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By Dave Consolazio, May 31, 2007 12:43 pm

For those of you wondering how the Ducks have managed to jump out to a 2 – 0 lead and put a choke hold on the series on an Ottawa team that has been nothing but dominant throughout these entire playoffs, it is quite simple…

I alluded to it in my first “Ask Me Anything”…

“The biggest knock on [the Sens] has been their physical game, which I didn’t think was addressed this off-season or at the trade deadline. Also, goaltending was a question mark; could Ray Emery really outshine the likes of Marty Brodeur or Ryan Miller? The answer to that question has been an emphatic yes. As for physicality, they don’t need it against similar-styled Buffalo and Pittsburgh. And as for the Devils series, in that instance, skill trumped toughness. And don’t get me wrong… they haven’t been playing like a bunch of pansies. They simply have had the good fortune of being able to play to their strengths.”

“I will very likely be picking against the Senators in the finals. As I said above, I don’t think they have really been physically tested yet; and both the Ducks and the Wings play a very tough physical brand of hockey. And, unlike the Devils, they also have the talent to back it up. Not to mention, the team in the West will have the more experienced goaltender AND home ice advantage. I will certainly be rooting for the Senators – I hate the Wings and Ducks AND I have money riding on a Sens’ victory; but I will likely pick against them.”

Of course I ended up deciding that the Senators would find a way to overcome this… but so far, it appears that they can not.

With the exception of only Andy McDonald and Teemu Selanne (who try, but aren’t that tough), every single player on the Anaheim Ducks hits HARD. And OFTEN. Every single shift these guys take, they hit the guy who has the puck hard, the guy who just passed the puck hard, and sometimes they just take the penalty and hit someone else hard when they aren’t even allowed to. And the Ducks are unapologetic and ruthless about it; even after taking a penalty, they’ll come right back out and hit some more.

This type of physicality completely changes the game. After getting hit so many times, players – even if only subconsciously, but often consciously as well – begin paying more attention to where opposing team’s players are instead of their own in fear and anticipation of getting hit. They also begin second guessing moves that will make them end up in the corners where they will take a punishment.

In a day where the new NHL promotes finesse, it is pretty impressive to see such an overwhelmingly powerful team go out there and crush bodies the way they do.

JS Giguere hasn’t been tested much, but when they’ve needed him to make the big saves, he’s been right on the spot. Ray Emery played a decent game 1 and an excellent game 2; but he can’t actually go out there and score, can he?

The only chance the Senators have is taking advantage of the home ice rules in Ottawa. Of course having the fans on their side will be helpful enough; but in the NHL, the home team gets to make the last line change. In other words, they can see who the other team has out there and then choose the match-up they like best. This worked to a charm for Anaheim, who completely neutralized the Senators’ usually dominant line of Spezza Heatley Alfredsson by putting their best defensive offensive line out there; Rob Niedermayer, Samuel Pahlsson, and Travis Moen with BOTH of their Norris trophy winning defensemen Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. No one in the league is scoring against that line.

If the Sens can find favorable match-ups for their top line instead of always facing those defensive juggernauts, they might have a chance. Granted, as soon as the puck is dropped the Ducks can make a line change; but its those precious few seconds that could be the difference.

And they have to be, or the Ottawa Senators will be staying in Ottawa for good.

(http://vegasdavesdime.blogspot.com/2007/05/ducks-physical-play-overwhelms-senators.html)

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By Dave Consolazio, May 28, 2007 8:44 pm

In 1992, the NHL expanded by two teams, adding the Tampa Bay Lightning… and the Ottawa Senators.

This gave the province of Ontario its second team; something that the city of Ottawa was thrilled about, but most Ontario locals were not. The Toronto Maple Leafs had been Ontario’s only professional hockey team since 1927 (Though the Maple Leaf franchise under various names had been in Ontario since 1917).

The Maple Leafs won 11 Stanley Cups in the years between 1927 – 1967. This was in an NHL comprised of only 6 teams, which are now known as the “Original 6″; the Montreal Canadians, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and the Maple Leafs.

