Before we count our sheep

So before all us Pittsburgh and Detroit fans, get too cocky, here's something to keep us all in check:
The only two teams in the history of the NHL to lose a best of seven after leading the series 3-0 are Pittsburgh and Detroit...

Crap

1975 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Islanders (quarter finals)

1942 Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (Stanley Cup finals)

And in case you're curious: Penguins playoff history and Red Wings playoff history.

-kc

Goal or No Goal

And now it’s time to play Goal or No Goal.

It is a very simple game. You pick a briefcase, in it is a year, we pick a goal or no goal from that year and you decide what the final call on it was. If you’re right you win, if you’re wrong you lose.

Let’s get started!!

Pick your first case.

*drum roll*

You have picked … 1999.

For this goal or no goal, we go to the Stanley Cup Finals game 6, the Buffalo Sabres at the Dallas Stars. This shot came in the 3^rd overtime period. Brett Hull of the Dallas Stars was the one who took the shot, and before he had the puck, his foot was in the crease. I remind you that in 1999 the NHL, it was illegal to score a goal if an offensive player's skate entered the crease before the puck did. So now it’s your turn, what was the call? Goal or No Goal?

No Goal.

*drum roll*

Oh no, so sorry but it was called a Goal. And it ended the series as Dallas won the Stanley Cup 4 games to Buffalo’s 2.

That’s ok the game goes on.

Pick your next case.

*drum roll*

You have picked … A DOUBLE YEAR CASE!!! 2000 and 2008.

This is a special case, almost the same thing happened in these two situations and they may or may not have been called the same. It’s up to you to decide.

In 2000 NHL Playoffs, 1^st round, Philadelphia Flyers verses the Buffalo Sabres. Its game 2, John Leclair shot the puck through the side of the net, through a hole in the mesh. This was reviewed by the NHL. In a similar event in the 2008 IIHF World Hockey Championships, in a game between the USA and Finland, Finland scored through the side of the net as well. The goal is reviewed and with much better review technology which allows in the reviewers to zoom in on the puck. And now to you, Goal or No Goal?

Both No Goals.

*drum roll*

That is a solid answer … too bad it is not the correct one. Both goals were called goals, even after reviewing them. The Flyers went on to win the game 2-1 and the series 4-1, while Finland started and completed their comeback and beat the Americans 3-2.

One more case. You need to get this one right or its game over buddy.

*drum roll*

And the year is … 2008.

Conference Finals, Battle of the Atlantic and the state of Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh Penguins verses Philadelphia Flyers. Game 2, puck goes off Derian ‘The Slug’ Hatcher and looks like it is going to go in. Until, Marty Biron’s glove covers the puck just as it crosses the line. The goal gets reviewed, but common sense would tell you that the puck crossed the line even though the glove covered it. Remember you need to get this one right, Goal or No Goal?

*Final Jeopardy Music*

Goal.

*drum roll*

Great answer, but I’m sorry…that’s not right. The goal was reviewed and called a No Goal because there wasn’t clear video evidence of the puck crossing the goal line, but the Penguins went on to win the game 4-2 and lead the series 2-0.

It’s game over for you but thanks for playing … Goal or No Goal.

--kp

High stick...to the FACE!

So while enjoying the game tonight kp and I learned something tremendously important:

High sticks to the face are no longer penalties.

Then we learned some more, here are the rest of those infractions which are penalties no more:

Boarding

Playing with a broken stick

Butt-ending

Charging

Checking from behind

Clipping (body-on-knee-ish)

Cross-Checking

Delay of Game (this one was accidentally called tonight)

Diving (*cough Crosby and Richards cough* I thought I’d make it fair)

Elbowing

Various Face-off Penalties

Falling on Puck

Fisticuffs

Handling puck with hands (hand pass)

Head-butting

High-stick (it’s been previously stated…but I like a comprehensive list)

Holding

Holding an opponent’s stick (NHL says they’re separate horrors)

Hooking

Interference

Interference by/with Spectators (hey, it can result in a penalty to the home team.)

