Hockey Regular Season

[Clutch]

SO I had a look at how our teams are doing...

 

Clutch - 'Canes are in 1st in the Southeast

 

HSF - Pens are tied for 2nd behind the (surprisingly) good Rangers

 

and my Wild are still tied for first while finishing up a grueling west coast road trip

 

Congrats so far gang!

 

My Wild play @ Vancouver tonight that doesn't start until 9pm so hopefully I can stay awake until the end of the game.

 

You my boy Blue! We stole one in the 3rd last night. Man, the beers taste better and games are flat out more fun when you're winning. I stick with the Canes regardless, but life is pretty good right now in hockey land.

 

I wish I would be tasting the beers at all. (Looking forward to next weekend for that very reason.) And yeah, I'm the lone non-first place team, but with our two best D-men down, I'm very pleased to be in 2nd place. So long as they can hold that place, when Gonch and Ryan come back, we might be able to make a run for first.

 

(Love the Old School reference, Clutch! )

 

As crazy as this sounds, sometimes I like being in second (a CLOSE 2nd). I think it keeps the pressure on the leader. Get people healthy and then strike. Hope we can all keep up the pace.

(Love the avatar brother!!!)

[Evil Rick]

SO I had a look at how our teams are doing...

 

Clutch - 'Canes are in 1st in the Southeast

 

HSF - Pens are tied for 2nd behind the (surprisingly) good Rangers

 

and my Wild are still tied for first while finishing up a grueling west coast road trip

 

Congrats so far gang!

 

My Wild play @ Vancouver tonight that doesn't start until 9pm so hopefully I can stay awake until the end of the game.

 

You my boy Blue! We stole one in the 3rd last night. Man, the beers taste better and games are flat out more fun when you're winning. I stick with the Canes regardless, but life is pretty good right now in hockey land.

 

I wish I would be tasting the beers at all. (Looking forward to next weekend for that very reason.) And yeah, I'm the lone non-first place team, but with our two best D-men down, I'm very pleased to be in 2nd place. So long as they can hold that place, when Gonch and Ryan come back, we might be able to make a run for first.

 

(Love the Old School reference, Clutch! )

 

As crazy as this sounds, sometimes I like being in second (a CLOSE 2nd). I think it keeps the pressure on the leader. Get people healthy and then strike. Hope we can all keep up the pace.

(Love the avatar brother!!!)

Nothing wrong with second place at all Jay, but anything worse than that and things start looking grim, not just for Pittsburgh, but for pretty much any team nowadays. I cannot see the Rangers playing like they have been for an entire season so I think the Pens have a pretty good chance.

 

The Canes are ALWAYS tough. Since they escaped Hartford it's been a first class organization. What a great franchise to be a fan of Clutch.

 

Now if we could get that numb nuts Gaborik traded and get another scorer in return that would make things a bit more enjoyable. I heard a rumor the Wild were in talks with Vancouver to trade Gaborik for the Sedin twins. That would be something I'd like to see happen.

[Clutch]

SO I had a look at how our teams are doing...

 

Clutch - 'Canes are in 1st in the Southeast

 

HSF - Pens are tied for 2nd behind the (surprisingly) good Rangers

 

and my Wild are still tied for first while finishing up a grueling west coast road trip

 

Congrats so far gang!

 

My Wild play @ Vancouver tonight that doesn't start until 9pm so hopefully I can stay awake until the end of the game.

 

You my boy Blue! We stole one in the 3rd last night. Man, the beers taste better and games are flat out more fun when you're winning. I stick with the Canes regardless, but life is pretty good right now in hockey land.

 

I wish I would be tasting the beers at all. (Looking forward to next weekend for that very reason.) And yeah, I'm the lone non-first place team, but with our two best D-men down, I'm very pleased to be in 2nd place. So long as they can hold that place, when Gonch and Ryan come back, we might be able to make a run for first.