In the season of 1967 – 1968, the league expanded, adding 6 new teams to double the NHL’s size to 12 teams.

Since the expansion;

Montreal Canadians: 10 Stanley Cups, 12 Stanley Cup Final Appearances
Detroit Red Wings: 3 Stanley Cups, 4 Stanley Cup Final Appearances
Boston Bruins: 2 Stanley Cups, 4 Stanley Cup Final Appearances
New York Rangers: 1 Stanley Cup, 1 Stanley Cup Final Appearance
Chicago Blackhawks: 0 Stanley Cups, 1 Stanley Cup Final Appearance

Toronto Maple Leafs: 0 Stanley Cups, 0 Stanley Cup Final Appearances

Bitter much lately?

The Senators, who have only been in the league for 15 years, are now 4 wins away from winning a Stanley Cup. Where is the justice? Why should the fans that jumped ship from the province’s original team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, be awarded with a Cup?

One year after the Ottawa Senators joined the league in the 1992 expansion, two more teams joined the league for the 1993 season; the Florida Panthers and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

The Anaheim Ducks joined the Los Angeles Kings as the only other team in Southern California. Remember that 1967-68 expansion that made the NHL into 12 teams? One of those teams was the Los Angeles Kings. They were Southern California’s only team for 26 years, and the entire state’s only team for 24 (the San Jose Sharks joined the league in 1991).

(Editors Note: Southern California’s only team for 26 years, the Kings were not in fact California’s only team. I looked over the Oakland Seals, who joined the league in the 1967-68 season. They were renamed the California Golden Seals in the 1970-71 season, and eventually moved off to Cleveland after playing their final season in California in 1975-76. They never won a playoff series. Thank you to the reader who brought the Seals to my attention.)

Despite having a history rich with some of the greats to ever play the game, including the greatest of them all in Wayne Gretzky, the Kings were never able to win a Stanley Cup. In fact, they made only one Stanley Cup Finals appearance in the 1992 – 93 season; the season preceding the Ducks entering the league. They lost in 5 games to the Montreal Canadians.

It took the Ducks only 9 years to do what it had taken the Kings 25 years to do; make it to the Finals. The Ducks ended up losing the series, but they did win 3 games in the series, tripling the amount of wins the Kings have in Stanley Cup Finals history.

The Ducks, who have only been in the league for 14 years, are now 3 wins away from winning a Stanley Cup. Where is the justice? Why should the fans that jumped ship from Southern California’s original team, the Los Angeles Kings, be awarded with a Cup?

Feeling the déjà vu?

Lets get one thing straight. The Ottawa Senators and the Anaheim Ducks deserve to be in the finals. Not only have their players worked as hard or harder than every other teams’ in the league, but they also have been brilliantly run franchises. Ottawa has done an excellent job drafting and keeping talent, while the Ducks have not only done a good job drafting but have also made a number of brilliant transactions over the past few years to solidify them as legitimate contenders.

This isn’t about the teams. Any Maple Leaf or Kings fan could tell you that they know the Senators and Ducks are great teams. It’s the damn fans. Yes, many of them simply lived in the city; both Anaheim and Ottawa are large cities and of course hockey fans are going to be excited to get their own team. Then again, does a team being built in your front yard give you a great opportunity to abandon your current team just because a new one is closer? And what about all the bandwagon fans that simply hopped on for the ride when these teams started becoming playoff forces. You can’t deny their presence. They make up a great deal of these young franchises fans. Why are Maple Leafs and Kings fans being punished for their loyalty, while Ducks and Senators fans are being rewarded for their infidelity?

Leafs and Kings fans have every right to be upset, in my opinion. But who should be angrier?

Kings fans. By a MILE.

“Why, Dave? Because you are a Kings fan?”

Actually, no. Two important reasons.

1) THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS HAVE HAD THEIR NAMES INGRAINED INTO THE STANLEY CUP 11 TIMES!

