Resetti

I like fights in hockey, but that goes with the assumption that the participants are willing combatants. What transpired in the Philadelphia-Washington game, specifically with Emery charging down the ice and mugging Holtby, isn't something that belongs in the game. Hockey's a violent game for tough guys, but nothing is less manly than throwing a temper tantrum on the ice because you stink. Emery should absolutely have been suspended for that assault.

Don't know why they fired him after only three games in. If you stuck with him through the offseason, training camp, and pre-season, then why would you pull the plug less than a week into the real thing? The team will have to spend the next few weeks learning a new philosophy and/or system during this unexpected transition. Holmgren continues to set this team up for failure.

The game was in Toronto, Carlyle saw that Scott was still on the ice, and he sends out Kessel... that was a very bad idea. One of the coach's jobs is to manage the game, and that could have been a devastating mistake on his part. I'm not defending Scott -- he's a big idiot, see? -- but I think Carlyle deserves some heat for not protecting his star player. And if Kessel really was baiting him at all... well, hasn't he seen those Messin' With Sasquatch beef jerky commercials? Yeah, bad idea.

Pretty sure the goal wouldn't be allowed anyway, as per rule 49.2: A goal cannot be scored by an attacking player who kicks any equipment (stick, glove, helmet, etc.) at the puck, including kicking the blade of his own stick, causing the puck to cross the goal line. Asked about the play after the game, Enroth said his initial reaction was that he felt Ranger was trying to embarrass him by showboating a bit but given time to think about it, it's not a big deal. I mean, it's a pre-season shootout game... why should anyone actually be upset about this?

This is an interesting case, but I don't see how it can be enforced. People should be held accountable for the things they say, even online, but because of the electronic shield of anonymity... what can really be done in a situation like this? There's a difference between being subpoenaed at a physical address because, hey, you live there... but a private message on an Internet forum? I have accounts on websites I've not visited in ages. I couldn't make those rounds today if I wanted to.

Things like this go both ways. True, Eastern teams aren't as familiar with the Wings as Western teams, but why is that an advantage? The Red Wings aren't as familiar with the Eastern teams either. It's a wash.

Why does the thread title say that this is a poll?

While putting the onus on the referee may work in basketball to minimize flopping, hockey is just too fast of a sport. There's so much going on as it is that you can't add to that "judging acting skills" to the job requirement. The way to legislate diving out of the sport is to have supplemental discipline in the form of heavy-handed suspensions against players diving. It isn't worth diving to get one power play in a game if it means you sit the next 5 or so games. It has to be heavy punishment in order to make it clear to players that it's not worth the gamble. Give refs the power to call just dives, if there's an obvious one, but the league office has to take care of this in order to clean up the game. The refs already have enough to worry about.

I don't think Shero would consider buying out Fleury because he probably still has some trade value even though it's diminished. Although he's proven to be miserable in the playoffs recently, he is talented and has performed well in the regular season, and there are definitely teams outside the playoff picture who would be interested in upgrading with an experienced netminder. As for backing up Howard, I don't think it would be worth it. Even with Fleury's diminishing value on the market, and even if Pittsburgh bought out his contract, he would get at least $3 million from some team.

I don't think it's fair to compare Detroit vs Chicago when talking about playoff tests anyway. Any rivalry matchup like that levels the playing field based purely on the hatred. On paper Chicago should be killing Detroit, but the bad blood neutralizes any advantages Chicago would otherwise have. As for the Penguins, the Islanders definitely challenged them with their speed. New York was arguably the fastest team in the playoffs and that exposed the Penguins defense. It's not as though they don't have some high-end talent. As for Ottawa, they were the East's top-rated defense with a goalie that posted pretty incredible numbers this season. It's a little weird to hold it against Pittsburgh instead of giving them any credit for making it a short series. I understand the point that New York and Ottawa aren't particularly experienced teams, and that Boston has more veteran players than either of them, but it's hard not to have Pittsburgh as the favorite to come out of the East. The Bruins are looking better than they did in their series against Toronto and compared to how they played the second half of the season in general but I'm still not sure about them; they have not seemed themselves since February or early March.

Last season they didn't have a capable backup so it wouldn't have made any difference. But it seems that the Pittsburgh defense is much more calm with Vokoun in net than Fleury... they actually look decent. Speed, an aggressive forecheck, and sustained puck possession exposes their defense though, as the Islanders showed. Although the Senators aren't a particularly slow team so who knows?

