Weekend/Monday Stuff: Stanley Cup Finals, Lebron's disappearing act, Habs new coach, and more

Monday, June 1, 2009

History repeats itself, Wings up 2-0

Because of the short lay off and back to back games to open the Stanley Cup Finals, the Detroit Red Wings were supposed to be at a terrible disadvantage.

Flash forward 48 hours, and they have a stranglehold on the series, going back to Pittsburgh.

From a Pens fan's perspective, I can't even begin to tell you how frustrating the first two games have been. Chris Osgood has been unreal. His right goal post has been even better.

The last thing I want to do is complain about the officiating. The Pens have had their chances, plenty of them in fact. For large stretches of both games, they were the better team. They haven't caught one bounce yet.

BUT...

Nobody should ever complain about an alleged "Penguins bias" agenda. The Detroit Red Wings get a way with A LOT. Even Pierre McGuire and Ed Olcyzk were smart enough to catch the "mild interference" the Wings run. I won't even mention the non call on Hossa or the Zetterberg covering the puck in the crease (twice) incident.

Stay the course, Pens. Series is a long way from over.

Jacques Martin to right the Hab's ship

The Montreal Canadiens introduced Jacques Martin as their new Head Coach today.

Martin now leaves the Jay Bouwmeester dilemma in Florida for someone else to worry about.

Smart move.

Is this really a good hire?

The guy really hasn't accomplished anything since leaving the Ottawa Senators, and even there, only had moderate success. By "moderate" I mean "regular season."

He's French though, and that seems to be all the media and fans in La Belle Province care about. Good luck with all that.

Lebron James' quick getaway

By now you all know that the Orlando Magic elminated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals last week.

And you have all heard about the disappearing act done by Lebron James after the final buzzer sounded in Orlando.

James was off the court, showered, and out of the building in 21 seconds.

Thats not really the way an ambassador, and for all accounts, the face of the NBA, should conduct himself.

First of all, he should have shown a bit of class by congratulation the team that just triumphed over his, with handshakes on the court. They can be half-ass hand shakes... just should have happened one way or the other.

But his biggest mistake was not talking to the media. He will pay for that for a while, in a way that media makes people pay for such things.

Be a man. Face the music. You think you can get away with crap like that when you bolt for New York after next season?

Carlos Zambrano is still a tool

Exhibit # 351...

Roid Rage Central.

Stanley Cup Series Opening Montage by CBC

The guys at CBC are getting really really good at these things. This one is unreal, set to Coldplay's "The Scientist." Man, do I love a good montage.

Rematch City

It writes itself.

The best part about the Wings winning last night is that we don't have to wait 4 months for the Stanley Cup Final to start.

Game 1 is Saturday night. Game 2 is Sunday night. God help us all.

From the Pens perspective, the series can't start soon enough. Niklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk are major cogs in the Red Wing wheel. For those guys to take the last two games of the Conference Finals off, you know they are hurting.

The Pens, by all accounts are healthy heading into the Finals.

Everything that needs to be said has already been said (Does that make sense?).

The big storyline is Marian Hossa. Penguins fans are pissed at him. Call him a traitor. But look. Here are the Penguins back in the Finals, and they did it without him. Not to mention, if Hossa would have signed in Pittsburgh, the Pens salary cap situation would be a mess.

I'm not one of the bitter Penguins fans who hold a grudge against Hossa. Having said that, there would be nothing sweeter than watching him lose again.

I have a lot of good friends who root for Detroit. I wish Stevie Y and Mario were around to battle in this, and last year's series. That would make it even sweeter.

Everybody believes the Pens are a lot more prepared to face the Big Red Machine this year. The fact remains that the Big Red Machine is still a well-oiled powerhouse. This series is going to be great. No prediction from me. Yet. Just more photoshops. (If you have any pro-Wing shops, be sure the send them my way. Just to show i'm not prejudiced).

Wednesday Wrap; Roy spurns Avs, Caps and Nats have roid rage, big games tonight

Wendesday, May 27, 2009

Here are the stories that are making the rounds today...

Patrick Roy turns down the Avalanche coaching job

Roy turned down the job for "family reasons." Fair enough. He also said that the offer was "very interesting", meaning I'm sure that it was worth a boat load of dough.

The Avalanche, by the way, still employ a head coach. His name is Tony Granato. Maybe he doesn't read newspapers, surf the internet, or watch television. Colorado's organization is starting to become a joke.

So by all accounts, it looks like Roy will be back bullying and trying to throw his weight around in the QMJHL again. I'm telling you right now, the Avalanche are better off without him. Roy has the potential to be the Steve Downie of the coaching world.

And yes, that is Stephen Baldwin. The resemeblance is un-canny.

