Two Teams Left in the Playoffs, Two Teams Left in this Pool

Ladies and Gentlemen, for the first time in the history of this pool, no one is FROZEN! heading into the Stanley Cup final. Everyone had the good sense to take at least one player from either the Ducks or the Senators. That means everyone still technically has a shot to move up in the standings.

Lacking the unfettered joy and pleasure of typing the word FROZEN!, for the comments in this update I made all of your names into anagrams. Some of them are particularly amusing, including those for Sean Hutchinson, Rob Shaw, and Mary Kay Hosfield. Enjoy.

1)Julianna Nowaczek - 228(9) A Jackal One Wiz Nun
2)Mike Macaraeg - 224(10) Cake Rage Imam
3)Arthur Casement - 199(12) Racer Mates Hunt
4)Christopher Chapman - 194(10) Charmer Snatch Hippo
5)Terry James - 191(11) Jets A'Merry
6)Debb Coghlin - 189(13) Gobbled Chin
6)Sean Hutchinson - 189(10) Nun-Ass Ethnic Ho
8)Neil MacKinnon - 185(7) In Nominal Neck
9)James Peters - 184(12) Press Me a Jet
10)Peter James - 179(12) Jetsam Peer
11)Jordan Stein - 176(16) Janitor's Den
11)Colleen Racine - 176(14) Encircle a Noel
13)Ryan Plesko - 175(13) Pose Rankly
14)Brenden Hope - 168(12) Bender Phone
15)Marlow Weldon - 163(13) Lowland Mower
16)Lloyd Mack - 161(13) Moldy Calk
17)James Gordon - 160(10) Jargon Modes
18)Jack James - 158(13) "No Anagrams Found"
18)Rob Shaw - 158(15) Bras, How?
20)Colleen Turnbull - 155(12) Lone Blunter Cull
20)Kim Landon - 155(12) Ol' Mankind
22)Janet Chapman - 152(14) Chant 'em, Japan
23)Mike James - 145(15) Jam is Meek
23)Mary Kay Hosfield - 145(15) My Folksy Airhead
25)Jennifer Hosfield - 138(14) John's Fired Feline
26)Peter Field - 133(16) Pet Defiler
27)Jason Anthony - 130(13) Josh Oat Nanny
28)Jeff Sandelli - 128(15) Fed Fill Jeans
28)Jason Trout - 128(11) Tan or Joust

Update delayed

Some troubling news from Hockey Pool HQ. For the past two days I've been unable to access my hockey pool database, which has prevented me from doing a pool update.

I'm not sure if the problem is on my end in Ottawa or at Google's end, but I will look into it. In the meantime have fun speculating about what the Ducks win on Tuesday night meant in the pool's big picture.

The Year of the Colleen Update

Hello Poolies:

Despite the fact I haven't posted in a week, I am not still stuck in North Bay, as some of you may have assumed. I've arrived in Ottawa and am the guests of fellow poolies Mr. and Mrs. Chapman for the time being. Aside from being wonderful hosts (and great cooks) they are also great hockey fans (and doing much better in the pool compared to me).

The big news is of course the Ottawa Senators march into the Stanley Cup final with a win over Buffalo earlier today. The result, while good for Hockey Night in Canada's future ratings, was disastrous to most poolies. The Sabres were the consensus choice to win this thing going into the playoffs, so there was a lot of red ink spilled. The Sens win also ends the perfect pool quest. Kim Landon was the last woman standing with a clean sheet, but her lack of faith in the team from our nation's capital was her undoing. The Sabres loss also locked me into last place this year.

Through all the pool carnage, there are some bright spots. Two-time champion Chris Chapman (he of great BBQing skills) and another former champion Mary James (she of great banana bread making) both picked the Sens in five. We also have a new leader, Carleton University's own Colleen Racine.

