I know it's been forever since i've been able to catch up on the blog (been a surprisingly busy summer), so this is probably old news now anyway. But I do want to share my thoughts on Antti Niemi leaving, and Marty Turco joining our defending Stanley Cup champs.
I have extremely mixed emotions about it, but when it comes down to it, I think this was a good deal. Niemi played so well, especially in the series against the Sharks, but i think when Turco is behind this stellar defensive core, he's going to do just as well, if not better. I mentioned the Sharks series aside because that series was really all about him stopping pretty much everything he saw, especially in that first game. I'll never forget that performance. I did read an interesting stat about Turco only having a .717 save % in the shootout, so if there is anything to worry about with this deal, it might be that. I liked Dan MacNeil's idea of taking him out with :30 left in OT and putting Corey Crawford in. Hehe. Otherwise i think his veteran presence will be a good thing, and Crawford will be able to learn a thing or two to get better himself.
On the other hand...October 9th will come along, and the Redwings will be in our building. They will sit on the bench during the pre-game activities, and watch in awe as our Stanley Cup championship banner will be raised into the rafters to join its three brothers, and stare directly into the face of its six cousins (heh heh). The crowd will roar and cheer as they remember the emotion that ran through them when they were wondering where the hell the puck was and why Kaner started celebrating...they'll scream and cheer and fill the arena with joy...
...and Marty Turco will be standing in the net.
Just doesn't seem quite right to me.
I know that my reasons for missing Niemi are more sentimental than they are about the numbers, but who can really say that it's not? I'll miss you, Antti, and I'll never forget what you did for this team, and this city.
Here's to hoping Turco has a good year, and that the dismantled Blackhawks can start the season off right.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Atlanta Thrashawks?
Well, this certainly has been quite the offseason for our boys, hasn't it?
The Thrashers have become an exaggerated version of the Kansas City Royals, in that the Royals have many old Sox players on their team. The Thrashers have most of the players we did not keep, aside from Versteeg and Burish. But now with that stupid stupid salary cap still looming, and a not very nice move by the Sharks to try and take Hjallmarson away (since they send Nabokov back to Russia...), now we are faced with a pretty interesting and pretty hectic decision.
What will happen to Antti Niemi?
Will we have to send even more players to Atlanta? Will they just become the same Blackhawks team that we were this year (Aside from Goaltending, our top and second defensive pair, and our top line, that is.)? I am intrigued as to what will happen for the rest of the summer, as only time will tell. It just saddens me that our team has exploded into other sections of the NHL after such an amazing Stanley Cup victory run. I understand the business side of it, but I still hate it. And I promise you, I will hate it even more if we don't re-sign Niemi.
In other news, I am going to make it a point to go to Manitoba someday and visit lake Toews....just sayin'...
I really thought it was cool that the lovely town of Winnipeg did so much for the Captain. I'm very sure his day with the cup was a memorable one, indeed.
I wonder if the Blackhawks will win "Best Team" at the ESPY's tonight...I will be watching, to see if the boys are there and also because this is the slowest sports day. But if the ESPY's get to be too much to handle, there's always Game 6 of the aforementioned Stanley Cup finals on CSN...
The Thrashers have become an exaggerated version of the Kansas City Royals, in that the Royals have many old Sox players on their team. The Thrashers have most of the players we did not keep, aside from Versteeg and Burish. But now with that stupid stupid salary cap still looming, and a not very nice move by the Sharks to try and take Hjallmarson away (since they send Nabokov back to Russia...), now we are faced with a pretty interesting and pretty hectic decision.
What will happen to Antti Niemi?
Will we have to send even more players to Atlanta? Will they just become the same Blackhawks team that we were this year (Aside from Goaltending, our top and second defensive pair, and our top line, that is.)? I am intrigued as to what will happen for the rest of the summer, as only time will tell. It just saddens me that our team has exploded into other sections of the NHL after such an amazing Stanley Cup victory run. I understand the business side of it, but I still hate it. And I promise you, I will hate it even more if we don't re-sign Niemi.
In other news, I am going to make it a point to go to Manitoba someday and visit lake Toews....just sayin'...
I really thought it was cool that the lovely town of Winnipeg did so much for the Captain. I'm very sure his day with the cup was a memorable one, indeed.
I wonder if the Blackhawks will win "Best Team" at the ESPY's tonight...I will be watching, to see if the boys are there and also because this is the slowest sports day. But if the ESPY's get to be too much to handle, there's always Game 6 of the aforementioned Stanley Cup finals on CSN...
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Buff is grindy and I hate the Salary cap
I knew it was inevitable for us to have to get rid of people, and alot of people are up in arms about the trade we just made with Atlanta, sending Buff, Eager, and Sopel over there for a couple of picks and prospects and whatnot (i'm not even really sure, I was in the midst of a 2 hour rain delay at the Cell when I heard the news...). Not to mention today's trade of Colin Fraser, which did not cause as much of an uproar.
I don't really blame people for being angry about it, I mean, Buff was a key element to not only beating Vancouver, but San Jose as well. He had a great run in the playoffs and became an instant fan favorite, and then he was gone as soon as we won the championship...
...and ya know? it kinda reminds me of Aaron Rowand a bit now that I think about it. Big Buff could be the new grindiest man in the world at this rate. The reaction from the fans has been almost identical to that of Sox fans when we traded Rowand away. Only difference is, we got Jim Thome in return. that's actually a pretty good deal. This hockey one, not so much. But there's a reason for that.
And that reason is the salary cap. After that weird situation with Dale Tallon last year involving the players who would become free agents, we now find ourselves in a bit of a dilemma. We signed the core players, Captain, Kaner, and Keith, so we could be secure there. But it was inevitable that we would have to trade people away to make room for that money to resign the others, or just not resign them at all. I have always had mixed reviews about the salary cap in sports. Baseball is the one i think should have one the most, but it's the only one that doesn't. I like the idea of letting the little guy win once in a while, but i am not crazy about the cap in the NHL. I think it just might be a little too strict.
For example: Captain accomplishes something very awesome in winning the Conn Smythe trophy. He gets a bonus on his contract for winning said trophy. Now the team has even less money to work with because it goes towards the cap. So basically, for helping his team win the Stanley Cup, he's screwing his team over. Now where I come from that's just not right. I read in the Tribune that he wanted to differ the money, but the league said no dude. I would be interested to know how he feels about that, given what I know about him and his personality. Maybe i'll get a chance to meet him again and ask him ^_^ (although when I met him the first time I didn't know what to say and i'm sure I sounded dumb...kinda glad my friends weren't there to see that one lol).
Anyway, that's my issue here and that's really all I can say about it. I'll miss these boys, especially big Buff...hopefully he'll still get in Luongo's crease when the Thrashers play Vancouver...
I don't really blame people for being angry about it, I mean, Buff was a key element to not only beating Vancouver, but San Jose as well. He had a great run in the playoffs and became an instant fan favorite, and then he was gone as soon as we won the championship...
...and ya know? it kinda reminds me of Aaron Rowand a bit now that I think about it. Big Buff could be the new grindiest man in the world at this rate. The reaction from the fans has been almost identical to that of Sox fans when we traded Rowand away. Only difference is, we got Jim Thome in return. that's actually a pretty good deal. This hockey one, not so much. But there's a reason for that.
And that reason is the salary cap. After that weird situation with Dale Tallon last year involving the players who would become free agents, we now find ourselves in a bit of a dilemma. We signed the core players, Captain, Kaner, and Keith, so we could be secure there. But it was inevitable that we would have to trade people away to make room for that money to resign the others, or just not resign them at all. I have always had mixed reviews about the salary cap in sports. Baseball is the one i think should have one the most, but it's the only one that doesn't. I like the idea of letting the little guy win once in a while, but i am not crazy about the cap in the NHL. I think it just might be a little too strict.
For example: Captain accomplishes something very awesome in winning the Conn Smythe trophy. He gets a bonus on his contract for winning said trophy. Now the team has even less money to work with because it goes towards the cap. So basically, for helping his team win the Stanley Cup, he's screwing his team over. Now where I come from that's just not right. I read in the Tribune that he wanted to differ the money, but the league said no dude. I would be interested to know how he feels about that, given what I know about him and his personality. Maybe i'll get a chance to meet him again and ask him ^_^ (although when I met him the first time I didn't know what to say and i'm sure I sounded dumb...kinda glad my friends weren't there to see that one lol).
Anyway, that's my issue here and that's really all I can say about it. I'll miss these boys, especially big Buff...hopefully he'll still get in Luongo's crease when the Thrashers play Vancouver...
Monday, June 21, 2010
checklist of awesomeness
Stanley Cup? check.
Olympic Gold Medal? check.
Conn Smythe trophy? check.
being on the cover of a video game? check.
<3 <3 <3 yes.
Olympic Gold Medal? check.
Conn Smythe trophy? check.
being on the cover of a video game? check.
<3 <3 <3 yes.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
The cup chronicles: vol. VII: The day Chicago forgot about the crosstown game
Yesterday morning was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. We got downtown around 8:30, which i thought would be somewhat early enough, but I was wrong. We got as close as we could to the intersection with the stage, but we were a little bit south of Wacker on Michigan Ave., pretty much right across the street from the Blackhawks store.
People were pretty much squished together as my friends and I tried to make our way up the crowd. It was really hot, so unfortunately some people passed out around us, and others were just feeling really claustrophobic. As for me, I was a little on the warm side, especially because I was wearing the alternate black jersey, but I knew that it would be all worthwhile to get a glimpse of the Captain with the Cup in his hands. And it was.
As the busses approached us, I got up on my friend's shoulders so I could see, and the initial sight of everyone was pretty overwhelming. It was so amazing how many people there really were to come and throw love back at these boys. I waved and yelled and blew kisses to all of them, and got waves back from Adam Burish and Brian Campbell. Then, as the final bus approached, I saw Captain and Kaner, with the cup riding alongside. I let out a shriek like none other, like a 12 year old girl at a Backstreet Boys concert (perhaps i'm dating myself a bit when I say that...). I thought I was going to die. I yelled to them of my undying love, and waved furiously, and with Kaner's free hand, he pointed right at me. His other hand? occupied by his bottle of champagne. Captain was looking the other way, so alas I did not get a wave back from him. But the acknowledgment from Kaner was still awesome.
The rally was a very amazing and very memorable thing. I think Kaner stole the show with his whole "I'll keep my shirt on this summer" and "I love ya, cab drivers" thing. I also liked Keith's inquiry of whether the fans knew a good dentist, even though I expected him to say something like that. But I think my favorite part, the part that made me laugh for hours afterward, goes a little sometihng like this:
Every time I dive in my pool
It's hard to be humble
while I do a breast stroke through an underground tunnel
and come up on the other side in a Jacuzzi
being greeted by 2 girls who are wearin' my jersey
They give me lots of hugs and kisses and they ask me what my wish is
I say "go and get your friends cuz there's gonna be a party"
And in the end the Stanley Cup is a dream!!! and i'm like YES!!
(Kris Versteeg is a STUD)
The weird thing was, that I don't remember a time ever that the Sox vs Cubs game was such a side note. It really seemed like nobody was talking about it at all. That's really how much of an impact these boys have had on this city. It's really an amazing phenomena when a baseball crazed city like us just kinda keeps such a big rivalry in the back of their mind. I love it.
So all in all, it was a very memorable day, and when I got home last night after thinking about the victory, and the celebration, and how special this team really is, it brought tears to my eyes. One of the most unforgettable chapters in my life has come to an end. Thank you boys, for everything. Now a whole summer without the Captain. How sad...i'll miss you <3
And this year's Cup chronicles are Ovah! I hope they'll be back next year ^_~
People were pretty much squished together as my friends and I tried to make our way up the crowd. It was really hot, so unfortunately some people passed out around us, and others were just feeling really claustrophobic. As for me, I was a little on the warm side, especially because I was wearing the alternate black jersey, but I knew that it would be all worthwhile to get a glimpse of the Captain with the Cup in his hands. And it was.
As the busses approached us, I got up on my friend's shoulders so I could see, and the initial sight of everyone was pretty overwhelming. It was so amazing how many people there really were to come and throw love back at these boys. I waved and yelled and blew kisses to all of them, and got waves back from Adam Burish and Brian Campbell. Then, as the final bus approached, I saw Captain and Kaner, with the cup riding alongside. I let out a shriek like none other, like a 12 year old girl at a Backstreet Boys concert (perhaps i'm dating myself a bit when I say that...). I thought I was going to die. I yelled to them of my undying love, and waved furiously, and with Kaner's free hand, he pointed right at me. His other hand? occupied by his bottle of champagne. Captain was looking the other way, so alas I did not get a wave back from him. But the acknowledgment from Kaner was still awesome.
The rally was a very amazing and very memorable thing. I think Kaner stole the show with his whole "I'll keep my shirt on this summer" and "I love ya, cab drivers" thing. I also liked Keith's inquiry of whether the fans knew a good dentist, even though I expected him to say something like that. But I think my favorite part, the part that made me laugh for hours afterward, goes a little sometihng like this:
Every time I dive in my pool
It's hard to be humble
while I do a breast stroke through an underground tunnel
and come up on the other side in a Jacuzzi
being greeted by 2 girls who are wearin' my jersey
They give me lots of hugs and kisses and they ask me what my wish is
I say "go and get your friends cuz there's gonna be a party"
And in the end the Stanley Cup is a dream!!! and i'm like YES!!
(Kris Versteeg is a STUD)
The weird thing was, that I don't remember a time ever that the Sox vs Cubs game was such a side note. It really seemed like nobody was talking about it at all. That's really how much of an impact these boys have had on this city. It's really an amazing phenomena when a baseball crazed city like us just kinda keeps such a big rivalry in the back of their mind. I love it.
So all in all, it was a very memorable day, and when I got home last night after thinking about the victory, and the celebration, and how special this team really is, it brought tears to my eyes. One of the most unforgettable chapters in my life has come to an end. Thank you boys, for everything. Now a whole summer without the Captain. How sad...i'll miss you <3
And this year's Cup chronicles are Ovah! I hope they'll be back next year ^_~
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The cup chronicles: vol. VI: There are no words.
Those commercials really are true, there are no words to describe what i'm feeling or what anyone else is feeling for that matter. But last night was one of the most memorable moments of my life, even giving October 26, 2005 a run for its money...
We were out at a little townie bar on NIU's campus called Lord Stanley's (obviously a very fitting venue), and the crowd there including myself and my friends was, well, indescribable. So much excitement, so much tension, especially when the score kept going back and forth like it had been in every game in the series. That intermission before overtime brought on an extremely anticipatory mood. Everyone was thinking the same thing I was, "This could really happen tonight..." and it did.
Ah, the weirdest goal ever. Most game winning goals are fired in like a laser beam past the unsuspecting goalie. This time, it was kind of just...in the goal...past the unsuspecting Leighton. Part of the crowd started cheering and I was just really confused. I saw Kaner throw his arms up in the air. "Did we just...win?" I thought. And as they showed the replay, the crowd exploded, and I just stood there for a brief moment. I didn't know what to do with myself. After the shock and awe of the unusual situation that had just occured, I screamed my freaking lungs out. To be able to celebrate with my boyfriend, whom i met in 2006 (so we had just missed the Sox World Series victory together) was really a special moment too. We had watched so many games from so many teams in our relationship together, and now we could finally share our first championship together.
