Long-Awaited, Much-Anticipated Player Side Update

You blink your eyes, and before you know it, it's the Stanley Cup final.

Well, the moment our parents' refused to name us Jeff/Geoff, we were out of this race. And in fact, it's all but over as it is.

Upon close scientific examination, the only difference between the squads of Jeff Madill and Geoff Hastings is the presence of Johan Franzen on the team of the former. That means this is pretty much decided already. Good on both of the Jeffs/Geoffs for having terrific rookie years.

Oh, also, I'd like to welcome Dave Washburn to the realm of the FROZEN!

1.Jeff Madill.............245...8.
2.Geoff Hastings..........242...9.
3.Jordan Stein............228...10.
4.Philip Ling.............224...11.
5.Mary Kay Hosfield.......213...10.
6.Rob Kovac...............212...6.
7.Colleen Turnbull........208...10.
7.Jeremy McParland........208...10.
7.Mark Brennae............208...9.
10.Arthur Casement........207...10.
11.Laura Drake............206...13.
12.Ron Strate.............205...11.
12.Steve McKinley.........205...11.
14.Barry Horeczy..........204...11.
15.Mike Macaraeg..........203...11.
16.Liam Lynch.............202...14.
16.Dale Oviatt............202...9.
18.Chris Lackner..........201...14.
19.Justin Lee.............199...9.
20.Lloyd Mack.............198...9.
21.Dave Gross.............196...13.
21.Marcel Chelkowski......196...13.
23.Richard Woods..........192...13.
24.Adam Fulton............191...10.
24.Chris Chapman..........191...15.
26.Jack James.............190...12.
27.Don McGowan............188...14.
28.Ryan Plesko............187...13.
28.Richard Warnica........187...13.
30.Sean Hutchinson........186...11.
31.Peter James............180...12.
31.Rob Shaw...............180...13.
33.Leanne Boyd............177...15.
34.Mike Barber............173...14.
35.James Peters...........172...14.
36.James Gordon...........170...12.
37.Keith Bonnell..........168...15.
38.Sydney Washburn........164...12.
39.Jeff Sandelli..........159...12.
40.Terry James............157...11.
41.Steve Ayres............155...15.
42.Shannon Proudfoot......153...14.
43.Lisa Watson............152...14.
44.Brad Bouzane...........151...12.
45.Mike James.............150...13.
46.Debb Coghlin...........148...14.
47.Dave Washburn..........141...17...FROZEN!
48.Mary James.............134...16.
49.Cliff Hosfield.........122...11.
50.Jenn Hosfield..........111...17...FROZEN!
50.David Forbes...........111...15.
52.Carolynne Burkholder...105...17...FROZEN!
53.Julianna Nowaczek......104...17...FROZEN!
54.Brendan Kennedy........100...17...FROZEN!

The Annual Anagram Update!!

It's the day you've all been waiting for, folks - the annual anagram update!

Here's a little history behind the anagram update. A couple of years ago, I realized most of the entrants in the Sons of Manitoba Playoff Pool were people signed up by Pete, and thus I don't know them. It makes it hard to do comments when you don't know the people you're commenting on. Pete improvises pretty well, bless his soul, but my improvisations would doubtlessly devolve into personal insults, and for some of you, that's not cool. Thus, in an attempt to say something unique about each poolie, I decided to come up with an anagram of each poolie's name, with the help of the Internet Anagram Server.

There you have it. And here you have it - the annual anagram update. Some of them are a stretch, but others gave me quite a chuckle - or chortle, if you will.

