It’s time for the second round of the 2013 NHL playoffs! Join Yahoo Sports' NHL editor Sam McCaig, Greg Wyshynski, Harrison Mooney and Sean Leahy of the Puck Daddy blog along with NHL columnist Nicholas Cotsonika and Yahoo! Canada managing editor of sports Steve McAllister to answer all of your questions about the next round match-ups, as well as any surprises you saw in the first round. Ask Us Anything!

We'll be available to answer all your questions from 11:30 a.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET today.

We'll also be doing this again for each round of the NHL playoffs.

You've got questions? We've definitely got answers.

You can find more of our best NHL blog posts at Puck Daddy: http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/

Comments: 368 • Responses: 57  • Date: 

BurkieYCP32 karma

This is for Wysh-

Who's the best looking, funniest, and all-around favorite guest you've had on the M&W podcast?

YahooCanada28 karma

Best looking? Bobby Holik. Funniest? Jack Edwards. Best all-around favorite guest? The founder of You Can Play. I think his name is Sean Avery. - Wysh

YahooCanada7 karma

Harrison here, Patrick. Listen, I've been on the podcast, so the crown in this regard has already been handed out. -- HM

BurkieYCP10 karma

Even the best looking part?

http://i.imgur.com/SEULO.gif

YahooCanada13 karma

Dat ass, man. - HM

nodannyno14 karma

How do you feel about Michael J. Fox stealing your cupcake eating thunder?

YahooCanada89 karma

Haha ... I feel like he has a distinct advantage because he owns a sports almanac from the future and hence knows which cupcakes he'll need to defrost. -Wysh

newme-13 karma

So how hot is Henrik Lundqvist in person? Do you have to curtsy or bow in front of him?

YahooCanada40 karma

Fact: Looking directly into Lundqvist's eyes is the cure for male pattern baldness. He makes the whole world beautiful. -- HM

YahooCanada28 karma

Typically you have to give some sort of dowry just be in the vicinity. -SL

tubaisetamere7 karma

How far along were you on the Bruins eulogy? Thanks for the great insight as usual Yahoo! squad.

YahooCanada23 karma

I can tell you I had my game story 85% written by the time Horton scored to make it 4-2. Then I had to click CONTROL-A/DELETE as tears flowed once Bergie tied it up. -SL

YahooCanada5 karma

So here's a question for everyone: what do people think will be the series' results?

Here's my personal pick: Sens-Pens -- Pens in 6, Bruins-Rangers -- Rangers in 6, Blackhawks-Wings -- Blackhawks in 5, Kings-Sharks -- Sharks in 7. - GH

itsdavidthegreat4 karma

What is your take on ref bias? It may just be confirmation bias on my end, but the calls seemed to go pretty heavily in favor towards the Rangers in several games in the first round.

YahooCanada5 karma

I think refs call the game they think should be called. Some of that is bias to the home team, bias against certain players, coaches, etc. Sorry, but when Kerry Fraser admits he'd seek out penalties against players that make him "look bad" with dives, that's the opposite of what I'm paying to watch. -Wysh

bruins47774 karma

How is mooney still employed?

YahooCanada31 karma

I make really good chili. -- HM

YahooCanada27 karma

He makes really good chili. -SL

Hildingding4 karma

Do we see any upsets this round? Will anybody even get close to Harding in the Masterton race?

YahooCanada4 karma

  1. Rangers over Bruins and Sharks over Kings, if that counts.
  2. No. Harding's got this one stone-cold locked.

-Wysh

crystalcastles4 karma

What would you recommend for someone interested in blogging but unsure where to start?

YahooCanada9 karma

Start your own. Write about general NHL or a specific team. Read everything you can. Find your voice. Be original. Be interesting. -SL

YahooCanada3 karma

What Leahy said. Start a blog, write a lot, reach out to people who cover the same topic, and yeah, be original and interesting. -- HM

YahooCanada3 karma

Well folks, we've come to the end of another AMA here. We want to thank all of you for participating in this second round NHL playoffs-themed session here on Reddit.

