NHL Playoffs Bracket Pool 2010

The NHL regular season is winding down, meaning the playoffs are near. Because such high level hockey deserves great attention, the guru is organizing a NHL Playoffs Bracket Pool. As with the March Madness Bracket Pool, the winner will receive an invitation to compete in the 2010 Fantasy Guru 37 Fantasy Football Expert Challenge.

Any individual with an email address is eligible to compete. To enter, simply send an email to FANTASYguru37@gmail.com with the following information: an alias/pen name (optional), your picks, and the tiebreaker (more on that later). I would appreciate it if you formatted your picks in the following way to make scoring easier. List every team you predict to advance from the first round in one paragraph. Do the same for each subsequent round until only one team is remaining. Indicate that this is the team you predict to be the Stanley Cup Champions. Be sure to include the tiebreaker.

You will receive 1 point for each correct team in the quarterfinals, 2 for the semifinals, 4 for the Conference Finals, and 8 for correctly predicting the Stanley Cup Champions. Tiebreaking procedures are as follows:

1. Correctly identifying the recipient of the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the MVP of the playoffs.

2. Closest to the number of games the Stanley Cup Champions will play in the entire playoffs. (This includes all four series. Must be between 16 and 28.)

3. Closest to the number of games played in the Stanley Cup Finals. (This only includes the final round. Must be between 4 and 7.)

*The formula for determining the closest to the number of games is as follows:

X=/(actual number of games) - (predicted number of games)/

There is no charge to enter the pool. Sending money will not increase your chances of winning. Only one entry per email address. In the case of multiple entries, only the first entry will be scored. All entries are due by 6:00 PM (1800 hours) on the evening of Wednesday, April 14, 2010.

The winner will receive a special invitation to compete against the guru himself in a highly competitive fantasy football league. Good luck to all challengers. Remember, only the best and brightest gain access to the FG37FFEC.

**Note that the NHL reseeds the bracket after each round, meaning that the highest remaining seed will play the lowest remaining seed in their conference every round.