Season Over, Empty Feeling Inside

I have been unable to bring myself to write anything about the last couple games or anything really and even as I sit here right now, I know that I'm still not ready. My main reasoning for even doing this right now is strictly therapeutic so bear with me.

I won't stand to see or hear anyone even try and blame this loss on Marc-Andre Fleury. Does he probably want those 2 soft goals back? No question, but he's got a free pass for life as far as I'm concerned with how he played down the stretch in the regular season and how he played in the playoffs. His performance in Game 5 was nothing short of legendary. That clinic he put on will make it's way to instructional DVDs in no time.

I can't remember the last time I was this jacked up about this team. That triple overtime win, despite the circumstances of staving off elimination may have been the pinnacle of my fanhood this season. I sat alone at work, hands shaking, stomach turning. I've never been that nervous in my life and then it happened. Max Talbot saves the day to send it to overtime and Petr Sykora calls his shot to send me into a state of euphoria. It was amazing is all I can say. Fleury was brilliant between the pipes and I really thought we would be sending it back to Detroit for a Game 7 at that point. Obviously that didn't happen and an immense sense of sadness and an empty feeling has crept over me.

For the last two weeks, I've been having dreams of hearing "The Penguins are Stanley Cup Champions!" I woke up with a smile every day. There will be no smile tomorrow morning, not yet. I'm always sad to see the hockey season end, but to see it end with my boys hanging their heads and seeing the opposition hoist the Cup on our home ice will take a few days to get over.

By no means am I trying to take anything away from the Red Wings. They are a phenomenal squad and deserved very much to win the Cup. For as much as I wanted the Pens to win, I never really expected to win like I had for previous series. What I wanted was if we didn't win, to at least make Detroit earn it. It is my firm belief that we accomplished that. We may not have shown up much or were just not ready for what the Finals brought in Games 1 and 2, but for the last 4 games of the series, we gave Detroit everything we had and the better team prevailed in the end. Simple as that. There was even a small glimmer of hope at the very end that Hossa had tied it with under a second left in the third period only to see that hope squashed by the oncoming rush of Red Wings players from the bench.

Eventually I will get over this and so will the guys on the team and realize the bigger picture. Five years prior this team was in shambles and going nowhere. Last in the league in standings, major stars heading for the hills and it all started to turn around last year. I didn't expect them to even make the playoffs last season and they surprised me and did exactly what I expected against Ottawa. Nothing, but we gained the experience needed to make a strong Cup run.

Flash ahead to this season. Crosby and Fleury go down and the hopes of Pens nation rested squarely on the once shaky shoulders of Ty Conklin. Out of nowhere he has a career resurgence and Evgeni Malkin goes on a tear and suddenly we're fighting for the conference lead in the standings without 2 key components.

We then get healthy and get Marian Hossa and the pieces for a championship run began to fall into place. They rip Ottawa a new one in the first round, dispatch the Rangers quickly, send our hated cross-state rivals home in 5 games and all of a sudden I'm sitting on top of the world. All the suffering over the past few years was actually worth it to get to this point. We sat just 4 wins from immortality and just got flat out beat by a much more experienced team who nobody was going to beat this year.

Eventually I'll be ok with what just transpired over the last few days. Maybe I'll feel better later this week when I've had a few days to digest this and realize how great the accomplishments these kids attained this season really are. Maybe I'll feel better knowing that we have an excellent chance to get back here again very soon and actually win it, now that we know what it feels like to be on the losing end. Maybe I'll feel better when I see this team back on the ice next season with a new attitude. Not a cocky one, but a confident one that expects nothing less than to win it all. You could see it in their eyes this season that it was going to be different this time around. Maybe I'll feel better when we figure out what to do with Hossa and Ryan Malone and establish our roster for next season. By then the sting will have worn off and the excited giddy side of me will return. Until then I'm going to go shave off my playoff beard.

Gary Roberts Is The NHL Version Of Chuck Norris

Let me explain this. Before Game 3 I was talking to Gopher. During the intro of the NBC coverage they showed a group of Pens fans standing outside the igloo waving signs that simply read "WWGRD."

I immediately started cracking up. Gary Roberts is by far one of my favorite players on the team. How can you not get excited about a 42-year-old guy totally destroying opposing defenders? It got me to thinking about other older guys who can still bring the pain and the first guy that popped into mind was Chuck Norris. I made the comment to Gopher "Gary Roberts is the NHL version of Chuck Norris," at that time.

It seemed innocent enough and we shared a chuckle. Then it happened. There was a commercial featuring Mr. Norris during one of the commercial breaks. In my severely altered state of consciousness it started to make sense. As if I needed even further evidence of the above title, Roberts delivered.

In the third period with a 2-1 lead, Tyler Kennedy got smoked in the corner making an outlet pass. The Pens dump the puck into the corner and who else but Roberts comes flying into the play out of nowhere and absolutely kills Andreas Lilja. I start freaking out and yelling "GO CHUCK NORRIS!" Then, Adam Hall picks up the loose puck and banks it into the net from behind the goalline to give us a 3-1 lead. I went nuts and now I want one of those WWGRD signs for my basement collection of Penguins stuff.

For further proof of this idea taking off and becoming something bigger, go to youtube and search for "WWGRD," kick back and enjoy what you see. There's even one of a few Roberts fights with the "Walker Texas Ranger" theme playing in the background and a video description saying exactly the title of this post.

As for the game, who called Darryl Sydor being inserted into the lineup? Me. I wish Hal Gill was the one taken out of the lineup instead of Kris Letang, but I'll live for now. Once again Gill was atrocious, taking 2 stupid penalties and getting away with two other stupid ones.

For the most part I was happy with how we played. The first 15 minutes were nothing to write home about and i think both the Pens and the fans were very tentative to see how it would play out. Then Brad Stuart makes an awful turnover that led to Sid the Kid scoring the first Pens goal of the series and all of a sudden you could see something change. The Pens had life, the fans had life and they started to play their game.

