(Ed. Note: As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, we're bound to lose some friends along the journey. We've asked for these losers, gone but not forgotten, to be eulogized by the people who knew the teams best: The fans who hated them the most. Here is Marty Vance of the Buffalo Sabres blog Bangin' Panger, fondly recalling the 2010-11 Philadelphia Flyers. Again, this was not written by us. Also: This is a roast and you will be offended by it, so don't take it so seriously.)

By Marty Vance, Bangin' Panger

Today we are here to honor the President's Trophy, Eastern Conference Champions, Atlantic Division regular season champion Philadelphia Flyers. A sad day indeed as the Schuylkill flows wit' the tears of the Flyer Faithful.

But worry not: The ravenous mongrel horde has moved from the enclosed confines of the CoreStates Center,  First Union Center,  Wachovia Center, Wells Fargo Center to Citizen Bank Park, allowing them free reign to accost your grandmother under the bright, blue sky!

But these Flyers were taken from us too soon. You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here? You may tell yourself, that is not my beautiful wife. Jeff Carter (allegedly) did.

So are we gathered here today because Paul Holmgren was willingly and enthusiastically Bobby Clarke's protégé and chosen successor?

Was it because Peter Laviolette handles goaltenders worse than Gordon Bombay?

Or was it because calling Brian Boucher, Sergei Bobrovsky and Michael Leighton sieves would be an insult to Khabibulins and colanders everywhere?

Yes, yes, and yes.

Do we need background? Let's have some background.

Since we're all Flyers history majors, we all know that Paul Holmgren was the assistant to the General Manager Bobby Clarke from the 1998-1999 season until he inherited a 30th place team a month into the 2006-2007 tilt. Lo and behold, during those eight seasons as assistant GM, or whatever title he held, he didn't learn from a single mistake that his soup-for-brains predecessor made.

It's always been the Philly way to disregard the guy within the blue paint; it's not Philadelphia Flyer hockey without goaltender controversy. Since Ron Hextall, can you name a goaltender who donned the orange and black and not laugh? It's a terrible lack of commitment to the one position that plays 60 minutes a night; or, in Michael Leighton's case, 18 minutes a night.

So when Holmgren was finally handed the keys to his very own NHL franchise; does he veer from his mentor? No, of course he doesn't. He assembles a group of forwards whose depth is unmatched by 29 other franchises, he compiles an enviable defensive corps, all the while mortgaging the future and neglecting the goaltender position.

He targets over-priced backups with beautiful, piercing blue eyes. He brings in high-risk high-reward free agent with a "troubled" past. He works the waiver wire like Laviolette at an orange tie rack. He signs the undrafted goalie that beat out Semyon Varlamov for a starting position who isn't Michael Neuvirth or Jose Theodore. He brought back a guy who was on the Flyers' roster in 1999 ... in 2011.

Basically; He continued the Bobby Clarke way.

So what were the results of Paul Holmgren's commitment, or lack thereof, to the men of the crease? Well, it's ugly. In 5 years as GM, six different goalies have started more than 20 regular season contests in a Flyers uniform. Only one (Antero Niittymaki) lasted more than 3 years on the roster.

So to recap, that's five years as GM, six different netminders that have started more than 25 percent of the regular season, and — surprisingly! — Zero Stanley Cups.

Worse yet, in those same five seasons, there have been 10 different goaltenders to start a regular season game in the City of Brotherly Love. I'm not even sure the Islanders are that pathetic. Probably. But I'm still not sure.

But let's be honest; you can't always blame the GM for all goaltender miscues; it takes a special hand to so egregiously mishandle and misappropriate his net so badly that Charles Wang chortles. (Please note: Garth Snow was at one time a Flyers goaltender. Coincidence? Yes, probably.)

So please, let us take a moment to bow our heads and finally lay to rest the myth that Peter Laviolette knows what he's doing as a coach in the National Hockey League. Laviolette was universally praised for the benching of his starting goaltender early in the playoffs with the change backstopping the franchise to a Stanley Cup. Oh sorry; I was reading The Raleigh News & Observer from 2006 ...

Trying to capture the same lightning in a bottle that vaulted the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup (and completely destroyed Martin Gerber's psyche, and consequently, his career); Peter Laviolette used all three roster goalies in the first round. He's started and yanked two others in the conference semis. Even Mike Keenan calls Laviolette a one-trick pony.

Jesus, Flyer goalies made 17 appearances in 11 games. I wasn't even entirely sure that was statistically probably until it happened. Hell, Gallup says more Flyer forwards believe Obama was born in Kenya than believe in any current Flyer netminder leading the Orange & Black to a Cup. Seriously, Gallup.

But who wants to continue to harp on goaltenders when even Damien Cox could recognize the absurdity of that situation. The writing was the on the wall since the All-Star break.

They compiled a 13-11-8 record over the last 3 months of the season. They were outscored 94-84 in that same stretch. Granted, I do hear the parties at Temple are especially bumpin' come March, and John Cheney is done creeping out all the coeds.

But in reality, the Flyers looked disinterested. Their play grew increasing lazy. As each increasingly inconsequential regular season game passed, so too did their playoff hopes. They slowly slid down the standings to the point where the Penguins, with a roster full of Richards, Carcillos, and Prongers (and by that please read: whiners, divers, and elbowers), were almost able to catch them for the Atlantic Division crown.

It would be a disservice if we didn't get to personally say goodbye to everyone on this Flyer roster, everyone that matters anyway.

Sorry Zac Rinaldo, whoever the hell you are.

To Mike Richards: We say thank you. By engaging in a war of words with Lindy Ruff, you completely fell off your game. A 2.3 shooting percentage? Chalk up another Flyer that Hextall had better stats than.

To Daniel Briere: Good luck to you this offseason. Patrick Kaleta is willing to help complete your eHarmony profile, but he probably already told you that. After all, he just assumed your personal issues stemmed from climaxing too early in the Buffalo series.

To Scott Hartnell: According to the official #HartnellDown findings, in 93 games this year, you fell a grand total of 310 times. Even Robert Esche didn't fall off the wagon that many times.

To Jeff Carter: Injuries be damned, Daniel Carcillo totaled more playoff points than you. I don't even need to write the joke.

To Catfish Carcillo: A commendable effort this playoff season, somehow managing to dress all 11 postseason tilts while averaging barely over 8 minutes a night on the ice.

To Matt Carle: If you follow me on Twitter I'll donate the proceeds of this article to the "Defensemen Who Have Played for 3 Organizations in 4 Seasons for a Reason" fund.

To Chris Pronger: We will see you again next year. It is so refreshing to see a man so bravely put on his pads, knowing full well that no matter what, the Philadelphia Flyers organization is contractually obligated to pay him until he's 42 years old. This man is a hero, a hero who won't retire until he's 43.

To Kris Versteeg: Hey, at least you weren't traded to Atlanta.

To Ville Leino: Hey, you can always re-sign with Detroit.

To Claude Giroux: This may be my only chance to tell you this. But dear God tell Pierre LeBrun that we don't care that you two grew up in the same hometown of Random Village, Canada.

And with that, we are finally able to lay the 2010-2011 Philadelphia Flyers to rest. A 4-7 playoff record and an early May exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs … isn't that pretty much par for the course?

By the way, how does Monday 9:00 a.m. at Aronimink sound?

In a season where he broke out offensively with 41 goals, earned some Hart Trophy talk and was nominated for the Selke Trophy for the third consecutive season, Ryan Kesler credited his "MVP" status to the Vancouver Canucks due to his straying away from his old self (an elite NHL pest) because he saw it was hurting the team.

