Jagr Signs with Flyers

Jaromir Jagr has signed a 1 year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers.

May he burn in hell.

Jagr Comeback Percentage Breakdown

Once and Future NHL Superstar Jaromir Jagr is on his way on a plane to New York to announce his return to play in North America.

Here is my percentage breakdown of chances Jagr says the following when stepping off the Plane in JFK this afternoon:

80% “I’m going back to my hockey roots and playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins. I’m honored to be working for my hockey idol Mario Lemieux and thrilled to be playing with great young talents such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. My one condition: the team goes back to its mid-90s odd colored alternate jerseys with the triangle pigeon logo so I can truly feel at home.”

11% “I’m looking forward for a new opportunity to play in Soff Euro-troit. Their non-physical, absolutely no fighting, puck possession, subtle interference running, skate all over the neutral zone style is exactly the kind of hockey my game is tailored for.”

5% “Je suis super a excité à être le prochain Européen énigmatique pour venir à Montréal être adoré comme un dieu bizarre. J'aimerais remercier mon google traduit application de téléphone pour ce texte prêt.”

1% “I’m taking my talents to South Beach and signing with the Florida Panthers. Like Lebron, I will demand a contract where I get to take off the final period of crucial playoff games.”

1% “I would like to come here to America to announce my retirement from pro-hockey to pursue a lifelong dream of chasing the lochness monster around the Scottish Highlands”

1% “I’m just here for a quick trip down to the Jersey City blackjack tables, what are all you media types doing here?”

1% Gets off plane, runs over to high-five Mario Lemieux, makes a sharp turn at the last second, from behind a pillar out jumps Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Chris Pronger. They beat down Lemieux unmercifully, Jagr rips off his Pens jersey to reveal a NWO/Flyer sweater underneath. Lays out the Big Guy with a stinky leg drop then hoists him back up in order to super kick him through a plate glass window. They spray paint the limp body of the Penguins owner while Brent Johnson glares down from the rafters dressed like Brandon Lee.

Flyers Explode Roster; Shakeup Hockey World

When the Flyers goalie situation imploded in the 2nd round of the Playoffs this spring and the team was swept by Tim Thomas and the eventual Cup winning Bruins, owner Ed Snider had finally seen enough. He ORDERED General Manager Paul Holmgren to rectify the situation in the Flyers net that had been left derelict since Ron Hextall skated away to Quebec in a fit of rage.
In following his bosses orders Holmgren brought in the hottest name available, trading for the rights to restricted free agent Ilya Bryzgalov from the Phoenix Coyotes. Holmgren only then faced one problem: he was up against the salary cap and would need to move some cash off his roster to free up room to sign the hottest goalie on the market. Rumors swirled around trade deadline addition Kris Versteeg and middle pairing defenseman Matt Carle. Absolutely nobody in the hockey world saw the combination of brazen moves that Holmgren was really cooking up coming down the pike.
Within an hour time span yesterday, instead of tinkering around the margins, Holmgren boldly blew up the very core of his roster, trading away Team Captain Mike Richards to the LA Kings and Assistant Captain and prime sniper Jeff Carter to the Columbus Blue Jackets. In doing so Holmgren cleared out a combined 20 years and $109.6 million off the team’s books through the 2021-2022 season.
In trading Richards to the Kings, the Flyers picked up versatile tough guy winger Wayne Simmonds and the Kings top prospect, 19 year old Brayden Schenn, and a 2nd round pick for the upcoming NHL entry draft.
In dealing Carter to Columbus, the Flyers acquired a former 1st round pick in Czech Winger Jakub Voracek, and two more picks for the current draft, the 1st round (8th overall) and 3rd round picks from the Jackets this year. Schenn is signed on an entry level contract for the next 3 seasons, and Simmonds and Voracek are both restricted free agents. Holmgren had better do his damndest to ink those guys by July 1, or he will have some major egg on his face. He did manage to bring Bryzgalov under wraps, signing him to a 10 year deal, with an annual Cap hit of $5.6 million dollars. That leaves his squad with $7.5 million in cap space, and sets them up nicely with a bunch of young assets to build around at forward. It does hurt them however in short term production up front, for a team who’s defense and goalie are signed to win RIGHT NOW.
There is rampant speculation that the other shoe is ready to drop, whether it be a UFA signing of Brad Richards from the Stars, or deal to bring in restricted Free Agent Steven Stamkos from the Tampa Bay Lightning, one hardly gets the feeling that things are completely settled in Flyerland. If they had simply traded Carter for Voracek and picks, that would have been an understandable salary dump to sign a goalie. But in moving their Captain in Mike Richards, the Flyers signaled a seismic shift in the way the organization will be structured going forward. And as the ground shifted under them, other teams felt some aftershocks as well.
The team setup to come out best immediately from this is the LA Kings. With Anze Kopitar already in the fold, Richards gives them an elite 1-2 punch at Center along the lines of Cup contenders like Detroit(Datsyuk/Zetterberg), Pittsburgh (Crosby/Malkin), and Chicago (Toews/Sharp). They have some good young goaltending in place, adequate role players at wing, and a solid defensive core. They will also be able to unload winger Ryan Smyth, whose numbers have been decreasing in production relative to his salary in recent years. Smyth wants to go home to Alberta, and the Kings will probably get something decent in return from either the Flames or the Oilers for the Canadian hero. The Flames already moved Robyn Regehr to the Buffalo Sabres in anticipation of bidding for Smyth.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are not as close to contention as the Kings, but they FINALLY have their legitimate #1 Center in Carter to play alongside their longtime standout Rick Nash. So the Flyers have a solid Goalie and the Jackets have an elite Center. This may be signs of a forthcoming hockey apocalypse. I like the Blue Jackets up front now, especially if they bring back Scottie Upshall, but on their blueline it’s a bad combination of too young, and too average. When Grant Clitsome and Fedor Tyutin are your ‘name’ guys on defense, that is never a good sign. They do have a massive $21 million in cap space however, and some key pieces in place to at least shape themselves into a playoff team, so lets wait and see how the situation unfolds for Ohio hockey.
Things got very interesting in the trade market yesterday, and with the draft taking place this weekend, Jagr still floating out there (although the league ruled he won’t be able to sign till July 1 now) and Ryan Smyth ready to move back home, don’t expect things to settle down from now through the start of free agency.

