There have been rumors for weeks that Jaromir Jagr is finally going to make his comeback to the NHL. There had been a bunch of teams rumored (Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, ect), but it's the Penguins that have seemed to have won the race. Jagr is now 38 years old and hasn't played in the NHL since 2008. He has been playing well overseas, and I do expect him to be able to put up 20-25 goals, so as long as your expectations are in the right place I don't this he will disappoint. I have never liked Jagr, maybe it's his hair, or maybe it's just my hatred for the Peguins, but I hope this woks out terrible.
The hits. The saves. The goals. There's just nothing like the Stanley Cup playoffs. Here's how night #1 went down:
DETROIT RED WINGS 4, PHOENIX COYOTES 2 Detroit leads series 1-0
Detroit's annual goal is to win the last game of the Stanley Cup playoffs. They won the first thanks to goaltending and special teams. Jimmy Howard carried the Wings through the 1st period, and Phoenix was unable to capitalize on some early power play opportunities, including a 5-on-3. In the 2nd, Detroit scored a power play goal, and another goal just after a power play expired. Players like Datsyuk and Franzen were engineered for the playoffs.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 3, TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 0 Pittsburgh leads series 1-0
M.A. Fleury was all over the place, stopping 32 shots for his 5th career playoff shutout. Kovalev and Arron Asham did the scoring, plus Chris Kunitz added an empty-netter. The power play reliant Lightning only had 1 power play opportunity. Stamkos was held to one shot, and met Mr. Brooks Orpik.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS 2, NEW YORK RANGERS 1 (OT) Washington leads series 1-0
The Rangers were on their way to a 1-0 shutout over the Caps. Late in the 3rd, Lundqvist locks up a puck between his thighs, Ovechkin pokes at it, the ref is tardy with his whistle, the puck rolls across the line. Then after almost a full period of OT, fatigue catches up with Marc Staal who gives the puck away to Jason Arnott. Then Alexander Semin scores the winner. Without Ryan Callahan, the Rangers might be in serious trouble.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS 2, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 0 Vancouver leads series 1-0
Roberto Luongo was brilliant. 32 stunning saves. His 2nd career playoff shutout. Chicago held the Sedins scoreless, but weren't able to do much offensively themselves. This Blackhawks team is just completely different without Dustin Byfuglien driving the engine. Sharp, Kane, and Toews need to show up.
NASHVILLE PREDATORS 4, ANAHEIM DUCKS 1 Nashville leads series 1-0
Mike Fisher scored twice with an assist, Shea Weber had a few big hits and a power play goal, but the star of the game was Pekka Rinne, who made an unbelievable kick save to keep the game at 1-0. As you might expect from a blowout, there was some ugliness at the end. The Ducks collected 32 penalty minutes in the last 15 seconds.
The most exciting postseason in pro sports begins Wednesday. Here's a preview of the first round Eastern Conference matchups:
#1 WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs. #8 NEW YORK RANGERS Ovechkin had an atypical year, only scoring 32 goals and 53 assists. The Capitals found some defensive discipline, and guys like Semin and Knuble contributed on offense. The Rangers won the season series, thanks in no small part to Henrik Lundqvist, who allowed 4 goals in 3 games against Washington. If guys like Marian Gaborik wake up for New York, it might be another early exit for Washington. I'm picking the Rangers in 7.
#2 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS vs. #7 BUFFALO SABRES The Flyers limped down the stretch, having clinched their division long ago. They boast some serious playoff experience, and a number of dangerous forwards. Buffalo also have some weapons. Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford each surpassed 30 goals. And an ex-Vezina winner in net always helps. I think Buffalo takes an early lead in this series, then the Flyers wake up and win in 6.
#3 BOSTON BRUINS vs. #6 MONTREAL CANADIENS Strength vs. speed. I'm not very optimistic about the Bruins in the postseason, but I think they'll be able to instill fear in the Canadiens. Montreal doesn't have the high flying offense they once had, and Tim Thomas will help shutdown the Habs' power play. Bruins in 6.
