*yawn*

It's been so long since I've been here (and anybody else for that matter), that I feel like a teenager who has slept in late into the afternoon and is now wiping the crud from his eyes.

I really wish I had time to blog about hockey. I have so much to spew, but so little time.

This is just a quick hello to anyone who may accidentally find themselves here and a reminder (below) of why the Red Wings are favoured to win the Cup this season.

Tiger and His Knee

So, Mike Milbury was legitimately upset after Tiger dissed hockey and, as you see in the clip below, called him Tiger Wuss for taking so long to recover from simple arthroscopic knee surgery.



But...

Much like in hockey, it seems Tiger was hiding some much more serious damage to his "lower body". Tiger revealed yesterday that "he has been playing for at least 10 months with a torn ligament in his left knee, and that he suffered a double stress fracture in his left leg two weeks before the U.S. Open. He said he will have season-ending surgery."

I don't care how much or how little respect someone has for the sport of Golf, but everyone has to recognize that these are serious injuries. To be able to precisely swing a club at the speed that Tiger does for 5 straight days withe pressure of playing a major championship tournament is nothing short of amazing.

We now know that this was a display of toughness and tenacity at a level that is rare in any sport.

All that needs to be done now is to tell Tiger to use his time off to learn more about hockey and its players. They are, as a whole, the toughest athletes in sports.

"Maybe there's more than one way to kiss the Cup"

I don't know why The Onion suddenly seems to have an interest in hockey, but I like it. "Chris Osgood Gets To Third Base With Stanley Cup" is hilarious.

"Okay, now, I'm not saying there isn't—it's a powerful feeling, when you win the Cup, and sometimes that leads to other feelings that are just as powerful," Osgood continued. "Things happen, but you and the Cup both want them to happen, and you go back to the hotel and ask it to watch Dirty Dancing, and eventually maybe you get into some up and over, or there's some up and down and underneath, or maybe—I'm not saying this happened, but you know—maybe there's more than one way to kiss the Cup."

Blogged with the Flock Browser

La ville est hockey

Here in Montreal, most hockey fans are confident in their claim that this is, in fact, Hockey Town. It certainly isn't Detroit.

After living here for eight years, I tend to agree. When the Habs are playing, or even better, in the hunt for La Coupe, this city is insane. I do find it odd, however, that since the Canadiens have been ousted from the second season, hockey has taken a serious back seat in the news.

Last night, many of us stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to watch one of the most exciting games in a long time. We are in the very heart of the Stanley Cup Finals. This is it, folks. It doesn't get any better than this.

It came as a surprise then, that the game story was on page 5 of today's sports section. I understand that the game finished really late, but if they had time to print a story, why put it in the middle of the section.

Maybe this city is only a Habs Hockey Town.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Final Fantasy (or is that the other way around)

This year's Stanley Cup Final matchup is not only what the NHL dreamed of all season, but it's also what most fans wished for as well.

These are the two best teams in the league and, after watching 10 minutes of game 1, it's clear that this will be a better final than any in recent memory.

The question I've been struggling with all week is this one: How do these two team stack up against each other? Let's do this using hands:

On the one hand, Detroit, IMHO, has a slight edge in primary scoring (Datsyuk/Zetterberg vs Crosby/Malkin).

On the other hand, Pittsburgh has the edge in secondary scoring (Hossa/Sykora vs all other Detroit forwards).

On the one hand, Detroit has the edge on D.

On the other hand, Pittsburgh has a slight edge in nets.

On the one hand, Detroit has the edge behind the bench.

On the other hand, Pittsburgh has the edge on the PP.

On the one hand, Detroit has home ice advantage.

On the other hand...

I'm all out of hands.

Detroit in 7

Final Four

Given the fact that most of the people who post here are Habs fans or Flames fans, there was a lull in the action since those teams were eliminated.

Enough sulking! (I'll save that for a post on the Habs' season later on.) It's time to look at what the final four teams have to offer and to predict who will make it to the final.

EASTERN FINAL

Pittsburgh v. Philadelphia

Even if I still don't fully understand how the Flyers made mincemeat out of the Habs, I have to give them credit. They have a team filled with good, young, talent (Richards, Carter, Umberger, Biron) who are really coming into their own. Biron has been a puck magnet and Umberger is, along with Johan Franzen, a front runner for the John Druce award for most unlikely playoff hero. We can't forget Daniel Brière either. He was great in Round 1.

