The REAL reason the Pens won the Cup

Now that the fact that we (Pens) have won the Stanley Cup has truly hit home, I started looking back at certain pivotal games throughout all four rounds, and there seemed to be one constant.

Yes, Sid the Kid dominated rounds one and two, Geno took over round three, and scored a lot in the finals, but there was one player that showed up for all four rounds of the playoffs, and is specifically the biggest reason we won it all.

This dude right here.

You can pretty much point to one specific time in each series where Marc-Andre Fleury made a save gave momentum to the Penguins.
Here are a few of the reasons why we won the Cup:

Round 1 Philadelphia - Game 2 - 3rd period

Pittsburgh won game one, and the second game was a tight one. Philly was up 2-1 with under 10 minutes to play. If the Flyers scored again they would be heading home with momentum with the series tied at one a piece.
Jeff Carter looked to score on what looked to be a wide open net, but Fleury shows his amazing lateral speed to make an incredible toe save. This save gives the Pens momentum, and Geno ties the game with 3 minutes left. Of course, Billy Guerin scores in OT to give the Pens a 2-0 series lead going back to Philly.

OT would not have been possible without this save:

Round 2 Washington - Game 7 - 1st period

This series was epic. Pittsburgh clawed back to take a 3-2 series lead, after losing the first two games. It seemed the Pens had a really good chance to close the series out at home in game 6, but the Caps played a strong game and prevailed, setting up game 7 in Washington.
The Caps have a team that can dominate offensively, and will shoot from anywhere on the ice - especially when they play at home. This overwhelms goalies quite often, so I was worried about this game.
The Caps came out strong, and Fleury made a big stop very early on. I think this put him in top form - thankfully for the Pens, because Ovechkin was sent in alone three minutes into the game, which resulted in a save that will be talked about for many years. This seemed to take the wind out of the sails of the Capitals, and allowed the Pens to dominate.
If Ovechkin scores on that shot - Caps win.
Here's the save:

Round 4 Detroit - Game 6 - 3rd period

In a very close game, and the Pens facing elimination, Fleury made a massive save on Dan Cleary with under two minutes remaining. The save helped the Pens keep the one goal lead, which held up, as the Pens won 2-1, forcing a game 7.

Round 4 Detroit - Game 7 - 3rd period

Every fans and players dream - the two best teams in the league facing off in a one game winner takes all affair.
By now everyone knows Mad Max ha a game to remember, scoring both goals in a thrilling 2-1 victory.
But the thing I will remember most about this game, is the save made on Lidstrom with under two seconds remaining..
Unbelievable.

You may have noticed that I never added any big saves from round 3 vs Carolina. In that series, Fleury and Cam Ward dualled in what was looking to be a very tight low scoring series. Fleury matched Ward big save after big save, until the Pens offense (specifically Geno) dominated the series, and made Ward actually look pretty average.

Now, I understand that it takes a total team effort to win the Cup, and you can totally justify Geno winning the Conn Smyth (playoff MVP)...but I would bet if the decision for the Conn Smyth was to be given out the day after the Cup is awarded, the man known as the Flower would have won easily.

I'm going to quote a very wise man (ahem - myself) from this blog before game 6 of the Finals:

Stanley Cup winning goalies are a special rare breed - some pretty much win it outright for their teams (Ward, Giguere) - and some are bit players that are a product of the machine in front of them (lookin' at you Osgood) - but none of that matters once they hoist the Cup.

Marc Andre Fleury is a really good young goalie. He has unfortunately shown a penchant for giving up weird goals at the worst times - too many to mention.
He has otherworldly reflexes and talent, but it looks to me like he hasn't mastered the mental toughness goalies need to take it to the next level consistently. There are flashes, but that's it.

If the Pens are going to win tonight or in game 7, Fleury is going to have to prove that he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Crosby and Malkin.

I think Marc-Andre Fleury has proven - without any doubt - that he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Sid and Geno. His performances in game 6 and 7 will forever wipe away all those softies and weird goals he let in.
He will no longer be known as the goalie that let in the strange goal that cost Canada the World Juniors - he will be known as a Stanly Cup champion.

09 Cup Champs Penguins Player Profiles

This is from CBC - I will do an actual post when I can find some time.....until then, I will just post some interesting stuff as I find it...

Keys to a Pens victory in game 7

The Pens have put themselves in a position to win the Stanley Cup with a win on Friday night.

Standing in their way: the evil robotic Detroit Red Wings.

So far, this series had been a homer delight - the home teams has won every game - and the visitor has looked pretty crappy on the road.

This doesn't bode well for our beloved Pens, but like I said before - in February, a LOT of Pens "fans" had already written this team off, and were discussing high draft picks.
To be in this position is an unbelievable feat.


I listened to Head Coach Dan Bylsma's presser today, and the dude just continues to impresess me more and more.
Here are a couple of notable things he said:

-He wants the Pens to go to Detroit to try to win the game as opposed to try not to lose the game.

-He wants to be aggresive, and dictate the play.

-He wants the Pens to shoot a LOT - put pucks on net - don't make the extra pass, shoot - the more pucks on Osgood the better.

