Yes, it’s awfully early in the year to be calling the NHL champions. But we do this for a reason: to praise the Detroit Red Wings as clearly, overwhelmingly, the best team in the league this season.

Every once in a while, you get a team that has it all: goaltending, scoring, team defense, youthful energy, veteran savvy, depth and smart coaching. Detroit has these things in spades. The Red Wings were at the top of the league standings at press time at 31-8-3, going 22-20 against the spread and avoiding the chalk monsters at 12.36 units in the black – third-best in the NHL behind upstarts Boston and Columbus.

The Red Wings have a goal differential of plus-1.38. Ottawa, the best team in the Eastern Conference and a favorite to return to the Stanley Cup finals, is far behind in second at plus-0.83. And this dominant performance by Detroit is coming out of the superior Western Conference. Game over.

Those of us who have artificial ice coursing through our veins are looking forward to making a mint on the NHL futures market. But you don’t have to be a puckhead to make a sharp hockey bet once the football season is over. Consider these five possibilities for 2008:

Detroit to win the Stanley Cup: The Red Wings are outstanding at every position, two deep in net, and have steamrolled the competition thus far.

Ottawa to win the Eastern Conference: The Senators had a little dry spell there, but are back on track and clearly the beasts of the East.

Nicklas Lidstrom to win the Norris Trophy: Nearly as automatic as when Bobby Orr was in his prime.

Alexander Ovechkin to win the Maurice Richard Trophy: Heating up, and so are his linemates.

Denis Savard to win the Jack Adams: Having Patrick Kane on your team makes you look pretty smart.

The hockey world is upside-down. Boston and Chicago don’t suck. Only six teams are below .500. And Sidney Crosby is on pace to score 110 points this year, down from 120 last year.

The flattening of the NHL standings throws the field of potential award winners wide open. Tampa Bay’s Vincent Lecavalier leads the league with 51 points and is carrying the injured Bolts on his back; the Hart Trophy should be his if voting were held today.

Chris Osgood’s Lazarus impersonation will earn him the Vezina if he keeps things rolling in Detroit. Teammate Nicklas Lidstrom is so good on defense (27 points, plus-17 in 32 games) that they should rename the Norris after him. The Calder will be a tough pick between Chicago’s Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, who may split the Blackhawk vote and allow Atlanta defenseman Tobias Enstrom to take home the hardware. But Kane plus Toews does equal Jack Adams for Denis Savard.

The Ottawa Senators have gone on a six-game slide, dropping over 10 units on the moneyline. They still have the best record in the Eastern Conference at 16-7-2. But we can’t in good conscience include them in our Top 5 NHL Power Rankings.

1. Detroit Red Wings: Three wins in a row, and Chris Osgood (.924 save percentage) has taken his job back from Dominik Hasek after all these years.

2. New York Rangers: Gaining ground on the Sens at 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. Aggressive offseason (Scott Gomez, Chris Drury) is paying off.

3. Dallas Stars: Something strange is happening: Brenden Morrow and Mike Ribeiro are working well together.

4. Vancouver Canucks: Three straight shutouts by Roberto Luongo as the Canucks round back into form.

5. St. Louis Blues: Seriously. Manny Legace and Hannu Toivonen have both excelled in goal, and Paul Kariya is still the man. The Blues are 8-1-1 in their past 10 games.

The National Women’s Hockey League is the top senior women’s league in the world. It has top notch players, dedicated volunteer coaches and administrators, and has its very own, newly minted version of the Stanley Cup- the Clarkson Cup.

But like many women’s sports leagues, the NWHL can’t seem to snag corporate sponsorships; the players aren’t paid; and the league has no fan base, financial stability; media attention or big broadcast deals. It hasn’t come close to getting verbal, much less financial support, from the NHL.

Should this stop you from betting on women’s hockey? On the contrary. When a sport or league is starting from the bottom up, slowly gaining momentum, that is the best time to extend your betting fix. Consistently winning and losing teams are easy to identify thus making sure your betting dollar is getting it’s best return. Just think the WNBA. It’s slowly gaining momentum and a loyal fan base and is now one of the best places to bet your basketball dollar. Women’s hockey isn’t far behind.