Okay, so the NHL playoffs start tomorrow, so who’s going to make the finals and win it all?
Also, Pat Quinn got fired this morning. The right move?
Well I have to go with my Red Wings to win it all.
As far as who they are going to play from the East? That’s kind of a crap shoot. I don’t know if Ottawa’s goaltending can carry them that far without the ‘Dominator’ (said in an Austrian accent, of course). Carolina had a good season, but having hardly seen them play, I have no clue if they have the grit to take it all the way. New Jersey has been pretty hot the last 20 games or so. I’m liking their chances to win the East.
I didn’t know Quinn got fired this morning. Whether or not it’s the right thing to do, they needed a major change of some sort. They were/are very stale as an organization. I still think more changes are going to take place during the off season (player-wise).
I think Quinn is a decent coach and I don’t think he will be out of work for long. Who knows? If Crawford gets the axe, or steps down, Quinn back in Vancouver? If not, possibly LA?
With the Canucks out of the picture, I’ve finally settled on San Jose as the bandwagon to jump on.
Quinn needs to go coach in a minor league team. He thinks the game hasn’t changed since the time he played.
Wings goaltending is iffy and they have too many old guys that won’t be able to withstand the rigors of the playoffs. The Flames, a team Sutter said was “constructed for the playoffs” from opening day, reach the final again.
As for the East, even without Hasek, the Sens have just tooo much talent and can still win if they have to score five or six.
I think Quinn can still coach in the NHL. He just had such a patchwork team, with all these injury-prone guys and young call-ups. They were picked not to make the playoffs at the start of the year so why are so many people surprised it actually happened?
I totally agree that the Wings goaltending is iffy. I don’t think they have a definite #1 settled on. Platooning can work in the regular season, but in the playoffs you need a ‘go to’ guy. As for them being old…they were old when the won against Carolina in 2002. New blood on the team has seemed to revitalize their attitude. I can’t go against them…I’ve been a die-hard for too damn long.
I was not surprised to see the Leafs miss the playoffs. I wasn’t aware that that was how they were predicted to finish, but whoever said that, good for them.
The Toronto Sports Network (TSN) are in too tight with the Leafs and everything gets blown out of proportion, wins and losses. I think there was 3 games left and they were 6 or so points out and TSN would hype up the next Leafs game as the “one to keep them in the hunt”. They had no shot. When it was final, they were like “What happened? We were right there.”
Hey, sticking to the Wings is as good a bet as any; they probably have the most talent (or right there with Ottawa). I’m just thinking about Kipper and the way the Flames can grind teams down. Still, a Detroit-Ottawa final would be terrific hockey!
Yeah, TSN’s bias towards the Leafs is brutal. You’ll notice how it was only on their games, on Sportscentre, that the show went to its panel on! Normally, the panel is used for trades and issues that arise, but the Leafs are sooo important that they started analyzing each of their last several games,
CBC’s not so great either. It was shameful that they chose to run the Leafs-Lightning game nationally instead of the Habs-Rangers game when Bernie Geoffrion’s number was being retired - especially when the guy died that morning. An executive decision should have been made, if not in honor of Geoffrion, because it’s just a better game!
Yeah I remeber that. That was really bad. Leafs v. Lightning is never a good game regardless of the situation.
I totally hear what you guys are saying, and that’s why I like Sportsnet, because it’s a little more local.
Like, on TSN, they’ll show highlights from the Marlies, the Petes, the Knights, the Oceanic… but highlights from the Giants, the Rockets, the Cougars, the Hitmen? Never.
The Sharks will win it all.
All aboard the CheeChoo Train, next Stop. Nashville. Final Destination: The Stanley Cup Finals.
Chugga Chugga Choo Choo Bitches.
One of the greatest moments from the Sharks vs Canucks game I went to, was when the 6 guys sitting next to me in my row all fingered Cheechoo when he was by the glass, and Cheechoo stuck his tongue out at them.
The playoffs are done for me, my team is out, I’m no longer paying any attention to hockey, but if I had to cheer for a team, it would be the Sharks or the Flames.
[quote=“smartass”]
The playoffs are done for me, my team is out, I’m no longer paying any attention to hockey, but if I had to cheer for a team, it would be the Sharks or the Flames.[/quote]
So you’re not a fan of the hockey game, just a fan of a weird colour jersey with some kind of killerwhale on it.
I’m still a fan of the game, but I just can’t get into watching another team 
I can see the east being a battle between the Quebec Nordiques and the Hartford Whalers.
?
Going for Calgary now…
The Nordiques are in the West.
Now that Crawford’s gone from Vancouver, here’s a cool idea: Bring back Ted Nolan!
Hear hear! It’s sad that Ted Nolan does not already have a job in the NHL. Wasn’t he Coach of the Year when the Sabres let him go? If he wasn’t, he couldn’t have been that far removed from it.
Good idea.
You are so right! He would be great for the Nucks! He was fired for no reason as far as I could remember. Didn’t he take the sabres to the cup also that year?