Hartley Miller's Slap-Shots - May 23rd, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008 03:45 AM
Finally the main event! The Penguins face the Red Wings for the Stanley Cup!
The first round was exciting, while rounds two and three lacked suspense; and now, the much anticipated finale.
It doesn't always turn out that the top two NHL teams play for the most prestigious trophy in
sports. However, no one can argue that Detroit (west) and Pittsburgh (east) are the two best teams. To earn a spot in the final the Wings knocked off the 8th, 6th and 5th seeded teams, but before you think
they had an easy ride, the Pens dismantled just the 7th, 5th and 6th seeds respectively. Both clubs cruised to 3-0 series leads in the Conference semi-finals. Although both teams failed to complete a sweep, they were not about to be denied when it came to “crunch time”.
Pittsburgh-Philadelphia: The Flyers surprisingly strong playoff run came to an abrupt halt in a short five game series. After superb efforts against Washington and Montreal, goaltender Marty Biron, forwards Daniel Briere and RJ Umberger were among many Flyers that faltered against Pittsburgh. Let’s face it; the odds were stacked against Philly as they didn't have much of a chance with their top two defencemen (Kimmo Timmonen and Braydon Coburn) sidelined for most of the series.
sports. However, no one can argue that Detroit (west) and Pittsburgh (east) are the two best teams. To earn a spot in the final the Wings knocked off the 8th, 6th and 5th seeded teams, but before you think
they had an easy ride, the Pens dismantled just the 7th, 5th and 6th seeds respectively. Both clubs cruised to 3-0 series leads in the Conference semi-finals. Although both teams failed to complete a sweep, they were not about to be denied when it came to “crunch time”.
Pittsburgh-Philadelphia: The Flyers surprisingly strong playoff run came to an abrupt halt in a short five game series. After superb efforts against Washington and Montreal, goaltender Marty Biron, forwards Daniel Briere and RJ Umberger were among many Flyers that faltered against Pittsburgh. Let’s face it; the odds were stacked against Philly as they didn't have much of a chance with their top two defencemen (Kimmo Timmonen and Braydon Coburn) sidelined for most of the series.
On the other hand, the Penguins rise to the top should not be a surprise when one examines a roster bolstered with 1st and 2nd overall picks. Here's Pittsburgh's first round draft picks since 2000 along with their contributions to the Eastern Conference champions:
- 2000: Brooks Orpik (18th overall) underrated solid blue liner.
- 2001: Colby Armstrong (21st overall) Dealt to Atlanta along with Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito and a 2008 first round pick for Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis at this year's trading deadline. Hossa is having a “monster” playoff season while Dupuis is effective as the 3rd member of the Crosby line.
- 2002: Ryan Whitney (5th overall) gifted defenceman who is playing a prominent role.
- 2003: Marc-Andre Fleury (1st overall) peaking at the right time. If he keeps improving he could challenge Roberto Luongo for Canada's top puck stopper at the 2010 Olympics.
- 2004: Evgeni Malkin (2nd overall) Brilliant.
- 2005: Sidney Crosby (1st overall) Captain who re-energized the franchise. With all due respect to the Russians, “Sid the kid” is the game's top player.
- 2006: Jordan Staal (2nd overall) Reminds me of a young Bob Gainey. Is there a bigger compliment?
- 2007: Angelo Esposito (20th overall) Part of that trade package which returned Hossa and Dupuis.
Detroit-Dallas: The old adage that “What goes around comes around” certainly fits in this series. The
Stars lost the first three, won the next two and fell in game six. This is what happened in the previous round except the other way as Dallas won three, lost a pair to San Jose and ended the series in game six. The difference in the two series’ was the Stars needed four overtimes to put away the Sharks. Dallas received outstanding playoff performances from goalie Marty Turco, Captain Brendan Morrow and the ageless Mike Modano, although their performances tailed off after beating Anaheim and San Jose. The Stars did not have an answer for the Datsyuk-Zetterberg duo. Nicklas Lidstrom is four wins shy of being the first European Captain of a Stanley Cup winner. As well, without fanfare, Chris Osgood is making timely saves. When the Wings have a chance to put a team away, they've done so convincingly including these final game victories:
Conf. Finals Stars 4-1
Conf. Semis Avalanche 8-2
Conf. Quarters Predators 3-0
That brings us to the 15th and final round of the NHL playoffs……
Pittsburgh-Detroit: Based on experience and home ice advantage (Detroit 7-1 in the playoffs and Pittsburgh 8-0) the Wings are favored. Comparisons are being made between this year's Penguins and the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980's and how the Oilers had to lose first in a Cup final before gaining glory. The safe pick is Detroit. My hunch is Pittsburgh so I will pick the Penguins in 7 games. Either way, it should be a much better final than a year ago when Ottawa went in the tank against Anaheim.
Pittsburgh-Detroit: Based on experience and home ice advantage (Detroit 7-1 in the playoffs and Pittsburgh 8-0) the Wings are favored. Comparisons are being made between this year's Penguins and the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980's and how the Oilers had to lose first in a Cup final before gaining glory. The safe pick is Detroit. My hunch is Pittsburgh so I will pick the Penguins in 7 games. Either way, it should be a much better final than a year ago when Ottawa went in the tank against Anaheim.
*
Jessin Potskin has the honor of being the first PG resident named to the Canadian Junior Men's Fastball team. The 19-year-old centre fielder/shortstop was one of 17 players picked (one of two from BC). Canada will compete at the ISF Men's World Championship in Whitehorse starting June 20th. Their round robin opponents will include: the Czech Republic, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, Botswana, Venezuela, Australia, Mexico, Denmark, Japan and the United States. The Top four make the playoffs.
From the quote rack:
“Charles Barkley says he has paid his debts and vows to stop gambling. Pete Rose said "I wouldn't bet on it.” Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California (www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com)
“Barkley previously said he has a gambling problem. Sounds more like he has a winning problem.”
Steve Rosenbloom of ChicagoSports.com
“Jason Giambi is reportedly wearing a golden thong to help him break his batting slump. With a salary of $23.4 million--second highest in the majors--no one can accuse him of playing out the g-string.”Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California
“The Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes are fighting the decision to penalize them for going over the CFL's salary cap saying no one told them the coupons they used had an expiry date.”
Contributor Derek Wilken of Calgary (http://smacksport.blogspot.com/)
“A six-minute-long piece of footage of downtown Vancouver filmed 101 years ago is included in an upcoming new movie, City Reflections.
Scenes depicted include a horse being towed from a parking spot, a paint-splattered grandfather clock and a street hockey game featuring Cyclone Taylor and Chris Chelios.”Vancouver comic Torben Rolfsen
Scenes depicted include a horse being towed from a parking spot, a paint-splattered grandfather clock and a street hockey game featuring Cyclone Taylor and Chris Chelios.”Vancouver comic Torben Rolfsen
“Irvine Robbins, the founder of Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream has died at age 90. His funeral is scheduled for Sundae.”Comedian Jim Barach
And in case you missed it:
He isn't in Travis Henry's league yet, but Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs has fathered three children with three women in just two years. (Henry of the Denver Broncos will be hard to catch after reportedly fathering nine kids with nine women in nine states)
And how was your week?
Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for the PG Free Press. Send along a quote, note or anecdote to hmiller@94xfm.com
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