The NHL playoffs

[Black Dog]

Continuing the discussion from here.

How about those Oilers? I don't know how they did it, but they pulled it off. Will the Flames do their part to set the stage for the first post season installment of the Battle of Alberta since 1991, or will the Ducks have their day? IMV, as much as I'd like to see the two rivals meet again, the prospect of the Oilers beating the best team in the league while the Flames go down in the first round to a team named after a Disney movie is too rich to miss. Go Ducks!

As for the rest, the only other series that matters to me is the Habs/'Canes. A real roller coaster with some great hockey for the most part (Williams' high stick on Koivu, followed by his near decapitation of Komisarick in the next game are lowlights). This one comes down to special teams: if the Habs get their power play working and start driving the net, they'll be okay (added bonus if Huet gives Brindamour some lumber to the chops during one of the latter's all-too-frequent crease invasions.)

[Guest Warwick Green]

With the Leafs long gone, the Habs on life-support and Ottawa more interested in politics it looks like religion once again will be centred in the Canadian bible-belt - ALBERTA

[geoffrey]

Montreal is done now. Too bad, I would have loved to see the Habs move on.

Flames need to pull through tomorrow. An Edmonton and Calgary series would have profound implications. It would be a classic beyond belief. The Red Mile would be unbelievable, it would put Mardi gras to shame.

The amount of beer consumed will put Alberta past Luxembourgh and finally into that place at number one in richest places in the world.

Well, I'll be hitting the Mile tomorrow night, if I can't convince the customers that they don't want to go to the game and give me back my tickets!!!

[Black Dog]

Montreal is done now. Too bad, I would have loved to see the Habs move on.

*shrugs* They hit a hot rookie goalie. What can you do? (It's not like the Habs haven't done the same to other teams over the years: Dryden, Roy...)

Flames need to pull through tomorrow. An Edmonton and Calgary series would have profound implications. It would be a classic beyond belief. The Red Mile would be unbelievable, it would put Mardi gras to shame.

I trust Edmonton would be a little bit more restrained. Whyte Avenue after the win over Detroit was jammed, but generally wel behaved (unlike the pissing, tit-flashers on 17th). Must be because Edmontonians know from experience the only thing worth really celebrating is a championship...

[Shakeyhands]

tit-flashers on 17th). Must be because Edmontonians know from experience the only thing worth really celebrating is a championship...

You say that like its a bad thing!

[Black Dog]

tit-flashers on 17th). Must be because Edmontonians know from experience the only thing worth really celebrating is a championship...

You say that like its a bad thing!

Well, we are talking about Calgary girls here....

Seriously though, I think that "Girls Gone Wild" crap is pathetic. Certainly has nothing to do with hockey.

[geoffrey]

tit-flashers on 17th). Must be because Edmontonians know from experience the only thing worth really celebrating is a championship...

You say that like its a bad thing!

Well, we are talking about Calgary girls here....

Seriously though, I think that "Girls Gone Wild" crap is pathetic. Certainly has nothing to do with hockey.

Now here I somewhat agree. It's unneccessary. Gives our city a New Orleans type image. I'm all about the big parties in the streets, but lets keep it within the law. We've come a long way since the frontier times.

I think the big cause is Calgary is such an uptight moralistic city generally. Get everyone drunk and happy and its like a bunch of first time drunks at their first high school party.

[August1991]

I trust Edmonton would be a little bit more restrained. Whyte Avenue after the win over Detroit was jammed, but generally wel behaved (unlike the pissing, tit-flashers on 17th). Must be because Edmontonians know from experience the only thing worth really celebrating is a championship...

Huh???

(I think I remember Whyte Avenue... or is it Stony Plains Avenue? Or the White Mudd Freeway? That's Edmonton, no?)

Anyway, to follow up the showing of body parts, I've noticed that there were alot of hockey flags attached to car windows in Montreal a while ago (in the US, they attach the Stars & Stripes this way, strange) but now the hockey flags are all gone. Should I conclude that Montreal lost its series? Or is this merely a hiatus? (God am I clueless.)

