CommissionerDangle sent this story to me awhile ago but I forgot to post it, so here it is. It’s a long story the Commish found on hockeyfights.com but it’s worth the read. It’s basically the account of some Hurricane’s fan run in with the Penguins while they were in town for the Eastern Conference Finals this season. Below you can find the text of the story, here is the link to the original.

My Run-In With the Pittsburgh Penguins

Hey guys, I’m sure most of you Pittsburgh guys have seen some of your players around town but Sunday night here in Raleigh I saw a couple of them out and it proved to be a very interesting time. I thought some of the boys here would appreciate a tale like this but couldn’t find the proper place to post it so I figured here would be as good a place as any. I swear that every word of this story is 100% true. It is titled “Penguins Bar Story” or “The Night Maxime Talbot called my friend a p*ssy”. Anyways on with the show….

So Sunday night (May 24th), I was taking my girl out to dinner. We were going to this place called Bogart’s because I had a coupon and it was the only way I could afford it but of course they were closed for dinner on Sundays. It wasn’t too bad because we were in an area of downtown called Glenwood South, a trendy area filled with lots of restaurants, bars, and clubs that the city has poured a lot of money into over the past 10 years. It’s paid off pretty well and it’s where any and every celebrity who comes in to town goes for a night out. In the blocks around that end of Glenwood Avenue, you’ll find every type of watering hole you’ve ever imagined from dive bars to yuppy hang outs to ritzy $20 covers to college and post-college hangouts to dance clubs to bars where the lawyers, lobbyists, and government officials hang out to sports bars to happy hours. You get the idea…if you’re looking to bar hop, get a fancy meal, or just generally blow some money in Raleigh this is where you go. A lot of the Hurricanes come here; when I was in college Mike Commodore and Chad LaRose would always be at this Irish placed called the Hibernian, Rod Brind’Amour would hang out at a cigar bar called Havana’s after his divorce, and all the puck bunnies would go to Lucky B’s, a bar opened and owned by former Cane and Leaf Bates Battaglia.

But back to the story. We go a couple blocks up to a placed called Sushi Blues. It’s a small, dark place with one main dining room that can fit maybe 60 on a good night. This being a Sunday on a long weekend in a city where the beach is 2 hours away, we pretty much had our pick of the place. There were three other couples and then a loud, boisterous group of guys, 9 of them, in the back wrap-around booth. We took a table in the middle about 10 feet from them. At first they were just being a little loud and some spoke in French. I didn’t think anything of it, a lot of the software and computer companies bring in Europeans on exchange programs and they always flock to Glenwood. So after a few minutes they start throwing lemon wedges at each other and begin to laugh loudly…like way too loud to be laughing when you’re in a dark, quasi-romantic setting in a dining room that’s maybe at a third capacity. I was like, what the hell, I just want to eat. At this point I hadn’t paid much attention but the prospect of wayward flying lemon wedges made me pick my head up.

Holy shyt, I’m glad I did. Because one of them leans over to grab a wedge and, friends, it is none other than Sidney Crosby. I nearly choke on my Molson and whisper to my girlfriend, wide-eyed, “Jane, holy sh*t, Sidney Crosby is sitting at that booth behind us. I swear to God it’s Sidney f*cking Crosby!” She says, “no way”, turns around to look, then says, “Oh my god, you’re right! Who all is with him?”

Now for this part of the story, you need to know that I am without a doubt the biggest hockey fan in all of Raleigh. I played when I was younger, my dad is from Pittsburgh (well, Sewickley) and I grew up a huge Pens fan, I did an exchange program in the Spring of 2007 in Vancouver and went to all but 3 games in GM Place including the playoffs that half of the season, 90% of the books I own are hockey-related, etc, etc. I know my stuff. So now that I’m really looking at these guys, I pick them all out. On the back booth from left to right is Pascal Dupuis, Crosby, Mathieu Garon, Maxime Talbot, and Philippe Boucher. Facing away from me across from them in chairs from left to right are Kris Letang, Tyler Kennedy, Rob Scuderi, and Marc-Andre Fleury. I rub my eyes to make sure I’m really seeing what I think I’m seeing and take a swill of beer. I’m sitting 10 feet away from the best player in the world and three of my favorite current players (Kennedy, Talbot, and Boucher). This is crazy. Of all the places to eat on Glenwood, this is where we picked and they just happened to be there.

Well our food comes so I’m sitting and dividing my attention equally between eating, listening to whatever it was my girlfriend was saying at the time, and watching this group of Penguins. Their bill comes and they all give their cards to Talbot, who puts them in his napkin, gathers up the corners, gives them a shake, and instructs the waitress to pick three. I’ve read about this in the past, but didn’t know that it actually still happened today. The waitress picks one and calls it out, “Kristopher?” They all laugh and he takes three checks and his card. Next she picks another, “Mathieu?” More laughs and three checks and a card to Garon. Finally she reaches for one more as Fleury says, “There’s no way it can be me again”. The waitress pauses and finally says, “Philippe?” but pronounced “Felipe”. Uproarious laughter now occurs and even I have a chuckle. “FELIPPEEE!” comes the roars and laughter. He takes the remaining checks and says, “That’s about enough for me, boys”.

