Crosby fights McLean

I'm not usually a fan of Sid the Kid. But when he tunes on a guy like he did tonight to Florida's Brett McLean I can appreciate that. This where a goon would come in handy, and the instigator rule abolished. Sid is obviously sick of getting jabbed, slew-footed, etc.
Oh and the Penguins lost 6-1.




This is not the first time Crosby has fought. He took on Andrew Ference in his first NHL tilt on December 20, 2007.

T Tags: Crosby+fights+Brett+McLean video

Comments on the first 2 regular season games in Europe

In point form:

-Looks like about 35% of each game will be filled with power plays. Unbelievable and pathetic. But it isn't going to change so I must stop complaining about it. All those power plays really exposed a couple of issues however:

1. The Sens need a power play quarterback whose name isn't Kuba.
2. The Penguins are really going to miss Gonchar and Whitney.

-Is Gerber the man? He looked shaky at times. This prompted Mike Milbury to suggest that the Sens should be targeting Nikolai Khabibulin. Kelly Hrudey disagreed because he thinks Khabibulin is no longer the dominant goalie he once was. I would say the Sens need a higher calibre goalie than Alex Auld to push Gerber, but the Bulin Wall is out of their price range.

-Sid Crosby bringing out the hits? Impressive! He made Chris Kelly pay twice. Speaking of Crosby, he was mostly flanked by newcomers Satan and Fedotenko. Like I said in my predictions, those 2 are no Malone and Hossa. Not even close. And that my friends makes me happy, because I hate Pittsburgh.

- I never knew that Spezza coughed up the puck so much. But MacLean, Milbury and Hrudey pointed it out after period 1 and then Spezza delivers the buffoonery in overtime by getting stripped of the puck by Miiiiiiisterrrrr Kennedyyyyy.............................Kennedy. Kennedy storms into the Sens' zone and bags a weak one on Gerber.

-All those new faces in Tampa Bay are going to take time to click as a team.

-I know Lightning coach Barry Melrose was bragging about the Lightning being a fun team to watch this year, but by being more entertaining they allowed 41 shots on goal. And they lost.

-Markus Naslund scores the Rangers' first goal of the season? Oh no...please don't make me look like a fool Markus. He looks pretty happy out there doesn't he?

-Scott Gomez is everywhere. What a player. He reminds me of a bee stuck in a jar.

T Tags: Rangers Lightning Senators Penguins Regular+Season+Game+1 Sweden Czech+Republic

Matt Cooke signed by the Penguins

It just keeps getting better and better for Matt Cooke these days. At last season's trade deadline, he was traded to the surging Capitals and made a playoff appearance with Ovechkin and co. Now he has been signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins to play with a team that went all the way to the Cup Finals. Imagine playing with Ovechkin and then Crosby in the span of a year.
It is a 2-year deal, and I'm not sure of the moolah per season. Cooke will replace some of the sandpaper that the Penguins lost by letting Jarko Ruutu got to free agency.

T Tags: Penguins+sign+Matt+Cooke Unrestricted+free+agent

What type of style will Barry Melrose coach?

As reported by Melanie Formentin at the Lightning's site: Last Thursday, Steven Stamkos and Barry Melrose were introduced to Lightning fans during a season ticket holder meet and greet. Melrose, in true salesman fashion said:

“Skating and speed is used defensively, it’s used offensively,” Melrose said. “We’re going to be physical. You’re going to see a lot of hitting. And again, this is not going to be a nice place to play. When teams land in Tampa they’ll say ‘We’ll take tonight off and get two (points) in Florida tomorrow.”

I didn't see the whole press conference, but one Lightning fan mentioned:

“The style of game we’re going to see from him is something I’m really intrigued about,” Eric DuBose, a 4-year season ticket holder said of Melrose. “It sounds like more of an up-tempo style that we’re used to playing, but on top of that we’re going to turn ourselves into a hard-hitting defensive team with a run-and-gun system. It’s exciting.”

Right. "Run and gun". Know what that reminds me of? The Maple Leafs. That style of play isn't the winning way in today's NHL. Last time I checked, the 2 teams in the Finals were very responsible defensively. Are the Lightning going to try win games 5-4? I know this type of hockey is exciting, and sure, I miss the 80's style of hockey, but it doesn't work when most of the other teams don't play that way. Hey Barry, this isn't Los Angeles in 1993 anymore! The game has evolved since then!
Jeez, new Bolts goalie Mark Smith may be seeing a lot of rubber this coming season. This will be a massive change from what he was seeing in defensive Dallas.
There's no doubt the superstar players will like his style of coaching as well. But will it win? Stay tuned I guess. The Bolts are bolstering their attack lines. It seems they have contracts set for both Gary Roberts and Ryan Malone. 2 great acquisitions. Oh yeah, they have Prospal back as well.
Fine and dandy, but check out their defence core. There are rumors out there that Tampa is trying to shop Dan Boyle, further depleting their D.

**UPDATE**
I guess you can add Brian Rolston to that list of forwards in Tampa now! Yeesh! Thanks for the tip, GZ Expat.

T Tags: Lightning Barry+Melrose+Steve+Stamkos+greet+fans Lightning+sign+Roberts+and+Malone

Canucks chasing Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone? / Alex Auld to Canucks rumor

Hey, it's no doubt that Mike Gillis is going to make a huge splash this offseason. Just how many players he will obtain seems to be the question. He has about as much money to spend on players on Britney Spears does on psychotherapy.
The Pittsburgh Tribune has just made a bold statement:

Marian Hossa will have several clubs pursuing his services July 1, and Vancouver is considered a fast-charging contender as the Canucks look to make a splash in the offseason.
The Canucks also plan to chase left wing Ryan Malone, who said last week he will exercise his unrestricted option.
Vancouver likely cannot offer Hossa $8 million annually over five years - the deal he is believed to be seeking - but would bid high for Malone, possibly more than $5 million annually on a long-term contract.

