Ducks recall Hiller...Bryzgalov on the way out?

It looks as if there might be something brewing in California, as the Ducks recalled goaltender Jonas Hiller from the AHL early this morning, leading to speculation that long-time rumoured-to-be-on-the-way-out goalie Ilja Bryzgalov might be dealt.

Hiller is not your average minor-league goalie, he actually excelled in Europe and was signed by the Ducks after impressing performances in multiple international events.

Bryzgalov is considered a number one goalie, and at one point, he was pushing Giguere for the starting role...but since the latter won the Cup last summer plus signed a huge deal, there was no more competition.

This isn't very surprising, Bryzgalov is a good goalie and he could be a number one as he's showed in the past.

What are your thoughts on this early morning speculation?

-BBeR

Will the Rangers go “All the Way”? - Size Does Matter

In addition to staying True Blue to my tagline of “Shooting From Angles Not Covered By Any Other Blogs”, I am going to be just a little forward and fire my rubber load (so to speak) in the direction of a subject that I have yet to see mentioned on any Ranger blogs, websites, message boards, newspapers or magazines. And if this subject has been covered in any of the aforementioned forms of “social intercourse”, its coverage has been scanty.

While the main focus continues to be (and justifiably so) on the Rangers sizzling summer, double-dip splash into the UFA pool – A.K.A. Scott Gomez and Chris Drury – other ubiquitous Ranger topics include: 1) draft day’s Russian Heist (Alexei Cherapanov), 2) the relatively peaceful signings of Henrik Lundquist, Brendan Shanahan, Petr Prucha and Marcel Hossa, 3) the signing of Sean Avery after an ornery arbitration hearing (and its long-term consequences), 4) the trading of Matt Cullen and who his replacement will be, 5) the potential impact of Marc Staal and other highly touted prospects, 6) what will become of the current glut of defensemen and how the defense corps will ultimately pan out, 7) general opinions on the Rangers chances of winning the Stanley Cup, etc.

What never seems to be brought up is a very simple question: Are the Rangers physically equipped to be capable of winning the Stanley Cup? One of the reasons this potent poser should be a timely one is the urge that some of the league has had to enlarge since the events of last spring. Once the Anaheim Ducks consummated their season with hockey’s ultimate gratification, the Stanley Cup, some NHL teams have chosen to “go with the flow” and mimic the mighty Ducks. This was evident in the 2007 entry draft, where some teams refused to succumb to the temptation of raw talent, and instead decided to reload their pistols with brawnier ammunition. After all, in this copy-cat league the physically dominant Ducks have become the envy of all their gamey rivals in the hunt for next year’s big prize.

One might argue that the league’s rules favor fast, skilled teams - not necessarily big ones, and Anaheim’s championship was more an aberration as opposed to the beginning of a new trend. This argument would be supported by the fact that no Stanley Cup winner has repeated in 10 years, and that historically a size advantage in the playoffs doesn’t necessarily become the deciding factor. The Philadelphia Flyers, in their Bobby Clarke days, are the probably the best examples. On the other hand, had the Flyers actually added an elite goalie to the mix for many of these years, their physicality might have been the force that carried them over the top to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup.

The biggest difference between today’s hefty hockey teams and those of yesteryear is that some of the current NHL teams, namely Anaheim and San Jose, have a frightening combination of size, strength, speed and youth. Anyone, who was watching the Detroit-San Jose series, would have bet the family fish tank after game 3 that the Sharks were going to swim away with this one. But despite being seemingly over-aged, out-muscled, out-skated and out-matched for much of the first 3 games, Detroit proved in a stunning 3 game turnaround that a “strength of character” advantage can sometimes offset an entire host of physical deficiencies. Should the Sharks be able to overcome their character issues this year, their daunting endowment of assets might make them the favorites to sink their teeth into the Cup.

Anaheim is dealing with a number off-season issues often encountered by defending Stanley Cup champions, such as players contemplating retirement and an increase in their players’ perceived value (and salary demands). This often leads to the loss of some players, who are lured away by other teams willing to overpay for their services. So depending on how things shake out for Anaheim, they could be headed for a fall this spring. On the other hand, should Anaheim eventually be able to get their Ducks in a row without ruffling too many of their franchise feathers, they will be every bit as formidable as they were last year.

What about the Rangers? As much as I enjoyed their brilliant resurrection late last season, which climaxed with an improbable surge to the playoffs and a first round thumping of a throttled Thrasher team, I knew that they realistically had no chance of “going all the way”. Although the Rangers inevitable encounter with the Buffalo proved to be a much closer contest than I could have ever anticipated, ultimately they were destined to succumb to the Sabres wealth of weapons.

But even if the Rangers could have pulled off the humongous upset against Buffalo and had the stamina to outlast the Senators (in what would have been a tough and evenly matched series), their bubble would certainly have burst against a physically superior Western Conference foe.

In the playoffs, much of a team’s success depends upon which opponents they are pitted against and how well they match-up against them. The Rangers had plenty of skill and speed, but not nearly as much as Buffalo. The Rangers certainly had enough size and grit to physically stand up to any Eastern Conference team that made the tournament, but not nearly enough to withstand the perpetual pounding that they would have received at the hands of the Ducks or Sharks. Had the Rangers encountered either of these teams in the Finals, they would have been eaten alive – as Duck soup for Anaheim or as Shark bait for San Jose.

In fact, the Rangers were fortunate that Philadelphia and Toronto didn’t make the playoffs last year. In the regular season, even though the Rangers could compete with these teams, it was obvious that both the Flyers and Leafs were more broadly built than the Blueshirts. Had the Rangers faced either squad in the post season, they would have had trouble holding their own in hit-for-hit hockey. Of course, the more drawn-out a series becomes and the further into the playoffs the match-up occurs, the more difficult it is for a smaller team to cope with the carnage inflicted by their colossal counterparts. This means that the Rangers would have a better chance of surviving this kind of clash had it occurred in the first or second round, as opposed to the final two rounds.

Relatively also enters into this equation. Certainly a team can more easily overcome a disadvantage, if the disadvantage is a minor or moderate one. A real mismatch can arise when one team has substantial supremacy in size, speed, or skill.

