BS: Lord Stanley's Cup

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: GUEST,Jack the Sailor
Date: 04 Apr 08 - 11:02 PM

Ottawa is toast. Alfredson and Fisher were both hurt last night.

Carolina didn't make it. Congrats Capitals!

Detroit has a great team. But they are not as dominant as the standings make them.

Beer, Youhave me beat big time, I can't justify 55 dollars a month for digital cable to see a few Carolina games, I get about six games a year on broadcast tv. They show mostly Pittsburgh, Flyers and Ranger games.

Can you get NHL Center ice on Satellite or cable in your area? If so, as a Red Wings fan, it may be worth a look. I had it in Alabama and enjoyed it a lot.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Beer
Date: 04 Apr 08 - 11:28 PM

No Jack. My retirement flow keeps me in cheap beer (if there is such a thing anymore)and selling empties on the side. I'm worried though that the tax man may get me on the money I'm making in trying to keep the planet green. Just kidding. Right now I'm finishing a bottle of wine that is made in Italy but probably bottled in China. What a F..ing mess we are in.
Sorry, I'm drifting.
Sure, I can get every station that is out there if I want to pay. But pay I won't. I happen to have a partner of 41 years and she happens to like gardening more that hockey. So I give in.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Becca72
Date: 05 Apr 08 - 06:35 AM

I'm just happy the 2 clips with the Caps in them were of the OTHER team screwing up! :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Beer
Date: 05 Apr 08 - 08:01 AM

lol Becca

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: gnu
Date: 05 Apr 08 - 08:05 PM

Hehehehe, Becca!

Oh, I saw this h other day... CanIdiot!

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Bobert
Date: 06 Apr 08 - 08:44 AM

Now, who exactly *wants* to play my Caps???

B;~)

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Beer
Date: 06 Apr 08 - 08:51 AM

No Me!!
But I'm pulling for them. For awhile that is.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: GUEST,Jack the Sailor
Date: 06 Apr 08 - 10:34 AM

Practice makes perfect.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: GUEST,jack the Sailor
Date: 07 Apr 08 - 10:12 PM

Bear playing hockey

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Becca72
Date: 08 Apr 08 - 07:14 PM

Just got the Caps newsletter in my email. Looks like we got the Flyers in Round 1.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Apr 08 - 08:26 PM

HERE'S a summary of the matchups, and the first-round SCHEDULE with TV coverage indicated.

GO PENS!

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Bobert
Date: 08 Apr 08 - 08:28 PM

GO CAPS!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Beer
Date: 08 Apr 08 - 08:33 PM

Go Wings!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: bobad
Date: 08 Apr 08 - 09:13 PM

"Go Sens" GULP!

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: GUEST,Jack the Sailor
Date: 08 Apr 08 - 11:17 PM

Cherry says "don't count the Sens out." but he is picking the Pens to win.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Apr 08 - 11:42 PM

Much as I will love to see them try, and much as I'd love to see them DO it, I see their inexperience, still. It'll be a great ride, though.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Apr 08 - 11:42 PM

Much as I will love to see them try, and much as I'd love to see them DO it, I see their inexperience, still. It'll be a great ride, though.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: GUEST,Jack the Sailor
Date: 08 Apr 08 - 11:47 PM

Oh the Pens are certainly favored against the Senators. I'd pick them to go to the finals. But if they face one of the bird teams from the west, the Ducks or the Wings, I would bet on the western team.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Becca72
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 10:15 AM

Les Habs get the Bruins again...(sigh) they must be awful tired of seeing black and gold.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 10:51 AM

Referencing one of my previous posts (see "outcoach"), there are still some things in development that will make the Pens vulnerable to a team that can do what the Oilers did in their recent glory year, which was that they were equipped to change strategies dramatically according to the team they were playing and the bag of tricks that team was trying to use in each game. IMO that is what delivers the Cup-- the talent, backed by the team execution that can meet these challenges. Most teams build themselves to be, for example, a puck-posession team or a speed team, etc etc etc. Very few of them can multitask effectively beyond two or three systems. The Pens have the TALENT to do that... but not necessarily the seasoning to do it reliably, effectively, and consistently against teams with more background. (Of course I hope to be wrong.) When youthful enthusiasm is met by mature, cold-bloodedly executed skill, momentum can be entirely eclipsed without regard for talent. As Catters we know this ourselves in music, of course-- talent without hard work plus skilled guidance/management seldom goes far.