First of all, how do they know how much we can or cannot spend? We're rich in cap space right now.
Secondly, I really don't want to see Hossa in a Canucks jersey. Malone, yes, depending on money. But Hossa? No way. I'd rather eat a rotten sardine sandwich.

---

There are several rumors/desires for the Canucks to bring back Alex Auld, as he is officially being squeezed out of the goaltending picture in Boston thanks to Fernandez and Thomas. I see Alanah at Canucks and Beyond did a poll about this recently and 60% of her readers voted "yes", 36% voted "no", and 5% (including myself) voted "other". The conditions of the poll question were "if both Auld and Sanford asked for about the same money they made last season, which is around $600,000.
I don't want Auld back. What kind of dollars is Auld going to be asking for? A raise is coming to him, after performing fairly well in 23 games with the Bruins last season. So if he commands even over $1 million, he should be out of the question, because he's only going to be a bench warmer behind Luongo anyway.
I would like to see especially Cory Schneider or Drew MacIntyrewarm that bench and get some experience. They are 22 and 25 years old respectively. I know Schneider did very well with the Moose last year, so I would expect him to make the club this fall.

T Tags: Canucks+interested+in+Marian+Hossa+and+Ryan+Malone unrestricted+free+agents
Alex+Auld+back+to+the+Vancouver+Canucks rumor Drew+MacIntyre Cory+Schneider Luongo+backup+goalie

Hossa the Honorable to become unrestricted free agent

I use the word honorable sarcastically. On June 7, Hossa was quoted as saying:

"If I wanted to make a couple more dollars, I would probably just re-sign with Atlanta," said Hossa. "But I'm glad Pittsburgh got me here. This was a fun journey for myself, and a great experience. I hope I can stick with a great team like this. ...
There's always a limit, but I'd rather take a little less and play on a good team, definitely."

OK, so define "limit", Marian.
Pens GM Shero has said today that talks between the 2 parties have broken off. Hossa, who made $6 million last season, was acquired at a steep price by Pittsburgh not just financially. They gave up Colby Armstrong, Eric Christensen, prospect Angelo Esposito and a first-round draft pick (Daultan Leveille) to the Atlanta Thrashers. All of that to boost their chances at a Cup and hopefully sign this idiot long-term.
Shero still believes he has a chance to sign Hossa after July 1, but I really doubt that. Some foolish club is going to give Hossa what he wants.

I just wonder how far apart the 2 parties were, and how much of a douchebag Hossa really is. Never been a big fan of his.

What had really inspired me to hack Hossa is this post by Pat Lackey at The Fanhouse right after Hossa uttered those lies.
T Tags: Marian+Hossa+to+become+unrestricted+free+agent shithead liar

Hossa really stepped up his game...under typical circumstances.**UPDATE** Hossa may take a pay cut to stay

There is so much talk that the Penguins may not retain Marian Hossa's services this summer as free agency season hits. Word is that Hossa is going to want a raise from his current $7 million salary.
More than $7 million?What's this jackass worth? My opinion? NOT THAT MUCH!
For those who would disagree, I will quickly make my point. I would put a lot of money on the fact that Hossa's stats dramatically increased in the playoffs:
1. Because he was playing with Crosby.
2. He was in the final year of his contract.
Yeah, one of those players that overachieves and is super-motivated because free agency season is coming up and a raise in imminent.
Well, Hossa didn't exactly whoop ass in the regular season. He played 72 games, scored 26 goals and only 66 points. He was a -14. Most of that minus came from playing in Atlanta until the trade deadline. So what. That further proves my point. Until the postseason started, Hossa was having a lousy year. He all of a sudden lit it up in the playoffs though, scoring 12 goals and 26 points in 20 games. A monstrous achievment. Hossa silenced his critics about performing in the playoffs. Ottawa fans must be thinking: "where the hell was THIS Hossa when he played for us???"
But you have think that Hossa's agent won't look at this past regular season as a guage for his raise. Nah, he'll use the playoffs and the previous 2 seasons with the Thrashers, where Hossa scored 82 goals and 192 points in 162 games. Impressive.
My dilemna as a GM would be: which Hossa will I be getting? The uninterested slumping Hossa, or the playoff monster of 2008 and regular season guru of 2005-2007?
Are you going to pay a guy more than $7 million to put the puck in the net? What about other attributes? Is he a leader? Is he motivated? Does he make players around him better? To me, it seems like the other way around. Sure, Hossa has wheels and a great shot. But he needs to be surrounded by talent....like Crosby. Like a non-slumping Kovalchuk. If not, his production dips by about 40%.
Am I being fair? Would you sign Hossa for $8 million?
I say, too risky. I'll pass.

---

**UPDATE**

In an act of 'unselfishness', Hossa has hinted that he may take a pay cut to stay in Pittsburgh.

"If I wanted to make a couple more dollars, I would probably just re-sign with Atlanta," Hossa said. "There's always a limit, but I'd rather take a little less and play on a good team, definitely."

We'll see what happens with this. Hossa seems to realize where his bread and butter are.

