By Kat
Readers of this blog will remember my predictions for Round One of the NHL playoffs, and are probably shaking their heads as I am with how the 2012 quarterfinals have played out thus far. Over the course of last week, teams that many pundits predicted to go deep into the playoffs now find themselves packing their lockers or staring elimination in the face. Read More
by Kat
It may have looked like it this opening round of the playoffs, but a sequel hasn’t been released yet.
The playoffs are ripe for upsets and unexpected turns in momentum, but few possibly could have predicted what transpired over the weekend as NHL games devolved into scenes taken straight out of Slapshot. A few weeks ago, Adrian of ShowTimeTickets.com reminisced about the bench-clearing brawls and rough stuff of the old days and lamented about a general lack of excitement in today’s NHL. What happened in the past few days was a probably – in this fan’s eyes – a statement of “be careful what you wish for”. Read More
By Kat
LA Kings (4) – Vancouver Canucks (2)
There’s nothing like a little trash talk to stoke animosity and light a fire under our collective rear ends; the LA Kings’ Twitter feed just got a lot busier after they took this jab at the Canucks following the Kings’ 4-2 win in Game 1:
By Kat
We’re just one more sleep away from the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs and the start of another two months of hockey drama. Last year’s playoffs were laden with rivalries, upsets, near-comebacks and Game 7s for the ages; parity in the league has only grown since then, so I would nothing less than the excitement from last year to repeat itself. Read More
One problem with having friends from around the world is that there’s one clear thing we don’t get along on: Hockey. I’m sure any hockey loving fan knows how that goes. You’re best of friends until the NHL playoffs start, and then it’s time to poke fun at them as your team kicks their team to the curb (because of course your team will always win, right?)
This playoff season has been interesting for me, because the Vancouver Canucks have gone up against teams that some of my friends are actually fans of.
In the Western Conference Semifinal, the Canucks faced off against the Nashville Predators. Originally from Tennessee, my friend Matt currently lives in Alabama. Though admittedly we don’t talk hockey a lot, it was still fun to poke fun as the Preds lost 4-2.
Now with the Canucks up against the San Jose Sharks, it’s my friend Jeremy and I going head to head as he’s from the San Francisco area. He’d gone out of town for a week for holidays, but secretly I think it’s his way of avoiding my hockey chatter.
I do admit I’m a good sport about it, and my friends know it’s all in good fun.
For the Eastern Conference, my friend Kathy is a big Philadelphia Flyer fan. She lives, eats, breathes the Flyers. Being knocked out in Round 2 against the Boston Bruins, she’s had to focus her attention on one of her favourite former Flyers players: Simon Gagne. Such a fan is she that when Kathy comes to visit me here in Vancouver in two weeks she’s planning on wearing her Gagne jersey – despite whatever reaction she might get from Canucks fans.
Has love for opposing teams gotten between you and your friends?
Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals happens tonight here in Vancouver. Puck drops at 6 pm PDT.
On Monday, NHL arbitrator Richard Block deemed the NHL was justified in rejecting Ilya Kovalchuck’s 17 year $102 million contract with the New Jersey Devils.
In the aftermath, there has been significant discussion about other, similar front-loaded and the NHL has stated that other controversial contracts will be up for review. Long term deals that continue paying high salaries long after a players peak performance years are becoming more and more popular in the NHL as a way to circumvent the league’s salary cap.
Specifically named in Block’s report have been: Vancouver Canucks Robert Luongo, Chicago Blackhawks Marian Hossa, Philadelphia Flyers Chris Pronger and Boston Bruin‘s Marc Savard.
Mike Gillis, Vancouver Canucks‘ general manager has said that the league will Read More