Even though the Maple Leafs are off enjoying the marvelous spring time weather these days in Toronto (read: they're golfing), I still find myself glued to the television each night to watch playoff hockey. The playoffs are a beautiful thing.
So, how about Martin Brodeur's pure snubbage of SuperDouche Sean Avery after the Devils were eliminated on Friday night? Pretty low of Brodeur if you ask me. Well, even if you didn't ask me, I'm telling you. That's, umm, kind of the point of this blog.
Anyway, I think it (the snubbery) only proved how effective Avery was at throwing Brodeur off his game. Marty didn't have a Brodeur-type series. Far from it. He finished 1-4 with a 3.19 goals against average and an .891 save percentage and was a big reason why the Devils were dispatched so quickly in five games (I predicted the Devils to win, of course). Avery was in Marty's head, no doubt.
George Vecsey wrote an interesting column about the Avery/Brodeur drama in the New York Times. Check it out here.
On a side note, is New Jersey not home to the most pathetic fans in the entire NHL? It was shameful to see that many New York Rangers fans in attendance at all three Devils home games. It simply isn't fair that a team with a fan base as sorry as the Devils is, in recent years, a multiple Stanley Cup champion.
Back to the the point. Do you think Brodeur, regardless of Avery's childish antics, should have shaken his hand when it was all said and done? Yes, Avery is a big time motha sucka, but I think you still shake hands. It's part of the game. You go to war in a playoff series but when it's over you say "congratulations" or "good luck" and shake hands, even if it makes you sick inside to do so. Hockey's the only sport with this tradition and Brodeur should have respected it.
At the same time, it's hard to put the words "respect" and "Sean Avery" anywhere near each other. He clearly doesn't have respect for his fellow hockey players, and many argue that he doesn't have any respect for the game. It's a tough call. My brother thinks Brodeur did the right thing, while loyal SportsAndTheCity reader Karan in NYC believes Brodeur's move was classless.
At the end of the day, it's pretty much impossible to be less classy than Sean Avery. Check out his comment after the game:
What a lousy douche, I know. And yet I still want him to be a Maple Leaf (my brother thinks I am deranged). He's simply too good at what he does - it's just "Avery Being Avery" - and the Leafs, well, they need all the help they can get.
Alexander Ovechkin is back. Not that he ever really went anywhere. But he's back. He struck for two goals, and his first since game one, last night as the Washington Capitals staved off elimination once again to force a game seven with Philly tonight in D.C.
The Caps were down two-nothing in the second period yesterday and looked to be finished before they stormed back. Ovechkin bagged the game-winner with a beautiful breakaway goal. He was due. Four games without a goal for this cat is about four games too many. Pierre McGuire said it best: "How do you spell game breaker? O-V-E-C-H-K-I-N!"
The Caps have an incredibly young and inexperienced squad, but the youth dem are making Caps fans proud. Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green (with one hell of a hip check last night) and Ovechkin have been huge. The future is bright in Washington, man (read: I am jealous as fuck). It would be a monumental comeback and here's hoping they can finish off Danielle Briere (props to PPP for that one) and the Flyers tonight.
Speaking of game seven, I think the Boston Bruins forgot they were to play in one last night. Full disclosure: I was cheering for Boston. Big time. I fully wanted the Montreal Canadiens to lose last night and blow their 3-1 series lead. It would have been pretty sweet. Look, when you're a Leafs fan and your team is on the outside looking in again, all you've got to look forward to is the demise and, preferably, the collapse, of your enemies (hahahahahahaha, Ottawa Senators, hahahahahahahahaha).
But, because I'm relatively good people, I'm still able to give credit where credit is due. And Carey Price deserves some credit. Kid was phenomenal last night, especially in the first period when the Habs came out flat. It could have easily been 3-to-1 for Boston if not for some terrific saves from Price early on. He kept his team in the game and they came out possessed in the second period, out-shooting the Bruins 17-6, outscoring them 2-0, and effectively finishing them off.
Price was calm, cool and collected in the biggest game, so far, of his NHL career. He rebounded from a couple of shaky outings and proved that he's got the perfect mentality to play goal in a city as crazy as Montreal.
