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Stories (1295/0)
Islanders Complete 2023 Stanley Cup Playoff Field
The field of 16 is complete! Only three games took place on this Wednesday, April 12, but the main one was the only one not aired on TNT: the meeting between the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Islanders. The Islanders were looking to nab the 16th and last playoff spot left on the board; it was between them and the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had been playoff bound for 16 straight years. For the Islanders, this was their 82nd and last game of the regular season, and they had an easy scenario: all they needed was one point, just get to overtime. It was a close affair; the Isles led 2-1 after the first 2o minutes. Brock Nelson had a goal in the first, and added one in the second to make it 3-1. It was 3-2 after 40, but Anders Lee's power play goal with 4:00 left in regulation started the countdown, and New York knows a thing about countdowns.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Woke: What It Truly Means and What It Doesn't Mean. Top Story - April 2023.
I've been sitting on this for a long time...a long time. It's time we had a talk about this. It's been out there, big time, in the public eye for about three years, but it goes much much farther than that. You know what I'm talking about. The four letter word that is said with passion by some, and disdain from others. Let's talk about that word, shall we? Woke.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Humans
Jets Land on the West's Final Playoff Spot
I had a lot of faith in the Winnipeg Jets this season, so much so that I picked them to be part of the Central Division's Top 3. They were in that position for a while, but the Jets started to descend into an apparent free fall after the All-Star Break. It really looked like the Jets would actually end up out of the playoffs for the second straight season, which would have been absolutely disappointing given their amazing start. But they managed to get back upright and start flying at the right time, while the main teams below them--the Calgary Flames and the Nashville Predators--fell off.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Panthers Claw Their Way to Playoffs as Wild Card
Hockey is a funny thing at times. When the Florida Panthers made that trade for Matthew Tkachuk, I said--on a loop, mind you--that they fleeced the Calgary Flames. I had the Panthers as one of the top teams in the Atlantic Division (and maybe the Eastern Conference overall), while the Flames would either miss the playoffs or barely squeak in. By the midpoint, however, both teams were sputtering big time. However, the Panthers managed to get over the hump just a bit, while Calgary hung on and stayed alive for several weeks.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Villainess Review: Bea (Fantasy Island)
I love the current Fantasy Island reboot with a passion. I love everything about the show. It was my Tuesday jam during the first season, but now it's my Monday habit after 9-1-1 airs. I drink in every episode, enjoy the guest stars, really love the plotlines, and the fantasies in every episode are absolutely amazing. There's just one little thing that I can't help but notice: where are the villainesses? It hasn't bothered me because I love the show, but it would be nice to see just one pop up in this series.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Geeks
Reviewing Trish Stratus' Heel Turn; What Happens Between Now and SummerSlam?
So we finally got it. We knew this was coming, we were waiting for it, and it came. A lot of us thought we'd see this happening at WrestleMania. I mean, it was the proper forum. Becky Lynch, Trish Stratus, and Lita against Damage CTRL, and it would have been the perfect opportunity. We didn't get that, and I'm glad of that, because we needed to wait just a bit. We would not wait too long, and it leaves this fan, among others, wondering what will be done in the many months leading to the inevitable clash.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look Back at WWE's Faulty Booking of Their Women's Division at WrestleMania 29
I remember the build to WrestleMania 29 like it was yesterday, but it was actually 10 years ago. Hard to believe that a decade prior, WWE had so many potential ideas for women's matches, and I mean, so many. Yet they went from a lot of options, to one announced match, to literally nothing. Granted, there are still a lot of mistakes that WWE had made regarding the women, but at least they have still come quite a few ways since this debacle 10 years ago. Enough talk. Let's get to what was planned (rumored or otherwise).
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Viva
XFL Week 7 Recap: Down to the Wire
I have to confess something--I actually didn't watch Week 7, and that's because of one word: WrestleMania. The seventh week of the XFL season fell on WrestleMania weekend, and speaking of that, there had to be two people who were very proud during that weekend: Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia. The reason: their daughter, Simone Johnson, made her official in-ring debut at NXT's Stand and Deliver; she's been shining as of late as Ava Raine, the lone female member of the sinister faction known as Schism.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Kraken Released Into the Stanley Cup Playoffs
One of the many things that fascinates me about the National Hockey League is the timing of their expansion wave. The other three leagues added teams at the same time (usually the 1960s), and while the NHL did double in size in 1967 and did some more adding during the 1970s, the real big expansion wave occurred during the 1990s. I had the chance to see a number of teams added and relocated during my lifetime, and the result is a 32-team NHL, with the Seattle Kraken becoming team #32.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Reigning, Defending, and Undisputed: Avalanche's Championship Defense Begins
As the late, great, iconic Jackie Gleason once said, "How sweet it is!" The Colorado Avalanche entered the evening of April 4, 2023 with a lot of golden opportunities. Mikko Rantanen was one goal away from 50. Nathan MacKinnon was on the verge of reaching 100 points. But overall, the Avalanche had an opportunity to lock in a playoff spot, and they had three ways to do it. The first, of course, was win and in. Secondly, if the Calgary Flames lost, the Avs would only need one point to get in. A third option had the Avs getting in with a Nashville Predators lost coupled with a Flames regulation loss.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Even With Kaprizov's Imminent Return, Can the Wild Actually Advance This Time?
The Dallas Stars weren't the only Central Division team who clinched a playoff spot on the third day of April. The abbreviated hockey Monday kicked off in Minnesota with the Wild hosting the Vegas Golden Knights, with the former looking to lock in a playoff spot. A win would get it done, but just when it looked like they would get the win, Vegas tied it and forced overtime. It went to a shootout, which Vegas ended up winning, so with only one point acquired, the Wild had to look to the Dallas Stars to get them in, as they needed Dallas to defeat the Nashville Predators. Dallas did just that, so not only did Dallas clinch with their win, Minnesota got in with Nashville's loss.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Stars Reach Playoffs for 4th Time in 5 Seasons
It took until the third day in April, but the Central Division, my Central Division, finally has official playoff teams. Only three games took place on a Monday evening centered around the first Raw after WrestleMania, as well as NCAA basketball's National Championship. Two of them featured teams who could clinch spots in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and both teams fulfilled their duties. The Dallas Stars' first chance to lock in a spot occurred on April 1, but their loss to the Colorado Avalanche forced them to wait a few days. Their next opportunity came on April 3, against a lowly Nashville Predators team that was suffering and riddled with injuries. Of course, the Stars pounced; a 5-1 victory over the Preds, and it placed Dallas in the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
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