They key to their success has been their apportunistic goal scoring. In most of the games against Montreal, they were out-shot and out-chanced, sometimes badly. Yet, they kept finding the back of the net whenever they had the chance.

The Penguins, for their part, bring an explosive offense to the table. With all due respect to my beloved Habs, the Flyers D-men and Biron have yet to see an offense like this one. As the Senators and Rangers have learned, even if you can hold on long enough to keep Malkin and Sykora at bay, you then have to face Hossa and Crosby. Ryan Malone has also been great so far.

With all of the firepower that the Penguins have, I still believe that the key to their playoff success has been the stellar play of Marc-André Fleury. It seems we've been waiting a long time for Fleury to mature, but he seems to finally be the goalie that he was touted to be when he was drafted.

Unless Fleury has a total breakdown (which I doubt), I think Pittsburgh should take this series. They won't, however, come out of it without paying a significant physical price.

Penguins in 6


WESTERN FINAL

Detroit v. Dallas

When the Stars got Brad Richards at the traded deadline, I was convinced that they were going to be a team to reckon with in the West. Then, they had a horrible end to the season. As a result, I picked them to lose in both the first and the second round of the playoffs.

Dallas has shown great grit and their top line has been one of the best, if not THE best, in this year's playoffs. Even if it pains me to say it, Mike Ribeiro has been great. I still can't stand him. Look at him! He's got a face only a mother could love. And I don't mean his mother, but rather Mother Teresa.

Over in Detroit, it seems to be business as usual. This is a team that, when they're on fire, play such a dominant game that it's hard for other teams to even get possession of the puck. In the past few years, they seem to have had great seasons but poor playoff performance. It seems that many of their lesser-known players have benefited from a few years experience and are now better payoff performers.

The only question mark for Detroit is, as always, goaltending. Osgood has been good, but not nearly as good as his counterpart, Turco. Detroit has also faced weaker teams that had goaltending issues of their own. They have proven however, that their puck possession has been a very effective way of keeping puck away from their net.

All that being said, I'm going to bet against Dallas for the third straight time. Here's to hopeing that, much like a stopped clock, I'll eventually be right.

Red Wings in 7

Don't Forget!

The Montreal press can be so fucking racist/protectionist:

Je connais assez bien les Russes pour savoir que ce sont des êtres susceptibles, fiers et qu'ils n'aiment pas, mais pas du tout, faire rire d'eux. Ils veulent bien forcer les Russes; ils veulent bien en donner plus, les Russes, mais quand ils voient à côté d'eux des coéquipiers qui, par égoïsme, par paresse ou par simple manque de discipline, se plaisent à mettre l'équipe dans le pétrin, ils n'hésitent plus, les Russes, ils débarquent du train.

Shorter Michel Blanchard: If Lapierre stinks, it's actually Kovalev's fault.

My Thoughts on Martin Biron

Fuck you, you stupid fucking cockface.

What the fuck bring back Ryder already shit!

So, if you were not going to re-sign Michael Ryder, but wanted his veteran-y presence down the stretch, I'd say go for it (though you could make the same argument for Huet - but I won't). Why not - they guy has good hands and has evolved into a decent, if low-profile, two-way winger. As inelegant as it looks, Ryder's ability to propel himself and the puck along the right wing boards despite a lack of space between said boards and a defenceman could be useful to a team that cannot seem to enter the offensive zone with a man advantage. So, yeah, hang on to him at the deadline. Nice work!

Now to bench the guy for (a) Matthieu "I'm Old!" Dandenaut, (b) Guillaume "the Tender Marshmallow" Latendresse, (c) Maxime "Mohawkdouche" Lapierre and (d) Sergei
I May Only Pass to my Brother" Kostitsyn" in a series marked by a dearth of scoring is a waste of time, money and talent. I guess there are (apocraphyl) issues about Ryder's work ethic and his brains, but the man has a knack for clutch scoring almost despite himself. He is the anti-Higgins, and man have we needed him.

So before you hand over the Jack Adams trophy from Don Cherry's cold, dead hands to Guy "I Don't Coach I Wear Ties" Carbonneau, consider the Newfie in the press gallery.