#4 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs. #5 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING No Crosby, no Malkin, no problem. The Penguins have been playing playoff calibre hockey for months now. They grind out every battle, turn every inch of the ice into a war zone, and make opponents pay for everything. Tampa Bay falls down too easily, their offense is too reliant on the power play (less penalties are called in the playoffs), and Pittsburgh's goaltending is far superior. Penguins in 5.
I actually think Pittsburgh will win the East. We'll preview the Western Conference tomorrow.
"The oft-penalized Cooke received the stiffest sentence yet in his 12-season NHL career when he was suspended Monday by the league for the remainder of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs for elbowing defenseman Ryan McDonagh of the New York Rangers in the head one day earlier (ESPN)."
It is about time the NHL finally did something about this guy. He has out of control. Rob wrote about it yesterday and there is really no one else in the NHL that is as bad as Cooke. This is the same guy that basically ended Savard's career, and really should've been suspended about 8 other times. Hopefully this sends a message that these kinds of hits have no place in hockey.
What I really want to see is Mario Lemieux try to void this guys contract. Mario came out earlier this season and wanted stiffer penalties for head shots. Well, Mr. Lemieux here is you chance. Do the right thing and kick this bum off your team!
Here we are, sports fans. Numero Uno. The Big Kahuna. The Bee's Knees. Cat's Pajamas. Whatever you want to call it, we've reached the top spot on out Top 25 Athletes Under the Age of 25 list. At #1 we have the young Canadian sensation, Sidney Crosby.
Crosby is our 2nd hockey player on the list and is as much a household name as the NHL has to offer these days. It wasn't easy for me to put a hockey guy at number one, but looking at his career accomplishments at such a young age combined with the way he has dominated every level he has played at it was pretty clear that this guy was deserving of being number one. As I mentioned in the Stamkos post, I am not by any stretch of the imagination a hockey aficionado. However, I don't live under a rock and I am, just like every other sports fan, at least aware of who this kid is and what he has to offer.
What he offers is pure brilliance on skates. Nicknamed, The Next One - in reference to Wayne Gretzky as The Great One - Crosby was considered one of the most sought after draft picks in hockey history. After dominating the QMJHL, also known as the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (yea I had to wiki that one), Crosby was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005. For hockey fans, and particularly Canadian hockey fans, this was not the first they had heard of Sidney Crosby.
After learning to skate at the tender age of 3, Crosby picked up the game of hockey at a rapid rate. By age 13 he was trying to play against 17 year olds, but ultimately lost a lawsuit challenging his right to play with the older kids. Whereas most super-talented youth are heralded and praised and generally get all they want out of life (see Lebron James) Crosby was the subject of much jealousy and hatred from opponents and league parents. Jealous of his superior talent many kids would try to injure Crosby and parents would often taunt him from the stands. As a result, Crosby attended a prep school in Minnesota. In 2002-03 his prep school won the U.S. National Championship, starting a lengthy string of championships for Crosby.
From there he was the 1st overall selection in the midget draft - surprisingly not a draft of little people - in the QMJHL. He dominated the league in his first year as the Player of the Year and also the Top Scorer. His amateur years caught the eye of Wayne Gretzky who said that Crosby was the best player he'd seen since Mario Lemieux, and that he thought Crosby could break his records some day.
Interestingly enough, like Lemieux Crosby was selected first overall by the Penguins in 2005. In his rookie season Crosby was able to play alongside Super Mario before he was forced to retire due to health. As a rookie in the NHL Crosby was everything that was expected and then some. He set franchise records for assists and points by a rookie - both Lemieux records. He was the youngest player in league history to tally 100 points in a season and the 7th rookie to do so. He finished 6th in scoring and 7th in assists, but lost out to Alexander Ovechkin for rookie of the year.
In his sophomore year, things got even better for Sid the Kid, as he became the first teenager since Gretzky to lead the league in scoring. He was the youngest ever winner of the Art Ross Trophy (scoring leader) and the youngest scoring champ of any North American sport.