As he’s walking out, I stop him and say, “Hey, man I’m glad you’re back playing. I was a big fan when you were in Dallas. Good luck getting your ring, you really deserve it.” He says, “Thank you, I really appreciate it” and extends his hand to shake. By this point all of them have gotten up and Talbot walks over so I say, “You too, Max. If you guys are going to sweep us at least finish the job and get your Cup this year. I’ll be rooting for ya, anyway.” Talbot says, “Hey man, thanks a lot. Are you from Pittsburgh?” I respond, “No, but my dad is and he’s a huge Pens fan. He would flip his sh*t if he saw you guys.”

As the other 7 players at the table finish their drinks, our conversation continues. “Ha, cool man,” Talbot says, “Do you have a camera on you? I’m sure I could convince the boys to pose for a picture for an old fan.” I say, “Man, I don’t but I appreciate you offering. I’m sure you guys get bothered all the time for that.” He laughs and says, “Well, some more than others,” as he motions towards Crosby who, like the rest of the group, has now gotten up to leave. I say, “Ha, yeah. Well good luck, Max. Nice talking with you.” He says, “Sure, man you too,” and I go down the handshake line: “Good luck, Tyler”, “Good luck, Rob”, “Good luck, Sid”, etc. Lost in this account is the fact the players also acknowledged my girlfriend. But that’s unimportant to the story.

After they had gotten out of the door I look at my girlfriend and we both have the same look on our faces: That…was…AWESOME! After a few minutes of excitedly recounting to each other what we had just seen and how cool it was our food comes. I ask the waitress, “Did those guys tip well?” and motioned toward the table where they had been sitting. She says, “Yeah, about 50%. Most of the Bruins were cheapskates so I’m glad all hockey players aren’t that way.” As she leaves my girlfriend says, “They’re still out there. I wonder what they’re doing?…Hey, one’s coming back in. Maybe he forgot something. He’s coming over here!”

“Hey, man,” I hear from behind me, “where would you go if you were looking for good scotch.” I turn and it’s Talbot, asking me for advice on where to get sloshed! I tell him, “Sullivan’s right up the street has the largest selection in town, I’m pretty sure. It’s kind of an old guys’ bar, but it’s a nice place and you won’t find more scotch in one place. If you go left out of here, it’s two blocks up on the right.” He says, “Thanks buddy, I knew you would know. You’re more than welcome to come down for a drink after you finish up here, if you want.” I’m sorry, what? Did you just ask us to hang out with you? Hiding my shock I say, “Yeah man, maybe we’ll see you down there.” He thanks me, heads back out the door, and they head up the street.

“John, we have to go!” my girlfriend half yells, almost before Talbot got out the door. “I know it’s expensive, but holy sh*t, half of the Pittsburgh Penguins just asked us to drink with them!” Expensive is an understatement. Only lawyers and professionals with 6-plus figure incomes drink there. A high ball of mid-grade scotch will run you about $15. It’s not cheap. But, what the hell, she was right. This is like something out of a movie, except that it’s actually happening. “I say, you’re right. Maxime Talbot basically just said, ‘Hey man, you’re a cool guy, we should hang out.’ We’ll just go and get whatever is cheapest.”

We finish up and head over to Sullivan’s. I had never been to the bar there before. I had only been there once, for dinner after my college graduation a year before. But it was your classic old oak bar with shirt-and-ties huddled at a few tables probably discussing budgets or bills or how to impeach our governor, Jim Balsillie style. And then there were the 9 Penguins up at the bar with 4 bottles of $120 scotch being just as loud and jovial as they were at the previous place. These guys weren’t just looking to tie one on after a late dinner, they were looking to get hammered. Only this time, I didn’t mind. It was cool. We were cool.

I said, “Jane, I’m nervous you go first.” She says, “No way, you were the one doing most of the talking. You go.” I say, “I know but what do I do. Walk up and tap him on the shoulder? ‘Hey Max, remember us? You said to come for a drink? Remember?’” I felt like I was in high school, trying to approach a prospective prom date. Super gay, I know. As I stood there and planned my move, Tyler Kennedy looks up and shouts, “Hey! Over here!” as he and Talbot motion for us to come over. So we do. As we get up there, Max asks, “What are you having? You both like scotch?” We both say yeah – who doesn’t like a good glass of scotch – especially one you don’t have to pay for. Over the next hour, Jane and I carry on lengthy conversations with all of them (Crosby included, who actually isn’t that bad of a guy) about everything from Pittsburgh, old Pens games I’d been to, hockey in general, how we got into it, Raleigh, and what we do for a living. At this point I decide that this is one of the best nights of my life, right up there with the time I lost my virginity, the Canes won the Cup, and even the best college parties.

