Three Stars of the Month – The National Hockey League has released its three stars of the month and they may not be the guys you would have picked prior to the season. The first star is Washington Capitols star forward Alexander Semin, who is off to the best start of his career. Semin has 8 goals and 17 points for Washington and led the team when Ovechkin was in Russia. Semin has become a true star in the league and has all the talent to keep these numbers up all season long. The second star is Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers all world goalie. Henrik is now the favorite for the Vezina with Brodeur being hurt and hasn’t disappointed the New York fans. Early on this year Lundqvist has posted 8 wins and a save percentage of .926. The third star might be a surprise to you and its Nashville d man Shea Weber. Shea is off to a great start averaging a point a game and is a plus 3 for the Predators.  All three of these players had great starts and will look to continue there success through November and the rest of the season.

Rookie Duo - If you are Columbus Blue Jacket fan, you should be incredibly excited about the future of your franchise on the ice. Derick Brassard leads all rookies in scoring recording 12 points in just 12 games, while Jakub Voracek is second with 10 points. Brassard is 21 years of age and Voracek is just 19 and have surprised some with there early season production. Hopefully these two forwards along with Nikita Filatov, can represent a great future for the fans of Columbus. The Columbus franchise has never made the playoffs, but if they keep finding great young players like these guys that streak will end sooner rather then later. Its unknown whether or not these guys can keep up there numbers, but with plenty of ice time I think they will become great NHL players. With a great young base of players hopefully Columbus finds a way to win some games, before they lose all there fans. The Blue Jacket fans deserve a winner, no matter how good a market might be if you never make the playoffs it will be hard to sell tickets. With players like Brassard, Voracek, Filatov and Nash it shouldn’t be to long until Columbus finds themselves in the playoffs.

Hockey Hall of Fame - Its that time of year when it is time to induct new members into the hockey hall of fame. This year the class includes Glen Anderson, Igor Larionov and Ray Scampinello. “Scammpy” might be the most popular referee in the history of sports, and served as NHL linesman for a lot of years. Anderson will be remembered as a member of the great Oiler teams of the 80’s playing along side Gretzky and Messier. Anderson was at his best in the playoffs and always seemed to score the big goals at the big moments. Larionov might be the best Russian born player of all time. He was solid at both ends of the rink and could skate and stick handle as good as anyone in the league. Larionov will fondly be remembered as part of the Russian 5 in Detroit with Fedorov, Konstantinov, Fetisov and Kozlov. Being enshrined in the hockey hall fame is great honor and all these men should be extremely proud of all there accomplishments. Being inducted is the final chapter the Stanley Cups are behind you, there will be no more game winning goals, but you will forever be remember as a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Surprise Teams - When you look at early season successes two teams will jump out at you the Buffalo Sabres and the Minnesota Wild. Neither was projected by most to be as good as they seem to be, both teams are leading there respective divisions. The Wild play a strict defensive system and for years have frustrated opponents and that trend continues. The Sabres have a set of highly talented and fast forwards that can change a game in a hurry. These teams haven’t won the same way, The Sabres with exciting fast hockey and Minnesota with boring defense. This shows that you can win hockey with a lot of different styles. Its to early to tell, but the Sabres in particular look like they will stick around the top of the Eastern Conference all year long

Rick Dipietro - The Islanders put a lot of faith in Dipietro signing him to a massive contract, the problem is he keeps getting hurt. Dipietro had knee surgery and he is expected to miss 4 – 6 weeks. Rick only made three starts this year and failed to pick up a win, which no doubt has irritated fantasy owners out there. My suggestion is to get rid of Dipietro depending on how many IR spots you have on your roster. The Islanders are not very good, and even if Dipietro has a successful comeback he might not be worth a roster spot for the next 6 weeks. Hopefully Rick comes back, is healthy and can lead the Islanders to some wins. My advice is to drop him and try and pick him up in 5 weeks or so, or just draft him again next year.

Corey Perry - Perry like many of his Duck teammates got off to a slow start, but has been on fire recently. After recording 3 points in his first 8 games, Perry and the Ducks caught fire and in the next 5 Corey increased his totals in 15 points. Hopefully you had patience with Perry and kept him on your roster. Historically Perry is a great fantasy player with goals, power play points and penalty minutes. My suggestion is to keep Perry unless you get blown away by a deal, you could trade him his value might never be higher then it is right now. If you are going to trade Perry make sure you trade high and get a top 15 player in return. Perry and the Ducks are off and running and his numbers should remain good for the rest of the year.

