Chicks and their Polls: The Pacific Di—err, Western Conference Finals

How many people in the hockey world do you think picked a Western Conference Final between the Los Angeles Kings and the Phoenix Coyotes? Yeah, I'm going for the big goose egg, too. I certainly didn't call it. In fact, I would have picked this as the least likely pairing for the final round. Alas, what we thought could never be is upon us. Now there are a number of ways to look at this match up in terms of what it can do for—or to—the NHL. It could bring more attention to the West Coast teams which seem to fall so far under the radar that East Coast teams are dumbfounded when they realize they have to play a game at Disneyland. Or it could lose viewership from the casual fan who isn't excited enough by two "smaller market" franchises to tune in. It could seal the deal for former Sharks CEO Greg Jamison to take the Coyotes off Bettman's hands. Or it could put even the most avid hockey fan to sleep with its clutch, grab, trap, cycle, call-it-what-you-will-but-slick-tic-tac-toes-and-coast-to-coast-plays-aren't-likely-to-happen style of play. It will be interesting to see how it turns out, for sure. What do you think?