… A reason to dust off the ol’ ‘Vote for Pekka’ shirt! (a big thank you to Joseph Houk for digging this gem of a picture of me from the archives!)

Folks, this is a friendly public service announcement to visit the NHL13 Cover Vote website to cast your vote for the incomparable Pekka Rinne to appear on the cover of NHL13. He’s up against some stiff competition in Flyers forward Claude Giroux, Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin and, wait, New York Islanders forward John Tavares? In other words, he’s up against Giroux and Malkin for the coveted spot on this years EA Sports cover.

Ah yes. We’ve reached that time of the playoffs when the second tier of the Calder Cup bracket is filled in and eight ousted teams call in their tee times at the local golf course. That’s right, people. We’ve reached the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs.

I know a lot of the Milwaukee fans have checked out of the post-season after the Admirals were eliminated by the Heat via a first round sweep (the pain is too great, I understand completely folks), but take comfort in the fact that your nemesis to the south was also knocked out of the playoffs.

With Chicago and Milwaukee making early exits, there are no teams representing the Midwest Division in the second round. Three of the advancing teams are from the West Division, including 1st seed Oklahoma City, 4th seed Abbotsford and 6th seed San Antonio. Second seed Toronto rounds out the Western Conference second round, and hails from the great white North Division.

Here is a quick look at the two series, as well as my prediction of who will advance. I’ve come to these conclusions after hours of quantified research, hundreds of pages of notes and countless sleepless nights… or perhaps its my lucky guesses after a morning cup of coffee…

Toronto (2) vs. Abbotsford (4)

How they got here? Toronto swept the North Division Rochester Americans (4-3, 4-3, 3-0), while Abbotsford, well… we don’t need to talk about it… but it was a sweep too… (6-2, 4-2, 4-2)

Scoring Standouts Heat forward Krys Kolanos tallied a whopping 8 points in three games, good for second among post-season AHL scorers. The Marlies are also represented in the top ten, with forward Jerry D’Amigo ranking seventh with 6 points.

Even Goaltending Toronto and Abbotsford have a goaltender in the top five, ranking 3rd and 4th respectively. Marlies goaltender Ben Scrivens and Heat goaltender Danny Taylor both have a 2.00 GAA.

Advantage Maybe its because I witnessed the number they did on the Admirals in person, but I’ve got to give the advantage to the Heat. The Kolanos line is a force to be reckoned with, and people like Greg Nemisz, Ben Walter and Clay Wilson have lit up the scoring stats as well. Danny Taylor’s not so bad either…

Prediction Abbotsford in 6

Oklahoma City (1) vs. San Antonio (6)

How they got here? Oklahoma City took their series against Houston in four games (5-0, 4-1, 0-1,5-2), while San Antonio took game five against Chicago to earn their spot in the second round (5-4, 4-3, 2-3, 1-3, 3-2)

Scoring Standouts San Antonio forward Jon Matsumoto leads the league in post-season points with 9 (3g-6a). No one from the Oklahoma City roster made the top ten, in fact, no one shows up until 18th with forward Mark Arcobello with 5 points (1g-4a).

Goaltending Matchup Oklahoma boasts one of the best goaltenders in the league in Yann Danis. Danis was ranked 2nd overall amongst AHL goaltenders during the regular season, and holds the 2nd position during the post-season with an impressive .924 GAA. Former Admiral Dov Grumet-Morris ranks 5th in the post-season with .892 GAA, but only  played in two games during the first round. Grumet-Morris played for Milwaukee during the 2007-2008 season.

Advantage Oklahoma had an outstanding regular season and is clearly a top contender for the cup this year. But there is something about San Antonio that makes me want to give them a slight advantage in my prediction. Then again, you can’t argue with the superb goaltending of Yann Danis.

Prediction San Antonio in 7

There you have it folks, my predictions for the Western Conference second round. And it didn’t even take an entire cup of coffee to get through. So tell me, what are your thoughts on the second round? I predict two upsets…

What is the Conacher cringe you ask? It’s the knee-jerk reaction with symptoms that include a shoulder hunch and eye squint whenever I read stories like this, or this, or especially this. When Eric wears his Milwaukee Admirals Conacher jersey, the Conacher cringe also causes me to slap him in the arm or issue a forceful shove into the nearest inanimate object.

Why you ask?

You see, Cory Conacher, who is arguably one of the best players in the American Hockey League, was a Milwaukee Admiral. In fact, he scored 5 points (3g-2a) in five games leading up to last years postseason. With no offer in sight from Milwaukee, Conacher signed with the ‘other’ Admirals over in the Eastern Conference. You know, that team from Norfolk that just set an AHL record of most consecutive wins…29 WINS IN A ROW?

