To say that this is a blast from the past is a bit of an understatement.  It seemed for a while there, when the Pens were perennial playoff performers, and the Caps were, too, that they met in the playoffs each and every year.  It was Mario & Jaromir, Kevin & Ron versus the likes of Peter Bondra and Dino Ciccorelli.  Then, in the late 90s, the Caps made another resurgence led by Ollie the Goalie, and the rivalry renewed.  Then both teams fell into the trash heap, and have been led out of that heap by their young, uber-talented stars.  This year's battle figures to be an intense one, but eminently watchable.  Neither team will back down, and there seems to be a healthy dose of dislike already between the two teams, probably because there is a healthy amount of dislike between the two teams' star players.

When the Caps got the #1 pick, they drafted without any hesitation whatsoever Alex Ovechkin.  It was like the Pens when they drafted Mario and Sidney - the first overall pick was a complete no-brainer.  Since day 1 in the NHL, Ovechkin has been a force.  His sniper shot is absolutely lethal, and he's an exuberant player.  It's obvious that Ovechkin loves to simply play the game, and likes all parts of it.  He'll get physical, he's supremely talented, and above all, he has fun.  That's something that is occasionally missing in the Stanley Cup playoffs.  Look at Detroit - they *never* look like they have fun.  They just go out and win.  Ovechkin, on the other hand, is more flamboyant and has a great deal of fun on the ice.  He infects his teammates with that excitement, and there's a reason this young and fast team has had so much success.  It doesn't begin and end with Ovechkin, but he's the catalyst. 

The Caps have built a Cup-worthy team.  Having Ovechkin is a critical component, but they have scoring talent all over the ice.  On any other team, Alex Semin would be the top player.  Defenseman Mike Green's probably the best scoring defenseman the league has seen since Paul Coffey.  Veterans like Sergei Federov add grit, toughness, and a sense of calmness.  Federov has been there, done that, and has the rings to prove it.  His game-winning goal in game 7 was like watching him from 10 years ago.  The speed, elusiveness, and of course the lethal shot.  The Caps only question mark is their goalie.  Theodore was spotty and was replaced, and the rookie netminder Varlamov has performed exceptionally well in this young playoff season. 

For both teams, it may simply come down to the play of the goalies.  There is simply too much firepower on both teams to expect a lot of 1-0 or 2-1 games.  There will no doubt be one of them, but I'd expect the scoring to be more like 4-3 or 5-3 or 5-4 when it's all said and done.  While both teams are responsible in their own zone, neither team's best unit is their defense.  Their best units are all on offense.  Defensively, both teams will have to work extremely hard to keep the offenses in check, but the shots will come, and they will all be good scoring chances.  So Varlamov, as a rookie, will have to play as if he's a seasoned playoff veteran and not a kid that has more playoff games under his belt than regular season games.  Goalies are notorious with their confidence.  Shake it, and you're going to see a ton of pucks tickle the twine.  If a goalie gets a confidence boost, then saves are made that will make highlight reels for years.  There's no real book on Varlamov yet, but the Pens will test him throughout this series.  He has to be prepared for it.  On the flip side, Marc-Andre Fleury seems to once again obtained his best game.  This is a goalie that from October through mid-January or so looks entirely ordinary.  Once January turns to February, and spring is around the corner, he flips some internal switch and goes from ordinary to very good.  Last year and so far this year, he's upped the ante to being an elite goalie.  Whether or not he can withstand the brutal offense that Washington will roll out will have to be determined.  But since both offenses are relatively equal, as are the defenses and special teams, it's likely going to come down to goalies.  I have to say, that even if I wasn't a Pens fan, knowing a good offense was facing an unknown, rookie goalie would give the Pens an advantage.

For the Pens, their 1-2 punch of Crosby and Malkin will be on constant, national display throughout this series.  The fact that the Pens have 2 of the top 5 players in the entire NHL seems a little unfair, but then several awful seasons at least gives you the opportunity to draft well.  Crosby is a more traditional, play-making center.  He looks to setup others first, but is an adept scorer.  He seems to be totally healthy and revved up to play this series, and his performance in the face-off circle has improved.  Malkin is a scorer more than playmaker, although one shouldn't discount his playmaking skills as they are top-shelf as well.  The Pens roll two high-powered offensive lines at teams, but in the playoffs those two lines may not even be the best of them all.  The Pens "secret weapon" is their third line.  It mixes incredible grit, toughness, irritating players, deft scoring touch and lock-down defense all together.  I remember the Devils rolling their fourth line in the playoffs years ago, calling it their "energy" line.  Those guys just ran around and hit people into submission, and their goal in life was to wear out the other team.  Pure and simple.  The Pens third line does that, and oh by the way has Jordan Staal on it, who's coming into his own as a better-than-average center.  On most teams he'd be a number 2 center.  Bad luck or bad timing has him working on the third line, but the Pens roll that line often so he's not lacking for playing time.  Figure this line to be facing Ovechkin's as much as possible, and that will provide the Caps with a sizable challenge.