Redemption for Boston

The Bruins didn't give Philadelphia any chance to come back in their Eastern Conference semifinals series Friday.
Boston beat the Flyers, 5-1, to sweep the series and move onto the conference finals against Tampa Bay.
The Bruins added two empty-net goals for good measure. Boston didn't want any miracle comeback.
It was just one year ago that Philadelphia came back from being down 3-0 to beat the Bruins in the a conference semifinals matchup. It didn't happen this year.
I did pick the Flyers to win this series before, although their lackluster goaltending proved costly.
The conference finals will feature Boston and Tampa Bay. I'm going to go with the Lightning in 6. They are playing really well, and should continue.
Tim Thomas and the Bruins' defense has been tremendous, but Tampa Bay has strong blue liners and Dwayne Roloson has taken an underdog to the finals before when he led Edmonton to the Stanley Cup finals.
The Lightning have won seven straight, however Boston will take Game 1.

What has happened to the mighty Redwings?

What in the world is going on up in Mo-town? If you can tell me, please let me know down in the comment section, cause I honestly don't understand how a team that looked so good coming into this series is down 3-0 to the San Jose Sharks.

I can explain the Flyers issues in a word (goaltending) and the Caps problems in a sentence ( A fundamental lack of leadership, chemistry, coaching, effort, and defense), but I cannot fathom how the Wings find themself in such a hole.

Like I said, if you have any ideas, let me know.

Thanks

2nd Round Lacks Sizzle

The 1st round of the NHL was chalk full of intrigue and drama. It was packed full of controversial hits, overtime thrillers, epic combacks, and many tightly contested series. The 2nd round? Not so much. The dissapointing Washington Capitals have already been swept out by the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Philly Flyers and Detroit Redwings both find themselves down three games to none, facing down near insurmountable deficits. The closest series has been Vancouver and Nashville, but I fear an overtime victory for the Canucks in game three on a ridiculous penalty call will be too much for the already overmatched Predators to overcome.
The least surprising outcome of this round has been watching the Flyers goaltending implode once again. Has there ever been a team in sports that fails so spectacularly at the same position over and over again in the playoffs.
The biggest shock has been the Tampa Bay Lightning looking like a well tested playoff juggernaut. The 41 year old journeyman Dwayne Roloson is playing some of the best hockey of his life in net. Sean Bergenheim has been unreal good on a line with Dominic Moore. Ryan Malone has battled his way to the front of the net, stepping in for an again injured Simon Gagne. And Eric Brewer has been a dominate two way defensemen, especially with veteran Pavel Kubina going down. If the Bolts can keep this level of play up, they are going to be very hard for any team to knock off.

Meanwhile the Capitals showed a lack of heart, desire, and commitment that has become an unexplainable habit for them in the NHL playoffs. I really thought this would be their year to shine. Now Caps fans have to really wonder if it wouldn't be best to have some major changes down in DC. Alex Ovechkin deseves to have a better squad put around him. He is a force and Brooks Laich is a proven warrior. Everyone else on that team should be fair game for discussion about possible changes.

My second-round picks

The Penguins' season is over, but the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs live on. Here are my picks for the second round, or the conference semifinals if you want to get technical.

In the Eastern Conference, I pick Washington to upend Tampa Bay in six games. Dwayne Roloson played well in the first round against Pittsburgh, but the Capitals are a much better scoring team with a solid power play.

The Lightning can light the lamp, although it won't be enough against Washington. This could be the Capitals' year.

