NHL set to begin second half of season

Sunday's NHL All-Star Game bore more resemblance to a game of NHL '93 for the Sega Genesis than a real game, as the North American team dropped the World squad by a 14-12 tally. Fun and games aside, though, the players are ready to get back on the ice for the real action as they push to make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in April.\nAnd while things will shape up as the season moves on, it must be noted that the first half provided a number of surprises, and also allowed us to see who the top contenders for the Cup will be.\nThree biggest surprises\n1. The return of Mario Lemieux. The return of "Super Mario" is probably the most surprising occurrence in all of sports in the past year. After retiring in 1997, and buying the Pittsburgh Penguins last year, the number of people who thought he would play again could probably be counted on one hand after a farming accident. But not only has Lemieux returned, he has not lost a step. Lemieux had 16 goals and 16 assists in 16 games. He has also boosted the Penguins spirits to get them playing like Cup contenders.\n2. The Canadiens owned by an American. The Montreal Canadiens, winner of 24 Stanley Cups, the most of any team, are the pride of Quebec and sacred to the NHL. An event occurred Jan. 31 that could be seen as sacrilegious as changing the name of Assembly Hall to the Aver's Pizzadome. Molson, Inc. sold an 80 percent share of the Canadiens to American businessman George N. Gillett Jr. But Gillett promises to return the struggling Habs to their previous stature, and emphasized that there is no threat of the team moving.\n3. The disappointing Panthers. While Pavel Bure still leads the league with 31 goals, this year he was supposed to be supported by a strong cast, and the Florida Panthers were to have little or no trouble in winning the Southeast Division title. Instead, Florida has the third-worst record in the NHL, and it has already canned coach Terry Murray.\nThe top 10 Cup contenders\n1. Colorado Avalanche -- Joe Sakic leads the league in points and has the benefit of playing with a healthy Peter Forsberg. Patrick Roy is at the top of his game in the net, and with Ray Bourque looking for his first Stanley Cup in his 21st season, they have what it takes.\n2. St. Louis Blues -- They started the season 25-3-4, but have slowed down to a 9-8-1 record in their past 18 games. This is because of the injury of Chris Pronger, who is the best defenseman in the game. Blues goalie Roman Turek has also been banged up recently. If everyone returns to health, the Blues can shut anyone in the league down.\n3. New Jersey Devils -- The defending champs have the potential to repeat with goalie Martin Brodeur leading the way, as well as one of the deepest rosters in the NHL. They are also rumored to be in trade talks with the Kings for talented defenseman Rob Blake.\n4. Detroit Red Wings -- With Scotty Bowman behind the bench, the Wings can never be expected to go away. Even though their roster reads like a AARP mailing list, experienced vets like Brendan Shanahan, Steve Yzerman, Sergei Federov and Chris Chelios can still get it done in the playoffs.\n5. Ottawa Senators -- After holding out last season, Alexei Yashin has returned and the Senators offense has been rejuvenated. Forwards Marian Hossa, Daniel Alfredsson and Radek Bonk also add an offensive touch. Provided that goalie Patrick Lalime holds up as well as he did in the first half of the season, they can make a run.\n6. Philadelphia Flyers -- Though Eric Lindros is still sitting out for contract negotiations, Philly has excelled. The new stars for the Flyers are forward Simon Gagne and goalie Roman Cechmanek, who have brought the Flyers surprising success. But these two players' lack of experience will be tested down the stretch.\n7. Dallas Stars -- With guys like Brett Hull and Mike Modano, they have the same talented cast that has brought them to the past two Stanley Cup Finals. Goalie Ed Belfour has to get his head on straight if they want to make another run this year.