Hunger: Stanley Cup Finals Game 2; Senators 0, Ducks 1
50 Comments Published by Sherry on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 at 11:58 PM.
7:08 pm - I sort of had the idea of skipping dinner again, but andg it I'm hungry. Looks like I may have to attempt to liveblog while eating dinner. The results may be messy.
I tell myself over and over again that I'm not superstitious but frankly I don't think I can fool myself any longer. I tried not to panic about the loss from last night, and I am still pretty calm. However, I did notice there were things that I usually do that resulted in a win that I didn't do last night.
So, I've repainted my nails Senators Red [or Racy Red, as Maybelline tells me], put on the lucky garments and now we wait.
Dinner break!
7:21 pm - Gino Reda tells us that the Pittsburgh Penguins will announce Sidney Crosby as their new Captain tomorrow. I suppose it was inevitable.
7:28 - Gino asks Pierre and Darren whether or not we'll see a much better Ottawa team tonight. Dodger rolls his eyes: "Well, we better". Darren agrees with him and answers, rather originally, "We better". Dodger's psychic. Or Darren stole his idea.
7:35 pm - The boys are out on the ice for their warm-up. Dodger is holding Charles Dickens back from lunging at the televsion when the Purple Ducks appear on screen.
7:40 pm - Heartwarming headliner with Giggy talking about his son, who was born without sight in his right eye.
7:50 pm - Think Hockey with Bryan Murray! He's talking about powerplays. Stop giving away your secrets!
7:54 pm - Scott Oake sits down with Teemu. I know why I don't like Oake, he represents the forces of evil! There's some footage of Mini Teemus on the ice practicing with original Teemu. If you're trying to get me to like you, kids are not the route to go. Scott asks the mini Teemus what they think of their father's face. One of them responds that it looks like a golf ball. Okay, that's sort of amazing.
8:02 pm - CBC shows some pre-game footage of Getzlaf putting on his suit jacket. Normally this is the type of thing that would make the ladies swoon but all I can think about is how much I want to have him filled in tonight. They then show Fisher getting out of a car with rock star glasses and I'm happy. See? It's not about being shallow. Don Cherry is wearing that purple, blue and white floral number he's worn before. He's also wearing sunglasses, perhaps to not be blinded by the glare of his suit. Good call. Cherry tells us that Bryan Murray has split up the big line and put Alfie on the line with Fisher. I've been hearing conflicting stories as I've read/heard that he will try to keep them together for awhile and see what happens. It's expected that Neil might take Alfie's place.
Elliotte pops in to tell us that Spezza has called his performance last game as the worst of his career and that he vows to be better. I know you will be, hun. I know why I love Elliotte, he represents the forces of ultimate good.
8:08 pm - Holly Cole was stop timing her singing of O Canada. not surprising since she's a jazz singer. I suggest you check out the song she did with guitarist Jesse Cook called "Fragile". It's pretty good.
Dawn Wright with a nice rendition of the American National Anthem. Except she did that annoying scooping and holding long notes for a long time in a shouty manner. You know, the thing that all those kids on American Idol like to do to show us how "great" they are.
19:00 - One of the linesmen tonight is from Jamaica! Awesome! Fisher wins the first face-off. We're doing better already! Fisher on a huge hit on Scott Niedermayer. "That's awesome!" count will continue. Emery with a couple of great saves after the Senators gave up an odd-man rush. Scratch what I said about the good start.
18:30 - Good prssure from Heatley to keep it in. He missed his man, but he's hitting people! Ottawa gets a penalty against Comrie for boarding somebody. Hey! he was just trying to protect his buddy. Neale tells us that Kelly laid a big hit on Vermette. I think he means Pahlsson.
17:10 - The puck is mercifully cleared after Emery makes a stop but didn't know where the puck was. Kelly creates a nice rush into the Ducks' zone but is pressured so he just lobs it in deep.
16:17 - Nice defensive play by an Ottawa player in front of the net to intercept the pass and clear the zone. Couldn't tell which one. I am as bad as Cole.
14:58 - Dear Redden, when you can clear the zone, clear the dang zone.
14:20 - Drew Miller is called for a pick at the blue-line and is off to the box. Time for a goal! And the Honda Centre is playing the Emperor's Theme from star Wars. Okay, that's kind of awesome.
13:26 - Big rebound off a shot from the blueline but Spezza couldn't get there in time! DANG IT. This close, he had the whole side of the net too. Corvo wide open in front but fanned on the shot. Now is not the time to do that!
12:58 - Seeing Meszaros being pressured like this is really making me nervous. Thankfully, nothing drastic happens. The CBC kindly tells us that the shots-on-goal is 0-5 for Anaheim. Oh, fudge.
12:05 - Perry is nailed hard into the boards by Volchenkov and a penalty is called. Sure, your PK is great, but considering how you're again being manhandled even strength, are you sure you want to be down a man to these guys? I may need to send Charles Dickens out on another beer run before the period is over.
Neale tells us that there's more hits in this game than in the baseball game where the Angels are playing. Come on, Harry, baseball doesn't need your help in promoting it.
11:25 - Emery is officially playing out of his mind. Apparently the shots are 8-1 for Anaheim. Bob said it was 8-1 for Ottawa. I'm willing to let that slide. I have bigger things to worry about. Like how the boys need to get it out of the zone.
10:45 - I go bonkers after another great save by Emery. Pity nobody else seems to be caring about how well he's playing.
9:48 - Volchenkov out of the box on a partial break but he stumbles going and is dumped near the net. Giggy's straw makes an appearance and I am angered again. We thankfully go into a commercial break so I can go through my breathing exercises to lower my blood prssure.
7:58 - McAmmond with proably the best shot ever but it hits a stick before it reaches the net. That was a nice change and I think the longest ever we've spent in the offensive zone. Unfortunately, that moment of brief happiness doesn't last long as the boys are once again on their heals in the defensive zone. They did manage to get a Powerplay out of it though. Okay boys, this time try scoring.
7:32 - Pronger is off on a slash. Normally I'd be happy about a 5-on-3 but it's a pretty well known fact that ours is unbelievably underwhelming. OH GOODNESS JUST SHOOT WILL YOU?
5:43 A sequence of mind-blowingly good chances and the boys can't get a goal. I am foaming at the mouth. This is the type of luck the boys have had all series. The puck is bouncing all oddly all over the the place. Giggy's just been playing like he's hopped on something. I wonder if this game will go any better if I start drinking more.
4:25 - I think we have a Sleek sighting as I see a shot of bright green among the crowd. We go into a commercial break as I feel the sudden urge to throw something from across the room. A glare from Charles Dickens discourages me from any acts of violence. We all know anything of that nature must begin and end with Charles Dickens himself.
3:53 - Another shot of bright green and I am more convinced it's Sleek. Right next to the penalty box? Obnoxious shade of Green? Must be right. Emery leaves a dangerous rebound but it's cleared from the danger area. This is not what I need to see when I'm teetering on the edge, here!
2:52 - Schubert puts it right on the stick of a Ducks' defenceman. I'm just not even going to say it. Redden does the same thing near the blue-line. I might start crying soon. The boys set up like they are on the PK. Emery mercifully hugs the puck to his chest. I seriously hope he tears into them during intermission.
1:52 - Somebody tell me how Fisher gets the roughing penalty for Perry interfering with him? We see the last sequence and it's sort of hilarious how Fisher absolutely goes bonkers on Perry after Perry has the nerve to punch him. OH NO YOU DI'INT!. I was somewhat shocked by how he completely lost it. And I kind of love it. He's usually so serene!
0:42 - Redden finally clears it after a bit of a scramble in front of the net.
0:00 - The horn goes and I'm ready to put my head in the freezer. No, it's not become that desperate. It's just really hot and I'm stubbornly keeping my jersey on.
I'll apologize right now if there are a million typos in these liveblogs as I'm using somebody else's laptop on a keyboard I'm not used to.
First Intermission
So, after the first period where I was ready to pull out my hair and go postal on everybody in the room, I suppose the optimist in me can look to the fact that it's still scoreless. Emery is standing on his head and if anybody else has anything more to say about him, I'll be ready to start taking names and shutting them up.
That being said, I seriously hope both Emery and Murray are currently ripping into them.
Don is talking to the top prospects right now, as he usually does. They look so little! You know they're little when they start naming Rick Nash as their favourite player. Nothing wrong with Rick Nash, but Nash is still a kid himself!
Sam Gagner from Oakville! Represent! The last prospect says his favourite player is Chris Pronger. I conveniently forget his name.
I've opted to take off the jersey but it's still lying on the couch. The logo is facing the TV directly, the piercing glare of the Roman Legionary right on his soldiers. I originally tried to put it on Charles Dickens but it didn't fit over his head. I think he's mad at me now. His anger is further compounded by the appearance of Mark Messier on the screen. We may need to chain him to the couch if this continues.
Second Period
19:24 - Harry tells us that 2nd periods have been the best for the Senators. This is usually the reerse of the regular season as the 2nd frame is usually their worst. That's good news I suppose. Neil has a great fore-check going as they manage to keep it deep in the offensive zone. Sad that I see that as something to be excited about now.
17:41 - I get excited too prematurely as Getzlaf comes around the net and the Ducks pressure the Senators and the boys once again have trouble clearing it.
16:54 - Alfie hands it off to Schaefer but it ends up bouncing over his stick. It stays in thanks to some crafy work by Corvo. He has another good shift keeping it in the zone but nothing happens. I suppose nothing is better than "the other team scoring".
15:45 - Emery is once again playing out his mind when he makes a huge save when practically half the net was empty. The Senators are once again scrambling around in their own zone and I decide not to waste my breath by telling them to get it the heck out.
14:37 - Amazingly, it's Anaheim that gets the icing call this time. We see a shot of Emery taking a sip from his water bottle. Without a straw. Like a normal person.
13:32 - Spezza turns it over in his own zone. Thankfully nothing results from it. I try to ignore the twitch that is developing in my right eye.
11:53 - Miller whiffs on a pass and the Senators seem generally disinterested in picking it up. Emery with another two great saves. Saprykin goes the other way but drills the shot high.
11:00 - The fourth line of McAmmond, Saprykin and Schubie have some great chances and have an awesome shift. By awesome I mean "it's in the offensive zone, there are actually shots on goal, and we actually have the puck for most of the time."
10:00 - Who do you think you're foolin' Rob? He's Ray [maternal-expletive] EMERY!
9:33 - The top line with a good shift in gaining the zone and creating a zone. Not a terribly hard shot from Heatley though and it's easily gloved by Giguere. Let's do more of that! Except you know, with the puck going in the net next time. Oh my goodness, we win another face-off! Unfortunately, we can't keep it in.
9:15 - Selanne with a bit of a tricky play but Emery's not being fooled by it. Of course! He's Ray [maternal-expletive] Emery! I'm going to be using that a lot tonight. So far, that's the only positive I can glean from tonight.
7:46 - Phillips picks off a cross-ice pass from the Ducks at centre ice and lobs it in deep. Saprykin centres it and mcAmmond with a shot but just can't beat Giguere. And they get another shot! FREAKIN' SAPRYKIN! And then the puck goes the other way and the Senators are on their heels again. Emery with another series of mind blowing saves. I am running out of adjectives to describe how wicked Emery's been tonight. I'm going to go look for a thesaurus.
5:27 - Volchenkov with a great defensive play to hit Selanne to take away his scoring chance. He stayed with his man!
I want to know why a blatant elbow from Beaucheminto the face of Comrie where he clearly sprung a leak wasn't called. The refs sure chose a heck of a time to swallow their whistles.
4:20 - Clear icing is waved off by the refs. I am about to go bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
3:14 - Perry falls again. He's sure doing his best Derek Roy impression.
0:24 - I take a brief intermission to help MamaScarlett with taking out the trash at Scarlett Ice HQ. Justice from Objectionable Conduct helpfully informs me that it's not Derek Roy, but rather Perry's Sidney Crosby impression. My mistake.
Second Intermission
Elliotte has this look of grave concern as he interviews Heatley. I know, Elliotte, I know how you feel. It's still scoreless, but even without my jersey, I'm still feeling a bit hot under the collar. I realize that's because the hamsters that spin the wheels that provides electricity for Scarlett Ice HQ has decided to turn off the air conditioning. FINE.
Dodger comes in from the basement after grabbing a new beverage and does a funny dance with no explanation. I don't even try to ask. This game has driven us all bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
Speaking of that particular Gwen song, do you folks in Canada ever watch Video on Trial on MuchMusic? It's basically a bunch of comedians making fun of music videos. They had a segment on "Hollaback Girl" and Ron Josol said that Gwen was so cute she could probably get away with spelling any fruit. Like Grapes! "G-R-A-P-E-S...E-S-E!" I don't know why that cracked me up.
Dodger wants to know why I'm playing 'The Sweet Escape' again. He didn't watch the Buffalo series. I don't have the patience or time to explain. He does some channel surfing and is surprised that the Biography channel is doing an episode on Wayne Gretzky. He says that he did a bio on good ol' Wayne when he was in high school. I feel sad to see that my drink is almost empty.
