The cup is still the Wings to lose this year - looks like the Avs may completely collapse tonight - you don't see the fire in the eyes like they had last year....desire is 90% of winning, only 10% is from talent. If they pull it out tonight, the Avs and Wings will most likely meet for the finals - and, much as I hate to say it, the Wings have the momentum, and will probably make a short 5 game series out of it, unless Roy starts really bringing up his game...Hedjuk's return was muted by Peter the Great's absence...get them both on the ice, and things could get interesting, but Detroit, after starting out awful, is firing on all cylinders....

Wild eastern conference so far- 1 and 2 seeds both OUT already...wow.

Is Forsberg playing tonight? I can't find anything concrete on it yet. Should be a great game tonight, I am looking forward to it. Boston is still in it but their game 6 is at montreal tonight.

If Forsberg doesn't play, then it's the end for the Avs....IMHO

desire is 90% of winning, only 10% is from talent.

what are you talking about? this isn't peewee hockey, stick the bottom feeders of the league into the playoffs and they'll be blown away.

p.s. boston isn't done yet...won't matter, sens will take the east.

I would have to say the best save of the night goes to Theodore when he spun around, got his stick knocked away and blocked the shot with his arm. Total instinct, but simply amazing.

And the goal by Drury was just embarrasing to the Kings, sucks to be those three defensemen and Potvin.

I recommend catching the replay of both plays if you missed them.

Bye-Bye Kings and Boston. . .

Bring on the Blues!!!

Yeah and the best part about that was when the commentators said "Did you see that? He made a Hasek save!" :)

I was disappointed to see Boston (and LaPointe) lose...I hope the Islanders (and Ozzie) win tonight, but it'll be a tough game.

You mean Columbus wouldn't be able to hang with the wings in the playoffs? Atlanta couldn't beat Ottawa? They already did stick some bottom feeders in the playoffs, thats why Philadelphia and Phoenix were eliminated so quickly.

Yeah for the Habs for knocking of the Bruins.

Go Leafs!! but if you get through, sorry TO I'm going with the Sens...

Yipee for the Habs - they certaily deserve it! Should be an interesting round with Carolina ...

GO LEAFS !!!

Bill Barber fired
 

Just 4 days after being eliminated from the playoffs, the Philadelphia Fliers canned Bill Barber:

http://www.tsn.ca/NHL/readstory.asp?Story_ID=2324728

Clarke's gotta go next, this team should be performing in the playoffs, considering they've finished either 1 or 2 for how many years now?

Regarding the Avs win last night:


WHEW!!!!!!


I really didn't think they had it in them....thanks to "Hockey God" Chris Drury - they came through again....bring on the Sharks...the Avs should fare much better in this series, but, the Wings are on the horizon (they'll blow through the Blues like a hot knife through butter)...and the Wings will be VERY tough to beat at all the rest of the way through....

Drury, a hockey god...?!?! hahahaha, is that the gc joke of the day....he choked all season long, scores a flukey knuckler and all-of-a-sudden he's the unsung hero.

Ever heard the expression, don't count your chickens until they've hatched?

The sharks will not be pushovers, they will bleed your avs dry.

As for Detroit, with all their talent and leadership, will only go as far as their bodies carry them. St.louis is younger and will be looking to take the body to their hall of famer opponents.

"Hockey God" is the nickname that ESPN2 coined for Drury - he comes through in the clutch...two years in a row he had the game winning goal against the Kings for game 7....

I don't see the Colorado/SJ or Blues/Wings for that matter going past 6 games to decide. Wings should win theirs, and so should the Avs, provided everyone stays healthy...everyone is saying SJ has the edge to start since they've had 4 days off - I disagree - this gives the Avs the edge from an emotional standpoint.

I still say the Wings will win the West...the East? No clue - the top 3 seeds are done already....I'd like to see Toronto or Ottowa win it, but that's a coin toss...

The hockey god did great in the olympics too, wait nevermind

wings/avs, avs/wings, whatiatelastnight/wings.....this is all i'm hearing, in other words: blah blah blah...

Battle of Ontario 3, mes amies: as the old saying goes, three times a charm!

Goodnight t.o., take the time off that you would have spent watching the leafs play in the next round and do something productive instead, like clean up that dump you call a city.

it's alright if you switch allegiance to the capital, i'll understand. Hell even gphi2k told me that she bet the sens will take the series, can't blame the gal.

