NHL 2nd Round Playoff Predictions

The 1st round was really exciting on the Game 7's. Now its time for the 2nd round.



[1] Vancouver Canucks vs. Nashville Predators[5]

The Outcome: I pick Nashville in 7 games. The Preds are a better team then the Hawks but Vancouver almost lost to the Hawks. Shea Weber and Ryan Suter should play good against the Canucks offence. The Preds have to put someone always on when "The Twins" are on the ice.

[2] San Jose Sharks vs. Detroit Redwings[3]

The Outcome: The Redwings will win in 6 games. The series will be exciting but Pavel Dastyuk will give more skills foe men to go on YouTube to watch over and over. Joe Pavelski will try hard.

[1] Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning[5]

The Outcome: The Caps in 6. Stamkos will try hard but the tandeem of Karl Alzner and John Carlson will shut all forwards down in crunch time. Alex Ovechkin will play well.

[2] Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins[3]

The Outcome: The Flyers in 5 games. I think Philly is in Boston's head after last year. Mike Richards will continue to play well on the point in power play. Danny Briere will contiue his playoff MVP play.

The Ultimate Book of Sports Movies: by\: Ray Didinger and Glen Macnow

Last year when I was in NYC my mom and I went to a bookstore called Barnes and Nobel. When I was walking through the sports section I saw a book that caught my eye. It was The Ultimate Book of Sports Movies. I flipped through and found Raging Bull at #3 out of #100. After reading the part about it I wish my parents let me see it. I then bought that book and read it all the next night and after a year I still go back and read it at night.
The book is great not just for reading about movies but the authors are very friendly in their writing. The book helped me find movies like The Wrestler. Just kidding. I found movies like The Bad News Bears. Most lists are carelessly put together with the best being anything. I found this book very enjoyable and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great read.

My Birthday!

On April 20th I turned 11. From my aunts, uncles, and grandparents I got money. But from my parents and brother I got presents. Most of the presents were sports related items.

From: My Brother

1. I got Toronto Bluejays tickets for the May 26th game vs. the Chicago White Sox. Zack Hample is going to be there so I hope that I get to meet him. My goal will be at least 3 balls in the batting practise and game. My whole family will come. We will be seated in the 100 level outfield.

2. An iTunes giftcard. I like to buy songs that pump me up for hockey games. I like Live and Let Die by Guns n Roses. I like the rock and RnB Hip Hop music.

Now here are the presents from my parents.

1. G2 Gatorade. I love the fruit punch flavour of the G2. I got a pack with 8 bottles with them for my hockey tryouts with Humber Valley Sharks "A". The gatorade gives you lots of energy if your in need of some. Lots of athletes drink G2.

2. Bop It Bounce. The game is very fun and is good for people looking to improve their reaction time. You bounce a ball on a trampoline thing. Their are different minigames with it like how high you can bounce and stuff like that.

3. My big present was the new Reebok Zigtech shoes. The unique zig zag shape prevents key leg muscles from getting hurt. I got the colour blue but there is also red, green, yellow and white. I would reccomend this shoe to people who work out a lot and like a very comfy shoe. The zig-zag foam is very light weight which makes the shoe lighter and then you faster on your feet. I rate this an A+.

If your wondering what I am going to do with the money, I will buy the new CCM u+10 hockey stick mostly because of the crazy ovi curve.


I would also like to thank Zack Hample and my dad because my dad emailed Zack Hample and asked if he could leave a comment and wish me a happy b-day. Thank You everyone that got me a gift!!!!!    

TSN vs. Sportsnet

Sorry for not doing a blogpost in such a long time. I have been caught up with all the playoffs in both basketball and hockey. My new post is is about TSN and Sportsnet and which channel is better. TSN is way better because it covers lots of differernt sports well Sportsnet only features hockey and baseball. TSN also has experts on all sports well all Sportsnet all they have is Nick Kypreos. They also have mostly baseball well TSN has lots of hockey which I live on. The point is that TSN is better in all aspects well Sportsnet usually has more depth in their reports on baseball. I like TSN more but think they should add more baseball in their time.


TSN: 1 Sportsnet:0

NHL Western Conference 1st Round Playoff Predictions

Here are my other predictions for the playoffs.

[1] Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks

The Outcome: I am going with Canucks in 6 games. Chicago is going to play smart but don't have enough gas in their tank after trying to make the playoffs. Ryan Kesler will play good and so will Patrick Kane.

[2] San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings[7]

The Outcome: The Sharks will win in 5 games. The Kings are not going to play well. If their goaltending is great then they might have a chance. This whole series is about defence and goaltending.

[3] Detroit Red Wings vs. Phoenix Coyotes[6]

The Outcome: Red Wings will sweep the Coyotes in 4 games. Nick Lidstrom will play good but I see Henrik Zetterberg will steal the show with a lot of good plays.

[4] Anaheim Ducks vs. Nashville Predators

The Outcome: The Preds will win in 5 games. Corey Perry will be on fire and the Ducks will give all they got but Ryan Suter and Shea Weber will deliver big time with great hits and passes.


The playoffs start on Wednesday.  

NHL Eastern Conference 1st Round Playoff Predictions

The Eastern Conference playoff teams have been decided and that means...  more predictions! Don't yell at me if they're all wrong.

[1] Washingtion Capitals vs. New York Rangers[8]

The Outcome: I have to pick the Caps in 5-7 games. Their team will be solid with D-man Mike Green coming back from injury, but the Caps lost to the Rangers 7-0 in December. I see Alex Ovechkin coming out strong for the Capitals. The Rangers have lots of depth in their roster which is key in the playoffs. I see Bryan Mccabe playing well.


