blog statement(getting amped up)...

i need a day off from blogging... "Idaho Spud" time... Western Conference Finals' game seven-Kings/Blackhawks,tomorrow... looking forward to a great game... the last two Stanley Cup-winning teams going at it,for a berth in Stanley Cup Finals,against the New York Rangers... this is true blue hockey,and that is what true hockey fans love,period...

game score,and comments...

Blackhawks 4,Kings 3... what did i say about the Blackhawks,earlier in the Western Conference Finals,against the Kings,when down 3-1,in games,"they need to play like champions"??? well,they have,so i am a true hockey fan,and will say that the Blackhawks have forced a game seven,with a desperate two goal rally in last 7:04,and then hung on,for a thrilling 4-3 win... game seven is in Chicago,Sunday...

commentary...

now,we know that the Blackhawks/Kings winner,in the Western Conference Finals will meet the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Finals... the Kings lead the Western Conference Finals,three games to two games,over the Blackhawks... both teams are very talented,and yet,have not played up to their potential,in many ways... before you make the winner of the Western Conference Finals,the eventual Stanley Cup champion,they will face a team in the Rangers that may look a little weak,on paper,remember that goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is a "money"(clutch)goaltender who has won a NHL record five straight game sevens(5-1,save percentage of .965,with a goals against average(G.A.A.),of an amazing 1.00)... both the teams in the Western Conference Finals have won Stanley Cups;Blackhawks,2010,and 2013,and the Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2012,so both teams are extremely tough to beat... so we are looking forward to an extremely excited Stanley Cup Finals...

game score,and personal comments...

Rangers 1,Canadiens 0... Rangers win Eastern Conference,and advance to Stanley Cup Finals,for the first time since 1994,when i remember hearing,"Let's Go Rangers",in Grand Central Station... would love to hear that,tonight...

NHL news...

Montreal Canadiens/New York Rangers;game six,Western Conference Finals,tonight...

game score...

Blackhawks 5,Kings 4,second overtime...

comments...

the Kings/Blackhawks game five,of the Western Conference Finals is in progress;tied at four apiece late in third period... an entertaining game for the true fans,and i have enjoyed it... it looks like overtime,but you never can tell... will give commentary,most likely tomorrow morning... Blackhawks is on power play late in third period,so who knows what is going to happen...

NHL news...

Los Angeles Kings/Chicago Blackhawks,tonight,game five,Western Conference Finals...

game score,and comment...

Canadiens 7,Rangers 4... Montreal simply refused to lose... Rangers lead Eastern Conference Finals,three games to two games...

NHL news...

New York Rangers/Montreal Canadiens,game five,Eastern Conference Finals,tonight...

a great coaching hire for the Capitals...

Washington Capitals hire former Nashville Predators' head coach Barry Trotz,as their new head coach... my opinion:the Capitals will be physically tougher to play,with a team defense,next season,because Trotz is known in the NHL coaching ranks,as a defensive wizard,and i hate to admit,i respect him no end... i "hated" to see his team play the Red Wings... anyone for Alka Seltzer,or Tums??? i will need them...

game score,and comments...

Kings 5,Blackhawks 2... Chicago down 3-1,in games,in best of seven series... Blackhawks 1-11,in twelve series down 3-1,in games,all time,but last year,they beat the Red Wings,in seven,after being down 3-1,in games... however,the Kings are not last year's Red Wings,and the Blackhawks are not clearly last year's team,and that is big trouble for the Blackhawks...

NHL news...

Blackhawks/Kings,tonight,game four,Western Conference Finals...

game score...

Rangers 3,Canadiens 2,overtime... Rangers up,3 games to one game,in Eastern Conference Finals... commentary,tomorrow morning...

note...

i will watch tonight's Rangers/Canadiens game,but because of fatigue,i will note game score,and comment on game early tomorrow morning... sorry,folks...

NHL news...

Montreal Canadiens/New York Rangers,tonight... accidently put this on other blog...

game score,and commentary...

