B.L.T. is the Pool Champion
The joint entry of Barb Ferrier and Tim Crockford, B.L.T., has won this year's Lord Stanley's Pool in a tight race to the finish! Congratulations to all the money winners and thank you to everyone for participating. Check out the final round analysis (coming Friday) and come back next year for another exciting playoff pool!

As expected last October, the Red Wings have won the Cup.

The Cup is won June 13
The Red Wings have won the Cup! Led by Yzerman, Lidstrom, and Hasek, the favourites came through in front of the home crowd. Shanahan's two goals pulled Vince Galante to within one point of pool winner B.L.T. but he ultimately fell short in a photo-finish for this year's Lord Stanley's Pool title. Tony Ruffolo came third.

One win away June 10
Detroit is one win away from the Cup after a 3-0 shutout in Game 4. Hasek's record sixth shutout has essentially eliminated George Smith from money contention while B.L.T., Vince Galante, and Tony Ruffolo have nearly solidified the top three spots, in that order. B.L.T. and Tony have two-point leads for their positions.

Wings lead series after marathon OT June 8
Detroit has taken a 2-1 lead in the finals, but it could be far from over, as every game has been a close battle. Fedorov had an assist to give B.L.T. a two-point lead, while 3rd to 6th continues to be extremely close.

Lidstrom, the points leader for defensemen, scored the game-winner in game 2.

Late assist gives B.L.T. the lead June 6
B.L.T. has taken the lead on Sergei Fedorov's assist with five minutes left in Game 2. Fedorov has two points to Shanahan's none in the finals. Nicklas Lidstrom had two points to lift Ron Wener within range of the cash, into a tie for fifth with the sinking George Smith.

Pool tied as Canes stun Wings June 4
Sergei Fedorov's goal has tied the pool as B.L.T. has grabbed a share of the lead. It wasn't enough for Detroit to win... but then again, at this point it won't matter in the pool whether Detroit wins the Cup or not...

Neck-and-neck at the homestretch...
The pool is neck-and neck as we enter the homestretch! Vince Galante and B.L.T. battle it out for first while Tony Ruffolo, George Smith and Wally Mikulski fight for third. Who was hot and cold in round three? Check it out in the Round 3 analysis. Not in the money? Tell the winners what kind of beer to buy you in the Trash Talk Forum!

Roy had his worst possible game on the worst possible night.

Historic night in Hockeytown May 31
Patrick Roy had his worst playoff game ever while Dominik Hasek set a record with his fifth shutout of the playoffs. This game had major repurcussions in the pool even aside from the 78 Colorado picks eliminated. Vince Galante and B.L.T. have opened a possibly insurmountable 10-point lead atop the pool.

Hasek shutout adjusts top five May 29
Dominik Hasek's shutout did more than force a seventh game in the Western Conference final. It also shook up the top of the pool. Wally Mikulski has entered the top five and Tony Ruffolo has moved up to fourth, while Tim Crockford has dropped off the leaderboard. Friday's game seven will be the most important game in the pool.

Forsberg has made all the difference for Colorado, as he has for four poolies.

East cleaned out of pool May 28
Toronto's hearbtbreaking OT loss has left the pool without any remaining picks from the East. Nine poolies, including four of the top 10, lost three Leafs. This is a big blow to George Smith, who loses his edge over fellow front-runners (though to be honest, no one picked up many points from Toronto in this round). Tonight's game eliminated 6 Cup picks, and 58 player picks.

Forsberg puts Detroit on the brink May 27
One of the teams had to be down 3-2, but most poolies weren't expecting it to be Detroit. Conn Smythe-candidate Peter Forsberg out-dueled Conn Smythe-candidate Steve Yzerman to put Detroit, with their 21 Cup picks, on the brink of elimination.

Round 3 extended May 25
The Leafs scraped out a victory to extend their series, while the Avs won to force at least six games against Detroit. All good news for poolies hoping to cash in with their surviving picks... and there's been few points to be had so far. Cujo was the big winner tonight with the shutout.

No points tonight May 23
Toronto's shutout loss means no points were collected in the pool on Thursday night. Worse, it put the Leafs on the ropes. Maybe Sundin should get injured in practice tomorrow so the team will play better...

