Conn Smythe Losers

The following folks have seen their Conn Smythe selections eliminated, and unless the selection committee goes really unorthodox, they won't be getting 10 bonus points.

Jack James
Peter James
Adam Fulton
Debb Coghlin
Mary James
Mike James
Julianna Nowaczek
Arthur Casement
Mark Brennae
Leanne Boyd
Dale Oviatt
Jeff Sandelli
Sean Hutchinson
Justin Lee
Laura Drake
Sydney Washburn
Dave Washburn
Mary Kay Hosfield
Lisa Watson
Barry Horeczy
Dave Gross

Player Side Update... Plus!

Here's a bonus for your player side update. I have included a tally of how many players your squad lost after the first round. The eliminations of San Jose and New Jersey did the most damage. Notable is the total of 13 players eliminated for Julianna Nowaczek, who can expect to see a precipitous drop in the standings, and the total of zero (0) for Kamloops rookies Geoff Hastings and Steve Ayres. Why Ayres is still so low in the standings is a phenomenon Dr. Stephen Hawking is studying as we speak. (We meaning you and I, but not him.)

1.Philip Ling.............88...3
2.Mike Macaraeg...........87...5
3.Jeff Madill.............86...2
3.Chris Lackner...........86...4
3.Jordan Stein............86...3
6.Chris Chapman...........85...4
7.Steve McKinley..........84...5
7.Liam Lynch..............84...2
7.Marcel Chelkowski.......84...4
7.Laura Drake.............84...5
11.Richard Woods..........83...3
11.Dave Gross.............83...4
11.Mary Kay Hosfield......83...5
14.Richard Warnica........82...6
15.Geoff Hastings.........81...0
16.Mark Brennae...........80...4
16.Jack James.............80...7
18.Ron Strate.............79...3
18.Rob Shaw...............79...6
18.Ryan Plesko............79...5
21.Leanne Boyd............78...5
21.Julianna Nowaczek......78...13
21.Barry Horeczy..........78...5
21.Peter James............78...7
21.Colleen Turnbull.......78...5
21.Mike Barber............78...5
27.Dale Oviatt............77...5
28.Jeff Sandelli..........76...9
28.Jeremy McParland.......76...4
28.Don McGowan............76...2
28.Sean Hutchinson........76...5
28.Adam Fulton............76...7
28.Justin Lee.............76...6
34.Keith Bonnell..........75...7
34.Arthur Casement........75...4
34.Mary James.............75...10
37.Shannon Proudfoot......74...9
37.Lisa Watson............74...8
37.Sydney Washburn........74...9
40.Dave Washburn..........73...5
41.James Gordon...........72...7
42.James Peters...........71...4
43.Jenn Hosfield..........70...8
43.Mike James.............70...5
45.Rob Kovac..............69...3
45.Brad Bouzane...........69...7
45.Debb Coghlin...........69...7
45.Lloyd Mack.............69...4
49.Terry James............68...7
50.Steve Ayres............65...0
51.Carolynne Burkholder...62...6
52.Cliff Hosfield.........57...10
52.David Forbes...........57...7
54.Brendan Kennedy........56...7

Player Update - Post First Round

For a complete look at how many players you have eliminated, click on the spreadsheet link at the right. Kamloops boys Steve Ayres and Geoff Hastings are the only poolies to escape the first round completely unscathed.

1.Philip Ling.............88
2.Mike Macaraeg...........87
3.Jeff Madill.............86
3.Chris Lackner...........86
3.Jordan Stein............86
6.Chris Chapman...........85
7.Steve McKinley..........84
7.Liam Lynch..............84
7.Marcel Chelkowski.......84
7.Laura Drake.............84
11.Richard Woods..........83
11.Dave Gross.............83
11.Mary Kay Hosfield......83
14.Richard Warnica........82
15.Geoff Hastings.........81
16.Mark Brennae...........80
16.Jack James.............80
18.Ron Strate.............79
18.Rob Shaw...............79
18.Ryan Plesko............79
21.Leanne Boyd............78
21.Julianna Nowaczek......78
21.Barry Horeczy..........78
21.Peter James............78
21.Colleen Turnbull.......78
21.Mike Barber............78
27.Dale Oviatt............77
28.Jeff Sandelli..........76
28.Jeremy McParland.......76
28.Don McGowan............76
28.Sean Hutchinson........76
28.Adam Fulton............76
28.Justin Lee.............76
34.Keith Bonnell..........75
34.Arthur Casement........75
34.Mary James.............75
37.Shannon Proudfoot......74
37.Lisa Watson............74
37.Sydney Washburn........74
40.Dave Washburn..........73
41.James Gordon...........72
42.James Peters...........71
43.Jenn Hosfield..........70
43.Mike James.............70
45.Rob Kovac..............69
45.Brad Bouzane...........69
45.Debb Coghlin...........69
45.Lloyd Mack.............69
49.Terry James............68
50.Steve Ayres............65
51.Carolynne Burkholder...62
52.Cliff Hosfield.........57
52.David Forbes...........57
54.Brendan Kennedy........56

End of the first round update

Good morning poolies!

How about that for a finish to the first round. Carolina scored twice in the last minute and a half to beat favoured New Jersey. Sergei Fedorov (yes, he still plays in the league), scores late in the third to lift the Washington Capitals into the second round and set up an Alexander Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby second round. Think NBC is excited about that?

In Newark, N.J., the Good Jokinen (Jussi) and the Good Staal (Eric) single handily saved rookie Phil Ling's pool sheet while simultaneously obliterating that of sophomore Cliff Hosfield. It also kiboshed Geoff Hastings' quest for the perfect score as he, just like the rest of you, now has at least one wrong. (If your name is Julianna or Shannon you have FIVE wrong, but I digress).

Carolina's last gasp comeback, combined with Washington's come from behind win vaulted Natalie James alone into first. Natalie, Rob Kovac, Mary Kay Hosfield, Steve Ayres and the aforementioned misters Hastings and Ling all finished the first round with 7-1 records, with bonus points the only thing separating them.

The second round begins Thursday, but you won't hear from me in e-mail form again until the series start wrapping up, likely late next week. In the meantime I hope to get some non-scoring posts up on the blog including my annual ranking of announcers and the long-promised breakdown of where all the poolies live. So check www.sonsofmanitoba.blogspot.com for that.

Also, both James and I have been using twitter.com/sonsofmanitoba and I plan to make use of the Facebook group as the playoffs go on.

Here are the standings after round one.