Damn Price. I would have enjoyed seeing him falter, but now I only want Justin Pogge to follow in his footsteps.
And, for the record, Price might be the worst interview ever. He always looks ready to pass out and almost put me to sleep with his post-game interview last night. But, damn, he's a good goalie.
Before I leave you, I've got some links and videos to share with you. Sharing, like my mother taught me, is fun. The blogroll here at SportsAndTheCity is always growing and one blog I've subscribed to recently is Slap Shot, the New York Times hockey blog, and I urge you to check it out. I know, hockey isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think "New York Times", but it's a pretty good blog. Trust it.
The writers of the blog are passionate hockey fans and they've been sharing with me some great videos, which I thought I'd share with you. Remember, we all benefit from the cycle of sharing. Enjoy.
Old school highlights, but still pretty awesome:
Miikka Kiprusoff's stalker:
"The Greatest Fans on Earth" (stay classy, Philadelphia):
It's not often that I write about teams who don't call Toronto home, but the Washington Capitals are doing something special right now. Only two points out of a playoff spot, the Maple Leafs can help out the Caps in a big way by beating the Ottawa Senators tonight.
The Capitals, led by phenom Alexander Ovechkin, are on a mission. Now in his third and most prolific season in the NHL, Ovechkin is done with missing the playoffs. He's going to the dance, come hell or high water.
While I think Sidney Crosby is one hell of a hockey player, I think Ovechkin is the better player. The kid does it all, and with pizazz. He bangs, he crashes, and boy does he ever score. While Crosby is a superstar in his own right, I think Ovechkin is the best thing to happen to hockey since Wayne Gretzky.
I travelled down to Washington, D.C. with a bunch of friends back in early March to take in a Leafs and Capitals game. I saw Ovechkin play, and score. He is, for lack of a better phrase, fucking awesome.
Funny story: We were sitting about eight rows behind the glass and amidst our drunken yells for Ovechkin to "Chill!", we also saw Pat Sajak taking in the game. When the game ended and fans, including Mr. Sajak, began walking up the steps to the tunnel, a number of us started yelling "Wheel...Of...Fortune!" in unison. Inebriation had clearly set in at that point, but Sajak still gave us the head nod. He's good people. And after the game, as we bumped into other Leafs fans who were basking in the glory of a 3-2 win outside of the Verizon Center, an impromptu "Jamario Moon! Jamario Moon!" chant broke out. Good times indeed.
Anyway, Ovechkin is the real deal. Thanks to #8, so are the Washington Capitals. It's time to believe the hype.
The Caps, who are in ninth place in the East as I write this, are only two points out of sixth spot. And guess who's in sixth? Yep, those douche bags the Ottawa Senators. The Maple Leafs know what they have to do. A Toronto win over the Senators tonight, combined with a Washington victory over Tampa Bay (which should happen), will give Ottawa and Washington identical 42-31-8 win-loss record's. And the Caps own the tie-breaker, having owned the Sens and winning all four contests between the teams this season. Ottawa, "The Dynasty That Never Was" (a beauty coined by Die Hard Blue And White), are on the verge of a collapse of biblical proportions. The Leafs must do their part to ensure the collapse becomes a reality. We're going down, so we might as well bring the Sens down with us.
And, don't forget, you spell "choke": O-T-T-A-W-A S-E-N-A-T-O-R-S.
The Capitals have won nine of their last 10 games. Sure, they haven't exactly beaten up on the best the NHL has to offer lately - the nine wins have come against NHL powerhouses Carolina (twice), Atlanta (twice), Boston, Florida, Nashville, Calgary and Tampa Bay (only Boston, Carolina and Calgary are playoff teams) - but it doesn't really matter. They're hot at the right time, and as some fool said, "a win is a win is a win."
Ovechkin has been ridiculous down the stretch. Since March 1st, he's registered 27 points in 15 games, and is a +18 over that span. For a guy who was -19 last year, Ovechkin has improved his defensive game a ton. His 63 goals and 110 points are both tops in the league and if he doesn't win the Hart Trophy, well, somebody fucked up, because Ovechkin has been in on 110 of the 249 goals the Capitals have scored this year. He accounts for an astonishing 44% of the Washington offence.