Top Five: George Smith, 127 Vince Galante, 126 B.L.T., 125 Tim Crockford, 120 Tony Ruffolo, 118 Top Players (Picks): G: Patrick Roy, Col, 28 (14) Patrick Lalime, Ott, 27 (0) Dominik Hasek, Det, 26 (14) F: Peter Forsberg, Col, 27 (4) Gary Roberts, Tor, 19 (0) Joe Sakic, Col, 19 (30) Steve Yzerman, Det, 16 (3) Alyn McCauley, Tor, 15 (0) Brendan Shanahan, Det, 15 (29) D: Greg DeVries, Col, 13 (0) Chris Chelios, Det, 12 (0) Rob Blake, Col, 12 (28)

Daily Pool Stars: Tuesday Kaberle, Tucker, Sundin, Tor: 1 pt. Monday Forsberg, Col: 2 pts. Saturday Joseph, Tor: 6 pts. Thursday none Wednesday Hasek, Det: 2 pts. Series scores: East: Carolina 4, Toronto 2 West: Colorado 3, Detroit 2

Arturs Irbe, the little goalie that could beat the Leafs...

Peter Forsberg is well rested after missing the entire regular season.

Hasek sets up winner May 22
After a highly defensive, trapping game Dominik Hasek set up the winning goal in Detroit's overtime victory. His two points ties him with Patrick Roy in the pool. Not many other points were collected on the night.

Red-eyed O'Neill beats Leafs May 21
Jeff O'Neill got a puck in the eye and then put the puck in the net in overtime. His bloody, swollen eye was a nice visual; unfortunately the Leafs' performance was not. Nevertheless, McCabe, Kaberle, and Sundin got single points. Meanwhile, Alexander Mogilny's apparent injury leaves 11 pool entries concerned, not to mention Leafs fans...

Forsberg fantastic May 20
Peter Forsberg collected four points to extend his scoring lead, and he continues to be the difference in the pool. Two of the four entries that picked him -- Vince Galante and B.L.T. -- are in the top five. Vince has taken the lead for at least 24 hours but it's a tight race with three entries only one point apart.

Sundin back, but Leafs lose May 19
Niclas Wallin, who scored the crucial OT winner in game 4 against Montreal, turned the trick to beat the Leafs in overtime in game 2. The pool's only point on the night went to Mats Sundin, in his first game back since early in round 1, and it was enough for George Smith to take the lead.

Top Five: Vince Galante, 117 George Smith, 115 B.L.T., 114 Tim Crockford, 112 Tony Ruffolo, 110 Top Players (Picks): G: Patrick Lalime, Ott, 27 (0) Patrick Roy, Col, 26 (14) Dominik Hasek, Det, 26 (14) F: Peter Forsberg, Col, 24 (4) Gary Roberts, Tor, 19 (0) Joe Sakic, Col, 18 (30) Alyn McCauley, Tor, 15 (0) Steve Yzerman, Det, 15 (3) Brendan Shanahan, Det, 15 (29) D: Chris Chelios, Det, 11 (0) Greg DeVries, Col, 11 (0) Rob Blake, Col, 10 (28) Tomas Kaberle, Tor, 9 (4)

Daily Pool Stars: Wednesday Hasek, Det: 2 pts. Tuesday Kaberle, McCabe, Sundin, Tor: 1 pt. Monday Forsberg, Col: 4 pts. Sunday Sundin, Tor: 1 pt. Saturday Sakic, Tanguay, Col: 2 pts. Thursday Mogilny, Hoglund, Kaberle, Joseph, Tor: 1 pt. Series scores: East: Carolina 2, Toronto 1 West: Detroit 2, Colorado 1

Sundin's return wasn't enough for the Leafs in game 2.

Two-horse race? May 18
Darren McCarty stole most of the points with his natural hat trick, but a high-scoring game still added points for the front-runners. George Smith is now tied for Tim Crockford in the lead... will it be a two-horse race?

Leafs grind out win May 16
Toronto got off to a good start by winning game 1. The low-scoring battle didn't add much to the pool, but it was heartening for Leafs fans. Mogilny, Hoglund, Kaberle, and Joseph all got single points in the pool.

Patrick Roy got his 2nd consecutive game 7 shutout against San Jose..

Pool is Strong Entering Round 3
After surviving a scare with Toronto and Colorado nearly eliminated, Lord Stanley's Pool is still going strong entering Round 3. See who has the inside track, who's hot and who's not, and more in the Round 2 analysis. If you're out of the running, there's nothing to do but whine and make excuses... please, do so in the Trash Talk Forum!

