Beyond the Rhetoric

It pains me just a bit to be writing about hockey and not being able to dedicate a substantial amount of the space to my hometown Vancouver Canucks, but I am surprised how into the NHL playoffs I am getting. I’m spreading my wings (not red ones. A Detroit fan I am not), so to speak, cheering on all of the Canadian teams in their respective series, because, well, they don’t have to face each other just yet.

The way things are going though, the four Canadian teams that did make the post-season (with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the aforementioned Vancouver Canucks looking in from the outside) are leading in their first round matchups (at least at time of press), and things look very promising for Canada to be represented in half of the teams for the second round. Of course, things are still quite early with most series playing their “Game Fours” today or tomorrow.

The Flames are doing very well, thanks largely to the fantastic netminding by Kipper, and the Senators are still holding their own despite the lack of the Dominator between the pipes. Despite being the eighth seed, the Edmonton Oilers are doing better than expected, surpassing the status of just “staying afloat”, and the Montreal Canadiens are well on their way to ousting the Carolina Hurricanes.

Unfortunately, if things go as planned, we’re going to have Calgary vs. Edmonton in the West and Ottawa vs. Montreal in the East, and then necessarily a Canadian team will have to be eliminated in the second round. We’ll see. I’d love to see a Calgary - Montreal final.

Ok, I can’t get away from mentioning the Canucks. As you’re already probably aware, Dave Nonis and crew gave the Crow the boot, firing Marc Crawford as head coach. They say it was time for a change, for some fresh blood or fresh vision. Although Crawford did win a significant number of games as the Canucks’ coach, they only made it past the first round of the playoffs once. Whether that is the fault of the players, injuries, or the Crow… well, that can be argued until the cows come home, and although I would have given Crawford a chance to re-prove himself for the early part of next season, I can’t completely disagree with the club’s decision.

Your thoughts? I’d love to hear them.

Filed under Sports and Games.