It's NHL 2010 Playoffs Folks

RallyMonkey · Post by **RallyMonkey** » Fri May 07, 2010 10:13 am

I'll try to bring this thread back with some appropriate crying. Sturm now Krejci and Savard at maybe 75%. Um...is it bad when your scoring punch is coming from a 42 year old Mark Recchi and 35 year old Miroslav Satan?

Once again i have to find myself rooting for the Habs as Boston's style is so much more suited to deal with them than it is for the explosive Pens.

I'll give it to my B's though boy. With all the injuries they've had during the year and now in the playoffs, to be one series away (assuming they get one of the next four games vs. Philly) from the Cup is pretty impressive.

Not to mention either Seguin or Hall will be wearing the black and gold next year as well. Good times.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri May 07, 2010 10:37 am

Good boxing-hockey analogy from Eric Raskin's minute-by-minute blog from the Mayweather-Mosley fight last Saturday at ringtv.com:

11:41: A flush right hand lands for Mosley in the second round, the biggest punch Mayweather has taken in years – maybe ever. Mayweather holds, but Mosley lands again and hurts him far worse! There’s just something thrilling/chilling (depending on whom you’re rooting for) about watching an undefeated fighter get badly rocked. The only thing in sports that’s comparable for inspiring nervous energy among spectators is overtime playoff hockey.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri May 07, 2010 10:39 am

RallyMonkey wrote:Not to mention either Seguin or Hall will be wearing the black and gold next year as well. Good times.

Seguin or Hall will wear the Copper and Blue next year, too. Unfortunately, they'll play for a team with Kevin Lowe and Steve Tambellini making all of the player personnel decisions.

Safe to say, the dude wearing black and gold probably has a brighter future, at least short term or until Daryl Katz pulls his head from his ass and fires Lowe and Tambi.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri May 07, 2010 12:05 pm

I didnt realize this was a US vs Canada thing...I also dont see where crying about other fans crying is a better form of whining.

Anyway since this is a US vs Canada thing..

Go Habs!

and

Go Hawks!

EDIT. Note*. The US flag may appear a little larger . This is purely by coincidence.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Fri May 07, 2010 12:13 pm

I didn't know it was USA vs. Canada until I see posts like this on this and other boards:

10spro wrote:Hey, I am hoping of an all Canadian final so keep on dreaming. Of course that would not go well with the honchos in NY at all.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri May 07, 2010 12:19 pm

Leebo33 wrote:I didn't know it was USA vs. Canada until I see posts like this on this and other boards:

10spro wrote:Hey, I am hoping of an all Canadian final so keep on dreaming. Of course that would not go well with the honchos in NY at all.

My bad then...I guess being a big fan of both countries I miss stuff like that.

Part of my confusion is the Hawks are team Canada loaded and the Penguins are captained by team Canada's hero...I have to learn to pay closer attention.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Fri May 07, 2010 12:21 pm

XXXIV wrote:I didnt realize this was a US vs Canada thing...I also dont see where crying about other fans crying is a better form of whining.

I agree. I'm just in a bad mood after last night. The classless "Crosby sucks" chants and the incessant booing really gets on my nerves. I will never understand the booing of Crosby who is nothing but a positive thing for hockey around the world. The dude took a few dives as an 18 year old kid and he's treated with more hostility than A-Rod and Barry Bonds combined.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri May 07, 2010 12:27 pm

Leebo33 wrote: I agree. I'm just in a bad mood after last night. The classless "Crosby sucks" chants and the incessant booing really gets on my nerves. I will never understand the booing of Crosby who is nothing but a positive thing for hockey around the world. The dude took a few dives as an 18 year old kid and he's treated with more hostility than A-Rod and Barry Bonds combined.

I dont get that either...I think he is the class of the NHL but Im a biased Crosby fan

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri May 07, 2010 12:35 pm

Leebo33 wrote:I didn't know it was USA vs. Canada until I see posts like this on this and other boards:

10spro wrote:Hey, I am hoping of an all Canadian final so keep on dreaming. Of course that would not go well with the honchos in NY at all.

Leebo:

I think you're taking this all a bit too seriously. First, hockey is a national passion in Canada, as you know. So Canadians take the game WAY more seriously than Americans, as their national pride often is at stake more in hockey games than in the international political or economic arena.

What's wrong with a Canadian citizen -- for whom hockey is a religion -- wishing for an all-Canada final?

Second of all, James is spot-on with his assessment of the NHL brass in New York. An all-Canadian final would be Bettman's nightmare considering he's so hell-bent on expansion and success into U.S. markets that clearly won't support hockey.

Plus a Chicago-Boston final would generate larger ratings in the U.S. than a Montreal-Vancouver final. And Bettman clearly doesn't give a f*ck about Canadian desires. He takes their passion for granted.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri May 07, 2010 12:37 pm

Leebo33 wrote:
XXXIV wrote:I didnt realize this was a US vs Canada thing...I also dont see where crying about other fans crying is a better form of whining.
I agree. I'm just in a bad mood after last night. The classless "Crosby sucks" chants and the incessant booing really gets on my nerves. I will never understand the booing of Crosby who is nothing but a positive thing for hockey around the world. The dude took a few dives as an 18 year old kid and he's treated with more hostility than A-Rod and Barry Bonds combined.

