2007/2008 Hockey Thread

[Clawson]

Only me and one other friend were cheering for Detroit. It's twice as fun to rub it into a bunch of bandwagoner's faces. I think I had to talk one friend off the ledge.

[Gabriel]

I thought both teams played a good game. It was nice to see Malkin show up and prove that he's a superstar player. It was also nice to see Osgood, Maltby, Draper and company with the cup. It may be the last chance those guys will have.

Detroit got the bounces tonight. Pittsburgh had them in game 5. The first two games of the series looked like we wouldn't get much of a series, but boy did we ever. I had a blast. The team I picked lost, but they lost to a better team, showed a lot of grit and gave me an enjoyable post-season.

[Evil Chase K]

Wow. I have no words. I am even more in love with this team than I was before. I just hope they can re-sign Orpik, Malone, and Hossa though I doubt it.

The game to me is a blur, the Pens got hosed on some calls, it seemed like all the calls and all the bounces went Detroit's way, but none of those calls made a difference...Detroit's just the better team.

Fuck em, let's play em again next year. I believe we'd see a different result.

LET'S GO PENS!

Great game, great series, great team. God I love the Pens.

[TGWL]

Pittsburgh fans can't be too thrilled with the way the penguins played the majority of the series; and secondly, I can't believe that some people I know are shocked that the penguins lost. Detroit has dominated this series, and a few unfortunate breaks for them made this series much closer than scores and the wins. The Penguins didn't shoot enough, skate enough, or play smart enough to win, and when you play hard for 3-4 mins of hockey each period, you can't expect to win the game. The only player who showed up the entire game was their goalie. Pittsburgh shouldn't look for Crosby to be the hero every game, nor should they put all the pressure on Malkin when Crosby is being defended well; they have a talented team and can be very explosive when working together. I don't know about anybody else, but I was so sick of hearing about the Zetter/Crosby Match-up, and lets be honest, is anybody really shocked that Zetter had Crosby's number? Stop worrying about it and play hockey! It could be said that a lot of calls were missed, but the calls were missed for both teams. Pittsburgh had a great season and fought real hard to come back in the last 2 games. I'm sure some of their younger players will take this experience with them, hopefully grow and learn from this.

I'm happy Detroit won. I feel they were the better team and the victory was well deserved. It's also great to see the "No euro has lifted the cup" crap, end.

[Guest Grapehead]

I stayed up for all the post game coverage too, GOD I love the stanley cup. Unfortunately I changed the team I was rooting for almost every round, as it so happened they all got eliminated almost as soon as I picked them to cheer for. However I did want Detroit to win, and I was happy to see Osgood with the cup.

I can't believe how close the Penguins came to tying the game in the last few seconds, I actually held my breath a little. Strangely when they scored the late goal to make it 3-2 I cheered, cause I didn't want the game to end, I wanted a good finish, and I was thoroughly satisfied with the game as a whole.

As far as penalty calls being in Detroits favor, I wasn't too keen on the back to back penalties in the first, I didn't think Drake left his feet, luckily they killed it off but that certainly wasn't in their favor and not fully warranted.

There's nothing left to debate, Detroit wins another Stanley Cup and now we all twiddle our thumbs, play EHM(or 08 or 2k8), and patiently wait for next season.

[Clawson]

Chase, you cannot be serious about saying all the calls went Detroit's way? You're being a gracious loser and all but to suggest that Detroit was getting the advantage in calls is ludicrous.

[Evil Chase K]

Pittsburgh fans can't be too thrilled with the way the penguins played the majority of the series; and secondly, I can't believe that some people I know are shocked that the penguins lost. Detroit has dominated this series, and a few unfortunate breaks for them made this series much closer than scores and the wins. The Penguins didn't shoot enough, skate enough, or play smart enough to win, and when you play hard for 3-4 mins of hockey each period, you can't expect to win the game. The only player who showed up the entire game was their goalie. Pittsburgh shouldn't look for Crosby to be the hero every game, nor should they put all the pressure on Malkin when Crosby is being defended well; they have a talented team and can be very explosive when working together. I don't know about anybody else, but I was so sick of hearing about the Zetter/Crosby Match-up, and lets be honest, is anybody really shocked that Zetter had Crosby's number? Stop worrying about it and play hockey! It could be said that a lot of calls were missed, but the calls were missed for both teams. Pittsburgh had a great season and fought real hard to come back in the last 2 games. I'm sure some of their younger players will take this experience with them, hopefully grow and learn from this.

