A Year Ago Today

What I remember most about this game (other than one of the greatest goals I've ever seen): Jumping up and down in my mother's arms with tears in my eyes after Jeff Carter notched home the game-clinching empty net goal.

365 days later, the Canucks, a team who has gone a longer time since their last Stanley Cup Finals appearance, have a chance to re-live the same experience.

VIDEO OF EPICNESS: It Really Felt Like '93, Featuring The Most Awesome Video Ending Ever

I pimped this at the end of the last post (I told you there would be a shitload of posts on this today), but a part of the Habs Puck Daddy eulogy deserves it's own spot here. In order to understand any of the DGG/Bloge Salming eulogy, you need to stomach these 3 and a half repulsive minutes. I apologize in advance, but it will be for the best.



Well now that you have all successfully vomited (and laughed at how untrue it was), get ready for it's parody that was featured in Puck Daddy's Montreal Canadiens eulogy. If you are a Flyers fan, I strongly warn having a handkerchief, especially at the end. The first time I saw this, I was literally standing up cheering in my room, in front of my computer, with tears in my eyes. Yes, it's that awesome.




Jeff Carter's empty net goal played to the "Don't Stop Believing," music, yeah, that'll get me every time, especially if the Flyers can go on and win the whole thing.

Click here for lyrics of the parody.

History Will Be Made: 2010 Eastern Conference Finals Edition

The following is a collection of History Will Be Made videos from the NHL that were made of the Philadelphia Flyers during the Eastern Conference Finals. The last one is without a doubt the best. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the Flyers making history.







The only thing better than that Richards shortie is seeing it backwards and slo-mo.

Not really related to any of this, but if you want to read one of the funniest blog posts in the history of online blogging, check out the Puck Daddy Eulogy of the Montreal Canadiens written by Down Goes Brown and Bloge Salming. If you don't read that and bust a gut, then something is seriously wrong with.

A Look Back At Montreal's Past 5 Elimination Games

(Originally posted at Broad Street Hockey)

There has been a lot of talk in the past day or so about Montreal's come from behind nature and how they are 5-0 in elimination games this post-season, as there should be. This is a very resilient Habs team that has not been easy to put away. Something that I wanted to investigate was whether or not there were any trends in those elimination games. Has there been a consistent factor like an early goal or 2 that gave them momentum and/or confidence in each game? Seeing as I do not have these full games available to watch (and even if I did, I do not have the time to watch 5 full hockey games and analyze them), the best I can do is watch the highlights video supplied by NHL.com. While I watched the whole highlight package, I paid special attention to the first and second goals, as when it comes to grabbing momentum early in the game, nothing is more important. Yes, I am aware that I could have found all this out by just looking at the box score, but that would not given me the visual imagery I wanted when conducting my analysis. Videos are included below followed by a summary of events, for those that do not have the time to watch them.

Game 5 @ Washington



1:30 into the opening frame, Mike Cammalleri scores a quick opening goal to give the Habs a 1-0 lead. Varlamov never saw it. The goal noticeably took the crowd at Verizon Center. Still in the 1st half of the opening frame, Travis Moen scores to make it 2-0 Montreal, giving the Habs confidence and a bit of a cushion to work with in their first elimination game of the 2010 playoffs. Some great saves by Halak followed and the comeback was noticeably on. The Capitals would get one back in the second, but several great Halak saves would ensure that the Caps get no more. Montreal wins 2-1. GWG = 2nd goal of the game.

Game 6 vs. Washington



Jaroslav Halak made some big saves early as the Habs would once again get on the scoreboard first. Once again it is in the 1st 10 minutes of the game and once again it is Mike Cammalleri scoring the goal. The 2nd goal of this game is also scored by Cammalleri and is also in the 1st 10 minutes of the game. This goal was a real softie on the part of Varlamov, but a goal is a goal is a goal, and a 2-0 Habs lead in Bell Centre in the 1st 10 minutes of the game, had that crowd rocking. Maxim Lapierre would add a goal in the 3rd to cement the game, though Eric Fehr would tally on with less than 5 minutes left. The Habs responded to that with a Plekanec empty netter. Words can't describe how well Jaroslav Halak played in this game. Habs win 4-1. GWG = 2nd goal of the game.