We'll be having another one in a few weeks when we move into the third round and Conference Finals. Until then, thanks again for joining us!

nodannyno3 karma

Sup Wysh.

What's your theory regarding Clara on doctor who?

YahooCanada2 karma

I hate to say this, but I'm about four Whos behind, which should also tell you how much I've been working out (belches, scratches belly). I'm not sure what she is. -Wysh

HOBOtox3 karma

[deleted]

YahooCanada6 karma

5'5 and everyone wins in that fight. -SL

YahooCanada3 karma

ATLREP3 karma

I want the Thrashers back

YahooCanada5 karma

So do admirers of horrendous jerseys. - Wysh

YahooCanada4 karma

God, that font on their third jersey still haunts my nightmares. -- HM

Clever_User_Name_3 karma

After the completion of the 1st Rd, how have your playoff predictions shifted?

Has any one team, shown something to warrent an amendment to a pre-playoff Cup team prediction?

For Wysh: Who is your favorite player? For any reason, from any era?

YahooCanada9 karma

The Sharks are the team I'm looking at in a different way than before.

As for fav player, Claude Lemieux. Biggest asshole/clutch player in NHL history. - Wysh

axisofweasels3 karma

how good is mooney's chili?

YahooCanada6 karma

So good you'll wanna take off your yoga pants. -SL

YahooCanada3 karma

So good, you don't even know. --HM

MSkog2 karma

Let's say you have an average US non-hockey fan - likes football, baseball, basketball, but never really watched hockey and doesn't have a nearby team (that they're aware of). Why should this person start watching hockey?

I know it's not about the rounds in particular, but I know there are lots of people on reddit who fit the above description.

YahooCanada11 karma

It's a difficult sport to embrace just as a TV experience. I think the best thing would be to find a hockey-centric bar (if there is one) and take in the communal experience of the game. Failing that, just choose the right series ... which might be tough given some of these matchups are going to be low scoring.

But seriously, the live event is where you fall in love with hockey. - Wysh

ConquerorPlumpy2 karma

Where is the Ducks' eulogy?!

YahooCanada3 karma

It's coming. It's coming. Patience, young Plumpy. -SL

Hildingding1 karma

Who? Oh tell us who is writing it mr. Leahy sir!

YahooCanada2 karma

It's actually coming very, very soon. -SL

SaucyHoe2 karma

yolo?

YahooCanada21 karma

No yolo -Tyler Seguin

Poorly_Timed_Kormac2 karma

How are criminals treated in your land?

YahooCanada16 karma

They have to read Yahoo! comments for a 24 hour period. -SL

poseyegedditon2 karma

Thanks for this fellas. Would you guys mind giving me your picks for who's going to play goalie for Canada in Sochi?

YahooCanada3 karma

Still think it'll be Carey Price, although Cam Ward and Corey Crawford are possibilities. - Wysh

iseverythingok2 karma

Does Fleury get traded after this season? Where could/would/should he land?

YahooCanada2 karma

I don't see MAF getting dealt this summer, but I can definitely see Shero at least putting out feelers. The question is, then, what is the long-ter solution? Vokoun has a year left on his deal is up there in age. Eric Hartzell is inexperienced, along with the kids they have in WBS. MAF still has two years & $10 million owed to him. Would any GM want to take a chance? -SL

tbonecoco2 karma

Why did the Leafs have to lose?

YahooCanada3 karma

"From pain will come pleasure." -SL

-HUSH-1 karma

I know Wysh is a fellow Amazin's fan. What other teams and sports are y'all into?

And, what do you guys look for in guest posts?

YahooCanada2 karma

Yankees, NY Giants.

As for guest posts, we love interesting takes, unique stories/experiences. Don't be shy! [email protected]. -SL

seimiya1 karma

of all the pointless, stupid hockey awards, which is the most pointless and most stupid? (this can be one trophy, or two.)

YahooCanada8 karma

GM of the year. You can't give this award out annually, since most GM moves take time to pan out. -- HM

YahooCanada1 karma

As Wysh wrote about the other day, the GM of the Year. It's a fine award, but how can you name nominees after only the regular season? And the criteria for the award isn't really known. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/nhl-general-manager-finalists-marc-bergevin-vs-bob-153449703.html -SL

DonMKB1 karma

What did you guys think of Grapes on Coach's Corner OT edition yesterday after regulation between Leafs-Bruins?

