NHL Playoffs!!!!!

[Deke]

Nuggybuggy, I agree with you about Bertuzzi. What he did was moronic and despite some bad press and a law suit that seems to have gone nowhere, accountability for what he did has not shown up. I hated it when the Wings signed him. If you ask me, he doesn't add a whole lot that couldn't have been found elsewhere.

Meanwhile there are other goons out there purposely taking head shots and playing like low lifes. Matt Cooke of Pittsburgh comes to mind. I can't see how the Penns can simultaneously be upset about the cheap shot to Crosby (and I think it was) while they have a dirt bag like that on their bench. I think it is something they are addressing after his latest cheap shot. I'm not a 100% certain of this, but in the old days while things were brutal anyone playing like a punk was subject to retaliation by a teams fighter/enforcer. Now the instigator rules get in the way. Still, nothing made me happier than when 19 year old Evander Kane knocked out Matt Cooke with one punch. If similar quick justice could be delivered consistently to other dirty players, that might go a long way since the league is incapable of ruling consistently on anything.

 

[Kevin D.]

Go Leafs! But that's for another year, hopefully not too many more down the road.

In the meantime, prefer the Habs, but will gladly take the Canucks to bring it back home.

Still a little premature, but welcome back what will no longer be called the Coyotes to Winnipeg, while saying sorry to the fans in Phoenix it just couldn't work out.  Might be a Canadian, but still like to see teams prosper south of the border.

 

[Deke]

I'm a little in shock over Chicago. I would be very nervous if I was a Canucks fan. The President's Trophy Curse is rarely overcome (Wings 2008 of course!).

As a Wings fan I can't imagine a better scenario that having both Vancouver and San Jose battle it out in a long series. I think one of the two is going down and I will pick the Canucks to fail.

Kevin, believe it or not I root for the Leafs all the time. It is way past due for this storied original six team to get back into it. It's just not right. Plus they really do have the coolest logo of any team.  [big grin]

 

[PaulMarcel]

Still a little premature, but welcome back what will no longer be called the Coyotes to Winnipeg, while saying sorry to the fans in Phoenix it just couldn't work out.  Might be a Canadian, but still like to see teams prosper south of the border.

It's like Winnipeg sent them down here for a bunch of years to appreciate Winnipeg or something.  Talk about harsh, though, from 120ºF summers to a place called "Winterpeg"  [tongue]

 

[Deke]

Still a little premature, but welcome back what will no longer be called the Coyotes to Winnipeg, while saying sorry to the fans in Phoenix it just couldn't work out.  Might be a Canadian, but still like to see teams prosper south of the border.

It's like Winnipeg sent them down here for a bunch of years to appreciate Winnipeg or something.  Talk about harsh, though, from 120ºF summers to a place called "Winterpeg"  [tongue]

Ah, but at least they will have real hockey fans again!

 

[PaulMarcel]

Oh, definitely!  You should hear some of the things the fans say in the stands at our game.  Yes, there are some great fans that know the game well (likely played, too), but there are a lot who know nothing and continue to know nothing.

 

[harry_]

Go Bruins!!! (but get your golf clubs ready!)

 

[Deke]

Harry, you seemed to have a good effect with your post. Meanwhile I am planning off season trades and acquisitions for the Wings. Perhaps a bit premature, but the Sharks are awesome and maybe unstoppable. Sorry Canucks fans, but I see SJ as the team to beat. I pick them going all the way. It's pathetic that a bunch of fair weather Californian fans will get to watch Lord Stanley hoisted in their parking lot or something... reminds me of the Ducks with 15,000 fans in a parking lot while Detroit wins bring out a million for a parade. Yes, a million. It's not right.

 

[NuggyBuggy]

I'm not a 100% certain of this, but in the old days while things were brutal anyone playing like a punk was subject to retaliation by a teams fighter/enforcer. Now the instigator rules get in the way. Still, nothing made me happier than when 19 year old Evander Kane knocked out Matt Cooke with one punch. If similar quick justice could be delivered consistently to other dirty players, that might go a long way since the league is incapable of ruling consistently on anything.

Deke, I finally got a chance to look at this video.  It was sweet.

But I disagree with the oft-held argument that fighting in the old days served as a significant deterred for cheap play.  If Matt Cooke cheap-shots someone, then maybe he gets beat up.  But we all know it doesn't end there.  Cooke's team will send out their enforcer to rough someone up, and so-on.

And the book "The Code" argues that, for example, people only fight with opponents in their own class.  So Matt Cooke wouldn't be facing off against Derek Boogard, for instance, no matter how egregious his play.  So how does this act as a deterrent for Cooke ?

Do we really think that play in the NHL was cleaner than it is now ? I remember my boyhood hero, Bobby Clarke, breaking Kharlamov's ankle.  Montreal erupted in riots after Rocket Richard got slashed in the head and then he proceeded to slash the Bruin in the head with his stick and then later break his stick on the guy's back.  I remember watching (on TV) my Flyers play the Soviet Red Army, and the Russians refusing to come back on the ice for what seemed like an eternity, because of the Flyers' absolutely brutal and dirty style of play.

What has happened is that our ability to scrutinize every single play  has increased to the nth degree.  We can watch every millisecond of every one of Matt Cooke's antics in slow-motion, any time we want.  Not much more than a decade ago, this was pretty much impossible.

And why aren't deterrents needed in NFL football ? Why is it that if a Sidney Crosby gets hurt, a fight must by unwritten rule occur, but if Tom Brady gets hurt by a cheap play or a late hit, a penalty gets assessed and the game goes on ?