The NHL Playoff Thread

[Youngblood]

To those that are interested, here we go!

Warm ups are happening and the puck drops shortly in Detroit. One time Pens.

ONE TIME!

[Youngblood]

ZOMG!

Pens 2-0 in 2nd period. Crosby out with what looks like a serious knee injury.

side note: friend just puked in my hall upstairs, so he said (tequila obv) with a "I sorry." confession. It can wait...

Talbot is the man, with both goals.

[Youngblood]

The 2009 Stanley Cup Champions: The Pittsburg Penguins!

Fleury, sir, tyvm!

What a game. What an ending. Life is good.

Time to go clean up some puke...

[Youngblood]

oh, and ofc thread not complete without this...

[Youngblood]

And only cuz CFH hasn't been in here yet, to even so much as offer a begrudging 'congrats'...

[OumaFan]

What's with the beards? Is this an I'm a man kind of thing, Canadian style? The guy in the middle, I guess the captain (is that Crosby?) seems to have failed epically as far as that goes.

[Youngblood]

What's with the beards? Is this an I'm a man kind of thing, Canadian style? The guy in the middle, I guess the captain (is that Crosby?) seems to have failed epically as far as that goes.

Is a playoff tradition, to grow a beard. Superstition is all. Crosby has the C on his jersey. Guessing that is all nature could muster in the facial hair dept.

[Wadeb_21]

Man that third period had me nervous the Pens were playing straight defense. I don't think the puck left there side much at all. Nice to see them go into Detroit and take the one that matters most.

[CFH]

Good for Pitts, I was listening on the radio and it sounded like they controlled much of the play until the third period. As much as I dislike the team and many of their players, it's great to see hockey as well supported as it is in Pittsburgh. They deserved to win and I won't be shedding any tears for Detroit.

I want to bitch about one thing, it has nothing to do with Pitts winning or anything like that, but I HATE the fact that the rules of hockey change depending on the time of year and the situation. In the NFL, a pass interference penalty (for example) is called the same way in the Superbowl as it is in preseason. This makes the game better for both players and fans because of the consistency and legitimacy of the calls. However, in hockey, what is ruled a penalty changes not only from game to game, but within games themselves. During the regular season, everything - even the most ridiculous of penalties - is called. However, in the playoffs the rules tend to inexplicitly change. What was a penalty during the regular season suddenly is not a penalty anymore. Furthermore, in the latter stages of the game what was a penalty in the first period is no longer one in the third. It drives me crazy.

Anyways, enough of my ranting. Good for Pitts, I hope they never win another one.

[Youngblood]

Yes, I was pretty surprised pittsburgh won in spite of the obviously bias officiating in game 7 for Detroit. lol

I understand what they do, with the officiating, and sorta agree with it. It is a long season, where rivalries and tempers are often spawned and feuled. Much like a child, or maybe a repeat criminal offender need harsher treatment them the norm to correct abhorrent behaviour, so works the NHL. It is a long season. Where it sees problems, it focuses on those problems and strictly punishes to deter it getting out of hand.

In the playoffs, they try to let the teams play with less of that. This should be the accumulation of their seasons goals of creating a mindset for tolerable play. And who wants to watch a playoff penalty filled game based on minor infractions? No one that I can think of.

That's how I see it.

[Youngblood]

Man that third period had me nervous the Pens were playing straight defense. I don't think the puck left there side much at all. Nice to see them go into Detroit and take the one that matters most.

Yea I hate when teams do that. Pens did it twice in this series, and it worked both times, games 5 and 7. Each time I cringed watching them protect a lead, because that usually mean that defensive play is letting offence come to them, and as you say, therefore on their side of the ice. It backfires too often and is ugly to watch. But guess it worked this time.

Yea, I'm pretty happy for the Pens. Detroit has won 4/12 last Stanley Cups. That's plenty.

[CFH]

Man that third period had me nervous the Pens were playing straight defense. I don't think the puck left there side much at all. Nice to see them go into Detroit and take the one that matters most.

Yea I hate when teams do that. Pens did it twice in this series, and it worked both times, games 5 and 7. Each time I cringed watching them protect a lead, because that usually mean that defensive play is coming to them, and as you say, therefore on their side of the ice. It backfires too often and is ugly to watch. But guess it worked this time.

Yea, I'm pretty happy for the Pens. Detroit has won 4/12 last Stanley Cups. That's plenty.

As a Canucks fan I have seen far too much of that trapping bullshit and it almost never works. When the team continued playing the same style that had led to them getting the lead, they almost always won. However, when they started trapping you knew they were fucking every time (the Canucks that is). Alain Vingeault is the most overrated coach in the sport and I would love to see the Canucks fire him and hire Tippet (which will never happen as for some reason Gilles seems to be in love with him).