Post Bar Post Game

What to say, what to say…  I don’t even know.  Niklas Hjalmarsson, you picked the absolute worst time to have your first ever sub-par game as a Blackhawk.  I can’t honestly think of anything you’ve ever done wrong until tonight when you assisted on 2 Flyers goals.  As for you Duncan Keith, I never thought I’d see you get absolutely burned at a pivotal point in the game.   When Niemi got pulled I was having flashbacks to Vancouver when Zach Parise tied it with 20 or so seconds left to play.  Unfortunately for me and the rest of the Hawks bandwagon Jeff Carter didn’t have any plans for going to overtime. 

Here are my thoughts from Game 4, take them for what they’re worth:

The Manchise Crystal Ball

We’re about 6 hours away from the opening face off of Game 4 and the anticipation is building up like Chicago’s hatred for Chris Pronger. What will we see tonight? Will the Hawks closed door talks with the NHL result in some power plays or will we be forced to start seriously contemplating whether or not the NHL Finals truly are rigged to go more than 5 games? I’m not big on conspiracy but if the officiating carries over from Games 1-3 I will have no choice but to begin wondering. Bill McCreary said Monday night was “A man’s game.” It’s too bad him and his crew weren’t “man” enough to draw the line and raise their arm when it was appropriate to make a call.

When I look into my crystal ball I see 5 possible scenarios that could play out tonight. After assessing each one I will leave you with my prediction for Game 4:

If You're Incapable of Performing Your Job, Raise Your Hand: Part Duex!!

Turn on ESPN. Turn it on! When you finally get there I guarantee you'll see one of two things: 1. A story about an umpire by the name of Jim Joyce, pulling out his inner Don Dekinger and blowing an astronomical call. 2. Ken Griffey Jr. saying goodbye to the game of baseball.

As much as I want to write about the man that donned the best baseball swing the MLB has ever seen, I can't. He is being overshadowed by an amazingly horrific story about a kid, with a name so incredibly hard to pronounce (especially if you had a few beers in you during country night), who was robbed of one of the most magical feats in sports.

Armondo Galarraga fell victim to an idiotic call, by another sporting official who was incapable of performing his job to the standard fans expect.

If You're Incapable of Performing Your Job Raise Your Hand!!!

Game 3 has come and gone and so has the chance for a Blackhawks sweep in this series. Actually, this is beginning to look more and more like a 7 game series with every passing day. Not because the Flyers are a worthy opponent to the Hawks, but instead because Gary Bettman and his army of idiots in pinstripes have enabled a team to play outside of the rulebook and win hockey games. I want to take this opportunity to vent a little bit on what is grinding my gears about this series, and I mean really grinding my gears.

Hawk Talk: Game 3

Hello hockey fans! Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals has given all of us extra motivation to make it through this hump day. The series shifts to Philly tonight where hopefully the Hawks can put a stranglehold on the Flyers. As I’ve said recently I find it rather pointless to try to predict what’s in store for the fans tonight. We will let the players do the talking on the ice. I’m just going to babble for about 300 words or so about what’s on my mind as we await tonight’s action.

I’d like to start off by giving some much undeserved attention to Chris Pronger.

Game 2 Tonight!!!

A lot has transpired since I last dropped in so let’s get to it.  Absolutely incredible Game 1 on Saturday.  Buff-Toews-Kane a combined -9, Pronger posting over 32 minutes of ice time, 11 goals, no Flyer penalties, etc.  But no matter how crazy the storyline we are beginning to see one thing remain pretty constant: the Hawks coming out victorious.  Brouwer and Kopecky (two guys who were battling for the same spot in the previous 3 series) got the job done along with added contributions from Versteeg, Sharp, and Bolland.  The pace of the game was so ridiculous that there wasn’t even time for any of the underlying questions to be answered.  Can Pronger stop Buff? I don’t know.  Is Toews better than Richards? I don’t know.  Is Leighton better than NIemi?  I don’t know.  Game 1 was such a roller coaster ride that little analysis can be made of what patterns are beginning to set in as we head towards Game 2 tonight. 

My advice?