Will the Stanley Cup return to the Motor City in 2009? Wes Goldstein joins Lauren Shehadi to break down the entire playoff picture...

The road to the Cup is set with the 16 participants having been decided. All that remains are the match-ups which are still unsettled as the final two days of the season come to an end.br

The Stanley Cup wont be awarded until the late spring, but the Calgary Flames have already emerged as big winners in their own right after the NHLs trade deadline.br According to the official word from the NHL, there were 22 trades made involving 47 players and 21 draft picks. The last three seasons saw 25 deals done with (40, 44, 45 players changing teams respectively).br

Its a quarter of the way into the NHL season. Do you know where your local hockey team stands? No? Well dont feel so bad, apparently youre not alone. Hockey, unfortunately is on the decline. Once part of the big 4 in sports along with the NFL, MLB, and NBA the NHL now finds itself on the outside looking in as NASCAR, for all intents and purposes, has replaced it in the big 4. The NHL, like so many other companies who find themselves floundering, have for the most part no one to blame but themselves.br

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