I sat down to blog last night, but all I could come up with were really gloat-y, partisan, unfair and (somewhat) inaccurate celebrations of Tampa's victory--sorry, four game sweep--of the Washington Capitals. But I'm not that guy. I don't like to gloat publicly, no matter how much I hate (note: sports hate, not real hate) the enemy. Because I've been on the other side of that coin. Every single year, when your team is knocked out it's like a punch in the gut. You think I don't remember how bad it sucks to see your team knocked out of the playoffs? This is off the top of my head:
1996: Tampa lost to Philly
1999: Colorado lost to Dallas
2000: Colorado lost to Dallas AGAIN
2001: Pittsburgh lost to New Jersey
2002: Colorado lost to Detroit
2003: Tampa Bay lost to New Jersey, Colorado lost to Minnesota
2004: Colorado lost to San Jose
2006: Houston lost to Milwaukee, Tampa lost to Ottawa
2007: Pittsburgh lost to Ottawa, Colorado lost to Anaheim
2008: Colorado lost to Detroit, Pittsburgh lost to Detroit (in the final), Houston lost to Rockford
2009: Houston lost to Manitoba
2010: Colorado lost to San Jose, Pittsburgh lost to Montreal
Others (I can't remember the year) include Colorado losing to Edmonton and Detroit, the Thunder losing to Oklahoma City (several times), Columbus, Fort Worth, Bossier City-Shreveport (more than once), and Tulsa. Now, you'll notice there are a few years I don't remember exactly who did us in, but with relatively little effort I'm able to pull up just about every playoff defeat one of my teams has endured in the past 15 years.
It's a bitter pill, folks.
So, as much as I despite the Caps organization, I can't bring myself to dance on their graves (death by choking). If you'd like to read some nice Capitals dumping, you'll have to go here, and even then you may be a bit disappointed. (Though the bit about the Ovechtrick is pretty funny, and the artwork is all pretty good)
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This is a fun story (Puck Daddy again) on a Tampa fan who was commanded to take down his "Go Bolts!" sign by his neighborhood's Home Owners' Association. I don't know if the HOA expected the guy's fanaticism to go down easily or not, but if they did, they just don't know hockey fans.
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The first round of the NHL playoffs were insane. Boston/Montreal, Vancouver/Chicago, Pittsburgh/Tampa Bay, and Buffalo/Philadelphia all went seven games. Both Tampa and Chicago had to rally from down 3-1 to get there. San Jose/Los Angeles and Nashville/Anaheim both went six games. And there were overtime games everywhere. (Last night was only the second time in sixteen straight days we did not have a game go to OT, and that may have been because there was only one game on the schedule) I've never seen such a tight, competitive round of hockey, as only Detroit/Phoenix was a sweep.
Round two has been....less competitive. Tampa swept Washington, as mentioned above. Boston is up three-nil on Philly and San Jose is up by the same margin over the Wings. The closest series of the second round currently sits at Vancouver three games to Nashville's one, with game five in Vancouver tonight. Sure, one of these "down-and-out" teams may rally to make it interesting, but there's a very real chance the second round of the playoffs could be over in the next 48 hours. It's like the true contenders shook off the rust in the first round or something. The games have almost all been tense and exciting, but wow. Contrary to the gauntlet of round one, I've never seen such a lop-sided second round, either.
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Finally, the Aeros and Admirals are tied at two in their best of seven. After splitting in Milwaukee, the Aeros blew it in game three. Last night, they dominated the game but still found themselves in OT. Apparently, the Aeros have won 10 straight playoff OT games since 2003. Crazy stat. Anyway, Carson McMillan scored his 2nd OT winner of this playoffs (4th liners rule!) while I was driving back from Kroger. I celebrated while driving, and I wondered what people watching me drive during Aeros games must think of me. Who cares. Best-of-three starting tonight, kids.
Showing posts with label NHL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NHL. Show all posts
Friday, May 6, 2011
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
v2, d179: Western Conference Preview
No, this isn't a return to "regular blogging." However, if I didn't post this, Travis wouldn't know what to expect with the upcoming hockey season. And I aim to serve. Plus, I always enjoy writing these, faulty as they may be.
Last year, I was pretty wicked wrong--but then, a LOT of the experts were also pretty wrong. It was sort of a wonky season. I was, however, right on my pre-season Cup pick. So, ya know. Two points for me.
Seems there's a lot more "Eh, I dunno"s than usual this year. Though that may just be reflective of the quirky nature of last season. Who knew the Red Wings would be out of the playoffs for 2/3 of the season last year? Who knew Steve Mason would suddenly suck and the Blue Jackets would be the Blue Jackets again? Who knew Malkin would score a "disappointing" 77 points last year? Who knew the Coyotes would challenge the Sharks for the Pacific Division? Who knew the Flyers wouldn't need goalies and the Habs wouldn't need any forwards over six feet tall to advance to the Conference Final? (Those were both exaggerations) Who knew the Avs wouldn't finish dead last???
A lot of weird things happened. So it's hard to tell if a lot of weird things are going to happen again or not. Nevertheless, here's my best guess at what we'll see this year. And what weird stuff could completely throw a monkey wrench into the whole darn thing.
PACIFIC DIVISION
1. SAN JOSE SHARKS
The Sharks are still kings of the Pacific. (Fortunately there's not a team called the Humboldt Squids) They've got a ton of offensive firepower on their top two lines and some very capable role-players rounding out their forward ranks. Looking past the forward lines, however, you can start to see some chinks in the mighty teal machine. The defense isn't flashy, but it's solid. It used to be flashy and solid, however. The two-headed goaltending monster of Antti Niemi and Antero Niitymaki will be good, but I don't think either one of them is as good as Evgeny Nabokov was. Again, both are good, and this team will win a whole bunch of games this year. There's too much talent, and the team is going to come out with a bit of steam after getting swept away by the Hawks in last season's WCF. But I don't think they're nearly head-and-shoulders above the rest of the division the way they have been for the past several seasons.
It could all change if: If Niemi isn't nearly the same backstop playing behind Boyle, Vlasic, and Murray that he was with Keith, Seabrook, and Hjalmarsson in front of him. A lot of people believe that, while Niemi won the Cup with the Blackhawks, he rarely had to win anything for them.
2. LOS ANGELES KINGS
Odd that the Kings aren't the kings of the Pacific.
Anyway, the Kings took a huge step forward last year, and even with the loss of Alex Frolov I think they're poised to be a really dangerous team this season. I like their depth at forward, especially at center. Drew Doughty was a stud last season on defense, and Jack Johnson showed signs toward the end of last year plus the playoffs of being ready to step up and earn that vulgar nickname he'd been granted on message boards around the world (initials: JMFJ). Hm...Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson. They've also got Davis Drewiske back there. It's all about the alliteration on the Kings' blueline. Goaltending looks to be solid with the two Jonathans manning the crease. American Jon Quick had a hot start last season (sizzled a little as the year dragged on) and Jon Bernier has been the heir apparent for something like four years now. There are a lot of good younger players poised to have big years in Los Angeles.
It could all change if: Neither Jonathan is up to the task. Sophomore slumps for goalies are often epic. If the Kings took too much of a gamble bringing too many kids on too soon. If Doughty gets hurt and there's nobody to take his place.
#3: PHOENIX COYOTES
It's hard to tell exactly how the Yotes did what the Yotes did last season. Their roster isn't packed with star power. Aside from Shane Doan and Ilya Bryzgalov, they didn't have a bona fide star player all year. But Dave Tippett is one heck of a coach, and he got the Desert Dogs playing a team-oriented style of disciplined, controlled hockey. Everybody bought in, and it made all the difference.
The team lost their best defenseman, their top center, and one of their best penalty killers. That's probably going to hurt. Bringing in Ray Whitney gives the team a higher caliber of playmaker than they've had recently, so that's a plus. In addition, the team is hoping a few youngsters like Kyle Turris are ready to step in and contribute. But the Coyotes aren't going to sneak up on anybody this season. I think the Coyotes are still going to be strong, but they probably don't replicate the success of last season.
It could all change if: Bryzgalov isn't the league's most valuable player again. Nobody steps up to fill Zbynek Michalek's shutdown role effectively. The team starts off slowly and loses some of their swagger from the last campaign. This is still a team that will live and die defensively. If the D falters, it's all over.
#4: ANAHEIM DUCKS
The Ducks have one of the best lines in hockey. Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry can take over a game by themselves. Teemu Selanne still has some sizzling stuff. In net, Jonas Hiller will win some games the Ducks probably deserve to lose. And after that...well, it's not quite so pretty. When you're looking at the possibility of using Sheldon Brookbank in your top four defensively for a while, you've got depth issues. Losing both Pronger and Neidermayer over the past couple of seasons brought this team down several pegs. With the Kings, Coyotes, Blues, Avalanche, and others all on the way up, I will be surprised to see the Ducks playing into the playoff race much come this spring.
It could all change if: Hiller plays out of his mind. Rookie Cam Fowler develops immediately into a major impact player and transforms this blueline. This wasn't a playoff team last year, and it doesn't look like they got any better in the off-season.
#5: DALLAS STARS
Dallas has a strong 1-2 punch at center and some capable wingers scattered across their top three lines. The defensive core shows some potential, but they really need someone to step up into a bona fide #1 or 2 d-man. Goaltending could be the team's Achilles heel, almost literally, as starter Kari Lehtonen hasn't played a full season in...well...a long time. And he's been inconsistent when he has played. Admittedly, that was in Atlanta, and goalies don't traditionally fare well for the Thrashers. Still. History suggests that Lehtonen will be hurt at some point in the season. And the Stars don't have much of a healthy insurance policy.
It could all change if: Lehtonen does stay healthy and plays up to the potential so many saw in him when he was first drafted second overall. In 2002. Also, it could change if one of Grossman, Fistric, or Niskanen wakes up as a young Brian Leetch. The Stars can't take a step back offensively, either, so they'll need someone to develop into a legitimate scoring-threat-on-every-shift sorta guy.
CENTRAL DIVISION
#1: DETROIT RED WINGS
I picked the Wings to win it last year, and they didn't, so I'm sticking with that. ;-)
Really, though, it's still hard to pick against them. Once the whole team was healthy (and Chris Osgood was no longer the #1 goalie) this team caught fire last year. They bring back basically their entire team from last season: a squad that is talented, experienced, and professional. The Wings haven't taken a year off in fifteen seasons, and there's no reason to expect they suddenly will.
It could all change if: Jimmy Howard's play goes south. Again, a goalie with a sophomore slump can absolutely kill a team. Also--and again, this is said every single year--the Wings are an aging team. Hasn't really shown its effects in the regular season, and probably won't again. But if it does, it's not impossible that this team takes a tumble.
#2: CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
They won the Cup, obviously. And then they jettisoned something like eight players from that Cup roster due to the Salary Cap. Now, they've still got two premiere scoring lines and a phenomenal top-four defensive group. After that, they've got a lot of question marks. Will Viktor Stalberg and Jack Skille fill the voids left by, say, Kris Versteeg and Andrew Ladd? You know, they just might. Because this is a talented team, and talented teams can make players play beyond themselves. But then again, they might not. Will Marty Turco play like All-Star Marty Turco of a few years ago, or Get-Me-Out-Of-Dallas Marty Turco of the past two seasons? I'd predict more likely the former, with Chicago's stacked blueline in front of him. But you never know. This team has enough talent to make the playoffs even if most of their "what if's" go wrong. Plus, the Stanley Cup hangover appears to be real for most teams. But they're going to have to catch a few breaks if they hope to repeat.
It could all change if: I think I gave enough either-or's there to render this section unnecessary, aye?
