As we nudge a little bit closer to the ideal Stanley Cup matchup (Chicago-Pittsburgh)…

…the last four teams standing are the last four champions: Pens, Hawks, Bruins, Kings. I wonder whether that’s happened before in hockey or any other sport, and if so when.

…I can’t wait to hear that ref’s explanation for his call at the end of regulation. I couldn’t even see one penalty on that play, much less two. Some folks were saying that there was a trip ahead of the fracas that sent a Red Wing spiraling to the ground, but the ref wasn’t even responding to that.

…Nice of the Hawks not to fold after falling behind three games to one despite being the top overall seed, and nice of them not to fold after being robbed at the end of regulation. A lesser team would’ve wilted and crumpled. But it’s just a conference semifinal, we’ll see what happens next.

…Nice of one of my teams to win a game seven in OT, but again, I’d rather have saved it for Penguins-Blackhawks in the Cup final. It can still happen.