Saturday, May 31, 2008

ONLY A PRECIOUS FEW DAYS REMAINING

It took a couple of games to get started, but it looks like we're in for an astonishing final few frames of hockey. Audience numbers for Game 3 in the USA were some of the highest ever seen for the sport, indicating, for example, that the entire population of Pittsburgh was tuned in.


And since that game may have been the best of the entire season, it may mean the six Canadian teams will not have to continue paying the freight for the entire league, as was revealed this week. You simply can't watch these games and not see more drama and excitement than you get on "American Gladiators".

I have to say that the minute Pittsburgh Goalie Marc Andre Fleury tripped on his opening game entrance and I saw Evgeni Malkin's eyes rolling around like a horse in a burning barn -- the actor in me went, "I think we got us a bad case of opening night jitters here." And when you have a particularly bad opening night, it doesn't take much to bring the jinx back at the next performance.

But now that's out of the way and there's also some pretty good "bad blood" flowing thanks to Gary Roberts and Tomas Holmstrom and a few others, I'm predicting this one's going seven. And it only takes a quick look at my place in the standings to gauge my powers when it comes to seeing the future.

1 Will Pascoe 175
2 Scotty William 172
3 John Callaghan 169
4 Jeff Martel 166
5 Laurie Nyveen 161
6 Brian Stockton 157
7 Denis McGrath 153
8 Wil Zmak 149
9 Peter Rowley 147
10 Michael Foster 146
11 Will Dixon 145
12 Mark Askwith 143
13 Juniper 142
14 Mark Farrell 129
15 Larry Raskin 125
16 Robert de Lint 109
17 Jim Henshaw 73

Whether this series ends up going 5 games or 7, it'll all be over except for the endorsement deals by the end of next week. So those of us not in the top 4-5 better start packing the prize you were planning to send to the winner.

Since I'm on the road, prizes for 2nd and 3rd place as well as the "Props" contest (currently being led by Will Dixon and Laurie Nyveen) will be delivered at the end of June.

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