*face palm*

The 22-year old Burlington, Ontario native racked up an impressive 80 points (39g-41a) during the 2011-2012 regular season, landing him second among AHL scorers league wide.

*cringe*

Why oh why did Milwaukee let him get away? Imagine the glory that is 39 goals that could’ve been on the board for Milwaukee? He went from Milwaukee, where he was carted between the Ads and their ECHL farm team in Cincinnati, to being the AHL rookie of the year in the matter of a single season!

*CRINGE*

I know, I know, he has a pretty good support staff in Norfolk. Out of the top ten 2011-2012 regular season scorers, three of them are out of the Norfolk organization. Conacher sits second, while teammates Trevor Smith (69) and Tyler Johnson (68) sit sixth and seventh respectively.

In any case, he would’ve been really nice to have on the Milwaukee roster. Really nice….

People have been asking my opinion on the last minute extra-circular activity Predators captain Shea Weber partook in during last night’s 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on the opening night of playoff hockey.

If I had to sum my thoughts up into one sentence, it would be this:

NOT COOL, SHEA, NOT COOL…

I don’t get it. There were just seconds left in the game. The play had pretty well broken up, put you go over and make a point to bash Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg head into a wall. Worst. Idea. Ever. I expect more out of you, Shanaban, I expected at least a game. But $2500? $2500 to the $7 million man is like losing a nickel under my car seat. This hit, or shall I say hits, were totally out of line, and I thinkthe NHL made a gross misstep. This was a blatant action by Weber, he knew darn well what he was doing, and for Shanahan to let him get off with solely a fine sends a clear message that it’s a free-for-all in the playoffs. They are setting the tone for how players will be disciplined in the post-season, and it’s not a good one.

There is a great article over on Puck Daddy about the hit, as well as quotes directly from the locker rooms via my fellow Examiner, Predators Examiner Jim Diamond’s article.

If I were Barry Trotz, I’d be concerned about retaliation in game 2. There is this guy on the Red Wings, you may have heard of him, his name is Todd Bertuzzi…

Oh, and by the way, yes, I am aware that this is not the actual Predators logo. No need to send me emails with the real Preds logo attached. I just couldn’t help myself.

In the late 1990′s, Gary Bettman had a vision of grandure. A vision that would bring professional ice hockey to places people spent their days entrenched in football and sun tan lotion. In 1996, pro hockey moved from hockey hot bed Winnipeg, Manitoba to, well, hot bed Phoenix, Arizona. A few years later, the Atlanta Thrashers got an expansion team of their very own (which has since relocated to… Winnipeg! The circle of life is complete!) Is Bettman fully responsible for these odd choices of markets? Not exactly, but I can’t pass up an opportunity for a slight jab at the commissioner whenever humanly possible…

Over the past few years, rumors have swirled about the great city Glendale in regards to the Coyotes future in Arizona. One week they are being bought by a multi-millionaire and moved to Hamilton, the next week, they are being dismantled and turned into a synchronized skating troupe to perform in the greater Cleveland area.

Recently, news surfaced that San Fransisco-based hedge fund manager Chris Hansen is investing $290 million (plus the cost overruns, plus purchasing and NBA team and relocation fee…) towards a new arena in Seattle, Washington just south of Safeco Field (home of the MLB’s Seattle Mariners). The vision for this arena is to home a relocated NBA team as well as an NHL team.

Luckily for me, I have a sportswriter connection in the great city of Seattle, so I had the perfect source to approach as soon as the news surfaced. Most of you have heard is voice, as he is the ‘Insider’ for On the Ice radio, a show I’ve been a guest on to discuss the Nashville Predators. His name is Steve Silver, and he’s a sportswriter for NWsportsbeat.com, covering the MLB Mariners and NFL Seahawks. As soon as you are done reading this literary gem of an article, check out his stuff. There is a reason they call him Insider Steve….

Silver gave me a ton of in-depth information, but I think there were three sentences that really summed up how real this Seattle rumor is:

“The fans in this city have the understanding the Coyotes are Seattle’s future property. It’s a matter of securing an owner. We understand the process may take a couple years, but the buzz for the Coyotes is real.”

My first thought on a possible Seattle pro hockey team was “What about Vancouver?” The two cities are around 140 miles apart from each other, is there a big enough hockey market to justify two franchises in that small of an area? According to Silver, I can put that concern to rest, as there isn’t a tremendous amount of Canucks coverage in Seattle, in fact, the Canucks are broadcasted in Seattle on a channel that most don’t get without premium packages.