Game 7 @ Washington



No goals were scored in the 1st 10 minutes of the 1st period, but Marc-Andre Bergeron found the back of the net in the last minute of the 1st period to give the Habs a lead they would ultimately never relinquish. After another incredible performance by Halak, Dominic Moore scores with 3:36 left in the game. A little over a minute later, Brooks Laich scored to make it a 1-goal game, but the Caps would be unable to get an equalizer, thanks to the Montreal defense and Jaroslav Halak. The Canadiens win Game 7 2-1. GWG = 2nd goal of the game.

Game 6 vs. Pittsburgh



Mike Cammalleri scores the opening goal only 1:13 into the game to give the Habs the early lead. The Habs could not get out of the 1st 10 minutes of the game though with the lead as Sidney Crosby evened the ledger with 12:38 left in the first. Kris Letang would then give Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead in the 2nd period, forcing Montreal to face a deficit for the first time in an elimination game. But they would only face that deficit for a short time as Mike Cammalleri evened the game back at 2 up only 5 minutes after Letang put Pittsburgh in front. Still in the 2nd period and just a few minutes after Cammalleri's goal, Spacek puts Montreal ahead 3-2 with a rocket from near the blue line. Then in the 3rd period, Maxim Lapierre would put the game away with a goal to make it 4-2 and send the Montreal crowd "OLEing". Sergei Gonchar would make it interesting with a goal with 1:24 left in the game, but that would not be enough. Habs win it 4-3. GWG = 5th goal of the game.

Game 7 @ Pittsburgh



Montreal does not waste any time, thanks to PK Subban scoring in the very 1st minute of this game. Still in the 1st period, though past the halfway point of it, Moore scores to put the Habs up 2-0. In the 2nd period, Cammalleri made it 3-0 then Travis Moen made it 4-0 thanks to Sergei Gonchar's somewhat questionable defense. Pittsburgh would get 2 back in the 2nd thanks to Kunitz and Staal, but the momentum from them would be erased by a 3rd period goal by Brian Gionta to clinch the game and the series for the Montreal Canadiens. Habs win 5-2. GWG = 3rd goal of the game.

Conclusion

In all 5 elimination games, the Montreal Canadiens scored the 1st goal of the game. All of them were in the 1st period, 4 of the 5 of them were in the 1st 10 minutes of the game, and perhaps most stunningly of all, 3 of the 5 were scored in the 1st 2 minutes of the game!. That being said, none of those goals proved to be game-winners. We brought this up before Game 7 of the Flyers-Bruins series, but for all the stress on the importance of the 1st goal, the 2nd goal of the game has once again proved to be even more important as thrice the 2nd goal of the game was also the game-winner for Montreal. Conversely though, the Habs got the 2nd goal in only 4 of the 5 games, so despite it being a game-winner 3 times, it was scored by the other team once. Montreal has scored more than 1 goal in all of its elimination games. Jaroslav Halak has given up at least 1 goal in all of Montreal's elimination games. In all 5 elimination games combined, Montreal has trailed for a grand total of 5 minutes and 24 seconds.

So what are the implications of all this to the Flyers? The answer is simple: Weather the early storm. If the past 5 games tell us anything, Montreal will come out early and try to generate chances right off the bat and get a real early goal. And yes, I do realize the Flyers are a different team with a much different style of play then Pittsburgh and Washington, but Montreal's objective will still be the same. In their past games, the Habs have benefited from the momentum and the confidence that comes with getting the early goal. Even though none of them have been game-winners, they have all been tone-setters. Whether it be taking the crowd out of the game in Washington and Pittsburgh, or jacking them up even more in Montreal, the 1st goal has dictated the game, and ultimately who wins it. It will be up to the Flyers to play defense and make sure that does not happen. From here on out in this series, the longer the game remains scoreless, the more it will benefit Philadelphia. And if the Flyers can actually turn the tables and get the first goal themselves, that could go a long way in taking air out of Montreal's steam, especially seeing as it will put them in a situation they are unfamiliar with; trailing in a game that they cannot lose if they want to see another playoff game.

But as we have all seen this post-season, while history can give us patterns and trends, it does not, cannot, and will not determine what happens in the present. That being said, it will be interesting to see if these patterns play themselves out in Game 5 and any other potential game that may be played in this Eastern Conference Final.

Did Someone At The Bell Centre Try To Sabotage The Flyers Yesterday?

