Atlanta 6 - Dallas 5 OT
This was one of those games Atlanta had no business winning. They were outshot badly, 47-24, couldn't control the puck for large portions of the contest and didn't have much jump.
A few things kept them in the contest. First, Dallas's goaltending was weak. Auld let in a couple of soft goals. While Turco was much stronger as a replacement, he allowed 3 more to get past him. Second, special teams were able to convert their opportunities. The Thrashers scored 2 powerplay goals and a shorthanded goal to go with their 4 on 4 overtime winner. Finally, Pavelec had spectacular saves. While I could argue that juicy rebounds gave the Stars some of those great opportunities, Pavelec did make several cross crease slides or quick glove hand saves on almost certain goals. The goals he did allow were not of his own doing. The were either defensive breakdowns or deflections.
The Thrashers started slow taking a penalty in the first 2 minutes that resulted in the Stars first tally. Yet another game where they fell behind. Fortunately, they were able to answer back on a powerplay of their own when Kovalchuk got his 19th of the season. A powerplay opportunity later in the first presented the Thrashers with an opportunity for the lead but when 3 defenders converge on a single Star, he passed it to a wide open Lehtonen for an easy short-handed goal.
The Thrashers found a bit more jump in the second period and good puck movement resulted in goals by Slater (finally) and Antropov giving the Thrashers a brief lead. Dallas answered to make it a 3-3 tie at the end of 2.
Reasoner took a tripping penalty early in the 3rd and Dallas cashed in for a 4-3 lead. 4 minutes later, Afinogenov found himself alone beyond the Dallas defense for a breakaway. A Dallas player hauled him down for what I thought should have been a penalty shot but was simply a penalty (I need to review this rule today). However, justice was served as Afinogenov got the powerplay goal on some nice passing down low and we were tied once again.
Atlanta's Shubert was the victim of a poor call with 9 minutes left when he got tagged for holding when it was actually the Dallas player holding Shubert's stick. It didn't matter. This time the Thrashers got a short-handed goal when Peverly took a very nice Armstrong chip pass and turned it into a breakaway.
Unfortunately, things fell apart for the next several minutes. The Thrashers couldn't get the puck out of their end short of icing it. A timeout and several faceoffs didn't change things. You could sense the Stars were going to tie it up with one minute remaining. Sure enough they did when a deflection of a players face shield got the puck behind Pavelec (see video). From there the Thrashers were content to hold the puck and send it to OT.
The Thrashers controlled play in the 4 on 4 session. Some really nice puck movement in the Stars end provided just the opportunity they were looking for. An Afinogenov pass found Peverly in front of the net for nice redirection and the game winning goal. I headed to the exit satisfied that the team managed to grab 2 points they'll probably need when all is said and done.
Peverly and Pavelec got the 1st and 2nd stars of the game with Kovalchuk grabbing the third. Robidas, who played an excellent game for the Stars, fell victim to the home team bias.
Some other observations:
- I really like Shubert as the Thrasher's fifth defenseman. He plays excellent position, isn't afraid of contact and has the skills to help out on the offensive end. Another great waiver wire acquistion that I'm hoping will be around for a long time.
- Hedberg and Turco spent a good deal of time talking and laughing together in pre-game warmups. It was nice to see these former teammates together. Modano and Robidas also skated by and greeted Hedberg.
- If you cannot afford to have an "A" stitched on your Bogosian sweater, blue duct tape is NOT an acceptable solution even if you are a redneck.
- I want a hat that says "NO, I DO NOT WANT A 50/50 RAFFLE TICKET". I must have got asked 10 times while eating my dinner. I know your dog is cute. I know your cause is good. But honestly, this isn't any different than panhandling. I have an easier time getting the crackheads to steer clear of me than I do these people.
- It is only slightly more entertaining to watch a chicken fajita wrap, baby back ribs and a sirloin race around a hockey rink than giant pucks. Watching Thrash and the sumos check them face first to the ice is real entertainment. I wonder is Applebees has a missing tooth discount.
- On a related note. Can we please do away with the golfing one ice contest? If I wanted to watch golf, I'd stay home and watch Tiger's conquests....Get your mind out of the gutter.
- Why do cheerleaders have to carry pom-poms wherever they go? Do they not know what to do with the hands otherwise? Are they some sort of defensive weapon to fight off creepy 40 year olds?
- Who are these guys that decide an arena is the best place to propose marraige? Just once I wish on of the brides to be would say "Hell no! How dare you propose in front of thousands of strangers? We're only on our second date!"
- I'm give up trying to text the arena jumbotron. Apparently unless you say "Go Dawgs", "i luv u sally. you r a q t pi" or "Go THRASH!" it doesn't get up there. Instead, they'll show those same 3 over and over and over again.
That's it for this game. I'll be at Monday's contest against Montreal. I've got to practice up my "O Canada". At some point I need to learn the half-French half-English version.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Thrashers Game Report - 11/28/09
Atlanta 1 - Philadelphia 0
Not a lot of offensive highlights in this one, but another fine performance by the Thrashers. Obviously, Peverly's 2nd period powerplay goal was the most significant event of the night but there are several others worth mentioning.
- Boulton set the tone for the contest early when he challenge Cote to a fight a little over two minutes in. Typical of Boulton he waited a bit before throwing his first punch. Once he unleashed, he pummeled Cote into submission and sent the message that the Thrashers weren't going to be pushed around in this contest. Judge for yourself.
- Hedberg played superb in net and was a deserving #1 star. He made several key saves early and held up as the Flyers peppered him with shots in the third.
- The penalty kill was fantastic. No small feat against a very good Flyer powerplay. All the penalties, especially late, made for some nervous moments but the Thrashers played very good positional hockey, got their sticks in lanes and fought hard for loose pucks.
- Neither team had much luck with the puck in this game. A lot of bouncing pucks couldn't be corralled and passes were just a bit off the mark. The passing decisions were great just the execution was the smallest bit off.
- The Thrashers finally beat a Philly team that had won 14 in a row against them. Here's hoping they can win the next 13 and even it up.
- There were a bunch of Flyer fans in attendance but they were pretty humbled by the result. More than one of them gave props to the Thrashers for a well played game. Must not have been a Philly native.
I took full advantage of the Thrashers 2 for 1 ticket offer over Thanksgiving weekend and purchased a bunch of tickets throughout December and January. That ought to keep the blog going for awhile.
Not a lot of offensive highlights in this one, but another fine performance by the Thrashers. Obviously, Peverly's 2nd period powerplay goal was the most significant event of the night but there are several others worth mentioning.
- Boulton set the tone for the contest early when he challenge Cote to a fight a little over two minutes in. Typical of Boulton he waited a bit before throwing his first punch. Once he unleashed, he pummeled Cote into submission and sent the message that the Thrashers weren't going to be pushed around in this contest. Judge for yourself.
- Hedberg played superb in net and was a deserving #1 star. He made several key saves early and held up as the Flyers peppered him with shots in the third.
- The penalty kill was fantastic. No small feat against a very good Flyer powerplay. All the penalties, especially late, made for some nervous moments but the Thrashers played very good positional hockey, got their sticks in lanes and fought hard for loose pucks.
- Neither team had much luck with the puck in this game. A lot of bouncing pucks couldn't be corralled and passes were just a bit off the mark. The passing decisions were great just the execution was the smallest bit off.
- The Thrashers finally beat a Philly team that had won 14 in a row against them. Here's hoping they can win the next 13 and even it up.
- There were a bunch of Flyer fans in attendance but they were pretty humbled by the result. More than one of them gave props to the Thrashers for a well played game. Must not have been a Philly native.
I took full advantage of the Thrashers 2 for 1 ticket offer over Thanksgiving weekend and purchased a bunch of tickets throughout December and January. That ought to keep the blog going for awhile.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Thrashers Game Report - 11/13/09
Atlanta 7 - Los Angeles 0
If Los Angeles had a NFL team, you might mistake that for a football score.
Instead, this was a hockey score and perhaps the best game in Atlanta Thrashers franchise history. It's unfortunate there weren't more people on hand to witness it. While the 400s section was pretty full with both veterans and newcomers, the rest of the building was pretty empty. I'm hoping some of those newcomers go home and tell their friends because this team deserves to play in front of larger crowds. I guarantee that a lot of those newcomers will return after the excitement they witnessed.
The game started off REALLY slow. Very few opportunities for either team through the first half of the contest. Neither goalie had to make substantial saves due to good defensive awareness in front of the net. The Thrashers have had some horrible starts at home, so I wasn't at all surprised by their conservative approach to the game.
Midway through the second period, the crowd was quiet, almost lulled to sleep by the 0-0 affair. That all change as rookie Kane circled the Kings net and went for the wraparound attempt. When the puck slipped by the Kings goalie, the place erupted. The arena wouldn't be silent again until the fans got in their cars.
Just two minutes later, the crowd jumped from their seats as Kovalchuk received a breakout pass from Afinogenov and was alone against goaltender Quick. While Kovy is an exceptional player, he's never had much luck on breakaways. This time he didn't disappoint the home town fans, delivering a 2-0 lead.
The torture of Quick wasn't done though. Next it was Bogosian with a wrister only 90 seconds later giving the Thrashers a 3-0 lead and sending Quick to the showers. His replacement got to feel the same pain as Kovalchuk returned the favor to Afinogenov setting him up for another breakaway that increased the lead to 4-0.
The Thrashers had sensed the Kings frustration and taken control of the game. All the Kings had left to do at this point was fight. All five skaters paired off in an extended melee which only fed the fan frenzy. As the Thrashers skated off the ice to end the second period an extended standing ovation showered them with some well deserved praise.
I was expecting to see play revert back to a conservative defensive style in the 3rd period but apparently the Thrashers were having way too much fun and were determined to entertain the home folk. Things got started again on the powerplay as Antropov fed Kovalchuk in his favorite high slot position. Before the goalie could react, the puck found the upper right corner of the net. Kovalchuk now had his 4th goal in the past 2 games since coming back from injury.
Kovy wasn't quite done. Once gain Kovy setup fellow Russian countryman Afinogenov with a long feed. Maxim turned on the jets and created another breakaway opportunity. This time he split two defenseman and put the puck in the net as he was being knocked down.
With a 6-0 lead late in the contest, the Thrashers found themselves shorthanded after a boarding call against Shubert. Even that didn't slow the Thrashers as yet another breakaway occurred when Kane found himself on the receiving end of a Peverly pass. He finished the play with his first shorthanded goal and first 2 goal game.
With 3 players at 2 goals each (Kovalchuk, Afinogenov, Kane) the crowd was on the edge of their seats waiting for a potential hat trick. There was also shutout to hold. With a powerplay opportunity in the last 2 minutes, I thought for sure the trio would see plenty of ice time. But Anderson was sticking to his guns and didn't feel the need to risk Kovy to reinjury (wise move). Instead the focus was on preserving the shutout and that they did. The first one of the season.
The crowd certainly left this contest with a great feeling. We'd witnesses a complete game from the Thrashers against another young upstart. They shined on both ends of the ice and played virtually error free hockey. I'm hoping their 3rd win in a row and second straight home win will serve notice to the city and get some more butts in the seats. It's a tough sell during football season but they certainly deserve some love at this point. I know I'll be heading back soon.
As I write this, the Thrashers have picked up another win on home ice. Their 4 game winning streak is the longest of the season and their offense and power play are among the best in the league. The penalty kill and overall defense are much improved. There is a lot to be excited about but many tests await. Tough games against Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Detroit are coming up as well as games against divisional opponents Carolina and Tampa Bay. The press has already begun to notice this new Thrashers bunch and winning a few of those games will definitely put the rest of the league on notice.
If Los Angeles had a NFL team, you might mistake that for a football score.
Instead, this was a hockey score and perhaps the best game in Atlanta Thrashers franchise history. It's unfortunate there weren't more people on hand to witness it. While the 400s section was pretty full with both veterans and newcomers, the rest of the building was pretty empty. I'm hoping some of those newcomers go home and tell their friends because this team deserves to play in front of larger crowds. I guarantee that a lot of those newcomers will return after the excitement they witnessed.
The game started off REALLY slow. Very few opportunities for either team through the first half of the contest. Neither goalie had to make substantial saves due to good defensive awareness in front of the net. The Thrashers have had some horrible starts at home, so I wasn't at all surprised by their conservative approach to the game.
Midway through the second period, the crowd was quiet, almost lulled to sleep by the 0-0 affair. That all change as rookie Kane circled the Kings net and went for the wraparound attempt. When the puck slipped by the Kings goalie, the place erupted. The arena wouldn't be silent again until the fans got in their cars.
Just two minutes later, the crowd jumped from their seats as Kovalchuk received a breakout pass from Afinogenov and was alone against goaltender Quick. While Kovy is an exceptional player, he's never had much luck on breakaways. This time he didn't disappoint the home town fans, delivering a 2-0 lead.
The torture of Quick wasn't done though. Next it was Bogosian with a wrister only 90 seconds later giving the Thrashers a 3-0 lead and sending Quick to the showers. His replacement got to feel the same pain as Kovalchuk returned the favor to Afinogenov setting him up for another breakaway that increased the lead to 4-0.
The Thrashers had sensed the Kings frustration and taken control of the game. All the Kings had left to do at this point was fight. All five skaters paired off in an extended melee which only fed the fan frenzy. As the Thrashers skated off the ice to end the second period an extended standing ovation showered them with some well deserved praise.
I was expecting to see play revert back to a conservative defensive style in the 3rd period but apparently the Thrashers were having way too much fun and were determined to entertain the home folk. Things got started again on the powerplay as Antropov fed Kovalchuk in his favorite high slot position. Before the goalie could react, the puck found the upper right corner of the net. Kovalchuk now had his 4th goal in the past 2 games since coming back from injury.
Kovy wasn't quite done. Once gain Kovy setup fellow Russian countryman Afinogenov with a long feed. Maxim turned on the jets and created another breakaway opportunity. This time he split two defenseman and put the puck in the net as he was being knocked down.
With a 6-0 lead late in the contest, the Thrashers found themselves shorthanded after a boarding call against Shubert. Even that didn't slow the Thrashers as yet another breakaway occurred when Kane found himself on the receiving end of a Peverly pass. He finished the play with his first shorthanded goal and first 2 goal game.
With 3 players at 2 goals each (Kovalchuk, Afinogenov, Kane) the crowd was on the edge of their seats waiting for a potential hat trick. There was also shutout to hold. With a powerplay opportunity in the last 2 minutes, I thought for sure the trio would see plenty of ice time. But Anderson was sticking to his guns and didn't feel the need to risk Kovy to reinjury (wise move). Instead the focus was on preserving the shutout and that they did. The first one of the season.
