2012 NHL Playoffs Bitches!!!

[Axegrinder87]

I hope so.

If Ovechkin was Canadian born, you'd hear his name 10 times more than you do now. The amount of North Americans who 'hate him' becasue he is Russian is unreal...like it is still the old cold war days.

I'm originally from DC and the surrounding metro, and have been a Caps fan forever. I can tell you that all my friends and family from back home LOVE Ovi, Russian or not.

I just think everyone else hates because he's not on their team

[Shawn Lutz]

OV is one way player who really shouldn't be a captain. He thinks of OV first, team second and that isn't captain material. He is a great offensive threat, works his ass off. He really buys a lot of luck but working hard and not quitting on the offensive side of the puck. Defensively he is a liability to the team once the puck crosses the red line...put an iso on him when the puck is in his zone, he floats outside, ofter time cherry picks and the letter "D" not in the Russian dictionary lol.

OV and Sid came the league at roughly the same time, I viewed them as equals with a slight edge to OV. Today however Sidney Crosby is the better complete player. He matured as a player, knows how to play on the D side of things. He matured...OV didnt. I actually like Dale Hunter as a coach for standing ground, putting his ass on the line and parking Ovechkin on the pine when D is required. You don't have successin this league once the playoffs starts thinking your going to win games 7-6 or 8-7. Dale Hunter knows this, goals are hard to come by and keeping the puck out of you own net is just as important as putting them in the other net.

There are lot of great players who were one sided who had to change their styles for the better of the team. When Ovechkin does this then he will be a complete bad ass and worth his weight in gold....right now he's only 1/2 way there. He is not even in the top 5 in the league in my book right now but has all the potential to be the best player in the world...the choice is his. Be equally as great on the D side of things and you'll get more that 13-15 minutes of icetime a night and get up in the 20's like all the great 2 way guys do today.

[atomic charvel guy]

i am walkingin circles right now and it's only friday morning, i can't take the wait, and this is the year the favorites all died.
I still think the Rangers have a great shot to win, but the caps have just the same opportunity. I'm more spooked by this years trend than the game itself.
I think home ice counts the most in the NFL, then the NHL, and MLB the least. the NBA i don't pay attention to.

[Shawn Lutz]

home ice in games 7's in the NHL is a huge advantage in my mind. The series is tied at 3-3, even if game 7 is close the home crowd can and will be the difference maker.

I hate the wait too. Here we are on a Friday night in May and not one game being played...fuck at least let the Western Conferences series to start.

[atomic charvel guy]

Rangers have the no scoring disease still, as well as they have played this year, in the end it all falls back to henrik, he's the reason
they are where they are.
whomever has scored first has won every game.
this mornings lines at practice are-
#NYR lines at practice: Hagelin-Richards-Gaborik, Kreider-Stepan-Callahan, Anisimov-Boyle-Prust, Fedotenko-Mitchell-Rupp/Scott __________________

[atomic charvel guy]

wow, the over under is at 4.5 goals for tomorrow night. i think for the first time in the series,
we're going to see a complete abandoning of the play of this series as we have seen it so far with no offense from either side, and it's going to be a wild one.
5-4 rangers, total 9 goals scored. take the over tomorrow night if you're a gambling man.
the damn is going to open, and i swear to you all that i will be satisfied with the season, as i am already, they shocked the hell out of me
this year. thank you Rangers, the future has hope again!!

[goodwood]

Well Shawn, I think that you know a lot about hockey but I disagree with your Ovechkin analysis in many ways.

The main one is the Crosby comparison. Washington had nowhere near the depth around Ovechkin that Pitts had and has around Crosby.

From day one I said Crosby wouldn't last because he was reckless (nothing to do with his skill or commitment). He often dove headlong into plays and I figured that injury (injuries) would make his career short. I didn't know it would be concussion(s) that threatened him but right now it looks that way. I think he was very smart to stay away from the World Championships.

Anyway, I could go at the Ovechkin thing in depth but it would not change your mind - I know that when they were having their stellar season and won the president's trophy I was saying at the deadline that they should trade Green for a defensive specialist and trade Semin for a gritty scorer instead of a pretty scorer. What a difference the team would be right now.

As for previous Messier respect - I'm maxed out on that cat. One of the best ever.

[atomic charvel guy]

I started skating when i was 5, and have always loved hockey, and sport in general. When I say Ovi is the best player i have possibly ever seen,
i mean it in a pure raw ability type of way, not including leadership, or getting back on D backchecking, but as an attack force, i've never seen anything like that guy.

[Hellbat]

Pavel Bure was a better sniper, that dude was a threat to score any time he had the puck. But OV is a better power forward and can create brute force turnovers, versus being shifty and super explosive.

[atomic charvel guy]

Pavel Bure wasn't a softy either, he threw hits when he could. twisting one large joint right now,
on edge is an understatement, and i just woke up, gotta change the mood.

[Shawn Lutz]

Pavel Bure wasn't a softy either, he threw hits when he could. twisting one large joint right now,
on edge is an understatement, and i just woke up, gotta change the mood.

...ear....

[Accept2]

Smurfs vs. Kings in the final............

Im still sticking with my picks from Day 1. Kings vs. Smurfs in the final..........

[Hellbat]

Congrats Tommy! I think your guys will get past NJ.

[goodwood]

I started skating when i was 5, and have always loved hockey, and sport in general. When I say Ovi is the best player i have possibly ever seen,
i mean it in a pure raw ability type of way, not including leadership, or getting back on D backchecking, but as an attack force, i've never seen anything like that guy.

Complete agreement.

Im still sticking with my picks from Day 1. Kings vs. Smurfs in the final..........

I thought 'Smurfs' were the Blues.

Kings look good to go all the way.

I am so surprised by Jersey - I can't see them beating New York but then again, New York had an extremely hard time with the Caps. Maybe they are exhausted(?).

[Accept2]

I thought 'Smurfs' were the Blues.

The Smurfs name for The Strangers dates back to the 80s when they had lots of small players like the Little Beaver. Being on a forum that is stuck in the 80s.............