Hello there! And welcome to Holy Jumpin’! What is Holy
Jumpin’? I’m glad you ask. Holy Jumpin’ is my outlet to write my opinions about
hockey. And what qualifications do I have? None, but I started this, and wrote
this, and you’re just reading it (thanks for reading!), so I think that counts.
And I really like hockey. Like thissssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss much.
Why the name Holy Jumpin’? Well in reference to the great Darren Pang of
course. As such: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9LhVo695WM
It’s one of the best catchphrases used by NHL announcers. Along with anything Rick Jeanneret has said: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEfbyrKnKc0
So that’s the story behind Holy Jumpin’. My goal is to have two posts up a week, based on what’s going on during the season. It’ll be my take on stories from the hockey world. If anyone else is interested in taking part let me know, contributions are welcome. A few years ago, when Henry Brawlins and I were on one of our homeless walks around DeKalb, he suggested I do something like this. It took a while, but here it is. So some of the credit (or blame) goes to him.
And so training camp is underway and we’re only 19 (and
counting) days from the start of the 2013-2014 NHL season. Get stoked! For the
inaugural day of Holy Jumpin’, I’m gonna talk about 5 teams I expect to kick ass and 5
teams I expect to get their ass kicked. Also: some realignment opinions and the
abomination that is the Sabres new third jersey.
1) Boston Bruins –
After a successful season the Bruins went
and made major changes. Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley, Andrew Ference, and Nathan
Horton are all out and in comes Loui Eriksson and Jarome Iginla (yeah, that’s
actually happening this time). So there will be a new feel to the Bruins this season.
Eriksson was for years one of the most underrated players in the league for the
Stars, but the Boston market will give him the recognition he deserves. He’s
equal to Seguin in the offense department, topping 70 points each season
between 2009-10 and 2011-12, and while Seguin has the potential for higher
offense, Eriksson is more reliable defensively and off the ice. Milan Lucic
should bounce back from a 7 goal season, and Patrice Bergeron can put up decent
points while doing everything else, such as winning faceoffs and shutting down
opponents’ top players, right. Speaking of defense, any team with Zdeno Chara
will be fine. Unless Tuukka Rask suffers from the big contract letdown (8
years, $56 million), goaltending won’t be an issue. Expect the Bruins to put together
another good season and a deep playoff run.
2) Chicago Blackhawks –
Of course, pick the two teams that
played in the Stanley Cup, what logic. Unlike the Bruins, or the Hawks the last
time they won the Cup, there’s no major changes going into the season. Much of
the lineup is the same, meaning the only reason they won’t win the Cup is
because no one’s gone back-to-back since the ‘97 and ‘98 Red Wings. With the
Jonathan Toews-Patrick Kane-Marian Hossa-Patrick Sharp offensive attack,
scoring will be no problem. Expect Sharp to have a good year after lighting it
up in the playoffs following an injury riddled regular season. Duncan Keith
deserved more consideration for both the Norris and Conn Smyth after a
fantastic season last year. Defensively, he and Brent Seabrook led a defensive
crew that has it all. Nick Leddy should show continued growth, as he’s
experienced a lot in his short career. He’s a potential Brain Campbell type
player. And Corey Crawford showed he’s an elite goalie and should continue to
play at or near that level, especially as he makes his case for Canada’s
Olympic goalie.
High 5:
1) Boston Bruins – 
2) Chicago Blackhawks – 
3) Los Angeles Kings – How stacked are the Kings? They have
9 solid NHL defensemen on the roster. Okay, 8 if Willie Mitchell still can’t
play or if Jeff Schultz is borderline at this point in his career. But Drew
Doughty is showing why he deserves to be in the conversation of elite young
defensemen with Norris winners P.K. Subban and Erik Karlsson. Offensively, Anze Kopitar should be counted
on for his regular season production (42 pts in 47 GP), not the playoff
performance (9 pts in 18GP). Jeff Carter bagged 26 goals in the shortened
season, expect another Cy Young season from him (aka, lots of goals, not many
assists). Tyler Toffoli showed in his short auditions last year he can put up
some top numbers. Regular season – 10 GP, 5pts, playoffs 12 GP, 6 pts. Not sure
why he’s not getting more Calder Talk. Who should get some trophy talk will be
Jonathan Quick, who found his dominate form late last season and into the
playoffs.
4) St. Louis Blues –
When Alex Pietrangelo re-signs, the
Blues officially become one of the top teams in the league. On a defensive
group that also includes Kevin Shattenkirk and Jay Bouwmeester, the transition
game should be spectacular. Derek Roy should make a difference as a solid
second-line, playmaking center. Vladimir Tarasenko should be more comfortable and
consistent with a year of experience in North America out of the way. David
Backes is a very Patrice Bergeron-like player, doing just about everything
right. Chris Stewart might have finally figured out what it takes to be a
consistent power forward. After a disappointing to start the year last season,
which goalie gets going first is anyone’s guess. But between Jaroslav Halak and
Brian Elliott one of them should get it. And if not, well Jake Allen looks like
the real deal and could step in and save the season like last year. Oh, and Ken
Hitchcock has a way of making his teams pretty damn good. Look for a long
playoff run from the Blues this year.
5) Detroit Red Wings –
How about that old Central Division,
eh? The Wings have been waiting for that move east for a while, and finally got
their way. The survived the shock of not have Nicklas Lidstrom to make the
playoffs for a 22nd straight season, and then made a lot of noise in
two rounds before finally falling to the Hawks in a game 7 overtime. But the
big news is Daniel Alfredsson coming to Detroit. Cue the old player jokes, but
if Alfie believes the Wings give him a chance to finally win a cup. And with
Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg still leading the offense, and Stephen
Weiss sliding into the number two center spot, there’s no reason not to expect
a successful offense. Datsyuk is the most skilled player in the league, and one
of the best two-way players, as evidenced by his three Selkes. But there’s some
young players filling out the forward ranks. Joakim Andersson and Gustav
Nyquist (of course the Wings have Swedes) had good runs both with the Wings and
AHL Grand Rapids to a Calder Cup. Tomas Tatar was the AHL Playoff MVP and
should be making plays like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0iXiIkwdY0)
with the Wings for good now. Oh, and Jimmy Howard is definitely an elite goalie
now.
Honorable Mention: Pittsburgh Penguins – The one thing
keeping the Pens from being in the top 5 is goaltending. Jimmy Howard is
definitely better than Marc-Andre Fleury, so Detroit gets spot 5, while all
Pittsburgh gets is these few sentences. Sorry. I really hope Sidney Crosby can
play a full season though.
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