How did you become a Philly fan and not a Pitt fan (in at least baseball and hockey)?

My father was born and lived about 45 minutes outside of Philly. So growing up I rooted for every team that he did.

I stayed loyal to my teams. Plus it is a cool bond that my father and I share.

Some days I hope my son is the same way and some days I hope he isn't.

Through good times and bad with the teams, I wouldn't change it for the world. Taking my dad to the World Series game in 2008 and the Stanley Cup Finals game last year are two of my most cherished memories.

Sad story about Michael Leighton. As I said before, I think it was unfair of Lavy to put him in the situation that he did.

The Delaware County Daily Times Blogs: In The Room with Anthony SanFilippo: DID LEIGHTON GO AWOL?

Wow, the Canucks had a TON of heat on the Hawks there but still 1-0 score with a period to play.

I agree. I don't think Philly can do it again against a more talented team than the Sabres in terms of the goal-tending management.

What an effort by Toews.

Short-handed goal with 2 minutes to go ... pretty exquisite pain for Vancouver if they do end up losing tonight.

Sounds awesome. My father has no interest in sports (aside from racing), so I don't have these kind of moments.

If youre not watching this game 7, youre not a fan.

Fuck sleep.

That goal was sick.

But, its not gonna be enough. Nucks take this in OT. I just hope its not a cheapie.

I don't know. The way Crawford's playing, it may very well be a cheapie that wins it because he's stopping anything else right now, including "insanely difficult".

Love this game! Love Toews! Go Hawks! Suck it Canucks!

Come on Chicago. Score on this PP.

Sharks would like redemption.

Boo. Boo-urns.

Wow. A really lousy give-away there. It seemed like it was going to happen, though. Chicago had a lot of really horrid giveaways during the game and Crawford bailed them out time after time until that last one.

Tough way to lose the series. Congrats to Vancouver though, hope they go all the way. Deserve a Championship.

Hmph.

Prob gonna lose to the Preds in the next series. If theres a +200 series ML than Im all over it.

So pulling your goalie on a delayed penalty is classless when done with 30 seconds remaining, but taking the slashing call with 30 seconds left that allows the opponent to pull their goalie, perfectly acceptable? Got it.


Pittsburgh gets labeled as having little man's disease and constantly comparing itself to Philly. It's cute someone from Buffalo wants to compare their city to Pittsburgh.

Brainwashing? We've always just referred to it as winning here, but call it what you want.

I know Brian takes shit for being a Philly fan here, but as he said, it's unwavering support. Pittsburghers will (reluctantly) respect that.

I am a Toews critic...not so much him, but the way he got pumped up by TSN as a top 3 player after last season.

But that was HUGE!

Having lived in Vancouver for 6 years at one point in my life, I hope the Canucks never win a championship. Their fan base is insufferable. They have the psychosis of being stuck in this tiny space between the mountains and the ocean. As a result, they believe anyone and anything outside of this space is against them including the NHL league office and the 'eastern' media. It's so incredibly annoying to hear them complain in their conspiracy-like way. I'd love to see the Preds take them out.

Seriously, if yer going to open your mouth at least have a clue about the game. Slashing calls get called at the drop of a hat (especially in this series) the penalties were given, they had a power play coming anyway.

Yes, when your team is up 3 with 30 seconds left it IS classless to pull your goalie. You already have the call there is no need for another goal or another player on the ice in a situation already volatile due to the way this series was played. There was enough chippiness to last the rest of the playoffs.

As for the Pitts and what gets called respect, we'll have to agree to disagree. I've lived on the receiving end of their "respect" most of my life. I grew up in PA. I've enjoyed so much "respect" it makes me giddy inside.

But isn't a championship the single best way to shut them all up? They can't cry conspiracy if they finally win one?

I think you are proving who doesn't have a clue about the game.

Teams pull their goalies and replace with an extra attacker, every possible time. Regardless of score, time remaining and situation. Watch more games.

Why isn't in classless to commit a penalty with 30 seconds left? If Buffalo is deciding they are still competing with 30 seconds remaining, Philly should stop?

Vancouver/Chicago game was unbelievable. Belongs in the discussion for best series of all-time.

With 30 seconds to go I'd be telling my players to keep their asses healthy, not push anything and dump the fucking puck. if they can't do that for 30 seconds to get out of the game quicker and move along then somethings wrong.