Patrick Roy, game seven hero May 15

Patrick Roy has delivered once again for the Avalanche. The Avs have now won four game sevens in the last two years. Roy's shutout allowed Tim Crockford to jump back into first, with George Smith and Vince Galante only one point behind. San Jose's loss removes 11 picks from the pool.

Top Five: Tim Crockford, 99 George Smith, 98 Vince Galante, 98 B.L.T., 95 Tony Ruffolo, 93 Richard Gretzinger, 93 Top Players (Picks): G: Patrick Lalime, Ott, 27 (0) Patrick Roy, Col, 23 (14) F: Peter Forsberg, Col, 19 (4) Gary Roberts, Tor, 17 (0) Joe Sakic, Col, 14 (30) Bates Battaglia, Car, 13 (0) Daniel Alfredsson, Ott, 13 (1) Steve Yzerman, Det, 13 (3) Brendan Shanahan, Det, 13 (29) D: Greg DeVries, Col, 9 (0) Four tied with 8

Daily Pool Stars: Wednesday Roy, Col: 6 pts. Tuesday Joseph, Tor: 6 pts; Mogilny, Tor: 2 pts. Monday Forsberg, Sakic, Roy, Col: 1 pt. Sunday Alfredsson, Ott: 2 pts. Saturday Hasek, Det: 6 pts.; Shanahan, Det: 4 pts. Friday Alfredsson, Ott: 1 pt. Series scores: East: Carolina 4, Montreal 2 Toronto 4, Ottawa 3 West: Detroit 4, St. Louis 1 Colorado 4, San Jose 3

Cujo delivered in game 7.

Toronto wins game 7 May 14
A classic Battle of Ontario has ended with the Leafs victorious. As predicted before the series, Toronto overcame injuries and adversity to win game seven. The Maple Leafs played an excellent game, with Curtis Joseph and Alex Mogilny leading the way along with, of course, Gary Roberts. Carolina will be the next tough challenge... and judging by their play I would have predicted them to win in 6 regardless of who they played. So I'll stick with that call but hope Toronto goes all the way.

Pool gets extra life with Toronto win May 14
A Toronto loss would have been devastating for the pool, but instead there's barely an impact. Only one pick -- Steve Tivey's Alfredsson -- is eliminated and many poolies are breathing a sigh of relief. (Others could be secretly banging their fist...)

Avs alive May 13
Peter Forsberg kept the Colorado Avalanch with an overtime goal, forcing a deciding seventh game. Patrick Roy, though not getting a shutout, was outstanding -- as was Nabokov for San Jose.

Gary Roberts is the 2nd in the playoff scoring race.

Roberts assures game 7 May 12
Gary Roberts, the player even Lefs fans forgot in this pool, has moved into second place in the playoff scoring race, as Toronto pulled out a gutsy victory in game 6. Alfredsson's two points for Ottawa were not enough. Meanwhile, everyone's favourite team, the Habs, are on the ropes and with that, the chances of an all-Canadian conference final.

New pool leader as Detroit advances May 11
A shutout victory has put Detroit into the next round, and sends 3 St. Louis picks to the sidelines. Vince Galante, who started the round in 23rd place, has taken a comfortable lead after cashing in on all the big points on Saturday. But he lost Keith Tkachuk, one of his two aces in the hole...

Sharks could shake up the pool May 11
The San Jose Sharks are a victory away from dealing the pool a major shake-up. With such heavy betting on Colorado, and Toronto on the ropes, the pool just might be decided in the mext few games.

Alfredsson played spoiler in Game 5.

Ottawa one win away May 10
The Ottawa Senators are one win away from advancing to the conference final after defeating Toronto on Friday night. Gary Roberts got two points to put him second in the league (nobody picked him), but Daniel Alfredsson had the last laugh.

Night of comebacks May 9
Montreal's collapse in the 3rd period was almost mirrored in St. Louis, where the Blues tried to rally against Detroit. Both the 'Canes and Blues scored with the extra attacker, but Detroit held on to win. The point by Hasek and two each for Tkachuk and Yzerman has tightened the race for first, where only one point now separates the top three.

 

Blake earned two points for the third straight game, while Forsberg leads the league.

Leafs even up May 8
The Leafs have evened up the series with two points each from Mccauley and Roberts (none of whom were picked). As expected, this is a close, long series. Out west, two points each from Blake, Sakic, Forsberg, Tanguay, and Roy evened the series for Colorado.

