MulesWillFly93

I completely agree. Just wanted to add some more positive vibes for Toews here because I am sick of hearing the C-word. And frankly, I like him (Toews) even better after seeing that picture - looks like my kind of party, heh!

Sharks, I guess, but even though I love to hate the Blackhawks, I do like Jonathan Toews. I wouldn't mind seeing him with the Cup...but then I would mind seeing Kane with it. An original 6 final sounds like fun, though, so uh, maybe I'll go against all good sense and give the Hawks the nod. Either way, go Habs!

I think people are harder on Ovechkin for the simple reason that the current incarnation of the Caps hasn't won a Cup. It's the Curse of the Sharks; you don't win a Cup for a few years, and everybody starts breathing down your neck. Sid & co. won it last year, so they get a free pass for the time being, just like we're not freaking out because we've won it twice this decade. I mean, you can argue about which of the two played worse in the playoffs (I'm gonna go with Sid), but as for why the media is jumping all over Ovy more than Sid, I think the above has something to do with it. Edit: Gah, Yzerfan beat me to all of this! Good point about the Olympics, too. Even if Sid played crappy in the Olympics (which is apparently debatable), the gold medal hanging around his neck sure looks good to the media, and even though you can't blame the early Russian exit entirely on Alex, the words "early exit" don't look so great on his resume. Not really fair, but that's the picture it ends up painting once the media gets a hold of it.

YEEEESSSS!!! Chalk up another in the "selfish" column - I was really, really hoping he'd stay here (er, in Detroit, I mean...don't even think about coming to Southern California, Stevie!), even though I do wish him all the success in the world. Oh god, I couldn't wish Pierre on anybody. I mean, it'd be beyond great to finally get him out of my TV set, but I wouldn't sic him on the poor guys of the Lightning. Can't somebody just find him a job in the mail room or something?

Yeah, I was just about to say something like that. Dude thinks he's Ovechkin - ain't no way he's gonna settle for small change like that. I like the Latendresse idea...let's do it! I randomly started watching Minnesota games this year when nothing else interesting was on, and I've been thinking he'd make a good Wing too, as long as he keeps it up. And please, God, anybody but Carcillo. I wouldn't mind having a couple more tough guys myself, but argh, how about a REAL tough guy instead of that big diver. Carcillo is right where he belongs...a natural born Flyer if there ever was one (along with Pronger, of course).

One more reminiscence: The Wings vs. Ducks game on 1/5 that I went to was also the day I got on the Howard train. Now, I was sitting in the lower bowl behind the net, which would be the side Howard was on for periods 1 and 3. During the whole frickin' game, this idiot sitting next to me kept yelling out, "HEY HOWARD, YOOOUUUU SUCK!!!" It was so loud that, despite being in the upper part of the lower bowl, Howard himself could probably hear the guy. And while it probably didn't bother him any, it irritated me quite a bit. I ignored the guy the whole time, of course, but the more he yelled it, the more I thought to myself, "No, he goddamn well doesn't suck! I may have said some things about him in the past, and maybe he's not the next Brodeur, but come on, the guy's got some skills!" So I gotta thank The Quacker (as I nicknamed him) for causing me to talk myself into loving the Wings - and in this case, a particular Wing - even more. Then, of course, the next game was his 51-saver against the Kings, and that pretty much cemented the deal; I was on the Howie bandwagon. I mean, I've doubted him a time or two since then, but he usually proves me wrong in the next game, so I gotta hand it to him, overall. Here's to an even better 2010-11. Edit: I hate how I tell stories.

Ah, that makes sense. Yeah, if I do end up getting it again, I'll definitely get it at the beginning of the season. It was kind of silly of me to go without it all year long and then at the very end pay through the nose for it. I wouldn't mind paying for it if I thought the whole thing was run fairly and efficiently. I hate how VS. only has hockey on 2 nights a week during the regular season, which basically forces you to get Center Ice if you want to see a decent amount of games, and I hate how useless the NHL Network is when you have to pay extra for it, and I hate how it has precedence over CI for airing games. I suppose I shouldn't take that part of it out on CI, but the whole thing just makes no sense, and I don't especially enjoy contributing to that. Center Ice itself is a fair deal, though...I'm just not sure if I can afford it again. Exactly. I keep a wallet, which I keep in my purse. I'm sure Bettman will tell you the same thing (man, I'm just full of all kinds of vitriol tonight!).