Eli Wilson is Emery's goaltending coach and he's talking to Ron and Kelly about how mind-blowingly, unbelievably beyond awesome he's been tonight. I'm a little distracted by his suit though. It's this sort of loose-fitting tan number. Emery ought to give him some fashion tips.
Snoop Dogg is in attendance signing autographs. Elliotte promises us that he'll be joining Scott Oake after the commercial break. Given Oake's penchant for inappropriate questions, I sort of can't wait to see that interview. Dodger asks the most redundant question ever: "Is he high?"
Oake makes some inappropriate "-izzle" jokes. Snoop is actually surprisingly coherent. He loves hockey! I sort of love Snoop now that he loves hockey. Dear NHL: get on THIS OPPORTUNITY, RIGHT NOW. Oake asks Snoop to throw it back to Bob for the third. I'm not even going to try to repeat what he said.
Third Period
19:50 - Ottawa starts off this period wonderfully by giving up a short-handed chance.
18:14 - Dodger is in absolute agony that the puck is loose and nobody could sink it. I've given up on expressing any agony. Snoop Dogg cheered me just a bit.
17:12 - Perry is given about a million years to come in and get the puck.
16:48 - EMERY PICKS UP A PUCK OFF THE CROSS-BAR AND I'm holding off the heart attack until it's actualy needed.
15:17 - Dodger shouts somewhat uselessly: "WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?!!", when the boys are once again running around like headless chickens deep in their own zone. He hasn't been watching these boys for as long as I have. I should explain that it'll go by a lot easier if you just sit there and accept it for what it is. And drink. Lots and lots of drink.
15:00 - Pahlsson reminds me somebody. Some actor dude that used to be on Alias. I've only seen about three episodes of Alias, so I don't know who he is. He played some evil dude? Sort of blonde? I'll google it later.
13:12 - Bob promises that the first goal will come sometime. Frankly, I probably won't be all that optimsitic when it finally does happen. That sentence didn't make a lot of sense did it?
11:35 - Selanne almost has a break but it's off-side. I see that as a good omen. I'm clearly clutching at straws here. Dodger has transferred his "That's awesome!" to Emery now. It is certainly well deserved.
10:27 - Shot of John Muckler. He looks very concerned. I want to send him some alcohol. It should help. Dodger exclaims that they're playing like headless chickens. That's what I said! Cole tells us that they've only had 15 shots on goal so far. I want to know what the heck these guys did to my real boys.
9:17 - Mad scramble in front of Emery. Senators of course fails to clear. They're stil looking for it. Rebound mercifully bounces over the stick of McDonald. Redden thankfully clears it away. Dodger just made the most wistful sigh I have ever heard in my life. I'm about ready to go into the corner and crumble into the fetal position.
8:16 - Dodger wants to watch MythBusters instead, I wave feebly at him to switch the channel since I can no longer form actual words.
6:09 - Dodger throws his head back onto the couch and groans: "Learn to pass". I retort that I think the more pressing need is to learn how to score. And about two seconds after I say that, Pahlsson scores.
5:38 - The goal is unassisted. I suggest giving it to Heatley or something.
5:08 - The Ducks ice the puck. I remember the Gin we got for Christmas that's still unopened. Dodger searches for shot glasses. And switches back to MythBusters. How the heck did he end up getting the remote control? Oh yeah, I gave it to him.
4:30 It's back in the zone, Giggy grabs it. Pronger pushes Heatley after the whistle. Pronger just needs to go somewhere that's not here.
4:08 - Ottawa loses the draw but they manage to keep it in. They follow that up by giving the puck away right onto the stick of a Ducks player. Perry is sprung but Phillips makes a great back-check to take away the scoring chance. Two players pile into the net. Seeing Emery just makes my heart hurt now.
3:15 - Schaefer hits the side of the net with a great chance and Dodger and I scream in agony at how it didn't go in. I'm beginning to think that going into Overtime would be cruel. Let's not prolong the agony.
1:36 - Perry is left in all alone in front and Meszaros plants him onto the ice. Oh, thank goodness somebody did.
1:00 - Emery wants to go to the bench. He finally does. Extra man comes on.
0:33 - Is it poor form if I turn off the TV right now?
0:10 - How about now? Alfie had two chances. He couldn't score.
0:04 - Now?
0:00 - Why do I even bother?
I tell Dodger he can go ahead and watch MythBuster if he wants. He says he'll give me some privacy. My head hurts. I'm trying to hold back tears. Especially in front of Charles Dickens. He doesn't react well to signs of weakness like this. I whine that the Ducks are going to win by being a bunch of thugs. Charles Dickens reassures me he knows people that know people. I don't know what the heck that means.
I'm surprisingly finding reassurance in what Don Cherry is saying. He says that the boys just need to calm down and not get into a panic mode. It'll be different when it goes back to our barn. The crowd will have to get back into it. They're going to have to be the 6th man out there with the team. The boys need your support and your help more than ever.
As bitter as it is for me to say it, they didn't deserve to win this game. They were scrambling for most of the play. They were on their heels, they were crumbling under the pressure. They had a putrid 16 shots on goal. 16 shots on goal. My head hurts from pouring all that Gin down my gullet, but that's less than 20, right? Less than they had less game, despite the promise of coming out with a stronger effort. They hadn't lost back-to-back games since mid-December. They chose a heck of time to start.
The one bright spot? Ray Emery stood on his head. He was lights out, he was clutch, he was unbelievably amazing. And all of those detractors need to shut the [expletive] up about him already because he performed when he needed to and he deserves a helluva lot better than what he got tonight.
Elliotte is talking to Alfie right now. His face is flushed red. He seems disappointed but not panicked. He has his usual calm demeanour. He's being strong for the cameras. Our captain worked hard out there, but unfortunately made some poor choices with the puck.
Two days off. We need a cooling off period, then it's back on the ice and finding that fire that drives you. Gut check time.
I have a stuffed platypus sitting on my bed. I might have to put him on my bookshelf for the night. It looks too much like a duck and it pains me a little to look at him. I'm sorry. I hope you understand.
There won't be a liveblog for game 3 on Saturday. I promise I'm not burying my head in the sand, [or at the bottom of a glass]. I'm going to a concert with my friends. I'm just hoping that I don't spend the whole night thinking about the game. Maybe it'll be a nice break for me.
You have to believe....
Labels: anaheim ducks, government silliness, liveblog, playoffs, round 4: anaheim ducks
Stanley Cup Finals Game 1: Senators 2, Ducks 3
32 Comments Published by Sherry on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 at 12:17 AM.
6:50 p.m. - It's a well-known fact that I'm usually a total wreck when it comes to game night. My stomach is in knots, I don't feel like eating and I need to go through my choral breathing exercises from those memorable years when I was in choir just to keep from hyper-ventilating.
But a couple of hours from puck-drop and I'm surprisingly calm. Maybe it's because I just don't know what to expect from this series. The Ducks are strangers to me, they're names on the board with no faces and all I know coming into this series is that the Senators are capable of some pretty darn good hockey.
So we'll see the state of my heart after the game starts. In the meantime, I've got a cold beverage and my jersey beside me ready to exercise its charm. I'm also going to be liveblogging on somebody else's laptop since it was already downstairs. It's also mostly in Chinese so you'll excuse me if there are any typos or foreign characters that pop up.
Oh and for those who are interested: The Governator knows that the Stanley Cup Finals start tonight! Hourray, validation! Too bad the other half of SoCal doesn't really care. Of course this is all done for a wager. If Anaheim wins, Dalton owes him a year's worth of Tim Horton's coffee, Ontario wines and a Roots Sweater. if Ottawa wins, Dalton gets a custom made California leather jacket and some wine. He should have held out for more!
7:32 pm - Trying to write about the pre-game show while eating dinner. Sponsored by Scotiabank! [the pre-game show, not the dinner]. That has to be good karma, right? When you're in the same house with a very persistent Asian mother, you eat dinner.
What the heck? Who is the crowd booing? Nothing's happened yet. People in SoCal might not care about hockey that much, but man are they loud. What's the over/under on what percentage of them are Sens fans?
7:44 p.m. - Ron is talking to Bettman about the salary cap. He insists that all of the teams either broke even or lost less money than they would have before the cap. That totally explains by Nashville was given $30 million in revenue sharing last year.
Bettman is trying to avoid the issue by telling Ron he's a party pooper for not talking about the Ducks and the Senators game. Ron insists on talking about the Sabres. Bettman insists he loves the Sabres. Bettman's looking a little flushed. Is he drunk?
Ron is foaming at the mouth to talk about the Sabres. Maybe you should just go marry the Sabres!
I have to admit I sort of sympathize with Bettman. Not for anything he's said or done. For the fact that I read somewhere that people who were taller made on average more money than people who were shorter. Seeing somebody who is also vertically challenged in such a position of power is very inspirational to me.
The Headliner is about the rebirth of the Senators. Man, watching that grainy footage of the announcement is making me a little teary. More beer!
Bruce Firestone has impeccable nails. Who's his manicurist?
Oh please, nobody is dumb enough to tank their season for Alexandre Daigle. Right?
8:00 PM - Pre-game montage. It's some sort of grungey male rock concoction. I'd love to be the person that puts these together. It would involve a lot of Indie Rock, wouldn't it be awesome?
A simple Google search tells me that the band is called Silkroad. Not surprisingly, they are used a lot in wrestling matches. You know, the fake ones.
By the way, if you guys know the code to make a jump tag for this entry, that'd be great. I don't want it to get too long and I'm not sure how to do the coding.
IT'S ARNOLD! PEOPLE HAVE TO CARE ABOUT US NOW!
Ron makes a joke that Don could be the Future Prime Minister and Arnold, the future President. That'd be an awesome premise for Terminator 4! And it'd be a documentary.
Two anthems away! Joining me on this liveblog endeavour are my friends Charles Dickens [a giant stuffed panda] and the Artful Dodger [actual, non-stuffed person]. When I invited my friends over for the finals last year no liveblogging got done because they were too distracting.
First Period
Pre-game - Here we go, the Senators in white [forces of ultimate good] and the Ducks in eggplant? Plum? [forces of evil]. Harry Neale and Bob Cole will be joined in the booth by Greg Millen. It's like a great big sandwich of incompetence. Do people not understand the concept of moment of silence? Are you drunk already? Nobody needs to hear you shout WOO-HOO over and over again.
Ryan Miller's younger brother Drew Miller will be in the line-up today, most likely on the top line. CrunchyJr has the same nose as original Crunchy.
Michael just dropped this off in my inbox. GO SENS GO!
19:24 - If there's rust, it's definitely on both sides. Good end-to-end action so far. Anaheim with two big hits so far.
19:07 - Scott Niedermayer off for high sticking. he can't possibly hurt us from the penalty box right?
18:22 - MIKE COMRIE WITH A POWERPLAY GOAL! Kind of a weird floater past Giguere. Comrie was just in the right place at the right time. That counts as "secondary" scoring right?
17:26 - Senators return the PowerPlay favour. Heatley trips up S. Niedermayer. Scottie, to his credit, didn't fall down like Heatley just shot him in the leg. Not that he would ever do something like that. I'm just used to seeing that happening. [Sorry Sabres fans, too soon?]
14:52 - Schubie just planted Pronger into the boards. I will never stop feeling a twinge of happiness when seeing something like that. Also, can somebody explain why he insists on wearing a helmet if the strap is going to be about 3 inches from his chin? That's just asking for trouble. Strap up your bucket properly, it's not cool.
Commercial break. Ottawa tourism commercials. Stop trying to tell me things, TV! Also, upon replay, it looks like the Comrie goal will go to Fisher.
13:26 - Senators have some trouble taking the puck out of the zone. heatley finally does but it's taken off of him again.
13:00 - Alfie takes a shot that floats by and Cole thinks he's scored but it ends up hitting something before it goes to the net. Somebody makes a brutal and blatant giveaway at centre ice. LET'S NOT DO THAT, OKAY?
11:25 - Great stop by Emery off of Perry at point-blank. Ducks continue on with the pressure. Pronger checks Phillips but he continues with the play and manages to get the puck out. We're spending an awfully large amount of time in our own zone boys, how about we do something about that?
9:34 - Dear Meszaros, you are getting knocked off of the puck WAY too easily than I am comfortable with.
9:05 - D'oh. Andy McDonald, high glove-side after Miller plants Redden into the boards and Redden can't clear the zone. See what happens when you don't clear the zone?
8:30 - Again with spending so much time in your own zone. Why are we setting up the box? Are we on the PK again and nobdy told me? Either these boys have forgotten how to play defensively or they are forcing Emery to face a billion shots so people will stop saying he's not tested enough. That's sweet, boys. NOW STOP IT.
Cole observes that it's mercifully sent down the ice. And we mercifully go into a TV time-out.
