NHL Playoffs 09. Drop The Puck.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 2:01 pm

The NHL would benefit greatly if Crosby shut his yap 50 percent of the time on the ice and opened it 50 percent more off the ice, with something actually interesting to say.

I know Canadian players are drilled with the "team first, the boys" ethos until their subconscious is pulp, but I can't think of a more boring, vanilla superstar today in sports than Sid the Kid. That really hurts the NHL.

By no means do I want a T.O., Manny Ramirez or Eric Devendorf soiling the NHL, but Crosby has zero charisma and presence.

Take care,
PK

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 3:30 pm

Feanor wrote:John Stevens was really scathing about Crosby's goal last night, not because of what body part it came off of, but because he thought goaltender interference should have been called.

Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead when Flyers-killer Crosby scored as Kunitz's pass bounced off his body and into the net with 16:41 left in the second period. The play was reviewed, but the goal stood because the puck went off Crosby's stick and then his body, and he did not use a batting motion.

"Chris Kunitz threw it at the net, so I just went hard to the far post and got my stick on it," Crosby said. "Maybe it hit my leg or something too, but I was just trying to drive to the net."

Crosby also slid into the net. Flyers coach John Stevens thought goalie interference should have been called.

"I'd like to know why he can knock Marty into the net," Stevens said.

"We didn't put the puck at our feet and throw ourselves in the net, which obviously is allowed now," Stevens said. "Other than that, I thought we played a good hockey game."
I think he feels the noose tightening.

Well, Stevens better find another excuse because at that speed it's very hard to stop on a dime and he hardly touches the keeper and does only so as both legs make incidental contact when #87 ends up in the cage.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 3:30 pm

pk500 wrote:Crosby has zero charisma and presence.

Take care,
PK

Maybe with age he will mature into a wonderful spokesman for the NHL but right now he is who he is.
The only thing that he owes is hard play night in and night out..and from what Ive seen(granted its not as much as a Pens fan or an NHL Center Ice subscriber) that is what we get.

Now if he was a selfish piece of s*** like TO I would see a problem.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 3:49 pm

Tiger Woods can get away with just being great on the course because he's so dominant. Crosby isn't anywhere near that level, so charisma would help elevate the sport among the chattering classes.

Sports is no longer just sport. It's entertainment, and it's performers need to be entertainers.

Guys don't need to be "look at me" to be entertaining or charismatic. Take Tom Brady, for example. I think he's dull as dish water, but he has charisma and interests guys because he dumped the incredibly foxy Bridget Moynihan so he could bang Brazilian supermodel Giselle Bundchen.

What do we know about Crosby other than he's a damn good hockey player? Does he have any superstitions? Any outside businesses? Hobbies? What famous or hot chick is he banging?

We know nothing. And that makes Little Sidney a very dull boy.

Take care,
PK

Zlax45 · Post by **Zlax45** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 3:52 pm

I will make the argument that Malkin might be the best player on the Pens!

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 3:57 pm

pk500 wrote: We know nothing. And that makes Little Sidney a very dull boy.

Take care,
PK

Maybe he is just that...Im saying you cant get personality if its just not there. The guy is still very young maybe as he matures that will come.

As long as he does what he is paid for and doesnt disrupt his team...Its all good with me.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 3:59 pm

Zlax45 wrote:I will make the argument that Malkin might be the best player on the Pens!

Quite possible...I wouldnt know but it is a good question for Pens fans.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 4:02 pm

10spro wrote:Blues were a better team tonight. Special teams did it again for the 'Nucks especially the PK unit. We'll take it, a lot of guys are banged up and the extra days will help. This Bues team will be good to watch next season, they did well to reach the playoffs.

Burrows, Burrows, Burrows.

The Blues got completely screwed on what should have been their third goal. I'm sorry, it's not sour grapes but more a ref who evidently should not be officiating in the playoffs. What kind of rule is it when they had "intent" to blow the whistle but never did? WHAT WHAT WHAT? That is the dumbest, most idiotic sports rule I've ever heard in all of sports. The puck clearly crossed the line; however the ref's lips were obviously dry because he didn't have the strength to blow. Well, he blows and he should be never coach another playoff hockey game again.

