Lopsided second round

With the Penguins and Red Wings filling the net on Tuesday night, there were lots of points to be had, with some poolies scoring upwards of 20 points in one night.

With the potential of a second round series ending tonight, I may jump in with a team side update, if necessary.

Here are the latest standings:


T1) Justin Lee 134 You've got company
T1) Brad Bouzane 134 Welcome back to the top
3) Sean Hutchinson 133 You've made a nice little run here
T4) Mark Brennae 131 Hanging around despite all those Flames on your roster
T4) Cliff Hosfield 131 Best of the non-Canwest rookies
6) Jason Anthony 130 So much for all my middle of the pack comments
T7) James Peters 129 Passport Canada won't know what hit them
T7) Rob Shaw 129 The Onion is always good for a laugh
9) Terry James 127 What's new in the 'Peg?
T10) Richard Warnica 126 One of many to cash in on the Malkin-Crosby-Datsyuk-Zetterberg combo
T10) Ryan Plesko 126 A San Jose win will help your chances
T10) Lloyd Mack 126 Two of the three Hart Trophy candidates on your roster
13) Mary Kay Hosfield 125 It doesn't look good for the national field hockey team
T14) Mike James 124 Flyers don't play, so you drop like a stone
T14) Dale Oviatt 124 You also dropped like a stone, but it wasn't because of the Flyers
T16) Steve McKinley 123 Two picks away from a contender
T16) Arthur Casement 123 Ditto
T18) Jennifer Hosfield 121 You're tied with people today. You're usually in a stand-alone position
T18) Liam Lynch 121 Richardson for V.P.
T18) Jordan Stein 121 Sykora finally coming through
T21) David Forbes 118 Holmstrom gets on the board again
T21) Colleen Turnbull 118 Franzan pick counterbalances Ryder selection
T21) Dave Washburn 118 You're up
T24) Ron Strate 117 Roberts: Still not playing
T24) Jack James 117 Is Warriner tradeable?
T26) Kim Landon 116 Michalek's scoring streak ends at two games
T26) Julianna Nowaczek 116 Vegas has you favoured by 57 in the next Scrabulous game
28) James Gordon 112 Lack of Wings hurt you on Tuesday
29) Adam Fulton 109 You do well alphabetically, not numerically
30) Neil MacKinnon 107 Big night, tonight
31) Don McGowan 106 Looking forward to those cookies
32) Barry Horeczy 105 Depending on how many cookies are involved, I may even share with you
33) Colleen Racine 101 Unlikely you'll win the Battle of the Colleens
34) Scott McCleery 100 Welcome to triple digits
35) Jeff Sandelli 97 You managed to get zero points on Tuesday. Quite a feat.
36) Chris Chapman 96 Goalies have a combined zero second round points
37) Debb Coghlin 93 No Malkin, No Crosby, No Chance
38) Peter James 86 This year is more evidence I do not cheat when running this pool
39) Janet Chapman 75 We should have a cellar-dweller party

Things are getting interesting

Here are the scores, without any preamble.


1) Justin Lee 119 Enough variety on your roster to stay in first
T2) Mark Brennae 117 What's wrong with the Habs?
T2) 6) Mike James 117 That Hatcher is a class act, eh
4) Dale Oviatt 115 Save our Jets
T5) Brad Bouzane 114 Enjoying the day shift?
T5) Cliff Hosfield 114 Penguins, Red Wings victories are good news for you
T5) Sean Hutchinson 114 Plekanac can help you close the gap against some of the people in front of you
T5) Jason Anthony 114 You'll only go so far as the Habs will take you
T9) Richard Warnica 113 You need wins from Prince and Lundqvist
T9) Ryan Plesko 113 I don't know if I've said this already, but that Ribeiro pick was genius
T9) James Peters 113 Need some help from your remaining blue-liners
12) Rob Shaw 111 Enjoyed the Con-Air story
T13) Mary Kay Hosfield 110 The Morrow pick was your wildcard, and it's working
T13) Steve McKinley 110 You're this high despite picking both Brodeur and Gaborik. Impressive.
15) Jennifer Hosfield 109 What's up with Nabokov?
T16) David Forbes 108 You didn't ask, but the exam went well
T16) Liam Lynch 108 Hasek's benching holding you back
T16) Neil MacKinnon 108 Is that it for Price?
T16) Lloyd Mack 108 Looks like quite the winter storm you guys had
T20) Arthur Casement 107 Also bitten by the Brodeur/Gaborik bug
T20) Terry James 107 So when will you open up Roughrock?
T22) James Gordon 105 Happy Birthday!
T22) Colleen Turnbull 105 The goose egg next to Mr. Ryder's name stands out right now
24) Jordan Stein 103 If Sykora starts scoring, you can climb up the standings
T25) Jack James 102 What's happened to Sakic and company?
T25) Dave Washburn 102 You must be smiling after that win, eh, Woody?
T25) Kim Landon 102 Michalek finally hitting his stride
T28) Julianna Nowaczek 101 Zubov is finally on the board
T28) Don McGowan 101 Now all those fans in Montreal have something to riot about
T28) Ron Strate 101 How about those Lethbridge Hurricanes!
31) Adam Fulton 100 You need Cheechoo to pick it up
32) Jeff Sandelli 97 Roughrock?
33) Barry Horeczy 95 You're not getting nearly enough from your goalies
34) Colleen Racine 93 We've reached the point in the standings were there is little hope of victory
35) Chris Chapman 91 Sorry to break the bad news to y'all
36) Debb Coghlin 89 If Theodore and the Avs come back, you can climb up the standings
37) Scott McCleery 86 If Theodore and the Avs come back, you can climb up the standings on the other side of the pool
38) Peter James 77 Yay one point since the last update!
39) Janet Chapman 68 You failed to get a point since the last update.

Zubov is back

No update today folks, I've got an exam on Monday.

But if you didn't stay up late for the Stars/Sharks game, here's a recap I put together Sunday night for Canwest News Service.

Sorry for the radio silence

The second round is well underway, and I'm long overdue for a pool update. In case you've been busy doing last minute taxes, or studying for exams (I've been doing both!) and haven't been able to watch much hockey over the last few days, here's quick recap:

• The Detroit Red Wings have continued their dominance over the Colorado Avalanche and built a quick 2-0 lead in their series.
• The Montreal Canadiens needed some late game heroics to beat the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1, but couldn't pull off the comeback in Game 2. The Flyers leave the Bell Centre with a split.
• In one of the most exciting games of the playoffs (at least I think it was, I spent most of the third period on the phone with Winnipeg), the Pittsburgh Penguins came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat New York Rangers 5-4.
• In the least hyped series of the second round, the Brendan Morrow scored the overtime winner to lift the Dallas Stars over the San Jose Sharks.

What does all that mean for the pool? Well Justin Lee still leads, in fact he's pulled even further ahead since the end of the first round; Jason Anthony made a big jump from 21st to ninth; and I'm still in second last.