1) Colleen Racine 51 The Wings and Sens control your destiny
2) Colleen Turbull 49 We'll have to get in touch, now that I'm in Ottawa
3) Kim Landon 48 It was fun while it lasted
4) Chris Chapman 47 Another top-5 finish could be in the cards
4) Mary James 47 Putting the family to shame
6) Mike Macaraeg 46 Another perennial contender doing well
7) Julianna Nowaczek 45 Sometimes having faith in your team pays off
8) Arthur Casement 44 Of course, your team missed the playoffs
8) Neil McKinnon 44 Pool's top rookie falling off down the stretch
8) Ryan Plesko 44 Pool's top sophomore falling off down the stretch
11) Mike McGuire 42 Wings can still lift you into contention
12) Terry James 41 I hear you guys had a nasty windstorm
13) Janet Chapman 38 Queen of the crosswords
14) Jordan Stein 37 Kind of like the Canucks, you didn't quite have enough
15) Ali Hewitt 36 The above comment also works for you
16) Debb Coghlin 35 Great start, not such a hot finish
16) James Peters 35 At least one of us put in a respectable effort
18) James Gordon 34 Now that we work in the same building, we should say hi or something
18) Sean Hutchinson 34 All you can do is drop, fortunately not many people can pass you
20) Natalie James 32 Making it three James's in the top 20
21) Rob Shaw 31 Nice company this CanWest, eh
21) Lloyd Mack 31 Thanks for the nice comment in the last post
23) Mary-Kay Hosfield 29 Alas, there isn't much hope for people this low
23) Marlow Weldon 29 In fact much of this will be the same the rest of the way
23) Jason Anthony 29 But I guess there's always next year
23) Jack James 29 First mistake in the East is costly
27) Peter Field 28 At least you clinched the top Peter position
28) Jenn Hosfield 27 So how was grad?
28) Jason Trout 27 This finish leaves you room to improve next year
28) Brenden Hope 27 This is a good spot for a Leafs fan to finish
31) Jeff Sandelli 26 I should point out, you finished lower than the lowest Leafs' fan
31) Mike James 26 How was the first day of work?
33) Peter James 22 (Shudder)

Mid-Conference Final Update

A few general comments... Sons veterans Julianna Nowaczek and Mike Macaraeg are tied for the lead on the player side, proving the value of experience in a pool like this. Mike looked like he had a sizeable lead at the beginning of the Conference Finals, but Julianna stormed into the top spot with a ton of momentum.

On the other end of the spectrum, it's not a good time to be named Jason.

1)Julianna Nowaczek - 198(3)
1)Mike Macaraeg - 198(5)
3)Arthur Casement - 179(6)
4)Debb Coghlin - 178(10)
5)Christopher Chapman - 172(5)
6)James Peters - 170(7)
7)Terry James - 169(2)
8)Peter James - 167(6)
9)Sean Hutchinson - 166(6)
9)Jordan Stein - 166(8)
11)Colleen Racine - 163(6)
12)Neil MacKinnon - 158(5)
13)Ryan Plesko - 156(8)
14)Marlow Weldon - 152(11)
15)Lloyd Mack - 150(7)
16)Brenden Hope - 149(6)
16)James Gordon - 149(9)
18)Rob Shaw - 148(9)
19)Colleen Turnbull - 146(6)
20)Jack James - 145(11)
21)Janet Chapman - 142(8)
22)Mike James - 131(10)
22)Kim Landon - 131(5)
24)Mary Kay Hosfield - 130(10)
25)Peter Field - 124(9)
26)Jennifer Hosfield - 123(11)
27)Jeff Sandelli - 120(8)
28)Jason Anthony - 112(10)
28)Jason Trout - 112(6)

Live blogging live from North Bay!

7: 36 p.m. I'm in North Bay, making my way towards my new life in Ottawa. Since this is my first Saturday night of in forever, I figured I should be productive. So here is my second live blogging attempt. Interspersed within the hockey notes will be some useless travel anecdotes from my last couple of days on the road.

If any of you happen upon this blog during the game, check back often and enjoy. If you are reading this after the fact, I hope it's not too long.

