commentary...

i could talk about Nicklas Lidstrom,and his seven Norris Trophies,four Stanley Cups,twelve All-Star seasons(ten-first team All Star seasons),1,564 regular season games,1,142 points,264 goals,878 assists,and an amazing plus/minus numbers,of plus-450(all of these numbers,are regular season,not including playoffs)... he played another 263 games in the playoffs,had 54 goals,and had 129 assists,and a plus/minus number,of plus-61,with 30 playoff power play goals,with eleven game winning goals,in the 20 years,of his NHL career...
i remember one playoff goal,in particular:April 21,2002:game three,Red Wings,down 2-0,against Vancouver,first round,and Lidstrom ripped puck,past the Vancouver goaltender Dan Cloutier,from a hundred feet away(center ice),with 24.6 seconds left,in second period,and Red Wings won game,3-1,and then won three more games to win first round series,and then blew away every other team,that stood in their way to the Stanley Cup,that year...
numbers does not tell you how much his character meant to the Red Wings,and to the NHL... he is humble,and very classy,and he worked hard,and was nicknamed,by his teammates,and by most of the NHL,as,"the perfect human",because he made very few mistakes,on the ice... in his retirement comments,he basically said that he just did not have the basic drive,to go through one more season,even though his wife did tell him that if he wanted to play one more season,"then we would make it work..." i can not tell you how well he spoke,and i will not try,people,because it was total class...
to him,i do say:you are always be a Red Wing,in my heart,and the one game i saw you play,was a memory that i will always remember,and in three years,you are going to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame,no doubt,and as a side note(laughing),if you are not a first ballot inductee,it will be the biggest robbery,in history... have a good life,Nicklas!!!
if the Red Wings do not retire your number five sweater,sometime next season,i will picket Joe Louis Arena,in knee-deep snow,if need be...(laughing)

game score,and commentary...

Los Angeles Kings 2,New Jersey Devils 1,overtime... for both teams,it was a good tight checking,rather clean,and very good game... one mistake,by New Jersey,a great pass by Kings' Justin Williams,to middle of ice,and an Anze Kopitar breakaway,who faked Devils' goaltender Martin Brodeur out of his skates,and Kopitar shot puck under leg pad,and the game was over... the first half of game was rather boring,very few shots,and second half of game,things heated up,for both teams,but one mistake,by the Devils,in overtime,gave Kings their ninth straight road victory(an ongoing NHL record)... Colin Fraser scored in first period,for the Kings,and Anton Volchenkov scored when puck went off chest of the Kings' Slava Voynov,past the out-stretched arm,of Kings' goaltender Jonathan Quck,late in second period... there were only three power plays,two by New Jersey,and only one,by Los Angeles,and no power play goals... like i said,a tight-checking game...

sad day in Motown...

reports indicate that the Red Wings have called for a press conference for tomorrow... it appears to everybody in Detroit that Nicklas Lidstrom will announce his retirement,from the NHL... tomorrow will be Nicklas Lidstrom day,on this blog... he is the best defenseman that i ever saw play,and i will give him a proper sendoff,tomorrow... you will always be a Red Wing,in my heart...

comments...

Los Angeles Kings/New Jersey Devils,tonight... game one:Stanley Cup Finals... hope local NBC station does not pre-empt first half of game,because of tornado warning,like last year... had to wait until 2 am,to watch it on replay... i will never forget that,as long as i live...

2012 Calder Cup Finals...

Toronto Marlies vs. Norfolk Admirals... series for the American Hockey League Championship,starts June 1st,2012...

Happy Birthday,Mark!!!

Hockey Hall of Fame member,Mark Howe turns 57 years old,today... he is the son of "Mr. Hockey" Gordie Howe...

