Before I get to the playoffs, I must give credit....

NHL playoffs start on Wednesday and before I get into my predictions I have to give massive props to a couple of Maple Leafs. Yes I would rather be writing about who the Buds are facing in the playoffs right about now, but this comes as a bit of good news after another shit season.

19 year old stud, Luke Scheen and Ian White have been selected to represent Canada at the World Hockey Championships in Switzerland. Scheen I knew was being considered, White on the other hand came as a surprise. Good on Hockey Canada. White was top notch for a weak Leafs squad and his efforts have obviously not gone unnoticed.

Schenn joins fellow 19 year old rookies Steven Stamkos from the Lightning and Drew Doughty from the Kings who were also selected to the team.

All three of these teenagers have won world junior gold for Canada in the past, so its not as if these guys are new to Hockey Canada. Its good to see the youth getting to represent for Canada at the World Champs, which over the last few years has served as a tryout for those hoping to crack the senior team. Don't be surprised if one of these kids is in the red and white come next years Olympics.

Even though my team isn't in the playoffs again this year, there is a remedy for those like myself, who really don't care who wins the cup. Playoff pool!

I got destroyed in my regular season pool. My strategy was to take my goalies early. A good tender can get you as many points as a top ten scorer. Evgeni Nabokov proved that. He got me a solid 97 points. Carey Price on the other hand got me a whopping 49 points.

With playoff pools this rule works much better. Pick the goalie from the team that your think is going to take the cup. That's a guaranteed 32 points as it takes 16 wins to hoist Stanley. Plus if you give an extra point for a shut outs it can work out to be more like Gretzky's point totals from playoffs in the 80s. Just hope the back up doesn't steal the job from the starter a few games in.

Before you just draft players one must devise who you think is going to do what and who will face off to win the cup.

Breaking down the bracket. Not as simple as you think. Upsets happen. A team you loaded up players off may go down in the first round. That's the beauty of the NHL playoffs.

I have my draft today. No better time to break down the bracket. I will only give my first round predictions, but I will give my prediction for the cup winner after.

Right lets get started.

East

Boston vs Montreal

Bruins will be too much for the Habs too handle. Tougher team with a ton of talent not to mention this years top candidate for the Vezina, Tim Thomas between the pipes.

Bruins in five.

Washington vs New York

Awesome match up. Love to see Ovechkin in the Big Apple. The NHL needs people like Ovie to market the league. Fuck what Don Cherry thinks, all he's doing is giving the game some much needed personality.

As for the series itself, tough to see the Caps losing this though they very well could. I'm not sure what this Rangers team is really all about. I like the offensive fire power of the Caps. Not 100% on their goaltending but think it will be enough to get past the Rangers.

Caps in six.

New Jersey vs Carolina

Carolina have been on fire since they got ex- Leafs coach Paul Maurice back in Raleigh. The Canes are rolling going into the dance and have been lead by their top notch tender, Cam Ward. If it wasn't for Tim Thomas' stand out year, Ward would probably get the Vezina. Getting Eric Cole back has been huge for the Canes especially while playing alongside Eric Staal.

The Devils can't be looked over. Here is a team that didn't have their best player Martin Brodeur for half the season, and were still able to take the very tough Atlantic. This one is a coin flip for me. I want to say Jersey cause they got the experience, but really so do the Canes.

Hurricanes in seven.

Pittsburg vs Philadelphia

A lot of people are excited about this series and rightfully so. This is going to be physical and down right nasty. The Pens will have to show some restraint and not get sucked into stupid penalties. Basically they can't play the Flyers type of hockey.

Philly's goaltending is shaky. I've never been a Biron nor Niittymaki fan. Briere has to contribute. If they can get Briere moving they could be in good shape, cause you know Carter and Richards will surely be on top of their game. I like the Pens and think Crosby is just now hitting his full stride after a few injuries set him back.

Pens in seven.

West

San Jose vs Anaheim

Everyone here in Vancouver was saying how glad they were that the Canucks didn't have to face the Ducks in the first round. They're a tough bunch with some skill up front and decent (not fantastic) goaltending. They got the experience and some young talent. Just can't imagine these Ducks taking out the juggernaut Sharks.

San Jose has something to prove and they showed it this season. The Presidents trophy winners have one goal in mind and that's winning the cup. Anything less for this team will be a disappointment. After some dismal playoffs in years past, its time now for the Sharks to make a serious run. I can see the Ducks taking a couple of games here but that's all.

Sharks in six.