But Old Ryan has made appearances during their series with the Nashville Predators and it was no more evident than in Game 4, when he drew two penalties, including one that led to his game-winning power-play goal to give the Canucks a 3-1 series lead.

Kesler's irritability made Predators defenseman Ryan Suter take an undisciplined penalty with the game tied early in the third period; one that he later owned up for after talking about an earlier play where Kesler hit Mike Fisher in the face with his stick.

That was a sign that the wheels on the Nashville train are slowly coming off.

The belief in the Vancouver dressing room is that for all the scrums, all the chirping, all the face washes, and all the frustrations of falling on the wrong side in three of four tight games is that, the Predators have lost their discipline.

And in the process, slowly emptying the gas in the tank.

From Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province:

The Canucks believe they are not only grating on the Predators, they are wearing them down. There may still be a lot of discussion about whether the Sedins have found their game or not. But Daniel doesn't think there's any doubt, citing the number of shifts the twins have spent grinding out both Suter and Shea Weber in Nashville's zone.

The twins had several long, tough shifts against Suter and Weber in the two games in Nashville. One of the best lasted 45 seconds with about three minutes left in Game 4. For all of it, Suter and Weber, who have played about half this series, were chasing the twins around in their own end. The Sedins didn't score but they looked like the Sedins again. Suter and Weber looked like they were weighed down with sand in their skates.

"It's going to pay off," Daniel said. "If it doesn't pay off [in Game 5], it will pay off the next game. When they play so many minutes, it's going to cost them."

In Game 4, Weber (26:25) and Suter (28:26) played the least minutes of the series so far; that's after back-to-back overtime games, including Game 2 when the pair played a whopping 42 minutes each. Playing against the Sedins' line makes those minutes even heavier for Weber and Suter.

Alain Vigneault has kept his blueline fresh, while Barry Trotz has had to ride his workhorses in Weber and Suter; but the tank might be on empty. The Nashville pair were both minuses for the first time seven games in Game 4 and with the Predators' season on the line tonight, they will once again be looked up to stabilize the back.

Down 3-1 and heading into Rogers Arena on Saturday night, can the discipline return for the Predators knowing that Vancouver has scored on three of their last seven power play opportunities?

The Canucks know they can get under Nashville's skin now; and with guys like Kesler, Max Lapierre and Alex Burrows being master graters, one undisciplined penalty could mean the end of their season.

No. 1 Star: Joel Ward, Nashville Predators

Needing a win to stay alive, Ward came up big for Nashville scoring twice in the third period as the Predators hung on for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Nashville now trails the series 3-2 as things shift back to Music City for Game 6 on Monday. Ward is now tied for the playoff lead in goals with seven and is tied for second in points with 12. He has points in nine of Nashville's 12 playoff games. His first goal came courtesy of a Mike Fisher cross-ice pass:

No. 2 Star: David Legwand, Nashville Predators

Legwand scored the other two goals for Nashville and each came early in the first and second periods. His second tied the game at two and was his fifth of the playoffs, while his first came shorthanded to open the scoring.

No. 3 Star: Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks

Despite the loss, it was another monster game for Kesler as he scored twice, led all players in hits with six and dominated in the faceoff circle winning 21 of 26 draws.

Honorable mention: Pekka Rinne made 31 saves ... Led by Kesler, Vancouver controlled faceoffs winning 47 of 76 ... Mike Fisher and Kevin Klein each had six blocked shots, while the Predators had 30 as a team ... Nashville held the Canucks to just two shots on their two power play opportunities.

Did you know? Nashville's win was the first in franchise history when facing elimination. They had previously been 0-5.

Dishonorable mention: Mikael Samuelsson left the game in the first period with a "lower-body injury" and did not return ... J.P. Dumont, playing for the first time since Game 2 against Anaheim, played just 7:49 and was a minus-2 ... The Sedins were a combined minus-7 and held pointless ... Alex Edler and Roberto Luongo are going to want Legwand's second goal back:

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; 3. Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks; 4. Ryane Clowe, San Jose Sharks; 5. Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins; 6. Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks; 7. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators; 8. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; 9. Nathan Horton, Boston Bruins; 10. Joel Ward, Nashville Predators.

That New York Rangers winger Sean Avery is an advocate for gay rights isn't news. When asked earlier this year about a gay player coming out in the NHL, Avery said "I'll stand beside him in the dressing room while he tells his teammates he is gay. Maybe if Sean Avery is there, they would have less of a problem with it."

That New York Rangers winger Sean Avery has politicized that advocacy is news. Because no matter how outspoken a professional hockey player is, they rarely give voice to an issue in a formal campaign.

Yet here's Avery, in an endorsement ad for Human Rights Campaign's "New Yorkers for Marriage Equality Campaign" that was released this week. And hockey's better for it.

The ad:

According to HRC strategist Brian Ellner, Avery is the first professional athlete in New York to "publicly support marriage equality."

His decision has become national news in the gay community. Avery, to the New York Times, on his decision to join the campaign:

"The places I've played and lived the longest have been in West Hollywood, Calif., when I played for the L.A. Kings, and when I moved to New York, I lived in Chelsea for the first four years," Avery said in a phone interview. "I certainly have been surrounded by the gay community. And living in New York and when you live in L.A., you certainly have a lot of gay friends."

Avery, who lives in the SoHo section of Manhattan and keeps a home in Los Angeles, said some of those friends had wanted to marry, and he saw no reason they should not.

"I'm certainly open to it," he said. "Maybe I can help, and I jumped at this opportunity."

Now, Avery is one of the most divisive players in the NHL because of his antics, and frequently called on its most hated players. Rangers blog Blue Line Station worries that Avery's endorsement will somehow be used against him by critics: "You can bank on other fans trying to find a way to make this an example of him being 'classless.'" But that's a stretch.

First off, his is not the dissenting opinion nationally. The latest polls show a majority of Americans in favor of same-sex marriage, and that momentum has been building for the last year. It's also a winning issue in New York: HRC cites a Siena Research Institute poll finding 58-percent support for same-sex marriage, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo expects a bill that legalizes it to pass.

Secondly, it's inspiring to see an NHL player have an actual on-the-record opinion on something beyond frivolity. Hate the player, hate his politics … how many fans are going to sit there and condemn Avery for doing this? For speaking out? Isn't it nice to know at least some of these guys give a damn about something?

Granted, this is good business for Avery, too. They're his politics, but they're also part of his brand: Fashion, restaurants, whatever sort of commentary he enters into after his playing days. To say something off the cuff is different than a calculated effort to endorse a movement, at least for someone as well-known as Avery.

Obviously, you can't mention a hockey player and homosexual rights without evoking Brendan Burke and what his legacy inspired. The levels of compassion and understanding that followed his coming out, and the actions of his father Brian Burke after Brendan's death, laid a foundation for players like Avery to not seem entirely out of step with hockey's current social norms.

You also can't mention Sean Avery in support of gays without recalling the problems the New York Rangers have had with that community in years past, with gay fans claiming MSG was a cesspool of homophobia. Having Avery, in his Rangers sweater, in these ads can only be a good thing image-wise and for building stronger bonds with that community.

Avery doesn't speak for hockey, but he speaks as a hockey player, and that's important.

Sean Avery can generate positive PR for an organization? Even through terrible fashion glasses, yes he can.

In late April, former Tampa Bay Lightning and Atlanta Thrashers forward Evgeny Artyukhin was a catalyst in a small-scale brawl between Russia and Finland at the Czech Hockey Games. Which, apparently, prepared him for more carnage at the IIHF World Championships in Slovakia.