My longer post of last night didn't take-- I had wanted to share some of the foregoing as well as say that we're just thrilled that our local TV coverage will continue and that the guys who really know this team inside and out will be on the mic. The dogs are commentator-trained to hear and celebrate our team's goals when announced. :~) (The Versus coverage will be good enough for the Western games.)

Our ECHL team also is starting their playoffs (Friday), and we have some tix. Thank God the VCR that died has been miraculously resurrected.

GO PENS!

(GO JACKALS!)

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: GUEST,Jack the Sailor
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 11:57 AM

>>From: Becca72
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 10:15 AM

Les Habs get the Bruins again...(sigh) they must be awful tired of seeing black and gold.<<

Didn't the Canadians sweep the Bruins this year? I would say that they are elated to see them.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Becca72
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 11:58 AM

They absolutely did, Jack. I just would think they'd be tired of seeing them.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: GUEST,Jack the Sailor
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 12:17 PM

WYSIWYG, I have been an Ottawa fan since they have existed and every year for the past ten years I have thought "This might be the year." This year I really don't.

In the East, I don't think what kind of game the other team plays will matter when facing either Crosby's Line or Malkin's for fifty minutes out of sixty. W Frankly I don't think any of the other teams will play strong enough defensively to cope. The only way an East team can beat them is with a Conn Smythe trophy worthy series from their goalie.

There are a few goalies that may be capable. I don't think that either of Ottawa's 3 million dollar men are.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: GUEST,Jack the Sailor
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 12:19 PM

Becca if you are making the point that division rivals play each other too often, I totally agree.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Becca72
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 12:59 PM

Yes, they really do play each other too often. My fear its that it will go one of two ways...either the Bruins will remember the scelping they got all year and psych themselves out and lose badly, or The Habs will develop a "blah...it's just the Bruins" attitude and lose because they're too sure of themselves. Being a Habs fan, I'm not so upset about the first scenario and I'm afraid of the second.

:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 01:34 PM

In the East, I don't think what kind of game the other team plays will matter when facing either Crosby's Line or Malkin's for fifty minutes out of sixty. W Frankly I don't think any of the other teams will play strong enough defensively to cope. The only way an East team can beat them is with a Conn Smythe trophy worthy series from their goalie.

There are a few goalies that may be capable. I don't think that either of Ottawa's 3 million dollar men are.

Oh no, I totally agree with you that they should be able to handle Ottawa this year-- luck of the draw on injuries. But there have been (and are) teams that can shut down Crosby and Malkin.... They themselves are hard to shut down without penalty, but the rest of their lines are not yet firm enough AS LINES to ensure ultimate solution of the massive amount of scouting dedicated to grabbing bragging rights for "We beat the Pens."

For me, the real playoff thrill will be seeing how Therrien adjusts systems over the 7 games of each series to see if they can overcome this. The team right now does not KNOW that they can do this-- maybe they can, and maybe they actually will. But in the end, it's the team that best multitasks systems that ends up on top. And systems are a hard thing to play around with. (I'm talking systems, not strategies, here.)

As I said, I hope I am wrong... but it's been quite odd how often this past several years all of my suspicions and opinions have been immmediately borne out-- not only by analysts' comments but by team stats and results. Apparently I'm a pretty good observer and trend-spotter-- I wish it would pay off in my business marketing, but as long as I keep money out of the equation (LOL), I am usually spot on. [shrug] Who knows why?

So I don't bet, myself; but I'd caution anyone who is planning to put any money on the Pens just yet (other than sponsors and ticket buyers, LOL). We'll see if they can pull it off.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: GUEST,Jack the Sailor
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 01:52 PM

I would put money on the Pens to beat the East. The Rangers, I think are the second strongest team.

I don't think that this is their year to go all the way unless some cinderella team manages to get by the Ducks and Wings and then fold in the final.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: GUEST,Jack the Sailor
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 02:03 PM

Stanley Cup Pool anyone?
Here are my picks.

Round1         Round2    Round3   Round4    Cup winner
Haps               Habs
Bruins
                        
Pens               Pens             Pens
Sens                                                    Pens                                       

Caps               Caps             Rangers
Flyers

Rangers          Rangers   
Devils                                                                      The Ducks   


Wings
Preds                Wings         Wings

Sharks               Sharks                      Ducks
Flames

Wild                   Aves          Ducks
Aves

Ducks                Ducks
Stars

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 02:47 PM

I would put money on the Pens to beat the East. The Rangers, I think are the second strongest team.

