Because I just deleted the playoff thread by accident on my phone instead of my double post.

I had Rangers over Hawks in the beginning but I think now I am changing that to Ducks over Rangers. Anaheim and Tampa would be more exciting though, so personally I would like to see that.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

>Anaheim and Tampa
>would be more exciting though, so personally I would like to
>see that.

------

12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

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Twitter: @tyrcasey

they had CHI-LA and NY-LA back to back last year and couldnt promote it or build any momentum off it. i am done caring what they get or don't get it.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

I don't see how the Rangers can hang with a team that can score.

Lundqvist gonna Lundqvist, but currently the Rangers are averaging like 1.88 goals per game in the playoffs or something.

NOT Chicago. I have no interest in seeing the team that keeps sending us home win. Also, fuck Chicago sports teams in general.

I don't have anything inherently against Sun Belt hockey teams like a lot of fans in northern climates seem to. That said, both of these teams have won fairly recently. Of the two, the Lightning are more fun to watch/root for, but it still feels weird actively rooting for Tampa to win it's second Cup in a little less than a decade.

That leaves the Rangers. I guess it would be nice to see hank and Rick Nash get rings, but honestly fuck this team.

I guess as long as it's not the Hawks, I'm fine. I was pulling for the Caps, though.

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12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

XBL: trkc21
Twitter: @tyrcasey

I don't really have anything against the Ducks or Hawks.

Normally I root against teams that win too much, but I can't not respect the Hawks.

At this point I'm agnostic towards the Lightning compared to how much I hate the Rangers, and specifically, meathead fans at the Garden or who were on Metro North with me last night.

I always assumed it was largely suburban (with some fans in the city.) But the big suburban areas already have teams of their own that actually identify with Long Island and Jersey specifically (and in the case of the Devils, have a franchise that's been more successful in recent decades.)

Are there that many honest to God hockey fans in Manhattan?

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12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

XBL: trkc21
Twitter: @tyrcasey

A lot more hockey fans than a lot of cities, especially for a big city where sports aren't #1.

Having them play in Manhattan, near where everyone (who can afford tickets) works in Midtown, and easy public transit means there's a lot of support.

A sad amount of people from Long Island are Rangers fans since the Isles haven't been good for 30 years.

But yeah, surprisingly (to my normal assumptions) NYC is actually pretty big on hockey.

I'm up in the Hudson Valley now and it's all Rangers.

Spent more than enough time up there during my life to see that.

It's not the biggest hockey city on the east-coast (that would be Philly who used to support a minor-league team at the Spectrum before it was torn down, plus have far too people than they deserve who treat the Flyers across the street like the Broad Street Bullies are in town) but it's definitely far bigger, more passionate in terms of a fanbase than Boston, DC or any of the Southeastern cities.

https://soundcloud.com/matt-koelling-666011203

www.somethinginthewudder.com

https://twitter.com/nostrabombus

https://www.facebook.com/matt.koelling.96

https://www.instagram.com/something_in_the_wudder/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-koelling-438a80

It seems like when the team is good they are like Detroit or Chicago or Philly but if it's anything less than super competitive then you could be in San Jose or even Tampa.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

even though they had Bledsoe and Parcells.

At least when you scale in the NFL/NHL dominance.

Plus there was the Bean Pot for collegiate hockey.

On an NHL level, Bruins still were nowhere near Philly or likely the Rangers either.

Bigger than Isles (by that point), Devils (always) or Caps (same).

Spent some time up in Boston also during when Borque was winning the Cup with the Avalanche and certain misguided diehards were acting like he was winning that Cup for Boston which to me felt weird but c'est la vie.

That place is a baseball town through and through, with probably the Bruins having the most loyal niche base out of the rest and well now Brady/Belasterisk with the NFL just swallowing competition everywhere in general.

https://soundcloud.com/matt-koelling-666011203

www.somethinginthewudder.com

https://twitter.com/nostrabombus

https://www.facebook.com/matt.koelling.96

https://www.instagram.com/something_in_the_wudder/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-koelling-438a80

Like the Pats were worthless and probably should have left town. Their entire history reads like some shit-brained choose your own adventure book until the Cheatriot era. They were like the Bulls of the NFL, defined by one era and a bunch of blah.

Plus there was the Bean Pot for collegiate hockey.

That's the thing, I don't want to conflate overall interest in the sport, which is incredible with the universities and youth programs, with interest in the Bruins.

>On an NHL level, Bruins still were nowhere near Philly or
>likely the Rangers either.

