EDDIE :D

Eddie's the man tonight. Roberts too.

What did you guys think of the Varada hit on Sundin? I thought it was questionable, but not that big a deal. I'm a little surprised at how much talk it's getting after the game.

As much as I think Ottawa is the dirtiest team in the NHL, I dont think there was any intent on Varada's part to hurt Sundin.....Varada was coming hard....Sundin was circling pretty fast...and sometimes, thats what happens....very happy Mats wasn't hurt....

AND GARY ROBERTS IS THE BEST POWER FORWARD IN THE NHL TODAY..... :D

I completely agree.

:D

On a much more important note, Go Isles and Go Ricky!!!

There is nothing mediocre about Gary Roberts....the only way anyone would say that is if they havent seen him play in 10 years....

Fritz war!

Eddie is god :D

Varadas' hit did'nt look that bad....the cross check to the face of Marchment by Alfredsson looked worse.For someone who spoke out so much about the stick work in the NHL(and by the Leafs in particular)he yeilds that bad boy like a sword sometimes.

The Devils are finished. :(

We can only hope. :D

Yeah, but it was Marchment, so nobody cares ;)

Anyone who's even mildy surprised about the Sens sticking people in the face hasn't been paying attention. Chara's crosscheck/crosscheck/slash/crosscheck was par for the course as well. Nice to see the refs finally nail the Sens on a few diving calls, though.

Klayman, agreed, Bryan Marchement has long since abandoned any right to complain about cheap shots. He's a Leaf and I'll begrudgingly root for him, but he's the dirtiest player in NHL history.

How true. Well except for the Leaf part and you rooting for him. I don't really understand that cheering for the Maple Leafs thing you got going on, not that there is anything wrong with it mind you... :)

And dammit, where's our Shady Players?!? I tried playing a round by myself but it was just way too easy. I don't know how bbor finds it so challenging. :D

Not to mention Havlat kicking rather violently at Cairns earlier in the year and getting 1) no penalty and 2) the equivalent of no recess for one day.


Trust me, I saw him two seasons ago in the playoffs. And I don't want to see him again. Note the ":D" in my post.

;)

I'm curious to see what the reception will be like at the 'Dome tonight. Management caved into public pressure and opened the "upper" upper nosebleeds so it will be close to 20,000 tonight. It will be nice to see the C of Red back.

The players will have a hard time containing their emotions and I think Vancouver could pounce on them early. They've owned the Flames this year at the 'Dome.

It was funny hearing Matt Cooke saying Calgary fans won't be able to match Vancouver fans. Yeah, I guess we won't be beating them up outside the 'Dome like they did at GM Place.

This surprises me. Prior to reading this, I've only heard Pat Quinn call them a "dirty team." They can't be any dirtier than the Leafs, Devils, Avalanche, and Stars.

I am mildly surprised that anyone would take exception to anything that is done to Marchment. With his suspensions, and bad record anyway, there is little doubt that Marchment is indeed the dirtiest active player in the NHL. If something is done to him, it is a good bet that he did something to deserve it.

Matt Cooke is out of his mind. I'm not sure why he wants to pump up the Flames and their fans when the series is actually tied...but then again, he has not seemed like the smartest of hockey players this year.

"no recess for one day" =

TORONTO -- Ottawa Senators wing Martin Havlat was suspended for two games by the NHL on Friday for kicking New York Islanders defenseman Eric Cairns.

The suspension will cost him $16,667 in salary, and he will miss games against Washington on Saturday and Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

?????

Chara doesn't do anything that is not done by other players in the league during every game...especially the playoffs. In other games, they call this "being a dominant defenseman." I guess it all depends on what colors the guy is wearing, or what country he is from. Somebody playing like Chara but being from Alberta gets praise. There is no defenseman out there in the NHL that breaks more rules than Chris Pronger, but the praise almost never stops for that guy.

Doing it in front of your own net to clear the crease is being a dominant defenceman. Doing it in the neutral zone, off a faceoff, away from the puck when you're already short-handed is just an inexcusable brain cramp. I don't care where you're from, taking a penalty like that is just a brutal, selfish play.