Here is Artyukhin (No. 49) hitting every Czech player he could target during the second period of Russia's 3-2 qualifying round loss on Sunday — running Karel Rachunek of the KHL, Martin Havlat of the Minnesota Wild and Milan Michalek of the Ottawa Senators:

Dude is one metal helmet and a catchphrase away from being Juggernaut from "X-Men."

From writer Risto Pakarinen on IIHF.com:

Halfway through the game, Russia's Yegveni Artyukhin — 196 centimetres, 112 kilograms — went on a hitting spree, checking three Czech players in the same shift, only two of whom had the puck. He was handed a two-minute interference penalty for his open-ice body check on Milan Michalek, who stayed on the ice for a good while — only to return for his next shift.

Oh, but the A-Train wasn't in the station yet. Witness this charge on former New York Rangers defenseman Karel Rachunek late in the second period that sent his head to the ice and blood flowing from it:

No penalty on Artyukhin, who ended the game with 4 PIMs on a pair of interference calls.

The Czechs won the game, 3-2, with Tomas Plekanec scoring the game-winner on a penalty shot after Russian defenseman Ilya Nikulin threw his stick in the third period. Obviously, Plekanec was able to convert the chance because he knew Artyukhin wasn't allowed on the ice to demolish him afterward. At least that's our theory.

We often hear about "elimination games," in which a team sees its playoff run end or extended. We sometimes look at a goalie's record and statistics in games in which his team might be eliminated and conclude that he's a Big Game Player/fraud/whathaveyou.

But I wanted to take a look at teams' records over the last 10 years when they have a chance to advance. Practically speaking, this is their record in games after they've won three games in the series already. We're ignoring whether the other team can advance, too -- that is, we're looking at teams' records when they have a 3-0 series lead as well as a 3-3 series tie.

It turns out there's quite a bit of variation by team. I doubt it has that much to do with anything other than a couple awful series here and there (cough 2010 BRUINS cough), but maybe you have some theories.

Here's the data from the last 10 full playoff years plus the first round of this year's tournament.

In the chart, WIN% is the W-L percentage in every game in which a win meant advancing to the next round, or winning the Stanley Cup. There's another number, ADV%, which goes along with SER. SER is the number of series in which the team has won three games. ADV% is the number of those series in which the team won the fourth game. It disregards any losses in-between.

So, Carolina and Tampa (including the second round this year) are flawless once they get to three wins in a series. Detroit almost is. San Jose who is trying to close out the Red Wings (again) on Sunday night, is middle of the road. Caps and Bruins? If we stat nerds believed in "choking," I'd make exaggerated gagging noises.

But it's the single "chance to advance" game winning percentage that's most interesting, at least to me.

In 12 series over the last 10-plus playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins have lost more often than they've won with a chance to eliminate their opponent. The Tampa Bay Lightning know this well. But you would think it difficult to win a Stanley Cup and make it to another Final with a record like that in games where you can snuff out an opponent and move on. I guess not.

The chart above is for a minimum of five series since the 2000 playoffs. Some teams that didn't make that cutoff include the Edmonton Oilers, with a .600 win percentage in five games over four series; Los Angeles Kings, at .500 over four games in four series; and the New York Rangers, 2-3 for a .400 win percentage over three series.

The Nashville Predators are 1-0 all-time. So they have that going for them.

The Detroit Red Wings are 2-0 in Game 4's against the San Jose Sharks in the last two Stanley Cup Playoffs. The bad news is that they're 0-7 in the other postseason games vs. the Sharks, and were eliminated in a tough Game 5 battle last year.

The Red Wings are in San Jose on Sunday night, facing elimination while trying to become the fourth team in NHL history to overcome a 3-0 series deficit to advance. Not helping their chances: That stars Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen were deemed questionable for Game 5, and will be less than 100-percent should they play.

From Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press:

The Red Wings may be without forwards Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen as they try to avoid being eliminated by the Sharks in Game 5 tonight. Both will be game-time decisions following warm-ups.

Franzen has struggled all series, nearly immobilized by a sprained ankle suffered in Game 2 of the first round. Datsyuk is dealing with a sore wrist, which forced him to miss Saturday's practice, the Free Press has learned.

Coach Mike Babcock said he's told both Mike Modano and Drew Miller to be on stand-by in case either or both are needed.

So maybe Modano won't see his legendary career end as a healthy scratch after all.

Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News writes that "Red Wings coach Mike Babcock expects" Datsyuk and Franzen to play in Game 5. Datsyuk has four points in the series and a 5-game point streak in the playoffs. Franzen has yet to tally a point against the Sharks, skating to a minus-2.

Babcock's move of Datsyuk off a line with Henrik Zetterberg in Game 3 kick-started the Detroit offense a bit, and Sharks Coach Todd McLellan was asked if he'd react to that in Game 5 should Datsyuk play. From Working the Corners:

"There are some potential adjustments, but I'm not sure that it goes as deep as tinkering with lines and moving people on and off," McLellan said. "It's more about our play and our battle commitment. Our play around the blue paint in both ends can certainly get better. If need be we always have a plan for some juggling, but we'll likely start the same way we ended."

And who doesn't like juggling, really?

We'll preface this by saying that every player in the NHL, and especially the great ones, will embellish plays in an attempt to draw a power play for their teams. Which is to say that a dive doesn't necessarily make one a chronic diver.

With that out of the way: Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks had a beauty of a flop against the Detroit Red Wings in Game 5 on Sunday night, after this Johan Franzen chop on his shin:

That's Franzen off for slashing and Thornton off for that tremendous bit of embellishment. We haven't seen that level of acting while surrounded by Sharks since Richard Dreyfuss.

Keep in mind the NHL VP of hockey operations Colin Campbell had let it be known that the league is tired of the diving trend in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. From Eric Francis of the Toronto Sun:

"Diving is increased in the playoffs as the stakes are higher, and when players get desperate, they take their credibility and their honour and they throw it out the window," the NHL's VP of Hockey Operations said Saturday.

"Through our supervisors, we warned all the teams not to embellish. It's becoming rampant, and we're going to start calling it. We'll ramp it up next round. You may not like it, but we'll point out the guys who we feel will embellish calls."

"They take their credibility and their honour and they throw it out the window" ... from the guy with his hand on the Wheel of Justice, no less.

Stick-tap to reader Kohei Nakamura for the clip.

No. 1 Star: Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings

Playing with an injured wrist, the Red Wings star continued his MVP performance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with three assists in Detroit's 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the San Jose Sharks. Datsyuk dangled before dishing to Niklas Kronwall for a second-period goal, picked up a helper on Jonathan Ericsson's third-period goal to cut the deficit to 3-2 and then schooled Patrick Marleau before helping to set up the game-winning tip by Tomas Holmstrom at 13:52 of the third:

No. 2 Star: Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings

Howard was the best Red Wing on the ice for the first 40 minutes of Game 5, stopping 18 of 20 shots before Detroit found its footing in the third. Howard has now stopped 118 of 125 shots in San Jose during the series.

No. 3 Star: Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks

Pavelski scored on a nice feed from Ryane Clowe in the second period to give the Sharks a 2-0 lead, notching his fifth of the playoffs.

Honorable mention: Danny Cleary had arguably the game's most critical goal, outworking the Sharks in their defensive zone and hammering home a rebound past Devin Setoguchi and Antti Niemi to tie the game, 3-3. … Kronwall had a goal, an assist and a couple of big hits. … Lidstrom's assist on the game-winner moved him to within one point of Bryan Trottier (184) for No. 10 all-time in playoff points; Steve Yzerman is ninth at 185. … Setoguchi scored his fifth of the playoffs for the Sharks. … Hell of a save by Niemi on Jonathan Ericsson here:

Did you know? Via the Red Wings, "for the fifth time in NHL history, the first five games of a series have been decided by one goal."

