Battle For The Cup

The Stanley Cup is set to begin on Saturday night..novel idea I know! After a long layoff things are getting set to begin, and better yet, all the games are slated to be played at 8pm Eastern - no afternoon games!

Philadelphia will take on Chicago in a battle that on paper looks to be a very good match up. Throw out the fact that the Flyers are a 7th seed the teams seem to stack up well versus each other. Both are deep teams but Chicago looks like they may have just a little deeper skilled bench. What the Flyers may not have in speed they make up for in tough physical play. The Blackhawks have a lot of skill and speed and will need every bit of it to get away from the bruising attack from Philly. The showdown between the two young star captains Mike Richards and Jonathan Toews should be epic. One of these guys is going to complete a good year captaining their team to a championship and going home to polish the Olympic Gold Medal that they both have from the Vancouver Games...not too bad for 2 guys in their early 20’s.

There will be plenty to watch with all the little battles between players and lines. There will be some great match ups on the ice and the team that does better in those situations will likely take the Cup.

I am looking for Chicago to take it in 5 or 6 very close games. After 2 years of game 7’s I don’t think that we will see that again and despite both teams having questions in net, I think the Chicago bench may be a little more talented 1 thru 6.

Also in a less important factor but one that needs to be mentioned It would be best for Chicago to win as an original 6 team, a team that has not won since 1961 and most importantly the team with probably the best Ice Crew in the game. I think that those lovely ladies should get the chance to celebrate a championship!

No Playoffs...No Problem.

After the first 2 days of the Memorial Cup in Rimouski you shouldn’t be. These young men have more then done their part to give viewers ample reason to tune in to Sportsnet.

The Friday game with host Rimouski vs the WHL Champs Kelowna was a very fun game to watch. Sure the 4-0 final may make it sound 1 sided (which it was) but also it was high paced and entertaining up and down hockey. As for yesterdays game with Drummondville and Windsor it was one great Junior game. For two teams that have some of the most offense in all of junior hockey it was low scoring game and ended up being decided 3-2 in overtime. For a good portion of the game it looked like first goal would win. This too was a great high paced game with a ton of great scoring opportunities, but it was the goaltending that kept this thing tight. Windsor was probably the favorite going into the tournament but now find themselves in a bit of a hole.
Kelowna looks very strong and World Jr. standout Tyler Meyers looked like a monster on the back end. Rimouski looked over matched and will need a lot of help versus the other 2 teams. Drummondville and Windsor looked evenly matched and both have the potential to get even better as the tournament goes on.

If you really need the pro game and are going into withdraw due to the 3 days of no playoff hockey, don’t worry, the puck drops today when the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Detroit Red Wings. This Original Six match up should be a display of great skill, speed and hard hitting...what more could a fan want?
Prediction: Detroit in 6

As for Mondays Eastern Finals with the Penguins and the Hurricanes It should prove to be a tight match up. Hard hitting and aggressive. I doubt that it will take long for there to be some bad blood and some blood spilled for that matter. The battle of the brothers Staal should be fun, Seeing what Crosby and Malkin can do will be interesting but it may come down to a battle of the goaltender between Marc-Andre Fleury, and former Conn Smythe winner Cam Ward. If one of them get hot it could push their respective team into the Cup Finals.
Prediction: Penguins in 7

Round 2 NHL Predictions

The first round of the NHL Playoffs is done after what was actually a fairly entertaining beginning. There were some teams that were over matched some teams that were upset and some that showed exactly what we thought. Every series had something that made it worth watching.So, ok here are the match ups for the Second Round of the NHL Playoffs and some quick predictions:

In The East
1) BOS vs. 6) CAR
Carolina showed some real team pride and had that never give up attitude and Cam Ward is playing pretty well. I never trusted him much but it is getting to the point that his play may not be a fluke. Boston played Montreal and has had a lot of time off so they were neither tested not banged up.
Carolina with the upset in 7 ( This is my long shot pick)

2) WAS vs. 4) PIT
This will be a great one to watch, both teams have a lot of speed and a lot of skill. It may come down to which goalie winds up standing on his head. The battle between Semin, OV, Sid and Malkin should be epic and a sweet dream for the NHL an there marketing people.
Pittsburgh in 6

