The Skin of Our Teeth

Random Thought of the day

Don't you just love when Chinese take-out left overs get pushed to the back of the fridge and you forget about them for almost a week. Ugh.

NHL

[b]TAMPA BAY[/b]

And the first team to reach the Final Four is set. As much as I shrug off the notion that Barry Melrose is worth any thing at all, I did like his comment that the Montreal Canadiens "have more turnovers than Pillsbury." I wonder who wrote it for him.

Sadly, I didn't get to see all of the game. My girlfriend was over and ABC Family just had to be playing Hook starring Robin Williams. While a lot of people consider Hook to be a weak movie, I've always have had a great connection with JM Barrie's characters and Neverland. And I really do enjoy the movie, it pays enough tribute to the book to statisfy me. And remember, Tuesday 2003's Peter Pan hits DVD. It's about as close to Barrie's book as you're going to get. There's a couple of minor changes and its all too short for such a wonderful place and idea. Blows any High School play production out of the water at least.

Tampa just may start garnering respect for the media but let's give Montreal their due. They beat Boston after being down 3-1, they gave it their all and just ran into a great team and a stellar [b]Nikoali Khabibulin[/b]. I guess [b]Saku Koivu [/b]was also playing with a couple broken ribs in this series - not sure if that has been officially confirmed. Can we get over this notion that Saku Koivu is somehow small? I know he's only played 82 games twice in his entire NHL career (last year and his rookie campaign) but when he's on the ice, he's the heart and soul of this Canadiens team. And if you can, get a hold of tape of the 1994 Olympics. And take a look at Finland v Sweden that year. Who was checking the wrecking-ball known as [b]Peter Forsberg[/b]? Who kept Forsberg pointless? That's right - Koivu. I can remember 10 years ago being absolutely amazed by that preformance and I am still. Koivu might be only 5-10 but he sure as hell doesn't play small when its all on the line.

[b]ZINOJEV SENT HOME FROM WC[/b]

Bruins prospect [b]Sergei Zinojev[/b] was sent home from the World Championships by Russian Ice Hockey officials. Zinojev was said to have traces of marijuana in his blood stream. While no one's been able to confrim or deny this, the rumblings in Russia seem to be that Zinojev was sent home after his refusal to sign a contract with Avangard Omsk of the Russian Super League.

It may seem far fetched but some of Omsk's personell are running the Russian squad and remember that [b]Igor Larionov[/b] turned down an offer as general manager of the Russian squad because of disagreements over how much power he would have in selecting a coach and the team. Well the GM that finally wound up with the job is none of than [b]Anatoly Bardin[/b] who runs Omsk and whom Larionov would have had to work with.

Bardin and Omsk have been famous for making life hard for some players if you recall the [b]Alexander Svitov[/b], [b]Kirill Koltsev,[/b] [b]Stanislav Tchistov[/b] incidents (and there's more, those are just the three major ones.) Bardin's also come into question for making "shady" transfers including such previalent RSL players such as [b]Artem Chernov[/b] and [b]Vadim Tarasov[/b].

The doping tests were not done by the IIHF, the governing body of the World Championships but by Bardin himself and he says that Zinojev will not be punished further because he actually never played in a match.

Zinojev has a history of attitude problems and clashing with coaches. After playing ten games with the Bruins to start the year (which he only registered one assist) he refused to report to the AHL's Providence Bruins and went back home to Russia to play in the Superleague. He had worn the Bruins the past two years that if he didn't make the NHL club out of camp, he'd just return to Russia having no interest in playing in the minor leagues. That's the only example I can remember off the top of my head but there's been others.

So was Zinojev at fault here? I could see the hot-headed Zinojev clashes with the dictative Bardin leading to Zinojev's dismissal from the club. Though if Zinojev did not have any traces of THC or anything in his system, that may have been a little too far by Bardin. Though [b]Jere Karalahti[/b] admits to doing cocaine, speed and drinking too much and he still sticks around.

[b]LUNDQVIST COMING OVER?[/b]

I've always listed the top New York Rangers prospect as [b]Henrik Lundqvist[/b]. He's joined with [b]Hugh Jessiman [/b]and [b]Fedor Tjutin[/b] as the only worth while prospects in the Ranger system - in my opinion of course. Lundqvist is having a solid WC tourney and posted a 3-2 victory over Russia. With nothing left for him to prove in the SEL could the Rangers be interested in bringing him over? [b]Daniel Blackburn[/b] may be considered by some to be the future of the Rangers organization but after missing an entire year with nerve damage in his shoulder, Blackburn is going to need another year just to get back into form you'd think. I wouldn't be surprised to see Lundqvist in Manhattan next year.

[b]SEIDENBERG[/b]

[b]Dennis Seidenberg[/b], as I mentioned a couple days ago has returned from his broken leg and I figured he'd just spend the rest of the season with the Philadelphia Phantoms who are still alive in the AHL playoffs. Well, I was wrong and Seidenberg was called-up for Game 3 of the Flyers series. But as you know now, he didn't play and [b]Sami Kapanen[/b] continued as a blue-line convert. With [b]Kim Johnsson[/b] expected to play in Game 4 will Seidenberg see any action or will be back to the AHL playoffs? Remeber that Flyers coach [b]Ken Hitchcock[/b] said that Johnsson would only play IF he could shoot the puck with no trouble - well he must be shooting just fine and this should be a huge boost for the Philadelphia power-play. Watch for Toronto to give that hand a couple love taps early.

Also don't expect Kapanen to be the odd-man out when Johnsson returns - [b]Mattias Timander[/b] or [b]Joni Pitkanen[/b] are expected to sit. Kapanen may have found himself a new position.

[b]WHL PLAYER AND GOALIE OF THE YEAR[/b]

For those out there that think the Carolina Hurricanes should go goaltender in the upcoming June entry draft because of the hype surrounding both [b]Marek Schwarz[/b] and [b]Alvaro Montoya[/b] - think again. Carolina property, [b]Cameron Ward[/b] (Red Deer Rebels) was awarded the WHL's honours for Player of the Year and Goalie of the Year. 31 wins, 4 shutouts, 2.05 GAA and .926 save percentage in 56 regular season games. The Medicine Hat Tigers (led by 2004 draft hopeful [b]Cam Barker[/b]) stopped Ward's bid for another WHL title in the Eastern Conference finals but Ward did put up 10 wins, 3 shutouts and a 1.85 GAA during the playoffs.

Ward is expected to join the AHL's Lowell Lock Monsters for next season. He should be knocking on the doors of Raleigh in two years or so.

Red Deer also selected center [b]Brandon Sutter [/b]with the sixth selection of the WHL Bantam Draft. The 16 year-old not only gets to play for his hometown Rebels - he also gets to play for his father, [b]Brent Sutter[/b] who's the Rebels coach.

Prince George selected 6-1 defenseman [b]Randy Kerr[/b] with their first overall selection as they look to start the rebuilding process.

[b]ESA PIRNES[/b]

The Los Angeles Kings exercised their contract option on the 27 year-old Finn meaning he's not going back to the SM-Liiga as once thought. Well unless there's a lock-out then the option is null and he would then be free to return to Europe. Pirnes could have a roster spot already locked up with injured Jason Allison questionable for next season and [b]Jozef Stumpel[/b], [b]Chris Schmidt[/b] and [b]Jerred Smithson[/b] all expected to walk via Unrestricted free agency.

[b]PHOENIX IN UTAH?[/b]

Well some Phoenix Coyotes will find themselves in Utah next season at least. The Coyotes and the AHL's Utah Grizzlies have come to terms on an affilation contract. Phoenix's former AHL team is now property to the Tampa Bay Lightning to grow players in while the Dallas Stars, who have been in agreement with Utah for years will switch to the Houston Aeros for next year. The Stars will share Houston with the Minnesota Wild for at least the 2004-05 season.

Now Dallas and Minnesota sharing could become a potential problem. Minnesota has a lot of faith in young WHLer [b]Josh Harding[/b] as a future in net but the Stars also have [b]Jason Bacashihua,[/b] [b]Mike Smith[/b] and [b]Dan Ellis[/b] who all need playing time in net. One of Dallas's three should wind up being the back-up to [b]Marty Turco[/b] but there's always the possibility that the Stars will sign a cheap veteran back-up leaving Houston with four goalies and two teams wanting to develop at least one of their goalies. With rumours swirling that Dallas is wanting to deal Bacashihua, this may accelerate the process.

Best solution? Smith wins the NHL back-up job, Bacashihua finds a home else where while Ellis and Harding rotate. Other options could see Harding or Ellis finding themselves getting minutes in the ECHL.

[b]LESKANDS MOVES AND OTHER EUROPEAN MOVES[/b]

Last week I mentioned that Leskands demotion from Sweden's top league would force Leskand not only to make a lot of changes but force them to give up their rights to the NHL prospects on their roster? [b]Lars Jonsson[/b] is still looking for a home but Islanders 2003 1st round pick, [b]Robert Nilsson [/b]already has a new home - Djurgårdens IF, who are putting together one heck of a team for next year.

Nashville Predators lost winger [b]Jonas Andersson[/b] to Södertälje SK of the SEL. I expected Andersson to make the Predators out of camp two years ago but he hasn't really done anything to elevate his game since then and he's decided to return home.

[b]Steve Larouche[/b], former NHL fringe player for most of his earlier days (though he does have an AHL MVP and an IHL Scoring trophy to his credit) left the Nurnberg Tigers for the SM-Liiga's Lukko Rauma (Wolves).

Former Flames prospect, [b]Jesper Mattenson[/b] (95-98 with the Saint Johns Flames) left the only SEL program he's ever played, the Malmo RedHawks, signing a deal with SEL rival Färjestads.

Former Rangers 88 draft pick [b]Martin Bergeron[/b] left the SM-Liiga for HC La Chaux-de-Fonds of the Swiss league. Bergeron's had some pretty neat honors over the years. He lead the Japanese Hockey league in goals in 1998 with 40 goals in 40 games for Snow Brand Sapporo. He followed up that honor the next year by being the leading goal scorer, point scorer and PIM leader for Karpat Oulu, who at that time was part of the Finnish Meistis division, one step below the SM-Liiga. Next season he was the top goalscorer and point scorer but lost his PIM crown.

Originally this BLOG was going to be my own personal journal. Not only to help me as a writer but to help me deal with some of the shit that was going on in my life after the New Year. Coming to a new college, the break-up of my closest circle of friends (and probably my only true friends), hitting my quarter-life crisis (and freaking the fuck out in what I can say was my first nervous breakdown - God let's hope its the last), and coming to the grips with a lot of things going on with my life as it related to society and the big whole.

Hockey was the last thing on my mind. In fact I was ready to just let the league go to fuck. I really didn't care about them anymore, they had all shot themselves in the collective foot a long time ago and it was up to them to stop the bleeding. I was watching more NBA basketball (much to happiness of Mike) and I didn't really miss the NHL. Then something happened around the All-Star break at the beginning of Feburary. I watched the All-Star game and the skills competition. It was the first All-Star game I sat down to watch since 2001 and actually the first NHL event I had watched since the first month of the season. I came back and felt rejuvinated and this BLOG has almost been entirely about the National Hockey League since and I've forgotten all about using this BLOG to vent other things.

So I've decided to start another BLOG after Finals next week. One that will be a personal diary called "The Skin of Our Teeth" after the amazing Thornton Wilder play (if you've never seen it preformed, go find it somewhere or go buy the play at Barnes and Noble) and then this one will be my NHL nootbook for the rest of the playoffs, the offseason and hopefully the World Cup.

What made me decide to change? Well I don't know how many of you watched Game 3 between the Detroit Red Wings and the Calgary Flames on ESPN but they threw a little human interest piece into the middle of the third period. I can't recall the name of the boy but the story goes that he's fourteen and his little sister (probably with help of their parents) bought him for his birthday tickets to Game 3, the first time the Flames have hoasted a second round playoff game since this kid was born. Why is that so special? The kid's on the waiting list for a lung transplant. They just said he had a rare lung disease but I assume its Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and if its not, I apologize but I did do some research last night on lung transplants because the first thing that hit me was - oh my, he'll never get it. I had never heard of a lung transplant. All I could figure is you'd have to have a deceased donor which limits out probably most of your family members so the chance of rejection must be high. And would you need kid sized lungs? Would say my lungs or Yao Ming's lungs be able to fit inside his small chest?

Well after my research I found out that yes, it does require a deceased donor but they can also use live donors willing to give the lower lobe portion of their lung. Only problem is that it requires two donors (each giving a lower lobe) and its very, very complex so it is rarely even tried. But the most frightening part is the life expectancy of lung transplants. The chance of survival after one year is only 75% and to survive three years is around 56% and the survival rate for at least four years is 45%. It drops down sharply after each year. But it does extend their lives and gives them a fighting chance. I found an article that about 129 children were on the waiting list for lungs in England. 50 of them received their transplant and that's good news - more than I actually thought it would be. But 70 of the kids died before receiving their transplants and 9 were still on the waiting list. The article was dated 1999 and I can only hope things have gotten better.

So the kid is fourteen. I've been out of high school now for some time (at least it feels like its been forever) but I can still remember what it was like to be fourteen - all the silly worries and the problems. Christ, we were all stupid when we were fourteen and some of the worries I had back then were silly and trite. But look at his worries at fourteen. He's still got to worry about zits and girls and other problems that come about from growing but shit, he's going to die. Yeah I know we all are but he's at least got a time frame. I could die stepping out my door in about a half hour to leave for class or I can die fifty years from now. I've always thought of that "unpredictablity" of death as a curse but to him, it would be a goddamn luxery. He looked so happy at that game, too. So at least he's living it up. I hope he does get that transplant and he's in that 45% because the kid deserves a shot at High School. He deserves to have a shot at Prom and graduation and hanging out with his friends and watching his little sister grow up. Christ sake's he deserves just to enjoy this world and the beautiful things in it. He got to enjoy a Calgary Flames playoff game - a rariety since he was born. Heck one year late or he would have been born in time to see his team win the Stanley Cup in 1989. And I bet that game there and the Calgary win was felt more by him than anyone else in attendance because when we go to games and sporting events like these, we pass them off as 'oh great game.' We get into our cars and drive home and we think nothing about how special it was to be in that exact moment. Sure maybe 10,000 other fans were in that same place at the same time as you but think of all the people in the world - some six billion and that 10-20,000 people aren't a dent. For a kid like that, the Flames first postseason in seven seasons, every moment of that game is/was magical. And its something he's going to remember for the rest of his days.

Now I sort of veered off in a ramble but you know, I've been called 'unfeeling' before - mostly in my drier humour but this really got to me. It's the fragileness of life right there and its moments like these when a person like me that wasn't raised up in religion and raised up in a Western capitalist society such as this where I can now explain (at least to myself) a higher spirituality and why some people are devoted to it and go on missions for it and live their lives in it. The Aramni suit, Italian shoe life style that I'm trying to acheive honestly feels so swallow in these moments. And I'm almost shamed to admit, I never signed the back of my driver's license to be an organ donor until the Alonzo Mourning announcement that he had kidney disease and then I really started questioning - why do I have such a problem with being burried without my organs? Why do I need them if I'm in a fatal car wreck? So I'm fairly only recently an organ donor but I wish I could do so much more. I wish I could get everyone their transplants but that's impossible. I wish I could all those kids laugh or smile or at least feel good about themselves so I'm thinking about going to the hospital and seeing what kind of charity work I might be able to do.

And I guess, if you haven't already signed the back of your driver's license or told your family that you want to be a donor then please do so. It's not just one little kid in Calgary, there's kids and adults all over the world that deserve shots at life, even if only for a while and if you can give it to them in your passing, then why would you not? But if you need anymore motivation (as I did) think of that little guy in Calgary who probably still has a smile ear to ear after last night.

Here's to hoping the Flames win their first Stanley Cup in 15 years.

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Friend of mine sent this to me...I don't get it but its funny

NHL

[b]WISNIEWSKI NAMED OHL DEFENSEMAN OF THE YEAR[/b]

Encouraging news for Chicago fans. [b]James Wisniewski [/b]was named the OHL's defenseman of the year. The 20-year old Wisniewski who I dismissed as two passive and small to play the pro game back when he was playing for Detroit Compuware in 1999 was also part of the USA World Junior Championship team this year and expects to find his way into the Norfolk Admirals line-up next year. Formerly a fifth round pick in 2002, Wisniewski has come a long way in my eyes and should help compliment a fine collection of young defensemen in Chicago's cupboard. You'd wish he was a bit bigger than 5-11 but his puck movement should be on NHL par with some AHL seasoning.

Also interesting to note that he ends his OHL career at a +125 in 217 games and 187 points.

[b]ROLSTON STAYING PUT?[/b]

Boston Herald today had Steve Conroy musing over who may return to the Bruins and who may not. Looks like the Bruins will probably let rugged defenseman [b]Hal Gill[/b] walk as a UFA and try to re-sign him for less. Fat chance I'd assume. He also rallys for the Bruins to re-sign [b]Michael Nylander[/b] to be a long-term fix to the second line center hole in Boston but with [b]Joe Thornton[/b], [b]Sergei Samsonov[/b], [b]Andrew Raycroft [/b]and [b]Sergei Gonchar[/b] on the RFA side, they may not be able to retain Nylander's services. Especially seeing as before Nylander was traded to the Bruins he was talking about a return to Europe regardless of the lock-out. A raise may convince Nylander other-wise, but as pointed out above - that might be hard to do.

Conroy reports that [b]Brian Rolston[/b], who's a UFA after July 1st would like to remain in Boston if at all possible. You'd imagine the Bruins would like the continued services of Rolston as a penalty killer and third line center if they can afford them. They do have two options on the third line if they let Rolston walk. [b]Andy Hilbert [/b]or [b]Brad Boyes[/b]. No offense to Boyes but it might be best to bring back Rolston, especially if Nylander shows no interest in staying in Boston.

[b]EVEN MORE EUROPEAN MUSINGS IF YOU'RE NOT ALREADY SICK OF THEM[/b]
One of my favorite goalies in all of hockey, [b]Markus Helanen[/b] is going back to the Lahti Pelicans of the SM-Liiga after a stint with Jokerit where he was expected to fill the gap in the depature of [b]Kari Lehtonen[/b], who left for the Chicago Wolves this year and expects to be the Atlanta Thrashers starting netminder in 2004-05. While Helanen was never drafted by an NHL club he starred as a netminder for UMass-Amherst from 1997 to 2001 before returning to Finland. I was always interested in why a player that grew up in the Finnish hockey system went the US Collegiate route so I've been watching him ever since. He split last season between Lahti and Jokerit and even appeared in two games for the Salamat, the Mestis division (one step below the elite league SM-Liiga) team that [b]Hayley Wickenheiser [/b]played for.

As I've mentioned here before, with the Manitoba Moose and Vancouver Canuck seasons over with, a lot of Vancouver's smaller properities are fleeing to Europe. If you've penciled in Jaroslav Obut's name for the Moose starting line-up in 2004-05, cross it off. The Slovak defender signed a one-year deal with Luleå HF of the SEL.

So much for [b]Alexander Steen[/b] coming over to North America next season to join the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. Steen, coming a solid 24 point season with the Västra Frölunda Indians Hockey Club has agreed to terms with the fabled MoDo Hockey Club.

NHL

Man, how wrong can I be? While the Red Wings were able to get back into their series with the Calgary Flames, the Colorado Avalanche are now down 3-0 (despite a nice effort in game 3), the Toronto Maple Leafs are down 2-0 and [b]Eddie Belfour[/b] is falling apart and the Montreal Canadiens are also down 2-0 and [b]Michael Ryder[/b] can't get anything to go in.

While you fuss about [b]Peter Forsberg [/b]finding himself in the penalty box too often (see the Denver Post this morning and Woody's "excellent" article) you should be fussing over the fact that the likes of [b]Mark Smith[/b], [b]Mike Ricci[/b], Selke nominee [b]Alyn McCauley[/b], [b]Scott Thornton[/b] and [b]Wayne Primeau[/b] are making life a living hell for the Swedish superstar and he's retalitating when he needs to bite his lip. You can also fuss about the lack of adjustments this star studded line-up is making. You'd think a team like this would be able to pick up on what San Jose is doing on its penalty kill and defensively and would adjust. And if the team doesn't adjust, you'd expect [b]Tony Granato[/b] to make the adjustments for them. I've seemingly been Granato's only supporter since day one but Game 3 has me rethinking my position. This is not the time for Granato to be mum and I said this was his chance to finally match coaching wits with a coach that's considered one of the best in the business and so far Granato has looked like a fish out of water as the Sharks' [b]Ron Wilson[/b] has severly outcoached him. While Granato has all the stuff to some day make a fine NHL coach, that day is not today.

Over on the East, Tampa Bay still doesn't get an ounce of respect. People still are saying Montreal has a chance because Tampa Bay is not that great of a club and that there's no way Tampa was better than Boston. They finish as the best team in the East, almost finish as the NHL's top team, the dispatched the Islanders firmly and now they're forcing Claude Julien to split up his top line while taking the first two games in grand fashion. If they win the Cup will hockey fans consider it a fluke? And if there is a lock-out, how will Tampa Bay get to prove its not a fluke? How many Stanley Cup banners will the Tampa Bay Lightning need to raise to prove their worth if one championship is not going to do it? Same way with the San Jose Sharks. If they do go on to the Finals, how much credit will the Sharks receive? Yeah I know, I picked the Sharks to lose the past two series - sue me - but they've made a believer out me ten fold.

Toronto may have got Mats Sundin back finally but when will they get the Belfour we saw in the first round back? Philadelphia for some reason has been able to get under his skin and quite frankly, they're not doing all that much or at least the Senators were doing more.

