Start Your Engines!!!

Ahhh...the sweet smell of spring is in the air which can only mean one thing...the STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS are about to start!!! This is real hockey...rough and tough hockey...not for the faint of heart. The hitting, the fighting, the passion...and that's just the fans in living rooms and bars across the country!!! Watching the games can be harmful if you have high blood pressure or if you're wearing the wrong jersey at the wrong bar!! I have some hazy memories of being in Montreal a few years ago in a sports bar wearing my Bruins jersey. I guess it didn't help that Boston was actually winning the game and I was telling anyone who would listen how much the Habs sucked!!! That was a rough night but I survived...unfortunately Boston didn't and lost the series after being up 3-0!!! It's tough to be a Bruin's fan I tell ya!!!

As the final weeks of this season were drawing to an end I couldn't help but notice the amount of idiocy happening in the NHL.

1. Mark (Darth Vader) Bell from Toronto taking out 2 of Ottawa's stars and not even being challenged! The hit on Alfie was clean (according to the NHL rules) but the team should have made him pay. This shows a lack of support within the club. Something stinks in the dressing room and it ain't coming from their hockey bags.
2. Boston playing Ottawa and neither are gauranteed playoff births. Boston needs the win and Ottawa needs one point. Ottawa loses but thanks to Jaques Martin and the Florida Panthers beating 3rd seed Carolina, Ottawa gets in anyway!!!
3. Pittsburgh played Philadelphia on Sunday. If Pittsburgh wins they get 1st place in the conference which allows them home ice advantage in each round. They would also face Philadelphia in the 1st round. They don't like playing the physical style that Philly brings so they throw the game in order to face a much softer Ottawa team. If I was Bryan Murray that news item would be on the bulletin board in the dressing room and used for motivation. That alone might help Ottawa win one game...maybe!!!

It seems that there's at least one idiot a week in the NHL...my vote this week goes to Bryan Murray. When the Leafs were taking their liberties with the Senators he should've sent a message. If the players didn't feel compelled to stand up for their captain then Bryan Murray should've lit a fire under their collective asses!!!

Let me know what you think!! If you have an opinion for who the NHL idiot of the week is let me know! I've got a plan that should be fun...something along the lines of a voodoo doll and Super Dave Osborne!!! I'll keep you posted.

Before I leave I must share my picks for the 1st round...if you win any money with these just remember, I like Molson Canadian!!!

East

1. Montreal vs Boston -> Boston in 7
2. Pittsburgh vs Ottawa -> Pittsburgh in 5
3. Washington vs Philly -> Washington in 6
4. New Jersey vs Rangers -> New Jersey in 7

West

1. Detroit vs Nashville -> Nashville in 7
2. San Jose vs Calgary -> San Jose in 5
3. Minnesota vs Colorado -> Minnesota in 6
4. Anaheim vs Dallas -> Anaheim in 4

If you think I'm crazy and want to know why I picked the teams I did...email me and I'll let you know the method to my madness!!

That's it for now...I'll be back next week...enjoy the 2nd season!!!

CHEERS!!!

The Rokpig!!!!

Stanley Is Getting a Tan

Well that didn't work out the way I thought it would. I had counted on a game 6...mostly because I had free tickets but I really thought Ottawa would be able to adapt and turn the series around. In the end, the better team won and the Sens were without a counter-attack. Anaheim seemed able to turn the game to their favour any time they felt like it.

Many reasons have been brought up as to why the Ducks were so dominant...here are some of the popular ones:

• The reffing was atrocious and allowed the clutch and grab style of hockey back in the game. This type of hockey is clearly an advantage for a bigger, stronger team. I think that Ottawa should've found a way to battle through this...they didn't!!!
• 9 days off was too long and the Sens were never able to shake off the rust. I agree that 9 days off is too long but the Ducks were off for 7 and they seemed to be good to go when the puck dropped. If the Sens had any rust that needed to be shaken off, I believe the Ducks shook them up pretty good in that first game! They needed the split out of Anaheim...they didn't get it...again, they couldn't adapt to the Ducks' style of play.

The bottom line is this. Ottawa was out-played, out-muscled, and out-coached. I'm pretty sure they learned a valuable lesson from this...every round gets tougher and the final is 90% desire, 10% skill. You have to want it more than the other team. There were a few members of the Sens that turned it up...Fisher, Alfie, Neil, Emery (most times), Vermette...then there were others who disappeared and looked afraid to even get close to the puck. These players should be ashamed of themselves for letting down their team when they were needed most...Redden, Heatley, Spezza, Comrie, Volchenkov. These guys played great in the opening 3 rounds but when they first got hit in the finals they started to cower like beaten dogs.

