I'm gonna get into a some Hockey talk, but first I have to mention the Preakness Stakes...Once again I have been bested by one of my kids...The wife, my daughter, son, and I all picked our horses...My Wife had Flashpoint, who lead most of the race, so we figured he'd run out of gas...My daughter had Dance City, who was in the mix the whole way and finished 5th...I had Dialed In, who came from dead last and worked his way up to 4th...And that little shit you know as The Little Beeze had the big winner, Shackleford...Even worse, my wife said he had Animal Kingdom for the Derby...I gotta get this kid to the track!
Now onto some Hockey...How the fuck do the Boston Bruins take a 3-0 lead, and flush it down the shitter...Just two nights before Tim Thomas shutout the Lightning, and looked like the Tim Thomas that we had seen all season...Honestly, I was glad I didn't get to see the game...Watching teams blow a commanding lead really pisses me off...Now the series is tied up 2-2, and it's clearly anyone's to win...
Now let's head down South to the hot-bed of Hockey...Oh, wait, that's not the hot-bed...That would be up North...And up North is where it looks like the Atlanta Thrashers will be going...After much rumor, and speculation that the Thrashers are being sold and moved to Winnipeg, we still have much rumor and speculation...
Every party involved, and even not involved, are all leaking bits of information...The team is sold...The team is in the process of being sold...Negotiations are still going on...Season Tickets for Atlanta are being sold, the team isn't leaving...I have read more shit on this asshole organization in the last 24 hours, then...Fuck, I got nothing...I just know I have read too much, to walk away with so little information...
The NHL is denying the deal happening, but behind the scenes they are pushing hard for it...In their most successful season the Thrashers lost $20 million...Of Course the fans and city blame ownership!
If the deal does happen, and it will, this will be the second time Atlanta will lose a Hockey team to a Canadian city...The Flames left Atlanta for Calgary in 1980...Umm, by the way, I'm okay with that...The Jets should have never left Winnipeg for Phoenix...Yeah, Coyotes, you're next to move! Canadian cities have always supported their teams...Much more than many U.S. cities...(I'm Looking at you Atlanta)
Sure, Thrashers fans came out in full force Saturday to show their support for the team...All 250 of them! How often do we see people show up only when they are faced with losing something... From what I have read, Management is still planning on selling ticket packages, and there are actually some fans who are planning on buying...My God it must be nice to be such an optimist!
Speaking of being optimistic, As I figured, the world didn't end Saturday...The Earth is still spinning, I'm still writing, and the fuck-tards who predicted this bullshit, are looking for the next day on the calendar that they should try to stir this shit up...
I'll be back tomorrow to shit on more people I'm sure!
When I think of this year’s NHL playoffs I think of the teams that normally end up in the second season, Pittsburgh, Washington, Detroit and New Jersey and with them the poster boys of the NHL Crosby and Ovechkin. But this year we’ve seen a turning of the tide, no more Nicklas Lidstrom vying for another Cup, no white towels will be waved in Pittsburgh, the Capitals once again showed they are one dimensional and ride the back of one line and not a whole lot more and the Devils are rebuilding. Yeah, this post season we’ve got Bergeron and Thomas, Lecavalier and St. Louis, Thornton and Marleau, the Sedin’s and Luongo…for some these are household names, for the casual fan it’s more like WHO are these guys?
The two teams from the West have never won a Stanley Cup, the two from the East each have, with TB doing so in ’03-’04 and Boston winning there last of 5 Cups in the ’71-’72 season. To this point we’ve enjoyed great matchups with tons of terrific hockey, what else do you expect from the fastest game on two legs? The Bruins had to deal first with their arch rival and Original Six nemeses the Montreal Canadians, who stole the first 2 games in Boston, the Bruins then went on to win the next four of five, three in OT including game seven in Boston. Following that Boston knocked out the Flyers in four straight to erase any memory of that implosion last year when Philly came back from a 3-1 series deficit to win the series. Now they enter the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since ’92 and host the Tampa Bay Lightning beginning tonight at 8 pm. Both teams swept their final series and have been off for close to 2 weeks, needless to say they’re itching to get back in action.
In the West it’s the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks. The Sharks, who never seem to do anything the easy way, had a 3-0 lead on the Red Wings, lost the next three and took game seven Thursday night in a tight fought game in San Jose. They had gone six games with the L.A. Kings in the first round. Vancouver another of those teams who look like a pretender more than a contender usually, found themselves making their path to the Conference finals difficult doing the same as San Jose in the first round having a 3-0 lead only to cough it up against the defending Stanley Cup champs and winning in seven at home, they followed that up with a six game series against the pesky Nashville Predators.
San Jose found a way to pull out of a grueling series with the Red Wings, I’m just not sure they’ll have the gas or the luck for that matter to go that kind of distance again with the Canucks, but if Roberto Luongo performs like he did against the Black Hawks the Sharks might just find themselves moving onto the finals. It’s clear that how the goaltending goes so goes the series for both of these teams. The west series begins Sunday night in Vancouver. In the East the homer comes out of me and I’ll take Boston in 6 games, for the West I’ll go with Vancouver in 6.
