In the past, my predictions for the finals have been quite accurate. It's not just limited to hockey. I can call each Super Bowl, but since the Super Bowl is here, I will refrain from announcing my pick for Sunday (since I will jinx the team).

I do have my superstitions that have evolved over the years. For instance, I refuse to speak about any player, any team or who I believe will win during the playoffs.

During the 2005-2006 playoffs, I was cheering for the New York Rangers. I was fortunate to watch all of their games at Continental Airlines Arena when they played their first round against the New Jersey Devils. I was sitting in a sea of red jerseys talking to the lone Rangers fan (a young teenager) about the New York Rangers. I knew so much private information about the team (who was injured, what their secret injury was, etc.) that it had every Devils fan in ear range of me listening to what I had to say about the Rangers.

I spoke about how Sandis Ozolinsh was bringing his issues to the ice and was drinking, because I could see the alcohol coming out through his pores (when you have alcohol in your system, you sweat differently). One Devils fan sitting next to me said, "If the Rangers even have a chance in winning this, they will sit Ozolinsh." That, of course, never happened. That was also before Ozolinsh scored a goal on his own team.

When the Rangers were swept by the Devils, Ozolinsh came out and said that he had brought his personal issues to the ice and shouldn't have. A few days later, he was arrested for driving while intoxicated during the morning rush hour traffic.

Now, some may ask where I got this personal, private information on Ozolinsh. Let's just say, I studied him and watched him like a hawk. Not only do I read lips very well, I read people very well. I can tell when there is a problem. It's written on their faces. For hockey players, it's also reflected in their play.

During that same game when I was talking to Devils fans about Ozolinsh, I was watching the minutes wind down and I said, "Hmmm...I wonder why Jagr hasn't left the game, yet. Just seems like he would've left the game by now." The young Rangers fan sitting next to me looked at me strangely and said, "Yeah. I wonder why he hasn't." Not three seconds later, Jaromir Jagr left the game after he threw a punch out into left field and missed the Devils player he was aiming for and dislocated his shoulder (it was a rather grotesque sight).

I was mortified to learn what happened. I truly believed that I jinxed not only Jaromir Jagr, but the New York Rangers, as well. Since then, during the Playoffs, I do not speak of any team or any player. Prior to the playoffs I can discuss who I believe will win. Once the playoffs begin, I am silent.

Last year, I picked either the Buffalo Sabres or the Anaheim Ducks to win it all. When Buffalo was eliminated, I immediately knew that Anaheim would be the winner. As all hockey fans know, the Anaheim Ducks won the Cup last year.

So this year...who are my picks? Well, I will say that my Orato editors will be happy to learn that Vancouver is my ONLY pick in the West to meet in the final round against the East. In the East, I am a little conflicted. At first, my lone pick was the Ottawa Senators, which would mean that I believed that the Cup would head to Canada. But a team in the New York area caught my eye as a true Cup contender this season. Perhaps the reason why this team has thrown me for a loop and made me reassess my original picks is because I have to watch every single game since I am covering them in depth for InsideHockey.com [1]. That team would be the New Jersey Devils.

The New Jersey Devils

Martin Brodeur is on his way to becoming the best goaltender ever in the history of the NHL. Please, don't debate me on this like so many hockey fans try to do. This is not my opinion. This is a fact. Brodeur is only 31 games away (last count) from beating Patrick Roy's all-time career wins in the NHL. He is ranked first in every other category out there for goaltenders' "All-Time" records. I try to explain to hockey fans that it's the stats that prove my statement. It is not my opinion, it is a fact. The last guy who tried to challenge me on this was kicked out of the restaurant I was dining in. So please, read the stats before challenging me on this statement.

Brodeur is the main reason why the Devils have remained in the top eight in the Eastern Conference (most times seeded in the first spot in the Atlantic Division). The Devils also do not need to depend on their first line to score all of the goals for the team. Their goals are coming from various players on each line. In recent games, their power play has dramatically improved to which they were 50/50 on the man advantage.

What has also made me see that the Devils have a true chance at winning the Cup is the fire that I see in the players. One player in particular, David Clarkson (who I call "The Young Avery" to denote his style of play as similar to that of Sean Avery (New York Rangers) - he even has Avery's snarl down) has proven to be one of the best rookies around this season in the New York area.