I'm happy Detroit won. I feel they were the better team and the victory was well deserved. It's also great to see the "No euro has lifted the cup" crap, end.

You cannot say the Penguins didn't play hard. That is one thing they did all season, they played hard. And they fought back. Every time someone said they couldn't do something, they did it. Crosby goes down, season over, Gino takes over. Playoff time, lousy defense, the Pens' D is solid.

The guys sacrificed and left everything they had on the ice. Sykora and Malkin were without question injured. Ryan Malone had his face nearly destroyed and fought on. This isn't a team that didn't play hard or didn't fight. This was a team that was inexperienced and overmatched.

Detroit is a machine. And judging by the pure dejection and exhaustion shown by the Penguins after the game in their interviews and on the ice during the Wings' celebration...this is a team that will be back. Maybe as early as next year. And they will win a Cup or two. It's just a shame that THIS team couldn't do it. The team that never gave up...the team that never quit...the team that sacrificed.

Ryan Malone may never win a Cup with his hometown team. Gary Roberts may retire and never get to win a Cup in the city he said he felt like he was meant to play in. Marian Hossa may never get to win a Cup for the fans who embraced him, wrote songs about him, and generally loved every minute he played. And Brooks Orpik may never win a Cup for the team that drafted him, the city that dubbed him The Candyman and the fans that absolutely ERUPTED when he had "The Shift" and crushed 4 Red Wings in one 15 second span.

That is what hurts so much about this loss. But a few years from when the Pens have won a Cup or two, DVDs will be made about this magical season. The season that started it all.

I wholeheartedly believe it. This is just the beginning

----

Sorry for being sappy and rambling, but this series has me drained.

Congrats Detroit fans...your team truly is the best in the NHL. What an incredible team. Thanks for the great series.

EDIT: Clawson, early on they got the calls...no question in my mind. There was no call on the goalie interference early in the first. They called two horrendous goalie interferences on the Pens early on in the series, and two questionable ones on the Wings in Game 5...but the first actual instance of it and they don't call it?

The call on Sydor that lead to the first Wings goal I thought was a little questionable too. And the charging call on the Wings tonight was questionable, but Kronwall did it all the time early on and they never called it once so it was about time the Wings got a charging penalty.

Of the 3 worst calls in the series...2 went against the Pens, 1 against the Wings.

I'm not saying they really meant anything to the outcome of the game or the series...but I certainly felt like tonight all the bounces and all the calls went Detroit's way. But I'm open to debate about it as to be honest, a lot of tonight's game is a complete blur.

Edited June 5, 2008 by Evil Chase K

[TGWL]

As far as penalty calls being in Detroits favor, I wasn't too keen on the back to back penalties in the first, I didn't think Drake left his feet, luckily they killed it off but that certainly wasn't in their favor and not fully warranted.

I thought it was a good call. It def. came off as a penalty. He didn't have to leave his feet for it to be called.

Evil, I wasn't talking about what they did in the season, I'm talking about what they did in the playoffs against the Redwings. Sure, they have players hurt, exhausted, and completely frustrated. But In this series they weren't moving the puck, they weren't skating enough in their own zone, and they werent finishing their checks while Detroit was in their zone. They only showed life for a few minutes each period. I'm not saying they didn't have heart or didn't sacrifice anything. They caught some breaks, but they didn't play hard enough to deserve the win.

Edited June 5, 2008 by thisgamewelose

[Clawson]

Well I know it didn't change the outcome but they go the whole third period of the game tonight without a penalty then call a soft hook to give Pittsburgh an advantage. Then during the power play Ryan Malone sends a Wings penalty killer's stick flying through the air with no call.

