Those series were unpredictably short. The momentum that both the Hurricanes and the Blackhawks had during the first two series didn't seem to follow them into the Conference Finals. The 'Hawks put up a good fight, taking the Wings into overtime three times and winning one of there five games in the series. The 'Canes however didn't show up versus the Pens. Crosby and Malkin were just too much for Cam Ward to handle and Fleury stood on his head between the pipes.
My prediction for the Stanley Cup is more wishful thinking than anything, so here goes:
Stanley Cup Finals
Pittsburgh vs. Detroit - Pittsburgh (7 Games)
It's the first time since the early '80s that there has been a rematch in back-to-back years in the Stanley Cup Final, and I'm hoping for the same result. In 1984, Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers won their first ever Stanley Cup, knocking off the defending four-pete champion New York Islanders who defeated them in the previous year. This year I hope to see Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins do the same to the defending champion Red Wings, who beat the Penguins in six games last season.
The Red Wings are the better team. The depth in their lineup is matched by no other team in the NHL and their top players are as skilled as any in the league, except maybe Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin. That being said, with injuries to Lidstrom, Datsyuk, Draper and Ericsson it may be difficult for the Wings to contain the high-flying Pens. Lidstrom should play in game one, but Crosby and Malkin will look to exploit his lower-body injury as best they can. An 80% Lidstrom is still better than the majority of defencemen in the league.
I hope to see Fleury outshine Osgood and the Penguins desire and disappointment from last year push them past the Red Wings this year. I also hope to see Crosby win the first of many Stanley Cups in his career.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Consistent Inconsistency
So, after a one day hiatus it's time to complain. There are lots of current hockey stories to follow and criticize, for example the Phoenix Coyotes debate, but I'm tired of them all. I wake up and on certain days watch Sportscentre several times in succession. It's just my being too lazy to walk the eight to ten feet to where my remote controls may lie. So I’ve heard all arguments for and against these stories that I care to at this time.
I have been racking my brain for something to complain about, but to no avail. I am in a mood to rant, but there has been nothing I have felt is worthy of a rant. I arrived home tonight about halfway through the third period of game two in the Detroit/Chicago series when that something stared me in the face: #51 Brian Campbell.
He is by no means a horrible player, but he is definitely not a great player. Over the summer he became the first player in NHL history to pull a spin-o-rama into another dimension where players are paid $7 Million a year ($56 Million over 8 years) to play on the second defensive pairing. This was a very poor signing by the 'Hawks, and they are probably the first to admit it. A young team with few veterans, Chicago will have trouble holding onto the star players on their current roster in the coming years. Players like Toews, Kane, Sharp, Seabrook and soon-to-be restricted free agent Versteeg will see offer sheets that the 'Hawks will struggle to match given the NHL Salary Cap. Not to mention Bolland, Eager and Barker who have all had strong post-seasons and will be RFAs come July 1. Martin Havlat will be a UFA this summer and will be difficult to sign in the offseason. Having Campbell tied up in a long-term contract will really hurt the 'Hawks in the coming years as he is too expensive to buy-out and too much of a defensive liability and an offensive dud to spark any potential trades.
Campbell struggled to make the scoresheet with just seven goals during the regular season. He was fifth on team scoring with 52 Points in the regular season, but was (and is) a defensive liability. If he was a basketball player he would have been on more posters than Shawn Bradley. All else equal, thanks to Brian Campbell for helping me establish a good basis for a short-but-sweet rant. His consistent inconsistency is always a conversation sparker and I hope to complain about his overrated abilities again in the near future.
I wrote this without the realization that Campbell gave the puck away in OT for the 3-on-1 that led to the winner, but thanks to Sportscenter I can watch his inadequacies over and over again.
I have been racking my brain for something to complain about, but to no avail. I am in a mood to rant, but there has been nothing I have felt is worthy of a rant. I arrived home tonight about halfway through the third period of game two in the Detroit/Chicago series when that something stared me in the face: #51 Brian Campbell.
He is by no means a horrible player, but he is definitely not a great player. Over the summer he became the first player in NHL history to pull a spin-o-rama into another dimension where players are paid $7 Million a year ($56 Million over 8 years) to play on the second defensive pairing. This was a very poor signing by the 'Hawks, and they are probably the first to admit it. A young team with few veterans, Chicago will have trouble holding onto the star players on their current roster in the coming years. Players like Toews, Kane, Sharp, Seabrook and soon-to-be restricted free agent Versteeg will see offer sheets that the 'Hawks will struggle to match given the NHL Salary Cap. Not to mention Bolland, Eager and Barker who have all had strong post-seasons and will be RFAs come July 1. Martin Havlat will be a UFA this summer and will be difficult to sign in the offseason. Having Campbell tied up in a long-term contract will really hurt the 'Hawks in the coming years as he is too expensive to buy-out and too much of a defensive liability and an offensive dud to spark any potential trades.