As teams continue to assemble the off-season pieces to their respective puzzles, it’s hard to say for certain how much of a relative advantage/disadvantage each club will have next year in the desirable attributes of size, speed, and skill. We won’t know the answers until each team’s internal competitions have been decided in league-wide training camps and all their final transactions have been made.

Aside from particular line combinations and defensemen pairings, the Rangers really have only a few spots that remain in question. Assuming that Ryan Callahan and Daniel Girardi have completed their post graduation requirements from the Hartford Academy and will remain in New York, along with two year veteran, Hossa, that leaves only one center position, a couple of fourth line positions, and one or two defense positions remaining in limbo (assuming no further trades).

Therefore, we have a pretty good picture of how the Rangers breakdown in some of the key physical categories. They would appear to have good (but not excellent) team speed and plenty of skill that would probably allow them to stay competitive (in this sense) with just about any team in the playoffs – especially since the Sabres machine lost two of their main cogs in Briere and Drury. Although the Rangers parted with a very speedy center in Matt Cullen and a very skilled center in Michael Nylander, they picked up two very fast centers in Gomez and Drury – with Gomez possessing excellent playmaking skills and Drury bringing a host of intangible qualities (one of which bit the Blueshirts in the butt in game 5 of the Sabres series).

As far as size and strength goes, they’re simply not among the Rangers strong suits - notwithstanding a couple of players whose physical force could potentially wear down their playoff opponents, such as Jaromir Jagr and Hossa. This is not to say that the Blueshirts don’t have some gritty players, as well as some other players (aside from Jagr and Hossa) of impressive stature - at least 6’1” and over 210 lbs. It’s just that Shanahan, Marik Malik and Paul Mara don’t play a physical style that wears down the opposition, while Colton Orr and Jason Strudwick are fringe players who are often not dressed.

Brad Isbister, whose offensive capabilities could never be confused with Joe Thornton’s, did provide the Rangers with some well-needed bulk late last season and in the playoffs. His ability to work the boards, cycle the puck and compliment Jagr made him an effective player, and in that sense, he will be missed. I should also mention that if the question mark at center is answered by Brandon Dubinsky, then on top of the other talents he brings to the table, his ponderous proportions and feistiness would definitely be a welcomed addition to the team.

Overall, I would say that the Rangers could physically endure a playoff series against most teams, but would very likely get blown away by the power of some of the jumbo jets they could engage in battle.

The reason that I’ve barely touched upon the “joys of youth” is because a Stanley Cup championship team is generally composed of a nice blend of young bucks and wily vets. Next season, the Rangers will probably have the right mixture of those ingredients.

Perhaps the most important factor in determining whether the Rangers have a chance to “win it all” is chance itself. Who knows if the elements that GM, Glen Sather, compounds will result in good chemistry? Who knows how healthy the team will be, especially heading into the playoffs? Who knows if a topsy-turvy season will be topsy or turvy in late April? And finally, who knows in the pursuit of the ultimate conquest, what sequence of opponents will need to be conquered?

So with size being one of many uncertain variables, will Lady Luck scorn the Rangers for their physical shortcomings? Or will the Rangers have the goods to get the gold (silver in this case)? These answers will go a long way in determining how deeply they can penetrate into the big dance come next spring. The final score will either show the Rangers living large as Stanley Cup champions, or being pre-maturely humbled as inadequate also-rans.

Postscript: Should the Rangers surmount all the obstacles and defy all the odds this season to hoist hockey’s Holy Grail, then next summer they would be wise to beware of invaders from the Great White North (Edmonton). For if “Kevin the Poacher” aims his next Lowe blow at the Rangers family jewels, they must prepare themselves by defending their Cup.

Courtesy of The Hockey Humorist - http://hockeyhumorist.blogspot.com/

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Penner's new deal with Oilers an ominous sign for NHL...

Various media sources are reporting the Edmonton Oilers have officially signed former Ducks forward Dustin Penner to a 5-year/$21.5 million contract.

The young sniper played in all 82 games for the Stanley Cup champions Ducks last season, scoring 29 goals and adding 16 assists for a total of 45 points and 202 shots on goal.

The signing occurs a few weeks after Lowe made a bold move in signing the Sabres' Tomas Vanek to a $7 million per season offer sheet, only to see Buffalo GM Darcy Regier match within 19 minutes.

The 6'4'', 245-pound Winkler, Manitoba native just scored big time in the bank, and the NHL should be worried.

A few years down the road, maybe, just maybe he'd be worth the money he just got from a desperate Kevin Lowe...but at this point in his career? A 24-year old sophomore with a season and a quarter under his belt making a little over $4 million per season seems too much like the old NHL, where GM's paid wildly for any hint of talent available to them.

Scott Hartnell, who recently signed a similar pact with the Philadelphia Flyers, belongs in that pool of "paying for potential, not production" players. Both Penner and Hartnell will earn $4.2 million annually for the next 5 and 6 seasons respectively.

So what does this mean for the future RFA market?

For starters, teams may be tempted to sign future restricted free-agent Jason Spezza to an offer sheet next summer, and with the Senators trying to hold on to potential unrestricted 50-goal man Dany Heatley as well, someone may very well succeed in prying him from Sens GM Bryan Murray's hands.

But not so fast, this signing of Penner is also an ominous sign.
A sign that the NHL is heading back to its old days of overpriced free-agents and overrated players...I'm starting to wonder why we lost a complete season of hockey and why Gary Bettman and the NHL are so STUBBORN not to realize what's going on.

It was a mistake to make the cap rise again to $50.3 million, if the NHL knows what's good for their league finances and fans, they'll lower that number to $45 million next year and leaves GM's little room to spend the $7 million Chris Drury got, and the $10 million Dany Heatley will likely get if this continues next year.
They won't lower the cap, so scratch that.

If they actually used their brains, they'd finally figure out that the more the cap raises, the more salaries for elite players will go up, and the more we'll be drifting back to the pre-lockout era and a potential lockout/labour dispute again.

