Hockey Beat - Hockey News

Why I Love Hockey in the Northwest Division

by Jeanne on January 7th, 2008

Bloggers across b5media’s Sports Channel are writing today about why they love the sport they blog about.  I’m getting a little more specific and talking about why I love hockey in the NW division.

The Rivalries
That’s all there is in the NW division - rivalry.  There’s the "Battle of Alberta" when the Edmonton Oilers play the Calgary Flames.  Then, of course, when Albertan teams play the Vancouver Canucks, there’s lots of emotion there too.  This season, Ryan Smyth of the Colorado Avalanche is in the same division as the team he didn’t want to leave (the Oilers) and it’s a virtual cry-fest when he goes up there to play.

The Goalies
Being able to watch Miikka Kiprusoff (even during this "off" season of his) and Roberto Luongo playing on a regular basis is awesome. When the two teams meet, it’s always intense.

The Points War
The teams’ points are always so close to each other by the end of the season.  Unlike some divisions where you have the Detroit Red Wings regularly wiping the ice with the Chicago Blackhawks resulting in a huge points gap, the NW division is often separated by a mere one or two points.  It makes it so much more exciting when the playoffs roll around - all the other divisions are decided and then you’ve got the NW fighting it out until the bitter end.  Fantastic!

What division to do like best and why???

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