2008/2009 Hockey Thread v2.0

[SeanDMan]

And no, I've decided I'm not done.

You guys, Basha, Clawson, Gabriel, you guys are the worst kind of hockey fans. The worst, the absolute worst of the worst. Honestly, the way you talk about hockey sometimes I think I've accidentally wandered into the NFL thread and I'm listening to a much a moronic Americans who have no idea about the game. I expect that kind of shit from Chase and he delivers on a regular basis, but you guys should fucking know better. This is our thread, a distinctly Canadian thread, a thread where we are supposed to KNOW THE FUCK WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, and instead you guys are posting.

Gabriel: Your comments about the Vancouver/St. Louis series being boring was really disrespectful.

I didn't see it, because they didn't show the game on TV here, instead, they showed the Vancouver game. Great, right? Wrong. Pittsburgh/Philly has been a kickass series to watch. Vancouver/St. Louis, not so much unless you're a Canucks fan. The Blues showed a few glimmers of hope for their fans, but ultimately, they just didn't put up much of a fight. Not due to lack of effort, just... they couldn't do it.

You're so off base with this entire comment. The Blues didn't put up much of a fight? You're talking about a team that lost 3 1 goal games in a 4 game series. In 3 games of the four they played, they were one bounce away from being even, or ahead. THEY LOST THE LAST GAME IN OVERTIME. What more do you want? They're facing a team that has been one of the best in the league in the second half, is gelling, has great chemisty, and an all-star goalie, and they're STILL just losing games by one goal. The series was nowhere near a total blowout by Vancouver, but you make it seem like it. I know you have a massive boner for Sidney Crosby, because you like shitty popular things and he's right up your alley, but really, this was great playoff hockey. Blocked shots, hits, great saves, overtime, it was four tense games and you're acting like it was a snorefest where one team had no right to be there.

I enjoyed the games in Vancouver, but I enjoyed the games in St. Louis a lot too because that crowd was just going absolutely nuts. Absolutely. They were so into it, and I felt really bad that the Blues couldn't extend the series because those fans were really into it. And so was St. Louis. They played their hearts out, despite what Clawson might tell you. But I'm convinced now that Clawson's hockey knowledge comes mainly from reading Leafs Fan blogs and licking lead paint.

Still more effort and passion in it. Vancouver and St. Louis were sleepwalking until that overtime.

Right, okay.

http://www.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?hlg=20082009,3,174

Load it up and make your own decision. If you, like most people who live in Toronto, are not smart enough to watch things and make your own decision, here are some things to consider;

00:20: St. Louis comes in for a rush. McDonald is stopped by a kick save and two Blues rush for the rebound, but it's cleared by Vancouver. They take it for an end to end rush, which St. Louis stops but not before Vancouver gets it deep. At 00:34, a mere 14 seconds after the Blues began their rush, they turn the puck over in their own zone, and the Canucks forward (Wellwood) undresses Mason and scores.

But end to end rushes |= exciting.

01:19: The Canucks are pressured hard by the forecheck of St. Louis. The St. Louis forwards take the puck and put another low shot on Luongo, and once again get a good rebound. The resulting hole between Luongo's glove and pad allows for a fantastic Crombean shot that gets by him, hitting Alex Edler's skate that is sitting on the goal line and staying out, barely. This would have tied the game.

But shots that go through the crease and just miss the net when they've passed the goalie |= exciting.

01:50: The puck is chipped deep into the St. Louis end late in the first. The Blues defense cough up the puck, and the Canucks get a pair of great chances, both of which Mason swallows up. Almost immediately afterwards, a highlight from early in the second, when the Sedins get a two on one thanks to the long change, but Mason once again keeps the game a one goal game.

But goaltenders doing everything they can to keep their team in the game |= exciting.

02:10: More Sedins. They play the cycle game to perfection, controlling the puck like it's a powerplay. They set up and St. Louis chases until the Canucks get an open point man. It's scoring machine Shane O'Brien, who releases quickly and Alex Burrows tips it out of midair with some deft hands, and it beats the goalie who had no idea a shot was even coming.

But masterful setup in the offensive zone |= exciting.

02:40: St. Louis is now down by two and know they need to open it up. It's still the second period so the changes are long. The Canucks get caught with their pants down and St. Louis beats all but one of them clean with a three line pass, barely onside, but online enough for a two on one. Shot, rebound, goal, and St. Louis climbs to within one goal.

But stretch passes and generating offense from behind your own blue line |= exciting.

02:55: St. Louis is energized, the whole team can feel the momentum turning and so can all the fans. The atmosphere is electric as the Blues break up ice. The Canucks get crisscrossed at the blueline and the Blues come in on net. They shoot, there is a rebound, and they crash the crease, sending it in. The entire building goes nuts. Tie game.

But comebacks and game tying goals in tense playoff hockey games |= exciting.

03:10: The Blues are pressing like madmen to get a goal. The puck is behind the net and Alexander Steen brings it out front and jams it towards the goal. The Blues poke and prod and the puck goes over the line. The play is originally blown dead, but upon further review, the puck is clearly in the net! The team that isn't playing with any effort or passion and just can't get it done scores the go ahead goal. It's waved off, controversially though, and play continues.

But plays that are under review that could decide the momentum of an entire playoff series |= exciting.

And none of this even brings up the third period. A period that was mostly 20 minutes of back and forth hockey. No penalties, no bullshit freezes along the boards, it was no quarter asked, none given hockey. But hey, hockey |= exciting.

I'm sorry Clawson that you were so bored watching a hockey game. I know sometimes I wish the Canucks were more like the Leafs too, so that our sub-par defense and mediocre goalie could be down by four goals after the second period. That way, maybe we could send out Brad May to "send a message" and "change the culture" of our team, and reinstill pride, because somewhere between draft day and the ice at the ACC, wearing a Blue and White jersey sucks the pride right out of you, leaving you a cold, dead shell of a man.