But I don't wanna sell it short either, like there was a time when the Bs were the big thing in Boston. Pats were an afterthought, Sox were kinda up and down (but still king) and the Celtics were winning titles but, unfortunately for them, mostly black. During the Orr era, the Bs were so popular that their minor league games sold out even (for about four years they had the team in town, too, like Philly had with the Phantoms).

>Bigger than Isles (by that point), Devils (always) or Caps
>(same).
>
>Spent some time up in Boston also during when Borque was
>winning the Cup with the Avalanche and certain misguided
>diehards were acting like he was winning that Cup for Boston
>which to me felt weird but c'est la vie.

I can see why they were pulling for him though, he had been part of that truncated period of success there and was such a great player. Plus at that point they were desperate for something to latch onto, I mean the Sox were riding a 250-year drought, the Pats were vaguely recognizable as an NFL franchise and the Celtics glory had faded faster than Jorn's denim.

>That place is a baseball town through and through, with
>probably the Bruins having the most loyal niche base out of
>the rest and well now Brady/Belasterisk with the NFL just
>swallowing competition everywhere in general.
>

It's crazy how they treat each one of the 162 games like it's a big deal.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

Even notched a game 7 goal

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

Regular and post-season, probably.

Amazing what happens when you get a defense and an amazing goalie.

Now if only there was secondary scoring.

He didn't try to neuter him or make an example of him, but he didn't let him do whatever he wanted either. His play without the puck was way better this year.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

And he did. He was a backchecking demon this year

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

He also said: on offense, you do what you want, on defense, you do what I want.

haha.

worked perfectly.

I am a bitter sports fan. I dont watch playoff games unless my team is involved. I dont watch championships either. Why would i want to watch other teams play when I dont like them? Or why would I want to watch other fans cheering and watching their teams move on? Since the Blackhawks have recently won a few cups I am okay with them winning again. I dont want any other teams fans or players to get to feel that joy that we have felt the last few seasons. I dont want them to feel that joy for the first time or for the first time in a long time. Be miserable while the Blackhawks and Kings swap the cup for a while.

November 8th, 2005 The greatest night in the history of GD!

I am a fan of a sport first and foremost and want to see it played at its highest level. Like for years the Sixers have not been in the playoffs, before that it was the Phillies who sucked, before that the Eagles. I didn't care, I had a separate interest in seeing the best teams on the biggest stage.

Apart from the early part of San Fran's win in 2010, I didn't even check out after a disappointing loss. For example I watched the Lightning-Flames series (rooting for the Flames, obviously!) intently. The only time I will be on some "ah, fuck this" is if the series is obviously boring due to style of play and/or a mismatch. Like I gave ZERO fucks about the Nets-Spurs NBA Finals, for example.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

was a horrible loser. Lost little league games and was bummed out for the rest of the day. My parents always thought I was crazy because of it. I am a very cool and calm person but once I got on the field I was really intense. When watching sports I dont get overly emotional. I dont yell about horrible plays or calls. But once my team is out fuck every other team and fan. Im taking my ball and going home.

November 8th, 2005 The greatest night in the history of GD!

So given how early the Caps always lose, I'm always back in it for the end of the conference finals!

Tons of speed, seemingly all used for defense.

I only got to watch bits and pieces today. I was not amused. Something tells me we won't have the excitement of the Blackhawks and Kings last year.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

It just will.

No team is good enough to win a title that way, especially this Rangers team.

Tampa is the only team that *might* be able to roll with them because they have two killer lines right now.

The Rangers would have to Lundqvist their way through, like they always do.

then flying out to Chicago to do it all again tomorrow.

Wish I could have seen the whole game.

------

12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

XBL: trkc21
Twitter: @tyrcasey

Great game, of course I missed the winning goal after hanging on every play trying to explain to some wanker next to me that this was not, in fact, the longest game the Ducks ever played.

It was, strangely, the longest game the Hawks ever played in their 635 years of existence.

It could have ended at so many different points. Shaw and Vermette had great chances for Chicago. Vatanen and Perry each had more than one great opportunity.

I knew it was going to OT at the beginning of the third period. I wrote it on Twitter and people started piling on the hate (anyone who had to travel to Chicago was treading a game like this). I also figured about halfway into the first OT that it was going to be a *long* game. My theory is that if a team doesn't score in the first 5-7 minutes, the pace will settle and then the game will drag on. As the skaters get more tired and more tentative, the goalies can read the play better because it develops more slowly. The only thing that can end it is a mistake (bad turnover, bad penalty, etc). Otherwise you better settle in.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/mike-babcock-to-coach-toronto-maple-leafs-with-nhl-record-contract-182643946.html

Somehow I just couldn't see him going to St Louis and I always thought they would keep Hitch. San Jose and Philly made pretty halfassed efforts to get him. I wonder why he didnt think more of San Jose. In the end no one was going to stuff his pockets like Toronto or offer a higher profile job. I wonder what he thinks of their existing roster, especially teh big names like Kessel.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

Oh well. Best of luck to him but they're gonna suck for a while.

