MERCI, JACQUES DEMERS

Interesting findings in the conference final predictions.

No one I know would be nuts enough to do this for me, so, I've been combing websites the past few hours and asking friends (no, not the Superfriends, I do have some real ones), for prognostications on the NHL semis, which start tonight with the Oilers and Ducks out in southern California.

Farther down this post I have 20 predictions, collected from media outlets on both sides of the border and friends who are fellow media types.

6 pick Anaheim and Buffalo to meet in the final.
5 pick Anaheim-Carolina.
5 pick Edmonton-Buffalo.
4 pick Edmonton-Carolina (which is also my pick).

Sounds like opinion is divided. But three of the Oilers-Sabres backers are friends who work in the media but don't cover the NHL on a daily basis. The fourth is blogger Mc79hockey, who's an Edmonton follower.

Who's the one fearless forecaster out there in the MSM I've been able to find who was willing to predict an Oilers-Sabres Stanley Cup final? As the headline probably tipped you, it's Jacques Demers, the former coach turned broadcaster who's been giving his opinions to USA Today during the playoffs.

You might remember Demers as the coach who confessed a few months ago that he had concealed his illiteracy throughout his life (which took balls to admit), but that's neither here nor there.

I make no claims on my sampling being scientific (warning: gratuitous Anchorman reference ahead) -- the sample size isn't big enough, and it doesn't take into account homes that have more than two television sets and other things of that nature -- but it's interesting that the one outcome people I know are hoping for is also the one most of the "hockey insiders" won't touch with one of the 6-foot-6 Chris Pronger's custom-made sticks.

(Just now, I asked a hockey-playing friend for his opinion on MSN, and he replied, "Sabres vs. Oilers.")

The so-called insiders probably know something we don't. They're seasoned professionals (even you, Barry Melrose) who can detach head from heart and make the right call. But hey, it's nice to think the people paid to give an opinion sometimes can't see the forest for the trees, while the guy watching on TV and scouring the Internet can see it just as clearly.

Me, I'm trying to have it both ways: Oilers in 7 is my "heart" pick and the Hurricanes in 6 is my "head" pick. Here's the rundown on predictions:

SEMIFINAL PREDICTIONS
Neil Acharya, thecyberkrib.com: Anaheim in 7, Buffalo in 6.
David Amber, ESPN.com: Anaheim in 7, Carolina in 6.
John Buccigross, ESPN.com: Anaheim in 5, Buffalo in 7.
Scott Burnside, ESPN.com: Anaheim in 6, Carolina in 7.
Greg Cimilluca, CBS Sportsline: Anaheim in 6, Carolina in 7.
Damien Cox, Toronto Star: Anaheim in 6, Buffalo in 7.
Jacques Demers, USA Today: Edmonton in 7, Buffalo in 7.
Dennis Dodd, CBS Sportsline: Anaheim in 6, Carolina in 7.
Wes Goldstein, CBS Sportsline: Edmonton in 6, Carolina in 7.
E.J. Hradek, ESPN.com: Edmonton in 6, Carolina 7.
Jim Kelley, Rogers Sportsnet: Anaheim in 7, Carolina in 6.
Bob McKenzie, TSN: Anaheim and Buffalo in .... actually, he didn't predict how many games.
Barry Melrose, ESPN.com: Edmonton in 7, Carolina in 7.
Darryl G. Smart (sports ed., Woodstock Sentinel-Review): Edmonton in 7 ... as a lifelong Sabres fan -- he keeps a Gilbert Perrault sweater at his desk -- D.G.S. is hoping Buffalo wins in 5, but dares not predict it. He hasn't made a Sabres prediction yet.
Cory Smith (Woodstock Sentinel-Review sports guy): Edmonton in 6, Buffalo in 6.
Al Strachan, Toronto Sun: Edmonton in 5, Carolina in 6.
Scott Unger, director of media relations, Manitoba Junior Hockey League: Edmonton in 6, Buffalo in 5.
Scott Wraight, SI.com: Anaheim in 6, Buffalo in 7.
The Score.ca: Anaheim in 6, Buffalo in 7.
Mc79hockey: Is calling for a Sabres-Oilers final.

OTHER BUSINESS

• The award for Best Use of a Film Analogy goes to Mc79hockey: "Watching Ales Hemsky in the defensive zone is like watching that scene in Animal House where Pinto is smoking the joint with Donald Sutherland. He doesn't really know what he's doing but the older people he looks up (Sutherland, Boone and Boone's girlfriend) are doing it and he doesn't want to look uncool so he goes along with it." From this day forth, No. 83 of the Oilers shall be known to in these parts as Pinto Hemsky.
• Hey Canada, there will be a hockey game on Saturday night. Only it's Vancouver vs. Moncton at the Memorial Cup. (Rob Brodie, Ottawa Sun)
• Baseball Musings has a look at my Blue Jays today, noting that they're "underperforming" their runs created estimate and rank (and we do mean rank) ninth in the American League with a 4.77 team earned run average after all that off-season investment in pitching. Offensively, I've suspected all along that the Jays should be scoring more -- they leave a lot of runners on base. Pitching-wise, when you factor out Josh Towers' wretched start (1-7, 8.45 ERA) that 4.77 ERA comes down to 4.32, which would be fourth-best in the league (and no, I don't have time to factor out every other team's poorest-performing starting pitcher). So really, it's not all bad for the Jays, but maybe you should ask me again after Towers pitches tonight in Coors Field.
• Get your "Yankees Suck" shirts here: Sports Crack looks at the worst fans in sports, although their list begs the question: are there any Chicago Blackhawks fans left?

That's all for now. Time to get ready for work. Let's hear it for Bootsauce.