The Result: The Red Wings skated to a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks last night in Detroit. The one-goal differential is not a very good reflection of the game, as the Wings largely dominated play.
On the offensive side, they posted a season-high 47 shots and were held off from scoring more only by strong performances by both JS Giguere and Jonas Hiller, who relieved Giguere to start the third. It wasn't their best night from an offensive creativity standpoint, but it was a workman-like effort, to be sure.
On the defensive side, they held the Ducks to just 16 shots (5, 5, 6 across the periods). A serious gaffe in their own end led to the lone Ducks goal, but the night was otherwise reasonably mistake-free. Chris Osgood was hardly tested, but avoided allowing three goals for just the third time this season.
The win is encouraging for Wings fans, but is tempered by the fact that the Ducks played the night before and therefore weren't at their best. It's a good sign, but doesn't make up for their losses in earlier "test matches" with teams like San Jose and Pittsburgh.
The Coach: The game involved a noticeably better effort by a team called out by their coach earlier in the day. Mike Babcock, talking to the media after the morning skate:
"Who's the hardest-working team in the National Hockey League? Well, in the past I've been able to say without any question, here. I don't think that's the case right now."
Babcock likes to tell it like it is, and that was no exception. The key to the team's success last season was their work ethic, which was second to none. This season, that just has not been the case. If last night's game is any indication, however, the team has gotten the message and is regaining that ethic. They looked much more driven against the Ducks than they have perhaps at any point in this season so far.
Last night, the Ottawa Senators became the first team to be eliminated from the playoffs after being dispatched 3-1 by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tonight, there is only one team on the slate with a chance to join the Sens on the golf course, but for two others their seasons could effectively be over.
The Boston Bruins are the only team that can be officially eliminated tonight, down 3-1 in their best of seven series against the Montreal Canadiens. To further their suffering, the game is taking place in Montreal, a city that is sure hockey mad right now. The Habs have not won a playoff series since prior to the lockout and you can bet their fanbase is going to be hungry for a victory tonight. According to WhoWins.com, the team leading a quarterfinals matchup in the NHL has advanced 95.3% of the time, so things aren't looking good for the Bruins. That being said, Boston is not out of hope just yet. The team up 3-1 has won Game Five 64.1% of the time, which isn't an overwhelming statistic. Things don't look good, but the Bs (who have put up a heck of a fight) aren't cooked yet.
Two other teams are in danger tonight. They're not facing elimination like Boston, but they might as well be. Both the Washington Capitals (not the Crapitals, as Mike Milbury would say) and the Anaheim Ducks are down 2-1 heading into Game Four of their first round series. Both teams are on the road and would be put in a precarious position if they were to lose and go down 3-1, even though they would be going back home for Game Five. You might as well call this moving day for these teams, even though this isn't golf. They better get moving otherwise they'll be sitting on the sidelines with the Senators soon enough.
Brian Burke announced the big news at a conference Wednesday evening, and was very candid about how the Ducks were behind Niedermayer during the whole process, the fact that there will be no changes to the captaincy (which Chris Pronger now has), and that Scotty should be back within the next couple of weeks. (Click here to listen to the audio of Burke's press conference.)
"We are obviously very pleased that Scotty has chosen to come back and play," said Executive Vice President/General Manager Brian Burke. "He earned the right to take time in making a decision, one that was clearly difficult for him."
Scotty's return will be HUGE for the defending Stanley Cup champions, who are struggling and sit out of the playoffs with a mediocre 13-12-4 record. The rest of the Western Conference can't be thrilled that the Ducks are getting back a premier defenseman, but they probably expected it to happen sooner or later.
The Phoenix Coyotes have had some serious goaltending issues since before Britney Spears went from a somewhat cute lip-syncher to a drugged-out bad excuse for a mother.
"I will paint Phoenix colors on it for sure," Bryzgalov said of his mask and gear. " . . . I just walked into the locker room and my new teammates were excited and made me feel like I've always been here."
He went out of his way to praise the Ducks organization, in particular General Manager Brian Burke, calling him "a great man." Burke accommodated his wish to be a starter and put him on waivers Friday, knowing he would surely lose a quality goalie and get nothing in return, other than picking up $250,000 in salary-cap room.
So, the waiving was simply Burke upholding a promise? Hmm, that doesn't sound totally right.
In any event, Bryzgalov is a far superior goalie to what the Coyotes have had playing for them this season. Even if Bryzgalov runs off somewhere after the season (given his pending UFA status), the Coyotes will benefit with a nice short term boost to their netminding.
Career SV%'s: Ilya Bryzgalov 91.1% Mikael Tellqvist 89.2% Alex Auld 90.1% (88% the past two seasons)
Growing up as a star-to-be in the "mean" streets of Regina, Ryan Getzlaf and his buddies used to play a lot of road hockey. As many kids across Canada have always done, the ultimate goal was to win the 'pretend' Stanley Cup championship.
