I'm watching the 2008 Capital One Bowl (Michigan against Tebow's Florida, Lloyd's last game), as part of BTT's full Michigan day. Naturally, Michigan's playing great...and then here comes Rich Rod into the booth! Immediately, Mike Hart fumbles on the four-yard line. Go figure.
Another great part about this segment is that every question asked to Rich Rod prompts this general answer: "Well, that's a good question." Why did you take the Michigan job? "Well, that's a good question." Why did you go to Michigan after not going to Alabama and signing a larger contract? "Well, that's a good question." If you were playing for the national title, would you have taken the Michigan job? "Well, that's a good question." Clearly, this is what Coach Rodriguez means by a more media-friendly program. Short, dodging, backhanded compliments. How could you lose to Michigan State? "Well, that's a good question." Are you planning on having a quarterback this year? "Well, that's a good question."
By the way, uh oh for 2009. Good thing there's plenty of Michigan victories on tape.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
My top 100...an explanation.
Back in 1999, the Detroit newspapers published a book entitled "Century Of Champions". This book was a comprehensive history of Detroit's sports history, with articles on every decade, the city's top teams, et cetera. One prominent feature was a countdown of Detroit's top 100 athletic figures, which was a daily sports section feature. Every day featured one person, until the #1 pick on the date of the book's release.
With the actual rankings dating back to around 1998, I figured that the list could be updated. Upon finding an old newspaper that had every one of these "Top __!" lists from December 1999, I had my starting point.
What follows is the list from my perspective, updated through today. Athletes have been added from the last decade, and athletes active at the time of the list have also been slotted with consideration to later accomplishments. On the other hand, figures with tarnished resumes have been removed or bumped down, as their greatness was diminished.
Before getting to the list, here is a breakdown of the 100 by team or sport, because hey, no one's gonna read anything after a 100-line list. Two people are listed twice, Mike Ilitch (Red Wings/Tigers) and Kirk Gibson (Tigers/Michigan State).
Tigers - 18
Michigan - 17
football - 11
basketball - 3
hockey - 1
baseball - 1
AD - 1
Red Wings - 12
Lions - 11
Michigan State - 10
football - 7
basketball - 2
hockey - 1
Pistons - 9
boxing - 4
track - 3
speedboat racing - 2
auto racing - 2
U of Detroit - 1
Stars - 1
figure skating - 1
bow hunting - 1
weightlifting - 1
golf - 1
kayaking - 1
bowling - 1
high school basketball - 1
beach volleyball - 1
women's hockey - 1
speedskating - 1
horse racing - 1
tennis - 1
Here's the actual list. Significant changes have been made when I publish mine.
1 Joe Louis, boxing
2 Ty Cobb, Tigers
3 Gordie Howe, Red Wings
4 Isiah Thomas, Pistons
5 Magic Johnson, Michigan State
6 Al Kaline, Tigers
7 Bobby Layne, Lions
8 Steve Yzerman, Red Wings
9 Bo Schembechler, Michigan
10 Duffy Daugherty, Michigan State
11 Charlie Gehringer, Tigers
12 Hank Greenberg, Tigers
13 Barry Sanders, Lions
14 Joe Schmidt, Lions
15 Tom Harmon, Michigan
16 Gar Wood, speedboat racing
17 Fielding Yost, Michigan
18 Terry Sawchuk, Red Wings
19 George Webster, Michigan State
20 Tara Lipinski, figure skating
21 Ernie Harwell, Tigers
22 Charles Woodson, Michigan
23 Joe Dumars, Pistons
24 Ted Lindsay, Red Wings
25 Hal Newhouser, Tigers
26 Jim Abbott, Michigan
27 Thomas Hearns, boxing
28 Night Train Lane, Lions
29 Jack Adams, Red Wings
30 Doak Walker, Lions
31 Bubba Smith, Michigan State
32 Sparky Anderson, Tigers
33 Chuck Daly, Pistons
34 Scotty Bowman, Red Wings
35 Emanuel Steward, boxing
36 Mickey Cochrane, Tigers
37 Biggie Munn, Michigan State
38 Don Canham, Michigan
39 Sid Abel, Red Wings
40 Dutch Clark, Lions
41 Harry Heilmann, Tigers
42 Alex Delvecchio, Red Wings
43 Cazzie Russell, Michigan
44 Fred Bear, bow hunting
45 Alex Karras, Lions
46 Bennie Oosterbaan, Michigan
47 Red Kelly, Red Wings
48 Sugar Ray Robinson, boxing
49 Earl Morrall, Michigan State
50 Norb Schemansky, weightlifting
51 Sam Crawford, Tigers
52 Fritz Crisler, Michigan
53 Walter Hagen, golf
54 Dave Bing, Pistons
55 Ron Kramer, Michigan
56 Jud Heathcote, Michigan State
57 Ron Mason, Michigan State
58 Bill Muncey, speedboat racing
59 Greg Barton, kayaking
60 Dave DeBusschere, Pistons
61 Hughie Jennings, Tigers
62 Lem Barney, Lions
63 Billy Sims, Lions
64 Bill Laimbeer, Pistons
65 Kirk Gibson, Tigers/MSU
66 Buddy Parker, Lions
67 Eddie Tolan, sprinter
68 Aleta Sill, bowling
69 Willie Horton, Tigers
70 Anthony Carter, Michigan
71 Desmond Howard, Michigan
72 Shirley Muldowney, auto racing
73 Mickey Lolich, Tigers
74 Glen Rice, Michigan
75 Harry Kipke, Michigan
76 Larry Aurie, Red Wings
77 Denny McLain, Tigers
78 Bob Lanier, Pistons
79 Chris Webber, Michigan
80 Mike Ilitch, Red Wings/Tigers
81 Bill Davidson, Pistons
82 Frank Navin, Tigers
83 Turkey Stearnes, NL baseball
84 Terry McDermott, speedskating
85 Lofton Greene, high school basketball
86 Bob Chappuis, Michigan
87 Gus Dorais, Lions
88 Red Berenson, Michigan
89 Julie Krone, horse racing
90 Hayes Jones, sprinter
91 Roger Penske, auto racing
92 Lorenzo White, Michigan State
93 Dennis Rodman, Pistons
94 Bob Calihan, U of Detroit
95 Lisa Brown-Miller, women's hky
96 Vladimir Konstantinov, Red Wings
97 Jean Hoxie, tennis
98 Karch Kiraly, beach volleyball
99 Doug Kurtis, hurdler
100 Trammell + Whitaker, Tigers
With the actual rankings dating back to around 1998, I figured that the list could be updated. Upon finding an old newspaper that had every one of these "Top __!" lists from December 1999, I had my starting point.
What follows is the list from my perspective, updated through today. Athletes have been added from the last decade, and athletes active at the time of the list have also been slotted with consideration to later accomplishments. On the other hand, figures with tarnished resumes have been removed or bumped down, as their greatness was diminished.
Before getting to the list, here is a breakdown of the 100 by team or sport, because hey, no one's gonna read anything after a 100-line list. Two people are listed twice, Mike Ilitch (Red Wings/Tigers) and Kirk Gibson (Tigers/Michigan State).
Tigers - 18
Michigan - 17
football - 11
basketball - 3
hockey - 1
baseball - 1
AD - 1
Red Wings - 12
Lions - 11
Michigan State - 10
football - 7
basketball - 2
hockey - 1
Pistons - 9
boxing - 4
track - 3
speedboat racing - 2
auto racing - 2
U of Detroit - 1
Stars - 1
figure skating - 1
bow hunting - 1
weightlifting - 1
golf - 1
kayaking - 1
bowling - 1
high school basketball - 1
beach volleyball - 1
women's hockey - 1
speedskating - 1
horse racing - 1
tennis - 1
Here's the actual list. Significant changes have been made when I publish mine.
