[Author's note, 4.11.08—I wrote this article prior to the start of the Stanley Cup semifinals between the Detroit Red Wings and the Dallas Stars in the west, and the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers in the east. Among other things, I cited the health of all teams involved—i.e. no major injuries to key players—as a benchmark for a couple of great series. Unfortunately, I think I may have jinxed a couple teams: Right before game 1 of the Flyers-Penguins series, Kimmo Timmonen, the Flyers best defenseman was diagnosed with a blood clot in his left ankle, which leaves him out of the playoffs indefinitely. Then, the Red Wings' Johan Franzen, the forward who scored 10 goals in a sweep of the Colorado Avalanche in the last series, was scratched because of a concussion. THEN, in game 2 of the Flyers-Penguins series, Braydon Coburn, the Flyers other best defenseman, got hit in the face by a deflected puck and had to get 50 stitches around his nose and his left eye, which leaves him questionable for the rest of the series. Maybe I should have just kept my mouth quiet.... blo]

By some miraculous turn of events and my own shrewd thinking, I am now leading my FFXI linkshell's hockey playoff pool by the slimmest of margins. You may recall that in my last installment, which primarily disparaged the Washington Post sports columnist Mike Wise for his wrong opinions on the Philadelphia Flyers and hockey in general during the Washington Capitals-Philadelphia opening playoff series, I had entered another level of nerd-dom by engaging in a hockey playoff pool played not with cash or credit, but with gil, the precious currency of Vana' Diel, the world of Final Fantasy XI Online. You might also recall that only one other Philadelphia fan and I picked the Flyers to win that series, which they did, winning in seven games. Now, with the start of the Stanley Cup semifinals tonight, I alone sit atop the rankings with 12 points in the pool, while my nearest contender Sollie (the player name of the other Philadelphia fan) languishes in second with 11 points prior to the start of the Stanley Cup semifinals tonight in Detroit.

There are four teams left, whittled down from an even sixteen. Many hearts and minds have been boosted and broken. Apparel salesmen are alternately reaping/raping the masses with ugly t-shirts, while the other rapes Africa by shipping off his unused and flaccid bulk. Imagine: Somalian kids wearing Ottawa Senators Stanley Cup 2008 t-shirts, size double XL under their bandoliers. What a crushing sight, but I suppose no team wants to go into the playoffs thinking pessimistic. However, many teams must fall so that a few may stand, and what we have left should be enough to sate the hunger of any Hanes Beefy-T wearing hockey fan. In the Western Conference, we have the perennial powerhouse Detroit Red Wings playing the surprise contender Dallas Stars, while in the Eastern Conference, there's the superstar-laden Pittsburgh Penguins playing the perennial disappointment (to me and most other Philly fans) and generally-loathed Philadelphia Flyers, another dark horse. Both series should make for incredible hockey: the teams are well-rested, closely matched on nearly every page, have no major injuries, excellent goaltending, and are playing some of their best hockey of the year. There will, many have said, be blood.