C-TownWing

"Contractual obligations" lol...only in the NHL. Meanwhile Cavaliers playoff games are on three channels here--the national carrier (ESPN/ABC/TNT), FSN and simulcast on a local channel in case you don't get cable/satellite. I won't pretend I know a thing about the contracts, but our big, national contract shouldn't lose an arm wrestling match with the local broadcasts. YES!!! GO WHALER...ERRR...CANES!!!

Second what puckloo said...I've liked the Sharks from when they had their AHL team here (Cleveland), and even though it's been a couple years since they moved to Worcester, a lot of guys that I watched play here like Cheechoo, Clowe, Ehrhoff and Goc are still there. Even Nabokov played for the IHL Lumberjacks briefly. Assuming we couldn't win, I wouldn't have minded seeing the Sharks break through at all. So welcome, feel free to hang out, hopefully we can off the Ducks for you guys.

With the game he's having right now, maybe Washington will retire it

And for clarity, my call for Marleau to be gone has nothing to do with his offensive upside or his ability to score clutch goals. He's just not the kind of leader that you need on a successful playoff team, IMO.

Crap, I was just about to say that the Rangers shock everyone on the planet and pull it off but you beat me to it. It'd be one of those things where I'd put it in my sig as evidence of my total sweetness if I turned out to be right, and nobody would remember if I'm wrong. I actually think Washington wins although Lundqvist finds himself and it'll be a close 3-2 type game. The Caps' stars are starting to click a little bit, first with Ovechkin and now Green got on the board as well. Don't underestimate the Rangers losing Betts either--he's crucial to them on the PK. I'm rooting for and think Carolina beats NJ. Just a gut feeling, it's pretty close to 50-50 IMO.

It really is a dilemma, because there's no disputing that that's a very, very good hockey team, they just aren't getting it done in the playoffs. I don't know what their FA situation is, but obviously you have to take a hard look at some of those guys before deciding whether to re-sign. The OP mentioned Nabokov, Boyle, Thornton and Marleau. Boyle's a proven winner, so I'll keep him. I do have doubts about Nabby's ability to be a playoff-caliber goalie, but he's not the central problem. I really think that the issues start right at the center of the room, with Marleau and Thornton. Name one other captain in the entire league who jumps to avoid being hit with a shot, as Marleau did in the playoffs last year (sorry, couldn't find it on YouTube for those who don't remember). That tells me everything I need to know about his ability to lead a team in the playoffs. He should be gone, or at the very least should have his C ripped. So should Thornton I think. He's a guy that I generally like, and he actually didn't play all that badly in the series, but he has a reputation, fair or not. The fans and the media are already turning on him. A fresh start would be best for everyone involved, and even with his rep, he's still a top-10 player and you could get something nice and shiny for him. The Sharks maybe have the best set of role players in the league, their D is great. They just need some leadership and guts from their stars. And maybe a goalie after that. We're ridiculously lucky as Wings fans to have stars who give it, because they set the tone for your whole team. Everyone saw exactly what they were trying to do with the Lemieux move, but the guys at the top need to know what it takes too, not just the occasionally-dressing 4th line guys.

Yeah, no offense, but you're going to be waiting a while for that hockey mention on PTI. The good news is that this is 2009 and ESPN isn't the only place for sports coverage. It's all out there, you just have to go and get it.

I am constantly amazed at LGWers' ability to pull any image you can think of out of our collective butt that quickly. One guy on one of the Sharks board I read a while ago calls McLelllan "palm frond head." I thought that was pretty funny. Dude thought he could bottle our sick game and take it west, but he didn't realize that the Sharks will always be the Sharks in the playoffs.

Sweet, my first message board bromance!

I have to admit, I feel bad for Roenick. He's always been a favorite of mine.

Exactly. When one of those toughness arguments pops up on here, my opinion is always that "tough" means being able to play your game even with the other guys taking runs and cheap shots. The Wings are definitely tough in that way, I'm not scared.

Sharks will still be everyone's Cup pick next year. Just you watch. Bring it. I'm getting itchy (and not just the beard) sitting around this week. Let's play some hockey.

Seems like a good place to express my total mancrush on Tim Thomas.

Yep, 2nd best part of the playoffs after winning the Cup is what we're all doing right now--waiting for our opponent in the next round, watching them get beat up on the way there.

Just saw Thornton vs. Getzlaf for the first time. With the technique those two guys have, I'd love to see one or the other go with Crosby sometime.

Or, if you're a BJ, it was tied 3-3. Thing is, both sides are right. Stupid points system. But yeah, that was a dark, dark day. Living in Ohio, the BJs are my most hated team and that was just flat-out embarrassing. Glad we got to issue them a playoff beatdown, that more than makes up for it obviously.

Fight, fight, fight, fight....

Agreed. I'm kind of glad to not be playing them this round. We might have to man up in the WCF, but that'll be a hell of a series if it happens. Good to see the rivalry possibly coming back, that's been the one thing missing for us since the Avs thing died around 2003. And before anyone jumps in with the season series vs. the Hawks, Columbus beat us 8-2 in the season series. Meaningless.

According to Ken Hitchcock, the Sharks just took a 3-1 lead.

I seriously don't understand why that pointing guy gets so much airtime. Good for him I guess.

I actually like the NBA way better to be honest. Not that we're ever in this position, but if you're the Ducks and you pull off the massive upset of the Sharks, as your reward you get to automatically play the next best team. That's pretty harsh. That's sort of why I say that the NHL regular season is more important than people give it credit for. Getting as high of a seed as possible matters, because as a low seed, the road is a LOT tougher than as a low seed in the NBA. 2008 playoffs: Wings come in as #1. Play #8, then #6. Stars come in as #5. Play #4, then #2. Which one of those teams do you think was feeling the grind more once the WCF came around? If Anaheim is to make the Cup finals, they'll have to beat #1, #2 and either #3/#4 to do it. Ouch.

Point taken. Kinda weird though, since it's not a "hockey" thing per se, so why the need to over-explain it to the "uneducated" US fans like other basic hockey concepts?

This is as quiet as I've ever seen the Saddledome. We haven't faced elimination since losing the Ducks...I forgot what a horrible feeling that is.

Ducks announcers explaining how re-seeding works. Classic. They've won a Cup, they made the finals another time, the team's been around for over 15 years now...are they really that stupid?

He was pretty mediocre all year actually...the goalies have been a big reason Chicago's about to win this series, IMO. Not the MAIN reason, but a big reason. But Kipper was outstanding in the playoffs last year, even though the Flames lost that series...