RE:Current Playoff-Matchups

Sunday, April 6
Updated: April 7, 12:14 PM ET

Can an East team win the Cup? One might

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By Chris Stevenson

Scoop: The newest feature on the Stanley Cup is going to be a compass with the needle permanently pointed to the "W."

Engineers working in a bunker deep under the Hockey Hall of Fame have almost got it done in anticipation of what will surely be another victory by a Western Conference team this spring.
OK, so the Cup has been won by a team from the Western Conference six of the last seven years with the New Jersey Devils being the only Eastern Conference team to win it in that time (2000). When the Colorado Avalanche started the current run for Western teams in 1996, it snapped a string of five-straight Cups for Eastern teams.

So, the pendulum settles on the left side of the Continental Divide as long as you consider the Detroit Red Wings a Western team which, in the geographically-challenged NHL, is the way it is.

Most pundits (a nice word for people in the media who are paid to guess) are predicting another victory for the West this year. If it's not the Wings winning their third straight, it'll be the Dallas Stars or the Avs or even the Vancouver Canucks.

The Eastern representative will be there for nothing more than to play the Washington Generals to the Harlem Globetrotters, France to Germany, every PGA golfer to Tiger Woods.

OK, so the Carolina Hurricanes, last year's Eastern fodder, did absolutely nothing to dispel the theory of Western superiority last year.

This year will be different.

No, really.

Here are eight reasons why:

1. In case you missed it, the Ottawa Senators were the NHL's best team this year. Of course, they are the best team, maybe ever, not to scare anybody. They have had other great regular seasons and disappeared like free beer at a frat party come April. This year will be different. The Senators' nucleus is more mature, they are deep and have added some much needed sandpaper in the likes of Vaclav Varada and Rob Ray. After winning two series in six years, coach Jacques Martin is getting his last shot at taking this team deep into the playoffs. A local radio station had a contest to come up with a playoff slogan. The winner: "Win, or you're all fired." Nothing like that to sharpen the focus.

2. Experience required. If you count New York Ranger goaltender Mike Richter as retired -- and many people do after a serious concussion -- there are only four active goaltenders who have won the Stanley Cup. They are split among the two conferences which at least makes the East's odds 50-50, right? They are Colorado's Patrick Roy (four); New Jersey's Martin Brodeur (two), Dallas' Ed Belfour (now with Toronto, one) and St. Louis' Chris Osgood (one*) (*Some say the Wings won despite Osgood.)

3. Exit 16W. That's where you get off the highway for the Meadowlands and Continental Airlines Arena, home of the Devils, the team that fun -- not to mention most of their fans -- forgot. You cannot overlook the fact the Devils won a Cup not too long ago and Brodeur is capable of doing it almost by himself. The Devils have been playing playoff hockey for the last six months under coach Pat Burns. They capped off the last streak of Eastern Conference Cup winners in 1995, and are the only East team to win it since.

4. The Hitch. The Philadelphia Flyers' paychecks say they should be Cup contenders every year, but they have that delightful ability to implode in the postseason. It's got something to do with goaltending, we think. It's like everybody in the world can see it but Bob Clarke. But now they have a coach who's been there before in Ken Hitchcock. His greatest challenge will be to get Roman Cechmanek to believe he's Dominik Hasek. Hitch just might be able to do it.

5. You Gotta Be-Leaf. The Toronto Maple Leafs always find a way to May. They run on a mixture of adrenalin and passion and a backdrop of steady whining. The Leafs live on the Grassy Knoll where there is always a conspiracy against them. The us-against-the-world theme plays well for Leafs coach and GM Pat Quinn. They have guys like Gary Roberts and Darcy Tucker who play their best in the postseason and Ed Belfour, unlike his predecessor Curtis Joseph, has closed the deal before. In a wide-open East, they could be there in June.

