Datsyerberger

Given the extent to which officiating in other games tends to favor the star players and league pretty boys, particularly games *ahem* more popular than hockey in the US, it takes little to convince me that the whole star player fondling fetish is rubbing off on the god awful leadership the NHL has now and they're trying it in a lame attempt to shape the NHL in their image. But god, let's not start that rant now, so I'm gonna cut this short and say that's the end of this argument either way from me. Feel free to reply if you want, I'm just not gonna counter reply.. we'll add 3 pages XD

I think he was talking about the trip penalty vs Malkin, not the lack thereof against Gonchar (that one shouldn't have been a penalty).

Yea, but how many of those 100 call it a trip and how many of them call it a dive? Far as I could tell, Malkin kept on skating after getting hung up then decided to drop for the show. I understand it's just the way things are done, but that doesn't make it any less annoying to watch sometimes. Oh well, I'll go watch that video of Ribiero writhing around like a fool again to feel better.

Yea. The sad part is this has been a prime example of the quality of the officiating all playoffs. I'm hardly rooting for the Flyers, I just want to see an ATTEMPT at consistency. (besides calling any stick that looks like it might be coming up a hook)

I know, but apparently diving is only rewarded in one direction. Heh. For the record, I thought it was a good play by Gonchar. You can bet your ass if it had been done vs Malkin or Crosby and they'd have gone down, it woulda been a trip, though.

Oh, so its only a trip if its against Malkin or Crosby? Wouldn't want to sadden the league pretty boys..

That was such a dive... and ROFL! Oh my god.. did you see the cameras focus on that? A couple people in the crowd holding up numbers (like they do in the olympics for judging.. say.. diving? >_>) 9.0 and 9.5 XD XD

Well, I see where this game is going.... Out to get some ice cream.

I don't think anything will be done for now, and Im glad they're being the bigger team. HOWEVER, that's due to change if they try to start s*** again.. if they start really gooning it up, someone is definitely gonna get an ass kicking.

Hehe! It's Papa Mac!

Hell, I laughed.

Sheesh, take it easy. That was like a coupla weeks ago, and he was wrong. Oh no, a human being made a mistake, send in the black helicopters!

I'm going to agree with TheOctopusKid here. Personally, I don't like it (for the live action anyway, I think it could be very handy in replays). But the fact is, that's selfish of me.. it helps casual fans a lot in following the puck and the play. I think a lot of us need to get over our selfish dislike of it and think of the broader picture.. which is if it will help the popularity of the game or not, and I think TheOctopusKid has that nailed. If I want to see the game with perfect realism and the most hardcore experience, I'll get a damn plane ticket and game ticket and fly up and watch it at the Joe. Not like I have the money for that, but I'm content to watch the game here on my ass on my own chair essentially for free, and a glowy puck isn't going to wreck how much I love hockey. Let's face it, guys: if they add a glow to the puck, it's certainly not going to run off any of us hardcore fans and serious hockey lovers... we like the game too much. It'll help all the newcomers.. soccer balls and basketballs and other large objects are easier to follow in fast moving games than a little puck. That, and I will admit it has one benefit to me: if I'm forced to watch a low quality flash feed or something off of my PC for whatever reason, it'll be much easier to follow the puck. It's VERY hard to see on those low quality feeds.

Sweet. Been looking for something to use in a sig/avvy. Maybe I'll find something.

Which is why I laugh every time our offense is compared to that of the other teams still in and is made out to be the weakest. Yes, our strong defense and our epic two-way ability is great, but I think our offense is highly underestimated. Yea, Pens have Malkin and Crosby.. and where does their scoring go beyond that? Yea. Look at the Wings, we have offensive talent spread all over the place..

I recall yelling at the TV when Z scored that shorty "Yea, you can take that bulls*** penalty and stuff it up your ass!" or something along those lines. From what I've seen of the vids, Homer was completely outside of the crease and Turchoke (picked that one up from the Dallas boards) tripped him.

