My Whimsical Playoffs Predictions - New & Improved For The Last Time
This time, I will not let The Coins interfere with my predictions. Instead I will just go with my emotions and wishful thinking. The Coins called the Nucks-Sharks wrong, so they get to sit still in my wallet.
STANLEY CUP FINAL
[Nucks-Bruins]
A far cry from my dream final: Flyers-Red Wings. But you have to appreciate the hard work of the teams that did make it this far. Still not a fan of the Nucks. I can appreciate the talent and all, but apart from Ryan Kesler, I find them bland. Personally. I know a couple of die-hard fans, so good luck to you guys! Jeffrey in particular! But I like the Bruins a lot. I like their style. I like Lucic. I like Bergeron. I like Ference. I like Chara. I like Kabby. I have started to like Seidenberg. I like the floppy Timmie as much as the magical Timmie. There is no one on the team that I do not like. So yes. Emotionally I want the Bruins to win. And because they like their wins hard worked for ... 4-3 Bruins.
What do you think? Feel free to post your own predictions in the comments, anonymous our not ;)
Monday, 30 May 2011
Playoffs 2011 | Witchcrafting Revisited - Post CF | May 30th, 2011
Well well well, what a tough Stanley Cup run to predict. I got these two right. Or almost anyways. The Coins messed things up a bit ;)
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
[Bolts vs Bruins] What a fantastic ride these teams took us on. It was a very exciting ECF and I would not have been too devastated by a Bolts win, but personally I am very happy with the Bruins taking the Prince of Wales Cup! Onto the next one guys!
My predicition: 4-2 Bruins
Reality: 4-3 Bruins
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
[Nucks vs Sharks] Happy with the outcome of this one. I called a Nucks win, but The Coins said no and told me the Sharks would win. Ha, glad they got it wrong!
My prediction: Nucks win.
The Coins prediction: 4-3 Sharks after some coin flipping
Reality: 4-1 Nucks
And that brings us to a pretty awesome SCF. Bruins-Nucks. I like it. Not as much as my very first prediction for the Cup Finals: Flyers-Red Wings. But it will do.
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
[Bolts vs Bruins] What a fantastic ride these teams took us on. It was a very exciting ECF and I would not have been too devastated by a Bolts win, but personally I am very happy with the Bruins taking the Prince of Wales Cup! Onto the next one guys!
My predicition: 4-2 Bruins
Reality: 4-3 Bruins
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
[Nucks vs Sharks] Happy with the outcome of this one. I called a Nucks win, but The Coins said no and told me the Sharks would win. Ha, glad they got it wrong!
My prediction: Nucks win.
The Coins prediction: 4-3 Sharks after some coin flipping
Reality: 4-1 Nucks
And that brings us to a pretty awesome SCF. Bruins-Nucks. I like it. Not as much as my very first prediction for the Cup Finals: Flyers-Red Wings. But it will do.
Playoffs 2011 | Witchcrafting Revisited - Post SF | May 5th, 2011
{edit: totally forgot to post this one on May 5th, adding it now for future reference ;)}
After the Quarter Finals I had to redo part of my initial predictions. And had fun with those too. But I did not do to well! The Semi Finals were definitely a torture to watch! So how did I do?
EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS
[Caps vs Bolts] Yeah, did not see that one coming at all. Nor did Ovi. Never seen someone look so sad in a post-game interview. I felt like crying. But I think the Hockey Gods new. As I was writing my Whimsical Playoffs Predictions | Part Deux on April 28th, just as I posted the articled, huge thunder bolts lit up the sky and I edited the post back then, wondering I was wrong ... and boy was I ever!
My prediction: 4-2 Caps
Reality: 4-0 Bolts
[Flyers vs Bruins] - Not going to relive this one. I have written all I want to say at this stage the day after. We lost. Bruins swept us ... *sigh* ... I knew it would be a tough series ... but I was not ready for what really happened :) and The Coins were wrong on this one too.
My prediction: 4-2 Flyers
Reality: 4-0 Bruins
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS
[Nuck vs Preds] - Yeah, this one exactly the way I predicted, cool.
My prediction: 4-2 Nucks
Reality: 4-2 Nucks
[Sharks vs Red Wings] - This one hurt, as much, or maybe even a bit more than the Flyers loss.
My prediction: 4-1
Reality: 4-3
The result:
I called one right. But when I am right, I really am right ... called the number of games correctly as well ;)
After the Quarter Finals I had to redo part of my initial predictions. And had fun with those too. But I did not do to well! The Semi Finals were definitely a torture to watch! So how did I do?
EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS
[Caps vs Bolts] Yeah, did not see that one coming at all. Nor did Ovi. Never seen someone look so sad in a post-game interview. I felt like crying. But I think the Hockey Gods new. As I was writing my Whimsical Playoffs Predictions | Part Deux on April 28th, just as I posted the articled, huge thunder bolts lit up the sky and I edited the post back then, wondering I was wrong ... and boy was I ever!
My prediction: 4-2 Caps
Reality: 4-0 Bolts
[Flyers vs Bruins] - Not going to relive this one. I have written all I want to say at this stage the day after. We lost. Bruins swept us ... *sigh* ... I knew it would be a tough series ... but I was not ready for what really happened :) and The Coins were wrong on this one too.
My prediction: 4-2 Flyers
Reality: 4-0 Bruins
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS
[Nuck vs Preds] - Yeah, this one exactly the way I predicted, cool.
My prediction: 4-2 Nucks
Reality: 4-2 Nucks
[Sharks vs Red Wings] - This one hurt, as much, or maybe even a bit more than the Flyers loss.
My prediction: 4-1
Reality: 4-3
The result:
I called one right. But when I am right, I really am right ... called the number of games correctly as well ;)
Sunday, 29 May 2011
Twitter Time #9 | NHL Tweeters About ECF Game 7 | May 29th, 2011
Here some pre/during/post ECF Game 7 tweets by some of the tweeting NHL players. Some congratulation, some mentions of Stamkos and the puck he took to his face *ouch* and a good prediction by Mike Zigomanis. Oh, and Stamkos thanking all the Bolts fans. Nice!
James van Riemsdyk
Colin Wilson
If @JVRiemsdyk took that puck to the face, he would haver been out a year #somehockeyplayersaretough
James van Riemsdyk
@ColinWilson at least it didn't hit him in the hammy, that would have been brutal, right willy? #dontthrowstonesifyouliveinaglasshouse
Michael Del Zotto
Hell of a run by @Stamkos and the lightning. Congrats to Beantown and Van city
Steven Stamkos
Just wanted to thank all of our great fans for their support throughout the season and especially the playoffs!! #bestfansintheleague
Tyler Bozak
Congrats to kabby on gettin to the finals! Would love to see him win it!
Tim Brent
Happy For Kaba- Such a great guy. I would love to see his name on Lord Stanley's Cup.
Mike Zigomanis
going to be a tight game. I want #tampa to win so SS can bring the cup back to #Markham, but I think #Boston will win #NHL
Colby Armstrong
Oh man Stamkos. Welcome to the club buddy that nose is well on its way now. What a #warrior. I question the bedazzled cage tho #fancy
Ryan Jones
Went 2 for 2 is the conference finals. Gonna have to put some thought into the Cup finals. That was a hell of a game yesterday. #playoffhky
Saturday, 28 May 2011
Playoffs Daily | ECF Game 7 | May 28th, 2011
Hell yeah! I managed to watch nearly two periods before I had to call it quits and get some sleep. Hey do not judge me, the game started at 2am my time! So when I woke up this morning and saw the result I was relieved, happy for my buddy Sven who is a huge Bruins fan and pretty damn happy for myself as well as I preferred for the Bruins to claim the Prince of Wales Cup.
[Bolts-Bruins] 0-1. Bruins win series 4-3. I did not know this, but it is the first time in 21 years that the Bruins have reached the Finals again. And they have not won a Cup since 1972. My year of birth. A good omen? lol
♦ A very tense first period! But at least no goal against for the Bruins in the first minute like the past couple of games. What followed was a pretty even game. Hard for either team to get through the neutral zone and near the goal and a lot of time was spent along the boarding. But the atmosphere was thick with tension! Both teams wanting to win, not wanting to lose. I think the Bruins had the best chance in this period. Happened around the fifteen minute mark with a breakaway by Lucic, but Roloson made one of many big saves right there. Moments before it was Timmie who had a a busy spell as the Bolts took a few shots on net. Timmie was butterflying all over the crease. Shots on goal: Bruins 15, Bolts 9
♦ Second period was scoreless as well, but not because the teams were not trying. Timmie made some great saves (8), but Roloson even more. He fended off 14 shots. Apart from some great hockey, this period saw a crazy helmet save by Roloson and quite painfully, Stamkos took a hard shot right in the nose. After treatment he returned to the game, but that looked extremely painful
♦ Both teams continued playing great in the third, but you could see the Bruins pushing just a bit harder. Or maybe that was wishful thinking on my part ;) ... but it sure kept me on the edge of my seat. There were 9 shots on goal by the Bruins and 8 by the Bolts. After Nathan Horton scored the winning goal, the Bruins went into lockdown mode and hardly gave the Bolts room to get out of the neutral zone. Ferocious forechecking by the Bruins! So much so that pulling Roloson in the final minutes was problematic. He spent 59:34 on ice! You know how in the final minutes the team lagging will pull out any magic trick they have and cause a frenzy in front of the opposing goalie. No such thing in this game. The Bruins' defence was so tight, that even the top guys in the Bolts line up could not get past them and did not even manage to fire a shot at Timmie. Wow. So impressed. Goosebumps!
♦ This was as much a goalies game as you will ever see. Both Timmie (sv% 1.000) and Roli (sv% 0.974) peaked. Both guys made some amazing saves, but Roloson was unable to stop that one goal. Bruins' whole D-squad was awesome, but yeah I will point out once more how great Chara and Seidenberg are. Seidenberg again clocked most time on ice with 27:57
♦ Amazing fact: NO PENALTIES! It is so easy to forget that a game CAN be played with ferocity, intent and passion without shoving the opponent into the glass panels, illegal hitting, hooking and whatnot. OK, there were some moments that could have ended up in a penalty, but the refs really did a great job by letting the game evolve on its own but still keeping a grip on proceedings. Other ref teams should take note. Anyways, this game was intense without nonsense. Kudos to both teams. With PPs suddenly leading to goals more often again, it is not a bad idea to keep your players out of the penalty box anyways
♦ The goal. That was just a precision attack and beautifully executed. Horton skillfully finished what was set up by Krejci & Ference! *courtesy of NHL & CBC*
Well, I got my wish. The Bruins have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. As for the Nucks. I should not have listened to The Coins, who predicted the Sharks would win. I said Nucks, but they said 'no way'. Wonder what the hell I am talking about?