But hey, as long as you have your endorsement deals, interviews on LeafsTV, tickets to the Raptors game... man, fuck that hockey shit. Clubbing = exciting. Baseball season = exciting. SUVS = exciting.

Hockey |= not exciting.

You guys both know better. Stop being knobs, enjoy the games. You haven't heard one fucking comment from me about how all hockey night in Canada shows are Leafs games but now you guys get Canucks games and you want to cry in your cornflakes. Fuck off, shut up, grow up, or stay the fuck out of this thread.

Edited April 22, 2009 by SeanDMan

[NobBe Nobbs]

Did I do anything wrong?

[SeanDMan]

You were born.

[Ruki]

You were born.

I love you.

[Clawson]

Wow, I've found every game boring this whole round because apparently I'm not a hockey fan. Fuck off Sean, I've watched a game every single chance I've had so far, and I've even been out to a Marlies playoff game down in Toronto which I can safely say nobody else in the city does. I found a series, boring and it happened to be the series your team was in. Big fucking deal, I find Detroit/Columbus boring right now too but that one isn't over so who knows maybe it will change. St.Louis/Vancouver over and I can safely say it was fucking boring. I didn't say Vancouver was boring or anything like that I said the fucking series was boring so get the fuck off your high horse with you're whole "I'm a hockey fan blah blah blah". It's fucking pathetic and an insult to everyone in this thread.

[NobBe Nobbs]

You were born.

[SeanDMan]

I don't take offense to you insulting my team because insulting teams if what people do. But it was an exciting series, every game was close, they were all tight checked, low scoring, tense games. I think anyone who disputes that is dumb. St. Louis has a great up and coming forward core and played really fucking hard for the last half of the season and into the playoffs, and I thought it was a really good series. I've not had the chance to watch a lot of playoff hockey because I don't have cable at my house, but I've watched some of the Calgary/Chicago series and the PA State series, and...

...I have a point that I'm making, but I'm exhausted, so I'm going to take a nap. Back in a few hours.

[Reddaye]

Wow...you can really feel the love in here today.

[Clawson]

Wow...you can really feel the love in here today.

Exhbit A as to why you never insuniate that a Canadian doesn't have passion for hockey.

[Evil Chase K]

I disagree. Idiot.

Wow good argument.

Why'd you copy and paste the gist of Lint6's post and credit it to me?

[Gabriel]

You know, I just forgot that disagreeing with Sean means that I don't know what I'm talking about. In the future, I'll make sure to run all of my opinions by you first.

The Vancouver/St Louis series wasn't boring by any stretch of the imagination... what I said is that I would have rather watched the Philadelphia/Pittsburgh game, because it's more exciting and I see more opportunity for it to go either way. St. Louis came out and tried their damndest, but they just aren't there yet. I had no doubts in my mind that Vancouver was moving on, and that just doesn't make for a fun game to watch for me.

It was a very tight series, partly because of awesome goaltending on both ends, and partly because I just don't think either team has what it takes to break out offensively. Whereas, you look at the Pens/Flyers series, and Fleury just posted a win where he allowed 1 goal and made 45 saves against a team that has shown they can score in the post-season.

Right now, the top series' in each conference, for me, based on excitement are Flames/Hawks in the West, and either Philly/Pens or Washington/New York in the east.

But again... that's my opinion... and because Sean doesn't share it, clearly I am wrong, and a disgrace to Canadian hockey fans all over this great country.

[Cactus Drags]

If Chase is correct about the rules, Crosby's goal shouldn't have counted, it looked like he lost balance of his own accord to me.

Vancouver/St.Louis has definitely not been boring, and I feel for the Blues fans as they definitely deserved a few more games, I was surprised at how into it they got. But yeah, some good exciting games, even if I had to endure Vancouver doing well. Burrows' OT Winner was amazing.

[Evil Chase K]

If Chase is correct about the rules, Crosby's goal shouldn't have counted, it looked like he lost balance of his own accord to me.

What did I say about the rules?

[Gabriel]

That was me talking about the rules.

I still haven't seen the play, so I still can't comment on it... but if a Flyers player wasn't responsible for him crashing into the net, then Sidney Crosby's goal should have been disallowed.

[Evil Chase K]

The pro-Flyers Versus announcers thought it was a goal. Just saying.

Actually, here's what the NHL ruled...

Play was reviewed to determine if the puck was batted in by the glove of Pittsburgh forward Sidney Crosby... the review determined that the puck went off of Crosby's stick, then his body, there was no batting motion - call on the ice for good goal stands.

The puck and Crosby got to the crease at the same time, and there's no way Crosby could stop. It wasn't like the Flyers flopping all over MAF even though no contact was made.

I think it's a close call, but I can't see any reason to overturn the good goal call.

Edited April 22, 2009 by Evil Chase K

[Toe]

Bobby Ryan, Kris Versteeg and Steve Mason are the finalists for the Calder. I thought Mason would be a lock, but his performance in the playoffs may hurt his chances just a little bit.

[Pizza]

No it wont. Voting is conducted before the playoffs.

[Plubby]

Speaking of Mason, Sean - I know that the other half of the series WAS your Canucks, but I honestly feel that Chris Mason played really well and didn't deserve to lose that series, at least no way in 4. What are your thoughts?

[TGWL]

Avery, what the hell are you doing!!!

Somebody needs to take Lundqvist out to dinner. Sometimes he's just amazing to watch.

Edited April 23, 2009 by thisgamewelose

[Plubby]

RIP Basha, who has most likely been killed in the Annual Montreal Hockey Riots.