John Buccigross is back in action. It's about damn time. I seem to be one of the two, maybe three dozen people that actually still care about hockey in America. I really, REALLY don't understand why hockey isn't more popular. What more could you ask for in a sport? Entertainment? Absolutely. Parody? Check. Fights? Yup. An awesome championship trophy? You bet.

I don't know, it just doesn't make sense to me. But no matter, more hockey for myself, Buccigross and everyone else that follows it. With that I offer up my season predictions (a few weeks late, admittedly). Enjoy, and feel free to post your thoughts.

Eastern Conference:

1 - Montreal Canadiens: Great depth and a fantastic young goalie. A very legitimate Cup contender.

2 - Pittsburgh Penguins: Crosby and Malkin. Better than Gretzky and Messier at the same age?

3 - Washington Capitals: Grab third seed by virtue of weak division. Ovechkin one of the greats.

4 - Buffalo Sabres: My boys get their act together and return to playoffs. Vanek nets at least 50 goals.

5 - New York Rangers: Lundqvist doing his best Brodeur impression.

6 - New Jersey Devils: Speaking of Brodeur...

7 - Boston Bruins: Team is solid now, but still not in the East elite.

8 - Carolina Hurricanes: As always, the No. 8 seed is wide open, but I like Carolina this season.

9 - Philadelphia Flyers: Philly overachieved last season. Won't happen again.

10 - Tampa Bay Lightning: Barry Melrose should have them in the playoff hunt, which should warrant him Coach of the Year consideration.

11 - Ottawa Senators: Once the cream of the crop, the Senators are now average.

12 - Florida Panthers: They seem to be forever stuck in the 10-13 range in the East.

13 - Atlanta Thrashers: At least the Falcons are surprising people this season.

14 - Toronto Maple Leafs: NHL is looking into bringing another team to Toronto. In related news, the Maple Leafs still exist.

15 - New York Islanders: Poor Rick DiPietro. Islanders should land top overall draft pick.

Western Conference:

1 - San Jose Sharks: Joe Thorton, Jonathan Cheechoo, Dan Boyle, Patrick Marleau, Evgeni Nabokov, Rob Blake. Yikes. They should battle Detroit for West supremacy.

2 - Detroit Red Wings: Last year's Cup winner, Detroit should be right in the mix again.

3 - Minnesota Wild: Doubt Gaborik remains with Wild all season, but still a strong team.

4 - Dallas Stars: Year in and year out, Dallas remains a 95-105-point team.

5 - Chicago Blackhawks: Maybe a little high, but I love this young team. Could be this year's Pittsburgh Penguins.

6 - Calgary Flames: Jarome Iginla will get his numbers, but the supporting cast remains a bit weak.

7 - Anaheim Ducks: Not the Stanley Cup force of recent years, but still a playoff team.

8 - Colorado Avalanche: Everyone is writing off the Avs because of goaltending, but I'm not so sure. I think they sneak in.

9 - Edmonton Oilers: Could easily make the playoffs, but I have them just missing.

10 - Vancouver Canucks: Great defense and goalie, but no offense. Tough to win if you can't score goals.

11 - Phoenix Coyotes: A real darkhorse. Gretzky as coach and the addition of Ollie Jokinen make them a solid team.

12 - Nashville Predators: A playoff team of late, Nashville takes a step back in 2008.

13 - Columbus Blue Jackets: Some tabbing this as a darkhorse. I'm not buying it. Rick Nash is a beast though.

14 - St. Louis Blues: Young Blues continue gaining valuable experience ... at the expense of wins for now.

15 - Los Angeles Kings: Some good young pieces. I actually think they could surprise some people this year.

Stanley Cup prediction: Penguins over Sharks in six games.