Game Day: Game two 2013 Stanley Cup Finals Boston versus Chicago

The Boston Bruins have gotten some good news, Nathan Horton will play in game two, so the Hulk Line will "start" the game in tact. It will be interesting to see how long Horton can go, his shoulder has been messed up during the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Hawks have won 8 of 9, including 3 in OT and 6 straight at home. Bruins have not lost in regulation since Game 6 of the ECQF, 9-2 since.
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) June 15, 2013

#Bruins winger Nathan Horton will play in Game 2 of tonight's Stanley Cup Final.
— Spector's Hockey (@SpectorsHockey) June 15, 2013

CHI's Jonathan Toews wins Selke Trophy as NHL's top defensive forward.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 14, 2013

Related articles

• 2013 Stanley Cup Finals: Lucic's second goals against the Blackhawks (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Milan Lucic goal vs. Blackhawks (ndgoon.blogspot.com)

2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Milan Lucic goal vs. Blackhawks

That's first goal of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs for Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic (4), assisting on the goal for the Boston Bruins, forwards Nathan Horton (11) and David Krejci (13).

The Boston Bruins outshot the Chicago Blackhawks 11-8 in the first period. That was also the first goal of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals.

#Bruins are 8-2 this postseason when scoring first goal of the game. #Blackhawks are 3-3 when allowing first goal.
— Chris Kuc (@ChrisKuc) June 13, 2013

(Video) Boston Bruins goals against Penguins

Boston Bruins forward David Krejci scored two goals in game one against the Pittsburgh Penguins and now leads the NHL in points during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This was Krejci's first goal of the game and also the  first scored in the series, by either team. True to form, Krejci has been big during the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs and leads all players in scoring with (7g-12a—19pts).



This was Krejci's second goal of the game.


Fellow line mate Nathan Horton is also having a good 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs as well and is tied for fourth with Sidney Crosby (6g-9a—15pts). This was the goal by Horton that sent the Penguins fans to the exits.

Last night, the Top line was big for the Boston Bruins; Krejci had (2g-0a—2pts) and Horton had a three point night for the Bruins (1g-2a—3pts).

Sweet goal by Boston's Brad Marchand

This is an awesome goal by Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand, this was the 14th goal of the season for the Little Ball of Hate. This was also the game tying goal for the Boston Bruins. The Bruins would go on to score two more goals by Patrice Bergeron and Nathan Horton.

As of late, the Boston Bruins have been goal starved,  but not this time, as the Boston Bruins scored four unanswered goals in 14:04 of the second period. This was after they had just given up a goal by Hab's defenseman P.K. Subban at the 2:53 mark of the second period.

Lucic upset with Weaver cross check - check from behind

Listen to these announcers from the Florida Panthers, the Bruins forward Milan Lucic wold have been better off if he had just challenged Mike Weaver to a fight, than react this way. It was a blown call by the on ice officials.

Weaver just got cross-checked by Lucic. Appropriately heading to the box. 4 minute power play for the #FlaPanthers
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) February 24, 2013

Weaver gets Lucic in the back & then an unhappy 17 cross-checks him and gives a few shoves, getting an extra 2 for roughing.^CS
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 24, 2013

Lucic gets a 10-minute misconduct added on and is sent to the locker room from the box...^CS
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 24, 2013

Rangers Stu Bickel vs. Flyers Tom Sestito

As a Boston Bruins hockey fan, this is one fight that I was very happy to see. In my opinion, Tom Sestito is waste of skin and if the Flyers want waste roster spot on this guy more power to him. Making a case for Stu Bickel, at least he can be used in the third defensive paring if need be.

Lastly, in this case, I am glad that the fourth line forward Sestito was able to pull off the legal check this time. The guy is an absolute mountain of a man, and you have to keep your head on a swivel when he is on the ice.

Good news! Stay out of @tomsestito23 way next time “@murphyslaw74: Agent: Nathan Horton healthy, ready to play espn.go.com/blog/boston/br…”
— Scott Norton (@NortonSports) November 10, 2012

Former Sioux Oshie and Stafford make the Top-40 Fantasy Hockey Right Wing Rankings

First off, that is a pretty good selection of WCHA talent – in Top-40 Fantasy Hockey Right Wing Rankings – there are two Badgers, two Sioux and two Gophers – it’s a shame that the old WCHA is breaking up after this season and becoming the nWCHA.