Dishonorable mention: Jeremy Roenick on VERSUS called Patrick Marleau "gutless" and it's hard to argue given his performance in the series. … The Sharks were 0-for-4 on the power play. … Niclas Walin was a minus-3. … Joe Thornton had an assist, but was a minus-1 and was cited for this dive in the first period.

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks; 3. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; 4. Ryane Clowe, San Jose Sharks; 5. Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins; 6. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; 7. Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks; 8. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators; 9. Joel Ward, Nashville Predators; 10. Sean Bergenheim, Tampa Bay Lightning.

The official mascot for the 2011 IIHF World Championship is Goooly, which is a name that sounds way too close to both Gillooly and a slang term for testicles. In reality, the name is inspired by the Slovak word for "goals" as if "screamed by a hockey fan."

He's also part of the new breed of mascot that isn't content to do the chicken dance and cavort with fans during the game. No, Goooly is a wolf of action, as seen here in a leap to the concrete and in this rail slide down to ice level:

Solid effort, if a little deliberate for our tastes. Goooly shows promise, but what our Canis Lupus friend needs to realize is where the bar is set for IIHF mascot antics.

Because back in 2009, "Cooly" the cow did this:

Last time we saw something like that, it was the guy who lost the fight in the cheap seats at the Meadowlands back in the 1990s. Your move, Goooly.

Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.

All sports leagues rightly celebrate and promote their greatest players.

These athletes do things that transcend human excellence and capture the imaginations of fans all around the world with dazzling feats of skill. And they make up about five percent of the league. At most.

So what about the other 95 percent, the ones that scrape by on far lesser levels ability and, often, much greater quantities of will?

This year, perhaps moreso than in the past, those guys have been the ones making all the difference.

Take, for example, Joel Ward.

He's not exactly a household name. Not across the league. Not in Nashville. Maybe not even in his own house. He has 40 career goals in three seasons and has, understandably, been largely relegated to a support role, even if Nashville doesn't exactly have a Steven Stamkos or Sid Crosby on their roster. And of those 40 goals, just 10 came in 80 games this season.

But you sure wouldn't know it from these last few games. Since Game 2, he's crushed the Canucks for four goals and three assists in four games, ripping one-timers past an All-Everything goaltender in Roberto Luongo, and has been impossible for a star-studded Vancouver lineup to contain. Not bad for a guy who made his NHL debut at 26 after toiling for years in the Canadian college hockey ranks, usually one of the last stops on a former junior player's career.

Ward's seven goals in the playoffs? Currently tied for the league lead. Tied, by the way, with Sean Bergenheim, another guy who, with 29 points this season, wasn't exactly flying up anyone's Players-to-Watch list.

(Coming Up: Bieksa urges Canucks to stop diving; Yzerman hyperbole; Tyler Seguin time for Boston; still talking about Matt Cooke; Sean Avery and marriage equality; the Stars aren't moving, dummies; Radek Dvorak is delusional; Justin Williams on the mend (again); going Wild for Mac-T; the coolest goal of David Legwand's career; the Caps should trade Mike Green; and yes, an Iginla trade to the Leafs.)

Lately, Bergenheim's been nearly omnipresent around the crease, appearing with an assassin's stealth, depositing the puck into the back of the net with lethal precision, and returning once again to anonymity. You'd think that after he ended Pittsburgh's season with the lone goal in Game 7, Washington would have put a man on him. But nope, he just continued to materialize with the puck on his stick just in time for Michal Neuvirth to wave helplessly as it passed him.

But no Lightning role player has been more impressive than their starting goaltender, who would never make anyone's list of the top five or probably even 10 netminders in the league. But if you're looking for electrifying, stand-on-his-head performances this postseason, Dwayne Roloson has delivered them in bunches.

At something like 62 years old, he's won seven straight games, and not once registered a save percentage below .900 in any game. Currently, he's the league leader in both GAA and save percentage. And for all the press Pekka Rinne and Roberto Luongo get, neither is in the top-5 in either category.

Role players are also the only reason the Red Wings are even alive at this point.

Everyone figured the Sharks had them dead to rights as recently as Friday afternoon. And with big-time players like Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen nursing injuries that severely limited their effectiveness, it was Jonathan Ericsson and Danny Cleary who sparked last night's nearly-impossible comeback. San Jose lost just four games when leading through two periods all season, and hadn't done so at all in the playoffs.

Cleary, in particular, brought his game to a dizzyingly high level in the third period of Game 5, and it wasn't because he suddenly dug up some rich, untapped vein of skill or talent. He just put his head down and went hard to the net, thoroughly and repeatedly.

His first goal in the series tied the game and, though the tentacles were slowly tightening, made Detroit believe again.

You need guys like these on your team if you want to win in the playoffs. You need about a dozen of them. So while you're never going to see a promo about "Brad Marchand and the Bruins" taking on "Steve Downie and the Lightning," role players will always deserve a Cupload of credit.

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks signed 25-year-old Finnish goalie Iiro Tarkki to a one-year deal, which apparently has very little to do with the fact that Jonas Hiller played two games after early February.

Atlanta Thrashers: Radek Dvorak wants to stay in Atlanta because he feels like the Thrashers can make the playoffs next year. Oh, Radek, I have some bad news for you.

Boston Bruins: Tyler Seguin will be in the lineup for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, playing for Patrice Bergeron. But there is no way in hell they let him play center.

Buffalo Sabres: Terry Pegula jokingly suggested that players have rearview mirrors installed on their helmets to avoid legal hits. Every shift against Mike Richards would be like the scene in "Jurassic Park" where the jeep is being chased by the tyrannosaurus.

Calgary Flames: The Flames just might have a promising NHL prospect in Tim Erixon but don't hold your breath.

Carolina Hurricanes: The Hurricanes and Charlotte Bobcats might play exhibition games in each other's buildings next year. The 'Canes would play the Thrashers, and the Bobcats would play the Miami Heat. Hmm if I'm a general sports fan in North Carolina, what do I shell out money to see? LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh or Jim Slater, Nik Antropov and Chris Thorburn. Decisions decisions.

Chicago Blackhawks: Chris Campoli had successful knee surgery earlier in the week. Doesn't explain the brain trauma he must have sustained seconds prior to that awful clearing attempt that Alex Burrows buried in overtime.

Colorado Avalanche: The Avalanche can learn a lot from the Lightning? Sure. Hire a competent GM and an exceedingly brilliant coach. Should be easy. Get after it.

Columbus Blue Jackets: The Jackets are likely to play Marc Methot on the left side to make him effective again. All it took was another coach putting the defenseman on the ice to get Scott Arniel to see what a giant mistake he had made. But hey, it's not like the guy coaches him for like eight months out of the year or anything.

Dallas Stars: Apparently people thought the Stars might move? OK. Well they're not. Deal with it.

Detroit Red Wings: This just in: Nicklas Lidstrom is still an extremely effective player. AT AGE 41!!!!! Can you believe it? Why hasn't anyone mentioned this before?

Edmonton Oilers: "Oh my god, when that red light went on the first time, I was nervous. I was freaking out," said Ryan Whitney, shockingly not referring to playing in front of Devan Dubnyk and Nikolai Khabibulin for a whole season.

Florida Panthers: You know your team is terrible when you actually list Hugh Jessiman as being among the season's silver linings.

