Monday, April 09, 2007
Road to Lord Stanley bypasses Montreal and Toronto
A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum. Perhaps if the Habs were still playing in the Forum talk of missing five of the last eight post seasons would be treated with the same disdain as the left wingers in the media do about fighting in hockey. Don’t worry folks, I’m as tired of that debate as you are and with the post season upon us meaning there will be no more than fifteen or twenty fighting majors, we should be able to avoid this examination for another few months.
As for my predictions last week, I guess you could say I got it half right. I thought Montreal would crash and burn because they just do not have enough in the tank five on five and as good as young Halak was in net down the stretch I didn’t think he’d be able to stem the tide in New York against the Rangers. Unfortunately his team couldn’t score anyway, other than Souray five on three so not enough goals regardless. Then on Saturday five goals should have been almost a guarantee to win the game however Toronto’s relentless power play attack – which benefited from their back-to-back five on three’s, allowed them back in the game. The critics who are more likely revisionists, who have been second guessing Montreal’s decision to start Huet need to shake their heads. His play was outstanding in the first period and yes, he did allow one bad goal but Halak allowed a bad one in New York and Huet was ready to go despite only playing the third period against the Rangers. What are you going to do? At the end of it all they were a day late and a puck short.
For the Leafs that had to be the most agonizing way to watch yourself be eliminated in the history of the NHL. It would have to rank right up there if not surpass the Chicago Black Hawks scoring five goals into an empty net on route to a 10-2 win over Montreal on the last day of the regular season in 1970 to eliminate Montreal from the post season. The Habs needed to score five goals to make the playoffs, no matter how many they allowed. Goals for was the number one tie breaker in those days and when beating Chicago did not become an option the only thing coach Claude Ruel could do was continually pull his goalie Rogie Vachon. Needless to say that rule was changed right after that season. To think that the Leafs got another lease on life with that last second goal by New Jersey, unbelievable, it really was, to watch that. You’d have to think it was destiny for Toronto to get in but the dreaded shootout raised its ugly head as we all feared. Wade Dubielewicz, try spelling that one, the Invermere, B.C. kid might want to cancel any sight seeing tours in TO anytime soon. I can only imagine the talk shows in Hog town today, actually for most of the rest of this week if not longer. I certainly felt that Toronto would get it done against the Islanders last Thursday night but C’est la vie – which is the tune the Habs were singing as well.
For our New York brethren, take a bow Garth Snow, Ted Nolan and Co. The much maligned franchise got back in the post season with an unlikely set of circumstances but that’s why they play the games. The Isles missed the playoffs last year but were in three straight years prior but losing in the first round each time much like they will this time around. And with that we’ll take our run at the first round match ups.
The Sabres will feast on the Isles, very quick I think, four, five at the most.I believe Ottawa will prevail over Pittsburgh which given that I am writing this in Ottawa will go a long way to quelling the Gary Roberts no-deal to Ottawa banter which was all the rage after the trade deadline. The fact that Ottawa is playing the team that not only picked up Roberts but has Crosby et al. is the perfect opening series for this team as it flies under the radar big time for the first time since 1998.I’m calling the Rangers over the Thrashers in six and New Jersey over Tampa Bay in five games.
Out west, hold on here, let me just roll my dice…… right, it says here that Calgary will upset Detroit in six games. I like Vancouver over Dallas in six, maybe even five. The next two should just be as good as it gets. My heart is calling Minnesota over Anaheim but I can’t go against the dynamic duo on D for the Ducks just yet. So I’ll call Anaheim over the Wild in seven. Nashville and San Jose should be priceless and I can hardly wait to watch this one. Tough call, a coin flip but I’m calling the Sharks to get ‘er done, again in seven games. So, we’ll see how this plays out. What will be the first controversy of these playoffs? Oh wait, I’ve got the FAN 590 on line right now and there’s a call from Bob on the 401……………………………..sorry folks, it wasn’t much. He’d like Pat Quinn as GM, Red Kelly’s pyramids under the home bench all season, ‘Fifty Mission Cap’ as the opening song when the players hit the ice and a huge portrait of Harold Ballard to hang in the one end of the rink much like the shot of the Queen that used to hang at Maple Leaf Gardens. I’m sure they’ll get right on that. Buckle up the chin strap, its playoff time.
