Stanley Cup Playoffs 2nd Round Preview.

Well the first round came with its usual share of upsets and unexpected results. For my part, I did about as well as I could hope, picking 50 percent of the series winners, a result with which I can live.

So here we go with the second round choices....

Eastern Conference

New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals

The Call: Rangers in 6

Don't let the fact that the Rangers were brought to 7 games versus the Ottawa Senators in the 1st round fool you, New York is still one of the strongest teams in the East. The first round was simply a case of a seemingly weaker team matching up very well against a team who finished higher in the standings. The Ottawa Senators had been a thorn in the side of the Rangers all season long, and almost pulled off the upset. Almost.

The Washington Capitals come into this series having knocked off last year's Stanley Cup champions, which of course is no small task. They did it mostly based on the very strong goaltending of relative unknown Braden Holtby, the maturation of Alexander Ovechkin, and the leadership provided by head coach Dale Hunter. "Play hard, whistle to whistle" was the mantra for the Caps against the Bruins in the opening round, which turned out to be a very smart approach as they refused to get into a war against Boston, a war that they inevitably would have lost.

With the Ottawa Senators behind them, the Rangers will be heading into the second round with renewed confidence, a result of beating a team which no doubt had many of them worried from the outset. Holtby's heroic's aside, the Rangers match up favourably against the Capitals in nets. Henrik Lundqvist's 3rd period performance in game 7 will go a long way in boosting his confidence going into the second round.

The goal in New York is to win the Stanley Cup. The goal in Washington, at least from the outside looking in, was don't get embarrassed in the first round. The Rangers have yet to reach their goal, the Caps have.

The only way the Caps win this series is if Braden Holtby turns in a goaltending performance for the ages. 

 

Philadelphia Flyers vs. New Jersey Devils

The Call: Flyers in 5 

 The Philadelphia Flyers started the playoffs with an impressive win over their arch-rival Pittsburgh Penguins in a series that saw them dominate their cross-state nemesis on every level. Laviolette outcoached Bylsma, Bryzgalov outplayed Fleury, Giroux outplayed Crosby, and they won the physical battles. 

On the other hand, the Devils were taken to the absolute limit by the Florida Panthers, winning game 7 in the second overtime period. While their win was laudable, the Flyers are not the Panthers, and this series should mark the end of the road for the Devils' season.

The Flyers have better scoring, more depth, and are riding sky-high confidence into this round. Could be a very short series.

Western Conference

Nashville Predators vs. Phoenix Coyotes

The Call: Predators in 5

 The big question facing the Nashville Predators as they headed into this years playoffs was, "Yes, they have one of the best teams in the NHL, but can they knock off the Detroit Red Wings, their longtime Achilles' Heel?" The Preds answered that question with an impressive 5 game domination of what looked like an aging Detroit squad.

With the first round hurdle cleanly jumped, look for the Predators to continue on their roll against the Phoenix Coyotes, a team against which they match up very well on every level.

The Coyotes, for their part, are in the second round based on the performance of the NHL's first round MVP, goaltender Mike Smith, whom Don Cherry recently called "the best goalie on the planet right now."

Smith notwithstanding, the Predators are simply too much for the Coyotes to handle. Better goaltending, better defence, better scoring, and better coaching than the Chicago Blackhawks who took them to 6 games.

A Nashville sweep wouldn't be a shocker.

St-Louis Blues vs. Los Angeles Kings

The Call: Blues in 6 

It seems like ages since these two teams last played. The Blues and Kings each won their first rounds in short order, the Blues sending the San Jose Sharks packing in 5 games, while the Kings knocked off last year's Stanley Cup finalist Vancouver Canucks, also in 5 games.

The Blues have been pretty much the best team in the NHL from the moment that Ken Hitchcock was brought in as their coach in early November. They are playing strong hockey throughout their lineup and their goaltending has been solid. They are not a flashy club, but they play a smart, defensively sound game, a style that is tailor-made for the playoffs.

The Los Angeles Kings are also a team that is collecting the dividends of an in-season coaching change. They were an underachieving group until Duane Sutter was brought in late into the season. The addition of Jeff Carter, whom they acquired from Columbus, has also had a positive effect on the team, most notably on former Flyers' teammate Mike Richards.

