NHL Playoff Predictions

The time has come for playoffs in the NHL once again and this year the Bruins nor the Kings, winners of the last three of four Stanley Cups and my favorite teams, are out. On a even worse note the Blackhawks, Habs, and Canucks are all in the playoffs and are all healthy. For the West Coast teams, I predict the Blackhawks beating the Nashville Predators in the first round and facing the Blues, who will prevail over the Minnesota Wild, in round two. Although, I believe that St. Louis will not make it far thanks to Chicago. As much as I hate to say this, I think the Canucks will beat the Calgary Flames and move on to face the Anaheim Ducks in round two. Between the Ducks and Canucks I think the Ducks will move on, but only to get beaten by Chicago to fight for the Stanley Cup. For the East Coast bracket, I think the Habs will ease by the Ottawa Senators and go head to head with the lightning, who will triumph over the Detroit Red Wings. The Canadians will beat the Lightning in a very close series. The New York Rangers are hungry for a Stanley Cup since losing last year to the Kings and will not be phased by the Penguins. The New York Islanders will lose to the Capitals who will be defeated by the Rangers. Between the Rangers and Canadians, the Rangers will come out victorious and if the Habs do beat them and it is the Blackhawks and Canadians, I might never watch hockey again. But I highly doubt it. Now for the main event, the Chicago Blackhawks versus the New York Rangers. After watching the Rangers play hockey this whole season, it shows why they finished on top of everyone else and I believe they will continue to do so until they have won it all. They are just too good of a team right now to be beaten and they will be the win the Stanley Cup.

Matthew Berry Reflection

Today in the United States, bullying has become extremely controversial in our society. There have been new laws put into place and schools have been doing as much as they can to prevent it. Although, where I am from, bullying has never been a huge problem, there have been some instances where there has been fights, name calling, etc. but, it is never people singling out one kid or group. If you are getting bullied, stand up for yourself it is that simple. A kid may be bigger or stronger than you, but that does not mean you should back down to a bully, fight back for yourself and make kids not want to bully you. Yes, you could get beaten up, but it when you fight back it turns the bully away and turn to weaker kids who won't fight back.

Revis Island

After one unforgettable season with the New England Patriots, Darrelle Revis has decided to part ways with the super bowl champs to go back to the New York Jets. Revis signed a five year contract for 70 million dollars. Patriot fans are up in arms saying that Revis is in it for the money, but he stated in a conference, "The bigger decision for me was to come back home." As a Patriots fan, of course I am frustrated with Revis, but you cannot blame the guy for taking up this contract. This was a no brainer he is getting 49 million in the first three years, in which 39 is guaranteed. Yes, he will not see another super bowl for five years; despite what him and the Jets think. And yes, leaving the Patriots after one year and doing so well does seem a little backwards, but he has spent the majority of his professional career in New York with the Jets and I believe that the money did not have as big as an impact as everyone is saying. Regardless of what team Revis is on he is an outstanding player and he is going to be almost irreplaceable on the Pats defense.

Will McDonough writing contest

Four superbowl victories, three time world series champs, one stanley cup, and one NBA championship. Nine titles in 15 years: no city has ever come to greatness like this. Boston Massachusetts, or “the city champions.” In the history of this great city it has 34 championships throughout sports, which puts us in second place: only to New York. Living around Boston since 2000 has been a special thing. It all started in 2001 with the New England Patriots who started a dynasty with the birth of the Belichick/Brady dynasty and the start of a long line of champions. In Superbowl XXXVI, the Pat’s took on the Ram’s and pulled of an amazing upset. This would only be the start. In 2003, the Patriots went against the Panthers and pulled off another victory with a 41 yard kick from Vinatieri with four seconds left. A year later they would get another shot at being the champs, this time head to head with the Eagles. In another extremely close game, New England came out of top with a 24-21 victory.

That same year history had been made in Boston with the Red Sox. After an 86 year drought the Sox broke the curse of the Bambino. In only four games Boston shut down the Cardinals and came out champions. Once again in 2007, the Sox swept the Rockies bringing glory to all of Boston for a second time in three years. In 2008 the Celtics took on the Lakers and beat them in six games giving Paul Pierce his first championship win with the help of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Three years later Boston would see another great win and would bring the Stanley cup back to Boston for the first time in 39 years. In an extremely stressful, yet exciting seven game series with four overtime wins, the B’s finished off an almost perfect decade in Boston Sports. Two years later, a troubling time for this city came when the Boston Marathon was sabotaged by terrorists. Despite such a tragic event Boston came through and proved to the greatest city all around. Everyone rallied together and showed the world that this city was stronger than any other. In a significant time for Boston, the Red Sox were largely considered to have a rebuilding year and received vast amounts of criticism. In a dramatic year and season the Sox were fueled off the energy of Boston who seemed to come together through the Red Sox. And in six games Boston won the world series in Boston for the first time in 96 years. In the 2014 football season, the Patriots faced a lot of criticism at the beginning of the season, only to once again go to the superbowl against the Seattle Seahawks. After losing two previous superbowls both to the Giants, Tom Brady and the Patriots were hungry for a win. In a close game which seemed like it was going to be another defeat a miracle happened. A decision by the Seahawks to throw on the one yard line cost them the game thanks to a huge interception by Malcolm Butler.

Being apart of this city and the sports along with it is truly amazing. No other city can compare to greatness achieved by our great teams in terms of how many we have in one city.. People should envy what Boston has from the bond of the people to the bond of the sports teams Boston is the greatest city ever.

Sacking the Superbowl

Recently in the NFL, health of the players has become a rising problem, especially after retirement. Throughout their career players take many blows to the head causing concussions, brain damage, and major health problems later on in their life. The NFL has made many rules in order to prevent this from happening. Some people, like Steve Almond, have stopped watching football due to the safety of the players and they do not want a part of watching people destroy themselves. In my opinion, I think that is extremely foolish for many reasons. One being that these men get paid millions of dollars to go out on the field and instill fear into the opposing team. Second, they go out on the field knowing that they can hurt themselves and any play could possibly be your last. Everyone knows that football is a dangerous tough sport, but the love and money isn't going to stop a pro. As a football player I know what it is like to think about that, but it never stopped me. It is the players choice to go out on that field and potentially get hurt, whether it be a serious or minor injury, but that should not stop you from watching football. It is not about watching people hurt each other, it is about loving your team and cheering for them through the best times and staying true to your team in the worst of times.