1 $Natalie James 24 Looking to recapture the magic of 2001
2 $Rob Kovac 23 The Kamloops contingent well represented at the top
T3 $Geoff Hastings 22 Just 90 seconds away from a perfect first round. . .
T3 $Mary Kay Hosfield 22 Remember when I said watch out for Cliff? Well, that threat is over.
T3 $Phil Ling 22 Obviously leaving the continent was good luck. You should extend your holiday.
T6 $Arthur Casement 21 If only the Oilers had as much success in the season as you're having in the pool.
T6 Roman Zakalunzy 21 Best score among those not paying the entry fee
T6 $Steve Ayres 21 Lack of bonus points keep you back from the rest of the 7-for-8 crowd
T9 $Carolynne Burkholder 20 Has thumbholes in her sweater and is proud of it
T9 $Chris Lackner 20 If only sports deskers were as good as Oscar pools as arts deskers are at hockey pools
T9 David Forbes 20 Tops among poolies who also practice martial arts (I think).
T9 Debb Coghlin 20 Hoping for series to end in 5 games in the next round
T9 $Jack James 20 Think Iginla was playing hurt?
T9 $Jeff Madill 20 Still lots of possible points on the table for you
T9 $Liam Lynch 20 Think we'll have another election next fall?
T9 $Mike Barber 20 The next time I send an update you'll be in Europe
T9 $Mike James 20 Ha, Ha, you're losing to your SISTER!
T9 $Peter James 20 Oh. . . wait a minute. . .
T9 $Sean Hutchinson 20 So. . . are you going to pay me?
T20 Barry Horeczy 19 If you come to the blog, you now have a comment next to your name.
T20 $Justin Lee 19 Did you celebrate Winnipeg Jets Day on Tuesday?
T20 $Marcel Chelkowski 19 Per capita you Kamloops folks are doing well
T20 $Richard Warnica 19 Wow, I insult you in the last update and suddenly you jump into the top 20
T24 $Brad Bouzane 17 Will you be getting a Mark Sanchez jersey?
T24 Leanne Boyd 17 I would probably refrain from using the word 'Keenan' around the house for a few months
T24 Lisa Watson 17 Is the pain of losing the Flames easing, or getting worse?
T24 $Mary James 17 I got my TV working. I just had to change the channel.
T24 $Richard Woods 17 Suddenly no longer the top Richard
T29 Chris Chapman 16 Welcome to the bottom half of the pool
T29 $Cliff Hosfield 16 Your pool dreams were dashed in dramatic fashion
T29 $Dave Gross 16 Have fun capsulizing
T29 $James Gordon 16 Taking any pleasure in the Phoenix Coyotes financial woes?
T29 $Jeff Sandelli 16 Keenan, Keenan, Keenan, Keenan, Keenan.
T29 $Keith Bonnell 16 Enjoying an Innis and Gunn. Unique. The toffee aroma is interesting. . .
T29 Mike Macaraeg 16 And yes, I'm drinking while doing this update. . .
T29 $Ryan Plesko 16 . . . It makes coming up with comments easier
T29 $Sydney Washburn 16 Tell your husband to pay up, eh.
T38 Colleen Turnbull 15 Did you realize it's been EIGHT years since we lived on first Dundas!
T38 $Jeremy McParland 15 Remind James to update the other side of the pool, eh
T38 Jordan Stein 15 The waiting is almost over for all you Canuckleheads
T41 Adam Fulton 14 In other years 41st place would have been last, but you've got company down here
T41 $Don McGowan 14 No repeat of the March Madness pool.
T43 $Dale Oviatt 13 You're picks are worse than the Flames power play!
T43 $Dave Washburn 13 Was it foolish of me to insult the boss' picks in such a public forum
T43 $James Peters 13 Speaking of insulting people's picks, I'm kicking your butt this year.
T43 $Mark Brennae 13 Think Koivu will bolt?
T43 $Mike McGuire 13 When are you guys making the big move?
T43 Ron Strate 13 A Canucks' run can help you reach a respectable finish
T43 $Steve McKinley 13 You have not paid me yet. We should rectify this situation.
T50 $Brendan Kennedy 12 I hear the Sons of Manitoba pool is a good ice breaker at office parties
T50 Jenn Hosfield 12 Exams must be done, what are your summer plans?
T50 Laura Drake 12 Those bragging rights you were hoping for. . . Richard has them.
T50 $Lloyd Mack 12 Payment received. Thank you.
T50 Rob Shaw 12 You either do really good, or really bad it seems
T50 $Terry James 12 Championship hangover from last year?
56 $Shannon Proudfoot 10 Maybe regular season pools are more your thing. . .
57 $Julianna Nowczek 9 Champion gone. Finalist gone. Three of your final four gone. Not good.

Flames lose, but I move up in the standings update

Good morning poolies:

Remember yesterday when I told y'all we still had 33 perfect pool sheets? Well the red ink flowed Monday night and now we're down to just one. All our hopes and dreams of a 15-for-15 run rest on the shoulders of pool rookie Geoff Hastings — which goes to prove you don't have need to have the conventional spelling of your first name to have pool success. Geoff is one of five poolies to correctly foresee the Anaheim Ducks upset of the President Trophy-winning San Jose Sharks. Others to make call are: Mike James, Richard Woods, Steve Ayres and Yours Truly.

With the Sharks crashing and burning in the playoffs — again — a whole whack of you lost your champion. The Canwest News Service sports desk was hit particularly hard with Barry Horeczy, Dale Oviatt, Dave Gross and Dave Washburn all having their champion fall a scant 14 wins short of hoisting the Cup. Others who also lost a champion (and a realistic shot at winning the pool) are: Adam Fulton, Arthur Casement (who had sole possession of first for about 40 minutes after Chicago won, but before Anaheim did), Debb Coghlin, Jack James, Jeremy McParland, Justin Lee, Laura Drake, Mark Brennae, Mary Kay Hosfield, Sean Hutchinson and Syndey Washburn. Thanks for coming out.

Of course the Calgary Flames — a team many of you know I have a rooting interest in — also bit the dust. The young, speedy Chicago Blackhawks were just too much for the aging, beat up Flames to handle. As a result Jeff Sandelli, Julianna Nowaczek, Leanne Boyd and Lisa Watson all lost their champion.

All of this to say, the leaderboard looks quite different today, so here it is:

(Also I forgot the $ signs and it's late and I'm not going to go back and add them, but they'll be back for Tuesday's post-Game 7s update)

