Revisiting my picks

Having suffered through a 0-for-Western-Conference sweep in my first -- and rather poor -- upset-heavy attempt at this NHL playoff's picks, I feel obligated to take a realistic approach to the conference semifinals.

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins (1) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (4)
Bruins in six games

Washington Capitals (2) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (3)
Penguins in seven games

Western Conference

Detroit Red Wings (1) vs. Anaheim Ducks (4)
Ducks in seven games

Vancouver Canucks (2) vs Chicago Blackhawks (3)
Blackhawks in six games

Trade analysis

A few thoughts on the 22 NHL deadline-day deals that went down today:

Most interesting

Toronto gets G Olaf Kolzig, and D Jamie Heward and D Andy Rogers -- three players dealing with injuries -- and a fourth-round pick in 2009 from Tampa Bay for minor-leaguer D Richard Petoit.

My take: This deals smells like a favor, so Tampa Bay can dump some salary. Doesn't it? I won't be surprised when the other shoe drops with Toronto. How about Leafs D Tomas Kaberle for RW Marty St. Louis?

Thumbs up

~ Buffalo gets C Dominic Moore from Toronto for a 2009 second-round pick. He'll add some more grit to the Sabres lineup.

~ Boston gets RW Mark Recchi and a 2010 second-round draft pick from Tampa Bay for F Martins Karsums and D Matt Lashoff. A third Stanley Cup ring should punch Old Man Recchi's ticket to hockey's
hallowed hall.

~ Phoenix gets F Nigel Dawes, D Dmitri Kalinin and F Petr Prucha for D Derek Morris. I'd make this three-for-one trade, especially because it includes Dawes, day after day after day.

Thumbs down

~ Florida gets D Steve Eminger from Tampa Bay for D Noah Welch and a 2009 third-round pick. The Panthers will be Eminger's third team this season. At least he had a chance to make the playoffs. With all due respect to Welch, I'd rather Eminger stuck around Hockey Bay.

~ C Patrick O'Sullivan, acquired earlier from Los Angeles for Carolina's LW Justin Williams, moved again, with a 2009 second-round pick, to Edmonton for LW Erik Cole. It would've been cool had O'Sullivan, who grew up in Winston-Salem, N.C, and played youth hockey in Raleigh, suited up with the Hurricanes.

Update

I guess the high-ranking source had no clue what he was talking about. I thought it sounded kinda shaky. I hope the surgery went well.

Commercial breaks

It's not that I pay a whole bunch of attention to television commercials. Like most others, I'll use that 90- to 120-second window of opportunity to grab a snack. Sometimes, I'll snag a stack of cards that need prepping or flash-card faces that need memorizing.

Most times, though, I simply ignore them.

Over the past few months, I must admit, an appreciation has grown for the NHL Network's commercial lineup. Yes, that's right. Commercials. On the NHL Network.

Rather than subscribe to the NHL Centre Ice package this season, we used that money to help subsidize our Lightning ticket packages. As part of the trade-off, we also subscribed to the more affordable, though much more limited, NHL Network from our local cable TV provider.

And while the CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, complete with the irascible Don Cherry's Coach's Corner, and the upcoming World Junior Championships broadcasts are main draws, the network's commercials and practices have led to these three observations:

~ Though these have been around for awhile, I can't get enough of the NHL Network's spots on the old-school coach's pep talks. It's not just the fedora he sometimes wears. I love how he rolls his eyes after he tries to make a point. It's almost like he's saying to himself, "Can you believe this load of hooey?"

My favorite is the 110 percent commercial. You know, the one where he implores 100 percent of his team to give 110 percent effort for 100 percent of the time. Not only is it funny, but he uses logic to make perfect sense.

~ I also get a kick out of the NHL.com spot featuring a hockey family opening presents on Christmas morning. Though three are Rangers fans, delighting at the Blueshirts-related items that Santa left for them, the fourth member is a Flyers fan. His gifts -- from dress socks to a spatula to a snow shovel -- reflect his fall from favor.

My favorite line? Nope, it's not the poor kid's "Dress socks? What the ...?" No, instead I like the mom's "Nice shovel."