Los Angeles Kings: Justin Williams had successful shoulder surgery and should be good to go for training camp, which just seems impossibly far away right now and that makes me sad. Damn you Justin Williams, for having surgery that reminded me of a summer without hockey.

Minnesota Wild: Craig MacTavish is being seriously discussed as the Wild's next coach, which is an astonishingly good idea from an organization known for making decisions that are often quite the opposite.

Montreal Canadiens: "If you're handicapping the Montreal Canadiens unrestricted free-agent defence field on which guys they want to bring back, it's Andrei Markov, Hal Gill, James Wisniewski, Roman Hamrlik, Brent Sopel and Paul Mara, in that order." This is the exact order in which they should be brought back. But there should also be a Hal Gill-Niagara Falls-sized drop-off from Wiz to Hamrlik.

Nashville Predators: This is maybe the coolest goal of David Legwand's career. Which says a lot about David Legwand's career if you think about it.

New Jersey Devils: Apparently it was "classy" for the Devils to not give up when they were 29th in the league. Don't think too hard about how little sense that makes.

New York Islanders: It's looking like Doug Weight will retire. "As fans, we like tidy narratives that end well, "legacy" intact. Scenes like Willie Mays as a Met are forgotten." Hey, just like Doug Weight as an Islander!

New York Rangers: Sean Avery recorded a PSA in favor of gay marriage. What a good dude. Just please ignore that part about how he treats everyone with the respect he wants to receive. He meant off the ice.

Ottawa Senators: Eugene Melnyk has been banned from entering the boardrooms of any publicly traded companies for the next five years, prompting many Senators fans to hope their team becomes publicly traded tomorrow.

Philadelphia Flyers: This is all Peter Laviolette's fault, and definitely NOT Paul Holmgren's for thinking a team could succeed with two career backups and an unproven rookie. You're the worst, Lavy. Pack your things. You're out.

Phoenix Coyotes: The city of Glendale's fight to keep their Coyotes turned two years old yesterday, which is interesting, because it was "terrible" long before that.

Pittsburgh Penguins: "In hockey, where has the respect gone?" But what the article is actually about is that Matt Cooke got too many games in his most recent suspension. Yes, we're still talking about this. Really.

San Jose Sharks: Not to be a backseat driver or anything, but Patrick Marleau might want to show up for this series at some point. Did you even hear his name called in Game 5?

St. Louis Blues: Getting traded away from the Blues was the best thing that ever happened to Eric Brewer. But I'm sure you could say that about a lot of people.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Steve Yzerman is great at being a GM. He is also great at overstating things. On the Crosby Olympic-winner: "[I]t was one goal, and it changed the course of sports history." Slow down, Steve.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Good news for the Leafs - If the Bruins advance to a Stanley Cup final, they send Toronto another second-round pick as part of the Kaberle trade.

Vancouver Canucks: Dear Vancouver Canucks, please stop diving. Love, Kevin Bieksa.

Washington Capitals: The Caps are going to consider trading everything that's not nailed down this summer. They should start with Mike Green, and give his minutes to John Carlson.

Gold Star Award

Joel Ward was fantastic on Saturday night. Just fantastic.

Minus of the Weekend

This hit from Claude Giroux only wouldn't have been late if it was using that slow-motion stuff from the Matrix.

Play of the Weekend

This goal from Joel Ward was real nice. But the slap pass from Mike Fisher was just gorgeous.

Perfect HFBoards trade proposal of the week

User Bill Ladd has a "radical" idea.

To Calgary:

Philly's 1st
Boston's 1st
Joe Colborne OR Nazem Kadri

To Toronto:
Jarome Iginla

He also wants to move Iginla to center, then sign Alex Tanguay, so I'm assuming he didn't mean radical like, say, the Ninja Turtles did.

Signoff
A California Cheeseburger!

Ryan Lambert publishes hockey awesomeness rather infrequently over at The Two-Line Pass. Check it out, why don't you? Or you can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter if you so desire.

Sunday night was not a good night for Patrick Marleau.

He was invisible for most of Game 5 between the San Jose Sharks and the Detroit Red Wings, failing to register a point for the fifth consecutive game. That was until he became very, very visible: Having the puck stolen from him in the third period by master thief Pavel Datsyuk, and then staggering around like an inebriated zombie as Datsyuk stick-handled through a check, dished to Nicklas Lidstrom and picked up the secondary assist on Tomas Holmstrom's game-winner in the 4-3 victory.

But but but wait it gets worse: Immediately following the game, VERSUS commentator Jeremy Roenick singled out Marleau, calling his play in Game 5 a "gutless, GUTLESS performance … but we'll talk about that later."

Which he did on "Hockey Central," in two different instances. (Note: Video updated.)

Ouch.

But this wasn't some random ex-jock tossing bombs from a Technicolor stage. This wasn't Don Cherry using "gutless" so frequently that it fades into the cacophony of his provocation.

This was Patrick Marleau's former teammate calling him out on national television, in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Which makes this critique both complicated and hard to stomach for Sharks loyalists.

Sharks play-by-play man Randy Hahn was the first to fire back at Roenick after the game, via Twitter:

The CSN Bay Area crew of Drew Remenda, Bret Hedican and Scott Reiss on Roenick's controversial comments:

As was mentioned, Roenick has gone after Marleau before as a hockey analyst. From Surly and Scribe, a Los Angeles Kings blog, Roenick from last year's playoffs:

"When's Patty Marleau gonna come out and hit somebody in a playoff game?" Roenick asked incredulously. "When is he gonna come out and start showing why he was so good in the regular season? Not just scoring goals, but playing physical and being emotional in a playoff round. Look at the way Shane Doan came out in Game 1 against Detroit. He hit everything that he could possibly get his hands on to show his team how they need to play. When is Patrick Marleau going to do that in a playoff round?"

The other part of that statement, from Ryan Garner of HockeyBuzz:

"I would not sign Patrick Marleau again if they did not get past this round and he falls short of being anything but spectacular. He's been there too long and they have not won with him there, they need to go out and try to do something different," Roenick said. "Patrick Marleau is a guy that you can dispose of and get some good people for."

Last night, and into the early morning, Roenick used his Twitter feed to defend his comments and respond to about 50 fans. His comments on the comments, obviously tapped out on a phone:

Everyone can be mad at me for my comments. That's fine!! My oppinions r mine and iv always voiced them! Classless? Iv had worse said of me!!

Marleau has his fans and that's great! I am not one of them and won't pretend to be! I love the sharks w a passion and think the fans

Deserve a better effort than Marleau has given in this series!!!

Hate me if you want people!! Iv always spoke my mind and will continue too!! No axe to grind Drew ! Just my opinion.

Is it wrong for Roenick to speak out against a former teammate? Is that "classless"? Of course not.

He's got a job to do, and it's not as if he's going to recuse himself from commenting on the Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers and Phoenix Coyotes because of his ties to those franchises. (Kings fans aren't going to care what he says anyway.)

Our problem with the comments?

They didn't go far enough.

Tossing out "gutless" and pointing to your heart is hack talk radio host irritation. Roenick played with Marleau for two years. They shared a dressing room. They played on the same lines at times during those two years. There's so much more context and insight that Roenick could, and should have shared, in support of his claim, but didn't. Which is why he comes off as a cheap-shot artist with an axe to grind rather than a pundit with intimate knowledge of the subject.

