truebladearmy

I think the "Comeback rule" is part myth. I use to think I noticed it too, but now I play the game on Superstar mode against the computer, and now that I've played dozens and dozens of games against buddies in my barracks, I no longer believe it is as steep as people like to think. The "theory" behind the comeback rule is that it simulates "pushes" in hockey, ie. You get a goal and the other team plays better to compensate. But in reality, I've noticed time and time again, that much like in real hockey, it is more a matter of mentality, and motivation. It's difficult to play 15 minutes straight on the top of your game. And it's natural if you have a lead to ease up the pressure, and lose a bit of focus. When I notice myself doing that, that is generally when my friends tend to score comeback goals. I've learned to tighten down after I score, take that "revenge" momentum out of them (The player, not the computer), and since I've noticed the fluxation in just the way we're thinking, and paying attention when we play, I think it's pretty realistic. Lets face it if you're down 2-0 against player or computer you try REAL hard which often leads to those miraculous comeback goals. If you get frustrated, you taper off, and seem to lose control of the puck. Sound anything like real hockey? Sometimes I now take a break, pull the puck behind my net, and set up a fresh rush if I realize I'm shooting crap, and having a rough time getting passes through. I try to be aware of when I'm frustrated and making desperate plays, and change up my strategy a bit. A lot of average players will try something over and over and over again to no avail, because subtley the defender becomes aware of what they're doing, while the person doing it does not. There's a lot of psychology in hockey, and it's true for the video game too. I played my friend last night and came out fast and hard, pumped after having won 3 games in a row against other people. I was 2-0 within the first few minutes of the game, but he battled back. I started to defend my lead, and suddenly he had it tied. But there wasn't any "comeback bonus" offered to him. I just got lazy. I made the turnovers that lead to the goals. I had my guys out of position. And so on. He went ahead on that momentum to take me down to 3-2 going into the 3rd period. I grabbed a beer, smoked a cigarette, and blam, opened the third with two goals in under a minute. He then fought back hard to tie it. I won it in the shootout. I think "comeback bonus" is less computer controlled, and more player done. You go ahead, and you get lazy, you'll miss checks, miss pokechecks, drop aggression level, and bam, just like that they're back in it. If you really think about it, I garuntee nobody plays with the intensity up 2-0 that they did when it was still 0-0. Think about it :-p Pay attention to your mood, motivation, attitude and such next time you play. Try to determine when you're openly slacking off, or subtley just sitting on it, versus how you do when you're really applying pressure and everything is clicking. ------ As for the hits issue, it's hard to be REALLY good at NHL 09 if you ARE using a lot of hits (Though this is the button most people use most often). Granted, the hits are always going to be way more than the real game, but my hitting has gotten cut nearly to 1/4 it was when I started playing, simply because I use more pokechecks, stick lifts, hooks, and subtle plays that keep my players in position, and in control of the puck. I save hits for when I know I can take them out, and get the puck for near certain (Second man to pick it, or I know they have no chance of staying on their feet)......since a lot of times in NHL 09 if you hit someone they'll end up with the puck again afterward, and even though you laid them out.....you're out of position and they're on a break. Not saying I'm a super pro, but I've gotten pretty damn good at that game

It pretty much does center around Detroit -- If it centers around anybody, it is Detroit. Detroit finals generate more than double the revenue and ratings than any other team since the mid 90's. As soon as Detroit gets knocked out, interest in the playoffs generally cuts in half. with the Anaheim --> Buffalo finals a few years ago being barely worth the money required to put it in high definition. Otherwise, yes, you can bow down to the current Stanley Cup champions, until someone takes that title away. If any team can call itself hockey-town, it's either Montreal or Detroit, as they have the most cups. We just called Shotgun first :-p

That would be retarded.