I don't want to take anything away from the season they had, specifically the turn around that started in early December. To tell you the truth I sincerely doubted that Ottawa was going to make the playoffs due to the horrible start they had. But they turned it around and I, for one, am glad they did. They showed character that they never had to before...they excelled when their top players were sidelined with injuries. When they made the playoffs I was astounded with their style of play...it was something I've never seen them do before. I don't fault them for not winning the Cup...I have a feeling this experience won't sit well with them and they'll be back hungrier than ever to get that Holy Grail. Of course, before that happens some housework needs to be done. By that I mean trades have to happen and contracts need to be signed.

1. Redden must be traded!!! He has clearly become tired of being a Senator and a change of scenery would work well for both the team and him.
2. Gerber must be unloaded as well. Muckler would look like a true genius if he could find a team willing to take him and his 3.5 Million dollar contract of which he still has 2 years remaining.
3. With respect to the top 2 bullets, there are rumours of interest in Edmonton for Redden which would be a good fit for him...maybe Muckler can package both Redden and Gerber for a straight up trade in return for Jussi Markkanen ($850,000) and Steve Staios ($1.6 Million)? Just a thought...a man can dream right???
4. It probably wouldn't hurt shopping Spezza around. Just to see what Ottawa can get for him. He still has issues with playing the rough game that is expected during the playoffs. Heatley actually seemed to play better when Spezza was injured early in the season.
5. Bryan Murray needs to be re-signed. He has proven to be the right coach for this team. He now has a taste of the Stanley Cup Final and I believe he can bring Ottawa a cup.
6. Ray Emery has proven to be a starter in this league. He deserves a raise and at least a 3 year deal.
7. Tom Preissing is a solid defenceman. He also needs a raise with a one or two year deal.
8. Dean McAmmond should be re-signed. He has proven to be valuable on the 4th line and on the power play.
9. If Mike Comrie wants to take a pay-cut then he may be worth keeping but I wouldn't miss him if he left!!!

That's just my views on a successful season that ended about 2 games too short...it would've been nice to see the final go 7 games.

Hockey is now done...but there's still hockey news coming up. NHL entry draft, unrestricted and restricted free agent signings, the Stanley Cup travels will be closely monitored, and so on.

I will also start writing blogs about other sports namely NFL Football, Golf, Women's Beach Volleyball, Cricket, etc...

Also, if there's anything that you feel a second opinion is required please drop me a line and I'll put something together for you.

Till next time...give me some feedback as I always like to hear other people's opinion.

CHEERS!!!

The Rokpig

Stanley Cup is 8 Wins Away!!!!

All I can say is WOW!!! These playoffs have been riveting. My picks from the last round were 3 and 1...I was wrong with the Rangers beating the Sabres. That's ok...it puts me at 9 and 3 so far in this year's playoffs which ain't too bad.

Some highlights in the last round...

1. Nabokov's puck clearing attempt right onto Datsyuk's stick which susequently went into the net in game 4.
2. Ottawa's game 1 mastery of Brodeur by scoring 4 goals in the 1st period right over his glove hand.
3. Chris Chelios is now getting 25 to 30 minutes of ice time...and he's 45 years old!!!!
4. Observing the mastery in Anaheim...The Niedermayer brothers...Chris Pronger...Teemu Selanne...JS Giguere. They are firing on all cylinders and are amazing to watch.

Again...I'm sure there's plenty more but that's all I can think of right now. Please feel free to send me some of your 2nd round highlights.

Well...on with the picks.

In the East

Ottawa Senators vs Buffalo Sabres (Ott in 6) -> These 2 teams have a history together and it's not pretty. However I think cooler heads will prevail in the playoffs. The winner advances to the Stanley Cup Final so there will be no room for costly penalties. Both of these teams will bring a dynamic offensive punch and posses an equally effective defensive game. Their goaltending has proven to be exceptional both in the regular season and so far in the playoffs. However, I believe that the Sens are rolling 4 solid lines and everyone is contributing both physically and on the scoresheet. If we haven't seen the Sabres best game yet then I may be proven wrong but they haven't really been tested the way Ottawa will test them. My pick is Ottawa in 6 games.

In the West

Detroit Red Wings vs The Anaheim Ducks (Anaheim in 6) -> Anaheim is the strongest team right now...The defensive pairing of Pronger and Niedermayer may well be the best in the league. Up front Selanne, Pahlsson and Getzlaf are playing like men possessed. Guigere is also having a dynamite playoff season. Detroit's battered and bruised right now and depending heavily on 45 yr. old Chelios and Lidstrom to carry the defensive weight due to injuries to Schneider and Kronwall. Detroit has had the toughest battle to get here...first Calgary then San Jose whereas Anaheim had an easier road going through Minnesota and then Vancouver. However I feel that the strength and depth of this Anaheim team will take them by Detroit in 6 games.

That being said you should see Ottawa and Anaheim in the final. Smart money would stick with Anaheim but we'll see how the injuries accumulate over this round.

Enjoy the conference finals....should be extrememly entertaining!!!

CHEERS!!!

The Rokpig