God Hates The Capitals
Ted Leonsis is at it again:
Hockey Gods are Angry
Clank! We hit the post. Clank! We hit the post again.
We lost by one goal. We lost yet another player to injury.
Last year, we were fourth in man games lost to injury. We are giving it a good run again this season to be a leader in man games lost.
Tom Poti was hurt in the first period. Hence we didn’t have Poti, Jurcina and Morrisonn on D in the lineup. We didn’t have Semin, Knuble, Gordon, Laing and Nylander in the lineup front. We didn’t have Theodore either in goal. That is goofy, huh? $25 million in payroll NOT playing.
We still could have won that game but missing this many players does scramble the game plan and the rhythm of the team. No one feels sorry for us. We can’t use injuries as an excuse. We just have to tough it out.
And because the hockey gods are angry, we play yet tonight - in Toronto - back to back games.
I shall make my sacrifices to the hockey gods this afternoon. Try to appease them and make them take pity on our mortal souls. As is said, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Go Caps!
After Skoula Special. PENS WIN
You know what real NHL players do?
They produce.
Martin Skoula has done that. And for that he should be celebrated.
How pumped were you when he scored his second goal and did his little celebration?
That is what we are talking about.
What a human.
Skoula's two goals led the Pens to a 3-2 win. Don't let it fool you though. The game was not that close.
First class scumbag Chris Thorburn broke Malkin's stick then proceeded to score a goal.
Such a joke.
Afingejokov scored with like 17 seconds left. Whatev.
MAF had to bounce back and he did.
The Penguins had the world championship swagger back tonight and it showed. Passing was crisp, breakouts were cash, and all the wheels were turning. Against the Senators Gonch was just getting back, so was Talbot. First game back is a whole different world. Getting back Free Candy made all the difference in the world.
The Pens didn't respect Atlanta. They know they cannot play with them.
That is what the world champs do.
And you have to love the whining coming from Atlanta tonight.
Especially from their moronic coach who accused Matt Cooke of slew-footing Kovaldouche.
“I’m not allowed to comment on penalties and why,” Anderson said. "Obviously I didn’t agree with them. … If you saw what happened in front of our bench, Cooke went by and slew-footed him. That’s what started it. At some point you have to say that’s enough. I don’t mind what he did.”
Whatev. Did he slew foot him?
You're goddamn right he slew footed him. That's what Matt Cooke is paid to do.
Kovaldouche got all jammed up and fought Matt Cooke. Too bad Kovaldouche forgot he can't challenge people to a fight when he has a visor. Great job by Cookie to take Kovaldouche off his game. Every time the Pens play the Thrashers we are reminded on how big of a baby Kovaldouche is.
- Dupes-Malkin-Feds is a legit line right now. Big time chances.
- Only reason this game was close was because Hedberg was playing circa 2001 playoffs.
- Talbot had a penalty shot.
Interesting.
- From Paul P.
Brutal.
- Hope Chris Thornburn falls down a flight of stairs.
- Dive of the century:
Everyone thought this the penalty on the play, but actually Chris Bourque got called for tripping behind the play.
UPDATE. thanks to XLilNico21X who noticed that this was the penalty on the play and the Ref put his hand up as soon as the dive took place. No idea why Bourque got called for a penatly. Hopefully it was because he likes Journey.
Journey sucks.
- Bourque missed a wide open net.
The standoff continues. Trust us, we are committed to our Bourque demands. wW'll make the Waco standoff look like a charity event
P.S. how come no one told us Don Cannon got arrested week? [kiss fm]
We need to know these things.
p.s.s. No spell check or grammar checks. suck it
Go Pens.
GAMEDAY 23 - THRASHERS
7:00 PM
Phillips Arena
Listen to the game at [WXDX]
If you have any questions for Mike Lange, Phil Bourque or Bob Grove join the Penguins Radio Network Facebook page.
You can submit questions via the discussion tab for the Crash the Net segments or Penguins Hotline after the game.
Heeeeeeeeeere's CANDY!
It's weird seeing players return to the line-up, after watching so many players drop out due to injury.
Brooks Orpik is back tonight.
The Thrashers are decent this year.
They'd won four in a row before losing to Boston in a shootout on Thursday.
They're 6-3-1 in their last ten and 10-6-2 on the season.
Rich Peverley leads the team with 23 points.
Kovalchuk has 21.
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The NHL Hates Toronto, Too
From [Empty Netters]
Last night in Carolina, another talented group of NHL officials displayed their incredible skill:
Finally, clear evidence that the NHL hates Toronto.
Either that, or Gary Bettman desperately wants the Carolina Hurricanes to succeed.
NHL officiating is an inconsistent joke.
From "even up" calls to refusing to suspend superstars to the "intent to blow the whistle" rule, NHL refereeing is poor at best.
It's not because the league is out to get any particular franchise or because Gary Bettman favors any one team.
It's just poor. Across the board. And that's sad.
Note: This does not apply to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
We all know that Gary Bettman has been rigging the entire league for years to make sure Sidney Crosby raises the Cup as often as possible.
Of course, it sucks when a bad call hurts your team.
It hurt Buffalo fans in 1999, it hurt Red Wings fans on Wednesday and it hurt Leaf fans yesterday.
