* For the TB Lightning, this has been the year of matching history: No team has ever won more games (62) in a season in NHL history. Wow. Alas, the Bolts also made history against Columbus. They became the first such history-matching team to lose a first-round playoff series. Moreover, they were swept, 4-0. Ouch. From destiny to despair. Where were you in 62?
Remember how last season ended? Utter disappointment. This year? Utterly embarrassing. To be followed by off-season second-guessing, re-evaluation and speculation.
And, no, don’t look for any ceremony for the Presidents’ Trophy that’s annually awarded to the NHL team with the most regular-season points. And, yes, it’s more than noteworthy that the head coach of Columbus is former Lightning head coach John Tortorella and one of his assistants is Marty St. Louis.
* No, that wasn’t a green-jacketed hologram at Augusta National. Tiger Woods really did win his fifth Master’s Tournament–the first one since George W. Bush was president. A fallen hero resurrected. Good for him; better for golf.