Good Times Grimes

I'm not against holding on to high picks, but it is definitely worthwhile putting them on the table and seeing what is offered up.

Interesting twist tonight with no Ben Bishop for the Lightning. Vasilevskiy in net in his place.

The Lightning are looking good, though I still think it'll be Chicago in 7.

This was around the time everyone was paranoid that he was going to request a trade to be with his mate at GW$, no?

If I'm not mistaken, the last time we beat Hawthorn it put us on top of the ladder. I think that was also the last time we were on top...

Let's just hope that Lyon's son learnt the skills when he was young and is able to pick them up again quickly!

The difference with them is that they're all Irish and have come from Gaelic footballing backgrounds. I have played footy in several countries around the world, and can tell you for a fact that it is VERY rare to see an international player that is not Irish pick up the basic skills of the game and look like a natural. I've also seen many Australians pick up the game for the first time since childhood, and it doesn't take too long for their skills to return. I'd compare it to learning a language; relatively easy if you're young, and increasingly difficult as you get older.

These players are all ruckmen, the position that I believe would be easiest to pick up as skills are not as important as sheer size, athletic ability and strength. There's a reason that clubs are scouting in the USA for former basketball giants like Mason Cox, and it's because the easiest position for a player new to the game to learn is the ruck. I'm not saying that Lyon's son will be no good if he's not a ruckman, I just hope that he already has the basic skills required for footy, because after a certain age they become VERY hard to learn.

Great end to the best playoffs I've seen. Even though it was only a 5 game final, it was bloody exciting.

OVERTIME! Not something you want to be doing if you're one of LA's opponents.

NHL has definitely taken the backseat to the World Cup in Canada. Barely any talk about the final, even though it could all end tonight. 1-0 Kings late in the 2nd period. EDIT: Make that 1-1 in late in the 2nd.

Things are not looking good for the Rangers. I thought the referees in Game 2 were a disgrace, but LA is clearly the better of the two sides.

The thing that bothers me about baseball is that in the grand scheme of things, a 15/17 game record and a 10 game losing streak don't really have a massive impact on the final standings. It is still very much anyone's game in the AL East, with over 100 games to go!

I predict the Kings in 7, which means that congratulations are in order for the New York Rangers, the 2014 Stanley Cup Champions!

Fair enough, you're not the first person I know to hate the Leafs!

Who's your team, Maple?

I agree that ESPN doesn't have a strong focus on hockey. They're much more interested in the MLB, NFL and NBA. I think that the quality/quantity of NHL coverage in the US depends a lot on where you are. I know that it's massive in places like Detroit, Boston, Minnesota, Chicago and New York, but many of the teams in the warmer climates of California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, etc are often overlooked by ESPN (at least that's how it seems to me). I think it also has a lot to do with how successful/popular the other major teams in any given state are. For e.g. hockey takes the backseat in Florida to the Miami Dolphins, TB Buccaneers (NFL), Miami Heat (NBA) and the Tampa Bay Rays (MLB). California is saturated with teams in every sport, and it seems to me that hockey isn't a priority for their sportscasters. I could be wrong on this, but it seems as though Californians prefer the Lakers, Clippers, Dodgers, Athletics, Angels, Raiders, etc to the Ducks, Sharks and Kings. I think that NBC is the major network for NHL in the states... could be worth looking into getting that channel if you're interested in some better coverage and it's available. Otherwise, YouTube is great as it has all the highlights up very quickly after the games and you can always find some pretty good analysis.

The streak's over, so I can talk about it now without having to worry about cursing it. Jays won 9 in a row and are sitting pretty atop the AL East. Encarnacion is on fire; 16 HRs in May...tied with Mickey Mantle for the all-time record.

Rangers are through to the final. Tokarski was fantastic for Montreal and gave them every chance of forcing Game 7. They really couldn't have asked for anything more from him. Lundqvist looks determined. Finals start Wednesday (North American time) in either Chicago or LA.

It's looking more and more like a Los Angeles-New York final. Definitely not what I expected. I'd like to see the Rangers have a win, as I quite like Marty St. Louis, but am not too fussed really.

Seems as though I have cursed the Canadiens, with Price ruled out for the remained of the ECF. No Price, no Montreal. NYR to win the series in 5, Chicago to win the cup.

So it's down to Montreal vs New York in the East and the west is looking like it will be LA vs Chicago (LA is currently leading Anaheim 5-0). Who wins it from here? I think Montreal and New York will be a duel between Lundqvist and Price, but I think Montreal will be too good. Montreal in 6. Los Angeles and Chicago will be very interesting. I rate Quick as a far better goalie than Crawford, but I think Chicago's offence is much better than LA's. I'll pick Chicago in 7. As much as I hate to say it, I think that the Canadiens will win it all.

Predictions went 7/8 in the first round...I think that's a personal best. The second round will be tougher to predict, I think. Boston/Montreal will be a fantastic series which I think will go seven. I'm also really looking forward to Anaheim/LA. My picks: Anaheim v LA: Anaheim in 6 Chicago v Minnesota: Chicago in 6 New York v Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh in 7 Montreal v Boston: Montreal in 7 (although I wish they could both lose).

Some very interesting match-ups there, and a few that I wouldn't be at all surprised to see going either way. My predictions (often a kiss-of-death for the teams I think will win) Pittsburgh v Columbus- Pittsburgh in 5 New York Rangers v Philadelphia- New York in 7 Boston v Detroit- Boston in 6 Tampa Bay v Montreal- Montreal in 5 Anaheim v Dallas- Anaheim in 6 San Jose v Los Angeles- LA in 7 Colorado v Minnesota- Minnesota in 7 St Louis v Chicago- St Louis in 7 The ones that I italicized are the series that I think will be the most exciting to watch. NYR v Philadelphia will be crazy.

I think St Louis has a pretty solid team, but I can't see them getting past the likes of Anaheim or even Chicago. Minnesota has an awesome offensive lineup and they will go as far as their goaltending can take them..they could definitely be the surprise packet of 2014. Pominville, Parise, Koivu, Heatley, Moulson and Suter all have the ability to put up big numbers and will be tough to stop. In the East I think it's a two horse race between Boston and Pittsburgh. I'd like to see Boston lose as early as possible. A best case scenario would be seeing them squander a 4-1 lead in game 7 with 10 minutes to go (I'm not bitter about last year). As for who I'd like to win, I admire the way that Colorado has played this season, especially after most people gave them no chance in October. I also wouldn't mind seeing Columbus do well, just because they've been so bad for so long. Hopefully it's an exciting couple of months with a few surprises!