Well, Getzlaf had his designated day with the cup, and decided to award the real thing to the winner of a special road hockey game.
I know this sort of thing has been done before by a few players, but it's worth doing again. If *I*, in an alternate universe where I have hockey talent, had the opportunity to bring the cup to my hometown, I'd definitely set up a violent road hockey game with the ultimate prize at stake (once I finish taking Jell-o shots from the mug, that is).
This kind of cool event is definitely unique to hockey. While other sports have some pretty bling rings (as does hockey), the joys lasts about 10 seconds as you gawk at all of the pretty diamonds. You can't do much with a ring, other than punch somebody with it and leave a big dent.
The Stanley Cup? You can eat popcorn from it, and use it as a bread roller, a big paperweight, or a weapon to ward off those annoying Jehovah's Witnesses. It's both fun AND practical.
You can find some great flickr photos of the event right over there.
The Anaheim Ducks began their celebrations and hangover recovery by taking the Stanley Cup on The Tonight Show, where they chilled with Jay Leno and let Mainstream America know what the Stanley Cup actually looks like.
"You've brought a lot of pride and honour to California," said Leno, before asking "Where are you guys from?"
May and Pronger replied "Canada" while Giguere said "Montreal," prompting laughter from the audience.
When asked how he celebrated the Ducks' Cup win, Giguere replied "We celebrated with our family and got really drunk."
Leno then asked if "Tonight Show" announcer John Melendez could drink from the Cup.
Pronger replied that only hockey players could drink from the Stanley Cup, then tossed Melendez a protective cup instead.
It's great when the NHL can get some free exposure on one of the highest rated late night shows on American broadcast television. Leno seems to enjoy having hockey players on his show ... a closet hockey fan, perhaps?
This isn't the first time that NHL players have brought the magnificent mug on late night TV.
Despite the cruddy ratings that the NHL gets on American network television, the revenues that most NHL teams earn remains stronger than Chuck Norris, thanks to high ticket inflows and corporate sponsorships.
Since purchasing the Ducks from Disney, the Samuelis have benefited quite nicely and have turned the Ducks into a cash cow.
From the OC Register article, we can see ...
The Ducks bought the team for $70mil. According to Forbes Magazine, the club is now valued at $157. Nice return!
The Ducks have sold out 33 times this season, even after jacking up ticket prices.
A 200% increase in sponsorship revenue. These are heavy hitters, too: Honda, Pepsi, Miller.
A 236% increase in merchandise sales. I guess people really do like that dull logo and uninspired design.
Despite all of this good news, the Ducks are crying poor, claiming that "losses could run into the millions despite added revenue from playoff games and a regular season with the highest level of sponsorships and premium-seat sales since the Ducks began play in 1993-94."
Really? A team that potentially wins the Cup but claims losses? Even the Carolina Hurricanes didn't attempt that bold of a claim, saying the team made $10-million in 2005-06 despite the fact the North Carolina-based club had lower attendance and cheaper ticket prices for their run than the Ducks did this season.
Hmm, if the Ducks are so poor, why are they throwing expensive dinners for their VIP clients? A team losing millions should not be spending on live bands, shrimp, crab, soft drinks and cocktails. Where's the spray-can cheese, crackers, and boxed wine?
Poor teams should also not be spending $13mil upgrading their arena with more bells and whistles, nor be dishing out $40mil per season on payroll.
What do the Ducks have to gain by crying poor, huh? Are the fans going to be guilted into buying tickets because the Ducks can't make a supposed profit? Am I supposed to feel sorry for the Samuelis? Quack, quack, quack!
Whatever the case, I hope that fans are smart enough to tune out owners who cry poor over owning an NHL club. There is certainly no shortage of billionaires lining up to buy a team.
(Picture Credit: Carl Barks, Walt Disney Productions)
It seems that the Ottawa Senators have apparently been eating too much Duck L'Orange and have waddled around the ice like they have had too much fowl to eat on Thanksgiving.
How else can you explain the sleepy stupor of which the Senators appear to caught in?
Well, speaking of food, one Ottawa area casino has jumped into the spirit of the Stanley Cup finals and has devised a special dish in tribute of Daniel Alfredsson ...
The Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, just across the river from Ottawa, has devised a culinary tribute to the Senators caption Daniel Alfredsson: the Alfie Burger.
The "bison burger with smoked duck, California yellow tomatoes, Monterrey Jack cheese and caramelized Pittsburgh onions, served with New Jersey-style fries" was designed to help the team "take down the Ducks as quickly as they dispatched the other teams."
Well, it doesn't appear to be working now, does it?. Perhaps this one dish just isn't enough? How about some other Duck-inspired culinary delights?
