PR 101

Most tired debates of all time:
5. Creationism v. Giant Spaghetti Monster
4. Tastes Great v. Less Filling
3. MLSE: Giant Evil Corporation v. MLSE Meddling Ruinous Corporation
2. Toilet seat up v. down
1. MSM v. blogosphere

Yeah it's number one on the list and in our hearts, it’s overdone, and here's 1500 words on it…(sorry, as a communications consultant there are certain topics on which I just can't help myself).

Dave Berry v. Edmonton Oilers

Back story is here. Interesting take from Edmonton Journal reporter David Staples here and CBC's Eliot Friedmann here. Mirtle weighs in with a sane approach, Staples has some more good reporting on the Oilers’ side of things and, as always, there's great additional commentary at MC79Hockey.

Now you're all caught up and it's time to go all the way back to first principles here...

PR 101: What does it mean to be credentialed?

In short, media credentials enable organizations to screen and select the media that are invited to cover a news event.

Depending on the organization or the news event, the credentialing process can be as short as asking for a business card or it can involve filling out forms in advance, meeting pre-set criteria, requiring a photo to be taken and issuing a typical laminated pass (oooh, and a branded lanyard).
More formal credentialing usually happens with federal and/or provincial legislatures, law enforcement agencies or for events where there is a great deal of media interest and limited space.

The vast majority of media events have a cute 20-something PR staffer sitting at a table with a stack of media kits and a photocopied sign-in sheet (Name, Media outlet) hoping that some media actually arrive.

Why Issue Credentials?

Organizations issue credentials to filter who gets access to events and, by extension, to help control or shape the resulting coverage. No credentials means no access.

Usually the two main criteria required to get credentials are subject knowledge (is this a beat or topic the applying media regularly cover) and circulation or reach numbers (and the bigger the number, the quicker the media will get their press pass).

Once the lanyard goes around the neck, can you take it back?

Organizations may have the right to screen and select the media that can attend their events; however, once the credentials are issued, these organizations do not have any right to dictate what that resulting coverage might be.

Journalists are expected to observe the rules of the event and or organization – e.g. hold your questions to the end, wait for scrums and one-on-one interview opportunities; certain topics may be off-limits (SEC investigations are always a good place to start) and please stick to your allotted time for the interview.

There are credential rules all over the net, and they're pretty much all the same.

I’m not sure if live blogging or real time reporting changes any of this. The expectation that the rules will be followed remains, just as the media shouldn't expect their copy or coverage to be censored.

In 15 years of working in communications, I’ve never seen credentials get pulled and I’ve never seen media ejected from an event. (The ACC has wi-fi in their corporate boxes, I’d love to see what would happen if a fan live blogged the game from their luxury suite… )

There’s a reason they call it “earned coverage”

For most organizations, earning media coverage is tough. Really tough. Media consolidation may have increased the number of news outlets, but it has decreased the number of journalists and access to the tools of their trade. Toronto may be the number four or five media market in North America, but you can count the number of radio reporters on your fingers and TV stations have very limited access to cameras and staff.

There are fewer and fewer journalists and more and more organizations are competing for their time and attention. Generating media coverage, even on-line or blog coverage, is a key part of generating revenue, be it in the form of increased sales, sales leads, raised profile, brand enhancement, third-party validation/credibility etc. Even in the public sector, NGO and not-for-profit organizations seek earned media coverage to raise their profile, to validate their causes, build awareness, increase funding, etc.

It’s Different for Hockey

The one place this media relationship or framework doesn’t exist in Canada: professional hockey.
There is so much demand for NHL content and such limited space available in the press boxes and locker rooms that Canadian NHL teams can exercise extremely tight controls over which media gets access, and more importantly, who gets to keep their access.

This is something to keep in mind (yeah, goes for me too) when one wonders why the media are willing to harp about decades old ownership woes but don’t say boo about current roster decisions or locker room toxins.

Mittenstrings and Media Relations: It’s All About Revenue, Stupid.

Just like their corporate brethren, revenue is the core of media relations, but for professional sports teams there's a bit of a twist. Unlike the relationship between conventional organizations and the media, external coverage for professional sports franchises actually represents potential lost revenue. From the follow-up piece on the Oilers-blogger mess:

Part of the reason that no media outlets are allowed to blog live from Oilers games is that the Oilers want to have this kind of information only available on their own official website, Watt says.

Watt says many of the blogs are trying to get increased traffic so they can make money, but the Oilers don't want to give up that traffic. "We spend $100 million a year to create NHL hockey in Edmonton and there are some things that we think we own. This is one of them (the live blogging rights)."

Perhaps some blog company will come along with $10 million a year for the exclusive rights to live blogging, then the Oilers would look at that. "That's the business we are in," Watt says.

In other words, eyeballs that go elsewhere for information deprive the teams of click-throughs and ad dollars; grey-market on-line streaming reduces audience numbers for TV and PPV. Declining consumption of traditional media (the team-preferred source for news) means potentially less rink-side advertising from the newspapers and fewer paid cross-promotions in the local Sun (be sure to collect all your favourite team medals!).

This is why NHL executives, when they talk about blogs, play the “blogs are such low-quality and can’t-be-trusted” card. Or they talk about how hard it is to separate the good blogs from the bad.

Sure, this attempt to disparage and conquer blogs is a short-sighted and likely a losing strategy, but when was the last time the NHL or an NHL executive did something that made you think they were ahead of the curve?

Disintermediation

I’ve argued in the past that the NHL could do a much better job with their team web-sites or they should let individual teams take over (I think the Leafs site could be miles better, but I have no idea what constraints their staff are working under). I’ve also applauded the Leafs PR staff for offering unfiltered access to press conferences, interviews and other events. That’s the type of stuff that will get eyeballs as it’s content fans can’t get elsewhere.

But the traditional concept held by the NHL and the media that access in the form of meaningless player quotes and bland blog entries on team sites is a primary source of traffic is curious. It certainly isn’t the golden ticket to eyeballs and ratings that teams believe it to be, no matter how hard they want to make it so:

Watt says that when it comes to interviews with the players, the Oilers now want to go direct to consumers. "We would like our website and NHL.com to be places where people can find that information exclusively as possible, and as a result of that, traffic, and as a result of that, monetization.

The NHL is missing the key point that fans want, and many blogs deliver, insights that the media and NHL teams can’t or won't match - whether it's advanced statistics, legal insight or profanity (and in many cases all three).

The NHL appears not to understand that, while fans want quality content and interesting information, they’re savvy enough to know good sites from bad and they’re not too concerned if the site is run by a monolithic corporation or a guy procrastinating during his day-job.

The NHL appears not to understand one of the biggest shift in the consumption and transfer of information is that more and more news providers are providing information not to inform their audience but to confirm what their audience already believes (Case in point: Fox News and HuffPo).