5:46 - Cole says that Pronger has one of the best outlet passes in the league. Hey, Redden, remember when that was you?
6:46 - Jackman goes all Wolverine on Comrie after he takes a shot after the whistle goes on the off-side. How about we make up for that poor lapse of judgment that was the last couple of minutes, okay?
4:03 - The crowd goes wild after Corvo gets dumped at the blue-line. See? Americans LOVE violence!
3:45 - Vermette with some good pressure in the offensive zone. Somebody get him a goal already! And a Selke.
2:56 - May jabs his stick in between Neil's legs off the face-off. Jackhole.
1:55 - Rebound in the crease. Emery thankfully freezes it in time. This is off of Emery wandering behind the net to handle the puck. I'm thinking we're better off him not doing that.
0:00 - Horn goes. THANK GOODNESS.
Charles Dickens says that he's not pleased with the Senators effort in the first period. Dodger tries to keep him from hijacking the HGcopter and flying down to Anaheim by telling him Murray is probably tearing a strip off of them right now. I go to the liquor cabinet and wonder if my parents would miss anything in there.
First Intermission - Don Cherry's suit is surprisingly tame tonight. A nice grey tweed number. Don goes on to tell us what a genius he is and make the poor interns roll out footage of past Coach's Corners for proof.
And special vintage footage of Chris Pronger with '80s hair talking about the Memorial Cup-----OH MY GOODNESS BABY REDDEN WITH BABY BIRON. And Baby Phillips. AND BABY SPEZZA. And by "baby" I mean before they were drafted.
I'm glad I was sober enough to see that. Spezza, you'll be glad to know was giggly then too. He's shown some improvement over the years.
Scott Oake asks CrunchyJr if his family is genetically incapable of bulking up. CrunchyJr is not amused but instead of telling Oake where he can take his question, answers rather diplomatically. Okay.
2nd Period
Elliotte tells us that the Senators were generally pleased with the way they played in the first period. I'm sorry, were they watching the same game as I was? I can't be that drunk already.
19:53 - Ottawa with some valiant forechecking but nothing happens. Until the Ducks take it back into the Ottawa zone.
19:01 - And of course Redden takes a penalty. Because why should anything actually go easy for these guys, right?
17:51 - From me to you: When you can clear the zone, lazily tipping it to the blue line onto the stick of Pronger might not be the most effective way to kill a penalty. Just a suggestion. Good stop by Emery to find the puck and freeze it.
17:08 - Getzlaf with an overly agressive cross-check on Comrie after fighting for the puck behind the net. Short-handed rush for the Ducks. Thanks guys, thats's real reassuring. Good on Redden for coming up to take away the odd-man chane and good for Emery for cutting off the angle.
15:49 - I know why I want bigger nets: STUPID CROSSBAR!
15:24 - REDDEN! A blast from the point after Giggy lost his stick. Let's try doing that five-on-five now! ISN'T SCORING GREAT?
13:48 - Emery is taking away all the angles as a point-blank shot is stopped. HOW DO YOU LKE HIM NOW?
Ryan Miller is here supporting his younger brother and Ryan Smyth is here as a guest of Comrie. Good times.
13:01 - Pahlsson with a slash. It'd be great to get another goal, actually it's IMPERATIVE we get a goal but the truth is our 5-on-3 has been surprisingly underwhelming this year. Giggy with a beautiful glove save off of Heatley.
12:05 - WOW that was a terrible PP sequence on our part. Why did nobody seem interested in the puck? DEAR EMERY: I DON'T CARE, STAY IN YOUR NET.
9:15 - Spezza, your blind passes stopped being cute awhile ago. When Alfie gift wraps it for you, you pull the trigger. Sorry, how's that for metaphors?
6:49 - Charles Dickens wants to know why the Senators insist on not getting it out. We have no answers. The Dodger asks to switch spots after seeing steam coming out of his ears. I wonder if maybe he's the one that's actually drunk.
Commercial break, I put on "The Sweet Escape" in hopes that Gwen Stefani magic will work. Dodger wants me to turn it off until he sees the Sidney Crosby Timbit commercial come on and asks me to turn up the volume to drown it out.
Elliotte is interviewing Ryan Smyth but I'm far too distracted by the gentleman sitting in front of him with a bright orange "Teemu" t-shirt sporting a mullet.
5:08 - Nice crossover from Alfie and Spezza but once again he waits a little bit too long to pull the trigger, still manages a shot on goal but it was a bit of a weak floater.
4:34 - These icing calls are starting to annoy me. How easily the Ducks are gaining the zone are also starting to annoy me. Man, I love that these two teams are getting scrappy ALREADY. Dodger rubs his eyes to make sure he just saw Vermette check somebody into the boards.
2:07 - EMERY MAKES A MIND-BLOWING SAVE off of a weird floating shot after once again the Senators make another lazy turnover. Volchenkov vacuums in another shot making his playoff total 106 blocked shots. 106?!!
1:57 - Cole tells us that it's time to vote for our 3-stars. Dodger wants to vote for Fisher. He might have a man-crush on him. I'm counting the number of times he said "That was awesome!" after he did something.
0:59 - That rebound off of Emery was horrendous but thank goodness it was cleared in time. THANK GOODNESS. NOW CLEAR THE ZONE.
0:00 - Shots were even for both sides 10-10 in the second period. Emery has made some pretty spectacular saves so far but he also has to watch his tendency to wander. I know you're bored hun, but excitement is not always a good thing.
That was a slightly better period from the boys. I think initially the Senators weren't used to the Ducks taking it to them physically but they managed to match that pretty well. They were skating much better but are still prone to really really really stupid giveaways, specifically at the offensive blue line. The fancy extra pass at the blue-line need to stop and they need to go back to getting it deep and coming in to fight for it.
Second Intermission - Ron is talking to Original Crunchy. He's not as hairy as CrunchyJr, with good reason I guess. Ron is asking him about the goalies now and is actually complimenting Emery's development. I guess he's a pretty cool dude.
GEORGE! Stroumbolopoulos [sp?] is talking about the "Bring Home the Cup" contest CBC is running and I try not to squee too loud lest I be mocked. Dodger wants to know why I didn't enter. I explain that one jersey and one stick on the wall does not a shrine make.
Mark Messier is on screen and I think I might hear Charles Dickens hiss at the TV.
Third Period
19:26 - And once again the top-line is knocked off the puck a little bit more easier than I would have liked. Thank goodness for an off-side call on the Ducks' rush.
18:50 - Fisher gets it in deep and then bumps his man. "That's Awesome" count is up to 6.
17:31 - Nice rush by Schubie and a back-hand that's stopped by Giggy. The boys are looking much better 5-on-5, oh wait Selanne with a good play and McDonald with a shot. No harm done though. Still, maybe I spoke too soon.
16:16 - I know that Rob Niedermayer is the less talented, less loved brother but he still has had a pretty good playoffs. So uh, how about we NOT give him that much room to walk in, all right? Also, why do we seem to not be winning face-offs?
15:00 - I have a heart attack after a huge juicy, Emery rebound.
14:36 - AH, CRAP. Getzlaf through the five-hole. Close that thing up next time! STOP GIVING AWAY THE PUCK NEXT TIME. [facepalm]
13:27 - The boys follow up that brilliant performance with Schubie taking a needless slashing penalty on S. Niedermayer. Charles Dickens rethinks his idea of benching Schubie.
11:43 - The puck is loose in the blue ice after Emery took some abuse from a Ducks player trying to poke the puck free. He thankfully finds the puck and covers up. I start to take names for people in Duck jerseys that need to be filled in next time.
10:24 - Alfie loses the puck to R. Niedermayer but Emery's not falling for it. THANK GOODNESS SOMEBODY ISN'T. And of course they are following up that sparkling performance by taking ANOTHER PENALTY.
9:54 - Millen tells us that the Senators have been outshot 8-0 in the third. I go rifling through the liquor cabinet again.
8:10 - Perry sends the puck to the blue-line but nobody is there. I breathe a little as the penalty is finally over.
6:52 - Scott takes a penalty and I am slightly optimistic. Cause we're certainly not scoring even strength!
5:31 - 42 seconds left on the powerplay. I'm not feeling so optimistic anymore. Muckler looks forlorne. I know how he feels.
5:00 - Neale congratulations the the Hamilton Bulldogs and the Hershey Bears and I am briefly happy thinking about how well the lil Dogs are doing. And then I'm brought back to reality that there's still a game ging on.
4:34 - Nice shot from Kelly but it's off the blocker of Giguere. Nice pressure from the Senators to keep it in and a couple of nice scoring chances. Let's do MORE of that!
3:07 - The Senators send it down the ice for an icing call. Because frankly when it's all the way down there, there's less of a chance it'll be in the back of the net. If you're going to keep doing that, you could at least try winning more faceoffs.
2:51 - Moen scores off a nice set-up from behind the net. I officially don't know how much more of this I could take.
1:45 - Fisher is working his arse off trying to make something happen. He also probably wants to know why he's the only one doing anthing. Charles Dickens wants to bench Meszaros now.
0:55 - HEY HERE'S AN IDEA ANAHEIM, you don't want us crashing your crease? Don't do it in ours! Yeah, I didn't think so.
0:44 - Pronger takes a hooking penalty. Last ditch effort for the boys to get the tying goal. It might be possible but I'm frankly not all that optimistic anymore.
0:00 - And it's done. 3-2 Anaheim. Giggy obnoxiously raises his arms like he just won the cup. SHUT UP! YOU DRINK FROM A STRAW.
So I had this really awesome post-game wrap-up typed up but the foreign computer crashed on me and I spent a ton of time trying to figure out how to make it stop typing in Chinese.
In any case, I'm surprisingly calm about this loss because to be honest, I don't think the Senators would have deserved to win this game considering they were dominated for most of the game.
Anyways, I think Emery had a really solid game although there were signs of nerve at the beginning. The Senators did come out with a lot of hustle but they did run out of gas eventually. The Ducks were really taking it to them, especially outhustling them 5-on-5. It was thanks to an effective powerplay that the Senators were even able to get on the scoresheet.
The Top line was badly outplayed by the checking line of the Ducks. They looked really out of synch and was definitely making one pass too many and some boneheaded giveaways.
However, I am still optimistic that the boys will be able to play much better. They just needed to get back into the groove of things and as much as I would like to think the layoff didn't effect them, it's still hard to recreate a game setting in a practice setting.
So don't despair Senators fans, this is poised to be a long series if the boys can find their groove back. In the meantime, they are going to have to try harder to look like they're interested because as far as I [and Dodger and Charles Dickens] was concerned, Fisher was pretty much the only one in this game.
This is the first time that the Senators have trailed in a playoff series this year. If we've seen anything from this team about the adversity they've faced, it's that they're capable of coming back strong. Let's just hope they managed to find that fight in them.
Here's some fresh Knob Hockey to maybe lift your spirits.
Charles Dickens still believes, do you?
Labels: anaheim ducks, liveblog, playoffs, round 4: anaheim ducks
MegaPost: Your Stanley Cup Finals Playoff Primer
9 Comments Published by Sherry on Sunday, May 27, 2007 at 10:59 PM.
All right, ladies and gentlemen. This is it, it's for all the marbles and for hockey immortality.
The last time the Senators met the Ducks...remember when Hasek wasn't a traitor? Yeah, me neither
Really, approaching this primer was a bit difficult seeing as how I wasn't familiar with this Anaheim team asides from what you heard from the media: Teemu Selanne's resurgence! Chris Pronger's a cranky jackhole! Andy McDonald has a huge neck! Well, that last one I heard from Dear Lord Stanley, not so much the media.
Up Front...
2007 STANLEY CUP FINAL SCHEDULE
(all start times 8 p.m., ET)
Game 1 Monday, May 28
Game 2 Wednesday, May 30
Game 3 Saturday, June 2 in Ottawa
Game 4 Monday, June 4 in Ottawa
*Game 5 Wednesday, June 6
*Game 6 Saturday, June 9 in Ottawa
*Game 7 Monday, June 11
* = if necessary
Anything's possible. Save for the long layover, this is easily the best time of year.
I also have a dilemma, my cousin's fiancee's bridal shower is on the same evening as game 6. Think the boys can wrap it up in 5 for me? Or do you think they'll understand if I need to cancel. Priorities, people!
Really, approaching this primer was a bit difficult seeing as how I wasn't familiar with this Anaheim team asides from what you heard from the media: Teemu Selanne's resurgence! Chris Pronger's a cranky jackhole! Andy McDonald has a huge neck! Well, that last one I heard from Dear Lord Stanley, not so much the media.
Up Front...
| Ottawa Senators… | Anaheim Ducks… |
| Heatley - Spezza - Alfredsson | Miller - McDonald - Selanne |
| Schaefer - Fisher - Comrie | Penner - Getzlaf – Perry |
| Vermette - Kelly - Neil | Moen - Pahlsson - Niedermayer |
| Eaves - McAmmond – Schubert | May - Marchant - Thornton |
| Extras – McGrattan | |
Advantage...Senators, but perhaps not by that large of a margin.
