As requested by Andy, I am again submitting my totally wrong predictions for the NHL playoffs. This is a tradition we have maintained for at least 5 years now (with a year off for the lockout), with each of us looking stupid by the time the cup got rolled out (or frequently much sooner). But what the hell,
So here are my predictions (made before the games started Wednesday)
First Round East:
Buffalo vs. NYI
Buffalo. Although they won the president's cup and look unbeatable (which should prompt a first round exit) I still think they've got enough to push past the isles.
NJ vs. TB
NJ. Because they're NJ.
ATL vs. NYR
NYR. I hate the rangers (like most NY teams) but for some reason I think they're the best candidate for "come from nowhere team that kick ass in the playoffs."
OTT vs. PITT
PITT. Because I've got family ties to them, and Sidney Crosby is awesome and you can almost never go wrong picking against Ottawa.
1st Round West:
DET vs. CGY
Motown. If they win this series then I think they've got what it takes to win it all. If they lose.... well then I look like dumbass don't I?
ANA vs. MIN
MIN. Because MIN is in MIN and ANA is in ANA and because I don't think the Ducks are as good as last year.
VAN vs. DAL
VAN. Because I think they will score more goals at the end of a majority of the games.
NSH vs. SJ
SJ. Because they look good at the end of the season and have a goalie that looks like this years wunderkind.
Conference Finals:
NYR vs. NJ
NYR. I don't know why I'm giving this shitty team I hate so much credit. Boy am I gonna feel like an idiot (or a genius).
DET vs. VAN
DET. I've already obsessed enough about this so I"ll stick with my horse.
The Cup: Detroit Red Wings
Feel Free to tell me how stupid I am.
Might as well put the results from my brilliant (and doomed) stat based picking technique here for (limited) public ridicule. Each match-up is picked based on most points in the last 10 games of the season (tie-breaker to lower seed).
W1:
Det
Min
Dal
SJ
E1:
Buf
NJ
NYR
Ott
W2:
Dal
Min
E2:
NYR
Ott
W3:
Dal
E3:
NYR
Cup:
Dal (God, this looks stupid)
There it is, unimpeeded by judgement or thought... like Congress, the White House, ... General Motors.
DET vs. CGY
We went and saw game two in person.
My voice was going after the first period. As a courtesy to me (I'm sure) the Wings did nothing for me to cheer about in Period 2. After that they seemed to think I'd had enough of a break because they started playing well again.
Upside (besides the win): all 4 goals in the game (and much of the play) was at our end of the ice.
Damn you, that's awesome. I've never gotten to a playoff game, but a friend up here possibly has a line on Game 5 tickets. So I'm in the difficult position of wishing for the Wings to win, but still needing 5 games.
Well, somehow, I still feel the Round 1 cause is hopeless for the Wings despite the fact that it's in the bag. I'm still smarting from last year's collapse though. I think I'll savor this one for a while. I remember 2004(?) when we played Calgary (and they even won) and I didn't hate them; I was really impressed by them and they became one of my favorite teams to watch.
What happened? I really and genuinely hated them this time. Has grad school made me bitter? Or perhaps was it the continual cheating, the bad refereeing, and the CONSTANT whining by Calgary fans, players, and the coaching staff. Holy S#&t! I've never heard so much unfounded, ill-informed, and just plain stupid crap from one team in any sport during my lifetime. A Wings player bonks Kipper, the Wings get a penalty. A Wings player gets pushed into Kipper, the wings get a penalty. Jeorme bumps Dom, the Wings get a penalty. Clearly, if you whine enough, the refs will listen. If Playfair had spent half as much time coaching his team on the bench as he spent coaching his team in the media he wouldn't have worn Iggy out by the time the OT monster came calling. Nick had something like 24 minutes of ice time in regulation: nothing for him. He had the energy to spare for OT. Babcock was busy coaching hockey, not running a weepy daytime talk show on the CBC.
Anyway, I'm thinking of taking a collection to get a nice plaque for his wall, because he really did try hard and did a good job in an endeavor that was, ultimately, doomed. I think something to the effect of:
The Fans of Detroit would like to recognize:
MIIKKA KIPRUSOFF
First Lady of the Canadian Theatre
April 22, 2007
(Notice the extra prissy spelling of the word theater.)
Anyway, I promise to be just as pessimistic (if not more so!) about Round 2, whether it's SJ or Dallas.
My favorite quote from Round 1 goes to a Calgary fan on CBC's fan feedback section, as part of a long and rhetorically audacious diatribe explaining how the Wings were very intent on injuring his dainty little Flames. Regarding the play where Maltby was pushed into Kipper, he described Maltby as "falling with intent." I really think this deserves to be an annoying new catchphrase.
But CBC isn't all bad:
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/instigator/gfx/2006-07/gone-south.html