This is how I’m somewhat feeling these days. Although minus the wheel chair, without the odd-ball theories (unless your talking about Avery-gate) or delusions and minus Grace Kelly by my side (too bad ) But I have been laid up the past week with a severely sprained ankle suffered while participating in an adult recreational soccer league.

To make a long story short, I rolled the ankle and spent over six hours in the ER in Brandon thinking I had broken the ankle after hearing a pop or a crack. X-rays were negative, although in terms of recovery, a break might have been better. Since the sprain is on my right ankle, I am not able to drive so I’ve spent the past week sitting on my couch, crutches by my side, foot propped up on a stool and an ice bad near by.

The swelling didn’t come down until Saturday, a day after I saw an orthopedic specialist who delivered some good news (under the circumstances anyway) that although there is a good chance I probably tore a tendon or ligament, it’s nothing that can’t be taken care of with an at-home physical therapy program. While it certainly has created more of a burden on my already over-burdened wife - and right at the end of hockey season, too - she hasn’t been overly sarcastic about the whole thing and been a great help, not to mention my parents, my in-laws and my sister-in-law, who came over to give the younger kids a bath and help put the boys to bed.

Needless to say, I will be fine even if it’s supposed to be another week until I drive. I’m all but off my crutches, instead walking around with a nice big walking boot complete with an air cushioned insert that I can pump up on my own (or with the aid of my three-year old who likes to push the button).

So with all this free time on my hands, I’ve been propped up on the couch watching a lot of playoff hockey. And it was a treat to be able to watch the third period of the Montreal-Boston game on Saturday. Talk about emotions rising and dropping. I’ve been impressed with the Bruins, I didn’t think they would last this long in this series. But even going back to the first two games of the series in which Montreal won, I thought the Bruins were playing well and you could see that they could hang with the Habs.

Now it’s on to a Game 7 and anything can happen in that type of game. But I can’t see the Canadiens losing a Game 7 on home ice, not in that atmosphere, not with that crowd going crazy. I’m sure it will be a close game, but I think the Habs move on. Having to go seven games, however, I think will have an adverse effect on Montreal. Teams that often make long playoff runs tend to have easy early-round series (remember when Tampa Bay won its first two series in a total of nine games in 2004?). This could catch up to them in the next round, especially since they will end up facing either Philadelphia or the New York Rangers.

I worry about Dallas a little bit going into tonight’s Game 6. The Ducks are the Ducks and they’ve shut down the Stars’ power play the past couple of games. Champions don’t go down easy (unless they are the Hurricanes, however) and if Dallas doesn’t close this series tonight, I find it hard to believe they can put an end to Anaheim’s momentum in a Game 7. Marty Turco has been good and he’s going to have to be even better tonight. J-S Giguere was terrific in Game 5 and the Stars certainly had some Grade A chances. We’ll see if they have it in them tonight.

The San Jose-Calgary series has been classic. Great games, great hits, great goals and a whole lot of drama. The whole west, in fact, has been just as good as advertised with none of the series ending in anything under six games. Have to give it up to Nashville goaltender Dan Ellis who has been spectacular for the Predators who continue to put up a strong fight, but I don’t think they have it in them to knock off the Wings now, not after getting a 52-save effort out of Ellis and losing in overtime on Friday.

One more note on the first-round, as dominating as Pittsburgh was in a sweep of Ottawa, I’m not sure that had more to do with the complete disarray Ottawa was in or how good Pittsburgh is. I’m leaning toward the former on that one, but it doesn’t mean the Penguins can’t come out of the East since they had an easy time with the Sens and are at home resting up and giving Sidney Crosby plenty of time to make sure his ankle is up to the task (and believe me, after this week, I can sympathize and completely understand how bad a high-ankle sprain can be!!!!)

Anything catch you guys by surprise yet in the opening round? Anybody have thoughts on Sean Avery’s antics? His comments calling the well-respected Martin Brodeur “fatso”? (I thought it was very kindergaten-esque myself on both fronts.)

UPDATE MONDAY

The league will be announcing the finalists for the NHL awards this week and today they released the candidates for the Vezina Trophy as the top goaltender in the league. The Vezina trophy is voted on by the league’s general managers. The three finalists are: Martin Brodeur (New Jersey), Henrik Lundqvist (NY Rangers) and Evgeni Nabokov (San Jose).

The finalists for Norris Trophy (top defenseman) will be released on Tuesday. I’ll give you the finalists when they are released. I’ll also give you the five players who I voted for in order.