The crowd certainly left this contest with a great feeling. We'd witnesses a complete game from the Thrashers against another young upstart. They shined on both ends of the ice and played virtually error free hockey. I'm hoping their 3rd win in a row and second straight home win will serve notice to the city and get some more butts in the seats. It's a tough sell during football season but they certainly deserve some love at this point. I know I'll be heading back soon.
As I write this, the Thrashers have picked up another win on home ice. Their 4 game winning streak is the longest of the season and their offense and power play are among the best in the league. The penalty kill and overall defense are much improved. There is a lot to be excited about but many tests await. Tough games against Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Detroit are coming up as well as games against divisional opponents Carolina and Tampa Bay. The press has already begun to notice this new Thrashers bunch and winning a few of those games will definitely put the rest of the league on notice.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Thrashers Game Report - 10/22/09
"The first game back from an extended road trip is always difficult".
I've heard it many times before, specifically in regards to the NHL. There are numerous theories as to why this happens. Some say it is the added responsibilities that await a player when arriving home. Some say that the road trips have very structured schedules and players return to their own schedules when arriving home. Finally, the added pressure of playing in front of the home crowd for the first time in awhile takes its toll. It is probably the combination of these factors. Right before the puck dropped, I turned to my daughter and warned her about this. 60 minutes of hockey later I looked prophetic.
As usual, we arrived early for this game. Skipping the Ticketmaster fees we purchased tickets at the box office. Knowing it was a matchup between Kovy and Ovie, we picked some seats down low, a couple rows off the ice in the corner behind the goal. Considering the Thrashers hot start and the competition, I was hoping for a little bit more buzz in the arena. Considering the Thrashers hadn't played at home in a couple weeks, it was a mid-week game and football season is still in full force, I guess it wasn't too surprising it was pretty tepid. I'm guessing there were around 12,000 in attendance. For once it was the upper arena that looked empty as the corporate seats were much fuller than usual.
The Thrashers didn't get off to a good start. An early poor line change resulted in an odd-man rush that the Capitals immediately turned into a 1-0 lead. The Thrashers answered quickly on a power play when a faceoff win resulted in an Afinogenov goal to tie the contest. Unfortunately, another turnover put the Caps back on top less than 4 minutes later. Literally seconds later it looked like the Capitals had taken a 3-1 lead but the Thrashers caught a break when it was ruled that Knuble kicked the puck in the net. The Thrashers caught a little life after that and Kovalchuk found some space and a loose puck in front of the net to tie the contest at 2-2 after a period. Both teams looked rather sloppy and goaltending was sub par. It looked like we were in for a long night. But at least the teams were tied after the first period.
The second period was a disaster, with Thrashers goalie, Pavelec, the main culprit. A soft "shot" FROM 180 FEET (that's the defensive faceoff dot) caught Pavelec by surprise when it bounced a bit in front of him. He wasn't ready and out of position and the puck ended up in the net. One of the worst, if not the worst, goals I've ever seen. Knowing the kid is young and one of the hopes for the future, I didn't let him have it despite the fact that he was only a few feet away. The other fans weren't quite so gracious. Just over a minute later, a loose puck in front of the Thrashers goal couldn't be corralled by his teammates and the puck was tapped passed Pavelec for an easy goal and the Caps were up 4-2. Pavelec looked uncomfortable. I begged and pleaded for Anderson to pull him immediately but apparently the coach wasn't interested in my opinions. When the Capitals scored again 14 seconds later, it took a microsecond for Anderson to wave Hedberg in to replace the shattered Pavelec. Remember that 180 foot goal AND the delayed decision by Anderson, it'll play a role before this is all said and done. Hedberg came in a played strong and seem to settle the team in front of him. But the damage was done and the Thrashers left the period trailing 5-2.
All we could hope for at this point was for the Thrashers to claw their way back into the contest one goal at a time. Just when a Thrashers penalty looked like an opportunity for the Capitals to seal the deal, Bogosian got the puck and sped down the right side right towards us. He then blistered a shot (this kid has an amazing wrist shot) passed Varlamov to cut the lead to 5-3. The Caps goalie wasn't exactly at the top of his game either. The Thrashers and Caps would trade opportunities for the next several minutes with me just hoping the Thrashers could get one more to make the last minutes exciting. There were a bunch of penalties called down the stretch and with the goalie pulled for another extra attacker, Kovalchuk made the most of it by cutting the lead to 1 with 39 seconds left. It was high drama time!
Ovechkin took a very foolish penalty much to the delight of the crowd including yours truly. Off to the box for the chicken to watch helplessly as his team tried desperately to hold on for the win. With 6 attackers to Washington's 3, the Thrashers had at least 3 good chances to tie the game. It just didn't happen as the last attempt went over the shoulder of Varlamov and above the crossbar as the last seconds ticked off.
The Thrashers lose by a goal. Was it the goal from 180 FEET? Was it the additional goal allowed by Pavelec after Anderson should have pulled him? Was it the turnovers in the first period? Regardless it wasn't a well played game, undoubtedly the worst by the Thrashers so far in this young season.
It's pretty obvious who my goats are for this game, Pavelec and Anderson. I also have to question the logic of playing Antropov, Kovalchuk and Afinogenov on the same line. While they played a part in both goals scored in the first, they were also on ice for both goals against. There just isn't enough defensive responsibility in that group. While I'm certain this move was designed to get the 2nd line scoring, I'm a lot more comfortable with Little on the 1st. Perhaps trying Kane on the first line might be a better choice. The kid does have pretty good defensive positioning. There is a reason he is getting some penalty killing time.
There were some positives to take away from this contest. First and foremost, the Thrashers shut down Ovechkin. He waa held off the scoresheet and managed a meager 4 shots mostly from bad angles. After years of watching this guys skate circles around the Thrashers and the rest of the league, this was a welcome sight. His Russian counterpart, Kovalchuk, was the best Thrasher on the ice. I'm shocked Afinogenov got 2nd star above him. Kovalchuk kept creating great scoring chances with his skates and his stick. Props also go out to Hedberg who came in and did exactly what he needed to do, not allowing the Caps another goal so his team had an opportunity to battle back. Hit of the night belonged to Evander Kane who plastered a Capitals face into the boards feet in front of me. Too bad an official made a horrible call and ruled it boarding. We were fortunate on this night that a majority of the action took place right in front of us.
From here it doesn't get any easier. The Sharks prolific offense comes to town on Saturday and the Thrashers need to regain their winning ways to avoid falling into a tailspin. They need to refocus and get back to playing a full 60 minute contest. It'll be interesting to see who is in net. I suspect and expect Hedberg. He's earned the right to another start. Pavelec should be back in net soon to keep his confidence up but the Thrashers need to go with the hottest hand because every point is going to be important.
Finally some not so pertinent observations:
- To the 50+ year old lady wearing 2 pounds of makeup, a short skirt and heels to a hockey game. Some things are not better in person. Please stay home and watch it on TV.
- To the parking lot guys once again trying to charge $8 instead of the $3 that was routine last year. Keep it up and I'll use MARTA more. I like riding with the homies.
- To Ticketmaster. So long bitches. I can purchase tickets at the box office and not pay one dollar of fees. If I had purchased the same tickets online for yesterdays game, I'd have almost $20 in fees. What does that $20 get me?
- To Thrashers/arena management that think a photographer needs to harass me every 30 feet for a photo "for the Thrashers". Please fire 3/4 of that staff and use the proceeds to get rid of the other annoying group, the 50/50 raffle pendlers. I get less panhandling outside on Marietta Street.
- I like boobs just as much as the next guy but the skimpy outfits you make the ice girls squeeze into are pretty embarassing. I've seen less nipple on a half-time Super Bowl show.
I've heard it many times before, specifically in regards to the NHL. There are numerous theories as to why this happens. Some say it is the added responsibilities that await a player when arriving home. Some say that the road trips have very structured schedules and players return to their own schedules when arriving home. Finally, the added pressure of playing in front of the home crowd for the first time in awhile takes its toll. It is probably the combination of these factors. Right before the puck dropped, I turned to my daughter and warned her about this. 60 minutes of hockey later I looked prophetic.
As usual, we arrived early for this game. Skipping the Ticketmaster fees we purchased tickets at the box office. Knowing it was a matchup between Kovy and Ovie, we picked some seats down low, a couple rows off the ice in the corner behind the goal. Considering the Thrashers hot start and the competition, I was hoping for a little bit more buzz in the arena. Considering the Thrashers hadn't played at home in a couple weeks, it was a mid-week game and football season is still in full force, I guess it wasn't too surprising it was pretty tepid. I'm guessing there were around 12,000 in attendance. For once it was the upper arena that looked empty as the corporate seats were much fuller than usual.
The Thrashers didn't get off to a good start. An early poor line change resulted in an odd-man rush that the Capitals immediately turned into a 1-0 lead. The Thrashers answered quickly on a power play when a faceoff win resulted in an Afinogenov goal to tie the contest. Unfortunately, another turnover put the Caps back on top less than 4 minutes later. Literally seconds later it looked like the Capitals had taken a 3-1 lead but the Thrashers caught a break when it was ruled that Knuble kicked the puck in the net. The Thrashers caught a little life after that and Kovalchuk found some space and a loose puck in front of the net to tie the contest at 2-2 after a period. Both teams looked rather sloppy and goaltending was sub par. It looked like we were in for a long night. But at least the teams were tied after the first period.
The second period was a disaster, with Thrashers goalie, Pavelec, the main culprit. A soft "shot" FROM 180 FEET (that's the defensive faceoff dot) caught Pavelec by surprise when it bounced a bit in front of him. He wasn't ready and out of position and the puck ended up in the net. One of the worst, if not the worst, goals I've ever seen. Knowing the kid is young and one of the hopes for the future, I didn't let him have it despite the fact that he was only a few feet away. The other fans weren't quite so gracious. Just over a minute later, a loose puck in front of the Thrashers goal couldn't be corralled by his teammates and the puck was tapped passed Pavelec for an easy goal and the Caps were up 4-2. Pavelec looked uncomfortable. I begged and pleaded for Anderson to pull him immediately but apparently the coach wasn't interested in my opinions. When the Capitals scored again 14 seconds later, it took a microsecond for Anderson to wave Hedberg in to replace the shattered Pavelec. Remember that 180 foot goal AND the delayed decision by Anderson, it'll play a role before this is all said and done. Hedberg came in a played strong and seem to settle the team in front of him. But the damage was done and the Thrashers left the period trailing 5-2.
All we could hope for at this point was for the Thrashers to claw their way back into the contest one goal at a time. Just when a Thrashers penalty looked like an opportunity for the Capitals to seal the deal, Bogosian got the puck and sped down the right side right towards us. He then blistered a shot (this kid has an amazing wrist shot) passed Varlamov to cut the lead to 5-3. The Caps goalie wasn't exactly at the top of his game either. The Thrashers and Caps would trade opportunities for the next several minutes with me just hoping the Thrashers could get one more to make the last minutes exciting. There were a bunch of penalties called down the stretch and with the goalie pulled for another extra attacker, Kovalchuk made the most of it by cutting the lead to 1 with 39 seconds left. It was high drama time!
Ovechkin took a very foolish penalty much to the delight of the crowd including yours truly. Off to the box for the chicken to watch helplessly as his team tried desperately to hold on for the win. With 6 attackers to Washington's 3, the Thrashers had at least 3 good chances to tie the game. It just didn't happen as the last attempt went over the shoulder of Varlamov and above the crossbar as the last seconds ticked off.
The Thrashers lose by a goal. Was it the goal from 180 FEET? Was it the additional goal allowed by Pavelec after Anderson should have pulled him? Was it the turnovers in the first period? Regardless it wasn't a well played game, undoubtedly the worst by the Thrashers so far in this young season.
It's pretty obvious who my goats are for this game, Pavelec and Anderson. I also have to question the logic of playing Antropov, Kovalchuk and Afinogenov on the same line. While they played a part in both goals scored in the first, they were also on ice for both goals against. There just isn't enough defensive responsibility in that group. While I'm certain this move was designed to get the 2nd line scoring, I'm a lot more comfortable with Little on the 1st. Perhaps trying Kane on the first line might be a better choice. The kid does have pretty good defensive positioning. There is a reason he is getting some penalty killing time.
There were some positives to take away from this contest. First and foremost, the Thrashers shut down Ovechkin. He waa held off the scoresheet and managed a meager 4 shots mostly from bad angles. After years of watching this guys skate circles around the Thrashers and the rest of the league, this was a welcome sight. His Russian counterpart, Kovalchuk, was the best Thrasher on the ice. I'm shocked Afinogenov got 2nd star above him. Kovalchuk kept creating great scoring chances with his skates and his stick. Props also go out to Hedberg who came in and did exactly what he needed to do, not allowing the Caps another goal so his team had an opportunity to battle back. Hit of the night belonged to Evander Kane who plastered a Capitals face into the boards feet in front of me. Too bad an official made a horrible call and ruled it boarding. We were fortunate on this night that a majority of the action took place right in front of us.
From here it doesn't get any easier. The Sharks prolific offense comes to town on Saturday and the Thrashers need to regain their winning ways to avoid falling into a tailspin. They need to refocus and get back to playing a full 60 minute contest. It'll be interesting to see who is in net. I suspect and expect Hedberg. He's earned the right to another start. Pavelec should be back in net soon to keep his confidence up but the Thrashers need to go with the hottest hand because every point is going to be important.
Finally some not so pertinent observations:
- To the 50+ year old lady wearing 2 pounds of makeup, a short skirt and heels to a hockey game. Some things are not better in person. Please stay home and watch it on TV.
- To the parking lot guys once again trying to charge $8 instead of the $3 that was routine last year. Keep it up and I'll use MARTA more. I like riding with the homies.
- To Ticketmaster. So long bitches. I can purchase tickets at the box office and not pay one dollar of fees. If I had purchased the same tickets online for yesterdays game, I'd have almost $20 in fees. What does that $20 get me?
- To Thrashers/arena management that think a photographer needs to harass me every 30 feet for a photo "for the Thrashers". Please fire 3/4 of that staff and use the proceeds to get rid of the other annoying group, the 50/50 raffle pendlers. I get less panhandling outside on Marietta Street.
- I like boobs just as much as the next guy but the skimpy outfits you make the ice girls squeeze into are pretty embarassing. I've seen less nipple on a half-time Super Bowl show.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Flat Creek Loop Hike
It had been far too long since my last hike. With cooler weather and a relatively free weekend, I no longer had any excuses. I headed to the Aska Area Trails in the Chattahoochee National Forest to find some peace and quiet while getting a good workout.
Despite warnings about having to share the trail with bikers, I only saw one group who headed out immediately in front of me. After that I saw about 6 other hikers on the relatively quiet trail. There wasn't a lot to see on this particular hike and it wasn't particularly challenging but the 5.5 mile distance with a couple moderate climbs was perfect for this particular day.