And then it happened. It’s about 11:15 and the last call bell rang. I know it’s early and a holiday weekend but it was a Sunday night and we are in the Bible belt. The bottles of scotch were empty and the last of the scotch in the glasses was being downed. Jane and I walked around the group one last time and thanked them for letting us join them, wished them best of luck in the games to come, said how cool it was to meet them, and got some final hand shakes. The last three were Talbot, Kennedy, and Letang and those are the ones that we had talked to the most.

I said, “Hey Max, thanks so much for inviting us out, man, it was a blast.” He said, “No problem, buddy, it was a good time. It just sucks that last call is so early here.” I replied, “Well, you know last call in North Carolina isn’t until 2:00. They’re probably just closing up shop because it’s an old timers’ place and there aren’t a lot of people left.” There were only about 20 left in the bar, of which there were 2 bartenders, two cocktail waitresses, and our group of 13 (Chris Minard and Ben Lovejoy had since joined).

And then came the question from Maxime Talbot that turned the night from just a cool story and a great memory into an epic: “Well, where do you like to go on Sunday nights?” With those 10 words, Max went beyond seeking my advice on which local bars to go to and directly asked me to take him, Tyler Kennedy, and Kris Letang to a bar. I said, “If I go out on a Sunday night I go to the Goat. It’s a real dive, a hole in the wall, but it’s cool. It’s cheap, which doesn’t really concern you guys, but on Sundays they have $1 mystery beers so it’s like an adventure while you’re getting drunk.”

Friends, let me tell you about the Goat. It is as its name, and nickname, suggests: The Little Bar That Could. This place is well away from downtown, about 15 minutes, getting out in the suburbs about a mile past the college I went to. When I say it’s a dive, IT IS A DIVE. It’s a sh*thole, really. It’s small, if there’s 50 people in there it’s packed. The ratio stays equal but the girls are evenly split between cougars, fat chicks, and easy sluts. It’s smoky. They have those bar video game machines with nudie Photo Hunt that have just epic high scores. But for some reason, they have nice plasma TVs. Like, really nice. Too nice to be at a place like that. I only know about it because I lived in a house in a neighborhood across the street for a year in college and we could walk there, get housed, and then walk back. The clientele is a mix between college kids, locals, rednecks, hippies, and passersby. It’s impossible to get a feel for the crowd. It’s just the Goat.

“Cool man, you want to share a cab there?” You’re d*mn right I do, but I can’t leave my car on Glenwood. We’re talking $200 after they boot you and THEN give you a ticket in the most ridiculous back-ass-wards fashion. I said, “I would but I can’t my car here. My apartment’s on the way, we can take a cab from there.” They agreed and 5 minutes later, I’m driving towards my apartment with Kris in my shotgun seat, and my girlfriend making up the meat of a Penguins sandwich in the back seat. By the time we get there, Max and Tyler have to take a leak so we all head up the steps. I have my hockey bag in the floor in the living room with my stick out. I have devised this game where I shoot one of those basketballs for the hoops you hang on your door at my wall. But I have to hit certain specific spots. It’s like Horse. I explain the game to Letang and we end up playing. He beats me mercilessly.

We get a cab and go to the Goat. The details are foggy, at best, from this point on. We only have 2 hours at the bar but we make the most of it. There are two tales I can really remember. One was when we first walked in. I see two of my friends playing Photo Hunt, both are huge Flyers fans who at this point were cheering for the Canes because they were playing the Pens and I want to play a joke on them. I talk it over with Max, Tyler, and Kris and they’re all down. So I walk up to my buddies and start shooting the sh*t about the current series. I shift the conversation to Talbot and about what a great move it was for him to challenge Dan Carcillo in Game 6 of that series, knowing that would set him off. He’s one of those guys that thinks he can take on the world after a few beers. I motion for the Pens to start making their way over. Just in time my buddy says, “I would kick Talbot’s ass if I saw him”. Max gives him a little push in the back and says, “What did you say, P*SSY?!” My buddy turns and looks like he had just seen a ghost. I couldn’t play it off anymore and we all burst out laughing. I explained to him the night’s events and he apologized to Max profusely.

Second was when we were drinking some beers and watching Sportscenter. Barry Melrose came on and then they started showing series highlights which to that point included Games 1-3. I thought that was cool in itself; sitting in a bar having a beer with guys that were on highlights on ESPN. But then they started busting each others’ chops. They showed the end of game scrum in Game 2 with Tim Gleason filling in Kris. Max and Tyler were laughing and Tyler even said, “Wooo Tanger look at that! Thank you sir may I have another!” Kris just shook his head. He had a bit of a shiner still but whether that came from Gleason’s punches or Ryan Bayda’s elbow or stick I have no idea. Then they showed Kennedy’s goal and he turned to me and said, “Yeah, you like that sh*t don’t you?”

