We’re going win that cup
We’re going win the Stanley Cup
Me and the Buffalo Sabers yeah yeah yaeh

One step further How's your team doing.

Gooooooooo Boston. Drive that ball. Beware of that sandtrap.

:-) :-)

Well, your Sabres are okay, but they're no match for my Calgary Flames.
GO FLAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can all be watching golf when the Senators are hoisting the cup in downtown Ottawa.

Well my Carolina Hurricaines just took a good game against Montreal...... Let's Go Caines!!!

Well my Carolina Hurricaines just took a good game against Montreal...... Let's Go Caines!!!

Wish I felt as confident in my team. I can't tell you how frustrating it is (AGAIN!!!!!) to see what was CLEARLY the best team over the entire length of the season, on the verge of getting bounce by a number 8 seed in the first round.

And believe me, I know it's effective and it is having it's desired effect, but the brand of hockey the Oiler's play is just BORING.

The team to take home Lord Stanley's Cup?

My vote is the NJ Devils.

Tom

Just about everybody gave the Avs two chances to get past the first round, slim, and none. They did it though, winning three overtime wins out of five games. Who'd have thunk it.

Colorado sports fans are terribly spoiled. The Broncos won their conference, and beat the defending Super Bowl champs in a playoff game, but because they didn't go to the big game they are considered loosers.

The Nuggets won their division, and everybody acts like "ho hum." They will, and probably should, get their heads handed to them the rest of the playoffs.

The Rockies for once has a really decent April. 15 and 10 with a 10 and 3 road record it totally unheard of. It was late May last year when they won their 3rd road game. I don't think they will go all the way, but it's fun that they aren't already eliminated.

As for the Avs Colorado people feel if they don't win it all they are failures. I'll bet any other fans would be going nuts if they had the Avs to root for.

If the Red Wings don't win Stanley the season is considered a failure, especially since they creamed everyone and won the President's Trophy in record number of games. This will be at least the third time in the last 10 years that they will be the best team in the regular season and might not win the Cup.

Personally watching the playoffs this year I don't think the rule changes have changed playoff hockey. Watching Dallas, Nashville and the Red Wings (high powered offensive teams), it is clear that the defenses are still sitting back on their own blue lines, pushing and shoving (without the hooking and slashing) and still playing what most announcers are calling pansy hockey. Marginal teams are taking it to the top seeds because they are just collapsing on the defensive zone. Yes they are doing it legally but it really breaks the spirit of the rules change to reward offensive teams.

Not much to say - 'cept - GO SHARKS!!!

Gunnie

Eigth seeded Oilers bounce the President's Trophy Red WIngs convincingly in the first round.

In 6.

At THEIR house.

Ho hum. Deja vu' all over again.


Still going with NJ.


At least we have a championship calibre BASKETBALL team in this town.

I don't think that Edmonton beating Detroit is a big upset. I think that you have to look at their regular season to gaina bit more perspective. They got to feed on a steady diet of mediocre teams like the Blue Jackets, Blues and Black Hawks. Thats a lot of points right there.

I love watching Oiler hockey. Since my Leafs are out they are my team. However I will be happy to see any Canadian team win. Except of course Ottawa.

I have only just started watching the NHL playoffs as I have been following my OHL Barrie Colts but they are out now so I still need my hockey fix.

From watching all the games so far it really seem that teams that are back to playing defensive hockey are beating all the top seeded teams that were really high powered offense during the regular season. The rule changes trying to promote more offense has not panned out. As one announcer put it, lower seed teams are playing the basketball equivilent of Hack-a Shaq and getting away with it. Bad hockey but still within the rules.

I wouldn't go as far as saying it is bad hockey because it's a strategy that appears to neutralize the Dallas, Predators and Wings. It's just not very exciting hockey.

What no more Dead Wings this year? The whole of Colorado is in mourning. NOT. :-) Sorry, couldn't resist. As I understand it this year could be all lower seed teams advancing. That means the playoffs are Wide Open! Should be fun to watch.

