Has A Philadelphia Sports Blogger Solved A Mystery The FBI Have Not Yet Solved?

I think I put this up on Twitter yesterday (I am too lazy to go back and check, especially since I tweeted so damn much yesterday), but I know I put this up on Monday's Morning Fly By at Broad Street Hockey, so any of you creepily stalk my postings on other sites, you recognize the story I am about to talk about.

It's the Mystery Of The Missing 2010 Stanley Cup Winning Puck, and the FBI have yet to solve yet, despite their best "efforts." No seriously. Looking for this hockey puck has become a matter of federal importance. Your tax dollars, ladies and gents!

I know what everyone is thinking, "why does not someone speak to Chris Pronger?" And while it is a right thought to have considering what went down last June, I can assure you that Chris Pronger does not have this puck. You can read his denial by clicking the above link, or you can watch the fantastic video compiled in the following video by Crossing Broad, who thinks he has the mystery solved. The list of prime suspects may astonish a few.



So.......has anyone ever thought about contacting Steve Miller? He may not know where it is, but I bet you can tell you who he gave it to.

Patrick Kane's Stanley Cup Clinching Goal Left Announcers Everywhere Quite Confused

I mentioned in my recap last night how every call of the goal was of initial confusion and the city of Chicago has no great call to relive. I said that after only viewing Doc Emrick and Jim Hughson call it. Well now I have heard Dave Strader on the NHL's international feed, John Wiederman on WGN Radio in Chicago, and Pierre Hourde on the French-speaking RDS, and guess what, they were all confused as well. Literally everyone initially missed it, and if they thought they saw it go in right away (which to their credit, Hourde and Wiederman actually did), they quickly backtracked because there was no whistle, no red light, and goal signal from the refs. Notably in the case of Emrick and WGN's radio PbP announcer (John Wiederman), they saw things they did not acutally see. So without further ado, here are the 5 most confused Stanley Cup clinching goal calls in the history of hockey!

First, Doc Emrick on NBC.



Secondly, Jim Hughson on CBC.



Thirdly, Pierre Hourde gives his call on the French-Canadian channel, RDS.



Next up, Dave Strader on the NHL's International feed.



Now, John Wiederman on WGN Radio imagines an odd sequence of events leading to the puck getting into the net.



So now the question of whose is the best? I can't understand everything Hourde is saying (though enough to know that he did think it was in before back-tracking for a brief seconds), Jim Hughson started imagining things, back-tracked, then went into a lame and unenthusiastic pre-scripted call, and while Wiederman had the most excitement (and why not, he is a local radio announcer), he was the most confused of the 5 at first and had the most bizarre imagination. So it's down to Doc and Strader. Mike Emrick imagined things, Strader was merely confused. Strader realized it was a goal before Kane reached the blue line, Emrick realized it after Kane passed the blue line, and both were fairly excited. On that note, I think the winner of best call goes to Dave Strader with Doc in 2nd. Make no mistake about it, though, what we have here are the 5 worst Cup clinching goal calls in NHL history.

A Great Effort Falls Just Short

Assorted thoughts because I am too scatter brained and stunned to write an essay.

• First of all, congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks. Make no mistake about it, they earned this series and their championship.
  
• While I am appreciative of everything Michael Leighton did for the Flyers this year, if I never see him in a Flyers jersey again, my life will be better for it. He is a free agent this off-season,and I hope the Flyers opt not to resign him. As much as it pains me to say it, I would take Carey Price over Leighton. He is just not the goaltender the Flyers are looking for or need.
• In a way, having such a WTF ending to that game, Chicago fans sort of lost out on that instant feeling of winning. It’s certainly not the classiest thing to say or feel, but for all the arrogance the Chicago media has shown, it is an odd schadenfreude. They have no call to relive the greatness of (both Emrick and Hughson were clueless and when they did come around, gave uninspiring calls), and while that may not matter now, when they get older, they will have no call to look back on and relive with tears of joy. Also they did not have the ability to build up that celebration yell of greatness, not even a moment as short as a 2-on-1 or a breakaway. It just happened, everyone was clueless, and instead of a celebratory fan moment, it was a WTF moment. And you know what, I'm okay with all of that.
• Jonathan Toews won the Conn Smythe trophy. I will put up a disagreement here because I thought Toews pulled a disappearing act during the Finals. Now yes, I am aware that the Conn Smythe is MVP of the whole Playoffs, but I would be inclined to believe that even if someone was as good as Toews was for the first 3 rounds that a Conn Smythe winner would have to put it all together and at least be visible in the Cup Finals. For the entirety of the playoffs, I felt that Duncan Keith would have been the most deserving, but maybe the people who voted looked down upon the number of goals a shaky Antti Niemi gave up and penalized Keith for that. He was the most consistent player of the playoffs and I am surprised he did not get it.
• I will spend the rest of my life never buying, touching, or drinking a bottle of Amstel Light.
  
• The Chicago Blackhawks no longer have the longest Cup drought. With Patrick Kane's Cup-clinching goal, they have bestowed that honor upon the Toronto Maple Leafs.
  