1.Jeff Madill.............202....Def Jam Fill
2.Geoff Hastings..........195....Fag Fetish Song
3.Philip Ling.............188....Hill Piping
3.Jordan Stein............188....Stored Ninja
5.Liam Lynch..............181....Lilac Hymn
6.Chris Lackner...........180....I Ranch Clerks
7.Laura Drake.............179....La Dark Urea
8.Mary Kay Hosfield.......175....Frayed Shaky Limo
9.Dave Gross..............174....Dog Savers
9.Ron Strate..............174....Stoner Art
9.Colleen Turnbull........174....Blue 'n Uncle Troll
12.Mike Macaraeg..........173....Make a Grimace
13.Chris Chapman..........172....I Ranch Champs
13.Richard Woods..........172....Dish or Coward
13.Steve McKinley.........172....Elect My Knives
16.Marcel Chelkowski......171....Who Licks Mackerel
16.Barry Horeczy..........171....Oh Crazy Berry
18.Arthur Casement........170....Human Streetcar
18.Jeremy McParland.......170....Lend 'Em My Crap Jar
20.Don McGowan............168....Gnaw Condom
20.Mark Brennae...........168....Banner Maker
22.Ryan Plesko............167....Ropy Ankles
23.Richard Warnica........163....Rancid Craw Hair
24.Sean Hutchinson........161....Unchaste Ho Inns
24.Rob Shaw...............161....Bra Show
26.Mike Barber............159....Reembark Bi
27.Leanne Boyd............158....Baloney Den
27.Rob Kovac..............158...."no anagrams found"
29.Dale Oviatt............156....Avoid Latte
30.Adam Fulton............154....Fatal Mound
30.Lloyd Mack.............154....Lock Madly
32.Jack James.............153....Jack as Jem
33.Steve Ayres............152....Stay Severe
33.Peter James............152....Pare 'em, Jets!
35.Justin Lee.............151....Just In Lee
36.Keith Bonnell..........149....Hellbent Ikon
36.James Peters...........149....Spare 'em, Jets!
38.James Gordon...........138....A Modern Jogs
39.Lisa Watson............137....Salsa in Tow
40.Mike James.............133....Is Jam Meek?
40.Sydney Washburn........133....Why a Bunny Dress?
40.Jeff Sandelli..........133....A Sniffed Jell
43.Shannon Proudfoot......132....Noon Prof Handouts
44.Terry James............131....Jersey Mart
45.Brad Bouzane...........130....A Bound Zebra
46.Dave Washburn..........129....Husband Waver
46.Debb Coghlin...........129....Gobbled Inch
48.Mary James.............120....My Ears Jam
49.Jenn Hosfield..........111....Johnnie's Fled
50.Carolynne Burkholder...105....A Lordly Reborn Kuchen
51.Julianna Nowaczek......104....Canonize a Junk Law
52.Brendan Kennedy........100....Drank By En... En... End
53.David Forbes...........101....Five Odd Bras
54.Cliff Hosfield..........97....I Fed Off Chills

Post Second Round Player Side Update

It's the battle of the Jeffs/Geoffs for the final in this side. While Jeff Madill has the lead, Geoff Hastings and his team loaded with Blackhawks has a chance to gain points when almost all others don't.

Please note that several poolies, all near the bottom, are now FROZEN!

1.Jeff Madill.............191...8
2.Geoff Hastings..........187...5
3.Philip Ling.............182...11
3.Jordan Stein............182...10
5.Liam Lynch..............178...14
6.Chris Lackner...........177...14
7.Laura Drake.............175...13
8.Dave Gross..............170...13
9.Chris Chapman...........169...15
10.Mike Macaraeg..........168...11
10.Ron Strate.............168...11
10.Mary Kay Hosfield......168...8
13.Colleen Turnbull.......167...10
13.Marcel Chelkowski......167...11
13.Richard Woods..........167...13
16.Steve McKinley.........166...11
17.Barry Horeczy..........165...10
18.Don McGowan............164...14
19.Mark Brennae...........163...9
19.Arthur Casement........163...10
19.Jeremy McParland.......163...10
22.Ryan Plesko............162...13
23.Richard Warnica........159...12
24.Sean Hutchinson........156...11
24.Mike Barber............156...14
26.Rob Shaw...............155...13
26.Leanne Boyd............155...15
28.Steve Ayres............151...15
29.Rob Kovac..............150...6
30.Jack James.............149...10
30.Dale Oviatt............149...9
32.Peter James............147...12
32.Adam Fulton............147...10
32.Lloyd Mack.............147...9
35.Keith Bonnell..........146...15
35.James Peters...........146...14
37.Justin Lee.............144...6
38.Lisa Watson............134...14
38.James Gordon...........134...12
40.Mike James.............130...12
40.Sydney Washburn........130...12
42.Dave Washburn..........129...11
42.Jeff Sandelli..........129...12
42.Shannon Proudfoot......129...14
45.Debb Coghlin...........126...14
45.Brad Bouzane...........126...12
45.Terry James............126...11
48.Mary James.............118...11
49.Jenn Hosfield..........111...17...FROZEN!
50.Carolynne Burkholder...105...17...FROZEN!
51.Julianna Nowaczek......104...17...FROZEN!
52.Brendan Kennedy........100...17...FROZEN!
53.David Forbes...........100...13
54.Cliff Hosfield..........93...11

Update in which I insult the intelligence of most, but not all, poolies

Here are the Sons of Manitoba Eastern Division HQ we call 'em as we see 'em. And this quite frankly is the worst collective performance by a group of poolies I have ever seen. Sure y'all did quite well in the first round, but once the going got tough the red ink flowed.

