LARSMONT… I have watched many a Little League World Series in my time, but I may have just witnessed the best one I have ever seen. The USA team, from Chicago
(Great Lakes Region champs), fell today to the world champions from South Korea by an 8-4 tally, but every team in the tourney this year gave a great account of themselves. I actually got to see many of the games this year “live,” and there was no shortage of high-intensity drama whatsoever. From the great story of the first girl player ever to pitch a winning game, Mo’ne Davis, from the Mid Atlantic club (Taney, PA), to the entrants from Australia, to the elimination of perennial favorite Japan, to the story of the team from Rhode Island, I am in total awe of this event.   
I have been through Williamsport, PA, several times, but unfortunately never when this event is in session. My first time out there I was taking a scenic trip along the Susquehanna River up into New York, and the scenery was pretty fantastic. I was talking to my great-nephew Jack “Mohawk” Marschel recently, who happens to be a current little leaguer in Blaine, and I told him that we will definitely be taking in a championship LLWS weekend sometime soon. I am amped up by the thought of it! Should be a giant sports treat!!

STANLEY CUP ODDS continued…. Last week I ended with Pittsburgh in my Stanley Cup odds prognostication. This week I’ll look at another six clubs and where I would place them odds-wise. This doesn’t mean I think these are all of the clubs that will make the playoffs and do some damage, only that from a betting standpoint, I believe these are the clubs with the best chance to get there.

MONTREAL 20-1. The Habs lost captain Brian Gionta to free agency. This guy is a gamer, no doubt, but his offensive production has been on a downward trend. The club still features Carey Price, PK Subban, Tomas Plekanec, Max Pacioretty, and more, and head coach Michel Therrien seems to be experiencing a revival, but les Habitants won’t go as far as last year…

WASHINGTON CAPITALS 20-1. The Capitals shed head coach Adam Oates and longtime GM George McPhee at the end of last season, and when Nashville jettisoned coach Barry Trotz, who played for the Caps at one time, the team eventually came calling and got their man. They haven’t been short on offense the past few years but have been defensively challenged. The new regime moved towards obtaining some balance when they signed free agent Iron Ranger and UMD star defenseman Matt Niskanen and then also got Brooks Orpik from the Pengwah. If Trotz can get some of the old guard, led by Alex Ovechkin, to buy into his usual system of responsibility and still provide strong offense, I can see the Caps in the playoff. If Ovenchicken still cannot see the virtues of the 200-foot game, Trotz won’t last in D.C. as long as he did in the Music City…

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKET 22-1. This is a team on the move as well. Just two seasons ago they went down to the last game of the season before losing out on a playoff trip to the Wild, no less. They did make it last year and gave the Pengwah a little wake-up call, taking the Pens to six games before bowing out. Led by net minder Sergei Bobrovsky and veterans like Fedor Tyutin, Nathan Horton, and recently obtained Scott Hartnell, and supported by young players like Boone Jenner, Ryan Murray, and Dalton Prout, the CBJ are strong candidates to get back to the dance in April. Former Gopher D-man and Wild head coach Todd Richards has done a respectable job with this club…

NEW YORK ISLES 25-1. This is a team that has floundered for years. It seems to most fans of the team that they have drafted in the top five for the last 10 years. Losing and picking high in the draft hasn’t done much for the hapless Isles, but one UFA signing over the summer is about to change their fortunes. The Isles nabbed goalie Jaroslav Halak, who could change the entire direction of this team if he is on it. They already have some solid forwards in Tavares, Okposo, Conacher, and the smart and imposing Anders Lee from Edina. Most of their “D” is on the young side, but look for them to go after a playoff spot and get one…

ANAHEIM DUCK 28-1. The Ducks are in transition this year, and I look for them to take a bit of a step back. I still think they can get into the playoffs because of their core strength, but I’m not certain they will do much when they get there. Solid veterans Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu are gone, but they still have Getzlaf, Perry, Fowler, and several young players on the verge of breaking out. They are turning over their goaltending reins to the young and extremely talented John Gibson, backed up by Jason “The Barber” LaBarbera. Can they get it done for coach Bruce Boudreau? I’m not sure about that…

COLORADO AVALANCHE 30-1. The Av’s had a miracle of a turnaround season last year, but I believe they will be taking a bit of a step back. They will still be a formidable club, but last year’s first-round playoff exit to the Wild showed where they really are. Head coach Patrick Roy was interesting and exciting, and I think he got the most of his club that a coach could, but the SC tourney is a whole other beast. They still have Semyon Varlamov in goal, backed up by Reto “Yogi” Berra. They are tough up front with Landeskog, McKinnon, Duchene, and O’Reilly. They have a mix of youth, age, experience, and lack thereof on the back end with Barrie, Johnson, Elliott, and Hedja. They lost Paul Stastny to free agency and brought in veteran Daniel Briere, who I’m not sure has much left on the career fuel gauge. Think they get in, but go out early…  PEACE

NEXT WEEK: More SC odds and prognostications! And when this edition of the World Wide Duluth Weekly Reader hits the stands, there will be only two weeks until NHL training camps kick off with physical days and testing! OVER AND OUT!

Marc Elliott is a sports opinion writer who splits his time between Minnesota and his hometown in Illinois…