First off, congratulations to the fans in Edmonton for the super-classy way they conducted themselves during the anthems of Game 6. If you haven't already heard, not only did they loudly cheer the American anthem, but everyone sang "O Canada," and I'm fairly sure I saw tears in the eyes of a couple Oilers on the bench.
Now then. Predictions. (And quickly, before I turn on the Western Conference Final.)
WEST
(6) Anaheim vs (8) Edmonton - Edmonton in 6
-The Oilers have the strong defence to counter Anaheim's hard forecheck, and will go to the net with more gusto than Calgary or Colorado did. Plus, they win every series in six. What's left to tell?
EAST
(2) Carolina vs (4) Buffalo - Carolina in 7
-Two teams who can score and play defence, with hot goalies at either end of the ice. Buffalo will fight to the death, but the 'Canes will ultimately prevail.
So last round my predictions were 2 for 4 in terms of who would win the series...and the only one I got on the number of games was the Sharks/Oilers series. So I'm not sure if that counts. Overall, that puts me up to 8 for 12, so you've gotta like that.
By the way, that series between Edmonton and San Jose was some of the best hockey I've ever seen, if you ignore some of the refs' decisions. The players were all in for that one, so a salute to them. Hopefully the Conference Finals bring more of the same.
2006-05-19
2006-05-15
At the beginning of Game 5 between San Jose and Edmonton, which was played in California, the Sharks' fans loudly booed the Canadian national anthem. Sure, before it ended, they toned it down a bit, and some even sang along, but come on. It may not be the first time such a thing has happened, and it won't be the last, but where are these people's heads? I'm not sure there's such a huge difference between booing an anthem and burning a flag, and while flag-burning may be seen by many as a perfectly legitimate form of free speech, it's still completely disrespectful, unsportsmanlike, and generally in extremely poor taste...not to mention stupid, if half of your team (and particularly its best players) are from the country that you're booing.
So if you're a San Jose fan who either booed "O Canada" tonight or cheered the fact that it happened, just think: do Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo really think they're playing a "home" game if they hear their country being disrespected by the people who are supposed to support them? Did Scott Hannan and Patrick Marleau smile inside and think, "I'm so proud of our fans"?
Congratulations! You're idiots.
Oh, and if Oiler fans decide to reciprocate on Wednesday night, or if any team's fans ever do it again at any point, just read this message again. The parts that apply, anyway. For a sport that's lauded for it's encouragement of sportsmanship - see, for example, the handshakes that follow a hard-fought playoff series - this kind of crap is just an embarrassment.
So if you're a San Jose fan who either booed "O Canada" tonight or cheered the fact that it happened, just think: do Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo really think they're playing a "home" game if they hear their country being disrespected by the people who are supposed to support them? Did Scott Hannan and Patrick Marleau smile inside and think, "I'm so proud of our fans"?
Congratulations! You're idiots.
Oh, and if Oiler fans decide to reciprocate on Wednesday night, or if any team's fans ever do it again at any point, just read this message again. The parts that apply, anyway. For a sport that's lauded for it's encouragement of sportsmanship - see, for example, the handshakes that follow a hard-fought playoff series - this kind of crap is just an embarrassment.
There's nothing I could say about yet another early postseason exit by the Ottawa Senators that hasn't already been said by one of the talking heads on television, but TSN's Bob McKenzie might have put it best with the quote, "Let's call this what it is: epic failure." Many Ottawa fans (the ones left on the bandwagon, anyway) will be quick to blame Ray Emery, who wasn't anywhere near as good as Ryan Miller was in the Buffalo nets. Put it in perspective, though - Miller was amazing, and it wasn't Emery's fault that Sens captain (and perennial playoff phantom) Daniel Alfredsson scored only two goals in the postseason - an empty-netter against the lightning, and a powerplay goal to tie Game 5 at 1-1. Not only that, but it was Alfredsson who Sabres grinder Jason Pominville walked around to score the shorthanded game-winning OT goal (his fifth marker of the playoffs).
