Time to wake up!'

The 80 game process by which the National Hockey League weeds out approximately half its teams is now officially over.

In the first round, our men in red face off against the team from that hockey hotbed of...Nashville.

Remembered mostly for being the capital of country music and the site of the greatest rout in the War for the Union, the fact Nashville has a franchise in the NHL is the source of much wailing and gnashing of teeth in such places as Winnipeg and Hamilton.

Prediction: Nashville's a speedy team, but small. The grinding NHL game slows down even more in the playoffs, as the referees inexplicably misplace their whistles. Wings in six.

For my part, I'll be spending more time than usual watching the Eastern Conference matchups--Boston-Montreal, Toronto-Ottawa, Philadelphia-NJ. Potential classics aplenty.