By Rob Ficiur
Last week I reported that 55% of my predictions for 2011 turned out as predicted / guessed. Based on that past history, know that about half of what you read below will (might) happen in 2012. Then again I could be completely wrong on all predictions.
1. NHL teams will set a new record for the most coaches fired during one season. Up until this season the most NHL coaches fired during the season was eight, during the 2002-2003 season. That year the first coach fired was Daryl Sutter (San Jose) who was replaced after 24 games. The last coach fired during the season was Robbie Ftorek fired by the New Jersey Devils after 73 games.
So far this season there have been six NHL coaches fired. Oddly enough the last place Columbus Blue Jackets have not fired their coach. After a week of coaching the Montreal Canadiens, new coach Randy Cunnyworth is already feeling the pressure because he has not instantly turned the Canadiens into Stanley Cup contenders and because he can’t speak French. Will Canadiens fire two coaches during one season?
Good News: Back in 2003, when the New Jersey Devils fired Robbie Ftorek with only eight games left the Devils went on to win the Stanley Cup.
2. Sidney Crosby will score 50 points this year. As I write this Sidney Crosby is out for the second time this year with a concussion. Though my brain is telling me Crosby won’t play much if at all this season, my heart wants to predict that he will contribute to the Penguins playoff run.   
3. Blue Jays will make the playoffs. The Toronto Blue Jays have not made the playoffs since 1993. For 2012, I predict there are two reasons the Jays will end that streak. First they have assembled a balance of young players and veterans. All they need is for the right balance of that to work and they will do what Tampa Bay did a few years ago – make the playoffs when no one thought they would. The biggest reason that the Jays will make the playoffs is that two more teams will be in the post season for each league – increasing their chances considerably.
4. The Stanley Cup final will be between the Vancouver Canucks and the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Both teams can score and both can play solid defense. For the Canucks to have a successful season they must win the Stanley Cup after losing in the final in 2011. The Penguins have been a solid team the last twelve months, even with key injuries. With or without Crosby playing, the Penguins will be a tough team to eliminate.
5. Canadian Football League - The CFL will see a major restructuring in the Eastern Conference. The Alouettes have made the playoffs sixteen straight years. For these years the Montreal Alouettes have been the only consistently competitive team in the East. In 2012, age will finally catch up to the Alouettes and they will miss the playoffs for the time in seventeen years.
6. Steroid/Human Growth Hormone-Drugs - In 2011 we saw drug abuse lead at least indirectly to death of several NHL players. In 2012, more issues will come up in the hockey world regarding the use of steroids, human growth hormones and /or drug abuse.
Optimistically I hope that some new policy will “solve” the problem that saw four NHL players die during the summer. Realistically it is more likely that more tragedies occur before a change to policy and hockey culture will take place. (See prediction #2 concussions the NHL for example of how policies and culture change).
7. By December 2012, another NHL team be relocated. Fans already know that teams in Phoenix, Florida and Long Island could be in financial trouble due to attendance and poor revenue sources. The NHL has owned and operated the Phoenix Coyotes for three seasons. By the end of 2012, one NHL team will be on the way to relocation. The most likely scenario I see is that someone will buy the Phoenix Coyotes with the intention of relocating them to Quebec City once a new arena is built. In 2011 there has been a great deal of talk about a new arena for Quebec City. It will be easier to find corporate sponsors for a new arena if you have already bought a team and are just waiting to build the arena.
8. In the 2012 Summer Olympics Canada will earn at least 16 medals. In the last four summer Olympic games Canada has averaged 16.5 medals. Our highest win total was 22 in the 1996 Atlanta games and our lowest was 12 medals in Athens 2000 games. The names of the Canadian medalists who will be household names after the Olympics are relatively unknown to Canadians as we enter 2012.
Fifty two weeks from now, I will report back to you how accurate or inaccurate my 2012 predictions were.