# NHL: The Playoffs **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 29, 2013, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987 "2013-04-29T04:25:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![zoog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7ea924/32.png) [@zoog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoog)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/221 "2013-05-30T02:49:37Z")
Good Lord - if the Wings win this game in OT, the refs are going to need a National Guard escort out of town… ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/222 "2013-05-30T02:54:02Z")
The call was good; the whistle went before the goal. But, ya’ it’s tough tough to draw the short straw on these situations. ---
**Author:** ![zoog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7ea924/32.png) [@zoog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoog)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/223 "2013-05-30T03:11:54Z")
I don’t really have a rooting interest, but that’s probably a spot where the ref should have let the play go. I’m glad it worked out the way it did in OT. Should be a freaking awesome conference final between the Hawks & Kings. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/224 "2013-05-30T03:20:23Z")
I’d actually rather watch the game on the local cable station. Pierre McGuirre, Roenick, Milbury – need I say more? But it’s baseball season, so they’re showing Pirates games now. ☹ People complain about Steigerwald and Errey, but they’re much more entertaining than Pierre McGuirre. I’m thinking I’ll just mute the TV and put on the radio. Mike Lange! ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/225 "2013-05-30T09:41:43Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > The call was good; the whistle went before the goal. > > But, ya’ it’s tough tough to draw the short straw on these situations. Yeah, it was a good call. As a “stab myself in the eye if the Hawks don’t win” Hawks fan, it was a good call. The shame is on Saad who should not have retaliated; but it’s really hard not to, as accosted as he was. ---
**Author:** ![sideshowkar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5e9695/32.png) [@sideshowkar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sideshowkar)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/226 "2013-05-30T15:17:25Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > 1. Shitty internet streams. I at least know of a couple that are “legit,” in that they don’t have malware or viruses or anything, but the quality is abysmal. NBC is supposed to be streaming all the games through to the end. I don’t know if that was included in your statement or not - the quality usually sucks, but I don’t know of any malware of viruses associated with it. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/227 "2013-05-30T15:53:34Z")
I don’t get the hate for Pierre McGuirre. I would much rather hear Bob Miller call the Kings games, and I thought those two clowns who did call the Kings-Sharks series were horrible, but otherwise the NBCSN people have either been great (Doc) or acceptable. (Oh, except for Brian Engblom.) So what is it that irritates you all about Pierre? I know we had some complaints earlier in this thread about how broadcasters don’t give much analysis. Last night Pierre was describing what Detroit had done to counteract what the Hawks did in the last game, etc. Is that not the sort of analysis you critics were asking for? Am I missing something? ---
**Author:** ![Srsly\_Dad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Srsly\_Dad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Srsly_Dad)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/228 "2013-05-30T16:19:19Z")
> [@Mince](#): > > Yeah, it was a good call. As a “stab myself in the eye if the Hawks don’t win” Hawks fan, it was a good call. The shame is on Saad who should not have retaliated; but it’s really hard not to, as accosted as he was. Interesting to hear from a Hawks fan who agrees with the ref. I am a die hard Wings fan and a rec league player. Even after watching the replay I would not gop so far as to say it was a “good” call, not saying it was wrong, just not a good call. By the rule book, yes it was correct. Considering it was behind the play the ref could have waited another second or two. Looking at the replay you can see him washing out the play as Hjalmarsson is winding up his shot. Quincey went after Saad because Zetterberg went down after he ran into Saad (clean play - no call needed). Quincey’s play was dumb, with one player down he took himself out of the play as the puck was coming into the Wings zone. Saad retaliating was also dumb, it just does not seem quite right to deny the Hawks a scoring chance when the stupidity was started by the Wings. If the Hawks had started the chain of events maybe a different story. I don’t even want to think about the horrible line change that led to the Hawks first goal. Two dumb plays=2 goals. I will say that the 3 on 1 goal the Hawks scored was a beautifully executed play. Wonderful passing, Jimmy Howard had virtually no chance of stopping that. He did get close though. NBC announcers are horrible. I live in SE Michigan and can flip back and forth between CBC and NBC (NBC Hi Def is a better picture). I almost brought another TV in with a splitter so I could listen to the CBC announcers and still get the NBC hi-def picture. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/229 "2013-05-30T17:27:26Z")
> [@Srsly\_Dad](#): > > By the rule book, yes it was correct. Considering it was behind the play the ref could have waited another second or two. Looking at the replay you can see him washing out the play as Hjalmarsson is winding up his shot. What blows me away about it is that ref, Steven Walkom, is more known for swallowing his whistle. He was the guy that didn’t call Raffi Torres’ hit on Marian Hossa that gave him a concussion and gave Torres a suspension last year. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/230 "2013-05-30T17:58:07Z")
