NHL Play-offs

[garnpet]

Hoping that Vancouver wins, but Boston is more deserving right now.

[Mike62]

If you are not cheering for Vancouver in this final, you obviously have no problem with the Americans controlling our Cup for another five years, at least. No other Canadian team right now is a contender for the Cup, and none of them will be for at least 5 years, if not more.

As well, if you are cheering for Boston, then you obviously feel that the best way to build a team is to get 20 useless pluggers who would have trouble making the 3rd line of a real NHL team, and then go out and get a goalie thats 90%luck/10%skill, and mix it all together.

One last thing about the "holy" Bruins, who can do no wrong? Tell that to Mason Raymond, who was rammed into the sideboard, nowhere near the puck...or Daniel Sedin, who got punched in the head 4 times while the ref stood there and smiled.

[mseguin]

Canada's team won at the Olympics last year, the NHL isn't about country, its about which pile of money can beat which pile of money. I cheer for my team, and then rank other teams on their players and skill levels, etc, not geography.
You have it backwards, Thomas is one of the most purely skilled goalies in the league, he's just not stylish about it. And he competes like no one else. If Luongo competed as hard as Thomas, you'd be looking at a whole different series.
Pluggers on Boston? Here's a list of players on that team I wish Ottawa had: Chara (biggest mistake this franchise made was letting him go), Thomas, Bergeron (not his biggest fan but he gets the job done), Lucic, Marchand (he'll be an effective pest and secondary scorer for years to come), Krejci, Kelly (best trade deadline deal made this year), and others. Their defence doesn't get the attention Vancouver's does (beyond Chara), but Seidenberg and company are quietly playing solidly. I'll take them over Lapierre, Burrows, and even Kesler (who acts tough once the linesmen get involved).
As for Sedin, maybe he's not getting calls because the refs are tired of them diving and embellishing everything. Raymond was unfortunate, and probably could ahve been a penalty, but in the playoffs, that play gets allowed every other time as "playoff hockey", it just so happened that Raymond got hit awkwardly this time. Considering how vehemently Canucks fans defended Rome's blatantly late hit, and the blatant biting incident, neither team has any reason to cry about the refs.

[Hookup]

Go Canucks!   

I am sens first, Canadian team second... 

The problem I have with this series is it's AMAZING hockey when Vancouver is in the lead or tied.. As soon as Boston leads it sucks...  Vancouver looks like a monkey play'n with a football out there and I want to switch and watch Oprah...

[Mike62]

Vancouver looks like a monkey play'n with a football out there and I want to switch and watch Oprah...

No, never. A true hockey fan never watches Oprah.

[Hookup]

Lol... Thanks for shaking me back to my senses...
 

[dan2x38]

I was freakin' angry watching them play it was embarrassing.

I am a true blue Habs fan since a kid and will remain a Habs fan through thick and thin. With that said it means deep inside is a hatred for the Boston Bruins - if your a Habs fan it comes with the deal. Now with that said I have to admit there is more to the Bruins then just a bunch of 3rd liners. Tim Thomas is an amazing goalie. He isn't the most technical guy between the pipes but he has true hockey heart so he never gives up on a play and I wish he was a Hab. It pains me to list their names so I won't but they have some real talent that gets it done and did for the entire season.

Yes one of the best pick ups at the deadline was Kelly. He is great on the PK and excellent on face offs. He can play on most any line if needed but is a great 3rd line player. The biggest flop and I thought would be an impact was Kaberle. He has done next to zero.

In order for the Canucks to pull off a win they must stop the dramatics. The diving is a slap in the face to the refs. Guy throws his head back then the replay shows he didn't even get hit. It kills them for getting real calls. Last game the Canucks got burned by the refs but the officials will not let you make fools of them so pay backs are a bitch.

This game will be different than the last for sure. The real teams on both sides will show up and so will the refs. I hope the game isn't decided by a bad call. In the end I want the Cup in Canada even though nearly 60% of the NHL is Canadian and geography isn't so big a deal.