And then, as many would expect of me, I teared up just a tiny bit apon seeing the not-so-serious Captain getting interviewed. He had the biggest smile in the world on his face, and I was so happy for him. He and the rest of the team had worked so hard to get here, and it was all worthwhile. And Captain got his well-deserved Conn Smythe trophy, and when he held that cup high in the air and kissed it, it was all over for me. I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life.
I also got a little choked up when i talked to my dad. He taught me how to love these crazy teams of ours in this city, and he had been waiting a long, long time for this. All that time he spent as a kid shooting the puck around in the garage or minding a pretend net as Tony Esposito, all the times the games weren't shown on TV or even sometimes not even on the radio, now things have really turned around.
The celebration has only just begun. Tomorrow morning, myself and the rest of the SAS crew will be over at the rally. We are going to try to get there as early as we can, so I can get the best view of the Captain. ^_~ we will be at the intersection of Michigan and Wacker where the stage will be set up. Look for me, i'll be wearing the black alternate Toews jersey and have my patented Indian feather clip in my hair. ^_^
I still can't describe how i'm feeling, even after it's been almost a whole day. I am just so proud of these boys, and I love them all so much. They really are my heroes. <3 Thank you, Blackhawks.
2010. Stanley. Cup. Champions.
We were out at a little townie bar on NIU's campus called Lord Stanley's (obviously a very fitting venue), and the crowd there including myself and my friends was, well, indescribable. So much excitement, so much tension, especially when the score kept going back and forth like it had been in every game in the series. That intermission before overtime brought on an extremely anticipatory mood. Everyone was thinking the same thing I was, "This could really happen tonight..." and it did.
Ah, the weirdest goal ever. Most game winning goals are fired in like a laser beam past the unsuspecting goalie. This time, it was kind of just...in the goal...past the unsuspecting Leighton. Part of the crowd started cheering and I was just really confused. I saw Kaner throw his arms up in the air. "Did we just...win?" I thought. And as they showed the replay, the crowd exploded, and I just stood there for a brief moment. I didn't know what to do with myself. After the shock and awe of the unusual situation that had just occured, I screamed my freaking lungs out. To be able to celebrate with my boyfriend, whom i met in 2006 (so we had just missed the Sox World Series victory together) was really a special moment too. We had watched so many games from so many teams in our relationship together, and now we could finally share our first championship together.
And then, as many would expect of me, I teared up just a tiny bit apon seeing the not-so-serious Captain getting interviewed. He had the biggest smile in the world on his face, and I was so happy for him. He and the rest of the team had worked so hard to get here, and it was all worthwhile. And Captain got his well-deserved Conn Smythe trophy, and when he held that cup high in the air and kissed it, it was all over for me. I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life.
I also got a little choked up when i talked to my dad. He taught me how to love these crazy teams of ours in this city, and he had been waiting a long, long time for this. All that time he spent as a kid shooting the puck around in the garage or minding a pretend net as Tony Esposito, all the times the games weren't shown on TV or even sometimes not even on the radio, now things have really turned around.
The celebration has only just begun. Tomorrow morning, myself and the rest of the SAS crew will be over at the rally. We are going to try to get there as early as we can, so I can get the best view of the Captain. ^_~ we will be at the intersection of Michigan and Wacker where the stage will be set up. Look for me, i'll be wearing the black alternate Toews jersey and have my patented Indian feather clip in my hair. ^_^
I still can't describe how i'm feeling, even after it's been almost a whole day. I am just so proud of these boys, and I love them all so much. They really are my heroes. <3 Thank you, Blackhawks.
2010. Stanley. Cup. Champions.
Monday, June 7, 2010
The cup chronicles: vol. V: 1 more...
It could be just 60 more minutes of playing time before my Captain has the cup in his hands...and I am officially in fangirl freakout mode.
That game last night was amazing. The Hawks played like the team I know and love, not the team that played in games 3 and 4. Switching up the lines did help (even though Chris D-bag Pronger said it didn't have anything to do with anything, but who cares what he has to say anyways), and even though captain's line was -6 total, I think that putting him with Hossa and Kopecky was a sweet idea, and it seemed to be effective dispite the fact that 2 goals got in while they were out. As usual, Captain had alot of opportunities to score, but Leighton is evil and denied him of the Stanley Cup finals goal you know he wants so very much. Perhaps on Wednesday...
All in all, everyone has stepped up in some way to help out this team, and I really love that about them. Obviously Niemi has done a good enough job for the most part, even though in the finals he hasn't been as stellar per se. I still love the job he's done throughout the postseason, especially after all the pointless goaltending controversy that occurred throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. I also love how Bolland, the big man Buff, and Hossa have been playing. And let's not forget about our lovely defenseman Keith and Seabs. A team where everyone steps up will win a championship, i've seen it happen before...^_~
I hate that there are 2 days till game 6 instead of just 1 like usual. Hopefully tomorrow goes by fast (although I do have to work at the Sox game so that's not gonna happen...). The night before game 5 I had some really messed up dreams, and I couldn't sleep because of the excitement. i feel like that will happen again tomorrow night for sure. Yes the dreams did include Hawks players. That is all I will say about it. The point is, the excitement for the next 2 days is going to be intense, and to pass the time i will play my favorite online game and watch a whole lot of NHL network.
Speaking of watching things, I watched alot of Comcast Sportsnet today. Last night at the game, Dave Kaplan of Chicago Tribune Live ate dinner at the Stadium Club, so i wanted to watch it to see if he mentioned anything about his experience, but alas he did not. I also watched a great show in the morning that pretty much consisted of Sarah Kustok and Chuck Garfien working out for half an hour. if that's not quality television, i don't know what is. Then they replayed yesterday's game, so I of course watched that. Then, on Sportsnite, they had this guy from CSN Philadelphia talkin smack about our city...and would you believe he had the NERVE to say that we "can't even get the RIGHT team in our town to win the world series" as they showed footage from '05??? That pretty much pushed me over the edge. Shawn, you can have your Phillies, and the half of HBJ that likes the Flyers can have that too. But I really really just don't like that city anymore.
Anyway, Wednesday will be awesome and you can bet that i will be watching on the edge of my seat the whole time. Could it be the day that all of us Hawks fans have been waiting for? I just have to try to get through tomorrow first...
That game last night was amazing. The Hawks played like the team I know and love, not the team that played in games 3 and 4. Switching up the lines did help (even though Chris D-bag Pronger said it didn't have anything to do with anything, but who cares what he has to say anyways), and even though captain's line was -6 total, I think that putting him with Hossa and Kopecky was a sweet idea, and it seemed to be effective dispite the fact that 2 goals got in while they were out. As usual, Captain had alot of opportunities to score, but Leighton is evil and denied him of the Stanley Cup finals goal you know he wants so very much. Perhaps on Wednesday...
All in all, everyone has stepped up in some way to help out this team, and I really love that about them. Obviously Niemi has done a good enough job for the most part, even though in the finals he hasn't been as stellar per se. I still love the job he's done throughout the postseason, especially after all the pointless goaltending controversy that occurred throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. I also love how Bolland, the big man Buff, and Hossa have been playing. And let's not forget about our lovely defenseman Keith and Seabs. A team where everyone steps up will win a championship, i've seen it happen before...^_~
I hate that there are 2 days till game 6 instead of just 1 like usual. Hopefully tomorrow goes by fast (although I do have to work at the Sox game so that's not gonna happen...). The night before game 5 I had some really messed up dreams, and I couldn't sleep because of the excitement. i feel like that will happen again tomorrow night for sure. Yes the dreams did include Hawks players. That is all I will say about it. The point is, the excitement for the next 2 days is going to be intense, and to pass the time i will play my favorite online game and watch a whole lot of NHL network.
Speaking of watching things, I watched alot of Comcast Sportsnet today. Last night at the game, Dave Kaplan of Chicago Tribune Live ate dinner at the Stadium Club, so i wanted to watch it to see if he mentioned anything about his experience, but alas he did not. I also watched a great show in the morning that pretty much consisted of Sarah Kustok and Chuck Garfien working out for half an hour. if that's not quality television, i don't know what is. Then they replayed yesterday's game, so I of course watched that. Then, on Sportsnite, they had this guy from CSN Philadelphia talkin smack about our city...and would you believe he had the NERVE to say that we "can't even get the RIGHT team in our town to win the world series" as they showed footage from '05??? That pretty much pushed me over the edge. Shawn, you can have your Phillies, and the half of HBJ that likes the Flyers can have that too. But I really really just don't like that city anymore.
Anyway, Wednesday will be awesome and you can bet that i will be watching on the edge of my seat the whole time. Could it be the day that all of us Hawks fans have been waiting for? I just have to try to get through tomorrow first...
Friday, June 4, 2010
The cup chronicles: vol. IV: best of three.
Well, After this one, I have alot of thoughts running through my pretty little fangirl head, but i'm trying to keep my cool as much as I can.
First of all, I was a big Hjallmerson supporter, but I am extremely disappointed in the way he turned the puck over TWICE to give the Flyers a chance to score 2 goals, which if you think about it was the difference, considering our almost-epic comeback in the third period.
I kind of like that we started a comeback like that, although i'm frustrated that we didn't finish it. The comeback was a good sign that my boys never quit, no matter how stupid and evil these Flyers really are.
Don't even get me started on Chris Pronger. I will hurt him in ways he never thought possible if I run into him at the UC on Sunday. I was hoping Sunday would be the clinching day, but I guess that's not gonna happen now. I don't mind the Hawks in 6, but if it goes to 7, well...my Chicago baseball fans know what else happens that day...(but if you don't, the Sox indeed play the Cubs at Wrigley that day...)
So now it becomes a best of three series, and the intensity is through the roof. I know Sunday that myself and the rest of the crowd will be out of its mind, and I will love any minute of it.
I work at the Sox game the night of game 6...but i'm gonna do everything in my power to change that ^_~ I look forward to these next 2 games, and you can bet that I will be screaming my lungs out at the pure evil that is the Philadelphia Flyers.
This is war.
Also, i'd like to take a moment to mourn the loss of John Wooden. Definitely a legend of the sports world, and as Bill Walton (whom i absolutely love) said, he is an "intergalactic being", and he will be greatly missed.
First of all, I was a big Hjallmerson supporter, but I am extremely disappointed in the way he turned the puck over TWICE to give the Flyers a chance to score 2 goals, which if you think about it was the difference, considering our almost-epic comeback in the third period.
I kind of like that we started a comeback like that, although i'm frustrated that we didn't finish it. The comeback was a good sign that my boys never quit, no matter how stupid and evil these Flyers really are.
Don't even get me started on Chris Pronger. I will hurt him in ways he never thought possible if I run into him at the UC on Sunday. I was hoping Sunday would be the clinching day, but I guess that's not gonna happen now. I don't mind the Hawks in 6, but if it goes to 7, well...my Chicago baseball fans know what else happens that day...(but if you don't, the Sox indeed play the Cubs at Wrigley that day...)
So now it becomes a best of three series, and the intensity is through the roof. I know Sunday that myself and the rest of the crowd will be out of its mind, and I will love any minute of it.
I work at the Sox game the night of game 6...but i'm gonna do everything in my power to change that ^_~ I look forward to these next 2 games, and you can bet that I will be screaming my lungs out at the pure evil that is the Philadelphia Flyers.
This is war.
Also, i'd like to take a moment to mourn the loss of John Wooden. Definitely a legend of the sports world, and as Bill Walton (whom i absolutely love) said, he is an "intergalactic being", and he will be greatly missed.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
The cup chronicles: vol. III: 2nd intermission quickie
As you know by now, I work at the games at the UC, so I haven't really been able to post about those games just yet. But don't worry, i will.
As for right now, it is currently tied at 2 (thanks to....Brent Sopel???) in the second intermission. Here are a few quick tidbits before i continue watching this crazy crazy game.
First of all, I know I said Mike Richards was my sworn enemy, but now that answer has obviously changed to Chris Pronger. At the end of the first period, he had Captain in a headlock for God's sake. Not to mention all those other stupid things he's been doing. Jut cuz he's old and can barely move does not give him the right to mess with us like that. Not like we can't handle it, though.
Also, you gotta love the old Sopel goal. How random is that?? both goals in this game so far are by defenseman, which is awesome (the first one by our friend Duncan Keith, who ith very happy to be in the Thanley Cup Finalth). I can tell that the tension is building very much here, and it will make for an awesome third period. I hope the Hawks come out strong once again, and we can win this thing and change that 2 to a 1...^_^
Here we go, 3rd period time. Let's go boys! <3
As for right now, it is currently tied at 2 (thanks to....Brent Sopel???) in the second intermission. Here are a few quick tidbits before i continue watching this crazy crazy game.
First of all, I know I said Mike Richards was my sworn enemy, but now that answer has obviously changed to Chris Pronger. At the end of the first period, he had Captain in a headlock for God's sake. Not to mention all those other stupid things he's been doing. Jut cuz he's old and can barely move does not give him the right to mess with us like that. Not like we can't handle it, though.
Also, you gotta love the old Sopel goal. How random is that?? both goals in this game so far are by defenseman, which is awesome (the first one by our friend Duncan Keith, who ith very happy to be in the Thanley Cup Finalth). I can tell that the tension is building very much here, and it will make for an awesome third period. I hope the Hawks come out strong once again, and we can win this thing and change that 2 to a 1...^_^
Here we go, 3rd period time. Let's go boys! <3
Friday, May 28, 2010
A Dream Stanley Cup Finals
It happened. It actually happened. My two favorite teams in the world are facing each other for the right to lift Lord Stanley's Cup. Once upon a time, the Blackhawks were never shown on television, leaving a young HBJ without a team to enjoy watching on TV from time to time (the rare times hockey was shown). Enter the Philadelphia Flyers, the team that maintained my interest in hockey whenever I could catch a game. That and I always liked the team name and logo. After all the hardships the team went through during the regular season, they wholeheartedly deserve to be in the Stanley Cup Finals.
However, the Blackhawks are still my team, and after all the hardships they went through for the past FIFTY YEARS, they most definitely deserve a shot at the Cup. Combine the two, and you're looking at one of the best potential Stanley Cup matchups in years. There are a few reasons why this is the best possible matchup the NHL could have had out of the sixteen teams that made the playoffs.
1. The Battle for the Cup this year is fresh. No Penguins, no Red Wings. The Flyers have not made the Finals since 1997, the Hawks since 1992. Both teams have not won the Cup in decades (Flyers since 1975, Hawks since 1961). I know some people were hoping for a Original Six Finals with the Hawks and Habs but this is the better matchup (Fun Fact: The Flyers were the first non-Original Six team to win the Cup). The Cup is going to a city that hasn't seen it in forever, isn't that exciting!?
2. With the NHL trying hard to bring in American viewers, Flyers/Hawks is an excellent selling point. Montreal would not have drawn in nearly as many American viewers, and Canada already has the entire population watching the sport, so they don't need the help. In addition, Philly and Chicago both have huge fanbases, with the Chicago having one of the best and Philly having one of the worst (I say this in a good way. Their fanbase consists of the biggest assholes in the country, and honestly that is one of the reasons I still like the Flyers). You can say this is a battle of good vs. evil (and of course the good guys always come out on top right?).
3. Both teams play an extremely exciting style. They both use a good combination of physicality and skill, with a slight emphasis on one of those (physical play for Philly, skill for Chicago). This is what makes hockey fun to watch, and both teams are sure to put on a good show.