7:41 p.m. I got the idea of doing this somewhere after buying really expensive gas in Upsula Friday night. Being a journalist and super geeky I got my tape recorder out and starting making audio notes of the trip. An audio log book so to speak.

7:46 p.m. For the record, Friday's day included a 9:30 a.m. departure from Winnipeg, a stop of a little over an hour in Kenora to meet up with some of my former colleagues at the Miner and News and Lake of the Woods Sports Association, followed by a drive to Nipigon where I spent the night. Today I made the trek to North Bay.

7:52 p.m. I'd better chime in with a prediction before they drop the puck. I'm going with 5-1 Ottawa. They'll carry their momentum from Thursday's third period to build a 3-0 first period lead and cruise to a win from there. Goals from: Spezza (2), Fisher, Corvo and Alfredsson for Ottawa and Hecht for Buffalo.

7:58 p.m. One of the satellite radio stations I've been flipping to on occasion is XM 171, Open Road. It's designed for truckers and they call in using their nicknames. My favourite so far: Rubber Duck.

8:04 p.m. Did Don Cherry just say that Buffalo hasn't played a good game yet in the playoffs? I haven't watched as much hockey as he has, but I find that hard to believe. I also love the fact that he just predicted the Sabres will lose the series right in front of a half dozen young Sabres fans.

8:05 p.m. I've said it before, I'll say it again. I love the Sabres colour scheme this year. The logo has been a bit of an acquired taste, but it's growing on me. Now they just need to get rid of that stupid tiger mascot.

8:08 p.m. On his radio show Friday Tony Kornheiser (available on XM 144) was talking about what aspects of Canada are better than the United States. The top of the list, the Canadian national anthem versus its American counterpart. Also included: the Canadian Niagara Falls and Canadian bacon.

8:11 p.m. Only one French official, if Shane Doan were playing, he'd be happy.

8:14 p.m. Only 1:51 into the game and my prediction is wrong. This is why I'm in last place folks. As for the goal, Alfredesson should have tied up Roy's stick rather than just stand there.
The goal is under review and despite the puck hitting the glove I think it should count.

8:18 p.m. I agree with the point Harry Neale was trying to make on the goal that was disallowed. Since Vanek never took his glove off his stick, I thought it should count. Even if there was a batting motion, the intent was it hit it with the stick not the glove. But I guess the rules disagree.

8:23 p.m Buffalo got it right back. And since neither team has lost after scoring the first goal, I guess I should just flip to whatever else is on right now, because this game must be over.

8:27 p.m. Bob Cole pulls out his first 'Oh Baby!' of the night and the Sabres go up 2-0. Maybe I should reverse my prediction, although Hecht did score.

8:29 p.m. Most ironic part of my trip so far: I drove through Sunshine, Ont. at dusk on Friday; I drove through Moonbeam, Ont. at midday Saturday.

8:36 p.m. It's worth pointing out, as bad as it looks for Ottawa right now (they're down 2-0 and being badly outplayed and outchanced), their long term hopes are still strong. You see, I have Buffalo in the pool.

8:42 p.m. Great passing play for Ottawa's first goal. Harry Neale has crowned Alfie as the best player in Ottawa Senators history. I think he must be forgetting about Andreas Dackell, Scott Levins and of course Alexei Yashin.

8:49 p.m. Two things I kept track of on the drive were dead dear and RCMP/OPP patrol cars. The dead dear gave the RCMP a run for their money on the prairies and even held a 4-3 lead at one point. But the OPP got the coppers back in the game and as of tonight they have a 16-6 edge. In fact I didn't see a dead dear anywhere today (although I did see a live black bear this morning).