Pucks got deep, we used our cycle to generate the best chances we've had all series. If it wasn't for the horrible sound of iron I wouldn't have had to chew my nails down to the cuticle in the third period. Now we have a chance on Saturday to tie this series up and make it a best of three. Detroit has blown a 2-0 lead once already in the playoffs against Nashville and almost blew a 3-0 lead against Dallas. It would not be surprising to see the Penguins head back to Detroit tied 2-2. The only way that happens is to play with confidence like they did in Game 3. If they come out hitting and playing their game, they will get their chances and have a shot to tie it up. If they allow Detroit to dictate the play and pace of the game as they did in Games 1 and 2, this series is all but over. Simple as that.

One final note: The only good thing that may have come out of Gill's stupidity is that it appeared as if Tomas Holmstrom re-aggravated a nagging back injury. He did not play another shift after the incident late in the third. Time will tell if he's good to go for Game 4. My guess is that he will suit up because the man is a warrior. I have a couple words of advice for Holmstrom should he come across this post. Ask yourself this Mr. Holmstrom, "What Would Gary Roberts Do?"

Could This Get Any Worse? I Don't Think So

I haven't felt up to posting anything on this series so far because there's not enough space on this entire site for me to write about everything that has annoyed me in this series.

Basically it boils down to this. The Wings are getting all the bounces and the Pens are simply not.

Let's go back to Game 1 in the first period. The Pens had 2 pucks lying in the crease behind Osgood and just couldn't slam it home. Another puck took a nice hop off the endboards, hit Crosby in the chest and bounced behind Osgood who had to reach back quickly to keep it out of the net. By my count, that would have made it 3-0 if we were catching bounces and there's no way we lose after that.

Plus, let me bring this back up again because I'm feeling vindictive. Back at the trade deadline I spoke out about the Hal Gill trade. For the most part he's actually been very good and a pleasant surprise. It seemed too good to be true and guess what? It was.

Have you seen how pathetic he's looked against the lightning quick Detroit forwards? It's sickening. Not to mention, how does he get rocked by Samuelsson which led to the Wings 2nd goal in Game 1?

Are you kidding me?

Big, bad, giant Hal Gill gets taken out of the play by a midget by comparison and the puck ends up in the net. I knew this was a bad deal and that it would come back to bite us eventually and it completely has. Here's what you do with him now. BENCH HIM. We have Darryl Sydor who we're paying a disgusting amount of money to be a professional bench warmer by my last check. Was he awful during the season for us? Yes, but can it possibly get any worse than Gill? At least Sydor has experience against these Wings and being in the Finals.

Let's also look at something so fundamental it's disgusting that I am sitting here typing this.

PUT THE PUCK ON NET!!!!!!!

For the first 14 games of the playoffs the Pens had no trouble dumping and chasing and crashing the net. They also threw everything on net all the time. All of a sudden they get into the Finals and continually try to make cute and fancy passes through the neutral zone. I'm fairly certain you could count on one hand the number of times the Pens have dumped the puck in and gone in after it. Just like you can count on one hand how many shots on goal they've gotten while playing 5 on 5.

Did I expect Pittsburgh to win this series. Not really. Did I hope they would? Of course, so why am I so angered by how they've played thus far? Simple. I expected them to compete and at least give the Wings a run for it. They still could I suppose, but it's going to take a lot of changes and some bounces to start going our way for that to happen.

Side note: what was the NHL thinking having a 3 day gap between Games 3 and 4? Really? Why is Game 3 on Wednesday and not Thursday? Give the teams an extra travel day. Now if the Penguins do win Game 3, any momentum they generated will be dead by the time Game 4 gets underway. Way to go Gary Bettman, just another folly for a list that's already a mile long.

I haven't totally given up hope, but I'm on the brink. Like I have said before. I'm a Red Sox fan, so I've seen worse situations turn into glory. The only good thing is that we head home for the next two games. If we somehow win the next two games, I may have cause to start believing once again, but we need to put a puck in the net.

Write this down. If the Pens get a quick goal in the first period tomorrow and lead after the first, we're at least going back to Detroit for a Game 5.

Stanley Cup Finals Analysis

The day of reckoning is upon us. It's time for one team to become immortalized in silver and for the other team to go home wondering what might have been.

That thought alone is what kept me up most of the evening last night and why I'm sitting here typing through bloodshot eyes.

I would have gotten this up sooner, but I was trying to fully wrap my head around what the Penguins have done this season. I still haven't done it fully, but Game 1 starts in a few hours so I need to get this done.

I've read a lot of trash talking from Red Wings fans on various message boards about how this is going to be a four or five game series and that the Cup is all but won already. I chuckle at this and wonder how these people are allowed outside their homes legally. In most cases ignorance is not bliss.

Let's take a closer look at this series shall we?

The Pittsburgh Penguins have proven throughout the playoffs that they can win tight, low scoring, one goal games. They're also shown they can win in shootouts like Game 1 against the Rangers. (Sorry Gopher...keep razzing me about rooting for Detroit and this is what you get.)

When I look at Detroit, I see a team that looks to be virtually impenetrable, but since I saw Indiana Jones last night I have a keen eye and notice the two small chinks in the armor.

First, aside from Game 5 against Dallas in which they played scared and lost as a result, the other three losses have one thing in common. The opposition got out and skated and took the game to Detroit.

The Predators' wins in Game 3 and 4 on home ice are where the Penguins need to look for how to beat this team. Those two games were some of the most exciting hockey I'd seen all season. The pace was ridiculous and Detroit's older d-men couldn't keep up and were caught out of position leaving their even older (not counting Chelios here) goaltender to try and make insane saves.