1 Geoff Hastings 19 No pressure, but a perfect poolie would be REALLY cool
2 Arthur Casement 18 Still hanging around, but without a champ the basement beckons
T3 Brad Bouzane 17 A Rangers win tonight would give you a giant lift
T3 Carolynne Burkholder 17 Your cat is much less orange today.
T3 Debb Coghlin 17 Only one mistake so far, but it was a big one
T3 Jack James 17 Was Khabibulin that good or the Flames that inept?
T3 Natalie James 17 Nice to have so many family members in the top 3
T3 Peter James 17 Just happy not to be embarrassing myself this year
T3 Richard Woods 17 Flames your only error so far
T3 Roman Zakalunzy 17 Remind me to pick your brain about the Carleton MJ program
T11 Barry Horeczy 16 Money from the bet is on your desk
T11 Chris Lackner 16 No arts deskers have seen their champion eliminated, many sports deskers have
T11 Liam Lynch 16 You Bruins' boosters benefit from the Sharks early demise
T11 Marcel Chelkowski 16 The Ducks seemed to be popular in Kamloops
T11 Mary Kay Hosfield 16 Taken over the household lead in the pool. . . but watch out for Cliff
T11 Mike Barber 16 Hoping the bike not getting stolen streak continues
T11 Philip Ling 16 So if coffee is expensive in Hong Kong, how much is beer?
T11 Rob Kovac 16 Dominating the battle of the Robs.
T11 Sydney Washburn 16 Putting hubby to shame
20 Steve Ayres 15 Still waiting for that first bonus point
T21 Leanne Boyd 14 Remember when you were winning? Those days are long gone.
T21 Mary James 14 Hope you had a good flight home
T21 Mike James 14 I'm going through today what you went through on Saturday
T24 Cliff Hosfield 13 Rough Monday, but Tuesday is more important for you in the long run
T24 Dale Oviatt 13 In mourning this morning?
T24 Dave Gross 13 The Ducks like to fight, the Wings don't. Which style wins out?
T24 David Forbes 13 Overall, the Daves and Davids aren't doing so hot this year
T24 James Peters 13 No longer in the lead among pool organizers
T24 Jeff Madill 13 Unlike many others in this group, you've still got hope
T24 Jeff Sandelli 13 There will be changes. There must be changes.
T24 Justin Lee 13 A Canes run can bring you back to respectability
T24 Keith Bonnell 13 You will get your gift today
T24 Lisa Watson 13 Hope you didn't take the early exit too hard
T24 Mike Macaraeg 13 Celebrating Winnipeg Jets day today?
T24 Mike McGuire 13 All the Mikes within a point of each other
T24 Sean Hutchinson 13 Tied with your former roomie!
T37 Colleen Turnbull 12 A Varlamov-Hiller goaltending duel in the final would be good for you
T37 Jeremy McParland 12 Two correct in each conference so far
T37 Jordan Stein 12 Are the Hawks a good match up for your Nucks?
T37 Lloyd Mack 12 Your lack of faith in Calgary was justified.
T37 Richard Warnica 12 If you combine your score with Laura's you'd be competitive.
42 Don McGowan 11 On the bright side, you're not tied with anyone. . .
T43 Adam Fulton 10 Western Conference was a write off
T43 Dave Washburn 10 Congratulations on reaching double digits!
T43 Ron Strate 10 Three straight mistakes, very costly
T43 Shannon Proudfoot 10 Doing slightly better in the other office pool. . .but only slightly.
T43 Steve McKinley 10 I should have visited your desk more, might have changed the outcome
T48 Chris Chapman 9 Not a Hall of Fame-worthy performance this season
T48 James Gordon 9 Losing touch with the pack
T48 Jenn Hosfield 9 No more Red Mile for you this year, hope you got some partying in while it lasted
T48 Laura Drake 9 Sorry to hear about your hefty tax bill. That's one less beer
T48 Mark Brennae 9 Should the Habs and Flames swap GMs?
T48 Rob Shaw 9 Much Canucks talk on the Liberal bus?
T48 Ryan Plesko 9 Will the Oilers hire a coach by the end of the second round?
T48 Terry James 9 Good thing you won last year. . . 'cuz a repeat seems unlikely
T56 Brendan Kennedy 6 Going 2-for-6 good in baseball, not in sports pools
T56 Julianna Nowaczek 6 This is not going well

Flames lose, but I move up in the standings update

Good morning poolies:

Remember yesterday when I told y'all we still had 33 perfect pool sheets? Well the red ink flowed Monday night and now we're down to just one. All our hopes and dreams of a 15-for-15 run rest on the shoulders of pool rookie Geoff Hastings — which goes to prove you don't have need to have the conventional spelling of your first name to have pool success. Geoff is one of five poolies to correctly foresee the Anaheim Ducks upset of the President Trophy-winning San Jose Sharks. Others to make call are: Mike James, Richard Woods, Steve Ayres and Yours Truly.

With the Sharks crashing and burning in the playoffs — again — a whole whack of you lost your champion. The Canwest News Service sports desk was hit particularly hard with Barry Horeczy, Dale Oviatt, Dave Gross and Dave Washburn all having their champion fall a scant 14 wins short of hoisting the Cup. Others who also lost a champion (and a realistic shot at winning the pool) are: Adam Fulton, Arthur Casement (who had sole possession of first for about 40 minutes after Chicago won, but before Anaheim did), Debb Coghlin, Jack James, Jeremy McParland, Justin Lee, Laura Drake, Mark Brennae, Mary Kay Hosfield, Sean Hutchinson and Syndey Washburn. Thanks for coming out.

Of course the Calgary Flames — a team many of you know I have a rooting interest in — also bit the dust. The young, speedy Chicago Blackhawks were just too much for the aging, beat up Flames to handle. As a result Jeff Sandelli, Julianna Nowaczek, Leanne Boyd and Lisa Watson all lost their champion.

All of this to say, the leaderboard looks quite different today, so here it is:

(Also I forgot the $ signs and it's late and I'm not going to go back and add them, but they'll be back for Tuesday's post-Game 7s update)