4. Goaltending. Honestly, who expected the starting goalies in the Stanley Cup Finals to be ANTTI NIEMI and MICHAEL LEIGHTON? Hell, at the beginning of the playoffs, both teams were predicted to not do well because of the "shaky" goaltending. Many people predicted Devils over Flyers in the 1st round and Canucks over Hawks in the 2nd because of the goaltending. Niemi is no Marc Andre-Fleury, Leighton is no Ryan Miller. Where are they at now? On the golf course. I wonder if this is the first time that both goalies in the Finals were not even starters at the start of the season. Niemi and Leighton (also Brian Boucher, another "backup scrub" who only owned the Devils and kept Philly from getting swept by Boston) are sending a message to all the mid to low level goalies: Everyone has the potential to be great if you put your heart into it. Niemi and Leighton, along with the rest of their teams, did just that. The Hawks and Flyers really really want to win the Cup, and you could see that when Philly made history in Boston and Chicago got out the brooms against San Jose.
So now that you know that the Finals are going to be amazing, who is going to win the Stanley Cup? I'm predicting every game except one will be close, but the Chicago Blackhawks win in 6 games. And I'll be in Chicago for the parade!
However, the Blackhawks are still my team, and after all the hardships they went through for the past FIFTY YEARS, they most definitely deserve a shot at the Cup. Combine the two, and you're looking at one of the best potential Stanley Cup matchups in years. There are a few reasons why this is the best possible matchup the NHL could have had out of the sixteen teams that made the playoffs.
1. The Battle for the Cup this year is fresh. No Penguins, no Red Wings. The Flyers have not made the Finals since 1997, the Hawks since 1992. Both teams have not won the Cup in decades (Flyers since 1975, Hawks since 1961). I know some people were hoping for a Original Six Finals with the Hawks and Habs but this is the better matchup (Fun Fact: The Flyers were the first non-Original Six team to win the Cup). The Cup is going to a city that hasn't seen it in forever, isn't that exciting!?
2. With the NHL trying hard to bring in American viewers, Flyers/Hawks is an excellent selling point. Montreal would not have drawn in nearly as many American viewers, and Canada already has the entire population watching the sport, so they don't need the help. In addition, Philly and Chicago both have huge fanbases, with the Chicago having one of the best and Philly having one of the worst (I say this in a good way. Their fanbase consists of the biggest assholes in the country, and honestly that is one of the reasons I still like the Flyers). You can say this is a battle of good vs. evil (and of course the good guys always come out on top right?).
3. Both teams play an extremely exciting style. They both use a good combination of physicality and skill, with a slight emphasis on one of those (physical play for Philly, skill for Chicago). This is what makes hockey fun to watch, and both teams are sure to put on a good show.
4. Goaltending. Honestly, who expected the starting goalies in the Stanley Cup Finals to be ANTTI NIEMI and MICHAEL LEIGHTON? Hell, at the beginning of the playoffs, both teams were predicted to not do well because of the "shaky" goaltending. Many people predicted Devils over Flyers in the 1st round and Canucks over Hawks in the 2nd because of the goaltending. Niemi is no Marc Andre-Fleury, Leighton is no Ryan Miller. Where are they at now? On the golf course. I wonder if this is the first time that both goalies in the Finals were not even starters at the start of the season. Niemi and Leighton (also Brian Boucher, another "backup scrub" who only owned the Devils and kept Philly from getting swept by Boston) are sending a message to all the mid to low level goalies: Everyone has the potential to be great if you put your heart into it. Niemi and Leighton, along with the rest of their teams, did just that. The Hawks and Flyers really really want to win the Cup, and you could see that when Philly made history in Boston and Chicago got out the brooms against San Jose.
So now that you know that the Finals are going to be amazing, who is going to win the Stanley Cup? I'm predicting every game except one will be close, but the Chicago Blackhawks win in 6 games. And I'll be in Chicago for the parade!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The cup chronicles: vol. II: media day
Today was media day, and i do commend the NHL network for their extensive coverage. I'm still trying to get to know the enemy a bit more so it was helpful to see these interviews and such. Not only that, but they are replaying the game we had against them in Philly back in March. Much to my surprise Michael Leighton started in this game, and faced off against that one goalie we used to have play...what was his name again?
I'm trying to get a feel for how this is going to go by simply watching this game, but I know that's impossible. The biggest difference is obviously that we will have Niemi start instead, so as much as they had a bit of trouble with Huet in this game, i can only imagine Niemi will come out of this eating them for breakfast. Or Brunch if you prefer. In the media day interviews, the great Hossa story was addressed, and it made me think of what my Pokedex entry would be for him:
Marian Hossa was a Penguin. Then, he was a Redwing. And he lost the Stanley cup with both! Until one day, he signed with the Blackhawks. And he's about to find out, being on the Blackhawks, is the only one that isn't really lame.
(inspired by this)
They talked to Captain and told him how awesome he was and how he reminds everyone of Stevie Y and all kinds of other awesomeness. Kaner told some crazy story about how the Dallas Stars beat the Sabres in the Stanley Cup once and he was bitter, and Buff was just, well huge and awesome as always.
The enemy was weary as they were in the UC for media day, I could just tell. Jack Daniels - I mean - Mike Richards talked about how crazy their playoff ride was, which I still think was amazing too. That's why it's such a shame that their magical playoff run will end at the hands of the Captain.
oh yeah, and i'll probably have periodic reasons why Tazer is better than Mike Richards. Reason #25 that Tazer is better: i'm no math whiz, but last time I checked, the number 18 is one less than the number 19. ^_~
Aside from that, the other interviews on media day were pretty generic. The enemy knows what their up against, and we know this won't just be a walk in the park. I was just glad to have more hockey talk all day as now the countdown of days till the battle begins is down to just 2. And as it draws closer, I will probably become crazier. Be ready. <3
I'm trying to get a feel for how this is going to go by simply watching this game, but I know that's impossible. The biggest difference is obviously that we will have Niemi start instead, so as much as they had a bit of trouble with Huet in this game, i can only imagine Niemi will come out of this eating them for breakfast. Or Brunch if you prefer. In the media day interviews, the great Hossa story was addressed, and it made me think of what my Pokedex entry would be for him:
Marian Hossa was a Penguin. Then, he was a Redwing. And he lost the Stanley cup with both! Until one day, he signed with the Blackhawks. And he's about to find out, being on the Blackhawks, is the only one that isn't really lame.
(inspired by this)
They talked to Captain and told him how awesome he was and how he reminds everyone of Stevie Y and all kinds of other awesomeness. Kaner told some crazy story about how the Dallas Stars beat the Sabres in the Stanley Cup once and he was bitter, and Buff was just, well huge and awesome as always.
The enemy was weary as they were in the UC for media day, I could just tell. Jack Daniels - I mean - Mike Richards talked about how crazy their playoff ride was, which I still think was amazing too. That's why it's such a shame that their magical playoff run will end at the hands of the Captain.
oh yeah, and i'll probably have periodic reasons why Tazer is better than Mike Richards. Reason #25 that Tazer is better: i'm no math whiz, but last time I checked, the number 18 is one less than the number 19. ^_~
Aside from that, the other interviews on media day were pretty generic. The enemy knows what their up against, and we know this won't just be a walk in the park. I was just glad to have more hockey talk all day as now the countdown of days till the battle begins is down to just 2. And as it draws closer, I will probably become crazier. Be ready. <3
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The cup chronicles: volume I: Captain vs Captain
I decided to create a mini-series of blogs to follow what could possibly be one of the most memorable times of my life. in the next week, as i await the beginning of this incredible series between my beloved Blackhawks and the Flyers, I'm not really sure what else to do with myself to pass the time (watch the Sox...?). But today, now that we officially know who we are playing and when, i've decided to do a little bit of reconnaissance work to get to know my newest rivals, and my newest sworn enemy: Mike Richards. So I present to you, a few Pokedex entries on the Whales trophy winners, the Philadelphia Flyers.
first of all, if anyone says "team of destiny" one more time, i might have to jack them in the face. I am very proud of the Flyers and the way they showed resiliency in this post season, especially coming back from being down 3-0 to Boston in the series, and in game 7. I wanted this matchup from the beginning, and i'm really glad it turned out that way, mostly because it'd be super fun for HBJ.
That being said, I hope the Hawks destroy them ^_~
General Pokedex entry for Philedelphia Flyers: the physical type team. Their main strategy against these other teams has been to stop their "big guns", as they did with the Canadiens and Camalleri. but let's think about the depth of the Hawks here, and how even if they TRY to stop the Captain (which is impossible), the Hawks go alot deeper than their first or even second line, of offense and defense. So the "Captain" Mike Richards will have his work cut out for him if he wants to try and stop everybody.
Mike Richards: I can't really classify him as a type yet, but I did find this picture of what appears to be him chugging a bottle of whiskey with jeff Carter and random hot chicks. Can't you have more class than that, "Captain?" I mean this is obviously a better way to drink. Real Captains drink Labatt Blue. But all drinking jokes aside, Mike Richards was Tazer's teammate on good old team Canada, and they do have pretty similar styles of play. I think Tazer is a bit more serious, as his nickname would suggest, especially since that picture of him was back in the North Dakota days and that Mike Richards one was pretty recent. So my Pokedex deduction of Mike Richards is that on the ice he is like Tazer, and off the ice he's like Kaner. ^_~
I will continue my research throughout the week and have more Pokedex entries for you. This is going to be sooo much fun!!! ^_^
first of all, if anyone says "team of destiny" one more time, i might have to jack them in the face. I am very proud of the Flyers and the way they showed resiliency in this post season, especially coming back from being down 3-0 to Boston in the series, and in game 7. I wanted this matchup from the beginning, and i'm really glad it turned out that way, mostly because it'd be super fun for HBJ.
That being said, I hope the Hawks destroy them ^_~
General Pokedex entry for Philedelphia Flyers: the physical type team. Their main strategy against these other teams has been to stop their "big guns", as they did with the Canadiens and Camalleri. but let's think about the depth of the Hawks here, and how even if they TRY to stop the Captain (which is impossible), the Hawks go alot deeper than their first or even second line, of offense and defense. So the "Captain" Mike Richards will have his work cut out for him if he wants to try and stop everybody.
Mike Richards: I can't really classify him as a type yet, but I did find this picture of what appears to be him chugging a bottle of whiskey with jeff Carter and random hot chicks. Can't you have more class than that, "Captain?" I mean this is obviously a better way to drink. Real Captains drink Labatt Blue. But all drinking jokes aside, Mike Richards was Tazer's teammate on good old team Canada, and they do have pretty similar styles of play. I think Tazer is a bit more serious, as his nickname would suggest, especially since that picture of him was back in the North Dakota days and that Mike Richards one was pretty recent. So my Pokedex deduction of Mike Richards is that on the ice he is like Tazer, and off the ice he's like Kaner. ^_~
I will continue my research throughout the week and have more Pokedex entries for you. This is going to be sooo much fun!!! ^_^
Monday, May 24, 2010
SWEEEEEP!!!!
After winning the first 2 games at the not-so-intimidating shark tank, I was a little nervous about coming back home because of how much better we had been playing on the road previously. But after winning Friday night's game in awesome fashion as always, I just got overwhelmed by the feeling that Sunday would be the day. And I was right.
After being down 2-0, I, along with everyone else was a little bit nervous, but I knew that this team was more than capable of coming back. After the Seabrook 4 on 4 goal that almost wasn't (and I loved Captain's reaction to his cross checking penalty just before that too hehe), I knew not only were we back in this game, but we would probably win. The Sharks just can't seem to get their momentum back when it seems to be going our way, and the result was an epic sweep, and the Shark's realization of who the top team in the Western conference really is. ^_^
When I watched the Captain get presented with the Campbell trophy, I almost lost it. To be in a championship in this town is really is something special, and it takes a special kind of team (not to mention a special kind of leader on the team ^_~) to make it happen. This team is something special, and it just melts my little fangirl heart to see them get to the championship. I love these boys, and now that they got there, they just have to seal the deal. As of tonight we could know who our opponent will be, and I believe that either team will give us a really good series. I love this feeling that I have right now, I haven't had this kind of intense rush since...well...let's just say around 5 years ago. ^_~
My manager at the UC told me that even if this series finishes up tonight, the earliest we would still start is Saturday, for TV purposes. I hate that I have to wait that long, but in the meantime I at least know the boys will keep themselves occupied. ^_^ (being a sports fangirl and a video game nerd, this pretty much makes my life)
So let this crazy ride continue. This promises to be a very very fun next couple of weeks. The Chicago Blackhawks.
Western. Conference. Champions.
After being down 2-0, I, along with everyone else was a little bit nervous, but I knew that this team was more than capable of coming back. After the Seabrook 4 on 4 goal that almost wasn't (and I loved Captain's reaction to his cross checking penalty just before that too hehe), I knew not only were we back in this game, but we would probably win. The Sharks just can't seem to get their momentum back when it seems to be going our way, and the result was an epic sweep, and the Shark's realization of who the top team in the Western conference really is. ^_^
When I watched the Captain get presented with the Campbell trophy, I almost lost it. To be in a championship in this town is really is something special, and it takes a special kind of team (not to mention a special kind of leader on the team ^_~) to make it happen. This team is something special, and it just melts my little fangirl heart to see them get to the championship. I love these boys, and now that they got there, they just have to seal the deal. As of tonight we could know who our opponent will be, and I believe that either team will give us a really good series. I love this feeling that I have right now, I haven't had this kind of intense rush since...well...let's just say around 5 years ago. ^_~
My manager at the UC told me that even if this series finishes up tonight, the earliest we would still start is Saturday, for TV purposes. I hate that I have to wait that long, but in the meantime I at least know the boys will keep themselves occupied. ^_^ (being a sports fangirl and a video game nerd, this pretty much makes my life)
So let this crazy ride continue. This promises to be a very very fun next couple of weeks. The Chicago Blackhawks.
Western. Conference. Champions.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
So many contributions to a 2-0 lead!!
I am pretty much praising Niemi right now. after the 44 saves the other night and his wonderful performance again tonight, I am all about our rookie goalie. This was another amazing hockey game, and while both teams played well, the Hawks had a definite advantage just as they did in game 1. the phrase "track meet game" kept getting thrown around during the broadcast, and I was trying to figure out what they meant by that, and I came up with a general idea.
The track meet game means it became a game of closer distances to the net, like a 200m dash or something like that compared to taking shots from far away. this in my opinion was a reference to the fact the Buff has been right by the net, because of the fact that him being on the line with Captain and Kaner allows him to do so. I really like this line, because it works very well strategically. Everyone focuses on Kane and Toews, and in the meantime Buff goes in front of the net and can get a good poke in, because nobody sees it happening. On the contrary, if the Sharks are on to the placement of Buff, they might pay more attention to him and let the young stars own Nabokov. So basically that line is a win-win situation, and I really like how it's turning out for us.
Captain continued to play tough tonight. I love the fact that he took the most shots. It felt like he wanted Nabokov to know that he was in deep trouble. Going up to the net and taking these shots was a sign of leadership, conveying the message: "Look, just go up and shoot. They are playing so desperately, not wanting to lose the first 2 games, let alone at home. We can get past these guys." And they did.
Byfuglien is definitely a key to our success, as i saw a stat that said that we are some kind of crazy record like 17-1-3 when Buff scored at least 1 goal in the regular season. I also think that Hossa's performance has been overlooked, as although he hasn't been the scoring machine, he has helped his line out alot by making the plays needed. The pregame guy on VS said that Campbell has been overlooked, and while that may be true for the rest of the country, it is not true in Chicago. Ever since he got owned by Ovechkin (another big name not in the playoffs hehehe), Hawks fans have realized what an asset he is to this team. I really think he helps out alot too. Amoung all of the things I just mentioned, plus Niemi being a goalie god, I am feeling very good about this series.
