Cup semi-finals

[Guest starvenger]

- What the fuck?  Darren McCarty with a natural hat trick on Roy?  I felt like I was on some alternate universe for that.

 

- I've noticed that now the Leafs are in the conference finals, they're "gritty and determined" as opposed to the "dirty" team that the Islanders purported them to be.  Actually, it wasn't even an issue in the Ottawa series - their beef was more with the Leaf-boosting by Toronto's most unwanted fan, Don Cherry.

 

- Do the 'Canes use The Hurricane's theme music, ever?  Just curious.

 

- No, seriously.  Darren McCarty?  Roy's probably royally pissed about that...

[Guest MaxPower27]

Roy will get Detroit back. Everytime he loses, it seems he just gets pissed and goes out and shuts out the other team.

 

I don't know about hurricane's music, I was thinking more of "Rock you like a Hurricane" by the Scorpions, but that's just me

 

They're "gritty and determined" now because ESPN and ABC need to market them that way now. They can't say "watch the game and see someone get hurt", as that would be trouble.

 

I still would have rather seen a San Jose v. Detroit, but Avs v. Detroit will get good. I hope Colorado hits Hasek for getting out of the net, and cause Hasek to flip the fuck out.

[Guest]

Haha McCarty is my favorite player (even have a jersey), so you bet I was sporting that jersey proud around this town yesterday, and McCarty can score goals just watch a little of that cup final of '97.  I hope we sweep that AVS, I hate that damn team, bunch of dirty players, i.e. Kasparitis dive from yesterday, Roy's deliberate push of the net, dammit, the only clean player is Sakic. LETS GO REDWINGS.

[Guest Slingshot Suplex]

It was sweet to see a guy like #25 D Mac score his first career hat trick (natural,no less) on a national stage like that.It seems like he has had a tough couple years and he comes across as a likeable guy.Every once in a while,he pulls something crazy out of nowhere (the total schooling of Niinimmaa and Hextall on the Cup winning goal,the Lemieux bashing).The man is a local Detroit legend.

 

Hoping for a Wings vs Leafs finals ,and even though I like Toronto..another Wings Cup win.

[Guest starvenger]

The man is a local Detroit legend.

Having lived in Windsor (just across the river) Ontario I can attest to that.  What I meant was that I'm shocked that it came against Roy.

[Guest hockeytown9321]

McCarty has had some injury problems the last few years, so that's one of the reasons he hasn't scored more.  The more he plays, the better he is.   Detroit has lots of players that do nothing during the season, then come alive during during the playoffs.  McCarty, Holmstrom, Maltby, etc.

 

As for Wah, Sure he's 9-0 after giving up 5+ goals in a game since 96, but only two of those games have come against the Red Wings. (1996 game 5 and 1997 game 5)  Patty can't get into the Wings heads like he did against SJ or LA.  All Game 1 did was give the Red Wings more confidence against him.  And that 9-0 record was at 4-0 going into the playoffs this year, which shows how bad Colorado's defense can be at times.  I'm sure they'll play better in game 2, but so will the Wings.  Remember they had a week off before Sat.  If the Wings win tonight, I think the series is over in 5.

[Guest What?!]

Well, the Avs won. Maybe whenever Roy feels he's lost the game he should just let in 5. I dunno.

 

Anyways, I'm going for anyone, but the Leafs.

[Guest hockeytown9321]

Wah played ok, but he was not the reason the Av's won.  The 2nd Detroit goal was his fault, but there wasn't much he could do on the third, it just bad luck.  Detroit wasted a helluva chance last night.

[Guest treble charged]

I'm praying for a Toronto/Detroit final.

 

BTW, expect Toronto to win tonight, since I'm wearing my "lucky" shirt, which I've worn every game since game 4 against Ottawa (that I was at) except for game 5 of the Ottawa series and game 2 of the Carolina series, the only 2 games they've lost since then.

 

Go Leafs.

[Guest hockeytown9321]

I'm praying for a Toronto/Detroit final.

 

BTW, expect Toronto to win tonight, since I'm wearing my "lucky" shirt, which I've worn every game since game 4 against Ottawa (that I was at) except for game 5 of the Ottawa series and game 2 of the Carolina series, the only 2 games they've lost since then.

 

Go Leafs.