6. The road's bumpier. There are three teams in the West (Dallas, Detroit and Colorado) pundits would likely rank ahead of anybody in the East as Stanley Cup favorites. They are going to have to Darwin each other before June. The theory is the Western rep will be more beaten up, but it doesn't seem to have hurt them the last few years.

7. The zebras. The crackdown on obstruction, say most players, died a quiet death a few months ago. The teams from the West might be more skilled, but that skill could be negated by non-calls. The Eastern teams -- especially Philly and New Jersey, which tied for the fewest goals allowed -- excel in those close-checking, low-scoring games. If the games in the playoffs are called like the regular season, the Eastern teams could see themselves on more even footing.

8. Been there, done that. Of the 16 coaches in the playoffs, only three have coached teams to the Stanley Cup and none of them are coaching the same teams now. There is only one in the East, Hitchcock, who guided the 1999 Dallas Stars to their first Cup. There are two in the West, Marc Crawford of the Vancouver Canucks, who led the 1996 Colorado Avalanche and Jacques Lemaire of the Minnesota Wild, who won it with the 1995 Devils. Hitchcock gives the East some hope and since he's the last to do it, we'll give him the edge (thin logic, I know, but they insisted on eight reasons).

Chris Stevenson covers the NHL for the Ottawa Sun and is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com.

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Sunday, April 6
Updated: April 7, 10:44 AM ET

CuJo, Yzerman among Wings' keys
By Mike Heika
Special to ESPN.com

Here is a case for and against the Detroit Red Wings' pursuit of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships:
Five reasons why the Red Wings will repeat
5. Dave Lewis is their coach
Criticizing Scotty Bowman is like editing Hemingway -- you want to be real careful with your expert analysis. That said, Bowman did not have a whole lot of players who dug in deep for him. Dave Lewis does. There are players within the Red Wings who care enough about Lewis to play hard simply because he's their coach. Detroit has a happier, tighter dressing room this season because of Lewis -- and that could make a difference down the stretch that could be reflected in the performances of players like Sergei Fedorov and Brendan Shanahan.

4. Brett Hull is circling
Take it from someone who has been schooled by Hull on any number of occasions; the guy knows what he's talking about. Hull is, hands down, the smartest man in hockey, and the Red Wings need that right now. While the Red Wings will miss some of the edginess that Bowman injected, they won't be completely sedate. Hull won't let them be. If there was anyone who understood Bowman last season, it was Hull. If there was anyone who understood Hull, it was Bowman. Scary, eh? There is a certain madness that comes with genius, and both these guys had it. When it comes time to get a big goal in a big situation, Hull will come through, especially if that big goal is needed against the Stars.

3. Steve Yzerman is old
OK, that sounds bad, but it's not. You see, Yzerman's age and his historic knee operation (can you take a little off the sides, please, and trim up the patella) are sending a message to "The Captain" that ol' time is no longer on his side. That means if he wants to toss in one last run toward glory, one last Stanley Cup, this season is as good as any. Yzerman said he wants to play next year, and he very well might. But the clock is ticking on his career, and winning it this year sure would be a nice way to go out. Oh, and if you want some fuel, tell people he had eight points and was plus-8 in his 15 games back on that bum knee.

2. Curtis Joseph ain't bad
There's plenty of reasons to criticize Joseph (and we will), but all he has to do is play within himself and stay calm and this team could take him to a Stanley Cup. The Red Wings play a smart brand of puck-possession hockey that allows the goalie to not have to carry the team. Detroit has won three Stanley Cups in six years with three different goalies. That says something. Joseph is every bit as good as Chris Osgood or Mike Vernon, and you can make the argument that Dominik Hasek didn't have to be that good to win it last year. If Joseph can keep his cool and make the right save at the right time, the rest is pretty easy (of course, that's looking at it from the pressbox).

