Western Final Speaks Volumes

The National Hockey League's Western Conference Finals spoke volumes. And it tells the tale of two different teams and two different stories.

For the winning team, the Vegas Golden Knights, its sets the bar so high for new teams in sports. For the losing team, the Colorado Avalanche, it speaks volumes to the curse or whatever you want to call it, for winning the Presidents Trophy.

The most obvious one is what we going to dive into first, and that is the fact that for the third time in the nine-year existence of the Vegas franchise, they are playing in the Stanley Cup Finals. This is a huge accomplishment for two reasons. First is the way this year has gone. The pacific Division in the West as a whole this year seemed the weakest of the other three in the league. And let's be real, they were huge underdogs to Colorado, or for that matter whoever was going to come out of that side of the bracket. Going into the playoffs, three of the teams that came out of the Central were the favorites, be it Colorado, Dallas, and even Minnesota. The Pacific had two 40 plus win teams and neither of them got out of round two, that being Anaheim (who was a surprise in its own right) and Edmonton. Vegas went in and beat them up in the first two series.

Then once the Conference Finals got started, they looked like a team on a mission. Sure, Colorado had injuries, more on that in a bit, but Vegas stuck to their game and are back in the Finals. Vegas has quickly started to establish themselves as a force in the West. Three trips to the Finals in nine years?!?!? That comes down to the way ownership and upper management has built this team to be a contender and stay that way. Good drafts, making the right trades at the right times, and being able to keep that group together. They aren't quite an elite level franchise in this league just yet, but the level of success they have attained in their first ten years in the league is quite impressive. They've only missed the playoffs once, and in the other nine seasons have failed to get out of the first round just twice. That's eye-popping stats to think about and speaks volumes about how the team is built and run.

From the side of the coin, the Colorado Avalanche have some things to be able to look at this offseason. With the year that Colorado had, coming this far, while a great accomplishment, is a letdown. There was supposed to be a finals appearance at least for this team, instead it ends like this. A whimper in the Western Conference Finals. Yes, there were injuries that may have played a factor. Cale Makar missed the first two games due to injury and that looked like it played a major factor for Colorado. They couldn't recover and find their legs at all in the series from that.

The other storyline from this is the impact of the President's Trophy. It doesn't mean a damn thing. No President's Trophy winner has had success in the last thirteen years. Meaning that the last team that finished the regular season with the best record to make it to the finals was the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks (they also won the Cup that year as well). Yes, it is kind of cool to finish the regular season as the best team in the league. But all of that flies right out of the window once the playoffs start. And its been those teams that don't get the right mojo going once spring hockey starts. This is the time of the year where the hottest teams go the deepest. Colorado was playing fairly well in the first two rounds, but the injuries got them at the wrong time, among other things. And because of that it's going to lead to some things for Colorado to take a look at during the summer months.

Party Like It's 1999

The city of New York is about to party like it's 1999! It's something that fans of the New York Knicks have been waiting almost thirty years to do. With their 130-93 win in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks completed the sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers and punched their ticket to the NBA finals for the first time since 1999.

The last time the Knicks made it this far was a five-game loss to the Tim Duncan led San Antonio Spurs in 1999. This will be the 9th total trip in franchise history to the Finals for the Knicks, who are seeking their first NBA title since 1973.

There's a lot to unpack here with what the Knicks have been doing in these playoffs. First off, it's the dominating point output. The Knicks have outscored Atlanta, Philadelphia and Cleveland by a combined 262 points during their playoff winning streak, the largest margin in any 11-game span in NBA history. There's domination and then there's this, which has the Knicks operating at a whole different level. They are going to try and keep this going against either San Antonio or Oklahoma City, both of whom are a very different animal then anything the Knicks will have faced in the first three rounds of the playoffs.

We can get into more details about that as the finals get set to get rolling, as there's still two to three more games to be played to decide who the Knicks are going to face.

