When I was a kid, there were NHL seasons where you had a really good idea who was going to win the Stanley Cup by mid season. There have been times when the gap between good and bad teams in the NHL was very wide. You could go through and split up the teams that made the playoffs into two groups. One group consisted of just a hand full that were Cup contenders. The majority of the teams would probably put on a good show but they weren’t going to win the Cup. Other seasons, like the current one that has only a few games left, leave you wondering which teams don’t have a shot at the Cup.

I must say, I am very pleased with the distribution of talent throughout the NHL. I am so excited about this playoff year because it looks like just about every team that is going to the playoffs, and a few that will just narrowly miss it, have a shot at the Cup. This season has been a season of extremes around the league. Teams have played extraordinarily well or incredibly bad. Some teams have great records but exposed their weaknesses at some point during the season. Others teams seem to be getting stronger and more efficient as the playoffs near.

One of the teams that has found their way to the top of the standings, with only Detroit in their way, is San Jose. At the beginning of the year there were questions about the Sharks because they were not playing that well at home. In fact, at one point I think that the Kings had won more games in San Jose’s arena than the Sharks themselves had. However, the Sharks have found a way to completely turn the season around. Now they are posed for a serious playoff run, one that could see them in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Minnesota Wild is a team that dominants when they score the first goal and tend to sink when their opponents score the first goal. The Wild have been a good team for several seasons now but they seem to have reached a higher level of maturity this year. They are still a defensive minded team but with well rounded scoring and the excellent idea of revolving captains, the team has become more efficient. They too will be hard to knock out of the playoffs.

The Calgary Flames are another team that has a great shot at the Cup. With Iginla, the best captain in the league, by my opinion, and Dion Phanuef, the offensive, defense specialist leading the way, the Flames could pull off another Cup run and possibly be the last team standing. They just need to be sure that the team that plays most nights, the elite Clagary Flames, opposed to the one that sneaks into games now and then, the mediocre Calgary Flames, is the one that shows up.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are packed full of youth, enthusiasm and talent. They are armed and dangerous with Sid Crosby, Malkin, Fleury and a host of others who are eager to play and ready to win. They lack experience and age but do not underestimate the strength of youth and the power of enthusiasm. The Penguins, if they play their cards right, could be the team to beat from the East.

The Calgary Flames have run into a few roadblocks in a few recent games but they won a very important contest last night. The game against the Colorado Avalanche, one of the teams that is knocking on Calgary’s door in the playoff race, was a must win. Of course, every game around this time of year is a must win but it is especially important that the Flames beat the teams sitting just under them. Being in that undesirable eighth and final playoff spot can be quite a burden to bare. Finishing above that mark, preferably as the leader of the Northwest Division is ideal.

At this time of year when division rivals are playing each other almost exclusively, wins in regulation time are key. After having a less than stellar road trip, the Flames really needed to come home and get some points. Of course, by closing down Colorado’s offense after the Flames took the lead, they were able to keep Avalanche shots limited and defended the lead well enough for them to win in regulation time.

Last season the Flames played the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the playoffs. They lost to Detroit but the series, I thought, was really up for grabs for the most part. I thought that there was some motivation lacking in some of the games against the Wings and Flames and that if the Flames had come across Detroit later on in the playoffs, Calgary would have won. If Calgary can finish first in the Northwest, they will set themselves up for a better playoff run.

Another thing that is different about the Flames this year is that Mike Keenan is behind the bench. Intensity was something else that I thought the Flames lacked on the bench during the last playoff run. Going from Darryl Sutter to Jim Playfair has got to be a drastic change. Not to say that Playfair is not a good coach, it just seemed like the Flames needed a little bit more in the intensity department behind the bench. If nothing else, Keenan is intense and will apply the pressure when pressure is needed. That could be the piece of the puzzle that makes the most difference this year.

Maintaining the dominant, physical defensive play that the Flames are known for has got to be very difficult. I think that a relapse in that type of play was part of the reason why they went 1-3 on their recent road trip. With the road to the playoffs being extremely challenging, the teams in those last few playoff spots often battle so hard in the weeks preceding the playoffs that they are exhausted once the playoff run begins. The thing that keeps teams going is their desire and drive to be the last men standing when Lord Stanley’s Cup is presented. If the Flames can keep that diligence and fire that they usually play with going, they have a great chance a lifting the Cup this year.

I really like Chris Pronger as a player. He is the captain of the Ducks, a team that I enjoy watching and he plays the same position I played when I was involved in hockey. I mean, I am sure that he is a stand up guy when he is not on the ice but why would he stomp on Ryan Kelser’s leg? Really, why would anyone do that? Not to mention, Pronger is a great player and he does not need resort to such tactics.

At first it seemed like the league was not going to give him any suspension. I think that the outrage of the media and those around the league was the reason why Colin Campbell decided to suspend Pronger. I heard the excuse about how there was not sufficient video review or something of the incident but I really don’t buy that. It seemed like with the rash of other suspensions he was giving out at the time that the Pronger stomp would have been high on his suspension list. Of course, I know that Campbell has a tough job and deciding which hits are dirty can be hard but when a player stomps on another player, I think that immediate suspension is warranted. Skate blade on leg, even if the leg is not hurt should be a no brainer.

Earlier in the season Chris Simon was suspended for a stomp. Some people said that it was unfair to have Simon sit out 30 games and I tend to agree with that. I mean, 30 games is quite a bit. However, Simon, like Pronger is a chronic offender. It seems to me that the guys that do these types of things do them over and over again. With this in mind, I wonder if the suspensions really have any effect on players that overreact and lash out in inappropriate ways. Eight games for putting a player in danger on purpose is a little shy of what I think should be handed out. Especially since Chris Simon had to miss 30 games for a similar assault.

I obviously adore hockey and I don’t buy the argument that the guys in the NHL are violent and mean spirited by nature. These stomping issues seem to be something relatively new in hockey and it gives the sport a bad reputation. People that do not watch hockey or think that it is too violent take incidents like the one with Pronger and use it as an example of what goes on in the NHL. Pronger is a hockey hero and he should carry himself accordingly. He is a good enough player to go out on the ice, play the game and win battles without resorting to senseless violence. Maybe this time it was just a reflex type reaction and he honestly did not mean to stomp on Kelser but after his numerous suspensions and the previous suspension of Simon, something had to happen.

I don’t know if the suspensions are the way to teach players not to do these types of things. I know it sounds kind of silly but maybe the punishment should be something that makes a little bit more of an impact on the person that commits the act. How about requiring players that do something like stomping on the leg of another player to complete some type of anger management courses or go to mandatory counseling sessions? While that may sound like it is not a strong enough punishment, it is obvious that these suspensions do not deter the players that are prone to commit such acts. This is Pronger’s eighth suspension. Seems to me that the lesson is not being learned. Maybe it needs to be taught a different way.