I understand that that isn’t much condolence to those fans born in the last 40 years. Think it matters to me that the Raiders were great, once upon a time? We want results in the here and now. But whether it happened long ago or just yesterday, the Stanley Cup is eternal; once a team’s name and roster is ingrained into the Cup, it stays there forever. The Maple Leafs have won the cup more than all other teams in the league with the exception of only the Montreal Canadians. No one can ever take those championships away from you. Even if the Sens go on to win 12 Stanley Cups before the Maple Leafs win another; and trust me, I know how bad that would hurt; it would never erase their legacy. A legacy that the Kings don’t have. If the Ducks win the Stanley Cup first, it could be the Kings to win the next 3; but no one could ever take away the fact that the Ducks won a Stanley Cup before the Los Angeles Kings.

2) OTTAWA FANS ACTUALLY LOVE HOCKEY AND SUPPORT THEIR TEAM!

Here is an article on how little Southern California cares about the Ducks heading to the Stanley Cup Finals; Ducks aren’t hot topic in town.

Meanwhile, celebrities and thousands of fans show up for this pep rally in Ottawa.

As if those two articles were needed to point out the obvious. But lets take a look at the numbers.

Team / League Standing /Fan Attendance Ranking / Average Attendance per home game:

2000-2001 Season:

Leafs / 14th / 5th / 19,257
Sens / 4th / 10th / 17,793
Kings / 13th / 17th / 16,057
Ducks / 26th / 28th / 13,499

2001-2002 Season:

Leafs / 3rd / 4th / 19,279
Sens / 14th / 15th / 16,919
Kings / 12th / 16th / 16,756
Ducks / 24th / 30th / 12,002

2002-2003 Season:

Leafs / 9th / 4th / 19,240
Kings / 18th / 12th / 17,569
Sens / 1st / 14th / 17,198
Ducks / 11th / 26th / 13,988 <—-Year Ducks go to Stanley Cup Finals 2003-2004 Season:

Leafs / 5th / 3th / 19,376
Kings / 20th / 11th / 17,855
Sens / 6th / 13th / 17,758
Ducks / 22nd / 23rd / 14,987

2005-2006 Season:

Sens / 2nd / 5th / 19,474
Leafs / 18th / 6th / 19,408
Kings / 20th / 12th / 17,840
Ducks / 12th / 24th / 15,106 <—- Ducks go to Conference Finals 2006-2007 Season:

Leafs / 18th / 4th / 19,487
Sens / 9th / 5th / 19,372
Kings / 28th / 16th / 16,859
Ducks / 4th / 20th / 16,363

Despite the fact that the Kings were in a season long struggle to be the second worst team in hockey, Kings fans still paid MORE money to see MORE games than Ducks fans, who were in a season long struggle to be the BEST IN THE NHL!

Want to bring up the fact that the stadium the Ducks play in is smaller and can’t seat as many people as Staples and the Canadian stadiums? Then you’ll love the stat that going by percentage of seats sold, the Ducks ranked 17th in the league this year with a 95.3%. The team with the 4th best record in the league.

Want to bring up the fact that the culture is different, and that Canada loves hockey much more than the US does? Of course it does. That doesn’t take away from the fact that subtracting the 6 Canadian teams from the totals, there were still 22, 24, 20, 17, 18, and this year 14 US cities that had more fans go out and support their team, INCLUDING Los Angeles, San Jose, Dallas, and Tampa Bay… really icy climates, perfect for hockey I’m sure.

Face it: Ducks fans suck, and they don’t deserve the satisfaction of seeing their team win the cup.

I’ve been asked, Dave, what about the true fans? The ones that were there from the beginning? Kids raised Ducks fans, etc? And truthfully, there are a few of those types of fans out there that deserve to see their team win as much as anyone. Then again, I know what its like to be thrown in with a big fan stereotype; again, I bring up that I’m a Raiders fan. That means I must be a criminal? A gangster? A freak? Violent? Of course not. But that doesn’t mean I can’t acknowledge that they exist.

