11:03 - I'm staying up to watch this game but if the Pens win I am not going to be happy. I'm staying up for the Stanley Cup and the Stanley Cup alone.
11:07 - Some people over at IPB where I'm currently hanging out aren't happy about the Detroit crowd chanting "We want the Cup!" I admit, I would totally be chanting “We want the Cup!” if I were in their shoes. Every God in the universe hates Buffalo so we’d get smitten anyway, I’m sure. May as well enjoy the game before it happens.
11:15 - I'm thinking it would be helpful if Detroit moved the puck to the other end of the ice. Might be easier to score.
11:22 - I either need the Penguins to win soon or the Red Wings to win eventually. If I’m going to stay up for another OT I need a guarantee the Wings are going to win. Someone guarantee!
11:24 - Bullhonky goalie interference call on Henrik Zetterberg. One of my least favorite things about officiating in the NHL is how often coaches complaining about it has an effect.
11:43 - CBC is doing a highlight package to These Eyes by the Guess Who. Maybe it's just the late hour but I'm totally cracking up.
11:47 - Second OT. You can tell I've spent too much time this season reading game diaries at Sabres Edge because I actually just thought, "Bummer, John Vogl is probably going to miss deadline. Poor guy."
11:50 - Okay, that was a bullhonky goalie interference call. Maybe the last one was debatable but this was total crap. Seriously, after that I don't want to hear another Penguins fan complain about Osgood diving because Fleury went down awfully hard and far for a guy who barely got bumped. Terrible. I thought we were trying to get rid of diving?
11:52 - That said, Fleury is the only reason the Penguins haven't lost this game already. He's been lights out.
11:55 - Tim Kennedy looks a little bit like Brian Campbell 2.0 - slightly awkward-looking, stringy red hair. I'm sure he'll get along fine with the girls anyway though.
12:05 - Shower, brush teeth, wash face, race back to the TV.
12:30 - The one good thing about all this extra hockey - besides extra hockey! - is extra Kelly Hrudey. Kelly Hrudey!
12:31 - Third OT. The Red Wings are going to win, right? Right? Please say I'm right.
12:34 - Franzen just misses a nice opportunity in front of the net. I've been wondering, just how does a mule skate anyway? I would think very awkwardly. It must take extra skill to coordinate four legs.
12:40 - This game is beginning to take on that "someone is going to make a bone-headed mistake that leads to a goal" feel about it. As much as I want to see the Cup, I do hate those endings.
12:41 - NEXT GOAL WINS!
12:47 - Aww, hell. This whole season blows. The Hockey Gods hate me even when the Sabres aren't playing. Still, I did originally say Wings in six. Please say I'm going to be right about that.
Showing posts with label detroit red wings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label detroit red wings. Show all posts
Monday, June 2, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
One Game Down...
So it appears that I'm cheering for the Red Wings. I've found that when I'm undecided the best thing is to wait for the first goal and see if I'm excited or disappointed. I was stoked when Nicklas Lidstrom scored and irate when they called it back which is saying something because I'm not a huge fan of Tomas Holmstrom's style of play and would usually be fine with him getting called for goalie interference. I'm all for screening the goalie but when you're so tight on him that he couldn't lift his glove if he needed to, you're interfering. But calling that little stick poke interference was lame and CBC attempting to argue that it was a good call was even lamer.
Photo By Silvia Pecota/Getty Images. Except for the hearts. I added those because I love Nick Lidstrom.
Random thoughts:
- In Detroit we have a market that's had a tough time filling the building despite having a great team, two of the best all-around forwards in the league, and one of the best defensemen of all-time. So what does the NHL do? It schedules the Cup Finals so that three of the games take place at almost exactly the same time as the Pistons series with the Wings and the Pistons both at home for two of those games. Well played, NHL. There are days when I'm genuinely surprised the league is still in business. I understand they wanted to start on Saturday for television reasons but would it have really killed them to go on Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday instead?
- I was watching the Detroit players charging out of the tunnel for the pregame skate and I wondered if anyone ever trips. And then Marc-Andre Fleury answered that question by taking a huge face plant.
- I'm not a huge fan of the patches that all the pro sports leagues slap on jerseys for special events - I know I'm watching the Stanley Cup Finals, thanks - but those things really should be on the other shoulder so they don't interfere with the letters. The patch right on top of the C's and A's looks atrocious.
- Someone please give Detroit's P.A. guy a shot of adrenaline. He sounded like he was working a funeral. A Penguins fan could not have sounded less excited about the Wings scoring.