I know not to get "too cocky", however, because I know how we play at home. Sucks for me since those are the games I actually get to see live, but I don't care where they win, really, as long as they just win. I'm hoping for a good game on Friday, and maybe they can take the intensity they have on the road and bring it home. All I know is, I hate that we have to have 2 days in between games. Hopefully it will go by fast. ^_^
Sunday, May 16, 2010
History Has Been Made (FLYERSFLYERSFLYERS Edition)
I was ready to post this yesterday, but due to unforeseen circumstances was unable to do so. As of this writing the Hawks defeated the Sharks in Game 1 and Philly/Montreal is playing right now.
The playoffs are only getting better and better. The 2nd round was much more entertaining than the 1st as things have really started to heat up. So just like before I will analyze and rank the games from the second round followed by previews/predictions for the Conference Finals.
4. Sharks over Red Wings in 5 - Not to say this was a bad series, because it was awesome especially given the result, but it's fourth solely because it only went five games. Every game was very close other than the total beatdown from the Wings in Game 4, but the Sharks had a mission this year, and they finally achieved it. What a team to get over that hump that is the 2nd round too, the Wings are never easy to beat. However, Jimmy Howard showed his inexperience in the series, and combined with Thornton finally making some noise in the postseason, the Sharks were destined for the conference finals.
3. Hawks over Canucks in 6 - Honestly Sharks/Wings was technically the better series, but I'm being biased here because Chicago won it. We had two very ugly games at home this series, which is something we need to fix in the next round, but on the bright side we absolutely owned Vancouver on the road, which is a good sign considering we have potentially four road games next round.
2. Canadiens over Penguins in 7 - Of course any series that goes the distance has to be great, and this series was. Every game was close except Game 7, but that's okay because the result was great. This victory by the Habs is even more amazing when you consider that Pittsburgh had been getting healthier as the series progress whereas the Habs were losing key players to injury. Most of all, LOL Crosby. Losing Game 7 is completely his fault. He got called for boarding ten seconds into the game and completely sucked all the energy out of Mellon Arena. Montreal was relentless the whole game and it showed. Just a great performance, but it didn't make history
1. Flyers over Bruins in 7 - They're not kidding when they say history will be made. This is only the 4th time in sports history that a team came back from a 3-0 deficit to win the series. Now, make that even more epic by having Game 7 end the same way the series did, with Boston taking a 3-0 lead and Philly coming back to win 4-3. Does it get any better than that!? Also, Philly did this with two goalies who were primarily backups in their careers. They won this series with heart and soul, and that's why hockey is the best.
So, the conference finals features a 1 vs 2 and a 7 vs 8. Pretty neat right? Let's preview and predict those games:
Hawks over Sharks in 6 - The Quest for the Cup continues for the Chicago Blackhawks, and even with this new surge from the Sharks nothing is going to stop them. Niemi will need quality goaltending to prevent any momentum going to San Jose, and we'll need to our top players to continue playing well (I'm confident about this, our #19 is better than theirs). Now, I know we won Game 1 today, but there was no way I wasn't picking against Chicago anyway, so no big deal.
Flyers over Habs in 7 - This is the first time a 7th seed faced the 8th seed in the conference finals. For a conference that has both Crosby and Ovechkin, this is a very nice thing to see. Two teams, I should emphasize TEAMS, played their hearts out and rightfully earned their place in the conference finals. However, I think Philly has just a bit more heart, which will net them one more win than Montreal will get.
Four teams, all with something to prove. All with the desire to win the Cup, and it shows more than maybe any other postseason I have seen. This is desire. This is passion. This is heart.
This is hockey.
The playoffs are only getting better and better. The 2nd round was much more entertaining than the 1st as things have really started to heat up. So just like before I will analyze and rank the games from the second round followed by previews/predictions for the Conference Finals.
4. Sharks over Red Wings in 5 - Not to say this was a bad series, because it was awesome especially given the result, but it's fourth solely because it only went five games. Every game was very close other than the total beatdown from the Wings in Game 4, but the Sharks had a mission this year, and they finally achieved it. What a team to get over that hump that is the 2nd round too, the Wings are never easy to beat. However, Jimmy Howard showed his inexperience in the series, and combined with Thornton finally making some noise in the postseason, the Sharks were destined for the conference finals.3. Hawks over Canucks in 6 - Honestly Sharks/Wings was technically the better series, but I'm being biased here because Chicago won it. We had two very ugly games at home this series, which is something we need to fix in the next round, but on the bright side we absolutely owned Vancouver on the road, which is a good sign considering we have potentially four road games next round.
2. Canadiens over Penguins in 7 - Of course any series that goes the distance has to be great, and this series was. Every game was close except Game 7, but that's okay because the result was great. This victory by the Habs is even more amazing when you consider that Pittsburgh had been getting healthier as the series progress whereas the Habs were losing key players to injury. Most of all, LOL Crosby. Losing Game 7 is completely his fault. He got called for boarding ten seconds into the game and completely sucked all the energy out of Mellon Arena. Montreal was relentless the whole game and it showed. Just a great performance, but it didn't make history
1. Flyers over Bruins in 7 - They're not kidding when they say history will be made. This is only the 4th time in sports history that a team came back from a 3-0 deficit to win the series. Now, make that even more epic by having Game 7 end the same way the series did, with Boston taking a 3-0 lead and Philly coming back to win 4-3. Does it get any better than that!? Also, Philly did this with two goalies who were primarily backups in their careers. They won this series with heart and soul, and that's why hockey is the best.So, the conference finals features a 1 vs 2 and a 7 vs 8. Pretty neat right? Let's preview and predict those games:
Hawks over Sharks in 6 - The Quest for the Cup continues for the Chicago Blackhawks, and even with this new surge from the Sharks nothing is going to stop them. Niemi will need quality goaltending to prevent any momentum going to San Jose, and we'll need to our top players to continue playing well (I'm confident about this, our #19 is better than theirs). Now, I know we won Game 1 today, but there was no way I wasn't picking against Chicago anyway, so no big deal.
Flyers over Habs in 7 - This is the first time a 7th seed faced the 8th seed in the conference finals. For a conference that has both Crosby and Ovechkin, this is a very nice thing to see. Two teams, I should emphasize TEAMS, played their hearts out and rightfully earned their place in the conference finals. However, I think Philly has just a bit more heart, which will net them one more win than Montreal will get.
Four teams, all with something to prove. All with the desire to win the Cup, and it shows more than maybe any other postseason I have seen. This is desire. This is passion. This is heart.
This is hockey.
One victory down!
Well the Hawks have done something they haven't done yet in these playoffs, and that is win the first game of the series. The difference is, that this game was on the road, where we have been playing extremely well, and if you take into account the regular season games we played at the HP-Shark-Pavilion-Tank, there is really no reason to be surprised at all that we won there in this first game. The stats they showed before the game were interesting though, as the Hawks had been 5-1 thus far on the road and the Sharks had been 5-1 at home thus far. So winning the first game on the road and evening up the ice advantage should help, but in these playoffs where home games aren't exactly what they seem, the point is no matter where you are just go out there and win.
Both teams played awesome today, but the entire game I could see that at least as far as 5 on 5 hockey goes, we have a bit of an edge over this Sharks team. The Sharks do not want to play at our pace, but we are good enough to set the pace no matter what. It was nice to see an outstanding performance from Mr. Niemi, and some nice penalty killing as well, considering how many power play chances the Sharks actually ended up having. I really liked the energy we had coming out in this game even after being down 1-0 after the first period, and after watching awesome hockey from both teams, i'm really really excited for the rest of this series.
I also really liked Niemi's press conference, especially because I hardly ever hear him talk, and he was giving very short, very ambiguous answers because you can tell he doesn't want to think about it, he just wants to go do his Niemi no-no thing. I must praise him for that insane glove save too. Wow! ^_^
Meanwhile, i'm still keeping a close eye on the other series between the 7 and 8 seeds on the other side of things. Either team can really win, but I hope the Flyers win for HBJ Dubs. ^_^ I'm watching it as we speak and they are up 2-0 so we shall see!
Tuesday's game between us and the Sharks will be epic, and if the entire series is as insane as this first game was I might need to buy a few more bottles of jager...=P
Both teams played awesome today, but the entire game I could see that at least as far as 5 on 5 hockey goes, we have a bit of an edge over this Sharks team. The Sharks do not want to play at our pace, but we are good enough to set the pace no matter what. It was nice to see an outstanding performance from Mr. Niemi, and some nice penalty killing as well, considering how many power play chances the Sharks actually ended up having. I really liked the energy we had coming out in this game even after being down 1-0 after the first period, and after watching awesome hockey from both teams, i'm really really excited for the rest of this series.
I also really liked Niemi's press conference, especially because I hardly ever hear him talk, and he was giving very short, very ambiguous answers because you can tell he doesn't want to think about it, he just wants to go do his Niemi no-no thing. I must praise him for that insane glove save too. Wow! ^_^
Meanwhile, i'm still keeping a close eye on the other series between the 7 and 8 seeds on the other side of things. Either team can really win, but I hope the Flyers win for HBJ Dubs. ^_^ I'm watching it as we speak and they are up 2-0 so we shall see!
Tuesday's game between us and the Sharks will be epic, and if the entire series is as insane as this first game was I might need to buy a few more bottles of jager...=P
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
I prefer Shark meat to Octopus
bring it on, Nabokov!!
School is finally over, so I will have much more time to blog about all of this craziness that is the Blackhawks postseason. After a very shaky game Sunday to say the least, it was good to see the Hawks finally got back into that (expletive) Luongo's head and showed those Canucks who the better team really is.
Don't get me wrong, Vancouver is a very good team and I give them credit, it's just so easy to make fun of Luongo and his crybaby ways. And let's not forget the Sedin sisters. After the teams seemed to switch off nights of bad discipline and embarrassing themselves in front of their respective home crowds, it was only fitting that for the second time this postseason the Hawks clinched the series on the road. Captain had an amazing series, and now leads in points in the playoffs (even above that other Captain that everyone seems to think is a stud in the playoffs that has to play a game 7 against the Habs...)so obviously that is a good thing for me. I love how Buff stepped up too, and Bolland with the shorty today was also awesome, as we have been owning the shorthanded goal situation all year especially in the postseason. All in all, it was a great series and it's always good to see a team I love destroy a team I hate. ^_^
Speaking of teams I hate, I have had a Sharks/Wings paradox of late until the Sharks clinched (and nearly swept) the series against those pesky Redwings. As much as I have been known to be a "meatball-ette" and it would only make sense for me to want a Wings/Hawks rematch in the conference finals, I obviously would not and will never root for the Wings. But if the Sharks win they get home ice and that wouldn't be good right? Wrong. As the postseason goes on I feel like starting a series on the road would almost be better for obvious reasons. The home crowd at the UC is always intense (well, I should say almost always, as at times i feel like it's a tomb in there when the hawks are down...)but for some reason the Hawks can't find their place there. I hope that changes in the next round, especially because we can play very well in the HP pavilion (which happened to be the name of my old computer which is now very very dead). So if we can get ahead by the time the series comes back to the madhouse, i'd say we can be in very very good shape. Overall, although a rematch with the Wings would have been kinda sweet, i'm glad we're gonna play the Sharks. it will be a challenge, but also be very very fun.
So now we await the beginning of the conference finals for the second year in a row. I'm just glad I don't have to see Luongo's ugly face anymore. =P
School is finally over, so I will have much more time to blog about all of this craziness that is the Blackhawks postseason. After a very shaky game Sunday to say the least, it was good to see the Hawks finally got back into that (expletive) Luongo's head and showed those Canucks who the better team really is.
Don't get me wrong, Vancouver is a very good team and I give them credit, it's just so easy to make fun of Luongo and his crybaby ways. And let's not forget the Sedin sisters. After the teams seemed to switch off nights of bad discipline and embarrassing themselves in front of their respective home crowds, it was only fitting that for the second time this postseason the Hawks clinched the series on the road. Captain had an amazing series, and now leads in points in the playoffs (even above that other Captain that everyone seems to think is a stud in the playoffs that has to play a game 7 against the Habs...)so obviously that is a good thing for me. I love how Buff stepped up too, and Bolland with the shorty today was also awesome, as we have been owning the shorthanded goal situation all year especially in the postseason. All in all, it was a great series and it's always good to see a team I love destroy a team I hate. ^_^
Speaking of teams I hate, I have had a Sharks/Wings paradox of late until the Sharks clinched (and nearly swept) the series against those pesky Redwings. As much as I have been known to be a "meatball-ette" and it would only make sense for me to want a Wings/Hawks rematch in the conference finals, I obviously would not and will never root for the Wings. But if the Sharks win they get home ice and that wouldn't be good right? Wrong. As the postseason goes on I feel like starting a series on the road would almost be better for obvious reasons. The home crowd at the UC is always intense (well, I should say almost always, as at times i feel like it's a tomb in there when the hawks are down...)but for some reason the Hawks can't find their place there. I hope that changes in the next round, especially because we can play very well in the HP pavilion (which happened to be the name of my old computer which is now very very dead). So if we can get ahead by the time the series comes back to the madhouse, i'd say we can be in very very good shape. Overall, although a rematch with the Wings would have been kinda sweet, i'm glad we're gonna play the Sharks. it will be a challenge, but also be very very fun.
So now we await the beginning of the conference finals for the second year in a row. I'm just glad I don't have to see Luongo's ugly face anymore. =P
Friday, May 7, 2010
Captain hat trick!!!
WOW!!!!
Obviously I am hopelessly in love with the Captain, so this was extra special for me. Back to back hat tricks for the Hawks, and the latter being from none other than Jonathan Toews. <3 I knew we had Luongo's number, and as I have been pretty busy lately I havent even been able to write about any of the games in this series.
Game 1 was on my birthday, so my boyfriend and I went to the game. I was sure they'd win, and once again I must have gotten "too cocky" and we ended up getting owned. The defining moment in that game was the beginning of the third period, when I saw that the new goalie was none other than our old friend Cristobol Huet. I really couldn't believe my eyes. If we had to resort to Huet, did I have any reason for hope? good thing the hawks proved to me that I did.
Game 2 was another awesome night at work for me, as Versteeg did indeed make the make the madhouse go mad, as the commercial says. Game 3 I watched while working at the Sox game, which was kinda weird, but more people were inside watching the Hawks than there were in the seats, despite the 9-2 victory for the Southsiders. It is always fun sharing these moments with other fans, and I really love every minute of it.
One thing I noticed while watching game 3 was how Hossa played. I really feel like the reason we got Hossa in the first place is for the month between May 5th and June 5th. He was good during the regular season, don't get me wrong, but I think we are paying him the big bucks to be a leader in the playoffs.
