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May 29, 2009
So, the stage is set for the Cup Finals. Manitoba and Hershey will battle for Calder, while Pittsburgh and Detroit will tangle for Stanley. It's an exciting time in the playoffs, and I think we're going to have a pair of great series on our hands. Too bad I'll enjoy them while sharing something in common with Robert Lang. More on that in a moment.
First, in the AHL, the top two attendance teams will battle it out in the final. It's going to be some loud, large and wild atmospheres in the MTS Centre and Giant Center through the finals. The Moose overcame their battle with the Marlies and haven't looked back. In fact, after their game 3 loss in Toronto, they did not lose another game until the 4th match of the Conference finals. That's 10 straight games. They are rolling like a big machine right now and are looking solid. As for the Bears, they are coming off a tough match against the Providence Bruins. They also had to endure a seven game set with state rival Wilkes-Barre. Hershey was my pick to get out of the East if they got the goaltending. Well, they got the job done and they are back in the Calder Cup final. Despite their great run, I'm going to go with the Moose this year. They have got stronger as the playoffs have gone on, and I think Mike Keane will lead this team to a championship. Still, expect a great series that might go 6 games.
In the NHL, it's a rematch. There are a lot of underlying stories in this year's final. From Marian Hossa to Dan Blysma, I expect this year to be a much closer series than last year. With the experience the Pens now have matched up with the injuries the Wings are suffering through, I think this is the year where Sidney Crosby will raise Lord Stanley's Mug.
Now, as for my new connection to Robert Lang. Last Sunday, our Marlies team took part in a charity ball hockey tournament on the Danforth in support of Camp Bucko and Reach For the Rainbow. It was a great day with 20 teams in the fun tournament. Well, everything was going fine during our 4th game of the day, until I made the connection with Lang. While standing on my own at one end of the rink, I turned to start running the other direction, when I heard and felt a pop, and went down like a ton of bricks. It felt like I took a two-handed slash to the back of the foot, only nobody was around me. Long story short, what I was hoping was a sprain, was what I feared most when it happened. I suffered a fully ruptured achilles tendon, and will now spend around the next 12 weeks in a cast. Good times indeed. Such a freak injury, and now I know how Robert Lang felt when it happened to him. So, my summer will now be spent healing and then working on rehab. Despite all this, the real winners are the kids who will get to go to camp this summer from the money raised at the tournament.
The ironic part, I went through our goodie bag from the tournament the other day to find a souvenir t-shirt. Of course what did it say across the back..."I Survived the Charity Road Hockey Challenge". Nice.
You can email John with comments and questions about the blog or the Marlies anytime to marliesradio@yahoo.ca.
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