Yeah, I thought the old dog deserved it more mostly because of a longer journey, but crowning a new young king gives the NHL a story with longer legs. Alteast each of them credited the other with being the crucial piece to the puzzle.
But they were good this year, all year, and ranked 21st in attendance. Ok, thats bottom third-ile (?!) so not outrageously poor. Thanks for the update. Regarding the hand-on-puck, I am sure I heard the explanation as including Staios touching the puck with his hand while the puck was in the air, therefore it was not a penalty shot. And yes, this happened 20 minutes after the fact. Harry Neale was funny about 15 years ago when he actually had wit and had been in the game recently, now he is a tired, sad, know-nothing old fart going through the motions with his blind buddy bob who is always three passes behind the play, thinks when Vancouver plays there are two Sundins on the ice (quit drinking bob) and with all other teams it is The Edmonton Player coughed it up to the Carolina Player and shot it on the Edmonton Goalkeeper. Fucking prat. The hockey equivalent of deadwood tenured university faculty. Brindamour was good. I think goalies tend to get more credit than they used to, and more than they are due, because so much relates to what their defence is doing, and the Carolina defence was blocking half the shots. So, with a, say, .920 save %, and 25 shots per game, then Ward could have faced another 12 or 15 shots that the D blocked and with his save % it would have been another goal a game against. The same was hapening the other end, of course, but this is why goalies often look so good in the playoffs and why previous unknowns can shine -- they have an unsustainably fearless defence in front of them.
Well i would just like to say you gotta love the goalie he just hung in there with no playing time the whole sesson and he comes in there and total domnates and even gets the mvp award!
Rod B could not wait for Betteman to be done with his speech before picking it up how Rude and Selfish is that. never a 40 goal season never a 100 point season, how awful it was to see his ugly mug kiss the cup I thought I was going to Hurl This comment makes me want to hurl. After 17 seasons of being one of the most unselfish players in the NHL, you want to call him rude and selfish now? As a long time Flyers fan I was delighted to see Rod pick up the Cup 1st. He has made an excellent captain, and 1 of the best 2 way players in the game. After 17 years of trying, Bettmen would have been leveled with an open ice hit on my way to pick it up. How "rude and selfish" do you think that would have been? I actually thought that Brind A'mour should have won the Conn Smythe. I couldn't agree more.
Cam Ward actually was the starter in October, but was supplanted by Gerber early in November.
Harry Neale is marginally better on the local Leaf telecasts, but that might be because Joe Bowen (whom I love doing play-by-play) spends a certain amount of every period mocking him, and every once in a while Harry wakes up and takes offence. It's a good formula. But yeah, Cole got old at some point in the last few years, and it's time to put him in an emeritus type role like they did with Howie Meeker. (Hey, maybe they could put the two of them on the road, like a hockey-buddy version of Charles Kuralt! I would so watch that.)
So, Ward has played 25 games in the NHL before reaching the playoffs and then winning the Cup and the Conn Smythe. talk about a great start. As a point of comparison, the Leafs have now played 3014 games in the NHL since they last won the Cup.
I enjoy when the Leafs go on the road and Neale and Cole are drinking in the booth. Its like they've been let out of the ACC for good behavior.
As an Oilers fan going into game 7, I have to confess that I was expecting a bit more from them, considering what they'd done prior to that. (Perhaps I was just underestimating Carolina...) Even though I am sad that Edmonton didn't win the Cup, I have to hand to Carolina: these guys deserved it. It's still hard for me to fathom a Southern team beating a Canadian team in a hockey match, but they did it and I thought that the series was phenomenal. Brind'amour was outstanding and was a key component to his team. And hopefully Cam Ward continues to do what he did last night. This series should make some people realize that hockey is still very much alive and that they're missing out.
Cam Ward actually was the starter in October, but was supplanted by Gerber early in November. Only because Gerber was injured and once he came back, Cam Ward was #2. I know this well cause I had him in the fantasy league EARLY, but after Gerber came back and he wasn't playing, I dropped him.
Right on. I didn't know about Gerber's injury.