2012 Memorial Cup Championship game....

Shawinigan Cataractes 2,London Knights 1,overtime win... after forty-three seasons,of being a QMJHL(Quebec Major Junior Hockey League)original team(and the only one remaining,from first league season),and never winning anything,let alone the QMJHL regular season championship,they win the 2012 Memorial Cup championship... they did it the hardest way,they won the "tiebreaker" game,against 2011 Memorial Cup champion Saint John Sea Dogs(only the second team in tournament history,in 53 years,to do that)... they won it,at home,in Shawinigan,Quebec...

commentary...

the most interesting question of the Stanley Cup Final,to me,is:can New Jersey Devils' goaltender Martin Brodeur,at age 40,outplay Los Angeles Kings' goaltender Jonathan Quick,and win his fourth Stanley Cup??? the Kings and Devils are very much alike,in many ways:they play defense very much alike,fore-checking,and back-checking in similar ways... the Kings are bigger up front on offense,and they pound the boards like jackhammers,and the Devils have a bigger blue line,offense and defense... on defense,the Kings are physically tougher,and they pound the snot out of the opposition... the Kings have a better offense,shooting the puck more,and both teams crash the net,for cheap goals,and both teams have very good defenses,overall...
so in my overall analysis:will Brodeur outplay Quick,in goal,because both teams will pound the snot out of each other,dislike each intensely,and if it is a shootout of a series,Los Angeles will win,and if it is a tight,one-goal series of games,it will come down to one thing:who plays better in net... side note:in 2003,the last time the Devils were in the Finals,the series went seven games,with the Devils beating Anaheim Mighty Ducks,3-0,in game seven,and who won the Conn Smythe Trophy,for playoff MVP? answer: J.S. Giguere,of the Mighty Ducks,in a surprise,to me...

commentary...

i know that the Phoenix Coyotes lost to the Los Angeles Kings,but the players are being investigated by the NHL,for their comments,after game five,about the referees,and their calls... they can be fined $2,500,by the provisions,of the NHL collective bargaining agreement... my opinion:they were whiners,about losing to the Kings,but honestly,they played like goons,and got off their games,including Mike Smith,their goaltender,who slashed,and hit a few players,in the series(a couple times,he drew penalties,for goaltender interference,by whacking Kings' players,going through their crease)... the Coyotes acted like petulant bullies throughout the series,and was off their games,because they tried to be overly physical,and basically the Kings played smart,by not getting upset,and going to penalty box,when the Coyotes tried to goad them,into fights...

strange fact...

at age 47,reportedly Dominik Hasek,who has not played in NHL,since 2008,with the Red Wings,wants one more chance to play,in the NHL... he has been playing in the Czech Republic,since then,so he may be in better shape,than people think,but can he still play goaltender,in the NHL??? my opinion:it is a longshot at best...

games between New Jersey Devils,and Los Angeles Kings,this season...

October 13th:Devils 2,Kings 1,shootout...
October 25th:Devils 3,Kings 0... both games won by backup,Johan Hedberg... in first game(third game of season),Martin Brodeur was injured,with the dreaded "upper body" injury,with eight minutes left,in first period...
both teams are much different,than,in October,folks...

Devils win!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Jersey Devils 3,New York Rangers 2,overtime... New Jersey Devils are in Stanley Cup Finals,against the Los Angeles Kings... game one,Wednesday night... commentary,tomorrow morning...

memories of 1994???-commentary....

in 1994,(i believe the last time the New Jersey Devils played the New York Rangers,in the Eastern Conference Finals),both teams went seven games,in a memorable series,that Rangers' captain Mark Messier guaranteed a game six win,stating that,"WE WILL WIN",on the back pages of the New York dailies... the Rangers won game six,with a Messier hat trick,and then won game seven,in overtime...
the Rangers do wish that it was 1994,because even though this team is very good defensively,with Henrik Lundquist,in goal,but can they outplay the Devils,and score enough goals,to put the Devils on edge,for game seven,in New York??? to tell you the truth,the Rangers have been offensively-challenged,all season,and in this series... their two wins have been 3-0 shutouts,and then they have played like dirt the other three games...
they basically outplayed the Devils,in game five,but both goaltenders played like sieves,letting in goals,that pee-wee hockey players could have shot past Martin Brodeur(Devils' goaltender),and Lundquist... the Devils scored three goals,in 7:06,of playing time,in the first period,to stake themselves,to a 3-0 lead,then the Rangers scored late in the first period,to make game,after one period,3-1,Devils,then New Jersey gave up two goals(at :32 seconds,of second period,and at :17 seconds,of the third period),to tie game,at three apiece,basically with a period to go in the game... the Rangers then put pressure on Brodeur,throughout the rest of the game,but New Jersey capitalized on a bad Rangers' giveaway,as the Devils scored on a basic tap-in goal,with 4:24 left,in game,and then Brodeur slammed door on the Rangers,by making three very good saves,before an empty-net goal,by the Devils,in last minute,of game...i did not mention any names(except for the goaltenders),because it was a very bad game,for both teams,period... a typical Devils-Rangers game...

