***** Official NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread 2013 *****

[Dr NBC]

Walt, Glen Sather has been doing that for years in Manhattan. He's given out so many terrible contracts one loses count.

Tortorella is a complete and utter nut and doesn't deserve another job behind the bench. His tactics are abysmal, he plays two lines, he publicly humiliates his players and is a total asshole to everyone in the media. As much as I don't like the Rangers, they deserve better than that twit.

 

[Brighton Breezy]

Walt, Glen Sather has been doing that for years in Manhattan. He's given out so many terrible contracts one loses count.

Tortorella is a complete and utter nut and doesn't deserve another job behind the bench. His tactics are abysmal, he plays two lines, he publicly humiliates his players and is a total asshole to everyone in the media. As much as I don't like the Rangers, they deserve better than that twit.

Tortorella just seems so full of his own importance. During the play offs he has stuck the boot in to loads of his squad (Hagelin, Richards, etc).

Last season I was fortunate enough to stay in the same hotel in Montreal as the Rangers squad. There were a few fans hanging about asking for autographs so I joined them and got my jersey signed by most of the star players. Every single player stopped to talk to fans, pose for photographs etc. Tortorella just walked by and ignored them. Thought he was a nob ever since.

I believe Lundqvist has just one more season on his deal. Hopefully the Rangers can perform better next season because he is a real franchise defining player.

 

[Dr NBC]

He's the one guy that you build a franchise around. They would be imbeciles if they let him walk, which they probably won't. He's revered there, and outside of Toronto, there is no bigger place to play than New York.

I don't think there are many in hockey who have great opinions of Tortorella.

 

[Dr NBC]

Rangers fans rejoice, Coach Torts has been canned in the Big Apple.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=672384&navid=DL|NHL|home

 

[Dr NBC]

Hawks Win! Hawks Win! Game 7 goes to OT and is ended on a deflected Brent Seabrook shot.

Fortunately for the NHL and senior referee Steven Walkom Chicago ended up winning the game. With 90 seconds left in regulation, Chicago scored what should have been the game winning goal off of a 3-on-1. Behind the play two players were involved in a little bit of "argy bargy" but nothing so serious as to warrant penalties. Walkom blew the play dead as is the rule when you assess coincidental minor penalties. However at the very moment he blew the play dead, Chicago scored the 2-1 goal, with the other referee awarding the goal on the play. It was mere moments later when they both realized that there was going to be an issue as the play was possibly blow dead a split second before the goal was scored. After conferring with video replay the goal was disallowed and the players penalized.

Walkom wasn't engaged with the play up ice as he should have been and the penalties he called weren't penalties. Fortunately for him Chicago made sure there would be no controversy by ending the game on Seabrook's OT goal.

Hawks - Kings

Penguins - Bruins

Interestingly the 4 teams in the Conference Finals are the last 4 Stanley Cup Champions:

2012 - LA
2011 - Boston
2010 - Chicago
2009 - Pittsburgh

 

[Brighton Breezy]

Hopefully someone can have a look at Sather's job now...

Wouldn't mind someone like Alain Vigneault to come in for Tortorella. Guy Boucher another decent option.

 

[mlg57]

Yup so we have

In the Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins v Boston Bruins

Series (0-0)

And in the West

Chicago Blackhawks v LA Kings

Series (0-0)

and both first games are on Saturday night.

 

[mlg57]

After last nights results ...

In the Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins 0 v Boston Bruins 3
Series (0-1)

And in the West

Chicago Blackhawks 2 v LA Kings 1
Series (1-0)

 

[mlg57]

In last nights game Chicago beat LA 4-2 to take a 2-0 series lead.

 

[Man of Harveys]

Having watched the Bruins winning on Saturday...is there a particular player who's nominated for the fighting? The pundits, who assume everyone knows everything, seemed surprised that one of the Bruins players got involved, which made me wonder just how pre-arranged the scrapping is.

It's an ok sport: bit thuggish for my effete tastes tbh but at least they're doing something impossibly difficult: my teenage visit to that little rink at the top of Queens Square in Brighton left me with a healthy respect for anyone on ice skates even able to let go of the side wall without shrieking.

 

[mlg57]

Having watched the Bruins winning on Saturday...is there a particular player who's nominated for the fighting? The pundits, who assume everyone knows everything, seemed surprised that one of the Bruins players got involved, which made me wonder just how pre-arranged the scrapping is.

Yes most teams do have what is called "an enforcer" who deals with any roughness from the other team. Scrapping can be pre-arranged if something has been brewing from a previous encounter but it doesn't happen that way too often.

 

[mlg57]

Boston spanked Pittsburgh 6-1 last night in Pittsburgh to take a 2-0 series lead. Tonight sees Chicago go to LA.

 

[helipilot]

Chicago just lost 3-1 at LA, Chicago lead the series 2-1.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Having watched the Bruins winning on Saturday...is there a particular player who's nominated for the fighting? The pundits, who assume everyone knows everything, seemed surprised that one of the Bruins players got involved, which made me wonder just how pre-arranged the scrapping is.

If you're referring to the Bergeron vs Malkin fight that's not the norm. Bergeron would almost never fight because he's not an enforcer. he's a lighter skilled player.

The B's fighter is Shawn Thornton. They know he will drop the gloves if another teams player tries to rough up one of the smaller lighter players like Bergeron.

And he's a bloody good enforcer too.

 

[Dr NBC]

Don't forget Lucic and the biggest (literally) one of all, Chara. Everyone in the NHL should be happy that Chara isn't really very mean. At 6'9" and 19 stone he'd be a real menace if he was meaner.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Don't forget Lucic and the biggest (literally) one of all, Chara. Everyone in the NHL should be happy that Chara isn't really very mean. At 6'9" and 19 stone he'd be a real menace if he was meaner.

Chara, Lukic, McQuaid, Boychuck, Campbell all can all go if required.

Chara did break a guys jaw with one punch so he's got the power if needed.

 

[Dr NBC]

Boston has Pittsburgh on the rack, up 3-0. No real way back for the Pens. Not that Vokoun has been the problem for them, but with all their talent upfront, they've sold themselves short in the goaltending department. Fleury doesn't have it anymore and Vokoun isn't the guy you want in between the pipes in ECF. Boston has a great goalie and depth across all 4 lines and on D.

I really hope it is Chicago v Boston in the SCF.

 

[mlg57]

Yes though you could say the Penguins were a little unlucky last night. After being being beaten twice away from home, no-one held out much hope for them at Boston last night. It did however take the Bruins until 15:19 in the second period of overtime to get the winner.

 

[Dr NBC]

Neal, Malkin, Crosby, Iginla have registered 0 points between them in the first 3 games. That is a recipe for disaster and the reason why the are down 0-3.

 

[Surrey Seagull]

I see Duncan Keith has got himself banned for a hit on Jeff Carter. I heard him saying after it was an accident but after seeing the hit, there was no way it was accidental and it looked like a carry on from the incident between the 2 around the net.