The second round of the NHL playoffs begin tonight with one of the sport's oldest and bitterest rivalries, Montreal Canadiens vs Boston Bruins. The other series get started tomorrow. The official schedule for Round 2 looks like this:



https://s3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/9kD_nPasOy2PoxJLRtlLJQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/publish-images/sports/2014-05-01/f3b32820-d0f0-11e3-9d52-4fd4f7437942_Screen-Shot-2014-05-01-at-1-22-58-AM.png


https://s.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/4cCMXyO40Jc7Llr8iB6zug--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/publish-images/sports/2014-05-01/b3ddf350-d0f1-11e3-830b-adddfcffbbb8_Screen-Shot-2014-05-01-at-1-23-05-AM.png


Predictions:

Montreal vs Boston - Bruins in 7
Rangers vs Pittsburgh - Penguins in 6

Chicago vs Minnesota - Hawks in 5
Los Angeles vs Anaheim - Ducks in 7

Cup Winner - Anaheim

Of course, I've been known to be wrong before and a lot can happen between now and the final game a month and a half from now. Keep it here for more news.

Well...it sucks that the Blue Jackets didn't go far in the playoffs (I'm a Blue Jackets Fan, but since the Pen-goo-ins won...I'll root for them)!

But I will give credit that the Columbus Blue jackets after being the worst NHL team since the Seals/Barons...are now shedding their losing ways!

If they win next year...I'll be there at my state capital cheering for them!

Well...it sucks that the Blue Jackets didn't go far in the playoffs (I'm a Blue Jackets Fan, but since the Pen-goo-ins won...I'll root for them)!

But I will give credit that the Columbus Blue jackets after being the worst NHL team since the Seals/Barons...are now shedding their losing ways!

If they win next year...I'll be there at my state capital cheering for them!

You should really be proud of how they played because they gave Pittsburgh quite a scare and if it wasn't for the fact that M.A. Fleury was shaky in goal, the Penguins would have had an easier time. Tonight Pittsburgh will face another test against your old friend Rick Nash (who was awful vs the Flyers) and the New York Rangers led by Henrik Lundqvist in goal, Both goalies in this series will have a lot to prove since they've both been known in the past as being great in the regular season but average in the playoffs. We'll see who can shake that reputation first. With Sidney Crosby as their leader, I like the Penguins to prevail.

You should really be proud of how they played because they gave Pittsburgh quite a scare and if it wasn't for the fact that M.A. Fleury was shaky in goal, the Penguins would have had an easier time. Tonight Pittsburgh will face another test against your old friend Rick Nash (who was awful vs the Flyers) and the New York Rangers led by Henrik Lundqvist in goal, Both goalies in this series will have a lot to prove since they've both been known in the past as being great in the regular season but average in the playoffs. We'll see who can shake that reputation first. With Sidney Crosby as their leader, I like the Penguins to prevail.

Actually...I really am happy that the Blue jackets are playing REAL hockey...I just wish the Cleveland Idiots can play baseball! ohno:ohno:ohno:ohno:ohno:

So far the NHL playoffs, as usual, have been a lot more exciting than the NBA playoffs. Unfortunately, the NBA's influence, in particular that of Donald Stirling, has hit Boston in a big way. Game 1 of the Bruins/Canadiens series was decided in OT by a goal from Montreal's P K Subban, who is black. Seconds later, the Bruins fans littered the ice with various items, all targeted at Subban. The Twitter world also exploded with a torrent of racial slurs from angry Boston fans. Before Game 2, Bruins legend and current president Cam Neely had to go public and apologize for the actions of what appeared to be a small but vocal and rather sick minority. Hopefully, these actions will be soon forgotten (but in no way forgiven) and the teams can stick to hockey. The Bruins may have helped the situation by winning the second game and now both teams head to Montreal for game 3 tomorrow.


Full story from the Toronto Sun: Racist tweets fill Twitter following Subban's game-winner (http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Playoffs/2014/05/02/21644356.html)

wow - who'da thunk it, Boston and Pittsburgh getting knocked off this early

I'm rooting for the Kings, but i don't think they'll go all the way, Chicago is tough to beat.

with the Rangers and the Canadiens, I think it'll be close but I give the edge to Montreal.

wow - who'da thunk it, Boston and Pittsburgh getting knocked off this early

I'm rooting for the Kings, but i don't think they'll go all the way, Chicago is tough to beat.

with the Rangers and the Canadiens, I think it'll be close but I give the edge to Montreal.

