While working out at the gym, a person needs to be in the right mindset. It’s the reason why so many people (including myself) create specific playlists on their MP3 player for the gym. If you’re not in the proper mindset, everything is thrown off. So imagine me working out at the gym on Wednesday night. I am resting in between sets of triceps dips and walk over to a treadmill with a television screen built in to check the score of the Pittsburgh/Washington game. I see there is over 17 minutes left in the second period and…it’s 4-0. Really? Is this a misprint? Did Washington really lie down and die in season ending loss to Pittsburgh? Unbelievable. Needless to say, it took me a while to get focused on the gym again.

I’ve had some more time to digest what went down in round two and here are some thoughts:

- Kudos to Pittsburgh for overcoming the 2-0 hole and winning the series.

- Picking Vancouver was a very un-wise move.

- Roberto Luongo might be the best goalie of our generation to never win a Cup unless he pulls a Hasek and heads for a winning team. Hey that reminds me, guess who is heading into a contract year next season? Guess who has a starting goalie who makes less than two million per season and by the end of next season will be ready for retirement/back-up role? If you guessed Roberto Luongo and the Detroit Red Wings, you’re absolutely correct. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

- It’s been a while since I’ve been torn between two teams quite like I was in the Boston/Carolina series. I dislike both teams so picking a team to root for was a lose/lose situation. When Carolina held a 3-1 series lead I was somewhat happy because it looked like Boston was going down in flames. I wasn’t exactly jumping at the thought of Boston winning because quite frankly, the city has had enough winning for the time being. Boston also has the most annoying announcers in the game. I’d rather listen to a Chinese broadcast of a Bruins game then the gang from NESN. But then I realized at the expense of the Bruins, the Hurricanes would be advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. All the NASCAR loving, non-hockey following fans known as the “Caniacs” would be in our lives for at least another two weeks. Combine that with the fact that I have to root for whoever was facing Pittsburgh in the next round and one could easily say I wasn’t looking forward to Game 7 of this series. And afterwards…I’m absolutely dreading the Eastern Conference Finals.

- I don’t get Anaheim. This isn’t the first time they have done this in the playoffs. It’s been re-hashed a million times so I won’t discuss it much further; just know that I don’t get this franchise at all. But seriously, if someone told me that Emilio Estevez was hired to be their new coach and Chris Pronger yelled out "Knucklepuck!" every time he shot, I wouldn't be surprised at all.

- I’m still jealous of Detroit. Even in the salary cap era, they just keep chugging along. If I were the GM of a team out of the playoffs, I’d be taking notes right now. (Hint, hint)

- I also have to give credit to the Chicago Blackhawks. I thought they were good enough for the second round but I definitely underestimated them. But just a note to all the Sabres fans up in arms right now, the ‘Hawks didn’t make it this far simply because of Brian Campbell. That’s a pretty ridiculous thought.

- Washington is never going to win a Stanley Cup with their current structure. Ever. Alexander Ovechkin is easily the most dynamic player in the game right now but he can’t do it all on his own. I know the Caps have several other good players like Niklas Backstrom, Mike Green and Alexander Semin, but it isn’t good enough. The reason Sidney Crosby and the Pens won this series is because of his supporting cast. Players like Malkin, Guerrin and Kunitz. Ovechkin has been putting the Caps on his back since he was drafted and while it’s good enough to win their division; it won’t result in a Stanley Cup anytime soon. The goaltending is also suspect. Granted Jose Theodore didn’t play in the series until it was over, the fact that Washington gave him the big deal and built around him was a huge mistake. Maybe Varlamov will turn out to be a franchise goaltender, but it’s far too early to figure that out.

- On a similar note, the Bruins aren’t winning a Cup anytime soon with Tim Thomas between the pipes. I’ve been beating this drum for a good part of the season and finally it’s somewhat justified. Hey, give the guy the Vezina, that’s great. But he isn’t what most are making him out to be. He makes some nice saves but he can't be counted on for the long haul. The guy didn’t even play in 60 regular season games for Boston this season and the backup put up similar numbers when he played. That tells me it’s the system more than the goalie. And for the record, if Tim Thomas starts for Team USA in the 2010 Olympics there should be a riot. In fact, I might be at the front of the pack for that one.