Of the four series picks, this is the one in which I have the least confidence, as it may just boil down to who has the hottest goaltender.

2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs - First Round Preview

"Predictions are for gypsies." - Toe Blake

The 2011-12 NHL regular season is finally over. For Canadian fans, unless you happen to live in Ottawa or Vancouver, it will largely be one to forget as 5 of the 7 teams based in the home of hockey find themselves on the outside looking in this post-season.


Regardless of how you feel about this "Year of the Concussion", here we go with my picks for the first round of this year's race for the Stanley Cup.

Eastern Conference

New York Rangers - Ottawa Senators
The Call: Rangers in 6.

On paper, as they say, this should be a cakewalk for the Rangers. They possess one of the NHL's best defences whereas the Senators have the fourth worst goals against average in the league. But, last we checked hockey isn't played on paper, but on the ice. 

The Senators saw Jason Spezza finally develop into the player that most observers have always believed he could be this season. Milan Michalek had a breakout offensive season, Erik Karlsson was far and away the best offensive defenseman in the league, and rookie head coach Paul McLean was able to get this club to believe in their chances pretty much from day one. But it won't be enough...

In Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers have Vezina Trophy caliber goaltending. And, contrary to last year, Lundqvist is heading into this post-season well rested, thanks to the solid play of backup goalie Martin Biron. The Rangers' blueline corps is also top-notch with the first pair of Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi ably supported by Michael Del Zotto and Marc Staal.

With Brad Richards, Marian Gaborik, and Ryan Callahan leading the way up front, the Rangers should ultimately take this series. But they will have their hands full.

Boston Bruins - Washington Capitals
The Call: Bruins in 5

It has been an up and down (mostly down) season for the Washington Capitals. The Caps, a chronically underachieving bunch, finally got their head coach, Bruce Boudreau fired early into the season. The expected bounce that the arrival of new head coach and former Washington Capitals legend Dale Hunter was expected to provide never really happened, yet they managed to stumble into a playoff position with a late season push.

The Bruins have also had their share of hot and cold moments this season, with many observers attributing their streaky play to a Stanley Cup hangover following last year's inspirational win. The jury is still out on the possibility of the Bruins going deep into the post-season this year, but they should cruise through the Caps on guts alone.

Florida Panthers - New Jersey Devils
The Call: Devils in 6.


Hard to get really excited about this one. 


Long and short of it is that the Devils have been here before, and they have Martin Brodeur. Sure the Panthers are a good-news story this year. Impressive turnaround with GM Dale Tallon and head coach Kevin Dineen at the helm. 


Whatever happens, neither of these teams is what can be considered a front-runner for the Cup.
 

Pittsburgh Penguins - Philadelphia Flyers
The Call: Pittsburgh in 6.

This series has been designated by yours truly as the series to watch in the Eastern Conference. 

We've repeated ad infinitum that "the Flyers just need goaltending" and in the off-season Mr. Snider and the boys decided to throw as much cash as they could at their legendary goaltending woes and went all-in with Ilya Bryzgalov. Those who have followed Bryzgalov since his beginnings in the NHL with the Ducks kind of suspected that the Russian goalie was a little different. One season with the Flyers proved that Bryzgalov is indeed "wired a little different"  as they say down home. He' s a little strange, but when he' s focused on stopping pucks, he' s one of the best in the business.

So, we've established that the Flyers seem to have pretty good goaltending. Which is a good thing for them because it turns out that they are going to really need it.


The Pittsburgh Penguins will be coming at the Philadelphia Flyers with as healthy of a Malkin-Crosby duo the NHL has had in quite a while. Recap...


Malkin just officially wrapped up the NHL scoring title. Gino got himself 109 points and notched up 50 goals in what was a Hart Trophy caliber season. A brilliant season by any standards.


Crosby came back, scored a bunch of points in a short period, went out again, came back again, and has been scoring points by the bucketload and pissing of opponents since. 37 points in 22 games.


Pro-rate that production and you get yourself a 138 point season. Yeah, that' s right 138 point season. It's been 25 years since somebody has scored 138 point in a season. Them's Mario Lemieux numbers.


Which brings us back to this Flyers-Pens series and the reason for the call in favour of Pittsburgh.