The game was already over, obviously the Sabres are going to keep trying, but Philly had the game, they had no reason to try adding another score other than to rub it in. Cirrillo (sp?) already showed just how they can be before this anyway with his oh so "classy" taunting move in front of the Sabres bench. He's lucky the ref tossed his worthless ass. Gerbe woulda owned him. LOL

I told myself I was not going to respond, but I just can't hold back any longer. You preach class...YET...your team is slashing the hand of a player who just came back from a broken hand. So I don't care if you think it is classless for the Flyers to pull their goal because frankly, I think you are acting like a huge baby. You refuse to admit that your team did anything wrong in this matter.

So yes I am glad the Flyers pulled their goalie to add the extra attacker and I wish they would have put up 3 more goals on the Sabers to bury them. This is professional sports, this isn't Pee-Wee hockey. These guys are grown men who do this for a living and if they want to stop the barrage of goals being scored against them, then play some defense.

Tell me what the need was for Pronger (who is coming back from a broken hand) to get slashed in the Flyers' offensive zone, down 4 goals with a minute to go in the game? Can you give me an intelligent answer, other than blaming the refs. Then what was the need to get ANOTHER slashing call with 20 seconds left in the game. Think there was any chance of intent to injure there? Of course not because your saintly Buffalo Sabers would never do anything classless like that.

So yes I am sure how you are going to go on a rant about how the refs gave the series to the Flyers, but it doesn't erase the fact that your team had two chances to close out the series and didn't. You were up 2 goals, twice in Game 6, and blew it. And never showed up in Game 7. In Game 5 (and 6 for that mattter), you had the forturne of facing two goalies who had probably the worst two 1st periods in the history of playoff hockey, yet hung on to win in OT.

Get a grip and open your eyes. Think before you spew off on your higher than mighty bull crap because you are giving the Buffalo fans in this thread that I enjoyed talking about the series with, a bad name.

Of course, I'm giving everyone a bad name, why? because I don't cowtow to the thugs fron philly?

if Pronger is hurting wtf is he doing on teh ice with 30 seconds to play anyway?

You're whining about a call that happens ALL the time in the games. most of the time they don't even call it.

Lets remember too, there were TWO slashing calls, only one on Pronger, so your "intent to injure" commentary is just wishful thinking. You seem to think anyone gives a flying shit about washed up Chris Pronger. He meant nothing to this game or the series. So again, the intent to injure path is a big fat fail on your part.

I'm not blaming the refs for anything. I blame Philly completely for INTENTIONALLY injuring two players and damn near a third.

Again you apparently didn't pay much attention, we WON game 5, we sucked up and blew it in game 6 and no-showed in game 7.

Again, as you did last night, you try and make out like your band of "bullies" as they like to be called did nothing but play pristine hockey.

I'm just not rolling over and saying "good game" to a bunch of sore winners.

They went 7 games against a team from Buffalo that probably shouldn't have been there at all based on pure talent level. They damned near LOST to them on top of it.

You got nothing to be squawking about. If I were a Flyers fan I'd be shitting my pants that we had to throw everything we had at a team we should have swept if not for their goaltender.

Grow some fucking humility.

I agree completely.

I was so excited after last night's game that first thing this morning I gave my wife a entire recap of the entire series, the last two playoffs between Chicago/Vancouver and everything that happened last night while she just stared blankly at me. I even went on a tangent about Dallas and Minnesota to set the series up for her.

Washed up Chris Pronger? Wow that is really funny, you sir really have zero clue. Plus you just justified the slashing calls by saying he shouldn't be on the ice. Again, just showing another idiotic double standard.

Let's throw in another classic RendeR double standard, Philly was intentionally trying to injure Buffalo players, but it was clear that either slashing was not an intent to injure by Buffalo.

You sir are a classic homer fan that only sees what he wants to see. If you happened to read any of the other posts in this thread, you would have seen that I said If Richards got suspended for that hit on Connolly I wouldn't have a beef with it. But I am sure you glossed right over that.

Shitting my pants? Let's see, Ryan Miller played two terrific games and won them single handedly 1-0, and the other loss was a game where the Flyers survived 3 horrible weak goals, and some how still had a chance to win that game. I knew if they got any semblance of average goaltending they would win game 7.

I never once said the Flyers were pristine, I merely am pointing out the fact that your team is no band of saints, to which you have some problem admitting it. So forgive me if I fail, to have sympathy for you while you change your tune between whining about the Flyers pulling their goalie to now calling them a band of thugs.

