numberthirtynine

Anyone denying this was a Cup win manufactured by Bettman needs to take 50 steps backward and view the big picture. They were always given the first call that broke the other teams momentum. All through the season. They were never called for anything the refs could let go that wasn't black and white while we weren't, ever. Orpik and Gill were so bad the refs knew they'd be calling s*** every 6 minutes. Linesmen making 90 feet away calls refs let go? Hook on Filppula that potentially takes away a goal? No call? The perpetual hooking, holding and grabbing in front of the net. The monster f***in maulings of our Holmstrom by Gill/Orpik. Must be bliss to be able to deny all this. This is what decides hockey. I've coached at levels from 9 years old to 17. You see it all. Reffing included. It's the little things that determine games. That build momentum. Strong pushes. And when you can't play your brand of hockey because at one end of the ice you're being illegally held up and kept from retrieving your dump in, it's a recipe for failure. When your crease crashers get crosschecked dozens of times away from the puck and play, you're not ever going to get anything going. Do you think if we were playing Carolina theyd be getting help like this? f*** that. Eastern conf team fans have been preaching all year and been told they're all nuts. But I see it now. Anyone trying to remain professional, why? You're a fan-not a pro hockey player. You're allowed to call it how it is. The league and pens fans know they, in the face of obvious truth, have two things on their side. 1-home fans who ridicule people who (legitimately) bash reffing for no other reason than thinking they must look upstanding, and... 2-the ability to just point at anyone who points out obvious favortism and call them "fans who don't like any calls against their boys" or the tired cop out "zomg conspiracy theorists!" Fact is, I can admit when we lost because we deserved to. 03 wegot outworked. 04 we were too lazy. 06 we sat around too much and didn't backcheck. But this year? Officiating f***ed us. Plain and simple. Bettman AND Pitt ***** after game 2? How convenient. Afterthat we got called for chincy s*** that constantly killed momentum and Pitt got away with anything that didn't. If you've got a gut and an eye for this s***, it's all as plain a day. In black and white.

blaming the refs for poor play? what i and alot of us are saying is that it hugely contributes to our lack of jump. we have to play cautious, worried anything we do will be called and knowing the ducks won't get called for anything. one pp goal more and this is a diff game.

i wonder if we didn't score on our first pp if we'd be getting more right now?

oh stop, you just look silly. 5 on 5 play would help, yes but if we scored one or two on the power play it's very likely one or two of the following things would happen. 1) we'd get a jump or 2) we'd be winning and i have a feeling you wouldn't be too concerned about much

you don't know how many non-wings fans around me agree with this. we don't get the makeup calls or any of the bs refs give to other teams.

who said it did? but do you think giving us the proper power plays we deserve, there'd be no difference? this game would be very different, and if nothing else, at least FAIR.

no, what i said stands. what the ducks did, would've been called on us. you think carlyle played the refs before the series even started just randomly? most def not. are the det calls legit? most ya. but the ducks are being given way more than us. this game could easily, with our pp lethality, be a leadd for us or tied. one penalty after that first period? c'mon. read the topic, we all see it a little more than usual.

i get you're trying to do the stand up thing but you're either blind or not real. we're fans, buddy....it's ok to call out refs for horrible play. the last 7 min or so oof the first period was filled with ducks non calls. calls that, c'mon, you know would've been called on us. people like you look at nothing but the scoresheet.

oh give me a break, are you worried about looking homerish or something? be real. the ducks got away with a ton more than we did.

you missed all the first period non calls? you don't trust your eye

STOP BEING SISSIES AND CALL PENALTIES ON THE DUCKS ALREADY

truth

he owned u. stfu. the refs gave u a cup in 07 and they're certainly still trying.

Didn't he want more money? Either way I'm sure you sugar'd up his departure a little beyond reality. So why forget Pav and Hank? Other than I'll guess nostalgia.

Orr was great but he migh as well have been a forward. It's like putting Yzerman on D and when he wins scoring titles, just saying he's the best dman. And the media can compare whoever to whoever, the general nhl viewer will rank Mario and Wayne higher than those two.