Capitals get linked to steroids

Actually, so did the Washington Nationals, but nobody cares about them, and for good reason.

Strange story coming out of Florida today. A suspected steroid pusher was arrested and then claimed two of his biggest clients were the Caps and Nats. The arrested didn't name any specific players though.

The Capitals public relations team is working overdrive to sweep this story under the rug.

"We have no reason to believe there is any merit to this story, but the National Hockey League and the Washington Capitals take all such allegations seriously," said Capitals president Dick Patrick in a team release. "Capitals players have fully participated in the NHL's random drug testing program, and at no point has a Capitals player tested positive. In addition our players have been tested at international events, such as World Championships and Olympics. We welcome and will fully cooperate with the NHL's investigation."

You had better hope there is no merit to this story, Dick. The entire hockey world would be brought down a peg or two if this turned out to be true.

As of right now, nobody believes that the steroid pusher has an ounce of credibility, and you can't really argue with that logic. But keep in mind, the same was said about Jose Canseco when he named names. Just sayin'.

There has been no evidence uncovered to support this joke's claims, but the investigation continues. Gary Bettman holds his breath. Ted Leonosis eats a cheeseburger.

The Caps must have forgot to take roids before Game 7 vs Pittsburgh two weeks ago.

Tyson's daughter passes away

Mentioned yesterday that Mike Tyson's daughter was on life support after an accidental self strangulation. Sadly, Exodus Tyson was taken off life support yesterday and passed away.

Four years old. Tragedy.

Hopefully Tyson has a solid support group around him, because lets face it, he isn't exactly mentally stable at the best of times, let alone when he's faced with something as tragic as the loss of his daughter.

Here is hoping he surrounds himself with the right people to help him get through this.

NBA and NHL Game 5's tonight

The Chicago Blackhawks need a win to stay alive tonight. One win for the Red Wings and its Stanley Cup Final rematch city.

Lets face it. The Hawks have no hope in the long run. They have to beat the best team in the league three straight times. I can't see how that possibily happens, with or without Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datysuk in the Wings' line up.

Hopefully the Wings can wrap it up tonight, meaning the Finals would start Saturday, instead of in NINE DAYS. Thanks Gary. Real nice piece of work there. You and NBC should get a room.

Over in the NBA, the Lakers and Nuggets take their show to the Staples Centre for Game 5 in the Western Conference Final, series tied at two apiece. I don't know anything about basketball, but figure I would throw that into the blog. That is all.

Pens back to the Stanley Cup Finals

On Valentine's Day, the Penguins were beaten 6-2 by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Times were not good. After that loss, they sat in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings. Things were bleak.

Enter Dan Bylsma.

Last night, the Penguins proved that reaching the Stanley Cup Finals last year was no fluke, with a convincing series sweep over the Carolina Hurricanes, a club that should have been a formidable opponent.

Paul Maurice is still trying to figure out what happened...

There is just something about this years Penguins team.

Regardless of who they play in the Finals, the team will be much better prepared this time around. They won't hand the other team the first two games like they did in Detroit last year. Hopefully Marc-Andre Fleury won't literally stumble out of the gates.

If the Wings finish the Hawks off tonight, the series starts Saturday. If the Hawks prolong the series, we have to wait 3 months for Game 1. I don't want to watch hockey in July.

I called a Finals rematch in February by the way. Just sayin'.