:eek:
I SAID WHAT LIL_G????????? PARDON ME??? I don't know what you are all like up there in that lame a$$ city you call home, but here in Toronto, we don't make up things people never said. And we certainly don't imagine up wins we have NO chance of achieving. Doth you protest too much?????????

I raise my bottle of Blue to you and toast Toronto taking back the Stanley cup. 2 for 2 for Pat Quinn. Cheers.

Now that TO is playing another Canadian team I can stop cheering for them - thank god. I have friends who are die hard patriots but wanted to see the Leafs go down to the Islanders.

Now I can do what a Canuck fan should do and boo the leafs ;). Go Sens.

Now before everyone goes flaming me about my attitude towards TO it's something between Leafs fans and Nucks fans: East vs. West, plus there are tonnes of Vancouverites in TO and lots of Torontonians in Vancity and that's just the way it is.

Leaf-Nucks games are the best because, at least in Vancouver, 50% of the spectators are Leafs fans and there's just this huge rivalry - and that's just the way it is.

...can someone decipher this jibberish into a coherent sentence so that i can understand what she meant by this?

The only thing i understood by the 2 for 2 comment, is that Pat Quinn will be fined for this series for bitching after every game like he did vs the isles.

T.O. smog, bad drinking water, Mel Lastman blunder (take your pick) and educated leaf fans....one of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong.

There is nothing in the east now. Hell, some fake hockey team like Columbus could take whoever wins the east to a six game series.

For now, yeah Sharks...down with Colorado! http://www.plaudersmilies.de/rotwerd.gif

Well tonights the night that the wings series starts. The red wings traded for Hasek last year when St. Louis also had a deal on the table. You know Detroit did this to keep the blues from getting him.

new to Greek Chat, big hockey fan
 

Hi! I'm new to Greek Chat. I'm a fraternitiy brother of Tom Earp's, and I'm a hockey fan going back to the Original Six days. It's good to see three Canadian teams advancing in the East. I see two hot goaltenders with Lalime and Theodore. Cujo's too streaky, and Carolina is putting their play off future in the hands of a back up goaltender. It may be crazy to say that an 8 seed can go on to the finals, but Montreal has hot goaltending, plus the emotional lift of Koivu coming back. I say Montreal advances to the finals.

In the West, even though he got off to a slow start last night, I think Roy is still the best playoff goaltender in hockey. St. Louis consistently under achieves in the playoffs, plus they don't have a goaltender who can carry them. If the Sharks can get past Colorado, and that is a big "if" as far as I'm concerned, then they have a shot. Detroit is Detroit, so they will make a run, but I've never been impressed with Hasek in the playoffs. I think I have to go with Colorado advancing.

So, Montreal and Colorado in the final, with the Avs bringing Montreal's Cup dreams to an end. Avs win the Stanley Cup.
Any thoughts?

Well, partially, but either way it will be a good series. Hasek wanted to come to Detroit because he felt it was his best chance at the Cup...let's just hope he proves it. http://www.plaudersmilies.de/rotwerd.gif

Hey I think this is the 1st thing we're agreeing with on this post - I've always liked the Sharks and would love to see them do well, especially against the Avs.

Thats exactly right, the blues had an offer on the table first, than a day later detroit put down an offer. Coincidence? I think not. Hasek chose the wings because they had a better chance, yes, but only because the blues don't spend, buy, spend, buy like the wings do.

Welcome to gc gorilla tom. The avs are tough this year but the wings have had the cup won since the day the signed hasek. I hope the blues can win the seires but that has as much of a chance of happening as LIL G getting a date.

Hey Gorilla! So, a friend of Tom's? We'll all try to look past that and like you anyways!:p By the way, Greetings in ZAX....

I hope Avs make it to the finals - they still don't seem to have the "spark" that they did last year - talentwise, they are the team to beat, but the one team that will be Colorado better than any other is Colorado (although I do think a Detroit/Colorado conference finals will result in Detroit going to the finals...their momentum is going to be hard to stop)....Of course, Colorado is really going to have to step up play, especially after last night - they look tired, Blake is hurt, and Nabakov is a true playoff goaltender (he's the reason they got this far....unfortunately, the stars not producing for the Shark's decided last night to break out of their funk also...)

