2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2

Posted: 23rd April 2008 by Luc "Sandman" G. in Hockey

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So my previous predictions were way off the mark. Only Montreal made it to the 2nd round. I hope I do better this time around. Here are my thoughts on the first round, and my predictions for the 2nd round.

I was saddened to see my home team get swept in 4 games. Realistically, I did not really expect them to win, but I was hoping that they would take a game or 2. Alas, this wasn’t the year for the Ottawa Senators. Kelly and Fisher were out for the entire series, Alfredsson played 2 games with a level 3 torn MCL and a cracked vertebrae, and Stillman and Spezza played with a level 1 torn ACL. This was not a healthy team. We played some good games, so at least the team didn’t go down without a fight. Surprisingly, Gerber was pretty solid in nets, so he cannot be faulted for the loss.

It was also sad to see the Calgary Flames get extinguished in the 1st round. They fought a hard battle, taking the series to a deciding 7th game. Unfortunately from the parts of the 7th game that I saw, San Jose was in control most of that game. With Ottawa and Calgary out of the running, that only leaves the Montreal Canadiens as the last remaining Canadian team in the playoffs. As proud as I am to be a Canadian, there’s no way I can root for the Habs. In fact, there’s no team out there that I want to root for, there are only teams that I want to cheer against, and the Habs are one of those teams.

Why not cheer for the Habs you ask? There’s a few reasons. Firstly, the Habs and the Sens are developing a big rivalry now that the Canadiens are  competitive.  Cheering for the Habs would be like asking me to cheer for the Leafs. It’s not going to happen. Secondly, the Hab fans have to be the most annoying and arrogant fans after Leaf fans. It’s sickening to see all these supposed Habs fans crawl out of the woodwork. At least Leaf fans openly support their team even when they suck. The majority of Canadiens fans in this region only seem to make themselves known when their team is playing very well. I can count on one hand how many Habs bumper stickers and flags that I’ve seen in the last 5 years. However, this spring, you can’t see 10 cars without seeing at least one Habs flag. And lastly, there’s that stupidly moronic Ole song that the fans sing at the Bell Centre. I’m all for supporting your team, but singing that stupid Ole song 5 minutes into the first period? Give me a break. That’s what I meant by arrogant.

Out of the remaining teams, the series that interest me the most are the Sharks vs Stars and the Rangers vs Penguins. Those two series are bound to be exciting to watch, as these probably contain the 2 teams that will make it to the finals.
My round 2 predictions:

Sens vs Pens: Pre-series Thoughts

Posted: 9th April 2008 by Luc "Sandman" G. in Hockey

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Sens vs Pens

Tonight the Ottawa Senators are taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. This is going to be an exciting series to watch, as both a fan of the Sens and a fan of hockey. In one corner you have a healthy Penguins team with the likes of Crosby, Malkin and Hossa. In the other corner you have a hurt Senators team, with Alfredsson, Fisher and Kelly out of the line up.

Can the Sens overtake the Pens in the first round like they did last year? Its pretty much unanimous from sports broadcasters that the Sens don’t stand a chance. Bah I say! I will admit that without Alfie, Fisher and Kelly in the lineup that the Sens are missing 3 very important players, but I have little doubt that the Sens can come out of this series triumphant. I believe that we will see a united Senators team that will display both a strong offense and a strong defense, better than we’ve seen all year. The playoffs are a completely new season, where all bets are off and where we often see the underdog take down the favourites. The Sens will bring forth a physical game that will wear down the young Pittsburgh team. Forechecking and backchecking will chip away at the Penguins, not only bruising their bodies but also bruising their egos and their chances of coming out of this series a winner.

I fully expect players like Vermette, Spezza, Heatley, Stilman, Neil, Phillips, Volchenkov, Meszaros, Commodore, Donovan, Bass and Lee to come out with guns blazing, bringing their A game and not letting up. This is the team that made it to the Stanley Cup finals last year and they now know what it takes to win. Heck, we might even see Redden show a bit of passion and get back to the form he was regarded for a few years ago (but I’m not going to hold my breath on that one).

As much as I have faith in my team, I do think this will be a long one. I expect this series to go to 6 games. I predict the Pens will come out with only 1 win in the first 2 games. The Sens will then win the 2 games at home, followed by a loss back in Pittsburgh, but winning the series at home on the 6th game. You can take this prediction to the bank! 🙂

For the other teams, here are my predictions:

There you have it folks. My predictions for the first round. Now I have to go find a bookie 😛

Dogs and Cats

Posted: 7th April 2008 by Luc "Sandman" G. in Jokes

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Cat and Dog

I’ll post something regarding the Ottawa Senators and the post season sometime in the next few days. This weekend was a weekend from hell work wise so I must catch up on my rest. In the meantime, enjoy this little joke.

DOG DIARY

8:00 am – Dog food! My favorite thing!

9:30 am – A car ride! My favorite thing!

9:40 am – A walk in the park! My favorite thing!

10:30 am – Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!

12:00 pm – Lunch! My favorite thing!

1:00 pm – Played in the yard! My favorite thing!