- I like to think I'm all smart about hockey now but tonight I went through the whole game thinking Mikael Samuelsson was Ulf Samuelsson. To the point where I said, "Did they just call Ulf 'Mikael'?" Which is when Mark gently pointed out that Ulf retired. I wasn't sure he was right so I did an internet search and sure enough, Ulf did retire. In 2000. I even have Mikael in my fantasy line-up this week so I really should know his name.
- I think one of the small pleasures of living in Buffalo is getting CBC but I'd much rather have Jim Hughson calling the games than Bob Cole and I'd much rather hear Kelly Hrudey than Don Cherry. I don't get Don Cherry's appeal. His appearances on Sportscenter were just one more reason for me to not watch Sportscenter.
On a totally unrelated note, I've been trying to be better about including credits with any photos I use, but I realized after Patty complimented the photo in the last post that I forgot to include that information there. I went back and added it but since most of you had probably already read the post by then, I'd like to state for the record that the photo was by Mike Lynaugh. Mike has a Sabres gallery at this link and it's full of beautiful action shots like the one I used of Dmitri Kalinin. Any time I'm looking for a photo of a player who doesn't come up a lot in a Google image search, I hit up his page and I almost always find something.
Random thoughts:
- In Detroit we have a market that's had a tough time filling the building despite having a great team, two of the best all-around forwards in the league, and one of the best defensemen of all-time. So what does the NHL do? It schedules the Cup Finals so that three of the games take place at almost exactly the same time as the Pistons series with the Wings and the Pistons both at home for two of those games. Well played, NHL. There are days when I'm genuinely surprised the league is still in business. I understand they wanted to start on Saturday for television reasons but would it have really killed them to go on Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday instead?
- I was watching the Detroit players charging out of the tunnel for the pregame skate and I wondered if anyone ever trips. And then Marc-Andre Fleury answered that question by taking a huge face plant.
- I'm not a huge fan of the patches that all the pro sports leagues slap on jerseys for special events - I know I'm watching the Stanley Cup Finals, thanks - but those things really should be on the other shoulder so they don't interfere with the letters. The patch right on top of the C's and A's looks atrocious.
- Someone please give Detroit's P.A. guy a shot of adrenaline. He sounded like he was working a funeral. A Penguins fan could not have sounded less excited about the Wings scoring.
- I like to think I'm all smart about hockey now but tonight I went through the whole game thinking Mikael Samuelsson was Ulf Samuelsson. To the point where I said, "Did they just call Ulf 'Mikael'?" Which is when Mark gently pointed out that Ulf retired. I wasn't sure he was right so I did an internet search and sure enough, Ulf did retire. In 2000. I even have Mikael in my fantasy line-up this week so I really should know his name.
- I think one of the small pleasures of living in Buffalo is getting CBC but I'd much rather have Jim Hughson calling the games than Bob Cole and I'd much rather hear Kelly Hrudey than Don Cherry. I don't get Don Cherry's appeal. His appearances on Sportscenter were just one more reason for me to not watch Sportscenter.
On a totally unrelated note, I've been trying to be better about including credits with any photos I use, but I realized after Patty complimented the photo in the last post that I forgot to include that information there. I went back and added it but since most of you had probably already read the post by then, I'd like to state for the record that the photo was by Mike Lynaugh. Mike has a Sabres gallery at this link and it's full of beautiful action shots like the one I used of Dmitri Kalinin. Any time I'm looking for a photo of a player who doesn't come up a lot in a Google image search, I hit up his page and I almost always find something.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Still No Sabres, Eh?
(NOTE TO THOSE WHO READ THIS POST ALREADY: I added a video and a couple of notes at the end. I didn't feel like making another entry just for them so check it out if they weren't there when you were here.)
So the final match-up is set. The Pittsburgh Penguins vs. the Detroit Red Wings. I can't believe it but after a postseason that seemed to be brimming with teams I wanted to lose miserably, we've ended up with two teams I'm actually okay with. I like the spunky, youthful Penguins and if my life had gone as I'd planned it at age twelve, I'd be living in Pittsburgh and probably rooting for them. (Of course, I'd also be catching for the Pirates and raising five kids. Clearly fate had its own ideas.) But I like the experienced, professional Red Wings too although I didn't really watch much of them until this past round against Dallas and I turned a couple of those games off early. Patty, my token Western Conference friend, claims I would hate the Wings if I had to play/watch them all the time and that might be true. But for now, the Wings are really Nicklas Lidstrom in my mind. And I love him. I want him to teach me to play hockey.