All in all it was freakin great, without a doubt the best night of my life. Even as we started drinking heavier and details got sparse, pieces are still slowly coming back which make the experience all the more awesome. We even exchanged phone numbers after with them saying they would call whenever they came into town. And Max said he would get me tickets for the next game in Pittsburgh. I see this as the beginning of a long, beautiful, totally hetero, totally lucrative friendship for me. That would be awesome.

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins, capturing their 1st title since the Mario Lemiuex days with an exciting 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings last night. People in Pittsburgh should be thankful to have had Marc-Andre Fleury in the net during the playoffs, as he was tough-as-nails while the Red Wings were slamming shots towards his body in the final seven seconds.

But one of the side stories to this victory is: How bad must it suck to be Marian Hossa today? Now, I know what you’re thinking, anyone should be happy just to make it to the finals two years in a row.

But when you were a key addition to the late surge the Penguins put on last season to storm into the finals, only to decide you had a better chance to finally hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup with the Red Wings this year, spurning a satisfying contract offer from those very Penguins, only to lose in a heart-breaking Game 7 on your home ice this year… Ouch.

I can’t imagine the feeling. As satisfying as it is to be playing professional hockey into late June, Hossa’s stomach must be turning like a carousel. Hossa is an awesome (and not the high-schooler kind of awesome, I mean the kind of awesome how the word was supposed to be used) player, as evidenced by having over 300 goals scored and assists in a terrific career so far. He probably deserves to win a title sooner or later. But keep in mind, Ray Bourque waited 22 years and more than 1,800 games before winning his first. Rod Brind’Amour waited a similarly excrutiating time for his first. Hossa’s time will most likely come (he’s too good to ever be a part of a truly bad team). But as hockey players go, he may have to wait a few more years… or ten.

One side note: What is up with Evengi Malkin and Sidney Crosby? Is growing a beard that hard? Whatever “playoff beard” Crosby was growing looked like a clogged shower drain on his face. And Malkin… Well, whatever. They are superstars.

This is perhaps the most perfect matchup that anyone could have scripted for the Bruins. We’ve won five straight against the Hartford Whalers – I mean, the Carolina Hurricanes – including all four games this year. The Canes, for all their resolve against New Jersey, really won the series on a fluke goal and a stretch of just under two minutes in Game 7. Compared to the New York Rangers or the Pittsburgh Penguins, there’s no real “name” player to fear any more than any team’s normal leaders.

Then again, the Bruins can’t take that approach. Hartford- I mean Carolina – is still a dangerous team, whether we’ve owned them or not. Nobody beats Martin Brodeur without having a hell of a lot of talent, and they do have some pretty dangerous players – Eric Staal, Jussi Jokinen, Joni Pitkanen, and Sergei (Traitor) Samsonov come to mind. Cam Ward is a difficult goalie to beat when he’s on, and Rod Brind’Amour is a strong leader whose presence on the ice can never be discounted.

The key to this series will be shutting down Carolina’s top line. Staal, Ray Whitney, and Chad Larose combined for 10 goals and 11 assists over their series with New Jersey. Zdeno Chara, Aaron Ward, and Denny will all have to be on top of their defensive games. Stopping that trio is so important because their second highest scoring line, although it was bolstered by Jokinen’s presence, only went 7-5-3-8. The other two forward lines went 7-1-5-6. That isn’t a good spread.

What makes the Bruins match up better is the fact that the scoring is spread around. If you watched the series against Montreal, you noticed that even the Lunch-Pail Crew – Byron Bitz, Blake Wheeler, Shawn Thornton, and Stephane Yelle – had opportunities to score goals. Heck, one of the games, all of the best Boston scoring opportunities to be had came while three of those four guys were on the ice, and they capitalized on it. Only Ward and Wheeler failed to score points in multiple series appearances. (Matt Hunwick only played in one game, so he didn’t really have much of a shot. Get well, by the way!)

So tonight we continue the Quest for the Cup. Hopefully the rust of not having played for about a week is shaken off pretty quickly, and the team performs well for the hometown crowd against those damned Whalers – I mean Hurricanes.

Just don’t play Brass Bonanza. For the love of god.

Game 1 tonight. Go Bruins.

Well, there has been a lot of talk about The Whale around Loge 19 lately so I will stick with the theme (above). After some late heroics in game 7 by Eric Staal and an epic defensive collapse from Fatso and the Devils, the Hurricanes punched their ticket to Beantown. I don’t want to toot my own horn or anything, but I did have the Hurricanes winning in 7 games. I know that an all encompassing knowledge of the league is expected from a Commissioner, but I can’t help but being proud of that pick. Almost as proud of my prediction that the Sharks were going to tank it against the Ducks (too bad I was too much of a Sally to actually put that on the Loge). Either way, the Hurricanes are coming to town and I could not be happier. The Bruins were 4-0 against the Hurricanes this year. They won 4-2, 4-2, 5-1, 5-1. 18 goals for 6 goals against. Looks pretty solid. I would say we have this locked up,  right? Hummm, I guess there are a few other things that may factor into this series:

1) Bruins have not played the Hurricanes since mid Feb. Since that time the Hurricanes are 21-8-2 (including the playoffs). That is a little scary…

2) Eric Staal – guy is sick. He had 40 goals and 35 assists for 75 pts in the regular season and already has 5 goals and 2 assists in the playoffs. Just look at his game winning goal with :31 seconds left:

3) Cam Ward - Great goalie with playoff experience and a ring from 2006. Check out his stats:

4) Rod  ‘The Bod’  Brind’Amour - He is a warrior and a seasoned vet. If the Bruins go down in this series I might have to get some Eric Lindros paraphernalia and wear it to the game. Because….you know….he banged Brind’Amour’s wife

I just cant get over those sandals

5) They won a cup in 2006 and still have a bunch of guys that have either won the cup with them or have a ring of their own: Ray Whitney (1), Rod Brind’Amour (1), Matt Cullen (1), Erik Cole (1), Chad LaRose (1), Anton Babchuk (1), Niclas Wallin (1), Frantisek Kaberle (1), Cam Ward (1) (Via: Kynch)

PREDICTION FROM THE COMMISH:

Bruins in 5

Let’s here some other important factors that you guys think will be critical in this series for either team…Comment below!

Here is the series schedule:

SERIES I	#1 vs. #6	NETWORK
Friday, May 1	at Boston, 7:30 p.m.	VERSUS (JIP), TSN
Sunday, May 3	at Boston, 7:30 p.m.	VERSUS, TSN
Wednesday, May 6	at Carolina, 7:30 p.m.	VERSUS (JIP), TSN
Friday, May 8	at Carolina, 7:30 p.m.	VERSUS (JIP), TSN
*Sunday, May 10	at Boston, 7:30 p.m.	VERSUS, TSN
*Tuesday, May 12	at Carolina, 7:00 p.m.	VERSUS, TSN
*Thursday, May 14	at Boston, TBD	TSN

GET OUT THE HORNNNNNN!!!! I CAN NOT WAIT FOR FRIDAY NIGHT IN LOGE 19

-Commish

I know this is the logo from 1994, but its the year the NY Rainjuzz took home the hardware!

So I need to start this post by apologizing for my lack of chatter the past two weeks…work, moving into a new place, and a men’s league championship inthe 2009 Hooter’s Cup have kept me away from the blog-o-sphere.  But I’m back, and just in time for the playoffs.  A lot has happened the past two weeks, but that’s all old news; so I’ve decided to talk playoffs for a bit.  My NY Rangers clinched a spot in the 2009 Lord Stanley Cup playoffs, however out of any team from the East, they drew the team I think they will have the toughest time beating.  Washington has a 30-goal defenseman, while the Bueshirts leading goal scorer (besides Nik Antropovwith 28, who was acquired at the trade deadline) is Markus Naslund with 24.  The Rangers have played their best hockey this season in tight scoring games, and that why I would have prefered to open up the playoffs on the road in Boston.  The Rangers know they can play a tight scoring game with the Bruins, as they did all season with some success, however what happens when Ovechkin & Co. break out for a three-goal lead?  My guess is the Rangers crumble, but I have seen crazier things.  New York lacks top line scoring, and their power play has been god awful (if this were football, I would decline every penalty), two very important aspects come playoff time.  Who is going to score that big goal when you need it?  Ryan Callahan???  I love the kid (and hope is a Blueshirt for some years to come), but I don’t think you can count on him to put the puck in the back of the net when elimination is on the line.  Playoffs are an entirely different bread of hockey, and I have some doubts with my Blueshirts.  Can they win?  Absolutely!  Jose Theodore could be the blessing the Rangers need, as he has played mediocre all season, and doesn’t appear to be the same goalie he once was (Although he has won playoff series’ with Montreal and Colorado).   The Rangers have struggled on the road as of late, so not having home-ice could also come back to haunt them, but at the same time, they are playing some of the best hockey of the year, and when you have Sean Avery trying to get under the skin of each and every young gun on the Capitals, anything can happen.  Unfortunately, I will be missing game one (I know, I know…it’s one of the hardest things to have to do), but my playoff beard has started.

In other Eastern Conference matchups, I think Boston should have an easy time with Montreal, although I hear this is a heated rivalry so it might go 6 games.  Boston has played consistent puck all season long, except for a slight skid towards the end of the season, but they won their last game and are definitely ready for Les Habitants de Montreal.   Kovalev needs to produce from Game 1 for Montreal to have a chance at taking this series. 