CSN Bay Area's Scott Reiss offers some of that context in a blog last night:

What's more shocking to me about all this is I know JR has nothing but respect for Marleau's abilities.  One of the most enduring memories I have of my first season with the Sharks  took place inside a small room at HP Pavilion adjacent to the dressing room, a room where team staffers and players not suited up can watch the game in close quarters.  I happened to be in there waiting to do my postgame on-ice interview when Marleau scored an incredible, game-deciding goal in the final minutes.

Roenick, who was injured, jumped up behind me and exclaimed, "That guy is so f-ing good!"  It was a cool display of admiration by one star player for another.  Perhaps it's that admiration that belies JR's subsequent caustic criticism -- he knows how good Marleau can be, and it offends his delicate hockey sensibilities to see No. 12 linger on the periphery instead of imposing his will.

That last point is, we think, at the root of Roenick's commentary.

We don't know what Roenick used to say to Marleau during their time with the Sharks, because he hasn't told us. But we do know what Roenick used to say to another player who had his postseason struggles: Joe Thornton.

From Working the Corners in April 2009:

"I'm in his ear all the time," said Roenick, who added that he has told Thornton that players sometimes have to dig deep inside to do things they don't necessarily want to do.

"I don't think it's in Joe's nature to be mean, but when he is mean, he's unstoppable," Roenick said. "That's intensity. When you're intense, you're a hard person to play against."

Thornton, Roenick added, has to learn to bring that intensity every day. "He can't pick his spots. For him to be known as one of the greatest players in the world from now on, he's got to bring that," Roenick said. "He makes a lot of money to bring that intensity. You can't rely on just his eyes and his know-how all the time."

You can envision Roenick saying much the same thing to Marleau, especially when he drops references to "I want more from a 6 million dollar man" via Twitter. It's not belittling a former teammate; it's befuddlement that a guy that Roenick has been critical of in the past still can't elevate his game in a series like this one.

Jeremy Roenick is paid to call it as he sees it. And while we're disappointed to not know more about why he fixed his gaze on Patrick Marleau, his comments were critical but not classless.

The Nashville Predators could be eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Monday night, facing a Game 6 against the Vancouver Canucks. Or they could forge ahead, force a Game 7 and continue their unlikely run at the Cup in 2011.

The Tampa Bay Lightning, meanwhile, are resting up for their Eastern Conference Final against the Boston Bruins, four wins away from the final round.

As of this moment, a Bolts/Preds Stanley Cup Final is a possibility, albeit remote. Mike Chen of SB Nation explored that possibility and surmised:

In the short term, a Stanley Cup Final of this nature would probably draw much lower ratings than last year's Chicago Blackhawks-Philadelphia Flyers  battle. But despite a lack of national presence, it can plant many seeds in the local markets -- and as those seeds grow, more people are exposed to the game, and a certain percentage of those people will be swept up in it, some just to support the local team and others as die-hard hockey fans.

The "swept up in the postseason" thing should be happening already for these teams, although there's no question that a Cup Finals appearance and the accompanying fanfare would be a further boon. But is that worth a Cup Finals matchup that would repel a good number of hockey fans and large swaths of casual Cup watchers?

The Lightning and the Predators would play a series of close, low-scoring games whose most outstanding performers will be between the pipes. It would be a battle between a Southeast Division team and a team that should be in the Southeast Division. Red Wings vs. Penguins Part III, it is not.

We've been asked a few times which matchups are the most compelling for NBC and VERSUS, from the remaining playoff participants. Keeping in mind that the Vancouver Canucks would not contribute a single local ratings point to the national audience as a Canadian-based team, our ranking:

1. Boston Bruins v. Detroit Red Wings
2. Boston Bruins v. San Jose Sharks
3. Tampa Bay Lightning v. Detroit Red Wings
4. Boston Bruins v. Nashville Predators
5. Tampa Bay Lightning vs. San Jose Sharks
6. Boston Bruins vs. Vancouver Canucks
7. Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Nashville Predators
8. Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Vancouver Canucks

Again, this is from a U.S. television perspective. The Red Wings are a ratings engine on a different level than Boston, but the Bruins are going to have massive local viewership should they make the Finals: Witness their ratings vs. the Celtics' ratings this postseason. Plus, the Bruins' Cup drought (1972) vs. the Sharks' first trip to the Finals is an easy, effective sell.

Which series do you think would grab the biggest audiences for NBC and VERSUS; and which series do you think would offer the most exciting hockey and storylines for the Stanley Cup Finals?

UPDATE: A few readers have brought up the Yzerman factor for the Tampa Bay/Detroit series; do you think that could be sold as a national story for NBC? Is Thornton vs. the Bruins a national angle as well? Or are they both localized?

It's a Monday edition of Puck Daddy Radio, and we're chatting about the following and much more:

• Special Guest Star: Everybody be on your best behavior, because former NHL ref and current ECAC head of officiating Paul Stewart is in the house.

• The Detroit Red Wings' rally against the San Jose Sharks.

• Jeremy Roenick's comments on Patrick Marleau.

• The Flyers' elimination and next steps.

• Previewing Game 6 between the Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks.

• Question of the day: Of the remaining teams in the East and West, what are your most and least compelling Stanley Cup Finals matchups?

• Puck Previews.

Email your thoughts to puckdaddyradio@thescore.com.

Puck Daddy Radio is on Monday through Friday, from 1-2 p.m. ET/10-11 a.m. PT on The Score Radio Sirius Channel 158. Featuring Wyshynski and Rob Pizzo, it's your show: Calls, tweets, special guests and a ton of hockey goodness every day.

The call in number is 1-888-942-7326 (1-888-9-HARDCORE). We'll also be reading emails to puckdaddyradio@thescore.com and tweets that you send to @wyshynski and @robpizzo.

We're all about interaction here; call in, email, tweet ... we'll discuss whatever you'd like. Listen here:

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• We've often said the Stanley Cup Playoffs are like a religious experience. Check out some great coverage of the Nashville Predators returning home to happy fans and interviews on the tarmac via Preds On The Glass. [Preds On The Glass]

• Chris Higgins is hurt but expects to play in Game 6 for Vancouver. Jerred Smithson will be back for the Preds. Also, Vancouver is shaking up their D pairings. [Vancouver Sun]

• How did the Predators take Game 5 against the Vancouver Canucks and score four goals in the process? From the Kurtenblog: "The Preds can't reinvent themselves and start playing firewagon hockey; that'd be like showing up to a drag race in a Dodge Stratus. What they can do, though, is be more daring in trying to take the puck away from Vancouver." [KB]

• When Mike Fisher met the Green Men and their fake Carrie Underwood. [Slam Sports]

• Does the Patrice Bergeron injury mean curtains for the Boston Bruins in the conference finals? Stanley Cup of Chowder's not buying it: "During the regular season, the Bruins were 44 goals better than the Tampa Bay Lightning. If Bergeron misses the entire series, it will make Boston's job somewhat harder, but they remain a better team by a fairly good margin." [SCOC]

• Chris Pronger of the Philadelphia Flyers will soon learn if he'll need a fourth surgery in 10 months, this time on his back. Talk about the goalies all you want — that absence is the primary reason the Flyers went out in four to Boston. [NHL.com]

• Great piece by Scott Hockey that shows New York Rangers winger Sean Avery's activism and off-ice work in the community goes far beyond his advocacy for marriage equality. [Scotty Hockey]

• Jay "Hockey Sucks" Mohr returns to host the 2011 NHL Awards in Las Vegas. Canned quote: "I am really excited to return to Las Vegas for the 2011 NHL Awards in June. I had a great time hosting the event last year and look forward to celebrating this season's top hockey performances -- and the chance to poke a little fun, too." [NHL]