Alfredsson wasn't the only Senator playing shoddy defence, though; witness Chris Drury's powerplay goal in the second period of Game 5. After getting the puck between the right faceoff dot and the bottom of the circle, he walked right in on goal as all four Ottawa penalty killers watched, dumbfounded. This was the story of the series to be sure, as many of the goal scored against Ray Emery were garnered off odd-man rushes, surrendered by sloppy pinching and worsened by the remaining defenseman's inability to decide whether to take away the passing or the shooting lane.
Would things have been better for Ottawa if they'd had Dominik Hasek between the pipes? Maybe, but who are you going to blame for that one? Management for signing a 40-year-old goalie with groin problems who'd played a handful of games over the last three years? Or the team, for becoming so dependent on that ticking time-bomb?
One thing's for sure: heads will roll in Ottawa before the next training camp begins. Let's see if the bandwagon-jumpers will hop back on board.
Alfredsson wasn't the only Senator playing shoddy defence, though; witness Chris Drury's powerplay goal in the second period of Game 5. After getting the puck between the right faceoff dot and the bottom of the circle, he walked right in on goal as all four Ottawa penalty killers watched, dumbfounded. This was the story of the series to be sure, as many of the goal scored against Ray Emery were garnered off odd-man rushes, surrendered by sloppy pinching and worsened by the remaining defenseman's inability to decide whether to take away the passing or the shooting lane.
Would things have been better for Ottawa if they'd had Dominik Hasek between the pipes? Maybe, but who are you going to blame for that one? Management for signing a 40-year-old goalie with groin problems who'd played a handful of games over the last three years? Or the team, for becoming so dependent on that ticking time-bomb?
One thing's for sure: heads will roll in Ottawa before the next training camp begins. Let's see if the bandwagon-jumpers will hop back on board.
2006-05-11
I'm sure everyone's heard by now about the wonderful jobs that the NHL's referees are doing of maintaining their high standards on what constitutes clean play; for the most part, the parade to the penalty box has continued straight on from the regular season. But every so often, you'll see refs let some glaring penalties go, and what do the commentators tell you? "Oh, they're letting them play! It's good old-fashioned hockey!"
Well, that's good old-fashioned BS.
I'm not saying that I like seeing 57 penalties each game, but I would like to see a little more consistency out of the refs. If they want to let a few more hits go, whatever, but let them go for everyone, not jsut when you feel like taking a night off. And there are some disgusting examples of penalties that should be called no matter what the situation - take tonight's San Jose / Edmonton tilt. Late in the second overtime, Shark defenceman Scott Hannan put Oiler forward Shawn Horcoff in a headlock from behind and put him down to his knees, then practically sat on Horcoff's head. The ref was standing fifteen feet away, looking straight at them, with no call. I don't care if it's the second overtime of Game 7 in the Finals, you call that penalty. Granted, the Oilers got away with a few bad ones too, but that's no excuse; all the glaring ones should have been called. Now, a penalty was assessed to Jarret Stoll in the dying minutes of that period after he took down Jonathan Cheechoo (robbing him of a gimme of a scoring chance), but one has to wonder if the referees weren't just showing Gary Bettman that they still know how to blow a whistle; after all, the commish did say that if they didn't call the penalties, they wouldn't be reffing any more of these playoffs.
It all makes you wonder: what's the use of a two-referee system if the only guys blowing the whistles are the linesmen?
Well, that's good old-fashioned BS.
I'm not saying that I like seeing 57 penalties each game, but I would like to see a little more consistency out of the refs. If they want to let a few more hits go, whatever, but let them go for everyone, not jsut when you feel like taking a night off. And there are some disgusting examples of penalties that should be called no matter what the situation - take tonight's San Jose / Edmonton tilt. Late in the second overtime, Shark defenceman Scott Hannan put Oiler forward Shawn Horcoff in a headlock from behind and put him down to his knees, then practically sat on Horcoff's head. The ref was standing fifteen feet away, looking straight at them, with no call. I don't care if it's the second overtime of Game 7 in the Finals, you call that penalty. Granted, the Oilers got away with a few bad ones too, but that's no excuse; all the glaring ones should have been called. Now, a penalty was assessed to Jarret Stoll in the dying minutes of that period after he took down Jonathan Cheechoo (robbing him of a gimme of a scoring chance), but one has to wonder if the referees weren't just showing Gary Bettman that they still know how to blow a whistle; after all, the commish did say that if they didn't call the penalties, they wouldn't be reffing any more of these playoffs.