I’m a fan of my teams because I’m loyal to those teams, not to the other fans that support them. And I can almost guarantee you that when you come across one of those rare, true Duck fans, that didn’t abandon the Kings and actually loves and supports the team, they’ll agree with everything I’ve said about 95% of their fellow fans.

Go Senators. For the love of hockey, go Senators.

(http://vegasdavesdime.blogspot.com/2007/05/senators-and-ducks-fans-and-why-maple.html)

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By Dave Consolazio, May 26, 2007 2:18 pm

My apologies to all of my readers that check here regularly. I usually update 4 – 5 times a week, and its inexcusable I’ve left it un-updated this long. I’ve had a very long and busy week. Besides that, some of the things I want to blog on needed to be postponed for a little while;

Jason Giambi – waiting for something to actually HAPPEN before I give an opinion on it… so far its been all talk.

NBA Draft Lottery – look for this one in the very near future… but I’m still “cranky” over the Robert Horry incident, and am not in the best mood to blog about the NBA.

And, of course, the Cup Finals.

The reason I have waited is due to the fact that the Finals don’t actually start until Monday, and I think it is extremely important to soak in as much information (and, more importantly, press) as possible. Take for example Sean Avery running his mouth about how his Rangers were going to “hurt” the Buffalo Sabres. Smart. Give the best team in the league MORE motivation to beat you. And they did take both of the first 2 games at home.

Both of these teams have been classy (this certainly isn’t the media equivalent of MEDIA WEEK in the NFL before the Super Bowl, especially here in the states, is it?) and haven’t said anything disrespectful about their opponents. Both teams are confident, and they both should be. They’ve played some good hockey to get here.

I did stumble on a good article a few days ago. It tells the story of a young 3-year-old who died of a rare form of childhood cancer called neuroblastoma. The boy was a die-hard Senators fan, who got to meet the team and became an inspiration to them. He defied the odds and stayed alive long enough to watch his favorite team beat the Sabres and make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. It is a great story and its ashame its only being heard in Canada. Here is the link; make sure you have some Kleenex handy; Elgin’s Story.

Thus the importance of researching the media. Is this little boy’s story going to be the sole deciding factor in this series? Of course not. But when two excellent, very evenly matched hockey teams meet up and something as simple as who wants it more is the deciding factor… you think Elgin’s picture won’t be hanging high in the Senator’s locker room? As if the already-more-dedicated-to-their-team-than-Duck’s-fans Senator fans needed MORE to cheer about to give their team that extra little edge at home?

Here goes nothing.

#2 Anaheim Ducks (48 – 20 – 14 regular season, 12 – 4 post season) VS.
#4 Ottawa Senators (48 – 25 – 9 regular season, 12 – 3 post season)

Two 48 win teams, two teams that haven’t won a Stanley Cup (well, not the modern day Senators who were born in 1992; a team of the same name won it 80 years ago), two teams that have worked extremely hard to get to this point and deserve to have their names ingrained into Lord Stanley’s Cup.

And yet, only one can.

You really can’t go wrong picking either of the teams in this series. The Ducks have two of the top 3 defensemen in the league in Chris Pronger and Scott Neidermayer, as well as a goaltender who is nothing short of spectacular come playoff time in Jean-Sebastion Giguere. The Senators have 3 of the top 4 point scorers in these playoffs in Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, and Daniel Alfredsson; all the more impressive considering the fact that they’ve played less games than the Sabres, Ducks, and Wings have (The Wings’ Nick Lidstrom (18 pts) knocks Alfredsson’s 17 points out of the top 3 with his teammates by just one point… but Lidstrom played in 3 more games).

So, OTTAWA OFFENSE VS. DUCK DEFENSE? Not quite. As catchy as that may be, the Ducks also happened to finish 9th overall during the regular season in scoring (Sens 2nd)… and the Senators happened to finish 10th overall in goals against (Ducks 7th). So neither of these teams has a real weakness, which makes this series so darn interesting.