• The Philadelphia Flyers never gave up. They never quit. They went down fighting until the end. And sometimes that is all you can ask for. You can't always expect victory. You can't always expect the greatest outcomes. But you can expect heart. You can expect desire. You can expect to see a team that will never quit no matter how bleak the situation may look. And the Flyers delivered in spades on that front.
• Remember this: the Philadelphia Flyers will still have a permanent banner raised in the Wachovia Center this October. They are the 2010 Eastern Conference Champions. There is nothing that can take away from that amazing feat. The team that was up and down in the regular season and needed a shootout victory against the greatest shootout goalie playing in the NHL just to make the playoffs can proudly call themselves champions. Sure it is not the championship title that they wanted or truly aspired to, but they are champions. They are not losers, they are winners. Let us not forget that. Even down a goal in the dying minutes of regulation of this game, they managed to tie it up. This team is incredible.
• For all the talk about the guy who vomited on the 11-year old girl, the beer drinking toddler, Taser Boy, the J.D. Drew batteries, and booing Santa Clause, something that will be utterly forgotten about is the class Flyers fans showed after the game tonight. Nothing was thrown on the ice at any point after the game, and after the realization of what had happened, the crowd immediately burst out in a chant of "LET'S GO FLYERS!," acknowledging their awesome run. The fans did boo Gary Bettman (though in the interest of full disclosure, Bud Selig got booed after the Phillies won the World Series; and even if it had been the Flyers winning Game 5 and the Cup tonight, I am willing to take an educated guess Bettman would have received the exact same treatment), but for the most part cheered the Blackhawks and cheered the Stanley Cup, even giving Toews a rather notable standing ovation upon his first hoisting of the cup.
  
• The Flyers accomplished what only 2 other hockey teams have ever accomplished, 3 if you involve all North American professional sports. They will be the inspiration of hockey teams, baseball teams, and basketball teams for generations to come. This team will not be forgotten. I am even willing to venture a bet that the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers will be seen more frequently on sports graphics than the 2010 Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks.
  
• I can proudly boast that I claim ownership to 3 of the 4 North American broadcasts of that Game 7. I am very hopeful that one day, maybe even one day soon, I can make that 4 of 4.
  
• I am not wild and crazy about putting other fan perspectives in my recaps, but I think this quote from a Broad Street Hockey commenter sums things up and echoes my feelings better than I ever could:
  

  Fifty years from now, what the Flyers did this post-season will be still be marveled at. That can never be, and never will be, taken away from us. The 2010 Chicago Blackhawks will be on a lengthy list of Stanley Cup Champions. But for as long as professional sports are a big part of American culture and society, the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers will never be forgotten, and will eternally be remembered for what they have done over the last several weeks. For as long as I live, I will never forget what I have seen over the past two months.

In case you missed it or want to relive the action, here are the highlights of Game 6.

First The New York Post And Shane Victorino, Now The Chicago Tribune And Chris Pronger

I am honestly beginning to think that these photoshops have nothing to do with wanting to mock our players, but more so that newspapers across the country have a homoerotic fetish with Philadelphia sports players. First the positive about this photoshop attempt, unlike The New York Post putting Victorino in a Hawaiian skirt and calling the Phillies "the Frillies", this one by The Chicago Tribune actually has a witty line in it ("100% chance we'll change our minds if the Hawks sign him.")

Now onto the negatives, first of all, so this is what has become of print journalism, eh? Oy ve. And secondly, the 2 points to the left of the 100% bullet indicate some pretty damning stats about "Chrissy Pronger," but let's examine them a little more closely. They say Pronger was a -5 for Game 5 and his +/- for the 3 total games in Chicago this series is -4. Just one problem with those seemingly terrible stats. If you do the math, you'll notice The Chicago Tribune has inadvertently pointed out that Chris Pronger was a +1 in the first 2 games in Chicago. D'OH!

Despite The Stiff Competition, Stanley Cup Finals Ratings Show Promise With Overnight Numbers

The NHL has no chance of even thinking about competing and beating the NBA Finals in ratings, but, the NHL can certainly compete against themselves and still post very good numbers. If that was the NHL's goal, then mission accomplished because even though it does not hold a candle to Celtics-Lakers, the NHL did pretty damn good last night. From Puck The Media

Last night’s Game 5 broadcast on NBC of the Blackhawks 7-4 victory over the Flyers drew 5.95 million viewers and a 2.2 among adults 18-49. The game peaked from 9:30-10:00 PM ET with 6.91 million viewers and a 2.6 in the demo. The numbers are up 39% in viewers and 38% in the demo from 2009′s Game 5, which aired on a Saturday night against no competition from the NBA. The game drew a 26.0 rating in Chicago, and a 19.7 in Philadelphia.

If the final viewer numbers hold up, it would bring NBC’s average up to 5.4 million viewers for their three games of coverage of the series. That’d be up from last year’s three game average (which, mind you, contained two Saturday telecasts) of 4.6 million for Games 1, 2 and 5 by 15%. Overall, the move to Sunday night – despite being pounded by the NBA – can be looked upon as a relative success.

Some people may tend to think otherwise, but I do not see the NBA as a big deterrent of hockey ratings. Sure you lose some casual sports fans on days like this, but overall I think the NHL and the NBA have largely different fanbases. A lot of hockey fans I know do not like basketball very much, and while I can say that I thoroughly enjoy college hoops, my detest of the professional game has been well-documented. In essence, hockey fans are going to watch hockey, and basketball fans are going to watch basketball. At the same time, a lot of the ratings success the NHL, Versus, and NBC has seen this year, especially in the finals, has to do with the markets and the teams that are playing. For all the talk and hype about Crosby, Ovechkin, etc. and how awesome they are for ratings, it is the Philadelphias, Chicagos, and other big market cities that are needed for an NHL ratings homerun. It's not the names or the superstars that drive the ratings, it's the big markets. The NHL has that this year and the numbers illustrate it.

Beaten, Bruised, But Still Alive

The Flyers needed to play their hearts out in this game. They didn't. The result was a 7-4 drubbing at the hands of a desperate Blackhawk team.