Might as well laugh

So, after last night's Habs - Flyers tilt, I'm in no mood to reminisce, so I figure that it's better to laugh than to cry. This video is hilarious.


NHL Star Called Up To Big Leagues To Play For NFL Team

(h/t Covered in Oil)

The Zubov Factor

So, I'm watching Game 2 of the Dallas - San Jose series and I just witnesses a brilliant pass by Sergei Zubov. It was pretty sick.

The play made me think of a comment I made to my colleague, Mozzarella Slim, the day after I made my Round 2 predictions. As is documented on this site, I predicted that the Sharks would eliminate the Stars. That, however, was before I realized that Zubov was going to return to the lineup sooner than expected.

I read the news in the paper the morning after I made my picks and immediately knew that the return of Zubov would be huge. I said so to Mozza.

Now, I won't change my pick, but I'll just say this: Go Stars!

Note: In this game, I also saw Mickey Ribs score and give a few hits. That wasn't sick, but it made me sick. Burp.

Game 1: Not a Total Disaster

As a result of living overseas for four years and the Avs missing the post-season last year, until last night it had been six years since I saw a play-off game involving Colorado. That particular game was none other than the worst day in the history of the franchise—a Game Seven 7-0 pasting by the Red Wings, a miserable spectacle which neither I nor Phoff, who had joined me for the occasion, bothered to sit through to the bitter end.

For a while last night, it seemed like I had gone back in time. It was Joe Louis Arena again, it was Super Joe and Footer and Osgood and Draper and McCarthy again, and the Avs were awful again. When Franzen scored his second of the night to chase Theodore (who also seemed to have gone back in time, becoming once again the Jose Theodore of his first year and a half with the Avs), I was getting ready to find something more enjoyable to do, like prying off my fingernails with a toothpick.

But it turned out this game was different after all. Six years ago, the Avs didn’t show up at all. Last night, perhaps confused by the time difference, they simply showed up late—about an hour after the Red Wings, by which point it was too late, but at least they salvaged some dignity with their performance in the remainder of the game.

For the first period and a few minutes of the second, the Avs put on a clinic on how not to play Detroit. They were sloppy with the puck, they failed to clear the zone on numerous occasions, they let the Wings skate untouched through the neutral zone. Detroit looked like they could score on every rush up the ice.

A lot of this was due to the Avs’ defensive ineptitude, but credit goes to the Wings too—they are incredibly strong on the puck, they are great at creating space, they make smart, quick decisions, and they jumped all over every mistake the Avs made. They’re a great hockey team, no question.

But then Theodore was pulled, Osgood gave up a soft goal, and the momentum of the game gradually shifted. Smyth, Stastny, and Hejduk combined for the prettiest goal of the night to make it a one-goal game, and in the third period, despite only putting six shots on net, the Avs were all over the Wings, finishing their checks, keeping the puck in along the boards, and generating several good chances. After looking dangerous on every shift in the first period and change, the Wings barely got a look at Budaj’s goal for the remainder of the game, as the Avs got sticks and bodies in the way and stopped them from getting any kind of sustained pressure.

As one-sided as it had seemed early on, Cleary’s fluky first-period goal and Osgood’s big saves in the third, on Sakic and Liles in particular, ended up being the difference between the teams. That’s encouraging. If they put in the kind of effort they showed for the second half of yesterday’s game, and if Foppa returns and they get more from Joe Sakic and a very disappointing Andrew Brunette, there’s no question the Avs can compete with the Red Wings. The question is: Can they beat them? We’ll know more on Saturday.

T. K.O.

(Period 2) 9:44 EV MTL 46 A.KOstitsyn
(Period 2) 16:03 SH MTL 27 A.KOvalev
(Period 3) 19:31 PP MTL 27 A. KOvalev
(Period 4) 0:48 EV MTL 6 T.KOstopoulos

With so many players whose last names begin with KO (6), it’s no surprise that the Habs have KO’ed their opponents more often than not over the course of the season.

What a game! Some say the Habs stole one, but I disagree. Both teams seemed nervous and turnovers were the order of the day. Neither team really played well, but I thought the Habs had the better chances, even after being down 2 – 0 after the 1st. They seemed to have more quality chances (2 posts) in both the 1st and 2nd periods.