#3: ST. LOUIS BLUES
The Blues shoulda been better last year. I don't know what happens. Actually, I'm not going to be surprised if the Blues challenge the Hawks this year. St. Louis could be the West's breakout team of the year. A lot of young talent, a good combination of skill and grit, depth at every position, and a hot goalie who should really shine in his first year as an undisputed #1. Of course, the team lost two talented offensive forces this offseason in Kariya and Tkachuk, but then again a lot of the younger guys underachieved last year, so it should all balance out, right?
It could all change if: If they all underachieve again. If Halak isn't actually Slovakian for "STOP." But neither of these things should happen.
#4: NASHVILLE PREDATORS
The Preds are a pretty good team. Solid 1st scoring line, good 2nd scoring line, capable role-playing guys on the third and fourth lines, a steady-if-unspectacular group of defenders, and a really talented guy between the pipes. They're a hard-working group who it's always a pain to play against. They've been very consistently good for awhile now. I think we'll have more of the same out of Nashville. They haven't done much in the off-season to make us suspect that much has changed. Once again, I expect the Preds to be in the thick of things for those last few playoff spots, and if they get in, then they should give whoever they play fits before bowing out in the first round. It's nice to know there are some things you can count on.
It could all change if: Pekka Rinne has a bad year, and Mark Dekanich can't be for Renne what Renne was to Dan Ellis. Or what Ellis was to Steve Mason. Or what Mason was to Tomas Vokoun. Strange trend among Nashville tenders.
#5: COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Man. It was pretty brutal in Columbus last year. After riding the high of the franchise's first ever playoff birth, the whole team pretty much laid an egg. Rookie of the Year Steve Mason was literally one of the worst goalies in the league. Shooters think they've found his weak point. I guess this year we'll see if they're right. Nobody wants to be "The Next Jim Carey" but Mason is currently the prime candidate. Meanwhile, we'll see if those talented young offensive phenoms finally give Rick Nash some relief in the scoring department. Bottom line, this is still a young team that desperately needs to learn through struggling. A lot of the pieces are there, but they're not quite ready.
It could all change if: Mason is Mason of 2008-09 again. Two of Nikita Filatov, Derick Brassard, and Jakub Voracek go on pretty major scoring binges at some point this year. If a young team like this catches fire early, they may be able to ride that momentum through the year and surprise people with a playoff spot again.
NORTHWEST DIVISION
#1: VANCOUVER CANUCKS
My early Cup pick. They've got all the ingredients. Two stellar two-way lines at the top of the order. Some solid sandpaper on the third line. Six legitimate NHL defensemen. A money goalie. And a painful post-season exit to the eventual Cup champs to end last year. This team has spent nearly a decade building to this point, and this could finally be the year they put it all together.
It could all change if: Henrik Sedin or Roberto Luongo get hurt for months at a time. Otherwise, I don't see much stopping this team, at least not in the regular season.
#2: CALGARY FLAMES
The rest of the Northwest is kind mediocre. Of the rest, I think the Flames'll be best. A lot seemed to go wrong for Calgary last year. They played some killer defense, and they've brought back most of that core (well, what was left of it after they were done dealing with Toronto, of course) and their workhorse Miikka Kiprusoff. The team finished 29th in the league in offense last year, and so they've added some veterans who've had pretty productive years in the past and hoped that they'll rediscover some of their zing playing with Jarome Iginla. Alex Tangua and Olli Jokinen should both be better than they have been recently. Tanguay had some good years in Calgary before, so they're really hoping he can click with Iginla like in days of old. Brendan Morrison adds a little bit of depth at center and effectively replaced Craig Conroy. This team almost made the playoffs despite not scoring, so with a summer to refocus their attention to putting the puck in the next, they should have a good chance at nailing down one of those last spots.
It could all change if: Nothing goes right. If Jokinen, Tanguay, and Morrison are, in fact, washed up. If they score like they did last year, this team will likely go nowhere once again.
#3: COLORADO AVALANCHE
What a great season the Avs had last year! Everybody (self included) predicted they'd finish, at best, 14th in the 15-team conference. Instead, they made the playoffs and took the Sharks to 6 games. What happened? Stellar goaltending. Surprising offensive production from the team's many "Young Guns." A balanced attack that could score from three different lines. Now, it's always hard to tell if a team with this many rookies is going to take a step back or not. I don't think that the youngsters are necessarily going to fall back a step, but I'm concerned about the team's overall health. Milan Hejduk still has great hands, but he's not young any more, and he's spent some time hurt the last few years, including the playoffs last season. Word is he's been held out of some preseason contests due to some soreness. I don't expect a full year out of him. Also, Peter Mueller (who came over from Phoenix for Wojtek Wolski) missed the end of last season with a concussion. Then, his first week back in the preseason, another concussion. Bad sign. Two big scorers coming into the year as question marks. One more strike, and the Avs go from having three lines of guys who can put a puck in the net to two, and they don't have the depth organizationally to field a competitive third and fourth line in that instance. Plus, the defense is exactly the same as last year's and last year's defense was underwhelming. I think the Avs are just a bad break away from being on the outside looking in this year.
It could all change if: Obviously, everyone stays healthy. And somebody takes the emotional leadership of this team and carries the kids on his back. The Avs started hot last year and sort of hung on to make the playoffs. They'll have to be more of a battling team to make it back.
#4: MINNESOTA WILD
Last year, the Wild tried to play a new, up-tempo, high-octane scoring system with a team that had been built to play a puck containment, neutral-zone trapping style. As a result, they finished 20th in goals for and 21st in goals against. Oh, and 22nd overall. With one year of Todd Richard's system under their belt, the hope is that the Wild will be better adjusted to make the transition to run-and-gun NHL team. With no significant personnel moves, though (Matt Cullen is a good center), you have to wonder if anything's really going to be all that different this year. If Guillaume Latendresse backs off at all on his surprising goal-scoring total from last year, this team could be dead in the water by the all-star break. They haven't exhibited a lot of mental toughness over the past year, and their outings this preseason have been inconsistent. And all losses.
It could all change if: Niklas Backstrom returns to form from two and three years ago. He was hung out to dry a LOT last year and his numbers really suffered for it. Plus, the Wild have had trouble keeping goalies helpful. If Latendresse, Havlat, and (hopefully healthy) Bouchard have career years, this might be a playoff team.
#5: EDMONTON OILERS
Goaltending is suspect. Blueline is lacking. Forwards are really young. Edmonton is doing a fine job of rebuilding this franchise. But make no mistake, they are well mired in the rebuilding process.
It could all change if: The Oilers pull a 2009-10 Avalanche. If Khabibulin becomes the dominant keeper he hasn't been in years, if the youngsters step in and score in bunches right away, then this team could shock everybody. That's a lot of ifs, but this team is pretty much in the position the Avs were in last season. Hey, it could happen.
Last year, I was pretty wicked wrong--but then, a LOT of the experts were also pretty wrong. It was sort of a wonky season. I was, however, right on my pre-season Cup pick. So, ya know. Two points for me.
Seems there's a lot more "Eh, I dunno"s than usual this year. Though that may just be reflective of the quirky nature of last season. Who knew the Red Wings would be out of the playoffs for 2/3 of the season last year? Who knew Steve Mason would suddenly suck and the Blue Jackets would be the Blue Jackets again? Who knew Malkin would score a "disappointing" 77 points last year? Who knew the Coyotes would challenge the Sharks for the Pacific Division? Who knew the Flyers wouldn't need goalies and the Habs wouldn't need any forwards over six feet tall to advance to the Conference Final? (Those were both exaggerations) Who knew the Avs wouldn't finish dead last???
A lot of weird things happened. So it's hard to tell if a lot of weird things are going to happen again or not. Nevertheless, here's my best guess at what we'll see this year. And what weird stuff could completely throw a monkey wrench into the whole darn thing.
PACIFIC DIVISION
1. SAN JOSE SHARKS
The Sharks are still kings of the Pacific. (Fortunately there's not a team called the Humboldt Squids) They've got a ton of offensive firepower on their top two lines and some very capable role-players rounding out their forward ranks. Looking past the forward lines, however, you can start to see some chinks in the mighty teal machine. The defense isn't flashy, but it's solid. It used to be flashy and solid, however. The two-headed goaltending monster of Antti Niemi and Antero Niitymaki will be good, but I don't think either one of them is as good as Evgeny Nabokov was. Again, both are good, and this team will win a whole bunch of games this year. There's too much talent, and the team is going to come out with a bit of steam after getting swept away by the Hawks in last season's WCF. But I don't think they're nearly head-and-shoulders above the rest of the division the way they have been for the past several seasons.
It could all change if: If Niemi isn't nearly the same backstop playing behind Boyle, Vlasic, and Murray that he was with Keith, Seabrook, and Hjalmarsson in front of him. A lot of people believe that, while Niemi won the Cup with the Blackhawks, he rarely had to win anything for them.
2. LOS ANGELES KINGS
Odd that the Kings aren't the kings of the Pacific.
Anyway, the Kings took a huge step forward last year, and even with the loss of Alex Frolov I think they're poised to be a really dangerous team this season. I like their depth at forward, especially at center. Drew Doughty was a stud last season on defense, and Jack Johnson showed signs toward the end of last year plus the playoffs of being ready to step up and earn that vulgar nickname he'd been granted on message boards around the world (initials: JMFJ). Hm...Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson. They've also got Davis Drewiske back there. It's all about the alliteration on the Kings' blueline. Goaltending looks to be solid with the two Jonathans manning the crease. American Jon Quick had a hot start last season (sizzled a little as the year dragged on) and Jon Bernier has been the heir apparent for something like four years now. There are a lot of good younger players poised to have big years in Los Angeles.
It could all change if: Neither Jonathan is up to the task. Sophomore slumps for goalies are often epic. If the Kings took too much of a gamble bringing too many kids on too soon. If Doughty gets hurt and there's nobody to take his place.
#3: PHOENIX COYOTES
It's hard to tell exactly how the Yotes did what the Yotes did last season. Their roster isn't packed with star power. Aside from Shane Doan and Ilya Bryzgalov, they didn't have a bona fide star player all year. But Dave Tippett is one heck of a coach, and he got the Desert Dogs playing a team-oriented style of disciplined, controlled hockey. Everybody bought in, and it made all the difference.
The team lost their best defenseman, their top center, and one of their best penalty killers. That's probably going to hurt. Bringing in Ray Whitney gives the team a higher caliber of playmaker than they've had recently, so that's a plus. In addition, the team is hoping a few youngsters like Kyle Turris are ready to step in and contribute. But the Coyotes aren't going to sneak up on anybody this season. I think the Coyotes are still going to be strong, but they probably don't replicate the success of last season.
It could all change if: Bryzgalov isn't the league's most valuable player again. Nobody steps up to fill Zbynek Michalek's shutdown role effectively. The team starts off slowly and loses some of their swagger from the last campaign. This is still a team that will live and die defensively. If the D falters, it's all over.
#4: ANAHEIM DUCKS
The Ducks have one of the best lines in hockey. Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry can take over a game by themselves. Teemu Selanne still has some sizzling stuff. In net, Jonas Hiller will win some games the Ducks probably deserve to lose. And after that...well, it's not quite so pretty. When you're looking at the possibility of using Sheldon Brookbank in your top four defensively for a while, you've got depth issues. Losing both Pronger and Neidermayer over the past couple of seasons brought this team down several pegs. With the Kings, Coyotes, Blues, Avalanche, and others all on the way up, I will be surprised to see the Ducks playing into the playoff race much come this spring.
