First Post!

Well guess who is the latest person to decide to make an NHL blog! If you guessed me, you'd be correct! Let me introduce myself first. My name is Alex Weinstein, and I live about 30 miles northwest of NYC. I have been a Rangers fan since before I can remember, but have been actively following the entire league along with team prospects and rumors from free agents to trades for the last three seasons. I have an avid passion for the game of hockey, having played roughly 15 seasons all together at forward, defenseman and most recently goaltender. I thoroughly love the game of hockey, and I hope that you will enjoy this as much as I do.

So we are a little more than halfway through the 2010-11 NHL season, and there are several things to note. First is just more of the same. The Western Conference appears to be the tougher of the two to compete in, with seven points separating the fourth place team from the eleventh place team. Conversely in the East, the separation between fourth and tenth is 15 points. Detroit and Vancouver are the teams atop the West, as expected. Their combinations of offensive firepower, strong defensive cast and systems and good goaltending has propelled them to the top. In the East, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are as usual the cream of the crop.

But this season has also been one with many surprising headlines. First is that the Dallas Stars, a team on a budget, is leading the Pacific division. With the uncertainty of their ownership situation, this team is still proving that one doesn't need to spend to the salary cap to be successful. Other teams that have surprised this year, in a good way at least, are the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Atlanta Thrashers. The Bolts boast Steven Stamkos, who is vying to become one of the true all-world talents in this league with 37 goals already this year. He has led his team to the top of the Southeast conference. If I asked anyone what place the Thrashers would be in after 49 games, I doubt anyone would have answered eighth. Their play has slipped, but new captain Andrew Ladd and goaltender Ondrej Pavelec have been lights out. They have certainly put the Kovalchuk era behind them, and are moving forward as a team.

On to the bad surprises of the season. As a Rangers fan, it is a guilty pleasure to see the New Jersey Devils season in such disarray. Martin Brodeur has played like Mike Brodeur (Who? Exactly), Ilya Kovalchuk has not played up to the $100-million contract he signed in the off-season, and John MacLean was ultimately axed halfway through the year. I feel sorry for MacLean as it is not his fault the Devils have played so poorly. Injuries to Zach Parise and other key forwards at inconvenient times have ultimately made this season a lost one for the Devils. The glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel may be the train that is the end of their season. Other disappointments include the Islanders, who lost Okposo and Streit to start the season and have started to send off what talent they have in James Wisniewski and Dwayne Roloson in an attempt to acquire picks and prospects for the future. Individually, it is odd to see that Alex Ovechkin only has 16 goals. That ties him for 39th in the league in goals scored, which is very un-Ovechkin-like. Consequently, the Capitals have not been the dominant force we are used to seeing. They are still a good team, but it seems as though when Ovechkin is not at his best, neither are the Caps.

Occasionally I will do in-depth analysis of the league and the current headlines. Tomorrow for starters, I will talk about what becomes of Evgeny Nabokov. I highly doubt that no teams put in a claim for him on a $250,000 pro-rated contract, as there are several clubs that could use the stability in net. Goodnight everybody!