Dear NHL,

Bringing back my soapbox of letters to the NHL they will never see, here's another edition of Dear NHL.

Dear NHL,

I've written an open letter to you before detailing why I think the exclusive deal with Comcast NBC is a bad deal for you and you supposed goals. I know it can be hard to see with those dollar signs in your eyes.



Making money hand over fist on the NBC and Sportsnet exclusive television deals probably did give you that guaranteed income that allowed you to increase the cap (because no one is going to hockey games anymore, I guess). I only have the American perspective, because I don't want to have to spend hours trying to get around the location based blocking to view videos from Canada, but I know that one of two things has happened:

• You forgot your goal to 'growing the sport' (Mind on yo money?), or
• You just don't care about 'growing the sport' anymore (Money on yo mind?).

I get it, it's nice to have financial security. I don't know what it's like, but I understand it's a nice place to be. But the fact is, you need to either give up on struggling Sun Belt teams and let them be moved to better (or more profitable) markets...or you need to give up this phoney agenda of 'growing the sport.' I don't know what kind of control you have over the broadcasting of games under your deal with NBC-maybe you don't have any, and that's why there's a problem. If that's the case, you reeeeally should have read that contract before signing it. Maybe you did read it, and NBC's lawyers fooled you.

However the fact of the matter is that if you want to see hockey succeed in these markets, if you want to 'grow the sport,' you picked the worst possible TV deal. I don't have cable. I don't think it's worth the cost, and would rather spend that money every month on trying to pay down my own debt. I suspect that much of the rest of middle class America is in a similar boat, and an increasing number of people I know are stopping cable to use cheaper internet services. Being in this situation, i found that, while NBC probably did broadcast every games, I got to see maybe 10. Including NOT ONE SINGLE PENGUINS GAME ALL PLAYOFFS LONG. Not to mention that I've had situations before where the NBC game of the week was pre-empted on TV for a damn TELETHON, thanks to the now-perpetuated belief that I live in a non-hockey market.

I guess the fact that hockey is a rarity on poor-person TV wouldn't be such a big deal if there wasn't so much football or baseball being shown on broadcast television. Maybe you don't care because it's basic cable and you're killing it in the ratings. For people who are either financially secure...or eating one ramen pack a day to feed their hockey addiction.

Its never really been this upsetting for me, and maybe that's because I paid for NHL gamecenter premium for the playoffs this season...only to find those games are not available to watch. And of course my requests to customer service for a refund or even a small discount to another subscription next season were met with crickets.

In the end, NHL, I guess it really doesn't matter. Hockey is a form of entertainment. There was a time when I lived for everything you had to offer me. Maybe....well, maybe for now we should just be friends.

Love always,
Technically Hockey

Be a GM Mode 2014: Defense and Goalies

As promised last time, I'm taking this Penguins team APART! That's admittedly a bit dramatic. The fact is that this team underperformed again (maybe), and now it's time for the offseason. I'm going to take a look at the roster, with thoughts on who gets re-signed, who leaves, who gets fired, and even some trade and new hire prognostication. I guess since I dragged my feet, this isn't exactly my interview for the GM position anymore, but merely prognostications of another Penguins fan.

Last time, we jettisoned some of the unsignable players, retained a few others, ant built a...well honestly a rather unimpressive 4 lines of forward. That said, the plan is probably going to make more sense here. The best bet is going to the UFA pool to fill in the bottom-six out until there are some forwards drafted.

So, to recap quickly from last time...
Players retained: Brandon Sutter, Lee Stempniak, Tanner Glass, Brian Gibbons, Harry Zolnierczyk, Zach Sill, Spencer Machacek, Jayson Megna.

With the projection from the forwards preview, cap remaining: $4,780,833

All figures and Player contract information found on CapGeek.com.

