Road to the Cup

So, bowing to the interminable pressure of being Canucks, we’ve come up with a brand new show for all you puck heads and stick jocks out there. Road to the Cup is the new, definitive, all-you-ever-cared-to-know-about-NHL Playoffs-but-were-afraid-to-ask chat show where your opinions may very well change the course of the next few playoff series.

Or at least change the mind of a committed Blue Jackets fan...

I’m not going to lie to you; I’m extremely superstitious when it comes to hockey, especially when it comes to my beloved Canadiens. I know, I know – I’ve heard it all before – washed up, past their prime, old news, former glory. It’s all noise to me. The Habs are more than just a dynasty – they’ve transcended our national pastime into a whole new realm of fanatical devotion.

Don’t believe me?

Consider that the Habs and Leafs will never be able to face each other in an NHL final again, and haven’t since 1967, yet the rivalry is as strong as ever. Not convinced? How about the Montreal fascination with rioting when the Habs win a quarter-final series, let alone the Cup. Yep, there’s always something magical in the air when it comes to hockey in Canada. Well, magical or insane – it’s so hard to tell sometimes. Regardless, my superstition has convinced me that if I watch the Habs in the first round they’ll lose. I know it’s silly, but who am I to play around with superstitions.

Better play it safe...

With TXT-TV’s Road to the Cup, we’re giving you the opportunity to weigh in, and it looks like there will be plenty to talk about. As it stands the Habs are moving on to battle the Penguins. And in the realm of unlikely matches, the Vancouver Canucks (admittedly, my second favourite team – I’m sure you can tell which side of the border I think Lord Stanley’s Cup belongs on) will face off against the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Semi-Finals.

The playoffs so far have had its fair share of drama, come-from-behind victories and unlikely eliminations, and already sports-fans have been exercising their thumbs telling me why it might be time for Martin Brodeur to think about coaching. A potential ‘Battle for Pennsylvania’ may be in the works, as Steel-Town heroes try their luck against the Broad Street Bullies. If you ever wondered about that Simpsons reference to the starting line-up of the 1976 Philadelphia Flyers, all I can say is that they did their homework.

Those guys were brutal.

Hockey is more than just a game in this country, and despite the lame jokes, I’m glad what happens on the ice makes its way to the water-cooler, the bus stop, the school yard and every pub you can think of. Hockey is political and it’s always seemed to me that the game often reflects the struggles of our lives, the issues we deal with, and that’s why it will generate conversation long after the game is done.

With that in mind, you know why you need to get in on the text messaging action; may as well adapt the national pastime for the 21st century, eh?