He scored the first goal in the YoungStars game during the All-Star weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. He has also provided the fire and spark the Devils need each night. He has brought the elder statesman, Bill Guerin (Captain of the New York Islanders), down to the ice this season...a man twice his size. He's a big fan of the Philadelphia Flyers' bad boy Steve Downie. Just check out any Flyers v. Devils game and you will find those two going at it at least 2-3 times before the night is over.

Perhaps my true admiration for Clarkson came from my first look at him last season when I saw him playing for the Lowell Devils in a game against the Hartford Wolfpack. The Rangers fan in front of me, who was sitting in the front row, had decided he was going to agitate Clarkson throughout the game. Clarkson skated over during the beginning of the third stanza. As the fan slammed on the glass, Clarkson blew the guy a kiss. He had the entire section roaring with laughter over the whole incident. That day, Clarkson became the coolest hockey player I have ever had the opportunity to watch, so I was quite pleased when I heard that the Devils had brought him up to play in the big league.

With the Devils, I see a team that could make a serious run for the Cup and bring the Cup back to New Jersey this year. But one other team in the East has the biggest potential of winning the East completely.

The Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators strike the fear of God into their opponents. The name alone brings an immediate loss to teams across the Eastern Conference. The Senators have been pitted at the number one spot in the Eastern Conference the entire season.

Their super forwards of Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson have helped to put their team at the top (even though all three are currently out of the line-up with injuries). The most defining game of the season that would determine how the Senators would perform in the off-season against the West came when the two top conference leaders met on January 12, 2008. The Detroit Red Wings, who leads the league with the most wins, lost that night to Ottawa (2-3). The victory for the Senators proved that the Senators have the ability to take it all if the two teams were to meet in the final round of the playoffs.

There is only one team in the West that has been able to prove that they could completely wipe the East off of the map.

The Vancouver Canucks

Roberto Luongo. That's all I have to say. Roberto Luongo.

He would be the best goalie to meet against the East. He was able to shutout both the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils when they visited Vancouver this past month. He also nailed the third win against the New York Islanders in the shootout.

This past month has been a bad month for Vancouver, but they are still latching onto that final spot in the Western Conference. If they are able to pull through in the West to the final round, they are the best team in the West to play against an Eastern Conference team that they rarely if ever play against.

The Underdog Who Could Cause An Upset

Because I know there are some Rangers fans, as well as New York Rangers, that read this column and not my Rangers column at Bleacher Report [2], I am just going to reiterate my latest piece on how I believe the Rangers do not have a viable chance to win the Cup this season.

Simply put, watch the New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals December 12, 2007 game. I made the unbelievable prediction that the Washington Capitals could possibly push the Rangers completely out of the playoffs. The Capitals were the worst team in the league up until they fired their old coach and brought Bruce Boudreau up from their minor league team, the Hershey Bears. Boudreau has been able to fire a spark into the Washington Capitals like I have never seen before.

If there is anything that I have learned from Coach Boudreau is that if you want that win bad enough, you will get it. It's almost the same philosophy that you find in "The Secret." If you put it out there into the universe, you will get exactly what you are asking for. When an entire team can do that, you see something amazing happen that can absolutely stun the other team.

I am currently watching the Capitals, who like I said was the worst team in the league, just two wins away from securing the third playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. In November, before Boudreau came to the Capitals, I would have never made a prediction like that. What I have seen watching Alexander Ovechkin and his team these past few months has made me strongly believe that the Washington Capitals have the capability of truly making a serious run for the Cup thanks to the coaching of Boudreau.

As for the Rangers, I do not see the Boys In Blue as true contenders for a playoff berth in the run for the Stanley Cup. I wish I could say otherwise.

Perhaps this column will be posted on their locker room wall and they will throw darts at it and say, "Let's prove Michelle Kenneth wrong."

I gladly welcome that.

But based on what I have seen this season, I do not believe the Rangers have that passion to even want to win the Cup like I see in the Washington Capitals. When I see a Ranger score a goal and he can't even get excited about winning, it's time for an overhaul.

Right now, it's all or nothing. I invite the New York Rangers to prove me wrong. Try winning the Cup this year...I DARE YOU!