Liam Maguire
As for my predictions last week, I guess you could say I got it half right. I thought Montreal would crash and burn because they just do not have enough in the tank five on five and as good as young Halak was in net down the stretch I didn’t think he’d be able to stem the tide in New York against the Rangers. Unfortunately his team couldn’t score anyway, other than Souray five on three so not enough goals regardless. Then on Saturday five goals should have been almost a guarantee to win the game however Toronto’s relentless power play attack – which benefited from their back-to-back five on three’s, allowed them back in the game. The critics who are more likely revisionists, who have been second guessing Montreal’s decision to start Huet need to shake their heads. His play was outstanding in the first period and yes, he did allow one bad goal but Halak allowed a bad one in New York and Huet was ready to go despite only playing the third period against the Rangers. What are you going to do? At the end of it all they were a day late and a puck short.
For the Leafs that had to be the most agonizing way to watch yourself be eliminated in the history of the NHL. It would have to rank right up there if not surpass the Chicago Black Hawks scoring five goals into an empty net on route to a 10-2 win over Montreal on the last day of the regular season in 1970 to eliminate Montreal from the post season. The Habs needed to score five goals to make the playoffs, no matter how many they allowed. Goals for was the number one tie breaker in those days and when beating Chicago did not become an option the only thing coach Claude Ruel could do was continually pull his goalie Rogie Vachon. Needless to say that rule was changed right after that season. To think that the Leafs got another lease on life with that last second goal by New Jersey, unbelievable, it really was, to watch that. You’d have to think it was destiny for Toronto to get in but the dreaded shootout raised its ugly head as we all feared. Wade Dubielewicz, try spelling that one, the Invermere, B.C. kid might want to cancel any sight seeing tours in TO anytime soon. I can only imagine the talk shows in Hog town today, actually for most of the rest of this week if not longer. I certainly felt that Toronto would get it done against the Islanders last Thursday night but C’est la vie – which is the tune the Habs were singing as well.
For our New York brethren, take a bow Garth Snow, Ted Nolan and Co. The much maligned franchise got back in the post season with an unlikely set of circumstances but that’s why they play the games. The Isles missed the playoffs last year but were in three straight years prior but losing in the first round each time much like they will this time around. And with that we’ll take our run at the first round match ups.
The Sabres will feast on the Isles, very quick I think, four, five at the most.I believe Ottawa will prevail over Pittsburgh which given that I am writing this in Ottawa will go a long way to quelling the Gary Roberts no-deal to Ottawa banter which was all the rage after the trade deadline. The fact that Ottawa is playing the team that not only picked up Roberts but has Crosby et al. is the perfect opening series for this team as it flies under the radar big time for the first time since 1998.I’m calling the Rangers over the Thrashers in six and New Jersey over Tampa Bay in five games.
Out west, hold on here, let me just roll my dice…… right, it says here that Calgary will upset Detroit in six games. I like Vancouver over Dallas in six, maybe even five. The next two should just be as good as it gets. My heart is calling Minnesota over Anaheim but I can’t go against the dynamic duo on D for the Ducks just yet. So I’ll call Anaheim over the Wild in seven. Nashville and San Jose should be priceless and I can hardly wait to watch this one. Tough call, a coin flip but I’m calling the Sharks to get ‘er done, again in seven games. So, we’ll see how this plays out. What will be the first controversy of these playoffs? Oh wait, I’ve got the FAN 590 on line right now and there’s a call from Bob on the 401……………………………..sorry folks, it wasn’t much. He’d like Pat Quinn as GM, Red Kelly’s pyramids under the home bench all season, ‘Fifty Mission Cap’ as the opening song when the players hit the ice and a huge portrait of Harold Ballard to hang in the one end of the rink much like the shot of the Queen that used to hang at Maple Leaf Gardens. I’m sure they’ll get right on that. Buckle up the chin strap, its playoff time.
Liam Maguire
# posted by Liam Maguire @ 2:20 PM 