Blues break out May 7
Keith Tkachuk's hat trick led St. Louis to victory, and was a big boost to Kevin Floether and Vince Galante. Vince has risen from 23rd after round one, to 3rd place on the coattails of Tkachuk and Peter Forsberg. Add Pavol Demitra and Scott Mellanby to the list of "why didn't we take 'ems," as they have 11 and 9 points respectively. In other news, GO HABS GO! Montreal has taken the lead in their series on Saku Koivu and Jose Theodore's strong play.

Cujo went rabid after letting in a goal, and proceeded to elbow the ref.

Sens take series lead May 6
Although Bob Cole jinxed Patrick Lalime's record fifth shutout, Ottawa took the series lead with a 3-2 victory. Pool players Alfredsson, Hoglund, Mogilny, and McCabe each picked up points. GO SENS GO!

Roy gifts Nolan in western thriller May 6
Patrick Roy, feeling sorry that Owen Nolan had yet to get a goal in the playoffs, gave him a freebie on Monday night in a thriller in San Jose. Nolan also scored the empty-netter for the two easiest goals in his life. Rob Blake scored two goals for the second game in a row, but Marleau once again scored the winner for the Sharks.

Top Five: Tim Crockford, 76 B.L.T., 74 Vince Galante, 72 George Smith, 71 Mohan Krishnamoorthy, 71 Top Players (Picks): G: Patrick Lalime, Ott, 26 (0) Brent Johnson, StL, 20 (0) Patrick Roy, Col, 16 (14) Dominik Hasek, Det, 16 (14) F: Peter Forsberg, Col, 13 (4) Pavol Demitra, StL, 11 (0) Saku Koivu, Mon, 10 (0) Daniel Alfredsson, Ott, 10 (1) Patrick Marleau, SJ, 10 (1) Steve Yzerman, Det, 10 (3) Joe Sakic, Col, 10 (30) D: DeVries, Col, 8 (0) Chris Chelios, Det, 8 (0) Lidstrom, Det, 8 (26)

Daily Stars: Tuesday Tkachuk, Pronger, StL: 3 pts. Monday Nolan, SJ: 3 pts. Sunday No pool players played Saturday Blake, Forsberg, Sakic, Col: 2 pts. Friday No pool players played Series scores: East: Montreal 2, Carolina 1 Ottawa 2, Toronto 1 West: Detroit 2, St. Louis 1 San Jose 2, Colorado 1

Roberts scored the winner in the third overtime.

OT thriller low on points, high on excitement May 4
Leafs fans are thrilled with the outcome of Saturday's 3OT win, though it didn't do much for the pool. A few people got a point. Nevertheless Leafs fans are feeling better about themselves and Sens fans are happy to have taken away home ice advantage (as well as coming from behind in game 2 to force OT). It will be a long series. GO SENS GO!

Blake returns with big performance May 4
After sitting out Game 1 with an injured leg, Rob Blake returned with two goals for Colorado in Game 2, before sitting out the third period for "precautionary reasons". Blake doubled his point total for the playoffs to 4, much to the relief of 3/4 of the pool. Sakic and Forsberg also picked up two points.

Senators discipline wins Game 1 May 2
It's too bad there are no points for penalty minutes in this pool, otherwise Leafs fans wouldn't be going home empty-handed. Instead, Steve Tivey was the only poolie to pick up points in the Ottawa-Toronto game, with three from Alfredsson. Patrick Lalime is now the would-be pool leader with his record-tying fourth shutout, while Dominik Hasek's shutout did some good for a chunk of the pool.

Patrick Marleau, right, has led the Sharks all playoffs...

Marleau continues to lead the Sharks May 1
Patrick Marleau continues to lead San Jose, with two more points in Game 1 against Colorado. Marleau is trying to singlehandedly pull Mouli Ramani out of the bottom of the pool into respectable standing. Meanwhile, Rob Blake missed Wednesday's game with an injured leg.

Close Battle Enters Round 2
Lord Stanley's Pool is heating up and the close battle continues into Round 2! Only five points separate the top six after round 1, and projections show it will remain close well into May. Read all the Round 1 analysis, projections, and more tidbits here. Then, head over to the Trash Talk Forum to weigh in on the Sens-Leafs series!

Leafs survive to force Ottawa re-match Apr.30
The Maple Leafs have put away the Islanders and now their battered and bruised bodies will face the Ottawa Senators. Go Sens Go! Well, we Ottawa fans have learned not to get too excited - or too cocky - lest we not score a goal until game 3. So I'm proud to boldly predict "Leafs in 7."