This signing not only makes the RFA market a whole new attractive destination for GM's, and a headache for the NHL, but it also marks the end of the Brian Burke-Kevin Lowe friendship, at least according to Burke's recent harsh words to the media.

-BBeR

Caught in His Own Duck Trap, Will Burke Lowe-r “The Finger”?

They say “it’s lonely at the top”. This certainly appears to be the case for general manager, Brian Burke, of the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks, who appears to have gotten tangled up in a Duck trap of his own making. Not knowing the status of returning/retiring stars Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer, combined with tight salary cap numbers, the Ducks inadvertently left duckling, Dustin Penner, ripe for poachers. Enter Edmonton general manager, Kevin Lowe, whose final bazooka shot in this year’s RFA hunting season, is a bulls-eye aimed right at the beak of Penner.

Burke has publicly ripped into Lowe for what he calls “an act of desperation by a general manager who is fighting to keep his job". Burke’s beef seems to be more about the amount of the Oilers offer sheet to Penner (reportedly 5 years for $21.25 million), as opposed to the act of trying to snatch the young Duck from his Anaheim nest. Burke complained that “this is the second time this year in my opinion Edmonton have offered a grossly inflated salary for a player, and it impacts on all 30 teams”.

It’s amazing to me how times have changed, when in the past, it was always the big market teams – led by the fiscally irresponsible Rangers – who were accused by small market teams, like Edmonton, of inflating player salaries by overpaying for talent. Now, the new salary cap system creates the opportunity for a small market team - whose obscure northern location is as inviting to free agents as a bad case of Pneumonic Plague - to turn the system upside-down (or at least sideways) and grossly overpay for a player who has scored all of 45 points in his fledgling 82 game regular season career.

Regardless of which frozen pond (Edmonton’s or Anaheim’s) Penner ends up skating on for the next 5 years, there are two certainties: 1) he will be earning an average of over $4 million per year, and 2) his contract, inked in unchartered waters, will have a rippling effect on future RFA contract negotiations between NHL teams and their young, potential stars.

Burke isn’t tipping his hand on which way is leaning on this issue – other than to indicate that he must confer with ownership before making the call. No matter the outcome, this should certainly be an amusing week for all of us as the Thursday deadline approaches for the Ducks final decision. Something tells me that, regardless of when Burke and the Ducks make up their minds, this one is going to go down to the final minutes - partially because this ordeal has gotten so personal between Burke and Lowe that Burke has even ripped Lowe for the timing of his attempted heist. Burke said "I thought Kevin would have called me and told me it was coming. I thought that was gutless…I think it's a classless move timing-wise”.

Brian, maybe it’s just me, but I never knew that there was a polite way to forcefully clip a Duck’s feathers. But it’s another thought that I have that really has me eagerly anticipating the Thursday Duck-Oiler shootout. Given the bad blood that has developed between Burke and Lowe, I keeping wondering whether the “Dustin Duel” will end up like the infamous “Sakic Skirmish” of 1997, when Rangers general manager, Neil Smith, unsuccessfully attempted to pillage the cash-strapped Avalanche with a front-loaded RFA offer to Joe Sakic.

That week-long event climaxed with Colorado general manager, Pierre Lacroix, sending a last minute fax to the Rangers (just to stick it to Smith), indicating that they had matched the offer sheet to Sakic. As an appreciative gesture to Smith and the Rangers for further f__king up their financial affairs, Lacroix’s fax included the legendary 1976 picture of vice-president, Nelson Rockefeller, “Giving the Finger” to a group of political hecklers in New York.

As D-Day approaches, we can only wonder whether Burke will handle his hardship with humility and class, or whether he will strike Kevin with a Lowe blow. Let’s all keep “The Fingers” crossed.

Courtesy of The Hockey Humorist - http://hockeyhumorist.blogspot.com/

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A look at the Ducks free-agent adventure...

Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke was said to be quiet heading into this year's free-agent frenzy, with only depth on his radar, after all, what else did he need to do as his team had just won the Stanley Cup...how much better can you get?

But with Conn Smythe winner and team captain Scott Niedermayer still pondering retirement, Burke went all out and picked up former Red Wings defenceman Mathieu Schneider, signing the 38-year old to a 2-year contract worth $11.25 million.

With this signing, speculation fled around the NHL that Niedermayer had indeed decided to retire and that Schneider was his eventual replacement.
Later on, Niedermayer called a press conference, with everyone including my grandma, expecting him to call it a career and hang 'em up.

However, in a surprising twist, he did not announce his retirement and reports indicated that he was unsure of what to do, and that he will have made up mind between now and the start of the 2007-2008 season.

With his salary still counting against the salary cap at a hefty $6.75 million, the Ducks have only $2 million left in wiggle room and that doesn't even include Teemu Selanne, who is technically still an unrestricted free-agent, but it's expected he will either re-sign with Anaheim or retire.
After playing in just a little over one thousand career games, the Finnish-born winger finally won hockey's revered trophy for the first time in his sixteen season career.
Burke also took the liberty of finding a potential replacement for his prized winger, by reuniting himself with an old friend from back in Vancouver, Todd Bertuzzi.
Bertuzzi's signing came as a shock to most people, and his the terms of his deal nearly knocked them out.
$4 million a season over the course of the next two seasons is a lot of money for a guy who hasn't been successful since his days in Vancouver with...what a surprise...Brian Burke.
Burke feels Bertuzzi still has some steam left in the tank, even if he hasn't been entirely healthy or on his game since...what a surprise...his days with Brian Burke up in Vancouver.

I really think that this signing will totally backfire on Burke and the Ducks, Bertuzzi hasn't proven he's worth the money he got, especially after a terrible postseason in Detroit.
It seems to me Burke is forgetting Bertuzzi's past few years, his multiple injuries, his inconsistency and his inability to play a full season.

This is also a strong sign that that Burke's still desperately in love with the player he was in Vancouver, the "old" Bertuzzi, if we can call him that, but this isn't the player Burke's signed on to get.

Come on Brian! Wake up and smell the sunshine, we're not in Vancouver here, this isn't the player you adored, that all Canucks fans adored before he labeled himself a total bonehead by nearly killing Steve Moore on the ice.