It's only recently that I've started to see goaltenders get pulled for "Dehydration" :-p Babcock said he would never pull Ozzie just to give him a rest, but I have to wonder. It's not like Ozzie was out drinking all night (Well I would hope not heh). As a professional athlete these guys know how important pre-hydration is for a hockey game I think first off that any hockey player is going to become somewhat dehydrated during the course of the game. So to me "Dehydrated" basically means "Rest". I'm sure he was dehydrated. I'm sure any goalie in the playoffs gets somewhat dehydrated. But if we weren't up by so much, million dollars says Ozzie wouldn't have been pulled. Though I'm glad he got out of there. He was having a great game, and a full period of extra rest couldn't hurt, especially with the Hawks being chippy.

Ever consider maybe Chelios is getting too old to log much ice time, even if Babcock did want to give it to him? Even Yzerman was barely chipping in 7-8 minutes in his final seasons, and obviously nobody on the planet hated Yzerman. There's a rumor that God himself calls yzerman for advice. I think he's just old. He brings some veteran status to the game, but much like Yzerman I think Chelios is just kind of hanging around as an inspiration, a leader, and a guy with experience.....moreso than an active player. Hell, he's scratched most games. I understand you guys are saying that Chelios could have given some releif to the other defensemen by logging a few more minutes, but at the most he would have shaved maybe another minute off someone elses time -- And lets face it -- Kronny and crew were producing. Which is better? A minute of rest, or the shot at boosting your +/-, getting a goal, an assist. Kicking ass for another minute to me seems more refreshing than shaving a little ice time. He played Chelios 3 minutes in the third. That's more than the first two periods combined. I think it's time to accept, that maybe that's all Chelios has got left in him.

Subdural hematoma isn't that serious so long as it's noticed quickly, and dealt with quickly. Mostly it's a matter of monitoring the patient and letting the blood drain naturally. To return in 6 games though is still pretty balsy, considering any injured area that first led to the intracranial bleed could be reruptured. During subdural heatoma the patient suffers a feeling of pressure, headaches, sometimes in more severe cases impared motor function, lack of balance, and occassional sensory problems like lack of vision, or false vision (Seeing things). Can be fatal, but for sports players with good medical care it's usually a very treatable issue.

You're talking to Detroit fans. Aka. Fans who were fans before this year. Worst case, we saw 6 games. Pens lost 4.

Yeah yo, I use to date a girl in colorado. Die hard avs fan. Was in the Aebischer fan club, so had tons of free tickets to his games. I went pretty often but I always wore a wings jersey, and aside from having lit cigarettes tossed at me a dozen times, it was great fun

Yeah, we definately had a bad strecth in february. We pulled through that nice though

I know, first of all, that there are probably other posts of his nature on this board. I just wanted to say that the Penguins playing the Wings was about the best series I've personally seen, and I started watching in '95 All in all, great finals series.

You come from behind, on a guy that has been out for several games with a head injury/concusion like symptoms, and hit him with your fist in the face? Not an elbow. Not a hard check. A blatant fist strike to the head. What do you guys think about this?

Technically, Pittsburgh blew a 2 goal 1st period lead. So yes, for the most part Detroit ran the show last night. Props to Pittsburgh for tying it at the most vital moment. That took some determination. Overtime's were ass puckering, personally I feel the 4 minute penalty was a bit extreme in the 3rd overtime. I've seen lots of blood in the playoffs that doesn't result in penalties. The officiating is certainly lacking, but a goal is a goal, and in this case it just happened to be the win. Pittsburgh is fighting hard for wins, and getting a few. I doubt they'll do it twice more.....but stranger things have happened. Bottom line though, Detroit is still dominating the games more often than not.

You're an idiot. I am ashamed to be a fan of the same team as you. By "Screwed us" are you implying that you work for the Redwings organization? Since when did mistakes in hockey warrant an entire thread of bitching?

Crushing? Pittsburgh has won two games by 1 goal. Nothing crushing has happened yet.

I too am in the military, and while I hardly find any true hockey fans in the military, most of the people I know who do watch hockey are out of state RedWings fans. Some of those people might only catch a few games a year, but if you ask them their favorite team, "Redwings" comes up more than any other team.

