2004 NHL Playoffs: Round 1 (1 Viewer)

[Sami Kallio]

Can't deny that since I'm not old enough to know but for the last 30 years that's how it has been. Before as well when you look at history books; Eddie Shore, Gordie Howe. "Old time hockey, just like Eddie Shore". Ask Bobby Clarke how you win...on a second thought, I'm sure he won't mention anything about certain bodyparts.

Why is it that having a lot of penalty minutes is a positive thing on your hockey resume?

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Look up the history of the game. One of the earliest disciplinary rules ever made was that defensemen were not allowed to chew tobacco because they had the nasty habit of spitting the juice in a forward's eyes. Per usual, the forwards were allowed to keep their chaws in, starting a long tradition of calling it different for the blue liners.

Also, for more recent (last 80 years) history, look up Eddie Shore, who used to appear in warmups wearing a cape and calling himself the Prince of Darkness. He had his ear half severed by a cheap shot he probably deserved. He went to the hospital, had it sewed back on and got back for the third period. See also the famous "Rocket" Richard incident, one of the bloodiest premeditated hits in hockey's long line of bloody hits. The guy who held the all-time scoring record before Gretzky also had a special hat trick named after him - The Gordie Howe Hat Trick: 1 G, 1 A, 5 min major for fighting, and if you don't think Gordie ever took a run at someone, you never saw him play. The finest player I ever saw, Bobby Orr, once ran down Keith Magnuson and beat him to a pulp in an exibition game, in warmups(!), because the Maggot had broken his jaw the year before.

Nope, no premeditated runs ever happened before this year's cup final.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Actually, I played both. But once you have the blue line union card, they can't take it back!!

 

[Micheal]

PLEASE! I've been watching hockey for about 25 years now and if there is one thing that is constant... it's that all players can get dirty from time to time. I've seen it across the board.

P.S. I also consider faking injuries and diving as dirty play.

Bottom Line: As far as I'm concerned Tampa Bay got away with murder last night. How can the refs let all the garbage that went on in the second period go, but call a lame penalty against Calgary early in the third? How are the players supposed to know how to play the game when the refs are putting away the rule book for most of the game and then randomly pulling it out. Tell me that Tampa Bay didn't deserve any penalties in the third period last night and that only Calgary did.

Give me a break!

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Hey, you are peaching to the choir here. After I saw the Bruins get zero powerplays in the two games following the Richard Zednick hit in 2002, I'll believe anything. A penalty could get called on each team 2-3 times a shift in playoff hockey, the least they can do is try to even them out.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Well, that's where you are wrong. Some teams actually call that "strategy" (cough*HABS*cough).

 

[Sami Kallio]

True but the style of play is based on this with the NA teams. If you can't beat them with skill, you try to beat them by dirty plays. Now more and more Europeans are playing the same style.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Truly encapsulized by the late 70's Don Cherry coached Bruins Lunchpail Gang's motto - "If you can't beat em'...Beat em' up!"

 

[Mark Dubbelboer]

so many people heading out to calgary for the game tonight.

no matter the outcome that city is going to be rocking! apparently police are expecting near 100,000 fans to be on the red mile after the game. just hope nobody gets hurt.

rcmp, calgary, and edmonton police forces will all be present

go flames go!

 

[Micheal]

Canadians are known for their physical play... it's not our fault if the rest of the world can't take it.

Seriously though... I consider the Olympics and World Tournaments some of the best hockey to watch and you don't see a ton of dirty play there. Part of the reason for that is the size of the ice surface. More room to skate...

 

[Jason GT]

Ah, the old "rink size" debate.

The extra open ice may be a factor but IMO the biggest difference between international hockey and NHL hockey is
a) what's at stake
and more importantly
b) the *skill level of the frickin' players!*

A Primeau or Lecavlier don't make the cut for Team Canada. What does that tell you about the 20 guys that do?

Anyways, regarding tonight's game, after the 1st OT.

This game is hilarious; everyone is so gassed that holding and clutching and grabbing is the only method to play. It's resulting in some very tense hockey. IMO Calgary has had more pressure in the OT, mainly due to the multiple chances they've had when TB hasn't been able to clear the zone.

Of course TB has had its shots as well.

Through this game I am still constantly surprised by the Flames' ability to develop breaks out of ordinary-looking situations due to good passing, speed and hustle. This is not so much something that TB has been able to do.

Back to the game...

 

[nolesrule]

And the game is over. Bolts win! We go to Game 7.

And by "we", I mean me!!!!!!!

That was a hell of a game. Best of the series by far. Both teams were nearly dead by the end of the 1st OT after giving it their all the entire game. The opposite of a braodcaster's jinx occured when they pointed out just before OT2 began that St. Louis did not have a SOG in the entire first 4 periods. All it takes is one shot to win. And that's what happened. And it cost me $174.25, but I'm very happy with that.

Lightning remain unbeaten in 2003-04 season when Brad Richards scores a goal. Here's hoping he scores again in Game 7.

I can't wait for Monday night. No matter who wins the Cup, I will show my respect when they skate it on our ice. Hopefully, it'll be the Lightning.

Go Bolts!

 

[Mark Dubbelboer]

choked after seeing that abc replay.
the cbc replay didn't really show whether or not the puck was on the ice but that abc replay sure made it look like that puck was over the line.
espn agrees (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playof...ory?id=1816629)

i'm not sure if it was a cheap or a great play by cullimore to trip simon at the end. wish it was a pretty goal that ended it

kipper was off. hopefully he'll bounce back as he always does.

 

[nolesrule]

I don't want to get nitpicky about the no goal and ESPN's opinion, but when it comes to camera angles and an elevated puck (as in off the ice) that isn't flat, there will always be an issue of parallax, which is something that ESPN doesn't seem to understand.

I demonstrated for my wife by reconstructing the angle, elevation and orientation with a hockey puck and a throw rug during a stoppage. She couldn't tell if the puck was 100% on the rug, 100% off the rug or strattling the edge and she was four feet away.

Because the puck was on it's curved surface and that surface was pointing into the net, you can't tell if the outside edge was actually all the way across the line or not from that camera angle.

The only definitive angle would have been overhead or from behind, but you could not see the puck from those angles due to Khabibulin's pads or the cross bar.

And since the referee didn't call a goal because he didn't see it go in and there was no definitive replay, it's not a goal.

It's the same issue as the Music City Miracle in 1999. On TV, it looked like an illegal forward pass because of hte camera angle, but a detailed study of the geometry of the field and player locations showed that it was a lateral and the officials made the correct call.

 

[nolesrule]

As a follow up to my last post. Is the puck completely on the far side of the grout line between my floor tiles? Or is it not ?

Now, if anyone questions whether I touched the puck between pictures or not, I'll be very insulted.

 

[Jason GT]

You never said if your wife could touch the puck! Anyways, no need to be defensive about the un-nongoal Joe.

Here's hoping that Calgary can pull it out!

 

[Shane Martin]

And back to Tampa we go!

This has been a great series. Too bad the ratings suck for it.

 

[Jason GT]

Shane: really, how much hockey support is there in Middle America (which I believe is the correct term for it)?

Execs at ABC must be cringing, but quite frankly, screw 'em The NHL has sadly forgotten where most of its fanbase is.

 

[Shane Martin]

More than alot of folks give it credit for. I would give you statistics based on how many people attend minor league hockey games but that's pretty irrelevant.

Sadly I think what pushes hockey away is the fighting.

 

[Micheal]

The ratings have been just fine over here...