6/20/02
Another hockey season is done and in the books. Now I don't
know if it is just me or what but I thought the Finals were boring as
hell. I appreciate the 'Canes grit but what they play is not
hockey! In most cities, what they play is called
mugging. All of this clutching and grabbing, getting the
sticks between the legs; where is the speed, the flow of the game that
hockey is known for??? Half way through game 2, I just didn't
care anymore. I didn't watch again until game 5 cause I just
don't feel right if I don't get to see The Cup presented to the
winners. I hope the Finals attracted a lot of new fans
in the Carolinas cause I don't think it attracted many anywhere else (and
it may have lost some long time
followers).................................Peter Forsberg is
Amazing.........................Ya know, Gary Thorne wasn't his usual
yelling self this PO season. The medication must be
working..............I still think Scotty Bowman is a
cyborg........................Favorite moment of this years PO's?
Darren McCarty's little boy hugging his dad in the locker
room. I'm turning into a big softie, ain't
I?...............There is no truth to the rumor linking Skippy to the
"suddenly single" Jennifer Lopez. Who starts these
rumors anyways??.................................Bobby Clarke gives up 3
draft choice and a goaltending prospect for UFA Adam Oates at the trading
deadline. Oates plays something like 14 games for the Flyers
and now Clarke cuts him loose. Just what is that man
thinking!!!???? We may have to rename the Milbury Trophy if he
keeps this up......................................Trottier, O'Reilly
and Schoenfeld behind the bench for the Rangers. Hopefully the
accountability that has been missing from the Rangers will return next
season. Now how about a
defense??......................................A big salute to Steve
Yzerman for his gutty performance in the PO's..............There is
nothing wrong in Ottawa that a couple of Doug Gilmours and Gary Roberts
couldn't fix............and that is all for now.
5/16/02
Forget what I said about the Sharks winning Game 7, okay?
5/15/02
So the Eastern Conference Final is set; Toronto vs. Carolina. And
the Western Finals will be set after tonights Avs/Sharks game.
So my dream for a Leafs/Wings final is still a possibility.
Although the Leafs are so banged up, I doubt it would be as much fun as if
they were healthy but it sure beats a 'Canes/Sharks final,
eh?? Speaking of the Avs/Sharks game 7 tonight, I will go on
record saying the Sharks will win. And I am never wrong (Just ask
the folks that are in the Hockey Pool with me)..........................My
PO JackAss Award this year goes to Kirk Maltby. With his constant
cheap shots and then his "What??......Me????" act when he gets
called for them and then his spraying snow on Brent Johnson job, he has
run away with the award even though the PO's are only half over.
Congrat Kirk, you
jag.....................................................Another example of
why to be patient with young d-men: Bryan McCabe of Toronto. Hard to
believe he is with his 4th NHL club already. You think the 'Nucks,
Isles and 'Hawks would like him back now?? He has really stood
out in this years PO's..........................Another young d-man who
has stood out in this years PO's is the Sharks Scott Hannan. I often
thought the Rangers might have been able to trade for him but I think he
moved the asking price way up with his play........................Does
Southwest airlines only have that one friggin' commercial???
Cripes, enough of the old Asian ladies on the beach!!!!!!!
......................... So Jacques Martin
gets the Sens into the 2nd round but still might take the fall for the
Sens inability to beat a injury depleted Leafs squad. If anyone
should get canned, it should be GM Marshall Johnston. Everyone
knew the Sens needed some toughness and heart going into this season, but
did the GM supply any?? Don't think so. A few
years back Leafs GM Pat Quinn felt the Leafs needed toughness to advance
in the PO's and picked up both Gary Roberts and Shayne Corson.
Those are the kind of guys who win in the PO's. Guys like Radek Bonk
don't cut it....................I think the Sharks can beat the 'Wings if
they meet in the conference finals but Hasek is starting to get his act
together and that could be the difference. A Hasek/Roy duel
could also be interesting...............Can you believe the PO's are half
over and I still have not watched one PO game with Skippy??!!