The final, and perhaps most important, point that the NHL doesn't get (or doesn't want to get) is that information is so easy to access and transfer that hoping to hold eyeballs at a team site is antiquated at best and a fool’s errand at worse. Chuck Klosterman put it best when he was asked what blogs he reads:

…there is no single blog that is “required reading” every day, or even every week. This has become more and more true as the blogosphere has expanded. All the information is shared. If something legitimately interesting happens on any specific blog, it’s immediately going to be linked to on 200 other sites, so there’s no need to consistently go to any one source. That’s the biggest philosophical difference between old media and new media: If a sportswriter at the Washington Post breaks a story the New York Times doesn’t have, the Post wins that day — the NYT will have to play catch-up the following morning, and readers will start to see the Post as a better product. But blogs aren’t like that. If something on The Big Lead gets linked to Deadspin, nobody who finds it on Deadspin gives a shit how it got here or where it came from originally. Following the link is no different (and no less efficient) than reading the original content in its original setting. The experience is identical. Both sites win, as does any other random blog that connects to the content. They all share the same traffic. Unlike journalism, blogging is not competitive — its cooperative. Networking is far more essential than writing or reporting. Which is why I don’t need to read any specific sports blog on a day-to-day basis; I will eventually get all that information without even trying. It aggregates itself.

So What’s Next?

In terms of policies and formal media relations, Mirtle said it best and it’s clear that NHL organizations require clear, modernized media relations policies that are supported by effective open communications between the media relations staff and the media they are credentialing.

Other than a free invite to a game, I can’t see any value in bloggers seeking formal credentials from NHL clubs and I don't see any reason for Canadian NHL teams to ever offer them.

As for the future of coverage, the NHL may want to be the on-line destination of choice, but they’re not going to make it if they continue to offer what they’ve been offering. And more importantly, this is true for the sports pages.

The Star has become a destination for Leaf masochists (I'm boycotting them. So long as the fans support that organization, they have no impetus to change). Joe O'Connor is a good read, Hornby provides the straight goods and the Hat is money, but - to Klosterman's point - I can get all my other Leaf info distilled from the beautifully named Barilkosphere (nice work Chemmy!) complete with a side of humour. Best of all, none of it insults me for supporting my team, feels the need to mention 1967/42 years in every piece, or relies on limo drivers for insights into how to run a multi-million dollar professional sports franchise.

Of course, it may all be moot. Apparently blogs are so 2004...

Playoff Predictions 2007: Eastern Conference

With the Western Conference sorted out, it's time to turn our attention and bad picks eastward.

This year the playoff round table is comprised of yours truly, my pal Rick from Edmonton, Sens' fan Keith from PWI and Steph from No Pun Intended.

As I can't afford a monkey (actually, I probably could afford a monkey and would likely win the Best Dad Ever award from my kids if I did buy one, until the monkey chewed off an ear of gave one of them fleas) but do like to see how our picks stack up against the random walk, I'll be placing the match-ups on slips of paper which I will then draw out of my coffee cup. Games played (4 through 7) will also go into the mug to make it a bit more interesting...


Buffalo (1) v. New York Islanders (8)

I have to be honest and say that as a Leaf fan, I really wish it were the Blue and White taking on the Sabres this year. While I don't think the Leafs could have won the series, I honestly believe it would have made a better match-up and provided some more compelling hockey.

Instead, the braintrust at MLSE got outperformed by Charles Wang and Garth Snow. A sentence I honestly never thought I would type. A career back-up goalie and a guy who thought offering a contract in dog years to Alexi Yashin was a solid idea were able to ice a better team than MLSE. Let's take a minute to savour that shall we.

OK, back to the task at hand.

Buffalo has an abundance of fire power, a great goalie, rabid fans, unbelievable depth (Stafford, plus the return of Afinogenov and Connolly...) solid coaching, playoff experience and blazing team speed. The only aspect of their game that might catch up with them is their inability deal with size down low.

The Islanders have an AHL goalie with a catchy nickname, a coach with a score to settle, and, uh, er...that's about it. Even with the likes of Yashin (snicker), Blake, Smyth and Satan this group of forwards can't run and gun with the Sabres. As much as the playoffs have been rife with stories of rookie goalies getting hot and going on a run (from Dryden to Penny to Roy to last year's Ward and Miller) I don't think Dubie will be able to contain the Sabres over a seven game series (like it's going to go that far). Brendan Witt might be able to play 30 minutes a night, but that still leaves half a game for the Sabres to run it.

What's that leave the Islanders?

Five games before they go golfing, four if they're not careful.

Steph
I agree about the Leafs being the more interesting team to have a chance at this match up - I still think it's a shame, after that ridiculous Saturday game, that the Islanders got lucky.

Anyway, as much as I love Ryan Smyth, and as much as a little part of me wishes I had much hope for the Islanders for him alone, I highly doubt they have much of a chance. Buffalo's been a powerhouse this season, even when they were bogged down with injuries - and now those guys are starting to come back too - and if Afinogenov plays the way he did at the start of the season, that's just scary.

Basically the Islanders only chance is if Smytty calls a team huddle, points to the other end of the ice and reminds Marc-Andre Bergeron of his famous goalie-killing ability, MAB puts it to use where it could do some good, runs down Miller, and forces long-suffering Ty Conklin into net where his Post-Traumatic Stress Disease flares up, and while fighting off the flashbacks he lets the ugliest guy the Islanders have score what is essentially an empty netter on him. Again and again. All the way back down to the AHL. (As a disclaimer, I really don't think THAT bad of the guy anymore, I swear.)

That said, Sabres in 5.

Rick
Hilarious commentry about Bergeron and Conklin, nice job Steph.

Obviously everybody still has a hangover from the Leafs rollercoaster ride on the weekend.

Don't be sad, there is always next year (and the year after, and the year after ...), right?

Quite frankly, I was cheering for the Habs because they were the best team at the end of the year but they could not stay out of the penalty box when it mattered most on Saturday night. Once they were out, then I was cheering for the Leafs too - anybody but the Islanders and that crybaby Smyth - they are still wiping up his crocodile tears at the Airport.

If he wanted to stay here so badly he should have signed for$100,000 less and be done with it. In the end it will be good thing he is gone, now the Oilers can spend 7 million on true elite player - not sure where they are going to get that player but the money is there?!?!

With regards to this series, I don't think anybody gives the Islanders a chance despite the great coaching job that Nolan has done this year -he has certainly squeezed the most out of that team.

Obviously Buffalo is every body's favorite this year - they were the hot team at our draft last night and the Islanders were about as popular at Ed Belfour at aMiami night club. Buffalo would have been in the finals last year if not for injuries,now they are healthy and the Islanders will just be a speed bump on what should be a long ride in the Playoffs for the Sabres.