That said, the Blues blew in OT. You can't have 6 minutes of powerplay and not score. And f*ck Barret Jackman for not attacking on that last rush with 18 seconds left. Take that Cannuck player out!

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 4:13 pm

I could care less who Sid or any other player is dating. Part of the why I like the NHL so much is that the sport is more about the game itself rather than off-ice foolishness or personalities. Many of the NHL stars appear very plain and vanilla off the ice. Thornton, Crosby, Malkin, Toews, and a whole host of others have a "good guy" image that is vanilla and not very flamboyant. That is why a guy like Ovechkin sticks out so much. Not only is he uber-talented, but he does it with flair and has an edge to him in interviews.

And as far as Crosby whining, he has cut down on that quite a bit. He has earned that reputation and it will take a while to lose it even if he doesn't whine much any more. You want to talk about consummate whiners? Take a look at about half of Philly's team. Every time I've seen them play in the past two years it is nothing but one big whine-fest from the players, coach, and fans. Whiniest group I think I have ever seen.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 4:38 pm

pk500 wrote:I can't think of a more boring, vanilla superstar today in sports than Sid the Kid.

Tim Duncan? I hope Sid gets as many championships!

I don't mind boring. Maybe that will mean he won't be riding around Pittsburgh on a motorcycle without a helmet or smoking weed in his SUV.

As far as whining, I'll readily admit that it's all about the name on the front of the uniform. Philly fan LOVED Allen Iverson, who was at or near the top of the NBA whiners list.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 4:50 pm

I always had mild interest in the Sixers until Iverson. Hated that guy and never watched them since.

I do have to admit though, Mark Recchi was always one of my favorite players and that guy bitched (and still bitches) like there's no tomorrow.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 4:54 pm

Leebo33 wrote:
pk500 wrote:I can't think of a more boring, vanilla superstar today in sports than Sid the Kid.
Tim Duncan? I hope Sid gets as many championships!

I don't mind boring. Maybe that will mean he won't be riding around Pittsburgh on a motorcycle without a helmet or smoking weed in his SUV.

As far as whining, I'll readily admit that it's all about the name on the front of the uniform. Philly fan LOVED Allen Iverson, who was at or near the top of the NBA whiners list.

Good point on Duncan!

I look at things differently than most because I work in the sports business. When you're trying to get your sport to break through the chatter, often the game is not enough.

Part of the appeal of super-popular sports such as the NFL, NBA, MLB and NASCAR is that either the leagues, teams and sports media have promoted the competitors as more than just athletes.

I would love hockey whether woofers are Saskatchewan prairie boys were playing it. And like toonarmy, I do like the "team first" approach of hockey players. But nearly all American sports fans want more than that, want to know more than just the action on the playing surface, and it's one of the reasons hockey sadly isn't that popular.

You certainly can't indict the action on the ice. It's more exciting than any team sport on Earth. But the American sports fan wants more these days. They want to read Shaq's tweets. They want to see their guy on TMZ with some babe on his arm. They want to read about the latest training camp antics.

That's a sad evolution in American sport, but it's today's reality.

Take care,
PK

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 5:35 pm

sportdan30 wrote:
10spro wrote:Blues were a better team tonight. Special teams did it again for the 'Nucks especially the PK unit. We'll take it, a lot of guys are banged up and the extra days will help. This Bues team will be good to watch next season, they did well to reach the playoffs.

Burrows, Burrows, Burrows.
The Blues got completely screwed on what should have been their third goal. I'm sorry, it's not sour grapes but more a ref who evidently should not be officiating in the playoffs. What kind of rule is it when they had "intent" to blow the whistle but never did? WHAT WHAT WHAT? That is the dumbest, most idiotic sports rule I've ever heard in all of sports. The puck clearly crossed the line; however the ref's lips were obviously dry because he didn't have the strength to blow. Well, he blows and he should be never coach another playoff hockey game again.