Pronger Steak - This expensive steak is BIG, tough, hard to find, and super delicious. The only downside is that it leaves a very nasty feeling once it leaves your system.
Brad May Crunch - This gritty cereal is guaranteed to leave you with a few missing teeth.
Giguere Marshmallow Mountain - This puffy dessert is HUGE, and will add a few notches to your belt in no time.
Sean O'Donnell Rice - White rice with a dash of salt. It's boring and generic, but it gets the job done in a pinch.
Scotty's Scotch - Another rare delicacy, this expensive scotch has a smooth, silky, smoky finish. This drink must be accompanied by Rob's Rum, a heavy, bitter, blue-collar drink that really isn't worth the price.
Far too many idiots in the American sports media cry about how 'nobody in the USA cares about hockey', or 'hockey doesn't matter' or some other BS that us hockey fans don't care to hear from NFL fans.
Unfortunately, we've also been hearing many of the same things from mainstream hockey media, who lament the fact that another southern hockey club from a warm climate is facing the least interesting team in Canada.
The CBC's telecast of the first game of the Stanley Cup final on Monday (Senators-Anaheim Ducks) drew an average audience of 2.608 million, down 14 per cent from the first game last year (Oilers-Carolina Hurricanes, 3.033 million).
The audience was off 15 per cent from the 3.063 million viewers who watched the first game of the 2004 final between the Flames and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Why is it that Canadian fans have tuned out the finals?
1. Having a six day hiatus between the semi-finals and finals killed a lot of momentum and reminded people that the weather is very nice outside. Unlike the Super Bowl, a long break between hockey games leads to a lot of dead air time and a lack of real tension buildup. 2. Toronto Maple Leafs fans truly don't care about Ottawa. True to their word, Leafs fans just stopped watching the playoffs, en masse. While Sens fans beat themselves trying to earn the respect of Leafers, Torontonians just stick up their nose at their provincial cousins, and then go watch the Blue Jays. 3. Hockey fans can't say it enough: The playoffs need to end earlier! It's hard to be in the hockey spirit when it's hot and sunny outside and the baseball season is in full gear.
At the very least, there was some good news to report, from the US side of things:
Regionally, Buffalo produced the largest overnight, a 3.9 (percentage of households tuned in).
The Los Angeles market, where the Ducks play, produced a 1.7, the largest hockey rating Versus has earned in the market. Versus ranked fifth among the cable networks in Los Angeles from 8 p.m. EDT to 10:45 p.m. The Los Angeles market, where the Ducks play, produced a 1.7, the largest hockey rating Versus has earned in the market.
It's good to see the Ducks helped break a record for local ratings in their area. It's also interesting that Buffalonians tuned in to watch the game in great numbers. Perhaps they are cheering against the Sens?
Teemu Selanne, the 36-year old "Finnish Flash", has long been known as one of the NHL's 'nice guys'. He's genuine, generous, and really looks like he's having a ball on the ice.
His teammates? They love the guy, and hope they can get a cup for their veteran leader.
His friends? They REALLY love the guy, especially after he flew 16 of them, all the way from snowy Finland, to watch him and the Ducks play the Senators in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Teemu Selanne never forgets his friends.
The "Finnish Flash" had his own rooting section Monday for the opener of the Stanley Cup Finals, and those fans were easy to pick out of the crowd.
Dressed in bright orange T-shirts with "Teemu" written across the front, 16 of Selanne's childhood friends cheered him during his first appearance in the Finals in his 14-year NHL career.
Teemu Selanne made a childhood promise to his pals that he would bring them to North America to watch him play if he ever made the Stanley Cup Finals. He even paid for the whole trip, including the beer on the flight!
How many of us have made flippant and extravagant childhood promises, and then forgotten them the next week?
Last night, the Ottawa Senators became the first team to be eliminated from the playoffs after being dispatched 3-1 by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tonight, there is only one team on the slate with a chance to join the Sens on the golf course, but for two others their seasons could effectively be over. 
The Phoenix Coyotes have had some serious goaltending issues since before Britney Spears went from a somewhat cute lip-syncher to a drugged-out bad excuse for a mother.
The Anaheim Ducks began their celebrations and hangover recovery by 
Despite the cruddy ratings that the NHL gets on American network television, the revenues that most NHL teams earn remains stronger than Chuck Norris, thanks to high ticket inflows and corporate sponsorships.
It seems that the Ottawa Senators have apparently been eating too much Duck L'Orange and have waddled around the ice like they have had too much fowl to eat on Thanksgiving.
Far too many idiots in the American sports media cry about how 'nobody in the USA cares about hockey', or 'hockey doesn't matter' or some other BS that us hockey fans don't care to hear from NFL fans.