 

Those who picked Guerin are probably wishing they took Koivu instead...

Colorado comes through as expected Apr.29
The defending champions have come through as expected, to finish a sweep by all the top seeds in the West. Quite a difference from the East, where all the excitement is happening. Patrick Roy's second shutout (plus an assist) makes him the star for the night with seven points, as Tim Crockford takes over a once again neck-and-neck pool.

Upset thins pool ranks dramatically Apr.29
Montreal's glorious defeat over Boston removes even more picks from an already thin Eastern Conference. Only Toronto has players left (plus a single Alfredsson pick for Ottawa) and they hope to stay alive Tuesday night...

New Jersey upset, many disappointed Apr.27
The New Jersey Devils' loss to Carolina was great news for Canadian hockey fans, but not so much for many in the pool. The elimination of the Devils and Vancouver brings the number of picks eliminated to 74 -- along with 5 cup bets. Some poolies have already lost half their players!

Havlat (#9) scored the winner to eliminate the Flyers.

Philly falls flat Apr.26
Despite 2 Cup bets, 6 players and 23 picks, Philadelphia could only manage two points this pool by Adam Oates. Aside from a possibly fired Bobby Clarke, their quick elimination at the hands of the Senators puts a serious hurt on the chances of a few people in the pool - including 1999 and 2001 champ Vince Brescia. Elsewhere, Phoenix was eliminated by San Jose.

Hasek shutout evens goalie battle Apr.25
Dominik Hasek's shutout evens up the goalie battle in the pool, as 37 of 39 entries now have one shuout by their goalie. Combined with Sergei Fedorov's three points, the pool's 2000 champ, Andrew Ryan, has opened a six-point lead.

Chicago eliminated, but nobody cared... Apr.25
The St. Louis Blues elminated the Chicago Blackhawks, but no one was taken from Chicago anyway.

 

Hasek dominated Bertuzzi... and the rest of the Canucks on Friday..

Sundin out of playoffs Apr.25
Mats Sundin's broken wrist is the first major injury in the pool -- and it has taken the pool's most-picked player. But since 31 of 39 people have him, the effect may be negligible... unless the eight others can capitalize. Meanwhile, Adam Deadmarsh missed L.A.'s game on Thursday night.

Lalime rock solid! Apr.24
Patrick Lalime scored his third straight shutout on another historical night, matching Brent Johnson just 24 hours before. The Sens goale has only allowed a single OT goal -- and none in four games of regulation time. One more to go... Go Sens Go!!

Injuries creep in Apr.24
Injuries are starting to play their part. Mats Sundin, Mark Recchi, and Petr Sykora all sat out their games on Wednesday night. Steve Yzerman, meanwhile, leads the league with 7 points -- on one leg.

Top Five: Ian Winsor, 41 Andrew Ryan, 39 Altaf Champsi, 37 Peter Sadlier-Brown, 37 Steve Tivey, 37 Top Players (Picks): G: Brent Johnson, StL, 19 (0) Patrick Lalime, Ott, 18 (0) Patrick Roy, Col, 8 (14) F: Ziggy Palffy, LA, 7 (0) Steve Yzerman, Det, 8 (3) Saku Koivu, Mon, 6 (0) Peter Forsberg, Col, 6 (4) Elias, NJ, 6 (14) Brendan Shanahan, Det, 8 (29) D: Rafalski, NJ, 5 (7) Lidstrom, Det, 5 (26) Kaberle, Tor, 4

Daily Stars: Thursday Hasek, Det: 6; Fedorov, Det: 3 Wednesday Many with 1 pt. Tuesday Roy, Col: 6 Monday Palffy, Allison, LA: 3 pts. Series scores: East: Montreal 2, Boston 2 Ottawa 3, Philadelphia 1 Carolina 3, New Jersey 2 Toronto 2, NY Islanders 2 West: Detroit 3, Vancouver 2 Colorado 3, Los Angeles 1 San Jose 3, Phoenix 1 St.Louis 4, Chicago 1

Saku Koivu would have been a great pick.

Patrick Roy shut the door and mixed up the standings.

Roy shutout mixes up pool standings Apr.23
Patrick Roy's shutout has mixed up the pool standings, with 14 poolies benefitting. Combined with two points each for Yzerman and Shanahan, and we had a big points night. Ian Winsor, who led the pool much of last year, is the new leader.