Check my Whimsical Playoffs Predictions | Part III HERE. I will have to redo them now that The Coins let me down again ;)
{edit: why did noone tell me I had written 'Prince of Whales Cup'? WHALES?! lol ... glad I saw that, after a while ... }
[Bolts-Bruins] 0-1. Bruins win series 4-3. I did not know this, but it is the first time in 21 years that the Bruins have reached the Finals again. And they have not won a Cup since 1972. My year of birth. A good omen? lol
 |
| Courtesy of me shooting pics of the ESPN America CBC broadcast ;) |
♦ A very tense first period! But at least no goal against for the Bruins in the first minute like the past couple of games. What followed was a pretty even game. Hard for either team to get through the neutral zone and near the goal and a lot of time was spent along the boarding. But the atmosphere was thick with tension! Both teams wanting to win, not wanting to lose. I think the Bruins had the best chance in this period. Happened around the fifteen minute mark with a breakaway by Lucic, but Roloson made one of many big saves right there. Moments before it was Timmie who had a a busy spell as the Bolts took a few shots on net. Timmie was butterflying all over the crease. Shots on goal: Bruins 15, Bolts 9
♦ Second period was scoreless as well, but not because the teams were not trying. Timmie made some great saves (8), but Roloson even more. He fended off 14 shots. Apart from some great hockey, this period saw a crazy helmet save by Roloson and quite painfully, Stamkos took a hard shot right in the nose. After treatment he returned to the game, but that looked extremely painful
♦ Both teams continued playing great in the third, but you could see the Bruins pushing just a bit harder. Or maybe that was wishful thinking on my part ;) ... but it sure kept me on the edge of my seat. There were 9 shots on goal by the Bruins and 8 by the Bolts. After Nathan Horton scored the winning goal, the Bruins went into lockdown mode and hardly gave the Bolts room to get out of the neutral zone. Ferocious forechecking by the Bruins! So much so that pulling Roloson in the final minutes was problematic. He spent 59:34 on ice! You know how in the final minutes the team lagging will pull out any magic trick they have and cause a frenzy in front of the opposing goalie. No such thing in this game. The Bruins' defence was so tight, that even the top guys in the Bolts line up could not get past them and did not even manage to fire a shot at Timmie. Wow. So impressed. Goosebumps!
♦ This was as much a goalies game as you will ever see. Both Timmie (sv% 1.000) and Roli (sv% 0.974) peaked. Both guys made some amazing saves, but Roloson was unable to stop that one goal. Bruins' whole D-squad was awesome, but yeah I will point out once more how great Chara and Seidenberg are. Seidenberg again clocked most time on ice with 27:57
♦ Amazing fact: NO PENALTIES! It is so easy to forget that a game CAN be played with ferocity, intent and passion without shoving the opponent into the glass panels, illegal hitting, hooking and whatnot. OK, there were some moments that could have ended up in a penalty, but the refs really did a great job by letting the game evolve on its own but still keeping a grip on proceedings. Other ref teams should take note. Anyways, this game was intense without nonsense. Kudos to both teams. With PPs suddenly leading to goals more often again, it is not a bad idea to keep your players out of the penalty box anyways
♦ The goal. That was just a precision attack and beautifully executed. Horton skillfully finished what was set up by Krejci & Ference! *courtesy of NHL & CBC*
Well, I got my wish. The Bruins have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. As for the Nucks. I should not have listened to The Coins, who predicted the Sharks would win. I said Nucks, but they said 'no way'. Wonder what the hell I am talking about?
Check my Whimsical Playoffs Predictions | Part III HERE. I will have to redo them now that The Coins let me down again ;)
{edit: why did noone tell me I had written 'Prince of Whales Cup'? WHALES?! lol ... glad I saw that, after a while ... }
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Playoffs Daily | ECF Game 6 | May 26th, 2011
Hmm. The Bruins sure like to make things suspenseful. I am looking forward to a Nucks-Bruins Stanley Cup Final, but I will have to wait another game to see if that will become reality.
[Bruins-Bolts] 4-5. Series tied at 3-3. Another Game 7. I have to say the more hockey the merrier, so a Game 7 is cool! I just hope the Bruins will nail this one. Guys, my day was so hectic that I did not get around to actually watching the game and I only just managed to read up on the outcome. So this is going to be a short one - no really, I mean it this time! - for future reference and I will just list the basics. In all honesty, you might as well head over to the NHL site :D
♦ Considering the amount of goals, the actual number of shots on goal is low. Bolts had 26 and the Bruins just 20. Not a surprise then that the save percentages of both goalies are low. 0.800 for Roloson and 0.808 for Timmie. Definitely not a goalie game ;)
♦ Goalscoring for the Bolts: Purcell (0:36), St. Louis (27:55), Purcell (33:35), Stamkos (40:34) & St. Louis (50:15). Yeah you are seeing it correctly. Another very early goal against the Bruins. Still not doing their best from the get go. I really dislike goals when they are still showing the line-ups for the game
♦ Goalscoring for the Bruins: Lucic (7:09), Krejci (16:30), Krejci (49:46) & Krejci again (53:28)
♦ Yes, Krejci got himself a hat trick *throws a virtual hat on the ice* ... great job!
Well, that is all for now. Feel free to leave your insights about this game in the comments, will be happy to read those! And I am going to crank up the dusty Xbox and finally try my hand at Call Of Duty Black Ops ... have had the game since release date but it is still wrapped lol ... but I feel like shooting stuff after my very hectic day at work. Downside is that I am the worst gamer in the world, so I think it will be me getting shot at ;)
[Bruins-Bolts] 4-5. Series tied at 3-3. Another Game 7. I have to say the more hockey the merrier, so a Game 7 is cool! I just hope the Bruins will nail this one. Guys, my day was so hectic that I did not get around to actually watching the game and I only just managed to read up on the outcome. So this is going to be a short one - no really, I mean it this time! - for future reference and I will just list the basics. In all honesty, you might as well head over to the NHL site :D
♦ Considering the amount of goals, the actual number of shots on goal is low. Bolts had 26 and the Bruins just 20. Not a surprise then that the save percentages of both goalies are low. 0.800 for Roloson and 0.808 for Timmie. Definitely not a goalie game ;)
♦ Goalscoring for the Bolts: Purcell (0:36), St. Louis (27:55), Purcell (33:35), Stamkos (40:34) & St. Louis (50:15). Yeah you are seeing it correctly. Another very early goal against the Bruins. Still not doing their best from the get go. I really dislike goals when they are still showing the line-ups for the game
♦ Goalscoring for the Bruins: Lucic (7:09), Krejci (16:30), Krejci (49:46) & Krejci again (53:28)
♦ Yes, Krejci got himself a hat trick *throws a virtual hat on the ice* ... great job!
Well, that is all for now. Feel free to leave your insights about this game in the comments, will be happy to read those! And I am going to crank up the dusty Xbox and finally try my hand at Call Of Duty Black Ops ... have had the game since release date but it is still wrapped lol ... but I feel like shooting stuff after my very hectic day at work. Downside is that I am the worst gamer in the world, so I think it will be me getting shot at ;)
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Twitter Time #8 | NHL Tweeters On Nucks Win | May 25th, 2011
So what did some of our favourite NHL Tweeters have to say about the Nucks win?
Michael Grabner
Saw highlights from yesterday...another crazy game with weird bounces...congrats to the Canucks for making it to the finals...workout time!!
Mike Commodore
ahhh, the puck went off the glass, bounced backwards to Bieska and no one but him had a clue where it was. hahaha, wow. that was weird.
Mike Commodore
I just watched Bieska goal on nhl.com 5 times and I can't figure out how in the hell it went in!! Bad camera angle maybe?
Darryl Boyce
glenn healy rips everyone..ripped nearly everyone on the ice, now he has taken it to the person who did the confetti in van-city
Bobby Ryan
Bizarre. And a tough way to lose out. But that was a great hockey game. Congrats to Vancouver. #roxy? #itsonice
Cabbie Richards
Congratulations to Kevin Bieksa for his series ending goal. Vancouver Canucks advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. First time since 1994. #NHL
Jeremy Roenick
What a great hockey game this is!! One of the best iv ever seen! Wow. I don't care who u want to win! Everyone is flying
Paul Bissonnette
How hungover is Vancouver today? The productivity level in that city must be a joke right now.
Saw highlights from yesterday...another crazy game with weird bounces...congrats to the Canucks for making it to the finals...workout time!!
Mike Commodore
ahhh, the puck went off the glass, bounced backwards to Bieska and no one but him had a clue where it was. hahaha, wow. that was weird.
Mike Commodore
I just watched Bieska goal on nhl.com 5 times and I can't figure out how in the hell it went in!! Bad camera angle maybe?
Darryl Boyce
glenn healy rips everyone..ripped nearly everyone on the ice, now he has taken it to the person who did the confetti in van-city
Bobby Ryan
Bizarre. And a tough way to lose out. But that was a great hockey game. Congrats to Vancouver. #roxy? #itsonice
Cabbie Richards
Congratulations to Kevin Bieksa for his series ending goal. Vancouver Canucks advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. First time since 1994. #NHL
Jeremy Roenick
What a great hockey game this is!! One of the best iv ever seen! Wow. I don't care who u want to win! Everyone is flying
Paul Bissonnette
How hungover is Vancouver today? The productivity level in that city must be a joke right now.
Playoffs Daily | WCF Game 5 | May 25th, 2011
And here I thought the Bruins-Bolts game was weird. This one was even wilder. Crazy bouncing pucks, amazing saves, last-second heroics, double OT ... they should turn it into a movie ;)
[Sharks-Nucks] 2-3. Nucks clinch series 4-1. Well done Nucks! Maybe not your best ever game, but certainly one of the more memorable and I am sure some of it will be replayed often for years to come!
♦ I am not sure which is the more amazing moment of the game. Kesler's last minute score or Bieksa's winner. I think I will go with Kesler's last minute goal. Without it, the rest would not have happened. This really is the stuff movies are made of. A not entirely fit Kesler, battling till the very last minute of regulation, to score a cool and collected goal with just 14 seconds left on the clock! I just hope he will be good to go for the Finals. Or not lol ... I want an Eastern Conference winner. No, I mean yes, I want an EC winner, but they should still earn it fair and square and that requires beating a guy like Kesler! If you have read earlier posts you might recall that Kesler is a favourite NHL athlete of mine eventhough I have little interest in the Nucks. But some athletes just deserve the admiration ;) ... and he had me worried when he limped off the ice in the second period and did not return for the remainder of the period. Quote: "No, I'll play on one leg, I don't care ... it's all about the team right now."
♦ Goalscoring ... not much of it considering they spent 90 minutes on the ice ;) ... but no matter. Burrows was first to score (first period) for the Nucks after some magic passing between the Sedins. In the second period Marleau scored the equaliser on a PP. Just seconds into the third, Setoguchi scored for what for the longest time seemed to be the game-winner. But yeah ... then Ryan Kesler happened and we had ourselves an OT game. First OT morphed into second OT and the clock said 10:18 when Bieksa scored the winner
♦ Shots on goal action: Nucks had 34, Sharks had 56! The Sharks had 15 in the first period and 16 in a frenzied first OT. A lot of work for Luongo ;)
♦ Goaltending. A save percentage of 0.912 for Niemi, not bad at all, but Luongo saved 54 out of 56 shots, giving him an average of 0.964. No choking for him this game!
♦ OK, Bieksa time. I watched this over and over and over and over and it just boggled my mind. I just could not figure out what happened there. Everyone, Sharks and Nucks alike, agree on one thing: Bieksa is the only one who knew where the puck went. While the rest was looking back and forth trying to locate the puck, he saw it and went for a one-timer! Took this video however to make me understand what happened:
What a game!