What this run means for New York sports, epically New York Basketball goes beyond measure. Twenty-seven years is a long time to wait between finals appearances for the Knicks, a team who in 2018-19 won just 17 games and were the worst team in the league that year. And now here we sit. That's an amazing turn around, not just for the Knicks, but any sports franchise. And this is a huge boost for the New York Sports scene. Here's why. The Jets haven't played for a Super Bowl since 1969, the Giants 2011. Yankees last world series appearances was last year, the Mets in 2015. The Islanders haven't played for the Cup since 1984, the Rangers 2014. 

Seeing the Knicks go this far has been a major morale boost for New York City and it's fans. This is something that has been a long time coming and has clearly shown the fruits of the labor that Knicks management has put in over the last number of years to turn this team from the bottom of the league to what is now a major threat in the Eastern Conference.

Is This Team Even Salvagable?

For the 2026 New York Mets, there had been a decent level of expectations. This team may not have been talented enough to really challenge for a division title in the National League East, but they should have been competitive enough to be in the thick of things as a wild card team at least in the NL. And for a while there, it looked as if the Mets might be able to overcome their early season struggles and right the ship enough to make a game of it in the long run. As of me writing this, I'm not totally sold.

Let's take a step back here for a moment and go back to the beginning of the season shall we. With all the talent that was moved out during the winter, and with what it was replaced by in the locker room, there was a level of concern for the club. Would they have been contenders for the division title with the Phillies and even the Braves with the talent that's been brought on board? Not totally no. I just didn't get the feeling that they'd have enough go of it in the bats to really be able to stay with the likes of Philadelphia or Atlanta at the top of the division. They had enough pieces here to be able to make a showing of it and get in as a wild card, in theory, sure.

But what we thought would happen at the beginning of April, and what we are looking at right now at the start of the last week of May, are two very different things.

To be fair, injuries have taken their toll on this team. Lindor out hurt, Alvarez hurt, Holmes hurt, Polanco hurt. I can keep going. They have had a few guys like AJ Ewing make some noise in the playing time they're getting with guys down, but it's not much. And sadly it's not enough to carry the team while waiting for the big guns to come back and get back on track. Outside of Ewing and Juan Soto, nobody on this team who's seeing the field regularly is hitting above .250. That's disastrous right there.

They're coming off a weekend series in which they not only got swept by the Miami Marlins, who many projected to be a bad team this year anyway, and in said sweep they scored just two runs the entire time. They can't for whatever reason, get the job done right now with getting guys across the plate during prime chances. To call this maddening would be an understatement.

There's no doubt in anybody's mind at this point moves have got to be considered being made, some of which quite frankly should have been done already. There's no way you can take into account predicting injuries, that's not possible. But you had to have known at the start something this year wasn't going to work out right. The manager can only do so much with the tools he's been given and for that, David Sterns deserves to get his walking papers for what he's done to this team. let's be honest here He built this garbage on the field and should get three to five for doing what he did to a team that was three wins away from a world series appearance just two seasons ago. Carlos Mendoza isn't safe either for not being able to change things with the team that he has been given. How its taken this long for moves to be made with the Mets I have no clue, and still nothing has been done to change it at the time of this writing.

That vent being said, is this still salvageable for 2026. As a playoff team, I'm not totally sold on that bill of goods yet. Can they salvage this year to finish at or above .500? That's a more realistic yes. Will they do either thing? I can't say for sure, only time will tell. But what I can say is that, from what we've seen so far, moves have to be made from the bench and front office to try and change things, because what we are looking at right now isn't working. And if we are being totally honest its embarrassing for what amount of money has been spent on payroll for this club to be where they are at the time of this writing.

Stanley Cup Conference Finals Preview

And then there were four. We have hit the conference finals in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It's going to be a battle of wills in both conference finals. One team is looking to end the drought of an entire nation. The other three are trying to get back to the top of the mountain themselves. Those three teams have all won at least one title in this century, while the other is seeking its first title since 1993. The top two teams in these series have dominated on their way here, with just one loss between them. One team has gone six games in each series, while the other has gone seven in both series. It's going to be a fun two week stretch to reach the finals. So here's how we see the conference finals going down.