Pittsburgh can easily take advantage of this and has a much better defensive system than the Preds did.

Flaw number two is simply this. Osgood has been good, he hasn't had to be great. Don't get me wrong, he's played well in these playoffs and may have swung the tide in one or two games, but for the most part he has not been tested. Was he tested in Games 5 and 6 against Nashville? No. Was he tested at all against Colorado? No. His first test was Game 4 and 5 against Dallas, both losses.

The Penguins will need to play how they did in Game 5 against Philly to take advantage of this. Game 5 was the first time I was actually not yelling at the screen for them to put the puck on net. You have to get pucks to the net at this time of year. Pretty plays don't work often as is and certainly the success rate drops even more in the playoffs. Guys are going to need to crash the net like crazy, get in Osgood's face, rattle him.

I'm not saying Pittsburgh is the perfect machine here at all, just pointing out what they need to do to win.

What sticks out in my mind that could hurt them is if Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi are paired up together. Compound that with the realistic possibility that they will at some point be on the ice against the Zetterberg/Datsyuk line and it could pose a very serious problem for Pittsburgh.

The stars are going to have to step up in this series as they have during this run, but the guy who's probably been the most underappreciated guy this postseason is Jordan Staal. This kid continues to impress me every day. It's not often that you see someone this young and know he's going to be an elite two-way player in a couple years.

Staal does everything and never takes a shift off.

Now I'm not going to make a prediction as to who is going to win this and here's why. If you go back and check out the full predictions I made before the playoffs started, I said the Pens would lose to the Sharks in the Finals. I was half right in that Pittsburgh would make it this far. However, every time I've picked against Detroit they've won and I don't want to jinx this thing because I'm already shaking and there's six hours to puck drop.

Here's what I will predict. This series is going seven games and should be a showcase of just how good hockey can be. These are two highly talented teams and should be a lot of fun to watch for those of you who aren't a fan of either side. For me, this is going to be torture and if it goes seven games check your local newspapers or online for the headline "24-year-old Pens Fans Dies From Heart Attack During Game 7."

Outside Looking In

Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, it's time to take a look at the teams battling for the final playoff spots in both conferences and see who has the best shot of getting in and who's going to be playing golf early.

Eastern Conference

#8 Philadelphia Flyers 71 Points

As of right now with tonight's win over the Ottawa Senators, the Flyers are back in the playoffs as the 8-seed. If the Flyers can tread water until guys like Mike Richards and Joffrey Lupul come back from injuries they should be able to sneak in and maybe even get the 7-seed.

They have proven that they can be a competitive team with their play prior to the last 12 games when all the injuries happened and could be a dangerous team in the playoffs.

#9 Buffalo Sabres 71 Points

I don't see how Buffalo gets into the playoffs now. Trading away top defenseman Brian Campbell is going to take its toll sooner than you'd think.

Think of it this way, you're at a bar. You see this smoking hot woman sitting three stools down from you. Your buddy leans over and convinces you to go for it. You take a deep breath and get up from your stool and begin the walk across No Man's Land. As you're about to introduce yourself you trip on some bar nuts and dump your drink all over her, thus killing your chances and leaving you humiliated and settling for a dirty movie later on.

The Sabres just might have been able to make the playoffs before the Campbell trade, but there was no way they were making a deep run so they'll have to wait until next season to get up the nerve to approach another hot woman.

#10 New York Islanders 69 Points

Can there possibly be a more inconsistent team in the league than the Islanders? A couple weeks ago they were floundering like a fish out of water and putting their entire fan base on suicide watch.

Now all of a sudden they're 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and just two points out of a playoff spot. Depending on which team shows up down the stretch and potentially the playoffs, they could make things interesting or help out the teams ahead of them in the standings.

#11 Washington Capitals 66 Points

Two words will suffice here. No Chance.

They made some great deals at the deadline, namely getting Cristobal Huet, but it might be a little too late for them to make a push. The only way they get in is if Carolina takes off the rest of the season and plays like they are trying to hit a wiffle ball in a tornado.

Western Conference

#7 Vancouver Canucks 73 Points

If there is a team that could potentially fall out of the top eight, it's them. This team needed to go out and get a scorer at the deadline and could only get Matt Petinger? Are you kidding me?

With the amount of defensive talent that the Canucks have, they should have been able to land Olli Jokinen or Vinny Prospal.

Roberto Luongo is completely capable of putting a team on his back and carrying them to the promised land, but a long cup run is a pretty steep endeavor.

#8 Colorado Avalanche 72 Points

There is no way this team doesn't make the playoffs. They've basically re-assembled the Stanley Cup Champion team from 2000-2001. The only key players missing are Alex Tanguay, Ray Bourque and the greatest goalie of all-time Patrick Roy.

I'd be willing to bet Roy still has some game left in him and if I could persuade him to come back and was coach of the team I'd go with him in a second of Jose Theodore and Peter Budaj at this point.

If the Avs go on to win the cup this year, watch for more teams to go out and get players of old to re-claim glory.

Side note: You know how ESPN and other sporting outlets do those "Which team would win? The 1992 Pittsburgh Penguins or the 2007 Penguins?" What the Avs are doing right now is about as close to the real thing as we will ever see.

#9 Nashville Predators 72 Points

The only way this team gets in is if Luongo can't get the Canucks in on his own. Yes they're tied right now, but with a 4-4-2 record over their last 10 games, this could be the slump that sinks this ship.

#10 Phoenix Coyotes 71 Points

The Fighting Gretzkys have a fighting chance to make the playoffs and annoy us all with another "White Out in the Desert." (If you don't get that reference go back and watch tape from their last playoff run and here's some advice: wear sunglasses to save your eyes from the glare.)