New Jersey vs. Carolina and Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh are two series’ I think will definitely go 7 games.  Philly and Pitt  is a rematch of last years Conference Finals, and both are legitimate Cup Contenders (as long as Marty Biron doesn’t play like a minor leaguer).  This series will be physical and have quite a bit of goal scoring, so make sure you wacth highlights every morning on Sports Center (yes, SC will be showing hockey highlights every morning, and you will even get to see Barry Melrose).  The Devils vs. Carolina series interests me for one reason, and that is that I HATE the Devils.   This is a series that Brodeur and the Devils might not be able to handle.  Cam Ward is playing like he did in 2006 when he won the Conn Smythe trophy for playoff MVP when the Hurricanes won Lord Stanley, and a lot of those guys are back around after leaving for a year or two.  They have the fire power up front with Ray Whitney and Eric Staal leading the charge, but have received healhty contributions this year from guys like Chad Larose and Matt Cullen.  Rob Brind’Amour is always a rock, and one of the best Captains in hockey, and has obviously been here before.  I don’t think this series will have the goal scoring like the Philly/Pitt series will, but there should definitely be some highlight reel saves every single game. 

I will hopefully get some time this afternoon to throw some thoughts out there on the Western Conference matchups.   But until then…roll up your sleeves, inform your boss that playoff hockey takes presecedent over anything he will throw on your desk over the next month, and find a comfortable seat at your local watering hole. 

EAST PREDICTIONS:

Boston vs. Montreal – Boston in 5

Washington vs. New York – New York in 6

New Jersey vs. Carolina – New Jersey in 7

Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh – Philadelphia in 7

(c) 2007 Michelle Kenneth

Matt was scratched from the game, but watching Brind’Amour getting into Clarky’s face…boy, I felt bad for Clarky. My money would be on Rod, hands down. A mad Rod Brind’Amour is just a scary, scary, scary situation. I really feared for Clarky’s life. It’s like having a heavyweight champion going up against a lightweight.

Thank goodness Clarky was good enough to skate away, despite Brind’Amour trying to go after him.

I will admit that out of all of the teams I have seen firsthand this season, the Canes are by far the scariest team in the league. Well, the scary part didn’t show up until the last 7 minutes of the game.

Here’s the column from the weekend: Devils Lose 4th Straight

Sportsnet’s Mike Brophy has the Canes up one spot from 14 to 13 in his Sportsnets’ Week 23 NHL Power Rankings.

Lucky 13 seems about right with the recent resurgence of a resurgent Brind’Amour.

Can we all just take a moment and revel in the return of Rod Brind’amour? Scoring the opening goal in the game these last couple of nights must be a karmic reward for the way he has conducted himself over the last couple of seasons.

We’ve finally all realized that “Rod the Bod” is (gasp!) MORTAL! It’s true. Our recent memory of him is the “C” who can’t play due to yet another injury, who got bumped down the lines in favor of the younger guys, who made most of us wonder if he should have hung up the skates while he was on top. That’s a long way down for a 2 time Selke winner and future HOF’er who led his team to Stanley Cup.

Can you even fathom, for just a few minutes, what kind of strength it takes to be him this season? Not just physical strength, but mental strength. Despite all of his travails, he has not complained, he has shouldered the load quietly and diligently, he has led by example even when not playing well or and not playing at all.

And now he gets to enjoy a good run with a hot team. I hope it lasts for a while. Not just for the fans and for the team, but for him. GO RODDY!!

Game:

The Carolina Hurricanes (and ex-Star Jussi Jokinen) were coming into Dallas on what could have been a record-breaking night. The Stars, in their loss to Montreal, tied the franchise record from 1970 for most losses in a row on home ice. A loss to the ‘Canes would have set a new record. It also would have been the first time that the Hurricane franchise managed a win in Dallas since they moved to Carolina.

All that considered, the Mo-Show picked a good night to take their previous public criticism to heart. Morrison and Modano, coupled with rookie James Neal, came off the bench for the first time looking energetic and determined. As a Stars fan, it was just a good feeling to see Modano play with that kind of fire again. 

As that line started clicking, the top line of Ott-Ribeiro-Eriksson looked almost more relaxed and less frantic, finishing the game with a combined 6 shots on goal and 5 takeaways. It was that line that scored, albeit somewhat accidentally, Dallas’ first goal of the game.

In the first period, Carolina came in and scored a painful shorthanded goal against the Stars (only the second given up all season) when Eric Staal and Rod Brind’Amour broke out 2-on-1 with Ribeiro defending. Ribeiro did his best, but ended up sliding into Turco in an attempt to block a pass, and they scored. 

Ribeiro made up for it at the beginning of the second when he did his best to pass the puck to Loui Eriksson and ended up sending it into Carolina’s net off Tim Gleason’s skate. It was the kind of luck that a team needs to get every now and then, that reminds them that nothing is impossible. As Tippett said, it’s the kind of a luck a team makes for themselves through hard work. Like a reward for sticking with the fight when nobody would have blamed them for letting the season’s adversities take them down, suddenly luck was on their side again.

Suddenly secondary scoring was back. The fourth line of Barch-Bégin-Conner had been applying heavy pressure with an effective combination of speed and tenacity, and they were also rewarded. Barely five minutes after Ribeiro’s goal, Conner put a shot on net that Ward stopped, but lead to a scramble for a loose puck. Bégin fought for the puck, resembling something like a rabid dog, knocking ‘Canes out of his way and popping the puck over the overwhelmed netminder. It was his first goal and point as a Star.

