On to the Cup (Finally!)
I really don't know which idiot it was that decided to wait so long for the Cup finals to begin. Game 1 started tonight at the score is tied at 1 after the first period. IMO, they should've started Thursday night and taken advantage of the weekend. It's big 6 days. Football can get away with a two week gap between the Conference Championship and the Super Bowl, hockey can't. Besides, football in February is seasonably acceptable. Hockey in June? Uh-uh. Hockey's my favorite sport but even I'm done with it by now. I've been in shorts all week. So there's no way the average joe is going to watch a winter sport during the prime of baseball and Nascar seasons. The average Canuck, well, that's another story. It's probably still snowing somewhere in Canada.
In the interim, former Ranger great, Brian Leetch, announced his retirement. He didn't play last year. Couldn't get an acceptable deal anywhere. With teams already planning for next season (it's only 4 months away after all), several were in touch with him. Leetch hit the gym and the ice to get his body conditioned, but the drive to compete was gone. He knew it was time to hang up his skates.
It's a shame his career ended like it did. Despite a vastly improved defense, the Rangers could've used him this season. But fucking Glen Sather in his infinite wisdom had to trade him away in the pre-lockout roster purge. He was one of the best players to ever wear a Ranger jersey, and certainly one of the best Americans to play the game. Next stop: The Hall of Fame.
Here's the recap from the last round:
Senators Foil Cup Hopes For Sabres
I guess I should've stuck with the Senators all the way. As the only person who had them even making it past the first round, I suppose I'm the least surprised of the pool that the Senators have defeated the Sabres. Well, maybe after watching Ottawa dispose of the Penguins and Devils others thought that the Sabres wouldn't be treated any differently. Ottawa fans certainly didn't think so.
5 seems to be the magic number for Ottawa. They've dispatched each of their opponents in only 5 games, building an impressive 12-3 playoff record this year.
The Sabres were the odds on favorite to win the Cup (3 people in the pool had them winning it). Their strong performance during the regular season, except for an injury induced slump in mid-season, just made them seem indominatable. But cracks in the armor appeared during their series with the Rangers. If the Rangers had the depth that Buffalo had, they might've even beaten them. The Sabres would soon learn that Ottawa had that depth.
Game 1 was a 5-2 rough up with Buffalo committing 19 turnovers, two of which resulted in goals. Ottawa outshot Buffalo 34-20 and had 2 PPG's. Game 2 was closer but the Sabres blew a 2-0 lead early in the 1st period. Down 3-2 late in the 3rd, Buffalo pulled off another late game miracle. Briere scored with just 6 seconds left, forcing the game into OT. But Buffalo's comeback was stymied as Corvo scored the game winner in the 2nd OT.
The series went to Ottawa with the Sabres down 2-0. From here it was just a matter of time. While the Sabres were quite capable of winning on the road, losing the first two at home was an ominous portent of their fate.
Technically, Game 3 was won on a fluky goal by Ottawa captain Alfredsson, who was back in the good graces of Senators fans who were calling for him to step down during the season. Buffalo goalie, Ryan Miller stopped 31 of 32 shots, keeping his team in the game. But his offense let him down. The Sabres managed a paltry 15 SOG. Their power play was inept and had fallen to 0 for 18 in the series.
Buffalo narrowly avoided the sweep by winning game 4, by a score of 3-2. They even got their first PPG. Again, they managed only 22 SOG to Ottawa's 33. So Buffalo wasn't dead. After all, 2 teams have come from 3-0 deficits to win a series. But Ottawa didn't want to go into the history books that way. They had a different plan in mind: playing for the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.
Ottawa nearly blew it. They had a 2-1 lead going into the 3rd period but they got sloppy. They gave Buffalo 5 power plays. Eventually, the Sabres scored on one of those opportunities forcing OT. Once again, Alfredsson came through for Ottawa with the series winning goal sending Buffalo fans home dejected.
Ducks Still Mighty
In 2003, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks were the #7 seed and became the giant killers of the Western Conference playoffs. It took the Devils 7 games to beat them and snag the Cup. Alot's changed since then. The team dropped "Mighty" (though I still call them that) from their name, was sold, and the roster, as well as the front office, went through alot of turnover. Only 4 players remain from the 2003 team: Giguere, Rob Niedermayer, Andy McDonald, and Sammy Pahlsson.
This was anyone's series until Game 5. Each team took a game at home and on the road. The Red Wings' 5-0 slam in game 3 made it seem as if the series was going to go their way, but Anaheim bounced back in game 4 with 5 goals of their own. With 47 seconds left in regulation, Detroit was holding onto a slim 1-0 lead while trying to kill off Datsyuk's interference penalty. That's when Scott Neidermayer ripped one passed Hasek, who, judging by the reply, just didn't seem to see it. Hasek only faced 18 shots through regulation.
Reinvigorated, the Ducks kept the momentum going through OT, outshooting Detroit 8-3. The game winner came from Teemu Selanne, who'll be playing in his first Stanley Cup series at the tender age of 36. He forced a turnover, drove to the net, and flipped a backhander over a sprawling Hasek.
Back home for game 6, the Ducks could smell victory in the air. The home crowd was already energized when Rob Neidermayer got a shorthanded goal less than 4 minutes into the game. At that point, there was no way the fans would accept anything other than a win. As the 3rd period dawned, the Ducks were up 3-0.
I couldn't help but wonder if the Red Wings missed the plane and were still in Detroit. They were being outshot 26-13 and facing elimination! It finally sunk in and the team finally played hard. Zetterberg got a goal at 3:15, but Pahlsson answered at 5:54. Clever work by Chelios and others got Detroit a man advantage. 2 PPG's by Datsyuk later and the Red Wings were down by only one. Although they outshot Anaheim 16-3 that period, it was too late. The Ducks held on to win it.