1 Joe Louis, boxing
2 Ty Cobb, Tigers
3 Gordie Howe, Red Wings
4 Isiah Thomas, Pistons
5 Magic Johnson, Michigan State
6 Al Kaline, Tigers
7 Bobby Layne, Lions
8 Steve Yzerman, Red Wings
9 Bo Schembechler, Michigan
10 Duffy Daugherty, Michigan State
11 Charlie Gehringer, Tigers
12 Hank Greenberg, Tigers
13 Barry Sanders, Lions
14 Joe Schmidt, Lions
15 Tom Harmon, Michigan
16 Gar Wood, speedboat racing
17 Fielding Yost, Michigan
18 Terry Sawchuk, Red Wings
19 George Webster, Michigan State
20 Tara Lipinski, figure skating
21 Ernie Harwell, Tigers
22 Charles Woodson, Michigan
23 Joe Dumars, Pistons
24 Ted Lindsay, Red Wings
25 Hal Newhouser, Tigers
26 Jim Abbott, Michigan
27 Thomas Hearns, boxing
28 Night Train Lane, Lions
29 Jack Adams, Red Wings
30 Doak Walker, Lions
31 Bubba Smith, Michigan State
32 Sparky Anderson, Tigers
33 Chuck Daly, Pistons
34 Scotty Bowman, Red Wings
35 Emanuel Steward, boxing
36 Mickey Cochrane, Tigers
37 Biggie Munn, Michigan State
38 Don Canham, Michigan
39 Sid Abel, Red Wings
40 Dutch Clark, Lions
41 Harry Heilmann, Tigers
42 Alex Delvecchio, Red Wings
43 Cazzie Russell, Michigan
44 Fred Bear, bow hunting
45 Alex Karras, Lions
46 Bennie Oosterbaan, Michigan
47 Red Kelly, Red Wings
48 Sugar Ray Robinson, boxing
49 Earl Morrall, Michigan State
50 Norb Schemansky, weightlifting
51 Sam Crawford, Tigers
52 Fritz Crisler, Michigan
53 Walter Hagen, golf
54 Dave Bing, Pistons
55 Ron Kramer, Michigan
56 Jud Heathcote, Michigan State
57 Ron Mason, Michigan State
58 Bill Muncey, speedboat racing
59 Greg Barton, kayaking
60 Dave DeBusschere, Pistons
61 Hughie Jennings, Tigers
62 Lem Barney, Lions
63 Billy Sims, Lions
64 Bill Laimbeer, Pistons
65 Kirk Gibson, Tigers/MSU
66 Buddy Parker, Lions
67 Eddie Tolan, sprinter
68 Aleta Sill, bowling
69 Willie Horton, Tigers
70 Anthony Carter, Michigan
71 Desmond Howard, Michigan
72 Shirley Muldowney, auto racing
73 Mickey Lolich, Tigers
74 Glen Rice, Michigan
75 Harry Kipke, Michigan
76 Larry Aurie, Red Wings
77 Denny McLain, Tigers
78 Bob Lanier, Pistons
79 Chris Webber, Michigan
80 Mike Ilitch, Red Wings/Tigers
81 Bill Davidson, Pistons
82 Frank Navin, Tigers
83 Turkey Stearnes, NL baseball
84 Terry McDermott, speedskating
85 Lofton Greene, high school basketball
86 Bob Chappuis, Michigan
87 Gus Dorais, Lions
88 Red Berenson, Michigan
89 Julie Krone, horse racing
90 Hayes Jones, sprinter
91 Roger Penske, auto racing
92 Lorenzo White, Michigan State
93 Dennis Rodman, Pistons
94 Bob Calihan, U of Detroit
95 Lisa Brown-Miller, women's hky
96 Vladimir Konstantinov, Red Wings
97 Jean Hoxie, tennis
98 Karch Kiraly, beach volleyball
99 Doug Kurtis, hurdler
100 Trammell + Whitaker, Tigers
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Solomonic Wisdom of Chris Osgood
#2 Detroit Red Wings vs #7 Columbus Blue Jackets
Game 1 Columbus 1 DETROIT 4 Apr16
Game 2 Columbus 0 DETROIT 4 Apr18
Game 3 DETROIT 4 Columbus 1 Apr21
Detroit leads, 3-0
"Those who control their anger have great understanding; those with a hasty temper will make mistakes." - Proverbs 14:29
Will there ever be a more obvious mistake, and then a wonderful sequence of plays than the Stuart hit, and the aftermath? We had Brad Stuart just destroying Umberger, in a completely clean hit. We had random Columbus players trying their hardest to hit Red Wings, culminating in Mike Commodore checking himself into the Red Wings bench in a desperate attempt for revenge over something that is a normal, if awesome, hockey play. And finally, as a capper to this monument of unfocused play, Columbus allowed Henrik Zetterberg, all-World hockey player, to get in front of the net for an easy one-timer. 3-0 Red Wings, and good night.
I don't want to seem like a cocky Wings fan, but...bring on the second round opponent. That was just a pathetic sequence for Columbus, and it just showed how far down the team is. They were good enough to get this far, and played hard during the season. Yet, when everyone stepped up their game, Columbus couldn't go higher. Good night, Ohio.
This penchant for mistakes was a storyline all game long. All pregame, Columbus was talked about as maybe having some momentum coming home. It took 1:07 for Columbus to make an error, and the Wings to capitalize. Giveaway, two shots and a rebound later, and Homer has his first of the playoffs. The biggest thing that Columbus needed to do is change the momentum, and the game was barely started before the Wings had a lead.
Just like that, the crowd is silenced. Huge start for the Wings. The goal was very random, but what goal hasn't been random in this series?
The same can be said for Cleary's goal. Bad bounce for Columbus, and the Wings took advantage. The Wings are not using all of their weapons to blow out Columbus, instead, they are just hanging back and waiting for the inevitable mistake. It almost seems as if the Wings are experimenting on the power play and so forth, as those Blue Jacket mistakes make up for more than enough scoring.
Even our hitting is stronger. The Wings seem to be making the hits when the play warrants it, and that situation is coming to them. Columbus is running around looking for someone to hit, and that approach just won't work. Every part of this series has featured the Red Wings' calm, cool, and collective attitude, in comparison to the hurried and frantic Blue Jackets.
Meanwhile, Chris Osgood has stepped up his game in the playoffs, like always. As FSDetroit showed, Osgood is 16-4 in his last 20 playoff games, and has a significantly lower GAA in the playoffs for his career. Just like we've all tried to say, Ozzie steps it up at this point of the year. He's going to the Hall Of Fame some day. Deal with it, media.
Even when Columbus looks to have scored, the Wings and Ozzie step up and make a save...somehow. It's simply remarkable. Luckily, all of these bounces are coming in the playoffs. Simply amazing, and good for Ozzie. He deserves it, especially with how he has been treated for his entire career.
Series Fun Fact: Chris Osgood's shutout streak was for 144:27, over three games. Not bad, eh?
A Rebuttal to Gary
The Napoleonic leader made an appearance for ten minutes during the 2nd intermission of the Wings game. He talked salaries, ticket sales, and penalties. My rough rebuttal is as follows.
- Surprisingly, Gary thinks everything is working! With incredible competitive balance! Of course it is.
- How can the playoffs be completely unpredictable? Almost every series had a 2-0 lead. Some teams are clearly better than others. It's not like the NCAA tournament, where any team can pull an upset to advance. In a best-of-seven series, the better team wins almost every time. And if everything is so perfectly even, every series would go to six or seven games, and that won't happen.
- Bettman looks away a lot, and blinks a lot. He seems so shifty. Constant head movement, constant sense of unease. Uncomfortable passes at humor. All of this. He just seems so uncomfortable, and that he is trying to pass off a proverbial lemon of ideas.
- Of course Gary doesn't think most fans feel that way, regarding penalties. What fans is he talking to? Gary thinks that fans love the way that the calls are going, and that just is not true. He added that fans of skilled teams should especially love how it is. That is completely not true. This is because the Wings are the epitome of the skilled team, and none of us want to see the stupid penalties, because it hampers skill. The good teams can't play, because there is a demand for constant penalties, because every type of hockey play could hypothetically be a penalty. Good teams can't get into any type of flow, because the game constantly gets held up for a needless penalty, in an effort to create fabricated offense. A good team will find ways to score no matter what, without the artificial juicing of opportunities
- Surprisingly, Gary thinks everything is working! With incredible competitive balance! Of course it is.
- How can the playoffs be completely unpredictable? Almost every series had a 2-0 lead. Some teams are clearly better than others. It's not like the NCAA tournament, where any team can pull an upset to advance. In a best-of-seven series, the better team wins almost every time. And if everything is so perfectly even, every series would go to six or seven games, and that won't happen.
- Bettman looks away a lot, and blinks a lot. He seems so shifty. Constant head movement, constant sense of unease. Uncomfortable passes at humor. All of this. He just seems so uncomfortable, and that he is trying to pass off a proverbial lemon of ideas.
- Of course Gary doesn't think most fans feel that way, regarding penalties. What fans is he talking to? Gary thinks that fans love the way that the calls are going, and that just is not true. He added that fans of skilled teams should especially love how it is. That is completely not true. This is because the Wings are the epitome of the skilled team, and none of us want to see the stupid penalties, because it hampers skill. The good teams can't play, because there is a demand for constant penalties, because every type of hockey play could hypothetically be a penalty. Good teams can't get into any type of flow, because the game constantly gets held up for a needless penalty, in an effort to create fabricated offense. A good team will find ways to score no matter what, without the artificial juicing of opportunities
NHL Game Notes, 4/20
#1 Boston Bruins vs #8 Montreal Canadiens
Game 1 Montreal 2 BOSTON 4 Apr16
Game 2 Montreal 1 BOSTON 5 Apr18
Game 3 BOSTON 4 Montreal 2 Apr20
Boston leads, 3-0
Tonight, on Patriot's Day of all things, the Boston Bruins may have put a nail in the coffin of Montreal's centennial season. Coming home, Montreal needed this game to make any effort of a comeback. Obviously, it's rare for any team to come back from down 3-0, making tonight a day of judgement for many. Montreal seemed to play with a sense of urgency early, playing the first half of the game at a pace clearly superior to that of the Bruins. The Canadiens were hitting, the play was all in Montreal's favor, and the chance was there for them to get a decisive, potentially season-changing win.