Happy Birthday,Kris...

former Red Wings' player Kris Draper turns 41,today...

game score...

New Jersey Devils 5,New York Rangers 3... commentary,tomorrow morning... very interesting game... Devils up,3 games to two games...

commentary...

Los Angeles Kings' captain Dustin Brown should hear from NHL director of player safety Brendan Shanahan,for his knee-on knee hit,on Phoenix Coyotes' Michal Rozsival,literally seconds before series winning goal,by Dustin Penner(the knee on knee hit was literally a second or two,after offsides was called on the Coyotes,and referees missed obvious penalty call)... a fine,or possibly a suspension,will follow,if Shanahan is consistent,but to tell you truth,he has not been consistent,in supplemental discipline... Rozsival was helped off the ice,with a leg,and skate,up in the air,and the Coyotes were absolutely livid,after the non-call... who can blame them?

commentary...

the Los Angeles Kings beat the top three seeds in the Western Conference,winning twelve of their fourteen games(beating the Vancouver Canucks,in five games,beating St. Louis,in a four game sweep,and beating the Phoenix Coyotes,in five games)... they have won eight straight road games(and ten straight road games,in the last two playoff years)... that is NHL record,for one year... they are 6 for 74,on the power play(not good),but they have scored five short-handed goals in the Stanley Cup playoffs,and they have only allowed five power play goals,overall,so far,in the Stanley Cup playoffs... even though they are the (so-called,ha,ha!!!) eighth seed in the Western Conference,it does not matter,because the Kings played well,going into the playoffs,and they are playing the best of any team,going into the Stanley Cup Finals,so either the New York Rangers,or the New Jersey Devils,are in for a war,in the Stanley Cup Finals... this may be the year,for a sleeper team,to win the Stanley Cup...

note...

commentary on tonight's game will be online tomorrow...

commentary...

LOS ANGELES KINGS WIN 4-3,OVER PHOENIX COYOTES,IN OVERTIME!!!!! reach Stanley Cup Finals,for first time,since 1993,when Wayne Gretzky,and company,lost in five games,to the Montreal Canadiens... two side notes:Montreal won four straight,but game two,to four,of that series,were lost to Canadiens,all in overtime... game two is memorable,because late in game,Montreal,down 2-1,third period,when they asked referees to check Marty McSorley's stick for being illegal... if they were wrong,that would be a penalty,on Montreal-basic game over... unfortunately,for the Kings,and luckily for the Canadiens,McSorley's stick was deemed illegal,and the Canadiens scored on that power play,and won the first of three straight overtime games to break open tight series... second side note:i lived in Orange County,California,at the time...

NHLnews...

even though we do know the teams involved,the NHL announced that May 30th,will be the starting date,for the Stanley Cup Finals...

schedule...

Los Angeles Kings/Phoenix Coyotes,game five,tonight...

game score,and commentary...

New Jersey Devils 4,New York Rangers 1... Devils tied series,at two games apiece,with a very strong offensive game,and a typical Marty Brodeur game in goal... the Rangers basically stunk,and played like the Kings,last night,which means they had very little jump in their game,and it was a game in the all-time series of games,between the Rangers,and Devils,that basically was very ugly to watch,sometimes boring to watch,because New Jersey was built to be a defense-minded team,first,and the Rangers had a very bad offensive game,period,being stonewalled by Brodeur,in his best overall game,in goal...

schedule...

New York Rangers/New Jersey Devils,today...

2012 Memorial Cup-junior hockey championship...

first three games of tournament:
Edmonton(Alberta) Oil Kings 4,Shawinigan(Quebec)Cataractes 3...
London(Ontario)Knights 5, Saint John(New Brunswick)Sea Dogs 3...
Shawinigan(Quebec)Cataractes 6,London(Ontario)Knights 2...

game score,and comment...

Phoenix Coyotes 2,Los Angeles Kings 0... good game for Phoenix,but there is still trouble in Phoenix,because only one player scored for Phoenix:captain Shane Doan,who scored both goals... if Phoenix can not have more of a team effort,they are in trouble,period... the Kings played bad,had no jump in their game,and basically stunk... Kings,up,3-1,in series...