3:00 pm – Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!

5:00 pm – Milk bones! My favorite thing!

7:00 pm – Got to play ball! My favorite thing!

8:00 pm – Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!

11:00 pm – Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!
CAT DIARY

Day 983 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a ‘good little hunter’ I am. Bastards!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of ‘allergies.’ I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow — but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.

The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released – and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe.
For now…

1 down, 1 to go

Posted: 4th April 2008 by Luc "Sandman" G. in Hockey

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The Ottawa Senators won a critical game last night, blowing the Leafs out of the water with a very decisive 8-2 victory. Scoring certainly wasn’t an issue last night unlike the previous 2 games. After being goalless in nearly 7 periods, the Sens dominated the scoreboard and the ice. This win however came at a cost, with both Mike Fisher and Daniel Alfredsson getting hurt with lower body injuries. The Sens winning means that they are still in the playoff race. They remain in 6th place in the Eastern conference with 94 points. They have not however guaranteed a playoff spot just yet. This can only come tonight with a tie or a win against the Boston Bruins, who are also fighting for a playoff spot in this year’s Stanley Cup run.

Regarding the Alfredsson hit, I’m still undecided whether or not it was legal. Looking at replays, it appears that Bell did indeed use his elbow on the hit, but unfortunately there appears to only be 1 camera angle of the incident. The angle shown is inconclusive either way, but in any case it was a very nasty hit with an obvious attempt to hurt. The league needs to implement an unsportsman like conduct penalty for hits such as this. The hit itself might be legal, but the intent to injure is so obvious. Its this intent to injure that should be investigated and the appropriate rules changed so that such things don’t happen in the future.

I was also very much turned off with how classless the Maple Leafs and their fans were in regards to the hit. Bell was shown smiling and smirking to his teammates after the hit, taking great pleasure in taking out Alfredsson in such a dirty manner. The fans at the Air Canada Centre cheered when Alfie went down and lay motionless on this ice. They booed him when he got up and left the ice. No class. Then again, I always said that to be a Leaf fan that you have to have an IQ under 80. The fans last night just keep on proving me right.

It was a little disturbing that the other Sens players didn’t retaliate. I understand that the game was still very close at that point, but when an opposing team takes out your captain in such a vicious way, the rest of the team has to respond to it. Taking a 2 minute penalty to show that you won’t allow yourself to be stepped on like that was needed. Send out one of the tough guys, rip Bell’s cage off his arrogant face and let your fists do the talking. I don’t care that the guy has a cage on due to breaking his jaw. If you go through with such a hit, then you have to expect some retaliation. Unfortunately it didn’t come. I guess in some way the Sens retaliated by lighting up the scoreboard, yet I’m afraid of the message that it sends out to the 29 teams out there: take out our captain or one of our high profile players, and we won’t fight back.

One can hope that from the nightmare of losing both Alfie and Fisher that the team will use that in a positive manner and it will give them a common cause to rally for. To touch on my previous blog post, I strongly hope that the Sens will use this predicament positively and it will galvanize or unite the team, giving them a reason to push hard during this last game of the regular season, and (hopefully) the playoffs.

Tonight’s game against Boston at Scotiabank Place should be a very exciting and interesting game to watch. Both teams are fighting for a playoff spot. Even though the Bruins have one game in hand, losing tonight’s game could push them out completely from the playoffs if Washington or Philly win their remaining games. This year’s playoff spots won’t be fully decided until Saturday where the Eastern Conference is concerned, and as a hockey fan it doesn’t get any better than this.

My finger is close to the panic button.

Posted: 3rd April 2008 by Luc "Sandman" G. in Hockey

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Panic button We’re down to 2 games left for the Ottawa Senators, and we still haven’t cinched a playoff spot. I’m a concerned and a little worried, but I’m not ready to panic yet (as much as one can panic when it comes to cheering for a sports team). As of this post, the Sens are in 6th place in the conference, tied with Boston at 92 points (but we have more wins, hence the 6th position). The Flyers are in 8th with 91 points, and close behind are the Capitals with 90. If we lose the last 2 games, and all those teams win at least 1, it will be the first time in 11 years that the Sens wouldn’t make the playoffs.

2 days, 2 games, that’s all there’s left to determine the Sens spring destiny. As a fan, one can hope that they can flick the switch and win at least one of those games. As cliche as it sounds, their destiny is truly in their hands right now, only they can insure a spot in this year’s playoffs. I’ve heard different rumours as to why the team is in this situation, and all we can hope for is that they put aside their individual differences, egos and issues and start playing as a team. Something happened earlier this year to fracture the team and their confidence, and both are not easy things to overcome.

At this point, the way the Sens have been playing, even if they do make the playoffs they won’t go far unless they can put aside overcome the internal issues that exist. I know the playoffs is a completely different beast compared to the regular season, and often we’ve seen teams that barely make the playoffs completely dominate come springtime. I fear that this isn’t going to be one of those times. Regardless of how much longer the Sens are on the ice instead of the golf course, I’ll be cheering my team on for as far as they go.

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