Instead of trying to come up with a full on essay about it, I am going to simplify things this time by writing my thoughts in bullet style.

• The Flyers came out horribly to start the 1st period. It was not one person playing bad, it was the whole team playing bad. And the 3-0 result showed for it.
• Michael Leighton was unfairly pulled. 2 of the 3 goals were bad goals, yes, but when the rest of the team was dead through the 1st 10 minutes, he was the only one making saves and keeping the Flyers in the game. I love Boucher, but I still do not think he is 100%.
• Peter Laviolette said during the post-game press conference he did not know who was playing goal for Game 5. I have no problem with the posturing and keeping the Blackhawks thinking, but not playing Leighton will be a mistake. He can't take the fall when the whole team had a bad game.
• Aspeaking of having a bad game, what the heck happened to Chris Pronger today? He was a -5, got beaten like a government mule by Byfuglien, played horrible, and played horrible. That being said, the last time he had a bad game, he bounced back real nice.
  
• The officiating has been completely atrocious all series long. Missed calls and ticky-tacky calls were abound, but none were more notable than the missed high stick on Briere that left him gashed. It should have been at least a 4-minute double minor, but to blame the officiating for this loss when the Flyers played the way they did, especially during the 1st 20 minutes, is completely insane.
• The silver lining of this game: Post 1st period, the goals were even at 4.
• Teams like the Flyers and the Red Wings thrive on solid defensive forwards and good defense that force shots from the point that the goalies can easily see and stop. That is how Detroit made the Stanley Cup with Osgood, got as far as they did with Howard, and how the Flyers have done well with Leighton/Boucher. Nobody is going to confuse these goalies with the all-time greats in Roy, Brodeur, or even a Ryan Miller to bring in the best goalie of today. But when the defense lets these goalies down, they become susceptible. As mentioned before, Leighton let in 2 soft goals, so did Boucher, but that all can go back to the lack of stellar defensive play throughout the evening, and to point out a specific instance, failed backchecking on the part of Briere.
• The Flyers failed to capitalize on what appeared to be an off-night for Antti Niemi. He made 2 saves of note, but outside of that, he looked real shaky between the pipes. The Flyers have gotten in his head and he does not like the same goalie that denied the Sharks not named Patrick Marleau time after time again. Despite the blowout nature of this game, let's not forget, the Flyers did score 4 goals in this game.
  
• Chicago may have a killer instinct problem. This game was bad, no doubt about it, but Chicago did not have it put away for good until they got an empty net goal with about 2 minutes left. A lot of that has to do with the Flyers offense showing up for the last 40 minutes, but it could also have to do with the Blackhawks being content. They responded to the Flyers goals, yes, but they were unable to finish the job for most of the night.
• Last year, the captain of a certain Pennsylvania hockey team touched the Prince of Wales Trophy. That team later lost the 1st 2 games of the Stanley Cup Finals on the road, won the next 2 at home, got completely blasted on the road in Game 5, and still went on to win the Stanley Cup. Make of this information what you want.
• As bad as this blowout was, I am still oddly confident the Flyers can get the job done and win this thing. The key will be coming out in Game 6 with heart, passion, desire, and carrying all of that to victory. There is no doubt in my mind this Flyers team will not go down without a fight, and with the Stanley Cup making an appearance in the Wachovia Center should Chicago win, the Flyers are sure to be hungry to stop the celebrating on their own ice and force the series back to Chicago one last time. Get it to 7, and all bets are off. Flyers may not have won yet in Chicago, but nothing has shown me thus far that that feat is an impossibility. We must avoid getting ahead of ourselves though. Game 6 is the game to focus on and the only way to even have a chance in Game 7 is to win Game 6. I have not given up on this team yet, nor will I in the long and drawn out wait for Wednesday night. They are not out of it until the Blackhawks are raising the Stanley Cup, and until that happens, I will continue to believe that the Flyers can win the whole damn thing.

In case you missed it or want to relive the action, here are the highlights from Game 5.

Series Tied

When Ville Leino made it a 4-1 Flyers lead in the 3rd period, I figured my heart could finally relax and not get all worked up like it had been for the past 3 games. Boy was I wrong.

A 5-on-3 set up by a bizarre unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Scott Hartnell led to a Blackhawks goal. A few minutes later they score again and all of a sudden the cozy 3-goal lead was down to a 1-goal lead and yet another frantic finish ensued.

Duncan Keith may be a very good, very tough defender, but he does have a weakness. He is a turnover machine, especially in the neutral zone. Up 4-3 in the final minute of the game, Jeff Carter took advantage of a Duncan Keith turnover and turned it into a breakaway empty net goal that clinched the game for the Flyers.

It was not easy. It was not always easy to watch. But the Philadelphia Flyers got the job done and this compelling best of 7 series for the Stanley Cup has now turned into a best of 3 series. These teams have been so evenly matched it is hardly funny. The home team has won every game in this series, but more remarkably so, the combined goal differential in all 4 games is Flyers +1. Every game has come down to the wire and every game has been thrilling, exciting hockey. Now if only I did not have such a vested interest in this series, perhaps I might be enjoying it a little bit more. Though if the Flyers win, I think I will enjoy it more than anybody.

Ville Leino just continues to impress. His game-winning goal may have been a fluke bounce off of Versteeg, but after getting hammered by Campbell in the opening period, Leino took some time in the locker room to get a breather before coming back onto the ice and with a renewed intensity. Not to mention his vision with the puck is beyond fantastic. Leino has now broken the franchise record once held by Brian Propp for most points scored by a rookie in a post-season. Yes, Leino did play in the playoffs last year for Detroit, but somehow he is still considered a rookie this year. Don't ask how, it is just the way it is.