Yet, Montreal's sloppy play kept Boston in the game. That first goal by Boston, where a bad clearing attempt turned to a shot on net and a tip-in goal by Phil Kessel, was a play that cannot happen at this time in a series. Montreal needed to lock down a win, and had a 1-0 lead at the time. Sure enough, a play that Montreal coach Bob Gainey described as "a punch to the mid-section" came back to bite the team.
For the first time all series, Montreal scored first, and then gave up that lead. They would never get that lead back, as Boston scored early in the second for a 2-1 lead, and former Canadien Michael Ryder gave Boston a 3-2 lead. It seems to be quite fitting that Michael Ryder was able to give Boston the win. This season, Boston has Montreal's old coach in Claude Julien, and old winger in Ryder. Considering that Montreal had a self-glorifying attitude all season with their centennial, and that the Montreal hockey culture has just eaten up the Habs this year, it seems oddly fitting that guys spit out by the team came back to bite them in the end.
Series Fun Fact: Tonight, the Montreal fans decided to act like classless jackasses and boo the US National Anthem. As seen here in this video from 2004, that won't be reciprocated in Boston, if Montreal happens to win Game 4.
#2 Washington Capitals vs #7 New York Rangers
Game 1 NEW YORK 4 Washington 3 Apr15
Game 2 NEW YORK 1 Washington 0 Apr18
Game 3 WASHINGTON 4 New York 0 Apr20
New York leads, 2-1For the first time all series, Washington played as they should have been playing all series. The Capitals were in a 2-0 hole that they really shouldn't have been in, with the question being that of 'can Washington turn the offense back on?'
Obviously, they did. Washington finally played like the Cup contender that everyone thought they'd be. The biggest surprise of this round has been Simeon Varlamov, the rookie goalie who made his first playoff start in Game 2. While Varlamov is apparently the Caps' goalie of the future, could anyone have seen a 0.50 GAA, and a shutout during a must-win game at the beginning of this series.
With the Capitals winning, the pressure goes back on the Rangers. Game 4 turns into a game the Rangers need, as they can wrestle momentum back their way, and maintain a lead that was in peril for the last two games. If Varlamov matures quickly into a hot goalie, the series will be Washington's if they go back home tied at 2 games apiece.
Series Fun Fact: In a previous era, Washington was a divisional rival with all of the teams in the Atlantic Division, and part of the pre-Ovechkin apathy towards the Caps stemmed from a forced diet of 24 games per year against four divisional teams that no one cared about.
#4 Chicago Blackhawks vs #5 Calgary Flames
Game 1 Calgary 2 CHICAGO 3 OT Apr16
Game 2 Calgary 2 CHICAGO 3 Apr18
Game 3 Chicago 2 CALGARY 4 Apr20
Chicago leads, 2-1
Both of these two teams are very equal, and obviously flawed. In Calgary's case, it's that Miikka Kiprusoff is tired, thanks to Mike Keenan's idiotic coaching. Keenan, among other things, is always known for treating goalies poorly, either from overuse, showing no confidence, or just personality conflicts. Yes, Keenan always seems to win for a year or two. But every time, he resigns or gets fired over bad terms. Every time. I honestly don't think this team can go deep into the playoffs with Keenan behind the bench, and his stamp on the team. His teams make the playoffs, but typically don't do extremely well.
In Chicago's case, this year's Blackhawks are just too young. They are playing fairly well, but I don't think they can win past this round. Can the Blackhawks outplay a defending champion Red Wings team? Can the Blackhawks solve Luongo, when they hadn't played at that level before? I don't think so.
This game followed the formula of the home team getting some good bounces, and turning that into goals and wins. That formula is bound to continue.
Series Fun Fact: For the first time since the creation of the Central Division, four teams from the Central are in the playoffs in the same year. The previous high was three, when Detroit, Chicago and St. Louis all made it. The Wings won the Cup, and St. Louis beat Chicago in the first round, before losing the Detroit in the second round.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Sean Avery: Performance Artist
(Ed. note: This is something written for a journalism class, one where I had to review something. I reviewed Avery's antics.)
Hockey has long been about the team long before the self. Every truly great player must win a Stanley Cup. A legacy is not built on individual achievements, but instead almost all glory comes the team. Unlike any other North American sport, nothing else really matters.
This makes the case of Sean Avery all the more curious. Avery is a forward for the New York Rangers, and yet to most, he is far more than that. Avery tries his hardest to be a celebrity, and get that media attention. He dates actresses! He makes controversial comments! He enjoys women's fashion, despite being a tough guy hockey player! Look at Sean, look at him!
All of this is despite of his marginal skills as a hockey player. Avery is best known for being an agitator. He doesn't score that many goals, and doesn't make that many great plays. Instead, he simply tries to anger the opposing team, whether it's through a cheap shot to a player from behind or a mean-spirited personal comment. All the while, Avery refuses to back up his actions in any way, forcing the other team into taking penalties.
This begs the question: is Avery acting out off of the ice to become a media fixture, just as he acts out on the ice to justify his role on the team? And, in the sport of hockey, can those two roles co-exist?
To answer the first question, yes. Everything Avery does is calculated in some way, on-ice and off-ice. Nothing seems to be done on accident. For this observer, it does not seem like a coincidence that Avery happened to make his obscene comments. He signed a multi-year deal with the Dallas Stars, a team out of the media spotlight; and with little mainstream attention paid to hockey, he needed to get out. So, he made enough of a disturbance to get waived by the Stars, and get picked right back up by the Rangers, one of the most well-covered teams in the media capital of the country. Along the way, he was the biggest story in hockey, which couldn't have hurt.
It seems to be the same way with Avery's off-ice exploits. Much has been made of his Vogue magazine internship in the summer of 2008, and how much more that brought Avery into the spotlight. Again, it does not seem like a coincidence that the position was prominently announced by Avery in April of that year. In the hockey calendar, April is when the regular season ends and the playoffs begin, with increased attention on the NHL. Avery knew the media well enough to know exactly when to leak his story, allowing for everyone covering the playoffs to constantly repeat it, making him all the more famous.
v However, can this type of behavior work in hockey. I don't think so. Hockey, more than any other sport, revolves around the concept of the team. Avery has proven, time and time again, that he is not about the team in any sense. He lusts for attention, good or bad, and at almost any cost.
Hockey commentator Don Cherry, the most well-known man in hockey, described Avery's comments in this way: "That was pre-meditated. He had been thinking about that, and in fact, if you look closely, he said to the cameraman "hey, come on", and waved his teammates over, saying "watch this, this is going to be good." We in hockey have a code. You can fight, you can hit. But we're not like other sports. We've had 3,000 drug tests, and have had one guy get caught. We don't shoot each other. We don't stab each other. And you do not say stuff like that. That's part of the code."
An example of Avery violating the code amongst his teammates is the March 8th game between the Boston Bruins and Avery's Rangers. This game was the first game back in New York for Avery; and just happened to be televised nationally, as NBC's game of the week. With under two minutes to go, Avery had not done much, yet New York was winning by a score of 4-3. The Rangers cleared the puck out of their zone, and Avery just needed to go retrieve the puck to kill time off of the clock. Instead of outskating his opposing player to the puck, Avery instead shoved that guy into the boards, resulting in a penalty.
For any hockey fan watching, that is a stupid play on every level. The team needs all the wins they can get, and Avery takes a dumb penalty? The team is beating one of the top teams in hockey by one goal, and Avery takes a penalty now?
For a media observer though, it's a good move for Sean Avery. Selfish, but good. That penalty forces his picture on national television, and forces announcers to talk about him. In this conflict between the self and the group, Avery chose the self.
As a hockey player, that type of choice does not go over well with everyone else in the sport. Sean Avery will eventually have to choose between being a hockey player, and being a celebrity. And it seems that the choice that he is making is an unpopular one.
NBC + Versus: A Brief Comparision
All week, I've been watching a lot of hockey. Two games on FSDetroit, two on NBC, and many on Versus. So, what little things have I picked up on as a communications major, when it comes to telling the story of a hockey game? There's three, in fact. Game buildup, visual graphics, and camera quality.
