Usain Bolt, olympic champion and fastest sprinter in the world, was hospitalized after a car crash in Jamaica. Luckily, he is fine and was not seriously injured. He did drop out of a track meet that he was scheduled for this weekend due to "minor injuries."
I don't know about you, but it seems to be fairly dangerous driving in Jamaica. Whether it be the weather, road maintenance or Jamaican drivers in general I don't know. I can tell you that I was recently in Jamaica on vacation, and lets just say that the ride to and from the resort was an hour of high octane driving whereas I was out of breath upon arrival. And earlier this month, Vancouver Canuck hockey player, Taylor Pyatt, sadly lost his fiance in a car crash while she was vacationing in Jamaica. Extremely sad stuff. Glad to hear that Usain is alright.
Beyond Game 1, the Rangers simply couldn't finish, the series nor the individual chances. To start Game 7, Avery with a great chance plus a rebound, nothing goes. An Antropov breakaway in the first five minutes, but he doesn't bury it. So what if he scored four minutes later. That goal should have been his second of the period, giving the Rangers a 2-0 lead. Those are the important early chances I was talking about. Fast-forward to the Federov goal and there is your series. I don't fault Lundqvist one bit for the Federov goal, in fact, The King played tremendous. The diving glove save and kicking blade save were two of his best ever. The Federov shot was a snipe which shouldn't even have left his stick if Redden hadn't played conservative with him. I have no problem with Redden backing off as Federov was streaking, but once he stops short, Redden needs to pop forward and get a stick on it, instead he sat back lazily and allowed Federov to shoot. Come on Wade.
But this game honestly could have gone either way. If Antropov scores the breakaway and the Capitals first goal doesn't pinball into the net, then Federov's goal cuts the Rangers lead to 2-1. But, for obvious reasons, you can't look back and say what-if, so we will leave it at that.
The Rangers have numerous off-season moves to decide upon. In my opinion (while keeping the salary cap in mind although I'm not doing the math):
Goodbye: Don’t re-sign Morris, Mara, Voros or Zherdev
Keeping: Sign Sjostrom, Betts, Dubinsky, Callahan, Orr, Korpikoski and Valiquette
Offering: Offer Antroprov a decent contract but not a huge amount and see if he bites. I doubt he will, so let him go (which is okay because they need some cash to sign Staal whose entry level contract I think ends after next season)
Needing:The major off-season task is to get a pure goal scorer. This will be almost impossible because of the Drury, Gomez and Redden contracts.
Solution:To solve the money issue, buyout Redden’s contract (if Mr. Dolan allows it) and use that money to make a run at Kovalchuk who is a free agent (I would think he'd love the limelight of playing in NY). Backup plan is Havlat or Gaborik (I would say one Sedin twin but I doubt they will break themselves up and we can’t afford both)
So here is my lineup for the first regular season game of 2009-2010, keep in mind that 3 spots will be determined in training camp:
FORWARDS 1) Kovalchuk/Gaborik/Havlat-Gomez-Callahan 2) Avery-Dubinsky-Anisimov (I know he is a center, but doesn't he seem like an Antropov-type?) 3) Korpikoski-Drury-Minor leaguer who makes team (Byers / Bell / Pyatt / Parenteau / Grachev) 4) Sjostrom-Betts-Orr
DEFENSE (we should be in good shape with all the young talent) 1) Staal-Girardi 2) Rozsival-Minor leaguer who makes team (Gilroy / Sanguinetti / Potter / Sauer / Fahey / Del Zotto) 3) Mara (keep'um if Redden is bought out)-Minor leaguer who makes team (Gilroy / Sanguinetti / Potter / Sauer / Fahey / Del Zotto)
Like I said, this is all dependent on money, and although I think this may work financially, a guy like Kovalchuk will cost a ton of dough. So I'm not so sure that he is the best move, nor the smartest. But I do know one thing for sure, all you Rangers fans out there undoubtedly feel deflated and want more blueshirts hockey today, but you can't feel as empty as Devils fans. On the last two goals, I guess Marty was just drained from such a long season of carrying the team on his shoulders. Oh wait, I forgot he only played in 31 games this year.
