Stanley's Cup

 

One good thing about this time of year is the start of the real National Hockey League – also known as the play-offs. The first 82 games, per team, are spent scrambling for a position in the hockey after-life - hockey heaven, if you will. And there is nothing quite as exciting as a good old-fashioned all-Canadian Stanley Cup , say, between Toronto and Edmonton. However, as they are the resident bottom-feeders for the entire NHL, that won't happen in anytime soon.

There have been some pleasant surprises in this year's race (hello there, Phoenix and Los Angeles), some intriguing surprises (watch out, Calgary and Detroit), and some refreshing surprises (back again, Chicago and Washington). Methinks the days of dynasties (adios y'all, Oilers and Islanders) are over. There seems to be a welcomed turnover of each year's finalists.

How it will all shake down within the next two weeks is anybody's guess. And beyond that, as in who will come out of the West and the East, is even a greater mystery. That has never stopped me from predicting before, so why start now?

As I stated a few weeks ago, there is really nothing that binds complete strangers together than NHL hockey, even if there are different loyalties. The recent Olympics are a case in point. I would venture to say that hockey has that special charisma that no other sport has in Canada – high school basketball and inner-city soccer, notwithstanding.

I repeat, the most desirable final would be an all-Canadian one, but that is quite unrealistic for a couple of reasons: 1. There are only four Canadian teams competing this year, and at least two of them (Montreal and Calgary) are not even guaranteed of getting into the play-offs. 2. Of the other two (Ottawa and Vancouver), Ottawa has floundered a bit since the Olympics, but appear to be righting themselves; and Vancouver has been a consistent first-round flop for years (with last year being a blessed exception).

This year, and please pardon my bias, I do believe Vancouver could quite easily make it to the Western Conference finals. In terms of opposition, it seems to me that Chicago is the one team that I can safely predict will make it that far also. However, there is no saying what Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Colorado will do – dark horses always have that quality, you know.

I will go out on a limb and predict that Boston and New York (in the East) will likely not make the play-offs this year, nor will Calgary and Anaheim (in the West). It doesn't take a lot of hockey savvy to come up with these conclusions - just look at their records for the past ten games, respectively. Nor is there a jolt, eg., fresh players from a trade, to boost them upwards in the standings. There are many new and consistent competitors vying for those now-vacant positions, so it will be very, very tight till the very last day.

As refreshing as it is to see both Phoenix and Los Angeles finally get back into the play-off fold, I don't really want them to go too far into the finals, this first year of credibility. I would much rather see the regular, diehard hotbeds of NHL hockey (eg., Vancouver and Chicago) have their efforts rewarded with an appearance in the finals. And that is more reason than sentiment, believe me.

So, whether you care or not, I wish to suggest what the West and East will look like, along with the ultimate dance, and then what team will drink from Lord Stanley's cup:

There shouldn't be any surprise out of the West, Chicago and Vancouver, and I am afraid to say that Chicago tends to have Vancouver's number. Vancouver has a superior goalie, as we all know, and that could possibly sway the series, though I still don't think that will be enough.

Out of the East, it will be Washington and Buffalo, and beyond that will be based on the play of, once again, the respective goalies. I think Buffalo's Ryan Miller will be the absolute game-breaker each time. You may recall Miller as the starting goalie for the USA Olympic team.

As far as the big dance, I am calling for a Chicago Blackhawks-Buffalo Sabres final - a rare meeting at this level - with Chicago prevailing in six. That should be by mid-June, making hockey the only sport that starts at the end of one season and ends at the beginning of the next season – the season, of course, being summer.