2006/2007 Hockey Season Thread

[Clawson]

The Bouillon thing with Tucker was pretty funny, but not nearly as funny when he cranked Ian White from behind then ran away when Whitey tried to fight him. Tiny Ian White.

(it may not have been Bouillon but it was a Hab, I just don't want Tucks to look that bad)

Edited June 4, 2007 by Clawson

[The Sultan of Swank]

Definately not Bouillon, maybe Streit. Bouillon would rape Ian White.

[Toe]

24 goals in 56 games makes it hard for Tucker to look bad. I think Tucker is the kind of player that you can only really like if he is on your team. He plays the pest role like Sean Avery, so not alot of people are going to like you.

[Clawson]

Definately not Bouillon, maybe Streit. Bouillon would rape Ian White.

[Clawson]

See thats a perfect example of lack of class right there. Winding up and taking a slapshot at somebody and the end of the period is a dirty, despicable move.

Edited June 5, 2007 by Clawson

[Gabriel]

See thats a perfect example of lack of class right there. Winding up and taking a slapshot at somebody and the end of the period is a dirty, despicable move.

[Toe]

Anaheim has a chance to win it at home.

I kind of hope that the Senators can win the next two and take the series to seven, but I also don't want to see the Senators have another chance to win this series.

[wCwCreator]

For OTT: Win the next two.

For ANA: Take the lead, then play Trap.

I want to see this go 7 but those Ducks are fassst.

I'll give Alfie the benefit of the doubt, he was aiming for the "net."

I hate the Canadian Media.

[Toe]

Alfie definitly tried to smoke Niedermayer with that shot. But I think it was a funny thing to do - you don't like the guy on the other side, so just fire a puck at him! It worked to take out Scott Stevens a couple of years ago (although Kubina says it was a mistake).

[Gabriel]

There's no doubt in my mind, and there shouldn't be in anyone elses, that Alfredsson meant to hit Niedermayer.

He wound up to shoot, but pulled back and lifted his head to look...found his target, took aim and blasted it right at one of the most respected players in the game. If the NHL doesn't at least look into the video and a possible suspension, they will just be showing their bias and piss off a lot of people.

Kudos goes to Niedermayer though, who in a post game interview simply said "Things happen this late into the playoffs...I don't know what he was thinking though."

Also, one Awesome-O award goes to Brett Hull, who called Alfredsson gutless during the second intermission.

EDIT:

I was reading the BC Province newspaper today... here's a column about Brian Burke and his thoughts on Game 3.

Brian Burke's misdirection play was as predictable as it was entertaining and after watching him again we're certain of one thing: He'd be the first lawyer we'd hire if we were on death row.

But this wasn't about Burke, although you'd have a hard time convincing the media throng who were absorbed by his soliloquy on Sunday afternoon. Neither was it about Chris Neil's hit on Andy McDonald, the play which Burke cited as the real crime committed during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final. And it certainly wasn't about the Anaheim Ducks again being victimized by the forces of political correctness, which was the implied message of Burke's rant in the wake of Chris Pronger's one-game suspension.

In the end, this was about the NHL getting this absolutely, incontrovertibly, indisputably 100-per-cent right. This was about the league, which has turtled too often when confronted by this issue, standing up and making the clearest, strongest statement it could about hits to the head. And this is about the league employing a process so fair and thorough that even Pronger had to admit: "They did the right thing here. It's a situation where there was a head blow and that's something the league's trying to crack down on. I don't blame them in any way."

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Chris Pronger speaks to media Sunday with Ducks GM Brian Burke after being suspended for one game of Stanley Cup final.

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Font: ****That was the real story on the off-day between the Senators' 5-3 win in Game 3 and today's Game 4 in Ottawa. But Burke's performance? That was pretty good, too.

"The troubling part for me is I think there should have been another hearing today," Burke solemnly intoned after the NHL announced Pronger had been suspended for today's contest. "Chris Neil's hit on Andy McDonald was reprehensible.

"You guys go back and break down the tape. [Neil]took six full strides in from the blueline, he's going full speed, full extension, elbow right to the head. [McDonald] skates away. [Neil] gets a free pass. Their player gets hurt. Chris Pronger gets a game."