Not so fast there...

Right now the Habs are hurting with All-Star goalie Carey Price out for the series with a knee injury and the team down 2-0 in games heading to NY Thursday night for Game 3.

I would say that at this moment the only people out there happier than Rangers fans would be the staff at NBC, which will have a game on this Saturday at 8 pm (where it should be on every week but they never listen!)

The reason for that is this semi-final round, for the first time in history, will involve the US's three largest cities: New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago which would be a network programmer's dream for any sport, and at least one of the three is guaranteed to play for the Stanley Cup championship after this round is over.

So now you Americans will have a good reason to watch no matter who you cheer for! :lol:

Not so fast there...

Right now the Habs are hurting with All-Star goalie Carey Price out for the series with a knee injury and the team down 2-0 in games heading to NY Thursday night for Game 3.

I would say that at this moment the only people out there happier than Rangers fans would be the staff at NBC, which will have a game on this Saturday at 8 pm (where it should be on every week but they never listen!)

The reason for that is this semi-final round, for the first time in history, will involve the US's three largest cities: New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago which would be a network programmer's dream for any sport, and at least one of the three is guaranteed to play for the Stanley Cup championship after this round is over.

So now you Americans will have a good reason to watch no matter who you cheer for! :lol:
yeah - the Rangers hadn't taken out Corey Price yet when I said that, the Canadiens really don't stand a chance unless something happens to Lundquist or something

I would rather watch an underdog team, or a team that has never won the cup than seeing the same teams over and over again every year - i really have no interest in a Blackhawks vs Rangers game, but I would love to see a Kings/Candiens match-up again (but i agree that the network is probably happy about it)

I'd like to see The Rangers get the cup this year...it would be the 4th of 5th time that an Original 6 Team won a Stanley Cup.

original six teams have won the cup 61 times out of the last 98 - and 120 of the past 198 appearances have been original six teams, and original six teams have won the cup 4 times in the past decade.

I want to see some teams that have never won, or never even made it to the finals have a shot - like the Sharks, the Blues, the Sabres, Canucks, Senators, or the Capitals; those team's fans have been suffering for way too long. I was thrilled to see the Kings finally win it a couple of years ago. I realize that it takes something really special to go all the way, but sometimes it seems like the deck is stacked against teams in smaller markets (although some teams like Toronto seem to screw themselves every year no matter how much money they throw away).

original six teams have won the cup 61 times out of the last 98 - and 120 of the past 198 appearances have been original six teams, and original six teams have won the cup 4 times in the past decade.

I want to see some teams that have never won, or never even made it to the finals have a shot - like the Sharks, the Blues, the Sabres, Canucks, Senators, or the Capitals; those team's fans have been suffering for way too long. I was thrilled to see the Kings finally win it a couple of years ago. I realize that it takes something really special to go all the way, but sometimes it seems like the deck is stacked against teams in smaller markets (although some teams like Toronto seem to screw themselves every year no matter how much money they throw away).

I would like to see the Blue Jackets win a cup...they might if they keep most of their team by next year.

yeah - the Rangers hadn't taken out Corey Price yet when I said that, the Canadiens really don't stand a chance unless something happens to Lundquist or something

I would rather watch an underdog team, or a team that has never won the cup than seeing the same teams over and over again every year - i really have no interest in a Blackhawks vs Rangers game, but I would love to see a Kings/Candiens match-up again (but i agree that the network is probably happy about it)


As long as somebody other than Montreal wins the Cup, I will be very happy!

LA is not really a hockey town, so I defintely do not want to see them win again.
It leaves me feeling really empty when a market that doesn't really support the sport wins, while other markets that have true fans don't.
Fans in LA haven't been watching the playoffs like other team's fans.

As for Montreal winning (don't think they will) their fans will be rioting.

Chicago really is the best market left to win because they really do support the team since Bill Wirtz Sr. died.
Even fans in New York weren't that much into the playoffs when they started, but it has picked up.

The Rangers are in!

I hope they win the cup this year!

The Finals are here at last only a couple of hours away. It will be NY vs LA in a battle to win the most sought after and toughest trophy to win in sports, the Stanley Cup. The series starts tonight in Los Angeles at 8 pm and could end with Game 7 on Wed June 18. If you're watching on TV, here are a few basic facts to keep in mind:


1. All games will be on CBC.

2. Games 3 and 4 will be seen on NBC Sports Network. The others will be on the main NBC network.

3. Game 2 Saturday night will start at 7 pm Eastern. The rest will all be 8 pm starts.


I don't know who will win, and I'm predicting the Kings in 5, but there is one fact that I can absolutely guarantee! This series should be a lot more entertaining than the NBA Final, and you can take that to the bank!