Redwings finals years always put the ratings up. The ratings in 2002 were higher than any year since until this year. The Redwings have the largest fan base, and the largest merchandise sales of any team. Crosby might have a few people across the nation watching who weren't watching before.....but to imply that Crosby alone brought in 300% more viewers than the tampa/Carolina series is rediculous. Ratings are up because the Redwings are incredibly popular, and Pittsburgh has really shined this season. Pittsburgh is always a big sports town, so their success is certainly bringing the ratings up, and Crosby is a part of that success.....but I promise you if Pittsburgh was playing someone like Pheonix....ratings would be down considerably.

I know a drunken rant when I see one

I agree. I have no complaints on his play, he dit a lot of what we got him back in our lineup to do, but I've seen better days of McCarty.

I liked Hudler from the start. In truth, mostly I had faith in our scouting teams. You don't get guys like Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Kronny, and heck even helm of late, without having excellent scouts. I watched him play a few preseason games when he first got to us, and I couldn't help but thing "If this dude weren't so small, he's got some major skill". I think Detroit has toughened him up a little bit on his defensive game, and maybe upped his aggression a bit. I'm not expecting another Wayne Gretzy out of the guy, but I do expect him to be a long lasting player in the NHL. He's done very well in the playoffs as a 4th line scorer. This game tonight was a fairly pivitol game. For him to have the game winner is huge on his character as a player.

Seriously if someone organizes this pool, and someone, or more than one person decide to take on this task....I'm in for $20 Get an octopus, throw it at Bettman. I'm sure even on a noble attempt that misses some of us will pay up. Video tape it. Post video. Make a paypal account, and post it.......and I bet many of the people above, myself included, will genuinely donate. The story would make history. I'll pay for that anyday

A dive, or other suck move is not right, but ....it's nothing like punching a concussion victim in the head over and over. The announcers will say repeatedly, "Maybe X team an draw a penalty and get a PP". That's part of the game. Do a well placed dive, and so be it....every team does it. No reason to argue. But punches to a recovering concusion dude head? That's wrong. First off.....you can't punch a guy in the face randomly anyway. If it was legal, it would be a different story. You cannot run up and punch a guy in the face from behind. Secondly, it happened multiple times, to amazingly, only a few people. Mostly, Franzen. Ah well, Mules line scored two. Screw those guys

I won't deny that Osgood was seemingly in an ideal position to take that hit, but Sykora's elbows came up, and he skated right at him. Regardless of where the goalie stands, a goalie hit is a goalie hit, and it's always questionable. He didn't have the puck when the hit occured. Those guys can skate circles around players....so to smash into a player at a straight skate, is entirely intentional. It's not like he was pushed, fell, or was even really chasing the puck. He went straight for osgood. If Osgood dived, so be it. That was a dumb move late in the game on pittsburghs behalf one way or another. Roberts hit Franzen. Franzen didn't even score, but his line did twice. And if you watch the game very closely, Franzen did some amazing s***. He was a thorn in their side every shift he played (As we all said he would be). He's a mean player, and a clean player, with a lot of size, and a lot of energy, who can really destroy another team be it with goal scoring, play making, or just taking people out of the play so his line can do what they will. Franzen had no goals, but his line had 2 of 3. Not like we weren't warning Pittsburgh fans about this guy since game one, heh. He has become an incredible player at almost every level. Defensively, he'll bog the best down no problem. Offensively, he can score. On the boards, good luck getting him off you. I think he just finally got under their skin, and they quickly realized he was a huge threat. Hence.......multiple attempts right at his head. For his first game back Franzen was great. A horrible detriment to their team, and he barely played like he was against Colorado. Our top guys aren't scoring. THey've folded to a more defensive game (Leading to two shutouts, so amazing on their part....so amazing of Dats and Zett to be so strong defensively, and still get quality shots over and over). But our secondary lines are scoring. Sammy, Fillupula. Stuart. That, I recognize, must cause some frustration when your team is losing to 3rd/4th line guys, and not scoring a single goal in return......but those cheap shots on Franzen were absolutely rediculous. Blatantly obvious, and absolutely retarded. I think the major argument of Pittsburgh right now is "Osgood dove!!!" First off, Penguins already down 3-0 when that happened. Hardly any time left, at all. That does NOT, in any freaking way, justify hitting Franzen in the face.....twice. Two hits, that could kill a man (I'm a medic in the army, I know a bit about it), in exchange for a late game, your team already lost......possible dive? You pittsburgh people are climbing the s***bag pole ultra fast, if you sincerely think for half a second that a possible dive, is of greater signifigance than multiple hits, PUNCHES for christs sake, to players heads.