[Sharks-Nucks] 2-3. Nucks clinch series 4-1. Well done Nucks! Maybe not your best ever game, but certainly one of the more memorable and I am sure some of it will be replayed often for years to come!
♦ I am not sure which is the more amazing moment of the game. Kesler's last minute score or Bieksa's winner. I think I will go with Kesler's last minute goal. Without it, the rest would not have happened. This really is the stuff movies are made of. A not entirely fit Kesler, battling till the very last minute of regulation, to score a cool and collected goal with just 14 seconds left on the clock! I just hope he will be good to go for the Finals. Or not lol ... I want an Eastern Conference winner. No, I mean yes, I want an EC winner, but they should still earn it fair and square and that requires beating a guy like Kesler! If you have read earlier posts you might recall that Kesler is a favourite NHL athlete of mine eventhough I have little interest in the Nucks. But some athletes just deserve the admiration ;) ... and he had me worried when he limped off the ice in the second period and did not return for the remainder of the period. Quote: "No, I'll play on one leg, I don't care ... it's all about the team right now."
♦ Goalscoring ... not much of it considering they spent 90 minutes on the ice ;) ... but no matter. Burrows was first to score (first period) for the Nucks after some magic passing between the Sedins. In the second period Marleau scored the equaliser on a PP. Just seconds into the third, Setoguchi scored for what for the longest time seemed to be the game-winner. But yeah ... then Ryan Kesler happened and we had ourselves an OT game. First OT morphed into second OT and the clock said 10:18 when Bieksa scored the winner
♦ Shots on goal action: Nucks had 34, Sharks had 56! The Sharks had 15 in the first period and 16 in a frenzied first OT. A lot of work for Luongo ;)
♦ Goaltending. A save percentage of 0.912 for Niemi, not bad at all, but Luongo saved 54 out of 56 shots, giving him an average of 0.964. No choking for him this game!
♦ OK, Bieksa time. I watched this over and over and over and over and it just boggled my mind. I just could not figure out what happened there. Everyone, Sharks and Nucks alike, agree on one thing: Bieksa is the only one who knew where the puck went. While the rest was looking back and forth trying to locate the puck, he saw it and went for a one-timer! Took this video however to make me understand what happened:
What a game!
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Leafs Nation | Play of the Year Award - WINNER | May 24th, 2011
Fellow Leafs Fans! The verdict is in! And I voted for the Winner too. So hurry over to the Leafs site ... or if you are too lazy to click ... just check the last sentence of this post ;)
Leafs Nation | Play of the Year | THE WINNER IS?! CLICK HERE
Complete voting overview:
Round 1
Monster's Stick Safe vs Reims' Stick Safe >>> winner is: Reims
Rosehill fights Lucic vs Muhammad Aulie >>> winner is: Aulie
Dion Steamrolls Ruute vs Brent's Blocking Awesomeness >>> winner is: Brent
Bozak's 5-on-3 Shorthanded vs A Dangling Crabb >>> winner is: Bozie
Brent Fakes Ward vs Brown Dances & Lups Scores >>> winner is: Brent
Grabo's Spinorama vs Nazeem's Nifty Mittens >>> winner is: Grabo
Kulemin Can Dangle Too vs Schenner Beats Everyone And Scores >>> winner is: Schenner
Grabo beats Pens vs Grabo beats Bruins >>> winner is Grabo lol in Boston
Round 2
Reims' Stick Safe vs Brent's Blocking Awesomeness >>> winner is: Brent
Muhammad Aulie vs Bozak's 5-on-3 Shorthanded >>> winner is: Bozie
Brent Fakes Ward vs Schenner Beats Everyone And Scores >>> winner is Schenner
Grabo's Spinorama vs Grabo Beats Bruins >>> winner is Boston Grabo
Semis
Brent's Blocking Awesomeness vs Schenner Beats Everyone And Scores >>> winner is Brent
Bozak's 5-on-3 Shorthanded vs Grabo Beats Bruins >>> winner is Bozie
FINALS
Brent's Blocking Awesomeness vs Bozak's 5-on-3 Shorthanded >>> and the winner iiiiiissss .... BRENT!!!
Leafs Nation | Play of the Year | THE WINNER IS?! CLICK HERE
Complete voting overview:
Round 1
Monster's Stick Safe vs Reims' Stick Safe >>> winner is: Reims
Rosehill fights Lucic vs Muhammad Aulie >>> winner is: Aulie
Dion Steamrolls Ruute vs Brent's Blocking Awesomeness >>> winner is: Brent
Bozak's 5-on-3 Shorthanded vs A Dangling Crabb >>> winner is: Bozie
Brent Fakes Ward vs Brown Dances & Lups Scores >>> winner is: Brent
Grabo's Spinorama vs Nazeem's Nifty Mittens >>> winner is: Grabo
Kulemin Can Dangle Too vs Schenner Beats Everyone And Scores >>> winner is: Schenner
Grabo beats Pens vs Grabo beats Bruins >>> winner is Grabo lol in Boston
Round 2
Reims' Stick Safe vs Brent's Blocking Awesomeness >>> winner is: Brent
Muhammad Aulie vs Bozak's 5-on-3 Shorthanded >>> winner is: Bozie
Brent Fakes Ward vs Schenner Beats Everyone And Scores >>> winner is Schenner
Grabo's Spinorama vs Grabo Beats Bruins >>> winner is Boston Grabo
Semis
Brent's Blocking Awesomeness vs Schenner Beats Everyone And Scores >>> winner is Brent
Bozak's 5-on-3 Shorthanded vs Grabo Beats Bruins >>> winner is Bozie
FINALS
Brent's Blocking Awesomeness vs Bozak's 5-on-3 Shorthanded >>> and the winner iiiiiissss .... BRENT!!!
Playoffs Daily | ECF Game 5 | May 24th, 2011
Weird game. Yet oddly exciting. Miracle goalie. Going to keep this one short. Maybe ;)
[Bolts-Bruins] 1-3. Bruins lead series 3-2. Not a great game by the Bruins at all and Timmie made the difference. Frustrated the Bolts to no end I am sure. I like this win personally, but they need to step it up in the next game.
♦ Because really? FOUR shots on goal by the Bruins in the first period?! And 14 by the Bolts. Just goes to say how well Thomas played right? Thankfully his team mates did a bit better in the second period with eight shots on goal, whereas the Bolts had nine. The third saw 14 shots by the Bolts and nine by the Bruins. But really 20-34? I want to see more effort from the Bruins next game, this is just not right
♦ Now Chara always get a lot of credit and rightly so. But guys, never forget Seidenberg. Game after game this guy puts in amazing time on ice. Had a look at his stats and in regular season he put in give or take 23 minutes per game. Come Playoffs, a TOI of 29 minutes is more regular than not and there was even a whopping 38:15 in Game 4 versus the Habs. So it is good to see he was awarded the third star for this game. The guy deserves the appreciation for all his hard work
♦ Gagne scored the only goal for the Bolts. Good one! But what is it with allowing the very early goals? How about the Bruins try starting with a solid D straight from the get-go, rather than allowing the opponent to strike first? They have the proper manpower in place, they might as well use it. Still. I like to see my former Flyer do well ;)
♦ For the Bruins it were Horton (great pass by Lucic) and Marchand (awesome feed by Bergeron) who scored in the second period. After a very frantic last few minutes in the third period, Peverley scored an empty-netter, securing this win and making it easier to breathe for everyone watching ;)
♦ Goalie time. First of all, Mike Smith got first Playoffs start. And lucky for him he only had to deal with 20 shots by the Bruins. I wonder if we will get to see Roloson start the next game. I like the 'who is net?' suspension! I am used to it of course, being a Flyers fan and all ;)
♦ Timmie Thomas. A 0.971 save percentage. And some miracle saves. He literally won this game for the Bruins. So going to finish this post with that miraculous 'holy shit!' stick save! Downie must have had a nightmare about this ...
[Bolts-Bruins] 1-3. Bruins lead series 3-2. Not a great game by the Bruins at all and Timmie made the difference. Frustrated the Bolts to no end I am sure. I like this win personally, but they need to step it up in the next game.
♦ Because really? FOUR shots on goal by the Bruins in the first period?! And 14 by the Bolts. Just goes to say how well Thomas played right? Thankfully his team mates did a bit better in the second period with eight shots on goal, whereas the Bolts had nine. The third saw 14 shots by the Bolts and nine by the Bruins. But really 20-34? I want to see more effort from the Bruins next game, this is just not right
♦ Now Chara always get a lot of credit and rightly so. But guys, never forget Seidenberg. Game after game this guy puts in amazing time on ice. Had a look at his stats and in regular season he put in give or take 23 minutes per game. Come Playoffs, a TOI of 29 minutes is more regular than not and there was even a whopping 38:15 in Game 4 versus the Habs. So it is good to see he was awarded the third star for this game. The guy deserves the appreciation for all his hard work
♦ Gagne scored the only goal for the Bolts. Good one! But what is it with allowing the very early goals? How about the Bruins try starting with a solid D straight from the get-go, rather than allowing the opponent to strike first? They have the proper manpower in place, they might as well use it. Still. I like to see my former Flyer do well ;)
♦ For the Bruins it were Horton (great pass by Lucic) and Marchand (awesome feed by Bergeron) who scored in the second period. After a very frantic last few minutes in the third period, Peverley scored an empty-netter, securing this win and making it easier to breathe for everyone watching ;)
♦ Goalie time. First of all, Mike Smith got first Playoffs start. And lucky for him he only had to deal with 20 shots by the Bruins. I wonder if we will get to see Roloson start the next game. I like the 'who is net?' suspension! I am used to it of course, being a Flyers fan and all ;)
♦ Timmie Thomas. A 0.971 save percentage. And some miracle saves. He literally won this game for the Bruins. So going to finish this post with that miraculous 'holy shit!' stick save! Downie must have had a nightmare about this ...
Monday, 23 May 2011
Playoffs Daily | WCF Game 4 | May 23rd, 2011
The fans were psyched for this game, but as a neutral party for me this Game 4 started out rather dull. I found first intermission more entertaining than the first period ;) ... but it got better though and eventually pulled me in and made for a fun hockey night.
[Nucks-Sharks] 4-2. Nucks lead series 3-1. It took Kesler's 5-on-3 goal in the second period to wake me up.
♦ Then it really got embarrassing for the Sharks. Two more 5-on-3 goals followed in quick succesion, both scored by Salo. I did not expect PPs to play such a large role really, not with PKs being so effective in the last couple of months. In the east anyways, maybe it was different in the west
♦ Third period was really exciting. It was definitely fast-paced but both teams lacked control. At least it made for better watching and then came that wonderfully executed goal by the Burrows, making it a 4-0. Henrik Sedin set Burrows up nicely for this one!
♦ A budy wrote 'They're done'. Guess he nearly jinxed the Nucks as a second later the Sharks finally got rid off the zero on the scoreboard. They kept us guessing for a while as the goal went on review (possible highsticking) but in the end it was a good hockey goal. The goal generated a little momentum shift to the advantage of the Sharks and their hard work paid off with another goal. You could definitely see the pressure building, but in the end they ran out of time
♦ Low-light of the game: Torres' hit on Thornton. It was brutal and I was annoyed even more when I found out Thornton may not be good to go tomorrow
And damn, still those stupid orange and teal spandex-clad men in the crowd. Stop it! It is obnoxious!