T Tags: Marian+Hossa+salary raise value Penguins Bum
Hossa+may+take+pay+cut Hossa+stay+with+Penguins

Cup Finals somewhat marred by officiating and CBC

I hate to be a party pooper after a Stanley Cup win by Detroit, but I want to get a couple of monkeys off my back.
1. Are these refs paid to call penalties to sway game results? What the hell was up with the hooking obstruction call on Jiri Hudler with less than 2:00 left in the game? That was weak! The refs were letting a lot go up to that point and then pull that call from out of their asses. Sure enough, Pittsburgh scores on the power play to make it 3-2. You could see the Wings reeling after that. Before that call Detroit was in full control. The shots could have been around 12-1 at that point. It wasn't even close. The Pens and their fans were dead. But a chincey call made at a lousy time in Game 6 just baffles me. What if the Pens actually tied it up? They almost did! I don't know how many obscenities I hurled at the TV there but I lost count. Fucking bullshit is what that was.
Thankfully the right team finally won in the end, and not even the referees could stop it. It didn't have to go this long. Detroit is so good that this could/should have been a sweep. But how lousy were the Penguins 5-on-5 in this series? They were dominated.
Hey I'm not saying Hudler's obstruction wouldn't be a penalty in general. But I saw plenty of obstruction from both teams leading up to that point. So why wait until there is less than 2:00 left in a pivotal game to call it? Ass. This was the worst Finals I have ever seen on refereeing alone. It ruined it for me. Garbage.
The positive? Everything else was just fine. The action was intense. Plenty of huge hits. Great puck movement. Stellar goaltending. I could just do without the diving and lousy inopportune calls.

2. CBC's love affair with Sydney Crosby has gone overboard. Bob Cole loves the kid like he's a love child and Greg Millen's love affair with Sid is almost like something out of a porn flick, but let's settle the fuck down a little bit guys. (Go ahead and flag me)
While Crosby made a few good plays here and there, he was covered masterfully by Lidstrom and Zetterberg. But to praise the guy's holy name every time he touches the puck or makes a pass and treat it like it god-damned genius is absurd. Crosby's pass to Malkin for Pittsburgh's first goal in Game 6 was not legendary, Bob and Greg. It was a cross-ice pass with no Wing in the lane. Any schmuck with a stick could have done that. No, it was a great goal by Malkin and a routine pass by Crosby, end of story.
And this was CBC's slant throughout the series. Crosby jerk-off session. Yeah I just said that. Admit it, that's what it was. I'll tell you what a Western Canadian guy in myself thought of this series:
-pure Detroit domination for the majority of it
-great passing and playmaking by Detroit throughout.
-super defensive work by the Wings, give or take a few mistakes and stressful moments here and there.
-Malkin who?
-Crosby who? Can you imagine how Ovechkin would have played in Crosby's stead?
-the series loss couldn't happen to a better team!
-I give huge props to Marc-Andre Fleury though. Sure, he faltered in Game 6, but his save percentage was sickeningly good in a series-losing effort.
-Zetterberg's Conn Smythe win was absolutely deserving.
-I almost entirely agree with Don Cherry's love of Gary Roberts. For a player who spilled his guts on the ice, his 7-8 minutes of icetime per game was an atrocity. He should have taken more of Sykora's icetime. A great ferocious leader he is. So was Ryan Malone.
Oh, and who addressed the CBC media after the loss? Gary Roberts. I guess Crosby and Malkin were too busy crying together in the showers.

---

As a Canucks fan, and a general Wings hater, I find myself confused right now. Normally I'd post a mockery Datsyuk-Zetterberg Photoshop pic. But I've really grown to like these guys. They are so good! I'm not jumping onto the Red wagon, but I have a lot of respect for how those 2 played. Zetterberg never tired and was a 2-way genius, and I think Datsyuk just may have the best hands and stick work in the NHL. Lidstrom really is worthy of all the awards he wins. I never really appreciated his skills until now. He doesn't have to lay a guy out in the corner. He wisely plays body without killing the guy and keeps taking the puck away. He has that super ability to get his stick in passing lanes too.
Oh well, give me a few months. I'm sure the hate will come back.

LINKS FOR THE CUP WIN

GAME 6 HIGHLIGHTS

TO CROSBY'S CREDIT, THIS POST GAME INTERVIEW (AFTER THE CRYING STOPPED) WAS DECENT.

LAST 30 SECONDS OF THE GAME ALL THE WAY UP TO ZETTERBERG ACCEPTING THE CONN SMYTHE TROPHY

LIDSTROM HOISTS THE CUP AND THE WINGS CUP PARADE AROUND THE ICE BEGINS

YAHOO IMAGE GALLERY OF GAME 6 AND THE CUP CELEBRATION

GAME 6 BOX SCORE

Last Monday, Tiger Woods was asked which team he was cheering for in the Finals. His response?

"I don't really care. Let's talk about the Dodgers," the California native said. "I don't think anybody really watches hockey anymore."

Oooo. Hey jackass, it's more fun watching a Jessica Simpson reality TV show than the sport YOU play.
Actually, this year's final 4 games in the Finals had the highest NBC viewer ratings since 2002. That's a positive.