You all know how much I hate the Ducks, but let me make perfectly clear that I know what a good hockey team they are, and I’m looking really hard for any reason to pick them, because I don’t want it to be an emotional pick. You’ll notice that I’ve said the Ducks are the best in the West… and that they are. But I thought Buffalo was the best team in the league, and they were handled quite easily by the Ottawa Senators. Think back a few years ago to the Pittsburgh Steelers team that came in on a wild card and tore through everyone en route to a Super Bowl victory. There were “better” teams, but not in those playoffs their weren’t. The Senators give me a similar vibe. They’ve beaten the best young team in the game (Pittsburgh), the best goaltender in the game (Brodeur), and the best team in the game (Buffalo), all handily. Why shouldn’t they beat the best team in the West?

But then, the Ducks could make similar claims. They beat the best defensive team in the game (Minnesota), the “best goaltender in the game” (Luongo), and the “best team in the game” (Detroit). After all, Luongo and Brodeur are the clear 1 and 2 but it is tough to decide between them. And Detroit finished with the same point total as Buffalo: 113 (albeit in a much easier division).

Stats make things even more complexing. The Senator’s defense/goaltending has been better than the Ducks, allowing only 2.12 goals per game to the Ducks 2.17. However, the Sens run is not only better by .05; they’ve faced the leagues’ 1st, 4th, and 27th ranked offenses (Average 10.67) to the Ducks’ 10th, 19th, and 22nd (Average 17).

And needless to say the Sens have scored plenty more goals than the Ducks (3.2 goals a game to the Ducks 2.62), but they have done so against the league’s 4th, 13th, and 14th ranked defenses. The Ducks meanwhile have had to face the league’s 1st, 2nd, and 5th ranked defenses. Maybe they are due for an offensive explosion?

Dizzy yet? Lets just move on to the questions;

Mom asked

Do you think it actually comes down to goal tending on which team will win the cup?

Well, yes and no. You can’t win a series on goaltending alone (ask Roberto Luongo and Marty Turco about that), but you can certainly lose a series on goaltending alone. If a goalie is on, he gives his team an excellent chance to win. And, if he isn’t, he gives them an excellent chance to lose. All eyes are on Ottawa goaltender Ray Emery; JS Giguere has proven he’s the real deal in the playoffs. Emery has done an excellent job not only stopping high octane offenses in Buffalo (1st overall) and Pittsburgh (4th overall), but also out-dueling some of the game’s great young goalies in Ryan Miller and Marc-Andre Fluery, as well as the games best, Martin Brodeur. I don’t think he’ll have to be perfect at all to win the cup; but he’ll need to be good. And, depending on how JS plays, he just might have to be great.

Can you tell me the records of Ottawa and the Ducks?

They are listed above. Of course, you could have just gone to any major sports web page for that info… but I appreciate you coming here instead!

Do the east coast teams play better, or harder games than the west?

That’s debatable. In the old days, the style of play was much rougher in the East than it was in the West. Nowadays, I’d say its evened out a bit. The big difference between the conferences this year was parity (which means strength from top to bottom in sports). The East was more evenly matched up; 13 of their 15 teams finished with 75 or more points, compared to only 10 of 15 in the West. But the West had 7 teams with 100 or more points to the East’s 4. What it really comes down to in the new NHL isn’t conferences so much as it is divisions. Teams play 8 games against each of their division rivals. So if you are in a weak division with only 2 strong teams, you can easily rise to the top. If you are in a tough division with either 5 competitive teams OR 3 excellent teams, your road will be difficult. Good hockey is good hockey and bad hockey is bad hockey, East, West, North, and South.

Josh asked; Anaheim Ducks or Ottawa Senators – WHO YA GOT?

And isn’t that the point of this whole post? As you can read, you can’t go wrong with either of these teams. They are both great. And they both don’t know each other, so you really don’t know what to expect. Since the stats didn’t solve it, I have to look no further than the quality of hockey played. In my opinion, as good as the Ducks are, they have looked vulnerable, and they have been outplayed by inferior teams, and they have barely found ways to win games that they didn’t deserve to win. Honestly, as much as I like the Sabres, they were the same way this year. Not the Senators. They have played flat out excellent hockey in all 15 games they have played; all 3 of their losses were 1 goal games. These are two evenly matched teams. Flip a coin and pick a side. The side with the Senators logo on it, however, is a little shinier. And I make this pick as a hockey analyst, not a bitter Kings fan.