That being said, I am not sure how anyone can rank Winnipeg Jets sand former Minnesota Gopher Blake Wheeler as the 15th best Right Wing in the NHL – even if it is just for fantasy hockey. Seriously and no really?

I would also question whether Wheeler is a better fantasy player than Dany Heatly, Drew Stafford or even T.J. Oshie for that matter. The reason I say this is that I watched him play for two and three quarter season with the Boston Bruins and a team just doesn’t trade away a first round draft choice unless his game is flawed.

I am speaking big picture here – like I mentioned in another blog post, I have watched a lot of hockey over the last 10-15 years and I have never seen a bigger bodied player in the NHL that was as soft as Blake Wheeler is. The Bruins wanted him to work on that aspect of his game as well. I would take Oshie just for the physical aspect that he brings to the game. In the fantasy hockey groups that I am in penalty minutes and hits have counted.

This isn’t a concept that also disappeared when he left the Boston Bruins either. This is what the a blogger from the Artic Ice Hockey Bettman's Nightmare, had to say about Wheeler.

Though not the kind of big-body player that plays the physical game, nor parks in front of the net, I think the pros far outweigh the cons with Wheeler's game. Did I mention he's not afraid to block some shots?

That begs the question, since we’re talking about right wings. I you had to pick a right wing as your first over-all pick for your fantasy hockey team, who would be your first pick? Why? My first pick would be Tyler Seguin because I think that he has an amazing upside.

1. COREY PERRY
2. TYLER SEGUIN
3. Marian Hossa (inj.)
4. JOE PAVELSKI - Wisconsin
5. PHIL KESSEL - Minnesota
6. Marian Gaborik (inj.)
7. PATRICK KANE
8. JORDAN EBERLE
9. ERIK COLE - Clarkson
10. DUSTIN BROWN
11. MARTIN ST. LOUIS - Vermont
15. BLAKE WHEELER - Minnesota
19. DANY HEATLEY - Wisconsin
22. T.J. OSHIE - North Dakota
25. NATHAN HORTON
34. DREW STAFFORD - North Dakota

Big day in Hockey....

18, Nathan Horton, Bruins RW Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins, December 18, 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the middle of the dog day of summer  - when we should be thinking about which watering hole we should be cooling ourselves off in - there are actually quite a few hockey stories... It's hot summer days like this that makes hockey fans long for the hockey season.

First off, the Boston Bruins got some Boston Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid and forward Nathan Horton have been cleared to resume contact.

Douglas Flynn, NESN.COM --- There was also positive news to report for the players Julien will have at his disposal in the coming season, with general manager Peter Chiarelli offering optimistic updates on all of the Bruins recovering from injuries suffered last season.

The biggest of those is top-line forward Nathan Horton, who suffered his second concussion in less than a year on a hit from Philadelphia's Tom Sestito on Jan. 22. Horton did not play again last season, but Chiarelli confirmed that the rugged winger should be ready to go when the Bruins get back on the ice.

"Nathan Horton has been cleared for contact," Chiarelli said. "And by all accounts from our medical staff will be ready to play when it's time to play." Horton's first season in Boston ended in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final when he suffered a concussion on Aaron Rome's late hit.

After a slow start, he had returned strong from that injury with 17-15-32 totals in just 46 games last year, putting him on a 30-goal pace before suffering his second concussion in Philadelphia. Horton's absence had a ripple effect throughout the lineup and contributed to Boston's struggles to score at times, most notably in the first-round loss to Washington in the playoffs.

His return to the lineup, and his return to his pre-injury form, will be a key for the Bruins in the upcoming season.

The Bruins will also benefit from the return of defenseman Adam McQuaid, who has been "completely cleared" to return from his season-ending concussion, according to Chiarelli. The Bruins GM also noted that the oblique injury that hampered center Patrice Bergeron in the postseason will not be an issue going forward. "

In case we need to have our memory refreshed this hit by the Flyers Tom Sestito on Nathan Horton that took out Horton for the rest of the season. I believe that getting Horton back is like a free agent pickup for the Boston Bruins.



In one of the more shocking hockey news stories of the day - the Nashville Predators matched the Philadelphia Flyers ridiculous and expensive offer sheet. In my opinion, it was nice to see the Predators step up and match the Flyers offer sheet. It's kind of a thumb in the eyes for the Flyers.

