NHL Playoffs Preview, Part I

     It's almost that time of year again. The best time of the year: the NHL playoffs!! We're about 2 weeks away from the start of the playoffs, and this year is going to be a good one!! It's the first year of a new playoff format. It's a little confusing, so I'll do my best to explain it, for those who aren't up to speed. The top three teams in each of the four divisions will automatically qualify for the playoffs. After that, the remaining two spots are "Wild Cards," and could belong to either of the divisions in a given conference. The lower seed between the two Wild Cards will play the highest seeded division winner (so in theory, the Minnesota Wild, who play in the Central Division, could win the Pacific Division tournament).

     Because the season isn't yet over and the playoff seeds aren't locked into stone, I've taken into account current positioning, along with remaining schedules to break down who's in, who's out, and who I think will advance to the Stanley Cup.  This week, I will be posting my predictions on the Western Conference matchups. Next week’s post will look at the Eastern Conference and give a Cup prediction. Again, this is by NO means official, and is only accurate with stats up to 11/26/14. 


WHO'S IN:
   
WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Central Division:

St. Louis Blues
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Phoenix Coyotes (on Wild Card)

      In the first round, we would have St. Louis vs. Phoenix and Colorado vs. Chicago. St Louis should be able to get by a Phoenix team that is dealing with a few health questions. The Blues are the more physical team, block more shots, score more goals, and have one of the best goaltenders in the league in Ryan Miller (Brian Elliott is a capable backup as well, should something happen to Miller). St. Louis could sweep this series, but I’ll be generous and say Phoenix will take a game at home. Blues win the series in 5 games.

     The Colorado-Chicago series may be the best matchup of the entire first round of the playoffs. The Avalanche are a skilled young team, who not only have speed on their side, but also seem to have had the Hawks' number the last few seasons. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are the defending Stanley Cup Champions. They have had a lot of ups and downs this year, playing 20 overtime games in which they have not scored a goal (which is the worst in the NHL for that statistic). They are 5-15 in games that have gone to overtime this year, and their last shootout win was in November. I think this series will go to Game 7, but the defending Blackhawks on home ice will take the series (however, if Colorado has home ice for Game 7, which is entirely possible given how close the standings are at the moment, I would pick Colorado at home; this series is really a toss-up). 

     The Central Division Championship series, based on these predictions, would be between the Blues and the Blackhawks. One of the oldest and best rivalries in hockey, this would be a hard-fought series. I give the nod to the Blues in this one, solely due to Ryan Miller. He is still one of the top goaltenders in the NHL, and his presence has solidified the Blues as the Cup favorite moving forward. I think the Blues will knock the Blackhawks out in 6 games and be the Central Division tournament champions.




Pacific Division:

San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild (on Wild Card)


     The Pacific Division race is almost as tight as the Central Division race. The Sharks are heating up down the stretch, and Anaheim has a 25-7-4 home record, which is one of the best home records in the league this year. LA won the Cup two years ago, and is still a powerful team. The Minnesota Wild, easily the youngest of these playoff teams, is a team who, in the words of Forrest Gump, are, "...like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." 

     The first round matchups would be Minnesota vs. San Jose and LA vs. Anaheim. As much as I would like to see my hometown Minnesota Wild advance, I just can't see them getting by a good Sharks team, especially given the plethora of injuries the Wild are dealing with at the moment. The Sharks' up-tempo offense will light up a Minnesota team relying on their third- and fourth-string goaltenders. Sharks in 5.

     In the other matchup, I'm taking the Ducks over the Kings. The Ducks are 4th in the league in scoring, and while the Kings have the second-best Goals Against total in the NHL, I don't think they can keep up with the high-powered offense of the Ducks. However, two years ago, when the Kings won the Stanley Cup, Jonathan Quick, an outstanding goaltender as well, was able to carry the Kings to the Stanley Cup, losing just 4 games en route to a Championship. While he has the potential to carry the Kings, and should make this series interesting, I don't think he can repeat his magnificent 2012 performance. Ducks in 6.

     Now this is where things get interesting. 

