Top 10: Things I Was Wrong About in the GDHL

Calgary (CP) Okay. I will be the first to admit when I'm wrong about my predictions. As much as I would like to think that I know the game and how its played, sometimes I get the blanket pulled from underneath me. In no particular order (and hence no numbering), here are 10 things I didn't foresee happening.

Ihor's Team Winning the GDHL This Year
Wow. Was I way off base here. After what I thought was a solid draft, Ihor finished in 6th place almost 300 PPts out of first. Of course this was triggered by Triska's fire sale early on, but I believe he knew that he didn't have a legit shot at winning this year.

Flyin' Elbows Competing for the Title
Ok. I think I get a mulligan on this one. I said that he would be competitive IF everyone stayed healthy. But realistically, even if everyone were healthy, Mark probably would be in the lower third anyways. The totally bombing of Gagne, Afinogenov, Roloson, Emery and Havlat hurt him.

Kane Isn't NHL Ready
Boy did this kid prove me wrong. I thought he was too small (5' 8", 160lbs) for the NHL level and thought that he wouldn't be ready for 2 more years. 72 points later and a lock for Calder makes me believe that Trevor will have an exciting team with both him and Toews in the stable.

Price Would Play Second Fiddle to Huet
Although I knew that he would be the goalie of the future for the Habs, I never thought that he would take the reigns over by trade deadline. Paul seems to have a sixth sense when it comes to evaluating talent on the Habs... or maybe its that since he's a fan he keeps an eye on them. Whatever the case, Price is a keeper for a long time to come.

Brad Richards is a 95 Point Player
Man this guy is so frustrating. One year after my trade with Ryan, it looks to be like a trade that was worked out even. I always thought Richards was capable of 95 points. Now I'm not sure whether he'll score 80!

Mike Ribeiro is a Bum
When Ryan announced the drafting of Mike Ribeiro in Round 5 of this years draft, I'll admit that I thought it was a waste of a pick. Going onto a 100+ PPt performance this season, I'm forced to eat my words. Well done Ryan!

Dan Cloutier Would Make His Triumphant Return
A very subtle move that shifted the balance of power early on. On the first day of free agency, I was going to sign Pascal Leclaire but instead went with Dan Cloutier believing him to have a better chance to be the No.1 since the emergence of Norrena in CLB. Guess who got Leclaire? Kevin. Almost 110 PPts including 9 SO later... man did I blow that one.

Rookies Would Not Have A Great Impact This Year
I've often thought that we were spoiled between the Ovechkin, Malkin and Crosby years. I never thought that we'd get another bunch of rookies that could have an immediate impact in the league for a long time. But this year, there is Kane, Toews, Backstrom, Price, Niskanen, Enstrom, Mueller, and Gagne that will force me to re-evaluate my position on rookies. Although there are no immediate superstars in the this group right now, all of these guys most likely will be in a couple of years. My one parting shot to this is that NONE of the top 4 teams dressed a rookie for any significant period this season ;)

Malkin Needed Crosby to Be Successful
With so much attention being focused on Sidney, I thought that this was the big reason why Malkin had so much success last year. He wasn't playing against the opponents top players so he had a 'free ride'. After Crosby went down Malkin's production actually went up! Truly amazing and would be a Hart winner if not for Ovechkin and his even more ridiculous play.

Final GDHL Standings
Heading into the season, this is how I had things:
1. One Eyebrow (Ihor)
2. Leaf Haters! (Kevin)
3. Sather's Eyes (Victor)
4. Bear Skins (Mike)
5. GGopher (Jordan)
6. Flyin Elbows (Mark)
7. Boomers (Paul)
8. Whalers (Adam)
9. Airborne Attitude (Ken)
10. Sith (JW)
11. Shamrocks (Trevor)
12. John Doe (Ryan)

This is how it ended up:
1. Leaf Haters! (+1)
2. Sather's Eyes (+1)
3. Bear Skins (+1)
4. GGopher (+1)
5. Boomers (+2)
6. One Eyebrow (-5)
7. Airborne Attitude (+2)
8. Sith (+2)
9. Shamrocks (+2)
10. Whalers (-2)
11. John Doe (+1)
12. Flyin Elbows (-6)

Wasn't too far off but over-estimated the impact that Ihor, Adam and Mark's teams would have.

Fur Engee (CP)