5-hole.com » greg wyshynski

Taking on the Experts – 2010 Edition

Eric — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:40:06 +0000

It’s that time again, folks. It has been about ten months since I almost lost to Maggie the Monkey, but it’s finally back. Our incredibly awesome attempt at:

Luckily for me, Maggie retired after last season.

Here’s how it works. Throughout the playoffs, we will be predicting the winners of each series and comparing our picks to those of the experts around the sporting world.

Here are our predictions for the First round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs:

Series	Eric	Marc	Rory
#1 Capitals vs. #8 Canadiens	Habs in 5	Capitals in 7	Capitals in 5
#2 Devils vs. #7 Flyers	Devils in 6	Flyers in 6	The Prudential center is set on fire by angry Newark gangbangers during Game 1. The blaze is nearly extinguished when Brodeur lets one rip and the fumes from the 7 cows worth of meat he’s eaten in the last 24 hours reignites the remaining embers. His blubber then acts as an accelerant to charge the new flames into a raging inferno. There are no survivors.
#3 Sabres vs. #6 Bruins	Sabres in 5	Sabres in 7	Sabres in 6
#4 Penguins vs. #5 Senators	Penguins in 4	Penguins in 4	Penguins in 6
#1 Sharks vs. #8 Avalanche	Sharks in 5	Sharks in 5	Avalanche in 6 (come on, it’s the Sharks)
#2 Blackhawks vs. #7 Predators	Blackhawks in 5	Blackhawks in 5	Blackhawks in 5
#3 Canucks vs. #6 Kings	Kings in 6	Kings in 6	Canucks in 6
#4 Coyotes vs. #5 Red Wings	Coyotes in 7	Red Wings in 6	Coyotes in 7

ESPN Expert Picks:

It seems that TSN has not even bothered to put their picks online in chart form and I’ll be damned if I have to sit through video to pull out their predictions.

Yahoo! Sports Expert Picks:

This year Sam McCaig replaces Jim Fox

Series	Sam McCaig	Ross McKeon	Matt Romig	Greg Wyshynski
#1 Capitals vs. #8 Canadiens	Capitals in 6	Capitals in 5	Capitals in 6	Capitals in 5
#2 Devils vs. #7 Flyers	Devils in 7	Devils in 6	Devils in 6	Devils in 6
#3 Sabres vs. #6 Bruins	Sabres in 5	Bruins in 7	Bruins in 7	Sabres in 7
#4 Penguins vs. #5 Senators	Penguins in 5	Penguins in 4	Penguins in 7	Penguins in 6
#1 Sharks vs. #8 Avalanche	Sharks in 4	Sharks in 4	Sharks in 5	Sharks in 5
#2 Blackhawks vs. #7 Predators	Blackhawks in 7	Blackhawks in 5	Blackhawks in 6	Blackhawks in 6
#3 Canucks vs. #6 Kings	Canucks in 5	Canucks in 7	Canucks in 5	Canucks in 7
#4 Coyotes vs. #5 Red Wings	Red Wings in 5	Red Wings in 6	Red Wings in 6	Red Wings in 6

And newcomer this year, The guys over at Blueshirt Banter:

Series	Jim Schmiedeberg	Joe Fortunato	Ryan McFadden	Nick Montemagno (NYRBlogger)
#1 Capitals vs. #8 Canadiens	Capitals in 4	Capitals in 5	Capitals in 6	Capitals in 4
#2 Devils vs. #7 Flyers	Devils in 5	Devils in 6	Flyers in 7	Devils in 6
#3 Sabres vs. #6 Bruins	Sabres in 6	Sabres in 5	Sabres in 6	Sabres in 7
#4 Penguins vs. #5 Senators	Penguins in 4	Sens in 7	Penguins in 6	Penguins in 5
#1 Sharks vs. #8 Avalanche	Sharks in 4	Sharks in 5	Sharks in 4	Sharks in 5
#2 Blackhawks vs. #7 Predators	Blackhawks in 5	Blackhawks in 6	Blackhawks in 5	Blackhawks in 4
#3 Canucks vs. #6 Kings	Kings in 7	Canucks in 6	Kings in 7	Canucks in 5
#4 Coyotes vs. #5 Red Wings	Coyotes in 6	Coyotes in 7	Coyotes in 7	Coyotes in 6

I will keep standings based on how many correct picks each expert makes. For each correct pick, the expert will receive two standings points. If the expert correctly guesses the winner AND the number of games the series lasts, they will get one additional point.

But Eric, doesn’t that mean there will be a magical third point that is given out sometimes and not others?

Yes, but if it works for the NHL, it works for us.

The standings will be updated as each series is completed.

Is a Winter Classic in Central Park Possible?

