Sometimes I almost know what I’m talking about, don’t I.

In the first round of the playoffs (are they still called the quarterfinals or are they now called Division semifinals? Who knows) I correctly picked the winner of seven out of eight series. In the second round I correctly picked the winner of three out of the four series (friggin’ Bruins). In the third round I picked the winner in two out of two series. How’d I do in the Stanley Cup Finals?

What do you think? It was a complete no-brainer. The Bruins might have had a chance over the Western Conference winner. The Penguins, if they had their shit together, might have had a chance over the Western Conference winner.

No other team from the Eastern Conference even had a prayer. The only thing that surprised me about the Rangers vs Kings series is that the Kings didn’t sweep. They must have forgotten to eat their Wheaties that day because I can’t imagine any other factor that could have resulted in a Kings loss. Sure the games were mostly close and there was a lot of overtime. Did it really matter? I don’t think so. I find it easier to believe that L.A. was messing with us by letting New York stay close than to believe the two teams were a good match up.

So in summation I picked the winner in 13 out of the 15 series. That puts me at an 86.6% success rate. I would have traded it all to see the Bruins drink from the cup again, but it was not to be.

As for the Bruins, after the events that lead to Shawn Thornton’s massive suspension last season, is it really a surprise that the team is moving on? Yes he’s a great character guy and everyone loves him, including me, but he has some seriously negative baggage to carry around now. The Bruins want to be thought of as big and bad and mean, but they don’t want to have anything to do with anything Matt Cooke-esque and sadly, for one night last year… for one fleeting moment, Shawn Thornton was Matt Cooke-esque. I believe in my heart that he was a huge part of our success in the recent past, but after what happened last year I agree that Shawn Thornton has to go away. I’m sorry about that. I love the guy as much as any Bruins fan does, but he has to go away.