And I can't remember the last time they called a goaltender interference penalty on somebody when he was outside his crease though that one should have been called.

The interference call on Sydor was the exact type of play that Therien was bitching about early in the series. And it was the correct call since the puck was nowhere in sight and he stopped Maltby from moving.

[Evil Chase K]

But see the Wings had been doing the exact same thing all series. Especially early on and it wasn't called. Eh, whatever...the series and the magical season is over.

And some dude just wrote the greatest Penguins related post I've ever read in my entire life on a message board I post on.

I can't even think clearly about hockey right now. Coming into this year football was always my #1 sport with hockey a distant #2....

Not anymore.

[Evil Chase K]

As far as penalty calls being in Detroits favor, I wasn't too keen on the back to back penalties in the first, I didn't think Drake left his feet, luckily they killed it off but that certainly wasn't in their favor and not fully warranted.

I thought it was a good call. It def. came off as a penalty. He didn't have to leave his feet for it to be called.

Evil, I wasn't talking about what they did in the season, I'm talking about what they did in the playoffs against the Redwings. Sure, they have players hurt, exhausted, and completely frustrated. But In this series they weren't moving the puck, they weren't skating enough in their own zone, and they werent finishing their checks while Detroit was in their zone. They only showed life for a few minutes each period. I'm not saying they didn't have heart or didn't sacrifice anything. They caught some breaks, but they didn't play hard enough to deserve the win.

I was with you until that last sentence.

No one, not in a million years, will be able to convince me that they didn't play hard enough to deserve to win the series. No one. Malkin played with a dislocated shoulder, Sykora with a messed up wrist, Malone with a broken nose...and they kept fighting.

Don't forget, this isn't like they lost to some jobber team like the Flyers or the Lightning. They lost to a fucking machine. Until the Wings actually showed emotion in the Cup celebration I wasn't even sure if they were human.

I fucking hated them, but I begrudgingly respected them. Now I just hate Osgood, Franzen, and Datsyuk.

Edited June 5, 2008 by Evil Chase K

[Plubby]

Giddyup, wandbagon!

[Clawson]

Speaking of Cup celebrations, I forgot after 7 years of teams winning on home ice how boring and quiet it is when a team wins on the road. No music or anything, I could barely stand it.

[Evil Chase K]

Well the crowd wasn't exactly quiet. They did chant "Let's Go Pens!" and "Fleury! Fleury!"

I thought it made for quite the atmosphere.

[sahyder1]

Only me and one other friend were cheering for Detroit. It's twice as fun to rub it into a bunch of bandwagoner's faces. I think I had to talk one friend off the ledge.

Funny...because I'm one of those people that hates the Wings because of their bandwagon fans from the late 90s.

[Clawson]

Pens are the new Wings then.

I always hated the Wings too but I'll take the older evil over the newer evil.

Edited June 5, 2008 by Clawson

[Toe]

I always hate it when the team wins it on the road.

Of course, if Toronto did it, I wouldn't mind...

Hossa looked absolutely devastated right after the game ended, sitting on the ice. I was sad for him.

[Evil Chase K]

I hate bandwagon fans too. Especially when they cheer for my team.

I don't even like cheering for teams other than mine after my team has been eliminated.

[Clawson]

That's probably the only decent thing about the Leafs sucking the last 3 years. I've managed to find all the bandwagoners who I now mock whenever they sign online with names like "GO PENS GO" or "I LUV SIDNEY CROSBY LOL".

Seriously this one girl I hooked up with practically wanted me to do her wearing a Leafs jersey and now shes running around in a Crosby jersey in her display picture.

[Toe]

That's probably the only decent thing about the Leafs sucking the last 3 years. I've managed to find all the bandwagoners who I now mock whenever they sign online with names like "GO PENS GO" or "I LUV SIDNEY CROSBY LOL".

Seriously this one girl I hooked up with practically wanted me to do her wearing a Leafs jersey and now shes running around in a Crosby jersey in her display picture.

I would tell her to screw off. I don't wanna get any stains on my precious, precious jerseys!