akustyk

realignment I guess and Gary is playing hard* to get his GM buddies what they want. other than that issue I expect this CBA to be easier to negotiate.

of those two I absolutely prefer Iginla and this is a total no-brainer.

substract Kronwall and Karlsson and the defense was horrible or average at best. Hjalmarsson was brutal, and Hedman... epithome of failure... I mean... even Ericsson looked decent compared to those guys. he actually was really decent. Persson isn't that bad player. and he was among those who at least were skating. compare this to Backstrom who was basically waiting for a pass to shot, and even when it came that far he couldn't capitalize on what was a 99% chance... overall, there were periods in the game when Swedish team looked uninspired and totally lacking willingness to fight for pucks. Wings players dug them from the hole and it looked good for a moment, but Marts insistence on playing Backstrom and Hjalmarsson was really bad. Fasth was brutal on this last goal. really bad positioning and lack of confidence to challenge the shooter. he is not that bad goalie, but this was his goal, in a very bad moment. truth being said, Czechs played very solid D, and if there was ever a game Swedish team could use Franzen it was exactly this one. finally, it's hard to say that the refs were good. they let Czechs get away with a lot of crap... you sure bet Suomi would never ever root for Ruotsi, so why bother? but to be honest... after Slovakia Finland is the only team that I'd be fine with winning this tournament. I'm sick of Czechs and Russians and their *loads of dirty plays. Sweden was at least entertaining to watch.

Wings had 248 GF this season, 2nd best in the West. I fail to see an urgency to shop for a pure scorer as of now. to me there are two priorities for Wings heading into the summer: 1. replacing older players with young who can put similar production (or better if possible) 2. bringing someone to the organization who will fire up the core players and make this team actually WANT to win. this actually is bigger than first point. this team could use more overall talent and with so much cap space it actually is expected to fish a big name forward. but first and foremost it needs real hunger. even Franzen still has it (see: IIHF WC 2012) but someone has to press the right buttons...

right, but the original question was: not about who won the cup after 28 playoff games played. this makes Philly legit leader in this length category.

are you sure Gary has so much say about the shape of the game? I don't think the guy has (and even is supposed to) have much understanding of the game. He's a lawyer and needs management and diplomacy skills to get 30 GMs (and NHLPA, at least sometimes) on the same page and make sure the product is marketable (which, don't get me wrong, is not decided by a couple of die hard fans like us, but masses who watch TV and buy tickets and merchandise). nothing less but also nothing more. there are people in the NHL offices who understand the game and various aspects surrounding it. Gary is not to replace them but only to make the organization deliver. hard cash that is. look, my company also exists because it delivers excellent product and knowledge support, but it's (among others) me who provides the service. my boss doesn't understand the finer points of service, but he's excellent at selling it to clients.

nope. farthest I found is 1987 Flyers with 26 games (out of 28 possible) to capture the cup: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_Stanley_Cup_playoffs this is the list of all Game 7 in SCF: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/13410909/ if you look in Wikipedia for the brackets starting with 1987 (first Game 7 of SCF to happen in 4 round playoff format) then there's no one with a team going all 28 games distance. Philly comes closest, followed by 2001 and 2003 Devils (24 games each time)

IMHO, Landeskog at this point is as good as Cleary. and he's young and can only get better.

I'll take anything that serves as distraction to Blackhawks and makes this franchise worse. Kane being immature d*ck is nothing new, but I'll obviously take it. I only wish it got even worse in their locker room and this moron kid pests the climate and sets bad example to the rest of this crappy team.

same is with Malkin. in WC his name is written Yevgenyi or something like that, but in any case it starts with Ye. if I'm correct this is a matter of different transcription from Cyrilic, i.e. to different Latin-written language. transcription is always about representing sounds read in one alphabet by closest sounds in target language (and their representation with alphabet). closest representation of Евге́ний in English is Evgeni, while in French (which is basis for international hockey tournaments if I'm correct) its Yevgenyi and in Polish its Jewgieni. whatever transcription you use, my opinion about him is not gonna change. he's a very efficient punk. Yemelin that is. Malkin... I just QFT haroldsnepts.

don't worry. Holmgren is slowly becoming another Wang and players (and agents) start noticing that this is a team that throws big contracts but doesn't deliver lineup strong enough to go deep in playoffs, which leads to players with big contract being blamed and shipped away. with this kind of management Philly will soon become very unwanted place to sign. seriously, I can't imagine a competitive player to chose extra money and risk entire career. I'd rather play for less in good environment and with a shot at the cup.