We will start with the Western Conference Finals between the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche. Colorado is 8-1 so far in the playoffs and are looking to become the first Presidents Trophy winner to reach the finals since 2013 (Blackhawks won the cup that year). Meanwhile, the Golden Knights have gone six games in each of the first two rounds.

Vegas has had to do this without the play of their captain Mark Stone, who missed the last three games of the last round due to injury. But the team hasn't seemed like it missed a beat thanks to the play of both Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel in the first two rounds. Marner leads the playoffs in scoring at the time of this writing, and Eicheil is 5th in scoring. IT's not just those two guys carrying the load in Vegas, as you've seen production all playoffs long from guys like Pavel Dorofeyev and Tomas Hertl as well. And in net, Carter Hart has been a big surprise, with a 2.37 goals against and a 917 save percentage in his 12 games.

For as good as Vegas has been, Colorado still appears to have been head and shoulders above everybody else. in these playoffs. Colorado may not have guys in the top ten in scoring in the playoffs, outside of Nathan MacKinnon, but Colorado has the most balanced scoring team in the post season. The only thing that I would even remotely put into question here is the play of Scott Wedgewood. Don't get anything twisted he's been good. His 2.21 goals against and .914 save percentage have been good. But he did look a little rocky in game three against Minnesota. If Colorado really wants to go all the way, he needs to be better than he has been in this post season.

This is going to be the tightest series that the Avs will have played and it's going to be a big test, but at the end of the day, it really comes down to the depth. Colorado has that it seems in spades in this series. Vegas is going to give the Avs a run, there's no doubt about it. At the end of the day, the best team will stand tall at the end.

Pick: Colorado in six!

Now for the Eastern Conference Finals, which will pit the Montreal Canadians taking on the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina has had plenty of time off, having won both of their first round games in sweeps. The Canes haven't played in twelve days by the time the puck dops in this series. That could be detrimental to the Hurricanes in that its going to get them off to a slow start. Then again, Carolina, much like Colorado, has had balanced scoring all throughout the playoffs. It hasn't been to the same degree of power as the Avs, the Canes have still gotten contributions from almost everybody that's in their lineup. Another big reason for Carolina being where they are has been the play of Frederik Andersen.. A 1.12 goals against and a .950 save percentage are both the best in the playoffs. He hasn't really been tested in the first two series, and even when he has, he's answered the bell.

And while Carolina has been dominating on their run here, Montreal has had a much rockier path, having to go seven games in both series. There are times in the previous two series that Montreal has looked totally overmatched. Yet thanks to the play of guys like Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson here we sit. Montreal has been just as balanced as Carolina has with their scoring. And rookie Jakub Bobes has been playing out of his mind as the playoffs have gone along.

For as much fun as it has become watching Montreal do what they do in this year's playoffs, I think the magic finally runs out here. Carolina's just too good of a defensive team and too balanced for Montreal to overcome.

Pick: Hurricanes in 5

NFL Schedule Released

The time has finally arrived. Let's start marking the calendars right now. The 2026 National Football League schedule has been released! We will have the full scheduled here in a minute for the Jets, Giants and Buccaneers. Before we get into that, let's take a look at some of the notable games on the docket for the rest of the league.

Week 1, Patriots @ Seahawks: Super Bowl Rematch to kick off the regular season

Week 1, Dolphins @ Raiders: Fernando Mendoza NFL Debut 

Week 2, Lions @ Bills: Buffalo opens their new stadium 

Week 12, Thanksgiving Triple Header: Bears @ Lions, Eagles @ Cowboys, Chiefs @ Bills

Week 16, Christmas Triple Header: Packers @ Bears, Bills @ Broncos, Rams @ Seahawks

That's just some of the great action we can expect around the NFL this year. Now let's dive into it. Here's what the teams we cover on the show will be doing this year for games.

