Anyone watching the Stanley Cup finals?

[youngjackdaddy]

I'm itching to talk hockey. I'm a hockey fan through and through and don't have many opportunities to watch hockey in Germany. For the finals I suck it up and stay awake until 5am to watch my team play in the finals.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this years playoffs? We don't have to limit this to the Wings/Pens either, I loved Boston's team this year and was happy that Chicago's young guys stepped up. If you aren't a hockey fan and don't understand icing or offsides pipe up and ask!

I don't want to sound desperate but... I am.

[Bermac]

There is a good thread going on in the Team Canada group.

The wings are really looking good. The Pens are really going to have to step it up.

[Wingfan13]

YES !!! Go Wings!!!!

[Tarks]

I am hoping Sid the kid can take it down this year but really just want to watch great hockey. Go Jets Go!!!!

Jeff (In denial)

[youngjackdaddy]

Ah they Jets and those classic Canadian franchises are in all true hockey fans' hearts still. I'd much rather have a team in Winnipeg then Phoenix... does Arizona even know they have a hockey team? Oh well, Gary Bettman is a moron and hopefully his replacement is soon and smart.

Does anyone have an opinion or comment on the scrum that took place at the end of Game 2? Specifically Malkin going after Zetterberg, getting the instigator call/game misconduct, only to have it refunked(I just made the word up) by the league?

[David M]

Hallo guter freund aus Deautschland. Du spricht mit einem Russichen Canadier der in Kalifornia lebt. Ich shaue und bein ein fan von der San Jose Sharks. Wir werden nicht uber ihr performance jetzt reden sonnst werde ish heulen.

Watchin every single game.
Having a party at my house for Saturdays game.

The fact that Pittsburgh will win at least 2 games will show us that Detroit is not invincible. The problem with this thought though is that Detroit's system is built upon the foundation of a consistent work ethic. Their game, in all technical terms, is very boring and always the same. The fact that they are able to simply execute it at such a consistent high level makes them a force against any team. They quite simply outlast other teams because they stick to their recipe and never deviate.
Their ability to be Consistent and never alter their game-plan is what makes them a great team.
And when a great team is facing you in the finals, the other problem comes from their first basic trait. Thats a stragetic shift, whenever employed, only makes them better. Since they can execute like nobody's business, any change in strategy, while executing at 100%, makes them the better team.
They are unstoppable because they focus on the basics. Playing hard and smart the entire time. Feelings of "help" and "oh my gawd we are gonna lose" do not enter their minds. They are like robots, simply executing their strategy non-stop and all the time.

If the Penguins had some better Defense they could at east win 3 games and send it to a Game 7. Having people like Gill who rarely utilize their size properly (knocking Homstrom out) is their achilles heel. A shot-block here and there can definitely go a long way, but when your D does like Staal did last game and watches the puck and plays the puck, rather than the Man! Well, a goal against is just around the corner.

Malkin taking on Zetterberg was a sight to see.
What is it with Russians and slapping / silly punching in the NHL?!?!?
Semin did it to hilarious amazement here.

Neither Malkin nor Zetterberg like the fighting high physical aspect of Canadian hockey and its clear to see. Neither of them frankly needs to know about that side of hockey as there are 5 other teammates of theirs who will gladly avoid those guys embarrassing themselves and the team when they start to tussle.
It was great to see though. I was yelling and screaming in amazed joy when I saw it.

The Pens have also been very unlucky. So many 'almost there' chances that they couldn't capitalize on. Puck just bounced a smidgen the other way.
Crosby and Malkin stop at some point in the game. They do give up. They feel defeated and they feel the pressure. Thats where the Wings are different. They dont acknowledge those moments in sport. While there is still time left, they see that time as giving them a chance to do some more damage. Thats what a championship team is all about.

***

Kolner Haie and Greiss? Gell?
We have a few Germans on our team. Goc und Ehrhoff.
We call Ehrhoff WAYHOFF. Because he consistently shoots the puck WAY OFF the net. He too, like most athletes, is very susceptible to pending defeat.

[David M]

Originally Posted by youngjackdaddy

Ah they Jets and those classic Canadian franchises are in all true hockey fans' hearts still. I'd much rather have a team in Winnipeg then Phoenix... does Arizona even know they have a hockey team? Oh well, Gary Bettman is a moron and hopefully his replacement is soon and smart.

