Good morning hockey fans! PK won last night AND the Oilers lost, so all is well with the world.

Also this weekend, the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL finals were set. Out east we see the Saint John Sea Dogs taking on the Blainesville-Broisband Armada in the QMJHL Final , fighting for the President’s Cup. The Sea Dogs were back to back winners in 2011/2012 and were runners-up in 2010. The Sea Dogs have won a single Memorial Cup, in 2011. The Armada haven’t won any championships in their six years in the Montreal suburbs, now in their previous cities as the Montreal Junior and St. John’s Fog Devils.

The Presidents Cup series begins Friday May 5th, in Saint John’s.

In the OHL the Erie Otters and the Mississauga Steelheads face off for the J. Ross Robertson cup in the OHL Championship Series. The Steelheads have no previous championships. Nothing in the Steelheads brand, nor as the St. Michaels Majors, though they did lose to the Owen Sound Attack for the Robertson Cup in the 2011 OHL Championship Series.

The Erie Otters won the Robertson Cup in 2002, but fell short of the Memorial Cup. Before Erie the franchise they won an OHA Championship and a Memorial Cup in 1962 as the Hamilton Red Wings.

The OHL Championship Series begins Thursday May 4th in Erie.

Out west the Adam Brooks and the Regina Pats play the Seattle Thunderbirds for the Ed Chynoweth Cup. The Thunderbirds have been in Seattle since 1977 after unsuccessful times in Kamloops and Vancouver. The franchise won no trophies in any of their cities. The Regina Pats are coming up on their 100th anniversary, and hold two WHL Championships and four Memorial Cups - the second most in the history f the cup (Oshawa Generals have five).

The WHL Championship begins Friday May 5th in Regina.

Here are your morning links.

Who to Watch During the OHL Finals - Bloggers Tribune
A look at who will knock your socks off in the best non-Stanley Cup final we’ll see.

NBC’s Mike Milbury calls Predators’ P.K. Subban a ‘clown’ for warm-up dance - Colour of Hockey
New hockey rule: If you want to get into the groove before a serious game, don’t dance.

Timothy Liljegren’s drop could be Red Wings gain - Winging It In Motown
With the NHL Draft Lottery settled and the Detroit Red Wings picking 9th in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft they have the chance to draft a possible franchise defenseman in Timothy Liljegren or at least a...

ANALYSIS: If the Senators are having trouble selling tickets in Ottawa, maybe they should relocate somewhere that will appreciate them - Stanley Cup of Chowder
It’s the only course of action tbh

How a bad take is born: A play in one act - Raw Charge
Justin steps imaginatively into an editorial meeting at a small southern paper.

Watch: Two Minutes of Dominance Leads to Third Nashville Goal - On the Forecheck
Is that good?

New Jersey Devils Win First Overall Pick in 2017 NHL Draft Lottery - All About The Jersey
The New Jersey Devils won the 2017 NHL Draft Lottery and will select first overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft! This post is a quick recap of how it went down and what happens next.

Summer Project: Stat site rebuild… – HockeyAnalysis.comHow can the Rangers rebound and stay in this series? - Blue Seat Blogs :: Blue Seat Blogs
The latest news, analysis, and trade rumors for the New York Rangers.

Ducks @ Oilers Game 3 RECAP: Dangle. Snipe. Celly - Anaheim Calling
Anaheim is officially back in the series.

Column: Canadian media reveals itself with excuse-peddling over Senators playoff attendance - Canes Country
Why was the Senators’ attendance down last night? Better question: who the hell cares?

Enjoy they day!

From The Branches