We were having an interesting chat yesterday on the way home from a GREAT Memorial Day picnic, about what happens behind the scenes during the playoffs as each team's whole organization may or may not get involved in the preparation. We opined that the way I like to look at the whole game is much more from the GM-side than the coaching side.

So I looked back to the start of this thread to see what I said about our ECHL team, and bingo-- we made it exactly as far as I had predicted.

Now, for the Stanley Cup, I don't have a prediction at this point about the Pens. All I can really say for sure is that I hope-- given what we have been told about the Final scheduling-- that this series continues to be a helpful learning laboratory for the Pens and that they win the series but without incurring TOO much rest time till the Final starts.

The start date for the Final was set in stone, I believe, and planned to start earlier ONLY if both of the current series "swept." So anyone finishing too early is gonna have some rust time. I want the Pens to keep learning and working out. A few days to heal up, fine, but only a very few, IMO, will work.

Of course that assumes the Canes don't find out how to beat them. And that gets back to the GM side. Hope their's ain't any too swift. :~)

GO PENS!

Adrien, there is a game tonight-- not your team, but I'm off beer for the evening so please consider mine, yours.

~S~