... this: "Last Minute NHL Playoffs for Dummies." A couple of bon mots from the article:
No. 4. Like upsets? Look to where the Zamboni machines roam. Seven times, a No. 8 seed has dumped a No. 1 seed in the NHL first round. That is virtually unheard of in the NBA.
[...]
No. 7. Speaking of Columbus, the Blue Jackets are making their first playoff appearance in history, against defending champion Detroit.It is a moment so big in Columbus, the public might even be momentarily distracted from the tailback battle at Ohio State's spring practice.No. 8. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers are meeting in the first round. Perhaps you've noticed that there is fighting in hockey once in a great while. Be advised, these two teams get along about as well as North and South Korea.No. 9. The Boston Bruins have not survived the first round of the playoffs in 10 years. Three times, they have been evicted by the Montreal Canadiens. Guess who they're meeting again in the first round? Imagine the Red Sox and the Yankees ... with sticks.[...]No. 13. Whatever time you spend with hockey, try to keep an eye on the Detroit Red Wings.One, because they're trying to repeat, and that is harder to do than finding a short bathroom line between periods. No champion has done it in a decade, and the past four Stanley Cup finals have involved eight different teams.Two, with the playoffs underway, the octopuses will be flying out of the stands in Joe Louis Arena.Close games, upsets, animosity, twins and sea creatures plopping into the ice. How can you resist?
Indeed... How CAN you resist? About an hour and a half (or so) until the puck drops at The Joe... Yowza!!
That article was HI-larious.
ReplyDelete'tis true about them red wings...you can never be too careful. (Speaking as an Av's fan, I know...hahah)
1-0, for you and for me and for Michelle. Fun times.
ReplyDeleteI go with #8 too, the Flyers and Pen's really do play ugly aginst each other - to the point of distraction and I think that affects the game (7 PP oppertunitys for the Pen's in their Game 1). And so far the only suspension handed out after the first sets of Game 1 games was to a Flyer as usual.
ReplyDeleteWell, my team is 0-1 but they dropped Game 1 in all three playoff series last year and went on to win two of the three so, I am not worried. Plenty of hockey left.
As much as I like Hockey, I still think that the Confrence Quarter and Semi rounds should be best of 5 games not 7. But that's just a beef I have on the length of the entire Hockey season.
BT: Jimmy T sends.
Our Jax were doing just fine until I turned the game on. I am SUCH a jinx. Within two minutes of my tuning in, they went from 1-1 to 1-3. The rest is history. I think I'll do them a favor and not watch any more.
ReplyDeleteMezzo - Go Avs!
ReplyDeleteGood for your boys last night, Buck.
Oh, too true about the Pens and them Flyers. The players get along as much as the fans do. Or as little, as the case may be. Will be listening to the round two tonight.
ReplyDeleteTrust me, I can resist. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI need to send my sister-in-law over here, she's a HUGE Penguins fan. She loves her some hockey. She's sassy and hawt, you'd like her.
Katy: That WAS good, wasn't it?
ReplyDeleteJim: Yep, we're off to a good start. But not everyone is happy about that!
Jimmy: I agree with you on the regular season schedule... it's WAY too long. I also agree with you on the playoffs... the first- and second-rounds should be five game series, with the Conference and Finals at seven games. I think the game would be MUCH better off if the season were shorter.
BTW... did you watch the first Blues-Canucks game? There were 12 penalties called in the first two periods of that game... which was quite chippy. That series looks to be a good one, too.
Dave: I've felt that way about the Wings from time to time in the past. But... as it's said: "There's a lot of hockey left in this series!"
Andy: Thanks!
Michelle: I haven't made up my mind who I'm for in this series, but it's HIGHLY entertaining, to say the very least.
Daphne: Ah... you may be able to resist, but you shouldn't! ;-) And send your SIL right over!!
In truth, Buck. If there was a matchup I would pay to see... it would be the Bluejackets vs the Bruins. Just at a hockey standpoint in seeing those two teams go against each other for the first time.
ReplyDeleteMichelle: I'm trying to be as dispassionate as possible here (insert BIG ol grin), but WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!?! Maybe sometime down the road a piece... like 20 years, or well after I'm dead. ;-)
ReplyDelete