I probably should have used this space to put together a few thoughts on the Eastern and Western Conference Finals. The cliff notes version is I sort of think there are two elite hockey teams, one really good hockey team, and Montreal. As impressive as the Habs win was over the Bruins (seriously, I can't emphasize this enough), there's a lot of evidence that suggests they're sort of just a decent team, especially when you compare them relatively to what's left in the post-season.
Whoever emerges from the East -- I like New York, let's call it in six -- is going to be an underdog in the Stanley Cup Final, but I suspect the Blueshirts could give either team out West a real battle. I wrote before the playoffs that New York was probably the most undervalued/underrated team coming into this post-season. Before suggesting you bet big on LA against Anaheim, I suggested that Pittsburgh would have their hands absolutely full with New York. So, cool to see it shake out that way, at least for me. (Though I've now had both Montreal series wrong, too.)
Out West, we have the third 'Stanley Cup caliber' draw featuring Los Angeles, this time playing the defending champions in Chicago. That's going to be a knifefight.
My question: Who are you cheering for? I saw an interesting tweet this morning from Ottawa's owner that suggested Canadian fans -- even Canadian Senators fans -- should throw their weight and fandom behind Montreal. Do you agree?
I'll get more into these playoff match-ups tomorow.
thanks for reading!