Now whether or not this was just an accident or an actual case of sabotage on the part of someone from the Canadiens organization, Bell Centre staff, or Habs fan(s) will likely never be known. But an interesting there was a rather interesting discovery in the walkway leading from the Flyers locker room to the ice at Bell Centre. Littered across said walkway was sand or a sand-like substance. Now for those not sure what impact this has to do with anything, sand can dull skate blades, and its impact on the Flyers win in Game 4 was very noticeable. Several Flyers needed to head to the locker room to get their skates sharpened (Mike Richards led the most times sharpened with 5). From myFoxPhilly.

Broadcasters at NBC first pointed out during Game 4 on Saturday that the Flyers' key players kept disappearing to get their skates sharpened during the game, which the Flyers won 3-0.

In fact, Mike Richards and Claude Giroux missed stretches of game time, with Richards having to get his skates sharpened five times.

At one point, Richards was spotted standing in his socks. He missed about 3 minutes of game time, because he had to wait for teammate Kimmo Timonen, who was also having his skates sharpened.

The possible culprit: a large amount of a sand-like substance found on the access area to the Flyers' bench, which the Philadelphians had to walk through to get to the ice.

The sand may have put large nicks in the Flyers' skates until the team put towels over the walkway.

In Montreal, there is no mention of the tampering in the Montreal Gazette. The NHL had no comment to the AP about the incident. Some Flyers coaches and players downplayed the incident.

But in other parts of Canada and in the U.S., the incident has raised a lot of questions of how the sand got near the Flyers bench during such a critical time.

In the Toronto Sun, one writer questioned if it was the lackluster Habs who were stuck in a sandstorm.

"The Montreal Canadiens looked like they were skating in sand in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals," said Chris Stevenson.

Frank Seravelli from the Philadelphia Daily News brought up an obvious question: How did sand get into the Bell Center when the nearest beach is 180 miles away?

He says at least five Flyers players had to leave the game at one point due to skate issues.

Adding to the mystery are comments made by Richards, who said Flyers assistant equipment manager Harry Bricker believed the substance on the floor was “a little too big for being sand pellets.”

Flyers coach Peter Laviolette didn't point any fingers at Montreal for the sand problem and said he wasn't aware of any issues. He would only acknowledge that some Flyers players had "skate issues."

Off the record, two Flyers told Anthony Sanfilippo of the Journal Register that someone may have been up to no good in Montreal.

“I don’t know where it came from,” one Flyer told Sanfilippo. “But it was definitely getting in our skates. To have that many skate problems in one game is rare, no, more than rare, it’s unheard of.”

It is important to note that sand does not show up out of nowhere. Montreal is not Atlantic City. The Bell Centre is not Boardwalk Hall. I am not going to point any fingers to anyone, but I am going to bring up the question of how a foreign substance resembling sand finds its way to the Flyers walkway (and only the Flyers walkway) inside the Bell Centre, especially when the closest beach is over 2 hours away from the arena. Is it possible that there is an explanation that this is some sort of freak accident? Yeah, it is possible, though knowing Montreal and some of the shit they have tried to pull in this series alone, it would not wholly surprise me if someone from the organization, close to the organization, or even an unruly fan decided it would be a good idea to blatantly sabotage the Flyers. The good news that comes out of this: if it was sabotage, the plan clearly backfired as even though they had skate problems, the Flyers still went on to win the game 3-0.

Lappy AND Carter To Play In Game 4

OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is The Flyers Current Run Just Plain Luck?

For multiple reasons, I am not a huge stat person. For starters, I am not great at math and numbers. And secondly, a lot of stat geeks are obnoxious pricks who enjoy breathing down the noses and berating those who don't use who don't buy into their analysis, like the person who wrote this demeaning article. At the same time, though, when broken down and explained well, I can appreciate, understand, and enjoy a good point backed up by statistics. Take for instance this take on the Flyers by the blog, Brodeur Is A Fraud.

Here are the best and worst 14-game save percentage streaks during the 2009-10 regular season for each of remaining final four teams:

Philadelphia: .936 and .870
Montreal: .943 and .882
Chicago: .937 and .874
San Jose: .944 and .887

And the same thing for seven game series:

Philadelphia: .946 and .857
Montreal: .952 and .871
Chicago: .955 and .844
San Jose: .967 and .853

The similarity in range illustrates again how the margins are very small in goaltending. Over a short sample the skill element of goaltending can be completely lost in the noise of whether the opposing shooters are missing, the puck is hitting him through screens and traffic, or whether he happens to be in peak form or not. Most teams will have at least one streak of seven games or more where their team save percentage is .940 or better, yet analysts are repeatedly stunned when some lesser goalie hits that mark or a star goalie sees his numbers dive to sub-.900 levels over the course of a playoff series.