Oddly enough however now that we're down to two teams I like, I'm just not feeling much interest in who comes out on top. I don't know if I've watched all the non-Sabres hockey I can in one year - after all, they were only out of the last round in the last two seasons and I've now watched three rounds - or if I really need to have a team to cheer against but I'm feeling very blah. But come Saturday I'll sit down in front of the TV and see where my heart takes me. Maybe that Red Wings hate will finally kick in and maybe I'll decide they've had their chance already. Maybe I'll decide I'm sick of seeing shots of Mario Lemieux in the owner's box and maybe I'll decide I don't want the Penguins to succeed so soon or with a big rental player. Who knows? We'll see.
(And by the way, Saturday? These guys need four days off? I thought they were hockey players!)
As far as predictions go, I'm taking the Red Wings. The Penguins have been very impressive but none of the teams they've played played particularly well. Some of that can be attributed to them but I think some of it was just teams playing crap hockey. I don't think they've faced anything like the challenge Detroit is going to give them. Detroit played an overmatched Nashville team and a beat up Colorado team but they also played a very good Dallas team. Dallas was probably the best non-finalist team over the course of the playoffs. Pittsburgh may take a couple of games but I think that's all they'll get this season. DETROIT IN SIX.
ETA: I just saw this commercial on Yahoo's Hockey Blog (I can't quite say "Puck Daddy" yet because it's totally ridiculous). It's so beautiful. The images, the music, the tag line at the end... all perfect. It makes me want the Finals to start immediately.
I also remembered that one reason I wouldn't mind the Red Wings winning is because it would make Nicklas Lidstrom the first European captain of a Cup winning team. I'd love for that to happen and I'd love for it to be him.
(Despite the fact that "Puck Daddy" is a goofy name, you should check it out if you haven't already. Greg W. is doing really good work over there and the title actually does fit the smart but fun, occasionally silly, tone. When I get around to updating my blogroll, it's going up there.)
So the final match-up is set. The Pittsburgh Penguins vs. the Detroit Red Wings. I can't believe it but after a postseason that seemed to be brimming with teams I wanted to lose miserably, we've ended up with two teams I'm actually okay with. I like the spunky, youthful Penguins and if my life had gone as I'd planned it at age twelve, I'd be living in Pittsburgh and probably rooting for them. (Of course, I'd also be catching for the Pirates and raising five kids. Clearly fate had its own ideas.) But I like the experienced, professional Red Wings too although I didn't really watch much of them until this past round against Dallas and I turned a couple of those games off early. Patty, my token Western Conference friend, claims I would hate the Wings if I had to play/watch them all the time and that might be true. But for now, the Wings are really Nicklas Lidstrom in my mind. And I love him. I want him to teach me to play hockey.
Oddly enough however now that we're down to two teams I like, I'm just not feeling much interest in who comes out on top. I don't know if I've watched all the non-Sabres hockey I can in one year - after all, they were only out of the last round in the last two seasons and I've now watched three rounds - or if I really need to have a team to cheer against but I'm feeling very blah. But come Saturday I'll sit down in front of the TV and see where my heart takes me. Maybe that Red Wings hate will finally kick in and maybe I'll decide they've had their chance already. Maybe I'll decide I'm sick of seeing shots of Mario Lemieux in the owner's box and maybe I'll decide I don't want the Penguins to succeed so soon or with a big rental player. Who knows? We'll see.
(And by the way, Saturday? These guys need four days off? I thought they were hockey players!)
As far as predictions go, I'm taking the Red Wings. The Penguins have been very impressive but none of the teams they've played played particularly well. Some of that can be attributed to them but I think some of it was just teams playing crap hockey. I don't think they've faced anything like the challenge Detroit is going to give them. Detroit played an overmatched Nashville team and a beat up Colorado team but they also played a very good Dallas team. Dallas was probably the best non-finalist team over the course of the playoffs. Pittsburgh may take a couple of games but I think that's all they'll get this season. DETROIT IN SIX.
ETA: I just saw this commercial on Yahoo's Hockey Blog (I can't quite say "Puck Daddy" yet because it's totally ridiculous). It's so beautiful. The images, the music, the tag line at the end... all perfect. It makes me want the Finals to start immediately.
I also remembered that one reason I wouldn't mind the Red Wings winning is because it would make Nicklas Lidstrom the first European captain of a Cup winning team. I'd love for that to happen and I'd love for it to be him.
(Despite the fact that "Puck Daddy" is a goofy name, you should check it out if you haven't already. Greg W. is doing really good work over there and the title actually does fit the smart but fun, occasionally silly, tone. When I get around to updating my blogroll, it's going up there.)
