Hockey Whooha
With
Wingnut
Of
March "Madness"
No, I'm not talking about "that" March madness. I'm talking about Hockey! This is typically the time of year that gets the least amount of air time with the networks due to the Basketball hoopla. It is truly a shame, as this time of year, teams are fighting tooth and nail to make those last few playoff spots. I would venture to say that some of these games are as good as or even better then some playoff series are.
Now, for those who don't understand how the teams make it into the playoffs, I'll do my best to make this simple. Only the top eight teams for each conference make the playoffs, based on number of points accumulated throughout the season. Simple enough? Yeah, sure. Now here is the tricky part. A division leader always makes the playoffs and are the always the top 3 (there are 6 divisions). If you look at this year's Eastern Conference race, you should notice that Carolina is sitting in third place with 74 points, yet Toronto is in fourth spot with 79 points. That is because Carolina is the leader of their division. This usually happens every year in the Eastern Conference.
The teams below the redline are out of the playoffs at this point in time. It is when these teams play that the games are just amazing. If they don't make it they are done for the year and most contracts have *bonuses* for post season play and productivity. With 80 games in a season, you can see that for most teams only 15 or so games remain, and every game has an impact on being in or out of the playoffs.
If you're wondering how a team gets points during the season, that is real simple. A team gets 2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie and zero points for a loss. If a team losses in overtime they still get 1 point, and the winning team gets 2 points. That rule was a recent change in the way points were awarded, and is one that I could do without. My thoughts are, if you lose .. you lose.
Next week I'll talk about the last minute trades that took place before the March 19th trade deadline. God, I love this time of year!!
Wingnut
Voltaire