By 2008-09 season Crosby was one of the biggest names in hockey, if not the biggest. He had established himself as one of the game's greats, albeit with a bit of a reputation as a whiner and a cry-baby. Mirroring his rise to stardom was the Penguins rise as one of the better teams in the league. In 2009 they won the Stanley Cup, led by Crosby their young Captain. He finished the season with 103 points, good for 3rd in the league, despite some minor injuries.
Hoisting the Cup cemented Crosby's status as the biggest name in hockey, and gave him a leg-up on the individual on-going battle with Ovechkin, who is perhaps more flashy but not quite the winner Crosby has proven to be. It also helped cement Crosby's spot on this list.
What truly puts Crosby apart from others on this list is the fact that he has dominated at every level. In the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Crosby broke the hearts of American hockey fans when he put home a rebound for the game-winning goal in overtime of the Gold Medal game against the upstart USA team. The win avenged an early loss to the American's in the preliminary round and basically avoided disaster for Canada who surely could not have suffered a Gold Medal loss to their big brother from the south.
This season, Crosby has been limited due to concussion suffered from multiple hits to the head in back to back games. He hasn't played since January 5th and it is questionable whether he will return at all this season. Despite playing about 30 less games than the points leaders Crosby still sits at #11 in points with 66. In fact, Stamkos the leader in goals has only managed 11 more than Crosby despite 28 more games played.
Although he is not the flashy highlight machine that Ovechkin is, Crosby is more substance. Think Derrick Rose compared to Rajon Rondo. He is a dominant force on the ice whether he is playing for Canada or the Penguins. And at just 23 years old the flapjack eaters in Canada and the Penguins fans in Pittsburgh alike are looking forward to many more seasons of brilliance and most importantly, winning. Duh!
Here is 2009's Top 25 Under 25 list. We did not do one in 2010.
1. Lebron James 2. Alexander Ovechkin 3. Sidney Crosby 4. Adrian Peterson 5. Evgeni Malkin 6. Chris Paul 7. Dwight Howard 8. Evan Longoria 9. Matt Ryan 10. Felix Hernandez 11. Mario Williams 12. Calvin Johnson 13. Rajon Rondo 14. Derrick Rose 15. BJ Upton 16. Deron Williams 17. Patrick Willis 18. Kevin Durant 19. Matt Cain 20. Justin Upton 21. Adam Jones 22. David Price 23. Josh Smith 24. Reggie Bush 25. Al Jefferson
Saturday night's game against Pittsburgh was very much like a postseason game. That's how Pittsburgh's been playing. They're winning without Crosby, without Malkin, because their roster is full of battlers. And despite what Mario Lemieux might think, they even have one or two dirty players. But they're all tough. And they make everything tough for their opponents.
The Bruins didn't play too poorly on Saturday. Boychuk's giveaway was foolish. The defensemen have to get involved for the offense to work, but committing to a loose puck around the blue-line is wise. Big risk, little reward. That's only one glaring error, though.
The Bruins didn't play great on Saturday, either. The Penguins contest everything and that exposed some weaknesses in the Bruins' game. They struggled breaking the puck out of their zone. They gave it away in bad locations. The power play didn't move bodies around enough.
Then there was the effort levels. The Bruins weren't lazy, but which team would you say put in the most effort? The Penguins. And Pittsburgh played an overtime game Friday night. So why are they able to play 62 minutes with more energy than the Bruins?
I'll take the point, but for me, this is the pre-postseason. In the playoffs, the Bruins will be seeing motivated teams like Pittsburgh EVERY GAME. Do teams like the Penguins have guys like Michael Ryder loitering on their roster? Nope. They have leaders. More importantly, they don't have followers. The Penguins have won 37 postseason games the last three years. The Bruins have won 17. On Saturday, I think we saw why there's such a disparity. The relentless effort.
"The Pittsburgh Penguins added another top winger Thursday, acquiring Alexei Kovalev from the Ottawa Senators, sources said. The Senators get a seventh-round pick in return for Kovalev, according to sources. The trade comes days after the Penguins, who have been decimated by injuries, picked up James Neal and defenseman Matt Niskanen in exchange for defenseman Alex Goligoski (ESPN)."