The first thing that I enjoy about NBC's presentation of any game is that it feels like a big game. Yeah, they have their faults, but who doesn't? As a hockey fan who grew up with HNIC, the NHL on NBC presents itself as a true American game of the week. The NBC crew seems to be doing its best to present their particular game, and the sport of hockey, to the best of their ability, despite the restrictions of American standards. For this, they must be commended.
The other American station with the NHL is Versus. Versus seems to be the opposite of NBC, as their presentation does not seem to give off that big-game atmosphere. Everything seems cheaper on Versus, almost like the station got it on some type of discount. There seems to be the general design qualities of something from around the year 2000. An example is Versus' playoff ads. Quick cuts of zoomed in images? Doesn't that seem like a Dodge truck ad from 2001? Just images, with little graphics around them? Doesn't that seem like ESPN's simplistic black + white television commercials of the late-'90s?
Speaking of graphics, I enjoy the package used by NBC. The network uses it for all of their sports, as it pops well visually with the logos and jerseys of the game. The modern-style graphics also give a similar feel to the game, making the game seem a bit more exciting in that way. It's not much, but things like the scoreboard are constantly a presence, and each thing about it just looks classier.
On the other hand, Versus does not deserve the same praise. Every graphic on the station is centered around a black and red color scheme, which does not suit the great majority of the teams. With it focusing on the black, with red accents, there is little to be excited about. That black-and-red coloring is not subtle in any way, as everything possible has this dull combination. Scoreboards, interstitials, the studio set, even the split-screen camera shot gets dominated by these colors.
Another thing that really sticks out about NBC is how clear every picture seems. While I don't know what kind of cameras or equipment gets used by NBC, everything seems a tad sharper, and brighter when on this network. That change does not go unnoticed.
For Versus, everything seems to actually be worse than when covered locally. Everything seems far darker, although that just may come from so much peripheral black. The picture is grainier, almost like a broadcast of ten or more years ago.
Part of what can make Versus a legitimate network someday has got to be in the little things like these. You cannot compete with ESPN if you present your network as so clearly second-tier. Upgrade the little things, and viewers will notice, even if they can't put their finger on what exactly they are seeing differently. Everything surrounding your brand will seem to be upgraded if you do the little things right, and this is the business lesson that NBC seems to know. At some point during this playoff season, I hope they send that message to Versus.
NHL Game Notes 4/19
It's Sunday night, and there's a week of school left. That's about it, I don't have anything else for these intros today. Other than for today, and for the rest of the round, the bits are in the order that the games were played.
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #5 Philadelphia Flyers
Game 1 Philadelphia 1 PITTSBURGH 4 Apr15
Game 2 Philadelphia 2 PITTSBURGH 3 OT Apr17
Game 3 Pittsburgh 3 PHILADELPHIA 6 Apr19
Pittsburgh leads, 2-1
What really struck me about the Flyers in this game was how their attack produced multiple goals, to really take Pittsburgh out of it. The opposite will be discussed later on, but the Flyers took control by getting a quick two-goal lead in the first five minutes. While those leads can be given up, and that particular one was, you have to figure that Pittsburgh was shaken. The game had barely begun, they're on the road, and already down two.
It took Pittsburgh one period to recover, and they did tie the game with goals that sandwiched the first intermission. Again though, the Flyers came back with two more goals, and again, Pittsburgh's in a hole. The attack kept on to begin the period, as any adjustments couldn't prevent a fifth Philadelphia goal. Game, Flyers.
From the opening face-off, it was clear that the Flyers were motivated. Philly came out fired up, took control, and came back after every punch. Now, this Game 4 becomes that more important for Pittsburgh, as another road loss sends them home for a must-win game, or else they'd be playing for their season in Philadelphia. With this year's playoffs having so many 2-0 series leads, some series-changing games needed to appear in the Game 3's, and Philadelphia definitely had one of those.
Series Fun Fact: Remember how excited I was to see the Flyers' God Bless America on NBC, and how awesome it'd be to show some traditions unique to a team? NBC elected to show commercials, and give it the novelty "look what happened while we were away!" shot as they returned. Glad to see they take this game seriously. Naturally, CBC did show it, as they always do with any pregame things. Here's the YouTube video of it.
#3 New Jersey Devils vs #6 Carolina Hurricanes
Game 1 Carolina 1 NEW JERSEY 4 Apr15
Game 2 CAROLINA 2 New Jersey 1 Apr17
Game 3 NEW JERSEY 3 Carolina 2 OT Apr19
New Jersey leads, 2-1
New Jersey won today, which is nice for anyone who is from New Jersey, from Hartford, or just doesn't like Compuware CEO Peter Karmanos. Because every Hurricane victory means Kwame Kilpatrick's company wins, and no one wants to see that.
Series Fun Fact: If the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup, a clause within Kwame Kilpatrick's contract states that the beer's on him.
#3 Vancouver Canucks vs #6 St. Louis Blues
Game 1 St. Louis 1 VANCOUVER 2 Apr15
Game 2 St. Louis 0 VANCOUVER 3 Apr17
Game 3 VANCOUVER 3 St. Louis 2 Apr19
Vancouver leads, 3-0
St. Louis had to win, and had to come out stronger than this. This is not the game that allows for upsets, and because of the uninspired play, the Blues may be playing for pride in Game 4. Tonight was their game to win, and they didn't go get the W.
On the other hand, Vancouver needs to send themselves to the second round with some type of dominating win in Game 4 (or 5). Each win has come from a narrow margin, or some fluke goals. Of the three games, none of which were clear Canucks victories. Instead, all three could have gone to the Blues, if just a couple of bounces had gone a different way.
For this team to show that it's more than Luongo within the postseason, the Canucks need to show how and why they are clearly the better team.
Series Fun Fact: Vancouver's uniforms are loosely modeled after the team's original jerseys from the '70s. Along with the Canucks, five other teams have brought back retro style jerseys in the past couple seasons. Those teams are Philly, Buffalo, NY Islanders, Washington, and Edmonton.
#1 San Jose Sharks vs #8 Anaheim Ducks
Game 1 ANAHEIM 2 San Jose 0 Apr16
Game 2 ANAHEIM 3 San Jose 2 Apr19
Anaheim leads, 2-0
On the other hand, when you win the President's Trophy, and have a reputation for playoff let-downs, it's not good at all that you're down 2-0. Also, when your opponent may have intentionally played poorly, just so they could face you, that's not a good sign either.
At least San Jose can build on that last five minutes or so. That was the Sharks' lone saving grace from these first two games, and that might carry over to Game 3. The team really showed intensity for the first time, and showed some sense of urgency.
On the other hand, the Ducks are still up 2-0, and when the urgent Sharks finally surfaced, Anaheim kept the puck down in the Sharks' zone in such a way that Nabokov couldn't even be pulled. Yeah, their goals are flukes, but they are an 8th seed. The standards are lowered from a team like Vancouver. The Ducks are not dominating play, but just grinding and looking for those little rebounds.
Anaheim isn't in complete control of this series, in terms of play. But, they are going home with a 2-0 lead, which is all they could have hoped for. We'll see what the Sharks are made of in the next game, as the Ducks have shown us all that we've expected.
Series Fun Fact: The San Jose Sharks are 17 years old, and have a goalie with the last name of Nabokov, which has to amuse those literature buffs out there.
Now I know!
See how nicely the last piece was? It's got formatting, a visually appealing layout, and all of that. I got offered the ability to send blog entries via email, so I tried it out. Turns out, it works better than when I spend 15 minutes trying to make everything look perfect, and then none of those changes get conveyed (like the current penultimate entry). It looks like I've found my solution to make this place prettier, one bit at a time. Hooray.
We've got that winning feeling...
#2 Detroit Red Wings vs #7 Columbus Blue Jackets
Game 1 Columbus 1 DETROIT 4 Apr16
Game 2 Columbus 0 DETROIT 4 Apr18
Detroit leads, 2-0
Earlier on in the playoffs, I was talking to a buddy about when last year's Red Wings really seemed to be better than every other team. There were definitely some moments, ranging from the domination of Colorado, to thoroughly beating Dallas, the the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals, to killing off that 5-on-3 against Pittsburgh in Game 4. Everyone seems to have a different moment where everything clicked for them. For that matter, there's people who didn't really accept that we'd won until after the scariness of the last game.
This season, we might have already had the one defining moment of the season. The Red Wings are up two-nothing in games against Columbus, and both wins were just crushings. We're outhitting them, outskating them, everything. The only perceived weakness of the team, Chris Osgood, has a GAA of 0.50. He is also working on his fourth Stanley Cup, and is going up the various goalie records lists. Every other guy on the roster is scoring just as much, with goals coming from Zetterberg (woo!), Jiri Hudler (yeah!), and Jonathan Ericsson (yea, wait really, Jonathan Ericsson?!?). This team is coming together in every way possible, and I don't see the team coming down.
