Just so I have an easy location to find this, since I already posted it on Jack Mangan's Deadpan:

Bruins over Canadiens in 6
Capitals over Rangers in 5
Devils over Canes in 7
Pens over Flyers in 6

Sharks over Ducks in 5
Wings over Blue Jackets in 4
Canucks over Blues in 6
Flames over Blackhawks in 7

Which means I'll probably get it all wrong. Again. :)

And Scalzi had this fun piece to share: Don't date within the division.

One more quick note: Yep, the season officially starts today. Yep, the Leafs will probably be crushed by the Wings in their opener. Yep, the Leafs will probably suck this year again. *sigh* Still... I can only hope that management is being honest about rebuilding.

Update: OK. I'm pleasantly surprised that they didn't loose. :)

Last night, the St. Louis Blues played a pre-season game against the L.A. Kings here in KC. Neither is a favorite of mine, but I'll root for the Blues over the Kings any day. Plus, I got to see Paul Kariya in action. He's a great player, but overall, the Blues played poorly last night, loosing 2-1 to the Kings.

Anyway, it was my first time visiting The Sprint Center. It's a great venue. I managed to find some decent beer on tap for an unreasonable $7; expensive, but that's still less than some venues.

What I was surprised by was a BBQ place. I don't remember it's name--no, I didn't drink that much--but they served a ginormous BBQ hot dog. This monstrosity was 1/2 lb!, with beef brisket and onion rings on top, and covered in BBQ sauce. Low calories, I'm sure. ;) It was very good. At least I didn't feel ripped off for paying $7 for the hot dog, even if I couldn't eat the whole thing.

I read an article yesterday about the formation of a new Russian Hockey league. Unlike other leagues, this goal of this one is to be a direct competitor to the NHL. Vyacheslav Fetisov, a hockey legend and hall-of-famer, seems to be the man making this happen; a perfect choice, given his history.

I really hope Fetisov is successful. The yearly world tournaments are nice, but they don't do much to promote or improve the sport. If the NHL has more competition, it would open up the possibilities for a true World Cup where real, instead of ad hoc, teams compete. Canadians still dominate the NHL talent pool, and while I like that, it would be great if more opportunities were available for young Europeans. A bigger, more diverse talent pool will only improve the game.

I also love the picture of the polar bears with hockey sticks in the article. :)

Yep, the *grumble* (mighty) Ducks won the Stanley Cup. Ottawa found a way to choke, yet again. Overall, the 2006-7 season was fairly disappointing. Maybe next season the Leafs will be competitive? Look, I'm trying to be optimistic.

Anyway, news on KC getting a team has been rather light since Pittsburgh turned down KC's offer. But, some news may be coming soon.

The Nashville Predators are probably going to move. Despite being a successful team, fans are not showing up. KC may be a destination, however, now that the NHL is talking about expansion, KC may get a brand-new team of its own.

Where would the Predators go in that case? Don Cherry says Hamilton should be considered. Toronto and Buffalo have, to date, kept this from happening but if the Predators don't move to KC it could be a strong possibility.

While I still think there is no way an NHL team could survive long-term in KC, I am still hoping a team comes here.

The Stanley Cup is not only one of the oldest trophies in professional sports, it is also one of the hardest to win. But, the coolest thing about it, and unlike other sports, is that when a team wins the cup they get to keep it for the year. Each member of the team, including support staff, is given an opportunity to take it to their hometown to show off. It's special day where the player gets to share something special with their family and friends. Other sports just give the team members a ring.

But wait! There's more! The team members also get their names engraved on the cup itself. It's a big trophy, but eventually the space runs out. This year the 1940-41 to 1952-53 ring is being retired. The retired ring will be displayed in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Small market NHL teams have a history of bouncing around before they become successes. In the 70's, Kansas City had an NHL team: The Scouts. That team hung around for a couple of years, moved to Colorado, before traveling east to become the New Jersey Devils. Colorado eventually got a replacement: The Quebec Nordiques became the highly successful Avalanche.

When the Sprint Center, the new downtown arena nearing completion, was first proposed, there was talk about acquiring an NHL team for KC. The talk is getting more serious as an offer has been made to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins.

I highly doubt KC could support an NHL team. But, if a team moves here, I'd go see them.

And yes! It is that time of the year again: the new NHL season starts tonight. Too bad my Leafs will probably suck. :(

So, while I was convalescing Italy won the World Cup!!!! That makes me very happy. I was surprised since they were not one of the favorites coming into the tournament. Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch a single game.

It's also interesting that with the exception of the final game, not one of Italy's games was decided by penalty shots. No one likes to see games decided this way. This is probably one of the reasons why people have a hard time getting attached to the game.

And diving... well, there is diving in every sport, but soccer seems to have the worst, most embellished cases of diving. As a friend pointed out, if a stretcher has to take you off the field you should be out for the rest of the game. Miracles should not be allowed. How is it possible that a "horribly" injured player can be back on the field in 10 minutes?