They can still be better, especially when it comes to defensive zone coverage. Also, Price was simply human. We know he can be better.

OT rocks...when we win. Go Greek Lightning!

Round 2 Prognosticating

Man, do I ever love the playoffs. It feels like there's hockey on TV 24/7. Tonight is the first night in 2 weeks with no hockey. That gives me time to wrap up Round 1 and make my Round 2 predictions.

The first round was exciting and what I loved the most, I think, was discovering how exciting it was to watch the Washington Capitals play. I was truly saddened when they lost last night. If they sign a good goalie for next season, they will be a team to watch.

As far as my predicting abilities go, I seem to have lost a step. Last year, I was perfect until the final, but so far, I'm at 75%. If 2 out of 3 wasn't so bad for Meatloaf, I suppose 3 out of 4 is fine for me.

In the West, I expected Anaheim to move past Dallas, but I have to say that I'm very happy to see that idiot Pronger and his lads hit the links. As for the East, I really hoped the Caps would beat the hated Flyers, but alas, it was not to be.

So, what's on tap for Round 2? Let's see...

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

San Jose v. Dallas

I was glad that Dallas got rid of Burkie's boys and I would have loved to see the Flames upset the Sharks. I should, then, be rooting for Dallas.

The Sharks, however, might just give Mickey Ribs and his posse all they can handle. San Jose's big forwards, (Thornton, Cheechoo, Marleau) will not have to face hard hitting D-men like Phaneuf and Regehr, so they may have more space. This could mean trouble for Dallas.

I also think that the Sharks have the edge in nets.

Sharks in 7


Detroit v. Colorado

This will be the series to watch in the West (I hope). Sure, we're not in 1996 anymore, but there is some serious bad blood between these two teams.

In theory, the Wings should be the clear winners, but I don't think it will be that easy. Detroit has goaltending issues and the Avalanche have benefited from a reborn Jose Theodore. If I were the Wings, I would start inviting Paris Hilton to the games.

While the Avs have shown that they're for real, there is a world of difference between the Wild offence and the Wings' firepower up-front.

Theo will be good, but he can't do it all.

Wings in 6


EASTERN CONFERENCE:

New York v. Pittsburgh

If the Wings and Avs series is the one to watch in the West, this is the one the entire NHL fan base will want to watch. Crosby, Jagr, Malkin, Drury, Hossa, Gomez...This is a series made for Broadway.

Pittsburgh seemed dominant in their sweep of the Senators, but they did face the worst team to qualify for the 2008 playoffs. I'm pretty sure that the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins could have done away with this version of the Sens.

The Rangers are, clearly, not the Sens. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say that the Rangers are the team to beat in the East. They have an incredibly strong lineup and can come at anyone in waves. Needless to say, they have a rock in goal.

This will be a great series and experience will win it in the end.

Rangers in 7


Montreal v. Philadelphia

Although I wanted the Caps to beat the Flyers, I have to admit that this scenario favours the Habs.

Philly did a good job beating one of the hottest teams down the stretch and it'll help that Brière has found his touch. Biron was also surprisingly strong.

The Habs, as we all know, had their hands full with the pesky B's and, finally, showed their mettle in Game 7. Montreal's forwards are fast and pesky and can make the opposing defenders skate in circles.

Since Philly's D-men are not as strong as the B's and that, as a team, the Flyers are not as well-coached as Boston. Hopefully, the Canadiens will know how to exploit that.

Canadiens in 6

Game 7, or "Character"

Ah shoot. It was a tough one. The Flames had a run of bad luck, bad bounces, bad calls and bad legs, falling to San Jose in an exciting -- but ultimately doomed -- series finale, 5-3.

Notes about the game:

• The Jim Vandemeer experiment was a nice idea, and it didn't hurt in game 6, but the guy is a great defenseman and a slow, slow winger, and Keenan should have put him on the blueline the first time Anders Eriksson made a bad pinch. Or the second time. Or the third time ...
• The refs had an affect again. Why the hell they would call an interference penalty on Conroy when he was taking the man with the puck in front of the net is beyond me, but that penalty resulted in a game-tying PP goal which led to the Sharks' 4-goal second period. I've said it before, the refs don't lose games for you, but they can have an affect on the outcome, and that's unconscionable.
• Just to show I'm not completely partisan on this, even more egregious was the high sticking call on Rissmiller, who was 15 feet away from Daymond Langkow when the Flames centre was hit in the head by Jim Vandemeer. However, by this time the result of the game was no longer in doubt.
• Yes, I know Kiprusoff had 30 shots by the midpoint of the game, but he was letting bad rebounds out, resulting in more shots than necessary, and he let in a really bad goal at an even worse time. His head needs work, stat.
• Roenick? Jeremy Roenick? 4 points? Jeez.
• Where was Iginla? He played well, but his hands were tied too often.
  