     In the second round matchup, theoretically, we have the Ducks vs. the Sharks. While the Sharks are currently the higher seed, they always seem to find a way to lose in the playoffs. I think the trend will continue this year, with Anaheim taking the series in 6 games. The Ducks play a more physical style of hockey, and I don’t think the Sharks can match the physical play. Additionally, this will likely be Anaheim forward Teemu Selanne's last year in the NHL. Selanne has continued to impress this year at the age of 43. His play carried Team Finland to a bronze medal in the 2014 Sochi Olympics. I think Selanne and the Ducks will upset the Sharks and be the Pacific Division Champions.

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS:

Anaheim Ducks vs. St. Louis Blues

     If this is the Western Conference finals matchup, get your popcorn ready. This is going to be a great one. Both teams are quite physical, score a lot of goals, get good play out of their goaltenders, and do a good job of blocking shots. There should be plenty of big hits, great saves, and highlight-reel goals to go around. Similar to before, I think Ryan Miller will be the X-factor for the Blues. He’s good enough to carry them all the way to the Cup. In a tightly contested series, I have the Blues winning in 7 games, and advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. 


-DB

An Open Letter of Thanks to the Peoria Mustangs

     I'm a pretty lucky guy. I have the best job in the world. I get to broadcast hockey for the Peoria Mustangs and I absolutely love it. I plan on moving back to Minnesota (yep. 19th Ave.) after graduation, which means this will be my only year with the team. So as I am preparing to call what will likely be my last game (or games depending on how well we do) with the Mustangs this upcoming weekend, I wanted to be sure to take the time to thank the people who have made this a truly great experience for me. That said, this post will be a giant Thank-You note to those who made these last six months incredible, joyful, and unforgettable.

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To Kyle Lewis-
     Kyle, I will never be able to thank you enough for putting me in contact with Paul about the opportunity to be the play-by-play broadcaster for the Mustangs. Working with the team has brought an incredible amount of joy to my life, and has helped me realize that hockey broadcasting is what I would like to do for a living. This entire post wouldn't be here right now if you hadn't pointed me in this direction and referred me. Wherever my career will end up taking me, I got my start here in Peoria, and I owe that to you. Thank you.
 

To Paul Wayvon-
     Paul, from Day 1, you believed in me as the right guy for the job this year. You trusted me to run the broadcast, troubleshoot if things went wrong, and supported me in every way. You gave me opportunities to help the team and make an impact in the organization. The first time I stepped into your office at Bradley, I had no idea what I was getting into. I was a kid with a dream of being a sportscaster, and you made it possible for me to live the dream. For the rides to games, your trust and belief in me, and the opportunities to help out along the way, I am truly grateful. Thank you.


To Ortie, Klu, Hammy, Dustin, and Giacomo-
     Like with Paul, I never felt there was a moment when I didn't have your support. Whether it was giving me feedback on my broadcasts, insights about the team and how things operate, or the many laughs and smiles along the way, I feel like I have grown as a broadcaster because of you all. Thank you.


To the players-
     You boys are some of the greatest people I've met. You work hard and play harder. Whenever I walk into the Owens Center on Game Day, you're there greeting me with smiles, laughs, kind words, and occasionally a chirp or two. When I was gone at NBC, you were Tweeting at me to see how I was doing, and that means a lot. I'm proud of the work you guys have done to win the Central Division this year, and the work you're continuing to do in the playoffs. It's a joy to get to watch you play. You welcomed me in from the start, and you have really made me feel like a part of the family. Thank you.


To the Fans-
     The Mustangs have the best fans in the NA3HL. Whether you're watching in person or at home, you cheer loud, bleed blue, and love this team. From a personal side, the support and encouragement you have given me throughout this season pushed me to do even better, and has made me realize that broadcasting, specifically hockey broadcasting, is what I want to do for a career. I continually hear from Paul, Rose, and even from other fans your words of praise, and it is always uplifting to get that kind of encouragement. Thank you.


To Cody Lefkowitz-
     Halfway through the year, you joined me in the broadcast booth. I knew once I had you up there that you were the right guy to take over play-by-play next season. It's been great to work with you and have you as a color commentator. I know you'll do well next year and make the broadcasts even better. I'm looking forward to having you back in the booth this weekend. Thank you.