Nashville, Tenn. (July 24, 2012) – In the most important hockey transaction in franchise history, Nashville Predators Chairman Tom Cigarran, President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile and CEO Jeff Cogen announced today that the team has matched the 14-year, $110 million offer sheet between the Philadelphia Flyers and defenseman Shea Weber, insuring that the Predators' captain will remain with the franchise for the next 14 years. The decision to enter into the largest contract in franchise history was made by all parts of the organization, including ownership, hockey operations and business operations.

As the organization analyzed the overall situation and worked toward a conclusion, the decision boiled down to three questions:

- Was Shea Weber the individual that this franchise wanted to lead our team, a team that would compete for the Stanley Cup every year, for the next 14 years?

- Would matching the offer sheet be in the best long-term interest of the team and organization?

- Would a decision not to match the offer sheet send a negative message to current Predators players and other NHL organizations, a message that the Predators would only go so far to protect its best players and be pushed around by teams with "deep pockets?"

Corvo expects Turris to answer the bell.

The @injuryninja visited the Boston Bruins again as both Joe Corvo and Johnny Boychuck left the game on Saturday night after big hits. The Chris Neil hit on Johnny Boychuck was clean, the Kyle Turris hit on Corvo was a dirty hit that warranted supplemental discipline from the NHL.

True to form the Senior VP of Player Safety and Hockey Operations Brendan Shanahan did nothing again and proved that he is no better than the guy that preceded him. Hell, let's bring back the Colin Campbell Wheel of Justice.

If we learned anything from Shanahan this season,  we have learned that if you're a player that plays for the Boston Bruins or the Minnesota Wild, don't expect the NHL to protect you, because your fair game and the NHL isn't going to do anything a player that takes a run at a player from either team. 

The Boston Bruins now have three to four players on the shelf with post concussion type syndrome. In my opinion, three of the four hits where of questionable and of the dirty variety, lets review the hits, there was the  Tom Sestito hit on Nathan Horton, the sneaky elbow by Hal Gill on  Richard Peverly and of course the elbow by Kyle Turris on Joe Corvo (video embedded above) all questionable hits that should have warranted some kind of supplemental discipline in my opinion., I mean the could have at least humored us and given the offenders the max fine.

This morning while I was reading my twitter feed today I saw this tweet come up today. Apparently, Joe Corvo is expecting Kyle Turris to answer the bell and fight him on Tuesday Night. That ought to be an entertaining slap feast that will be an instant non classic on Youtube.com

Personally, I would rather see Milan Lucic beat Kyle Turris to a pulp so the Boston Bruins can send a mess that it's not acceptable to run one of their players, especially if the League isn't going to protect them.

With all of the talk from the hand wringing puritans that want to  banning fighting in the NHL, lets point out to them, that none of the four players listed above suffered a head injury from a hockey fight, three of the four player were hit and concussed with questionable, dirty checks, that I would classify as bush league and hits that need to be eliminated from the game of hockey.

Related articles

• Kyle Turris hit on Joe Corvo (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• Zdeno Chara vs. Chris Neil (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• Bruins Push Through NHL Failures (bostonwins.wordpress.com)
• Shanahan will not suspend Kyle Turris (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• Kyle Turris Not Suspended For Hit On Joe Corvo (boston.cbslocal.com)
• Turris escapes NHL discipline following head hit (theglobeandmail.com)
• Senators Go Shopping (insidehockey.com)
• Time to Move on from Joe Corvo (insidehockey.com)

Video of Tom Sestito hits on Steven Kampfer and on Nathan Horton

Tom Sestito is a known for his ability to rack up penalty minutes, today Sestito put two questionable hits on two Boston Bruin's players, both Bruins players were hit a long time after they had gotten rid of the puck.

Tom Sestito's questionable, late hit on Nathan Horton was the reason Horton had to miss the rest of the hockey game. Here is what Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julian had to say on the hit.

"He was kept out for the obvious [reasons]," Bruins coach Claude Julien said after the game. "It was kind of a head injury. He's just being reevaluated right now. That's basically all we know and that's as far as we've gone with the evaluation." [NESN.COM]

It would not be an understatement to say that this was a nasty game and there were three fights and a six fighting majors handed out during today's game. Milan Lucic worked over Tom Sestito at the 01:24 mark of the first period.