• Hey, remember our gallery of Beer League jerseys (a second edition of which will run this week)? Well, the CHL Dayton Gems were so inspired by it that they've decided to hold a Beer League Night next season. "At the end of voting, the Gems will then invite the team with the winning jersey design to Dayton to watch the Gems play in the replica jerseys. The winning team will also be playing against the Megacity Hockey Club during the first intermission." [Gems]

• Is Joel Ward a star in the making or a flash in the pan? [PHT]

• "Nikolai Khabibulin is no longer a good goaltender. He hasn't been for quite some time, but his performance last season was truly abominable." So Copper & Blue spells out what the repercussions would be if the Edmonton Oilers opted for The Bulin Buyout. [Copper & Blue]

• Mirtle dives into the issue of embellishment in the playoffs. [Globe & Mail]

• After Jeremy Roenick's "gutless" slam on Patrick Marleau, a San Jose Sharks blog looks back at Roenick's tenure in teal: "If one thing is clear from the anger and frustration Roenick displayed in his comments last night it is this-- Jeremy Roenick doesn't just care about his broadcasting career. He cares a great deal about his legacy and reputation as one of the greatest American born hockey players to ever play the game. A legacy that unfortunately lives on without a Stanley Cup. And a legacy that now includes one more city where he set fire to at least a few more bridges after he had left town." [Fear The Fin]

• "History Will Be Made" by the Detroit Red Wings in Game 5. Still don't believe a 2-goal deficit in the third period means an "incredible" comeback, but whatevs.

• How banged up was Mike Richards during the Philadelphia Flyers' postseason? Wrist surgery is expected. [700 Level]

• Ouch from Panaccio: "How embarrassing that David Krejci's line with Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton single-handedly outscored the entire Flyers roster in the series with eight goals, 11 assists for 19 points." [CSN Philly]

• The U.S. was upset by already-eliminated Switzerland, 5-3, at the IIHF world championships, and will now face defending champion Czech Republic in the quarterfinals after finishing fourth in Group F. In a related story, Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel, Jonathan Quick, Keith Yandle, Brandon Dubinsky, Erik Johnson, Ron Hainsey, Matt Niskanen and Alex Goligoski all had a bacon cheeseburger this weekend. [Y! Sports]

• On Doug Gilmour drafting Tie Domi's son. [Buzzing The Net]

• Finally, this gal's little bro almost pulls off the perfect Jack Edwards … but c'mon, not a single reference to the Revolutionary War?

One League's inconsistent scorer is another country's hockey hero. Which is to say that Pavol Demitra was a good, never great, player in the NHL from 1994-2010, finishing his career with the Vancouver Canucks before moving over to the KHL. Yet in Slovakia, he's as beloved a player as you'll find.

So it was quite a scene on Monday when the hosts defeated Denmark, 4-1, but were still eliminated in the qualifying rounds at the IIHF World Championship — because it was also the final Slovakian National Team game for captain Demitra, who said goodbye in a tearful sendoff:

From Lucas Aykroyd of IIHF.com, it wasn't just farewell to Demitra:

Captain Pavol Demitra confirmed after the game that this would be his last national team game with Slovakia. The 36-year-old star will continue to play at least one more season with the KHL's Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, however.

"For me and everybody, it was very emotional," said Demitra of the post-game cheers. "You're going to remember it the rest of your life."

"I don't want to close the door to any of these players," head coach Glen Hanlon said when asked about retiring veterans. "Pavol Demitra, Miro Satan and these players are always invited back to our team. They (Demitra, Satan) are the greatest players ever in Slovak hockey and I wished they could be forever young. Today was a great example of the character of these players and the passion they have for the country and for the team."

Meanwhile, Finland's Jarkko Immonen and Mikko Koivu scored on Russia's Alexander Barulin to complete a rally for the victory. Koivu's move was just nasty:

Ya know, maybe our loathing of the skills competition would be lessened if foreign-born announcers called every shootout …

Russia, and the yet-to-score-a-point Alex Ovechkin, plays the winner of Canada vs. Sweden in the quarterfinals.

Paul Stewart was an NHL referee from 1986-2003, and it now director of officiating for the ECAC. As anyone that's ever spoken to the man will attest, he's an opinionated guy with a ridiculous number of stories to tell. Which he did on Monday's episode of Puck Daddy Radio on The Score Sirius 158.

• Diving in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and why Colin Campbell's a bit of a hypocrite about it.

• Theo Fleury and Dino Ciccarelli's "gravity issues," and how he'd tell them not to dive lest he "look the other way" when Scott Stevens would run them.

• Whether NHL refs should meet the media after playoff games with controversial calls.

• Pat Quinn throwing a piece of gum at a linesman.

• Kerry Frasier's hair.

• His 'blind guy with a seeing-eye Chihuahua' joke.

• His loathing of playoff beards.

• And, in a discussion about whether linesman Steve Miller lifted the 2010 Stanley Cup winning puck from Game 6 between the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers, this nugget about the Boston Bruins:

"It's so much smoke and mirrors. Talking about pucks, I refereed the last game ever played at Boston Garden. I went to center ice and dropped the puck. The puck went back and forth and then the play was offside. It ended up at my feet. So I picked it up, stuck it in my back pocket, and I pulled another puck out and handed it to them. So the Hockey Hall of Fame thinks they have the puck. I think I have the puck. So who do ya think is right?"

Please note that the 'last-ever puck used at Boston Garden' was auctioned from the collection of one Mr. Paul Stewart.

Nashville Predators Coach Barry Trotz isn't a licensed meteorologist, but he knows from heat and its effect on ice conditions.

"This morning, [they were] good, because it's still not 89 degrees, which is what it's going to get up to today. And you don't have 17,000 people in the building heating it up," he said after the Predators' morning skate, with Game 6 against the Vancouver Canucks set for Monday night.

"We're going to do everything possible to keep the ice as good as we can. But 17,000 people inside and 89/90 degrees outside, it's going to be hard to keep the conditions perfect."

Hard, but the Predators have made a concerted effort to ensure the ice is in the best condition can be in for Game 6 of the series, which stands at 3-2 in favor of Vancouver.

They've brought in the heavy machinery.

Before Round 2, the Predators installed four dehumidifiers and four air chillers, along with two generators, outside Bridgestone Arena. The equipment was provided by Thompson Machinery, whose president De Thompson V is a co-owner of the Preds.

"I think it was a much-needed move by the organization [to get] the dehumidifiers on top of the building. We probably didn't need it for the first couple of games," said Trotz.

That's because the temps on the days of Games 3 and 4 were 50 degrees or below with overcast skies. On Monday, the weather was expected to climb near 90 degrees with above 50-percent humidity.

"We wondered, 'Why did we bring this equipment in?' But it's just like [buying] insurance," said COO Sean Henry on the weather for the start of the series.

Before joining the Predators, Henry was the COO for the Tampa Bay Lightning and the St. Pete Times Forum for 11 years. He said he battled many of the same weather-related ice headaches during their playoff runs and that, in the end, it's the warm-weather teams in the U.S. that are best prepared to deal with them.

"The one thing that we have an advantage in, just like in Tampa, is that we're used to making ice in warmer conditions. Right away there's a level of preparedness."

Henry said the marks for ice quality at Bridgestone Arena have been high this postseason. NHL officials rate the ice conditions after each game of the regular and postseasons, he said. After Game 6 against the Anaheim Ducks, the officials gave the ice the highest available marks.

And that was before the team cranked up the dehumidifier and the air chiller, which have been in use over the weekend at the arena.