Crosby is classy, as was Gretzky. Both have two common traits in their games: An otherworldly talent and an incessant ability to b*tch and whine to refs throughout the game.

I adore Gretzky, but I also acknowledge that he was a world-class whiner and complainer to refs for his entire career, even when he had Semenko as a bodyguard.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Fri May 07, 2010 12:43 pm

pk500 wrote:What's wrong with a Canadian citizen -- for whom hockey is a religion -- wishing for an all-Canada final?

I hope they don't litter their places of worship with debris like they did last night when things don't go their way

HipE · Post by **HipE** » Fri May 07, 2010 12:46 pm

To get away from whining about refs and whining about whining about refs...

I thought the Pens-Habs game last night was by far the most entertaining of the series. The first three games were pretty ugly to watch, not a lot of flow or great scoring chances for either team.

Even though the Pens lost, I thought it was the best they have looked this series. They had probably more quality even strength scoring chances last night than the rest of the series combined, and Malkin really kept up his energy he found in the 3rd period of game 3 and was dangerous every time he was on the ice.

I'm sure the Habs are very confident at this point in the series, as they should be. They took the Pens best shot in the first two periods last night and were only down by 1 as a result of it, and found just enough timely scoring to steal the win. I'm going to give Halak a lot of the credit and Fleury a lot of the blame, as going by the quality of the chances and the skill of the players involved in those chances for both teams, the Pens surely should have had opened up a sizeable lead at some point in the game.

I feel like if Pittsburgh keeps up the play from the last two periods in Game 3 and the first two periods of Game 4, they are going to be fine if MAF can even play average. I don't think he should have given up any of those 3 goals last night, he was out of position time and time again. At the same time, Pittsburgh is going to have to convert 5 on 5 at some point, they've spent what seems like entire periods cycling the puck in the offensive zone with nothing to show for it.

I will say this, if the Pens can manage to pull off the series win (which I'm guessing is probably little better than a tossup based on the first 4 games), I think this will be the perfect test for them going forward. They are having to really battle for everything they get this series and fight through frustration, and I think that will make them an even more dangerous team if they advance.

All the credit to Montreal so far though, they are playing their asses off despite not having nearly the talent the Pens have. I keep waiting for the dam to burst, but I'm sure the Caps fans felt the same way only to see it weather the storm time and time again.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri May 07, 2010 1:02 pm

HipE wrote: I keep waiting for the dam to burst.

Me too...

And this is why.....

HipE wrote:
Even though the Pens lost, I thought it was the best they have looked this series. They had probably more quality even strength scoring chances last night than the rest of the series combined

Even though I will be surprised if the Habs win this next game in Pitt I still have hope. I cant believe Im actually saying this about the team I watched back into the playoffs with three straight losses, A team Ive watched play stupid and half assed the last few seasons but I am saying it. I have hope...well as long as the Habs dont give up and keep working their asses off....

Its now a best of three series. Anything can happen.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Fri May 07, 2010 1:20 pm

Has anyone of you ever lived in Canada? We live and breathe hockey, night and day, whether a team wins or loses we dissect the game into pieces as no other nation that plays the sport. A loss is magnified to the million- th degree and only in Canada one starts chatting over the 5th or 6th defenseman's play.

I happen to be one of the many passionate fans we have north of the border. I play the sport, I love the sport. Anyone thinking that the playoffs are a US vs Canada conspiracy, is absolutely reading into horsesh*t. For the record I have dual citizenship, my wife is American and have lived in the US for a few years during my teens.

Theres' been a lot of bad calls during the playoffs and many absurd non-calls by the zebras. Even an overrule from the the video guys in Toronto when the refs called it a legit goal in a series vs LA. I can live with bad calls, I just hope that it doesn't bite them in the arse and affect the outcome of a series. That's been my main point on the refs throughout the playoffs and still stands.

Ask any Canadian hockey fan that doesn't wish for an all Canadian final. Even a Flame fan, a Leaf fan would dream of that. Is it a crime now to hope for that?

Go back to the first page and check who I picked for the finals. Believe it or not, as much blood as there is with VAN, the Hawks are one of my favorite teams as they have many BC boys playing for them.

This is not the Olympics, but while they're alive, all 'Nucks and Habs fans in Canada will continue to pour their passion for the game and their respective teams. Nothing against the US teams, and if Canada would play the USA again for the finals of any tournament event, just watch how many Habs fans would be cheering loudly for Crosby. It's the nature of being a fan.

Got a flight to catch, Go 'Nucks!

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri May 07, 2010 1:34 pm

I'm an American who has supported a Canadian team since 1982, so I appreciate Canadians' zeal for the game. I would love to see an all-Canadian final, as it would be relished by an entire nation, not just the markets and fan bases of the individual teams, which is the case with American franchises.