MORE EUROPEAN SHUFFLING

Switzerland's ZSC Lions keep loading up for the 2004-05 season, this time adding former Minnesota Wild forward [b]Tony Virta[/b] to the projected line-up. Virta played this past season with HPK Hameenlinna in the SM-Liiga. Virta is the eight player they've signed since the end of the season. They've also officially announced that signing of Atlanta Thrashers forward [b]Randy Robitaille[/b] that I mentioned last week.

Former Western Michigan Bronco and Hartford Whaler draft pick [b]Chris Belanger[/b] has been released from EHC Biel/Bienne of the B-level Swiss league. While a return home to North America could be in works, with current labor clouds hanging, Belanger would probably be best to try and catch on with another club in Switzerland.

[b]Jason Eliot[/b], one time hope for the Detroit Red Wings goaltending position switched lower German clubs. Going to SC Bietigheim-Bissingen from EC Bad Nauheim. After a stellar career at Cornell and stints in the AHL and IHL, and a year in the SM-Liiga, the second division of the Bundesliga is probably not where Eliot ever imagined himself.

Leksands continues to revamp its roster after being demoted from the SM-Liiga. Former Edmonton and Chicago prospect [b]Jonas Elofsson[/b] is a free agent. Maybe this could be a signaling of him coming over to Norfolk? Leskands also added former Norwegian star [b]Jonas Solberg Andersen[/b] to their line-up.

One player we do know that's returning to North America is former CIS (Canadian Collegiate hockey) goalie [b]Jean-Ian Filiatrault[/b], who's spent the past two season in the French hockey league with Anglet Hormadi. He has yet to sign a contract but has talked to a couple ECHL teams after his stint in France.

NHL

PHOENIX COACHING JOB

Well as we all know by now, [b]Jacques Martin[/b] is no longer the coach of the Ottawa Senators after eight years. Add him to the list of names that Phoenix is currently looking at to replace interim [b]Rick Bowness[/b]. While Mike Barnett will give Martin's a lengthy look, Martin will have a couple other options at his disposal. I don't see Barnett breaking open the piggie bank for Martin and feel Martin will settle somewhere else. Martin may have connections to Gretzky but we'll have to wait. The other two names mentioned in the desert are ESPN's [b]Barry Melrose[/b] and Kelowna Rockets head coach [b]Marc Habscheid[/b].

Barry coached Phoenix share owner Wayne Gretzky in Los Angeles but there's a reason Barry hasn't coached in the league since the LA gig. While ESPN would have fun with this, the best move and the one I think the Coyotes will make is Habscheid with Bowness retaining as an assistant coach. Habscheid has paid his dues, is a great Xs and Os guy and is ready to take that next step. If he doesn't land the Phoenix job, maybe he can work his way up as an assistant.

[b]CAROLINA AND THE DRAFT[/b]

Sitting here watching the NFL 2004 Draft, I've started to plug away at a more complete NHL mock draft. Maybe its because the NFL draft right now has become trade happy (10 trades in the first round) I've been thinking about who could trade down and who could trade up. And for me the prime canididate if I were in their shoes is Carolina. [b]Jim Rutherford [/b]holds the 8th overall pick behind the Florida Panthers, New York Rangers and Phoenix Coyotes and should be looking to covet Brampton's [b]Wojtek Wolski[/b], a player I think could fit very well into Carolina's system down the road. He may need a couple more years to grow out and develop but Wolski would fit better than speedy Finn [b]Lauri Tukonen[/b], who expects to draw interest from Phoenix (Gretzky traded up with Calgary a couple years back to grab [b]Fredrik Sjostrom[/b]) or Florida ([b]Rick Dudley[/b] really can only take the BAP at seven).

While the Rangers are certainly looking at [b]Andrew Ladd [/b]and [b]Robbie Schremp[/b], what if something unexpected happened? Columbus is rumoured to be looking at Medicine Hat defenseman [b]Cameron Barker[/b] but so are the Chicago Blackhawks, the Washington Capitals (though not at number one) the Florida Panthers and maybe a team lower in the draft that could make a surprise trade up to snatch him. Suppose the Hawks were to draft Barker giving them three stud defensemen in the future (Barker with [b]Brent Seabrook[/b] and [b]Anton Babchuk[/b]) or to trade down allowing someone else who would be selecting Barker.

The other draft option for Chicago and Columbus at 3 and 4 is Czech forward [b]Rostislav Olesz[/b], whose stock has taken a hit with concussions and nit-picks about his overall potential. I have originally gone on record saying that Olesz would fit well in Brian Sutter's system along side [b]Tuomo Ruutu[/b] on his wing so there's still a possiblity of the Hawks selecting Olesz even though you've got to wonder if Sutter's going to be there long enough to see Olesz even play for the Hawks. For my money right now, I'd take Barker at 3 - let's assess Olesz's concussion in June. Now Columbus, with [b]Rick Nash[/b], [b]Nikolai Zherdev[/b], and [b]Alexander Svitov[/b] set in the line-up and with [b]Danny Fritsche[/b], [b]Andrej Nedorost [/b]and others coming up soon, could say they're good on offensive depth and that they would like to add a solid future defenseman to complement [b]Rostislav Klesla[/b]. The next defensemen on the board are MSU's [b]A.J. Thelan[/b] (big and growing, one of the youngest players in the draft and full of potential), Notre Dame's [b]Wes O'Neill[/b] (nice puck movement), and Saskatoon Blades [b]Mike Green [/b](think [b]Dan Hamhuis[/b]). Thelan's stock has risen like a balloon...attatched to a space shuttle blasting off so he could be safe to take at 4 come draft day but what if they want to pass on Olesz and feel they can take Thelan a little further down?

If I'm Rutherford, I'm on the phone immediately swapping first round picks and giving up whatever it takes to move up to four. Carolina holds two picks in each of the second, third and fourth rounds so they've got the fire power to get it done. Columbus picks up a couple picks, drops down to eight. Carolina picks up the fourth and selects Wolski. Remember, the draft is in Carolina this year - trading up to get Wolski like this would generate a lot of buzz in the home building making a splash.

Phoenix's decision is made simplier and they take Tukonen after taking a look at Olesz or Schremp but going with the winger. The Rangers still could take Ladd or Schremp at six but I don't think they would ever imagine Olesz falling this far and they'd snatch him up. Florida would be intrigued by Thelan or Ladd but Schremp's on the board and the Panthers could use scoring forwards on the wings in the future. They could also trade down out of seven to pick up more choices as they only have one choice in each round until the ninth. They either take Schremp or Ladd or someone trades up here for one of the goalies in [b]Marek Schwarz [/b]and [b]Alvaro Montoya[/b]. It could either be Los Angeles, securing the goalie of their choice but they are without a second round choice for his year. It could be someone else enamoured with the two goalies but Florida will work the phone lines.

Finally at eight, Columbus would take AJ Thelan or if Thelan's gone, take the left over forward. But if Columbus can't get Barker and I'm Carolina, I'm going to be on that phone trying to move up because there's too much risk that someone would pick Wolski.

Other teams looking to move? Nashville could if they don't think [b]Kyle Chipchura [/b]will fall to their laps at 16. The opinions of Chipchura are every where. I can garuentee you that some one has Chipchura as high as number two while others have him as low as the 20s. If Nashville gets the feeling he won't be there by the time they pick 16th, they'll try and move up. If they're unsuccessful, [b]Bruce Graham[/b] is always an option.

The Rangers not only hold two first round picks but four second round picks but no third round picks. They could go either way, picking up more picks in the third round and move down or they could package their second round picks to either move up from 26th or to acquire a third first round selection if they really see two players they like at the bottom. [b]Boris Valabik[/b] and [b]David Booth[/b] could be possible targets.

Phoenix holds three second round choices and could be looking for stalwart defensive defensemen to go along with [b]Derek Morris[/b] and [b]Keith Ballard[/b] acquired from Colorado. [b]Brett Carson[/b] could sneak into the first round.

Philadelphia is also loaded with draft picks, most of them are on the draft's second day however. If Bobby Clarke seems something he likes, you can't rule out him trading up for it. Could [b]Adam Berti[/b] or [b]Ryan Garlock[/b] interest him? I feel safe in saying we'll hear from Clarke before the third round.

San Jose sits at 28th at the moment and holds Boston's fourth rounder as well as Calgary's second rounder in 2005. Dean Lombardi has moved around in the draft before to make picks, will Doug Wilson do the same? San Jose could really use a power forward and some organizational depth at left wing. Berti could find the way to San Jose.

And of course you have the Senators, trying to dump off their talent. [b]Radek Bonk[/b], [b]Patrick Lalime[/b] and [b]Bryan Smolinski[/b] could all bring in draft picks if Ottawa's willing to eat up salary. They hold Colorado's third pick to go along with them. Currently sitting at 25th though could net them [b]Brian Bickell[/b] who plays for the Ottawa 67s of the OHL. Last time they traded a star player to move up in the draft they wound up with Norris finalist [b]Zdeno Chara[/b] and [b]Jason Spezza[/b]. I don't expect to see such a coup this June.

Finally, Washington is trying to manuever into Chicago or Columbus's spot by offering up the lower two of their three first round picks and maybe one of their two second rounds or a pick in 2005 to land Barker along with [b]Alexander Ovechkin[/b]. While it's a pipe dream, getting Barker and Ovechkin would make up for [b]George McPhee[/b] not having picks in the third and fourth rounds. They could also move down to gain more picks but in this draft, I'd rather move up or just keep my three first rounders.

I really can't wait for June now.

NFL

1. San Diego - Eli Manning QB - Hey I wouldn't want to play for the Chargers either. I really don't blame Archie here but looks like the Chargers are going to bite the bullet and try and sign him. The Giants could still try and jump up here with a trade but I really don't think the Giants really want to. They'll call the bluff and fail and we'll again see why the Chargers are a horrible franchise.

2. Oakland - Robert Gallery OT - This is like the ark here. All the questions of this draft will be answered here at the second pick. The Raiders have so many choices in what they'll do with this pick and I'm going to take the gamble on what would be the biggest gamble for the Raiders and I'm going to have them swap with Cleveland to fall down to seventh. The Raiders have cap room to take on a vet like Willie Green or Dennis Northcutt in a trade. Cleveland selects Gallery and sits him on their left side for the next decade plus.

3. Arizona - Larry Fitzgerald WR - I once had the Raiders picking him but I'm almost sure that if they did, Dennis Green would leap over his table and strangle Al Davis and everyone else in the Raider warroom like a rabid animal. There's questions about Fitzgerald's overall speed but the man can catch the damn football. I'm willing to gamble that he'll get use to NFL CBs but I'm not entirely sold that he will and with Arizona's draft history, he more than likely will not be able to.

4. New York Giants - Sean Taylor DB - By far my favorite pick of the draft. He's got a chance to come in and be one of the top safties in the game almost imeediately. This might be a gamble choice of mine but the Giants do have a couple top picks in their secondary and Taylor would be the final puzzle. If they don't trade up for Manning, are they sold on Roethlisberger? I'm just going to say defense first.

5. Washington - DeAnglo Hall CB - With Taylor gone, I'd be crying as a Redskins fan but Hall's still a good pick. Problem is they did spend on free agents at CB. Though you can never have enough good CBs. The Falcons or maybe someone else might be trying to trade up to 5 or 6 to get Roy Williams, especially if the Raiders do decide to drop down. A lot of people are saying Kellan Winslow if Taylor's not available - I say Gibbs wants a TE that blocks.

6. Detroit - Kellan Winslow Jr - KWJ fans don't have to fear for long as he's snatched up by the Lions to give Joey Harrington another weapon. I don't like Winslow, I'll be up front about it. The Lions would rather have Taylor I would hope but that's not possible nor is a running back at this point so go BPA. If they can trade down, they'd be going for Steve Jackson.

7. Clevleand - Roy Williams WR - Remember I had this pick traded to the Raiders. If the Raiders do trade down out of Gallery, I would think this is their aim. Though Atlanta could easily step in and trade up past them for Williams. It wouldn't surprise me even with Jim Mora at the helm.

8. Atlanta - Tommie Harris DT - Not neccessarily what the Falcons need but he's the best DT in the draft. Though can he stay healthy? That's the million dollar question for Jimmy Mora. If Hall's still here, I'd think they'd go that route.

9. Jacksonville - Kenechi Udeze DE - I think everyone has Udeze plugged for J-Ville. Hugh Douglas will probably be better in his second season with the Jaguars but he might not have a chance to prove that.

10. Houston - William Smith DE - Could be the subject of trading down because let's face it, they need defensive backs more and Derrick Strait might be a little high to take here. Vince Wilfork is a possibility but I'm not sure if he'd fit with them.

11. Pittsburgh - Philip Rivers QB - I'd like to say it's Roethlisberger here but the Steelers are flat out in love with him. May have to deal up for him - who knows. I don't think anyone's stock has risen higher in the past week that him. So what if his arm delivery is weird - Manning's delivery needs a lot of work too - Rivers picked up an entire offense as a freshman in college. Played all four years and was good.

12. New York Jets - Dunta Robinson DB - Are they reaching here? If they can trade down and still get Robinson, I suggest they do it. Johnathan Vilma's another possiblity here. Local paper seems to think they need a QB. Guess Chad Pennington will never win over every body.

13. Buffalo - Ben Roethlisberger QB - People say he's falling - I say its just Philip Rivers rising. I love Rivers, really I do but it looks like Roethlisberger is the guy here. Though you got to worry about the competition he faced in college. He's big and he can throw. I think he'll be just fine if he can learn the offense quickly. Probably will go higher but if he's here when the Bills pick - they'll jump for joy.

14. Chicago - Vince Wilfork DT - Just to make Matt happy I have Wilfork falling this far. 345 pounds of man meat folks. He'll definitely help Brian Urlacher next season. The Bears are a good draft away from competing. I'm not entirely sold on Grossman but that'd put me in the minority in Chicago.

15. Tampa Bay - DJ Williams OLB - Again why do I feel like I'm stretching? Actually he probably won't fall much further than this so if Tampa wants him, this would be their only chance. No offense to Ryan Nece but watch your job in camp. They'd love Mike Williams here but yeah, that's not going to happen.

16. San Francsisco - Lee Evans WR - Reggie Williams is on the board and IS the better wide-out folks but Evans may fit better. It's just a wild hunch here and I'll probably wind up being laughed at but it's going to be a WR. Cedrick Wilson isn't a starter and as much as I miss Brandon Llyod with the Illini, I don't see him as a two yet.

17. Denver - Karlos Dansby OLB - Well if the Broncos can just plug anyone into that RB slot, Kevin Jones shoudl be skipped. I would think the Broncos would pick up a RB in a later round because Garrison Hearst isn't an every down back but right now they can either go Vilma or Dansby and help at the line backing.

18. New Orleanes - Jonathan Vilma ILB - I think they'll go for one of the three LBs, which ever one's left. They could take a corner in Chris Gamble (or if Robinson's still on the board) Could they also turn to Reggie Williams? He shouldn't be falling this far and you'd hope someone would trade up to save him.

19. Minnesota - Reggie Williams WR - Mike Tice could really use a guard here but do you reach for Chris Snee or Vernon Carey? I'd rather trade down or go with Chris Gamble but I've already done some zany things in this mock draft (why keep things predictable?) They added Marcus Robinson already across from Randy Moss but watching Robinson in Chicago I can say he's not a long term option. Reg is too good to fall even this far and probably won't but Reg would give them another big time receiver. Now would that piss off Moss?

20. Miami - Shawn Andrews OT - He's a pudgy guy but if his weight stays down, he'll get to protect AJ Feeley (or Jay Fielder) and Feeley's going to need a lot of protecting. I can sense a wild ride down in Miami this year.

21. New England - Chris Gamble DB - Grabbing Cory Dillon made their draft stragety a lot easier but how will a team known for no-egos handle a pretty big ego coming in? Gamble probably gets a shot to replace Ty Law, who the Patroits will probably be dealing to grab some more picks. Otis Smith and Jeff Burris aren't options.

22. Dallas - Steve Jackson RB - Does he fall this far? Probably not but I've only made one trade here. If the Lions pass on Winslow and trade down for Jackson, the Cowboys could take Kevin Jones or pick up someone else and grab a RB later in day one. Funny, Belichick getting Dillon allows Jackson to fall into Parcells's lap - I'm sure Belichick is happy he helped.

23. Seattle - Darnell Dockett DT - They also need a middle linebacker but if Vilma's already gone well - DT's also a biggie. Randy Starks is a possibly but I like Dockett more. Starks is younger though.

24. Cincinnati - Randy Starks DT - Marcus Tubbs also exists out there but I may have let Starks fall too far. They'll go defense here and this is the best bet on the board still.

25. Green Bay - Derrick Strait CB - Sticky situation for the Packers. I think they could trade up to get something they covet but DE looks to be a need. Antwan Odom might be better than Aaron Kamperman right now but even Odom isn't ready to step in right away and could add 15-20 more pounds. If one of the linebackers falls this far, they'd have a hard time passing there. Strait may not have the potential of Gamble but can he play? He can flat out cover. He's a bit small but still physical and ready to step in right now. JP Losman could also be here if the Packers don't think he'll be around when they pick in the second round which is very possible.

26. St Louis - Ben Troupe TE - Is Antwan Odom a reach here because the Rams really need to replace Grant Wistrom with someone other than Sean Moran. Rams management raised eyebrows when they retained Brandon Manumaleuna so the TE job may just be Manumaleuna's to lose.

27. Tennessee - Marcus Tubbs DT - If Troupe falls past the Rams (which I think will happen) they may be tempted for him with Frank Wycheck retired but Tubbs adss defense to the line. TE can be replaced later in Ben Watson if he's there when they pick again at 42.

28. Philadelphia - Dontarrious Thomas LB - Yeah I'm going off the board. Sue me. They need LBs bad and if Dansby and the others are gone it's either Thomas or Boulware. I don't find Thomas to be a stretch if you ask me.

29. Indianapolis - Ahmad Carroll DB - There's also Will Poole and Mike Ware here but Carroll is rated a bit higher though I really don't know a lot about him. Colts and "leaky secondary" are words that just go together though.

30. Kansas City - Igor Olshansky DT - I've heard this in a couple places already and I guess why not? He's f'n big enough. DeMarco McNeil is also there on DT but Olshansky would be a history making pick so why not? KC just needs a warm body up front.

31. Carolina - Ricardo Colclough CB - He goes to Tusculum - I didn't know about him until about three weeks ago. Michael Clayton's also out there if they feel they need a WR for the near future. Colclough is also a possiblity for the Colts.

32. New England - Chris Snee G - Boston College produced Damien Woody and Dan Koppen from their offensive line. I think you've got to go back to what you know works for you.

Other Possible first round picks, Kevin Jones RB, Antwan Odom DE, Michael Clayton WR, Rashaun Woods WR, Michael Jenkins WR, Vernon Carey OL, Donnell Washington DT, Mike Boulware LB, Matt Ware DB, Will Poole DB

NHL

[b]TAMPA/MONTREAL[/b]

I had my predictions laughed in my face by a couple Montreal fans I know of. But personally, those guy's are pricks. I'd really like to know why so many Canadians (and I'm not saying all, just seems like around 50% of them that I talk to) have such an inferiority complex about every thing when you're from the States. And maybe it's just the frustration of agruements that go no where but in circles but man, Montreal and Toronto fans (and some Vancouver fans) really cheese me the hell off.

But Patrice Briesbois had a couple turn-overs and a -2 rating. Then again, many of the Habs had turnovers and minus-ratings. Francois Boullion wasn't horrible but he didn't step up either. Michael Ryder (-3) wasn't bad but he didn't generate all that much in the way of scoring chances and Mike Ribeiro wasn't all that much better no matter what Montreal fans care to think. I really don't give a rat's butt how many chances you generate - if you don't bury those chances, it just doesn't matter.

Chicago fans may blindly hate Detroit - I'm starting to get that way with Montreal and Toronto.

The game was alright but I'll admit I didn't watch the whole thing - I was flipping back and forth between it and Lilo and Stitch the movie. I had only seen the L&S cartoon show prior and I found the movie on so I watched it for the first time. Wasn't a bad movie at all and Stitch is just so damn adoreable. I still can't see why this doesn't sell merchandise left and right. I want a Stitch plush....wait...maybe I shouldn't have said that....where the hell is my backspace.

NHL

Always helping you to keep track of former NHLers and such - here we go

Former Laval Titan of the QMJHL [b]Marc Beaucage[/b] goes from the 2003 DEL champions, the Krefeld Pinguines to the 2004 DEL champions, the Frankfurt Lions. Frankfurt finished last in the DEL in 2003 but scaved off demotion to a lower league when the Wild Wings hit finiancal problems. Now Frankfurt is the DEL champions of the league. Congrats on this worst-to-first story.

Beaucage will most likely be replacing [b]Jesse Belanger[/b], who leaves Frankfurt for EHC Biel/Bienne in Switzerland. You may remember Belanger as a Canuck, Hab, Oiler, Islander or many other minor league teams. Frankfurt also signed [b]Mikhail Nemirovsky[/b], who's brother, [b]David Nemirovsky[/b], you may remember better as a Panther and a Leaf. Mikhail played in the ECHL, IHL, CoHL, UHL and WPHL as well as the Russian Super League, The British Super League and various minor teams in Germany the past couple season.

With both the Vancouver Canucks and the Manitoba Moose out of their respective play-offs, defenseman [b]Nolan Baumgartner [/b]has also been added by Frankfurt. The Lions are certainly not standing still after their championship victory. He joins former NHL defenseman [b]Petr Ratchuk[/b] on the Frankfurt blueline along with Canadian [b]Francois Bouchard[/b] - both expected to be back next season.