Sidney Crosby will focus on playing hockey and avoiding post whistle activity in this round. Like all of the men who come to dominate the game of hockey, Crosby is an intelligent man. He is also a highly emotional man.


Hockey is an emotional and intelligent game, therefore achieving a balance that yin and yang is a skill as essential as being able to skate, shoot, and pass. Sidney Crosby is very well aware that he needs to control himself. It's his Achilles' Heel. But like all great athletes, he knows that he has to work at his weaknesses as well as his strengths.


They said Orr couldn' t be a good defensive defenceman with his run and gun style. He proved them all wrong by not only becoming the best offensive defenceman of all-time, arguably the straight-up best offensive player of all-time, but also no doubt one of the best shut-down defensive players as well.


Wayne Gretzky, they said, was too small, too slow, and didn't have a good enough shot. The only times where his size may have been  a bit of an issue were; once, when he got nailed at the blueline at Maple Leafs Gardens with his head down, and when he got cross-checked face first into the boards by Gary Suter, injuring his back.


As for Gretzky being too slow, all I know is that we've seen an awful lot of guys chasing him over the years. He may not have been the fastest, but he certainly more than fast enough. As for his shot, well, we all saw what he could do coming across the blueline with a full head of steam, and cranking it as hard as he could past more than just one or two goalies.


This to say that the greats, the truly greats, have made strengths of their perceived weaknesses, and I believe that Crosby will ultimately do the same. It doesn't play well into the Pens' hand to start jabbering, and pushing, and shoving after the whistles against the Flyers.


They can still win a chippy, ugly series against the Flyers should they wish, but that would not be a very smart approach. All that does is add games to the series, and more importantly, wear and tear on the players.


The best approach? Just go in against the Flyers like pros. Play hard, keep your mouths shut, win the games, move on to the next round. Remember, Penguins, the goal is to win the Cup.

Western Conference

Vancouver Canucks - Los Angeles Kings

The Call: Canucks in 5 


 Most agree that the only scenario in which the Los Angeles Kings win this series is that if both Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider forget to show up for the Canucks and that Jamie Quick plays just absolutely lights out hockey.


That might be oversimplifiying it somewhat, but facts are facts. The Vancouver Canucks have put together back-to-back President's Trophy seasons and are coming off a playoff year that saw them come to within one win of the Stanley Cup.


The Kings have some big names and big salaries on their roster, the Canucks have names and achievements on their rosters.


Wouldn' t be shocked to see a sweep...

St-Louis Blues - San Jose Sharks

 The Call: Blues in 5


 Since Ken Hitchcock took over behind the St-Louis Blues bench on November 6th they have been one of the NHL's best teams. And like all winning teams, they did it through defence and home ice dominance.


The Blues allowed a league-low 165 goals and have a remarkable 30-6-5 record at home. The Elliott-Halak tandem has worked very well for them all season. The fact that almost all of the Blues' regulars are "plus" players is also bodes well for them.


The San Jose Sharks had a difficult season. They struggled mightily to remain in the top 8 in the Western Conference and didn't wrap up a playoff spot until the last week.

Phoenix Coyotes - Chicago Blackhawks

The Call: Blackhawks in 6 


 This series could boil down to a battle of respective MVPs.


Mike Smith has been arguably the best defenceman in the league down the homestretch and has to be considered as a serious Vezina Trophy candidate. He finished fourth among goalies in wins, 3rd in shutouts and save percentage and 7th in goals against average. In his last 5 games he allowed just two goals on 192 shots, easily making him the hottest goalie in the NHL at this moment.


For Chicago, the good news is that it appears as though captain Jonathan Toews is ready to go after missing the last 22 games of the season with a concussion. Toews has clearly established himself as one of the game's best leaders with a propensity for playing his best during big games.


The Hawks also enjoy much more depth in their lineup than does Phoenix. The Coyotes have a 1st line of Radim Vrbata, Shane Doan, and Ray Whitney, with little else to support them. Not exactly up to Chicago's roster of Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Patrick Bolland, and Viktor Stalberg.

Nashville Predators - Detroit Red Wings

The Call: Predators in 7 


 In the Western Conference, this should be the "must-watch" series.