It could all change if: Hiller plays out of his mind. Rookie Cam Fowler develops immediately into a major impact player and transforms this blueline. This wasn't a playoff team last year, and it doesn't look like they got any better in the off-season.
#5: DALLAS STARS
Dallas has a strong 1-2 punch at center and some capable wingers scattered across their top three lines. The defensive core shows some potential, but they really need someone to step up into a bona fide #1 or 2 d-man. Goaltending could be the team's Achilles heel, almost literally, as starter Kari Lehtonen hasn't played a full season in...well...a long time. And he's been inconsistent when he has played. Admittedly, that was in Atlanta, and goalies don't traditionally fare well for the Thrashers. Still. History suggests that Lehtonen will be hurt at some point in the season. And the Stars don't have much of a healthy insurance policy.
It could all change if: Lehtonen does stay healthy and plays up to the potential so many saw in him when he was first drafted second overall. In 2002. Also, it could change if one of Grossman, Fistric, or Niskanen wakes up as a young Brian Leetch. The Stars can't take a step back offensively, either, so they'll need someone to develop into a legitimate scoring-threat-on-every-shift sorta guy.
CENTRAL DIVISION
#1: DETROIT RED WINGS
I picked the Wings to win it last year, and they didn't, so I'm sticking with that. ;-)
Really, though, it's still hard to pick against them. Once the whole team was healthy (and Chris Osgood was no longer the #1 goalie) this team caught fire last year. They bring back basically their entire team from last season: a squad that is talented, experienced, and professional. The Wings haven't taken a year off in fifteen seasons, and there's no reason to expect they suddenly will.
It could all change if: Jimmy Howard's play goes south. Again, a goalie with a sophomore slump can absolutely kill a team. Also--and again, this is said every single year--the Wings are an aging team. Hasn't really shown its effects in the regular season, and probably won't again. But if it does, it's not impossible that this team takes a tumble.
#2: CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
They won the Cup, obviously. And then they jettisoned something like eight players from that Cup roster due to the Salary Cap. Now, they've still got two premiere scoring lines and a phenomenal top-four defensive group. After that, they've got a lot of question marks. Will Viktor Stalberg and Jack Skille fill the voids left by, say, Kris Versteeg and Andrew Ladd? You know, they just might. Because this is a talented team, and talented teams can make players play beyond themselves. But then again, they might not. Will Marty Turco play like All-Star Marty Turco of a few years ago, or Get-Me-Out-Of-Dallas Marty Turco of the past two seasons? I'd predict more likely the former, with Chicago's stacked blueline in front of him. But you never know. This team has enough talent to make the playoffs even if most of their "what if's" go wrong. Plus, the Stanley Cup hangover appears to be real for most teams. But they're going to have to catch a few breaks if they hope to repeat.
It could all change if: I think I gave enough either-or's there to render this section unnecessary, aye?
#3: ST. LOUIS BLUES
The Blues shoulda been better last year. I don't know what happens. Actually, I'm not going to be surprised if the Blues challenge the Hawks this year. St. Louis could be the West's breakout team of the year. A lot of young talent, a good combination of skill and grit, depth at every position, and a hot goalie who should really shine in his first year as an undisputed #1. Of course, the team lost two talented offensive forces this offseason in Kariya and Tkachuk, but then again a lot of the younger guys underachieved last year, so it should all balance out, right?
It could all change if: If they all underachieve again. If Halak isn't actually Slovakian for "STOP." But neither of these things should happen.
#4: NASHVILLE PREDATORS
The Preds are a pretty good team. Solid 1st scoring line, good 2nd scoring line, capable role-playing guys on the third and fourth lines, a steady-if-unspectacular group of defenders, and a really talented guy between the pipes. They're a hard-working group who it's always a pain to play against. They've been very consistently good for awhile now. I think we'll have more of the same out of Nashville. They haven't done much in the off-season to make us suspect that much has changed. Once again, I expect the Preds to be in the thick of things for those last few playoff spots, and if they get in, then they should give whoever they play fits before bowing out in the first round. It's nice to know there are some things you can count on.
It could all change if: Pekka Rinne has a bad year, and Mark Dekanich can't be for Renne what Renne was to Dan Ellis. Or what Ellis was to Steve Mason. Or what Mason was to Tomas Vokoun. Strange trend among Nashville tenders.
#5: COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Man. It was pretty brutal in Columbus last year. After riding the high of the franchise's first ever playoff birth, the whole team pretty much laid an egg. Rookie of the Year Steve Mason was literally one of the worst goalies in the league. Shooters think they've found his weak point. I guess this year we'll see if they're right. Nobody wants to be "The Next Jim Carey" but Mason is currently the prime candidate. Meanwhile, we'll see if those talented young offensive phenoms finally give Rick Nash some relief in the scoring department. Bottom line, this is still a young team that desperately needs to learn through struggling. A lot of the pieces are there, but they're not quite ready.
It could all change if: Mason is Mason of 2008-09 again. Two of Nikita Filatov, Derick Brassard, and Jakub Voracek go on pretty major scoring binges at some point this year. If a young team like this catches fire early, they may be able to ride that momentum through the year and surprise people with a playoff spot again.
NORTHWEST DIVISION
#1: VANCOUVER CANUCKS
My early Cup pick. They've got all the ingredients. Two stellar two-way lines at the top of the order. Some solid sandpaper on the third line. Six legitimate NHL defensemen. A money goalie. And a painful post-season exit to the eventual Cup champs to end last year. This team has spent nearly a decade building to this point, and this could finally be the year they put it all together.
It could all change if: Henrik Sedin or Roberto Luongo get hurt for months at a time. Otherwise, I don't see much stopping this team, at least not in the regular season.
#2: CALGARY FLAMES
The rest of the Northwest is kind mediocre. Of the rest, I think the Flames'll be best. A lot seemed to go wrong for Calgary last year. They played some killer defense, and they've brought back most of that core (well, what was left of it after they were done dealing with Toronto, of course) and their workhorse Miikka Kiprusoff. The team finished 29th in the league in offense last year, and so they've added some veterans who've had pretty productive years in the past and hoped that they'll rediscover some of their zing playing with Jarome Iginla. Alex Tangua and Olli Jokinen should both be better than they have been recently. Tanguay had some good years in Calgary before, so they're really hoping he can click with Iginla like in days of old. Brendan Morrison adds a little bit of depth at center and effectively replaced Craig Conroy. This team almost made the playoffs despite not scoring, so with a summer to refocus their attention to putting the puck in the next, they should have a good chance at nailing down one of those last spots.
It could all change if: Nothing goes right. If Jokinen, Tanguay, and Morrison are, in fact, washed up. If they score like they did last year, this team will likely go nowhere once again.
#3: COLORADO AVALANCHE
What a great season the Avs had last year! Everybody (self included) predicted they'd finish, at best, 14th in the 15-team conference. Instead, they made the playoffs and took the Sharks to 6 games. What happened? Stellar goaltending. Surprising offensive production from the team's many "Young Guns." A balanced attack that could score from three different lines. Now, it's always hard to tell if a team with this many rookies is going to take a step back or not. I don't think that the youngsters are necessarily going to fall back a step, but I'm concerned about the team's overall health. Milan Hejduk still has great hands, but he's not young any more, and he's spent some time hurt the last few years, including the playoffs last season. Word is he's been held out of some preseason contests due to some soreness. I don't expect a full year out of him. Also, Peter Mueller (who came over from Phoenix for Wojtek Wolski) missed the end of last season with a concussion. Then, his first week back in the preseason, another concussion. Bad sign. Two big scorers coming into the year as question marks. One more strike, and the Avs go from having three lines of guys who can put a puck in the net to two, and they don't have the depth organizationally to field a competitive third and fourth line in that instance. Plus, the defense is exactly the same as last year's and last year's defense was underwhelming. I think the Avs are just a bad break away from being on the outside looking in this year.
It could all change if: Obviously, everyone stays healthy. And somebody takes the emotional leadership of this team and carries the kids on his back. The Avs started hot last year and sort of hung on to make the playoffs. They'll have to be more of a battling team to make it back.
#4: MINNESOTA WILD
Last year, the Wild tried to play a new, up-tempo, high-octane scoring system with a team that had been built to play a puck containment, neutral-zone trapping style. As a result, they finished 20th in goals for and 21st in goals against. Oh, and 22nd overall. With one year of Todd Richard's system under their belt, the hope is that the Wild will be better adjusted to make the transition to run-and-gun NHL team. With no significant personnel moves, though (Matt Cullen is a good center), you have to wonder if anything's really going to be all that different this year. If Guillaume Latendresse backs off at all on his surprising goal-scoring total from last year, this team could be dead in the water by the all-star break. They haven't exhibited a lot of mental toughness over the past year, and their outings this preseason have been inconsistent. And all losses.
It could all change if: Niklas Backstrom returns to form from two and three years ago. He was hung out to dry a LOT last year and his numbers really suffered for it. Plus, the Wild have had trouble keeping goalies helpful. If Latendresse, Havlat, and (hopefully healthy) Bouchard have career years, this might be a playoff team.
#5: EDMONTON OILERS
Goaltending is suspect. Blueline is lacking. Forwards are really young. Edmonton is doing a fine job of rebuilding this franchise. But make no mistake, they are well mired in the rebuilding process.
It could all change if: The Oilers pull a 2009-10 Avalanche. If Khabibulin becomes the dominant keeper he hasn't been in years, if the youngsters step in and score in bunches right away, then this team could shock everybody. That's a lot of ifs, but this team is pretty much in the position the Avs were in last season. Hey, it could happen.
Friday, June 11, 2010
v2, d92: Guest Blog #2
Watch about 10 seconds of this video and you'll get a small glimpse of the euphoric pandemonium that struck the streets of Chicago this morning as the Blackhawks held their official Stanley Cup Championship parade and victory rally. Estimates are that close to two million people showed up. Unbelievable.
(No really, watch about 10 seconds. You get the idea pretty quickly, but it's an awesome sight to behold)
One of those nearly two million people was today's guest blogger, a seventeen-year-old Blackhawks fanatic from Metro Valley, Iowa, who threatened her big brother within an inch of his life if he didn't drive with her to Chicago to take in the festivities. Her name is Stacey, but her last name is protected because it's actually a "secret identity." Her crime-fighting name is Slapshot, and she's got the low-down on the Stanley Cup from a superheroic Blackhawk fan's perspective.
(As always, views and opinions expressed by FOMW Guest Bloggers may or may not reflect that actual views of the FOMW staff)
**************
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!! I CAN'T BELIEVE WE WOOOOOOOOOONNNN!!!
It's been two days, and I swear I haven't slept more than eight hours, total, since Patty Kane went five-hole on Michael Leighton to end the most awesome series in Chicago Blackhawks history! After forty-nine years of waiting, the Stanley Cup is finally ours!!!!!!
People just don't understand how hard it is to win that thing! The last time the Hawks even played in the Stanley Cup Final, I wasn't born yet. My brother was two. The last time in my life we even had a team that was good enough to even THINK about the Stanley Cup, I was three! As you can see, I've been waiting a LOOOOOOONG time for this!!
So of COURSE I made my big brother drive me to Chi-Town for some deep dish pizza--oh, and the best parade EVER! It was CRAZY! There were SO many people, and everyone was SO happy and having SO much fun!! Most of us had given up hope we'd EVER win a Stanley Cup about five or six years ago. It was like we were all in the same huge, really awesome dream. It almost didn't feel real until the boys finally pulled up in bright red double-decker buses, with Coach Q holding that beautiful silver trophy over the crowd. I was part stoked and part terrified. I screamed as loud as I could, "DON'T DROP IT!!!" (You know, those idiots in Dallas actually DID that once?? Dropped it from the top of a house into a swimming pool and DENTED it! DENTED THE STANLEY CUP!! Hmph! Glad they haven't won it since!) Anyway, there's no way he heard me, but he didn't drop it, so it was okay.