{update: Thorton will be ready to play - phew}
[Nucks-Sharks] 4-2. Nucks lead series 3-1. It took Kesler's 5-on-3 goal in the second period to wake me up.
♦ Then it really got embarrassing for the Sharks. Two more 5-on-3 goals followed in quick succesion, both scored by Salo. I did not expect PPs to play such a large role really, not with PKs being so effective in the last couple of months. In the east anyways, maybe it was different in the west
♦ Third period was really exciting. It was definitely fast-paced but both teams lacked control. At least it made for better watching and then came that wonderfully executed goal by the Burrows, making it a 4-0. Henrik Sedin set Burrows up nicely for this one!
♦ A budy wrote 'They're done'. Guess he nearly jinxed the Nucks as a second later the Sharks finally got rid off the zero on the scoreboard. They kept us guessing for a while as the goal went on review (possible highsticking) but in the end it was a good hockey goal. The goal generated a little momentum shift to the advantage of the Sharks and their hard work paid off with another goal. You could definitely see the pressure building, but in the end they ran out of time
♦ Low-light of the game: Torres' hit on Thornton. It was brutal and I was annoyed even more when I found out Thornton may not be good to go tomorrow
And damn, still those stupid orange and teal spandex-clad men in the crowd. Stop it! It is obnoxious!
{update: Thorton will be ready to play - phew}
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Twitter Time #7 | NHL Twitter Chirps | May 22nd, 2011
A few twitter chirps that went back and forth between some of our fave NHL Tweeters. Nothing much, just to tide us over to tonights game!
[Ryan Whitney - Paul Bissonnette]
And you definitely must check out the link, that is an epic BizNasty pic ... not sure if I should be in awe, overly impressed or maybe disgusted xD
Ryan Whitney
@BizNasty noo...please tell me this is photoshopped. http://t.co/Sf2uXSw
Paul Bissonnette
Ya @RyanWhitney, the nose is a bit. Lol.
[pigeons]
James van Riemsdyk
Jeff Veillette
I am expecting plenty of pigeon references for the time to come!
[Ryan Whitney - Paul Bissonnette]
And you definitely must check out the link, that is an epic BizNasty pic ... not sure if I should be in awe, overly impressed or maybe disgusted xD
Ryan Whitney
@BizNasty noo...please tell me this is photoshopped. http://t.co/Sf2uXSw
Paul Bissonnette
Ya @RyanWhitney, the nose is a bit. Lol.
[pigeons]
James van Riemsdyk
Can't believe I ran into @ColinWilson walking down the street #pigeon http://yfrog.com/gzkl2zwj lololol
Hahah, I find this extremely funny. But only because a few days earlier Colby Armstrong got a whole thing pigeon thing going after something a Maple Leafs blogger said on Twitter:
Hahah, I find this extremely funny. But only because a few days earlier Colby Armstrong got a whole thing pigeon thing going after something a Maple Leafs blogger said on Twitter:
Jeff Veillette
Not to be arrogant @ElizabethLeaf, but I think I'd dangle @armdog pretty easy in a game. #forgetcheddariusemozza
You can find Army's reply to that here, because he deleted it, realising it was a bit overboard. He also apologised to Jeff, but hell, Jeff was totally OK with the whole thing and loved it!
http://bit.ly/iYvZjm You can find Army's reply to that here, because he deleted it, realising it was a bit overboard. He also apologised to Jeff, but hell, Jeff was totally OK with the whole thing and loved it!
I am expecting plenty of pigeon references for the time to come!
Playoffs Daily | ECF Game 4 | May 22nd, 2011
The Eastern Conference Finals are so much better than the Western! Really keeping me on the edge of my seat.
[Bruins-Bolts] 3-5. Series tied at 2-2. What a great start the Bruins had! But I liked how the Bolts battled back. Let's take this one period by period.
♦ The Bruins came out strong. They controlled the first period and made scoring look so easy. They got three unassisted goals: Bergeron scored twice (one was a short-handed goal too) and Ryder once. Paille and Chara were effectively stopping attacks by the Bolts, there was plenty of aggresive forechecking and it paid off. I felt sad for Roloson though as he got replaced by Mike Smith. It was not all his fault, but I understand. Guy Boucher needed to do something to wake his squad up. Bruins clearly dominated this period and went into intermission with a 3-0 lead
♦ The first few minutes of the second period both teams played really awkwardly, but after a while you could see the Bolts picking up speed. Skating a bit more energetically, being a bit more aggresive in front of the Bruins goal and sure enough it paid off as Purcell scored. And this was followed by a rather dramatic momentum shift. A minute later he scored again and a couple of minutes later Bergenheim equalised the game. 3-3! That was an awesome comeback for sure. Timmie did mess up a bit there. He was not being floppy this time, but he spent way too much time behind the net. Instead of getting rid off the puck with some urgency, he fooled around and the Bolts got their hands on it, giving Purcell the opportunity to score that first one. Fortunately Timmie regained his composure and went on to do some excellent goaltending, but yeah, he did allow the Bolts back into the game I think. Second period ... 3-3!
♦ The Bruins owned the first, the Bolts the second and going into the third period I wondered which team would stay on top. The third period started off a bit dull. Some good saves by Timmie but I must admit that my mind started to wander a bit. Just as I realised I was not paying attention to the game, lightning struck for the fourth time. Gagne scored, giving the Bolts the lead. This seemed to wake the Bruins up a bit and they started to play with a bit more zest and I could see some of the control they showed in the first period returning, but ultimately it was too late for the Bruins. In the final minute the Bolts went on to score an empty-netter, effectively securing the Game 4 win.
♦ Other noteworthy moments: Chara made an awesome save with his skate as Timmie found himself in the wrong spot. Chara, there is no end to this guys team spirit!
♦ I have not seen Mike Smith play often, but he brought confidence to the team and admittedly made some great saves there. I suppose one of the biggest questions for Game 5 will be: Who's in net?!
Now I have a preference for the Bruins, but the Bolts are cool too. So bring on the next one. The more games we have in this series the better, because the games are just so enjoyable!
[Bruins-Bolts] 3-5. Series tied at 2-2. What a great start the Bruins had! But I liked how the Bolts battled back. Let's take this one period by period.
♦ The Bruins came out strong. They controlled the first period and made scoring look so easy. They got three unassisted goals: Bergeron scored twice (one was a short-handed goal too) and Ryder once. Paille and Chara were effectively stopping attacks by the Bolts, there was plenty of aggresive forechecking and it paid off. I felt sad for Roloson though as he got replaced by Mike Smith. It was not all his fault, but I understand. Guy Boucher needed to do something to wake his squad up. Bruins clearly dominated this period and went into intermission with a 3-0 lead
♦ The first few minutes of the second period both teams played really awkwardly, but after a while you could see the Bolts picking up speed. Skating a bit more energetically, being a bit more aggresive in front of the Bruins goal and sure enough it paid off as Purcell scored. And this was followed by a rather dramatic momentum shift. A minute later he scored again and a couple of minutes later Bergenheim equalised the game. 3-3! That was an awesome comeback for sure. Timmie did mess up a bit there. He was not being floppy this time, but he spent way too much time behind the net. Instead of getting rid off the puck with some urgency, he fooled around and the Bolts got their hands on it, giving Purcell the opportunity to score that first one. Fortunately Timmie regained his composure and went on to do some excellent goaltending, but yeah, he did allow the Bolts back into the game I think. Second period ... 3-3!
♦ The Bruins owned the first, the Bolts the second and going into the third period I wondered which team would stay on top. The third period started off a bit dull. Some good saves by Timmie but I must admit that my mind started to wander a bit. Just as I realised I was not paying attention to the game, lightning struck for the fourth time. Gagne scored, giving the Bolts the lead. This seemed to wake the Bruins up a bit and they started to play with a bit more zest and I could see some of the control they showed in the first period returning, but ultimately it was too late for the Bruins. In the final minute the Bolts went on to score an empty-netter, effectively securing the Game 4 win.
♦ Other noteworthy moments: Chara made an awesome save with his skate as Timmie found himself in the wrong spot. Chara, there is no end to this guys team spirit!
♦ I have not seen Mike Smith play often, but he brought confidence to the team and admittedly made some great saves there. I suppose one of the biggest questions for Game 5 will be: Who's in net?!
Now I have a preference for the Bruins, but the Bolts are cool too. So bring on the next one. The more games we have in this series the better, because the games are just so enjoyable!
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Playoffs Daily | WCF Game 3 | May 21st, 2011
Short one today, spent much of the day sitting in the sun during a marketing communications industry football (aka soccer in some regions of the world) tournament where my company had a team playing. Cheering was fun and I have got a bit of sunburn going. Anyways, managed to catch the rerun of last night's game and the Sharks are back in the series. Here a quick write-up before the start of the Bruins game!
[Nucks-Sharks] 3-4. Nucks lead series 2-1. Nowhere near as electric as Game 2 and as I am just not so interested in either team it was back to being a bit indifferent who wins. At least for a while. The three goal lead the Sharks accomplished in the first period did not sit wel with me at all. But the Sharks just played a disciplined game and looked pretty good the first two periods. The final period was a bit off for them and they were really doing all they could to keep the 4-3 lead after the Nucks managed to score twice on the PP in the third. A few more minutes and we might have gone into OT, the Nucks were exerting some massive pressure. But it was all a bit too late.
♦ Sometimes it looks as if teams can no longer score on the PP. This game had five PPGs! Take notes teams!
♦ At the same time, the Nucks failed to score on two 5 on 3 advantages. Did that lose them the game? It is usually their forte ...
♦ A game riddled by penalties. Undisciplined much?
♦ Meanest hit: Jamie McGinn on Rome. The guys on NHL On The Fly said it was not such a bad hit, but looked horrible enough to me and it left Rome breathless and lying on the floor for quite some time. I have no idea what the guys on OTF were thinking, but that was some serious boarding right there
♦ Oh man, as if it was not enough to have those Green Men prancing around in spandex, the Sharks now have their very own Orange Men. Can these guys just leave the spandex at home? It is obnoxious!
OK, with Game 3 out of the way, I hope the Nucks can dominate in Game 4. Time for the Sharks to go home. I think I have made my mind up about these series.
[Nucks-Sharks] 3-4. Nucks lead series 2-1. Nowhere near as electric as Game 2 and as I am just not so interested in either team it was back to being a bit indifferent who wins. At least for a while. The three goal lead the Sharks accomplished in the first period did not sit wel with me at all. But the Sharks just played a disciplined game and looked pretty good the first two periods. The final period was a bit off for them and they were really doing all they could to keep the 4-3 lead after the Nucks managed to score twice on the PP in the third. A few more minutes and we might have gone into OT, the Nucks were exerting some massive pressure. But it was all a bit too late.
♦ Sometimes it looks as if teams can no longer score on the PP. This game had five PPGs! Take notes teams!
♦ At the same time, the Nucks failed to score on two 5 on 3 advantages. Did that lose them the game? It is usually their forte ...
♦ A game riddled by penalties. Undisciplined much?