Here are a few of my observations and stuff:

-Crosby better show up - this is his chance to shut up all the narrow minded fans of the Flyers, Caps, Wings and the rest of the "experts" that go out of their way to job this kid ALL THE TIME.

-Our D seems to give the Wings offense way more room to maneuver in Detroit than they do in Pittsburgh - which I think is the reason Fleury seems to play much better at home - and so poorly at Detroit. Our D needs to play like they do in Pittsburgh.

-Now that Sykora is out, I hope we go with 7 D - this will give Sid and Geno valuable extra ice time on the 4th line, and looks with different linemates.

-I hope to God we score first - thats all I have to say.

I honestly think the Pens will come out hard in game 7.

If the Pens score first, we have a 60/40 chance.

If the Wings score first we have a 30/70 chance.

So this is it....we'll see exactly what Sid, Geno, Fleury et all are REALLY made of. This is where legacies are made - I hope our guys are up to the task.

Balls to the walls boys

Backs against the wall - again

Well - here we are - at home down 3 games to 2.

We have to win tonight to go back to Detroit which is in my opinion the hardest barn to play in. I really hope the Pens aren't thinking about game 7 quite yet. There is a game to win before that, and it isn't a gimme....unfortunately, nothing is easy with this Detroit team.

There is a lot of people that think this thing is over already - it's not.

I've often said that that Sid and Geno are really good players, but they will never be considered great until they win a Cup. They are two games away from that right now.

Thats not to say that if they don't win this series, they will never win a Cup - thats narrow minded. The core of this team is very young - some can't even legally drink in the States...

We have two of the best players in the world on this team. A lot of Pens fans still seem to think we need a Kovalchuk or Gaborik to win the Cup (or at least beat Detroit). This is false - our players just have to learn to take advantage of the situation they are in - thats it.

That comes with experience.



Win or lose, this team will be a Stanley Cup threat for as long as Sid, Geno and Fleury are on this team.

But...

...to win the Cup, we also need these players to have the games of their lives for the next two games.


Stanley Cup winning goalies are a special rare breed - some pretty much win it outright for their teams (Ward, Giguere) - and some are bit players that are a product of the machine in front of them (ahem - lookin' at you Osgood) - but none of that matters once they hoist the Cup.

Marc Andre Fleury is a really good young goalie. He has unfortunately shown a penchant for giving up weird goals at the worst times - too many to mention.
He has otherworldly reflexes and talent, but it looks to me like he hasn't mastered the mental toughness goalies need to take it to the next level consistently. There are flashes, but thats it.

If the Pens are going to win tonight or in game 7, Fleury is going to have to prove that he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Crosby and Malkin.

And speaking of Sid and Geno - they have to prove they have what it takes to beat a team that looks totally unbeatable at times.

This is what defines great legacies in the NHL.

This team is good enough - hopefully they can prove it to themselves, and the hockey world.

GO PENS

Pens get spanked - hard

OUCH
This hurts.

The Pens got whomped on last night 5-0 in Detroit. So much for any momentum Pittsburgh created with the previous two games.

Pittsburgh actually started the game strong, and had a few very good chances to score in the first 5 minutes. If Fedotenko would have scored on this play, it would have been a very different game.


I'm not going to recap this game for 2 reasons:

- a little piece of me died last night due to the ugly loss, and realizing the the Red Wings could win the Cup on Pittsburgh ice for a second consecutive year.
- Pretty much anytime I think of last nights game, I want to fucking puke.

A couple casual observations:

I don't know why, but for some reason, when we play in Detroit, the puck always seems to trickle away from our sticks, so we can't make a decent pass - which leads to a turnover - or we can't get it out of our zone, or a shot doesn't go in against stupid Osgood. On the other hand, the Wings can't seem to do any wrong - the passes are crisp, the shots are hard and accurate, and they seem to get ALL the freaking bounces.

This makes Detroit extremely difficult to play against at the Joe - they create their own good fortune on home ice and all the power to them, and this just the product of a good system.
Kudos, jerks.

BUT

For some reason, the refs allow the Wings to play their "subtle interference" game to perfection. They allow the game to be played like it was 1999, and there is clutching, grabbing, and total interference. What the Wings call shadowing.
It's like the referees tell the Wings before the game "OK - we're going to let you guys get away with shadowing - but we're not going to let the other team know - It's our little secret".
I'm not saying that's what actually happens - it sure seems like it though...
Because of this the Pens players are watching Wings players skate by them, while Pens players are being held and clutched. This frustrates teams, and games like last night happen.
What they are letting Zetterberg get away with is unbelievable.

When you add the two things up, the Wings become totally unbeatable at home....

Can we still win this series?
Don't be silly - of course we can.

This is what is will take.....

A victory at home in game 6. Duh, that's a no-brainier.

Before game seven in Detroit, coach Bylsma should say something in his presser to the extent that he really hopes the refs call the rules circa 2009, and not 1999 like they have been so far in Detroit in this series. He will get fined for this, but because he has bit his lip about this crap so far, his words will have some bearing.

The Pens will have to come out hard - like they did in game 5 in Detroit - and their best players will have to get on the board (we're lookin at you Sid & Geno) to gain momentum. If the Wings score first at home, they taste blood, and due to the reasons I listed above, they are extremely difficult to beat.