Former Montreal farm-hand, [b]Matt Higgins[/b] re-upped with the Iserlohn Roosters and should stay in the DEL for at least one more year.

Washington Capitals prospect and German national team goalie [b]Marc Selinger[/b] is leaving Mannheim for EHC Wolfsburg, who should join the DEL this season on promotion. And former Capital [b]Stephan Ustorf[/b] leaves the Krefeld Pinguine for Berlin but not the Berlin Capitals where Ustorft played in the later 90s. He'll be joining the cross town club, Eisbaren Berlin or the Berlin Polarbears in English.

Just to prove that France has a hockey league, [b]Pasi Järvinen[/b], a division 1 Finnish defenseman has signed with Grenoble MH38. No word on the quality of play though.

NHL

[b]MARTIN FIRED[/b]

Well the Senators are making changes (see the past two days) and the big change will be in the coaching staff. [b]Jacques Martin[/b], the bench boss in Ottawa for eight seasons has been oust along with his entire coaching staff sans [b]Perry Pearn[/b], who survives but is not a canididate in replacing Martin.

A lot of people looked at Martin's contract extension at the beginning of the year and felt he was safe but Eugene Melynk just showed - no one's safe. He means business and [b]Radek Bonk[/b], [b]Patrick Lalime[/b] and [b]Martin Havlat[/b] should start to worry.

Martin was brought in to teach a young hockey club how to gel and how to play hockey. He's done that and that is what Martin does best. But he should have been let go a long time ago. The Senators have been ready to make the next leap up in the development of their franchise for the past three years at least and Martin is not the guy to do that. Sure he's got a regular season record that would make some of the all-time greats green but he's never been the tough-as-nails coach to get your team over the post-season hump - to teach them how to win post-season hockey. Martin is only the first stage of development and it was time a while back for the Senators to grow forward.

Tough-as-nails coach huh? You're meaning [b]Mike Keenan[/b] right? No, I'm not. While he did come across my mind first, why would [b]John Muckler[/b] do that to himself? He's already on the hotseat with Melynk, why pay to bring in a power-hungry Hitler to compete with your power? Keenan could do wonders with [b]Zdeno Chara[/b] and [b]Chris Neil[/b] but I don't think you want to suffer that wrath upon [b]Marian Hossa[/b] and [b]Jason Spezza[/b].

What about [b]Joel Quenneville[/b]? No, I love how fans want to always replace a fired coach with a coach that's practically the same. Quenneville, like Martin, has a sparkling regular season record but the word "expectations" and Joel Quenneville just haven't gone together in a long while. If Quenneville couldn't get over the hump in St. Louis in the same amount of seasons as Martin had in Ottawa, what makes people think he can do any differently in Ottawa? There's a little more offense, less defense and still suspect goaltending.

[b]Larry Robinson [/b]and [b]Barry Smith[/b] are canididates, what about them? Getting Robinson back behind a bench would be nice. He turned down the Rangers job but said he was still looking for a head coaching job. This would be a nice situation to get into. Much better than if Smith came in. If Smith wants to leave [b]Dave Lewis[/b] 's bench in Detroit, he'll wind up with one of the available coaching jobs but I'm not sure this is a place for a rookie coach. Muckler said that whomever he brought in would have to fix the locker room. Smith's been a great assisstant but I'm not entirely sold on him being able to step into high expectations and do that right away. I think Smith would be best to apply for the opening in Phoenix (though [b]Rick Bowness[/b] certainly deserves more of a shot.)

Other names I'd kick around are [b]Kevin Constantine[/b] for a season or two - mainly because Constantine's hard-ass attitude doesn't sit well with the players much longer than that. He'd certainly toughen them up though. [b]Robbie Ftorek[/b] might be out of a job in the Devils cut ties with their farm team the Albany River Rats. However, Ftorek's coaching abilities and his handling of on-ice personell has come in to question, especially in Boston.

In the end, I think Robinson lands the job. He's already in their eye sight, he wants to coach again, he's more vocal than Martin and he can help them over the post-season hump.

Though where to for Martin? In Phoenix he could replace Bowness for the second time. Columbus would be a fine position but has [b]Gerard Gallant[/b] done anything to really lose his job? Then again what has he done to lose the interim tag either? Martin loves offense and [b]Rick Nash[/b], [b]Alex Svitov[/b], [b]Nikolai Zherdev[/b], [b]Rostislav Kleskla[/b] and the possibility of adding either [b]Rostislav Olesz[/b], [b]Robbie Schremp[/b] or [b]Cameron Barker [/b]to the line-up has got to be appealing. Pittsburgh's another choice, a young team on the rise. Though don't give [b]Eddie Olzcyk[/b] the shaft and keep him on as an assisstant. Eddie O has a lot he needs to learn still towards being a head coach and he's not going to learn that in the unemployment line.

[b]CALGARY/DETROIT[/b]

Well Calgary pulls out a squewker in Game 1 with a 2-1 OT victory. Though Calgary better hope they can hold Detroit to just one goal a game for three more. It's a crazy sounding task. I really don't see Calgary being able to do it so they may want to look towards scoring more. Two goals aren't going to cut it if they can't hold Detroit to just one.

[b]SANJOSE/COLORADO[/b]

What an explosion. Still quite displeased that [b]Patrick Marleau[/b] and [b]Vinny Damphousse[/b] provided most of the offense but when they score that many goals - it doesn't matter. They need to cut down on the mistakes though, that Colorado power-play looked awfully dangerous. In a closer game, if San Jose goes to the box this might spell trouble.

The Aves were extremely weak on the left sideof the ice. With [b]Paul Kariya[/b] and [b]Alex Tanguay[/b] out, [b]Tony Granato[/b] was left with only [b]Steve Konowalchuk[/b] on left wing. [b]Marek Svatos[/b] was moved over and centers [b]Chris Gratton[/b] and [b]Riku Hahl[/b] moved over to cover. Let's hope Tangauy and Kariya aren't out much longer.

TORONTO/PHILADELPHIA

[b]Ed Belfour[/b] and his mixed Game 1s. He should rebound but it's nice to see [b]Alex Mogilny[/b] get a goal. Not exactly his most fancy goal ever but with that hip bothering him, any offense out of him is great. I wondered the other day where [b]Simon Gagne[/b] was and well he showed up scoring his second of the playoffs finally to give the Flyers a 3-1 win.

I expect all the losing teams to bounce back in game 2. Not neccessarily to wins but to at least better preformances.

[b]CHANGES FOR THE SENATORS?[/b]

As I said the other day, [b]Jacques Martin[/b] just may have lost his job with Ottawa after they were ousted in the first round in a game 7. Martin is only the second coach the franchise has ever known (Rick Bowness, Phoenix's interim and maybe soon, full-time coach, is the other) and he's seen all the good times at the helm of the franchise. But the good times are over and new owner [b]Eugene Melnyk [/b]isn't happy. Gee, I'm hardly surprised and he sounds even more pissed off than [b]Tom Hicks[/b] (see my article on Dallas). He truly sounds like he wants to rip apart the team for next year. [b]Daniel Alfredsson[/b] is safe after signing a five-year extension but I'm not sure anyone else is safe.

Will GM [b]John Muckler [/b]survive? I thought he made good moves in acquiring [b]Peter Bondra[/b] and [b]Greg de Vries[/b] but Melnyk seems to be critical of the goaltending. Great, the owner is trying to lay blame on [b]Patrick Lalime[/b]. Yeesh. We'll take him down in St Louis folks. He's public enemy number one in Ottawa so it's best for both the team and Lalime if he had a change of scenery. I'm sure [b]Olaf Kolzig[/b] to Ottawa will start up once the off-season starts.

After saying they'd pick up Bondra's contract option at $4.5 million, it looks like the Senators will go back on their word and let him walk, leaving room for him to return to Washington.

[b]Curtis Leschyshin[/b], [b]Jody Hull[/b], [b]Rob Ray[/b], [b]Todd Simpson[/b], and [b]Shaun Van Allen[/b] can be pared off the payroll as UFAs but their RFAs they may have trouble moving until the CBA situation looks clearer. Melynk would love to rid himself of [b]Radek Bonk[/b], the team's top line center who's disappeared this year and didn't help himself in the playoffs. [b]Martin Havlat[/b] might be packing rather than even going to a hold-out again this year.

[b]Zdeno Chara[/b] will be looking for a huge pay day after his Norris-canididate season. They would love to move de Vries to free up room for Chara's money but de Vries may be carrying to steep of a contract right now for that. That de Vries for [b]Karel Rachunek[/b] deal is looking bad now.

[b]Martin Prusek[/b], [b]Vaclav Varada[/b], [b]Denis Hamel,[/b] [b]Peter Schaefer[/b], [b]Chris Phillips [/b]and [b]Brian Pothier[/b] round out the rest of the RFAs needing to cash in. This could be a very different looking Senators team next year.

WASHINGTON DRAFT PLANS

Speaking of Washington, rumour has it they're not only going to go for [b]Alexandre Ovechkin[/b] with the first overall pick but they're trying to package their two remaining first round picks and maybe their second round picks (!?!?!!?) to move up close enough to also select the WHL's [b]Cameron Barker[/b].

Before the Captials won the lottery draft and moved up to the first overall pick, I figured Barker would be the guy they'd be going for - he's a defenseman and he's from the WHL - what more do you need to sell George McPhee on?

I'm doubting this one though. Getting both Ovechkin and Barker would definitely be a coup worth celebrating. Those could be your only two picks of the day and you'd be happy but who would want to move down to the bottom portion of the draft? If I'm Columbus, I'd rather just stay at the four spot and take Barker myself. But would the Blackhawks move down? [b]Rostislav Olesz[/b] would do well in Brian Sutter's scheme but will Sutter even be there when Olesz is ready to crack the NHL? Is Bob Pulford sold on the Czech? I'm not quite sure there from the rumblings. Could the Hawks trade down, picking up both Boston and Detroit's first round picks, allowing Washington to pick Barker, screwing the Blue Jackets? How many more prospects do the Hawks need? I'd rather have one of the top-flight ones in this top-heavy draft. This is something to watch for.

[b]IS ARNOTT PACKING?[/b]

Following up on my Dallas story, there's rumblings that the Stars may choose not to tender center [b]Jason Arnott[/b] and allow him to walk as a UFA. Usually I'd say this is nuts but we're going to see an overbundance of RFAs not qualified I think just to pare salary. It'd cost the Stars $3.8 just to qualify him and his post-season was poor. Great regular season though, got to give him that.

[b]Pavel Rosa[/b] is returning to Europe after two years back in the LA Kings system. The 28 year-old has agreed to a two year deal with Dynamo Moscow of the Superlegue. He's only played in four NHL games since his return from Finland. Remember he did have 153 points in a QMJHL season once.

With the Albany River Rats out of the playoffs and in possible dire straits for next season, [b]Stephen Guolla[/b] has left the club for the Kloten Flyers in Switzerland.

Team Canada D-man and former Nashville Predator [b]Jamie Heward [/b]will be switching Swiss clubs going from the ZSC Lions to the SCL Lions.

Leksands will be demoted from the SM-Liiga and this should prompt a couple changes - one being [b]Lars Jonsson[/b]. The Bruins, who own Jonsson's NHL rights, are saying they'll trade his NHL rights if he suits up for the lower leagues. They want him to leave for another Finnish club in the SM-Liiga or go over to the SEL in Sweden.

Former NHL fringe goalie, [b]Mike Bales[/b] was released by the club on Thrusday as was former Edmonton prospect [b]Jonas Elofsson[/b]. Tomas Holm, Riku Lehtonen, Jens Nielsen, [b]Richard Pavlikovsky[/b] (was in St Louis Blues training camp), Maurice Rozenthal and Jarmo Tolvanen have all been released as well. They lost another four players to free agency as well. So it will be a new-look Leksands next year in the first division.

NHL

Ok I have done a lot of articles in the past two days. Scroll down and you'll see my version of the NHL awards in two different forms (the first down is an abridged version) after that should be my preview of the Western Conference playoffs second round.

This here is the East - let's get it on...

[b]PHILADELPHIA ( 3 ) V TORONTO ( 4 )[/b]

Now talk about a series that could go either direction. Toronto dispatched Ottawa in game 7 but the Flyers will provide a tougher challenge after they walked over the defending champs, New Jersey Devils. The Flyers are rested and while beat up on defense ([b]Kim Johansson[/b] and [b]Eric Desjardins[/b]) the Maple Leafs are still without captain [b]Mats Sundin[/b] for at least game one and [b]Owen Nolan [/b]is doubtful to appear in the series.

[b]Ed Belfour[/b] was spectacular against the Senators with 3 shutouts but Philadelphia's offense tore up Vezina and Hart finalist [b]Martin Brodeur[/b] so he shall be put to the test. He's struggled in the past against the Flyers, we hear it all the time but Belfour is the only goalie left that has a Stanley Cup to his name and that's got to mean the world right now. They can't depend on Belfour exclusively but it's an advantage. [b]Robert Esche[/b] played solid against the Devils and he obviously needs to be just as good matching Belfour.

The Blackhawk Down Line ([b]Alex Zhamnov[/b] centering former Chicago players [b]Jeremy Roenick [/b]and [b]Tony Amonte[/b]) was huge against the Devils. If they can solve Belfour this series will be a lot easier. Though regular season's leading scorer, [b]Mark Reechi[/b] needs to be better than just one goal. He's clearly their most creative player - then again the playoffs are never about creativity. [b]Keith Primeau[/b] provided two goals in the Devils series. As I said in my preview for that, if Primeau can get it going again the Flyers may be unbeatable up the middle. Where's [b]Simon Gagne[/b] though? If you weren't paying close attention you wouldn't know he even suited up against the Devils.

If Johansson's not able to go on the blueline, [b]Sami Kapanen[/b] will move back there and has been practicing as if he will. [b]Dennis Seidenberg[/b] is due back from a broken leg later this week but is expected to head to the Phantoms of the AHL. He'll most likely see a regular shift with the Flyers next year (if no other freak injuries happen.)

The Leafs will counter with a hot [b]Joe Nieuwendyk[/b] (five goals in six games - he missed game 1 against Ottawa) But they're going to have to muster more than 15 goals in 7 games to beat the Flyers. Someone in the offense is going to have to step up. Look for [b]Alexei Ponikarvosky[/b] and vet [b]Gary Roberts[/b] to do so. [b]Alex Mogilny[/b] is being bothered by a hip and is contemplating retirement - if he can put together a pain free game, any offense he can provide will be welcomed.

On defense, only [b]Calle Johansson[/b] and [b]Aki Berg [/b]posted negative +/- against Ottawa. Ottawa's offense sputtered by the Toronto defense did have troubles at times containing their speed. On the other hand, [b]Bryan McCabe [/b]had one of the best series of anyone on either team. [b]Brian Leetch[/b] played close to 30 minutes a night during the series and contributed four assists. They'll need a similar effort out of those two again if they hope to contain the Philadelphia forwards.

This series may come down to the powerplays and Toronto's was good with Brian Leetch - Philadelphia was equally as good but if Johansson can't shoot the puck from the point, it's going to lose some of its effectiveness. I'm really split on this series, if Johansson comes back, Esche continues to play solid and Toronto can't handle the Philadelphia forecheck, the Flyers are going to win. But if the Flyers forwards are contained or can't solve Belfour and Johansson isn't able to play, then the Leafs could easily take this series. This is a different Leaf team than the one that went 1-3-0-0 against the Flyers in the regular season but if I were to go out on a limb, I'm going to take the Flyers here.

TORONTO KEYS
1. Stop the Philadelphia forecheck. They're good at and they can cause havoc on your defense.
2. Stay away from the box! This goes for everyone. Philadelphia had a 33.3% powerplay in the first round and that was against the likes of John Madden, Sergei Brylin and Scott Niedermayer.
3. Forget about the regular season. Philadelphia owned you - so what? You need four wins here and that's it.

PHILADELPHIA
1. Robert Esche has to continue playing great. Esche is the guy, no matter what Barry Melrose thinks. They'll live and die with Esche.
2. Punish Leetch and McCabe as much as you can. Hit these two guys when it presents itself. They played a lot of minutes against Ottawa so wear them down now.
3. Someone's going to have to step up as PP-QB in place of Johansson. You won't win this series without scoring on the PP.

[b]TAMPA BAY ( 1 ) V MONTREAL ( 7 )[/b]

Montreal got past Boston with more trouble than I would have liked but they move on and face the Lightning. Here's enough tough match-up to predict. The Lightning handled the Islanders quite well and had some time off - that could be a major advantage going up against a team that went seven games.

[b]Marty St Louis[/b] looked great in the end and [b]Nikolai Khabibulin[/b] shutdown the Islanders with three first round shut-outs. If he does that again, it's lights out for Montreal but who's got money on Khabibulin to be able to keep up that clip? ... I didn't think so. Neither will his counterpart, [b]Jose Theodore[/b] but Theodore looked good for the Habs after the first two games in Boston. When he's hot, he's hard to beat and will be the key for the series for the Habs.

[b]Fredrik Modin[/b] and [b]Brad Richards[/b] were also on offensive fire along with St Louis but [b]Vincent Lecavalier[/b], [b]Cory Stillman[/b] and [b]Dave Andreychuk [/b]failed to score a point. That can't continue against the Habs.

After some lumps, [b]Alexei Kovalev[/b] had a good series against Boston. [b]Saku Koivu[/b] and [b]Richard Zednik[/b] also were huge. Too bad [b]Mike Ribeiro[/b] and [b]Michael Ryder[/b] were almost non-existant. Ribeiro's only press in this series was over his "injury" in game 3.

So we have two teams here that are basically reduced to one-line at the moment. Tampa Bay pretty much returns the same forwards they had last year when they made it to the second round, let's hope they learned something about playoff hockey.

[b]Dan Boyle[/b] was the best defenseman for the Lightning with a +4 and two assists. [b]Pavel Kubina[/b] and [b]Darryl Sydor[/b] also saw a healthy chunk of ice time. How well they handle the speedier Montreal forwards is going to tell how this series turns out. Ditto for Montreal. [b]Mike Komisarek[/b] was push into action after [b]Stephane Quintal[/b] was injured but Komisarek didn't look out of place. [b]Craig Rivet [/b]and [b]Andrei Markov[/b] were solid but [b]Patrice Briesbois [/b]will once again start feeling the heat in Montreal if he doesn't pick up his play.

There's a lot of 'ifs' for both teams but it's going to come down to the defenses and who's second line is going to show up first. I have my money on the Lightning.

MONTREAL KEYS
1. Ribeiro, Ryder and everyone else need to chip in. Koivu, Zednik and Kovalev can't do all the scoring - or can they?
2. Briesbois and Bouillon need to be better on defense. If Tampa Bay gets going offensively, they'll be in deep trouble.
3. Theodore = hot, hot, hot. When he's in a groove, never count the Habs out. I may eat my words with picking the Lightning.

TAMPA BAY KEYS
1. Lecavalier, Stillman and everyon else need to chip in. Is there an echo of themes here?
2. Remember last year. The Lightning were knocked off in the second round. It's pretty much the same team + Sydor and I'm sure they don't want to go home early again.
3. Use home ice to your advantage. John Tortorella should be able to get the match-up he wants in Tampa. You win the first two at home and worry about playing at the Bell Centre later.

Seeing as that AWARD column I posted below is quite difficult to follow and read, I've decided to just give a quick recap of who won the 2004 FRENCHIES

Lady Byng (Gentlemanly Conduct) - Brad Richards
Jack Adams (Coach of the Year) - Claude Julien/Ron Wilson
Selke (Defensive Forward) - Alyn McCauley
Norris (Best Defenseman) - Scott Niedermayer
Calder Memorial (Rookie of the Year) - Andrew Raycroft
Vezina - (Best goalie) - Roberto Luongo
Hart - (MVP) - Jarome Iginla

NHL

I was hoping to get my lists announced before the NHL announced the three finalist from their voting but I thought they came out next week. Obviously, I'm wrong but that does save me trouble on things.

[b]LADY BYNG TROPHY[/b]

Probably the most useless award on the face of the planet. However, at least the voting isn't as rediculous as it is on the Selke Trophy. It's awarded to the players who have been judged as the most gentlemanly during the regular season. Ok, it has a great place in the game and this award needs to recognized, don't get me wrong when I say its useless but really - who the hell remembers who won the Lady Byng in so-and-so year? I can pretty much give you the Hart, Norris and Calder winners for the past 20 years easily, forwards and backwards. I know Ron Francis, Paul Kariya and maybe Joe Sakic have won Lady Byng awards but I couldn't tell you when and who else to save my life. If you put a gun to my head, might as well pull the trigger right away.

But [b]Daniel Alfredsson [/b]of the Ottawa Senators and two Tampa Bay Lightning, [b]Brad Richards[/b] and [b]Marty St Louis [/b]are in the running for it this year. I'm going to take Richards out of all this. St Louis has other awards he can win this year (which does factor into voting; whether it should or not, is a different story) and Richards had 12 PIMs compared to Alfredsson's 24 PIMs as well as a couple questionable incidents with stick work.

Honestly I couldn't care less but Richards needs an award. If I'm not mistaken, he's been up for the Lady Byng before and not won so...[b]2004 LADY BYNG WINNER IS BRAD RICHARDS[/b]

[b]JACK ADAMS AWARD[/b]

Awarded to the coach of the year. Honestly, I'm a bit dissapointed in the voting canididates this year. Montreal's [b]Claude Julien[/b] was going to be my vote and he's not even in the top three. Julien, a winner at every level he's coached at, was able to get a team that missed the playoffs last year to buy into his system and contender for the Eastern Conference title. They did hit a skid and finished in seventh but look at the point totals of the six teams above them, the Canadiens do demand just as much respect. Plus, [b]Michael Ryder[/b], a Calder canididate, flourished under the system. If we have to be impressed by what [b]Darryl Sutter[/b] got out of his players in Calgary, can we not also be impressed by what Julien was able to get out of Ryder - once pegged as a third-line fringe player at the NHL level? Or what about [b]Mike Ribeiro[/b] 's play this year during the regular season and emergence as a locker room leader? This is a team that survived a couple locker room divisions but still competed for the Eastern Conference crown. I didn't have Montreal in the playoffs in my pre-season rankings so I have to give Julien props there.