IIHF World Hockey Championships...

team Russia 6,team Slovakia 2... Russia wins gold medal... Slovakia wins silver medal...
team Czech Republic 3,Team Finland 2... Czech Republic wins bronze medal...

game score,and commentary...

New York Rangers 3,New Jersey Devils 0... three goals,by the Rangers,cemented game:goals by Dan Girardi(power play goal),Chris Kreider,early in third period,and then an empty-net goal,by Ryan Callahan,late in third period,iced game... early on it was all Devils,and in third period,Henrik Lundquist was superb,in getting his second 3-0 shutout in this series... New Jersey Devils ran out of gas,and got frustrated,with Lundquist's superb play,in goal,and the Rangers blocking shots,in their defensive zone... Rangers up 2-1,in series...

sorry,folks...

last night,after midnight,i knew that there was a game on today... being sleepy,i made a really stupid mistake,thinking that Phoenix Coyotes,and the Los Angeles Kings played today... STUPID ME!!!!! it was the New York Rangers,and the New Jersey Devils playing today... the Coyotes/Kings game four is tomorrow... sorry,folks!!!!!! brain freeze!!!!!!

schedule...

Phoenix Coyotes/Los Angeles Kings,today...

Red Wings playing in IIHF World Championships...

Pavel Datsyuk(Russia),Valtteri Flippula(Finland),and Tomas Tatar(Slovakia) are the last Red Wings still playing in 2012 IIHF World Championships...

class acts...

there is video of the New York Mets MLB team coming off a bus wearing various college,NHL,and vintage hockey sweaters,on a recent road trip... their manager,Terry Collins,was wearing a Pavel Datsyuk number 13 sweater,with an big A,on the front... he grew up in Michigan...

game score,and commentary...

Los Angeles Kings 2,Phoenix Coyotes 1... Phoenix looks like they are toast,but i will remind you of the three NHL teams:1942 Toronto Maple Leafs(who beat Red Wings,for the Stanley Cup),1975 New York Islanders(who beat the Pittsburgh Penguins),and 2010 Philadelphia Flyers(who beat the Boston Bruins),to win series,4-3,after down 0-3,in series... Kings are just very good with team defense around the net,with their penalty kill,and their back-check(chasing the puck in the Coyotes' zone,and disrupting the Coyotes' offense coming out of their own zone... Phoenix just seems to have no answers for the way that the Kings are playing,right now...

commentary...

last night's game between the New York Rangers,and the New Jersey Devils was the typical game between the two Atlantic Division rivals... simply said,tough as nails... both teams play six games a year,between the two teams,and they do not like each other... they remind me of the Chicago Blackhawks,and the Detroit Red Wings,except for the real bad blood between the teams,but do not tell a Devils' fan,or a Rangers' fan that they do not want to win,because the fire between the teams is just under the surface,and being only miles apart(over the George Washington Bridge,and in Newark),they do have a severe dislike for each other... the goaltending wars between Martin Brodeur,and Henrik Lundquist,are normally very good,and both teams have potent offenses,so it may go down to game seven...

correction...

the game mentioned was played May 18,2002... brain freeze!!!!! sorry folks!!!!

Red Wings' trivia...

Darren McCarty scored hat trick,in 2002 Western Conference Finals,as the Red Wings beat the Colorado Avalanche,5-3,in game one,of that series,ten years ago,today... i do remember that game,and series...

IIHF World Hockey Championships...

heartbreak:team USA lost to team Finland,3-2,in last nine seconds,of game(8.8 seconds,to be exact),in the quarterfinals,of 2012 IIHF World Championships...

NHL news...

Phoenix Coyotes' Martin Hanzal has been suspended one game,for his hit on Los Angeles Kings' Dustin Brown,for violating Rule 41.1(boarding)...

game score...

New Jersey Devils 3,New York Rangers,2...

game score,and commentary...