The player you'll get is the player you see, I doubt Bertuzzi ever becomes what he used to be again, he's just not that kind of player.
Sure he'll put up a decent point total, but it's nothing compared to what the RESPECTED (emphasis on RESPECTED) and gentlemanly Teemu Selanne brought to the table.
Not only did he bring a dangerous offensive game, but he was also able to play a smart two-way game, on both ends of the ice, he made excellent decisions with the puck and always seemed to score when his team needed it most.

But this all comes to down to Niedermayer.

If he retires, Schneider's signing is validated, a good move, a worthy replacement for a future hall-of-fame defenceman and then there's cap space to bring back Selanne, should he want to return with the club.
However, if he does not retire (which would utterly surprise me, to say the least) then Mathieu Schneider's signing is a waste.
A waste in many ways:
1) Cap-wise, a wasted $5.5 million considering Selanne is still unsigned (this goes for Bertuzzi too)
2) Player-wise, pushing Kent Huskins out of the lineup and into the pressbox and rendering the nicely developped defenceman very unhappy.

Well, you make the call, this can go one way for Burke, or entirely the other way.

He did a fairly good job of attempting to replace those two players he may lose, but, when all's said an done, you can't replace what Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne brought to the team, and you can't do it with a 38-year old pointman coming off a serious injury, and a questionable forward whose ability to be effective and contribute to a hockey team consistently still up in the air.

--BBR

Stanley Cup takes a hit in SoCal

Hold the presses...the Stanley Cup has been dented in sunny California!

Jes Golbez writes:
I know the Stanley Cup has been beat up more than a GW Bush piñata at Osama Bin Laden’s 50th birthday bash, but can’t these teams show a little more respect and care for the holy chalice?

Nice choice of words Jes!
Check out his post and take a look at the picture he included, clearly showing a dent.

And here's a nice little cartoon I found while scanning the net, thanks to Offside Sports

--BBR

The Ducks Got it Done

Last night had a lot of firsts. My personal favorite thing from the night was seeing Scott Niedermayer get the Conn Smythe. He deserved it...he held his team together and he did it in the classiest manner there is. He never complained, he just lead his team because that's what he is good at. He was the only one on the team who had a Stanley Cup Ring *well he actually has three*
Seeing Scott hand Lord Stanley to Rob also was amazing...

Then there was Teemu who finally got to hold the Cup. Seeing him so overcome with emotion you couldn't help but be happy for him. He deserves this. His wait is over. Congrats to the Anaheim Ducks and to the Anaheim Ducks fans for proving that people in California know their hockey also.

Expect a better post later...but for now this is all I have.

ANAHEIM DUCKS WIN THE STANLEY CUP
FINAL SCORE 6-2
SERIES 4-1

Pronger Suspended Again?

Should Pronger be suspended AGAIN for this?


Thanks to Kukla's Korner for the picture.


UPDATE Pronger was suspended for one game...way to take care of the repeat offender NHL. Article and Interview with Carlyle

Mega Post: It all comes down to the masked men...but who's better?

It's so tough to decide who's been the better goalie in this 88th version of the Stanley Cup Final, featuring the Ducks' Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Ottawa's "Sugar" Ray Emery.

How about we let the photos decide who's been the better goalie and who will win the series?!

Just for fun though...

Game I. Hmmmm, the weird position battle

Jean-Sebas Giguere, in full gear, chats with Martin Gerber who's in his street clothes on the bench during practice in Anaheim.

Man, Gerber musta said something funny to make Giguere laugh like that:

"What does stopping a puck feel like again? It's been so long since I've done that, I don't even know why I bother growing this beard?!!"

Giguere probably said: "Grow some hair on your head before letting your beard get long, and then I'll show you the basics."

"Oh wait, is Ray calling me?"

"I think I'm growing some hemorroids, it would help if my teammates didn't completely let me down in games so I wouldn't have to flop around everywhere to make a damn save, you Marty, quick laughing with the enemy and get me some cream."

Haha, both look funny but Giggy wins this one, just because he's talking to Gerber who's in street clothes, come to think of it, Gerber does look kinda bemused right there.

1-0 J.S. Giguere

Game II. The Battle of the Masks

Now, who has the nicer mask?
I wonder if Emery can match his excellent taste in clothes (we'll get to that later) with his goalie mask.

Tough one.

Giguere has the "Pond" nicely made on the lower part of his mask, right under the cage, with a half-robot/half duck emblazoned on his head with an overlaying Ducks webbed logo spitting out lightning.

That's will be tough to beat Ray.

Then again, that "Mike Tyson" type boxer that caused SOOO MANY problems with the Sens' staff earlier last season is really just unforgetable, but is the SENATORS streak across his left cheek and the Trojan Senators Logo on the chin enough to beat Giguere?

Nope, sorry Ray, your mask lacks a little bit of zip, J.S beats you here again.

2-0 J.S. Giguere leads series

Game III. The Person on the Outside

This really should be no contest, but nevertheless, it's part of this little featurette, so, let's get to it!

Here's Ray Emery's closet featured on TSN with the always funny James Duthie.

And let's take a look at the great JS, whose 2-0 lead in the series may be in jeopardy.

No tie, conservative and typical black and white with no spice or zest whatsoever, sorry Gigg, there's no doubt who takes it here, too much damn black!

2-1 J.S. Giguere leads series

Game IV. The Goalie Pads/Equipement

Back in the old days, goalies would just slap on bare-leathered pads with strings flinging out from every corner, today, equipement manufacturing gurus are set with an annual task of bringing out a new style, a new pad design while maintaining the piece's "revolutionnary" aspect.

Behold, the 2007 version of the pro NHL Reebok pad, nicely rounded and very very cleanly formed.

Giguere is one of many goalies to wear this type of RBK pad this season, others include Cristobal Huet, Marc-Andre Fleury, Mathieu Garon, Marty Turco, Wade Dubielewicz, David Aebischer and Roberto Luongo.

I am a goalie as well and I have RBK pads, and I can tell you, they are probably the best ones out there, they're nearly flawless and as far as I can tell, the most durable I have ever had.