More later or tomorrow...most likely on the exciting world outside hockey...
Would it be so horrible if the Rangers got an early lead? I can see it now, the Verizon Center crowd sitting silently stunned from the quick first period start by the visiting team. Why do I feel like I am writing a fictional fairy tale? Well it may just come true, but only if 2 things happen. First - Tortorella follows through with his original game plan when he came to The Big Apple of pressure-pressure-pressure on the forecheck. The team has significantly fallen away from that mentality. If they can get back to that in Game 7, then it could stun the Capitals who haven't seen that type of play from the Rangers in the series. Second - The Rangers have to finish on all or most of their opportunities, and not only in the second half of the game. They need to bury that first chance that comes in the initial 5 minutes (ok Nik?). They need to put the Capitals lousy defense on their heals and score their chances using authority. That means none of Scott Gomez or Wade Redden wussified flippy shots at the net that are meant for deflections instead of goals.
So tonight Game 7 commences and the NHL's first round across the league will come to an end. From all indications, it sounds like Anisimov will be in the lineup. Don't expect much from him, it is only his 2nd NHL game ever. But we should still hold him at a high standard. He had 37 goals in the minors this season, so if he is the one who gets the point blank chance in the first 5 minutes, then he NEEDS to bury it. That is how you win game 7s, you score when you have the chance, and every single Ranger who touches the ice is responsible for that.
Game 7 - Rangers vs Capitals @ 7pm Tonight. Here we go. On a side note, can you believe the San Jose Sharks? What a mess.
Donald Brashear received a 6-game suspension. 1 game for the contact with Orr in the warmups and 5 more games for the hit delivered to Betts. It doesn't sound like there is enough video evidence to suspend a Capitals player for the bite to Dubinsky.
An initial report on ESPN stated that Donald Brashear AND Mike Green were being suspended for Game 7. ESPN then retracted the statement saying that there is a hearing with the league today at 1PM for both players. We know why Brashear is being summoned. But why Mike Green? Could he have been the one that took a bite out of Dubinsky's hand instead of Shaone Morrisonn? More to come later...
It was simply a horrific display of hockey from the Rangers this weekend. They were two huge games, and an even bigger one is on the horizon. The Rangers blew the series lead. Lets just remember that. They blew the series lead, not the series.
The potential suspensions are something to talk about. Clearly the hit from Brashear will result in a suspension. The picture here clearly shows elbow to head. He should get 2 games, one for this hit and one for the contact he initiated with Orr in the pregame warmup. I'm leaving it at that. Although losing Betts, which sounds like it will be the case for Game 7, is a massive blow to the team. Now to the biting incident on Dubinsky by Morrisonn. This should be another suspension given the precedent with Ruutu earlier this season. The question here is whether there is video evidence. If not, then this won't result in a suspension. I will keep you updated if I hear any news on this today.
My take on Game 7 is this: The Rangers need something to light a fire under them. And maybe that something is someone. The team has called up rookie minor league all-star Artem Anisimov, likely since Betts is a no-go for Game 7. Talk about throwing a kid into the fire.
Maybe this will spark the team. If this kid can go out with some jump in his step, something no Ranger has done except for Ryan Callahan, then maybe it will be contagious, for one game at least.
Lundqvist will obviously need to be much better too, but that really isn't the team's problem. It's everything in front of him. The defense has a ton of holes and the offense has no game. That was a concern voiced here before Game 1. Then everything seemed to come together. Our defense was stellar and our offense put 4 goals on the board. Now granted Theodore was a disaster in that game, but if I remember correctly, we had a boatload of offensive opportunities, which hasn't happened in a game since. So if the team can gather the energy to actually put forth a defensive and offensive effort, then they will take Game 7 tomorrow night. Oh, and maybe some suspensions will help too.
