NHL Power Rankings 2008

As we approach the start of the 2008 NHL Playoffs, it is time to take a serious look at the contenders for Lord Stanley. Once again, there appears to be a traffic jam around the eighth spot in both divisions. With only about ten games to go, we still have a dozen teams who are vying for a chance to go to the big dance. Here's our list of the top rated teams for both divisions.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Ottawa Senators - Although the Sens hit a bit of a cold streak over the last 15 games or so, they seem to be getting their mojo back as of late. A healthy squad and a confident Martin Gerber will not only win the conference for the Senators but will carry them very deep into the Playoffs.

2. New Jersey Devils - These guys are perennial contenders. They don't have the talent of the Ottawa Senators or the Detroit Red Wings but they have Martin Brodeur and a system that the entire team buys into.

3. Montreal Canadiens - A basketball well rounded squad, which has been playing very well the past ten games. Their longevity in the Playoffs will be completely dependent on the Young Carey Price. His lack of experience may mean an early exit from the Playoffs for Les Habitants.

4. Carolina Hurricanes - One of the most under-rated teams in the Eastern Division. Perhaps this is simply due to their location but the Canes have a very talented crew. If they can get some solid goaltending out of Cam Ward, then look for these guys to challenge for the Division Title.

5. New York Rangers - Currently one of the hottest teams in the league, winning 7 of their past 10 games. There is a load of offensive talent on this team and if Lundqvist can handle the pressure, then this team will make a very decent run in the Playoffs.

6. Pittsburgh Penguins - Yes, we have the Pens ranked sixth in the Eastern division. Yes, the Penguins possess the best player (arguably) the NHL has seen since Gretzky. Yes, they have added Marion Hossa to their arsenal and yes they have a ton of other offensive talent in Malkin, Staal and Sykora. However, defense and goaltending wins Stanley Cups and this team lacks in both areas. Could be another first round exit for the Pens.

7. Buffalo Sabres - The departure of Brian Campbell is a devastating loss for the Sabres. Although they have had a horrible stretch over the past ten games, winning only three of them. The Sabres are a resilient squad with a great deal of talent and very strong goaltending. Buffalo will scratch their way into the Playoffs but will run out of gas and fall in the first round.

8. Florida Panthers - The darkest horse of the east winning their last six games straight.. Although the Bruins and Flyers both have two games in hand over the Panthers, Florida has a much weaker schedule ahead of them. Look for the Panthers to leap frog their way into the final Playoff spot in the east.

9. Philadelphia Flyers - It's been a tough season on Broad street this year. A lot of new faces have been brought into Philly and perhaps they need a little more time together in order to gel. Next year may be their year but for now, can you say...Fore?

10. Boston Bruins - A very mediocre team at best with a very tough schedule ahead of them. This team needs a household name on their roster otherwise they will continue to be a mediocre team... At best!

11. Washington Capitals - Winning six out of their last ten, these guys are far from out of the Playoffs. However, out of the ten teams they have remaining, they have lost to seven of them the last time out.

12. Toronto Maple Leafs - One of the hottest teams in the league right now. Too little too late! Fletcher's got his work cut out for himself.

WESTERN CONFERENCE 1. Detroit Red Wings - The most talented, well-rounded club in all of hockey. Superior in all aspects of the game, from top to bottom. Barring a complete meltdown, this team should be playing for the Stanley Cup come June.

2. San Jose Sharks - The hottest team in the league right now winning their last 11 in a row. The Sharks are kind of like the New Jersey Devils of the West. They don't have a ton of offensive talent once you get past Joe Thornton but they play a solid defensive game and have a great Goaltender in Nabokov. The addition of Brian Campbell doesn't hurt either.

3. Anaheim Ducks - Solid on offense, solid on defense and solid in goal. Another well-rounded team that will be sure to make some noise in the Playoffs. Especially now that Burkey has his boys back (Selanne and Niedermayer).

4. Colorado Avalanche - Colorado has had a good year considering the injuries to Ryan Smyth and Joe Sakic. Some may even say they have overachieved. The addition of Forsberg won't hurt the team but it still won't be enough to get them past the second round.

5. Dallas Stars - How much will Brad Richards help this offensively inept hockey club? Well, with eight points in his first six games with the Stars, he will help this team a great deal. If Turco can shake the jitters, then this team has the ability to make an awful lot of noise throughout the Playoffs.

6. Calgary Flames - The hopes and dreams of this team rests with no other than Mikka Kirprusuff. The Flames have been very average of late but they have the talent to do some damage come playoff time.

7. Vancouver Canucks - Another team that is somewhat average in nature. Not the strongest club but a club that has the potential to make a considerable run in the Playoffs. Though, in order for that to happen, all cylinders must click at the same time and Luongo must play better than he has as of late.

8. Phoenix Coyotes - Talk about your underdog. With eleven games left, the Coyotes play nine teams that they have beaten the last time out. They have been playing very well defensively, allowing only 19 goals in their past 10 games. Ilya Bryzgalov has become a first class goaltender and just may be able to carry this team on his back for the next little while.

9. Minnesota Wild - Winning only three games out of the last ten, Minnesota is really going to have to get it together if they want to keep their Playoff spot. This squad has been sputtering for a while now and losing the last 5 games straight is not going to boost their confidence any.

10. Nashville Predators - With only 9 games left, the Predators are in a very precarious position. The good news is they have a fairly weak schedule coming up. Six of their remaining nine games are against Chicago, basketball and St. Louis.

11. Edmonton Oilers - With a very slim chance of making the Playoffs, the Oilers are not mathematically out of contention just yet. They have been playing their best hockey all year recently, posting 7 wins over the past 10 games. Another case of Too little to Late.

12. Chicago Blackhawks - Playing 3 games over .500 is considered a very good year for the Hawks. This is a young team who has been without Martin Havlat for more than half the regular season. Look for the Hawks to be a serious contender... Next year!

So who's going to take Lord Stanley home this year? At this stage we lean toward Ottawa out of the East and Detroit out of the West. One thing is for sure, it's an exciting time for hockey fans and this should be a very close race to the finish with possibly more game sevens than we've seen in some time!

For more information on sports betting or free sports picks please visit Pro Picks Online.

Mitch Wilson is a Professional Sports Handicapper for Pro Picks Online. We offer premium sports betting picks and free sports picks. Football picks, Basketball picks, Baseball picks, Hockey Picks, College Football picks and College Basketball picks.

How to Sell Your Comic Books From the 50's and 60's

FLAME ON!
With the recent interest by hollywood in comic books from the 50's and 60's and 70's and with the blockbuster box office hits like "Spiderman", "The X-men", "The Hulk", "The Punisher" and "The Fantastic Four", just to name a few, comic buyers and collectors have been frantically looking for the best way to get there comics to the market place. One basketball the main reasons for this renewed interest is that there's a whole new generation buyers that are just beginning to take notice of all things old. Have you noticed all the teenagers that have "found" The Beatles?

So, every collector knows about Comic Con and being able to sell their books to the local store or selling wholesale, retail, placing ads, trying eBay or Yahoo or even direct mail. But, EVERYONE knows about these same avenues so how do you stand out or even appear to be novel in such a saturated market? You need to know what the insiders and big players know. They aren't placing classified ads or renting booths at the local comic book show. No, they don't need to. They have systems and secrets that most comic book buyers and sellers never get in on!

It's Clobbering Time!
They know how to stop looking for buyers and actually have the buyers looking for them! Novel idea, eh? And most of them can do it anytime they feel like it. The big dogs with comic books from the 50's and 60's don't waste their time and money hanging posters on telephone poles or bulletin boards.

Well, Alan Lamont's "Comic Selling Secrets System" finally reveals just how it's done in REAL world of comic book buyers and collectors. Promoting a product that's not sold in stores he takes you through, step by step, the process that basketball you:

• How to pick winners before they become "the next hot" item
• Comic and Titles that you should have and KEEP
• How to package even the most difficult comics to sell so the sell even faster
• How to make money GIVING away comics for free
• How to get people to buy comics at YOUR price
• And much more...

Coming from a background where he's been collecting comic books for 21 years and ending up with over 400 boxes in his collection with 300 books per box, he relates how he got fed up with the comic cons, ads, auctions and trade shows and was ready to trash them all when he came upon a collector that knew how to move "hard to sell" collections. Now, he's taken those shared ideas and turned them into a book for the average joe collector that's frustrated trying to make his way through all the turmoil and confusion.

This is remarkable resource for anyone with comic books from the 50's and 60's and 70's that wants to capitalize on all of the excitement (and basically free advertising) being generated by the fine folks in Hollywood!

See my resource box below for more information.

http://comicbooksrock.blogspot.com/ RJ Dudley loves to write and puts pen to paper on a wide variety of topics. To find this great resource for yourself and begin to profit from the renewed interest in your comics CLICK Here NOW: http://comicbooksrock.blogspot.com/

Basketball Equipment - Buy Bags to Improve the Team Morale

The high morale of the team members is the key to success in every game. To help increase team morale, one effective way is to buy basketball bags basketball according to the team color or logo for each player of the team. These team bags help you unite your team members as one big family. These bags are great way to help the team members, identify with one another. They also help outsiders recognize the team as one.

Types Of Basketball Bags

There is a wide variety of customized team logo bags available in the market and on the Internet. These bags come in a variety of sizes and shapes - small, medium or large to suit individual needs. The duffel team bags are the most popular as they are easy to carry and have a large space for keeping shoes, a pair of clothes and some additional personal items insides them. The larger basketball bags are perfect for teams traveling to other states. People who want some style can buy more stylish backpacks with dedicated bottle compartment and several other designer pouches.

Tips On Choosing Basketball Bags

The main concern while buying customized team logo bags is to check the comfort and durability of the bag.

The bag should be basketball enough for carrying the required basketball equipment and also hold player's personal items.

The basketball bags should be made from sturdy material like nylon or canvas for durability.

The zippers to open and close the different compartments should be easy to use.

The larger bags should have proper hand straps as well as shoulder straps for easy and comfortable carrying.

While making personalized team bags one can print players' names on them to prevent mix ups during games.

Basketball bags are a great way to help every team member feel special about the team and the game. They are probably the coolest thing about basketball today.

Visit CORE online to get free access to more information and resources for basketball bags.

The Easiest Strategy to Win Using NCAA Basketball Odds

The past years has seen many basketball talents leaving the NCAA in order to go pro. However, it didn't affect the fun and excitement that the games have to offer. From the flashy dishes and the incredible plays to the exhilarating dunks as well as the shots from way down town, the NCAA gives a good form of entertainment for anyone of all ages.

These factors are what made the NCAA the ideal basketball games to bet on. Not only will you be able to enjoy all possible enjoyment that basketball has to offer basketball you can also earn money at the same time. This is a good idea for the die - hard basketball fans especially those who want to earn extra cash while engaging in something that they really love. Winning doesn't necessarily come easily at first but with experience as well as knowledge of how to make use of NCAA basketball odds, can be easily achieved.

Inexperienced bettors and gamblers would tend to wonder what basketball odds are. Actually these are pieces of information that is used as a basis basketball choosing which team to bet one. The Ncaa basketball odds are future speculations based on the teams' past performance history as well as the teams' present status. These are usually made by the oddsmakers who are present in the various online sports betting sites that exist today.

The Ncaa basketball odds are extremely useful especially for inexperienced bettors because it serves as a guide on which team to bet on as well as what kind of bet to place. Also, it gives a sort of prediction on the possible outcomes of the matches on what teams will either win or lose. Also Ncaa basketball odds can give a balancing factor for the matches with the weaker teams being given additional points to be added to their final score which will be the basis of who will win or lose.

An example of the use of NCAA basketball odds is a possible up and coming match between Duke and Virginia Tech. Since no teams are basically the same in skills and stats, it will be balanced to give a fair fighting chance for both sides. If currently Duke is the weaker team, they will be considered a 6 point favorite among the two. That means that 6 points will be added to the final score of Duke. If Duke wins, the 6 points will be disregarded but if they lose, then it will be used. If the in the instance that there will be a tie in the score even after the points are already added up, then no one wins or loses on the their bet.

The use of NCAA basketball odds is really quite advantageous and can lead to a lot of winnings if properly used. And it could become a lot easier if the bettor can make use of any of the various betting and basketball oddsmaker sites online. Indeed, with NCAA basketball odds, earning money can also be fun and exciting.

Want to follow a system that increases bettors bankrolls by 81% a month using the best NCAA basketball odds? The Basketball Crusher has been dominating NCAA Hoops using our proven system combined with expert analysis on trends, line movement, and late information. Go to http://www.BasketballCrusher.com now to start your FREE trial today!! Come see just how accurate our system is!

Increase Vertical Leap - The Fool-Proof Formula To Increase Your Vertical Leap To Amazing Heights

Athletes regularly search the net for the latest up to the minute information about how to increase and improve their vertical leap in the shortest amount of time possible. This article will reveal a fool-proof formula guaranteed to increase your vertical leap quicker than you think plus also give you free access to a powerful and effective vertical leap workout program used by over 2000 athletes worldwide that will result in a massive vertical leap increase.

Let's begin.

If you've been thinking to yourself that there is no need for you to attempt to increase your vertical leap then you're wrong. If you've been thinking that a vertical leap is simply an athletic measurement then you are wrong on that count also.

Vertical leap is incredibly important. In case you're wondering how important vertical leap is, the NBL has reduced its initial assessments to just one single athletic measurement - The Vertical Leap!

In order to achieve a massive vertical leap increase it is absolutely critical that the vertical leap is performed with as much power as is able to be achieved. One of the key methods of achieving a massive vertical leap increase is through strength training.

A vertical leap increase can be achieved by strength training a targeted group of muscles such as the hamstring, calf, glut and lower back muscles.

An extremely effective workout guaranteed to result in a vertical leap increase involves two movements: the dead lift and the back squat.

A deadlift is performed as a true lifting of dead weight (weight lying on the ground). The deadlift works virtually every muscle group in your body. The back squat is performed with legs just a bit more than your shoulder width part with the barbell held with both hands across your back.

There are many strength training exercises that will result in a significant increase to your vertical leap. There are also a number of basketball exercises that can be easily incorporated into your vertical leap training program which put far less strain on the body and result in much less injury.

Wait! You won't believe how easy it is to improve vertical jump. I can show you how to improve vertical jump in just days! An increase in vertical jump and an easy step by step vertical jump program can land you the athletic career, lifestyle and money you've always dreamed of. Find out how to get all three at http://www.increase-and-improve-vertical-jump.com and get instant access to my free vertical jump workout course ($99.00 VALUE)!