A guy with no real Playoff experience and no real winning experience under his belt short of a few rounds, and a few season games........Lidstrom has 3 cups, and a long history of being the best, of the best. You take an upcoming team, and you want youth as leadership to get something done....but that rarely leads to getting everything done. A good leader would have avoided those fights at the end. THey were pointless. Not even a method of getting the team back in the game. They were purely vengeful, and as it was, very ineffective. As it stands, apparently Detroit can even fight better. A leader by example Crosby might be....but in the finals, he has done a piss poor job. I keep saying this to Pens fans. Over and over. The Finals are not like the rest of the playoffs. The team you face has fought off 3 teams hell bent on winning. The team they (The Pens) face now won the presidents trophy, and 82 games of winning is not exactly luck. You don't win the presidents trophy on luck. You might beat the presidents trophy team on luck in an early round, but you face them in the finals..........giving them 3 rounds to adujst to the playoffs, and they do what they did in the season to win the presidents trophy....and more. If pittsburg loses their cool at the end of game 2, no way in hell they'll take this series. Statistically, they're 100% doomed. Win game 1 as the home team and it's a 90% chance of winning the playoffs. Win two games with a shutout, and no team has ever lost the playoffs. The Penguins are not a prodigy team. They are only a good team. But right now they are in a position that has NEVER won a cup, not with their current lineup. Statistics might be worthless, argue this all you want, but statistics happen only as the result of play. Statistics are the calculations at the end of "winning" or "losing", and so far statistics....or winning habits say Wings have it in the bag. Statistics also say, Pens might very well be swept. THe leader of a team in that position should not be starting fights. That is about....the worst, most wrong answer.

I got a better idea. How about they get more than 0 five on five shots in the first period. That might help them They had two full PP's in the first, and 6 shots.....all on the PP, not a single one on 5 on 5. Here's a good strategy too......get the puck into the zone. While upping their diving, they should maybe consider winning a battle along the boards. Also while working on their diving, they should probably score a goal or two. Well, even one would be an improvement. Pittsburg is quickly becoming not my second favorite team anymore Not because they're getting owned.....but because they're handling their losses horribly. We had a goal disallowed in game one and shut them out 4-0. Then 3-0 in game 2. Maybe it's time to admit......they're getting owned.

It was the end of the game, and they were already down 3-0. Complaining about stuff that happens in the last few minutes when you are already down 3-0, is petty. Absolutely petty. Lets say Osgood did dive. Lets say he is to blame. Penguins still down 3-0 at the end of the game. What the hell would be the point of a dive at the end of the game, that you are clearly not only winning, but for certain going to win? I could understand if it happened in the first period and led to a powerplay goal....but it didn't lead to anything particular. And it was after Pittsburg was about done, set out to dry. About the kronwall leaving his feet thing. Watch the video. They smashed so hard they BOTH left their feet. When you fall over a player on a hit and leave your feet, that is not the same as leaving your feet to hit the player. From what I saw.....he was both feet on the ice until the hit, then flipped madly into the air.....and they both tumbled. No offense, but learn the rules, then debate. "Leaving your feet", only applies if you jump before the hit. Not if you flop into a jumbled mess during or after the hit.