Any bets on how long it takes for Ruff to whine to the Media about some perceived injustice against his team - my guess is Game 3.

Buffalo in 4.

Keith
Count me as someone (surprise, surprise) who's not saddened that the blue and white aren't in this series.

Sure Wade (Yoda) Dubielewicz isn't the second coming of Billy Smith, but Andrew Raycroft isn't going to make anyone forget Terry Sawchuk any time soon (Did you SEE him in the last game of the season against the Habs?...He had worse control of his glove hand than Dr. Strangelove).

Anyway, we'd have to somehow arrive on Bizarro World for the Isles to have a chance in this series. Guys like Satan and Yashin would have to become playoff performers, while guys like Drury and Briere would have to start playing like, well, Alexi Yashin and Miro Satan.

The AHL castoff goalie (Yoda) would have to play like an all-star and Ryan Miller (who was EXCELLENT last year in the second round against the Sens) would have to play like an NHL castoff.

Buffalo's just too balanced, too well coached and has too much firepower to be threatened in this series. I'll give Teddy Nolan a game on pride, but call it: Sabres in Five.

Mike
Did I see Raycroft against the Habs? Sadly, yes.

I was one of the 2.8 million Canadians who watched that game. I know you only need about 1,100 people to have a scientifically valid poll, but if you were to ask each and every member of that national tv audience if they'd have Raycroft as their starting goalie in the 2007-08 season, 2,799,987 million of them would say no.

Unfortunately, JFJ is one of the 13 (the other 12 are likely related to Raycroft or part of his entourage) who think it's a good idea for Raycroft to start 60+ NHL games next year.

I'll put it another way: I watched the game with my mother-in-law who hasn't followed hockey since Stan Makita hung up the blades. This is a woman who needs to be reminded which team is which several times a game ("and which team is in red again?") and even she called for Raycroft to get yanked after the "exploding glove" goal. How is it she can see it and JFJ can't?

Coffee Cup: New York Islanders in 5 (I know that's a lousy pick, but what do you want? I'm an inanimate ceramic object that had two slips of paper pulled out of me. That said, the Leafs are going nowhere with Raycroft between the pipes)

Playoff Predictions 2007: Western Conference

It's time once again to offer up bad predictions about this year's playoff match ups.

Once again, I'm joined by my buddy Rick from Edmonton and Sens' fan Keith from PWI. New to the fray is Steph from No Pun Intended and hopefully at some point, Tom from the Out Route will be joining in as well.

We're going to try to get through all eight match-ups before the puck drops on Wednesday...this year I'm also going to introduce my version of Maggie the Monkey, instead it will be teams picked from my coffee cup:

Be interesting to see how the cup compares to the five of us.

Detroit Red Wings (1) v. Calgary Flames (8)

Mike (aka Bitter/MF37)
Another first place finish for the Red Wings, another match-up with an Albertan adversary: will it be another first round exit for Northern Michigan's finest?

The Flames can't seem to win on the road and the Red Wings can't seem to win in the playoffs.

I'm not even sure what the upset would be here. Would it be more surprising for the Wings to actually make the second round or for Calgary to go home early after making so many trades to prep for the post-season?

The most compelling part of this series may be wondering how many games it will take before Hasek goes on the IR.

It's a pretty even match-up for a 1 v. 8 seed: the teams split their season series 2-2, each team scored 12 goals over those four games and the home team won every time.

Given that there's one extra game in Motown, I'm going to go with the Wings in 7, but I don't think either of these teams will go any further than the second round.

Keith
Is it just me or has the departure of Steve Yzerman made the Red Wings one of the most dull franchises in the league?

They just go out there and win coldly and without any personality. Ice cold killers. Like someone who'd go "hit a lick" in a Chilli bar.

It's hard to like a team like that, it's hard to hate them either. Calgary, on the other hand, are likable. They're Canadian which is nice. AND they have Dion Phaneuf who provides me a whole world of viewing pleasure. Phaneuf may be the subject matter of a few too many of Pierre Maguire's masturbatory fantasies (everyone, repeat after me "That kid's a MONSTER!") but he did provide hockey fans one of this season's best bodychecks, (note to Sens haters, Denis Hamel no longer wears the red and black). More importantly, however, Phaneuf has a great nickname. My friends from Calgary call him "Caveman" which is not only an accurate description of his playing and interview style, but the physical resemblance is quite uncanny.

Likeable, very likable.

But of absolutely no bearing on the Wings/Flames series...

One the one hand, Calgary might not be able to win on the road but they did sweep a four game string to end the month of March and they (this just blows me away) scored more goals than Detroit this season. On the other hand Detroit are clearly the better team, but their ability in the Playoffs over the last couple years has been almost Senatorsian.

When it's that much of a mess, things usually come down to which team's goalie plays better.

Hasek and Kiprusoff have been pretty much a statistical saw off this season, but my gut goes with the Czech.

Detroit in 6

Steph
It's no secret the Red Wings like to hit the playoffs with brilliant records and then almost immediately choke - particularly against Albertan teams too. Knocked out by Edmonton in round one last season and Calgary in the second round the season before.

But then again, this is a different team than what we've seen the past few years. After the flop last year, losing Yzerman and Shanahan and dumping Manny Legace for a groin injury waiting to happen (albeit with a beautiful record when healthy), the horrid West Canada road trip that started off the season, that much was obvious.

So the question is: if the team could find a way to work back up from that and surprise everyone who thought they were going to decline, should we expect the same sort of surprise in the playoffs?

My bet is that as long as they can keep up the level of depth they've found again lately and not fall back on Datsyuk and Zetterberg for every goal (and so long as Hasek stays healthy - when the first "injury" flared up, the announcers claimed that "not since the Rockettes has so much attention been given to a thigh in Detroit", and the last thing anyone needs is that concern to move north), then yeah, we should - especially with that home advantage and Calgary's issues with the road.

Detroit in 6 - but don't underestimate the Flames.

(And for the record, Senatorsian is my new favorite word. Ever.)

Mike
Keith - if you think the Wings are dull, what are we going to do when it comes time to talk Minny?

Steph - I'm guessing that prior to the Rockettes, the most discussed thigh in Detroit involved the word "dismembered"

Three for three with Detroit so far...wonder if Rick or Tom will break the pattern and pick the Flames (can't imagine that Rick's Edmonton roots would permit such a thing...)

Keith
I'll wax poetic about Jacques Lemaire's ability to make chicken salad outta chicken feathers (Then I'll pick the Ducks...).

Rick
I think I will get my two year old son to make my picks this year considering how well I did last year - stupid Dallas!!

That being said - it is nice to be able start following hockey again after the Oilers decided to quit playing a month earlier than everybody else. Check out my blog at bitteroilfan.blogspot ... oh never mind.

Let's get on with it.