Oh yea - Fleury has to have the game of his life - no better time to have it - game 7 of the Stanly Cup. Hopefully our defense actually gives him a chance this time.


Does anyone else feel like getting drunk and pissing on a giant inflatable octopus?

GO PENS

Fleury is the Key

I've been thinking - how the hell do we beat the evil, robotic, methodically boring Red Wings?

I've looked back at other series in the past, and have found a common thread that has been present in all other Detroit playoff defeats in recent memory....

A hot goaltender

Basic answer? yes - but it holds true.....


I've been easy on Marc -Andre Fleury this series, he gave up two fluke goals and one bad goal in game two.

Not nearly good enough.

Then, I thought how many bad and/or fluky goals has Osgood given up so far- none. And he has made the huge saves when called upon.

There's the difference in the series so far - although its only 2 games in.

Cup winning goalies all have a few things in common - Does Fleury measure up?:

- above average goaltending (duh) (check)
- the ability to get hot and stay that way for extended periods of time (check)
- the ability to make the stops when needed (check - for the most part)
- do not give up soft goals (still working on that)

He'd better start acting like a Stanley Cup winning goalie - and fast.

The offense will come for Pittsburgh in this series - there have been too many bad bounces and hit goalposts - things will start to go our way.

Oh yea, and this:
Darren Millard on HockeyCentral claims his NHL sources said the league was unhappy with the officiating , or lack thereof for the first 2 games and the standards will be enforced more strictly tonight.

So Pens fans (myself included) can stop the bitching (as valid as it is), and see if we can run with the big dogs tonight.

And we will win - if Fluery does his job and keeps out the softies.

prediction: 5-3 Pens
Crosby will score - Abdelkader will not

GO PENS

Momentum belongs to Pittsburgh

First of all, apologies for not updating lately - that stupid thing called life has been getting in the way.

As for the series, if not for the rook 'tender of the Caps, the Pens could easily be up 3-0

But that means zilch - if you recall, the Flyers fans all cried that they SHOULD have won that series because they thought the Flyers played better.
So lets not do ANYTHING thats even puts us in the same class as those people, and take the losses like men.

If the Pens keep doing what they are doing - they will win.

Especially now that Geno decided to show up.

Big thanks to Brooks Orpik - for leveling that arrogant Russian shit-head (see above pic)

Word is the Washington sportscasters are fairly worried after Malkin dominated the last game - as they should be.
It would sure be nice if Staal showed up....usually when he doesn't score, he contributes defensively, but he hasn't done much of that either...

A few others that hopefully start playing their game as well:

Cooke - invisible the first 2 games of the series
Satan/Sykora - will one of you please do something...?
Guerin - see Cooke - played well in game three
Kunitz - keep hitting, but try scoring - it would help the cause
Letang - injury and bad bounces erased with big OT goal

Thankfully Sid has been carnying this team, but if they want to advance, it will take a total team effort.

It's a cliche for a reason people.

GO PENS

Bylsma Agrees To Multi-Year Contract as Head Coach

I don't think there was any way the Penguins don't give Bylsma a contract after the record the team has produced since he took over as head coach.
The unfortunate thing they will be paying former head coach Michel Therian for the next 2 years as well, but there's nothing that can be done about that now.
I would have preferred they give Bylsma a two year contract, but from what I'm hearing, it is three years.

All in all I'm pleased with this news - Disco Dan has earned it, and the players have really bought into his system. Bylsma showed that he has no problem making a tough decision (benching Sykora for Satan) even if it rocks the boat a little.

Oh, and I don't think you'll ever see Bylsma pull of a semi-retarded stunt like Tortorella did in NY earlier this week

I give it a two thumbs up!



From pittsburghpenguins.com:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have removed the “interim” tag from Dan Bylsma’s title and formally named him head coach on Tuesday.

Bylsma had served as interim head coach since Feb. 15.

“Dan has done such an impressive job with our team, both on and off the ice, that we didn’t see the need to wait any longer to announce our decision,” said Ray Shero, the Penguins’ executive vice president and general manager. “He is the man we want to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins as our head coach.”

Bylsma, 38, has overseen a dramatic transformation in the Penguins’ fortunes, leading his team to an 18-3-4 record in the final 25 games of the regular season and earning the No. 4 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins ousted the Philadelphia Flyers, four games to two, in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs – posting a dramatic come-from-behind victory in Game 6 Saturday -- and are now awaiting their opponent in round two.

Bylsma and Shero agreed on a multi-year contract Monday night. The team was informed before practice Tuesday morning.

“Dan has impressed us all with his knowledge of the game, his relentless work ethic, his communication skills, and his ability to relate to the players and staff,” Shero said. “When Badger Bob Johnson was the coach of the Penguins, he said every day was a great day for hockey. Dan approaches the game with that same type of enthusiasm. He accepted the challenge of being our interim head coach in February and made this a very easy decision for our ownership and management.”

Bylsma began the season as head coach of the Penguins’ American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He led the Baby Penguins to a 35-16-1-2 record before being promoted in mid-February.

Bylsma spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and earlier served as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders and the AHL Cincinnati Mighty Ducks.

