Crosby vs Ovechkin

The young Capitals learned from their experience last year. Although the first period was not an example of how to win a game 7, the better team ended up winning the game and the series when the ageless wonder with the hot girlfriends, on his expected last hurrah, scored 15:01 into the third period. So Ovechkin suits up for the second round finally, and it is all thanks to a 21-year-old countryman who ended up saving the series for the Caps. 4 goals on 21 shots is what the million dollar Paris Hilton-loving former Hart Trophy winner, Jose Theodore, could muster in game 1. Then steps in 2006 1st round pick Simeon Varlamov, and the series immediately changed. And as the dust cleared in the 7-game series, Sir Simeon ended up stopping 138 of 145 shots in a Cam Ward circa 2004 performance. One great stat I saw about this kid was that he had the least regular-season experience (6 GP) for a playoff starter since Miikka Kiprusoff started for SJ in 2001 (5 GP). What if Brent Johnson, who was 12-6-2 with a .908 save percentage, had not injured his hip? Lastly, the NHL will enjoy the Crosby vs. Ovechkin series.


In the other game, all I can say is WOW! So I guess even the best have their worst days, as Martin Brodeur looked more like Ron Hextall vs. Claude Lemieux, as Eric Staal beat him with 32 seconds to go. Cam Ward moves to 3-0 in Game 7s and wins his first on the road, making 32 saves in the victory. I am shocked that Brodeur missed that shot; it was like watching the Patriots go undefeated and choking away the Super Bowl. The Hurricanes are a gritty bunch and have some serious scorers from their blue line, and I predict them to take down the top-seeded Bruins. I will have a full preview of the second round later in the week.


Lastly, on a personal note, as maybe you have heard through my Facebook status or Tweets, I won the 2009 George Wensel Technical Achievement Emmy Award. I would like to thank the great ESPN Technology department for allowing me to be a part of the EA Sports Virtual Playbook. It was a true honor to be involved in this cutting edge innovation. One person I would like to single out is Aaron Thiel, who was such a big help and stayed patient with us as we tried to learn such a difficult program. Thank you Aaron, it was a pleasure to work with you.