1 Geoff Hastings 19 No pressure, but a perfect poolie would be REALLY cool
2 Arthur Casement 18 Still hanging around, but without a champ the basement beckons
T3 Brad Bouzane 17 A Rangers win tonight would give you a giant lift
T3 Carolynne Burkholder 17 Your cat is much less orange today.
T3 Debb Coghlin 17 Only one mistake so far, but it was a big one
T3 Jack James 17 Was Khabibulin that good or the Flames that inept?
T3 Natalie James 17 Nice to have so many family members in the top 3
T3 Peter James 17 Just happy not to be embarrassing myself this year
T3 Richard Woods 17 Flames your only error so far
T3 Roman Zakalunzy 17 Remind me to pick your brain about the Carleton MJ program
T11 Barry Horeczy 16 Money from the bet is on your desk
T11 Chris Lackner 16 No arts deskers have seen their champion eliminated, many sports deskers have
T11 Liam Lynch 16 You Bruins' boosters benefit from the Sharks early demise
T11 Marcel Chelkowski 16 The Ducks seemed to be popular in Kamloops
T11 Mary Kay Hosfield 16 Taken over the household lead in the pool. . . but watch out for Cliff
T11 Mike Barber 16 Hoping the bike not getting stolen streak continues
T11 Philip Ling 16 So if coffee is expensive in Hong Kong, how much is beer?
T11 Rob Kovac 16 Dominating the battle of the Robs.
T11 Sydney Washburn 16 Putting hubby to shame
20 Steve Ayres 15 Still waiting for that first bonus point
T21 Leanne Boyd 14 Remember when you were winning? Those days are long gone.
T21 Mary James 14 Hope you had a good flight home
T21 Mike James 14 I'm going through today what you went through on Saturday
T24 Cliff Hosfield 13 Rough Monday, but Tuesday is more important for you in the long run
T24 Dale Oviatt 13 In mourning this morning?
T24 Dave Gross 13 The Ducks like to fight, the Wings don't. Which style wins out?
T24 David Forbes 13 Overall, the Daves and Davids aren't doing so hot this year
T24 James Peters 13 No longer in the lead among pool organizers
T24 Jeff Madill 13 Unlike many others in this group, you've still got hope
T24 Jeff Sandelli 13 There will be changes. There must be changes.
T24 Justin Lee 13 A Canes run can bring you back to respectability
T24 Keith Bonnell 13 You will get your gift today
T24 Lisa Watson 13 Hope you didn't take the early exit too hard
T24 Mike Macaraeg 13 Celebrating Winnipeg Jets day today?
T24 Mike McGuire 13 All the Mikes within a point of each other
T24 Sean Hutchinson 13 Tied with your former roomie!
T37 Colleen Turnbull 12 A Varlamov-Hiller goaltending duel in the final would be good for you
T37 Jeremy McParland 12 Two correct in each conference so far
T37 Jordan Stein 12 Are the Hawks a good match up for your Nucks?
T37 Lloyd Mack 12 Your lack of faith in Calgary was justified.
T37 Richard Warnica 12 If you combine your score with Laura's you'd be competitive.
42 Don McGowan 11 On the bright side, you're not tied with anyone. . .
T43 Adam Fulton 10 Western Conference was a write off
T43 Dave Washburn 10 Congratulations on reaching double digits!
T43 Ron Strate 10 Three straight mistakes, very costly
T43 Shannon Proudfoot 10 Doing slightly better in the other office pool. . .but only slightly.
T43 Steve McKinley 10 I should have visited your desk more, might have changed the outcome
T48 Chris Chapman 9 Not a Hall of Fame-worthy performance this season
T48 James Gordon 9 Losing touch with the pack
T48 Jenn Hosfield 9 No more Red Mile for you this year, hope you got some partying in while it lasted
T48 Laura Drake 9 Sorry to hear about your hefty tax bill. That's one less beer
T48 Mark Brennae 9 Should the Habs and Flames swap GMs?
T48 Rob Shaw 9 Much Canucks talk on the Liberal bus?
T48 Ryan Plesko 9 Will the Oilers hire a coach by the end of the second round?
T48 Terry James 9 Good thing you won last year. . . 'cuz a repeat seems unlikely
T56 Brendan Kennedy 6 Going 2-for-6 good in baseball, not in sports pools
T56 Julianna Nowaczek 6 This is not going well

Player Update - Welcome Back, Taylor Pyatt

In his last update, Pete alluded to the fact that he was disappointed I wasn't doing comments with my updates, as he was. There's a simple explanation for that - I don't know most of you people. Wish I did, but hey. I may be creative (it's still up in the air), but I can't come up with comments for 40+ people I wouldn't know from Adam if I met them on the street.

Here's a comment, though. Only three poolies didn't received any points the last two days. I'm one of them. If your last name is Washburn, you are one of the other two.

1.Jeff Madill.............76
2.Philip Ling.............75
3.Leanne Boyd.............72
3.Richard Woods...........72
5.Steve McKinley..........71
6.Chris Lackner...........70
6.Jordan Stein............70
8.Geoff Hastings..........69
8.Jeff Sandelli...........69
10.Chris Chapman..........68
10.Don McGowan............68
10.Mike Macaraeg..........68
13.Mike Barber............67
13.Dave Gross.............67
13.Rob Shaw...............67
16.Keith Bonnell..........66
16.Liam Lynch.............66
16.Ryan Plesko............66
19.Mary Kay Hosfield......65
19.Jenn Hosfield..........65
19.Mark Brennae...........65
19.Mike James.............65
23.Marcel Chelkowski......64
23.Julianna Nowaczek......64
25.Dale Oviatt............63
25.Richard Warnica........63
25.Ron Strate.............63
25.Jeremy McParland.......63
25.Barry Horeczy..........63
30.Shannon Proudfoot......62
30.Laura Drake............62
32.Arthur Casement........61
33.Lisa Watson............60
34.James Peters...........59
34.Rob Kovac..............59
34.Sean Hutchinson........59
34.Jack James.............59
34.Brad Bouzane...........59
34.Terry James............59
40.Adam Fulton............58
41.Lloyd Mack.............57
42.Sydney Washburn........56
42.Colleen Turnbull.......56
42.Steve Ayres............56
45.Dave Washburn..........55
45.Carolynne Burkholder...55
47.James Gordon...........54
47.Peter James............54
47.Mary James.............54
47.Debb Coghlin...........54
51.Cliff Hosfield.........51
52.Justin Lee.............50
53.Brendan Kennedy........48
54.David Forbes...........44

I guess Chris Osgood doesn't suck update

Another day, another sweep. In the first round series I watched the least the defending Stanley Cup champions took out the upstart Columbus Blue Jackets in four straight. The Jackets had never made it to the post-season until this year and will now have to wait at least another 12 months to record their first playoff win. As with the last three series, the favourite won meaning most of you got it correct, so there are still massive ties.

Although there are a few series that can wrap up over the next few days, updates from the team side could be sporadic as I'm in Toronto for the weekend. Updates will resume some point on Monday.