After all is said and done, the Sharks were the better team, though not by much. They had to earn that win, and earn it they did. They played 4 solid lines, had incredible goaltending, and showed enough character to impress even this cynical old soul. A great team, no doubt, and I'm thinking that this first test might be enough to propel them to the finals.

As for coaching, I thought Ron Wilson had a brain fart when he kept Devin Setogucci out of the lineup for the first few games, but at least he came to his senses. Tonight, he earned his paycheque, however. The team was in trouble but he seemed to keep them composed throughout, and they did him proud.

Boo.

Why Is This Night Different?

It seems like every hockey blog has got some Pesach content this year, so why not PuckThis!?

This post chronicles the email thread Tim and I had on Saturday. While I obssessed over my PDA in the corner of the kids' table as the Seder went on, Tim diligently emailed in his assessment of game six. As becomes apparent, following the Pesach dinner, the Jews migrated to the den to watch a miracle performance turn into a plague from a vengeful god.

Meanwhile, the over-rated Habs Inside Out blog reports that Carbonneau has come to his senses and benched Matthieu Dandenault decided to wear his lucky tie. Now all he has to do is decide to order his team to actually forecheck (two men in deep, none of this 1-4 junk) and defend their blue line and he'll be 2-0 in the decision department.

Subject: Saku! Francis! ... Mark?

Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 12:40 PM
To:
Beeg
So who do you think gets benched? O'Byrne, probably, but maybe Gorges. Up front, Dandenault finally? I don't think they bench SK, he might score, Could be Ryder again, which would be a fucking shame. Also, do you think Kovalev will be extra determined and thus a) play well and effectively or b) hog the puck until he gives up a scoring opportunity (ies). Finally, if an unfit Koivu can't play more than say, 15 min, who picks up the extra slack? Plek? Lapierre? I see them using Smolinski on the PP, so...

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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 1:47 PM
To: Tim
Dandy and O’Byrne should sit.

