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This has inadvertently turned into a hockey blog. It wasn't intentional, but it's fair to say that until the end of the Hockey season I've got very little interest in the wider world, so unless you happen to have an interest in the game you might want to just check back here some time in June.

In fact, even after it's all over I doubt I'll have an interest in the wider world. There's some European elections in June and I think it'll be better for all of us if we ignore those. A protest vote they're calling it in the papers. A who-gives-a-shit- vote I'm calling it.

The MPs are worried though, worried that our frustrations at the morally bankrupt House of Commons will see us all voting for the BNP - because of course the British National Party are a beacon of morality and the obvious choice for a protest voter on ethics.

Bollocks to it all though is what I always say. I'm resigning again from the world. My previous resignation must have got lost in the post as I never recevied a reply from Mr Ki-Moon. I didn't even end up shaking my fist at the telly the other night when I watched Question Time and I fucking hate that program even though I watch it every week.

There's usually no show guaranteed to make me angrier than Question Time - Margartet Beckett was on too and I can't even begin to calculate the pleasure it would have given me previously to pull her blackened heart out of her chest while she squealed in agony.

It all pales into insignificance compared to a Conference Final between the Blackhawks and the Redwings though. This is the first time this has ever happened in my hockey watching life time. This is historic stuff and far more important than anything else. This reminds me of the first time Arsenal had a legitimate shot at winning the Championship in 1989 which of course they did do eventually in the last second of the season.

It's like seeing Haley's Comet or something..I must ignore all other distractions and I'm telling you what people, if they make it to the Stanley Cup finals and a ticket came my way I'm going I tells you. I am you know, I'm going.


The Red Wings of course were lucky to make it through their series with the Ducks and our wager on a Ducks win was looking very promising until three minutes from the end of regulation when the officials - who were skating around with brown enevelopes in their back pockets - gave the Wings a goal which in any other rink in the whole world would have been called for goalie interference. Reminiscent of the Dallas Stars famous no-goal when they "won" the cup against poor Buffalo in 1999 - my poor friend Elaine Park if you're reading this, I hope you're finally over it.

Still, all things considered this was the result we wanted and the league wanted and the hockey world wanted. It's the original six match-up and I'm happy to sacrifce my wager for it to happen. The Blackhawks are favourites to win this, I don't care what the bookies say. Home ice advantage or not, paid officials or not, the Blackhawks are the better team, they're a younger team, they have better goaltending, faster skaters, and in my opinion anyway, cooler jerseys. The Wings have thicker play-off beards but that's because they have an average age of 35 while the Hawks are only just out of short trousers. Game on on Sunday, I can't bally well wait.