Yesterday afternoon, before my friends came to pick me up for the parking lot festivities, I was looking at camera, thinking that taking some pictures would be a good idea. I ended deciding against it, and frankly, I'm glad I decided against. I'm sure I would've lost it somewhere along last night's journey. The game was amazing. I didn't sit the whole time. I'm glad Cam got the Conn Smythe, but I think that the War Chief should've gotten it. But hey, it's all good. Nobody has been talking about him, but I think Andrew Ladd is going to be great in this league. He was hitting pretty big and absorbing their best shots (especially LaRaque's cheap shot in game 2) with a smile on his face the whole time. Think about this, he's only 19 freaking years old. Crazy. I have no voice right now, which is really bad because I'm the tech support guy at work. I think I'm still a little tipsy from last night. We went straight from the game to the beer showers at the Rockford (a hipster hangout) on Glenwood St. Saw some fires being set out in the street. Drank with a guy in a Whalers sweater; he was pretty delirious. Saw another guy burn his Whalers t-shirt. Saw boobies. Everywhere. Partied like Jeff O'Neill, if you catch my snowdrift. Still feel like an ass for doing so though. I was drunk and elated. I'm just happy nobody passed an orange sunshine to me. I'd be naked, in a field, and with the Cup, I'm sure. Went downtown and found that it is one gigantic construction site at 2AM. I remembered that I didn't have any dinner, so we went to a Chinese restaurant and all the workers cheered when we walked in (we were still wearing our Canes sweaters). That was kind of surreal. Finally got to bed at 4, but was too wired to sleep. I think I eventually drifted away around 6. I still feel elated. Oh yeah, at the end of the second period, we were all screaming and jumping up n down and my shorts fell down to my feet. That was pretty fucking funny. Nobody busted me on it though. 
Congrats NoMich - may you enjoy this moment forever! Congratulations to Carolina - they played an outstanding season, playoff run and final series and they deserved to win!
Ray Whitney drops an F-bomb (youtube) on national TV. Good for you, Ray.
We made comments about that last night in Campfire. Guess NBC didn't have a tape delay. Wonder how much the Wonderful President Bush's new indecency bill is going to cost them?
$325K, but that's only if somebody complains.
Whereas...
Congrats to the Canes... I agree that Brindamour should have gotten the Conn Smythe, Ward had some great saves in the losses, but Brindamour was the key to his team's wins. Can't say enough for both teams and what a great series it was. The speed was incredible, and both teams fought hard. Good to see Hockey is back.
I gotta find my old Hartford Whalers jersey and break it out.
I must say that I was rooting for Edmonton, but I am glad NoMich got to enjoy the moment. What I found interesting throughout the NHL playoffs is that Detroit is Hockeytown but once Edmonton was moving on to the next town, most people couldn't have told you who they were playing in the second round. The newspaper coverage was there, but no where near as informative as the championships in other sports. Of course, at least they had game recaps unlike the paper after game five, which had to run a shitty article about Pat Riley since the game went to late (just like the previous four).
Ray Whitney drops an F-bomb on national TV. I guess it's good thing nobody was watching. NoMich, even though you didn't take any pics for me, I'm glad to hear you had a hellagood time. I know what you mean about losing a camera though. I would of had some great great pics from Mardi Gras, but my drunk ass dropped the camera from a balcony. Good thing it was a cheap disposable.
Yeah I know you weren't MrFrisby because you secretly hate hockey don't you?
Oops, I meant to put sarcasm brackets around that "nobody was watching" statement.
It would have been a crime if that game was on OLN!!! WHY? AT LEAST THEY PICKED UP THE NHL CONTRACT AFTER ESPN LOW BALLED THE NHL AND I BELIEVE OLN'S COVERAGE WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER !!"the only thing that i am going to fault carolina fans about is the fact that i never heard "we want the cup". THEY DONT'T HAVE THAT WORD IN THIER MIND! OR KNOW WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT!! THAT'S WHY YOU DID NOT HEAR THEM SAY THAT THANK YOU CAROLINA FANS FOR SHOWING YOUR TRUE IGGNORANCE OF THE GAME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DADSQUEST has recieved 1 abusive vote
Dadsquest, please take it easy on the caps. Another abusive vote and you'll be in the penalty box.
Congrats Hurricanes fans...that was one helluva series. You couldn't ask for anything more coming off a strike year -- seven games for the cup, a rookie goalie who's the third-youngest to hoist the trophy, some vets carrying the cup for the first time ever in 15-20 years, etc. It doesn't matter if you're an Edmonton fan (which I am) or a 'Canes fan -- this was good for hockey. As for Ray Whitney's F-bomb, I think he learned that in Columbus (Hopefully the Jackets will make the playoffs next year, but I'm not crazy enough to be rooting for the cup yet).
Count me in for another abusive vote. The game's intro on NBC had fans outside all chanting We Want the Cup, actually, DQ. That's a pretty stupid way to judge a fan base... it's not even a good cheer. Both arenas were rocking. What I want to know is what the hell Kid Rock and Cuba Gooding Jr. were doing on the ice and in the locker room celebrating... what's their connection? I thought the series was great in all aspects. Crowds were good, level of play was good, officiating was good for the most part (aside from screwing up the end of the 1st period, and letting a blatant and vicious check from behind by Pronger on Cole in the 1st go), announcing was good (I wish Emrick would stop calling every shot a DRIIIIIVE, but his point about the left wing lock in 7 and the difference in travel between east and western conferences in 6 were insightful), and the intensity, especially for the first period of game 7, was through the roof. Nothing beats a hockey game 7. Edmonton really came on in the third, I was expecting them to tie it up, their legs were just better late in the game after Carolina had been taking it to them early. Ward's stop with just under 4 to go was outstanding. Wonder what those Oswego hockey coaches did when they heard their names randomly mentioned by JD after the game... gotta admit, that was pretty cool. Imagine sitting on your couch at home and hearing your name mentioned on NBC...
hey sorry all i am still upset, though look forward to next year!! and my 24 hours of mourning are over thank you for letting me rip a bit. sorry i was to harsh i did not know i am sorry to all yes it was great hockey !