The native of Grand Haven, Mich. played nine NHL seasons as a right winger with Los Angeles and Anaheim from 1995-2004. He appeared in 429 career NHL games and played in the 2003 Stanley Cup Final with Anaheim. He retired as a player following the 2003-04 season and immediately went into coaching.

Dan and his wife, Mary Beth, have one son, Bryan.

“I want to thank Ray Shero and our ownership for giving me this tremendous opportunity to be the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins,” Bylsma said. “I’m humbled. I’m excited. And I look forward to continuing to lead our hockey team.

“We’ve got a great group of players and a great staff. We’ve got phenomenal fans and a state-of-the-art arena going up across the street. The future is bright for hockey in Pittsburgh, and my family and I are happy to be a part of it.”

Who will the Pens play in round 2

Could we see Jordan vs Eric in the next round?

Here are the possibilities of who the Pens could play in the second round...

• If Carolina and Washington win Pitt plays Caps.
• If Carolina and New York win Pitt plays the Canes (and get home ice)
  
• If Washington and New Jersey win Pitt plays the Bruins.
• If New York and New Jersey win Pitt plays the Devils.

Personally, I think the Pens match up best with the Devils, but it's kinda a no brainer to hope for the Hurricanes due to the fact that the Pens would get home ice advantage, which is huge this time of year

My take on the Tortorella suspension

Sometimes the best decisions are the ones that aren't made

By that, I mean I'm really glad Pens GM didn't hire John Tortorella like I wanted (almost begged) before Michel Therian was canned.
After seeing Tort's antics behind the bench during game 5 of the Rangers/Caps series, I'm glad we don't have to deal with his crap right now.

I'll call it right now - the Caps are going to come back to win that series, and Tortorella is going to be the scapegoat - and rightfully so.

First of all, here is what happened - The New York Rangers coach was suspended Saturday for "squirting a fan with water and throwing a water bottle that struck a fan during Game 5,"

This is from the guy that benched Sean Avery for taking stupid penalties, and demands mental toughness from his players......I was jobbing the Flyers fans about being hypocrites - this dude takes the cake...

From the NHL:
"While it is a difficult decision to suspend a coach at this point in a playoff series, it has been made clear to all of our players, coaches and other bench personnel that the National Hockey League cannot -- and will not -- tolerate any physical contact with fans," NHL Senior Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell said. "We do not take this action lightly. It is the result of an entire day of investigation and evaluation that included the retrieval and review of videotape of the incident and discussions with Mr. Tortorella, other Rangers' bench personnel and a number of other people, including the security personnel at the Verizon Center.

"That investigation revealed that Mr. Tortorella squirted a fan with water before Mr. Tortorella was doused with a beverage. While, in these circumstances, it always is easy to allege mitigating circumstances, the fact is we do not tolerate contact with our fans in this manner. That is communicated before each season in a memo that is issued by the League to all of the management, coaches and players of every team."

Here's a video of Torts throwing the water bottle, which ultimately got him suspended:

OK - so this is one incident - but the thing that really makes me glad he's not behind the bench for the Penguins is the fact that almost every time the Rangers take a penalty so far in the playoffs, the camera pans on Torts who is rolling his eyes dramatically or doing a overly dramatic facepalm - or something else equally dramatic....
See what i did there?
There is one word I kept going back to - DRAMATIC

Tortorella is a drama queen, and HIS lack of focus (not his players) is what is going to lose this series.
If this actually does happen, it will me very interesting to see what the Rangers do with their new coach


To be honest this is all pissing me off pretty good, because the the Rangers are obviously in a really good position to knock off the potential powerhouse Caps.

Hopefully the players can focus and not let this derail the train

My two latest gripes

Two things have happened in the last few days that are typical of the teams and players that are doing said things...

1. Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer came out with this gem today:

Penguins' Kunitz going unpunished; NHL rulings a joke

Wow....just wow.

Apparently what I said in an earlier post about the Flyers management players and fans should also include their sports reporters.
The Kunitz hit on Timonen was unreal, brutal, and nasty - but it was 100% legal. I don't know how some people can report this trash.
Hmm...what is the best way to put this.....how bout this:

Carchidi +Flyers fans = Total fucking Hypocrites

Just to be clear to Philly fans - my apologies for using large words

Hypocrite
-Someone talks trash about other people, but then does the same EXACT thing.

- a person who tells people not to do something, or that this it's is wrong, but this something, is something that he does or will do himself.

Anyway, because I wanted to educate this jerk, this was my response to his "article"

Posted by not_a _hypocrite 11:17 AM, 04/21/2009
(thats the name I created - lol)

Are you kidding? You sir are the biggest hypocrite in a city full of them.
The Kunitz hit on Timonen was unreal, brutal, and nasty - but it was 100% legal.
Of course no mention of Harnell's knee on knee hit on Letang was ever mentioned in your "article".
If Kunitz deserved to be suspended, what do you think should happen to Hartnell? Let me guess - you thought there was nothing wrong with that hit...?
Do you want to know why the league seems to be a little harder on the Flyers? Here you go..... The Flyers are a product of their own self made environment - they want to be the roughest team in the league. Management (always former players) thinks the game is still played like it was in the 70's - but generally they employee players that don't know the difference between hard play and intent to injure. Then they think the league is always against them. This ignorance by the management is "bought into" by the players (it has to, if they want to play there) and it trickles down to their fans, who are realistically probably the worst in professional sports, because they just don't get it. Because they are easily confused, they turn to conspiracy theories to help them sleep at night.

