Goon's World

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Breaking down the stats from the Bruins magical season.

VANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 15: Tim Thomas #30 of th...

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThe Boston Bruins made NHL history last night with their first Stanley Cup Championship in 39 years. The Boston Bruins needed three (3X) game sevens to win the 2011 Stanley Cup, with that accomplishment the Bruins were the first team in history to do this.

The Boston Bruins' All World goalie and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Tim Thomas had shutouts in those two of three game sevens (Eastern Conference and the Stanley Cup Finals).

Boston Bruins faced adversity in the Stanley Cup Playoffs

It would not be an understatement to say that the Boston Bruins faced a bit of adversity during the Stanley Cup Playoffs; first Patrice Bergeron missed two games with a concussion after he was knocked out by a hit from Flyers forward Claude Giroux in game four of the Eastern Conference Semi Finals between the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers and missed the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals against Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Boston Bruins also suffered a major blow when they lost one of their top six forward after Vancouver Defenseman Aaron Rome knocked out Nathan Horton at the blue line in the first period of game 3 with a questionable and unneeded hit. That bush league hit seemed to wake the Slumbering Bear as the Boston Bruins won 4 out of 5 games from that moment on.

Cutting it close with no margin for error

How close did the Bruins make it; breaking it down further, the Boston Bruins went down two games to none (2-0) in two for their four series they played during the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Before you dismiss that fact, that is no small feat, the Boston Bruins had to win two games on the road in a hostile building in Montreal just to get back into the Eastern conference quarterfinals of the Stanley Cup playoffs. But it didn't stop there; the Boston Bruins also went 3-0 in overtime in their series with the Montreal Canadians, winning one of the games in overtime in Montreal. Overall, the Boston Bruins were 4-1 in overtime during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they lone loss came in game two of the Stanley Cup Finals. I think one could say that the Boston Bruins were battle tested and faced many tests along the way.

In Tim Thomas we trust

[1], [2]While the Bruins sprinted across the ice to mob him at the buzzer, Tim Thomas tapped both goalposts, sank to his knees and rubbed the ice in front of his empty goal.

I think it’s safe to say that if it wasn’t for Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas the Bruins could have been eliminated a long time ago. Thomas became the 15th goaltender to win the Conn Smythe, Tim Thomas posted an impressive 1.98 GAA and .940 save percentage and 16-9-0 record during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Tim Thomas’ final crescendo was even more impressive as he stopped 37 of 37 shots securing his place in history as being one of the best goalies in NHL history.

Michigan a factory for All Star goalies

It would appear that Michigan is home to some of the better American goalies in the NHL. The last three goalies to win the Vezina Trophy (I don’t think that I am going out on a limb and assuming Thomas is a lock to win his second Vezina Trophy in three seasons) are both goalies are from the State of Michigan, Tim Thomas hales from Flint Michigan and fellow Olympic team mate Ryan Miller is from East Lansing, Michigan. Both All Star goalies played their college hockey at American universities; Ryan Miller was an All American at Michigan State University and Tim Thomas was an All American at the University of Vermont.

Rioting in the streets of Vancouver...

Wow! Someone needs to remind these hooligans that it's only a game. They say a few bad apples ruin the whole barrel. The sad part is that this is one thing that will be remembered from the Stanley Cup Finals how a bunch of the Vancouver Canucks entitlement fans and bad seeds ruined a cities image.

#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.

CBC's 2011 NHL Playoffs Montage

s/t to our friends at the Hockey Wilderness... This one of the best parts of the Stanley Cup Finals, at the end of the deciding game CBC has a very nice, killer montage. Enjoy... The Boston Bruins are the Stanley Cup Champs.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The hand shake...

The Boston Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks kicked the crap out of each other for 7 games during the Stanley Cup Finals; there is going to be some hurt feelings. I don't think it's an understatement to say that there is probably a lot of animosity between the two teams. This is what I like about the NHL, when the final horn sounds they line up and shake hands and congratulate each other.

Nathan Horton dumps Garden water on the ice...

Must have been something in that water.

Game 7 tonight, winner takes all...

Lets get it on...

