Got A New Toy

We got a new digital camera today so naturally I just started taking millions of pictures. This was one of them. The dog's name is Chip. He's a rat terrier and we've had him for about two months now. His first birthday is June 6.

Disturbing Trend

I'm not one to complain about things, but I started noticing a disturbing trend among NHL team web sites last week. New sites were being unveiled with strangely similiar layouts.

Turns out there's something to that. When the Buffalo Sabres unveiled their new site on Tuesday it featured that same design and included the following release.

The Buffalo Sabres would like to welcome you to the new Sabres.com. As of May 22, Buffalo became the eighth team to transfer to the National Hockey League's universal platform.

Buffalo joins the Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues as a member of the new NHL network.

The new Sabres.com features improvements in photo galleries, the video player, a complete team registry and much more.

All team websites are scheduled to be converted before opening day of the 2007-08 season.

I know other pro sports do this. The MLB comes to mind first. And to some extent it does make sense because it also means uniform web addresses. For instance, Buffalo's site is no longer www.sabres.com, but rather sabres.nhl.com. And I like that but I also really liked the individuality of each team's site.

Anyway, just wanted to put that out there. For those Lightning fans out there, take your last looks.



Since all of the new sites will be phased in by the end of the summer, this version of the Bolts' site won't live on much longer. Enjoy it while it lasts.

By the way, this week after the Sabres, the New York Islanders also converted their site. If you want to visit the sites that have already converted, they are: bruins.nhl.com, sabres.nhl.com, hurricanes.nhl.com, bluejackets.nhl.com, oilers.nhl.com, panthers.nhl.com, kings.nhl.com, islanders.nhl.com, and blues.nhl.com

Conference Final Roundup

The last round ended with a big win for Detroit — this round ended with a big loss for the Wings. The Conference Finals are over and we now know who our Stanley Cup finalists will be. The Ducks and Sens take the ice on Monday. But for now, let's take a look at how my predictions for the third round turned out.

Sabres vs Senators
Senators win series 4-1
Senators 5, Sabres 2
Senators 4, Sabres 3, 2OT
Senators 1, Sabres 0
Sabres 3, Senators 2
Senators 3, Sabres 2, 1OT
My Take   In a single series, the Buffalo Sabres went from ridiculously good to ridiculously bad. It was a joke. I honestly expected this to be the most even-matched series of the playoffs. Wasn't even close. But it wasn't just that Buffalo sucked. The Senators were pretty awesome. Lots of credit to them.
Those Lousy Predictions   Sabres in 7; Way off. That's all I have to say on the matter. WRONG!

Red Wings vs Ducks
Ducks win series 4-2
Red Wings 2, Ducks 1
Ducks 4, Red Wings 3, 1OT
Red Wings 5, Ducks 0
Ducks 5, Red Wings 3
Ducks 2, Red Wings 1, 1OT
Ducks 4, Red Wings 3
My Take   Early on here it looked to be anybody's series. Despite getting shut out 5-0, the Ducks bounced back in Game 4 with a 5-3 victory. Throw in a couple more OT wins and you've got yourself a series. The Red Wings may have just lost too many key players for this series. It's unfortunate but I'm glad to see Anaheim back in the Finals.
Those Lousy Predictions   Ducks in 6; Spot on! RIGHT!

My predictions are running at 50% for this series. Not great but then again my crystal ball is invisible. Regardless, the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals get started on Monday which means I'll have more predictions this weekend. Nothing can keep me away from those. Hope you enjoy them.

Scrum

Were you thinking rugby? Almost. Saw this picture the other day on NHL.com and thought it was pretty funny. Also I had nothing else to post today. Hopefully I'll have something to write about tomorrow. If you're bored, head over to the NHL Tournament of Logos and check out what's going on over there. The big tournament begins after the Stanley Cup Finals end.

Oh yeah, and I swear I'll do the prediction reviews any day now.