They say bad luck comes in 3's so could this be the third straight time that an Alberta team knocks out the Wings?

I don't think so.

The Wings lost to the Oilers last year ... ah yes, I remember watching Game 7 in a pub in Halifax at 11 PM, I'll never forget it ... sorry I got off track there. As I was saying - the Wings lost because Legace did not play well and their star players, especially Datsyuk, did not want to get their noses dirty and make the sacrifices necessary to win the battles for the puck that comes with playoff hockey.

We know the Wings are better in goal with Hasek and I think Wing's Defence and Depth are better this year as well - Kronwall is going to be the next Lidstrom. With his new contract, it still remains to be seen whether Datsyuk will prove his worth in the playoffs or whether he is just another Joe Thornton (I will elaborate more on that argument when we talk more about the Sharks).

We know all about the Flames' road woes but I think with their offensive additions this year that the Flames are a team with an identity crisis -are they an offensive juggernaut? Or the same old defensive shut down team?

Kipper has been getting lit up a lot lately as the Flames have been involved in more high scoring games. Also, I am not sure if the players fear Playfair as much as they did Sutter. If Sutter was still Coaching the Flames wouldn't have stopped playing when they were up 2-0on Saturday night against the Oilers and found out that Colorado lost.

But in the end, all of these factors mean nothing to me because there is no way I can ever, ever, EVER picked the hated Flames.

Wings in 6

Coffee Cup Says: Wings in 7

Leafs v. Oil

The Oil
For a long time, the Oil were team 1B for me. As a teenager, they were a team I could root for in the post-season while my leafs golfed.

When they won the Cup in '90, a buddy of mine phoned me from his home in the North East corner of Edmonton and I could hear the car horns blaring in the background throughout the call.

Sadly, that's the closest I've ever been to celebrating a Cup win.

Both of these teams have more in common than any Oiler fan would willingly admit: from terrible ownership (bordering on corrupt and criminal in both cases) to their formidable history; from bringing in players on the wrong side of their careers (Nedved; Nolan; Nilson; Oates; Gingras; Laraque) to patches of horrific drafting. And, for both of these organizations, their best years are well behind them.

Yeah, the Oil had a tremendous run in the 80s that will likely never be seen again - and their fans will be the first to remind you about that - but I have to ask what's the statute of limitations on nostalgia? It's been 40 years for the Leafs and 18 for the Oil...Sure, I'd rather be on the side that only has to count to 18, but when you start measuring in decades it's a bit like bragging about being the world's tallest midget.

Keon
My dad's favourite player. I remember him playing with the Whalers and burying the Leafs one night when I was seven or eight years old. My dad was thrilled. I was right pissed off - at Keon, at my Dad and at Ballard.

Nice work by JFJ to get him back. Lowetide has a nice post on Keon as well.

The 1967 Reunion
Glad they did something for the team on this anniversary but I'm not so sure that centre ice before the game was the right time and place.

I certainly can't recall any other professional sports team recognizing a (rather embarrassing) milestone like this. At least Anne Murray wasn't brought out to mark the occasion...

I'd love to know the Leafs record following ceremonies like this one.

They lost when the Gardens closed, they lost the night they honoured Kelly, Day and Salming, they won when Sittler's 27 went up...I just have a feeling that, more often than not, these opening ceremonies end up in the L column for the Leafs.

The Penalty Shot
Likely the right call, but why the delay? That ref took his sweet time to point to centre ice...Anyone know Raycroft's stats on penalty shots? Given his stats in the shootout (23rd overall, .600 save percentage) I'd guess he's right near the bottom among active goalies. Maybe they should have stuck Aubin between the pipes for that one.

Trade Nonsense
With the Oil falling further and further from the post-season I'm extremely doubtful that they're going to be buyers in the next two weeks. This road trip (pasted by Boston?!?) has tilted the scales from buyer to seller. Moreover, the Oilers strike me as a team more in need of a puck moving D than a scrappy PP specialist like Tucker (and I'm pretty sure Craig Simpson could figure out how to make Tucker ineffective on the Oiler powerplay anyways.)

All of that to say, did anyone notice Lupul tonight? Did the guy even dress? This is who Leaf Nation is talking up? Over 14 minutes, 21 shifts, -1, 1 shot on net. Meh. The Leafs might as well spend $2.5M on the invisible man. This is not a guy I want on the Blue and White.

The Meaningless Projected Standings as of Saturday Night

Team	Win %	GR	Record to 92 Pts	Record to 95 Pts
1. BUFFALO	0.703	23	4-18-1	6-17-0
2. NEW JERSEY	0.667	25	7-18-0	8-14-1
3. PITTSBURGH	0.616	26	11-14-1	13-13-0
4. OTTAWA	0.602	23	10-12-1	12-11-0
5. ATLANTA	0.575	23	11-11-1	13-10-0
6. TAMPA BAY	0.575	22	11-10-1	13-9-0
7. TORONTO	0.559	23	13-10-0	14-8-1
8. CAROLINA	0.549	21	12-8-1	14-7-0
-----------	---	--	---	---
9. NY ISLANDERS	0.542	23	14-9-0	15-7-1
10. MONTREAL	0.533	22	14-8-0	15-6-1
11. NY RANGERS	0.526	24	15-8-1	17-7-0
12. BOSTON	0.509	25	17-8-0	18-7-0
13. WASHINGTON	0.474	24	18-6-1	19-4-0
14. FLORIDA	0.475	22	17-4-1	19-3-0

Teams are sorted by winning percentage, not points. Teams have not been re-seeded by division standings. Philadelphia cannot make 92 or 95 points.

Math was done by hand - let me know if there are any errors...

Playoff Predictions

Something a little different today as I’m joined by a few other hockey fans to discuss the upcoming playoff match-ups and make predictions that I'm sure will be very very incorrect.

Taking part in the festivities are Dave, from the Ottawa Sun - a frustrated Bruins fan (is there any other type) who longs for the good old days of Cam Neely and Ray Bourque. Montreal-based Sens fan (we’ll forgive him) and PWI scribe Keith (aka Fatcitizen). Oilers fan and resident of the City of Champions Rick and all the way from Alabama, music lover and hockey fan Largeheartedboy.

Mike (aka BLF/MF37)

I'm glad we agreed to start with the West because, after the results of last night's games, I think that's where most of the really interesting match-ups reside.

First up: Detroit Red Wings (1) versus the Edmonton Oilers (8).

The Red Wings, winners of the President’s Trophy as the top team in the NHL, haven't missed the playoffs since 1990-91. The Oil return to the playoffs for just the second time since 2001-2002.

The Wings had 17 more wins and 29 more points than the Oil (although they do play in the Comedy Central Division); however, the season series between these two clubs was actually very close - both teams won 2 games, three of which went to overtime, including a Detroit shootout win in March.