Tonight is game seven for all of the marbles. Winner takes all; the prize is Lord Stanley’s Cup… Tonight is the last game of hockey for the summer until next October. Game seven the Boston Bruins against the Whiny Vancouver Canucks. I have been accused of hating the Vancouver Canucks, you got me… I think have been pretty consistent in saying that the Canucks are a bunch of diving frauds but also a bunch of poor sports that are disrespectful to the game of hockey.

Why I hate them...

Don’t get me wrong I will give credit where credit is due; sure the Sedin Twins are very talented, I would be an idiot if I didn’t acknowledge their talents, however, their blatant diving and on the ice antics takes away from their offensive numbers and talents, all I see is a couple of Swedes dragging down NHL hockey to level of European soccer, we don’t need to see the game of hockey cheapened. If you want to watch that type of hockey, go watch the ~~NHL~~ Swedish Ice Hockey Federation where you can watch a bunch of Jofa wearing stick swinging, diving Swedes.

Frick and Frack…

Onto the other two the biggest frauds and hacks in the NHL; Maxim Lapierre and Alex Burrows are also two of the biggest frauds and hacks to ever play the game of hockey… Honestly, I am being serious... If you had any question what-so-ever all you had to do was look at the video from the last 6 games, if you’re still confused go to youtube.com and run both of these two clowns names, there is more than enough material to back up my claims. If I had been playing against these two buffoons I would have had a hard time not punching either of them in the chops.

I also applaud Tim Thomas for his response to Alex Burrows, it should have happened during game one, when Thomas had seen enough he decided to educate Mr. Burrows about the violating his crease… To the clown that suggested that Bruins goalie Tim Thomas deserved a 10-15 game suspension for Tim smacking Burrows with his carbon fiber stick, get a grip… Alex Burrows is very lucky he didn’t hack some one of Ron Hextall’s ilk, we would still be picking pieces of Burrows out of the ice if he had. But I digress.

While I admit that I am a self confessed Canucks hater, so what? I didn’t know that I was required to like the Vancouver Canucks. I have been very consistent in my previous posts leading up to this game I have also seen the main stream sports writers saying the same things. I will stand by the charge that “I believe that the Canucks are one of the most unlikable teams in recent history.” I think on could make the argument that the Vancouver Canucks could be deemed the Habs of the west. You probably know how most Boston Bruins fans feel about the Les Habitants.

Tale of three goaltenders.

Lastly between the pipes it’s Tim Thomas versus the tales of two Roberto Luongos; one version of Roberto Luongo has an impressive 1.70 GAA, .943 save percentage at Rogers arena during the Stanley Cup Finals and the other Roberto Luongo has a woeful .773 save percentage and a GAA of 8.00 + giving up a horrid 15 goals in the three games in Boston. I am wondering which version of Roberto Luongo the Boston Bruins will see tonight in game seven?

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Brad Marchand feeds Sedin...

This incident or dust up between Boston Bruins pest Brad Marchand and Sedin sister Daniel Sedin has some Canucks fans upset with Bruins forward Brad Marchand. It was another incident that I found amusing that Brad Marchand was able to hit/tap Daniel Sedin four times in the mouth in front of the ref.

What is even more classic the response by the NHL ref Kelly Sutherland on if he was going to call Marchand for a penalty. I guess the refs have seen enough of the Vancouver Canucks antics as well?

Darren Dregger; TSN ---- But late in the third period of Game 6, Brad Marchand of the Bruins punched Daniel Sedin four times and the Canucks forward did not retaliate.

Afterwards, Sedin said he'll take those punches but he did get upset when referee Kelly Sutherland separated the two players.

Sedin said he asked Sutherland why he wasn't calling a penalty and the referee responded with 'I will'. Sedin jokingly replied, 'When, after the fifth punch?'

So according to the Canucks, there is a theme that has evolved in this series.

Here is the problem; the Vancouver Canucks brought this stuff on themselves during the Stanley Cup playoffs. The buffoonery started in the first round when the Canucks GM complained about the amount of power plays that his team failed to get against the Blackhawks. The nonsense didn't stop there, the Canucks, dove, flailed, bit, taunted, threw their heads back and slashed their way through the Stanley Cup Playoffs... In addition the Vancouver Canucks mouthed off in the media and disrespected the Boston Bruins. I wonder if Roberto Luongo still wants to wants to give goaltending lessons to Tim Thomas. I just don't feel any empathy towards them and I can see why a lot of us hate them. The Boston Bruins have also responded in kind to the Canucks antics.