You knew the Penguins were going to have to do something after losing Malkin for the year. This doesn't replace him, but it could soften the blow. Kovalev has been a disappointment this year with 14 goals and 27 points in 54 games, but that could have a lot to do with the lack of talent around him.
Even with this move I don't think the Penguins have much of a shot at winning the Cup this year.
"Hockey is a tough, physical game, and it always should be. But what happened Friday night on Long Island wasn't hockey. It was a travesty," Lemieux said. "It was painful to watch the game I love turn into a sideshow like that (ESPN)."
Lemieux is referencing the Islanders game when there was a ton of fights. I can agree that the fighting can get out of control, and I got back and forth on it's place in the game. Yet, the last person I want to here this from is the guy who employees Matt Cooke. Cooke is the most out of control player in the league. He ended Savard's career, and is lucky that he didn't do it the other day to another player. I mean what a joke. If you want to make these kinds of comments they cut the "dirty" players from your team.
Again, I understand the argument against fighting and in a lot of ways I'll agree, but don't sit here and lecture the NHL when you have the biggest villain in the NHL on your team.
It's like deja vu. I hate using a French word on the heels of a loss to Montreal, but why not? The Bruins blew a 2-0 lead up there, then fall behind 2-0 to Pittsburgh, only to come from behind in the last few minutes. It's also reminiscent of November, when the Bruins rallied and beat the Penguins 7-4.
Mark Recchi knows when I'm thinking about criticizing him. I was considering doing so again. And again, he comes up with a big goal that shuts me up.
This game turned around much earlier than that, although there was no way to know it. After being penalized, and watching the Bruins give up a goal, Recchi was once again sent to the box. He even got an extra 2 for arguing. His teammates mounted a solid kill, keeping it a 2-0 game. I remember Savard in particular playing with intensity.
The B's got desperate late in the 3rd and ramped up their attacks. They earned a power play, and were seconds away from seeing it squandered when Chara blasted a knuckling slapshot past Fleury, who had been playing a hell of a game to that point.
12 seconds later, Bergeron makes a terrific pass to a driving Marchand, who knocked in his own rebound to tie it. Bergeron's been a force on offense, and has been ever since I started criticizing him. He's tallied 5 goals and 9 assists in his last 12 games. At the moment, he's the Bruins' most productive forward.
The Penguins have been struggling, and were without Crosby. Nevertheless, the Bruins showed good character in this win. They didn't give up when they fell behind 2-0. They didn't give up when Fleury stopped their best shots. They played with passion when they had to, and earned a nice win.
They host Ottawa tonight. They've got to start taking care of business within the Division, and they need to start winning at home. They can do both tonight.
Both of these teams aren't playing well, and the Penguins are having to deal with the loss of Sidney Crosby. The Bruins are an odd team, they are actually better on the road (12-5-4) then they are at home (9-7-3), so there is some hope the Bruins can pull out this game.
In their only other meeting this season the Bruins were able to beat the Penguins, but even with Crosby out I think the Penguins are just going to have too much offense for the Bruins. Malkin has been very quiet of late, not scoring in each of the last two games, but he is usually deadly when Crosby is out (25 goals and 34 assists in 40 career games with Crosby sidelined).
Thomas could go out and shut them down, but I just don't have a good feeling about this game. Hopefully I am wrong.
Penguins win 5-2 Player of the Game: Malkin Game starts at 7:30pm on Versus.
The Bruins were down 4-2 going into the 3rd peroid, who would've guessed that they'd explode for 5 goals? Not me that's for sure, but boy it was fun to watch. Even with the loss of Krejci, and Savard/Sturm the Bruins were able to dismantle the Penguins defense.
Boston entered the third period down 4-2, but Nathan Horton and Zdeno Chara scored 15 seconds apart to tie it in the first 4:04, Shawn Thornton was credited with the winner with 7:20 to play, Blake Wheeler scored with 3:47 left and Milan Lucic added an empty-netter.