Philadelphia, yes I'm going with them, will top Boston in seven games. The Flyers were the top team in the league for a long time, and after surviving a scare against Buffalo, has a renewed focus.

The goalie situation is suspect in Philadelphia, although it will play tough defense in front of whoever the goalie is. This will be an exciting series.

For the Western Conference:

Vancouver takes care of Nashville in six games. The Canucks showed tremendous character against Chicago. Yes, the Blackhawks took them to a seventh game after trailing 3-0, but Chicago wasn't your average No. 8 seed.

The Predators have some tremendous players in Shea Weber, Mike Fisher and Pekka Rinne, but I believe the Canucks have too much fire power. Roberto Luongo will have a bounce back series. Nashville doesn't have the scoring punch.

Detroit has it all, and the Red Wings will fly past San Jose in six games.
The Sharks have some offensive firepower, although Los Angeles played them a little too tough for my liking.

I believe goaltending is a liability for San Jose. Although Antti Niemi won a Stanley Cup with Chicago last season, I doubt that he can lead the Sharks over the Red Wings.

I don't know if revenge is on the Red Wings' minds, but San Jose took them out of the playoffs in five games last year.

Once again, Washington over Tampa Bay (six games), Philadelphia over Boston (seven game), Vancouver over Nashville (six games) and Detroit over San Jose (six games).

Also, check out Pucks_and_Pols' picks. Feel free to respond to both.

NHL 2nd Round Predictions

More detailed analysis to come, but since the Vancouver-Nashville Series starts tonight I wanted to get my official predictions in today.

Wales Conference

1)Washington Capitals vs. 5) Tampa Bay Lightning
Capitals in 7

2)Philadelphia Flyers vs. 3) Boston Bruins
Bruins in 6

Campbell Conference

1)Vancouver Canucks vs. 5)Nashville Predators
Canucks in 4

2)Detroit Redwings vs. 3)San Jose Sharks
Redwings in 6

Mike Richards and the Flyers Goalie-Go-Round

Mike Richards is the Captain of the Philadelphia Flyers in the sense that he wears the letter 'C' upon his jersey. That is all. The real leader in that room, the one guys look to when the sailing get stormy, is Chris Pronger. For all of his badboy reputation Pronger is an Alpha Male's Alpha Male.

Richards comes off far too often as both a petulant brat with the media, and a guy whose play on the ice goes over the line and should not garner respect around the league. He makes too many borderline and dirty plays, then leaves his mates to clean up his mess and finish what he starts. He was also identified by his own team as part of a group of young players too focused on nightlife and not enough on gamenight.

On ice he has been involved in more than his share of questionable incidents, and yet he is never grouped in when 'dirty' plays are discussed. His hit on David Booth of the Florida Panthers was a carbon copy of Matt Cooke's infamous leveling of Marc Savard, both in intent, follow through, and results, yet nobody caused a fuss over it.

These playoffs Richards has been at it again, he was tossed from game four for throwing an elbow into the chin of an oncoming Patrick Kaleta of the Buffalo Sabres. An elbow to the head in "self defense" is still an elbow to the head. I don't know what Richards was "defending" himself from yesterday when he sent Sabres forward Tim Connolly face first into the boards. Another notch on Richards holster, and the league's overlords once again turn a blind eye toward the Flyer's head hunter.

The Flyers as a team meanwhile continue to hunt for a legitimate playoff goaltender. They started this series with the Sabres depending on rookie Sergei Bobrovsky, but after falling down 2 games to none have switched to some unholy combination of Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher. It has pulled them even with the Sabres at 3 games apiece, but it hasn't been pretty. Even if the Flyers do somehow survive this first round it is only a matter of time until this weakness in net comes back to bite them in the playoffs. Again.

The Flyers have invested way too much in Mike Richards to walk away from him, in contract term, length, and naming him Captain before he was ready to act like one. Where the Flyers have always short changed themselves is in net. And it continues to comeback to haunt them.

Stanley Cup playoffs update

After four days of action in the Stanley Cup playoffs four teams have a 2-0 series lead and three series are tied at 1. One game is in progress.
In the Eastern Conference, the Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens have a 2-0 series lead, while the Pittsburgh-Tampa Bay and Philadelphia-Buffalo series is tied at 1-1.
In the West, the Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings hold 2-0 leads. The Anaheim-Nashville series is tied at 1-1.
With 12:20 and counting in the third period, the Los Angeles King are on the verge of tying their series with the San Jose Sharks, as they hold a 4-0 lead.
The Canucks look to be the strongest team in the West in terms of their play so far. Roberto Luongo has been stellar in goal, and the defense is playing well against a high octane offense in Chicago.
The Canadiens have played very well in their first two games against Boston, and are on a mission to get back to the Cup finals.
The next week should be exciting. I see a seven-game series between Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh. The others should go six or less.