For a league that desperately craves and needs American television audiences and sports-buzz, this is the ultimate series.  If the NHL has a problem, its that these two are meeting in the second round of the playoffs.  Think Indy/New England in the NFL - a must-see game if there ever was one, but seeing that game in the Divisional Round instead of the Conference Finals is not quite as high-profile.  But the NHL is getting something they've not gotten in a while, and that's a series capable of generating interest far beyond the passionate fans of hockey.  If the stars of both teams begin to pull out the sandpaper and rub the others the wrong way, and add some "trash talking" to the mix, then it gets even better.  Frankly, if I were Gary Bettman, I'd sit down with Ovechkin, Crosby, Malkin and Backstrom and issue the edict that they *have* to talk some smack, preferably early and then often.  Keep it light, make sure the teams and players know that it's for "the good of the game."  But keep it up, and keep at each other.  Nothing drives television like a good old-fashioned rivalry, and it's beginning to blossom from one created purely by the media and the NHL hype machine into a real one.  This series ought to cement that for now and forever.

I hope my Pens win.  I think they're capable.  I know Washington is.  I think this will be a hotly contested, even series that will go 7 games.  I have no way of predicting who will win.  It'll be fun to watch though, even though fans of both teams are destined to deal with at least 3 losses.  We'll just have to wait and see.  For the rest of the NHL, the other 3 series seem like afterthoughts.  Sure, Detroit will probably win, and the Canucks and Blackhawks ought to be an incredibly entertaining series.  Carolina and Boston will duke it out and play excellent, evenly-balanced hocked in what's likely to be a long series there.  But the stars have aligned, and the NHL will want to reap the benefits while they can.

Tonight in the West, the Flames and (are you really surprised?) Sharks face must-win games to force a 7th and decisive game.  Both the Canucks and Wings breezed through surprisingly easy 4-game sweeps of their opponent, and now get the luxury of sitting back, resting and healing while these 4 tough teams battle it out.

Chicago took the upper hand in game 5 at the United Center, but still face a nasty, tough, and physical Flames team.  It will be a tough game for the young 'Hawks to win, although they are certainly capable of doing that.  This series has revolved around physical play, and the Hawks have brought it - and the Flames were supposed to be the more physical team.  In any event, I think that I see the young, loose Blackhawks earning their first and only road win of this series and will take game 6 tonight in the Saddledome.

In the other series, the San Jose Sharks have done a remarkable job of making everyone forget they were the President's Cup winners, and reverted only back to history in how they got off to a bad start in this series.  They are once again behind the 8-ball, and the Anaheim Ducks are capable of finishing them off.  The Sharks have to win this in order just to get to a roll-of-the-dice 7th game, and while Marlowe and Thornton had nice games in the Sharks game 5 win, I'm wondering if it was a case of too little, too late.  Still, I think that the Sharks will win this game 6 to force a 7th game, and then who knows from there. 

In the East, the Bruins munched on the Habs with ease.  Montreal was smaller and far less physical, and it showed, as the B's thumped them.  The Pens had to fight through some adversity and horribly sloppy, indifferent play in beating Philadelphia.  The Flyers, though, in many respects allowed the Pens to win.  The few times that the Flyers really played hard, they won 2 and lost 1.  So it makes you wonder, exactly, how good the Pens really are.  Still, they won the series and now sit back and watch with intense interest on how the two game 7s will turn out.

The Caps were in a stunning 0-2 hole after leaving Washington, and then lost game 4 as well.  The Rangers looked like a different team in stonewalling the Caps early in this series, but something has obviously woken the Capitals.  They are now flying around, looking more like the #2 seed that most people expected would win in 5 easy games.  The Rangers only hope to escape this series with a win is to have Lundqvist return to his otherworldly form and steal the 7th game.  Anything less than utterly perfect goalie play will result in the Caps rudely shoving the Rangers aside and moving on to the 2nd round.

