The quest for the Cup begins

The Warriors of the Four Feathers begin their quest for Lord Stanley's Mug  tonight against the team with the lamest name in professional sports, the Minnesota Wild.

Hawks in five.

The Pens are the favorites to win the Cup, for some reason. Personally, I think what was true of the regular season will also be true of the playoffs: as Crow goes, so go the Blackhawks. In any short series, goaltending can be decisive- and this year, the Hawks have the best goaltending around.

So far, anyway.

Thus begins the most enjoyable six weeks in professional sports (if you happen to be a follower of one of the NHL's stronger teams, anyway).  A fifth Stanley Cup banner in the rafters of the United Center would do wonders for the decor.