If Koivu is weak, I would lean to Smoke but it depends on the rhythm of the game. I fear Ryder is done for the playoffs. Koivu's presence should ease the pressure on Kovalev if Chara has to cover both of them. I think Markov is injured.
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 7:16 PM
To: Beeg
Koivu not ready
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 7:17 PM
To: Tim
elaborate
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 7:21 PM
To: Beeg
not skating, just standing around watching. Only been a couple of shifts, but not his feisty self. 73, 84, 3 out.
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 7:22 PM
To: Tim
Dandy must have photos of Carbo with a butt plug.
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 7:25 PM
To: Beeg
Streit creates shorthanded breakaway. Streit slow, but apparently more useful than Ryder.
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 7:27 PM
To: Beeg
Higgins scores!
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 7:28 PM
To: Beeg
great fucking goal!
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 7:28 PM
To: Beeg
the coincidental penalty strategy works
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 7:47 PM
To: Beeg
Ok 1st period. 1-0 Mtl.
21-11-74 doing OK, but passes being picked off and creating Boston chances. If they stay focused, they'll be OK. Joyeux Pacques, btw.
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 8:07 PM
To: Beeg
Kessel, awesome goal
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 8:13 PM
To: Tim
Motherfuck. What the hell?
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 8:16 PM
To: Beeg
Goal was good play. Boston playing much better since, mtl has to respond. Higgins best game that I’ve seen
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 8:17 PM
To: Beeg
Plek! out of penalty box!
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 8:30 PM
To: Tim
I love those goals. Best of the year though was Komi's breakaway in OT SH against Leafs
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 8:46 PM
To: Beeg
end of 2nd 2-1 Mtl. Boston putting on a lot of pressure end of 2nd. Price lucky a couple of times.
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:07 PM
To: Beeg
Fuck. 2-2
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:07 PM
To: Tim
FUCK OFFSIDE
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:09 PM
To: Beeg
so you're watching?
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:09 PM
To: Tim
Huge PP coming up
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:12 PM
To: Beeg
foolish optimism
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:12 PM
To: Tim
Yeah. SHOOT THE FUCKIN PUCK.
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:17 PM
To: Beeg
Versus people are insisting that it was not offside, and that the linesmen are amazing because "to the naked eye, that might be offside" Seriously, they said that
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:19 PM
To: Tim
UGH Pierre and Yvon have a different perspective.
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:22 PM
To: Beeg
Also, the replay THEY WERE SHOWING
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:23 PM
To: Tim
The Jews rejoice.
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:23 PM
To: Beeg
explains much about totalitarianism-people are easy to deceive, depending on initial inclinations
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:26 PM
To: Tim
The Jews are saddened. Once again...
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:31 PM
To: Tim
SKost is driving me crazy.
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:35 PM
To: Beeg
Excellent, now Boston will become overconfident
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:36 PM
To: Tim
horseshit
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:36 PM
To: Beeg
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:36 PM
To: Beeg
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:37 PM
To: Beeg
see? apologies for computer issues
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:38 PM
To: Tim
Well done.
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:40 PM
To: Beeg
I can't believe these teams had a 1-0 game
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:42 PM
To: Tim
So much for tight playoff games.
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:42 PM
To: Beeg
why is Streit out there?
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:44 PM
To: Beeg
Well, it was a different game than I had expected
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:44 PM
To: Tim
Holy crap is the press gonna go nuts. Fuck.
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:46 PM
To: Beeg
there or here?
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:48 PM
To: Tim
Here. What a finish.
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 9:52 PM
To: Beeg
Right. Monday will be interesting.
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Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 11:06 PM
To: Beeg
If they lose, the thing i'd hate most is that all these asinine meathead commentators down here will think they're right.
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Mon, Apr 21, 2008 at 11:21 AM
To: Tim
I think I am gonna post this thread to PT. It's pretty amusing when you red it all in one shot. Let me know if that's cool. Only one reference to butt plugs, and it's by me.

Game 6

Great game tonight in the sixth tilt of the Flames/Sharks first-round series. There is a steady momentum being established during these past few games. Despite the end-results of games 4 and 5, the Flames were generally the better team for most of the game, with the Sharks capitalizing on mistakes more than generating chances of their own, and the boys from Cowtown rode their increasingly confident play to the end in tonight's big 2-0 victory over San Jose.

A few notes:

• Is the officiating in all the other series just as bad as what I've been witnessing? Atrocious is not a strong enough word to describe the performance of all on-ice officials. From phantom calls, inconsistent rulings, failures to stop play on covered pucks, blown icings, sketchy off-sides --- I am no longer getting outraged by the antics of the Four Blind Mice, but rather am more shocked between those rare intervals when bad calls do not occur. In a seven game series, a team will win or lose on its own merit, despite the blown rulings; however, there have been times this series when the officiating has had an affect on the game, and that is completely unacceptable.
• Kipper scored his first shut-out of the series, in what was perhaps his easiest performance. It isn't a revelation to know that a very good goaltender can rack up terrific numbers when he has a team playing defense in front of him. If they can keep this up, the Flames have a better-than-even chance of moving on.
• The Juice is loose: Kristian Huselius has found his game again. Despite a poor, offensive-zone penalty in the second period, he put in far and away his best performance of the playoffs, including putting in a shift on the power-play for the first time in the post-season. To say that the Flames could really use some more production from their second-leading scorer in the regular season is an understatement. His emergence has added a second dimension to the Flames attack.
• It is far too early to talk about the Conn Smythe Trophy yet (though Preds tender Dan Ellis deserves a mention), but Jarome Iginla, who had just finished the best season of his career, is taking charge of his team reminiscent of the 2004 run. He is the best player in the league right now, and he is a leader on par with Messier, Yzerman, and the rest.
  

Down to the wire.

Life in Exile

Say what you will about the senility of Bob Cole or the Habs-centered worldview of Pierre et Yvon, at least they understand the central principal of hockey: the team which (legally) puts the most pucks into its opponent’s net, wins. Down in the States, however, this point is poorly understood.