East - I like Montreal or Ottowa in the finals....Montreal/Colorado would be an awesome matchup, especially for Roy and all Canadian hockey fans, each for their own reasons....I doubt Toronto can make it because CuJo is too inconsistent, nor can Carolina's goaltending match up to most of the remaining talent pool.

As a former Nor Cal girl, all I can say is GO SHARKS!!!!

Thanks for the welcome, Ex Greek. Sorry to disagree, but look at their histories. Patrick has won Cups with the Avs and the Habs. The Dominator just isn't all that dominant when the playoffs role around. The Wings will take out St. Louis easily, but will hit a wall when they get to Colorado. I would have much preferred to see The Wings stick with Chris Osgood. Plus, the Wings are getting awfully long in the tooth. They are great players, but I have to wonder if Stevie Y, Chelios et al have the stamina to make the run all the way to the Cup. The best thing that could happen to help their chances would be a quick end to the St. Louis series to give some of the old bodies time to heal up. As the owner of and old body, I should know!

If our friend lil_g knew anything about hockey beyond the fact they play with sticks and pucks, he might know that Pat Quinn was the coach of the Canadian Gold Medal hockey team. But why expect a fellow Canadian to know something so unimportant :rolleyes: .

Gees Lil_G, the hostility you are exhibiting might be construed as anxiety, uncertainty or...shall I say it??? JEALOUSY .

GO LEAFS GO!!!!!!!!

Hey gphi2k, there will always be a soft spot in my heart for the Leafs. I'm a Yank, but I lived in Canada for three years when I was a kid, in a town called Oshawa, not that far from Toronto. I think your chances were a lot better before Sundin got hurt. Also, I'm not sure that Cujo has the stuff it takes to get you where you want to go. Any goaltender can get hot, but given his history, I'm not looking for it to happen. You never know, though. Before this season, there was no reason to think that Jose Theodore was capable of coming up big like he has for the Habs. Let's put it this way, if the Leafs can pull it off, I won't be dissapointed. Surprised maybe, but not dissappointed. If nothing else, I'm just happy to see three out of the four teams left in the East be Canadian. The game belongs to you guys. It would be great to see the Cup given to a Canadian team.

Well, I'm only rooting for them by default, but I'd still like to see them beat the Avs!

Hi G-Tom...I don't necessarily think it's that Dom isn't that great in the playoffs, it's that a goaltender can't win the game by himself. Dom has a lot more support with a team like the Wings. Also, rest is good...but too much rest could be a disaster.

I'm on my way to the AGD house to watch the Wings game!!!!!


WOO-HOO!!!! GO RED WINGS!!!!!

~Holly

Yeah!! Ottawa just kicked TO's ass :)

Another shut out for Lalime

Man, Ottawa mopped the floor with Toronto...every time I tuned in, Ottawa was on a power play!

So... YEAH WINGS!!! http://www.plaudersmilies.de/party/yelclap.gif
In the first period I was a little worried that they weren't quite playing up to their playoff standard, but they totally picked up towards the end of the second period. Detroit and St. Louis both play pretty clean games...very little slashing and heavy hits on the boards. The game was called pretty well, but the only thing I didn't like was that St. Louis makes a run for our goalie, they've got six guys beating up our five, and somehow we come up with the penalty...wtf is that about?

Yeah Les, did you see how mad Shanahan was while on the bench. I am sure he wanted to get his hands on Tkatchuk for the charge at Hasek.

It could have easily been St. Louis' game, they missed a lot of open net shots tonight. Hopefully Hasek will do a little better on not offering them during the next game.

Yeah Carolina! Last night's game was very exciting! Both teams came out with major "zip," almost as if they were playing game seven instead of game one. (Go Aaron Ward!)

I need to don my Maltby jersey and get ready for today's Wings game! http://www.plaudersmilies.de/rotwerd.gif

Yeah Wings (again)! http://www.plaudersmilies.de/party/yelclap.gif

I can't believe the Ottawa-Toronto game went into triple overtime and that Colorado beat the Sharks 8-2! :eek:

GO BLUE AND WHITE!!!

AWESOME GAME!!

Hope the Habs can win tonight ....

Did not like the scores last night... however triple overtime between TO and Ottawa was cool.


Go Sens! Go Canadiens!