1) Justin Lee 116 You already have four players in double digits
T2) Mark Brennae 112 Tom Kostopoulos and the Habs are a bunch of thugs
T2) Dale Oviatt 112 Good news, the missing monkey has been returned
T4) Richard Warnica 110 How'd the game go on Parliament Hill?
T4) Brad Bouzane 110 Consider this your Scrabulous 'nudge'
6) Mike James 109 You must be a happy camper tonight
T7) Cliff Hosfield 108 Osgood pick is really paying off
T7) Sean Hutchinson 108 Looking forward to the visit
T7) Ryan Plesko 108 Big jump due to spreadsheet error
T10) David Forbes 107 Thanks for the pop quiz
T10) James Peters 107 So what's new in Kamloops?
T10) Jason Anthony 107 Congratulations on being the big mover and shaker
T10) Mary Kay Hosfield 107 How was the trip?
T14) Steve McKinley 106 Enjoy your Sunday off
T14) Liam Lynch 106 Thanks for the note.
16) Rob Shaw 105 I didn't realize there was so much energy in sewage
17) Jennifer Hosfield 104 Stanley is still a Flames fan, I see
T18) Arthur Casement 101 Nowhere near the basement, how do I come up with a good comment?
T18) Terry James 101 What's up with Minaki
T18) James Gordon 101 You're right the Canadiens won't have an easy time with Philly
T21) Lloyd Mack 100 Was that penalty against Richards in Game 1 deserved?
T21) Colleen Turnbull 100 Also an impressive move up the leaderboard
23) Julianna Nowaczek 99 Belated happy birthday
24) Neil MacKinnon 98 Is Carey Price cracking under the pressure?
T25) Adam Fulton 97 Say hi to Elizabeth for me, eh.
T25) Jack James 97 Has your interest in the playoffs waned with the Flames out?
T27) Jordan Stein 96 Should the 'Nucks keep Naslund, or send him packing?
T27) Dave Washburn 96 Here we go Flyers
T29) Don McGowan 95 I see Mr. Mills made the cut, eh
T29) Jeff Sandelli 95 Roughrock?
T31) Ron Strate 94 Roberts had a hot start, but hasn't done much since
T31) Kim Landon 94 I expect better from a 'sports insider'
33) Barry Horeczy 92 As I write this the Jazz are winning (and no, I'm not watching the game)
34) Colleen Racine 91 Crosby is a notable omission from your roster
T35) Debb Coghlin 87 Your Avs appear to be in trouble
T35) Chris Chapman 87 For what it's worth, you still have the Grierson Lane bragging rights
37) Scott McCleery 84 You also must be hoping for the Avs to turn it around
38) Peter James 76 I think I'm losing ground here
39) Janet Chapman 68 Yes, that means you might not finish in last

Double the update, double the fun

The first round is over and I've updated both sides of the pool. You should have received the updates in your email, but if not this post is for the player side of the pool. The team side update and my quick and dirty analysis on Tuesday night's games are located here.

The big news, as things relate to the player pool, was the big night from Sharks forward Jeremy Roenick. J.R. had a break out game, with a pair of goals and a pair of assists. Big news for Kim Landon and everyone else who took the grizzled vet. Also Joffrey Lupul got the overtime winner for the Philadelphia Flyers, and the bonus points helped Mike James mike his move up the standings.

1) Justin Lee 97 Five players eliminated
2) Mike James 96 Zero players eliminated, full roster intact!
3) Mark Brennae 94 Five players eliminated
4) Richard Warnica 93 Six players eliminated
5) David Forbes 92 Six players eliminated
6) Dale Oviatt 91 Two players eliminated
T7) Mary Kay Hosfield 90 Five players eliminated
T7) Rob Shaw 90 Four players eliminated
T9) Cliff Hosfield 89 Five players eliminated
T9) Brad Bouzane 89 One player eliminated
T9) James Gordon 89 Nine players eliminated
T9) Jenn Hosfield 89 Seven players eliminated
T13) James Peters 88 Five players eliminated
T13) Steve McKinley 88 Six players eliminated
T13) Liam Lynch 88 Six players eliminated
T16) Sean Hutchinson 87 Three players eliminated
T16) Jack James 87 Nine players eliminated
T18) Adam Fulton 85 Seven players eliminated
T18) Dave Washburn 85 Five players eliminated
T18) Ryan Plesko 85 Five players eliminated
T21) Arthur Casement 84 Five players eliminated
T21) Jason Anthony 84 Three players eliminated
T21) Jeff Sandelli 84 Ten players eliminated
24) Neil MacKinnon 82 Seven players eliminated
25) Julianna Nowaczek 81 Four players eliminated
T26) Jordan Stein 80 Three players eliminated
T26) Barry Horeczy 80 Six players eliminated
T26) Terry James 80 Two players eliminated
T29) Lloyd Mack 79 Four players eliminated
T29) Don McGowan 79 Zero players eliminated, full roster intact!
31) Ron State 78 Three players eliminated
32) Colleen Turnbull 77 Five players eliminated
T33) Kim Landon 75 One player eliminated
T33) Debb Coghlin 75 Seven players eliminated
T35) Colleen Racine 74 Six players eliminated
T35) Chris Chapman 74 Five players eliminated
37) Scott McCleery 72 Seven players eliminated
38) Peter James 64 Nine players eliminated
39) Janet Chapman 53 Four players eliminated

Nobody's perfect

Heading into Tuesday night, a pair of poolies had a chance to run the table in the first round. But neither Mark Brennae nor Brad Bouzane was able to go 8-for-8. The Sharks impressive second period did in Mr. Brennae, while Joffrey Lupul's overtime winner sunk Mr. Bouzane. After the dust settled we have a new leader on the team side as Sean Hutchinson picked up the maximum eight points Tuesday to pull ahead.

As you can all imagine, I'm disappointed with the result from the HP Pavilion. But a couple of soft goals (one by each Flames goaltender) and some costly penalties were too much to overcome against a talented Sharks team. It was frustrating to watch as the Flames began to unravel midway through the second period. The moment San Jose tied the game at two, I knew the Flames would be in tough. When Miikka Kiprusoff was pulled after the fourth goal, my heart sank. When Curtis Joseph let a goal in moments later, Calgary's fate was sealed.

In Washington, the Flyers managed to weather the storm in the third period and took advantage of a power play in overtime to end the Capitals Cinderella season.

Here are the team side standings (a player side update may follow in a couple hours):

1) Sean Hutchinson 24 Suddenly you're in the driver's seat
T2) Dale Oviatt 23 Flames lose, but you can celebrate your Sharks selection
T2) Mark Brennae 23 Your one mistake in the first round is your Stanley Cup pick
4) Mike James 22 At least one James brother is happy after Tuesday
5) Brad Bouzane 21 It's amazing you can go 7-for-8 and be in fifth spot
T6) Dave Washburn 20 If you'd gone with your heart you'd be first or second
T6) Debb Coghlin 20 Washington loss likely kills your chances
T6) Kim Landon 20 Also scored eight points Tuesday night. Congrats.
T6) Lloyd Mack 20 I'm sure the Eagle's Nest was rocking after that Flyers' win
T6) Mary James 20 Tell me more about this interview
T6) Ron State 20 Bonus point from the Sharks' win gets you into the top 10
T6) Terry James 20 I'm not nearly as happy as I was when I spoke with you three hours ago
T13) Don McGowan 19 All four of your final four teams still alive
T13) Barry Horeczy 19 You weren't the bad luck charm after all
T13) Jordan Stein 19 What do you think of the new 'Nucks hire?
T13) Liam Lynch 19 So who are you pulling for in the primary?
T17) David Forbes 18 I'd also be interested to hear if you have a favourite in the Democratic race
T17) Julianna Nowaczek 18 Your turn
T17) Ryan Plesko 18 I'm sure you Oiler fans are happy today
T17) James Peters 18 Canucks fans are probably smiling too
21) Jeff Sandelli 17 That wasn't much of a birthday present
T22) Jack James 16 Let the debate begin: How much is Langkow worth?
T22) Jason Anthony 16 Crosby and Co. are your key to move up
T22) Peter James 16 Well, that game wasn't very fun to watch
T22) Richard Warnica 16 Your fall in the standings was of Ottawa Senators proportions
T22) Scott McCleery 16 Among this group in 21st, you have the best chance to actually still win the pool
T27) Adam Fulton 15 Speaking of the Senators, how did that work out?
T27) Neil MacKinnon 15 I hope you get those riots you were looking for
20) Jennifer Hosfield 14 Oh-for-Tuesday cost you dearly
T30) Chris Chapman 13 It's a Chapman reunion. . .
T30) Janet Chapman 13 in a tie for 30th
T30) Cliff Hosfield 13 Actually it look's like 30th place is a great place. . .
T30) Mary Kay Hosfield 13 For married folk to hang out
T30) Rob Shaw 13 But if 30th spot is for married people what are you doing here?
T30) Steve McKinley 13 Is there something you haven't told us yet?
T36) Arthur Casement 12 I can sense your glee from here
T36) Justin Lee 12 If the combined pool still existed, you'd be an interesting case study
T36) Natalie James 12 Perhaps you'd do better in a rugby pool
T36) Stacey Tomlinson 12 All those upsets, they didn't pan out.
T40) Ali Hewitt 10 So if Vancouver folks really ever get winter, why do they complain about the weather so much?
T40) James Gordon 10 Nice post today
T42) Colleen Racine 9 Increased your score by 33 per cent on Tuesday
T42) Colleen Turnbull 9 When you guys are tied like this, it makes the Colleens comments easier

Everyone's a winner!

