From the archives: Ridiculous Sick Nasty Hockey Goal

For serious. Top dog on the drop.

Speaking of getting crushed

These refs are pretty epic:

Fine line

At first I was disappointed in the NHL for fining and suspending Steve Downie for his hit on Ben Lovejoy while not suspending Raffi Torres (who had just returned from a lengthy suspension for a prior incident) for his hit on Brent Seabrook. But then I realized I hate the Pens (Lovejoy's team) and like the Hawks (Seabrook's team) and just wanted Downie's hit to be deemed legal as some sort of shot at the Pens. In retrospect, however, Downie clearly leaves his feet after carrying significant speed into his hit, while Torres coasts into his brutalization of Seabrook. As in all sports, the NHL is seeking to crack down significantly on concussions and thus hits to the head. But hockey cannot, should not, and will not be deprived of dude's who skate with their heads down getting crushed.

Anyway, have a look for yourself. Both pretty savage. Downie first, Torres second.

Chara vs. Pachioretty

I mean there is no question that Pachioretty got absolutely crushed into the turnbuckle, but unfortunately this is part of the game. The turnbuckle has been a poor piece of engineering in hockey rinks all around the world, and players sometimes use that as leverage. Did Chara try to guide Pachioretty's face into the turnbuckle/stantion area? His past record says that he did not; Chara has never been penalized for any sort of malicious conduct on the ice, and therefore he did not receive a suspension. Did Pachioretty take a risk by trying to turn the corner on Chara in front of the turnbuckle? Yes, and he paid for it. I think both players had a stake in this play.



When you slow it down, it looks really bad. Chara is 6' 9" (about 7' 1" on skates), the guy doesn't have a whole lot of maneuverability out there, and even if he wanted to I don't know if he could have slowed up. He was just trying to put the guy into the boards and unfortunately Pachioretty caught the turnbuckle. It's been a part of the game for years. I actually think Chara should have been suspended for a few games, to set an example. The NHL is already on thin ice (oh!) with the concussion problems that it's going through, and this could have been a great step to take in the right direction.

While in the car yesterday, I caught a simulcast of a Montreal radio station and our own 98.5 The Sports Hub. Felger and Mazz went on the air with a couple of Montreal media members and discussed the hit. Felger was somewhat well-behaved until the topic of the Montreal police investigation came up, then he went off and started calling people in Montreal "yahoos" and "frauds." Pretty funny. One of the best parts was when one of the Montreal radio hosts brought up the Kyle McLaren hit on Richard Zednik in the 2002 playoffs (MON vs. BOS).



McLaren absolutely decimated Zednik with a high hit (who was also carrying the puck into the zone), and the guy mentioned that he remembers being at the Boston Garden for that game and how the situation was such that the Boston crowd thought that the hit was clean. Turns out that the game was played in Montreal, the guy wasn't even there. What a joke.

Anyway, if you have time you can download the free podcast here ("Simulcast with CJAD..."). It's worth it, very entertaining.

College Barns

A man with his finger on the pulse of the world and an uncanny ability to mix rum into a 20 oz Coke bottle at college hockey rinks, Thos. Ace pointed TCD to the Wall Street Journal's subjective ranking of college hockey barns. Some buildings are familiar to TCD, such as Yale's Ingalls Rink (Best Design)



and U Maine's Alfond Arena (Best Atmosphere).



TCD would like to add a special shout out to Dayton Arena, former home of Bowdoin's hockey teams. A photo of appropriate D3 size is below. Check out the journal article and the sweet slide show here.

Heighties hockey hits

This video is so 80s (and possibly early 90s) in so many ways. First of all, the NHL is cracking down on the types of hits that are the epicenter of this clip. Then there are the jerseys, teams, equipment, players, and the fact that the Islanders seem to be portrayed as a quality franchise. But it is the soundtrack that really seals the deal. As always. Enjoy and thanks to Don Cherry.

Aftermath

The two attention-seeking dudes sitting behind me at Saturday night's B's v. Caps game thought it would be fun to hop the glass and get on the ice. It was entertaining, but spending a Saturday night at the Nashua Street Jail does not sound sweet.

Also seen in South Central this past weekend

Barry Melrose's hair is so prolific, you can ALMOST make it out in this gross shot of the broadcasting booth at Ingalls Rink in New Haven, Connecticut. He covered the new number one ranked college hockey team in the land's dominating victory over then number 13 ranked Union on Sunday in The Have. Yale, who sports the nation's highest scoring offense, took down the Dutchmen 4-0.



A better look at the Bulldogs and their rad home.

Pyramid Scheme

The Rangers faced off against this guy t-minus one minute ago. Yikes...

Elm City #18!

New Haven, truly a jewel of the eastern seaboard, ranks 18th on the latest list of the FBI's most dangerous cities. The Lou, as in St. Louis, took the top spot, while the Dirty Have barely beat out it's I-91 neighbor Hartford by a spot. The most disappointing thing about this is that New Haven is allegedly more dangerous than Newark, NJ. I operate in the middle of New Haven and refuse to step foot in Newark (well, really New Jersey generally except when I have to visit Phil) so I am not sure what this all means.

But what I do know is that New Haven is a pretty sweet place to live (at least one TCD fan who also happens to be my roommate - weird coincidence - would agree) and also ranks on the following important lists:

Birthplace of the hamburger
First (and best?) pizza in the US
#3 ranked college hockey team in the land

Did I Call That Or Did I Call That?