Campbell struggled to make the scoresheet with just seven goals during the regular season. He was fifth on team scoring with 52 Points in the regular season, but was (and is) a defensive liability. If he was a basketball player he would have been on more posters than Shawn Bradley. All else equal, thanks to Brian Campbell for helping me establish a good basis for a short-but-sweet rant. His consistent inconsistency is always a conversation sparker and I hope to complain about his overrated abilities again in the near future.
I wrote this without the realization that Campbell gave the puck away in OT for the 3-on-1 that led to the winner, but thanks to Sportscenter I can watch his inadequacies over and over again.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
The Next One
Crosby.
A name that previously would have been immediately associated with a musician, now nationally recognized as the greatest hockey player in Canada. From an early age "Sid the Kid" was highly touted as the future of Canadian hockey. Wayne Gretzky, "The Great One" said that if anyone could beat his records, Sidney Crosby could. He broke records in minor hockey, junior hockey and scored some exceptional goals for Team Canada in the World Junior tournament.
Drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005, Crosby recorded 102 points in his rookie season, second to Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals in the Calder Trophy race. In his sophomore season, he led the league in scoring with 120 Points and helped the Penguins into the post-season. Last season he played just 53 Games, amassing 72 Points and leading the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals where they were defeated by the powerhouse Detroit Red Wings.
After a slow start to his season, Crosby registered 103 Points as the Penguins struggled out of the gate but managed a fourth place finish in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins face the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday in what is sure to be a hard fought series. The Hurricanes have upset both the New Jersey Devils and the Boston Bruins thus far and look to capture their second Stanley Cup in four years. To date, Sidney has recorded a league best twelve goals and 21 points in two rounds of playoff action. His twelve Goals are twice as many as he recorded in all of last year’s playoffs, and his 21 Points are just six shy of last year’s totals.
Crosby and the Penguins look to claim the teams first Stanley Cup since back-to-back Cups in 1991 and 1992, the Mario Lemieux era. Crosby has shown great leadership thus far, and I look forward to the series ahead. I would love to witness the first of many Crosby Stanley Cups this season and hope that his best hockey is yet to come.
A name that previously would have been immediately associated with a musician, now nationally recognized as the greatest hockey player in Canada. From an early age "Sid the Kid" was highly touted as the future of Canadian hockey. Wayne Gretzky, "The Great One" said that if anyone could beat his records, Sidney Crosby could. He broke records in minor hockey, junior hockey and scored some exceptional goals for Team Canada in the World Junior tournament.
Drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005, Crosby recorded 102 points in his rookie season, second to Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals in the Calder Trophy race. In his sophomore season, he led the league in scoring with 120 Points and helped the Penguins into the post-season. Last season he played just 53 Games, amassing 72 Points and leading the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals where they were defeated by the powerhouse Detroit Red Wings.
After a slow start to his season, Crosby registered 103 Points as the Penguins struggled out of the gate but managed a fourth place finish in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins face the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday in what is sure to be a hard fought series. The Hurricanes have upset both the New Jersey Devils and the Boston Bruins thus far and look to capture their second Stanley Cup in four years. To date, Sidney has recorded a league best twelve goals and 21 points in two rounds of playoff action. His twelve Goals are twice as many as he recorded in all of last year’s playoffs, and his 21 Points are just six shy of last year’s totals.
Crosby and the Penguins look to claim the teams first Stanley Cup since back-to-back Cups in 1991 and 1992, the Mario Lemieux era. Crosby has shown great leadership thus far, and I look forward to the series ahead. I would love to witness the first of many Crosby Stanley Cups this season and hope that his best hockey is yet to come.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
A Fan Ranting About Fans
Now don't get me wrong here, I am a Leafs fan through and through, but I am above all else a hockey fan. I like to complain about my team as much as the next guy or girl, but at least I put some thought into what I am going to complain about. I don't generally incessantly rant about something that I shouldn't. I have the knowledge that statistics are what separates the good players from the great players and in turn the great players from the superstars.
Overlooking statistics and the general sportscaster opinion that a player is a superstar, adds nothing to your argument, and in fact makes you sound both illogical and uneducated. It is in a case such as this that certain arguments should be locked away in the back of your minds so you are not boasting to the entire hockey world that you are an idiot and your expertise is limited to the three games you watched this season while you were stoned in your parents’ basement. Yes, Vancouver fans, I am ranting about you.