By the way, I LOVE THIS TEAM! Like, not just the Blackhawks, but Patty, Buff, Niemi, Soapy, Soupy, Brent, Duncan, Steeg, Smoke, Johnny T, ALL of the guys! Even Hossa and Kopecky! I never DREAMED I could love any guy who used to wear a Red Wing on his chest, but I can!
Speaking of Hossa, he looked so happy to finally get his hands on that thing! It was almost cute. It probably would have been cute, if not for that BEARD!
Oh. My. Gosh. Those BEARDS! For those of you who don't know, hockey players don't shave in the playoffs!! It's so gross! You can barely recognize them when they're skating around the ice with the Cup when it's all over! I mean, it's a great tradition, and I love it, but dang it was nice to see some of my boys looking like their old selves again on the streets of Chicago!
Ugh. Hang on. My brother wants to say something. He won't leave me alone, so I'm going to let him type something.
******
Hi. I'm the Iron Lung, and I'm a super hero. And I have to say that Chicago pizza is SO GOOD! That's all. Here's my sister again.
******
Wow. Thanks for that, bro. That was a winner.
ANYWAY, I remember about six years or so ago, when Daddy sat me down and explained to me that I would probably never get a chance to be a Chicago Blackhawk. Like, ever. I was SO CRUSHED! I think I cried the rest of the day, and then I just got mad for like two months, and then eventually I realized he was right, and I kind of got used to it. Then, about two years ago, I decided that, maybe it was true that I couldn't BE a Blackhawk, but that couldn't stop me from MARRYING a Blackhawk someday! I will get my hands on that Cup one way or another, believe me!
I was convinced that I was going to be Mrs. Stacey Kane for a while, but then last summer, Patty got a little...crazy...SO I started to look at my other options. I was thinking about Steeger for awhile. Then, today, he did this:
So, yeah, that may not be happening any more. I don't know if Buff is attached to anybody or not, but that dude is tough! He and I would be such an awesome team! Taking it to 'em on the ice, then fighting crime together at night, our own dynamic duo of hockey awesomeness! We could be, like, Buff and Basher, or something. (I'd be Basher) Although I have no idea how in the world you get BUFF-glen out of "Byfuglien," LOL. (Actually, I think it's Norwegian. So there's that.) And our archenemies would probably be, like, Chris Pronger. Or Danny Carcillo. Ooh, or both of them together! I'd probably never try to tangle with Pronger, but I'm pretty sure I could take that Carcillo twerp. And Buff can obviously take Pronger. Cuz he already did.
Anyway, the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup! We're awesome! It feels SO GOOD!!! I totally can't stop smiling!
Crud. I gotta go. Some evil cowboy named Huevos Rancheros is apparently attacking people at the zoo and trying to free animals, or something like that. Sigh. Villains are so dumb. Why would you pick "Ranch Eggs" as your villain name?
I'll bet even Pronger would come up with something better than that.
(No really, watch about 10 seconds. You get the idea pretty quickly, but it's an awesome sight to behold)
One of those nearly two million people was today's guest blogger, a seventeen-year-old Blackhawks fanatic from Metro Valley, Iowa, who threatened her big brother within an inch of his life if he didn't drive with her to Chicago to take in the festivities. Her name is Stacey, but her last name is protected because it's actually a "secret identity." Her crime-fighting name is Slapshot, and she's got the low-down on the Stanley Cup from a superheroic Blackhawk fan's perspective.
(As always, views and opinions expressed by FOMW Guest Bloggers may or may not reflect that actual views of the FOMW staff)
**************
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!! I CAN'T BELIEVE WE WOOOOOOOOOONNNN!!!
It's been two days, and I swear I haven't slept more than eight hours, total, since Patty Kane went five-hole on Michael Leighton to end the most awesome series in Chicago Blackhawks history! After forty-nine years of waiting, the Stanley Cup is finally ours!!!!!!
People just don't understand how hard it is to win that thing! The last time the Hawks even played in the Stanley Cup Final, I wasn't born yet. My brother was two. The last time in my life we even had a team that was good enough to even THINK about the Stanley Cup, I was three! As you can see, I've been waiting a LOOOOOOONG time for this!!
So of COURSE I made my big brother drive me to Chi-Town for some deep dish pizza--oh, and the best parade EVER! It was CRAZY! There were SO many people, and everyone was SO happy and having SO much fun!! Most of us had given up hope we'd EVER win a Stanley Cup about five or six years ago. It was like we were all in the same huge, really awesome dream. It almost didn't feel real until the boys finally pulled up in bright red double-decker buses, with Coach Q holding that beautiful silver trophy over the crowd. I was part stoked and part terrified. I screamed as loud as I could, "DON'T DROP IT!!!" (You know, those idiots in Dallas actually DID that once?? Dropped it from the top of a house into a swimming pool and DENTED it! DENTED THE STANLEY CUP!! Hmph! Glad they haven't won it since!) Anyway, there's no way he heard me, but he didn't drop it, so it was okay.
By the way, I LOVE THIS TEAM! Like, not just the Blackhawks, but Patty, Buff, Niemi, Soapy, Soupy, Brent, Duncan, Steeg, Smoke, Johnny T, ALL of the guys! Even Hossa and Kopecky! I never DREAMED I could love any guy who used to wear a Red Wing on his chest, but I can!
Speaking of Hossa, he looked so happy to finally get his hands on that thing! It was almost cute. It probably would have been cute, if not for that BEARD!
Oh. My. Gosh. Those BEARDS! For those of you who don't know, hockey players don't shave in the playoffs!! It's so gross! You can barely recognize them when they're skating around the ice with the Cup when it's all over! I mean, it's a great tradition, and I love it, but dang it was nice to see some of my boys looking like their old selves again on the streets of Chicago!
Ugh. Hang on. My brother wants to say something. He won't leave me alone, so I'm going to let him type something.
******
Hi. I'm the Iron Lung, and I'm a super hero. And I have to say that Chicago pizza is SO GOOD! That's all. Here's my sister again.
******
Wow. Thanks for that, bro. That was a winner.
ANYWAY, I remember about six years or so ago, when Daddy sat me down and explained to me that I would probably never get a chance to be a Chicago Blackhawk. Like, ever. I was SO CRUSHED! I think I cried the rest of the day, and then I just got mad for like two months, and then eventually I realized he was right, and I kind of got used to it. Then, about two years ago, I decided that, maybe it was true that I couldn't BE a Blackhawk, but that couldn't stop me from MARRYING a Blackhawk someday! I will get my hands on that Cup one way or another, believe me!
I was convinced that I was going to be Mrs. Stacey Kane for a while, but then last summer, Patty got a little...crazy...SO I started to look at my other options. I was thinking about Steeger for awhile. Then, today, he did this:
So, yeah, that may not be happening any more. I don't know if Buff is attached to anybody or not, but that dude is tough! He and I would be such an awesome team! Taking it to 'em on the ice, then fighting crime together at night, our own dynamic duo of hockey awesomeness! We could be, like, Buff and Basher, or something. (I'd be Basher) Although I have no idea how in the world you get BUFF-glen out of "Byfuglien," LOL. (Actually, I think it's Norwegian. So there's that.) And our archenemies would probably be, like, Chris Pronger. Or Danny Carcillo. Ooh, or both of them together! I'd probably never try to tangle with Pronger, but I'm pretty sure I could take that Carcillo twerp. And Buff can obviously take Pronger. Cuz he already did.
Anyway, the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup! We're awesome! It feels SO GOOD!!! I totally can't stop smiling!
Crud. I gotta go. Some evil cowboy named Huevos Rancheros is apparently attacking people at the zoo and trying to free animals, or something like that. Sigh. Villains are so dumb. Why would you pick "Ranch Eggs" as your villain name?
I'll bet even Pronger would come up with something better than that.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
v2, d91: Montage
Our guest blogger has been put off for a day. She hasn't got access to a computer since she decided to drive from Metro Valley, IA to Chicago for tomorrow morning's victory parade.
So for filler, I'm going to share what is quickly becoming one of my favorite traditions of the last game of the Stanley Cup Final: CBC's playoffs montage! Last year was the first time I caught it (thanks, the Internet!) and it was perfect. This year is pretty spot on as well. Behold, the action, the people, the emotion, the heartbreak, and the victory of the past two months...in four minutes!
Some thoughts:
0:46 Is that actually the entrance to the Kings' locker room? I don't know how long I could take that seriously if I were a player. (This, on the other hand, is awesome, proving that it's a fine line between awesome and miniature golf course-quality)
0:52 Holy crap. Possibly the coolest pregame thing I've ever seen.
1:11 I don't know what sort of outfit that is on the hanger beside Michael Leighton, but it is without a doubt the antithesis of manly.
1:26 Wow.
1:38 Somewhat unrelated, but I just want to point out that Buffalo's Tyler Myers (the guy with his back to us) is from Katy, Texas, originally.
1:44 Easily the high point of the Avs brief post-season. (And it seems like it was so stinking long ago; has it only been six weeks?)
1:49 Awesome Crosby goal leads to poor Sens fan kid. We feel bad, but not as bad as we feel for...
2:01 Sad Avs fan kid! All together now: Awwwwww!!! (Really nice brief moment in the handshake between Foote and Blake, by the way, if you're an Avs fan of, oh, the last 10 years)
2:20 Best goal-scoring celebration of the montage. And the playoffs, for that matter.
2:32 We could have a 4-minute montage of this, and I'd probably watch it a couple of times.
2:38 Seriously! How is that "Buff-glen"???
2:42 That's just wrong.
2:47 Finally! A happy kid! Cute kid, too.
3:06 Play of the playoffs. Period.
3:30 Ha! They even fit the Chris Pronger/PuckGate controversy in here! Love it!
3:31 And, another happy cute kid!
3:38 BOOM, Pronger!
3:42 Buff-glen! How??????
That was kind of an awesome song.
So for filler, I'm going to share what is quickly becoming one of my favorite traditions of the last game of the Stanley Cup Final: CBC's playoffs montage! Last year was the first time I caught it (thanks, the Internet!) and it was perfect. This year is pretty spot on as well. Behold, the action, the people, the emotion, the heartbreak, and the victory of the past two months...in four minutes!
Some thoughts:
0:46 Is that actually the entrance to the Kings' locker room? I don't know how long I could take that seriously if I were a player. (This, on the other hand, is awesome, proving that it's a fine line between awesome and miniature golf course-quality)
0:52 Holy crap. Possibly the coolest pregame thing I've ever seen.
1:11 I don't know what sort of outfit that is on the hanger beside Michael Leighton, but it is without a doubt the antithesis of manly.
1:26 Wow.
1:38 Somewhat unrelated, but I just want to point out that Buffalo's Tyler Myers (the guy with his back to us) is from Katy, Texas, originally.
1:44 Easily the high point of the Avs brief post-season. (And it seems like it was so stinking long ago; has it only been six weeks?)
1:49 Awesome Crosby goal leads to poor Sens fan kid. We feel bad, but not as bad as we feel for...
2:01 Sad Avs fan kid! All together now: Awwwwww!!! (Really nice brief moment in the handshake between Foote and Blake, by the way, if you're an Avs fan of, oh, the last 10 years)
2:20 Best goal-scoring celebration of the montage. And the playoffs, for that matter.
2:32 We could have a 4-minute montage of this, and I'd probably watch it a couple of times.
2:38 Seriously! How is that "Buff-glen"???
