Like I needed another job, but these days you can often find me chillin' at my wife's new shop down on West 4th and Burrard - Flip Flop Shops. We had the grand opening this past weekend and though it was a long day, it was a cool break from the world of sports that I normally exist in. Don't get me wrong - I'm not quitting my day jobs anytime soon, but it's fairly relaxing to immerse yourself in the world of surf, and and flip flops for awhile.
That all said, what a wild first round of NHL playoffs! From sweeps to suspensions to surprises, there's been no shortage of talkable topics. Here's a few things that have stood out to me so far...
1) Roberto Luongo has been the best player in the NHL playoffs to this point. You can say it's a homer pick if you want, but check the facts. He has the best goals against average and save percentage in the postseason to this point, but most importantly, he has been the difference between wins and losses for the Canucks. His play against the Blues in game four was the type of performance that separates the good players from the great ones. By the end of the series, the Blues might as well been firing pucks at a 4x6 piece of plywood.
2) Who knows whether protocol is actually followed in such situations, but I wonder if Mike Gillis and JP Barry have used this time during the Canucks' layoff to discuss contract extensions for the Sedins. Both sides said they would wait until after the playoffs to talk deal, but no one anticipated more than a week in between games after a sweep in the first round. To me, the Sedins have answered any questions that previously existed about their abilities in crunch time, and there's no way that's been lost on a guy as sharp as Gillis. I wouldn't be surprised if a pact is being talked about even as type this.3) The Columbus Blue Jackets may end up being the most important factor in another Cup run for the Red Wings should the defending champs get back to the big dance. The BJ's lack of scoring was just what the doctor ordered for a struggling Chris Osgood who looked anything but consistent in the month leading up to the playoffs. Osgood isn't out of the woods quite yet after giving up five goals in his last outing, but he looks far more confident than he did in March.
4) Tortorella vs Brooks might be the best rivalry since Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas "the Hitman" Hearns. The Rangers' head coach and the New York writer are already into after Tortorella refused to answer questions about his one game suspension for throwing a water bottle at a fan in Washington. Tortorella likes to dictate the course of conversation with the media, and Brooks is like the little brother who just doesn't know when to stop bugging his older sibling. Their first memorable encounter came a few years ago in the playoffs and it looks as though the two will butt heads for the foreseeable future should Tortorella have a long tenure with the blue shirts.
One NFL note for you as well... THANK YOU AL DAVIS. The Raiders' controversial owner and GM decided to pass on prolific pass catcher Michael Crabtree with the 7th pick in this past weekend's draft, which allowed Crabtree to fall to a certain 49ers squad that I've been known to root for. The best part about this? Davis can watch from the other side of the bay while Crabtree rips it up for the franchise that Raiders' fans have envied for the better part of the last three decades.