This was easily the wettest hike I've done. That wasn't much of a surprise given the amount of rain we've had over the summer or the rain that hit the area the day before. Although it made for some somewhat muddy spots and one semi-risky creek crossing, it wasn't a big deal. However, the low dew point and high humidity made picture taking pretty tough as the lens kept getting fogged over so no pictures this time.
It took me a little over two hours to complete the hike. I was moving at a fast clip though because I was racing to get home to watch the Broncos play.
Overall, well worth the time. My next couple weekends are busy but I hope to hit the trail again soon. I'm ready for something more challenging.
A last note. Apparently everyone headed to the Jasper and Blue Ridge areas this weekend to get apples and pumpkins. All the roadside places were packed with people. One even created a 10 minute traffic jam.
Music for this hike:
Ulrich Schnauss - Far Away Trains Passing By
The Dixie Dregs - Bring 'Em Back Alive
Despite warnings about having to share the trail with bikers, I only saw one group who headed out immediately in front of me. After that I saw about 6 other hikers on the relatively quiet trail. There wasn't a lot to see on this particular hike and it wasn't particularly challenging but the 5.5 mile distance with a couple moderate climbs was perfect for this particular day.
This was easily the wettest hike I've done. That wasn't much of a surprise given the amount of rain we've had over the summer or the rain that hit the area the day before. Although it made for some somewhat muddy spots and one semi-risky creek crossing, it wasn't a big deal. However, the low dew point and high humidity made picture taking pretty tough as the lens kept getting fogged over so no pictures this time.
It took me a little over two hours to complete the hike. I was moving at a fast clip though because I was racing to get home to watch the Broncos play.
Overall, well worth the time. My next couple weekends are busy but I hope to hit the trail again soon. I'm ready for something more challenging.
A last note. Apparently everyone headed to the Jasper and Blue Ridge areas this weekend to get apples and pumpkins. All the roadside places were packed with people. One even created a 10 minute traffic jam.
Music for this hike:
Ulrich Schnauss - Far Away Trains Passing By
The Dixie Dregs - Bring 'Em Back Alive
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Thrashers Game Report - 10/03/09
Atlanta 6 - Tampa Bay 3
A new season has finally arrived. How great it was to see the arena buzzing with people well before the game started. There were a lot of changes to the roster in the offseason and this was everyone's first opportunity to see all those players on ice in regular season action.
The arena wasn't sold out but about 80% capacity. A nice energy greeted the Thrashers as they took to the ice and it helped fire up the team for their first test. Almost immediately, the Thrashers took charge. Quicker to the puck than the Lightning and more aggressive once they got it, they controlled the puck early. However, their passes were a bit off the mark. That all changed 8 minutes in when Kaptain Kovy tallied the first goal of the season. New acquisition Pavel Kubina got his first point as a Thrasher. About 3 minutes later, Salmela, a defenseman playing aggressive on the offensive end, reap rewards by burying the biscuit and increasing the lead to 2-0. The Thrashers headed to the lockerroom to thunderous applause.
The second period was more of the same. This time defenseman Zach Bogosian notched his first of the season when he went aggressively towards the net. It was clear that coach Andersson's style was on display. I frequently saw defensemen taking advantage of offensive opportunities and forwards doing a good job of covering up for those defensive rushes. Next up it was the rookie Kane with some great speed taking the puck to the Tampa net. He may have been denied his first NHL goal but not his first point as Peverly buried the rebound making it 4-0. Tampa Bay responded by starting a fight but Thorburn put his newly honed boxing skills to good work against Konopka. The crowd loved it.
The 4-0 lead was short-lived as the tiny Martin St. Louis got a tip-in goal from in front of Pavelec on point blast from rookie Victor Hedman. At this point the Lightning grabbed a bit of momentum and I was just hoping they could escape the period with a 4-1 lead. When Kovy took an ill-advised penalty, that got tough, and Tampa Bay cut the lead to 2 as St. Louis scored again. Fortunately, the period was over.
The third period started poorly for the Thrashers. Their worst defensive play of the night kept the puck in their zone far too long. Less than two minutes in the Lightning had scored again and what was once a 4-0 lead was suddenly 4-3. You could sense the nervousness in the arena. The fans had been down this road one too many times before.
Now it was the Thrasher's turn to pick a fight. This time it was Boulton exchanging blows with Fedoruk. The fight seemed to turn the tide for the Thrashers as they calmed back down and started taking control of the game once again. The good play paid off in a power play goal by Peverly and another goal by Kovalchuk. The crowd was relaxed and loud once again and spent the last 5 minutes hoping Kovalchuk could get the hat trick. Instead, he'd have to settle for a 3 point night and a number one star. Peverly got the second star and Pavelec the third.
Some observations:
- I was surprised to see Pavelec start in net instead of Hedberg. He played very well. I couldn't fault him for any of the 3 goals. There were a couple times he'd get out of position and not get back quick enough. He benefited from generally strong defensive play.
- Nice to see Kovy off to a fast start. A notoriously slow starter, I'm hoping he carries this through all the way to seasons end. He did take a couple poor penalties though. Still needs to know when to let the opponent take the penalty and not respond to the cheap shot.
- Bogosian, sporting the assistant's "A" picked up right where he left off. He's already getting tons of minutes and making a significant impact on the ice. He's paired with Enstrom while Kubina is paired with Hainsey.
- Popovic and Salmela played very well as the third D pairing this night. It'll be interesting to see how Andersson works Valabik and Schubert (just added) onto the ice.
- Kane look a little nervous at first but showed why he was drafted #4 overall. He's strong with the puck, has great speed and has a lot of hockey sense. He'll need to keep working hard to stay at the NHL level after his 9 game "tryout".
- Nice to see Peverly pick up where he left off. If he can continue to put up points from the 3rd line, the Thrashers are in nice shape.
- Apparently the "Believe in Blueland" has been replaced by "The Hockey Way". Just when I thought the marketing team could do no worse they somehow managed to match their previous effort. Blech!
- It's unfortunate the Thrashers don't have another home contest for almost 3 weeks. Any fan momentum built up by this win will almost certainly be gone. I'm hoping they can muster 5 points out of 10 of this five game road trip. Then it's back home for a game against the Capitals. I should be there to report once again.
A new season has finally arrived. How great it was to see the arena buzzing with people well before the game started. There were a lot of changes to the roster in the offseason and this was everyone's first opportunity to see all those players on ice in regular season action.
The arena wasn't sold out but about 80% capacity. A nice energy greeted the Thrashers as they took to the ice and it helped fire up the team for their first test. Almost immediately, the Thrashers took charge. Quicker to the puck than the Lightning and more aggressive once they got it, they controlled the puck early. However, their passes were a bit off the mark. That all changed 8 minutes in when Kaptain Kovy tallied the first goal of the season. New acquisition Pavel Kubina got his first point as a Thrasher. About 3 minutes later, Salmela, a defenseman playing aggressive on the offensive end, reap rewards by burying the biscuit and increasing the lead to 2-0. The Thrashers headed to the lockerroom to thunderous applause.
The second period was more of the same. This time defenseman Zach Bogosian notched his first of the season when he went aggressively towards the net. It was clear that coach Andersson's style was on display. I frequently saw defensemen taking advantage of offensive opportunities and forwards doing a good job of covering up for those defensive rushes. Next up it was the rookie Kane with some great speed taking the puck to the Tampa net. He may have been denied his first NHL goal but not his first point as Peverly buried the rebound making it 4-0. Tampa Bay responded by starting a fight but Thorburn put his newly honed boxing skills to good work against Konopka. The crowd loved it.
The 4-0 lead was short-lived as the tiny Martin St. Louis got a tip-in goal from in front of Pavelec on point blast from rookie Victor Hedman. At this point the Lightning grabbed a bit of momentum and I was just hoping they could escape the period with a 4-1 lead. When Kovy took an ill-advised penalty, that got tough, and Tampa Bay cut the lead to 2 as St. Louis scored again. Fortunately, the period was over.
The third period started poorly for the Thrashers. Their worst defensive play of the night kept the puck in their zone far too long. Less than two minutes in the Lightning had scored again and what was once a 4-0 lead was suddenly 4-3. You could sense the nervousness in the arena. The fans had been down this road one too many times before.
Now it was the Thrasher's turn to pick a fight. This time it was Boulton exchanging blows with Fedoruk. The fight seemed to turn the tide for the Thrashers as they calmed back down and started taking control of the game once again. The good play paid off in a power play goal by Peverly and another goal by Kovalchuk. The crowd was relaxed and loud once again and spent the last 5 minutes hoping Kovalchuk could get the hat trick. Instead, he'd have to settle for a 3 point night and a number one star. Peverly got the second star and Pavelec the third.
Some observations:
- I was surprised to see Pavelec start in net instead of Hedberg. He played very well. I couldn't fault him for any of the 3 goals. There were a couple times he'd get out of position and not get back quick enough. He benefited from generally strong defensive play.
- Nice to see Kovy off to a fast start. A notoriously slow starter, I'm hoping he carries this through all the way to seasons end. He did take a couple poor penalties though. Still needs to know when to let the opponent take the penalty and not respond to the cheap shot.
- Bogosian, sporting the assistant's "A" picked up right where he left off. He's already getting tons of minutes and making a significant impact on the ice. He's paired with Enstrom while Kubina is paired with Hainsey.
- Popovic and Salmela played very well as the third D pairing this night. It'll be interesting to see how Andersson works Valabik and Schubert (just added) onto the ice.
- Kane look a little nervous at first but showed why he was drafted #4 overall. He's strong with the puck, has great speed and has a lot of hockey sense. He'll need to keep working hard to stay at the NHL level after his 9 game "tryout".
- Nice to see Peverly pick up where he left off. If he can continue to put up points from the 3rd line, the Thrashers are in nice shape.
- Apparently the "Believe in Blueland" has been replaced by "The Hockey Way". Just when I thought the marketing team could do no worse they somehow managed to match their previous effort. Blech!
- It's unfortunate the Thrashers don't have another home contest for almost 3 weeks. Any fan momentum built up by this win will almost certainly be gone. I'm hoping they can muster 5 points out of 10 of this five game road trip. Then it's back home for a game against the Capitals. I should be there to report once again.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
NHL Predictions
The journey begins again tonight. All 30 teams start the season 0-0 with the same dream of hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup sometime in June. For some, just getting to the playoffs would be a major accomplishment. For others, failing to reach the finals will be a failure.
Once again I put on my thinking cap in an attempt to predict where each of the teams will finish. The are so many variables involved that I feel pretty successful with even a 50% success rate. For the first time I'll give a team "trend" rating indicating the direction I think a team is heading compared to last season.
Eastern Conference
1. Boston - TRENDING UP - A well balanced roster with strengths in all units. Last season's playoff failures may be just the lesson they needed to reach the next level. This team does need strong leadership to emerge but I believe those pieces are in place.
2. Washington - TRENDING SAME - There is no denying the offensive firepower but there remains questions on defense. It'll be interesting to see who carries the load in goal. The loss Federov and Kozlov leaves a leadership void. Their 2nd place finish will be result of beating up on weak SE division.
3. Philadelphia - TRENDING UP - Offense should continue to be strength of this team and defense will determine just how far they go. Addition of Pronger should make defense stronger and powerplay more deadly. Emery had better play well or the team will need to look to make trade.
4. Pittsburgh - TRENDING SAME - When you win the cup, trending same is a good thing. But like the Wings they have played a ton of hockey in the last couple seasons and now sport a giant target on their backs. With the rest of the division bulking up to come at them physically, I don't see a repeat.
5. New Jersey - TRENDING DOWN - I'm not about to count them out again. Even without Broduer they somehow captured the division title last year. Eventually their lack of star power and Broduer's age will catch up with them but strong coaching and great management always seem to keep them in the hunt.
NOTE : There is a huge drop off from #5 to the rest of the conference. So much so that I think the bottom 10 teams would have trouble sniffing the playoffs in the West. This unbalance won't last much longer though as I see a bunch of these teams on the rise. The last few playoffs spots are a huge crap shoot because most of these teams are grouped so close together. I expect spots 6-8 a dogfight between 6 teams in the final week.
6. Montreal - TRENDING SAME - A retooled team with a ton of question marks. The difference between getting this seed and missing the playoffs could be a couple of points. The new team must come together quick and find consistent goaltending.
7. Atlanta - TRENDING UP - I'm going out on a limb here. When I look at the rest of the competition for the lower spots, I don't see why this team cannot compete. The scored plenty last year and should have more firepower with the addition of Antropov and Kubina. Their top 4 defensemen are the best in team history. Biggest question marks surround goaltending. Someone must emerge as a consistent backstopper or the team is doomed again. As much as it pains me to discuss, the Kovalchuk issue needs to be resolved quickly. The only way that happens is if the team starts strong. A tough task with many road tilts to start the season.
8. Carolina - TRENDING DOWN - Always a tough team to pick. The seem to alternate between really good years and really poor years so I figure this one is a down year. Veteran leadership can carry them only so far. At some point they need to develop some youth.
9. New York Rangers - TRENDING DOWN - All hope rests on the health on Gaborik. If he can't play 65+ games, they won't have a chance. The defense appears weaker and Drury just isn't cutting it up front. While unloading Gomez's contract was a good thing, at least he produced from time to time. Too much pressure on King Henrik.
10. Ottawa - TRENDING SAME - In the long run I think they'll be better for ridding themselves of Heatley. However, it'll take some time to recover. LeClaire in net should be a welcome change for a team used to inconsistency in goal.
11. Buffalo - TRENDING SAME - Ryan Miller will keep the team competitive and Lindy Ruff will generally get the most out of his players. Unfortunately there isn't a lot of upside skill left in this bunch. They should still be in the thick of the race and a trade deadline deal could change their fate.
12. Tampa Bay - TRENDING UP - Nice infusion of young talent and finally getting the message that defense needs to improve. It'll take some time for the pieces to come together but it shouldn't be too far off. Do they have the right coach in place to build the team?
13. Toronto - TRENDING UP - Burke will turn this team around. Expectations are always way too high in Toronto and the pressure to win is insane. Look for at least one more year of rebuilding before the team becomes a real threat.
14. Florida - TRENDING DOWN - The loss of Bouwmeester is huge. They don't have anyone to fill those skates or the minutes. Excellent coaching and some good talent up front can only carry them so far. If they stick to the plan they'll be a threat in years to come but they'll probably fall down a bit before that time.
15. New York Islanders - TRENDING UP - Tavarres is the real deal but he cannot do it alone. The simply isn't enough skill on this team to compete night in and night out. They might actually get a new arena built before this team makes the playoffs. Good news is they'll be in line for a top pick once again. That 15 year contract for DiPietro is looking worse by the day.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. San Jose - TRENDING SAME - Heatley should make this team even more dangerous but their real success will be measured by whether or not they make the Cup finals. Anything less is a total failure. Outside the Heatley trade the didn't tinker much with the lineup and that should allow them to fight for the President's Trophy. They'll face more pressure from Anaheim in their division and from Detroit, Calgary and Chicago within the conference.