 

(Love the Old School reference, Clutch! )

 

As crazy as this sounds, sometimes I like being in second (a CLOSE 2nd). I think it keeps the pressure on the leader. Get people healthy and then strike. Hope we can all keep up the pace.

(Love the avatar brother!!!)

 

The Canes are ALWAYS tough. Since they escaped Hartford it's been a first class organization. What a great franchise to be a fan of Clutch.

 

 

Believe me Blue, I do not take it for granted. I hope they can keep it up because most teams I pull for in other sports (football, baseball) have been dismal to say the least.

[hsf]

Now if we could get that numb nuts Gaborik traded and get another scorer in return that would make things a bit more enjoyable. I heard a rumor the Wild were in talks with Vancouver to trade Gaborik for the Sedin twins. That would be something I'd like to see happen.

 

Wow! I don't see how ANYONE couldn't think that trade was in favor of the Wild. That would be an incredible coup! Between overall output, relative health (knock on wood, don't want you to think I'm jinxing things), and general level of crap you've got to put up with, the Sedins to Minnie for Gaborik to Vancouver would do wonders for the Wild I think. Hope that one works out for ya Rick!

 

Yeah, I don't see the Rangers holding court like this all year long. That said, Naslund has been OK, but hasn't really hit his stride yet. Neither have, really, Gomez and Drury. It's been contributions from Dubinsky, Zherdev, and even Voros (who's been really quiet lately, so maybe that was a fluke?). And on D, even though he didn't really have the FA year that the Rangers had hoped for, Redden hasn't done much to rekindle that Ottawa flame he had. Rosival's diminished playing time isn't helping. It's contributions from Dan Girardi that are helping. And of course, Henrik (don't call me Vern) Lundqvist in the net. (And Valiquette isn't a bad backup to have either!)

 

So, I'm hoping the Penguins can make due without Gonchar and Whitney and hold tight until they get back. Fleury hasn't quite been stellar, but done just enough to get by. (As did Sabourin last night.) These nailbiters are gonna keep Pens fans on the edge of their seats. They just had better keep pulling out the majority of them.

[Clutch]

Staal had a great game for the Pens in a OT victory over the Wings. Big game for you guys hsf!

[LV KIX]

SO I had a look at how our teams are doing...

 

Clutch - 'Canes are in 1st in the Southeast

 

HSF - Pens are tied for 2nd behind the (surprisingly) good Rangers

 

and my Wild are still tied for first while finishing up a grueling west coast road trip

 

Congrats so far gang!

 

My Wild play @ Vancouver tonight that doesn't start until 9pm so hopefully I can stay awake until the end of the game.

 

 

Hey now...you left out my CAPS.

 

As of this morning, the Capitals are 8-4-2 and in first place by % points.

 

All of this with Ovechkin in a scoring slump...though he did have a goal and an assist vs. the Lightning the other night. He had went 9 games without a goal for the first time in his career.

 

Speaking of the Lightning... Have you ever been to a sporting event where you felt that there was something bigger then the game itself ? Where the hair on the back of your neck stands straight up? Well...I went to the Caps - Lightning game on Monday night where Olie Kolzig made the start against the team he had played for for over 19 years. Seeing Kolzig skate out in the Tampa Bay uniform brought a tear to my eye (seriously). I truley was torn on who to pull for. Half of the sold out crowd had on Kolzig's #37 Capitals jersey. You would pass someone on the concourse level and you could just tell by the look on everyones face that this was going to be a tough night to be a part of. It was almost like the game itself didn't really matter. During the first stoppage of play they showed a 3 minute tribute to Kolzig on the tele-screen high above the ice. When it was over..the words "THANKS OLIE" appeared on the screen. For a brief second Kolzig acknowledged the crowd that he had given nearly 20 years to. I'll tell ya...I'll remember that feeling for a long time.

 

This was one of those few times when I felt that there was a moment that was bigger then the game itself. It still makes me sad to think that Kolzig is no longer a Washington Capital.