Seriously LOL'd when the Ottawa fans were singing along with the "woo hoo" after making it 7-3. This game has gotten so far out of hand, I'm kind of amazed anybody would be in the mood to do that.

Hmmm, this thread got me thinking... what if fans threw an octopus onto the ice after the Red Wings had iced the puck and clearly needed a break? What would the referees do if it was obviously a ploy to rest the players? I remember how many times the NBC commentator would credit a player with a "wily veteran move" to buy his linemates some extra time... wonder if they'd give the same credit to fans. ETA: I know that there's a provision that allows the referee to assess a delay of game penalty to the home team if fans obviously are interfering, but I don't remember ever seeing that happen. I'm curious how it would be handled.

I wonder if Dan McNeil feels like a dumbass yet.

Yeah, this is totally sticking it to the refs and the league. No way the Senators just dug down deep and found a way. Honestly, the one thing that can ruin a game for me is fans that talk about league conspiracies.

I think that he's just like the party guest that gets settled in and then makes a total ass of himself. Cue the sound of a vinyl record needle scratch. I understand what he's probably trying to do, which is call out a player to light a fire under him, but the public nature of it has consequences. It's not a surprise that players don't like this guy. No player wants the spotlight turned on him so he can get ripped.

I'm certainly not blaming the kids, just saying that the way it was handled -- by sitting in the stands, watching, and even applauding -- was a real shame to see. Definitely want to be clear that I'm not placing responsibility on their tiny shoulders for that one.

The problem is that these kids really don't know where the line is, and obviously don't know when enough is enough. Sitting on someone's back and punching them in the head is never OK. Ganging up on one person is not OK. Jumping off the bench and skating full-tilt at someone to try to take their head off is not OK. When pros fight, even with emotions high, there's a respect for one another. If someone's falling to the ice, like if they're KO'd, you let them down easy. There's so much about fighting that you don't understand at that age. Definitely a shame to see. Someone could seriously have been hurt by those antics. I also thought it was strange how calm the crowd looked (granted the volume was off - thanks for that tip!), but particularly bizarre to see that guy clapping.

That's some garbage writing. It's funny how fans like to run their mouths with all kinds of smack talk when all they're doing is sitting on a couch pounding some brew. I guarantee you that the Blackhawks players don't dismiss the Red Wings when they're on the ice. They're a good team, but cocky pricks like that author ruin it for me.

Crosby with the hat trick, Anderson gets yanked, and Karlsson looks pretty useless. Frankly it's amazing that he's playing anyway... Spezza may be back for Game 3.

It's got to be MacLean. His team was competitive despite losing their top forward, top defender, and top goalie for long stretches of the year. That is a kind of adversity that neither of the other finalists really faced. I'm somewhat surprised that Michel Therrien wasn't nominated. He took a Montreal Canadiens team from dead last to second place in the East. That's an immediate impact that deserves some recognition, in spite of the end-of-season implosion.

The only way that I can see Patrick Kane as a finalist is if voters were "throwing away their vote" by picking him since obviously nobody should. Then all of a sudden, he has accumulated a lot of votes and everyone does a double-take.

It's been a pretty boring game so far, honestly. I thought that Ottawa was playing the trap very well, as Pittsburgh was completely unable to move through the neutral zone or sustain pressure in the offensive zone. But... trap games just aren't much fun to watch. As usual, the Penguins power play has been lethal. Ottawa's transition game has been pretty good. If they get a sustained forecheck going, keep the puck in Pittsburgh's zone, the Penguins defense is liable to break down. I am pretty sure the game would at least be tied right now if Fleury had started.

I'm thinking the Kings win in 5. Admittedly, though, part of that is because I always underrate San Jose. I frankly have no idea how they swept Vancouver.

My point is that if you watched how Montreal was playing the last couple weeks of the season, they were struggling. It doesn't matter what season stats you have when you enter the postseason on a 4-6 run. They weren't playing good hockey when it mattered. At any rate, every series comes down to individual matchups. Just because one team looks good or another team looks bad doesn't mean that these are "trends" -- it means that those were the results of whatever strengths/weaknesses of those two teams when they were paired up against each other. I try not to paint with such a broad brush when it comes to analyzing matchups.