Florida Panthers – Inevitable or What?

 So unlikeable. So abrasive. So damn good. There’s absolutely nothing ‘so-so’ associated with this year’s Florida Panthers who stepped to within a pair of wins from a franchise-first Stanley Cup triumph after Monday night’s 4-1 win over a game Edmonton Oilers hockey team. Yup, the Oilers were very game in

On the Cup, Tkachuk and Marner

 Trudging the road to happy destiny – aka, the Stanley Cup finale - is taking its sweet time. Many, many steps it seems on this journey. So, while we have a moment or two (or a day or two or six) to get set for what should be dynamite on
Matthew Tkachuk, Courtesy ESPN.com

Panthers’ identity has outcasts dying to grow and bare teeth

 “There is a creature alive today who has survived millions of years of evolution, without change, without logic, it lives to kill. A mindless eating machine, it will attack, it will devour. Anything. It is as if God created the Devil and gave him . . . jaws.”   This

Oils well that ends well? You bet

 June 9, 1993. The day, and last time a Canadian entrant won the Stanley Cup. The Montreal Canadiens. “Amazing it’s been 30 years,” said Guy Carbonneau to Global last year at this time. Carbonneau remains the last captain from a Canadian team to take home the trophy. “Not just Montreal,
The first round of the NHL playoffs

Bizarro’s rise during NHL’s first round

 Modest certainty never came to fruition on a Tuesday night when-and-where three of Canada’s entrants into the NHL’s playoff derby walked into the spotlight. With no Auston Matthews and his eight-gazillion goals, the Toronto Maple Leafs were done like a Tiger Williams dinner, correct? After the Honky-Tonk Highway Miracle, the

Oilers, Leafs, Jets and Canucks takin’ care of business

 The most fabulous time of the year hasn’t disappointed, and we are what, only three-days-and-change in? Fabulous. Lots to chew on from a Canadian team perspective as the NHL post-season rages onward. It is – after all - the most fabulous time of the year . . .   WHERE

Battle of Alberta won’t help Canada’s odds

 PHOTO: NHL.COM At first there were three, then there were two. Soon there will be one. The percentages for a Canadian-style NHL championship have been sliced-and-diced down to a mere 25 per cent, regardless of what happens in the upcoming Round 2 of the playoffs. Canada’s last remaining hopes –

No man is an Island(er)?

 People who know me know this – I generally like to bounce around from favourite team to favourite team. (I get called on it a lot, but I like to reference it as a privilege of age). Used to be the Ottawa Senators, but that was a little too homey.

Isles-Bruins East finale? You betcha’

 The Great Eight. With apologies for the steal on Alex Ovechkin’s nickname, that’s where we stand right now. Eight teams with a shot at Lord Stanley. After a qualifying round record of 5-3, Round 1 of the true playoffs produced a resounding 5-3 record (resounding?) of guess-taking. So be it.

Sucking in your glut

 How’s your glut? Getting enough glut? Is the glut cutting into your chores; things you should be doing around the house? Yes folks it’s a changed world after all. The result from the hockey side of things is . . . of course . . . there is a glut

Tough decisions at the Draft for Ottawa Senators in October

 After a third straight season of missing out on the NHL Playoffs, many Ottawa Senators fans will probably be watching the 2020 Conference Finals and Stanley Cup contest with merely a passing interest, wondering what might have been were their team competing. Of course, some of us will be glued

Will upsets continue in NHL’s ‘second’ round?

 On to Round 2. Or is it Round 1? Under the new-look National Hockey League, take your pick. This corner went a true-blue 5-3 in its qualifying round selections, and now we’re set to stumble around blindly in the dark with daring predictions for the next round. (Whatever you want

NHL gets it right in bright return

 It’s rare that National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman lands any kind of praise from this corner. As rare as the steak my step-mother orders (Hi Marion!). Poor, far-reaching similes aside – kudos for the long-time head of hockey don’t come easy. This is a guy who thought a glowing

Qualifying round highlights summer’s hottest time

 Nothing like a hot August day-and-night to get you set for hockey. I guess fans of the sport will have to take what they can get this year. Such is life under the heavy heft of a pandemic The National Hockey League’s first-ever qualifying round – involving all of Canada’s

NHL post-season bringing the drama

 Photo courtesy NHLI via Getty Images Here’s one for the water cooler – what sort of grade would you give for this year’s NHL playoffs? If you’re a fan of tight hockey and biting your nails, give it a solid A. The numbers simply say as much. Here we sit

Boston leading playoff chase

 Photo courtesy NHLI via Getty Images This year’s playoffs, aka – The Island of Misfit Toys – continues. Odds are you’re already well out of the winning zone with your hockey pool. Tampa, Winnipeg, Nashville and Calgary laid waste to a lot of high hopes and savvy selections. So, here

Sexy choices are slim as NHL playoffs head toward Round 2

 Photo courtesy of NHLI via Getty Images Fans of the English Premiership have a nice touch when asking it: “Who’s your side?” Meaning: “Who are you rooting for . . . who’s your team?” At the National Hockey League level it’s a question that bears a certain special meaning at this

Leafs still a work in progress, without the work

 Photo courtesy of NHLI via Getty Images Boston’s Patrice Bergeron pretty much nailed it after his Bruins took the Toronto Maple Leafs to the woodshed Saturday night in a wild 4-1 win in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Bergeron – post-game – talked about “compete” and “determination.” His team had it;

Hammond Stars as Senators Edge Closer to Playoffs

 Photo courtesy Losangeles.cbslocal.com Saturday was a great night all around for the Ottawa Senators as they romped to a 5-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens to strengthen their push for a playoff spot. As well as sending off one of their main rivals in a game that saw the Sens