Monday night had the potential to cause a hockey's version of a crisis of faith. The combination of the revival of Phil Kessel and the (temporary) decline of Carey Price allowed the Boston Bruins to claw back from a 3-1 series deficit and force a seventh game. Had the Bruins been victorious Monday night against the Montreal Canadiens it would have turned the hockey world upside down. As Bill Simmons pointed out in his Monday column the Canadiens have a history of ripping the heart from the Bruins' chest and stomping on it.

And that's just what happened at the Bell Centre as the Canadiens won 5-0 and everyone in the pool got three points. Everyone except Barry Horeczy; he was the lone poolie to call the Canadiens dramatic seventh game triumph and gets a bonus point.

Also Monday, soon-to-be Hart Trophy winner Alex Ovechkin took the Washington Capitals on his shoulders and forced a seventh game in the series against the Philadelphia Flyers with two goals in the third period in a 4-2 win.

So with only two series left on the books (both with Game 7s set for Tuesday night), here are the latest team side standings:

1) Mark Brennae 20 Going for the perfect first round tonight
2) Brad Bouzane 18 You are perfect so far as well, but lack any bonus points
T3) Barry Horeczy 16 Good call on the Habs in 7
T3) Dale Oviatt 16 I'll be clad in Flames gear from head to toe on Tuesday
T3) Dave Washburn 16 I thought you'd know better than to bet on the Bruins against the Habs in the playoffs
T3) Don McGowan 16 I figured you'd appreciate the Kostitsyn brothers' performance on Monday
T3) Richard Warnica 16 The Canwest parade at the top continues
T3) Debb Coghlin 16 Like most people in this group, the Ducks are your lone blemish
T3) Liam Lynch 16 On the whole, this might be the best performance by a group of poolies in the first round
T3) Lloyd Mack 16 I'm sure the folks in Kenora aren't big Ovechkin fans right about now
T3) Mike James 16 Speaking of people who won't be buying the latest Ovechkin jersey. . .
T3) Scott McCleery 16 You have two potential bonus points on Tuesday night
T3) Terry James 16 Be easy on Mike if the Flyers lose on Tuesday night
T3) Sean Hutchinson 16 The lineups will be long at the sports bars, I bet
T3) Ron Strate 16 And the logjam comes to an end
T16) David Forbes 15 You lead the way in bonus points
T16) James Peters 15 You're beating me in both halves of the pool
T16) Jordan Stein 15 So those Manitoba Moose have a half-decent team, eh
T16) Julianna Nowaczek 15 Don't try to slip any Hungarian words into our Scrabulous game
T16) Ryan Plesko 15 You're pool hopes will be determined in the late game tonight
21) Jenn Hosfield 14 You've been able to stake out your own ground, tied with no one else
T22) Cliff Hosfied 13 And now we get to the group with two wrong, but one bonus point
T22) Jack James 13 I bet you've got your seat picked out for tonight
T22) Janet Chapman 13 At the top of the standings, many Canwesters
T22) Jason Anthony 13 In the middle of the standings a bunch of former rezzies
T22) Jeff Sandelli 13 Stress level rising . . . rising. . . rising
T22) Rob Shaw 13 Oh no! I'm watching some B.C. A-Channel right now and just heard about the shutdown at the mill in Ladysmith.
T22) Steve McKinley 13 When does the office concert season begin?
T22) Mary James 13 Looking forward to TO
T22) Peter James 13 I know I won't be able to concentrate at work on Tuesday
T31) Adam Fulton 12 Your sheet is clean enough that you could climb into the top 15 or so
T31) Justin Lee 12 You're winning on the other side of the pool
T31) Natalie James 12 If Australians chant, 'Aussie!, Aussie!, Aussie!, Oy!, Oy!, Oy!' what do New Zealanders chant?
T31) Neil MacKinnon 12 Speaking of chants, I'm sure you let out a few 'Oles' after the Habs win
T31) Stacey Tomlinson 12 I'm always looking good
T31) Kim Landon 12 I somehow missed you when I first did this update, and I spend like half and hour trying to figure out who was missing
T37) Ali Hewitt 10 A Sandelli NCAA pool/Sons of Manitoba hockey pool double seems remote at this point
T37) James Gordon 10 This is what you get for getting creative and going with the Preds
T39) Arthur Casement 9 You are making the Casement-basement jokes easier and easier
T39) Chris Chapman 9 Perhaps you should pick world championship teams or something
T39) Colleen Turnbull 9 The sum of the Colleen's still won't get you into the top 10
T39) Mary Kay Hosfield 9 So good on the player side, so bad on this side. I don't get it.
43) Colleen Racine 6 You're off the schneid, but still in last

Hooray for Lanny and friends

One of the occasional benefits of working odd hours is late-night television. After work on Sunday night I was surprised to find CBC airing a replay of Game 6 of the 1989 Stanley Cup final. I will take this as a good omen as the Calgary Flames prepare for Tuesday's Game 7 against the San Jose Sharks. However, for those Habs out there (and I know there are more than just a handful of you in this pool), I'm not sure if it's a good sign that pretty soon the Flames are going to be hoisting Lord Stanley's mug on Forum ice.

On Sunday the Flames played maybe their best game of the playoffs, defeating the Sharks 2-0 to push the series to the limit. I can't provide a detailed breakdown of the game as I was working while it was going on, but from the snippets I caught (which, in case the boss is reading this, and he just might be because he's in the pool, were only viewed during regularly scheduled breaks) it looked like Calgary carried a majority of the play.

The other two teams playing for their playoff lives weren't as lucky. All but one person foresaw the Red Wings dispatching the Nashville Predators, but in the first big upset of the tournament the defending Anaheim Ducks were sent packing at the hands of the Dallas Stars. Tonight I'm only updating the player side, but if you check out the Google documents page with all the team picks you will see a lot of red ink.

With one, or possibly two series ending on Monday I will put together a team side update. On Tuesday night I will e-mail updates for both sides of the pool.