Kicking

Kneeing

Obscene Language or Gestures (obviously this one is never called anymore)

Physical Abuse of Officials

Roughing

Slashing

Spearing

Throwing stick(s) (or even shooting them, or any other object too)

Tripping

So basically that’s a list of things you can now get away with, aka I made a list of things that should be a penalty.

I’m told this is playoff hockey. I don’t like it. This kind of refereeing benefits a bigger, rougher team, who usually takes a lot of penalties, and threatens the smaller, faster teams.

But there’s also a concern for the safety of the players, these penalties are rules for a reason, and not calling them is dumb. The next guy that gets boarded and ends up with a concussion, is the ref’s fault, just as much as the attacking player. The refs allow the players to make stupid plays when they’re supposed to be preventing it.

Got it? Good, rant over.

This has to be my favourite penalty of all time.

If you don’t believe me, or just have way too much time on your hands read the NHL rulebook yourself.

And this site is pretty cool too if you want to read more on les rules: 101 penalties

Finally, this is just simply amazing and you will waste at least a solid 5 mins on it: Picture-thinger (I don't know what it's called)

-kc

Random thoughts from Game 1: Pens 4 Flyers 2

So we have learned that the Flyers have no chance of holding off Malkin, especially now without their clear number one defenseman Kimmo Timonen. And the only Flyer who decided to show up halfway through the game is Mike Richards.

What was with that no goal call on the Flyers first goal? I realize you may have lost sight of the puck but the ref should have conferred with other refs, which I have seen before, before making a call. And the call on Orpik, there was a bit of a hold with the free hand but as stated by the commentator, that was not being called at all the rest of the playoffs, that should not have been called a penalty, just a good clean hit.

The only thing that is going to save the Flyers is the same thing they have been doing all playoffs, dump and chase. But to do this they must HIT when they are chasing it. There has been no hitting to speak of so far in the game, just over half way through the 2^nd period. The only way the Flyers are going to win is to be physical and get Crosby and Malkin off their games, and it seems that is it going to be tough to get the very hot ‘Geno’ off his game.

Side note to the game, in a feature shown in the 2^nd period, another example of how strange goalies are. Marty Biron has had the same skates for 12 years. That is about as long as he has been in the NHL, so we realize that most of the time these skates have just been worn on the bench while watching the number one goalies in net. However they still have lost most of their support, but Marty has found a way to create the support he needs. All it takes is 2-3 rolls of clear hockey tape, which he puts on before every skate, practice and game. That’s a lot of tape. If I had a nickel for every roll of tape he used, I would be rich.

Why is Patrick Thorensen in the NHL? He plays on the 4^th line, which is one of the weirdest 4^th lines in hockey. Jim Dowd, Patrick Thorensen, and Sami Kapanen? Speedy Sami Kapanen is on the 4^th line. Shows you the kind of depth the Flyers have up front, which is promising. But Patrick Thorensen, we all saw the huge give away he made to give the Penguins the first goal of the game

Flyers need to play more aggressive in their own zone. They are just hanging back and making weak passes. The passes need to be firm, strong passes or else you are going to turn over the puck to most likely Malkin or Crosby and then you’re done. Furthermore, the Flyers are playing like a bunch of Timbit Hockey kids, all 5 guys are chasing the puck around, and that leads to scoring chances for those Penguins left uncovered and mostly likely goals.

And in the offensive zone, Hartnell, what are you doing?? Get in Fleury’s face. Stick your butt in there like you did for Huet and Price. Jeff Carter, you are 6’ 3” 200lbs buddy, play like you have been built. HIT PEOPLE!! Take out Malkin or Whitney or anyone else you are going up against in the corner or in open ice. Take a look at the way Scottie ‘Try-hard’ Upshall plays, you have 3 inches on him, and he hits harder than you.

