NHL: 2008 - 2009 season is upon us

Well, as I said I didn't see the game the other night, so I didn't know that Crosby complained. I can't find anything about it online either.....but it's kind of funny, if you look back people said all of the same things about Mario Lemieux when he was that age. With time he matured, and Crosby will too. I'll go out on a limb and say it's possible that his frustration was with his own team and not the hats. I may be biased, I suppose :D since I happen to love Crosby...not a lot of players can do what he does. He means a lot to this team.

The Pens have taken a 3-2 edge over the Capitals tonight with a 4-3 ovetime victory. It was a serious nail-biter and could have gone either way. GO PENS!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by david p

The Pens have taken a 3-2 edge over the Capitals tonight with a 4-3 ovetime victory. It was a serious nail-biter and could have gone either way. GO PENS!!

---

This has been an amazing series so far...it's sure keeping me on the edge of my seat! Hopefully the Pen can finish the series on monday, although at this point seriously anything can happen. GO PENS!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grace

Then - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO1uh...eature=related

And now - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6tJUp_V5C8

What a tragedy :(

---

Oh god doesn't that just break your heart grace :(

I remember that. will never EVER forget it :(

goosebumps and tears now just watching it. I won't ever forget it... or him the way he was.

Playoff hockey? You betcha!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RICHARD

Playoff hockey? You betcha!

---

I second that!!

For those who might be interested in how the Wings have done it over the years - 18 consecutive playoff appearances - a good read from the Orange County Register.

That was a long, hard-fought series between the Caps and the Pens. I'm glad it's over...and I especially enjoyed how it ended! :D Tonight we will find out who the Pens play next...I am hoping for Carolina for home ice, but my guess is that Boston will pull it out. GO PENS!

Go wings!

Thank you, Ice Rink Jesus!

Was just coming in to post about the WIN!!

So we have two of the Original Six playing in the Western Conference Final.

Dan Cleary - the pride of Newfoundland - with the winning goal; and Ozzy was spectacular.

Red Wings - 5

Blackhawks - 2

1 down; 3 to go. And it isn't going to be easy.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grace

Red Wings - 5

Blackhawks - 2

1 down; 3 to go. And it isn't going to be easy.

---

Ever since the Hawks game at Wrigley Field on New Year's Day there has been a lot of interest in hockey in Chicago. I don't know a lot about hockey but it has been very fun to have a winning team around here again. I heard Quenneville saying on the news last night they are going to have their hands full with Detroit. Not that they didn't in the previous playoff games, but now they will twice as much.

The best thing about this series is that the two teams are part of the Original Six NHL teams. The others being Toronto, Montreal, Boston and New York.

Chicago and Detroit having been playing against each other for 83 years.

Let's go Pens!

After the crazy season the Pens had, I am more than thrilled that they are in the Eastern Conference Finals. Game 1 tonight...it should be a good one! Unlike with Philly and Washington though, I am finding it difficult to dislike Carolina. Both teams play a very similar game, so it should be great hockey!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JenBKR

Let's go Pens!

After the crazy season the Pens had, I am more than thrilled that they are in the Eastern Conference Finals. Game 1 tonight...it should be a good one! Unlike with Philly and Washington though, I am finding it difficult to dislike Carolina. Both teams play a very similar game, so it should be great hockey!

---

Jen, the Pens put one in the WIN column last night 3-2. You're right, both teams play similar games, but the Pens have a better goalie in Fleury. GO PENS!

Detroit 3
Chicago 2
in OT.

Game winning goal by Mikael Samuelsson - the very same Mikael Samuelsson who scored the game winning goal in the first game with Chicago.

Couple of interesting articles from ESPN.

First, Joel Quenneville -

Quote:

---

TORONTO -- The NHL has fined Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville $10,000 for harsh criticism of officiating in his team's loss to Detroit in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.

Quenneville fumed over a roughing call against defenseman Matt Walker during a scrum as the first period ended Sunday. The Red Wings scored on the ensuing power play 1:13 into the second period extending their lead to 3-0, and went on to win 6-1 and take a 3-1 edge in the series.