Eric — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:16:45 +0000

An artist's rendition has the rink stretching from home plate into center field. (Boston Herald)

A yearly Winter Classic is a great thing for the NHL to have, but what happens a few years from now when they’ve played in a baseball or football stadium for 5-6 years straight? The appeal of the game will dissipate and fewer people are going to tune in.

The NHL is going to have to start looking for different, unique venues to host this game if they want to keep it fresh. And no, I’m not talking about sending the Rangers out to Alaska.

Back in January, Greg Wyshinsky at Puck Daddy wrote about the KHL’s All-Star Game. The game was held outdoors in Moscow’s Red Square.

Wysh floated the idea that the NHL’s Winter Classic might have to eventually move away from the baseball and football fields:

After the triumph at Wrigley, the NHL has a rather logical Winter Classic path in front of it — through Boston and New York, through Happy Valley and Denver, through Minnesota and Detroit. At some point, just to break up the stadium monotony, the notion of playing the game in some sort of untraditional environment will likely be considered.

Like The Mall in DC (and don’t think freezing the Reflecting Pool hasn’t crossed a few minds in the District, no matter how foolhardy the notion). Or Central Park. Or the side of some Colorado mountain. Or some frozen tundra in Minnesota that’ll make the conditions in Buffalo seem like Maui by comparison. In any event, the number of fans that can be crammed into temporary seating for such a game would probably be closer to the KHL’s crowd than Wrigley’s.

While Wysh might have been joking about an outdoor game at Central Park in NYC, why not explore whether or not it is actually plausible to hold an NHL regular season game there?

Ice skating race on The Lake circa 1928. (NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation)

Central Park, for those that don’t know, is located right in the middle of the island of Manhattan and could potentially be a great location for an outdoor NHL game in the future. There are two potential locations in Central Park to build the rink: The Lake and The Great Lawn.

Until the construction of Wollman Rink in 1951, The Lake served as the center of ice skating in the park as far back as the 1850′s and was even the site of at least one curling competition (pdf). While it would be great to literally bring the game back to its roots by playing a game on an actual body of water, the perimeter is almost entirely lined with trees which would make it very difficult to set up seating for fans to watch the game.

The better choice to play a hockey game within Central Park is The Great Lawn. Coming in at over 500,000 square feet (almost nine football fields) and in the shape of an oval, the Great Lawn is the perfect “untraditional” location to set up a Winter Classic. While it is unlikely to break any attendance records, you can bank on the fact that it would attract a lot of attention.

When it comes to setting up a Winter Classic, I would imagine there are some criteria for a location to be eligible to host the game. Jess Rubenstein of The Prospect Park thinks that the three most important criteria are:

Top Ten TV Market
Large Capacity Stadium
Big name players

Let’s see. New York is definitely one of the top ten TV markets in the country and the Rangers will always have big name players. The problem with this Central Park idea seems to always come to capacity. As it is, there’s standing room only. The NHL would have to call in a company to erect temporary seating to surround the rink.

As Scotty Hockey says:

Central Park is an impossibility – no permanent stands, no infrastructure (bathrooms, etc), no national draw. New Yorkers may think that the park is something special but elsewhere, who cares about a spit of land – everyone else has that. If the Winter Classic comes to NY it will be in Yankee Stadium (for the name) or out in what will be the new Giants Stadium (for the capacity).

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it is an impossibility. Central Park has been the site of many large gatherings (See: Simon and Garfunkel, Dave Matthews Band). If the Great Lawn could handle half a million people, I think it could handle 15,000 people (if that) and a hockey rink.

Greg Wyshynski from Puck Daddy brings up the same issue, capacity:

I think the criteria should concern the marketability of the venue—Buffalo was a mulligan because it was the first edition, but going forward the NHL should opt for either iconic venues or huge capacities. Central Park has the first, but not the second. It’s the same issue as using the Mall in DC—the Winter Classic needs 30,000 plus in the stands to really make it special. Can you do that in Central Park?

I would say no, no you can’t. But if the NHL did opt to go with Central Park, would anybody be expecting 30,000 seats to be built? If the NHL was smart, they would market it as really going back to the roots. As close to the pond as you can get. They would make it a cozy, exclusive event.

But the real issue—can you justify holding a game in Central Park over a game in Yankee Stadium with that capacity and fame?

Yankee Stadium as everyone thinks of it, no longer exists. That place is currently being torn down. The current Yankee Stadium is just a Stadium where the Yankees happen to play.

From Cameron Frye:

Name recognition and historical significance are two biggies. The Winter Classic isn’t about hockey, it’s a place to be and to be a part of something.

When they first started talking about bringing the Winter Classic to Boston, they were tossing around the idea at having at Harvard Stadium or Gillette Stadium. Which would be cool, but it doesn’t have the same feeling as say Fenway Park.