Carcillo was suspended - because he's a goon, and was taking a faceoff (which he very rarely does) with a few seconds left in the game. He was put out there to start stuff, which he did. Thats also why Stevens was fined - makes sense to everyone outside Philly, i guess.

Cammalieri didn't get suspended for the same action because he regularly takes face offs, and isn't a goon with a history of being a goon - big mystery solved.
So the "injustice" is your own fault people....sheesh

That should rattle the cages a little...LOL.....I'll post the "intelligent" responses as they come.

here's the link:

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inqflyersreport/Penguins_Kunitz_going_unpunished_NHL_rulings_a_joke.html?posted=y&viewAll=y#comments

*UPDATE* - my account was instantly frozen (surprise)
Here are a couple of the responses:

not a hypocrite believes Jeff Carter has earned the right to stab Sidney Crosby. By his logic, a player's past reputation is the defining factor in interpeting his action. (By the way, with replay readily available, why does the NHL deny actions which fans can see with their own eyes) I have seen Carter's play from day one and while he takes a minor penalty from time to time, he mostly plays a gentlemanly game and rarely takes major penalties. In not a hypocrites world, then, he has built up enough good will "juice" to be able to commit felonious assault on another player. This isn't about hockey, it's about stupidity and after-the-fact denials.

here's another

Not_a_Hypocrite.... It would seem you are right about how easily I get confused. Forgetting for the moment that the hit on Timonen was not legal (more than 2 strides with direct intent to hit a player is charging, elbow to the face is elbowing, directly hitting any player who does not possess the puck is interference)- your point is that Carcillo should be suspended, not necessarily for the hit but for his or the Flyers' history, while Cammalieri should not even though the hits were identical because he does not have a history? OK- please educate me then. Is your point that if I steal your car I should be allowed to keep it because I've never stolen a car before? Or is it that I should be arrested because I'm a goon who has a history of DRIVING cars?

BAHAHAHAHA

that brings me to number two:

2. Spying Ovechkin asked to leave bench during Rangers practice


From TSN:


There was someone doing some "scouting" at the New York Rangers' practice on Monday, but the team wasn't very keen on the idea. And who can blame them?

After all, it was Capitals' winger Alex Ovechkin who decided to observe his opposition from the visitor's bench at Madison Square Garden, just hours before tonight's Game 3 of the Caps/Rangers playoff series. Underdog New York leads the series 2-0.

One of the Rangers' trainers complained to the Capitals, who had a public relations staff member ask Ovechkin to exit the rink. According to the PR man, Ovechkin was just looking for a place to relax.

That wasn't the story from Ovechkin himself, though, who joked that he sat in on Rangers practice to "tick off" head coach John Tortorella.

According to espn.com, Tortorella said afterwards he didn't even know Ovechkin was at the practice, saying, "Ask me a question about the game, not that [expletive]."

Ovechkin was asked why the Rangers wanted his removal, joking, "Because they're afraid of me."

Caps' coach Bruce Boudreau playfully dismissed the idea that there was anything mischievous behind the sit-in.
"I don't think he had a pen and paper and was writing down line combinations," Boudreau kidded. "I can understand (the Rangers asking him to leave). I've gotten into the same arguments with people when I've wanted privacy in my practice, so I can understand what John was going through."

You know, I'm getting pretty tired of Boudreau defending that clown. Yes, I know thats a coaches job, but its getting ridiculous.
And what is Oveckin thinking anyways......to me it's just another reason to bust a Russian nose "accidentally"

Go PENS

Flyers and their fans crying (again)

I was going to do a quick post about how the Cryer fans and even some of the Cyers themselves are whining about the series (amongst other things). I also wanted to touch on how classy Flyers fans are - above is a quick example....

The Pensblog already touched on some of the whining going on, so I'm gonna be lazy and just copy some of what they said, and provide a link:

You have to wonder what the referees will do to hand the game to the Penguins today.

Because, obviously, the league wants Cindy Crysby to win the Stanley Cup.

Maybe the referees will create brand new penalty calls just to hurt the Flyers.

Maybe they'll change the rules so Crysby is awarded goals for complaining to the refs.

The NHL hates the Philadelphia Flyers.

The poor, innocent Philadelphia Flyers just want to play hockey fairly and by the rules.

They want to display a kind of technical skill that Cindy Crysby could never match.

And the referees won't let them.

It's really not fair that they let their poster boy ruin the league.

Crosby sucks.

Crosby sucks.

Crosby sucks.

It was clearly the NHL's fault that the Flyers went 4-5-1 to close the season and lose home ice advantage.

The referee's clearly caused Jeff Carter to miss an open net in game two. Marc-Andre Fleury had nothing to do with that.

The NHL has obviously refused the Flyers attempts to sign a solid goaltender.