If you are a boarderline hockey fan this is the kind of game you'd love to watch. It was wide open all around. The Penguins put 46 shots on Tim Thomas, who was able to hold his own and only allow 4 goals. Meanwhile the Bruins "only" had 32 shots, but the Penguins goalie situation is terrible, as Brent Johnson allowed 6 goals.
I am really impressed with this win. This is not the type of game I thought the Bruins had in them. They are a defensive team, who are missing a lot of their offensive strength, and to be able to go toe to toe with one of the better offensive units in the NHL is pretty impressive.
The Bruins have lost two straight and now have to travel to Pittsburgh to face Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. The Penguins have had a tough start to their season as they are only 7-7-1 to start the year. We all know they will get it going, and it is way to early in the season to read into that.
Boston is going to have to deal with the loss of David Krejci who has a "mild" concussion. Most likely it will be Bergeron who moves into his spot with Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic on the wings. This is a big deal since the Krejci-Horton-Lucic line combined for 13 goals and 18 assists in 11 games. We always talk about Bergeron's intangibles, and how you won't see how good he is show up on the stat sheet, but until Savard or Krejci is back he is going to need to step up and put some points on the board.
Tim Thomas is 7-0-0 with a 1.05 goals-against average, but he was pulled after allowing three goals in two periods of Boston's 5-3 loss to Washington on Friday. Tuukka Rask is 0-3-1, but he stopped 34 of 35 shots against the Blues. My guess is that we could see Rask in there, since Thomas has had a lot of playing time early in the season.
No matter who is in net the Bruins defense has to play better then they have the last 2 games. Chara has done a hell of a job this year controlling guys like Ovechkin, so one would think he can control Crosby tonight. I wish I could say that I had a good feeling about this game, but the Penguins just have too much fire power tonight for the Bruins to keep up with Savard, Krejci, and Sturm out.
Penguins win 5-3 Player of the Game: Malkin Game starts at 7pm on NESN.
"The rival Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins will be featured in a reality show as part of their showdown in the Winter Classic. HBO will air four hour-long episodes in its "24/7" franchise before and after the Jan. 1 game at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
The NHL and the network announced Thursday that the series will premiere Dec. 15 and air on each of the next three Wednesdays. The Penguins' Sidney Crosby and Washington's Alex Ovechkin will face each other in the fourth installment of the Winter Classic at the outdoor home of the Steelers (ESPN)."
HBO does an awesome job with this kind of stuff. Their 24/7 stuff on boxing is usually better then the actually fight, and even knows how good "Hard Knocks" is, so it is about time the NHL jumped of this bandwagon. Crosby vs. Ovechkin is the best thing the NHL has going for itself, and for once the NHL is going to take advantage and market the hell out of it.
I also think every sport should have a "Hard Knocks" type of thing going into the season.
Reports released this week say that the Bruins are trying to sign Bill Guerin. I originally didn't report this story, because I didn't understand how they could do it. Yet, after reading some other rumors it might make sense.
Now that the Kings have most likely lost out of Ilya Kovalchuk rumor is they are going out and looking for another forward. That forward could be Marc Savard. We all know the Bruins have been shopping him, and it would make sense if this is the place. The Bruins need to clear space with Wheeler in arbitration (most likely will get 2.5 million), and they still need to sign Tyler Seguin. If the Bruins were able to move Savard it could make it possible for them to sign both these guys, and Bill Guerin, who could be a nice fit for the Bruins on the wing.
Heinz Field will host the 2011 Winter Classic, as the 2009 Stanley Cup Champion Penguins will host perennial powerhouse/chokers: the Washington Capitals. That's not surprising, but it does pose a few questions.
Has the NHL beaten the Crosby vs. Ovechkin horse to death? I mean one guy is as boring as wallpaper samples, and the other guy can barely speak English. The NHL has been trying to prop up this "rivalry," but the two teams play in different divisions, and have only played one forgettable postseason series against each other. How can you have a rivalry when you meet each other only 4 times out of 80 each season?