With the Canadiens' shooting and save percentages taking a clobbering in back-to-back shutout losses to the Flyers, I think we have a new leader in the clubhouse for the luckiest team in the playoffs. With an 11.8% shooting percentage and a .933 save percentage Philadelphia is absolutely rocking the percentages. Take a look at the PDO numbers (shooting percentage plus save percentage) for the teams that are left:

Philadelphia: 105.1
Chicago: 102.2
Montreal: 101.2
San Jose: 98.5

The only way the Flyers can likely compete with the Western champ is if the pucks keep going in and staying out at ridiculous rates. If Michael Leighton can keep his even-strength save percentage in the .980 range then that should probably do it, but unfortunately the winds of chance tend to be fickle, as the Canadiens are finding out. We don't know how the bounces are going to shake out for the rest of the playoffs, but it's probably fair to say that barring some ridiculous streak occurring everything looks lined up for the end of a long Cup drought in Chicago.

At the same token, though, you do have to consider why these numbers are the way they are and the fact that some goalies take awhile to develop into solid NHL goaltenders. Heck, Dominik Hasek was a late-bloomer. Something else you have to consider is what shots the goalie is seeing. The Flyers defense has done an excellent job at preventing screens in front of Leighton and forcing shots that Michael Leighton is able to see and follow all the way through. In part because of his size, Michael Leighton is extremely good at making saves on the initial shot. He struggles a bit with rebounds and this is where it would be beneficial for Montreal (or any team that plays Leighton) to get in front of the net and try to pick up the rebounds (similar to what the Flyers are doing to Halak). But when the Flyers defense and Montreal's ineptitude on offense do not allow second chance shots, that will greatly eliminate the amount of goals against and increase save percentage, especially because Michael Leighton is such a big body and excels at first-shot saves.

So while I would hesitate to call the whole thing luck, it will be interesting to see what happens if Leighton lets in a goal or 2 in Game 2 and how him and the Flyers can respond. One thing is for sure, in this post-season, the Flyers have been ridiculously successful at scoring goals and keeping the puck out of their own net, especially with Leighton in goal. Will it keep up for Game 3, or will the Habs finally solve the Flyers defense? And can the Flyers improve their 5-on-5 play and continue to get quality chances on Halak? Game 3 is tonight.

Lance Armstrong Is A Bit Miffed At Versus

Cycling is a sport too! Just ask Lance Armstrong, who was rather angry last night at Versus contractual obligation to cut off off last night when Versus cut away from the last mile of the Tour of California in order to show hockey "pre-game."

Last night, Armstrong tweeted: "Who's the dumbass @versustv that cut off @AmgenTourofCali coverage w/ a mile to go for pregame hockey?? #pathetic"

Now it is important to note that they encouraged all their viewers to go on their website to watch the end of the race, and they did stress this multiple times over a period of 10 minutes, so viewers could be prepared. And while I certainly sympathize for the 5 people that were actually watching that that could not see it on their computer for whatever reason, Versus does have contract obligations to switch to hockey at 7:00. In fact, in an irony, before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Versus ran overtime with the cycling race, showing post-race interviews, leaving Flyers fans fuming with a crawl saying that coverage of the game coming up next and no sign to when cycling would end. The cycling race did end before the puck drop and no one missed anything, but Versus surely got a lot of hate mail from hockey fans, and naturally, since the NHL is Versus' most precious commodity, they have started taken those contract obligations more seriously now.

Per Travis Hughes of SB Nation, there is potential for another overrun before tomorrow's Flyers-Habs Game 3 and it will be interesting to see how Versus handles the potential of another overrun. Do they stick with the contract, or will a network whose initial main draw was cycling and showing Lance Armstrong win his Tour de Frances go back to their roots and leave hockey fans in the dark? If that is the case, expect me to make some slight alterations to Lance Armstrong's tweet.

Jaroslav Halak Lets Marty Brodeur Feel Better About Himself

I am not sure if Ville Leino's goal from last night totally lets Marty Brodeur off the hook for worst playoff goal ever, but it certainly is going to rival it. Watch as Jaroslav Halak is flat-footed and completely misplays a seemingly harmless shot from Ville Leino that ultimately helped put the game away for the Flyers.