With the city confident they could attract the Coyotes franchise to their market, the problem lies in the fact that before an arena will be built, an NBA team needs to be secured:

“When this arena proposal was first made public with a press conference at city hall 4 weeks ago, the cities powers that be made it known that shovels will not be put in the ground until both an NBA and NHL team was secured. In the weeks that followed, (prospective investor Chris) Hansen, as well as Mayor Mike McGinn, have appeared on local sports radio. Both made it clear the city of Seattle would sign off on the arena deal if only one team was secured. When asked if that meant the NBA, Hansen said that was correct. Then when asked if an NHL team was the first to be secured would the shovels go into the ground, Hansen said the arena deal is solely for the return of the NBA.”

One team Silver mentioned as a possible tenant for the new arena is the Milwaukee Bucks. I haven’t heard anything of the such, but then again this is Basketball Babe Milwaukee so I’m not exactly the authority on Bucks information. This guy, however, thinks it’s high time for the Bucks to move out west. And according to his very scientific poll, 57% of people feel the same way…

The Coyotes were first rumored to be moving several seasons ago, so clearly there are a lot of hoops to jump through before this franchise moves anywhere. While Seattle waits for an NBA team to return, I asked Silver if he was worried about another city snatching up the Phoenix team. Turns out the bigger concern is that Phoenix will find a buyer to keep them in Glendale. The name Jerry Reinsdorf has surfaced again as a potential buyer for the team, which is the same Jerry Reinsdorf that withdrew an offer for the franchise back in in June of 2008. Other cities that have expressed interest in the Coyotes franchise include Hamilton, Quebec City and Toronto (because one problematic team in the city limits just isn’t enough!).

Bottom line, NHL hockey is a great fit for the city of Seattle. As Silver said, it’s a great sports town, and rumors of NHL hockey have swirled about the city for the past 25 years. With it’s close proximity to Vancouver and San Jose, it seems like an ideal choice to place a team. I think I speak for everyone when I say seriously, I cannot watch another Sharks vs. Kings game. Enough is enough, give Seattle their hockey!

—

Check out Steve Silver on twitter @InsiderSteve and at nwsportsbeat.com

Here in Milwaukee…

Special guests to be signing national anthem at Friday night’s Admirals game (March 22nd)

Admirals two points closer to playoff spot in 3-2 win over Bulldogs (March 23rd)

Despite final minute goal, IceHogs down Admirals 3-2 in the shootout (March 25th)

This Week in Nashville…

Predators GM David Poile: Alex Radulov reunion ‘absolutely’ about enticing Suter, Weber to stay in Nashville (Puck Daddy)

At first glance, one would think that bringing back Alexander Radulov after a four year absense was simply to make a push to go deep in the playoffs. But it was actually also a sneaky move by David Poile and company to entice names such as Shea Weber and Ryan Suter to stay in the Music City.

Wednesday’s notes: Alexander Radulov walks through that door (ontheforecheck.com)

No seriously, that’s what the title of the article is. And the video in the article is of, you guessed it, ALEXANDER RADULOV WALKING THROUGH THAT DOOR (that door being the door at the airport to be precise.) Generally speaking, :52 videos of hockey players walking through the door at the local airport isn’t exactly newsworthy, however, the return of Radulov is a return that trumps Crosby’s return from his concussion. It’s been 4 years of seeing Radulov’s name on the ‘In the system’ list and wondering what the future held for him in regards to the Nashville Predators. Seeing him walk through the door at Nashville International with a smile on his face shows Preds fans he’s back, and happy to be here.

Darcy Hordichuk reflects back on his friendship with Alexander Radulov (Nashville Predators Examiner)

Fellow Examiner Jim Diamond wrote a neat little piece on former Pred Darcy Hordichuk and his friendship with Alexander Radulov. Both suffer from ADD, and the affliction is what brought the quote unquote odd couple together.

Around the rest of the world of hockey…

Penguins absorb first regulation loss since Feb 19th (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

And boy did the ever… They got their arses handed to them by the 7th place Eastern Conference Ottawa Senators. The easy thing to go would have been to blame 26-year old rookie goaltender Brad Thiessen, who made just 20 of 28 saves in Pittsburgh’s 8-4 loss to the Sens. The article is great, but the comments people made below are just as good as the write-up itself. Instead of blaming Thiessen (who made just his 4th NHL start in the loss), I think it is more appropriate to blame national anthem singer Measha Grueggergosman for the showing… (see below).