Chara uses his stick behind the play as much as any defenceman you'll see, is too slow to use his size in the open ice, and he's also a noted diver (which works against him, since it kills his ability to intimidate when he's flopping on the ice every shift).

All that said, he's a top ten defenceman who's solid in his own end and better offensively than he gets credit for. I'd take him on my team in a second. I'm just trying to paint a realistic picture of what you get with this guy.

Go Predators :)

Their goalie is making some ridiculous saves, and they just put one in on a nice 3-on-2 to go up 3-1.

Kicking is about the dirtiest thing you can do in hockey short of McSorley and Bertuzzi. Had Cairns, a known "tough guy", kicked Havlat violently, he would have gotten at least 5, probably closer to 10.

Preds won, yay! I hate Detroit.

PISS OFF!

I love Game Threes. There's just something about them. Maybe it's because the home team crowd is fired up after watching their team get booed for the first two games, but the fans are usually ballistic for Game Three. I'm watching the Flames game now, and the place is going nuts. Same with Nashville and Montreal, and wait until tomorrow night's game in Ottawa.

Speaking of Nashville, is there any finer hockey playoff tradition than "The City That Doesn't Really 'Get' Hockey and Never Really Supported it's Team Very Well, Then Suddenly Gets Hockey Fever for One Playoff Run, Causing the Announcers to Pretend Hockey is Really Succeeding in That Market (With the Eventual Playoff Defeat Inevitably Followed By Another Season of Zero Fan Support)"?

The Panthers in 1996, the Ducks last year. It will never be done better than Carolina in 2002, but the Preds are trying. God bless them.

Maple Leafs: Nice comments. The only team that won't happen to is Columbus whenever they get there.

But yea', it was a great atmosphere in Nashville - here's hoping they bust the trend and continue their success and fan support.

I agree...Marchy is a dirty player...BUT...i think for the most part he is quite open about his dirtiness......It's guys like Alfie that complain about all the dirty shit then turn around and whack someones teeth out with their twig that pisses me off.

LOL....I bought NHL players from A to Z...anyone that's ever had a shift in the NHL....i'll throw up some shady's soon.

I'll try to do some Shady's tomorrow, although I can't guarantee I won't repeat most of the old ones.

What are "Shady Players"?

I've been switching back and forth between Giants/Padres and the Canucks/Flames game. What happened to Cloutier? I saw him being helped off but didn't see the play he got hurt on. Looked fairly serious, as he couldn't put pressure on his right leg.

Just saw it. He didn't get hit, but he folded his right leg under himself reacting to a potential shot. His knee might be in bad shape.

Smart move for Cloutier - isn't this a contract year? He's trying to keep his playoff stats respectable while he can.:D

Stars don't, and I wish I couldn't. :(

Dola,

you could shoot Marchment in the gut and it wouldn't be dirty. He is exempt from dirty play claims. If Alfredsson hits him over the head with a stick, or chops his face off with a clever, I would not have a problem with it.

First player listed alphabetically in the league. A.A

Born in the Czech republic.....drafted by Toronto by Hedberg/Fletcher.Led the AHL in scoring in 93-94 with 53 goals.Had a cup of coffee with the Caps before going home to Europe. P.A

Started his career as a FA signing for Boston.Scored 27 goals in 88-89 with Detroit.Eventually moved to N.J as compensation for Detroit signing Troy Crowder.Retired in 97 to coach in the IHL. D.B

Debuted in 86 as a goalie for the Winnipeg Jets.Played in tandem with Pokey Reddick,nicknamed "The Bandit" D.B

Scored 53 goals in his last year in JR.Drafted by Pittsburgh,played 10 seasons there,but more as a checker rather than scorer.Played on Lemieux wing for a few seasons.Won a cup in Pitt in 91.Also had stops in Buffalo,S.J,Dallas,Detroit and the Rangers.He is now a colour analyst with the Penguins. B.E

Vancouver draft choice in 92.Shut out the New Jersey Devils in his first NHL start.1 of only 18 Keepers to register a SO in his NHL debut. M.F

Good luck...some tough ones there...i think.

Tell us how you really feel :)

Ok. I have been to three games in Nashville and the atmosphere is ALWAYS great there. The place might not be packed, but the fans are more vocal and involved than the games I've been to in Detroit, D.C., Carolina, or Atlanta.