I must express my disappointment that I am unable to find a video from the Versus feeds where Daryl Reaugh described the goal as "a goal wrapped up in Angora." Beninati then followed it up by asking what OMG meant by explaining to the audience that Razor meant to say the goal was "soft; extremely soft."

The Flyers now head north the Bell Centre where they will play the Canadiens in a critical Game 3 on Thursday night. A team that nearly choked their way out of the playoffs is now 2 wins away from a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals. At the same time, Montreal is 3-8 in non-elimination games this post-season and 5-0 in elimination games so that hold saying about "don't count your chickens before they hatch" certainly rings true here. If there is one team that knows about overcoming adversity (aside from the Flyers), it's these Habs, and the Flyers best be aware of that and best make sure they improve their overall play, keep their foot on the gas, and not let up until the series is over.

Philly Fans Serenade The Habs With "Ole" Chants

Flyers fans at Game 1 at the Wachovia Center started 2 buzz-worthy chants, one of which is just plain dumb, the other which might be my favorite moment in sports chanting ever.

The dumb: Chanting "USA! USA! USA!" This is not the Olympics. This is not the USA vs. Canada, it is a club team from Philadelphia versus a club team from Montreal. Just because one club is from the United States and the other Canada, does not mean it is USA vs. Canada. After all, what on earth does chanting "USA! USA! USA!" do when the team you are supporting is more Canadian than the opposition who plays their home games in Canada? In fact, not only do the Flyers have more Canadians than the Canadiens, but they were the most Canadian team of the 16 teams to qualify for the playoffs. As far as Americans go, while the amount on the current roster is the same (4), the Canadians actually played more American players last night than the Flyers did. And I am not even sure what to call what happened with the Flyers fans and that CBC truck.

The brillant: "OLE, OLE OLE OLE, OLE, OLE! OLE, OLE OLE OLE, OLE, OLE! OLE, OLE OLE OLE, OLE, OLE!"



This live video was filmed during a stoppage in play, but for those who did not see the game, the "OLE" mocking was very prevalent throughout the 2nd half of Game 1.

All I will say is that is seriously epic and whomever started it is a genius. And how are Habs fans going to retaliate anyway? By mocking us? Okay, fine. But if they do, they might want to think about what their options are, as it seems like there is hardly an option that does not benefit the Flyers and/or make the Hab fans look like complete asses. Their options:

1. Chant "LET'S GO FLYERS" and clap 5 times.
2. Chant "CROSBY SUCKS".
3. Introduce everyone to the PECOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO POWER PLAY
4. Require every adult to vomit on the nearest child at regular 30 minute intervals.
5. Have security tase every fan who makes unnecessary advancements to get closer to the ice.
6. Speak English.
7. Publicly denounce the existence of Santa Claus.
8. Give Danny Briere a round of applause for choosing to sign with the Flyers even though the Habs offered him more money.
9. Jump in the penalty box and try to fight Dan Carcillo.

I just put Down Goes Brown to shame, didn't I?

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.

Canadiens Upset Capitals To Cap One Of The Most Improbable Comebacks In NHL Playoff History

Before last night's Montreal-Washington Game 7, since playoff expansion to the current format in 1994, no #8 seed had ever been down 3 games to 1 and ended up winning the series. Such a comeback had never happened.....now. History was made at the Verizon Center.



If you watched that whole video, you may have noticed the controversial waved off goal call at the start of the 3rd period. It appeared the Washington Capitals had tied it at 1 right at the start of the period, but the referees waved it off. The question on everybody's mind is, "was it the right call?" And the answer is frankly not a simple yes or no. Here is what the rule states.

69.3 Contact Inside the Goal Crease – If an attacking player initiates
contact with a goalkeeper, incidental or otherwise, while the
goalkeeper is in his goal crease, and a goal is scored, the goal will be
disallowed.

Halak was in the crease the whole time. Puck Daddy has the picture of contact starting between Knuble and Halak before the puck is in the net. Of course I bring that up because Bruce Boudreau seems to be claiming otherwise in an attempt to no doubt deflect the blame off him as his job could very well be in jeopardy. Anyways, back to the goal, if you are going exactly by the book, then Brad Watson made the right call. That goal should have been disallowed. However, the contact in that situation was no doubt ticky-tacky. It was not blatant and it was not Halak being pushed in the net with the puck like Varlamov would be later on in the game (that goal ended up being disallowed as well). Worse infractions have gone uncalled and goals have stood up with worse, more blatant, and more forceful contact being made. You could argue and you would have a point that in a Game 7, that is a kind of call you let stand. So while you have a case that the officials should have and could have let something like that go, you cannot make the argument that the officials in that situation made the absolute wrong call. By the books, the right call was made on the ice.