♦ Meanest hit: Jamie McGinn on Rome. The guys on NHL On The Fly said it was not such a bad hit, but looked horrible enough to me and it left Rome breathless and lying on the floor for quite some time. I have no idea what the guys on OTF were thinking, but that was some serious boarding right there
♦ Oh man, as if it was not enough to have those Green Men prancing around in spandex, the Sharks now have their very own Orange Men. Can these guys just leave the spandex at home? It is obnoxious!
OK, with Game 3 out of the way, I hope the Nucks can dominate in Game 4. Time for the Sharks to go home. I think I have made my mind up about these series.
Friday, 20 May 2011
Playoffs Daily | ECF Game 3 | May 20th, 2011
I caught myself saying 'we got the series lead' this morning when I saw that the Bruins had won Game 3. We?! I am not a Bruins fan, I just like them lol ... my excuse is that I often get really caught up in the spirit of the moment. And sticking with it. No worries Leafies & Flyers, still love you most. And the Wings! ;)
[Bruins-Bolts] 2-0. Bruins lead series 2-1. After a crazy Game 2, it was nice to have a bit of normalcy. Not that the game was any less entertaining. Even knowing the outcome it was fun to watch. In my opinion both teams played very well, but the Bolts - despite home ice advantage - lacked the usual spark and energy.
♦ 'Just' two goals. Merely a minute into the first period, Krejci scored on a smart feed by Lucic. The Bolts had no quick reply, so the Bruins settled into a well-played first period. Lots of control in front of the opponents net, smart puck movement, complemented by an excellent defence. They kept this up for the next two periods as well. Not saying the Bolts were playing a bad game. Not at all, their defence was solid as well, but the Bruins were simply better at it. The Bolts definitely had a hard time getting the puck anywhere near Tim Thomas and the Boston D-guys thwarted many an attempt as soon as the Bolts crossed the blue line. Anyways, the second goal was scored eight minutes into the third period by my new hero Ference (will never forget his epic gesture during the series versus the Habs) and that gave Timmie a bit more breathing space for the remainder of the game. In total the Bruins had 25 shots on goal and the Bolts a bit more with 31.
♦ Yay! Bergeron was back. Glad the mild concussion really was mild. But his presence was highly impactful. Great on the face-off (won 18 out of 28) and great at reading the game and feeding pucks to teammates. In the post-game interview a reporter asked how he was feeling about being involved in hits and he said he was ready for any hits and that he felt confident he would be alright
♦ In the post-game interview Timmeh commented that the last game was just crazy with the constant rushes and that this game was much more normal. So he had more control, which meant we got to see a less floppy Timmeh ;) ... plus he had an awesome spinorama save!
♦ And can I just point out that the Bruins D-guys, especially Chara and Seidenberg, are awesome? Both clocked nearly 29 minutes of ice time. That is some serious effort and they got a few shots on goal as well adding extra firepower to the offence ... I checked the Bolts' stats and no one on that squad was on ice that long
♦ Biggest hit? The 'other' Bergeron hit Krejci pretty hard with his shoulder. I am not going to say Krejci was blindsided, but he certainly did not see him coming as he was focusing on receiving the puck. M.A. Bergeron got booed for quite some time, although not necessarily deserved. Lets face it, Krejci should have kept his head up
♦ Was keeping an eye on Seguin. No heroics this game, but good solid play. Excellent
♦ No big skirmishes. After Ben Eager's antics last night during the Nucks-Sharks game, it was good to watch a game without the dramatics ;)
♦ Steven Stamkos with a beard? I hope the playoffs will finish soon for the Bolts so he can get rid off that abomination ;)
Bring on the next game!
[Bruins-Bolts] 2-0. Bruins lead series 2-1. After a crazy Game 2, it was nice to have a bit of normalcy. Not that the game was any less entertaining. Even knowing the outcome it was fun to watch. In my opinion both teams played very well, but the Bolts - despite home ice advantage - lacked the usual spark and energy.
♦ 'Just' two goals. Merely a minute into the first period, Krejci scored on a smart feed by Lucic. The Bolts had no quick reply, so the Bruins settled into a well-played first period. Lots of control in front of the opponents net, smart puck movement, complemented by an excellent defence. They kept this up for the next two periods as well. Not saying the Bolts were playing a bad game. Not at all, their defence was solid as well, but the Bruins were simply better at it. The Bolts definitely had a hard time getting the puck anywhere near Tim Thomas and the Boston D-guys thwarted many an attempt as soon as the Bolts crossed the blue line. Anyways, the second goal was scored eight minutes into the third period by my new hero Ference (will never forget his epic gesture during the series versus the Habs) and that gave Timmie a bit more breathing space for the remainder of the game. In total the Bruins had 25 shots on goal and the Bolts a bit more with 31.
♦ Yay! Bergeron was back. Glad the mild concussion really was mild. But his presence was highly impactful. Great on the face-off (won 18 out of 28) and great at reading the game and feeding pucks to teammates. In the post-game interview a reporter asked how he was feeling about being involved in hits and he said he was ready for any hits and that he felt confident he would be alright
♦ In the post-game interview Timmeh commented that the last game was just crazy with the constant rushes and that this game was much more normal. So he had more control, which meant we got to see a less floppy Timmeh ;) ... plus he had an awesome spinorama save!
♦ Biggest hit? The 'other' Bergeron hit Krejci pretty hard with his shoulder. I am not going to say Krejci was blindsided, but he certainly did not see him coming as he was focusing on receiving the puck. M.A. Bergeron got booed for quite some time, although not necessarily deserved. Lets face it, Krejci should have kept his head up
♦ Was keeping an eye on Seguin. No heroics this game, but good solid play. Excellent
♦ No big skirmishes. After Ben Eager's antics last night during the Nucks-Sharks game, it was good to watch a game without the dramatics ;)
♦ Steven Stamkos with a beard? I hope the playoffs will finish soon for the Bolts so he can get rid off that abomination ;)
Bring on the next game!
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Playoffs Daily | WCF Game 2 | May 19th, 2011
Two high-score games in a row. Even this series got exciting! And there was some added excitement that got my FB and Twitter buzzing ;) ... I actually worried that that was all there was to this game. So when I checked the highlights this morning and read up on reports I was happy I DVR'ed this game. So I got home, had dinner and cranked up the game and in parts it lived up to it's promise.
[Sharks-Nucks] 7-3. Nucks lead series 2-0. By no means a flying start to this game, unless you count the quick PP goal Couture scored two and a half minute into the game. It reminded me of a statistical fact a buddy of mine shared the other day. I think he said that of all teams who score first, 78% also goes on to win the game. What a nutty stat. Anyways, let me continue with the notable moments:
♦ For a while it was a very even first period and in fact, also a bit boring. Then Daniel Sedin scored on the PP and that sparked some energy and within the next minute, the Nucks scored again. Then another PP and somehow a Marleau shot confused Luongo and trickled across the line. 2-2 was a good score, considering neither team excelled in the first period. Both teams had 13 shots on goal, further confirming the equality
♦ So not sure what you lot thought about the second period but apart from the Nucks goal it was dull. It lacked a certain energy although the Nucks did have the edge there with puck possession and some good shots on goal. At least the goal woke up the audience ... and there was the Bieksa-Marleau fight. Which got Clowe to start chirping Kesler. As for shots on goal, the Nucks had 14, the Sharks just 9
♦ And then came the third period! It started innocent enough, but it soon became grittier. Lots of little mean checks that went unnoticed and of course the more apparent fouls, many committed by Ben Eager. The Nucks went on to score four more times, twice on PP! And in the final ten seconds of the game the Sharks lost what little composure they had left and went for a brawl. Of course Eager was at the centre of it. But if we look beyond the hits, the fouls, the brawl, we saw the Nucks skating better, creating chances, taking shots on goal (11 versus the Sharks' 9) & capitalising on PPs. Kudos to them for keeping their cool, whilst the Sharks lost it
♦ I often joke about Timmie flopping around like a fish, but damn, Luongo is not much better. Thankfully his team mates scored so often, I was not impressed at all by him
♦ Clowe was particularly pesky I found, but Eager takes first place for being an all-round idiot
♦ Bieksa got a Gordie Howe hat trick. Cool!
♦ Interesting fact: five of the ten goals scored were PP goals
So in case you missed it, all that Twitter buzzing I mentioned before also involved Eager. And the penalty box. And with the Green Men banned, it did not involve them. But it did involve a crazy female Canucks fan, flashing Eager whilst he sat out the roughing penalty in the third period ;) ... not sure if this type of taunting is actual taunting ... could have been a request for a date ;) ... I would post the pic in question, but I like to keep things clean here lol. Oh fuck it, here a link to a twitpic posted by @CountBettman. If you are offended, drop me a line :p
[Sharks-Nucks] 7-3. Nucks lead series 2-0. By no means a flying start to this game, unless you count the quick PP goal Couture scored two and a half minute into the game. It reminded me of a statistical fact a buddy of mine shared the other day. I think he said that of all teams who score first, 78% also goes on to win the game. What a nutty stat. Anyways, let me continue with the notable moments:
♦ For a while it was a very even first period and in fact, also a bit boring. Then Daniel Sedin scored on the PP and that sparked some energy and within the next minute, the Nucks scored again. Then another PP and somehow a Marleau shot confused Luongo and trickled across the line. 2-2 was a good score, considering neither team excelled in the first period. Both teams had 13 shots on goal, further confirming the equality
♦ So not sure what you lot thought about the second period but apart from the Nucks goal it was dull. It lacked a certain energy although the Nucks did have the edge there with puck possession and some good shots on goal. At least the goal woke up the audience ... and there was the Bieksa-Marleau fight. Which got Clowe to start chirping Kesler. As for shots on goal, the Nucks had 14, the Sharks just 9
♦ And then came the third period! It started innocent enough, but it soon became grittier. Lots of little mean checks that went unnoticed and of course the more apparent fouls, many committed by Ben Eager. The Nucks went on to score four more times, twice on PP! And in the final ten seconds of the game the Sharks lost what little composure they had left and went for a brawl. Of course Eager was at the centre of it. But if we look beyond the hits, the fouls, the brawl, we saw the Nucks skating better, creating chances, taking shots on goal (11 versus the Sharks' 9) & capitalising on PPs. Kudos to them for keeping their cool, whilst the Sharks lost it
♦ I often joke about Timmie flopping around like a fish, but damn, Luongo is not much better. Thankfully his team mates scored so often, I was not impressed at all by him
♦ Clowe was particularly pesky I found, but Eager takes first place for being an all-round idiot
♦ Bieksa got a Gordie Howe hat trick. Cool!
♦ Interesting fact: five of the ten goals scored were PP goals
So in case you missed it, all that Twitter buzzing I mentioned before also involved Eager. And the penalty box. And with the Green Men banned, it did not involve them. But it did involve a crazy female Canucks fan, flashing Eager whilst he sat out the roughing penalty in the third period ;) ... not sure if this type of taunting is actual taunting ... could have been a request for a date ;) ... I would post the pic in question, but I like to keep things clean here lol. Oh fuck it, here a link to a twitpic posted by @CountBettman. If you are offended, drop me a line :p
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Playoffs Daily | ECF Game 2 | May 18th, 2011
The second Eastern Conference Finals Game was certainly eventful. A lot happened, so I think I will just list whatever comes to mind!
