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Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Ding Ding Ding...Round 2

Since nobody asked us when to begin round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I thought I would let you know that they start tonight - April 25th. Here are the schedules and just because the Stars aren't playing doesn't mean you have to stop watching hockey. Yes I know, it is painful to not be watching our home team, but please do root for the next best team, whomever it may be.

Eastern Conference

#1 Buffalo Sabres vs #6 NY Rangers
GM 1: Wed. April 25 at Buffalo
GM 2: Fri. April 27 at Buffalo
GM 3: Sun. April 29 at New York
GM 4: Tue. May 1 at New York
GM 5: Fri. May 4 at Buffalo *
GM 6: Sun. May 6 at New York *
GM 7: Tue. May 8 at Buffalo *
* If necessary

#2 NJ Devils vs #4 Ottawa Senators
GM 1: Thu. April 26 at New Jersey
GM 2: Sat. April 28 at New Jersey
GM 3: Mon. April 30 at Ottawa
GM 4: Wed. May 2 at Ottawa
GM 5: Sat. May 5 at New Jersey *
GM 6: Mon. May 7 at Ottawa *
GM 7: Wed. May 9 at New Jersey *
* If necessary


Western Conference

#1 Detroit Red Wings vs #5 San Jose Sharks
GM 1: Thu. April 26 at Detroit
GM 2: Sat. April 28 at Detroit
GM 3: Mon. April 30 at San Jose
GM 4: Wed. May 2 at San Jose
GM 5: Sat. May 5 at Detroit *
GM 6: Mon. May 7 at San Jose *
GM 7: Wed. May 9 at Detroit *
* If necessary

#2 Anaheim Ducks vs #3 Vancouver Canucks
GM 1: Wed. April 25 at Anaheim
GM 2: Fri. April 27 at Anaheim
GM 3: Sun. April 29 at Vancouver
GM 4: Tue. May 1 at Vancouver
GM 5: Thu. May 3 at Anaheim *
GM 6: Sun. May 6 at Vancouver *
GM 7: Tue. May 8 at Anaheim *
* If necessary


Good luck to the remaining 8 team still alive. Be sure to check out Episode 34 which will be released Monday, April 30th to hear our picks for the Conference Championships.

-Scooter
http://dallasstarspodcast.com/

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Not a time to lament the past

it's time for the 'couver fans to gloat. They deserved that win, and we didn't. There were plenty of bad calls against us, heck there were even some bad calls against the Nucks, but the biggest thing is our boys didn't come to this game with the same intensity that they brought to the previous two :(

On the other hand, we saw fairly solid leadership out of Morrow, amazing goal tending out of Turco, and even a strong push by the big E in the post season ... so there is hope for next year.

The question now is who do we let go of this summer. Were Nagy & Nordstrom all they were expected? I'll say I was happy with Nagy's integration before post season, but during post season he and Matty (excepting much of Matty's play last night) were no more than a weak link on the team during this series. What about Anti, Robi, and some of the juniors down in Iowa? I think it will be a very interesting summer, to say the least.

Luckily we have a strong enough set of veteran leadership up top to keep whatever rotation we have over the summer in check come next season.

I'll hold my head up high as a Stars fan though ... When we were down 3 to 1 we had the strongest goalie of the round across all 16 teams, we had a team with more heart and determination than any other, and we fought our way back to Game 7. I say GO STARS GO ... 07/08 is only 5 months away.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

RoBorat Luongo

Ronnie "The Hockey Goon", of the Havoc Fanatics worked on a project all day long Saturday, no exaggeration. What project, may ask? Well there's a good chance, at least if you're a local fan, that you've heard RoBorat Luongo thrown around a few times. It's truely uncanny how similar Roberto Luongo looks to Borat. Anyway, the point of this article is to tell you about Ronnie's project, not describe the similarities between Borat and Roberto.

