Pool Report: Wk5 Begins

Well, Boston got the job done this weekend. But Vancouver and San Jose -- "You keep me hangin' on!"

Yep, San Jose flubbed not one but two chances to send Detroit off to the golf course -- where in many cases they'll qualify for the Seniors discount. And Vancouver -- Man, what can you say about Vancouver…

I called a friend there after the second period on Saturday night and his wife said he'd taken the dog for a walk because "He just can't take it any more." And next morning the West Coast papers were full of pictures of how hard the Predators were checking the Canucks with editorials on how "unfair" that was.

What can I say. If winning the Stanley Cup was as easy as huggin' trees and dropping your pants at Wreck Beach, everybody would do it!

Does nobody see the refusal to quit rising in Detroit? That's what makes a Champion! They were even picked in an NBC/Versus poll this weekend as the team American fans most want to see play Boston in the finals.

I'm sure Tampa Bay will pin that to the dressing room bulletin board for inspiration. But Vancouver -- I don't know. I'm already hearing whining that even if they get past Nashville, both San Jose and Detroit look really hard to beat…

Maybe it's time for some of you guys to crack a nice Okanagan Chardonnay and find out if there are still any tickets to Lilith Fair available.

No Lilith Fair this year? Well, Valdy must be playing somewhere…

Meanwhile, back in the Infamous Writers Hockey Pool, where we do all our whining about co-Productions, the scratching and clawing for top spot continues unabated.

This week we have a new leader, Tim Stubinski, who bumped Will Pascoe into a second place tie with Alex House. But Carleen Kyle is one shutout or big game away from taking top spot herself.

Meanwhile, many of the once-mighty have been humbled with former winners, former leaders (and me) plummeting in the standings.

Vancouver gets another chance to settle things tonight (and back home later if they really want to increase the number of people jumping off mountains).

Detroit gets another chance to stave off elimination at home tomorrow. But whatever happens, come Friday's report, Round Two will be in the books.

See you then, here's your leader board.