The finalist however include the aforementioned Sutter of Calgary, [b]John Tortorella [/b]of Tampa Bay and [b]Ron Wilson[/b] of San Jose.

Sutter surprised everyone by leading a Calgary team who, as I pointed out yesterday, isn't that talented beyond [b]Jarome Iginla[/b]. He also made everyone a believer out of [b]Miikka Kiprusoff[/b] in net. Kiprusoff's trade didn't surprise me, [b]Vesa Toskala[/b] out played him in San Jose's training camp and Toskala was certainly more favored by the Sharks brass than Miikka. But Kiprusoff exploded under his former coach (Sutter was fired from San Jose in the middle of last season despite factors beyond his control such as hold-outs of his best netminder and defenseman) and Kiprusoff is a finalist for the Vezina trophy this year.

John Tortorella lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Eastern Conference crown and almost won the Presidents Trophy (Detroit eventually won the honours). Tortorella is a bright and brillent coach and I don't think people realize this too often. He's a sentimental favorite to win it because if he does, maybe more people will pay attention to the job he does in Tampa. But of course, as we all know, Tampa Bay will never garner any respect from most of the Canadian media or the Canadian fan-base. I'm doubting he wins the award because it's not like he coached a bad team. This is definitely a club on the collective rise in the league and was capable of making the leap they did this season.

As most of you know, I despise Ron Wilson. I can't place it on why. He's obviously not a hack as we saw when he was with Anaheim but Wilson's reign in Washington just really soured me. He made mistakes there that he shouldn't have but the yoke is on the face of Ted Leonias and the Washington Capitals as the Bruce Cassidy experiement failed miserably. But to Wilson's credit, this team IS modeled to his favor and the San Jose turn-around happened a year sooner than I expected. I had the Sharks missing the playoffs for the second straight year before getting to this spot.

Sutter will probably win it - the media has always been anamoured with the Sutter family and you can't blame them. The Frenchie goes to Claude Julien but any of these three do deserve it as well.

[b]SELKE TROPHY[/b]

I honest to God hate this award. Why do we not switch it to the "Two-way foward" award? Every year people look at point totals and short handed goals and such to quantify how good a forward is defensively. The award is supposed to go to the best-defensive forward - not the forward that can score the most short handed goals. If we're looking a purely defensive forwards, the three canididates aren't bad but they're certainly not the best. I would like to nominate Peter Schaefer of the Ottawa Senators to this list and Minnesota's Wes Walz. They're both fine defensive forwards that need mentioning here.

[b]Kris Draper[/b] of Detroit, [b]Alyn McCauley[/b] of San Jose and [b]John Madden[/b] of New Jersey.

Despite playing in only 67 games, Draper did put up his best offensive season of his career and potted five short handed goals. See? Proves my point. When we talk about the Selke trophy, we start talking offensive numbers. His +22 and his penalty kill ice time and the number of give-aways he caused, how many blocked shots and how often he was on the ice against the other team's offensive top line...these things are harder to quantify I know but they're lost in the conversation.

McCauley was a surprise pick. I don't think of him as a defensive forward primarily. +23 and one short-handed assist. If we could only get him to play physical though.

Madden, the only former Selke winner of the three, had a +7 and a goal and two assists on the penalty kill. He's also one of the premier penalty killers in the league.

Madden I think will win the NHL award - he's known as a top defensive-player and I do look at Draper's 15 games missed and that's a strike against him. I wouldn't be surprised if Draper doesn't win it, there was an awful amount of hype surrounding him winning this award before he got hurt but "The Frenchie" goes to McCauley.

McCauley was a huge part of revitalizing the Sharks this season after coming over at the trade deadline line a year ago for Owen Nolan. While I do wish he'd play more physical, McCauley is a very good defensive player - in fact he's underrated in that aspect. Sharks and Leafs fans continue to debate the McCauley for Nolan deal and comparing McCauley's offensive numbers to Nolan's and they some times forget what McCauley brings to the ice on the other side of the puck. Because he stands little chance of winning the real thing, I'm giving him the 2004 FRENCHIE as best two-way forward.

[b]CALDER MEMORIAL TROPHY[/b]

Look at my archives for this one. I picked [b]Andrew Raycroft[/b] over [b]Michael Ryder[/b] and [b]Ryan Malone[/b] with [b]Trent Hunter[/b] coming in fourth. Hunter gains the third nomination for the real award at the expense of Malone. I'm rooting for Hunter but as my voting shows, I don't think he will. His slump in March should have killed him.

NORRIS TROPHY

Awarded each year to the best defenseman - well to the defenseman "who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-around ability in the postion." Which has always lead to the debate - should we have two seperate awards; one for best defensive-defenseman as well as one for best offensive-defenseman?

[b]Zdeno Chara[/b] of Ottawa, [b]Scott Niedermayer[/b] of New Jersey and [b]Chris Pronger[/b] of St Louis are all in the running.

Pronger did well this season after missing a huge chunk of last year recovering from multiple injuries and he did it without the help of [b]Al MacInnis [/b]and [b]Barrett Jackman[/b], both injured fairly early in the year. He was the best player on the ice for the team pretty much every night. 54 points and a -1, He's got an outside chance of winning.

Chara seems to be a lot of people's choice. The hulking defenseman put together his finest season to date with 44 points and +33 and 100+ PIMs. He's rough, mean and nasty, tough to play against - gotta love him. He's received probably the most attention of the three men.

Niedermayer put up 54 points the same as Pronger but with a +20. He also did it without [b]Scott Stevens[/b] and after Stevens went down, Nidermayer had to pick up the slack as captain of the squad. Not the greatest season the Devils have seen but Niedermayer stepped it up when he needed to.

And the FRENCHIE goes to ------ Scott Niedermayer.

[b]VEZINA TROPHY[/b]

I don't think there's one award that evokes more discussion every year than the Vezina. The Hart Trophy can rival the Vezina but it just seems the really gritty, bloody debates come over the Vezina, awarded for the best goalie of the year.

[b]Miikka Kiprusoff [/b]of Calgary makes an appearance on the list after posting a 1.70 GAA and a .933 Save %. Yeah, those aren't shabby at all. 24-10 record isn't bad either.

After winning his first Vezina last year [b]Martin Brodeur [/b]would like to make it two in a row. 38-26-11 with a 2.03 GAA and .917 Save % he could make it happen. He'll win his fourth share of the William Jennings trophy. You can point to the defense in front of him but it was a defense without Stevens this year.

[b]Roberto Luongo[/b] joins the fray. Playing for Florida didn't help his record, which checks in at 25-33-14 but he did make 2475 saves on the year, most in the league. 2.43 GAA and .931 Save %. He's definitely join the upper echelon but wins do mean a lot in the Vezina.

The 2004 FRENCHIE goes to Luongo. I gave it to Kiprusoff at first but look at how many games he played. Luongo's record sucked but look at Brodeur's second half. Yeah, Jose Theodore would have been a better nomination.


[b]HART TROPHY[/b]

Here it is - the MVP of the league and it comes down to three men - the league's leading scorer in [b]Martin St Louis[/b], Vezina finalist [b]Martin Brodeur[/b] and 2002 Hart Finalist [b]Jarome Iginla[/b].

While I voted for [b]Jose Theodore[/b] in 2002, Iginla probably was "screwed" out of the Hart there and I have feeling he may find himself the victor here. 41 goals (sadly tied for the league lead) helped his club get into the playoffs for the first time in seven years. He's the leader and soul of the Calgary Flames. While I said the Flames wouldn't be in the playoffs without Kiprusoff, the same could go for Iginla - where would this team get goals from without him?

St Louis had 94 points but for a club with a lot of offensive punch behind him. He proved the little guy can play in today's NHL. The hype is behind him but when I look and see Dave Andreychuk, Brad Richards, Vincent Lecavalier and so forth right beside you - it kind of lessens the importance of his 94 points.

Brodeur is on here because the Devils are a one-line team. Without his stellar goaltending this season, the Devils would have been sunk. Is it possible for a goalie to win the MVP but not the Vezina award? We asked this question in 2002 and I believe yes, it can happen but I'm not going with that here.

As you can tell I'm leaning towards....Jarome Iginla. Congrats for winning the 2004 FRENCHIE for NHL MVP Iggy.

NHL

Well Ottawa does it again. They've again lost a Game 7 in their franchise history. If Chris Benoit wasn't the Heavyweight Champion of the World right now, I'd make the analogy. But even then, Chris had at least made it to the dance. Not only can't the Ottawa Senators win the big one, they can't even get to the big one. This franchise has been the model for building. Obviously, they weren't the model for expansion drafting but that fact makes it even more remarkable in what they've been able to do but after a President's Trophy and a couple play-off trips, this team needed to be able to get over the hump this time and it might have just cost [b]Jacques Martin[/b] his job. Martin is a bright coach and one of the good guy's in hockey but it's all about the end results - just ask [b]Joel Quenneville[/b].

Fans can bitch all they want about [b]Patrick Lalime[/b] 's poor play in Game 7 and down the stretch of the season but may I point to some of Lalime's past preformances and say, he wasn't the problem. Don't forget the fact that [b]Ed Belfour[/b] had three shutouts in this series. The Senators were an offensive powerhouse during the regular season and couldn't muster up goals when they needed them. Game 6 made you think they might be able to turn it around but they still only managed one goal on Beflour. Let's give Belfour his due - as the only goalie left standing with a Stanley Cup to his name, he's going to give the Leafs a huge edge.

You can argue that if Lalime HADN'T given up those two soft goals early, the team would have more confidence and would have shown up for game 7. And yes, when you fall behind by that much, that quickly, it does a lot to deflate your team but in all honesty, should this series even be going to game 7 if the offense had come through?

Much like Boston - you can blame [b]Joe Thornton[/b] and you can blame [b]Mike Sullivan[/b] but everyone's got to come through and step-up. There's no excuses - and that goes for you too [b]Martin Brodeur[/b]. Yes, your team missed [b]Scott Stevens[/b] and the outcome could have been different with him in the line-up but would-a...could-a....should-a buddy. You're easily one of the top ten goaltenders of all-time and certainly the best at what you do currently but man, you looked average against Philadelphia. And after this season, you may have just lost your 'current' tag to [b]Roberto Luongo[/b].

So excuses and more excuses litter the aftermath of the first round. Nashville seems to be the only team that's holding its head high - rightfully so. Nashville shocked a lot of people by winning two games. Makes me wonder if those people even watched this team during the season or Tomas Voukon in net before. It didn't surprise me (though honestly, my other first round matches didn't work out so well) but I think we'll be hearing from these guys in the future. It was a great learning experience for all the guys. They might be the only first round exit that learned a damn thing from these playoffs and honestly, that's sad. Every where else it seems like all the talk centers around dissapointment and who to get rid of (see my entry on Dallas the other day) and who to blame. In Nashville, they're talking about how to get better, who to add and looking forward to next season. It's kind of a refreshing feel.

So here comes round two.

[b]CALGARY ( 6 ) V DETROIT ( 1 )[/b]

Calgary fought and fought and were able to knock off the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7. They were able to score enough goals when they needed to to win this series. They earned it but now the competition suddenly gets slightly more stiff with Detroit. I know of at least two ladies out there that will be cheering for Calgary during this series and if they can get the timely scoring again this series, they might be able to do it.

However as we saw with the Canucks, you can rattle Calgary goalie [b]Miikka Kiprusoff[/b] by throwing traffic in front of him and playing in front of him. Detroit has one of the best in the business at doing this in [b]Tomas Holmstrom[/b]. It will be the Calgary defense's job to move him so expect to see [b]Mike Commodore[/b] in the line-up, especially if [b]Denis Gauthier[/b] isn't ready to go.

In every area you've got to say Detroit's the more talented team but I think the big X factor here is [b]Darryl Sutter[/b]. This isn't a talented team and Sutter knows that but he's got a bunch of players who he knows he can count on in his system. They're young, they have momentum and they want this. Those three things can make for a dangerous, dangerous combination. If Calgary comes out quickly and splits at Detroit, expect for (another) long series. [b]Jarome Iginla[/b] has been brillent so far and he's going to get himself very acquinted with [b]Derian Hatcher,[/b] [b]Steve Yzerman [/b]and [b]Kris Draper[/b]. After battling the mammoth [b]Mattias Ohlund[/b], here's where we get to see what Iggy's really made of. Is he the MVP we all think he is? I'm willing to say so.

In the end, I'm going to take Detroit. Derian Hatcher will only get better the more he plays folks. They can roll four lines, [b]Curtis Joseph[/b] looks solid at the moment (and if he starts that weird unexplainable funk where he sits back in his net too far, there's always [b]Manny Legace[/b] on the bench) and players like Holmstrom and [b]Brendan Shannahan[/b] will give Kiprusoff fits. After that brutal series against the Canucks, will they have enough in the tank?

CALGARY KEYS
1. The defense MUST keep Kiprusoff's crease and line of sight clear; Detroit cannot be allowed to be close to their goalie
2. Come out quickly. As a young team, you need to keep that confidence building and a game one win would do wonders in that department
3. Keep getting scoring from different sources. Iginla can't do it all. You're going to need about three goals a game to win - maybe more.

DETROIT KEYS
1. Get Kiprusoff off his game. He doesn't handle traffic too well in front of him at times. Holmstrom can be dangerous here.
2. CuJo needs to be solid. He doesn't have to be great but he needs to avoid his annual post season funks.
3. Don't let Calgary get momentum. While Detroit won't let an "Anaheim" happen to them again, its important to squash Calgary early and not let them turn this into a long series.

[b]COLORADO ( 4 ) V SAN JOSE ( 2 )[/b]

Both teams didn't take long to dispath their respective opponents and both teams did it in glowing fashion. I suspect this series can go long but I don't think Colorado will let it.

[b]David Aebischer[/b] looked great during the Dallas series. Any questions about him and tha playoffs, may have been put aside for now. They won't be put to rest until he wins a Stanley Cup but they've certainly been put aside for now. He was the most impressive thing about that series.

Colorado just made Dallas's defense look silly as the Stars left [b]Marty Turco[/b] out to dry most of the time. San Jose's crew won't do the same with[b] Yevgeni Nabokov[/b]. [b]Kyle McLaren[/b], [b]Scott Hannan[/b] and [b]Mike Rathje[/b] are going to have to be big in this series as the muscle men on the back-line. I think they're definitely capable of doing that.

Up front the Sharks hope both [b]Scott Thornton [/b]and [b]Alyn McCauley[/b] can return in time for Game 1 but no official word. [b]Vinny Damphousse[/b] and [b]Jonathan Cheechoo[/b] both look very good in the first round, they should continue that. [b]Wayne Primeau[/b] will probably check up against either [b]Rob Blake[/b] so watch for that battle. Primeau did well against [b]Chris Pronger[/b] in the St Louis series despite a -2 rating.

The Sharks played strong hockey against the Blues and they'll need to not only do that again but do better at it. They might need to be better than flawless. Colorado's going to generate enough chances on its own, the Sharks don't need to help them by turning the puck over. [b]Marek Svatos[/b] gave the Stars fits but he'll be the least of the problems on a team that includes [b]Peter Forsberg[/b], [b]Milan Hedjuk,[/b] [b]Alex Tanguay[/b], [b]Steve Konowalchuk[/b] (3 goals in 5 games) and oh yeah, [b]Joe Sakic[/b]. It's funny that we can't even mention [b]Paul Kariya[/b] and [b]Teemu Selanne[/b] in this sentance this year.

[b]Ron Wilson[/b], as much as I hate him, gets the coaching advantage over the (always) doubted [b]Tony Granato[/b]. What does Granato got to do to gain any sort of respect what so ever? Tony's not as bad as people make him out to be and here's his chance to show if he can match coaching wits with Wilson. Sharks do have the home-ice advantage in the series though so Wilson will get the match-ups he wants 4 of the possible 7 games. Granato's going to have to do some creative shuffling and win in San Jose to win this series but he's never going to get respect until he wins the Stanley Cup - here's to Tony.

Nabokov is going to have to play out of his mind here but even if he does, I'm not entirely sure the Sharks can play error-free hockey enough to win this series. I'm taking Colorado and I'm taking them in six.

SAN JOSE KEYS
1. DO NOT TURN OVER THE PUCK!! No mistakes what-so ever. Bury your chances when you get them because they may be the only ones you get.
2. Primeau, Ricci, Rathje, McLaren, Hannan all need to come up big on the defensive end. You're not going to physically wear down Hedjuk, Sakic or Forsberg but you need to hit them as many times as you can. Same goes for Svatos and the rest of the Avalanche.
3. Patrick Marleau, Cheechoo and Damphousse need to score. Simple as that. All of Marleau's goals came in one game - he's going to have to do better than that.

COLORADO KEYS
1. Shut down Marleau, Cheechoo and Damphousse. Sharks didn't generate that much offense against the Blues - they really didn't need to. You shut down these three and I'm not sure they'll have enough fire power to outscore the Lanche
2. Believe in Granato. He's going to match against Wilson here and this series could either propel Granato's career or bury it.
3. Win in San Jose early. Can't win a series as the lower seed without winning on the road of course but if the Lanche can quiet the Sharktank early, it'll make this series a lot easier.

Going to take a break - the Eastern Conference I'll post up tomorrow. I'm sure I said a lot of disagreeable things and I'm sure my typing is as hard to follow as always. When I get on long rants, I often forget such things as organization (after all, lack of organization is one of the key ingredients in a rant.)

NFL

Honestly I usually have my mock draft out by now but I really have just not been into this draft. There's a couple amazing kids out there in this draft that will wind up being amazing but I'm just not excited as I use to be about this draft. San Diego's basically stuck with the first pick and they keep making themselves look like dumbasses, trying to invent trade talk to push up the value of something no one wants. That's like me trying to increase the value of a rotten orange peel. Honestly, how exciting can a draft be when no one wants to hold the first overall pick?

As for Maurice Clarett and Mike Williams and the new order keeping them out of this draft, I've for the longest time been against allowing Clarett and Williams into this draft but honestly folks, I finally have come to the conclusion that NFL GMs are stupid.

We've heard all this garbage about how Clarett isn't ready for the game physically and mentally, he shouldn't be in this draft, blah blah blah blah blah. All true - if you can't handle a full college season, you're not going to be able to handle the wear and tear and the grind of a full NFL season. But as a GM, do you guys realize - YOU GET TO PICK WHO YOU WANT TO PICK???? No one's forcing Clarett down your throat. No one's holding a shotgun to your head and telling you to pick him! If you think the player isn't ready, don't pick him. And if you do pick him for long-term projections - don't play him. Hell, the Bengals obviously thought Carson Palmer wasn't ready - he's making these millions hand-over-fist (for getting hot for only seven games in his college career - just happened to be the last seven) and he sat on the bench all year as the Bengals enjoyed one of their best seasons in recent memory. If he isn't ready - D O N O T P L A Y H I M

Is it that hard to figure out? If you're worried that he can't pick up the offense or he can't read a blitz - why the fuck would you put him out there? Are you that dumb of a coach? Sometimes I wonder about some of the league's coaches but c'mon, I'll give all 30 of them that much credit.

If you're so against having Clarett in this draft - don't draft him. Let him go unselected and either pick him up as a free agent (paying him less) or just let him fail. If these players entering the draft early aren' drafted - that's all you need to discourage any other kids thinking about jumping out earlier from High School or as a freshman or as a Sophomore.

It's the same thing with the NHL owners wanting a salary cap to give them some sort of cost certainity. You don't need some one telling you how much you can spend in a year to set your cost certainity. If you don't want to spend that much - don't spend that much. You whine about the salaries these players get and yet you gave it to them. If you can't take care of your own fianances - too bad.

I know the NFL teams are wanting to protect their feeder-system of College Football. A player spends four years there and he can pretty much step in just fine into the NFL either right away or in a year or two. Not always but in most cases. But you're not going to be able to protect it through the rules now - the legal law has decided once again that it should mess and intermingle with sports. So you want to protect that system - you've got to do it yourself. Don't draft these kids on the first day. You want to take a long-term projection shot-in-the-dark, go ahead in the final four rounds. But you're going to have to police yourselves.

With that being said, I'm compling my mock draft for the 2004 NFL draft and that should be up soon.

An update on the RJ Umberger story I mentioned a couple days ago - if the Rangers fail to sign Umberger and let him become an UFA, they do receive a compensatory pick. And seeing as the Canucks selected him 16th overall, the Rangers should receive a pick in the middle of the second round (right around the 46th overall position) for losing his rights. So, more power to Glen Sather on this one - Umberger needs to wisen up and fire his agent.

JOHAN HEDBERG DONE IN VANCOUVER

Ok, with Alex Auld getting the starts in game 6 and 7 for the Canucks, even the most casual obersever could tell you that the Canucks aren't going to re-sign Hedberg in the off-season. Marc Crawford really just never liked him and I cannot see why not. Hedberg never played that horribly. He'll find a back-up job some where in the league, however. St Louis, Toronto and others maybe looking for a capable back-up.