And now the series heads back to Chicago, tied at 2. It has become best of 3. Game 5 will merely determine what team will have a shot at claiming Lord Stanley's Cup in Game 6 at the Wachovia Center. And really, those are the only 2 things that are certain in this series at this point. There will at least be a Game 6, and the Stanley Cup will be live on site at the Wachovia Center on Wednesday, June 9, 2010. The Flyers have the confidence and the momentum needed heading into Game 5. The question now is can they turn that into a series lead on Sunday?

In case you missed it or want to relive the action, here are the highlights from Game 4.

Grilled Cheese For Everyone!

For the first time in my lifetime, the Philadelphia Flyers have won a game in the Stanley Cup Finals.

This game was a thrilling back and forth affair that saw the Flyers dominate chances, but the Blackhawks hanging tight. The casual fan with no particular rooting interest must have been in hockey heaven. On the other hand, for me, it was a heart attack on ice. Back and forth. Every shot. Every save. Every goal. I lost years of my life watching that game.

But the fact of the matter is this: the Flyers won the game.

Ville Leino was a complete beast on the ice. The Red Wings traded him over 40 games into this season for harmful Flyers defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a 2011 5th round draft pick. Up to that point all season, he had 7 points. Now he is a house of fire.

He scored the game-tying goal in the 3rd period seconds after the Blackhawks made it 3-2 to early on in the period. He double-shifted, played several minutes, and was an effective player throughout the game. The player that the Detroit Red Wings left for dead is now one of the biggest reasons why the Flyers are still in this Stanley Cup Finals series.

If you are not familiar with the name Claude Giroux, get familiar with it, real fast. The kid whose pre-game ritual involves eating a grilled cheese sandwich before every hockey game is going to be a star in this league, if not a superstar. Aspeaking of Claude Giroux and pre-game, earlier in the afternoon he was taking a nap when he got a call from a friend. His friend told Claude he would score an overtime winner tonight. Sure enough, Giroux got the deflection on the game-winning goal and has salvaged the Flyers' hopes of winning the Stanley Cup.

As much stuff as there is that Gary Bettman does wrong, one thing the NHL does boast is instant replay. And while sometimes they still get the call wrong, it was used to perfection in today's game. 2 goals were reviewed, and the call was correct both times. While the officiating was not stellar tonight, the usage of instant replay and getting the call correct both times certainly marked a refreshing change of pace from what happened earlier in the game with Jim Joyce and Armando Galarraga (more on that later).

They may be down 2-1 in this series, but the Flyers are going to keep believing and keep on playing until it is over. This Flyers team has more heart than any Flyers team I can ever remember. They will not quit. They will not go away. I love this team and am proud to have finally witnessed them winning their first Stanley Cup Finals game. Now to try and win 3 more.


In case you missed it or want to relive the action, here are the highlights from Game 3.

The Greatness That Is Chris Pronger

Commentary below the videos.





"LOVE CBC's footage of Chris Pronger stealing the pucks at the end of both games. He is truly a comprehensive dick."
"How childish can you be?"
"Completely classless."

I could go on and on and on, but the point is there. Some people think Chris Pronger is a classless douche bag. They think he is a jerk, crybaby, and every other word you can come up with for someone who is not a good guy to be around. But those perceptions of Chris Pronger are just that. They are perceptions.

And perception is not reality. Reality is reality and the reality is Chris Pronger is not someone who is a classless crybaby. He is a smart. He can be cold, but he is calculating. He is a leader. He knows exactly what he is doing, who he is doing it to, and the repercussions of his actions. Folks that criticize him and call him inane names only do so because they are viewing him from the outside and the perceptions they already have with him. Here is a transcript of a conversation Chris Pronger had in last night's post-game press conference with CSN Philly's Tim Panaccio. In other words, they don't get it and they don't get him.

As the final horn sounded Monday night at United Center and the Blackhawks skated off the ice as 2-1 victors in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, Pronger picked up the puck.

Apparently, he did it in Game 1 too.

That annoyed ex-Flyer Ben Eager, who said something to him. Here’s the exchange between CSNPhilly.com and the Delco Times with Pronger:

What happened?

“I couldn’t hear him, I don’t speak gibberish,” said Pronger, who picked up a misconduct penalty at the very end and got into it with Eager.

“He’s been picking up pucks after the game and I just told him he can keep it,” Eager said minutes earlier, before Pronger spoke.

Where’s the puck, Pronger was asked.

“It’s in the garbage,” Pronger replied. “Where it belongs.”

You shot a towel at Eager when he complained?

“So what,” Pronger replied.

You’re collecting pucks now?

“Why not? What’s wrong? It’s sitting there. What else is gonna happen to it? It’s sitting there. Sure, why not. You got a problem with that?”

Are you gonna sell it on eBay?

“I don’t know. Apparently, it got him upset. So I guess it worked, didn’t it? It’s too bad. I guess little things amuse little minds.”

To those that think Pronger is a hypocrite for that last sentence just do not get it or him.

Pronger does not give a damn about what happens to the puck at the end of the game. But he does care about his team, leading by example and getting under the other team's skin.