- The people who run the NHL (Gary Bettman) are going to be the downfall of this league. I personally think the NHL could easily compete on the level of the NBA, but not with Gary Bettman running things. I could go on and on about retraction or moving teams to a better market (move Phoenix already!) but I'll spare everyone from that. Just know that if I were running the league, four teams would immediately be contracted and several others would be put on notice.

But no, this rant is more directed towards the television coverage. When watching the NBA playoffs, there is a game on TNT, ESPN or ABC, followed the second half of the double-header. Makes sense. With the NHL, they have multiple games starting at a similar time so they overlap, and you can only see one of those games unless you've paid for NHL Center Ice. Granted I have Center Ice so this issue doesn't affect me, but I feel for those fans who are trying to get into the sport. How can two Game 7's be shown at the same time?? How is that good for the sport??? How many more question marks will I have to use to get my point across??????? Seriously, this is a prime example of bad business. Game 7's are a marquee match-up in any sport. It's what you want to showcase. The fact that the NHL ignores this defies logic. Oh yeah, and the one game that is on is still burried on Versus where some cable customers don't even get that without paying an extra fee. I can't get over this. It makes me question myself sometimes as a fan of the NHL.

Now that I’m done ranting, here are the standings halfway through our prediction contest.

Chuck: (Chicago in 6, Pittsburgh in 7, Detroit) 60 points total

Devin: (Pittsburgh in 7, Detroit) 40 points total

Scott: (Pittsburgh, Detroit) 40 points total

Brian: (Detroit) 25 points total

(Looks like Scott’s two year reign is officially over)

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Detroit Red Wings (2) vs Chicago Blackhawks (4)

This is going to be a great series. The Red Wings are practically limping out of their series with Anaheim after going the full seven, while Chicago ousted Vancouver in six and has been getting some much needed rest. Both teams are very familiar with each other and after facing off in the 2009 Winter Classic, they now get a crack at each other for a trip to the Stanley Cup.

During the 2008-09 regular season the Wings and Hawks met a total of six times. Detroit won four out of six games, although two of them went to a shoot-out. Something to note however, the Blackhawks won the last two meetings. I don’t mean to always talk about Buffalo but this reminds me of the 2005-06 season when Buffalo fell in the conference finals to Carolina. That entire season Ottawa dominated the Sabres in division play. But right near the end of the season the Sabres beat the Senators and it seemed to give them a new level of confidence. When they faced each other in the playoffs the Sabres did away with the Senators in five games. It was almost like that end of the season game was a turning point for the underdog Sabres. I figured it was something to note since the Blackhawks were currently 0-2-2 against Detroit this season before taking the final two games.

If I were a Red Wings fan I’d still be super nervous about having Chris Osgood in net. I know the guy has proven his worth, but there is something about him that gives me that uneasy feeling. If this series comes down to goaltending as the deciding factor, I’d have to give the edge to Chicago. Luckily for Detroit, I don’t think it will simply come down to goaltending.

I’ve been riding Detroit since the playoffs started and I really see no reason for me to change that pick now. They are the better team and more experienced when it comes down to these big games. It’s for that reason that I’m sticking with the Red Wings to win the Western Conference.

My Pick: Detroit in 6

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs Carolina Hurricanes (6)

Wow. I honestly can’t even think about this series right now. What are the odds that two of my most disliked franchises are facing off in the playoffs and no matter what, one of them has a shot at the Stanley Cup. I’ve been trying to think of the equivalent of this in other sports and I had the hardest time coming up with it. I guess the closest would be the Steelers and Dolphins facing each other in the AFC Championship. Although I don’t think even that correctly depicts how upsetting this series is. In a non-sports comparison, this series is like a 24 hour root canal or even worse, having to attend a Fall Out Boy concert.

My Pick: (gritting teeth as much as possible…putting head down in shame…fighting off violent thoughts…) Carolina in 7