On the surface, these teams appear to be evenly matched. Both teams finished with 48 wins. Both teams feature balanced attacks and strong scoring support from their respective bluelines.


In nets, Nashville's Pekka Rinne is coming off his best regular season of his career, whereas Detroit's Jimmy Howard looked as though he might give Martin Brodeur's record of 48 regular season wins a run for its money until injury dashed those hopes.


The one area that plays in favour of Nashville is in home vs. road performance. The Red Wings have been lights out within the friendly confines of Joe Louis Arean putting together a record of 31-7-3 at home. On the road, it has been a different story as they struggled to a 17-21-3 mark, which is the same as the Toronto Maple Leafs, hardly an impressive lot. At 22-16-3, Nashville owns the 2nd best road record in the Western Conference.


Home ice advantage may just end up being the difference in this one.

Goodbye Toronto Maple Leafs

As of the end of this NHL regular season, I will be putting an end to one of the longest relationships I've ever had. That's right, as of the end of play on Saturday, April 7^th 2012, I will officially cease being a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Call it irreconcilable differences.

I've been a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club pretty much since birth so it will take some getting used to on my part, but, as they say, enough is enough. Any relationship must be comprised of a healthy balance of give-and-take, and for the most part it has been give-give-give on my part, and take-take-take on the part of the Leafs.

As a fan, you hand over your heart and soul to your team. Growing up as I did in Gaspé, Québec in the 60's and 70's I proudly and openly declared myself to be a Leafs fan amidst a sea of Montreal Canadiens red, white, and blue. I wore a Toronto Maple Leafs T-shirt to school. Heck, I even had a “Clear the track for Eddie Shack” lunch box.

My bedroom wall was adorned with a Toronto Maple Leafs calendar on which I would write down the game results. During my first visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame, then situated on the CNE grounds in Toronto, I took my piggy bank money and dropped it all on a Toronto Maple Leafs memorabilia. My blood flowed blue and white.

Like many kids, I grew into becoming a Leafs fan mainly through genetic pre-disposition. My dad was a Leafs fan. His dad was a Leafs fan.

My grandfather traced his Toronto “bloodlines” all the way back to the beginnings of the club. When he talked about the early days, he didn't refer to the man who put together the team and built Maple Leafs Gardens as Conn Smythe, he referred to him as “Mr.” Smythe. And as far as he was concerned, Mr. Smythe was the be-all and end-all in terms of hockey people.

 Photo: Toronto Maple Leafs owner, President, and General Manager, sits directly behind the Stanley Cup, surrounded by the 1932 champions. Seated to Smythe's right is Frank Selke Sr. To his left, Dick Irvin Sr. King Clancy is the third player from the left, front row. Other Hockey Hall of Fame members on this photo include, Ace Bailey, Charlie Conacher, Hap Day, Red Horner, Busher Jackson, and Joe Primeau.

The best hockey player of all-time, bar none, for him, had been King Clancy. “Not very big, could skate like the wind, and one tough son of a gun” was his assessment. With the Kid Line of Busher Jackson, Joe Primeau, and Charlie Conacher, as well as bruising defenceman Red Horner in their lineup, the Toronto Maple Leafs of the late 20's and early 30's captured his imagination.

He of course, passed his passion along to my father, for whom Syl Apps, and later Ted Kennedy, became heroes. “Nobody worked harder at the game of hockey than Teeder Kennedy” he would repeat ad nauseam. And of course, the best “money goalie” of all-time was without a doubt Turk Broda. Like I would do years later, he collected hockey cards and pictures, his prized possession being a complete Bee-Hive series of his beloved Maple Leafs.

Photo: Left to right, Hockey Hall of Famers, Syl Apps and Ted "Teeder" Kennedy. Apps won 3 Stanley Cups. Kennedy won 5 Stanley Cups and the Leafs never once missed the playoffs during his career.

When I came along, I did what many kids do and slipped into the family business. The first players I followed were Keon and Ullman. Then Darryl Sittler arrived and soon was the captain. My grandfather had Clancy, my father had Kennedy, and I had Darryl Sittler.

For a while there was hope. Things for which to cheer. There was the 6 goal and 10 point night against the Bruins. There were the 5 goals in one playoff game against the Philadelphia Flyers. And there was of course The Goal, the 1976 Canada Cup winner (in overtime, thank you very much).