A lot has been made about the fact that the Senators do not have enough balanced scoring but I don't think enough can be said about the sheer domination of the top line. They've managed to set the tone when matched against the Penguins' offensive top line, and they've also managed to out muscle the tight checking style of the New Jersey Devils.
That being said, if anybody can shut down the top line, it would probably be Pahlsson's line combined with the defense of Niedermayer and Pronger. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen. If that does happen, some people might worry about where the scoring would come from but I'm surprisingly optimistic about that. Fisher can score in any situation; five-on-five, on the PowerPlay, even short-handed. His opportunities to do so have been somewhat limited as he is often given the task of shutting down the opponent's top lines.
Vermette is an extremely gifted offensive player and has been generating a lot of chances and McAmmond, Schubert and Kelly all have had generated a lot of offensive chances. I think reinserting Patrick Eaves in this series is also a good idea as he plays the type of game that could require the grind factor with his propensity for planting himself in front of the net. Beating Giguere is all about making him move, and Eaves is capable of being in the right place at the right time, regardless of the abuse he takes.
On the Blue Line...
| Ottawa Senators… | Anaheim Ducks… |
| Redden - Meszaros | O'Donnell - Pronger |
| Phillips - Volchenkov | Beauchemin – Niedermayer |
| Corvo - Preissing | Huskins - Jackman |
| Extra - Nycholat | |
Advantage...Even but maybe possibly a slight edge to the one with the jackhole.
As far as all-around defensive depth goes, I think Ottawa definitely has the edge as they can get both offense and defense from their blue-line. And as much as many people liken him to a horse's ass, there is a reason why Pronger is a Norris candidate. Combined with the efforts of Beauchemin and Niedermayer and you're looking at a very good defensive squad.
That being said, from those three down, it is certainly not as deep as the Senators' blue-line. If Redden can continue playing well, then there isn't much need for him to be too overly physical with Phillips and Volchenkov once again drawing the shut-down duty.
Starting in Net...
| Ottawa Senators… | Anaheim Ducks… |
| Emery | Giguere |
| Gerber | Bryzgalov |
Advantage...Begrudgingly, the Ducks.
However, we do have Gerber, who must have the best karma in the world considering he always has the best seats in the house. I think Giguere does a lot for this Ducks team but for all of the talk of Emery having an easy time behind his defense, the case can certainly be made for Giguere, who's actually faced on average less shots on that Emery so far. Plus he drinks with a straw on his waterbottle. How uncool is that? I think Emery and Giguere have the same flaw in that they're not as quick in their lateral movement, but Emery has the slight advantage in that he plays a very athletic style.
In terms of back-ups, Bryzgalov obviously has the more proven history of being able to perform in the playoffs but Gerber can at least rely on the fact that he finished off the season really strong. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that.
The "X" Factors...
- Experience...Advantage: Even. I don't care if the Ducks have three players who have been there in '03 and the only two we have will be riding the bench. This new Senators squad has been pressure treated and thrown every scenario in the book and they've come out strong.
- Grit...Advantage: Even. Neil leads the league in hits and it only began to taper off in the series against Buffalo as he was a little banged up. If anything good comes out of the long layover, it's the fact that they'll be able to heal up the bumps and bruises.
- Leadership...Scott Niedermayer is a proven leader but interestingly enough, he hasn't always been playing his best, while Alfie has simply been leading by example. The rest of the team has been following in his footsteps and they most definitely want to win it for him after all the flack he's taken over the years.
- Who Wants it More?...Both teams want it, and they want it bad. Whether it be redemption for 4 years ago, or for somebody who's put in 18 years in the league without the championship; for a captain who's taken the criticism and shouldered the blame even when it wasn't due; or for a little boy that captured the heart of a team and a nation. They're both going to bring it to prove that they deserve it.
- That Being Said...It's hard to know what to expect from this series. Everybody expected run and gun series with Buffalo and Pittsburgh but for the most part, they were low scoring affairs. The teams have never met before, there's no bad blood but definitely very compelling storylines to look at. The Ducks are coming in as a team that dominated the regular season but has yet to play consistently in the playoffs while the Senators have just been on an absolute tear after the adversity they faced after losing 12 of their first 18 games.
- Just because I said so... This is it boys, I believe, EA believes, the nation believes...GO SENS GO!
2007 STANLEY CUP FINAL SCHEDULE
(all start times 8 p.m., ET)
Game 1 Monday, May 28
Game 2 Wednesday, May 30
Game 3 Saturday, June 2 in Ottawa
Game 4 Monday, June 4 in Ottawa
*Game 5 Wednesday, June 6
*Game 6 Saturday, June 9 in Ottawa
*Game 7 Monday, June 11
* = if necessary
From the Duck Soup Side of the Fence...
- Battle of California and Sleek's Drunken Cartoons
- Anaheim Duck Fan
- Girl With a Puck
- Duck's Blog
- On the Pond
Anything's possible. Save for the long layover, this is easily the best time of year.
I also have a dilemma, my cousin's fiancee's bridal shower is on the same evening as game 6. Think the boys can wrap it up in 5 for me? Or do you think they'll understand if I need to cancel. Priorities, people!
GO SENS GO!
Labels: anaheim ducks, megapost, playoffs, round 4: anaheim ducks, stanley cup finals
Power Outage: Wolves 1, Bulldogs 0
19 Comments Published by Sherry on Saturday, May 26, 2007 at 1:42 PM.
Watching the Bulldogs powerplay is like watching the Sabres' powerplay, except the Bulldogs at least don't give up 2-on-nothings with the man-advantage.
Sorry Sabres fans, too soon?
Unfortunately, the Bulldogs couldn't complete the sweep against the Chicago Wolves last night and will take another crack at it tonight at Copps Coliseum. To the dismay of the HLOG ladies in attendance, the baby Habs could not pull out a win for them, despite outshooting the Wolves 37-14. The Bulldogs had 8 powerplay chances, including 3 early in the first, but failed to convert on all of them, while the Wolves' lone goal came with the man-advantage.
Asides from the game, the rest of the HLOG ladies in attendance and I had a good time at the game and were thoroughly entertained by the pre-game show. It had a laser-show. And fireworks. Elly greatly approved of the Tim Horton's that were available at will in Hamilton. I tried my best to convince Steph that cheering for the Senators is for the good of humanity, but the best that we could do was convince her to cheer for Antoine Vermette's hair. Better than nothing I suppose. I think it might be enough to work on her Chris Pronger hate though. It was a good start.
The Bulldogs game was a nice distraction, as I slowly go insane waiting for the Cup finals to start. Remember, this is where you can find some live-blogging fun!
News and Amuse
- Ray Emery! On The Best Damn Sports Show Period!.
- James Duthie does a feature on Elgin-Alexander Fraser. Just a warning, but I was really teary throughout the whole thing and it ended up turning into actual crying close to the end. There's footage of little Elgin when he went to Senators' practice and it is just lovely to see such happiness from everybody involved.
I don't want to harp on it too much, as I've talked about it before already. Everybody knows that this is a very worthwhile cause to be involved in, but they should only contribute to the capacity that they see fit and are comfortable with. Here is the information on how to donate.
It's interesting, the stories that surface during all this downtime. You learn things about your team that you never otherwise would hear. You see sides to the players that humanizes them and that gives you more reason to want to see them succeed. It becomes about more than just being a fan.
I love my team.
More Pictures from the Hamilton Bulldogs Game. HLOG loves The Bulldogs! And Timmy's.
Labels: antoine vermette, chicago wolves, elgin-alexander fraser, hamilton bulldogs, hlog
TSN has feature on how nobody seems to love Ray Emery if you're not a loyal follower of the Ottawa Senators. And it's true, the man has been pointed to as the Senators' weak link in every series save for maybe round 1 against Marc-Andre Fleury. Yes, Ryan Miller and Martin Brodeur are in fact better goalies, yet he's still managed to outplay both of them.
Detractors will of course point to the fact that Anton Volchenkov is a vacuum when it comes to shots, that the Senators defense is absolutely stellar and that he simply hasn't been challenged enough. Strangely enough, this is after going up against two offensive powerhouses in Pittsburgh and Buffalo. Emery is fourth in the league for total shots against at 381. It isn't even really about the amount of saves, it's about momentum shifting saves and he has been making the right saves at the right time. They might have looked easy, but under pressure situations a lesser goaltender would have buckled. That's not the mindset of Emery.
It's all part of his cocky, competitive nature. Sure, there are times where his head is so big and I secretly wonder how in the world he's going to manage to put on his helmet, and I suppose that's one thing that people with anti-Senators point to as a reason for not being able to support the team. I'm telling you right now that it's okay to like Emery. He makes you laugh! His suits are fun! He's featured on a rap song!
If you're interested in numbers, Emery has a 1.95 GAA and a 0.919 SV%. His future counterpart down the rink in J.S. Giguere has slightly better numbers at 1.87 GAA and 0.931 SV% and had to face 350 shots so far. I'm of the mind that stats don't always tell the whole story but I suppose they make a difference to some people. All the technicalities and the head-to-head match-ups will be addressed when I post up my playoff primer before the series starts. First, I'll have to do research about the Ducks team, of which I know nothing about except for the fact that Chris Pronger just needs to shut it. Even if he says nothing, he needs to shut it.
One interesting goalie stat? Jamie McLennan had only 18 seconds of playing time. And boy, did he take full advantage of those seconds.
Posting Notice...
- Elgin-Alexander Fraser's funeral was this afternoon at Carleton Place Arena. Just please remember to keep their family friends in your thoughts and prayers. Lydia and Sensnetwork.com have continued with their fundraising and donation efforts, so if you could please take the time to make a donation or even just pass the link along to somebody that would be great.
- For those in the Toronto area, interested in heading down to Ottawa to watch a game, probably from a bar or even the plaza outside because you might have to sell your soul for a ticket, Support the Sens.com is organizing a car rally that will start from Toronto and go all the way to Scotiabank Place. I'd love to go but I'd probably have to steal a car to make that happen. Speaking of which, I saw two Senators car flags the other day. I felt like a proud mama.
- Jim Balsillie is at it again. This time it's the Nashville Predators. More on this at a later date, I've got a ton of economic figures I can pull out. The one thing I wish I could get a better feel is how people in Nashville feel about this. I get the feeling it'll be an overwhelming response of: "We had a hockey team?"
- There will be a HLOG convention of sorts in Toronto tomorrow as HG and I will be greeting our sisters Steph and Elly from No Pun Intended in town tomorrow. I have all day to convince them why they should cheer for the Senators. I trust a full day surrounded by Leafs fans should do the trick. We will also be heading down to Hamilton to catch the Bulldogs as they look to sweep the Chicago Wolves and close out their Western Conference Finals series. There probably won't be any relevant posting until late Saturday or Sunday as I will be going to a play Saturday evening.
Live-Blogging Fun!
When the finals commence on Monday, I'll be continuing the tradition that inspired this blog in the first place, live-blogging the finals, second for second. Some come by and share in the fun. We can make it interactive, such as...guessing the state of my soberness! It'll be like a game!
Is it Monday yet?
Labels: elgin-alexander fraser, general, miscellaneous, posting notice, ray emery
Quack.
I was in the mood for some Peking Duck...
The dish is mostly prized for the thin, crispy skin with authentic versions of the dish serving mostly the skin and little meat. Most Chinese restaurants will make two dishes out of one duck -- one with thin slices of skin with a small layer of fat, or none at all, underneath, and another one with the duck meat. The latter is often a stir-fry dish. The bones are boiled to make duck broth, either by the restaurant, or optionally, packed up for home preparation.
Sounds delicious.
GO SENS GO!
Labels: anaheim ducks, delicious, round 4: anaheim ducks, stanley cup finals
Now that everybody has a massive headache from the long weekend, compounded by the excessive celebration that occurred due to the OTTAWA SENATORS MAKING THE STANLEY CUP FINALS, BABY! So, to ease you back into the workweek, here are some "Know Your Teammates" segments that were filmed by CBC over this year's All-Star Break.
Joe Thornton likes Linkin Park! Vinny and Marty have a song! And it's Journey, no less.
Also, Knob Hockey has returned!
In a fit of post-victory drunkness, I combined two of my favourite things in the world: the Ottawa Senators and Muse. So, what came about is a musical montage of Round 3 against the Sabres set to "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse.
I'll apologize if it sucks, but I have limited skills and extremely laggy software.
The Countdown Begins!
The Powers that Be have released the Finals schedule. The countdown to Monday commences. I think I'll be filling in the time in between by distracting myself with the Calder Cup playoffs. Hamilton is currently leading their series against Chicago for the Western Conference title 2-0.