Since Gary has increased revenue in the league by a few BILLION dollars, very unfortunately, the team owners will keep him. So many of us would love it if he was gone.
Winnipeg can never come close to bringing in the satellite sports franchise revenue like Merchandise sales, than most American cities. Simply a factor of population numbers and economics.
However since Bettman is such a dill-weed and he focuses idoticly on eliminating the mass marketing potential of the NHL (severing ties with ESPN in favor of Versus as 1 example) the call for a franchise that can at the very least function, maybe not Mega Million Dollar profits but at the very least being profitable. In this failed South Western US hockey expansion dreams (Wayne Gretzky corner stone of the plan) environment and absolute rubbish...the Canadian team makes much more sense.

Balsillie will not likely be lucky on this chance either.
Not only is Bettman doing everything he can to keep his idiotic dream in the SW US alive but he also has the Toronto Maple Leafs in his ear (and pocket) telling him to not add any more teams to Ontario.
The next attempt though should go through. It takes a number of failures to finally open peoples eyes up.
The $212M (I think) offer for the Yotes that Balsillie gave will hurt that much more in the future for the team owners. The next closest bid is off by $30M. Money which the owners will miss that much more in the coming years.

If you youtube Selanne and Jets, you get some great great footage of the Jets of yester-year and all the amazing nostalgia comes flowing back.

Hockey is the best sport on earth.
Playoff hockey - Nothing is better.

Give me an email address JackDaddy and I will share with you some links to my hockey articles and pictures.

[youngjackdaddy]

First of all well spoken Dave, but I couldn't figure out how to send a PM so e-mail at youngjackdaddy AT yahoo DOT com. I check it throughout most of the day.

Second, Ein Russichen Canadier? Nicht war, das ist ein bischien lustig, haha. Ich denke der Sharks wird gut die nächste jahren. Ein jung mannschaft mit viele Potential mit ein sehr gute Trainer.

I've never spoken German about hockey before, it dosn't come to me as easily as I thought it would. I also try to watch the games every day. I work 0900-1700 local, so I get off, take a nap untill midnight then wake up and watch the game. Sunday's game I ended up going to bed at 0500 and waking up around 0850 to be at work! The Stanley Cup finals are always exciting, no matter what teams are in them I am drawn to watch them. For me, there is no other sport that exciting. when my team is in it, I am ansy like a school boy in a candy store with a blank check.

As much as I agree with you that Detroit isn't invinible I am not seeing as much "jump" from the Pens as last year. I think last year they came in star struck and scared that they had no chance and that fear made them play at such a high level. This year I think they are making themselves a little too overconfident and that is hindering their play. The Wings DO have more skill, especially more expirience, and are very strong in the clutch. The Pens, no offense, should be scared... but they should take that and use it as fuel to push themselves as hard as they can. Luckily Malkin is actually producing this year, sadly Crosby isn't against the Wings.

Another case in point is that yes, Detroit has it's robot-like game plan, and they don't deviate. "Big things are made up of a lot of little things." holds true in Detroit. Turn over ratio, fore-check, face-offs, forwards back checking, getting a man in front of the net, defense making heads up passes out of the defensive zone, and winning battles along the boards are all important to the Wings puck control style of play. It's not that they're flawless, because they aren't. They just work hard every shift, every game, every chance to do something, whether it's their first line vets or their fourth line rookies called up because of injuries. That's what makes them the best team consistantly.

Playing in Pitt is going to be a lot harder for the Wings to an extent too. We have to put our lines on the ice first so we can't get the Zetterberg or Lidtsrom vs. Crosby match up like we do at home. That means Crosby and Malkin will be out almost every shift the Wings have their 3rd and 4th lines on the ice, especially if our young D-men are with them. At the same time though, don't expect much scoring from the Pens 3rd or 4th line playing against Hossa, and Zetterberg and the likes of our top scoring line (whoever Franzen is playing with).

I honestly don't believe the Pens need a better defence to win some games. What they will need is two wins at home, they can do that by getting the mismatches they want and having Malkin and Crosby put the puck in the net. If they play like the stars they are then the Wings are in trouble. Again, the issue is they're basically playing 3 (Malkin and Crosby and half a point each for Staal and Fedetanko) against a whole team of people able to score and play defense.

Luck HAS been a factor, it's nigh impossible to say it hasn't. Detroit's gotten bounces their way, Pitt hasn't. Thankfully it can go either way and that's why it's a best of seven series as opposed to a one game winner take all match where a fluke play or a bad call can ruin people's careers.