That said, the Blues blew in OT. You can't have 6 minutes of powerplay and not score. And f*ck Barret Jackman for not attacking on that last rush with 18 seconds left. Take that Cannuck player out!

Screwed? I don't think so. You can blame the inability of the 8th best PP team in the league to put the puck past Luongo, not only during that eternal 6 minutes that my boys had to kill in OT and seemed like an eternity when you're a Canucks fan, but also throughout the entire series.
Only 1 goal to show for in 24 tries? Give me a break.

Personally, even though it was a sweet sweep it didn't feel like it, because your boys did play tough overall especially last night and in the end Special Teams on both sides and Bobby Lou were the difference.

There was indeed one camera angle where the puck showed it had crossed the line after A. Steen wrap-around forced Luongo to stretch like a splayed Bambi. But after the lenghty review, it was ruled that the whistle was already blown when the puck crossed.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 5:47 pm

pk500 wrote:Tiger Woods can get away with just being great on the course because he's so dominant. Crosby isn't anywhere near that level, so charisma would help elevate the sport among the chattering classes.

I would add R. Federer and now Rafa Nadal, both classy and charismatic, great ambassadors for the sport of Tennis.

pk500 wrote:What do we know about Crosby other than he's a damn good hockey player? Does he have any superstitions? Any outside businesses? Hobbies? What famous or hot chick is he banging?

We know nothing. And that makes Little Sidney a very dull boy.

Personally, I think it's his choice and if he wants to keep it private, so be it. Actually nothing would disappoint me more than finding out the lads that M. Fisher and M. Comrie are banging. Crosby still lives with the M. Lemieux I believe, he's in good hands.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 8:50 pm

The Habs....brutal. I know they had a couple of injuries but this is weak.

Unlike the Blues, who fought to the bitter end and were in all but one game, they are going down without a fight. They will be swept while never even really threatening anything at all.

Lets go Hawks!!!

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:51 pm

10spro wrote:
Screwed? I don't think so. You can blame the inability of the 8th best PP team in the league to put the puck past Luongo, not only during that eternal 6 minutes that my boys had to kill in OT and seemed like an eternity when you're a Canucks fan, but also throughout the entire series.
Only 1 goal to show for in 24 tries? Give me a break.

Personally, even though it was a sweet sweep it didn't feel like it, because your boys did play tough overall especially last night and in the end Special Teams on both sides and Bobby Lou were the difference.

There was indeed one camera angle where the puck showed it had crossed the line after A. Steen wrap-around forced Luongo to stretch like a splayed Bambi. But after the lenghty review, it was ruled that the whistle was already blown when the puck crossed.

We lost the game, period... but that was one f***ed up reffing job on that one. The whistle was not blown before the puck went into the net - he said he ruled the play dead.. refs should always wait a bit on a scrum in front of the net - bottom line, it was a goal - and I've always been someone that in any sport - want the call to be right no matter who's playing.

We got our asses kicked though so it's all good. I'm excited this young team saw some playoff time.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 1:45 am

See-saw match at the Saddledome, Blackhawks' rookies mistakes are starting to show and the Flames' veterans took advantage of it. CAL evens the series but they still don't show me that they're the better team.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:32 am

Pissing off Iginla in Game 3 was a large mistake for Chicago, as it always is.

Does anyone else think Torts might sit Avery or severely limit his ice time after that stupid late penalty against Tom Poti last night? Tortorella isn't exactly patient with players.

Pretty sad to see the Habs go down with such a whimper in their historic 100th season. That team needs to be rebuilt almost from scratch. Its core group is too old or too ineffective.

The sweep by Boston was impressive. And Detroit should use the broom tonight against Columbus. But I'm not bowled over yet by either the Bruins or Wings. They're both very good teams, but I think they were flattered by the overall weakness of their opposition in the first round.

Vancouver, on the other hand, is impressing the hell out of me. That was no ordinary sweep. St. Louis played tough as hell, pushing the Canucks in every game.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 10:10 am

God, I REALLY miss watching Oilers' games. The playoffs are great, and I'm enjoying hours of action every night, but my inner clock already is ticking toward the Oilers' 2009-10 opener in October.