Well we did try to watch a game but between the kids and a crazed dog it
was too difficult to watch the game. Oh, the
humanity!!!............................Scotty Bowman is really a cyborg............................Ya
think there will be a new goalie in the town of Chicago next
year???.......................................And that is all for now.
4/16/02
So here I sit on PO eve. Its always a special feeling,
ain't it? Thinking about who is going to fall victim to a 1st round
upset. What unknown player is going to come through with 3 OT
winners. Trying to figure out the Rangers apparent dislike of
the PO's...............................I don't think there is one person
out there who didn't have one helluva time trying to decide what team was
going to come out of the West for their PO pool. I know I
did. I made my decisions and still don't feel confident.
Seriously, any team could come outta the West and find itself in the
finals...........So Detroit is sputtering (I said sputtering) into the
PO's. That means nothing. But New Jersey is on
fire heading into the PO's and that might mean alot!!........................................I
don't care what you say, the PO's just are not the same if Eddie Belfour
is not in them...............................I love PO season.
Hockey, hockey, hockey all the time. It's great. March
madness cannot compare to PO season (Sorry Klondike). With
March Madness, its win or go home and by the time the two teams start to
really hate each other, they never see each other again. But with PO
season, you got at least 4 games to get that bastard who
crosschecked you back in December! PO rivalries, you gotta love
it!!.......................I see Scotty Bowman has a bobble-head doll
available in the Detroit area. I want an Orval Tessier
bobble-head doll. Or a Paul Shmyr bobble-head doll. Remember
him?? Ahhh, old time hockey.....................I would like
to see a Detroit/Toronto final. Won't happen but I'd like to see
it......And that is all for now. Have a happy PO season!!!
1/2/02
So Eric Lindros has suffered his 7th concussion. Gee, its great
being a Ranger Fan. Just when I was starting to warm up to the
guy. They are saying this is not a serious concussion but geez
Eric, maybe you should call it a career before something really bad
happens...............Has anyone seen Sergei Federov??? If you do, have
him call my fantasy hockey team will ya???.............Ok, maybe I was
wrong about Phil Housley. He has helped the 'Hawks.............Tampa
Bay really is not that bad of a team. Maybe, just maybe, they
are getting their shit together down there.................Given his
health, Eric Lindros should skip the Olympics and Joe Thornton should take
his spot. Leaving Thornton off of Team Canada was stupid to
begin with...................................Did anybody else get
violently ill watching/listening Barry Melrose kiss Mario Lemieux's ass
during the ABC broadcast of the Rangers/Pens on 1/5/02? I know
Melrose can't bite the hand that feeds him, but geez, he is such an NHL
lapdog..............Eddie Belfour is struggling (only 11 wins so far) and
Marty Turco is getting quite a few starts. Although it will never
happen, you just know that St. Louis would probably kill to get Eddie in a
Blues sweater..........FREE PAUL KARIYA!!!!!!!!.............So the NHL is
going to have a prospects game instead of the old timers game at the
All-Star weekend. Now, I didn't mind the old timers but at
least the prospects game will have some excitement (I hope). I think
the NHL may have done something right here................I will say this
about the Minnesota Wild; they work their butt's off every night. I
think that every member of the Wild should be able to go up and bitch slap
Jaromir Jagr. Nice effort, Jaromir.............It's getting to
be the middle of January so Alexei Zhamnov should start slumping any day
now..........and shouldn't Daniel Alfredsson be getting hurt
soon?...........and that is all for now.
11/14/2001
I think that the Blackhawks, Islanders and Rangers all having winning
records is one sign of a coming apocalypse, isn't it?..............Now
that Chris Osgood is standing on his head on the "Vile Isle",
Mike Milbury is entertaining thoughts of moving Rick
DiPietro. Always thinking about the future ain't ya
Mike? Ya idiot.................. And speaking of Osgood, the Wings
really screwed the pooch with letting him slip away for nothing. A
low 3rd round draft choice would have been better than nothing.
Sheesh, trading him for some free car wash coupons would have been
better...........FREE PAUL KARIYA!!!!!!!!!!................I
laugh when Brendan Shanahan bitches about other guys diving.