There are four teams left in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins. Two of those teams were in the final last season. The other two were uber-hot down the stretch. Yet, an astonishing 11 poolies went 0-for-4. Only 10 poolies went .500 and just one, new leader Justin Lee got three correct. No one got all four. Pathetic. I expect more creativity next year.

(Full disclosure: I, like a majority of poolies, went an uninspiring 1-for-4).

Thursday night featured a pair of great Game 7s. Dan Cleary, who grew up near poolie and new dad Brad Bouzane in Newfoundland, prevented total pool carnage by scoring with three minutes to go to give the Detroit Red Wings a 4-3 win in the game and the series against the Anaheim Ducks.

Then, to the cheers of poolies Justin Lee and Phil Ling, Scott Walker provided the knockout blow as the Carolina Hurricanes won their sixth straight playoff series beating the Boston Bruins 3-2 in overtime.

The Bruins cost a whole bunch of you your champions. So long, Terry James, Shannon Proudfoot, Ryan Plesko, Roman Zakalunzy, Rob Shaw, Richard Warnica, Mike McGuire, Mike Barber, Lloyd Mack, Liam Lynch, Jenn Hosfield, James Peters, David Forbes, Chris Lackner, Brendan Kennedy and Brad Bouzane.

Also, Thursday's results allow me to induct a whole new class of poolies in the Frozen club. All of you listed below can't score anything over the next two rounds so the only reason you have to read these updates is the witty comments. . .
Welcome to the club: Arthur Casement, Barry Horeczy, Brad Bouzane, Brendan Kennedy, Carolynne Burkholder, Chris Chapman, Chris Lackner, Colleen Turnbull, Dale Oviatt, Dave Washburn, David Forbes, Debb Coghlin, James Peters, Jenn Hosfield, Jeremy McParland, Leanne Boyd, Liam Lynch, Lisa Watson, Mary-Kay Hosfield, Mike Barber, Mike McGuire, Richard Warnica, Richard Woods, Rob Shaw, Roman Zakalunzy, Sean Hutchinson, Shannon Proudfoot and Steve Ayres. (It's a long list, I hope I didn't miss anyone).

The one lone bright spot coming out of the second round? I have officially accomplished the primary goal I set heading into every Sons of Manitoba pool — beating James Peters. Yes, at least on the team side, I can start engraving my name on the Founders' Trophy. You've got nothing Peters!

The standings:

