Hockey talk, thoughts, and opinions.

 I got the prediction right from predicting the conference finals. No surprise given they're the best team in the league. But what frustrates me is how the match-ups are the same. Like, we saw Edmonton face the exact same teams in Los Angeles, Vegas, Dallas (good rivalry though), and now Florida. Similar with Florida how we saw them beat Toronto, Tampa, Carolina, I'd say Boston but they missed this year. Something needs to change as the NHL just feels too predictable. But my first predictions of Winnipeg-Florida and St. Louis-Florida were not quite on the dot.  I predict the Panthers beat Edmonton in five. Edmonton is banged up and Florida is just too strong. 

There some horns in the NHL that are incredible, iconic, but also... terrible. Some songs are good, some just can't be changed, but some... can. I think Toronto fans can all agree their goal song was horrible. Some intros need improvement, some intros are irreplaceable, some just are bad. These are very unbiased a mix of the big picture and personal opinion.   1. Vancouver Canucks - Their horn is iconic and exclusive, and they should never change their goal song because I feel it has it's own signature like Chicago and Chelsea Dagger, similar to how it'd be wrong for another team to use it and should never be changed. But the intro should be 'Streets with no name by U2' like in the playoffs. And their win song should be either 'Ain't talking bout love,' or 'Holiday.' 2. Florida Panthers - One of my favourite horns, but I was disappointed when they changed from 'Sweetness' as that just fit the team well. For true hockey fans, that was icon...

First and for most, congratulations to the Florida Panthers for making it to their third-straight cup final which is a hard thing to achieve. Florida is a very good team with lots of talent that's hard to beat. One that Carolina couldn't handle, and Carolina is a good team with a very bright future and I personally believe between 2026-2032 they're going to make the Stanley Cup Finals or even win one.  Rod Brind'Amour has been one of the five best coaches in the league along with Jon Cooper, Paul Maurice, Jim Montgomery, and Craig Berube -- as of the time this post was made. I have been reading articles on various sites and boards that Rod Brind'Amour needed to go or wasn't good enough. I'll say this right now, if he was coaching Florida they'd probably have a way better record because Carolina doesn't have the exact firepower they got or the tax advantage. In fact, Rod Brind'Amour is the best thing to ever happen to the Carolina Hurricanes who w...

 Some of which I was wrong, such as Winnipeg beating Dallas or Washington beating Carolina. But some I was right about such as the length of the Dallas series being six games, but more importantly knew it'd take Florida seven games to beat Toronto. But also, Edmonton beating Vegas was another I got right. One thing I notice here is one big thing, and it's the fact in the last two seasons separately, we've seen the exact same teams going at in in the Western Conference Finals. Florida and Carolina in 2023, and Edmonton and Dallas in 2024. But one thing that needs to be brought up here is the taxation. Teams are signing players to contracts whereas they sign less money than they did in a high-taxed market such as a New York/California team. I notice over the past few seasons some of which being primary examples in Vegas, Dallas, Tampa, and Florida is they keep playing in either the finals or conference finals because of the extra cap they have to spend because they're giv...

So, I base these mock drafts based on how the team has been ran and how their model is. I base it off the history I've seen or which team may be looking to try an alternate pick. I also make two for what I see happening verses what I think should happen. But Sharks have said they may trade the first overall pick if they had it, but we don't worry about that. When draft day comes, I will do present an entire first round mock. 1. New York Islanders - Matthew Schaefer - The Islanders are set on Forwards and if there's anything that needs work on their team it's their defense. He could bring the kind of play that would be a more offensive.  Preference to be picked by Islanders: James Hagens - A kid from Long Island who grew up an Islanders fan would be a great story, and tells me he'd be a player who'd wear the C proudly for them one day. I think he would bring the right amount of heart to their team after going through many heartbreaking phases such as losing Tavar...

 So, I am so glad to be wrong sometimes. I'm happy with the Jets victory verses St. Louis in what might be the best comeback and game for the Winnipeg Jets. But crazy enough I was on the dot with how many games it'd take. Guess it's not terrible. Which is also ironic because I got the series length right for Toronto/Ottawa and Carolina/Jersey, except one of those two won. But who else did win was the Panthers, Vegas, Oilers, but sometimes it's also the teams you prefer over the one you rather not see go into the second round. Well, now I wish I did because I wanted the Jets to have an easy road, but I think it's nice to see the Jets face the Stars in the playoffs, two teams I hoped but doubted to win their respective series. Guess it's full circle.  East Atlantic Toronto vs Florida - Prediction: Florida in 7 Preference to win: Florida Metro Washington vs Carolina - Prediciton to win: Washington in 6 Preference to win: Carolina West Central Winnipeg vs Dallas - P...

If I'm being completely honest, the Aqualini's are the worst owners in the NHL since Eugene Melnyk -- may he rest in peace. But, if I was a billionare, I'd buy the Vancouver Canucks. The changes I'd make are significant. As personally, I do believe the Canucks can be a very good organization.  But here are the problems: 1. Vancouver is EXPENSIVE!!! 2. They don't have a training facility. They currently practice at University of British Columbia, which isn't terrible but I think they need a designated practice facility.  3. The arena is outdated. 4. Concession prices are stupid expensive. 5. They needed to rebuild as early as 2012; but honestly if it was me I'd have kept the team competitive until the Sedins officially retired. But what ruined the Canucks was the Luongo/Schneider debate, which got so complicated that it led to both of them being traded as there was no real answer. But the problem here was they should've kept the team competitive. Keep Cor...