In the other quarterfinals, the Devils and Hurricans are heading to a game 7 of their own, this one in Jersey.  This has been a very strange series to figure out, but I think the bottom line of it is that both teams are relatively evenly matched, with similar strengths and weaknesses, and both have the similar desire to win.  Being at home will provide the Devils with an advantage, offset possibly by the confidence the Canes must be feeling in whipping the Devils 4-0 yesterday.  I have been down and against the Devils this entire playoff year, but now I think I'm going to be proven wrong.  I think the Devils find a way to eke out a game 7 win.  Just to make it more interesting, though, I think that it will be a 2OT game and the game winner will be scored late in the 2nd OT period. 

If I'm right, then the Eastern semis settles up with Pittsburgh going to Boston, and the Devils going to Washington. 

In the west, although it's a long way from being done, I think that the Sharks will somehow forge a comeback against the Ducks and win, and I think the Hawks will dismiss the Flames.  That sets up the Western semis as the Sharks hosting the Hawks, and the Wings hosting the Canucks.

My only other comment about the West is that IF the Sharks win, then I think the stage is set for a terrific Western Conference Finals between San Jose and Detroit.  If the Sharks lose, then I think the Wings will march onto the Stanley Cup Finals with relative ease.  I just don't see any of the remaining teams out West able to defeat the Wings.  For that matter, I don't know if any Eastern Conference team can beat the Wings.  I think the Pens could, and I think the Caps could, too.  But there's a big difference between "could" and "would."  Anyway, that's my note for the day.

ESPN reported over the weekend that the new Yankee Stadium may be subject to a totally unanticipated wind-driven effect.  The article stated that the slightly changed positioning of the stadiums alignment may be causing the right field to play even shorter than before.  This came up after the Indians scored 14 runs against the Yankees over the weekend, and the quotes from players on both teams suggesting that they were all surprised at how far the fly balls carried.  If that's true, then it means that the Yankees will have a significant disadvantage playing at home this year, and that could spell big trouble.

It's far, far too early to speculate much about the state of the Yankees.  I think that most New York fans expect the Yanks to come screaming out of the gate, losing only a couple of games - like the Marlins have done.  For them to kind of stumble along, and then open the new Yankee Stadium with the duds that they have done is going to make all Yankee fans very upset.  Now, one also has to wonder whether the multitude of homers hit over the weekend was more due to the positioning of the stadium or simply bad pitching.  When your starter goes 1.1 innings and gives up 8 runs, it doesn't bode well for any team in any stadium.

That's the general trouble with new stadiums.  I'm not adverse to them, even if they're built with tax payer money.  I don't like it, but it's a sign of the times and frankly, here to stay.  So get used to it.  That brief comment aside, building a new stadium is always a tricky thing to do.  How do you know how deep to build the outfield walls?  That's always a key thing in any stadium.  If they're too big, a la Petco in San Diego or the Tigers field in Detroit, the players and fans scream bloody murder because there are fewer crowd-pleasing home runs.  If you build it too short, a la the Astros stadium or the Reds stadium, the fans and home team get a little antsy because homers are too easy to come by.  Teams strive for that even balance - a field that rewards both hitters and pitchers equally.  But no team can really know what's going to happen in that first year until the first balls are thrown and the ball is put to the bat. 

From the television shots, the new Yankee stadium looks nice - almost like an exact replica.  I suppose that was their big plan.  I have read and heard that the stadium extras are extremely nice, and that's no surprise.  Every new stadium has those same things.  The patrons expect them I think.  Long lines at the food vendors and for the bathrooms take away from the experience, so they are to be avoided at all costs.

Anyway, I just find it interesting that the Yankees are going to have to play this season without really knowing what their home field will be like.  It's going to make an already challenging season that much more difficult.  In the AL East alone, both Boston and Tampa will challenge all year for the title, and those two teams will also probably be in the wild card hunt.  The Yankees have the misfortune of playing in a very good division right now.  The additional onus of dealing with a unknown home field simply makes their job more difficult.

One quiet aspect of this is that if the Yankees stadium is homer-friendly, especially on windy days, then that will adversely impact the Yankees more than most casual fans will know.  All baseball teams try to build their teams around their home stadiums to some degree.  Everyone builds around pitching and defense; there are too many World Series champions that have won with that formula for it to be a fluke.  But the teams with bigger fields stress speed as well, so that their outfielders and infielders can take advantage of the space.  Teams playing in smaller, homer-friendly parks will probably look to get more professional hitters in their lineup, and opt for the offense over the defense.  The Yankees old stadium was built for more pitchers, and therefore more defense.  They've always been the "bombers" because that puts butts in seats, but their actual play in the field was strongest when built on pitching and defense and using Yankee stadium as a home field advantage.  Taking that away for this year may end up costing the Yankees a few games - perhaps even as many as four or five - and that could be the difference between watching the games in October from their homes or playing in them.

