As I write this, Team USA and Canada are playing in Halifax at the World Championships and it has to be a welcome sight for any hockey fans that are currently in a limbo period between the second round and the conference finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs. In fact there’s plenty of talk in the media that Canadian hockey fans will boycott the rest of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and turn their eyes and hearts to the World Championships, being held in their country for the first time ever.

That may be true with some fans, but overall I can’t see that happening with Sidney Crosby and the Red Wings, an Original 6 team, from a city bordering Canada, still playing. The NHL has to be pulling for Pittsburgh-Detroit in the Finals, eh? Until then, the Canadian fans should take advantage of their TV privileges because in the States, if you don’t have Versus, you’re out of luck! On top of that, the only way to watch the World Championships is online at WCSN.com.

American hockey fans should tune in whatever way they can, though, because with a new generation of stars finally coming of age, USA is no slouch anymore. The likes of Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel and Zach Parise bring a high-powered offense and so far the best power-play in the tournament and a solid defense led by alternate captain Mark Stuart, represent what is now a solid young core.

The roster has an average age of 24, but many of the young players have played together on U.S. Development camps and in tournaments like this, the World Juniors Under 20 and Under 18 tourneys, forming a solid chemistry that is now evident when they take the International stage. So while Canada is still the team to beat internationally, USA has stepped into the second slot with Russia and may even be pulling ahead of their longtime rivals from Eastern Europe. The Yanks are here and they’re here to stay!

All that being said though, Canada is so good that they could probably ice three different squads and still win Gold at this tournament and the Olympics. Having so many players to choose from and so much talent sprinkled throughout your roster is a luxury for any GM or coach, but as Ken Hitchcock pointed out to me in a recent feature for NHL.com the key to these tournaments isn’t just talent, it’s chemistry and he focused on that heading into the World Championships. With that focus, and the combination of talent and chemistry Canada is once again the pick here for gold. But we’ll take USA for the silver. Here’s our picks:

Gold: Canada
Silver: USA
Bronze: Russia

By the way, I’m now covering the World Championships for NHL.com, the Hockey News, FASTHockey.com and InsideHockey.com, so be sure to check out those outlets and of course listen to my show (2-4 PM every Saturday on “NHL Home Ice” XM 204, Team 990 in Montreal and AM 1510 The Zone in Boston). Really looking forward to being in Quebec for the medal rounds! Anyone with suggestions on where to eat and have a few pints, shoot me an e-mail at jmurphy@fasthockey.com!

Back to the Stanley Cup playoffs, and it’s prediction time again. We’re down to the Frozen Four and the Conference Finals here and again, e-mail me if you actually had the Dallas Stars and Philadelphia Flyers still playing for the Cup now! I’ve been honest about my personal feelings on the Flyers and the way the dirty tactics they used on the ice throughout the season. Let’s just say I’m not a well-liked man in the land of Cheese steaks...

Well Philly, I still think your team is dirty, but they’re smarter about it. Combine that with the fact the referees have swallowed their whistles, Martin Biron is in the zone and R.J. Umberger is this year’s John Druce and the Flyers have found their way into the Conference Finals.

John Stevens and Paul Holmgren deserve a ton of credit for their coaching and management and yes, Flyers fans, so do your players who have exemplified the grit and hard work needed to win in the playoffs. However, Stevens and the Flyers may want to thank Bruins Head Coach Claude Julien for the blueprint on how to beat the Canadiens, which apparently is to out-work them and have more heart! The Habs were clearly more worn down from their seven-game series with the Bruins than the Flyers were from their series with the Capitals.

But the Flyers better hope that the Penguins take them as lightly as everyone else in the hockey world has thus far, because if they play at full throttle, the Flyers' run may hit a wall. The Penguins are the most balanced team in the East and are getting everything out of their lineup. Marc-Andre Fleury finally looks comfortable under pressure, the defense has a strong trap going and the offense, well let’s just say their the second coming of the Oilers’ and Islanders’ dynasties!

But there’s one element here that makes this scribe think the Flyers can take this series or as I believe they will, take it to seven games. These teams hate each other and they know each other well. Much like the Bruins-Habs series, there is an embedded hatred here and this should be a war on the ice and in the stands. In the end, the Penguins will win the Battle of PA though, and advance to their first Stanley Cup Finals since 1992. Sweet revenge for my co-host Ian Moran!

Prediction: Penguins in 7

The Western Conference will also go to 7 Heaven. This is a very similar series to the East in that the Red Wings bring a team that thrives on offense but has found a solid physical presence and defense as well, while the Stars, who thrive off physical play have found their offense like the Flyers have. This series also has my two of my top three Conn Smythe candidates thus far, Johan Franzen and Brendan Morrow, with the other being Martin Biron.

Goaltender Marty Turco has shed his playoff failure image in a big way and could be an X-Factor here, but my determining x-factor will be the depth of the Red Wings defense against the Dallas forwards. Morrow will be a force again, but the toughness and puck-movement of the Detroit blue line will be too much for the Stars rearguards in the neutral zone. That being said, the Wings’ power play will play a huge role as well!

My best man, Jason Batten will be texting me from LA a lot for the next month! Jaybo grew up a Wings fan in Windsor, Ontario and he’ll be partying like he’s back at the Joe in June!

Prediction: Red Wings in 7

Slainte,
Murph