Earth Day Hockey Highlights and Relections

Last night's set of games will be hard to top but there are three more games on tap this evening. Boston can become the second team to sweep with a win at Montreal. The Caps will try to even their series with another win in New York and in what has become the hardest fought series of the bunch, Calgary will try to even it's series with Chicago in the simi-late game.

Last night's games features disputed goals and Mirtle has an analysis of the goals and rules that apply with photos this AM.

In spite of Marc-Andre Fleury stopping 45 of 46 shots against the Flyers, I still would not want my team's hopes resting on him. Same for Steve Mason who has looked average for three games in a row with a cumulative 3.67 GAA. Give me Pekka any day in a big game.

Breakdown from Eric Smith of Wings-BJ's series with commentary and quotes. I hate it for the Columbus fans that their first foray into the playoffs has been such a stinker.

John Glennon points out the terms David Poile will need when he meets with Alexander Radulov at the World Championship. Also, he says the Preds will draft a forward at this year's draft. A story from earlier yesterday points out the details of several Predator injuries at year end.

In the local blogs this morning, Mark at The View from 111 has a good commentary on TV and attendence at his site and Rachel moves on to Part 2 of her series of the Pred's season recap at What The Puck. Ryan hads his daily dose of game previews and other playoff information at the RedLightDistrict.

Interesting that Dominik Hasek has spent a year recovering from the Predators blistering him in last year's opening round playoff series to now come full circle and play for his original team in the Czech Republic in hopes of a return to the olympics next year.

Starting today, and for the next eight weekdays, at 11:00 AM Central, an announcement will be made for the three finalist in each Award category that is not based on statistics. I predict that today's Calder Trophy nomination will include Steve Mason, Bobby Ryan and either Pekka or Kris Versteeg. I say it's 60-40 between those two with Versteeg having the edge due to media bias toward the larger market and the fact that they don't want two goaltenders in the finals. I hope I'm wrong.

Here's the schedule from NHL.com:

Date	Award
Wed, April 22	Calder Memorial Trophy (top rookie)
Thurs, April 23	James Norris Memorial Trophy (top defenseman)
Friday, April 24	Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (skill/sportsmanship)
Monday, April 27	Vezina Trophy (top goaltender)
Tuesday, April 28	Frank J. Selke Trophy (top defensive forward)
Wed, April 29	Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP)
Thursday, April 30	Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (perseverance and dedication to hockey)
Friday, May 1	Jack Adams Award (Coach of the Year)
Monday, May 4	NHL Foundation Player Award (contributions to charitable causes)

Off topic... One of my more interesting Earth Day memories was about seven or eight years ago when I took Fisher and Jackson out to pick up trash along the main drag through McKay's Mill in Franklin, where we were living at the time. We recovered about four of five good sized garbage bags full of trash, bottles and cans, and other general roadside debris from an area along a half-mile stretch of road that was recently opened for new home construction . We took the bags to a construction dumpster for Newmark Homes. After putting the bags into the dumpster, all of a sudden a beady-eyed three-pieced suited reincarnation of Satan himself came flying out of the model home and was ready to have us arrested for basically picking up trash from the entrance to "his development" and putting it in "his dumpster". We could have redeposited it along "his roadway" but then he would have had us arrested for littering. What a great lesson for the kids! Try to do something earth-friendly and an idiot has to be a jerk about it. It just goes to prove that if you give people a hundred dollar bill, most will complain that it's not five twentys.

More later as the news developes.

Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass

Additions

Calder Trophy top three Steve Mason Bobby Ryan Kris Versteeg announced on NHL .com - I figured Pekka would get the shaft. As usual, the Forechecker does a great job with the stats of proving the mis-deed by the NHL voters.

Forechecker notes the big pizza party for 2/20 participants (and others) at the Sommet Center on Thursday from 5 to 7.

From@dani3boyz - Check this out: http://scoretweet.com/ Kinda' cool, I think.

From Ailyn at Big Hair Hockey Show - Confirming Blogtalkradio guest for Sunday's show at 2pm; Dave Hanson from Slap Shot. http://slapshotoriginal.com

The Predators have set up a World Championship page to track all 8 Preds and prospects playing the the tournament. They also include Alexander Radulov as a "prospect" and defenseman Roman Josi from Switzerland.

From the Milwaukee Admirals, "Milwaukee Admirals President Jon Greenberg announced today that the team’s first two games of the West Division Finals be on Thursday, April 30th at 7:00 pm and on Saturday, May 2nd at 7:00 pm. Tickets for those games will go on sale on Thursday, April 23rd at 9:00 am."