Jump to content

2011 Stanley Cup Finals


Taro T

Recommended Posts

I am resigned as follows: (1) I have to wake up at 630; (2) the Canucks will not score 3 on Thomas in the next 7 mins; (3) out of nowhere, there will be tons of Bruins "fans"* at HSBC next year; (4) smugness will emanate from Massachusetts Bay, across Dedham, Framingham, Swampford, Shraderbridge, Chzborough, and DeLucacester, and a lot of other really Ulstery-sounding places, and will hopefully not reach me here; (5) seriously, the Sabres need to beat the hell out of these jerkoffs next year.

 

 

*Cf. Patriots "fans" who wouldn't know Eason from Grogan, but damn, they were "lifelong fans" once the Cheat came along.

 

Nothing good has ever come out of Shraderbridge.

 

So yeah, last night I heard a random girl on the street yell out "Yeah Bears!".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it would be a mistake to think that much of the riot has anything to do with hockey.

These are the same punks that show up at the W.T.O. in Toronto and any other large gathering where they can cause mayhem. I watched most of the coverage and many were wearing balaclavas. Who brings a balaclava to a hockey game? These guys went downtown for one purpose and they succeeded. The idiots that stood around and watched are just as culpable. 2 out of 3 were taping with their i-phones. And I'm sorry to canuck fans that weren't involved but the vast majority were flying the colours of the team. Jersey wearing punks. If I lived in that city I'd be embarrassed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What else is to be expected when you allow "lawlessness" on the ice? It translates directly to "we're pissed so we're going to destroy something". I've been an NHL fan for 46 years and last night's debacle was one of the worst games I ever saw. I understand all about "putting the whistle away" and "letting the players decide it", but on at least three occasions, players (on both sides) were hit hard in or around the head and none of those were called. During the regular season, at least one of them would be a match penalty and an ejection. Earlier in the playoffs, those would have been at least minors. But to blatantly ignore them? After all of the press about eliminating head shots and concussions? It makes me physically ill.

Obviously, the league has decided that it can't attract new fans with skillful plays, fast skating and regular old body checking. They're going after the least common denominator and it showed in the fans' reaction in Vancouver after the game. Perhaps the "master marketer", Gary Bettman, should enter an advertising partnership with the WWE - they certainly are trying to appeal to the same fan base.

Maybe it's because I'm getting older and I tend to value health more than I did in my 20s, 30s or even 40s, but if this is what the league wants to pawn off as "hockey", I'll have to say, "No, thanks!". The sight of Mason Raymond standing in the hallway wearing a back brace ought to have driven home the point - someone out there is going to get REALLY seriously injured or, God forbid, killed on the ice. The Stones may have hit the nail on the head years ago:

 

"If I could stick my pen in my heart, And spill it all over the stage;

Would it satisfy ya, would it slide on by ya, Would you think the boy is strange? Ain't he strange?"

 

Good luck with that, Gary. You won't be seeing any of my money for a very long time....

The game I watched last night was great. The refs put away their whistles for the most part and they let em play. All we heard about earlier in the playoffs were complaints about all the calls. You can't please everyone. Anyone that blames the canucks loss on officiating is bent. The bruins were built for the tough going of the playoffs and the canucks weren't. 8 goals for in 7 games. That won't win you the cup. The head throw back embellishments and diving or simply falling down by the canucks throughout the series was pathetic. Play the friggin game and battle through. I'd be embarrassed if the sabres played the same way and hopefully with the drafting of big strong kids that Regier and co. have been doing in the last few years will pay off soon and the sabres will be built for a long run as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm happy to see Paille host the cup. Always liked that kid. Boston deserved this win and Thomas deserves all the credit. Vancouver was totally outplayed.

Thomas deserves some of the credit, but in all honesty, as some stated early, the Bruins defensive game was the real difference here.

 

Shutting down the Vancouver offense is no easy feat, and yet, the coaching staff implemented a game plan that did exactly that.

 

So, my hats off to Thomas, but he didn't steal this show, in my opinion, the Boston front office, coaching staff and defensive game from their forwards as well as their blueliners did.

 

It was the perfect example of what has happened to the NHL, they have reverted back to the clutch and grab style, some trapping and overall defense first game style.

 

Luongo should have made some of those saves this series, Vancouver had a subpar defensive game compared to the Bruins and, as stated above, the Bruins took full advantage of their shutdown style defensive game to take the Vancouver big guns out of the series.

 

So ya, Thomas did good, real good, but the entire Boston organization are the real hero's here for that team.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well the brits certainly know all about hooliganism now don't they. Hockey ain't got nothin on soccer and Vancouver is tame compared to most of those soccer cities when it comes to idiocy.

thats why its funny lol. there's a definite irony going on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thomas deserves some of the credit, but in all honesty, as some stated early, the Bruins defensive game was the real difference here.

 

Shutting down the Vancouver offense is no easy feat, and yet, the coaching staff implemented a game plan that did exactly that.

 

So, my hats off to Thomas, but he didn't steal this show, in my opinion, the Boston front office, coaching staff and defensive game from their forwards as well as their blueliners did.

 

It was the perfect example of what has happened to the NHL, they have reverted back to the clutch and grab style, some trapping and overall defense first game style.

 

Luongo should have made some of those saves this series, Vancouver had a subpar defensive game compared to the Bruins and, as stated above, the Bruins took full advantage of their shutdown style defensive game to take the Vancouver big guns out of the series.