Tonight is the 5th edition of Washington vs New York, and absolutely no one has any idea who the winning team will be. The Hasty would love to make a prediction, but I can't honestly say much more then what you see in the picture, Lundqvist owns Ovechkin so far. The winner of tonight's game will be the Rangers if Lundqvist stands on his head and stonewalls AO. If Alex buries a few, then I don't see how the Caps could lose. You may be asking, what if the Rangers offense ignites and outscores Ovechkin? Not going to happen. If Semin or Backstrom hit the scoreboard tonight then maybe we can counter that. But if Alex does, I think that is too much for the Rangers to overcome from a mental and physical standpoint.
It sounds like Avery is a go for tonight. From what I've read, Tortorella was asked point blank this morning if he intended to bench Avery, and his response slipped at first as he said "No." Although he retracted a bit in saying his lineups will be whatever they are at the puck drop, I think it's pretty clear that Sean will be in. I also think there is a very good chance that he has his best game of the series. Lets face it, this guy is due for some points, if not goals. Don't be surprised if he comes out flying.
But, once again, tonight it's about Lundqvist vs Ovechkin. What a matchup. Not even Sean's antics can get in the way of this. Nor can another playoff game on the tube -- this bout is the only game on the schedule tonight across the NHL. The spotlight is solely on these two men. And thus far in the series it has been Alexander The Great glaring up at The King on his throne.
Come on Sean. Those two penalties in the 3rd period in that type of playoff situation were probably the most selfish I've ever seen. I doubt Tortorella will bench Avery for Game 5 and you know Rangers fans will continue to cheer him tiredly (and deservedly so for now), but he messed up big time last night in the last ten minutes. He was very fortunate that a tying goal did not come during one of those two penalties because, if it had, it could have been a series swinger. But it didn't, so in my view, we proceed to Game 5 with The King leading the way and Avery as much a part of this team as ever. Avery gets his one break, his one "as-a-fan-I'll-let-it-slide". But if he is undisciplined again, at least in this series, I think he should sit a game out. I'm sure Tortorella has already discussed this with him, so Avery knows he is on the shortest of all leashes. Although, I wonder if the leash has broke in Colin Campbell's eyes. There's certainly a chance that the second penalty results in a one game suspension and undoubtedly Campbell is reviewing the tape today. Quite honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if a suspension is handed down given the dicey Avery-Campbell history. If there's any news on that front, I'll have it for you here.
On to Drury. When I saw him take that shot, the first one, as the puck fluttered through the air no quicker towards Varalmov then a curling shot, I asked myself why he's even on the ice. But when Varalmov juggled the puck and the rebound was put home by Chris himself, it was amazing. Now I'm not ready to anoint him "Captain Clutch" status just yet, but I can say that he showed guts, and certainly this is something for the team to eat up going forward. Nice job Chris. And nice job getting Mr. Gilroy to commit to the Rangers (on top of the $3.5 million). Here are two quotes from Matt's press conference last night (the second quote is pretty good stuff):
On Drury calling him during and after the BU season: "He talked about what it was like being a Ranger, where he's been. He told me, 'Matty, I've been all over the NHL, different cities. There's nothing like being a New York Ranger." On the reason for his late development vs his peers that were drafted years ago: "Those kids are more physically mature than me. The reason why is I'm such a late bloomer. I didn't hit puberty until I was 18 years old. I still don't shave. I'm 24. It's embarrassing."
Those are some great quotes. Definition of a late bloomer: Since 2003, the year he was eligible for the draft, Gilroy has grown six inches and added nearly 100 pounds.
The Hasty isn’t sure if you guys have been watching the NHL playoff coverage on Versus, but they have recently brought a new "on-ice" reporter onboard. Her name is Lindsay Soto. Lets just say she actually knows her stuff and clearly does her homework before games. Oh, and did I mention that she is REALLY…um…well just have a look yourself, which I’m sure you already have. Is she Hasty top 5 material? Only time will tell. But this video from last night's game may have an effect.
In other more pressing news, Game 4 is tonight, and it goes without saying how big this game is for both teams. The Capitals are still in trouble, but they were going into Game 3 as well, and if they play at that tempo again, then this series most likely will be tied up heading back to the D.C. The Rangers lines almost certainly won't be confirmed until the pre-game warmups. It should be interesting to see what Tortorella does with Drury in terms of his spot in the lines and his ice time, but he did announce this morning that Drury will indeed be in the lineup tonight.
