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15 Who Could Enjoy Breakout Seasons

Paul Stastny / Colorado Avalanche
Brent Burns/ Minnesota Wild
Mikko Koivu/ Minnesota Wild
Ryan Getzlaf/ Anaheim Ducks
Travis Zajac/ NJ Devils
Sam Gagner/ Edmonton Oilers
Phil Kessel/ Boston Bruins
Tomas Plekanec/ Montreal Canadiens
Drew Stafford/ Buffalo Sabres
Dustin Penner/ Edmonton Oilers
Mike Comrie/ NY Islanders
Michel Oullett/ Tampa Bay Lightning
Jonathan Toews/ Chicago Black Hawks
Alexander Radulov/ Nashville Predators
Derek Roy/ Buffalo Sabres

15 Who Are Overated

Bill Guerin / NY Islanders
Todd Bertuzzi / Detroit Red Wings
Nikolai Zherdev/ Columbus Blue Jackets
Brendan Morrison / Vancouver Canucks
Dainus Zubrus/ NJ Devils
Mathieu Schneider/ Anaheim Ducks
Ladislav Nagy/ LA Kings
Owen Nolan/ Calgary Flames
Mike Modano / Dallas Stars
Markus Naslund/ Vancouver Canucks
Jeremy Roenick/ SJ Sharks
Martin Havlat/ Chicago Black Hawks
Joffrey Lupul/ Philadelphia Flyers
Viktor Kozlov/ Washington Capitals
Keith Tkachuk/ St. Louis Blues

Hockey Pool Tips....07/08 Regular Season

Well poolies, it's that time of year again. It's time to show the powers that be that you're NHL material and are destined to become the next Scotty Bowman. At least that's what the picture looks like with rose-coloured glasses on. In reality, we're all just glad to have a night out with the guys (and gals), drink copious amounts of our favouite spirit, and trash talk each other till the cows come home....or the spouse phones....whichever comes first.

Pick with your head, not your heart
Let's face it, hockey pools are at best, a crap shoot. But they don't have to be. The biggest trick to doing well in your hockey pool is to pick players with your head and not your heart. In other words, don't overvalue your favourite team, thinking that they will possess 7 of the top 10 scorers in the league this year, when in fact they might be lucky to get 1 in the top twenty.

Think Line Combinations
Only one person in your pool is going to have a realistic shot at Sidney Crosby in your Fantasy Draft. What to do? Well, for starters, try picking the next Best Player Available. Picks in later rounds can be used to choose linemates that may play with the likes of Crosby, Ovechkin, Thornton etc...Keep an eye as to which players get a lot of powerplay time, you may be able to fing a good steal.

Stay Away From Teams That Preach Defence First
Everyteam has a player on it's roster that will collect the lionshare of points. But teams like Dallas, and New Jersey, aren't going to produce giant goal factories overnight. Instead, stick with picks from teams that torch the twine on a nightly basis. Teams like, the Rangers, Sabres, Leafs and Senators are all teams that can score in bunches.

Don't Forget Those Divisional Match-ups
Joe Sakic may be on e of the best players of all time, but when you pick him up in your pool, don't forget that he'll face goalies like Luongo, Kipprusoff 8 times each.

Beware the Big Off-Season Contract
For some reason, it's quite common for players who sign the big off season contract, choke under the new found pressure of living up to expectations. This usually applies to players who sign their first monster contracts, less so to multiple signees. Remember Alexandre Daigle? Alexei Yashin? Both tanked after signing for big bucks.
Other "urban myths" to watch out for include staying away from players who tied the knot in the off season and donning the cover of a video game and / or Sports Illustrated.

Don't Believe the Rookie "Hype"
More often than not, rookies start strong, then gradually taper off as the season wears on. Mind you, this doesn't apply to ALL rookies (those Crosby and Malkin kids are pretty good), but it will affect the large majority of them. Rookies that catch fire in the pre-season can just as easily be sent to the minors / juniors the next day.

Don't Let Your Spouse / Buddy Help You With Picking Your Team
This one is really important. There are only two outcomes here but neither of them are any good:
(A) Your spouse/buddy help you pick the winning team! Drawback is now you have to split your pool winnings 2 ways instead of just one. Never good. Add the fact that your spouse/buddy will take credit for all the "astute" picks and you've got yourself "A Nightmare on Elm Street" in the making.
(B) Your spouse/buddy help you pick your team but you finish dead last in the pool. This is almost worse, because now the odds of you getting their half of the pool entry fee have diminished beyond pigs ever taking flight.

Don't Pick the Deceased
Don't laugh, I've seen it happen. Usually it's the novice poolster or the obnoxious drunk who makes the mistake but either way, consider yourself warned.

2007/08 Top Rookies

1. Sam Gagner, Edmonton Oilers
2. Patrick Kane, Chicago Black Hawks
3. Jonathan Toews, Chicago Black Hawks
4. Peter Mueller, Phoenix Coyotes
5. Kris Russell, Columbus Blue Jackets
6. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
7. Andrew Cogliano, Edmonton Oilers
8. Erik Johnson, St. Louis Blues
9. Jack Johnson, LA Kings
10. Niklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals