Oct 9, 2008 - 6:06 AM
0 shouts"Hockeytown" will be full of hysteria on Thursday in more ways than one.
After rock group Def Leppard kicks off NHL Face-Off Rocks 2008 at the Fox Theatre, the Detroit Red Wings will raise their Stanley Cup championship banner at Joe Louis Arena as the 2008-09 season in North America gets underway.
The Red Wings, who captured their fourth title in 11 seasons and the 11th in franchise history with a six-game triumph over the Pittsburgh Penguins last spring, begin the defense of their championship when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs in a battle of "Original Six" teams.
The NHL campaign officially began in Europe last weekend. The New York Rangers won both of their meetings with the Tampa Bay Lightning in Prague, Czech Republic, while the Ottawa Senators claimed three of a possible four points against the Penguins in Stockholm, Sweden by going 1-0-1.
As if Detroit did not already present a big-enough problem for the rest of the league, it added star Marian Hossa to its potent arsenal during the summer. The Slovakian joins a cast that includes Conn Smythe Trophy winner Henrik Zetterberg, Selke and Lady Byng Trophy recipient Pavel Datsyuk, power-play powerhouse Tomas Holmstrom, postseason hero Johan Franzen and captain Nicklas Lidstrom - who has won the Norris Trophy each of the past three seasons and six of the last seven.
With 46-year-old defenseman Chris Chelios - who is out with a broken right leg -- back for his 25th NHL season and Chris Osgood in sole possession of the team's starting goaltending job, the Red Wings are looking to become the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup champion since they accomplished the feat from 1997-98.
Without long-time captain Mats Sundin, the Maple Leafs are just hoping to return to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. After wearing the "C" on his jersey since 1997, Sundin became an unrestricted free agent during the offseason and has yet to decide whether to continue his playing career, although it is almost certain it will not happen in Canada's largest city.
New coach Ron Wilson will rely on players such as Jason Blake, Alex Steen and newcomer Niklas Hagman to provide the offense for a Maple Leafs team that finished 11th in the league in scoring with an average of 2.78 goals per game. Detroit was third at 3.07 tallies.
Defense was the bigger problem for Toronto, which yielded 3.12 goals per contest to rank 27th. Blue-liners Jeff Finger and Mike Van Ryn were brought in to help improve the club, but the additions likely will not be enough to earn the Maple Leafs their first playoff berth since 2004.
Three other games complete Thursday's slate. The Colorado Avalanche host the Boston Bruins, the Calgary Flames visit the Vancouver Canucks and the Anaheim Ducks face off against the Sharks in San Jose.
Neither Colorado nor Boston made significant offseason additions, although captain Joe Sakic decided against retirement and signed a one-year, $6 million contract to return to the Avalanche for a 20th season. The Bruins are hoping a healthy Patrice Bergeron, who missed all but 10 games in 2007-08 due to injury, will help improve an offense that ranked 24th (2.51 goals) last campaign.
After making Roberto Luongo the first goaltender in 61 years to serve as team captain, the Canucks are looking to return to the playoffs after a one-year absence. But with Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison no longer on board, goals figure to be scarce in Vancouver.
The Flames added Michael Cammalleri and former Canuck Todd Bertuzzi to help offset the losses of Alex Tanguay and veteran Owen Nolan. But they may not be enough to help captain Jarome Iginla lead Calgary past the Western Conference quarterfinals for the first time since the team came within one win of the Stanley Cup title in 2004.
Anaheim is ready to shake off its championship hangover as defenseman Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne will be with the club from the start of the season after contemplating retirement and joining the team midway through 2007-08. Meanwhile, the Sharks will be counting on new coach Todd McLellan and a revamped defense that includes former Norris Trophy winner Rob Blake, Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich to get them beyond the conference semifinals for the first time in four seasons.