Los Angeles Kings 4,Phoenix Coyotes 0... nine straight road wins,for the Kings(tying the 1982-1983,New York Islanders),and second shutout,for Jonathan Quick,this playoff season... when your team has two boarding major penalties(Shane Doan,and Martin Hanzal),and three game misconduct penalties(Doan,Hanzal,and Andrew Vermette),and a total of fifty-six penalty minutes,and the Kings' Jeff Carter gets a hat trick(the last three goals),your team(Phoenix Coyotes)deserves to lose,period...

schedule and comments...

Los Angeles Kings/Phoenix Coyotes,tonight... Kings have won six straight road wins,in playoffs,this season,and the seventh team to win eight,or more straight road wins,over two years,and the other six teams on that list have won the Stanley Cup....

game score,and commentary...

New York Rangers 3,New Jersey Devils 0... three goals,by New York(an empty net goal,too),in third period... domination,by the Rangers,and Devils did basically nothing(four shots),in third period,and Henrik Lundquist posted his fifth career post-season shutout... Martin Brodeur got hung out to dry,by the lack of Devils' offense,period...

analysis of Red Wings...

now for my analysis,of the 2011-2012 Detroit Red Wings:first of all,the Red Wings were mostly streaky,and had trouble winning consistently,on the road(had record:17-21-3)... most of the season they had the best record,in the NHL,or was near the top,and yet they seemed to be inconsistent,in February,March,and April... their power play was very bad,in last 35 games,going from 5th,in NHL,in December,to mid-20's,in March,and April... however,they had major injuries,to major starters,in the last two months,of the season,and their goaltending went from almost the top of the NHL,when Jimmy Howard broke a finger on his blocker hand,and then he had a tender groin,until mid-March,and his timing was was way off,as the playoffs approached... in February,and March,the Red Wings had a great deal of players,up from Grand Rapids,on the roster,like in 2009-2010,as the Red Wings struggled,winning games,and simply hoping to get healthy,for the Stanley Cup playoffs... now for the short playoff run,against Nashville:they were not ready to play,against Nashville,and got basically hammered,like a tent stake into granite... the last three games,of the horrid series,was the Red Wings basically playing like the Three Stooges,and the Keystone Kops combined,making mistakes at critical times,in all three losses,and they were simply bad...

good news,for Blue Jackets...

Columbus Blue Jackets signed Todd Richards to a two year contract,as their head coach... Richards was 18-21-2,as interim head coach,this season,for the Blue Jackets...

game score,and commentary...

Los Angeles Kings 4,Phoenix Coyotes 2.... referees made a game,into a battle royal,by calling the worst total game this year,period... Los Angeles became only the fifth team,in NHL history,to win first six road games... both goaltenders were good,but both goaltenders had moments of goofs(Jonathan Quick,for the Kings,let a ninety-eight foot slap shot get by him,and into the net,and Mike Smith,for the Coyotes,let in a soft goal,under his armpit)... in fact,the Coyotes tied game,at two,because of two Los Angeles mistakes-the aforementioned ninety-eight foot slap shot,and a turnover by Los Angeles behind their net caused by a moving goaltender and a chip pass,right in front of Quick,and a basic tap-in,past him... the referees lost total control of game,and that was the worst refereed games,in years... both teams do not like each other,and the referees let them mug each other all night...

IIHF World Hockey Championships...

team USA 5,team Finland,0...

Red Wings' news...

Red Wings' Johan Franzen suffered a broken nose,during Sweden's 7-3 loss,to Russia,during 2012 IIHF World Championships... he suffered a spear,and a vicious body check,during the game... Dmitri Kalinin got suspended three games(for the body check),and Alexei Yemelin got suspended one game(for the spear)... Kalinin played for the Buffalo Sabres,from 1999-2000,to 2007-2008,and a cup of coffee,with the New York Rangers,and the Phoenix Coyotes,in 2008-2009...

Conference Championship seeding...

New Jersey Devils(6th seed)/New York Rangers(1st seed),Monday(May 14th)...
Los Angeles Kings(8th seed)/Phoenix Coyotes(3rd seed),Sunday,(May 13th)...

game score...

New York Rangers 2,Washington Capitals 1... Rangers win series,four games to three games...

baby news...

Washington Capitals' goaltender Braden Holtby became a father,on Thursday... Benjamin Hunter Holtby was born Thursday... congrats,Braden....