Unrestricted Free Agents (UFAs) - Players the Penguins either sign or are up for grabs to any team come July first.
Restricted Free Agents (RFAs) - Players the Penguins need to submit a qualifying offer to to maintain rights. If not signed by July first, they can sign an offer sheet from another team. The Penguins can match this offer and keep the player or not match it and get draft picks in return (number depending on the value of the offer sheet).
Players marked with * are considered non-roster players (Currently Minor League-ers or didn't play with NHL team enough this season)

UFAs TH's Thoughts What TH would do Brooks Orpik Brooks Orpik is more or less the 'Original' Penguin. The longest tenured player on the team, and a leader in the locker room, unfortunately, he's just too expensive to bring back with his age and likely asking price. I'd love to see Brooks back, but he just isn't able to do what he used to. He's a tough player who's played a tough game for a bit too long. Hate to do it, but let Brooks go. He'll probably find work somewhere that needs a veteran presence. Matt Niskanen Ah, Matt Niskanen...he had a career year in a contract year. He's also going to make absolute bank in free agency, rumors are he's looking to start at 5.5 million per season. He had a great season, I wish him all the luck, but that's more than I allowed the penguins to have to fill out the D and play free agency. Not to mention, he's not really that good, and was a beneficiary of a good system, extra attention (Thanks Disco!) and good support. Psh. Let him go. He's the new Jeff Finger. Deryk Engellend I'm not sure what's going to happen with Engellend this offseason. I don't think it's worth re-signing him, he'll cut into the cap and there are better players waiting in the wings. The Penguins just don't need a player who is better as a forward but wants to play D. He, like Niskanen was a beneficiary of extra attention, and is likely to get overpaid. I they want a physical presence, they should be able to get one cheap in free agency. I just dont see any reason to keep Engellend Let him go. He'll either end up in the AHL/ECHL, or get a fat contract. Tomas Vokoun Vokoun will probably always have fans in Pittsburgh because of his work prolonging the Penguin's playoff run in 2013. However, after last season's health issues, it's not far-fetched to say his NHL, maybe even his pro hockey career is over. Thank him for his help, wish him all the best. Brendan Mikkelson* I don't know much about Mikkelson. I can tell you he's 26 and had 37 points in 73 games with WBS this season. Based on his age and the fact that if given control, I would be filling out the 'D' corps with all of Shero's first round picks. Sure, they're unproven, but they were all first round picks for a reason. I don't think it's fair to say every one of them will be like an Olli Maatta, but at the same time, they need a chance, and they are a cheap option on the blueline, that will allow the Penguins to add some depth via free agency. Mikkelson stays on the cheap only to fill out WBS. 2 years, 600k per. RFAs TH's Thoughts What Pens will probably do Simone Despres Simone Despres was, in my opinion, not really given a fair chance under the previous coaching regime. He would make a single mistake and Deryk Engellend would be put in for him. He actually still had more games in the AHL than in the NHL, and I don't believe this has anything to do with ability. Despres is a former first rounder (I remember I was impressed with his height and compared him to Jaws), and seems to have the talent, but needs some NHL level coaching and opportunity to really start to shine, and the Pens are running out of time to get him that. It'll only cost a little over 850k to qualify him, but I want to beat that to try and rebuild his trust in the organization. 2 year bridge contract, 950k, then 1.05m for 1mil cap hit Philip Samuelsson* Samuelsson is still a young 22, with just 5 NHL regular season games experience. He's going to be borderline NHL-ready this season, and probably a top pair in WBS, coming up to the bigs to fill in for an injured player, probably Maatta or Pouliot until their ready healthy to play, but expect him to make the jump full time (or close to it) in the 2015-2016 season. That said, I think you have to sign Samuelsson for at least 3 years, so you can get 2 to evaluate him at the NHL level. He'll only cost about 600k to qualify, so that probably where to start. 3 years, 650k, 750k, 8450k for a cap hit of 750k. Should know if he's able to cut it after this contract is up.

Players retained: Simone Despres, Philip Samuelsson, Brendan Mikkelson.

Projected Salary Cap next season: $70mil
Current Salary Spent: $65,219,167 on already signed players and forwards from previous entry
Projected cap available: $4,780,833

With the above defensive projection, cap remaining: $2,430,833

It's time to evaluate Shero's 'trade pieces.' He spent years drafting the best available player in the draft, and as a result, the team is STACKED at defense, but doesn't have much to show for forward depth. These young players will be cheap, and should be skilled being high picks. Some may require seasoning in WBS, sure, but we need to get these guys evaluated, and moved if there's no place for them.

I guess considering where Ray Shero came from (Nashville, notorious for good 'D' and no forward depth), this shouldn't be a surprise, but you would still think that with more cap space available, and the okay to make whatever moves you want, you would have acquired more than Brendan Morrow for a defensive prospect. If nothing else, it may be a boon to bring in a new GM/Team just because he won't be attached to the draft pick and may be more willing to move these players for what the team needs.

Be sure to check back next time, when we'll have the wrap up, including thoughts on the team, the draft, and free agency!