Without question, the biggest surprise of this young playoff series is that the New York Rangers have jumped out to a 2-0 series lead over the heavily favored Washington Capitals, and that on the road.  I was running a zillion errands today, so I could only listen to the Caps feed on the radio, and was kind of surprised to hear the Caps guys calling the game.  It sounded all the world like they thought the Caps didn't bring the intensity necessary to win.  And, lest any Caps fan scream at me, it also sounded like the Rangers were the beneficiaries of a great deal of luck today - pucks off of crossbars and posts and the like. 

Still, for the Caps, this is dangerous territory.  A higher seed really needs to impose its will on the lower one.  They need to put their boot to the opponent's throat and keep it there - like Detroit is doing to the Jackets or Boston is (currently) doing to Montreal.  Giving the Rangers life is bad enough - but going down 2-0 AND now facing two straight games on the road in MSG is quite daunting.  But Ovechkin, when interviewed after the game today, said that the Caps have the talent to beat Lundqvist and simply need to put the puck in the net.  We'll see how it goes.  In my opinion, perhaps going down 0-2, and hitting the road, might be what the Caps need.  Teams play a different style on the road, and maybe Washington has to find that playoff game, and they'll be able to do so in New York.  They'll need to - going down 0-3 would end the series, and earning a split would still mean an awful road.

Detroit is whipping the Jackets.  I don't think anyone doubted that series would go long.  Nor do I think anyone really doubted the Bruins would have much trouble with Montreal.  In watching that game, it seems to me that Boston's game plan has been extremely simple.  They are hitting Montreal into submission, and once the Habs have begun to whine (by taking retaliation penalties) the Bruins are making them pay.  I'm not yet entirely sold on Boston, but there's absolutely no doubt that they are capable of going all the way to the Finals.  They are that good.

The Pittsburgh/Philly series has surprised me a little.  Yes, I thought Pittsburgh was better, and certainly more disciplined, but Philly's game 1 implosion was curious and the Pens simply out-worked them to win game 2.  That's the worst part for Philly because they were playing their game.  They were attacking, using the body (it was as physical a game as I've seen in a long time) and relentless in defense.  They were undone by perhaps a lucky bounce, but it was an earned one, and then the awful penalty in OT undid them.  The Pens were doing a great job kiling that penalty, and the refs were obviously watching Philly close.  Was it a ticky-tack call?  One could easily argue that - in the playoffs, the guys working on offense and defense around the net expect some stick-work to the back.  Was it a "make up" call?  Hard to argue against it, honestly.  But the fact remains that Philly should have been aware of it - and should have done a better job on their power play.  Maybe they can take some silver lining from game 2, but they'd better be ready to play 60 minutes in game 3.  The Pens seem to be recalling their ability to close out that they showed last year.  If Philly lets Pittsburgh get so much as a split in the next two, they're probably done.

The Jersey/Carolina series is going to be a long one I think.  Frankly, I was surprised by the game 1 outcome - Jersey had been shaky lately and Carolina on fire, so I kind of assumed that Carolina would win game 1.  So I had the games reversed.  The 'Canes are in a nice spot now with home ice.  Can they take advantage?  I still think Jersey is susceptible.  I can't prove why.  I just think they are.  I'm biased against New Jersey, which is probably why I think they're vulnerable, but that's just what I think.  I have nothing to prove it - but the Devils are not as solid as their seed would seem to indicate.

Out west, the Canucks are taking care of business against St. Louis.  I think Vancouver is a scary team right now.  I couldn't name one player on that team outside of Luongo, but when that one player I can name is a goalie, it means that you're always going to be competitive.  The Canucks are playing very solid hockey, and I think they look like a balanced team.  Do they have the firepower to outlast Detroit?  Only time and some wins will tell, but they have the look of a team that's capable.  Of course, there were 3 series last year in which Detroit's opponent looked capable, too.

At the moment, the Flames have a 2-0 lead in Chicago, but are down 0-1 in the series.  This will be a long series, but in the end I think the Flames will find a way to win.  There are too many veterans on that team, including their coach, for them not to find a way to win.  Chicago's going to be a very good team next year and beyond, but their young guns are probably going to learn the hard way what it takes to win in the playoffs.  I think the Flames will move on to the next round.