Brendan Shanahan and Mats Sundin – Rumors are swirling that these veterans are about to return to the NHL. Shanahan is not the player he once was, but depending on where he goes can be productive. If you need shots and power play points, this might be the time to pick up Shanny and take a flyer that he might return. As for Sundin its hard to predict what is going to happen here, but Mats is still a point a game player. Sundin still deserves a roster spot in any fantasy league and depending on where he goes might be a real free agent steal. If you are struggling and need some offensive help take a chance with one of these veterans, what do you have to lose.

Martin Brodeur - Brodeur left the game early Saturday with an apparent elbow injury. He has already been ruled out of Monday night’s game and the full details have not been given. Don’t panic, you need to wait and see what the extent of the injury is. Martin is one of the most durable players in the NHL and hopefully the injury isn’t to serious. Keep your eye on the news, if Brodeur is out for an extended period of time, you will need to pick up a short period replacement.

Alexander Ovechkin is expected to return from Russia for this weeks games. You can hear the sigh of relief from all the fantasy owners out there, and hopefully OV will come back at the top of his game.

Sell High - Every year there are players who get off to great starts and fantasy owners have an opportunity to sell them while there stock is high. By sell I mean trade and get a higher valued player or more talented. The key to this is figuring out which players will keep the numbers going and which ones will fall of the leader boards. Mikko Koivu, has a career high 54 points and is on pace for more then 100 this year. Koivu has been playing great, but it might be a good time to sell while the value is high. Devin Setoguchi , is a second year player with the Sharks averaging a point a game, Filip Kuba has a career high 37 points and is on pace to smash that by getting more then a point a game. As for goalies Tim Thomas and Nikolai Khabibulin are off to great starts and might be able to get some good value. The key to making these kind of deals is trying to figure out whether these numbers will continue. If you can trade these guys for more proven performers do it, while you can.

Buy Low - On the flip side there is always players who get off to slow starts and fantasy owners will give up on them. The biggest case of this so far is Marty Turco, goalie in Dallas. With a save percentage of .837, Marty is definitely off to a horrible start. His numbers will improve as he has a career save percentage of .911 and is one of the most consistent goalies in the league. Forwards you should look at are Derek Roy from Buffalo, Martin St Louis from Tampa, Jonathon Toews from Chicago and RJ Umberger in Columbus. These guys are all of to slow starts and there numbers have no where to go but up.

Fantasy hockey is good for the game, it allows fans to educate themselves and become fans of the entire league not just one team. No matter what your strategy is or what kind of league your in, if you can ride players hot streaks and get great players at low value you will do well in your pool. Have fun, do your homework and enjoy the NHL.

The Tricks

Toronto Maple Leafs - Sorry Leaf fans, but your team just isn’t very talented. Yes, your teams plays hard and you have a great goaltender, but its not likely this team has a chance at a playoff spot. Look at it this way, if you play at the pace you are playing at right now you will end up fighting it out for the 8th and final playoff spot. Currently the Maple Leafs are in a three way tie for 8th in the East and they have scored 7 less goals then they have allowed. For the Maple Leafs franchise the worst thing that could happen is if they once again finish in 9th or 10th in the East and once again don’t get a lottery pick next year.

Mats Sundin - Here we go again, is he coming back for real this time? All summer long rumors of where Mats would end up were everywhere and now it looks like we are back to where we started. Mats is a great hockey player and most teams would love to have him. The way this ends up will be up to Mats, he can sign for big money with a team with cap space or take a smaller contract to join a Cup contender. I assume if Mats is coming back it is to be a winner and he will sign with the Rangers or Canadiens. Both those teams are up against the cap and I would like Mats to sign with a younger up and coming team that he could lead, Vancouver, Phoenix, Chicago and what about Mats in Pittsburgh. The rumors will continue to swirl until Mats makes a decision about his future, don’t get tricked, take these rumors with a grain of salt.

Tim Thomas - The Bruins goaltender continues to surprise everyone by playing excellent Vezina like net. Thomas is a fine goalie, but he is not this good, and his numbers will come back down to earth. Currently he has a goals against average under 2 and a save percentage of .939, those numbers are Vezina like and Thomas is good, but not that good.

Old Guys, Big Numbers – I love this, there are some old grizzled veterans off to great starts this year and look to be the players of old. Most of these guys cannot keep this pace up, but if they do it will be a great story all year. 34 year old Paul Kariya has 12 points in 9 games for St Louis, he is on pace for 100 points a mark he hasn’t reached since 1999. Markus Naslund (35), Mike Modano (38), Joe Sakic (39) and Keith Tkachuk (36) are all at or near a point a game so far. All these guys are proving they can still play this game, and I for one hope they keep it up, but it is unlikely.

