Weekend Wrap Up OR When will we see some double OT?

Penguins are up 2 games to 1 over the Senators. Crosby's doing it all, as usual. Lets take a look at the shift that pretty much defines him as a player:




Ken Daneyko said some interesting about this - that Spezza should actually back of Sid a little, so that he can't get turned out so quickly.


Flyers are up 2 games to 1 over the Devils.

Parise did some magic Friday night



And then the Devils wasted a throwback Marty effort last night as Carcillo won the game in OT.

The Red Wings/Coyotes series has to be the fastest series. The yotes are up 2-1. I love this goal:



Capitals and the Canadiens had a wild one Saturday night as the Caps tied up the series 1-1.



Some people are saying that Gomez, by fighting, actually sparked the Caps. However, the Canadiens were already on their heels at this point, giving up 2 straight goals. I'm fine with Gomez trying to re-energize his team. He can't stop this Backstrom shot. No one can.



Bruins and Sabres are tied up at one game apiece. Same with the Predators and Hawks and the Canucks and Kings

The Sharks are being so spring shark-like:

What you missed last night OR How old am I, that I can't stay up for west coast OT?

Sabres beat the Bruins, 2-1 (BUF leads series 1-0): One word reason for the win: Miller

Canadiens beat the Capitals in OT, 3-2 (MON leads series 1-0): 2 word reason for the win: Soft Corvo

Canucks beat the Kings in OT, 3-2, (VAN leads series 1-0): 4 words about the game: Both Sedins are great


Goal of the night: Its a tie between the Sedins and Gomez

Weekend Wrap Up OR I have seen the future... well the future of McDonalds

I have a theory about Sidney Crosby. I think he googles "crosby sucks" before every game.Nemmy thinks that he is too nice on the ice, but I think that Sid is deadly when he is motivated. And I can't think of another way he gets motivated. He's got the ring, the awards, and the press clippings that say otherwise, but Friday night and for most of the games this season, it looks like he is trying to prove himself all over again. He wants to put his team on his back. He did that against the Panthers. 2 goals to tie the game and then the eventual shoot-out winner.

Elsewhere on Friday night, Tuomo Ruutu did to Darcy Tucker what Darcy Tucker's probably done to many others before. Its a hit from behind and Ruutu deservedly got suspended, but why does the result of a hit decide the suspension instead of the hit itself? What I mean is, why because Scott Gomez didn't get hurt does Kozlov avoid suspension?


And wow, how about them Avalanche?

I really can't wait for afternoon Saturday games to comeback. Saturday night, Nemmy and I split time between the Islanders/Caps and Bruins/Senators games.


Both games had 2 goal comebacks, however only one of us was satisfied with said comeback. That would be Nemchek.


Moving on...


The Wild have the best third jersey in the league. And had the best GWG of the weekend.


This fight was awesome.





What did I miss?

Bress

What you missed you last night because you have DirectTV

Every game had great energy last night. Usually, Friday is reserved for hockey haikus, but since its the first night of games, I'm just going to bullet point the best parts of each game.

Capitals beat the Bruins, 4-1:

• Ovechkin had quite the game, 2 goals and an assist
• His assist started off that pretty passing play for the first goal
• His second goal was pure STRENGTH as he beat Lucic's stick check in front and somehow converted the pass.

Canadiens beat the Leafs in OT, 4-3:

• What the hell was Ron Wilson wearing?
• Great fights in this game. Is Jay Rosehill a Jew? He sure doesn't fight like one.
• Both Stajan's and Metropolit's goals were super sweet tips. Stajans was more the result of a great slap pass from Kaberle. Metropolit's was pure coolness, through his legs
• It was weird to see Gomez with number 91

Avalanche beat the Sharks, 5-2:

• Take the C off Marleau and he responds with 2 goals. They should have done that during the play-offs

Flames win over the Canucks, 5-3:

• Those throwback jerseys look awesome
• The Calgary D is probably the best in the League. No one talks about Mark Giordano made a sweet move on point and scored the first goal of the game and later had an assist.
• Kiprusoff should always, always have a beard

Crib Notes - Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens
Last season - Finished 2nd in the Northeast, Swept in round 1 of the playoffs by Boston
Lost hard-nosed D Mike Komisarek to Toronto via free agency
Lost sick W Alex Kovalev to Ottawa via free agency
Lost captain Saku Koivu to Anaheim via free agency
Lost Tom Kostopoulos to Carolina vie free agency
Lost grizzled D Matt Schneider to Vancouver via free agency
Lost W Alex Tanguay to Tampa Bay via free agency
Signed Diarrhea as a free agent
Signed D Jaroslav Spacek and Paul Mara as free agents
Signed Mike Cammalleri Brian Gionta and Travis Moen.
Signed 3rd string G Curtis Sanford
Traded Chris Higgins and change for Scott Gomez in a multi player deal
Resigned Kyle Chipchura, Guillaume Latendresse, Tom Plekanec and Gregory Stewart

Questions going into 2009-2010:
Does Gionta, Cammalleri, Moen and Gomez = Kovalev, Koivu, Lang and Tanguay?
Does Mara, Spacek and Diarrhea = Komisarek and Schneider?
Can Carey Price stay focused for a full season?
Is it a concern that the top talent is relatively undersized?
How can Matt Dandenault, Patrice Brisebois and Francis Bouillon NOT be on the roster this season?
Isn't it written in Patrice Brisebois's birth certificate that he has to be a Montreal Canadien?
Will this team regret not landing Vinny Lecavalier?
How will all the moving parts affect team chemistry?

Poised for a breakout season:
Matt D'Agostini. I don't know why but I feel like this kid could start playing big dog hockey this season.

