Sean McIndoe

2 days ago | nytimes.com | Sean McIndoe

I can't speak for every hockey fan, but one of the reasons I enjoy this time of year in part is that there's a pleasant sense of familiarity. The postseason story is winding its way to a conclusion, hitting most of the usual beats along the way. We've hit on all of the mandatory controversies. My favorite team is, of course, already out. And most importantly: We can crack open the file folder labelled "recurring bits," which makes life easier for everyone. Well, for me.

3 days ago | nytimes.com | Sean McIndoe |Sean Gentille

Every year, there's one article more people ask me about than any other. Which is weird, because it has next to nothing to do with hockey. That would be this one, of course - the annual "bad ads" piece, in which two Seans from different countries create an international exchange program for annoying commercials.

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Sean McIndoe

And then there were two. And soon, just one winner. No, this isn't a Stanley Cup preview post that accidentally ran a few days early. It's an update on the annual playoff prediction contest, which is already over for almost all of you. We'll get to that in a bit. But first, a refresher. This is the contest that seems simple, because it's only one question: Name as many or as few playoff teams as you'd like based on how many games they'll win, in order from most to least. That's it.

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Sean McIndoe

We're well into the conference finals, having now witnessed over a month's worth of playoff performances. For some fans, now would be the time to celebrate the best of the best and spend some time admiring the players who've elevated their games when it matters most. For the other 99 percent of us, there's this column. It's playoff disappointment time.

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Julian McKenzie |Sean McIndoe

We're still in the early days of the Ottawa Senators' offseason, and GM Steve Staios has a handful on his plate. And that's before next month's draft and before the NHL free agency period begins on July 1. According to PuckPedia, the Senators have $16,626,786 in cap space. They began their offseason with slightly over $18 million available, but that's changed with the recent signings of Nikolas Matinpalo and prospect Lucas Ellinas.