With the New Year here, there are many new topics to talk about in hockey. Several big stories have happened the past few weeks and the Ice Vols get ready to kick off their second half of the season.

With a few weeks of hockey action since my last rankings, there is revamped line up with a new number one.

Rankings

Top Five

1. Pittsburgh Penguins (25 – 16 – 2) – The Penguins and Sydney Crosby are the hottest team in the NHL right now. The Penguins kicked off the New Year in the Winter Classic with Buffalo, winning the outdoor event. The Penguins have not lost in 2008 and are winners of eight straight. Their last lost came on Dec. 21.

2. Detroit Red Wings (33 – 8 – 4) – The Red Wings are just as dominant as the Penguins, however their recent loss to the Minnesota Wild dropped them from my number one slot. They are still 8 – 1 – 1 in their last ten games. The Red Wings also lead the NHL with 70 points. 10 more points (5 wins) than Ottawa who is currently second in league standings.

3. Ottawa Senators (28 – 10 – 4) – Since getting beat back-to-back by the Capitals in two games, the Senators have gotten back on track and are looking good. The Senators have a chance to make up some ground on the Red Wings in the race for the NHL's best record tomorrow night when they host Detroit.

4. New Jersey Devils (25 – 15 – 3) – The Devils are thankful for the New Year. Since then, they have won four games with their lone defeat coming in a one-goal loss to Boston. The Devils are 7 – 3 in their last 10 and currently hold the number two spot in the Eastern Conference.

5. San Jose Sharks (16 – 10 – 2) – San Jose finished 2007 with four wins and have had two wins in three games in 2008. Their lone loss in 2008 came to the Flames in OT. The Sharks have gained ground on Dallas and are now tied for the division lead.

Bottom Five

26. Los Angeles Kings (16 – 27 – 2) – After losing eight games toward the end of 2007, the Kings finished off the year and started the new one with wins. The Kings have won four of their last seven; however, they also have the least points in the NHL. And that barely keeps them in my bottom five.

27. Toronto Maple Leafs (16 – 20 – 8) – Toronto started the New Year off great with a shoot out win against Tampa Bay. Since then the Maple Leafs have yet to put in a solid performance, losing four games, by at least three goals. The Maple Leafs have dropped 10 of 12, moving them from playoff contention to the bottom of the league.

28. Tampa Bay Lightning (16 – 23 – 5) – The Lightning have only won 3 of their last 16 games. In 2008, Tampa has won just one in five games. One of those losses came in a shootout to Toronto.

29. Buffalo Sabres (19 – 18 – 5) – The Sabres have been dealing with bad luck lately. In their last eight games, Buffalo is winless, but they pushed four of those losses to shootouts. The Sabres time will come eventually, but for now, they are sitting in the bottom of the NHL.

30. Chicago Blackhawks (19 – 21 – 4) – The Blackhawks are definitely not liking the New Year. Chicago has tallied seven losses in 2008 and is currently on a eight-game skid. After winning four straight toward the end of the year, they have watched the bottom fall out, dropping them to the bottom of my list.

Record contract

Is there any such thing as too long of a contract? I asked that question a few weeks ago.

Well apparently it is the new trend in hockey, as Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals agreed to a 13-year contract extension.

I personally can't see how a contract ever gets signed for longer than six or seven years. There are just too many question marks when a team signs a player for that long.

As a Caps fan, I hope this deal doesn't come back to bite them later because it is going to cost the team 20 percent of their payroll per year.

The deal sets a record as well. This is the first plus $100 million deal in the league.

The actual figure for the deal is $124 million, with $9 million coming for the first six years and $10 million for the remainder of the deal.

Although that doesn't seem like much compared to some football, baseball and basketball contracts, $9–10 million a year is the tops in hockey.

Jumping ship

It's hard to believe that less than two months after selling the Nashville Predators, former owner Craig Leipold is now going to buy the majority share of the Minnesota Wild.

I question this move. I don't know what it is but there just seems something odd about an owner selling a team and then almost immediately buying another team.

The Nashville Predators organization is probably more relieved the team doesn't have a dual (or other) interest, though.

The rise of a star?

Earlier, I mentioned the Pittsburgh Penguins as my hottest team right now.

Ty Conklin is a big part of that. The Penguins started Conklin in the net in their last eight games and nine of 10.

The Penguins have won all nine of those games.

In his first start, he allowed four goals but still got the win.

Since then, he has held all opponents to two or less goals, except the Capitals who scored three goals in an overtime win.

Ice vols

The seventh-ranked Ice Vols kick off the second half of the season this weekend. They start the second half with two road games.

First, the Ice Vols look to avenge their season opening loss to Georgia Friday night.

Then, the Ice Vols travel to Kennesaw State and play their Division II rival on Saturday.

Next week, the Ice Vols will play their first home game of 2008 on Friday, January 18 against Vanderbilt. The game will be held at Knoxville Civic Coliseum at 10:30 p.m.

The Ice Vols will then play MTSU again at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum on Saturday night.