One last note, Bobby Clarke is an idiot.

--kp

Refs, and Bad Wings Hockey

For those of you who actually sat through Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, congratulations. I cannot imagine watching the whole game. From what I saw it was a typical Detroit Red Wings hockey game, flashes of great hockey but for the most part it was hockey that could put you to sleep and may well have. Don Cherry during Coach's Corner showed the fans after a hit by a Wings player, no fan reaction minus the one guy who raised his hands in approval of the hit. In the same clip, you could see the amount of empty seats at Joe Louis Area in what is supposed to be known as Hockeytown, USA. But Hockeytown it is not. This is the 3^rd round of the playoffs. There should be no empty seats whatsoever. NONE.

Who can we blame for this?

No not the fans, the team. The team is by far one of the more boring to watch on TV or live. This team rivals the trapping New Jersey Devils for most boring hockey I have seen. One Red Wing was in a scrum and was hit in the face by a Star not once, but twice and what was his reaction…he just skated away. This is NOT playoff hockey, but enough about the Wings and their bad hockey, back to the game and the refs.

When we look at this game one goal pops right out, the Detroit goal in which a Detroit player was clearly in the crease and impeding Marty Turco from doing his job. Earlier in the playoffs this would have been called off, but apparently it’s ok now. The one thing that all sports fans, whether they be baseball, hockey, basketball, football or soccer or anything else, is consistent rules, and for the refs or umpires to be consistent in calling them. I realize that all referees are different but even the same referees will call differently game to game.

So to those who plan on watching the game, good luck, and for those who aren’t going to watch it, good call, and let hope the refs make some of those too.

--kp

IIHF World Hockey Championship

Playoff Season, a time that everyone, fans and players alike, lives for. But when it comes down to it only sixteen teams make the playoffs. After a long season, the players on those fourteen other teams are done playing, just like that, or so it seems…

The IIHF World Hockey Championships, one of the many tournaments which the International Ice Hockey Federation runs throughout the year. Never heard of it? It’s because it happens at the same time as the NHL Playoffs. It’s a tournament where players gain experience that might be that edge to get them on an Olympic team, or just simply a place to play for your country for those who will never get a chance at the Olympics.

The World Championships are special for those who play and watch them, however this year they are even more special and note just because it is the IIHF’s 100^th anniversary. ‘And what can be more special than that,’ you might ask. Well, for the first time ever the championship is being held in the birth place of hockey, Canada.

In just under a week, 24 games have been played in Halifax and Quebec City. For any hockey fan in either of these cities, it’s like heaven. The biggest game in the tournament so far, could not have come at a better time for the IIHF.

Rivals in not only hockey, but just about anything you can think of, Canada and the USA. This game, which gave Canada their first really test, happened in the layoff between rounds 2 and 3 of the NHL Playoffs, and what a game it was. The Canadians were outplayed by the Americans for much of the game but were able to squeak by with 5-4 victory powered by the amazing play of the young goaltender from the Carolina Hurricanes, Cam Ward, and game winning goal by Dany Heatley, of the Ottawa Senators, who were swept in the first round by the Penguins.

Starting this later this week will be the Qualification round, which will decide which teams move on to the quarter finals. From there fans can sit back and see who are the worlds best, just about the same time we could be finding out which teams have survived the conference finals is going to play for the Stanley Cup.

The next time you are wondering how Shane Doan, Rick Nash, or Jay Bouwmeester are doing on the golf course, you really should be wondering how they are doing for Team Canada and that is every easy to check, just flip on TSN.

--kp

KP has done a wonderful job watching the World Championships, and obviously has too much time on her hands, but there is one thing I can add: Cam Ward is in fact Canadian (from Sherwood Park, Alberta actually) and not American like I had previously chosen to believe. In my defense, "Cam Ward" sounds very American to me... Crap, I lose.

-kc

The Penguins' Season - Nowhere Near Done!

This picture is just so awkward it completes any Penguin fan.