Tell me who else he has done it to. Doing it to Marchment does not count, for the very reason you agreed with.

Must be Aaron Asham.


Patrik Augusta?


This one was tricky for me... Dave Barr?


This one is easy. I actually saw him play this season in the ECHL. Daniel Berthiaume...


Now a color analyst with the Penguins... B.E.... I can only think of one guy with those initials anyway... Bob Errey.


Ah. I remember this kid well. I thought he was going to make a career out of it... Mike Fountain. Seems like he spent some time with the Flames organization, but I'll let you check the reference for me...

I don't think it's the answer, but just in case, Brian Engblom.

Nice job....but the 1st answer is'nt correct:)

The rest are bang on.

Anti Aalto?

Very curious to see how the fans react tommorow in Ottawa....During the regular season finale, Allferdsson was booed just like he was playing in Toronto...I know the tickets have been onsale a while, and Ottawa fans bought most of them up before Leaf fans knew they would be playing in it, but Im sure the Leaf fans that do manage to get there will be very vocal, and will drown out all the Go Sens Go chants....

GO LEAFS GO

Correct.

I am eager to see how the Leafs react once they are in Ottawa.

I have a feeling they will be better on the road where they don't need to put on a show for the fans.

I used to like Ohlund, but what was that? He boards Iginla, and then he doesn't throw a punch *UNTIL* the linesman has grabbed Iginla. Mighty brave there, Mattias, to let 'em loose when the other guy can't respond. You wanna board somebody, you need to drop the gloves, too.

Cloutier's injury is the best thing that could've happened for Vancouver's playoff hopes. Lets hope he's seriously injured, Hedburg is ten times the goalie Cloutier is.

um yeah, that's dithsgustin (ladies man style)

Damn...good game, good series. Wings got to get some more shots.

Darien Hatcher, my 7 year old nephew called. He wants to show you how to clear the zone the right way. The wall is your friend...use it.

I have stopped drinking for these games...too damn stressful.

Thankfully Iginla wasn't seriously hurt on that play.

We're really hurting now - Lydman apparently got concussed again by a cheapshot from Linden. I didn't see it but Sutter was alluding to it in the post game and people are talking about it. Simon, Warrener and Conroy all got banged up tonight and we sure are missing Yelle and McAmmond, neither of whom will be back.

The kids - Saprykin, Lombardi, Kobasew and Leopold - are really making the future look bright.

Hopefully we can push it to another home game.

Isn't Donavon one of your brighter prospects, too?

I'll give you the Leafs, and I'll give you half credit for the Devils, just because Colin White plays for them. But the Avs and Stars as dirty teams? huh?

yep

Hedberg? I don't see it.

Oh, come on. You haven't watched Forsberg punk people in the back of the head once per game? You haven't seen Morrow and his stickwork? Those two teams have redefined the art of going after guys away from the puck, and I only named two examples of guys who do it every game. Colin White is a real thug, but he isn't the only guy on the Devils who is looking to put the rulebook in the trash bin.

Shean Donovan was a prospect...in the mid-90s.

He is 29 years old and has played in 618 NHL regular season games.

I say it for two reasons:
1) Cloutier is never going to get it done. Ever. He's just a second or third-tier goalie and that's how it is. Those goalies don't win Stanley Cups unless the team in front of them is spectacular (see Chris Osgood with Detroit).
2) Hedberg played for the Manitoba Moose and I have a bit of bias in me for him. But he handles the puck much better than Cloutier and has always been a steady goaltender, even on bad Pittsburgh teams. I'm not saying he is for sure the goalie to take them all the way, but he has a better chance than Cloutier ever will.

EVERY team in the NHL has a guy like that - you can't call the whole team dirty for one or two players. Forsberg and Morrow fit that bill, but the rest of their team, in general, are not dirty.

now, if you are like the Leafs and Sens and have a whole team full of those types of players, you can call them dirty.

Well, you can add Bobby Clarke and Ken Hitchcock to the list. Of course, Clarke is pretty much in a kettle/black situation whenever he calls someone else dirty, but then again who has more expertise in dirty play than him?