T Tags:Red+Wings+win+Stanley+Cup highlights videos links pictures Referees Crosby CBC+joke

Wings-Penguins Game 6 Preview / Prediction

I should give up predicting in this series because I've been wrong too often. But how can you not bet on Detroit winning tonight, given the way they have dominated the Penguins in the shots and goals category? Answer: Marc-Andre Fleury.
Given that Detroit is far more composed and experienced and it has shown all series long, you'd have to think that the goals and shots trend will continue. Is Fleury up for some more magic? Possibly. But I've said it over and over again, the Wings have to shoot high on him. He is weak up top. The best Fleury saves in Game 5 were along the ice. Same old same old. He's been stopping a vast amount of those shots all series long. Shoot some pucks at his head and see what happens!
How much momentum will Pittsburgh have after that robbery of a win in Game 5? Add home ice advantage to that and they should put up a good fight.
Detroit just has to keep playing the way they were playing. One mistake and one unlucky bounce cost them to lose their lead with only seconds left last game. Zetterberg should have shot the puck in deep when he had it at center ice, but he turned it over. Once the Pens charged into the Wings' zone, Franzen got control of the puck and tried to clear it high off the glass. Unfortunately, a Penguin player tapped his stick and the Mule didn't get enough on it. Turnover, and badda bibg badda boom Talbot bags the tying goal with the Cup probably on it's way to ice level. A real stunner of a game.
Several Wings tired after the long Game 5. Is there a factor there? The best thing they can do tonight is score first and not give up the first 2 goals. They gotta shut those loud Pens fans up early and zap the energy out of the arena and the home team. I think they will do that. They have to be pissed after Game 5. They should have won that game. They know they are better than Pittsburgh.
Chris Osgood has to be better as well. I think he will rebound.
So what is my prediction? 3-1 Wings. Let's get this over with. The closer Crosby and Lemieux get to a Cup the angrier I get.

- It appears TSN's Bob McKenzie shares my sentiments, somewhat about Detroit's psyche.

- Ryan Malone and Sergei Gonchar will play tonight.

-Said Mike Babcock today:

“I think being on the road is a great thing,” Babcock said. “We've closed out every series on the road. As far as carry over from (almost winning Game 5) that, it's a lesson learned. They're good players. It won't happen again. Sometimes you need to be reminded.”

T Tags: Red Wings Penguins Game+6 Preview Prediction Stanley+Cup

Nooooooooo! Pens 4 Wings 3

I can't believe the Penguins just won. Outshot 58-32 and looking completely outclassed all night, and Marc-Andre Fleury pulls out a Patrick Roy-like performance from out of his butt. What a game. But especially, what a spectacle by Fleury.
Pittsburgh finally got their bounces tonight, the most crucial one being Hudler's accidental high-sticking penalty in the 3rd overtime to set up the winning goal by Petr Sykora. You just knew that the Wings would burn out on that penalty kill. After all the chances they had in this game to end it, that penalty was a killer, especially after already killing 2 other penalties in the overtimes, both being goalie interference calls.
Speaking of goaltender interference, did these refs all of a sudden get a great delusion of grandeur in regards to that? Why the hell were they calling those types of penalties in an overtime game in the fucking FINALS when they let that go all year? Baffling. Sure, the contact was there, but if you are going to start calling that, institute it at a better time.
It seemed that the Red Wings were tiring more as the OT's went along. Datsyuk looked completely slowed-down. He played 34:20. Osgood looked shakier and shakier as the game trudged on. The Penguins, even though being outplayed completely, still seemed poised and patient, waiting for an opportunity. Well, it came.
A classic game though. It reminded me of the Avalanche-Panthers Game 4 of the 1996 Finals. Mostly one-sided throughout. In that game though, I thought Panthers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck put out a better performance than what we saw from Fleury tonight. That was one for the ages, even though Uwe Krupp ended it in the 3rd OT and the dominating team deservingly won.
Not tonight though. Grand theft larceny.

Side notes

- Hal Gill played 40:02 and was a -1 on the night. But he looked steady, even in Gonchar's absence. What a long way Hal has come. From the crappy Leafs all the way to the 3rd OT in Game 5 of the Finals this year.

- Anyone else notice how Jarko Ruutu was almost the best Penguin in the overtimes? I can see why. He probably only played 7:00 after 3 periods. He looked to almost click on a line with Malkin and Sykora.

-Malkin=disaster. Turnover after turnover. Gad damn, the guy's a choker! He'll turn it around. The Pens just gave him another chance to do so.

-Sure, some people heap praises on Brad Stuart. Well I don't. He is a schitzoid out there: brilliance followed by utter mindlessness. I think he takes McCabe pills.
I would sit him and play Chelios next game. Just my opinion.

BOX SCORE

T Tags: Penguins Red+Wings Game+5 Overtime Fleury

Wings-Penguins Game 5 Preview

I am going to keep this quick and easy. I think Detroit will come storming out of the gates tonight seeing that they are playing in front of their home crowd at the Joe. The Pens will not be able to contain them and take early penalties. The Wings will capitalize on the powerplay(s) and bury the kid team by a score of about 4-1, solidifying the fact that experience does count and that the Wings were not too old. No, the Penguins were too young.
Anything else that happens tonight would be uncivilized.
I want to see Sid the Kid cry in defeat. I want to see Mario Lemieux weeping in his cushy little booth. I want the Penguins' heads on platters. And yes, I actually do want to see a European captain hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time in history, so we can all shutup about it!
No need to drag this series out. Get it over with tonight Detroit....please!

UPDATES

From TSN:
Jordan Staal has a bruised foot from blocking a shot in Game 4. He was seen limping on Sunday.
Tomas Holmstrom says he will play tonight.
Chris Chelios will not play tonight, as coach Babcock refuses to change a winning mix.

T Tags: Red+Wings Penguins Game+5 Preview Prediction Stanley+Cup+Finals

Wings vs Pens: A dive-to-dive basis

You won't get a Zandberg silence on diving in the NHL. Especially not in the Cup finals. Tonight's game could have been decided that way. The only thing that was lacking in Crosby's dive with 10:00 left in the 3rd period was the splashing of water in the pool. Luckily the Wings masterfully killed off the 2-man disadvantage. These teams take turns diving night-to-night. Pathetic.
Aside from that, it was a decent game. The right team won. The aging Wings continue to show composure in all areas, but especially in their own zone. It almost seems effort-less sometimes.
They also continue to outshoot the Pens. Tonight it was 30-23, including 9-6 in the 3rd period.
Peeves?
-Gary Roberts only played 10:47? He needs more time than that. Roberts the warrior deserves more.
-I know trainers teach players to beat 4 guys in Russia, but that doesn't work on this continent. Malkin needs to learn that. His play is like a broken record. He rips up the ice and tries to beat a line of Wings and is not being a team player that way. He's just causing a turnover. There's no use being selfish when in a slump. Malkin is going to learn that the hard way.