2:42 That's just wrong.
2:47 Finally! A happy kid! Cute kid, too.
3:06 Play of the playoffs. Period.
3:30 Ha! They even fit the Chris Pronger/PuckGate controversy in here! Love it!
3:31 And, another happy cute kid!
3:38 BOOM, Pronger!
3:42 Buff-glen! How??????
That was kind of an awesome song.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
v2, d90: Blackhawks Win the Stanley Cup!
"Oh My God. It's like that commercial. I'm speechless." --Conn Smythe Trophy winner and Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews.
Well, that was a fantastic end to a fantastic series. Very entertaining, top-notch hockey, tight games with lots of scoring and plenty of drama, and some great stories along the way. I'm not gonna go into a ton of detail because I'm plenty tired and have a terrible headache, but here are some highlights:
--Great day for Marian Hossa. Yeah, I ragged on the guy quite a bit last year, but as a Pens fan I think I was predestined to gloat a bit. The poor guy lost the Cup in 2008 with Pittsburgh to the Wings, then signed with Detroit over the summer saying it was nothing against the Penguins, but he just thought he had a better chance to win a Stanley Cup in Detroit, and THEN lost the Cup AGAIN in 2009 with Detroit, this time to the Pens. It was pretty funny and awesome as a Pens fan, but that really had to suck for Hossa. A year later, I'm glad that third time was the charm. I can't imagine what it would have been like to lose three Stanley Cups in a row!
--The game went into overtime, which is awesome. I actually expected the Hawks to win in OT tonight. I was 6-for-6 in picking who would win what game, which is kinda eerie but kinda awesome. I expected a huge moment, a big shot followed by an explosion of 'HE SCORES!' from Doc Emmerick and the Hawks spilling over the boards to mob the goal-scorer. Instead, nobody seemed to know what had happened right away except the referee and the scorer. (The scorer always seems to know, by the way)
--I got a text early in the game from my sister, who was watching the game in a sports bar in NYC that was filled with, of all things, Penguins memorabilia. I texted back that I imagined there were plenty of temporary Blackhawks fans there tonight, and she commented that it was hard to tell. After Chicago scored the game's first goal, I got a text that said, "Yup, hawks fans! :-)"
--Byfuglien. Pronounced "BUFF-glen". I still don't get it.
--I don't think there's any way the Hawks can replicate this season. They were amazing all year and were clearly the best team in the playoffs. NOBODY took them seven games. But they're already over the salary cap for next year, and there are guys that need re-signed. Plus, it's really freaking hard to repeat as Cup champs. Nobody's done it in over a decade. Things look grim for Philly, I'm afraid. Historically, Stanley Cup losers don't fare nearly as well the next season. (Unless they're the 2009 Pens, of course. Hm...maybe the rule should be Stanley Cup losers NOT from Pennsylvania don't fare nearly as well. There may be hope yet, Flyers faithful!)
--Kudos to two goalies who were both backups at the start of the season. I'm not even sure Leighton was a backup when this year started. Also, kudos to Niemi for being the first Finnish goalie to win a Cup.
--Unexpected emotional moment from Jeremy Roenick after the Hawks won it. It's been a LONG time since he left the Windy City; never realized the Blackhawks had kept such a prominent place in his heart. The guy played on some awesome Chicago teams (as well as a few really good Philly ones and one great San Jose squad) but never got to lift the Cup. Still, didn't expect to see him break down after the game tonight. Oh, and Mike Milbury's kind of a jerk, but what else is new?
What a fun Cup Final. It was sort of nice not to have a horse in the race after the last two years. Had the chance to just sit back and enjoy the hockey and not sweat it out quite as hard. Not that I prefer that, of course. Pens, Avs, or Bolts in 2011!!
That's all for tonight. I'm going to bed. I'll try to get a real Blackhawks fan to do a guest blog tomorrow for a different perspective.
Hockey is over, kids (well, except for the Calder Cup Final, tied at 2 games apiece, and how is the AHL still playing when they didn't take an Olympic break?). Enjoy the offseason.
Well, that was a fantastic end to a fantastic series. Very entertaining, top-notch hockey, tight games with lots of scoring and plenty of drama, and some great stories along the way. I'm not gonna go into a ton of detail because I'm plenty tired and have a terrible headache, but here are some highlights:
--Great day for Marian Hossa. Yeah, I ragged on the guy quite a bit last year, but as a Pens fan I think I was predestined to gloat a bit. The poor guy lost the Cup in 2008 with Pittsburgh to the Wings, then signed with Detroit over the summer saying it was nothing against the Penguins, but he just thought he had a better chance to win a Stanley Cup in Detroit, and THEN lost the Cup AGAIN in 2009 with Detroit, this time to the Pens. It was pretty funny and awesome as a Pens fan, but that really had to suck for Hossa. A year later, I'm glad that third time was the charm. I can't imagine what it would have been like to lose three Stanley Cups in a row!
--The game went into overtime, which is awesome. I actually expected the Hawks to win in OT tonight. I was 6-for-6 in picking who would win what game, which is kinda eerie but kinda awesome. I expected a huge moment, a big shot followed by an explosion of 'HE SCORES!' from Doc Emmerick and the Hawks spilling over the boards to mob the goal-scorer. Instead, nobody seemed to know what had happened right away except the referee and the scorer. (The scorer always seems to know, by the way)
--I got a text early in the game from my sister, who was watching the game in a sports bar in NYC that was filled with, of all things, Penguins memorabilia. I texted back that I imagined there were plenty of temporary Blackhawks fans there tonight, and she commented that it was hard to tell. After Chicago scored the game's first goal, I got a text that said, "Yup, hawks fans! :-)"
--Byfuglien. Pronounced "BUFF-glen". I still don't get it.
--I don't think there's any way the Hawks can replicate this season. They were amazing all year and were clearly the best team in the playoffs. NOBODY took them seven games. But they're already over the salary cap for next year, and there are guys that need re-signed. Plus, it's really freaking hard to repeat as Cup champs. Nobody's done it in over a decade. Things look grim for Philly, I'm afraid. Historically, Stanley Cup losers don't fare nearly as well the next season. (Unless they're the 2009 Pens, of course. Hm...maybe the rule should be Stanley Cup losers NOT from Pennsylvania don't fare nearly as well. There may be hope yet, Flyers faithful!)
--Kudos to two goalies who were both backups at the start of the season. I'm not even sure Leighton was a backup when this year started. Also, kudos to Niemi for being the first Finnish goalie to win a Cup.
--Unexpected emotional moment from Jeremy Roenick after the Hawks won it. It's been a LONG time since he left the Windy City; never realized the Blackhawks had kept such a prominent place in his heart. The guy played on some awesome Chicago teams (as well as a few really good Philly ones and one great San Jose squad) but never got to lift the Cup. Still, didn't expect to see him break down after the game tonight. Oh, and Mike Milbury's kind of a jerk, but what else is new?
What a fun Cup Final. It was sort of nice not to have a horse in the race after the last two years. Had the chance to just sit back and enjoy the hockey and not sweat it out quite as hard. Not that I prefer that, of course. Pens, Avs, or Bolts in 2011!!
That's all for tonight. I'm going to bed. I'll try to get a real Blackhawks fan to do a guest blog tomorrow for a different perspective.
Hockey is over, kids (well, except for the Calder Cup Final, tied at 2 games apiece, and how is the AHL still playing when they didn't take an Olympic break?). Enjoy the offseason.
Monday, June 7, 2010
v2, d88: Blogger was a Jerk; Also, Top 7 Stanley Cups (since 1993)
Sat down to type up last night's blog, and blogger said NO BLOG FOR YOU!!!! Apparently, this was across the board, so I know it wasn't anything personal. It did, however, mean that I got some extra time to sleep. Which, of course, I couldn't spend sleeping. So I got some extra time to read. And I like reading.
But enough excuses! I know I said no more all-hockey blogs till the Cup Final was over, but with that historic event set to take place either Wednesday or Friday, I wanted to post a new Top 7. I started following the Stanley Cup in 1993, when the Montreal Canadiens ousted the Los Angeles Kings in five games. There have been some awesome Cup Finals since the, and there have been some duds. Below are my favorite seven Stanley Cup Final series (and yes, the top 4 should be pretty obvious if you know me very well, but go with me anyway)
#7: 2006--Carolina Hurricanes over the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.
This was a GREAT series and capped fantastic playoff runs from both teams. #8 seed Edmonton knocked off the top-seeded Red Wings in the first round (thank you!) and shocked a whole lot of other heavy hitters on their way to the final against a Hurricanes team that's never really gotten a lot of respect around the league, winning arguably the weakest division in hockey but finishing with a dang good record anyway. Game 1 was wild, and everything seemed lost for the Oilers when late-season acquisition and playoff hero goalie Dwayne Roloson was injured for the rest of the series late in a tie game. They looked even worse when his replacement Ty Conklin gave up this unfortunate goal to lose the game:
Roloson didn't play again that series. Neither did Conklin. Rather, it was journeyman backup Jussi Markkanen that carried the Oilers back from a 3-1 series deficit to force a game seven in Carolina against rookie keeper (and eventual Conn Smythe winner) Cam Ward, where the Canes pulled off a 3-1 win for the franchise's first and only Cup. Lots of solid veterans to feel happy for on the Canes team, too: Brind'Amour, Wesley, Cole, Wallin. The team motto for the playoffs was "Whatever it takes." They definitely lived up to it.
#6: 1995--New Jersey Devils defeat Detroit Red Wings in 4
I have never loved the Devils. I thought I was going to have a hard time picking a team to root for in this series, but when the games started it was clear who was the lesser of two evils. This was the lockout-shortened year, and so there were no games between Western Conference teams and Eastern Conference teams except for this series. Everybody was so stinking sure the Wings were going to steamroll right over the Devils. Most experts predicted a sweep. Well, they were right about the sweep, but they were wrong about who would be holding the brooms. It almost felt like, if the Wings had just got one win in there somewhere, they could have taken control of this series, but it was over so quickly they didn't seem to realize what was happening until it was all over. (This vid also features the Devils' Cup wins in 2000 and 2003)
#5: 1994-New York Rangers defeat Vancouver Canucks in seven games
This was a mind-blowing Stanley Cup win for the Rangers, breaking a 54-year Cup drought. This team was stacked, but it still took seven games to take out Pavel Bure's feisty Vancouver Canucks. The defining moment in this run, however, came not in the Final, but in game six of the Eastern Conference Final. Down 3 games to 2 against the Devils, Mark Messier made a since-famous guarantee that the Rangers would win game six on the road to force a deciding game seven in New York. That night, he went on to have one of the most memorable games in Stanley Cup history:
#4: 1996--Colorado Avalanche beat the Florida Panthers in four
Now we get to the point where personal bias plays the largest factor. Since I've been a big-time NHL fan, I've considered three teams to be "my" team. I had no idea they would all deliver Stanley Cup wins before the year 2010. (Also, my MLB team has won a World Series in my lifetime) I'm so freaking fortunate, but I've never been a bandwagon fan. In 1992, I adopted the Penguins because I loved Mario Lemieux. In 1994, I became a Tampa Bay Lighting fan because, well, heck, I don't really know WHY, but I suffered through a LOT of terrible, terrible seasons with that team before they unexpectedly broke through for a couple of years. And once the Avs moved to Denver and I got to catch all of their games on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain, I fell in love with the way the team played the game. I had no idea when I became an Avs fan that they would become, well, the Avs. Sakic, Forsberg, Foote, Roy, Kamensky, Deadmarsh, Keane, these guys all became favorite players instantly. And they weren't considered the front-runners, either, until they knocked off the Team of Destiny, 96's version of the Red Wings, in the Conference Final, starting what would be the best hockey rivalry of my hockey-viewing lifetime. 1996 was their first Cup and mine. And as much of a laugher as the series was, game four was a classic. The scoreless tie went all the way into the third intermission before Avs d-man Uwe Krupp finally, finally, FINALLY put a puck by Panthers' goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck, and the Avs won 1-0 to sweep the series.