1. Depth, depth, depth
Face it, the Red Wings have talent. Anyone who watched the playoffs last year marveled at the team's ability to make just the right play at the right time. If it wasn't Hull or Yzerman or Fedorov, it was Shanahan or Larionov or Maltby or Holmstrom. There are four solid lines and three pretty strong D-pair, especially when you mix in Mathieu Schneider. If Jiri Fischer is healthy and can play, there aren't a whole lot of teams that can line up and match that. That's why the coaching and goaltending can become secondary -- because having the most talent gives you the best opportunity to win it all.

Five reasons why the Red Wings won't repeat
5. Scotty Bowman is not their coach
It's easy to fall back on this one, but the guy did win a few games in his career. And whether or not he needled Fedorov with his constant line changes or irritated Shanahan by refusing to stroke his ego, Bowman found a way to get the most out of his players. At a time when the NHL's best teams in the West are going with playoff rookies on the bench, Bowman would have had a field day. It's' one thing to be coaching in your first year in the playoffs; it's quite another to be coaching in your first year in the playoffs against legendary mind-messer Scotty Bowman. No, the Mike Babcocks and Tony Granatos and Dave Tippetts of the world can be quite happy that the scheming little man with the lucky coin in his pocket will not be trying to get into their kitchen this spring.

4. The Grind Line is circling (and not in the right direction)
It is one of the more intriguing lines in hockey. It might have been the best line for the Red Wings in the playoffs last season. But could The Grind Line (the trio of Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby and Darren McCarty) finally be circling the drain? Draper and McCarty each accounted for three points in their last 18 games, while Maltby had three points in his last 12 games. Now, the Red Wings didn't need them during a long winning stretch, but it sure would have been nice to see a little more than that. And while we're at it, are Luc Robitaille and Igor Larionov slipping too?

3. Steve Yzerman is old
Maybe they can just let him use one of those Rascal Scooters and motor around the ice like an aging polo player. All right, that was mean, but Yzerman has played almost 1,400 regular-season games and is starting to show the mileage. The realignment of his knee was no small operation, and he simply isn't what he once was. If they lean too heavily on him now, it might be more than his body can take. If they try to protect him, it might hurt the delicate balance of their five-man units. The Red Wings have depth, but any team that relies (physically or mentally) on an injury-prone superstar can be in trouble.

2. Curtis Joseph ain't good
The Red Wings needed only to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks Sunday to get first place in the West and eventually get a path paved in gold to the Stanley Cup Finals. And when Fedorov scored short-handed in the third period, Detroit had the break it needed with a 3-2 lead and only eight minutes to play. A great goalie would have made a statement at that time and not allowed another goal, no matter what kind of acrobatics it took. Joseph did not, allowing Chicago to tie the game on a strange Eric Daze spin-around that can only be classified as a soft goal. This follows a strange history of Joseph's to not be able to make the big save at the right time, and critics will say it's why his own NHL coach, Toronto's Pat Quinn, went with Martin Brodeur and not Joseph in the 2002 Olympics.

1. Depth can't beat the hockey gods
It's difficult to say that everything the Red Wings accomplished during a 17-1-0-1 stretch late in the season was frittered away in one game to Chicago Sunday&but it was. Every expert in the NHL was ready to pick the Red Wings to repeat, but that Chicago loss combined with a strange mix of other wins and losses means Detroit's path through the Western Conference playoffs has just gotten twice as tough. As the No. 2 seed, Detroit has the potential to play Colorado in the second round and then would have to play on the road against Dallas in the conference finals (if both teams advance that far). Had the Red Wings won, they would have stayed away from Colorado or Dallas until the third round and would have had home ice in the Western Conference Finals. Maybe that's getting into too many details, but the Western Conference championship has been decided in Game 7 in three of the last four seasons and the home team has won Game 7 each time. One unfortunate game, one unfortunate goal -- the hockey gods are speaking, and they're not saying Detroit.

Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.

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Sunday, April 6
Updated: April 7, 6:08 PM ET

Da Vinci knew all about the Stanley Cup
Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind.