You mean like opponents pulling their goalies on delayed penalties occurs every single game?


You do realize on the Ennis slash, he took the penalty to prevent an ENG? Buffalo obviously is still playing the game. They don't want to give up an ENG? Don't pull the goalie. Down 3 with a minute left, it's OK for Buffalo to play hard, but Philly should just run out the clock, because it might hurt someone's feelings?

But we are the clueless ones in this thread.

Will the Bruins collapse again tonight? Yes/no?

What a useless twat.

I swear I'm referring to Wade Redden.

As an outsider, that has been a great series, a little bit of everything. I learned not to doubt MTL last season, I thought the Pens would walk over them in the playoffs.

I am too emotionally invested in PIT-TB to feel the same way.

I switched to the Boston/Montreal game because this game was pretty much over, but you're complaining about Philly pulling the goalie on a delayed penalty call? Really?

I don't care what the score is in a game, teams always pull their goalie when there is a delayed penalty. Always.

You're a very sensitive boy.

I was playing hockey last night during the CHI/VAN game and from the bench we could barely see the TV in the lounge upstairs. From time to time somebody from the lounge would wander over to the window overlooking our rink and he'd sign us the score.

I almost broke my stick when we figured out who had won.

I hate Canucks' fans.

I don't really know any Canucks' fans, but I will definitely take your guys' word for it.

Maybe because of that, I was happy to see them win. I don't like Chicago and didn't want to see them win. The only reason I was ok with them making the post-season at all was because I figured that a first round Vancouver/Chicago match-up would be excellent. It was.

Chicago did exactly what I asked of them, entertain me in the first round, and now they can take the rest of the year off.

I was at one of the last Oilers' games this season where we, the last place team, blanked the best team in the league. During both intermissions I witnessed a group of Canucks' fans who walked up to every Oilers jersey wearing fan they could find and taunted him or her by tugging on their jersey and yelling "YOU SUCK!". It wasn't just one incident, they did it to EVERYONE they saw. WTF?

First of all, you just got beat at home a few nights earlier...BY THE WORST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE. And you were losing, and eventually got shutout, BY THE WORST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE. Lastly, you're in the Oilers' barn, show some respect for crying out loud. I mean Flames' fans aren't even that disrespectful.

And yelling "LOU" every time Luongo touches the puck is rather lame.

I really thought the B's played well enough to win last night. I mean giving up 5on3 goals against such a skilled team is going to happen, and Price continues to impress me. Despite the lack of discipline, the B's still had chances to bring the game to OT.

I try to stay clear of all the hits from behind 'controversies,' but was Lucic's hit last night really worthy of a game misconduct? I ask in all seriousness, I've seen some vicious hits by the Bruins that have been no more than 2 min penalties. So I was pretty floored when he was shown the door.


But to answer your question, no...B's win 4-2; and Chara breaks someone's leg with a slap shot. :p

I'll have to take your word for it because I was on a flight and missed the entire game. If Boston does lose again tonight, there's no way Julien keeps his job. No way.

I'll agree with Sublime.

5-on-5, Boston carried the play. Boston just couldn't beat Price.

The one time they had an open net, Marchand flubbed it. Probably lost track of the puck when his nose got in his sight line. :)

Jason Pominville, the player who threw his stuff off and skated quickly off in Game 5 in Philly, has a sliced tendon. Guess he is out 4-to-6 months. As much as he can drive me a little nuts (mainly due to the money he is earning), he was a big loss.

Gee...I missed the last 5 minutes of the game and I must of missed some great action. And yes, if a team has a delayed penalty in their favor, you always pull the goalie, regardless of the score or situation. It's hockey 101. I would love to have Chris Pronger. I'd rather have him over Chara. We got Myers, but he's still very young and needs to fill out. I do like how he seem to step up his physical play this series. First time he seems to really to play with an edge.


BTW, would it be too early to start a NHL off-season thread for those out?

Good question. We should probably ask the experts:

Maple Leafs, bbor, thoughts?

Part of me wants TB because I don't want to hear, provided Boston wins, the endless cum-fest of the WSH/PITT, Crosby/Oveckie series.

:p

I think next year will be finally be the year for Toronto.

I don't want to jump into the middle of an arguement but.....it is 100 percent common for a team to pull the goalie on a delayed penalty regardless of score or time left in the game.

It is not classless in my opinion it is just part of the game that everyone takes for granted.

Playoffs at least.....i hope