9:09 p.m. Don Cherry touched on the NHLPA fiasco during Coach's Corner tonight. They were also talking about on on XM 204, Home Ice when I was tuning in this afternoon. One of the rumours they were floating on the radio was Donald Fehr coming in to take the reigns. That would be a huge mistake on the players part. Despite the salary cap, life is pretty good for NHL players these days. Revenues are increasing and so are their pay cheques, they have a stake in the league's success and there is labour peace. Fehr and his anti-salary cap mentality will only make more trouble.

9:15 p.m. I laughed out loud at Chris Neil's ridiculous attempt to protest his innocence when he was laying on top of Derek Roy. A holding penalty was very much justified.

9:22 p.m. It's 2-2. We've got a hockey game. And I'm two-for-two in predicting Sens goal scorers, and one-for-two on the Sabres side.

9:27 p.m. Another thing that kept me amused as I drove was all the little slogans the cities and towns use to describe themselves. Since I hail from Winnipeg (One Great City), pretty much anything else sounds original. On the prairies it was heritage this and heritage that. Today in northeastern Ontario, Kapuskasing (The Model Town of the North) is dueling it out with Smooth Rock Falls (The North's Biggest Little Town). Latchford, Ont. decided to go very specific. They are "The Best Little Town by a Dam Site." There was also a town further south that boasted having 2 billion square feet, but I neglected the name in the audio log book.

9:36 p.m. I think Bob Cole's senility is contagious. When teamed with Jim Hughson earlier in the playoffs, Harry Neale was on his game. Tonight he's doing a worse job of identifying players than Bob "The Ottawa defenceman has the puck" Cole.

9:38 p.m. It must be pointed out at this point that this is a very exciting hockey game.

9:45 p.m. Wow, great shot by Redden and great second period by Ottawa. If only Redden could have scored a few more of those during the regular season when he was a part of my under-achieving pool team.

9:49 p.m. I've been a keen observer of billboards the past few days. The most professional promotion award goes to Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay. They had a series of signs every 10 km or so advertising their park. I didn't check it out, so I can't comment on their veracity. Timmins went a different route, they just put up a giant picture of Shania Twain.

9:54 p.m. I was stopped a number of times for construction the past few days, usually for no more than 10 minutes. I was also stopped once as they were pulling the trailer of a truck out of the ditch after an accident. I kind of liked these breaks, they gave me a chance to stretch my legs and take my mind off the road. But the real reason for this segment is to point out the crew just east of Longlac had the best looking flagwomen I've ever seen.

9:57 p.m. Quote of the day during the satellite hotstove, Scotty Morrison on Neil Smith: "Remember those 40 days he was in charge on Long Island, he did a good job." Morrison was not being sarcastic.

10:09 p.m. I passed a lot of cemetary's the past few days. One even had a 'No snowmobiling' sign at the entrance. There is only one reason why some town council felt compelled to put up that signage, at some point a jackass decided the best place to take his new motorized sled for a test drive was around all the headstones.

10:18 p.m. Some people say the federal NDP are out-of-touch with the general population. Charlie Angus' slogan isn't doing anything to help their cause. He has a massive billboard that says: "New ideas for a new century." Might have been a good idea six years ago, but now it seems a little stale.

10:25 p.m. If the Senators hold on for the final five minutes tonight, they will win the series. A loss tonight for Buffalo (blowing a 2-0 lead at home) would be tough to overcome. All Ottawa would need is a split at home to go up 3-1.

10:28 p.m. I love how Bob Cole continues to describe a play long after it's finished. Dany Heatley just had a great scoring chance to score. It was a quick bang-bang play, but by the time Cole had finished describing that two seconds of action, the puck had already been turned over and the Sens were changing lines.

10:35 p.m. Hockey Night in Canada started this evening with a video of captains Alfredsson and Briere. Well, Mr. Briere just came up big for Buffalo. Bring on overtime.

10:40 p.m. As someone who is interested in all things historical, roadside plaques have always piqued my interest. But as a child, driving with my father we never stopped unless we needed gas or if he had to use the washroom (the rest of us had to hold it). I've carried on that mentality to my own road trips so I rarely stop to the read the plaques. But thanks to the Internet and audio log books I've been able to do some research upon my arrival here in North Bay. Turns out I passed the site of a bloody labour dispute, two fires, the birthplace of a war hero and a major expedition.