Alex The Great is also getting some help in pushing the Capitals to a playoff spot. Rookie Nicklas Backstrom has had a great season, and really stepped up once Michael Nylander, the Capitals' big free-agent signing, suffered a season ending shoulder injury. While everyone talks about Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks, I think Backstom should win the Calder as rookie of the year. His 53 assists and 67 points lead all NHL rookies. I know, even my mom could rack up that many assists if she played with Ovechkin, but, well, still.
Defenceman Mike Green (who?) has 53 points in 80 games for the Caps. This is the same guy who put up 12 points (2 goals and 10 assists) in 70 games for Washington last season. Who does he think he is, Bryan McCabe?
And while everyone in Montreal is singing the praises of Carey Price, Cristobal Huet is doing pretty good for himself down in the American capital. In 11 games since being acquired by Washington, Huet is 9-and-2 with a 1.75 goals against average, a tidy .933 save percentage, and two shutouts. Not too freakin' shabby. I think, and hope, the Canadiens end up regretting trading Huet instead of keeping him as insurance for the playoffs.
Hold up. Imagine a Montreal and Washington playoff series in the first round. Wouldn't that be something? Oh my. I don't think Huet would have a problem getting up for that series. And it's not out of the realm of possibilities.
It would be great for the NHL, and for hockey in general, for Ovechkin and his Capitals to make it to the post-season. I've seen both Crosby and Ovechkin live in action on their home ice and, while both make you respect and admire their tremendous skills, after watching Ovechkin work his magic, it's hard leaving the building not having become his fan.
Last night's Capitals/Leafs game should have been played on Halloween because, oh my, it was scary. After playing their two best games of the young season the Leafs returned home and, as they've done with frightening regularity, stunk up the joint.
After the Leafs' impressive wins on the road in Pittsburgh and New York, I naturally pulled out the blue prints for the Toronto Stanley Cup parade route. Start out by going north on Bay St., then west on Front St...
After last night, it's safe to the blue prints have been tucked away once again. Far, far away. A 7-1 spanking at the hands of the hapless Washington Capitals was almost enough to make me light said blue prints on fire.
The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Toronto Maple Leafs continue in their struggle to find their true identity and, in the process, continue to frustrate their oh so loyal fans. I, for one, am getting really tired of the ugly Mr. Hyde.
I don't get it. I simply don't get this team. How Toronto can play so well, on the road, against two playoff teams from a season ago, and then come home and make the Washington Capitals look like the Harlem Globetrotters of hockey, is something my little brain cannot comprehend.
It seemed like Toronto was finally getting on the right track. They put together two games of disciplined, defensive hockey, and only allowed three goals in the process. Vesa Toskala looked sharp in the net and it seemed like they were finally getting the message.
That message, it seems, goes on deaf ears on home ice. The Leafs have so far just been awful in their own building and the worrisome trend continued last night.
The game began in similar fashion. The Leafs found themselves down by a goal, as was the case in Pittsburgh and New York. They responded, however, with a goal of their own only seconds after they spotted the Capitals a lead. It was a 1-1 hockey game with 55 minutes left to go.
Then, before I could say "Andy Wozniewski sucks", the Capitals fired three goals past a helpless Toskala, it was 4-1 Washington, and Toskala was done for the night.
WTF!?!? The Leafs, once again, left their goalie out to dry. I feel for Toskala. The guy gets no help at all back there (I don't feel for Raycroft - he just sucks).
This game was eerily similar to the poundage the Leafs took when Hurricane Carolina swept into town a couple of weeks ago. There were no survivors that night, and it was much of the same yesterday. It was domination, pure and simple. Now lets be clear here, the Carolina Hurricanes are a strong team. But to lose 7-1 on home ice to the Washington Capitals - the Washington freaking Capitals - who came in to town with only one win in their previous seven games, is simply unacceptable. It's downright embarrassing.
Every team is going to get it's ass kicked every now and then - it's the nature of sports. Some nights, you're just not going to have your "A" game. Last night was, however, already the second night in October that the Leafs have been bent over and spanked like naughty little boys. It isn't fun. And it hurts. Something is wrong with this team. No NHL team should be getting schooled the way the Leafs have been, especially in their own building! It's infuriating.
