While we're waiting...

If you want to use a Bellwether model for predicting who wins the Stanley Cup, it will be the Penguins beating the Blackhawks. 

In this pool, the total number of representatives from each team are:

Pittsburgh: 9
Chicago: 7
Anaheim: 4
NY Rangers: 4
Boston: 4
Detroit: 3
Los Angeles: 3
Washington: 2
Montreal: 2
St. Louis: 2
Vancouver: 1
Toronto: 1

Teams not represented:
NY Islanders
Ottawa
Minnesota
San Jose

No one took more than 2 players from any team, so the numbers had less chance to be skewed by one person's opinion. 

First round:
Pittsburgh beats NY Islanders
Montreal beats Ottawa
NY Rangers beat Washington in a close series
Boston beats Toronto
Chicago beats Minnesota
Anaheim beats Detroit in a seven-game series
Vancouver beats San Jose
Los Angeles barely beats St. Louis

Second round:
Pittsburgh beats the Rangers
Boston beats Montreal
Chicago beats LA
Anaheim beats Vancouver

Third round:
Pittsburgh beats Boston
Chicago beats Anaheim

Finals:
Pittsburgh beats Chicago

OK then. Now that we know exactly how each series will go, let's take a nap. Or watch and see...

The draft!

The draft...she is a-finished!


Derek:
Patrick Kane F - Chi
Kris Letang D - Pit
James Neal F - Pit
Pavel Datsyuk F - Det
Mike Green D- Was
Los Angeles G

Bride of Kovalev:
Sidney Crosby F - Pit
PK Subban D - Mon
Ryan Getzlaf F - Ana
Anze Kopitar F - LA
NY Rangers G
Francois Beauchemin D -Ana

Mother of Kovalev:
Ryan Callahan F - NYR
Pittsburgh G
Duncan Keith D - Chi
Patrice Bergeron F - Bos
Henrik Sedin F - Van
Del Zotto D - NYR

Father of Kovalev:
Chris Kunitz F - Pit
Brad Marchand F - Bos
Corey Perry F -Ana
Nick Leddy D - Chi
Paul Martin D - Pit
Anaheim G

P-Stone:
Evgeni Malkin F - Pit
Blackhawks G
Zdeno Chara D - Bos
Rick Nash F- NYR
Henrik Zetterberg F - Det
Alex Pietraneglo D - StL

Hawks Fan:
Jonathan Toews F - Chi
Alex Ovechkin F - Was
Red Wings G
Andrei Markov D - Mon
Phil Kessel F - Tor
Slava Voynov D - LA

Last Year's Champs:
Pascal Dupuis F - Pit
Marian Hossa F - Chi
Jarome Iginla F - Pit
Brent Seabrook D - Chi
Jay Bouwmeester D - StL
Boston G

Draft order

Hello, poolers.

Here is the draft order, and schedule:

Unless there is an overwhelming outcry, we will begin the draft on Sunday afternoon, April 28th. I know the Bruins have that last makeup game that day, but we can't wait forever, and weekdays seem to create a lot of delays in the draft.

The draft order has totally been determined at random, and coincidentally is the exact reverse order of last year's finish. Isn't that amazing.

So, the draft order is:

1. Derek
2. Bride of Kovalev
3. Mother of Kovalev
4. Father of Kovalev
5. P-Stone
6. Hawks Fan
7. Me

We do this ladder-style, so the second round will go from the bottom back to the top, 7 back to 1.


In case anyone needs a refresher on the rules, here goes:
Your team must consist of: 3 forwards, 2 defensemen, and 1 goalie.
Points are: 2 points for a goal, 1 point for an assist, 2 extra points for a shutout (goalie only), 1 point for each win. Injured players get points for team wins, suspended players do not.

Goalies: I like the way we've done team goaltending in the past. So you will pick a team's tandem. For example: if you pick Montreal's goalies, you get BOTH Carey Price and Peter Budaj.
This can lead to some confusion: say, Price gets an assist and then hurts himself, and Peter Budaj comes in. No one scores on Montreal, but two goalies have combined for the shutout.
The scoring would be: 1 point for the Carey Price assist, 1 point for the win, and 2 points for the combined shutout. The NHL might not recognize an individual with the shutout, but we will award the two points for the duo's work.

I will do my utmost to log accurate scores, but I can make mistakes from time to time, especially in the first round. If you think I made an error, please do let me know, but do it in a timely fashion.

I guess that's it for now.

I'll be in touch, and I look forward to an exciting draft day, and a hard-fought title defense.

Yours,
KK

The Pool! The Pool! Everyone in The Pool!

It's been a while, no? 

While my Bruins Buddies are in lockdown as Lieutenant Dignam hunts down the other Chechnyan animal, that doesn't mean you can't jump in the pool. 

It's time, as you know, for the playoffs to begin. So. Speak up, and we'll all get ready for me to begin my first-ever title defense.