One last thing, I saw this amazing video yesterday of Ovechkin and Green. And lets just say this, Ovechkin is definitely still a kid at heart...
I can tell you first hand, last night was one of the loudest atmospheres at the Garden that I've every been a part of. At first I planned on posting a retraction of my previous article that the thundersticks were a rather lame handout for a raucous fan base that didn't need "noise boosters". But as you can see in the picture, the neon blue illumination was pretty sick and actually made for a neat spectacle when the lights dimmed and the intro began. But it was all downhill from there. By the time the game ended, the thundersticks were clearly the wrong handout but for different reasons than originally thought. Angered fans were tossing the neon insert detached from the actual stick onto the ice. Granted the meteor shower did look exotic, along with glowing blue fragments on the ice, but this is not what we want to portray as a fanbase to national television. Bad call on the fans and bad call on the PR staff.
And speaking of bad calls, those refs were horrific. I'm going to say this once, I understand Sean has a debilitating reputation amongst officials, but he has matured (slightly) and for the refs to continually not make an effort to give him a fair shake especially in the post-season is inexcusable. Glen Sather needs to get on the phone with Colin Campbell and show him the tape of that atrocious goalie interference call. But don't show Colin his face wash of Capitals goalie Varlamov, though well-timed and one in which I have no problem with (or the call), it is a play that would enrage Colin. I need to give props out to Varlamov though, watch the clip below and his reaction. Cool as a cucumber. In fact, Tortorella was too (although clearly he was about to explode).
So Game 4 tomorrow will be a dandy. I say Tortorella should sit Drury, he is no help, if not a detriment. The rumor is that he has a hairline fracture in his hand. I really don't see how he is helpful in the lineup if he plays like he did last night. I don't think the answer is calling up someone from the minors, this is too pressurized of a situation to do that. Replace Drury with Voros and juggle the lines or move Drury to the 4th line and move Betts/Sjostrom up. Why not Betts? He is not getting much ice time outside of PKs, and aren't we having a problem winning faceoffs thus far in this series? Betts is one of the top faceoff guys. Give him a shot Tortorella, he deserves it with his work ethic, plus he is a calm experienced player. We'll see what the coach decides, but either way tomorrow night will be a big one. My guess is that The Garden will be a shade quieter with most fans probably having butterfly-stuffed stomachs. We can only hope the Rangers don't.
As you can see in this photo, during today's Rangers practice at The Garden, Alexander Ovechkin made his way to the visitor's bench and sat their observing the Rangers while they practiced. Then a PR employee came out and asked Ovechkin to leave, which he did. From the reports I've read, it is contradictory as to whether the PR employee was with the Rangers or Capitals organization.
My take is that this is Ovechkin clearly pulling out all the stops to try to get into the Rangers' heads. It isn't like he was taking mental notes on the bench on the Rangers lines, tendencies or plays. He made a premeditated move to go to the bench purely to give the Rangers something to think about. Unfortunately for him, I don't think it will have one bit of an effect on the game. All it shows is that the Rangers are indeed in Ovechkin's head, not vice versa. Case and point? Here:
Tortorella being asked about the incident: "Oh, God, I didn’t even know, this is the first I’ve heard of it. Ask me a question about the game, not that [bleep].”
Ovechkin being asked why he did it: “Just [to get] Tortorella pissed off.”
Ovechkin being asked why he was made to leave the bench: “Because they afraid of me.”
To me these are really odd comments by Ovechkin. It seems he's trying to motivate himself with the wrong reasons. I can see how some Rangers players may be slightly intimidated having Ovechkin's glare focused on them during a harmless practice, but we'll have to see tonight whether this has any type of impact on the Blueshirts. So get ready for the game tonight and leave work early if you have to. It should be a great atmosphere at The Garden and in the tri-state area overall. I do have one small bone to pick with the MSG staff. I am full throttle on the idea of handing out towels to fans in attendance for Game 4, but how in the world did you come to the conclusion to hand out thundersticks for Game 3? Those things are so lame. And many of the fans there are going to be embarrassed to have to lug those things around all night. Quite simply, they won't. Rangers fans don't need noise boosters, give me a break. Plus, how would the fans ever be able to carry beers in both hands along with the ridiculous thundersticks anyways. Come on MSG.