2. Calgary - TRENDING SAME - They'll take full advantage of a relatively weak division. The addition of Bouwmeester will be big but they need to find some consistent secondary scoring. If they can find a way to get Kiprosoff some more rest they'll be more dangerous come playoff time.
3. Detroit - TRENDING DOWN - Sorry, I'm not ready to turn this division over to the Blackhawks just yet. I see this as a retooling, not rebuilding, year in Detroit and that will probably mean a less dominant team in the short run. However, they were pretty poor on defense, and especially the penalty kill last year and I cannot imagine that area won't improve. There is a ton of young talent ready to take the next step so the downward trend will be VERY short. Goaltending will dictate just how far this team can go. I like the addition of Eaves and Bertuzzi but Williams has a lot to prove to me. Honestly, I can't wait to see how the young kids (Abdelkader, Leino, Helm, Ericcson and Howard) perform.
4. Chicago - TRENDING SAME - All the rage with the "experts", I expect they are a tad early. Last year Chicago overachieved and this year they'll simply achieve. Injuries and offseason legal issues don't exactly breed confidence (who harasses a cabbie over $0.40?). I consider the Hossa for Havlat exchange a bit of a wash (although Hossa is better defensively) but the failure to re-sign Khabibulin is a big mistake. I'm not sold that Huet can have the same success and their backups have almost no experience. If what I read about their cap issues is true, Chicago's rise could be a very short one.
5. Vancounver - TRENDING SAME - Every year they desperately try to improve this team and every year it seems like they break even. At least they managed to hold onto the Wonder Twins. Luongo will keep them in every contest. A difficult schedule around the Olympics could make or break their season.
6. Anaheim - TRENDING DOWN - Losses of Pronger and Bouchemin will have a huge impact on their defense. What they gained in return will keep them competitive long into the future but will probably set them back for a least this season. Strong goaltending remains as well as a top line that can match any. They'll need secondary scoring more than ever.
7. Columbus - TRENDING UP - A team definitely on the rise but it is a long difficult climb up the Western Conference ladder. Their first taste of the playoffs was bittersweet and they'll need to make some adjustments to continue to grow. The first step has to be to find some secondary scoring. Unlike Atlanta they've got their superstar under contract and a consistent goalie in place. Hitchcock might want Detroit dead but that is easier said than done.
8. Los Angeles - TRENDING UP - Got to go out on a limb somewhere. This team is due to make a huge jump. Plenty of talent on the roster and solid goaltending getting better by the day. The team would have liked to have landed a big star in the offseason but will have to hope Ryan Smythe can push them and himself. With money still available to spend a trade could still bring significant help. Once this team gets in I expect they'll stay in the hunt for many seasons.
9. St. Louis - TRENDING UP - There's a lot to like about this team and John Davidson definitely has them headed in the right direction. However, they are still very young and their veterans are very old. Some of the younger players must emerge and take on leadership roles for this team to continue moving forward. A tough division makes advancement difficult.
10. Dallas - TRENDING DOWN - It's hard to keep this team out of the playoffs. In the East they'd be a playoff certainty. Someone had to be left out. They are horribly inconsistent on both ends of the ice and until some young players step up to fill vacancies on defense I expect that trend to continue.
11. Nashville - TRENDING DOWN - Trotz has kept this team in the hunt despite losing veteran free agents year after year. I think it has reached the point where the task is near impossible until some of players reach the next maturation stage. With the rest of the teams in the division getting stronger, staying pat isn't going to cut it.
12. Minnesota - TRENDING SAME - A change in coach brings fresh life to the franchise and has to have fans excited. The days of the boring trap style should be long gone. However, that style of play did give them a chance each and every night. Now, it'll take a few seasons to rebuild to a new style. Losing Gaborik and gaining Havlat appears to be a downgrade.
13. Edmonton - TRENDING SAME - Once again Edmonton tried to make the big splash in free agency and came up short. It's really hard to sell a player on coming to Edmonton to play. Once again coaching has changed and there is some good young talent but there isn't much veteran leadership to show the young guys the ropes. Caught in the middle where they never get the top draft picks makes for a difficult development process.
14. Colorado - TRENDING DOWN - Piss poor management pushed a once proud franchise off the edge and it isn't about to start the climb back up just yet. At least they have finally cast aside the useless fossils for a strictly youth movement. Another goalie takes on the big responsibility but without much defense it is a tall task. Only reason Colorado isn't on the bottom is the mess in Phoenix.
15. Phoenix - TRENDING DOWN - Just when the franchise was setting itself for a turnaround on the ice, everything off the ice went terribly wrong. Nobody is buying tickets and I fully expect the team will be playing to 30% capacity on many nights. Their season will play out in the courts, not on the ice and that sort of battle will affect the players. The issues need to be resolved before the Coyotes can even think about winning hockey again. It's too bad. There is some young talent out in the desert that will suffer as a result.
Since the playoffs depend a lot on the actual matchups, let's play this thing out:
Eastern Conference
Round 1
Boston over Carolina
Washington over Atlanta - not if I can help it
Philadelphia over Montreal
Pittsburgh over New Jersey
Round 2
Boston over Pittsburgh
Philadelphia over Washington
Round 3
Boston over Philadelphia
Western Conference
Round 1
San Jose over Los Angeles - so tempting to pick against Sharks
Columbus over Calgary - upset special
Detroit over Anaheim - yikes I really don't want this for a first round matchup
Vancouver over Chicago
Round 2
San Jose over Vancouver
Detroit over Columbus - more difficult series this time around
Round 3
San Jose over Detroit
Finals
Boston over San Jose
Looking at these playoff predictions, I'm left with an uneasy feeling. Many are tossups and a change in a round 1 series can change the whole damn thing. I don't like picking against Detroit. I suspect the Wings will stronger as the season wears on but odds are they can't reach the final yet again.
Once again I put on my thinking cap in an attempt to predict where each of the teams will finish. The are so many variables involved that I feel pretty successful with even a 50% success rate. For the first time I'll give a team "trend" rating indicating the direction I think a team is heading compared to last season.
Eastern Conference
1. Boston - TRENDING UP - A well balanced roster with strengths in all units. Last season's playoff failures may be just the lesson they needed to reach the next level. This team does need strong leadership to emerge but I believe those pieces are in place.
2. Washington - TRENDING SAME - There is no denying the offensive firepower but there remains questions on defense. It'll be interesting to see who carries the load in goal. The loss Federov and Kozlov leaves a leadership void. Their 2nd place finish will be result of beating up on weak SE division.
3. Philadelphia - TRENDING UP - Offense should continue to be strength of this team and defense will determine just how far they go. Addition of Pronger should make defense stronger and powerplay more deadly. Emery had better play well or the team will need to look to make trade.
4. Pittsburgh - TRENDING SAME - When you win the cup, trending same is a good thing. But like the Wings they have played a ton of hockey in the last couple seasons and now sport a giant target on their backs. With the rest of the division bulking up to come at them physically, I don't see a repeat.
5. New Jersey - TRENDING DOWN - I'm not about to count them out again. Even without Broduer they somehow captured the division title last year. Eventually their lack of star power and Broduer's age will catch up with them but strong coaching and great management always seem to keep them in the hunt.
NOTE : There is a huge drop off from #5 to the rest of the conference. So much so that I think the bottom 10 teams would have trouble sniffing the playoffs in the West. This unbalance won't last much longer though as I see a bunch of these teams on the rise. The last few playoffs spots are a huge crap shoot because most of these teams are grouped so close together. I expect spots 6-8 a dogfight between 6 teams in the final week.
6. Montreal - TRENDING SAME - A retooled team with a ton of question marks. The difference between getting this seed and missing the playoffs could be a couple of points. The new team must come together quick and find consistent goaltending.
7. Atlanta - TRENDING UP - I'm going out on a limb here. When I look at the rest of the competition for the lower spots, I don't see why this team cannot compete. The scored plenty last year and should have more firepower with the addition of Antropov and Kubina. Their top 4 defensemen are the best in team history. Biggest question marks surround goaltending. Someone must emerge as a consistent backstopper or the team is doomed again. As much as it pains me to discuss, the Kovalchuk issue needs to be resolved quickly. The only way that happens is if the team starts strong. A tough task with many road tilts to start the season.
8. Carolina - TRENDING DOWN - Always a tough team to pick. The seem to alternate between really good years and really poor years so I figure this one is a down year. Veteran leadership can carry them only so far. At some point they need to develop some youth.
9. New York Rangers - TRENDING DOWN - All hope rests on the health on Gaborik. If he can't play 65+ games, they won't have a chance. The defense appears weaker and Drury just isn't cutting it up front. While unloading Gomez's contract was a good thing, at least he produced from time to time. Too much pressure on King Henrik.
10. Ottawa - TRENDING SAME - In the long run I think they'll be better for ridding themselves of Heatley. However, it'll take some time to recover. LeClaire in net should be a welcome change for a team used to inconsistency in goal.
11. Buffalo - TRENDING SAME - Ryan Miller will keep the team competitive and Lindy Ruff will generally get the most out of his players. Unfortunately there isn't a lot of upside skill left in this bunch. They should still be in the thick of the race and a trade deadline deal could change their fate.
12. Tampa Bay - TRENDING UP - Nice infusion of young talent and finally getting the message that defense needs to improve. It'll take some time for the pieces to come together but it shouldn't be too far off. Do they have the right coach in place to build the team?
13. Toronto - TRENDING UP - Burke will turn this team around. Expectations are always way too high in Toronto and the pressure to win is insane. Look for at least one more year of rebuilding before the team becomes a real threat.
14. Florida - TRENDING DOWN - The loss of Bouwmeester is huge. They don't have anyone to fill those skates or the minutes. Excellent coaching and some good talent up front can only carry them so far. If they stick to the plan they'll be a threat in years to come but they'll probably fall down a bit before that time.
15. New York Islanders - TRENDING UP - Tavarres is the real deal but he cannot do it alone. The simply isn't enough skill on this team to compete night in and night out. They might actually get a new arena built before this team makes the playoffs. Good news is they'll be in line for a top pick once again. That 15 year contract for DiPietro is looking worse by the day.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. San Jose - TRENDING SAME - Heatley should make this team even more dangerous but their real success will be measured by whether or not they make the Cup finals. Anything less is a total failure. Outside the Heatley trade the didn't tinker much with the lineup and that should allow them to fight for the President's Trophy. They'll face more pressure from Anaheim in their division and from Detroit, Calgary and Chicago within the conference.
2. Calgary - TRENDING SAME - They'll take full advantage of a relatively weak division. The addition of Bouwmeester will be big but they need to find some consistent secondary scoring. If they can find a way to get Kiprosoff some more rest they'll be more dangerous come playoff time.
3. Detroit - TRENDING DOWN - Sorry, I'm not ready to turn this division over to the Blackhawks just yet. I see this as a retooling, not rebuilding, year in Detroit and that will probably mean a less dominant team in the short run. However, they were pretty poor on defense, and especially the penalty kill last year and I cannot imagine that area won't improve. There is a ton of young talent ready to take the next step so the downward trend will be VERY short. Goaltending will dictate just how far this team can go. I like the addition of Eaves and Bertuzzi but Williams has a lot to prove to me. Honestly, I can't wait to see how the young kids (Abdelkader, Leino, Helm, Ericcson and Howard) perform.
4. Chicago - TRENDING SAME - All the rage with the "experts", I expect they are a tad early. Last year Chicago overachieved and this year they'll simply achieve. Injuries and offseason legal issues don't exactly breed confidence (who harasses a cabbie over $0.40?). I consider the Hossa for Havlat exchange a bit of a wash (although Hossa is better defensively) but the failure to re-sign Khabibulin is a big mistake. I'm not sold that Huet can have the same success and their backups have almost no experience. If what I read about their cap issues is true, Chicago's rise could be a very short one.
5. Vancounver - TRENDING SAME - Every year they desperately try to improve this team and every year it seems like they break even. At least they managed to hold onto the Wonder Twins. Luongo will keep them in every contest. A difficult schedule around the Olympics could make or break their season.
6. Anaheim - TRENDING DOWN - Losses of Pronger and Bouchemin will have a huge impact on their defense. What they gained in return will keep them competitive long into the future but will probably set them back for a least this season. Strong goaltending remains as well as a top line that can match any. They'll need secondary scoring more than ever.
7. Columbus - TRENDING UP - A team definitely on the rise but it is a long difficult climb up the Western Conference ladder. Their first taste of the playoffs was bittersweet and they'll need to make some adjustments to continue to grow. The first step has to be to find some secondary scoring. Unlike Atlanta they've got their superstar under contract and a consistent goalie in place. Hitchcock might want Detroit dead but that is easier said than done.
8. Los Angeles - TRENDING UP - Got to go out on a limb somewhere. This team is due to make a huge jump. Plenty of talent on the roster and solid goaltending getting better by the day. The team would have liked to have landed a big star in the offseason but will have to hope Ryan Smythe can push them and himself. With money still available to spend a trade could still bring significant help. Once this team gets in I expect they'll stay in the hunt for many seasons.
9. St. Louis - TRENDING UP - There's a lot to like about this team and John Davidson definitely has them headed in the right direction. However, they are still very young and their veterans are very old. Some of the younger players must emerge and take on leadership roles for this team to continue moving forward. A tough division makes advancement difficult.
10. Dallas - TRENDING DOWN - It's hard to keep this team out of the playoffs. In the East they'd be a playoff certainty. Someone had to be left out. They are horribly inconsistent on both ends of the ice and until some young players step up to fill vacancies on defense I expect that trend to continue.
11. Nashville - TRENDING DOWN - Trotz has kept this team in the hunt despite losing veteran free agents year after year. I think it has reached the point where the task is near impossible until some of players reach the next maturation stage. With the rest of the teams in the division getting stronger, staying pat isn't going to cut it.
12. Minnesota - TRENDING SAME - A change in coach brings fresh life to the franchise and has to have fans excited. The days of the boring trap style should be long gone. However, that style of play did give them a chance each and every night. Now, it'll take a few seasons to rebuild to a new style. Losing Gaborik and gaining Havlat appears to be a downgrade.
13. Edmonton - TRENDING SAME - Once again Edmonton tried to make the big splash in free agency and came up short. It's really hard to sell a player on coming to Edmonton to play. Once again coaching has changed and there is some good young talent but there isn't much veteran leadership to show the young guys the ropes. Caught in the middle where they never get the top draft picks makes for a difficult development process.
