Is the 1st round of NHL playoffs most exciting in sports?

[White Out 403]

I can't think of a more exciting 2 weeks in any sport other than maybe March madness that has the drama and energy of round 1 in the NHL. Round 2 and 3 seem to drop off a bit Imo but with 8 match ups.. The excitement of everyone starting fresh from 0 with equal chances to win the cup... It's hard to compete Imo.

And maybe as a part 2 of this thread : who is your team(s)? I'll be cheering on whoever plays the Leafs and Canucks.

[Joborule]

1st Round of NHL playofss is great stuff, but March Madness isn't named that for no reason. The first two rounds each year have some wild games.

[Ashasx]

Yes.

March Madness is terrible because basketball is terrible.

[agulati]

I am usually more of an underdog supporter. Will be interested to see how Columbus does if they make it in, eventhough they will probably play the Blackhawks. Iginla and Pens would be an interesting watch. I am a flyers fan so it will be tough to truely support the pens but I wish Iggy gets a cup (tongue in cheek)
Another interesting matchup could be if two of the Canadian teams meet up in the east.

[indes]

Rooting for Pitts and cbj, hope iggy gets it done!

[Lego Man]

Wow, can you start thread with a more subjective topic on hockey forum? Are the Flames the most exciting team to follow in sports?

Anyways, the first round of the NHL is pretty awesome. But I also prefer cheering on my home countries in the Euro Cup and World Cup. Following the Champions League is great, and I would argue harder to win than the Stanley Cup. March Madness is an amazing tournament too.

For some reason I wouldn't mind the Leafs winning a few rounds. Obviously it would be nice to have Columbus be sucessfull, but that's just because they are fighting for 8th and resemble the Flames next year or two down the road. It would be nice if Iginla won a cup in Pitts, but I don't have any motivation to actually cheer for Pitts. Usually when I watch a series I become tied to one of the teams pretty quickly.

[GGG]

Any single elimination tournament is exciting because underdogs have a chance. But of the 4 majors NHL is the most exciting because of the upset potential. Regularly you have one of the 7 or 8 seed win their series

[Lego Man]

Originally Posted by GGG

Any single elimination tournament is exciting because underdogs have a chance. But of the 4 majors NHL is the most exciting because of the upset potential. Regularly you have one of the 7 or 8 seed win their series

Completely agree with this.

[Enoch Root]

definitely - easily my favourite 2 weeks of the sporting calendar, which - along with the Masters, makes April the best month.

Honourable mention to October, with hockey starting, baseball playoffs, football in full gear, etc. And to Christmas, with the WJC and NFL in high gear.

[nik-]

Easily.

March Madness is cool, but the play doesn't really elevate. If you explain to a person the difference between playoff hockey and regular season hockey, they won't buy it until they see it.

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

This year, I'm rooting for the Islanders (because I like a good story), Ottawa (because they're a likeable team), Pittsburgh (because of Iggy), and any team that plays against the Canucks (because the Canucks smell like farts).

[TurnedTheCorner]

So this is a re-worded way of asking hockey fans if they like hockey?

Hockey fans like hockey. [/spoiler]

[Mith]

Originally Posted by Pierre "Monster" McGuire

This year, I'm rooting for the Islanders (because I like a good story), Ottawa (because they're a likeable team), Pittsburgh (because of Iggy), and any team that plays against the Canucks (because the Canucks smell like farts).

It'll be San Jose, or LA. I sort of want it to be LA because I think LA has a better shot at winning.

That said, LA also has a better chance of beating the blues too, and that means the flames get a higher pick (if the blues don't go deep). So I dunno!

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

The first round is exciting because there are so many stories going on at once. I think having all/most of the games on the same day is a big reason the NFL is so successful.

[the2bears]

Can we stop having all these threads that talk about hockey? I mean, they're so obvious on a hockey forum. We know that most everyone here likes hockey, so what's the point of even mentioning it?

[May 25, 1989]

Dont forget to add Wildcard weekend, the first weekend of NFL playoffs to the most exciting times in sports.

[Mr.Coffee]

the only issue I have with the NHL playoffs is that the rules go out the window. It's a completely different game and the refs just basically stop calling anything. It's really weird to watch the end of the regular season called one way, and then all of a sudden on the Wednesday following the weekend it's like carte blanche as to what physical play guys can get away with.

On the other hand it makes it more exciting... it's just a weird double standard. Otherwise yes the first round of the playoffs are amazing.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by May 25, 1989

Dont forget to add Wildcard weekend, the first weekend of NFL playoffs to the most exciting times in sports.

I dont get that excited about wild card weekend. I think the next weekend offers better matchups. A lot of it is because the two best teams get a bye so the best in the leauge dont get to fall to the wild card teams. Since the best players are resting I cant get as excited about it as hockey.

[The Swedish Flame]

In sports, nothing beats the World Cup. I can't wait for Rio!

[WilderPegasus]

Originally Posted by The Swedish Flame

In sports, nothing beats the World Cup. I can't wait for Rio!

That doesn't even come close to the first round of the NHL playoffs. Playoff hockey is a war and soccer is nothing close to that.