Stories From The Penalty Box, Also Known As Summer
The best day of the year is when the NHL season starts. The next best day—which is also a bad day in its own way—is the last game of the Stanley Cup Finals. The champion is crowned, 2nd place is forgotten a week later, and the long, hot days of summer are enough to cause some of us to want to cross-check that annoying guy in the office right into the water cooler. Better not do that, however, as most companies generally hand out more than a 2-minute minor for such infractions.
A couple of days ago the temps vaulted over one hundred degrees, and my mood sank when I walked outside and thought I'd walked into an oven. Something had to give. I went back inside and opened the freezer and stuck my head inside. It was time for serious thinking and I had to come up with something soon or I was going to go mad.
That's when it hit me. I'd watched the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals on DISH Network, and still had Games 5 & 6 on my DVR. I was positively beaming when I remembered I had those games saved. I had to hurry and close the freezer so I didn't melt the Otter Pops.
I busted out my fan gear—jersey, hat, hockey pants, hockey stick—and turned on Game 6, the final game of the Cup series. I said it back in June and I'm gonna say it again, If you missed Game 6 in Philadelphia you'd better have a damn good reason.
Enough time had passed since the final game that a lot of the action felt new. I mean I knew the Blackhawks beat the Flyers in Philly to grab their first cup since 1961! That's like 50 years ago! (Okay, 49, but who's counting?) About halfway through Game 6 on my DVR I remembered that the game had gone into overtime, and since it was the last game, and I already knew who won, I just skipped ahead and watched from the beginning of the OT period until Patrick Kane dumped in the Cup-winning goal at the 4:06 mark.
I rewound it a few times, played it frame-by-frame, and then reset the DVR to the beginning of the OT period and watched those four minutes and six seconds again. By then my wife had had enough of my much-needed off-season constitutional, but by then I didn't care. I'd gotten my NHL fix, and it'll probably be enough to hold me until September, when goalies and rookies report to camp.
See you next month, and remember to keep your stick on the ice!
Blackhawks Win! Blackhawks Win! Blackhawks Win!
Here's a stone cold fact: If you missed Game 6 in Philadelphia you'd better have a damn good reason. I'm so glad I have this game saved on my DISH Network DVR!
The only thing better than overtime hockey in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals would be overtime hockey in Game 7. The Chicago Blackhawks ensured there'd be no need for a Game 7 when Patrick Kane scored the Cup-winning goal at the 4:06 mark of the extra frame, crushing the Philadelphia Flyers and their fans on home ice.
The scoring in Game 6 was fast, furious, and often, and went back and forth like a tennis match. Chicago hit the scoreboard first when Dustin Byfuglien dumped in his 11th of the playoffs at the 16:49 mark of the 1st period. The Flyers answered 3 minutes later when Scott Hartnell dropped one in with 0:27 seconds left in the period. Both goals were on the power play.
The Flyers jumped ahead in the 2nd, but Chicago was not to be denied. They scored the matching goal at the 9:58 mark, and the go-ahead goal at 17:43. The lone goal in the 3rd came in the waning minutes of the game when Scott Hartnell scored his 2nd goal of the game at the 16:01 mark. Flyer fans erupted into a deafening roar as the wrapped the period and crossed their fingers for overtime.
All I can say is props to the Flyers for making it a great series, and for goaltender Michael Leighton for stepping up. It's doubtful any keeper in the league – today or yesterday – could have stopped Kane's goal. No one saw it, including the refs, for several seconds.
Congrats to the 2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks. You played an awesome series from start to finish and only poor sports could say you didn't earn it or deserve it. Check back each month during the off-season for the latest in team news, rules changes, and anything else I can think to write about. Now, to my DISH Network DVR to watch it all over again!
Blackhawks Blow The Doors Off The Flyers In Game 5!
The only thing better than a best-of-seven series is a best-of-three series. Okay, I'm splitting fine hairs, but you get my point. That's what we had heading to Sunday's Game 5 in Chicago.