14. Colorado - TRENDING DOWN - Piss poor management pushed a once proud franchise off the edge and it isn't about to start the climb back up just yet. At least they have finally cast aside the useless fossils for a strictly youth movement. Another goalie takes on the big responsibility but without much defense it is a tall task. Only reason Colorado isn't on the bottom is the mess in Phoenix.
15. Phoenix - TRENDING DOWN - Just when the franchise was setting itself for a turnaround on the ice, everything off the ice went terribly wrong. Nobody is buying tickets and I fully expect the team will be playing to 30% capacity on many nights. Their season will play out in the courts, not on the ice and that sort of battle will affect the players. The issues need to be resolved before the Coyotes can even think about winning hockey again. It's too bad. There is some young talent out in the desert that will suffer as a result.
Since the playoffs depend a lot on the actual matchups, let's play this thing out:
Eastern Conference
Round 1
Boston over Carolina
Washington over Atlanta - not if I can help it
Philadelphia over Montreal
Pittsburgh over New Jersey
Round 2
Boston over Pittsburgh
Philadelphia over Washington
Round 3
Boston over Philadelphia
Western Conference
Round 1
San Jose over Los Angeles - so tempting to pick against Sharks
Columbus over Calgary - upset special
Detroit over Anaheim - yikes I really don't want this for a first round matchup
Vancouver over Chicago
Round 2
San Jose over Vancouver
Detroit over Columbus - more difficult series this time around
Round 3
San Jose over Detroit
Finals
Boston over San Jose
Looking at these playoff predictions, I'm left with an uneasy feeling. Many are tossups and a change in a round 1 series can change the whole damn thing. I don't like picking against Detroit. I suspect the Wings will stronger as the season wears on but odds are they can't reach the final yet again.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Thrashers Game Report - 09/23/09
Atlanta 5 - Nashville 4
Hooray! Hockey season is here again. It may only be preseason but it sure was nice to hit The Bulb and watch hockey. About 2000 people joined me this evening.
Some observations
- The arena was a little overstaffed for a preseason contest. I really don't need 6 people trying to help me in the store or 9 people preparing my brat.
- First thing I noticed is the Thrashers are a much bigger team. Kubina is huge, Antropov is a giant and even Valabik looked a little bulkier. While size isn't everything in the NHL, the Thrashers have been much too small/weak the last few seasons.
- Night off for Kozlov, White, Armstrong and Reasoner.
- Lots of new faces out there. Kubina, Antropov, Afinigenov, Kane, Gratton, Legace, Stapleton and more.
- Legace looked horrible in warmups. Couldn't stop a single shot. Pavelec got the start in goal and played the entire game.
- Up front Kovy-Antropov-Little on one unit Kane, Afinigenov and Stapleton on another. Enstrom-Bogosian made up one d pairing, Hainsey-Kubina another.
- Enstrom and Kubina were wearing As for this contest.
- Good puck pursuit throughout the game along with decent defensive coverage. Nice to see some bodies in front of the net.
- Pavelec looked strong in goal through most of the contest. Good position on the puck and decent rebound control. He did allow a soft goal late.
- Afinigenov has great speed but didn't see much else from him. Lots of specialty team play affected his ice time.
- I was hoping to see Kane electrify me the way Kovy did the first time I saw him in preseason. That probably wasn't realistic. While he didn't impress, he didn't look bad either. He did have decent positioning and didn't look overwhelmed by the situation. He skates very well.
- Nice to see Kubina step up after a Predator took a shot at Kovy. The crowd showed their appreciation.
- Kovy look in regular season form. He carried the puck for awhile allowing Antropov space to work. Kovy found him and Antro put the puck in the net. Hopefully, we'll see many more of these.
- Predators score a quick powerplay goal after a faceoff win.
- Stapleton had nice feed to Gratton in front of the net for quick goal. Two goals for Gratton.
- J-Bird and Chuck are back to torture us for another season. Somebody kill the Kiss Cam, Bungie Bowling, Golf on Ice and the guy in section 409 with the train whistle.
- Popovic hurt his chances of making the team when a turnover resulted in a 2 on 0 breakaway goal. Until that point he played a good game. We need consistency.
- Antropov worked the corner and found Little in front of the net for a nice goal.
- Bogosian finds Crabb in front of the net for an easy goal. Sensing a trend I like very much here. Get players in front of the net and good things happen.
- 2 late Nashville goals make it a little more interesting. Some slow footed defensive play and a lack of focus. Most of the blame lies with the 3rd defensive pair. It'll be interesting to see who ends up winning these jobs.
Next up opening night on October 3rd. Get down to The Bulb and welcome back the Atlanta Thrashers.
Hooray! Hockey season is here again. It may only be preseason but it sure was nice to hit The Bulb and watch hockey. About 2000 people joined me this evening.
Some observations
- The arena was a little overstaffed for a preseason contest. I really don't need 6 people trying to help me in the store or 9 people preparing my brat.
- First thing I noticed is the Thrashers are a much bigger team. Kubina is huge, Antropov is a giant and even Valabik looked a little bulkier. While size isn't everything in the NHL, the Thrashers have been much too small/weak the last few seasons.
- Night off for Kozlov, White, Armstrong and Reasoner.
- Lots of new faces out there. Kubina, Antropov, Afinigenov, Kane, Gratton, Legace, Stapleton and more.
- Legace looked horrible in warmups. Couldn't stop a single shot. Pavelec got the start in goal and played the entire game.
- Up front Kovy-Antropov-Little on one unit Kane, Afinigenov and Stapleton on another. Enstrom-Bogosian made up one d pairing, Hainsey-Kubina another.
- Enstrom and Kubina were wearing As for this contest.
- Good puck pursuit throughout the game along with decent defensive coverage. Nice to see some bodies in front of the net.
- Pavelec looked strong in goal through most of the contest. Good position on the puck and decent rebound control. He did allow a soft goal late.
- Afinigenov has great speed but didn't see much else from him. Lots of specialty team play affected his ice time.
- I was hoping to see Kane electrify me the way Kovy did the first time I saw him in preseason. That probably wasn't realistic. While he didn't impress, he didn't look bad either. He did have decent positioning and didn't look overwhelmed by the situation. He skates very well.
- Nice to see Kubina step up after a Predator took a shot at Kovy. The crowd showed their appreciation.
- Kovy look in regular season form. He carried the puck for awhile allowing Antropov space to work. Kovy found him and Antro put the puck in the net. Hopefully, we'll see many more of these.
- Predators score a quick powerplay goal after a faceoff win.
- Stapleton had nice feed to Gratton in front of the net for quick goal. Two goals for Gratton.
- J-Bird and Chuck are back to torture us for another season. Somebody kill the Kiss Cam, Bungie Bowling, Golf on Ice and the guy in section 409 with the train whistle.
- Popovic hurt his chances of making the team when a turnover resulted in a 2 on 0 breakaway goal. Until that point he played a good game. We need consistency.
- Antropov worked the corner and found Little in front of the net for a nice goal.
- Bogosian finds Crabb in front of the net for an easy goal. Sensing a trend I like very much here. Get players in front of the net and good things happen.
- 2 late Nashville goals make it a little more interesting. Some slow footed defensive play and a lack of focus. Most of the blame lies with the 3rd defensive pair. It'll be interesting to see who ends up winning these jobs.
Next up opening night on October 3rd. Get down to The Bulb and welcome back the Atlanta Thrashers.
Evolution of an Audio/Video System
My home theater TV finally died. I had it fixed about 2 years ago hoping to get another year out of the set, so I can't say I'm too surprised. The timing could have been a little better. I tend to over research electronics purchases. I really didn't want to spend weeks doing that this time around. Fortunately, I had been keeping some ideas in the back of my head for when the big box finally died.
The old Mitsubishi 55" rear projection HDTV is no more. For ten plus years it served me well. This second generation "HD ready" set didn't have a lot of the whiz bang features of the newer models and occupied a ton of floor space but it sure did look great when displaying an HD signal.
The "beast" was a pain to get into the basement and it'll be going out in pieces because there is no other way and it is worthless at this point.
One night of concentrated research plus about 3 hours of in-store viewing and I finally decided on a Samsung 58" plasma display (PN58B860) as a replacement. I had walked into the store with intentions of buying a Mitsubishi DLP or Samsung LED LCD set but ended up being wowed by this model. The picture is vibrant, crystal clear, has no motion artifacts and the blacks are deep. Despite being a plasma, the set is less than a 1 1/2 deep.
A few nights of testing, tweaking and organizing cables and everything is finally in place.
Finishing up the install got me thinking about the evolution of my audio/video systems. With installation of this TV, it is safe to say that I've completed my 4th generation system. Here's a rundown of each generation:
1st generation (age 13-21) - "I've got change in my pocket"
Fresh off my first working job as a caddie, I finally had some money to spend. First purchase was a Zenith 13" color TV for $273. Soon after that I bought a receiver, turntable and some big speakers an electronic super sale. Mom pretty much freaked when I brought it home. Her comment was something like "what do you need that for?". I wore that thing out. The TV went on to last almost 30 years!
2nd generation (age 21-27) - "How many CDs will 25 hours of work buy me?"
Out on my own, music was a huge part of my life. I went to concerts almost every week and a good chunk of my money went to purchasing new music. Wanting more power and more clarity, I bought a Sony "Surround Sound" 100W amplifier/receiver, a 27" inch TV and jumped in early on the CD wave. The sickness was in full force.
3rd generation (age 27-43) - "It's my house AND my movie theater"
Movies become more of a focus and I'm interested in creating a home theater experience. A new Sony 5.1 receiver, JBL speakers and a subwoofer are within my budget for sound. For video, I jump in early and get a DVD player within months of their release. I immediately start amassing a large movie library. Once second generation HD TVs hit the streets, I can't wait to get my hands on one. I'm the first in the neighborhood with Directv HD.
4th generation (age 43- ) - "More house = bigger/better theater"
I'm a little more methodical this time around. I actually purchase a house with a home theater in mind. I replace piece by piece of the old A/V system working towards an ideal system for the containing room. This time it doesn't start with gear. Instead, it starts with furniture. Plush, stylish home theater leather seats. Next up is a subwoofer. The crappy JBL had to go and is replaced by a powerful SVS subwoofer. Courtesy of a nice bonus from work, I'm able to replace the rest of the speakers with Ascend Acoustics and the A/V receiver with a Denon AVR-4306. The sound is now crystal clear whether it is loud or quiet. To exercise the full capabilities of the system, I purchased an XBOX 360 and then a Blu-Ray player. The final piece was replacing the TV. Replacing the TV not only recovered some serious floor space but it also helped to reduce the wiring madness. A majority of the connections are now done with HDMI.
I don't envision changing ANY of this anytime soon. I've got more Internet enabled devices than I can shake a stick at. I have picture quality that is probably better than my eyes can perceive. If the system got any louder, I'd probably kill some elderly neighbors. I did have thoughts of going front projection and putting up a 100" screen but it was more work than I wanted. Perhaps another row of seats will be next. You never know.
I leave you with some pictures of the entire room.
Monday, September 21, 2009
New Gameroom Items
The process never seems to be complete. Just when I think I have enough, I find room for more. Just when I think every slot is full, I decide to swap out something. I was warned before getting into this hobby that it turns into an addiction. Boy were those predictions right. With the latest acquisitions, I now own 9 pinball machines.
White Water is the latest addition to the lineup. I've been looking for this particular machine for quite some time. It's a combination of deep rules, good art and fast play with very unique ramps. It's a bit difficult to find one in nice shape and costs a lot of money to fix so I had to be patient. Finding one local was also desireable because shipping cost ($300-$400) will often kill a good deal. I hadn't seen one for sale in Atlanta for awhile when one came up in nearby Nashville, TN. Just when I was considering driving to get that one, two others came up for sale in Atlanta, one from someone I'd met through local pinball parties.
It's in very nice condition. Although not perfect, it would make an ideal candidate for me to restore to like new condition. The plan is to take on that project some time this winter. Right now it sits on the main floor of my house but it will be moving downstairs to occupy the last open spot in my gameroom in the next couple weeks.
White Water is the latest addition to the lineup. I've been looking for this particular machine for quite some time. It's a combination of deep rules, good art and fast play with very unique ramps. It's a bit difficult to find one in nice shape and costs a lot of money to fix so I had to be patient. Finding one local was also desireable because shipping cost ($300-$400) will often kill a good deal. I hadn't seen one for sale in Atlanta for awhile when one came up in nearby Nashville, TN. Just when I was considering driving to get that one, two others came up for sale in Atlanta, one from someone I'd met through local pinball parties.
It's in very nice condition. Although not perfect, it would make an ideal candidate for me to restore to like new condition. The plan is to take on that project some time this winter. Right now it sits on the main floor of my house but it will be moving downstairs to occupy the last open spot in my gameroom in the next couple weeks.
The second new addition is a Super Chexx Bubble Hockey. Most of my other games have no nostalgic attachment. I didn't play those particular pinball machines growing up. The Chexx Hockey is a completely different story. Many an hour and many a quarter were spent playing this game with friends during my teenage years in Minnesota. I've wanted to own one for a long time but couldn't get myself to part with the foosball table and I was concerned I could fit the hockey table through the basement door. Knowing full well I could get more people to challenge me in hockey than foosball, I finally bit the bullet. Plus, it fits with the rest of the gameroom better since there is some hockey memorabilia down there. Now I'm on the lookout for someone to paint me some custom players.
Monday, September 7, 2009
NFL Predictions
Here we go again. Another NFL season is getting ready to start up. I'm not a big fan of how the NFL has marketed itself into a year-long product. I don't like how non-sport related industries have attached themselves to the NFL. So while the NFL kicks off a season with a big music-filled celebration on Thursday, I'll likely wait until the real action kicks off over the weekend to indulge myself.
I no longer watch pregame. I no longer watch postgame. I don't pay attention during halftime or commercial breaks. I don't care for sideline reporters, talking heads or fantasy football updates. I don't need some announcer going on and on about how good the brat he just swallowed tastes or how FOX's new hour long drama is "best new show of the season". I don't want see/hear the latest reality star's take on Brett Favre's latest retirement speech. I don't want to see Ocho Cinco's most recent endzone "dance". It's all just too much nonsense for me.
All I want to see is the actual gameplay. The Xs and Os facinate me. The chess match played out with 300lb lineman and lightning fast DBs. Shifty running, lofty passes and good tackling I'll pay to watch. I'd rather watch a punter work his craft than see some of this flair they try to shovel feed me each week.
So it is with this cynicism that I produce yet another round of predictions for the NFL season. Not a heck of a lot of research went into this picks. Mostly just a gut feeling. We'll see if come next year if I still have enough interest to post picks again.
AFC WEST
1. San Diego - money in the back. A piss poor division will make a breeze. Without or without Merriman they'll win by at least 3 games and could have it wrapped up by early November.