Leonardo da Vinci arranged those words sometime during his life that lasted 67 peerless years. Da Vinci was a stud. The REAL Leo. Smart, handsome, musically gifted, innovative, and as the above quote suggests, a mental warrior. The Italian was a vegetarian, yet he had a carnivorous appetite for life.
Da Vinci's quote blares STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS in broad, colorful strokes. Obstacles, resolve and mind -- the three most important words in the quote and the three most important words in describing the Stanley Cup playoffs. Yes, a talented team will raise the 35-pound Stanley Cup, but the winner will be determined by who overcomes obstacles, displays an almost inhumane resolve, and whose mind is maniacally driven to reach his star. His Stanley Cup.

Only a special kind of athlete -- a special kind of man -- can endure such a concentrated vision, resolve and passion for two long, painful months. The talented team that has the most of these men will win the Stanley Cup.

Pat Verbeek was one of those athletes, one of those special men. Verbeek personified the Canadian farm boy that embodies da Vinci's quote. Obstacles? Five feet, nine inches tall, less than 200 pounds, and, in his own words, not a fast skater. Resolve? Despite said obstacle, 522 career goals and his name engraved on the Stanley Cup. Mind? Resolve is essential and effort mandatory, but what makes a champion and thus the difference from a career in the AHL and a 522-NHL-goal career is the mind. Smarts and hearts. Thinking the game, working at the game and loving the game.

Maybe you don't think Pat Verbeek is a Hall of Famer, but I do. The Hockey Hall of Fame is a place where we celebrate the game. Its members should be men and women who reflect the values of the game. Overcoming obstacles, showing resolve on a nightly basis, and having the mind of a hockey player -- tough, smart, resilient and productive.

That was Pat Verbeek, the "Little Ball of Hate."

Pat told me last week that he will officially retire in the next few days after holding out hope of playing one more NHL season. Talking about -- and talking to -- Verbeek is a perfect way to usher in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Every great hockey player has had a little, little ball of hate in him.

It takes 16 wins to capture the Stanley Cup while da Vinci had 17 brothers and sisters. You can argue what the bigger challenge is, but thankfully MTV wasn't around in 1464, otherwise that had "MTV Real World Vinci" written all over it. It may have been tough for Leo to get the last piece of bread at dinner, but he was never was hit by Scott Stevens in the neutral zone. These are the good ol' days. The Stanley Cup playoffs. Where a lot of luck and a little ball of hate go a long way.

No. 1: Who gave you the nickname "Little Ball of Hate?"
Verbeek: Glenn Healy. Glenn, Ray Ferraro and I were all playing in New York with the Rangers. Glenn called Ray "Big Ball of Hate" because of his off-ice grumpy demeanor. He called me "Little Ball of Hate" because I was grumpy on the ice. It really stuck when I went to Dallas and Ray left a note in my locker and put "Little Ball of Hate" on it. The guys in Dallas ran with it.

Beeker was born May 24, 1964, in Sarnia, Ontario.
No. 2: How in the world did you score 522 career goals?
Verbeek: It's a combination of a lot of things. One of the things I prided myself on was studying goaltenders. I always liked to watch hockey games and study where the goals were going. When I got in the game, I had a better idea of what to do. I worked hard in practice to put the puck in the right spots. Because of my size, I had to be able to think the game. My first two strides were quick, but I wasn't fast. I scored goals from beating players to the net.

Pat was the 43rd player chosen in the 1982 draft by New Jersey.

No. 3: Who was a boyhood role model for you?
Verbeek: Bobby Clarke. I just remember watching the Flyers and I started playing his style. He wasn't a big guy, but he was a tough, vicious player. He was a tough player to play against and that's the kind of player I wanted to be.

Pat retires with 1,063 points and 2,905 penalty minutes. Not as many points as Clarke (1,210) but more penalty minutes (1,453).

No. 4: 500 goals, 1,000 points and a Stanley Cup Champion. Hall of Fame nominee credentials. Do you think about that chance?
Verbeek: I think about it. It would be a mind-boggling accomplishment. I never even thought about it when I was growing up.