Sedin sister, 'We're going to win Game 7'

If I was one of the Boston Bruins captains, I would put this quote on the black board in the locker room, who does Daniel think he is; Mark Messier? While I have enjoyed the Stanley Cup playoffs I have become board with the Canucks antics and frankly I am tired of watching them after 7 games. I just hope the Bruins win their first cup since 1972.

The Vancouver Sun --- His team has managed to score just eight goals in six games, but Daniel Sedin has no doubts about the biggest game of his life on Wednesday night.

"We're going to win Game 7," Daniel said emphatically after the Canucks dropped a 5-2 decision to the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final on Monday night.

To do that, he and the rest of the Canucks are going to have to solve Boston goalie Tim Thomas.

Daniel said there is a simple explanation why the Canucks, who scored more goals than any other team this past season, haven't been able to put the puck in the net in the final.

"It's pretty easy because Tim Thomas has been outstanding," Daniel said. "Still, we're 3-3 and we won all three games at home and we have the fourth game at home. So we have the seventh game at home and we'll take that. We are confident."

No suspension for Johnny Boychuk for his hit on Mason Raymond

VANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 10: Tim Thomas #30 of th...

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeFirst off; Vancouver Canucks forward Mason Raymond it out for 3-4 months after suffering a compression fracture on his vertebrae as the result of a Johnny Boychuk hit during the first period of last night's game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Second; I would like to wish Mason Raymond a speedy recovery and that he will be able to make a return to play hockey next fall.

James Mirtle; Globe and Mail --- The Vancouver Canucks are down another body, but their opponents in the Stanley Cup final won't be for Wednesday's Game 7.

The NHL's acting disciplinarian, Mike Murphy, confirmed Tuesday that Boston Bruins defenceman Johnny Boychuk will not be suspended for his hit on Canucks winger Mason Raymond in the opening seconds of Monday's Game 6.

According to Canucks GM Mike Gillis, Raymond “sustained a vertebrae compression fracture” on the play and is expected to miss three to four months.

Murphy said via email that the league's hockey operations department reviewed the play but deemed it an "awkward collision" and not worthy of a suspension.

"[It was an] awkward collusion between two players battling for space/room," Murphy wrote. "[You] rarely see a player bumped when in the position Raymond was in (bent over forward)."

Asked about the review process, Murphy said the league reviews "all plays, especially when there is an injury."

There has been some discussion in another post on whether Boychuk should have been suspended for his hit on Mason Raymond. I just don't know? I am glad that I don't have to make that decision on whether a suspension is warranted or not. I don't think it was a malicious hit with an intent to injure and it appeared to me that Boychuk was just riding Raymond off of the puck.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Johnny Boychuk Hit On Mason Raymond - Bruins force game 7

First off, I hope that former UMD Bulldog Mason Raymond is okay. Raymond was transported to the hospital after being on the recieving end of a rough, hard, Johnny Boychuk check.

The Boston Bruins have evened their series with the Vancouver Canucks, winning by a score of 5-2 victory tonight in Boston. The Boston Bruins outscored the Vancouver Canucks 17-3 in three games in the TD North Garden. On the flip side, the Canucks won all three games in Vancouver 1-0, 3-2 and 1-0... That being said, the Vancouver Canucks have only lead for 32.32 through 6 games during the Stanley Cup Finals. The Bruins also scored two more power play goals tonight.

The Boston Bruins won tonight for just third time in 20 games when facing playoff elimination in a Game 6 while improving to 4-10 in finals elimination games. Ironically the Bruins have won two game sevens in this years Stanley Cup Playoffs. No team has ever won three game sevens in the same Stanley Cup playoffs...

Chara taps Canucks Lappierre...

Here is the video of the Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara giving Maxim Lapierre a little tap with his stick and then Vancouver Canucks ~~fraud~~ forward Maxim Lapierre flailing around like he has been shot with a .45 caliber pistol. I mean come on… Seriously, if the Canucks are wondering why they aren’t/haven’t getting the calls from the on ice officials it’s actions like this, the refs don’t know when they are actually penalties and or have chose to over look these infractions because of the Canuck’s on ice antics. I think the Canucks have no one to blame but their selves.

