This is the official warning to The Four Of You that we’ve reached the time of year where 70% of the the posts are going to be completely uninteresting to Three Of You.
That’s right, tomorrow is the beginning of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Sharks, in no small part due to a twenty-game run at the end of the season where they were unbeaten in regulation (and only two of those were overtime losses, and ONE of those was a result of the goddamn shootout), finished the season with the second-best record in the league, a franchise record 49-23-10 for 108 points, and the second seed in the Western Conference. (Only Detroit, with 115 points, had a better finish.)
As a result, so long as they don’t face Detroit, they will enjoy home-ice advantage (by the way, the name of my band in Guitar Hero II? Home-Ice Advantage.) in every playoff series they take part in this year.
And as the two-seed, they will face the seven-seed in the West in the opening round, the Calgary Flames. And because I know you care (and actually one of the benefits of playing against a Canadian team is that CBC airs all of their playoff games, so folks local to me in Seattle MIGHT care) here’s the schedule for that first round, at least, what we know of it at this point:
Game 1: Calgary at San Jose, Wednesday, April 9, 7:00P (CSN HD, CBC, Versus)
Game 2: Calgary at San Jose, Thursday, April 10, 7:00P (CSN HD, CBC)
Game 3: San Jose at Calgary, Sunday, April 13, 7:00P (CSN, CBC, Versus)
Game 4: San Jose at Calgary, Tuesday, April 15, 7:00P (CSN, CBC)
Game 5: Calgary at San Jose, Thursday, April 17, 7:00P (CSN HD, CBC, Versus)
Game 6: San Jose at Calgary, Sunday, April 20, TBD (CSN, CBC, Versus)
Game 7: Calgary at San Jose, Tuesday, April 22, TBD (CSN HD, CBC)
(And I could absolutely see Versus picking up Game Seven if (Heaven forfend) it’s necessary and the Dallas / Anaheim series doesn’t go seven as well. And I, personally, am rooting for seven games, sixteen overtimes, and at least a dozen lifelong debilitating injuries in that series.)
Anyhow, now you’re all caught up and ready to follow along with me as the boys in teal march towards their first Stanley Cup. Game on…and LET’S GO SHARKS!
Go sharkies!
Guess what…there are Two Of Us that are interested! Woot!!! GO SHARKS!!