Jeff Blashill come on down

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

Sad that the Sabres were just a leverage ploy with a wide checkbook.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

when I read the headline I thought why would he want to leave the Red Wings and the playoffs every year for Toronto? Then I saw the dollar amount. Throw in the fact that he gets an extra 1-2 months off a year. Cant beat that.

November 8th, 2005 The greatest night in the history of GD!

But how's he going to compete in that division?

------

12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

XBL: trkc21
Twitter: @tyrcasey

He's established, he's won, might as well try it on the biggest stage in hockey.

The last one was a softie, Hank.

How can he get caught reaching on a shot from that distance? He should be swallowing that into the crest of your sweater.

Lightning played the better game overall but I give the Rangers credit for striking back. I thought this series might look like this coming in but the first two games had me thinking that was a fantasy.

I really like Palat and Kucherov, such solid, 200-foot players. Cooper did a helluva job with these guys in the A.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

especially against 2nd pair defenders.

I don't see how NYR can win this series.

As for that goal, I don't know. He went to sleep because it was 1-on-4 with his top two defenders around the guy?

But still. Handsome Hank never sleeps.

My favorite goal was the Killorn goal, ballsy play because a lot of players would have tried anything to get the puck across to Stamkos or, failing that (both D played the pass), they would have tried to get anything they could on net. He cut to the middle and knocked both defenders together like Mo would Larry and Curly and then beat Lundqvist with a very nice shot.

I think the Rangers match up OK as far as their top 4 versus Tampa's top 6 but they need some guys to pick it up a little. Staal has to be more of a force in his own end. I also think the forwards on Tampa are better checkers than the forwards on the Rangers. One of the only guys playing tight and using his body is Nash, but you can't say he is playing a "complete" game because he can't score for shit right now. Stepan has been really good. Some of these other guys look a little soft.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

so if Tampa can match or beat that, I'm not sure what the Rags have.

Besides Handsome Hank and his Handsome GAA.

They can come out with a number of different configurations that give them four good lines and three good pairings. I think that helped them yesterday, let's face it, they could have won that Game and they won Game 1 bigger than the score showed.

I am not ready to write them off yet. I wish I were.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

They got some bounces but that third period left NO DOUBT. They played their best game of the series and Game 1 was a better performance than the score indicated.

Coming in I thought the winner of this game would win the series. I have to favor the Rangers with two out of three at home. Yuck.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

Gotta be up there as one of the best ever through 4 games

---------------------------------
<--The drought is over

"have fun reveling in your pettiness tho" (C) Dula summing up 98% of OKS

"I didnt finish a damn thing...matter of fact I jerked off after she left."
-Kobe speaking to investigators

L D E A

3 games to 2 Tampa.

Rest In Peace, Bad News Brown

They were better for 30+ minutes in Game 4 and really put on a clinic defensively tonight. The Rangers dictated some things tonight though. I could see them sending it to 7 for sure and if they can do that it will be tough to bet against Hank.

I dunno, this game seemed kinda, uh, for lack of a better word boring to me at times. Not the same UMPH as the Western series has had and even some of the earlier games in this series.

If I were the Lightning, I would really try to hammer down Game 6, take zero chances tilting it back. Come out hard off the hop, really try to push the pace and get the Rangers in penalty trouble.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

>Not the same UMPH as the Western series

I am extremely nervous for the Ducks. Such a great opportunity to bury the Hawks in the last game. The Hawks have been in this situation, tied 2-2, seven times during the Toews/Kane era. They won Games 5 and 6 all seven times, 14-0 in Games 5 and 6.

But then again they have also blown leads and lost series. I still have confidence in the Ducks but it just smarts to have two up-for-grabs games that went Chicago's way.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

>I am extremely nervous for the Ducks. Such a great
>opportunity to bury the Hawks in the last game. The Hawks have
>been in this situation, tied 2-2, seven times during the
>Toews/Kane era. They won Games 5 and 6 all seven times, 14-0
>in Games 5 and 6.
>
>But then again they have also blown leads and lost series. I
>still have confidence in the Ducks but it just smarts to have
>two up-for-grabs games that went Chicago's way.


The Backhawks are such a weird team.