Shanahan could give Greg Louganis lessons .....(on diving -- Get your mind
outta the gutter!)..............Me thinks it's time for the Wings to try and
move Darren McCarty.
I'm not sure how much trade value he has left but I don't think they can't
count on him much anymore and it best to try and trade him now. He
spends most of his time on the IR. I think he has shot his
wad..................How bad are the Blues looking for depth on defense
when they bring back Marc Bergevin??.................I will find the
persons responsible for those Columbus Blue Jacket road uniforms and beat them
senseless. I swear!!!.................................Will Tampa Bay
ever get its shit together??!!!......................Seems like Claude
Lemieux has fallen off the face of the earth. It's nice, ain't
it?.................................Do you think than Shane Willis is
thinking about going into car sales or something where he doesn't get the
snot kicked outta him all the time. The poor guy is getting
clobbered worse that Osama Bin Landen's penthouse cave..........Looks like
the Rangers have a keeper in Tomas Kloucek.
He is a D-Man who loves to hit. And they ain't cheap shots
either. Good solid, clean hits. He is the opposite of
Bryan Marchment...............Bobby Clarke is a
jag............................11 pts in 17 games for Dany
Heatley so far. Not bad. Keep it up, Dany
boy..............Anyone have any ideas on why Bill
Guerin is playing so crappy this year?? It's his option year so
you'd think he would be tearing it
up.................................Another sign of the coming apocalypse:
Eric Daze is playing like he actually gives a
shit............................and that is all for now.
10/03/2001
Ah, yes. The month of October. When a young mans fancy turns
to thoughts of hockey! Yep, another hockey season is upon us and the
Rangers still look like they won't make the PO's..................So my
Rangers were the suckers who gave up three (THREE!!??) players for
"The Teacup". Why am I not surprised. After
awhile you come to expect such things from the Rangers. This
will be a difficult year for me, having my least favorite player now on my
favorite team. I still hate Lindros but I do have to pull for him
now. (You have no idea how much it hurt to type that last
line)...................As stupid as the Lindros trade was for the
Rangers, at least they did something, took some risks. The
'Hawks big pick up this offseason was PHIL HOUSLEY!!!!!!
PHIL FRIGGIN' HOUSLEY!!! Remember the last aging d-man the
'Hawks brought in to perk up their power play??? That's right,
that Rink Rat favorite: Paul Coffey. And we all know how
that turned out don't we. Those who forget the past are doomed
to repeat it.................Insert your old age joke about the Red Wings
here...................Expansion hockey, ya gotta love it. The
league is so diluted that Bob Errey was trying out for a comeback with the
Pens! Errey had not played in the NHL since '98!!! Nice
to see there is still room for Errey, Stephane Richer and guys like PHIL FRIGGIN'
HOUSLEY in the NHL................I am looking forward to watching Roberto
Luongo this year. I think he is going to haunt Mike Milbury
for as long as Milbury is in the NHL (Which hopefully ain't much
longer)...........Fans will shell out an average of $49.86 per ticket this
hockey season, according to Team Marketing Reports. A family of four will
spend about $274.66 per game. To me $50 is a small price to pay to
be able to watch an NHL game and not have to listen to Gary Thorne yell
like a banshee about the way Mario Lemieux head mans the puck........Go
Dany Heatley, Go!!!!..........I don't know what is weirder; seeing Eric
Lindros wearing a Rangers jersey or not seeing Adam Graves wearing a Ranger
jersey..................................Ok, well I'm going to settle in,
watch the Col/Pitt game tonight and try not to badmouth anyone on
ESPN...... thats all for now.