Just had to get that off my chest. Sorry.

Take care,
PK

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 10:43 am

pk500 wrote:God, I REALLY miss watching Oilers' games. The playoffs are great, and I'm enjoying hours of action every night, but my inner clock already is ticking toward the Oilers' 2009-10 opener in October.

Just had to get that off my chest. Sorry.

Take care,
PK

I feel the same way about the Blues.. that's why I'm playing GM Hockey 2009..

fletcher21 · Post by **fletcher21** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 10:58 am

I love the Oilers jerseys.. Let's list our top 5 hockey jerseys

1. Old school North Stars
2. Rangers
3. Oilers
4. Winnipeg Jets
5. Old school Kings

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 11:05 am

Holy hell, Kessel was a mile offsides on the Bruins' third goal last night. Not that it matters, but the linesman blew that call, big time.

Take care,
PK

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 11:14 am

Lundqvist stole the game last night, did anyone see that laser shot that he just snapped with his glove with Luongoesque reflexes? Hot stuff and S.Avery could have easily lost the game for the Rangers with his continuos childish behaviour. Torts maybe fed up with him but sadly I hate to say that the Rangers won't to far without him. I still think the Caps are capable of taking a couple of more games in this series.

The raising of the arms by C. Price who was booed by the faithful fans summerized the season for Montreal. Sad.

From all the sweeps and the one that DET is going to get tonight, Vancouver's broom definitely was the hardest to accomplish. PK, the team showed me grit and character, but they still need to play with more discipline. Giving those eternal 5 on 3 to a team like DET would kill us anytime, even with Luongo in net.

S. Salo is huge for this team and I hope these extra days will help some guys get better, you Blues fans can take pride that there's at least 6-7 guys pretty banged up from that series.

In the West I still respect ANA too much and their series with SJ is catching fire. I know how you dudes feel when your team is no longer in the dance, believe me when I say that in their almost 40 years of existence, I suffered enough with the Canucks being on the outside but nah these playoffs are great so far.

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 11:19 am

10spro wrote:Well, Stevens better find another excuse because at that speed it's very hard to stop on a dime and he hardly touches the keeper and does only so as both legs make incidental contact when #87 ends up in the cage.

The speed Crosby was traveling at is irrelevant since he wasn't pushed; it's the skater's responsibility to not go flying thru the crease into the back of the net. Incidental contact is what happened between Jokinen and Broduer (outside the crease) at the end of game 4 of the Devils-Canes series. Crosby's legs pushing into Biron and squeezing him against the far post so he can't get to the puck is the exact opposite. But the goal couldn't be overturned on review for goaltender interference because a penalty like that has to be called on the ice, the review was just to determine if Crosby kicked or batted the puck into the net, which he didn't.

Actually, even if Crosby's contact with Biron was incidental, it was a clear the goal should have been disallowed. The refs on the ice just blew it.

69.3 Contact Inside the Goal Crease - If an attacking player initiates contact with a goalkeeper, incidental or otherwise, while the goalkeeper is in his goal crease, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.

If a goalkeeper, in the act of establishing his position within his goal crease, initiates contact with an attacking player who is in the goal crease, and this results in an impairment of the goalkeeper’s ability to defend his goal, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.

If, after any contact by a goalkeeper who is attempting to establish position in his goal crease, the attacking player does not immediately vacate his current position in the goal crease (i.e. give ground to the goalkeeper), and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed. In all such cases, whether or not a goal is scored, the attacking player will receive a minor penalty for goalkeeper interference.

If an attacking player establishes a significant position within the goal crease, so as to obstruct the goalkeeper’s vision and impair his ability to defend his goal, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.

For this purpose, a player “establishes a significant position within the crease” when, in the Referee’s judgment, his body, or a substantial portion thereof, is within the goal crease for more than an instantaneous period of time.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 11:34 am

10spro wrote: The raising of the arms by C. Price who was booed by the faithful fans summerized the season for Montreal. Sad.

Ya...Sad...The season started with high hopes and great promise...Then they crashed and burned.