BringHomeTheCup!

Don't forget Raffy is still learning how to play in a new system, and with new mates. That being said, he is still better defensively than Matty.

Yes, that does happen. However, the play is never completely legal. Whether or not the player actually caused the other player to fall, he did something he shouldn't have, and put himself in a position to take a penalty, like putting his stick in the other players feet.

I for one would love to have Ozzie mic'd every game. He is a pretty witty guy. Drapes would also be pretty entertaining.

This is what happens when the refs don't take control of the game.

If that's true, this is the first time in the history of the NHL that a completely legal play has resulted in a penalty. You should write Bettman and make sure that ref gets fired. There is no room in the NHL for refs who call penalties on completely legal plays. Lack of respect, IMHO, in this case refers to one player taking advantage of another player in a vaunrable position and putting that player in a position for a serious injury. We aren't talking a legal check. We are talking about an illegal play. Gabby is lucky he landed how he did. Had he landed slightly different we could be talking about how sad it is too see a brilliant player like Gaborik have his life taken away.

By other direction, I meant Dom falling on his left side instead of his right. He could have taken the puck away, and not taken both Gaborik's kness out. And yes, Hasek did choose to take out Gaborik. If you don't think Hasek knew exactly what he was doing, you are being naive. I'm not saying Hasek intended to injure Gaborik, but he damn sure knew what he was doing. If fact, he labeled it as 'protecting himself.' As for settling the puck down. The only reason I made that remark was because everyone was saying Gaborik had his head down, so he deserved the hit, that he should have known better than to have his head down wit Dom in net. I was simply stating that Gaborik had his head down for a reason. It wasn't like he was trying some super fancy never seen before deke and was watching the puck. He was trying to get a bouncing puck to lay flat. If you've ever played, you know what I;m talking about, everyone does it. That doesn't make the play any better or worse.

You forgot youngest player to be named captain of an NHL team. I don't think anyone is contesting his talent. It's the extra attention he receives. Everything he does is made out to be superhumanly amazing. He is made out to be a god. No one is as good as he is made out to be. Everyone makes mistakes, unless you last name is Crosby. Then your mistakes are intentional, and couldn't look any better. I'm so tired of hearing about how Crosby did this, and Crosby did that. I understand he is the best young player in the league, and the NHL needs to exploit him. It's just so tiring to hear about how great he is. As I said before, my buddy is a huge Pens fan, so I watch more Pens games than I'd like to. I see Crosby make an average play, something any NHLer could do with ease. A break in plays comes, of course they show the replay of this Crosby play. They go on to tell us why no other player can make the play like Crosby did, and how much better Crosby is at making this play. What was the play? It was a simple dump into the corner in the offensive zone. Nothing more, nothing less. It's ridiculous.

You could, but that show how much of a homer you are being in this situation. Stating your feelings about Dom is pointless. All that is, is you trying to justify your remarks about this situation. This has nothing to do with Dom's netminding skills. It's all about one single play that Dom made. It was poor choice by Dom. It showed a lack of respect for a fellow player. Again, the only reason Gaborik had his head down was because he was trying to settle to puck down. It wasn't as if he was trying to deke out Hasek, with his head down. How is Dom getting a penalty on the play not proof the play wasn't perfectly legal? What are you smoking, where are you getting it, and can I get some?!

The first clip is irrelevant. Why? You can't see how Dom went after the puck. It's like showing you a picture of a mangled car and asking you who caused the accident. All you have to make the decision on is the result, therefore, you can't make an informed decision. The third clip, if anything, would prove Dom didn't have to take out Gaborik. Watch the clip (Hasek/Gaborik) again, the puck was right in front of Gaborik's left foot. So why did Dom take out both feet? He didn't have to. Hasek didn't need to take Gaborik out like he did. He could just as easily slid the other direction, and made the play. Hasek chose to take out Gaborik.

The first clip is irrelevant as you can't actually see the play, just Hasek sprawling. The second clip would help prove my point, he didn't dive at the puck body first. He made a simple poke check. The third clip is more of the same. Hasek doesn't take out the skater. All I'm trying to say here, is Hasek didn't have to take out Gabby. Plain and simple. It wasn't a perfectly legal play, as evident by Hasek receiving a minor penalty for it. To the individual who tried to compare this to the Vladdy hit on Lemieux, what the hell are you smoking?! Vladdy laid a perfectly legal hip check. The only thing similar about that hit and the Hasek/Gabby hit is that both players on the recieving end went flying through the air.

************THIS JUST IN FROM TSN************** Bob Mckenzie reports: This morning, Sidney Crosby woke up. Immediately after waking up, Crosby turned off his alarm clock. No one in the history of alarm clocks can turn one off the way Sid the Kid did this morning. Wow folks, what a talent he is. More to come as the day progresses......

His actions prove what he was thinking. If he truely was attempting to poke check the puck, he would have used his stick, he wouldn't have thrown his pads at Gaboriks knees. Watch the clip, Dom could have easily poked the puck away, and not put Gaboirk in the dangerous spot he did. Again, yes, I don't like Hasek, but it has nothing to do with this play. But whatever, if you want to see thinks through your homer lenses, then have it your way.