[Evil Rick]

SO I had a look at how our teams are doing...

 

Clutch - 'Canes are in 1st in the Southeast

 

HSF - Pens are tied for 2nd behind the (surprisingly) good Rangers

 

and my Wild are still tied for first while finishing up a grueling west coast road trip

 

Congrats so far gang!

 

My Wild play @ Vancouver tonight that doesn't start until 9pm so hopefully I can stay awake until the end of the game.

 

 

Hey now...you left out my CAPS.

 

As of this morning, the Capitals are 8-4-2 and in first place by % points.

 

All of this with Ovechkin in a scoring slump...though he did have a goal and an assist vs. the Lightning the other night. He had went 9 games without a goal for the first time in his career.

 

Speaking of the Lightning... Have you ever been to a sporting event where you felt that there was something bigger then the game itself ? Where the hair on the back of your neck stands straight up? Well...I went to the Caps - Lightning game on Monday night where Olie Kolzig made the start against the team he had played for for over 19 years. Seeing Kolzig skate out in the Tampa Bay uniform brought a tear to my eye (seriously). I truley was torn on who to pull for. Half of the sold out crowd had on Kolzig's #37 Capitals jersey. You would pass someone on the concourse level and you could just tell by the look on everyones face that this was going to be a tough night to be a part of. It was almost like the game itself didn't really matter. During the first stoppage of play they showed a 3 minute tribute to Kolzig on the tele-screen high above the ice. When it was over..the words "THANKS OLIE" appeared on the screen. For a brief second Kolzig acknowledged the crowd that he had given nearly 20 years to. I'll tell ya...I'll remember that feeling for a long time.

 

This was one of those few times when I felt that there was a moment that was bigger then the game itself. It still makes me sad to think that Kolzig is no longer a Washington Capital.

Oops, my mistake. Washington is off to a very good start this year. Looks like we should all be in the thick of things for most of the season (hopefully).

 

Olie was with the Caps for almost 20 years?? I had no idea he'd been there that long. It's unfortunate that now they have a solid core of players in Washington he's not a part of it.

[Clutch]

SO I had a look at how our teams are doing...

 

Clutch - 'Canes are in 1st in the Southeast

 

HSF - Pens are tied for 2nd behind the (surprisingly) good Rangers

 

and my Wild are still tied for first while finishing up a grueling west coast road trip

 

Congrats so far gang!

 

My Wild play @ Vancouver tonight that doesn't start until 9pm so hopefully I can stay awake until the end of the game.

 

 

Hey now...you left out my CAPS.

 

As of this morning, the Capitals are 8-4-2 and in first place by % points.

 

All of this with Ovechkin in a scoring slump...though he did have a goal and an assist vs. the Lightning the other night. He had went 9 games without a goal for the first time in his career.

 

Speaking of the Lightning... Have you ever been to a sporting event where you felt that there was something bigger then the game itself ? Where the hair on the back of your neck stands straight up? Well...I went to the Caps - Lightning game on Monday night where Olie Kolzig made the start against the team he had played for for over 19 years. Seeing Kolzig skate out in the Tampa Bay uniform brought a tear to my eye (seriously). I truley was torn on who to pull for. Half of the sold out crowd had on Kolzig's #37 Capitals jersey. You would pass someone on the concourse level and you could just tell by the look on everyones face that this was going to be a tough night to be a part of. It was almost like the game itself didn't really matter. During the first stoppage of play they showed a 3 minute tribute to Kolzig on the tele-screen high above the ice. When it was over..the words "THANKS OLIE" appeared on the screen. For a brief second Kolzig acknowledged the crowd that he had given nearly 20 years to. I'll tell ya...I'll remember that feeling for a long time.

 

This was one of those few times when I felt that there was a moment that was bigger then the game itself. It still makes me sad to think that Kolzig is no longer a Washington Capital.

 

You guys are going to be fine. You're playing the Canes bro, they make Cam Ward look like a fucking turnstile.

