As we approach the NHL All Star game we find there are numerous teams vying for a playoff spot. While Detroit, San Jose and Boston have a huge lead over the rest of the field, there are only six points separating 5th spot and 13th spot in the Western Conference. Out East we discover a log jam between the 2nd spot and the 6th spot. It has almost become a “must win” for each and every team in the League. Who will make the Playoffs? It appears there are 25 teams that have a legitimate shot at filling just 16 spots. Should be an interesting second half to the season.

1. Detroit 31-7-6

Currently the most balanced team in the NHL. Too many offensive weapons to list, a solid defensive core and strong Goaltending make for another strong season.

2. Boston 33-7-4

Mid way through the season and we have the Bruins ranked second overall. Never would have predicted that during training camp but the “B’s” just keep on piling up the wins going 8-2-0 over the past ten games.

3. Calgary 27-12-4

Having won 9 of the last 10 and the last four straight, the Flames can be dubbed the hottest team in hockey right now. Iron Mike has got his crew clicking on all cylinders as we head towards the trade deadline.

4. San Jose 32-6-5

San Jose has lost just six times so far this year in regulation. The Sharks are loaded with under-rated talent and may lead the League in points come year end.

5. Montreal 26-11-6

The Habs struggled a little bit out of the gate this year but have since found their groove, winning 8 of their last ten. We see them finishing second in their Conference behind Boston this year.

6. Washington 28-14-3

Second only to San Jose, the Caps have posted 18 wins and only 3 losses at home this year. Ovechkin seems to have something to prove this year and at this rate we would have to consider Washington, as the League’s dark horse of the season.

7. New Jersey 25-15-3

Welcome home Shanny! Usually known for their defensive style of play, the Devils have appeared to have found the back of the net more often this year. The addition of Shanahan certainly won’t hurt.

8. Chicago 24-10-7

The Blackhawks currently own the third best defense in the League. Add in the young snipers, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp and this team is poised to make noise come Playoff time.

9. Philadelphia 23-12-9

The Flyers have won just 4 games over their past ten but with the likes of Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and Simon Gagne, you can’t expect this slump to last for long. Philly should come out on top of the Atlantic Division this year.

10. Rangers 26-15-4

The Rangers have also won just 4 of their last ten games. The difference between New York and Philadelphia is depth. Don’t be surprised to see the Rangers slip each week on the Power Rankings.

11. Buffalo 22-17-5

The Sabres seem to be hitting their stride of late, having won 6 of their last ten. There is certainly enough talent on this team to do damage and the addition of Tim Connolly will add some scoring punch.

12. Columbus 21-18-4

What the??? Yes, we have the Blue Jackets ranked 12th overall. Hey, they have won the last 7 of 10, including the last three games straight. Young Mason has been throwing up a brick wall. We’ll see how long he can carry his team.

13. Anaheim 22-18-5

Oh, how the “Mighty” have fallen. Half way through the season and the Ducks find themselves 20 points back of the Division leading San Jose Sharks.

14. Phoenix 22-18-5

With just seven wins on the road this year, the Coyotes find themselves in a battle for a Playoff spot. An improved power play will go a long way to solving this problem.

15. Minnesota 22-18-3

It’s a good thing for the Wild that they are exceptional defensively, (ranked second overall) because they sure can’t score. The Wild have lit the lamp just 111 times this year. Talk about boring hockey.

16. Carolina 21-19-5 Losers of their last four games, this Carolina team is going downhill fast. Not sure how motivated Paul Maurice is with only having a one year contract and Ron Francis sitting in the wings.

17. Colorado 22-21-1

Boston didn’t want him. He was run out of town by Toronto but is seems Razor, has found a home in Colorado. Raycroft has posted 9 wins in his first ten starts with the Avalanche. Now if the rest of the team could start performing, they may actually have a strong Playoff run.

18. Pittsburgh 21-20-4

How in the world could this happen? A team with (arguably) the two best forwards in the game, fighting for their Playoff lives. The Penguins have won just two games over the past ten outings. Is the landscape in Pittsburgh about to change?

19. Vancouver 22-19-5

The Canucks have lost their last four in a row and have won only three of their last ten. If ever they needed Luongo and Sundin, it’s now.

20. Florida 20-16-6

The Panthers have been quietly gaining ground in the Eastern Conference. Winners of their last three games and having three games in hand over Carolina, it is far too early to count these cats out of the Playoffs.

21. Edmonton 21-19-3

Mediocre at best. With only six points separating the 4th spot and the 13th spot in the Western Conference, we don’t like the Oilers’ chances.

22. Dallas 18-17-7

We were hoping that the Stars would experience some team cohesion with Avery out of the mix… Not so much!

23. Nashville 20-21-3

The Predators are 8-14-2 on the road this year and have won just three of their past ten games. They need to add more than Steve Sullivan to their lineup, if they want to make the Playoffs.

24. Toronto 17-21-6

What is it with General Managers and the City Of Toronto? Burke’s first move as GM is to bring in Brad May. Be patient Toronto Fans, it may be several years before your team even makes the Playoffs.

25. Tampa Bay 14-20-10

What a train wreck this team is. New Owners, new Coaches, new Players. It looks like Vinny Lecavalier will be leaving soon. Montreal will likely be his next destination.

26. Los Angeles 17-20-6

Losers of their last three in a row. The only real bright spot for this team is the young Dustin Brown.

27. Atlanta 14-25-5

The Thrashers have won 2 of their last ten and hold the Leagues worst goals against with 160.