2014 Playoffs - SCF Prediction

Yes, I'm way late getting my prediction out. No, the fact LA is currently up 2 games to 0 doesn't change my prediction. Still, I wanted to get this out there at this point, if for no other reason than I just want a record of it...Oh, and because it gives me a cheap way to squeeze out a bonus article in the dog-days of whatever non-NHL season time is called these days (baseball season? hot season? who knows.).

Anyway, the NHL scored a big-time win with this final combination--New York and Los Angeles are their two biggest markets. Still, if their goal is to make hockey fans out of team fans, this probably doesn't help matters, though the close games lately have been...well, pretty darn exciting.

Also, I was hoping that everything would change, but for whatever reason, my playoff bracket actually didn't get any better after all my picks were eliminated.

But hey! it's time to give you a way overdue prediction! Because it's the cup!

STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONSHIP West Champ: Los Angeles VS East Champ: New York Rangers Okay, so first, despite what I said in last round's predictions, I'm really okay with LA making the final. Maybe Anze Kopitar will finally be viewed as monster player he actually is with some more exposure. Since this is a prediction show post, I probably should give you a prediction. Well, LA is a much better built playoff team. However their goaltending was a bit suspect leading up to the finals. The Rangers are basically the opposite of this as a team that was carried almost exclusively by the just...well just simply amazing goaltendng of King Henrik. Of course, teams win championships, not players. But I kind of wonder if anyone told Henrik Lundqvist that? Yeah, I don't think so. Still, LA should win. But I haven't picked the Rangers (crap, or the Kings) to win a single round this season. I thought I said something about not going against the Rangers again if they won last round, so screw it. Rangers in 6

Be A GM Mode 2014: Forwards

As promised last week, I'm taking this Penguins team APART! That's admittedly a bit dramatic. The fact is that this team underperformed again (maybe), and now it's time for the offseason. I'm going to take a look at the roster, with thoughts on who gets re-signed, who leaves, who gets fired, and even some trade and new hire prognostication. I guess since the Penguins are on the lookout for a new GM, consider this my interview for the position

Part 1 will cover UFA and RFA forwards, and what I would do, given the reigns

All figures and Player contract information found on CapGeek.com.

Unrestricted Free Agents (UFAs) - Players the Penguins either sign or are up for grabs to any team come July first.
Restricted Free Agents (RFAs) - Players the Penguins need to submit a qualifying offer to to maintain rights. If not signed by July first, they can sign an offer sheet from another team. The Penguins can match this offer and keep the player or not match it and get draft picks in return (number depending on the value of the offer sheet).

Players marked with * are considered non-roster players (Currently Minor League-ers or didn't play with NHL team enough this season)