Monday Morning Notebook (04.05.V4-3)

*The US is getting ready to end combat missions flying over Libya in the next few days. Is this a "mission accomplished" moment like we had in Iraq, only to be followed by escalating violence, or is the current President really ready to walk away from this fight and wash his hands of whatever the results are of the ongoing civil war in that North African nation? Barrack Obama should be credited with preventing a near certain mass murder in Benghazi, and NATO forces, including the US I would assume, will continue to moniter and enforce the UN sanctioned 'No-Fly Zone.' The ultimate effect of this effort on the ground is far from certain in Libya however. Muammar Gaddafi and the Rebel Forces in Libya are basically fighting to a stand still and neither will seem to be able to 'finish the job' of disposing of the other.

*After watching the Philadelphia Flyers-New York Rangers game yesterday, I can't help but feel that the Flyers are really on their heels backing into the playoffs. Something doesn’t quite seem to be clicking right with that team right now, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a tough time getting out of the first round, especially against a team with a tough goalie like the Rangers or the Buffalo Sabres. I feel the Washington Capitals will win the #1 overall seed and be the team to beat in the East. They have been on fire since adding a few pieces at the trade deadline, and have the most complete healthy team in the Conference right now.

*The Budget Showdown will be dragging on in Congress for another week of D.C. melodrama. Will this be the week that Senate Democrats, President Obama, and whatever caucus Speaker of the House John Boehner can muster will come to an agreement on the temporary budget for the remainder of the fiscal year through September, so that they can get onto bickering about a long term budget solution for the future years? A Government Shutdown, such as occurred in 1995, is looming if a temporary solution cannot be reached. Of course most of the 'essential' functions of the Federal Government would still be funded, but it would be a black eye in the face of a spawning economic recovery. Something that is important to note: this fight is not the Big One. The argument (and an ongoing simultaneous debate that will also focus on the Country’s Debt limit) that occurs this week will not do one single iota to fix our Nation’s long term fiscal crisis. The real strong leadership that the American people crave will be those who dare to crack open the “untouchable” issues of Social Security and Medicare. The current debate over non-defense discretionary funding will do nothing to alleviate the big picture issues surrounding those programs, and can only hurt us in the short term economic forecasts, because cuts in spending will mean cuts in jobs. It is that simple folks. The British are learning this to their peril as their economic recovery sputters out in the face of large cut backs in spending in the name of fiscal austerity. There is some simple math out there that shows that cutting government spending reduces the employment situation for workers on the ground. Eric DuVall of the Tonawanda News breaks this down very precisely and succinctly in his editorial piece yesterday:
“This might be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. The Republican Party’s official position on job creation is this: If the government lays off workers on a mass scale, it will help employment.
How is this possible? Someone in the House GOP caucus has missed their calling as a fantasy novel writer, for starters.” Read the rest here

*It became official over the weekend, the New Jersey Devils will be missing the NHL’s postseason for the 1st time since 1996. Count me as one who will certainly not weep for the absence of the Devils in this year’s playoffs. They are the organization that is more responsible, in my eyes, than any other for bogging down the game with their neutral zone shutdown “swamp hockey” that became the trendy defensive style of play from the Mid 1990’s to the early 2000s. They may have won 3 Stanley Cups in 9 years with this accursed style of play, but have only won 2 playoff games beyond the 1st round since they hoisted the Holy Grail against the Anaheim (then Mighty) Ducks in 03. So this has been a team and a style of hockey in decline for the better part of a decade now. Hopefully 2011 will be remembered as the year swamp hockey was finally laid to rest.

*Former President Bill Clinton has suggested in public that the world should furnish arms and supplies to the Rebel Forces in Libya. Privately I guarantee he knows that something of that sort is already going on. This entire intervention in Libya has a very Clintonesque feel to it, and with his wife represented in the Administration as Secretary of State, it seems very likely to me that she is pulling some of the old levers that Bill left behind in the International Community. To think that the two are not cooperating and interconnecting their influence and powers to get Gadaffi out of Libya would be foolish indeed.

Will the Flyers collapse?

With four games to play, I have started to wonder if the Philadelphia Flyers will be able to hold on to win the Atlantic Division? They have played well against the Pittsburgh Penguins, winning all their games at the Consol Energy Center, including a 5-2 victory on Mar. 29, but have faltered a bit since that win. They have 102 points, one back of the Washington Capitals for first place in the Eastern Conference race, and are just two ahead of the Penguins, who won Saturday night in Florida. Pittsburgh has three games remaining. If they win out against the Devils, Islanders and Thrashers. The Penguins can win all these games, although New Jersey is always tough, how will New York respond after the two teams battled it out the last time in a game that more resembled an MMA card. They should beat Atlanta easily, but you never know. I believe it depends what's on the line. If Pittsburgh needs to win to secure the division title or keep the No. 4 spot, it can take the game. The Flyers are tied 1-1 with the Rangers at 8:40 of the second period as of 1:59 p.m. EST. They have remaining games with the Senators, Sabres and Islanders. They wrap up with the Isles on Saturday, which will let the Penguins know if they will have the opportunity to play for something Sunday in their finale. If not, I would rest some people and get ready for the playoffs. I preview a series with the Tampa Bay Lightning to start Wednesday, April 13. I guess the answer to the question: Will the Flyers collapse is no.