Tonight's game was just incredible. We really got into Luongo's head last game, and I truly believe that it carried over to this game tonight. Captain was absolutely spectacular in every way, being responsible for 5 out of the 6 goals that we scored. If he continues to play this way the rest of the team will feed off of him and be just as awesome, taking care of Vancouver and carrying it over to the next series (potentially against the Sharks somehow?) and then who knows beyond that...and that is why he is the Captain. He is doing what he said he would do in his "one goal" commercial and is leading by example. ^_^
Now with the potential clinching game on Sunday, I am ready for anything, and i'm sure the Hawks are too. I know the crowd will be very very intense and if we come out victorious, it will be a busy night of work for me, and that's the way i like it ^_^
Congratulations, Captain, on your amazing game tonight. You are truly my hero.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Round 1 Analysis, Plus Round 2 Preview
This is why the Stanley Cup Playoffs are better than any other postseason in sports. Every game, every series can simply explode in a flurry of greatness. In the West, all the series started wild before finishing as they were expected to, whereas in the East all the series were just flatout insane throughout. I'm surprised I still ended up getting 6 out of 8 games correctly (although I only got one series right in the number of games played). So let's look back at the first round games, going in order from least exciting to most exciting:
8. Wings over Coyotes in 7 - Strange that a series that went all seven games was the worst one, and yes a lot of it does have to do with the fact that Detroit won. But the other problem was that out of seven games, 5 of them were not even close, including the critical seventh game. Both close games happened early in the series, both won by Phoenix, which really shows just how much Detroit really outclassed them. But hey, this was the lone series I got the winner and number of games correct.
7. Canucks over Kings in 6 - This started off as one of the better series ongoing, the first two games being split in overtime. The Kings started off extremely hot before completely blowing it in Game 4, when even with LOL Luongo Vancouver still stole the game bby netting in four goals in the 3rd period. From that point on the Kings had no chance. Quick lost his edge and the Nucks rolled over him. This is the prime example of the Western Conference series starting off great and then cooling down at the end (well, except for one).
6. Bruins over Sabres in 6 - Right amount of games predicted, wrong team coming out on top. The games did play out as expected, that being it would come down solely to who the hotter goalie was, and in this case Tuukka Rask prevailed over Ryan Miller. I don't like Boston, but I gotta give them props, as it definitely was not an easy task for a team with not much offense (on paper) beating Miller.
5. Flyers over Devils in 5 - Okay, can't comment too much on this because Versus decided not to show ANY of these games on TV, but I have it this high because 1)The Flyers won, 2) The supposed worst goalie in the playoffs ended with one of the best GAAs and Save %, 3) LOL Kovalchuk, and 4)LOL Brodeur. Sports Illustrated had Miller and Brodeur as the top 2 goalies in the playoffs, and they both went down in the 1st round.
4. Pens over Sens in 6 - The only reason this is so high is the triple overtime Game 5 that resulted in a Senators victory. 3OT games are awesome. Other than that, the Crosbys pretty much rolled over them and did nothing to indicate they wouldn't be back in the SC Finals.
3. Sharks over Avs in 6 - Yeah this ended in two blowouts by the Sharks in Games 5 and 6, but the first four games were excellent, all but Game 1 ending in overtime. This also had the funniest individual game in the playoffs with Dan Boyle scoring on his own net to give Colorado the win. Shame they recovered from that.
2. Hawks over Preds in 6 - Of course I'll rate a Chicago series high, but this was actually a really good series. Almost every game was decided solely by third period efforts. Niemi got two no-no's. This series had the best individual game, that being Game 5 when the Hawks scored a short-handed goal with 20 seconds left to force OT, where they would kill a 5 minute major penalty and proceed to win the game. And of course, the Hawks won, so that gets a couple extra points. But it was outclassed by one other series...or should I say one person in particular.
1. Habs over Caps in 7 - First, it's automatically an amazing series because it went seven games and the last game was close. Second, LOL Ovechkin. Fun fact: Every playoff series that Ovechkin has been a part of has gone seven games. The guy is just not a clutch performer, and I hate to say it but Crosby is better, period. He didn't even play badly, but he has yet to step his game up to another level in the postseason. Other fun fact: this is the first time ever that the 8 seed defeated the 1 seed in the 1st round after facing a 3-1 deficit in the series. And there is only one reason Montreal pulled that off, and his name is Jaroslav Halak. In the last three games he faced about 150 shots and stopped all but three, one in each game. Plenty of those saves were "HOW DID HE MAKE THAT SAVE" ones too. Halak was so good down the stretch that the NHL already made a History Will Be Made commerical with him in it. If he keeps playing like this Pittsburgh is in deep trouble, hopefully he does. With all that said, XFD Caps!
Well as you can see, the first round was nuts, and the second round can only get better with some great matchups looming. Let's make some predictions:
Pens over Habs in 6 - I heavily debated whether to push this to 7 games but I'm sticking with this. I don't think Halak can stay in God Mode for much longer, which means Montreal will have to step up other aspects of their game. Luckily for them, they've been doing well on both sides of the ice. Their top scorers are scoring plenty (Cammaleri especially) and the defense is blocking plenty of shots. However, they are dealing with Sidney Crosby who puts in cheat codes in the playoffs, and Marc-Andre Fleury rarely ever goes cold, so it will not be easy. I have Pittsburgh winning, but it can very much go the other way.
Flyers over Bruins in 7 - This will be fun. The Bruins are a physical team, the Sabres were not, and usually in the playoffs the better defense prevails. The Flyers invented physicality, so I expect lots of fights in this one. Now this pick is a stretch considering two of Philly's top 3 players are out for this series, and the other won't be around to take pucks to his face. Boucher will need to keep up his level of play, because I don't see Rask dropping. The key to this is that Philly players who are not primarily scorers have been scoring. Philly knows the best times to play D and play O, so I think they'll get the win here and meet up with the Pens for the third straight postseason.
Wings over Sharks in 7 - In the year that San Jose has REALLY been praying to get out of the 2nd round, they get stuck with Detroit. Now, I think they have the heart this time to really take it to them (well, Thornton and Marleau won't, mainly it will be Pavelski's line doing the damage), but it won't be enough. Detroit and San Jose performed about the same in the 1st round, only difference being that Phoenix was a much much better team, and that's all you need to know when picking who wins this series.
Hawks over Canucks in 6 - A lot of people are predicting this series will be a lot closer and more intense than last year. More intense I agree with, but I don't know about the former. Vancouver's offense is better this year but their D weakened a bit, and certainly it's much weaker than Nashville's was. Also, Luongo was better last year, both in the regular season and playoffs. All this sets up an easy win for the Hawks right? Well, if they feel like playing defense this series. They already started with a great move by putting Byfuglien back as a forward, because he was so bad at D and they also need him antagonizing Luongo. Hawks take this easily if they show up. Against Nashville only five people showed up for the whole series, that being Kaner (scoring), Niemi (barring one bad game which he still won) Seabrook (huge hits), and Hammer/Sopel (Sopel in particular killing himself over and over again with blocked shots). Now, Games 5 and 6 last series had more people producing like Tazer, Madden, and Hossa, so hopefully they're back in their groove for this upcoming matchup. Niemi will hopefully not have any games where he gives up 3 goals in 9 shots (but this kinda goes back to our defense needing to actually block shots). Personally I think we got this. Kaner hat tricks 7uongo again to win the series.
Best part so far? There's not even a break between the 1st and 2nd rounds, as the first game is tonight! It's one we need to watch closely too, as it is Wings/Sharks.
8. Wings over Coyotes in 7 - Strange that a series that went all seven games was the worst one, and yes a lot of it does have to do with the fact that Detroit won. But the other problem was that out of seven games, 5 of them were not even close, including the critical seventh game. Both close games happened early in the series, both won by Phoenix, which really shows just how much Detroit really outclassed them. But hey, this was the lone series I got the winner and number of games correct.
7. Canucks over Kings in 6 - This started off as one of the better series ongoing, the first two games being split in overtime. The Kings started off extremely hot before completely blowing it in Game 4, when even with LOL Luongo Vancouver still stole the game bby netting in four goals in the 3rd period. From that point on the Kings had no chance. Quick lost his edge and the Nucks rolled over him. This is the prime example of the Western Conference series starting off great and then cooling down at the end (well, except for one).
6. Bruins over Sabres in 6 - Right amount of games predicted, wrong team coming out on top. The games did play out as expected, that being it would come down solely to who the hotter goalie was, and in this case Tuukka Rask prevailed over Ryan Miller. I don't like Boston, but I gotta give them props, as it definitely was not an easy task for a team with not much offense (on paper) beating Miller.
5. Flyers over Devils in 5 - Okay, can't comment too much on this because Versus decided not to show ANY of these games on TV, but I have it this high because 1)The Flyers won, 2) The supposed worst goalie in the playoffs ended with one of the best GAAs and Save %, 3) LOL Kovalchuk, and 4)LOL Brodeur. Sports Illustrated had Miller and Brodeur as the top 2 goalies in the playoffs, and they both went down in the 1st round.
4. Pens over Sens in 6 - The only reason this is so high is the triple overtime Game 5 that resulted in a Senators victory. 3OT games are awesome. Other than that, the Crosbys pretty much rolled over them and did nothing to indicate they wouldn't be back in the SC Finals.
3. Sharks over Avs in 6 - Yeah this ended in two blowouts by the Sharks in Games 5 and 6, but the first four games were excellent, all but Game 1 ending in overtime. This also had the funniest individual game in the playoffs with Dan Boyle scoring on his own net to give Colorado the win. Shame they recovered from that.
2. Hawks over Preds in 6 - Of course I'll rate a Chicago series high, but this was actually a really good series. Almost every game was decided solely by third period efforts. Niemi got two no-no's. This series had the best individual game, that being Game 5 when the Hawks scored a short-handed goal with 20 seconds left to force OT, where they would kill a 5 minute major penalty and proceed to win the game. And of course, the Hawks won, so that gets a couple extra points. But it was outclassed by one other series...or should I say one person in particular.
1. Habs over Caps in 7 - First, it's automatically an amazing series because it went seven games and the last game was close. Second, LOL Ovechkin. Fun fact: Every playoff series that Ovechkin has been a part of has gone seven games. The guy is just not a clutch performer, and I hate to say it but Crosby is better, period. He didn't even play badly, but he has yet to step his game up to another level in the postseason. Other fun fact: this is the first time ever that the 8 seed defeated the 1 seed in the 1st round after facing a 3-1 deficit in the series. And there is only one reason Montreal pulled that off, and his name is Jaroslav Halak. In the last three games he faced about 150 shots and stopped all but three, one in each game. Plenty of those saves were "HOW DID HE MAKE THAT SAVE" ones too. Halak was so good down the stretch that the NHL already made a History Will Be Made commerical with him in it. If he keeps playing like this Pittsburgh is in deep trouble, hopefully he does. With all that said, XFD Caps!
Well as you can see, the first round was nuts, and the second round can only get better with some great matchups looming. Let's make some predictions:
Pens over Habs in 6 - I heavily debated whether to push this to 7 games but I'm sticking with this. I don't think Halak can stay in God Mode for much longer, which means Montreal will have to step up other aspects of their game. Luckily for them, they've been doing well on both sides of the ice. Their top scorers are scoring plenty (Cammaleri especially) and the defense is blocking plenty of shots. However, they are dealing with Sidney Crosby who puts in cheat codes in the playoffs, and Marc-Andre Fleury rarely ever goes cold, so it will not be easy. I have Pittsburgh winning, but it can very much go the other way.
Flyers over Bruins in 7 - This will be fun. The Bruins are a physical team, the Sabres were not, and usually in the playoffs the better defense prevails. The Flyers invented physicality, so I expect lots of fights in this one. Now this pick is a stretch considering two of Philly's top 3 players are out for this series, and the other won't be around to take pucks to his face. Boucher will need to keep up his level of play, because I don't see Rask dropping. The key to this is that Philly players who are not primarily scorers have been scoring. Philly knows the best times to play D and play O, so I think they'll get the win here and meet up with the Pens for the third straight postseason.
Wings over Sharks in 7 - In the year that San Jose has REALLY been praying to get out of the 2nd round, they get stuck with Detroit. Now, I think they have the heart this time to really take it to them (well, Thornton and Marleau won't, mainly it will be Pavelski's line doing the damage), but it won't be enough. Detroit and San Jose performed about the same in the 1st round, only difference being that Phoenix was a much much better team, and that's all you need to know when picking who wins this series.
Hawks over Canucks in 6 - A lot of people are predicting this series will be a lot closer and more intense than last year. More intense I agree with, but I don't know about the former. Vancouver's offense is better this year but their D weakened a bit, and certainly it's much weaker than Nashville's was. Also, Luongo was better last year, both in the regular season and playoffs. All this sets up an easy win for the Hawks right? Well, if they feel like playing defense this series. They already started with a great move by putting Byfuglien back as a forward, because he was so bad at D and they also need him antagonizing Luongo. Hawks take this easily if they show up. Against Nashville only five people showed up for the whole series, that being Kaner (scoring), Niemi (barring one bad game which he still won) Seabrook (huge hits), and Hammer/Sopel (Sopel in particular killing himself over and over again with blocked shots). Now, Games 5 and 6 last series had more people producing like Tazer, Madden, and Hossa, so hopefully they're back in their groove for this upcoming matchup. Niemi will hopefully not have any games where he gives up 3 goals in 9 shots (but this kinda goes back to our defense needing to actually block shots). Personally I think we got this. Kaner hat tricks 7uongo again to win the series.
Best part so far? There's not even a break between the 1st and 2nd rounds, as the first game is tonight! It's one we need to watch closely too, as it is Wings/Sharks.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
A new rivalry?
I'm pretty stoked to say the least that we get to face the Canucks again in the second round, just like last year. They have a very good team, but I can't help but think that it will be a little easier than the series against the Preds because of the style of game that they play. Plus, I think we (especially Kaner) have Luongo's number, and if what I hear is true about Buff skating as a winger again, he will get in Luongo's head, and in his crease, all day.
As of right now nobody knows when game 1 will be, as we have to await the outcome of what could be a very epic upset in the Habs/Caps game. If Montreal wins, that means the Eastern conference had all upsets except for silly old Sidney Crosby. The only "upset" (and I use that term very loosely) in our conference was unfortunately those pesky Wings. The original Blackhawks rivals. But lately the buzz has been about the Canucks being our new rivals. It kind of got me thinking.
The rivalry we have against the Canucks is pretty new but also pretty intense. I have liked the Hawks for a long time, but due to the lockout and other issues, I kind of fell from them until I saw that we had the first pick back in 2007, and Patrick Kane intrigued me to say the least. Then the death of old man Wirtz kind of brought everyone back into existence, and we were all a big happy hockey family again. But the point is, for loving those early 90's hawks teams, I was taught the very important lesson of hating Detroit. My brother would even throw a stuffed octopus off of the loft at my grandmas house and then we would proceed to beat it with a wiffle bat. To me, it was the first big rivalry (besides the obvious Sox/Cubs) I ever got to know, and I still hate Detroit the most. But this new-age rivalry with the fans that have just jumped on board is pretty awesome to me too. I learned to hate Vancouver mostly because I hate Luongo and because of Mitchell's hit on the Captain a while back to give him his concussion. You can add the Sedin sisters into the mix of why I hate Vancouver too. The games against them are always very intense and this will be alot of fun.
So basically, while fans see this is a big rivalry for the Hawks, let's also not forget the biggest rivalry of them all. But even with that being said, this series is going to be insane. I just want it to start now =(
As of right now nobody knows when game 1 will be, as we have to await the outcome of what could be a very epic upset in the Habs/Caps game. If Montreal wins, that means the Eastern conference had all upsets except for silly old Sidney Crosby. The only "upset" (and I use that term very loosely) in our conference was unfortunately those pesky Wings. The original Blackhawks rivals. But lately the buzz has been about the Canucks being our new rivals. It kind of got me thinking.