2. Denver - really the bottom 3 could simply be lumped together but Denver probably has more pieces on offense than the other two. A brutal schedule will make it difficult to win 6 games. Must get off to a good start. Defense can't be worse or can it. I predict Orton will be a short-term solution and may not start the whole season. I've followed the Broncos for 33 years now and I fully expect this to be the worse one. The loss of Cutler makes me sick to my stomach. You don't give up on franchise QBs that easy.
3. Oakland - Russell ain't the answer and Davis has lost his marbles.
4. Kansas City - Is Cassell the next Scott Mitchell? Did you say you can't remember Mitchell. EXACTLY!
AFC CENTRAL
1. Pittsburgh - Hard to pick against the defending champs. They've got all the pieces in place for a repeat. They are still young and have great coaching.
2. Baltimore - QB will probably a few bumps along the way but the defense will keep them in every game.
3. Cincinnati - Carson Palmer better stay healthy. Not much else going on here.
4. Cleveland - How long will the latest Browns coach last. Will the starting QB make it to game 2? Can this team ever live up to expectations even if they are low.
AFC SOUTH
1. Tennessee - I'm a huge Jeff Fischer supporter. I think he's the most underappreciated coach in the league. He won't match last season's win total but they play tough. Better keep that old QB healthy though.
2. Indianapolis - I'm not ready to count this team out just yet. A new coach will mean a slight adjustment but with Manning, Adai and sound OL, they'll be fine. Key as always will be defense.
3. Houston - Can't seem to get over that hump. This year might be different but they'll need to be dominant at home and win at least one against Indy.
4. Jacksonville - Team has fallen a lot and will probably fall farther before coming back up.
AFC EAST
1. New England - Don't be fooled by Miami's division title. That was a fluke. New England will return to the top with Brady at the helm. Still plenty of talent to compete for at least another season.
2. New York Jets - Give them second place by default since I think Miami tumbles back to earth. With Sanchez starting a QB it'll be difficult to get much consistency but a lot of other pieces are in place. Where are the WRs?
3. Miami - Parcells must be thrilled with how quickly the team turned it around but will he be patient enough to deal with a setback. QB questions will always be there until they find someone to take the reigns from Pennington.
4. Buffalo - Another team with potential QB issues. Owens might be wanting out before the season is over.
NFC WEST
1. Seattle - It might not take much to win this division so I'm going to go with a suprise pick in Seattle. A resurgent defense will lead the way.
2. Arizona - Warner won't last the whole season and Leinhart won't be up to task of taking over. With more teams gunning for them they'll find the going difficult.
3. St. Louis - Mired in a deep rebuilding process with an aging/fragile QB, problems on defense, a young OL and diminishing talent at WR. All they can hope for is baby steps forward.
4. San Francisco - I think they've got the right coach but there aren't enough playmakers on either side of the ball. Wouldn't shock me to see them play 4 QBs this season.
NFC NORTH
1. Chicago - The trendy pick is probably Minnesota but I think Chicago had the better QB upgrade. Cutler will lose a couple but he'll win more. The big question mark may be who'll step up at WR.
2. Minnesota - At least they didn't have to give up anything to get Favre. But anything less than a Super Bowl appearance is going to make that experiment a failure. With so much focus on Favre, can he find a way to share the spotlight with the true franchise player, Adrian Peterson. Will Brett retire again if he throws another 20 picks.
3. Green Bay - How much do you think this team wants to beat Favre? I'm guessing they pull that off but come up short against a lot of other opponents.
4. Detroit - I thought 0-16 should have recinded their charter. Is 2-14 a successful season? How long till hockey season starts?
NFC SOUTH
1. Atlanta - Could it be? Two winning seasons in a row for the first time in franchise history. YES! Certainly helps that the rest of the division appears headed downward. There is a lot to like about this young team. If they could find some defense they could be a Super Bowl contender.
2. New Orleans - So much talent on offense. So little on defense.
3. Carolina - Where's their QB of the future. A nice two-headed running attack and a good coach but injuries are already mounting. Age is creeping up as well.
4. Tampa Bay - Maybe Gruden got the best gift when he was let go. A huge group of QBs and not a decent backup in the bunch. No playmakers to speak of. Leadership is gone or going.
AFC EAST
1. New York Giants - I like Philly but think the Giants outlast them in a fight to the wire due to more consistency from the QB position. They'll need to find WRs to carry the load.
2. Philadelphia - Will McNabb play well with Vick in the background. Can Westbrook stay healthy the whole season. The answers to those questions mean the difference between a Super Bowl contender and 3rd place division finish.
3. Dallas - Ever year them seem to disappoint. So, I'll pick against them this year. If they get off to a slow start, look for Jerry Jones to call Mike Shanahan and offer him the gig.
4. Washington - Clinton Portis can only do so much. Jason Campell's best option might be a fresh start. Dan Snyder might try to beat Jerry Jones to the punch and call Shanahan next week.
AFC WILDCARDs
Baltimore
Indianapolis
NFC WILDCARDs
Minnesota
Philadelphia
AFC ROUND 1
New England over Indianapolis
Baltimore over Tennessee
NFC ROUND 1
Atlanta over Philadelphia
Minnesota over Seattle
AFC ROUND 2
Pittsburgh over Baltimore
San Diego over New England
NFC ROUND 2
Chicago over Minnesota
New York Gians over Atlanta
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP
Pittsburgh over San Diego
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP
New York Gians over Chicago
SUPER BOWL
Pittsburgh over New York Giants
No exactly the matchup I want to see or the outcome but I do think Pittsburgh has all the pieces in place to repeat.
I no longer watch pregame. I no longer watch postgame. I don't pay attention during halftime or commercial breaks. I don't care for sideline reporters, talking heads or fantasy football updates. I don't need some announcer going on and on about how good the brat he just swallowed tastes or how FOX's new hour long drama is "best new show of the season". I don't want see/hear the latest reality star's take on Brett Favre's latest retirement speech. I don't want to see Ocho Cinco's most recent endzone "dance". It's all just too much nonsense for me.
All I want to see is the actual gameplay. The Xs and Os facinate me. The chess match played out with 300lb lineman and lightning fast DBs. Shifty running, lofty passes and good tackling I'll pay to watch. I'd rather watch a punter work his craft than see some of this flair they try to shovel feed me each week.
So it is with this cynicism that I produce yet another round of predictions for the NFL season. Not a heck of a lot of research went into this picks. Mostly just a gut feeling. We'll see if come next year if I still have enough interest to post picks again.
AFC WEST
1. San Diego - money in the back. A piss poor division will make a breeze. Without or without Merriman they'll win by at least 3 games and could have it wrapped up by early November.
2. Denver - really the bottom 3 could simply be lumped together but Denver probably has more pieces on offense than the other two. A brutal schedule will make it difficult to win 6 games. Must get off to a good start. Defense can't be worse or can it. I predict Orton will be a short-term solution and may not start the whole season. I've followed the Broncos for 33 years now and I fully expect this to be the worse one. The loss of Cutler makes me sick to my stomach. You don't give up on franchise QBs that easy.
3. Oakland - Russell ain't the answer and Davis has lost his marbles.
4. Kansas City - Is Cassell the next Scott Mitchell? Did you say you can't remember Mitchell. EXACTLY!
AFC CENTRAL
1. Pittsburgh - Hard to pick against the defending champs. They've got all the pieces in place for a repeat. They are still young and have great coaching.
2. Baltimore - QB will probably a few bumps along the way but the defense will keep them in every game.
3. Cincinnati - Carson Palmer better stay healthy. Not much else going on here.
4. Cleveland - How long will the latest Browns coach last. Will the starting QB make it to game 2? Can this team ever live up to expectations even if they are low.
AFC SOUTH
1. Tennessee - I'm a huge Jeff Fischer supporter. I think he's the most underappreciated coach in the league. He won't match last season's win total but they play tough. Better keep that old QB healthy though.
2. Indianapolis - I'm not ready to count this team out just yet. A new coach will mean a slight adjustment but with Manning, Adai and sound OL, they'll be fine. Key as always will be defense.
3. Houston - Can't seem to get over that hump. This year might be different but they'll need to be dominant at home and win at least one against Indy.
4. Jacksonville - Team has fallen a lot and will probably fall farther before coming back up.
AFC EAST
1. New England - Don't be fooled by Miami's division title. That was a fluke. New England will return to the top with Brady at the helm. Still plenty of talent to compete for at least another season.
2. New York Jets - Give them second place by default since I think Miami tumbles back to earth. With Sanchez starting a QB it'll be difficult to get much consistency but a lot of other pieces are in place. Where are the WRs?
3. Miami - Parcells must be thrilled with how quickly the team turned it around but will he be patient enough to deal with a setback. QB questions will always be there until they find someone to take the reigns from Pennington.
4. Buffalo - Another team with potential QB issues. Owens might be wanting out before the season is over.
NFC WEST
1. Seattle - It might not take much to win this division so I'm going to go with a suprise pick in Seattle. A resurgent defense will lead the way.
2. Arizona - Warner won't last the whole season and Leinhart won't be up to task of taking over. With more teams gunning for them they'll find the going difficult.
3. St. Louis - Mired in a deep rebuilding process with an aging/fragile QB, problems on defense, a young OL and diminishing talent at WR. All they can hope for is baby steps forward.
4. San Francisco - I think they've got the right coach but there aren't enough playmakers on either side of the ball. Wouldn't shock me to see them play 4 QBs this season.
NFC NORTH
1. Chicago - The trendy pick is probably Minnesota but I think Chicago had the better QB upgrade. Cutler will lose a couple but he'll win more. The big question mark may be who'll step up at WR.
2. Minnesota - At least they didn't have to give up anything to get Favre. But anything less than a Super Bowl appearance is going to make that experiment a failure. With so much focus on Favre, can he find a way to share the spotlight with the true franchise player, Adrian Peterson. Will Brett retire again if he throws another 20 picks.
3. Green Bay - How much do you think this team wants to beat Favre? I'm guessing they pull that off but come up short against a lot of other opponents.
4. Detroit - I thought 0-16 should have recinded their charter. Is 2-14 a successful season? How long till hockey season starts?
NFC SOUTH
1. Atlanta - Could it be? Two winning seasons in a row for the first time in franchise history. YES! Certainly helps that the rest of the division appears headed downward. There is a lot to like about this young team. If they could find some defense they could be a Super Bowl contender.
2. New Orleans - So much talent on offense. So little on defense.
3. Carolina - Where's their QB of the future. A nice two-headed running attack and a good coach but injuries are already mounting. Age is creeping up as well.
4. Tampa Bay - Maybe Gruden got the best gift when he was let go. A huge group of QBs and not a decent backup in the bunch. No playmakers to speak of. Leadership is gone or going.
AFC EAST
1. New York Giants - I like Philly but think the Giants outlast them in a fight to the wire due to more consistency from the QB position. They'll need to find WRs to carry the load.
2. Philadelphia - Will McNabb play well with Vick in the background. Can Westbrook stay healthy the whole season. The answers to those questions mean the difference between a Super Bowl contender and 3rd place division finish.
3. Dallas - Ever year them seem to disappoint. So, I'll pick against them this year. If they get off to a slow start, look for Jerry Jones to call Mike Shanahan and offer him the gig.
4. Washington - Clinton Portis can only do so much. Jason Campell's best option might be a fresh start. Dan Snyder might try to beat Jerry Jones to the punch and call Shanahan next week.
AFC WILDCARDs
Baltimore
Indianapolis
NFC WILDCARDs
Minnesota
Philadelphia
AFC ROUND 1
New England over Indianapolis
Baltimore over Tennessee
NFC ROUND 1
Atlanta over Philadelphia
Minnesota over Seattle
AFC ROUND 2
Pittsburgh over Baltimore
San Diego over New England
NFC ROUND 2
Chicago over Minnesota
New York Gians over Atlanta
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP
Pittsburgh over San Diego
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP
New York Gians over Chicago
SUPER BOWL
Pittsburgh over New York Giants
No exactly the matchup I want to see or the outcome but I do think Pittsburgh has all the pieces in place to repeat.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Summer Over?
The blog has gotten neglected over the summer. While I never expected my activity to be a day-to-day thing, I did expect to add some content more often than the change of the seasons.
While I won't offer up excuses for the lack of activity, I will offer up some explanation. I've doing a lot of the mundane this summer. No big vacations, no significant events. Some recharging of the system and some shedding of the past. I'm just trying to figure out how all the pieces fit together as life moves forward.
My last significant blog entry surrounded the ending of the NHL playoff season. While I was pretty disappointed with the final result, it was almost a relief when it was all over. Being a Red Wings fan means LONG seasons. The last two lasted from the beginning of October all the way into mid-June. The playoffs are an emotional roller coaster ride and they take a lot out of me. Following a team that often ends up playing late games on the West coast makes it that much tougher. However, there isn't much I like to watch better than NHL hockey so I'll begin the process again in a few short weeks. More on that in upcoming posts.
I've kept my blog entries about the NFL to a minimum. I've become more than a bit disgusted with the NFL, in general, and my favorite team, the Denver Broncos, in particular. A proud and consistent franchise has been filled with turmoil this off season and I'm not at all happy about the decisions or direction. While I could have shared my misery here, I decided to keep it mostly to myself. I almost considered kicking the NFL to the proverbial curb but in the end I decided it's claws were in too deep. I've taken a step back from the league. We'll see if the new season changes my perspective at all. I will put forth some predictions in the next week. Here's a sneak preview, THE BRONCOS WILL SUCK!
Perhaps by now you are asking yourself "without sports to watch and no travel plans what the hell did you do with the summer?" The answer is I took on two significant projects. Neither of which I expect would excite anyone outside myself.
First and foremost I decided to reeducate myself. For far too long my career education has been at a standstill while technology has been moving at an alarming rate. My previous lack of commitment to reeducation was mostly by design. In software development, technologies come and go. Often times it is a waste of an effort to learn something that will quickly be rendered obsolete by newer, "better" approach. For this reason, I frequently sit back and let the technology take a foothold first. When the techniques are widespread and tools are stable, then it is worthwhile to jump in. Things finally stabilized in the last couple years and I knew what I wanted to focus on. It is pretty much impossible to know everything well in my field. Instead you have to narrow focus to a few specific areas.
With this in mind, I found software project to work on in my spare time (no sneak peek yet) and purchased about a dozen books about the different technologies that will be used for it and my paying gig. I've been working my way through these texts all summer long. With over 3000 pages behind me, I've learned a lot but I've only just begun applying that knowledge. 3000 pages is just a start. Another 3000 await on the bookshelf, including some for this Labor Day weekend.