[hsf]

Staal had a great game for the Pens in a OT victory over the Wings. Big game for you guys hsf!

 

That was an INCREDIBLE game! Staal played out of is mind! 3 goals and the steal from Datsyuk in overtime that led to the game winner. What a crazy game!

 

I thought, when the closed the three-goal gap to 5-4, that they had a chance. And when Fleury let in that soft goal (in the sense he had a piece of it and it dribbled across the line before the defenseman's stick got there) to make it 6-4 Wings, I thought their ship was sunk.

 

Just an incredible effort! (I was on the phone with my brother and his broadcasts of everything are a few seconds ahead of mine. So, I knew like 5 seconds in advance, when the Pens got goals 5 and 6. lol)

 

Stayed up late last night to watch Luongo and Budaj (yes, Peter Budaj!) go all Stonewall Jackson on the shooters throughout the 3rd period and OT (after the Avs tied it 1-1 early in the 3rd). And, FUCK, were there some pretty goals in the shootout! And while Wolski's and Burrows' goals were nice, Marek Svatos' goal was KILLER!

 

Man, I love the the Center Ice package! With some cold beer, it just doesn't get better!

[Clutch]

Staal had a great game for the Pens in a OT victory over the Wings. Big game for you guys hsf!

 

That was an INCREDIBLE game! Staal played out of is mind! 3 goals and the steal from Datsyuk in overtime that led to the game winner. What a crazy game!

 

I thought, when the closed the three-goal gap to 5-4, that they had a chance. And when Fleury let in that soft goal (in the sense he had a piece of it and it dribbled across the line before the defenseman's stick got there) to make it 6-4 Wings, I thought their ship was sunk.

 

Just an incredible effort! (I was on the phone with my brother and his broadcasts of everything are a few seconds ahead of mine. So, I knew like 5 seconds in advance, when the Pens got goals 5 and 6. lol)

 

Stayed up late last night to watch Luongo and Budaj (yes, Peter Budaj!) go all Stonewall Jackson on the shooters throughout the 3rd period and OT (after the Avs tied it 1-1 early in the 3rd). And, FUCK, were there some pretty goals in the shootout! And while Wolski's and Burrows' goals were nice, Marek Svatos' goal was KILLER!

 

Man, I love the the Center Ice package! With some cold beer, it just doesn't get better!

 

Right on brother!!!

[hsf]

Wow! This Pens game is absolutely nuts!

 

Pittsburgh goes out to a 3-0 lead, but the Flyers, on the strength of 2 shorties and 4 total unanswered, take a 4-3 lead into the 2nd intermission.

 

Craziness! (Glad I've got plenty of cold Coors Light to keep me occupied in case we can get this to OT.)

[Clutch]

Wow! This Pens game is absolutely nuts!

 

Pittsburgh goes out to a 3-0 lead, but the Flyers, on the strength of 2 shorties and 4 total unanswered, take a 4-3 lead into the 2nd intermission.

 

Craziness! (Glad I've got plenty of cold Coors Light to keep me occupied in case we can get this to OT.)

 

Brother, nothing pisses me off more than having a lead and losing it. You are a better man than myself......Chris

[hsf]

Wow! This Pens game is absolutely nuts!

 

Pittsburgh goes out to a 3-0 lead, but the Flyers, on the strength of 2 shorties and 4 total unanswered, take a 4-3 lead into the 2nd intermission.

 

Craziness! (Glad I've got plenty of cold Coors Light to keep me occupied in case we can get this to OT.)

 

Brother, nothing pisses me off more than having a lead and losing it. You are a better man than myself......Chris

 

Oh, I was pissed aplenty, Chris. lol

 

Being the Pens, though, at least lately, I'm always willing to give them the BotD because, just like the other night in Detroit, they ended up tying it up and at least getting a point.

 

OT BABY!!!!

 

**edit

 

Wow! Dany Sabourin was stellar in relief of Fleury. Got a post in the SO, but still got the Pens their 2 points tonight.

