[Tournament] 2007-08 NHL season discussion thread

Dallas fans cheer wildly as their team loses. That's class.

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Here's the schedule for the Final.

Saturday, May 24: Game 1 (PIT@DET)
Monday, May 26: Game 2 (PIT@DET)
Wednesday, May 28: Game 3 (DET@PIT)
Saturday, May 31: Game 4 (DET@PIT)
Monday, June 2: Game 5 (PIT@DET, if necessary)
Wednesday, June 4: Game 6 (DET@PIT, if necessary)
Saturday, June 7: Game 7 (PIT@DET, if necessary)

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I'd like to know where Chris Osgood got his diving skills from.

I was speaking idiomatically.

The FoxTrax puck was regularly lambasted by hockey fans. Now people are saying left and right that they want it back.

How ya doing, buddy?

I like how for 30 seconds in the third Brooks Orpik doled out four big hits. MONSTER

FELIPE NO

What was Reason 1B they had to lockout a season? I forget.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Y'know, I have no real reason to bitch about the Penguins because I said they'd be Stanley Cup runners-up and that's the way the chips are falling at this point. I'd like to hope they'll win in 7 and I'll be ecstatic if they do, but they've gotta find whatever they did in Game 3 again and make it work in Detroit. It's not impossible, but we're going to pretend for the moment that it's not going to happen.

That being said, my disappointment doesn't lie with Evgeni Malkin, who's playing like he's either tired, injured, or both. It lies in the officiating, which is frequently overlooked by players, coaches, and fans in the playoffs.

The primary reason the NHL locked out an entire season was so there would be economic stability and long-term viability. The first step to changing that was changing the economics of the league up front, putting a hard cap on the league and allowing teams to buy-out contracts and cutting off a percentage of the rest. The second step was putting a more entertaining game on the ice for the fans, by cracking down on obstruction and just generally changing the way the game was to be played.

In the recent history of the NHL (e.g. since the last lockout in 1994) the NHL playoffs have been a bastion of hope for teams who would otherwise be lit up by more talented teams by all but allowing the most egregious acts of obstruction. Much to my disappointment, this Stanley Cup Final has been full of slipshod officiating in this regard and it pains me to know that the playoffs could be much more competitive if the officials called them like regular season games.

Of course, the argument against this is that the game would be slowed way down by penalty calls, but I personally would prefer to know that the teams who are given the opportunity to win are the ones following the rules and taking advantage of their opponent's lack of discipline.

Not that I'm saying the Red Wings aren't a talented team, but I am saying that with proper officiating, we would know who the more talented team is because they would be given the opportunity to demonstrate their full skill set.

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I think the 5 on 3 is a good point, but when you play an entire season and 3 round of the playoffs being able to dump and chase and not be pinched off at the boards or impeded otherwise (read: interfered with) and then you can't in the Final, it really explains as to why the Penguins are being so widely outshot. You can't take shots if you don't keep possession. You can't get possession if you can't dump and chase. You can't dump and chase if you're being interfered with most of the time you try it.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

NERVOUS WRECK. Third OT coming up.

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This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by SuperSonic

I hope all you Pittsburgh fans are happy.

DOESN'T IT LOOK LIKE I'M HAPPY.

Gonchar came back at the right time, and Sykora made good on his promise.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

If the rest of the series is as good as tonight's game was (and by which I mean the Penguins win the rest of the way) then I'll be happy for DAYS.

I was speaking idiomatically.

ugh, I hate being right

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Saying it right now: Marian Hossa will be a Penguin again next season. The way he played in the postseason (especially to keep playing in the dying seconds tonight...imagine if he scored there? Penguins god for life~) was very impressive.

FELIPE NO

BTW, I think we witnessed the first time in NHL history that a goaltender took a shit and a puck came out.

Frankly, I thought Marc-Andre warranted more of a nod for Conn Smythe than Zetterberg, though I may be biased.

Why Therrien didn't call a timeout before the last series is beyond me.

I'm not yet ready to make my excessively-early Penguins prediction for next year, but I'm sure it will be far dimmer than "Penguins in Finals". Of course, I'd love to be optimistic about these things, but going back to back is tough enough and 12 months is a long time for things to change. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if a big name from this year's team is back but traded next year (Malkin? noooooooo).

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Denicalis

Also, Dope, the fact you just said Marc-Andre should have been the Conn Smythe winner? Yeah, you are biased. Because no. Goalie of the losing team? Not gonna happen.

Except it (losing goalie = Conn Smythe) happened four times in NHL history, most recently in 2003 by Jean-Sebastien Giguere (2.30GAA, 92% save, which both Osgood and Fleury bested in the playoffs). Were you under a rock when that happened?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Denicalis

And I still don't think Fleury carried this team enough to earn it.

Are you going to leave it at that or would it hurt you to elaborate?

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So you're saying that between him and Zetterberg you could make a definitive decision between the two of them? How about Fleury against ANYONE from the Red Wings? Fleury was definitely the standout player on the Penguins in the postseason, and he was the best goaltender in the postseason, bar none. First in wins, second in GAA, first in total saves (by a wide margin), second in save percentage, tied for first in shutouts. He certainly and quietly carried the Penguins.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

You're not nice.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?