The Treats

Martin Brodeur - Brodeur is a legend, and by the end of this year this might end up being the season of Brodeur. He is getting close to breaking two all time goalie records, wins and shutouts. Its not if its when he breaks those records he will get serious consideration as the best net minder in National Hockey League history. This generation has been treated to a lot of great NHL players, and Martin is definitely one of those guys that will never be forgotten. The 35 year old net minder is off to a great start posting 5 wins, 2 shutouts and a save percentage of .914. Brodeur cannot play forever and we should enjoy his skill, while we can.

Fast Starts - Pre season predications are usually a crap shoot, but his year some of those highly predicted teams are off to great starts. The New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks are all living up to the hype. These are the top four teams in the league and have been fun to watch on a night to night basis. I look for these teams to keep it up all year they have the talent, coaching and structure to compete for the Stanley Cup. Without injuries these might end up being the top 4 teams at years end.

Dynamic Duos – All hockey love watching skill play with skill, and this year we have found some new duos to excite us. At the top of this list Pittsburgh has put there stars Malkin and Crosby together and it has been great to watch ever since. The two have combined for 29 points in 11 games and are leading there team to wins. The Red Wings new duo of Hossa and Datsyuk have been great to watch combining for 26 points and Heatley and Spezza are still good in Ottawa with 11 goals.

Thomas Vanek – The highly paid and very talented winger in Buffalo has come in to his own early this year. The Sabres have to be extremely happy that Vanek has scored 9 goals in 10 games and has recorded 12 points. Vanek and the rest of the Buffalo team is exciting to watch, they are fast and highly talented. He may not score at this pace all year, but I think he will keep his points up and lead the Sabres all year.

The year has been full of treats thus far, fights are up goals are up and there is a lot of good young talent in the league. Happy Halloween and enjoy the action this weekend

Philadelphia Flyers – A lot of hockey people picked the Flyers to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, and guess what they have zero wins.. There seems to be a lot of problems here, but the most prevalent is the goals they are allowing. Don’t blame it all on the goalies, the defense looks lost out there. This team might need to trade one of there forwards to get a good defenseman. I don’t know if there is a trade to be made, but I would be looking if I was the GM in Philadelphia. Its obvious that something has to change, the defense is soft and Biron isn’t good enough to over come these time of defensive problems. The Flyers don’t tend to be a patient franchise and if this continues they will make deals that they think will improve there club. I am not ready to give up on this team, its only six games and they are to talented.

The Anaheim Ducks have only scored 16 goals in 7 games, they will not win a lot of games in the West averaging just over two goals a game.

Back to Canada - I have heard a lot of talk this week about putting another team in Canada. I hope this is a relocation idea, not expansion, this league doesn’t need more teams. We need to face facts some southern teams are struggling and they could end all that by putting a team north of the border. A lot of the talk surrounds putting a team in southern Ontario and maybe even a second team in Toronto. Not a bad idea, I’m not sure whether another team right in Toronto will work, but there are a lot of fans and money in southern Ontario. Other possibilities have putting team back in Winnipeg or Quebec City or what about Halifax. First off I think if a team is going to move the likely candidate is Nashville, sorry Preds fans, but you have ownership problems and you just don’t have enough of a fanbase. Hockey people realize that it is easy money to put a team in Ontario and it will be harder and harder to keep the franchises away.

Jason Blake is going to be a healthy scratch from the Maple Leafs lineup when they take on Boston. This has to hurt for a guy who had 40 goals just 2 seasons ago. He has never produced in Toronto and it looks like he has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff.

Evgeni Malkin leads the league in points with 11 and Thomas Vanek leads with 7 goals. Big surprise Malkin leads the league in assists and Vanek looks like he might be that star Buffalo hoped he would be.

Goalie Problems – I am not surprised that some teams have some serious goaltending problems early in the year. I am not surprised about Martin Gerber in Ottawa, Jose Theodore in Washington or Peter Budaj in Colorado. If these teams want to compete this year, they will need to figure this out. Budaj and Gerber especially, how about making a trade, we all know Khabibulin is available. “The Bulin Wall” is off to a great start, and it might be time one of these teams make a move for him. Yes, he makes way to much money, but you have to do what you have to do if you want to win. All around goalies haven’t been very good guys like Turco, Osgood, Luongo and Bryzgalov are all not playing as we expect them to. It is early and there is no reason to panic for most team, but if I was an Ottawa or Colorado fan I might be a touch concerned about the future.