Enough addressing the controversy and more of being in awe at what happened. I am not sure if I could still wrap my head around what happened in this series. Going into this thing, if ever there was a slam dunk sweep or 5-game series win for the top-seed, this was the series. The Capitals were even on the verge of that. Yet, somewhere, thing got lost along the way as it all went wrong. The best regular season power play in the league was beyond abysmal, getting one PP goal all series long, and the team with the best regular season homework lost 3 times on home ice.

As for the Flyers, this means that we have a Winter Classic rematch (full schedule coming up in a bit) in the postseason. The 6-seeded Bruins have home-ice advantage. The #4 seeded Pittsburgh Penguins have home-ice throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs. All 3 divisional winners are gone. Wrap your head around those concepts. In a playoffs filled with odd statistical occurrences (all series tied 1-1, all East series went 3-1, all West series went 2-2), this one may be the oddest. Listed below are the 8 remaining teams with their original seed in the playoffs next to them. Get ready to have your mind blown.

#1 San Jose Sharks.
#2 Chicago Blackhawks
#3 Vancouver Canucks
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins
#5 Detroit Red Wings
#6 Boston Bruins
#7 Philadelphia Flyers
#8 Montreal Canadiens

How crazy fucked up is that? Of course, things still go by conference, so the Sharks are playing the Red Wings, and not the Canadiens, but damn, if that is not just bizarre.

I'll be the first to tell you that I hate the Canadiens, but you have to tip your hat to them for a stunning and unbelievable comeback, the likes of which the NHL has never seen before. Down 3 games to 1 after losing 2 straight at home, they rallied to win the last 3 games, 2 in Washington and 1 in Montreal, clinch the series, and eliminate the Habs. Simply stunning.

Phillies Vs. Giants And Canadiens Vs. Capitals Game 7: The Fate Of The Flyers Hangs In The Balance....

Hamels is pitching against Lincecum and here is your info for tonight's big Game 7 between the Capitals and the Canadiens.

Montreal @ Washington 7:00 (Versus - Sam Rosen and Billy Jaffe, SR: Bob Harwood) (TSN - Gord Miller, ItG: Pierre McGuire)

This Caps Fan Takes Losing A Game 1 A Bit Too Far

I'm sure this is not the only ridiculous video of a crazy, pissed off fan that I will be posting from the Montreal-Washington series. No offense to any of my online friends who are Caps fans, I am not thinking of you when I says these things, but in a series involving two of hockey's most insufferable fan bases (hence last night's live blog title; fans of the punk rock band Rise Against might have been the only ones who fully got that), this drunken Caps fan scores a point to give the Caps fans the early lead in the "Who Can Have More Douche Bag Fans In One Series" competition.



Thank goodness Joe Buck does not call hockey games.

Anyways, yes, I am aware that one drunken idiot is just that, one drunken idiot, but seriously here. When you are dealing with 2 of the most insufferable hockey fan bases in the same series (you can add Pittsburgh, Detroit, and the Rangers to that list as well; I'd include Devils fans but they don't have enough fans to form a base) and someone does that and gets on TSN, it is going to get on here and I am going to take cheap shots at the entire group because frankly, it's too easy. Actually, come to think of it, he probably mouthed off f-bombs and pantomimed the moon because he thought the Caps had just been eliminated from the playoffs. Most members of The Bandwagon are probably not used to this whole 7 games in a hockey series deal. It's a foreign concept to them. Really. Look at this way, though,he has come all the way from last month when he learned for the first time who the great Oaf Koolaid was. Baby steps here, people. Baby steps.

Mike Boone Discusses Comparing Flyers To Nazis; Fields Question From Yours Truly

I posted a story the other day about Montreal Gazette writer Mike Boone who compared the Flyers to Nazis. Well, the Flyers blog for SB Nation, Broad Street Hockey, got in contact with Mike Boone and conducted an interview for their podcast, Broad Street Hockey Radio.

They discussed Boone's comments in an interview as Boone tries to give some context to his quotes and tries to elaborate what he meant by his comment when he wrote, "
There's not a franchise in sports I hate more than the Philadlphia Flyers. [....] No, you'd have to have an Olympic Games flashback to 1936 and watch the pride of Hitler's Germany marching into the Berlin stadium to match the feeling of revulsion I experience every time I see the Flyers play."

