Lord Stanley Brandy 2011 -- HNiC NHL Playoff Pool

[Strazos]

That just shows I don't know much about Dallas as a region, not the team.

And a big problem for ALL of the Canadian teams in the mid-late 90s was the atrocious exchange rate. At least right now, that doesn't seem like it will be a problem.

I'll totally agree with you on the bandwagons like Chicago, though I think the Penguins may be more egregious - team sucked balls for a number of years and nearly had to be sold and moved, and they were saved by a fortuitous streak of strong drafts where they had extremely high picks. Same can be said of Washington before Ovechkin showed up - this is only the first time they've made it out of the first round in 12 seasons, second in 16.

On Atlanta, I'm not saying it's the fans' fault per-se - I thought Atlanta was a very odd place to try to put a hockey franchise (for the second time) back when the league expanded back into that market.

[Paelos]

It would have worked fine if the strike hadn't shot the sport in the head for everyone below the Mason-Dixon.

[Bunk]

Not to derail the Canuck train, but I just read on ESPN that Winnipeg sold all 13,000 season tickets in less than 20 minutes for the former Atlanta team.

Actually, it was apparently about two minutes to sell out, and 15 minutes to process the transactions. Oh, and that's 13,000 tickets for 3 - 5 years, not just the first year. Plus 8000 people paying a $50 deposit to go on the waiting list.

[Chimpy]

Yeah, I read that. But saying 'less than 20 minutes' keeps me safe from the "BUT SOME PEOPLE TOOK 17 MINUTES" spergy types.

[Paelos]

Not to derail the Canuck train, but I just read on ESPN that Winnipeg sold all 13,000 season tickets in less than 20 minutes for the former Atlanta team.

Actually, it was apparently about two minutes to sell out, and 15 minutes to process the transactions. Oh, and that's 13,000 tickets for 3 - 5 years, not just the first year. Plus 8000 people paying a $50 deposit to go on the waiting list.

Atlanta did fine for 5 years as well. Of course, Winnipeg will be successful for the reason that Atlanta wasn't. They have owners who actually want to support hockey and are willing to frontload the expenses to make a team good.

OTOH, if the franchise continues to act the way it has and only makes the playoffs once in a decade, we can discuss how many tickets they are selling at that point.

[Bunk]

They also have the advantage of having an owner who could lose $50 million a year and not notice. The biggest problem Winterpeg will have is the same one that Edmonton has - free agents don't want to move there. Fortunately, we Canadians tend to love hockey enough to support it, even when it sucks.

[Paelos]

I heard about the brutal hit on the radio and came into it expecting something else. I saw the hit on Horton, and was horribly confused.

I was expecting Claude Lemeiux. I got Andy Sutton.

[WayAbvPar]

It was late, but not nearly as late as others I have seen. Offensive guy wasn't protecting himself, and the worst possible result occurred. It was really scary watching live... the camera zoomed in on his face, and his eyes were glassy and he was blowing spit bubbles in his mouth. I was worried he might actually be dying at first.

I am not sure how I feel about the suspension...I think 2 games would have been enough, but 4 is ok. I will say this- I am goddamned sick and fucking tired of all the Boston fans crying about it when their Slovakian hero did something far worse to Pacioretty and wasn't suspended at all. Get the fuck off your high horses, you cuntbags.

[Paelos]

Boston fans will cry about anything. It doesn't matter that they've won in basketball, baseball, and football within the last decade.

[Bunk]

Yea, the actual hit itself was pretty much a textbook bodycheck. It was a little late, and it deserved a penalty. He got five and the game because Horton hit his head on the ice. He hit his head because he skated across the blue line looking back at his pass, instead of where he was going. Really, Rome only had to move about five feet to his right to make the hit - it wasn't like he zoomed in from out of nowhere. He didn't charge in to him, he didn't crosscheck him, he didn't catch him from behind, and he didn't make contact with his head. He stood him up at the blue line - about 0.3 seconds later than he should have.

He got a suspension because the league believes in double standards. If Horton doesn't hit his head on the way down, that was a two minute interference call. He got a four game suspension because the other player wasn't watching where he was going. And becuase this is the finals, everyone is watching, and the league doesn't want:

a) to look bad for not disciplining someone when the play almost killed the other guy
b) to have to deal with the shit that would go down if Rome played in the next game (I think this is really the main reason for the suspension)

[Paelos]

The NHL can't afford bad press. It's already playing 2 of it's final games on an upstart cable network.

[murdoc]

What Torres did was worse imo, but he missed. Down by a large amount, late in game, elbow high at the head from a guy with a bit of a history of headshots.

[WayAbvPar]

Yea, the actual hit itself was pretty much a textbook bodycheck. It was a little late, and it deserved a penalty. He got five and the game because Horton hit his head on the ice. He hit his head because he skated across the blue line looking back at his pass, instead of where he was going. Really, Rome only had to move about five feet to his right to make the hit - it wasn't like he zoomed in from out of nowhere. He didn't charge in to him, he didn't crosscheck him, he didn't catch him from behind, and he didn't make contact with his head. He stood him up at the blue line - about 0.3 seconds later than he should have.

