Sunday, April 17, 2011

The most wonderful time of the year

Five days into the Stanley Cup playoffs and already there have been two suspensions, more fights than I can keep track of, some absolutely beautiful plays that I've been watching on a loop (yes, Pavel Datsyuk), and Gary Bettman proving once again that he is a complete bonehead (follow the link for my take on the $500 octopus-tossing fine).

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year for hockey fans - the time of the year when even the deepest teams up front will inexplicably fall to the Montreal Canadiens, and I will find myself actually look forward to a Predators game.

The playoffs are awesome because I love a good game, regardless of who's playing, and the NHL playoffs tend to be all great games (unless you're a Bruins fan). Even despite my - let's call it general loathing - of the Vancouver Canucks (you can read about that and the many outraged Vancouver commentors' reactions it elicited here), I can't deny that game three of the 'Hawks/Canucks series was a hell of a thing to watch.

But I also am acutely aware of how little investment I have in the actual games. Really, I just want to see enough of my predictions pan out so I don't look like a complete idiot.

Of course, it wasn't always this way. There was a time when NHL playoffs meant more than just good hockey; it meant a chance for the Leafs to win the Cup. Sure, I was young and maybe naive, but that's what making the playoffs means for every single team that pulls it off: they could win the Stanley Cup.

 
Those were the days...

Right now I have friends from Detroit, Chicago, Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Jose, Boston, Anaheim, and Pittsburgh, all of whom are a complete wreak every time I see them. We talk about the games - the crazy saves, the controversial hits, how exactly a professional hockey player manages to get dehydrated before the most crucial game of the season, whether or not Pavel Datsyuk is actually human or is in fact a god among men - and I enjoy those conversations immensely.

But I would give anything to be watching the games with the level of anxiety I know they've all been feeling this past week. I miss the heart-stopping shots and the mind-blowing saves. I miss the stress of a sudden death triple overtime and the incredible high when your team is the one that ends it. I miss the team showing more heart than you even knew they had when they're faced with what seems like insurmountable odds and the threat of season-ending injuries. I miss elimination. Actual elimination, not mathematical elimination. The kind that breaks your heart. The kind that takes a couple of days to get over despite repeated assertions from your mother that "come on, honey, it's just hockey."

But there is something about this year that makes it all a little easier to take - the Leafs were looking good. They ended the season strong (discounting the final three games) and made a completely improbable playoff surge after the All Star break. Hell, even mathematical elimination didn't happen until their third-last game of the season - a big step up from, you know, November.

So as I watch the playoffs this year, marveling at Pavel Datsyuk being freaking amazing and hoping that Carey Price totally shits the bed, it is with the knowledge that this will be the last time I will be able to do it while seated calmly on my couch.

Because next year there is not a chance in hell I will be able to sit down.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Things that make me happy: Writing about hockey

So I realize I've kind of abandoned Gary Roberts: Baby Eater this past month or so, and I'm feeling pretty darn awful about it.

There is a reason for that, however. About a month ago, within the span of a single week nonetheless, I started writing for two other sports blogs - Neon Tommy, an online publication from the University of Southern California, and Out of Left Field, an all-encompassing sports blog one of my friends just started up.

Needless to say, it's been kind of hectic writing for all three, so I took a slight hiatus from this one while I tried to get a handle on the other two.

That hiatus is officially over; it's NHL playoffs time and I'm back in game form.

If you're interested in checking out the stuff I've written so far, I've taken the liberty of blantantly promoting and linking to my stuff below:

Neon Tommy:
My take on the Cooke suspension (Mar. 23)
The Western Conference race and parity in the league (Mar. 31)

Out of Left Field:
The Loser Point (Mar. 29)
NHL bubble teams: When will they burst? (Apr. 5) - includes my take on the Maple Leafs season
Eastern Conference predictions: round 1 (Apr. 11)
Western Conference predictions: round 1 (Apr. 12)

In the meantime, think the Kings are happy to have Justin Williams back? Probably about as happy as I am to have had two nights of playoff hockey and already two incredible overtime games. The best part? No TV timeouts.

Life is wonderful.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

2011 Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions

Quickly, before it starts:

Round 1:
Most original photo ever.
East
(1) Washington vs. (8) New York
(2) Philadelphia vs. (7) Buffalo
(3) Boston vs. (6) Montreal
(4) Pittsburgh vs. (5) Tampa Bay
West
(1) Vancouver vs. (8) Chicago
(2) San Jose vs. (7) Los Angeles
(3) Detroit vs. (6) Phoenix
(4) Anaheim vs. (5) Nashville

Round 2:
East
(1) Washington vs. (7) Buffalo
(3) Boston vs. (4) Pittsburgh
West
(1) Vancouver vs. (7) Los Angeles
(3) Detroit vs. (5)Nashville

Conference Finals:
East
(1) Washington vs. (3) Boston
West
(1) Vancouver vs. (3) Detroit

Stanley Cup Finals:
(1) Washington vs. (3) Detroit

To see my predictions in all their glory (as in, with actual reasoning to back them up),  check them out over at Out of Left Field, a new sports blog I contribute hockey stuffs to.

In the meantime, go watch some playoff hockey!

Friday, April 8, 2011

Baby Eater of the (Last) Week

Remember that game last Thursday where Timmy Brent blocked two shots in OT sending the game to a shootout where Kadri potted the winner after hypnotizing Tim Thomas with his "nifty mittens"?

Next year's going to be awesome.

In related news, the Toronto chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association just made their nomination for the 2011 Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy, an award that goes to the player in the league who best demonstrates perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game. Ladies and gentleman, your Toronto Maple Leafs Masterson Trophy nominee and Baby Eater of the Week is the only man in the NHL crazy enough to get in front of a Zdeno Chara slap shot, Tim Motherf'n Brent.


He also does stuff like this. No word on how close they let him get to the babies.