RoBorat Luongo You see, as a joke during the watching party for Game 5, Ronnie, Jeff K and I all joked about how great it would be to have a giant poster of RoBorat, to help raz Roberto during warmups. Come Friday Ronnie and I were passing back and forth an image that we were considering use for this project. Finally, come 11pm Friday night Ronnie stopped by my office (we have a nice color printer) with a pack of cardstock to do some prints. We decided to do something a little different though, instead of a giant poster, how about a few heads-on-sticks?

And thus became Ronnie's all day project, cutting out, taping together, and adding handles, to 30 slightly-larger-than-life RoBorat Luongo heads. And what an effect it had. At one point Robert skated over to the glass laughing and asked if he could have one, of course I, being a dumbass, forgot they didn't go back to their bench but left out the corner, and wasn't able to get it to him.

We were only able to get 30 out for the game, but if you wanted to make your own here's how:

  1. Print out this image
    • We printed it out to stretch to fit 2 sheets of paper white card stock (80lbs) paper in landscape format, which made the head about 50% bigger than life-size
  2. Tape the two sheets of paper together, front and back, so that the image lines up
  3. Cut out the image so the excess paper is gone
  4. Take a long stick, or as we used a 3rd sheet of cardstock folded up many times, and tape it to the back of the head as a handle, make sure it sticks out 3 or 4 inches to give you something to grasp
Simple, isn't it? Here are a couple shots of the heads in action, including this one from Getty Images (pardon the water mark):

Now That's Playoff Hockey!

There are so many words that I can use to discuss game 6 but I think one word can say it all…WOW!!! I don’t know what to mention first:

  • Is it the 113 minutes of shutout hockey that Turco has been turning in?
  • Is it the 220 - 199 shots on goal in the Stars favour?
  • Maybe how the team is pulling showing what the true meaning of TEAM is?
  • The fact that this is the first time the Stars have come back from the brink of elimination to tie the series?
  • How about the Canucks coach’s statements on his team?
  • Maybe Modano’s leading by example – hitting, scoring, backchecking doing it all and showing everyone what a complete player does
  • And how about you – the fans! The standing-room only crowd of 18,600 was the largest of the season in Dallas!

    This IS playoff hockey! I love it, what a great game. Now I know some of you don’t like that its gone to game 7 because we should have had it in 6 but look at the fire and passion the guys are now playing with. And conversely look at the shape of the Canucks. We are just getting started and getting in to second gear. The Canucks on the other hand are sputtering and have pulled over to the side of the road. This isn’t to say that this is gonna be a cake walk. Look for the Canucks to come out fighting like its there last game of the season. Because it is! Our Stars are clicking but Vancouver is resorting to dirty play to try to frustrate Dallas. This is actually a good thing for us (If no one gets too badly injured) because it’s lighting the fire and preparing us for the battle of round 2.
    Here are some of the words from the Canucks following game 6:

    Coach Alain Vigneault:
    "If it weren't for Roberto, it would have been 7-0. It was not a good game on our part to say the least," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said. "As far as I'm concerned there was one team on the ice. It was the Dallas Stars. They outworked us, outhustled us. . If we bring this type of game or efficiency on the ice. I don't like our chances."
    Roberto Luongo:
    "They were the hungrier team tonight and they deserved to win"

    Now I am not going to say that we have this series in the bag but when the oppositions Coach and Goaltender are publicly stating that they don’t have what it takes to ba a winner???? I’ll let you fill in the rest of the story.

    GO STARS!!!

    Darren Morley

Thursday, April 19, 2007

What it's going to take...

The first thing that comes to my mind is the boys are going to have to come out to play. They can't win the game if they don't come out to play. Next, goaltending. They can't win a game if they don't keep the puck out of the net, and as long as Marty keeps doing what he has been doing and keeps his mind clear of all the negativity going around, he will "Git er done"! For the final ingredient for what it's going to take, goals. Not just one goal or two goals, but three, four, five...however many we can shove behind Luongo to prove that we have what it takes.