Gary Bettman placed a blood clot into Kimmo Timonen's leg last year that caused him to miss most of the Eastern Conference Final.

We all know that if he were healthy the Flyers would have swept the Pens.

The NHL just hates the Philadelphia Flyers.

It's not fair.

http://thepensblog.bloguin.com/pensblog/april-2009/playoff-gameday-game-three-flyers.html

Timonen after Fridays game - true story

A few quotes from Flyers defencemen Kimmo Timonen:

"I didn't see the refs yelling at their bench at all. Not one time. And I could see them coming over to our bench a few times . . .. It makes you wonder why, but that's for others to judge."

"You see Crosby and these guys going to the refs and talking to them. It looks like they talk to them back, and when we go talk to them, they yell at us."

The Flyers are a product of their own self made environment - they want to be the roughest team in the league. Management (always former players) thinks the game is still played like it was in the 70's - but generally they employee players that don't know the difference between hard play or intent to injure. Then they think the league is always against them. This ignorance by the management is "bought into" by the players (it has to, if they want to play there) and it trickles down to their fans, who are realistically probably the worst in professional sports, because they just don't get it.
Because they are easily confused, they turn to conspiracy theories to help them sleep at night.

typical

Here's a video after the Phillies won the World Series last year....a bunch of Philly fans celebrating together - generally an event that brings fan together:

BAHAHAHA

They take pride in being "the most intimidating fans in the NHL"

I'm thinking the most "ignorant fans in the league"

Look at this video...the Flyer fans are like caged animals....or more accurately zombies trying to get a meal or something:

I know each team has examples of assholes that just go to far - but in Flyer land, they just seem to outnumber all the other teams combined.

I guess the league always needs a villain - it's funny its ALWAYS the Flyers

If a Flyer fan ever read this, the immediate reaction would predictably be to curse me out, and threaten me and my family with violence...lol

Stay classy Philadelphia

GO PENS

A few personal playoff wishes

Here are a few things I'd personally like to see during the playoffs this year.

A few of them might be crude, or politically incorrect, or whatever - I don't care...

I want to see:

1. Sean Avery go overboard like he tends to do, and take Ovechkin out of the series for his typical over-celebrating - for getting a shot on goal or something else Caps fans think is so important:


2. Retribution from the Caps for injuring Alexander the GRATE, results in this headline:

3. Flyers coach John Stevens punish Scott Hartnell for his undisciplined play by forcing him to wear his off-ice makeup during the game:


4. Because Detroit goalie Chis Osgood hurts his knee AND Ty Conklin gets lost on way to arena, the Wings female mascot is put in net, and gets a shutout - proving once and for all that Osgood is NOT a Stanley Cup winning caliber goalie.


5. Marian Hossa ruptures Achilles tendon during the opening face off of the 2009 Stanly Cup final against the Penguins - who eventually win the cup, partly due to Hossas injury...
KARMA IS A BITCH, EH MARION?


6. The NHL relocates the Philadelphia Flyers to Las Vegas in hopes that Flyers management, players, and fans learn morals and possibly even learn the game of hockey.


more to come.....

Boudreau rips media over Ovechkin celebration

Boudreau telling Ovie what he wants after the game - and it ain't a sub folks

Ok
I promise to stop beating this horse, but this has to be shown...

I also promise to stop talking about Ovechkin's ass-clownery - that is, until someone takes a run at him for being said ass clown (I'm looking at you for tonight's game Mr. Malone)

Like I've said before, I don't want Alex the Grate seriously injured - that would be dirty, and wouldn't be good for the NHL. I just want someone to show him that he's not bigger than the game, like he thinks.
I'm lookin' for someone to maybe knock a few Russian chicklets to the ice - if you know what I mean.

Karma can be a bitch Mr. Ovechkin

Anyways, here's a few quotes from Craps coach Bruce Boudreau in regards to people continually asking about Ovechkin's 50 goal celebration:

“You want to go there? It’s 10 days since it happened,” Boudreau said. “We have talked to Tampa’s coaches. We have said our speech. The people that are bringing this up are you guys. Nobody cares about it anymore. But you guys want to bring it up because you want to see a riot, then you want to talk about retribution. It’s the dumbest thing in the world. You’ve got to have better stuff to talk about.

“There should be no retribution at all. He scored his 50th goal in a 0-0 game. It wasn’t 8-0 where he made a mockery. If Tampa scores a couple of goals and wants to do a celebration, go for it. It’s a done deal as far as I’m concerned, and that’s it.”

Boudreau said he called the Lightning coaches as a “professional courtesy.” Asked if it was an apology, Boudreau said: “What we said is between us, but that was it"

“Alex has not had a fight in four years in the NHL,” Boudreau added. “Do you think he’s going to go out there and people are just going to jump him for something that happened? I forget things that happened 10 minutes later."

Well, Charlie Brown, you might forget what happened 10 minutes ago, but I don't think teams that were made to look foolish will.

Ryan Malone was in the sin bin when Ovechkin scored his 50th and performed his pre-planned celebration, talked about making Ovechkin "pay the right way."

God I wish the Lightning didn't overpay Malone - he should still be a Pen, dammit

This from Ovechkin:
"If somebody wants to hit me, always pleasure," Ovechkin said. "I'm ready. I don't care what's gonna happen. I'm ready. But I don't think it's gonna be some war, fights, hits."