If you had to buy one Canadiens sweater:
I think a Kirk Muller jersey would fit. Might be too early to get your P.K. Subban sweater.

Player whose game you sneaky like:
No one.

Most annoying thing about the team:
Other than the disproportionate amount of Cups and the way the home crowd boos our national anthem? How about the ridiculous media in Montreal that wants the team to have more French Canadians on the roster and flies off the handle when Shane Doan does anything.

Old guys:
Roman Hamrlik is 35
Glen Metropolit is 35
Jaro Spacek is 35
Diarrhea is 34

Young guys:
Latendresse, Price, Sergei Kostitsyn and Matt D'Agostini are 22

Tough guys:
Is Laraque is still on the roster? Scariest fighter in the league.

Something that you already know but need to read again to confirm:
Scott Gomez makes $8MM this season. More than David Wright and all but 9 NHLers.

Goaltending coach:
Pierre Groulx replaces Rollie Melanson this season.


Nostalgia:
Last season was the big 100-year anniversary. It was still no excuse for this garbage:

Interesting?:
Patrice Brisebois is now racing cars in NASCAR Canada.

NHL 94 players:
Kirk Muller, Brian Bellows and Vincent Damphousse up front.
Eric Desjardins and Mathieu Schneider on D. Pat Roy in net.
Rob Ramage was rated a 52 - close to his blood alcohol level when he killed Keith Magnuson.

YouTube:
A compilation of the greatest Pat Roy moments in French. We've been through this argument 1,000 times but I still say that right now he was the greatest goalie to play the game.


- Nemmy

Post Merica weekend and into the summer swelter

Can someone tell me what a welter weight is?

There has been some crazy movement since the draft, my goodness!

2/3rds of the egg line will be back in play up in Montreal. Gomer and Gionta and I assume that at the start Cammaleri would be a good fit until proven wrong because he is quick and so is Gomer and Gio. This line could be sneaky spicy this season. Knuble to DC...grab him next season...he WILL be playing with OVY and Backstrom. 1000! on that line as well. Hossa - 12 years! Jeez. They lost Havlat but picked up Hoss. More positive than negative but not THAT much more positive. Injury prone Havlat so maybe HUGE positive in that respects.

The Rangers grabbing Gaborik is sick for them. Obviously the injury prone disaster that he is...but what if he isn't for 3 seasons...HIGHLY unlikely but what if he averages high 60 low 70 game seasons. He is a one man show and he gives the Rangers something that they haven't had in a long time. A one man goal scoring I don't need a center crazy person. Believe me it will help if he has a center but 100% does NOT need one to get 40 on the board this year. Huge pick up for them.
Pronger PIMS to dirty gritty Philly. With him back there the Islanders aren't even gonna come close to beating them this season. All jokes aside, thats a big move for them...they gave up a decent amount for him but I think that it works more than it doesn't. Look for the coming of the Power "I" Mike Richards at the coming of the fourth light with Gandolf the White, Philly will be stark and staunch as usual.

J Black Bouwmeest moving to the northwest. Going to be a different type of landscape for him but I think he will fit in just fine. That powerplay point with Bowmeest and Phaneuf is goign to be very cement like...very intimidating and very Olympic starting D-pair-like for Canadia.

Ryan Smyth to the Kings - pulled pork sandwich without the pork - whatever.

Havlat to the wild - he's probably never gonna play there anyway so whatever again.

Keva Rosenberg from Robocop - an unemployed person depciting the dregs and poverty in Detroit of the future from RoboCop - amazing. Amazing before this morning when it became 10,000 when Weinbrom found out that it was Eddie Van Halen playing this role. Can anyone speculate as to how he got this bit-part. Did he say yes to some producer wasted at an afterparty or something. Best part of July so far.



And this quick one line scene at the end of the movie with Cop and the CEO of the company just gives me the chills...I don't know why. The music fades in...the leg holster...his walk out.

And off RoboCop until maybe Friday and onto this past Thursday night out on the island. Me and my boyz (non-2man affiliates) but very much in the nuclear family headed to this new bar/club/sheaky spot nearing black out points throughout the evening. Chateau Briand, a nice place. We get there and no joke there is at least 150-200 people waiting outside the doors. It's a complete joke until Aaron leads us in thru the side where we walk in, without being ID'd and stopped or questioned. Right up to the main bar and into 1000. Before we approached the main bar Jeff Tambellini looks up and spots me and I the same. A nice embrace of familiarity and onto some drinks. After some chat about his summer plans and me trying to convince him to buy a house (Why, I don't know) Oh I know the shot girl in the short white skirt that was killing us all night long! Weinbrom asked Jeff what he thought of Tavares and such and he seemed very serious about his potential. High hopes and aspirations and long and strong into this upsetting Monday back from a long lengthy awesome weekend. So think of Keva Rosenberg and getting Tan. Think of a glass of Jack and a chicken qusadilla. Think of Thursday and Friday night. They will be here soon. I went to court this morning to get points off a ticket and need someone to guide me from here becuase I'm lost.

- Barbonite

Really, NHL? Really?

You're going to use Sean Avery in your marketing campaigns? Really sends the right message. Maybe its NBC's copy, but the email was sent to me from NHL@news.nhl.com. Also check out the subject line: Watch Sean Avery, Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers continue their fight for the playoffs against the Flyers this Sunday on NBC! Lundqvist gets second billing behind a guy who just joined there team? Really? Maybe they went in alphabetical order. I guess the really sad thing is that on the NHL's marquee franchise there isn't another marketable player. If only Mission didn't get bought, we would have taken Scott Gomez to the top!