Which leads us to the only series (at the time of this writing) that has only had 1 game played.  The San Jose Sharks - winners of the President's Cup for the most points in the regular season - lost their opener to the Anaheim Ducks.  That shouldn't surprise people because the Ducks are a gritty, tough team that still has many players from their Cup winning year.  But to me it opens the door for the constant litany of questions that has dogged this San Jose franchise for the past four or five years.  They are talented - no one doubts that.  But they don't seem to have any grit.  They don't have that third or fourth-line "character" that basically hits everything in its way (including the Zamboni if it got in his way), generally pisses off the opponent and barks for the entire game.  Like Sean Avery, for example.  The Sharks have tried, and every time they try they fail.  Why?  I just don't have an answer - I don't know if anyone does.  The Sharks will need to win game 2 and then take care of business in games 3 and 4 if they want people to stop questioning their character.  Say what you will about Joe Thornton - skills, hands, ability, etc - but his glaring shortcomings in the playoffs may be why Boston let him go.  And he's San Jose's "leader."  Maybe there's a reason they're always on the brink in the playoffs.  Should Anaheim find a way to upset the Sharks, you can bet there will be a great deal of chuckling in NHL cities about that team.

On this issue, I will freely admit to being extremely biased against John Madden, and how he calls football games.  Frankly, I hated him - as an announcer.  Obviously having never met the man I can't say that I "hate" him personally.  But I always perceived an anti-Steeler bias in him.  That particular mind-set was rooted many years ago when my dad always said how much he hated him because first he was the coach of the hated Oakland Raiders, and second my dad's opinion was that he "hated" the Steelers and made sure to comment negatively on all of their plays.  I don't think that is necessarily true, but I just never liked listening to Madden.  I always thought he was a blowhard and his big mouth irritated me. 

Even in the Super Bowl that the Steelers just won, his opinion on one play was that James Harrison should have been ejected from the game for the roughing penalty he took on a punt.  Most of us at my Super Bowl party yelled at the television - and at him in particular - but then we're biased.

What is important about John Madden is that he's as much a part of the NFL's success as anyone has ever been.  I think when we look back at history, two announcers will be given props as the men most important from the broadcast side.  The first was Howard Cosell.  And the second is John Madden.  He went out of his way to discuss the guys that rarely get TV coverage, talking in great detail about a successful block or blocking scheme, or how a defensive lineman's work made it possible for a linebacker to make a big hit.  Madden preferred to talk about the guys in the game that reminded him of his own players, and style he preferred as a coach.  Madden didn't want the fastest or smartest or most athletic - he wanted the guys that played the hardest each and every play, and went all-out, all the time, regardless of the position they played.  Because he focused on those players, we all know now about lineman.  We know about the skill set of guards and tackles, and why the left tackle is a much harder and more critical position than the right. 

When all the dust settles from his retirement announcement, the one thing that will be true is that the NFL has lost one of its most important people in bridging the gap between the staying at home fan and the game itself.  No man was more influential on how the game was called, and the style in which it was called, than John Madden.  He took what Howard Cosell did and made it his own, and for that he has earned accolades, and deserves them as well.  I won't sit here and say that I'll miss him because I won't.  But I will miss his personality, and will miss how important he was for the NFL in general.  There are few announcer tandems in the NFL today that could match Madden and Michaels.  I know many people like Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, and I think they're very good, and I think that the main CBS team is very good as well.  But they don't have the same magnetism that Madden had.  When you watched a game that Madden called, you waited for him to make one of his patented statements.  You waited to hear his opinion - whether you liked it or not.  Simms and Aikman are both really good in their position as the color guy, but in the end neither is Madden.

When we watch Sunday Night Football this year, I think many will recall Madden - whether fondly or not is arguable.  But it won't be the same.  Al Michaels is perhaps the best play by play man of this generation.  NBC will be hard-pressed to find a color man that is Michaels' equal.  I can't think of a single, charismatic, and well-spoken man to fill Madden's shoes - not a current broadcaster nor a recently-retired one that could do the job as admirably.  It'll be worth watching to see who NBC finally chooses to work the booth with Michaels.  My only hope is that they stay away from the 3-man booth.  It worked with Monday Night Football with Cosell and those guys, but since then it's not been as interesting.  The current MNF crew usually ends up annoying me more than anything else.  Jaws is good, and might be a worthy replacement; if NBC picks Tony Kornheiser I swear I'll watch NBC games on mute.

To the comedy part of this though, I thought of two things.  Both involve Frank Caliendo.  First, he's lost one of his best sources for material.  But second, I can hardly wait to hear him tear into Madden for reting in the same year that Brett Favre retired for real.  Can you only imagine?