UFAs TH's Thoughts What TH would do Lee Stempniak Stempniak found some chemistry with Kunitz and Crosby, but ultimately was a 3rd liner in Calgary, so he seems like he was another scrub who worked hard enough to fit in with Crosby's hard-working, blue collar style. He made 2.5 mil last season, and is still in his prime at just 31, but just barely. He might be salivating at the chance to stay with a playoff team, but more likely he'll want to test the market for one. Float Stempniak an offer of 1 year in the 1-1.5 mil range. If he takes it, great. If not, no big loss. Jussi Jokinen The Jus was loose all over the playoffs, and leading up to them. He was scoring goals, and big goals at that, and really showed up in the playoffs. He played so well that...he played himself out of town. Jokinen is a great, versatile (can play any forward position well) player with speed and some finishing ability. He was pulling second line minutes a lot of the season with Malkin and Neal, and was doing so with a 3 mil contact (though Carolina retained some of his salary). 3 Million is probably where I would want the salary to be for a second line winger, but like I said Jussi played his way out of town. Thank him for his time, but let him walk. Someone is going to ridiculously overpay for him this offseason. Taylor Pyatt Pyatt was a mid-season acquisition who filled the need for a big body (6'4"), but not for the speed this team plays with. We didn't see too much of the 32 year old, and rightfully so. He just wasn't a good fit for the team, I feel like the pro scouts dropped the ball on this one, and the fact he made 1.55 mil this season (the Penguins were only on the hook for part of it)? Absurd. Maybe he fits somewhere else, but this was another failed experiment. Give him a cardboard box and a sign that says 'will play hockey for food' on his way out. Marcel Goc Goc is a player I really would like to see back, but it's not really feasible. He didn't get too much of a chance with the Penguins, missing a good deal of time with an ankle injury shortly after arriving in Pittsburgh. A superb faceoff man who had some offensive flair earlier in his career, he's more of a two-way forward these days. His salary last season was about 1.7 mil, and at 30 he still has something left in the tank. The problem comes down to playing that much for what would be a 4th line center (unless you want Crosby and Malkin on the top line all the time next season). If Sutter says he wants out or if he want insane money, quaify him, then talk to Goc, see if he will stay in town for 1.3-1.5 million for a couple seasons for a chance at a cup--again, only if sutter won't play ball. Tanner Glass If the Penguins are really committed to playoff hockey and being tough to play against, resigning Glass is a must. He seemed to be the only person willing to hit someone on the forecheck at times this season, something the Penguins could have benefited from against the Rangers. He's not the fastest, but has decent speed. While he's not going to score in bunches, he's a heart and soul player and hard worker, who made 1.1 mil per year seem like a good deal for the Pens. Keeping Glass is a must. He deserves a raise, so maybe float him an offer in the 1.3mil range for 2 season, perhaps throw a few bonuses in for stat performance as an incentive. Chuck Kobasew Not much to say here. He fooled everyone in the preseason with some awesome play, then ended up in the minors to finish the season. Maybe we should give the cardboard box and sign to Kobasew, not Pyatt. I think he's done in the NHL. Joe Vitale Vitale is one of the harder decisions to make. He's probably not going to get much better than he is now, which is playing 4th line center. His salary of just under 600k was a bargain price, but if you are signing Goc (or if he signs), there isn't much place for Vitale. Vitale is good on faceoffs, but just barely an NHL talent. This might just have to be a situation where the Pens let the 28 year old walk, then look at him in free agency if they can't find a better replacement. I just said it: Let him walk, try and do better or look at signing him in free agency. Chris Conner Chris Connor is a speedy player never had a good season outside the Penguins' organization. He played for 550k this season, but spent most of it either in the Minors or injured on the NHL club. Ho-hum stats, 30 years old. See ya. Maybe we should get a bunch of cardboard boxes. Seems like there's some guys who will need them. Connor's another. Harry Zolnierczyk 'Harry Z' may end up being a beneficiary of the Penguins being where they are right now. At only 26, and still unproven at the NHL level, he would be a cheap re-sign, and could fill in at a bottom-6 role until things are back on track for the Pens, cap-wise. 2 Years, 600k per Brian Gibbons Brian Gibbons had a breakout season this year, his first in the NHL. While his 17 points in 41 games is respectable, he did have the benefit of spending a good deal of the season getting chances to play with other talent--including several games on Sidney Crosby's wing. He undoubtedly has speed to kill, but because of poor contract management, the 26-year-old is eligible for UFA status. If he wants to test the market, he's gone. The biggest problem I have with Gibbons, from a GM's perspective, is how much will it take to sign him, and where is the ceiling. I feel he could draw maybe a little over 1 mil on the open market, but I also feel like the Pens could keep him with a lesser offer I think you really want to sign Gibbons for another 2 years, see what happens. Maybe 900k per season; Maybe as high as 1.15 mil. Spencer Machacek* Spencer Machacek, as well as the next 2 UFAs on this list, I don't really know enough about to make a fair assessment. I don't follow Wilkes-Barre as well as I should, so this will all be based off what the number tell me. 33 points in 55 games between WB and Springfield isn't bad, and at 25, he's still young. However, the 625 he made this season is a little too much. I'd give him 2 more years at 550k, or 1 year at 600k 2 years at 550k, or 1 year at 600k. From there, you can figure out if he'll ever cut it. Nick Drazenovic* Drazenovic, like Spencer Machacek, is another player who came to Pittsburgh out of Columbus' system. His points dipped this season from 53 in 64 games to 41 in 63 games. He made league minimum this year, but unless he's some kind of lockerroom leader, I'm letting him walk and looking for someone a little younger Let him walk, there are usually plenty of young centers with something to prove on the market. Zach Sill* Although the stats don't say much, Sill is only 25 and making league minimum. You could probably consider giving him a small raise for making 20 games at the NHL level this season, keep him till he's 27 and see what he can do. 2 Years, 575k per RFAs TH's Thoughts What TH would do Brandon Sutter Sutter is another tough decision that has to be made. His currently expiring contract had a cap hit a little bit over 2 mil per season, and he is going to want a raise. At 25, he still has some room to improve, and he finally seemed to be hitting his stride for the first time since coming to the Penguins towards the end of last year. While it's probably safe to say that he'll never hit his career high of 40 points playing 3rd line center, he could break it if he shows up strong next season. Of course, that'll require a contract. Based on his salary, he'll require a qualifying offer of his current salary, 2.7 mil. If you intend to play him at 2nd line center (Malkin permanently with Sid), a salary increase makes sense. Of course, it'll either look really smart if he has hit his stride, or really bad, if he's going to regress again Offer a 4 year deal, 3.5 mil cap hit. 3 mil first season, then 3.4, 3.6, 4 mil final season. Maybe come in low and match this on scoring bonuses. If he doesn't want it, he's qualified, let him sit the season out or sign an offer sheet. You can always shift Malkin back into his 2nd line center role. Jayson Megna The qualifying offer for the 24-year-old comes out to about 875k. As much as he made the NHL level last season, and impressed (depsite lack of production), I'm not going any higher than this, and probably not longer than 2 years. Qualify him at 875k, 2 years. See what the kid can do. Bobby Farnham* You have to like a kid who worked his way up from the ECHL. Unfortunately, the 25-year-old Farnham doesn't seem to have much more going for him than being a fighter...and being another short guy at 5'10". He's an RFA making league minimum, but it will cost 605k to qualify him. I just don't know that you can spend that much cap on someone who I don't really believe can cut it in the NHL. Let him walk. His career is probably done in the NHL/AHL.