The rivalry we have against the Canucks is pretty new but also pretty intense. I have liked the Hawks for a long time, but due to the lockout and other issues, I kind of fell from them until I saw that we had the first pick back in 2007, and Patrick Kane intrigued me to say the least. Then the death of old man Wirtz kind of brought everyone back into existence, and we were all a big happy hockey family again. But the point is, for loving those early 90's hawks teams, I was taught the very important lesson of hating Detroit. My brother would even throw a stuffed octopus off of the loft at my grandmas house and then we would proceed to beat it with a wiffle bat. To me, it was the first big rivalry (besides the obvious Sox/Cubs) I ever got to know, and I still hate Detroit the most. But this new-age rivalry with the fans that have just jumped on board is pretty awesome to me too. I learned to hate Vancouver mostly because I hate Luongo and because of Mitchell's hit on the Captain a while back to give him his concussion. You can add the Sedin sisters into the mix of why I hate Vancouver too. The games against them are always very intense and this will be alot of fun.
So basically, while fans see this is a big rivalry for the Hawks, let's also not forget the biggest rivalry of them all. But even with that being said, this series is going to be insane. I just want it to start now =(
Monday, April 26, 2010
The craziest day: part II.
So on Saturday after my freak out about Dan Lefevour, there was another very important thing to be done. As I continued seating for dinner before game 5 of the Blackhawks Preditors series, I had many thoughts running through my head. I felt a little more confident than usual that we would win this game, but as I said in earlier posts, I didn't want to get "too cocky, Starfox..." so i kept my cool. I went out to watch the anthem and it was insane as usual, and I stayed out there to watch the puck drop. The time in between the anthem and the puck drop, i just got this rush of emotion, like I knew that once this puck dropped i would be witnessing yet another amazing Blackhawks game, and it made me very happy.
When the Preds scored first, that feeling went quickly from anticipation to kind of an "oh crap" kind of feeling. with Andrew Ladd's goal helping the situation, and Hjallmerson taking the lead for us before 1st intermission, I felt better, but was still being cautious. And as we still led 3-2 after the second, I started getting much more comfortable. And I think they did too...
10:00 into the third period is the cutoff point where we can't let anyone take alcohol out of the bar, so that's pretty much when my duties are done up front besides trying to stop people from doing so. So I go to the back of the dining room to put the glasses on the table (the dishwashers are really slow so we don't get them until around that point in the night), so I don't have the TV access that I have up front, but I still get the radio. At the point I went back, the Preds had tied it at 3, and I didn't realize till a little bit later that they went ahead 4-3. I was getting really antsy at this point, and rushed to put the glasses on the table, I had no concept of how much time was left, but my heart just kept beating progressively faster knowing that Hossa had gotten a 5 minute penalty (I didn't see the hit till later)...and then all of a sudden, i heard a giant roar in the crowd and ran up front as fast as I can...and I got there just in time to see Kaner do the unthinkable.
He did WHAT???
I could not explain the mood of myself and everyone else in the building when that happened. It was a euphoric explosion, and my already intense love for Patrick Kane became even more intense. That's what we call being clutch, kids. Swabs told me that it was the first time in Stanley Cup history that a team was shorthanded and pulled their goalie and scored a goal. Nice stat!
So for the first time at work, we had an extra intermission. People flooded into the bar so much that they had to stand on the outside where I usually stand, so I got to talk to alot of different (and very drunk) fans. Because of the no alcohol allowed out rule, many people had to stay in the bar to finish their drinks so they wouldn't miss anything, which means i had to too. But I managed to sneak out to watch, and for the rest of that Hossa penalty I was literally shaking. I knew we could kill it, because the Preds are pretty much god-awful on the power play. And when i was still cheering for the kill, Hossa came right out. A fan behind me said, "come on, Hossa, you owe us for that". and then...
The goal horn went off, and the building absolutely exploded. It was so incredibly loud, and i was jumping around and hugging people I didn't even know, and then celebrating with the fans that i did know. People threw their towels on the ice and screamed even more. It was the third loudes thing I have ever experienced, the first two being Konerko's grand slam in game 2 of the 2005 world series, and the second being Scott Podsednik's walk off homer in the same game. It was so loud in there even during the three stars of the game, when poor Sarah Kustok tried to do her postgame interview but failed because of the noise level, and Hossa just gave the fans a friendly wave and headed back into the locker room. I could just imagine the boys in the locker room all pumped up, Kaner especially looked like a big ball of Joakim-esque energy.
So for once the hour I stayed after the game ended went by really fast, because i was celebrating with everyone. I still can't believe it even as i'm writing it now. There was only one more piece of the crazy sports day puzzle left to be put together...
But before i write part III, I will say that after that amazing Hawks victory on Saturday, i just want more Blackhawks, all the time. That's how i know I am in love with this team. And i certainly can't wait till tonight. <3
When the Preds scored first, that feeling went quickly from anticipation to kind of an "oh crap" kind of feeling. with Andrew Ladd's goal helping the situation, and Hjallmerson taking the lead for us before 1st intermission, I felt better, but was still being cautious. And as we still led 3-2 after the second, I started getting much more comfortable. And I think they did too...
10:00 into the third period is the cutoff point where we can't let anyone take alcohol out of the bar, so that's pretty much when my duties are done up front besides trying to stop people from doing so. So I go to the back of the dining room to put the glasses on the table (the dishwashers are really slow so we don't get them until around that point in the night), so I don't have the TV access that I have up front, but I still get the radio. At the point I went back, the Preds had tied it at 3, and I didn't realize till a little bit later that they went ahead 4-3. I was getting really antsy at this point, and rushed to put the glasses on the table, I had no concept of how much time was left, but my heart just kept beating progressively faster knowing that Hossa had gotten a 5 minute penalty (I didn't see the hit till later)...and then all of a sudden, i heard a giant roar in the crowd and ran up front as fast as I can...and I got there just in time to see Kaner do the unthinkable.
He did WHAT???
I could not explain the mood of myself and everyone else in the building when that happened. It was a euphoric explosion, and my already intense love for Patrick Kane became even more intense. That's what we call being clutch, kids. Swabs told me that it was the first time in Stanley Cup history that a team was shorthanded and pulled their goalie and scored a goal. Nice stat!
So for the first time at work, we had an extra intermission. People flooded into the bar so much that they had to stand on the outside where I usually stand, so I got to talk to alot of different (and very drunk) fans. Because of the no alcohol allowed out rule, many people had to stay in the bar to finish their drinks so they wouldn't miss anything, which means i had to too. But I managed to sneak out to watch, and for the rest of that Hossa penalty I was literally shaking. I knew we could kill it, because the Preds are pretty much god-awful on the power play. And when i was still cheering for the kill, Hossa came right out. A fan behind me said, "come on, Hossa, you owe us for that". and then...
The goal horn went off, and the building absolutely exploded. It was so incredibly loud, and i was jumping around and hugging people I didn't even know, and then celebrating with the fans that i did know. People threw their towels on the ice and screamed even more. It was the third loudes thing I have ever experienced, the first two being Konerko's grand slam in game 2 of the 2005 world series, and the second being Scott Podsednik's walk off homer in the same game. It was so loud in there even during the three stars of the game, when poor Sarah Kustok tried to do her postgame interview but failed because of the noise level, and Hossa just gave the fans a friendly wave and headed back into the locker room. I could just imagine the boys in the locker room all pumped up, Kaner especially looked like a big ball of Joakim-esque energy.
So for once the hour I stayed after the game ended went by really fast, because i was celebrating with everyone. I still can't believe it even as i'm writing it now. There was only one more piece of the crazy sports day puzzle left to be put together...
But before i write part III, I will say that after that amazing Hawks victory on Saturday, i just want more Blackhawks, all the time. That's how i know I am in love with this team. And i certainly can't wait till tonight. <3
Monday, April 19, 2010
XFD SHARKS
Yes, this is a Chicago sports blog, but I just have to mention what could very well be the funniest thing to happen in the history of all sports. Game 3 of the San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche ends in regulation with a score of 0-0, with the Sharks outshooting the Avs 56-17 (yes I did say 56 shots, and Craig Anderson saved them all). Then, less than a minute into overtime, Dan Boyle tries to pass the puck...and puts it in his own net, giving the Avs a 2-1 series lead. That proves once and for all that the Sharks are the biggest failure of a sports team and if they lose this series they deserved XFDs and LOLs and LMAOs for years to come. I hope it happens, because then...
History will be made.
History will be made.
The power of the mullet!!
It's been quite the busy weekend, so I haven't gotten a chance to talk about these first two playoff games yet. After all of my hype for Friday's game, the result was pretty much a buzz kill, But I knew my Hawks could come through in game 2. But so far, the biggest story has been Kaner, who is playing like a stud, and looks like one too.
The theme for Friday for me was anticipation. Driving to the UC I just had so much excitement, and all the fans did too. I felt like we were all confident for a victory, but as Wolf once told me, "don't get too cocky, Starfox..." and I should have remembered these wise words from one of the best N64 games because the Preds seemed like they wanted to be known as a force to be reckoned with instead of "that team that's gonna get pwned by the Blackhawks". I thought Niemi played well on Friday, and Captain had a couple of chances to score, but "Heeeey Pekka Rinne" was also very good in that game. Not good enough to stop the mullet though! As Kaner was the only one to score. The Hawks overall just looked flat, and couldn't keep up with the Preds' defensive strategies. I knew that by the time game 2 started they would figure out a way to get past them, and they certainly did.
The theme for Sunday was anxiety. I was just as pumped for the game, and so were the fans, but almost all of them I talked to also expressed that they were still somewhat nervous. The main point I wanted to stress to everyone was that Niemi is too good, and as long as we limit their shots on goal while not letting them limit ours, we can take this game and maybe more. And i'm glad I was right so far. Bolland scored a nice one, and Kaner used the mullet magic once again. And Niemi. Oh, my goodness Antti Niemi. Although I was right in that he didn't have to face alot of shots, I was extremely happy bout the way he played, and it was only fitting that his first playoff victory ever was a shutout. That's more than that other goalie we have would have done...what was his name again...?
So now I look foreward to watching tomorrow night's game at Nashville. I anticipate that crowd being very loud, maybe getting the Preds players a little too amped up. Maybe being so pumped up for the crowd, they will focus more on scoring themselves than playing their usual defensive game, and since Niemi is such a stud, they won't score themselves anyway. I like our chances of winning, but i'm still keeping Wolf's advice in the back of my mind. a 2-0 lead would just be very helpful.
And Kaner's mullet will continue to propel the Hawks to victory too... ^_~
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
continuing the countown...
Every morning I have been waking up with my first thought being "is it Friday yet???" As my 2 blogger counterparts have already stated, this is the craziest time of the year, and I have been going pretty crazy about it. I hate that I have to still wait 2 more days to see my beloved Blackhawks start some playoff hockey, but at least there will be some good games on tonight. I'm pullin for the Flyers, and i'm obviously gonna root for the Coyotes. It's not that Detroit scares me, it's just that i really don't like them. But i'll save the trash talking of the Wings for when it's neccessary.
So tonight's matchups: Flyers at Devils, Sens at Pens (that just sounds cool, doesn't it?), Avs at Sharks, and Wings at Coyotes. I'll be watching as much as i can, while also making sure the Sox are actually hitting the ball...AND monitoring what is going on in Charlotte for the Bulls' playoff sake. What an awesome sports night it will be. ^_^
But Alas, i am still wanting it to be Friday night. I'm glad there will be alot of sports to keep me occupied like I said, but it's nothing compared to what awaits me that night. It's just 2 more days...just 2 more days...
So tonight's matchups: Flyers at Devils, Sens at Pens (that just sounds cool, doesn't it?), Avs at Sharks, and Wings at Coyotes. I'll be watching as much as i can, while also making sure the Sox are actually hitting the ball...AND monitoring what is going on in Charlotte for the Bulls' playoff sake. What an awesome sports night it will be. ^_^
But Alas, i am still wanting it to be Friday night. I'm glad there will be alot of sports to keep me occupied like I said, but it's nothing compared to what awaits me that night. It's just 2 more days...just 2 more days...
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Only Two More Months
We are now on the edge of our couches and chairs waiting for the playoffs to begin. We have known who is playing who since Sunday evening. The up-to date match-ups including who's currently in the lead can be seen here. Most of the matchups are not exciting story lines to some, but guess what people, it's HISTORY TIME! This is the time of the year where hockey fans across the world put down their razors for 2 months, pick up a beer, sit on their couches, or recliners and watch any playoff hockey game that is currently showing. It doesn't matter to which team you would get into a brawl over, all that matters is that there are two teams right now that are laying it all out on the ice so that in what seems like a very short time, they will be able to take their victory lap around the rink with the Cup held high over their head. Then maybe afterwards when all the fans are out in the street rioting, the players will be able to just chill on the ice with their brothers and enjoy a cigar and a drink. I know I would.
So far, in the few days since the end of the regular season I have heard all kinds of playoff predictions. Except a few, such as the Colorado Av's or the Montreal Canadians making it to the Stanley Cup. But otherwise, there have been talks about the Penguins being back to back champs, Ovi redeeming himself by leading the Capitals to the History Books, and the Red Wings continuing their amazing post-Olympic streak to erase memories from last year. EA Sports' NHL 10 predicts that Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will bring back the silver cup to Chicago to where they will hold on to it for a long time. Only God knows how often Sports Illustrated is correct, but I am praying that they are correct this time around as they side with the video game's thoughts and predict that the Blackhawks will beat the Washington Capitals in 6 to end their season.
My thoughts are probably slanted, but who's thoughts are not? In the first round, I'm thinking that the winners in the West will be Sharks, Blackhawks, Kings, and Redwings. For the East I'm selecting Capitals, Penguins, Bruins, and the Devils.
In the Conference Semi's, it will be the Blackhawks taking revenge over the Redwings, and the Sharks will decide to choke to allow the Kings to the Conference Finals. The Capitals will breeze by the Bruins and the Devils will shutdown Crosby and Co.
We will see the Blackhawks take the ice against the Capitals. The Capitals will only be there because the NJ Devils will have been to beat up from playing against the physical Flyers and Penguins to last this marathon. The reason why the Chicago Blackhawks will persevere against the Monster that is the Washington Capitals is that even though the Caps have amazing players, the Blackhawks have serious depth to their team, so much so, that there are healthy players scratched from games just because we have too many great players. Depth will be the key in this stretch of games that can vary between 16 and 28 total games, but will most likely lie above 24 games.
Then after it is all said and done, the winners will be able to take a very long limo ride and just enjoy themselves without cameras being present. After all the players have done, they do not need pictures of their amazing adventures being shared with the world.
A Look At The NHL Playoffs
Ah yes, my favorite time of the year, the road to the Stanley Cup, where every game is a nailbiter, every team ups their play to a whole new level, and in general there is just more intensity. For us Chicago fans, it will be filled with even more anxiety than usual, since we absolutely expect the Blackhawks to win the Cup this year. We have the offense and we have the depth this year to win it all, depth that we will not have next year due to the need to clear cap space. The time is now, and the Hawks know it.