It all makes you wonder: what's the use of a two-referee system if the only guys blowing the whistles are the linesmen?
2006-05-06
I know, I know, I said "before the games start" for my predictions, but things happen. Really, if you have a chance to hear Romeo Dallaire speak, you're not going to go home and blog instead. Anyway, here they are:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Ottawa vs (4) Buffalo - Buffalo in 6
-It'll be a high-scoring series, and I don't think the Senators will be able to keep up with the Sabres' speed either. The Ottawa papers have been singing Ray Emery's praises and gushing about how he can take the Senators all the way, but he hasn't seen nearly as much puck as he will in this series.
(2) Carolina vs (3) New Jersey - New Jersey in 6
-Both teams can score, and they have good goaltending on both ends of the rink, but the Devils are on fire right now. Their more stable defence should win out.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(5) San Jose vs (8) Edmonton - San Jose in 6
-Edmonton did an amazing thing in upsetting Detroit, but the Sharks should be ready for them. The Oilers need to beware of San Jose's depth up the middle; unless they're planning on cloning Mike Peca, they'll be in tough.
(6) Anaheim vs (7) Colorado - Anaheim in 6
-What? Another series in six games? Well, yeah. The Ducks forechecked very aggressively against the Flames and got the job done; if they can rattle Theodore a bit by making him lose confidence in his defence's ability to clear the zone, he could slip back into the poor form that he displayed earlier in the season.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Ottawa vs (4) Buffalo - Buffalo in 6
-It'll be a high-scoring series, and I don't think the Senators will be able to keep up with the Sabres' speed either. The Ottawa papers have been singing Ray Emery's praises and gushing about how he can take the Senators all the way, but he hasn't seen nearly as much puck as he will in this series.
(2) Carolina vs (3) New Jersey - New Jersey in 6
-Both teams can score, and they have good goaltending on both ends of the rink, but the Devils are on fire right now. Their more stable defence should win out.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(5) San Jose vs (8) Edmonton - San Jose in 6
-Edmonton did an amazing thing in upsetting Detroit, but the Sharks should be ready for them. The Oilers need to beware of San Jose's depth up the middle; unless they're planning on cloning Mike Peca, they'll be in tough.
(6) Anaheim vs (7) Colorado - Anaheim in 6
-What? Another series in six games? Well, yeah. The Ducks forechecked very aggressively against the Flames and got the job done; if they can rattle Theodore a bit by making him lose confidence in his defence's ability to clear the zone, he could slip back into the poor form that he displayed earlier in the season.
2006-05-04
The updated series listings will be up shortly; I'm having some issues with my Internet access, but hopefully they're resolved soon.
As for my first round predictions, I didn't do too badly, if I do say so myself. Six for eight in terms of the winning team, and for two of those I was right on the money with the number of games...and let's face it, I resisted the urge to change my prediction to Devils in 4 after Jagr got hurt, so come on folks; just give me that one.
The second-round predictions will go up tomorrow afternoon, before the games start.
As for my first round predictions, I didn't do too badly, if I do say so myself. Six for eight in terms of the winning team, and for two of those I was right on the money with the number of games...and let's face it, I resisted the urge to change my prediction to Devils in 4 after Jagr got hurt, so come on folks; just give me that one.
The second-round predictions will go up tomorrow afternoon, before the games start.
Shot Down in Flames
If you watched Game 7 between Calgary and Anaheim, you probably didn't see what you expected...great if you're a Ducks fan, but not so much if you cheer for the Flames. Anaheim played an amazing series, and were even tougher and grittier than Calgary was; Jarome Iginla tried to wake his team up by fighting Francois Beauchemin, but Beauchemin was pretty much the clear winner of that bout.