So what do I make of the match-up? I have to admit I'm rather torn on this one. I'd love to see Yzerman win one last cup. Is there a classier guy in hockey? But, I also would love to see Edmonton actually make it out of the first round for a change...Detroit is no stranger to playoff upsets (cue the video montage with Borchevsky leaping in glee; goalies being booed out of town - Joseph, Osgood, Cheveldale; Maggie the Monkey from TSN; LA and Anaheim - California uber alles) but I don't think it's going to happen this year.

As far as I can tell, there's only three ways the Oilers are going to win this series:

1. Rexall Centre lives up to its name and the pharmacy outlet puts Quietude in the Red Wings Water Bottles
2. The statue of Wayne Gretzky in front of the rink actually comes to life, suits up for the Oilers, and plays like the Great One of 1988 (soon to be a major motion picture starring Emilio Estevez and Ian Ziering).
3. Dwayne Roloson gets hotter than hot and somehow steals at least three, if not four games.

I really want the Oil to make a series of it, so I'll call it Wings in six.

Keith

Starting with the west also means I have time to sleep off the celebrating I got into over the fact that the Sens get the Lightning in round one (Sean Burke, meet Daniel Alfredsson. Vulcanized rubber disc, meet twine).

Detroit v. Edmonton

True Story: I met Wayne Gretzky in the summer of 1981. The city was still going bonkers over the fact that the 16th seed Oilers had beaten the President's Trophy winning Habs (did the President's Trophy exist in 1981?) in four games. My aunt, who did bookkeeping at the Northlands (now Rexall Place) for a time, took me to a little reception where dozens of kids pushed past Warren Moon and several members of the Edmonton Drillers to get things signed by the then pasty-faced kid from Brantford.

Unfortunately for the folks in the City of Champions (tm) we're not turning back the clock.

The Oilers aren't beating this year's President's Trophy winners. It's not happening.

I've always thought the Oilers are one of those teams that is everyone's second (or third) favourite. It's hard not to like fast, hard-working, lunchbucket franchises, that play on the best ice in the league and skate like demons, but their goaltending isn't good enough (having watched Mike Morrison wearing Sens red and black I can see why he wasn't taking them anywhere, but has Roloson been that much better?), Peca can only take defensively erase one guy at a time (and he can only do that when he's not being counted on to score) and the Detroit power play is just too strong.

That said, the Oilers are just dangerous enough to make a series of it. I can't imagine Roloson pulling a J.S. Gigere and stunning everyone with the upset but I can't imagine MacTavish letting them roll over either.

Detroit in six.

Bonus prediction: Chris Chelios runs someone, let's say Ales Hemsky, out of the rink and into the hospital in game five in Detroit.

Rick

Keith - nice segue about the Drillers and meeting Gretzky although I am shocked that you did not want to meet the Driller's pillar on Defense and NASL all time all-star - Peter Nogly.

I am proud to admit that I am a soccer fan - it was much easier to get Drillers tix than Oiler tix in the early 80's, which was fine with me. Sleep-over at my Oma's and then walk across the street to Commonwealth to catch the game with my Opa while he told me about some of the great games he went to in Europe. Good Times ... yeah Good Times!!

Dave

The poor Edmonton Oilers. The 1980s must seem further away than ever for fans of the Oil today. Edmonton gets 41 victories and racks up 95 points, totals that would win many divisions in years past, and what's the Oilers' reward? A match-up with the President's Trophy-winning Red Wings, who feasted on their inept divisional rivals en route to a spectacular 124-point season.

OK, so these Wings aren't exactly the '76 Montreal Canadiens. Their goaltending could be suspect with an untested Manny Legace expected to start. But they have a proven playoff winner in Chris Osgoode ready to step in, and with skaters like Datsyuk, Lidstrom, Shanahan, Lang, Zetterberg, and ... let's see, oh yeah, STEVE YZERMAN (14 points in his last 15 games), they have more than enough firepower to give Dwayne Roloson fits. Roloson hasn't lived up to his billing since coming over to Edmonton at the trade deadline (8-7, .905 save pct.), and things aren't going to get any easier against Detroit in the post-season.

Maybe watching NBC's coverage of this series might make it a little more fun. ("From the network that brought you Joey, here's Pierre McGuire with today's installment of Hockey for Americans. Pierre chats with Hank Whitfield, who has driven the Zamboni at Joe Louis Arena for 807 consecutive games. He's a MONSTER!...")

If Craig MacTavish can get his team into the second round, he deserves a lifetime contract. It ain't gonna happen.

Prediction: Wings in five.

Keith
Seriously, what does McGuire smoke between his (calm, well considered, genuinely interesting) radio spots and his TV commentaries? Half the time he sounds like Duff Man.

Mike
Did you know both Edmonton and Detroit claim to be the "City of Champions" - see here and here.

I think there's a great municipal wager waiting to happen here - I foresee a photo op with an out of town mayor taking a wrench/ratchet set to another city's welcome signage...of course, the sign in Detroit is most likely:
a) bullet riddled
b) in Jerome Bettis' basement
c) missing since the Pistons victory "celebration" of 1989

Rick
First of all this series requires a mandatory bet with my Dad who has been Wings fan since the Edmonton Oil Kings were their farm team in the 60's. Remember those days when the Teams practically owned the players like slaves. Ted Lindsay can fill you in more...but I digress.

The Oilers finished this year with the most wins and points since 1988 which is also the last time they met the Wings in the playoffs. Can this be a coincidence? Is this a harbinger for playoff success? As per usual this town is split on whether the Oilers can get out of the first round. Can Roloson get hot and steal a game (which he hasn't so far) and will their young forwards become playoff veterans in a hurry. Peca is playing better and the Oilers can roll 4 lines now with Pouliot playing well but does the 4th line ever play in the playoffs? We all know Laraque has been saving all of his goals for the playoffs.

Secretly we are all hoping that Petr Klima takes the Wings on a tour of the all the old nightclubs in Edmonton and they stop at the old Goose Loonies Bar so that they can get liquored up before Game 3 on Tuesday. Jacques Demers will be able to read about it in Wednesdays paper...

If the Wings are ever going to get knocked out of the playoffs, we all know it would be in the First Round. I still remember the Ducks killing my Draft in 1994 when they beat the Wings and it was only because Cloutier couldn't stop a 6 hopper from the Red Line that they beat the Canucks a few years ago.

The Wings can be beat but only if:
· the Oilers stay out of the penalty box
· Roloson outplays Legace
· the Oilers forcheck the crap out of the Wings Defense.

Are the Wings still hungry for the cup? Datsyuk and Zetterberg were invisible in the playoffs 2 years ago and I can't believe Shanahan is a 30+ goal scorer again this year. The playoffs are different beast. All the pressure is on the Wings, we will see if the Oilers can rise to the challenge. My head says differently but my heart says....