A few notes

Thursday night's 5-2 loss to the Flyers was a tough one for the Penguins. Even though the games have to be played out, Philadelphia has a four-point advantage and all the tiebreaker scenario's are in the Flyers' favor with six games to go. The Penguins have five games remaining. The second period proved how quick momentum can turn in an NHL game. Pittsburgh was up 2-1, and on the verge of going up 3-1 when the Flyers scored two goals in 47 seconds. A few questionable calls could be the answer, but I am not one to complain about officiating. The Penguins played hard, although a lapse in focus cost them. Bad bounces or not. If they had taken that 3-1 lead, it would have been a whole different situation. It's great to see that Sidney Crosby can practice with the team. It's all a question of what happens when he gets hit. I think we will have to worry about that when it comes to game time. The season is not over, yet. Maybe the Flyers will stumble. I doubt it, though. Pittsburgh needs to beat Tampa Bay Thursday, lock up the fourth seed and get ready for the post season, hopefully with No. 87 on board.

All that is Solid [Brain Matter] Vanishes into Thin Air

Sometimes silence is a deafening roar. The NHL yesterday made a decision not to even hold a disciplinary hearing for the Detroit Redwings Todd Bertuzzi after he was given a 5 minute major and a game misconduct for elbowing the Chicago Blackhawks Ryan Johnson. The reek hypocrisy and maddening inconsistency of taking such a non stance after making a league wide whipping boy out of Matt Cooke, banishing him from play for the rest of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs, is absolutely bewildering.


As Burress pointed out here in the wake of the Cooke suspension, Bertuzzi is the one guy in the league with a bigger reputational footprint from being a dirty player than Cooke himself.


“Irony would also rear it's beautifully hideous head when Matt Cooke would serve the first game of his suspension against a Red Wings team featuring the aforementioned Bertuzzi. Prior to the game, Red Wings Alternate Captain Henrik Zetterberg weighed in on the Cooke situation calling for Cooke to be shelved for the remainder of the season and much like everything else in the NHL, the Red Wings got their wish. Zetterberg clearly overlooked the fact that his choir boy organization employs a guy who once came up behind another human being, grabbed him by the back of his sweater, wound up, and delivered a gloved punch to the back of his head sending him plummeting to the ice face first. The result was merely a concussion, 3 broken neck vertebrae, facial lacerations, and 5 months in a hospital plus a year in a neck brace. Nothing major, I guess. Heck the most storied Red Wing ever, Mr. Hockey himself, was known to throw an elbow or 10 during his career, so at least they have that going for them!”

“For all of Steve Moore and his family's suffering, Todd Bertuzzi was suspended for only 3 more games than Matt Cooke for an elbow that didn't even sideline a guy for a period. Since the "Steve Moore Incident" Bertuzzi has played in nearly 400 NHL games and pocketed nearly $18 million dollars for his troubles while Steve Moore can skate, but that's about it. While his neck has healed but he still suffers from the concussion he received when Todd Bertuzzi held the back of his jersey, cocked his fist, and sucker punched him in the back of the head so hard that he fell helplessly to the ice face first and unconscious. For that, Bertuzzi got only 3 more games than Matt Cooke for his stupidity in finishing a check with a dirty elbow. Get my drift?”


And yet despite that history and prior reputation, and the heralded new found revelatory focus and immense attention paid to protecting players from vicious, brutal, concussing headshots, the league DID NOT BAT AN EYEBROW OR RAISE ITS TINIEST FINGER toward an incident that was similar in every way shape and manner to the elbow that Cooke put into McDonagh’s cranium. That duplicitous roar you are hearing is absolutely deafening. And please, spare me any sort of super slow motion instant replay analysis and breakdown establishing intention and intricacies of the incidents at hand. The bottom line: both guys were trying to finish checks after the puck had left, and both ended up inserting their elbow directly into the skull of the opposing player.

If the NHL is serious about eliminating headshots, they must take a hard stance on these flying elbows as they do on high sticks. From my understanding of the league’s rules in that situation, it is that the player responsible for wielding his stick must be in control of it at all times, and any contact, even the most unintentional and incidental, with an opposing player is an automatic penalty. Of course, my understanding of such a solid rule was brought into question last night when James Neal of the Penguins was clipped in the face by Claude Giroux of the Flyers. Giroux was following through on the puck and, under his own power, lifted his stick into Neal’s mouth and cut his lip. Instead of an ensuing 4 minute power play, the officials on the ice huddled and waived off the infraction. It was a fitting end to a perfectly baffling day.