Players retained: Brandon Sutter, Lee Stempniak, Tanner Glass, Brian Gibbons, Harry Zolnierczyk, Zach Sill, Spencer Machacek, Jayson Megna.

After all the signings above, Zolnierczyk, Sill, Machacek, and Megna would all be in the minors, though they'd be prime for call up when there is an injury. I counted them against the cap at their max NHL salary offer in the projections below.

One change that I would likely try and push would be keeping Malkin and Crosby together on a line most of the season. These two would be destroying teams who were trying to match them all game by the end of the night. There's too much talent to try and keep both of them down. And if Brandon Sutter can carry second line center like he did in the playoffs, there's a chance the depth problem might be solved.

Projected Salary Cap next season: $70mil
Current Salary Spent: $55,119,167 on already signed players
Projected cap available: $14,880,833

If all the offers above are signed at highest value, and assuming Sutter resigns without issue so Goc walks, total cost: $10,100,000

With this projection, cap remaining: $4,780,833

4.78 Million should be plenty for the amount of defensemen that need to be re-signed... Watch for next time for my Be a GM mode: Defensmen!

2014 Playoffs - Conference Finals Predictions

Well the Penguins were eliminated...again. But as a half-assed hockey blogger, I feel it is my duty to keep making predictions until this thing is over. This will even be before any games are played. so there's that.

Fun fact: Once again, EA Sports' simulation of the NHL playoffs was wrong, and once again the team they picked (Boston this time) was upset in the 2nd round

One last thing...yeah, my playoff bracket is totally busted at this point.

Anyway, without further adieu (Foreshdowing!)...

EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP Metro Champ: New York Rangers VS Atlantic Champ: Montreal This, yet another Original 6 matchup, is an interesting case. I've picked Montreal to win every round to this point, and I've picked the Rags to lose each round. On the one hand, Henrik Lundqvist deserves a cup, but Rick Nash absolutely does not. On the flip side, I LOVE how P.K. Subban plays the game, but I am not a fan at all of Carey Price...But I'm getting ahead of myself. Montreal had the tougher second round opponent, hands down. The Rangers finally seem to have woken up are playing some inspired hockey right now. I can't help but think that the extra time off, since NYR pushed it to 7 in the West will hurt New York more than Montreal. They had a lot of momentum after their second round matchup. Montreal had to claw and drag their way through a brutal series. As much as have underestimated the Rags to this point, I just don't think they will be able to beat a team that is playing well against better competition. Montreal in 6

WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP Central Champ: Chicago VS Pacific Champ: Los Angeles Man, this is exactly what I didn't want to happen. The representative out of the West is, once again, going to be one of the powerhouse teams. It's not a bad thing if you're a fan of one of these two, but I just don't feel like hearing the inevitable 'Dynasty' Talk that will be coming if either of these two win the cup. Anyway, as far as the matchup, you're looking at two powerhouse teams that are different sides of the same coin. Chicago has the skill and star power, as well as the big, mean defencemen to wear down opponents forwards or even pot a few goals of their own. LA has an incredibly defensive play style, lead by (somehow) underrated Anze Kopitar. The buzzword in the NHL right now is 'Heavy' and that's the Kings to a 'T.' Los Angeles has been playing a LOT of hockey lately, with two 7-game series in a row. Had they lesser competition, they might have a chance in this series. Unfortunately for them, they now draw a rested Chicago team. This series will be closer than the games-won suggest Chicago in 5

Five Stages of Grief for Pens Fans

Well, it's official, the Penguins are out of the 2014 playoffs. And it sucks. For whatever reason, I personally expected a different outcome. Maybe I figured Dan Bylsma would coach better/differently with the added pressure of losing his job. Maybe I figured...I don't know that the team could win without making a big acquisition.

Regardless, what's done is done. Keep on reading to see my guide to understanding the loss and moving on.

Stage 1: Denial and Isolation
We're not talking about denying the Penguins were eliminated. They were, that's why we're at this point. No, we're talking about trying to rationalize the loss. Heck, even I was showing this stage in the intro, throwing out reasons that I thought the team would be okay. This stage tends to be identified by making excuses or other attempts to rationalizing the loss. "Sid was injured." "The stars weren't scoring." "They ran into a hot goalie." Any of these sound familiar? I know I heard at least one of those immediately after the game last night. It's not that they aren't true. It's that you're reaching for anything to try and rationalize why they lost. There's also the isolation part. Maybe you're thinking you don't want to go to school/work the day after for whatever reason. Maybe you just want to be alone in your room. I don't know that everyone experiences it on this level, but to some extent, everyone wants a little alone time after yet another Penguins season crashes and burns.


Stage 2: Anger
I personally got through this stage mostly last night. "How could the Penguins blow that 3-1 series lead?!" "HOW COULD THEY NOT WIN ONE OF THREE EFFING GAMES!?!?!" "I hate this team." I pretty sure I said all of those things at some point last night. Definitely the last one, though in different words; that's become an annual thing for me, it seems. Anger is pretty straight forward, and probably a part of the reason the off season lasts several months--if it wasn't, would you be ready to start a new Penguin's season in June or July? I wouldn't. I need more time to cool down and let go of another the wasted season. In this case, the Anger may be directed at the Star players for 'underperforming,' the coach for 'bad coaching decisions,' maybe Ray Shero for 'not building a supporting team for the stars.' Heck maybe you're insane and want to blame Fleury for 'another playoff meltdown' (Which absolutely did not happen this year). Me? I personally tend to direct my anger at the abstract of the team. Every elimination I say I need to find a new team. But every year I come back for more.


Stage 3: Bargaining
The funny thing about sports is that this stage can literally mean making deals. I'm not talking about making a deal with the devil to turn back time and change the result (I find it hard to believe the Penguins could have taken the next round anyway). For this stage, and this case, I think it comes down to off-season transactions. You're starting to move on from the lost season, and trying to determine what you can do differently to make next season better. Who gets re-signed? Any trades? Who gets the blame for the miss in the organization's eyes. While in a normal grieving process there isn't a 'next season,' in sports it seems there generally is. This allows you to move on a little easier perhaps, and gets you starting to think about what can/will/should be done with team. The gist of the sentiment of this stage is still the same, namely trying to regain some semblance of order or control. For sports, you're looking for a way to get back to the 'norm' for the regular season.


Stage 4: Depression
This will probably only hit the most die-hard of fans, and probably still not that much. It's mostly going to be feelings of sadness at the lost season and the seemingly wasted hours spent cheering on a team that ultimately couldn't cut it. Again, by now you're probably looking to next season, so this stage for a sports fan will be decidedly muted compared to a typical loss grief period. This stage will ultimately prepare you to do it all again in the next stage.


Stage 5: Acceptance
For me, I'm usually hitting my stride for this stage right around the NHL draft. It's a good distraction and metaphorically a sign that life will go on: your team will be picking up brand new, young players...the future of the team. Likely a short time after some of the older ones may have announced their retirement (Looking at you, Craig Adams), you get some new names to look into. At the very least, most legit fans of a team will hit this stage by the preseason, and be ready to start the whole, crazy thing over once again.



Well, that pretty much wraps up this list. Perhaps the 5 stages of loss apply to sports fandom, maybe I'm just reaching to put an idea down to read. Either way, I guess I'll go...I don't know probably be angry? Check back next week when I play GM and deconstruct the team!