SUNDIN UNLIKELY TO PLAY

tsn.ca is reporting that Sundin is unlikely to play in Game 7 against the Senators tonight - a game your's truly will miss because of a night class. Now some of you may have saw my little tirade yesterday about Kevin Dupont's article on Joe Thornton, calling for Thornton to give up his capatiancy. I deleted the post on it mainly because I disagreed with what I said later. It is Joe's job to work with the media. I apologize. I still think that Dupont was a little harsh and a bit misplaced in his criticism.

But let's look at these two captains - Joe Thornton had torn rib cartilage through-out the entire series. He was ineffective on offense and you can shoulder some of the blame on coach Mike Sullivan for waiting until Game 7 to put him in a checking role but Thornton played.

While I know Toronto has more former NHL-captains on its roster than probably any other team in history and leadership should be no such problem for the Maple Leafs in Game 7 without their captain, Sundin's lower-body injury kept him out of Games 5 and 6. I know it must be something very serious for Sundin not to play even at a lower percentage than 100% but hey, at least Thornton played.

Boston must take the blame as Boston. Not put it on Thornton's shoulders. Sergei Gonchar, Mike Sullivan, everyone must take the blame here. And for anyone who says Teddy Donato isn't an important role player, take a look at this series after he was injured in Game 2.

KIM JOHANSSON HURT

The Flyers revealed that their best defenseman, Kim Johnson suffered a broken hand in the Game 5 clincher over New Jersey. He'll be forced to sit down Games 1 and maybe 2 if he can't shoot the puck with any veolocity, says Ken Hitchcock.

While we don't know who Philadelphia will play in the second round, that doesn't bode well for the Flyers who are already with out Eric Desjardins on the blueline. Sami Kapanen, who's completely changed his game and become a premier penalty-killer this season will be switched to defense if Johansson cannot go. Sucks to be Randy Jones, who probably won't receive a call-up.

You've got to worry about Philadelphia's defense against either Toronto or Ottawa, be it whomever wins tonight.

NHL

[b]LARIONOV RETIRES[/b]

Even if you take away the impending doom the league is supposedly heading towards, this one isn't much of a surprise. [b]Igor Larionov[/b], 43, announced his retirement from professional hockey after a rough second stint with the New Jersey Devils which included many nights as a healthy scratch and some verbal battles with Devils coach [b]Pat Burns[/b]. While there's no word yet if Burns, battling colon cancer (see the enteries from yesterday) will be the Devils head coach next season, I don't think that factored into Larionov's decision. It was just time for one of the all-time greats to ride off into the sunset. I would have prefered a happier ending and I'm not entirely sure how much hockey Hall of Fame backing there could for him in the but if you put his years in Russia together with his NHL days, he makes a very strong case. He was one of the main players that really helped break down the Iron Curtain and helped to make it easier for Russian born players to come over to America. He should be in the Hall-of-Fame but if he doesn't make it, I have many fond memories of Larionov with San Jose, Vancouver and Detroit and that's all I need.

So what's next for Larionov? He plans to play a farewell exhibtion game in Moscow in December. He was planning to be the General Manager for Russia's entry into the 2004 World Cup of Hockey in August but Russian hockey officials have since cut ties, arguing over how much power Larionov would actual weild in putting together the team.

Will Larionov go back to Russia and try to start up a coaching career? How about a career as a General Manager (though where - some people already have [b]Steve Yzerman[/b] pegged in Detroit as a future GM)? Or even an NHL scout could be a possibility for Larionov. He's got a great hockey mind and eye for details.

Good luck to whatever future position in hockey you take Igor.

[b]KOZLOV AND HRDINA IN THE FUTURE[/b]

[b]Viktor Kozlov[/b] was supposed to give the Devils size up the middle for their long playoff run in defense of their Stanley Cup Championship. Well Kozlov failed to deliever and the Devils bow out of the playoffs after only five games in the opening round. Kozlov was scratched by coach Pat Burns three of the five games.

[b]Jan Hrdina [/b]was also brought in to help the Devils at center ice and while his regular season stay with the Devils was nothing to write home about - spending more of it in the pressbox than on the ice - he did manage to score a goal during the series against Philadelphia. He still has at least a year left on his contract and the two-way face-off man will cost the Devils upwards of $2.2 million next season. He'll probably have a job with the Devils next season but that would be a chunk of cash you'd think they'd rather not have.

Kozlov will cost $2.3 million for the Devils to qualify as a Restricted Free Agent. Don't be surprised in the Devils fail to qualify his contract and just let the dissapointing, once-promising Kozlov walk as an unrestricted free agent. I would suspect their would be takers for Kozlov as a UFA but he's bound for a large pay cut after this season. If anyone wants to take a chance on a big Russian winger with all the talent in the world but no way to harness it - be my guess and pick him up.

Devils will probably go into next season with [b]Scott Gomez[/b], [b]John Madden[/b], and [b]Jan Hrdina[/b] as centers. [b]Erik Rasmussen[/b], who played at center when Kozlov was ineffective against Philadelphia could also figure back into the mix as could [b]Zach Parise[/b], the 2004 Hobey Baker runner-up.

[b]DALLAS STARS FUTURE[/b]

Dallas Stars owner Tom Hicks is naturally unhappy about his team's first round defeat at the hands of the rival Colorado Avalanche. While it wasn't a shocking victory for the Avalanche, many people (including your's truly) had the Stars winning this dogfight. Instead it wasn't even much of a dogfight as Colorado dominated almost the whole way through.

Now Tom Hicks again is threatening changes to his club. Hicks, buddy, how many times have you threatened your big name stars just this season alone, let alone the past couple seasons (mainly the last two)? While it is normally easier for teams to move bigger salaries in the off-season than during the regular season, that won't be the case this off-season until the labor situation becomes clearer. So Hicks is really just blowing off steam again. [b]Bill Guerin[/b], [b]Mike Modano[/b] and [b]Marty Turco[/b] are practically untouchable with their contracts and I don't know anyone that even wants to touch [b]Pierre Turgeon[/b].

[b]Ron Tugnutt[/b] probably won't be back and will retire, saving the team $2.2 million. [b]Mike Smith[/b], [b]Dan Ellis[/b] and [b]Jason Bacashihua[/b] will fight for the back-up job in camp. I would like to see Bacashihua win it but he's fallen out of favor with the Stars brass and they may look to trade the former first rounder. Smith will most likely be the winner.

On defense, six of the top eight defensemen for the Stars are UFAs. [b]Sergei Zubov[/b] and [b]Phillipe Boucher[/b] are the only defensemen under contract for next season as [b]Teppo Numminen[/b], [b]Richard Matvichuk[/b], [b]Jon Klemm[/b], [b]Chris Therien[/b], [b]Don Sweeney[/b] and [b]Lubomir Sekeras[/b] can all walk.

[b]John Erskine[/b], [b]Trevor Daley[/b] and [b]Jeff MacMillan [/b](who could walk under Group VI free agency if he chooses) will all be excepted to step up as youngster into the d-man corp. I have a feeling at least one or two of the free-agents will be back. Therien looked pretty good in the playoff series against Colorado and Klemm could find his way back too. Sweeney will likely retire after a solid NHL career. Sekeras always has the option of returning to Europe. Will Numminen and Matvichuk be welcomed back? Only at discounted prices. The Stars cringed last off-season when they had to pony up to keep Matvichuk in the fold after losing [b]Derian Hatcher[/b] to Detroit.

Amongst the forwards, [b]Scott Young[/b] will not be welcomed back in Dallas. The whole big money signing of Young was a mistake from the beginning. [b]Shayne Corson[/b], added for the playoff run will probably not be back as well now that [b]Steve Ott[/b] is another year wiser. I'd assume Stars' GM [b]Doug Armstrong[/b] would love to retain grinder and heart guy, [b]Rob DiMaio[/b]. [b]David Oliver[/b], [b]Jarrod Skalde [/b]and [b]Rob Valicevic [/b]really don't matter in the grand scheme of things.

I'll be amazed if the Stars qualify contracts for [b]Valeri Bure[/b], [b]Barrett Heisten[/b] and [b]Mike Siklenka[/b]. Bure, while he had a very good season his qualifing number is too steep. Heisten and Siklenka were project players that have to be deemed failures at this point. [b]Jason Arnott[/b], [b]Aaron Downey[/b], Erskine, [b]Niko Kapanen[/b], [b]Mattias Tjarnqvist[/b] and [b]Blake Sloan[/b] will all have to be qualified.

One other tip for the Stars, Modano should be concentrating on his game and scoring points. Move the captaincy. His off-year this campaign can't be entirely contributed to his extra duties as captain but it sure didn't help. Could DiMaio or [b]Jere Lehtinen[/b] be counted on as captain for next year?

NHL

RUUTU NOT TO PLAY FOR FINLAND

This one is for my Chicago buddies. Tuomo Ruutu, who finished the regular season with authority despite numerous nagging injuries, has elected not to play for Finland at the 2004 World championships. Ruutu did not receive medical clearance from the Blackhawks to play in the tournament--which gets under way next Saturday in the Czech Republic. While Ruutu won't participate in this International hockey tournament, he hasn't been ruled out for the 2004 World Cup of Hockey in August.

I expect him to play in the World Cup. I'm a big fan of Finnish hockey and I think they may find enough to win it if they get stellar enough goaltending from Kari Lehtonen or Pasi Nurminen - whom ever gets the starting job.

Also for them - Alexei Zhamnov, Tony Amonte and Jeremy Roenick combined finished with six goals, 18 points in the Flyers five-game series win over the defending New Jersey Devils. The Amonte-Zhamnov-Roenick line has been dubbed the "Blackhawk Down" line by coach Ken Hitchcock.

[b]EARLY FREE AGENT MOVEMENT[/b]

For those who like to keep up with rosters and transaction, don't forget these tiny ones that have happened recently.

[b]Chris Armstrong[/b] after a season away from the DEL will be returning to the German league. This time he'll be with ERC Ingolstadt after a season with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks.

Armstrong's old DEL team, the Alder Mannheim (or the Mannheim Eagles) added two AHLers up front - the speedy [b]Steve Kelly [/b]as well as [b]Jason Morgan[/b]. Kelly, a former first rounder, will be leaving the LA organization while Morgan will be leaving the Chicago organization. Morgan also played for Calgary and Nashville earlier this season.

[b]Tom Koivisto[/b] will be leaving for the Frolunda Indians of the SEL. The former SM-Liiga stand-out signed with the Indians two years ago but never played a game for them after the St Louis Blues offered him a contract to come over to North America. After failing to make the adjustment across the pond, Koivisto expects to be an impact in Frolunda.

[b]Jimmie Olvestad[/b], former Tampa Bay Lightning farm hand has decided to pack up and return home to Djurgardens of the SEL after an ultimately poor showing in North America.

[b]Matt Davidson[/b], after failing to make the Calgary Flames this season will be going to Dusseldorf DEG Metro Stars of the DEL.

[b]Jame Pollock[/b] and [b]Domenic Pittis[/b] both signed on for the Kloten Flyers in Switzerland. Pittis played this year with the Rochester Americans of the AHL while Pollock played with the Worcester Ice Cats and saw some action with the St Louis Blues this year. Pollock can play both defense and right wing.

Vancouver farm hand [b]Mikko Jokela[/b] has left the Manitoba Moose, who failed to qualify for the AHL post-season. Jokela will play for HPK Hämeenlinna next season.

[b]Brian Swanson[/b], who played for the Houston Aeros on loan from the Atlanta Thrashers will be going to the DEL next season with the Kassel Huskies.

Former Oiler [b]Kari Haakana[/b] switches from SEL staple MoDo Hockey to the Espoon Blues of the SM-Liiga.

While it has yet to go official, [b]Randy Robitaille[/b] will be leaving the Atlanta Thrashers for the ZSC Lions in Switzerland. I think Randy's waiting a bit to see how the looming stoppage will play out but we do know he has been in talks with the Lions.

NHL - My awards columns will continue later. I'm having a bit of difficulty narrowing down the Selke list to a winner I feel happy with.

However, there are still things to talk about.

[b]PAT BURNS AND THE FUTURE[/b]

When the Devils announced that they would be holding a press conference with Pat Burns and that the press conference would be non-hockey related, you knew something was wrong. Today Burns announced that he has cancer of the colon and in five weeks will undergo treatment.

This is going to be a tough time for Burns and the Burns family. I send them my best regards. My grandfather just got clear of his cancer earlier this year. Sorry get on the morbid thoughts again but my grandfather's cancer sent my dad to pieces for a couple weeks. He took it harder than my grandfather did. So I know a little bit of what his family must be going through just by observing my dad during that month.

[b]RANGERS TO LET UMBERGER WALK[/b]

Glen Sather is not expected to sign [b]RJ Umberger[/b] (acquired in the Martin Rucinsky trade) and thus let Umberger become an UFA, allowing the former OSU college star to sign where ever he pleases.

Sather states that Umberger's agent is demanding the rookie cap despite taking a whole year off from competitive hockey. Umberger's been working out in skating drills with the Hartford Wolfpack. Skating drills aren't the greatest place to get a full look at Umberger but Sather has not been impressed with Umberger or his desire.

So that's already two teams that Umberger and his agent have failed to sell. The former first rounder either needs to start working a bit harder or lower his costs because two teams already say you're not worth the rookie cap yet. I'm sick of these rookies coming into the league and thinking they deserve shit from GMs. I really thought this was something only David Frost and his clients did but right now Frost and his clients have other issues to worry about I guess.

Umberger would love to go to Pittsburgh, his home town but if the Rangers nor the Canucks are willing to give Umberger the money - why and how could the Penguins do so? Just for a home grown talent? The Penguins are a bit weak on the right flank but Umberger isn't a dire need at the moment.

I know Umberger can play in the NHL some day but the year off, the poor preformance when showcase and the ridiculous demands - I'm going to stay away from him if I'm a GM.

[LINE]

[b]MIKE DANTON[/b]

If you don't know about this incident by now, go to pretty much any sports news site.

Here's for one the police complaint http://www.ksdk.com/news/Dant...

Here's an article on David Frost from 1999 for background information -

http://www.sunmedia.ca/DunlopAwards/frost.html" title="http://www.sunmedia.ca/DunlopAwards/frost.html" target="_blank"http://www.sunmedia.ca/Dunlop...

Two more on Frost

http://www.csolve.net/" title="http://www.csolve.net/" target="_blank"http://www.csolve.net/~tancleav/writing/jeffers on001.html
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/10/27/Lightning/ Keefe_waits_in_wing_f.shtml" title="http://www.sptimes.com/2003/10/27/Lightning/ Keefe_waits_in_wing_f.shtml" target="_blank"http://www.sptimes.com/2003/1...

I don't know what to think here. I'm not going to jump to conclusions about anything. We'll find out everything that we need to find out when they want us to find out. The whole plot itself doesn't irk me anymore. What irks me is that everyone's trying to push this situation under the rug and has been for some time. No, not just Mike Danton's arrest but his involvement with his advisor and agent, David Frost. We've known for years that Frost is a manipulative human being with questionable tactics who exhibits amazing control over his kids. There's so many stories about Frost and his past and yet only the very least has ever been done about him. Sure the OHA suspeneded him for life but that's only one league.

I'm not saying Frost sexually abused Danton (then known as Mike Jefferson) or Sheldon Keefe or even Ryan Barnes, David Caitton or any other kid. But his whole situation and past and his control over his kids feels erriely like the same story we heard with Graham James. James preyed on emotional unstable or hurt children much the same. And Danton is probably the biggest case of emotionally damaged you'll ever see.

We all knew what Graham James was doing to a degree. We all know about Frost and his powers yet we sweep it under the rug and look the other way. So much so that when something like THIS explodes into the national media, no one seems to have a clue why this all happened. We all look the other way and it wasn't until Sheldon Kennedy (and another unnamed player) stepped forward and had the balls to finally say no more and ring the bell of clearity. Sadly, hockey is and always will be only a reactionary sport. Nothing gets done about anything until the worst has happened. And obviously, if James sexually abusing his young players as coach of the Swift Current Broncos didn't make hockey toot its horn, Danton's arrest won't even be a blip on the radar.

I'm not saying that the Canadian hockey system needs to radically change its structure but something needs to be done. In Canada, parents send their children away to live with other families in the cities who have midget and junior programs. It's common practice in Canada and no one ever thinks twice about. It's seen as helping your child's hockey progression. With so many small towns in Canada, sometimes the youth program doesn't carry all the way up to a junior level. They must leave to compete at the higher levels. You're sending young boys the ages of 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 away to bigger cities in Canada. Now the practice does go on in the United States to some degree with the USHL and NAHL but its not on the wide spread scale.

Not only are you giving your child up to another family to live but you're giving them up to the coach as well and the coach becomes a father-figure. You're giving him a lot of power and influence over the young individuals without a lot of supervision on that power. Especially when people tend to look the other way. Sure the coach is supervised in ways by the club itself and the housing parents but its probably no where the level of supervision and hawk eyes there would be if the actual parents were watching.

Despite supervision, extreme cases like James and Frost slip through the cracks and no one in power does anything. Danton's housemother in Sarnia tried to help the young man and it ended up with Danton (Jefferson at the time) being traded. Makes me wonder sometimes - if we all knew about James and Frost and did nothing about it, what's going on out there that we don't know about?

Don't uproot the Canadian system. It's a system that makes the country and its sport great. There's a lot of positives in the housing system. Just we need people to be more aware of signs and not be afraid to speak out.

Maybe Danton's really screwed up but I'm willing to bet that if he never met David Frost early in his life, he probably would have turned out just fine. Same with Sheldon Kennedy. At least Kennedy has since been able to turn his life around for the better. I don't condone what Danton did but if he's as emotional screwed up and battling alcoholism and other demons, I wish him the best of luck and I hope he can turn his life around to the point where he can live it normally and that they get Frost a thousand miles away from him.

For the record, I hated Danton and I gave him a couple weeks in St Louis before he screwed up. He almost lasted the whole season. I got my wish and he's off the team but I'm not really sure I wanted it to happen like this. Actually I know for a fact I didn't want it to happen like this. I hope he gets his help.

NHL - Well it's time to start my award voting for the end of the regular season. Keep in my that these are my canididates. Even though voting has already taken place, the NHL will no announce the canididates until later.

First up is the Calder Mermorial. It's rewarded to the best first-year player under the age of 26 (for the cut-off dates and the rules to it, go visit nhl.com - i think they have them there.)

My vote is sadly an obvious one. He was my pre-season pick and he'll still be my final pick. I think most of you know who it is.

[b]2004 FRENCHIE'S ROOKIE OF THE YEAR IS[/b].....

[b]Andrew RAYCROFT, Boston Bruins[/b]

I picked Raycroft in training camp because the Bruins were a team I knew could compete for the top of the Eastern conference if Andrew could give them his all. Even if he had some off days, he still was going to get a chance to pick up a good chunk of wins with that team. Though I did almost change my pick before the season because of the Bruins late signing of [b]Felix Potvin[/b]. But the young Raycroft beat out Potvin and held down the starting job into the playoffs. He's got a good chance to lead his team to the Stanley Cup finals. He had a 2.05 GAA and .926 save per centage during the regular season.

2004 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR FIRST RUNNER UP

[b]Michael RYDER, Montreal Canadiens[/b]

All due respect to Trent Hunter here. I believe Hunter will be the better pro in the long run but Ryder looked a lot better than his potential has shown. He works well under Claude Julien's system. 63 points for a supposed checking-line forward isn't bad. Helped the Canadiens make the playoffs after an off-year. Playing in every game as a rookie also helps your case.

[b]2004 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR SECOND RUNNER UP[/b]

[b]Ryan MALONE, Pittsburgh Penguins[/b]

The Penguins had a late surge and Malone's plus-minus was respectable. Not bad considering how bad this team was at times this season. Lead the team in scoring and never got down on himself or the team. He's going to be a piece of the rebuilding puzzle in Pittsburgh. Made the team over a couple other prospects that I thought were ahead of him.

[b]2004 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR THIRD RUNNER UP[/b]

[b]Trent HUNTER, New York Islanders[/b]

Yeah. You guessed it. I love Hunter a lot and I think he's going to be a consistent 30 goal scorer. But his March finish knocked him down horribly. He missed a couple games and topped out at 25 (same as Ryder) but injuries are part of the game. He took a bit to develop but the Islanders have a budding power forward on their hands.

[b]2004 FRENCHIE'S ROOKIE OF SHAME[/b]

[b]Peter SEJNA, St Louis Blues[/b]

Blues GM Larry Pleau had the Hobey Baker winning Sejna penciled to start on the second line with Doug Weight. He scored against Patrick Roy in his short 2 game stint last year and every one figured that teaming with Weight would lead to nice point totals for Sejna. All it led to was Sejna looking out of place and sent to the minors before too long. The depth on the wings for St Louis was so bad they were forced to use Eric Nickulas and Mark Rycroft for a good portion of the season. Sejna's expected to compete for a roster spot again next season but he won't be handed it again.

[LINE]

My Final Voting

1. Andrew Raycroft, Boston
2. Michael Ryder, Montreal
3. Ryan Malone, Pittsburgh
4. Trent Hunter, NY Islanders
5. John-Michael Liles, Colorado
6. Daniel Hamhuis, Nashville
7. Nikolai Zherdev. Columbus
8. Tuomo Ruutu, Chicago
9. Patrice Bergeron, Boston
10. Joni Pitkanen, Philadelphia
[LINE]

The Next award to get tackled is the Selke Award for best defensive forward.

I'm going out and seeing Kill Bill Vol 2 tonight so if you need to reach me....sorry.

Remember, I'm still taking questions for my mail bag section. Email anything at dynamitehack91 @ yahoo . com

Yeah Yeah. I know it's been a couple days since I last updated. I've been pretty busy and on top of that had to take two days out of the week to attend a funeral. And not one of those funerals where the person was on death's doorstep for so long, that it came to no one's surprise that they were all here on a moment's notice. Nah it was one of those real real sad ones where you are all still in shock. See Mel was only a couple weeks older than myself so there was a big waste of potential and a life not even half-lived.