The Leafs certainly have a handful of "dirty" players, but they also have some of the classiest guys in the league. Guys like Neuiwendyk, Francis, Sundin, Leetch and Mogilny are all about as squeaky clean as you'll find, so it's not fair to point to the whole team. The roster is an interesting mix, that's for sure.

well, Francis and Leetch have only been with the team a couple of months, not nearly long enough to cancel out the Tuckers, Marchments, & Domis. Corson is gone, which helps (and man, did he look atrocious in Game 1). you're right - an interesting mix.

Ok, so the Stars only have Morrow, Guerin, and Corson that are dirty players. Bill Guerin gets away with most of his stuff. I will never forget the way he went after his own teammate in Dallas with a stick to the face during a practice. I'd even throw Steve Ott into the mix with some of the things he has done this season.

I still say Ottawa is no dirtier than most teams in the league. They certainly aren't the 'dirtiest team in the league.' If they are, then it is a tie with a few other teams at the very least.

Don't forget to mention McCabe. I'm so disappointed with how he has turned into a thug. I used to like that guy, but he breaks the rules at every turn. He also bitches and moans about every single call, no matter how obvious it is. He's a punk.

As far as the Flyers throwing that out about any team, it is ALWAYS sour grapes when anybody associated with them says negative things about any other team. According to them, nobody can beat them fairly. If the Flyers ever lose, it is because the other team was dirty, the coach sucks, the goalie sucks, or some combination of that. When you have players like Brashear, Fedoruk, Primeau, and Roenick on the roster, you really shouldn't throw stones at anybody else.

I haven't seen it mentioned yet, but is anyone else completely pissed at the crap Ribeiro pulled last night? I can't believe the refs didn't give him a diving call after he got up and started laughing. What a jackass.

Yeah, we thought he was hurt pretty badly. I have no respect for that at all. I used to like him.

McCabe is dirty in the "bends and breaks the rules" sense, but he's not a guy who goes out looking to hurt people. He's the master of can opener and he does still yap too much, but he's not a Marchement type and never has been.

And yes, count me among those who lost all respect for Ribeiro last night. What a pathetic display.

we were driving at the time, so I haven't seen it, just heard it on the radio. the commentator was pretty vicious - really laying into him, even before it was obvious (I guess) that he wasn't hurt.

really impressed with the Canadian crowd booing the US National Anthem...

Don't mistake Montrealers for Canadians :D

Yeah, I don't know what is up with Montreal. It's hardly condoned in any other Canadian NHL rink.

Ive heard both anthems booed in both countries, and both anthems cheered in both countries....I think most fans are directing the boos towards their teams opponents, so I dont pay too much attention to it

le boooooo.

I tried a couple of times to explain logically and clearly how some people are here in Quebec, but then I can't understand how dumb these people are. They're the same people that booed Patrice Brisebois night after night during, what?, 4 or 5 years, even when he was our best blueliner, and they're probably the same people that'll vote "yes" at the next referendum because some dudes said that "Les Anglais" were nasty to the french 200 years ago. And they're the same pople that think that their freedom of speech outweighs everything else...even if an arena, before a hockey game, is never the right place to make a political statement, especially one as poor as booing a national anthem.

Anyway here's a sample of what people that booed the anthem are saying on talkbacks today :

When Brisebois was gracoiusly granted a week of "personal time" by Canadiens management, didn't he hop on a plane for Paris to live it up for like a month?

I don't know about "living it up", but he got a week to get away from the nightmare Montreal was turning into for him, and stayed a week. IMO, that was the thing to do for him, but it didn't need a genius to know that things would be 10X worst than before if word got out about his trip.

EDDIE EDDIE

What a goal by Mats Sundin....What effort.....That goal is the difference between Mats, and Alfredsson......Alfredsson isnt capable of that.....

Belfour has gotten into the Sens heads
:D

Even funnier is a few years ago when the franchise was in trouble an American saved their @ss....George Gillette owns the Habs now.

How does he feel?

Stars FINALLY play like men, and happen to win, also.