I felt compelled to write some sort of season review in response to the saga of the Flyers below, so here is my magnificent attempt:

The Penguin’s season last year ended with an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Ottawa Senators. You might try to say it was due to the lack of experience on the team, or the lack of performance from their stars, or dare you say it, all Marc-Andre Fleury’s fault, their young goalie. But it doesn’t matter, the defeat was embarrassing, and the Penguins were determined to make their next season even better.

During the off-season the awesome Ray Shero made some stellar moves, including acquiring Petr Sykora, and Daryl Sydor, and losing Chris Thorburn, Nils Ekman, Jocelyn Thibault, and Michel Ouellet. And honestly, other than Oullet who has a cool name, it wasn’t a big loss, with a huge gain.

And so the season started…dismally. Going 10-13-0 during the first two months of the season isn’t a horrible record I suppose, but it’s definitely nothing to be proud of.

But it was in December that things seemed to take a turn for the worse, the much worse. Everyone was injured and out, and when I say everyone, I mean everyone except Gary Roberts, because a broken leg never stopped him, or the high right ankle sprain…

Which incidentally became the Penguin’s new favourite term…and injury.

MAF (Marc-Andre Fleury) decided to jump on the band wagon, and was out, so Pittsburgh saw Dany Sabourin take his turn in net. And he was hot…for awhile… Cue Ty Conklin. If you don’t know who this guy is, stop pretending you care, and go play cricket. Yes, Ty Conklin, and if Sabourin was hot when he started, Conklin was on fire. Fans were even saying that Conklin should, and would replace MAF as starting goalie when he came back. Blasphemy I say.

But meanwhile, other crucial players were taking the “high ankle sprain” to heart. We lost Max Talbot pretty much the same time, and then it happened:

Sidney Crosby out with high ankle sprain.

As a Penguins fan, that’s a devastating thing to hear…it makes you sit there in shock for at least a good minute or two. Critics, reporters, and hockey fans alike, all said that the Penguins’ season was over.

HA!

Personally, I think it was the best thing that could have happened. Not really a Crosby fan, seeing Evgeni Malkin lead the team out of their little slump and finally showed everyone that the team didn’t need the Kid to win. And win they did. “Geno” Malkin at their helm.

Oh then came the trade deadline…we waved a tearful farewell to the trusty friend and goalie-runner Colby Armstrong, the shoot-out king Eric Christensen, and a couple draft picks, but we welcomed Hal Gill, Pascal Dupis, and… MARION HOSSA.

No, Hossa hasn’t quite lived up to his hype, but neither has Jordan Staal this year. Do we love them any less? No.

Do I hope Hossa stays around? Yes. Do I think there’s salary cap room for him? My answer: Is there room for everyone of this all-star team? Make your own call there.

Gill has provided the size and skill lacking on the blue line, and Hossa has proved to be a decent line-mate for Crosby.

The Penguins played some more good hockey for the rest of the season, and then tada, it was playoff time. They finished a beautiful second in the conference, and added an Atlantic Division title banner to the Igloo.

Round 1: Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa
Time for revenge.
And it was sweet.
Like sugar covered honey, with ice cream and sprinkles.
Sweep
Ottawa was done in four fun games.
Next.

Round 2: Pittsburgh vs. New York
They said this would be a tougher series.
I suppose it was.
5 games and done.
More media calling the Kid a diver and saying the refs were biased.
Honestly, is anyone still reading that stuff?
Next.

MAF is still on fire, his former hot-and-cold ways, seem to have been banished.

Crosby. Malkin, Hossa, Sykora, Ruutu, Malone, Staal, Talbot, Gonchar, Whitney, Gill, Hall, ROBERTS…need I go on? Is there a Penguin who has yet to score in the post season? Yah, like three of them, I think we’ll live.

Michel Therrien is a beast, that’s all I need to say.

Round 3: Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia
Eastern Conference Finals.
Division Rivals.
State Rivals.
Bring it.