Jokinen didn't make the trip up to Vancouver due to an upper-body injury sustained in Tuesday night's game. Lindros, who has been out with a groin injury, made the trip and may get the nod to play tonight. Will Big E bring enough offense and grit to help the rest of the team to another victory? Let's hope that his presence in front of Luongo will give the screen we will need or the deflection that pushes the puck past the tenacious force in net for the Canucks.

Vancouver knows that this game won't be easy, but I don't think they realize how much emotion the Stars will bring to tonight’s game, Saturday night’s game and Monday night’s game. I am confident I will see the Stars team I saw in Game 1 and in Game 2 where we dominated play, we out shot them, we got pucks past Luongo and we outplayed them. Look out Canucks; the Stars aren't going down that easy. They DO have what it takes!

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Player of the Week: Jeff Halpern

One of 3 active Jews in the league (and yes, this is an honest fact, I'm not trying to be racist) Jeff Halpern spent the beginning of the his NHL career with the Washington Capitals. The beginning of this season Halpie came to Dallas as a free agent and has so far underperformed compared to his previous years. In his 6 years at Washington he averaged 14.5 goals and 21 assists per year and he held a 12.8 shooting percentage. This year he was down in all fronts, with 8 goals, 17 assists and a 7.5 shooting percentage.

That said, I'm not complaining - Halpie is a great addition to the team and I'm very happy to see him here, expect to see his numbers way up next year.

So a little bit about Halpie, shall we? Jeff is one of 2 American born players on the Stars team. He grew up in Maryland, a very atypical location for a hockey player to become famous, and slowly found his way up to the big leagues. As a child Halpern's dad, Mel, is said to have driven over 200,000 miles from Maryland all the way up to Quebec and Ontario to chase the dreams of his son - and it's obviously paid off!

At 3 Halpern started on the ice - his father learning with him, at 4 he joined a hockey clinic, at 5 a house league and at 6 a Mites travel team as part of the Capital Beltway Hockey League. At 9 he tried out for, and made, the Little Caps, a team full of 10 and 11 year olds who were all just a little bigger then him.

For high school Halpern went to a prep school in New England to prepare himself for College (and College Hockey) while continuing to play for the Little Caps in teh DC area - it was a regular thing for him to play Saturday night in New England and Sunday night in Maryland. However, by his senior year he was still short on being noticed by the big hockey colleges - so he went "abroad" and took a year in the 51st state playing for the Stratford Cullins in Stratford Ontario - and it was exactly what he needed.

After a successful year (48 goals & 96 assists in 72 games) on a team that won their championships Halpern heard from Yale, Harvard, Cornell, Brown Dartmouth, and more importantly Princeton. With the chance to follow his sister to college (Princeton, of course) - he did - and with a breakout year his Jr year he ended up skating at the Caps' rookie training camp and then again as an opposing player against the veteran caps during their summer training camps.

His Sr year Jeff found himself sharing Princeton's Roper Trophy for scholastic and athletic achievement as well as sharing the Ivy League title with Yale. After such a successful year he had 10 agents and 15 NHL teams asking for him - but declined all but 1, the Washington Capitals, without an agent.

The rest is history - and this is our Halpie. You'll be seeing more of him over the next 3 years - and possibly more if his contract is extended.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

178:05 minutes of heaven - 1 second of heart break

Mud Bruneteau, Ken Doraty, Keith Primeu, Petr Sykora, Petr Nedved ... what do these 5 people have in common with Henrik Sedin? They all broke thosands of hearts in one simple flick of the wrist - these 6 people are the game winning goal scorers for the longest 6 Stanley Cup playoff games, ever.

Last night Dallas showed just how badly they want this series, last night they fought harder then I've ever seen them fight. In a 3rd period come back with goals by Miettinen (assisted by Hagman & Jokinen) and Nagy (assisted by Miettinnen and Zubov) the Stars just would not give up; the problem was neither would the Canucks.

