No sure bets in this year’s Stanley Cup race
HodgePodge by Charlie Hodge
Congratulations Averil – you deserved the victory – and the irony of your win brought with it the humour, good sportsmanship and chuckles you would have wanted.
Averil Radke won the annual media regular season hockey pool Friday by a clear margin of points.
The irony being that Averil died in January.
Averil was always a sharp hockey pooler, regularly picking competitive teams, while fully immersing in the wit, humour and sarcasm that went hand in hand with being a media pool manager. It was common for her and husband Shurman to battle with their separate teams for top positions in the final standings year after year.
Sadly, Averil wasn’t there for the annual playoff fun and frivolity on Friday. Regardless the motley media crew gathered and picked their teams amidst the standard sarcasm, humor, and swilling of liquid libations. During the swapping of draft picks, jokes and laughter – and in endearing reference to Averil’s absent victory – a toast to her hockey skills and knowledge was given.
That of course inspired the retelling of a true humorous media pool tale. Many years ago, while holding the event in a hotel lounge near the bridge the regular crowd had gathered, however, unfortunately, we were short enough players to make it competitive. Undaunted we dragged a few newbies into the mix. One of those we dragged into the silliness was a young female waitress who immediately claimed she knew nothing about hockey.
“Relax, here is a list of players. Just look down the list and anyone that has not been crossed off is available. Just pick the next player with the highest number still at the top of the list.”
She did – and she won.
However, some of the players she picked seemed odd or unique and we wondered how or why she made her decisions.
“I did what you suggested and went by the standings last year. I picked from this list here,” she said pointing to the page we gave her but at the ‘total games played’ category and not the ‘total points’.
We all rolled in laughter that night realizing all our hockey pool brains and analysis just got embarrassed. We laughed just as hard at that story again Friday night.
When all is said and done I picked ninth out of twelve teams and I hate my club. My team of 15 players has little hope of going anywhere, it’s scattered, spread out with twelve different teams represented. Still, it offers lots of fun in watching upcoming games, which is really why we all get together anyway.
Big Al Paterson (now living in the Kootenays) has bowed out of the media pool and we all miss him, wish him well and good health.
Meanwhile, as I do every year – here are my bold but foolish NHL first round playoff predictions:
There really is no one team that clearly stands out as the cup winner though Colorado, Carolina and Dallas are favoured by many. Parity has successfully infiltrated the entire league.
Boston versus Buffalo – my heart wants Boston but the young, talent ladened Sabres will win this in a rough and scramble series of six games. Thompson and Dahlin will lead the charge.
I never thought I would see the day I would be cheering for the Montreal Canadians however I am this year. I love their young team, especially the skills of Slafkovsky, Demidov, Hutson, and Caufield. Montreal will edge the highly ranked favourite Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. This may be the biggest upset of the entire playoffs.
Carolina will clobber Ottawa. As much as I am hoping to see our Canadian teams prevail, Ottawa’s lack of discipline will cost them too many penalties. Ottawa will be done in six games with Aho and Svechnikov being the stars.
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are meant to meet each other. It’s a rivalry that just has to be. This will be a barn-burner series with nonstop hits and rough stuff. If anyone survives this series it will be Pittsburgh in seven. Rely on the old dogs of Crosby, Malkin and Letang to do the biting.
L.A. versus Colorado should be a cake walk for the mile high city. Colorado and Carolina should meet in the final and LA is not about to interrupt that schedule. Colorado has a cup coming to them based on talent alone. Colorado in a sweep of four games. McKinnon and Makar will dazzle the spectators.
Dallas and Minnesota. Most pundits are picking Dallas to win this opening salvo but I’m not. The Wild has a couple of superstars at key positions and that will be all they need to carry their club forward. Kaprizov, Hughes and Tarasenko will turn the trick for Minnesota with Hughes getting the winning goal in the seventh game.
Vegas and Utah excite me the most because I have no idea what to expect. Utah is basically a new team having found a new home and plugging together a team. Vegas is a collection of gems and throwaways, led by star Jack Eichel and my favourite Mitch Marner. Vegas will win the series in six games.
Last but not least Edmonton Oilers will finally get their game and team together at the right time of year. They will take on a hot and talented Anaheim Ducks team and step on their beaks in six games.
Watch for Connor McDavid to hoist the cup and pass it to the Conn Smythe trophy winner Leon Draisaitl. The only thing that stops the Oilers is weak goaltending. They will need to play exceptionally in net for Connor and Leon to taste their victory.