Here is what the Bruins Blog from the Boston Globe has to say on the matter.

Chara gives Maxim Lapierre a tap with his stick. Lapierre doubles over like he needs immediate surgery and possible amputation. The men in stripes aren't fooled.

The Canuck who cried wolf --- a good illustration on the Canucks diving…

Here is a really good article about the Vancouver Canucks frauds Alex Burrows and Maxim Lapierre. I also think after watching Alex Burrows on a regular basis during the Stanley Cup playoffs; I would have to say to some extent that NHL referee Stephane Auger might have been vindicated. The sad thing is that ~~frauds~~ hockey players like Alex Burrows and Maxim Lapierre are turning the great game of hockey games into European soccer matches.

Eric Duhatschek Globe and Mail ---- Maybe the explanation for Alex Burrows’ histrionics and for Maxim Lapierre’s theatrics is as a simple as this: A fable that so many of us listened to and absorbed lessons from - The Boy Who Cried Wolf - wasn’t part of their school curriculum.

Or it slipped through the cracks of their learning in favour of other children’s stories. Because if they did know the story, they would have identified themselves as its co-protagonists during Friday night’s fifth game of the Stanley Cup final, a 1-0 victory for their Vancouver Canucks’ team.

Lapierre, who scored the game-winning goal, appeared mortally wounded earlier in the game, when Boston Bruins’ defenceman Zdeno Chara gently nudged the blade of his stick into Lapierre’s abdominal region. As Lapierre doubled over, Chara looked on in disgust and the refereeing pair of Stephen Walkom and Dan O’Rourke solemnly stared at both the offenders and resolutely called nothing.

Burrows had a much tougher time of it because he was legitimately being fouled all night - and couldn’t draw a call if his life depended on it. It was as if all the embellishments - in this series, past series, all year long, since he arrived in the NHL - had come home to roost.

Yes, this was open season on Alex and even if a referee would never acknowledge that such a thing can happen, a message was clearly being delivered. Cease and desist, or risk further erosion of the refereeing standard in what’s left of these 2011 playoffs.

Burrows may have even absorbed the lesson - or more probably, was under strict instructions to say nothing inflammatory about the refereeing post-game Friday, even if he had a strong case to argue. Burrows answered questions for wave after wave of reporters, and it was all a riff on the same basic theme: Referees have a difficult job. They can’t see everything. They can’t call everything. Burrows offered up an anecdote from his own past, noting that when he’d refereed youth soccer, with virtually no one watching, he felt pressure.

On Saturday, it was more of the same. Prior to their departure for Game 6 in Boston, amid a loud sendoff at Vancouver International Airport, Burrows was specifically asked if his tendency to embellish made it hard to get a call.

“It doesn't matter,” he answered. “My focus is on the game. That's all.”

While one might say that I have focused on the bad things that the Vancouver Canucks have done during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and maybe I glossed over the good things. Let me be clear, the Vancouver Canucks are a great hockey team but their on ice antics make them one of the most unlikable teams I have ever watched.

Bruins just need to win and forget about the Canucks' Arrogance…

Here is an interesting story about tonight’s pivotal game 6. I have been amazed at all of the whining the Vancouver Canucks have done, from their coach complaining about the officiating in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs to the plethora of crap that we have seen in the finals.

Ricky Doyle; NESN ----
The Stanley Cup Final generally features two teams that have seen very little of each other due to playing in separate conferences. Therefore, it inherently possesses little potential for a rivalry to commence. But the Bruins and Canucks have thrown conventional wisdom out the window this Cup Final, generating a rivalry from scratch in a matter of only five games.

Who's responsible? Well, both teams are guilty of trading blows, but there isn't any question the Canucks have been the antagonists this series -- and Roberto Luongo's comments regarding Tim Thomas are just the latest example.

After shutting out the Bruins in Game 5, Luongo insisted that the lone goal that Thomas gave up in that game would have been an easy save for him. That's fine. To make such a claim is a bit bold, but it probably holds a degree of truth. The two goaltenders use completely different styles, and therefore one goaltender is going to make certain saves that the other might not necessarily make.