The Maple Laughs have now surrendered a league-worst 52 goals in only 13 games. Fourteen of those goals have come in two games. I'm trying to be optimistic. The Leafs are still sitting at .500 right now (with a record of 5-5-3) and have five and a half months of hockey let to play, but someone has got to page Houston before this gets out of control, because we do have a problem.
As for a solution, lets please start with the banishment of Andy Wozniewski. He was a team worst -3 last night and, well, this guy just doesn't belong in the NHL. John Ferguson Jr.: Send the Woz to the minors, vote him off the island, do what you've got to; please just get rid of him. The saying goes that "you're only as good as your weakest link" and Andy Wozniewski, you are the weakest link, goodbye!
When the Leafs lost 7-1 to the Hurricanes, I told myself "it happens", and that it's better now in October than later in March or April during a playoff run. I'm telling myself the same thing now. Lets get the severe beatings out of the way. The Leafs have some kinks to sort out (ok, a ton of kinks) but there's still a lot of hockey to be played. I like to think of it like rehab - the first step is admitting you've got a problem. That's the only way this team is going to get better. They've got to face the demons that lye within.
(Hi. My name's Navin, and I'm a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.)
The Leafs will now hit the road for four games, starting Friday night in New Jersey. That's welcome news to me. Let's get this team as far away as possible from the Air Canada Centre right now. The Leafs play a more simple game on the road, and that's the key right now; keeping it simple.
As for the injured and suspended Maple Leafs - Kyle Wellwood, Bryan McCabe, Darcy Tucker and Mark Bell - please hurry up and get healthy.
If you're still looking for a Halloween costume, may I suggest you head to your nearest sporting goods store and pick up a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, because this team is scaring the bejeezus out of me right now...
It was quite the intense weekend.
It began with the 7-1 beating the Leafs handed down to the Washington Capitals. What can I say? It was just one of those nights when the Leafs had all the bounces and everything was going in. Seven different goal scorers, and still missing Mats Sundin. The recent stretch without the Captain has shown the character of this team. At the start of the year I, along with most everybody else, was wondering who the heck was going to score goals on this team. Behind Sundin, the offense looked a little weak. But 25 games into the season and the Leafs have scored 89 goals, good for second-best in the Eastern Conference, and third in the league! The scoring is there, and it's pretty spread out. On top of those pretty darn impressive numbers, Sundin has missed time, and guys who were being counted on like - cough cough - Alex Steen, have produced next to nothing (one bloody goal, and it was while he was on his rump in front of the net against Calgary). I got to shout out the Captain. In training camp Sundin was one of the few guys saying that he believed this team could score, and had the talent to do so. He was right, and he is wise.
Saturday the Bruins came to town. The schedule is rearing its ugly head again, as these teams met for the third time in a week. I'm hating the 8 divisional games, and this is exactly why. Boston plays some incredibly boring hockey, and I don't really want to see them this often. It's not fun. It's not the "new NHL". The Bruins are great at shutting down the attack through the neutral zone, and the Leafs just can't do anything against them. I believe they are emplyoying the dreaded neutral zone trap, and it's working against the Leafs, who cannot be successful unless they can play the strong forechecking game that has become the norm under Paul Maurice. The game ended 3-1, and Tim Thomas played well for the Bruins again, although he wasn't tested as much as he should have been.
The third period in the game was definitely extremely entertaining. Way more than the second. I'm not sure how many rum and cokes I had, although I was starting to get up there, but I thought the third period was as good as any period I'd seen all year. The Leafs were down 2-1 and were pressing real hard. They were skating well, and generating chances. The play was back and forth and it honestly felt like a playoff game, and I was sure the Leafs were going to tie it up. But Boston did get the go ahead goal, and ironically it was Brad Boyes, the former Leaf who was traded for Owen Nolan.
Big Mats returned for this tilt, and almost typically after a 7-1 blowout, Sundin was the only one able to get one past Thomas. Those ten minutes in the third made the game. Otherwise it was another snoozer.