Penguins-Flyers

Hello all.

I am going to provide a real-time analysis of tonight's game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers.

Philadelphia enters with 97 points. Pittsburgh has 92. To say this is a big game would be an understatement.

7:08 p.m. The puck drops in Philly. The orange has never shown so bright. I predict a very physical game with lots of penalties. Marc-Andre Fleury in goal for Pittsburgh. Sergei Bobrovsky for Philadelphia.

7:13 Tyler Kennedy with a nice shot. Bobrovsky with a good save. Pittsburgh needs to get traffic in front of Bobrovsky.

7:19 The Flyers draw a penalty. First call for either team. The Penguins struggled without Matt Cooke on the penalty kill during Monday's win against Detroit. No big hits to report... yet.

7:24 Pittsburgh kills the penalty. Philadelphia has one shot on goal, but several chances to the left of Fleury.

7:26 With 7:37 remaining in the first period, the Penguins are outshooting the Flyers, 6-5. Not too many chances. Both teams playing a tight, defensive game.

7:32 Philadelphia's Mike Richards scores at 15:18 of the first for a 1-0 lead. The play is being reviewed, but should count. A possible high stick above the crossbar. The goal counts. Flyers score on their sixth shot.

7:41 One minute remaining in the period. With 22 seconds remaining, the Penguins' Ben Lovejoy draws a penalty. Pittsburgh on the PP. James Neal attempts a weak shot with one second left.

7:42 End of the first. Flyers 1, Penguins 0. Pittsburgh will have a power play when the second begins. The Penguins had a decent period, but still trail. The PP has to get going, or they'll not go far in this game, or any for that matter.

7:45 I'm at work putting together tomorrow's sports pages or I'd grab a beer and some pretzels. Instead, I'm going to use the restroom, grab a Pepsi, and yes, I can partake in pretzels. See you in a few. BYU-Florida, UConn-San Diego St. on right now if you want to watch something during intermission. I don't know the channels. Find them yourself. It's either CBS, TNT or TBS.

8 p.m. The second period should be underway. I am, however, at work and not controlling the TV. Sorry. I should be commended for doing two things at once. Plus, I'm expecting a call from a baseball coach, so I may leave for a few.

Sometime around 8 and 8:06 p.m. The Pens have tied the game at one. I believe Kennedy got the goal. I don't know if it was a PP goal or not. I will let you know later. Pittsburgh holds a 13-8 lead in shots on goal.

8:08 p.m. Big save by Fleury on a Jeff Carter shot with 15:12 remaining in the second.

8:11 p.m. Thanks to penguins.nhl.com, I found out Kennedy (18) scored at 1:01 of the second on a wrist shot. Chris Kunitz (23) and Kris Letang (40) pick up the assists. Power-play goal. They must have heard me.
With 6:35 into the second, Matt Niskanen headed to the penalty box and the Flyers are on the PP.

8:15 Pittsburgh kills the penalty. Philadelphia is 0-for-2 on the PP. The Penguins' PK has been strong, and will need to remain strong. Special teams are necessary in post-season play.

8:18 Commercial break. Game tied, 1-1. I smell a shootout, which wouldn't be good for Pittsurgh. They need a regulation victory.

8:21 With 8 minutes remaining, Kennedy with a nice shot that seemed to fool Bobrovsky, but the Russian is up to the task. The Penguins cycle the puck well down low. Constant pressure for about 45 seconds.

8:23 A great shot by Alex Kovalev, but Bobrovsky is up to the task, again. Geez, why do these young Russian goalies play out of their minds against the Pens?

8:27 Claude Giroux takes a penalty that puts Pittsburgh on the PP.

8:30 The Flyers kill the penalty. The Pens are 1-for-2 on the PP.

8:54 Sorry to leave for so long. Got a call from Albert Gallatin's baseball coach. That's Fayette County for all of you that don't know. Nice guy. I hope they do well.

The two are tied at 1 after two periods of play. Penguins hold a 20-15 edge in shots.

8:56 Arron Asham sent to the penalty box. Flyers on the PP. Not a good penalty. You have to stay out of the box boys.
Shorthanded chance for Pittsburgh's Max Talbot, but Bobrovsky makes a pad stop. The Penguins deny the Flyers' PP again.

9:13 With 6:54 remaining, the score is still 1-1. The Penguins need to win this in regulation. Pittsburgh needs to bury some of these chances.

9:21 The Penguins' James Neal is stopped by Bobrovsky with a nice glove save. This young kid is keeping his team in it.

9:23 One minute remaining in regulation. A point is nice, but doesn't do the Penguins any good in winning the division and the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference.

9:24 Let's play five more minutes. Game tied at 1-1 after 60 minutes.

9:26 Overtime starts. Both teams have grabbed a point. I predict a shootout. I am very surprised that nobody dropped the gloves. I thought fights were inevitable when the Pens and Flyers get together.