Fenway is the oldest ballpark, it’s a historical landmark! We live in a country that hates anything old and tears it down if everyone thinks it’s past its time. I would rather see the Winter Classic played in a setting such as Central Park, then the new Yankee Stadium.

Sure, Derek Jeter may have broken Lou Gehrig’s all time hits record in the new stadium, but Gehrig never considered himself, “The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth” in the new stadium; Don Larsen, David Wells, and David Cone never threw perfect games at the new Yankee Stadium; the Red Sox never overcame a three games to none series deficit to continue on to the World Series in the new stadium.

The point is, there’s little to no history at the new Yankee Stadium and it wouldn’t be the same as holding a Winter Classic in the original Yankee Stadium while it was still open.

While Central Park might not be the optimal location for a Winter Classic based on attendance numbers, it has the chance to be something unique. Something special. And I would much rather see the Rangers break the mold by playing in a Winter Classic on the Great Lawn in Central Park. Not follow suit by playing in Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, or Giants Stadium.

Congrats Leetch!

Eric — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:23:22 +0000

Hey guys, this midget is trying to steal my Conn Smyth!

Today, the NHL announced that Brian Leetch, perhaps the greatest American born defenseman to ever play in the NHL, was voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Brian spent 17 of his 18 NHL seasons with the Rangers and over the years was an 11-time All-Star won the Calder Trophy as rookie-of-the-year in 1989, the Norris Trophy as best defenseman in 1992 and 1997 and the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1994.

I think Greg Wyshynski said it best when he said:

With apologies to Joe Mullen, Chris Chelios and Pat LaFontaine, Leetch is the greatest American-born player in NHL history… I hated him as a Devils fan. That’s the best compliment I can give.

I wonder if this had anything to do with that?

Also inducted were Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull and Luc Robataille.

That sound you just heard was thousands of Sabres fans weeping.

Congratulations again to Brain and all of the other inductees.

Goings on in Rangerville

Eric — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:15:06 +0000

The Rangers have been busy little beavers this week signing Mike Del Zotto (their first round draft pick last year) and Swiss forward Andres Ambühl. Steve Zipay from Blue Notes has more on Ambühl:

Ambühl skated in 50 games with HC Davos of the National League A in Switzerland (NLA) this past season, registering 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points, along with 90 penalty minutes. He established career-highs in games played (50), goals (17), assists (24), points (41), and penalty minutes (90). Ambühl tied for the team lead in scoring and assists, while he finished fourth on the club in goals. In addition, he collected four goals and three assists for seven points in 21 postseason contests, including two goals in the NLA Finals series against the Kloten Flyers to help HC Davos win their fourth NLA championship in the last eight years.

Beyond the Blueshirts writer “Squishy” has labeled him as “Hartford fodder” on the Hockey Rodent’s Messageboard. What this could mean is that he has been brought in just to replace a forward who might make the Rangers roster this season. Perhaps Artem Anisimov?

***

I would like to take this time to talk about everyone complaining about the back-to-back games scheduled on Saturday and Sunday for the Stanley Cup Finals. Stop bitching. It has been known since April that games 1 and 2 would be back to back, even if the finals started on June 5. Why is it that no one can be content with any decission the NHL makes? Gary Bettman is nothing special, but NBC has control in this one. According to Puck Daddy, Greg Wyshynski:

But the sitcoms and the reality shows get better ratings. And NBC doesn’t want triple-OT screwing with its local news or Conan’s first week on “The Tonight Show.” That’s the sad reality. And as someone who feels it important to have the NHL’s championship round on broadcast television in the U.S. — like the NBA, NFL and MLB do — then you take what’s given to you by the broadcasting partner. NBC wanted the first two games of the playoffs and they didn’t want them on a weekday.

Sad as it may be, NBC has the final word on this one. If the players don’t like or can’t play back to back games, they don’t belong in the NHL. Go play in Europe where there are no back-to-back games and you can be the best player in the entire league.

Taking on the Experts – Conference Finals Edition

Eric — Sun, 17 May 2009 18:11:08 +0000

Throughout the playoffs, we will be predicting the winners of each series and comparing our picks to those of the experts around the sporting world.

Here are our predictions for the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs:

Series	Eric	Marc	Rory
#5 Penguins vs. #6 Hurricanes	Hurricanes in 7	Penguins in 7	Hurricanes in 7
#2 Red Wings vs. #4 Blackhawks	Blackhawks in 7	Red Wings in 6	Blackhawks in 7

ESPN‘s Expert Picks:

TSN’s Expert Picks:

Yes folks, were taking on Maggie the Monkey

*We trust that Mr. McKenzie will have his pick for the Pens-Canes series before the game starts tomorrow. We will update his picks when they become available. Also, it appears that Peter Laviolette–with his 7-5 record–has given up on being an Expert so Ray Ferraro has taken his place. Their points will be combined and they shall be referred to as “The LavioRaros,” which is sorta like The GiaWigs.

