Martin Gelinas scored on the power play just a minute and change into overtime as the Calgary Flames beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in the 7th and deciding game in their Western Conference QuarterFinal series. The win nets the first series victory for the Flames since the 1989 Stanley Cup Finals against the Montreal Canadiens in the Montreal Forum.
NHL PLAYOFFS: TB def. NYI 4-1, BOS tied with MTL 3-3, PHI def. NJD 4-1, TOR tied with OTT 3-3; DET def. NSH 4-2, SJ def. STL 4-1, CGY tied with VAN 3-3 and COL def. DAL 4-1
What a game and what a series, though. I wish it could have happened in a later round but I think that we'll be seeing A LOT more of this Vancouver/Calgary rivalry in years to come.
Major props to the Calgary. This was this year for this to happen. With Bertuzzi gone and then Cloutier going down, it just wasn't meant to be for Vancouver this year.
There were a couple bright spots for Canucks fans though. Matt Cooke showed he can play on a top line and contribute at key moments. Alex Auld also showed he can be an NHL goalie. He just needs to get that puckhandling down and improve his positioning a little more and he'll be a legitimate NHL goaltender.
Great game. That said, those refs were way out of hand. The 4 min penalty on Cooke basically decided the game and never should've been called. Then Calgary scores another pp goal in ot. While Cooke's high stick, the slash on the Calgary player, and Jovonaski's slashing were all penalties bv the rule book, you can't call them in the last ten minutes of game 7. I hate to see the refs take over a damn game.
"I don't think you're a bad person, in fact, you're my favorite person in the world. You can just be a real cunt sometimes."
"There are no wealthy black men in America. Shaq is rich, the white man who signs his check is wealthy." - Chris Rock
So this sets up Detroit/Calgary and Colorado/San Jose for the second round in the West. Gonna be a pair of tough series, since I think a win like this will only inspire Calgary, not tire them out. I'll take the Wings in 7 and the Sharks in 6.
THE QUEST FOR LORD STANLEY'S CUP
Tied for 9th: St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks Tied for 5th: Tied for 3rd: Second: The Champion:
Colorado in 6 and Calgary in 6, leading to the BEST CONFERENCE FINAL EVAR~! They said I was mad when I said Calgary'd beat the Canucks...WELL WHO'S MAD NOW? MWA-HA-HA!
NHL PLAYOFFS: Lightning vs. Canadiens, Flyers vs. Senators OR Maple Leafs, Red Wings vs. Flames and Avalanche vs. Sharks
What was the deal with the coat on the ice? Was that a Bartman situation? Did it potentially cost one of the two teams a win? I only caught it very briefly on SportsCenter, and couldn't figure it out.
(Not Bob Kohm)
In the context of baseball, the use of drugs hurts only the player. In the context of baseball, the use of alcohol hurts only the player. In the context of baseball, womanizing hurts whom? Maybe the wife of the player? In the context of baseball, felonies are crimes against society, not against baseball. In the context of baseball, gambling is the only crime against baseball.
Gambling, in the context of baseball, is a capital offense and Rose has richly earned-- hell, he agreed to-- his death sentence. Let him hang.
Bob Kohm, co-owner of Rotojunkies.com (rotojunkies.com) , and a large market kind of guy.
The Flames were up 2-1 with less than a minute left. The Canucks had a power play (and pulled their goalie), but Ed Jovanovski got called for cross-checking, making it 6-on-5 (as Auld stayed on the bench for the extra attacker). The Flames won the face-off and Iginla took the puck up the left wing boards into the Canucks zone. One defender was between Iggy and the empty net. A sweater got tossed onto the ice near the left wing faceoff circle (Iginla's side). Iginla shot the puck at the empty net, missing both the sweater AND the net. As play turned back towards the Flames end, the referee bent down to grab the sweater...completely missing Iginla's stick getting slashed out of his hands. Iginla tripped over his stick, allowing the Canucks to get an odd-man break and score the tying goal.
It didn't COST the Flames the game, per ce, the haphazard defensive play in the last minute did. BUT, it didn't help. No coat and Iggy might've cut into the zone more and gotten the empty netter. Then again, we won. Who cares?
NHL PLAYOFFS: Lightning vs. Canadiens, Flyers vs. Senators OR Maple Leafs, Red Wings vs. Flames and Avalanche vs. Sharks
I hope the Flames can muster something up against the Wings because they are REALLY beat up going into this next series. It was billed as a War of Attrition and there's no way Calgary can go through another series like that and have any bodies left standing. Luckily the Wings aren't the most physical of teams but Cujo looked money in his games. Should be interesting.
There has to be one Canadian team in the Finals this year. We've got 3/8 odds. Now that the Canucks are out, I'll be rooting for the remaining Canadian teams to bring the Cup home.
Congratulations to the Flames and their fans. Despite being, on paper at least, a far less talented team, the Flames desire and will to win overcame all obstacles. What can you say about Iginla and Kiprusoff? Both were absolutely fabulous in the series, and were forces that the 'Nucks' goaltending by committee and best player couldn't match up to.
The Flames-Wings series should be a good one, but I just don't see the Flames pulling it off (though I'll be cheering for them). The Wings are too talented and reasonably rested and healthy. Moreover, the Wings can be even more physical than the rather soft Canucks were, while being better in goal and having more experience in the post-season.
I'm calling Detroit in 5 hard-fought games.
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts" --Bertrand Russell
The Rangers with their first pick took a kid from my old high school archrival. I will never cheer for him. I will take a used bag of practice pucks and left-handed KOHO for him right now.