THE QUEST FOR LORD STANLEY BEGINS....NOW.

The truncated NHL regular season ended in thrilling fashion this weekend as teams battled one another to punch a ticket to the NHL playoffs.  It literally came down to the final weekend for teams to clinch spots and literally until the very last game to decide playoff seedings.  With that being said, now that the smoke has finally cleared, here are the lucky teams who earned a chance to compete for Lord Stanley's Cup:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (8) NY Islanders

(2) Montreal Canadiens vs (7) Ottawa Senators

(3) Washington Capitals vs (6) NY Rangers 

(4) Boston Bruins vs (5) Toronto Maple Leafs

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Chicago Blackhawks vs (8) Minnesota Wild

(2) Anaheim Ducks vs (7) Detroit Red Wings

(3) Vancouver Canucks vs (6) San Jose Sharks

(4) St. Louis Blues vs (5) L.A. Kings

While the Penguins and the Blackhawks will go into the playoffs as the favorites to reach the Finals, recent history indicates that being the top-seed doesn't guarantee a spot to the championship.  Just ask the L.A. Kings, who squeaked into the playoffs last season, then went on an epic run to win the Cup.

The playoffs begin on Tuesday, April 30th and we'll be kicking things off with an appearance by HOCKEY THIS WEEK the hockey radio show, followed by three games: Minnesota vs Chicago, L.A. vs St. Louis and Detroit vs Anaheim.   The local teams play later in the week (NY Islanders vs Pittsburgh on Wednesday, NY Rangers/ Washington & Montreal/Ottawa on Thursday).  We were scheduled to raffle off a signed & framed Lundqvist Winter Classic photo on Tuesday, but since the NY Rangers don't play until Thursday, we're going to hold off on raffling it off until then.  We're selling raffle tickets during the game ($5 each, 3 for $10) and the proceeds of the raffle will go towards the One Boston Fund, for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

So remember, if you are a fan of the Habs, Islanders, Rangers or any other team competing in the playoffs, be sure to know that you can catch your favorite team here during the Stanley Cup Playoffs!

Cheers!

KINGS WIN THE CUP! KINGS WIN THE CUP!

It was a great night for Kings fans as their beloved LA Kings won their first Stanley Cup over the NJ Devils, winning in convincing fashion, 6-1.  It was a dominating victory for the Kings, who rode the hot glove of goalie Jonathan Quick to a spectacular Cup run.  One that you likely won't see again in a long time.  Kudos to the Kings on a well deserved win.

As for the Devils, they have no reason to hang their heads in shame.  They had a magnificent Cup run in their own right, dispatching the Panthers,  Flyers and the NY Rangers in successive fashion before meeting their match in the Kings.  They were simply worn out and outplayed by a younger, fresher, faster and stronger team.  (you can check out highlights of our Kings/Devils Viewing Party HERE)

With that, we bid a fond farewell to a great NHL season.  We made significant inroads with the hockey community this season, establishing ourselves as one of the best hockey bars in the city.  We also met a lot of great hockey fans through the local hockey scene and through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.  And while we're sad to see the season end, we look forward to bigger and better things next year!  So until then, recharge the batteries and gear up for a great 2012-2013 NHL season!

And remember, just because hockey season's over, it doesn't mean you can't hang out with us!  We still carry most premier sports and great drink specials every night!

TONIGHT: "Craft Brew Tuesdays" ($3 select Craft Brew pints, 5pm-close)!  HEAT vs THUNDER, Game 1, NBA Finals (9pm w/audio)!


Cheers!

AN INTERESTING CHAIN OF EVENTS...

Just as the title of this post says, it has indeed been an interesting chain of events over the course of the weekend.  In the sports world, we find the NBA playoffs finally producing some interesting drama in the two Conference Championship Series.  What was expected to be a cake-walk for both the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat has all of a sudden, become a dogfight as both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics rediscovered their game.  Now both series are tied at 2-2 and and everyone's interested in what happens next.

Meanwhile, the Stanley Cup has produced two straight overtime games, with the L.A. Kings winning both games on the road.  Now they go back home with a 2-0 lead and have the NJ Devils on the ropes, needing only two more wins to hoist the Cup for the very first time.

Now, as expected, with the NY Rangers out of the mix, the crowds have been much lighter than normal.  Much of that had to do with the fact that many of our diehard NJ Devils fans went to the games in New Jersey.  In fact, it's safe to say there were probably more L.A. Kings fans in the bar than NJ Devils fans.  However, I expect things to change for Game 3, especially with the Devils being on the road.  The fans should band together as their team faces a very critical situation.  Should the Devils lose and fall behind 3-0 in the series, you can all but call it a wrap.  History dictates that it's almost impossible to come back from a 3-0 deficit in a seven-game series, so it is imperative that New Jersey steal one, if not both games out West.  Tonight's game will be critical, to say the least.

The weekend itself was pretty tame.  The weather had much to do with it, with thunderstorms peppering the area off and on throughout, thus interfering with the flow of the nights.  Friday night actually turned out to be a pretty good night as many of our patrons chose to stay at the bar rather than try to deal with the pouring rain.  They also got to witness some history being made as JOHAN SANTANA pitched a no-hitter for the NY Mets, the first one in the team's 50 year history.

Saturday night, on the other hand, was pretty quiet, sans for the crowd we had for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup and Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference Finals.  We had a group of revelers show up at about midnight in one of those Mexican party buses, but they were in for a quick round of drinks, and made more of a mess than they were worth.  Nothing exciting other than that.  Neighborhood was that dead.

Sunday was a total waste of a day for me as I think I may have contracted food poisoning.  Woke up with aches, chills and the worst case of diarrhea known to man.  We are talking projectile proportions.  That bad.   I was scheduled to open that day; couldn't make it out of the apartment; then tried to shoot for a later opening, hoping that I would feel better by the afternoon, but no shot.  I spent pretty much the whole day either lying in bed or praying in the bathroom.  Simply brutal.  Still not 100% but I am hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

This is going to be a busy, BUSY week at the bar.  Between the hockey, the NBA playoff, we also have the start of the EURO 2012 soccer tournament from Poland/Ukraine.  16 of the best teams in Europe go at it and it always draws a crowd.  Matches run from Friday June 8th, through the end of the month.  Two matches each day (12 noon/2:30p) during the group stage, and we'll carry EVERY match of the tournament.

Then you still have PUB TRIVIA on Thursday; Interleague baseball kicks in again this weekend, with the Yankees/Mets Subway Series taking place; Then there's the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, with "I'LL HAVE ANOTHER" shooting for the elusive Triple Crown.  Oy.

After all of that, I'm going to need a vacation.  Catch you tonight for Stanley Cup/NBA Playoff action!  By the way, we're raffling off an autographed photo of LA Kings great, MARCEL DIONNE during tonight's game.  So catch the game with us!

Oh and sorry, no boob sightings in Murray Hill this weekend.



Cheers!