SPORTS mclennonb@douglas.be.ca-— Why My Team Deserves to Win the Cup Sens, Pens, Flames, Coyotes, artificial pick of the Wild mark new Nil season By The Gateway sports staff, The Gateway (University of Alberta) EDMONTON (CUP)—With the NHL season freshly underway, life is going back to normal. Players are back in it for the love of the game, Gary Bettman’s making money again, and the city of Edmonton is collectively kissing the Oilers’ asses. The promise of a new season is unique, in that right now, every team in the NHL stands an equal chance of winning the Stanley Cup. With their blinders completely on, The Gateway sports staff talks about who they'd like to see, not who they think they'll see, skating a victory lap this coming June. Andrew Renfree I’m an Edmontonian, born and raised, so I hope the Oilers will be sipping from Lord Stanley’s mug this spring. However, if the copper and blue were to be crowned the best team in the NHL, I'd probably shit my pants, and given that I only own one pair of pants, a safer bet would be to put my money on the Senators. When Ottawa returned to the League in 1992, they were only able to muster ten wins-dead last in the NHL. Despite being beaten like a pifiata in their first season, the next few years afforded the Sens with some good draft picks, and by 2002/03, they led the League in points and made it to the Eastern Conference finals, only to lose against New Jersey. The Senators have been on the bubble of a Stanley Cup for the last few years, and with the addition of Dany Heatley, and to a lesser extent Dominik Hasek, they may have the pieces in place to bring the Cup to the nation’s capital. In all hon- esty, though, if the Oilers can’t win their sixth championship this year, I'll be happy— as long as the Leafs don’t win. Brian Ramchandar Certain things in life belong together: peanut butter and jelly, hippies and bad hygiene, Kevin Federline and the discernible lack of talent that he’s impregnated. More than anything, though, the Montréal Canadiens and the Stanley Cup go hand in hand. With Alexei Kovalev and Jose Theodore signed to long-term contracts, a healthy Saku Koivu and Sheldon Souray anchoring the offence and defense, and rookie sensa- tion Michael Ryder poised for a stellar sophomore year, the Habs look as good as they have since 1993—the last time a Canadian team won the Cup. On top of all that, the defense has been upgraded from Patrice Brisebois to Matthew Dandenault, while Radek Bonk will serve as a solid third-line centre. The key piece to the puzzle may be 22-year-old prospect Alexander Perezhogin. Banned for an entire AHL season for a vicious slash to the face of an opposing player, a reinstated Perezhogin might be the perfect combination of offensive talent and unpredictable loose cannon (read: goon) that could strike fear into the hearts of opposing teams and propel the Habs to their 25th Stanley Cup. Dustin Christie I can feel it; this is the year. P’ve said that every year since they lost to the Rangers in °94 (the last time I cried), but this may be the first time I’ve actually believed it. The Canucks held a soft spot in my heart before I fully understood just what exactly a heart was. I’ve put up with the embarrassment of loving a bad team, and the pain of cheering on a habitual underachiever—now I deserve a Cup. This year, the Canucks aren’t going to have to deal with Markus Naslund breaking a leg, Dan Cloutier getting embarrassed from centre ice, or Todd Bertuzzi unintentionally breaking a fourth-liner’s neck. No, this year the second line is going to score, the goaltending is going to be there, and Minnesota won’t make the playoffs-again. All roads point to the Stanley Cup, or, at the very least, round two. Ross Prusakowski By this time next year, all the innuendo and fabrication that has been bandied by some will have been dispelled, and an old joke will have met a cruel end. That’s because after a bittersweet end to the last NHL season, the Calgary Flames will once again sip from Lord Stanley’s cherished mug, proving their finals appearance in 2003/04 wasn’t a stroke of luck, and that there is no longer any difference between them and a bra (you know, two cups.) Once again, the Flames won’t be the most talented team in the League, be the hunger of 2004’s near-victory, the drive of Jarome Iginla—the most dominant player in the league—and the best defense corps this side of the World War Two RAF put Calgary a cut about the rest. Add to that the cool-as-a-cucumber Miikka Kiprusoff, whose World Cup play proves he’s more than a one-time wonder, and the first-class coaching and manage- ment provided by Darryl Sutter, and the silver anniversary of Flames hockey will live up to its name. Patrick Ross If I had to choose—and god knows I will—I’d actually have to pick the Pittsburgh Penguins. There’s something to be said about moving from basement dweller to con- tender in one off-season, albeit a long-ass off-season. Most would remember that in 2003/04, the Penguins had Mario Lemieux, Ryan Malone, and about 14 other guys. Fast-forward to the present, and the Penguins can boast the presence of Mark Recchi, John LeClair, Ziggy Palffy, Sergei Gonchar, and Joclyn Thibeault, not to mention this year’s Calder Trophy winner (no, not Alexander Ovechkin), Sidney Crosby. Crosby isn’t alone in leading the Penguin’s youth movement: top picks Marc-Andre Fleury and Evgeni Malkin will, in coming years, be among some of the most energetic and exciting players in the league. The Penguins have done more than make additions; they’ve built a very solid team, and not many other teams have done that. Paul Owen The team I would like to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup this season is, admittedly, an odd choice: the Minnesota Wild. It’s not because I love their forest-green jerseys or Marian Gaborik’s sexy blonde locks. It’s not even because I’m related to Doug Reisbrough’s daughter, Allison. No, my desire to see the plucky boys from Minneapolis succeed sim- _ ply stems from the fact that they won the Cup in my season of NHL ’06. Frankly, it would be gratifying to have proof that video games really do emulate and predict real life. Let’s face it: the real winner here would be society, with the knowledge that com- puters truly are smarter than people. Chris O’Leary It’s hard not to look at the revamped roster of that team from Miami and not think they’ve got a legit shot at winning it all this year. Then again, when the focus shifts over to Texas, a state that-bolsters a squad that could crack 60 wins, it’s hard not to lean that way. One thing I know for certain is that there will be no winners coming out of California, even though it seems like half of the Western Conference is situated there. When it:comes down to it, I guess in my heart*of hearts Vd like to see Toronto host- ing a championship parade in June; but it’s a much safer bet to make that the parade will happen across the lake in Detroit. Is that a bad thing? Maybe if you’re a Los Angeles fan. Am I even talking about hockey? Think about it.