Those Sharks, so hot right now, Sharks (in the same voice as Will Ferrell in Zoolander)

they did play well. the Avs still should have won the game.

you can't play an entire period just sitting back like that; you are going to get burned. After the Avs went up 3-1, I mentioned to my wife how happy I was that they were still playing aggressive and not sitting back, and things were looking GREAT. Then, after Young made it a one-goal game, the Avs played the entire 3rd period with 4 guys back. I knew it would just be a matter of time before Dallas tied it up.

the Avs have done that ALL season long and it's a major reason they had so many ties; they'd get an early lead and instead of keeping the pressure on, they'd sit back and wait, and it often cost them.

fuck that pisses me off.

Well, I still think it's the Avs series, but I'm just happy to see the Stars try. The lack of effort up until game 3 made me sick to my stomach.

I agree on all counts.

Paging Peter Bondra... apparently, Mr. Bondra, you were traded to Ottawa six weeks ago. They were wondering if you might like to drop by any time now.

And if you see Bill Guerin, tell him that the people of Dallas wouldn't mind him showing up for a certain series, either.

Ping Redwings....

The play-offs have started.

What an ending to the Bruins-Canadians game.

What in the hell was Kovalev doing?!

I don't know, but it was pretty funny. :)

Apparently the ref's aren't too worried about Canadien players acting as if they're hurt anymore, wonder why that could be...

In all honesty though, what a way to lose, on a play that should have been an *obvious* penalty for slashing, 2 Canadiens rumbling, bumbling then stumbling, all after giving up the lead with 30 seconds to go.

Fork in them yet? I just can't see them coming back after tonight.

Gee, Kovalev really seemed I hurt. I wonder why they didn't whistle that play down...

Yep... I wonder...

Still doesn't make it right though...

Kovalev got what he deserved. He's spent his whole career embalishing infractions and trying to get calls. In the playoffs, in overtime, they could chop a guys arm off and if he's the last guy back with the puck he should still try to make a play on it. Kovalev made the grand "oww, my hand!" gesture, stupidly knocked his own teammate, and payed for it. Add in the Ribeiro incident the game before and this is called Karma. Goodbye Canadiens, see ya in 2006.

Blame Riberio, his fault in my opinion, what he did was wrong....im glad it ended up hurting them

Ouch!

I would not let Kovalev put on the Habs' sweater again the rest of his life. I'd have private investigators trying to determine if he was paid to throw the game. Kick his ass to the curb. Kovalev is a loser and yet another highly touted, and overpaid, player that will never live up to this potential.

It is not Ribiero's fault. Kovalev has a reputation for faking injury, and this was a point Hockey Night In Canada made many times over the past 48+ hours. They were talking about how Kovalev rarely can draw a call when they were talking about Ribiero. You just got to see it in action tonight.

In Kovalev's defense, it appeared that he was caught by suprise when he got hit by Souray. They showed a couple angles of the play and the close up did seem to show Kovalevs face pretty well.

But, I think he let his team and the fans down when he curled up like a baby and let the puck go in his own zone. Not NHL playoff material anymore.

Shhh....

Don't tell them that. Maybe we should try to convince them it's still the regular season. They play better then.

Go Tomas, he of the awesome goaltending which helped lead my fantasy team along with Turco and Weekes.

SI

He led them to defeat at the hands of the mighty Belgos! As he will do so against the Wings! (we hope)

Does Turco have money on the Avs or something?

Damn...someone woke up the Sens....they totally dominated tonight...Leafs without Sunding and Newy just are'nt the same team.

Go figure.

I still stand by my prediction of Sens in 6.

Simon and Lydman are lost for the series. :( It's been a war for anyone who hasn't been watching; I'd say definitely the most physical series. Whichever team comes out of this round is going to be hurting in a big way.

Thankfully Yelle is back, even though he's not at 100%. Non-hockey people don't understand his immense value to the team. It's really shocking that Colorado gave him up.

Peter Maher, the voice of the Flames, was mentioning today how statistically the winner of Game 5 usually goes on to win the series.

Time for a road win... ;)

it's balanced by the fact that the refs and Granato have money on the Stars.

my heart can't take this...the Avs should be finishing up a sweep tonight. Instead, they take 2 consecutive 3rd periods off, and now they could be looking at 2-2.