10:51 p.m. I guess it's time to pick my OT scorers. Buffalo: Campbell. Ottawa: Neil.

11:05 p.m. What happens to make otherwise sane goaltenders go crazy when they try to play the puck? Emery just about cost his team the game because he didn't factor in the angle the puck would rebound off the boards when he cleared it. It's the second goof he's made today and Miller has also coughed up the puck.

11:11 p.m. Power play for Buffalo in overtime. This could be the turning point.

11:21 p.m. And this game will continue into the second OT, but this live blog will not. I've got to continue this road trip tomorrow and that means getting some sleep tonight.

I'm in Winnipeg update

Once again I have nothing intelligent to say about the series that has most recently come to an end, although I did catch the final two minutes of Detroit/San Jose Game 6. From what I gather listening to an obscene amount of all-sports radio the Sharks choked and Doug Wilson did a terrible job managing his team. From what my brother heard, Nabokov sucked.

"Because he came out, and oh my God it was horrible," Mike James explained to me, just now as I was writing this.

I think he was talking about that bad goal on the weekend. I vaguely remember seeing it while I was scrubbing my baseboards...

The reason Mike was able to explain all this to me is because I'm in Winnipeg right now, making my way out east to Ottawa.

The pool update is below, but for the heck of it here are some completely irrelevant travel notes:

• It took me 12 hours, 10 minutes door-to-door from Calgary to Winnipeg . I used a two-stop pit strategy, but I probably could have broken the 12-hour mark had I left Cow Town on a full tank and only stopped once.
• For the third time in as many years I was able to observe the construction work in eastern Saskatchewan and western Manitoba. They are twinning the Trans-Canada and from my untrained eye they don't appear to be accomplishing much. It's still a few years away methinks.
• XM radio was my best friend for the long drive (and will be again when I hit the road Friday for Day 2 of the road trip). For the record, the channels I listen to the most were: 6 (60s music), 7 (70s music), 9 (90s music, it isn't a road trip without some Spice Girls, right?), 131 (BBC, some great documentaries), 142 (Fox Sports radio, this is where I spent the bulk of my time, except when they took three hours to discuss Barry Bonds), 153 (comedy), 167 (Air America, for the lefty version of American talk radio), 168 (Fox News talk, for the neo-Con version of American talk radio).
• Someone should tell Regina to build some sort of by-pass around Victoria Street. I hit three straight red lights. Very frustrating (and yes, I'm being very petty).
• I took way too much pleasure from seeing tumbleweed blow across the highway
• Some one should tell Manitoba to up their speed limit to 110 km/h.
• A big thanks to the family in Calgary for the wonderful pre-trip dinner and to my grandma for the excellent lunch she packed for the road. I even made it home in time for my mother's birthday dinner.
• Overall I quite enjoyed the trip. Unlike this guy.

Enough of that. Here are the scores.