If the story interested you at all, then it is definitely worth a listen as he does not back down from the questions and he defends the comments. Now whether or not you think his defenses are legitimate or complete B.S., well, that will be your call.

Now we do this blogging as a way to express our opinions on matters in sports, but let's be realistic, a lot of our intended audiences never read what we write. Actually, I'd be shocked and stunned if an Eagle ever read some of my Andy Reid criticisms or if NBC actually read all of our comments regarding NBC and their terrible coverage of the Olympics.

But when it came to Mike Boone and his Nazi-hating ways, BSH Radio gave us the opportunity to leave him a pre-recorded message for him respond to over the air on the podcast. Well, I called and left my message and what do you know, it got played over the air on the most anticipated BSH Radio Podcast yet. I'm sure we've all dreamed about letting some of the people that we write about personally know how we feel, well, I was given that chance with Mike Boone and a small part of this podcast is the result of it.

The interview is right at the beginning and is approximately 19 minutes long (they discuss more topics aside from Boone and Nazis after the interview so that is why the thing at the end says 41 minutes) so sit back, relax, and enjoy! If you don't have time to sit back and relax but still want to listen to me, I come in at the 13:45 mark, however, if you do have time, I would recommend giving the whole interview a listen.

Mike Boone Discusses Comparing Flyers To Nazis; Fields Qu...

Justin Feinberg's Podcast

Sieg Heil!

In honor of the remarks written earlier today by Montreal Gazette columnist Michael Boone, enjoy the following blitzkrieg.



Your final score: Philadelphia Luftwaffe 6, Montreal Canadiens 2.

LET'S GO NAZIS! *CLAPCLAP CLAPCLAPCLAP*
LET'S GO NAZIS! *CLAPCLAP CLAPCLAPCLAP*
LET'S GO NAZIS! *CLAPCLAP CLAPCLAPCLAP*

So Apparently I'm A Nazi Fan

And you thought T.J. Simers' slander of the Phillies and Phillie fans were bad. Compared to the vitriol that Mike Boone of the Montreal Gazette wrote Saturday concerning the Flyers, Simers was extolling every great virtue this city has ever stood for.

Because frankly, in comparison to Mike Boone, Simers was lavishing the city with wonderful compliments of how nice we were.

Frankly, there's no way I can effectively set this up, so I'll just paste this quote, and well, all I will tell you is that this was published by a Montreal Gazette writer.

There's not a franchise in sports I hate more than the Philadlphia Flyers.

Not the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Not the New York Yankees.

Not the Dallas Cowboys or L.A. Lakers.

No, you'd have to have an Olympic Games flashback to 1936 and watch the pride of Hitler's Germany marching into the Berlin stadium to match the feeling of revulsion I experience every time I see the Flyers play.

Especially against the Canadiens.

You know? If you're going to call our team Nazis, could you at least do us the courtesy of spelling the name of our city right? THANK YOU!

Seriously. What a classless douche bag.

The only credit I will give him is that he will be appearing on Travis Hughes' Broad Street Radio podcast for the Flyers SB Nation blog Broad Street Hockey. Believe me, I'll be listening to that one.

Seriously. He equated the Flyers to Nazis. Our aggressive style of hockey is now apparently equitable to genocide of 6 millions Jews and starting the 2nd World War!

WE'RE NAZIS!

LET'S GO NAZIS! *CLAPCLAP CLAPCLAPCLAP*

As I type this post up, the Nazis lead the Habs 1-0 thanks to a goal by Danny Briere Erwin Rommel.

The Captain of the Flyers Mike Richards The leader of the Nazis Adolf Hitler has scored to give them a 2-0 lead over the Canadiens.

If the Flyers really are like Nazis, then this first period has been a blitzkrieg thus far.

It's Official: Habs Fans Are Bigger Douche Bags Than The Worst Flyers Fans

So it's been well-documented that Habs fans have been booing the national anthem this Boston series (as has been done in series past) and in the open thread last night, I mentioned that I thought I recalled that Flyers fans retaliated during their series. Well, I think you guys might want to check this out.

From last year's Habs-Bruins series in Montreal....



And from last year's Habs-Flyers series....



Talk about a huge difference! Granted some Flyers fans were being disrespectful, but a decent majority stood with respect and reverence, whereas opposed to Montreal, they had absolutely no class and no respect.