[Bruins-Bolts] 6-5. Series equalised at 1-1. Lots of goalscoring, which is fun for viewing, but heavy on the goalies. Some goals were just awesome and could not be blamed on the guys. But Thomas let in a few soft ones and well, Roloson's bad roll got him pulled after the second period. The game:
♦ Hall scored just 13 seconds into the game (a cool goal too I must add), followed by some quick saves by Roloson, giving the Bolts a flying start. But things got really crazy in the second period as the Bruins scored five goals
♦ Roloson had a great first period, dealing with 18 shots on goal and letting in just one. Things went downhill for him in the second period, as the Bruins upped the intensity. The Bruins had 8 shots on goal and 5 actually went in. Roloson did not return for the third period. That actually made me sad a bit, because he was on such a great roll going into this game
♦ Timmie had some floppy moments during the game, and that last goal by Moore, whatever was going on there with Timmie and his D-man McQuaid, it did not look very good ;) ... but still, he was there when most needed as he fended of a great deal of attempts by the Bolts in the final minutes of the game
♦ Up until the third period SOG were pretty equal. Bruins had 27 and the Bolts had 26. But you could tell the urgency the Bolts felt. They were really hunting for a game equaliser and had 15 shots on goal in the final period, making a grand total of 41. The Bruins only had 8, totalling 35.
I bet Seguin had the best night. He did not get to play in the first two rounds as for obvious reasons the coach went with Bergeron and of course Julien is protecting this awesome rookie. But with Bergeron injured he got his chance in Game 1 and what a great start he had with that marvelous goal. Coach Julien is easing him into the hardships of playoffs hockey: time on ice in Game 1: 9.38. Time on ice in Game 2: 13.31. I like that about a coach. With two Playoffs games under his belt and already an impressive 3/3 in points, you cannot help but wonder if this guy is the one who will make a difference this series. Personally I do not like to put that kind of pressure on youngsters. But he looks calm and collected and he did tell us after Game 1 that the first goal took the pressure of things for him and that he is really just focusing on what he is good at: skating and shooting. He has also been listening to the advice provided by the likes of Mike Recchi and in the post-game interviews you can just see how proud his teammates are of his progress. Wonderful to see.
Not perfect, but definitely exciting hockey, I knew it! Looking forward to Game 3.
[Bruins-Bolts] 6-5. Series equalised at 1-1. Lots of goalscoring, which is fun for viewing, but heavy on the goalies. Some goals were just awesome and could not be blamed on the guys. But Thomas let in a few soft ones and well, Roloson's bad roll got him pulled after the second period. The game:
♦ Hall scored just 13 seconds into the game (a cool goal too I must add), followed by some quick saves by Roloson, giving the Bolts a flying start. But things got really crazy in the second period as the Bruins scored five goals
♦ Roloson had a great first period, dealing with 18 shots on goal and letting in just one. Things went downhill for him in the second period, as the Bruins upped the intensity. The Bruins had 8 shots on goal and 5 actually went in. Roloson did not return for the third period. That actually made me sad a bit, because he was on such a great roll going into this game
♦ Timmie had some floppy moments during the game, and that last goal by Moore, whatever was going on there with Timmie and his D-man McQuaid, it did not look very good ;) ... but still, he was there when most needed as he fended of a great deal of attempts by the Bolts in the final minutes of the game
♦ Up until the third period SOG were pretty equal. Bruins had 27 and the Bolts had 26. But you could tell the urgency the Bolts felt. They were really hunting for a game equaliser and had 15 shots on goal in the final period, making a grand total of 41. The Bruins only had 8, totalling 35.
I bet Seguin had the best night. He did not get to play in the first two rounds as for obvious reasons the coach went with Bergeron and of course Julien is protecting this awesome rookie. But with Bergeron injured he got his chance in Game 1 and what a great start he had with that marvelous goal. Coach Julien is easing him into the hardships of playoffs hockey: time on ice in Game 1: 9.38. Time on ice in Game 2: 13.31. I like that about a coach. With two Playoffs games under his belt and already an impressive 3/3 in points, you cannot help but wonder if this guy is the one who will make a difference this series. Personally I do not like to put that kind of pressure on youngsters. But he looks calm and collected and he did tell us after Game 1 that the first goal took the pressure of things for him and that he is really just focusing on what he is good at: skating and shooting. He has also been listening to the advice provided by the likes of Mike Recchi and in the post-game interviews you can just see how proud his teammates are of his progress. Wonderful to see.
Not perfect, but definitely exciting hockey, I knew it! Looking forward to Game 3.
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Twitter Time #6 | Richie's Riot | May 17th, 2011
Mike Richards always has a bit of a strained relationship with reporters by the looks of it. Most of the time he sounds rather grumpy when answering reporters' questions and not just after lost games ;) ... but I get it, not everyone can keep smiling when yet another reporter asks yet another similar/annoying/stupid question!
And now our Richie is on Twitter. I am guessing he will never be the tweetmeister of the NHL, but the few tweets he did drop already produced a few memorable ones. Let me quote:
Michael Richards
One word for Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun.....NERD!!!!!!
And now our Richie is on Twitter. I am guessing he will never be the tweetmeister of the NHL, but the few tweets he did drop already produced a few memorable ones. Let me quote:
Michael Richards
One word for Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun.....NERD!!!!!!
Michael Richards
Tim Panaccio thinks I'm moody and withdrawn with him. Maybe because he writes articles that are no where close to being true
BOOM! There you have it guys. Go Richie!!
PS What amused me after the one about Steve Simmons is that he got some support from Leafs fans agreeing with him, although I also recall someone replying 'he should grow a pair'. Twitter is so amusing!
Tim Panaccio thinks I'm moody and withdrawn with him. Maybe because he writes articles that are no where close to being true
BOOM! There you have it guys. Go Richie!!
PS What amused me after the one about Steve Simmons is that he got some support from Leafs fans agreeing with him, although I also recall someone replying 'he should grow a pair'. Twitter is so amusing!
Monday, 16 May 2011
Playoffs Daily | WCF Game 1 | May 16th, 2011
Maybe I am biased, but Game 1 was hardly one to write home about. Getting excited about this series is not easy for me. How I wish the Red Wings would have been playing rather than the Sharks.
[Sharks-Nucks] 2-3. Nucks lead series 1-0. I watched this game and it was an odd one. First of all the Sharks outskated the Nucks for a large part of the game. The Nucks looked like they were having a hard time following suit. But they played smart enough to stay out of major trouble and actually outshot the Sharks in all three periods. But it were the Sharks who draw first blood, which was actually unexptected as just moments before Niemi was fending op multiple attacks by Kesler and Bieksa. Early in the second period Lapierre scored his first goal of the playoffs to equalise the game and seven minutes later the Sharks grabbed the lead again and for a while looked to be back in the game. But at some point the Nucks managed to regain control. It did not look pretty and each puck-possession was hard fought for but they kept at it and seven minutes into the third period Bieksa scored. A minute or so later Sedin scored the winning goal on a PP.
Well, judging by the way I wrote that up, I suppose I will be rooting for the Nucks, eventhough The Coins disagree. What Coins you ask?
Click here to read about The Coins and my Whimsical Playoffs Predictions
[Sharks-Nucks] 2-3. Nucks lead series 1-0. I watched this game and it was an odd one. First of all the Sharks outskated the Nucks for a large part of the game. The Nucks looked like they were having a hard time following suit. But they played smart enough to stay out of major trouble and actually outshot the Sharks in all three periods. But it were the Sharks who draw first blood, which was actually unexptected as just moments before Niemi was fending op multiple attacks by Kesler and Bieksa. Early in the second period Lapierre scored his first goal of the playoffs to equalise the game and seven minutes later the Sharks grabbed the lead again and for a while looked to be back in the game. But at some point the Nucks managed to regain control. It did not look pretty and each puck-possession was hard fought for but they kept at it and seven minutes into the third period Bieksa scored. A minute or so later Sedin scored the winning goal on a PP.
Well, judging by the way I wrote that up, I suppose I will be rooting for the Nucks, eventhough The Coins disagree. What Coins you ask?
Click here to read about The Coins and my Whimsical Playoffs Predictions
Sunday, 15 May 2011
IIHF World Championship | Final Day | May 15th 2011
Whatever I thought about the final day of the World Championship, I could not have foreseen what actually transpired. Not sure if I should call it a historic day, but I think I will. What a rush!
[Bronze Medal Game]
Czech Republic versus Russia. I had expected to see these guys in the Gold Medal Game so was I disappointed? Yes. But I collected myself and decided that a Bronze would be great for the Russians too. Not that I dislike the Czechs or anthing. I like them. But I have a soft spot for Russia in my hockey heart that goes back to the days of the USSR. I could not tune in for the first two periods though and what a pitty that was! I certainly missed much of a very entertaining game, because as I joined the game in the third period my yaw hit the floor. It was 5-4 for the Czechs! First off all I would have rather seen it the other way around. Second of all, what was up? Were they playing some sort of fun exhibition game where they just let eachother score a few for fun's sake?! While I read up on the state of affairs of the first second periods, the Czechs scored again making it 6-4. They finished the game with an empty net goal and we ended up with the highest number of goals scored in a Bronze Medal game in, well, forever. In short:
♦ 7-4. That is a lot of goals ;)
♦ The Russians twice gave up a lead
♦ Both goalies were left hung out to dry
♦ Russians feel they made too many mistakes, but with a score like this, mistakes must have been rife on both sides
♦ Notable Czech player: Cervenka with a hatt trick
♦ Notable Russian player: Kovalchuck (nice one Kovi, who surpassed Ovi in scoring prowess for the Russians)
[Gold Medal Game]
Sweden versus Finland. A nice Nordic game. I was indifferent to the outcome of this game, although I must admit I had a slight preference for Sweden. I skipped the first two periods and by the time I joined the game it was second intermission and the score was an even 1-1. So I prepared myself for a dull third period. I could not have been more wrong. Just a few minutes into the third period the Finns scored and shortly after they scored again, making it 3-1. The Swedish coach called a time-out and I thought the Swedes would do one of their famous comebacks again, but instead the Finns were hungry for more goals and kept up the pressure. And I do not know why the Swedes collapsed like they did, but in the final 3.5 minutes of the game the Finns netted 3 more goals and quite frankly made the Swedish D look like a bunch of schoolgirls. There is something magical about a team that abandons all fears and just plays like there is no tomorrow and yes, the Finns made it look so easy. 6-1. That is some schooling. Well done Finns! Your energy and exuberance made me smile a big smile!
Well, that concludes a wonderful two weeks of international hockey. None of my favourites took home a medal, but that does not matter. Much! I saw many great games and what can I say, hockey is the best sport in the world. Can hardly wait for next year!
