The Detroit Red Wings have a chance to close out the series, in two days. No wonder people lose interest in the sport, we have to wait a collective 5 days for a the Finals to play 2 games. Something that should happen in 3.
Anyway, the Red Wings look to take the Cup on home ice and still look like they have a choke hold on the Penguins. They could be getting to the head of one Sid "the Kid" Crosby too. At the games conclusion Crosby threw a tantrum in the direction of Henrik Zetterberg. When Zetterberg was asked what it was all about he calmly replied, "I don't know, couldn't hear him. He's just frustrated."
More than once Crosby has lost his cool at the opposition and at the officials. Apparently the "C" on his chest means you can whine to everyone and everything with out reserve. I find it pretty interesting that you don't see the same kind of protest or gabbiness from Nick Lidstrom, Detroit's leader. Being captain for your team is not a license to go off on referees, rather it's a position of leadership and having a cool head when others go off the handle.
I always thought Sid needed a few years before donning the C on his sweater. And his inexperience on how to handle oneself is a glaring bad attribute a team's captain shouldn't have. I would be this critical on any player chosen to lead his team by being the captain, even if it was Alex Ovechkin.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Tragic Loss
The hockey world was saddened to hear the news of Luc Bourdon. A Vancouver Canuck defenseman that was killed on his motorcycle in Northern New Brunswick. A budding d-man on his way up, Bourdon had a bright future in the NHL. He was a teammate of both Matt Cooke in Vancouver and recently signed Karl Alzner for team Canada under 18.
Bourdon was regarded so highly that the Canucks refused to trade him for Brad Richards at one point. He won gold with Canada twice in the under 18 category where he shared the blue line with Alzner in 2007. He was on the verge of becoming much more well known in the NHL community as a promising defensive talent.
It's a sad day in hockey indeed. My thoughts and prayers go to his family.
Bourdon was regarded so highly that the Canucks refused to trade him for Brad Richards at one point. He won gold with Canada twice in the under 18 category where he shared the blue line with Alzner in 2007. He was on the verge of becoming much more well known in the NHL community as a promising defensive talent.
It's a sad day in hockey indeed. My thoughts and prayers go to his family.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The Five Men Unit
Six if you count Chris Osgood. The Detroit Red Wings are making a mockery of the the Pittsburgh Penguins. One way you can tell is the excuses the Pens are coming up with on why they can't play their game against the President Trophy winners.
"We fell behind early in the game yesterday," Michel Therrien addressed reporters on the off-day. "And this is a team that it's tough to generate offense with the obstruction that they're doing."
I purposefully watched the entire game again and tried to take the side of the Penguins. But it was hard to see what Therrien was trying to accomplish. When a coach often goes to the excuses for his team, he is doing one of two things, trying to get marginal penalty calls go their way or he has no idea how to combat what the opposition is doing; obviously they must be cheating.
Instead of obstruction, I see a five man unit playing well against a team the relies heavily on the one playmaker to create space. The Red Wings do not spread the floor, their wingers do not rush up right away when their defensemen maintain control of the puck. Compare that to the Penguins style where the wings immediately leave the zone once they have control, which is fine if you have good puck moving defensemen.
Therrien's talk has also changed when it's come to experience, a factor he did think was such a big deal a week ago. Now it seems to be another excuse to deflect what might be a coaching mismatch.
"This is a team that we don't have much experience," Therrien said. "But we're still young. We're talking about guys ‑ you make comparison about guys who are 20, 21 years old against other guys. So there's a process."
Now this might all change if the Penguins offense decides to show up at the igloo in Pittsburgh. But my feeling is that Therrien may have turned his team into a "defense first - score second" kind of a team. Stifling the Pens offense with defensive responsibility.
But mostly I just think Mike Babcock has the upper hand on coaching in big situations. Also an interesting stat for you, Sergei Gonchar is now 0-6 against the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals.
"We fell behind early in the game yesterday," Michel Therrien addressed reporters on the off-day. "And this is a team that it's tough to generate offense with the obstruction that they're doing."
I purposefully watched the entire game again and tried to take the side of the Penguins. But it was hard to see what Therrien was trying to accomplish. When a coach often goes to the excuses for his team, he is doing one of two things, trying to get marginal penalty calls go their way or he has no idea how to combat what the opposition is doing; obviously they must be cheating.
Instead of obstruction, I see a five man unit playing well against a team the relies heavily on the one playmaker to create space. The Red Wings do not spread the floor, their wingers do not rush up right away when their defensemen maintain control of the puck. Compare that to the Penguins style where the wings immediately leave the zone once they have control, which is fine if you have good puck moving defensemen.