9:31 Unbelievable puck control by the Penguins. Unfortunately for the flightless birds, no real chances were taken.

9:33 I was right. Shootout time. Flyers get several chances around the net as time expires in OT.

9:36 Philly's Ville Leino stopped by Fleury. Leino goes for the five hole. Pittsburgh's Letang stopped by Bobrovsky. Fleury stops Giroux. Alex Kovalev scores on the forehand to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead in the shootout. Danny Briere answers for Philly to tie it at one. Briere finds the fivehole. Neal stopped by Bobrovsky. Richards stopped by Fleury. The Penguins can win it.

9:39 Chris Kunitz beats Bobrovsky as the Flyers goalie can't block the five hole. Kunitz continues to impress in Sidney Crosby's absence.
Final score: Pittsburgh 2, Philadelphia 1, SO. The Penguins (94) pick up a point on the Flyers (98).

NOTES: Briere's goal was only the second time in Fleury's career that he didn't stop a game-winning attempt in the SO.

Sports, Politics, and Partisanship

It was about a year ago that fans of the Boston Bruins were up in arms about a hit placed by Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins upon their forward, Marc Savard, which lead to a serious concussion for Savard. The outrage and venom from Bruins fans and their media was off the charts. Even though an almost carbon copy identical hit had felled David Booth of the Florida Panthers and no action was taken to punish the perpertrator, Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers, you would have thought that Cooke playing for the rest of the season was the grossiest miscarrage of justice for decades in the league to hear a Bruins fan tell it.

Now the Bruins are on the opposite side of a controversial hit. Mamouth Defenseman and Captain Zdeno Chara was thrown out of a game last night against the rival Montreal Canadiens after shoving Max Pacioretty face first into the divder between the Bruins bench and the score keepers booth. Like Savard, Pacioretty had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher and right to a local hospital. I want a Bruins fan to come forward and really explain to me how the Chara hit on Pacioretty was different from Cooke’s hit on Savard. Neither was done with an intent to possibly end a guys career, but both were dangerous hits in the “gray area” between establishing a physical game and gladiatorial chaos on ice. I’m not saying this to condemn Chara, I’m saying it because I’m sure the self-righteous and pious Bruin fans will see no problem with the hit last night, while they continue to push for public flogging, Abu Ghraib styled tortures, and ultimate crucifixion of M. Cooke.

In this way sports is alot like politics. If a guy (or girl) on your team, party, or side of the aisle or spectrum, is embroiled in a scandal its always viewed as a rightous public servant being harrased or persecuted by the other side, media, corporations, unions, or whatever boogeyman is a plausible explanation. While if it is someone that you don't like, they are a dirty, rotten, corrupt politician who oozes slime as they slither down the hallways of power making shady backroom deals by the dozen as they go. Like so many things in life, perspective plays a larger role in our judgements then any sort of objective evidence. Some days it seems like the worlds of both sports and politics can be boiled down to a giant rorschach test in which we view exactly what we always want to see.

Monday Morning Notebook (03.07.V1-4)

*On the international scene, Libya remains the global hotspot that everyone is watching, but nobody is doing much of anything about. Muammar Gaddafi, the long standing tyrant, remains in security control of Tripoli, with his blue shirted thugs enacting violent repression against protesters. Those in revolt from his regime remain in power in Benghazi and the Eastern side of the Country, and the two forces are conflicting in the lightly populated, but oil rich, middle sections of Libya. There is little doubt that Gaddafi has initiated violent assaults upon his own people using terrible weapons of mass warfare to quell internal discord. The international community has done little to stop him from doing so, outside of sending much needed humanitarian aide to the Eastern border of the Country where streams of refuges are fleeing the violence. This inaction by the rest of the world may be a course of prudent wisdom from an international affairs standpoint, but it certainly leaves those seeking a more free and fair society in Libya at the diabolical whims of a violent madman who will stop at nothing to retain power. The situation has reached a point where it is already functioning as a low level civil war, and if we have learned anything from misadventures in Iraq, it is that these sectarian styled conflicts are not often resolved quickly or peacefully, and outside intervention may do more harm than good at this point.

*Ryan Callahan had the game of his life on Sunday afternoon as the New York Rangers whitewashed the Eastern Conference leading Philadelphia Flyers, who all of a sudden seem eminently beatable after dominating the first five months of the season. Goalies in Philadelphia tend to thaw out as the birds return and the flowers bloom, and April, May, and June are the harshest months for Orange and Black clad netminders. Henrik Lundqvist meanwhile remains a rock solid rubber stopper for the Blueshirts and hasn’t let up more than 3 goals since January 25th, the thinking here is that he may be able to vault the Rangers into darkhorse Cup contenders this Spring.

*The US Senate will take up two proposed bills to provide funding for the rest of the federal government's fiscal year, the GOP passed House Bill, and the New Democrat compromise plan. Both cut billions from President Obama's budget, but neither is predicted to bridge the 60 vote threshold needed to get out of the Senate. They are however expected to lay out the groundwork for future debate and compromise.

