Gary's Stanley Cup Playoffs Update

This update is clearly not for my hockey-crazy friends. You already know what's happening in the NHL playoffs.

But I have some amigos who are not hockey-crazed, and this is for you.
You want to be able to talk about the NHL playoffs, even though you're not watching them.

But first, a joke: A man comes into a bar and orders an Ovechkin. The bartender asks, "What's a Ovechkin?" The answer? "A White Russian without a cup." :)

So here goes, as of Tuesday morning, May 4th:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:


Pittsburgh Penguins (1 win) vs. Montreal Canadiens (1 win)
Most of my Canadian friends say that Pittsburgh (led by Nova Scotian superstar Sidney Crosby) will win this series. As a Canadian, I'm rooting for Montreal, even though their goalie is Slovakian, three assistant captains are American, and the fourth is Russian. The Penguins were seeded 4th in the Eastern Conference, while the Canadiens were seeded 8th.

Boston Bruins (2 wins) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (0 wins)
These teams played (outdoors) at Fenway Park in the Winter Classic on New Year's Day, and after that Boston won just 3 of 17 games on home ice. I'm hoping that Boston will win this series, even with a right winger named Miroslav Satan. The Bruins were seeded 6th in the Eastern Conference and the Flyers were seeded 7th.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Chicago Black Hawks (1 win) vs. Vancouver Canucks (1 win) 
Each of these teams won their division in the regular season, and Chicago has a very good team, its best since the 1960s. These teams met in the playoffs last year, and Chicago won. The Canucks' captain is goalie Roberto Luongo, who starred for Canada's recent gold-medal-winning Olympic team. The Black Hawks were seeded 2nd in the Western Conference and the Canucks were seeded 3rd. I'm rooting for Vancouver, but it would be nice to see Chicago win its first Cup in 48 years.

San Jose Sharks (2 wins) vs. Detroit Red Wings (0 wins)
In the regular season, the Sharks were second only to the ill-fated Washington Capitals in overall points. They're a very good team, and will probably win the series. Detroit has a proud history, and won the Cup twice in the last decade. The Sharks were seeded 1st in the Western Conference and Red Wings were seeded 5th. (Side note: At each home game, the Sharks come onto the ice through a 17-foot open shark mouth, lowered from the rafters.)