Playoffs

[Don Wassall]

The Penguins had 54 shots tonight (!) as they beat Ottawa and took a 2-0 series lead. I miss the local media coverage of them since I moved. And I couldn't watch the game tonightsince it wasn't on Versus.

Oh well, hopefully the Penguins willavenge last year's first round drubbing by the Senators and go deep into the playoffs this spring.

 

[C Darwin]

I watched the pens-sens game on a Canadian channel. Great game! Malone's goal was clutch and won the game with a sweet wrap-around. At the end of the game all I could think of is how Ottawa wasted their earlier playoff runs with Emery the siv. Gerber played great in the loss.

 

[Realgeorge]

Penguins looked very strong in drubbing the Ottawas twice this week. Look for Crosby & Co. to win the Eastern Conference.

I watched the Flyers and Caps split their first two in DC. The opener had a splendid 3-goal comeback in 3rd pd with an Ovechkin miracle goal. The follow-up showcased a steady, veteran Philly team clogging the middle and beating Was 2-0.

Not a bad beginning for the playoffs.

 

[jaxvid]

For me, playoff hockey is the most exciting time is sports. Detroit took a 2-0 lead with Darren McCarty scoring a crucial goal. The McCarty story is big news in Detroit. McCarty was a hard working grinder a few years ago for the Wings but signed a big contract with San Jose. He lost his focus, drinking and partying ended his career. This year the Wings gave him a shot with their top minor league team, he played hard and earned a shot with the big club. It's a nice story of redemption (so far), just another reason to love the game.

 

[Realgeorge]

Penguins and Wings looking good at 2-0. San Jose choking again, making Jerome The Messiah Iginla look better than he is. Rangers have the Devil's number (maybe 666?), and Habs up 2-1 on the Esposito-wanna-B's.

Not too many blacks I can find in the sweet sixteen: Laraque, Brashear, Iginla, Odouya, Grier, Emery. Did I miss anybody? A bunch of rosters are all White, and extremely competent. There is a God.

 

[backrow]

Emery has no business playing in this league.

 

[Bear-Arms]

Penguins and Wings looking good at 2-0. San Jose choking again, making Jerome The Messiah Iginla look better than he is. Rangers have the Devil's number (maybe 666?), and Habs up 2-1 on the Esposito-wanna-B's.

Not too many blacks I can find in the sweet sixteen: Laraque, Brashear, Iginla, Odouya, Grier, Emery. Did I miss anybody? A bunch of rosters are all White, and extremely competent. There is a God.

While not black, here are a few others off the top of my head:
Jonathan Cheechoo(Indian), Devin Setoguchi(Japanese), Carey Price(Indian), TooToo(Inuit), Wade Redden(Indian)
,Nystrom(Jewish), and Mathieu Schneider(Jewish).

Another Jewish hockey player that didn't make the playoffs is Mike Cammalleri.

Most of that list could pass as White or are White. I'm sure there are others that claim Indian ancestry. I know Bryan Trottier claimed it. His grandmother was Indian.

 

[Don Wassall]

The Penguins rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the hated Rangers in Game One. Great game to watch except for Rangers fans, though the announcers for some reason kept calling it "ugly," claiming both teams were rusty from their easy wins in round one. Guess there always has to be some negative to harp on when white athletes are involved, it can't just be a hard-fought, highly competitive and entertaining game played by two talented offensive teams.

 

[Don Wassall]

I'm hoping the Penguins close out the Rangers tomorrow, but won't be too surprised if the Rangers win to make it 3 games to 2. The Penguins won the first three games but the series has been far from lopsided.


Jaromir Jagr has been tremendous for the Rangers; he's still avery dominating player at 36. The best non-Canadianever to play in the NHL?

 

[PhillyBirds]

Flyers won! I guess the beard I've been growing for good luck is enough to get them to the conference finals.

Possibly farther...?

 

[Ground Fighter]

Not too many blacks I can find in the sweet sixteen: Laraque, Brashear, Iginla, Odouya, Grier, Emery.

lol...Mike Grier. He's such a p*ssy. Every fight he has ever been in, he has gotten absolutely MURKED by whatever opponent he is fighting. lol. Grier is definitely a guy who needs to look into investing in "asswhoopin' insurance", because every time he gets into a fight, he ends up paying some serious deductables.

Cases in point:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EEpAAiVKLw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q2tKwPDqqs

 

[Ground Fighter]

Nystrom(Jewish)

Nystrom is a dirty Christ killer? Hmmm...never knew that.

 

[Don Wassall]

Flyers won! I guess the beard I've been growing for good luck is enough to get them to the conference finals.

The Battle of Pennsylvania in the conference finals. I love it!

 

[Realgeorge]

The Flyers and The Penguins! I'm pleased as punch as well. A most excellent semi-finals matchup. Absolutely excellent for TV ratings. The two teams are as plucky and talented as any in past 30 years. The Flyers do it with no-names who really are a consistent bunch. No weaknesses in their lineup. Pittsburgh is a powerhouse who get hot and stay hot. Which Pennsylvania team will prevail?

ESPN eat your heart out. The stupid NBA playoffs will deliver mosh pablum while Versus kicks your miserable Yiddish butts with real White Men in magnificent combat.

 

[lumsdenpower]

Penguins and Wings looking good at 2-0. San Jose choking again, making Jerome The Messiah Iginla look better than he is. Rangers have the Devil's number (maybe 666?), and Habs up 2-1 on the Esposito-wanna-B's.