Habs spared the wrath of Lucic, Lucic suspended for one game

After watching the NHL Senior Vice President of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan and his ruling today I have come to the conclusion that there is no consistency in his ruling. Milan Lucic was suspended today for boarding Flyer goon Zac Rinaldo. Rinaldo didn't even think the hit deserved a penalty on the play.
Lucic drew a five-minute major and game misconduct, yet Rinaldo doesn’t feel that was warranted.

“It’s hockey, you hit and go into the boards, I don’t think it was dirty at all,” Rinaldo said. “Shoulder-to-shoulder and just momentum. He’s big guy, maybe double my weight. His momentum carried him into the boards awkwardly. I don’t think it was dirty at all.”

He added: “Should–to-shoulder, that’s fine, that’s cool. I don’t mind it at all.”

Then why, after a scrum developed, did Rinaldo leave the pile trading punches with Nathan Horton?

“I don’t know, I got up and he was first one in front of my face,” Rinaldo said. “I knew I was Lucic [who hit me].” [CSNPhilly]

After watching the NHL fail to suspend Dion Phaneuf's for his hit on Zach Kassian, which was more egregious in my opinion, you would have thought that Lucic would get off without a suspension. So go forward, the fans have no clue what is going to get a players suspended and what is not.

Related articles

• Milan Lucic hit on Zac RInaldo (mvn.com)
• Will Lucic be suspended? (mvn.com)

Milan Lucic hit on Zac RInaldo

Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for this hit on Flyers forward Zac Rinaldo. In looking at the video, and watching the game, I don't think you will see a suspension to Milan Lucic.

The reason I say that I don't think that Lucic will be suspended is that last night Toronto Defenseman Dion Phaneuf  buried Buffalo Forward Zack Kassian into the boards and wasn't suspended. In my opinion that hit was worse than Lucic's hit on Rinaldo. So I don't see a this and there was no suspension given to Phaneuf.

I know that if Lucic isn’t suspended by the NHL we are going to hear the conspiracy theorist claim that the NHL is in bed with the Bruins because Colin Campbell’s son Gregory plays for the Boston Bruins, however, I don’t think this hit is suspension worthy.

After Milan Lucic's questionable hit on Flyers goon Zac Rinaldo, who has been in eight fights this season, goes after and challenges Bruins forward Nathan Horton to a fight. As a Bruins fan, I get a little worried  seeing one of the Bruins top six forwards, who has suffered a concussion in the past year, fighting an experienced fighter like Rinaldo. Rinaldo (1g-4a—5pts) is a cement head and is on the ice for one thing. Rinaldo is there to fight and cause havoc, you would think he should have challenged Lucic to the fight.

Related articles

• Dion Phaneuf plants Zack Kassian into the boards. (mvn.com)

Lucic involved in incident with girl friend in North End of Boston.

Image via WikipediaRight away when I read the newspaper article about this incident, it does send up a few warning flags, especially after what has happened this summer.

Boston Herald --- Stanley Cup hero Milan Lucic was questioned by police early yesterday after he and his girlfriend got into an altercation in the North End.

According to a police report of the incident, the Bruins [team stats] left winger was “highly intoxicated and hostile” after he and his galpal argued outside a Starbucks on Commercial Street shortly before 1:30 a.m.

Witnesses told police the 6-foot-4, 220-pound hockey player was yelling at his girlfriend, who was on the ground, and at one point threw her shoes and purse at her. However, the woman told police she was not physically assaulted and “was adamant about not being harmed,” the report states. Police “did not observe any visible injuries,” the report says, and Lucic was not charged.

Related articles

• Bruins' Lucic made Cup available to Vancouver hockey fans (canada.com)
• Bruins' Lucic made Cup available to Vancouver fans (canada.com)
• Boston Bruins: Milan Lucic Brings Cup Home to Vancouver, Locals Get Angry (bleacherreport.com)
• Boston Bruin Milan Lucic Comes Through for Hockey Collectors One More Time (paniniamerica.wordpress.com)
• Boston's Milan Lucic to host Stanley Cup at private Vancouver event (thehockeynews.com)

#believeinboston - The Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup

I honestly don't know what to say, I am experiencing all kinds of emotions, I am sure many Boston Bruins fans are especially the ones that are my age... I have followed the Boston Bruins since the 1988 season when I was stationed at Fort Devens, Massachusetts as a soldier in the U.S. Army, a woman I was dating at the time introduced me to the Boston Bruins, I have followed them religiously since. As a Boston Bruins fan I have witnessed the lean years and I have seen some very bad Boston Bruins teams come and go. I can remember the cup runs in the late 1980's and early 1990's that ended in bitter defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.