LOL, "lucky shirt".  You sound like me.  I've worn the same Red Wings shirt during every game since they were down 0-2 to Vancouver.  I also have quite the playoff beard going.  Hockey superstitions rule!

[Guest treble charged]

Well, the shirt streak is over at 4 games.  Fuck, it could SO easily be 3-0 Leafs right now.  Damn it!

[Guest gthureson]

Yeah, but its not.

 

 

You don't mess with a good run, and the Leafs did by trying to make Sundin the focal point again.

[Guest starvenger]

I'd also say that they were pretty fortunate that the refs put the whistle away in the 3rd.  Lots of tripping and interference from the Buds, I suppose out of frustration in their attempts to beat Carolina's trap.

[Guest gthureson]

The dynamic of the team changes with Sundin back in.

 

You can almost see the change in the attitude of the team.  They've gone from being 'gritty warriors' because they have seven call ups, to 'We deserve to win this because we're Toronto and we have Sundin back.'

 

My opinion?

 

They've been reading their own press clippings, and it will be hard to change that attitude before its too late.

 

As easily as it could have 3-0 Toronto, it could have been 3-0 Carolina.

[Guest Youth N Asia]

WHOOOO!!!! *Nature Boy Strut*

 

After all the ESPN *experts* said Detroit would blow it since they lost a game at home they just got their words crammed down their throats.

 

I just love the little trick Roy does where he knocks his own net off it's hinges in order to kill momentum...biyyyyyytch

 

D Mac became my hero when he beat Claude Lemieux to a bleedin mess a few years back...he ranks just below MIkey Whipwreck in my hero dept.

 

Looking forward to a Detroit/Toronto final.

[Guest redbaron51]

GO CAROLINA!!!

[Guest treble charged]

I'm having flashbacks to 1999.

[Guest starvenger]

I hope the Leafs bring some offence to Carolina...

[Guest gthureson]

Leafs played their best game, Carolina their worst.

 

But the score was the most lopsided.

 

Doesn't bode well.

[Guest hockeytown9321]

What a horrible call to put the leafs 2 men short.  Talk about the refs deciding the game.  It was almost as bad as the hooking penalty Yzerman got with about 5 minutes left in game 3.  Just awful.

[Guest Hogan Made Wrestling]

"What a horrible call to put the leafs 2 men short.  Talk about the refs deciding the game."

 

Oh lord. The game was decided when Kapanen gave the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead. It's not like the 2 man advantage did anything other than let the Hurricanes get the third goal early, since they would have just scored into an empty net later anyway. If anything the refs helped the Leafs by giving them a ton of early chances to take the lead, but Irbe simply beat them.

 

Canes in 5, Wings in 5, Wings in 5 for the cup.

[Guest treble charged]

Need I remind people that the Leafs are 3-0 so far this play-offs in games in which they are facing elimination?  They've won 3 in a row before, this is nothing new.

[Guest gthureson]

Well, supposedly they were guaranteed to win game 4 too, because they were gritty warriors who understood the importance of not putting themselves into that hole, and they had the inspiration of Quinn behind the bench and AlMo making it into the lineup.

 

I think they might win game 5, but it won't take longer than 6 now.

[Guest treble charged]

I think Leafs' fans are the only fans in the world who aren't allowed to hope that their team wins.  If I was a Montreal fan after they fell behind to the Hurricanes in the last series and had said, "Montreal in 7", people would have been, "Well, if they can win Game 6, they'll have a great chance since they'll have momentum".  However, every time a Leafs fans says, "I think we can win this series," they are told by everyone that they have no chance.

 

-Finished venting-

[Guest gthureson]

Nah, if you'd been a Habs fan that said that, I would told you that Theodore looked beaten at the end of Game 5, and the team is too small to win without stellar goaltending against the Canes.

 

But yes, I am harsh on the Leafs and their fans because they leave me no choice.  

 

After game 1, all I heard was, "The 'Canes are slow and not very good.  My expert best buddy who played for the Young Nats looked at this team at said 'Leafs in 4.'

 

And, "And Sundin is back in Game 2.  If this takes longer than 5, its a miracle."

 

The fact of the matter is, Leafs fans are master of hyperbole.  Every game is the greatest Leafs win since the dawn of time, or their worst game since they were the Arenas.

