Browsing the "Hockey" category...
Missed it by that much
The Av’s fall 4-2 to the Predators and will miss the playoffs for the first year since 1994. They went 14-2-2 over the last 18 games, earning 30 of a possible 36 points. But they started their run just a few games too late.
Oh well, wait until next year.
Go Oilers
It’s that time of year.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
The Av’s have gone 14-1-2 since 27 February and stand at the brink of the playoffs. But the Av’s do not control their own destiny. They are 3 points back of the Flames with 2 games to play and they need an Oilers win over the Flames to have any chance. That makes me a huge Oilers fan for the next 10 hours or so.
The Cap Giveth
The Cap Giveth and the Cap Taketh Away
So just when does the cap start giving. Last year the Avs let Forsberg go. And now the Avs trade Alex Tanguay to Calgary.
I understand that the NHL needs to have the cap. But I’m just waiting for cap to start hurting the competition as badly as it hurts the Avalanche.
Oilers Force Game 7
I thought that the Stanley Cup Finals were done when the Oilers dominated the start of game 1, only to lose both the game and their goaltender. The Hurricanes going up 3-1 with a chance to take the Cup at home only reinforced that thought.
But the Oilers proved me wrong. After a tough win on the road and a dominating win at home, they forced game 7 in North Carolina. If the Oilers power play can extend the success of game 6 into game 7, then I like their chances.
Cablevision Comes Through
It’s hard to imagine, but Cablevision is actually doing the right thing. I didn’t have enough confidence in the Avs to add OLN to our cable package. So I was prepared to live with a handful of games from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But Cablevision is picking up the games from OLNHD and showing them on INHD and iOHD.
Thank you Cablevision. I wasn’t expecting this of you. Thank you very much.
Back to Back
Congratulations to the DU Pioneers for their second consecutive NCAA Hockey championship. After March Madness runs its course, I usually transfer my sports attention to hockey. And with the NHL and the NHLPA at an impass, the frozen four is the last oasis before a long, dry march.
Unfortunately, the frozen four went by in a flash. Winning the Stanley Cup requires 16 wins across 4 best of 7 series. And the frozen four only whets my appetite.
A Pox on Hockey's House
A pox on the NHL league office. A group of incompetents who have allowed an exciting game to become a endless sequence of clutch and grab.
A pox on the NHL owners. A group of spendthrifts whose inability to keep their wallets zipped has demolished the economic viability of their own teams.
A pox on the NHL players. A group of foolish athletes who didn't realize their salary demands were driving teams to bankruptcy.
A pox on them all. A foolish trinity who saw a cliff looming ahead and insisted on driving off the cliff to spite each other.