NHL Playoffs

The NHL Playoffs are starting this week and everyone is anticipating who will win. The Boston Bruins are a favorite to win their second Stanley Cup in 4 years(and my personal favorite). They will take place over about 2 months and there are already some very good match-ups.  The first round match-ups are Boston Bruins v. Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins v. Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning v. Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers v. Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota Wild v. Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks v. St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars v. Anaheim Ducks, and Los Angeles Kings v. San Jose Sharks. I personally believe the Bruins have a very good chance of winning the Stanley Cup this year as they've had an outstanding season especially recently. It would also be nice after a disappointing end of a season last year. I think other teams with chances of winning are the Penguins, Blackhawks, Ducks, and Blues. I ultimately think the Bruins will win as they have a very well-rounded team. I also think Tuukka Rask is the best goalie in the NHL and he won't be beat. The playoffs will be very fun and entertaining to watch. 

20 Years Later: Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding

Weeks before the 1994 Winter Olympic Games, U.S. figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by a man with a metal baton after a practice. It was later found out that fellow skater, Tonya Harding, and Tonya's ex-husband and bodyguard hired a man to break Kerrigan's legs making her unable to perform in the Olympic Games. Fortunately for Kerrigan, the man only bruised her right leg and she recovered in time for the games and placed above Harding. After this cruel attack, Harding was not even sentenced to jail time. After she plead guilty, she received three years of probation, 500 hours of community service, and a fine of $160,000. Harding was even allowed to compete in the Olympic Games after paying someone to attack her teammate. 

Was Tonya's punishment so mild because of her athletic status? If she was not an Olympic athlete would she have received jail time? I personally think Tonya Harding should have absolutely received a more severe punishment after hiring someone to break the bones of another person. I also do not understand why she was allowed to compete at the Olympics; she hurt her teammate! Why did Harding not go to jail, but everyone else involved did? I believe if Tonya was not an Olympic athlete she would have received jail time, as she should have. 

Now, 20 years after the incident, Nancy Kerrigan has finally come out and talked about it. She admits that at first, she thought it was a random attack. It never crossed Kerrigan's mind that Tonya Harding was involved and she was shocked to find out that she planned the whole thing. Kerrigan instantly thought "Why me?" but never thought it was intentional. 20 years later, we can look back and know that Harding may not have received the punishment she deserved, but Nancy Kerrigan still came out ahead when she won the silver medal and Tonya Harding came in eighth place. 


Works Cited
http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20778965_20789297,00.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonya_Harding#Attack_on_Nancy_Kerrigan
http://live.wsj.com/video/infamous-kerrigan-harding-scandal-gets-another-look/3FAD2221-15C9-4D4F-863B-DE90F5269FB2.html#!3FAD2221-15C9-4D4F-863B-DE90F5269FB2