*The New Jersey Devils continue their most unlikely of quests for the 8th and final playoff spot in the East, which if they could claw their way into, would be one of the most incredible in-season turn around stories in the history of professional sports. I still believe they will burn out from playing each and every game as if it is the 7th of the Stanley Cup finals, and the law of averages states that they inevitably will start losing some of these 1 goal decisions. The authoritative statistical probability website, Sports Club Stats, still only has them listed as being a 1.8% chance to make it into the playoffs this season, but if they can complete this absolutely astronomical turnaround, the Devil will be a very scary matchup for one of the top 4 seeds in the East.

*Speaker of the House John Boehner is putting together his legal options to challenge Obama's plans to not enforce DOMA laws. This little culture war salvo is a bit unexpected given the current focus on fiscal issues and the laser-like focus on job creation promised by GOP leadership.

*It seems like Mario Lemieux was once again right, and the NHL and pompous Canadian media blowhards were wrong in regards to a situation with the League. After Mario blasted the league for not throwing the book at Trevor Gillies and the New York Islanders in the wake of an absolute travesty of a contest on February 11th which saw Gillies concuss young forward Eric Tangradi with a blindside elbow to the head, continue to pound on him as Tangradi lay helpless on the ice, and mock him from the runway as the training staff attended to the injured skater. Tangradi has yet to return to action, but after the league mandated 9 game suspension, Gillies was back at it again on Wednesday night. He saw less then 4 shifts and 2 minutes of ice time before he once again took a blindside flying elbow to the head of Minnesota Wild forward Cal Clutterbuck, who is now out with a concussion “upper body injury.” What did the league determine was just reprieve for a thug who obviously didn’t learn his lesson the first time around? 10 games measly games this time was what they saw fit to lay at his doorstep for his grevious misdeeds. He should have been gone for the year, and possibly all of next season as well. There is totally no place for him in this league. For those who claim the game of hockey is nothing but a circus freakshow on skates, all they have to do is point to Trevor Gillies being back out there on March 26th against the Philadelphia Flyers and I will have absolutely no rebuttal.

*Both sides in the debate over the State budget and the future of public sector unions remain entrenched in their hardline positions. Governer Scott Walker continues to insist upon stripping the unions of their collective bargaining powers and forcing them to recertify every year. Democratic State senators stay in self imposed exile so that legislation remains at a standstill in Madison.

Goal celebration songs

I don't know too many names of the songs, but here are some of my likes and dislikes for what arenas play when NHL teams score plus a few suggestions.

I really enjoy the Rangers' song. I don't know if it is by a band or what, but I like it. I like the Flyers, too. I know, both are Atlantic Division rivals with the Penguins, but I can't help it. They're catchy.

The Penguins were fixated on Rock 'n' Roll Part 2 but, have scrapped it since moving into the Consol Energy Center, isn't it ironic that the Consol Energy Center has lighting issues? Anyways, I have been hearing Blur's Song 2 when they score. Yeah, I didn't know the name for a while, either, but it's the one that repeats, "Woo-Hoo" over and over. It fits for a goal celebration song.

The Canadiens play Vertigo, and it doesn't fit at all. I don't mind the song, but it doesn't work for me when it comes to a team scoring. I despise that Chelsea Dagger song they play in Chicago. I like the Blackhawks, but what a bad song. Being that they have been a great team for a while, I am tortured to hear it when I watch Chicago play.

I really like Rise Against's "Help is on the way." Maybe it is in use somewhere, but I like it and the band seems to be popular at NHL arenas. Killswitch Engage's "This fire burns" is really cool and it is a good song that could be played when a tie scores late in the third period with the goalie pulled.

A few NHL Predictions

Here are a couple hockey predictions as we wind toward the trade deadline and stretch run:
1) The Pacific division is tight 5 way race. I say the Phoenix Coyotes come out on top and get the 3 spot out west.
2) The Washington Capitals will make a splash move at the deadline, or at least they should. They look like a team that needs to shake things up a bit, I think they should make a move to try and catch the Tampa Bay Lightning.
3) The New Jersey Devils will come close, but not quite manage to climb back into the Stanley Cup playoffs. They are back to playing masterful shutdown swamp hockey, but they have won a ton of 1 goal games recently. The law of averages will dictate that they will lose a couple close games as well over the final 1/4 of the season.
4) The 4-5 matchup in the east looks like either Pens-Caps or Pens-Lightning. Either series would go to an entertaining 6 or 7 games.
5) As good as the Vancouver Canucks look right now, they will not make the SC Finals out of West. The good people of Vancouver will have to settle for another golf and rock climbing filled June in the most wonderful city on the planet.
6) The Flyers are odds on favorite to win it all, the only things that could derail them is a rash of injuries or, as always, their goaltending.