Oilers in Seven!!!

Keith
Rick - I'm sure you're going to fill us in, but why do you think the Oil have a better chance against Detroit than Dallas? They're toast either way, aren't they?

Rick

After all of these years, I think the team and the city are spooked and tired of Dallas. They have always played Detroit well over the past few years and the players believe they can beat them. I am not sure it is the same with Dallas. My wife is in Houston this week with her mom and told me it was 31C yesterday. I think if Edmonton had to playing on the crappy ice in Reunion Arena or whatever is called these days it would be deja-vous all over again (I love Yogi Berra !!).

Keith

Kinda like us and the Leafs, eh?

Mike

Ed’s note: Keith means the Sens - I’m glad to see that Leaf fans aren’t the only ones that use the “we” pronoun when talking hockey.


Largeheartedboy

Before I make my first prediction, I have to admit that the NHL playoffs are by far my favorite sporting event. I grew up in Philadelphia and am a lifelong Flyers fan, but live in the south now and have become a regular at Predators home games and a fan of the future dynasty that David Poile and Barry Trotz have built.

Biases out of the way, here are my thoughts on the Red Wings - Edmonton series:

The rules changes that opened up offense in the league placed an even greater premium of special teams this year, and Detroit was first in the league in power play percentage and third in penalty killing. Added to their depth up front and on the blueline, Detroit will be a tough first-round opponent for the Oilers. The Wings' goaltending is surely their weak link, but luckily for them, Edmonton's duo of Dwayne Roloson and Jussi Markanen is no more likely than Detroit's Manny Legace Chris Osgood to steal a game.I would love for Edmonton to represent for Canadian teams and knock off the NHL's best regular season team, but I just don't see it happening in this series.

Red Wings in 6.

Keith
Another Wings in Six prediction.

Anyone want to talk about whether we're giving them too much respect? (I'm not just needling Rick, honest). If the Wings are as great as we all think they are, are we giving the Oilers the two wins just because they're gamers (I think I am...)

Largeheartedboy
As hard working a team as the Oilers are, I think they will force the Wings to beat them, and keep every game close. Legace hasn't proven himself as a playoff goaltender (only four career starts), if he gets hot I can see a five game series, but not a sweep.

Dallas (2) v. Colorado (7)

Dallas won the Pacific division title (which seems a bit odd considering where Dallas is actually located) and finished third overall in the NHL standings. Colorado looked like they might slip right out of playoff contention, hovering just above .500 in their post-Olympic match-ups, going 11-9-2 down the stretch.

Dave
Once upon a time (way back in 1995), a proud, stubborn goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens -- franchise superstar, the undisputed prince of Habitant hockey -- was left hung out to dry by his equally stubborn head coach in a game against the Detroit Red Wings at the Forum. After surrendering nine goals in 31 minutes to the visitors from Motown, the peerless netminder skated as close as he could get to the patrician president of the storied NHL club and growled: "I've played my last game for Montreal."

A few tense days later, the perennial all-star was traded safely away from the Eastern conference to the newly relocated Colorado Avalanche. That spring, he led his new club to the franchise's first Stanley Cup. Some say his former team has never recovered from the revered one's departure.

It was the stuff of fairy tales, a Hollywood ending if ever there was one.

Fast forward a decade. A Hart-trophy-winning Montreal goaltender is again traded in the midst of a controversial season, again to Colorado. He leads his new team in the Rockies to the playoffs, and...

OK, maybe this particular script still needs a little work to be believable.

No, not even Peter Jackson's best special effects crew could turn Jose Theodore into the second coming of St. Patrick. Whether it's the thin mountain air, the sight of Patrice Brisebois "clearing away traffic" in front of him once again or the wrong hair care products, Theodore has looked nothing remotely like the guy who won the NHL's MVP award a few years back. And that's why the Dallas Stars will beat his Colorado Avalanche in Round 1.

To be honest, though, I'm not really sold on the Stars either. I know they've got some talent up front with Modano, Arnott, Morrow, Guerin and the like, and a fairly solid defence. But I don't think Marty Turco has yet proven he's the guy who will carry them on his back to a Cup title the way Roy did twice in Colorado. And the Avs, don't forget, still have several players from those teams who know what it's like to hoist Lord Stanley's mug and would love to do it again.

Though Dallas won the season series between these teams 3-1, all the games were close, with two being decided in shootouts.

Still, Turco will be good enough to backstop the Stars past Colorado. Sakic, Blake and the rest of the Avs will have to regroup and try for another ring again next year.

Prediction: Dallas in six.

Mike
This one seems to lack a bit of heat or interest for me.

Colorado may have some pretty hefty firepower up front with 6 guys scoring 20 or more, but it's the goaltending that's looking a little shaky. As a Leaf fan, I know about shaky goaltending and neither Peter Budaj nor Jose Theodore would make give me any reason to book my second round tickets at the Pepsi Centre. I can't see the Avalanche pulling this one off with either of those guys between the pipes.

I think Arnott's contract-year play will continue. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Stars do it in five, but I think Sakic will win one game on his own.

Call it Stars in 6.

Keith

Top Five Physicians Warnings on the side of Jose Theodore's prescription for Propecia:

5) Side effects include drowsiness, dry mouth and family involvement in loan sharking.
4) Propecia may cause patients to miraculously recover from so-called "season ending ankle injuries."
3) So might getting away from the Montreal media
2) Les fabricants de Propecia ne sont pas responsables d'aucun suckitude à long terme
1) Persons imbibing this steroid masking agent hair care product will be eliminated by the Dallas Stars in the playoffs in six games

Seriously though, Dallas has balanced scoring, a decent defense, good coaching and a goalie with a ton to prove. The Avs have one of the greatest players of all time (Sakic) and a whole pile of question marks. I'm with Mike in thinking it might be generous to give the Avs two wins...

Dallas in 6.

Rick

These 2 teams have had some classic battles in the past - the 1999 series was great. Unfortunately, this is ancient history (remember the old NHL?) and does not equate to a good series this year.

Colorado is on the decline and will be lucky to make the playoffs next year. Their veterans are old and tired - Brisebois and Turgeon have had decent years but they will fade when the real hockey starts. Sakic and Tanguay cannot win this series on their own. Theodore should call Barry Bonds and start double dosing the steriods (err I mean flax liniment cream) really fast to justify his use of Propecia so that he will be literally HUGE in net (my Pierre Maguire plug).

Quenneville is proving that he is not the genius coach everyone made him out to be meanwhile Tippet has quietly built a cup contender. I am glad the Oilers play Detroit instead Dallas. I think this will be the year that Turco becomes a true superstar.

Stars in Five

Calgary (3) v. Anaheim (6)

The Flames won the Northwest Division with 103 points. Anaheim finished 3rd in the Pacific, just one point back of the streaking San Jose Sharks.