2007 STANLEY CUP FINAL SCHEDULE
(all start times 8 p.m., ET)
Game 1 Monday, May 28
Game 2 Wednesday, May 30
Game 3 Saturday, June 2 in Ottawa
Game 4 Monday, June 4 in Ottawa
*Game 5 Wednesday, June 6
*Game 6 Saturday, June 9 in Ottawa
*Game 7 Monday, June 11
* = if necessary
Battle of Ontario has a nice look at the Finals ticket pricing at Scotiabank Place. Yikes, guess I won't be eating for a while.
Joe Thornton likes Linkin Park! Vinny and Marty have a song! And it's Journey, no less.
Also, Knob Hockey has returned!
In a fit of post-victory drunkness, I combined two of my favourite things in the world: the Ottawa Senators and Muse. So, what came about is a musical montage of Round 3 against the Sabres set to "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse.
I'll apologize if it sucks, but I have limited skills and extremely laggy software.
The Countdown Begins!
The Powers that Be have released the Finals schedule. The countdown to Monday commences. I think I'll be filling in the time in between by distracting myself with the Calder Cup playoffs. Hamilton is currently leading their series against Chicago for the Western Conference title 2-0.
2007 STANLEY CUP FINAL SCHEDULE
(all start times 8 p.m., ET)
Game 1 Monday, May 28
Game 2 Wednesday, May 30
Game 3 Saturday, June 2 in Ottawa
Game 4 Monday, June 4 in Ottawa
*Game 5 Wednesday, June 6
*Game 6 Saturday, June 9 in Ottawa
*Game 7 Monday, June 11
* = if necessary
Battle of Ontario has a nice look at the Finals ticket pricing at Scotiabank Place. Yikes, guess I won't be eating for a while.
Labels: andy mcdonald, general, general boredom, joe thornton, jonathan cheechoo, martin st. louis, off-topic, random, sherry needs a life, teemu selanne, vincent lecavalier
Elgin-Alexander Fraser died Saturday night two hours after he saw the Senators defeat the Buffalo Sabres and reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
Two days earlier, Senators centre Mike Fisher visited Elgin at home, and watched a movie and played cars with him, because he was too weak to play hockey that day.-- Story via Ottawa Citizen
His father said he talked to Elgin on the phone Thursday afternoon when Mr. Fisher was there and asked Elgin to ask Mr. Fisher if the Senators were going to win the Stanley Cup.
"Okay, Dad, hold on," said Elgin over the phone.
"Mike," said Elgin, "You're going to win the Stanley Cup, right?"
"We sure are buddy," said Mr. Fisher.
"Dad, he said yes," said Elgin excitedly, recalls Mr. Fraser.
On Sunday, Mr. Fisher said he was thinking about Elgin before the hockey game on Saturday night.
"The impact he had on me was incredible. With the things he went through and how well he handled them," said Mr. Fisher. "I was blessed to spend some time with him. He's in a better place, for sure."
Elgin touched many lives and made an impact on so many people despite his short time with us. I didn't know him personally, but hearing about his story and his courage made a huge impact on me, as well as many other people I'm sure. I couldn't help but cry when I heard the news, but we know he's in a better place now.
Good night, sweetheart. The boys will bring 'er home for you.
Labels: elgin-alexander fraser, ottawa senators
King Alfie Will Lead Us to Glory!!: Senators 3, Sabres 2 (OT)
13 Comments Published by Sherry on Saturday, May 19, 2007 at 7:23 PM.
You couldn't write it any better. Daniel Alfredsson, who had worn the goat horns for the Senators' playoff exit last year, scores the series winning goal in overtime with Jason Pominville on the ice. It was no fancy stick-handling around two Sabres players while short-handed, but heck I'm not complaining! In fact, I think he danced around three Sabres players.
Alfie isn't just captain as far as I'm concerned, he's the King!
For most of the game, it looked like it could go either way. The end of the first saw both teams with the same amount of shots, both goalies with the same amount of saves. You could see the momentum shift from team to team as they both went from end to end. Buffalo opened up the scoring in the second and the building exploded. They believed, the commentators believed, I believed for a split second in the statistic everybody was spewing out about how important the opening goal was to the outcome of the game.
But a part of me, aided by comforting texts from HG knew that this was a different team. They had overcome all of the numbers and the odds that had previously been stacked against them and they were going to get this back. Soon enough they tied it and soon after they got the go-ahead goal. It looked like for a moment that they were going to give it away when Christoph Schubert took an unnecessary slashing penalty when the boys were already a man down to give the Sabres a 5-on-3. They managed to kill off the first penalty but Maxim Afinogenov managed to tuck it away.
We were tied. I was seriously ready to go take a walk to clear my head but a part of me couldn't walk away. I believed in them, and sure enough 9:32 in, King Alfie beat through Sabres players and had the series winning goal on a perfectly innocent looking shot. It beat Miller, and there was absolute elation. HG called me soon after and I could barely speak intelligibly. But she got it.
And we all got it, I'm just waiting for all of this to sink in....
WE'RE GOING TO THE FINALS, BABY!!!
Usually, when I watch hockey games, there's a part of me that observes the technicalities. The analysis of what the teams are doing right, what they need to change and how the team should adjust to get back the momentum. But today I couldn't. I just had to sit back and let the boys take me on this roller coaster of a ride. There were times that I was ready to bail, but given all of the adversity that the boys went through, a part of me knew that they could survive this. They've come a long way baby. All of the dark days at the beginning of the season happened for a reason and it's more than paid off.
As for the Prince of Wales front, as soon as they brought it out, I chanted 'Don't Touch It' in a futile attempt for Alfie to stay away from it.
He didn't hear me. He only touched it, he didn't lift it. We're still safe right?
I'm off to go order those Conference Champion hats now. Here's hoping I'll have the more important one in my collection in a couple of weeks time.
GO SENS GO!!
Labels: absolute elation, conference finals, daniel alfredsson, ridiculously happy, round 3: buffalo sabres
Introducing...Emcee Sugar Ray Emery
13 Comments Published by Sherry on Friday, May 18, 2007 at 3:00 PM.
As if you didn't need anymore reason to believe that Ray Emery was a hardcore gangsta, he makes a cameo in a Senators-themed song by Ottawa-based rapper Belly. He only has one line but according to the rapper, Emery could find a career in being an emcee:
Belly said Emery was a natural with his line "We go hard, we win, Ottawa Senators champions baby," joking the goalie should put out his own album.-- Via Canoe.ca.
Well, he's got the fashion sense already. He could give
The song set to a nice montage of Senators pictures:
You can hear a remixed and remastered version on Belly's MySpace page.
These things may be insignificant and subtle, but in case you guys were wondering just what is exactly different about the Senators team this year, there's proof right there. I don't think anybody can accuse this team as soft and without heart with such an...interesting mix of characters. Given how many songs are written for or about him, [the current count is 3] people just can't help but love [or hate] Ray, I guess.
GO SENS GO
Ottawa Senators fans please stand up
Kenny B I told you this city's full of champions baby
Mike Fisher what up it's Belly and my homie Sugar Ray Emery
(Ray Emery says...)
"We go hard, we win. Belly with the Ottawa Senators. Champions, baby."
Let's go
Refrain:
GO SENS GO
Go Sens go is what you hear us roar
Loudest crowd in the world every time we score
This is 6-1-3 Belly rapping the bar
Talk slick about the team go ahead and McGrattan will break your jaw
Nobody can beat us, the league leaders
That's why we call Heatley the heater
Chris Neil give you the fist, Alfie got the slapshot off the wrist
I'd like to call Spezza Mr. Assist
Ray Emery the razor, first time blazer
The miz an animal but nobody can cage him, or tame him, Amazin'
Or when the other team plays 'em they wish Bryan Murray would change them
We got the top teams fallin'
They came skatin' they left crawlin'
No holdin back we're goin' all in 'til our opponents they are about to go golfin'
No series goes to Game 7
The best D Volchenkov, Wade Redden
Corvo, Phillips man we are an army
My homie Schubes, I'm ballin' like Comrie
Ya better surrender calmly
Cause we play hard and ya'll play hardly
We bringin' home the Stanley Cup this year blood sweat and tears we're still here
GO SENS GO HEY
I don't like hippity-hop or rap [well, asides from Pocket Dwellers], but if I had an iPod, I'd put it on my iPod.
Deja Vu: Sabres 3, Senators 2
20 Comments Published by Sherry on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 at 11:02 PM.
Short post tonight. I swear I'm not burying my head or drowning my sorrows because my boys couldn't pull out a sweep. I have an early appointment tomorrow morning and I need to turn in early.
I feel like I've seen this scenario before. Oh, wait...this was the exact same thing that happened last year against the Senators and Sabres. Except the other way around.
So I'm looking at this game in a couple of ways. Sure, it sucks that the Senators couldn't win but I'm trying to keep the perspective that the elimination game is always the hardest to win and Buffalo had their backs to the wall. One loss is not enough to collectively freak out about, especially when you're up 3-1.
However, the Sabres are not somebody I'd like to give any life to. The chances of them coming back in the series is very slim, but I'm not ever willing to count anybody out until it's all done and over with.
The positives the boys can take from this game is the fact that they were able to make it close with 2 quick goals. They know that the Sabres are going to come out guns a-blazing and they have the power to decide how they'll react.
I'm also trying to tell myself that since the Ducks and Wings series will most likely go longer, having a long waiting time in between might end up hurting them.
I love the character the boys showed, not ever giving up. I loved the boys never stopped battling back, I loved the fact that Daniel Alfredsson is working his butt off out there every time. I loved that the Senators' role players chipped in when it mattered. I loved that Peter Schaefer finally got a goal.
I still believe
I feel like I've seen this scenario before. Oh, wait...this was the exact same thing that happened last year against the Senators and Sabres. Except the other way around.
So I'm looking at this game in a couple of ways. Sure, it sucks that the Senators couldn't win but I'm trying to keep the perspective that the elimination game is always the hardest to win and Buffalo had their backs to the wall. One loss is not enough to collectively freak out about, especially when you're up 3-1.
However, the Sabres are not somebody I'd like to give any life to. The chances of them coming back in the series is very slim, but I'm not ever willing to count anybody out until it's all done and over with.
The positives the boys can take from this game is the fact that they were able to make it close with 2 quick goals. They know that the Sabres are going to come out guns a-blazing and they have the power to decide how they'll react.
I'm also trying to tell myself that since the Ducks and Wings series will most likely go longer, having a long waiting time in between might end up hurting them.
I love the character the boys showed, not ever giving up. I loved the boys never stopped battling back, I loved the fact that Daniel Alfredsson is working his butt off out there every time. I loved that the Senators' role players chipped in when it mattered. I loved that Peter Schaefer finally got a goal.
I still believe
GO SENS GO!
You Take Me Higher: Buffalo 0, Senators 1 (!!!!)
16 Comments Published by Sherry on Monday, May 14, 2007 at 11:23 PM.
For the record, I'm amazed I'm able to type this. I was having trouble breathing in the last minute. It was that tense.
When Ryan Miller is on, he is on, and frankly were it not for a lucky bounce off of the boards, we could be looking at another overtime game. I rarely say that a team deserves to win, but the Senators were simply outplaying and outchancing the Sabres tonight and it would have been a downright shame if they didn't walk away with this decision. The Sabres, on their end looked sloppy and uncommitted. I'm not in the players' heads so I can't attest to that but they simply did not play a good game, only mustering 15 shots on Ray Emery, helping him to this third shut-out of the post-season.
Daniel Alfredsson was on and I'm seriously hoping that nobody is still doubting his leadership abilities. He was probably the best player out there and really set the tone with his all-around play. He was dominating on both ends of the ice; creating great chances offensively and being in the right place at the right time for the tap-in for the goal and coming back on the rush and making great plays to take away scoring chances. When he came out for his skate after he was named first-star he had the biggest smile on his face and I too had to smile. He deserves this. He's earned it.
The PowerPlay continues to bite the Sabres' as they went 0-fer with the man advantage again. They just didn't have an answer for the Senators who was clogging up the zone and were beating the Sabres' to the puck deep in the zone. "High" seems to be the theme of the night as there was an atrocious number of hi-sticking calls made. Henrik Tallinder returned the favour to Alfie with a high-stick to the face. Bob Cole and Harry Neale informed us that Alfie was trying hard to bleed from it. Amazing they could read Alfie's mind from him getting up right away, adjusting his face a little and talking to the ref while calmly skating to the bench.
Cole did earn a chuckle from me tonight though. Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in the audience tonight. The Conservative Party's colours are blue and he said that he wasn't sure if Harper was so comfortable in a sea of red.
The defense was once again shining for the team and was magical in protecting the 1-0 lead. Anton Volchenkov went from goat to hero in one year when he took away a Daniel Briere breakaway attempt with an amazing diving poke-check. The big-line were the only ones to get on the score-sheet and they were dynamite again tonight, creating most of the chances. However I did notice that Jason Spezza wasn't having the strongest game. He did set up the first goal with a smooth seam-to-seam pass but it looked like he was also making one pass too many. I was a little worried that he wasn't going to have a great game when I noticed in his pre-game interview that he wasn't very cheery.
