Who knows how far Vancouver will go in these Stanley Cup playoffs, but the fact that they’ve advanced to the second round is – in very large part - a tribute to their spectacular goaltender, Roberto Luongo. To paraphrase Mark Twain, rumors of Luongo’s playoff inexperience affecting his performance were greatly exaggerated. Specifically, his save on Stu Barnes in the third period of game seven against the Dallas Stars will heretofore be known as The Save, capital letters required. Barnes still has his stick raised in anticipation of the red light flashing behind Luongo, but the guy they call Louie was able to stretch that 6’3 frame and snare that shot between his left arm and left leg pad. It was an enormous save, absolutely brilliant, and it was made even more so by the fact he left no rebound. And make no mistake, Luongo appears quite capable of getting in the heads of the highly favored Anaheim Ducks. If he does, the series will go a lot longer than many pundits are predicting. For him to steal the series, however, would require some offense from his teammates, something they showed precious little proficiency at in their series against Dallas.

*****

As I was watching game six between the Lightning and the Devils last weekend, the legendary line uttered by the late, great Jack Buck came to mind. You know, “I can’t believe what I just saw!” New Jersey forward Travis Zajac had broken in alone on Tampa Bay’s goalie Johan Holmqvist but seemed to lose an edge as he was skating down the slot and fell to the ice. Now from one angle, it appeared he may have had his skates taken out by a Lightning defender, so I could understand why a minor (for tripping, I believe) was called. But Zajac was also called for diving. Diving? On a breakaway? I can still hear Mr. Buck.

*****

Of all the memories from this year’s first-ever appearance by the Thrashers in the playoffs, I think the most memorable for me is the way his teammates reacted to Scott Mellanby when the final horn had sounded at Madison Square Garden, and the Thrashers were officially eliminated. Player after player skated to Mellanby and embraced him, fully aware it was likely his final game as an NHL player. As you know by now, it was indeed his last game, and Scott has officially retired from the NHL. His teammates’ reaction at the end of game four – amidst what had to be profound disappointment – was a poignant and eloquent statement of the esteem in which they held their captain. It was an impressive showing of respect, much deserved for one of the NHL’s great leaders and people. Scott Mellanby learned very early in his career what it took to be a winner, on the ice and off the ice, and he will be sorely missed.

It was a quiet celebration, hanging out in the family room watching the New York Rangers put a 7-2 pounding on a Toronto team playing its fourth game in six nights. At the final horn, we toasted the post-season bound Thrashers with a simple, “Here’s to the playoffs!” And even though the historic moment occurred on April 1st, it was no April Fool’s joke. At long last, the Atlanta Thrashers were in position to vie for the Stanley Cup.