Granted, the Columbus Blue Jackets have played in the style that suggests how they're just happy to be in the postseason. Pucks are going off of Blue Jackets like there is no tomorrow, and with that trend, there actually will not be a tomorrow for them. Steve Mason is not playing near what this team needs to contend, and no Columbus player is playing that impressively in front of him.
Obviously, this team could win a game at home, entirely because Dan Cleary will get whistled for a penalty once the game begins, regardless of whether he's on the ice or not. Gary Bettman's coming into Columbus for Game 3, so...something could go wrong.
Still, the Wings are clearly the better team, and are just rolling over Columbus. Detroit is going into the second round as hot as possible, and barring injury, has to be the Cup favorite.
Meanwhile, there isn't a single potential opponent that has played as well. San Jose is reeling, down 2-0 as they go to Anaheim. Vancouver is playing just good enough to win every night, as they are getting a huge boost from Roberto Luongo. Chicago is surprising everyone, including Befuddled Mike Keenan. Among the seeds 5-8, only Anaheim may advance, and they are getting by on a down opponent and fluke bounces.
These Red Wings look like another team of destiny. Last year, it didn't feel like it until the end. This year however, I haven't even left college before that relaxed feeling is here.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
First-Round Briefs
Ah, the signs of spring. College girls are sunning themselves outside my window. I've got a week left of classes. And, the NHL playoffs are in full bloom. So, here's my thoughts on each first round series, starting with the Eastern Conference. Detroit/Columbus is much longer than these briefs, so that will be a separate post. Go!
#1 Boston Bruins vs #8 Montreal Canadiens
Game 1 Montreal 2 BOSTON 4 Apr16
Game 2 Montreal 1 BOSTON 5 Apr18
Boston leads, 2-0
Fight, fight, fight! This series, another rite of spring for years, has been marked by scrums since the last week of the regular season. Already, the B's Matt Hunwick is out for the playoffs because of this, and who knows if we'll see more of that.
For Boston, everything is going right. This team can play either a physical or finesse game, and both sides are coming out to play in this series. Boston has been very patient with their puckhandling, with excellent passes leading to easy goals. An example of this are the repeated cross-ice passes that lead to open-net goals, as Boston is just passing right through any defense that Montreal throws at them.
The other thing that Boston seems to be doing is staying focused. Game 2's 2nd period ended with Tim Thomas firing a length-of-the-ice pass, which led to a Bruins goal at the 19:58 mark of the period. Plays like that are inexcusable for the opponent, and can be a backbreaker.
Mentally, Boston is in the game, and Montreal is losing control from their inability to get in any Bruin heads. Montreal's best hope is to steal Game 3, and see what happens from there. Not to state the obvious, but this Bruins team does not seem like past squads that failed when it came to stomping out the Canadiens. If the two games in Montreal are a split, Boston will finish it in Game 5. A Montreal win on Monday night might propel them into another win two days later, which would guarantee that they at least go back to Montreal for Game 6. Anything else, and their season is effectively done.
Series Fun Fact: In the shared playoff history, Montreal is leading in series wins, 24-7, including wins in 2002, 2004, and 2008. Weirdly enough, this rivalry seems to favor long periods of dominance by one team. Before 2002, the Bruins won five out of six meetings from 1988-1994, and before that, Montreal won eighteen straight series from 1946-1987.
#2 Washington Capitals vs #7 New York Rangers
Game 1 NEW YORK 4 Washington 3 Apr15
Game 2 NEW YORK 1 Washington 0 Apr18
New York leads, 2-0
For the last two days, every Game 2 has featured the statistic that around 87% of playoff series that have a team go up 2-0 end with that team winning. Right now, despite being a Cup prediction for many, Washington is down 2-0, and going to New York for a definite must-win game. Can they do it?
Looking at past series where teams have come back from such a deficit, there's a couple common factors. First is that a team can make a comeback if they're playing a weak goalie. This was the case in 2002, when the Red Wings won four straight to beat Vancouver. Like Washington, the Wings were the top seed who just couldn't get things together. Unfortunately, Henrik Lundqvist is a far better goalie than Dan Cloutier.
Second, teams have made comebacks when they're coming home, and using that home crowd to change things. Yet, Washington has to go into New York. This one won't apply here.
Third, any team who comes back has to win four straight. Since 1996, nine out of ten teams who have gotten out of the 0-2 hole had a six-game series win. While we don't know if this applies to the Capitals yet, look for a momentum-shifting play in Game 3 or 4. The 2002 comeback by the Wings had a long shot goal from Nick Lidstrom. The 2001 comeback from the Kings over Detroit had a huge Game 4 overtime comeback win. Some moment must turn the tide for Washington. Will that moment come? Maybe.
Series Fun Fact: Some of this can be applied to the rest of the playoffs, since as of Saturday night, six of seven series have a team up 2 games to none.
#3 New Jersey Devils vs #6 Carolina Hurricanes
Game 1 Carolina 1 NEW JERSEY 4 Apr15
Game 2 CAROLINA 2 New Jersey 1 Apr17
Series tied, 1-1
This series is the apathy winner for the first round. There is little buzz surrounding this series, because neither team is exciting at all. Not one bit. This is the only series that has not been on Versus so far, and it's that way for a reason.
On the New Jersey side, the franchise seems to be committed to nothing exciting whatsoever. Despite one of the best goalies ever, the Devils are known for the left-wing lock, an offense that tries to have as little actual offense as possible, unchanging and dull jerseys, and Lou Lamoriello.
For Carolina, everyone cared far more about them when they were in Hartford, when no one cared about hockey in North Carolina. Thirteen years later, no one still cares about hockey in North Carolina, despite a Stanley Cup that has to rank among the most depressing events in recent hockey memory.
This is the only series tied at one game a piece, and anything can still happen. So, as I've watched nothing from this series besides highlights, and no one cares about this one, let's leave it at that.
Series Fun Fact: Back when Carolina won in 2006, the second round featured only red and black teams in the East(Carolina, New Jersey, Buffalo, Ottawa); and blue/greenish teams in the West (Edmonton, San Jose, Colorado, Anaheim). Now you know.
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #5 Philadelphia Flyers
Game 1 Philadelphia 1 PITTSBURGH 4 Apr15
Game 2 Philadelphia 2 PITTSBURGH 3 OT Apr17
Pittsburgh leads, 2-0
The Penguins and the Flyers have waged another playoff war over their first two games. Unlike some other series, the Flyers have seemed to be in control. The Penguins just get that one little break to give them a win. In Game 1, Sidney Crosby appeared to kick in the first goal of the series, which led to a win. In Game 2, Jeff Carter (the Flyers' leading scorer) happened to find the one toe that was covering a wide-open net, and Pittsburgh came back to tie and win the game.
Philadelphia hosts the next two, and I think that home crowd will combine with the frustration of the Flyers for some wins. Philadelphia will make a strong comeback, it's in the franchise's nature. Pittsburgh will get beaten up, and will have to fight through it. They have to know that this is coming, and luckily for them, they got a couple wins back home. The Flyers do not give up quickly, and I do think that the series will even out and potentially go the full distance.
One thing that makes this series remarkable is how largely even the two teams are, despite the different sets of talent. Philadelphia has some solid players, and no MVP candidates, but they do have a deep roster. On the other hand, Pittsburgh has Crosby and Malkin, but a thin roster that is only now gelling together after a lot of new additions. Despite that, the teams match up really well, which can lead to some interesting games.
Tomorrow's Game 3 will be a matinee, and will be a great one. It's NBC's game for Sunday, and I hope it can get some new viewers to our great game, in the best time of the season.
Series Fun Fact: Since the Flyers' Cups, the team has God Bless America instead of the national anthem for big games. The team wins something like 80% of games with the song, and it's one of the best known traditions of the Flyers. The original version from Kate Smith is now paired with live verses from the current singer, Lauren Hart. Philly does not announce when they're going to have this, so the surprise leads to the excitement of it. With tomorrow's game on national TV, and the Flyers down 2-0, expect God Bless America tomorrow.
#1 San Jose Sharks vs #8 Anaheim Ducks
Game 1 ANAHEIM 2 San Jose 0 Apr16
Anaheim leads, 1-0
San Jose has never been a playoff team. The Sharks have a well-deserved reputation for choking in the playoffs, and have never really gone that deep with any success. San Jose's deepest run was in 2006, with a conference finals loss that was one of those rare 0-2 comebacks for Edmonton.
Luckily, that reputation is continuing. The Sharks ended the season on a terrible note, and that anti-momentum continued into the playoffs. The offense looked terrible against a weak Colorado team in that last week, where they just couldn't score. Again, that continued in Game 1. San Jose did not score, and looked lifeless. There was no emotion, and the loss can only be the fault of that effort. Nabokov played only passable, and let in some weak ones, but that's no excuse for the rest of the team.