T1 $Arthur Casement 10 Strong selections, combined with an 'A' letter name put you right at the top
T1 $Cliff Hosfield 10 Top on this side of the pool, (nearly the) bottom on the other.
T1 Debb Coghlin 10 Have you had this hot a start in the pool yet?
T1 $Don McGowan 10 How'd Washy react when you told him about your new acquisition?
T1 $Jack James 10 Had Detroit and Vancouver in 5. So you came close to more bonus points.
T1 $James Peters 10 What? No comments this year?
T1 $Jeff Sandelli 10 Boyd still has the bragging rights
T1 $Justin Lee 10 Looking good now, but need the 'Canes to turn it around and fast.
T1 Leanne Boyd 10 Leading in both sides of the pool. Could we have a dual winner?
T1 $Mary James 10 Thanks for getting my butt in gear in the apartment makeover
T1 $Mike James 10 Your teams wins AND you're in first. Does life get any better?
T1 $Natalie James 10 See you tomorrow!
T1 Ron Strate 10 Alphabet not doing you any favours, but you are still in first
T14 Barry Horeczy 9 The refs, really? You're going to blame the refs? Com'on!
T14 $Brad Bouzane 9 Better get you hockey pooling in now. When you become a dad you pool skillz suffer. It's a proven fact
T14 $Carolynne Burkholder 9 I can see the rust developing on the Canucks already
T14 $Chris Lackner 9 Hope the arts soiree went well
T14 Colleen Turnbull 9 Are you watching the playoffs more or less with the Sens out?
T14 $Dale Oviatt 9 For what it's worth, you're beating my former boss
T14 $Dave Gross 9 You probably won't see any of these until you get home
T14 David Forbes 9 Keith Tkachuk eh. I admire the courage of that pick
T14 $Geoff Hastings 9 Still waiting for that first bonus point
T14 Jeff Madill 9 Trekking it to Saskatoon for another world junior tourney?
T14 $Jeremy McParland 9 Still confident in your Sharks?
T14 Jordan Stein 9 Going with your head, not your heart in Round 2, eh
T14 $Liam Lynch 9 We should do lunch, if only so I can get more material for pool comments
T14 Lisa Watson 9 Curious to get your thoughts on the Jokinen trade.
T14 $Marcel Chelkowski 9 Canuck fan or just impressed with Luongo and Co.?
T14 $Mary Kay Hosfield 9 Called two sweeps, just not the right sweeps
T14 $Mike Barber 9 Has the offical holiday countdown clock begun?
T14 Mike Macaraeg 9 The PJ descison desk is in. . . and I think you're going to win the pool this year.
T14 $Philip Ling 9 Thanks for the tip. Will look into it.
T14 $Richard Warnica 9 You will also be impressed with Horeczy's Aussie Rules skillz
T14 $Richard Woods 9 Ducks, Rangers wins could vault you into the lead
T14 $Rob Kovac 9 Capitals, Canes comebacks could vault you up the standings
T14 Rob Shaw 9 Be sure to run some smack in Proudfoot's direction. . . I'm not in a position to do so at the moment
T14 Roman Zakalunzy 9 Desperately need Ovechkin and friends to pick it up
T14 $Ryan Plesko 9 Ever think your sister will enter?
T14 $Sean Hutchinson 9 Need to hear all about Costa Rica when you come to visit
T14 $Sydney Washburn 9 Be sure to let hubby know who the hockey expert in the house is.
T14 $Steve Ayres 9 Bonus points not your forte just yet
T14$Terry James 9 Only one point behind most of the family
43 Adam Fulton 7 Called the Wings sweep to move out of the basement
T44 $Brendan Kennedy 6 How did that Steve Mason kool-aid taste?
T44 Chris Chapman 6 So you're wife decide she couldn't hack it in the pool this year, or what?
T44 $Dave Washburn 6 Still celebrating the Flyers' win, I presume
T44 $James Gordon 6 How come us professional sportswriters do so poorly in these pools?
T44 Jenn Hosfield 6 Maybe you should consult your dad, not your boyfriend for pool advice
T44 $Keith Bonnell 6 Went to Chez for lunch today. It was weird not knowing any of the staff!
T44 $Lloyd Mack 6 Has your faith in the Flames improved?
T44 $Mark Brennae 6 Sorry for missing you last night. . . this scoring by hand system could be improved
T44 $Mike McGuire 6 A Rangers win on Friday puts you right back in contention
T44 $Peter James 6 Looking forward to all the new furniture arriving on Friday!
T44 $Shannon Proudfoot 6 I hear Shaw was talking smack about you
T44 $Steve McKinley 6 Have a safe drive this weekend
T56 $Julianna Nowaczek 3 Worst score for a former champion
T56 Laura Drake 3 Should I point out the only people with three points are women? No, I will not.

Player Update - Yet Another Leader

With the Canadiens and Blues both out, a total of two (2) poolies have suffered losses. Keith Bonnell, I'm afraid Saku Koivu's three (3) points will be where he peaks. And to you, David Forbes, your selection of former Jet Keith Tkachuk netted you zero (0) points. That should make you mad enough to trash a hotel room, or show up to training camp next year 50 pounds overweight.

1.Leanne Boyd.............71
2.Jeff Madill.............69
3.Philip Ling.............68
4.Chris Chapman...........66
5.Geoff Hastings..........65
5.Chris Lackner...........65
5.Don McGowan.............65
5.Keith Bonnell...........65
9.Richard Woods...........64
9.Mike Barber.............64
11.Liam Lynch.............63
12.Mike Macaraeg..........62
12.Steve McKinley.........62
12.Jeff Sandelli..........62
15.Mary Kay Hosfield......61
15.Dave Gross.............61
15.Jenn Hosfield..........61
18.Dale Oviatt............60
18.Shannon Proudfoot......60
20.Mark Brennae...........59
20.James Peters...........59
20.Ryan Plesko............59
20.Marcel Chelkowski......59
20.Richard Warnica........59
25.Jordan Stein...........58
25.Rob Shaw...............58
27.Ron Strate.............57
27.Laura Drake............57
27.Mike James.............57
27.Jeremy McParland.......57
27.Julianna Nowaczek......57
32.Sydney Washburn........56
32.Barry Horeczy..........56
32.Jack James.............56
32.Arthur Casement........56
36.Dave Washburn..........55
37.James Gordon...........54
38.Rob Kovac..............53
38.Sean Hutchinson........53
38.Brad Bouzane...........53
41.Lloyd Mack.............52
42.Carolynne Burkholder...51
43.Lisa Watson............49
43.Colleen Turnbull.......49
43.Terry James............49
46.Adam Fulton............48
47.Peter James............47
47.Steve Ayres............47
47.Brendan Kennedy........47
50.Mary James.............46
51.Justin Lee.............44
51.Cliff Hosfield.........44
53.David Forbes...........43
54.Debb Coghlin...........42

Habs lose, Montreal 'fans' don't riot update

The good news: American sports talk radio hosts won't have any more ammunition to attack Canada.
The bad news: There are only two Canadian teams left in the playoffs.

Yes, as 91 per cent of you predicted the Montreal Canadiens were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, which should mean no more booing of the Star Spangled Banner. The Boston Bruins swept their Original Six rivals Wednesday night, something 10 of you called correctly. Of course there is still a massive log-jam in the standings but that's too be expected this early in the playoffs.

Below you'll find the latest team side standings, but James Peters chimed in earlier today with a player side update over at the blog, www.sonsofmanitoba.blogspot.com