Ray Emery has nearly the same pads he wore with the Senators since his debut a few seasons ago, Brians has fallen off the chart in the goalie pad industry but they still remain a solid but pricey option, Emery's Ottawa emblazoned star-like colours are intriguing, but Giguere's modern-looking RBK pads take the cake.

3-1 J.S. Giguere leads series

Game V. The Spectacular Save

You know, this is probably one of the most ignored facts by today's hockey fans, most SPECTACULY WOOOWWWWW WHAT A SAVE OOHHHH!!!!!!! saves of today's NHL are basically a result of a goaltender being out of position and being force back into his crease in an uncanny but OOHHH!!!! WHAT WAS THAT!!! manner.

Behold Ottawa's Ray Emery, who's on the verge of losing the Cup, down 3 games to 1.

A typical flip-flop save by Sugar Ray, man I remember thinking to myself:
"Emery has done all but stand on his head"
Diving stops by Emery are becoming a trademark in the Rayman's portofolio.
A terrific stop nonetheless, Emery has just challenged his counterpart JS Giguere, let's see what the Quebecois 'tender will present us with:

Man, the Sens really got stoned on that 5-on-3 PP in the first period against the Ducks, and here's one of Giguere's calm but explosive saves.
Here he, in direct fashion, stones Jason Spezza in the slot, extending his pad to deny the Senators of potentially scoring their first goal of the game, well, turns out Giggy shut them out.

I woulda picked Giguere, but Game V is all about the most spectacular stop, and Emery definitely wins this one with this quick sprawling painting, yow, imagine the adrenaline running through his body right there at that exact second.

3-2 J.S. Giguere leads series

Game VI. The Numbers...do they really tell it all?

Now, there's a saying that common hockey fans refer to as "The Numbers Tell it All"

Not in this case.

Here is Exhibit A, the game log of Jean-Sebastien Giguere through 2 Stanley Cup Final Games.

ANA-Giguere
Game 1: 18/20 saves 2 GA, .900 SPCT, 2.00 GAA, 0 SHO W 3-2
Game 2: 16/16 saves, 0 GA, 1.000 SPCT, 0.00 GAA, 1 SHO W 1-0

He looked shaky early on in Game 1, but rebounded and made many key saves to lead his team to a 3-2 victory, not his best performance though.

Game 2 was a different story, although he only made 16 saves in a 1-0 shutout win over the Slumpin Sens, Giguere was simply fantastic in every aspect of his game, he played at the peak of his capability and the Sens might've won had it not been for Giguere's infallible play, his most notable stops came on that famous 5-on-3 Sens powerplay in the first, as he stoned Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Wade Redden, Mike Comrie and Dany Heatley in less than 2 minutes.

Those are some pretty big names, but will Giguere's lack of business come back to haunt him, and allow Emery to send this one to a Game 7?

Presenting Exhibit B: Ray Emery in numbers.

OTT-Emery
Game 1: 29/32 saves, 3 GA, .906 SPCT, 3.06 GAA, 0 SHO, L 2-3
Game 2: 30/31 saves, 1 GA, .968 SPCT, 1.01 GAA, 0 SHO, L 0-1

Heading into his first ever Stanley Cup appearance along with nearly everyone else on this year's Senators team besides Oleg Saprykin and Martin Gerber (haha), Emery was under hot pressure by the media and fans alike to produce, and to play well, to excel.
Emery answered in a remarkable way, he has played extremely well for Ottawa and got better as the game went on, he faced 30 more shots than his opponent JS Giguere, and has many many more spectacular saves, he's the reason Ottawa lost 1-0 and not 9-0, he's giving his team a chance to win night-in and night-out, it's now time for his teammates to WAKE UP and repay him the favour, to support him, otherwise, they're just plainly and without using any fancy adjectives: LETTING HIM DOWN.

Emery has just carried the Senators into Game 7, and a chance to win hockey's revered trophy, and to disprove to Don Cherry's proud fact that "No European captain has ever won the Stanley Cup."

3-3 Emery and Giguere tied

Game VII. The Words...wow, what words...

And here we are ladies and gents, Game 7 we will play once more, your Ottawa Senators facing your Anaheim Ducks, winner take all, loser goes home crying.

Passions and emotions run high during playoffs, many unforgettable words have been spoken, and some pretty damn good ones have beeen spoken about this year as well.

We start with Jean-Sebastien Giguere:

Obviously, everybody takes pride in being good at home, and they're going to do that. They worked too hard all year, I'm sure, to just let it go. So we're going to have to match their intensity and their desperation to have a chance.

Ooooh, that really was good, their "desperation" part was really wicked.
Giguere is one of the few left who really expresses what he feels, unlike the others who repeat the same stupid phrases EVERY SINGLE GAME!

Giguere says the Sens work too hard, and frankly, that is very classy of him, acknowledging that the Senators are a good team, and that he doesn't put them down by using big words that on the outside are compliments, but on the inside are just insults galore.

Now, the moment you've waited for by reading this long and tiring post of mine:

What's Ray Emery's comeback to that?

I think we're comfortable playing in this rink [Scotia Bank Place]You take your nap in your own bed. You're just comfortable. There's that, and just the emotion of the fans. Home-ice advantage is what it is.

"Take a nape in your own bed"

Ladies in gentlemen, I think we have a winner and a worthy loser, the 2007 Stanley Cup Champions...OTTAWA SENATORS, led by goaltender Ray Emery and his fantastic performance in a stunning comeback.

Give credit to Giguere though for his outstanding show as well, but, when all's said and done, Don Cherry: hahahaahaaa!!

Daniel Alfredsson: First ever *Don, stop crying* European captain to win the Stanley Cup!

I had fun, I hope you did reading this too.

--BBR

Game 1: Step Away From the Ledge!

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals is in the books with the Senators coming up short 2-3 against Anaheim. Admittedly, there were moments in the game where it was clear that the Senators were simply overmatched. It reminded of game 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, except this time with the Senators playing the ones being feasted upon.