And then there were four. Observations from NHL Playoffs

Oh hi. Nice to see you again. Its been too long. Just like that, we find ourselves in the Conference Finals in the NHL Playoffs. What an unreal first two rounds this year. Rivalries, storylines coming out of everywhere, and most notably, some GREAT hockey. What a time to be alive. Here are some things I noticed in the first two rounds. Some good, some bad. Annnnnnd begin... 1) Colin Campbell needs to go. The double standard that has existed in terms of suspensions since Campbell took over the disciplinarian job has been maddening. If you haven't been suspended before, you can do whatever you want, ONCE. Thats like saying, I haven't killed anybody yet, but if I wanted to, it'd be ok, because it would be my first offense. Flash back to the first round. Flyers' joke Dan Carcillo on Max Talbot... Ruling: One game suspension Now, the Flames' Mike Cammalleri on Martin Havlat.. Ruling: Nothing. Joke. Carcillo got suspended because of who he is, the same reason Cammalleri didn't. In a way, Cammalleri's punch was a bit more vicious. The league stated that Carcillo was suspended because it was late in a blowout game and he shouldn't have been out there. What difference does that make? Really, Colin? Really? Then he let Scott Walker off with a free pass for his sucker punch on Aaron Ward. Ward didn't defend himself. That doesn't make what Walker did any less brutal. 2. Chris Osgood does not suck. All the guy does is win. Does he have a great team in front of him? Yes. Does he make the team a little bit better? Yes. The guy is a proven winner when it comes to April-June hockey, is loved by his teammates, and the smart fans know he is an asset. Osgoods stats through two rounds: .921 save% 2.06 G.A.A. Bottom line: 8 wins I'd take Osgood on my team anyday. 3. Sidney Crosby does not suck. Neither does Alexander Ovechkin. Perhaps the most ridiculous debate in sports today. Crosby sucks? Are you kidding me? Rag on the guy all you want for being a whiner. But try to convince me or anybody who has inkling of knowledge of the game that he sucks or is overrated. Has he not proven enough already? I mean, really. The same can be said for Alex Ovechkin. He is by far the most exciting player in the game. That does not mean he's the best. He is the best pure goal scorer the game has seen since Brett Hull. He just needs to take that next step as a leader and a teammate. That will come with experience and maturity, something that Crosby has leaps and bounds more of right now. 4. Too much whining. From everyone. The Pens can't win a game without someone saying that Gary Bettman has a fix in. The Canucks fans blame their exit on Gary Bettman wanting the last Canadian team out of the playoffs. Bruce Boo-hoodreau cries after every game because the post-game buffet wasn't big enough. Or the officiating, one of the two. The Ducks were pissed after Game 7. The Wings were pissed after game 5. Shut up, accept that the reason you lost was because you didn't play well enough. Take a page from Stan Van Gundy's book and blame the players for every loss. Well, try and find a happy medium actually. Van Gundy's approach isn't working too well with the Orlando Magic right now. 5. Team Canada 2010 implications. Joe Thornton and Mike Green may have played their way off the team. The hockey world keeps waiting for Thornton to do something in the playoffs. He has been nothing buy abysmal in big games his entire career. The Caps are saying that Mike Green was playing injured during the playoffs. That may be true, but even healthy, Green is at best a marginal defensive player. His 31 goals is certainly sexy, but he may be the worst defensively sound Norris Trophy nominee ever. Cam Ward has most certainly played himself on to the Olympic Team. Since the all-star break, Ward has been the best goaltender in the game, and is the single biggest reason the Hurricanes are in the final four. The guy just has ice in his veins. Never gets rattled. 6. Remember... ... the St. Louis Blues? Calgary Flames? Columbus Blue Jackets? Me neither.

NHL Playoff Picks - Western Conference

Is this the year Joe Thornton and the Sharks finally get over the hump? Maybe Ron Wilson was the problem. Maybe not. The Ducks finished the season strong, but have goaltending issues. Its very likely that J.S. Giguere will at least start the playoffs on the bench. One thing that San Jose doesn't have... is goaltending issues. They do have the issue of big players becoming very very small when the tough gets going. The Ducks will pose a problem, but the Sharks will prevail. Dan Boyle is a beast. Sharks in 6. Columbus finally lands in the playoffs. Congratulations! Enjoy your four games. Red Wings in 4. I don't know if I'm sold on the Canucks. Especially given the Sedins playoff track record. You know that Luongo is going to be solid. If Chris Mason can match Luongo, then I like the Blues chances. A young, talented, hungry, skilled team. Upset blog. Blues in 7. Nobody seems to be giving the Flames a chance. You can't blame the naysayers, what with the way Calgary ended the season. If the Flames injured cavalry can heal quicker than expected, they will have a fighthing chance. For some reason Khabibulin owns the Flames. He's something like 120-1-0 against them in his career. The Hawks are young, and green to boot. The Flames are well seasoned. Coin flip. Blackhawks in 7.

NHL Playoff Picks - Eastern Conference

Complete reversal of last year's series. This time the Big Bad Bruins are the heavy favourites. The Habs over-acheieved last year, thats easy to see now. They were lucky to even get into the playoffs. Carey Price is a headcase. I could go on and on about how the Habs should lose. They'll win one at home.

Bruins in 5.

Everybody loves the Caps. I don't. Jose Theodore vs Henrik Lundqvist. As overrated as Lundqvist is, he's twice the goalie Theodore is. Washington has a long long history of folding in the playoffs. This year will be no different.

It will be a high scoring series, with Lundqvist making more big saves than his Washington counterpart.

Rangers in 7.

This could be one of the best series in a long time. Nobody wants to play the Canes. The Devils limped in. They still have the greatest goalie of all time. Then again, Carolina has the hottest. Theres no way this series goes less than 7 games. The Hurricanes are for real, but have a big whole on defence. For some reason, I'm still taking them. Call it a gut feeling. Hurricanes in 7. Call me a homer. Philly's only chance is if Martin Biron plays unreal and Artus Irbe-like. Crosby and Malkin own the Flyers. Special teams will play a big role. Philly is deadly on the PK, and the Pens better find a way to start scoring on the PP. Gonchar city. Pens in 6.