Kings 4,Blackhawks 3... Kings dominate last two periods,as Blackhawks went numb,and looked lifeless,except for Jonathan Toews,who had first two Blackhawks' goals,only a Blackhawks' goal scored with just under five seconds to play,in game made the score look closer than it should have been... a very good game to watch,but the Kings did not allow a power play goal(they killed off three straight power play chances by the Blackhawks,in the second and early third period,when the Blackhawks had a chance to tie the game,at three,but could not get the puck past goaltender Jonathan Quick,or even the Kings' smothering defense),and sapped the energy out of the Blackhawks' team offense... Kings lead Western Conference series two games to one game...

what a joke,and bad one,to boot...

Derek Stepan had his jaw broken by the blindside hit given to him by Brandon Prust,early in game three of the Rangers/Canadiens series... Prust received a two game suspension by the NHL Department of Player Safety... that is a total joke of a suspension:ten games for whacking a linesman on the leg,and a shove for Daniel Carcillo(which i agree with),and then a two game suspension for Prust for a DELIBERATE blindside hit that broke Stepan's jaw(which i find rather disgusting-should have been much more-five,or ten games)... the NHL Department of Player Safety is ridiculous and rather inert,in terms of fair suspensions,for goons like Prust,and i said it:what Prust did was deliberate,and he played early in game three like a goon,period...

commentary...

basically of all the games in both the conference finals,the quality of the overall play has been very,very poor... in fact,it has stunk... except for the overall play of New York Rangers' goaltender Henrik Lundqvist,which has been very good,every goaltender has had his moments,including Lundqvist,that he has looked like Moe,Larry,and Curly(the Three Stooges),of stopping pucks,and make easy shots look like blazing 100 mph rockets... in fact,the strangest goal of the Rangers/Canadiens entire series was a very bad hop/bounce of the puck past Lundqvist... i do not blame Henrik for that,because that is hockey,and there have been some strange deflections of the puck in all the series,which makes the goaltending very suspect-numbers-wise-and that sucks,if you are a fan this time of year... that is Stanley Cup playoff hockey,isn't it?

NHL news...

Chicago Blackhawks/Los Angeles Kings,tonight,game three,Western Conference Finals...

Carcillo suspended ten games...

Daniel Carcillo has been suspended ten games by the NHL Department of Player Safety,for shoving,and whacking a linesman in the leg with his stick... it is a violation of Rule 40.3,category II,of the NHL rulebook...

commentary,and note of NHL history...

last night's game between the Rangers and the Canadiens was a good game... both teams played well,but honestly,the Canadiens played better with desperate means to an end-a win... it was rather nasty,and ugly at the start... both teams wanted to just beat the snot out of each other in the first two periods,and you can tell that both teams do not have like each other,and have a nasty edge to an old rivalry(an Original Six rivalry,to boot)... Brandon Prust's deliberate high elbow,to Derek Stepan's chest/chin,in the first period was not called for a penalty(should have been),and Daniel Circillo's bumping of a linesman,shortly after that,was the sign of the obvious bad blood between the two teams(Circillo is facing a suspension for that bump)... those two incidents almost blew the roof off Madison Square Garden... the fans were very upset,booing loudly... note of NHL history:a riot actually happened,in Montreal,when fans got rowdy,during a game between the Red Wings,and Canadiens,and the game was called a forfeit,and then the fans rioted in the streets of Montreal... the "Richard Riot" happened on March 17,1955,when fans got upset because of the suspension of Maurice "the Rocket" Richard by then NHL President Clarence Campbell for the rest of the 1954-1955 NHL season... the Forum was emptied(by fire marshall),after fans threw everything at the ice(including eggs,and a smoke bomb)... the Red Wings were leading 4-1,when game was called,and so the fans rioted,in the streets of Montreal...

game score...

Canadiens 3,Rangers 2,overtime... series,now,Rangers,up,2-1,in games... will blog tomorrow morning... am very tired...

game score...