What is going to help them is getting Al Montoya at the trade deadline from the Rangers. (Nice move NY, if Hank goes down, so does any chance you have of winning the cup this year.) Wayne has actually done a good job with this team this year and with a little luck they may just sneak in as the 8-seed.

I don't see a long playoff run, but within a couple years they could be a very dangerous team.

Take these with a grain of salt obviously as some of my recent predictions haven't panned out so well, but you got to get back up on the horse even after he kicks you in the head and then stomps on your manhood.

Oilers' Second Time Against the Wall

Figured I should move over some old stuff to this better site. So enjoy!

From 6/17/06

Well as with the last game it's a do or die mentality. Advantage for Edmonton tonight is that they are back on home ice. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love Oiler fans and I want to go to Rexall Place to watch a game and just breathe in the atmosphere.

So apparently Laviolette lied because Cole is back in the lineup for the first time since our boy Brooks Orpik put him down for the count. That addition should give the Canes an emotional pickup.

It's official, the Oilers have the best entrance onto the ice ever. The double sliding doors to the locker room plus the fire and everything, it's just awesome.

8:19- National anthems. I get chills every time the fans take over, again it's just amazing.

8:23- Edmonton wins the opening draw! 5-0 so far, could we see 6-0?

8:24- Penalty on Edmonton, not a good start.

8:26- Shorthanded 3-on-1 for Edmonton leads to nothing thanks to too much passing, but the PK looks good right now as the penalty expires.

8:30- Pens get publicity during the Finals! They just showed Brooks' hit on Cole, I don't know what all the fuss is about. Looked clean to me.

8:31- Penalty on Carolina, could we perhaps see another powerplay goal from the lowly Oiler powerplay unit??

8:57- Ok I know I just missed a bunch of stuff, but I was watching. The reason for a lack of updates is because Erin and I adopted a kitten today and the little guy is exploring and we're trying to get him used to us. For the majority of the period the cat was on my lap intently watching the game along with me, so I think we have a winner here. 0-0 after the first.

9:15- Second period is underway and the Canes are on a carryover powerplay.

9:17- Too many men on the ice penalty on the Oilers.

9:19- Pass into the slot to Pisani.... SCCCCCCOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

9:21- Greg: "My man again. Mr. Conn Smythe"

9:22- Penalty on Carolina, perhaps another powerplay goal??

9:28- Matching minors for a hook and a dive. Of course now the refs call a dive, but of course its on Edmonton because Carolina would never do such a thing. (Obviously Tarnstrom hauled Recchi down in Game 5, I mean come on Recchi should have gotten an Oscar for that performance.)

9:31- The cat (Max) has been asleep on Diana's lap for about 30 minutes now. Apparently he tuckered himself out with all the exploring. Diana came running over as soon as she found out we adopted it as she wants one herself. I guess she's getting her cat fix from poor little Max.

9:35- Staios blasts one from the point and SCOOORRRRRRRREEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!
2-0 on the deflection by Torres!

9:38- Powerplay Edmonton, come on boys send this back to Carolina for Game 7 right here.

9:41- Edmonton is by far the better team in the game right now. They are just absolutely controlling the play and making Carolina play out of their style.

9:43- Timeout Carolina...Laviolette is getting nervous if you ask me.

9:53- Penalty on Tarnstrom, Carolina going on the powerplay again. Big kill coming up here.

9:55- The Oilers are taking a page out of Carolina's penalty kill. They're blocking everything thrown at Markkanen.

9:57- Breakaway for Hemsky is nullfied by a penalty on Jason Smith. Not quite sure for what seeing as how he was on his ass in his own crease. Don't even tell me the Edmonton screw job is coming, cause I'll hunt these refs down.

10:00- End of period two, 2-0 Edmonton! Time to fetch the cat from behind the bookcase.

10:19- Third period underway and we're 20 minutes from Game 7! Yeah I know I just cursed the whole thing, but that's the reality of the situation.

10:21- They better be going upstairs to review this goal by Edmonton. If it isn't it would be one hell of a save by Cam Ward on a 3-on-1.

10:22- No goal thanks to nothing conclusive on the replays, but common sense would tell you the puck was in the net. Oh well, on we play 2-0 Oilers.

10:24- Penalty on Carolina! Time to put it away and send this back to Raleigh for a do or die Game 7.

10:25- SMYTH SCOOOOORRRRREEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!! WHAT A SHOT ON THE BACKHANDER!!! POWERPLAY GOAL 3-0!!!! Who needs that last goal that was disallowed? They got it anyway!

10:27- Another too many men on the ice penalty against Carolina! Blood is in the water boys! Open up those floodgates!

10:34- Penalty on Edmonton with 10:30 to go in the game. If Carolina has a snowball's chance in hell of coming back it's gotta come right here.

10:38- Penalty on Carolina on what would have been a breakaway for Pisani, but he was hooked from behind by Whitney.

10:43- SCOOOORRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! HORCOFF GETS THE GOAL ON THE POWERPLAY, 4-0!!!!!! WE'RE GOING TO A GAME 7 BABY!!! WHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

10:46- The Edmonton fans have been cheering "We want the Cup!" for a solid 2-3 minutes without fading at all. Now the game is starting to get a little nasty, Game 7 is going to be a barnburner. Oh and the Oilers are going back on the powerplay, time to add insult to injury.

10:49- Too many men on the ice against Edmonton, oh well 4-0 lead is fine with me.

10:52- Two minutes until Game 7! Time for the happy dance in the middle of the living room. If Edmonton wins on Monday I'm changing this cat's name to lucky. Second "We want the Cup!" chant roars from the seats. No one is sitting down right now.

10:54-One minute!......30 seconds!

10:55- 20!.....10, 9, 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1.0!!!!!!! IT'S OVER!!!! SHUTOUT MARKKANEN!!!!! SERIES TIED 3-3!!! WHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY MADE HISTORY AS NO TEAM DOWN 3-1 WINNING GAME 5 IN OT WENT ON TO WIN GAME 6!!!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

HOLY @#$$!!!!!!!!!!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAH!!!!!