Then there's another question. Why not New York/New Jersey. Why can't the Devils host the Rangers in what would be a media extravaganza? Those teams are rivals, and it'd get as much media attention as anything in Western PA could. Also consider the fact that the Penguins have already played in a Winter Classic (they'd be the first to play in 2) in Buffalo, which was essentially a showcase for Crosby.
I don't have any major beefs with Pittsburgh vs. Washington in Pittsburgh for the 2011 Winter Classic. So long as the Penguins don't play in another Classic for some time.
And if the NHL wants to build rivalries, as they seemingly do with this move, then maybe they should eliminate the purposeless teams like Nashville, Tampa Bay, Florida, Phoenix, Columbus, the Islanders, Nashville.
As you may have read earlier, I've been away for the past few days, so I was unable to do the Stanley Cup Round-Ups. So here's a refresher on where the Eastern Conference playoff series stand.
BOSTON LEADS BUFFALO 3-1 Stellar goaltending from both teams along with classic physical hockey has generated a much tighter and exciting series than the 3-1 standing would indicate. Tuukka Rask has spearheaded Boston's efforts, while Mark Recchi, Patrice Bergeron, and even Dennis Wideman have been the heroes for Boston. The series swung last night on a 2OT Boston win. The Sabres are without Vanek, their best scorer. And that devastating loss might just push them over the edge of the cliff.
WASHINGTON LEADS MONTREAL 3-1 This series has not seen stellar goaltending. Both teams have resorted to their backups. 31 total goals in 4 games. But Washington's offense is simply more potent than Montreal's. Backstrom has 5 goals and 4 assists, Ovehckin has 4 and 4. #1 seeded Washington should advance (2 of remaining 3 games in the series are in Washington), but some glaring weaknesses have been exposed.
PHILADELPHIA LEADS NEW JERSEY 3-1 The surprise of the Eastern Conference? Not really. Philly handled the Devils in the regular season, and have good numbers against Brodeur the past couple of years. The much maligned Brian Boucher has turned it up in the postseason, registering a 1.98 GAA (3rd best). But the Devils haven't been able to shoot the puck much. 26.8 per game (13th).
PITTSBURGH LEADS OTTAWA 3-1 This 3-1 series lead is perhaps the most dominant. Pittsburgh crushed Ottawa 7-4 Tuesday night. Crosby leads all playoff players with 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists). Ottawa's goaltending has been dreadful, while M.A. Fleury has settled down a bit from his Game 1 meltdown. Pittsburgh should finish the job tonight.
So as it is, the 1, 4, 6, and 7 seeds would advance. Which would set up 2nd round match-ups of: #1 Washington vs. #7 Philadelphia, and #4 Pittsburgh vs. #6 Boston. Hmmmmmm. Pittsburgh and Boston? Didn't they have a little drama a few weeks ago? And isn't there speculation that Marc Savard might return? Very interesting.
Matt Cooke was the guy who ended Marc Savard's season with a dirty hit. Well, let's just say he got what he deserved, and Evander Kane will never have to buy a beer in Boston ever again.
It started off beautifully. Shawn Thornton, as if imbued (inspired/possessed) by the '70 Bruins who were honored pregame, totally whaled on Matt Cooke. It was more than a fight, it was a beatdown, and Thornton got in a few shots after the linesmen tried breaking it up. He got an extra 10 minutes for it, but it well was worth it.
What happened to Cooke after that?
Nothing!
Seidenberg sort of hit him with a bodycheck I guess. Krejci, to his credit, tried to rattle his cage a bit with a forgettable "check." But nobody dropped the gloves with him again, nobody took aim at him. I guess losing your best player for the season is only worth 11 seconds of fisticuffs.
But in the 1st period, at least, the Bruins were physical and fought well. Lucic looked like the Lucic from last year. And the play was generally even, if not favoring the B's. They allowed a silly breakaway and a goal, but so what? They hit some posts, and M.A. Fleury was flailing about like the utter spaz he is. Goals were imminent.