Not too many blacks I can find in the sweet sixteen: Laraque, Brashear, Iginla, Odouya, Grier, Emery. Did I miss anybody? A bunch of rosters are all White, and extremely competent. There is a God.

While not black, here are a few others off the top of my head:
Jonathan Cheechoo(Indian), Devin Setoguchi(Japanese), Carey Price(Indian), TooToo(Inuit), Wade Redden(Indian)
,Nystrom(Jewish), and Mathieu Schneider(Jewish).

Another Jewish hockey player that didn't make the playoffs is Mike Cammalleri.

Most of that list could pass as White or are White. I'm sure there are others that claim Indian ancestry. I know Bryan Trottier claimed it. His grandmother was Indian.

Carey Price is 50 percent canadian and 50 percent indian. His father is a ''pure'' canadian. Carey Price look 100 percent white to me

 

[Don Wassall]

Game 3 was as good as it gets. The Penguins finally found a way to get their offense going to counter Detroit's superb stifling puck control game. I don't see how anyone could watch that game and notenjoy hockey's appeal as a sport of great toughness and athleticism combined with non-stop action.

 

[guest301]

Game 3 was as good as it gets.  The Penguins finally found a way to get their offense going to counter Detroit's superb stifling puck control game.  I don't see how anyone could watch that game and not enjoy hockey's appeal as a sport of great toughness and athleticism combined with non-stop action.  <!-- Message ''"" -->

I agree with all that. I am glad the Penguins made it a series now and last nights game was by far the most entertaining of the three. I barely even watched the Pistons/Celtics which was on at about approximately the same time. I don't remember seeing Laroque last night, was he deactivated or did he only skate a shift or two? Playoff hockey is by far the most physically demanding sport and I have the utmost respect for those who can endure all that punishment all the way to the finals. It probably takes these guys a couple of months just to completely recover physically and emotionally from the ordeal.Retired winger Pat Verbeek of the Stars 1999 Cup champions said at the end of that series he was playing with a missing MCL and several other players had cracked ribs, broken bones and other assorted injuries but everybody just kept playing and wouldn't consider missing a game. They would often hide the extent of their injuries to the opposition by placing ice packs on a part of the body that wasn't injured to keep the other team from whacking away at the real injury. What a bunch of warriors and gladiators these guys are.

 

[Don Wassall]

Laroque was replaced after Game 1 with Gary Roberts, who has been battling an array of injuries this season but was a healthy scratch for the first game. That was a very smart move by Thierrien though I'm sure he had to handle it with great delicacy, given that Laroque is the only non-white on either team. Roberts was hitting bodies right and left and gave the Penguins the energy, toughness and experience that was vital last night.


These guys are truly great warriors. I was reading an article comparing the Penguins to the '83 Edmonton Oilers, who reached the finals for the first time in the Gretzky era only to be swept four straight by the Islanders, who won their fourth Cup in a row that year. A few of the Oilers took a look at the Islanders locker room after it was over and were struck, not by how the Islanders were celebrating, but by how beat up and relieved they were that it was over even though it was a sweep. There's not another test like it in sports -- going through that kind of intense physicalplay for four consecutive series. And the teams that repeat are really special. Edited by: Don Wassall

 

[Don Wassall]

Yeah baby what a game!!! Let's go Pens! Make it go seven games!

 

[guest301]

Stayed up all night to watch it. Got a real kick out of Sykora scoring that goal after he guaranteed verbally he would be the one to score in overtime. Go Penguins!

 

[Van_Slyke_CF]

How `bout those Pens! What a win!

 

[jaxvid]

How about those Red Wings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another Cup for HOCKEYTOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Van_Slyke_CF]

Congratulations to the Red Wings. It was a great series for them and for the many millions who love to watch hockey, regardless of what people like Tiger Woods think about the sport.

 

[guest301]

It was a great series to watch after Game 2. Hopefully it will lead to a rebirth of hockey in this nation and a better TV contract for the NHL in the future. I like Versus and hope that network becomes more widely available.

 

[Matra1]

The TSN guys in Canada ripped Tiger Woods big time. (For those who don't know Woods said nobody watches hockey).

From William Houston's column in the Globe & Mail:

The next night, Milbury and his TSN colleagues dropped their gloves.

Milbury: "You know what? I'm gonna change the name now. It's gonna be Tiger Wuss. Here's a guy that took about three months to get over a simple arthroscopic surgery. You look at [Pens forward] Ryan Malone. His face exploded with a slap shot last night - he's back out in 10 minutes!

"Keep your yap shut, Tiger, or I'll send a couple of wingers down there - [Pens forward] Gary Roberts - to tidy you up a little bit, meat head."


On a similar note I was just looking for the ratings on a blog called
Sports Media Watch

Here's a clip from one of the commenters:

Too bad though - its still not must see TV for the vast majority of the nation. This is a niche sport although its been around longer than most majop league sports - ever wonder why? I'll tell you - the NHL traditionally represented the hopes of those who simply could not compete for a place in regular American sports, such people turned to a Canadian game to find something anything to excel at (the minorities had access to football, baseball, basketball and what wasa mediocre talent to do? play hockey of course! - not many minority atlethes there so a place was guaranteed.

It gets worse:Truthfully, people do realize even if its not obviously stated that the NHL is largely a last refuge for mediocre athlethes and bigots who (save for skating) fear and dread the superior abilities of real atlethes in the NFL, NBA and MLB. Dressing up in silly padded custumes and banging into things never counted for atlethic prowess where most of us grew up, it was more like child's play.


BTW the (preliminary) ratings were excellent with 7 million viewers taking in game 6.