September 13th @ Cincinnati 1PM FOX
September 20th vs. Cleveland 1PM CBS
September 27th vs. Minnesota 4:05PM CBS
October 4th vs. Green Bay 1PM FOX
October 8th @ Dallas 8:20PM Prime
October 18th vs. Pittsburgh 1PM CBS
October 25th @ Carolina 1PM FOX
November 1st vs. Atlanta 1PM FOX
November 8th @ Chicago 8:20PM NBC
BYE WEEK
November 22nd @ Detroit 1PM CBS
November 30th vs Carolina 8:15PM ESPN
December 6th vs. Los Angeles Chargers 1PM CBS
December 13th @ Baltimore 1PM FOX
December 20th vs New Orleans 1PM FOX
TBD @ Atlanta (Flex Game)
TBD vs Lons Angeles Rams (Flex Game)
TBD @ New Orleans (Flex Game)

September 13th vs Dallas 8:20PM NBC
September 21st @ Los Angeles Rams 8:15PM ESPN
September 217th vs Tennessee 1PM CBS
October 4th vs Arizona 1PM CBS
October 11th @ Washington 1PM FOX
October 18th vs New Orleans 1PM FOX
October 25h @ Houston 1PM FOX
BYE WEEK
November 8th @ Philadelphia 1PM FOX
November 12th vs Washington 8:15PM Prime
November 22nd vs Jacksonville 1PM CBS
November 29th @ Indianapolis 1PM FOX
December 6th vs San Francisco 1PM FOX
December 13th @ Seattle 4:25PM FOX
December 20th vs Cleveland 1PM CBS
December 28th @ Detroit 8:15PM ESPN
January 3rd @ Dallas 1PM FOX
TBD vs Philadelphia (Flex Game)

September 13th @ Tennessee 1PM CBS
September 20th vs Green Bay 1PM FOX
September 27th @ Detroit 1PM FOX
October 4th @ Chicago 1PM FOX
October 11th vs Cleveland 1PM CBS
October 18th @ New England 1PM CBS
October 25th vs Miami 1PM CBS
November 1st vs Las Vegas 1PM FOX
November 8th @ Kansas City 1PM CBS
November 15th vs Buffalo 1PM CBS
November 22nd @ Los Angeles Rams 4:05PM CBS
November 29th @ Miami 1PM CBS
BYE WEEK
December 13th vs Denver 1PM CBS
December 20th @ Arizona 4:05PM FOX
December 27th vs New England 1PM CBS
January 3rd vs Minnesota 1PM CBS
TBD @ Buffalo (Flex Game)

Stanley Cup Second Round Predictions

And then there were eight. We now have eight teams left standing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The second round of the Cup playoffs has finally arrived, and we have quite a few storylines still floating around going into this round.

Can Colorado keep the pace they have all season long? Can Minnesota continue its hot streak after its first round upset? Can Anaheim keep their great play up? Was Philadelphia a first round fluke or are they for real? Can Montreal end the drought for Canada? What about Buffalo? Are they for real? A lot of these questions and more will be answered over the next week and a half or so as the second round gets rolling.

Yes some of the games have already started in round two, but the predictions made here have been made before any of the games actually got underway and have not been changed based on the way opening games have gone.

Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens

Buffalo is coming off winning their first playoff series since 2007, taking out the Bruins. Montreal is coming off a bit of an upset beating Tampa and winning a round for the first time since 2021. Buffalo is coming into this a little more rested, having won in six. Montreal is coming off a very physical very tight series against Tampa. This is going to be another tight series and another even series. It’s going to make for must see TV, of the four series we have left. Because of the atmosphere in both buildings and the rivalry between the two franchises. What’s going to swing the series is the play of the big boys. Montreal had its role players pull it out against the Lightning, their big line was held in check. Buffalo’s big guns acted like it against Boston. Don’t get it twisted, Buffalo had their role players have an impact too, bhut the big guys played just as much of a role. That’s going to be the difference in the series.

Pick: Buffalo in 6!