We've even heard that a referee may have made a bad call before Gary Bettman came to the NHL.
But that's not the point.
It doesn't matter when it happens or how it happens or what team it happens against.
What matters is that it happens.
Of course, referees are human and it's understandable that they make mistakes.
Often times the referee can't see the puck, or he doesn't have the right angle on a penalty call.
It's unfortunate, but it's understandable.
Sometimes the difference between a goal counting and a goal being disallowed is a fraction of a second and referees need to make the right call quickly. And sometimes they make mistakes.
That's not to say it's right, though.
The NHL should be doing whatever it can to improve the quality of their referees so that they make the right calls more often.
However, bad judgment calls are not the only issue with officiating in the NHL.
Things like "make up calls" are conscious decisions made by referees.
They're not calls made in the heat of a fast-paced game.
They're not the result of being out of position or having a puck lost in a crowd.
NHL referees, in almost every game, try to "even up" penalty calls.
It's gotten to the point where it's expected.
How many times have you heard a coach or GM complain that one team received more penalties than the other?
The NHL has established the fact that both teams will have a similar number of chances on the power play and, when they don't, the referees will do their best to even things up.
It's ridiculous and it's essentially an NHL standard now.
Those calls are not caused by an incorrect decision made in a split second.
They are caused by an ingrained mentality among NHL referees.
A mentality that should change.
Anyway, after the jump, NHL.com talked to Ray Shero about the Penguins' depth.
Let's Fight Over A $200 Stick
Via every hockey blog on the internet this morning.
Scott Niedermayer throws his stick over the boards to a fan. And well it is not pretty.
[Puck Daddy] has this video which we agree shows some big time punches being thrown.
Have to score the fight for the dude in the flannel shirt.
No idea why he was that angry.
Go Pens
P.S. If you are wondering why we aren't talking about the Pens. We're not concerned.
Any analysis anyone could do is immediately rendered gay because of injuries.
So suck it.
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Oof. PENS LOSE.
We swear. We were ready to end our little hissy fit and recap a game.
Not this one.
Not like this.
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GAMEDAY 22 - SENATORS
7:30 PM
Scotiabank Place
Listen to the game at [WXDX]
If you have any questions for Mike Lange, Phil Bourque or Bob Grove join the Penguins Radio Network Facebook page.
You can submit questions via the discussion tab for the Crash the Net segments or Penguins Hotline after the game.
Of course, the big news is that Sergei Gonchar and Max Talbot are returning tonight.
Of course, it's impossible to have all good news on the injury front.
Mark Eaton, the one defenseman that has played every game this season, missed the morning skate and will be a game-time decision.
Dan Bylsman "remains optimistic" that Eaton will play, despite him having back spasms.
Citizen's Voice has some interesting stats regarding the Pens defense.
If Eaton doesn't play, he will be replaced by Chris Lee (who was called up from WBS.)
That means the Penguins will dress four defensemen that have a combined total of 22 games of NHL experience between them.
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Detroit Got Nothing On The Republic Of Ireland
The NHL has had some major blown calls, including this one last night in the Wings/Dallas game.
From the Chief of Pants at [Abel to Joke]
That was such an obvious miscarriage, such a clear, blistering prison washroom assault of a call...that it’s almost impossible to believe Toronto missed it. If they didn’t, if they overturned it, could LaRue have simply ignored them out of sheer embarrassment? Not likely, but something idiotic happened.
And nothing will be done. Nothing. LaRue, of course, is one of Gary’s best. A ref in last year’s Stanley Cup Final, so you know he has to be good, right?
I’m wondering what the reaction to this will be from the MSM and blogging “elite”. I’m wondering who has the nad to call this exactly what it is...another example of a travesty by the most inept professional sports league in North America.
Oh. That’s right. It’s just another Wing fan and a conspiracy theory, right? Ok. Go with that if you want, but I’d suggest you watch this joke real close before stepping out on that branch.
It’s no conspiracy. It’s reality and we all just accept it. We, all hockey fans, just bend over and accept it. We accept the worst officiating in sports. We accept a crooked, incompetent commissioner. We just take it because we love hockey and we love our teams.
It’s time somebody stood up for the fan. The guy to do that may be the guy who hung up the skates yesterday. He’ll never be a commissioner, but he can definitely be a voice to be reckoned with.
It’s sickening and embarrassing what we’ll put up with. If you’re a fan of the NHL, you’re nothing more than an idiot pawn. And I’m right there with you.
A lot of emotion from the Chief. We could imagine ourselves being pissed off beyond belief, too.
Thank God Crosby pays off the refs so this doesn't happen.
Lost in all the Chief's ranting is that the Wings were down 2-1, so who is to even say they would have won the game?
Just saying, over the course of an 82-game season, things even out.
Soccer fans in Ireland wish they could say that.
As sports fans, we enjoy soccer's World Cup. It is compelling.
Late last night in a win-or-go-home qualifying match between France and Ireland,
maybe one of the worst calls in the history of sports occurred. [YAHOO]
To set the stage...
The game was in Paris. It was in extra time. Ireland was stunning the world.
They needed to win to get to the World Cup. France only needed a draw.
We're not even Irish, and that hurts.
They are calling it the "Le Hand Of God Goal," which is a tribute to the "Hand of God Goal."
Unreal.
Go Pens.