Let's face facts, what is the biggest story coming out of the Flyers camp this afternoon? Is it Mike Richards lack of production in the series? Is it Claude Giroux's lack of production of the series? No, it's about Pronger. And one thing about Chris Pronger is he is a stud NHL defenseman who has no problem being the center of attention. Because the more someone like him is the center of attention, the less the attention is given to some of the younger guys who are experiencing the Stanley Cup for the first time and are brand new to this atmosphere and pressure. The more Chris Pronger is talked about over a silly non-issue that netted him a game misconduct at the end of the game and a $100 fine, the better it is for the team.

Another thing this does is it pisses off the Blackhawks and more specifically in this case, Ben Eager. Now for those that do not know, Ben Eager is known for taking dumb penalties. The Blackhawks seem to be legitimately upset about this and Chris Pronger may very well be inside of his head now. If Ben Eager tries to get Pronger back by taking a run at him or something and in doing so, has a Ben Eager moment, guess what, it is a Flyers power play all of a sudden. So if/when that needless little scrum at the end of the game costs Eager a penalty and gives the Flyers a PP, then people may think twice before criticizing him and calling him a "comprehensive dick."

By letting Chris Pronger's mindgames get to them, the Blackhawks have opened the Flyers window of opportunity just a crack. It is now up to the Flyers to capitalize.

So This Is What It Is Like To Be A Capitals Or Penguins Fan

There are frustrating ways to lose hockey games, and then there was losing that Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Flyers had chance after chance after chance after chance to even the ledger in the 3rd period but failed to do so because of the great goaltending of Niemi, and as a result, the Blackhawks stole a game in Chicago.

The game-winning goal ended up being a relatively soft goal scored by Ben Eager on Michael Leighton. But I would hesitate to blame Leighton for this loss. He made some big saves when he needed to, but in the end, the game came down to one man: Antti Niemi. Niemi played stellar in net and was the difference in a hockey game in which the Flyers otherwise dominated. The Flyers were not stellar out the gate, but were kept in the game thanks to great defense. As much crap as the Flyers defense got for their Game 1 performance, they were stellar in Game 2. Bartulis in for Parent was a move that needed to be made a long time ago and Bartulis proved why tonight. He did the job a 5-6 defenseman is supposed to do.

I said at the start of this series that the Flyers would be well served to take 1 of the first 2 games in Chicago in order to set themselves up well for the rest of the series. The Flyers have obviously not done so, but, losing the 1st 2 games on the road is never the end of any series. Look at the Penguins last year. They lost their 1st 2 games on the road at Detroit and still ended up taking the Stanley Cup. That being said, the pressure is now on the Flyers to win both games in Philadelphia. Each game is equally as important as the next one. The Blackhawks are not the Bruins. This is not a team that you can afford to go down 3-0 or 3-1 against and expect to come all the way back to win it. The team and the city are too hungry for that.

Why is this loss so frustrating? It is frustrating for the simple reason that at the start of the series, everybody and their mothers who were not named Buccigross, Burnside, and Beninati were picking the Blackhawks to beat the Flyers, some even suggesting it would be a 5-game series or a sweep. The implication there being that the Flyers are no-match for the Blackhawks. Yet that could not be further from the truth. The Flyers have not been out-matched by the Blackhawks. The Flyers have had answers for the Byfuglien-Toews-Kane line. The Flyers have gotten quality chances against the Blackhawks defense and Niemi. Tonight, the Flyers defensive corps was clearly superior to that of the Blackhawks. All things everyone thought would not happen. And yet what do the Flyers have to show for it? The same cotdamn result everyone thought going into this series. Game 1 was a complete clusterfuck on both ends that anyone could have won, but today's game was an instance of where you can do everything right, but still be wrong. The Flyers had answers for the Blackhawks. But a guy named Niemi between the pipes stopped everything in sight time after time after time again. And in doing so, he proves everyone who predicted the aforementioned things right, even if nothing could be further from the truth. Reasoning aside, the only thing that matters for them is a Blackhawks win. And the Blackhawks won. Twice.

One day I'll look back at this year and appreciate how great and improbable a run this has been for the Flyers, win or lose against the Blackhawks. Until then, I am beyond frustrated and feeling exactly like Washington and Pittsburgh felt against Montreal and San Jose felt against this very same Blackhawks team.

In case you missed it or want to relive the action, here are the highlights from Game 2.

Stanley Cup Finals Game 2 Live Blog: This Is Your Life, Michael Leighton

The career of Michael Leighton could be defined by what happens tonight. He's been a career journeyman. Play well tonight, and he will have another chance in the Stanley Cup Finals. Falter tonight, and he may never see the starter's role again. Leighton is the starting goalie. Oskars Bartulis is in for Ryan Parent. Dan Carcillo is in for JVR. Blackhawks appear to be going with the same line-up as Game 1.

We've got enough people for a live blog tonight. I will be around for occasional comments here. If you want to read more from this tense and nervous Flyers fan, you can follow me on Twitter and look for my comments at Broad Street Hockey tonight.

Game 2: Philadelphia @ Chicago 8:00 (NBC - Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk, ItG: Pierre McGuire) (CBC - Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, ItG: Glenn Healy, SR: Elliotte Friedman and Scott Oake)

Imperfection, Thy Name Is Game 1 Of The 2010 Stanley Cup Finals

The Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks had a rocking start to the pre-season playing a 6-5 thriller.......wait, what, this was a Stanley Cup Final game? Oh my goodness what a disaster.

The game was back-and-forth, jittery, nervous, and never had any real flow to it. Ville Leino got the scoring going and the Flyers probably felt pretty darn good scoring right at the end of the 1st period, but Michael Leighton could not save them on the end. Not only could he not save them, Leighton's play was downright deplorable. Not every goal was his fault, but enough to make me scream and cry uncle. His angles were not sharp at all, his rebound control was bad even for him, and he just did not look confident at all out there. It had gotten so bad that they pulled Leighton for the returning Brian Boucher.