Ohhh, did you go to that one? Awwwesome!! I wasn't sure whether to go to that one or to the one a couple days before it in Anaheim. Ended up going to the Ducks game because it's closer...worst decision ever. We lost, and everybody was out on injury, so I didn't get to see half the team. Then Zetterberg comes back for the Kings game, and Howard pulls that 51-saver. I wanted to be there so badly! Both games were highlights for me, though; the Ducks game because I was there and it was a heck of a good time even if we lost, and the Kings game because Howie was friggin' magnificent, even if I only saw it on TV. Game 7 against the Coyotes, despite being the nail biter of a century, was pretty awesome, looking back. Whichever that game was where Hank got a hat trick against the Yotes was fun, too...I even went and got curly fries (not free though) the next day. Good ol' Game 4 against the Sharks was definitely one for the ages. And it's hard to beat the last game we played against the Pens...you know, Howard really made some of the most memorable moments this season - thanks, man!

Agreed again. I want Howard to play, but I want Osgood to be ready just for the psychological comfort of it. Plus, like you said, Ozzie's a good mentor for him and he can offer even more guidance when we get to the Cup Finals in 2011 (that's right, you heard me!). Ericsson...I wouldn't cry if they let him go, but if the guys in charge want to give him another chance, I'll bear with him for another year.

Well, I broke down and got Center Ice for the playoffs this year. I swore all year long I wouldn't pay the league any more than I had to, especially since I already get the NHL Network and think it's stupid to have a third channel; either put LIVE games on NHLN or cut it out all together and just have Center Ice, but don't string us along like the NHLN is actually useful. Anyway, I ended up pulling out my wallet and getting in line behind Cindy to be Bettman's *****. I'm probably not his type, though, being female and all. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Sid's a halfway good-looking guy...if I were Bettman (God forbid), I'd probably make him my *****, too, if he didn't cry so much. Um, anyway... (Sorry, that #NHLSexActs thing on Twitter has put my mind in the gutter here lately...because my mind's never in the gutter the rest of the time, no sir!) Ok, back on track, I don't know if I'll get it again next year. It sure was handy, but it sure was expensive. I'll have to see how things are going when October rolls around. If I CAN afford to give Bettman more money, I'm not sure I want to, but it would be great to see more Wings games than just the ones they show on VS. Of course, there's always the chance I might be moving to Michigan the year after next, so it'll only be one more year with just VS., if I can stop myself from breaking down during the playoffs again. So, in a nutshell: undecided.

Ah, I knew I was forgetting something. Well, hmm. Maybe we didn't exactly get more out of him than we expected, in that case, but at least I was remembering the good parts for a reason. Oh - I guess this would be a good place to congratulate Franzen and Zetterberg for their playoff hat tricks. Those definitely made my day when they happened. I actually went and got curly fries at Arby's after Zet's trick to celebrate, even though they weren't free.

You're so right! It seems like I'm always on Bertuzzi's butt about something, but in the end, he really ended up fitting in and helping out in all the ways you just said. He's not perfect, but he definitely exceeded my expectations.

I agree with all of those...liked the Helm-Eaves-Miller line a lot; when everybody was out in the regular season, it seemed like they kept things from falling apart completely. Kader was great during the playoffs - I hope he gets full time next year for sure. It was great to see a Cinderella story like that happen. And I love Howard. I know there was a time or two when I doubted him, but overall, I think he's put on a good show, and maybe I'm getting a little fangirly here, but I just plain like the guy. I like his calm under pressure, I like his regular-guy attitude, and I love his "extra" glove skills (not so sure Crosby does, though). Heck, I might just have to get a jersey. Anyway, those would be my picks, too. Any thoughts on Stuart? I feel like he did well in the playoffs, but I have a nagging feeling that I'm having selective memory here. Please tell me if I'm right or wrong.

Well, this season certainly has had enough drama! Despite it not being the best year ever, I still had a great effing time watching what, in my opinion, will always be the best hockey team in the league. Also, it's been great talking to the best fans in the league, too! Congrats to our newest player and Calder nominee, Mr. Jimmy Howard, for what was overall a pretty great year. Obviously there were a few bumps in the road, but I thought he worked out well in the end, and I look forward to seeing what he does next season. Congrats to one of our senior players, Nicklas Lidstrom, for 18 (it's 18, right?) seasons of awesome hockey. You ARE defensive hockey, and you've been a great inspiration to your teammates, not to mention us fans, as a captain. It can't have been easy to follow The Captain, but if anyone carries on Yzerman's legacy of class and teamwork, it's you. I just better see you again in fall, dammit, because this is NOT a good-bye note. I'll be thanking you for your 19th season (if I've got the math right) next year, so be there.