1 $Justin Lee 35 Best second round of the group. But the Sharks pick will cost you
T2 $Rob Kovac 34 Both finalists still alive
T2 $Mary Kay Hosfield 34 Nice 12 points in Round 2, but that's all for you
T4 $Phil Ling 32 Nix the Ward jersey, go for the Scott Walker threads
T4 $Jeff Madill 32 This is a great year for rookies
T4 $Jack James 32 Probably can't win the pool, but you can still win the best family member award
T4 $Geoff Hastings 32 Like Mr. Kovac, you also have two finalists still alive
T8 $Sean Hutchinson 31 Remind me, when are you coming out East?
T8 $Arthur Casement 31 Not a bad score, for an engineer
10 $Natalie James 29 You have beaten me this year.
11 Colleen Turnbull 27 Have you nailed down the format for the model pool yet?
T12 $Steve Ayres 26 7-for-8 in Round 1; 1-for-7 the rest of the way
T12 $Mike James 26 You can still beat your sister
T14 $Richard Warnica 25 You leave, suddenly no one wants to turn out for sports. Come back.
T14 $Peter James 25 If you're reading these in order, you haven't reached James Peters' name yet.
T14 $Debb Coghlin 25 You're tied with me, so your picks can't be that bad
T14 Barry Horeczy 25 Will the Bombers have more newcomers than returnees on their opening day roster?
18 $Marcel Chelkowski 24 Sedins, worth big raises? Yes or no?
T19 $Lloyd Mack 23 Getting ready for the influx of summer residents?
T19 $Dale Oviatt 23 Hope the bracket-ing was successful
T21 $Ryan Plesko 22 You beat your brother-in-law!
T21 $Richard Woods 22 Fell short in the fabled battle of the Richards
T21 $Mary James 22 A Chicago win puts you back in the top 10
T21 $Keith Bonnell 22 Halfway through your first SoM pool, thumbs up or thumbs down?
T21 $Jeff Sandelli 22 If nothing else, you have household bragging rights
T21 $Brad Bouzand 22 Big party in Harbour Grace last night?
T27 $Sydney Washburn 21 Next year no consulting Dave for pool advice.
T27 Roman Zakalunzy 21 Still, best result for a poolie with a last name starting with a 'Z' (Chara didn't enter this year)
T27 Mike Macaraeg 21 Still got your champ, so you can still aim for respectability
T27 Jordan Stein 21 Made one the biggest jumps on Thursday
T27 $Jeremy McParland 21 You too.
T27 $James Gordon 21 Hey look at this, a Citizen sports guy. . .
T27 $Dave Gross 21 . . . and a Canwest sports guy, side-by-side.
T27 $Cliff Hosfield 21 Mary Kay might be beating you, but she's maxed out
T27 Chris Chapman 21 You are still in in the top half of poolies. . .
T36 $Mike Barber 20 . . . You are not.
T36 $Liam Lynch 20 No RLS bragging rights for you
T36 $Don McGowan 20 Will Zane be filling out an entry form next year?
T36 $David Forbes 20 You can take out your pool frustrations through martial arts
T36 $Chris Lackner 20 Perhaps carrying the weight of arts editors worldwide was too much pressure
T36 $Carolynne Burkholder 20 Orange.
T36 Adam Fulton 20 If you can convince Elizabeth to enter next year it will make coming up with comments easier for me.
T43 $Mike McGuire 19 Tough year on former champs like yourself
T43 $James Peters 19 You heard me, you've got nothing. NOTHING!
T43 $Dave Washburn 19 If you want to find your wife in the standings . . . look up
T46 $Terry James 18 A good news-bad news night for you
T46 $Steve McKinley 18 Just realized today, looking at the phone list, you are Stephen not a Steven
T46 $Mark Brennae 18 PAY ME!
T46 Laura Drake 18 You're still alive for points. Richard is not.
T50 Rob Shaw 17 Probably the only true Bruins fan in the pool. Sorry dude.
T50 Lisa Watson 17 On the bright side, there is room for improvement next year
T50 Leanne Boyd 17 This is a popular score for people not in it for the money
53 $Shannon Proundfoot 16 Your pool performance mimicked the Senators
54 Ron Strate 13 Your picks were actually creative, just not a good creative
T55 Jenn Hosfiled 12 You lost your last lifeline.
T55 $Brendan Kennedy 12 Last among Citizen and Citizen alumni
57 Julianna Nowaczek 9 Taking Montreal was your first mistake. It was downhill from there.

Sid the Kid trumps Alexander the Great update

Hello Poolies:

First off, let me apologize to each and every one of you for encouraging you to watch that debacle of a Game 7 on Wednesday night. Perhaps after six amazing games, the Pittsburgh-Washington series was due for a dud and that is exactly what we got. The Capitals failed to show up and the game was over 22 minutes in.

Of course this can only mean were in for a pair of doozies Thursday night. CBC has Detroit-Anaheim at 7 p.m. ET and TSN will show Carolina-Boston at 8 p.m. ET. Both games have huge pool implications and will go a long way to deciding this year's Sons of Manitoba champion.

The Capitals loss caused one poolie to lose her champion. Colleen Turnbull, the 2002 winner on the player side, will have to wait to earn the career pool double (wins on both sides).

Also, a number of poolies are now frozen, with no possibility of more points. The charter members of the club this year are: Faceoff.com hockey columnist Dave Gross, former champ Jeff Sandelli, former champ Julianna Nowaczek, rookie Marcel Chelkowski and former champ Ron Strate.
Should Anaheim and/or Carolina win on Thursday night this group will grow exponentially.