Here are the standings:

T1) Justin Lee 85 You mix-and-mingle strategy is working so far
T1) Jack James 85 Welcome to the lead, send a thank-you note to Miikka
T1) Dave Washburn 85 You and I both know, this will not last
4) Mark Brennae 84 For the record, you are winning the team side
T5) Sean Hutchinson 83 What's this I hear about Calgarians not having faith in their team?
T5) Mary Kay Hosfield 83 I'm sure some people in the Hosfield family will have something to say about that
T5) Rob Shaw 83 Tough loss for the Salmon Kings
T5) Brad Bouzane 83 I see Gushue has lost another team member
T9) Cliff Hosfield 82 Still in the rookie-of-the-year hunt
T9) Julianna Nowaczek 82 Is Scrabulous popular in Hungary?
T11) David Forbes 81 Just missed the top 10
T11) Richard Warnica 81 I'm practising my touchdown dances for next week
T11) Jenn Hosfield 81 So, enough snow for ya?
14) Dale Oviatt 80 I await you assessment of the Flames' game
15) Mike James 79 If the Flyers can fill the net, you could make a move
T16) James Gordon 78 Moving up after a slow start
T16) Liam Lynch 78 You're probably not the biggest Dallas Stars' fan right about now
18) James Peters 77 Among pool officials, you are kicking ass
T19) Adam Fultson 75 Can I say 'ass' in an update?
T19) Jordan Stein 75 Why not, I set the rules
T19) Arthur Casement 75 Speaking of rules, I awarded everyone with Giguere a point for his assist Sunday
T19) Ryan Plesko 75 And then buried the rule interpretation in the middle of the update where few people will see it
T23) Barry Horeczy 74 Once again, you left and the Flames won. Please call in sick on Tuesday.
T23) Steve McKinley 74 Are you bored now that there are no Senators to root against?
T23) Ron Strate 74 I've promised myself not to comment on your position relative to David Forbes' anymore
T26) Lloyd Mack 73 I see the judo club is still adding to their impressive medal tally
T26) Jason Anthony 73 Other people move up, or move down. Yet here you are, still in the middle
28) Terry James 72 Speaking of moving down, you've slid a few spots
29) Colleen Turnbull 71 Outdoor soccer must be just around the corner, eh
30) Jeff Sandelli 70 A Flames win on Tuesday will give you a chance to climb the standings
T31) Scott McCleery 67 This is when the two missing guys starts to hurt
T31) Chris Chapman 67 Perhaps we'll consider this year a write-off (not just you, but me too!)
T31) Neil MacKinnon 67 Stars victory sealed your fate
T34) Debb Coghlin 63 You've restored you're one-point lead over me
T34) Don McGowan 63 You're hearing footsteps. . . from me
T34) Kim Landon 63 Up one spot, but at this point in the standings does that really matter?
37) Peter James 62 At least I will get to watch the Flames hoist the Cup on CBC in few minutes
38) Colleen Racine 61 It's a good thing we don't have the combined pool anymore, for your sake
39) Janet Chapman 44 Osgood pick is becoming a real bright spot

Whoa, baby! What is going on?

I'm sure there are a few long faces on rue Sainte-Catherine today after the Montreal Canadiens blew another chance to finish off the Boston Bruins. Suddenly everyone's consensus first round pick doesn't seem like such a sure thing. It will certainly make for an interesting Monday night.

Also Saturday the Colorado Avalanche finished off the Minnesota Wild, making the pool advice story I field for Canwest News Service seem a little less ridiculous. I would like a mulligan on that New Jersey paragraph.

I didn't catch much of the Flyers/Caps game on TV, but I did listen to a good chunk of it on the radio while taking advantage of the beautiful Ottawa weather Saturday afternoon. I had the Capitals' feed and give the announcing team three stars (out of five). The play-by-play guy did a great job recapping the score and goal scorers at regular intervals and his description of the play was clear. The colour guy, on the other hand, sounded like the personal secretary to owner Ted Leonsis. Everything was 'we' this and 'they' that. At one point he all but guaranteed a Washington win.

Which brings me to this year's ranking of the announcers on Canadian. As many of you know this is a Sons of Manitoba tradition dating back to at least 2000, if not earlier.

Here's what I said last year, and in 2006.

Here's how I see them stacking up this year (including both CBC and TSN):

1) Jim Hughson: He's been my favourite for a while and there's no reason to suggest he won't be at the top of this list for years to come. He was recently signed to a new contract and should be the CBC's voice of the Stanley Cup final this spring. Hughson is always well prepared and his signature call is: "Big save Luongo." This year he's had to modify Luongo to 'Fleury' as he handled the Senators/Penguins series and has recently moved over to the Colorado/Minnesota tilt.

2) Chris Cuthbert: CBC made a big mistake when they let this guy go during the lockout. Had the Mother Corp. kept him under contract they truly would have the best teams in the business. Instead he's over at TSN doing a fine job.

3) Gord Miller: Perhaps it's because I've enjoyed all his calls of the world junior tournament over the years, but I'm moving Miller into the top three this year. He's not flashy, but he knows the game and has a good chemistry with Pierre McGuire.

4) Bob Cole: The old guy still has a great voice and that masks some of his other shortcomings. Of all the announcers on this list he's the one guy I'd want to call the game-winning goal in the Stanley Cup final, but all the mistakes he makes during the games drops him further down the list.

5) Dean Brown: Is nominally CBC's fourth announcer and has spent most of the first round on the Detroit/Nashville series. He'd probably be higher on this list had I not been over-exposed to him on Ottawa local broadcasts during the season. He seemed to take offence whenever a call didn't go the Senators' way. However in a 'neutral' series I think he does great work, that said he won't see any action past the first round.

6) Mark Lee: He's dropped down the list quite a bit this year, in part due to his inability to figure out who the Sharks' players and coaches are as he calls the Calgary/San Jose series. Doug Campbell on the blue-line? Ron Francis behind the Sharks' bench? I expect better.

Colour guys:

1) Pierre McGuire: Either you love this guy or you hate him and I fall into the former category. His calls from ice level provide a unique perspective and he knows the game well enough to provide some technical insight to the viewers. However his love of Sidney Crosby, Dion Phaneuf and Mike Richards can be a bit over the top.

2) Greg Millen: CBC's lead analyst has grown on me over the years. He's not afraid to criticize, but he doesn't over analyze either. When paired with Jim Hughson he's part of the best broadcast team on television.

3) Harry Neale: Works primarily on local Buffalo games now, but CBC calls on him for time-to-time to fill in. He always has a few cuts turns of phrase that evoke a chuckle and his knowledge of the game is as good as any one in the business. It would be great to have him on CBC more frequently in the future.

4) Craig Simpson: The former Edmonton Oiler has spent the year as the analyst on CBC's late game, which means he sees a lot of the Northwest Division. Although it took him about four months to even acknowledge that he worked for the Oilers until recently he did provide unbiased commentary even during Battle of Alberta games. There are rumours he's poised to return to the Oilers in a front office capacity.

5) Garry Galley: Often teamed with Dean Brown, he worked with Hughson during the first-round this year on the Ottawa series. He's too linked to the Senators for me to provide an objective analysis.

6) Glenn Healy: Oh, where to begin? Suffice to say, Healy is way too negative for my liking. It's one thing to be critical it's another thing to constantly throw players under the bus. Hopefully the Maple Leafs hire him as their next general manager, because I think he'd be a perfect fit for that franchise.

OK, so with that out of the way, here's what's going on in the pool. The team side document is online and a link is available at the side. Today provide team side scores, tomorrow I will update the player side, in the meantime you can check out the spreadsheet (the link is also on the side).