It looks like the Wings are going to take it at home, barring some stupid calls by the refs to sway the game. Should be a beauty game. No, really.

PS: I never knew that Zetterberg was that good of a 2-way player. He saved the Wings' butts more than once tonight with his defensive play. Unreal.

A nice touch by Don Cherry on Coach's Corner tonight. His comments and tribute to Luc Bourdon were heartfelt and appreciated.

A show of class by the NHL and Pittsburgh to give Luc a moment of silence tonight as well. That can be seen below.



BOX SCORE

HIGHLIGHTS

Red+Wings Penguins Game+4 Stanley+Cup+Final Diving Luc+Bourdon+moment+of+silence+video

Red Wings-Penguins Game 4 Preview

Most of the stories surrounding Game 4 revolve around Tomas Holmstrom. Firstly, Is he going to play tonight? If not, Dan Cleary will take his spot on the top line and Darren McCarty will dress. Holmstrom is a game-time decision.
The other issue is Holmstrom's diving, which is big headlines in the Pittsburgh Tribune. Hal Gill received 2 cross checking minors in Game 3 because he was trying to remove Holmstrom from his spot in front of the net. Holmstrom easily fell to the ice on both calls.

"We were laughing about it," Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik said. "It's embarrassing."

Oh yeah? I thought the Penguins were going to be the bigger divers in this series, as they are famous for it. But it's true, the Wings are diving more than the Penguins, who are choosing a hard-nosed approach.
Gill mentioned:

"The hard part is when he dives. ... It's tough to play him too hard if the refs aren't going to call the dives."

Oh boo fucking hoo. Karma's a bitch, he Hal? Just think, it wasn't that long ago when your kid captain was pulling the same crap. How about Malkin's slew-footing? The Penguins are just looking for a mental advantage.
Holmstrom denied these accusations of course in humorous fashion.

"If you get cross-checked from behind, how can you see if the cross-check is coming?" he said. "For sure, stuff happens around the net. You get banged up not just by one guy, (but) two guys, three guys coming in. It's a freak show around the net. Guys are flying left and right. I don't know. I don't even know who was out there. It's a big blur."

The big blur part doesn't suprise me. Maybe the Pens should start diving more as well. Don't tell me that they are above that. Then we'd have a dive-a-thon out there completely shaming the sport.
We'll see if the refs bite on the Pens' whining.
This series could have been 3-0. Game 3 and the series was in Detroit's hands until Brad Stuart (hero to goat) coughed the puck up in his own zone and Crosby scored. That finally put some life back in the Pens. Now Pittsburgh has life and these games should be closer. It's amazing how Pittsburgh's game changed after the scored their first goal after the series: faster pace, tight passing, better forecheck, more goals followed. Yeesh.
Detroit just has to stay poised and score the first goal. That trend still remains.
I wish they would put more shots high on Marc-Andre Fleury. Pretty tough to beat him along the ice. Yeah, I said "I wish". I'm not pulling for the Penguins. I've always hated them and still do.
The Red Wings took the Game 3 loss in stride and went to a relaxing resort. Expect a poised Wings team again tonight.
To throw a prediction out there: 3-2 Red Wings. Might even be some overtime there. Just a guess.
A question: Why the hell didn't Pittsburgh play Darryl Sydor throughout the playoffs? 2 Cup rings and he sits on the sidelines? Well his experience comes in handy now, doesn't it? And Gary fricking Roberts..... a machine.

T Tags: Penguins Red+Wings Stanley+Cup+Final Game+4 Preview Holmstrom Diving

Waddle home, Penguins

So the sign being held by a Wings fan at last night's game read. I laughed. I also laughed at how one-sided Game 2 (and this series) is. Talk about ownership. It's men versus boys out there. The talk of the younger Penguins outhustling the elderly Wings has all but ended for now. The Wings are playing their system to a T.
The negative? It's almost emotionless out there. Sure the hits are present, but the Wings skate away from any frustrated Penguins rough stuff. It took a Sykora clip on Osgood near the end of the game to finally get the Wings off their discipline game. (Was that Datsyuk punching Roberts with his gloves on?) Once again, that was an Osgood embellishment, as he flopped onto the back of the net. He did it earlier with Malone as well, resulting in a Pens penalty. Yeah, the only emotion out there is hits and dives. Sad isn't it? So much for the grand series.
But it's not over yet. Osgood and Franzen's dives may prove to be a motivating factor for the Penguins, who look like deer in headlights out there. Maybe now the anger is there. Take that anger into Pittsburgh and you never know. Only thing is, I don't see Detroit getting off their game on the road either. No matter. I think that all the Pens have to do is start skating harder with a vengeance and SCORE THE FIRST GOAL. Once they can do that, they'll finally have some momentum to build on.
What did you think of the play of Gary Roberts? For about 9.5 minutes of icetime he played like a warrior out there. Sure, it was dirty and he was penalized on occasion, but does that really matter? Something had to spark the Pens. Lord knows Crosby and Malkin weren't.

