Arnie's comments made it clear that he wanted out. The way I see it, the team now looks like this: Kovy - Zajac - Palmieri Rolston - Elias - Zubrus Tedenby - Josefson - Zharkov Pelley - Steckel - Clarkson So while that team isn't better than it was yesterday morning, it's not worse. And having the best faceoff guy in the league on a team that only ever seems to play 1 goal games is a big advantage. I kind of figured when we brought up Josefson and started giving him minutes it meant Arnie was on the way out.
This Devils situation is nothing short of incredible. I'm a die-hard pens fan, but I have been following the Devils a ton recently. Last night's game couldn't have had a better outcome in my eyes. Pittsburgh gets a point to help maintain their 4th seed (soon to be 5th) position (which doesn't hurt Jersey any) and the Devils get another much needed 2 points. Here's to a Florida and Chicago win tonight.
So how 'bout that Chara? I don't know, I think a 1-3 game suspension would have been appropriate. Yes, anywhere else on the ice it would be a bit of a late hit that might not warrant a penalty. But as a player you have to realize where you and your opponent are, and where the benches and hazards are. You don't hit people full bore into the net, half boards, etc. Plus I just think Chara's a dick. Should've been suspended last year in the playoffs too, so that rub about him having a clean record is bullshit.
As a Manitoban, every. single. day. I keep hearing "So the Jets are coming back huh?" No they aren't, atleast yet. The day when I hear Bettman (Buttman) say so, I'll believe it. But I'm at the point I'm going to ignore the media. It's just bad enough every day hearing "Jets are going to come back!" on TSN then the next Buttman's all "um.. we never said that". I haven't been to an NHL game since 95, and may not until an NHL team returns to Winnipeg.. if it happens. I don't know why one would build the MTS Centre to be smaller capacity than the old barn. The MTS is truly beautiful building and I've gone to sold out AHL games (with Schneider/Hodgson playing), and it's a great time. Will Winnipeg get an NHL team again? Probably. This year? Doubtful. Will people pay the prices? Of course, there's nothing else to do in Winnipeg. Go Jets Go!
The league needs more slick, old-school looking jerseys and another punching bag for the playoff teams. The Jets used to be both of these things. I'm rooting for at least the jerseys to come back. Shane Doan has deserved a real crowd all these years so I hope he at least gets it at the twilight of his career. As for Chara, it's old news at this point I guess but ehhhh....not a suspension. I loathe the man and I think the league has this stupifying crush on him that stands as the only reason he has been suspended up to this point. As someone pointed out earlier, he should have been suspended several times in his career but Colin Campbell just blew him a kiss and sent him on his way. But that hit on Max was pretty innocuous and it's one he would have made anywhere on the ice in that same exact way. And really it was only more than a 2 minute penalty because the guy got hurt. If Max doesn't hit the stanchion and gets up, maybe Chara gets away with it or at the most gets 2 for interference. If you fine or suspend him at all, you're saying he did something wrong and if he was wrong in that incident that almost killed the poor guy, then it's a big suspension and a big fine. So I begrudgingly agree with the NHL, but they really need to do something about padding those areas up. Hockey is too fast of a game to make guys have to let up and hesitate on a routine hit just because no one can put padding where it already should have been. Now, I know the Devils have been the story of stories lately, but I don't think they'll make it not because it's impossible to gain 8 points on the current 8 spot, but because they'll have to surpass 4 teams to do so. Not an easy feat in the era of 3 point games with only 15 games left in the season. Definitely not impossible, but they'll have to keep winning 80% of their games and I'm not sure that's what is going to happen here. On the other hand, my beloved Sabres have clawed their way back into the playoffs and are sparking some real hope. I don't know what happened to the soft, disinterested team that was skating around from October to January, but since the New Year, and especially since our awesome new owner was introduced this team has been on fire. With Miller, anything is possible and I'm telling you, if this team gets Boston in the first round, bet on them. They want revenge for last year and every game they play against the Bruins they just throw everything out there. Any other team and the Sabres are probably one and done if they make it, but the Bruins better look out.
Bad argument. If the devils get to 90 points, they should make it, and if they get to 92 points, they will make it. So no matter how many teams stand between them and the playoffs... If they go 12-3, they're going to make it. Is that easy? No, and it got a lot harder after they blew it against Ottawa on Tuesday, but it sure as hell isn't impossible.