POINT

POINT

POINT

and so on. That was the only thing that cheered me up after that shittastic chokejob.

YahooCanada2 karma

Point. I thought it was hilarious. Point. I'm not a fan of Don Cherry. Point. It made for terrible television. Point. -- HM

JackEureka1 karma

A couple questions that absolutely need to be answered for Round 2:

What is each of your favorite fast food restaurants?

Is there anything sadder than the look on Kessel's face last night? He needs a hockey hugs piece dedicated solely to him, stat.

YahooCanada2 karma

I'm a sucker for Wendy's.

And yes, Kessel's face was the saddest. -- HM

AnnaInSC1 karma

Has anyone checked on the welfare of Don Cherry? I could see him spontaneously combusting after what happened to the Leafs last night.

YahooCanada5 karma

POINT. POINT. POINT. POINT. -- HM

YahooCanada3 karma

That was weird. Really weird. - GH

dkap241 karma

I'm sure there must be quite a few, but what's been the best/funniest PD comment you've seen?

YahooCanada2 karma

Oh god, it changes every day. We're blessed with amazing commenters and harsh critics. - Wysh

matu131 karma

What do you think is the most intriguing storyline going into the second round?

YahooCanada4 karma

The Penguins' goaltending and/or Detroit's last division rivalry series with Chicago. - Wysh

sdenoon1 karma

This question is geared towards Wysh and/or Leahy and/or Mooney

Being unabashed fans of the Devils, Pens and Canucks, when you became full-time hockey journalists did you make the conscious decision to not hide your fandom for your teams? Or did it become clear over time that you wouldn't be able to hide your support for these teams? Especially with a medium like Twitter providing/cursing you with a place where you can put out instant, and often overly-emotional reactions to what happens on the ice. Given how often I get up on the soapbox about my beloved god damn Calgary Flames, I can't imagine it would be easy to hide your team of choice simply to avoid the Y! commenters hurling "HE'S A HOMER" at you.

YahooCanada5 karma

I've always found the idea of hiding biases to be really dishonest. If you have a rooting interest, I want to know about it, and I want to know that you're cognizant of it and working with it so it doesn't override your common sense. So for me, being open about my allegiances is important.

The frustrating part is that it can make people dismiss what you say as blind homerism or some sort of vendetta against their team, and most of the time, when you're accused of this, it's rubbish. But such is life. People who disagree with you are constantly looking for a reason to dismiss your ideas, and the homer card is the easiest, laziest reason around. -- HM

speedk0re1 karma

Who gets the front cover of EA Sports NHL 14? And who deserves it?

YahooCanada6 karma

Datsyuk. He's never been on one in North America or abroad. - wysh

SlurmsMacKenzie111 karma

What in the world are the Flyers supposed to do with Bryzgalov? -from a dissapointed Flyers fan

YahooCanada7 karma

Buy him out. Send an offer sheet to Sergei Bobrovsky. Then wake up from that dream and realize you traded for Steve Mason. -SL

burgundyjoe1 karma

The Buffalo Bills last won a playoff game in 1995. The Islanders haven't won a series since 1993. Which New York team snaps their streak first?

YahooCanada2 karma

Let's not forget the NY Mets were able to pitch a no-hitter, too! -SL

eatroffles1 karma

Who do you think will be the worst team next year?

YahooCanada2 karma

Gotta be Calgary, right? -SL

strandedimperial1 karma

To Harrison: Do you know Nardwuar? A fellow Vancouveran-onite-ioan.

YahooCanada2 karma

We've never actually met, but we've chatted via e-mail a few times. I'm hoping to do some kind of project with him eventually. -- HM

Web_Sheriff1 karma

Not entirely playoffs related but do the Stars have a shot at Vigneault?

YahooCanada3 karma

Think Dave Tippett and Curt Fraser might be the leading candidates for that gig right now. -SL

Stickyickyick1 karma

What do you think will happen with Luongo, and how do you think AV/Gillis handled the goalie situation in the playoffs?