10:57- Yes again the theory was upheld, 6-0 in the Finals. Anyone wanna bet the winner of Game 7 wins the opening draw??

I already know I will not be able to post a blog in real time on Monday as I have to work until 11pm. Yes I know, I'm pretty much pissed off too right about now, but I will be taping the game and potentially keeping a blog then depending on how tired I am from working at 7am-11pm. Don't ask, it sucks, but what can you do?

Game 4 Oilers Vs. Hurricanes

Ok so first off I'm sorry for not doing one of these for Game 3. I was an idiot and failed to make the connection that we were celebrating Greg's birthday on the same day as Game 3. Instead of devoting all our attention to the game, as is normall the case, we made productive use of our time by going to the horse track and betting on the ponies. First up was the Belmont which I had pegged except for that stupid Jazil. Played him in the Derby and he was a dog, so I leave him out of this one and naturally he wins. My trifecta pick finished 2,3,4 in the race, so once again Jazil screwed me over.

In any event, we stayed for the track's own racing and each hit a race so we walked out with at least some money for the first time in a year or so at that God forsaken track. We a;ready have plans to return based on our good fortune on Saturday.

The track did conveniently have the game on so I was able to cath bits and pieces, specifically the opening draw which was won by the Oilers if you'll remember. I'm 3-0 in this series, believe me now? There's something to this, I'm certain. If anyone knows how to look this up from year's past let me know and I'll do the math out to further prove this.

8:09- Game hasn't even started and Greg is already predicting things again. To his credit he was right about Game 3 so maybe we'll get lucky.

Greg: "It's all about the Oilers tonight, this series is goin back to Carolina 2-2."
Me: "It better."
Greg: "Oh it will."

8:18- I really want to go watch a game at the Rexall Place. I can't emphasize this enough, the atmosphere is nuts. Hockey is a way of life in Canada, so within a couple years I'm moving there to be a part of it.

8:21- National anthem time and if you haven't seen this building take over the Canadian National Anthem, you have not see anything. It's truly something special to see and hear. I just got chills listening to the sellout crowd take it an run with it. One word. Awesome.

8:25- Damnit! Canes win the draw.

Greg sums it all up for you: "Crap."

8:31- Furious pace early, but the Oilers have some jumo tonight on home ice. Best start for them yet in the series.

8:33- First commercial break and I have to catch my breath. This is shaping up to be a great game. Edmonton is hitting anything that moves right now, trying to get into the Canes heads. I LOVE IT!!!

8:38- SCCCCOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! WHAT A GOAL BY SAMSONOV!!! OH BABY WHAT A PLAY!!! 1-0 OILERS!

8:39- Cardinal sin in hockey. Do not take a penalty on the next shift after your team scored. Torres just committed it. PP Carolina, and they score, Stillman on the one-timer 1-1.

8:42- Penalty on the Canes. Will Edmonton's PP wake up finally in this series?

8:48- Edmonton forces a turnover at the Canes blueline and draws a hooking call on Whitney. Back on the PP.

8:52- The PP isnt looking great, but there are signs of improvement and they'll get to work on it more again as Whitney takes a seat again.

8:55- 5-on-3 PP for Edmonton for 1:12, can you say opportunity??

8:59- Ok so they didn't score, but the PP is looking much better now that they moved a man out to the high slot to take some pressure off the point.

9:00- Another stupid penalty on Edmonton. This time with under a minute to go in the period, boy a shorthanded goal would be real nice here.

9:02- End of the first period, 1-1. What a period. Edmonton is stepping up the physical aspect in a big way hitting anything that moves and punishing every Canes player to touch the puck. There is a sense of hunger that wasn't there in the first two games. Time for ice cream!

9:19- The Grim Reaper for the Edmonton Oilers just came home, I know that sounds harsh and I wish I were joking, but look back at the first two games of the series and try and convince me otherwise. Go ahead, I dare you.

9:21- Second period underway and the Canes resume the PP.

9:23- I just went from yelling praises of Markkanen to cursing out Ward. What a sequence, both goalies with excellent saves.

9:25- Holding penalty on Pronger....uh oh, best penalty killer on the team in the box for two minutes.

9:26- Markkanen with a save I can't even begin to describe. Wow.

9:28- Markkanen again! Across the crease double stacked the pads, unbelieveable. Penalty over.

9:35- Bret Hedican takes a retalitory penalty and Jaroslav Spacek also goes for some unknown reason.

9:36- Referee mishap, Spacek just used his get out of jail free card, PP for Edmonton after all!

9:38- Pronger unloads and it gets through traffic to Ward. Finally a shot on net from the point.

9:42- Observation- Edmonton was generating all their offense and flow from dumping the puck and yet they aren't doing it now, not sure why.

9:48- Markkanen stops Recchi with a pretty glove save.

9:50- Pronger turns it over and Recchi gets his revenge. 2-1 Canes.

9:53- Edmonton gets called for holding, now granted it was a call but Carolina is getting away with murder out there right now. This is sickening.

9:54- Finally a retribution call on Carolina. 4-on-4 for 1:30ish.

9:56- Another penalty on Pronger. Fans have it correct by chanting "We want refs!" Complete inconsistancy going on right now.

9:58- End of two, 2-1 Carolina. Maybe the refs will wake up inbetween periods here and keep it even. If I was MacTavish I would have been tossed from this game already.

10:01- Greg's trying to cheer me up.

Greg: "2-1 end of two."
Me: "Horrible."
Greg: "It's ok, still 20:00 left. Optimism, don't be a pessimist. Believe Casey believe."
Me: "I'd have an easier time believing if the refs didn't suck."

10:16-Moment of truth right here. Third period under way.

