My Flyers did it Saturday night! In your face Barry Melrose! In your face Scott Burnside! In your face ESPN in general. Now those Quebecker rednecks can burn down their city for a good reason, being number one and getting upset by the team which was in last place a year ago! Beating Boston isn’t a special accomplishment.
I didn’t write about this victory because Sunday was a hectic day on numerous levels but worth it since Somara had the day off from HEB to enjoy the Apple function, my weekly Einstein’s function, housesitting joys (any opportunity to play with Tiki) and the big surprise in the following story (not posted yet). I was also waiting to see how the Sharks-Stars match would pan out. Sure it was a quadruple overtime game but it ended with the Sharks and my fave, JR, packing. Doug Wilson will probably be fired since he couldn’t follow through on the playoffs after landing the number two spot against Dallas. Whether or not JR returns is in question too. It’ll stink to have yet another great player (American or not) being denied his place on the Stanley Cup. Hopefully Detroit will put an end to those hockey carpetbaggers.
Here are my predictions for the Conference Championships:
For the West:
- #1 Detroit v. #5 Dallas: Detroit Red Wings in 5, unlike the Sharks and Ducks, this franchise will put an end to the Texas Cinderella, then go on to their fifth Stanley appearance in 13 years.
For the East:
- #1 Pittsburgh v. #6 Philadelphia: Pittsburgh Penguins in 6. The big question is which Philly team will show up? So far it has been the Broad Street Bullies the press hates, the fans love and what the team paid for when it landed Briere, Smith and eventually Hatcher. What used to be before the lockout with Roenick, Recchi LeClair, Desjardins, Handzus, Johnnson, Gagne, Amonte and Primeau; when it was firing on all cylinders under Hitch. Or will it be the team which hit the skids mid-season making a post-season appearance unlikely. They’re my team and I will hope for the one which keeps surprising. They don’t need to win this series, next season is the prize. What they should do is wear out Prissy Crosby and his squad to help Detroit. Pittsburgh doesn’t deserve to be in the NHL anyway. For the first half of the decade, SuperMario fielded an AHL team in NHL jerseys in order to land draft picks while demanding a new rink. That’s a lousy way to run a franchise. To quote Alec Baldwin’s Blake in Glengarry Glen Ross, “Coffee’s for closers only!” Pittsburgh used an NBA/NFL strategy while Detroit and Philly do the right thing for their fans, they rebuild during the Summer with trades and groomed draft picks. It won’t matter though, the Pens will prevail due to Crosby’s ability dive and draw penalties.