Therrien's talk has also changed when it's come to experience, a factor he did think was such a big deal a week ago. Now it seems to be another excuse to deflect what might be a coaching mismatch.
"This is a team that we don't have much experience," Therrien said. "But we're still young. We're talking about guys ‑ you make comparison about guys who are 20, 21 years old against other guys. So there's a process."
Now this might all change if the Penguins offense decides to show up at the igloo in Pittsburgh. But my feeling is that Therrien may have turned his team into a "defense first - score second" kind of a team. Stifling the Pens offense with defensive responsibility.
But mostly I just think Mike Babcock has the upper hand on coaching in big situations. Also an interesting stat for you, Sergei Gonchar is now 0-6 against the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Is There Room For 2?
Matt Bradley signed his 3 year, $3 million contract today. What could that mean for another tough guy on the free agency, Matt Cooke? Cooke could be looking for some dough (why shouldn't he, he's earned the right) and could be looking elsewhere for it.
Looking at who needed to be resigned this off season, I always thought it would be a decision on who you would keep between Bradley and Cooke. Both are hard working pests in a way, Cooke could be a bit more of an agitator than Bradley. I thought it would be a good indicator on who was sticking around for the '08-'09 season when one or the other were signed.
While it looks like it maybe Cooke out the door, I am sort of done trying to figure GMGM out. McPhee has done nothing the conventional way, or the way that I would have approached it. But hey, I am not the one with the job title. Nor am I in charge of one of the most exciting teams in some time in the NHL. So you go, George!
Bradley will definitely keep the Caps a tough squad and his energy line served the team well down the stretch. Truthfully, I am happy we will see Brads in red, white and blue for another three years.
Looking at who needed to be resigned this off season, I always thought it would be a decision on who you would keep between Bradley and Cooke. Both are hard working pests in a way, Cooke could be a bit more of an agitator than Bradley. I thought it would be a good indicator on who was sticking around for the '08-'09 season when one or the other were signed.
While it looks like it maybe Cooke out the door, I am sort of done trying to figure GMGM out. McPhee has done nothing the conventional way, or the way that I would have approached it. But hey, I am not the one with the job title. Nor am I in charge of one of the most exciting teams in some time in the NHL. So you go, George!
Bradley will definitely keep the Caps a tough squad and his energy line served the team well down the stretch. Truthfully, I am happy we will see Brads in red, white and blue for another three years.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Summer Came Too Fast
In DC, it's been a beautiful weekend. Maybe you did the cookout thing with friends and family. Took a trip to the National Mall and went to the Vietnam War Memorial or Arlington Cemetery to pay tribute to those that gave the ultimate sacrifice. Or you were like me, stuck inside with the AC cranked watching the Stanley Cup Finals and the NHL Network for my hockey fix.
We are just three wins from the end of the season (or four wins for those who still entertain the hope that the Penguins can defeat the Red Wings). I don't know about you, but the end is too near. It can't be over. In a matter of a week it will be though.
No more hockey, the World Championship is over, the AHL will wrap up soon too. And that's it. Back to our alter egos as normal members of society contributing to the greater good. The ice will melt and the Internet collective will no longer be searching for their favorite players or looking at their choice blogs for information. That is until the draft and development camp and then training camp in September.
Maybe it's because of the Capitals success this past season that has me feeling so anxious at the conclusion of the season. Or that our arch nemesis is still playing. What ever the reason, I find myself holding on to every last game, watching them intensely and replaying them over and over on my tivo (I still have the last Caps/Panthers game where the Caps clinched!).
But it's here, I couldn't stop it as I bit into a dripping Bar-B-Que rib and sat back in a lawn chair sipping the innards of a lemon mixed with an irrational amount of sugar. Summer has come, and hockey soon will just be the anticipation of another season that seems to far off on the horizon.
So now it will just be talk of who needs to be signed, who didn't. What did the Caps draft, who did they trade for. Who will be the dark horse to be in a Caps sweater come next October. Who is the new face guarding the net. And are the Caps going to beef up the defense. All until we see the puck drop once more.
We are just three wins from the end of the season (or four wins for those who still entertain the hope that the Penguins can defeat the Red Wings). I don't know about you, but the end is too near. It can't be over. In a matter of a week it will be though.
No more hockey, the World Championship is over, the AHL will wrap up soon too. And that's it. Back to our alter egos as normal members of society contributing to the greater good. The ice will melt and the Internet collective will no longer be searching for their favorite players or looking at their choice blogs for information. That is until the draft and development camp and then training camp in September.