 

(For the record, I saw the Pittsburgh 14 Leafs 3 game on TV...that was their worst game.  Or it was something like that.  I know Fuhr got royally shelled.)

 

If I could actually get a Leafs fan to admit they have no scoring depth past their top 5 forwards and a weak defence unit, I'd ease up.  But it never happens.

[Guest]

Nobody takes Leaf fans seriously because of their blind patriotism.  Their stupidity lies in the fact that year in and year out the honestly believe the Leafs can win the cup, when in reality they are probably around the 6th best team in the league. The Leafs are nothing special and are lucky to be in a consistently weaker conference.  I just want Leaf fans to be ready to tell me once again that Detroit is the best team in the league, and head and shoulders above that sad sack who play down at the ACC.

[Guest MaxPower27]

Leaf's fans bother me because, as hockeytown did, they blame the refs for everything. Nevermind that the Leafs had scoring chances, then the defense failed Joseph on Svoboda's goal. I mean, he got 2 whacks at it, and nobody was around him. Then Kapinen got a great pass from Francis, and Carolina scored another great goal on a 2 man. Oh, but it's the ref's fault? Not Toronto's weak powerplay? They were 0 for 7! Then the ref's make a, I'll say it, borderline call to put Carolina on a 2 man, and Leaf's fans bitch and moan. Guess what? They weren't coming back! They're gone, Joseph's gone, turn out the lights, Carolina's in the cup finals! GO WHALERS!!

[Guest starvenger]

>After game 1, all I heard was, "The 'Canes are slow and not very good.  My expert best buddy who played for the Young Nats looked at this team at said 'Leafs in 4.'

 

Your buddy is an idiot.  Most papers were saying Leafs in 6 or 7.  

 

>The fact of the matter is, Leafs fans are master of hyperbole.

 

Ah, so you've read the Toronto Sun or seen Slam!Sports...

 

===

>Their stupidity lies in the fact that year in and year out the honestly believe the Leafs can win the cup, when in reality they are probably around the 6th best team in the league.

 

You should have seen the optimism in the 80's, when the team was the worst in the league.  Oh, how we bought into the fact that Ian Turnbull was the team's saviour...

 

Ian who?  Exactly...

 

>I just want Leaf fans to be ready to tell me once again that Detroit is the best team in the league, and head and shoulders above that sad sack who play down at the ACC.

 

If Detroit wins the Cup, I'll say that they're the best team in the NHL, period end of sentence.

 

===

>Leaf's fans bother me because, as hockeytown did, they blame the refs for everything. Nevermind that the Leafs had scoring chances, then the defense failed Joseph on Svoboda's goal.

 

I suppose that saying that the Leafs got away with a lot of non-calls in game 3 (in an older post) counts as blaming the refs.  But in all fairness, we DON'T blame the refs for everything.  If you talk to a lot of Leaf fans, you'll find that we blame defenceman Anders Eriksson as well.

 

But hey, at least we didn't try to trademark "Hockeytown".

 

>Guess what? They weren't coming back! They're gone, Joseph's gone, turn out the lights, Carolina's in the cup finals! GO WHALERS!!

 

I should point out that any Leaf fan that jumps off the bandwagon now is not a true Leaf fan at all.  This applies to any team, in any sport.  In other words, it ain't over 'til it's over.

[Guest treble charged]

Nobody takes Leaf fans seriously because of their blind patriotism.  Their stupidity lies in the fact that year in and year out the honestly believe the Leafs can win the cup, when in reality they are probably around the 6th best team in the league. The Leafs are nothing special and are lucky to be in a consistently weaker conference.  I just want Leaf fans to be ready to tell me once again that Detroit is the best team in the league, and head and shoulders above that sad sack who play down at the ACC.

What's wrong with thinking your team has a chance to win the Cup, when, in reality, they have just a good as chance to get there as anyone in the conference, and anything can happen in a 7 game series (remember 1995?  Did anyone think the Devils would sweep Detroit?  I didn't think so).

 

Also, how can a team with the 3rd best record in the league be considered a sad sack?  Just wondering.

[Guest gthureson]

I did.  New Jersey had their system working like a machine, and you could look down Detroit's roster and see that they didn't have the guys neccessary to beat it.

 

I didn't call sweep.  I thought Detroit would take 1.