The journey starts again!

Tomorrow, the NHL season officially starts for my Penguins. I'm so excited! So excited that I'm not going to go to Disney on a Friday night... gasp, I know. But its the season opener. I have to watch! I'm thinking of just ordering some wings, sitting back, and enjoying some hockey. Last year was so amazing. After suffering for 6 long years, the Penguins burst back into hockey contention. Everyone said that the future was bright for the Pens, but to them, the future was now. Their turnaround caught people off-guard last season, but this year, they'll have a target on their backs. They're going to be carrying heavier expectations. It's not going to be enough to just make the playoffs anymore, they have to make a serious run.

Are they up to it? I would like to think so. When you look at the Penguins, the first place you set your eyes on is their newest captain, Sidney Crosby. Sid now takes on the responsibility of being a leader for this team. You know, being the youngest captain in history, the reigning scoring champion and MVP, and the face of not only the Penguins, but the entire league, it would seem like a lot of pressure to put on a 20-year old kid. But Sid's lived with pressure since he was a pre-teen. He not only knows how to handle it, he embraces it. Sid never needed the "C" to show that he was a leader. He shows it through his poise, his maturity, his work ethic, and his clutch play. From the moment that lottery ball came the Penguins way, he knew that this was his team. In his 3rd year, the Next One will not disappoint. He'll only get better, which is scary.

Sidney's supporting cast should be up to the challenge as well. Evgeni Malkin is stronger and more confident than he was last year and should be better prepared for the rigors of the full NHL season. Seeing how the rookie of the year got 85 points last season, it's not hard to imagine him breaking the 100 point mark this year. I hope we see Malkin stay dominant from October to June. I'm also hoping we get to see more of that nasty side we heard so much about in Russia. Jordan Staal may have been last season's biggest surprise. No one expected the 18-year to make the team, let alone play as well as he did. There's some fear going around about a "sophomore slump" this year for him. And I can see why people would think that, feeling that he may have overachieved last year. But he's filled out his big frame more this season and has experience under his belt now. He already has incredible defensive poise. I would love to see him produce even more offensively this time. Then there's the Flower, Marc-Andre Fleury. A 40-game winner last year, unfair as it is, more will be expected from him this year. Fleury is as integral to the success of the Pens as Crosby is. And he is the one with the biggest question marks. Can he display the consistency he needs to put him into elite goaltender status? Pens Nation has their dreams riding on it. Rounding out the Fantastic Five is Ryan Whitney. I feel this is the year he supplants Sergei Gonchar as the team's leading point-producing defenseman. If he can improve his defensive game, we're looking at a possible Norris trophy in the near future.

Without a doubt, the five phenoms are the face of the Penguins, but contributions from the rest of the team must be expected as well. Petr Sykora joined the team this summer and will bring a much needed scoring threat on the wing. I'm looking forward to a full season of Gary Roberts. The guy is one crazy S.O.B. You don't see to many 40-year olds play with such reckless abandon, but he does. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had a great quote about Roberts. "One day, Gary Roberts will hit the wall. And the wall will groan." Even though he's past his prime, here's hoping Darryl Sydor brings stability to the blue line. Colby and Mad Max need to continue playing hard and Ruutu needs to keep making other players want to kill him. And lastly, please please, Laraque has got to fight more. His job is to protect these kids. He didn't do much of that last year.

The Pens won't have it easy. I see the Rangers and the Senators as their biggest challenges. The Rangers went back to their old ways this summer and bought their way to contention. The Senators have not changed much but they are the defending East Champs and the ones who ousted us last spring. The Sabres could pose a threat as well, even with the departure of their captains.

It all starts tomorrow! I can't wait! Bring on the Hurricanes!