Los Angeles Kings 6,Chicago Blackhawks 2... Western Conference Finals,tied at one game apiece...

commentary...

how does a hockey team go from a 2-1 lead,after two periods,to a 6-2 loss,in the Western Conference Finals??? they stop playing NHL hockey,and skate around the rink,like a pee wee hockey team,and goaltender Corey Crawford gives up four of the five goals(one being an empty net goal),in the dreadful third period... the Kings lead NHL,with 22 goals,in the third period,in the Stanley Cup playoffs,and they tied a franchise record,with five goals,in the third period... one of the other times was April 10,1982,when "The Miracle on Manchester" happened when the Kings beat the Edmonton Oilers,6-5,when the Kings were down 5-0,after two periods(one of only two times,in NHL history,that a team overcame a 5-0 deficit,after two periods)... up to last night,the Kings had never won a playoff game in Chicago,losing all seven previous playoff games(losing all three playoff games,in 1974,and last year,and then losing the Western Conference Finals' opener,this year)... the Blackhawks better forget this debacle,and play hockey,in this series,against the Kings,or the Kings are going to beat the Blackhawks,and unlike last year,the Blackhawks are beatable,and the Kings know it... unfortunately,some pundits still believe that Chicago is going to repeat as Stanley Cup champions,and that is very,very possible,but folks there are three other teams who are in the Stanley Cup playoffs,who given the right bounce of the puck,great team defense,and overall play,who can win the Stanley Cup... so head coach Joel Quenneville,you better knock that stupid,arrogant smirk off your team's collective faces,and play NHL hockey,or you will get beat like that every game,because the Kings remember winning the Stanley Cup,in 2012,and they want it back,period...

NHL news...

Los Angeles Kings/Chicago Blackhawks,tonight,game two,Western Conference Finals...

game score...

Rangers 3,Canadiens 1... Rangers up,2-0,in games,in best of seven game series(Eastern Conference Finals)...

commentary...

sorry,folks,fell asleep during the Rangers/Canadiens game,so commentary will be not much... however,i can say that i saw every goal in the game,so i can say one thing:Montreal did nothing in the last half of the game,and has done nothing,overall,in this series,and now they go back to New York,for games three,and four,and Montreal may be griping about the series-ending injury to goaltender Carey Price,in game one(being run into by Chris Kreider),but my advice to them is:suck it up,and play hockey... things happen in the Stanley Cup playoffs,and you have to expect it,period...

NHL news...

New York Rangers/Montreal Canadiens,tonight,game two,Eastern Conference Finals... note:no games,tomorrow(Tuesday)...

commentary...

last night's game between the Kings and the Blackhawks was a good one,if you enjoy defense,but skating around the arena rink chasing the puck was not fun to watch... both goaltenders were so-so,in parts,especially Jonathan Quick,for the Kings,and the Kings seemed to be more than a step slow,last night,with the Blackhawks taking advantage,in the second and third periods... watching the game was like eating oatmeal;lumpy,and then runny,and finally a big lump of mush to eat at the end of the proverbial bowl of oatmeal... a rather ugly game to watch,for the fans,because the Blackhawks did win the game,but had only 20 shots in the entire game,which is not too many in a game that a team won,and winning it going away-a shot every three minutes-a basic snorefest... the Kings had more shots,but still had a goaltender,who did not have his "A- game" on display,which made for a game that was not fun to watch,period...

game score,and comment...

Blackhawks 3,Kings 1... a very good defensive game in third period,and goaltender Corey Crawford was outstanding,in net...

NHL news...

Los Angeles Kings/Chicago Blackhawks,noon,today...

game score,and commentary...

New York Rangers 7,Montreal Canadiens 2... Montreal played like they were a step slow,and New York played sharply,and sliced and diced the Canadiens,with five goals on seven shots late in second period,and then early in third period,to put 2-1 game out of reach,ballooning lead to 7-1,and then coasted the rest of the game... ugly game for the Canadiens' fans,because they left the arena,with almost fifteen minutes to play in the game... if i were the Canadiens,i would forget this game as soon as possible...

game score...

Los Angeles Kings 6,Anaheim Ducks 2... not much of an exciting game... however,loved the NBC announce team,who said,with Ducks down 4-0,"the Ducks have hit the reset button"... WHAT??? i actually laughed myself silly... to make the NBC announce team look sillier,the Kings scored a power play goal,to go up 5-0,before Anaheim scored to make 5-1,after two periods... after the game,the fans and the Kings' players showed class in giving Ducks' player Teemu Selanne a ovation,who may retire after 23 seasons in the NHL...with 684 regular season goals,and with a rookie record 76 goals,with the original Winnipeg Jets,in 1992-1993,he is a sure fire Hall of Fame inductee,in three years...

