Thoughts for a Rainy Day...

"I could go back to every laugh,
But I don't wanna go there anymore,
And I know all the steps up to your door,
But I don't wanna go there anymore."
Taylor Swift: "Come In With The Rain"

Apologies for not writing much this past week...I did warn you that the Breakaway was moving on to its summer schedule, however...

But, on this day which combines two of the most depressing parts of life-it being rainy and a Monday, the continuing rumours of Manchester joining the EPL are another reason to be somewhat worried about the EIHL this season...

But that is a topic for another day, as the announcement doesn't take place until Thursday...

Back in the league itself, Cardiff have made a big splash by signing Stevie Lyle to a three-year deal to be their starting netminder-an interesting one as it appears to be driven by equal parts sentiment as well as sense.

That's not to say I don't think Lyle is a good netminder-after all, he is arguably the best that Britain has to offer, and has been for several years. However-is he worth locking into a three-year deal to be your starter, especially after mixed reviews from Belfast? Me, personally...I don't think so, not by a long shot.

But that, again, is a topic for another discussion-perhaps nearer the start of the season when we have rosters to compare with...

Quite frankly, after all the in-fighting, rumours and back-biting of the past few weeks, I've had enough of British hockey for now. That's not to say I don't miss the Sunday night fixes of live hockey terribly...but there is something to be said for following the viewpoint stated by Becky and Matt over at Five Minute Major of the "back to basics" approach...

And so, today's post is going to forswear British hockey completely.

Today...just for the hell of it, let's cross the Atlantic. It's some NHL talk on the Breakaway! Giddy up! Saddle up with me and take a ride across the North American continent as we look at the current state of the Stanley Cup playoffs...

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Boston Bruins (1) v Montreal Canadiens (8): BOS win series 4-0.

Move on, people...if you're a Habs fan, this Original Six series involving the most bitter of rivals was roughly the equivalent of watching a car-wreck involving your mother-in-law trashing your brand-new Ferrari, on purpose, and getting off without a scratch. The Bruins simply rode roughshod over les Habitants...and led to the notoriously impatient Canadiens crowd booing their own team in game four...

NY RANGERS (7) v WASHINGTON CAPITALS (2): series tied 3-3.

Now this, ladies and gentlemen, is what a series should be. The Rangers were 3-1 up after game 4, and possibly already thinking about their opponents in the second round as they headed back to Madison Square Garden for a potential series clincher. Two games later, and Alex Ovechkin and company have dragged them back to Washington...the DC fire-brigade have already cancelled all leave in anticipation of a bona-fide, five-alarm barn-burner of a game seven. This one will be worth staying up for on the 28th...

CAROLINA HURRICANES (6) v NEW JERSEY DEVILS (3): series tied 3-3

This series is the very definition of "see-saw" as it heads back to Jersey for the decider, with both teams proving they can win in the "other" barn. It also makes for the most exciting hockey TV night thus far in the season, as this Game 7 takes place at exactly the same time as Caps v Rangers. Sometimes, fate does indeed throw us hockey fans a bone of the juiciest, meatiest kind...

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (4) v PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (5): PIT win 4-2
(giggles)
(laughs out loud and restrains oneself from doing a victory dance)
Sorry about that. As those of you who've read the sidebar on the right will be aware, I'm a Pens fan. As those of you who know anything about the NHL will be aware, there is something of a rivalry between the Pens and the Flyers due to the two of them being in the same state (Pennsylvania). That rivalry is not a friendly one...and the series reflected this. Ask Kimmo Timonen.
However, the Flyers rallied from a horrific first two games to bring the series back to 3-2, and things looked interesting for a while, including shutting out the Pens on their own ice in game four...but eventually, the form-book won out...

WESTERN CONFERENCE

ANAHEIM DUCKS (8) v SAN JOSE SHARKS (1): ANA lead series 3-2
Hello. This has been probably the story of the playoffs so far, as the powerhouse Sharks have well and truly been cut down to size by their underdog Californian neighbours, thanks in no small part to the stellar play of Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller. The Sharks now need to prove their mettle and win twice in a row, with one of them being in a bear-pit of an Arrowhead Pond (yes, I know it's a new name now, but that just sounds far better...), otherwise, the Western Conference top seeds will be the first big casualty of the playoffs...

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (7) v DETROIT RED WINGS (2): DET win series 4-0

Proof, if any were needed, that one superstar and a bunch of up-and-coming youngsters, however good they may be, isn't in the same league as the team who have so much talent on their roster, it's almost embarassing. The defending Cup champions are off and running with relative ease,while the Blue Jackets have shown that...well, they're not a laughing stock any more. The future is bright in Ohio...

ST LOUIS BLUES (6) v VANCOUVER CANUCKS (3): VAN win series 4-0
See above-it's much the same story in this series. The Canucks simply had just that little bit more class than the young Blues, winning three of the four games by one goal. The 'nucks are moving on with hope in their hearts, while the Blues, too, will realise that the future is brighter than many would have credited looking purely at the series result...although that won't go all the way to deadening the sting of narrow defeat...

CALGARY FLAMES (5) v CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (4): CHI lead series 3-2

If you had to pick the series most likely to go to a Game 7 beforehand, this would likely have been it. It's the very definition of crash-and-bang v twist-and-turn, as the smaller, speedier Blackhawks try to avoid getting blasted right off the ice by the aggressive, hard-checking Flames...doing so pretty well in the first two games before the Albertans really put their feet down hard in games 3 and 4 to level the series, before unaccountably backing off a little and being punished in game 5 with a very flat performance indeed. The Flames, however, have a recent habit of pulling off the Great Escape...although as yet, no-one has yet stood out, the Saddledome crowd are already asking themselves who will step forward and take on the role filled so well by Martin Gelinas in their last cup run...

There you go...that's you now up to date on events across the pond...

Finally, just because I can and in order to end this on a high note...and from the "random finds on youtube" file, here's the greatest sports commercial/scene-scetting music/speech montage ever written...it just seems appropriate come playoff time...I defy you not to have "we got ourselves a game!" stick in your head for long afterward...

And remember, fans of the underdog in both the British leagues and the NHL, as you're watching your rosters built this off-season and despairing at the Nottinghams and Sheffields of this world once again throwing money your GMs can only dream of at players...

The Theory of Evolution claims that "only the strong shall survive" but the Theory of Competition says "just because they're the strong, doesn't mean they can't get their asses kicked!"

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...