OK Ovie

STEP UP LIGHTNING

Ovechkin is just lucky Ron Hextall or Billy Smith weren't in goal for that game...

This is what I'm trying to tell you...

From Steve MacFarlane - Sun Media


Sidney Crosby has been called boring by Jeremy Roenick.

He's been dubbed a whiner by fans who prefer Alex Ovechkin's dramatics.

The Penguins captain makes no apologies.

What you see is what you get with Sid the Kid -- and what you get is one of the league's best and most modest playmakers.

In the wake of Ovechkin's notorious 'hot-stick celebration' following his 50th goal, Roenick said over the Toronto airwaves he wishes Crosby would put his personality on display.

"I think a Sidney Crosby interview is as boring to watch as possible," Roenick said recently.

"As great a hockey player as he is and as much as he's taken this league by storm, I don't think he goes on a limb and says what he really feels.

"I think he's too quiet, too hum-drum, too cliched. I love the kid as a hockey player, but I think he can be more spectacular if he steps up and shows a little personality."

Telling Crosby about the comments drew the kind of honesty Roenick would have appreciated.

"You can't be something you're not," said Crosby, who wouldn't dream of celebrating a goal the way Ovechkin did.

"I love to score goals, don't get me wrong, but that's not the emotion I get when I score a goal.

"I'm happy, but I don't feel like I have to do anything special."

Call him quiet. Call him hum-drum. Call him cliche.

Better yet, call him classy.

"What you see is what you get," said Crosby. "Sometimes, I'll give a fist pump maybe or something like that, but there's no forcing anything, there's no rehearsing anything. That's me.

"Some people like that, some people are different."

Following in the footsteps of some of the greatest to ever play the game, Crosby chooses to emulate the men he idolized.

"That's not how I grew up celebrating. That's not what I saw," said Crosby.

"I watched Steve Yzerman, (Mario) Lemieux, (Wayne) Gretzky."

It's a mistake to call him boring. Teammate Bill Guerin says his play speaks volumes, and no extras are needed on the ice.

"He's his own guy, just like Ovechkin's his own guy and he's gonna do his thing. That's not his style," said Guerin.

"He's not going to light his stick on fire or anything, but he plays the game with an enormous amount of emotion and passion.

"Emmitt Smith didn't pull a Sharpie out of his pocket and sign every football that he scored a touchdown with. He didn't even spike the ball, and nobody gave him grief over that."

Calgary Flames defenceman Dion Phaneuf knows Crosby pretty well from their days at the world juniors. They see each other on the East Coast from time to time in the off-season, as well.

Like Phaneuf, Crosby chooses to save his lighter side for the locker-room.

Come game time, he puts his smile in his pocket.

"Like he said, what you see is what you get. That's his way of going about his business. He lets his actions speak in the way he plays the game," said Phaneuf.

"I guess you'd say we're similar in that aspect. I like to have a good time with the guys and joke around and have fun, but when it comes time for the game, it's all business."

As much as he avoids the dramatics for which guys like Ovechkin and Roenick have been both praised and panned in the past, Crosby believes there's a place in the game for every approach.

He doesn't have a problem with Ovechkin's recent celebration, or Roenick's past performances -- he'd just never do it.

"No, I think that's important. You need to have different personalities. Not everyone fits the same mould," Crosby said.

"Those guys are great, they bring a lot of different things to the game.

"For me, I don't want to do something to bring attention upon myself just for that factor. I have fun at practice. I'm a little more serious when it comes to games.

"I don't think I should have to apologize for that."

No apology necessary, Sid, but Roenick might want to send one your way.
-----------------------------------------

Bravo

I think class sums it up nicely.
Here is the leagues current hero (Ovechkin) giving an interview during the 1st intermission of the Leafs game, and the interviewer asked:
"Whats been the reaction today in Toronto to your 50th goal celebration?"

Ovechkin smugly looked at him and said
"I don't want to talk about celebration any more"

What??

If I was the interviewer, I would have said something like:

"Isn't that the reason you do crap like that? - so people talk about you and feed your narcissistic hunger? And now you all of a sudden don't want to talk about it anymore?
Can you explain why?"

That would have been journalistic gold

I have to watch myself....this is turning into a I hate Alexander Ovechkin blog

I'm getting really sick of people complaining about Crosby and his diving and crying. To the Crosby haters, I have a simple message:

IT'S NOT 2005 ANYMORE, RETARDS

GET SOME RELEVANT MATERIAL - YOU'RE MAKING YOURSELF LOOK STUPID

Really, its the equivalent of people complaining about their Rubiks Cube...it's old news, it's not relevant anymore.
People who complain about that crap obviously don't watch Penguins games, or are from Washington or Philly - nobody cares what they think.