The anti-Turco crowd will complain that the Stars outplayed, outshot and outlasted the Canucks, that Turco screwed the pooch on this one. They will say if he had done his job we'd have won, and you know they have something of a point, but don't get me wrong, I don't blame him for this loss - the team didn't do what was needed, as a whole. Shots on goal don't mean anything when they're at the chest of the goalie, offensive time on ice don't mean anything when you miss opportunities, and blocked shots don't mean anything when rebounds aren't properly taken care of.

If I did have to blame this on any single thing (besides the ever-so-easy-to-blame Sedin twins, of course) I'd say it was our power play. Twice we had 5 on 3 opportunities, 5 additional times we had 5 on 4 opportunities great than a full minute (only 1 of which w scored on). The Stars have got to figure out how to score more on these opportunities.

But in all seriousness, I've talked to people whose hearts were broken last night, and I agree to a point, it was heartbreaking watching the Stars play almost 140 minutes of hockey to lose, however that wasn't the real overall effect on me. After last nights game I'd do anything to watch Friday's game now - anything for it to be Sunday night to see game 3, Tuesday night for game 4 ... I'm more excited after last nights loss then I think I would have been after a 3 period win. The stars fought hard last night, and showed me that they are serious about this post-season.

I say GO STARS - I say rest up tonight because Friday night is going to be a long ride - If you're in town make sure you come out to Frankie's to watch the game with all the other local fans - and I say BRING IT ON CANUCKS! Worry not Stars Fans, our boys will do it!!!

Monday, April 9, 2007

Round One: Let's GO!!!

So the time is here; the first round of the playoffs and our mighty Stars are facing the Vancouver Canucks. It has been said before that the best way to defeat your opponents is to know their srengths and weakness's. With that being said I am going to give an insiders perspective on the ‘Nucks. An insider because Vancouver is where I am from originally and I have been watching them for more than 35 years. So; who are these guys, what are their weaknesses and their strengths...

#1 Roberto Luongo: row-bert-oh//lew-onn-go
Goaltender
Acquired in a trade for Bertuzzi, Alex Aulds and Bryan Allen.
Weakness: Roberto is one of, if not the best, Goalie in the NHL. It is hard to find a weak spot in his game but the one factor that can lead to his demise is that he is a workaholic. Since coming into the league (New York Islanders 1st choice, 4th overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, traded to the Florida Panthers then to the Canucks) he has been playing non stop with very few, if any, injuries. Injuries and fatigue in this sport are inevitable. Having played 76 games this season could be just too much to be able to maintain good health through the playoffs.
Assets: everything. He has the heart of a lion and a love for the game. Truly a fans hockey player.

#2 Mattius Ohlund: mah-tee-us//oh-lund
Defence
Acquired: Vancouver's first choice, 13th overall in the 1994 Entry Draft
Weakness: Is an inconsistent offensive performer. Doesn't always play at 100 per cent health, which hinders his performance. Originally when Mattius was drafted he was touted as a future Ray Bourque with more offence. During the 99-00 season he suffered an eye injury that could have easily ended his career. After that injury (38 games missed) he has never regained his scoring touch. Although a very good defenseman he is prone to injury. Not likely to finish the playoffs without an injury that limits his games played.
Assets: Has size, skating ability, a blast from the blueline and intelligence. Is capable of shutting down the very best forwards in the NHL. A good ‘stay-at-home’ defenseman.

#3 KEVIN BIEKSA: Kevin//bee-ex-saa
Defence
Acquired: Vancouver's fifth choice, 151st overall, in a 2001 Entry Draft.
Weakness: experience. This is his first NHL season. He has done exceptionally well but the post season is a different game entirely. It will remain to be seen what he can or can’t do.
Assets: Loves to initiate contact from the back end. Owns a big shot from the point. Is defensively responsible. Stealthy; his offensive skills can be overlooked by the opponents and can cost them dearly. At 42 points and a +1 this player can be the turning point to a close game.

