Each year, my life gets into hyperdrive at the beginning of the year. It starts with the Road to WrestleMania, and as soon as WrestleMania wraps, I shift my attention to the National Hockey League for its Stanley Cup Playoffs. My favorite sports team is the Montreal Canadiens, but I have been wanting the Stanley Cup back in Canada for so long that I will cheer any Canadian team. This year, I have two hereos: Montreal and the Vancouver Canucks.
I'll admit Montreal is a long-shot. They outperformed their greatest supporters expectations last year by eliminating the #1-seed Washington Capitals in the first round, then eliminating the defending champions Pittsburgh Penguins, before getting eliminated by the #7-seed Philadelphia Flyers when they were seven wins away from the Stanley Cup (by far the closest they've gotten to the Cup since hoisting it in 1993).
Conversely, the Vancouver Canucks finished the regular season ranked first. And not just ranked first as the President's Cup winner, but they were ranked in the top three finishers of Goals Scored, Goals Allowed, Power Play, and Penalty Kill. They are wrapped up tight like the total package, and they may be Canada's best shot to win the Stanley Cup for the past many years (including recent years when Canadian teams made it to the finals).
Stanley Cup turns all things hockey up a notch. The stakes are higher, the games are more competitive, and Stanley Cup fever becomes very infectious!
As of this morning, all eight series in the opening round are two games deep. The results have been interesting. Canucks, Habs, Capitals, and Red Wings won both games, and Sharks/Kings, Ducks/Preds, Flyers/Sabres, and Pens/Bolts split their series.