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Go West, Young Man
While I would much rather be rooting for the Sabres in the playoffs, it's possible that it might be kind of fun to watch the playoffs with no real emotional investment. I can hop on a bandwagon and not be devastated if that bandwagon derails some time in the next couple of months. I'll just hop on another one. So because I know you're all dying to know, let's take a look at who Heather B. will be cheering for on the Western side of things.
Before we get started, I will say that this is all sure to change once I actually start watching games especially in the Western Conference where I really know very little about the teams. Every post-season I find myself cheering for someone I never really predicted (never at the expense of the Sabres of course). Last year it was Marty Turco and the Dallas Stars. And sometimes, if a match-up is really bad, I find myself getting sucked into a team and then looking back and wondering what I was thinking. Last year I was fully behind the Ducks in the Finals even though I don't really hate the Sens and I can boil it down to a few very basic reasons: The brutal loss to the Sens was too fresh as was my outrage at Daniel Alfredsson's boarding of Henrik Tallinder and I really warmed to the stories of J.S. Giguere's sick baby, Teemu Selanne flying all his childhood friends in from Finland to watch the Finals and Scott and Rob Niedermayer winning a Cup together. Now I hate the Ducks. I really disliked Selanne and Niedermayer's half retirements and I think Chris Pronger is a blight on the NHL (how I overlooked that, I don't know). I can't believe I was rooting for them. But I was. Behold the power of the Playoff Goggles. Anyway... all that to say, this is where I stand now but don't hold me to it.
1. DETROIT RED WINGS
I know some people hate the Red Wings because they've won so many Cups and I know a few people who still hate them for how much press they got during that run. And I know some people around here hate them because of Dominik Hasek. I wasn't really following hockey very closely during their last run or during most of Hasek's Buffalo career so I have no real beef with the Red Wings. In fact, I'd be fine with them winning for one reason.
Nicklas Lidstrom.
Seriously, loving defense the way I do, how could I not love Nick Lidstrom? He's amazing. He boggles my mind. He's so good on both the defensive and offensive sides and he's been that good for a long time now. I wish we played him more often because I would love to watch him in person where I could just focus on him and what he's doing on the ice. On top of being amazingly talented, he never resorts to dirty play and he seems like a heck of a nice guy. So yeah, I could get behind seeing him with another Stanley Cup if it comes to that.
2. SAN JOSE SHARKS
This is a heart-breaker because I really do like the Sharks. I like Evgeni Nabokov and I love Joe Thornton. I'd like to see them do well. But they went and added Brian Campbell and guys, I don't think I can handle Brian Campbell winning a Stanley Cup. I can't handle a summer of Bucky Gleason crowing (because that's what he'd be doing) about how the great and wonderful Campbell was mistreated by Buffalo and went on to bigger and better things with an organization that really cares about its team and players. And just when I was thinking maybe I could handle it because once upon a time I did really like Brian Campbell and I thought maybe my heart would soften a little once I actually saw him hoisting that Cup with his big ear-to-ear grin, I read an article that included this quote from him: “I wanted to stay in Buffalo, we all did,” Campbell said after the trade that made a very good San Jose team even better. “Buffalo didn’t want to pay us.”
That quote made me totally cranky. First of all, way to speak for everyone who has ever left Buffalo. Second of all, way to look stupid doing it since in a couple of cases Buffalo did want to pay them and the players just chose to go elsewhere. And third of all, is it that hard to just go away gracefully? Really? I feel like that's not really asking that much.
So while it is with much sadness that I cast aside the Sharks and Brian Campbell, cast them aside I will. (I hope you do great, Joe.)
3. MINNESOTA WILD
Let's see... Here's what I know about the Wild. Marion Gaborik and Mikko Koivu play for them and their jerseys are very Christmas-y. (I like them although it is a little excessive when paired with the green pants.) I have nothing against them in theory and I think Minnesota would adore having a Cup champion so that's cool. But I always hear about them playing defensive hockey and that worries me. If I sit down to watch them play and it's like watching Boston, I'm out. No way I can get behind that.
4. ANAHEIM DUCKS
I hate just about everyone on this team so no thanks. I disliked Selanne and Niedermayer playing half the season and I hated the way the media slobbered all over Niedermayer's triumphant return. I despise the way Chris Pronger is handled with kid gloves and constantly getting special treatment no matter how dangerous his actions are to other players. And while this is not directly related, I think one of the funniest moments of the season was J.S. Giguere actually ducking a shot that then sailed over him and into the net. What a doofus. I wish I could find video because it was hysterical. Anyway, Ducks... It was nice rooting for you guys last season but I'm sorry to say, it was just a fling.