I will say that I thought the Senators got a little too cute with the play at times. Dean McAmmond showed us that pops got some moves as he made a couple of great skating and stick-handling plays but at times I worried that maybe it was too much. I am continuously impressed by Joe Corvo's ability to keep the puck in the zone but it also seems like he's trying to do too much on his own. Maybe because he too notices that Tom Preissing is getting knocked off the puck way too easily.
Full marks to Antoine Vermette who is absolutely having a terrific playoffs and playing some of the best hockey of his career. I really hope that he's rewarded soon with a goal. He's been using his speed to outskate Buffalo and his success at the face-off dot has been absolutely crucial to the Senators' defensive play. Bet everybody's glad Muckler didn't bite on Vermette-for-Roberts, now aren't we?
This was a very convincing victory for the Senators and if it were any squad from the past, they would have been on their heels to keep the lead once Buffalo turned on the pressure. If anything, Buffalo proved that they still have a lot left in the tank when they were attempting to tie it up in the dying minutes of the game. They were really taking it to the Senators but the Senators never folded and knew that it wasn't over until it was over.
I also should note that Alfredsson's goal came after Gwen Stefani's "The Sweet Escape" was playing during the previous stop in play. Erin is obviously onto something.
About the Hit...
There's debate that Alfie should have been suspended or at least given a penalty for the hit he laid on Tallinder in the first overtime period of Saturday night's game. I've seen highlights of the game and as much as I love Alfie, I agree that it was a dangerous play. However, given the inconsistency of the League's disciplinary tactics, whether or not it's suspendable depends on what side of the fence you're on. It was definitely a penalty but I know for a fact that Alfie's not that type of player and he never intended to drill him like he did. He hit Tallinder's hip, but given the angle he was coming from, it turned into a really dangerous hit.
I'm sure the Sabres fans will come out in droves with how he should have been suspended and the outcome would have been much different tonight. However, for that to happen the Sabres would have needed more than Miller to show up tonight.
Another reason I love Alfie? He had his son with him on the podium during his press conference. He was wearing a red Alfredsson t-shirt with the C on the front and everything. Awesome.
Senators lead series 3-0 [!!!!]
Now do you believe?
GO SENS GO!
Labels: anton volchenkov, daniel alfredsson, dean mcammond, joe corvo, round 3: buffalo sabres
The reason I ran off to Hamilton for the weekend was two-fold. One, my darling Bulldogs were in round 2 of the Calder Cup playoffs and were in the middle of a weekend home stint for games 4 and 5 against the Manitoba Moose so I thought it'd be a good chance to see them. They were leading the series 2-1. The second, my beloved Ottawa Senators were playing game 2 against the Buffalo Sabres and being well acquainted with their history of game 2s, figured I could soften the blow by trying not to pay attention to them.
That'll teach me to not believe in my boys. It may seem strange that my response to avoid getting depressed is to actually willing go to Hamilton. Nothing against the city though. I also managed to score 4th row tickets, so I thought it'd be a nice distraction. I didn't account for the semi-drunken yelling I'd have to suffer through for most of the game though.
Unfortunately, the Hamilton Bulldogs ended up losing the game 3-2 and the series was tied 2-2 at the end of the night. However, game 5 was this afternoon and they managed to pull out a win so now they lead the series 3-2 heading back to Manitoba for games 6 and 7.
I haven't watched the Bulldogs as closely as opportunities to do so are rare but one thing I noticed immediately is that they seem to be lacking in speed. Then again, the game that I witnessed, it seemed like nothing was clicking for the Bulldogs. Carey Price wasn't tested as much but still let in 3 goals, the first on a short-handed breakaway. Price is a butterfly goalie and went down too fast on the break and allowed J.J. Hunter to go high-glove on him. Credit Price though, he managed to rebound from the loss last night despite a short turnover and only allowed one goal on 37 shots in their game this afternoon.
The officiating was just plain awful in the first period of this game as there was about 2 phantom boarding calls against the Bulldogs. The Moose players sure went down a lot easier than expected though. There was a play behind the net where Price was clearing the puck a long the boards and the puck ended up hitting a referee. The audience approved.
Fun fact about Hamilton: The only hotel of note downtown is the Sheraton. It's connected to Jackson Square, which is connected to Copps Coliseum. My friend and I went to a bar in Jackson Square afterwards to watch the tail end of the Ottawa vs. Buffalo game. The entrance to the bar was connected to the entrance of the Sheraton and there were people waiting by the door for the Moose players. We saw a couple of them walked by but didn't recognize them either way.
Well, I probably would have recognized him. Click here for full album and more creepy-close-up 4th row pictures.
When the Bulldogs were down I decided to take a risk and texted HG for how the game was going. She wouldn't give me the score until I actually asked for it but about a minute later Alfie had scored. After the Bulldogs game ended, HG texted me again to tell me Mike Fisher had tied it.
When my friend and I were walking to the bar we heard another restaurant erupt into cheers. In Hamilton, it's hard to tell whether or not the crowd would be cheering for the Senators or the Sabres given our close proximity to Buffalo. We got to the bar in time to see the reply of Wade Redden's goal.
I wasn't expecting the Senators to win at all in the second over time. The Sabres had tied it with less than 10 seconds left and they had looked strong through the first overtime. Plus, I still had that awesome game 2 stat in the back of my head. I was expecting even less, that the game-winning goal would come from a Joe Corvo point shot. Not that I'm discounting Corvo's play or anything, but normally that would be a shot Ryan Miller would stop, but the Senators did a good job of screening him in front.
I'm glad I stuck out to watch the end of the game. My favourite moment was seeing the absolute elation on the boys' faces as they piled onto the ice from the bench and absolutely glomped Corvo. Also, Spezza taking three strides before throwing his hands up in joy.
Anyways, I don't have much thoughts on the game since I didn't watch most of it. Hope you guys enjoy the Bulldogs pictures and we will return to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.
GOLD!
- Team Canada Wins Gold at the World Champions!: Not a bad way to start Steve Yzerman's career as GM of Team Canada. They had one of the youngest teams at the tournament and it was certainly the young guys making a statement. Cam Ward was in net for both the semi-final and the final while Rick Nash was named tournament MVP. If you haven't catch his highlight reel second goal from this game, I highly suggest you do so. Now if only he could bring some of that magic back to Columbus.
Andy Murray has now set the bar for coaches in international tournaments. This is now his 3rd gold medal at the World Championships.
Remember to hug your mom today! Or what's left of today. MamaScarlett was treated to a nice home-cooked meal over here at the HQ with butter pecan cake for dessert.
As always...
That'll teach me to not believe in my boys. It may seem strange that my response to avoid getting depressed is to actually willing go to Hamilton. Nothing against the city though. I also managed to score 4th row tickets, so I thought it'd be a nice distraction. I didn't account for the semi-drunken yelling I'd have to suffer through for most of the game though.
Unfortunately, the Hamilton Bulldogs ended up losing the game 3-2 and the series was tied 2-2 at the end of the night. However, game 5 was this afternoon and they managed to pull out a win so now they lead the series 3-2 heading back to Manitoba for games 6 and 7.
I haven't watched the Bulldogs as closely as opportunities to do so are rare but one thing I noticed immediately is that they seem to be lacking in speed. Then again, the game that I witnessed, it seemed like nothing was clicking for the Bulldogs. Carey Price wasn't tested as much but still let in 3 goals, the first on a short-handed breakaway. Price is a butterfly goalie and went down too fast on the break and allowed J.J. Hunter to go high-glove on him. Credit Price though, he managed to rebound from the loss last night despite a short turnover and only allowed one goal on 37 shots in their game this afternoon.
The officiating was just plain awful in the first period of this game as there was about 2 phantom boarding calls against the Bulldogs. The Moose players sure went down a lot easier than expected though. There was a play behind the net where Price was clearing the puck a long the boards and the puck ended up hitting a referee. The audience approved.
Fun fact about Hamilton: The only hotel of note downtown is the Sheraton. It's connected to Jackson Square, which is connected to Copps Coliseum. My friend and I went to a bar in Jackson Square afterwards to watch the tail end of the Ottawa vs. Buffalo game. The entrance to the bar was connected to the entrance of the Sheraton and there were people waiting by the door for the Moose players. We saw a couple of them walked by but didn't recognize them either way.
Well, I probably would have recognized him. Click here for full album and more creepy-close-up 4th row pictures.
When the Bulldogs were down I decided to take a risk and texted HG for how the game was going. She wouldn't give me the score until I actually asked for it but about a minute later Alfie had scored. After the Bulldogs game ended, HG texted me again to tell me Mike Fisher had tied it.
When my friend and I were walking to the bar we heard another restaurant erupt into cheers. In Hamilton, it's hard to tell whether or not the crowd would be cheering for the Senators or the Sabres given our close proximity to Buffalo. We got to the bar in time to see the reply of Wade Redden's goal.
I wasn't expecting the Senators to win at all in the second over time. The Sabres had tied it with less than 10 seconds left and they had looked strong through the first overtime. Plus, I still had that awesome game 2 stat in the back of my head. I was expecting even less, that the game-winning goal would come from a Joe Corvo point shot. Not that I'm discounting Corvo's play or anything, but normally that would be a shot Ryan Miller would stop, but the Senators did a good job of screening him in front.
I'm glad I stuck out to watch the end of the game. My favourite moment was seeing the absolute elation on the boys' faces as they piled onto the ice from the bench and absolutely glomped Corvo. Also, Spezza taking three strides before throwing his hands up in joy.
Anyways, I don't have much thoughts on the game since I didn't watch most of it. Hope you guys enjoy the Bulldogs pictures and we will return to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.
GOLD!
- Team Canada Wins Gold at the World Champions!: Not a bad way to start Steve Yzerman's career as GM of Team Canada. They had one of the youngest teams at the tournament and it was certainly the young guys making a statement. Cam Ward was in net for both the semi-final and the final while Rick Nash was named tournament MVP. If you haven't catch his highlight reel second goal from this game, I highly suggest you do so. Now if only he could bring some of that magic back to Columbus.
Andy Murray has now set the bar for coaches in international tournaments. This is now his 3rd gold medal at the World Championships.
Remember to hug your mom today! Or what's left of today. MamaScarlett was treated to a nice home-cooked meal over here at the HQ with butter pecan cake for dessert.
As always...
GO SENS GO!
Labels: carey price, general, hamilton bulldogs, luc bourdon, photography, random, round 3: buffalo sabres, team canada, world championships
Them Lovable Boys and Posting Notice
11 Comments Published by Sherry on Friday, May 11, 2007 at 6:26 PM.
Given the Senators' storied history with game 2s, I figured I wouldn't be missing much by heading back to Hamilton to catch the Hamilton Bulldogs take on the Manitoba Moose at Copps Coliseum on Saturday evening. Of course, now that I say that I'll probably be missing the best game in the history of all playoff games and another bench clearing brawl of some sort. Anyhoos, I'll probably be without a computer until I get back Sunday and there will probably be Mother's Day activities to be had so no posting until Sunday evening most likely.
The Bulldogs are currently in round 2 of the Calder Cup playoffs, leading the Moose 2-1. The next three games will be in Hamilton with game 7 in Manitoba at the MTS Centre. I'll be sitting in the 4th row and you can be sure there will be plenty of photos to be had.
I shall allow the boys to take you into the weekend:
Photo: S. Keogh/OSHC
Ray Emery, middle, and Jason Spezza, right, laugh as Dany Heatley rinses his face with water after, unbeknown to him, he splashed his face with Gatorade from another bottle.
HAHA, dork.
Photo: S. Keogh/OSHC
Centre Mike Fisher smiles and shows off his playoff beard as he heads onto the ice.
I think Fish might be winning the Playoff Beard battle now that Preissing has elected to trim his.
Happy Weekend!
The Bulldogs are currently in round 2 of the Calder Cup playoffs, leading the Moose 2-1. The next three games will be in Hamilton with game 7 in Manitoba at the MTS Centre. I'll be sitting in the 4th row and you can be sure there will be plenty of photos to be had.
I shall allow the boys to take you into the weekend:
Photo: S. Keogh/OSHC
Ray Emery, middle, and Jason Spezza, right, laugh as Dany Heatley rinses his face with water after, unbeknown to him, he splashed his face with Gatorade from another bottle.
HAHA, dork.
Centre Mike Fisher smiles and shows off his playoff beard as he heads onto the ice.
I think Fish might be winning the Playoff Beard battle now that Preissing has elected to trim his.
Happy Weekend!
Labels: dany heatley, general, hamilton bulldogs, hockey love, mike fisher, off-topic, posting notice, random, silly admin business
The Reminder: Senators 5, Sabres 2
15 Comments Published by Sherry on Thursday, May 10, 2007 at 11:15 PM.
This post is called The Reminder for a number of reasons: 1) I bought the latest album of the same name by Feist yesterday and it is stellar and 2) read the post!