Fast forward to this years Stanley Cup playoffs, the so called "hockey pundits" the "flat bellied experts" never gave the Boston Bruins a chance, they had all but given the Stanley Cup to the Vancouver Canucks before they had even played a game in the Stanley Cup Finals. Yeah! How did that work for you? The Boston Bruins not only won the cup but they out scored the Canucks 23-8, breaking it down further, Tim Thomas stopped 201 of 209.  In the four games that the Bruins won against the Canucks the Boston Bruins made Roberto Luongo look human.

I believe that the turning point in this series was when Aaron Rome knocked Nathan Horton out with this bush league check. The Canucks woke the sleeping bear and ended up losing four out of the last five games.

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Nathan Horton dumps Garden water on the ice...

Must have been something in that water.

The Boston Bruins against the World...

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThis article is also worth a look. I would imagine it’s not as accurate as the author claims, I know a lot of fans from the Western Conference hate the Vancouver Canucks, if you don’t believe me just ask Wild and Blackhawks fans, add to the fact that a lot of hockey fans hate the on ice antics of the Vancouver Canucks.

Jonah Keri; GQ ---- "WE WANT THE CUP!"

Of course you want the Cup. Everyone wants the Cup.

They want it in Buffalo, where snake-bitten fans have seen their dreams crushed for decades. They want it in Minneapolis and St. Paul, where two different franchises have struggled in vain to get close. They want it in Winnipeg, 15 years after the Jets left town, months before a new, nameless team takes the ice.

If any of those teams win Lord Stanley's grail, that would be fine with the hockey world. Those cities have seen enormous sports heartbreak, their spirits deflated as they trudge through January blizzards waiting for their shot at the big one. If a parade runs through Chippewa Street next summer, mazel tov. They'll deserve it.

But you, Bruins fans? No one wants you to have it.

Oh sure, there are plenty of perfectly good reasons to jump on the Bruins bandwagon. This is an anonymous, lunch pail-carrying team. Only one Bruin cracked 30 goals this season, and he's a gritty two-way player from Vancouver who goes by Looch. One of their best players is a 21-year NHL veteran, also from B.C., still going strong at 43. Boston's goalie was a 217th overall draft pick, toiled for years in the minors and in Europe, didn't become a starter until age 31, and six years later might be the best netminder on the planet.

This series should have reinforced pro-Bruins sentiment. Vancouver's Alex Burrows biting Patrice Bergeron's fingers was a punk move, one that would have been handled with a flurry of right hooks to the head if this were 30 years ago and the game hadn't turned away from fighting. Maxim Lapierre's Game 2 taunt, where he stuck his fingers in Bergeron's face and dared him to bite back, wasn't much better.

And there's The Hit. Five minutes into Game 3, Aaron Rome lined up Nathan Horton, watched him get rid of the puck, took three strides, dipped his shoulder, leapt for the head, and blew him up. However you felt about the hit, you had to feel for Horton, laid out on the ice, his teammates and 17,565 spectators looking on in horror, medics fumbling with a stretcher, trying to stabilize the big Ontarian before the frantic ride to Mass General.

The Bruins responded with eight goals in the final two periods. After the game, they placed The Jacket—an old Bruins warmup awarded to a player who made a special contribution to that night's victory—in Horton's locker. The last player to receive The Jacket was also Horton, after his game-winning goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. This was Win One for the Gipper stuff, the 1970 Willis Reed-inspired Knicks crossed with the '93 Islanders rallying after Dale Hunter cheapshotted Pierre Turgeon's shoulder into oblivion.

And you know what? We're still not rooting for you.

No one in Canada wants you to win, of course. Not when a Canadian team might bring the Cup back home for the first time in 18 years.

