The Rocket

Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: MCT Campus [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: MCT Campus Former Colorado Avalanche and Boston Bruins defenseman Ray Bourque raises the cup in 2001 for the first time in his career. The chance to raise the cup took 22 years for Bourque, who waited the longest of any cup winner in history. [Click to enlarge]

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Nope, it's not Christmas time yet, and we're not quite into full-fledged wedding season.

Give up?

Yes, my friends, it is the NHL playoffs. There are no playoffs in professional sports that throw you through an emotional roller coaster like those of the NHL.

Football, baseball and basketball are all played at an emotional level similar to that of their regular seasons but for hockey, the intensity is picked up a few notches.

Players are skating faster, hitting harder and laying everything on the line for every shift they take.

As for the game itself, not a thing in the world compares to a playoff game, especially an overtime affair.

In football, if the games go to overtime, you have a general sense of when the game is going to be over.

The same goes for baseball and basketball.

With hockey, any shot could end the game.

And for the Stanley Cup: Is there any trophy in sports that is better to win?

The cup was formed with tradition when the Montreal Wanderers engraved their names on it in 1908.

It wasn't until 1924, when the Montreal Canadiens engraved their names, that every champion began to follow suit.

The cup is also the most superstitious trophy in pro sports. No professional hockey player will touch the cup unless they win it.

Unlike the Lombardi Trophy, which isn't even presented to the players at first, with the Stanley Cup, the captain of the team gets the privilege to hoist it over his head before passing it on to his teammates.

Not to the owners.

Now if that doesn't get you excited, there are plenty of storylines which should get you ready.

This year, one of the faces of the NHL-Alexander Ovechkin-will make his playoff debut after leading the Washington Capitals to a Southeast Division title.

The Capitals will face off with last year's worst team in the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Flyers turned last year's dismal 22-48-12 record into a 42-29-11 mark.

The Penguins seek to get revenge from last year's bust when they take on the Senators.

If that wasn't enough fuel on the fire, Senators coach Bryan Murray accused the Pens of tanking their last game against the Flyers in order to play his team.

If that's true, what does that say about your team there, Coach Murray?

In the other two match-ups in the East, two sets of rivals square off. The Canadiens will face the Boston Bruins.

The teams have storied histories, as both were part of the "Original Six" clubs that were in place when the league began.

The New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils liked playing each other so much that they decided their eight regular-season meetings weren't enough.

This match up should be one of the best series in the first round and might go seven games.

In the West, the Detroit Red Wings take on the fledgling Nashville Predators, who need a great playoff run to help their cause to stay in Nashville.

Detroit is the NHL's top dog, winning the President's Trophy for the league's best record.

The Colorado Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild face off in two hockey hotbeds.

The two teams couldn't be more opposite of each other, as the Wild play defensive-style hockey while the Avs run and gun with the best of them.

Much like the East, the West boasts two sets of rivals facing off.

Last year's champs, the Anaheim Ducks, are poised to make another run at the cup, but Dallas is looking to avoid another first-round knockout, much like the last few years.

Add in the San Jose Sharks versus Calgary Flames to the mix and you have a solid first round of games.

Out of all these teams, I believe that you will see the Penguins and the Red Wings in the Finals.

The Pens have a year of experience under their belts and Detroit has a solid lineup from top to bottom.

For the championship, it is going to be the Pens in seven.

I don't have to tell you that I am a fan. But, for those who aren't hockey fans, just give it a try.

When you're looking for something to do this weekend, flip on NBC and watch one period of hockey.

If you aren't the least bit interested, it wasn't meant to be.

But if you get hooked, welcome to the greatest sport on Earth.

You can thank me later.

Phil Swartzlander is a senior communication major and assistant sports editor for The Rocket.

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