You're right that Bettman has increased revenue across the NHL, but in places where hockey is big and always will be like Detroit, Minnesota, Dallas(somhow), and Montreal revenue is down. It's a communist league where everything is shared and the high end is carrying the teams like Pheonix, LA, and Toronto which aren't making enough cash. I like the Salary cap idea, I even like some of the new rules implemented to make the game faster, no two-line passes, the goalie trapezoid, the icing line changes, etc. I think that was GREAT for the game, don't go screw it up for the people who have been hockey fans their whole lives and have management and owners that know what they're doing (no offense to Mr. Gretzky) even the Pens would be hurting right now if they hadn't won the Lottery to draft Sid the Kid.

This is a great time of year, and it's really too bad the NHL has decided to ride Sid's coattails and try to make him into the only selling point in the league. I thyink they would be better off trying to market alot of their young stars across a lot of differant demographics to make that work. Use Sid, Pvechkin, Ryan Miller, Stankos, Zach Bogosion, Corey Perry, Jon Toews or Pat Kane, and Shae Weber and you could do some awesome commercials to pull in fans of a certain area. Don't put all your eggs in one basket, but it seems like good ol' Gary is going to make Sid THE poster boy for the NHL. Great for Sid, he's a class act, you won't hear about him beating up his wife or throwing people through windows or trashing hotel rooms, but I get sick of seeing every NHL commercial with ONE GUY from the "bad guys" team. I'm sure people in Boston, Carolina, and Washington feel the same way.

Another point of dsicussion: What do you think about the pre-season and opening day games being played in Europe? Think it will be too much of a "home-ice" advantage for the Wings Swedes to be playing in Stockholm?

[David M]

I will send you an email with links.

I just noticed that you live in Heidelberg. That is an odd coincidence.
I lived in Heidelberg for 4 years many many years ago.
Lived up in the hills actually. Above Leimen, small town called Gauangelloch.

The NHL seems to be spreading the marketing love out a bit more this year. I dont know what commercials you have in Germany but there are quite a few new ones here with the guys you mentioned. With Tavares (and hedman) coming in as well - the number of young Super Stars is growing very fast.

Tonight we will see Crosby and Malkin both bag a goal.

Its been funny to watch the Pens D try to push back on the Detroit Offense by setting up right at their own blue line. They are trying to minimize the amount of open ice the Wings like to develop in an attempt to slow them down. The Wings just dump it in and with their extra level of hustle along the boards, the puck just scoots back out to their boys. They execute everything to perfection.
I dont know if you saw the game between the Wings and the Sharks on Jan. 17th. That was an epic game. SJ won 6-5.

Detroit as a City is suffering right now. Has been for several years with the decline in the Auto Industry. I am sure you remember last year how there were a few thousand empty seats during the Cup Finals. Sad to see. I am sure their merchandising numbers are out of this world though. Red Wings jerseys are likely the best selling jersey in the league.
Toronto though, the franchise with the highest value. Close to half a billion dollars by the way, is doing fine. Every single game at the ACC is sold out. Glass seats for the worst opposing team go for $700. Thats the worst teams. Good teams go higher than $2000. I saw a game there 2 years ago (I used to live in Toronto) and our row 40 seats were $150 each. Very expensive.

Montreal is also high on NHL team value lists.
Here is a list of NHL Team Values
The Business Of Hockey - Forbes.com

On the one hand I think its good for the NHL to showcase itself around the world. Its good PR and its smart, especially with new leagues like the KHL making noise.
The Sharks were rumored to be one of the teams as well if you remember.
With the number of Swedes playing on the Wings, its definitely home ice for them.

[youngjackdaddy]

Sorry for no reply post, I didn't want to jump to conclusions after game 3. What ended up happening is that I was right which really stinks.

Detroit's defense had so much trouble getting the puck out of our end. We had way too many lazy passes and screw ups that we almost never make. In game 3 and 4 Pittsburgh pounced on those chances. The Pens fore check finally picked up so it's good for them, bad for the Wings. Same thing with Crosby and Malkin finally connecting.

Game 3 Babs had Zetterberg shadowing Crosby the whole game, and it showed. He had 24 minutes TOI most of it going head to head with Sid. It was of course more difficult at the Igloo then at the Joe because they had second line change. I do think Babs focused on getting that match up a little too much, although in his defense we won the game still and he skipped it for game 4 and we lost.

Like last year Detroits 3rd and 4th line has been playing well still. Zetterburg had a few points but Hossa is scoreless and Datsyuk is no where to be seen. On top of that Lidstrom has 0 points also. I'm not worried so much about that dreaded 3 game scoreless streak because it happens, but I think they are trying too hard to force things and putting the team at a bad spot defensively, see the short handed goal in game 4.

Detroit needs to step it up, but they have to win Saturday at the Joe. If Datsyuk comes back it would be a huge boost skillwise and morale wise for Detroit (and us fans), that would make the roster back to normal even.