 

So ya, Thomas did good, real good, but the entire Boston organization are the real hero's here for that team.

 

I totally agree. Thomas was good, and as I said before, they would go as far as he could go, but his defense made him 100x better. Everytime Vancouver would take a shot, and timmy gave up a rebound, a defensemen was right there to scoop it back to him.

 

I hate Chara and Boychuck, and Boston collectively, but they played good hard nosed hockey, the way it's supposed to be played. The Canucks went soft too soon (insert bad joke here). You really cannot blame the officiating or the ice for any games in this series (well maybe the officiating here or there), but in all honesty, the law of averages evened everything out in those terms, it's just that Vancouver's PP was nowhere to be found (CHZ, insert your bad joke here).

 

Overall it was a pretty intense series, and I personally look forward to going rape mode on Boston again next year like we did this year, maybe better.

 

I'm glad the actual season is finally over, and now the wheeling and dealing and drafting and signing can all take place. Let it begin!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It isn't Canada's game anymore. Canada is a little bit bigger than metro Vancouver. Vancouver's shame is more apt.

 

 

It's not the City of Vancouver's shame. The people committing these offenses are from Surrey, Delta, Richmond, Burnaby, Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, and the list goes on.

 

The problem is "fans" don't do this, hooligans do it. Unfortunately it gives the City a bad name and it sickens me, but when booze fueled boys get riled up, this is what happens. It makes me sick and as a man I'm almost ashamed that I'm male. What does it say about men? As a father it sickens me and I shudder to think how many of those kids' parents have to live with the shame of seeing their kids doing such idiotic acts.

 

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Riot+substantially+under+control+looting+widespread/4953623/story.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I have officially just changed how I refer to the girly bits from now on. I'm now going to use the term vancouver.

 

Ex. "That soccer ball just hit Betsy right in the vancouver!"

she hasnt shaved her Vancouver in forever and now its an angry Beaver.... lol canada jokes sorry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not trying to put the outcome on the shoulders of the refs when I say this, but I really wish they wouldn't go with that whole putting the whistles away mentality. The PP/PK is such a huge part of the game over the course of a season. Those are some of the most tense moments in the game and they make watching it far more entertaining. To take that aspect out of a deciding game just to "let the players play" is a major disservice to the game of hockey and the viewing audience.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not trying to put the outcome on the shoulders of the refs when I say this, but I really wish they wouldn't go with that whole putting the whistles away mentality. The PP/PK is such a huge part of the game over the course of a season. Those are some of the most tense moments in the game and they make watching it far more entertaining. To take that aspect out of a deciding game just to "let the players play" is a major disservice to the game of hockey and the viewing audience.

 

The one thing I didn't like was the fact that they called things where they could've kept their whistles down, and let things go that should've been called. Overall though, there were a plethora of chances for each team. Vancouver's pp Houdini act just made it seem like there weren't any calls.

 

I can't place a whole lot of blame on the refs, some, maybe, but in all honesty, too much whistle blowing would've pissed everyone off more IMO.

 

They need to find some consistency and balance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The one thing I didn't like was the fact that they called things where they could've kept their whistles down, and let things go that should've been called. Overall though, there were a plethora of chances for each team. Vancouver's pp Houdini act just made it seem like there weren't any calls.

 

I can't place a whole lot of blame on the refs, some, maybe, but in all honesty, too much whistle blowing would've pissed everyone off more IMO.

 

They need to find some consistency and balance.

 

 

Exactly. If a two handed slash breaks a stick in the regular season and it's a penalty, it has to be in game 7. If a guy blindsides Chara (and I didn't mind seeing him get rocked) it has to be a penalty. When Chara highsticks a player driving to the net it's a penalty in any game.

 

The Canucks pp went south in the Finals so it probably wouldn't have mattered, but I believe you call real penalties no matter the situation. Don't make things up, just call the real penalties. Last night's game was far too liberal on the non calls. I'm all for a low penalty called game but you can't blatantly ignore things out there because it's not right. It reminds me of the 99 final game when anything could go. It was awful (I saw the game a month ago on tv again) with guys mugging guys all over the ice. The NHL said the league was calling penalties and that players would learn. So why go backwards in the Finals?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought the Canuck was looking down ice at the puck and not in Chara's direction resulting in inadvertent contact. Could be wrong?

 

It's still a penalty isn't it? I didn't look at the replay of the hit too long but if it was incidental contact then I guess it's not a penalty. But my point was, call penalties that are and don't when they aren't!

 

It was so free out there last night that I felt like if a guy shot the puck over the glass, they'd have found a way not to call that as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's still a penalty isn't it? I didn't look at the replay of the hit too long but if it was incidental contact then I guess it's not a penalty. But my point was, call penalties that are and don't when they aren't!

 

It was so free out there last night that I felt like if a guy shot the puck over the glass, they'd have found a way not to call that as well.

 

 

I'm pretty sure neither knew where the other was as they were both looking up (down) the ice. that was probably the best no-call of the series.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought the character of the Bruins' coach came thru in the end. This combined with some timely stops by Thomas and some wiffs by Luongo were the keys. Not surprized at the outcome. (I still wish the Sabres had picked up Recchi for the playoff run back in 06.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just went on facebook and witnessed picture after picture of complete f'ups destroying and stealing. I am sick looking at what these losers have done. I applaud all those putting their photos up so these people will be charged to the fullest extent of the law.

 

It's just a f'ing hockey game!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...