UGLY BYTES

Michel Therrien after Game 2 in regards to the Osgood incidents:

"We took two penalties tonight on the goalie. We never take penalty to the goalie in the playoff. I'll tell you something, I reviewed those plays. He's a good actor. He goes to players, and he's diving. Took away our power play. Got to get focused. I know our players are frustrated right now. It's tough to play the game. But Osgood did the same thing against Dallas under Ribeiro."

Touche. Way to bring up the Ribeiro incident. More of that interview here.

Mike Babcock post game:

"Well, I guess the way our team's built is we don't have as many North America guys that would be dropping their gloves and fighting right there. The way we try to do it is we try to play as hard as we can between the whistles, and we try to shoot the puck in the net when you take penalties. And to me, we just try to keep our poise and play. And the stuff after the whistle and all that, that's not going to win us any games. Between the whistles is. And we're just going to try to continue to play the way our team's built to play."

Built for skill and diving....nice work. More of Babcock's interview here.

Funny moment during the Tomas Holmstrom post game interview:

Q. Tomas, is your strategy against Sid's line to more or less take away his options?

TOMAS HOLMSTROM: Who?

Haha. Exactly.

UGLY STATS

Goals after the first 2 games: Wings: 7 Penguins 0
Shots after the 2 games: Wings 70 Penguins 41
Powerplays after 2 games: Wings 14 Penguins 8
Points by Euro players after 2 games: 10. 10 points out of 14 total, or, 71%
Academy Award performances by Osgood in game 2: 2. Best Diver in a lead role.
Cheap shot punches by Gary Roberts in Game 2: At least 10.
Seconds it took Franzen to fall to the ice after Roberts punched him: About 3. Diving jackass.
Times Crosby was reduced to tears after 2 games: Twice, not including the call to his grandma between the 2nd and 3rd period last night and on the ride home.

The Penguins look dead and confused. But 3 big things they have to do now in Game 3 are: skate harder and with a vengeance, make crisper passes, and SCORE THE FIRST GOAL.

T Tags: Penguins Red+Wings Game+2 Stanley+Cup+Finals Divers Wimps Domination

Franzen will play tonight...or will he?

There are conflicting reports that Johan Franzen may or may not play in Game 2 tonight. TSN says he will.
With Gary Roberts returning to the Penguins lineup, Georges Laracque will sit. Yeah, who needs a goon in the lineup in the playoffs anyway? Roberts had said a couple of days ago that he is going to prove why he never should have been scratched for Game 1. Given the way Roberts plays, I would not doubt him for one second. He is going to crash and bang the Wings around and could chip in offensively as well. Roberts rules. I've always been a huge fan.
Once again, look for the team who scores first to possibly take the game. Both teams' records on that scenario are nearly flawless.

T Tags: Franzen+returns Game+2 Gary+Roberts+to+play Laracques+out Stanley+Cup+Finals

Red Wings don't want to change their lineup. The Penguins do.

"All we're doing today is, we won the last game and we're not changing (the lineup)," Mike Babcock said. "The bottom line with Cheli (Chelios) is, we have a lot of respect for his ability and what he brings to this team. But this isn't about Cheli, it's not about me, it's about the Detroit Red Wings and winning."

That speaks volumes of the play of Chelios' replacement Andreas Lilja. So is this going to apply to Johan Franzen as well? Franzen has declared himself ready to play on Monday. But wouldn't that be tampering with team chemistry? He does have "only" 12 playoff goals, but the same rule could apply.
It looks as though Gary Roberts will draw into the Penguins lineup Monday. Michel Therrien had the same mentality about team chemistry as well and did not use Roberts in Saturday's game, annoying Roberts I'm sure. But with the crushing 4-0 loss, I'm sure Therrien has no problem dressing the veteran now. Given his level of boneheadedness, Jarko Ruutu should sit out Game 2, in my opinion. He was terrible in every way on Saturday.

---

Amazing how well butterfly goalies like Marc-Andre Fleury can stop all the low shots with such ease. But if you aren't a large goalie, the top corners will be open most of the time. The Wings really exposed that weakness in Game 1, and I'm sure will continue to do so in the series.

---

"Me and my buddy were kneeling down and all of a sudden Fluery comes running out," Thieda said. "His pad catches the corner of the boards and he just eats it.
I've never seen something that funny in my life. I've gotten 25 phone calls already. I've never been that close to something like that, it's awesome."

Those were the words of Alec Thieda, who was one of the ice crew guys who had a bird's-eye view of Fleury's folly.

T Tags: Red+Wings Penguins Stanley+Cup+Finals Roberts+to+play Chelios+not+playing Fleury+falls

Penguins-Red Wings Preview / Prediction / Funky Stats

It is a very tough call predicting which team is going to take Lord Stanley this year. On one side, you have a more experienced team in the Wings who have shown so much composure throughout the regular season and playoffs. On the other side you have a younger team that is showing composure beyond its years.

I am going to break this down into several statistics from this year's playoffs so far in order to make a decision, because I haven't picked a winner yet.









RECORD IN PLAYOFFS

Wings: 12 wins 4 losses
Penguins: 12 wins and 2 losses

GOALS FOR

Wings: 55 (they played 2 more games)
Penguins: 51

GOALS AGAINST

Wings: 31 (played more games)
Penguins: 27

GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE

Wings: 1.94
Penguins: 1.93

POWERPLAY GOALS

Wings: 16
Penguins: 16

POINTS FROM TOP 3 PLAYERS

Wings: (Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Franzen): 31 goals, 23 assists and 54 points
Penguins: (Crosby, Hossa and Malkin): 22 goals, 37 assists and 59 points

SECONDARY SCORING

Wings: 23 goals, 68 assists and 91 points
Penguins: 29 goals, 54 assists and 83 points

POINTS FROM DEFENCEMEN

Wings: 37
Penguins: 25

PENALTY MINUTES

Wings: 163
Penguins: 225

SHOTS

Wings: 581 (36.31 shots per game) (The Wings have outshot their opponents 14 times out of 16 games in these playoffs.)
Penguins: 452 (32.3 shots per game)

GOALTENDER STATS

Wings: Chris Osgood: 13 games played, 10 wins, 1.60 goals against average, .931 save percentage, 1 shutout.
Penguins: Marc-Andre Fleury: 14 games played, 12 wins, 1.70 goals against average, .938 save percentage, 3 shutouts

Both goalies are going to see a lot of shots in this series.

