The Eastern conference playoff race is getting wild. As I write this, (March 27th) we have six teams battling for seeds 6 to 8. The Rangers, Tampa Bay, Carolina, Islanders, Montreal and Toronto are in a race to the finish. Islanders could possibly tank, as they found out that Rick Dipietro is suffering from post- concussion syndrome, and maybe out for the remaning of the season. The Montreal Canadiens got some good news, Cristobal Huet will be able to return and play the rest of the season, but young Jaroslav Halak has saved the habs playoffs hopes by himself, it would be a bit risky to toss aside to let Huet Play, it will be Carbonneau’s call. It’s too close to call folks, we may have to wait until Easter Sunday to find out who is in and out of the 2007 playoffs in the NHL.
If you want to curb violence in hockey, take the instigator rule out. I rather see two guys duke it out, then watch two guys try to behead each other. It’s not fighting that the makes hockey a tough sell to the americans, but the caveman mentality due to the dumb instigator rule. It’s just like the shooting the puck over the glass in the defensive zone, all four on ice officials see everything, but last year all of them went suddenly blind in the Williams-Koivu incident. Get your priorities straight over the summer gentlemen, instead of getting better, the game is going down the tubes.
As we in pre-playoff mode, one key for success during the regular season and in the playoffs, it’s scorring the first goal of the game. Let’s see who has led this category so far this season. The five leaders all have pretty much locked in they playoff rights. The five best this season, are Nashville, Ottawa, Anaheim, Buffalo and Detroit. But you also have good come from behind teams, and they are Minnesota, Buffalo, Montreal, Dallas and Colorado.
To have success in the playoffs, you need to be stingy, when it comes to goals agaainst. At one time the vezina trophy was a team trophy, before becoming an individual one. When Scotty Bowman was coaching the Habs in the late 70’s , we would tell them ‘’ win the vezina trophy and you will win the Stanley Cup’’. The Vezina was given to the team with the fewest goals allowed. So stingy defense is one of the main ingridients to winning the Stanley Cup. Let’s see who has been stingy this year. Minnesota, Dallas, New Jersey, Vancouver and Detroit. Well look at this, four of the five leaders have a Montreal connection. Lemaire and Tremblay in Minnesota, once played for Bowman in Montreal. Bowman who coached Detroit and left his legacy. Julien in New Jersey and Vigneault in Vancouver.
If you want to curb violence in hockey, take the instigator rule out. I rather see two guys duke it out, then watch two guys try to behead each other. It’s not fighting that the makes hockey a tough sell to the americans, but the caveman mentality due to the dumb instigator rule. It’s just like the shooting the puck over the glass in the defensive zone, all four on ice officials see everything, but last year all of them went suddenly blind in the Williams-Koivu incident. Get your priorities straight over the summer gentlemen, instead of getting better, the game is going down the tubes.
As we in pre-playoff mode, one key for success during the regular season and in the playoffs, it’s scorring the first goal of the game. Let’s see who has led this category so far this season. The five leaders all have pretty much locked in they playoff rights. The five best this season, are Nashville, Ottawa, Anaheim, Buffalo and Detroit. But you also have good come from behind teams, and they are Minnesota, Buffalo, Montreal, Dallas and Colorado.
To have success in the playoffs, you need to be stingy, when it comes to goals agaainst. At one time the vezina trophy was a team trophy, before becoming an individual one. When Scotty Bowman was coaching the Habs in the late 70’s , we would tell them ‘’ win the vezina trophy and you will win the Stanley Cup’’. The Vezina was given to the team with the fewest goals allowed. So stingy defense is one of the main ingridients to winning the Stanley Cup. Let’s see who has been stingy this year. Minnesota, Dallas, New Jersey, Vancouver and Detroit. Well look at this, four of the five leaders have a Montreal connection. Lemaire and Tremblay in Minnesota, once played for Bowman in Montreal. Bowman who coached Detroit and left his legacy. Julien in New Jersey and Vigneault in Vancouver.
