One month in to the 2008-2009 NHL season and who would have thought that the NY Rangers would be leading the East? Not many!!! But with the likes of Zherdev, Dubinsky, Gomez and Drury and a goalie in Lundqvist sporting a .928 SV% it’s not surprising they are on top. Most thought that the Penguins should be the front-runners in the East by this point. Perhaps with the defection of Hossa to the Redwings is why Pittsburgh is struggling… perhaps Sid the Kid and Malkin are not living up to their reputations. Don’t get me wrong Malkins 21 pts are nice, but of those 21pts, 4 are goals. (17 assists). In this fast paced, high scoring (avg O/U 5.5) marquee players need to step up and represent, and to this date the best are not doing that. Out in the West the defending Stanley Cup champions, Detroit Redwings, are leading the pack. However the one thing that rings true for the West is that they have proven to be consistently inconsistent… the point leader flip-flops more than a fish out of water.

So, it’s been asked of me who do I think will represent the East and the West in this years quest for the cup? Who am I to answer that question? I am not a NHL analyst or a hockey expert, I am not employed by a big magazine to write what they feel will increase market sales. I don’t even get paid for my opinion. What I am is a kid stuck in a grown mans body, who spite being too old to skate anymore, has a love for the sport of hockey and know winners when I see them.

So my picks for this years East and West champions are the Montreal Canadiens and the Chicago Blackhawks respectively. Here is why:

Chicago: Patrick Sharp is the real deal…he is tied for 3rd in goals… his +/- is on track to smash his record of +23 last season. He may only wear the “A” on his sweater but he is the team leader on and off the ice. The youth trend runs throughout the forward group with players such as Adam Burish, David Bolland, and Jack Skille bringing energy and grit to the 3rd and 4th lines. Coupled with the young shooting talent of Chicago is one of the strongest goaltending tandems in the league in Cristobal Huet and Nikolai Khabibulin. Hawks win, slow, steady and quietly.

Montreal: Their greatest strength is they can roll four lines very effectively, and have stellar special teams. Off-season acquisitions Alex Tanguay and Robert Lang bolster an already potent offense that includes Tomas Plekanec, Chris Higgins, and Saku Koivu. Special teams is the X-factor for the Habs and Andrei Markov is more than capable of quarterbacking the power play.

The tide has ebbed and flowed…. Look for the Canadians to beat the Washington Capitals in the East and then lose in the Stanley Cup Final against their Western Division Original Six rival…. the Chicago Black Hawks, who will defeat the Redwings for the Western title.