STANLEY CUP RINGS

Wings: 17-plus
Penguins: 1 I believe (Sykora), 2 if Roberts plays.

HOME ICE ADVANTAGE

Red Wings.

So geez, most of these stats are pretty close.
Can the Wings contain the Penguins' speed? Probably. Can they shut down Crosby and Malkin? I think so. They have proven to be disciplined in the playoffs so far, even against fast teams. They have a rigid defensive system and a wicked pressure game that forces turnovers and then their puck possession is so accurate. Then again, so do the Penguins.
Even though the Penguins are deeper at center, like Darren Pang said today, I don't think that's enough.

Who would you rather have in goal, Fleury or Osgood? Tough call. I see that most polls on the matter are about split 50/50. I'd go with Osgood, because he has the experience factor. But I'm not underestimating the potential ability of Fleury in the Finals either.

The fact that Detroit has more secondary scoring so far didn't suprise me. Pittsburgh has Laracque and Ruutu as grinders and they score about as much as Ugly Betty.

I guess that hardly settles it. With the Wings having home ice advantage and the extra experience, I'll go with them in 7 games.
This series should be great.

Anyone else care to wager?

UPDATES

-Johan Franzen has been cleared to practice with the Wings today. We'll see if he plays tomorrow. Even if he does, will his hot streak still be there? Even so, he is a great presence in front of the net.
-Gary Roberts, who has been suffering from pneumonia, may play in Game 1.
-Look for the first team scoring to be a pivotal factor, as NHL.com points out. 10 times in this year's Playoffs that both Pittsburgh and Detroit have scored the game's first goal. Pittsburgh is 10-0; Detroit is 10-1. No other team scored first more than seven times. That NHL.com article has some great stats there, including lifetime stats between the 2 teams. Check it out.

Predictions from Gurus everywhere. Borrowed from Faceoff.com. Thanks guys!



























T Tags: Red+Wings Penguins Finals Stanley+Cup+Preview 2008 Stats Prediction

Zettersyuk: The Euro player stereotypes are dying

There was a time when Demolition ruled the World Wrestling Entertainment Tag Team Division and it was cool to watch. Right now, Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk are an unstoppable combo in the NHL playoffs. These 2 are sickeningly good. You can hit them and rough them up but they continue to thrive and excel. They create so much open space with their flexibility in their plays and even when they are being tightly checked they push through. This is killing the old Don Cherry (and my own) stereotype that if you bang around skilled European players that they'll shy away from the puck when an opposing player charges them. Such is the evolution (generally speaking) of European players adapting to North American-style hockey.
You can't write off a team with a lot of European players on it to make the Finals anymore. Not this year anyway. And already, the "template" for building a successful NHL team full of bigger and faster Canadian players (like the Ducks of last year) has faded.
Adaptation.
More obstruction calls helps. It lets the smaller skilled guys play their style.
If Johan Franzen was in the Wings' lineup there would be (not including goalies):
-6 Swedes
-6 Canadians
-3 Americans
-1 Russian
-1 Czech
-1 Fin

9 Europeans! And a Swedish captain to boot. Is this the year that Lidstrom squashes the whole "a European captain has never won a Cup" statement?

By contrast, here are the Penguins nationality totals (minus goalies):
-8 Canadians
-5 Americans
-1 Slovak
-2 Russians
-1 Czech
-1 Fin

5 Europeans! A Canadian captain! I guess the Penguins are heavily favored to win the Cup then, right? Don't bank on it.

I guess I'm counting on the Flyers NOT coming back in their series against Pittsburgh. But just for the hell of it, the Flyers' nationality counts as follows:
-11 Canadians
-3 Americans
-2 Fins
-2 Czechs

(Keep in mind that the totals for each team are based on their CURRENT rosters)

Wow. Look at all those Canucks on the Flyers. And only 4 Europeans! A Canadian captain! Shit, these guys should be in the Finals already!

It just goes to show that my stereotypical attitude was wrong. Sure, I love it when Canadians succeed in hordes, but this year is kind of stretching my attitude and perspective.
Europeans are generally getting stronger and keeping pace with our style of hockey nowadays and I need to get my hockey-superiority head out of my ass. It's just hard to sometimes when you cheer for a team that has/had 3 gutless Swedes on it (Naslund and the Twins). There are great European players out there outside of my little box.

-The top 3 scorers in the playoffs are European (Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Malkin.)

-The Top 2 goal-scorers in the playoffs are European (Franzen and Zetterberg). That includes 6 out of the Top 10.