Detriot vs Columbus

Columbus seems to be the one team people are considering to be the "sleeper" this year. Strong goaltending from rookie of the year candidate Steve Mason has helped bring the CBJ into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. I knew when Ken Hitchcock took over as head coach of this team that it wouldn't be long before he got them in. He's too good of a coach not too. One of the down falls that I'm seeing in this series may be the fact that Mason is so young. Lots of pressure on a young goalie and drawing the reigning cup champs in your first taste of playoff action won't be an easy task. The season series was a good one with each team taking 3 games of six. The Wings are the Wings and they love the fact that not many people aren't picking them to repeat. I don't see the Jackets doing much in this series and think its the Wings in a walk.

Detriot in five.

Vancouver vs St Louis

I live in Vancouver and its a buzz in this town at the moment. One of the local sports radio shows today had a poll question asking if the Canucks drew the easiest opponent in the first round. Made me scratch my head. What do the Blues need to do for people to take them seriously?

The Blues were the hottest team in the NHL for the second half of season. They wrapped up the season going 8-1-1!

This is an easy opponent?

Its obvious that the Canucks aren't going to take the Blues lightly. The season series was a split with the two teams matching up well. The difference. Goaltending. Luongo is money. The guy has the winning mentality and this is the best team that has ever been in front of him in his short time in Van City. Chris Mason from the Blues has been a good story this year and should be good for the Blues in this series. Just not good enough.

Nucks in six.

Chicago vs Calgary

Heres another series that could end in four or go seven. The Flames are riddled with injuries and will have to re lie on a beat up back end to get them through. Its also a wonder which Mikka Kiprusoff will show up. The lights out Kipper, or the beer league hack Kipper.

The Hawks will have a jacked up house at the United Center for game one. These fans have waited far too long for playoff hockey to return to the Windy City and know that this team is legit. Loaded up front and on the back end. Goaltending is OK, but they got two good ones to choose from. Not great, but good. I like the make up of this Hawks team and with the injury situation being the way it is for the Flames, its got to be the Hawks to take this.

Hawks in six.

There it is. Most of my predictions will probably be wrong but hey that's the best part of speculating. You can always assume you'll be wrong and when your right you can always gloat!

I did say I would pick a cup winner so here goes.

In my eyes the team that will raise lord Stanley's cup in 2009 will be the San Jose Sharks. I'm not going too far out in this prediction but hey this team has it all. Top tier forwards. Strong back end and goaltender. Great coach.

Now take one guess who I will take (if he's available) with my first pick in my playoff pool.....

The kids are the real show!

"Its the most wonderful time of the year"

No its not Christmas, and no the NHL and NBA playoffs aren't for another month or so. March Madness begins this Thursdays, and I'm just a little excited. Its actually sickening how excited. Really the madness began over this past week, with all the conference tournament games in the morning and evening making me literally become one with my couch. Throw in the odd NBA game and I'm officially an all out geek when it comes to watching basketball.
Did I mention that the BC Boys AAA Provincial High School Basketball Championships were going down across the city at the Agrodome?
Ya I went. I know, I'm obsessed.
Got to witness my boys the Kitsilano Blue Demons win their only game of the tourney. Not a great show for the Demons, but beating the eventual champs at the Lower Mainland Tournament to qualify for the provincials was one of the best games I saw this season at any level. The Blue Demons will win the Lower Mainland next season, and will be one of the contenders to win the province. Trust me.
I wanted to see the Titans from South Kamloops more then any team in the tournament. One cause they were the top ranked team in the province all year, and two cause I heard they had a 6'10 kid named Kelly Olynyk who's headed next year to Gonzaga in the NCAA. Not sure what his actual numbers were this season, but I'm sure it was something round 30+ points/ game and like 10+ rebounds/ game. Something disgusting like that.
Anyways since he's so huge, I assumed he was a post player who just destroys under the basket. I couldn't have been more wrong.
The kid was the point guard with a ridiculus handle and a money jimmy. I skipped the semis against St Georges thinking Kelly and crew would roll over the Saints. I was wrong and pissed I didn't go. The game went to OT, with the Saints pulling out the upset lead by grade 11 star Emerson Murray's 26 points. Olynyk did his best, dropping 37 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists in the lose. Thats the best thing about High School and University ball. Nobody's safe. Any game is anyones to win, or lose.
Saturday evening was the finals between Lower Mainland champion the Vancouver College Fighting Irish and St G's. This is a huge city rivalry. I made sure to check out South Kamloops play for 3rd and 4th against White Rock Christian Academy. Wasn't even a game, with the Titans taking the Warriors 94-75. Olynyk scored 46 (!) to go along with 15 rebounds and 5 assists. The kid is without a doubt one of the best prep schoolers in Canada. I'm curious if he could play point in the NCAA. I'm thinking he'll be a wing down south. Regardless expect to see Kelly on the Canadian National team really soon.
The finals were all that everyone wanted (well maybe not VC fans). I was sitting in a group of ex- Saints, probably in their mid twenties. They were pumped for the game, and though I could care less who won, deep down I really don't like St Georges.
The game went back and forth, with both teams going on runs of offense, backed by some good defense. The stars of the respective teams Emerson Murray for the Saints and Thomas Scrub for the Irish were relatively quiet throughout the game. Thomas' little brother Philip was on fire for the Irish making tough shots all game leading his team with 27 points. Thomas did haul in 17 rebounds, but his shooting was off going 3-11 including 0-4 from three. Watch out for Philip Scrub next season. The kid is the real deal.
The player that kept the Saints in the game wasn't Murray or their great point guard Dillon Hamilton. The difference was their lanky post Joshua Robertson. The 6'8 forward had an incredible 21 rebounds to go along with 24 points. I've seen Robertson play a few times this year, and was always impressed with his hustle and play.
VC held a 6 point lead at the half, but St G's stayed in it right down to the wire, backed all the way by Robertson. Philip Scrub hit a huge shot to give the Irish a 1 point lead less then 20 seconds on the clock. Thats when the quiet killer Emerson Murray, who was clearly not 100% in this game, hit a baseline jumper with 2.6 seconds left to give the Saints another upset victory. Murray has one more year of High School ball left, and is a lock to go south to play Division 1 in the NCAA. The kid has the game to back up his swagger. Like I said, I'm a Saints hater, but you can't help but love Emerson's game. Respect!
The NBA is the show, but when it comes down to it the best basketball is played by the youth. You won't get better value for your buck. I live in a city with a great basketball community, that couldn't support an NBA franchise. Shame really, but thats big business. Unfortunately the Grizzlies needed the loot and weren't getting it in Lotus Land. Fortunately youth basketball is striving and the ball fans in Vancouver have a relative and economic alternative to the NBA. I actually think our Basketball BC under 17 team could have given the Abdur- Rahim lead Grizzlies of the past a real run. I'm sure Big Country Reeves couldn't have kept up.