Stanley Cup Playoffs, Night 37

The no-longer-mighty Ducks are once again heading to the Stanley Cup Finals. Anaheim edged Detroit with a win tonight and will now face the Ottawa Senators in the biggest series of them all. I can't believe how exciting this is! I don't know who I want to win the Cup. My fave in the East and fave in the West both made it!

Anyway, I'll revisit my predictions for this round tomorrow and some time before Monday I'll start posting predictions for the Finals. Mine along with anyone else who's interested. For now, read about tonight's action below.

Ducks 4, Red Wings 3
Ducks win series 4-2
Is it just me or have there not been enough seven-games series in this playoff year? Hint: It's not me. Rob Niedermayer put his Ducks on the board not four minutes into the game during a penalty kill. That did not look good for the Red Wings. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf each scored in the second giving Anaheim a 3-0 lead going into the third. It seemed like a done deal but the Wings weren't ready to give up. Henrik Zetterberg cut the lead to 3-1 but it was quickly changed back when Samuel Pahlsson scored for the Ducks. Then it looked like Detroit might force overtime. Pavel Datsyuk scored two power play goals in the span of about seven minutes. But despite his and his team's best efforts, they battled to no avail and have been eliminated from the playoffs. Stings. Just a little.

Photo: ESPN.com

No Stanley Cup For Sens

Why do I think the Senators won't win the Stanley Cup? Two reasons: Because I'm one superstitious son of a bitch when it comes to hockey and because Daniel Alfredsson touched the Prince of Wales Trophy. Dude, not cool.



I could be full of shit, but I remember hearing Dave Andreychuk say something about not touching the trophy after the Lightning beat the Flyers in Game 7 of the Eastern Finals of '04. Something about not wanting to, uh — jinx the Stanley Cup! It makes sense but then right there in NHL.com's Frozen Moment stands the fearless leader of the Ottawa Senators with his grubby little paws all over the thing. Why oh why, Danny?

And that's why I think the Senators won't win the 2007 Stanley Cup.

CBS Promises "Closure" For Jericho Fans

Just read this post over at Michael Ausiello's TV Guide blog. Like they say in all their PSAs, it's good to know that — CBS cares.

If you don't feel like clicking on the link or you're reading this blog in 2012 and the link is no longer working (in which case you already know what happens), check out the excerpt below.

Jericho fans are proving to be da bomb at marshalling their resources.

The monstrous public outcry surrounding the show's cancelation prompted CBS' entertainment president Nina Tassler to take the unusual step of posting the following message at CBS.com over the weekend...

To the fans of Jericho:

We have read your emails over the past few days and have been touched by the depth and passion with which you have expressed your disappointment. Please know that canceling a television series is a very difficult decision. Hundreds of people at the Network, the production company and the incredibly-talented creative team worked very hard to build and serve the community for this show -- both on-air and online. It is a show we loved too.

Thank you for supporting Jericho with such passion. We truly appreciate the commitment you made to the series and we are humbled by your disappointment. In the coming weeks, we hope to develop a way to provide closure to the compelling drama that was the Jericho story.

Sincerely,

Nina Tassler, President of CBS Entertainment

Stanley Cup Playoffs, Night 36

One down, one to go. Today brought Game 5 back to Detroit with a series tied at 2. After winning spectacularly in overtime, the Ducks are just one victory away from facing the Ottawa Senators in the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals. You thought playoff hockey has been exciting up to now. You ain't seen nothing yet. It's really just beginning. I have a feeling this year's finals will be epic.

Ducks 2, Red Wings 1, 1OT
Ducks lead series 3-2
If you were expecting another high-scoring matchup from these two teams, think again. The goaltending was outstanding and the plays were phenomenal. Well, what I saw at least. Working nights sucks in that I can no longer lounge around in front of the Sharp Aquos LCD high-definition TV and watch playoff hockey. That's the way it goes. Andreas Lilja scored the game's first goal if you believe that. So Detroit blew their lead in front of a home crowd and now face elimination. Sucks to be you guys. I mean they had it in the bag. The Dominator was dominating. Until — with a power play and an extra attacker (that's right, 6 on 4), Scott Niedermayer did what we any playoff hockey fan melts over. He scored with 47 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Then a mishandled puck by the Detroit defenseman resulting in it ending up on Teemu Selanne's stick and unless you're a Ducks fan, that's never good. Anaheim won in a big way. And I'm thrilled. I hope we see them in the Finals against Ottawa.

