Hockey

[Roadmaestro95]

But there's something about those Rangers in the east...I don't think the west is going to have the same gusto against the east in the Final like they have in the previous few seasons. Going to be interesting to see if Detroit or Boston survives their playoff spots.

[kurumi]

...look for another Cal ice hockey rivalry to heat up.

SoCal, at least. Sharks playoff action looks to be mostly watching Warriors games

[ET21]

Chicago will see you in the playoffs 

[Roadmaestro95]

Rangers = best in NHL from the Regular Season = will have no expectations to win the Stanley Cup because President's Trophy

[Alps]

Rangers = best in NHL from the Regular Season = will have no expectations to win the Stanley Cup because President's Trophy

someone's not a true fan

[ET21]

Rangers = best in NHL from the Regular Season = will have no expectations to win the Stanley Cup because President's Trophy

Just look at what the Hawks did in 13. President and Stanley Cup 

[kurumi]

Rangers = best in NHL from the Regular Season = will have no expectations to win the Stanley Cup because President's Trophy

So in other words, the New York Sharks.

(but the Sharks won't even make the playoff this year)

[Brandon]

Rangers = best in NHL from the Regular Season = will have no expectations to win the Stanley Cup because President's Trophy

Just look at what the Hawks did in 13. President and Stanley Cup 

Usually it's a curse though.

[ET21]

Rangers = best in NHL from the Regular Season = will have no expectations to win the Stanley Cup because President's Trophy

Just look at what the Hawks did in 13. President and Stanley Cup 

Usually it's a curse though.

Guess we were lucky

[Roadmaestro95]

Rangers = best in NHL from the Regular Season = will have no expectations to win the Stanley Cup because President's Trophy

Just look at what the Hawks did in 13. President and Stanley Cup 

Usually it's a curse though.

Guess we were lucky

Not that I'm not a true fan, and I want the Blueshirts to win it all from the bottom of my heart, but the President's Trophy hasn't been a lucky thing to win. But I'd like to be proven wrong on that front.
And back to the Hawks getting the Trophy back 2013, it was off of the 48-game lock-out season, isn't as much to me as getting it in a 82-game season.

[Alps]

Rangers = best in NHL from the Regular Season = will have no expectations to win the Stanley Cup because President's Trophy

Just look at what the Hawks did in 13. President and Stanley Cup 

Usually it's a curse though.

Guess we were lucky

Not that I'm not a true fan, and I want the Blueshirts to win it all from the bottom of my heart, but the President's Trophy hasn't been a lucky thing to win. But I'd like to be proven wrong on that front.
And back to the Hawks getting the Trophy back 2013, it was off of the 48-game lock-out season, isn't as much to me as getting it in a 82-game season.

Oh no worries, I was kidding about that. The thing is, the hottest team at the end of the year has the best chance. President's Trophy is about consistency all season long. The Rangers got hot for much of the latter half of the season, but they're looking average right now. I just hope they can turn it on again.

[Desert Man]

To leave an update on the 2014-15 postseason, my Anaheim Ducks failed to advance to the Stanley cup after Sat's loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, as they meet the Tampa Bay Lightning after their victory over the N.Y. Rangers. To be honest, the Blackhawks will not give up and manage to prevent a Ducks gain after they lead the series 3-2, but in a 7-game series, both teams had equal strengths in an ability to get to the cup.

[texaskdog]

On an unrelated note I run a fantasy hockey league.  I was only able to find 8 last year (living in Texas that was an accomplishment) if anyone would like to try next year, looking to bump to 12.  Need some competition I ran away with first place last year (20-4 ending with a 15 game win streak).

[ET21]

To leave an update on the 2014-15 postseason, my Anaheim Ducks failed to advance to the Stanley cup after Sat's loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, as they meet the Tampa Bay Lightning after their victory over the N.Y. Rangers. To be honest, the Blackhawks will not give up and manage to prevent a Ducks gain after they lead the series 3-2, but in a 7-game series, both teams had equal strengths in an ability to get to the cup.

Emilio Estevez also had a miraculous mighty ducks comeback on social media for games 1, 3, and 5 and did a disappearing act for games 2, 4, 6 and 7

[MVHighways]

(First, I'm back after a really long time.)

So far it's been a fun Stanley Cup Final. Looks like Tampa's Triplets have reignited in Game 2 after a mini-slump later in the Rangers series and Game 1 of the SCF... Game 2 was an exciting back and forth game, hoping this one goes 7 games.

[Henry]

The latest on the Stanley Cup Finals:

The Blackhawks have come back to tie it with the Lightning 2-2. Looks like we have another potential seven-game series on our hands...

[MVHighways]

The latest on the Stanley Cup Finals:

The Blackhawks have come back to tie it with the Lightning 2-2. Looks like we have another potential seven-game series on our hands...

First, it's the Stanley Cup Final, non plural (sorry - I had to!0

But I agree, very possible this goes 7.. would love it to go 7 actually. One heck of a Final.

[SignGeek101]

Another season, another year a Canadian team hasn't won. I personally am a Canadiens fan.

[Henry]

The latest on the Stanley Cup Finals:

The Blackhawks have come back to tie it with the Lightning 2-2. Looks like we have another potential seven-game series on our hands...

First, it's the Stanley Cup Final, non plural (sorry - I had to!0

But I agree, very possible this goes 7.. would love it to go 7 actually. One heck of a Final.

Finals, Final...to-may-to, to-mah-to.

