I don't know about you guys, but the Stanley Cup Playoff games have been crazy so far! Our last two games against the Carolina Hurricanes, especially Sunday night, have been well-played and evenly matched.

I know from experience, the RBC Center is one of the toughest venues to play in, with one of the best atmospheres and some of the most enthusiastic fans during the playoffs. It is definitely tough for opposing teams and our guys did an outstanding job by winning there in O.T!

Remember when I said that Playoff seedings, like a person's age at times, are nothing but numbers? The Rangers have put the Washington Caps on their heels and the Anaheim Ducks have done the same to Sharks.

In response to the blog post by MJ, yes, I definitely think there is extra pressure on goalies during the Playoffs, and especially with the addition of the shootouts. Victory in a shootout is always sweet when you win, but hard to take when you lose!

I'm hard at work rehabbing my knee and definitely hope to be back sometime soon. Thanks for stopping by!

 

Kevin Weekes will be blogging right here for the entire 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He'll also be periodically answering your questions, so submit them in the comments section below. Also check out Kevin's Official Site.

I suffered a knee injury a few weeks ago against Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, injuries are a part of pro sports—that's the cold reality! I do everything I can to remain fit and healthy year-round and I'm approaching the rehab process the exact same way. I'm rehabbing with one of the most respected sports medicine doctors in the world and I'm spending an average of six hours a day doing cutting-edge treatments to accelerate my recovery rate by 70%, in hopes of returning to our team as soon as possible.

The regular season is such a grind, yet it goes by so quickly—especially when you're on a winning team. On that note, we set a franchise record by winning 51 games this season. Pretty remarkable considering the success our organization has had over the past 15 years.

It was truly a marathon that seemed like a long sprint because about 90% of our 30 teams in the league were involved in the Stanley Cup Playoffs race until the last few weeks of the season, making every one of the 82 games crucial. As an NHL veteran and fan, I followed the race in both conferences right down to the wire. Weren't they exciting? Congrats to Columbus and St. Louis! Nobody gave you guys a chance and you proved why teamwork and actually playing the games on the ice, and not on paper are SO important. Kudos to Nashville and Florida for almost getting in and overcoming adversity as well.

In both conferences, every match up, seeds 1-8 will be hard fought and fun to watch. There are NO “gimmes” or “automatics,” take it from me. You can't win the Stanley Cup using smoke and mirrors.






Kevin Weekes will be blogging right here for the entire 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He'll also be periodically answering your questions, so submit them in the comments section below. Also check out Kevin's Official Site.

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Ever since the NHL eliminated tie games and instituted the shootout, fans have debated the merits of winning a team game with individual efforts. Some think it's exciting, others insist "Sweet Georgia Brown" play every time a shootout is needed. Regardless of which side of the fence you fall on, you have to admit that the shootout has at least given the league its fair share of awesome YouTube moments.

In honor of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs kicking off this week, here are some of our favorite shootout goals of the year.


New Jersey Devils' sniper Zach Parise shows the quickest way to separate a goalie from his jockstrap.



Teemu Selanne (gesundheit) notches one for the Anaheim Ducks because, apparently, Dallas Stars goalie Marty Turco decided to take a nap.



If you want to argue that the shootout isn't a circus act, then Toronto Maple Leafs' forward Jason Blake isn't helping.



Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk is so deadly in shootouts he's inspired his own adjective. ("What a Datsyukian deke that was!") He proves that patience is a virtue.



Dallas Stars' Mike Ribeiro is the definition of "slick." Note how he "hushes" the L.A. crowd after notching this bad boy.



And finally - we're cheating a little on this one. Although not an NHL shootout goal, Swedish forward (and Edmonton Oilers draft pick) Linus Omark's tally in an exhibition game against Switzerland is one for the ages.

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