First off, is this obsession with violence. The Flyers' slogan, and entertainment theme at their home games, is "Vengeance." Vengeance for what, you might ask? The many years of Bobby Clark-imposed suckiness? The fact that they have to live in Philly? Now, I've never played organized hockey, so I'm not too sure what coaches say in dressing rooms, but I've always had the impression that they usually tell their players to avoid seeking revenge, and taking the dumb penalties that go with it, in favour of scoring goals. But, apparently, not in Philly. The TV commentators also seem to think that the most significant aspects of games are not goals, shots, scoring chances or puck possession, but hits. Apart from the fact that hits are probably the most subjective statistic in hockey, there is no acknowledgement of the fact that a player may take a hit, retain the puck, and score. Or that making a big hit may take a player out of position, thus leading to a goal. These matters are irrelevant. Particularly baffling is that this viewpoint is especially pushed by the colour commentator for the local Boston coverage, Rick Middleton. As a former Lady Byng winner, you'd think he'd have a different perspective. I guess living in Boston for twenty years does something to you.

Not, of course, that the commentators’ focus on non-goal related issues is confined to violence. Immediately following Saturday's Caps-Flyers game, in which the Caps put on a pretty strong effort to stay alive, the NBC commentators stressed not the Caps victory or defence in the last two, tense minutes, but the Flyers remarkable puck control in the game's dying seconds. Apart from the utter lack of class in not focusing on the winners, the obvious point seems to be: the Flyers, even with the extra attacker, didn't score. Thus, no matter how much the commentators liked their puck control, it failed in its most basic objective, which is to SCORE A FUCKING GOAL! Props, at least, to Pierre McGuire for trying to teach the commentators how to pronounce "Martin Biron" correctly. Needless to say, he failed and they quickly reverted to "Marty."

All this to lead up to my main source of astonishment: the Sobotka goal in last night's Montreal-Boston game. While showing a slow-motion replay that, to my eyes, clearly showed two Bruins to be offside, the Versus commentators had this contribution: "Wow, what a great call! That just shows you how sharp the linesmen are, because to the naked eye that play looks offside." (I'm trying to remember a game that on the whole I'd rather the forget, but I'm pretty sure that quote is essentially accurate. I will swear to the naked-eye part.) Now, I won't take a position on the offsideness of the goal itself. Maybe a different camera angle would demonstrate something different. But the point is, the one the broadcasters were using most definitely did not. And yet, they refused to believe the visual evidence right in front of them, perceived by their own eyes. I'm sure George Orwell had something to say about people who do that.

Well, That Sucked

No, I'm not referring to the awful intro before the first game of the Pens - Sens series in Ottawa. Rather, I'm referring to the awfulness that was the Bruins - Habs game tonight. Awful, for a Habs fan.

It wasn't so much the score that was ugly, but it was the way the Bruins played and won. They are playing "ugly" hockey. It's also very efficient hockey.

Claude Julien is a very good coach. Bob Gainey said so. After he fired him.

Julien knows that his team cannot match the Habs' firepower or speed. Their strategy, therefore, has been to play great positional hockey and a very tight checking style. The Habs players usually have a Bruin draped all over them the instant they get control of the puck. With so little time and space, Montreal's speed and creativity (the main reason they were the top scoring team in the NHL) is shut down.

The Habs had been playing patient hockey until tonight and it had served the well. Tonight, they seemed to be overwhelmed by the tight checking and lost focus. A clear sign of frustration on the part of Markov shows that the team was unraveling.

Panic?

I don't think so.

There is a good amount of leadership on the team, most notably behind the bench. I have a feeling that the likes of Carbonneau and Jarvis, who know a thing or two about tight, defensive hockey, should be able to find a way to ply through it.

Then again, I'm the guy who wrote that "this may be over sooner than I thought" four days ago.

The money shot

Hockey broadcasters, much like those of other sports, are well-known for their liberal use of sports euphemisms while calling the game. However, they may be more right than they know when they refer to a slapshot from the blueline as "a bullet from the point".

With specific reference to the most famous testicle in the NHL (at least, since Phil Kessel's courageous comeback), an Oilers blogger with a hitherto unknown scrotum fetish compares taking a slapshot to taking a bullet.

(h/t)