The league has even rolled out a brand new logo and ad campaign to usher in the new season. Although I applaud the league's effort for at least trying to create a new brand and message for the league, to me the league's new slogan "My NHL" sounds more like something a whiny 5-yr old who doesn't want to share his toys would say. And the fact that they used an actor rather than an actual player in the initial ad makes about as much sense as someone over at Amazing Race thinking that a family edition of the show would be a good idea. Let's give the NHL a mulligan on this one…I mean, they only had 16 months to plan something. The NHL's other big marketing initiative happens opening night when they'll be handing out replica Stanley Cups to every fan during their team's home opener. How many 2-4's of Canadian were drank by the NHL's marketing department before this idea occurred to someone? Should we be expecting t-shirts and toques next?

	This is the best they could come up with during the last 16 months?(Source: NHL.com)

Remember when the players said they would never ever accept a salary cap? We all now know that promise ended up having as much credibility as a boxer's retirement. Thankfully the players caved on the issue and the owners have received their much sought after economic equalizer. The $21M-$39M salary cap finally levels the playing field and creates a sense of parity that the NFL thrives under. Previous have-nots, Edmonton, Calgary and most notably Pittsburgh have taken full advantage and signed the types of players that they had to sell off under the old economic system. Previous elite teams like the Red Wings, Avalanche, Leafs and Stars have come back to the pack due primarily to their inability to dip into the free agent pool.

For those ex-hockey fans out there who have turned to other entertainment alternatives such as being lost to the world of Texas Hold'Em, let me appeal to you with some reasons to get excited for the upcoming year.

Sidney Crosby: When Vincent Lecavalier got drafted, the owner of the Lighting adorned him as "The Michael Jordan of Hockey". Understandably the owner was just trying to build a frame of reference for US fans, however misguided the comparison was. Sidney "Darryl" Crosby's comparison to LeBron James however is a little truer to form. LeBron entered the NBA as an 18-yr old with unparalleled and extraordinary hype and shockingly to some, was able to meet and exceed all those projections. With the talent and infrastructure that surrounds Crosby in Pittsburgh he looks like a surefire bet to follow in LeBron's phenom footsteps. There will be critics quick to jump all over Crosby if he gets off to a slow start. For reasons I can't explain there are some people that actually take joy in being cynical. I don't know if it's the "I told you so" satisfaction they derive out of it but it's a big negative in the league's attempt to build new stars. Everyone needs to be patient with Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin's development.

	Get used to seeing Sidney Crosby as the face of the new NHL. (Source: AP)

Double cohort rookie class: One of the virtues of canceling an entire season is having two rookie classes enter the league at the same time. When you take into consideration the newly structured limitations on rookie bonuses teams will now be able to employ young players for a lot less and for teams fighting to stay under the cap this means young players will be given all the opportunities to thrive. Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Ryan Getzlaf, Zach Parise, Tomas Vanek and Kari Lehtonen are just some of the rookies alongside Crosby and Ovechkin that look to make major impacts this year.

Torino Olympics: Let's hope that these games don't turn out to be like Ocean's Twelve - a major disappointment when staked up against the superb prequel. Team Canada will look to defend its Salt Lake City Gold Medal and the odds look good on them repeating. In fact you could create a second Team Canada and they would likely have a good shot of winning the Silver.

Roster shake-ups: It's almost as if the league had its own fantasy draft. The biggest free agency period in NHL history left players scrambling for new homes. Peter Forsberg, Pavol Demitra, Jeremy Roenick, Chris Pronger, Ziggy Palffy, Sergei Gonchar, Nikolai Khabibulian, Scott Niedermayer, Brian Leetch, Dany Heatley and Marian Hossa are just some of the big names that changed addresses. Other players like Scott Stevens, Mark Messier, Ron Francis, Vincent Damphousse and Al MacInnis opted to go the route of retirement rather than suit up for another year.

Obstruction to be called: We've all heard this before but I gotta think the league is finally going to hold true to their word and call obstruction infractions from the first game of the year all the way until the end of the season. But then again I'm the same person who predicted that the Minnesota Vikings were going to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl this year.

Stars on parade: Finally the NHL looks to have warmed up to the concept of selling your stars. The shootouts will provide a perfect opportunity to showcase the league's most talented players. And the rule changes will give more time and space for players to their thang.

Predictions

Sleeper Team: The easy choice would be to pick a team like Nashville to have a breakthrough campaign, although where would the fun be in selecting someone so obvious. I think the LA Kings will surprise a lot of people and have a good year. Mathieu Garon has finally been given the chance to step out of Jose Theodore's shadow in Montreal and assume a starting spot; he should flourish in the role. Upfront the Kings have an explosive offense led by Alex Frolov and Pavol Demitra. To compliment those snipers the Kings will be able to deploy a balanced offensive attack with Roenick, Conroy, Robitaille, Valeri Bure, Dustin Brown and Mike Cammalleri all chipping in. The defense is young and untested but with good goaltending they'll round into form.

Stanley Cup Final: Ottawa Senators over Vancouver Canucks. Ottawa's team speed and talent level will be fully on display. Plus I'm convinced that Ray Emery is a capable back-up when Hasek suffers or feigns an injury. As for Vancouver, people easily forget that they lost in OT in Game 7 to Calgary during the 1st-round of the playoffs. They took the Western Conference champs to the brink without Bertuzzi and an injured Naslund. San Jose, Calgary, Boston and Pittsburgh will also be strong. I'm not buying the Flyers as favourites to win it all. The free agent additions of lumbering D-men Rathje and Hatcher are confusing in a league that will be all about speed. Plus they're one Forsberg injury away from being mediocre upfront.