Yemelin is a b*tch and I really enjoyed Franzen pummeling him and cheapshoting in the crease. but I don't think any of those penalties was undeserved. there was serious crap going on around Russian goal, delivered by both parties. as the 2nd period unfolded it was more and more started by Johan. at some point Yemelin (and Nikulinin(sp?) ) were so much in Swedish heads that it became 5-3 PP and it all spiraled downward for Sweden from then on. the game was basically lost at this point. I didn't expect it to become 7-3, though. more like 4-3... Sweden remains my favorite to win the tournament, anyway. they just need to learn a lesson from this game. and for the love of god, coach Marts, please don't play Hjalmarsson and Stalberg in crucial situations. they are f* lazy and cough giveaways...

Sweden was playing really good in 1st but in 2nd Russians got under their skin and Swedes lost it totally. game was lost basically when it got tied 3-3, but I didn't expect such blowout. Franzen needs to calm down. Yemelin really got the best of him. same goes for Landeskog who took even dumber penalty. Fasth and Enroth are perfectly fine if the team in front of them stays focused. it was for the first 30 minutes. PS. Eriksson still rocks. and Malkin is, skills aside, f* goon.

make an educated guess? just to help you, average NHL GM's view of recent years:

nice to get a vote of confidence from you GM known for signing huge contracts and then shipping players with those contract away, huh? as already said - Flyers defense is brutal. you can blame it on the goalie, but if you don't solve main issue even Lundqvist will not help.

yep, I have to agree. but I think it's this tact and attitude that make main difference. plus more respect to media people. and that it's not every time he hits a presser. I always liked Tortorella rants and once in a while a good shot against dumb reporter. but it's just too much and too rude now.

Mule decided to come out playing tonight and he's ripping it. he's selling penalties, making Ruski angry and scoring goals. but it's Eriksson again where my man love is growing bigger again. kid is effin amazing.

that's what media is and always was about. 29+ coaches in this league (and other major leagues as well) understand it and get over with dumb questions. in nowadays economies you need media to sell your product. especially when the product is media based. and it's actually this intermediary (streaming, reporting) who holds the power in relation with content producer (league). period. I don't. I was OK with him until recently, but just think he is pushing this too far now. for whatever reason. what I'm referring to is his 1. his total disdain to media people which is more than obvious the moment he enters the press room 2. it's done over and over again. 3. "I'm not going to answer question about single players" + "I'm not going to answer you questions about strategy" + "I'm not going into discussion of refs calls" = what exactly is Torts then going to answer? questions about his favorite apple pies? this is a god* press conference for media going to report about the game. Tortorella is simply not answering any hockey related questions. I'm OK with sending a statement to media to get real and stop asking same things over and over again. I understand that he doesn't want to single out players etc. but the way this guy behaves is more like "f* off, I'm not going to answer you anything". and he keeps doing it. and this is sure as hell against league policy to work with the media for one. and most certainly simply not fair for those people who just want to write a note or article in their paper to generate interest in NHL hockey.

Eriksson is a monster in this tournament and definitively big pleasure to watch. he has the scoring gift of Johan + more hustle to generate offense (I mean: he's not just waiting around the crease to pick the cherries, like Franzen). but this is international ice and early into tournament so defense corps aren't really playing good nor physical. I pretty much expect his production to diminish for the rest of WC. him on Red Wings? tough call. he's flashy and definitely way above what most NHL fans think about him. but... I first and foremost want Wings to find someone bulky and hard working. we don't have problems with scoring, especially when Zatta is healthy and Johan decides to move his * a little bit more. I'd say the team badly needs a motivational role player light up the fire under veteran's * and make them skate and push. getting through 1st and 2nd round of playoffs is not only about the talent, it's also about willingness to pay the price.

I don't like the wording "Original" in the sentence. let's keep original with 6 and if needed make something out for those 12, otherwise it'd be confusing which is in fact original. I'm not offended, I'm actually tired of the megalomania of many O6 fans who think their team is 2nd coming of Jesus Christ and everything outside the O6 is just pretenders to produce decent hockey. if you look at playoff results from recent years - those other un-original 6 have as much if not more success. and many of newer franchises are doing more than good job, often in much worse economy. mind you... I'd rather support Predators or Lightning with their solid job overall but limited history and fanbase, than Maple Laughs or Canadiens with their giant d* about their history and brutal product on the ice.

it was kinda funny first time, but I seriously think league will suspend the guy for this some day. they put a lot of effort to promote the game and gain media momentum and Tortorella is ruining it all.

not a good news but I can understand this decision

the goal was credited to another player. after the goal Zetterberg evantook the puck and brought it to that player (#43), but I no longer know that name. truth being said, Zatta is playing great, nevermind the scoresheets.

a short update... Flip just scored his 2nd in the game against Switzerland. both beauties from bad angles

Jeeeesus.... absolutely brutal goal to start US - Slovakia. Howard had no idea where the puck is and let it free for Granak to push into the net. bad turnover and very bad break for Jimmey