Will America come to a standstill for a Hawks-Bruins' final? Hell, no. Will Canada come to a standstill for a Canucks-Habs' final? F*ck, yes. Especially since the teams represent both coasts of the fine nation to the north.

If that makes me a pinko, Commie, draft card-burning, un-American prick, so be it.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri May 07, 2010 2:11 pm

10spro wrote:Has anyone of you ever lived in Canada?

Yes

vader29 · Post by **vader29** » Fri May 07, 2010 3:05 pm

RallyMonkey wrote:Um...is it bad when your scoring punch is coming from a 42 year old Mark Recchi and 35 year old Miroslav Satan?

I though Recchi was done for sure in his last stint with the Pens so he is surprising to me to be playing so well. Not so much about Satan though as he played very well when his number was called in the playoffs last year, would much rather have Satan playing with Malkin rather than Fedotenko right now.

Was a great game last night but the Penguins played the third period not to lose instead of going for the kill and playing like they did the previous two periods. Would have been nice to win last night and finish the series out at home but now I'm expecting the series to go to a 7th game.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Fri May 07, 2010 5:24 pm

10spro wrote:Anyone thinking that the playoffs are a US vs Canada conspiracy, is absolutely reading into horsesh*t.

Dude, I couldn't agree more. But tell these folks. I gleened these quotes off the *first page* of this forum and it was in the top "non-sticky" thread! I'm just so sick of the conspiracy theories.

http://forum.canadiens.com/index.php?s= ... owforum=25

"The more that this type of reffereeing goes on, the more ummmmmm, I dislike Campbell and Bettman. the rules are soooooo complicated and undefined (no black or white,,,,lots of grey areas), I just can't see how a Canadian team will win the Cup. I feel the league is prejudiced against us (Canadian teams, because we reg. sell out) and I will be surprised if any Canadian team (meaning us and the Canucks) makes it past the 2nd round."

"well I don't think Bettman has actual meeting with refs to tell them who to favour...but i also think the refs know very well which match up will be good for the league according to Bettman. They are less afraid to make a call against teams like the Habs or Flyers compared to the Caps or pens."

"I do believe the Sens got jobbed... phase one of the NHL project was a success. Crosby and the Pens move on."

"It is not really that funny... those teams listed above are just not what the NHL wants to see in the finals. Notice how the Coyotes are going from not making the playoffs, going through bankruptcy and being propped up by the NHL to where they are now... sure the players have done their part, but almost certainly they've had help along the way (they would be the NHL's version of a "Cinderella Story" and an acceptable marketing tool for promoting the positive potential of all struggling US franchises)

The refs have surely done their part in the mandate. And the message has been effectively passed down from the top to the ice surface."

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Fri May 07, 2010 5:31 pm

vader29 wrote:I though Recchi was done for sure in his last stint with the Pens so he is surprising to me to be playing so well.

I've always liked Recchi, but I just can't look at him the same way now that I've met his mistress (who is one of our best friend's cousins).

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Fri May 07, 2010 8:57 pm

XXXIV wrote:
10spro wrote:Has anyone of you ever lived in Canada?
Yes

No but i did stay in a holiday inn last night.

for the record , i was just having a go at how into it the canadian people are and they do get all bent when stuff isnt going all canadas way, no need for a hockey history lesson its no different than England and footy.

I really like you lot north of the border and your country is a cross from Britain and america(best of both worlds) Hockey night in Canada is the best show on tv, so go get your aneurysms checked, i mean it is free after all.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri May 07, 2010 9:05 pm

Jimmydeicide wrote:
XXXIV wrote:
10spro wrote:Has anyone of you ever lived in Canada?
Yes
No but i did stay in a holiday inn last night.

Classic.

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Fri May 07, 2010 9:44 pm

Get in there Rally monkey, woo hoo Philly are gonna get swept.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri May 07, 2010 9:49 pm

Seabrook beats Luongo 17 seconds in on the first shot on a pass from Toews to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.

This is where my confusion hits its height. Two Canadians just teamed up to beat a Canadian and somehow its the US vs Canada?

EDIT: f*** the Fin just got beat to tie it.

EDIT: Toews!!!! 2-1 Hawks

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri May 07, 2010 11:15 pm

Toews hat trick goal makes it 5-2 Hawks. Five points on the night so far for the captain.

Canucks completely imploding the same way they did last year.

tmdba37 · Post by **tmdba37** » Sat May 08, 2010 1:25 am

XXXIV wrote:Toews hat trick goal makes it 5-2 Hawks. Five points on the night so far for the captain.

Canucks completely imploding the same way they did last year.

Vancouver Canucks=all the talent in the world but seemingly no one home upstairs. Their lack of composure on their home ice is striking in its recklessness and stupidity.

That second period implosion was one for the books. . .stupid penalty after stupid penalty and it cost them the game and more than likely the series.

The sad thing is that this series was theirs for the taking. . .the Hawks were not on their game coming out of round one, but they've dug a hole so deep that they'll still be digging out next fall. . .