Playoff Journal: Cheryl

A few things are popping into my mind as the Conference finalists are determined.  First off, just because you are a Canadian-based team doesn’t mean I HAVE to cheer for you. Montreal, despite your history, great stars and number of cups – I am cheering for the Pens.  Since I didn’t cheer for you during the regular season (thanks for the loss at the end which meant I didn’t have to buy my colleague lunch), I’m not going to start now.  I will however, give massive kudos to Mr. Halak because he deserves them. Habs fans, he is the single biggest reason you are where you are.

Second, hurrah for Joe Thornton and the usually hapless San Jose Sharks – this appears to be the year you get solid help from the supporting cast and put your playoff demons behind you. A well-played series against a Detroit Red Wings team that always seems threatening even when down 3-0 in a series.  May the Jumbo Joe/Little Joe (Pavelski) combination carry you further than you’ve ever gone before and deservedly so.

Third, Daniel Carcillo may not play game 5 in Boston – can Mike Richards and Chris Pronger coax another energetic game out of their team and extend their season for just a little longer? I don’t expect  Boston to lose, but I do (and did) expect a much better result from a much tougher Philly team than I’ve seen so far and I don’t mean cheap shots.

Fourth, would the real Vancouver Canucks please stand up? Are you the team that played solid hockey to eliminate the Kings without having to rely on your goalie to steal wins? Perhaps you are the team that started the second round so eagerly, jumping all over an optimistic ‘Hawks team in game 1? Maybe you’re the wishy-washy, undisciplined team that got run over from about halfway through game two until now. For your sake, I’m hoping you’re the team that showed up tonight in game 5, sucked in your guts and for the most part turned the other cheek.  That backfired a bit, given the loss of another top-flight d-man, but another determined and disciplined effort and you’ll force game 7 where anything can happen.  Bobby Lu? We need ya, man!