Posted by Roy Mlakar on April 28, 2008

For hockey fans, this is the most exciting time of the year, especially if your team is still playing for the coveted Stanley Cup. Pittsburgh is alive again like it was in the days of Mario Lemieux and a young Jaromir Jagr in the early '90s. Pens sweaters are everywhere and the downtown there is electric.

The New York Rangers are back to being the talk of the "Big Apple." Madison Square Garden is electrifying again and thoughts of a run to the Cup that last was held by Mark Messier in 1994. With the super pest Sean Avery, solid goaltending by Henrik Lundqvist and vets like Jagr, Brendan Shanahan and Martin Straka, they have the firepower, especially with Scott Gomez and Chris Drury added to the list.

Montreal and Philly have quite the series going, with each team showing great resilience and taking turns exposing opposing netminders in the battle. Both buildings are crazy with excitement and notable "tough barns" for the opposition under the best of circumstances.

Now in the West, Dallas has proven to be the hottest team of all in the post-season. Not only did they beat the defending champion Ducks in rapid fashion, they have taken both home games in San Jose to have an early 2-0 lead in that series.

Finally, the high-flying Wings have used home-ice advantage to their liking by taking a 2-0 lead over the injury riddled Avalanche. Peter Forsberg has yet to make an appearance and they have bumps and bruises to their back line that have exposed them to the speed of the Red Wings.

Enjoy the next several weeks, as at this point any of the eight teams still alive has a chance. Or in reality, do they? You make the call!

Posted by Roy Mlakar on April 14, 2008

As we approach the "home-ice advantage" for Games 3 and 4 vs. the Penguins, one has to look no further than the "Red Mile" and the advantage the Calgary Flames got from their great home audience in Game 3 at the Pengrowth Saddledome on Sunday night.

The Flames came out of the tunnel to a huge "Sea of Red" and a thunderous ovation by their faithful.  Then Calgary quickly spotted the favoured Sharks a three-goal lead, chasing netminder Miikka Kiprusoff, who had been stellar all year long. What did the Flames faithful do? They gave their club a huge ovation, urging them on. "Our coach, Mike Keenan, told me the crowd was critical to the win," commented Flames president Ken King.  "If anybody ever thought the crowd as a seventh man was a cliché, forget about It. They are your most important assets." 

"Our crowd has been great in the playoffs traditionally," said captain Daniel Alfredsson.  "Scotiabank Place is a great place to play and our run last year was so exciting." NOW is certainly the time for the fans to help... Remember BE Loud, BE Proud, This is YOUR TEAM!

And enjoy the outdoor activities at SBP.