T1) Terry James 10 I've said this before, but this could be the year you join the rest of the family on the winners' list
T1) Scott McCleery 10 One of the five rookies tied for the early lead
T1) Richard Warnica 10 One of four Canwesters tied for the early lead
T1) Mark Brennae 10 So how do you feel about the Huet trade now?
T1) Lloyd Mack 10 Lots of people went for Colorado in six
T1) Liam Lynch 10 Hence the big tie for first
T1) Don McGowan 10 Apparently the Jays needed a McGowan to get out of their funk
T1) Debb Coghlin 10 Your Avs win and you're in first. Not a bad day.
T1) Dale Oviatt 10 You didn't benefit from my decision to go reverse alphabetical for this update
T10) Sean Hutchinson 9 Still perfect, but missing that elusive bonus point so far
T10) Ryan Plesko 9 Must be easier to make objective choices without the Oilers involved to cloud your judgement
T10) Jordan Stein 9 Same as above, but substitute in Canucks for Oilers
T10) James Peters 9 Have you helped control the deer population of the B.C Interior again since we last spoke?
T10) Dave Washburn 9 If the combined pool still existed, you'd be doing quite well
T10) Brad Bouzane 9 For that matter, so would you
T10) Barry Horeczy 9 Did you have Amber Holland in your Players' Championship pool?
17) David Forbes 8 King of the bonus points so far, too bad you also took the Wild
T18) Peter James 7 Look, I'm not absolutely terrible on this side of the pool . . . yet
T18) Jennifer Hosfield 7 How are exams going?
T18) Jeff Sandelli 7 Well, it all comes down to Sunday night.
T18) Jason Anthony 7 Once again you manage to find yourself in the middle of the pack
T18) James Gordon 7 Where do you think Emery will end up?
T18) Cliff Hosfield 7 Wild to the Western final pick showed courage, but didn't pay off
T24) Ron Strate 6 And here's the group that's 2-for-3 so far with no bonus
T24) Rob Shaw 6 Capitals win Saturday was good news for you
T24) Neil MacKinnon 6 Jersey pick won't hurt you in the long run
T24) Natalie James 6 Glad to hear you enjoyed your reading week
T24) Mike James 6 Too many penalties hurt the Flyers, but you already knew that
T24) Mary James 6 Toronto or bust
T24) Kim Landon 6 Have you ever watched the Tracy Ullman show? It's hilarious
T24) Justin Lee 6 May want to stick to picking players
T24) Janet Chapman 6 May want to stick to picking teams
T24) Adam Fulton 6 Thanks for the wine update, I will include a link to it in an upcoming update
34) Ali Hewitt 4 Only one right so far, but you did get the bonus point
T35) Steve McKinley 3 Alot of work to do to catch your office mates
T35) Stacey Tomlinson 3 You should get Jays' season tickets if you're such a good luck charm
T35) Mary Kay Hosfield 3 All your final eight teams are still alive
T35) Julianna Nowaczek 3 I saw a hit from Hungary on the website. I suspect it was you
T35) Colleen Turnbull 3 You're blading trail must be ready by now, right?
T35) Chris Chapman 3 Nice of you to let Janet get bragging rights on this side of the pool
T35) Arthur Casement 3 And I here I wasted the Casement/basement line yesterday. My bad.
43) Colleen Racine 0 I'm sure you'll get one right eventually. No one has ever finished with zero before. (No pressure)

As promised

The Team side Google document is ready to go and available here. I've also placed a link on the sidebar.

I will provide a full update after the Colorado/Minnesota game wraps up.

We have a new leader!

Sorry about the lack of a Thursday update folks, but Google documents was acting up and after the Flames loss I wasn't in the mood to go about manually updating the pool. Below you will find the latest update from the players' side. I will update the team side after the games on Saturday. Unless I get really ambitious I will likely provide only one update a day, but you can always check your score on the Google documents (links on the right-hand side of the blog). The team side Google document will be posted on Saturday.

Here are a few NHL tidbits since the last update:

• It looks like Ray Emery's Hummer will no longer be a fixture on Ottawa's highways and byways.

• Quebec hockey fans seem to be abandoning CBC in favour of RDS for the Montreal/Boston series. CBC sports Grand Poobah Scott Moore has responded, defended the Mother Corp's treatment of Le bleu, blanc et rouge.

• Sean Avery is still as classy as ever.

On the ice, my pick as Eastern Conference champions, the New Jersey Devils were eliminated in the first round (which means I will continue to languish at the bottom of both sections of the pool this year). The Rangers had the Devils' number all year and looked like a Stanley Cup contender in knocking of Martin Brodeur and Co. in five games.

The Anaheim Ducks staved off elimination, and put smiles on many poolies' faces I'm sure, with a 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars. This has been a strange series, with one team or the other not showing up for long stretches of games.

In Detroit, Chris Osgood took over the top job between the pipes. It worked for the Red Wings, but not for all the poolies (including Yours Truly) with Dominik Hasek on their rosters.

On Thursday, the Flames played better in Game 5 than they did in Game 4, but the result was the same, a one-goal loss. Calgary faces elimination at home on Sunday. (And as an aside: Who was the genius who booked a lacrosse game for the Pengrowth Saddledome for Saturday night?).

Also Carey Price looked human in Montreal, Colorado looks poised to knock off Minnesota and Philadelphia is close to putting an end to Washington's fairytale run.

In the pool, we have a new leader as Dave 'Washie' Washburn moved past fellow Canwester Brad Bouzane for top spot. Here's how the standings shake down.

1) Dave Washburn 82 The Flyers are winning, you're leading. . . does life get any better?
2) Justin Lee 81 Great night from Teemu, but it would have been better if he hadn't missed that semi-open net
T3) Rob Shaw 80 A bet you cracked a bit of a smile after that Bruins win Thursday night, eh
T3) Brad Bouzane 80 Hask pulled + Penguins not beating up on Sens = no longer in first
5) Mark Brennae 78 Four Canwest employees in the top five, not bad
T6) Sean Hutchinson 77 When are you coming to Ottawa?
T6) Jenn Hosfield 77 The Hosfields continue to jockey for position amongst themselves
T8) Mary Kay Hosfield 76 Enjoy Halifax and say hi to Leanne for me
T8) Dale Oviatt 76 If I call in sick on Sunday, it's not just because I want to watch the Flames game. I swear.
T10) Richard Warnica 75 Looking forward to the pigskin rematch
T10) Jack James 75 Your future in the top 10 will depend on what happens in Calgary on Sunday.
12) Liam Lynch 74 Tops among RLS staff alumni
T13) Cliff Hosfield 73 The first of many tied at unlucky No. 13
T13) James Peters 73 Not sure why 73 is such a popular score this time out
T13) David Forbes 73 Then again, I wish I was fortunate enough to have 73 points
T13) Jordan Stein 73 I'd also be satisfied with something in the mid-60s
T13) Julianna Nowaczek 73 I think a trip to Humphrey's is in order when you get back
T13) Mike James 73 I know where you're going to be Saturday afternoon
T19) Arthur Casement 72 We're well into the second week of the playoffs and this is the first Casement/basement comment. Wow.
T19) Adam Fulton 72 Rhyming names make for easier comments. Fulton isn't boltin' up the leaderboard
T19) Ryan Plesko 72 Let's Go, Plesko.
T22) Ron Strate 71 It's fate, Forbes will do better than Strate
T22) James Gordon 71 I enjoyed reading all the transcripts the past two days
24) Terry James 68 Remind me to ask you a bio fuels question next time we talk
T25) Barry Horeczy 67 Curling and hockey on the tube tomorrow, too bad it's going to be such a nice day out
T25) Jason Anthony 67 Extra Habs' game this round could help you
T25) Steve McKinley 67 Much like the Leafs, you have little chance of winning this thing
T28) Lloyd Mack 66 The soccer field expansion is long overdue and I'm sure it will get good use
T28) Colleen Turnbull 66 Only eight points behind Liam
30) Chris Chapman 65 I too was suckered into taking Michalek in another pool
T31) Scott McCleery 62 Huet gamble not paying off
T31) Jeff Sandelli 62 Hoping for better things on Sunday night
33) Neil MacKinnon 61 Ducks stay alive, so do your hopes of getting back in contention
34) Don McGowan 59 What's up with the Jays?
35) Kim Landon 58 Your turn in Scrabulous
36) Colleen Racine 57 Hasek benching only makes matters worse
T37) Peter James 56 With the Devils gone, I've got nothing
T37) Debb Coghlin 56 Hey look, we're tied again!
39) Janet Pringle 39 Things are looking up! Osgood is in net.

Sens in eight

The dream for Daniel Alfredsson and company came to a not-so-shocking end Wednesday night, swept out of the playoffs in the first round, only one after after reaching the Stanley Cup final. The Senators implosion this year has been nothing short of specatular. As late as the end of February I was still defending them and their ability to pull it together and win the Eastern Conference, my logic was the team wasn't markedly different (at least in terms of personnnel) from last season's squad.

