More Problems For the Saints, Stanley Cup Playoffs Full of Upsets

As if the Saints didn't have enough problems with the Bounty scandal, still awaiting Roger Goodell's player punishments, there are now new allegations from anonymous employees of the Superdome that claim a very complicated, but incredibly illegal scheme was going on. Before current GM Mickey Loomis arrived in New Orleans, his predecessor installed an audio monitoring system in his office in 2000 where he watched games so that he could directly listen in on what the Saints offensive and defensive coaches were saying during games. When Loomis was hired in 2002, allegations say he personally requested the monitoring system re-wired so that he could only listen in on opposing coaches visiting the Superdome. The monitoring system was no longer used after 2004, when Hurricane Katrina struck and the Superdome was used as temporary shelter.


If allegations prove true, Loomis violates not only the NFL bylaws, but U.S. federal law as well. Under federal law, people can not be monitored with video/audio without their consent without suspicion of a crime (wire-tapping). Loomis is already serving an 8-game suspension for his involvement in the Bounty scandal. Most analysts agree that if allegations prove to be true, Loomis should receive a lifetime ban. The NFL claims it discovered these allegations at the same time as ESPN, but the feds say they have been aware of this whole ordeal for quite some time and have been investigating.


Stanley Cup upsets after the break.

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The President's Trophy winner, Vancouver Canucks, have been eliminated in 5 games by the Los Angeles Kings. The Canucks won the President's Trophy, aka best record in the league, 2 years in a row, and lost in the Stanley Cup Finals last year in Game 7 at Vancouver, only to lose this year in 5 games of the first round against the #8 seed LA Kings in Vancouver. This is the Kings' first playoff series win since their similar 2001 upset of the Detroit Red Wings, now referred to as the "Frenzy at Figueroa" or "Stunner at Staples" because of their Game 4 comeback win.


The upsets don't end there. The heavily favored midwest powerhouses Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks both lost in the opening round to the Nashville Predators and Phoenix Coyotes. The win by the Coyotes is their first playoff series win since 1987, when they were still known as the Winnipeg Jets. The wins by those teams guaranteed that the team representing the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals will be a team that has never won the Cup.


Out East, the Philadelphia Flyers annihilated the heavily favored Pittsburgh Penguins, who were widely predicted to win the Stanley Cup. The #1 seed New York Rangers are going to a Game 7 against the Ottawa Senators, alongside the reigning champion Boston Bruins against the Washington Capitals. The New Jersey Devils, a former powerhouse team, is now 1 game away from elimination against the Florida Panthers.


This is exactly what the NBA has been missing. Yes, the regular season counts to get into the playoffs, but once you get there, ANYBODY can win it all. Europeans are generally highly critical of American sports using a playoff system to determine the champions, preferring to call the teams with the best record the champion. Well, in hockey it seems that getting the best record isn't proof of anything, since that team has been eliminated 5 of the last 7 times in the first round of the playoffs.


I need to have Utah Jazz/Phoenix Suns eliminate the San Antonio Spurs. I need the Philadelphia 76ers/New York Knicks eliminate the Chicago Bulls. I live for upsets, because they make the game greater. The NCAA Men's Basketball Championship was terrible because the team that won it all, Kentucky, was the favorite from day 1. After winning, the entire starting five declared for the NBA Draft, demonstrating that the One-and-Done rule is idiotic and the NBA should either remove its age restriction or increase it so that freshman cannot declare for the draft.