Photo: CBS Sportsline.com

Lightning Re-Sign Goaltender Johan Holmqvist

May 19, 2007
TampaBayLightning.com

TAMPA BAY — The Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed free agent goaltender Johan Holmqvist to a one-year contract, Executive Vice President and General Manager Jay Feaster announced.
Holmqvist, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound native of Tolfta, Sweden, played in 48 games with the Lightning in 2006-07. He posted a 27-15-3 record and led the team with a 2.85 goals-against average, and his 27 wins ranked fourth in franchise history for wins by a goaltender in a season. He also ranked fifth in the league in shootout save percentage as he stopped 29 of 33 shots and recorded a 6-1 record. Holmqvist established career highs in games played, wins and goals-against average and earned his first NHL shutout January 1 at Carolina with a 31-save performance. He also recorded two five-game winning streaks during the season.

“As we said at the end of the season, Johan Holmqvist is one piece of the puzzle for us in net, and it was one of our top priorities this off-season to get him re-signed at a number that made sense for us,” Feaster said. “By signing a one-year deal, Johan has demonstrated that he intends to build on last year's performance and firmly establish himself — once and for all — as a legitimate No. 1 goalie in the NHL. Holmer recognizes that there is still work to be done and a great deal of unfinished business, both for himself and for the team. We are excited to welcome Johan back for bigger and better things as we embark on our journey together."

After going 3-1-1 in Tampa Bay’s final five games and posting a 17-6-3 record after January 7, Holmqvist was named as the Lightning’s starter in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He played in six playoff games and posted a 2.92 goals-against average. He made 30-or-more saves in three games during the post-season, including 34 saves in Games 2 and 4.

Holmqvist, 29, started seven games for his native country at the 2006 World Championships in Riga, Latvia. He posted a 5-2 record with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage en route to winning the Gold Medal and being named top goaltender at the tournament. He spent the 2005-06 season with Brynas IF Gavle of the Swedish Elite League and led the league in goals-against average with 1.95. He also ranked second in save percentage at .928 and was tied for sixth in shutouts with three. The former Swedish Junior of the Year (1997-98) was selected to the 2006 Swedish All-Star team.

Prior to returning to Europe Holmqvist played two seasons (2002-03, 2003-04) with the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League and posted a 23-27-4 record with a 2.56 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. Before making his North American debut in 2000-01 he led Brynas to the 1998-99 Swedish Elite League Championship.

Stanley Cup Playoffs, Night 35

The Senators could sweep the series but today, they did win it. And that puts them in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in their history. It also results in a Canadian team making the finals for the third consecutive year. Go SENS!

Senators 3, Sabres 2, 1OT
Senators win series 4-1
It was a nail-biter to the very end — especially for Ottawa fans fearing the inevitable postseason slump that has often plagued their home team. Not so inevitable now, huh? But actually, Jochen Hecht put Buffalo on the board first — in the second period. It wasn't the first time the Sabres have blown a playoff game lead. Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza each notched tallies in the final minutes of the second period to grab the lead. Maxim Afinogenov, however, saw to it that this game would have extra time, taking full advantage of a 5-on-3 power play opportunity. But it took just half of a single overtime period to decide the game as once again Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson played the part of hero. His 10th goal of the clinched the Eastern Conference for the Senators — a feat never before accomplished by his club.

The sad part is that after an unbelievably stunning season, the Buffalo Sabres have to go home empty-handed. They were good — very good. They deserve a shot at the Cup as much as anyone. But that's what best-of-seven playoff hockey is all about. Who can be the strongest, the fastest — the best! It turns out that the Senators are best in the East. Now it's time to find out who's best in the West. Anaheim and Detroit tomorrow.

Photo: ESPN.com