Sydney Crosby - Crosby might be the best player in the league and without a doubt the National Hockey League would love to have him play the entire season. Last year Sydney had injury troubles for the first time in his career, playing in only 53 regular season games. He still managed 72 points and came back in the playoffs to record more then a point a game. If Pittsburgh is going to repeat the success they had last year, they will need Crosby in the line up. Look for Syd to get back to being a 120 plus point player this year.

Simon Gagne - Concussions have been a problem for Simon in the past and only managed to play 25 games a year ago. Gagne plays in Philadelphia and may be there most talented player. If the Flyers get a productive full year out of Gagne they will become one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference. If the concussion problems are behind him look for Gagne to score 40 plus goals and record more then a point a game. Simon Gagne is a world class player and I hope he will get his career back on track.

Patrice Bergeron – Heading into last season it looked like Bergeron was ready to become a true NHL super star. Early in the year he suffered a serious concussion and never returned to the Boston Bruins. He only played in 10 games and suffered with post concussion syndrome for a lot of the year. Boston is improved and with Bergeron being healthy they should fight for a playoff berth. Hopefully Bergeron is back and healthy, because if he is the Bruins will be good. Patrice can easily be a point a game player this year.

Shawn Horcoff - Last year Horcoff took a big step to becoming a true number one center in the NHL. He recorded 50 points in 53 games before having a shoulder injury cut his season short. He had surgery and he is back healthy for this year and will be the number one center on the offensive talented Edmonton Oilers. Horcoff will play with Hemsky and Cole and will be expected to put up a lot of points. The Oilers need Horcoff this season to be a true star and lead them offensively into the playoffs.

Michael Nylander – Nylander is 35 years old now and has battled injuries of late, playing only 40 games last year. He is key to the success of the Washington Capitols, he can provide necessary secondary scoring behind the Ovechkin line. He has the ability to record 70 plus points and provide a lot of goals on the power play. Nylander makes Washington a deeper team and will help them take the next step and become true Cup contenders.

Manny Fernandez - Fernandez signed a free agent deal with Boston prior to last year and was a major disappointment playing only 4 games. Manny is a good goalie and will team up with Tim Thomas to create a good one two in net for the Bruins. Prior to last year Fernandez was considered a solid starting goalie in the league and he will look to return to form. Boston is going to need good goaltending and if Manny is healthy he should provide exactly that.

Martin Havlat - Injuries have always held Havlat back, he has all the talent in the world he just seems to get hurt every year. In two years with the Blackhawks he has only played 91 games including only 35 last year. Havlat is one of the most talented players in the league and if he can stay relatively healthy Chicago will be extremely happy. I don’t know if you can expect him to play a whole year, but if he does you never know how many goals this guy can score, the sky is the limit.

Rod Brind’Amour – Rod is one of the most under rated players in the NHL, but he is getting up there at 38 years old. He only played 59 games a year ago, but he did manage 51 points and leads the team in the face off circle. Rod is a leader on the team and he is always in great shape, if he is healthy, he will be a steady player this year. I don’t know if he is a point a game player any more, but he means more to the Hurricanes then just goals and assists.

Injuries are a part of sport and there will be more this year. We have already seen the Penguins lose all star defenseman Sergei Gonchar for up to six months this year. The key for all teams is to overcome these injuries, and find players who can fill in when a star goes down. Hockey is a physical game and it is impossible to go through an entire career with no injuries, they are inevitable. Players need to be in shape and have there bodies ready to take the punishment of an NHL season. Hopefully there are no major injuries this year, but we know there will be. If these players are healthy look for them to get there career back on track or just improve over last year.

Stockholm Sweden - The Pittsburgh Penguins and. Ottawa Senators, will play two regular season games in Sweden. The NHL has sent there poster boy Sydney Crosby across the pond to grow the game in new markets. The league has shown that they will use Crosby in special events and he will participate in high profile games for the second straight year, last year he played in the Winter Classic. Last years Winter Classic was a success for the league and they hope that this years European schedule will be much of the same. The Penguins are going to use this trip as a team building experience, they hope this trip will bring the team closer together. There are big expectations on Pittsburgh this season after they made the Cup final a year ago. The team has some new faces in the locker room this year and there hope is when they come back to North America the team will be one and ready to have a great year. Yes Crosby is in Sweden, but he probably isn’t going to be the fan favorite, Senators forward Daniel Alfredsson is a home town hero. Alfredsson will be met with great fan fair and the expectations of putting on a good show in his home country. Daniel will skate on the top line with Spezza and Heatley, and they will look to put on a show. Ottawa will be looking for a bounce back year and will need to get off to a good start in Europe. These teams will play two games one on Saturday night and the other on Sunday night and should be fun to watch.

Prague Czech Republic - In Prague the New York Rangers will play the Tampa Bay Lightning in two regular season games. Both these teams made big changes in the off season and are looking forward to having big seasons. The Rangers have two Czech players in Petr Prucha and Michal Rozisal, that will no doubt be the fan favorites. The Lightning have some of the NHL’s biggest stars in Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St Louis and 1st overall selection Steven Stamkos. Stamkos will play in his much anticipated NHL debut and will draw attention from both sides of the pond. Tampa Bay has a lot of new players and will be looking to build some chemistry and build towards what they hope is a much improved season.  The Rangers are a big market team and the NHL will be looking to draw a lot of fans out to the games. Both these teams will be looking to get off to good starts, to prove that they are favorite teams in the Eastern Conference. The games will be Saturday and Sunday, the crowds should be rocking and hopefully the NHL gives them a good product.

Traveling to Europe has ups and downfalls for these four teams.  The travel and time change can take a lot of the players and put a damper on early season expectations. On the other hand, you can use these trips as team building experiences and bring the teams closer together. The teams are going to end up being in Europe for almost two weeks this season, I would expect when they get home it will take a while to get readjusted. Last year Anaheim and Los Angeles played in London and both teams got off to rough starts when they got home. Hopefully all four of these teams will adapt well and there will only be positive impacts on there seasons.

The future in Europe for the NHL is yet to be determined, but it makes sense for the league to expand its European fan base. The NHL more then any other North American professional sports league has a lot of European talent. Stars like Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Marian Hossa and Henrik Lundqvist all are European, and could go along way to the NHL being a success in Europe. In my opinion I like that four teams are going to these countries to start the year, but that is enough. You don’t need to send anymore then that, go over to Europe for a couple weeks and show off the great product the league has. This is not a vacation for these teams, the games matter and it will be important for them to get off to good starts.

It has been said that maybe there will NHL franchises in Europe within the next 10 years. I’m not sure I agree with that, the travel would be tough on everyone and the time changes would make it hard on the schedule makers. In my opinion if there is a good European league I could see an opportunity for the NHL’s Stanley Cup Champions to play the European Champion in a series at the seasons end. I’m not sure that will ever happen, but it might be interesting.  Whatever the NHL does, they need to capture the hockey market in Europe. Hockey is big in Sweden, Russia and the Czech Republic and the league has a lot of great stars from those countries. Who knows what the future holds, I hope the fans in Europe enjoy the NHL games this weekend and continue there love for hockey.

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.