I wasn't ready for the end of the post season, and just because it's here, I'm not any more prepared for it. I'm still feeling fairly nauseous about that game, so rather than analyze it, or critique the power(less) play, or question how the Penguins allowed the Lightning to overcome a 3-1 series deficit, I'm going to keep tonight's blog fun.
Who's your favorite player and why?
My active favorite is none other than Marc-Andre Fleury. The Flower is known for his poke check and acrobatic saves. Something about his demeanor reminds me of the French Canadian goalie of Slap Shot, or maybe that goalie reminds me of him. I tend to favor goalies. I had been favorite-less for years now and leaning toward Sid, but this season I made up my mind. Fleury had such a tough start this year (and some of the "fans"--yes, you know who you are--thought we should deal him early), but with some adjustments on his part and more solid play from the defense, he put himself in the Vezina discussion. Sometimes it's easy to forget just how young these players are; at 26, Fleury has already hoisted the Cup and serves as a veteran of the team.
My longtime favorite is the non-active Ron Francis. Of course, it breaks my heart that he's instrumental on the bench of the Carolina Hurricanes and not the Penguins, even though I understand why. As a roller hockey player, I strove to perfect my stretch pass, a la Francis. One of the highlights of my youth was meeting him at an event, and I proudly display his autographed photo on my wall of fame. I think my only regret is that I didn't start watching hockey earlier, as I missed his contribution to the Penguins' first two cup wins. He always seemed like a quiet player, a sleeper, and also one who was okay with taking the supporting role to help achieve the greater goal.
So tell me about the player(s) you admire.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Game Seven
Well, Easter is coming to a close, and even though it's not a Penguins game day, we did have hockey on at our house. George is showing great progress as he's the one who pointed out we'd be able to catch the Flyers-Sabres game on NBC today (normally Buffalo's games are blacked out as we don't have MSG).
Quick sidebar: I saw on NBC there was an option to like NHL on NBC through facebook, and I'm curious--does anyone actually like watching hockey on NBC, or are they doing it for the same reason I am, as a necessity? Personally, I'm not a fan of any of the announcers or commentators, except that I can deal with good old Eddie O. And aren't the commentators what separates the stations from one another? Maybe I'm missing something, but back to the topic at hand.
I think George was a little confused that I didn't want the Flyers to lose today. He made it clear that they could head out to the golf course tomorrow, for all he cared; I'm nearly certain he thought I'd share that sentiment.
It's not as though I were rooting for them.
I explained to him the strategy I currently employ during the playoffs: hope every series but our own goes the full seven games. If our team goes on to the next round, I could only hope the team they play next was as tired, run down, and beat up as possible. I want the teams to make each other suffer and wear each other down. I want to see seven full games of them testing each other's strengths and divulging each other's weaknesses.
I could actually care less if Philly or Buffalo won their series. I watch the hockey for love of the game, but find fantasy leagues detrimental. Participating in polls that encourage me to cheer for the Penguins' opponents to move on to the next round only distracts from my focus on my team.
In the past, I had rarely chosen favorites in other playoff match ups. While I preferred we not play the Caps or the Devils or [insert team name here], I didn't worry about it and let the ice chips fall where they may.
Last season, though, I let it get personal. I let myself get distracted. And as the Penguins defeated the Senators in six games, I let myself get sucked into the Caps-Habs series that extended to seven games. I cheered on the underdogs as they clawed back from being down 3-1. And I gloried in the fall of the number one seed to the Canadiens.
Of course, we all know how this played out. Even though the Penguins won 3 of 4 regular season games against the Habs, and they had outscored them 15 to 9 in those games, we all know the playoffs are their own story. This story did not end well for Pittsburgh.
And so rather than putting myself in a position to wonder if I rooted for a team because they were an underdog, or if I cheered for that team because I felt they were the easier team for us to beat, I'll just hope for game seven, round by round.
You might say that the Caps-Habs game did just that--went to game seven.
True. But I chose a favorite in that series, and it wasn't the Penguins. Regardless of which two teams are competing, my focus--the favorite--should always be the Penguins.
So I'm happy to say that the Blackhawks and Flyers have both forced a game seven today. Let's go, Pens!
Quick sidebar: I saw on NBC there was an option to like NHL on NBC through facebook, and I'm curious--does anyone actually like watching hockey on NBC, or are they doing it for the same reason I am, as a necessity? Personally, I'm not a fan of any of the announcers or commentators, except that I can deal with good old Eddie O. And aren't the commentators what separates the stations from one another? Maybe I'm missing something, but back to the topic at hand.
I think George was a little confused that I didn't want the Flyers to lose today. He made it clear that they could head out to the golf course tomorrow, for all he cared; I'm nearly certain he thought I'd share that sentiment.
It's not as though I were rooting for them.
I explained to him the strategy I currently employ during the playoffs: hope every series but our own goes the full seven games. If our team goes on to the next round, I could only hope the team they play next was as tired, run down, and beat up as possible. I want the teams to make each other suffer and wear each other down. I want to see seven full games of them testing each other's strengths and divulging each other's weaknesses.
I could actually care less if Philly or Buffalo won their series. I watch the hockey for love of the game, but find fantasy leagues detrimental. Participating in polls that encourage me to cheer for the Penguins' opponents to move on to the next round only distracts from my focus on my team.
In the past, I had rarely chosen favorites in other playoff match ups. While I preferred we not play the Caps or the Devils or [insert team name here], I didn't worry about it and let the ice chips fall where they may.
Last season, though, I let it get personal. I let myself get distracted. And as the Penguins defeated the Senators in six games, I let myself get sucked into the Caps-Habs series that extended to seven games. I cheered on the underdogs as they clawed back from being down 3-1. And I gloried in the fall of the number one seed to the Canadiens.
Of course, we all know how this played out. Even though the Penguins won 3 of 4 regular season games against the Habs, and they had outscored them 15 to 9 in those games, we all know the playoffs are their own story. This story did not end well for Pittsburgh.
And so rather than putting myself in a position to wonder if I rooted for a team because they were an underdog, or if I cheered for that team because I felt they were the easier team for us to beat, I'll just hope for game seven, round by round.
You might say that the Caps-Habs game did just that--went to game seven.
True. But I chose a favorite in that series, and it wasn't the Penguins. Regardless of which two teams are competing, my focus--the favorite--should always be the Penguins.
So I'm happy to say that the Blackhawks and Flyers have both forced a game seven today. Let's go, Pens!
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