Yeah, every talking head says that "the series doesn't really start until Game 2" and "teams lose Game 1 all the time before winning the series." Yet in my view, Game 1 wasn't an isolated incident. This team is not playing their best, once again. A simple change won't fix the Sharks' problems. Something big needs to change for them, and it has to come from an offense that has been mailing it in for a while.
For Anaheim, the usual strategy has appeared for this team. Hit people, kill off penalties, ride a hot goalie, and see if you can steal some games. Again, it's working for them. In this season though, the hot goalie is rookie Jonas Hiller, and the team has to play tough teams all the way through. Not to seem cocky, but I don't think that Anaheim can fight their way through both San Jose and Detroit. Maybe only one.
Series Fun Fact: This series is getting featured billing on Versus, thanks to every game starting at 10 pm EST. This means that any San Jose collapse will come with the entire nation watching these games and these alone, only intensifying any criticism. Just saying...
#3 Vancouver Canucks vs #6 St. Louis Blues
Game 1 St. Louis 1 VANCOUVER 2 Apr15
Game 2 St. Louis 0 VANCOUVER 3 Apr17
Vancouver leads, 2-0
This series will be remembered for the violence and punchery that has become a solid mainstay of any highlight package. It could just as easily be remembered for Roberto Luongo. This guy is the best goalie in hockey today, and this series has shown it. St. Louis cannot buy a goal, and Luongo has put the Canucks on his back. Vancouver gets the cheap bounces that come against an average goalie, while St. Louis has sure goals become what-ifs.
Any fan of another Western Conference contender has got to hope for some Blues wins, if only to tire Luongo. Hopefully, the Blues can get him off of his game, just enough for a team, any team to beat him. If not, Vancouver will make a deep run, no matter what. As a Wings fan, this is the only team in the West that scares me.
To get back to the first point, fights! This series will be the chippiest yet, as we've seen everything from your basic scrums in front of the net, to a suplex that may have been learned during a road trip to Calgary. Every game has ended in fighting, and that pattern will continue. Again, as a fan of a future Canucks opponent, you've gotta like this. Just as we're getting beat up, so are they. Just as their goalie might be stealing games, their offense is getting worn down. This is what we all have to cling to.
Series Fun Fact: At the current pace, Vancouver could be the lone Canadian team in the 2nd round, as the label of Team Canada might apply to them. As you know, every year has one Canadian team make a deep run, and everyone kinda rallies around them to bring Stanley back to Canada. In 2008, Montreal lost in the 2nd round. In the three previous seasons, Ottawa, Edmonton, and Calgary all lost in the Stanley Cup Finals. In the two years before that, Ottawa and Toronto made runs to the conference finals. Vancouver is the only team to not be Canada's Last Team in recent memory, and this year could be their year.
#4 Chicago Blackhawks vs #5 Calgary Flames
Game 1 Calgary 2 CHICAGO 3 OT Apr16
Game 2 Calgary 2 CHICAGO 3 Apr18
Chicago leads, 1-0
The resurrection of the Chicago Blackhawks has been a theme of the last couple years. Despite the main catalyst of an atrocious owner's passing, the NHL has trumpeted the Blackhawks as the "new NHL's" model franchise. This is all well and good, but the Blackhawks are still a little while away from winning.
In the first round though, teams like this win games. They're young, they're bonding, they've got momentum. In the first two games, those three things have given the city of Chicago the first pair of playoff wins in over a decade. The common thread in both wins has been a heartbreaking comeback. In Game 1, Chicago tied the game at 2, and then scored the quickest OT playoff goal in my lifetime. In Game 2, Chicago came back from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2, as the Flames looked on in stunned silence. The Blackhawks are flying high, and really, why shouldn't they be? It's a young team that doesn't know any better, and they're experiencing career highs that they've dreamed of.
Meanwhile, Calgary is feeling the effects of Mike Keenan running star goalie/magical Finn Miikka Kiprusoff into the ground. Kipper played in roughly 125 games this season, with the defensive strategy of "let him stop it, and we'll clear" not helping matters much. This has led to a very tired goalie, and one not suited for a comeback.
As this series goes back to Calgary, expect a split out west. Then, Chicago will get their season highlight, a series win at home to advance in the playoffs for the first time in years. However, the jury is still out as to if that will be the last such highlight.
Series Fun Fact: You know how advertising is tailored around the audience? Investment firms run ads during golf tournaments, and AXE Body Spray runs ads during Adult Swim? Well, since Game 2 was not on local TV, I listened to the Blackhawks radio broadcast, and these were the general themes of each ad during the third period.
- Don't drink and drive
- Talk to your kids
- Don't drink too much
- Read a book
- Read to your kids
- Use a designated driver
- Crime prevention at work
- Don't drink and drive
- Be a parent
- Dave Matthews Band, for designated driving
- Cybercrime/sex predators on the internet
- Abusive/neglectful parents
- Diabetes testing
- Don't drink too much
- Be nice to veterans
Apparently, as observed during the Winter Classic, Blackhawks fans are complete degenerates, which explains the exclusive anti-Detroit cheers, as opposed to pro-Chicago chants. They do love to drink, but I had no idea how rampant child abuse was amongst the United Center "faithful".
As mentioned earlier, the Red Wings' series is being done separately. Look for that later on tonight.
#1 Boston Bruins vs #8 Montreal Canadiens
Game 1 Montreal 2 BOSTON 4 Apr16
Game 2 Montreal 1 BOSTON 5 Apr18
Boston leads, 2-0
Fight, fight, fight! This series, another rite of spring for years, has been marked by scrums since the last week of the regular season. Already, the B's Matt Hunwick is out for the playoffs because of this, and who knows if we'll see more of that.
For Boston, everything is going right. This team can play either a physical or finesse game, and both sides are coming out to play in this series. Boston has been very patient with their puckhandling, with excellent passes leading to easy goals. An example of this are the repeated cross-ice passes that lead to open-net goals, as Boston is just passing right through any defense that Montreal throws at them.
The other thing that Boston seems to be doing is staying focused. Game 2's 2nd period ended with Tim Thomas firing a length-of-the-ice pass, which led to a Bruins goal at the 19:58 mark of the period. Plays like that are inexcusable for the opponent, and can be a backbreaker.
Mentally, Boston is in the game, and Montreal is losing control from their inability to get in any Bruin heads. Montreal's best hope is to steal Game 3, and see what happens from there. Not to state the obvious, but this Bruins team does not seem like past squads that failed when it came to stomping out the Canadiens. If the two games in Montreal are a split, Boston will finish it in Game 5. A Montreal win on Monday night might propel them into another win two days later, which would guarantee that they at least go back to Montreal for Game 6. Anything else, and their season is effectively done.
Series Fun Fact: In the shared playoff history, Montreal is leading in series wins, 24-7, including wins in 2002, 2004, and 2008. Weirdly enough, this rivalry seems to favor long periods of dominance by one team. Before 2002, the Bruins won five out of six meetings from 1988-1994, and before that, Montreal won eighteen straight series from 1946-1987.
#2 Washington Capitals vs #7 New York Rangers
Game 1 NEW YORK 4 Washington 3 Apr15
Game 2 NEW YORK 1 Washington 0 Apr18
New York leads, 2-0
For the last two days, every Game 2 has featured the statistic that around 87% of playoff series that have a team go up 2-0 end with that team winning. Right now, despite being a Cup prediction for many, Washington is down 2-0, and going to New York for a definite must-win game. Can they do it?
Looking at past series where teams have come back from such a deficit, there's a couple common factors. First is that a team can make a comeback if they're playing a weak goalie. This was the case in 2002, when the Red Wings won four straight to beat Vancouver. Like Washington, the Wings were the top seed who just couldn't get things together. Unfortunately, Henrik Lundqvist is a far better goalie than Dan Cloutier.
Second, teams have made comebacks when they're coming home, and using that home crowd to change things. Yet, Washington has to go into New York. This one won't apply here.
Third, any team who comes back has to win four straight. Since 1996, nine out of ten teams who have gotten out of the 0-2 hole had a six-game series win. While we don't know if this applies to the Capitals yet, look for a momentum-shifting play in Game 3 or 4. The 2002 comeback by the Wings had a long shot goal from Nick Lidstrom. The 2001 comeback from the Kings over Detroit had a huge Game 4 overtime comeback win. Some moment must turn the tide for Washington. Will that moment come? Maybe.
Series Fun Fact: Some of this can be applied to the rest of the playoffs, since as of Saturday night, six of seven series have a team up 2 games to none.
#3 New Jersey Devils vs #6 Carolina Hurricanes
Game 1 Carolina 1 NEW JERSEY 4 Apr15
Game 2 CAROLINA 2 New Jersey 1 Apr17
Series tied, 1-1
This series is the apathy winner for the first round. There is little buzz surrounding this series, because neither team is exciting at all. Not one bit. This is the only series that has not been on Versus so far, and it's that way for a reason.