There will be no shortage of theories tossed around for the Senators epic fall from grace altough I'm thinking Ray Emery's name may come up in a few of them. One place that will no doubt chronicle all the off-season changes the team will make is the blog of the Sons of Manitoba's very own James Gordon, over at the Ottawa Citizen.

So that means the we're do for the first team side update of the season:

T 1) Cliff Hosfield 4 It's Hosfield-a-pooloza in the Sons of Manitoba pool this year
T1) David Forbes 4 If Montreal wins tonight you'll be two-for-two in bonus points
T1) Don McGowan 4 You're ability to forecast Pittsburgh dominance is . . . not that specatacular
T4) Barry Horeczy 3 That break Wednesday night will do Martin good after that world championship run
T4) Adam Fulton 3 Speaking of T4, remember do get your taxes done everyone
T4) Arthur Casement 3 I'm sure the Oilers are disappointed to miss out on the Samsonov sweepstakes
T4) Brad Bouzane 3 Well, well, well, not quite as dominant on this side
T4) Colleen Turnbull 3 Wait a minute, don't you choose the Sens to win the Cup every year?
T4) Dale Oviatt 3 Hopefully Iginla takes out his rage on the Sharks, not the Flames coaches
T4) Dave Washburn 3 Remind me to warn you about your sink when you come into work
T4) Debb Coghlin 3 So I bet res is starting to clear out, eh
T4) Jack James 3 I've joined the bench Primeau chorus
T4) James Gordon 3 That Nashville pick is looking like quite the call
T4) James Peters 3 I have new respect for the work it takes to run the player side
T4) Janet Chapman 3 Be gentle when breaking the news to Chris about the Sens' sucktitude
T4) Jason Anthony 3 The Ducks win on Tuesday must have been music to your ears
T4) Jeff Sandelli 3 This side of the pool is treating you much better
T4) Jenn Hosfield 3 J-Hos in da house
T4) Jordan Stein 3 Brian Burke to make his triumphant return to Vancouver?
T4) Julianna Nowaczek 3 Have the Red Wings lost their mojo?
T4) Justin Lee 3 Did anyone come over for dinner?
T4) Kim Landon 3 I'm sure the people over in Leafs Nation are rejoicing
T4) Liam Lynch 3 Who are you pulling for in the Democractic nomination?
T4) Lloyd Mack 3 Nice Richards feature in the various Canwest papers today
T4) Mark Brennae 3 Methinks I'll be doing one of this updates very soon for your Canadiens
T4) Mary James 3 If you flipped your games predictions for the Sens and Penguins series, you'd be looking good right now
T4) Mary Kay Hosfield 3 Have a good trip!
T4) Mike James 3 Mike Richards is an 'idiot.' His words, not mine
T4) Natalie James 3 I'm sure you're catching all the highlights on the New Zealand version of TSN
T4) Neil MacKinnon 3 Will your Canadiens be able to handle Sid and Co. in a pontential Eastern Conference final matchup?
T4) Peter James 3 Apparently figuring the Sens would show up for two games was too much to ask
T4) Richard Warnica 3 Any luck at locating a field?
T4) Rob Shaw 3 Have you caught junior squash tournament fever yet?
T4) Ron Strate 3 David is beating you in both sides of the pool? For shame.
T4) Ryan Plesko 3 How many more missed playoffs before Lowe suffers the same fate as Nonis
T4) Scott McCleery 3 The Colorado Cup pick is so crazy, is might just happen
T4) Sean Hutchinson 3 Why would the Saddledome schdule a Roughnecks game for Saturday night?
T4) Stacey Tomlinson 3 Welcome to the list of people in updates
T4) Steve McKinley 3 I'm sure you took way too much pleasure in that Sens loss
T4) Terry James 3 The alphabet hasn't done you any favours here
T41) Ali Hewitt 0 Good thing you didn't enter the player side, you might have selected some Sens' players
T41) Chris Chapman 0 Perhaps this just isn't going to be your year
T41) Colleen Racine 0 I respect the faith you showed in your team, as foolish and misguided as it may have been

And now on to the player side update.

1) Brad Bouzane 73 Placing unchanged
T2) Sean Hutchinson 68 Up 16 spots
T2) Mary Kay Hosfield 68 Placing unchaged
T4) Julianna Nowaczek 67 Up two spots
T4) Rob Shaw 67 Down one spot
T4) Dave Washburn 67 Up 10 spots
T7) Cliff Hosfield 66 Down four spots
T7) Justin Lee 66 Down one spot
T9) James Peters 65 Down three spots
T9) Richard Warnica 65 Down three spots
T9) Mark Brennae 65 Down three spots
T12) Jordan Stein 64 Up two spots
T12) Arthur Casement 64 Up two sports
T12) Terry James 64 Up six spots
T12) Jack James 64 Down nine spots
T12) Jenn Hosfield 64 Down six spots
T17) Ron Strate 63 Up six spots
T17) Dale Oviatt 63 Down 11 spots
T19) David Forbes 62 Down five spots
T19) Liam Lynch 62 Up two spots
T21) Adam Fulton 61 Placing unchanged
T21) Jason Anthony 61 Up two spots
T21) Mike James 61 Down 15 spots
T21) Ryan Plesko 61 Down three spots
25) Steve McKinley 60 Down two spots
T26) Lloyd Mack 57 Up one spot
T26) Barry Horeczy 57 Up one spot
28) James Gordon 56 Down two spots
29) Kim Landon 54 Up one spot
30) Colleen Turnbull 52 Up two spots
31) Don McGowan 51 Down two spots
32) Scott McCleery 50 Up four spots
T33) Colleen Racine 49 Down one spot
T33) Chris Chapman 49 Up two spots
T33) Neil MacKinnon 49 Up one spot
T36) Peter James 47 Up two spots
T36) Jeff Sandelli 57 Down two spots
38) Debb Coghlin 43 Down one spot
39) Janet Chapman 32 Placing unchanged

Thornton comes through

Another busy night in the NHL playoffs. The Flames lose a nail bitter, the Flyers hand the Capitals a second consecutive loss, Carey Price blanks the Bruins and both the Ducks and Avalanche have big bounce back games.

Because I was unable to put together an update Monday night, we've got two days worth of scores to add in. Before I give my thoughts on Tuesday's news, here's a few leftover items from Monday's notebook:

• Kudos to Cliff Hosfield who was the mover of the night, cashing in on Marian Hossa's big night in Ottawa and Pierre-Marc Bouchard's overtime winner in Denver. At the time he jumped from 11th spot to second.

• I'm glad I'm not the only one who found Don Cherry's advice on Coach's Corner at little unnerving.

• For those who missed it, I posted a video of the bizarre pre-game ceremony in Ottawa over at the pool's Facebook page.

• With the Ottawa Senators on the brink of elimination, we could have our first team side update of the year as early as Wednesday. Although considering 93 per cent of you picked the Penguins there won't be much separation. However there could be some interesting ramifications on the players side — with the Penguins idle, Crosby, Malkin and Fleury all resting will poolies who opted for fewer Pittsburgh players narrow the gap?

Now as for Tuesday, the big news in the pool is the return of the Anaheim Ducks. Many poolies loaded up on players from the defending Stanley Cup champions and were finally rewarded with some points. Chris Pronger got on the scoresheet for the first time during the post-season and Ryan Getzlaf and Teemu Selanne also had decent nights.

Meanwhile, in Calgary the Flames were unable to hold on to a pair of one-goal leads and allowed the Sharks to get right back into that series. San Jose was the better team for large stretches of the game and showed some resiliency after Sunday's loss. This is a series that could easily go seven games.

In Philadelphia the pride of Kenora, Ont., put the finishing touches on the Flyers second consecutive win.

