Well, I think I'm ready. I think tonight I will watch hockey again.
I've often used the mentality on others that if the team that beat yours is still in it, at least you know you lost to a quality team. But I'm not thrilled to be watching the Lightning still living it up in the postseason.
Last Sunday at church, I had a conversation with another hockey fan in the congregation. Never mind he's nine, a Canadien's fan, and the Pastor's son--he's got a passion for the sport and he likes to discuss it. I had missed some church lately, and it was the first opportunity I had to offer him my consolation for his team's elimination.
I'm always interested in other fans' opinions, so I was asking Colin which team he thought was going to hoist the Cup this year, now that it couldn't be the Habs.
We shared a common outlook--it didn't matter who won it as long as it wasn't the team that eliminated our own.
While I could barely stomach the thought of the Lightning in the finals again, he didn't want to see the Bruins there either. (As for the Bruins, I really wouldn't mind seeing them win this year, if only for Mark Recchi's sake, and because of Tim Thomas's amazing play.) But one of these teams will need to represent the East.
Together we agreed to cheer on the West.
Overall, he thought it was the Canucks' year (and they hadn't even wrapped up their series with Nashville yet).
We'll see about that. They still need to defeat the Sharks. I'll admit that I haven't watched a Western Conference playoff game yet. The time zone difference kills me. From what I know, I agree the regular season's number one seed is probably good for it.
First of all, the Sharks were forced to a Game 7 with the Red Wings, and they will have very little time off before their next series begins. And the Canucks have been tested this post season:. they received a wake up call in the first round, and their top players have been shut down, but they still managed to win their series.
But as we know, in hockey everything goes. This is a whole new series. That same Game 7 could mean positive momentum for the Sharks. The extra time off for the Canucks could leave them out of focus. Either way, the conference is well represented.
I can't wait to see how this one plays out.
Go West?