YahooCanada3 karma

Luongo will get traded, and if the Canucks are smart, they'll trade him as soon as they can this time around. Rumour is Gillis was convinced by his team to hold out until after the draft last time and see if the offers improved, and he won't make that mistake again.

As for how the situation was handled in the playoffs, I didn't have a problem with it. Schneider had been the better guy all year, and he declared himself ready for action. His doctors agreed. So you start him. It's unfortunate he didn't play the way he could, and in hindsight, it sure looks like Luongo would have been the better choice, but that's hindsight. At the time, he was a completely defensible decision imo. -- HM

immortalkamikaze1 karma

What's with the McDonalds think in your background? Also, favorite team?

YahooCanada2 karma

The McDonald's thing is an All-Star Game shot accuracy target that Toews broke.

Fav team: Devils.

-Wysh

RicoLoveless1 karma

Hey Wysh, thoughts on Tim and Sid?

YahooCanada2 karma

Outside of talking way too much about basketball and baseball, was happy to see them rise from The Score Radio's ashes to do bigger and better things. -Wysh

NapoleonBlownapart871 karma

How long is the leash for Vokoun? One bad game? Two bad games?

Follow up: It would be really funny if the media in one city would all agree to get together and troll Torts for the entire city. No question, I just figure you know people.

YahooCanada1 karma

I think Vokoun gets a longer leash than MAF had, barring, of course, a complete meltdown. The question is where is MAF's confidence right now and how will be approach getting the call to replace Vokoun, should the Pens need to. -SL

YahooCanada1 karma

I think Vokoun is going to have to be airtight to hold onto the job, since he remains the backup. It's one thing for Fleury to have a bad game, or several. But if Vokoun stumbles, I suspect Bylsma goes back to his guy, however unfortunate that might be. I'd like him to stick with Vokoun all series, personally. -- HM

markymark4121 karma

Greg, I've heard your interviews with Mark Madden on 105.9 The X in Pittsburgh - really enjoyed your talks and it got me into the Puck Daddy blog. Just wanted to say keep up the good work!

YahooCanada1 karma

Much appreciated. I hope one day me and Madden can do an hour on WCW ;) - Wysh

honestbleeps1 karma

First of all, thanks for lots of good laughs. I always love the eulogies each year when a team is eliminated, even when they're about my Blackhawks the past 3 years in the first round...

My question: You guys farm / discover a lot of content from the internet, but unlike most journalists, you tend to cite your sources and I respect that.

It seems most journalists just "steal" the content - and while I recognize that it's there for the taking on the public internet, it just seems a little skeezy of them to do that.

What's your motivation for crediting your sources (e.g. reddit's /r/hockey or various other places), and why do you think some of your colleagues in the industry (if not necessarily your company) seem to skip that step of citing the source?

YahooCanada1 karma

We just like to give credit where credit is due is someone found a cool link or wrote an interesting story. It's just the right thing to do and it also introduces readers to places where they might not normally visit.

Others don't do it out of either laziness or they just don't know that it's proper form to do so. -SL

goofball6671 karma

Can there be a Yahoo! Sports Hockey "Special" awards — Best Social media Team and Individual... Best NHL story Team and Individual... Most overpaid Team / Individual... Best Fans... etc

YahooCanada1 karma

We actually do those at the end of the season. Keep an eye out. - Wysh

sdenoon1 karma

Also, Wysh.. As someone who has been attempting to get on since the Puck Daddy Radio days.. WHEN WILL I BE THE SEVENTH EMAILER for Game Show Friday? Every time I get a Friday off I fervently attempt to send the lucky email. This Friday... I'm feeling it..

YahooCanada1 karma

Ha ... keep plugging away. Or bribe me. - Wysh

dooit1 karma

I just started listening to Marek v. Wysh., What is the best way to follow the podcast? I like tune in, but yesterdays wasn't on, itunes pod cast didn't have it either for me.

YahooCanada1 karma

Not sure what's going on with iTunes lately, but we stream live at 2 p.m. on Puck Daddy.