My grandfather Jack James — a man who quite frankly has the best hockey mind among all of poolies I know — continues to lead after scoring his second straight bonus point Wednesday night. Grandpa has yet to win the pool, but he always places well.

Here's where we stand heading into the final night of Round 2.

1 $Jack James 32 Already 12 second-round points, but you can't score Thursday night
T2 $Natalie James 29 You need a Pittsburgh-Anaheim final
T2 $Rob Kovac 29 Still the odds-on favourite to win this thing.
4 $Mary Kay Hosfield 28 You can fly past your father with two wins on Thursday
T5 $Geoff Hastings 27 Two from Kamloops in the top 5
T5 $Philip Ling 27 I think you'd look good in red
T7 $Arthur Casement 26 Should the Grease bring Rollie back?
T7 $Jeff Madill 26 A possible 11 points on the board tonight
T9 $Peter James 25 Boy am I happy I'm not embarrassing myself this year.
T9 $Richard Warnica 25 Thanks for the advice
T9 $Sean Hutchinson 25 Cheque received, no so long as it doesn't bounce. . .
T12 $Justin Lee 24 If things break right for you, you'll be in first tomorrow
T12 $Marcel Chelkowski 24 Great first round. Downhill after that.
T14 $Jeff Sandelli 22 And let the slide begin. . .
T14 $Keith Bonnell 22 Cup champion still alive and that's all the matters
T14 $Mary James 22 You will only drop before you can rise
T17 Colleen Turnbull 21 Still scored the max points tonight, despite the Caps loss
T17 $Dave Gross 21 Sadly you didn't get your wish: The Caps and Pens both didn't win
T17 $James Gordon 21 Your Eastern Conference bracket is still perfect
T17 Mike Macaraeg 21 Your champ is still alive
T17 Roman Zakalunzy 21 You've got Boston going the distance the next three rounds
T17 $Sydney Washburn 21 Be sure to remind Dave who the better poolie in the family is.
T17 $Steve Ayres 21 Will max out your points tonight
T24 Chris Chapman 20 Getting the baby's room ready yet?
T24 Adam Fulton 20 Actually that last comment could work for you too!
T24 $Carolynne Burkholder 20 Cat.
T24 $Chris Lackner 20 Big group here at 20 points. . .
T24 David Forbes 20 . . . all of you are still in the top half of the pool. . .
T24 Debb Coghlin 20 . . . but have little shot at actually winning anything
T24 $Don McGowan 20 Seen any good streakers recently?
T24 $Liam Lynch 20 What do you say to another former RLS staff pub night?
T24 $Mike Barber 20 You back yet?
T24 $Mike James 20 Emery to Philly: Thumbs up or thumbs down?
T34 $James Peters 19 We may be tied on the player side, but I'm taking you to town on the team side
T34 Barry Horeczy 19 Ah, how cute. . .
T34 $Dave Washburn 19 . . . A Canwest reunion in 34th place
T34 $Mike McGuire 19 Also on my not paid yet hit list.
T38 $Dale Oviatt 18 Welcome to the 30s
T38 Laura Drake 18 Enjoy your last day in Ottawa
T38 Lloyd Mack 18 And your rise up the standings begins. . .
T38 $Mark Brennae 18 Is that is for the Scott Richmond Cinderella story?
T42 $Brad Bouzane 17 Just because you have a kid, doesn't mean you can get away with not paying
T42 Leanne Boyd 17 A Boston win will allow to catch Jeff
T42 Lisa Watson 17 Bonus point on the line Thursday night
T42 $Richard Woods 17 You can get points Thursday night, but then that's it
T46 $Shannon Proudfoot 16 Maybe you should let your cats make your picks next year
T46 $Cliff Hosfield 16 This is actually better than your player side performance
T46 $Ryan Plesko 16 Could be Top 20 after Thursday
T49 $Jeremy McParland 15 A top-50 finish is still quite honourable. . .
T49 Jordan Stein 15 . . . Just keep telling that you yourself guys
T51 Ron Strate 13 No points beyond the first round
T51 $Steve McKinley 13 Once again Crosby proves he's better than Ovechkin
T53 $Brendan Kennedy 12 You will not win rookie of the year
T53 Jenn Hosfield 12 Battling uncle Terry for worst in the family
T53 Rob Shaw 12 Confident your Bruins will pull it out?
T53 Terry James 12 Can double your point total Thursday night
57 $Julianna Nowaczek 9 Worst pool performance since Steph White scored six points in 2000.

