In case you missed it while soberly commemorating Queen Victoria’s birthday on the wrong day, the Preds won the Western Conference finals yesterday, playing at home in a non-western country time zone. That’s the stuff of Hollywood Nashville skyline lyrical legend - the 8th seeded team in the west, (the far east of the west), knocking off the mighty eveel Disney Ducks. And doing it without our fav local centre, Ryan Johansen, as well as non-fav, non-local centre, Carrie Underwood’s less famous half.

Our 2nd fav choke team, the Ducks, lost their 5th straight playoff game 6. Keep those record streaks alive! And they lost a game where they were winning all the stats. Except that stoopid GAA one.

The Preds came out early, but not too often, using the Canucks 1 to 3 shot strategy. Unlike the Nucks, the outshot, out-played strategy was rewarded with a conference final win. And unlike the Nucks, the Preds defeated a backup goalie while achieving their first conference pennant. Or flag. Or gold catfish award.

Former Pred-killer, ol’ 17, lost again to Smashville. That never gets old.

Rinne was the MVP of the game and could be the key to a possible Cinderella SCF run.

But today, on the poor step-sister side of the Cinderella story, the team formerly known as “Canada’s Team”, are faced with more adversity and a tougher adversary in the Pens. The Sens will be without AMFB. We know what that’s like and it’s not pretty.

After the total collapse in Game 5, the Sens are now taking flack from the media about not just their play, but their fans - who are so few in number that the Sen’s probable last home game of the season has not sold out. Unlike the CoTU hockey media who sold out long ago.

Here at NM, the faithful have not wavered and are rooting with all the force of a gentle late spring breeze rippling across unmowed lawns for a Sens upset. Not just because it’s the 10th anniversary of the Senator’s last SCF appearance, but because we believe Cup dynasties are dinosaurs that no longer fit with the new egalitarian NHL ethos. Ok, it’s not a strong belief, more of a distracted passing thought while we watch the summer weeds grow in our hockey vision periphery.

5:00 PM PT - Canadian Tire Center - Ottawa, ON (actually, Kanata, just a short 18-68 minute drive from Ottawa)

TV: CBC - Radio: TSN 1410

Enjoy the game! As best you can without AMFB to watch steal sure victory from the mouths of penguins.