By Michael Kelley ’14 & Mick Kowaleski ’14

Which NHL team will hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup? 

Kelley: In the Eastern Conference, I am removing all bias in my predictions and am going with the Pittsburgh Penguins. One extraordinary name sparks this pick: Sidney Crosby. Sid the kid is back and picked up right where he left off after another long layoff from lingering concussion issues. In his last 12 games, Crosby has compiled 19 assists and 5 goals.

Throwing in arguably the best player in the NHL to a team who already has Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal is a dangerous mix. Since his return, the Pens have beaten the Rangers, Devils, and most recently, the defending champion Bruins, all clinched playoff teams. Ranked first in goals per game with 3.3, the Pens can score with anyone and will be a tough out in the playoffs.

The St. Louis Blues will be representing the Western Conference in the finals. Giving up only 156 goals this season (1.9 per game), they undoubtedly boast the best defense in the league, led by Brian Elliott’s .943 save percentage. With a well-balanced attack of David Backes and Alex Pietrangelo, the days of Chris Pronger are over and the Blues are poised for the Cup.

Kowaleski: While I agree that Crosby is one of the top two players in the league (I’m an Ovechkin man myself), I think the Philadelphia Flyers will get past them in the first round en route to taking the Eastern Conference. The reasoning behind this is simple: I think the Rangers have exhibited enough weaknesses to believe that Pittsburgh or Philly can knock them out, and the Flyers themselves have gone 7-2-2 in their last 11 games without Ilya Brysgalov. That’s a heck of a lot of momentum without a key player, and that, coupled with their recent 2-0 win over the Pens, gives me confidence in my prediction.

With that being said, the Vancouver Canucks will grab their first NHL Championship this year. I’m a firm believer in momentum across sports, and as of this writing, the ol’ Canuckleheads have won six in a row. Some of them have been close, in overtime, yada yada yada. But this team knows how to win, and the Spectacular Sedin Bros. will ensure that Vancouver not only edges out St. Louis for the #1 spot in the Western tournament, but also carry them past any and all opponents. They’re also in the top 10 in the four major stat categories: goals per game (7th), goals against (4th), power play percentage (3rd), and penalty kill percentage (6th).

Mike’D UP: Fashion Edition

Kelley: The NFL unveiled its new Nike uniforms on Tuesday, sending fans back to the store to purchase their team’s new look. Commissioner Roger Goodell said the goal was to combine “tradition with innovation.”

While many teams maintained their classic looks, some teams were in for a new makeover. The Seahawks were the headline and look extremely over hyped. Even a new uniform will not make any team intimidated by the Seahawks.

Who got the best makeover? I say the Baltimore Ravens and here’s why. Their new uniforms somehow make purple look tough. Not sure how to explain this but with Ray Lewis now wearing an intimidating jersey to go along with his intimidating presence, he’s going to be an even scarier dude on the field this season. The traditional “B” on their pants now has a stripe over it, providing a little bit of flash to the overall look.

Other winners include the Chargers and Cowboys and Cardinals, in my opinion. What do you think?

Kowaleski: Nike’s big reveal, while giving us a glimpse at the shifts in football’s premier league’s fashion, was also kind of anticlimactic in terms of drastic changes (Seattle notwithstanding). I can’t tell if the Seahawks’ new duds are trainwrecks or strokes of genius. I would love for them to be the Oregon Ducks of the NFL, and given their proximity to Nike HQ, I don’t think that’s out of the question. I’m still waiting for them to go back to their original silver, blues and greens. So fresh.

Overall, Nike’s presentation was based around how their Elite 51 football unis are technologically efficient, and they’re right. The new uniforms are sleeker, more aerodynamic, and tighter. The collars were also altered, with the new neckwear segmented and colored in some cases. It is also worthwhile to note that teams with traditional metallic sheens (Dallas, San Fran, etc.) are flatter due to the new texture.

I like where Nike is headed, although I would have liked to see more changes.

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