#3: 2004--Tampa Bay Lightning defeat the Calgary Flames in seven
Oh, man, the 2004 Lightning. From, say, 1997 until 2003, the Lightning were the joke of the league. Heck, they were the joke of the entire sporting world. Sports Illustrated ranked them the worst franchise in pro sports two years running. I mean, the L.A. Clippers and Kansas City Roayls were laughing at us! Then, for a few great years, things totally turned around. In 2003, the Bolts made the playoffs and upset the division champion Washington Capitals before losing to eventual Cup-champs New Jersey. The next year, they won it all. But oy, it wasn't easy. After blitzing through the Islanders and Canadiens in nine games total, the Bolts alternated wins and losses for the next thirteen games, beating the Flyers in seven before going into Calgary down 3 games to 2. Game six was another instant classic, going two overtimes before Marin St. Louis sent it back to Tampa all tied up at three games apiece. (Amidst some goal/no goal controversy in the Calgary media) Game seven was tight, tight, tight, but unheralded goal scorer Ruslan Fedotenko scored two for the Bolts and much-heralded goalie Nikolai Khabibulin only let in one as Tampa finally won the league's ultimate prize for much-traveled, gray-bearded captain Dave Andreychuk.
#2: 2009--Pittsburgh Penguins defeat Detroit Red Wings in seven
If you really need my explanations on this one, just check out about two weeks' worth of blogs on this very site from last May/June. Holy crap. Holy holy crap, what a series. You know, going into last year's Cup Final, only one team had lost games 1 and 2 on the road of the SCF and come back to win the series? You know that, going into last year, only three teams had lost game 5 of a 2-2 series and come back to win the Cup? Geez. Sometime I still can't believe the Pens pulled this one off. Max Talbot forever. And, of course, that last-second save by Flower.
#1: 2001--Colorado Avalanche defeat New Jersey Devils in seven
This one deserves its own post.
What a run. What a year.
Mission 16W. Raymond Bourque. Patrick Roy seemingly giving the Cup away in game five, then stealing the rest of the series. The Avs vs. their old coach. Rob Blake vs. his old team. Peter Forsberg's sudden and devastating spleen injury. Winning game six on the road to force a deciding game seven. (What is it with my teams having to fall behind 3-2 in the Cup Final? Bad for my blood pressure!) Alex Tanguay, Cup Hero. Brodeur vs. Roy. The two best teams all year long, meeting in an epic seven-game clash of the titans. No flukes, no Cinderella, just a two-week slugfest between the best of the best. "And after twenty-two years, RAYMOND BOURQUE!!!" And, the classic image of captain Sakic handing the Cup directly to #77 for the honor of the first hoist.
I love this game.
But enough excuses! I know I said no more all-hockey blogs till the Cup Final was over, but with that historic event set to take place either Wednesday or Friday, I wanted to post a new Top 7. I started following the Stanley Cup in 1993, when the Montreal Canadiens ousted the Los Angeles Kings in five games. There have been some awesome Cup Finals since the, and there have been some duds. Below are my favorite seven Stanley Cup Final series (and yes, the top 4 should be pretty obvious if you know me very well, but go with me anyway)
#7: 2006--Carolina Hurricanes over the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.
This was a GREAT series and capped fantastic playoff runs from both teams. #8 seed Edmonton knocked off the top-seeded Red Wings in the first round (thank you!) and shocked a whole lot of other heavy hitters on their way to the final against a Hurricanes team that's never really gotten a lot of respect around the league, winning arguably the weakest division in hockey but finishing with a dang good record anyway. Game 1 was wild, and everything seemed lost for the Oilers when late-season acquisition and playoff hero goalie Dwayne Roloson was injured for the rest of the series late in a tie game. They looked even worse when his replacement Ty Conklin gave up this unfortunate goal to lose the game:
Roloson didn't play again that series. Neither did Conklin. Rather, it was journeyman backup Jussi Markkanen that carried the Oilers back from a 3-1 series deficit to force a game seven in Carolina against rookie keeper (and eventual Conn Smythe winner) Cam Ward, where the Canes pulled off a 3-1 win for the franchise's first and only Cup. Lots of solid veterans to feel happy for on the Canes team, too: Brind'Amour, Wesley, Cole, Wallin. The team motto for the playoffs was "Whatever it takes." They definitely lived up to it.
#6: 1995--New Jersey Devils defeat Detroit Red Wings in 4
I have never loved the Devils. I thought I was going to have a hard time picking a team to root for in this series, but when the games started it was clear who was the lesser of two evils. This was the lockout-shortened year, and so there were no games between Western Conference teams and Eastern Conference teams except for this series. Everybody was so stinking sure the Wings were going to steamroll right over the Devils. Most experts predicted a sweep. Well, they were right about the sweep, but they were wrong about who would be holding the brooms. It almost felt like, if the Wings had just got one win in there somewhere, they could have taken control of this series, but it was over so quickly they didn't seem to realize what was happening until it was all over. (This vid also features the Devils' Cup wins in 2000 and 2003)
#5: 1994-New York Rangers defeat Vancouver Canucks in seven games
This was a mind-blowing Stanley Cup win for the Rangers, breaking a 54-year Cup drought. This team was stacked, but it still took seven games to take out Pavel Bure's feisty Vancouver Canucks. The defining moment in this run, however, came not in the Final, but in game six of the Eastern Conference Final. Down 3 games to 2 against the Devils, Mark Messier made a since-famous guarantee that the Rangers would win game six on the road to force a deciding game seven in New York. That night, he went on to have one of the most memorable games in Stanley Cup history:
#4: 1996--Colorado Avalanche beat the Florida Panthers in four
Now we get to the point where personal bias plays the largest factor. Since I've been a big-time NHL fan, I've considered three teams to be "my" team. I had no idea they would all deliver Stanley Cup wins before the year 2010. (Also, my MLB team has won a World Series in my lifetime) I'm so freaking fortunate, but I've never been a bandwagon fan. In 1992, I adopted the Penguins because I loved Mario Lemieux. In 1994, I became a Tampa Bay Lighting fan because, well, heck, I don't really know WHY, but I suffered through a LOT of terrible, terrible seasons with that team before they unexpectedly broke through for a couple of years. And once the Avs moved to Denver and I got to catch all of their games on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain, I fell in love with the way the team played the game. I had no idea when I became an Avs fan that they would become, well, the Avs. Sakic, Forsberg, Foote, Roy, Kamensky, Deadmarsh, Keane, these guys all became favorite players instantly. And they weren't considered the front-runners, either, until they knocked off the Team of Destiny, 96's version of the Red Wings, in the Conference Final, starting what would be the best hockey rivalry of my hockey-viewing lifetime. 1996 was their first Cup and mine. And as much of a laugher as the series was, game four was a classic. The scoreless tie went all the way into the third intermission before Avs d-man Uwe Krupp finally, finally, FINALLY put a puck by Panthers' goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck, and the Avs won 1-0 to sweep the series.
#3: 2004--Tampa Bay Lightning defeat the Calgary Flames in seven
Oh, man, the 2004 Lightning. From, say, 1997 until 2003, the Lightning were the joke of the league. Heck, they were the joke of the entire sporting world. Sports Illustrated ranked them the worst franchise in pro sports two years running. I mean, the L.A. Clippers and Kansas City Roayls were laughing at us! Then, for a few great years, things totally turned around. In 2003, the Bolts made the playoffs and upset the division champion Washington Capitals before losing to eventual Cup-champs New Jersey. The next year, they won it all. But oy, it wasn't easy. After blitzing through the Islanders and Canadiens in nine games total, the Bolts alternated wins and losses for the next thirteen games, beating the Flyers in seven before going into Calgary down 3 games to 2. Game six was another instant classic, going two overtimes before Marin St. Louis sent it back to Tampa all tied up at three games apiece. (Amidst some goal/no goal controversy in the Calgary media) Game seven was tight, tight, tight, but unheralded goal scorer Ruslan Fedotenko scored two for the Bolts and much-heralded goalie Nikolai Khabibulin only let in one as Tampa finally won the league's ultimate prize for much-traveled, gray-bearded captain Dave Andreychuk.
#2: 2009--Pittsburgh Penguins defeat Detroit Red Wings in seven
If you really need my explanations on this one, just check out about two weeks' worth of blogs on this very site from last May/June. Holy crap. Holy holy crap, what a series. You know, going into last year's Cup Final, only one team had lost games 1 and 2 on the road of the SCF and come back to win the series? You know that, going into last year, only three teams had lost game 5 of a 2-2 series and come back to win the Cup? Geez. Sometime I still can't believe the Pens pulled this one off. Max Talbot forever. And, of course, that last-second save by Flower.
#1: 2001--Colorado Avalanche defeat New Jersey Devils in seven
This one deserves its own post.
What a run. What a year.
Mission 16W. Raymond Bourque. Patrick Roy seemingly giving the Cup away in game five, then stealing the rest of the series. The Avs vs. their old coach. Rob Blake vs. his old team. Peter Forsberg's sudden and devastating spleen injury. Winning game six on the road to force a deciding game seven. (What is it with my teams having to fall behind 3-2 in the Cup Final? Bad for my blood pressure!) Alex Tanguay, Cup Hero. Brodeur vs. Roy. The two best teams all year long, meeting in an epic seven-game clash of the titans. No flukes, no Cinderella, just a two-week slugfest between the best of the best. "And after twenty-two years, RAYMOND BOURQUE!!!" And, the classic image of captain Sakic handing the Cup directly to #77 for the honor of the first hoist.
I love this game.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
v2, d81: The Beginning of the End
Tonight, the Stanley Cup Final began. I know I haven't publicly predicted anything much this playoffs, but I'm picking the Blackhawks to win it all. Since they lost in the conference final last year, I thought they were going to win it all in 2010, and nothing has happened over the course of the last year to change my mind. I thought they were the best team all year long, even if San Jose had a slightly better record, and their recent backhanding of the Sharks seems to suggest that I may have been right.
This is to take nothing away from the Flyers. They're a tough, physical, skilled team, and I think they'll give the Hawks a good challenge, but I just think Chicago is better, and I think they'll win the Stanley Cup.
They took game 1 today, 6-5. Figures, the one game I can't watch, and it's a 6-5 thriller. Hopefully we'll have comparably exciting hockey the rest of the way. I'm pretty sure we will. These teams are pretty high-octane, and they're both about as never-say-die as it gets. Plus, you're looking at a lot of tradition in both markets and two fan bases who have waited a long time to see a Stanley Cup champ. Should be great.
The first game of the Final is also always sort of sad for me, because I know it marks the end of hockey season. And while the off-season is fun (draft, free agency), and really, it's not that long till next season starts (thank you, long playoffs PLUS Olympics!), it's always sort of a sad thing to see go.
Don't worry, this'll be my last big hockey post until the Cup is handed to Jonathan Toews. (Okay, okay, or Mike Richards)
This is to take nothing away from the Flyers. They're a tough, physical, skilled team, and I think they'll give the Hawks a good challenge, but I just think Chicago is better, and I think they'll win the Stanley Cup.