I would like to see the Blue Jackets win a cup...they might if they keep most of their team by next year.

Columbus and Nashville are minor league locations. In Ohio, Cincinnati and Cleveland are major league locations, not Columbus. In the NBA, Oklahoma City and Memphis are minor league locations. In the NHL, the only U.S. southern city that should have a franchise is Atlanta, but they tried it twice and it didn't work. Having hockey teams in Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, and Arizona is ridiculous in my opinion.

A couple other things about the NBA, I still call the Washington Wizards by their old name, Washington Bullets. Wizards is a dumb name. I know why they wanted to change the name, but Wizards is dumb. If that was the best they could come up with, they should have kept the name Bullets. Another bad thing was changing the New Jersey Nets name to the Brooklyn Nets. That was a terrible decision. Brooklyn is so 1940's sounding.

The NBA??? What's that??? :confused: :confused: :confused: :lol: :lol:

Anyway, with today being a travel day for both teams and the series resuming tomorrow night in NY I thought I'd give you a little treat for both hockey fans and sitcom fans alike.

Throughout the playoffs, the Los Angeles Kings have been getting some great contributions from a new and exciting forward line made up of veteran star Jeff Carter and a pair of rookies, Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson. Due to their Hollywood home and high uniform numbers (Carter is #77, Pearson #70, and Toffoli is #73) the line has been cleverly dubbed "That 70s Line". Unless one of them gets suddenly replaced by Ashton Kutcher, this trio could be celebrating a championship by next week at this time. For more info about them I have this video from the NHL Network on YouTube:

That 70s Line Interview (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JIudAAC4Zw)

Throughout the playoffs, the Los Angeles Kings have been getting some great contributions from a new and exciting forward line made up of veteran star Jeff Carter and a pair of rookies, Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson. Due to their Hollywood home and high uniform numbers (Carter is #77, Pearson #70, and Toffoli is #73) the line has been cleverly dubbed "That 70s Line". Unless one of them gets suddenly replaced by Ashton Kutcher, this trio could be celebrating a championship by next week at this time. For more info about them I have this video from the NHL Network on YouTube:

That 70s Line Interview (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JIudAAC4Zw)

I think they are an exciting line - Jeff Carter is fun to watch, he just pushes so hard

For the record, I think the Kings will win the stanley cup this year. After the Blackhawks won the cup in the fake season last year, I said I would withold full judgement on them and see if they can repeat and win the cup again this year in an offical, full season. They failed, as I thought they would, but give them credit for making the conference finals. Goalie Crawford was overplayed, I don't know why Quenneville refused to play the other goalie. Chicago also had difficulty dealing with L.A.'s size, the Kings have some big players and outmatched Chicago in that department. Toews, Kane, Sharp, top three offensive players for Chicago but all three are small guys. Duncan Keith is even small for a defenseman. Chicago needs to beef up their team some, and stop playing Crawford in goal every game. I think Crawford wore down as the playoffs progressed. Coach Sutter of L.A. is a smart guy, he has the team peaking and playing their best at playoff time. That's how they won the cup a couple years ago, and it looks like they'll probably win again this year.

Having hockey teams in Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, and Arizona is ridiculous in my opinion.

I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with that statement. At least Carolina has won a Stanley Cup which they never did as The Hartford Whalers.

I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with that statement. At least Carolina has won a Stanley Cup which they never did as The Hartford Whalers.

I'm aware the Hurricanes have won a Stanley Cup, that has nothing to do with what I'm talking about, it's simply the location where they play that I dislike. I would have preferred they remain in Hartford, at least that is in the Northeast part of the country, where hockey fits in as a sport. Aside from Atlanta (which I know has failed twice) I think there should be no NHL teams in the Southeast, South, or Southwest regions of the country. California is the lone West Coast exception, with Los Angeles and the Bay Area being acceptable locations. I wouldn't mind seeing an NHL team in Seattle, would make a good rival for Vancouver.

Columbus and Nashville are minor league locations. In Ohio, Cincinnati and Cleveland are major league locations, not Columbus. In the NBA, Oklahoma City and Memphis are minor league locations. In the NHL, the only U.S. southern city that should have a franchise is Atlanta, but they tried it twice and it didn't work. Having hockey teams in Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, and Arizona is ridiculous in my opinion.