T1 $Arthur Casement 7 The antithesis of the basement
T1 Debb Coghlin 7 So what happened to your Avs this year?
T1 $Don McGowan 7 Jokinen is a bum. I stand by it.
T1 $Cliff Hosfield 7 Another strong start in your sophomore season
T1 $Jack James 7 So can the Flames win in Chicago
T1 $James Peters 7 Will this be the year one of the pool organizers wins?
T1 $Justin Lee 7 Boldly called three first-round sweeps. Got one right.
T1 Leanne Boyd 7 I'm sure you're happy the Flames won, it must make Jeff easier to be around
T1 $Mary James 7 Looking forward to IKEA, the Market tomorrow
T1 $Mike James 7 Got your Charleswood Hawks championship gear yet?
T11 Barry Horeczy 6 Get ready to write a cheque to the Ottawa Food Bank
T11 $Brad Bouzane 6 They bagged and tagged Mariner Moose
T11 $Brendan Kennedy 6 Next year I vow to increase the Kennedy quotient in this pool
T11 $Carolynne Burkholder 6 Are the Canucks peaking too soon?
T11 Chris Chapman 6 Congratulations, I'm so excited for you and Janet!
T11 $Chris Lackner 6 Can arts reporters do well in sports pools? We'll soon find out
T11 Colleen Turnbull 6 For the first time in a long time, no competition for top Colleen
T11 $Dale Oviatt 6 Just watching Iginla score into an empty net as I type this
T11 $Dave Gross 6 Hope you can watch hockey in Miami
T11 $Dave Washburn 6 You're lead over your wife is purely alphabetical
T11 David Forbes 6 Following in your footsteps into the Carleton MJ program
T11 $Geoff Hastings 6 Will we have a Jeff vs. Jeff vs. Geoff battle this year?
T11 $James Gordon 6 Thanks for the notebook love on your blog
T11 $Jeff Madill 6 Sorry to see the London Knights eliminated
T11 $Jeff Sandelli 6 Will Iginla have better finish on Saturday?
T11 Jenn Hosfield 6 How's the Red Mile been?
T11 $Jeremy McParland 6 I'm going to need to get some material for you new Kamloops folk
T11 Jordan Stein 6 Got tickets for the second round?
T11 $Liam Lynch 6 Got your cheque
T11 Lisa Watson 6 I bet you had your Flames gear on today
T11 $Marcel Chelkowski 6 So, how's the Tournament City?
T11 $Mary Kay Hosfield 6 What were you saying about the Flames' chances?
T11 $Mike Barber 6 You will be one of the few people awake to get this e-mail right away
T11 Mike Macaraeg 6 Looking at some old photos tonight, you were in some of them
T11 $Mike McGuire 6 So were you
T11 $Natalie James 6 And you were in many of them
T11 $Peter James 6 And I was in almost, if not, all of them
T11 $Philip Ling 6 Congrats on your lead on the player side
T11 $Richard Warnica 6 You will be amazed by McKinley's Aussie Rules skillz
T11 $Richard Woods 6 Oooh, we have a battle of Richard W.'s to look forward to!
T11 $Rob Kovac 6 AND a battle of Robs.
T11 Rob Shaw 6 How long until Lois starts filling out a pool sheet?
T11 Roman Zakalunzy 6 Last-minute picks looking good early on.
T11 Ron Strate 6 Still in Lethbridge?
T11 $Ryan Plesko 6 Belated congratulations on your engagement
T11 $Sean Hutchinson 6 Hope you're also taking in some Red Mile action
T11 $Shannon Proudfoot 6 Got that pool advice refund yet?
T11 $Sydney Washburn 6 Don't let Chip get all uppity, you're still tied.
T11 $Steve Ayres 6 Early lead in the battle of the Steves
T11 $Terry James 6 If it's Thursday it must be Amsterdam.
T52 $Steve McKinley 3 Trying to decide what's worse Jokinen's penalties or your pool picks?
T52 $Lloyd Mack 3 How's the auction going?
T52 Laura Drake 3 I will avoid making sexist comments about women and pool picks
T52 $Keith Bonnell So THIS is why you don't usually enter pools. . .
T52 $Julianna Nowaczek 3 Might want to stick to Lexulous
T52 Adam Fulton 3 Perhaps it's a good thing you're not paying the entry fee.

Player Side Update - New Leader

1.Philip Ling.............66
2.Jeff Madill.............65
3.Geoff Hastings..........62
3.Richard Woods...........62
3.Chris Lackner...........62
6.Chris Chapman...........61
7.Leanne Boyd.............60
7.Mike Macaraeg...........60
9.Don McGowan.............59
9.Liam Lynch..............59
9.Mike Barber.............59
12.Mary Kay Hosfield......58
12.Dave Gross.............58
12.Mark Brennae...........58
12.Jordan Stein...........58
16.James Peters...........57
16.Steve McKinley.........57
16.Dale Oviatt............57
19.Jeff Sandelli..........56
19.Keith Bonnell..........56
19.Ryan Plesko............56
19.Sydney Washburn........56
23.Ron Strate.............55
23.Laura Drake............55
23.Marcel Chelkowski......55
26.Barry Horeczy..........54
26.Richard Warnica........54
28.Jack James.............53
28.Mike James.............53
28.Rob Kovac..............53
31.Arthur Casement........52
31.Rob Shaw...............52
31.Jeremy McParland.......52
34.Shannon Proudfoot......51
35.Lloyd Mack.............50
35.James Gordon...........50
37.Lisa Watson............49
37.Sean Hutchinson........49
37.Brad Bouzane...........49
40.Carolynne Burkholder...48
40.Adam Fulton............48
42.Julianna Nowaczek......47
42.Colleen Turnbull.......47
42.Peter James............47
45.Dave Washburn..........46
45.Terry James............46
47.Jenn Hosfield..........44
47.Steve Ayres............44
47.Justin Lee.............44
50.Brendan Kennedy........43
51.Debb Coghlin...........42
51.Mary James.............42
53.Cliff Hosfield.........41
54.David Forbes...........40

Team side update

Hello Poolies:

With one series in the books, it's time for the first Sons of Manitoba team side update. First off congratulations to the Vancouver Canucks for their first series sweep in franchise history. Sure it only took you 39 years, but I'm sure it was worth the wait. I was impressed that Alex "I was a goon when I was in Manitoba" Burrows got the overtime winner Tuesday night.

Before I get to the update, let me first thank you all for entering this year. For the vets, it's nice to have you back and to the rookies it's great to have you on board. We have a few special guests this year — our former champions who have decided to return for another shot at glory. Please welcome Mary James (1993); Mike McGuire (2000); David Forbes and Ron Strate (2001); Natalie James (2001); Colleen Turnbull (2002); Mike Macaraeg (2003); Mike James (2003); Chris Chapman (2004, '05); Jeff Sandelli (2004); Rob Shaw (2006); Julianna Nowaczek (2007); Terry James (2008); Brad Bouzane (2008) and of course Yours Truly (1994, '95 — yes it's been WAY too long since I won this thing).

Also be sure to check out the pool blog. Posts are up breaking down the Cup favourites based on your picks and a look at who people took in the first round. Coming soon is a post looking at where in the country this year's poolies hail from. It's all at: www.sonsofmanitoba.blogspot.com

Now for the update, and I'm going to use a bit of a different format for this one. Regular updating will resume soon. Also when regular updates resume, the people elgible for prize money will have a '$' next to their names.

T1. 55 people who took Vancouver in either 5, 6 or 7 games all have 3 points
T56. Adam Fulton and Lloyd Mack 0 points Yes you guys are last, but at least you get your names mentioned!

Enjoy the rest of the first round folks!

More fun with numbers

With the St. Louis Blues on the brink of elimination tonight, I figured it's time to breakdown the first round, based on you picks.

Perhaps it's fitting that the Vancouver Canucks are the first team with the chance to advance as a whopping 96% of you predicted they will eliminate the Blues. Apparently three Swedes and a all-world goaltender inspire confidence in poolies as the Canucks are the most popular choice to advance out of the first round.

The two top seeds are also overwhelming favourties. Both Boston and San Jose had the support of 91% of entrants.