Stay tuned for part 2!
Before we get started, I will say that this is all sure to change once I actually start watching games especially in the Western Conference where I really know very little about the teams. Every post-season I find myself cheering for someone I never really predicted (never at the expense of the Sabres of course). Last year it was Marty Turco and the Dallas Stars. And sometimes, if a match-up is really bad, I find myself getting sucked into a team and then looking back and wondering what I was thinking. Last year I was fully behind the Ducks in the Finals even though I don't really hate the Sens and I can boil it down to a few very basic reasons: The brutal loss to the Sens was too fresh as was my outrage at Daniel Alfredsson's boarding of Henrik Tallinder and I really warmed to the stories of J.S. Giguere's sick baby, Teemu Selanne flying all his childhood friends in from Finland to watch the Finals and Scott and Rob Niedermayer winning a Cup together. Now I hate the Ducks. I really disliked Selanne and Niedermayer's half retirements and I think Chris Pronger is a blight on the NHL (how I overlooked that, I don't know). I can't believe I was rooting for them. But I was. Behold the power of the Playoff Goggles. Anyway... all that to say, this is where I stand now but don't hold me to it.
1. DETROIT RED WINGS
I know some people hate the Red Wings because they've won so many Cups and I know a few people who still hate them for how much press they got during that run. And I know some people around here hate them because of Dominik Hasek. I wasn't really following hockey very closely during their last run or during most of Hasek's Buffalo career so I have no real beef with the Red Wings. In fact, I'd be fine with them winning for one reason.
Nicklas Lidstrom.
Seriously, loving defense the way I do, how could I not love Nick Lidstrom? He's amazing. He boggles my mind. He's so good on both the defensive and offensive sides and he's been that good for a long time now. I wish we played him more often because I would love to watch him in person where I could just focus on him and what he's doing on the ice. On top of being amazingly talented, he never resorts to dirty play and he seems like a heck of a nice guy. So yeah, I could get behind seeing him with another Stanley Cup if it comes to that.
2. SAN JOSE SHARKS
This is a heart-breaker because I really do like the Sharks. I like Evgeni Nabokov and I love Joe Thornton. I'd like to see them do well. But they went and added Brian Campbell and guys, I don't think I can handle Brian Campbell winning a Stanley Cup. I can't handle a summer of Bucky Gleason crowing (because that's what he'd be doing) about how the great and wonderful Campbell was mistreated by Buffalo and went on to bigger and better things with an organization that really cares about its team and players. And just when I was thinking maybe I could handle it because once upon a time I did really like Brian Campbell and I thought maybe my heart would soften a little once I actually saw him hoisting that Cup with his big ear-to-ear grin, I read an article that included this quote from him: “I wanted to stay in Buffalo, we all did,” Campbell said after the trade that made a very good San Jose team even better. “Buffalo didn’t want to pay us.”
That quote made me totally cranky. First of all, way to speak for everyone who has ever left Buffalo. Second of all, way to look stupid doing it since in a couple of cases Buffalo did want to pay them and the players just chose to go elsewhere. And third of all, is it that hard to just go away gracefully? Really? I feel like that's not really asking that much.
So while it is with much sadness that I cast aside the Sharks and Brian Campbell, cast them aside I will. (I hope you do great, Joe.)
3. MINNESOTA WILD
Let's see... Here's what I know about the Wild. Marion Gaborik and Mikko Koivu play for them and their jerseys are very Christmas-y. (I like them although it is a little excessive when paired with the green pants.) I have nothing against them in theory and I think Minnesota would adore having a Cup champion so that's cool. But I always hear about them playing defensive hockey and that worries me. If I sit down to watch them play and it's like watching Boston, I'm out. No way I can get behind that.
4. ANAHEIM DUCKS
I hate just about everyone on this team so no thanks. I disliked Selanne and Niedermayer playing half the season and I hated the way the media slobbered all over Niedermayer's triumphant return. I despise the way Chris Pronger is handled with kid gloves and constantly getting special treatment no matter how dangerous his actions are to other players. And while this is not directly related, I think one of the funniest moments of the season was J.S. Giguere actually ducking a shot that then sailed over him and into the net. What a doofus. I wish I could find video because it was hysterical. Anyway, Ducks... It was nice rooting for you guys last season but I'm sorry to say, it was just a fling.
Stay tuned for part 2!
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