6/18/2001
I think one of the funniest things that happened after the Stanley Cup
finals is the Bruins Harry Sinden calling Ray Bourque bringing of The Cup
back to Boston "Inappropriate" , that it should have been
handled different and that he was sure "Ray was not behind
this". Gee Harry, Bourque played for the Bruins for over
twenty years and is adored in Boston. Why not bring The Cup to
Boston? Just because you can't, Harry??................Scotty Bowman is
coming back! Is that a good thing? Kinda strange to say that a
legendary coach could be a minus to a team but I think its time for Scotty
to retire and for the Wings to set out on a rebuilding process. I
think with that rebuild it is time to give either Dave Lewis or
Barry Smith, Bowman's long time assistant coaches, the head coaching
job. I think that by sticking with Bowman, the Wings are thinking
they still have a Cup in them, I think it's gas..............There are
some Federov for Lindros rumors out there. Any team that gives
up anything besides draft choices for Lindros are friggin'
crazy. I don't know where Lindros is going to end up (Please
not the Rangers) but it will be interesting to see how long he
lasts................Isn't amazing how Barry Melrose ran away with the
title of "Most Annoying ESPN Hockey Personality" in our Rink Rat
poll?...................Maybe as long as Gretzky and company are gutting
the Coyotes for their rebuild, they could do something about those stupid
green jerseys with the dog on them. They look like somebody
crapped on a pool table.................Somewhere, Gary Thorne is talking
way too loud.............Brian Sutter in Chicago. Ok, that's a
start. Now what? Are they going to build a team or are they
going to go the public relations route and sign Brett Hull and Jeremy
Roenick as UFA's? I know they should lower their beer prices
...................I think based on this past PO series, there is a
growing rivalry between the 'Canes and the Devils which could be fun to
watch in the future.............and that is all for this season!
4/24/2001
So the first round is now complete and Gary Thorne is , once again,
screaming like a chimp in heat. My god, at the end of the 1st
game of the Pens/Caps series he was yelling like crazy. You would
have thought it was a double overtime, cup winning, game number seven, not
the 1st game of a 1st round series! Please, someone tell him to
chill..............How many guys have been knocked loopy already:
Shane Willis, Ron Francis, Gary Suter, Richard Matvichuk. I'm sure
there are more to come in the PO's...........Would be nice to see someone ring Scott
Stevens bell once. I know his hits are clean but still I'd like to
see him on the receiving end once..........Who will be traded first? Alexi Yashin
out of Ottawa or Sergei Fedorov outta Detroit. Maybe they
could be traded for each other? HHmmmmmmmmm...............Remember
the last time the both the Rangers and the Blackhawks were in the
PO's? Yeah, me neither..................Although the PO game
schedule is all screwy this year, I did love the day before Easter when
there was games from 11:00 a.m. until about 10:30 p.m. on TV for one
glorious day of nonstop PO hockey. The Easter bunny came a day
early that day..............So do you think that Alexi Yashin really
tanked it so he could force the Senators to trade him? I don't think
he tanked it, I just think he does not give a shit about winning The
Cup. He is more interested in himself. I pity the
team that has him next year. (Watch him end up with the Rangers)
IMHO, Yashin is not the kind of 1st line center a team interested in
winning The Cup builds around. Gee, he is perfect for the 'Hawks
owners!...........Of all the questions that will be discussed this
offseason, (Will the Wings rebuild, Will Joe Sakic stay with the Av's) the
one question I want answered is: "Why must Barry Melrose cackle like
that when he laughs?" It scares me...................How long
before the wheels blow off Roman Turek and the folks in St. Louis want his
head?.........Has anyone seen Stu Barnes lately. If you have, please
let him know the PO's have started..............Is the Wings going out in
the 1st round really an upset? I don't think so, the Wings have been
on the slide for awhile. Sure, with Yzerman and Shanahan healthy,
they probably win the series with the Kings, but they are settling back
into the pack.......Let the 2nd round begin!!!! .......that's all for now.