The Modano line, as mentioned above, was firing on all cylinders for the first time since being called out publicly by their head coach. While Neal recently did manage to recall his brain from Montreal, where it stayed after the All-Star break, it was Modano and Morrison that pulled together to score what would become the game-winning goal.

Though Morrison was always pleasant in interviews, his play on the ice did nothing for us except explain why he’d been put on waivers in the first place. However, he displayed an impressive amount of skill to pull off a precision deflection of a blazing Modano shot to put the puck in the net behind Ward for the third time in less than ten minutes. It was also his first goal and point as a Star.

With the Stars holding on to a 3-1 lead, the Hurricanes picked up the pace. Luck stepped in again, as two of their shots rang off the Dallas posts, including one that hit the inside of the post and yet bounced straight out of the net. Turco struggled a bit to keep up with the force that became the Hurricanes, but was aided not only by his posts, but by the ‘Canes themselves as they continually missed the net on golden opportunities.

This carried over into the third period, and Turco began making some sharp saves to hold on to the Dallas lead. It took a pair of penalties from the Stars (d’oh! moments from Fistric and Daley that lead to nearly four minutes of continual PK time for their team) for Carolina to wear them down enough to put another one past Turco.

Ray Whitney’s goal, at 13:45, was the last one they got. Despite the Hurricanes going empty net with a minute to go, the Stars hung in and protected their lead. For the first time in weeks, the Dallas crowd was witness to a win from the home team. 

Notes:

• The three game stars, in order: Bégin, Ribeiro, Staal
• Our game stars, in order: Modano, Ribeiro, Bégin
• Matt Niskanen led the team in shots on goal with 4.
• Bégin led in hits with 7. Robidas was second with 6.
• Trevor Daley led in blocked shots with 4.
• Conclusion: The Stars got points from three separate lines, including the ones they count on the most and one that really stepped up. While the final stretch of the season is going to be hard-fought, if they can keep up that kind of effort and regain some healthy bodies, the playoffs are definitely not out of reach.

SHR +/-:

Nicklas Grossman: two for the assist and one for maybe being the best PK’er for the Stars; +3
Matt Niskanen: two for the assist and one for an all-around strong game; +3
Trevor Daley: one for leading in blocked shots but minus-one for the boneheaded penalty; +0
Mike Modano: two for the assist and one for a great game; +3
Brandon Morrison: three for the goal and one for finally being an impact player; +4
Krys Barch: one for a good game; +1
James Neal: one for leading the team in takeaways; +1
Loui Eriksson: two for the assist and one for that hugely entertaining BaD segment that distracted me mid-review; +3
Landon Wilson: one for a good game; +1
Chris Conner: two for the assist; +2
Mark Fistric: one for a good game; +1
Marty Turco: one for a good game; +1
Steve Bégin: three for the goal and one for perseverance; +4
Mike Ribeiro: three for the goal; +3

Honorary points to Jussi Jokinen and Turco’s post.

(note: Canes Fan will post this on behalf of the Canes Chicks since they have not yet figured out how to sign in – they must be busy reading US Weekly)

Why is “In My Words” with Rod Brind’Amour the only thing on before each game? We need an update. This was in 2006. A lot has happened since then. Can we have Part II with Roddy. Or any other member of the Hurricanes team for that matter? Heck, I’m willing to watch “In My Words” with Wally Tatomir, Hurricanes Equipment Manager. I hear he’s a really nice guy.

And speaking of equipment, who does the laundry for this team? I mean, that stuff stinks. My husband plays hockey once a week, and I won’t touch anything that’s been within three feet of him. His car even smells. Hockey equipment has a unique odor all its own. Believe me, this is one aspect of the game to avoid if you can.

So who’s the lucky son-of-a gun that gets to wash dirty hockey socks? And how much does he get paid? This should be a high salary position. First, to be in the same room, let alone have contact with these items should earn you health insurance for life. Secondly, can you imagine trying to get those whites whiter? Is there such a thing as industrial bleach?

Now about these road games. Does the guy in charge of clean socks travel with the team and do dirty laundry on the road? Maybe the players just take extra socks. Let’s just hope they don’t wait until they get home before washing them. Trust me that smell could bring down the plane.

Wait! I just had two terrible thoughts: 1) Certainly the players’ wives aren’t the ones who have to do wash dirty hockey clothes? Though I’m sure there are perks to being a wife of a professional hockey player, you shouldn’t have to wash hockey socks to be a beneficiary. Or worse thought!

2) Certainly the person who does the laundry is not a…WOMAN!? That would be so stereotypical. Please don’t let that be true. Of course she’d probably be great at it, but they’d better be paying her really well if that’s the case. More than the 70 cents women get compared to men. I bet whoever she is, she is could teach me a thing or two. Yeah…gotta think about getting in touch with that person. Wonder what kind of detergent they find works best…hmmm.