Props to Cam Ward. I think that if you looked in the dictionary under "humble," you'd see his picture. Mullet-Man was singing Ward's praises and talking him up, but he just would not give any credit to himself. What a series, what a game!
DQ, I feel for you man. I truly mean that. I can remember vividly game 7 between the Oilers and Flyers back in 87' it was heart breaking. The Oilers played great man. It was nice to see hockey played like it was back when guys could skate freely. The speed game is much more fun to watch (vs. the leftwing lock/trap game). This series reminded me of the 87' series with its speed and level of play(how both teams were so evenly matched). 87' was one of the few times the Conn Smythe was awarded to a member of the losing team (rookie goaltender Hextall). The Oilers represented themselves well, being the 8th seed didn't matter, it was great hockey.
tks B !, yes that was great hockey back in 87! again sorry if i offended anyone early ! ward and pronger or pisani dual conn smythe or brindy and pronger conn smyhte would have been great also. i heard rumblings that cleveland might be getting another hockey franchise in a couple years , any thoughts, wow ?
What I want to know is what the hell Kid Rock and Cuba Gooding Jr. were doing on the ice and in the locker room celebrating... what's their connection? Well, if I remember correctly, Gooding Jr. is actually quite a big hockey fan. I think he's part of the Hollywood hockey scene. I know that a bunch of bigwigs (actors, directors, producers, etc) play a weekly game in LA, and I think he was one of them. Kid Rock? No clue.
There has been a rumor floating about that Sneaky Pete Karmanos is courting Kid Rock as a possible investor in the team. It is just a rumor, so take it with a giant grain of salt. For the record, though, Kid Rock has been to more than one playoff game in Raleigh this season. Tonight's parade was a lot of fun. Lots of people there. Cullen and Whitney shaved their beards, but left porn mustaches on. Commodore still has his 'fro and his beard going on. He's our beer drinker's hero. Frankie Kaberle has the hottest ladyfriend in the world. They make 'em a bit better in the Czech Republic I guess. Glen Wesley got to parade the Cup around. Cam Ward was taking much pride in his Conn Smyth trophy. Eric Staal, Cam Ward and Andrew Ladd look about 12 years old without their beards. We met a very cool guy from Calgary who is a part of a crew that is making a documentary about the fans of the NHL this playoff year. He is taking still photos and has been flown all over the continent during this year's playoffs, taking thousands of photos. Oh yeah, Rod Brind'Amour wore an NC State hat.
I do believe that Commodore is auctioning off the opportunity to shave off his fro for charity. I'm pretty sure I heard Doc Emrick say something about it at the beginning of the series.
If I remember correctly, Commodore did the same thing last year, Fris. Helluva nice thing to do. It's always good to see or hear about people doing such wonderful things.
Only because Gerber was injured and once he came back, Cam Ward was #2. I know this well cause I had him in the fantasy league EARLY, but after Gerber came back and he wasn't playing, I dropped him. And I picked up Gerber after somebody dropped him, and he gave me something ridiculous like 34 wins. Oh yeah, Rod Brind'Amour wore an NC State hat. Proof positive that he's still drunk.
Edmonton put up a lot more fight than I anticipated. This season is in no way a failure for the Oilers and I think they'll be back with a vengence next year. Brindy totally deserved the Conn Smythe this year. He excelled in all aspects of the game of hockey. He played almost half of each game night in and night out. He rarely lost a faceoff, shadowed the top line and played against Chris Pronger and still found a way to score. Ward played well and I will admit I never really took him seriously but the kid's got game (I've never seen anyone besides Marty make saves through traffic like Ward does) This is going to be the last hockey thread for a while. That makes me a lot sadder than I expected.
The NHL draft is this Saturday, HATER. There are rumors about town that the Canes will be trading the rights to Jack Johson to Pittsburgh for thier first rounder. With Pittsburgh's first round pick, the Canes will draft Jordan Staal. Supposedly he's the best of the Staal clan. Also, here's your gigantic chunk of salt for this rumor.
That's a super-juicy rumor.
There is the draft, free agency, trades, retirements, possible rule changes... I'm sure there is plenty of hockey talk to still be had this summer. Here is another piece from the rumor mill about Elias and Havlat wanting to play together.
Great series, great game 7. Greatest finals I've ever seen? No way. I had at least as much fun just two years ago. The series that will save hockey? Come on, we're just a little bit more enthusiastic because we were in withdrawal. I still think Eric Staal is the most underrated player in the NHL. His name wasn't even mentioned once in any Conn Smythe discussion I've heard or read.
