I thought the Rangers would at least take game 1, maybe 2, off of the sweep momentum. Kinda looked that way in the first period, but the Rangers gave Buffalo power play after power play and that’s generally not a good idea.
Someone–I’m too lazy to check–pointed out the ugly truth upthread: the Devils almost killed the NHL back in the '90s with their butt-ugly trapping play. It was because of them that the game became dull and uninspired and lost so many fans. I stand by my slur.
Someone posted that uninformed opinion, sure.
I had fun watching it. I like defense. Or maybe I’m just a dirty homer. But you play with the players you have.
And we did win the Cup one year with Alex Mogilny as a 40-goal scorer.
Besides, you’re rooting for a Sharks-Ducks conference final. That’s sacrilegious.
Completely unbiased opinion. 
Heehee, even the big-grin smiley is teal.
Overlapping games tonight 
Which game are you watching? I think I’m watching the Detroit/San Jose game at 7:30 on versus. Detroit’s been playing pretty well, but I’m surprised their fan attendance has been so low. Anyone else notice all the empty seats?
No more sacrilegious than rooting for the erstwhile Colorado Rockies. Talk about low rent…
Thornton, Niedermeyer, Cheechoo, Guerin, Pronger, Selanne–those two teams have some of the best players in hockey. Nothing sacrilegious about admiring the two best teams in the conference.
But back to the Devils. It’s appropriate that they’re named after a fraud–their clutch and grab style of “play” wasn’t hockey any more than the “Jersey Devil” is a real live creature of the woodlands. They almost ruined the league with that shit; all the problems the NHL has now are direct outgrowths of how the game was diminished by everyone following NJ’s “lead.” Remember '94? The Rangers won the Cup in a thrilling 7 game series, Messier was all over the place, lots of exposure for the sport, things looking up…then the Devils come along, playing mud hockey, everyone slows down, and suddenly no one wants to watch, until they ultimately wind up canceling a whole season. And now the sport is scorned and relegated to the cable TV boondocks. Thanks guys.
Oh, yeah, and the Devils wouldn’t even have won that first Cup if the Flyers hadn’t laid down like dogs in the conference finals.
There. I said it.
I have to go to work now.
That’s the Kansas City Scouts, thank you very much
I have no real beef with San Jose. They wanted a team and they got one. But the freaking Mighty Ducks of Anaheim? The only time I will ever cheer for the stinking Ducks is when they play the Iowa City Giglis or the Rochester Glitters or the St. Petersburg League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
One- the Jersey Devil is SO real. Two- you’re forgetting that trap hockey was an outgrowth and a response to dump-and-chase. The days of the go-go Oilers were long gone before New Jersey just did what everybody else was thinking.
The fact that you think the Devils were responsible for the cancellation of a season makes me laugh and cry at the same time. The rangers and their “magical” season (fuck Stephane Matteau; I hope he’s bagging groceries at the Shop ‘n’ Save next to Tiffany until Lark Voorhies needs a freaking price check) were paid for on the basis of an economic model that the rest of the league couldn’t imitate. Trying to imitate the rangers killed the league, not the Devils.
Dude, expecting the Flyers to perform is more ludicrous than thinking that the Devils killed the NHL
Listen, Not A Tame Lion, you seem like a nice enough guy and all, but Gretzky wore a Jofa helmet because he was fast enough not to get hit. You, on the other hand might want to switch to a thicker one.
What? Dump-and-chase was a response to the trap! Dump-and-chase is one of the only ways to beat the trap.
Besides, the Devils didn’t invent the trap anyway(depending on who you ask, it was either the Montreal Canadiens of the 1970s or the Swedes). New Jersey’s “innovation” was the realization that if you clutched, grabbed, obstructed and just generally turned hockey into a rugby match, the referees would still only call you for 3-5 penalties every night. Combine that with a defensive system that requires your opponent to have speed through the neutral zone(which is negated by the obstruction), and you have a nearly unbeatable defence. Having Martin Brodeur negate and dump-ins that happen to get past the defence and stop basically any chances that manage to get to him is just the icing on the cake.
Devils are coming back to make it 4-3 from 4-0. When did Brodeur become porous?
And the Wings are down 2-0 after one period basically because they couldn’t get the puck out of their own zone for the first ten minutes. The forecheck of the Sharks was just eating them alive.