Pat played junior hockey for the Sudbury Wolves.

No. 5: Did the NHL get less nasty as your career progressed?
Verbeek: It's a different kind of nasty today. When I first came into the league, if you cut someone with your stick, you knew a guy would get you back. And that's why we have more vicious hits now. There was an honor before that seems to be missing today. It was an obligation before to do what you had to do. Now, there is willingness to get revenge in a violent way because you don't settle it man to man. A lot of it can be blamed on the European influence, and that's a fact.

Beeker played for New Jersey, Hartford, the Rangers, Dallas and Detroit.

No. 6: What's your fondest memory as an NHL player?
Verbeek: Certainly winning the Stanley Cup in Dallas. The three years in Dallas was special. We were all about a team that wanted to win. Everybody pulled together and nothing took us off our focus to win. ("He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind.")

Pat lives in Michigan and broadcasted Red Wings games this season.

No. 7: You were almost the game-winning goal hero in Game 6, right?
Verbeek: I think about it once in a while. I had Hasek down and thought I got it up high enough. But, we won. And I'll tell you, I don't know if we had enough left if it went to Game 7. John, it was incredible what the guys sucked up in that locker room. Me and Brett Hull blew out our MCLs, Mike Modano had a broken wrist, and seven other guys were really banged up. It was unbelievable.

Pat played 88 games as a New York Ranger scoring 51 goals.

No. 8: What are your post-NHL playing career plans?
Verbeek: I did some broadcasting this year with the Wings and I really want to get good at it. I enjoy coaching my son's hockey teams and I love to fish. I have competed in a couple of competitive fishing events. You have to not only catch the fish, but catch more than someone else.

Playoff predictions
After watching most of the 1,230 NHL games that took place during the past seven months, here's what I see:

THE EAST
The Carolina Hurricanes were an average regular-season team last year. They scored 217 goals, gave up 217 goals, won fewer games than two teams who didn't make the playoffs (Rangers and Capitals), and had 16 ties and 5 overtime losses. Yet, they made the final.

How? Well, they were strong up the middle, had a good-skating, veteran, and rugged blue line, and got great goaltending. It was still a Cinderella story, but the ingredients were there in a weak conference to make an opportunistic run. This year, the elite teams have fewer questions. In my opinion, only seeds 1-4 have a chance to win the conference.

New York Islanders vs. Ottawa Senators
Ottawa will carry the play in every game of this series; the better skating team almost always does. Patrick Lalime will have to be rancid and Garth Snow will have to wear one of those sumo wrestler suits for the Islanders to win. The Islanders have plenty of grit and good defensemen. And they have centers. Sounds a little like Carolina, eh? Keep that in mind, but I'll take the Senators in 5. Islander fans will make it very tough to win on Long Island.

Boston Bruins vs. New Jersey Devils
This is actually a good matchup for the Bruins. The Bruins can score goals and are a much better offensive team than the Devils. But, the B's allowed 71 more goals than the Devils during the regular season. This series will be longish because the Devils don't score consistently. Boston has a chance, however the Devils have more structure, a better goalie and better defensemen. You don't bet against that. Devils in 6.

Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
This series could be a lot like Toronto and the Islanders last year where the home team wins all the games. I project Tampa Bay to be one of the loudest opening-round rinks, like Carolina last spring. Central Florida has some Super Bowl mojo lingering and the Bolts' rink is a nice, intimate setting. Both the Caps and Bolts have good goalies, suspect defensemen and offensive flair up front. This is a tough series to pick. Tampa Bay wasn't a strong statistical 5-on-5 team, but Nikolai Khabibulin didn't find his "A" game until March, when he was the NHL's player of the month. I'll take Tampa Bay in 7.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Holy shnikey. What a way to kick off a playoff season -- 205 combined points is the most of any opening-round series. It's amazing what the Tony Amonte trade did to the Flyers' offense. Enthusiasm and confidence are the two words that come to mind when I think of the Flyers. They have good centers, veteran defenseman and good goaltending. Toronto is not as strong up the middle, their defensemen are not quite as strong and they have a Stanley Cup champion goalie. I'll take the Flyers in 7.

