NHL Playoffs: See them again — for the very first time

I've never been much of a hockey fan, and until this year found the sport, at least on TV, dull as dishwater.

But I've been watching the playoffs for the past few weeks with increasing interest and enjoyment, primarily because on high definition on a big screen, it's an entirely different sport from the one I grew up watching.

The first and foremost difference is that, for the very first time ever, I can actually see the puck, something that just wasn't possible with the pixels seemingly as large as the puck in regular definition.

Also, I can now begin to appreciate how magically skilled the players are, with multi-camera/angle slow-mo replays

The dimensions of a flat screen fit hockey's rink geometry perfectly, and the graphic up top with the score and time remaining and whatnot doesn't intrude on the action in the least, unlike in football where it obscures a significant portion of the field.

Then there're the announcers, all of whom are sharp, knowledgeable and funny, in a snappy, pithy fashion.

Not nearly as many commercials as football so it seems you get a lot more fluid game flow and feel.

The camera work is excellent, with frequent long continuous shots from just above and behind the net when a team is attacking and keeping the puck in the opponent's near-goal territory.

And the seven game series format lets you get to know who's who on each team, especially important when this is the first attention you've paid to the sport this season.

All in all, excellent viewing.

There's only one thing I'd change: Show the goals — and near-misses — in super slo-mo from a number of different angles so as to let the viewer appreciate just how fine is the margin between success and failure.

Game 1 of the finals — the much-anticipated rematch of last years' antagonists, the Penguins and the Red Wings — tonight at 8 (ET) on NBC, with the series ending sometime between June 4 (Game 4) and June 12 (Game 7 — let us pray).