State of...Rematch!

'Twas the night before Stanley when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even Bettman that louse;

The sticks were propped up by the chimney with care,

In anticipation that St. Nik (Lidstrom) soon would be there;

All Canadians were nestled so snug in their beds,

While visions of Game Seven double OT danced in our heads...

The Stanley Cup Finals are upon us!!!

It is shaping up to be the most excitedly anticipated finals that I can remember. Story line after story line after story line. Hossa pursuing the ever elusive Holy Grail in the red and white instead of the black and gold; four of the top five players in the world battling it out for the chance to lift Lord Stanley's mug over top their head; redemption for a Canadian goalie to show that he has what it takes (and the Fleury story isn't bad either); the young rookie coach versus the crafty Wings general; the age old battle between octopus versus penguin; and of course the entire east coast of Canada pulling for their native Kid.

Last year many thought that the Penguins were too green to win the Cup (I was included in this group). Detroit was too experienced, too strategic, too good. This year, all Detroit has done is go out and pick up one of the better offensive players in the game, Marian Hossa. Pittsburgh has gone through a metamorphosis of sorts, from ugly larvae to blooming butterfly. They have added grit and leadership with Bill Guerin, they are a year older, wiser, and more determined. The saying goes, you have to lose in order to learn how to win. The Pens lost last year - let's see if they have indeed learned how to win.

The matchups certainly are more even than last season...let's take a look:

GOALTENDING

Fleury versus Osgood. In terms of pure talent it's not even close; Fleury is the more talented player. But Osgood has three rings on his fingers that gives him the edge here. Osgood knows what it takes to win. Much like Grant Fuhr in the 80's, he knows that it's not about how many saves you make, but when you make them. Fleury is playing with a lot of confidence right now...but this Detroit team has a more consistent attack than what he's seen in the first few rounds. Again, slight edge goes to Osgood.

FORWARDS

WOW...talk about offensive talent! Crosby, Malkin, Zetterberg, Datsyuk, and Hossa. Then you have the secondary talent like Guerin, Cleary, Filppula, Franzen, Fedotenko, Samuelsson, Hudler, and Letang. Detroit has four lines that can score. Pittsburgh has a healthy and hungry Crosby and Malkin. If everyone were healthy I would probably have to give Detroit the edge...but since there are some "upper body injuries" and "lower body injuries" I am actually going to give the edge to Pittsburgh here.

DEFENCE

Of the ten defencemen who will be featured in this series, Detroit owns five of the top six. Lidstrom (who will play in Game 1)and Rafalski are the top two hands down. Gonchar is probably the next best, but Stuart, Kronwall, and Ericsson are the next best. Even an 80% Lidstrom is strong enough to give Detroit the edge in this category. The true question will be, does the Detroit D have enough to overcome the Pittsburgh O?

COACHING

Kudos need to go to Dan Bylsma for the outstanding work he did turning this ship around mid-season. The Pens were a team that was in danger of going from the Cup finals to not even making the playoffs. He brought them back all the way to the Stanley Cup finals with a good chance to win it all. That being said, he has never coached in a Cup finals before. He's never even coached in an NHL playoffs before this year. When he looks across the bench and sees Mike Babcock he sees a coach that he has looked up to for years. He also sees a guy who has proven he knows what to do in a pressure situation. It's hard to put a price on experience...but I can certainly score it; and Babcock wins this one.

So that's three to one Detroit. I think last year I gave Detroit the 4-0 edge. So Pittsburgh is getting better...but are they good enough to win? It's going to come down to just HOW injured the Detroit stars are. This time of year everyone is hurting...but who is willing to step up and battle through the pain? I question whether Detroit has the determination to go through all the agony that is needed to win "another" Cup. At some point success has to get a bit boring, no?

Here's how I see my options: Detroit is too good to lose in anything less than 6 games. If it gets to a 7th game I can't see Detroit losing. Pittsburgh is better than last year (they lost in 6 last year) so they should at least push a game 7. Again, if it goes 7 then I don't see how they can beat the experience of the Wings. So my only real choices are Wings in 7 or Pens in 6.

I'm like all the other Canadians in that timeless Christmas tale...dreams of Game Seven double OT dancing in my head. I really want Pittsburgh to win...but I just don't know if wanting it is enough. I'll be cheering for the black and gold...but I just don't think they are ready to beat the most dominating franchise in the past decade and a half. I hope I'm wrong.