And you'd laugh except within minutes of Burke delivering his sermon, TV wonks were going through the tape of Game 3 trying to find the hit that McDonald had miraculously survived.

"We all know how precious it is to be at this point," said NHL v-p Colin Campbell, the judge and jury in this matter. "We don't take these things lightly.

"On the other hand, a player got knocked out."

Which some people seemed to forget about after Burke's smokescreen.

Look, we don't blame the Ducks GM for standing up for his player. Burke's track record in these matters is well-documented -- see Bertuzzi, Todd -- and he wasn't going to go quietly with his team two wins from capturing the game's biggest prize.

But the larger issue here concerns Pronger's blow to the head of Ottawa's Dean McAmmond, a hit that rendered McAmmond unconscious, likely resulted in a concussion and almost certainly knocked him out of today's game, if not the rest of the series.

There are 1,000 ways you could come at this and the incident will provide instant programming for every phone-in show in Canada. But no matter how you examine it, the NHL did the right thing here.

Think about it: They wanted to send a clear message about head shots. What could be clearer than suspending a Norris Trophy-calibre defenceman in the Stanley Cup final? They wanted to send a clear message about repeat offenders. This was the sixth suspension of Pronger's career and second in as many playoff series. They wanted to make certain McAmmond had been injured, so they consulted medical personnel and determined he'd been knocked out colder than Baffin Island.

"I think it should have been a suspension because it was a blow to the head," McAmmond said in a statement. "It wasn't incidental. It's not like that couldn't have been avoided."

He is the victim here. The other stuff makes for a good sound byte, but it's immaterial.

Edited June 5, 2007 by CZWGabe

[Guest Grapehead]

So the posts regarding Alfredsson and the last post above me all get one big roll of the eyes from me. Here's something to do, try making a good argument for banning headshots by gathering good examples instead of singling out this series, and ottawa in paticular. There's tons of headshots from this season that the NHL should be looking at for their decision, how about Colby Armstrong(repeat offender) Chris Pronger(repeat offender) Chris Neil(repeat offender)... I know it's hard to think of good examples from the whole season, but atleast I'm not here preaching that this has got to be stopped and singling out a team or player when there's TONS of shit that's been missed this season. Consistancy needs to be addressed well before they can even think of implimenting a working headshot ban.

Moving along, Ottawa loses arguably the most important game in the series. It's a tough pill to swallow, and I wouldn't exactly say the team is choking, I'm giving Anaheim full credit for putting Ottawa in their place this far in the series. The fat lady hasn't sung, but she's warming up now.

Edited June 5, 2007 by Grapehead

[Gabriel]

No one's making a case for the NHL. The league has already made it's case.

What I'm saying is...that if you want to send a message that it won't be tolerated, then there needs to be punishment handed out to players who hurt the victim, and players who don't hurt the victim.

There shouldn't have to be an injury for the league to step in and say "That was uncalled for, against the rules, and worth a suspension."

[Toe]

I don't think they can suspend Alfredsson for shooting at Niedermayer. The puck may have hit a bump in the ice and changed course, or Alfredsson could have just accidently turned his stick or something in the backswing.

I think he did do it on purpose, but it is not a play I can see him being suspended for.

[The Sultan of Swank]

Well, I think Grapehead might be right for once. He might see things right now through his own set of blinders... and I must say, they're one hell of a pair. But I take back calling Neil one of the dirtiest players in the league. I mean, sure he did take 2 interference penalties in the game. Interference being hitting a player who isn't even in the play, but I've changed my mind. It's Alfredsson, you've got to be just low down, no good, bitter, jealous and a plain terrible and classless person to shoot the puck at another player. I'm sorry, but as "classy" as Alfredsson is as a player, he clearly winds up, stops his motion, looks up, spots Neidermayer, turns, winds up again and lets fly directly at hit. I mean an accident?! it hit him square in the chest, what is it the magic fucking bullet?! Then the "classy" Daniel Alfredsson ends up in the scrum and clearly turns and punches another player in the face. Tres Classy. If I were the ref, I would have let Alfredsson and Neidermayer go at it, Neidermayer would have totally ripped apart the Sens captain, because let's face it, Ottawa's top line for all the talent they have, which I will never doubt and always respect, but for all the talent they have they're real yellow bellied. The three of em.