The New York Rangers have signed the 2009 Hobey Baker winner. Matt Gilroy, MVP of college hockey this year and a major piece of the 2009 champion Boston University ice hockey team, is a Ranger. It's being reported that approximately six teams made bids for the collegiate all-star but the Rangers got him. This is exciting news for the organization as it adds to a wealth of young defenseman already in our minor league system. As many of you probably already know, Chris Drury was the last Hobey Baker winner that played for BU. If Gilroy makes it onto the Rangers main roster in the near-term, you've got to think that this will be the first time in the history of the NHL that two Hobey Baker winners from the same school have played together on the same professional team. I would be suprised if that was not the case. Anyways, the contract is reportedly worth $4-5 million over 2 years. And supposedly he is still in the midst of taking final exams still. If I were him, I would wear a Rangers jersey to class to take the exams. And then I would throw a sick house party at school on my tab using my freshly minted contract dough. What a life that would be.
What a win last night. The Rangers barely held on, but all that matters is that they did. Lets be honest though, they not only won because The King was heroic, but because Theodore was horrific. The guy had more holes last night then swiss cheese. Did anyone see the second goal post that Callahan hit? How does that get by Theodore? Just horrible goaltending. Lets also give credit to Gomez, Antropov, Naslund (except for his 3 minors), and Dubinsky for all shooting the puck decisively in the limited chances that the team had and burying the puck. Anyone notice that all four of those goals were shots taken with authority? We as fans haven't seen that all year! We'll see if they keep it up going into Game 2 on Saturday. If Drury is back then it will help us incredibly in the defensive zone.
Also, here is a video of a Gillette commercial that I think is new, although I haven't seen it on TV. Either way, it is really, really good. I wonder how much this ad campaign is costing Gillette, it must be a huge sum. Anyways, enjoy the clip. I sure did. In fact, on my walk home from work I'm going to pick up a Gillette razor.
You knew it wouldn't be long before this chica made an appearance on The Hasty page. This girl has done alot of unpredictable things in her life (one of them potentially being this moneymaker that's isn't worth it for her...see link). But now she has actually put a video up online about the type of significant other she is looking for. She has posted on Will Ferrell's FunnyorDie.com an ad for herself similar to an eHarmony ad. Clearly she is joking around but at least she has a sense of humor about her current love life, if you can call it that. She says "I'm recently single . . . I think," and that "I'm looking for someone I can spend the rest of my life with. Or at least the rest of my probation with." Interesting. She seems to have a grasp on how she is perceived, which is somewhat surprising. Maybe she isn't as crazy as we all thought. Here is the full video:
Hulk Hogan on the other hand has quite possibly lost his marbles. He has compared his situation to OJ's. It sure is scary that he is thinking about what OJ did. Granted, the part about his wife sleeping with a 19-year old guy is enough to make any man crazy, but I still would advise against comparing your situation to one in which the husband starting murdering.
Now, in hockey news (btw - anyone else just take a deep relaxing breath?), Craig MacTavish was fired today as coach of the Edmonton Oilers. This was the right move. Him missing the playoffs 5 out of 8 years is not acceptable in any sport. I've read rumblings that Renney could be considered for the replacement job. That would make sense given his family is from that area, but I'm not so sure Renney's defensive style will bode well in Edmonton with the media nor the fans.
Drury is still being considered a gametime decision for tonight's Game 1. I believe Tortorella when he says this because Voros didn't skate extra drills in practice today as he normally does when he is a healthy scratch. I think this is just a precaution for the team, but that they have every intention of Drury suiting up tonight.
Two hours until the game gets underway. Almost ZERO media outlets are predicting that the Rangers win this series. I agree that they are the underdog, but not one writer has them pulling this series off? Give me a break.