The Flames didn't have a single player hit the 70 point mark this season (Montreal is the only other team to qualify for the post-season without having a player put at least 70 on the board). While Anaheim seemed to flip a switch at about the 20 game point and just kept plugging along, going roughly 11-4 though the next three 15 game segments.

Dave
With all due respect to Jaromir Jagr and Joe Thornton, the National Hockey League's real MVP is playing in this series.

Without Mikka Kiprisoff, the punchless Flames might not have given the Albany River Rats a run for their money this season. Calgary won its division despite scoring only 218 goals - just 18 more than it managed in the NHL's "dead puck era" in 2003-04. But thanks to Kipper's stellar netminding, the Flames also gave up fewer goals than any other team in the league.

Calgary has a battle-tested crew and a coach in Darryl Sutter who knows how to squeeze every ounce of effort out of his players. But will that be enough against an Anaheim team that features a Veniza-calibre goalie of its own in J.S. Giguere, not to mention perhaps the league's best defenceman in Scott Neidermayer and a rejuvenated Teemu Selanne, who's playing like it's 1993 all over again? (Maybe he went to Jose Theodore's hair specialist and said, "I'll have what he's having.")

I never thought losing Craig Conroy to free agency would make such a difference to the Flames' offence, but I really think it has. Jarome Iginla isn't the same player he was two years ago, and part of it could be a lack of chemistry with the centre who feeds him the puck. (Everybody loves Daymond? Maybe not in Cowtown.) Or maybe not.

All I know is the Calgary Flames are still scoring goals like it's 2004. They better hope they can duplicate some of the same magic that carried them to the finals that spring, or they could be making a quick exit from Lord Stanley's tournament.

As someone who'd love to see an all-Canadian Stanley Cup final between Ottawa and Calgary, I hate to say it but: Ducks in seven.

Keith
Wow!Davey, is this your "token upset pick" or do you know something we don't?

Dave
You know I can't reveal my sources, Keith.

Keith
I know the Flames haven't scored, and I know they've been boring but does the new NHL eliminate the old saw that defense and goaltending win championships?

I think we all watched Anaheim go on that tear a month ago and forgot that they were pretty average before that. They've also been pretty average (or below average) in the last month. I'll tell you one thing, though, it's not a series I'm looking forward to watching.

Edmonton Detroit will likely be interesting/Dallas v. Colorado could have some nice end to end action, not so (at least as far as I can see) with Anaheim - Calgary.

FWIW, I like your Conroy observation, Dave. He's certainly missed in Calgary and good things have definitely followed him down to Carolina.

Rick
The Flames might not have made the playoffs without Kipper. Since the Flames got him, every team in the League is trying to find magic in a bottle with an unknown Finnish goalie ... right Dave Nonis -- WRONG !!

Quite Frankly the Flames scare me. I suspect that the playoffs will see a return of pre-lockout hockey and as David said, the Flames are still scoring at that level so that should not be a problem. Iginla has to pick it up though if they are going to go far.I am still shocked that the Ducks even made it into the playoffs considering most people thought they were done at the Trading Deadline. Brian Burke's ego will be even bigger now but I don't think that the Ducks have enough to challenge Calgary.

Teemu has been great this year - he was a sleeper pick in my reg. season pool but who the hell in Andy MacDonald!?!

Giguere is playing better lately but the Flames will remember how Ryan Smyth rattled his cage a couple of months ago and run the crap out of him.Flames in Five. Then we can watch Glenn Healy and Burke go at it again on TSN with their playoff commentary!!!

FYI - As a proud Edmontonian there was no way I wanted Calgary to win the Cup two years ago. However I did have fun writing "Sucks" on all of the traitors who had Flames Car Flags on their Trucks and everybody loved the Flames Girls website. This year I better not see any Flames Flags around town and now I hear that the Calgary Cops are going to tone down the celebrations on the Red Mile. Maybe the Oilers Girls on Whyte Ave will pick up the slack ... stay tuned.

Mike

To paraphrase an old joke, this series is going to come down to three things - Kirprisoff, Kirprisoff, Kiprisoff. This is a hard one to call.

I know that stats and history clearly demonstrate there's no relationship between playoff experience and success (just look at the list of cup contenders over the past few years Calgary, Anaheim, Carolina) but all I can think about in this series is Calgary's run the last time we had hockey.

These teams seem very evenly matched. While Anaheim has great team speed, Selanne is playing unbelievable hockey and Giguere is no slouch between the pipes, the Flames can counter with Sutter, the stingiest defense in the league and a number of guys up front that can score.

Looking for other advantages, neither team has a great powerplay (Anaheim is 15th, Calgary is 12th). Calgary's PK is 7th, Anaheim's is just 0.8% worse, which puts them at 13th. In terms of goals scored five on five, Anaheim was 18th with 136 goals. The Flames were 29th with 108. The teams even managed to split their season series at 2-2.

If you're looking for an advantage, this is all I've got: Sutter, the persona, has to be good for one win. Kiprisoff has to be able to steal another. That means the Flames just have to win two more out of five. Factor in the Flames' best home record in the NHL, the Ducks playing .500 on the road and four games at the Saddledome and the scales tip towards the Flames.

I'm going to go with Calgary in 7, but it's more of a push than any strong conviction.

Keith
You know, part of the fun of these e-mail prognostication thingies is disagreeing with people you sometimes barely know.

Since I know Mike, this won't be as much fun. Then again, it's not much of a disagreement. I was all ready to talk about how this one is bound to be a tight series, about how (as a recovering Canucks fan) I'm really happy for Brian Burke and how every hockey fan has to be excited with the resurgence of Teemu Selanne.

Then I checked things out:

• Calgary has won 7 of their last eleven (not dominant, but still pretty healthy
• Calgary has the better defense Calgary has the better goaltender (if not the best one in the league right now)
• Calgary has home ice (and one of the toughest rinks in the league to win in…only Nashville has more home wins, strangely enough)

Sure they don't score a tonne, but with Kipper in net, they won't need to, and when you add the fact that the Ducks are 4-7 in their last eleven (and 4-8 in their last 12) I just can't imagine this one is going to be as tight as Mike thinks.

Calgary in five.

Dave
BTW, I'm standing by my Anaheim prediction. I'd love to see the Flames make a repeat run to the finals, but something tells me the Ducks just might have their number. Then again, I've been wrong before. In fact, I'm probably wrong more often than not when it comes to sports prognosticating.

Still, Ducks in seven. You read it here first.

Nashville Predators (4) v. San Jose Sharks (5)

Dave
Perhaps Don Cherry said it best on a recent edition of Coach's Corner. When the San Jose Sharks traded for Joe Thornton early this season, they really got two players in the deal.