[2] Philadelphia Flyers vs. Buffalo Sabers[7]

The Outcome: I am going with the Flyers in 4 games. Mike Richards will play well but I don't think the Sabers defence can shut down Phiily's top 2 lines. Tyler Myers is going to play solid and so will Ryan Miller but the Flyers defence will be awesome.

[3] Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadians[6]

The Outcome: Montreal will pull off the upset in 6 games because of P.K Subban and Scott Gomez will play great but can Carey Price get back to shutout mode? Zdeno Chara will try and wear out the Montreal forwards but won't be successful.

[4] Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning[5]

The Outcome: The Lightning in 5 games. Without Crosby the Penguins don't stand a chance. Stamkos has to score and Marty St Louis has to pass. The only hope for the Penguins winning is goal tending.


I will have my Western Conference Playoff Preview tomorrow.

Zack Hample Interview

I sent my idol Zack Hample [best ballhawk in the world] some questions (for an interview) the other day, and he replied to them. Here they are:


Ben: What do you love about being an author?
Zack: Getting to write stuff and knowing lots of people are going to read it.

B: Have you ever pushed a kid over?
Z: Not once. Never Ever. I once could of snagged a game home run hit by David Wright if I'd pushed my way past a kid who was blocking my path, but instead I chose to stop short and let someone else grab the ball.

B: What are your goals in life?
Z: To be a major league baseball player[oops, too late] and to have a spectacularly wife/family someday.

B: Who is your role model in ballhawking?
Z: When I was much younger, I looked up to a ballhawk at Yankee stadium named Artie Laurain. These days I get inspiration from ballhawks who exclusively go for game home runs. I need to focus more on that myself and not spend so much time chasing foul balls.

B: What is the best ballhawk stadium?
Z: Camden Yards.  Everyone's laid-back there, and the architectural layout is ideal.

B: What is the worst ballhawk stadium?
Z: Probably the new Yankee Stadium of how crowded and intense and expensive it is and because how strict the rules are. The layout of the stadium isn't great either. Dodger Stadium is also tough, and Rogers Center has proven to be difficult for me as well.

B: What event do you like going to more, Post Season or Home Run Derby?
Z: Home Run Derby all the way.

B: Who is the best player you got a ball from?
Z: I caught a home run that Barry Bonds hit in 2006, but as for the best player to have thrown me a ball? Hmm. I can't narrow it down to one because there've been some great ones- Albert Pujols, Ozzie Smith, Tony Gwynn, Rickey Henderson, Ichiro Suzuki, Greg Maddux, and Mariano Rivera, to name a few.


Sweet, right?

NHL 12 Cover Athlete?

The pick for this year's NHL 12 video game cover athlete is gonna be???

I have 3 picks who I can assure you will be the game makers' top picks.

1. Corey Perry
2. Nick Lidstrom
3. James Reimer

Why Corey Perry: Why not Corey Perry? Everyone thought he was a 70 point power forward,  but surprise...he is THE GOAL SCORER. Come on...it's just fantastic the way he can play and still be pest. Ask yourself?  Why not Corey Perry.


Why Nick Lidstrom: The d-man is 40 years old and still making it big. He is totally a Norris Trophy contender and still makes big plays on the rush.


Why James Reimer: He is lights-out playing goalie for Toronto, and is a good Rookie of the Year contender. He has back-stopped his team to an oh-so-close 8th place to make the playoffs. He makes crazy saves like he is some Cirque Du Soleil acrobat.


I sure love making predictions. 

The Importance of Tuesday

Tomorrow is a big day in my house. The Washingtion Capitals [my favourite team] are taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs [my dad's favourite team]. Here are my family's thoughts about Tuesday's game:

Me: "Yeah, I get bragging rights over my dad. That would make the Capitals 1st in the Eastern Conference then they might face the New York Rangers, who they got whooped by [for those of you who don't watch SportsCenter the score was 7-0]".

Dad: "I'll get bragging rights over Ben forever because the Leafs might make the playoffs. But if they lose then they are definitely out."

Mom: " I hope they don't watch the big game so I can watch the Food channel."

Brother Jack: "Who cared about hockey. I hope I can still go on the computer."

I'll let you know what happens.....

The Baseball By: Zack Hample

It is a bit late but I decided to review a great book called The Baseball. I got it the day it came out and I can tell you it was AWESOME!


It is about the history, stunts, and awesomeness of the ball. But wait it also gives tips on how to run or walk into the ballpark and catch your own ball[s].


It is a great book because the info in the book is kind of unknown up till now.

I lent my book to my friend Zach and when I saw him at the Blue Jays game he said it was great.

Keep on writing Zack.  

ACC Friday April 1

I recently went to the Toronto Rock game with my dad, my friend and his dad and his uncle.

First, we went to pick up my friend at his house and then took the subway to Bay Street.

We walked to a cool Italian place called Mercatto. My friend Andrew's Dad and Uncle then came. I had pizza with potatoes. We finished and then took a 10 minute walk to the ACC.

We entered the building and the atmosphere was great. I do not know that much about lacrosse so Andrew's Uncle Dean taught me about it.

I bought M&M's. We found our seats right ahead of the Ice Box ( a luxury suite).

The game was awesome!! There were some fights and slashes, but I'm okay with that! I thought of bringing a goalie catcher to catch a ball, but decided not to.

The best part was at the end when Stephan Leblanc did a in the air wraparound to win the game.

Results:

Washington Stealth: 12          Toronto Rock: 13