[Iceman]

What amazes me is that the fans of each team see each game differently. I believe the officiating has been terrible.  Period. They let a lot of crap happen after every whistle. If they had called one guy for stuff after the whistle right from game one, then this may have been a much better final. After a couple of games, too late now!!

I really hope the two teams realize game seven is the last and they stop the after whistle garbage. I doubt it.

Both teams are guilty of dirty, stupid, diving, etc, etc...hockey. What a shame!!!

Maybe the NHL should pare down to twenty four teams. That would eliminate roughly one hundred and twenty less talented players. Went off topic there but I think you guys understand where I'm going....

P.S. Cross checking is a penalty right?

[dan2x38]

End of the 2nd Boston ahead by one or should I say JUST ONE?

If Vancouver doesn't settle in and score early in the 2nd it will be a Bruin's Cup.

[dan2x38]

The Canucks are useless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I use to live in Vancouver never cheered for them I remained a Habs fan. I know why now. The Sedins are such a waste of a good hockey jersey. They can't play post season hockey. Every goal they've been on the ice for. Their +/- this play-offs is horrible before tonight combined -10 now -16. During regular season their combined +/- is over +50. This is such a disappointment. I like good hockey and this is not what I've been watching.

[FishBuddy]

To me, Vancouver has lost the Cup already since Game 3

Boston out-run and out-scored Vancouver in this series...  How can you have a score of 8-1 or 4-0 (or 3-0 tonight)?  This is the playoff; not regular season!  The score should be within 2 goals of each other...

Boston definitely deserve to win the Cup this year!

[dan2x38]

I despise the Bruins but they deserve it. They played better out right. The best team should and usually wins especially in hockey. It is 7 games not like in football where it is all on one game, "On any given Sunday". So the best always rise to the top right now that is the Bruins - kind of obvious.

[mseguin]

They really need to get someone other than Bettman to give out the trophies, its embarassing that you can't hear the announcements over the booing. Get the captain of last year's winner, or an old-timer, anything is better than the most hated guy in the league.

[dan2x38]

It was good to see kelly hoist the Cup along with Recchi a real work horse. Can you imagine 189 play off games and 11 game 7s plus three Cups.

Yes Bettman needs to hand that job off to someone else. Actually can't wait until someone else takes over.

[2075turner]

Wow, that was brutal to watch.  I don't usually watch games anymore since my dad pasted and he would have been pulling his hair out watching this series.

[mseguin]

I think the best would be to get an old-timer to do it. Can you imagine the roar if Bobby Orr or Trevor Linden or someone like that hands it off?

[Hookup]

‎17 years since a Canadian Cup. 17 years. 17 years bettman has been commissioner. this aint a coincidence folks.

[Brent Shaver]

I dont watch hockey much anymore but will say it was a strange series.  Boston did outplay Van last night but I will say the so called fans that littery distroyed what hockey is about by trashing the city should be put away.  People that say they are fans and then burn and smash things are nothing more then common thugs.

Sad they lost, sadder what they have to deal with today.

[dan2x38]

OK play-offs are over now and a small group of jerks gave Vancouver and hockey a black eye. I would love to see them made responsible for expenses. Ruin their credit. Let them try to get a license, student loan, etc. but not until they make restitution. I also hope they get criminal records then let them try to get government jobs, travel to the U.S. or other locations. Make examples of them then this will end.

I lived in Kelowna, BC in the 80s. For many decades they had a Regata (boat race) the 3rd weekend in July. Well one year a riot started tons of damage. The next year another riot. Guess what happened? The City ditched the Regata. The City suffered losing all that tourism income. These people go to events with the sole purpose to instigate a riot. So make examples of these thugs and end it plain and simple.

On another note - Paul MacLean good choice or bad? Can he contribute to this rebuild?

[mseguin]

Not sure about Mclean, until they started talking about him as a candidate I couldn't have picked him out of a crowd. I thought Kleinendorst or Mactavish would have been good choices, more experience with young players, but we'll see.