In fact seven of the eight first-round matchups were landslides. Washington at 88%; Pittsburgh at 82%, Detroit at 81% and New Jersey at 72%. The only series that was considered a tossup is Chicago and Calgary. The underdog Flames actually got 58% support in the pool, which means most of you haven't seen Olli Jokinen play.

First Player Update!

It's the first player side update of 2009! This is before Sunday's games:

1.Jeff Madill.............46
2.Geoff Hastings..........43
3.Richard Woods...........42
4.Philip Ling.............40
4.Don McGowan.............40
4.Leanne Boyd.............40
4.Jeff Sandelli...........40
8.Chris Chapman...........38
8.Chris Lackner...........38
10.Mary Kay Hosfield......37
11.James Peters...........36
11.Liam Lynch.............36
11.Keith Bonnell..........36
14.Ryan Plesko............35
14.Mike Macaraeg..........35
14.Barry Horeczy..........35
14.Dave Gross.............35
14.Steve McKinley.........35
19.Arthur Casement........34
19.Mike Barber............34
21.Ron Strate.............33
21.Mark Brennae...........33
21.Dale Oviatt............33
21.Rob Shaw...............33
21.Sydney Washburn........33
26.Rob Kovac..............32
26.Jordan Stein...........32
26.Richard Warnica........32
26.Laura Drake............32
26.Shannon Proudfoot......32
31.Jenn Hosfield..........31
31.Jack James.............31
33.Lloyd Mack.............30
33.Lisa Watson............30
33.Marcel Chelkowski......30
36.Mike James.............29
36.Jeremy McParland.......29
36.Cliff Hosfield.........29
36.Carolynne Burkholder...29
40.James Gordon...........27
40.Sean Hutchinson........27
40.Brad Bouzane...........27
43.Adam Fulton............26
43.Dave Washburn..........26
45.Brendan Kennedy........25
45.Terry James............25
45.Steve Ayres............25
48.Julianna Nowaczek......24
49.Debb Coghlin...........23
49.Colleen Turnbull.......23
51.Justin Lee.............21
52.Peter James............20
53.Mary James.............19
54.David Forbes...........16

The numbers game

I've crunched the numbers and once again the lack of creativity from most of the poolies is astounding. The most common matchup in the final? The two top seeds, San Jose and Boston. BORING.
Some of you did go out on a limb and kudos to the brave souls who took the likes of Carolina, Washington and New Jersey.

Here's a quick look at how the conference and Cup champions break down. I'll have more numerical analysis later.

Stanley Cup
Boston 28%
San Jose 26%
Pittsburgh 14%
Vancouver 11%
Calgary 7%
Detroit 5%
Philadelphia 4%
Carolina 2%
Washington 2%
New Jersey 2%

Eastern Conference
Boston 49%
Pittsburgh 25%
Washington 11%
New Jersey 7%
Philadelphia 5%
Carolina 4%

Western Conference
San Jose 46%
Vancouver 25%
Detroit 18%
Calgary 9%
Columbus 2%
Chicago 2%

No poolies were courageous enough to take either Montreal or New York to win the Prince of Wales Trophy. Out West, no one believes Anaheim or St. Louis will win the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl.

I guess that means we can expect a New York-Anaheim final.

Entry details

Dear Poolies:
It all started more than six months ago at O2 arena in Prague. Now,
1,230 games are in the books and the REAL NHL season is about to
begin. Yes, poolies, the playoffs are just around the corner which
means the Sons of Manitoba pool is back for its 18th season.

As always, there are a few innovations this year which we think will
make the pool even more exciting than in the past. First and foremost
after extensive off-season focus group studies, we've decided to bring
back the entry fee and prize money aspect which has been missing since
the turn of the millennium. This year you have the choice to pay a $20
entry fee, with 50 per cent of the money going to the winner of the
player side and 50 per cent to the winner of the team side. Of course,
for those of you who want to play for free, that option is still
available. However anyone who does not pay is not eligible for the
prizes.

The reason the entry fee was eliminated in 2000 was because I figured
it would be difficult to collect money from participants across the
country. Hopefully technology will make this easier. For those of you
in Ottawa or Kamloops, B.C., you can pay in person to James Peters or
Peter James. Otherwise e-mail money transactions, PayPal and cheques
will all be accepted. If you're mailing a cheque, please send it to:
Apt C-10
200 Pretoria Ave.
Ottawa ON K1S 1X2
Also when you're e-mailing or handing in your picks, please indicate
if you intend on paying so we know where to send the collection
agency.

The format of the pool this year is very similar to years past. For
Part A you need to fill out a playoff bracket. Below you will see the
first-round matchups, but remember in the second round the highest
remaining seed always plays the lowest remaining seed in each
conference, so please format your picks properly. Also, after each
series select the number of games you think it will go (4, 5, 6 or 7).
Correct picks in the first round are worth three points, second round
five points, third round seven points and final round 12 points. If
you get the team and number of games correct you get one bonus point.


EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Boston vs. (8) Montreal
(2) Washington vs. (7) New York Rangers
(3) New Jersey vs. (6) Carolina
(4) Pittsburgh vs. (5) Philadelphia

WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1) San Jose vs. (8) Anaheim
(2) Detroit vs. (7) Columbus
(3) Vancouver vs. (6) St. Louis
(4) Chicago vs. (5) Calgary

Part B is the player side. Select 10 fowards, four defencemen and
three goalies from playoff-bound teams. For skaters one point is
awarded for a goal, one for an assist and two bonus points for an
overtime goal. For goaltenders, one point is awarded for a win and two
additional points are awarded for a shutout. Finally, as a new tweak
this year, please select the player you think will win the Conn Smythe
Trophy as playoff MVP. Ten bonus points will be awarded to anyone who
picks the eventual winner.

Finally, the deadline to get your picks in is Thursday April 16 at 5
p.m. ET. Please submit them to sonsofmanitoba@gmail.com

If you have any questions, drop us a line.

Thanks,

Peter James and James Peters

Sons of Manitoba Pool history

NOTE: UPDATED FOR 2009!

I might as well start this hockey pool blog with a piece of meaningless trivia. Did you know that this year marks the fifth time in this pool's proud history that a Conservative Prime Minister has been power during the playoffs. That's right folks this pool dates back to the days that Mr. Mulroney was living in 24 Sussex Drive (OK, so Mulroney was PC PM, but let's not split hairs).


The predecessor to the Sons of Manitoba pool has much less sexy name. For the first 10 years of its existence it was known simply as the annual Peter James Hockey Pool. As you can see I've always been known for my ability to turn a phrase — it's why I'm such a skilled headline writer.


The pool got its start back in 1992. It was 75th year of the national hockey league and the Winnipeg Jets were showing some promise. A young Winnipegger had dreams of a Stanley Cup parade down Portage Avenue dancing through his head. True to form, the Jets snuck into the playoffs only to lose a heartbreaking first round series. They actually had a 3-1 series lead over the Vancouver Canucks, but managed to lose the last three games by a combined total of 23-5. Uggh.