It's easy to assess what the Senators did wrong. They were being out-hit and out-muscled. They thought they could match the Ducks' tight physical style with their flair and the run-and-gun offensive playmaking style that they were known for, not expecting the Ducks to shut down their extra-pass at the offensive blueline and cause a rush going the other way.

I was reluctant to say it, but it's true. This team really does rise and fall with the play of their captain Daniel Alfredsson. He didn't have a solid game last night, giving up on plays too easily, being outmatched physically and having trouble controlling the puck. That being said, he was hardly the weakest player on the Senators squad last night as most of the team, save for Ray Emery and Mike Fisher, couldn't find that extra gear.

Clearly, it didn't work and I have faith that if anybody can turn their play around, it'll be the Senators. They've responded very positively to all of the adversity they've faced so far this year and I trust they will do the same. Scrap the cute extra passes, stop trying to gain the zone by yourself. Chip the puck in, use your speed to beat your opponents and fight for it. Nobody said this was going to be a cakewalk and after 9 days off, I suppose it's expected that the intensity level was a bit of a shock to the system.

To be fair, the Ducks only had about two days less of a break than the Senators did and it sort of showed as well. The Senators came out strong in the opening minutes of the game but eventually ran out of steam after they realized that they were being dominated and couldn't find enough gas in the tank. It's there! It was just hidden a little bit.

I'll be the first to admit that there are Senators fans that can be quite fickle and are quite liberal when it comes to hitting the panic button. Let's just sit back and take a deep breath and try to have more faith in our squad. They've earned that very least from us. Don't make me create a Playoffs Edition Panic Metre. Let's hope we are never in need of one!

In the meantime, if you're looking for something to fill the days in between, or if you're a Devils and/or Sharks fan who wants to see your teams in the finals for something, I suggest you head on over to Mike Chen's blog for the Rawk the Puck '07 Final and place your vote!

Wings and Ducks headed to OT!

This is thrilling, 1-1 in the 1st OT and the loser will be hanging on his heels next game.

Catch the game on TSN if you can!

If history repeats itself, no Stanley for Senators...

Yep, it's sad for us bandwagoning Canadians, but it's the obvious truth.

No team from north of the border, has won hockey revered prize since mes Canadiens did it back in 1993 against the Los Angeles Kings.

Not saying that this is going to happen, I said IF history repeats itself.

Now you ask, what is this history?

2003-2004: Tampa Bay Lightning defeat Calgary Flames in 7 games
2005-2006: Carolina Hurricanes defeat Edmonton Oilers in 7 games
2006-2007: ------------------- defeat Ottawa Senators in 7 games ?

For the past 2 finals, Lord Stanley's Cup has been lost twice by two Canadian teams, the Edmonton Oilers last season to the Carolina Hurricanes, and the last pre-lockout season when the Calgary Flames came up a game short against the then-powerful Tampa Bay Lightning.

The history would scare any Sens fan away, but, here's another interesting tidbit that completely debunks my outrageous claims above:

The modern-era Ottawa Senators have never made it to the Stanley Cup Finals

so, we can never know how they'll perform?

Will they suck?
Will they be awesome?

God only knows.

Until yesterday at around 6:30-7:00 PM EST, that idea was still in play.

No more though.

I wish you Sens fans all the best, it must be great having a dominating team heading into the Cup Finals for the first time, while we Canadiens, Leafs, Oilers, Flames and Canucks fans can all but sit and watch on our Plasmas, LCD's or some crappy 90's box.

Now the question of the post: Who do you prefer? Detroit? or Anaheim?

--BBR

P.S. The Ghost may come out of his tavern and post a little something on those defeated and depleted Sabres later.

Chris Pronger blasts Canadian media...

"The league should make its own calls, not be pressured into anything by the media, and more to the point, the Canadian media."

"I think inconsistency in the refereeing has been there all season, let alone in the playoffs. All you've got to do is look at our games against Detroit. You could bring in other series. The referees have been very inconsistent from series to series, from game to game and from team to team. As you witnessed, (Thursday) night was an absolute joke. But that's neither here nor there. It's over with. I just hope going forward we're going to be on a level playing field."

-TSN

Actually Chris, the refereeing (apart from a few Sabres-related calls and non-calls) has been pretty strong this postseason.

On a side note, Kevin Pollock has really been the best of this crop.

But come on man, really, you're CHRIS PRONGER, you put yourself in this situation when:

a) You were born in CANADA
b) You played for a CANADIAN team
c) You were surrounded by CANADIAN media
d) You played for Team CANADA at the Olympics last year
e) You're damn CANADIAN
f) Hockey is CANADA'S Sport
e) You play HOCKEY.

Well, well, and how can you not want the NHL to base its decision through the media, where do you think they get the majority of their ideas from anyway?

Oh and besides, the second you requested a trade out of Edmonton, was the same second that you signed up for the "Canadian media hounding 4 life" feature.

Cut with the crap, and be lucky you didn't get more than one game, ya pansy.

And if you don't remember, Pronger was suspended for Game 5 of the Ducks-Wings series, after delivering a violent head-on hit on Tomas Holmstrom in Game 4 of this series.

I have more on this, if you missed it, a few posts below.

"It's a nothing play if Robbie doesn't hit him," he told the Times on Friday.

The only reason you say that is because the ref called the penalty on "Robbie" because that was who he saw hit Holmstrom from his angle, you were the real culprit there.

--BBR

Pronger says he was just ''finishing hit''...

As many people probably expected, the Anaheim Ducks were not enthusiastic about talking to the media that bowled over mountains just to interview them, get a quote worthy of a front page story, anything.

Besides the Detroit Red Wings shelling the Anaheim Ducks 5-0 at the Honda Centre last night, reporters had other things they wanted to talk about, more precisely, Ducks' defenceman Chris Pronger hit-from-behind on Wings pest Tomas Holmstrom along the right wing boards in the 2nd period.

Pronger and Rob Nierdemayer both went into Holmstrom, probably because they wanted to give him a piece of his own medecine, what it feels like when some guy sticks his rear end in front of your goalie.

