So, a few thoughts.

1. Congratulations to the Boston Bruins, winners of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. Many will say that the series turned on the Horton injury/Rome suspension, but I really think it turned after Game 5 when Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo ran his mouth about how he would have made the save on the one goal Tim Thomas let in. Result? Boston outscored Vancouver 9-2 over the final two games of the series. I suppose that Vancouver Media Relations will be working harder next season to see that this doesn’t happen again.

2. The trip to Ohio took place over the course of 2 days going, 2 days returning. For the trip, I bought a copy of Rob Bell’s controversial new book, Love Wins. It’s a quick read, only 200 pages or so, but man…what a read. It’s a very compelling look at Heaven, Hell, eternity, etc. I recommend it. Of course, that said, I’d appreciate any links or pointers to critiques of the book.

3. I also took the time to brush up on my JavaScript. You know, once you dig into it a bit, you’ll find that little language has some power under the hood. So much so that I’m looking at Sencha Touch and PhoneGap for mobile app development than any native solution.

4. Finally, I’m posting some pictures I took from the trip up north to Flickr. I’m pushing up at least one a day so come back to this post to see them. And don’t forget to click on them, I think the descriptions are worth a read too. :)

1. Wow, did I call the East perfectly or what?
2. I said Sharks-Wings would be a dandy. And it was. It’s the sort of series you put on for you non-hockey-watching friends to get them in the sport.

Now for the picks:

EAST:
Boston vs. Tampa Bay (Boston won season series 3-1)
Boston destroyed Philly. Their offense came alive when it needed to and took advantage of Philly’s wonky goaltending. Tampa Bay just managed to get one more goal than Washington most nights. They’ve also got playoff rookies galore (8 of them).

If Tampa Bay is to have any chance in this series, I think Dwyane Roloson has to keep his hot hand going. And for the most part I think he will. But Tim Thomas is better.

Boston in 6.

WEST:
Vancouver vs. San Jose (Vancouver won season series 3-1)
And here it is — the matchup I’ve been waiting for all spring. Though I thought Vancouver would still be the same juggernaut that made mincemeat of the West. Nope, they’ve looked mighty vulnerable — going 7 games with Chicago and then 6 with Nashville, with Luongo looking shaky at times. Of course, if the Canucks are vulnerable, then I might have to say the same of the Sharks. They did just avoid a monumental collapse.

This one has it all, folks: Marleau, Kesler, Sedin, Thornton, Luongo and Niemi. I expect this one to be a high-octane skatefest for 420 minutes. At least.

Yep, 420 minutes. 7 games. And when the dust settles, it’ll be the Canucks standing tall.

Vancouver in 7.

EAST:
Washington vs. Tampa Bay: Capitals in 6
Philadelphia vs. Boston: Flyers in 7

WEST:
Vancouver vs. Nashville: Canucks in 6
San Jose vs. Detroit: Sharks in 6

P.S. Sharks-Wings should be a dandy.

EAST:
Washington vs. New York: Capitals in 6
Philadelphia vs. Buffalo: Flyers in 6
Boston vs. Montreal: Montreal in 7
Pittsburgh vs. Tampa Bay: Bolts in 6

WEST:
Vancouver vs. Chicago: Canucks in 5
San Jose vs. Los Angeles: Sharks in 6
Detroit vs. Phoenix: Wings in 7
Anaheim vs. Nashville: Predators in 7.

Now, on Game 7 Eve, I’m reminded of just how special this team is. We may not win the Stanley Cup, but this team’s never-say-die attitude should make any Stars fan proud.

GO STARS!!!

It’s simple. Win and become the first back-to-back-to-back champions since the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors from ’86-’90. While the Tornado has a 4-0-0 record this season against the Icedogs, the Icedogs were the best team in the regular season.

And this is the playoffs where everything changes.

Updates at each intermission and after the game.

An Evening Chock Full O’ Other Things Update
Well, as much as I would love to sit here at the computer (and I do, I really do), I’ve got other things to do, so y’all will be on your own…again.

Yes, it’s shameful that I haven’t been able to sit through a full game of the Robertson Cup Tourney, but things happen.

So, the link above gets you audio and the Pointstreak scoreboard always comes in handy.

3rd Time’s the Charm Update
LET THE CELEBRATION BEGIN!

Behind 2 goals from Karl Sellan, the Texas Tornado cruise to a 4-2 victory over the Bozeman Icedogs and do become the first threepeat champions in over 15 years.

More thoughts to come as I let this one sink in, but the team will be flying home tomorrow and should arrive back at the StarsCenter at approx. 1:30 pm. If you’ve got the time, go welcome the champs home!

Bozeman dispatched the Mahoning Valley Phantoms easily, shutting them out 3-0. They’ll also play in the Championship Game. The Express and Phantoms are playing for third place.

When I first started this post, it was originally going to be a gripe about how confusing the new playoff system is, but after seeing today’s results and thinking about it a little, it does make sense.

On the first day, the Division Winners are seeded. Seeds 1 & 4 square off while seeds 2 & 3 are matched up. Bozeman beats Cleveland and Southern Minnesota beats Texas. Now, the two losers have to play an extra game. But who plays Mahoning Valley when they enter the tournament?

Well, it would be the lower seed from the two winners, which was the Express. They got the extra game.

Now, here’s where things get interesting. Bozeman, as the higher seed of the winners from opening night, got to play Mahoning Valley, because they lost their first game, the one against the Express. That leaves the two winners of yesterday’s games to play each other. The winners from those games play in the Championship and the losers play in the 3rd Place game.

So let’s play What If? in order to make this crystal clear. Here are the seeds as they were when the Robertson Cup Tournament started:

1. Bozeman
2. Texas
3. Southern Minnesota
4. Cleveland

Suppose that Texas beats the Express and Cleveland beats Bozeman on the first night.

This is how things would be scheduled for the next day:

• Game 3: Southern Minnesota vs. Bozeman (losers from Games 1 & 2; the home team would be the team with the best regular season record).
• Game 4: Cleveland vs. Mahoning Valley (lowest seed of winners from Games 1 & 2; Cleveland is lower seed than Texas. Home team determined same way as above).

Now, let’s say Bozeman loses to the Express…and Mahoning Valley sticks it to Cleveland for knocking them out back in the Divisional Semi-Finals. You then have Day 3 shape up like this:

• Game 5: Southern Minnesota vs. Mahoning Valley (winners of Games 3 & 4. Again, best regular season record determines home team)
• Game 6: Texas vs. Cleveland (higher seed of winner from Games 1 & 2 vs. Loser of Game 4. Home team, best record, you get the idea)

From there, the winners go to the Championship and the losers go to the 3rd Place game.

So, obviously, win-loss records don’t mean a thing like they did in years past. Also, the new playoff format places a premium on how a team finishes the regular season. Now, it’s not just enough to win your division; you also need to finish out the regular season strong in order to get that extra little bump that might give you a day’s rest.

It also pays to be the host team apparently. Back in the real world, Cleveland beat Mahoning Valley in the Semis. Now, look. Cleveland goes home empty-handed, Mahoning Valley could finish third.

Very interesting.