All the while pool leader Brad Bouzane on the strength of Joe Thornton's game-winner in Calgary has held off the challenge from yet another Hosfield, at least for another day. Here are the scores:

1) Brad Bouzane 62 Fourth straight day in the lead, but can the pool be won in the first round?
2) Mary Kay Hosfield 61 The Hofield tag-team hasn't bothered Mr. Bouzane just yet
T3) Cliff Hosfield 58 Perhaps you should have been entering this pool every year
T3) Rob Shaw 58 Have you caught Salmon Kings playoff fever yet?
T3) Jack James 58 Do you think Iginla won that race for the icing late in the third?
T6) James Peters 57 Nonis firing, thumbs up or thumbs down?
T6) Richard Warnica 57 My RSVP for football is conditional on being able to walk by Sunday
T6) Mark Brennae 57 Is it too early for the Carey Price for Conn Smythe talk?
T6) Julianna Nowaczek 57 So do the NHL playoffs get much play in Hungary?
T6) Justin Lee 57 Are they celebrating the Nonis firing in the streets in VanCity?
T6) Mike James 57 Flying up the leader board thanks to Philadelphia
T6) Dale Oviatt 57 Do you feel dirty taking points from all the Sharks on your team?
T6) Jennifer Hosfield 57 Three Hosfields in the top 10, has that ever happened before?
T14) David Forbes 56 Danny Briere is paying off big time
T14) Jordan Stein 56 Who do you think the Canucks should hire?
T14) Arthur Casement 56 Does Kevin Lowe have a sign-a-player-a-day policy this off-season?
T14) Dave Washburn 56 Dave who?
T18) Sean Hutchinson 55 Looks like you man Wade Redden will soon be looking for a new employer
T18) Terry James 55 What's this I hear? You went to bed after San Jose's 3-0 lead on Sunday?
T18) Ryan Plesko 55 Gaborik a surprise non-factor so far
T21) Adam Fulton 54 Remind me, are you a Sens fan? Or do people still admit to that in this town?
T21) Liam Lynch 54 You still have bragging rights over Colleen (both of them actually), keep up the smack talk
T23) Jason Anthony 53 Maybe Saku will get hot when (or is it if) he gets back
T23) Steve McKinley 53 I'm sure you'll be readying your trash talk
T23) Ron Strate 53 I warned you about letting that Forbes character get away
26) James Gordon 52 So what do you do after the Sens are eliminated?
T27) Lloyd Mack 50 I get the impression Pierre McGuire is a Mike Richards fan
T27) Barry Horeczy 50 You should have taken some Blackhawks, they couldn't have hurt your performance
29) Don McGowan 48 I miss Auto Glance already
T30) Kim Landon 47 A pair of Forth Stormont alumni meet at 30th
T30) Jeff Sandelli 47 Your modest run up the leader board gives me hope
T32) Colleen Racine 45 That Dany Heatley pick may come back to haunt you
T32) Colleen Turnbull 45 Sorry to hear your rollerblade trails aren't ready, but it won't be long
34) Neil McKinnon 44 Are you planning to try to snag tickets for a playoff game?
35) Chris Chapman 43 You avoided the temptation of taking Senators, yet still struggle
36) Scott McCleery 41 Still lacking any shutout bonus points
37) Debb Coghlin 39 Well, you've finally pulled a point ahead of me
38) Peter James 38 For the record, I don't always suck at pools just this one in recent years. Seriously.
39) Janet Pringle 27 I should really send you a gift basket or something for sparing me the embarrassment of last

My heart is still in my throat

Before I move on to the latest scores after Sunday's action, let me first say a couple of things about the Calgary Flames four-goal comeback against the San Jose Sharks.
The book on San Jose coming into the playoffs was that they have struggled in the playoffs. If the Sharks weren't gripping their sticks extra-tight this year to begin with, they Flames made sure they will for the rest of the series after the epic rally at the Saddledome. I must confess, after the third Sharks goal found the back of the net a little over three and a half minutes into the game, I figured Game 3 was a write off and then the Flames should focus on sending a message for Game 4.
The soon-to-be-legendary hit by Calgary Flames defenceman Cory Sarich on Sharks captain Patrick Marleau put a smile on my face. It set the perfect tone. I did not, however, figure it would be a catalyst for the amazing comeback.

For those of you on Facebook and a member of the pool group I've decided to use that forum to post some of my favourite YouTube highlights from the playoffs at regular intervals. The Sarich hit is on display there already.

But enough about the game, here are the scores:
1) Brad Bouzane 47 Not only leading the pool, also the victor at Sunday's Drawmaster's Challenge
2) Mark Breenae 46 The Habs don't win, yet you rocket up the standings (credit Jagr, among others)
3) Sean Hutchinson 44 I'm sure the celebration is still going on in your neck of the woods
4) Mary Kay Hosfield 43 Yes, I did rush my picks. No, I shouldn't use that as an excuse
T5) Rob Shaw 42 Another case of Jagr helping out in a losing cause
T5) Terry James 42 Penguins and Wings didn't play, so you had few chances for points
T7) David Forbes 41 I bet you could hear the cheers all the way in Medicine Hat after the Nolan goal
T7) Richard Warnica 41 The football game was awesome, the aching afterwards not so much
T7) Julianna Nowaczek 41 I knew I liked that Praise selection you made
T7) Ryan Plesko 41 Unfortunately, due to your location on the spreadsheet you will often end up at the bottom of the list of people tied.
T11) Cliff Hosfield 40 Picking up some of the places you dropped in the last update
T11) Ron Strate 40 Don't let Mr. Forbes pull too far ahead!
T11) Jack James 40 Tanguay, Langkow help you move up the ladder
T14) Steve McKinley 39 The Flames play in the final 57 minutes wasn't just gravy, it was the whole meal
T14) Dave Washburn 39 I may have to deduct points for cruel punishment on the Scrabulous board
T16) James Peters 38 So, do you miss it yet?
T16) Jorden Stein 38 I should have mentioned this earlier, but you were the first to submit your entry this year
T16) Arthur Casement 38 I took a page out of your book with my speed on the touch football field today
T16) Justin Lee 38 If your Internet access is intermittent, are you even able to read these updates?
T16) Jenn Hosfield 38 My shorthand for you when I do updates is J-Hos. I think that would make a good, and obvious, nickname.
T21) Adam Fulton 37 Given that you're a blogger, do pool updates count as blogging?
T21) Dale Oviatt 37 I swear I was working while watching the Flames game
T23) James Gordon 36 You've officially moved from back-of-the-pack to middle-of-the-pack
T23) Liam Lynch 36 So, are we going to have a spring election?
T25) Lloyd Mack 35 Big win for Richards and Co. Sunday afternoon
T25) Jason Anthony 35 I think you're in the top five in most consecutive years entered without winning anything
T25) Mike James 35 All your goalies have a shutout, so the problem must be with your skaters
28) Kim Landon 34 After all those ties, things are spreading out again here at the bottom
29) Don McGowan 33 Of course you know what it feels like to finish near, or at, the bottom of hockey pools
30) Barry Horeczy 32 Is Dany Heatley available?
T31) Scott McCleery 31 I love it when the point total equals the placing
T31) Colleen Turnbull 31 Still have four players with goose eggs
33) Colleen Racine 30 The annual battle of the Colleens is heating up once again
34) Chris Chapman 29 OK, so your getting better, but there's still a big hill to climb
35) Neil McKinnon 28 The Ducks are in the process of proving it's tough to win back-to-back titles. So are you.
T36) Peter James 27 The Flames victory makes me happy, my standing in this pool does not
T36) Debb Coghlin 27 Despite the fact we have a lot of different players, we remain tied
T36) Jeff Sandelli 27 Flames win, but you could have used the point from Kiprusoff
39) Janet Pringle 19 On the bright side, the Wings called up a pair of your AHLers today. Now you just have to hope for injuries.

Wither the Ducks

All those poolies who loaded up on Ducks must be a might worried after the defending champs lost their second in a row Saturday night.