That third period was the sixth time in these playoffs the #Blackhawks have allowed at least three goals in a period, 14 games.

https://twitter.com/BrianHedger/status/602310981839147008


The #Blackhawks are 16-0 in games after a series is tied 2-2 under Joel Quenneville — 8-0 on the road; 8-0 at home.

https://twitter.com/MarkPotash/status/602327495409586178

It *almost* mattered though. Toews with a helluva goal on that third one, the last one was cheesy but a shot on net is never a bad play. I thought it might come off the side and get jammed in. I still don't know how it went through.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

haven't watched the last two games but Rags managed to win a game (5) where they got outshot 19-6 in one period?

Lightning are better. Finish the deal.

But the Rangers got bounces and then blew them away in the third, starting with an early goal. Tampa beat the Rangers at their own game in Game 5.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

Holy shit

---------------------------------
<--The drought is over

"have fun reveling in your pettiness tho" (C) Dula summing up 98% of OKS

"I didnt finish a damn thing...matter of fact I jerked off after she left."
-Kobe speaking to investigators

L D E A

This series is so random that it's almost become predictable. Second period started and I thought, if the Hawks get a quick one here, they are coming bang. I barely finished the sentence and Teravainen gets that shitty little goal (though he made a great pass on Seabrook's goal). It seemed like they weathered the storm but then once Cro came out I just had this feeling. Bang, great goal by Toews and then another garbage goal. Worst game I have seen from Andersen in a while and maybe ever.

Then when OT started I said Anaheim is going to come out HOARD here, no double and triple OT shit tonight. I figured they would either score or get a counterattack the other way to end it in Chicago's favor. Sure enough, bad change, nice pass, shot to the net, go to the net and stop, bang, basic play in a favorable situation sends them to Chicago up 3-2.

I think Sharp made the main mistake on Maroon's big goal and Hjalmarsson wound up out of position. Lots of people want to put that in Timonen. He is struggling mightily out there though, there is no denying that. It's pretty sad, really. I mean he fought so hard to come back and have this opportunity. Nobody is there to take it from him (they benched Rundblad, Johns is injured and I guess Pokka would be their emergency guy). He is *really* fighting it out there, getting pushed around and struggling to keep up. Cumiskey has been adequate but both he and Timonen are forcing the Hawks to do uncomfortable things. If any of their top four take a penalty, they kill it using just three defensemen. Every team uses four and in some instances more. They have to manage minutes, OK whatever, but also manage line changes. They have been getting caught with too many men and bad changes have led to goals.

It's crazy how a lot of times the difference is not the absence of some big, game-breaking player, but the absence of an experienced player who can fill a role and be dependable. That almost did the Flyers in in 2004, they were way short on defensemen and came up with Sami Kapanen, a forward, to fill in admirably on D. No way do they get within one goal of the finals without his play, particularly his stint on defense. The Hawks need someone now, hell they could use two guys. Rozsival was the butt of fans and probably writers jokes all year, and now they would kill to heal his ankle overnight.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

Bananas

let him take some risks and get his skating work in his favor in his own end. he was kind of like a cheesier version of vatanen on offense, didn't really time things as well or have a knack for the simple play to offset the complicated one. he also didnt like the physical side of the game too much. but man did he have wheels and he could handle the puck like a forward.

like i said right at the start of the year, those two deals would hurt their teams (more so boston than chicago though) and really solidify the isles. they did better than i expected, but i thought those deals made them a playoff team.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

Boston missed the playoffs and Chicago's biggest weakness is defensive depth.

You had Julien firing shots in the press about the absence of both Boychuk and Iginla. Lot of tension and the Bs ended up having to choose between their coach and their GM. There was no way both could have stayed.

I think Chiarelli and Todd McClellan find themselves in, and feels weird to type, a great situation in Edmonton. If they can do much of anything well, not everything, just one or two things, they should have a very good team soon there. The total turnover makes me hopeful that they can ameloriate things in short order there.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

a game 7 is that much more frustrating.

Having said that, can this series please go like 5 more games?

------

12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

XBL: trkc21
Twitter: @tyrcasey

Play every other day, regardless of travel, until Game 7 and then there is a travel day plus a prep day. Every series in every sport should be like that. The way the NBA will do shit for TV like give two series three days off between games is ridiculous.

I'm with you on the length of the series though. This should be a best-of-21

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

Rest In Peace, Bad News Brown

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

'Ning can go into the garden and end that stupid streak.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

No urgency at all.

------

12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

XBL: trkc21
Twitter: @tyrcasey

At the same time. They didn't manage the puck well, particularly in the neutral zone but in general, really. Lot of bad turnovers that went the other way. But then the plays they were trying to make were often not that ambitious. I dunno, seemed like their brains were kind of mushy early and then things just snowballed on them in a hurry.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

great finish by hoss.

___

it is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. - sherlock holmes