NHL game seven,tonight...

the final game seven in the second round:Los Angeles Kings/Anaheim Ducks,tonight... winner faces the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks,in the Western Conference Finals...

comments...

when the conference finals are set,i will blog about them... in the Eastern Conference,the finals are New York Rangers/Montreal Canadiens... in the Western Conference the Chicago Blackhawks are waiting for the winner of game seven in the Los Angeles Kings/Anaheim Ducks series... game seven in the Kings/Ducks series is Friday night...

commentary...

reports say that the San Jose Sharks are keeping general manager Doug Wilson,and head coach Todd McLellan... what are the Sharks going to do? restock the team??? unfortunately,they have too many of the major starters who have no movement,or no trade clauses,so how do you change the culture of losing playoff teams when you can not get rid of players who know only of playoff losing??? if you do not get rid of your general manager,or head coach,after saying that you are very disappointed in their play in the Stanley Cup playoffs,over the last few years,you honestly deserve a team with a basic static roster over the last few years that goes nowhere near the Stanley Cup,Hasso Plattner(owner of the Sharks)... i blame both the head coach,and general manager for this debacle of a team,with an owner who has no guts to really change the real toxic culture of playoff losing that has developed over the years... no matter what is said in San Jose,that fact is not going to change,because the Sharks think they have a team to compete for the Stanley Cup,year after year... if that is the case,where are the yearly results??? here is an example of a team trying to improve:the Red Wings,whose AHL team is one of the best teams,and a front office who seems to bring up very good young players,when needed,and when the team has a terrible year,injury-wise,they still make the playoffs for the 23rd straight season... i know that the Red Wings are a team in transition,but the future for the team is bright,when you have a front office,and a farm system that is active,and very anxious to improve... the problem with the Sharks (and i have said this for years,have i not said it???)is the fact that they have a static front office,who believes that they have the right mix of players,year after year,and every year,they flame out like a candle being snuffed out by teams who are simply better,in the Stanley Cup playoffs every single year... it is really too bad for the loyal and true fans of the Sharks,who honestly deserve a chance to see the Stanley Cup raised in San Jose,but with this team,there is no chance... PROVE ME WRONG!!!!!!!!!

NHL history,and "the King"...

they call him "the King",here is the reason why:New York Rangers' goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has won his fifth straight game seven,in a seven game series,the last two game sevens have been on the road... that is a NHL record... his goals against average,in his NHL career,in game sevens,is a spectacular 1.00,with an almost obscene save percentage of,i believe,.965,and his overall record in six game sevens is 5-1...

game score...

New York Rangers 2,Pittsburgh Penguins 1... Rangers complete comeback from a 3-1 deficit(the first time in team history),as Penguins basically scored three goals,in last three games,and played like they were goons,in the last two games... general manager Ray Shero put together a team that won the Metropolitan Division by thirteen points,but for the fifth straight season they were dumped out,by a lower seed,in the Stanley Cup playoffs,since they won the Stanley Cup,in 2009,over the Red Wings... anyone,remember the San Jose Sharks? the Penguins have the same thing wrong that the Sharks have,except the problem starts with the head coach Dan Bylsma,who has lost the team,as in that they have stopped listening to him... captain Sidney Crosby did not play like the best player in the NHL,getting one goal,with only eight assists,in the entire playoffs,and in fact,played like an angry kid throughout the Penguins' failed playoff run... intensity aside,he looked mad throughout the Rangers' series,which rubbed everyone the wrong way,especially the Rangers,and he seemed not to have fun throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs... simply said,in my opinion,he needs to grow up,and realize that hockey is a game,and everyone does not win... Byslma should be toast,as head coach,even though he signed a contract extension,before the season,because he seems to have lost the team in the locker room,which is really too bad,because this team should be better,period... Rangers advance to the Eastern Conference Finals,and the Penguins play golf early,for the fifth straight season...

blog statement...

blogging,recently,has not been too easy for me,because i have been trying to catch on sleep,and yesterday was just a tough day with people giving me hassles for no reason... i am all right,and will be blogging tomorrow...

blog statement...