Well, that's true, there were definitely some bad calls. Still, I didn't think it was outrageously awful - just your average NHL level of bad. We just needed to have planned for that and adjusted our level of play accordingly, in my opinion. Agree with you on the Ducks thing...MAN did the Sharks have Jobu on their side for most of the series.

Hehe, I knew somebody was going to call me on that. I'm still pretty pissed about Games 1 and 2, but game 4 was awesome, and I thought this one was fair. Don't ask me about Game 3; I need to go back and watch the highlights - I watched it, but I don't remember a thing about it (I was drunk, but not THAT drunk...I don't know what my problem is). I guess I should say, knowing how crappily things went for us in the first three games, and knowing that you can't go back and change what happened in them, I was glad that when the end inevitably came, it wasn't just handed to the Sharks on a plate by the refs (or us). And I'll be thinking about Game 4 all summer.

Well, at least we got beat fair and square this time. I mean, yeah, there were a few times where the reffing could've gone differently, but that happens in every game - I didn't feel like this was a Game 2 by any means. We didn't goof up big time, at least that I remember, so that's always a good thing. Sure, we could've had a little more energy in the 1st period, but on the other hand, SJ didn't score on us, either, so that's another good thing. Sorry to see the season come to a close, but at least it didn't leave a bitter taste in my mouth in the end. Glad to see Jimmy end on a pretty high note, too...Calder here we come!

Well, not watching hockey is not an option for me, so here's what I'm thinking. Now that things are getting close to sorting themselves out, I'm gonna pick San Jose for the WC (doesn't look like Vang's going to win, and I'm obviously no fan of Chicago) and Boston for the EC (I'd still like to see the Habs pull something out of their hats, but alas, I think Pittsburgh's going to take it). If the Sharks and Bruins end up playing each other...ehh, I guess I'll show some West Coast pride for a change and go with the Sharks. I'm still mad at them for a few things, but I'd probably be mad at whoever we just played no matter which team it was, so whatever, I can deal, I guess. If it ends up being Sharks vs. Pens, I'm more than sure I can get over it. Anybody but Pittsburgh is the overall theme, here.

Yeah, when Williams first came back I thought maybe he would be extra-motivated to get it together, too, but it just ain't happening, as we all saw in Game 3. He's now been given a second chance and has blown it, so I think it's time to move on. I better see Ritola's smiling face out there on the ice tonight, or else I will not be smiling at all. In fact, I will probably be screaming something that includes the words "WTF" and "Babcock."

Whoa! Was I there? I don't remember seeing you in mine, but there were a lot of people there. Well, darn, still no consensus on the game, then. Ok, who else here had a Wings dream last night? We need a tie-breaker!

Go Franzen, it's your birthday! Well, last night I had a dream that the Wings lost, woke up and didn't like that idea too much, went back to sleep and dreamed that the Wings won. So uh, yeah, I don't know where that leaves us. For what it's worth, the one where they won seemed more realistic. It definitely tells you what my state of mind is like...7:00 can't come fast enough.

Yep - Pierre's an expert on nonactive sticks. Thanks, good stuff. I'm still somewhat of a noob to hockey (ok, I'm a big fat noob), so having stuff explained step-by-step like this really helps me understand the game better.

I like the Jaws music...but then again I'm a pretty cheesy person! Most of it was not my type of thing, though - agreed. Although I thought the music in Game 3 at JLA was kind of downbeat for a hockey game, and this was before the 3rd period. Last night was much better. Haha, I liked hearing "That's the Way I Like It" (or whatever the real title is) later on in the game since I had already started singing it by myself after the 4th or 5th goal.

Ditto. The Habs, believe it or not, are part of the reason I started watching hockey (we read that story "The Hockey Sweater" in my French class, and it stuck with me), and I just like the Bruins for some reason. If, God forbid, Pittsburgh makes it to the finals, I'll cheer for whoever the Western Conference Champ is, even Chicago.

I've been worried about this too, but hopefully they've learned from the Coyotes series and will keep the pressure on. I think this has the extra incentive added that if they don't win, they are O-U-T out, whereas things were never quite that dire with the Yotes. I agree that the Sharks will come back full force because now they're ticked off, but hopefully the threat of elimination will be stronger for us. MAN I hope Franzen keeps going like he is! I mean, not that I expect another 4-goal game, but 1 or 2 wouldn't be bad!