Why did Calgary lose? Well, it was a combination of things. Their defence that was so, so good during the regular season just wasn't that great in the seventh game, and at times they looked a little bit lost. They also had trouble with their outlet passing - which isn't to say that anyone on the team could complete a pass, because their puck control and movement was brutal. But to give the Ducks credit, they forechecked hard, and stayed with their men on defence; Anaheim was all over the ice, breaking up passes and winning puck races while Calgary's players seemed to be skating with the weight of the title "Favourite" heavy on their shoulders. Simply put, Anaheim played a solid game, while the Flames, as they say, "crapped the bed."
If there's any consolation for their fans, it's that none of the top four seeds in the West made it to the second round...and then, straight to the mantra of Leafs fans: "There's always next year."
Why did Calgary lose? Well, it was a combination of things. Their defence that was so, so good during the regular season just wasn't that great in the seventh game, and at times they looked a little bit lost. They also had trouble with their outlet passing - which isn't to say that anyone on the team could complete a pass, because their puck control and movement was brutal. But to give the Ducks credit, they forechecked hard, and stayed with their men on defence; Anaheim was all over the ice, breaking up passes and winning puck races while Calgary's players seemed to be skating with the weight of the title "Favourite" heavy on their shoulders. Simply put, Anaheim played a solid game, while the Flames, as they say, "crapped the bed."
If there's any consolation for their fans, it's that none of the top four seeds in the West made it to the second round...and then, straight to the mantra of Leafs fans: "There's always next year."
2006-04-26
Wow...what a game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Detroit Red Wings tonight; the fourth playoff game to go to double overtime thus far. Edmonton won it 4-3 (or, if you were to believe CBS Sportsline's web ticker, 5-3 in OT...not sure how that happens) on an insane goalmouth scramble after a back-and-forth game that saw the Oilers relinquish a 3-1 lead, and also featured Detroit seemingly scoring the winner in the first OT period, though review showed that the puck squeaked underneath the net when Dwayne Roloson bumped into it, causing it to jump on its pegs. As I said before, the longer this series goes, the better it is for the Oilers, the West's 8th seed with lots of young legs...and nothing makes a series go longer like tacking on a few overtime periods.
You wouldn't know how exciting the game was, however, from the CBC play-by-play announcer; I never caught his full name, but his colour commentator kept calling him "Mark." Mark seemed to have a little trouble figuring out what was going on at times, and the only times he got particularly excited were bonafide scoring opportunities; as soon as the threat passed, he dropped back down to a low tone that I can only guess was valium-induced. He was absolutely terrible at capturing the emotion of the game and the energy of the crowd, and I found myself hoping that at least one Canadian team would be ousted so that I wouldn't have to listen to him again - give me Bob Cole, Jim Hughson or Don Wittman over ol' Mark any day...at least listening to them isn't the equivalent of ingesting a roofie.
You wouldn't know how exciting the game was, however, from the CBC play-by-play announcer; I never caught his full name, but his colour commentator kept calling him "Mark." Mark seemed to have a little trouble figuring out what was going on at times, and the only times he got particularly excited were bonafide scoring opportunities; as soon as the threat passed, he dropped back down to a low tone that I can only guess was valium-induced. He was absolutely terrible at capturing the emotion of the game and the energy of the crowd, and I found myself hoping that at least one Canadian team would be ousted so that I wouldn't have to listen to him again - give me Bob Cole, Jim Hughson or Don Wittman over ol' Mark any day...at least listening to them isn't the equivalent of ingesting a roofie.
2006-04-22
Tell you what: I feel a little goofy posting my first-round playoff predictions after 12 of the teams have already played game #1, but better late than never.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Ottawa vs (8) Tampa Bay - Ottawa in 5
-The Senators' defence is just too strong, and their offence shouldn't have too much trouble with the Lightning's goaltending tandem of John Grahame and Sean Burke. Even without Hasek, Ottawa shouldn't have too much trouble.
(2) Carolina vs (7) Montreal - Carolina in 7
-Montreal had solid goaltending from Cristobal Huet in the regular season, but the Hurricanes have so many weapons that they should ultimately prevail. And nobody on either team wants a Stanley Cup more than 'Canes captain Rod Brind'Amour.