Player Side Update - Post-Canucks

A lot more carnage is expected after the three game sevens are complete.

EDIT: Jamps and I are tied. Just realized it. The Sons, united again.

1.Jeff Madill.............176...3
2.Geoff Hastings..........175...5
3.Philip Ling.............171...7
4.Jordan Stein............170...4
5.Chris Lackner...........168...7
5.Liam Lynch..............168...6
7.Laura Drake.............166...6
8.Dave Gross..............161...7
9.Chris Chapman...........159...7
9.Marcel Chelkowski.......159...7
11.Mike Macaraeg..........158...8
11.Richard Woods..........158...7
13.Ron Strate.............157...6
14.Mary Kay Hosfield......156...5
15.Steve McKinley.........155...6
15.Colleen Turnbull.......155...5
17.Barry Horeczy..........154...7
17.Don McGowan............154...5
19.Ryan Plesko............153...6
20.Mark Brennae...........151...8
20.Arthur Casement........151...8
22.Richard Warnica........149...7
22.Jeremy McParland.......149...4
24.Mike Barber............147...8
24.Rob Shaw...............147...7
24.Leanne Boyd............147...9
24.Steve Ayres............147...8
28.Sean Hutchinson........145...5
29.Jack James.............140...8
30.Keith Bonnell..........139...11
31.Peter James............138...7
31.James Peters...........138...9
33.Adam Fulton............137...7
34.Dale Oviatt............136...5
34.Rob Kovac..............136...3
36.Lloyd Mack.............134...4
37.Justin Lee.............130...6
38.Lisa Watson............128...9
39.Dave Washburn..........126...5
40.James Gordon...........124...7
41.Mike James.............124...8
42.Sydney Washburn........123...12
43.Jeff Sandelli..........121...12
43.Shannon Proudfoot......121...10
43.Debb Coghlin...........121...7
46.Brad Bouzane...........116...7
47.Terry James............115...7
48.Mary James.............114...10
49.Jenn Hosfield..........107...8
50.Julianna Nowaczek......103...14
50.Carolynne Burkholder...103...12
52.Brendan Kennedy.........98...12
53.David Forbes............95...8
54.Cliff Hosfield..........86...10

Player Side Update

NOTE: This update is for games ending BEFORE May 5.

1.Philip Ling.............117...3
2.Chris Lackner...........115...4
3.Liam Lynch..............114...2
3.Jeff Madill.............114...2
5.Mike Macaraeg...........113...5
5.Jordan Stein............113...3
5.Geoff Hastings..........113...0
8.Richard Woods...........111...3
9.Laura Drake.............110...5
9.Dave Gross..............110...4
11.Chris Chapman..........109...4
11.Marcel Chelkowski......109...4
13.Steve McKinley.........107...5
13.Ron Strate.............107...3
15.Barry Horeczy..........106...5
16.Richard Warnica........105...6
16.Mark Brennae...........105...4
18.Mary Kay Hosfield......104...4
18.Ryan Plesko............104...5
20.Colleen Turnbull.......102...5
20.Mike Barber............102...5
22.Rob Shaw...............101...6
23.Leanne Boyd.............99...5
23.Sean Hutchinson.........99...5
25.Don McGowan.............98...2
25.Arthur Casement.........98...4
27.Jack James..............97...7
27.Peter James.............97...7
27.Jeremy McParland........97...4
30.Justin Lee..............96...6
30.Steve Ayres.............96...0
32.Jeff Sandelli...........95...9
32.Keith Bonnell...........95...7
34.Adam Fulton.............94...7
35.Dale Oviatt.............93...5
36.James Peters............92...4
37.Lisa Watson.............91...8
37.Sydney Washburn.........91...9
39.Shannon Proudfoot.......90...9
40.Mary James..............89...10
40.Mike James..............89...5
40.Rob Kovac...............89...3
43.Dave Washburn...........88...5
43.James Gordon............88...7
45.Lloyd Mack..............87...4
46.Julianna Nowaczek.......86...13
46.Brad Bouzane............86...7
48.Terry James.............84...7
49.Debb Coghlin............82...7
50.Jenn Hosfield...........79...8
51.Carolynne Burkholder....74...6
52.Brendan Kennedy.........70...7
53.David Forbes............68...7
54.Cliff Hosfield..........67...10

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.