But really, anyone who thinks it was an "accident" would be mocking the ability of Alfredsson, it hits Neidermayer square in the middle of his body, some accident. It's too bad Neidermayer didn't pull a Crosby and just fall to the ice screaming in pain, maybe the league would react to it then. Personally, even without the penalty, it should be a suspension for a game. There needs to be consequences for Alfredsson so he can learn that you can't just run around shooting the puck at whichever team is currently giving you a hard time. I know that the Sens have worked incredibly hard over the last 10 years to build a championship team, but doing whatever it takes to win doesn't usually include taking a slapshot at the other teams captain.

Ottawa has been struggling this series, clearly. When Mike Fischer is probably one of your top players in the series, when you have players like Alfie, Spezza, Heatley, Comrie et al on your team, well you need to get things going, but that was just a bitch move.

Daniel Alfredsson is a bitch.

I still love you CKN & Grapey

[Guest Grapehead]

Well Alfredsson certainly took a late shot, and he certainly knew the shot was late, but like DT said, it's really hard to suspend a guy for that. Just like it's hard to suspend Neil for the hit on McDonald, since he barely hit McDonald, and the whole suspension would have to be based on intent, which is hard. Obviously Neil was intending to hit McDonald, but if McDonald stays entirely upright and Neil uses his forearms(not elbows, as it could've gone either way) to hit McDonald in the upper chest area... that would have simply been a charging penalty based off his 4 or 5 strides, right? McDonald fell to the ice before the hit, so you can't say Neil DEFINITELY would've hit his head if he had've stayed upright. Secondly you can't say Neil DEFINITELY would've left his feet if McDonald hadn't dropped or whatever. I'm sure Neil still would've hit McDonald's head, and still would've left his feet, but it's hard for the NHL to prove that and suspend a guy based off intent. Now, Alfredsson does get away with a lot, but it's not his fault, it's like me. I was raised by a single mom, got everything I want, and was never disciplined, now I expect everything to be handed to me and really don't believe in the consequences of my actions. Alfredsson is never disciplined, never was in the past, so it's hard for him to really obey rules he's never hard forced on him. Really though, if you play a game your whole life, and never hear two words from a ref about something you're doing, why would you ever stop? He is a classy guy, you won't change my mind there, but if in his head he was thinking he'd like to hit Scott Neidermayer(and only he knows what he thought) then that is an incredibly classless thing to do.

PS... is it just me or has CKN not posted in awhile?

Edited June 5, 2007 by Grapehead

[Clawson]

Alfredsson has less class than Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. It's easy to count up the numerous incidents involving him that prove that.

And Basha, how dare you mock them for having Mike Fisher as their best player this series. He's always their best and sexiest player. I shamefully love me some Fisher.

[The Sultan of Swank]

I'm not at all saying that Fischer is a bad player, I'm just saying that when in the company of some of the players the Senators have, it's a little peculiar that he would be the best in the Stanley Cup Finals.

[Hajjhowe]

Man, it's so close I can almost taste it. 13 years of up's and down's but my team is so damn close.

[Plubby]

Emery hasn't been drastically outplayed for my money. I think he has the right to ask his teammates after this series "come on guys, where were you?"

[SeanDMan]

Emery was a good goalie in games 1, 2, and 4. He let in some atrocious goals in game 3 and they managed to win anyway. I propose he start stinking up the joint on a nightly basis and maybe Ottawa can win in 7.

As for Alfreddson getting suspended, that's worth a 2 minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at the most. Suspending him for that would be beyond a joke, so it's no surprise that's what the Leafs fans want.

Also, calling Ottawas's top line "yellow bellied" is a laugh and a half. Sure, Alfie is as soft euro as they come, but after what Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza had to fight off to make it to the NHL this year, they're anything but cowards.