Boucher played the end of the 2nd and the 3rd, and while he played well for the most part, he was at fault for giving up the game-winning goal in the 3rd period. If he as much as sticks his right pad out, the Blackhawks would not have taken a 6-5 lead and the whole game would have been different.

Right now the Flyers have a real problem with their defensive corps. Aside from Pronger and at times Timonen, the defense played awful and got no support from the 3rd pairing. Carle struggled, Coburn struggled, and Ryan Parent proved to Peter Laviolette that he is a complete goatfuck on the ice. He played 1 shift all game, yet on that shift, he was almost by himself responsible for the Blackhawks getting their 1st goal of the game. He played 41 seconds all game and ended at a -1. With Parent's ineptness, that leaves the Flyers with 5 defensemen, with one of them, Lukas Krajicek, being only a step above Ryan Parent Goatfuck status. At this point, the Flyers need to call up Philadelphia's favorite Latvian, Oskars Bartulis, as frankly, they do not get worse than Parent, and Timonen and Pronger can't play all game, especially when Coburn and Carle have down games.

The thing that worries me the most about this game is the way that things seemed to settle down in the 3rd and for the 1st 13 minutes, the Flyers managed 2 unremarkable shots on Antti Niemi. That allowed Niemi to finally settle down into the game and weather the late barrage of chances by the Flyers. While he gave up 5 goals this game, all 5 came in the first 2 periods. Believe it or not, Niemi actually has some positive momentum going from his performance. A settled down Antti Niemi is a very dangerous and very good goalkeeper.

Another negative from this game: the officiating. I do not know what they were drinking, but they must have seen a team from Pennsylvania in the Stanley Cup Finals and automatically assumed it was Pittsburgh playing, as that is how the Flyers got treated by the officials. They got the Crosby treatment for the game. No penalties were called against them although there were at least 2 instances of very obvious non-called penalties that not even the strongest Flyers homer would have complained about. And what sucks is the Flyers were unable to win the game. As a matter of fact, the Flyers had 1 game in the regular season where they went penalty less and they lost that game as well.

Don't even get me started on how awful the Flyers were from the faceoff circle. The Flyers are not winning this series if they do not improve that.

Now moving onto the positives: the Briere, Hartnell, Leino line continues to impress. Leino scored. Hartnell scored. Briere scored. And in addition that line combined for 5 assists. Regardless of what changes Peter Laviolette decides to make, that is one line that should stay perfectly in tact for the duration of the series. Throughout the night, the Chicago Blackhawks defense did not seem to be able to consistently shut down the Flyers offense. Whether it was jitters or the Flyers solved them, I can't say for sure, but you do not score 5 goals in 2 periods with the opposing team's defense playing well.

One last thing I want to point out. For all the talk about the the stars this team has, look who scored all the goals. For the Flyers: Leino, Hartnell, Briere, Betts, and Asham. For the Flyers: Brouwer, Bolland, Sharp, Versteeg, Brouwer, and Koepcky. Noticeably absent: Richards, Carter, Gagne, Giroux, Toews, Kane, Byfuglien, Hossa. You know, all the big name players that were supposed to be scoring goals in this series.

The Flyers did not go into Chicago needing a sweep, but with Chicago being a strong road team, a split will be awfully good of the Flyers to get. They had it at times in this game but goaltending and bad defense blew it. The good news is they have one more chance to go back to Philadelphia with a real good feeling about their chances in this series. Is it time to panic yet? Absolutely not. But a win in Game 2 would provide them a real nice luxury, whereas another loss in Chicago would call upon some do-or-die situations in Philadelphia.

For those that missed the game and want to see what a sloppy finals game looks like, here are the highlights.

The Tampa Bay Rays Still Harbor Animosity From The 2008 World Series

Some people just harbor so much of inane bitterness that it comes out in most ridiculous ways. Surely the umpiring was not the best during the 2008 World Series and sure I could see how the Rays may not be totally chill with the Phillies, but is that any reason to root for a team over a thousand miles away from you in a championship of a different sport?

Joe Maddon and his Tampa Bay Rays are fairly well-known for their themed road trips. So when they go up to Toronto on Monday, they are making this road-trip a hockey themed road trip. So whose jerseys is this Tampa Bay Ray team going to where on their road trip to Toronto for a baseball series? They are going to be wearing Chicago Blackhawks jerseys, of course! From USA Today's Daily Pitch.

Maddon, who previously has asked his players to dress appropriately for "white-outs," a Western trip and even a Johnny Cash trip, decided hockey jerseys would be in order since next week's trip begins in Toronto.

"It's the national pastime of Canada," he said, noting that the NHL's Stanley Cup finals between the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers begin Saturday.

Maddon was planning to wear a St. Louis Blue jersey and other players were scrambling to find hockey garb.

Enter pitching coach Jim Hickey and the Blackhawks. Chicago native Hickey has a nephew, Jacob Tuton, who works in the Blackhawks ticket department. A couple of e-mails later, a sign was posted today in the Rays clubhouse that the Blackhawks would make jerseys available for anyone who wants them.

"I think we're going to get 20, maybe 25 guys to do it," Hickey says. "Nothing like a little pro-Chicago, anti-Philadelphia sentiment. I thought we could share our mutual dislike for Philadelphia sports teams."