Lets face it, this is going to be an extremely offensive series. At least that is how I see it. Both teams have the run-and-gun style that should be entertaining. In my view, these are the keys to success for the Rangers in the first round matchup:
Goaltending: Did you see this one coming or what? Lundqvist needs to stand on his head, as usual, but especially in this series because I really don't see the pace slowing down too much until late in the series.
Shutdown Defenseman: Guess who? Mr. Staal. Guess who he needs to shut down? Mr. Ovechkin. Marc is certainly capable of closing the door on Ovechkin with a blue collar approach, but Ovechkin is also capable of blowing the doors off Staal too if he is going on ALL cylinders. If Staal can shut down Ovechkin then I see him getting a ton of props from around the league.
Depth Player Performance: I hate to say it but I see the edge going to Washington here. We have valuable players on lines 2 through 4, but how can anyone confidently say that they will bury the puck in the post-season? I hope they do, you know Callahan will, and I hope Dubinsky carries forward his late season momentum with GOALS, not just assists. Remember that guy Nylander? He's a third liner on Washington, oh boy.
Reducing Odd Man Rushes: This will be huge. With Tortorella's new system, Rangers defenseman will be pinching constantly. The key will be to pinch intelligently, just as they did down the stretch. Remember that the coach made that change with about 5 or 6 games left by pulling back the reigns and having them pinch a tad less. If the Rangers can continue on this fine line, then I like their chances. If they give up the odd man rushes on a regular basis to the likes of Ovechkin, Federov, Backstrom and Nylander, then it could be a short series.
Can't wait for it to start tomorrow. In my view, the Rangers have the edge in my first 2 keys above, and the big questions remain in my last two points. So lets drop the puck so we can get this underway. By the way, not sure if you saw the 2009 Draft Lottery tonight, but congrats to NY Islander fans, this was your playoffs, and you won the #1 pick.
Yes, it's true. But this time it is to the Rangers fortune. For decades in the 1900s, the Barnum and Bailey Circus created a scheduling mess for the Rangers. The circus would come into NYC every year at a certain time, and it almost always coincided with the NHL playoffs. In fact, there were times when the Rangers had to play some playoff series with no home games because of the circus scheduling conflicts. But this is the case no more. Instead, it is the away teams that seem to be bothered by the dung of those glorious elephants. The series hasn't even started yet, but it seems as though the Garden has already gotten under the skin of the great Alexander Ovechkin. Not only did Alex jokingly claim earlier this week that he thinks Lundqvists equipment is illegally oversized, but this other quote from him today about playing at MSG:
"I like playing over there. Sometimes the ice is no good over there because [of] lots of concerts, lots of dog shows, something like that coming over there. It kind of smells no good over there sometimes."
Hopefully he said this with a smirk on his face and partially laughing. If not, then maybe the Rangers are one step (although a small step) closer to getting Alexander The Great off his game. Did the circus leave town yet? Is there anyway we could have them accidentally leave behind an elephant that somehow finds its way into the visitor's locker room as the Capitals arrive?
As you all probably know by now, Roger Federer and his longtime girlfriend, Mirka Vavrinec, tied the knot in Switzerland on Saturday. But now Page Six of the New York Post is reporting that Andy Roddick will be wedding his girlfriend, Brooklyn Decker, this upcoming weekend in Texas. Here is the report:
"ANDY Roddick, 26, is tying the knot with his model-love, Brooklyn Decker, 21, this weekend in Austin, Texas, friends of the couple say. "Brooklyn and her bridesmaids had a big bachelorette weekend in Chapel Hill, NC, this weekend," a pal said. "They just bounced around and had a great time." One bridesmaid is Decker's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue fellow model Julie Henderson. Roddick and Decker met in 2007 when he had his agent contact hers after he saw her in SI."