-kc

Flyers Season Review (so far)

It’s hard to believe we are already here: halfway through the 2008 NHL Playoffs, with only four teams remaining. After the gruelling 82 game regular season and two hard fought rounds of hockey, it’s time to look back and reflect on what brought us here. This is the journey of the Philadelphia Flyers.

The 2007-08 Flyers roster gave hope to us fans who had just lived through the worst hockey season in Flyers history. After several deals at the 2007 trade deadline that saw Martin Biron, Scottie Upshall, and others come to Philadelphia, the Flyers made a splash in the off-season. The Flyers General Manager was able to sign star free agent Daniel Briere from Buffalo, and trade away the offensive defenseman Joni Pitkanen to Edmonton for a young kid by the name of Joffery Lupul and the captain of the Oilers, Jason Smith. Another defenseman, Kimmo Timonen, was brought in from Nashville along with Scott Hartnell, for a draft pick the Flyers had obtained in the exchange for Peter Forsberg at the deadline. Coming out of the off-season, the roster was a mixture of veteran leadership and talented youth.

The one position that had always held the Flyers back was their goaltending. This year there was hope that the goaltending problems had been solved by long time backup goalie in Buffalo, Marty Biron. Marty would prove throughout the year that he had learned a thing or two playing back-up to two of the leagues best goalies, Dominik Hasek and Ryan Miller, in Buffalo.

The season started off great. The Flyers were even within reach of the top of the conference, but things started to fall apart. Plagued by post concussion syndrome Simon Gagne, by far the best Flyers player last season, was forced to miss weeks, and eventually decided to end his season for good. This took its toll on the Flyers offence. The Flyers plummeted in the standings, falling out of the playoffs and were still there when March rolled around.

Despite this, some of the young guys on the team were still managing to make a name for themselves, especially Mike Richards. Not only did he secure a 12-year contract with the Flyers, he was also named to the NHL Eastern All-Star Team roster, along with defenseman Kimmo Timonen. Richards had picked up his game like those who had watched him in the minors knew he would. Then the injury bug struck again. Richards was gone with a torn hamstring, but once again the team rallied and others took over.

This time, it was Jeff Carter’s chance to shine. He helped the Flyers go 5-2-2 during Richards’ absence. Around trade deadline time, Carter’s name was rumoured to have been thrown around due to his lack of production, but Carter was able to turn it on when the Flyers needed it most.

The battles would not end with the regular season. They only got tougher. Due to the Flyers win in the last game and an Ottawa loss, the Flyers wound up finishing 6^th meaning they would play the 3^rd seeded team, the Washington Capitals.

The analysts were already writing the Flyers off, saying their defence was too slow to stop the offensively gifted Alexander Ovechkin. But, despite giving up lead after lead, they found themselves up 3-1 in the series. Unable to finish off the Caps in Washington they had the chance to win the series at home. Again they weren’t able to finish them off. The Flyers, once with a 3-1 series lead, were now facing the series tied at 3 and game 7 taking place in Washington. Once again the Flyers were able to battle back and prevailed in overtime in game 7. In the 2^nd round the Flyers were going to have to face the young, fast, and very talented Montreal Canadiens and their rookie sensation goalie, Carey Price.

After the Washington series some knew not to count out the Flyers, but few actually thought they would pull off the series win. However, with huge play from RJ Umberger and their own playoff rookie goaltender, they were able to come back after a blown lead and game 1 loss in overtime to win the next four straight and the series.

And now we look forward into the future, where the Flyers will take on state rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins and their abundance of young talent, the likes of Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury and their best playoff performer Evgeni ‘Geno’ Malkin. If this series lives up to the hype, it will go down as one of the best playoff series in recent history. So sit back and enjoy the 3^rd round of the 2008 NHL Playoffs. Lets go Flyers!

--kp

Numero Test

So this is the way we'll waste our time, waste our time, waste our time...

A relevant observation...