Video: Darryl Sittler,  captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs scores the 1976 Canada Cup winning goal in overtime. Goal as it the 2:38 mark of this clip.

 

But then it fizzled... Badly. The Leafs were no longer being run by Mr. Smythe like they had been in the early years. No. My Leafs were under the control of a lunatic. Harold E. Ballard. The fat, loud, obnoxious, classless, lying windbag who became quite possibly the most hated owner in the Canadian sports history.

He had managed to wrestle ownership of the Maple Leafs by being buddy-buddy with Conn Smythe's hapless son, Stafford. Through a series of machinations, Pal Hal, ended up as the head honcho at Maple Leafs Gardens. Actually ringleader is a better term than owner, because under Ballard the Leafs were a circus act that would have made Barnum and Bailey green with envy.

He was brash, and he was crass, and it seemed as though he was doing everything possible to destroy the Toronto Maple Leafs. He let Dave Keon get away to the WHA because he didn't want to pay him. He humiliated his coaches, first Red Kelly and then Roger Neilson.

Under his watch the Leafs traded away fan favourite Lanny McDonald. He fought constantly with Darryl Sittler. Soon, he was gone too.

Video: Lanny McDonald interviewed by HNIC's Dave Hodge. McDonald's first game at Maple Leaf Gardens after being traded to Colorado.

Things got so bad in Toronto a one point that a high draft prospect's parents wrote Ballard urging, pleading, that the Leafs not draft their son. Ponder that for a moment. A kid, an Ontario kid, not wanting to go to Toronto because it was a terrible organization. “Not under Mr. Smythe's watch” I can almost hear my grandfather saying...

Yet Ballard kept kicking the Leafs further and further down the path of disrepute. A once proud franchise, it had become a shattered shell of its former self. Even as he faced death he held true to his classless form. There were the public fights with his son, Bill Ballard. And there was Yolanda. Yes Yolanda. No Vaudeville farce would be complete without a Yolanda. An equally unbalanced younger, second (or was it third?) wife.

Photo: Harold Ballard barks at reporters as his wife, Yolanda, looks on.

Eventually, Ballard died. While it may seem harsh, it's safe to say that not many Leafs fan cried when it happened. In fact, there was reason for hope. Things could only improve right? Well... yes, and no. While there were some notable improvements, the end result was the same. The Stanley Cup remained some distant dream. An illusion, a mirage...

Sure there were some good years following the Ballard era. Some good teams and players. Doug Gilmour, Joe Nieuwendyk, Curtis Joseph, Eddie Belfour, Mats Sundin, Wendel Clark. But still they came up short. Not a single Stanley Cup finals appearance since 1967.

Photo: Toronto's Doug Gilmour slips puck past Los Angeles goalie Kelly Hrudey in the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Fast forward through the Cliff Fletcher, Pat Quinn, and John Ferguson Jr. eras to November 2008 the arrival of the brash and tough talking Brian Burke.

Burke certainly came to the Leafs with a second-to-none resume. Harvard Law School graduate. Director of hockey operations in Vancouver. GM of the Hartford Whalers. Executive Vice-President and Director of Hockey Operations NHL. GM of the Vancouver Canucks. GM of the Anaheim Ducks.

In press conference after press conference there was a promise of no five year plans. Winning now, was the credo. Burke used words such as truculence and rambunctiousness when describing what the Leafs would be like under his control.  In the time since his hiring the Leafs have missed the playoffs in 2009, 2010, 2011, and now, 2012.

This of course while the Toronto Maple Leafs reside in what is quite possibly the most fertile ground for the development of hockey players anywhere on the planet. A point that Don Cherry made quite famously on a recent edition of HNIC's Coach's Corner.

Video: Don Cherry criticizes Brian Burke for lack of Ontario players on Toronto Maple Leafs roster.

 And through it all Brian Burke remains defiant, acting as though he's actually building a winner in Toronto. Trying to convince fans, or perhaps himself, that everything is under control. Lambasting any and all who dare question his decisions.

Well, I for one am not buying it and am moving on as a fan. After this season, yet another miserable season that ended in failure, I will be a free agent. Free to cheer for an organization of my choice. It would be hard for me to do worse.