Coming off a 7-4 drubbing of the Philadelphia Flyers, the Chicago Blackhawks are facing a straightforward proposition: win one game and you're the 2010 Stanley Cup Champions. They've got two chances to get it done, with one of those back on home ice if they need a deciding Game 7. The 'Hawks have a 29-8-4 home record, and in the playoffs they've only lost 3 games on home ice. This does not bode well for the Flyers.
For the Philadelphia Flyers I guess it's just as straightforward – win two games – but they will have to win one of those two games in Chicago, something thus far they've shown they can't do. This will be an uphill challenge as they bring a 17-21-3 road record to the final three games, two of which are in Chicago. However, the Flyers have won 5 road games, including 2 against the Boston Bruins down 0-3 in the series. They won 4 straight to move on to face the Montreal Canadiens. So, it's not like they're facing an impossible – or even improbable challenge – they're just going to have to dig deep for it. Very deep.
My "Blackhawks-in-five" prediction is shot, but after the way they played Game 5 I'm calling it Blackhawks in six. Beatings like this are a hard thing from which to recover. Either way, set your DISH Network DVR, and tune in to Versus 'cause I think we're watching history in the making!
The Flyers Have Decided To Make It Competitive
For much of Game 3, it looked like the Blackhawks are going to go up 3-0 in the series, but the Flyers had an air about them that said they needed just one thing to go their way and they'd be right back in this series.
That one thing for the Flyers was Right Winger Claude Giroux. He played more than 20 minutes, was +2 at full strength, had two key assists on two go-ahead goals, including the one that sent the game into overtime. If that wasn't impressive enough, he also dumped in the game winner at the 5:59 mark of the first OT period. So, in the blink of an eye it's a 2-1 series instead of a 3-0 series, and the Flyers are now what we call a 'live dog'.
I've watched enough hockey in my life to know what an OT win on home ice can mean to a team's confidence. It can change the series on a dime. Even though my original thinking before the Stanley Cup Finals started was Blackhawks in 5 games – which is still my present line of thinking – I'm not going to be surprised if the Flyers tie it up Friday night, once again on home ice.
I'm thrilled I have this one recorded on my DISH Network DVR. The consistent play from Giroux alone is worth saving – savoring – for some time to come. Enjoy the rest of the Stanley Cup Finals on Versus and DISH Network, and catch all the action in brilliant high definition!
The Stanley Cup Finals are Off to an Outrageous Start
Game 1 was so good Saturday night that I actually never wanted it to end. A total of eleven goals were scored – six in the first period alone – in a game the Chicago Blackhawks would eventually win 6-5 to take a 1-0 series lead over the Philadelphia Flyers.
I'm certain there's one goal, just one little goal, the Flyers would like back. It happened at the 11:50 mark of the 1st period. It's the kind of goal that could haunt a person, or team, for the rest of their life. Dave Bolland dumped in an unassisted shorthanded goal, which, at the time, gave the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead. Didn't I just write about the cardinal sin of giving up unassisted shorthanded goals? Anyway, that one little goal back could have sent the game into overtime, where the Flyers damn sure would have taken their chances in an opening game on the road.
Game 2 was equally awesome but for entirely different reasons, sort of. There were nowhere near eleven goals scored. In fact, there were only three goals in the entire game. However, we’ve got to take a hard look at Flyers' keeper, Michael Leighton.
Things were going great for him and his team until the 17:37 mark of the 2nd period. I say the 17:37 mark because that was the 2nd goal given up by Leighton in :28 seconds. At the 17:09 mark, Martin Hossa dumped in a two-assist goal to give the Blackhawks the lead at 1-0. Just :28 seconds later Ben Eager scored his first goal of the post season, which ultimately was the game winning goal. Simon Gagne did manage to dump one in for the Flyers in the 3rd period, but it was too little, too late.
So, the series now heads to Philly with the Blackhawks up 2-0 in the series, need to win only two of the next five games to win the 2010 Stanley Cup. All I can say is thank God for DISH HD channels. When it's hockey season it’s time to really get into the action. Let's just hope it gets a little more competitive. If the Flyers expect to have any shot at all at the Cup, Michael Leighton is going to have to spend some time, maybe standing in the corner, thinking about what he can do to make that goal mouth as small as possible.
