I am a big Crosby fan (he’s just so fun to watch play the game), but we can always use a reminder that the Penguins are the reason Marc Savard didn’t get to finish his career. Matt Cooke is the worst.

Because the Conn Smythe doesn’t go to the best player in the series. Not always, at least. Rinne has been the story, and the NHL loves the story. There’s no way they’d give it to Josi, despite the fact that they should (if things stay the same and they win).

Experts classify those years at Rockford as “pretty good.”

Possibly Jason Hartmann? Hartmann was 2 years older, I believe. They hold the top two XC times in Michigan high school history.

Canadians are just terrible at hockey now. Americans are way better.

The key difference in Nashville is that they didn’t have professional sports when the Preds went in. They found a city in the south where hockey could be embraced because it was the only pro sports team around. I am from Toronto, but lived there for a while, and was always really impressed by the fanbase in Nashville.

Such a good read.

Lemieux and Jagr though...

Preds. They are cooler.

Datsyuk didn’t start playing hockey until he was 12 (I think, it was late to be sure). He didn’t really start making an impact until later in his 20s. He was still becoming the great player he ended up becoming when he was 18 or 19, so he probably wasn’t as noticeable.

He signed Tyler Johnson as a college free agent (a move that is rumoured to have come after Babcock told him to, because Holland wouldn’t listen to him).

Agreed, but that isn’t the point. This year is an anomaly in that the top 3 teams in the NHL are in the same division. I’m not defending the playoff format. It is not good. I’m just saying that if you can’t beat every team in a best of 7, why do you deserve to win the Cup?

Totally agree. The Sharks used to get a lot of crap for getting knocked out in the 2nd round every season, but if you look back, they came up against some really formidable teams that round. The Capitals get way more shit than they should because of 2nd round exits. They haven’t lost to anybody embarassing these past…

It is true, whether you end up having to play those teams or not. The NHL should want the best team in a given year to win the Cup. The team that beats every team they face is that team. I’m not for the format, but if you can’t beat a team in the first or second round, why should you represent your conference in the…

The Senators could also not have home ice advantage and face the Capitals in the first round of the playoffs depending on how this week plays out. The format isn’t great, but this year is an anomaly that is making it look worse than it is.

Right, but if your complaint about not winning the Cup is that you had to face harder teams, you didn’t deserve to win it. Winning the Cup is about being the best team in a given year, not getting the easiest path to the Cup in a given year.

To win the Cup, you have to beat the best teams.

Ha! I hadn’t thought of this, but I love it.

Woah, man. Thanks for that. Now it makes a lot more sense.

It’s really funny that you left the Lions out. Funny and sad.