[Black Dog]

Gad zooks August.

Okay: Whyte Ave is the "strip", Stony Plain Road is the way to get to the big mall (and a pretty sketchy area to boot), the Whitemud is, as you say, a freeway.

And the Habs lost 2-1 in overtime last night, which means they are out of the playoffs.

[Black Dog]

Ouch. I hate Calgary and even I'm appalled by their effort .

[Biblio Bibuli]

How about those Oilers?

And how about those Senators?

You know what I suspect? I suspect that Bush is dying to give Harper a very special gift. And I cannot think of a better gift for a hard core hockey enthusiast than handing him this year's Cup on a platter.

The only question is ... will George fix it so that the team from the province where Stephen's heart is will win, or will it be from the province where his ass that will win?

I'm betting on the latter.

[geoffrey]

Ouch. I hate Calgary and even I'm appalled by their effort .

Agreed. They didn't want it. Oh well, Sutter is likely to be gone for not making any trades at the deadline. We have no big forwards up front, Anaheim of all people ground us into the ice. We needed a big, scoring, foward. Instead we got a backup goalie that played twice and costs us a couple mil a year and a defensement that is injured.

[Black Dog]

And how about those Senators?

You know what I suspect? I suspect that Bush is dying to give Harper a very special gift. And I cannot think of a better gift for a hard core hockey enthusiast than handing him this year's Cup on a platter.

The only question is ... will George fix it so that the team from the province where Stephen's heart is will win, or will it be from the province where his ass that will win?

I'm betting on the latter.

That requires a few things to happen.

First someone needs to explain to Bush

(a) what "Canada" is...

( what "hockey" is...

© what this thing called "the Stanley Cup" is and why it matters to Canadians

(d) following © above, what "Canadians" are, which would bring us back to...

(a) what "Canada" is.

Agreed. They didn't want it. Oh well, Sutter is likely to be gone for not making any trades at the deadline. We have no big forwards up front, Anaheim of all people ground us into the ice. We needed a big, scoring, foward. Instead we got a backup goalie that played twice and costs us a couple mil a year and a defensement that is injured.

All sizzle, no steak. That about covers it. But what was up with the Saddledome fans? Down 2-0 going into the third and you could hear a pin drop (a sharp contrast to the madhouse that Rexall was Monday night with the Oilers down 2-0). It's almost like the fans were affronted by the Flames' performance and decided to withhold any emotional support. Weird.

[theloniusfleabag]

Dear Black Dog,

It's almost like the fans were affronted by the Flames' performance and decided to withhold any emotional support. Weird.

It is weird, and pretty much true. If Calgary had scored a couple of lucky goals and won the game, most everyone would have agreed that they did not deserve, or earn a win. To use the idiomatic vernacular, 'They shit the bed.' When this happens on a big date, you usually gome home with head hanging in shame, and unsatisfied.

[August1991]

Thanks BD, for clearing that up. I recall drinking beer in a place called (I think) the Saxony Motor Inn on Stony Plain Road. A barn of a dive.

You know what I suspect? I suspect that Bush is dying to give Harper a very special gift. And I cannot think of a better gift for a hard core hockey enthusiast than handing him this year's Cup on a platter.

Uh, is there a hockey team in Washington DC? In Texas?

[theloniusfleabag]

Dear August1991,

Uh, is there a hockey team in Washington DC?

The Washington Capitals.

In Texas?

The Dallas Stars.

PS> Don't feed the troll.

[uOttawaMan]

Ottawa Senators in 6 over the Sabres I says.

Now all I can hope for is one Canadian team to reach the finals.. or let alone the Conference Finals..

[geoffrey]

All sizzle, no steak. That about covers it. But what was up with the Saddledome fans? Down 2-0 going into the third and you could hear a pin drop (a sharp contrast to the madhouse that Rexall was Monday night with the Oilers down 2-0). It's almost like the fans were affronted by the Flames' performance and decided to withhold any emotional support. Weird.