Didn't Babs last year keep whatshisname out even when he got healthy because he didn't want to risk even the little move ruining chemistry? Drapes can be a great addition, despite his reg season, like Maltby. I hope Kopecky sits. He's been invisible even on the 4th line. No jump in his game at all. He doesn't fit here. From Flip, to Malts, to any of the usual whipping boys we needlessly rag on, he's the only one I'll say does not feel like a Wing. Sit him, and line up Helm, Drapes and Malts as the 4th line.

I say nowadays the second you show some sort of attitude problem that ends with your departure, you don't deserve your jersey up there. Fedorov may not get his jersey retired though he may go ot the HOF. The rafters at the Joe are exclusive ******* company, and honorees are obviously not selected on a whim. I think Feds is as close as you can get to having your jersey up there, without getting it there. Just to me, too many little things to make me happy with his number going up. I know it's fun to see because in 80-odd years there have been six and to see one go up is like seeing a rare meteor go by once in a lifetime, but just give it a few years... ...because soon we're going to be stitching a banner for #5 the day he announces he's done, and in about 10-15 years, I have a feeling 13 and 40 will be up there too.

Would you like Hull, Shanahan or Lang back on the team? Some teams would kill for their star forward(s) to play D like Hoss. He's fine in his own end.

Who will play D in Washington if Feds retires?

He was obviously making up minutes for the butt dumpling who hit Hudler. But in that we have to think about something-could no one else make up those minutes? The Ducks are so thin on forward lines they have to play their star 28 min, in a game that was tied most of the time. We just need to keep playing all of our guys. If this thing goes to six, I don't care how conditioned these kids are, they'll wear out. Carlyle's coaching doesn't scare me, he's nothing but an cowardly idiot who isnt fit to lace Babcock's sneakers. This team will need to rely on the top line and Selanne against 4 lines. In other words, they'll need a ton of help from the zebras. But then again, how does that differ from 2007?

Exactly. Sometimes there's more to playing a great game than playing like the Capitals. Hank's a Selke nominee. It's natural that at this point we might be seeing him around the opposing net a little less and checking around the opponents top line a little more. And doing the little, invisible things that win games.

Most impressive feat? Being the greatest Dman of all time. Yeah yeah, blah blah, Orr. Orr played a few decades ago, therefore he's automatically better until time dictates both are viewed on equal pedastals. In life, the "old thing" is always better than "the new thing". Orr, bless him, never played D like Nick. And that's what the D in Dman stands for. Orr may as well have been a forward. Not to discount him but I think we're just falling prey to old school sensationalism again. Orr is "Orr!" and his mystique has gone beyond his play and into "NO ONE CAN BE BETTER EVAR!" territory. Orr was great for a short time. Lidstrom is/was perfect for almost two decades.

I don't want to start a flame war on my first day but c'mon, if Hoss doesn't put up a million points he's playing bad? Or if he isn't setting up a ton of chances, he's invisible? I guess he's only invisible when you're not looking. When I see Hossa, he's out there backchecking, taking pucks, playing very good defense in his own zone and making sure no one takes the puck from him in the zone of the other team. I actually saw a topic that asked "What's wrong with Hossa?" because he one handed the puck when handling it. WTF?! He's warding off defenders with the other hand so he can set something up. Are we hockey fans, or are we from Tampa Bay or something? Hossa's strongarming guys, winning puck battles, etc. Much like Hank. God we're so picky. Part of the reason the Ducks chances were down substantially from the SJ series and eventually in the third period was because of guys like Flip, Hank and Hoss who aren't setting up a trillion scoring chances but are playing wonderful D to stop the other team.

Oh man I hear ya. I live in CGY too and can barely take it sometimes. Loud fans don't automatically equal good knowledgable fans. It's likely an unfortunate side effect of having a team that's been horrible for awhile prior to 2004 but still. No one here was a Flames fan until that year. No one. Bandwagon jumpers, the lot of 'em. The whole "empty seats" thing really serves to expose those who are a little less enlightened on just how bad things are in Detroit. To have as many fans as we have at these games is amazing. Urban blight and joblessness are punchlines to people from this city, where we're all so damn spoiled with oil money that our biggest problem is finding a really great job instead of a great job to live in our new super fancy condos that overlook the other condos! Hell with 'em. Like was said, empty seats > empty rafters. Detroit's economy will be back and they'll have to conjure up more stupid new excuses.