Anyway the pool got its start in the playground behind River West Park school where I was a student. I believe it was free that year to enter, but when I tried to charge people the next year my mother got phone calls from concerned parents. They didn't like the idea of a gambling racket taking place during recess. Anyway pool results from that era are sketchy at best, but records indicate that one of my teachers, Kendra Gardiner won that year so I'll stick with that story.


The next year, after assuring my friends' parents that nothing untoward was going on, my mum became the first member of the James family to win this thing. She has never let me, or anyone else forget it. These were the days before e-mail (or at least before I knew about e-mail) and I used to print out results — using a dot matrix printer no less — after each round and physically hand them out to everyone in the pool. Entries totalled around a dozen people during the early years and everyone lived in the same neighbourhood.


In 1994 I moved onto Westdale Junior High (who have changed their nickname and logo since I was there, apparently). Not only was I transitioning to a new school, the NHL was trying out a new playoff format. No longer would the first two rounds be played solely within the division, now teams would be seeded one through eight in the conference. It was the same number of teams making the playoffs, but organizing a pool suddenly became more difficult because the brackets were no longer consistent. I adopted a time consuming format that saw people make new picks every round. The challenge was collecting those picks before each new round was set to begin. I often found myself on the phone frantically trying to reach poolies before the puck dropped in the first game of each series. A guy by the name of Cory Sanders won that year, in what was considered a bit of an upset at the time. In fact, it was the third straight year that someone unexpected brought home the top prize.


Frustrated by all the phone calls in 1994 I adopted a totally different format a year later. Poolies were asked to pick five teams and they got points for wins, series sweeps, shutouts and the like. I can't recall the exact scoring system, all I know is it was very complicated and my sleeper pick was the New Jersey Devils. For one brief period in my life I actually cheered for Claude Lemieux and it led me to my first championship.


I moved onto St. Paul's High School in 1996, which was a bittersweet year for the pool. I managed to win my second straight title, but it was also the last year of the Jets in Winnipeg (may they rest in peace). I also had to fight off a classmate's attempt to start a competing pool that year, but I survived without losing too many customers. I changed formats for the third year in a row, adopting something very close to what we're using this year. I was victorious for the second year in a row — which led to a lot of speculation about the honesty of yours truly.


One of my best friends in high school, Cale Tanguay, was the big winner in 1997. I still remember going to his house to give him his winnings. In those days I charged $2 to enter with 70 per cent of the money going to the winner, 20 per cent to second place and 10 per cent to third. I was getting about 40 or so entries a year back then, so we're not talking big bucks.


The big breakthrough for the pool came in 1998. St. Paul's always hosted an official school charity hockey pool, with 50 per cent of the money collected going to the Mission Fund and the other half going to the winners. I approached Mr. Klopak, a teacher who ran the pool, and offered to take it over. He agreed and suddenly entries numbered in the hundreds. They were heady days for the pool and have never been matched since. Nick Wansbutter, a Grade 12 student and a fellow linebacker on the Crusader football team, was the winner.


The golden age of the pool continued as I ran the school hockey pool again in 1999 and even got to broadcast the results over the PA system during the morning announcements. A classmate of mine, and a Crusader hockey player, Tommy Sheldon was the winner.


I moved on to Carleton University in 2000 and the e-mail pool was born. The goal was to keep as many as the Winnipeg people involved at the same time bringing in a crowd from Ottawa. Because it was tough to collect entry fees from all over the place, the pool was free this year and my roommate Mike McGuire was the winner. We had so much fun watching the first round of the playoffs that year. We kept a running scoreboard on the door to the TV lounge so people walking by could check the results. I still find it hard to believe no one was checking real-time scores on the Internet back then, people were running to the TV lounge to find out what was happening. I'll never forget literally running back from an exam one night to catch an installment of the Battle of Ontario. Good times (except for the Leafs win over the Sens).


The Sons of Manitoba pool was born in 2001 when I teamed up with James Peters for the first time. The charity component came back as we collected money for a good cause, I believe it was the Children's Wish Foundation but I've been unable to confirm that. Mike Mulville, a member of the Residence Security team at Carleton was the winner in the team portion, my sister Natalie won the player portion and the combined entry of David Forbes (one of my instructors) and his friend Ron Strate won the combined pool.


Another Res Security guard won in 2002 when Gavin Morris grabbed both the team and combined sections. Colleen Turnbull, one of my former rezzies, was the winner in the player section. I travelled to Ireland, Belgium and France with my family for a couple of weeks during the second round of the playoffs and had a heck of a time trying to get results. While milling about the palace at Versailles I spotted a Red Wings fan who, it turned out, has just arrived overseas and gave me the lowdown. The trip was great, except for the flight home when the Air Canada pilot, clearly a Leafs fan was gloating about their win over the Sens. The first round was almost complete before I left for Europe, but the New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs still needed to play a Game 7. I actually compiled two separate updates, one for each possible outcome, and Mr. Peters sent out the appropriate one once the results were in.


In 2003 Mike Macaraeg got his name on the winners list for the first time. A longtime entrant, dating back to the St. Paul's days, Mac had to work long and hard for his first win. My brother, Mike James, won the other section of the pool. This is also the year I graduated from university and moved to Kenora.


The Tampa Bay Lightning surprised everyone except Chris Chapman in 2004 and he took home the team pool title. Jeff Sandelli was the winner of both the player and combined titles. It was a bittersweet championship for my fellow Flames fan considering the result of the final series.

The lockout didn't stop me from running a pool in 2005. As many of you remember I did a world championship pool that year and Chris Chapman was the big winner again. It must be noted here that James Peters was last.

The NHL was back from the lockout in 2006 and this pool got into the 21st century with this fancy blog. The Sons of Manitoba were briefly united in Red Deer, before James Peters and his belle moved further west to Kamloops. The Edmonton Oilers made a Cinderella run to the finals, only to lose to Carolina. Hockey guru Rob Shaw was able to forecast the rise of the Hurricanes and took hom the top prize in the team side of the pool. My former colleague at the Miner and News, Dan Gauthier, took home the top prize on the player side.

For the third straight season in 2007 a Canadian team advanced to the Stanley Cup final, only to lose. The Ottawa Senators had the talent and the fight song but lost to the Anaheim Ducks. I actually attended the rally shown in the fight song video because 2007 brought me back to Canada's capital. Neil MacKinnon took top prize on the team side — appropriate as he shares a hometown with the most hated member of the Ducks. On the player side, long-time participant Julianna Nowaczek took home top spot. It should also be noted that Peter James took last spot on the team side.

In 2008 the James family slam was completed as my father, Terry James, won his first-ever pool title taking first place in the player side. Although all five members of my immediate family can claim titles, I'm the only one who can boast to having two titles. Brad Bouzane, a colleague at Canwest News Service took the team side title in his rookie year.

Now it's 2009. Good luck to everyone.