But U.S. hockey fans aren't behind you either. There's none of that (slightly weird) national pride here. Flyers fans hate Boston. Rangers fans hate Boston. Casual hockey fans in Boise or Mobile are, at best, indifferent about Boston.

You know what everyone really hates? When Boston fans complain about The Drought. The Bruins haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1972. Old-timers get weepy for Orr and Esposito and Bucyk, wish for one more Cup before they die.

Sure, Boston was once a suffering sports town. Injuries derailed Larry Bird's career, and Lenny Bias' tragic death sent the Celtics into mediocrity for nearly two decades. The mismanaged Red Sox ran out a series of bloated, overpaid veterans, only to see the rest of the division—Toronto, Baltimore, and the hated Yankees—stomp all over them. Curse or not, 86 years without a title would wound any sports fan. The Patriots? They just sucked. So yeah, those were tough times for Boston sports fans.

Now? You sound like the douchebag who bitches that, after the three-bedroom in Tribeca, the place in the Hamptons, the kids' boarding school, the annual trips to Paris and Aruba, the four cars, and two alimonies, you've barely got enough left for that third bottle of Dom at Per Se.

The vast, vast, vast majority of Bruins fans are also Sox fans, C's fans, and Pats fans. The Celtics won the city's most recent title, in 2008. If the Bruins win the Cup this year, the Boston pro sports team with the longest championship drought will be the Patriots, who won the Super Bowl in...2004.

Meanwhile, the Canucks have existed for 41 years and haven't won jack. Vancouver had an NBA team once. They were run into the ground by an incompetent stooge, then shipped off to Memphis.

We hope Nathan Horton makes a full recovery. We feel for the 12 Bruins fans who've shunned the city's other franchises and waited nearly 40 years for their shot.

Related articles

• The Vancouver Canucks Are In Trouble! (sports.gunaxin.com)
• Bruins Vs. Canucks, Game 5: Boston Has Momentum, But Vancouver Returns Home (sbnation.com)
• Bruins know they haven't won anything yet (aol.sportingnews.com)
• Stanley Cup Finals Game 5: Vancouver Canucks need Sedin twins to shine against Boston Bruins (fanatix.com)

Hockey losing its luster? Hardly!!!

Image via WikipediaThis is an interesting article that I totally disagree with. Hockey is and always will be a niche sport; some people are never going to like the sport of hockey, I get it. I don’t have a problem with the product on the ice what-so-ever. I think the problem is some higher ups in the NHL are trying to sell hockey to the regular public and I think that is doing the NHL a disservice. You're either a fan of the game of hockey or you're not.

Personally, I enjoy the scrums, the hockey code, the fights and other stuff (some people call it B.S.) that goes on in the game of hockey. The only things I would like to see changed is rule 48 and the NHL’s instigator rule. To also suggest that it’s just Canada’s game is also preposterous; there are many of us that like the game of hockey in the USA as well. Americans that like the game of hockey are just as worthy and deserving as our friends to the north.

That being said, I don’t have a problem with relocation of current failing NHL franchises to areas like Hamilton and Quebec City. The relocation of some NHL franchises to more NHL friendly areas seems like a no brainer to me as well. I don't think hockey is losing it's luster, NHL hockey is just correcting a few of the mistakes it's made in the past but is other wise an already a really great product.

Todd Babiak, Edmonton Journal ---- On Wednesday night, like Monday night, there was no sign in our neighbourhood the Stanley Cup finals were on.

Kids in bright jerseys tromped every free blade of grass and every dandelion to play soccer, laughing and whooping, in front of their parents and volunteer coaches.

A man sat inside the Strathcona Community League, listening to the game on the radio, but few of us bothered to ask the score.

Both nights, my wife and I hustled our daughters home to catch the second and third periods.

We arrived in time Monday to watch the nauseating replays of Aaron Rome's hit on Nathan Horton and the ensuing blowout and goonery.

On Wednesday night, we were treated to ankle slashes, fights and mini-fights, dirty play at the benches and maybe two minutes of what we actually wanted to watch: talented athletes amazing us with their skill and elegance and cleverness, accomplishing something extraordinary.

A lot of us are talking about Rome's late hit on Horton, as it's difficult to wipe away the image of a young man unknowingly clawing at the air in the midst of a severe concussion.