THE WEST
There was little doubt in my mind Detroit would win the Stanley Cup last year. The gap has closed considerably because of what Dallas did in the offseason, the six-month "vacation" they had, a fresh start with head coach Dave Tippett and the emergence of Marty Turco as an absolute "A" list goalie. More of the best NHL players are in the West, and thus the best teams are, too. Last year, picking Detroit as the team most likely to win the Cup took a split second. This year, I'm losing sleep.

Edmonton Oilers vs. Dallas Stars
Fans of both teams know the history of this matchup. Edmonton will play tough, as they always do, but the Anson Carter trade weakened them. It will be more evident in this series than during the regular season. Dallas should be OK here. They are a little banged up, but they are playing well and should sweep the Oilers. Dallas getting home-ice advantage is huge. And I think Marty Turco's play is the difference. He is a champion. Stars in 4.

Anaheim Mighty Ducks vs. Detroit Red Wings
I can't believe the Wings did not seize home-ice advantage with games in Columbus and Chicago to end their season. I think that could prove fatal to their Stanley Cup hopes. Anaheim is a much tougher opponent than Edmonton. Anaheim has good special teams, is good at faceoffs and has a good goalie. Anaheim is good enough to beat Detroit. In fact, I would take Jean-Sebastien Giguere over Curtis Joseph if I were starting a team right now. The Wings might be fooling me. Maybe they will tighten things up in the postseason like the legends they are. But, for now, they are too loose. I can't believe I'm typing this, and it's a reach, but I have no faith in Cujo. Anaheim in 6.

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche
This is a good matchup for Minnesota. They can focus on one line and one player: the Peter Forsberg line and Joe Sakic. There is not much else here to be frightened of offensively. However, the Avs counter with a very good blue line. Minnesota can skate and works harder than anyone. But I wonder if they have another gear for the playoffs. It seems like they just played 82 playoff games with their intensity and effort. I say they are pooped. I'll take Colorado in 5.

St. Louis Blues vs. Vancouver Canucks
It will be nice to see one of these teams in the second round, because it will probably give them some needed confidence. Vancouver is not playing well right now, but remember Detroit won just one of their last 10 regular-season games last year. Imagine how nasty it will be between Chris Pronger and Todd Bertuzzi in front of the net. I think St. Louis' talented forwards will win out here and win despite some shaky goaltending. St. Louis in 6.

So, who plays for the Cup? I'm picking either Ottawa or Philadelphia in the East and Dallas or Detroit in the West. Even if Detroit gets to the conference final, I'm more comfortable with Turco over Cujo. Colorado and New Jersey would be my honorable mentions. I'm rooting for Detroit vs. Ottawa because, from a neutral corner, I think that would be the most entertaining hockey. But right now, Cujo can't be counted on and Philadelphia has confidence, a game plan, and lots of incentive to beat Ottawa.

Hitchcock vs. Dallas. Roenick vs. Hatcher. Flyers vs. Stars. Stars win.

Hey, John:
Any way you can ask Melrose about talking his pal Dooger into playing goal for the Blues? He already has the jersey; I'm sure the team will sew his name on the back and give him whatever number he wants. Nos. 30 and 35 should be available soon.
Rob Goeggel
St. Louis

John,
I NEED ANSWERS!!!! Conditional draft picks: exactly what are they and how do they work. And natural hat trick: definition of &?
Paul Tincher
Peoria, Ill.

A conditional draft pick is what it is, a draft pick with conditions. If I traded my friend Petey Potenzini my REM "Murmer" CD for a bowl of oranges, Lyle Lovett's "Pontiac" CD and a conditional CD and I still got scurvy, my conditional CD would be U2's Joshua Tree. If my gums weren't bleeding and I was generally healthy, I would get, say, 38 Special's "Greatest Hits." A natural hat trick is three goals scored in a row in one game by the same player with no other players on either team scoring between them.

