Even though the Rangers are out of the playoffs, there is still plenty of hockey to watch. Break Up Day for many Ranger fans means popping on to their favorite message boards for some hot stove buzz. Not this hockey fan. I am intrigued by each Conference Final. The best part of watching the rest of the playoffs is that I can enjoy it without that knot in the pit of my stomach. I do not have a vested interest in who wins or loses. This makes makes for dispassionate, calm viewing. No pressure, just fun.

Sure, Ranger fans still viewing may have their preferences as to the outcome of each series. Personally, I would like to see the Flyers take down the Penguins and the Red Wings give the Stars the gate. I want the Flyers to take down the Penguins because of the bad taste left in my mouth after the Rangers series with Sid the Squid diving and whining. But this Flyer team should be less loathsome to Ranger fans than anytime since its inception. The tainted paw prints of Bobby Clarke are finally off this franchise. 

The 2007-2008 Flyers are a rags to riches story that the NHL should be selling the hell out of. Paul Holmgren and the coaching staff have done a tremendous job with this team. The Flyers are in the Eastern Conference final one year after finishing dead last in the league. They had to fight tooth and nail just to make the playoffs. They played a terrific series to eliminate Ovechkin and the Capitals in the first round of the playoffs. The Flyers then defied all odds by eliminating the mighty Montreal Canadians in five games.

What can you say about the Detroit Red Wings? Year in and out they finish at the top of the league for a reason. From their owner on down, this is the classiest organization in the NHL. While they haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 2002, they have won the President’s Trophy four times since. What the Wings have more them any other team in the league is balance. Even if the Wings are down by three goals in a game, you can never count them out.

In the first of the Conference finals games, the Wings trounced Dallas. It was a pretty embarrassing game which the Red Wings won 4-1. It was like watching the Red Wings take Turco and the Stars to hockey school. While some may think total domination is boring, the vacationing Rangers should do themselves a favor and watch the Red Wings powerplay.  They could learn much.

I’ll be checking in here to comment on these playoffs as they move forward. I am rooting for the Red Wings to take it all so I can watch the amazing play of Franzen, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Lidstrom, Holmstrom, Kronwell et. al. well into June. Enjoy the Playoffs!