I will always go on the record saying the NCAA Basketball Tournament is the best tournament in sports, but coming in a close second is the NHL Playoffs. The main reason why I prefer March Madness is because of the one and done format and there are teams from all different conferences ranging in skill ability, whereas in professional sports like the NHL, where there is a salary cap, each team in theory should have close to equal skill sets and have a relatively equal chance of winning a title. As we all know this isn't the case because some teams have better scouts and manage their money better than others, but for the most part there is great parity in the NHL when it comes to the teams that make the playoffs. As a result of the parity in the NHL Playoffs, the chances of the underdog winning a series is better than in any other professional sport and that is why I love watching the games so much.
What makes hockey and the NHL Playoffs so unique is it's such a team sport, whereas the NBA, who is also in their playoffs now, is more of an individual driven sport. Another reason why I love the NHL Playoffs is the Stanley Cup. If I were to win one trophy as an athlete it would be the Stanley Cup. When a player hoists the Stanley Cup, you can immediately tell how much that player sacrificed to win that trophy. Since nearly every NHL Playoff series seems to go 6-7 games, the teams that end up playing for the Stanley Cup have to play nearly 3 more months of hockey on top of the taxing 82 game regular season. In addition to the extreme joy and emotions associated with hoisting the Stanley Cup, the party that ensues after is unbelievable. The hockey player more than any professional athlete relates to the common man, and when the Bruins won it in 2011 it was awesome to see the team bring the Cup to bars in the days following to share it with the fans. Add in the fact that each player gets a day with the Cup during the off-season and has their name is forever etched on its side, to me there is no better trophy to win in sports.
If there was a perfect example of how awesome the NHL Playoffs are, last night was it. All three games last night (St. Louis-Chicago, Dallas-Anaheim and Columbus-Pittsburgh) all entered with a team (St. Louis, Anaheim and Pittsburgh) leading a series 2-1 and as a sports fan one of the worst things that could have happened is if all three games ended with the series at 3-1. However, the sports gods were in full force last night and provided us with three extremely entertaining games and when all was said and done all three series were all tied up at 2-2. What made last night so entertaining in particular was in each game there was a lead of at least 2-0 and in all cases the team losing came back to tie the game, and in the case of Columbus and Dallas, ended up winning the game.
Finally, I've been to almost every possible sporting event and I can honestly say the best games to see in person are a college basketball game with two highly ranked teams and an NHL Playoff game. What separates these two sporting events from the others is the energy in the building. If you watched the NHL games last night, you would have seen fans on their feet at HOCKEY game in cities that aren't known for their love of hockey, in Columbus and Dallas. There is something special about the NHL Playoffs where a switch is turned on and the fans become electric and each shift the players skate with unbelievable energy and intensity. Even watching the NHL Playoff games at home on television like I did last night you could feel the energy from the arenas on the couch in my house.
As awesome as these first round series have been so far, the best part is this is just the beginning of the NHL Playoffs and we still have a good two months left. Buckle up.
P.S. One way you know it's officially April Madness is when Marc-Andre Fleury becomes a complete sieve like he did at the end of last night's game against the Blue Jackets.
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