 

Man, I fucking love hockey!

[Clutch]

Wow! This Pens game is absolutely nuts!

 

Pittsburgh goes out to a 3-0 lead, but the Flyers, on the strength of 2 shorties and 4 total unanswered, take a 4-3 lead into the 2nd intermission.

 

Craziness! (Glad I've got plenty of cold Coors Light to keep me occupied in case we can get this to OT.)

 

Brother, nothing pisses me off more than having a lead and losing it. You are a better man than myself......Chris

 

Oh, I was pissed aplenty, Chris. lol

 

Being the Pens, though, at least lately, I'm always willing to give them the BotD because, just like the other night in Detroit, they ended up tying it up and at least getting a point.

 

OT BABY!!!!

 

**edit

 

Wow! Dany Sabourin was stellar in relief of Fleury. Got a post in the SO, but still got the Pens their 2 points tonight.

 

Man, I fucking love hockey!

 

Big Daddy,

my pain runs deep. I have NO problem with my bros winning, but my losing sucks! I'm good with all this as long as we give your best. Best of luck to you and our brothers......Chris

[hsf]

Big Daddy,

my pain runs deep. I have NO problem with my bros winning, but my losing sucks! I'm good with all this as long as we give your best. Best of luck to you and our brothers......Chris

 

 

I hear you, my man. I remember the Pens' lean years. Before ALL the picks rolled in and started playing/playing well. It was rough. Going from the Eastern Conference Finals one year to dumping all the star players, Lemieux fading, and basement dwellers in the matter of 2 years was just horrible.

 

I those low years before the lockout and right after (finally having money and signing fairly big-name free agents who, other than one and a few surprises, never panned out and proved to be wastes of money), were painful.

 

So, all I can tell you is stay with it and hopefully your team will come out of it before too long.

 

(And, at least you've had a Stanley Cup in recent memory. Not that the 2 Cups from the early 90's were THAT long ago, but with all the ups and downs since, it sure does seem like forever.)

[Evil Rick]

Wild 4 Phoenix 0! Backstrom gets the shutout! Too bad I was bowling and couldn't watch the game in High Def.

[Clutch]

Big Daddy,

my pain runs deep. I have NO problem with my bros winning, but my losing sucks! I'm good with all this as long as we give your best. Best of luck to you and our brothers......Chris

 

 

I hear you, my man. I remember the Pens' lean years. Before ALL the picks rolled in and started playing/playing well. It was rough. Going from the Eastern Conference Finals one year to dumping all the star players, Lemieux fading, and basement dwellers in the matter of 2 years was just horrible.

 

I those low years before the lockout and right after (finally having money and signing fairly big-name free agents who, other than one and a few surprises, never panned out and proved to be wastes of money), were painful.

 

So, all I can tell you is stay with it and hopefully your team will come out of it before too long.

 

(And, at least you've had a Stanley Cup in recent memory. Not that the 2 Cups from the early 90's were THAT long ago, but with all the ups and downs since, it sure does seem like forever.)

 

A Cup IMO is not a matter of when but if. If you've won one....AWESOME!!!!!! If not. get your ass in there.

Much like a super bowl, it is tuff to win. hsf, love ya bro.......

[Clutch]

Damn, too many beers from last night have left me feeling like I played all 3 periods and overtime. Ouch.

[LV KIX]

What is all this Cup talk...?

 

A Cup...? What is that...?

 

The Caps did come close once (kinda). Losing in 4 straight games to the Wings in 1998.

 

Someday...!

[Clutch]

What is all this Cup talk...?

 

A Cup...? What is that...?

 

The Caps did come close once (kinda). Losing in 4 straight games to the Wings in 1998.

 

Someday...!

 

It may be sooner than you think. You have guys stepping up and playing great together after a little bit of a slow start. Your Caps made my Canes look bad the other night. Hope we can rebound tonight against the ATL.