The other monumental task (I never seem to do anything small) has been digitizing my rather large collection of cassette tapes. For 6+ years all the music I collected on cassette tape has been sitting in a box in one of my closets. Without a cassette player hooked up for the last 4 years and pretty much idle for 3+ years before that, much of it hasn't been heard in 7+ years. There was a lot of it I really wanted to reclaim and hear again especially now that I frequently listen to music at work and on the go (hikes & travel). Getting this all into a digital form would be ideal. I'd already purchased significant storage space and ripped all my CDs. However, CDs were simple compared to cassettes. I had all the tools I needed. I just need to commit the time. Now was that time.
This task started in late June and continues to this day. In fact, a cassette is recording to the hard drive now and another is being broken in tracks and cataloged as I type. With 250+ cassettes representing 400+ recordings, it has been a laborious task. Approximately 50 tapes remain. The process involves:
1. Recording (analog to digital) cassette to hard drive.
2. Split cassette into individual songs/tracks. A couple tools help with this process but it is still time consuming.
3. Labeling each track (artist, album, song). Tools help tremendously here.
4. Adding to media library.
The whole process takes an average of 25 minutes of my time per cassette side, a majority in step #2. Some take longer (noisier live recordings) and some are quick (clean CD recordings) Meanwhile the PC and cassette player are running 4-5 hours just about every day doing step #1. I do have to force myself to take time away from this task or I'll go stir crazy. However, I think the time has been well worth the effort. There is a ton of music I still enjoy quite a bit that has been unlocked in the last couple months.
I didn't travel much over the summer because I was watching my budget, Crimson was busy with volleyball and had some other plans fall apart. We did find time to take in some whitewater rafting on the Ocoee and I just returned from visiting family in Winnipeg. I am starting to think about a fall trip but need to determine when Crimson's volleyball season ends before finalizing anything.
Here's a couple pics from the rafting trip. That's Crimson on the front of the raft, "riding the bull" and me in the red up front.
I'll leave it at that for now. Textbooks and cassette recordings are calling.
While I won't offer up excuses for the lack of activity, I will offer up some explanation. I've doing a lot of the mundane this summer. No big vacations, no significant events. Some recharging of the system and some shedding of the past. I'm just trying to figure out how all the pieces fit together as life moves forward.
My last significant blog entry surrounded the ending of the NHL playoff season. While I was pretty disappointed with the final result, it was almost a relief when it was all over. Being a Red Wings fan means LONG seasons. The last two lasted from the beginning of October all the way into mid-June. The playoffs are an emotional roller coaster ride and they take a lot out of me. Following a team that often ends up playing late games on the West coast makes it that much tougher. However, there isn't much I like to watch better than NHL hockey so I'll begin the process again in a few short weeks. More on that in upcoming posts.
I've kept my blog entries about the NFL to a minimum. I've become more than a bit disgusted with the NFL, in general, and my favorite team, the Denver Broncos, in particular. A proud and consistent franchise has been filled with turmoil this off season and I'm not at all happy about the decisions or direction. While I could have shared my misery here, I decided to keep it mostly to myself. I almost considered kicking the NFL to the proverbial curb but in the end I decided it's claws were in too deep. I've taken a step back from the league. We'll see if the new season changes my perspective at all. I will put forth some predictions in the next week. Here's a sneak preview, THE BRONCOS WILL SUCK!
Perhaps by now you are asking yourself "without sports to watch and no travel plans what the hell did you do with the summer?" The answer is I took on two significant projects. Neither of which I expect would excite anyone outside myself.
First and foremost I decided to reeducate myself. For far too long my career education has been at a standstill while technology has been moving at an alarming rate. My previous lack of commitment to reeducation was mostly by design. In software development, technologies come and go. Often times it is a waste of an effort to learn something that will quickly be rendered obsolete by newer, "better" approach. For this reason, I frequently sit back and let the technology take a foothold first. When the techniques are widespread and tools are stable, then it is worthwhile to jump in. Things finally stabilized in the last couple years and I knew what I wanted to focus on. It is pretty much impossible to know everything well in my field. Instead you have to narrow focus to a few specific areas.
With this in mind, I found software project to work on in my spare time (no sneak peek yet) and purchased about a dozen books about the different technologies that will be used for it and my paying gig. I've been working my way through these texts all summer long. With over 3000 pages behind me, I've learned a lot but I've only just begun applying that knowledge. 3000 pages is just a start. Another 3000 await on the bookshelf, including some for this Labor Day weekend.
The other monumental task (I never seem to do anything small) has been digitizing my rather large collection of cassette tapes. For 6+ years all the music I collected on cassette tape has been sitting in a box in one of my closets. Without a cassette player hooked up for the last 4 years and pretty much idle for 3+ years before that, much of it hasn't been heard in 7+ years. There was a lot of it I really wanted to reclaim and hear again especially now that I frequently listen to music at work and on the go (hikes & travel). Getting this all into a digital form would be ideal. I'd already purchased significant storage space and ripped all my CDs. However, CDs were simple compared to cassettes. I had all the tools I needed. I just need to commit the time. Now was that time.
This task started in late June and continues to this day. In fact, a cassette is recording to the hard drive now and another is being broken in tracks and cataloged as I type. With 250+ cassettes representing 400+ recordings, it has been a laborious task. Approximately 50 tapes remain. The process involves:
1. Recording (analog to digital) cassette to hard drive.
2. Split cassette into individual songs/tracks. A couple tools help with this process but it is still time consuming.
3. Labeling each track (artist, album, song). Tools help tremendously here.
4. Adding to media library.
The whole process takes an average of 25 minutes of my time per cassette side, a majority in step #2. Some take longer (noisier live recordings) and some are quick (clean CD recordings) Meanwhile the PC and cassette player are running 4-5 hours just about every day doing step #1. I do have to force myself to take time away from this task or I'll go stir crazy. However, I think the time has been well worth the effort. There is a ton of music I still enjoy quite a bit that has been unlocked in the last couple months.
I didn't travel much over the summer because I was watching my budget, Crimson was busy with volleyball and had some other plans fall apart. We did find time to take in some whitewater rafting on the Ocoee and I just returned from visiting family in Winnipeg. I am starting to think about a fall trip but need to determine when Crimson's volleyball season ends before finalizing anything.
Here's a couple pics from the rafting trip. That's Crimson on the front of the raft, "riding the bull" and me in the red up front.
I'll leave it at that for now. Textbooks and cassette recordings are calling.Saturday, August 1, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Hossa "Celebration"
IF (I am not making any assumptions at this point) the Detroit Red Wings win tonight, I expect captain Lidstrom will hand the cup to Hossa first. If not first, soon there after. Since Hossa defected from Pittsburgh to Detroit in the offseason, will the Pittsburgh Penguins fans be able to handle this situation with some class? Even booing is a little tasteless at this point, but could understand it. However, throwing objects is completely unacceptable. I've got to wonder if security is taking extra measures to deal with a situation that could get ugly.
I’ve got to imagine Hossa is under incredible pressure. A generally stoic individual, it wouldn't shock me if he breakdown in tears after it’s all over. It’d be nice if he could enjoy the celebration on the ice with his team. However, I’m sure he’d be content to celebrate at the parade (which will be interesting in its own right) and during his day with the cup.
Let's Go Red Wings.
I’ve got to imagine Hossa is under incredible pressure. A generally stoic individual, it wouldn't shock me if he breakdown in tears after it’s all over. It’d be nice if he could enjoy the celebration on the ice with his team. However, I’m sure he’d be content to celebrate at the parade (which will be interesting in its own right) and during his day with the cup.
Let's Go Red Wings.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions - Finals
Three rounds done, only one to go. It seems like forever since the playoffs started. The beard is growing thick and the days are getting longer. Frankly, I'll be relieved when it is finally over.
The conference finals turned out much as I expected. I was a little surprised that Carolina couldn't muster a win but the better team prevailed in each series and showed why they met just last season for the right to host Lord Stanley's Cup.
Depth, powerplay and goaltending were the key in each conference final and experience was a major factor in the Wings victory over Chicago. I expect Chicago to learn from the experience and handle the situation a little better in coming seasons. No guarantee they'll get back next year but when they do, they'll be more prepared. Carolina's got a tougher task ahead as their roster is getting older and they'll need an influx of youth to compete against an younger and improving conference.
Detroit #1 - Penguins #4
Prediction : Detroit in 7
You might have noticed I wanted till less than 2 hours before puck drop to make my prediction. I had to hear the latest on the Wings injuries. Looks like Lidstrom (lower body injury) and Ericsson (appendicitis) will play but Datsyuk (foot) and Draper (groin) are out. Lidstrom is critical. Without him, it would be a different series. Every minute Chelios sees the ice, the chance of an opponents goal skyrockets. I'll rest much easier if he's in street clothes as he'll be in game 1. The Wings can overcome the loss of MVP candidate Datsyuk due to incredible depth up front. Hopefully he'll return before the series is over. Draper is great on faceoffs and penalty kill but there are other players to fill his role.
The Peguins will do everything they can to jump out quick. With the first 4 games in 6 nights, the schedule certainly favors the healthier Pens. They really need to win one of the first two in Detroit. Skill-wise I think the Pens are a notch below last year but mentally they should be more prepared. They must continue to play strong defense to stay in the series. Offensively they'll need to drive the net and be patient. The Wings are the best defense they've faced this postseason by leaps and bounds. The Wings just got done playing a very skilled team so they should be prepared to handle the likes of Malkin and Crosby.
Its cliche but goaltending and powerplay will be the key. Neither team has a goalie generally seen in the top of the league. However, both get the job done well. Osgood's experience puts him in a better position to recover from a poor outing. Not sure I can say the same for Fluery. Both teams have lethal powerplays so neither can afford to take dumb penalties.
I know a lot of talk surrounds the fact that the Penguins are "hungrier" this year and that could be the difference. I don't buy into that much. With the Cup so close for both teams, they'll both be giving it all they've got. I don't think the Hossa situation (leaving Penguins for Detroit in the offseason) is a big factor except for the fact that he's one more weapon the Wings have that the Pens don't. It might put a little personal pressure on Hossa but I have a feeling he'll come up big at some point.
I love what the Penguins did at the trade deadline adding Guerin and Kunitz. Their leadership and experience are part of the reason I picked them to get this far. However, I also like what the Wings did at the trade deadline (nothing). Their biggest additions have been guys who've been playing in the minors all year because there was no salary room for them to play in Detroit. Helm and Ericsson have made a huge impact. Leino and Abdelkater have filled vital roles. Honestly, I don't think the Wings could have made it this far without them.
A somewhat interesting thing to watch is who might rise to legendary status and earn the Conn Smythe Trophy if Detroit should win. If it's Pittsburgh, the trophy is almost certainly Crosby or Malkin's. Detroit has a lot of unusual names in the running including Cleary, Filpulla, Stuart and Osgood. Any one of those would have been a shocker at the start of the playoffs. Of course, Lidstrom, Zetterberg and Franzen are also contenders.
A final note. A came into the playoffs determined to pick against the Wings at some point. But the team turned a switch when the "real" season began and has really elevated its play. A couple fortunate events (San Jose and Vancouver losing) certainly didn't hurt. Now that they've made it this far, I might as well stick with them. Had Lidstrom been out for game 1 I would have gone with the Pens. I truly believe the series will be real close. Either way I expect it to be an entertaining affair. Two good rosters with a lot of skill and a lot of determination. Two good coaches. In fact, I wouldn't be shocked to see them meet up again next year.
Game On!
The conference finals turned out much as I expected. I was a little surprised that Carolina couldn't muster a win but the better team prevailed in each series and showed why they met just last season for the right to host Lord Stanley's Cup.
Depth, powerplay and goaltending were the key in each conference final and experience was a major factor in the Wings victory over Chicago. I expect Chicago to learn from the experience and handle the situation a little better in coming seasons. No guarantee they'll get back next year but when they do, they'll be more prepared. Carolina's got a tougher task ahead as their roster is getting older and they'll need an influx of youth to compete against an younger and improving conference.
Detroit #1 - Penguins #4
Prediction : Detroit in 7
You might have noticed I wanted till less than 2 hours before puck drop to make my prediction. I had to hear the latest on the Wings injuries. Looks like Lidstrom (lower body injury) and Ericsson (appendicitis) will play but Datsyuk (foot) and Draper (groin) are out. Lidstrom is critical. Without him, it would be a different series. Every minute Chelios sees the ice, the chance of an opponents goal skyrockets. I'll rest much easier if he's in street clothes as he'll be in game 1. The Wings can overcome the loss of MVP candidate Datsyuk due to incredible depth up front. Hopefully he'll return before the series is over. Draper is great on faceoffs and penalty kill but there are other players to fill his role.
The Peguins will do everything they can to jump out quick. With the first 4 games in 6 nights, the schedule certainly favors the healthier Pens. They really need to win one of the first two in Detroit. Skill-wise I think the Pens are a notch below last year but mentally they should be more prepared. They must continue to play strong defense to stay in the series. Offensively they'll need to drive the net and be patient. The Wings are the best defense they've faced this postseason by leaps and bounds. The Wings just got done playing a very skilled team so they should be prepared to handle the likes of Malkin and Crosby.
Its cliche but goaltending and powerplay will be the key. Neither team has a goalie generally seen in the top of the league. However, both get the job done well. Osgood's experience puts him in a better position to recover from a poor outing. Not sure I can say the same for Fluery. Both teams have lethal powerplays so neither can afford to take dumb penalties.
I know a lot of talk surrounds the fact that the Penguins are "hungrier" this year and that could be the difference. I don't buy into that much. With the Cup so close for both teams, they'll both be giving it all they've got. I don't think the Hossa situation (leaving Penguins for Detroit in the offseason) is a big factor except for the fact that he's one more weapon the Wings have that the Pens don't. It might put a little personal pressure on Hossa but I have a feeling he'll come up big at some point.
I love what the Penguins did at the trade deadline adding Guerin and Kunitz. Their leadership and experience are part of the reason I picked them to get this far. However, I also like what the Wings did at the trade deadline (nothing). Their biggest additions have been guys who've been playing in the minors all year because there was no salary room for them to play in Detroit. Helm and Ericsson have made a huge impact. Leino and Abdelkater have filled vital roles. Honestly, I don't think the Wings could have made it this far without them.
A somewhat interesting thing to watch is who might rise to legendary status and earn the Conn Smythe Trophy if Detroit should win. If it's Pittsburgh, the trophy is almost certainly Crosby or Malkin's. Detroit has a lot of unusual names in the running including Cleary, Filpulla, Stuart and Osgood. Any one of those would have been a shocker at the start of the playoffs. Of course, Lidstrom, Zetterberg and Franzen are also contenders.
A final note. A came into the playoffs determined to pick against the Wings at some point. But the team turned a switch when the "real" season began and has really elevated its play. A couple fortunate events (San Jose and Vancouver losing) certainly didn't hurt. Now that they've made it this far, I might as well stick with them. Had Lidstrom been out for game 1 I would have gone with the Pens. I truly believe the series will be real close. Either way I expect it to be an entertaining affair. Two good rosters with a lot of skill and a lot of determination. Two good coaches. In fact, I wouldn't be shocked to see them meet up again next year.
