Where does the NHL go from here?

It wasn't supposed to be this way.  It was supposed to have a dramatic finish.  It was setting up for a showdown.  And now it's all over. 

The NHL wanted - and needed - Alexander Ovechkin and Sydney Crosby to meet in the Eastern Conference finals.  It was supposed to put the games two biggest and brightest stars center stage for what many thought would be a 7-game series that rivaled Rocky and Apollo in Rocky II.  Except Ovechkin and the Capitals couldn't hold up their end of the deal.

The Olympic hangover didn't last long and America's hero, Ryan Miller, and his team the Buffalo Sabres, also suffered a first round exit.  The NHL needed some sort of a pick-me-up.  It needed a light to shine consistently.  Not just a quick flash that left us all blinded for a short period.  So where does the NHL go from here?  Pray for the other big American name from the Olympics, Patrick Kane from the Chicago Blackhawks to meet Syd the Kid in the Stanley Cup Finals.

It's their only hope.

Zinno