A lot of other people, lifelong hockey fans, are talking about how they made an unexpected and inexplicable decision not to bother watching the Stanley Cup playoffs, even with all this rare Canadian content.

They just didn't feel like it.

The sport is in trouble in the southern half of the U.S. So Winnipeg is a real hockey town again.

There are high hopes for Hamilton and Quebec City. The NHL's great experiment with brand extension that has its roots in Aug. 9, 1988, the day Wayne Gretzky announced he would now be playing for the Los Angeles Kings, is coming to an end.

The Vancouver Canucks are in the finals. Let's get used to it. It's our game again.

Time to change Rule 48 now!!!

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeWhen I heard about this change yesterday I was very excited, because I am afraid that someone is going to get killed on the ice if these hits are allowed to continue going forward. I think going forward; hits to the players head need to be taken out of NHL hockey. I believe that it’s time the Raffie Torres and Matt Cookes of the world change the way they play the game of hockey.

Before I get told that I am about taking hitting out of the game, I am not, I am all for playing hard nosed physical hockey. I also believe that you can play hard nosed hockey without head hunting. Also, I am all for two willing combatants dropping the gloves and settle things like men, they know the consequences for their actions. It’s also time for the NHL leadership to take these types of hits like the one on Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook out of the game of hockey. If the game of hockey doesn’t change you’re going to have a bunch of drooling ex-hockey players walking around.

BOSTON — National Hockey League general managers will never be accused of moving hastily on the topic of blows to the head, and the Aaron Rome-Nathan Horton incident in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final hasn’t set a stampede in motion, either.

But little by little, the GMs — who met Wednesday at a downtown Boston hotel — appear to be sidling toward an acknowledgment that most head hits need to be punishable, in some fashion.

The GMs have put forth a recommendation to expand Rule 48, which deals with illegal hits to the head, by removing the words “blindside” and perhaps “north-south” as well, and appear to want the rule to cover hits to the head of any vulnerable player, anywhere on the ice.

There can be no new rule until the competition committee, NHL Players Association and Board of Governors all sign off on it.

But as for clarity, not much of it emerged Wednesday

Boston Bruins even the series

I thought it was funny when I saw Canucks fans saying that the Vancouver Canucks were going to beat the Bruins four games to nothing before the series had even moved to Boston. This Boston Bruins team has faced a lot of adversity this season and has proved they are not just going to roll over and let the Canucks beat them. For the people that think that the Bruins can't win this series they are delirious. Now the series is a best two out of three games.

The Boston Bruins proved to be a tough, miserable team to play against, the Bruins were mean and nasty as they out muscled the Canucks and beat them to ever puck, up and down the ice. The Bruins finished the last two game at the TD North Garden by putting a beat down on the Vancouver Canucks out scoring the Diving Vancouver Canucks 12-1 in two games. Roberto Luongo has been absolutely brutal during the last two games in Boston.

Five things to think about...

1.) What will the Canucks fans whine about tomorrow?
2.) Where was this Bruins team the first two games?
3.) Thomas > Luongo...
4.) The Canucks are a bunch of diving frauds.
5.) Who starts in net for the Canucks?

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Henrik Sedin; suspension was too harsh; Sedin the latest to get it wrong...

Listening to Sedin sister Henrik you would think that Vancouver Canucks defenseman Aaron Rome is the victim in this situation. Maybe Henrik should grab some perspective and look at this situation from a different perspective/angle. Imagine if one of the big, bad, mean, Boston Bruins; say a defenseman with the name Johnny Boychuk had smoked your brother Daniel Sedin at the blue line and he was lying on the ice knocked out, his season ended prematurely from an unnecessary and illegal hit and then carried off the ice on a stretcher; then would you still think that the suspension was too harsh? I highly doubt it, you would probably applaud it.

Question for the Canucks fans

I ask the many Vancouver Canucks fans that have visited my blog in the last week, would the suspension be too harsh if it was a skilled Vancouver Canucks player that had been knocked out for the rest of the Stanley Cup Finals by a 6th defenseman? Do we really think that hit should go unpunished and why isn’t a four game suspension warranted? If your still not seeing the point, think of the trade off, your team’s 6^th ranked defenseman that has one point in 14 games (1g-0a-1pts) has taken out a player Nathan Horton (8g-9a-17pts) ... I think a four game suspension is about right.