Go habs! Last game against the hurricaines! Bring hte cup!

At least make that though go on for another round in the play offs!

Frank

Let's Go 'Caines....

Gotta love Cam Ward! Hurricaines in 6

Buffalo 7 Philly 1, now it's off to Ottawa.

:-)--< Lets Go Buffalo!

Thank god Montreal is gone. I cant stand that Team. Way to go Cam Ward. Hats off to u. Second round is shaping up to be a good one. Buff-Ottm NJ-Car, and so on.

Bring on some good ol fashion hockey

And of course we'll all be pulling for the Avs now.

DOUBLE NOT!!!! :-) :-)

Seriously one of my favorite games ever was against Colorado. I'm sure you remember the 2002 game in the playoffs in which Patrick Roy got pulled after the Wings HAMMERED him with 6 goals. They scored early and often. You could hear the cheering all over town!!!

Hasn't been the rivalry this year as much as in the past, but still a good one!!

Tom

Wait till the Wings bring Todd Bertuzzi to Detroit next year!!! It will be Avs/Wings rivalry of the good old days.

This year's cup playoffs are pretty odd. In the East, the top four seeds all advanced, while in the West, the top four seeds could all be eliminated. GO FLAMES!!!! Don't go back to your 1990 - 2003 playoff form!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't think that the rules changes aren't working, since there seem to be a lot more penalties being called, especially in overtime. It's just that, as usually happens in the playoffs, teams have picked up their penalty killing and goal keeping. It's not as bad as the old clutch and grab style of trap that served the Devils and Flames so well in playoff runs past, just clogging the neutral zone and blue line. Somewhat ugly, but if it works their fans won't complain.
Finally, I think that Don Cherry made a very good point about why Detroit and Dallas were eliminated. Those two teams clinched their spots about a month ago and have been coasting to the playoffs, whereas Edmonton and Colorado were playing meaningful games with near playoff intensity up until the end of the season. Thus the lower seeds were more physically and mentally ready for the playoffs, and the results mirror this.

Grapes may have a point, but I don't think it is the reason for the Wings dismal failure.

Again.

Had the Wings gone into "sleep" mode a month or a few weeks before the season ended, they would not have put together the run of wins/points at the end of the season they did.

You can be sure that this failure will be thoroughly discussed for a LONG time, and there will be some changes. Whether they will be the RIGHT ones, who knows. Overall this is still an extremely talented team and does NOT need to be completely made over.

But I don't look for Manny and Ozzie to be back next year.

Tom

I think the guys at ESPN said it best.

Defense wins Championships. It's that way in Basketball. It's that way in Football (they meant US football but I'm sure it applies to Euro-football too) and it's that way in Baseball. It would be foolish to expect any different in hockey.

The league tried to spice up the scoring by taking away a few terrible defensive tactics like holding, slashing and interference but ultimately teams that defend their nets will keep high powered scoring teams out. Unfortunately this results in one team, as they called it, turtling into their defensive shell, which makes for bad hockey.

Expect this trend to continue as teams rebuild for defense again, counter to what the league wants to promote

Tom:

I believe that the Redwings have too many "over the Hill" players. The leafs are another team like them. Example: Chelios. He cant keep up with the speedy players and they either sped past him or he took penalties. I think Cherry said it best when he said that Detroit is hard on their goalies. Its hard for them to keep focus when they dont see much action. Detroits defence is not too bad, but the fact is it breaks down. And when it breaks down, the chances that the other team seems to get are of better Quality. They also had alot of injuries. All these factors "sunk" them.

I think Legace played well. Osgood should go. I just hope teh Bruins dont pick up any more "over the hill" players.

Go Ottawa and Edmonton .

Can you say Bad Day for Brodeaur (sp?) .

Carolina just HANDED it to the Devils.

Lets Go Caines.....