I don't think that this is their year to go all the way unless some cinderella team manages to get by the Ducks and Wings and then fold in the final.


You may be right, there. I would LOVE to see the Wings and Pens finish it off, though.

GO WINGS! GO PENS!

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 04:35 PM

Hey, JtS, your brackets-- don't they re-shuffle those at the end of each round so it's always upper (conference) seed to lower seed? I'm not sure it will quite add up as you have it posted-- have to hunt up my last year's notebook....

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: GUEST,Jack the Sailor
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 06:35 PM

If all of my predictions come true my brackets will be perfect. ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: bobad
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 06:46 PM

Most of your picks, Jack, look like pretty safe bets NOW but things don't always go as expected come playoff time. I personally think the Caps may go a bit further than what you predict. We shall see.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 07:54 PM

Pens 2, Sens 0 at first intermission. Hear Mike Lange's signature game-call live (or NYR/NJ game), on NHL RADIO.

Doggie treats are flying! Pore Hardi's at a church meeting.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 09:06 PM

[giggling madly]

~S~

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Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Beer
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 10:09 PM

Lots of penelties in this first game.Ottawa and Pit's. that is.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: GUEST,Jack the Sailor
Date: 10 Apr 08 - 10:59 AM

With two top seeds winning and two losing last night, the only thing that surprised me was Calgary's strong showing. The Sharks have their hands full.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: GUEST,Texas Guest
Date: 10 Apr 08 - 11:00 PM

Wings Win! 3 - 1 over Nashville at "The Joe." GO RED WINGS!!

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Becca72
Date: 11 Apr 08 - 10:32 AM

Here I sit today with a big-ass grin on my face. Hab 4 Bruins 1. :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: gnu
Date: 11 Apr 08 - 04:18 PM

I just remembered that JtS asked me about my neighbour's young fellah when I saw him today... and he has a HABS sign on his car! His lad use to play for Boston. Finished up with the Avalanche when they won the cup in 2001. Ray Bourque.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Beer
Date: 11 Apr 08 - 04:36 PM

Ray Bourque!!, now there was a player.
"Go Wings Go"

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: gnu
Date: 11 Apr 08 - 04:48 PM

Big Bruiser and tough as nails, eh, Beer?

Go Habs go.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Becca72
Date: 11 Apr 08 - 04:51 PM

Ray's son, Chris played here in Portland when we had the farm team for the Caps....

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: gnu
Date: 11 Apr 08 - 05:00 PM

Becca... no doubt he has the heart, but, at 1.7m and 78.5kg, he may not be able to skate with the big dogs.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Becca72
Date: 11 Apr 08 - 06:23 PM

I have to agree, Gnu. I don't think he's going to carry on the family name in quite the same way.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Big Mick
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 12:27 AM

I am so pleased that you all have things to make you happy now. Please remember the good feelings, ....... BECAUSE THEY ARE GONE WHEN YOU FACE MY

RED WINGS!!!!!!

Mick

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: Becca72
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 06:35 AM

Boy, those Caps sure had my heart racing last night!! Let me say here and now, I LOVE Alex Ovechkin.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 10:28 AM

Every year I look and look until I find which website has the best "Playoff Stats at a Glance" page for the playoffs. I wish they'd leave it, year to year, but no-- it moves around.

This year it's here: MATCHUP STATS

It is handy to have the whole set of matchups, series status, and individual game scores all in one place. Maybe they'll keep it current.....

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: gnu
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 11:08 AM

Thanks ~S~. Good spot.

I have been going to the same old place.

It's okaaaayyy.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: GUEST,Jack the Sailor
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 12:34 PM

Ovechkin was awesome last night. A real leader.

I think my Senators will be luck if they win one game against Pittsburgh.

Subject: RE: BS: Lord Stanley's Cup
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 12:36 PM

Yeeaaaahhhhhhhhhhh..... the NHL site has some good matchup-by matchup pages to follow ONE team; and the schedule page shows the scores as they pile up by date within the overall schedule, but THAT page IMO is best for its links to the game highlights.

But I DO like having it ALL to look at, at once.

~S~