Opening Round Thoughts
This is mainly going to be for me to look back on as a reference point for what happened at this juncture of the NHL playoffs. That being said, if your not into sports or more aptly hockey, by all means move along because there is nothing here for you. Also I'm feeling to lazy to put this under a cut so....oh well.
For the most part, the teams I thought would advance, did. I need to put a little * next to one team. More on that later. Teams I wish would have won (The Avs, Coyotes, Kings) came up short but in the case of the Colorado Avalanche they had a far better season than I thought they would. Getting back to the team with the * next to them. *Washington Capitals. The Caps ripped through the regular season and emassed the best record in the NHL. No doubt due to the weak division they play in but even so, they still came out on top. They had the top power play in hockey and then the first round came and the power play sputtered to the point where it seemed non-existant. Part of me wanted to be all "YEAH!!!! take that Ovi....Mr. Superstar." The trouble with that is, I like Alexander Ovechkin. He's kind of that love/hate sort of guy. You love him if he's on your team and hate him if he's not. Being a fan of the game as well as a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, I've always liked what Ovi brings to the rink. He's an emotional player, he's into his team and he's good for hockey. Nevermind the rivalry that has played out in recent years between he and Sidney Crosby. That has been good for the game as well. What got me and made me an even bigger fan of Ovi was watching the post-game interview on NHL.com after the game seven defeat on Wednesday night. He looked and acted crushed and you could tell it was sincere. In a sporting world where "The God Point" is used as a prop or to aid a star player's personae of being cool with God in a still photograph while being an over hyped and over paid athlete (and Ovi is making a ton of money as well) it's refreshing to see someone as bummed out as the die hard fan who was right there for the entire season cheering the player and team on for the duration.
The Pens moved on and get to play someone different for a change. I wasn't ready for another carbon copy of the past couple years where we played ( save for the Senators which we did play) the Sens, Flyers, and Captials. At least for this round it will be a new team. Re-Hello Hal Gill. Gill played for the Pens cup team last year and proved to be a great addition to the Montreal Canadiens. Not only that but he was a big reason the Habs did so well against the Caps. I think it will be a good series. So as the next round gets going, this is who I hope wins......The Pens of course. The Bruins, Blackhawks, and Sharks. For all those folks that get hockey......you gotta be digging this time of year. Let's Go Pens!!!!!!
HAGO AATR
For the most part, the teams I thought would advance, did. I need to put a little * next to one team. More on that later. Teams I wish would have won (The Avs, Coyotes, Kings) came up short but in the case of the Colorado Avalanche they had a far better season than I thought they would. Getting back to the team with the * next to them. *Washington Capitals. The Caps ripped through the regular season and emassed the best record in the NHL. No doubt due to the weak division they play in but even so, they still came out on top. They had the top power play in hockey and then the first round came and the power play sputtered to the point where it seemed non-existant. Part of me wanted to be all "YEAH!!!! take that Ovi....Mr. Superstar." The trouble with that is, I like Alexander Ovechkin. He's kind of that love/hate sort of guy. You love him if he's on your team and hate him if he's not. Being a fan of the game as well as a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, I've always liked what Ovi brings to the rink. He's an emotional player, he's into his team and he's good for hockey. Nevermind the rivalry that has played out in recent years between he and Sidney Crosby. That has been good for the game as well. What got me and made me an even bigger fan of Ovi was watching the post-game interview on NHL.com after the game seven defeat on Wednesday night. He looked and acted crushed and you could tell it was sincere. In a sporting world where "The God Point" is used as a prop or to aid a star player's personae of being cool with God in a still photograph while being an over hyped and over paid athlete (and Ovi is making a ton of money as well) it's refreshing to see someone as bummed out as the die hard fan who was right there for the entire season cheering the player and team on for the duration.
The Pens moved on and get to play someone different for a change. I wasn't ready for another carbon copy of the past couple years where we played ( save for the Senators which we did play) the Sens, Flyers, and Captials. At least for this round it will be a new team. Re-Hello Hal Gill. Gill played for the Pens cup team last year and proved to be a great addition to the Montreal Canadiens. Not only that but he was a big reason the Habs did so well against the Caps. I think it will be a good series. So as the next round gets going, this is who I hope wins......The Pens of course. The Bruins, Blackhawks, and Sharks. For all those folks that get hockey......you gotta be digging this time of year. Let's Go Pens!!!!!!
HAGO AATR