IIHF World Hockey Championships...

team USA 3,team Kazakhstan 2,overtime...

sorry,folks...

i am sorry about not talking about the Red Wings' 2011-2012 season,yet,but it has been honestly sad to watch the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs,without them,but a recap of their 2011-2012 season will be online,this weekend...

start of conference championship series decided...

the conference championship series will start Sunday(May 13th),with Los Angeles Kings/Phoenix Coyotes,and whoever wins,between New York Rangers/Washington Capitals,Saturday,will start their conference championship series,Monday(May 14th),against the New Jersey Devils...

team USA,in 2012 IIHF World Championships...

team USA is 3-1,beating France,7-2,beating Canada,5-4,in overtime,losing to Slovakia(in an upset),4-2,and beating Belarus,5-3...

game score...

Washington Capitals 2,New York Rangers 1... series tied,at 3 games apiece... game seven,Madison Square Garden,Saturday...

NHL news...

New York Rangers/Washington Capitals,tonight... Rangers lead three games to two games,in series......

nice...

former Red Wings' player Shawn Burr finally got a bone marrow match... he has suffered from Acute Myeloid Leukemia,in the last couple years... i am happy for him!!!!!!

game score...

New Jersey Devils 3,Philadelphia Flyers 1... Devils win series,four games to one game...

NHL news...

Claude Giroux,of the Philadelphia Flyers,has been suspended by the NHL for one game,for his elbow to the head of Dainius Zubris,of the New Jersey Devils...
New Jersey Devils/Philadelphia Flyers,tonight... Devils lead,three games to one game..

Western Conference playoff seedings...

Los Angeles Kings/Phoenix Coyotes... series will not start until both conference championship series are set...

back to NHL tomorrow...

NFL news...

Denver Broncos parted ways,with former general manager Brian Xanders...
Minnesota Vikings released kicker Ryan Longwell...

Breaking news...

all four players involved,in the NFL "bounty" scandal have appealed their suspensions... Jonathan Vilma,who received an one year suspension,Anthony Hargrove,who received an eight game suspension,Will Smith who received a four game suspension,and Scott Fujita,who received a three game suspension,are the players involved... Vilma,and Smith,still play for the New Orleans Saints... Fujita will play for the Cleveland Browns... Hargrove will play for the Green Bay Packers... appeals will be heard by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell...

paddle out,in honor of Seau...

New Orleans Saints' quarterback Drew Brees joined 200,or so,surfers in a "paddle out",in honor of the late San Diego Chargers' legend Junior Seau,yesterday... RIP Junior... may you play football in Heaven!!!!

REVERSE BLOG DAY...

all blogs on this blog will be NFL news,FOR ONE DAY ONLY...

correction...

i normally would put the previous post on this blog on my other blog,but i made a mistake,and yet,it was very good,so i am leaving it up... sorry,folks!!!!!

commentary...

Chicago Bears' linebacker Lance Briggs,who is a very good player,i have to admit,said two things,one thing that i agree with,or maybe,agree with,period:the unfortunate suicide of San Diego Chargers' legend Junior Seau,which was very sudden and tragic,may have been caused by head trauma,over a 20 year NFL career...
however,he stepped into the discussion about the one year suspension,of New Orleans Saints' Jonathan Vilma saying that,"it was a bunch of BS",noting that,"football is violent",and that he never saw the Saints play dirty... one question to Mr. Briggs:why then did Brett Favre have ankle surgery,after the 2009 NFC Championship,between the Saints and Minnesota Vikings? Mr. Briggs,it was in the NFL investigation report,that players got paid for brutal hits,during that playoff year,and what was that hit,Mr. Briggs? one word:BRUTAL,Mr. Briggs... you may disagree with what happened,to Mr. Vilma,but it was in the NFL report that people did wrong,in 2009-2011,in New Orleans... you can blame,and punish,the executives,and coaches,but not to blame,and punish the players involved,is very wrong,and before you toe the line of the NFLPA,let i remind that Paul Hornung,and Alex Karras got suspended for a year,for gambling allegations,in 1962,so there is a precedent for the suspension... enough said,case closed!!!!!

game score,and comment...

New Jersey Devils 4,Philadelphia Flyers 2... Devils up,3 games to one...
New York Rangers/Washington Capitals,series tied,2-2...

game score...

