5\31 Scotty Bowman will return to coach next season. There is more discussion about 
Assistant Coaches Dave Lewis and Barry Smith being front runners for the Kings and Coyotes 
Head Coaching vacancies, respectively.

5\27 Bill Ranford has been placed on waivers. If nobody picks him up, Tampa Bay will get 
stuck with a $2 million bill, no pun intended. The L.A. Kings are reportedly seeking Wing's
Assistant Coach Dave Lewis to succeed Larry Robinson as Head Coach. Lots of other rumors are
floating around, but that's all I know for now.

5\26 Ken Holland is busy trying to resign people. He met with Scotty Bowman today, but 
nothing is in concrete yet. Uwe Krupp is also a point of interest, as well as Nick 
Lidstrom's status for next year. Once those two are figured out, the WIngs will have a much 
better handle on where the defense is for next season. 

5\19 It's over for this year as the Avs cruise to a 5-2 win in Detroit, taking the series 
4-2. Scoring were Lidstrom and McCarty. Next up: resigning free agents and training camp.
  I'm not as upset as I thought I'd be about losing to Colorado. They deserved to win it, 
and I gained a lot more respect for them after this. Patrick Roy, who is my least favorite 
player besides Barnaby, showed that he is the best playoff goalie ever. We knew the Stanley 
Cup wasn't going to stay in Detroit forever, and all in all, I think we had a great season.
My summer will be just as great if Niklas Lidstrom resigns. The way he looked into the 
rafters and wiped a tear away, it's looking like he'll be back in Sweden next year.  

5\17 The Avs shutout the Wings 3-0 and lead the series 3-2. Game 6 is Tuesday night at the 
Joe. Ulf Samuelsson is out with a 'groin pull,' but Igor Larionov will be back for Game 6.
Aaron Ward is also out with a back strain. (From the Free Press) The Red Wings announced 
Monday that they have dissolved their working agreement with Adirondack and will not have a 
top minor league affiliate next season, citing financial constraints. The team is moving to
a Toledo suburb to begin playing the following season.

5\14 The Wings couldn't get through center ice all night, and the Avs pelt detroit 
goaltenders with 6 goals, winning 6-2. Scoring was Kozlov(2). Series is tied 2-2. Chris 
Osgood should be back on Sunday for Game 5, but Igor Larionov will miss at least another 
week. 

5\12 The Avs show some life beating the Wings 5-3. Scoring were Yzerman, Holmstrom, and 
Kozlov. The WIngs lead the series 2-1. Ranford started in goal but was pulled in favor of 
Norm Maracle after allowing 3 goals in under 3 minutes. Other then that 3 minutes, the Wings 
played a very good game. Next up: Game 4 on Thursday at the Joe. 

5\11 Igor Larionov will miss two games with a sprained pinky finger. Look for Brent Gilchrist 
to play in his place. The town of Warroad, Minnesota claims to be the original "Hockeytown." 
However, the Wings have the copywrite. Scotty Bowman got his 200th playoff win on Sunday, 
adding to his record.

Quick quiz: 
  What has more holes, the Avs' defense or Theo Fleury's smile? (From the Freepress)

5\9 Colorado looked slugish, resorting to cheap shots and bad penalties. The Wings skate 
back to Detroit with a 4-0 win. Scoring were Yzerman(2), Lidstrom, and Clark. Bill Ranford 
got the shutout with 28 saves. Peter Forsberg did not get suspended, and Valeri Kamenski will 
probably play game 3. Wings lead the series 2-0. Next up: Game 3 at the Joe on Tuesday night.

5\7 Kirk Maltby pokes in the overtime winner as the Wings  outlast the Avs 3-2. Scoring were 
Yzerman, Kozlov, and Maltby. Peter Forsberg hit Brendan Shanahan from behind, cutting him 
above the right eye. Forsberg was ejected and likely will be suspended. Bill Ranford started
in net and probably will Sunday as well. Wings lead the series 1-0. Next up: Game 2 on Sunday 
afternoon at Colorado.

5\6 Nik Lidstrom is a finalist for the Norris and Byng trophies.

5\5 Game 1 will be Friday night at Colorado, and game 2 will be Sunday. Chris Osgood is listed 
day to day after hurting his knee. Coaches say he is expected to play Friday. There are very
nice write ups in both the Free Press and the Detroit News, as well as ESPN.com about the 
upcoming series. 

5\4 The Wings will play the Avs in the second round with the series starting in Colorado on
Thursday or Friday.

5\3 Former Red Wing defenseman Steve Chiasson was killed early this morning when his pickup 
overturned while he was driving home from Carolina's return flight from Boston. Steve was 
drafted by the Wings in 1985 and played there for 8 years. He left behind a young wife and 
three children.