Martin Brodeur had his 98th career shutout. Brodeur is a future hall of famer and is getting close to the all time shutout and wins records. When it is all said and done Brodeur might be considered the best goalie of all time.

Sarah Palin will drop the puck at an NHL game again, this time in St. Louis. I am sure her and her supporters hope to get a better response then they did in Philly.

The Ottawa Senators continue to struggle at home and have started re arranging there lines. Spezza will try to play on the second line, while Fischer will play with Alfredsson and Heatley. This team is struggling and I think need to make a major shake up move, in my opinion trading Spezza might be something they should look into.

Don’t worry its not panic time yet for most teams, the season is still very young. Goaltending is a big issue all over the league, but that was predicted in the pre season. You cannot truly evaluate how a season is going until your team has played about 20 games, at that point you might see some teams scramble to make there clubs better. The NHL product has been great so far and I look forward to more great story lines as the year continues.

1 – Alexander Ovechkin - You can expect 50 plus goals and 100 plus points from Alex. Ovechkin had 400 plus shots last season and a very respectable plus 28. The cast around him is getting better and should help his numbers even more. Ovechkin is the best goal scorer in the NHL and you can’t overlook him at the first pick.

2 – Sydney Crosby - Injured last year, but look for “Syd the Kid” to get back to 100 points this year. Crosby might be the best player in hockey and if anyone will put up a crazy amount of points it might be him. If Syd is healthy mark down 35 goals and at least 100 points. In a lot pools Crosby might even go 1st overall.

3 – Martin Brodeur – The first goalie on the board, Brodeur can be counted on for 40 plus wins. He may not have the best numbers for a goalie at year end, but he is the safest goalie pick. Brodeur plays almost every game for New Jersey, and you can look for him to have a goals against average in the low twos.

4 – Evgeni Malkin – Proved last year that he is a true MVP like player in the NHL. I am not sure his year will be as good as it was last year, but he has the ability to score 50 goals and get 100 points. Malkin had 40 points on the power play last year and look for the numbers to be around the same.

5 – Jerome Iginla - After Ovechkin, Iginla is the best goal scorer in hockey. He can have 50 goals easy this year and 90 plus points. Jerome had 9 game winning goals last year and leads Calgary on the power play. Iginla is a solid pick at 5, but don’t be tempted to take him any earlier then that.

6 – Henrik Zetterberg - Conn Smythe trophy winner last season, Henrik has the ability to score 50 goals for the Red Wings. Zetterberg is a good pick at 6 because he plays in all situation for the Wings, he will get you power play points and some short handed goals. His plus minus will be high, Zetterberg might the most consistent fantasy player in all categories.

7 – Dany Heatley - Had some injury problems last season, but Dany is a pure goal scorer. Last season 82 points in just 71 games, a healthy Heatley scores 50 this season. Ottawa should play an offensive game this year, and Dany should get the opportunity to rack up the points on the power play.

8 – Henrik Lundqvist – The Rangers are good and Lundqvist should get 70 plus starts this year. He led the league with 10 shutouts last season, and should post more then 40 wins this year. If Lundqvist gets close to 10 shutouts again this year he will be an excellent pick at number 8.

9 – Pavel Datsyuk – Like Zetterberg, Datsyuk will play in all situations for the Wings. Pavel can easily get 30 goals and may lead the league in assists this year. His plus / minus is always near the top of the league and he will record more then 30 power play points. Datsyuk may not score you a lot of goals, but is a great pick if can get him at 9.

10 – Vincent Lecavalier – The Lightning have improved, and that will only make Vinny’s numbers better. Lecavalier performed well short handed last season and will easily put up 30 plus power play points this year. 300 plus shots and 40 plus goals should be expected out of Vinny this season.

11 – Daniel Alfredsson - The Senators captain will not have the most points for you, but the biggest perk of picking Alfredsson is his shorthanded production. He had 9 shorthanded points last season and will produce on the power play as well.

12 – Joe Thornton - If you need assists Thornton is your man. In a lot of pools he will be picked inside the top 10, so you might get good value if you can get him at 12. Joe led the league with 67 assists last year, but he did manage to score 5 game winning goals. Don’t be tempted to pick him to early 12 is a good spot for Thornton to go.

13 – Roberto Luongo – Don’t expect Luongo to last until pick 13, but if he does pick him. Roberto is a work horse and will play almost every game in Vancouver, the problem is Vancouver isn’t very good. The wins might be down this year, but he should get 5 plus shutouts and have a good save percentage.