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!

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

All in the family update

Petr Sykora was in the bottom half of Pittsburgh Penguins players in terms of ice time during their run to the Stanley Cup final, and he was in single digit in points too. But Sykora was the difference in the Sons of Manitoba hockey pool as Terry James, my father, won the team side thanks to Sykora's overtime tally in Game 5 on Monday. Thanks to the goal and the overtime bonus points Terry jumped past his brother-in-law Cliff Hosfield to take the title.

Terry's win is also historic of sorts, he's been in this pool since 1992, and to date was the only member of my immediate family not to win it. My mother, Mary James was the first of the James clan to take the title, winning in only the second year, 1993. I managed to finish at the top of the table in 1995 and again in '96. My sister Natalie was the first winner of the player side when it was founded in 2001 and my brother Mike followed in her footsteps two years later.

Before I get to the scores, I just wanted to thank everyone who entered again this year. As you all know I have a lot of fun with this pool each spring, but it can't happen without all of you coming back year after year.

As always I have some plans in the works for possible changes to the pool next year (which I'll unveil at the end of the regular season), and of course I'm always open to suggestions, so if you have any ideas, comments or complaints just fire me an email.

Here are the standings:

1) Terry James 250 The Jets aren't coming back to Winnipeg just yet, but the Sons of Manitoba pool title is!
2) Cliff Hosfield 248 If Talbot doesn't tie Game 5 and force overtime, you'd be the winner
3) Brad Bouzane 246 Oh so close to the elusive pool double
4) Jason Anthony 238 Probably your best finish in both pools
T5) Sean Hutchinson 233 You also had a great finish in both, but I'm sure a title would have been sweeter
T5) Mary Kay Hosfield 233 Your brother edges your husband for the title, how does that make you feel?
T5) James Peters 233 We each nabbed a top-10 spot in one side of the pool. Imagine if we combined our powers
8) Arthur Casement 229 Nice picture of you with Stanley. That's as close anyone associated with the Oilers will get for years
9) Jordan Stein 231 Should Naslund stay or should he go?
10) Lloyd Mack 221 Love the the new M&N website
11) Justin Lee 220 I didn't know you DJ'd
12) Rob Shaw 211 Countdown to Roughrock is on
T13) Richard Warnica 206 Looking forward to checking out the Scottish hooker on Saturday
T13) Kim Landon 206 And the above comment is in the rugby sense of the word
15) Jack James 204 Last poolie with a surname James not to win. But there's always next year
16) Steve McKinley 203 Good luck with the water rescue course . . . in the rain
17) Ron Strate 202 Glad you enjoyed the pool, hope you'll be back again
T18) Mike James 200 Your slide would have continued if the series had gone seven games
T18) Jennifer Hosfield 200 I spoke too soon about the whole congratulate your dad thing
20) Colleen Turnbull 199 Top 20 yes, 200 points, no.
21) Julianna Nowaczek 195 Let's play three games at once, if that's OK with you
22) Dave Washburn 191 Think I can get a tuxedo rental on short notice?
23) Liam Lynch 190 Your welcome, and thanks for entering
24) Dale Oviatt 183 Thanks for having my back today
25) Scott McCleery 181 You can thank Rafalski for your top-25 finish
26) David Forbes 180 Thanks for sharing that wonderful story. Sport can put a smile on so many faces.
27) Mark Brennae 178 Pay up.
28) Ryan Plesko 176 On the bright side, your Oilers should be well rested for next year
29) Adam Fulton 170 You have to be shameless in my line of work
30) Barry Horeczy 169 Your pool will come in handy during this upcoming heat wave (hint, hint)
31) Neil MacKinnon 168 Any plans to visit D-town this summer?
32) Colleen Racine 166 We'll call the battle of the Colleens a split this year
33) Peter James 152 I'm not so pleased with this finish
34) James Gordon 150 So how 'bout some draft posts on the old blog, eh
T35) Don McGowan 131 Just want to point out, you're tied with the person who took Kyle Quincey
T35) Janet Chapman 131 No offence intended from the comment above
37) Debb Coghlin 119 Mr. Conn Smythe got you past the last of the frozen twins
38) Chris Chapman 117 FROZEN!
39) Jeff Sandelli 107 FROZEN!