OTTAWA IN 6.

(http://vegasdavesdime.blogspot.com/2007/05/stanley-cup-finals-ask-me-anything-3.html)

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By Dave Consolazio, May 20, 2007 7:09 pm

Buffalo and Ottawa, the East’s two best offenses were locked up in a close Game 5, with Ottawa seemingly controlling the tempo through the first two periods and earning themselves a 2 – 1 lead heading into the third. Desperation and the home crowd kicked in all at once, and the Sabres went on an offensive flurry and tied the game up on a power play goal with just under 10 minutes left to play. Both goalies were outstanding and kept the puck out of the net for the last 9 minutes and change of play; this baby was heading into overtime.

You know how I feel about overtime playoff hockey. There just isn’t anything better.

Would Buffalo be eliminated, or would the Senators be forced to fly back to Ottawa for a Game 6?

Who would be the hero? Who would be the goat? How long would it take to decide a winner?

“The Preakness is coming up next here on NBC. If you’d like continued coverage of this game, check your local provider for the Versus network”

But post time isn’t until 3:00 pm, so we could see an overtime period without missing the actual race. Maybe they just meant after…

“What a sunny day it is here where Street Sense will try and take the next step towards immortality and the triple crown!”

Hmm. So, seeing as I don’t have Versus, I now have to miss the game so I can see the leadup to the Preakness?

Believe it or not, unlike 99% of my hockey fan friends who were absolutely irate and sent hateful letters and emails to NBC, I don’t blame them for the move at all.

The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness, and Belmont Stakes are a bigger deal than the NHL conference finals.

Monetarily, anyways.

People paid great money to get their commercial spots during the hour leading up to the Preakness. Commercials that wouldn’t be seen if you kept the hockey game on; there are no commercials in overtime of a playoff hockey game. Besides, the commercials were catered to people who would be tuning into the race, not keeping it on for the hockey game.

So NBC had a choice; refund all those advertisers their money and upset horse racing fans, or upset a bunch of loyal hockey fans.

Easy call.

Because hockey fans love their sport. We can’t threaten to boycott a network for pulling stunts like this because quite frankly we are lucky when we get to see hockey at all. After all, NBC can offend me all it wants, because I don’t get Versus here at my apartment. I have to watch internet feeds when games aren’t televised. So what if we all get piping mad? What does NBC care? You think it needs hockey ratings to survive?

Besides, those of you that work, how many of you heard people bringing up the race on Saturday? Who they had? Whether or not Street Sense would win? Bets? Side bets?

Ever hear that talk surrounding hockey in your workplace?

NBC made the right move. I refuse to criticize them, and I also refuse to criticize horse racing. Its awesome. Does it hold a candle to playoff hockey? No, but what does?

All this emphasized was what an idiot Gary Bettman was for not signing a deal with ESPN. ESPN offered Bettman a contract to cover hockey; granted, it was not very lucrative, but why should it have been? The league was coming off a lock-out and its already small fan base was shaken and there were whispers the NHL might not recover. Signing with ESPN may not have paid the most upfront but it would have given the league the two things it needs the most; advertisements and coverage.

Ever watch Sportscenter or ESPNews and see commercials for arena football? Sure you do. Why? Because ESPN actually gets to cover arena football.

Ever watch Versus and see commercials for the NHL? No. Why? Because you AREN’T WATCHING VERSUS.

You may not even get it!

Bettman’s shortsightedness has solidified hockey’s spot outside of major sports. Hockey used to be one of the 4 major sports. Well, those are now NASCAR, NFL, MLB, and NBA.

Hockey stays with tennis, golf, boxing, and all the other sports that don’t get any respect.