Everyone knows that B.C. is the "Capital of Marijuana" in Canada, and that is great for you. Feel free to "puff, puff and pass" and try not to mess up the rotation. That being said, try not to blame arguably one of the greatest goaltenders in the league today for messing up your high. Your team was built to fail!
Here in Leafs Nation, where we base opinion on statistics (generally speaking, and ignoring all fans that use hearsay and other people’s arguments as their own point of view) we know with no uncertainty that Roberto Luongo is a great player, a superstar even. His statistics show it, and the general opinion of the panel on TSN as well as those on Sportsnet and The Score is that he is the greatest. That being said, just watch a Canucks game and you can see with your own eyes that he is great. He is one of the few goaltenders in the world with perfect posture and poise in goal. He keeps his shoulders high and stays square to the shooter. His reflexes are incredible, and his rebound control is amazing. Why in the world would you want to trade a goaltender like that? Here's why: because your terrible team hangs him out to dry game in and game out and you want a scapegoat to blame your mediocre season on.
Clue in Vancouver.
There is a reason Mats Sundin has the most points in Maple Leafs history. Is it because we're not a very good team? Partly, but we are an original six team and no other player in any era had as many points as Captain Mats. So why didn't he score goals for you? I'll tell you why; Mats is not a grinder, he is a playmaker and a sniper. As my close friend Brian so intelligently put it, if Mats taps his stick, you pass him the puck. Watching Leafs games throughout the years, it is a general knowledge that if Mats is calling for the pass, he wants to score. When Mats wants to score, the red light is generally on. How about you sit back and watch a few Sundin highlights, then sign him to a contract. Utilize a great player in the right way and maybe you will get some return on your investment.
I would rant about the Sedins, but it's not worth my time and I want to get out of here. Just as a capper: the Sedins will not lead the Canucks to a Stanley Cup, but Luongo may. He is the heart and soul of your second-rate team, and he would be a welcome addition to any other team in the league.
Overlooking statistics and the general sportscaster opinion that a player is a superstar, adds nothing to your argument, and in fact makes you sound both illogical and uneducated. It is in a case such as this that certain arguments should be locked away in the back of your minds so you are not boasting to the entire hockey world that you are an idiot and your expertise is limited to the three games you watched this season while you were stoned in your parents’ basement. Yes, Vancouver fans, I am ranting about you.
Everyone knows that B.C. is the "Capital of Marijuana" in Canada, and that is great for you. Feel free to "puff, puff and pass" and try not to mess up the rotation. That being said, try not to blame arguably one of the greatest goaltenders in the league today for messing up your high. Your team was built to fail!
Here in Leafs Nation, where we base opinion on statistics (generally speaking, and ignoring all fans that use hearsay and other people’s arguments as their own point of view) we know with no uncertainty that Roberto Luongo is a great player, a superstar even. His statistics show it, and the general opinion of the panel on TSN as well as those on Sportsnet and The Score is that he is the greatest. That being said, just watch a Canucks game and you can see with your own eyes that he is great. He is one of the few goaltenders in the world with perfect posture and poise in goal. He keeps his shoulders high and stays square to the shooter. His reflexes are incredible, and his rebound control is amazing. Why in the world would you want to trade a goaltender like that? Here's why: because your terrible team hangs him out to dry game in and game out and you want a scapegoat to blame your mediocre season on.
Clue in Vancouver.
There is a reason Mats Sundin has the most points in Maple Leafs history. Is it because we're not a very good team? Partly, but we are an original six team and no other player in any era had as many points as Captain Mats. So why didn't he score goals for you? I'll tell you why; Mats is not a grinder, he is a playmaker and a sniper. As my close friend Brian so intelligently put it, if Mats taps his stick, you pass him the puck. Watching Leafs games throughout the years, it is a general knowledge that if Mats is calling for the pass, he wants to score. When Mats wants to score, the red light is generally on. How about you sit back and watch a few Sundin highlights, then sign him to a contract. Utilize a great player in the right way and maybe you will get some return on your investment.
I would rant about the Sedins, but it's not worth my time and I want to get out of here. Just as a capper: the Sedins will not lead the Canucks to a Stanley Cup, but Luongo may. He is the heart and soul of your second-rate team, and he would be a welcome addition to any other team in the league.
Friday, May 15, 2009
REMATCH?