1) Kim Landon 48 Finally taken over the lead
2) Ryan Plesko 44 Your fall from glory has begun
2) Neil McKinnon 44 Same goes for you
2) Colleen Racine 44 Sens are your ticket
2) Arthur Casement 44 Working yourself back into contention
6) Colleen Turnbull 42 More proof the Colleens are dominating the pool
6) Mike McGuire 42 A Canucks pick away from being perfect
8) Terry James 41 I bet you'll be gloating about this after work tonight
9) Chris Chapman 39 I remember when you were in first, it wasn't that long ago
9) Mary James 39 Another family member in the top-10
9) Mike Macaraeg 39 I'm sitting with one of your potential students right now
12) Julianna Nowaczek 38 If you go 3-for-3 the rest of the way, you'll finish top 10
12) Janet Chapman 38 Tell Chris to watch out below
14) Jordan Stein 37 Still perfect, in the Western Conference that is
15) Ali Hewitt 36 Still waiting to hear who that new job is going...
16) Debb Coghlin 35 You are now FROZEN
16) James Peters 35 Sorry to steal your 'FROZEN' line
18) Sean Hutchinson 34 The Sharks loss killed your hopes
19) Natalie James 32 You peaked WAY too early this year
20) Rob Shaw 31 You are 19 spots lower than last year
20) Lloyd Mack 31 Are we on for Friday?
22) Jason Anthony 29 Still a lot of room to grow
22) Jack James 29 Thanks for all your hospitality the past year!
22) Marlow Weldon 29 You are now FROZEN
22) Mary Kay Hosfield 29 So is it Mary Kay or Mary Kathryn?
26) Peter Field 28 Wow, talk about pulling yourself out of the basement
27) Jenn Hosfield 27 You are now FROZEN (but I think you saw this coming)
27) Jason Trout 27 On the other hand, you still have all your remaining teams alive
27) James Gordon 27 That Minnesota pick still hurts your standings
27) Brenden Hope 27 I hear you go by 'Hoper' or is it 'Hopper?'
31) Mike James 26 Thanks for the help with this update!
31) Jeff Sandelli 26 I'll be calling you later
33) Peter James 22 The shame is unbearable

Post Second Round Update

Folks, I can't remember in recent years someone separating himself from the pack like Mike Macaraeg has after the second round. It may not be enough to guarantee himself top spot, but he's done himself a big favour by scoring big points early.

1)Mike Macaraeg - 157(5)
2)Julianna Nowaczek - 149(3)
3)Arthur Casement - 148(6)
4)Debb Coghlin - 146(10)
5)Christopher Chapman - 142(5)
6)Sean Hutchinson - 141(6)
7)Jordan Stein - 140(8)
8)Peter James - 137(6)
9)James Peters - 136(7)
10)Marlow Weldon - 133(11)
11)Ryan Plesko - 132(8)
12)Neil MacKinnon - 131(5)
12)Colleen Racine - 131(6)
12)Terry James - 131(2)
15)Brenden Hope - 126(6)
16)Jack James - 125(11)
17)James Gordon - 122(9)
18)Lloyd Mack - 121(7)
19)Rob Shaw - 120(9)
20)Mike James - 118(10)
21)Colleen Turnbull - 117(6)
22)Janet Chapman - 114(8)
23)Jennifer Hosfield - 112(11)
24)Kim Landon - 110(5)
25)Mary Kay Hosfield - 106(10)
26)Jason Anthony - 100(10)
26)Peter Field - 100(9)
28)Jeff Sandelli - 98(8)
28)Jason Trout - 98(6)

update

Two more teams bite the dust, so it's time for another update. This one is a quickie with no individual comments (I'm in the very end stages of moving, and still very busy).

A quick note about the leaders: Three poolies are still perfect. Ryan and Neil both have the Sharks, so they will need a San Jose comeback to keep the dream alive. Lurking behind is Kim
who chose Detroit. If the Wings carry their current momentum to a series victory she will hold down top spot.

A quick note about the bottom feeders: Yes, that's me in last place.

The update at the end of the Detroit/San Jose series may be delayed, because as of Monday I'm going to be on the road.

1) Ryan Plesko 44
1) Neil McKinnon 44
3) Kim Landon 43
4) Mike Macaraeg 39
4) Chris Chapman 39
6) Arthur Casement 38
6) Colleen Racine 38
8) Colleen Turnbull 36
8) Mike McGuire 36
10) Terry James 35
10) James Peters 35
12) Mary James 34
12) Sean Hutchinson 34
14) Julianna Nowaczek 33
14) Janet Chapman 33
16) Jordan Stein 32
16) Natalie James 32
18) Lloyd Mack 31
18) Ali Hewitt 31
20) Debb Coghilin 30
21) Marlow Weldon 29
21) Jason Anthony 29
21) Jack James 29
24) Jenn Hosfield 27
24) Jason Trout 27
24) James Gordon 27
24) Brenden Hope 27
28) Jeff Sandelli 26
28) Mike James 26
28) Rob Shaw 26
31) Mary-Kay Hosfield 24
32) Peter Field 22
32) Peter James 22