The Kings-Hawks series is going to be pretty damn great, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/231 "2013-05-30T18:27:11Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > You have no idea how pissed this makes me…My only options if I don’t want to spend money are: > > 1. Watch it in bars. But since it’s also the NBA post-season, and even though I live in New England and the Celtics are out, most bars will still be showing more basketball than hockey…hockey will get relegated to the small, non-HD TV in the corner with the sound off. You can ask the staff to change the channel. If they see more thirsty hockey fans than hoops fans in the house, they ought to be amenable to reason. Or you could make friends with somebody with Comcast, and tune to Channel 795 (no, I’m not making that number up - even the Outdoor Life Network, the NHL’s former home in the US, was only in double digits). ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/232 "2013-05-30T19:25:50Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Or you could make friends with somebody with Comcast, and tune to Channel 795 (no, I’m not making that number up - even the Outdoor Life Network, the NHL’s former home in the US, was only in double digits). Huh. I don’t watch any channels BELOW the number 700, because that’s where HD channels with good sports start on my service. If they keep adding channels they’re going to have to start using numbers above 1000. I don’t know who watches all this stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bruce\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/233 "2013-05-30T23:04:13Z")
I’m a rabid Wings fan. They blew the 3-1 series lead(:smack:). Oh well, I didn’t expect them to beat the Hawks anyway, so I don’t feel that horrible about the loss. The Wings are essentially rebuilding, there is a piece or two of the puzzle missing with the loss of Lidstrom, Stuart and Holstrom. Ken Holland has got some money to play with and I can only hope he finds another rising star defenseman in Sweden. Good luck Hawks/Hawk fans. That game in Chicago had to be awesome for a Hawks fan. I’m surprised the stadium didn’t explode when the Hawks scored the called off goal with 1:47 left. I should have watched the game in surround sound.🆒 I can’t even begin to predict a winner between the Hawks and the Kings, though I’m sure the winner will play the Penguins for the Stanley Cup. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/234 "2013-05-31T03:37:44Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > I don’t get the hate for Pierre McGuirre. I would much rather hear Bob Miller call the Kings games, and I thought those two clowns who did call the Kings-Sharks series were horrible, but otherwise the NBCSN people have either been great (Doc) or acceptable. (Oh, except for Brian Engblom.) So what is it that irritates you all about Pierre? I know we had some complaints earlier in this thread about how broadcasters don’t give much analysis. Last night Pierre was describing what Detroit had done to counteract what the Hawks did in the last game, etc. Is that not the sort of analysis you critics were asking for? Am I missing something? Honestly? He’s boring and tedious. Once he started talking about the width and dimensions of Sidney Crosby’s _skate blades_. It’s Milbury and Roenick that I REALLY hate. Yeah I know it’s the intermission analysis, but oh god, I want to stab my ear drums when I hear those two. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/235 "2013-05-31T14:03:43Z")
Well I certainly agree about Roenick. I forgot about him (because I tend to take a bathroom break when he starts blathering on). ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/236 "2013-06-02T02:04:41Z")
Of the exchanges at the end of the second period: Brad Marchand: Dirty Hit. Sidney Crosby: Giant Wuss. Bergeron and Malkin: Idiots for fighting, but “men” by the NHL code, which is at least a small something… very, very small. I don’t know if my blood pressure can take four to six more games of this series. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/237 "2013-06-02T02:18:06Z")
I came back from the bathroom just in time to see a replay of a Penguin throwing an elbow right into the head of a Bruin at the center of the blue line. Can someone tell me what the hell that was or did I imagine it? ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/238 "2013-06-02T07:14:08Z")
I know I’m heavily biased, but if you don’t think the Hawks are favored to win the Cup, after tonight’s affairs, I say, hello…in Pittsburgh…or Boston…or LA. ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/239 "2013-06-02T14:45:14Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > I came back from the bathroom just in time to see a replay of a Penguin throwing an elbow right into the head of a Bruin at the center of the blue line. > > Can someone tell me what the hell that was or did I imagine it? Matt Cooke ending Marc Savard’s career in 2010? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987/240 "2013-06-02T17:53:06Z")
Yes, that was a replay, but not clearly explained as one. It was to show why Cooke doesn’t belong outside a prison, and why his major and immediate ejection for that hit on McQuaid was appropriate for him when it might not have been for a \*legitimate \*player, such as for Marchand’s retaliation hit that only got a minor. Good to see the Pens distracting themselves with that sort of shit instead of working on playing better hockey. That will cost them the series if they don’t clamp down on themselves right now. Well, Rask playing out of his mind will do that anyway - in the playoffs, I’ll always go with the hot goalie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-the-playoffs/656987.md?page=13)