Tuesday, April 19, 2011

P is for ... Playoffs

I can't write about hockey and not include something else about playoffs. Yesterday, we all learned about how the octopus came to be a part of Red Wing playoffs. Today we'll take a closer look at how the Stanley Cup Playoffs are set up. Once again, thanks to Wikipedia for the invaluable information:

The Stanley Cup playoffs is an elimination tournament in the National Hockey League consisting of four rounds of best-of-seven series. The first three rounds determine which team from each conference will advance to the final round, dubbed the Stanley Cup Finals.

The first round of the playoffs, or Conference Quarterfinals, consists of four match-ups in each conference, based on the seedings (# 1 vs. # 8, # 2 vs. # 7, # 3 vs. # 6, and # 4 vs. # 5). In the second round, or Conference Semifinals, the top remaining conference seed plays against the lowest remaining seed, and the other two remaining conference teams pair off (unlike the NBA, for example, where the 1–8 winner always plays the 4–5 winner, regardless of who wins). In the third round, the Conference Finals, the two remaining teams in each conference play each other, with the conference champions proceeding to the Stanley Cup Final.

For the first three rounds, the higher-seeded team has home-ice advantage (regardless of point record). In the Stanley Cup Final, it goes to the team with the better regular season record. The team with home-ice advantage hosts Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, while the opponent hosts Games 3, 4 and 6 (Games 5–7 are played "if necessary").

Have you ever been to a final championship game? It doesn't have to be a Stanley Cup game, but any type of game.

6 comments:

  1. Hey Kris,

    I love your A to Z Blogging Challenge. Such a great idea! I don't usually watch hockey (maybe I should start), but I love football playoffs. Yes, I have been known to yell at the players and jump around the room, a lot. I'm pretty sure I inherited it from my father, lol! :)

    It sounds like you have a great love for the game. That's awesome!

    Happy writing <3!

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  2. Just sayin', I love the playoffs. Having a blast watching...as always!

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  3. T.H. ~ I like watching football, but not as much as hockey!

    Sheri~ They are going well, that's for sure!

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  4. I've never been into hockey, but I can see how much I would love it if I sat down to learn what it's all about.

    I've never been to the finals, but I've been to the baseball playoffs a couple of times. Such incredible energy at those games. What an experience!

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  5. I've never been to a playoff game but in highschool I sat next to the son of the coach (Fred Shero) for the Flyers thru 4 years of homeroom. They won the Stanley cup when I was a freshman and sophomore-very exciting! Hard to be the coach's son when they lose though : )

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  6. Karen~ I don't think it matter what type of playoff game (professional, college, high school, even your kid's game), the energy is amazing at all levels.

    Joyce~ Yep, I think it would be tough to be a coach's kid no matter what!

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