Reasons_to_care_about_NHL_5WindyCityRebirth1_article.jpg5. Windy City Rebirth
Speaking of Toews, he and last year's Rookie of the Year Patrick Kane have people suddenly paying attention to the Blackhawks again. While a city with a great hockey history, Chi-town has lately become a place where draft picks and old free agents go to die. Not anymore—the Indian head is a bit more chin-up these days, thanks to its young guns, and signing solid goalie Cristobal Huet and rocket-launching D-man Brian Campbell has die-hard Chicagoans cautiously whispering "playoffs" in their funny accent.

Reasons_to_care_about_NHL_4MostIrritating_Avery_article.jpg4. The Most Irritating Team of All Time?
The Dallas Stars were already tough to play against, thanks to Spencer Pratt–caliber irritants Steve Ott and Brenden Morrow, the kind of guys who inspire "accidental" high sticks to the dome. So what did the Stars do in the off-season? Only sign the league's biggest douche bag, Sean Avery (he of the Vogue internship, constant media whoring, and childish rules-changing playoff antics). Avery in Dallas is like covering a chalkboard in sandpaper and raking it with the edge of a Celine Dion CD. But it'll be fun as hell to watch.

Reasons_to_care_about_NHL_3BitterRivals_article.jpg3. Bitter Rivals
Last year, the league held its second outdoor game ever in snowy, blustery Buffalo, New York. It was fun, sure, but there wasn't much heat generated by its Pittsburgh Penguins–Buffalo Sabres matchup. This year, the NHL is doing it right. The spot? Chicago's legendary Wrigley Field. The fight card? Longtime rivals the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings. It will be cold, it will be intense, and, yes, there will be blood.

Reasons_to_care_about_NHL_2BrokeRecords_article.jpg2. Broken Records
New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur may cement his reputation as one of the all-time greatest when he takes down not one, but two, goaltending legends. When Canadiens/Avalanche demigod Patrick Roy retired with 551 wins in 2003 (making him No. 1 on the all-time list), Brodeur was already nipping at his skates—now, the Devils' masked man is a scant 14 wins shy of knocking Roy off the pedestal. Plus, Brodeur is only eight shutouts away from taking down Hall of Famer Terry Sawchuk's career record of 103—a mark that has stood for 38 years.

Reasons_to_care_about_NHL_1WingDynasty_article.jpg1. Wing Dynasty
Over the past few seasons, the Cup has been passed around like Jennifer Aniston, but a little team from D-town may be restoring the glory days of the dominant dynasty. The Detroit Red Wings already have a roster that reads like an all-star team (captain Nicklas Lidstrom alone has owned the Norris Trophy for Top Defenseman six of the last seven years), and in the off-season, not only did they not lose any significant players, they actually added coveted goal scorer Marian Hossa. That's right, they actually got better. That shudder you heard is the rest of the league.