Thanks to the wonderful schedule the Bruins are in town on Tuesday as well. Hopefully the Leafs can adjust and take it to the B's this time. Oh, and props to Darcy Tucker for absolutely shollacking Zdeno Chara in the corner. Chara's a HUGE dude. We all remember how he bounced Bryan McCabe on the ice like a rag doll. It takes quite a lot of testicular fortitude to attempt and successfully knock him down with a good bodycheck. That's the beauty of Darcy Tucker. He has no fear, and doesn't play as if he is only five foot nine. He's an Alberta boy, that Tucker, but he's a born and bred Maple Leaf. God bless him.
Sunday was the annual trip with friends to the disgusting city of Buffalo for an NFL game between the Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars. First of all, I want to thank God for the beautiful weather he blessed us with on this trip. This was the third year in a row I've gone down for a game with friends, and the weather the last two times hasn't been that great. This time it was sunny and almost 12 or 13 degrees celsius. Splendid weather!
I'm not sure I'll ever understand why people tailgate and get hammered so early in the morning to watch a football game, but it's fun to do once a year. I can't imagine how much alcohol is consumed before and during a football game in Buffalo. It's actually kind of disturbing. One ritual that my friends and I employ, which I absolutely love, is the beer session outside the gate of the stadium. We stand in a circle, pop open a number of beers, and everyone takes a swag or two or three and passes it on, till all the beer is done. Sounds charming eh? I know. It is.
I lodged on the American side of Niagara Falls, for the first time ever in life, on Saturday night. The American side of the falls is a disgrace. It's dirty. It stinks. It's just a very shoddy place. The Canadian side is hella better. I can't believe how terrible the U.S. side really is. It's not developed at all, and the casino looks like a convention centre turned casino. And the casino took a lot of my money. That adds to my disdain of the city.
I guess Niagara Falls, New York is a lot like Buffalo, New York. I'm so glad I don't live in Buffalo. It's a hideous city. The houses look terrible and very old. I'm hating, I know, but it's really bad down there. Toronto's marvellous, and the two cities can't even be compared. I guess going down there just makes me appreciate Toronto and it's people even more.
I'd definitely encourage sports fans to go to an NFL game once in their lifetime. It's a very interesting experience. Like I said, there's alcohol galore, and almost everyone is intoxicated. Men, women, children. Ok, well not really the children, but I wouldn't be surprised if a few were. Our group - Forty's 20 - had endzone seats that were pretty damn good. It was our first time in the endzone, and let me tell you, I've never been in a louder stadium.
It was a close game, the Bills won 27-24 on a last second field goal. The Jags tied it up with less than a minute left in the 4th quarter, and on their drive, they took 2 offside penalties that were a direct result of the crowd. The crowd really becomes the 12th man in football. It was pretty intense to be a part of that.
I'm not sure how old Ralph Wilson Stadium out in Orchard Park is, but Ralph, if you can see this, you need to invest in new washrooms. It's a pretty strange set up they got going down there. The men's washrooms employ the trough-style urinal. One long communal pisser. Everyone's hammered, and the line's get tremendously long. It's also a bit intimidating, because of the lack of privacy. A couple of us were talking about "stage fright" and all the pressure due to the ridiculously long lines. It's true! It's not a comfortable situation to be going to the washroom, especially as a young, brown fellow, amidst a sea of George W. Bush loving white men.
Anyway, the sink to wash your hands is like the one from my old high school - a communal sink, where u press the lever with your foot below, in order to get the water to come out. Now get this - the lines for the washrooms were so long, that fully grown men were relieving themselves in the sink. It was one of the most disgusting things I have seen in a long time, and I couldn't believe the amount of people doing this. I mean come on. We've all got to use the urinal, and we've all got to wait. For grown men to stoop that low was sickening. It turned me off of the Bills, the stadium and the city of Buffalo. Certainly there's no shout outs for the people of Buffalo. Damn sickos.
All in all, it was a great weekend. I hate to end the post on the washroom ettiquite of Buffalonians, or lack there of, but it was quite the pathetic display.
My friend Mike put it best:
"Stay classy, Buffalo!"
Goodnight, wonderful city of Toronto...