     I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the Mustangs are more than just a team; they're a family. I feel truly blessed to work with such a great group of people. Win or lose, there's never a bad day at the Owens Center and it's because of the people who are there. It has been a pleasure and an honor to be your play-by-play man this year. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all.

-DB

On my NBC experience

     Last week, I told you I’d write about my experiences with NBC. This is a tough post to write for a couple of reasons. First, it still hasn’t really sunk in yet. I haven’t had a moment where I could sit back, breathe, and think, “Wow. I just helped make the Olympics happen!” I don’t know if that moment will ever really hit me. It’s amazing to think about, but it still in some ways feels like a dream. Second, it’s hard to figure out what to include! There was so much cool stuff that happened! I mean, it’s the freakin’ Olympics!! Even when things didn’t go right, it was still such a blessing and an incredible opportunity to be there that things were still good anyway. I’ll try to keep this post short, but if people want more stories/details, I can elaborate, either in the comments or in a separate post.

     The Olympic adventure began even before I got to the hotel. My flight out of Peoria airport was delayed first when they oversold the number of seats on the plane. A gentleman got off the plane so another man could have his seat (the airline compensated him quite well for doing so). Then, because it was snowing and not everyone on the ground crew had shown up, we had to wait to de-ice the plane. After sitting and waiting for about half an hour, we got in the air and landed in Chicago. I met my friend Tim at O’Hare. Tim and I, along with our friend Jesse, were all taking the same flight from Chicago to White Plains, NY. About an hour before our flight was supposed to take off, we get a text from Jesse saying his flight was delayed further, and he didn’t know if he was going to make the flight. Tim and I were hoping and cheering for a delay on our flight so Jesse could join us. And sure enough, there was! Apparently, the flight crew needed to change the seat covers (a reason I haven’t heard of for delaying a flight, but I’ll take it!). Meanwhile, we see on the screens that Jesse’s flight has landed, but they have not yet arrived at the gate. Long story short, Jesse was able to meet up with us and get on the plane. Other passengers looked at us like we were crazy when we celebrated the delay, but after explaining our situation and that we were interning with NBC, they were cheering for delays too. No medals were awarded that day, but Jesse won the sprints for sure! We took a shuttle to our hotel in Stamford, CT, where we would be working during the Games.

     After a few days of training, it was finally time for the Opening Ceremonies. Whether we were working or not, all of the interns went to the highlight factory (HLF), and watched the Ceremonies live on a 30 foot screen. It’s amazing to see how much work went into putting the show on, especially when it came to putting things together for the rest of the U.S. to watch it in Primetime. Without going into too much detail (again, for contract reasons), throughout the Games, I was cutting highlights and logging tapes. I covered mostly hockey, but I also put pieces together for curling, moguls, ski jumping, ski halfpipe, luge, bobsled, and nordic combined. Using Avid and OPIS technologies, my job was to cut clips which would then be sent to editors for rebroadcast, either on-air or on-demand at NBCOlympics.com. It’s hard to describe the feeling of being able to go to the website, look at a video and say to yourself, “I made this happen.” Even as I write this, I’m at a loss for words to describe the experience.

     One of the most powerful moments during the Games was during the Women’s Gold Medal hockey game between USA and Canada. The end of the game was everything you could want as a hockey fan. Canada came back from a 2-0 deficit in the last 3 minutes to force overtime. Canada scored on a powerplay in overtime to steal the Gold away from USA. Throughout the medal ceremony and for about the next half hour, HLF was silent. It was like there was no one in the room. For the rest of my shift, no one said anything. When the other interns and I were leaving, we didn’t say goodbye to each other. We just looked at each other, nodded, and went our separate ways for the day. That may have been the “worst” day and NBC, but even still, it was a good day, simply because we were there.

     The hardest thing to do was to get on the plane back to the real world at the end of the Olympics. For those three and a half weeks, I was living the dream. I don’t think I’ve had an experience in my life that was more edifying, encouraging, and that made me felt like I was on the right career path. I was so in my element there that I kind of suffered a bit of culture shock when I got back to Bradley. I even forgot what the room number was for my classroom on my first day back to classes! Had NBC offered me a position while I was in Connecticut, I would’ve accepted in a heartbeat (and if anyone from NBC is reading this, I still would!!). I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to go, and to be able to work with such an amazing group of people is an experience I will never forget.