Two and two in Round Two. Nothing to boast or brag about, but then again my confidence in those picks wasn't high to begin with. Overall a 9-3 record over the first two rounds; I'll take it! If I could bury three out of every four shots I took I'd be shooting the puck a lot more often. Now, with no more delay and without further adieu, my picks for Round Three of the Stanley Cup Finals:
Conference Finals
Eastern Conference
Carolina (6) vs. Pittsburgh (4) - Pittsburgh (6 Games)
This is as much a wish as it is a prediction. I desire to take nothing away from the Hurricanes and there magnificent post-season thus far. Eric Staal has shown true leadership and ability. Anyone who can face Zdeno Chara nearly every shift for seven games and come out the overall victor is beyond talented. Staal has shown true character and perseverance and should have an important role on Team Canada come the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Another 'Cane that has probably gained a spot on that roster is goaltender Cam Ward. He has been an absolute wall during the offseason, outplaying arguably the best goaltender of all time in Martin Brodeur, and outlasting probable 2009 Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas.
Given the above arguments, there is one obstacle the 'Canes have yet to overcome. Sidney Crosby has been absolutely unstoppable during the playoffs! After questions of his goal scoring abilities have arisen over the year, Crosby has shown a knack for scoring big-time goals. When superstar (and Art Ross Trophy winner) Evgeni Malkin was virtually invisible, Crosby stepped-up his game and "put the biscuit in the basket." Crosby scored a hat-trick in a Game 2 loss to the 'Caps in which Alexander Ovechkin also recorded a Trick. Game 7 of that Series showed Crosby's true distaste for losing, as he outplayed even Ovechkin in a 6-2 shellacking. Crosby will prove too much for Ward and the 'Canes to handle in this Eastern Conference Final matchup.
Western Conference
Chicago (4) vs. Detroit (2) - Detroit (7 Games)
The 'Hawks have proven to be a team with a "never say die" attitude in this postseason, falling behind in each of their six games versus the Canucks. They were able to rally and win four out of those six games, and even managed to climb out of a 3-0 hole in Game 1 (only to lose due to a "brain-fart" by future All-Star, Cam Barker with just over a minute remaining in the third period). The speedy, young Blackhawks just don't seem to know when to quit, and don't seem to understand the concept of "deficit." The Canucks were built to fail, but don't expect that out of the Wings who are proven winners and boast pretty much the same team as last year (with the addition of sniper Marian Hossa). The only hope for Captain Jonathan Toews and the 'Hawks is to get to goaltender Chris Osgood early and often. Osgood has proven time and time again that he has the fortitude to Win, and won't be easy to defeat in this one. The Wings experience will take them into the Stanley Cup Finals for the second consecutive year and we could be seeing a rematch of the finals from last year.
Conference Finals
Eastern Conference
Carolina (6) vs. Pittsburgh (4) - Pittsburgh (6 Games)
This is as much a wish as it is a prediction. I desire to take nothing away from the Hurricanes and there magnificent post-season thus far. Eric Staal has shown true leadership and ability. Anyone who can face Zdeno Chara nearly every shift for seven games and come out the overall victor is beyond talented. Staal has shown true character and perseverance and should have an important role on Team Canada come the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Another 'Cane that has probably gained a spot on that roster is goaltender Cam Ward. He has been an absolute wall during the offseason, outplaying arguably the best goaltender of all time in Martin Brodeur, and outlasting probable 2009 Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas.
Given the above arguments, there is one obstacle the 'Canes have yet to overcome. Sidney Crosby has been absolutely unstoppable during the playoffs! After questions of his goal scoring abilities have arisen over the year, Crosby has shown a knack for scoring big-time goals. When superstar (and Art Ross Trophy winner) Evgeni Malkin was virtually invisible, Crosby stepped-up his game and "put the biscuit in the basket." Crosby scored a hat-trick in a Game 2 loss to the 'Caps in which Alexander Ovechkin also recorded a Trick. Game 7 of that Series showed Crosby's true distaste for losing, as he outplayed even Ovechkin in a 6-2 shellacking. Crosby will prove too much for Ward and the 'Canes to handle in this Eastern Conference Final matchup.
Western Conference
Chicago (4) vs. Detroit (2) - Detroit (7 Games)
The 'Hawks have proven to be a team with a "never say die" attitude in this postseason, falling behind in each of their six games versus the Canucks. They were able to rally and win four out of those six games, and even managed to climb out of a 3-0 hole in Game 1 (only to lose due to a "brain-fart" by future All-Star, Cam Barker with just over a minute remaining in the third period). The speedy, young Blackhawks just don't seem to know when to quit, and don't seem to understand the concept of "deficit." The Canucks were built to fail, but don't expect that out of the Wings who are proven winners and boast pretty much the same team as last year (with the addition of sniper Marian Hossa). The only hope for Captain Jonathan Toews and the 'Hawks is to get to goaltender Chris Osgood early and often. Osgood has proven time and time again that he has the fortitude to Win, and won't be easy to defeat in this one. The Wings experience will take them into the Stanley Cup Finals for the second consecutive year and we could be seeing a rematch of the finals from last year.
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