Anyway, enough soccer.

In hockey news, Toronto has traded Eric Lindros to Dallas. Probably the most over-rated player in the league, he hasn't done much since his early days. I'm not sorry to see him go. Now if the Leafs can get some offensive talent, they may actually do something this year.

I got 50% of my previous round predictions right: Edmonton won, but not in 6 games, and Buffalo didn't win, but the round did go to 7 games.

So, now the Edmonton Oilers will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Cup finals. I'd like to see the Oilers do well, but I have my doubts. I just don't think they have the same depth as the Canes. And, the Canes have just finished a tough round with Buffalo, so they are certainly prepared for a battle.
Carolina in 5

I really hope that I am wrong in this one. I don't want Edmonton to be a pushover.

Game 1 starts tonight!
cue music...

Well, my hockey predictions for round 2, as usual, were horribly wrong: I got one winner right, but was wrong in the number of games. Yea, Buffalo! It was shocking as hell to see the Devils and the Avs fold the way they did.

So, up next is round 3, or the Semi Finals.

Buffalo Sabres vs Carolina Hurricanes
Admission: I dislike Carolina and I also traditionally dislike Buffalo. On the other hand, I've been really pleased with how well Buffalo has been playing.
Buffalo in 7

Edmonton Oilers vs Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Anaheim trounced the Avs, but I think Edmonton had the tougher series. And, as the sole Canadian team, I have to root for Edmonton.
Edmonton in 6

So, I'm prepared to be wrong again, but I think most hockey fans will like to see Buffalo against Edmonton in the Cup finals. We'll see if it happens, but things will start to get interesting on Friday.

The second round of the NHL playoffs begin today. Here's my off-the-cuff predictions:

San Jose Sharks vs Edmonton Oilers
I don't have a strong feeling on this one. Both teams were underdogs from the first round and neither looked impressive. I'll take a stab anyway.
Sharks in 7.

Ottawa Senators vs Buffalo Sabres
This could be an interesting series. Buffalo is looking good after beating off Philly. I'd like to see Ottawa go further, but they have a tradition of choking about now.
Buffalo in 6.

Anaheim Mighty Ducks vs Colorado Avalanche
I'm sorry, but I can't ever take the Ducks seriously. And, as Alvie has pointed out, the Avs may not have tons of stars now, but they really know how to work.
Avs in 5.

And, in the center ring... the main attraction..
Carolina Hurricanes vs New Jersey Devils
Go Devils! The Devils are the best team remaining from the first round, IMO. The Canes may give them some trouble, but I have confidence in the Devils.
Devils in 6.

I have no doubt that I will be absolutely wrong, as usual, in my predictions. :)

Well, the first round is well underway, and as usual, nothing is as you'd expect from the regular season. As NHL.com put it, it's "Home Ice Disadvantage" all over again.

Here are my pointless thoughts on this round:

Personally speaking, I'd love to see Philly get eliminated even though I've never cared for Buffalo.

I'm rather disappointed in Ottawa. Every year they look good and then choke. They have never exhibited the heart needed to win the cup. Tampa has. Ottawa is in trouble if they can't turn it around next game. Tampa could be a surprise black horse even though they are the defending champs.

Montreal has been the big surprise, stomping on the Canes 6-1 in their first meeting. They play again tonight. This may be the big upset in this round.

A pleasant surprise was to see Elias of the Devils get 6 points in the last game. He's always been good for the Devils, though often overshadowed by other players. And this year hasn't been his best. A return to form will be a big boost for the Devils.

Jack Mangan, author of Spherical Tomi, is apparently a hockey fan. Over at his blog, you can see his set of playoff predictions. I think they are pretty good, though there are two series I would pick a little differently.

If you like hockey, you might have fun reading our comments thread. :)

And if you are really nice, you should consider giving him a donation or buying his book.

The Stanley Cup playoffs begin on Friday, this year without the Leafs.

The Leafs, last month, were pretty much eliminated from the playoffs after playing a lackluster season. Then, as usual, they began to play much better, garnering a 7-1-2 record in the past 10 games. Too little, too late. The Lightning have locked down the final spot in the East with 2 more points in the standings than the Leafs.

Regardless, I'm looking forward to the playoffs. The standings are pretty interesting. Four Canadian teams have made the playoffs. Ottawa is first in the East and Detroit is the same in the West. St. Louis was surprisingly the worst team in the league. This will be the first year in about 20 that St. Louis hasn't made the playoffs. Yea! Yes, I don't like them. :) In any case, there looks to be some great match-ups so the playoffs should be very entertaining.

As for the Leafs... there is always next year. Though I'm a fan, I'm honest enough to admit that they sucked this year. It is like the Ballard curse is still affecting management decisions. They just better sign some decent talent next year.