NHL 2006 Playoffs thread...

[the max 0]

(Last Bruins post in the thread, I promise)

 

 

From what I've read at other places around the net, Chiarelli is a former agent and was Ottawa's main salary cap guy, meaning he might not go for signing another Shamnov-type contract. The team might actually be organized! *gasp*

 

I have no issues with this signing.

 

I'll believe that when I see it. Whether or not he is allowed to have the final say on the head coach is going to be the first way to tell how much pull he'll actually have in the organization.

 

I disagree. I think who he's able to bring in free agent-wise and how much money he's able to spend will tell us how much pull he has.

 

Sully was dealt a bad hand, and I agree that he should be fired, but how is him possibly staying going to show us anything about Chiarelli? What if Chiarelli wants to keep him around?

[JustJoe2k5 0]

Yeah, it's gonna be such a bummer when they lose to the Hurricanes,

 

I think I love you.

Don't get too excited. I don't like the Hurricanes at all. I'm just basing this off the high frequency of me being as disappointed as I can possibly be by postseason outcomes.

 

I hate you.

[Guest Princess Leena]

Yeah, it's gonna be such a bummer when they lose to the Hurricanes,

 

I think I love you.

Don't get too excited. I don't like the Hurricanes at all. I'm just basing this off the high frequency of me being as disappointed as I can possibly be by postseason outcomes.

 

This is a year of change since the Devils were defeated.

[the max 0]

It's not official until the press conference next week, but Chiarelli is in:

 

http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/bruins...as/bruins_blog/

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=166993&hubname=

 

And no pick coming out of this year's draft either as a result of mediation. We won't know what pick it is for a while, I suppose. The Sens plan to keep him hostage in Ottawa until mid-July, thus forcing him to miss the draft for his new team, which I feel is petty. Yeah, he's signed with a divisional rival to try and beat you at the same sport. But why keep him around? Are you going to trust him with negotiating contracts? Trying to figure out how to fit everyone in under the cap? Doubtful. I'd venture a guess that he's probably gotta train whoever to get his position.

 

Another bright spot was that he oversaw the AHL Senators, who have been pretty successful in recent years. Plus, one of the articles reports that he decides Sully's fate, as well as whether he would like to keep Gorton. So to refute PK, at the beginning this is looking like a good partnership. Whether or not it remains that will be the key.

 

All in all this is looking like a great signing, IMO.

[Guest]

Is there a reason that Gerber started?

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

Ward lost the last game.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

And a good choice, apparently. Ward probably needed the rest after 12 straight, and Gerber makes 22 saves for his first playoff win ever.

[JustJoe2k5 0]

Is there a reason that Gerber started?

 

Martin Gerber is better than Cam Ward and has been better all season. Ward's inexperience started to catch up with him in this series, so I think the Hurricanes made the best decision possible and turned back to Gerber. If Gerber had never been sick in the first few games against the Canadiens, Ward probably would've never seen the ice.

[Red Baron 0]

Its a gutsy move by Laviolette, but you have to do to win a game.

 

In an off season news, CuJo signed with the Coyotes for a one year 2 million contract.

[KGB 0]

Here's an interesting article from the Globe & Mail (several days old) that talks about HNIC's announcing issues (specifically about Bob Cole).

 

Cole's confusion shows his best days are behind him

 

WILLIAM HOUSTON

 

Before the start of the National Hockey League's two conference finals, the CBC made a decision to assign Bob Cole and Harry Neale to the Western Conference series.

 

It didn't make much sense.

 

After all, Cole and Neale had been in the East calling the Ottawa Senators-Buffalo Sabres series. The CBC's broadcast team of Jim Hughson and Greg Millen was already in Edmonton after announcing Game 6 of the Oilers-San Jose Sharks series.

 

Nevertheless, Cole, 73, and Neale, 69, got the nod and made the flight to Los Angeles, one day before the Oilers-Anaheim Mighty Ducks series started in Anaheim, Calif.

 

Perhaps Cole was unprepared or fatigued, but based on his work in the first two games, the issue isn't so much his calling the Western series, but whether he should be working as a play-by-play announcer at all.

 

Cole won't give his age, but sources say 73 is the correct number. And it shows. In this series, he's not providing play by play as much as he is telling us which team has possession of the puck.

 

Viewers, of course, are able to figure that out on their own. They want to know who's involved in the play.

 

On the other hand, perhaps it's best that Cole keeps it vague, such as saying, “Edmonton hops out of the zone,” or “Anaheim shoots it in,” because, when he attempts to describe specifically what's going on, he gets himself in all kinds of trouble.

 

In the first period of Game 2, he told us that Ryan Smyth was battling for the puck when it was actually Ales Hemsky. He confused Mike Peca with Fernando Pisani.

 

“A little pass in front of the net” was really a shot on goal by Rem Murray.

 

The problem is not just what Cole says, but the amount of time he uses up. He hogs the microphone and appears to only grudgingly bring Neale into the conversation.

 

As a result, Neale's analysis is short and lacking.

 

It's not a coincidence that Neale's best work of the playoffs occurred in the first round when he was teamed with Hughson, who was secure enough to give Neale the air time he deserved.

 

The truth is, Cole should have retired at least six years ago, and, apparently, a plan was in the works to impose upon him a graceful exit. But things changed, decisions were reversed and he stayed.

 

Cole loves his job, but he could learn from Danny Gallivan. After the 1983-84 season, Gallivan, the long-time Montreal Canadiens voice who was perhaps the best announcer to call hockey, decided to retire at age 67. When asked why, he said he could no longer see the action on the ice well enough to perform to the highest level. He didn't want the quality of his work to diminish.