The Chara hit should have been a small suspension, 2-4 games. Simple reasoning here - You need to know where you are on the ice, you can see in the stills he used his hand to push him into the stanchion, and Collie himself said that you need to factor injuries in to an extent in supplemental discipline. That said, Campbell didn't (and could not) make the call.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Chara hit levied new stadium requirements on the owners. Fair enough for sure, the hit was game time action in my opinion, no intent. Caps are bi-winning. And I support that. Bring on Detroit!
Fuck Buffalo, fuck Carolina, but most of all fuck the Devils. The reason for my limitless hatred of these three teams right now is because I am a Rangers fan. Not as bad as being an Islanders, or Panthers fan but fuck. How did they go from being a top four/five team to suddenly having the bottom being dropped out. Its only been recently that they've been getting their shit together once it became very apparent that they're not catching Montreal and Buffalo and Carolina are nipping at their heels. Honestly, if Buffalo and Carolina got those last two spots I wouldn't be too angry. The Rangers fucked up and Lundqvist is going to need lower back surgery soon from having to carry this team since Jagr left. But what pisses me off are the Devils. Holy hell go away, and just miss the playoffs one fucking time. While I can appreciate their incredible rise and winning percentage in the last half of the season, they need to go away. As a Ranger fan I will always hate the Devils for the 90's, but if the Devils take that last playoff spot, which seems more and more likely the more I watch them play, I will be so very sad. Because not only will I not be rooting for my time, but I will also have to watch Brodeur hoist another fucking cup. Because with the way the Devils have been playing that's just what will happen if they make it in. Ok, I'm done whining about hockey...for now.
You should root for it to happen just to watch how angry Bettman gets when he has to hand my boys the cup. Hopefully Kovalchuk wins the Conn Smythe and shoves it right up Bettman's ass.
So, how many games for Matt Cooke's latest elbow? He got 4 last time, and considering he is a repeat offender, the general idiocy of the NHL and the fact that McDonagh seems ok, I'm guessing he'll only get 6-7. I am so incredibly sick of him, and I wonder how Shero and Lemieux feel about it now. Lemieux has stuck his neck out twice now to be vocal about this kind of play in the League, and Cooke is putting him in a tough spot with the potential to look like a hypocrite. I wonder if the team will add any kind of supplemental discipline to what the League hands down. In less jackassy news, the Penguins are 2-12 in games that are nationally televised. Weird stat I came up with today.
I want at least 5. I said 10 earlier this morning, but I was just overreacting because Matt Cooke is a fucking goon and I'd just seen the video. I hadn't had time yet to think about it rationally.
Cooke's gone for 10 games plus the first round of the playoffs. That's much more than I had expected, but I wasn't too far off when I overreacted this morning.
I think it's a pretty balanced punishment, he's a repeat offender, and doing something stupid right after everybody in the league, including his boss, said that they were going to be more strict from now on. For the regular season, he loses his game paycheck for the games lost, but what happens during the playoff? Is there any monetary punishment for missing playoff games?
Good, if the NHL is insistent about making an example of someone at least its someone that has earned it. I was watching that game and got fucking furious when he pulled that stunt. To the credit of the officials, about 20 seconds after it happened he was walking back to the locker room. Sooooooo, glad my Rangers beat them.
GM Ray Shero on the hit: Some of Cooke's suspensions have been heavy handed and questionable in my opinion. This one is most definitely not. Absolutely no excuse for that play. Cooke's apologized, saying he's going to "make different" going forward, but we'll see. Wonder if the Pens will drop him or continue to deal with his bullshit and drama he brings. In other Penguin news, Crosby's been hitting the ice, running drills in full pads. I'm not sure that he'll play this year, but I have a feeling there's gonna be pressure for him to play come playoff time.
Hello? Anyone here? Anyway, here's a story about why we shouldn't think Don Cherry is an asshat. I still disagree, but it's still a good piece.
I'm pumped for the post, which should hopefully take the burn off of me losing right now in the finals of TIB Fantasy Hockey
Woooo, thank you Philly! Not sure why they stood around and let the Sabres kill the last 30 seconds of regulation to clinch the playoffs, but hell I'll take it. We are back in the playoffs and that's all that matters. NOW I can't wait. I do hope the Pens don't hang on to the 2 seed. I do not like that match-up, but again, you make the playoffs and you just never know. Miller has as much rest as he's had since October and this team's peaking at the right time. It's good to be back.
Devils have a chance to eliminate the Rangers from the playoffs by beating them today. My god that would make up for a lot of the grief that team put me through this season...