Player Name: Rod Brind’Amour

Player’s Current Team: Carolina Hurricanes

Player’s Current Address: c/o Carolina Hurricanes

Date Sent out: 9/13/08

Date Returned: 10/18/08 (35 days)

Why go after this autograph: Living in the Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill area of North Carolina, you are essentially forced to be a fan of the Carolina Hurricanes.  We actually were season ticket holders at one time. Unfortunately the team never lived up to their Stanley Cup victory of 2005 – 2006.  The one player on the team that could always be count on is Rod Brind’Amour.  Year after year he is one of the top 5 points leaders for the team.  He takes his Captain status seriously and guides the team each and every night by leading by example. I wanted his signature because when I go to the Hurricanes games he is the guy my wife and I root for.  We don’t go as much as we used to, since we live further away than we used to.  I know at some point he will be a Hall of Famer, this is just an awesome autograph to get.

Any Current Certified Autographs Available: Plenty of his, below I have a few I found while searching on eBay.  They run between $3 – $5 on ebay.

Pregame. Buckle up, everybody! It’s time for the final installment of the Flyers-Hurricanes Holiday Tourney 2008, the last time these two teams will meet during the regular season. Two of the three games have gone into overtime, and two of the three games have been won by the Flyers.

Carolina’s defense is decimated at the moment: no Kaberle, no Babchuk, and no Wallin. The Flyers are still without Briere and Carle.

With Cam Ward out, Michael Leighton will be found between the pipes for Carolina. Antero Niittymaki, who is undefeated against the Southeast Division this year, will represent the Flyers in net.

First intermission. Hurricanes 1 – Flyers 0.
The Flyers should start reading my blog. Five days ago, I pointed out that Eric Staal was a player on the verge of breaking out who would be dangerous the instant he managed to score a goal. Staal scored that goal one night later, and he’s showing tonight why he was the MVP at last year’s All-Star game. He beat Carter in a sheer test of strength in that early faceoff that led to the opening goal. He’s beating the Flyers defenseman to the puck in their own zone, which frees space for his linemates to shoot the puck. And he’s crashing the net in a big way. A scary player, indeed.

Back to the Orange and Black for a moment. These guys need to start bringing a sense of urgency at the beginning of the game instead of waiting for a whole period to slip by before they realize what’s going on around them. This is the second game in a row where we’ve seen the Flyers too casual in their own end, leading to an opposition goal to start the game. A better opponent would have registered at least one more goal in that first period.

And to anyone out there who’s itching to start bashing the Flyers as a dirty club again, Scott Hartnell’s hit on Rod Brind’Amour was more than legal. Hartnell came in at a slow speed and put his shoulder directly into Brind’Amour’s chest. He didn’t raise his elbow up, nor did he aim for the head. So please spare me the Broad Street Bullies rhetoric.

Middle of second period.
If you want a lesson in how NOT to officiate an NHL game, turn on the Flyers-Canes game. From bad positioning in the corners to blown calls on the various fights, this thing is fast becoming a powder keg. One of these days, a player is going to get severely hurt because of such officiating.

Second intermission. Hurricanes 5 – Flyers 1.
The Flyers dug themselves a gigantic hole early in the game, and right now they’re just pulling that dirt in on top of themselves. Shoddy defense, lazy rushes, and a lack of desire for the puck equals big scoring deficits. Carolina’s riding a huge wave of confidence, and it will be a tall order for the Flyers to climb back in this one.

On a side note, I would be extremely interested to hear the referees’ rationale for the calls in this game regarding the rough stuff. It’s not the reason the Flyers are losing this game, by any means. But intellectually, I’m curious as to whether team reputations are playing a role here.

End of game. Hurricanes 5 – Flyers 6.
Wow . . . Wow . . . Wow. If I hadn’t seen it with my very own eyes, I’m not certain I would believe it. Overcoming a four-goal deficit is not easy under normal circumstances when there are two periods to recover, let alone a single 20 minute block of hockey. Especially when a team shoots itself in the foot the entire way with penalties and poor defensive coverage, as the Flyers did.

John Stevens drew an impressive amount of heart and determination out of his squad this evening. Scott Hartnell cracked his scoring slum—and how better to do that than with a hat trick? Scottie Upshall was rewarded for the constant pressure and energy he dishes out at the opposition. And what about those clutch plays from Simon Gagne: the game-tying goal and the first tally of the shootout? That’s all before we get to Antero Niittymaki, who discovered his mojo at the perfect moment to halt the last-minute Carolina chances as well as stand tall against Tuomo Ruutu and Brind’Amour.

And let’s give a little credit to the fans at the Wachovia Center. I was ready to bail on this team midway through the second period. So often, I’ve seen the fans down at the Wach do the very same thing, heading for their cars to beat the traffic over the bridge into Jersey or out to the crowded lanes of I-95 and the Blue Route. But not only did those crazies remain in the bowls, they chanted, cheered, and willed their team to a victory. Games like this are the ones that transform a cold stadium into a true barn.