Thanks. This is some funny shit right here.
But a couple of things: the Devils weren’t responsible for the canceled season; they were responsible for the decline in play that created the league-wide trends that were responsible for the canceled season. It took some dominoes to fall before it got to that. If there’s personal blame for the lost season, I lay on Bettman, just for being a rat-faced piece of shit.
I wasn’t forgetting about dump and chase. I just didn’t care.
As for my equipment, you’re hitting at my secret shame: I never learned to skate. Didn’t learn when I lived in Philadelphia, and once I moved to California (at 10 years old) it became a moot point. I’m too old and fat now (and can’t afford the equipment anyway).
I will throw you this tidbit (since Ottawa is currently beating NJ): I acknowledge that recent Devils teams have been quite skillful, and Martin Brodeur is money. I would just rather they didn’t win. Ever.
Two mistakes and a 2-0 win for the Sharks. Detroit racked up a lot of shots, but Nabokov saw every one of them clean. All that talk in Detroit about who was going to replace Holmstrom and it wound up being nobody. :smack:
Ottawa won.
3500 seats went unsold for tonight’s game in New Jersey, a second round playoff game between two excellent teams. It’s not that New Jersey should lose because of the (ridiculous) argument that they ruined hockey. They should lose because they don’t have any fans. It’s not good for hockey for a team to win that can’t even come CLOSE to filling the house for a playoff game.
The Devils should be moved to Hamilton or Winnipeg or somewhere they care about hockey. You’re all babbling about the trap while ignoring the fact that the NHL expanded/transferred a dozen or more teams to places where nobody gives a shit about hockey.
I have to admit, this win concerns me a bit. Ottawa can’t play like they did tonight and hope to have a chance at the Cup. Buffalo, for one, would absolutely eat them alive if they played like this against them. Brian Murray blamed rust from the one-week layoff, and he might well be right. I expect Ottawa to come out and play a much better game Saturday.
The good news for Ottawa is that New Jersey’s defence is just as turnover-prone as I predicted. If they continue to attack, Ottawa will get their chances and have an excellent chance to win. They just need to tighten up on defence. Their defence in the third period was excellent, though, so I’m heartened.
Any more “organizational prowess” and the Sharks will win in 4 …
Sounds good to me.
Not quite the style game I was expecting, but everybody got to see that our defense is as good as our offense.
Go Sharks.
Marek Malik, you moron!!!
I went to a hockey day camp when I was 7 or 8 years old where we were split up into forwards, defense, and goalies. The first thing us defenseman learned was don’t clear the puck through the middle of your own zone!!!
The Canucks, minus two of their best defencemen and their main agitator, evened the series tonight by getting Anaheim to play their game. The Ducks have the fire power to shut the series down, but perhaps lack a leader capable of convincing them of that. The Canucks have to be very happy with stealing home ice advantage, and if they get Salo, Bieksa and Cooke back could shock the southern Californian crowd. I think this one is going to get nasty.
I live a long way from Buffalo, but I’m pretty sure I heard the Ranger’s spirit breaking with the game winning goal. OUCH!
The Sharks have Thornton, the Wings are without Holmstrom. Holmstrom is one of the best players in the league in front of the net. Thornton, when he is on, is the best player in the league. The Wings need a healthy Holmstrom and a sleepy Thornton, otherwise, forgetit.
Brodeur is not THAT good. Cup winner, Gold Medalist, first ballot hall of famer, but only Jesus saves enough to bail out the Devils.
Of course there is always the chance that Brodeur is Jesus. I have my suspicions…
I’m sorry… WHAT???twenty-five???
That was the first time since 1994 (IIRC) that the Devils lost a playoff game in which they scored 4 goals.
Brodeur has his worst game in ages, the Sens only manage to win by 1, and you’re counting out this club? That was the best the Sens were gonna have it, and they barely escaped. I say this series is as good as over.
You better get a helmet, Quint. But don’t borrow Not A Tame Lion’s; it hasn’t served him well so far.
Happy Scrappy Hero Pup, you’re out of your mind if you think that game one is the best Ottawa can play. We were awful defensively in that game.
Anyway, it’s 2-0 Devils off of a pair of slashing penalties sponsored by Charmin. Christ, refs, save us all the time and just call an automatic goal.