4/4/2001
Maybe, just maybe, the San Jose Sharks might meet the Dallas Stars in the
1st round of the PO's this year. That would be interesting with
those two teams hatred for each other. It would be fun to watch that
hatred grow over a vicious seven game series..............Alpo Suhonen, we
hardly knew ye. Now its probably Denis Savard's turn to try and
coach the 'Hawks into the PO's next year. Sadly, I really
thought Suhonen might have been able to accomplish something in Chicago
and he was about the only person with a plan. Scary to think
it could still get even worse for the 'Hawks.............Although it will
never happen, wouldn't a Edmonton/Toronto Cup final be cool. Two run
and gun teams would be a nice change from watching trapping teams all
season...........Remember when there was no advertising on the boards or
painted on the ice??? Or when they used to show the singings of the
national anthems on televised games.................A new drinking game
should be that you have to take a drink every time Barry Melrose uses the
phrase "the bottom line" when given one of his in-depth
reports............Amazing how Alexi Yashin has kept his mouth shut and
played good hockey this year. I'm sure he will do something in the off season
to piss off Ottawa fans and I think there's a pretty good chance he will
find himself on a U.S. based team before the summer is out.........I think
that jerk off Flyer fan who fell into the penalty box with Tie Domi is
probably the biggest friggin' idiot since .......since..........well,
since.....gee it's hard to think of a bigger idiot lately (besides Barry
Melrose).............Geez, people were saying Kings G.M. Dave Taylor was
taken by the Av's in the Rob Blake deal and he was in over his head as a
NHL G.M. Now they are calling him a genius for picking up Felix
Potvin. A terrific example of "what have you done for me
lately"....................Any idea who will be the goalie for the
Rangers next year?????.............With Mario back, I guess everyone
should beware of the Penguin, eh? The Pen's really are a wild
card in the PO's, they could be swept in 4 in the 1st round or they could
go to the finals. Heck, they could win the whole shooting
match! A lot depends on their
goaltending.................There is no truth to the rumor that the San
Jose Sharks are modeled after the Mir spacestation................Ok,
folks, playoff time is about here. Stock the fridge, get the
hockey chair ready and enjoy............and that all for now.
2/27/2001
So Bobby Clarke gets pissed off because the Maple Leafs are offering D-man
Tomas Kaberle instead of D-man Danny Markov in the proposed Eric Lindros
deal. Bobby is upset because he says the Leafs are peddling damaged
goods with Kaberle's bad back. Excuse me!! This coming from
the guy trying to trade Lindros and his multiple concussions! Hello
Mr Kettle meet Mr. Pot...................Looks like Florida might have a
keeper goalie in Roberto Luongo. But then again I said the same
thing about Brian Boucher last year. One more thing on Luongo,
he has got to lose that "Pink Panther" on his mask. That just
looks stupid...............So now the Avalanche has
a top 3 of Ray Borque, Rob Blake and Adam Foote. That is
scary. But before you hand The Cup to them now, just remember
the 1983 Penguins and how everyone thought they had The Cup wrapped up
before the PO's even started. The Islanders ended up taking
them out in the 2nd round I believe. That's what is great
about the PO's. There is no sure thing. (except that the Rangers
won't be in them).............Speaking of the Rangers, I think "The
Moose" Mark Messier has shot his wad. There is still some good
hockey left in him but he just cannot play the large amounts of minutes
the Rangers are having him play. I think its time,
Moose............Mario Lemieux recommends the NHL should go to 4 on 4 for
the entire game, not just overtime. Mario, please shut the
F&@K up!!! If there is still to much clutching and
grabbing (or hitting) in the game for you, you can always retire
AGAIN!!!.............I think Eric Lindros is the biggest spoiled-rotten mama's
boy in the league. That being said, watch him end up in a Rangers
jersey and send me into a massive depression............I hate to say this
but I think that Gary Thorne might actually be more annoying than Barry
Melrose now. Why must he get so excited and scream like a
electrified sheep over absolutely nothing??...............Once again it's
going to come down to the Flyers goaltending not coming up with the big
save that will spell their demise come PO time..........I think the NHL
should change the seeding policy for the PO's. There are 5
solid teams in the West (Av's, Star's, Blue's, Wing's and Shark's) and 1
solid one in the East (Devils). I think the best teams should be
kept in the PO's as long as possible. So, top 18 teams (regardless
of conference) make the playoffs and teams are seeded 1 plays 18, 2 plays
17 (again regardless of conference). Ya know, the way they USED to
do it!!! I think it be great to see a Av's/Wings final or a
Sharks/Star final.................Sean Burke and Arturs Irbe were both
free agent goalies that nobody really wanted. Now they are two of
the better goalies in the league with Burke getting MVP
consideration.........Do you think Brian Engblom lives in a
cave??..........and that's all for now.