Obviously they added Thornton, this year's Art Ross Trophy winner with 125 points. But Thornton also managed to awaken Jonathan Cheechoo's inner scoring giant. Before the trade, Cheechoo had a pedestrian seven goals in 24 games. After Big Joe came west and joined his line, he potted a whopping 49 and took home the Rocket Richard trophy for good measure. No team in the West was hotter than the Sharks down the stretch (8-1-1 in their last 10) and the boys in San Jose have to be feeling confident. Vesa Toskala has little playoff experience in net, but he played very well in the regular season.

Nashville, meanwhile, has bigger goaltending issues with Tomas Vokoun out for the season after suffering blood clots. In fact, until yesterday, I can honest say I'd never heard of the man who's taking his place, Chris Mason. Thanks to NHL.com, I now know he's a native of Red Deer, Alta., who has played 44 games over six NHL seasons and happens to be celebrating his 30th birthday tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, Chris, and welcome to the Stanley Cup playoffs! Good luck. You might need it.

Actually, the Predators have barely missed a beat since Mason took over for Vokoun, with the new starter going 5-1 with a GAA of 1.44. Nashville's defence is pretty solid, and the Predators played well down the stretch, going 7-3. The Preds have a couple of top-notch skill players in Kariya and Sullivan, along with dependable journeymen Mike Sillinger and Yanic Perreault. The two teams split their season series 2-2, with two games going to overtime.

In the end, though, I have to give the edge to San Jose. The Sharks have a bunch of guys like Alyn McCauley, Scott Thornton and Scott Hannan with character and grit who aren't easy to play against, especially when spring rolls around. This one could be close, but I'll take San Jose in six.

Largeheartedboy

This is a totally different series if Nashville goaltender Tomas Vokoun was playing. With Chris Mason between the pipes, regardless of his success this season, this becomes an easy series for the hottest team in the west.

Nashville does have the toughest arena in the league this year, having the best home record. I'll take part of that credit, having seen many games in Nashville this year and rooting for my adopted home team. The crowd will be loud at their home games and the Predators' team defense and blue-collar teamwork will keep the team from being embarrassed, but Thornton, Cheechoo and company will come out ahead at the end of the series.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Sharks ride their hot streak into the finals. Wait until next year, though, for the Preds...San Jose in six.

Rick
Boy this is a tough series to pick. The winner could go all the way to the Finals.

Nashville is a gritty playoff style team that does not seem to miss Vokoun .. so far. I kind of hope they advance and meet Calgary in round two. Those 2 teams hate each other...but I am getting ahead of myself.

Ultimately this series comes down to which Joe Thornton will show up - the Boston Beaner who has disappeared in playoffs past (no points in 7 games in 2003-04 and only 18 points in 35 career playoff games) or the West Coast Renaissance Man who is the Art Ross Trophy Winner this year. My ass is getting sore sitting on the fence on this one. I would be happy with players from either team in my Playoff pool. Joe Thornton aside ... when in doubt pick the team with the better goaltender and I would take Nabokov or Toskala over Mason any day.

Sharks in Seven...maybe ... ouch that damn fence hurts !!

Keith
Don't forget that, in that Montreal series, Joe was -- supposedly - playing with a rib injury that made it impossible for him to bend over to untie his skates.

Rick
Boo Hoo! Thornton should have sucked it up. The stars of this game have become Legendary by playing hurt in the playoffs and still contributing to their teams. A couple of broken ribs to Messier meant he only scored 2 points per game instead 3 or 4 and opponents only had to worry about getting an evil glare instead of a stick in the gut. And yes ... Messier is my favorite all time player.

Keith
Ahhhh...I was waiting for the first "back in my day" moment. Thank you Rick, for winning the prize ahead of me. (I likely would have wasted it on crying about Tony Tanti or pulling my hair out about Joel Otto being in the crease...)

FWIW, who did Mess have on his wings? It wasn't Mike Knuble, was it? Just checking...At any rate, yeah, Joe's a little laid back, but I think the proof will be in the pudding over the next few weeks...

Another side note, does anyone scratch their head over the fact that Cheechoo signed for five years at $3 Million per? How much of it did he give to Joe? Does the fact that the Sharks are essentially paying two salaries (Joe's and Cheechoos) for one guy (Thornton) affect San Jose's cap in some way?

Davey, you're a Bruins fan. What do you think of Joe?

Furthermore, does anyone disagree with my list of the worst front offices in hockey
4) Columbus
3) Toronto
2) Chicago
1) Boston - that Thornton trade is going to go down in the books as one of the worst ever...

Mike
Two words – Milbury’s Islanders.

Rick
You named the winner/loser there Mike.I actually like Columbus - Nash will be healthy next year and I think they can make the playoffs with a strong supporting cast of Zheredev on the wing and Leclaire in net.

Keith
Crap! Sorry I forgot the Isles.. (See that's why these things are usually top fives)
5) Columbus
4) Toronto
3) The Islanders
2) Chicago
1) Boston

Mike
Off the top of my head, my top 5 bad front offices/GMs:

1. Islanders
2. Chicago (I liked the Aucoin and Khababulin signings at the time...)
3. Pittsburgh (why did anyone think Crosby, retreads and an AHL defensive corps would compete this year. Rechhi was a -35)
4. Boston (they at least drafted Samsonov and Thornton and had a 100 point season before the stoppage)
5. Leafs (not one of JFJ's off-season signings worked out)

Keith
Not that it's much of a stretch to call the 4-5 series the best or closest of the bunch, but I'm really looking forward to this one (and not just because Chris Mason and Vanilla Ice - scroll half way down for the picture - were separated at birth).

Mike
I think Chris Mason looks more like Luke Easter from that awful band Tourniquet (sp?).

Don't ask me how I know these things.

Keith
Mostly it's because I'm a BIG Joe Thornton fan (not just because he was the only bright light in an otherwise dim season for my fantasy team) and I love the Cheechoo story (he always was top ten in the league in shots on goal, it's a measure of how good Joe Thornton is that he turned from a shooter into a scorer).

Nashville's fun to watch (add Steve Sullivan to the list of players I really like in this series) but I think it'll be the Sharks at the end of the day.

San Jose in seven fun, exciting to watch, games.

Mike
I really wish Voukon hadn't been hurt as this would be a completely different series and further proof that the first round of the NHL playoffs is one of the best sporting moments of the year.

That said, Mason has put up surprisingly good numbers in his short stretch with the Preds and neither Toskala nor Nabokov have really seized the number one job in San Jose.

I think this series will turn on depth and with Sullivan hurt and Zidlicky questionable, I don't think the Preds have the manpower to match San Jose on a line by line basis (oh to have Marleau as a second line centre). I also think Ron Wilson's got the coaching chops to get this team past the first round.

Sharks in six*

*I should admit that I gave up on the sharks back in January and traded them for Canucks in my rotisserie pool, so you might want to discount this pick a little...


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