My last thought is why did Babs scratch Abdelkader for the game and leave Leino in? Abdelkader had 2 goals and makes himself known on the forecheck, backcheck, and face off circle. I love Leino and think he's going to be great for us, but he hasn't done anything so far. It's frustrating to see that happen. Maybe Babs does hate Americans, Haha. I do have to admit I'm biased as Abdelkader grew up about 45 minutes from where I did.

[smphilli]

First of all the wings need Pavel!!! the power play is missing its quarterback, and the wings only have one good penalty kill unit....if Datsyuk comes back the wings will win, if he doesnt, well then its a toss-up.

As far as Gary Bettman- he is a horrible commisioner- the reffing has become so inconsistant and even though any impeding was verboden in the regular season, now that we are in a stanley cup final its ok for pittsburgh to hold, hook, slash, and run interference constantly with no reprocussions. But then again with all the pittsburgh and crosby propaganda being shoved down everyones throats i expected the officiating to lean pittsburgh's way.

Bettman (being the horrible commissioner he is) is trying to appeal to the people who never were hockey fans, and forgetting completely about the people that love, and have always loved hockey like me. I cant stand what the nhl has become, and i still dont understand why kronwall was kicked out of a game for a clean hit that reminded all wings fans of konstantinov.

Overall i still think the wings will prevail, however, i miss the old hockey where a player could fall without the official raising an arm............
I hate Gary Bettman, Cindy Criesby sucks

[Tarks]

2-2. We have a series!

[tlempke]

After last nights game this is turning into a great series! Personally I want to see the pens win but that is because my team (Columbus Blue Jackets) got knocked out by Detroit and I am holding a grudge. I am thrilled that after nine years as a franchise the Blue Jackets were able to step it up this year and make it to the playoffs. I can not wait to see what next season brings for them. Last night was a great game played by both teams and the refs were really letting them play not really calling anything, that is how the game should be played. I am looking forward to watching the last games play out.

GO PENS!

[David M]

Originally Posted by tlempke

I want to see the pens win but that is because my team (Columbus Blue Jackets) got knocked out by Detroit and I am holding a grudge.

I am thrilled that after nine years as a franchise the Blue Jackets were able to step it up this year and make it to the playoffs.
GO PENS!

Way to hold a grudge! Who doesn't hate the Wings?
Biggest thing I have noticed over the course of these playoffs is the distinct lack of pep in the Wings step over the course of their various series.

You saw it against the Anaheim Sucks. We are also seeing it now.
Nothing lasts forever and although I still think the Wings got the Cup again this year, the clear signs of old age/fatigue/been there done that are beginning to show and the ever so slight foreshadowing of heading downhill is rearing its ugly head. Signing up their absolutely stellar players to insanely long multi-multi-year contracts will clearly not help down the road. Trading them will be difficult. Its one thing to show gratitude and thank the players that have given the team so much...but to sacrifice your long-term goals at the same time, well, we will see how negative it will be in a few short years.

Datsyuk coming back should be a big help for you guys.

Round of appluase for Nash and finally getting into the playoffs. Well deserved. Great guy and awesome leader.

[youngjackdaddy]

To Steven, I totally agree with you about the Kronwall hit. If you come out of your zone with your head down and play the puck you're asking for it. I think that was a horrible call too. Bettman is apparently a buisinessman and not a hockey fan. It's really starting to show more and more. Is it possible to impeach the commisioner in the NHL? We may want to start thinking seriously about that.

David, the Wings haven't had much pep all season, but they haven't needed it. They have that grinding offense and near perfect defense (usually) playing in front of consistant save-by-save goalies. Pep isn't something you worry too much about when you have a 46 year old and the highest average age in the league. I think citing Anneheim as an example of the Wings lack of hop is not fair. Anneheim and Detroit were the best teams (at the time) in the West. Whoever won that series would have easily dispatched Chicago and moved onto the finals. They were the best team Detroit played untill Pittsburgh.

I think we can all agree that Datsyuk may save the series for us, IF he's healthy.

I was really proud of Rick Nash and the Blue Jackets. With young guys like Klesa, Mason, Umberger, and Filatov with some of the vets like Peca, Hejda, and Commadore I think they will do great the next few years. Expect them and Chicago to really give the perennial powerhouse of Detroit a run.

Funny story by the way too David. My wife has a friend how apparently was a Mannheim Addler roadie and had dated Dennis Seidenberg while he was playing there. She saw the name while we were watching a Pens v 'Canes game and was like, "Oh my god, I know him!" haha. Sure beats the pants off of me getting Keith Primueu's signature in 3rd grade.