Re: The NHL Thread
 

Louongo and Iginla are on pace to join Ryan Smyth on the list of my favourite players to never win a cup.

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Very happy for Tavares, he deserves it. Probably the most underrated elite player in the game.

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Thanks for the kind words. JT is just the man and happy he helped get the monkey off the team's back and got us to the next round. Of course, I know how good he is but now hopefully, others will know and he will get the credit he deserves. JT along with Greiss carried this team and we will need more production from everyone going forward, especially with another injury as Bailey played only 4 minutes before leaving.

What bothers me a little is that all I'm seeing on various NHL Facebook pages are comments about how we were handed the series by the refs. Specifically, everyone is complaining how that wasn't a penalty for tripping against Trochek when the net was empty. The refs let so much go from both sides all series but that how playoff goes most often. Panthers had the edge in play this series but the better team doesn't always win these games. We won 3 OT games and showed heart, grit and determination to win these games. We had the 2 best players in the series and they were the difference.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Speaking of refs, I finally got to take good, detailed looks at the two egregiously bad calls in yesterday's game. And I gotta say, I think Ian Walsh may have reffed his way right out of round two. Normally, I don't beef with referees as I believe it's an incredibly difficult game to call.

But that said, I do know the league awards playoff games to refs based on performance, and I really think those back to back calls against the Caps yesterday were jaw droppingly bad. I can understand how he got the Backstrom call wrong. Regardless, awarding a four minute powerplay when there clearly was no infraction of any kind isn't a good look. But it's a quick play and it can't be reviewed and Walsh wasn't exactly close when he made the call. So I get it.

But to then follow it up immediately with another call that's also clearly not an infraction, effectively giving the team you just incorrectly awarded a powerplay to a full two minute 5 on 3, that's pretty much unacceptable. If you watch the Niskanen call, it's plain as day that his stick never made contact with Simmonds' hands or body. The frustrating part is this one happened directly in front of Walsh, like there wasn't anything closer to the play in the entire building than Ian Walsh.

Again, we won, so whatever. And I almost always give the refs the benefit of the doubt (see: my thought on the Backstrom incident in this very post). Honestly it was more the second call on Niskanen that did it for me. That's not acceptable officiating. One would have to think he's called his final game for this postseason.

Also, fyi, Ian Walsh is originally from Philadelphia. I'm not saying anything, I'm just saying. Hmmm.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

hate to see FLA let that late goal in. bummer. ~54 seconds away from a home game 7, now they're golfing.

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I'm already dreading tonight.

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Enjoy every minute of it man. NHL has one of the most grueling playoff systems out there so celebrate every win. So many ups and downs for the fans. The deeper your team goes the more you hang on to every win and even the loss of a game is rough. Just have fun with it and if your team ends up the last one standing and you see you captain holding up the cup - well shit, that feeling is absolutely amazing.

Yup, the World Cup in soccer is the only thin that compares and they only do that every 4 years - I doubt I will ever live to see the US win that one - the men anyhow.

Yeah, you and me both. I know I got the Caps and Stars right, hopefully Chicago and Anaheim get me another 2 correct picks tonight. Pretty sure I picked the Wings for my upset, the Kings blew it for me as did the Rangers. Can't recall who I picked in the Florida series though.

Damn this will be a long day waiting for game 7 puck drop in St. Louis later tonight!!!!!

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My bracket is ok. 1-1 out west and 3-1 in the East. Hawks and Ducks winning would put me at 6-2.

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Oh good lord it's World Penguin Day? The fuck is that made up nonsense?

Fuck a penguin

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:lol

How could you hate on these faces:

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I was really hoping it was pictures of Crosby and Geno :lol

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:lol I thought about it for a second.

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I could end up 6-2 also but that is only if I picked the Isles and was wrong in my memory and picked the Bolts - then the Hawks and Ducks have to slam the door tonight. Lot of ifs there, should have written my picks down - hell I don't even have the link to the picks site Sarah set up to check!

Be rather tough unless you have a string bean swinging between your legs. :lol

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The day of the game while you are waiting for the puck drop is tougher than the game itself for fans in a game 7. You have so much time to think worst case scenario and examine how your team can get it done, how they can blow it, what changes they might make, how the opponent might change to counter your moves, etc, etc. At least once the puck drops old habits kick in and you just sit there watching, cheering for your team, getting frustrated one moment and uplifted the next - basically you just sit watching two good team go at it because there is nothing you can do to change what happens and you damn well just sit there with an odd mixture of confidence and nervousness.

Great series, glad it got to seven games and it is a shame one of these contenders is going to have their hopes extinguished tonight. I hope it does not come down to an OT but with these two teams it is certainly a possibility and is probably fitting after such an amazing series.

EDIT: How on earth are there still nearly 2,000 tickets available for this game?

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Sadly, probably because St. Louis fans have seen this show before. I would hope we would end up packing the house, but I can't say there's much optimism here right now.

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Still, I would think that tons of people would want to see this game 7 regardless of any pessimism - especially against an arch rival. I think it will be a mad house tonight in the stands. Given the relative proximity of the two cities (plus the Hawks gaining a lot of fans across the nation in the past 6 years) there will probably be plenty of Chicago fans there too, wish I had the time and money to go myself! That place will be rocking tonight!

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I wonder how much, if any, experience in game sevens is going to effect tonight's game. I know Chicago has plenty of experience with these games but I think Seabrook put it perfectly when he said "I don't think you ever learn how to play in a Game 7. I think when you play in more of them, when you get the opportunity to play in more of them, you get ... comfortable is not the right word, but you get not as nervous, I guess." Momentum is probably on Chicago's side for the outset but things change quick as we all know so experience may play a hand considering the Hawks team collectively has played in 62 games 7's (Hossa leads them all with 9) while the Blues squad has played in 'only' 14 - lead by Troy Brower who has played in 6 of them with a 2-4 record and no points. The wild card tonight may just be the coaching, Hitchcock has not coached a game 7 in a dozen years while Quenneville coached one just under a year ago on the road in Anaheim during the conference finals. Going to be a great game, I just hope the damn NHL doesn't pull that crap and show the Ducks/Preds game 6 on all their affiliates and not airing or delaying the start of this game 7.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

I was in St. Louis for the end of the game Thursday and the entire game Saturday. I really wanted to take Monday and Tuesday off, stay in STL, and go to the game but too many meetings would have had to have been rescheduled. Stupid work. :rattle

Re: The NHL Thread
 

which he lost, btw.

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Puck drop is 7:42 regardless of the Anaheim game.

I wonder how much experience plays into it as well, and I guess we'll see. That said, Q teams have historically been those that get better as the series goes on, and Hitch is the opposite.

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I would be shocked if the Blues won tonight to be honest.

Side note: The articles about the Rangers around these parts are pretty interesting. Most are saying what I did a few pages back. It is time to re-build with a new idea of how to run a team, but most likely, the will not take the steps needed to be competitive again any time soon.

If they don't make some major changes this off season it may be best if they just miss the playoffs altogether next year.

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Pepper thy angus Pens... Flying home for games 2 and 5.

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How were the islands?

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Plz don't choke Blues

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Lol. Did Hawks think Blues weren't gonna show up tonight? They are lucky to be down 1-0.

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Just hoping to see Keith throw a hissy fit tonight

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A lot of hockey left but St Louis is dominating this first period

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What a rocket by Hossa, through the legs too lol

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How many times is he gonna yell through the legs as it sails over his glove?

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Where did 29 yr old Hossa come from? Wow.