Tonight’s “O Canada” Before Pens-Sens Game Was So Bad Players Were Laughing Before It Finished (deadspin.com)

Instead of chiming in with some witty commentary, I think I’ll just let the clip speak for itself…

Without going to a large scale song and dance number about how I am a Penguins fan, I just want to let you know…I’m a Penguins fan. I’ll spare you the details on my favorite piece of Pens memorabilia in my collection, and I’ll bypass the details of the wedding to celebrate my marriage to Mario Lemieux I had planned when I was 8… just know that I am a Penguins fan.

With that said, who the bleep is James Neal and where the bleep did he come from?!

When you think about the black and gold, you generally think Malkin, Fleury and that one guy who’s name begins with an S and ends with an idney Crosby. Not once have I heard “OH MY GOSH! I CAN’T WAIT TO GO TO THE PENGUINS GAME AND SEE JAMES NEAL”.

He’s had a nice season thus far, scoring 35 goals and 41 assists in 73 games. But he’s really turned it on in the last two games for the Pens. Last night against Nashville, the 24-year old Whitby, Ontario native scored 4 assists in the Pens 5-1 win over the Nashville Predators. On Tuesday night, he churned out an impressive 3 goals and an assist in the teams 8-4 whomping on the Winnipeg Jets.

Fans here in Milwaukee got to see Neal in action when he spent a year with the AHL Iowa Stars back during the 2007-2008 season. In 62 games with the Dallas Stars farm team, Neal tallied 18 goals and 19 assists. Needless to say, he’s come a long way since his AHL days. His 35 goals and 76 points on the year is good for 4th in the entire NHL. Impressive, right?

As I look over Neal news, I’m making several mental notes to nab Neal early in the IWDHL fantasy hockey draft in September. Unfortunately, this reigning champion GM didn’t qualify for the playoffs this year, so I have plenty of time to devise a brand new team to take back my crown…

Normally I take Monday mornings (or lately nights…) to recap the past week of happenings in the hockey world.

Emphasis on normally…

If you are a Nashville Predators fan, you’ve spent the last week with your ear pressed against the east waiting to here if the KHL and a certain someone from the Preds past had reached an agreement as to where the said person will play the rest of the 2012 season. That’s right, folks. Radulov Watch 2012 has commenced and is in full effect!

Instead of the normal roundup of all things hockey, this week, it’s all things Alexander. There is tons of different news coming out of every corner of the world regarding Radulov’s return to the NHL, so I’ve rounded up the best  and put it in one spot for you to enjoy. After you’re done checking out the following stories, head over to the Hockey Gal Milwaukee facebook page and let us know what YOU think of A-Rads return to Nashville!

Report: Alexander Radulov set to return to the Nashville Predators this season (ontheforecheck.com)

If you don’t have ontheforecheck.com bookmarked, I suggest you do so now. Whenever news breaks about the Predators, this is the very first site I hit. After the Radulov news surfaced, Dirk and the boys were my first stop on the internet. This article is a little of everything, a little news from Russia, a little Barry Trotz (no pun intended, of course), a little Pavel Lysenkov and a lot of information on the talks between Radulov and the KHL.

Trotz hopes to have Radulov in lineup by Thursday (NHL.com)

Generally speaking, NHL.com articles don’t make the cut for MMRU. However, today is an exception. NHL.com correspondent Curtis Zupke does a nice job of putting this rare occurrence of a contract situation in plain English.

5 Reasons to Be Excited for Alexander Radulov’s Possible Return to the NHL (bleacherreport.com)

I think slide one pretty much sums it up: The Predators will be downright scary

Radulov’s potential return to Nashville riles NHL GMs (cbc.ca)

Of course it did… Did you really think teams like St. Louis and Detroit were going to be lining up to high five Poile and the gang?

Fetisov: Don’t judge Radulov over NHL return (RIA Novosti)

There are a lot of opinions swirling about Radulov’s motivation for returning to North America… but former Red Wing Slava Fetisov urges folks on both sides of the pond to with hold judgement on the 25-year old forward.

Will Radulov make Predators best in the West? (USA Today)

Yes, Kevin Allen, there is a strong possibility he may.

Is Radulov’s return to Nashville a short one? (ontheforecheck.com)

Before we get too excited about the possible point-producing firestorm headed for the Music City, Dirk Hoag brings us back to earth with a compilation of tweets from Dmitry Chesnokov, a Russian hockey journalist. I’m pretty sure the title of this article speaks for itself…

And lastly, a parting gift from Salavat Yulayev fans (via @SlavaMalamud)… (click here to see the picture)

Is somebody posted at the arrival board at the Nashville International Airport? Someone keep an eye on those incoming flights from mother Russia for cryin’ out loud!