That explains a lot to me, actually. For those not in the know, it's sorta like autism but without some of the worst parts of it. It's also highly related to ADHD, which I happen to have.. and I tend to do a lot of the same sort of things as eva is renowned for around here. Fortunately, eva gets to it all first and that allows me to be lazy

I love eva for bringing up stats so I don't have to. But yes, because Osgood has such solid defense in front of him (both from the blueline AND the forwards, god I love our team..), his own awesomeness is being overlooked. He's absolutely rocking with his GAA right now, and while that can be argued partly the realm of the defense, SV% is much less arguably so. True, you can credit the defense with reducing quality chances and making those shots easier ones to take, but a save is still a save.. a shot thats likely to go in is likely to go in unless the 'tender is doing his job. This is all ignoring the fact that there have been plenty of opportunities in the 9(!)--and a half, if you count that half a game he played where he let nothing in--where our opponents made good plays and had very solid scoring opportunities, and he denied them. He hasn't been doing breathtaking saves where he does spinning backflip cartwheels while sending the puck at the opposing netminder with a pad save, but he's been very clutch when we've needed him to be. He's not flashy or showy, he simply does his job and has been doing it very well. That said.. 1: Osgood 2: Datsyuk (he's been absolutely amazing in every game, lots of assists, some extra goals in game 3, but most importantly he absolute dominates the puck almost every time he gets it.. and god I love watching him do takeaways. On top of that, he's been quite physical, to the point where he even makes the other team hurt themselves XD. And you can tell that he absolutely drives all of his opposition nuts (or fascinates them) with his wizardry. Throw that onto his great flair with the puck and I think that adds a lot of momentum to our team. 3: Mule/Zetterberg -- For now, this one is a tie for me. I want to see what Franzen does if/when he comes back, but he's obviously been a monster offensively. Then again, so has Zetterberg.. and like Datsyuk, he's one of those players that really gets under the other teams skin (4 opposing defenders you say? Pshaw! 1-timer setup!). They're both very solid two-way players as well.. Zets advantage there, but Franzen isn't to be overlooked there, either. 4: The Cap'n. What really needs to be said there? He's a marvel. The only thing that makes his stellar performance seem diminished is that he's playing just as awesome as we expect him to. Honorable mentions Kronwall: He hasn't been as all-around spectacular as the above 4, but he's delivered some momentum-breaking hits and has been offensively solid as well. Draper: Very overlooked and underrated. No, he's not a big offensive performer, and that's what tends to take the spotlight. But he's a fantastic PK'er, a solid forechecker, he's really gritty and good at getting under the opposing team's skin.. and with his hard work he lets everyone know he's wearing that A for a reason. Also, another overlooked part of Detroit's dominance: faceoff wins. And Draper absolutely eats the faceoff circle. The hardest part about this is that there's really noone on the team who hasn't been performing well, except Hartigan and Hasek (I rather like watching him play, admittedly, he ramps your heartrate up and sends adrenaline shooting out of your pores, but it's sort of like riding a rollercoaster. His poor play demanded a change, though, and I've always liked Ozzie.) And since those 2 were both cycled out in the first round, we've since then had a very solid group of players.. but that's part of the Wings' strength, eh?

I'm convinced that Turco's record vs. the Wings is so terrible because Turco is Datsyuk's ***** .. yea, his *****.

Morrow bangs himself up trying to go after someone rough. Doesn't that happen a lot to people that go up vs the Wings? Heh

Haha! Zetterberg! Owned! Take that BS penalty and blow it out your ass!

Made better use of their quality scoring chances and more quality shots. That, and Dats owns Turco. But we already knew that.

Marginal, nitpicking call of interference there. Maltby had started the check before the puck was released. Meanwhile, 4 slashes in a row by Ott go uncalled.. Is it just me, or does someone have to attempt murder on Holmstrom for anything done to him to ever get called? XD

Woohoo! Absolutely crowd-killing goal by Dats!

I want to make a parody commercial of this series of commercials... take one, a guy takes a stick in the crotch and goes down with a screech, holding the family jewels as he gasps for breath. Then it does a "re-take" and the same guy gets nailed in the crotch, and he just stands there, smiles, shrugs it off, and skates away. Then it cuts to a picture of a crotch cup and it says "So and so brand protection.... the cup changes everything!" I know, it's horrible. Late night + alcohol makes for interesting musings.