Pronger's hit was by far more violent, he lifted both his arms with his stick parallel to ice and just smashed, just made mashed potatoes out of Tomas Holmstrom, who really, had nowhere to go.

Actually, it was probably more out of frustration that they both hit Holmstrom, after all, he had already gotten his name onto the scoresheet.

Holmstrom finished the night with 2 goals and 1 assist, and must've felt good about himself, especially after he left the game, got 13 stitches to the head, and came back to score some more.

"I had two guys on me and fell into the boards," the veteran Swede said about the hit. "I never saw the guys come from behind."

Pronger on hitting Holmstrom:
"I was just trying to finish my hit, it was good to see him back."

The referee completely missed out on the call, and sent Rob Nierdemayer to the dressing room, while the real culprit, Chris Pronger, remained on the ice.

The NHL now had a choice to make: do you suspend Pronger or not?

At first, I would say yes, you suspend Pronger for hitting from behind to the head, but, Holmstrom came back to play in the 3rd, so that may soften the severity of Pronger's actions, in certain people's eyes, Holmstrom was not injured as bad as first thought.

But, it was still there, the intention was there to injure, come on, it's bull that Pronger wanted to only finish hitting Holmstrom, he wanted to hurt him, to dump a valuable asset off of Detroit's roster.

Tell me, if referees penalize hooking for the intention and not the result, shouldn't the NHL do the same when it comes to these kind of situations?

TSN: Andrei Markov will be examined by Habs doctors after being the subject of a knee-on-knee hit at the Worlds, Saku Koivu also had succesful eye surgery.

--BBR

NHL Playoffs Schedule for Conference Finals

2007 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL
#1 Buffalo vs. #4 Ottawa
Thursday, May 10, 7:00 p.m. at Buffalo
Saturday, May 12, 8:00 p.m. at Buffalo
Monday, May 14, 7:00 p.m. at Ottawa
Wednesday, May 16, 7:00 p.m. at Ottawa*
Saturday, May 19, 2:00 p.m. at Buffalo*
Monday, May 21, 7:00 p.m. at Ottawa*
Wednesday, May 23, 7:00 p.m. at Buffalo

2007 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL
#1 Detroit vs. #2 Anaheim
Friday, May 11, 7:30 p.m. at Detroit
Sunday, May 13, 7:30 p.m. at Detroit
Tuesday, May 15, 9:00 p.m. at Anaheim
Thursday, May 17, 9:00 p.m. at Anaheim*
Sunday, May 20, 3:00 p.m. at Detroit*
Tuesday, May 22, 9:00 p.m. at Anaheim*
Thursday, May 24, 7:30 p.m. at Detroit

These should be really interesting series, sadly (for me and my playoff pool hopes), there was no Cinderella team this year for fans to bandwagon on.
I chose the Wild to be that team, others chose the Islanders, or the Flames.

Detroit-Anaheim interests me a little more, since we don't always get to see #1 vs #2 in a playoff series.
They're both killer teams and it'll be very difficult to predict who a winner will be...well actually, now that Mathieu Schneider is out for the rest of the playoffs, Detroit has a glaring hole on its blue line, its #2 defenceman out!
So, Anaheim has the slight edge and I can see this going down to the wire, and may we please get a damn Game 7, which seems to be so difficult to get to this year!

Even though I like that series more, I probably will get to watch every single Sabres-Senators game, since up to this point, I have watched EVERY signle Sabres and Senators games on TSN and CBC.
I just don't feel like staying up till one in the morning to watch the Ducks play at home.

What will you be watching?

Ducks buring Minnesota alive...

Man, the Ducks are kicking ass!

No offense to Ducks fans, but the team looked a little weaker throughout the second half of the season, in the first half, they were unstoppable...now, they look like that first half team.

After a 2-1 victory in Minnesota yesterday, the Ducks hold nearly an insurmountable lead over the Wild, with a margin of 3 games to none.

Again, it was one of those low-scoring nail-bitting games, Niklas Backstrom did his best to keep Minnesota in it, but it was reason that prevailed in the end.

Backstrom has been phenomenal from the start, his 2.37 GAA and .910 SPCT are the kind of numbers that should propel any team to victory.
But sadly enough, for my hockey pool and for Wild fans, not this time.

I fail to understand why Jacques Lemaire doesn't enforce a more offensive style, just a LITTLE more offensive, especially if he expects his team to go far.
And, I fail to understand why guys like Brian Rolston, Todd White, Kim Johnsson and Mark Parrish haven't amassed a single point.

How do you expect to win if your secondary scoring, and one of your primary (Rolston) don't put up anything.

There is SO much talent on this team, SO much...I would like to see what Minnesota would look like as a team if they played a more offensive-minded style, rather than defensive minded...

The Ducks are the better team, and I failed to see that when I chose Minnesota to beat them in 7 games in my local hockey pool, and because of that, have likely lost that.

Anyway, I'd like to congratulate the Wild too, for managing to stage only one-goal losses, and not 3 or 4 goal crushings like some have predicted.

The Ducks stayed with the Wild's defensive style, and even played along with it, but, in the end, it came down to the solid goaltending of Ilya Bryzgalov, who, after a somewhat questionable season, has rebounded in fine fashion with numbers nearly identical to last year's magical playoff run, with a 1.34 GAA and .948 SPCT, that's 4 goals in 3 games.

It's also kind of sad to see Jean-Sebastien Giguere's awesome season sit on the bench.

Hey, the series isn't over yet, but with a 3-0 Anaheim lead, you can say it is indeed over...

I'll have my eye on the Nashville-San Jose game tonight, it should be great again!

Meanwhile, in more sad news...

-Gaetan Duchesne dead at 44.
According to RDS, Gaetan Duchesne, who played over 1,000 NHL games, has died.
Duchesne reportedly suffered cardiac arrest while working out.
He was 44 years old.
He totalled 179 goals and 254 assists in 1,028 games with 5 different teams.

May he rest in peace.
His son, Jeremy, is actually a goalie for Val D'Or in the QMJHL and was drafted by Philly.

Fallout: Jason Blake almost ended up in Anaheim?