On the New Jersey side, the franchise seems to be committed to nothing exciting whatsoever. Despite one of the best goalies ever, the Devils are known for the left-wing lock, an offense that tries to have as little actual offense as possible, unchanging and dull jerseys, and Lou Lamoriello.
For Carolina, everyone cared far more about them when they were in Hartford, when no one cared about hockey in North Carolina. Thirteen years later, no one still cares about hockey in North Carolina, despite a Stanley Cup that has to rank among the most depressing events in recent hockey memory.
This is the only series tied at one game a piece, and anything can still happen. So, as I've watched nothing from this series besides highlights, and no one cares about this one, let's leave it at that.
Series Fun Fact: Back when Carolina won in 2006, the second round featured only red and black teams in the East(Carolina, New Jersey, Buffalo, Ottawa); and blue/greenish teams in the West (Edmonton, San Jose, Colorado, Anaheim). Now you know.
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #5 Philadelphia Flyers
Game 1 Philadelphia 1 PITTSBURGH 4 Apr15
Game 2 Philadelphia 2 PITTSBURGH 3 OT Apr17
Pittsburgh leads, 2-0
The Penguins and the Flyers have waged another playoff war over their first two games. Unlike some other series, the Flyers have seemed to be in control. The Penguins just get that one little break to give them a win. In Game 1, Sidney Crosby appeared to kick in the first goal of the series, which led to a win. In Game 2, Jeff Carter (the Flyers' leading scorer) happened to find the one toe that was covering a wide-open net, and Pittsburgh came back to tie and win the game.
Philadelphia hosts the next two, and I think that home crowd will combine with the frustration of the Flyers for some wins. Philadelphia will make a strong comeback, it's in the franchise's nature. Pittsburgh will get beaten up, and will have to fight through it. They have to know that this is coming, and luckily for them, they got a couple wins back home. The Flyers do not give up quickly, and I do think that the series will even out and potentially go the full distance.
One thing that makes this series remarkable is how largely even the two teams are, despite the different sets of talent. Philadelphia has some solid players, and no MVP candidates, but they do have a deep roster. On the other hand, Pittsburgh has Crosby and Malkin, but a thin roster that is only now gelling together after a lot of new additions. Despite that, the teams match up really well, which can lead to some interesting games.
Tomorrow's Game 3 will be a matinee, and will be a great one. It's NBC's game for Sunday, and I hope it can get some new viewers to our great game, in the best time of the season.
Series Fun Fact: Since the Flyers' Cups, the team has God Bless America instead of the national anthem for big games. The team wins something like 80% of games with the song, and it's one of the best known traditions of the Flyers. The original version from Kate Smith is now paired with live verses from the current singer, Lauren Hart. Philly does not announce when they're going to have this, so the surprise leads to the excitement of it. With tomorrow's game on national TV, and the Flyers down 2-0, expect God Bless America tomorrow.
#1 San Jose Sharks vs #8 Anaheim Ducks
Game 1 ANAHEIM 2 San Jose 0 Apr16
Anaheim leads, 1-0
San Jose has never been a playoff team. The Sharks have a well-deserved reputation for choking in the playoffs, and have never really gone that deep with any success. San Jose's deepest run was in 2006, with a conference finals loss that was one of those rare 0-2 comebacks for Edmonton.
Luckily, that reputation is continuing. The Sharks ended the season on a terrible note, and that anti-momentum continued into the playoffs. The offense looked terrible against a weak Colorado team in that last week, where they just couldn't score. Again, that continued in Game 1. San Jose did not score, and looked lifeless. There was no emotion, and the loss can only be the fault of that effort. Nabokov played only passable, and let in some weak ones, but that's no excuse for the rest of the team.
Yeah, every talking head says that "the series doesn't really start until Game 2" and "teams lose Game 1 all the time before winning the series." Yet in my view, Game 1 wasn't an isolated incident. This team is not playing their best, once again. A simple change won't fix the Sharks' problems. Something big needs to change for them, and it has to come from an offense that has been mailing it in for a while.
For Anaheim, the usual strategy has appeared for this team. Hit people, kill off penalties, ride a hot goalie, and see if you can steal some games. Again, it's working for them. In this season though, the hot goalie is rookie Jonas Hiller, and the team has to play tough teams all the way through. Not to seem cocky, but I don't think that Anaheim can fight their way through both San Jose and Detroit. Maybe only one.
Series Fun Fact: This series is getting featured billing on Versus, thanks to every game starting at 10 pm EST. This means that any San Jose collapse will come with the entire nation watching these games and these alone, only intensifying any criticism. Just saying...
#3 Vancouver Canucks vs #6 St. Louis Blues
Game 1 St. Louis 1 VANCOUVER 2 Apr15
Game 2 St. Louis 0 VANCOUVER 3 Apr17
Vancouver leads, 2-0
This series will be remembered for the violence and punchery that has become a solid mainstay of any highlight package. It could just as easily be remembered for Roberto Luongo. This guy is the best goalie in hockey today, and this series has shown it. St. Louis cannot buy a goal, and Luongo has put the Canucks on his back. Vancouver gets the cheap bounces that come against an average goalie, while St. Louis has sure goals become what-ifs.
Any fan of another Western Conference contender has got to hope for some Blues wins, if only to tire Luongo. Hopefully, the Blues can get him off of his game, just enough for a team, any team to beat him. If not, Vancouver will make a deep run, no matter what. As a Wings fan, this is the only team in the West that scares me.
To get back to the first point, fights! This series will be the chippiest yet, as we've seen everything from your basic scrums in front of the net, to a suplex that may have been learned during a road trip to Calgary. Every game has ended in fighting, and that pattern will continue. Again, as a fan of a future Canucks opponent, you've gotta like this. Just as we're getting beat up, so are they. Just as their goalie might be stealing games, their offense is getting worn down. This is what we all have to cling to.
Series Fun Fact: At the current pace, Vancouver could be the lone Canadian team in the 2nd round, as the label of Team Canada might apply to them. As you know, every year has one Canadian team make a deep run, and everyone kinda rallies around them to bring Stanley back to Canada. In 2008, Montreal lost in the 2nd round. In the three previous seasons, Ottawa, Edmonton, and Calgary all lost in the Stanley Cup Finals. In the two years before that, Ottawa and Toronto made runs to the conference finals. Vancouver is the only team to not be Canada's Last Team in recent memory, and this year could be their year.
#4 Chicago Blackhawks vs #5 Calgary Flames
Game 1 Calgary 2 CHICAGO 3 OT Apr16
Game 2 Calgary 2 CHICAGO 3 Apr18
Chicago leads, 1-0
The resurrection of the Chicago Blackhawks has been a theme of the last couple years. Despite the main catalyst of an atrocious owner's passing, the NHL has trumpeted the Blackhawks as the "new NHL's" model franchise. This is all well and good, but the Blackhawks are still a little while away from winning.
In the first round though, teams like this win games. They're young, they're bonding, they've got momentum. In the first two games, those three things have given the city of Chicago the first pair of playoff wins in over a decade. The common thread in both wins has been a heartbreaking comeback. In Game 1, Chicago tied the game at 2, and then scored the quickest OT playoff goal in my lifetime. In Game 2, Chicago came back from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2, as the Flames looked on in stunned silence. The Blackhawks are flying high, and really, why shouldn't they be? It's a young team that doesn't know any better, and they're experiencing career highs that they've dreamed of.
Meanwhile, Calgary is feeling the effects of Mike Keenan running star goalie/magical Finn Miikka Kiprusoff into the ground. Kipper played in roughly 125 games this season, with the defensive strategy of "let him stop it, and we'll clear" not helping matters much. This has led to a very tired goalie, and one not suited for a comeback.
As this series goes back to Calgary, expect a split out west. Then, Chicago will get their season highlight, a series win at home to advance in the playoffs for the first time in years. However, the jury is still out as to if that will be the last such highlight.
Series Fun Fact: You know how advertising is tailored around the audience? Investment firms run ads during golf tournaments, and AXE Body Spray runs ads during Adult Swim? Well, since Game 2 was not on local TV, I listened to the Blackhawks radio broadcast, and these were the general themes of each ad during the third period.
- Don't drink and drive
- Talk to your kids
- Don't drink too much
- Read a book
- Read to your kids
- Use a designated driver
- Crime prevention at work
- Don't drink and drive
- Be a parent
- Dave Matthews Band, for designated driving
- Cybercrime/sex predators on the internet
- Abusive/neglectful parents
- Diabetes testing
- Don't drink too much
- Be nice to veterans
Apparently, as observed during the Winter Classic, Blackhawks fans are complete degenerates, which explains the exclusive anti-Detroit cheers, as opposed to pro-Chicago chants. They do love to drink, but I had no idea how rampant child abuse was amongst the United Center "faithful".
