Week 25 of NHL 2005-6

We’re down to less than a dozen games and the playoff picture has shaped up with predictably Chicago, St. Louis, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Washington being eliminated as of today. It’s no surprise with that immediate outcome: Chicago’s owner is a cheap bastard who should have the team taken away from him; Columbus still stinks in every possible way; Washington is a mini version of Chicago in my opinion; Pittsburgh & St. Louis are/were for sale so being rotten teams helps with the selling price for some odd reason. 
 
Who’s next? I think sadly Phoenix will fall short this week, Minnesota too. San Jose and LA will make the teams from the Northwest work harder for those last two spots since Detroit, Nashville and Dallas have their positions locked up. As for the East, Boston will definitely be eliminated in a week. The NY Islanders and Toronto will take longer but I know from watching the Leafs victory tonight, the bulk of Canada is already starting to pin blame on various members of the Leafs’ organization as coach Pat Quinn will be canned at the end of the season. Not really sure what to say for Atlanta and Florida yet Montreal, New Jersey and Tampa Bay could stumble. I’ll go out on a limb and gamble that Atlanta will pull through at the end because they don’t want to be left in the dust with Columbus and setting a lower standard than Washington. 
 
Meanwhile my Flyers were fabulous Saturday against their former nemesis, the Senators. First place in the East eh? The Flyers owned ’em that night. Just the butt kicking the Broad Street Bullies dished out didn’t end in the NHL record-breaking brawl of last season. I saw that game too. The fighting was just moronic on former coach Jacques Martin’s part. His team was clearly losing and dragging out the last several minutes into an hour of those goon manuevers was poor sportsmanship. I am also irked at my head coach Ken Hitchcock escalating the chest-thumping, he-man idiocy. Anyhow, the Flyers gave the Leafs a glimpse of hope tonight by losing stupidly. They took the lead early, lost it and never really recovered. So the NY Rangers have clearly retaken first place in the Atlantic. Guess they want to struggle with being number five in the playoffs. 
 
Finally, my buddy Jeremy Roenick’s horrendous season with the LA Kings came to an ugly end when he broke his ankle against the Predators. How frustrating too because I was watching that game! I can only hope LA will renew his contract since I doubt Philly will take him back with the Rick Tocchet business still unfolding. I think he can beat Joey Mullen’s record next season and surpass the Olympic Crybaby Extraordinairre Mike Lady Modano.