10:17- You can't spell glove without love baby as Markkanen flashes leather to rob a golden Carolina chance off a rebound. Pretty stuff.

10:24- Looks like Edmonton is going back to the first period game plan. Back to hitting and dumping the puck in.

10:26- The refs have put the whistles away again. Will it stay like this for the remainder of the game or just until Edmonton does something? Yes I'm well aware that I'm harping on this, but nothing annoyed me more as a player than inconsistant refs.

10:29- Delay to fix the boards. Cotton Eyed Joe is playing over the PA system and yes I'm dancing around the living room while Erin sits on the couch painting her nails shaking her head.

10:34- Spacek drilled by Staal and shaken up.....not good. 10 minutes to go. Greatest commercial out there right now? New Dodge Caliber commercial with the cute little animals. The manufacturers ask them what they think of the car. The last one replies "It scares the C@ out of me." Said of course in a cute little voice making it that much funnier.

10:38- Ward looking like he did in Game 1. Stopping EVERYTHING!

10:45- BRAD WATSON IS IN THE DOGHOUSE. How the hell do you call a penalty like that after letting everything else go in the 3rd period. This is a joke and Watson should never be allowed to ref a game ever again. 4:40 to go in the third, unbelievable.

10:50- Penalty over. I am livid if you couldn't tell. Timeout Canes.

10:52- Markkanen out of the net.

10:54- 50 secs to go timeout Edmonton.

10:56- 2-1 Final, 3-1 in the series. A great game tainted by horrible officiating. The theory is 4-0, I'm really starting to believe that it's real and not just a theory.

It could all be over on Wednesday, and that is such a horrible thing because this season has been fun to watch.

Game 2 Oilers Vs. Hurricanes

Before we get this thing started up here, I'd just like to thank all of you who have read my account of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals, I can't thank you enough. As a writer it is always a great feeling to know that people are reading your things, and to those of you who were kind enough to IM, e-mail, or leave comments somewhere here on Myspace.com, thank you for your words of encouragement. You have no idea how much it means to me to know people like what I am doing, even if it is only for fun.

Ok so enough of the sappy stuff here, it's time to get down to business. Game 2 is only a couple minutes away and I'm back on the couch for the last OLN broadcast of the season, (thank God cause the technical problems all season have been horrible. Anyone remember that 15 minute freeze up during the San Jose and Nashville series in the third period mind you?) The hole in the wall has been repaired and Erin is still at work and as much as I like having her around....I can't help but think that she was the reason the Oilers lost Game 1. If you'll recall they were up 3-0 until my darling girlfriend returned home and then they fell apart like John Daly after a couple of beers. She just textmessaged me and said she probably won't be home until later than usual...could this be a good sign? I guess we shall soon see.

8:03- Doc and JD doing their intros and look who's in net for Edmonton, Jussi Markkanen, not Ty Conklin. I wonder what swayed MacTavish's mind into giving a guy who hasn't started a game in months over a guy who can't stop a beach ball. Rock in a hard place much? Saying it now, if the Oilers pull off a miracle and win the Cup, Jussi will make a couple bucks off a jersey sale to me.

8:17- Opening draw won by Brind'Amour again. Based on the theory there is no need to watch the rest of this game, but I will.

8:18- Markkanen tested early and passes despite a tricky rebound that was cleared. Back the other way and Ward makes a nice stop on his first shot of the game. Both look pretty good early.

8:20- More bad news. Another text message from Erin reveals that she will in fact be home around the normal time she arrives home from work. Sorry boys, but it's not your night tonight.

8:21- Penalty on Carolina! Interference, perhaps another quick start? If only they could get set up on the PP....

8:23- I have never seen a team block more shots in all my years of watching hockey! Aaron Ward and Brind'Amour block two huge ones before the Oilers finally get one to the goaltender. PP over and it at least looked better than the ones in the 3rd period of Game 1.

8:25- 2-on-1 for Carolina and Andrew Ladd gets a fortunate deflection off the sprawling defenseman and over Markkanen for the early 1-0 lead, here we go again.

8:33- Markkanen makes a nice stop, but there's a hooking penalty on Edmonton, time to kill it off boys. Carolina is dominating play up to this point so Edmonton is going to need to weather the storm, (note the play on words there).

8:38- Hooray! Penalty on Carolina to even things up! Edmonton going back on the PP in just a few seconds.

8:47- Another penalty on Carolina! Edmonton appears to have gotten out the jitters and Markkanen is looking confident so maybe there is some shred of hope here.

8:50- Well that's the end of the first and all things considered I suppose it was a decent period. Once they stopped trying to play a run and gun game the pace slowed down and they at least looked like a tema competing for the Cup. Twenty minutes in the books and only down one goal, I can live with that....time for some cake to ease the eventual doom.

9:08- Apparently the Canes blocked 11 shots in the first period alone and Wesley had to have blocked about 8. Oilers still on the PP on carryover time.

9:13- Samsonov stoned by Ward. Yes the same guy who's been pulled on a couple of occasions in the playoffs and countless others during the regular season. Eat your heart out Martin Gerber.

9:15- Penalty on Edmonton....don't have a good feeling about this at all.

9:16- Yet another penalty on the Oilers. 5-on-3 PP for the Canes. Really not feeling good about this.

9:19- First penalty over and Matt Greene just out of the box almost scored a shorthanded goal. They kill off the remaining time and here comes the third straight penalty on the Oilers. Someone may need to remind them that a hat-trick only applies when goals are scored, not penalties.

9:22-Diana: "So how's the game."
Me: "1-0 Carolina, Edmonton keeps taking stupid penalties."
Diana: "Your team is losing?"
Me: Yes.
Diana: "Don't cry."
Me: "I'm not.... yet."
Diana: "I'll get you a Kleenex."