Game On!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Crimson Middle School Graduation
Holy cow! Where did the time go? Nine years ago Crimson walked in the doors of Faith Lutheran and yesterday she left having graduated from 8th grade. A lot of friends were made, lessons were learned and bones were broken. Through it all Crimson persevered. Just a few months from now she'll start a new adventure in high school.
All the kids (I refuse to label them young adults just yet) were dressed up nice and came prepared to give personal speeches, each one impressive in its own way. Proud parents were in attendance and flashbulbs popped like paparazzi as the kids received their diplomas and walked off the stage. A night all will remember.
Here's a couple photos from that night as well as one from the first day of school. Can you tell which is which?
Saturday, May 16, 2009
NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions - Round 3
The conference final round is finally here but it took 3 or the 4 series going to game 7 to find the participants. None of the losers have anything to be ashamed of.
Vancouver getting beat out was the biggest surprise to me. Not so much that they lost to Chicago but the way they did it. All 4 Chicago victories were come from behind affairs. Vancouver had Chicago on the ropes in game 4 leading with less then 4 minutes to go. Losing that game in OT turned the series. Luongo had a very bad series after looking like world beater in round 1. Vancouver created the team around defense and it was this strength that let them down. With the Sedin twins heading towards free agency it'll be interesting to see how they move forward.
Carolina simply refuses to go away. Every time I'm ready to count them out, they rally. Coming through in OT in game 7 was cutting it close but I think the veterans had a lot to do with it. That and a goalie named Ward. Getting tough to pick against these guys. Boston had a great season and has a nice core in place to be in the thick of things for years to come.
The Pittsburgh - Washington series was a wild one with the superstars shining on the biggest stage. However, defense became secondary and continuing to play like that won't get Pittsburgh far. I'm pretty sure Washington has found its goalie of the future and they'll be back to try again next year.
The Anaheim - Detroit series was a simply amazing display of team defense on both sides. Anaheim had everything clicking but in the end succumbed to the depth of the Red Wings. This was undoubtedly the toughest series I've seen the Wings play in the last 15 years. So little ice to work with and a goaltender who didn't budge much when the puck made in on target.
Predicting these series is getting tougher and tougher. The conference finals are two nice matchups and anything can happen at this point.
Eastern Conference
Pittsburgh #4 vs Carolina #6
Prediction : Pittsburgh in 6
I picked the Penguins to come out of the East at the beginning and I'm sticking to my guns. Carolina is an opportunistic team and Pittsburgh smart to prevent the Canes from getting any opportunities to steal games. All the talent in Pittsburgh must find a way to break through Ward without allowing the Canes as much freedom as they allowed Washington. If this series comes down to goaltending Carolina/Ward has the edge. Carolina's best chance is to keep it low scoring, steal one of the first two. Falling behind early could be suicide.
Western Conference
Detroit #2 vs Chicago #4
Prediction : Detroit in 6
An original 6 matchup. First time since 1995 these teams meet up in Conference finals. Much will be made of the youth vs experience. The same sort of speak that was used last year in the finals where Deroits veterans dispatch of the Penguins with relative ease. Chicago is a feisty bunch and I don't expect them to go easy. But after playing the Ducks the ice is going to feel twice as big (in a good way) to these Wings. The Wings can play a up tempo game with the Hawks if they'd like but I expect they'll try to be more methodical. Detroits strong defense will be the difference. Khabibulin has never been a big problem for the Wings. Here's hoping this isn't the first time. Osgood has look very strong in the playoffs and put the dreadful regular season well behind him.
In all honesty, I was planning to pick against the Wings in this round. But then I thought it would be Vancouver or San Jose at the other end of the ice. I probably would have picked against the Wings in the last round had I known Rafalski was out for the first 5 games. Now, I can't do it, I think this is a bit of mismatch. The opponents just seem to lining up nicely for the Wings. Plus, they've got a couple of rookies that are playing beyond their experience and the defense is finally showing consistency.
The one thing that scares me is the penalty kill. Never could put a finger on why it was bad all season. It's been just as bad in the playoffs. A lot of it I think is dumb luck. It had better improve because the Blackhawks can take advantage of it. I think its the only way the Chicago boys steal the series.
Vancouver getting beat out was the biggest surprise to me. Not so much that they lost to Chicago but the way they did it. All 4 Chicago victories were come from behind affairs. Vancouver had Chicago on the ropes in game 4 leading with less then 4 minutes to go. Losing that game in OT turned the series. Luongo had a very bad series after looking like world beater in round 1. Vancouver created the team around defense and it was this strength that let them down. With the Sedin twins heading towards free agency it'll be interesting to see how they move forward.
Carolina simply refuses to go away. Every time I'm ready to count them out, they rally. Coming through in OT in game 7 was cutting it close but I think the veterans had a lot to do with it. That and a goalie named Ward. Getting tough to pick against these guys. Boston had a great season and has a nice core in place to be in the thick of things for years to come.
The Pittsburgh - Washington series was a wild one with the superstars shining on the biggest stage. However, defense became secondary and continuing to play like that won't get Pittsburgh far. I'm pretty sure Washington has found its goalie of the future and they'll be back to try again next year.
The Anaheim - Detroit series was a simply amazing display of team defense on both sides. Anaheim had everything clicking but in the end succumbed to the depth of the Red Wings. This was undoubtedly the toughest series I've seen the Wings play in the last 15 years. So little ice to work with and a goaltender who didn't budge much when the puck made in on target.
Predicting these series is getting tougher and tougher. The conference finals are two nice matchups and anything can happen at this point.
Eastern Conference
Pittsburgh #4 vs Carolina #6
Prediction : Pittsburgh in 6
I picked the Penguins to come out of the East at the beginning and I'm sticking to my guns. Carolina is an opportunistic team and Pittsburgh smart to prevent the Canes from getting any opportunities to steal games. All the talent in Pittsburgh must find a way to break through Ward without allowing the Canes as much freedom as they allowed Washington. If this series comes down to goaltending Carolina/Ward has the edge. Carolina's best chance is to keep it low scoring, steal one of the first two. Falling behind early could be suicide.
Western Conference
Detroit #2 vs Chicago #4
Prediction : Detroit in 6
An original 6 matchup. First time since 1995 these teams meet up in Conference finals. Much will be made of the youth vs experience. The same sort of speak that was used last year in the finals where Deroits veterans dispatch of the Penguins with relative ease. Chicago is a feisty bunch and I don't expect them to go easy. But after playing the Ducks the ice is going to feel twice as big (in a good way) to these Wings. The Wings can play a up tempo game with the Hawks if they'd like but I expect they'll try to be more methodical. Detroits strong defense will be the difference. Khabibulin has never been a big problem for the Wings. Here's hoping this isn't the first time. Osgood has look very strong in the playoffs and put the dreadful regular season well behind him.
In all honesty, I was planning to pick against the Wings in this round. But then I thought it would be Vancouver or San Jose at the other end of the ice. I probably would have picked against the Wings in the last round had I known Rafalski was out for the first 5 games. Now, I can't do it, I think this is a bit of mismatch. The opponents just seem to lining up nicely for the Wings. Plus, they've got a couple of rookies that are playing beyond their experience and the defense is finally showing consistency.
The one thing that scares me is the penalty kill. Never could put a finger on why it was bad all season. It's been just as bad in the playoffs. A lot of it I think is dumb luck. It had better improve because the Blackhawks can take advantage of it. I think its the only way the Chicago boys steal the series.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions - Round 2
I cannot believe how much hockey I've watched over the last two weeks. I managed to catch parts of just about every series including a lot of the Detroit - Columbus (obviously), San Jose - Anaheim, New York - Washington and Chicago - Calgary. A lot of really entertaining games.
I can't say I'm too surprised by the outcome of any series. I was a little shocked that there were 3 sweeps. Montreal was a complete embarrassment while Columbus and St. Louis were clearly over matched. The ending to the New Jersey - Carolina series will go down in the history books as one of the most dramatic ever.
What will be interesting to watch in the next few months is how some of the first round losers deal with those losses :
Montreal - major change is coming because near half the team is free agents. There are now questions about goaltending going forward and an ownership change is coming. Their 100th season was not one to remember.
New York Rangers - there defense kept them in the series but their lack of scoring kept them from moving on. To put up only 1 third period shot in game 7 and only 15 total for the game ain't going to get it done. Now burdened with a lot of big contracts, it'll be difficult to assemble some offense. They desperately need more playmakers AND more finishers.
New Jersey - How does a team rebound from losing a series in the last 90 seconds? Bound to be tough for this relatively old group.
Philadelphia - Best position of the losers moving forward but the fans aren't going to be happy with a first round loss. Any offseason moves might require some salary movement but with plenty of youth on the way up that should be possible.
San Jose - So many playoff disappointments are bound to take their toll. Look for management to break up at least some of the pieces. Talk about a long offseason.
Columbus - Nothing to be ashamed of here. There are some nice pieces moving forward for this team. It won't get any easier though with the rest of the Central Division on the rise or at the top.
Calgary - The big trade deadline deals were a bust. Losing for the 4th time in a row in the first round won't sit well in this hockey proud town. Keenan could be on his way out or major moves might happen. Their move to load up on really physically players may be holding the team back.
St. Louis - A major accomplishment just getting there. Grabbing the 6th seed was a boon to the Wings & Canucks and a bust to San Jose. It'll be interesting to see if they can carry it over to next season when they are bound to be healthier.
Now for round two matchups :
Eastern Conference
#1 Boston vs #6 Carolina
Prediction : Boston in 6
Carolina wants to play the up tempo game and I don't think Boston is going to permit that. The playmakers in Boston will be too much for the Canes to handle. I expect the Canes will be able to keep the games tight by come up short.
#2 Washington vs #4 Pittsburgh
Predicition : Pittsburgh in 6
Time for the stars to shine. 2 of the three MVP candidates (Ovechkin / Malkin) will be out on the ice along with the Norris favorite (Green). Of course, the leagues marketing department won't let me forget that Crosby is really the best. In series like this it is often the veteran role players that make a difference. Pittsburgh has more of those and a power play that'll testing the Caps rookie goaltender, Varlamov, to his limit. With a better defense as well, the Pens will prevail.
Western Conference
#2 Detroit vs #8 Anaheim
Prediction : Detroit in 6
Detroit had a much easier time than I expected dispatching Columbus. They certainly can turn it up in the playoffs. It'll take another notch to dispense the more talented Ducks. The Ducks are asking for trouble if they play out of control and take penalties like they did in the Shark series. Detroit's power play is much more efficient than San Jose's. Ducks best chance is too keep it low scoring and hope Osgood is less than stellar particularly early. With more scoring and just as much defense as the Ducks I expect to see the Wings in the next round.
#3 Vancouver vs #4 Chicago
Prediction : Vancouver in 7
Chicago look very good against Calgary but did have trouble on defense at times. Vancouver dispatched of St. Louis while hardly breaking a sweat. Look for the home team to hold serve but the stronger goaltending of Vancouver prevail in the end. This is a learning year for the young Chicago team and bowing out to Vancouver is nothing to be ashamed of. Chicago's only chance will be to get to Luongo early in the series. Lose both in Vancouver and Chicago is done.
I can't say I'm too surprised by the outcome of any series. I was a little shocked that there were 3 sweeps. Montreal was a complete embarrassment while Columbus and St. Louis were clearly over matched. The ending to the New Jersey - Carolina series will go down in the history books as one of the most dramatic ever.
What will be interesting to watch in the next few months is how some of the first round losers deal with those losses :
Montreal - major change is coming because near half the team is free agents. There are now questions about goaltending going forward and an ownership change is coming. Their 100th season was not one to remember.
New York Rangers - there defense kept them in the series but their lack of scoring kept them from moving on. To put up only 1 third period shot in game 7 and only 15 total for the game ain't going to get it done. Now burdened with a lot of big contracts, it'll be difficult to assemble some offense. They desperately need more playmakers AND more finishers.
New Jersey - How does a team rebound from losing a series in the last 90 seconds? Bound to be tough for this relatively old group.
Philadelphia - Best position of the losers moving forward but the fans aren't going to be happy with a first round loss. Any offseason moves might require some salary movement but with plenty of youth on the way up that should be possible.
San Jose - So many playoff disappointments are bound to take their toll. Look for management to break up at least some of the pieces. Talk about a long offseason.
Columbus - Nothing to be ashamed of here. There are some nice pieces moving forward for this team. It won't get any easier though with the rest of the Central Division on the rise or at the top.
Calgary - The big trade deadline deals were a bust. Losing for the 4th time in a row in the first round won't sit well in this hockey proud town. Keenan could be on his way out or major moves might happen. Their move to load up on really physically players may be holding the team back.
St. Louis - A major accomplishment just getting there. Grabbing the 6th seed was a boon to the Wings & Canucks and a bust to San Jose. It'll be interesting to see if they can carry it over to next season when they are bound to be healthier.
Now for round two matchups :
Eastern Conference
#1 Boston vs #6 Carolina
Prediction : Boston in 6
Carolina wants to play the up tempo game and I don't think Boston is going to permit that. The playmakers in Boston will be too much for the Canes to handle. I expect the Canes will be able to keep the games tight by come up short.
#2 Washington vs #4 Pittsburgh
Predicition : Pittsburgh in 6
Time for the stars to shine. 2 of the three MVP candidates (Ovechkin / Malkin) will be out on the ice along with the Norris favorite (Green). Of course, the leagues marketing department won't let me forget that Crosby is really the best. In series like this it is often the veteran role players that make a difference. Pittsburgh has more of those and a power play that'll testing the Caps rookie goaltender, Varlamov, to his limit. With a better defense as well, the Pens will prevail.
Western Conference
#2 Detroit vs #8 Anaheim
Prediction : Detroit in 6
Detroit had a much easier time than I expected dispatching Columbus. They certainly can turn it up in the playoffs. It'll take another notch to dispense the more talented Ducks. The Ducks are asking for trouble if they play out of control and take penalties like they did in the Shark series. Detroit's power play is much more efficient than San Jose's. Ducks best chance is too keep it low scoring and hope Osgood is less than stellar particularly early. With more scoring and just as much defense as the Ducks I expect to see the Wings in the next round.
#3 Vancouver vs #4 Chicago
Prediction : Vancouver in 7
Chicago look very good against Calgary but did have trouble on defense at times. Vancouver dispatched of St. Louis while hardly breaking a sweat. Look for the home team to hold serve but the stronger goaltending of Vancouver prevail in the end. This is a learning year for the young Chicago team and bowing out to Vancouver is nothing to be ashamed of. Chicago's only chance will be to get to Luongo early in the series. Lose both in Vancouver and Chicago is done.
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