But it was the comments that Luongo came back with on Saturday that are troubling and downright silly.

Despite no response from Thomas between Luongo's initial comments on Friday and him speaking to the media on Saturday, the Canucks goaltender again went out of his way to take a jab, insisting that he's "been pumping [Thomas'] tires" all series and that he hasn't heard his counterpart say one nice thing about him.

This begs the question: so what? Since when did the Stanley Cup Playoffs require sucking up to your opponent over the course of a seven-game series?

Not only is it not Thomas' job -- which he eventually said when addressing the media on Sunday -- but it's even less necessary when numerous players on the Canucks have conducted themselves with such classlessness that there existed a great deal of hatred between the two teams after just one game.

In fact, the Canucks' level of arrogance has quickly catapulted them to near-Montreal Canadiens level when it comes to pure disdain in the minds of Bruins fans

Time to put all of that crap behind them, there is no need to worry about the Canucks antics on or off the ice, the Boston Bruins just need to focus on playing Boston Bruins hockey. If anything, Roberto Luongo’s comments could be used as black board material to get the Bruins fired up for tonight’s game, if they needed to be fired up. Seriously, I think the Canucks are lucky to be leading this series after being out scored 16-6 in five games.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Big Sky: ‘UND, we have a problem’

Image via WikipediaI have been out of pocket for the weekend while I was getting gas in Cando, ND yesterday I found this predictable article on the front of the Grand Forks Herald. Personally, I would've guessed that this article and the letter from the Big Sky would have come earlier.... This is why I think the Fighting Sioux nickname will never make it past next year.

Grand Forks Herald --- Leaders of the Big Sky Conference told UND President Robert Kelley this week that continued use of the Fighting Sioux name and logo as mandated by a new state law has become a “concern” for them and could jeopardize UND’s joining the conference next year.

Furthermore, the ongoing controversy “has the possibility of destroying Division I athletics at the University of North Dakota.”

Writing earlier this week on behalf of the presidents of Big Sky member schools, league Commissioner Douglas Fullerton told Kelley that the presidents “are forced to consider the ramifications of continued use of the ‘Fighting Sioux’ name” and imagery.

“When the University of North Dakota was considered and accepted for membership (on Nov. 1, 2010), this issue was (considered) ‘settled,’ ” Fullerton wrote. “The institution had reached an agreement with the NCAA and the conference accepted that agreement.

“Obviously, today there is a new reality, and the question has to be asked: Could this lead to a time when league play and possibly league membership itself could be affected?”

In a telephone interview Friday, Fullerton said the presidents “were very intense” in discussing UND’s nickname issue with Kelley June 1 and 2 at the Big Sky Conference spring meetings in Park City, Utah.

If the NCAA maintains scheduled sanctions against the school and UND loses its “ability to be a viable NCAA institution, they don’t do us much good as a conference member,” he said.

In his letter, sent Tuesday and received at UND Wednesday, Fullerton also noted that all the other Big Sky schools have relationships with Native American tribes in their regions, “and the presidents feel strongly that if forced to choose, they would support the wishes of the Sioux tribes in this dispute.”

He underscored the point in the telephone interview.

“Our schools have great relationships with tribes in their respective regions,” he said. “There is no way we cannot support the positions of the Native American tribes.”

He was asked whether the continuing controversy could cause the presidents ultimately to reject UND as a Big Sky member.

“Very easily,” Fullerton said.

While I am one of the biggest fans of the Fighting Sioux nickname and I do not want to see the University change the Fighting Sioux nickname; however, I see no way how the University of North Dakota can keep the Fighting Sioux nickname past 2012, the university's of North Dakota's other athletic programs need to have a stable athletic conference they can call a home, if not it would be the same as being a death sentence.

Unless the State of North Dakota can go back and sue the NCAA in court, which is doubtful, I don't see how the NCAA is not going to change their minds on the Fighting Sioux nickname, the organization is run by like minded goody two shoes that have long since decided that if we want to play on their play ground we have to play by these hand wringing liberals' rules.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Damien Cox: Loving these Canucks sure isn’t easy

VANCOUVER, CANADA - APRIL 30: Alexandre Burrow...