Dear John,
You're right to enjoy your 3-year-old now. How fortunate that you get it. They go from "I'll be Joe Sakic" to "I'm transferring to the 82nd Airborne" in no time at all. Excuse me if I'm bummed that he won't be here to root against my team just for the sake of being ornery. Thanks for your column, but it made me cry.
D. Cano
Yucaipa, Calif.

Thinking about your son's bravery and honor makes me cry. Have him e-mail me.

John,
Just wanted to write a quick e-mail to say I read your article "End of one season, start of another" with a twinge of sadness, as I could relate to what a wonderful backyard rink season this was. Our rink was done for the season around February, but the memories of freezing nights under the Christmas lights and long afternoon skates haven't faded. Those of us who are hockey fans and players and who are lucky enough to be able to construct a backyard rink, can only describe to those who can't what a thrill it is.
Jeff Frost

Hey John,
I haven't seen NHL 2Night listed as of late. Will it be on again during the playoffs?
Thanx,
Jenna

NHL 2Night, which was nominated for an Emmy for the second straight year, will return full force the opening night of the playoffs and will remain on just about every night there is a game, through the conference finals. The one-hour playoff preview show will air on ESPNEWS, Tuesday, 3-4 p.m. ET.

Bucci,
Seriously, how good is Brian Leetch?? I am a Ranger fan, but with all objectivity, since he's come back, he's been the best player in the league who isn't named Forsberg. He's the only D playing today who can take over a game. He's willed the Rangers their slim chance at the playoffs. He has to be a Ranger next season.
Thanks
Brandon C.
New York

Brian Leetch has been amazing to watch. Don't worry; since Glen Sather has witnessed No. 2's play from behind the bench, he realizes that he is the Rangers' best player. Leetchy isn't going anywhere.

Hey John,
What's the deal with never giving Pasi Nurminen any credit?
Janne Oivio
Helsinki, Finland

Those are 10 simple words, yet a million thoughts go racing through my oversized, vapid head. I'm not the man to investigate such a question. Someone call Wolf Blitzer.

Hello John,
Who has more buoyancy? Ken the otter or Barry's mullet? Thank you.
Darryl Donor
Philadelphia

It's close. Both Ken and Barry are covered with thick, brown fur and both have webbed feet. However, Ken, as you know, belongs to the genus Lutra, while Melrose belongs to the genus Boutros Boutros-Gali. Ken, by a nose pad. Actually, when you think about it, otter's are a walking, living, breathing mullet -- business in the front, party in the back. See, it's ALL coming together.

John,
Your column never ceases to amaze. I was wondering if you could do me a favor. My best friend is over in Iraq with the 15th MEU. He is a huge hockey fan and whenever he writes home he asks me to send him updates on how the Devils are doing. Can you and the guys (Melrose & Parm) throw a shout out to him (Corporal John A. Baker, USMC) and his crew (Fox Company, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit) on the show? If so let me know so I can fire up the VCR. Thanks!
Rich Galasso

Will do, Rich. First night of the playoffs, NHL 2Night, right at the top of the show when we say, "Hi." And Thanks.

John Buccigross is the host of NHL 2Night, which airs on ESPN2. His e-mail address -- for questions, comments or cross-checks -- is john.buccigross@espn.com.

First member of the "DELete(tm) und Tripcke gehört weg"-Circle
Debile Eistanz Luschenliga = DEL
"Lernen ohne zu denken ist verlorene Arbeit. Denken ohne zu lernen ist gefährlich..."
Ich kann gar nicht soviel essen wie ich kotzen kann

- gegen Tempobeschränkungen auf deutschen Autobahnen! Pro

!
Im Blut hat er Stickstoff und im Gehirn einen Tank voller Benzin!