Thursdays thoughts...

Its Thursday, the weekend is right around the corner. Sun is shining bright here in Vancouver, but I'm feeling sour.
Why?
Could have something to do with the fact that my teams won't be in the NBA or NHL playoffs this season.
I'm getting used to the Leafs barely showing up for most games, but the Raptors too! So much promise and hope going into the season for the Raps, went slightly, that is extremely downhill. Shaq calling out Chris Bosh as the Rupaul of big men in the NBA really isn't far off. I love me some CB4, but not the one that's been shying away from the contact on the Raps this season. Time to Buck up Bosh, or its time to move on.
What happened to all that MVP talk at the start of the season?

Will Vancouver ever start to believe in the Canucks?
The team goes on fire and wins 12 of 15. Then loses two in a row (on the road no less), against two very desperate clubs in the Kings and Ducks. Suddenly the sky is falling.
This team probably won't win the cup. This we know. The problem. Most Canucks fans are satisfied with just making the playoffs? Barring a complete collapse, the Nucks will get to the dance, and hence every Canuck fan can breath easy, cause to them just getting in the playoffs is a successful season.
Mr Gillis. For the love of god get this team to win a cup. Maybe then the lowered expectations from the fan base can end. Then Canuck fans can realize that though making the playoffs is a big achievement, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.


The NHL GM's have been in Florida all week, sitting pool side and even talking hockey. One major topic is the rule changes when it comes to scraps, fist a cuffs, brew hahas....you know fighting. The league is looking to impose a 10 min misconduct for instigators or to those that engage in "staged" fights. You know the ones that start right off the drop of the puck. The league is hoping that the 10 minute misconduct will deter those from instigating fights. Just another band aid solution for really something that should be pulled out of the game completely. The best hockey in the world gets played during the NHL playoffs, the olympics and the World Cup of hockey (or is that the Canada Cup), whatever they call it now a days. You don't see fights going down then, and the product of the play is of the highest quality.
I have always felt that fighting was part of the game, but I've changed my tune and think its time to straight up pull it out of the game. Is it going to take someone in the NHL dyeing before the league seriously does something. Blood will be on your hands Mr. Bettman. You know as good as anyone, that fighting sells hockey to the five people that watch hockey in the States. Can't lose that precious US market, right Gary? Get your head out of your wallet.

Speaking of that twerp Bettman. What the hell are you doing with NHL?
Teams in Nashville, Atlanta, Phoenix, Florida, Carolina, but no teams in Winnipeg, Quebec City, Hamilton, hell Saskatoon. Any of these city's could probably generate a larger fan base and revenue then all those american cities combined. Who really though hockey would be a good idea in Tennessee! Wait Gary did.
Funny how an American that knows nothing about hockey runs the most important hockey league in the world.