Welcome Back, NHL!

Today, Hockey fans will see the sport they love for the first time since the Tampa Bay Lightning hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time in June last year. Much has changed since then.

If their goaltending holds up, Vincent Lecavalier and the Lightning will have a good chance at defending their championship.

First off, there are rule changes. I'm not going to list and discuss them all, as I'm not a sports analyst (and if I were, it'd be for the NFL.) The changes that stand out to me are these:

- Smaller goalie gear
- A ban on defensive obstruction (hooking, holding, etc.)
- No more ties; Tied games will see five minutes of 4-on-4 hockey followed by a shootout.

These and other rule changes should result in more high scoring games. This sounds nice, though I certainly don't want 6-5 games becoming the norm. I don't think that'll be the case, but we'll see.

Will fans come back to the game after losing an entire season? I think so. Losing a whole season to a game of chicken is fucking ridiculous, but what's done is done. I'm pissed that hockey was gone, but I'm happy to have it back. It'll definitely take some time to get used to all the familiar faces in new places. Consider the following partial list of superstar players who will be playing for new teams this season:

Peter Forsberg
Derian Hatcher
Nikolai Khabibulin
Marian Hossa
Dany Heatley
Jeremy Roenick
Ziggy Palffy
Paul Kariya
Teemu Selanne

Retirement? Not yet. Wings fans get to watch Stevie Y play one more season in Detroit.

It should be an interesting season, to be sure. If rookies Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechin live up to their billing, they will be able to usher in the new era in hockey. Gone are such future hall of famers as Mark Messier and Ron Francis. Who are favorites for the cup this year? Between new rules and all the transactions, it's anybody's guess. My early pick would have to be The Philadelphia Flyers. Welcome back, hockey!!