Canucks, Devils eliminated

1)Mike Macaraeg - 150(1) Looking good for a title

2)Debb Coghlin - 145(8) You peaked early, I'm afraid

3)Julianna Nowaczek - 142(3) 7 players in double digits

4)Arthur Casement - 139(4) Jagr was a wise selection

5)Christopher Chapman - 137(1) Don't count yourself out

6)Sean Hutchinson - 136(2) You were bound to lose some

7)James Peters - 132(4) Must I always be tied with another James

7)Peter James - 132(2) Apparently I must

9)Jordan Stein - 131(8) Jersey's elimination not good for you

10)Neil MacKinnon - 130(1) Hank Sedin your lone misstep

11)Marlow Weldon - 129(9) You had many missteps

12)Ryan Plesko - 127(7) Might as well concentrate on the other side

13)Colleen Racine - 125(4) Still 0-for-Danny Markov

14)Jack James - 122(11) Lead the pool in players eliminated

15)Terry James - 121(2) Lead the pool in "sons in the pool"

16)James Gordon - 120(8) Wouldn't the Oilers love to have Comrie now

16)Brenden Hope - 120(4) No, they probably still wouldn't

18)Lloyd Mack - 115(5) If the Flames survive, you're still perfect

19)Rob Shaw - 113(8) If the Thrashers survive, you're... better

20)Mike James - 112(8) Turco still your leading goalie

21)Colleen Turnbull - 110(6) Eaves dropping you in the standings

22)Janet Chapman - 109(6) You won't beat your husband this way

23)Jennifer Hosfield - 108(10) Not that you'd want to "beat" your husband

24)Kim Landon - 101(5) I still say Pyatt was a good pick

25)Mary Kay Hosfield - 99(9) Then again, what do I know?

26)Jason Anthony - 96(8) Giguere the right Duck goalie, it seems

27)Peter Field - 95(9) At your highest point

28)Jeff Sandelli - 92(8) This is painful to watch

29)Jason Trout - 91(3) On the bright side, both Duck goalies still alive

Update

It was a fairly miserable Thursday here in Red Deer. Damp, rainy and rather chilly. But tonight's loss by the Vancouver Canucks put a smile on my face. I was really hoping Vancouver wouldn't take a page out of Calgary and Edmonton's books and make a run to the final. I didn't want to have to deal with their obnoxious fans (many of whom are in this very pool!).

I was surprised by the number of poolies who had the Cancuks going the distance this year. Aside from having one of the best goaltenders in the game, the Cancuks didn't bring much else to the table. The Ducks win has allowed a few wise poolies to run away from the pack. It will be interesting to see if anyone can reel them in.

1) Ryan Plesko 34 Still perfect
1) Neil McKinnon 34 Looking for the Sharks to rebound
1) Chris Chapman 34 I guess I'll be seeing you soon
4) Kim Landon 32 Keeping pace with the leading triumvirate
5) Terry James 29 What the heck? How'd you get up here?
6) Sean Hutchinson 28 Sorry I missed your call
6) Mike Macaraeg 28 Making the move for the double
8) Arthur Casement 27 Regaining your lofty position
8) Colleen Racine 27 Falling, but not out of top 10
8) Natalie James 27 You will drop out of the top 10 eventually
11) Mike McGuire 26 You are out of the top 10
11) Jordan Stein 26 Recovering from mediocre first round
13) Colleen Turnbull 25 But you still have your Sens
13) Debb Coghlin 25 Expect to fall even more
13) James Peters 25 First mistake was a biggie
16) Marlow Weldon 24 Avoid the unlucky 13 crowd
17) Janet Chapman 23 Looking forward to the pink room
17) Jason Anthony 23 Your pool team doesn't suck anymore!
17) Julianna Nowaczek 23 A Detroit win will get you back in top 15
17) Mary James 23 Another Cancuklehead goes down
21) Jason Trout 22 Look at your climbing up the rankings
21) Brendon Hope 22 Welcome to the bottom third
23) Ali Hewitt 21 How's the new job?
23) James Gordon 21 See you at the office soon enough
23) Jenn Hosfield 21 Sabres, Sharks your only hopes
23) Mike James 21 What are the Moose's chances in round 2?
23) Rob Shaw 21 You will soar if Wings win
28) Lloyd Mack 20 Eastern Conference still perfect
29) Jack James 19 See you Monday
29) Mary-Kay Hosfield 19 Maybe you too?
31) Peter Field 16 Canucks latest blow to your sheet
31) Jeff Sandelli 16 It's easier when the Flames miss the playoffs, eh
31) Peter James 16 Cracking the Top 30 is harder than it looks