But what about the goaltending? Niemi has not started a single playoff game! There's no way he can hang with the veterans of the NHL! Well...not exactly. First off, in spite of the Hawks giving up the fewest shots on goal against them throughout the season, Niemi still has a great GAA and has proven in the past that he can hang in there. Secondly, let's take a look at the starting goaltenders this postseason:
Jose Theodore
Evgeni Nabokov
Martin Brodeur
Antti Niemi
Ryan Miller
Roberto Luongo
Marc-Andre Fleury
Ilya Bryzgalov
Brian Elliott
Jimmy Howard
Tuukka Rask
Jonathan Quick
Brian Boucher
Pekka Rinne
Jaroslav Halak
Craig Anderson
Out of 16 goalies, 7 of them have never started a playoff game, including Nashville's goalie Rinne. Out of the nine that have started a game, you have perennial chokers in Theodore, Luongo, and Nabokov (the Peyton Manning of the NHL), a 3rd string backup in Boucher, and a player who has not won a playoff series (Halak). This year, more emphasis will be placed on defense, because no team wants to know if their goaltender can handle the playoff pressure (not even Brodeur...I'd say the Pens and Sabres can feel a little bit safer with Fleury and Miller but that's it). For the Hawks, their D will need to be at its best, because we already know how potent the offense can be. I think they will pull it off without much worry.
With that said, here are my predictions for the first round:
Caps over Habs in 4: Halak will need to play like he did in the Olympics for Montreal to even stand a chance to win one, and even then they'll need Theodore to choke. I think the Capital's offense is too much for the Canadiens to handle.
Flyers over Devils in 7: The Flyers won 5 of 6 against New Jersey in the regular season, and I believe that will bowl over into the postseason. Carcillo should antagonize Brodeur like Byfuglien did last year to Luongo, and we know how frustrated Marty can get. Parise and Kovalchuk will lead the Devils to seven games but Philly is looking to prove they are better than their seed indicates.
Sabres over Bruins in 6: Rask will keep Boston alive for a bit but the total lack of offense combined with having to score on Ryan Miller is going to bury them.
Penguins over Senators in 5: The Pens are not the Stanley Cup winning team they were last year, but Ottawa is facing some key injuries, and they have been terribly streaking all season (win 10 in a row, then lose 8 straight, and so on). Also, there's Crosby, and he likes ruining things, so this won't be a competitive series.
Sharks over Avs in 5: As much as I want to make the upset pick because lol Sharks, but they got the one matchup they needed to get to the 2nd round at least. Colorado backed into the postseason, not winning many games in the final stretch. They'll still win a game because it's the Sharks, and they might even win two, but I think they're finally burned out.
Hawks over Preds in 5: Rinne will singlehandedly win a game for Nashville, and then the Hawks will own them the rest of the way. Nashville's goal differential is a big fat zero going up against the Hawks' +62. Hawks need to make a statement with this series.
Canucks over Kings in 7: LOL Luongo will force Vancouver to play seven games, but I don't think Quick will be exceptional enough to help a Kings team that likes to stagnate from time to time, on both offense and defense.
Red Wings over Phoenix in 7: I hope I'm wrong on this one, but it's Detroit in the playoffs, and it's very difficult to go against them. Phoenix is a great team, and given the circumstances surrounding their ownership throughout the season, it's amazing they are here at all. Bryzgalov will have to play out of his mind to stop the Wings' offense, and he is certainly good enough to step up his game tremendously, but I don't think they can survive here.
Wow, that was a long post, I could talk about the playoffs forever but I really should take a break. Let's go Hawks!
But what about the goaltending? Niemi has not started a single playoff game! There's no way he can hang with the veterans of the NHL! Well...not exactly. First off, in spite of the Hawks giving up the fewest shots on goal against them throughout the season, Niemi still has a great GAA and has proven in the past that he can hang in there. Secondly, let's take a look at the starting goaltenders this postseason:
Jose Theodore
Evgeni Nabokov
Martin Brodeur
Antti Niemi
Ryan Miller
Roberto Luongo
Marc-Andre Fleury
Ilya Bryzgalov
Brian Elliott
Jimmy Howard
Tuukka Rask
Jonathan Quick
Brian Boucher
Pekka Rinne
Jaroslav Halak
Craig Anderson
Out of 16 goalies, 7 of them have never started a playoff game, including Nashville's goalie Rinne. Out of the nine that have started a game, you have perennial chokers in Theodore, Luongo, and Nabokov (the Peyton Manning of the NHL), a 3rd string backup in Boucher, and a player who has not won a playoff series (Halak). This year, more emphasis will be placed on defense, because no team wants to know if their goaltender can handle the playoff pressure (not even Brodeur...I'd say the Pens and Sabres can feel a little bit safer with Fleury and Miller but that's it). For the Hawks, their D will need to be at its best, because we already know how potent the offense can be. I think they will pull it off without much worry.
With that said, here are my predictions for the first round:
Caps over Habs in 4: Halak will need to play like he did in the Olympics for Montreal to even stand a chance to win one, and even then they'll need Theodore to choke. I think the Capital's offense is too much for the Canadiens to handle.
Flyers over Devils in 7: The Flyers won 5 of 6 against New Jersey in the regular season, and I believe that will bowl over into the postseason. Carcillo should antagonize Brodeur like Byfuglien did last year to Luongo, and we know how frustrated Marty can get. Parise and Kovalchuk will lead the Devils to seven games but Philly is looking to prove they are better than their seed indicates.
Sabres over Bruins in 6: Rask will keep Boston alive for a bit but the total lack of offense combined with having to score on Ryan Miller is going to bury them.
Penguins over Senators in 5: The Pens are not the Stanley Cup winning team they were last year, but Ottawa is facing some key injuries, and they have been terribly streaking all season (win 10 in a row, then lose 8 straight, and so on). Also, there's Crosby, and he likes ruining things, so this won't be a competitive series.
Sharks over Avs in 5: As much as I want to make the upset pick because lol Sharks, but they got the one matchup they needed to get to the 2nd round at least. Colorado backed into the postseason, not winning many games in the final stretch. They'll still win a game because it's the Sharks, and they might even win two, but I think they're finally burned out.
Hawks over Preds in 5: Rinne will singlehandedly win a game for Nashville, and then the Hawks will own them the rest of the way. Nashville's goal differential is a big fat zero going up against the Hawks' +62. Hawks need to make a statement with this series.
Canucks over Kings in 7: LOL Luongo will force Vancouver to play seven games, but I don't think Quick will be exceptional enough to help a Kings team that likes to stagnate from time to time, on both offense and defense.
Red Wings over Phoenix in 7: I hope I'm wrong on this one, but it's Detroit in the playoffs, and it's very difficult to go against them. Phoenix is a great team, and given the circumstances surrounding their ownership throughout the season, it's amazing they are here at all. Bryzgalov will have to play out of his mind to stop the Wings' offense, and he is certainly good enough to step up his game tremendously, but I don't think they can survive here.
Wow, that was a long post, I could talk about the playoffs forever but I really should take a break. Let's go Hawks!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The longest week
I'm not sure why the schedule doesn't have us starting Wednesday. I know why we can't start Thursday (The Harlem Globetrotters are invading the UC). So now I have to wait all the way till Friday. I'm really really excited for these playoffs to start, I dunno how i'm gonna make it through the week.
Today's game was a really good hockey game with a bad outcome. The crowd was insane, and it can only get more insane for Friday. That anthem is going to be EPIC. Also, the tribute to Eddie Olczyk was really really cool. what an awesome guy ^_^
Dispite losing to one of my two least favorite teams ever around sports (the other being the Twins, see my MLB post later), i do like matching up with Nashville. I think the fact that it's so close will be really helpful, and I know that we have matched up well against them in the past. Also, even though i'll be tweaking out all week waiting for the playoffs to begin, i like the extra rest it will give us, which might help in the long run (the Preds are obviously resting the same amount but i'm saying for the coming rounds). I am very hopeful for this series and i know that the UC will be rockin this weekend. I just don't know what i'm going to do with myself to pass the time this week...
maybe i'll just watch this...^_~
Today's game was a really good hockey game with a bad outcome. The crowd was insane, and it can only get more insane for Friday. That anthem is going to be EPIC. Also, the tribute to Eddie Olczyk was really really cool. what an awesome guy ^_^
Dispite losing to one of my two least favorite teams ever around sports (the other being the Twins, see my MLB post later), i do like matching up with Nashville. I think the fact that it's so close will be really helpful, and I know that we have matched up well against them in the past. Also, even though i'll be tweaking out all week waiting for the playoffs to begin, i like the extra rest it will give us, which might help in the long run (the Preds are obviously resting the same amount but i'm saying for the coming rounds). I am very hopeful for this series and i know that the UC will be rockin this weekend. I just don't know what i'm going to do with myself to pass the time this week...
maybe i'll just watch this...^_~
Friday, April 9, 2010
It's almost time..
All signs point to the fact that the playoffs for our beloved Blackhawks will start Wednesday at the UC. I'm glad this week has gone by so fast so far, with the plethora of sports in this town that have been going on. Wednesday is so close and yet so far, and i'm trying very hard not to get ahead of myself. Tonight's game against the Avalanche can be a possible playoff matchup, and i think we can pull off a series win against them if we do in fact have to play them. If we can score early and take control and show them who's boss, It could set the tone for later on. The same could go for Sunday against the Wings depending on how all of these matchups pan out in the next couple nights.
It was nice seeing the offense explode in Wednesday night's game against the Blues, but it seemed like they got a bit too relaxed after that. It's hard to keep up intensity like that when you have such a comfortable lead, but at a time like this, with playoffs just around the corner, the intensity should be a constant. I could tell the Captain was not happy with the team giving up 5 goals like that, so i'm sure he said something after the fact. I was glad to get the win though, those Blues play like a bunch of goons.
So we have tonght and Sunday and then playoff time. Like i said, i've been trying to do the whole "one game at a time" cliche thing, but I mean...come on...after how much fun I had last year with these boys in the playoffs, it is pretty hard not to think about it all the time. Tonight should be a great game, and hopefully it will put us in that number 1 seed and make Sunday's game that much crazier. ^_^
It was nice seeing the offense explode in Wednesday night's game against the Blues, but it seemed like they got a bit too relaxed after that. It's hard to keep up intensity like that when you have such a comfortable lead, but at a time like this, with playoffs just around the corner, the intensity should be a constant. I could tell the Captain was not happy with the team giving up 5 goals like that, so i'm sure he said something after the fact. I was glad to get the win though, those Blues play like a bunch of goons.
So we have tonght and Sunday and then playoff time. Like i said, i've been trying to do the whole "one game at a time" cliche thing, but I mean...come on...after how much fun I had last year with these boys in the playoffs, it is pretty hard not to think about it all the time. Tonight should be a great game, and hopefully it will put us in that number 1 seed and make Sunday's game that much crazier. ^_^
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Preview of Hawks Vs Stars
The preview for the Hawks game tells us what we pretty much know. Patrick Kane is awesome, so is Anti Niemi. I just hope that we continue playing Niemi because he certainly deserves it, as well as a run for the shutout record. He is currently only one behind Byrzgalov despite playing only half as many games. Patrick Kane has had a dry spell recently, but broke that in the past game to continue being the leader in goals and points on the Hawks. The game starts at 7:30 pm and will be on CSN. Tune in to watch the Blackhawks make a run to grab back the 1st seed in the Conference.
I'm glad that at least they play hockey a hell of a lot better than they throw a baseball.
I'm glad that at least they play hockey a hell of a lot better than they throw a baseball.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Central champs!!!
I haven't had alot of time to post anything over the weekend, but these past two hawks games have been very wonderful.
Let's start with the game on Friday against the Devils. It wasn't very eventful aside from the awesome goaltending on both ends, until the end of the game of course. I was watching the game with a friend who doesn't know much about Hockey (or sports in general, that's why he has me to teach him ^_^) and I was explaining how the Hawks pulled Niemi and put in the extra attacker. No sooner did my friend ask "Are the Hawks known for scoring with the extra attacker?" than they did just that. It was very exciting, especially with only 26 seconds left. Then, of course, the Captain was clutch in the shootout, which was very nice to see.
Today, the crowd was really awesome, and so were the Hawks. It was really good to see the offensive power that was going on, and of course Niemi was a stud once again. Now, the Hawks have their first Central Division title since Kaner and Tazer were only 4 years old, and can't drop lower than 3rd seed in the standings. Now we just have to catch up with the Sharks, who as we speak are about to go into overtime with the Avalanche. Hopefully they come out of that with 1 point and not 2. I would like to win the conference, as long as the Wings don't have the 8th seed. It's not that they scare me, per se, but I just really don't have the emotional capacity to go through playing them in the first round. If we play them, i'd really just want a rematch in the conference finals. But we shall see if they even make it that far. heh heh.
All I know is, with the regular season winding down, these next couple weeks for hockey and sports in general are going to be absolutely insane, and i'm gonna enjoy the ride.
Let's start with the game on Friday against the Devils. It wasn't very eventful aside from the awesome goaltending on both ends, until the end of the game of course. I was watching the game with a friend who doesn't know much about Hockey (or sports in general, that's why he has me to teach him ^_^) and I was explaining how the Hawks pulled Niemi and put in the extra attacker. No sooner did my friend ask "Are the Hawks known for scoring with the extra attacker?" than they did just that. It was very exciting, especially with only 26 seconds left. Then, of course, the Captain was clutch in the shootout, which was very nice to see.
Today, the crowd was really awesome, and so were the Hawks. It was really good to see the offensive power that was going on, and of course Niemi was a stud once again. Now, the Hawks have their first Central Division title since Kaner and Tazer were only 4 years old, and can't drop lower than 3rd seed in the standings. Now we just have to catch up with the Sharks, who as we speak are about to go into overtime with the Avalanche. Hopefully they come out of that with 1 point and not 2. I would like to win the conference, as long as the Wings don't have the 8th seed. It's not that they scare me, per se, but I just really don't have the emotional capacity to go through playing them in the first round. If we play them, i'd really just want a rematch in the conference finals. But we shall see if they even make it that far. heh heh.
All I know is, with the regular season winding down, these next couple weeks for hockey and sports in general are going to be absolutely insane, and i'm gonna enjoy the ride.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
the Blackhawks Blues
Well then...
I'm not really sure what to say about this one. I got to watch the beginning of the first period, then listened to the second period on the radio in the car (I was at the UC watching Amare Stodumire make his Bulls audition?) and got home just in time to see the Blues score in the third. So I really am not sure what happened here. I don't have the grounds to blame Niemi for this one, but then again I don't really think there is one specific thing to blame. Captain had 2 assists, which I admit is more than he's done lately, but I see that as the beginning of his rebirth, if you will. I realize that even though I praise him as the Captain of this team and love the way he plays and carries himself in general, there has been something not quite right since his gold medal best forward performance in the Olympics. Tazer is not the kind of guy that is just going to be happy with his gold medal, so I know that's not it. He knows he's in charge of this team and whatever is wrong with these boys he's going to do his damndest to fix it.
It was good to see Sharpie and Hossa score our goals. I saw Sharpie's when it happened but saw Hossa's later on the replay. Swabs and I talked after the game and he brought up a good point that Sharpie always scores when he's out of position somehow. I was pretty surprised at coach Q's decision to shuffle the lines up a bit and put Kaner on the Bolland line and have Tazer Sharpie and Hossa on the first line, which in turn ended up being the most successful one. I think that a line with Kaner and Bolland has alot of potential, it just didn't end up clicking tonight. Maybe coach Q will shuffle the lines even more after the loss, all I know is, something needs to change. And i'm not sure what...