Happy Mother's Day!!!!!!!!

blog statement...

i will take day off... need some couch potato "Idaho Spud" time...

a class act;that Jimmy Howard...

Ann Arbor native Kelly Rothe was going through a preventative double mastectomy in the hospital,shortly,when during a visit to the Red Wings' locker room at Joe Louis Arena,Red Wings' goaltender Jimmy Howard surprised her with a bunch of flowers,as a sweet gift...

odd things in Toronto...

on March 13,2014,the Toronto Maple Leafs were in the midst of the playoff race,but after that date,in fourteen games,they won only two more games(and got four points),and having an eight game losing streak,and then after winning two straight games,they ended the 2014 season,with four more losses... a strange fact happened during that collapse:only one game went into overtime(they beat Boston,4-3,in overtime),but all twelve losses were all in regulation... yesterday,a crazy thing happened,they signed head coach Randy Carlyle,to a contract extension,but fired every assistant,in his staff... i feel sorry for Leafs Nation for that awful stinking team...

blog statement...

some days you want to do blogging,and some days you want to scream,and simply run away from blogging... this is a day to scream and simply run away(laughing,of course),but i really do not want to do anything,today... need to be a couch potato!!!!!!! anybody for a spud???

commentary...

last season,i made the comment of the Red Wings' 2012-2013(as i put it the 2013 team)team,"that if you gave me the seventh game of the second round,at the beginning of the season,i would be very happy"... that was very true last year,but i believe the Red Wings need to improve over the off-season,not so much as pundits may think,but i will always remember the quote from head coach Mike Babcock,when asked if he thought the Red Wings were a tough out(from the Stanley Cup playoffs),he replied simply,"not at all",explaining that they simply got out-played by the Boston Bruins... he also said that injuries,and youth,in terms of AHL talent,has(paraphrasing)taken the edge off the Red Wings,noting that four years ago,they were playing deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs,and the last two years,they have struggled to get into the Stanley Cup playoffs,especially this year,because of injury... now for the Sharks' overall season... they won fifty one games,had 111 points(fourth in Western Conference),primed to make a deep run into the playoffs,and then went poof,in an epic historical flameout... i mentioned the Red Wings' front office... let us compare them to the Sharks' front office:have only one major question to ask??? when was the major player input from the Worcester(Mass.) Sharks,the AHL affiliate of San Jose... they must have had one,and they did:the last two goals,against the Los Angeles Kings,were from James Sheppard,and Matt Irwin,two Worcester Sharks called up,by San Jose,but in the last three games,against the Kings,the high priced stars did not get a sniff of the net/goal... after 51 wins,and 111 points,did the Sharks overachieve,or underachieve,compared to the Red Wings??? they both underachieved,one because of a team depleted by injury,and the other by not fighting for a fourth win,in their seven game series(and you can not tell me that they played hard,against the Kings,in the last three games,of that historical but pathetic series)... which team would you root for??? i know my answer...

commentary...

i have been more than a little distracted this year about the Red Wings' American Hockey League affiliate,the defending Calder Cup Champions Grand Rapids Griffiths... they are in the American Hockey League Western Conference semi-finals,against the regular season AHL champion Texas Stars... this is the reason that the Red Wings' future as a team is so bright,because when your AHL affiliate wins the AHL championship one year then goes,at least,into the semi-finals(second round)of the playoffs the next,you have a very bright future... to have the Red Wings use half your main roster(most of the year),and still get to the AHL playoffs is a feat in itself... that is actually the main function of a great front office:keeping the oars in the water for a great AHL team,when your main roster,for your NHL team is decimated by injury...

commentary...

what happened to the Anaheim Ducks? they have lost both games at home,against the Los Angeles Kings,and are down 0-2 in their best of seven second round series,going back to Los Angeles... simply said,they have run into the hottest team in the NHL,winning six games in a row... right now,no team would like to face the Kings in the Stanley Cup playoffs,period... good luck,Ducks!!!!!!!!!!

blog statement...

because of a bad migraine/sinus headache,i had to delay my vacation one day... that sucks,but i will go this morning/afternoon(depending on time of bus,or train)... will be back in a few days...

blog statement...

this week is vacation time for me...

commentary...