[Stephane Dumas]

Meanwhile in the AHL, the Manchester Monarchs, Los Angeles Kings farm-team in the AHL, had won their 1st and...last Calder cup championship. They'll move west to replace the Ontario Reign of the ECHL who'll move.....east to Manchester to replace the AHL Monarchs.

[MVHighways]

In the NHL, the Blackhawks lead the Final 3 games to 2... heading to Chicago. For the first time since the best-of-7 was instituted in 1939, the Blackhawks can win on home ice (they last won at home in 1938, the final year of the best-of-5, and 1934 as well). In their three Cup wins in the best-of-7 era, 1961/2010/2013 have all seen the series be tied at 2 and then the Hawks took game 5 at home and game 6 on the road to win the Stanley Cup. Should be interesting to see if they can win the Cup at home for the first time in 77 years, or if the Hawks go the way of the 2004 Calgary Flames. Drawing comparisons, in 2004 and 2015, Tampa had/has home ice in both cases; in '04 it was 2-2 after 4 games, same here; and the road team won Game 5 able to win the Cup on home ice. Watch there be some crazy Martin Gelinas-type no goal happen to the Hawks tomorrow, lol

[Henry]

Meanwhile in the AHL, the Manchester Monarchs, Los Angeles Kings farm-team in the AHL, had won their 1st and...last Calder cup championship. They'll move west to replace the Ontario Reign of the ECHL who'll move.....east to Manchester to replace the AHL Monarchs.

Crazy scenario there, but congrats to the Monarchs!

In the NHL, the Blackhawks lead the Final 3 games to 2... heading to Chicago. For the first time since the best-of-7 was instituted in 1939, the Blackhawks can win on home ice (they last won at home in 1938, the final year of the best-of-5, and 1934 as well). In their three Cup wins in the best-of-7 era, 1961/2010/2013 have all seen the series be tied at 2 and then the Hawks took game 5 at home and game 6 on the road to win the Stanley Cup. Should be interesting to see if they can win the Cup at home for the first time in 77 years, or if the Hawks go the way of the 2004 Calgary Flames. Drawing comparisons, in 2004 and 2015, Tampa had/has home ice in both cases; in '04 it was 2-2 after 4 games, same here; and the road team won Game 5 able to win the Cup on home ice. Watch there be some crazy Martin Gelinas-type no goal happen to the Hawks tomorrow, lol

Here's another interesting tidbit: If the Hawks win the Cup, they'll have the same number of championships as their arena-mates, the NBA Bulls, with six. Of course, all six of the Bulls' titles were in a much shorter timeframe, the 1990s (or more specifically, 1991-98).

[1995hoo]

The latest on the Stanley Cup Finals:

The Blackhawks have come back to tie it with the Lightning 2-2. Looks like we have another potential seven-game series on our hands...

First, it's the Stanley Cup Final, non plural (sorry - I had to!0

But I agree, very possible this goes 7.. would love it to go 7 actually. One heck of a Final.

The league has it wrong. It's "Finals," regardless of what certain people in the league office think (and there is serious disagreement within said office about this issue). It's a best-of-seven series (minimum four games), not a single game like the UEFA Champions' League Final or the FA Cup Final. Compare to the NBA Finals, for example.

I think the league's annoying insistence on omitting the "s" is why many media sources print "Stanley Cup finals" with a lowercase "f."

[MVHighways]

The latest on the Stanley Cup Finals:

The Blackhawks have come back to tie it with the Lightning 2-2. Looks like we have another potential seven-game series on our hands...

First, it's the Stanley Cup Final, non plural (sorry - I had to!0

But I agree, very possible this goes 7.. would love it to go 7 actually. One heck of a Final.

The league has it wrong. It's "Finals," regardless of what certain people in the league office think (and there is serious disagreement within said office about this issue). It's a best-of-seven series (minimum four games), not a single game like the UEFA Champions' League Final or the FA Cup Final. Compare to the NBA Finals, for example.

I think the league's annoying insistence on omitting the "s" is why many media sources print "Stanley Cup finals" with a lowercase "f."

Actually, the NBA is wrong. "Finals" would refer to multiple final series, and there is only one series. Game 1 and Game 2 aren't separate finals. Meanwhile, "Conference Semifinals" is correct since there are multiple series. In this case, it is "Stanley Cup final series", taking away the word Series.
However, I am in no mood to debate this, too excited for THE ACTUAL GAME.

It's a flame war, and interpretation can be debated at a future time.

Enjoy Game 6 of the final series that has the Stanley Cup at stake.

[1995hoo]

Under that argument, the whole postseason should be called the "Stanley Cup Playoff" because all 15 series constitute one tournament. But that sounds even stupider than "Stanley Cup Final" does.

The NHL bylaws call it the "Stanley Cup Championship Series," I believe. The question is how you abbreviate "Championship Series" or "Final Series." In North America, "Finals" has been customary for decades (including in the NHL, which only started using the weird "Final" in 2007). 

But yeah, I hope it's a good game and that the Lightning force a Game 7. I have no rooting interest at this point, but I always like to see a Game 7.

I'd kind of like to see them set the record for longest game ever just to hear the media howling about it. The longest game ever was between the Red Wings and the Maroons in 1936. Mud Bruneteau won the game 1—0 for the Wings at 16:30 of the sixth overtime. I guess I wouldn't "see" them set that record because I'd fall asleep long before they got that far. I've watched two four-overtime games involving the Capitals, but it's a lot easier to stay up for those when it's your team.....and when you're younger and don't have to go to work the next morning.....