If this is the first time you are aware of a goalie being penalized for a play like this, I have to ask. Was the Minnesota game the first game you watched? This type of play doesn't happen too often, but the goalie runs a 50/50 risk of taking a penalty. You can always count on that point of view on this board. If you criticize a player at all, it must be beacuse you hate him, unless his name is Lang. I just don't get it. This play wasn't a poke check, Dom tried to take out Gaborik. If you think anything else was going through Doms mind, than you haven't watched the clip. Dom makes no effort to stop the puck with his stick. Dom intended to take out Gaborik and stop the puck second. I do think it was a drity play. Again, had this happened to Pav or Z, the opposing goaltender would have been crucified on these boards. But hey, I guess it's my fault for trying to look at this play without bias. Silly me.

A guy I know played Juniors with him. He had some pretty sick descriptions of what Shremp can do. From what he said, the youtube clips are just the tip of the iceberg. This one is !

I think everyone would agree that the Smyth deal last year was the blockbuster deal of the year. Edmonton got Robert Nilsson, Ryan O'Marra and a 1st round selection in 2007 for Ryan Smyth. This was a deadline deal (as close as it gets), and a star for prospects and a pick. Your first two points are moot. I would also disagree with the third. As a team in it's prime might look for the missing piece to the puzzle. Just like the Wings did when they acquired Shanny.

It's amazing how people here just can't get their homer lenses off. Grapes is an idiot when he shows a Red Wings making a bad play, but a God when he shows something like this and is ok with it.

That is true, but I can't help but agree and say I'm tired of hearing about him. "Here is the highlight of Sidney Crosby scoring another amazing goal. Did you see that folks?! He wasn't even looking at the net when he shot that!! What a goal." What really happened? Crosby was trying to dump the puck behind the net. It hit a skate, then the dman's foot, off the ref, and finally off the goaltenders skate and in. Yeah, I know it's an exaggeration, but you get the idea. He is made out to be perfect, and does no wrong. I see a lot of Crosby as my buddy is a Pens fan. He doesn't do anything more amazing than the things Pav or Z do, he just gets more hype for doing them. I get that the NHL needs to ***** Crosby out for ratings, but it got old about 3 games in to the preseason his rookie year, maybe less than that.

If we are talking pure stickhandling abilities, then my vote has to go to Alex Kovalev. I've seen clips of this guy in practice, he is just simply disgustingly unbelievable. An honorable mention goes to Robbie Schremp (dunno if I spelled that right.). Look him up on youtube. He is AMAZING beyond anything I've ever seen. He is Oliers property last I checked, but still a minor leaguer.

I don't believe in 'god' so does that mean in my case, there wouldn't be a goalie?

You are correct in the assumption that I don't like Hasek, but that has nothing to do with this. It was a play that didn't need to happen as it did. I don't see what makes this so hard to understand, this wasn't a poke check. This was Dom throwing his body at Gaboriks knees. Dom wasn't trying to poke check, he was trying to hit Gaborik.

If you really think that was a poke check, you are a moron. If you watch the replay, you see the ref in the backround immeadiately put his arm up to make the call. He wasn't 'spooked' into calling anything. There is no comparison to this play and a poke check. Dom threw his body at Gaboriks knees. Dom's didn't even attempt to use his stick to stop the puck.

I tried to read through all the responses, but I just can't read that much crap. I'm tired of reading 'Pav and Z aren't stupid enough to have their heads down'. Gaborik was trying to settle down the puck. This wasn't a situation where Hasek was in a race for the puck. He came out of the net with one intention, and that was to hit Gaborik to neutralize a scoring chance. I hate reading so many posts that people write with their homer lenses on. Take them off folks! No way anyone could do that do Hank or Pav and not be called out for execution on this board. Lastly, no, there isn't a rule that states as long as the player touches to puck first, a penalty can't be called or penalty shot awarded. Read to rulebook if you don't believe me, the penalty shot section starts on something like page 32.

It's coming. It will be called the Amero. And you have no idea what it will bring. Like you said, it's for a different discussion. But if you are interested in fining out what's really going on, check out this site, it gives you the information, no bs attached.

1. Puck first is a myth. It's not in the rulebook. It's an old measuring stick that refs used to go by. 2. Are you trying to say that was a poke check? You are crazy. I've never seen a poke check that involved a pad stack slide into someone's knees. I'd hate to play against you.

Gaborik was on a breakaway, Dom tripped him, and in doing so prevented a scoring chance. With the new rules to allow more penalty shots, I think this could fit. If a penalty shot was awarded, I would have been screaming at the TV. But a scoring chance was taken away by a play that was penalized. That's complete bs, and you know it. Gaborik had no reason to keep his head up. He had beaten everyone else, and was trying to get the puck to settle down. Dom took advantage of a player with his head down. He didn't have to go at Gaborik the way he did. The play could have been made just as easily if Dom slide with is arm out to take the puck away. Dom intentionally tripped Gaborik, there are no two ways around it.