"I think we witnessed probably the worst call in the history of sports there," Quenneville said after the game. "Nothing play.

"They scored, it's 3-0. They ruined a good hockey game and absolutely destroyed what was going on the ice. ... Never seen anything like it."

The Blackhawks will try to avoid elimination Wednesday in Detroit.

---

Now regarding the TV schedule for the Cup Finals -

Quote:

---

According to multiple sources, if the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings can wrap up their respective Conference final series by Wednesday night, the Stanley Cup finals likely would start on Saturday, May 30 in Detroit. In this scenario, Game 2 would be played on Sunday, May 31.

This is a change from a May 22 press release from the league that indicated that the championship series would begin on Friday, June 5, if both Conference final series didn't end in four-game sweeps.

The Penguins can close out their series with a victory over the Hurricanes in Raleigh on Tuesday night. The defending champion Red Wings, meanwhile, have positioned themselves to advance with a win over the Blackhawks on Wednesday in Detroit.

For the past several days, the league has been working behind the scenes with NBC, which has limited prime time real estate to devote to the Cup finals due to important "sweeps" week programming and the Tonight Show re-launch with new host Conan O'Brien.

The possible change would spare the league an embarrassing, television-created, eight-day hiatus and the competitive nature of the playoffs wouldn't be compromised by an unusually long layoff for both clubs.

---

Buena Suerte, Pinguinos!

A ganar el Tazon de Stanley?

Si como no!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RICHARD

Buena Suerte, Pinguinos!

A ganar el Tazon de Stanley?

Si como no!

---

Translation, please :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grace

Translation, please :)

---

Congrats Penguins!
Gonna win the Stanley Cup?

Why not!:D

Thank you :love:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RICHARD

Congrats Penguins!
Gonna win the Stanley Cup?

Why not!:D

---

I agree, RICHARD! WHY NOT?!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RICHARD

Congrats Penguins!
Gonna win the Stanley Cup?

Why not!:D

---

No, señor! The Blackhawks are! Or at least I hope they are! GO, Hawks!

If you would have told me that the Pens would be in the Stanley Cup Finals in January, I would have never believed it. The coaching change made a world of difference. I was pretty shocked to see that they swept the Hurricanes though, I really thought that was going to be a long series. The playoffs have been really exciting this year so far. I'm excited to see a re-match of Detroit and Pittsburgh (I know it's not over yet but Detroit will win that series...).

Quote:

---

TORONTO -- The NHL has fined Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville $10,000 for harsh criticism of officiating in his team's loss to Detroit in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.

---

We've seen a lot of complaining about officiating in the East too, especially in the Washington series (against the Pens). The Caps' coach complained about it after pretty much every game.

3 weeks ago... I would have not thought the Penguins would have a chance against the wings. After watching them TOTALLY dominate the canes...

Lets go PENS! Anybody but the Dead Things. Detroit is a classy orgnaization that produces a magnificent team. They are and should be the envy of the entire professional sports world. But its getting old watching them win. The big question is... Can the pens stretch it out in the neutral zone vs the wings defence? IMO, the pens have to play LONG North-South kind of game. Gte the wings D skating forward towards their own net, rather than skating backwards and in control.

I think it will be a high tempo, but low scoring series. Should be REAL fun to watch.

As for the officiating... What coach does not whine about it in the playoffs? I have not seen any major issues with it. And I am a Level 3 USA Hockey official. :)

Good times.

Quote:

---

the Dead Things

---

Such a pity – someone so ill informed. That expression hasn’t been used to describe the Red wings since the 1980’s. I’m pretty sure this is the 19th consecutive year the Wings have been in the play offs.

Oh yes, do the years 1997, 1998, 2002, 2007 rings any bells? Those are the years the dead things won Lord Stanley’s Cup.

See you in Detroit on Saturday night.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grace

Oh yes, do the years 1997, 1998, 2002, 2007 rings any bells? Those are the years the dead things won Lord Stanley’s Cup.

