Making It Up As I Go Along #411 (story)

Pluses and Minuses of NHL playoffs...

Plus... the hibernation of the shoot-out. Gone again until September... just a little too late in the leaving for the New York Rangers... eliminated via shoot-out. Should never be.

Minus... the personalization of the Stanley Cup. It’s been growing for years now. Too many people, both fan and analyst, refer to the Stanley Cup as “Stanley”... or “Lord Stanley”. Fans chant “We want Stanley”. Analysts say “they’re after Lord Stanley”. You can call it the Cup... but not the other. Stanley was the guy who donated the cup. He’s dead. No fan wants Stanley... although if Gary Bettman could present the old bones with Vincent Price laughter booming over the PA system... I’d be all for it.

Plus... Vancouver Canuck home games. Something about it gives me chills when the Canucks play home playoff games. The energy as the players hit the ice... the terrible towels... the sound of their siren... the music... the fans bellowing the anthem. And I’m digging the green dudes sitting next to the visitor penalty box.

Minus... Senator fan over reactions. Not being a Sen fan while living in Ottawa can get tough. They won the first game against Pittsburgh and I’ve already heard mentions of the Stanley Cup coming to Ottawa. Sen fans take pride in not being Leaf fans... but they’re so much like them that they can’t even see it.

Plus... Ryan Smyth back in the playoffs. Old style shoulder pads... wooden stick... and the certainty that, if there are any real teeth left in that guy’s head, he’ll lose at least one more before he’s done playing hockey this spring. Smyth is what Canadian hockey is all about.

Minus... The Phoenix Coyotes. The feel good story Coyotes can’t get eliminated fast enough for my liking. The White Out of fans may be fun and all but I can’t help but ask where all those fans were over the past five years? And I want nothing for Gary Bettman to hang his hat on in this matter. If he gets on TV and wobbles his head around as he proclaims Glendale really is a hockey hotbed, I’ll throw up. The Coyotes are a league embarrassment that deserves to be shoved deep into the closet next to shoot-outs. And what if the Coyotes won the cup? With the league owning the team. Would Bettman get his own name on the Cup?

Plus... Montreal Canadien home games. It happens next week and they may have their hands full in their series, but there is no energy like a Montreal Canadien home game during the Stanley Cup playoffs. The singing... the cheering... the history... it’s magical. And that’s just my view from watching on TV. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be there.

Minus... Gary Bettman. Two months away from watching the little shrew hand over a magnificent trophy to a hockey team. Every time he does it, it just feels wrong. And I’ve gained respect for those captains who have snatched it from him without a picture pose.

Plus... Quadruple Overtime. The most memorable hockey marathon I’ve sat through was between the Islanders and Capitals in 1987. Kelly Hrudey made more than 75 saves and Pat LaFontaine scored the winner when it appeared everyone was on the verge of zombie states on consciousness. And, in Newfoundland, it was almost 4:00 AM when the game came to an end. Edge of your seat marathon excitement... every game that’s gone to overtime since, I’ve wondered “can this one match that one?”