Maybe it's because of the Capitals success this past season that has me feeling so anxious at the conclusion of the season. Or that our arch nemesis is still playing. What ever the reason, I find myself holding on to every last game, watching them intensely and replaying them over and over on my tivo (I still have the last Caps/Panthers game where the Caps clinched!).
But it's here, I couldn't stop it as I bit into a dripping Bar-B-Que rib and sat back in a lawn chair sipping the innards of a lemon mixed with an irrational amount of sugar. Summer has come, and hockey soon will just be the anticipation of another season that seems to far off on the horizon.
So now it will just be talk of who needs to be signed, who didn't. What did the Caps draft, who did they trade for. Who will be the dark horse to be in a Caps sweater come next October. Who is the new face guarding the net. And are the Caps going to beef up the defense. All until we see the puck drop once more.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Why So Long?
You'd think I would be writing about the break between the Red Wings last win over Dallas and the start of the Stanley Cup Finals. Actually, I am talking about the painfully long process it's taking the Washington Capitals to resign the few free agents they have.
Are we waiting for the July 1st deadline for Mike Green? Shaone Morrisonn? Is management even negotiating with the players and their representatives? Guess we will never know, being GMGM has a tight pair of lips. A guy who wouldn't even comment on a contract for their own coach.
Mike Green will be the cap gobbler, as he should. A budding defenseman that had the majority of the league sitting up and taking notice. But how much is enough to keep Green on the blue line. Many are talking Dion Phenuef numbers here (around $6.5 million a year), but I think Green is closer to a $3 million dollar keep. I am sure he would want a bit more than that, but who wouldn't.
Shaone Morrisonn's contract has to be pounded out too. The two sparked in chemistry during the regular season, both so-so in the playoffs. But with young talent in the tubes in Karl Alzner, is it a good time to let Morrisonn go? Although with a good partnership that Green and Morrisonn shares would someone want to chance letting the two work another season together.
While it seams the team is willing to wait a couple of months to start signing players, other teams are busy keeping their core together, not waiting until the last minute to get their RFA's under contract and away from the Kevin Lowe's of the league. Then there is the whole UFA situation.
While Caps' fans are frothing at the mouth following the World Championship trio of Alex Semin, Alex Ovechkin and Sergei Fedorov successes, Fedorov still hasn't confirmed nor denied whether he would be back in a Caps sweater next season. Based on the signing track record of GMGM, I would think he would be looking at a $4 million or less (or much, much less) and a 3 to 4 year contract for the experienced Russian. But Fedorov has confessed he is on the waning side of career. He might sign for 3 years, but will you get all of them?
Not to mention that Micheal Nylander will be back next year and the Caps depth will enjoy more puck retention with the crafty playmaker back in the fold. But can the Capitals survive the Cap with both Fedorov and Nylander in the lineup? I guess we will find out July first.
Are we waiting for the July 1st deadline for Mike Green? Shaone Morrisonn? Is management even negotiating with the players and their representatives? Guess we will never know, being GMGM has a tight pair of lips. A guy who wouldn't even comment on a contract for their own coach.
Mike Green will be the cap gobbler, as he should. A budding defenseman that had the majority of the league sitting up and taking notice. But how much is enough to keep Green on the blue line. Many are talking Dion Phenuef numbers here (around $6.5 million a year), but I think Green is closer to a $3 million dollar keep. I am sure he would want a bit more than that, but who wouldn't.
Shaone Morrisonn's contract has to be pounded out too. The two sparked in chemistry during the regular season, both so-so in the playoffs. But with young talent in the tubes in Karl Alzner, is it a good time to let Morrisonn go? Although with a good partnership that Green and Morrisonn shares would someone want to chance letting the two work another season together.
While it seams the team is willing to wait a couple of months to start signing players, other teams are busy keeping their core together, not waiting until the last minute to get their RFA's under contract and away from the Kevin Lowe's of the league. Then there is the whole UFA situation.
While Caps' fans are frothing at the mouth following the World Championship trio of Alex Semin, Alex Ovechkin and Sergei Fedorov successes, Fedorov still hasn't confirmed nor denied whether he would be back in a Caps sweater next season. Based on the signing track record of GMGM, I would think he would be looking at a $4 million or less (or much, much less) and a 3 to 4 year contract for the experienced Russian. But Fedorov has confessed he is on the waning side of career. He might sign for 3 years, but will you get all of them?
Not to mention that Micheal Nylander will be back next year and the Caps depth will enjoy more puck retention with the crafty playmaker back in the fold. But can the Capitals survive the Cap with both Fedorov and Nylander in the lineup? I guess we will find out July first.
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