That's because the Flames played without effort the whole game. I'm glad I didn't con those customers into giving me back my tickets (I assumed it wouldn't go to 7 games so I thought I'd pretend to be nice to them).

We all left the bar at the end of the second and went home, watched the last period in just complete dismay. The Flames nearly won the cup from effort alone last season, but somehow they expected to get by without an effort this time around.

[Black Dog]

Anybody watch the Oilers/Sharks game? The San Jose fans booed "O Canada". I wonder if we'll see much handwringing in the U.S. press about this disturbing rise in anti-Canadianism. I won't be holding my breath.

[Slavik44]

Anybody watch the Oilers/Sharks game? The San Jose fans booed "O Canada". I wonder if we'll see much handwringing in the U.S. press about this disturbing rise in anti-Canadianism. I won't be holding my breath.

It is often pathetic when people have to resort to booing the national anthem of another country, unless it is like Hitlers Germany then I can understand.... The other week or so I went down to Washington to watch the Vancouver Giants take on the Everret Silvertips. And in the end I was happy I went, especially considering we got the sweep. I also found the Everret fans to be friendly, although I had been previously been informed there were a bunch of drunken idiots. One person told me to take my jersey and shove it up my ass. However, thats only one out of thousands. I belive that most hockey fans and most people in both Canada and America are reasonable people and it is disturbing to see a couple thousand people runing it for a few hundred million people.

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With the Canucks being the best team not in the playoffs. I had to adopt a couple of teams, out west I grabbed Edmonton and in east I have gone with Buffalo. I certainly hope Edmonton can pull it together and beat San Jose. I think it would be nice to se a Canadian team win the cup and watching edmonton play is fairly entertaining, it would be nice to see them go the distance.

[geoffrey]

I've now adopted New Jersey, all the way to the cup!!! YEEEEHAWW!! Too bad they are down 2 games but I smell comeback.

I would be cheering Edmonton but they've resorted to playing the trap, and I can't support anyone that plays the trap.

[Riverwind]

Anybody watch the Oilers/Sharks game? The San Jose fans booed "O Canada". I wonder if we'll see much handwringing in the U.S. press about this disturbing rise in anti-Canadianism. I won't be holding my breath.

The booes are quite deserved if you think about the number of Canadian fans that have been booing US teams. The recent Junior hockey championships in Vancouver were perhaps the most egregious example.

[geoffrey]

Both sides need to smarten up and stop being disrespectful.

[Slavik44]

Anybody watch the Oilers/Sharks game? The San Jose fans booed "O Canada". I wonder if we'll see much handwringing in the U.S. press about this disturbing rise in anti-Canadianism. I won't be holding my breath.

The booes are quite deserved if you think about the number of Canadian fans that have been booing US teams. The recent Junior hockey championships in Vancouver were perhaps the most egregious example.

What the hell are you talking about? I was at a number of WJC games, never once did anyone boo a teams national anthem, not one time. There is a huge difference between booing an opposing team, which is to be expected in a sporting event, and booing a teams national anthem, which is un-acceptable. It is a sporting event, I have never been to one where opposing teams were not booed. That however does not and should not justify booing a national anthem It was un-acceptable when montreal fans did it and it is un-acceptable now. It is even more ridiculous that you suggest because I booed Jack Johnson that Canada deserved to have its national anthem booed. When the U.S National anthem was played I stood silently out of respect, when the Russian anthem was played I stood silently out of respect, when the Finish National anthem was played I stood silently out of respect. Even at a sporting event where competetive juices are flowing there needs to be some level of respect, and there is most certainly a line that is drawn when it comes to a national anthem. I only thank God that most people are not like you to be so cynical and inconsiderate as to suggest that a country deserves to have its national anthem booed. If you are going to boo a national anthem you better make damn well sure that it is over something more then a just a stupid sporting event. I swear the fact that the fans in San Jose booed our national anthem bothers me much less than the fact that there are people out there who are now trying to justify it.

[Wilber]

Who cares about the NHL. Vancouver Giants. Western League and future Memorial Cup champions. 12 and 2 in the playoffs.