Amateur Megalomania

I’ve been able to sit and watch the first two games of the finals. To take them in fully, to evaluate and appreciate. It’s been an exciting playoff year, with many tough games and series, some unexpected dominance, and sheer battles. Here are some random thoughts.

Carolina’s got the BEST playoff beards in recent memory! Nearly all of the players have full facial hair, making them look that much more rugged and determined.

Unfortunate for Roloson and Edmonton. And Conklin! I don’t think he knew his man was there! Reminiscent of Steve Smith! Considering the success of the franchise, I don’t feel all that sorry for them, though. They’ll be there again, I think. Roloson has a few more years in him, and the Oilers have youth that will be veterans over the next 5 years or so.

The Hurricane’s success is redressing, in a way. The poor attendance for the first few years, the collapse in the finals against the Wings 3 years ago, the apparently unwanted veterans signed or traded for, the reviled GM, the two Ex-Wings. It’s a success story in so many ways.

Cam Ward has been amazing. He had at least 3 sprawling glove saves in game 1 to keep his team in the SERIES. Ward has been steady when not spectacular. He has not gotten rattled. He even sat a couple games against Buffalo, when Gerber got the hot hand again. Still, Ward came through in Game 7.

During game 2, OLN showed clips of past rookie puckeaters who had shutouts in the Finals. The first was from the 50’s, I think – don’t remember who. The 2nd was Pat Roy. THAT video was amazing itself – totally white boards, brown leg pads, and SMALL – freakishly small players!

It’s been a treat to watch Pronger play. His over-long legs and still-childish face make him LOOK awkward, but he has played many effective minutes this playoff. To top it all, he became the ONLY player to SCORE on a penalty shot in the Finals.

Rod BrinDamour has been equally enjoyable to watch. He’s on the ice in every situation, wins key faceoffs, and scores goals. A Veteran Warrior in the truest sense.

Carolina took a page from Edmonton’s book in game 2 – blocking shot. They had some 17 blocked shots in the first period, according to Jon Davidson.

OLN’s coverage has been great. Mike Emrick is excitable and quick and hockey smart. Davidson, though annoying in some indefinable way, is very knowledgeable about the game. His comments are never inane or hesitant. The picture quality is GREAT. CBC still has great announcers, and I ALWAYS flip over for Coach’s Corner, but the PICTURE is TERRIBLE. Most of the time you can’t even see the puck!

Segue: George LaRaque. Early in the game, Davidson had commented on LaRaque, wondering why he wasn’t taking regular shifts and contributing with his size. I countered loudly, telling my wife of the ROCKS in his gloves and his helmet.

I really see a change in the officiating, from the first round to now. It has vastly improved. It has been consistent, and the announcers on OLN have been able to point out what makes a certain play a penalty. The referees were not afraid to remove the goon-factor in game 2. LaRaque was in the game late and he rammed a guy from behind, about 4 ft from the boards, at the level of his neck. He was immediately tossed, and spent about 2.5 more seconds on the ice, as the exit was there at that end. That virtually arrested the goonery that may have exploded from the trailing team trying to ‘send a message’. Well done, McCreary.

I stopped watching for about a week after the Wings were eliminated. It was disappointing. But I found myself rooting for Edmonton in the next round, especially after they were down 0-2 to San Jose. Carolina faced an 0-2 hole to Montreal, also. Carolina next clobbered the Devils, though I didn’t see much of it. For some reason, it’s OK to see Ottawa flounder. I guess I still think of them as Yashin’s HotDogs, despite a FEW years removed from trading him away. Or it could be the image of former Wing Murray behind the bench, lisssping in pseudo-frensch babble! The Buffalo –Carolina series was a blast! I watched the last 4 games of that series and it was SOOO tight! Buffalo is another amazing young team. They lost 4 of their top D-men to injury, yet took Carolina to a titanic 7th game. The surprising Ducks, led by a rejuvenated Teemu Selanne, were quite a surprise. Their sweep of Colorado cost them, however ironically, as they sat and waited for a week. They never recovered from that layoff. It was a Wild West, to be sure.

This Just In:
Ted Nolan returns! Undercut by the Sabers in 1997 after being named Coach of the Year, Nolan walked away. He never imagined being blackballed for nearly 10 years!
The Islanders, like the Bruins and Blackhawks, are a storied franchise misled by incompetent GM-nee-players. It would be nice to see any of these teams turn things around.

Filed under: Hockey