14 – Ilya Kovalchuk - Pure goal scorer, but that’s it, expect 50 goals, but not a lot of assists. Atlanta is a bad team therefore his plus / minus will struggle. He will be great value at the 14th pick, but no doubt someone in your pool will pick him earlier then this. He can contribute a good amount of power play points.

15 – Nicklas Lidstrom – The Red Wings captain has to be the 1st defenseman taken in any fantasy draft. He will be plus 40 or better and get you the power play points that most good forwards would. Nick can easily get a point a game and will be a great pick if you can get him at 15.

That’s the first 15 picks has I see them, good luck with your fantasy season.

The Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup is awarded to the champion of the NHL, Lord Stanley’s Cup is obviously the most important award the National Hockey League hands out.

The Hart Trophy

The Hart is the NHL’s version of the Most Valuable Player in the league. A little different then most professional sports leagues the award is for the player who is most valuable to his team. The original trophy was donated to the league in 1923, and can be found in Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Wayne Gretzky won eight straight Hart’s between 1980 – 1987, Sydney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin won it the last two years respectively.

The Vezina Trophy

This is the goalie trophy, handed out to the net minder who has been the best that season. The trophy is a memorial to great Canadians goalie George Vezina and has been awarded annually since 1927. Martin Brodeur has won the award four of the last five seasons and the great Patrick Roy won the trophy three times.

The Calder Trophy

The NHL’s best rookie is awarded the Calder Trophy at years end. The trophy is named after Frank Calder, a former president of the National Hockey League. A lot of NHL greats have won this award and over history a lot of Hall of Famers win the Calder in there first season. NHL greats Terry Sawchuk, Bobby Orr, Mike Bossy, Mario Lemieux and Peter Forsberg have all won the trophy. Last year Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane won the Calder.

The Jack Adams Trophy

The coach judged to be the best that season wins the Jack Adams award. Jack Adams the man was a coach and manager in the Red Wings organization and the trophy was donated by NHL broadcasters. A lot of great coaches have won this award including Don Cherry, Scotty Bowman and Pat Burns. Last year there was a surprise winner when Washington Capitols head coach Bruce Boudreau took home the award.

The Norris Trophy

Named for the late owner and president of the Detroit Red Wings James Norris. The award is handed out annually to the leagues top defenceman. In recent history the award had been dominated by future Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom who has won the award an amazing six of the last seven years. Bobby Orr won the trophy a record eight times and Ray Bourque won it five times.

The Art Ross Trophy

This trophy is not voted on, it is given to the player who records the most points in the season. Art Ross a manger with the Boston Bruins donated the trophy in 1947. Guy Lafleur won the award three straight years in the 1970’s, Wayne Gretzky won the award an amazing ten times and Jaromir Jagr won it five times. Along with the Hart Alex Ovechkin won the Art Ross last season.

The Selke Trophy

The best defensive forward in the NHL is awarded the Selke Trophy. The award is in honor of Frank Selke who managed great NHL championship teams. The first four times the trophy was handed out it was won by Montreal Canadiens great Bob Gainey who was an excellent defensive forward. In recent years the award has been won by players like Steve Yzerman in 2000, Michael Peca in 2002 and Pavel Datsyuk last season.

Lester B. Pearson Trophy

The trophy is named after former Prime Minister of Canada Lester B. Pearson, and has awarded since 1971. This is a special award to a lot of players because it is voted by the players themselves. The players vote who they think the most valuable player of the league is. Last year it was won by Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby won in 2007. Dominik Hasek won the award in back to back years in 1997 – 1998 and Phil Esposito won the first award in 1971.

There are plenty more awards the NHL hands out, Maurice Richard Trophy (top goal scorer), Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP), Lady Byng Trophy (sportsmanship), Masterton Memorial Trophy (dedication to hockey) and the Jennings Trophy (fewest goals against average).

Teams can also receive awards like the Presidents’ Trophy (top regular season team), Clarence Campbell Bowl (western conference winners) and the Prince of Wales Trophy (eastern conference champions).

You can find all these trophies displayed at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The National Hockey league does a great job honoring its players. The league celebrates its past and respects all the people who were involved in the game. These trophies are ingrained in the game and young players dream of winning some of these awards. Most of these awards have a lot of history some of which have been around since the 1920’s. To win an award and look at the engraved names and see NHL icons and your idols alike. The National Hockey League treats its players like true celebrities on award night which is truly unique to the league. To be a true hockey fan you need to respect the past, because without the greats of this game there would be no game. If you have a chance check out the Hockey Hall of Fame, you will find this game is full of great stories and emotions and you will not be disappointed.