T Tags: Zetterberg Datsyuk domination Red+Wings Penguins Flyers European+Players

Disgrace thy name is Pittsburgh

Pretty tough to watch the Penguins-Rangers game today. The outcome was mostly decided by a blown call by the officials, as I believe it was Petr Sykora who was holding Drury's stick against his side making it look like Drury was hooking him. Off goes Drury for 2:00 and bango, the Penguins score a beauty power play goal. That made it 1-0 in an air-tight defensive game where it could have gone either way. Sickening.
The Rangers' non-goal because of the refs whistling the play dead was a fair call in my opinion. They had lost sight of the puck. Fair enough.
But I just can't stand that a blown call decides the game. Mostly, I wish the NHL would ease off on the stick obstruction rule, because guys are going to pull a Sykora and get away with it. I've seen it happen before. But now it's the playoffs, and it's a disgrace to have a chincy call sway the game's result.
Sure, I'm picking on the Penguins on this one, and I feel justified. How was Game 1 decided? By a Crosby embellishment. Game 2? A Sykora cheat. Nothing new there by the Penguins, a team that had the ultimate actor in Mario Lemieux on it's team all those years. And now they have the pouty-lipped, diving jackass in Sidney Crosby to carry on the disgraceful torch. I just don't like it. And I fucking hate Pittsburgh. Always have, always will.
I can't stand that we have to market the game around this gutless little puke.
That being said, (and it felt good to say it), the Rangers are completely missing the boat on how to beat the Penguins. Where was the forecheck? They have guys like Jagr (who was horrendous today) carrying the puck into the Pens' zone and either a) trying to beat 3 guys, or b) making a flopsy-useless pass and turning the puck over. I lost count on the turnovers after 2 periods.
Towards the end of the 3rd, Gomez dumped the puck in and won the race to it and a good scoring chance resulted. There was not enough of those dump-ins today by New York and it costed them. The Rangers need to muscle these wimpy Pens around more and make them pay and dictate the play more. There's no use in leaving this series to 'who has the better special teams' because the Pens will take it. And they know it too. Hence the dives and acting skills.
All I saw today was a disgraceful Pens win and a half-hearted Rangers effort. That will change in Games 3 and 4 I'm sure.

-Check out this site called Diving Mechanisms in Penguins to further understand why these idiots do what they do.

-The Black Hawks and their fans must remember how Game 1 of the Finals ended: with a power play goal that was the result of a Mario Lemieux dive. My ultimate hate for the Penguins came to form at this very moment. After that game, then-Hawks coach Mike Keenan said: "I can't respect Mario for diving," Keenan said. "The best player in the game is embarrassing himself and embarrassing the game." Amen brother. And that was 16 years ago.

-Check out this clip of the Pens at Diving Practice

-Pens hockey = soccer. Disgraceful. We need less of soccer-behaviour in hockey.

-I think that what these French play-by-play guys are saying is that Crosby just won an Academy Award for worst actor.

-Exhibit 2: The Crosby hand shake and wincing in pain sell job.

-Here's a great Crosby tribute to fulfill all your diving needs.

I know, this issue has been gone-over 1000 times. I'm just here to keep it alive.


T Tags: Penguins Rangers Game 2 Playoffs Crosby+sucks Diver Faker Cheating Gutless

Thursday NHL Links and stories

A crazy story coming out of Montreal:

The city's mayor is seeing red - and white and blue - after firefighters painted several fire stations to show their support for the Montreal Canadiens.
As the Habs prepared to face the Boston Bruins in the first game of their playoff series on Thursday, Mayor Gerald Tremblay was getting ready to send in work crews to clean up the impromptu paint jobs.
"And we're going to send the bill to the (firefighters') union... it's tolerance zero," he said.

I guess the point there is that the city is trying to stop the grafitti issue and it doesn't help deter the issue when firefighters paint Habs logos all over the stations. Check out the rest of that story. It's a good read. Hate to say it, but I agree with the mayor on that one.

---

The Ottawa Sun also had a piece on the reaction of Sens fans after the game 1 loss to the Pens. One fan quipped:

When the boogie-man goes to bed, he first checks his closet and under his bed for Gary Roberts.

Indeed. Gary Roberts was playing on the 4th line and was a force out there. Even though I hate the Pens with all that I am, I really am a big fan of Gary Roberts. He just keeps ticking, and looks to be a Sens killer again. Sens fans seem to be feeling quite pessimistic right now, and I don't blame them. But like one fan said, "suck it up and cheer for the team to turn it around."
Word is that Alfredsson is only riding and exercise bike at this point and is recovering from neck and back injuries. That means that he probably won't play in round 1. Hey, I or you can say all you want about European captains, but this is a serious blow to Ottawa. Alfie proved himself to be a great leader in last year's playoffs.

---

Can you believe that the Sharks finished the regular season with an 18-2-1-1 record? It's no suprise that the Flames win over San Jose was a shock. What are they planning to do to change their fate?

"We just need to get more traffic on him," Sharks center Joe Thornton said. "We gave him shots that he saw and when he sees the shot he's going to save it every time. We're going to have to work for our goals this series."

There is a potential upset in the making in this series, but can you really trust the Flames to be consistent and finish off the Sharks? Not me.

---

Sure, Martin Brodeur gaffed on Callahan's go-ahead goal last night and the Rangers never looked back. But that's not the point. The Devils need to score more goals, and it doesn't help that captain Jamie Langenbrunner, who is a player that can get this team rolling, is pointless in his last 5 games. He also only has 2 goals in his last 14 games. If Langenbrunner doesn't snap out of it, the Devils are probably done. Oh yeah, you can also tack on the fact that Scott Gomez looks primed to bury his old team.
More bad news for the Devils: Brian Gionta is nursing a "sore side". He did not play much in the 3rd period last night.
Even more bad news for New Jersey: What the hell is wrong with Patrick Elias? His production has tanked for too long.

T tags: Montreal+firemen+graffiti Gary+Roberts Senators+killer Alfredsson+injury+update Brian+Gionta+injury Scott+Gomez+is+the+man Langenbrunner+cold