Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is the Stanley Cuppiest of them all?
Tampa Bay, baby! Yeah, you read it right. Here's the backstory.
The first non-European puck of 08/09 NHL campaign dropped last night -- and standard sports writer etiquette demands that we put our predictions in print before the league rankings start to take shape.
Everyone and their dog seems to be predicting Detroit, Philadelphia or maybe Pittsburgh to take home Lord Stanley's mug next summer. Everyone and their dog is probably right.
Out West, it's gotta be the Redwings (or possibly the Flames) taking the Conference title and chasing the Cup. In the East, it's pretty damn likely the two Pennsylvania teams will be the last squads standing, scrapping for the spot in the finals.
But the last thing anyone wants to read is yet another article blabbing on about how Detroit are odds-on-favourite to win the NHL's grandest prize for a second year in a row.
Dynasty, blah blah, veterans, blah blah, Hockeytown, blah blah blah. We all get the idea, right?
So, more for the sake of being interesting than being right, I'm going go out on a limb with my pre-season prediction and call an '09 Cup win for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
And to put my money where my mouth is, I've actually put a few dollars on a Stanley Cup banner being raised at St. Pete Times Forum a year from now. At 25-1 odds, if I wind up being right, this could be the absolute best prediction, like, ever.
Look, Tampa Bay isn't the best team in the league. Coming dead last in the previous season tends to get you that kind of reputation. Though, dead last is apparently reserved for the Maple Leafs and the Kings this year, so we're already off to a promising start!
And aside from the management woes, the Lightning actually has all the pieces of the Stanley Cup puzzle. They just need to get them into place to do some serious damage in the Southeast division.
The core of the team -- the Vincent Lecavaliers and the Martin St. Louis' -- are still a force to be reckoned with. Tampa's problems have always come from a weak supporting cast, not issues with the principal players.
But with the addition of veterans like Gary Roberts and young blood like Steve (Number One Draft Pick) Stamkos, the lineup has depth like never before.
Remember, in a softer hockey market like Florida, subtle changes to the team's make-up can kick into gear so much quicker than a major NHL media hub.
Without the intense press (and fan) scrutiny that exists in a Toronto or a Boston, the Tampa team can play around with the formula in the early part of the season -- without having to produce immediate results or face the wrath of the hardcores.
There's tons of time to get the formula right, then let the momentum do the rest.
So while my gut tells me it'll be one of the aforementioned four, and my inner fan would love to see a youth-oriented franchise like Chicago go all the way, my money's on Tampa Bay to be the next NHL Champions.
If it turns out I'm right, the drinks will be on me.
And if I'm wrong, well, at least you didn't have to read another story about Detroit's Stanley Cup hangover.