They took game 1 today, 6-5. Figures, the one game I can't watch, and it's a 6-5 thriller. Hopefully we'll have comparably exciting hockey the rest of the way. I'm pretty sure we will. These teams are pretty high-octane, and they're both about as never-say-die as it gets. Plus, you're looking at a lot of tradition in both markets and two fan bases who have waited a long time to see a Stanley Cup champ. Should be great.
The first game of the Final is also always sort of sad for me, because I know it marks the end of hockey season. And while the off-season is fun (draft, free agency), and really, it's not that long till next season starts (thank you, long playoffs PLUS Olympics!), it's always sort of a sad thing to see go.
Don't worry, this'll be my last big hockey post until the Cup is handed to Jonathan Toews. (Okay, okay, or Mike Richards)
Sunday, May 16, 2010
v2, d68: The Playoffs: What You've Missed
I've had a couple of you asking how the NHL Playoffs are going since I've offered far less talk about them here than I have in the past, so I thought I'd just give you one nice big post to get everyone caught up (and let everyone who's not interested at all skip this one and be done with it :-)
The 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs have been weird. They started with a deluge of "History Will Be Made" ads from the NHL, and sure enough history has been made. We've got the #1 and #2 teams in the West still alive and the #7 and #8 teams in the East playing for the right to challenge for Lord Stanley's silver chalice. Not only are the Habs and Flyers the bottom two seeds in the East, but they actually had worse records than (I believe) three teams in the West that did NOT make the playoffs, so it's more like the #1 and #2 seeds in the NHL in one corner and the #19 and #20 seeds in the other.
Like I said, weird. Furthermore, we've had own-goals in overtime, second, third, and fourth-string goalies carrying their teams, the Coyotes moving to Winnipeg next season (and then not), and the two teams that have played in the Cup Final the past two seasons both bounced in the second round.
Rewind about a month. The first major surprise came when the only series of the opening round that failed to go six or seven games ended with the ousting of the #2 New Jersey Devils in the East by the #7 Philadelphia Flyers, who were playing without key forwards and their starting goalie. The guy in net, Brian Boucher, was touted to be the Flyers' goalie of the future...ten years ago. Since then, he's played backup for Phoenix, Calgary, Columbus, Chicago, and San Jose, with two decent years to his credit and a bunch of bad ones. (One year he set the record for consecutive shutout minutes--over five full games--and finished well below league average in save percentage) However, Ray Emery went down with an injury, so the Flyers brought in Michael Leighton--and he went down with an injury, too. Boucher took the reins in the playoffs and stunned the hockey world by shutting down the Devils (plus Ilya Kovalchuk) in five games.
The rest of the first round was pretty tightly-contested. Every single series was tied at 1-1 after two games, and I believe the majority of them were even after four games, too. In the West, the #8 Colorado Avalanche looked poised for a major upset against a San Jose Sharks team that has historically been prone to major letdowns. Colorado goalie Craig Anderson stole the show in games three and four, stopping something like 50 San Jose shots in a 1-0 overtime win that saw Shark defender (and 2004 Cup Champ) Dan Boyle put the puck past his own goalie. It looked like the hockey gods had it in for the Sharks, again, but San Jose took over the series from that point and won it in six. Colorado was banged up and suffered some key injuries, but even when healthy they weren't as complete team as San Jose. Given that they were the worst in the west last year, though, just making the playoffs and giving the Sharks a bit of a scare was quite the accomplishment.
Another feel-good failure happened in Phoenix, where the Coyotes, who were almost sold and moved to Ontario over the summer, lost most of their front-office staff, had a messy break with the head coach (some guy named Gretzky), drew less than 10,000 fans per game the first half of the season, and had sucked for the last seven years, had a chance to eliminate the mighty mighty Detroit Red Wings on home ice in a game seven. They didn't do it, and a few weeks later it was leaked that the NHL had put together a tentative schedule for the next season that had a team in Winnipeg and not Phoenix, and then both ownership groups bidding to buy the Coyotes walked away, and then came back...okay, I'm still not sure what's happening there. But it appears there'll be NHL hockey in Phoenix next year, and hopefully they can build on the momentum they've built this entire season.
The #6 L.A. Kings were another team to come back from seven years of obscurity to put a scare in a Cup contender in round one, leading the Canucks 2 games to 1 at one point, but they dropped it in six. Ditto the Nashville Predators vs. my pre-season Cup pick, the Chicago Blackhawks. In the East, the Ottawa Senators grabbed a quick 1-0 series lead against the defending Cup champs from Pittsburgh, but really, they just made the Penguins mad, and Pittsburgh won that series in six. #6 Boston upset #3 Buffalo and All-American Hero Ryan Miller, leaving only the Montreal/Washington series to wrap up the first round.
You have to keep in mind, the last two weeks of the season, it seemed like neither the Canadiens nor the Bruins nor the Flyers wanted in the post-season, because they kept losing and falling closer and closer to missing the playoffs altogether. All three showed up in the first round, though, and the Habs took the first game in D.C. Alex O's Caps stormed back to take a 3-1 series lead as Montreal couldn't seem to settle on a #1 goalie. Finally, they gave the ball--er, the puck--to Jaroslav Halak and let him run with it. Suddenly, the NHL's highest scoring team simply could not score. It was incredible. It seemed at times like Halak must have had plexi up on the goal line. He pulled a JS Giguere circa 2003, a Miikka Kiprusoff 2004, a Dwayne Roloson 2006, and somehow the smallish-yet-speedy Canadiens forwards put just enough pucks past Seymon Varmalov to come all the way back to win the series in game seven on the Caps' home ice.
When all was settled, the Pens, Bruins, Flyers, and Habs were left in the East while the Sharks, Blackhawks, Canucks, and Red Wings battled it out in the West.
But oh, the surprises didn't end there, as the first team bucked from round two was the Wings, taken out in five games by the suddenly-can't-miss Sharks. San Jose won four one-goal games (Detroit's only win was by a 7-1 score, so technically the Wings outscored the Sharks for the series) and, miracle of miracles, San Jose's big guns showed up to play. Wings fans will probably complain about the officiating in this series for the next six or seven years, but San Jose was the better team, the more poised team, and the deeper team, and they moved on. Meanwhile, Vancouver looked dominant in the first game of their series against the Blackhawks--and then never again. Like the Sharks, the Hawks showed why they'd been a top team all year long, and the two are now matched up to give us one heck of a fireworks show in the conference finals.
Both East series' featured gritty comeback performances and game seven dramatics. Like the Capitals, the Penguins managed to get the Habs down three games to one. Like the Caps, they never did finish the deal. The team had trouble scoring, and their lack of depth at wing was definitely exposed, but it seemed to me like the difference in the series was that Marc-Andre Fleury wasn't able to make the saves the team needed him to make in order to stay in it. Too many soft goals, too many early goals. Maybe the kid's tired from two summers of playing into June. Who knows. The Pens had to play the last three games trailing, and the Habs are just a tough team to claw your way back against. And, of course, Halak has been nothing short of a monster so far in the playoffs.
In the other series, Boston cruised to a 3-0 series lead. For perspective: only two teams in history had come back from down 3-0 to win a series. Well folks, make it three. Despite losing first-round playoff hero Brian Boucher to an injury for the rest of the playoffs, the Flyers again found a way to win four in a row. Game seven in Boston saw the Bruins take a 3-0 lead early in the game, and the Flyers come back to win it 4-3 in regulation. First time in history that's happened in a game seven, too.
Here we are, then. Two rounds to go, four teams left. The juggernauts from San Jose and Chicago trading blows (the Blackhawks won game 1 today, 2-1, in a game that featured lots of great chances and some fantastic goaltending) and the scrappy-dappy-doo Flyers and Canadiens in the East. This has been a tough year to try to predict. Even a lot of experts--Versus, TSN, various Internet celebrities--have looked pretty bad. My prediction: more weird things will happen.
Aha! Case in point: Flyers vs. Habs, game 1: Halfway through the second, Halak has been yanked from the game after allowing four goals. Who knew??
The 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs have been weird. They started with a deluge of "History Will Be Made" ads from the NHL, and sure enough history has been made. We've got the #1 and #2 teams in the West still alive and the #7 and #8 teams in the East playing for the right to challenge for Lord Stanley's silver chalice. Not only are the Habs and Flyers the bottom two seeds in the East, but they actually had worse records than (I believe) three teams in the West that did NOT make the playoffs, so it's more like the #1 and #2 seeds in the NHL in one corner and the #19 and #20 seeds in the other.
Like I said, weird. Furthermore, we've had own-goals in overtime, second, third, and fourth-string goalies carrying their teams, the Coyotes moving to Winnipeg next season (and then not), and the two teams that have played in the Cup Final the past two seasons both bounced in the second round.
Rewind about a month. The first major surprise came when the only series of the opening round that failed to go six or seven games ended with the ousting of the #2 New Jersey Devils in the East by the #7 Philadelphia Flyers, who were playing without key forwards and their starting goalie. The guy in net, Brian Boucher, was touted to be the Flyers' goalie of the future...ten years ago. Since then, he's played backup for Phoenix, Calgary, Columbus, Chicago, and San Jose, with two decent years to his credit and a bunch of bad ones. (One year he set the record for consecutive shutout minutes--over five full games--and finished well below league average in save percentage) However, Ray Emery went down with an injury, so the Flyers brought in Michael Leighton--and he went down with an injury, too. Boucher took the reins in the playoffs and stunned the hockey world by shutting down the Devils (plus Ilya Kovalchuk) in five games.
The rest of the first round was pretty tightly-contested. Every single series was tied at 1-1 after two games, and I believe the majority of them were even after four games, too. In the West, the #8 Colorado Avalanche looked poised for a major upset against a San Jose Sharks team that has historically been prone to major letdowns. Colorado goalie Craig Anderson stole the show in games three and four, stopping something like 50 San Jose shots in a 1-0 overtime win that saw Shark defender (and 2004 Cup Champ) Dan Boyle put the puck past his own goalie. It looked like the hockey gods had it in for the Sharks, again, but San Jose took over the series from that point and won it in six. Colorado was banged up and suffered some key injuries, but even when healthy they weren't as complete team as San Jose. Given that they were the worst in the west last year, though, just making the playoffs and giving the Sharks a bit of a scare was quite the accomplishment.
Another feel-good failure happened in Phoenix, where the Coyotes, who were almost sold and moved to Ontario over the summer, lost most of their front-office staff, had a messy break with the head coach (some guy named Gretzky), drew less than 10,000 fans per game the first half of the season, and had sucked for the last seven years, had a chance to eliminate the mighty mighty Detroit Red Wings on home ice in a game seven. They didn't do it, and a few weeks later it was leaked that the NHL had put together a tentative schedule for the next season that had a team in Winnipeg and not Phoenix, and then both ownership groups bidding to buy the Coyotes walked away, and then came back...okay, I'm still not sure what's happening there. But it appears there'll be NHL hockey in Phoenix next year, and hopefully they can build on the momentum they've built this entire season.
The #6 L.A. Kings were another team to come back from seven years of obscurity to put a scare in a Cup contender in round one, leading the Canucks 2 games to 1 at one point, but they dropped it in six. Ditto the Nashville Predators vs. my pre-season Cup pick, the Chicago Blackhawks. In the East, the Ottawa Senators grabbed a quick 1-0 series lead against the defending Cup champs from Pittsburgh, but really, they just made the Penguins mad, and Pittsburgh won that series in six. #6 Boston upset #3 Buffalo and All-American Hero Ryan Miller, leaving only the Montreal/Washington series to wrap up the first round.
