Oilers going to the Cup Finals

Hey all!

Well, the proverbial shit has hit the fan: the Edomonton Oilers are going to the Stanley Cup Finals! I'll tell you this much: as an Oiler fan, it's been a wild ride full of surprises. The biggest one, of course, has been Dwayne Roloson. Aside from a few bad periods in the middle of the Ducks series, the guy has been unbelievably steady. Always square to the puck, always in the right position. I mean, he hasn't made as many spectacular saves as Cujo did in the the '97 Dallas series alone, but he has been the backbone of this bend-but-don't-break team, so he deserves all the credit he can get.

Still, as good as he's been, I have a weird feeling that if the Oilers do manage to win the Cup, Chris Pronger, not Dwayne Roloson, will win the Conn Smythe trophy. And if you ask me, that's who I would give it as well. As good as Nik Lidstrom and Scott Niedermeyer were during the regular season (either one of those two will without a doubt win the Norris trophy), both were badly outplayed by Pronger in their respective series againt Edmonton. Indeed, the big man has reclaimed his throne as th best defenseman in the league, and he has done everything for the Oilers. Look at it this way: all throughout the playoffs, big time players like Shanahan, Datsyuk, Cheechoo, Thornton and Teemu Selanne all disappeared in their series against the Oilers. Pronger's been a physical force all through the playoffs (he and Jason Smith have made Craig Mctavish look like a genius for putting them together). He's been playing intelligently all along, never taking himself out of a play. And he's been the driving force behind the Edmonton power play. He is truly, in my humble opinion, the MVP of this Oilers team.

In the Eastern Conference, the Carolina-Buffalo final has been THE epic series of these playoffs. It's been great game after great game, and Game 7 promises to be even better. What's been surprising to me is that Buffalo has really taken it Carolina, but Cam Ward, when in net, has really stood tall. I would've thought that Ryan Miller would've been the busier goalie, but it hasn't turned out that way. Picking the winner of Game 7 is going to be real tough. Momentum has meant nothing in this series. Carolina has homefield advantage for the last game, but they might still be reeling from what was a dubious overtime call on Doug Weight. As far as predictions go, this one is a real tossup. And the coin says tails, so Buffalo will win, setting the stage for Mike Peca and Dwayne Roloson facing off against their old team, and Mike Grier getting reacquainted with his old Oiler friends.

By the way, this weekend I met with a guy named Ben in Montreal. Ben plays in a band called Black Waters. They are a young band, still unsigned, but a very good one to say the least. They are playing the O Patro Vys (365 Mont-Royal E.) on June 16th, and they'll be playing in Montreal again on August 12 (and I'll be there). I've been listening to their CD over and over again since Saturday (the day I met with Ben to purchase the album), and it's some of the best stuff I've heard in a long, long time. The songs "Found", "Clear", "Absinthe", "Timebreaker", "Kamera" and "Winterland" are all excellent tunes. But the real gem of the record is "Gone". I just can't get enough of that one. The album is, in my opinion, a work of art from start to finish. There is no real filler here, just good song after good song. This band has the chance to become something special, and I really hope that someone signs them at some point. Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/blackwaters .

Next post will come on Friday night, when I post my preview of the Stanley Cup Finals... Until then, just remember that if you can't figure out if the glass is half-full or half-empty, just get a smaller glass.

Dwarf Out