The best postseason nobody is watching

If the National Hockey League is EVER going to burst back onto the scene in the United States, it will happen after the 2009 playoffs are through. With very few people having Versus (a TV channel) and ESPN bumping most hockey headlines down in the pecking order, how many people aware of what's been happening through the first two rounds?

If something like this was happening in the NBA, we would be getting baseball highlights on ESPN Deportes, because ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPN Classic and ESPNU would be flooded with three seventh games, including one between Kobe and LeBron (in this case, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin), the news that the regular season's best team was knocked out by an 8 seed in six games in the opening round and the next two best teams are headed home for a do-or-die Game 7. Instead, only Washington and Pittsburgh will get much air time on Sportscenter, as the major sports networks will likely defer to news about Brett Favre sending medical reports to the Vikings and Manny Ramirez not apologizing to his teammates and give Boston-Carolina and Detroit-Anaheim five total minutes with the token Barry Melrose analysis included.

In the NBA, the storylines revolve around who will be defeated on the road to the inevitable Cleveland-Los Angeles Finals and who was just lost for the season with an injury.

Sure, the Magic and Celtics are heading for a Game 6 in Orlando and likely a seventh game in Beantown, but when they advance to Cleveland, will either have a prayer? Orlando can't beat the Cavs without Jameer Nelson and Boston couldn't defeat Cleveland with KG, so they probably won't win one game without him.

In the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets have torched New Orleans and Dallas, but only have a puncher's chance against a team with two superstars and a solid supporting cast. As long as Kobe and Pau Gasol are healthy, the Nuggets can't win. Yeah, they'll win a game or two (maybe three), but Kobe's play will dictate the series and you can bet he'll be salivating over the chance to face LeBron for the title.

And when the Cavs and Lakers face off for the championship, everyone should be amped. It will be a memorable series and a career-defining one for both Kobe and LeBron. But that's still a couple weeks away.

In the NHL, the Stanley Cup is completely up for grabs with seven teams still alive. Boston is the best team remaining, but Carolina has been the hottest over the last few weeks. Washington has the game's best player, but the Penguins have the best 1-2 punch in Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Anaheim has already knocked off the league's best team in convincing fashion, but Detroit is the most experienced team and are the reigning champs. And the Blackhawks have the top young core in hockey, with an experienced netminder and a very capable defense. Plus, they just came off a seven-goal outing against the league's best goaltender, Roberto Luongo, to wrap up their second-round series.

The Hurricanes and Capitals are entering their second Game 7 in as many series, while the Bruins and Red Wings are playing a Game 7 after first-round sweeps.

And a slew of goaltenders are making a name for themselves after a season, or career, spent in relative anonymity, even to hockey fans.

Caps goaltender Simeon Varlamov was in the pipes for six games during the regular season, backing Jose Theodore. But after Theo's struggles in the first game of the first round, Varlamov has taken over and started 13 consecutive games, leading his team to the brink of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Anaheim's Jonas Hiller split time with Jean-Sebastien Giguere during the regular season before bursting onto the scene by knocking off the San Jose Sharks and is on the verge of doing the same to the reigning Stanley Cup Champions. Six seasons ago, Giguere led the Ducks to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals and two seasons ago, Giguere won the title with Anaheim. Now, he's taking a seat to the young upstart Hiller.

Vezina Trophy finalist Tim Thomas had never been out of the first round of the playoffs until 2009. The Bruins' 35-year-old netminder played in his first postseason last year, losing a seven-game heartbreaker to the Montreal Canadiens. This season, he led Boston to the Eastern Conference's best record after posting the best goals against average in the league and has maintained his level of play into the Eastern Conference semifinals. His reward, should he defeat Carolina in Game 7? Ovechkin or Crosby.

What's not to love in the weeks to come? The possibility of the upstart Hiller facing some of the best offensive young talent in the league in Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks? Or that explosive offense facing another in the Detroit Red Wings?

In the East, the best team could face the best player or best players. Or Carolina, a team which already went through all-time wins leader Martin Brodeur to get to the Bruins, could face one of the best young goalies in Varlamov or another in Marc-Andre Fleury, who's been overshadowed by Crosby and Malkin.

Beyond that, both two seeds could face in the finals or both six seeds could battle. There could be a rematch of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, or the West's lowest seed could go through both conference's top seeds to capture the Cup. There could be an Original Six matchup in the Finals if Boston faces either the Wings or Blackhawks.

The last three times Detroit won the Cup, they defeated the Penguins (2008), Hurricanes (2002) and Capitals (1998). The last time Pittsburgh won, they beat Chicago, which was the last time the Blackhawks were in a Stanley Cup Finals. The last three champions are all still alive.

The possibilities are in anything-can-happen mode.

And everyone is missing it, thanks to none of the major networks airing hockey, except for a game or two on the weekends.

Here's hoping ratings are high on those days. The NHL Playoffs are as good as they've been in recent memory and have the potential to get better in the coming years.

And in the coming series, if you can believe it.

P.S. Don't miss Game 7 tomorrow between Pittsburgh and Washington (sigh...on Versus). If you don't believe what I've written, just watch that game. You will believe me by the time it's over.