Volume 67, Issue 3

Western Conference

by Daniel Groner

The Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche have been the dominant forces in the Western Conference the last few years and there is no reason to believe that this year will be any different.  Besides pouncing on the Eastern Conference teams in the process of winning five of the last seven championships, these two teams arguably have formed the best active hockey rivalry.  It is not a question of whether they will win their divisions anymore; it is a question of by how much.

Stocking up on Hall of Fame caliber talent last off-season, the Wings lived up to their hype last year and brought home the Stanley Cup.  Luc Robitaille, Brett Hull and Dominik Hasek all played integral parts in helping the Wings to a league-leading 116 points last season.  The signing of top goaltender Curtis Joseph eased the loss of Hasek, who retired.  With virtually the same lineup in place, the Wings are the clear favorites to repeat.

After a grueling Game Seven loss to Detroit in last year’s Western Conference final, expect Colorado to come out strong.  The Avalanche, though, may not be the only strong contenders standing in the way of the Wings’ cup pursuit.  The St. Louis Blues have proven themselves worthy opponents in the Central Division.  The one-two punch of Pavol Demitra and Keith Tkachuk forms one of the top lines in the league.  Look for the Blues to make a run in mid-January when star defenseman Chris Pronger returns from knee and wrist injuries.

There are some other worthy foes in the conference as well.  After a disappointing 2001-02 season in which they missed the playoffs for the first time since 1996, the Dallas Stars are prepping for a strong showing this fall.  Also, the Los Angeles Kings were the surprise performers of the postseason, taking a 3-1 lead in games against the heavily favored Avs before ultimately losing the first round series 4-3.  With Felix Potvin back in goal and their team injury-free, the Kings may rule. 

There are a slew of young teams like the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks who have shown strong signs of improvement over the last few years.  But come playoff time, their inexperience and lack of leadership will take its toll.  The sleepers out of the bunch, though, are the San Jose Sharks who reached the quarterfinals of last year’s playoffs.  With young phenom Evgeni Nabokov back between the pipes the Sharks may surprise some teams this season. 

Nonetheless, with the Wings’ championship team back and raring to go, they are the pick.

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