See you in Detroit on Saturday night.

---

OOOOHHHHHHH!

Ma'am, you dropped your gloves!;)

And?

Thou shall not have false gods before (me)?:eek:

Richard - what gloves?

I have been a Wings fan for 43 years. There was once a time when I thought I would die without seeing them win THE CUP.

No false Gods - no snarky comments - just a prayer that they win one more.

Looks like it's rematch time! I guess the finals will be starting this weekend then...I would so, so love to see the Penguins win a Cup. I think the finals are going to be really exciting...GO PENS!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grace

Richard - what gloves?

---

LOL, you are a real fan.

Us cretins only think of dropping the gloves when someone talks 'smack' about 'our' team.

For a moment I thought you and Puck were gonna throw rounds..

You called him out and I was just reminding you that all good hawkey scraps start with gloves and end with gravity!:eek::D

----------------

YOU mentioned Lord Stanley and I just wanted to remind you about Ice Rink Jesus!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RICHARD

LOL, you are a real fan.

Us cretins only think of dropping the gloves when someone talks 'smack' about 'our' team.
----------------

---

Richard, to show you how much of a fan I really am . . . . . there once was a time when I worked the night shift. I would drive into work, listening to a hockey game on the radio. The broadcast was from Montreal, often in French!! Of course, I could figure out who scored because I could understand the announcers when they mentioned a specific players name.

One year, my son gave me a hockey puck autographed by Igor Larionov for Christmas. That's the kind of fan I am.

Edit - my favorite player's name, as pronounced by the French announcers, was Yvan Cournoyer

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grace

Edit - my favorite player's name, as pronounced by the French announcers, was Yvan Cournoyer

---

EE-Van Corn-Y-eh.

;)
-----------

Lah knee Mack don ahld.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grace

Such a pity – someone so ill informed. That expression hasn’t been used to describe the Red wings since the 1980’s. I’m pretty sure this is the 19th consecutive year the Wings have been in the play offs.

Oh yes, do the years 1997, 1998, 2002, 2007 rings any bells? Those are the years the dead things won Lord Stanley’s Cup.

See you in Detroit on Saturday night.

---

Lighten up, Grace. ;) "The Dead Things", as used in the 90's was a light hearted reference to the AGE of the team.

It was all in good fun. Or did you purposely miss all the good things I have to say about the Wings?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RICHARD

LOL, you are a real fan.

Us cretins only think of dropping the gloves when someone talks 'smack' about 'our' team.

For a moment I thought you and Puck were gonna throw rounds..

You called him out and I was just reminding you that all good hawkey scraps start with gloves and end with gravity!:eek::D

----------------

YOU mentioned Lord Stanley and I just wanted to remind you about Ice Rink Jesus!

---

LOL... NO way dude. Goalies don't fight, well usually not.

MY team didn't even make the playoffs. :(

I hope the Pens coaching staff watched last night's game. The Wings played well, but the Hawks exposed a weakness... Stretch passes in the neutral zone. Speed. Osgood was, well, good. Huet was sick as well. Could have been a 6-7 game.


Going to be a good (I hope) finals series.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Puckstop31

LOL... NO way dude. Goalies don't fight, well usually not.

MY team didn't even make the playoffs. :(

---

Don't feel badly. I have lived in Hawkey Purgatory for years.

psst, I am just trying to rile things up for the Finals. Could I get the Sin Bin for inciting a fight?:eek:;)


Luck to everyone!

I'm rooting for the Penguins, since Detroit has won enough for awhile! It ought to be a good series.

GO PENGUINS! I think it'll be great for Pittsburgh to win the Super Bowl AND take home Lord Stanley's Cup in the same year.

http://www.seaotter.com/marine/resea...d_octopus2.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grace

http://www.seaotter.com/marine/resea...d_octopus2.jpg

---

Grace, there was a news story that was just on tv tonight. It would almost impossible for Detroit fans to buy octopus in Pittsburgh for the Stanley Cup series. You'd have to show some sort of Pittsburgh or Pa. idenification to buy it.