In the West
2) DET vs. 8) ANA
Anaheim "upset" San Jose but had to play hard to get it done. There must be some sore players and be a little tired. If Hillard isn’t all world like he was in round 1 there will be little chance to take out the Red Wings. The Wings are poised to go back to back and now have the best team both on paper and more importantly on the ice.
Detroit in 6

3) VAN vs. 4) CHI
This is the series that I have the most interest in purely as a fan. After the pace that the Blackhawks played at vs Calgary and the skill they have up front should be fun to watch. It will be very interesting to see that offence go up against Roberto Luongo. The big question may be will the Canucks have enough fire power to keep up and beat Khabibulin aka the "Bulin Wall"
Chicago in 7

Let the games Begin

Quick Hits

A Florida high school pitcher came up short in his bid to throw a fifth straight no-hit game. Patrick Schuster had thrown 4 straight no hitters in high school play. Any time you can throw1 let alone 4 no hitters in a row at any level above t-ball you must be at least pretty good. He is currently ranked the 79th best prospect -- the 42nd best high school prospect in the nation.

Six Olympic athletes have tested positive for doping in a re-testing of Beijing samples. It was told to The Associated Press Tuesday that tests caught three track and field athletes, two cyclists and one weightlifter. 2 of the athletes are medalists one on the track and the other a cyclist. Just when you thought that things from the summer Olympics could be considered over and done with these new allegations have cropped up. It is almost at the point that there is no reason to believe that anything you see is actually happening. Sports may be becoming the equivalent to going to Vegas and watching a magic show...all smoke and mirrors. Well at least it is entertaining if nothing else.

Reasons to root for the Blackhawks during the NHL Playoffs. 1. The youth that is leading the team like Toews, Kane and Havlat can be electrifying and bring you out of your seat. 2. The Ice Crew in Chicago will do exactly the same but in a different way and for different reasons. To see the auditions click here.

Tennis player Andy Roddick has won a Grand Slam and it has nothing to do with tennis. Roddick has married fashion model and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit sensation Brooklyn Decker. I think it is safe to say congratulations Andy....and we all hate you (but in a nice way).

A message to Carrie Underwood, when you are on TV or on a video screen at a sporting event, don’t duck down and hide, just take a page from Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel. When appeared on the jumbotron at the Staples Center last week during an LA Lakers game, they didn't duck their heads but started making out instead. Lets just hope that Jack Nicholson doesn’t try to follow Justin’s lead. We don’t need Jack to try to bring Sexy Back.

In a smart move the New York Yankees have decided to cut the cost on more than 40 percent of their front-row seats by up to 50 percent and announced many of those who bought tickets closest to the field for $325-$2,500 will be eligible for additional free seats. There were hundreds of empty seats in “Premium” areas that have gone unfilled at New Yankee Stadium. Maybe if people in Toronto would do the same thing for Leafs games they may not raise ticket prices every year despite not making the playoffs since the lockout. At least with the Yankees they will win every now and again.

Blackhawks Ice Crew

During a scouting mission for my new favorite Western Conference team I had to watch the Chicago Blackhawks vs LA Kings game on WGN. The Blackhawks would be a good team to throw my support behind but they are too good right now and are in the playoffs so that has taken them out of contention for my support. After years of being VERY bad they have managed to draft well (bad teams and top picks will help in that regard) and are now seeing the results paying off. Even the fans are getting behind them and are filling the United Center. I was watching this game to evaluate the LA Kings and see what they had and if they were worthy of my support. When I post my series on the teams I will make a case for them as they are an early front runner.

What I did see while watching the game was that of the many US arenas that I would like to watch a game, The United Center is one of the tops on the list. They always said that Old Chicago Stadium was one of the best and loudest places to play. That may be true but right now the United Center is more then holding their own. It has everything to do with the team on the Ice. Sure the Blackhawks are fun to watch but I am talking about the Hawks Ice Crew. They put every other team to shame. This is some fine marketing and a great idea. Not only do these lovely ladies do a great job managing the ice but they are all style while doing it.

I think that The Ottawa Senators should adopt this idea, it would be great for ice conditions as well as the total entertainment value while at the game.. Mr. Mlakar think about that for next year to turn around the fortunes of the team. Just look at what having Mike Fisher sign Carrie Underwood then trading for Hillary Duff...errr Mike Comrie did to help the team change their loosing ways.

To learn more about the Ice Crew visit the Chicago Blackhawks website: http://blackhawks.nhl.com/icecrew/0809icecrew.htm