I made it through the day okay, actually trying not to think about the game for the most part after spending most of the afternoon hanging out with my friend at Starbucks. However, come gametime, my stomach was in knots. I had a nice homecooked meal waiting for me but once it was in front of me and the game was on, I couldn't eat it and was absolutely put off.
However, somehow my boys must have known that I needed to eat, because they came out with two quick goals and after that my stomach was nice and settled to enjoy my dinner. It didn't look too optimistic at first though, with the Senators getting into penalty trouble early. Given the firepower that Buffalo has, you simply don't want to be shorthanded to them and you also don't want to give them the momentum early on because that can just burn you. That being said, Ottawa's penalty kill has been superb during the playoffs and the boys responded in fashion with Mike Fisher scoring a short-handed goal. The penalty kill also managed to generate a lot of odd-man rushes off of Buffalo turnovers.
Unfortunately, for those expecting fisticuffs and donnybrook from the game opener, there was none to be had. There were a couple of scrums after the whistle went but nothing to note. Just some good, fast-paced hockey.
Senators' depth had been questioned before this and the boys responded in kind. Oleg Saprykin got his first of the post-season with a nice tip-in which turned out to be the game-winner. Dean McAmmond also had a great game with an empty-net goal. McAmmond didn't celebrate after the goal because he knew the game was already in hand and was classy enough not to show-boat. During his post-game interview he was also extremely awkward, it was somewhat endearing.
Fisher also had a great game and there was such a scrum to talk to him that he had to take to the podium. He truly had an inspired game in both creating scoring chances and taking the body. He was certainly outworking the players he was up against and made the most of every shift. His awesome night was probably punctuated with Don Cherry saying he had "pretty eyes".
The atmosphere in the HSBC arena was certainly electric and the crowd made sure to get on Ray Emery right away. However, Emery made some tremendous saves and responded as expected; letting the crowd energize him and use it as fuel to play better. Granted, he wasn't challenged as Buffalo only managed 20 shots on goal. The game-tying goal from the stick of Toni Lydman looked a bit soft, but Emery never let in a goal that sapped the momentum from the guys and came up with some great saves in pressure situations.
Perhaps an issue to be concerned about is the fact that Ottawa had a 2-0 lead slip away. There were turnovers on both ends of the ice and Buffalo looked like they were playing with some nerves. Bryan Murray is expecting Buffalo to come out with a stronger, more steady game and I expect that will be addressed. The boys have played with a lot of physicality and energy and they will need to continue to play a tight responsible game in order to continue dominating the Sabres. And boys? As much as I love seeing short-handed goals, let's try harder to stay out of the box.
Given Ottawa's history with game 2s, we're perhaps all expecting the Senators to drop game 2. Usually, I would have no problem with that but Buffalo is not a team you want to give any hope or momentum to.
Am I just unnecessarily paranoid about all of this? I just like to keep an even keel about things. I have complete faith that my boys can get it done but it's important to just take it one game at a time.
I'm a believer.
Senators lead series 1-0
GO SENS GO!
Labels: buffalo sabres, dean mcammond, mike fisher, oleg saprykin, round 3: buffalo sabres
I debated whether or not there was any point for me in posting a broken down Round 3 primer since the general consensus is that this is a pretty pick 'em series. I haven't even gotten down to thinking about who I thought would come away victorious in either conference finals and luckily enough CapsChick hasn't asked me for my playoff predictions in the Blogger pool yet. I may have to resort to the Bob Mackenzie tactic of prediction and just flip a coin. Or perhaps roll a die. Even numbers for one team and odd numbers for another.
That being said, these two teams might be really similar on paper but they do play different games, both of which have obviously been successful for them thus far in the playoffs. There are still a lot of things about these two teams that can be discussed and since I'm not willing to resort to general fanwanking trash-talk and debates about physics and which team has better playoff beards to decide the outcome of this series, ladies and gentlemen, your round 3 primer.
Up Front...
| Ottawa Senators… | Buffalo Sabres… |
| Heatley - Spezza - Alfredsson | Briere - Connolly - Kotalik |
| Schaefer - Fisher - Comrie | Hecht - Drury - Zubrus |
| Vermette - Kelly - Neil | Vanek - Roy - Afinogenov |
| Saprykin - McAmmond – Schubert | Pominville - Gaustad - Mair |
| Extras – McGrattan | Extra - Peters |
Advantage...As much as it pains me to say it, Sabres.
I want to say Sabres if only for the fact that I acknowledge they are probably a deeper team in terms of team scoring. If you're looking at a purely offensive basis, they have more lines that can put the puck in the net. Most Senators detractors and Sabre lovers will say that the Senators' depth is overrated and that they rely too heavily on the Heatley-Spezza-Alfie line. However, from watching this team closely throughout these playoffs, while these players might not register as many goals as the top line, they still do find a way to get on the scoresheet.
Scoring isn't always the end all and be all either. They do a stellar job with creating rushes and taking the body. Should the top line be shut down, scoring might be an issue but the Fisher, Kelly and McAmmond line are all absolutely capable of putting the puck in the net. They managed to do so without any issue during the Penguins series, and perhaps their inability to do so against the Devils is the fact of the Devils play a tighter checking system and the fact that Fisher's line was largely used to contain the Devils' EGG line. Either way, the Sabres do have the slightest edge up front but they can easily be matched.
On the Blue Line...
| Ottawa Senators… | Buffalo Sabres… |
| Redden - Meszaros | Tallinder - Lydman |
| Phillips - Volchenkov | Kalinin - Numminen |
| Corvo - Preissing | Campbell - Spacek |
| Extra - Nycholat | |
Advantage...Senators
I don't underestimate the Sabres' blue-line but I think in terms of all around defense, Senators have a better core. The Sabres have offensive-defensivemen who are able to make crisp first-line passes, but the Senators also have that in Redden and Meszaros. Redden, has been improving steadily throughout these playoffs after a rough start and if he can get back to playing the level which he's capable of, he'll be one of the most valuable defenseman for the Senators.
The shut-down pair is where the edge goes to the Senators. Tallinder and Lydman will likely draw the assignment for the Heatley-Spezza-Alfredsson line but they can be easily be matched with Phillips and Volchenkov [or Phillichenkov as AQG has dubbed them]. Phillips and Volchenkov play with more physicality, they're not afraid to play the body and as we all know, Volchenkov is a vacuum when it comes to blocking shots.
Starting in Net...
Ottawa Senators… | Buffalo Sabres… |
| Emery | Miller |
| Gerber | Conklin |
Advantage...Sabres. Probably.
There have been a lot of people that were critical of Emery, pointing out the fact that he's last in the statistical categories when it comes to the remaining goalies left in the playoffs and the fact that he's had ridiculous rebounds and that it was really the fact that his defensemen make him look good or the fact that their opponents just haven't been capitalizing in their chances.
I will admit that Miller is probably better technically. He's also been tested more than Emery has and that's why I'd give him the edge. Emery's rebounds may be cause for concern but if his defensemen are working in front of him than he's doing his job just fine. Sure, it'll be more of a challenge with a team that has more of a nose for the net, but this just means that the Senators will have to adjust their play accordingly and I trust Emery will do the same.
After he joked about the fact that he would rather face the Rangers because New York has a better nightlife, the Buffalo faithful have gone all up-in-arms and making Emery public enemy number 1. Personally I find it ridiculous because come on, it's New York City but if anything, this will help Emery play better. He's the type of guy that thrives on competition and he responded to Brodeur's criticism of him with a stellar performance in game 5. Maybe it looks like he's had to make only easy to saves, or maybe he's only making the hard saves look easy. It can be looked at both ways too when people say that Ottawa has made it this far because they just haven't been challenged enough. How much of it is the opponent simply not showing up, and how much of it is simply Ottawa outplaying their opponent night after night?
In terms of back-up, good old Gerber is still a good luck charm on the bench. If he's ever called to duty though, I'd give him the edge over Conklin.
The "X" Factors...
- Experience...Advantage: Even. Lindy Ruff has been to the conference finals before and this'll only be Bryan Murray's first trip there, but the Senators team have players who have been there before and has the battle scars to prove it.
- Grit...Advantage: Senators. They've upped their physical play to a whole other level these playoffs.
- Leadership...Both Alfie and Drury have been shouldering their teams these playoffs. Drury is performing as everybody has expected and Alfie has absolutely been blowing everybody away with his play. You really couldn't go wrong with either one of these guys.
- Who Wants it More?...The Senators have been playing like they mean it and the Sabres probably want retribution for what happened to them last conference finals with a full infirmary and an ill-timed questionable Delay of Game call. I have no doubt in my mind that they'll both show up for this series.
- That Being Said...I'm going to say the same thing I said about Jersey: I don't think anybody would be surprised if either of these teams won. The Senators just have to believe and take it one game, one shift at a time. They're capable of winning, they just have to remember that its in their hands and not try to jinx themselves by trying to do too much all the time. They've adjusted their play to suit Pittsburgh and Jersey and I have no doubt in my mind that they can do it against Buffalo. They've done it during the regular season and while the playoffs are a different animal, the Senators have proved that Miller is beatable and that their fate is in their own hands. You have to start somewhere, and no doubt they will bring all that they have against this Buffalo team.
- Just because I said so... GO SENS GO! GO SENS GO! GO SENS GO!
Thursday, May 10 at 7:00 p.m. Ottawa at Buffalo
Saturday, May 12 at 8:00 p.m. Ottawa at Buffalo
Monday, May 14 at 7:00 p.m. Buffalo at Ottawa
Wednesday, May 16 at 7:00 p.m. Buffalo at Ottawa
* Saturday, May 19 at 2:00 p.m. Ottawa at Buffalo
* Monday, May 21 at 7:00 p.m. Buffalo at Ottawa
* Wednesday, May 23 at 7:00 p.m. Ottawa at Buffalo
*if necessary
- Our HLOGers, Paige at Sabres Girls and Heather B. at Top Shelf Cookies
- Bleeding Blue and Gold
- The Ghost at Bleu Blanc et Rouge has the Sabres covered
- Battle of New York
- Sabre Rattling likes to stir the pot
That being said, playing with emotion and passion, with a little bit of resentment never hurt anybody. I've never been involved in any form of smack talk, and trust me, being a Senators fan among Leafs Nation, I've heard my fair share of it. However, in a series like this where the teams are so head-to-head even, most of it just resorts to fanwanking anyways. I mean don't get me wrong, I could probably wank with the best of them but it's just far too much work. I admit it, I still have a bitter taste in my mouth after what happened last season but the Senators weren't bringing their 'A'-game to that series and wouldn't have had any business winning it.
The Sabres fans might say they're not convinced this Senators team is any different but the proof is in the pudding. They play with that extra edge, with the commitment to each play and to play responsibly with our without the puck. Having watched this team as closely as we have, the change is certainly noticeable. This is a new year, new series, a clean slate. Go and get it, boys!
A trip to the Hockey Hall of Fame...
My friends and I paid a visit to Lord Stanley at the Hockey Hall of Fame yesterday and had some fun making fools out of ourselves in the interactive displays. I officially have bragging rights as I tied my friend G with most goals in the shooting game. For the record "most goals" amounts to two. Not that that's anything to brag about, it was only Belfour in goal:
I also officially cannot play goal, I only made 2 saves out of 5. More pictures from the Hall to come later. In the meantime...
GO SENS GO!
Labels: buffalo sabres, mega post, playoffs, round 3: buffalo sabres, silliness
Good job by whatever intern was in charge of Photoshopping this baby.
The Ray Emery: Fashionista feature that was on NHL on TSN last night can be found here on TSN.ca Broadband.
Also? The song that was used in it was pretty awesome. It's an original composition by Lester McLean, who's a ESPN Classic manager but also part of a band called the Lester McLean Trio. If you love the song as much as I do, it's called "Fashion Plate" and you can listen and download it here. That's some pretty sexy guitar, how appropriate.
More On Emery's Style.
Addendum...
As expected, the video has been uploaded on YouTube for your enjoyment:
I just noticed in a couple of the shots of Emery walking in you can see him walking with the most popular Senator in the history of the team, Alexei Kaigorodov. I was surprised that I even remembered what he looked like.
Part 2 of the Senators' Playoff Beard Saga. I'm still trying to search for the elusive Chris Kelly French Villain Pencil 'Stache, but apparently he shaves it at the end of every series so I may have to wait awhile before we get any video evidence of it.
His hat actually says 'Razor' on it, HAH!
Chris Neil thinks playoff beards are overrated.
Emery's going with some subtle stubble
Redden's going with the coiffed, tailored look?
Angry Prairie Beard!
Even Gerber is getting in on the act
Speaking of Gerber, he's been a great team member even though he's been relegated to bench-warming duty. Although by comparison it was the histrionics displayed by Hasek behind the bench last year, so that might not be setting the bar very high.