Yahoo! Sports Expert Picks:

Series	Jim Fox	Ross McKeon	Matt Romig	Greg Wyshynski
#5 Penguins vs. #6 Hurricanes	Penguins in 6	Penguins in 5	Penguins in 6	Penguins in 6
#2 Red Wings vs. #5 Blackhawks	Red Wings in 6	Red Wings in 6	Red Wings in 6	Blackhawks in 7

I will keep standings based on how many corrects picks each expert makes. For each correct pick, the expert will receive 1 standings point. If the expert correctly guesses the winner and the number of games the series will last, they will get 2 points. The TSN experts didn’t bother to say how many games each series would take so they can’t get any bonus points. Sucks to be TSN!

Current Standings

Previous Rounds: Round 1 | Round 2

Taking on the “Experts” – Round 2

Eric — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 21:35:41 +0000

Throughout the playoffs, we will be predicting the winners of each series and comparing our picks to those of the experts around the sporting world.

Here are our predictions for the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs:

Series	Eric	Marc	Rory
#1 Bruins vs. #6 Hurricanes	Bruins in 6	Bruins in 5	Bruins in 6
#2 Capitals vs. #5 Penguins	Penguins in 5	Penguins in 6	Penguins in 7*
#2 Red Wings vs. #8 Ducks	Ducks in 7	Red Wings in 5	Red Wings in 6
#3 Canucks vs. #4 Blackhawks	Blackhawks in 5	Canucks in 7	Canucks in 7

*Hopefully the Mellon Arena will collapse and there will be no survivors.

ESPN‘s Expert Picks:

TSN’s Expert Picks:

Yes folks, were taking on Maggie the Monkey

Yahoo! Sports Expert Picks:

Series	Jim Fox	Ross McKeon	Matt Romig	Greg Wyshynski
#1 Bruins vs. #6 Hurricanes	Bruins in 6	Bruins in 5	Bruins in 6	Bruins in 6
#2 Capitals vs. #5 Penguins	Penguins in 5	Penguins in 7	Penguins in 6	Penguins in 6
#2 Red Wings vs. #8 Ducks	Red Wings in 6	Red Wings in 5	Red Wings in 7	Red Wings in 7
#3 Canucks vs. #4 Blackhawks	Canucks in 5	Blackhawks in 6	Canucks in 6	Canucks in 5

Current Standings

Previous Rounds: Round 1

Taking on the “Experts”

Eric — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:27:57 +0000

Throughout the playoffs, we will be predicting the winners of each series and comparing our picks to those of the experts around the sporting world.

Here are our predictions for the First round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs:

Series	Eric	Marc	Rory
#1 Bruins vs. #8 Habs	Bruins in 5	Bruins in 7	Bruins in 5
#2 Capitals vs. #7 Capitals	Rangers in 6	Rangers in 6	Capitals in 7
#3 Devils vs. #6 Hurricanes	Hurricanes in 6	Hurricanes in 6	Hurricanes in 6
#4 Penguins vs. #5 Flyers	Penguins in 5	Penguins in 5	Penguins in 7
#1 Sharks vs. #8 Ducks	Sharks in 6	Sharks in 6	Sharks in 5
#2 Red Wings vs. #7 Blue Jackets	Red Wings in 5	Red Wings in 5	Red Wings in 6
#3 Canucks vs. #6 Blues	Blues in 7	Blues in 7	Blues in 7
#4 Blackhawks vs. #5 Flames	Blackhawks in 5	Blackhawks in 5	Blackhawks in 7

ESPN‘s Expert Picks:

TSN’s Expert Picks:

Yes folks, were taking on Maggie the Monkey

Yahoo! Sports Expert Picks:

Series	Jim Fox	Ross McKeon	Matt Romig	Greg Wyshynski
#1 Bruins vs. #8 Habs	Bruins in 5	Bruins in 7	Bruins in 6	Bruins in 5
#2 Capitals vs. #7 Capitals	Capitals in 5	Capitals in 5	Capitals in 6	Capitals in 6
#3 Devils vs. #6 Hurricanes	Devils in 6	Devils in 6	Hurricanes in 7	Hurricanes in 6
#4 Penguins vs. #5 Flyers	Penguins in 7	Flyers in 6	Penguins in 7	Penguins in 7
#1 Sharks vs. #8 Ducks	Sharks in 6	Sharks in 6	Sharks in 6	Sharks in 7
#2 Red Wings vs. #7 Blue Jackets	Red Wings in 6	Red Wings in 5	Red Wings in 5	Red Wings in 7
#3 Canucks vs. #6 Blues	Canucks in 6	Canucks in 5	Canucks in 7	Blues in 6
#4 Blackhawks vs. #5 Flames	Flames in 6	Flames in 7	Flames in 6	Blackhawks in 6