Sincere Sports

      They genuinely did it. For the first time since 2004, the Toronto Maple Leafs have finally advanced from the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Though I'm nevertheless pumped for a Round 2 showdown, be it against the dreaded Boston Bruins or the underdog Florida Panthers, I cannot help but feel a tinge of nostalgia for a moment that took place just half an hour ago.       The Leafs put forth rather lackadaisical efforts in the third period and the early stages of overtime. It would not take a keen-eyed hockey watcher to label the majority of the roster as fatigued beyond belief. Though Sheldon Keefe's 11-7 experiment will undoubtedly be deemed a masterstroke, regardless of future outcomes, it left Toronto's forward corps utterly depleted. Since we've collectively been force-fed propaganda that the Lightning have the "killer instinct" and the "final touch" that the Leafs have been lacking for an eternity, it would be natural to assume that...

  Connor McDavid is headed to the playoffs with legitimate Cup aspirations (Christian Petersen, Getty Images)     Following the culmination of yet another fascinating regular season of the National Hockey League, the clock has started to tick. As fans of the sport, we are no longer hockey watchers, but observers of mass bloodbaths and a grueling two-month stretch of sweat and tears. For whatever reason, postseason hockey has always held the secret formula to entertainment and storylines, combined into one heart-pumping drama, akin to the great tales of William Shakespeare. There is no script now (take that, conspiracy theorists!) or constants (except for the Leafs choking) that can be taken for granted.      As a man with far too much time on his hands and an unceasing obsession with putting my neck on the line with unsightly predictions regarding athletics, breaking down each first-round series is a match made in heaven with the type of content that Sincer...