10 Things I Learned In October

1) I'M STICKING WITH MY CUP PICK
The Sharks look amazing and I'm not giving up on Tampa Bay. They've been in every game and have a winning streak right now. They have a big road trip coming up in November that will likely indicate if they will compete or not

2) FANTASY HOCKEY IS AWESOME
After a two year break, I've rediscovered how fun fantasy hockey is, especially since I have NHL Center Ice on cable. Every night there is a big game!

3) THANKS TO MICHIGAN FOOTBALL, I APPRECIATE MICHIGAN HOCKEY MORE
It's all U-M has going for them right now in terms of popular sports. Great job SMOKING Ohio State this weekend! GO BLUE!

4) MARTY TURCO IS SLIPPING FAST
Something is wrong with this guy, and the Dallas Stars in general. The Stars allowed an absurd 50 goals in October and don't even come close to resembling the team that made it to the WCF last season

5) ALEXANDER OVECHKIN IS INVISIBLE
A very disappointing start to the season for this guy.

6) I WAS WRONG ABOUT THE WILD
I thought they would be sub-par this season. So far I'm wrong. Lemaire is a damn good coach and has put a system in place that makes it so tough to score goals on this team. Plus Mikko Koivo and Antti Miettenen are playing outstanding together.

7) RON WILSON IS THE BEST COACH IN HOCKEY
The Leafs don't have a great record, but it's not bad either. I've watched a few Leaf games this year, and these nobodies skate hard and compete every night. Kudos to you, Ron.

8) MONTREAL HAS A TEAM THAT CAN GO ALL THE WAY
You would think that the big stat for this team would be offense, but I bet you don't know they are statically one of the best defensive teams in the league. Only 24 goals allowed so far!

9) THE VERDICT IS STILL OUT ON THE BLACKHAWKS
Some nights they look all there, other nights I'm not so sure. We'll just have to wait and see.

10) SOMETHING ISN'T WORKING IN OTTAWA
They have a horrid home record and aren't getting much offensive contribution from their second-tier players, but I think they'll come around.