9:24- Kaberle scores on the PP and just like that it's 2-0. Nice shot through a crowd...still feeling sick.

9:26- Ward continues to stand on his head on a delayed penalty call against the Canes. If ever there was a time for a goal, it's now Oilers. Get it done already! You already knocked off Legace, Toskala, and a combo of Giggy and Bryzgalov, if you can't knock off Ward there is something seriously wrong.

9:29- Ward just stopped the puck and Samsonov who got dumped into him. Apparently pucks aren't the only thing this kid stops.

9:31- I think Roloson is still playing hockey in this series, but somehow he's changed teams without any of us knowing. "Ward" just stopped a shot with his stick somehow from point blank, and of course play goes the other way and Edmonton takes a penalty. To quote Anger Management "The anger sharks are swimming in my head."

9:34- Make or break time here for the Oilers. If they have any chance of winning this game they need to kill this off, not just for them but for me and all of Canada, but mainly for me.

9:37- Horcoff is going to wake up when he's 90 still having nightmares about Cam Ward's glove robbing him.

9:39- Hide the kids for this comment from JD. "Oilers had another chance but it was Michael Peca who couldn't finish." Use your imagination.

9:41- Markkanen makes a solid stop on a rip from the point off the rush from Wesley who decided to shoot the puck instead of stop it for once.

9:42- What a mad scramble around the net. 3-0 Carolina on a goal by Stillman with 2 seconds to go in the period. I give up.

9:44- Me: "3-0 after two."
Gary: "Yuck. Carolina does deserve it though."
Me: "@#$hem."
Gary: "It's better than NJ winning."
Me: "Good point sir."

He always did know how to cheer me up.

9:50- Greg is back with another guaruntee.

Greg: "That's alright Oilers WILL comeback. I guaruntee it. This game is going to overtime."

If his predictions so far have taught us anything it's that this game is over.

10:01- Third period under way and Edmonton is controlling play early.

10:04- Penalty on Edmonton, good way to kill momentum, and I just thought I'd mention Erin just sat down on the couch. Coincedence? I think not.

10:07- Carolina goal under review....looks to me like it shouldn't count, but knowing my luck it will.

10:08- .....................................................it counts, 4-0. I really don't understand the logic behind calling that a goal at all.

10:10- Frustration penalty on Edmonton, time for some fights if you ask me. Good look from above on the goal. Apparently he did touch it with his stick despite kicking it to get it there in the first place.

10:12-5-0 on a deflection by Recchi. I'd come up with a witty remark, but im in total shock.

10:14- Another penalty on Edmonton. Let's go for a six pack and try to forget this night ever happened.

10:26- Penalty on Edmonton. This game has been over from the opening draw.

10:32- Penalty on Carolina, time for a meaningless goal potentially. All I'm asking for at this point is just to break up the shutout of this rook. Don't I deserve at least that much?

10:35- Laraque is tossed for a cheap hit from behind after the penalty expires.

10:40- Penaly on the Canes. Anyone noticing a trend here in the late stages of the game? If there's one good thing about this it's that the refs are keeping it from getting way out of control.

10:42- Game over 5-0 final. Shutout for the rook Ward. No need to get violent tonight, Edmonton didn't play a bad game, they just got beat. No complaints from the effort, but if they want to get back in this series they may want to take Ward's steroids away from him because I have never seen such a turnaround in play ever. It's unreal.

Signing off for the evening, but to bring things full circle, it's official. Canes won the opening draw again tonight and won the game. My theory is 2-0 and no I'm not happy about that at all.

10:45- Erin: "What is Versus?"
Me:- "OLN is changing their name to Versus."
Erin: "But what will they do with fishing? There's no real versus in fishing."
Me: "Good point, we're still trying to figure out the point of changing."

10:46 Power surge. All the lights just went out in the house. I'd say it's pretty symbolic since the lights are slowly going out on Edmonton's season.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go get that Kleenex from Diana and come up with a gameplan for Saturday, because this spot on the couch certainly isn't working.

Game 1 Oilers Vs. Hurricanes

So as I sit here on my comfy couch I cannot contain my excitement. After two years I finally get to watch a Stanley Cup Finals game and what better way to share my excitement than to keep a running blog of what's going on?

For those of you who don't know by now, the Edmonton Oilers better win this series for two reasons. First, it would be the biggest kick in the ass to the players from the owners because having an 8-seed win the Stanley Cup would prove their theory about parity. Secondly, I ran an NHL playoff pool and right now I'm in the lead and as long as Carolina doesn't win the Cup I win. I don't even care about the money, just the bragging rights that come along with it and where I won the NCAA Tournament Pool with my friends it would be the total sweep.

8:13- Nice camera shot of some of the Canes cheerleaders. Where were the cheerleaders when I used to play? That would have given us some extra motivation to play. Oh and she's singing the Canadian national anthem and she's being drowned out by the Oiler fans...that's dedication right there as a fan.

8:18- Opening draw won by Brind'Amour, not thrilled based on my scientific theory that the winner of the opening draw, goes on to win the game.

8:20- Penalty on Mike Commodore of the Canes! Oilers going on the PP! Look out for Pronger at the point.

8:25- Commodore just smoked Ryan Smyth who was skating out of his own zone. The hitting is picking up in this fast paced period. Man I missed this.

8:27- First commercial break, I suppose I should bring the dishes from dinner into the kitchen before my better half gets home and kills me.

8:31- SCORRRRREEEEEEEEE!!!!!! YESSSSSSS!!!!! 1-0 Oilers! Goalmouth scramble, great save by Cam Ward on Fernando Pisani's initial shot, but he picked up his own rebound and tucked it behind the down and out Ward. Good start for me!

8:36- Penalty on Steve Staios for "going to low on a hip check," total BS if you ask me but oh well time for the PK.