Let's go Pens!!!

State of...Confinement

I don’t think that this term should be able to be used in certain situations. Is Hef “confined” to the playboy mansion? Do kids get “confined” to Disney while on vacation? Not a chance. So why does Michael Vick get “confined” to his house for two months??? His house is valued at close to a million dollars. I’m sure that he has some of the bells and whistles that even my humble little pad has (Wii, X-Box, big screen TV, extensive DVD collection, etc.) and maybe a few more (bowling alley, pool table, arcade, home theatre, etc.).

Under his new release terms Vick is allowed to go to work during the day and come home, but is on "lockdown" from 9pm till 6am. He can go out for church, doctor’s appointments, and other pre-approved necessary trips. While he can’t do some of the fun things that he used to (bowling, bars, parties, dog fights, etc.) I’m sure that he has much of that in his own place. Why go out when you can do that at home?? So basically, Vick is being “confined” to something better than what most people would call everyday life.












This is his current "confinement", but I'm sure that if it's anything like his previous home the inside is acceptable. Good luck with your "punishment" Mr. Vick.

And here is an idea of what his previous home was like:

State of...Showdown!

Dear Non-Hockey Fans,

I understand your frustrations with the sport of hockey; fighting is allowed (and even encouraged), it’s hard to follow the puck (a black puck on white ice certainly blends in), you don’t understand the rules, you don’t identify with the players (I mean honestly, who understands Canadians?!), there’s not enough scoring, and so on and so on. We all have our favourite sports and you either get hockey or you don’t. There is rarely a “casual” hockey fan. We’re either rabid about it or we don’t care. Thankfully, I am rabid about the sport and as such, I feel the need to demonstrate its greatness.

For those of you who have either never watched a game, or who have tuned in only to check it out rather than watching another re-run of Saved By The Bell…PLEASE watch the game 7 finale tomorrow night in Washington. The Washington Capitals will host the Pittsburgh Penguins. To date this series has been back and forth like a tennis match. Washington jumped out to a 2 game lead only to have Pittsburgh jump back into it by winning 3 straight. Washington won in overtime on Monday night to force an exciting winner-take-all game.

Not only has this series been exciting from start to finish, it features the top three leading scorers in the league. It also happens to be a match-up of Superstars. Alexander “The Great” Ovechkin versus Sidney “The Next One” Crosby. The NHL has spent millions of dollars promoting these two players with Crosby clearly the darling of the NHL. He’s a good ol’ Canadian boy who’s made good on the promise he showed as a youngster. Ovechkin on the other hand is a flamboyant high-flying Russian with an attitude. Both players are the cream of the NHL crop and will should lead the league in scoring for the next 10+ years.















Regardless of the outcome of this game, it WILL be exciting. Every time one of these two players touches the puck they can do magical things. Try entering Ovechkin into YouTube.com and see some of his highlight reel goals. He has incredible skills and can score from anywhere on the ice (including on his backside). Crosby can cut through a defense like a hot knife through butter. It’s uncanny what these guys can do at full speed. Through six games Ovechkin and Crosby have 13 and 10 points respectively. They will have at least two breath taking rushes each during this game.
















If you’ve ever considered watching a hockey game, or wondered what all the fuss was about (okay, there’s not much fuss – but surely you know a hockey fan who talks about it non-stop to the point of being annoying), this is the game to watch. Check it out and let me know what you think. And be sure to stick around after the game for the post series handshake lineup – the best tradition in all of sports.

The game goes off at 7pm on Wednesday night (probably on Versus in the US and good ol’ CBC in Canada).

Thanks for your consideration and let me know what you think!