A couple other things about the NBA, I still call the Washington Wizards by their old name, Washington Bullets. Wizards is a dumb name. I know why they wanted to change the name, but Wizards is dumb. If that was the best they could come up with, they should have kept the name Bullets. Another bad thing was changing the New Jersey Nets name to the Brooklyn Nets. That was a terrible decision. Brooklyn is so 1940's sounding.
Hartford, Cincinnati and Cleveland have all proven that they can't sustain an NHL team. I don't think it is really a function of how big a city is, or how many people live in the area; it is more a matter of do they have a dedicated fan-base that is going to show up to the games and buy merchandise.

The fact that Columbus doesn't have an NFL, MLB or NBA team benefits them for hockey because there is less competition, and fans of those sports in Columbus usually root for the Buckeyes. Ticket sales and revenues for the Blue Jackets have been consistently good and have improved steadily, even when they haven't had a very good team on the ice.

Seattle doesn't seem like it really has a whole lot of hockey fans - the ones that they do have root for the T-Birds or the Canucks. Seattle is all about the Seahawks and the Mariners (used to be all about the Sonics too :rip: ) Although, surprisingly Seattle has won more Stanley Cups (1917) than a third of the current NHL teams.

Hartford, Cincinnati and Cleveland have all proven that they can't sustain an NHL team. I don't think it is really a function of how big a city is, or how many people live in the area; it is more a matter of do they have a dedicated fan-base that is going to show up to the games and buy merchandise.

The fact that Columbus doesn't have an NFL, MLB or NBA team benefits them for hockey because there is less competition, and fans of those sports in Columbus usually root for the Buckeyes. Ticket sales and revenues for the Blue Jackets have been consistently good and have improved steadily, even when they haven't had a very good team on the ice.

Seattle doesn't seem like it really has a whole lot of hockey fans - the ones that they do have root for the T-Birds or the Canucks. Seattle is all about the Seahawks and the Mariners (used to be all about the Sonics too :rip: ) Although, surprisingly Seattle has won more Stanley Cups (1917) than a third of the current NHL teams.

Cincinnati NEVER had an NHL team!

The closest thing that Cincinnati ever had for a hockey team was the World Hockey Cincinnati Stingers. The Stingers owner decided to have the Stingers NOT be part of the NHL.

The Cleveland Barons merged with the Minnesota North Stars and BOTH teams were in jeopardy by 1978. Minnesota got the team...Cleveland got the shaft!

This is the curse that I like to call The Merge!

Cincinnati NEVER had an NHL team! - I know, I actually meant to include Atlanta in the list of teams that have proven that they can't sustain an NHL team, but got sidetracked about the comment about Cincinnati and Cleveland being better homes for hockey than Columbus.

Cincinnati actually HAS a successful ECHL team - they have won the Kelly Cup TWICE in the past 10 years, and just lost the championship last week to the Alaska Aces! - However, that gets them barely a sentence worth of mention on the local news, no actual footage, and they sure aren't breaking any attendance records. Yet they have all the time in the world to talk about the Reds and off-season news about the Bengals. :ohno:

Hockey gets NO RESPECT in Cincinnati. Geez, even here in Dayton they have a better fan-base, we just don't have enough people and the Demonz play in the decrepit Hara Arena. The old-time GEMS were huge back in the day though.

The Cleveland Barons merged with the Minnesota North Stars and BOTH teams were in jeopardy by 1978. Minnesota got the team...Cleveland got the shaft!

This is the curse that I like to call The Merge!

The Seals should have stayed in the Bay Area. Moving them to Cleveland was a terrible decision. That last season as the Seals, the team was showing signs of improving and gaining respect around the league. They had the 3M line, Dennis Maruk, Al MacAdam, Bob Murdoch. Two decent goalies in Gilles Meloche and Gary Simmons. Also promising young defenseman Rick Hampton.

Mel Swig, owner of the Seals at the time, wanted a new stadium built to replace the one where the Seals currently played. Personally, I never understood all the fuss over a new stadium. There was nothing so much wrong with the coliseum where they played, they could have continued playing there a few years until a stadium deal could have eventually been reached. But no, Swig wanted a new stadium now. He didn't get his wish, and asked the NHL for permission to relocate the team. Permission was granted, and soon the Seals became the Cleveland Barons. George and Gordon Gund were minority owners of the Seals, both were from Cleveland, they persuaded Swig to choose Cleveland as the relocation city. After two failed seasons in Cleveland (both seasons being worse points-wise in the standings compared to the last Seals season) the Barons folded and merged with the Minnesota North Stars.

