I woke up this morning in a Philly state of mind thinking that the sea of orange is well prepared for a playoff game on home ice. I was thinking that given the grit of Philadelphia and the fervor of the Capitals I was going to watch a bumping, decking match. I even prepared my youtube account to view the replays. I was definitely ready for ugly gutless goals not wrap a ribbon around the net minder Ovechkin goals.

By the way, I would hate to get stuck with Ovechkin in a dance club with his sleek celebration score moves on the ice.

Yes, I was ready to see character plays with the puck forced into the crease and getting stuck between the skates of the goaltender and dumped again and again like a repeat segment on CNN Headline news. Just like the time goaltender Marty Biron hit his collar bone with a sharp shot puck during the game. But nobody makes pretty goals look pretty on the Flyers other than Daniel Briere. Even his name sounds sweet and melodic to the ear -"Briere, Briere." He shoots so swiftly that he even makes golf putting look easy so move over Trevor Immelman.

But enough about the pretty goals, I'm really there for the fights and the beer.

My favorite stand is Butch' s at the Wachovia.

Yes, Philly is known for heartless fights on the ice with punches and knockouts and Rocky sequels. Watching upset Capitals goaltender Huet dangling his hockey stick against the Flyers just makes my day.

And then come the penalty shots with Mike Richards scoring on Cristobal Huet. The last time the Flyers had a penalty shot during a playoff game was when Mark Recchi wore the black and orange.

With the series now 2-1, will the Caps make it in the sea of orange this next Thursday?

I don't reason much anymore. I just watch hockey.

Forget Sean Avery and his childlike antics! If Curtis Joseph made a comeback for the Calgary Flames then so can this abandoned blog. I tried to convince myself that a comeback is possible even after watching scoreless periods and goaltending nightmares like that of Kiprusoff on home ice. For the million of Flames fans and viewers yonder, Kipper looked more like a nervous schoolboy asking a girl for a date during the first period. It wasn't until sly CuJo managed to make a move that the fans proclaimed that he "still has it " referring to the mo-jo. There are no has beens in hockey just old cougars in my book.

So do the Ottawa Senators have a chance for a comeback?

I was reading the morning daily smack on Canoe and Sens Captain Daniel Alfredsson definitely thinks that a miracle is possible. (Miracles? I digress. I have no idea why hockey followers are so religious and superstitious to start out with in the first place. Let's smuggle a catfish in a Coach bag and throw it on the ice after the first goal and hope the team wins. It spelled comeback for the Nashville Predators against the Red Wings.) Bruce Garrioch, the writer of the article, made it clear that this task is close to impossible but that it has certainly been accomplished by the '42 Toronto Maple Leafs and the '75 New York Islanders.

Don Cherry even wore a yellow rose during the Coach's Corner of the Ottawa Senators vs. Penguins series last night. He even managed to divert questions about his allegiance to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Is it possible? Maybe I don't believe in miracles against Crosby and Malkin.

So, Trent Yawney was fired today.   It came right before Christmas and after my Thanksgiving meal which is what I projected a year ago while writing about the team.  Now don't get me wrong Trent Yawney is a good coach and a family man who stood up for his team and vision.  He is also an expert at tactics but again under an older  NHL system.  I stand by my thoughts of his defense minded trapping and with the fact that the Chicago Blackhawks needed a change. 

Bruce Cassidy was let go in early July and it was inferred in hockey circles that the coaches had clashes of power.  It was clear to me that Cassidy was best suited to be "head coach" like Tallon said, and it won't come too soon in the NHL.  Cassidy went to the OHL for "seasoning" and now is the head coach of a team in Kingston beating their own personal consecutive winning record. Kudos!   He's a happy camper teaching young kids and making them into future NHL players under an offensive minded skating style which is what it all will come down to with the league.

Meanwhile the saga in Chicago continues.   Denis Savard now took the head coaching position and Wirtz believes he can handle the job and turn it around.  

Trent Yawney should be devastated but he must realize that he went down doing it "his own way" just like he said he would go down.  Well, at the end, he still gets a paycheck for the remainder of the three year contract. 

It's a tough job being a coach in the NHL and it's even tougher if you criticize the refs.  Back when he coached the minors, the new head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, John Stevens, made a comment about how despite the fact that he is almost blind from an eye injury as a player he could tell that it was a bad call.  "I can see it from my one good eye," he remarked jokingly.

This past Saturday, the Oilers head coach, Craig MacTavish was fined for pointing out a "bad call" during a home loss to the Dallas Stars.  "It was a retarded call," MacTavish snapped after the game when interviewed by reporters.   "There is no other explanation for it. I know he is a veteran official and at times I have found his antics humorous..."He should be suspended." 

For his verbal outrage, MacTavish must dish out $10,000.

According to CBC, the league admitted that they made the wrong call.  Yes, the NHL shamefully admitted they made an error and that official Mike McGeough missed the right play.

It was innocent enough but not to the eyes of Oiler fans or to those of Craig MacTavish.  He waived off a game tying goal from Ales Hemsky with a total of 4.1 seconds left on the clock. The play was halted just before the puck crossed the crease after deciding that  Edmonton's Shawn Horcoff had glove passed the puck from the preceding faceoff.   The whistle blew.  It was the wrong call and the league's correction does not change the final score or the fact that Coach MacTavish was fined. Everyone now knows that in the new NHL, teams must grab points as early as possible.  Playoff status is determined way before the Christmas run and at times it is hard to catch up.

Will this error affect the Oilers in possibly not making the playoffs?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early in the preseason, I trekked down to Pittsburgh on an expedition to watch Malkin play.  It was rookie camp, open practice and fans were psyched.  The young Russian forward strutted his puckhandling abilities on center ice.  "Don't get near him or we'll lose games this season,"  screamed a fan during a scrimmage game.  Malkin was checked by a teammate.

This season in six games Malkin has seven goals and four assists.  Is he the next real thing?  Mario Lemieux recently told the press that he was amazed at his offensive poweress.  "I wish it was 15 years earlier," said the 41-year-old Lemieux.  He would have loved to play with Malkin who is now playing as a natural centre joined by Crosby and Armstrong on the wing.

Malkin is the first player in the NHL in more than 89 years to strike goals in each of his first six games.

Is he the next big thing?