#4 BRENT SOPEL: brent//soap-elle
Defence
Acquired: 2007: in exchange for a 2nd and 4th round pick from Los Angeles Kings. Originally, Vancouver's 5th choice, 208th overall, 2000 Entry Draft.
Weakness: Must make better use of his 6-1, 205-pound frame. Can at times make a mental blunder in the defensive zone. Simply put; some games he just doesn’t show up. He can make good defensive contributions but he is either hot or cold. No middle ground with this player.
Assets: Owns a booming point shot and solid offensive potential. Is a great student of the game and willing to play any style necessary.

#5 LUKAS KRAJICEK: lucas//craag-check
Defence
Acquired: part of the Luongo/Bertuzzi trade
Weakness: Must be able to handle the physical style of the pro game. Needs more bulk for his 6-2 frame and work on his defensive-zone coverage. Basically he ain’t that good.
Assets: potential for the future. Meaning: he is a wait and see player

#6 SAMI SALO: sammy//sal-oh
Defence
Acquired: Traded by Ottawa to Vancouver for Peter Schaefer, September 21, 2002.
Weakness: Isn't very physical, despite being 6-3, 215 pounds. His durability is constantly questioned and staying healthy is always an issue.
Assets: Has one of the hardest point shots in the league. Reads the ice well and knows when to jump into the play. Is solid in his own end and executes good breakout passes. Watch out for this guy when the Canucks are on the PP.

#7 BRENDAN MORRISON
Centre
Acquired: trade with Denis Pederson from New Jersey in exchange for Alexander Mogilny, Mar. 14, 2000.
Weakness: Needs to avoid heavy traffic areas, since he's smallish in stature at only 5-11, 190 pounds. Lacks the consistency needed to play a first-line role.
Assets: Is an excellent skater and playmaker. Has racked up points at every level. Does a lot of damage with the man advantage. He is a sparkplug for this team. Not necessarily a ‘clutch’ performer but he can get the team going.

#8 Willie Mitchell
Defence
Acquired: Signed by Vancouver as an unrestricted free agent, July 1/06. Came to Dallas last year for a cup of coffee (16 games)
Weakness: Needs to prove he can stay healthy and handle a heavy workload over the long run. The mental aspect of his game needs improvement, so as to equal his physical ability.
Assets: Is a huge physical specimen and displays terrific mobility for his size. Possesses a big shot from the point--when he uses it. When this player is healthy and playing with the potential and passion that he is capable of – opponents beware!

#9 TAYLOR PYATT: tailor//pie-at
Left Wing
Acquired: Traded from Buffalo to Vancouver in exchange for a 4th round draft pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. This summer when the Nucks traded for him the general consensus was WTF?! He has been a surprise this year and has exceeded expectations.
Weakness: The jury is still out on his offensive upside.
Assets: Boasts a tremendous combination of size and skating ability. Has sound body-checking skills, and is both defensively aware and an emerging offensive talent. Scores unexpectedly.

#14 ALEXANDRE BURROWS: Alexander//burr-ohs
Left Wing
Acquired: Signed by Vancouver on November 9, 2005.
Weakness: May be limited to the role of checker or energy-line player at the NHL level, due to questionable hockey sense.
Assets: Loves to agitate opponents. Skates very well and has produced good numbers at every level.

#16 Trevor Linden
Centre/RW
Acquired: Vancouver's 1st choice, 2nd overall, in the 1988 Entry Draft. Traded back and forth between Washington, Montréal and Vancouver
Weakness: Has struggled on offence since the 1995-96 season. Needs to step up his game during postseason play. Is clearly on the decline in terms of production.
Assets: An outstanding leader, he commands respect throughout the league. Is a very responsible two-way forward. Likes to crash the net. This guy is (or can be) a clutch performer.

#17 RYAN KESLER: ryan//kess-ler
Centre
Acquired: Vancouver’s 1st choice, 23rd overall, in 2003 Entry Draft. Notable for the Flyers GM Bobby Clarke submitting him an offer sheet that ended up costing the Canucks $1.9 million. An over priced player that is average at best.
Weakness: Must prove he can put up a fair amount of points at the NHL level, or risk being labelled a checking-line player. Needs to add more bulk.
Assets: Owns a very projectable frame. Is already a polished two-way performer but also displays some offensive upside.

