For us die-hard Pittsburgh hockey fans, this is practically virgin territory. Our beloved Penguins—back-to-back champions—were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs at the beginning of the week by the Washington Capitals. A cosmic event that occurs with roughly the same frequency as the return of Halley’s Comet.
Strange days, indeed.
So who in the heck should we root for?
The good news is there are plenty of appealing options…especially since the immensely dislikeable Smashville Predators were fished from the NHL postseason pond like one of those poor catfish the beer-swilling denizens of the Music City so unceremoniously tossed onto the virgin Bridgestone Arena ice.