Last year, the Chicago Blackhawks ended 39 years of agony and finally brought back Lord Frederick Arthur Stanley's Cup to the West Side of Chicago. When I close my eyes, I can still see Patrick Kane slotting the puck barely passed the overachieving Michael Leighton, and then Kane bouncing up and down like a maniac, all dignity forgotten as the Hawks finished their season ahead of the other 29 times in the league. All those miserable memories of garbage teams and garbage players like Zhamnov, Doug Gilmour, and Alexander Karpovtsev (excuse me while I throw up).
This year, my Hawks BARELY made the playoffs. But as anyone who has watched enough NHL playoffs knows, once you're in, you have a great chance to go on a ridiculous run. Look at what Halak and the Habs did last year.
Are the Blackhawks going to go on a Cinderella run and defend their title? Is Alexander the Great going to cement his legacy with his first Stanley Cup win? Are the Vancouver Canucks ready to finally move past years of underachievement? Here are my answers to those questions
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1 Washington def. 8 New York Rangers
2 Philadelphia def. 7 Buffalo
3 Boston def. 6 Montreal (This one is going to be intense. The passionate and vicious fanbases of both teams will be the x-factor)
5 Tampa Bay def. 4 Pittsburgh
1 Washington def. 5 Tampa Bay
3 Boston def. 2 Philadelphia (I would like to see Philly beat the Bruins, but they have absolutely no momentum going into the playoffs. They might even lose to Buffalo)
1 Washington def. 3 Boston (This is going to be a SWEEP. It's not even going to be close)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
8 BLACKHAWKS def. 1 Vancouver (okay, i know i'm a ridiculously biased Hawks' fan. I've been watching them since '95 gimme a break. In all honesty, Vancouver is probably going to steamroll the Hawks but I can't bet against them)
7 Los Angeles def. 2 San Jose
3 Detroit def. 6 Phoenix (I still can't believe there is a F**KING hockey team in Phoenix. Such a disgrace)
4 Anaheim def. 5 Nashville (Nashville is OBSCENELY OVERRATED. I hope they go down in flames this year)
8 BLACKHAWKS def. 3 Detroit (I would rather get kicked in the nuts and be forced to kiss Rosie O'Donnell than ever EVER pick those evil motherf**kers in Joe Louis Arena over my beloved Hawks)
4 Anaheim def. 7 Los Angeles (AGH I HATE THE DUCKS, but there's no chance in hell the Kings get past them)
8 BLACKHAWKS def. 4 Anaheim (I really can't bring myself to picking the goddamn Ducks, a team named after a cracked Disney movie starring Charlie Sheen's brother, over my Hawks, despite the fact that Anaheim has Corey Perry on their team. Again, my pride and loyalty has gotten in the way of my hockey brain)
STANLEY CUP
BLACKHAWKS def. Washington
Yes you heard it here first, BLACKHAWKS are going to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, and Marian Hossa are going to kick it into a higher gear. Guys like Bolland, Brouwer, Kopecky, Bickell and Dowell are going to need to grab their hard hats and their lunch pails and play the same rugged blue collar hockey that carried the Hawks to the title last year.
Okay in all seriousness, there's a better chance of Matt Damon acquiring superpowers and suddenly becoming my fairy godmother than the Hawks repeating. All i'm saying is that Hawks' fans need to remember what MOntreal did last year. If Crawford plays at Halak/Niemi levels, this team could cause some upsets.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go look for my brain and my sanity.
Cheers,
DC
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