#19 MARKUS NASLUND: mark-us//naz-lund
Left Wing
Acquired: Pittsburgh's first choice, 16th overall, in the 1991 Entry Draft ... Traded to Vancouver by Pittsburgh for Alex Stojanov, Mar. 20/96.
Weakness: lacks heart and passion. Needs to step up his game in the playoffs. Could still be more of a presence in locker room.
Assets: Is an awesome offensive package, with a great shot and excellent hockey sense. Has developed into a grittier player in the past few seasons.

#20 Jeff Cowan: jeff//cow-an
Left Wing
Acquired: Claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings by the Vancouver Canucks, Dec. 30, 2006.
Weakness: Must reduce the number of bad penalties he takes regularly. Doesn't seem to have the quickness or anticipation to get into good shooting position.
Assets: Another, “who the heck is that guy?” He has over achieved and become an important part of the success of the team this season. Has good size and strength in fighting off players in the corners. Owns a deceptively quick shot when given the space to get it off. Is extremely determined and feisty. Not exactly a sniper but definitely a player to watch pout for.

#21 BRYAN SMOLINSKI: bryan//Smo-linn-ski
Centre
Acquired: In exchange for a 2007 2nd round pick from Chicago Blackhawks.
Weakness: Can go long stretches without scoring a goal. Doesn't use his body to win battles enough. Is declining in terms of production. A defensive forward
Assets: Is a nifty playmaker. Has excellent two-way ability and face-off skills. Knows where to be at all times. Adds versatility to any lineup.

#22 DANIEL SEDIN: Daniel//seh-deen
Left Wing
Acquired: Vancouver's first choice, 2nd overall, in the 1999 NHL entry Draft.
Weakness: Is lacking in physical play but has been highly durable early in his career. Initially needed to display more confidence on the ice, but has improved in that area.
Assets: Has a great shot and knack for finding open ice. Is also very solid in the defensive zone.

#24 Matt Cooke: mat//cook
Left Wing
Acquired: Vancouver's 7th choice, 144th overall, in the 1997 Entry Draft.
Weakness: Despite his dedication, he doesn't have the size or skill to be a major scorer. Can ill-afford to take any shifts off.
Assets: Plays an agitator's role to perfection and can easily get opponents off their game. A fairly quick skater, he defends his own end effectively and is an outstanding penalty-killer. Is extremely versatile. He’s the guy that’ll get under your skin.

#25 Josh Green
Centre
Acquired: Signed as a Free Agent on August 23, 2005.
Weakness: Hasn't been able to put it all together at the NHL level. Tends to fight the puck at times. Has been beset by injuries.
Assets: Can be an imposing figure, with his combination of size and speed. Has an NHL-calibre shot and a tendency to use it frequently.

#26 TOMMI SANTALA: tommy//san-tal-ah
Centre
Weakness: Hasn't been able to put it all together at the NHL level. Tends to fight the puck at times. Has been beset by injuries.
Assets: Can be an imposing figure, with his combination of size and speed. Has an NHL-calibre shot and a tendency to use it frequently.

#33 HENRIK SEDIN: hen-rick//seh-deen
Centre
Weakness:
Doesn't have a natural goal-scorer's mentality. Could stand to shoot more often with limited options at his disposal.
Assets: Is extremely well rounded and more suited to the physical game than twin brother Daniel. Has strong defensive tendencies and playmaking ability.

#35 DANY SABOURIN: danny//sah-boar-in
Goaltender
Aquired: Claimed off waivers October 4, 2006.
Weakness: experience. Since he is backing up Luongo, he rarely plays and when he does the results are poor. As well he playing time is generally limited to weak teams. Low playing time & losing performances = a weak back up goalie
Assets: Has excellent size for the goaltending position and supreme confidence in his ability to stop the puck.

