Canucks Are The First To Move On

Burying the Blues and moving on. That is what the Vancouver Canucks have done as they become the first team in the Stanley Cup playoffs to move into the 2nd round. They do so thanks to Alex Burrows. His goal with less than a minute to go in the first overtime gave Vancouver a 3-2 win over St. Louis and a series sweep. If Roberto Luongo continues playing the way he did in this series, Vancouver will be very, very tough.
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A great back and forth game between the Sharks and Ducks but in the end, the Sharks get back into the series. They needed a win in Anaheim and they get it as they score a pair on the power-play for a 4-3 win. Patrick Marleau gets the boo-birds off his back but Joe Thornton remains a mystery....albeit he was better in Game 3 then he was in the first two games.

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Columbus' first foray into the playoffs is looking like a short one. The Jackets just continue to be overwhelmed by the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit beats Columbus 4-1 to take a 3-0 lead in that series and chances are this series won't be going back to Joe Louis Arena.
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New Jersey trailed 3-0 at one point only to tie the game and then lose with just .2 seconds left. In a series that has been the best one of the opening round, Jussi Jokinen tipped in a Dennis Seidenberg shot as the horn sounded to give the Hurricanes a 4-3 win. It did look like Jokinen interfered with Marty Brodeur just before the goal was scored but Brodeur was out of the crease when the collission occurred meaning both guys had a right to the spot. That means the series is tied at 2.
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Pittsburgh has Philly on the ropes. They beat the Flyers 3-1 to take a 3-1 lead in that best of seven with Game 5 going in Pittsburgh.
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Make it 11 wins in a row for the Calgary Hitmen. They had to go to overtime to beat Brandon 4-3. The win leaves Calgary one victory away from their 3rd straight sweep and a date in the finals. In the West, Vancouver leads 2-1 after a 3-2 win over Kelowna in Game 3. Lance Bouma was the hero for the Giants as he scores with just over a minute to play in regulation. I'm sure the last thing Vancouver wanted was to go to yet another overtime.
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The Portage Terriers beat Humboldt 2-1 in overtime in Game 3 of the Anavet Cup. It means the Manitoba junior champs have a 2-1 series lead.
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I talked about this kid last week but I gotta do it again. Patrick Schuster is a left handed pitcher who on Monday night struck out 17 in collecting his 4th straight no-hitter. His 4th straight!!! It is tough enough to throw one no-hitter but four in a row is unprecedented and has to go down in my mind as one of the greatest sporting feats to be achieved. Believe it or not, its not a record. Someone (I don't know who) has recorded 6 no-no's in a row while playing high school ball. During my years of ball I played in many one hitters---in fact I remember breaking one up but then we exploded for about 4 or 5 runs and I think it was only the 6th inning but whatever.
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Some sad news from the NFL. I think we all remember William "The Refrigerator" Perry. He was one of the many characters on the Chicago Bears Super Bowl winning team of 1986. The big defensive lineman made a household name for himself when he became a short yardage back in goal-line situations scoring several touchdowns including one in the Super Bowl. That touchdown was later said to be the biggest coaching mistake in the career of Mike Ditka. Ditka admitting several years after the fact the ball should have went to Walter Payton. Payton played in that one Super Bowl and one only without scoring a touchdown in the one-sided romp over New England. Anyhow, Perry is listed in serious condition in a South Carolina hospital as he fights a battle with Guillain-Barre' disease. Guillain-Barré syndrome is "a disease in which the body damages its own nerve cells [outside of the brain and spinal cord], resulting in muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. GBS can last for weeks to months. Most people eventually recover completely or nearly completely, but some people have permanent nerve damage and between 5 percent and 6 percent of people who develop GBS die."Doctors do believe Perry will make a complete recovery.
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Speaking of sad news, do you remember the WWE show "Maple Leaf Wrestling". It was one of those one hour shows produced way before shows like "RAW" and "Smackdown", It would have a superstar taking on some jobber. The jobber would get his 30 seconds of beatdown time on the star before getting destroyed. One of those jobbers was a guy named Ted Grizzly. His record had to equal that of the Washington Generals. One time he fought Hulk Hogan when the belt was on the line. Predictably Hulk won but I still think Ted got a fast count and was robbed. Anyhoo, Ted Grizzly died of diabetes on Tuesday at the age of 66. R-I-P Ted!!! Still with the WWE, I see they are having a Smackdown show in Edmonton this summer. Could they once again make a foray into Saskatchewan. Its been a long time. They were supposed to be here shortly after the Chris Benoit murder-suicide but that show was cancelled. They never have been back. Its been too long!!!!
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The Bombers made money in 2008. The team announcing a profit of 761-thousand dollars in 2008 despite the disappointing on-field product. Compare that to a year in 2007 when they go to the Grey Cup (only of course to lose to Saskatchewan) and lose 263-thousand. One can only wonder how much of a profit the Riders will end up with when they have their AGM. Lets just say the team won't be needing any money anytime soon and with the rabid enthusiasm that has carried on through the off-season, the good times will continue to roll(at least financially) in Riderville.
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Could Dale Hunter be the next coach of the Oilers????
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Is it really supposed to be 25 degrees today??? Could this be the first Slurpee day of the year?? Will my neighbourhood 7-11 have a Dr. Pepper slurpee going or will it be something gross like banana besides the obligatory coke and grape. There truly is nothing better when it comes to slurpees than a Dr. Pepper slurpee. If you disagree then your opinion simply doesn't matter!