So now we've got the Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks playing for the Stanley Cup. Neither team has ever won it so this will make the 3rd season in a row that a team will be winning it for the first time.
And here's how my hockey playoff pool ended.
CORRECTION: The Ottawa Senators won the Cup back in 1927.
\_/
DED
In the interim, former Ranger great, Brian Leetch, announced his retirement. He didn't play last year. Couldn't get an acceptable deal anywhere. With teams already planning for next season (it's only 4 months away after all), several were in touch with him. Leetch hit the gym and the ice to get his body conditioned, but the drive to compete was gone. He knew it was time to hang up his skates.
It's a shame his career ended like it did. Despite a vastly improved defense, the Rangers could've used him this season. But fucking Glen Sather in his infinite wisdom had to trade him away in the pre-lockout roster purge. He was one of the best players to ever wear a Ranger jersey, and certainly one of the best Americans to play the game. Next stop: The Hall of Fame.
Here's the recap from the last round:
Senators Foil Cup Hopes For Sabres
I guess I should've stuck with the Senators all the way. As the only person who had them even making it past the first round, I suppose I'm the least surprised of the pool that the Senators have defeated the Sabres. Well, maybe after watching Ottawa dispose of the Penguins and Devils others thought that the Sabres wouldn't be treated any differently. Ottawa fans certainly didn't think so.
5 seems to be the magic number for Ottawa. They've dispatched each of their opponents in only 5 games, building an impressive 12-3 playoff record this year.
The Sabres were the odds on favorite to win the Cup (3 people in the pool had them winning it). Their strong performance during the regular season, except for an injury induced slump in mid-season, just made them seem indominatable. But cracks in the armor appeared during their series with the Rangers. If the Rangers had the depth that Buffalo had, they might've even beaten them. The Sabres would soon learn that Ottawa had that depth.
Game 1 was a 5-2 rough up with Buffalo committing 19 turnovers, two of which resulted in goals. Ottawa outshot Buffalo 34-20 and had 2 PPG's. Game 2 was closer but the Sabres blew a 2-0 lead early in the 1st period. Down 3-2 late in the 3rd, Buffalo pulled off another late game miracle. Briere scored with just 6 seconds left, forcing the game into OT. But Buffalo's comeback was stymied as Corvo scored the game winner in the 2nd OT.
The series went to Ottawa with the Sabres down 2-0. From here it was just a matter of time. While the Sabres were quite capable of winning on the road, losing the first two at home was an ominous portent of their fate.
Technically, Game 3 was won on a fluky goal by Ottawa captain Alfredsson, who was back in the good graces of Senators fans who were calling for him to step down during the season. Buffalo goalie, Ryan Miller stopped 31 of 32 shots, keeping his team in the game. But his offense let him down. The Sabres managed a paltry 15 SOG. Their power play was inept and had fallen to 0 for 18 in the series.
Buffalo narrowly avoided the sweep by winning game 4, by a score of 3-2. They even got their first PPG. Again, they managed only 22 SOG to Ottawa's 33. So Buffalo wasn't dead. After all, 2 teams have come from 3-0 deficits to win a series. But Ottawa didn't want to go into the history books that way. They had a different plan in mind: playing for the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.
Ottawa nearly blew it. They had a 2-1 lead going into the 3rd period but they got sloppy. They gave Buffalo 5 power plays. Eventually, the Sabres scored on one of those opportunities forcing OT. Once again, Alfredsson came through for Ottawa with the series winning goal sending Buffalo fans home dejected.
Ducks Still Mighty
In 2003, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks were the #7 seed and became the giant killers of the Western Conference playoffs. It took the Devils 7 games to beat them and snag the Cup. Alot's changed since then. The team dropped "Mighty" (though I still call them that) from their name, was sold, and the roster, as well as the front office, went through alot of turnover. Only 4 players remain from the 2003 team: Giguere, Rob Niedermayer, Andy McDonald, and Sammy Pahlsson.
This was anyone's series until Game 5. Each team took a game at home and on the road. The Red Wings' 5-0 slam in game 3 made it seem as if the series was going to go their way, but Anaheim bounced back in game 4 with 5 goals of their own. With 47 seconds left in regulation, Detroit was holding onto a slim 1-0 lead while trying to kill off Datsyuk's interference penalty. That's when Scott Neidermayer ripped one passed Hasek, who, judging by the reply, just didn't seem to see it. Hasek only faced 18 shots through regulation.
Reinvigorated, the Ducks kept the momentum going through OT, outshooting Detroit 8-3. The game winner came from Teemu Selanne, who'll be playing in his first Stanley Cup series at the tender age of 36. He forced a turnover, drove to the net, and flipped a backhander over a sprawling Hasek.
Back home for game 6, the Ducks could smell victory in the air. The home crowd was already energized when Rob Neidermayer got a shorthanded goal less than 4 minutes into the game. At that point, there was no way the fans would accept anything other than a win. As the 3rd period dawned, the Ducks were up 3-0.
I couldn't help but wonder if the Red Wings missed the plane and were still in Detroit. They were being outshot 26-13 and facing elimination! It finally sunk in and the team finally played hard. Zetterberg got a goal at 3:15, but Pahlsson answered at 5:54. Clever work by Chelios and others got Detroit a man advantage. 2 PPG's by Datsyuk later and the Red Wings were down by only one. Although they outshot Anaheim 16-3 that period, it was too late. The Ducks held on to win it.
So now we've got the Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks playing for the Stanley Cup. Neither team has ever won it so this will make the 3rd season in a row that a team will be winning it for the first time.
And here's how my hockey playoff pool ended.
CORRECTION: The Ottawa Senators won the Cup back in 1927.
\_/
DED
Labels: hockey
posted by DED at 9:06 PM
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