It's maybe a morbid thing to do but I do it occasionally on a day where the local newspaper is slow and I have some extra time to kill in reading the paper, I'll check out the obituaries. And most of them, I can only hope I'll live that long but the ones that interest me are the ones that you know just stand out. Like the other day, there was one for a nine year old kid that died in his home in the morning. Then you get the occasional teenager and I know it's a car accident or something. Then anything before 35 I find strange and maybe its my pull towards writing but you ever sit there and wonder how some of these people die so young? Maybe its sick but I always want to figure it out. I just don't go dwelling into it so the "mystery" goes unsolved all the time.

NBA

Ok I apologize for that little tirade above. I'm a wierdo. But is it me or after this season, will Tim Flyod ever get another NBA coaching job again? The Bulls were never really his fault we kept telling ourselves after God, Jesus and Buddha left town and if you look at the current situation, that probably can be confirmed. Though if Jamal Crawford can pop in 50 points when it actually matters, maybe they might win a couple more games. But even that was against the Raptors - a team in problem just as big of a mess.

And nothing against Tim Floyd in New Orleans but weren't the Hornets suppose to look better than this? They struggled at times and some people have been whispering that both Baron Davis and Jamal Mashburn milked their injuries during the season. They don't respect Floyd and don't believe he can coach in the NBA. For any other coach, Davis, the team's best guard, probably would have been on the floor before his eventual return. I'm not going to call out Baron Davis (nor Mashburn, left off the post-season roster) but other people have.

The team has lost seven of its last eleven and run up against a Heat team that is running like it's namesake, winners in 17 of their last 21 games. I know its a fresh start when you get into the playoffs but my money's on the Heat.

Now would the Hornets fire Floyd after only a year on the job in a new city? It remains to be seen. Losing in the first round could be a good excuse for it but if they get past the first round, he can protect his hide just in case.

As a lot of you know - I don't know a lot about basketball but here's my playoff picks.

Miami over New Charlotte obviously
Pacers over Celtics
Knicks upset the Nets
Pistons and Bucs flip a coin

T-Wolves win in the first round for once over the Nuggets
Lakers over Rockets
Spurs over Griz
Kings over Marvicks

Again I'm a casual observer of the NBA and this is one of the first year's I've paid a decent amount of attention to the NBA regular season. I was watching a good amount of games early in the season. That of course dropped off after the all-star break but you know, here goes nothing. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong.

[b]WASHINGTON WINS THE LOTTERY[/b]

I failed to mention this on the sixth but Washington did wind up winning the NHL draft lottery, moving ahead of Pittsburgh and Chicago for the rights to draft [b]Alexander Ovechkin[/b]. While I'm not one to give comparsions (I'm horrible at them) I do compare Ovechkin possibly to Owen Nolan at the same age. Don't expect him to come into the NHL on fire though. He's talented offensively but his head is set on winning so he'll scarifice personal points for the W. Remind you of the exact opposite of someone the Capitals use to have?

Pittsburgh gets the second place prize in [b]Evgeni Malkin [/b]though there is some rumbling that they may pass over Malkin. I assume a lot of it is just displeasure over losing out on Ovechkin and I expect the Penguins to go with the second Russian.

Chicago losses out on both of the prized Russians and has an interesting choice to make at three. They could possibly trade down but I fail to see what that would accomplish. Defenseman [b]Cameron Barker[/b] would give the Hawks yet another stud on defense to go with [b]Anton Babchuck[/b] and [b]Brent Seabrooke[/b]. But [b]Rostislav Olesz[/b] might wind up being the Chicago pick. The Czech prospects has fallen in a lot of people's eyes but his style would fit well into Brian Sutter's system and along side future cornerstone, [b]Tuomo Ruutu[/b].

At four, Columbus will probably select whomever the Hawks don't which they'll be glad to do. I'm taking Barker here. [b]Rostislav Klesla[/b] and Barker in the future would give the Bluejackets two big studs on defense. Originally I thought the Bluejackets would have to trade down to get Barker but this works out for them just the same.

The fifth pick is slightly interesting for the Phoenix Coyotes. The Coyotes like Finnish stand-out speedster [b]Lauri Tukonen[/b] and I did for a while until the WJC. I think they could trade down and still get him. [b]Wojotek Wolski[/b] and [b]Robbie Schremp[/b] are also tempting here. Wolski would fit in prefectly for the Carolina Hurricanes so I could see them working out a deal with Phoenix here or they can hope New York's lured in by the allure of Schremp and Phoenix does go with Tukonen.

The Rangers probably go with Schremp at sixth. He's a top line center with a supposed attitude problem. I think a lot of people (Red Line Report and myself) have blown his spat earlier in the season out of porportion. Glen Sather could shock us here with [b]Alexander Radulov[/b] but I think Schremp is the safer bet.

I hope Carolina can pick up Wolski at eight but I'm not sure he'll fall past seven. The Florida Panthers have become use to trading their first round pick around and they're stocked in the cupboard for right now so any one wanting to jump up for Tukonen or Wolski or even potential star goalie [b]Marek Schwarz[/b] can do so here. Though I think a lot of teams would rather wait on a goalie later in the second and third rounds than take the gamble on the 5-9 Schwarz. I could see Florida keeping the pick and going with Russian Radulov but he's as much of a gamble as anyone in the first round. They may just spoil Carolina/Phoenix's plan by taking Wolski or Tukonen.

At nine I suspect that Anaheim will either go with [b]AJ Thelan[/b] (if he's opting in) or "keep it in the family" and take [b]Ryan Getzlaf[/b] 's (last year's first round pick) running mate in [b]Andrew Ladd[/b]. Ladd's proved enough that he can do it without Getzlaf this year but imagine putting them together - Getzlaf almost made the Ducks out of training camp after all.

At ten, Atlanta has a lot of choices. Including Thelan or even [b]Drew Stafford[/b]. Stafford would give them some decent size up front. If Ladd slides past New York, Florida and Anaheim, Atlanta would lap him up immediately without thinking twice.

The draft may not be as deep as the 2003 or 2001 drafts but it's sure going to be interesting and fun. Should be better than 1996 and 1997 that's for sure.

[b]JUNIOR LESSARD WINS THE HOBEY BAKER[/b]

The UMD Senior skated over Zach Praise (New Jersey) and Yann Davis (Montreal) to winning the Hobey Baker, awarded annually to the top college player. And while the other two finalists have pro contracts now, Lessard wasn't drafted and nor has he signed a pro contract since UMD was knocked out of the NCAA Semi-Finals the other day but he shouldn't be on the market long. He's definitely a late-blooming sniper who could fill some lucky team's right flank in a year or two. He's not overly big at 6-0 but I don't think that'll hinder him.

I'd love to see him in the Blues or Bruins uniform but we can only wait as Lessard weighs his options over the next couple days. I expect it won't be long past Easter.

[b]DENVER WINS THE NCAA TITLE[/b]

I didn't get a chance to see the game but congrats to Denver as well as congrats to UMD, Maine and Boston College. 1-0 Denver over Maine, the first shut out since 1974 if I remember correctly.

After Niko Dimitrakos scored in OT against the Blues in Game 1, I kind of felt like going anti-Maine Black Bears for the day so I'm happy. Fuck Maine and have a nice day.

[b]CLAUDE LAPOINTE TROUBLES[/b]

Philadelphia Flyers center Claude Lapointe's post-season is done early. He will re-enter the league's substance abuse program for the second time this season. I'm sure there's a couple immature idiots out there bashing and "hating" on Lapointe much the same as it was with the Theoren Fleury situtation. I'll never understand the whole false concept that addiction is nothing but weakness. Guess you either need to know someone who's trying to kick an addiction or even have kicked one yourself to even understand what's going on. I wish Claude (as well as Theo) the best of luck in getting his life back on track. Your career at this point is not the main thing but if you're able to come back next year, I look forward to it. You were a bright spot for the Islanders in those years when the team couldn't generate enough light to even compete with the light from an E-Z Bake Oven's lightbulb. (sorry it's late damnit and that's the best i could come up with)

NHL

NASHVILLE AND DETROIT

Detroit takes an early 2-0 lead in the series after the first phase in Detroit. Many people are calling the second Detroit goal in Game 2 a fluke. Well I guess it was also a fluke that Nashville was 0 for 6 on the power-play. Detroit's had their fair share of bad bounces this year and definitely last year. Nashville's had their chances in both games so far but they've just not been able to capitalize on it and have let Tomas Voukon's strong play go to waste. Steve Sullivan's been buzzing up and down the ice and his work has yet to translate into points. I have a hunch that Sullivan will get his due down in Nashville for game 3.

ST LOUIS AND SAN JOSE

After an encouraging game 1, the Blues fell apart in Game 2 and played some of the worst hockey I've seen out of a team in a very long time. We can bitch and whine about the officiating all night long but in the end, the Blues have got to realize, no matter how wrong and loopy Stephen Walkom was, he set his tone early and you guys just didn't get the memo in time, if ever.

Games 3 and 4 bode well for the Blues as they return to the Savvis Center and should come home to a ruccus crowd. Though the Blues better strike early in Game 3 or this crowd could turn ugly in a hurry. Players like Pavol Demitra and Doug Weight have earned the ire of St Louis fans due to their uninspired play in the playoffs and in the case of Pavol, the disappearing act of the past four years in the post-season. If the Blues are in fact bounced in the first round, I'd assume Demitra will be ran out of town as soon as the CBA issue is set straight. Weight may not be too far behind him.

How the Blues react to the disgrace of Game 2 will say a lot about if Mike Kitchen is the guy for the Blues next season or if they'll go another route. As much as I'd love to see Chicago Wolves headcoach John Anderson in the NHL some where next season or even my favorite Paul Maurice, I'm pulling for Kitchen to be the winner. It'd make things easier and so far he's deserved his shot at this gig, let's see if he can wow us.

Let's hope that Chris Osgood and (to a lesser extent) Peter Cajanek are alright and ready to go for Game 3. I do congratulate Mike Danton for being able to stay out of the penalty box so far in this series. And "can we keep him? Please? Please?" And no I'm not talking about a puppy - I'm talking about Mike Sillinger.

* NOTE * On Demitra, I usually do go by the philosphy "the guys that get you here" and Demitra has been one of those guys that have gotten us into the playoffs and has played well enough but this dissapearing stretchs are nothing new as he can go sometimes near three weeks without being seen on the ice only to explode for a couple games. I just figure, his offense can be replaced and his money can be better spent elsewhere.

VANCOUVER AND CALGARY

Probably the most entertaining of the match-ups so far if it were for the ungodly times they end at over here in the two more Eastern time zones. In Game 1 the Flames were able to score the 3 goals I figured they'd need in a game to win and none of them were from Iginla. Unfortunately, Miikka Kiprusoff didn't look entirely sharp and the Vancouver defense was able to slip in as Mattias Ohlund and Sami Salo both netted goals and the Canucks won 5-3. Game 2 saw both Kiprusoff and Iginla turn it up and it only took Calgary two goals to do it. Iginla netted the first one and Matthew Lombardi (one of my favorite rookies of this year) scored a nice goal that neither Dan Cloutier (or Salo for that matter) saw. You'd feel safer if the Flames could have pulled out another goal but it was still a good effort and the Flames skate out of Vancouver with the tied series, as much as you could hope for as a Flames fan. Let's hope Chris Simon and the powerplay can add scoring in Game 3.

COLORADO AND DALLAS

Yes I watched all of Game 2 after missing all but a couple minutes of Game 1. Sadly it wasn't quite the effort you'd want from Dallas. I'm not entirely sure they played all that bad, just Colorado was pumping on all cylinders better and certainly looked hungry. David Aebischer looks like he's acclaimated to at least the first rounds of the playoffs and if he can handle the crowd in Dallas for Games 3 and 4 (even if they drop one of those games) then you have to say that the Avalanche are one of the big favorites going into the second round.

TAMPA BAY AND NEW YORK

Well both teams exchange 3-0 games in the Tampa Bay portion of the opening round. Islanders have to be ultimately happy with that and so does goaltender Rick DiPietro. I saw DiPietro a lot with the USNDT and I know that if you let him get a little bit of confidence behind him, that confidence is just going to grow and grow and grow until he's unbeatable. Tampa must strike quickly and soundly in Game 3 and all things point to them being able to.

As I said in my opening previews, the Lightning had to watch out for Janne Niinimaa rushing the puck and they did in Game 1 but Game 2, Niinimaa had a powerplay goal and an assist on one of the Jason Blake goals (thought he was supposed to miss the first round - guess not) Niinimaa's dangerous if you give him room folks.

BOSTON AND MONTREAL

Well what the hell happened here? This one I actually haven't watched a minute of so I don't feel like I can comment on it because of that fact. But I'm going to anyway.

Patrice Bergeron, I had you listed as a first rounder (actually to the Devils in their original draft position before they moved up to get Zach Praise) but really I never expected you to play this year as an 18 year-old. Nor did I expect you to be netting OT game winners. Nice shot kiddo. Here's to making me look smarter than I probably really am by having you in the first round.

Andrew Raycroft, toast to you. My preseason Calder pick (only because it was before Felix Potvin was signed) made me again look like a genius but now you're making me look foolish when I didn't think you'd have enough to outduel Jose Theodore. I shall never doubt again...unless of course the Bruins colapse mysteriously.

PHILADELPHIA AND NEW JERSEY

Philadelphia is looking to now sweep the defending Stanley Cup champions as they head back to the Meadowlands. Unless New Jersey pulls a fan base out of no where for Games 3 and 4, they certainly won't be gaining a huge crowd advantage at home.

Certainly Scott Stevens has been a huge miss for the Devils but no one's been able to pick it up and run with it. Nice to see Jan Hrdina get a goal though. Maybe now he can get the monkey (and Pat Burns) off his back.

TORONTO AND OTTAWA

Hmmm and you guys thought WWI was bad and ugly. This certainly has been a good series just the same. Gary Roberts with the only two goals in Game 2 ties the series going into Ottawa. I don't think this will deflate the Senators like it may have in past years so I expect the next two games to be key. Ed Belfour's back looks alright and I'm feeling better about my hunch there.

I really don't think we've seen the best of this series yet.

GOLF - Well after the TPC two weeks ago I gave my five picks to win the Masters and while three of them were unconventional, after Mike Weir's win last year, I figure we could see a couple uncoventional winners.

But it goes to show you, as much as I follow golf, it's safer to go against my picks than to go with them. Then again the weather-mared first day had to be unpredictable for a lot of people. Sutherland didn't even make the trip to Augusta and all the momentum I thought Adam Scott would take in from the TPC was shitted on by the weather. Tiger Woods has started Day 2 off better but still has a lot of ground to make up on leaders Justin Rose and KC Choi - two realitively unknowns. Phil Mickelson was even after the first round and Craig Perry, my darkhorse to win was +3 the last time I looked. There's still a lot of golf to be played but definately my five choices are going to have a hell of a time pulling this one off.

If anyone saw amatuer Brandt Snedeker's back-nine just wow. He's sitting one-over at 73 but his three birdies on the "Amen Corner" of Augusta were brillent. Guess the 23 year-old didn't realize that he was supposed to be scared there.

If you're like me and hate Vijay Singh, he again pissed away his chances at Augusta at the 15th. He shot a double bogey 8 on the hole and if you can remember in 2002, he lost his chance at the title when he plopped himself into the water behind the hole. He'd go on to bogey that hole and he had to have been kicking himself for like a month after that shot.

NCAA - Because of classes I was unable to catch either one of the championship wins by the Huskies, much to my chagrin. But congrats to both thet men and women in making history and taking out two pretty good programs in the finals. Emeka Okafor looks to have cemented his place as the top one or two pick in the NBA draft and I can only hope the Bulls are lucky enough to land him.

On the flip side, I'm sad that we'll never see Diana Taurasi on a women's college basketball court again. If ou've been following some of the subtle things on this blog, you know I have a "thing" for the 6-0 hottie gaurd. Sadly, after four years and three National Championships (including two straight tourney MVPs) Taurasi will be heading to the WNBA as the first overall pick and likely savior for the league. She'll go to the 8-26 Phoenix Mercury where like so many other WNBA potential surviors (look at her former predecessors at UConn) she'll be lost to us forever. See WNBA doesn't find itself in the public eye or on television too often, folks. Now do I want it on TV every day? Hell no. I love women. I love sports. Put them together and it just fails miserably. Even with my obession with Diana, don't expect me to be tuning in April 17 to watch the WNBA draft or later on this summer when the WNBA opens up. As far as I know, Diana's gone. Now if they decided to put a team in say, St Louis and she went there - that might be the only way for me to care enough about the WNBA. Or if they publish a UConn Playboy issue with her and other UConn greats (check my archives for this WNBA saving idea earlier in the tourney)

[b]NHL PLAY OFF OVERVIEW[/b]

I never got around to the Toronto-Ottawa series but he's a quick look at my picks.

Also of note, Eric Desjardins will miss the playoffs. Returning with a metal plate in his arm for the end of the season, that plate broke today in a freak accident whilt Eric was playing catch with his son. Huge blow to the Flyers.

Detroit over Nashville
St Louis over San Jose
Vancouver over Calgary
Dallas over Colorado

Tampa Bay over New York
Montreal over Boston
New Jersey over Philadelphia
Toronto over Ottawa

MATRIX

With Revolutions hitting DVD, I'm noticing all the anti-matrix blogs of late. I have yet to get my copy of the movie (due to the aforementioned classes that kept me out of the NCAA games) but I love the general hate for this movie and the first sequel, Reloaded. Also love how the people who bitch and whine about the movie being so horrible are the ones who didn't understand the ending or the Biblical connections or even bothered to listen to the dialogue over the special effects. It must suck to be you guys. All the bashing comes mostly from the fact that they believe the movie's philosphical meanings weren't present and it was a pile of trite. Guess we weren't watching the same movie but both sequels were full of philosphical connections and meanings. You just had to look harder than the whole "hit me over the head idea" of "what is reality," that was present in the first one. I mean c'mon, Descrates brought that up how many years ago? That one should have been easy for you. I prasie the Wachoskis on this trilogy, it's not their fault you didn't get it.

NHL - Yesterday I took a look at the four match-ups in the West. Now it's the East's turn.

Note, The other match ups will be done through-out the day so check back soon and often.

[b]TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (1) V NEW YORK ISLANDERS (8 )[/b]

Many people are predicting an eight seed upset here looking at the Lightning as the weakest team out East. I care to disagree with that assessment. Even playing against the likes of Carolina, Atlanta, Florida and Washington for most of the season, you don't get 106 points (good for second in the league) and not have some talent. After all Florida and Atlanta are two of the NHL's up-and-coming clubs. However, the Lightning still went 1-3 against the Islanders this season and will look to change those numbers around.

Like any playoff series, goaltending will be key in this one as Nikolai Khabibulin goes head to head with 2000 First-overall draft selection Rick Dipietro. DiPietro's year hasn't been the smoothest of years but he did set career highs in every statistical category and managed to pull off 23 wins, looking sharper down the stretch. He's cocky and confident and if he gets into a groove, he's going to be hard to beat yet the fact everyone will be looking at is 15. That's the total amount of minutes Rick has played in the playoffs. If he falls flat, back-up Garth Snow hasn't done much better going 9-8 in 20 playoff contests. But don't think that on the other side that Khabibulin has a wealth of playoff expierence either. He's only won one playoff series and that was last year with the Lightning and is 15-18 in 34 career playoff games. He also has John Grahame breathing down his neck and it wouldn't be a shock in John Tortorella went with a quick hook with Khabibulin. Khabibulin can dominate games and win them himself if needed and the Lightning will need him to do that this year if the hope to add Lord Stanley to their already impressive 2003-04 list of acheivements. No offense to Grahame but Khabibulin can steal games.

While the Lightning made strides in their defensive corps this year by adding Darryl Sydor at the mid-way point, the Islanders still have one of the most impressive top-four of any defensemen in the Eastern Conference. Adrian Aucoin logs an ungodly amount of minutes and his shot (as proven in the All-star skills competition) is a deadly weapon on the powerplay. Roman Hamrlik is rock steady and so is Kenny Jonsson when healthy. Janne Niinimaa slumped towards the end of the season but as we saw in 1998 when he went to the Finals with Philadelphia, the young Finn can be dynamic when rushing the puck. Radek Martinek, Eric Cairns and Sven Butenschon fill out the other spots and try not to make mistakes. Maritnek desreves some praise for his play on the right side of Hamrlik. The Lightning corp is anchored by All-Star Pavel Kubina (whose shot tied Acoin's) and Sydor. Dan Boyle has been a pleasant surprise since he wound up in Tampa (from fellow rival Florida) and coupled with Kubina should keep the Islander penalty kill honest on the point. Jasse Cullimore, Cory Sarich, Brad Lukowich and Nolan Pratt round out the Tampa blueline. Pratt's been playing solid and Tortorella has noticed and Lukowich also deserves to be recognized in helping turn around the Tampa defense. Tampa can hold their own here but the Islanders' top-four alone give the advantage to the Isles.

Forward depth for both teams is nothing impressive but the Lightning do boast five 50+ scorers and eight players scored double-digits in goals. Like-wise the Islanders only have two players with 50+ points (Trent Hunter and Oleg Kvasha each finished with just 51) but nine players with double-digit goals. Despite being a rookie, Hunter should continue to pop in goals while going to the net. Alexei Yashin goes into the playoffs playing well but he's only played in 47 games all seasonand still has the monkey of previously poor post-seasons on his back and the Isles will need him and Mark Parrish to get it going in this first round. David Scatchard and Michael Peca should do just fine in the face-off circles but the injury to Jason Blake and unknown status of Shawn Bates at this moment leave the Islanders thin and weak up front and hurt on the penalty kill. It's going to be difficult to overcome the lost of Blake for a whole month.