He got a suspension because the league believes in double standards. If Horton doesn't hit his head on the way down, that was a two minute interference call. He got a four game suspension because the other player wasn't watching where he was going. And becuase this is the finals, everyone is watching, and the league doesn't want:

a) to look bad for not disciplining someone when the play almost killed the other guy
b) to have to deal with the shit that would go down if Rome played in the next game (I think this is really the main reason for the suspension)

^^^^^
Agreed on all counts.

[Bunk]

This actually just gets worse and worse. So now the guy who handed out the suspension has admitted that other than being late, it was a clean hit. A late hit is called interference - it's a two minute penalty. This became a five minute penalty, game misconduct, four game suspension, because the other player got hurt.

If that is to be the standard, then you have to give out a suspension on any penalty that results in injury. Any penalty, because again, this was a generic two minute call in any other circumstance.

Bonus fun - the guy handing out the suspension also admits to consulting with various people about it before making the decision. Including Brian Burke, former GM of the Canucks, who was fired by the Canucks. Who is from Boston. Yea, no bias there...

[Paelos]

I don't agree with the suspension at all, but that's the breaks for a guy who's going to be made a martyr for the sport.

As I said when I saw it, I didn't see the brutality of the hit. Dude had the puck, he passed the puck, and he didn't keep his head up over the middle. That's shit they teach you in the youth league.

[Strazos]

Agree with all of the above - it was a clean hit, an ok interference call at best. It's not Rome's job to protect Horton - that's Horton's job. Someone taking the body should not be punished because the guy they're hitting is busy being mesmerized by his own pass. Hell, it wasn't even really a blind-side hit, unless you count straight-on hits to be blindside if you're busy looking over your shoulder and not at what's in front of you.

AND...fuck Boston fans. Seriously. The times I've been forced to listen to their TV/Radio broadcasts have been absolutely painful.

[Strazos]

So, Canucks...WTF? 

[HaemishM]

One word... Luongo. But really, I think the Canucks just automagically curse any goalkeeper that reaches the playoffs in the crease for them.

[murdoc]

Cam Neely night - 8 goals.
Bobby Orr night - 4 goals.

Marchand was a one-man annoying, wrecking crew. That sequence at the end where he tackled Erhoff, flipped Sedin when Sedin tried to run him and dropped the gloves all in one smooth transition to another was awesome.

[Paelos]

Plus Timmy Thomas is gonna cut a bitch.

[murdoc]

Plus Timmy Thomas is gonna cut a bitch.

[Strazos]

So...was that a penalty?

[Paelos]

Uh yeah, that's a slash. He got 2m at the end of the game, served by someone else.

Totally worth it.

[01101010]

Uh yeah, that's a slash. He got 2m at the end of the game, served by someone else.

Totally worth it.

Timmah took offense to having his stick whacked on by Burrows a few seconds earlier so this wasn't an unabashed Hextall moment.

[Paelos]

Still very 

[WayAbvPar]

God NHL refs are fucking terrible.

[Strazos]

To be fair, I challenge you to point to a sport where the refs are "good." 

[WayAbvPar]

NHL chased out all the vets the past few years, and it hasn't improved things. I almost miss Mick McGeough.

[Strazos]

I couldn't stand him, but I miss Kerry Fraser.

[Bunk]

I stayed away from reading any threads unitl after game five, because I really didn't want to know what people thought of game four. While I'll admit Luongo gave up a couple softies in four, I knew the calls for his head would just drive me nuts. Yea, guess a shutout in game five was the best way to answer those critics.

Now, do I actually hold out hope that we can win one in Boston, and go full out for viewing/celebration plans for game six, or do I just wait for game seven...

[Strazos]

No, make the plans for Game 6 you sissy.

[squirrel]

I believe Horton is left handed, which made the hit worse. If he'd been a right hand shooter he would've taken the hit across his body and stick, and possibly not been as unaware as he was. It was a late hit no question and penalty worthy but wasn't intended to hurt, just bad circumstances.

Canucks will lose bad tomorrow night and win 3-2 in OT in Vancouver in Game 7. My city will then get lit on fire, I will have to flee and spend the next week eating raw squirrels in Stanley Park.

[WayAbvPar]

If they go into overtime in Game 7 I will die. Game 7 in the first round was nearly fatal.

[Bunk]

Yea, I really don't need the stress, so I'm banking on them winning tonight. We have a table reserved in the Central City Brew pub, which is cool, because the pub opens right on to the plaza where they have the big screen up in Surrey. So once we win, I can just spill outside in to the celebration.

[WayAbvPar]

I think my biggest emotion will be relief, both at winning and finally getting rid of my goddamned playoff beard. I look fucking ridiculous. I keep forgetting about it and then catching a glimpse of myself in reflections.