicago*	LA*
Montreal*	Washington*	St Louis*	San Jose*
Tampa Bay*	NY Rangers*	Minnesota*	Vancouver*
Toronto	Columbus*	Colorado*	Anaheim
Detroit	Philadelphia*	Dallas*	Edmonton
Buffalo	NJ Devils	Nashville	Arizona
Ottawa	NY Islanders	Winnipeg	Calgary
Florida	Carolina

* Denotes playoff team

East Comments:
In the Atlantic, I don't see much changing at the top of the division. I don't see Toronto having a change in philosophy that allows their goalies to become less of a responsibility. However, if the goaltenders play as they did midway through last year, they could grab a wild card spot. Detroit made the playoffs last year, however I think they took advantage of an extremely weak east in doing so. This year a few teams have improved to keep them out. I'm one of the few that doesn't see Buffalo being a lock for the last spot in the league. They made some moves this off season that actually improve their roster. The biggest question in Buffalo is goal tending, if they don't get competent help, they will be the favorites in the Connor McDavid sweepstakes. I don't know what Ottawa has this year, they did lock up Bobby Ryan, however they still lack overwhelming power in any particular spot. Florida has no questions in goal with the addition of Bobby Lou, however they don't have any top scorers and the defense lacks power unless Aaron Ekblad makes a major difference,

In the Metro, I couldn't find a way to knock Pittsburgh out of the top spot. Despite their playoff issues they have been one of the strongest regular season teams in the league. I think Washington make a jump this year after their off-season make over. The Rangers maintain course taking the third playoff spot. Columbus builds on last years success and again gets the top wild card spot. Philadelphia came on strong last week, and while slipping a bit this year, will still claim a playoff spot. The Devils added names to this year, however most of them are far past their prime. A non playoff team needs to improve their roster and I don't know if they did enough. I'm not sold on the Islanders roster either. Their goalie is an upgrade and having Tavares back will help but not enough to jump into the playoffs. Carolina is my pick for the last place team in the league. An aging goalie and a shallow roster spells trouble for the Canes.

West Comments:
Full disclosure, I have no idea how to differentiate between most of these teams. In the Central, I don't see the Avs repeating their start from last season, which played a crucial roll in their top seeding for the playoffs. This year they finish lower, but still in the playoffs. In their place, the Blackhawks claim the top seed in the division. They just have too much talent on their roster. The Blues also carry on this season, Young talent up front and in back but another team that is relying on not so proven goaltending. The Wild also lack goaltending experience, however their top 6 will compete with any team in the league. A developing D will continue to improve and the Wild will take the top wild card in the West. The Stars will also continue on from last year. They have a ton of talent and good goaltending, A higher finish wouldn't surprise me in the least. Nashville hasn't improved quite enough yet, however a good goalie can take a team over the top with a few stolen wins here and there. Winnipeg lacks in just about all areas, resulting in last place in the Central.

In the Pacific LA and San Jose remain among the top in the league, both have great talent remaining from last year and no reason to see them drop (even if the Kings don't seem to care where the enter the playoffs). The Canucks jump up into third in the division with consistent goaltending in Ryan Miller. Somehow, the Ducks fall out, despite their offensive talent, their goalies are now unproven in the NHL. While Edmonton will be better this year, they play in a division that their jump would need to be astronomical to get them into the playoffs, which it wont be. Arizona will be another solid team in the west, however not good enough to make the playoffs. Calgary's struggles will continue, however they wont be competing for last in the league, that award will go to someone in the west.

Picks for the cup:
East Representative:

Otto - Montreal

West Representative:

Otto - San Jose

2014-15 Stanley Cup Champions:

Otto - San Jose

2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs Predictions -Dan

Seeing that I am supposed to be doing Graduate School work and watching my 8 month old son, I will keep this brief.

I'll also be honest and tell you all that I have not been able to watch much hockey since the Olympics so my picks will probably reflect that.

Boston-Detroit
Boston is healthy and playing very well to end the year.  They have the goaltender and the team D to keep Detroit in check.  The miles are starting to pile up on Chara who has looked slow at times this season. 
BOSTON IN 5

Tampa Bay - Montreal 
This might be the most evenly matched series in the East.  The addition of Vanek seems to be working quite well for the Habs.  But Stamkos + Callahan > Vanek and Pacioretty = BOLTS IN 7

Pittsburgh - Columbus
This is a interesting match up for the Pens.  I see the Jackets giving the Pens a lot of trouble keeping games close but overall the Pens are just a better team and they have #87
PENS IN 6

Philadelphia - New York 
This looks to be an interesting match up also.  The Flyers turned things around from a terrible start to the season and have played good if not great hockey ever since they changed head coaches.  The Rangers have some firepower on paper but just haven't seemed to put it all together.  They are just kind of there.  Not great, not bad just average.
FLYERS IN 6  I refuse to root for Marty St. Louis after the move he pulled to leave TB and I think another Philly-Pitt series would be awesome.  This pick could backfire if Mason reverts to his days in Columbus and they don't get enough PP opportunities.

Anaheim - Dallas
The Stars getting in is a good story but I don't see them taking down the Ducks.  Perry and Getzlaf are too much for the Stars to handle.  DUCKS IN 5

Colorado - Minnesota
Finally we reach the series that will split the Isenberg home for at least a week!  I'll take A'nna's young and speedy Avs over Otto's old philosophers (Bryz) from Minnesota.  AVS IN 5

San Jose - Los Angeles
This should be a great series.  I have no real insight into it at all so I will flip a coin and say... 

SHARKS IN 7

St. Louis -Chicago
It's too bad that both of these team were hit with an injury bug and struggled down the stretch.  I really don't have a clue who will win so since I live in Buffalo and it is beneficial to the Sabres for the Blues to make the conference final, I will take BLUES IN 7