But things seemed to change after the 1st intermission (thanks for the unpep-talk, Claude). The Bruins left Cooke alone. NESN's announcers kept saying that there was a "dance card of guys willing to tangle with him." Stuart, Lucic, Begin, Chara, and Sobotka are the names that come to mind. But Cooke was just sort of left to his own antagonistic devices.
It was as if Luke, Obi-Wan, and Leia decided to go to the mall in the middle of Star Wars instead of trying to destroy the Death Star. "Yeah, they blew up Alderaan, but we destroyed 6 of their anonymous fighter pilots, so we're done. Let's shop!"
Even when the game was 3-0 and out of hand, the Bruins were more focused on being embarrassed by the Penguins on the ice, than piledriving Matt Cooke through the ice. They were still trying to claim points in a game that was by then pointless.
When the game was about revenge, the Bruins played focused hockey. They all had the same fire, the same goal, the same ideals. They were still limited by their own physical (Krejci) and mental (Satan) shortcomings, but they appeared to be playing at their best levels, and playing together.
Then when Julien tried to refocus the Bruins on getting 2 points, not so mysteriously they lost focus on their jobs. They were focused on moving a number in the standings, not on getting to loose pucks or making tape-to-tape passes. The result was then made inevitable.
Michael "Appendix" (because he serves no purpose) Ryder has another new nickname: It's Michael Bystander. At the start of the 3rd period, he's lined up with Cooke on the wing for the faceoff. Not even a nudge when the puck drops. He actually gave Cooke 2 or 3 feet to maneuver. Michael Bystander is completely useless, and I'd rather see Tim Thomas play right wing. Or sign Glen Murray again!
So even though the headlines are saying "The Bruins Got Revenge, but Lost the Game," I obnoxiously disagree. The Bruins got no revenge. Do you think Cooke will think twice the next time some premier centreman is vulnerable in their backswing? Do you think the next goon will have any apprehension when he has Patrice Bergeron in his crosshairs?
Nope. Cuz all they'll have to endure is 11 seconds of hell with Shawn Thornton, and that's it. Is that vengeance enough? Is it retribution, "payback," repayment, retaliation. Does it even things up? Is it justice? Is it fair?
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, did we bomb Tokyo just once? No, we bombed it until we obliterated it. Then we bombed other cities.
If someone steals $1,000 from you, are you satisfied if they give you $100 back?
If a dog attacks a human, does the human get to bite the dog? No, the dog gets destroyed. That didn't happen to Matt Cooke.
Bruins will get shutout by the Rangers Sunday afternoon, and they will either miss the playoffs or get swept out in 4 games. This team has no heart, no soul, no chance. I feel as depressed and cynical as Randy Quaid in the middle of Major League II.
Thankfully, at least Shawn Thornton had the right idea.
As much as I dislike Crosby, he's a relatively clean player. And he bears no responsibility for what happened to Marc Savard.
Then again, it's a team sport, isn't it? And let's say the Bruins go after Matt Cooke tonight, and even injure him, does that seem fair? The Bruins' #1 offensive threat goes down, while the Penguins lose a 3rd line winger. That's about as balanced as The Treaty of Versailles, and as fair as Fox News' political coverage.
Is a fight gonna satisfy you? Shawn Thornton steps up to Cooke, they both drop their gloves, dance a little, maybe Thornton lands a big punch or two, but so what? 5 minutes later and it's forgotten. Is that sufficient justice?
And what about deterring future goons from harassing top-flight Bruins players. Will they bat an eye the next time they have a chance to light up Patrice Bergeron, for fear that they'll have to drop the gloves and fight? Nope.
Go after Crosby. Punish the PENGUINS for what THEY did to the BRUINS. Like when a pitcher throws at Youkilis, the Sox pitcher has to nail the opponent's best hitter, not the #8 hitting short-stop.
Punish Matt Cooke, but not psychically. Make his teammates blame him for what happens to Crosby. Make him and every other cheap-shotting goon think twice about blindsiding an opponent, knowing that it'll cost him their best teammate.