8:41-Another penalty on the Oilers. My friend Greg isn't impressed.

"Bad call...Devorski blows."

8:44- Ethan Moreau draws a penalty to even things up.

8:45- Another penalty on the Canes! 4-on-3 powerplay soon to be a 5-on-3!!

8:48- Another penalty on Carolina! Lazy penalties by the Canes. Timeout Edmonton. Craig MacTavish calls the troops over to draw up a play.

8:50- Glen Wesley just set the unofficial record for most body parts injured in one shift. Somehow he's still skating around.

8:54- End of the first period. 1-0 Edmonton, I can live with this. Great action and making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to be watching Cup Finals hockey once again. Time to do the dishes.

9:04- Umm....OLN is changing their name to Versus? Versus what? At least with OLN you knew what you were getting, but come on Versus? What the hell is that?

9:12- Second period under way!

9:17- Looks like Carolina woke up inbetween periods. Coach Laviolette must have screamed obscenities at his club, because no coach ever does that type of thing to get his team going.

9:19- First unbelievable save of the night goes to Cam Ward. Stops the first shot from point blank and somehow got the rebound shot too. Good stuff from the rook.

9:22- Random thought. Worst name in hockey? Michael Peca. No need to explain that as I'm sure you can use your imagination. Perhaps that's why he's going to the box right now.

9:25- Just had this convo with a future nurse.

Me: "Edmonton is up 1-0."

Diana: "Where's Edmonton?"

Me: "Not much of a geography buff are you?"

9:31- PENALTY SHOT FOR EDMONTON!!! The most exciting play in hockey!

9:32 Pronger moves in and SCOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRREEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!! 2-0 OILERS!!!!! YAHHHHHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

9:45 SCOOOOOORRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! 3-0 EDMONTON!! ETHAN MOREAU THROWS IT AT THE NET AND IT DEFLECTS IN!!!!! SWEET!!!

9:47: Greg: "This game is over." Hopefully he's right, but I tend to believe him.

9:48- Uh oh. Can I take that last line back? 3-1 on a rebound goal by Brind'Amour. I really don't want to have to eat my words on this one, come on Oilers get it back please!

9:50- Penalty on Edmonton why am I hearing "It's the end of the world as we know it," in my head.

9:51 End to end rushes with unbelievable saves at both ends! What an end to the period and a start to the series!! 3-1 after two.

10:11- Third period under way and the Canes start out on the PP on carryover time, in other news Erin came home and is still confused about the sport despite my efforts to explain, but I'll keep on trying to make a hockey fan out of her if it kills me.

10:13- The song is getting louder in my head. 3-2 Ray Whitney on an absolute rip on a one-timer off the rush. No chance for Roloson.

10:14- Penalty on Carolina. Please oh please Edmonton get one here!

10:17- Well that was one heck of a powerplay there by Edmonton. I think a group of midgets with one leg each could have executed a better PP and of course Moreau takes a penalty to give Carolina a chance to tie it up now. The wheels are coming off the wagon.

10:19- I am officially ripping the hair out of my head, 3-3 and Erin is now afraid to talk to me. Edmonton's defense is standing around watching instead of reacting.

10:24- Golden chance for Edmonton stopped by a diving outstretched glove of Ward on the ice. I can't believe what I'm seeing out here. There is a massive pit in my stomache right now from being so stressed out from this game. Imagine what I'd be like if the Penguins were playing in the Finals.

10:25- Penalty on Carolina. Doubt this will have any positive effect judging from how this period is going.

10:29- I'm just going to shut up now. Shorthanded goal for Justin Williams. 4-3 Carolina. Ward is turning into a stonewall.

Erin: "Am I bad luck?"

Me: "Yes."

Erin: "Do you want me to go back to work?"

Me: "Yes."

10:31- Me: "I'm blaming you for this, you said it was over after 3-0."

Greg: "It is over oilers are gonna win in double ot, they just wanna have more drama."

Me: "Yeah, ok."

10:33- Erin has left the room. Come on Edmonton the hex is off now go win me a hockey game.

10:34- Ward makes another unbelievable save. This one might as well be over as far as I'm concerned.

Greg: "I want Ward tested for steroids."

10:37- SCOOOOOORRRRRRREEEEEEEEEE!!!!! WHAT A GOAL BY ALES HEMSKY ON THE PP!!!!!! YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!

Erin from upstairs: "I'll stay up here."

Me: "Good."

10:38- Uh oh. Rolo gets plowed into and crashes into the post and isn't getting up and of course OLN has to go to commercial. Apparently the Erin hex still applies from upstairs.

10:41- The song from before is louder than ever as Rolo glides off to the locker room and they're bringing in Ty Conklin from UNH. You heard it here first. Game. Set. Match. Carolina.

10:44- JD is commenting on Conklin being in.

Me: "Why is he laughing about this whole thing? It's not funny."

Greg: "I know he is so cruel, what an ass. He is like hahaha Rolo's hurt."

10:50- Conklin faces his first shot and makes a routine save, but leaves a massive rebound that was thankfully cleared away. This is gonna be over soon.

10:54- Ty Conklin is the worst goalie of all time. Comes out to play a puck behind the net and coughs it up, gets trapped behind the net and Brind'Amour picks up the loose change and tucks it into an empty net after Jason Smith fanned on the outlet pass. 5-4 Carolina.

10:56- Ward stands on his head to rob Horcoff from point blank who had an empty net. Game over. Carolina wins 5-4 and leads the best of seven 1-0.

Excuse me while I go put my head through a wall.

11:14- Pulled my head out of the sheetrock long enough to hear Coach MacTavish say Roloson is out for the series. Bye bye hockey pool money. This series is already over.

Going to go try and fix that hole in the wall before Game 2 and let me refer you back to my theory from the opening draw. I was right and the theory is 1-0 in the Finals.