[Bronze Medal Game]
Czech Republic versus Russia. I had expected to see these guys in the Gold Medal Game so was I disappointed? Yes. But I collected myself and decided that a Bronze would be great for the Russians too. Not that I dislike the Czechs or anthing. I like them. But I have a soft spot for Russia in my hockey heart that goes back to the days of the USSR. I could not tune in for the first two periods though and what a pitty that was! I certainly missed much of a very entertaining game, because as I joined the game in the third period my yaw hit the floor. It was 5-4 for the Czechs! First off all I would have rather seen it the other way around. Second of all, what was up? Were they playing some sort of fun exhibition game where they just let eachother score a few for fun's sake?! While I read up on the state of affairs of the first second periods, the Czechs scored again making it 6-4. They finished the game with an empty net goal and we ended up with the highest number of goals scored in a Bronze Medal game in, well, forever. In short:
♦ 7-4. That is a lot of goals ;)
♦ The Russians twice gave up a lead
♦ Both goalies were left hung out to dry
♦ Russians feel they made too many mistakes, but with a score like this, mistakes must have been rife on both sides
♦ Notable Czech player: Cervenka with a hatt trick
♦ Notable Russian player: Kovalchuck (nice one Kovi, who surpassed Ovi in scoring prowess for the Russians)
[Gold Medal Game]
Sweden versus Finland. A nice Nordic game. I was indifferent to the outcome of this game, although I must admit I had a slight preference for Sweden. I skipped the first two periods and by the time I joined the game it was second intermission and the score was an even 1-1. So I prepared myself for a dull third period. I could not have been more wrong. Just a few minutes into the third period the Finns scored and shortly after they scored again, making it 3-1. The Swedish coach called a time-out and I thought the Swedes would do one of their famous comebacks again, but instead the Finns were hungry for more goals and kept up the pressure. And I do not know why the Swedes collapsed like they did, but in the final 3.5 minutes of the game the Finns netted 3 more goals and quite frankly made the Swedish D look like a bunch of schoolgirls. There is something magical about a team that abandons all fears and just plays like there is no tomorrow and yes, the Finns made it look so easy. 6-1. That is some schooling. Well done Finns! Your energy and exuberance made me smile a big smile!
Well, that concludes a wonderful two weeks of international hockey. None of my favourites took home a medal, but that does not matter. Much! I saw many great games and what can I say, hockey is the best sport in the world. Can hardly wait for next year!
Playoffs Daily | ECF Game 1 | May 15th, 2011
Stayed up way too late last night and caught the first two periods and then I just fell asleep! It was not the best ever first game and I was a bit disappointed in the Bruins.
[Bolts-Bruins] 5-2. Bolts lead series 1-0. The game started cautiously. Both teams seemed to be testing the water so to speak. Some decent enough passing where the Bolts seemed to prefer a bit more speed and the Bruins were taking things more slowly, looking for opportunities and playing a much more controlled game. So the first goal the Bolts scored surprised me a bit. But not so much as the second and third Bolts goals! All within one minute and 25 seconds! Timmie was doing a great Timmie Tuna ... flopping all over the place. It makes him more human though, without these moments he would be a total awesome relentless goalie machine hahah. For a minute I thought they would send in Rask at this point, but then I remembered these are not the Flyers ;) ... other than that it was not all on Thomas, the D-guys totally let him down too there. It was nice to see Seguin score a couple of minutes later though and I thought they might do a bit better after getting rid off that zero on the scoreboard, but I must say that the second period did not impress me much. And of course I missed the third, so no idea how that one went, but the end result 5-2 tells me the Bolts' rather more energetic skating got the best of the Bruins and that the Bruins will have to ramp up their next game. Looking forward to it!
[Bolts-Bruins] 5-2. Bolts lead series 1-0. The game started cautiously. Both teams seemed to be testing the water so to speak. Some decent enough passing where the Bolts seemed to prefer a bit more speed and the Bruins were taking things more slowly, looking for opportunities and playing a much more controlled game. So the first goal the Bolts scored surprised me a bit. But not so much as the second and third Bolts goals! All within one minute and 25 seconds! Timmie was doing a great Timmie Tuna ... flopping all over the place. It makes him more human though, without these moments he would be a total awesome relentless goalie machine hahah. For a minute I thought they would send in Rask at this point, but then I remembered these are not the Flyers ;) ... other than that it was not all on Thomas, the D-guys totally let him down too there. It was nice to see Seguin score a couple of minutes later though and I thought they might do a bit better after getting rid off that zero on the scoreboard, but I must say that the second period did not impress me much. And of course I missed the third, so no idea how that one went, but the end result 5-2 tells me the Bolts' rather more energetic skating got the best of the Bruins and that the Bruins will have to ramp up their next game. Looking forward to it!
Playoffs 2011 Predictions | Witchcrafting Part Trois | May 15th, 2011
My Whimsical Playoffs Predictions - New & Improved Once Again
My post-QF predictions were horrible lol ... only got one right, so here my new predictions for the Conference Finals and the SC Finals.
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
[Bolts vs Bruins]
I thought the Caps would beat the Bolts but I think the Hockey Gods were sending me a message when I posted my previous predictions. As I hit the 'publish post'-button, huge thunder bolts lit up the sky. So let me have a look outside ... it is dark and a bit windy, but no thunder & lightning in sight. I will go with the Bruins *keeps an eye on the sky whilst posting*. 4-2 Bruins.
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
[Nucks vs Sharks]
How much I would have loved to see a Nucks - Red Wings match up. But no, the Sharks made it this far instead. I want the Sharks out. Enough is enough. Nucks will get this one. Just no idea how tough it will be. I think I will go to The Coins for help, eventhough they did not help me much with my Flyers-Bruins prediction. Damn. The Coins disagree with me. They say it will be a seven-games series and the Sharks will ultimately win. OK. 4-3 Sharks.
STANLEY CUP FINALS
[Bruins vs Sharks]
This does not even look close to my dream in which the Flyers meet the Red Wings and the Flyers bring the Cup to Philadelphia ... but I am all in for a Eastern Conference win, so goooooooo Bruins! They win the Cup in six games. 4-2 Bruins.
My post-QF predictions were horrible lol ... only got one right, so here my new predictions for the Conference Finals and the SC Finals.
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
[Bolts vs Bruins]
I thought the Caps would beat the Bolts but I think the Hockey Gods were sending me a message when I posted my previous predictions. As I hit the 'publish post'-button, huge thunder bolts lit up the sky. So let me have a look outside ... it is dark and a bit windy, but no thunder & lightning in sight. I will go with the Bruins *keeps an eye on the sky whilst posting*. 4-2 Bruins.
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
[Nucks vs Sharks]
How much I would have loved to see a Nucks - Red Wings match up. But no, the Sharks made it this far instead. I want the Sharks out. Enough is enough. Nucks will get this one. Just no idea how tough it will be. I think I will go to The Coins for help, eventhough they did not help me much with my Flyers-Bruins prediction. Damn. The Coins disagree with me. They say it will be a seven-games series and the Sharks will ultimately win. OK. 4-3 Sharks.
STANLEY CUP FINALS
[Bruins vs Sharks]
This does not even look close to my dream in which the Flyers meet the Red Wings and the Flyers bring the Cup to Philadelphia ... but I am all in for a Eastern Conference win, so goooooooo Bruins! They win the Cup in six games. 4-2 Bruins.
Friday, 13 May 2011
IIHF World Championship | Day 14 & Day 15 | May 13th, 2011
Guys, the Blogger user interface was down for two days, keeping me from posting! *shakes an angry fist at Blogger*. I have had a lot of catching up to do. Will keep the IIHF WC overview short and sweet. Or maybe just short if it turns out to be a boring read lol
Day 14
[Finland-Norway] 4-1. Sad for my buddy Ferdinand, he is Norwegian and quite possibly the biggest Polar Bears fan in the world. I was at work, so I kept an eye on the score on the IIHF site. And when I saw that Norway had the first goal I was pleasantly surprised, but then Finland upped the ante and scored four goals, all in the second period. Norway had no response so they failed to beat the Finns for the 17th or so time.
[Canada-Russia] 1-2. This was a tough game for me. Historically speaking I will root for Canada over the USA, but I will root for Russia over Canada. This year so many of my Leafies were playing for Canada that I had a slight preference for Canada. I have not seen the game, but all reports are saying this was an awesome game. And a Twitter buddy of mine who was actually at the game sent several updates and was especially positive about the atmosphere in the arena and the great hockey played by these great hockey nations. So the Canada loss was harsh, but at the same times seeing Russia move on was splendid in its own right.
Day 15
[Czech Republic-Sweden] 2-5. After that awesome win over the USA, you would think the Czechs would bring that momentum to their next game. Instead they allowed the Swedes to dominate them. First period was a snoozefest but then the Swedes turned up the pressure and although the Czechs managed to score first, the Swedes simply outshot them leading to a lead at the end of the second period. And they kept it up in the final period, making it a rather huge 5-2 win.
[Finland-Russia] 3-0. Yes I know the Finns are a great team. But I really needed a bit of hockey happiness after a rough time as a fan. Flyers swept by the Bruins. The Red Wings nearly fought back to a series win after a 3-0 game deficit, but then lost Game 7. The Canadians got sent home by the Russians. Does a girl not deserve some hockey happiness? Probably not, because Russia got ousted. I watched the second period and a bit of the third. But after the 2-0 I gave up. I will normally watch any game, suffer the worst of losses, but today I just could not keep it up.
I hope that the Swedes clinch the gold on Sunday and if luck will have it I hope for a bronze medal for the Russians. Right now I need an Advil ;)
Day 14
[Finland-Norway] 4-1. Sad for my buddy Ferdinand, he is Norwegian and quite possibly the biggest Polar Bears fan in the world. I was at work, so I kept an eye on the score on the IIHF site. And when I saw that Norway had the first goal I was pleasantly surprised, but then Finland upped the ante and scored four goals, all in the second period. Norway had no response so they failed to beat the Finns for the 17th or so time.
[Canada-Russia] 1-2. This was a tough game for me. Historically speaking I will root for Canada over the USA, but I will root for Russia over Canada. This year so many of my Leafies were playing for Canada that I had a slight preference for Canada. I have not seen the game, but all reports are saying this was an awesome game. And a Twitter buddy of mine who was actually at the game sent several updates and was especially positive about the atmosphere in the arena and the great hockey played by these great hockey nations. So the Canada loss was harsh, but at the same times seeing Russia move on was splendid in its own right.
Day 15
[Czech Republic-Sweden] 2-5. After that awesome win over the USA, you would think the Czechs would bring that momentum to their next game. Instead they allowed the Swedes to dominate them. First period was a snoozefest but then the Swedes turned up the pressure and although the Czechs managed to score first, the Swedes simply outshot them leading to a lead at the end of the second period. And they kept it up in the final period, making it a rather huge 5-2 win.
[Finland-Russia] 3-0. Yes I know the Finns are a great team. But I really needed a bit of hockey happiness after a rough time as a fan. Flyers swept by the Bruins. The Red Wings nearly fought back to a series win after a 3-0 game deficit, but then lost Game 7. The Canadians got sent home by the Russians. Does a girl not deserve some hockey happiness? Probably not, because Russia got ousted. I watched the second period and a bit of the third. But after the 2-0 I gave up. I will normally watch any game, suffer the worst of losses, but today I just could not keep it up.
I hope that the Swedes clinch the gold on Sunday and if luck will have it I hope for a bronze medal for the Russians. Right now I need an Advil ;)
Playoffs Daily | SF Game 7 | May 13th, 2011
Oh no! My last legit favourite has been ousted from the Playoffs. Very sad about this. Funny bit ... I woke up around 5.30am my time and checked my BlackBerry and saw there were still five minutes on the clock, so I got up, watched the final five minutes and then went to bed again to sleep a few more hours lol ... I'm such a hockey addict!