Why?

I had a flashback to 2008 when the coveted Memorial Cup busted in half in the hands of WHL Spokane Chiefs captain Chris Bruton after the team defeated the OHL Kitchener Rangers 4-1.

Granted that trophy was just a replica, as the real trophy resides safely at the Hockey Hall of Fame, but still…

Speaking of busted hardware, Canucks forward Daniel Sedin was on the receiving end of a broken trophy this past summer. He won the Ted Lindsay award during the NHL Award show in late June, but unfortunately, the trophy’s crowning jewel (a hockey player), had his stick broken somewhere between last years recipient Alex Ovechkin and the awards stage. Gold stars and brownie points to Sedin, who cleverly held the trophy together in the post-show picture.

I’m happy to report the Broadmoor didn’t suffer any structural damage last night, and here’s to hoping the rest of the trophies around the world of hockey remain in tact as the are raised in the coming months!

On a side note, yes, I know, I’ve been sparse lately. My big girl job has kept me quite busy, including a trip to Florida earlier in the week. Scouts honor that I’ll commence posting regularly this week. As a token of my appreciation for your patience, I snapped a picture this excellent public service message from the American Hotel and Lodging Association that played every time I turned the TV on in my hotel room. A great message made even greater by the fact the woman is wearing a shoulder-padded power suit on a Life Touch background from 1982.

Is it seriously Monday already? Freshen up that cup of coffee and enjoy some of the weeks best news gems from around the hockey world. And bonus! At the end of this weeks list of ‘must-reads’, you’ll find a new little feature called “Tweet of of Week”. Now if only the weekend would come as fast as Mondays did…

Here in Milwaukee… (via Milwaukee Admirals Examiner)

Admirals sink Rivermen 3-2 (February 29th)

Admirals fall 3-1 to IceHogs; marks 4th straight loss to Rockford (March 2nd)

Admirals sail away with a 6-0 win over the Wolves (March 3rd)

This week in Nashville…

Brian McGrattan speaks on alcoholism (VIDEO) (ontheforecheck.com)

Normally, the only video you’d see of 30-year old Nashville Predators forward Brian McGrattan is one that involved a five-minute major, but Dirk Hoag posted a video on his ontheforecheck.com site of Brian McGrattan speaking publicly about his struggle with alcoholism.

Hal Gill returns to Nashville after a brief trip to Montreal (Nashville Predators Examiner)

Fellow examiner Jim Diamond highlighted Hal Gills return to Montreal for a few days with the family. It’s the 6’7 blueliners first trip back to Montreal since he was traded to the Predators back on February 17th. It’s always nice to read articles that remind us that hockey players are regular people too.

Around the rest of the world of hockey….

Mike Milbury and Jeremy Roenick Nearly Came To Blows On NBC Sports Tonight (deadspin.com)

@stoutguy29 Oh no Sis! Your two favorite people in the world! Two professionals you wish to emulate!

My brother tweeted the above to me a few days ago with a link to this story/video. Basically, the two commentators got at each other while arguing over a hit on Penguins defenseman Kris Letang. The situation happened Wednesday night in Dallas, when Stars forward Eric Nystrom shouldered Letang, who had bent over to go for the puck on the Pittsburgh end. The hit left Letang on the ice for several minutes, and the argument between Milbury and Roenick was on the severity of the hit. At least Jeremy didn’t pull out the telestrator for this one…

“Fire Wilson” chant last straw (Toronto Sun)

Apparently, a text from Leafs GM Brian Burke is all Ron Wilson needed to know he no longer had a job in Toronto.

After the Leafs got their eighth loss in nine contests, it was clear Ron Wilson’s shelf life with the blue and white had expired. The article does a nice job of walking readers through the decision and delivery of Wilson’s firing.

Erie Otters forward emergency replacement in net (thestar.com)

This may be the first time in the history of hockey that a goaltender lets in 13 goals on 46 shots and earns first star of the game. 17-year old Erie Otters forward Connor Crisp was forced to step in as emergency goalie for the Otters after goaltender Ramis Sadikov left the game after a collision. With their other goaltender on the mend from a head injury earlier in the week, Crisp put pads on and manned the pipes in order to prevent the Otters from forfeiting the contest. Thirteen goals is a pretty respectable performance from a guy who hasn’t played all season due to injury AND hasn’t played in goal since he was 5 years old.

Devin Setoguchi Shooutout Blooper

I feel like this pretty much sums up the entire 2011-2012 season for the Wild…

TWEET OF THE WEEK