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeI am “not always” a fan of Damien Cox he is a pretty good writer but I don’t agree with his opinions on many things, this article really nails it out of the park. I think Cox is spot on when describing the Vancouver Canucks and their on ice behavior.

Damien Cox; Toronto Star ---- understand why so many screw their faces at these Canucks like they just heard Sarah Palin make another historical funny, there are many points of reference to consider.

Bringing in Max Lapierre from Montreal (via Anaheim, of course) at the trade deadline just added a trash-talking player notorious for faking injuries and fouls. As one joke goes, when Lapierre left the Canadiens, it meant Alexandre Despatie was left as the No. 1 diver in Quebec.

This is a team of Bill Barbers, and the last thing it needed for its image was another one.

Kevin Bieksa has beat up two non-fighters in the post-season, Viktor Stalberg and Patrick Marleau, and both bouts lacked any sense of honour. The head shots by Raffi Torres and Aaron Rome that left opposing players concussed at the same time the sports world in general frets about brain injuries were reckless and unnecessary.

Alex Burrows lowered the bar with his chomp on the peaceful Patrice Bergeron in Game 1, made worse by the league’s decision not to do anything about it and Lapierre’s mocking of that decision in Game 2. Burrows got into a stick-fight with Boston goalie Tim Thomas in Game 4, a fight he started.

Every game, it seems, there’s another line crossed. In Game 4, Ryan Kesler got back to his old whine-at-the-refs mode, something he’d removed from his repertoire.

Pressure and push-back does funny things, huh?

Again, the Canucks probably don’t really care how they’re remembered. They just want to win, and history will take care of itself in the Land of the Hockey Conspiracy Theory.

But if they don’t, we’ll be left to wonder if what seemed to be an inability to draw within the lines was really a tip-off that the Canucks couldn’t walk a straight one when they needed to.

I have said many of the same things during the Stanley Cup playoffs about the Vancouver Canucks; the Canucks in my opinion are one of the most unlikable teams in the NHL history, they are a bunch of whiny punks. Seriously! I don’t understand how the Bruins can keep from pounding guys like Alex Burrows and Maxim Lapierre? This two buffoons lack any sense of class and sportsmanship and I believe that their coach is in a way culpable because he has condoned their on ice behavior.

The Boston Bruins against the World...

BOSTON, MA - JUNE 08: Tim Thomas #30 of the B...

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.

Hockey losing its luster? Hardly!!!

Los Angeles Kings forward Alex Frolov makes a ...

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.

Thursday, June 09, 2011

Brad Marchand racks up the penalty minutes.

I will give you the first call, it was a penalty as Brad Marchand pulled down Canucks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, it also appears like he helped a bit too. On the next moved that ended up being a penalty the whistle has already blown when Daniel Sedin came flying in on Marchand...So what was Marchand supposed to do just let Sedin blow him up. I say good for Marchand.

Breaking down the numbers from the Stanley Cup Finals.

Image by slidingsideways via FlickrHere are some of the numbers from the Stanley Cup Final so far after four games.

The Vancouver Canucks power play has gone an unimpressive 1-22 on the power play. The Boston Bruins have scored more short handed goals (2) than the Canucks have scored on the power play.

The Boston Bruins power play which was abysmal during the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs (5-66 scored on 7.5% of their pp opportunities); have gone 3/18 (16.6%) during the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Boston Bruins have out scored the Vancouver Canucks 14-5 in this series to date.

Power outage for the Canucks...

The Canucks top line of two Swedes and an American (Sedin X2) and Ryan Kessler have a grand total of four points between the three of them.

Vancouver Canucks center Henrick Sedin has no points (0g-0a-0pts) during the Stanley Cup Finals.

Vancouver Canucks left wing Daniel Sedin has only three points (1g-2a-3pts) during the Stanley Cup Finals.

Vancouver Cancusk right wing Ryan Kessler has only one point (0g-1a-1pts) during the Stanley Cup Finals.

Unsung Bruin Hero...

Former Saint Lawrence University forward Richard Peverley has been a welcome surprise after coming over to the Boston Bruins from the Atlanta Thrasher in the Blake Wheeler trade; (4g-7a-11pts) the last two games was (2g-1a-3pts).

Goon's World Extras

Thursday, June 16, 2011

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