Chicago has a dislike of Philadelphia sports team? Huh? Since when is there a big sports rivalry between Philadelphia and Chicago to begin with anyway? Does Santa Claus make a part-time home in Chi-town? All I know is that my feelings toward Chicago are not the same. I have no problems with Chicago sports teams. Heck, one of my childhood best friends and old neighbor was originally from Chicago, lived here for a few years, and then moved back to Chicago. This "dislike" of us from Chicago sports teams is certainly news to me.

As far as the Rays go, I think it is an appropriate time to borrow a phrase Charlie Manuel used when talking about Jim Tracy and the Rockies accusations of sign stealing: Stop crying. No, Rays, seriously. I don't hate you guys, but you are embarrassing yourselves now and are best off not carrying a grudge the rest of your lives.

Why do I all of a sudden feel like I am going to get a call soon from some TV producer calling me Dr. Phil, Jr.?

(Hat tip to Puck Daddy)

May 16 Stanley Cup Playoffs Live Blog: A Game 1 Doubleheader

Game 1: Chicago @ San Jose 3:00 (NBC - Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk, ItG: Pierre McGuire) (TSN)

Game 1: Montreal @ Philadelphia 7:00 (Versus - Joe Beninati and Daryl Reaugh, SR: Bob Harwood) (CBC - Bob Cole and Garry Galley, ItG: Glenn Healy, SR: Elliotte Friedman)

2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Finals Schedule (UPDATED WITH VERSUS ANNOUNCERS)

Last night happened. The Flyers have home ice advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals. Incredible.

Before I get into the schedule, I will get into some notes on these series.

• The top two teams in the Western Conference are facing each other whereas the bottom two teams in the Eastern Conference are facing each other.
• This is the first time ever a 7-seed as faced and 8-seed in the Conference Finals. The closest before this was a 6-seed versus an 8-seed in 2006 when the #6 seeded Anaheim Mighty Ducks lost to the #8 seed Edmonton Oilers.
• The 1975 Islanders accomplished their successful comeback in round of 8 teams left. In the semifinals (now the Conference Finals), they fell behind 3-0 again in the series, battled back to force Game 7, only to lose to the eventual champs, Philadelphia Flyers. Will history repeat itself? If so, the Flyers will fall just short (again) of the Stanley Cup.
• The remaining team with the most recent Stanley Cup appearance: Philadelphia Flyers in 1997. It was in that series that I developed my dislike of the Detroit Red Wings that I still carry with me today, although the reasons are now different, the seeds of dislike were planted in 1997.
• The remaining team with most recent Stanley Cup victory: Montreal Canadiens in 1993.

Now with all that out of the way, let's get to the Conference Championship schedule in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs. All announcers are confirmed and official.

Eastern Conference Finals

#8 Montreal Canadiens vs. #7 Philadelphia Flyers

Game 1: May 16: Montreal @ Philadelphia 7:00 (Versus - Joe Beninati and Daryl Reaugh, SR: Bob Harwood) (CBC - Bob Cole and Garry Galley, ItG: Glenn Healy, SR: Elliotte Friedman)
Game 2: May 18: Montreal @ Philadelphia 7:00 (Versus - Joe Beninati and Daryl Reaugh, SR: Bob Harwood) (CBC - Bob Cole and Garry Galley, ItG: Glenn Healy, SR: Elliotte Friedman)
Game 3: May 20: Philadelphia @ Montreal 7:00 (Versus - Joe Beninati and Daryl Reaugh, SR: Bob Harwood) (CBC - Bob Cole and Garry Galley, ItG: Glenn Healy, SR: Elliotte Friedman)
Game 4: May 22: Philadelphia @ Montreal 3:00 (NBC) (CBC - Bob Cole and Garry Galley, ItG: Glenn Healy, SR: Elliotte Friedman)
Game 5: May 24: Montreal @ Philadelphia 7:00 (Versus - Joe Beninati and Daryl Reaugh, SR: Bob Harwood) (CBC - Bob Cole and Garry Galley, ItG: Glenn Healy, SR: Elliotte Friedman)
Game 6: May 26: Philadelphia @ Montreal 7:00 (Versus - Joe Beninati and Daryl Reaugh, SR: Bob Harwood) (CBC - Bob Cole and Garry Galley, ItG: Glenn Healy, SR: Elliotte Friedman)
Game 7: May 28: Philadelphia @ Montreal 7:00 (Versus - Joe Beninati and Daryl Reaugh, SR: Bob Harwood) (CBC - Bob Cole and Garry Galley, ItG: Glenn Healy, SR: Elliotte Friedman)

Western Conference Finals

#2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #1 San Jose Sharks

Game 1: May 16: Chicago @ San Jose 3:00 (NBC) (TSN - Chris Cuthbert and Pierre McGuire)
Game 2: May 18: Chicago @ San Jose 10:00 (Versus - Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk, SR: Charissa Thompson) (TSN - Chris Cuthbert and Pierre McGuire)
Game 3: May 21: San Jose @ Chicago 8:00 (Versus - Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk, SR: Charissa Thompson) (TSN - Chris Cuthbert and Pierre McGuire)
Game 4: May 23: San Jose @ Chicago 3:00 (NBC) (CBC - Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, SR: Scott Oake and Kelly Hrudey)
Game 5: May 25: Chicago @ San Jose 9:00 (Versus - Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk, SR: Charissa Thompson) (CBC - Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, SR: Scott Oake and Kelly Hrudey)
Game 6: May 27: San Jose @ Chicago 8:00 (Versus - Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk, SR: Charissa Thompson) (CBC - Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, SR: Scott Oake and Kelly Hrudey)
Game 7: May 29: Chicago @ San Jose 8:00 (Versus - Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk, SR: Charissa Thompson) (CBC - Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, SR: Scott Oake and Kelly Hrudey)

And now, the moment I am sure you have been waiting on. The shocking announcement regarding Versus' coverage of the following round. Per JP of the506 on Twitter, Joe Beninati will NOT be working the conference finals this year. Instead, it will be John Forslund. I am yet to see this 100% confirmed, but JP is a reliable source. If this is true, I am guessing that they will put Forslund on the Montreal-Philly series on Versus with Daryl Reaugh (except for the NBC Game 4, likely to be done by their normal crew of Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk). In the Chicago-San Jose series, that would leave Mike and Eddie Olczyk to do both the Versus and NBC broadcasts of that one. Again, those are my guesses and are not to be taken as gospel. I will update this post once there is confirmation.