With two more games completed since the last email update, I've decided to do a 'web only' post.

1) Brad Bouzane 45 That Riberio post is paying big dividends
2) Terry James 41 Among the many beneficiaries of the Alexei Kovalev OT winner
3) Sean Hutchinson 39 In third despite three Ducks on your roster
4) Mary Kay Hosfield 38 Two games and you fell seven points in relation to the lead
T5) James Peters 37 Giguere your lone goose egg at this point
T5) Julianna Nowaczek 37 Still in the hunt for that second straight title
T5) Ryan Plesko 37 Jumped 12 spots in only six hours
T8) David Forbes 36 This is where the logjam begins
T8) Jordan Stein 36 You're all in the top 10
T8) Mark Brennae 36 But this will probably thin out after Sunday's four games
T8) Arthur Casement 36 So what do you think of the Gilbert contract?
T8) Rob Shaw 36 I remember when everyone thought you weren't good at sports pools, now you're always in the hunt
T8) Ron Strate 36 Former teammates Strate and Forbes are tied
T8) Liam Lynch 36 And we've finally reached the end of the big group at 36, only to get to. . .
T15) Jason Anthony 35 Another big group only a point behind
T15) Cliff Hosfield 35 Perhaps some early beginners luck in that first update
T15) Jenn Hosfield 35 Your veteran savvy has allowed you to close the gap on your family
T15) Dave Washburn 35 Too clarify my comment from the last update, someone stole your chair
T19) Adam Fulton 34 Glad to see you're back to blogging
T19) Richard Warnica 34 Are you ready for some football?
T19) Jack James 34 Lots of guys with big points, but also too many with one or less
T19) Dale Oviatt 34 With two OT goal-scorers you should be higher than this
T23) Lloyd Mack 33 Waiting for Koivu to return (too bad you didn't take his brother)
T23) Steve McKinley 33 Your Dallas pick is looking good, but perhaps some Stars players would have helped your cause
T25) Justin Lee 32 How's Vancouver treating you?
T25) Kim Landon 32 J.R. yet to produce, hence your mediocre standing
T27) Colleen Turnbull 31 Have you got your roller blades out yet? I've been skating for a week
T27) James Gordon 31 You're blog is now listed on our links page
29) Barry Horeczy 30 Those two Saturday night games didn't do you any favours
30) Scott McCleery 29 Imagine where you'd be with a full roster
T31) Don McGowan 28 Well, at least you're not last place in this pool
T31) Neil McKinnon 28 Ducks carried you to a pool title last year, that might not happen again
T33) Colleen Racine 27 I like the Parise pick, but then again I'm in 35th place
T33) Mike James 27 In fairness, all your Flyers have only played one game
T35) Peter James 23 Lots of Devils and Ducks, not a good combo at this point
T35) Debb Coghlin 23 Lots of players with a couple points, but few with many
37) Chris Chapman 22 Bertuzzi taking penalties, not scoring goals
T38) Janet Chapman 19 This could be the last time you're not in 39th
T38) Jeff Sandelli 19 Well at least you've caught up to Ms. AHL all-stars

Here, there and everywhere

Here's a look at where everyone in the pool is from this year:

Ottawa 19
Calgary 6
Winnipeg 5
Ontario's Golden Horseshoe 3
Vancouver 2
Southern Alberta (excluding Calgary) 2
Kamloops, B.C. 2
Kenora, Ont. 1
Victoria 1
Auckland, N.Z. 1
Some small town in Nova Scotia, but I can't remember the name 1 (Sorry Jason)

Some related data is how everyone knows me:
Carleton University 20
Are part of my family 8
Canwest 8
Through other poolies 4
Kenora Daily Miner and News 1
St. Paul's High School 1

Rookies vs Veterans
10 poolies are rookies this year compared with 33 veterans. Although it must be noted that a number of people have come back to the pool this year after taking one or more years off. Also a few longtime entrants (including a pair of former champions) did not enter this year.

Male vs Female
31 men, 12 women

Doubting Thomas?

As in Tim Thomas and the Boston Bruins.

Here's a breakdown of the first round, based on the picks from the 43 people who entered the team side this year.

Montreal 100% vs. Boston 0% — No love for Chara, Savard & Co.
Pittsburgh 93% vs. Ottawa 7% — Apparently seven per cent of poolies stopped watching the NHL in December
Washington 72% vs. Philadelphia 28% — Six weeks ago I bet these numbers are reversed
New Jersey 37% vs. New York Rangers 63% — Maybe it pays to listen to Pierre McGuire (he picked the Rangers to win the Cup)
Detroit 98% vs. Nashville 2% — Only one brave soul went out on a limb here
San Jose 53% vs. Calgary 47% — The closest series by far
Anaheim 86% vs. Dallas 14% — Those 14 per cent of poolies look very smart, at least after one game

My fingers are bleeding, but. . .

The player picks are now available for viewing at: Google documents

At some point, likely by the end of the first round, all the team picks will be viewable via an online Google document as well. I'll let you know as soon as that happens.

The poolies say. . .

The Montreal Canadiens will be the 2008 Stanley Cup champions, according to the entries in the Sons of Manitoba pool this year.

Here's a quick look at this year's projected winners. A more detailed statisical analysis will be posted later.

1) Montreal, selected by nine people
2) Detroit 8
3) San Jose 7
4) Calgary, Pittsburgh and Anaheim five each

Philadelphia, Washington and Colorado were selected by one person each.

2008 Playoff Pool

Format:

For Part A, pick the winners of each round and the number of games each series will go. If you have any questions ask Peter. You get three points for getting the first round right, five for the second round, eight for the third round and 12 for the final round. In each case you get one bonus point if you pick the number of games correctly.

For Part B, pick the three goalies, four defencemen and 10 forwards from any team(s). One point for a goal or an assist and two bonus points for an overtime goal. One point for a win for a goalie and two bonus points for a shutout.

ENTRY FORM:

NAME: _____________________ Email (to get pool updates): __________________

PART A: TEAM

EAST

Round One

1. Montreal vs (8) Boston WINNER _________________ No. of Games _______

2. Pittsburgh vs (7) Ottawa WINNER ________________ No. of Games _______

3. Washington vs (6) Philadelphia WINNER _____________ No. of Games _______

4. New Jersey vs (5) New York Rangers WINNER _________________ No. of Games _______

Round Two

Your highest seeded winner vs Your lowest seeded winner

________________ vs _______________ WINNER ____________ No. of Games ____

Your Middle seeds

________________ vs _______________ WINNER ____________ No. of Games ____

Round Three

Your Round Two winners

________________ vs _______________ WINNER ____________ No. of Games ____

West

Round One

1. Detroit vs (8) Nashville WINNER _________________ No. of Games _______

2. San Jose vs (7) Calgary WINNER _________________ No. of Games _______

3. Minnesota vs (6) Colorado WINNER _________________ No. of Games _______

4. Anaheim vs (5) Dallas WINNER _________________ No. of Games _______

Round Two

Your highest seeded winner vs Your lowest seeded winner

________________ vs _______________ WINNER ____________ No. of Games ____

Your Middle seeds

________________ vs _______________ WINNER ____________ No. of Games ____

Round Three

Your Round Two winners

________________ vs _______________ WINNER ____________ No. of Games ____

Stanley Cup Final

Your West round 3 winner vs. your East round 3 winner

________________ vs _______________ WINNER ____________ No. of Games ____

PART B: PLAYERS

(Pick Three (3) goaltenders, Four (4) defencemen and Ten (10) forwards)

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DEADLINE: 6 p.m. ET, Thursday

If you'll admit that you were wrong then admit that we were right

As the Vancouver Canucks prepare for their last, and meaningless, game of the season, some of their fans are consoling themselves with the official band of the Sons of Manitoba hockey pool: Sloan.