Shame, Shame, Shame

The topic du jour in the hockey world is the Canadian Parliament's decision to hold Hockey Canada to account for naming Shane Doan the captain of our country's world championship team.

This is absurd. It's a waste of time for the honourable members in Ottawa and makes a mockery of our democracy.

I understand on one level why the Bloc Quebecois might get upset about this. Even though the NHL has cleared Doan of any wrong-doing, the Bloc have a long standing tradition of raising a fuss over this type of thing.

What gets me is the Liberals, NDP and Conservatives have all joined the chorus. These parties are just making themselves look foolish.

If Doan said what it's alleged he said, then he probably isn't the best choice as team Canada's captain. But it should be up to Hockey Canada alone to make that decision.

***

Just a quick final note on the Telus Cup from last week. For the third time in four years the championship match went to overtime. It was a wonderfully exciting hockey game and the Prince AlbertMintos finished it off with a beautiful goal.

There was some debate in our sports department about the merit of drop passes in overtime. I argued that a drop pass in the offensive zone is OK, because it's a way to create scoring chances. One of my colleagues disagreed, saying it's too risky a move to be trying in the extra session.

Do any poolies have thoughts on this?

***

And for those Bob Cole fans out there, Scott Feschuk has a good piece on the MacLean's website today.

Mid-Second Round Update

1)Debb Coghlin - 126(0) Still in 1st
2)Mike Macaraeg - 123(1) Up from 3rd
3)Arthur Casement - 118(1) Up from 4th
4)Sean Hutchinson - 116(0) Up from 17th
5)Christopher Chapman - 115(0) Up from 18th
6)James Peters - 113(0) Up from 9th
6)Peter James - 113(1) Up from 13th
8)Jordan Stein - 112(2) Down from 2nd
8)Julianna Nowaczek - 112(1) Up from 9th
10)Neil MacKinnon - 108(0) Down from 5th
10)Marlow Weldon - 108(1) Down from 8th
12)Ryan Plesko - 106(2) Down from 5th
13)Colleen Racine - 105(1) Up from 15th
14)Jack James - 104(6) Down from 5th
15)James Gordon - 103(4) Down from 13th
16)Mike James - 102(7) Down from 11th
17)Brenden Hope - 100(0) Up from 19th
18)Lloyd Mack - 98(5) Up from 22nd
19)Jennifer Hosfield - 96(6) Down from 11th
20)Rob Shaw - 94(6) Down from 16th
21)Colleen Turnbull - 93(1) Up from 22nd
22)Janet Chapman - 90(2) Down from 20th
23)Terry James - 89(2) Up from 24th
24)Kim Landon - 87(4) Up from 26th
25)Mary Kay Hosfield - 86(5) Down from 20th
26)Jason Anthony - 84(7) Down from 24th
27)Jeff Sandelli - 80(8) Still at 27th
27)Jason Trout - 80(3) Up from 29th
29)Peter Field - 76(5) Down from 28th