[Clutch]

Melrose is gone! 16 games in and thanks for your time. His seat is probably still warm in the ESPN studios.

[Evil Rick]

Melrose is gone! 16 games in and thanks for your time. His seat is probably still warm in the ESPN studios.

Absolutely ridiculous the owners did that to him. WTF?? A coach needs at least 2 years just to determine the strengths and weaknesses of his team and get the right guys shuffled in and out of the lineup. Are those jokers getting tips from Al Davis? I hope Melrose gets his entire contract paid to him and gets in over on VS. Anyone who works as a hockey analyst on ESPN may as well be working on ESPN Deportes or the moon.

[hsf]

While I hate to see what happened to Melrose (I think ALL head coaches in ALL sports should be treated much more fairly than they are), I kinda at least hope Rick Tocchet does well and earns himself a full-time position somewhere. (Always gonna be rooting for those ol' Pittsburgh boys that helped us in the Cup years.)

 

That said, Tampa ownership should be ashamed for the way they fucked over Barry Melrose. Luring him out of his ESPN chair/salary as a head coach and then giving him the axe 16 games into the season. While Melrose may not be a coaching legend (and just be the product of having the Great One on his teams in L.A.), he still led some teams to the playoffs (and one to the Cup Finals). That said, these new owners in Tampa are two rich jokers who just wanted to have a real-life fantasy team.

 

They paid RIDICULOUS free agent money to some names that parallels what I mentioned about the Pens' FA acquisitions a few years back...... horrible failures! How's that huge contract to Ryan Malone working out for them. Hey, dude was a GREAT role player for the Pens, particularly last season. But this contract has got to be one of the more overinflated I've seen in some time. How about Radim Vrbata? Or the acquisition of Andrei Meszaros, that "elite" defenseman from Ottawa? (Because getting him for Kuba certainly hasn't worked out incredibly well for the Senators.)

 

And I understand they gave Vinny the Cav an 11 year contract extension, but if a player is playing like a dog, they're playing like a dog. (Or a dong, as the case may be in some instances.) When, just 2 games in (after the roadtrip to Europe), Melrose let loose on his star players (or the whole team sans the Gratton line), he probably made some highly-paid enemies. Just another case of a coach who won't settle for letting superstars (or any players) coast on a mediocre level. (And don't get started on "Oh, they went overseas. It had to be difficult. Melrose should have waited until they came home and played before calling anyone out.") Tough head coaches that won't coddle young talent are not welcomed in this NHL. (Ask poor Teddy Nolan about that. I hope good ol' Dom Hasek is still happy about how he played that Buffalo sitch out.)

 

Only Denis Savard's shafting at the hands of Chicago Blackhawk management is worse, but I feel bad for Barry. I know it was nice cushy gig at ESPN, especially when they actually gave a shit about hockey. But, I bet, regardless of actual tendered offers, Barry was itching at all the coaching carousel rides given over the years and hoping for another shot. Sad that this was it. I don't know that he gets another now.

 

Like I said, I wish Ricky Tocchet all the success in the world. I just kinda hope it doesn't come in Tampa Bay because I'm not sure some of the players deserve it. And I know that the owners sure as hell DON'T.

[Clutch]

Melrose is gone! 16 games in and thanks for your time. His seat is probably still warm in the ESPN studios.

 

 

I don't care what the sport is, I don't like it when this happens. What does this say about your organization? Fuck, that sixer he bought at the corner store isn't even cold yet.

 

But mine is!

[Clutch]

What is all this Cup talk...?

 

A Cup...? What is that...?

 

The Caps did come close once (kinda). Losing in 4 straight games to the Wings in 1998.

 

Someday...!

 

It may be sooner than you think. You have guys stepping up and playing great together after a little bit of a slow start. Your Caps made my Canes look bad the other night. Hope we can rebound tonight against the ATL.

 

And my hopes of rebounding went straight to the shitter. And people wonder way I drink.