I don't have much information regarding this topic, but I recall reading that in New York, following the Rangers-Canadiens game, on the Rangers' post game show, that Jason Blake was on the verge of being traded to the Anaheim Ducks for a first-round pick.
However, the NHL reportedly rejected the deal because it was sent in too late.

The show mentioned that it was a first rounder headed the other way to New York.

Brian Burke secretly told the world yesterday:

Brian Burke, on Tradecentre '07, talked to James Duthie live. Duthie asked him a few questions.
"Are you pursuing any player in particular? "
Burke: "Yes."

"Do you plan to use the first-round pick you acquired from Tampa Bay to go after a player you desire?"
Brian Burke with a straight face answered quickly again: "Yes."

What more proof do you want? Burke is usually active on Trade Deadline Day and I was surprised to find out he didn't make a significant deal with or without that first-round pick he got.

Blake, the subject of many trade rumours, is eligible for unrestricted free-agency on July 1st and with the acquisition of Ryan Smyth from the Oilers, it's unlikely he'll be retained.
Ironically, yesterday, Jason Blake potted in 3 goals which ended a lengthy cold streak, must've been happy Ryan Smyth was dealt to the Isles since they'll play together on a line with Alexei Yashin....

As always, with the latest hockey news,
Bleu, Blanc et Rouge.

The Cherry on the Puck Bag...

I hope you all enjoyed my 6 hour live online coverage, I sure had fun and I hope you enjoyed reading.

Now here's what I have to say about certain things:

Ryan Smyth an Islander: This hit me from Planet Mars, wow, boy was I surprised; Smyth is a great guy and in this situation, I disagree with Pierre McGuire, Lowe should have pushed harder to sign Smyth. They dealt Pronger at the beginning of the season and you'd think with the cap space they freed up that they'd be able to re-sign their key player. Guess not!
The Oilers got some nice young talent back in Nilsson and O'Marra to go along with a first-round pick, but none of that compensates for this costly loss of "the Oiler".
This is huge, it seemed like there would be no surprises this year and we got one 32 minutes after the 3 PM Trade Deadline.
It remains however to be seen if the Islanders can re-sign him and if this move is the end of Jason Blake in Garth Snow's camp?

Sharks look meaner with Guerin:
Bill Guerin's name was officially off the trade market
around noon today with the San Jose Sharks winning out on the jewel of this trade deadline, Bill Guerin.

He came cheaper to San Jose than Tkachuk to Atlanta, the Blues got a 1st round pick, checker Ville Niemienen and a minor-league prospect.

That's all! And Guerin has more points than Tkachuk. Tkachuk went for a 1st, 3rd, 2nd and a much better player in Glen Metropolit than Ville Niemienen.

The Sharks seem set for the playoffs now, they got Craig Rivet from the Canadiens, he should be a great pickup;

Billy Guerin will probably play with Patrick Marleau and with Vesa Toskala nursing a groing injury, the Sharks still have an excellent goalie in Evgeni Nabokov.

Bertuzzi looks to make impact in Detroit...for Panthers' sake:
Todd Bertuzzi played only 7 games as a Panther and was traded today to the Detroit Red Wings who beat out the Nashville Predators and the Anaheim Ducks for his services.
Holland acquires the controversial winger in hope he excels on a Cup hungry Red Wing team.
Bertuzzi says his back is not yet at 100 % but nonetheless, he should still end up playing for them.
It may take some time for him to adgust but, all and all, he'll probably make an impact down the stretch and during the playoffs.
Now, the Red Wings sent a conditional pick to Jacques Martins' Panthers; if Bertuzzi excels with his new team, the Panthers could get a second round pick; if he takes them to the Cup Final, Florida gets a 1st round pick.
Ingenious move by Kenny Holland, who structured this move perfectly, so his team doesn't suffer if Bertuzzi stumbles. And if he does, the Panthers, at best, will get a 4th or 3rd round pick.
And this is,

Bleu, Blanc et Rouge

Canadiens cling on to beat Leafs and move up to 7th as the playoff race in the East tightens...

Yep, remember that article on Sheldon Souray and how tonight's game was of immense importance to the Canadiens and Leafs? Well, the CH prevails once more, hanging on for a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Canadiens hand the Leafs a devastating loss as they now lose more ground in the playoff hunt with the Habs and Thrasher both winning tonight.

Andrew Raycroft allowed 5 goals on 16 shots and was replaced mid-way through the 2nd period by J.S. Aubin. The 5 that Montreal put past Raycroft includes 3 power play goals, a blast from Sheldon Souray, a great shot by Michael Ryder in the high slot and a nifty little move by Saku Koivu all alone in front of Andrew Raycroft.

The Leafs would not give up however, putting 2 quickies and softies past David Aebischer in a situation in which Pierre McGuire described David Aebsicher's performance as "terrible".

With under 2 minutes remaining, Canadiens checking forward Garth Murray clearly high sticks Mats Sundin along the boards, however, the reffing crew completely blew the call and missed it entirely. Sundin, furious, spits blood on the ice and continues jawing away at the official and for good reason as the Leafs ended up losing and a blown call cost them a powerplay with enough time to mount a comeback.

Always exciting, though a fight would have been nice.

Some TSN tidbits, thanks to Spector:

- Penguins might make a pitch for Bill Guerin if they don't land Gary Roberts.
- Three or four Western teams may have interest in Phoenix's Owen Nolan. Yanic Perreault hopes to re-sign with the Coyotes. The Pens could still make a pitch for Georges Laraque.
- The NY Rangers, Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings and possibly the NY Islanders may have interest in Florida's Todd Bertuzzi.
- The Washington Capitals could move Dainius Zubrus by tomorrow's deadline.

Bleu, Blanc et Rouge.

TSN/Team 990: Berard requests trade!

Denis Casavant, on the local sports radio station in Montreal, the Team 990, just reported Brian Berard requested a trade out of Columbus.

He mentioned it as they were ending the show.

New Jersey is rumoured to have interest in him. The Ducks, Canucks and Oilers are all possible suitors.

Stay tuned...

EDIT: I overlooked TSN's article

Bleu, Blanc et Rouge.