In other news, last night NY Rangers enforcer Derek Boogaard, 28, was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment. There have been no details given as to the cause and it may not be known for weeks.
The NY Islanders signed rookie Michael Grabner today to a 5 year $15 million contact, he had 34 goals and was 3rd on the Isles with 54 points. Grabner is one of 3 finalists for this year’s Calder trophy which is given annually to the league’s top rookie. Other finalists this season are San Jose’s Logan Couture and Carolina’s Jeff Skinner.
It’s looking more and more like the Atlanta Thrashers won’t be in Georgia next season, regardless of what the few Billy Ray Jim Bob’s down here who go to the game would like to believe. An article posted in today’s Toronto Sun has quotes from Atlanta owner Bruce Levenson saying before the Bulls-Hawks game (who he owns as well, along with Philips arena and are being sold as a package deal if possible) that they are no closer to finding a local owner than they were a year ago. Here’s that interview, watch and listen to this tool, particularly when he answers the question about what is it he’d say to the fans, I’ll give you a hint, he’s not going to be begging them to buy season tickets to help the cause. Talk about wanting to get out of town.
Hotch will return next week! Enjoy the playoffs Gabbers!
Yes you bastards, this post is for the city of not so brotherly love...After watching the Boston Bruins sweep the Flyers, all I could do is smile, and think about how you and your revolving door of shitty goalies just suck ass...
Hey Boston's own Bill Burr, give it to these fuckers again!
I hope all had a happy Easter...Or if that isn't your thing, I hope you had a good weekend...Mine was alright...But before I get to that...Let me pimp something I started Friday...The first of a series that I call IGNORANCE_WAS_BLISS...
So let me hang my head first...My New York Rangers lost their series to the Washington Capitals Saturday...They played hard...They gave the Capitals every thing thy had...But sadly, they didn't have much scoring...Goalie Henrik Lundqvist did all he could, as he has all year...Oh, and he got snubbed for a Vezina nomination...But I like the Rangers' future...They have stopped bying big-name players, and started drafting well, and developing well...Their blue line is stocked with talent...And guys like Dubinsky, Callahan, and Anisimov give them a nice core...Plus guys like Boyle and Prust, 4th liners before, have show they can play like second and on special teams...I have high hopes for next season...
Right now I'm rooting hard for the Chicago Blackhawks, after the crap CANUCKS fans pulled...It's a must win for the 'Hawks...I'll let you know what happens...(2-2 in second itermission) If the 'Hawks don't win it, then I'm pulling for whoever is playing the Canucks, and there overrated goalie Roberto Luongo...
Canucks fans weren't the only people talking trash lately...The Habs and Bruins have been going at it hard...Canadiens fans weren't happy about Andrew Ference flipping them the bird...
Then Saturday night injured Canadiens player Max Pacioretty talked some smack via Twitter about Brad Marchand, which got the Bruins fans talking shit about Pacioretty's broken neck and concussion...WOW! All this social media has made us all so much more classy!
But enough Hockey for now...Sunday morning I was awakened by the sound of two kids searching for Easter baskets...Oh the joy of kids finding candy, and toys...Yes, we give them a couple of small toys, and less candy...After the dental hell we went through with our oldest, fuck the candy, go play!
In the afternoon, the Little Beeze and I were heading to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History...He loves that joint...Before we left he dropped a deuce...To everyone's surprise, his shit was totally, and completely blue...Seriously blue...He didn't feel sick...Nothing hurt...Just some blue logs...Then I saw that the wife had left a couple of the tablets for coloring eggs, out on the table...She said one was missing...How much you want to bet it was blue, and the little dolt thought it was candy!?!
So to the Museum we went....Here's a tip...Go on Easter! Place was almost empty...Hell, they didn't even charge us for the parking...Here he is with Triceratops...
('Hawks and Canucks are tied at 3 now)
Last week I wrote about my disgust over how the American media has been gushing over the upcoming Royal Wedding...It's gotten worse...All the morning shows are talking about it...The Nightly News is spending at least 10 minutes on it...Every network is sending shit-tons of staff to cover it...My Mother-in-law showed up today to visit for the week, and said she was getting up at 4:00AM Friday to watch this horse shit...
Seriously America, what is wrong with you? Why? Why? are you so obsessed with powerless, figureheads, from the country that or forefathers fled from? ANSWER ME!?!
Before I go, I thought I'd give you a quality, Easter Hockey Fight...Evgeny Artuykhin ain't taking anyone's shit apparently...
And the Blackhawks just won 4-3 in overtime, on a goal by Ben Smith...Vancouver you just lost 3 in a row to Chicago...How does that feel? Folks, take my word for it, Tuesday night around 9 PM you want to tune into Versus...The Blackhawks will be looking to win 4 straight against the Canucks and that hack Luongo!