 

Calling a hockey game is radically different from doing the play by play for baseball and football, sports that demand less of older announcers.

 

Baseball and football are sequential and somewhat orderly. They start and stop, which makes the game easier to describe than hockey, which is fluid, fast-paced and often hectic.

 

Still, there's no indication that an exit strategy for Cole is in the works. But that's hardly a surprise. When a 73-year-old is calling hockey on network TV, the decision-making process failed a long time ago.

 

If he did leave at the end of the playoffs, Hughson could slide easily into the No. 1 job, except for one small matter. He lives in Vancouver and calls Canucks regional games, and, therefore, would need to take a flight to Toronto each week for Hockey Night in Canada's Saturday telecast.

 

And who would do the Western game? Perhaps Mark Lee, although some would say he's not ready.

 

The irony, of course, is that CBC Sports chose to keep Cole employed well past normal retirement age, yet terminated Chris Cuthbert in 2005 for reasons that still aren't clear and also imposed conditions on analyst Glenn Healy that made him jump to TSN.

 

If you were to ask broadcasters to pick the best hockey play-by-play team in 2005-06, guess which one might get the most number of votes? TSN's Cuthbert and Healy.

[JustJoe2k5 0]

I kind of hoped that Buffalo's fans would be as classy as their organization, boy was I wrong. I guess it all works out in the end, since the Sabres' fans who claimed that Hurricanes' fans weren't loyal through thick and then all left with about three minutes left in last night's game.

[RepoMan 0]

Um, I can't blame pepole for leaving with 3 minutes left when their team is losing 4-0.

[JustJoe2k5 0]

Um, I can't blame pepole for leaving with 3 minutes left when their team is losing 4-0.

 

You can when they talk an unlimited amount of shit about how Hurricanes' fans act the same way. Buffalo fans made themselves out to be the most dedicated fans in the NHL, yet when their team was down 4-0 they all rush to the exits. It isn't just that either, the Buffalo fans started fights at the RBC Center and shit like that. Someone drove a car with Hurricanes' decals on it to Buffalo's arena and apparently it was egged and keyed. I guess when your team can't get it done on the ice, you have to resort to idiotic actions like that.

[CanadianChris 0]

I don't care how short a time you have it, you HAVE TO SCORE on a 6-on-3 advantage. Anaheim didn't, and they're going home.

 

I hope the Oilers are smart enough not to touch the Clarence Campbell Trophy. That's why Calgary lost the final in '04.

[ZGangsta 0]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnd, Smith doesn't touch the trophy.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

Congratulations Edmonton Oilers and their fans.

 

I can't believe Anaheim lost three games at home.

[Fartsauce 0]

I'm so happy right now i'm almost crying. Never in a million years would I have expected to see the Oilers in the final. Even though the series went 5 games the Ducks have nothing to be ashamed of as they were in every game. I'm 50/50 on the Oilers getting a lot of rest though. The Devils and Ducks got a week off after sweeps and they came out rusty and never recovered. On the flip side this allows the Oilers to rid the flu once and for all. As far as my mvp so far i'd have to go with Pronger just slightly over Rolli. Prongs has managed to keep his cool for most of these playoffs and is staying out of the box as much as he can. Hopefully it's Buffalo they play so I can go see a game. Fuck driving 3 days to Edmonton.

[RepoMan 0]

Um, I can't blame pepole for leaving with 3 minutes left when their team is losing 4-0.

 

You can when they talk an unlimited amount of shit about how Hurricanes' fans act the same way. Buffalo fans made themselves out to be the most dedicated fans in the NHL, yet when their team was down 4-0 they all rush to the exits. It isn't just that either, the Buffalo fans started fights at the RBC Center and shit like that. Someone drove a car with Hurricanes' decals on it to Buffalo's arena and apparently it was egged and keyed. I guess when your team can't get it done on the ice, you have to resort to idiotic actions like that.

Trust me, I know Buffalo fans are complete idiots as I live in WNY, but I've never seen violence going to games as a Flyers fan. So I'd like some documentation rather than internet rumors before you trash thier fan base. I'll hate on them for complete stupidity rather than leaving with 3 minutes down 4-0.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

3-3. This has been a really good paced third. It's basically video game hockey at this point.

[Guest]

That's why I thought it would be a great series.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

The Canes just fanned on two glorious chances, but they're now all over the Sabres. Still 3-3, with half of this penalty killed.

[CanadianChris 0]

Did Ward start, or was Gerber pulled?

[Guest]

Gerber was pulled.

[Guest Princess Leena]

Gerber was pulled. Which I thought wasn't really necessary.

 

Sabres are getting outplayed slightly in this game, but with OT, who knows.

[Fartsauce 0]

I know they need to be called but I wish the refs would put the whistle away in overtime.

[Fartsauce 0]

And just as I type that the game ends. Oh well.

[CanadianChris 0]

Canes win!

[Guest Princess Leena]

That penalty was bullshit, but Carolina was the better team today. So, oh well.

[Guest]

I know they need to be called but I wish the refs would put the whistle away in overtime.

I wish they would too, but I don't like mugging. That wasn't mugging though.

[JustJoe2k5 0]

This was the first game of the playoffs that I have seen the officials get in the way of the action as much as they did. You normally see it once or twice within the course of a game, but it seemed to happen just about every other possession in this game. One play in particular, the official pretty much cancelled Kevyn Adams out of a play where Carolina could've had a scoring chance short-handed. All that aside, this was one of the better all-around games I have seen this postseason.