So basically Roddick was flipping through a Sport Illustrated Swimsuit Issue on the toilet and handpicked his wife from the magazine. Hopefully he didn't call his agent while he was on the pot too. But in all seriousness (and sympathy), so Roger gets married one week before Roddick? Poor Andy, this guy just can't win. What are the chances. Hang in there Andy. Also, if anyone can get a live streaming feed of the wedding, I would think most men would be intrigued. From the article above, sounds like it will just be a bunch of swimsuit models running amuck. So don't worry Andy, you are a lucky man. Just look at this comparison below and you should be able to sleep just fine:
Hands down the shootout is a keeper. I know it has its critics, but The Hasty is not one of them. This is something I wanted to address prior to the "marathon" that is the NHL playoffs which begins Wednesday night. Lets get one thing straight, these players, no matter how underpaid they are in comparison to other athletes, get paid a boatload, and if I hear another analyst say that games shouldn't be decided on the shootout because it isn't fair to players or goalies then I'm going to blow a gasket. To prove my point, I want to make sure everyone saw this Ribeiro play in the shootout. It was unreal. A little lucky, but you have to give the man his dues, he is always pushing the envelope with his moves in the shootout. Pure entertainment. Here's the clip:
So once again, why does the shootout hurt the NHL? How about the fans? How about the fans at the games? This is a no-brainer. Just as much of a no-brainer as not adding the shootout to the post-season. The entertainment value of the shootout in the regular season is simply awesome, and for that to be argued is absurd.
Still against the shootout? If so, you're probably complaining that the horrid shootout record for the Panthers cost them a ticket to the post-season. Well then get a goalie who can stop a breakaway, such as Luongo. Oh sorry, I forgot they did have Luongo, but traded him for the big timer Todd Bertuzzi, who isn't even apart of the Panthers organization anymore. My point is that Florida has bigger problems and if they didn't make boneheaded moves then their shootout record wouldn't come into play. In my opinion, the shootout should be here to stay without a doubt, and GMs need to start making aggressive adjustments to rein in those available (and vital) points. How long before shootout specialists take the place of some fourth liners? Should be interesting to see that trend develop.
Now to the best 2 months in sports. The NHL post-season is upon us and wouldn't everyone wish it was Wednesday already. It should be evident pretty quickly who the contenders are and who the wangstas are. In my point of view, Anaheim is dead in the water. As good as Getzlaf is, he can't carry a team in the playoffs. If Jagr can't do it, then he can't. And the game has passed Pronger and Niedermayer by. They are nowhere near the caliber of when the Ducks won the cup in 2007. In the East, my wangsta is Philly. I'm sorry but they haven't had goaltending for decades and although I thought Biron was their answer coming south from Buffalo, he clearly isn't. I expect Fleury to shine for Pittsburgh in that series, and thoroughly outplay Biron. So lets drop the puck and get this post-season going. I CANNOT wait for some extended OT periods. It is a 2-month marathon that flashes by for the fans (I'm not so sure it goes as quickly for the battered and bruised players). Anyhow, get ready for the main event, and as they proclaim, "say goodbye to your loved ones for a couple months". Also, keep an eye on the NHL homepage. Supposedly the transformed website is now the "playoff portal" which will have many things, including 100% of every coach's post-game press conferences streamed live. Tell me those Tortorella press conferences aren't going to be pure entertainment, especially without the MSG Network filtering.
I'll have my thoughts up regarding the Rangers-Capitals series by the end of day Tuesday. I'll tell you right now though, if the word out of the Rangers camp is true that Drury is questionable for Game 1, then that's a scary thought. I'm not worried offensively because, to be honest, I haven't been counting on him at all lately to help on the scoresheet. It is only a bonus for him to be contributing to the red light in the last couple games. My worry is on the defensive end, with Drury being a major cog in the 60 feet in front of The King. Although they slithered past Philly on Sunday, I saw holes (or at least more holes) defensively without Chris there. How about you? Granted you could make the case there have been alot of holes all year, but you can't make the case that there won't be more without Drury in the lineup. But lets all be honest here, this is all moot, Drury is going to play, and I would be absolutely shocked if he is watching from the stands. More tomorrow on this upcoming series. Anyone else ready for the Ovechkin-Staal battles?
Usain Bolt, olympic champion and fastest sprinter in the world, was hospitalized after a car crash in Jamaica. Luckily, he is fine and was not seriously injured. He did drop out of a track meet that he was scheduled for this weekend due to "minor injuries."
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