#38 JAN BULIS: yan//boo-liss
Centre
Acquired: Signed by Vancouver as an unrestricted free agent, July 25, 2006.
Weakness: Needs to use his shot more. Must improve his consistency. The jury is still out on whether he can score enough to be a top-six forward.
Assets: Has a strong lower body and is difficult to knock off the puck. Is defensively responsible, skates well and complements scoring forwards well.

This is gonna be a great playoff season!

Darren Morley

Thursday, April 5, 2007

People who Whine - when they get caught cheating

Last night was the first time, at least that I've seen, that someone got busted cheating on the newest of NHL rules.

Rule 10.1 - The Player's Stick... No stick shall exceed sixty-three inches (63") in length from the heel to the end of the shaft nor more than twelve and one-half inches (12.5") from hell to the end of the blade ... The blade of the stick shall not be more than three inches (3") in width at any point nor less than two inches (2"). All edges of the blade shall be beveled. The curvature of the blade shall be restricted in such a way that the distance of a perpndicular line measured from a straight line drawn from any point at the heel to the end of the blade to the point of maximum curvature shall not exceed three-quarters of an inch (3/4") ...


I know, it confused me reading it the first time too. Basically, the rule says the stick must be within certain size restrictions, don't cheat 'cause if you get caught ... oh ... here:

Rule 10.5 - Stick Measurement... A player whose stick has been measured and i foun not to onform to the provisions of this rule shall be assessed a minor penalty and a fine of two hundred dollars ($200) ...


There is more to it, of course, for multi-time offenders, but that's not what's important. What is important here is the fact that in the Official NHL Rule Book it flat out states what is legal and what is not. There is even a caveat that says you can protest this to get something else approved, but you have to do it ahead of time.

Now for where this comes into play. Last night the NHL and it's fans saw Teemu Selanne get busted for using an illegal stick. I can't find the exact measurements of what his stick was, but I'll be honest, that doesn't really matter to me. You see, it's not that he cheated that bothers me ... it's how he reacted.

"The ice is so bad in the NHL, you have to have that because the puck is bouncing all over," said Selanne, who spent a season in San Jose before returning to Anaheim as a free agent two seasons ago. "I'll bet there's a lot of guys that do, but you have to respect the rule. I wasn't very happy about what happened. Obviously, I didn't expect that call. Whether it was classy or not, it was Ron Wilson's decision. He's not my favorite coach anymore."


You see, if this was his HONEST complaint, his HONEST feeling, why is this when he brings it up? Why did he wait until he got caught cheating to bring his complaints into the open? Maybe the ice is that bad in the NHL, maybe this year more than last year the ice is very choppy. Hey, if it is, I want to see a set of petitions by the NHLPA on the desk of Gary "Rarely Does Anything Useful" Bettman to try to get something fixed by next year. But do we? No, all we see is some whiney player complaining that things aren't going his way.

Oh, and he's not your favorite coach anymore, because he called you out for being a priss? Go back to Kindergarten Teemu, where the teacher CARES if you like them. NHL hockey is about playing the game as outlined by the rules, not about being liked, you prissy little cry-baby.

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Pacific Division Title Lost?

So are you like a lot of other Stars fans thinking that the Pacific Division Title is lost? Well, let me shed some light in the matter real quick. Bottom line, it's not...and here is why. The Sharks and Ducks play each other on Wednesday. The Sharks need to take that win without overtime. Then, Dallas needs to win against the Blue Jackets and the Ducks. Beating the Ducks will give them two losses on their last 3 games. Now for the Sharks - they need to loose against the Flames and the Canucks to give them their two losses in their final 2 games after their win over the Ducks. And finally, the Stars need to continue their two game winning streak after Columbus and Anaheim and beat Chicago on Sunday. That is the way I see the Stars as the Pacific Division Champs! Something else to ponder, if all the top teams loose the rest of their games for one reason or another, Dallas will win the Presidents Trophy as well...but likely won't happen...but it could!