(3) New Jersey vs (6) NY Rangers - New Jersey in 6
-In making this prediction, I'm pretending I didn't see Jaromir Jagr leave Game #1 with an apparent shoulder injury; that could ultimately mean this series is over in 4 or 5 games, especially if the Rangers continue their undisciplined play that saw them give the Devils 13 power plays, on which they allowed 5 power play goals, plus one that Ken Klee tallied just one second after a man advantage had expired.
(4) Buffalo vs (5) Philadelphia - Buffalo in 6
-Philly is a very hostile environment for opposing teams, but that should be the only real problem for the Sabres, who are worlds faster than the big-and-strong Flyers.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Detroit vs (8) Edmonton - Detroit in 6
-Edmonton definitely has the advantage of young legs, but you wouldn't have known it in Game 1, when Detroit won in double overtime. The Wings are the league's oldest team, but they've got lots of experience, and should go deep; however, the goaltending duo of Chris Osgood and Manny Legace might not be up to the task. The longer this series goes, the better for Edmonton, who will have energy to burn; if they can play smart defence and keep the puck moving, they could wear the Red Wings out.
(2) Dallas vs (7) Colorado - Colorado in 7
-The Avalanche definitely deserves more respect than it's getting; many people seem to have counted them out because José Theodore has had such a shaky season, but Colorado still has a well-built team, not to mention a top line of Alex Tanguay, Milan Hedjuk, and the ever-clutch Joe Sakic. Dallas has quite a few offensive weapons too, plus better defence and arguably a better goaltender, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Colorado advance.
(3) Calgary vs (6) Anaheim - Calgary in 5
-Solid defence, solid offence, a brilliant goalie, a captain who would do anything to win, and so much heart throughout...I just can't see Anaheim overcoming them.
(4) Nashville vs (5) San Jose - San Jose in 7
-Kariya had a huge first game, and the Predators did a good job of holding up Cheechoo and Thornton, but the Sharks still have another big scorer in Patrick Marleau, not to mention 2004 Selke finalist Alyn McCauley and Calgary's pugilist from that year's Cup run, Ville Nieminen. With Tomas Vokoun out, can 30-year-old Chris Mason, with a total of 44 games' NHL experience going into the playoffs, help Nashville hold onto the series? My guess is no.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Ottawa vs (8) Tampa Bay - Ottawa in 5
-The Senators' defence is just too strong, and their offence shouldn't have too much trouble with the Lightning's goaltending tandem of John Grahame and Sean Burke. Even without Hasek, Ottawa shouldn't have too much trouble.
(2) Carolina vs (7) Montreal - Carolina in 7
-Montreal had solid goaltending from Cristobal Huet in the regular season, but the Hurricanes have so many weapons that they should ultimately prevail. And nobody on either team wants a Stanley Cup more than 'Canes captain Rod Brind'Amour.
(3) New Jersey vs (6) NY Rangers - New Jersey in 6
-In making this prediction, I'm pretending I didn't see Jaromir Jagr leave Game #1 with an apparent shoulder injury; that could ultimately mean this series is over in 4 or 5 games, especially if the Rangers continue their undisciplined play that saw them give the Devils 13 power plays, on which they allowed 5 power play goals, plus one that Ken Klee tallied just one second after a man advantage had expired.
(4) Buffalo vs (5) Philadelphia - Buffalo in 6
-Philly is a very hostile environment for opposing teams, but that should be the only real problem for the Sabres, who are worlds faster than the big-and-strong Flyers.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Detroit vs (8) Edmonton - Detroit in 6
-Edmonton definitely has the advantage of young legs, but you wouldn't have known it in Game 1, when Detroit won in double overtime. The Wings are the league's oldest team, but they've got lots of experience, and should go deep; however, the goaltending duo of Chris Osgood and Manny Legace might not be up to the task. The longer this series goes, the better for Edmonton, who will have energy to burn; if they can play smart defence and keep the puck moving, they could wear the Red Wings out.