Sal
Why do you always bring up the NBA?
The NBA isn't my top sport, but there is no need to always bash it just because it has a much higher viewership for the finals in the US. This year, even I am watching some games.

As expected my worse fear came true - bandwagon LA won the Cup.
I am not anti-California, I would love to see San Jose win the cup because I do consider SJ an actual hockey market.

Well...

The L.A. Kings are Kings again!

I really wanted the Rangers to win...but I'll just say the Cleveland motto...there's always next year...ohno:ohno:ohno:ohno:ohno:

It's all over and the Kings are once again the Kings of the NHL. Last night, Alec Martinez was the hero ending the game and the series in double OT. Even though the series went a short 5 games, it still felt like it could have gone either way. The Rangers put together a solid effort from beginning to end and if not for the superhuman work of Henrik Lundqvist, LA would have blown them out in 4 games very easily. So now another season is over and a new one is scheduled to begin around Oct. 4. That's 112 days from now! As an avid hockey fan, and even more so as an avid hockey TV viewer, I cannot wait!

Luckily, nobody here in L.A. rioted. It seems to be a theme everytime an L.A. Sports team wins the season. They did this in 2000 and 2010, when The Lakers won.

Luckily, nobody here in L.A. rioted. It seems to be a theme everytime an L.A. Sports team wins the season. They did this in 2000 and 2010, when The Lakers won.

I'd like to fine out if Cleveland ever wins a Championship...will the city ever survive?

We're on the 50 year mark and have the deepest deficit in sports!

I thought it was a pretty exciting series, an astonishing number of close chances and things that really could have bounced differently and changed the outcome of any game.

..and not to take away from Justin Williams as the MVP and Conn Smythe trophy winner, but its pretty hard to single out any one of the Kings as the MVP. So many guys had an amazing playoff season; Jeff Carter, Jonathan Quick, Marion Gaborik and Anže Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Dustin Brown, Jarret Stoll (the faceoff man) - how do you single out one guy?

if you are going to pick out one guy that really overshadowed the rest of his team, you really could make a solid argument that Henrik Lundqvist was the MVP for his team this year in the playoffs.

Here's something I found on the web between Games 4 and 5 which I think will serve as a nice and fun way to end this season. A sports blogger and hockey fan who obviously had a little too much time to kill between games made up a series of drawings in which Simpsons characters were featured on NHL logos just to see how they would look. Here's what he came up with. Which ones do you like the best?


Boston Bruins + Homer

http://photos-c.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xpf1/10354360_638229246266234_859183129_n.jpg

Chicago Blackhawks + Ralph

http://scontent-a-ord.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xpa1/t51.2885-15/10375706_1414418968839996_343975454_n.jpg

Dallas Stars + Disco Stu

http://photos-a.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xpf1/10358234_1510558549167384_1380192326_n.jpg

Detroit Red Wings + Snake

http://photos-e.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xap1/10413903_1425115724427668_1598767885_n.jpg

Edmonton Oilers + Moe

http://photos-a.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xpf1/10375889_1411642535785904_1278700527_n.jpg

Los Angeles Kings + Fat Tony

http://photos-b.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xpf1/10369301_293788387464385_250681866_n.jpg

New York Rangers + Lisa

http://scontent-a.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xap1/t51.2885-15/925485_637496219677310_503962278_n.jpg

Philadelphia Flyers + Kearney, Jimbo, Dolph (The Bullies)

http://photos-g.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xpa1/10362338_705763656149910_1468274832_n.jpg

Phoenix Coyotes + Santa's Little Helper

http://photos-h.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xpa1/10349726_514895385304207_410887593_n.jpg

Pittsburgh Penguins + Bart

http://scontent-b.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xpa1/t51.2885-15/10354583_616439318451392_1862733356_n.jpg

San Jose Sharks + Abe (Grandpa)

http://photos-b.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xap1/1597176_1458857664353353_793852030_n.jpg

St. Louis Blues + Marge

http://photos-d.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xpf1/10362226_665490610182891_1669013252_n.jpg

Toronto Maple Leafs + Groundskeeper Willie

http://scontent-b.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xpf1/t51.2885-15/10413016_472094622923491_503773413_n.jpg