He's Too Sexy For His Shirt
For those of you who watched the NHL on TSN preview show tonight, there was a segment done by James Duthie about Emery's wardrobe style. It was pretty short and not as comedic as Duthie's other segments but the original song used in it was pretty awesome. We also got a peek at some of the famous suits Emery's worn. Also, the man has 14 watches. 14 watches and he's still late?
Will have video evidence of the um, video up as soon as it can be found. Tomorrow I'll get back to posting about real hockey related things such as your Playoff Primer for round 3 against the Buffaslugs.
Random
- Canada rolled over USA 6-3 at the world championships. Canada scored 8 seconds into the game setting a new Team Record.
- Miscellaneous NHL Team Will Play Miscellaneous European Team, da!
It's an interesting concept except having the Stanley Cup Champions play the grueling playoff run and then making them jet off overseas to play another match-up seems a little much. Given that the Finals usually end around June, the off-season is short enough as it is for the finals teams. However, if you send a non-playoff team over there just might not be as much interest. The Rangers are an interesting option since they are a large market team with a lot of Europeans, but it would do very little to stimulate interest in the local market, which would be the main dilemma you have with sending another large market team over such as the Kings.
There are a lot of hockey fans in Europe and it would mainly be catering to their needs and interests but would probably do very little generate any new interest.
- The Tories Promise the Jets Will Return. More political fodder, hourray! I'll have a more detailed post including economic implications at a later date. In the meantime...
DANG IT, SHARKS WHY WON'T YOU WIN!
His hat actually says 'Razor' on it, HAH!
Chris Neil thinks playoff beards are overrated.
Emery's going with some subtle stubble
Redden's going with the coiffed, tailored look?
Angry Prairie Beard!
Even Gerber is getting in on the act
Speaking of Gerber, he's been a great team member even though he's been relegated to bench-warming duty. Although by comparison it was the histrionics displayed by Hasek behind the bench last year, so that might not be setting the bar very high.
He's Too Sexy For His Shirt
For those of you who watched the NHL on TSN preview show tonight, there was a segment done by James Duthie about Emery's wardrobe style. It was pretty short and not as comedic as Duthie's other segments but the original song used in it was pretty awesome. We also got a peek at some of the famous suits Emery's worn. Also, the man has 14 watches. 14 watches and he's still late?
Will have video evidence of the um, video up as soon as it can be found. Tomorrow I'll get back to posting about real hockey related things such as your Playoff Primer for round 3 against the Buffaslugs.
Random
- Canada rolled over USA 6-3 at the world championships. Canada scored 8 seconds into the game setting a new Team Record.
- Miscellaneous NHL Team Will Play Miscellaneous European Team, da!
Last month, Fasel proposed a Champions League format that would pit the top club teams in Europe against each other in a tournament similar to soccer's Champions League.-- Via TSN.ca
He said then that he'd like to have it in place to coincide with the IIHF's centennial anniversary.
"This is a vision that we have had for quite some time and started to work actively on for several months," Fasel said at the time. "There are still details to be ironed out, but we are sure that we have a financial and sportive foundation that will imply a new era for European club hockey and club hockey worldwide."
It's an interesting concept except having the Stanley Cup Champions play the grueling playoff run and then making them jet off overseas to play another match-up seems a little much. Given that the Finals usually end around June, the off-season is short enough as it is for the finals teams. However, if you send a non-playoff team over there just might not be as much interest. The Rangers are an interesting option since they are a large market team with a lot of Europeans, but it would do very little to stimulate interest in the local market, which would be the main dilemma you have with sending another large market team over such as the Kings.
There are a lot of hockey fans in Europe and it would mainly be catering to their needs and interests but would probably do very little generate any new interest.
- The Tories Promise the Jets Will Return. More political fodder, hourray! I'll have a more detailed post including economic implications at a later date. In the meantime...
DANG IT, SHARKS WHY WON'T YOU WIN!
Labels: chris neil, chris phillips, jason spezza, league silliness, martin gerber, playoff beards, ray emery, sherry needs a life, wade redden
What First Period?: Senators 3, Devils 2
25 Comments Published by Sherry on Sunday, May 06, 2007 at 12:52 AM.
First off: WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!
Ladies and gentlemen, your Ottawa Senators are officially the first team to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. I don't know if there's any words to describe it except absolute elation.
I have to admit that after seeing Scott Gomez open the scoring less than 10 minutes in the first, my heart sank a little. The elimination game is always the hardest win and the Senators looked absolutely sloppy in the first period. I'm frankly not convinced that they showed up. Ironically Ray Emery was the only one who looked prepared as New Jersey outshot the Senators 11-3 in the first period but Emery absolutely kept them in it.
For those who don't know, Emery missed the team's flight to New Jersey yesterday afternoon after getting involved in a minor fender bender on his way to the airport. Good thing he was driving his white Hummer and not the orange Lamborghini. I'll thank the Hummer for protecing our number one goalie, but not for killing the environment. He ended up missing the morning skate, but to make up for it decided to show up early for warm-up except he was locked out of the visitor's dressing rooms and had to hang around for an hour until the rest of the team showed up and somebody unlocked the door. Don Cherry was absolutely incensed about it. Good for you!
The Senators scored their 3 goals in the second period where they absolutely took over the play, outshooting the Devils 19-9. The third period was absolutely sleep inducing though as it involved the Senators protecting their lead and giving Jersey a taste of their own clogged plumbing medicine.
The top line was absolutely dominant in this series, combining for 6 points tonight. It's only fitting that Our Captain, O Captain Daniel Alfredsson got the game-winning goal tonight. With all the talk of how the other lines need to step up offensively, they too did their job tonight. Mike Fisher was once again hitting everything that moved, including sitting down Sergei Brylin with a bone-crunching check. Antoine Vermette had a great shift on the tying goal where he was absolutely committed to the play and keeping the puck in the zone and was rewarded for it with a tip-in off of a shot by Tom Preissing.
I think my favourite thing about the playoffs is the handshake line. These are men who play with their hearts on their sleeve where emotions run high yet still manage to put that all away and show each other respect. My favourite moment was the meeting of Brodeur and Emery. I don't know what Brodeur said to him but it made Emery smile and he returned with a distinct "Thanks, man".
If anybody was watching Hockey Night in Canada after the game, the cameras caught a fan all decked out in Brodeur gear all alone in the empty seats waving for attention before he was told to get out of there by an usher. He dejectedly left and Don Cherry remarked "Look at that, so forlorn. You tried your best, Marty!" Awesome stuff. I trust it was more of this guy's handy work:
So on 'Cinco de Mayo' [I'm sure there are accents in there somewhere], the Senators managed to finish off the series in 5 games:
First Sid the Kid and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils. All in 10 games.--Via NHL.com
Good night and of course....
GO SENS GO!
Labels: absolute elation, daniel alfredsson, martin brodeur, new jersey devils, ray emery, round 2: new jersey devils
Some silliness to usher you into the weekend. Here's Part 1 of the Ottawa Senators' Playoff Beard Saga.
Pick your favourite! More to come at a later date including Jason Spezza's Patchwork and Chris Phillips' Angry Prairie Beard
Miscellaneous
- Yours truly has now joined the ranks at Bleu, Blanc et Rouge as their Ottawa Senators contributor.
- I know some fans who wouldn't mind Andy Murray bringing his coaching tactics to their arenas.
- And ladies and gentlemen, poetic justice.
Labels: playoff beards, sherry needs a life, silliness
Going Postal: Devils 2, Senators 3
29 Comments Published by Sherry on Wednesday, May 02, 2007 at 11:56 PM.
This game made me postal for a number of reasons:
1) The number of shots that went off the goal posts for both teams
2) The fact that it was a one goal game and Jersey was really pressing in the last 20 seconds.
If you want to look at the trends through this series, the team who struck first would go on to win the game and the trend continued tonight. Ottawa drew first blood with a goal from Daniel Alfredsson, who continues to inspire with his strong all-around game. Seriously, my jaw was on the floor by how well the captain was playing. With stories from the HNIC crew about how Alfie requested a stall change in the dressing room so he can see everybody in the room better, I was bursting with pride for our Captain. I certainly hope nobody is still questioning his leadership abilities. Actually, he dismissed the room change as just to have a "better view" so maybe it was just a coincidence. Still! ALFIE IS AWESOME.
And breaking news: Jason Spezza has now blocked shots in two straight games! Just more ammunition for his teammates to tease him with I guess and more stuff to put on the highlight reel. Could a Selke nomination be next? [In order to not be responsible for reader deaths, please be advised to not hold your breath on that one]
This wasn't the strongest game the Senators played and Ray Emery looked shaky to start but did end up standing tall in the last couple of seconds when Jersey was really laying on the pressure. The Senators in this game dictated most of the play, but they gave a lot of the Jersey players way too much space, particularly when it came to offensive rushes into the zone. Yes, Jersey is known for tight defensive play, but they've still got dangerous offensive weapons if you give them the time and space.
Martin Brodeur continues to be stellar and Greg Millen and Bob Cole weren't as slurpy over him tonight. They got it all out yesterday. Brodeur wasn't as strong as he was in game 2, letting in a couple of goals he probably should have had. Given how constant the pressure was from the Senators though, it could have been much worse. Tonight was a momentous night as both Brodeur and Emery had assists on the night which hasn't happened in the playoffs since 1993. You're not going to beat Brodeur on many plays, but it's still possible if you get in his face and make a shot that goes against the play, as was the case with Dany Heatley's goal, which he banked off of Brodeur's skate.
Mike Fisher also registered a goal tonight, after the second, third and fourth lines got called out by Bryan Murray for more offensive help. He made a gorgeous point shot from the blue-line that beat Brodeur up high. I actually missed this goal because I was on the phone, did they happen to play the 'Fisher' song?
Also, Dear Referees: It's okay to call penalties against the Devils...really! Actually, I didn't have too many objections to the officiating tonight, only that the Senators have got to learn to keep out of the box. I mean, looking at the Devils' PowerPlay at its current state, it might not be that much of a concern, but you don't ever want to be down a man.
So I'm sitting on pins and needles until Saturday for game 5 in Jersey when the Senators can finish up this round. It's only going to get harder from here on in but if the boys can keep on doing what they've been doing and remember that games are three periods and 20 minutes long each, they should be all right. And if Alfie continues to KICK BUTT!
The Millen and Cole Report: They weren't as bad today. Occasionally screwed up a name here and there but nothing to "Mike Eaves" proportions.
What else is there to say except...
GO SENS GO!
Labels: bob cole, greg millen, jason spezza, martin brodeur, mike fisher, new jersey devils, round 2: new jersey devils
Alternative Title: Dumb/Stupid
If you haven't heard by now, Hockey Canada has been summoned by a Parliamentary Committee to defend their decision to name Shane Doan as Team Canada's captain on this year's World Championship's Squad. This comes from a motion initiated by the Bloc Quebecois because Doan allegedly made a derogatory remark to a French-Canadian linesman in a 2005 game against Montreal. There was also some issue taken in 2006 when Doan was named to Team Canada but nothing came of that. Maybe because they had their hands full defending why Todd Bertuzzi was named to the team, which apparently the Government did not dub committee worthy. Another thing people have suggested is that on this year's Team Canada squad, there actually aren't any French-Canadian players.
[Michael Chong, a Conservative MP on the committee] dismissed the suggestion that politicians are sticking their nose where it doesn't belong, saying the Canadian national team is not like the NHL because it receives federal funding.
...
"We're talking about Team Canada. We're talking about an organization that receives millions of dollars a year in government money — in public funds.
"They are accountable, in part, to the government of Canada."
Okay, fair enough but calling a Parliamentary Committee seems to me is going a little bit overboard with the issue. For one, this is valuable time and money you're wasting on an issue that maybe never even happened. And second, if Doan was cleared by the NHL of making these remarks, then obviously the League has already investigated the issue and didn't see any merit to it. If the government wants to form a committee to discuss it, then they're in a sense saying that Doan is guilty and Hockey Canada needs to defend their decision, despite the fact that there was already an investigation.
What gets my goat about this is that it's a waste of time and money. Jack Layton, leader of the NDP party says that it casts a shadow over the tournanment. Which, no...not really. The government is the one making a fuss about this and I really don't know anybody that took issue with Doan being named captain at all until they decided to drudge up business from nearly two years ago that the league found out never happened.
Doan says he was trying to calm down goalie Curtis Joseph during a skirmish and wasn't even talking to any of the officials.
"I stand on my word," said Doan. "I did not say a single thing. I didn't say anything even remotely close to what is being said that I said.
I don't even actually know what was allegedly said, but according to Gabriel Morency, of The Score and Hardcore Sports Radio who attended the game in 2005, it was actually Ladislav Nagy who made perhaps an objectionable comment and not Doan. Everybody knows that Doan is an upstanding guy, his teammates to GMs and coaches have all come out in his defense. According to some of them "fudge" is the worst swearword he'll ever say. Which is kind of like me, except I prefer the word "flip".
This moment of stupidity brought to you by your tax dollars.
Labels: government silliness, shean doan, team canada, this is getting ridiculous
