by Jes

So, the Stanley Cup Finals are set, and we'll have another Canadian team (Ottawa) face off against a non-traditional market (Anaheim) in another year where the Canucks and Leafs win squat.

Our favourite blogger from Alabama, Wayne, emailed me some of his playoff musings, to which I'll respond ...

Speaking of playoff beards, where's Daniel Alfredsson's? Is it me, or did he miss the memo on how to grow a beard? He looks like a high-school English teacher...

Well, some of us (including myself) don't grow facial hair very well or very fast. It looks rather childish to go around with peach fuzz, rather than just keep a clean shaven look.

Daniel Alfredsson has clearly gone from the Muppet to the clear-cut look, and it's working for him. He's all business, and his play speaks volumes about his commitment. Playoff facial hair is definitely more of a North American trend, methinks.

During the post-game presser last night, a reporter noticed that Chris Chelios only shook the hand of the Anaheim coach, but did not go through the line like everyone else...Would there be a fine for not waiting in the post-game line like everyone else?

The handshake is a tradition, and nothing more. There is no rule that says you need to shake hands at all, and a team could easily just walk back to the locker room to cry their heads off without acknowledging the other team. Why Chelios decided to shake just one hand is beyond me, but perhaps he agrees with Andrew Dice Clay that shaking hands is the most disgusting habit known to man.

Do you know where those hands have been, other than in sweaty hockey gloves and playing around with blood-stained jocks? Cheli may just be looking out for his own personal hygiene for all we know.

Dick Ebersol (head honcho at NBC Sports) has got to be wanting to jump off a ledge at 30 Rock right now for the Ottawa/'heim matchup...Not only do most U.S. people not know where (or what country) Ottawa is in, I don't think the majority of the L.A. market will tune in, either. (Remember the '02 World Series involving the Angels? Not many people watched, either...) I'm afraid this will get late-season XFL ratings...

I'm hoping Ebersol does decide to jump. He's just another rich executive the world could live without.

Honestly, I wish the NHL would tell NBC to go screw themselves instead of bending over backwards to accommodate a network that doesn't really care about the game.

Why are we waiting 5-6 days for the Cup Finals to start? The series should start by Saturday at the latest, and this just kills any momentum and hype the series would/can generate.

Up here? Leafs fans are staying away en masse and the ratings can be expected to be less than awesome. In the USA? Yeah, Anaheim is not a popular market, and the Ducks don't play a style that is exciting to casual fans. (Neither does Ottawa these days)

The NHL should have simply told NBC that the Finals would begin on Saturday. If the NBC wanted to broadcast quilt making, then the NHL could move the game to Versus, or simply play on without NBC broadcasting nationally. It's time for the NHL to put up a little bit of a fight for once.

As for my prediction, it'll come a bit later. Suffice it to say, now that Greg picked the Sens to win (see the post below), you can pretty much guarantee that they wont.

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Over at The NHL Fanhouse, Greg Wyshynski tooks a look at Paris Hilton's hockey career, I take a look at how the Oilers benefited from the Ducks making the Finals, and Eric sees what scares the NHLers worse than a puckbunny with herpes.

PS: You want to talk about the impossible dream? Try finding a Nintendo Wii here in Canada. If I see anyone walking out of a Future Shop with one of these, they can expect a good mugging. (Or maybe I'll just beat up Ingmar and steal his)

Labels: Daniel Alfredsson, playoffs, ramblings, stanley cup, third round