the San Jose Sharks are talking a good game in changing the team dynamic,but not changing the coaching staff,not necessarily the head coach,and front office,who have done very little in their playoff history,and the fact that they have only five unrestricted free agents means very little change,overall... the basic team roster has not changed too much over the past six years(the length of head coach Todd McLellan's tenure)... honestly,i do not blame him for their playoff failures,but when you have a static team that has not improved much since 2010,who do you blame??? team owner Hasso Plattner has many decisions to make,but with the Sharks relatively healthy this season,and with a team that has the second most regular season points in the NHL,in the past ten years,this was the year that possibly had a major Stanley Cup run in the team,but they whimper out with an offense that may have scored seventeen goals,in the first three games,in their seven game series with the Kings,but against the second best defensive team in the Kings(NHL wide),the Kings reverted back to their regular season defensive form,and the Sharks got smothered with a defense that was very,very good,when they only scored two goals in the last three games,which unless you have a stonewall in goal,your chances to advance go poof,but the Kings out-scored the Sharks,12-2,in the last three games,including a 3-0 shutout,in game five... the Sharks are a team of paradoxes:a team with major talent,but a team without,it seems,heart,or passion(a killer instinct),in the Stanley Cup playoffs... at least,it seems that way to me,and that is the way that the rest of the NHL may look at the team in the East Bay,because the Sharks have not improved that much,and that is a real shame for the Sharks' fans,unless they improve the coaching staff,or the front office,and that it does not look promising,in the East Bay,because the Sharks simply are a team with talent that has not changed too much,and the rest of the NHL have won playoff games,and series,including the Stanley Cup,and the Sharks get eliminated early in the Stanley Cup playoffs year after year,most of that time,being in the first or second round,unless they beat the Red Wings,which they did,but being a team modeled after the Red Wings,but without the premier front office,or even the American Hockey League team that improves the main roster,year after year,does not help the team in the East Bay,against the rest of the Western Conference,and the Red Wings are,now,in the Eastern Conference,so what are you going to do,Sharks??? with teams like the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks,St. Louis Blues,Anaheim Ducks,or even the Los Angeles Kings,who just beat them in seven heartbreaking,and very bitter games,are the Sharks going to improve anyway near the Stanley Cup,anytime soon,and that is very heartbreaking and very bitter,for the fans,isn't it,Sharky(their mascot)???

blog statement...

i am taking day off from blogging,and then will be off for a few days next week... vacation time,finally...

commentary...

with seven starters with various no trade clauses,how do you fix the San Jose Sharks??? after an epic collapse against the Los Angeles Kings,the Sharks need fixing,because their lack of energy,even when they went down 2-1,after two periods,in game seven,was evident,because they looked like they were simply beat... Joe Thornton,and Patrick Marleau looked depressed,and just sat on their rear ends,not even giving the rest of the team a boost... Thornton,and Marleau are signed through 2017,so i see no chance to improve,because their team dynamic has not changed in so long... they have had seventeen playoff appearances,and only two Western Conference Finals' appearances in that time,and in those two appearances,they won only a single game... Todd McLellan,who has been around for six years,as head coach,appears to be on the way out of San Jose,because he took responsibility for the collapse,and refused to throw anyone under the bus... classy coach,but is it time to dismantle the front office,the coaching staff,and oust general manager Doug Wilson,who has a team of talented players,but they have no killer instinct,in their playoff history,and guess who put this dysfunctional bunch of talent together??? Wilson... regular season victories do not count much,because winning Stanley Cups simply matter the most to fans of this team,and they have had seventeen playoff appearances,and zero Stanley Cups... i have said over the past few years that the front office has no clue how to put a team together,and now this happens... making this kind of NHL history is not what the Sharks want to remember,but there it is:they are the fourth team to lose a seven game series,after being up 3-0,in games,besides the Red Wings,in 1942,the Pittsburgh Penguins,in 1975,the Boston Bruins,in 2010,and now,the San Jose Sharks,in 2014,in NHL history... if they do not make major changes,in their front office,and coaching staff,they are not going near the Stanley Cup anytime soon... now what,Sharks!!!!!!!! puck is in your rink...

blog statement...

i am not blogging for a few days,because it is simply too hot,and will be for,at least,one more day...