grumble
never should have let Erhoff or Malhotra go
grumble
(Go Canucks)
I can’t think of a single time that this has been true since 1993, and I can think of some counterexamples – Ducks in 2003 and Flames in 2004 come immediately to mind. In the finals a better team usually trumps a hot goalie.
There’s a difference between a hot goalie and a goalie that’s been great all year and then steps up even more in the playoffs. In 2003, J-S Giguere was almost a textbook hot goalie: a 2.62GAA is very respectable, but he only really caught fire in the playoffs (hence winning the Smythe) until his team ran up against one of the all-time great goalies in Brodeur. Kiprusoff was a similar story, although I certainly wouldn’t call Khabibulin and “all-time great,” he is a better goalie.
Thomas, OTOH, has been spectacular all year. He hasn’t just gotten lucky in the playoffs. The contest between Thomas and Boston’s defense vs. Vancouver’s offense is strength-versus-strength. It will be interesting, if nothing else.
As a Sens fan, I don’t want to cheer for any other Canadian teams as a point of principle. You surely wouldn’t expect a Rags fan to cheer for the Islanders or Devils, just out of some sense of civic pride. Why then, stretch that to a far larger land mass like Canada? It’s not the olympics.
But whatever. I don’t mind the Canucks; they sent Dany Heatley golfing! 
Ray Emery
Dwayne Roloson (though in part due to injury)
Jaroslav Halak
Etc.
I’d agree with that assessment. The only (possible) exception was Cam Ward, but he’s an able and willing goalie for Carolina in the season, playing behind a streaky Martin Gerber.
Hot goalies often win first and second round series, but not Finals. You need a solid team to win the Finals. Many, many Finals have been won by the team with the obviously inferior goalie, but I can’t offhand think of many times a clearly inferior squad was pulled to victory by a hot goalie. 1995, I guess, would be the one example that comes to mind, and even then it was hardly Bordeur saving his team; New Jersey swept, and scored 16 goals in four games.
There is no comment too innocuous or obvious to get an argument here, is there?
As to Malhotra, anyone else get a sneaky suspicion the Canucks might still be rushing him? Awww, let’s get Manny his appearance in the Finals. I’m curious as to how he went from “cleared for light contact” to “cleared for play” in a span of about 36 hours. I don’t think the Bruins are going to stick to “light contact.”
Anyway, I’m not sure Malhotra or no Malhotra makes a lot of difference.
Hockey Canada moves to ban hits to the head.
It’s a start. Good for Hockey Canada.
I’m going to be rooting for Vancouver in the Stanley Cup Finals. What is the status of Cory Schneider? If something were to happen to Luongo, is Schneider ready to step in? Schneider got hurt in the game which he started for Luongo and I don’t think he’s played since.
That was just a cramp - he’s fine.
The Province article that I read alluded to the team management keeping secrets from the media about Malhotra more than anything else. I have a feeling he was further along than we were lead to believe, but not being an eye surgeon, I don’t really know. I do know that Malhotra seems very pleased with the way he’s been treated with the team; he also took road trips during his injury and offered advice to the team based on his views in the press boxes. Malhotra went from being “the new guy” to being a very beloved member of the team in a very short timeframe, and he has a few years left in Vancouver. I don’t think they’d push his recovery. I hope not, anyway.
Question: Had Tampa Bay beat Boston, would it be the farthest distance possible between the two Finals teams? Vancouver to Tampa Bay, that’s a helluva long flight.
ETA: No, I see the Panthers are farther south.
Florida/Vancouver is currently the furthest separation between two teams in the league.
Surprisingly, per Google Maps’ ruler tool, San Jose/Boston is a farther distance than TB/Vancouver.
Not so surprising when you consider that Tampa is around 700 miles west of Boston’s longitude, whereas the comparable separation between San Jose & Vancouver is less than 70 miles.
Ok fellow hockey Dopers, I’m calling out for help. I’ve been a member here since 2003 (though I did just fail to re-up the fee) and in that time I’ve mostly lurked. Basically a case of too many people waaaaay smarter than me and a healthy dose of privacy paranoia. But all that is about to change. I am a lifelong Canucks fan, and as such have been growing my playoff beard this year. As it turns out, the NHLPA has turned the growing of the playoff beard into a fundraiser, complete with leaderboard. I have no aspirations of winning the thing, but I do have a strong desire to catch some of my friends who are well ahead of me. Anyone able to pledge a sawbuck, a fin, a twoonie, a loonie, anything at all would be greatly appreciated. So without further ado, here’s me!
Looks like Brendan Shanahan is likely to take over from Colin Campbell as chief disciplinarian.
Colin Campbell is stepping down as league “disciplinarian”. There’s also a rumour that the way in which discipline is dished out might be changed, and that the new person in charge might be Brendan Shanahan.
It can only get better, right? Good riddance to Campbell.
Also, Hal Gill has re-signed with the Habs 1y/$2.25M. I’m very happy about this.
I, too, am pleased. In my world, the Habs D next year would consist (in no particular order) of Markov, Wisniewski, Gorges, Gill, Subban and either Spacek or Weber.
Puck drops in about 6 hours. Will be leaving work early to watch the 5 PM games.
Canucks in 5 games. Bruins don’t have much of a defence past Chara’s line who will probably go against the Sedins, so Kesler is going to be dominant again like he was against Nashville. Conn Smythe to Kes.
Vancouver is the better team. If they bring it, the Canucks will win.