Finally the NHL caught a break with the American public.  They have the Finals they wanted, their most marketable star playing one of the most storied franchises in the games history.  All they have to do is schedule the games.

How come the NHL manages to screw everything up?

They have their dream final, they have a perfect matchup to sell as the new game.  They can use this awesome final to make their triumphant return to becoming one of the four major sports again.

But they still manage to to fan on the tap-in goal.

When thier final conference championship ends on Monday, when would the next logical tiem to schedule a game.  Wednesday?  Thursday?  Maybe even Friday?

But No, they choose to begin their Championship round on Saturday night on Memorial Day Weekend.

What person would choose a weekend of hard partying and a lot of drinking for a night with a television and Hockey in 30 or 90 degree weather?

Some people I have talked to say that they are marketing to the Canadian audience that is already in love with the game.  They are trying to sell the game to the purists is another thing someone said.

But Mr. Bettman has made it clear that he wants to sell the game to the average American guy or girl, but he continues to make poor decision after poor decision.  First he leaves ESPN for the new network NBC, where I have heard they make next to nothing from that television deal.  Now start the best thing that has happened to the league on Saturday night at 8 PM.

The finals should have been started on Thursday at the latest to give the best option of going up against the competition of the NBA conference finals or the fact that most baseball games will be held in the afternoon.

Why not strike when the iron is hot and shove your product to their throats?  But instead theu choose to go after an audience they already have.

Another bad move by the game that I want to see succeed and that has squandered every opportunity to make themselves relevant.

The decision for the outdoor games and ones to come are excellent but they have just wiffed on too many other ideas.  I would love to see them move back into one of the four major sports in North America, but they aren't helping themselves with decisions like this.

Now to pick the cup finals:
Detroit may be an excellent team with experience but I think that the Penguins have to much talent to get beat by an older and experienced team.  I will take talent of experience any day of the week.  The Pittsburgh Penguins win the series in 6 games