Cheers,

LW

State of...Surprise

Isn’t it great when we have our irrational beliefs and opinions confirmed?! We feel both vindicated and wise (aka “we just KNEW it had to be true”). But what happens when the opposite happens, when our irrational feelings towards someone or something are shown to be inaccurate or just plan wrong. This happened to me twice in the span of 3 hours. So I’m left to ponder who I could have been so wrong all this time. Let me explain both scenarios…

LeBron James. I’ve disliked him since I saw him wearing the #23. That number belongs to His Airness and it always will. Here’s this little cocky kid that thinks he’s the next Jordan. I felt that he was disrespecting Jordan and the game by taking a historic number rather than trying to make a name (number) for himself. I like to think that I would have felt the same if Sidney Crosby had taken the number 99. From that point on I only saw the bad in James. I saw him posing for “pictures” before the game, I saw him showboating with his teammates before tipoff, I saw him try to force “all eyes on me” during his chalk-clap explosion before the game. All these things confirmed what I “knew” to be true. He was a punk that had a Me-First attitude. He would rather be the NBA MVP on a losing team than a leader on an NBA Championship winning team – basically he was the T.O. of the NBA. BUT...in fairness - kudos to Bev and Bitch for sticking by him and preaching to me that he was a great team player. I didn't believe you...till now.

Then this morning I saw an interview that made me reconsider my misguided preconceived beliefs. Airing on ESPN LeBron was asked about winning the league MVP and being “the face of the NBA” and what means to him. Here was a perfect opportunity for him to promote himself…but he didn’t. He spoke humbly about trying to just be the MVP of his team on a nightly basis. He said that being the face of the league wasn’t something for him to say. He just wants to go out and play the game to the best of his ability.

The second question, and the one that really shocked me, was asked if he were a GM who would he pick: LeBron or MJ. Again, a perfect opportunity to promote himself and say that he is better than MJ…but LeBron scoffed at the notion and said that he would take MJ no questions asked. You can see the full interview here, but suffice to say I was left with no other choice but say that I may have been a bit quick to judgment.While he’s not my favourite player just yet…I have taken him off my Hate List. And who knows, maybe after a Championship and a few more interviews he might get bumped up another few notches. Next...

Sidney Crosby. Similar situation to Lebron: talented kid, lots of hype, chosen as the league’s darling child…and for the most part he’s lived up to the hype. Granted he may not even be the best player on his own team, he hasn’t disappointed when it came to performance. He comes from small town, Canada and plays a sport that I love. It was natural for me to like Sid right away. He plays with a bit of an edge and has yet to complain (about his lack of wing-mates) – two things that I certainly admire in a player. Because I liked him right away all his actions moving forward were seen through rose coloured glasses – he could do no wrong. That is, until yesterday.

In this article Sidney shows me some troubling glimpses at his personality. I’ve heard all the rumours about him crying to the refs for this lack of call or that bad call. I’ve dismissed this for the most part. But what I saw yesterday about him asking the refs to make an announcement to fans to stop throwing hats on the ice after Ovechkin scored a hat trick was ridiculous. I’m annoyed on so many levels.

Firstly, if the game were in Pittsburgh and he scored the hat trick you can bet that he wouldn’t have minded on iota. Secondly, this is part of the game. Hats are always thrown on the ice after a hat trick. Who is he to change this tradition? Thirdly, these fans paid good money to come and have a good time. The game is in dire need of passionate fans and nothing says passion like the willingness to throw away a $25 hat to show your support. The alternative would be to have fans sit on their hands all game and turn the game I love into a lifeless tennis match. And lastly, when asked about what he was saying to the refs, why didn’t he just shut his mouth? You know that people say you whine too much. Why give them the added ammunition? The whole thing showed me a lack of class and just plain stupidity. Think before you speak Kid. He’s young, he’ll learn….but maybe not before he alienates even more fans.

Yes, it was an interesting morning alright. While I’m not ready to throw in the towel all my crazy thoughts this certainly made me think a bit about how I get there. And who knows…maybe I will even cheer for the Cavs. Stranger things have happened!!!

Cheers,
LW

State of...Honesty

Joel Zumaya just became one of my favourite baseball players. After working two scoreless innings on Wednesday night against the New York Yankees, Zumaya came out and stated this:

"I can't stand the Yankees, man, and I'm going to go right after them."

Not that I hate the Yankees. I'm certainly not a fan, but I have no real hatred for them. I'm somewhat jealous of their mighty payroll, but that's part of what makes baseball interesting. Some teams can spend money for performance while other teams have to scrounge the bottom of the barrel for all the talent they can find.

Either way, it was refreshing to see a player come out and be as honest as Zumaya was on Wednesday. His comments will surely spark a fierce rivalry between himself and Yankee hitters. The fact that Zumaya has electric stuff and triple digit heat just makes it even more exciting. I wish more baseball players came out with this type of bulletin board material.

Kudos JZ!