"We're going to be able to maintain conditions that are going to be even better than in normal conditions during the regular season," he said. "Where would you rather make ice in May? In one of the northern climates or in Nashville? Nashville, because we're used to it. They're not. But they do a wonderful job, too."

So, bottom line, will ice conditions be an issue for Game 6?

"It won't be an issue at all," said Henry.

But now that Trotz mentioned the challenge in maintaining the ice, won't it inevitably come up as a postgame excuse for the losing team?

"I'm glad he did," said Henry. "Both sets of teams will be playing on the best ice imaginable. And the same ice."

Sean Avery of the New York Rangers made waves last week when he appeared in a video endorsement of legalized same-sex marriage in New York State for the Human Rights Campaign, becoming what HRC claims was "the first professional sports team to actively promote marriage equality."

On Monday evening, Uptown Sports Management, an Ontario-based player agency that lists 11 NHL clients on its website, reacted to that endorsement via its official Twitter feed.

The author of the tweets was revealed as Todd Reynolds, vice president of Uptown Sports Management, which represents players such as Mike Fisher of the Nashville Predators, Jonathan Bernier of the Los Angeles Kings, Carlo Colaiacovo of the St. Louis Blues, Dustin Jeffrey of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chris Neil of the Ottawa Senators.

Reynolds did not immediately return a phone call and an email this evening. He did however join Cybulski & Company on TSN Radio 1050 (listen) in Toronto to discuss his comments, saying:

"There's certainly a voice for the other side on this particular issue. I was merely responding to be the other voice. I believe in standing up for what you believe in. I'm passionate about what I believe in. And I believe in morality and I believe in right and wrong. I know many people with different view points for what is right and wrong.

"But I'm a little disappointed in some of the response. If you oppose a viewpoint, you're immediately targeted by some people as a hater, a bigot, intolerant, homophobic and many other terms. That's obviously not the case for people who know me. … I don't hate anyone. And I'm certainly not a bigot. But I believe in marriage between one man and one woman. It's a social debate that's raged on for quite some time. In Canada and the U.S. it's a hot-button topic right now. I guess maybe it was how I was raised. I believe in voicing your opinion and not being part of the silent majority. "

But what about his clients?

With regard to putting his clients in an awkward spot, and specifically Mike Fisher of the Predators who plays Monday night in Game 6 against the Vancouver Canucks, Reynolds said:

"I don't believe it does. It's my opinion. It's something that's an easy response: 'Todd Reynolds commented on that and it's his opinion.'

"I've already been asked, 'What if some of your clients don't agree with this decision?' Well, that's fine. We're going to disagree on all kinds of issues in life. But we have to be able to talk about them.

"... If Mike Fisher or any other client of ours agrees or disagrees, is of no consequence. Nor should they feel the need to comment on it. But I feel Sean Avery or any other player can comment on one side of the discussion ... why can I not comment on it as well?"

Reynolds went on to say that when it comes to certain rights at the heart of the marriage equality debate — child custody, hospital visitation rights — he believes there are other alternatives beyond marriage that can satisfy those needs for same-sex couples.

Whether or not Reynolds put his clients in an awkward position wouldn't even be a discussion had he not used Uptown's official Twitter feed for what he now calls a personal viewpoint. That's just bad business, unless it's a deliberate attempt to position the firm within the context of that moral debate.

Did you know who Todd Reynolds and Uptown Sports Management were before today? Perhaps only within the context of Kyle Dubas, 25, who was an agent for Uptown Sports Management and the youngest person ever certified by the NHLPA as an agent, and now the new general manager of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Reynolds said this was not something that he did "without thinking about it."

You know Uptown Sports Management's name now, just like people on the other side of the debate know Sean Avery's after his moment of public discourse. This isn't to dismiss either view as something less than a heartfelt sentiment; but it's not as if either weren't meant for public consumption.

UPDATE: The National Post caught up with Don Reynolds, the firm's president, and received some comments including:

Would this be something you think many of your clients would agree with?

"I don't know. And really, that is not the basis on which we run our business. We're not asking questions like that of our clients. And frankly, if Sean Avery were a client of mine, I would support him in his beliefs. I would tell him he's wrong, but that's fine. Others will tell him he's wrong, too. And others will tell him he's right. It's a free country, and everybody's entitled to their opinion.

Do you think something like this could either gain or lose you some clients?

"I hope not. I don't think that your opinion about gay marriage or sexual orientation or whatever should ever come into the hockey business. I've been in the hockey business for 28 years, and this is the first I've heard of it."

Again, the players this agency reps are going to have to answer some questions themselves, one imagines. And perhaps some will object to, or agree with, this stance. But, at the end of the day, does any of it affect the negotiation of their next contract?

With seconds remaining in Game 6 on Monday night, Nashville Predators rookie defenseman Jonathan Blum intercepted a clearing attempt, dished to team captain Shea Weber, and then watched the guy with King Leonidas beard and the booming slap shot send a screamer at goalie Roberto Luongo.

Luongo never saw the puck through a double screen. But rather than fly past the Vancouver Canucks goalie, it bounced off of defenseman Dan Hamhuis in front and harmlessly to the corner — preserving the 2-1 victory, sending the Canucks to the next round and eliminating Nashville.

The same Dan Hamhuis that left Nashville, his only NHL home, for a 6-year, $27 million deal with Vancouver. The same Dan Hamhuis that gave a jab to the ribs of Predators fans last summer, mocking Nashville home games as sparsely attended.

Hamhuis isn't the first nor the last home-grown Pred to leave town for a raise. But the days of mocking this franchise's popularity and stability are growing short.

These fans — the die hards and the new recruits — have, for the first time, experienced the euphoria of winning a playoff round. Of living and dying with your team for weeks on end. Of seeing heroes born, like Joel Ward (seven goals) and Nick Spaling (2 goals in eliminating Anaheim). Of seeing villains born; every visit by the Anaheim Ducks and Vancouver Canucks to Nashville now means more than it did in March.

The key for the Predators is to stoke that passion like a slow-burning fire.

Predators COO Sean Henry said the six playoff home games played in Nashville were vital to that end.

"Where the increase in your business comes is next year. You're playing to an audience that's passionate. We're going to have 1,000 people in our building that's either seeing their first game, or their first game in a few years," he said prior to Game 6. "We're enjoying a nice little renaissance in sales. Reconnecting with people."

Some of those reconnections, he said, go all the way back to fans who dropped coin for season tickets during "Save The Predators" drives when there was a real threat that the franchise was going to relocate to Hamilton in 2007.

"They were doing it to save the team. Some became hockey fans — they bought the tickets, and had to use them. But others let their tickets lapse," Henry said. "[The relocation bid] also put our finances out there as a story. But that changed this year. Now people aren't talking about our attendance."

No, they're not. They're talking about Barry Trotz, finally leading a team to the semifinals after years of working minor miracles during the regular season. They're talking about David Poile, the steady and professional GM whose team seemed like one big offensive weapon away from extending, or winning, this round. They're talking about the goalie, Pekka Rinne, who looks every bit the franchise cornerstone; they're talking about the big trade deadline pickup, Mike Fisher, and his Country Queen. They're talking about the fans who hollered and chanted and threw catfish so people who look like this pick them up:

(via Michael H.)

Soon, they'll be talking about the salary cap, with Steve Sullivan and Joel Ward going UFA; and Shea Weber facing an unprecedented pay day as an RFA, with Ryan Suter's UFA status looming in 2012.

Some will stay, some will go. All were a part of the moment when "non-traditional market" Nashville went from first-round also-ran to Cup contender.

Sorry, did we say "non-traditional market"?

"I like to call them 'new tradition' markets," said Henry.