Tampa on the other hand is healthy up front and even have Eric Perrin playing well on a call-up giving Tortorella options at center. Martin St.Louis is almost a consenus pick for the league MVP and he's got Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Fredrik Modin and Cory Stillman (why did the Blues get rid of him so quickly?) out there with him. Can't forget Dave Andreychuk and how effective he's been on the powerplay in front of the net all these years. His leadership and 139 career playoff games should help a lot. Remember, this is basically the same Lightning forward group that made it to the second round of the playoffs last year. That expeirence was invaluable and I can't see it being a regressing factor. It'll be a very good series if DiPietro gets on a roll but folks, don't discredit the Lightning just because they play in the Southeast. Tortorella's one of brighter coaches out there and while I like the much older Steve Sterling, Tortorella's at least been to the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs as a head coach. I give him and the Lightning the edge 4-1.

Tampa Bay keys
1. Stay healthy. The forward depth is far from treffic for the Lightning
2. Don't let Niinnimaa get a chance to rush the puck.
3. Believe in Khabibulin.

New York keys
1. Yashin and Parrish must show up. Hunter can't do it alone as a rookie.
2. Rick DiPietro must be able to see the puck and be allowed to get into a groove early
3. Wear out the Tampa defense. Asham, Webb, Hunter, Parrish, all need to finish their checks and punish the defense.

[b]BOSTON BRUINS (2) V MONTREAL CANADIENS (7)[/b]

No matter how many times we've seen this match-up, it has never gotten old. This time will be no exception. Let's just get one thing out of the bag right away - if Jose Theodore is on, the Canadiens can beat any one. They're the ultimate darkhorse and probably more this year's "Mighty Ducks" than the Calgary Flames. He's only 7-8 in 17 playoff appearances though so it's time for him to step up. On the other side of the goalie equation you have the probable Calder winner Andrew Raycroft who obviously comes in with no prior playoff expierence but a 29-18-9 season with a 2.05 GAA does deserve some respect. If Raycroft some how all of a sudden gets the playoff jitters, Felix Potvin is 35-37 in his much maligned NHL postseason career. I'm going to give the go-ahead to Theodore for obvious reasons but I've always believed in Raycroft from the pre-season on. He'll get his chance to take the Bruins far but it probably just won't be this year.

On the Boston blueline, the acquistions of Sergei Gonchar and Jiri Slegr have help their puck movement and there's even Andy Delmore waiting as a spare if needed. Makes you wonder how deadly Boston would be if Johathan Girard hadn't missed the entire year. Nick Boynton's an all-star, Dan McGillis is underrated and Sean O'Donnell and Hall Gill should be able to clear the crease in front of Raycroft. The Canadiens counter with mostly Sheldon Souray, Patrice Brisebois and Andrei Markov. Souray's been a big boost this season but has missed a couple games of late with injuries. Brisebois and Markov add the offense but are prone to turnovers. To their credit, they've been much better this season than in prior years. Craig Rivet and Stephane Quintal provide the physical play but also need to watch out for their turnovers. Francis Bouillon's played in 73 games and no one's seemed to notice his work ethic. Sure he's small and isnt' very offensive minded but he's been good enough this year. The Bruins take the cake on the defensive edge but Montreal's group is servicable and usually give enough every night.

Up front the Canadiens have had a pleasant surprise in rookie Michael Ryder's coming out party. They still have Richard Zednik (anyone remember the last time these two teams met in the postseason?) and can only hope Alexei Kovalev wakes up by Game 2. Kovalev's a game breaker and if he gets going, that extra offense would be invaluable to the Canadiens. Mike Ribeiro and Saku Koivu need to keep putting points on the board if Kovalev can't. Yanic Perrault, Jim Dowd and Joe Juneau will be counted on for winning face-offs. The rest of the forward group contains Jan Bulis, Niklas Sundstrom, Steve Begin, Jason Ward, Pierre Dagenais and Andreas Dackell. Up front for the Bruins you've got two of the best in Joe Thornton and Glen Murray. Sergei Samsonov can be deadly if the Montreal defense gives him room. Michael Nylander filled Boston's need for a second line center and hopefully prior playoff flops are put behind him. Patrice Bergeron might struggle as an 18-year old in the playoffs but he did have a great rookie campgain none the less. Mike Knuble keeps surprising people and I think can be a big factor up front for the Bruins in this series. Travis Green scored in the final game of the regular season and his goals usually do come in bunches so keep an eye on him. Green should also be important as a face-off man. Brian Rolston and PJ Axelsson make a deadly penalty kill unit and Marty Lapointe has had big playoff seasons in the past just its been a while since 1998. If Lapointe can chip in a couple of goals while providing grit, Boston could coast in this one.

The Bruins are definitely the better team here despite the goaltending match-up. Though I would also like to point out the coaching match-up between rookie coach Mike Sullivan and second-year coach Claude Julien. Julien's won basically at every level he's coached folks. He's my vote for the Jack Adams award and I can't stress how important good coaching is in the playoffs. So I'm going to pray that Theodore gets hot and ride my coach of the year here and take the Montreal Canadiens in 6.

Montreal keys
1. Theodore must get hot
2. Defense must limit their turnovers
3. Alexei Kovalev must show up

Boston keys
1. Will Raycroft handle playoff pressures? How about the Montreal crowd?
2. Joe Thornton's undisclosed upper-body injury, he needs to be good to go
3. Must avoid stupid penalties against the smaller forwards

[b]PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (3) V NEW JERSEY DEVILS (6)[/b]

The biggest concern on most people's mind is the absence of captain Scott Stevens on the blueline for the Devils. It is uncertain when or even if Stevens will return for this series or the playoffs. The Devils did get a boost when puck-moving Brian Rafalski returned on the final day of the season. There's still Scott Niedermayer who's no slouch either. Colin White will have to step up the physical play with Stevens gone but he's capable of having a big series against the Flyers. Rookies Paul Martin and David Hale will be under emense pressure in the upcoming weeks and will need to cut down their mistakes tremendously. Should the rookies need to be sat down, Tommy Albelin's a heady veteran capable of pulling a couple extra minutes. Sean Brown will be inserted into the line-up if the Devils find they need some more physical punch.

Even if the blueline is depleted by the absence of Stevens, Martin Brodeur is still the best last line of defense a team could ask for. While there will always be detractors that say he benifits from the style of play his team plays, you can't argue with the fact that he gets it done when he needs to. As one of three active goalies that have won a Cup as a starter, my money will go on Brodeur every single time.

Even though they tried to address it at the trade deadline, the Devils do remain thin up the middle. Scott Gomez scored 70 points this year and is capable of taking it even further. John Madden is a prennial Selke candidate and will make the Flyers think twice about taking penalties. Both Jan Hrdina and Igor Larionov have struggled this season in New Jersey and have earned the ire of coach Pat Burns. One or maybe both of them could re-deem their season by stepping up here. Patrik Elias will be the main weapon that Philadelphia has to stop but if they concentrate too hard on Elias, Brian Ginota, Jamie Langenbrunner and Jeff Friesen can all make them pay. Friesen, a hero last year as the Devils won the Cup could do it again here - he scored 17 goals and had 37 points while only missing one game. Turner Stevenson and Erik Rasmussen provide the grit up front.

The Flyers counter with a forward group that's just as deadly and with just as much depth. Even if the Devils are able to limit Mark Recchi's touches, there's still Simon Gagne, Alexei Zhamnov, Tony Amonte and Sami Kapanen capable of putting the puck home. John Leclair may not be the player he once was but he still had 23 goals and 55 points and should make some noise down low going against Colin White. Keith Primeau missed a good portion of the season but should be close to regain his scoring touch. Speaking of injuries, it's unknown really how much Jeremy Roenick's injury will affect him. Right now I'm considering him a light factor and any production out of him would be a huge bonus. None of the centers for Philadelphia are slouches on the draw and can shadow opponents if needed. It definitely is one of the best group of forwards in the playoffs.

Eric Desjardins returned to the Philadelphia blueline just in time. Kim Johnson leads the powerplay and much like Niedermayer and Rafalski, will make the other team think twice about taking needless penalties. Marcus Ragnarsson is capable of pulling down a boat load of important minutes if the Flyers need someone to double shift. Danny Markov needs to limit his positional mistakes but he's still one of the more underrated defensemen in the game. If motivated, Vladimir Malakhov is one of the top defensemen in the game and he can be effective in the playoffs (see 1999-00 with New Jersey) Hopefully a return to the playoffs (after three years in New York, playoff exile) will motivate him. Mattias Timander is a pretty smart defensemen who can move but we could see rookie Joni Pitkanen more than Timander because of Timander's lack of physical play.

In net the Flyers are all question marks. Robert Esche or Sean Burke? I love Esche and I think he'll be a capable starter at the NHL level but right now, he's still learning and this playoff series will be a great tool for him. Sean Burke is 12-22 in 34 games in the playoffs as I mentioned when Philadelphia acquired him (see JAN-FEB archived entries) but if the Flyers need to make the change, they will. I'd rather just put my eggs all in the Esche basket and chaulk this up as a learning tool for him but if Ken Hitchcok is in a position to win the series, I say go with your gut on the goalies.

I'm taking New Jersey in 6 or 7 and mainly because of Martin Brodeur. If Stevens comes back, all the better but they should be capable enough to take out the Flyers. I worry about their long term future without Stevens but these guys have been there before so let's not discredit them.

New Jersey keys
1. Friesen, Lagenbrunner and co. need to provide timely scoring as they've done in the past
2. White's going to need help taking on assortment of big forwards the Flyers have
3. Just remember what's gotten you to the finals in the past.

Philadelphia keys
1. Esche or Burke, Burke or Esche. Either one must stop the puck.
2. Check Elias but don't forget everyone else.
3. Roenick and Primeau need to find their scoring again

MLB - Yesterday I was typing up my look at the rest of the National League and it flat out crashed on me and tblog was 'down' for what they said would be 30 minutes. 30 minutes my ass as I finally gave up waiting after about an hour and a half. Losing my baseball article and being rather cheesed off.

So I figure instead of re-doing it, I'll just give you the predictions - you want to disagree or argue a player or a team, you know where to find me.

AL WEST

1. Anaheim
2. Oakland
3. Seattle
4. Texas

AL CENTRAL (I know I changed it)

1. Minnesota
2. White Soxs
3. Kansas City
4. Cleveland
5. Detroit

AL EAST

1. Yankees
2. Boston
3. Baltimore
4. Toronto
5. Tampa Bay

NL WEST

1. Los Angeles
2. Arizona
3. San Fransisco
4. San Diego
5. Colorado

NL CENTRAL

1. Houston
2. Chicago Cubs
3. St Louis
4. Milwaukee
5. Cincinatti
6. Pittsburgh

NL EAST

1. Philadelphia
2. Atlanta
3. Florida
4. Montreal
5. Mets

NL MVP - Alberto Pujols, Barry Bonds, Shaun Green
AL MVP - Garrett Anderson, Carlos Beltran, Jason Giambi

NL CY - Roy Oswalt, Kerry Wood, Mike Hampton
AL CY - Curt Schilling, Tim Hudson, Roy Halladay

NL RoY - Adam LaRoche, Khalil Greene, Kaz Matsui
AL RoY - Erik Berdad, Joe Mauer, Bobby Crosby

AL WILDCARD - Boston, Oakland, Seattle
NL WILDCARD - Chicago, Atlanta, Arizona

WORLD SERIES - Philadelphia over New York

NHL - Let the playoffs begin. Because the sooner we get through the playoffs, the sooner we get to the draft and that's what the 'other half' of the league is now looking forward to. But at least this playoff year opens up with some exciting and fun match ups. Maybe it's parity but many of the series could go either way so let's take a look at the eight playoff match ups starting out west.

DETROIT RED WINGS (1) V NASHVILLE PREDATORS (8)

Nashville limps into their first ever playoff berth against one of the prenninial power houses of the league. They may not have been playing well down the stretch but remember they did split the season series with Detroit three games a piece. They also have the V-Factor, Tomas Vokoun who deserves a look for Vezina but he'll probably have to settle for his earlier All-Star appearance. And in one of the few areas Nashville takes an advantage in it maybe goaltending. There's still always going to be the question of whether he can raise his game to the next level and if he can, expect the Predators to take a couple games from the Red Wings.

The Red Wings counter with Manny Legace, the third stringer to start the season and it's unknown when starter Curtis Joseph will be due back. He's been good at times when Detroit's needed him but he's not an ideal starting goalie and his weaknesses might be unveiled in a seven-game series.

If either Legace or Vokoun get hurt, don't expect either one of Marc Lamothe or Chris Mason being able to carry their respective teams. So both coaches better hope their goalies stay healthy.

The Predators may have the edge in goaltending but that might be honestly where the advantages end. Both Barry Trotz and Dave Lewis are great coaches who know their personel very well but Lewis has been too the playoffs before both as a head coach and an assistant so I'm giving him the edge. The Red Wing defense is probably the best collection of blueline talent we've seen in NHL history but you've got to wonder about Chris Chelios and Jason Woolley, if their age will be a factor late in a series.

Up the middle the Red Wings are solid with Robert Lang and Kris Draper both healthy, Pavel Datsyuk ready to step up and captain Steve Yzerman ready to lead this team again. Don't forget Henrik Zetterberg, Brett Hull, Ray Whitney and Brendan Shanahan on the flanks as well as role players like Mathieu Dandenault, Darren McCarty, Tomas Holmstrom and Kirk Maltby. As I said at the deadline, I felt the Wings could use a bit more speed and Nashville could use that as an advantage but the talent is too great here.

Predators still have a balanced line-up of their own. David Legwand, Greg Johnson, Sergei Zholtok and Denis Arkhipov counter up the middle. This team could use Rem Murray but he's still in doubt with injury. Steve Sullivan's been a shot in the arm and now it's time to see what he's made of in playoff hockey. And that's the trouble for most of the Predators - no one has much in the way of play-off expierence. It'll be interesting to see how effective Jeremy Stevenson and Jordin Tootoo are against the veteran Red Wings.

On defense the Preds are solid with Kimmo Timmonen, Brad Bombardir, Marek Zidlicky, Daniel Hamhuis, Mark Eaton and Jason York as the top six but they won't be enough.

Detroit ultimately wins in 5 or 6 games but the Predators win more long term as this will be a valuable learning expierence for everyone on the roster no matter what the outcome.

Nashville keys
1. Hope Vokoun can steal a couple games
2. Use their speed effectively against the Wings
3. Stay away from dumb penalties

Detroit keys
1. Pray Manny Legace has some magic in him
2. Don't let the first game slip away like last year
3. Don't let Tootoo get under their skin

SAN JOSE SHARKS (2) V ST LOUIS BLUES (7)

Well the Blues make it to the playoffs again and the main thing for them to remember is that every thing goes back to zero for the playoffs. The long horrible regular season? It doesn't matter now, all that matters is playing like you did the last couple weeks to get here. Doug Weight started earning his keep and Chris Osgood was simply excellent. Brian Savage started to pay dividends as well and Mike Sillinger has done every thing for the Blues. Keith Tkachuk, Pavol Demitra and Chris Pronger were able to rest in the final game of the season and stil are the top players at their spots. There's still a lack of scoring depth on the flanks that should worry the Blues and the defense could be a lot better but again - none of that matters now. It's time to put up or shut up.

Many people point the finger at Osgood but remeber folks, he's one of only three active goaltenders who have lead their teams to Stanley Cups. As much as I love Yevgeni Nabokov, he's only started in 17 playoff games and expierence in net can't even be measured. Some people may raise an eye brow but I'll take Osgood in the playoffs over Nabokov. If Nabokov faulters, Vesa Toskala has been great just the same.

San Jose's defense is a lot better than people give credit for but St Louis is shabby either with Pronger, Christian Backman, Matt Walker, Eric Weinrich, Murray Baron and Bryce Salvador.

The Sharks play a nice team game and while I really do hate Ron Wilson, he's got everyone contributing. Hopefully Mike Ricci and Vincent Damphousse are 100% healthy now. Mike Kitchen is a capable head coach but he's going to be put to the test with the more expierenced Wilson against him.

St Louis may be on the verge of changes in the off-season but much like the regular season, that doesn't matter now. I think they'll make it a lot more interesting than a lot of people expect in saying they'll be swept out of the water. The Sharks are good but they're young and the Blues have been in playoff mode for a couple weeks now. I'm going to go gutsy and call my first upset here. I've watched this team a lot and the only thing that worries me is the back to back games in St Louis on Monday and Tuesday.

St Louis keys
1. Forget the regular season, they have enough to do some damage
2. Hope Weight, Tkachuk, Pavol and Mellanby score
3. Someone else (Cajanek, Mayers, Danton, ect) needs to step up

San Jose keys
1. Win face-offs. Ricci and Brown will be popular guys for Wilson
2. Hope Nabokov can change his 8-8 playoff record
3. Stay away from bad penalties. St Louis's PP can kill if given the chance.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS (3) V CALGARY FLAMES (6)

Remember the last time these two teams met in the playoffs? Yeah but it's different now - Vancouver comes in with the division title despite losing Todd Bertuzzi to suspension for the entire playoffs. Martin Rucinsky and Geoff Sanderson have been good in his place.

Calgary seems to be the darkhorse under dog in the playoffs with a hot and determined Jarome Iginla and an amazing season out of Miikka Kiprusoff, who rarely gives up more than 2 goals in a night. So to beat Vancouver they're going to have to produce at least that much a night and unless Iginla's going to do it on his own, some one else is going to have to step-up. Will it be Shean Donovan or will it be Matthew Lombardi? How about Chris Simon or Craig Conroy? It doesn't have to be the same guy but someone's got to step up out of no where each night if they hope to reach the second round. Dean McAmmond and Stephane Yelle need to get healthy quick because they'll be invaluable in the face-off circle. IF the Canucks get stupid, they could give Jordan Leopold and the powerplay unit enough chances to score.

Vancouver's only real question is in net where Daniel Cloutier is the most scuritnized man in the world come playoff time. This is his one chance to show that he can lead a team deep in the playoffs. If he faulters, I wouldn't be surprised if Marc Crawford might try switching it up with Johan Hedberg going in net.

Markus Naslund and the emerged Sedin Twins will provide the offense if they can find a way to break down the Calgary defense and get to Kipper. And while the Calgary defense is good - the Vancouver Canucks defense is just as good and they can also offensively produce when needed.

This is going to be a hard fought contest and I could see it going either way but I'm not sure where the scoring in Calgary is going to come from. This is only a step in the right direction for the Calgary franchise in this era, I look for the Canucks to ultimately win out in 6. Though in the Flames do pull this one out, I wouldn't be surprised to see them make further noise in the playoffs much like the Minnesota Wild and Anaheim Mighty Ducks did last year.

Calgary keys
1. Someone's got to step up and score each night
2. Kiprusoff needs to be brillent.
3. Limit the offensive chances the Canuck defense receive

Vancouver keys
1. Stop Iginla and limit his scoring
2. Limit Calgary's powerplay chances.
3. Hope Cloutier's good enough

COLORADO AVALANCHE (4) V DALLAS STARS (5)

The Avalanche owned the season series 3-1-0-0 but they've struggled of late while the Stars played damn good hockey in the second half of the season. Mike Modano had easily the worst season of his career and both Pierre Turgeon and Scott Young continue to stink it up in Dallas (no two players could use more of a venue change) Val Bure and Shayne Corson were added late and were astute pick-ups by GM Doug Armstrong. Aaron Downey, Ro DiMaio and Steve Ott should be able to go up with Colorado's new sizable additions.

Colorado probably has the deepest set of forwards in the league. Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya may have struggled this year but just as I said with the Blues, you've got to put the regular season behind you and not even count it. Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Chris Gratton and Andrei Nikolishin up the middle is a solid foursome. Alex Tanguay and Milan Hejduk are top notch players now. Steve Konowalchuk, Matthew Barnaby, Dan Hinote and Gratton provide the grit up front.

As for defense, Teppo Numminen's heart worries Dallas but he's cleared to play and along with Sergei Zubov are two of the top defensemen in the NHL. Philippe Boucher's extremely underrated. Jon Klemm provides someone to help clear the crease. Chris Therien, Don Sweeney and Lubomir Sekeras don't quite excite me. Richard Matvichuk's "personal reasons" hopefully will be ending soon.

Colorado's defense includes super star point producer Rob Blake, rookie point producer John-Michael Liles, solid Karlis Skrastins and crase clearers Adam Foote, Ossi Vaananen and Bob Boughner with Kurt Sauer, who went to the finals last year with Anaheim, as a spare. There's going to be a lot of pressure on the young Liles to put up points but he's never looked out of place in the regular season so all things point towards him being able to contribute here.

I'll give Dallas the slight edge in coaching with Dave Tippett over Tony Granato but Granato's defied the odds this year and kept his job when the media thought he'd lost it but if he exits in the first round here, he's surely done for.

Marty Turco v David Aebischer will be the biggest battle of this series. Aebischer's in his first season as a starter while Turco's been here before and motivated to improve upon that exit last year. Turco's a Vezina finalist so I'm giving him the edge here. He also backed-up Belfour when he was in Dallas.

In most years this is a Western Conference Finals match-up but no matter what happens, one of these power-houses will be out of the playoffs in the first round and probably not without a price. Much like the Calgary and Vancouver series, this one will be war that could go seven games before we see a victor. I'm going to take a slight edge to the Dallas Stars because of Tippet and Turco here but I wouldn't be surprised if I'm wrong and Colorado goes on.