Yes, in his rookie year there was too much whining and yapping. The diving complaint was a ploy by (then Flyers) coach Ken Hitchcock to piss Sid off and try to get him off his game (which it didn't)

But ignorant "hockey fans" continue to job this kid, and jump on an arrogant Russian bandwagon.
But not the Russian that is leading the scoring race all year - a Russian that shoots 800 times a year, and has a low shooting %

The only award Ovechkin deserves is the Rocket Richard trophy. Lately there has been a sentiment out there that Ovechkin should win the Hart because he scored the most goals - and that is wrong. If you look at the last several years, the person who has scored the most goals, has won the Hart only once - you guessed it - Ovechkin.

click the pic to read it

One dimensional players arn't supposed to win the Hart, and this trend is most disturbing.


I thought hockey fans and writers were smarter than that

Malkin = MVP...?

There's been a lot of talk circulating in hockey circles lately about Malkin being a possible favorite to win the Hart trophy.
I'm not sure why it's taken this long, due to the fact he's been leading the league in scoring by 10-12 points for most of the year.

Apparently it took a 5 point game to wake people up.

See - the way it has been for the last 30 years or so, the leading scorer has pretty much won the Hart for obvious reasons - unless your name is Wayne Gretzky, then you win when you don't top the scoring race - but that's a rant for another time.

The only other time the top scorer doesn't win the Hart is when a goalie has a phenomenal season - or a good season as was the case with Jose Theodore - again - a rant for a different time.

The way I see it, this is a two horse race.

No disrespect to Parise, Luongo, Datsyuk, Crosby, et all.

This race is between two Russians - plain and simple.

Last year Ovechkin won totally because he got the Craps into the playoffs.

This year, Malkin took a team that was totally out of the playoffs to a comfortable 5th in the Conference.

Lets take a look at each players strengths and weaknesses:


Alexander Ovechkin

Strengths

Physical force
Lightning fast on skates
Shoots from anywhere on ice
Passionate about game
Fugly yet charismatic

Weaknesses

Half court player
Selfish
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
One dimensional- not a good playmaker
Dirty

There is no doubt Ovechkin is a great player. He has become the premier power forward in the NHL. He's fast, and can turn on a dime. He regularly gets 10+ shots per game. He's a pure sniper - reminds me of a Pavel Bure.

But

The dude doesn't play defense - he cherry picks. Forechecking is foreign to him. Yes, he is physical, but he is also a headhunter - he's taken a ton of illegal runs at Malkin alone - one of these times he's going to seriously injure someone - which is going to lead to himself getting hurt - the NHL doesn't want/need that. His physical play is only going to shorten his career (Forsberg, Lindros, etc). He takes a ton of shots, but most of them aren't quality - he'll often shoot rather than set up an open teammate. You could take any quality NHL player - if he takes 15 shots a night, he'll probably score a lot as well.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder - a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and a lack of empathy

If that's not Ovechkin to a tee, I don't know what is.



Evgeni Malkin

Strengths

Physical
Plays defence - Forechecks
Deceptive speed
Playmaker supreme
Makes players around him better
Even Strength play
Doesn't need elite player to be elite

Weaknesses

Passes rather than takes the shot sometimes
Quiet/Shy
Tries to deke through the entire team too often

Malkin also is physical - not to the degree of Ovechkin, but not a dirty headhunter either. Malkin has played most of the season with less talented linemates than Ovechkin. Earlier this year, Geno was on pace for over 100 assists this year - that pace has lessened, but you get the idea - that's a playmaker. Because of that, his linemates become better players. Malkin's even strength stats and +/- are superior. As are giveaways/takeaways.

But

If Malkin shot 15 times/game, there is no doubt in my mind he would have AT LEAST as many goals as Ovechkin. I do wish Geno would shoot a little more. Malkin is shy, but I think that has to do with the language barrier more than anything. The more comfortable he gets with English, the more fun it seems he's having. Sometimes, it seems Geno tries a little too hard, and tries to walk through the entire team to get to the net - it is a total low percentage move that rarely ever works - that's gotta stop.

I realize I'm biased, but I do give credit where credit is due.

If the season ended today - Malkin is the MVP.
If the season ended a month ago - Ovechkin is the MVP.

The last 10 games of the season will be the difference - I think it is that wide open

I believe Malkin will have to win the scoring race by 15 points to win the hardware.

Even if Geno does win the scoring title by 15, there still may be enough Ovie love out there to win the Hart

Maybe - just maybe if Malkin celebrated every goal like a mental patient that just won the Stanley Cup, he miiiight get noticed a little more.

Luckily for Pittsburgh fans, he doesn't resort to that, and keeps his integrity.

Bring on the Panthers

So we just completed the most successful 5 game road trip in the history of the Penguins.
That's nifty and stuff, but all that did was get us back into the race.
Florida is highly motivated to get to the dance (compared to a few other teams - ahem Montreal and New York)

The Panthers will be missing two of their better players Horton and McCabe, so the table is set nicely for us - playoff teams take advantage of things like this, so we'll call this another test.
We will be missing Sykora for tonight's game (upper body)

We haven't done well against the Panthers at home lately:

Penguins are 3-7-1 in their last 11 home games against Florida....what the hell?

Time is right to remedy that ghey little stat.

On a side note, the aforementioned Canadiens fired Guy Carbonneau last night - we can only hope this doesn't infuse energy into the team like it did for us when Therrien was let go.... something to keep an eye on for sure.

Right back atcha Miseur Carbonneau