The bad news: Beninati and Bob "I'm standing here with Peter Lavalet" Harwood.
The good news: RAZOR! RAZOR! RAZOR! Daryl Reaugh is awesome and I am so glad he is announcing the Flyers conference championship series, even if it is with Beninati.

"It Almost Seemed Like Antti Niemi Was Giving Birth There To That Puck"

After a hilarious sequence in which the puck got lost in the equipment of Antti Niemi for a couple minutes, Captain Tremendously Tremendous himself, Eddie Olczyk, delivers the greatest Stanley Cup playoffs one-liner since Joe Beninati's questioning of what OMG meant.



"It almost seemed like Antti Niemi was giving birth there to that puck." - Eddie Olczyk

No one liner that I can come up with will due that line any justice, Edzo.

The Blackhawks would go onto win that game in thrilling fashion, with Patrick Kane tying the game at 4 with 13 seconds left and Marian Hossa notching the game winner, mere seconds after he got out of the penalty box for a 5-minute major boarding call.

22-Year Old Darren Helm Will Remember This For The Rest Of His Life

Before we get to Helm though, I would be remiss if I did not post this video of the pheneomenal save made by Cristobal Huet. 20 seconds left in regulation and Franzen has a chance to be the hero......



Dis Bonjour a mon ami! What a save by Huet and my deepest apologies for ruining a classic movie line with that French translation. But on to the moment. Darren Helm in overtime gives us the rematch we've all been dreading....



Just an incredibly exciting game and an incredible ending. Darren Helm.....who saw that one coming? And a tip of the hat to the Blackhawks, though, that was an incredible game and while it is certainly not to say that Detroit was not deserving, but the Blackhawks proved themselves to be a very deserving team in this game and in this series, despite the Game 4 blowout.

And yes, I am aware that the Stanley Cup Finals schedule is up and no, I do not like the schedule. I am hoping that any and all press releases will be released tomorrow so that I can fill in any and all gaps in the schedule before posting it. We already know that Doc and Edzo will work for NBC/Versus and Hughson and Simpson will do the series for CBC, but I am waiting for sideline reporters and inside the glass to be officially announced as that could change (i.e. is NBC going to emply Harwood to sideline report even though Pierre will be inside the glass?). Plus the time for Game 2 has not been announced. But just as a preliminary before I create the whole shabang tomorrow here are your game dates in case you have not seen it plus angry commentary on the schedule from yours truly (all times except the unknown Game 2 are 8 ET)

Game 1: May 30 (this is more of a personal matter, but seeing as I planned on live blogging the whole series, I probably won't be around Saturday night; oh yeah, potential Game 6 interference from Cavs-Magic Yay, channel flipping).
Game 2: May 31 (potential game 7 interference from Nuggets-Lakers; channel flipping)
Game 3: June 2
Game 4: June 4 (NBA Finals...hello! I guess I'll be channel flipping or something...)
Game 5: June 6
Game 6: June 9 (more NBA conflict. More channel flipping.)
Game 7: June 12 (I can't believe that Bettman would actually schedule a potential Game 7 on a Friday night in June!!! Does he want the NHL to fail???)

Just sad and pathetic on so many levels. And despite the fact that last year's series was entertaining, the fact that it seems like people are less than giddy about the rematch and that there is all this NBA conflict, this could be a really bad end to what has been the NHL's best season post lockout. I'll have more tomorrow on the schedule and the broadcast info when all other information should become official.

NHL Playoffs Day 37 Open Thread (West Game 5)

Tonight's game....

Chicago @ Detroit 7:30 (Versus - Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk, SR: Bob Harwood) (CBC - Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, SR: Scott Oake) (RDS)

Will the re-match be official tonight or will Chicago prolong the inevitable? Enjoy the game and leave comments!

NHL Playoffs Day 35 Open Thread (West Game 4)

Today's game.....

Game 4: Detroit @ Chicago 3:00 (NBC - Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk, ItG: Pierre McGuire) (CBC - Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, SR: Scott Oake) (RDS)

Enjoy the game and leave comments!

The Red Wings And Blackhawks Do Not Care That Martin Havlat Is Unconscious

This is the ultimate video of adding insult to injury. Pay attention to the knocked out body of Martin Havlat as the Blackhawks and Red Wings converge on the scene and start fighting.



Ouch. Kromwall was (unrightfully so) ejected from the game. Hell, that was probably not even a penalty and definitley not interference. The puck was right there. As mentioned by Doc and Edzo on the Versus broadcast, it was a violent hit, but it was neither dirty nor a penalty. Seeing as it is apparent that he is all right, it is safe to say that Havlat did somewhat deserve that as it was a cheap and dirty hit back when he was a Senator that in the following meeting between the two teams led to the infamous Friday Night Fights incident between the Senators and the Flyers.