Here I proudly present to you, the fans, a hockey pool to end all hockey pools.

Think you know hockey? Think you know who’s going to skate away with Lord Stanley’s Cup? Prove it!

Come one, come all, the hockey challenged and hockey experts alike, come and take part in the 2003 Puckin’ Around Playoff Hockey Pool. This has actually become a yearly tradition among a personal circle of hockey fans, and this year I’ve decided to put it out there in the open for you the fans to participate.

Unlike most hockey pools you’ve probably played where you pick players and gather points, this pool will allow you to pick the winners of every playoff series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Points are to be awarded for both picking the correct teams to advance, and for picking the correct number of games. We can’t confirm all of the match-ups just yet as there is still under a week to go, but regardless, here is how the pool will work.

Pick the right winner in a playoff series, score 2 points. Pick the right amount of games, score another 2 points. Since overtime goes until somebody scores in the playoffs, a win is a win, a loss is a loss. There are no points for 2nd best.

Bonus points can be had for picking the correct teams to win their respective conferences and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. Each correct pick will earn 10 points. Pick the correct Stanley Cup winner, and gain a cool 25 points. A bonus 50 points will be awarded for players who pick both the Stanley Cup match-up and winner correctly. The potential for 155 points is yours for the taking should you post a perfect score when all is said and done.

At the end of the playoffs, the poolie with the most points will win, it’s as simple as that. Should I end up the leader at the end, winner will be the 2nd place finisher. The winner will be awarded a cool grab pack of sports video games, courtesy of Sports Byline USA (Thanks Ron!). Bragging rights will be yours for the taking (at least for the summer). I’ll even allow you to post a little something in Puckin’ Around (within the realms of good taste of course).

In the event of a tie, I will use a system similar to the tiebreaker in the NHL. We’ll go by amount of wins first, goals for and against second, and then we’ll make it interesting. If there’s still a tie after this, you’ll have to play an online game of NHL 2003 against yours truly. If it comes down to this, I make the rules and the Edmonton Oilers are reserved.

Deadline for submitting picks for the first round and every subsequent round will be no later than midnight Pacific Standard Time (3:00 AM EST), 48 hours after the start of each round. To give an example, the playoffs kick off Wednesday April 9th. Your deadline to submit picks will be Friday April 11th by midnight on the west coast. Picks can be changed anytime before the deadline, but once the deadline comes and goes, any attempt to change picks will be null and void until the round ends.

So think about it, and start e-mailing me your picks as soon as possible. For instance, most likely Philadelphia will face Toronto, so if you think the Flyers will sweep the Leafs in four games, make it one of your first round picks.

In any event, you must email your picks to me at puckin45@rogers.com no later than midnight on the west coast Friday April 11th to be considered for the first round. Make sure your e-mail states your name (or nickname), your picks for the first round and your picks for the Stanley Cup finals, and ultimately your picks for the Stanley Cup. You can change these anytime after the first round, but before the deadline of the second round. Standings will be posted at the conclusion of every round.

I’m anticipating this year’s playoffs to be one of the best NHL Tournaments in recent memory. Stay tuned to this column next week for my picks, and good luck!

The email address again: puckin45@rogers.com – have fun and I’ll talk to you next week.

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