Los Angeles Kings 3,St. Louis Blues 1... BLUES SWEPT,IN FOUR GAMES(YAY!!!!!)... Blues sucked throughout series...

Happy Birthday,Marty!!!!!

Happy Birthday,Marty Brodeur!!!!!!! he turns 40 years old,today

IIHF World Hockey Championships...

team USA 5,team Canada 4,overtime...

commentary...

it looks like both the Nashville Predators and the St. Louis Blues are going down,in their second round series,against the Phoenix Coyotes,and the Los Angeles Kings,respectively... both teams have been out-played,and their goaltending has sucked,for both teams... both teams have been beaten,and out-coached,by teams,who are hungrier,to win their series... both goaltenders have had great regular seasons,but in the playoffs,they have been only human,not supermen,and in the Stanley Cup playoffs,you need focused,reliable,and solid goaltending,and in the playoffs,both goaltenders have been inconsistent,at best,and awful,at critical times... both offenses have been non-existent,at crunch time,and their defenses around their goaltenders have basically stunk,period... with both goaltenders sub-par,for this series,both teams needed great overall defense,and both teams have been awful,overall,with their defense... they seem to be just happy to be in the second round,of the Stanley Cup playoffs,and yet,their opponents just want it more... Nashville Predators' coach Barry Trotz made perhaps the biggest mistake of the playoffs:not playing Alexander Radulov,and Andrei Kostitsyn,in game four... i know that you need team discipline,but in a critical game in this series,you sit two dynamic players who could have helped,in scoring goals,or with overall defense,in a 1-0 loss,and without them,your team scored only two goals,in the last two games... what a bonehead move!!!!!!! in the three games,between the Blues,and Kings,St. Louis have given up thirteen goals,and no team will average five goals per game,in the Stanley Cup playoffs... for a team who had fifteen shutouts,in regular season,the Blues' goaltending has been horrid,even in the playoff series,against San Jose Sharks,and they look toasted in this series,because the odds of them coming back to win series,are astronomical,or in other words,slim,and none,and slim left town,a long time ago...

game score...

Phoenix Coyotes 1,Nashville Predators 0... Predators down,3 games to one....

NHL news...

Alexander Radulov,and Andrei Kostitsyn will not play in game four,because of unnamed violations of team rules,according to the Nashville Predators... they also note that as long as they are winning,they do not want to change the team's lineup...

game scores...

New Jersey Devils 4,Philadelphia Flyers 3,overtime... Devils up,2 games,to one...
Los Angeles Kings 4,St. Louis Blues 2... Blues down,3 games,to none...

Red Wings' front office expertise...

for the way that the Red Wings harvest their AHL team,to help their roster:the Grand Rapids Griffiths have sent 125 players from their team,to play in Detroit,since 1996... that is a very good number of prospects,in that span of time... it proves that Detroit is very good,with a great knack,of their drafting their own draft picks,and keeping them in Grand Rapids...

OOPS,MY BAD!!!!!!

Nashville Predators 2,Phoenix Coyotes 0...

game scores...

New York Rangers 2,Washington Capitals 1,triple overtime... Rangers lead,2-1,in games...
Nashville Predators 2,Phoenix Coyotes 1... Coyotes lead 2-1,in games...
note:will start commentaries,again,in conference championship finals... need a break...

game score...

last night:New Jersey Devils 4,Philadelphia Flyers 1... series tied,1-1...

NHL news,and games...

Montreal Canadiens introduced Marc Bergevin,as their general manager,earlier today...
New York Rangers/Washington Capitals,tonight...
Phoenix Coyotes/Nashville Predators,tonight...

commentary...

simply said,the St. Louis Blues' goaltending has sucked,so far,in their series with the Los Angeles Kings,giving up eight goals,in first two games,allowing four goals a game does not help the Blues... playoff,and regular season teams normally do not score an average of five goals in a game... for a team,who had fifteen shutouts,in the 2011-2012 season,and having a goaltender out for,at least,this series,it simply does not look good for the Blues,unless they tighten up their defense around their net,lessen the shots towards their goaltender,and be a little more physical,but honestly,the two teams simply do not like each other,at all,so being a little more physical may turn this series into a running pier-six brawl... the Blues are angry,and desperate,because the Kings are simply beating them,period... it does not look good for the Blues,for another reason-they play the next two games,in Los Angeles...