Dallas keys
1. Don't worry about shutting down certain people, just minimize chances
2. Hope the defense stays healthy and strong
3. Turco must remain strong

Colorado keys
1. Can the unproven Aebischer continue to disprove his detractors?
2. Attack Dallas's defense. Hit them hard and finish your checks when you can
3. Behind Rob Blake, who's going to contribute on the blueline if Liles fails to produce points?

MLB - For the rest of my MLB season outlook, scroll down to the past two entries. Now it's time for the NL look and to hand out a couple pre-season awards.

NL West could be the most intriguing division. While I think we can count out the Rockies, the Diamondbacks and Dodgers look to be favorites. Though don't count out the Giants and [b]Barry Bonds[/b] and there's even the Padres, in a new ballpark and new uniforms who could sneak into the NL West lead and as a closet Padre-fan, I've got to say they make a pretty good case for it.

[b]Phil Nevin[/b] might have 'shrunk' (take that for what you will) and the defense is on the shakey side but they now have [b]Brian Giles[/b] for a full season and he should improve on his down-to-earth and ordinary 2003. Nevin and [b]Ryan Klesko[/b] need to stay healthy but they pack a whallop in the middle of the line-up. All signs point to Klesko being healthy though. [b]Mark Lorretta[/b] and potential Rookie-of-the-year [b]Khalil Greene [/b]man the middle and it may take then a bit to get use to each other but they should be a flawless DP combo by mid-season. Personally, I like Greene more than Bobby Crosby folks. [b]Sean Burroughs[/b], we've been waiting for you to break out and despite unreal expectations, he had a good season last year. I think it's safe to say if he avoids the DL, this will be his break-out year. [b]Roman Hernandez[/b] gives the Padres their first legit catcher since Benito Santiago was a young pup. He should help the young pitching staff grow. The only real question mark (other than players staying healthy) is [b]Jay Payton[/b], who's already slowed by hamstring injuries (yes, again) and could be a liability defensively. He's a .291 career hitter though. The other thing keeping this team from competiting from the NL West crown is their speed. Lorretta's a 2-hole hitter but is Burroughs a legit lead-off hitter? There's little speed in this line-up and it's mostly station to station.

The pitching looks good. [b]David Wells[/b] should be a positive influence on the youngsters and I'm willing to bet he stays healthy. [b]Brian Lawerence[/b] was a fantasy surprise two years ago but last year was only average. He's healthy so it was only hard luck - he's got to work on getting back on track and raising his velocity this year. [b]Jake Peavy[/b] 's only 22 and played most of last year in pain, he's fine now. [b]Adam Eaton[/b] 's 26 and primed for a career year. [b]Sterling Hitchcock [/b]returns to San Diego as the fifth starter. [b]Trevor Hoffman[/b] 's finally healthy again after a whole year on the DL and the bullpen looks to be one of the most realible in baseball meaning they'll probably get the ball over to Hoffman in the ninth even if their starters can't go far into in the game.

But as I said with the Tigers, how many times have you ever seen a team jump up dramatically in wins from a season to the next? I think they'll be the most improved team in baseball and they may set a record for that but I still don't expect much more than .500 ball out of them. They're certainly a team to watch though if every thing goes right.

The strength of the Dodgers comes in their pitching staff. [b]Jeff Weaver[/b] should thrive in Dodger Stadium despite a horrible stay in New York. The infield should play well behind Weaver so look for him to bounce back. [b]Hideo Nomo[/b] isn't Kevin Brown but if he can match last year's season, they should be fine. And [b]Odalis Perez[/b] is fine despite going 12-12 with an ERA over 4.5. [b]Edwin Jackson [/b]looks like a future All-Star and ace and [b]Kaz Ishii[/b] has the motivation to prove himself in the majors. Dont' forget [b]Gil Mota [/b]and [b]Eric Gagne[/b] in the bullpen. It's lights out in the 8th and 9th. Hopefully, the rest of the bullpen can bridge the gap if the starts can't get to the dynamic duo.

The Dodger line-up isn't anything impressive. [b]Cesar Izturis [/b]wowed me last year. I saw him for the first real time and the kid's a gold glover for sure but uhm where's the offense? My grandma can hit major league pitching better. The plantoon of [b]Alex Cora[/b] and [b]Jolbert Cabrara[/b] at second aren't much better at hitting the ball. Robin Ventura is sound defensively at first but you've got to worry about his age. [b]Juan Encarnacion,[/b] [b]Shawn Green[/b] and [b]David Roberts [/b]make a fine outfield capable of producing runs. [b]Paul Lo Duca[/b] has become the leader of this team and really has impressed me. [b]Adrian Beltre[/b] takes over third base again but I'm not holding my breathe for him to break-out.

Arizona feels like a retirement home in some places. [b]Roberto Alomar[/b], [b]Steve Finley[/b], [b]Luis Gonzalez[/b], [b]Shane Reynolds[/b] and [b]Randy Johnson[/b] all are on the down turn of their careers. However, the DBacks do have some exciting youth with [b]Robby Hammock[/b] at catcher, towering power hitter [b]Richie Sexon[/b] at first, electric [b]Alex Cintron[/b] at short, and [b]Brandon Webb[/b] on the mound ready to become a future ace. Finley and Gonzalez are still in great shape but you have to wonder about Alomar after last season. Everyone wonders each year if this is the year that Johnson drops off and they got their wish last year but folks, his healthy and on a mission this year - he bounces back. He won't have his best season but it'll be much better than last year. [b]Shea Hillenbrand[/b] can only benefit from a full year in Arizona. It's also a contract year for [b]Danny Bautista[/b] so maybe he'll realize he's a major league ball player. [b]Steve Sparks [/b]makes the rotation? ouch. The bullpen here though is banged up to start the season and that doesn't bode well for the rest of the year. They need some of the healthier guys to step up big early.

If the Giants didn't quite receive the make-over we thought they would after the off-season. Bonds of course remains as does [b]Edgar Alfonso[/b], [b]Ray Durham[/b] and [b]JT Snow[/b]. [b]Niefi Perez[/b] is a weak spot at short (though his defense should be an improvement over departing Rich Aurilla) but adding [b]AJ Pierzynki [/b]was a coup. [b]Marquis Grissom[/b] had a good season last year and the Giants have him batting in front of Bonds - can he match his numbers or is this going to be a diaster? We'll see. [b]Michael Tucker[/b] is the other new addition and should fill in nicely in right. The rotation will be without [b]Jason Schmidt[/b] to start so it's important for [b]Jerome Williams[/b] and [b]Brett Tomko[/b] to step up. [b]Dustin Hermanson[/b] and [b]Kevin Correia[/b] also are there. I'm worried about [b]Rob Nen[/b] 's health and I'm worried about the depth of the bullpen after the offseason but [b]Felix Rodriguez[/b] is my boy.

The Rockies still have [b]Todd Helton[/b], [b]Preston Wilson[/b] and [b]Larry Walker[/b]. [b]Vinny Castilla [/b]returns but he's on the old side, [b]Aaron Miles [/b]is the future and now at second base and the lead-off spot, and the Rockies hope [b]Jeremy Burnitz[/b] can find his stroke again in Coors Field. [b]Royce Clayton[/b] should help defensively at short and [b]Charles Johnson[/b] should continue at catcher. Beyond [b]Jason Jennings[/b] the rotation is poor with [b]Shawn Estes[/b] (identity crisis) [b]Joe Kennedy [/b](mighty have fallen) [b]Scott Elarton [/b](sholder trouble) and [b]Denny Stark [/b](injuries galore) all are set for long seasons in the thin Rocky Mountain air. [b]Shawn Chacon[/b] moves from the rotation to the closer job and should be excellent there, even in Coors. [b]Turk Wendall[/b] and [b]Jeff Fassero[/b] keep on trucking as additions to the bull-pen.

The NL West could be wide open. Every team has huge problems somewhere in their line-ups. So here goes a blind shot

1. Los Angeles
2. Arizona
3. San Fran
4. San Diego
5. Colorado

MLB - A couple days ago I set down with a roster sheet and started typing my thoughts on the AL West. Well it took me just about 90 minutes to just get through my thoughts on the West - the smallest division in baseball at 4 teams. I had the Angels in the divison but the Athletics still could take it. I'm sorry Cubbie fans but my money would still be on Hudson, Zito, Mulder in a playoff series. Closer Arthur Rhodes might be a problem and I'm not sold on Bobby Crosby-hype yet. Then I had the Mariners, with a pitching staff that could be good but it has too many IFs to really count on them. The Texas Rangers, held up the rear of the division with one of the better young hitting infields in baseball, just a horrible pitching staff or no reliable veteran catcher and a couple big IFs in the outfield and it's going to be another big year in Arlington.

So seeing as my preview of the West took so damn long to type out, I'm still going to sit here with rosters and give my opinions but I'm not going to take as long to do it.

In the AL Central, I originally wanted to go with the Royals. But the Twins still look good and then there are those pesky White Soxs that no one's talking about. Royals are going to put up one hell of a fight with [b]Carlos Beltran[/b], the best player in baseball that NO ONE talks about, leading them. [b]Juan Gonzalez[/b] may not be MVP-Juan Gonzalez but he does add a punch to their line-up that they could use. 30+ HRs and another 100+ RBI season isn't out of the question if he stays healthy. Ditto for [b]Mike Sweeney[/b], one of my favorite players. He'll add a punch but he needs to stay healthy, something he doesn't know how to do on a consistent basis. [b]Angel Berrora[/b] is the real deal at short stop. There might be a slight drop off this year but he'll be fine. [b]Desi Relaford[/b] (2B) and [b]David DeJesus[/b] (DH) are question marks are question marks but DeJesus had a nice spring and Relaford was pushed into the starting job last year and handled it just fine. [b]Benito Santiago[/b], I hate the Columbian Cartel look-a-like but he does give the Royals something they havent' had in a long while - a decent starting catcher. Will this be the year that age catches up with him?

I like the Royals line-up but the problem comes in the pitching staff. [b]Brian Anderson[/b] should never be the ace of a staff despite how good his record with the Royals was. [b]Darrell May[/b] pitched well but with mixed results. [b]Jeremy Affledt [/b]could either be in the bullpen or in the rotation. I'm willing to say he stays as a starter though I've never seen any one with the kind of blister problems that kid has. If he struggles, Royals are going to have to add another starter. At one point in time, [b]Kevin Appier[/b] was one of the most underrated pitchers in the game. Remember that? And then there was that hype for him on trade day that got him to Oakland. What ever happened to those days because Appier, in his second stint with the Royals, isn't quite the same pitcher he use to be. [b]Mike MacDougal[/b] will be fine and I believe in him. [b]Curtis Leskanic[/b] can close in needed and [b]Scott Sullivan[/b] and [b]Jason Grimsley[/b] round out the bulk of the bullpen.

But the Twins can't be counted out. They weren't able to retain their bullpen but they did keep [b]Shannon Stewart[/b], which was a big plus for the franchise. [b]Luis Rivas[/b] and [b]Christian Guzman[/b] could break-out this season as the DP combo up the middle. Corey Koskie is fun to watch and he should rebound this year. [b]Doug Mientkiewicz[/b], armed with a new three year deal can continue to piss off Twins fans and people trying to type his name for another couple seasons until Justin Moreau is ready. Add in [b]Torri Hunter[/b] and [b]Jacques Jones[/b] to Stewart and the Twins outfield is exceptional but Jones could be dealt if anyone offers up starting pitching (fat chance.) [b]Matt Lecroy[/b] takes over as DH, [b]Henry Blanco[/b] as back-up catcher and rookie [b]Joe Mauer [/b]steps in as the starting catcher. Mauer's supposedly the real deal but don't expect too much power from the kid. It'll be interesting how well he can handle a major league staff already. The jump up from Double A to the majors really does scare me much more than if Mauer was in Triple A last season.

The rotation, slightly better at the top than the Royals, will see [b]Brad Radke[/b], [b]Johan Santana[/b] and [b]Kyle Lohse [/b]carry the bulk. Radke's a stud, Santana's a leftie and had an amazing second half last year and Lohse's my boy. If you've never seen the control-pitcher Lohse work, you're missing out. Still not the greatest but he did go 8-2 down the second half of the year. [b]Carlos Silvia[/b] has had elbow troubles but looks to be fully healed and you can't deny that he has one of the best sinkers in baseball right now. [b]Rick Helling[/b] is out a month right now but the former Ranger should pick up the fifth spot when he comes back. The bullpen is where I'm worried. Hopefully [b]JC Romano[/b] can pick it up again because I'm not sure [b]Joe Nathan[/b] can carry closing duties. Nathan saved my butt in fantasy baseball last season when I was picking blindly for a reliever late but I'm still skeptical that he can hold down the closer spot. Twins better find another solution quickly.

Don't discredit the White Soxs though. New manager Ozzie Guillen adds a new fire to this team as funny as it sounds to even say "Ozzie Guillen" and "manager" in the same sentance for me. [b]Frank Thomas[/b] is primed for another big year but you have to wonder how [b]Maggilio Ordonez[/b] feels about off-season trade talks that would have him wind up in Boston for Nomar Garciaparra. Mags is quiet leader so he'll probably just keep his mouth shut and go out there and play ball but you have to wonder if they might shop him again. [b]Aaron Rowand [/b]and [b]Carlos Lee[/b] round out the outfield in Chicago. Lee had a monster second half and Rowand's been Chicago's top prospect for some time and it should be interesting to see if he sticks. [b]Paul Korenko[/b] just may have played himself off of another team but his second half last year may have given him enough value to bring in some pitching. Guillen can only hope for a great season out of [b]Joe Crede[/b] so keep an eye on him. Miguel Olivo can only get better at the plate and the sophomore's defense is already top-notch. Only convicable problem I see is the rotation and the middle infield. Willie Harris and John Valentin aren't my idea of starters. After [b]Mark Buehrle[/b] and [b]Esteban Loaiza[/b], it's downhill for pitching. [b]Scott Schoeneweis[/b] is trying to add pitches to his pool and that's usually not a good sign for the season. [b]Jon Garland[/b] is probably third in the rotation but you'd rather have him fourth or fifth. Can Loaiza do it again? You obviously haven't seen his breaking ball or one of his starts. [b]Billy Koch[/b] and [b]Dasamo Marte[/b] will probably split the closer job but there's not much else in the bullpen.

Cleveland and Detroit battle for the last place. Cleveland's a young team and there's a bright future ahead of them - I only hope Eric Wedge will be there to see it happen instead of just teaching the kids and getting fired before they make the playoffs again. The rotation is young but good. While Milton Bradley will see his way out the door in the next couple days, [b]Jody Gerut[/b] and [b]Matt Lawton[/b] are solid in the outfield. [b]Viktor Martinez[/b] is quickly becoming one of my favorite catchers.

Detroit on the other hand made a couple changes but how many times has a team improved more than 20 games from a season to the next? The Tigers maybe shooting for the 60 win plateau but even with [b]Rondell White[/b], [b]Fernando Vina[/b], and more impressively [b]Ivan Rodriquez[/b], I don't see them improving that much. [b]Dmitri Young[/b] and [b]Carlos Pena[/b] are nice holdovers but until they get a better lead-off hitter than [b]Alex Sanchez[/b], this offense will sputter again. Where has [b]Bobby Higgenson[/b] 's hitting gone by the way? His glove still remains but I think he's forgotten how to hit. While I like that they picked up Pudge, [b]Carlos Guillen[/b] was probably their best pick-up of the off-season. His got defensive range and hopefully the OBP to move to the top of the order to get some offense going. I'm a huge CG fan. [b]Jason Johnson[/b] should help the pitching staff but he's the ace by default. Their pitchers all deserve medals after last season and the expierence can only help them. [b]Ugueth Urbina[/b] was a puzzling signing seeing as he won't be many meaningful save opportunities in Detroit. [b]Jamie Walker[/b] or [b]Fernando Rodney[/b], either one could have handled the closing role just as well. Rodney's definitely underrated.

So the AL Central I have going

1. Twins
2. Royals
3. White Soxs
4. Cleveland
5. Detroit

The AL East is certainly the division every one is talking about. Yankees or Red Soxs. Red Soxs or Yankees. Prediction wise, I don't think you can go wrong with either team as both teams will have a shot at the post season with the wild card (though those pesky Athletics could be in the running for that too). One thing I've always learned is never bet against the Yankees. They do have a weak spot with [b]Enrique Wilson[/b] at second and [b]Kenny Lofton [/b]should be breaking down soon (though we thought that was supposed to have happened a couple season's ago) and [b]Gary Sheffield[/b] might be slowing down. But does it really matter with Uncle George running the show? If they develop holes, he'll plug up the boat with a trade. But right now, Lofton's still a decent lead-off (and he's only a slight drop-off defensively in center) and Sheffield still has one of the quickest bats in the majors. Add to the fact that [b]Alex Rodriguez[/b] is now there, [b]Derek Jeter[/b] is still there and that [b]Jason Giambi[/b] is bound to rebound now that his eye infection is cleared up. [b]Jorge Posada[/b] remains behind the plate but how long can he keep catching like this?

[b]Kevin Brown[/b] is still amazing and while he's always open for another injury, he was healthy last year. [b]Mike Mussina[/b] could have a shot at 20 wins for the first time in his career and [b]Javiar Vazquez[/b] could be the ace for over half the majors. [b]Jose Contreras[/b] may be overpaid but if he can apply all his tools this season, I wouldn't worry about it. The fifth starter is still a question mark but they won't have to really decide on a fifth starter for a bit. [b]Jon Lieber[/b] is it if he can fully come back but you never know, he hasn't pitched in so long. [b]Donovan Osborne[/b] might get a shot at the fifth slot and he's wearing #46 - hmmm...tough spot for him to be in if he screws up. Yankees upgraded the bullpen arms around [b]Mariano Rivera[/b] and while I always wait for [b]Tom Gordon[/b] 's arm to explode, [b]Paul Quantrill[/b] and [b]Gabe White[/b] are excellent additions. When [b]Steve Karsay[/b] gets back, this bullpen should be a lot better than the poor efforts shown last year.

Red Soxs had an amazing offensive year last year and while they should still have one of the top offenses in the majors again this year, you can imagine there's going to be a slight drop-off for some of the hitters who had career years - namely [b]Bill Mueller[/b]. [b]Curt Schilling[/b] was probably the most significant off-season move made by any body and that's including A-Rod. Schilling and [b]Pedro Martinez[/b] are two you don't want to face in the playoffs. Don't forget [b]Derek Lowe[/b] and [b]Tim Wakefield[/b] in the rotation either.[b]Pokey Reese[/b] was another great move as they add a very good defensive 2nd baseman in him. There's a question mark in right field but that's only until [b]Trot Nixon [/b]comes back from his injury. They also made some great strides in improving the bullpen. This team could very well knock off the Yankees but as I said, I don't bet against the Yankees.

The rest of the division is fighting for the couple other spots. Baltimore spent money in grabbing [b]Miguel Tejada[/b], [b]Javy Lopez[/b], [b]Rafeal Palmeiro[/b], and re-aquiring [b]Sidney Ponson[/b]. [b]Jay Gibbons[/b] is blossoming into a super-star and [b]Larry Bigbie[/b] is starting to come around finally. [b]Melvin Mora [/b]is a good sub but as a starter at third? I'm getting quezzy thinking about it. [b]Kurt Ainsworth [/b]and [b]Jorge Julio [/b] are another two worthwhile Orioles to watch closely.

The Bluejays have a new look but the same old results. [b]Vernon Wells[/b] is a star in making but the rest of the outfield makes me puke - [b]Frank Catalanotto[/b] and [b]Reed Johnson[/b]. [b]Carlos Delgado[/b] is the corner stone and look for [b]Eric Hinske[/b] to improve. [b]Roy Halladay[/b] added a change-up so if you're an AL hitter, you've got to be groaning right now. Ted Lilly is a nice addition especially when the rest of your rotation includes [b]Miguel Batista[/b] (never thrown more than 200 IPs), [b]Josh Towers [/b](fast ball tops in about 90mph) and [b]Pat Hentgen[/b] (injuries have killed a promising career.) The bullpen could be worse but there's no clear-cut closer.

Then you have the Devil Rays in their accustomed fifth place. [b]Carl Crawford[/b] and [b]Rocco Baldelli[/b] are going to be amazing players but might want to watch out for sophomore slumps. What's it going to take for people to realize that [b]Aubrey Huff[/b] is one of the league's best players? I know winning would help his case but really folks, he had one of the best year's last season in a losing cause. [b]Jose Cruz Jr [/b] won't be a huge impact at least he'll get playing time and be able to help the club, who isn't as far away from competing as people think. [b]Tino Martinez[/b] doesn't have much left but he still gives them some creditable leadership. [b]Julio Lugo[/b], exiled to Tampa Bay from Houston, enjoyed a pretty decent year. [b]Toby Hall[/b] is a solid defensive catcher and hard to strike out. Too bad he'll never be the tremendous hitter we all thought he was going to be three years ago. The pitching staff has a couple bright spots - mainly [b]Viktor Zambrano [/b]and [b]Jeremi Gonzalez[/b]. Bullpen is loaded with lefties and a bunch of failed starters. I'd love to see [b]John Halama[/b] get another shot at starting but looks like he'll be in long relief for the time being. There's alot to be happy about in the future of the Devil Rays (mainly starting with [b]Delmon Young[/b] in the minors) but for right now, looks like they'll finish last again. I like what they have going on but I'd be nuts to say they'll be out the Blue Jays this year.

AL East

1. NY Yankees
2. Red Soxs
3. Orioles
4. Blue Jays
5. Devil Rays