So I may as well come clean.

I am a former Nords fan, living in Ottawa, who adopted the Leafs, until the Sens came to town, but whose parents were die-hard Habs fans.

My sympathy for the Yotes is rooted in my passion for the underdog, and a pinch of small-market empathy.

My affinity for the Avs was in danger of waning with the passing of the old guard, until SoS (the young centreman, not the serial killer) came along to carry on his father’s legacy.

I should also note that I have been known to correctly predict a Chicago WCF loss as well as a Pens appearance in the Finals (though Luongo’s failure to hoist the Cup made my bracket quite unimpressive). When I picked the Hawks in October, it may have been tied to my love of spin-o-ramas, so I demoted them under Coach Q to also-rans.

What else?

I guess you could say I’m a Crosby fan from way back (but who can’t?). A part of me wanted Hossa to be the first ever Sens draftee to win the Cup, but my heart was with Pittsburgh.

I’m just a whore. But not a bandwagon type. Give me your poor, your tired, your sub .500 masses, and I can find something I like about them.

In other words, a Wings-hater by default. ;-)

jk

not really

I didn’t even realize that my memberships were publicly visible. Now that you tipped me off, I’ll start wearing pants.

Look, I’m obviously a hot head and upon just now re-reading my own posts, I obviously also have no knowledge of the Preview feature (could my grammar and incoherent ramblings be any worse?)

Jibbles and i have butted heads before on subjects even more trivial than this. I probably just singled out his post to get a rise out of him, knowing how much he once agreed with SlamDunk about Hedman being the man.

[update] I just saw Ol’ Slammy himself, out of the corner of my eye, so lemme scroll down and see what he has to say. Suffice it to say that I regret some of my earlier comments, or at least the tone thereof, the way a wife-beater later asks for forgiveness. Just sayin.

Sorry for name-dropping like I know you. When we we all gaga over Johnny T, you were the first to break ranks and embrace the giant Swede. Now, I cling to you as my inspiration for dissenting from the Duchene-mad crowd.

I still think Vic is a riskier and less-immediate investment, but I also don’t see Duchene leaving Brampton this year, so JT is the only answer for me.

Again, I apologize for making your ears burn. Apply this ointment, and you should get some relief.

if you guys end up with hedman, i’m dancing a jig.

My opinion of the Tavares / Hedman matchup was likely cemented at a time when JT’s stock was peaking and Hedman’s was starting to come down.

Two weeks before the IIHF U-20 tourney began, the Taveres-less Generals came to town and got spanked 10-0 by the 67’s, while Johnny T was at sleepaway camp. As a Bay Area resident, I envy you for the chance to attend countless Logan Couture games in the future. On that night in December, Couture and company showed the world just how much Oshawa depended on Tavares to remain competitive.

Fast-forward three weeks and I’m watching Tavares lead Team Canada to a come-from-behind victory over Team USA, in what proved to be the best hockey game of 2008 (it took a full 365 days to crown that winner). Complete with live bands and several giant screens, the New Year’s Eve outdoor viewing party on the frozen Rideau Canal could not be stopped by NBC, who would broadcast the Wrigley game 16 hours later.

Long story short (I know, I know…too late), an American kid on the bench who swiped someone with his stick was the Carcillo-on-Talbot moment that turned the tide and sparked Tavares and his teammates to their momentus comeback. A mile downstream from the site of Oshawa’s humilating defeat, thousands of revellers almost broke through the ice with the celebration that followed Johnny T’s hat-trick goal to seal it.

Game notes: Avs’ prospect Shattenkirk was amazing in the game; Duchene’s mentor, Cody Hodgson, scored the game-winner; 2nd overall vanRiemsdyk was pretty flat; Evander Kane showed flashes of brilliance; fans were less than enthusiastic after Sens’ 1st-rounder O’Brien gave the Americans a 3-0 lead in the first period.

I had tickets a couple of nights later to watch Filatov and the Russians eliminate the Czech team in the quarters, as well as upper bowl seats to watch Team Canada advance to the Finals against those same Russians with Tavares netting the shootout winner. What I failed to secure, however, were tickets to see Hedman live in the Finals. From the comfort of my living room, however, I saw Tavares skating circles around the Swedish defencemen.

If I hadn’t already made up my mind, that tourney put Tavares squarely ahead of Hedman in my mind, as well as ranking him slightly higher than Duchene’s better teammate, Hodgson. I only saw a few playoff games featuring Brampton or London, so I’m certainly not the person to say whether Duchene was better than Tavares in April / May. Going back to January, however, there is not a person alive who would have suggested Tavares lose his top-billing to either Hedman or Duchene. Evander Kane was probably higher than young Matt, at that point in time.

Times change. I was looking forward to Jared Cowen going third overall.