[Red Wings-Sharks] 2-3. Sharks win series 4-3. I feel even more sad about this than about my Flyers getting booted out. This was just such an exciting series and I really appreciate the hard work the Wings put in to tie the series. Losing Game 7 is almost an ant-climax. But I will forever remember this series and for what it is worth, I am glad that in keeping with the rest of the series, the Wings kept on fighting for a goal till the very end. I would have been upset if they had a lead only to squander it along the line. And it is nice that Datsyuk and Zetterberg scored. Should I be giving kudos to the Sharks? Maybe, but I just do not like them much and frankly I thought the Wings played better on the whole. Just unlucky in at least two of the games they lost early on. And last night, well it was quite a battle. One team not wanting to choke again, the other trying to accomplish the ultimate comeback. How I wish they had made it.
With all the SF games played it is time for me to update my Whimsical Playoffs Predictions. There will be a lot of revision to do, because for me the second round was pretty much abysmal. I will post a review of the old predictions and post new ones soon!
[Red Wings-Sharks] 2-3. Sharks win series 4-3. I feel even more sad about this than about my Flyers getting booted out. This was just such an exciting series and I really appreciate the hard work the Wings put in to tie the series. Losing Game 7 is almost an ant-climax. But I will forever remember this series and for what it is worth, I am glad that in keeping with the rest of the series, the Wings kept on fighting for a goal till the very end. I would have been upset if they had a lead only to squander it along the line. And it is nice that Datsyuk and Zetterberg scored. Should I be giving kudos to the Sharks? Maybe, but I just do not like them much and frankly I thought the Wings played better on the whole. Just unlucky in at least two of the games they lost early on. And last night, well it was quite a battle. One team not wanting to choke again, the other trying to accomplish the ultimate comeback. How I wish they had made it.
With all the SF games played it is time for me to update my Whimsical Playoffs Predictions. There will be a lot of revision to do, because for me the second round was pretty much abysmal. I will post a review of the old predictions and post new ones soon!
IIHF World Championship | Roster Upgrades | May 13th, 2011
Yesterday it was just a rumour but TSN reports that Datsyuk will indeed join the Russian team. Bykov apparently kept a spot open just in case the Red Wings would not make it past the Semis.
Bad news for the Wings, but I will enjoy seeing Datsyuk play for Russia! But we need to be realistic here, the Russians must first beat the Finns I mean, would he fly over for the Bronze medal game? Probably, but a Golden medal game would be more awesome.
Bad news for the Wings, but I will enjoy seeing Datsyuk play for Russia! But we need to be realistic here, the Russians must first beat the Finns I mean, would he fly over for the Bronze medal game? Probably, but a Golden medal game would be more awesome.
IIHF World Championship | Day 13 | May 11th, 2011
Just a quick round up of the day. Day 13. It sure was a bad luck day for two of the teams. Really? Team USA? Really? Read on.
[Czech Republic-USA] 4-0. Jagr. What a hockey deity! They guy is twice the age of some rookies, but still plays top-notch hockey. And today he led the Czechs to a shut-out victory, with a hat trick! Mike Komisarek gave the reporters some spin about how the team is young and lacks the international experience, but come on, we all expected them to better than this right? I am OK with the Czech win though. I think we may be looking at the Champions here. Eventhough Canada are still my personal faves. But I could live with the Czechs claiming the title.
And then Blogger went down for two days and ate this article! They rerolled it all and got me back this article in draft form. But missing half of it! What did I write about the other game?
[Sweden-Germany] 5-2. Germany started unlucky this Day 13 by allowing a first goal in the first minute. I hear you think 'Why is this unluck? It happens often'. You are right, but does it happen twice in a row that the first goal was not scored by the opponent but in fact by your very own D-man? Indeed, that is rotten luck. I am not sure if there is a way to practice on avoiding this, but if so, extra training might be called for! The German had a rough first period and the third was not much better. In fact, as soon as the Swedes scored yet another goal all the fighting spirit the German still had simply left. My German buddy Sven said they sure gave it their best shot, but in the end the Swedes were simply better.
[Czech Republic-USA] 4-0. Jagr. What a hockey deity! They guy is twice the age of some rookies, but still plays top-notch hockey. And today he led the Czechs to a shut-out victory, with a hat trick! Mike Komisarek gave the reporters some spin about how the team is young and lacks the international experience, but come on, we all expected them to better than this right? I am OK with the Czech win though. I think we may be looking at the Champions here. Eventhough Canada are still my personal faves. But I could live with the Czechs claiming the title.
And then Blogger went down for two days and ate this article! They rerolled it all and got me back this article in draft form. But missing half of it! What did I write about the other game?
[Sweden-Germany] 5-2. Germany started unlucky this Day 13 by allowing a first goal in the first minute. I hear you think 'Why is this unluck? It happens often'. You are right, but does it happen twice in a row that the first goal was not scored by the opponent but in fact by your very own D-man? Indeed, that is rotten luck. I am not sure if there is a way to practice on avoiding this, but if so, extra training might be called for! The German had a rough first period and the third was not much better. In fact, as soon as the Swedes scored yet another goal all the fighting spirit the German still had simply left. My German buddy Sven said they sure gave it their best shot, but in the end the Swedes were simply better.
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Playoffs Daily | SF Game 6 | May 11th, 2011
I just have to post this article, eventhough it is very baren. Just have the need to say WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
[Sharks-Red Wings] 1-3. Series tied at 3-3. I am so on the edge of my seat for this series. To me it is just amazing how the Wings rebounded after that 3-0 series deficit. Yes yes, veteran team, talented players etc etc, but a 3-0 is not something you just recover from. I am going to watch this game as soon as I get home and if time permits rewrite this post with additional insights.
In the mean time, CLICK HERE to see how Gordie Howe stuns Jimmy Howard. It was really cute! lol
{edit} Watched the game! What an energetic first period! It almost felt like watching a continuous hectic OT. The Red Wings were really offensive and I must say that Niemi bailed the Sharks out on numerous occasions. Not that the Sharks were without good opportunities, but much of the game took place in front of the Sharks' goal. Niemi had eighteen saves, Howard six in this period. No goals though. Which was amazing considering the chances. Second period continued in much the same vein. Red Wing Cleary had one of the more prolific chances as he broke away and put one past Niemi. At least everyone in the arena including the commentator thought so. It hit the goal post, but it sure was close. The game continued in a rather hectic manner and both the Sharks and Wings were chasing the puck all over the ice. Main difference was that the Wings were skating better and had more puck-time. A goalless, but very entertaining second period. Especially as in the final second we saw Holmstrom make a summersault as he tried to score a goal. Oh yeah. Let me add a pic.
And then came the third period. Slightly less energetic and I must say that despite knowing the outcome, I was a bit down after the Sharks scored. The Wings had so many opportunities so it was harsh to see this happen. But the Wings just did not give up. They kept creating opportunities and again some instances where Niemi had to do some crazy contortionistic moves to keep the zero up on the board for the Wings. But then the Wings soared, that Zetterberg/Kronwall/Filippula goal was awesome! Filippula then got the second goal with help from Datsyuk and Helm secured the win with an emptynetter. What a great game and again, Datsyuk was splendid! But then again so was everyone else on the squad! I am already nervous for Game 7!
[Sharks-Red Wings] 1-3. Series tied at 3-3. I am so on the edge of my seat for this series. To me it is just amazing how the Wings rebounded after that 3-0 series deficit. Yes yes, veteran team, talented players etc etc, but a 3-0 is not something you just recover from. I am going to watch this game as soon as I get home and if time permits rewrite this post with additional insights.
In the mean time, CLICK HERE to see how Gordie Howe stuns Jimmy Howard. It was really cute! lol
{edit} Watched the game! What an energetic first period! It almost felt like watching a continuous hectic OT. The Red Wings were really offensive and I must say that Niemi bailed the Sharks out on numerous occasions. Not that the Sharks were without good opportunities, but much of the game took place in front of the Sharks' goal. Niemi had eighteen saves, Howard six in this period. No goals though. Which was amazing considering the chances. Second period continued in much the same vein. Red Wing Cleary had one of the more prolific chances as he broke away and put one past Niemi. At least everyone in the arena including the commentator thought so. It hit the goal post, but it sure was close. The game continued in a rather hectic manner and both the Sharks and Wings were chasing the puck all over the ice. Main difference was that the Wings were skating better and had more puck-time. A goalless, but very entertaining second period. Especially as in the final second we saw Holmstrom make a summersault as he tried to score a goal. Oh yeah. Let me add a pic.
 |
| Hockey + Summersault = Fun |
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
IIHF World Championship | Day 12 | May 10th, 2011
A night without hockey now seems very boring. With the Championship coming to a close soon, I better get used to it. Not to mention I have nothing much to write about for Day 12. I even tried to involve some friends, trying to figure out what one does on days like these, but we did not get much further than:
Artyukhin is a mean mother ... watch your language! ... hockey player. But with some polishing would not mind having him on the Flyers ;)
Team USA is underperforming. Why? If nothing else, you would think they would do it for honour
Finnish hockey commentators (or maybe it was just one, hard to tell) are very crazy. The way they get into things gives me a heart attack, probably even more so because I have no idea what the hell they are talking about
The IIHF site is a dark, evil dungeon that makes it almost impossible to find useful data, such as an overview of the standings. Sure it is there and eventually I found it with some help, but it is nuts how they hide one of the most important aspects of the tournament ;)
Finland sent in the worst ever entry to the Eurovision. The dude cannot sing at all. Beware of a dude call Paradise Oskar singing Da Da Dam. What? Wait! Paradise Oskar? No bloody wonder. Wonder how well he will do, the show is that crazy that even the most awful songs can come out on top. But I digress again, back to hockey ... at least the Finnish hockey squad is alright ;)
Thankfully we will have hockey tomorrow! Yay!
*goes back to watching some awful singing, dreaming of hockey*
- working
- managing a boys football (aka soccer in some regions of this world) team
- testing a cryo-chamber (must find out more about this)
- eat a lot, and
- like me, watching the Eurovision Song Contest lol
Polar Bears is the nickname for the Norwegian team. And that also explains why one my FB mates has many a photo of himself in a bear suit :D
Artyukhin is a mean mother ... watch your language! ... hockey player. But with some polishing would not mind having him on the Flyers ;)
Team USA is underperforming. Why? If nothing else, you would think they would do it for honour
Finnish hockey commentators (or maybe it was just one, hard to tell) are very crazy. The way they get into things gives me a heart attack, probably even more so because I have no idea what the hell they are talking about
The IIHF site is a dark, evil dungeon that makes it almost impossible to find useful data, such as an overview of the standings. Sure it is there and eventually I found it with some help, but it is nuts how they hide one of the most important aspects of the tournament ;)
Finland sent in the worst ever entry to the Eurovision. The dude cannot sing at all. Beware of a dude call Paradise Oskar singing Da Da Dam. What? Wait! Paradise Oskar? No bloody wonder. Wonder how well he will do, the show is that crazy that even the most awful songs can come out on top. But I digress again, back to hockey ... at least the Finnish hockey squad is alright ;)
Thankfully we will have hockey tomorrow! Yay!
*goes back to watching some awful singing, dreaming of hockey*
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)