I chose :

Nashville over Phoenix in 6: Wrong, wrong, wrong. I actually think this was the biggest surprise. I thought the Preds could actually go all the way, they put together 4 deep lines, great D depth and excellent goaltending. Phoenix, and Mike Smith in particular, really was a difference-maker in this series.

St. Louis over L.A in 7 : Wrong again. I thought it would be close, but it actually wasn’t. I didn’t expect a sweep at all, and I thought St.Louis would have the depth to deal with the Kings. Very wrong about this one as well, but I did respect L.A. as a team so I’m not surprised they won, just didn’t think it would happen in 4.

Philly over New Jersey in 5. I guess the buildup of the win over the Pens caused an emotional letdown here. Didn’t like anything the Flyers did here, from goaltending to defence to offense. They were pretty terrible and out-hustled by the Devils the entire series. Wrong here too!

Capitals in 6 over the Rangers. I need to stop counting out the Rangers! They won this one in 7 with the help of Brad Richards despite the spectacular play of Braden Holtby.

Well, that makes me 0 for 4 and not even close. Here’s my next predictions, hoping I can do better with these.

Los Angeles over Phoenix in 7: I think it wil be close and a goaltending battle. Both teams are defensively sound, have some offensive prowess but rely mainly on the counter-attack. I like L.A here only because they seem to be showing some killer instinct. Phoenix may not be able to handle the intense pressure of the L.A forecheck either.

New Jersey vs. New York in 5. I know I said I needed to stop discounting the Rangers, but I really like the Devils in this series. They have an intense forecheck, a brilliantly playing trio of forwards in Kovalchuk, Parise and Zajac

May 6, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings right wing Dustin Brown (23), right, is congratulated by teammates Mike Richards (10) , Matt Greene (2) , Willie Mitchell (33) and Anze Kopitar (11) after scoring a goal in the third period against the St. Louis Blues in game four of the 2012 Western Conference semifinals at the Staples Center. The Kings defeated the Blues 3-1 to win the series 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

, and solid D. New York has potentially the best goalie in the NHL, but I don’t like their offensive system and I thought that the Caps did a good job demonstrating how to shut their offense down for the most part.

Enjoy the games!

And Then There Were Four… - A Winning Habit - A Winning Habit - A Montreal Canadiens blog

Apr 07, 2012; Montreal, QC, CAN; Montreal Canadiens team waves to the crowd after their win against Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Center. The Canadiens defeated the Maple Leafs 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-US PRESSWIRE

According to the wonderful people at TSN, the Montreal Canadiens are in the process of working out an agreement with division rival Toronto Maple Laughs Leafs about acquiring the services of the current member of the Leafs executive team. Dudley, who also served as the General Manager of the now defunct Atlanta Thrashers and reportedly has a great relationship with new Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin. The hold up appears to be the fact that Dudley did much of the work on the upcoming NHL draft and thus Brian Burke would prefer that Dudley moves to the rival Canadiens after the Entry Draft.

The draft will be held on June 22nd and 23rd in Pittsburgh, where the Canadiens and Leafs will pick 3rd and 5th respectively. To be honest, the Leafs and Habs are probably already targeting the same players, so I don’t see how the shift of Dudley would fundamentally shift either strategy at this point.

Stay tuned for further developments as Bergevin puts his mark on this team!

Report: Montreal Canadiens Tap Rick Dudley As Assistant GM? - A Winning Habit - A Winning Habit - A Montreal Canadiens blog

March 31, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Montreal Canadiens head coach Randy Cunneyworth looks up at the scoreboard against the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

The news broke last night on Twitter, but the organization made it official this morning with a press release. Effective immediately, Montreal native Bergevin is appointed as the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Canadiens, becoming the 17th GM of the club’s history. Prior to joining the Canadiens, Bergevin spent 7 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, won the Stanley Cup in 2010 and served as the Assistant-GM over the past season. Prior to the Asst-GM role, he was a director of player personnel, assistant coach and pro scout. The last position is particularly interesting considering the Canadiens weakness at pro-scout over the past few years.

According to multiple media sources, NBC analyst Pierre McGuire was the runner up. Not sure I think McGuire would be good in this role, but I was not surprised to see the Canadiens go with someone who has recent management experience on a winning team.

Bergevin definitely has his work cut out for him right now. The next logical step is to decide what to do with Randy Cunneyworth, though many (and rightfully so) think he’s already a goner. We’ll see what he has to say at his press conference at 2pm.

Canadiens Name Marc Bergevin General Manager - A Winning Habit - A Winning Habit - A Montreal Canadiens blog