Ed Man Chuck

Friday May 23, 2008 @ 05:38 PM EDT

In the past couple of years, “Pypes” has made appearances in various TV shows such as The L Word, Cane, and Brothers & Sisters. He loves to cheer on his Vancouver Canucks but lived for a short time in Calgary, AB, and will be providing commentary on his second favorite team, the Calgary Flames, throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs.


Home again Home again jiggity jig. My absence is directly related to the long hours of a job. I went to University in this here town, U of Eh! Oh the tales I could tell. Not a prodigal son by any means. I returned to shoot an episode of an anthology series for NBC titled, “Fear Itself”, one hour horror thrillers for late nite prime time. I’m teaming up with the Network that airs the Stanley Cup Play Offs on Sundays afternoons on the United State Side of the 49th Parallel.


NBC. High Five! Down Low! Too slow! As an added bonus, it seems the executive Producer Andrew Deanne, was once a journalist for the Hockey News, reporting mostly on the Bruins. How do you like them apples?


Fate my fickle friend has transported me from Tinsel Town to the City of Champions. S’right I find myself in Edmonton Alberta, home of the Oil, where once a Christopher Pronger played a Stanley Cup final and then ran his own self out of town, go figure, the streets still alive with innuendo and gossip. The City of Champions so dubbed itself as it seemed no one or rather no team could topple their dynasty in the 80’s. Well other than an accidental goal , D’oh! Look who put the puck in their own net! Paving the way for the arch nemesis Flames’ first Stanley Cup final and then the departure of the Great One, left the Oil Lord Stanley-less for another year but gave the Flames their first Cup. Ah Alberta! The Hatfields and McCoys.


So I have bared witness to CBC feeds of the last round and went into a heavy depression when Team Canada fell to the Russians in overtime. Then just when it looked like Dallas had resurrected itself, they too stumbled and departed the play offs.


So we await the dropping of the puck for the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals!


I ponder this word, Dynasty, or rather the Shape of Things to Come. As it seems inevitable we will be watching two teams loaded with talent, the Wings and the Pens battle for a sixteen win post season. Let us give pause and take note that either of these teams may very well return again and again and again and in fact be facing one another. Pretty darned exciting


Detroit may well have finally shaken the dreaded choke monkey off their back, I know they’ve won three Lord Stanleys, in the last thirty years, brought to you by Bowman, Bowman and Bowman, even so, you die hard Detroit fans hang your heads in woe and recall staring into the abyss after so many disappointing post seasons, where more was to be expected. On paper they have always looked dominant but then the post season arrives and something in the machine malfunctions, and it’s not under warranty, beyond repair and they topple. This year, The Hasek was dismissed like Evander Holyfield in one of his many last fights, and all’s good with Osgood who kept the car on the road.


Aye, but here is the rub. Cast me in the role of Brutus, Western Conference fans, because never before has a Stanley Cup Captain come from overseas, and although I deeply believe in world peace, yeah…. just don’t think it’s going to happen this year. What with China and Tibet and that whole mess not to mention Global warming and all, Hell ain’t freezing over anytime soon. So I am rooting for the Kidd in ‘08. Lidstrom’s gonna have to wait a year or two to be first in line to hoist the bowl of Bowls, and break the North American Captaincy barrier.


Guaranteed to be a heck of a series, the birds that don’t fly versus the rubber tires with wings, sounds like a twisted fairy tale, and the happy ending goes to the Pens. And I am entertain taking the time to travel to the Ice Berg or even the Joe to catch a game or
two. See you in the Finals.

Pens in 7

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