As mentioned earlier, the Red Wings' series is being done separately. Look for that later on tonight.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Responding to PD commenters...
Here are some responses from the PD post that prompted the last article. That post can be found here:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Could-economic-downturn-determine-fate-of-Joe-Lo?urn=nhl,149899&cp=7#comments
From Scott C:
"People aren't going to the Joe because tickets for the Wings are always overpriced. Sure, the venue sucks, but no one in metro-Detroit can afford their mortgages, bills, insurance payments, rent, etc., let alone $30 a pop to sit in the back of the upper-bowl. In short, a new arena would rule, but people in Detroit and the suburbs can't afford crap as it is."
Red Wings tickets are not always overpriced. Earlier in 2009, some upper bowl tickets were just $7. At other times this season, there have been many affordable ticket deals and packages. There have also been partial season ticket packages that have not been there in the past, including 9- and 19-game plans, named the Howe and Yzerman plans respectively. If you are alert, you can get really cheap Red Wings tickets.
And as I said in the other article, there is that mindset that Wings tickets are always overpriced. Here is an example of that.
----
From Penguins&Wings Fan:
"What about not paying too much more and moving to the more convenient Palace at Auburn Hills."
The Palace is owned by the Davidson family (as their patriarch Bill recently passed away), and that option would never be possible. Also, that arena is set up largely for basketball, and the ice quality is terrible. While the Wings would improve that, the most recent hockey game of Michigan vs Notre Dame featured some ice that bordered on unsafe.
In some revisionist history of sorts, the Red Wings were offered the chance to have a new arena in downtown Pontiac in the 1970's. Pontiac is a large suburb of Detroit, right in the middle of rich Oakland County. Ultimately, the Wings settled for a favorable lease at the new Joe Louis Arena. It was only the Lions that took the offer to move north, and they proceeded to move into the Silverdome.
The Pistons were still downtown at that point, and the team decided to build the Palace after not wanting to share the Joe, and not wanting to have an arena built by public funds. So, there actually could have been the Wings in the suburbs already, but those plans just didn't work.
----
From mark t:
"Screw any major renovations to the Joe. Just add another entrance or two."
First, how is that possible? The structure of the Joe would need major renovations for any type of renovation, as the building just isn't set up for something minor like that. It is positioned right on the river, with roads or Cobo all around it, and the ice at ground level. This means that any new entrance, for example, would need a large set of stairs built, and the land isn't there for that.
Any major renovations would have to be somewhat cramped, or those roads and Cobo would have to be moved in some way. Yet, the team has invested in the Joe, by renovating suites and doing little cosmetic things within the rink. Those little things include new HD scoreboard screens, new concession stands, new bathroom troughs, and renovated suites.
----
From someone who I can't find...
"Here's a thought.......move the team to the center of the state so that all Michiganders can enjoy them without a 3 hour trip to D-town. Pick a spot say close to Grand Rapids, where after all is the home of the farm team Grand Rapid Griffins. GR has many hotel rooms a great airport and is centrally located to many cities."
As someone who goes to college in west Michigan, it's apparent that the attitude towards Detroit over here is that the city is pretty much like RoboCop, only with no robotic cops. I've even had to convince people that it was safe to go to a Red Wings game, as they watched every game but were just too scared of the city to actually attend one.
If you really wanted to, someone from the suburbs can attend a Wings game while staying exclusively on Wings-owned property. The highway going to the Joe has an exit that literally goes right into the parking garage, and there's an elevated tunnel that takes people into the rink. After the game, you take that same tunnel back to the parking garage, and have to drive for less than a mile in Detroit before hitting a highway, if you truly wanted to. There is nothing in Detroit that allows someone to spend the minimum amount of time in Detroit like a Wings game.
Speaking of G-Rap, that metro area has 1.3 million people. The Detroit metro area, for comparision, has 5.5 million people. Even though most people of moved out of the city proper, there are way more potential ticket buyers in the metro Detroit area than in west Michigan. Teams are where the people are, sorry rest of Michigan.
----
From Motown Mike:
"They didn't design it for television games either....which is why that have to put make-shift camera spots over the damn tunnel entrances and that is why there is always some retard from Taylor with his Probert/Primeau jersey trying to stand up and wave at the camera to get on tv not realizing he was already on an episode of Cops or Springer."
Okay, that's actually pretty funny. But come on, Motown Mike, nobody owns a Primeau jersey. That guy sucked, and couldn't hit a wide-open net if the life of Mickey Mouse depended on it.
The correct combination there was "Primeau/Kocur jersey". Thank you.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Could-economic-downturn-determine-fate-of-Joe-Lo?urn=nhl,149899&cp=7#comments
From Scott C:
"People aren't going to the Joe because tickets for the Wings are always overpriced. Sure, the venue sucks, but no one in metro-Detroit can afford their mortgages, bills, insurance payments, rent, etc., let alone $30 a pop to sit in the back of the upper-bowl. In short, a new arena would rule, but people in Detroit and the suburbs can't afford crap as it is."
Red Wings tickets are not always overpriced. Earlier in 2009, some upper bowl tickets were just $7. At other times this season, there have been many affordable ticket deals and packages. There have also been partial season ticket packages that have not been there in the past, including 9- and 19-game plans, named the Howe and Yzerman plans respectively. If you are alert, you can get really cheap Red Wings tickets.
And as I said in the other article, there is that mindset that Wings tickets are always overpriced. Here is an example of that.
----
From Penguins&Wings Fan:
"What about not paying too much more and moving to the more convenient Palace at Auburn Hills."
The Palace is owned by the Davidson family (as their patriarch Bill recently passed away), and that option would never be possible. Also, that arena is set up largely for basketball, and the ice quality is terrible. While the Wings would improve that, the most recent hockey game of Michigan vs Notre Dame featured some ice that bordered on unsafe.
In some revisionist history of sorts, the Red Wings were offered the chance to have a new arena in downtown Pontiac in the 1970's. Pontiac is a large suburb of Detroit, right in the middle of rich Oakland County. Ultimately, the Wings settled for a favorable lease at the new Joe Louis Arena. It was only the Lions that took the offer to move north, and they proceeded to move into the Silverdome.
The Pistons were still downtown at that point, and the team decided to build the Palace after not wanting to share the Joe, and not wanting to have an arena built by public funds. So, there actually could have been the Wings in the suburbs already, but those plans just didn't work.
----
From mark t:
"Screw any major renovations to the Joe. Just add another entrance or two."
First, how is that possible? The structure of the Joe would need major renovations for any type of renovation, as the building just isn't set up for something minor like that. It is positioned right on the river, with roads or Cobo all around it, and the ice at ground level. This means that any new entrance, for example, would need a large set of stairs built, and the land isn't there for that.
Any major renovations would have to be somewhat cramped, or those roads and Cobo would have to be moved in some way. Yet, the team has invested in the Joe, by renovating suites and doing little cosmetic things within the rink. Those little things include new HD scoreboard screens, new concession stands, new bathroom troughs, and renovated suites.
----
From someone who I can't find...
"Here's a thought.......move the team to the center of the state so that all Michiganders can enjoy them without a 3 hour trip to D-town. Pick a spot say close to Grand Rapids, where after all is the home of the farm team Grand Rapid Griffins. GR has many hotel rooms a great airport and is centrally located to many cities."
As someone who goes to college in west Michigan, it's apparent that the attitude towards Detroit over here is that the city is pretty much like RoboCop, only with no robotic cops. I've even had to convince people that it was safe to go to a Red Wings game, as they watched every game but were just too scared of the city to actually attend one.
If you really wanted to, someone from the suburbs can attend a Wings game while staying exclusively on Wings-owned property. The highway going to the Joe has an exit that literally goes right into the parking garage, and there's an elevated tunnel that takes people into the rink. After the game, you take that same tunnel back to the parking garage, and have to drive for less than a mile in Detroit before hitting a highway, if you truly wanted to. There is nothing in Detroit that allows someone to spend the minimum amount of time in Detroit like a Wings game.
Speaking of G-Rap, that metro area has 1.3 million people. The Detroit metro area, for comparision, has 5.5 million people. Even though most people of moved out of the city proper, there are way more potential ticket buyers in the metro Detroit area than in west Michigan. Teams are where the people are, sorry rest of Michigan.
----
From Motown Mike:
"They didn't design it for television games either....which is why that have to put make-shift camera spots over the damn tunnel entrances and that is why there is always some retard from Taylor with his Probert/Primeau jersey trying to stand up and wave at the camera to get on tv not realizing he was already on an episode of Cops or Springer."
Okay, that's actually pretty funny. But come on, Motown Mike, nobody owns a Primeau jersey. That guy sucked, and couldn't hit a wide-open net if the life of Mickey Mouse depended on it.
The correct combination there was "Primeau/Kocur jersey". Thank you.
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