Johnson, Koivu add to list of improbables Apr.23
Brent Johnson's third straight shutout makes him the first goalie to do so since 1945. Meanwhile, three more points for Saku Koivu and Donald Audette have people shaking their heads that they didn't bet on Montreal (or that they did bet on Boston). Big guns in the pool seem to be invisible, just like in the regular season, and instead the guys nobody picked are racking up points.

Palffy lighting it up: the forgotten man? Apr.22
Ziggy Palffy may be lighting it up on the scoresheet -- 7 points after 3 games to lead the NHL -- but he's doing no one any good except when he sets up Jason Allison. Allison was taken 3 times, Adam Deadmarsh once, and Jaroslav Modry once but Palffy was ignored completely. Did people simply forget about him?

 

Patrick Lalime was stellar for Ottawa.

Lalime, Sens defying critics Apr.22
No one would blame us for not taking any Senators in the pool given their history. But Patrick Lalime's up there with Brent Johnson as the top goalie after only allowing one goal in three games. No one took either goalie. But a single Senator was picked in the pool: Daniel Alfredsson, who has four points so far for Steve Tivey.

Brodeur, Devils power up the pool Apr.21
Martin Brodeur posted a shutout and Elias had three points to give New Jersey-backers a much-needed kickstart. This was a big help to the seven people who picked Brodeur -- and especially to Altaf Champsi, who along with his Detroit players had 15 points to take the lead in the pool.

Top Five: Altaf Champsi, 31 John Menary, 29 Keith Riddell, 29 Tim Smith, 29 Karen Patterson, 28 Top Players (Picks): G: Brent Johnson, StL, 12 (0) Patrick Lalime, Ott, 12 (0) Curtis Joseph, Tor, 7 (2) F: Ziggy Palffy, LA, 7 (0) Peter Forsberg, Col, 5 (4) Steve Yzerman, Det, 5 (3) Jason Allison, LA, 5 (3) D: Lidstrom, Det, 4 (26) Rafalski, NJ, 3 (7)

Daily Stars: Monday Palffy, Allison, LA: 3 pts. Sunday Brodeur, NJ: 6; Guerin, Bos; Elias, NJ: 3 Saturday Joseph, Tor: 6; Sakic, Forsberg, Col: 3 Series scores: East: Boston 1, Montreal 1 Philadelphia 1, Ottawa 1 Carolina 2, New Jersey 1 Toronto 2, NY Islanders 0 West: Vancouver 2, Detroit 1 Colorado 2, Los Angeles 0 San Jose 1, Phoenix 1 St.Louis 2, Chicago 1

Scotty wasn't too happy at the end of game 2.

Johnson an unlikely leader Apr.21
No one had confidence in St.Louis, and they have only 3 picks in the pool. Yet young goalie Brent Johnson is leading the pool with 12 points after his second straight shutout. Every year brings an unlikely goalie, and Johnson seems to be it this year...

Cujo shutout gives boost to 2 poolies Apr.20
Curtis Joseph's shutout not only gave Toronto the 2-0 series lead, but also boosted Karen Patterson and Keith Riddell into the top two spots in the pool. They were the only ones to go with Cujo after a third of the Olympic pool got burned by picking him. In other news, no one picked Patrick Lalime, who got a shutout for the Senators! Go Sens Go!!!

 

Bryan McCabe, picked in an impressive 8 pool entries, got a point in game 1.

Favourites in trouble Apr.19
Two major favourites have gone down 2-0 in their series. Detroit and New Jersey both losing would be a big blow to many in the pool. But players started to pick up a few points, with Bertuzzi, Lidstrom and Yzerman each getting a pair.

Andrew Ryan takes the early lead Apr.18
Andrew Ryan, the pool champion in 2000, has taken the early lead with 9 points. He has had production from all but one of his picks. But with no standout scorers in game one, everyone's still very close.

Underdogs rule in game one Apr.18
Four underdogs came away with victories in game one, setting the stage for possible upsets in both conferences. Not what most poolies want, but good for the few who steered clear of favourites. Though no one was brave enough to pick him, Saku Koivu got 3 points for Montreal in their upset, as did Donald Audette.

Hasek couldn't stop the upset in game 1.

Welcome new participants Apr.18
This year there are 39 entries in the pool, off by only one from last year. Of these 39, there are 12 new participants. Welcome!

Lost Entries Apr.18
I am hopeful that all entries submitted during the Rogers server glitches have been re-entered. If you submitted an entry but are not listed in the standings, e-mail Mitch immediately and indicate the day and time when you sent in your picks.