The holy grail

The Stanley Cup. Isn't it the most beautiful sports trophy you've ever seen? This is Ice Hockey's "holy grail". Superstition has it that if you ever hope to win this trophy, you are never supposed to even touch it before the day you hold it over your head as a champion.

Guess I'll never win. I happened upon it at the local rink in San Jose, California one day, and couldn't resist pawing it. Besides, the London , England recreational teams aren't allowed to compete. ;-)

However, this year my Calgary Flames have managed to slink into the very last western conference playoff spot, in the most non-confidence-inspiring way possible. They nearly blew it by losing all of their last 4 games.

They'll face the second best team in the league, the Detroit Red Wings, in the best-of-seven first playoff round. In 2004 the Flames managed to beat the Wings in 6 games in the second round. In 2006 (there was no 2005 season) Calgary's historic rivals, the lowest-seeded Edmonton Oilers, did the same in the first round. Both Calgary and Edmonton subsequently went all the way to the finals, where both lost heartbreaking do-or-die 7th games (though I can't say my heart bled for the Oilers -- Calgary fans would never have heard the end of it).

This year the Oilers will be watching the playoffs at home on TV. Two other storied Canadian teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens will be doing the same. The Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators, and Vancouver Canucks will be carrying the flag this year. A Canadian city hasn't won the cup since 1993.

Can you tell I'm excited? Go Flames go.