Yes. Hawks in six. Peace out Grossadelphia and thanks for playing. Too bad your goalie decided to make like the Jeremy Shockey of NHL stoppers and make all of the tough plays but none of the easy ones. Because I know you want it I'll offer some more in depth analysis in the coming days (questionable claim), but it feels too good not to rip on Slimedelphia right now. How awkward was it to watch all of the Philly fans hang out while the Hawks skated around with the Cup? I thought it was hilarious when the announcers reflected on the respect the Flyer's fans were showing by staying at the arena as Flyer fans rained down boos down on Lord Stanley, Gary Bettman, and the Hawks. Remember, nothing classy comes from a fan base that once boo'ed Santa. But at least it pleased me to see them bask in their own misery. Ok enough.

Somethings that stood out.

1) The Blackhawks are fast. Especially Kane and Toews. Really fast. And young. Really young. They'll be back for more.
2) The Flyers' forecheck is relentless and scary good.
3) Danny Briere can shoot the lights out.
4) Chris Pronger is a total b*tch. Until he plays for the Rangers.
5) Kane's Cup clincher was a softie. Kind of like Crosby's gold clincher in some ways.
6) Dan Patrick made Roenick cry at the end.
7) Self aggrandizement time. Everyone should comment on how great my prediction skills are by clicking on the comment box and leaving a note. As I see it I nailed the Cup - winner and games - and picked Bodie to win a downhill medal. Hardly breakthrough stuff, but pretty solid. Phil will thank me in his next analytics update to staff. If that ever happens.

Perspective

Ian Laperriere is one crazy and tough SOB. Dude took a slap shot to the face last night in the Flyers series clinching victory over the hated and pathetic Devils. The ESPN rumor mill is spinning with the tale that he required 60-70 stitches...or between 54-64 stitches more than the errant bottle thrower forced me to receive last weekend. I contemplated posting the video of the incident, but it's pretty bloody and it looks more like Laperriere got shot by a sniper in the rafters than a cranker off the stick of Paul Martin. It's available on youtube if you're into that thing. Ccheck out a post-game picture of his dome below.

Sidebar. To the dude who tossed the bottle that clunked me on the head: Karma is a biatch.

Ryan Miller

The highlights (data) will be posted tomorrow to (re)confirm this, but in case you had any doubt after the Olympics, Ryan Miller is the best goalie in the NHL. In fact, he is the best player in the NHL (sorry Alex Ovenchicken, Mr. Miller doesn't have off nights). Actually, at this moment he might be the best player at his position in professional sports. I will defer final judgement based on the degree to which Lebron has to carry the Cavs and how far he actually carries them, but MIller just robbed the Bruins of three unquestionable game-winning goals in the first overtime of tonight's Game 4 matchup.

The Bruins are out skating the Sabres all over the ice, but Miller somehow bails out his teammates at every turn.

Turn this game on. B's about to go on the power play.

Pleasing Arena Name

Somehow the Phoenix Coyotes - a franchise that filed for bankruptcy less than a year ago - not only made the NHL Playoffs, but also have home-ice advantage in their first round matchup versus the Detroit Red Wings. We should all be grateful because this monumental feat helps reveal to the world the name of their hockey barn. Behold the Jobing.com Arena

Oh, $%&# Canada

I am sure at some point in the not-too-distant future I will look back on this afternoon's gold medal tilt between the US and Canada and appreciate the game for what it was - absolutely epic. But, when your least favorite player on your nation's most bitter hockey rival scores the winner in OT in a game your team should have stolen, it's tough to bask in any existential sporting glory. Although I watched the 100% terrible Closing Ceremonies with amusement, it did little to lessen the blow of this heartbreaking loss. The young US team was a lot of fun to watch and it was fantastic to witness their relentless drive overwhelm some of the world's best goalies in this tournament - Broduer, Kiprusoff, Backtrom, Luongo. And speaking of goalies, the US would have been miles from this game and that overtime if it was not for the incredible Ryan Miller. What an outstanding performance from a classy guy.

Now, rather severe Olympic withdrawal sets in. It's hard to think about life without incessant curling, skiing and hockey. These particular Winter Games saved itself in the end and was really quite fantastic. Except for the hockey result. This one will sting. At this point, March Madness cannot come soon enough.

In other news, I leave tomorrow for China to represent TCD and our country in a campaign to spread Freedom at an Olympic level. If China doesn't close the interwebz while I am there, I will hopefully be able to provide some color on what should be an interesting experience. Until then, even then, and always - Stars and Stripes Forever!

I Had To

BIG win in hockey tonight. Hopefully more to come from the USA, it gets TOUGH from here.



Photo courtesy of Christopher Einhorn.

This W is particularly sweet because Brodeur played like crap. His "great saves" were really not that great (Emerick loves Marty and remains a very quality announcer despite calling Devil's games during the season) and at least two of those goals were on him. Probably three. It was so pleasing to see him doing a lot of what's pictured below. Suck it, Marty.



Photo courtesy of the interwebz

Most importantly, Ryan Miller is straight up nasty. A Miller/USA v. Lundqvist/Sweden final would be an epic matchup. The question remains whether or not the Americans (and even the Swedes) have the forwards to skate with Russia and America Jr. when a few more pucks bounce the Canadian way. The Crosby-Nash-Iginla (Team Gross Mayo on French Fries) line is terrifying and the Ovechkin-Malkin-Semin/Datsyuk (Russia) line gives me nightmares. Broduer sucks.