Revisiting the first round predictions

Well, I actually did pretty well predicting the winners in the first
round, for me. I got 5 of 8 series right. I mis-fired on the Devils
(in seven) and the Capitals (in six) and the Ducks (5 or 6).

I had picked the Rangers to lose even though making fun of Jagr is my
own cottage industry and I admire Martin Brodeur. I had picked against
the Stars to lose again for comic purposes but dammit if Marty Turco
didn't play off of his head to prove me wrong. And I went with the
Ducks because they were the defending champions.

What is the message we all learned after the first round? Well, the
biggest news for me is that I still get to make Jagr jokes for a few
more days.

Going forward, the Penguins and The Malkin Express will be playing the
Rangers so we all can fully expect the media in the city to wake up and
recognize out great game again for at least a little while. Nothing
beats knowledgeable insight on the fastest game on ice from noted
experts like Chris Russo when he recognizes that yes, this Crosby kid is
pretty damn good. Plus, we can read Larry Brooks swooning testimony to
the sweet visceral excitement that is King Henrik. Seriously, I wonder
if LB is up nights worrying about Lundqvist being jealous of Avery and
vice versa.

The other Eastern match-up is Philadelphia and Montreal. That should be
a fun one. Philly won a game last night that all of their sports teams
tend to lose...the Flyers et al always can crest but never making to the
summit. I was pretty darn sure the Caps were going to pull it off even
after Alex turned down that shot to pass it to Fedorov but you know,
that's hockey. Alex learns from it and the Caps are a young-ish team
that will be good for a while. Don't they remind you of the Senators
from a couple of seasons ago?

So here is the Eastern bumper sticker: Flyers in six--they'll push
Montreal around--and Penguins in six as well. Sorry, Canada.

Out West, the Avalanche and Red Wings renew acquaintances. Detroit vs.
Colorado was the sport's greatest rivalry in the 1990s so it should be a
fun series. Who will ever forget Claude Lemieux's cowardly pasting of
Kris Draper off the dasher and Dino Ciccarelli proclaiming, "I can't
believe I shook his (bad word + -ing) hand" after the series ended.

I see this one as a pick 'em so I will go with Hockey Town in seven over
the Avalanche.

The other series has the confounding San Jose Roenicks vs. the Stars.
Who to pick here? Dallas still does nothing for me and I would never
root for Jeremy Roenick to win anything except a one-way ticket off of
my TV. Still, I don't see the Turco Magic holding up much longer. Call
it San Jose in six.

Now get some sleep. There's no late games on tonight. Watch "Ghost
Hunters" instead!