Hockey Madness

First Update: Grandma's condition is definitely not the worst it could be after hearing the results of recent testing. There are two lymph nodes in her abdomen I believe that are affected by the cancer, and they're hopeful that after six rounds of chemotherapy her prognosis will be looking a lot better. YAY!!!

Hockey matchups: With the Conference Quarterfinals (first round) coming to a close, I'm pleased to announce that my record is looking pretty good. Here's how it looks right now:

Eastern Conference:
Canadians/Bruins-Canadians win 4/3. I picked the Canadians to take this round. I think they're a fantastic younger team who have the goods to go far and I don't think they're being taken too seriously yet. The focus in the East is on the Penguins, Rangers and Capitals right now and their interaction between the younger stars and their veteran counterparts. I have a soft spot for Saku Koivu, especially after he beat cancer and came back to play. They're my pick from the East to compete for Stanley Cup. I think they've got the youth (Price, Kostitsyn x2) and the depth with good veteran leadership (Koivu, Kovalev, Smolinski, Brisebois, Dandenault, Hamrlik). Canadians going to the finals.

Flyers/Capitals-Series tied 3/3. Flyers are one of my least favorite teams in the NHL, though I do hope for the best for the sake of Briere and Biron, two former Sabres. I'm still going to root for the Capitals so that we can see just how clutch Ovechkin is as the playoffs continue, and I'm happy for Olie Kolzig for sticking with his team for all those years they didn't make the playoffs or left in the first round. Lots of respect for the guy. Even with how well they're doing and my desire for the Caps to win, I think the Flyers are going to take it, Briere is the top goal scorer in the playoffs, he's clutch, look for him in game 7.

Penguins/Senators-Penguins win 4/0. Senators are number one on my shit list because of their treatment of the Sabres in the Conference finals last year. Ecstatic that they're out of the playoffs in the first round, swept by the Pens. Kudos to this younger team, they had the most convincing first round in the league, they're ready to be contenders, we'll see how their stars do as the pressure for the playoffs continue. Thanks for sweeping the Sens, Pens. See you next round. Oh yeah, picked the Penguins too.

Devils/Rangers-Rangers win 4/1. The Devils were one of my other picks to really compete for the cup, they've been too good for so long, I'd like to see Marty Brodeur go back for the Stanley Cup. At the same time, its been a while for the Rangers, longer than the Devils, and they do have Drury and Shanahan, I'll root for them for that. Picked the Devils, lost that one.

Western Conference:
Red Wings/Predators-Red Wings win 4/2. The wings are making another playoff run. Surprise surprise. I'm happy for Hasek, my favorite goalie and among my favorite players of all time. I'm happy for him, and I'm definitely a fan of the Wings more than the Preds. Picked the Red Wings.

Avalanche/Wild-Avalanche win 4/2. Yay Avalanche! Third favorite team moving past the Wild. I'm glad to see them doing well after their all star team disappeared a few years ago. And I believe if the Sharks win that sets up an Avalanche/Red Wings series which will absolutely fantastic, bad blood and great hockey. The greatest rivalry of modern hockey. Oh yeah, I picked the Avalanche.

Flames/Sharks-Series tied 3/3. The Sharks are working on being my second heartbreaking team...why must my two favorite teams cause me so much stress. They were abysmal in game six after coming back in games 4 and 5. First game seven in San Jose, look to their depth to bring it home for them. Calgary has put up much more of a fight that I wanted or expected, but I think the Sharks will have a fire under them and they just have more talent and depth than the Flames do. The Sharks are my pick in the West, and as my second favorite and hometown team, I want them to take it all. I hope they do.

Stars/Ducks-Stars win 4/2. Boo! Stars are number 2 on my shit list of hockey and I like the Ducks. I guess we'll have to wait for another year for them. Here's to hoping the Sharks win and knock them out in the next round. Picked the Ducks, didn't get it.

My record: Correct-4 Incorrect-2 Undecided: 2, look for the Sharks and Flyers come bring home game seven.