28. Ottawa 15-21-6

Eugene must be pulling his hair out. Perhaps it’s time to blow it up and rebuild.

29. St. Louis 17-23-3

Does anyone ever talk about the Blues? Do people even know St. Louis has a hockey team?

30. Islanders 12-28-4

Can you say “John Tavares”?

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My kids play lots of sports. Their favorite sport is always the sport that is currently in season. The challenge they are facing as they continue to play competitive sports into high school is the specialization that is occurring among so many of the athletes. The time spent in the off season working on the other sports gives the player with specialization a great advantage over the multi-sport (especially three sport) athlete. Many coaches, me included, tell their players after the last game of the season that preparation for next season begins tomorrow.   The summertime is the time when athletes should be able to develop their talent levels to participate and compete for the next year. It is a time for assessment of current skills and the time to develop a plan for how an athlete will improve those skills so he or she can be measurably better when the next season begins.

This is pretty easy if an athlete plays just one or maybe two sports but can be a real challenge of the athlete plays three. A player can typically make the time to devote to one sport quite easily. An hour a day is not too much to give to doing something that a player loves. When I was young I loved basketball and I would make time to practice each day for as long as I could. I was paranoid that if I did not play every day that I would lose my touch with the basketball and not shoot as well the next time out. Hitting a baseball is much the same. Many players believe they must hit every day in order to a great hitter. I also believe that is true.

The solution we use at our house to help my boys prepare for football, baseball and basketball is as follows. We follow this routine 5 out of 7 days per week. The idea is that football is a sport requiring strength, speed and agility more than anything else. Both of my sons are quarterbacks so throwing and ball handling are important as well. Baseball requires hitting, about 100 swings per day. Basketball requires ball handling and shooting.

We spend the first 30 minutes doing sprint drill at the park up the street. We will do ladder drills at full speed with a 6 second rest between sprints. We start at 40 yards and back, 50 and back, etc on up to 100 yards and back at full speed. We do this for 20 minutes and then close out with a series of short bursts of 30 yards each at full speed. I time them to see that they are getting faster each week.

After sprinting we move to hitting. The batting cage is right at the park so we get our equipment and then get our Heater Pitching Machine operational and take 100 swings each. The Heater will fire a pitch every 10 seconds and will hold 12 balls in the ball rack so we can get through each of them getting 100 swings in 30 minutes.  We take pitches outside to the opposite field, we work on hitting inside pitches hard on the pull side and work on the rest being hit with backspin right up the middle. We track how many get hit to the back of the batting cage.

We then move to basketball. I developed a workout that we alternate running every other day. One day we focus primarily on shooting and the next we focus primarily on ball handling and driving moves to the hoop. I will provide that workout in a follow up article.

The boys lift weights every other day with their football program and I think that is enough to help them develop their strength.

That is it! The rest of the day they have to themselves. I never mind what else they do with their day as long as we have completed the daily workout. I know their summer will lead to them being better athletes and they will be able to keep up with the athletes who are specializing in certain sports.

Tennis is a fantastic sport in any season, but the summer is very special for this sport as it can be played outdoors while soaking up some sun rays. It is also a great sport to learn at a summer camp. When it comes to sports camps most people think of basketball, football, and cheerleading. Tennis camps are often overlooked. Tennis is a great sport to perfect your physical as well as mental skills. In Tennis camps you learn to play tennis. You will work on your individual strengths and weakness as an overall player. There are coaches and counselors to assist you. It is a fantastic way to improve as a tennis player and gather some valuable team player skills in the process. Tennis has become a very competitive sport and utilizing tennis camps is a great way to stay on top of this quickly growing sport. Tennis has become more popular over the past ten years and so has tennis camps. You learn to think quickly on your feet as you plan each specific move to throw off your component.

How to develop your hand movements and strength

In addition to gaining overall arms strength, agility, flexibility, you can also increase your endurance over time. The effect tennis camps have on players is amazing. They leave feeling more confident as a player. Whether they plan on competing at the local neighborhood courts or in the Wimbledon players truly benefit from tennis camps. For many children and teens camps that focus predominantly on sports such as tennis camps greatly improves self-esteem. By enrolling your family or self into a tennis camp you may be helping the beginning career of the next tennis star.

Doing your research

When selecting a tennis camp there are many tips and facts everyone should know. Tennis camps come in various types. Having a basic understanding of the type of tennis camps will make selection of the right camp for you easy. Tennis camps are available as residential camps, specialty camps, focused program camps, outdoor education camps, or family camps. Residential tennis camps have a variety of time periods ranging from several days to a few weeks. You should always discuss the accommodations with the camp director before you sign up for one of these camps. Accommodations as well as food service can be in many different forms from cabins and cafeteria to tents and catered food service.

Specialty tennis camps focus on programming placing special attention one particular area of the sport. Some specialty tennis camps are for players who have certain physical, mental, or developmental needs. Focused program tennis camps focus on rigid more structured activities in relation to tennis. Outdoor education centered tennis camps are often used as retreats for businesses and large groups of children and teens. Family tennis camps generally have activities set to accommodate the entire family of all ages all throughout the day. They also can operate seasonally or all year round depending on the particular camp. You should always do you research online before signing up for any particular tennis camp. Always select a type of tennis camp that best suits your needs that you are most comfortable with. Tennis camps are a great way to advance your game.

Michael Chase is a freelance writer for the Maine Golf and Tennis Camps in Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine. Fully immersing young people in tennis training at a reputable tennis camp is the best way to teach them the fundamentals or help them take their game to the next level.