A different time of year

Friday May 16, 2008 @ 05:40 PM EDT

Welcome to the official NHL Connect page for Michelle Stafford. Michelle is an Emmy-winning actress on The Young & the Restless. An avid hockey fan, Michelle has served as a Stanley Cup correspondent for “The Best Damn Sports Show Period” on Fox Sports. She is excited to blog about the San Jose Sharks for the Stanley Cup Playoffs


So first, for Pittsburgh and Philly, I have a couple things to say:


During the playoffs I always find when the players or the commentators talk about lucky bounces, I think “what is that exactly?” And it’s usually the guys who lost the game talking about the guys who won.


In anything, even in my job, you can be given a great role, but you can screw it up. And if those guys weren’t there to get that lucky bounce, then the other team wouldn’t be sitting there talking about it. You have to get lucky to be good, but hey…you have to be good to get lucky.


I remember when the Ducks went to the Final, I remember the opposing teams and the commentators were talking about the “lucky bounces” the Ducks were getting, en route to a Stanley Cup Final appearance. I remember think at that time, “what are you talking about,” because it seemed to me like they were just playing a team game, getting good goaltending, and winning the games because they were the superior team.


All in all I’m not buying the lucky bounces.


So anyway, enough about that; if I were a Pittsburgh fan, I would be happy to see them come back and win it at home. And that’s what Detroit gets as well – the chance to take the series in front of their home crowd. For the fans, it’s a very cool thing to have it done on home ice.


I’m watching Pittsburgh and Philly more than the other series, so I can say that I honestly think Pitt is going to take it on Sunday. They even said themselves that they came out weak for Game 4: they knew it. They knew they weren’t skating.


The first period set the tone for the game. And the tone was that the Flyers had control.


Home ice can be an advantage, but when you talk to the players of the opposing city, they will usually tell you that they use that crowd’s energy and feed off of it. The Flyers are just that sort of team to get energy from being hated, but I think Pitt is going to take it anyway.


I was glad for Danny Briere – he’s taken a ton of criticism – and he had a great game last night. I used to watch the Rangers games in NYC, and I remember how pissed people were (this was about 4 or 5 years ago), when they weren’t making the playoffs but they had the highest payroll in the league. And people hated them! So it was nice to see Briere live up to the lofty expectations of the Philly phaithful.


And the goaltender has been phenomenal! Playoffs is where you see the tenders shine. Both of them are strong and have played well but Biron played such a spectacular game and he was really being supported by his defensemen.


The interesting thing, to speak about Detroit/Dallas is that Turco has never won in Joe Louis. Does he go in thinking about it, or does he just try to ignore it? I hope to god they didn’t read their press – because so much is negative – and to him, is he thinking “I’m cursed here?”


Or does he use it as fuel?


These guys innately are competitors; they have a completely different view towards life than the normal guys do. It’s a specific type of personality that thrives as an athlete. So I think they’re looking for it, to use it as a reason to win.


When everyone thinks you can’t, that’s when you get the grit to show them you can.


So I’m going to call Pittsburgh to win on Sunday, and tomorrow I’m going to watch it, and as a fan I would prefer them to go seven; I don’t want any sweeps, I want three 4OT games in a row. That kind of hockey gets people who don’t know the game interested. And if we have a bunch of shutouts and sweeps it’s a bummer for hockey.


That’s what I’m looking forward to, this weekend: some long games, and some upsets.


I bet you are too (unless you’re a fan of one of the four teams…that kind of stress is difficult to take).


Thanks for reading – I’ll be back early next week.


Enjoy the games!


Michelle.

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