(2) Dallas vs (7) Colorado - Colorado in 7
-The Avalanche definitely deserves more respect than it's getting; many people seem to have counted them out because José Theodore has had such a shaky season, but Colorado still has a well-built team, not to mention a top line of Alex Tanguay, Milan Hedjuk, and the ever-clutch Joe Sakic. Dallas has quite a few offensive weapons too, plus better defence and arguably a better goaltender, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Colorado advance.
(3) Calgary vs (6) Anaheim - Calgary in 5
-Solid defence, solid offence, a brilliant goalie, a captain who would do anything to win, and so much heart throughout...I just can't see Anaheim overcoming them.
(4) Nashville vs (5) San Jose - San Jose in 7
-Kariya had a huge first game, and the Predators did a good job of holding up Cheechoo and Thornton, but the Sharks still have another big scorer in Patrick Marleau, not to mention 2004 Selke finalist Alyn McCauley and Calgary's pugilist from that year's Cup run, Ville Nieminen. With Tomas Vokoun out, can 30-year-old Chris Mason, with a total of 44 games' NHL experience going into the playoffs, help Nashville hold onto the series? My guess is no.
2006-04-21
Toronto GM John Ferguson Jr. fired head coach Pat Quinn and his assistant Rick Ley this morning, and at his 1:00pm press conference, that was about the only thing JFJ seemed sure of. Reporters were ripping into him left, right and center, demanding an explanation of his plan for the future, and reminding him of the many acquisitions he made last summer that didn't pan out. Ferguson often looked quite taken aback by the barrage, and stammered his way to many vague answers; perhaps he wouldn't have seemed quite so unsure of himself if he wasn't aware that his performance is under careful review as well. He might not survive at the post until next season begins.
Notice that I said nothing along the lines of, "Wow! I saw this one coming! I totally called this weeks ago!" I've read posts like that so many times today that I want to scream, and even the talking heads on TSN and Sportsnet felt it necessary to tell us that they'd seen this coming, having the inside connections that they do. Well, I've got news for you, kids: everyone saw this one coming. Toronto wasn't going to miss their first playoffs in 8 years without at least one head rolling, and coaches are hired to be fired. Ferguson's hiring of Paul Maurice as the coach of the AHL's Toronto Marlies was an obvious precursor to bringing him up with the big club; seeing the positive impact Maurice has had on the kids down in the 'A', that just might translate into a big season for the Maple Leafs next year. Notice, however, that JFJ didn't announce Maurice as the new head coach today; that may seem strange, but they shouldn't rule out other candidates, and Maurice still has to coach the Marlies through their own playoff run.
So please, people, no more pointing out that you predicted the obvious. If you'd predicted the Joe Thornton trade last fall, I would have been impressed...but keep this up, and I'm going to start relentlessly predicting that here in southern Ontario, the sun will rise between midnight and 11:59am, and set between noon and 11:59pm. Year 'round, too! You could set your watch to it.
Notice that I said nothing along the lines of, "Wow! I saw this one coming! I totally called this weeks ago!" I've read posts like that so many times today that I want to scream, and even the talking heads on TSN and Sportsnet felt it necessary to tell us that they'd seen this coming, having the inside connections that they do. Well, I've got news for you, kids: everyone saw this one coming. Toronto wasn't going to miss their first playoffs in 8 years without at least one head rolling, and coaches are hired to be fired. Ferguson's hiring of Paul Maurice as the coach of the AHL's Toronto Marlies was an obvious precursor to bringing him up with the big club; seeing the positive impact Maurice has had on the kids down in the 'A', that just might translate into a big season for the Maple Leafs next year. Notice, however, that JFJ didn't announce Maurice as the new head coach today; that may seem strange, but they shouldn't rule out other candidates, and Maurice still has to coach the Marlies through their own playoff run.
So please, people, no more pointing out that you predicted the obvious. If you'd predicted the Joe Thornton trade last fall, I would have been impressed...but keep this up, and I'm going to start relentlessly predicting that here in southern Ontario, the sun will rise between midnight and 11:59am, and set between noon and 11:59pm. Year 'round, too! You could set your watch to it.
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