The best series you'll never see

by Bob Herpen
The Phanatic Magazine

The NHL is very much like the other three professional sports leagues, in that it gauges interest and growth by numbers. As always, the higher, the better.

How about these: Three of the four semifinal series have extended to the seven-game limit, with the other going six games. That makes 27 out of a possible 28 contests in one round, an all-time league record.

And unlike the period between 2001 and 2006 when four Stanley Cup Finals series went the distance with teams even casual fans in those competing cities could care less about, this year's second round has some storylines that local fans can sink their teeth into.

Too bad most of you within reading distance either can't see them or don't give a damn.

It's long established that the clear majority of Flyers fans are just that, not ones to click over to see how the other half live once the orange and black are eliminated.

Add on the fact that the newfangled Verizon Fios, which promises cheaper service than Comcast, doesn't carry key Comcast stalwarts like the former CN8 and the enigmatic Versus -- both channels which carry postseason hockey.

Still, there's enough here to capture the eyes and mind of your typical Philly hockey fan as he or she gets tired of cursing the Phillies while half-asleep every night.

For instance, in the just-concluded phenomenal Penguins-Capitals series, you had Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin playing Alexander Ovechkin. That's gotta be a perfect Devils' Advocate over which player(s) to hate more and which team Flyers fans should actually root for in spite of the hate.

Boston-Carolina has a whole mess of ex-Flyers to draw your attention and bear the brunt your ire. Mark Recchi. Joni Pitkanen. Dennis Seidenberg. And of course, Rod "The Bod" Brind'Amour, who stuck it to the organ-eye-zation after winning a Stanley Cup three years ago.

The Red Wings-Ducks series features a nasty clash between the last two Cup winners. Anaheim is everything the Flyers could and should be -- it possesses the size, speed and punching ability to hang with the shifty and creative Detroiters. And come on, we all still carry a grudge against the Winged Wheel for what went down in 1997.

What happens beyond that is anybody's guess, but all it takes is a little imagination and initiative to join the rest of the puck crazed for the final two rounds.

Pick up that TV Guide. Keep your finger on the up arrow on the clicker until you get to the station with the red "VS" logo in the bottom right corner. Walk or drive to your local bar and gaze with mouth agape at the 77-inch HD TVs to get the necessary fix.

You'll have all the action you crave with none of the crushing emotional investment.

Or just lay back on your sofa and drive yourself crazy every time Jamie Moyer serves up a 57-mile-per-hour gopher ball. Your choice.