NHL coverage is about as rare at CSTB as praise for Will Leitch. Perhaps even rarer. But at the risk of totally ignoring one of the tri-state area’s bigger stories of the week, the following has to be acknowledged ;
1) The Devils’ 11-game winning streak to finish the season was absolutely ridiculous. And Lou Lamoriello wins the Jack McKeon/Steve Fischer Award for helping to resurrect a team that came out of the work stoppage with more holes than Steve Somers’ underwear.
2) The Rangers peaked early. If there was a way to push the history eraser button and wipe out the months of March and April, I’d love to do so, but said technology isn’t with us yet. The Blueshirts have won only 6 games in regulation since the end of the Winter Olympics, are horribly banged up (Kasparaitus, Lundqvist, Rucinsky) and have proven vulenerable on home ice in crucial spots.
And now, they’re rewarded with a first-round series against the hottest team in the NHL.
I’m not familiar enough with the NHL’s rules about post-season eligibility, but given the fragile condition of Henrik Lundqvist and the way Kevin Weekes compares to Martin Brodeur (ie. not very well), perhaps MSG bosses might consider putting Jerome James in net for the Rangers? He’ll take up a lot of room, won’t have to move around very much and if laid down on his side, might be impossible to get the puck past.
Perhaps Bruins ownership will purchase a full-page ad in the San Jose Mercury News congratulating Joe Thornton on winning the Art Ross Trophy. I’m sure that’s exactly what they’re planning on doing, there just wasn’t enough time to get such an ad designed and placed in time for Wednesday’s editions.