Vol. I, No. 65
The Wheat Kings of Brandon notched a victory in front of the home crowd on the Manitoba prairie. In the Memorial Cup tournament, the Wheaties beat the Moncton Wildcats, with a convincing 4-0 shutout. So much for the QMJHL champs from New Brunswick, who have now lost two straight games.
Further to the west, in the San Francisco bay area, the San Jose Sharks disappointed their home crowd. They dropped their NHL Western Conference home opener 1-2, against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Sharks had five power play opportunities, but ran into Chicago's Antti Niemi in goal.
Niemi, only in his second NHL season, saved 44 of 45 shots on goal, a Save% of 0.978. Over the entire playoff run, his Sv% is now .918, compared to San Jose's Nabokov at .913. On paper, Chicago now has the edge in net minding. Cups are by goaltenders who stand on their heads. Niemi did that in Game One.
Chalk up two wins for teams from the midwest and Great Plains, and two losses for teams from the coasts (Pacific and Atlantic).
The Eastern Conference series starts with a 7pm game, in the city of brotherly love. Do not expect much brotherly affection on the ice, or in the streets. Only 32 Montreal fans were arrested on Wednesday night, after their VICTORY over the Pittsburgh Penguins. If the Habs lose, those numbers would likely increase.
Quebecers have been waiting for 17 years for a run at the Cup. Philly fans were last disappointed in 1997, when the Flyers reached the final and were swept in four straight games by the Detroit Red Wings. Seems the Flyers have a tough time playing teams wearing red.
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