You have to keep in mind, the last two weeks of the season, it seemed like neither the Canadiens nor the Bruins nor the Flyers wanted in the post-season, because they kept losing and falling closer and closer to missing the playoffs altogether. All three showed up in the first round, though, and the Habs took the first game in D.C. Alex O's Caps stormed back to take a 3-1 series lead as Montreal couldn't seem to settle on a #1 goalie. Finally, they gave the ball--er, the puck--to Jaroslav Halak and let him run with it. Suddenly, the NHL's highest scoring team simply could not score. It was incredible. It seemed at times like Halak must have had plexi up on the goal line. He pulled a JS Giguere circa 2003, a Miikka Kiprusoff 2004, a Dwayne Roloson 2006, and somehow the smallish-yet-speedy Canadiens forwards put just enough pucks past Seymon Varmalov to come all the way back to win the series in game seven on the Caps' home ice.
When all was settled, the Pens, Bruins, Flyers, and Habs were left in the East while the Sharks, Blackhawks, Canucks, and Red Wings battled it out in the West.
But oh, the surprises didn't end there, as the first team bucked from round two was the Wings, taken out in five games by the suddenly-can't-miss Sharks. San Jose won four one-goal games (Detroit's only win was by a 7-1 score, so technically the Wings outscored the Sharks for the series) and, miracle of miracles, San Jose's big guns showed up to play. Wings fans will probably complain about the officiating in this series for the next six or seven years, but San Jose was the better team, the more poised team, and the deeper team, and they moved on. Meanwhile, Vancouver looked dominant in the first game of their series against the Blackhawks--and then never again. Like the Sharks, the Hawks showed why they'd been a top team all year long, and the two are now matched up to give us one heck of a fireworks show in the conference finals.
Both East series' featured gritty comeback performances and game seven dramatics. Like the Capitals, the Penguins managed to get the Habs down three games to one. Like the Caps, they never did finish the deal. The team had trouble scoring, and their lack of depth at wing was definitely exposed, but it seemed to me like the difference in the series was that Marc-Andre Fleury wasn't able to make the saves the team needed him to make in order to stay in it. Too many soft goals, too many early goals. Maybe the kid's tired from two summers of playing into June. Who knows. The Pens had to play the last three games trailing, and the Habs are just a tough team to claw your way back against. And, of course, Halak has been nothing short of a monster so far in the playoffs.
In the other series, Boston cruised to a 3-0 series lead. For perspective: only two teams in history had come back from down 3-0 to win a series. Well folks, make it three. Despite losing first-round playoff hero Brian Boucher to an injury for the rest of the playoffs, the Flyers again found a way to win four in a row. Game seven in Boston saw the Bruins take a 3-0 lead early in the game, and the Flyers come back to win it 4-3 in regulation. First time in history that's happened in a game seven, too.
Here we are, then. Two rounds to go, four teams left. The juggernauts from San Jose and Chicago trading blows (the Blackhawks won game 1 today, 2-1, in a game that featured lots of great chances and some fantastic goaltending) and the scrappy-dappy-doo Flyers and Canadiens in the East. This has been a tough year to try to predict. Even a lot of experts--Versus, TSN, various Internet celebrities--have looked pretty bad. My prediction: more weird things will happen.
Aha! Case in point: Flyers vs. Habs, game 1: Halfway through the second, Halak has been yanked from the game after allowing four goals. Who knew??
Thursday, April 29, 2010
v2, d51: No bloggy, must write
Real-writing tonite. Sorry. Enjoy yesterday's videopalooza a bit longer.
Also, this is an awesome human interest-type story. After the Capitals suffer one of the most disappointing letdowns in recent Stanley Cup Playoff history...well, just click and read. Stick taps to Brooks Laich.
Also, the Sharks took a 1-0 series lead on the Wings tonight. Of course that doesn't necessarily mean anything, 'cause the Coyotes did the exact same thing in the last round and we all know how that turned out, but still. The score stands Megashark 1, Giant Octopus 0. CHOMP!!!
Also, this is an awesome human interest-type story. After the Capitals suffer one of the most disappointing letdowns in recent Stanley Cup Playoff history...well, just click and read. Stick taps to Brooks Laich.
Also, the Sharks took a 1-0 series lead on the Wings tonight. Of course that doesn't necessarily mean anything, 'cause the Coyotes did the exact same thing in the last round and we all know how that turned out, but still. The score stands Megashark 1, Giant Octopus 0. CHOMP!!!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
v2, d46: Turns out, Opening Night can be kinda dull for blogging...
That's not to say that Opening Night was dull or bad, but really, aside from "The show went well!" and "People loved it!" and "We ate fruit, cheese, and sandwiches!" and "The floral arrangement looked kinda like it was vomiting tulips!" there's just not a lot to talk about. I think I mentioned yesterday how proud I am of everybody, and how much I like this show. I'm ready to not have to watch it anymore, though. I've seen it every night for the past two weeks (and parts of it most afternoons as well). I'm ready for a Fox-break.
Those of you who see or have seen the show, I'd love to talk about it sometime. And I'll try to make sure you've seen the whole thing before I call you and ask for your opinion! *embarrassed*
Fantastic day for hockey games. Three games, all of them tight, all of them featuring third-period comebacks and lead changes, and two of them featuring overtimes. Two of them saw teams going home, and even though one of the teams golfing tomorrow is my Avs, I have to be pretty happy with the way they played this year. I mean come on, they were supposed to royally suck. See my season preview. Just about every expert on the continent had them finishing 13th-15th in the conference. To take the #1 seed to six games, no matter how bizarre the circumstances, showed a ton of heart and quite a bit of promise for the future.
Also, this is the second straight year the Pens came back from down 3-0 in game six to win their first round series on the road. Quirky little stat.
Hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weather. It's starting to get warm again in Houston.
Finally, I totally trust the Texans' scouting staff. I'm pretty crazy about our picks this year. I'm a little puzzled as to why we picked up TWO tight ends, but I'm sure it'll all make sense in the end.
That, or we really just don't care what we do with our seventh round pick.
Those of you who see or have seen the show, I'd love to talk about it sometime. And I'll try to make sure you've seen the whole thing before I call you and ask for your opinion! *embarrassed*
Fantastic day for hockey games. Three games, all of them tight, all of them featuring third-period comebacks and lead changes, and two of them featuring overtimes. Two of them saw teams going home, and even though one of the teams golfing tomorrow is my Avs, I have to be pretty happy with the way they played this year. I mean come on, they were supposed to royally suck. See my season preview. Just about every expert on the continent had them finishing 13th-15th in the conference. To take the #1 seed to six games, no matter how bizarre the circumstances, showed a ton of heart and quite a bit of promise for the future.
Also, this is the second straight year the Pens came back from down 3-0 in game six to win their first round series on the road. Quirky little stat.
Hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weather. It's starting to get warm again in Houston.
Finally, I totally trust the Texans' scouting staff. I'm pretty crazy about our picks this year. I'm a little puzzled as to why we picked up TWO tight ends, but I'm sure it'll all make sense in the end.
That, or we really just don't care what we do with our seventh round pick.
Friday, April 9, 2010
v2, d40: Dallas says goodbye to Mo
I've never been the biggest Mike Modano fan in the world. In fact, earlier in his career, I couldn't stand the guy. We've both mellowed as we've grown older, though.
What Super Joe was to the Avalanche, Mike Modano has been to the Dallas Stars, and while he hasn't said for certain that this is, indeed, his last year, the writing seems to be on the wall. The man's been almost as instrumental to the last twenty years of USA hockey as he has been to the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars organization. Many considered it a slap in the face that he wasn't included in this past year's Olympic squad, but he's just not as fast as he used to be.
Anyway, because I've never liked Modano all that much, I can't write a fitting sentimental farewell post for him (and again, he technically hasn't retired and may still want to play another year), but I did catch this video from last night's game against the Ducks, and it was pretty awesome. Nearly choked up just a bit.
Also, after this tribute in the 3rd, Modano assisted on the tying goal and then scored the winner in the shootout in what's probably his last game in Dallas.
Awesome.
What Super Joe was to the Avalanche, Mike Modano has been to the Dallas Stars, and while he hasn't said for certain that this is, indeed, his last year, the writing seems to be on the wall. The man's been almost as instrumental to the last twenty years of USA hockey as he has been to the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars organization. Many considered it a slap in the face that he wasn't included in this past year's Olympic squad, but he's just not as fast as he used to be.
Anyway, because I've never liked Modano all that much, I can't write a fitting sentimental farewell post for him (and again, he technically hasn't retired and may still want to play another year), but I did catch this video from last night's game against the Ducks, and it was pretty awesome. Nearly choked up just a bit.
Also, after this tribute in the 3rd, Modano assisted on the tying goal and then scored the winner in the shootout in what's probably his last game in Dallas.
Awesome.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
v2, d39: End of an Igloo
Well it's not technically the last game ever to be played in Mellon Arena, but due to the NHL Playoffs'--shall we say, unpredictable?--nature, the Pens organization thought it would be wise to host their au revoir ceremony before tonight's regular season home finale. Probably a good move.
For those not in the know, Mellon Arena, called The Igloo because, well, it looks like an igloo, has been the Penguins' home since the team first came to Pittsburgh in 1967. It's the oldest arena in the league, literally decades behind just about every other facility, and has long needed to be replaced. For a long while, it looked like the Penguins weren't going to get a new arena, and the team almost moved. (To Houston, actually) Fortunately, an eleventh-hour deal was struck, and the Pens stayed put and won another Stanley Cup, and next season they'll be moving into their brand new home.
Lots of history around the Igloo. I think my favorite image of the arena will always be the night that Mario Lemiuex came out of retirement and they projected a giant "He's Back!" with the number sixty-six against the dome from the outside while the snow fell in large flakes against the dark night sky. Awesome image. I'd post a pic, but it's late and I can't find one quickly so I'm not wasting too much time.
Before the game, there was a ceremony honoring over 50 former Penguins players, coaches, and GM's. A lot of the guys represented significant periods in Pens history: team's first ever coach, first ever captain, Stanley Cup champs from the '90s, famous lines reunited, etc. After awhile, though, I got the impression they were just throwing a jersey on any former Penguin they could find.
I mean come on. Francois Leroux??
Really, though, it was an awesome, awesome ceremony. If we ever make it to the new theater, I hope we have something kind of like this before our final show at the old one. Bringing back old-school vets from the company, possibly dressed in one of their more memorable roles. Cool idea, yes?
For those not in the know, Mellon Arena, called The Igloo because, well, it looks like an igloo, has been the Penguins' home since the team first came to Pittsburgh in 1967. It's the oldest arena in the league, literally decades behind just about every other facility, and has long needed to be replaced. For a long while, it looked like the Penguins weren't going to get a new arena, and the team almost moved. (To Houston, actually) Fortunately, an eleventh-hour deal was struck, and the Pens stayed put and won another Stanley Cup, and next season they'll be moving into their brand new home.
Lots of history around the Igloo. I think my favorite image of the arena will always be the night that Mario Lemiuex came out of retirement and they projected a giant "He's Back!" with the number sixty-six against the dome from the outside while the snow fell in large flakes against the dark night sky. Awesome image. I'd post a pic, but it's late and I can't find one quickly so I'm not wasting too much time.
Before the game, there was a ceremony honoring over 50 former Penguins players, coaches, and GM's. A lot of the guys represented significant periods in Pens history: team's first ever coach, first ever captain, Stanley Cup champs from the '90s, famous lines reunited, etc. After awhile, though, I got the impression they were just throwing a jersey on any former Penguin they could find.
I mean come on. Francois Leroux??
Really, though, it was an awesome, awesome ceremony. If we ever make it to the new theater, I hope we have something kind of like this before our final show at the old one. Bringing back old-school vets from the company, possibly dressed in one of their more memorable roles. Cool idea, yes?
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