2014 Playoffs - Round 2 Predictions

I'm a little late on this, in part because the NHL decided it was a GREAT idea to finish round 1 and IMMEDIATELY start round two...the next day. I honestly almost think that NBC is forcing the NHL to have as many weekend games as possible so they can national broadcast them for better ratings...you know, rather than preempting the great shows on NBC on weeknights, like...um... Does anyone actually watch NBC anymore?

Anyway, I'm getting off track. Keep on reading for my round two predictions!

A little side note, I wrote all these predictions before seeing anything about last night's Boston-Montreal game one, so my picks were upsullied by that information.

ATLANTIC DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP #1 Boston VS #3 Montreal A couple more Original 6 teams going at it like badgers. I have to give credit to Marc Bergevin for playing the psychic on this one. At the trade deadline, he decided that they would need a Bruin killer for the playoffs, and went and swiped Thomas Vanek from the Isles. I'm not sure if he KNEW any path to the cup would go through Boston, or only hoped it. So as far as the matchup, on paper these teams are really not even a close match. Boston has just got a team built for the playoffs, while Montreal is the young upstart. Boston has a lot of tough, gritty (and regularly dirty) players to compliment it's scorers...Not to mention great goaltending and the statistically best goaltender in the Playoffs. Conversely, Montreal has the x-factor of youth, and a decided advantage at speed. For Montreal to steal this series, Carey Price will have to find a way to outplay Tuuka Rask, and Montreal will need to get much better scoring production and utilize their speed and skating advantage. So, just because it's the Cup, Montreal in 7

METROPOLITAN DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP #1 Pittsburgh VS #2 New York Rangers As far as storied histories go, this was probably not the super heated matchup the NHL was looking for with this format. There's not much history here at all, but that won't prevent there from being some absolutely AMAZING skill hockey in this series. Another blown chance by NBC to win some fans. But let's stay on track. New York and Pittsburgh have looked pretty similar this offseason, both winning their first round series with limited help from their star players. New York has a supposed disadvantage for playing so many games in so few days, but it's all local and they'll come out sharper than Pittsburgh in this one. The key matchup in this one will be Fleury vs Lunqvist. The teams matchup up well in my opinion as far as skaters, but there will be a lot of skilled hockey in this one. New York is the more confident looking team right now, having never seemed in danger of losing the first round series like the Penguins. Home ice also probably won't matter too much in this one. Pittsburgh in 7

Meanwhile, over in the Western Conference...

CENTRAL DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP #3 Chicago VS #4 Minnesota Well, I'm surprised on this one. I think I missed both of these picks. I was really expecting St. Louis to make a run and Colorado to be the big surprise. I think I secretly also wanted to see some new teams in the west, rather than Los Angeles and Chicago...again. So this matchup isn't even fair on paper. I think just about everyone is picking Chicago to win this. They have the experience, the leadership, the coaching...all in their favor. However, Minnesota does have one thing that Chicago doesn't: A playoff hero. It took a 2nd goal of the game from Nino Neiderreider in overtime, as well as being his second ever playoff goal, to put away Colorado. I can name about 5-6 active players on the Wild, which means they are probably oozing with playoff hero-like players. Still, there has to be something said about the fact that they are so outmatched, and that this isn't a disney movie. If Minnesota wins this one, I will pick them to win the west. Chicago in 6

PACIFIC DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP #1 Anaheim VS #3 Los Angeles Everyone has been writing Anaheim off in this matchup. I don't really get that. Los Angeles got hot 'at the right time,' but the fact is that they are in Anaheim's division...which Anaheim won. Which means they had to go through LA. Look, I understand that the kings are a 'built to be playoff team,' and that they have seemingly more security in goal. But I can't pick them to win. Anaheim is missing some folks, but they're a legit team, and have the storyline with Selanne...and used to be the Mighty Ducks, literally. LA came back from being down 3 games to 0 against the choke artist Sharks, and now they're everyone's pick in the west? Screw that. They're clicking, but remember all their scoring problems in the regular season? I don't feel like that's changed, and for once, I'd love to see the corsi or fenwick or whatever. I get the feeling SJ played below average and LA played above in those last 4 games. It's not going to be an easy road by any means, but I really feel like Los Angeles is going to get caught looking past Anaheim, and I don't think they can come back in 2 straight series. Anaheim in 6