I did catch something interesting on VS. before the game. They showed the projected goalies that will start for the Western Conference teams in the playoffs, and most of them had no playoff experience at all. So the issue of Niemi not having playoff experience is kind of irrelevant if you think about how the other teams are going through the same thing. However, let's say, even though Jimmy Howard has no playoff experience that doesn't make the Wings less scary (as much as I really hate to say that...) because of their obvious offensive power. And the way the Hawks have been playing, it makes me weary to think that the Western Conference portion of this year's playoffs will have little to do with goaltending experience. I know we have a good offense, and I know we can play good defensively, it's just that something is not clicking right at the moment. If I only knew what that was, I could go in the locker room on Sunday and smack some sense into these boys. But instead I will just hope that they figure it out before playoff time...
Monday, March 29, 2010
I am a Stanley Cup Fan, but also a hockey fan
Greg Wyshynski made a great point in one of his post on Yahoo Sports. After Greg talked about the history ads that were made by the NHL, (see video below) he started talking about the changeover from Olympic hockey to the NHL. Many people thought that the high exposure and great publicity that hockey received in the USA from the amazing games that were played throughout the Olympics would translate into more viewers for the NHL. Now there might have been a few more people watching their hockey teams from their home cities, there was not a huge rush of people to the rink to see people play hockey. The teams that were popular remained popular, and the teams that sucked and had low attendance, continued to have low attendance.
Greg brings up a crucial point about the casual fan. Now I've been an avid fan of the Blackhawks and have been watching almost every single game. The same thing goes for the Chicago Bears. But for the other Chicago sports teams, such as the Bulls and the Cubs, I will classify myself as a casual fan, meaning that I will almost never catch a game, unless it's that time of the day where the only other thing that I could watch on TV is Maury, and most likely I've already seen that episode of Maury so I know that this guy is NOT the father of her kid(s). (She's tested 23 guys so far) But when it comes to the playoffs, every couple of years the Bulls or the Cubs will make the post season. Although I know that they will choke and lose very early on, I will watch those games because it is the playoffs, and for whatever reason, the post season is more exciting and will always draw more viewers. I mean come on, the Superbowl is pretty much a national holiday. Which is why the NFL draws in so many people to watch their game. If not for the playing time between two of the best teams in the league, then at least for the commercials and the party-like atmosphere of the event.
Nobody does postseason like the NFL. There are commercials and previews leading up to the Superbowl for the game, the halftime show, and even the commercials. Does the league suffer at all during the regular season becuase the Superbowl is the only game that matters throughout the entire year? No, in fact, I would say drawing people into the biggest game of the year would expose more people to the sport and would entice some to watch more games throughout the year. The other professional leagues could learn from the NFL and hype up their post-season more so that there are more viewers to watch the games. Lets be honest here, if you don't normally watch a sport, which one would convince you to watch more of the regular season. A normal regular season game, or a championship game. Of course the latter, so with the NHL trying to draw in a larger crowd, it would benefit them to hype up the Stanley Cup and the road leading up to it, which would bring back a majority of the Olympic Hockey fans to tune in and watch. Then once the masses are watching the games, it is now time to convince them that the rest of the season matters as well.
Greg brings up a crucial point about the casual fan. Now I've been an avid fan of the Blackhawks and have been watching almost every single game. The same thing goes for the Chicago Bears. But for the other Chicago sports teams, such as the Bulls and the Cubs, I will classify myself as a casual fan, meaning that I will almost never catch a game, unless it's that time of the day where the only other thing that I could watch on TV is Maury, and most likely I've already seen that episode of Maury so I know that this guy is NOT the father of her kid(s). (She's tested 23 guys so far) But when it comes to the playoffs, every couple of years the Bulls or the Cubs will make the post season. Although I know that they will choke and lose very early on, I will watch those games because it is the playoffs, and for whatever reason, the post season is more exciting and will always draw more viewers. I mean come on, the Superbowl is pretty much a national holiday. Which is why the NFL draws in so many people to watch their game. If not for the playing time between two of the best teams in the league, then at least for the commercials and the party-like atmosphere of the event.
Nobody does postseason like the NFL. There are commercials and previews leading up to the Superbowl for the game, the halftime show, and even the commercials. Does the league suffer at all during the regular season becuase the Superbowl is the only game that matters throughout the entire year? No, in fact, I would say drawing people into the biggest game of the year would expose more people to the sport and would entice some to watch more games throughout the year. The other professional leagues could learn from the NFL and hype up their post-season more so that there are more viewers to watch the games. Lets be honest here, if you don't normally watch a sport, which one would convince you to watch more of the regular season. A normal regular season game, or a championship game. Of course the latter, so with the NHL trying to draw in a larger crowd, it would benefit them to hype up the Stanley Cup and the road leading up to it, which would bring back a majority of the Olympic Hockey fans to tune in and watch. Then once the masses are watching the games, it is now time to convince them that the rest of the season matters as well.
My straight jacket is blue
It's been a busy weekend for me so I haven't had much time to talk about this little home and home we had here. Thursday night was absolutely awful. I'm not the kind of person to turn off a game ever (I even stayed at US Cellular field the entire game last year when the Sox lost 20-1 to the Twins...I definitely don't miss Betemit or Colon, but that's a baseball blog for next time...) but we had to turn it off when we saw Huet coming back in for the third period. We even resorted to turning on the Bulls game. THE BULLS GAME, PEOPLE!! and that was the night they got owned by the Heat, too. So all in all it was a very bad day.
Sunday I expected this Hawks team to get even and then some. Letting up 8 goals like that the Thursday before should have filled up their limit break bars to the max, and between that and the always-energetic crowd at the UC, this was set to be a victory. The crowd did indeed stay into it the entire game, and i did too. But something is just not right with these boys, and I want to find out what it is...
I've pretty much been driving myself insane about these two games, hence the title of this blog. I know it's just 2 games, and I know we don't have to see Columbus again this year, and i'm sure even Blue Jackets fans don't even really care that much because they just want college football to start (O-H!). Now i'm just glad that the crazy weekend is over, and I can look foreward to tomorrow's game against the Blues, which i'm sure if nothing else will at least be played more physically. The only fight i've seen the Captain get into was against them, and it was awesome. Maybe he just needs to beat up some Blues players to get the team going again. If it works, why not? ^_^
...and what's the deal with Duke being the only Final 4 team I picked that made it. ugh...
Sunday I expected this Hawks team to get even and then some. Letting up 8 goals like that the Thursday before should have filled up their limit break bars to the max, and between that and the always-energetic crowd at the UC, this was set to be a victory. The crowd did indeed stay into it the entire game, and i did too. But something is just not right with these boys, and I want to find out what it is...
I've pretty much been driving myself insane about these two games, hence the title of this blog. I know it's just 2 games, and I know we don't have to see Columbus again this year, and i'm sure even Blue Jackets fans don't even really care that much because they just want college football to start (O-H!). Now i'm just glad that the crazy weekend is over, and I can look foreward to tomorrow's game against the Blues, which i'm sure if nothing else will at least be played more physically. The only fight i've seen the Captain get into was against them, and it was awesome. Maybe he just needs to beat up some Blues players to get the team going again. If it works, why not? ^_^
...and what's the deal with Duke being the only Final 4 team I picked that made it. ugh...
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Return Of the Blackhawks
Well in the second game against the Coyotes, the Blackhawks have finally started to show why they were picked at the beginning of the season to win it all. They played great defense, passed the puck around, made some stupendous shots, and with a small bit of Niemi playing some solid goaltending, the Blackhawks pulled of a 2-0 win over the Coyotes to remain above the rest in the West.
With the return of Seabrook tonight, the defense let up 28 shots and provided Niemi with some great support that was needed to grab this shutout. The saves that Niemi had tonight were some of the best that I've seen from him so far this season. You can watch the highlights from the game here. The glove save that he made while flat on his stomach was just unbelievable. He is showing us why he is the goalie that we are to rely on for the rest of the season and through the post season. Niemi has had some rocky points through the middle of the season, but has finally gotten past those points. I am actually glad he had those terrible games in the middle of the season and has emptied them from his system, rather than save the shitty games for now at the end right before the playoffs. A few goalies who are in the middle of their terrible runs are Nabokov and Miller who have let up an unbelievable amount of goals in the games since the Olympic break. Niemi is playing very solid and can be relied upon for the playoffs.
For those of us who have been anxiously awaiting Seabs return, we no longer have to worry. He has come back to a great defense, took up his spot besides Keith, and added some of the depth back to the defense that has had to rely on more people than they have been used to. He contributed to the great play that provided Niemi with his 6th shutout for the season. He made some great checks on the Coyotes and even defended his team and threw down a 'Yote when he poke-checked Niemi a few times too many. The defense is still missing a few players, but is managing very well without them.
Patrick Kane showed his amazing ability once again with a snapshot goal. He has always made us aware of his vision on the ice and his accurate passing, but what we all have wanted from him was more goals. Yes he has the most goals on the team, but Kane has the ability to be one of the league leaders in goals scored. Marian Hossa followed up with a very sweet wrist shot after gaining control of the bouncing puck. He quickly settled the puck and slid it between Bryzgalov's pads. For the rest of the game, the Blackhawks handled the puck and kept it for the majority of the game. The Hawks also held the Coyotes to no goals despite being shorthanded 4 times.
The next game for the Hawks come against the Bluejackets who are almost 29 points lower than the Blackhawks. I wish Joel will continue starting Niemi and maybe Niemi can make a run at being the league leader in shutouts, despite playing 24 games less than Bryzgalov, the current leader with 8 shutouts. With the way that the Hawks have just played against the Coyotes, and how they have been playing more consitenly opver the past few games, I see the Hawks remaining on top of the list, and even forcing the Capitals to win most of their games so that they can be on top with the most points at the end of the season.
With the return of Seabrook tonight, the defense let up 28 shots and provided Niemi with some great support that was needed to grab this shutout. The saves that Niemi had tonight were some of the best that I've seen from him so far this season. You can watch the highlights from the game here. The glove save that he made while flat on his stomach was just unbelievable. He is showing us why he is the goalie that we are to rely on for the rest of the season and through the post season. Niemi has had some rocky points through the middle of the season, but has finally gotten past those points. I am actually glad he had those terrible games in the middle of the season and has emptied them from his system, rather than save the shitty games for now at the end right before the playoffs. A few goalies who are in the middle of their terrible runs are Nabokov and Miller who have let up an unbelievable amount of goals in the games since the Olympic break. Niemi is playing very solid and can be relied upon for the playoffs.
For those of us who have been anxiously awaiting Seabs return, we no longer have to worry. He has come back to a great defense, took up his spot besides Keith, and added some of the depth back to the defense that has had to rely on more people than they have been used to. He contributed to the great play that provided Niemi with his 6th shutout for the season. He made some great checks on the Coyotes and even defended his team and threw down a 'Yote when he poke-checked Niemi a few times too many. The defense is still missing a few players, but is managing very well without them.
Patrick Kane showed his amazing ability once again with a snapshot goal. He has always made us aware of his vision on the ice and his accurate passing, but what we all have wanted from him was more goals. Yes he has the most goals on the team, but Kane has the ability to be one of the league leaders in goals scored. Marian Hossa followed up with a very sweet wrist shot after gaining control of the bouncing puck. He quickly settled the puck and slid it between Bryzgalov's pads. For the rest of the game, the Blackhawks handled the puck and kept it for the majority of the game. The Hawks also held the Coyotes to no goals despite being shorthanded 4 times.
The next game for the Hawks come against the Bluejackets who are almost 29 points lower than the Blackhawks. I wish Joel will continue starting Niemi and maybe Niemi can make a run at being the league leader in shutouts, despite playing 24 games less than Bryzgalov, the current leader with 8 shutouts. With the way that the Hawks have just played against the Coyotes, and how they have been playing more consitenly opver the past few games, I see the Hawks remaining on top of the list, and even forcing the Capitals to win most of their games so that they can be on top with the most points at the end of the season.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Weekend of Craziness
Well I already knew I was just picking teams at random for my NCAA March Madness bracket, but it pretty much blew. Somehow, I had Villinova, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Syracuse. I'm just hoping that Ohio State goes all the way, because that would just be awesome. Next year I'm just gonna pick my teams by their season bracket.
With my non-existent knowledge of college basketball out of the way, time to turn back to hockey. With the SJ Sharks on a huge skid, the Blackhawks awarded just 3 points out of the past 3 games I believe that they both know something that the Coyotes obviously don't know since they decided to go on a playoff run like no other, winning their past 9 games. So what the Sharks and the Hawks have not told the Coyotes is that the Red Wings are in 8th place, and they are healthy! It is true that to be the best, you have to beat the best, but I'd rather play against any other playoff team that beat the Red Wings instead of the only team that makes Detroit noticeable on the sports map.
I see that the Hawks, Coyotes, and Canucks easily win the first round, with the exception of the team that faces the Red Wings. Whoever faces them will have a much more difficult first round that will probably go to the 6th or 7th game of the series. After that, the series are up for grabs with me hoping and drinking so the Blackhawks go all the way.
With all joking aside, the Sharks have really just missed something. Probably their skates and sticks by the look of it, especially with their loss yesterday against the Oilers. In case you didn't catch it or the score afterward, they were destroyed 5 to 1. The game wasn't even close, and this was not the beginning or the end of this terrible streak for them.
Even though the Blackhawks have gotten only half the possible points out of the past 4 games, there were 2 overtime losses to the Capitals and the Coyotes. With both games, we were missing some key defense men and both of the teams are in 1st or 2nd in their conference. We lost one game to the Ducks, which I believe should have gone the other way and would have gone the other way if there was not some poorly made calls by the refs. And then there was the 3 to 0 win we had against the LA Kings, who are a good team, good enough to be currently 5th seed in the West. Overall, I think that the Hawks are still on a very good track, need some improvement and tweaking, but otherwise just fine for the playoffs. That is, besides finding a goalie.
With my non-existent knowledge of college basketball out of the way, time to turn back to hockey. With the SJ Sharks on a huge skid, the Blackhawks awarded just 3 points out of the past 3 games I believe that they both know something that the Coyotes obviously don't know since they decided to go on a playoff run like no other, winning their past 9 games. So what the Sharks and the Hawks have not told the Coyotes is that the Red Wings are in 8th place, and they are healthy! It is true that to be the best, you have to beat the best, but I'd rather play against any other playoff team that beat the Red Wings instead of the only team that makes Detroit noticeable on the sports map.
I see that the Hawks, Coyotes, and Canucks easily win the first round, with the exception of the team that faces the Red Wings. Whoever faces them will have a much more difficult first round that will probably go to the 6th or 7th game of the series. After that, the series are up for grabs with me hoping and drinking so the Blackhawks go all the way.
With all joking aside, the Sharks have really just missed something. Probably their skates and sticks by the look of it, especially with their loss yesterday against the Oilers. In case you didn't catch it or the score afterward, they were destroyed 5 to 1. The game wasn't even close, and this was not the beginning or the end of this terrible streak for them.
Even though the Blackhawks have gotten only half the possible points out of the past 4 games, there were 2 overtime losses to the Capitals and the Coyotes. With both games, we were missing some key defense men and both of the teams are in 1st or 2nd in their conference. We lost one game to the Ducks, which I believe should have gone the other way and would have gone the other way if there was not some poorly made calls by the refs. And then there was the 3 to 0 win we had against the LA Kings, who are a good team, good enough to be currently 5th seed in the West. Overall, I think that the Hawks are still on a very good track, need some improvement and tweaking, but otherwise just fine for the playoffs. That is, besides finding a goalie.
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