~ My only complaint, and I'm certain this is solely because of my late-night viewing habits, is the rotation of these ads. Some 30-second commercials run twice within a two-minute window. And too much of anything -- even if it's good -- is grating.

Instead, perhaps NHL Networks can introduce some of the NHL teams' promotional spots into the late-night rotation.

Alive and well

Beyond the uber-rare rookie card and the occasional four-color autographed patch card, the main reason why I collect hockey cards is to build up hounding stock. Because of this, I get more excited when I pick up a card of, say, New Jersey's Jay Pandolfo than I do when I get yet another for New Jersey's Zach Parise.

I'll also admit to following some of their values. Did you know that both of these 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Winter Classic cards of Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby are "worth" $25-$60 each, according to the December 2008 issue of Beckett Hockey.

It just goes to show that not all investments, so to speak, have to be in stock markets, undeveloped waterfront land or any of the precious metals.

It was nice to see, too, that an overwhelming majority of Hound Central 4.0 readers taking part in the most recent poll also take the time and spend their hard-earned cash to collect hockey cards. Twenty-three of the 28 votes cast indicated that hockey card collecting is still drawing strong interest across the hockey landscape.

Granted, my hockey card purchases have been curtailed this season, focusing on the more low- to middle-price products that add to our hounding reserves while enjoying the sweet bonus that comes along.

Question: Do you collect hockey cards?

Yes: 23 votes out of 28 cast (82.1 percent)
No: 5 votes out of 28 (17.9 percent)

It'll be the Habs in their 100th

When you get right down to it, any predictions for the upcoming NHL season are nothing more than wishful thinking. Yes, you can do research. You can talk with fellow fans. And, if you're lucky enough, you can even talk to some players.

Still, though, no one knows. Players get injured or traded. A team's chemistry may never materialize. A top pick can become a big flop.

Yet, year after year, we put together, on the Internet, a piece of paper or the darkest recesses of our minds, a set of projections for the season ahead. Talk about optimism, eh?

So, for the record, here are Hound Central 4.0's picks. Remember, too, that they're certainly open for your debate:

Eastern Conference

1.) Philadelphia Flyers
2.) Montreal Canadiens
3.) Washington Capitals
4.) Pittsburgh Penguins
5.) New York Rangers
6.) New Jersey Devils
7.) Boston Bruins
8.) Carolina Hurricanes

Just missing: Buffalo Sabres

Western Conference

1.) Detroit Red Wings
2.) Anaheim Ducks
3.) Chicago Blackhawks
4.) San Jose Sharks
5.) Dallas Stars
6.) Calgary Flames
7.) Nashville Predators
8.) Edmonton Oilers

Just missing: Minnesota Wild

Conference champions

Eastern: Montreal Canadiens over Philadelphia Flyers in six games
Western: Anaheim Ducks over Calgary Flames in five games

Stanley Cup Finals

Montreal Canadiens over Anaheim Ducks in six games

Conn Smythe winner: Montreal's Carey Price

Annual awards

Presidents' Trophy
Detroit Red Wings, 112 points
Hart Trophy (MVP)
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Pearson Award (players' MVP)
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Art Ross Trophy (top scorer)
Sidney Crosby, 128 points
Maurice Richard Trophy (top goal scorer)
Alexander Ovechkin, 58 goals
Calder Trophy (top rookie)
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning
Norris Trophy (top defenseman)
Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames
Vezina Trophy (top goalie)
Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
Lady Byng Trophy (sportsmanlike)
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
Selke Trophy (top defensive forward)
Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers
Jennings Trophy (lowest GAA)
Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak, Montreal Canadiens, 2.13 GAA
Masterton Trophy (perseverance)
Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
King Clancy Trophy (humanitarian)
Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins

Bonus predictions

No. 1 pick: John Tavares by the New York Islanders
First coach fired: Tony Granato, Colorado Avalanche, or Alain Vigneault, Vancouver Canucks
Biggest trade: Patrick Marleau for Simon Gagne
Biggest cut: Jeremy Roenick, San Jose Sharks
Fighting majors: Daniel Carcillo, Phoenix Coyotes, 17, with one three-game suspension
Shutout leader: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils, eight