Carolina Hurricanes vs Philadelphia Flyers

Carolina was the best team in the East all year and showed it in a sweep against Ottawa in the first round. Philly came in and beat the Penguins in a bit of a surprise win. A big reason for that was the play of Dan Vladar in the Flyers net, he had two shutouts in the series and allowed more than two goals just twice in the series, both losses. And Philly got pretty balanced production from most of its lineup, there wasn’t one line that really stuck out in that series. Carolina was just as good in their four game sweep of Ottawa. It was the big guns that had an impact too as well as the role guys. Hall, Stankoven and Blake all had big series. And just like Vladar did in that first round for the Flyers, Freddy Andersen was just as good for the Hurricanes. This series won’t be as easy for the Hurricanes as the first round was. The Flyers are going to come out and push hard. At the end of the day, the Hurricanes depth and talent will win out.

Pick: Hurricanes in 6!

Colorado Avalanche vs Minnesota Wild

Colorado proved in the first round why they won the Presidents Trophy, winning in a sweep over the Kings. Minnesota pulled off the big upset in the first round, knocking off the favored Stars in six. This series is going to be a run and gun, high scoring series. Minnesota not only had balanced scoring, but their big guns acted like it against Dallas. They had balance and put a lot of pressure on the Stars and it killed Dallas as the series went along. That’s going to play a factor in the series as they will be able to stay stride for stride with the Avs. At the same time Colorado showed why they were the best team in the league in the first round. It was the same thing in Denver, with balanced scoring and the big guns leading the way as everything went along. Expect a lot of high scoring hockey in this series.

Pick: Colorado in 7!

Vegas Golden Knights vs Anaheim Ducks

Anaheim is coming off an upset win over the Oilers in six in the opening round, while Vegas had to go the same against Utah. This is going to be the other most evenly matched meeting of this entire second round, as both teams have the same skill level and got the same production out of said skill level. Anaheim youth movement proved to be too much for the Oilers in the opening round, where Vegas experience is what won out against Utah. And Vegas had to do it coming back from down two games to one in that series. It going to come down to who’s big guns are going to have more firepower in the series. And the edge, for me at least, goes to Vegas.

Pick: Golden Knights in 6!

Broadcasting Legend Passes

Television and Radio announcers. They make the games come to life. And for 36 years, one man did just that for New York Baseball. Whenever people think of the New York Yankees, naturally the legends of the game always come to mind. Ruth, Gerig, DiMaggio, Jeter ect. There’s one name on that list of legends who never made a play or hit a long ball. But boy did he make those moments come to life. That person was John Sterling, who for 36 years painted the word picture on the radio for one of the greatest franchises in any sport anywhere in the civilized world. Monday morning, it was announced that John had passed away at the age of 87.

The cause of his passing was due to heart failure at a hospital in Englewood New Jersey. This coming a couple of months after suffering a heart attack at the beginning of the year.

John’s career had spanned 5.420 regular season games and another 211 in the playoffs. He started calling games for the Yankees in 1989 and never missed a broadcast, a streak of 5,060 games, until missing one in 2019. He finally retired from the booth just before the start of the 2024 season. During his legendary career, John’s had quite a few different partners in the booth, ranging anywhere from Jay Johnstone (1989–1990), Joe Angel (1991), Michael Kay (1992–2001), Charley Steiner (2002–2004), and Suzyn Waldman (2005–2024). Sterling was on the air for 24 Yankees postseason trips, seven World Series appearances and five World Series titles.

Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theeeeeee Yankees win! It is high, it is far, it is gone! Those are the two most famous things that any baseball, or sports fan, associates with John Sterling. He also had a unique way to come up with induvial calls for players when they would go deep, or make a spectacular play, during the course of a season.

Aside from his baseball career he also had stints behind the microphone for the Washington Bullets in the NBA and even called games on the radio for the New York Islanders from 1975-78. John provided so many thrills for so many fans, love him or hate him. He left a legacy that will never be forgotten in the sports world.

John Sterling, gone but not forgotten.