The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: A Look Back at the NHL's First Half

To say this has been another typical start to the NHL season would be anything but the truth.

In fact, this season is shaping up to be one of the more entertaining ones in recent history, and dropping more  hits than the Beatles.

The season got off on an ugly foot even before the start as Steve Downie of Philadelphia Flyers caught Ottawa's Dean Mcammond, with his head down behind the net in a preseason contest on September 26th.

The rookie Downie recieved a 20 game suspension for the blatent charge, and caused him to be more hated amongst the players than Michael Jackson at a Little League game.

The race for the Rocket Richard trophy has been spectacular this season, with Ilya Kovalchuk, Jarome Iginla, and Alexander Ovechkin on pace for over 60 goals. With many others on pace for 50, could this be the return of the 80s in goal scoring?

The Detroit Red Wings continue to be the NHL's answer to the New England Patriots, as the undisputed dominant team in the league has posted a mesmorizing 33-8-3 record so far. To think we all thought they'd miss Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan...

Marion Gaborik became the first NHLer in nearly 11 years to score five goals in a game, single-handedly beating the New York Rangers. He said he watched Pavel Bure highlights before the game—imagine how many he would have scored if he watched a Gretzky film!

Scott Niedermayer, the most decorated hockey player ever, decided he wasn't done yet and came back to the Ducks—making them once again a threat to win the Cup. Is Teemu Selanne next?

The the NHL's rookie crop is once again strong, with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews doing their best Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin impersonations. Look for the Caps' Nicklas Backstrom to catch fire down the stretch.

Vincent Lecavalier is living up to his "Michael Jordan of the NHL" billing, and looking like the league's elite player with 28 goals and 35 assists—good for the league lead of 63 points so far.

The NHL's outdoor Winter cCassic between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres was at least entertaining from a venue perspective, which could make it an interesting concept for the All-Star Game—which nobody really cares about anyhow.

Chris Simon (New York Islanders) got a record 30-game suspension for stomping on Jarkko Ruutu (Pittsburgh Penguins), I'm sure many players around the league sent Simon a Christmas card for that incident.

The Ottawa Senators continue to play ring around the goalies, making Mike Keenan—aka "Captain Hook"—think he might have landed the wrong coaching gig.

These are just a few of the highlights from a pretty good start to the season so far.

Who knows what we will see in the next 40 games? Maybe Theoren Fleury will suit up for the Calgary Flames?

Or maybe Sidney Crosby will go on a 30-game point scoring streak and win the Art Ross?

Maybe Steve Downie will jump over the boards and brutally beat up a fan?

(Okay, maybe that one isnt too far-fetched.)

All in all, the NHL is keeping me entertained this season, which is all a hockey fan can ask for. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will last the rest of the season.