But at least I got to see an awesome horse race available in high definition right after the grainy image of the Senators winning the East on my computer screen came to a close.

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By Dave Consolazio, May 18, 2007 5:02 pm

Ask me anything, and hockey gets the love huh? That’s fine by me.

Question from Don: “What makes you think Senators can’t beat Redwings? They got the scoring, speed and age on them.”

Make no mistake about it; I definitely think the Senators could beat the Red Wings. Granted, the Wings have to actually finish the series against the Ducks for that to even be the match-up.

The Sens have already contained the league’s best forward (Sidney Crosby), beat the league’s best goalie (Martin Brodeur), and are one game away from knocking off the league’s best team (record wise, anyhow). And I must again point out that it has been no fluke; this team is the real deal.

I guess its just the lack of a true 3rd and 4th line that bothers me about Ottawa. Yes, they do have Chris Neil (177 penalty minutes this season), but this team is essentially a team that sends 4 scoring lines at you. Maybe it’s just the hockey purist in me unwilling to appreciate the fact that in the new NHL, speed and skill conquer physicality and grit, but there’s just something about the Kris Drapers and Kirk Maltbys and Tomas Holmstroms that feel right in the playoffs. Last year’s Carolina team had a lot of speed and skill but also did an excellent job getting down and dirty on its 3rd and 4th lines.

There just seems to be something missing to me, maybe something that can only be exploited by a team like the Ducks or Wings. I certainly hope I’m wrong; I did bet Ottawa this pre-season to win it all, after all.

But Ottawa deserves all the respect in the world, and if Ray Emery stays strong, Canada just might have its first Stanley Cup winning team in 14 years.

Question from Nick: “i could probably just as easily look this up online…. but why in hockey to fans throw octopi (plural of octopus) out on the ice?”

Yep, you could have Nick. Thats exactly what I did… I knew it had something to do with 8 wins, but couldn’t iron out the details. So after the good ol’ web search, here’s what wikipedia.org teaches us;

“This tradition, started on April 15th, 1952, when two brothers, Pete and Jerry Cusimano, who owned a fish market, decided to throw an octopus onto the ice at Olympia Stadium, with the eight tentacles of the octopus symbolizing the eight wins it took to win the Stanley Cup at the time. The Red Wings were a perfect 7-0 in the playoffs and were one win away from not only winning the Cup, but becoming the first perfect team in the NHL’s post season history. Sure enough the Red Wings won that game, and the media made mention of the octopus “omen” in the papers the following day, thus establishing the octopus legend in the process. Fans have been throwing octopuses onto the ice at Red Wings games ever since. The tradition died down somewhat in the 1970s and 1980s during the Red Wings dismal seasons, but when the Red Wings became contenders again in the ’90s, the tradition resumed.”

Have to take what you find on wikipedia with a grain of salt; but that looks about right to me.

(http://vegasdavesdime.blogspot.com/2007/05/ask-me-anything-2.html)

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By Dave Consolazio, May 16, 2007 11:20 pm

Thanks go out to Joshua for officially getting this new segment of my blog underway. Here goes;

“Here’s a question that I don’t get…

You, Vegas, are my go-to source when I want to try to understand the ice-capades *cough* i mean the NHL. (sorry, but football is king. anything else is merely a court jester)”

Well, I think baseball and hockey deserve spots as maybe princes or cousins as opposed to court jesters, but I won’t argue against football being king.

“You’ve picked against the Senators in the last two rounds, and even tho they dropped today’s game to the once-mighty Buffalo Sabres, they are still in a great position to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

I have two questions for ya:
1. How have the Ottawa Senators been able to fly past the Sabres after a taxing series against the Devils? Other than today’s game, Buffalo hasn’t even shown up. Is this more the Sabres being overrated or are the Senators just “that team” that gets hot at the right time?”

Well before I answer this, let me just point out that this series actually isn’t over yet. Granted, I know it sounds cliche – but in this case its true. Usually when a team takes a 3 – 0 lead, it is because they are the significantly better team. Not quite the case here; Buffalo is certainly evenly matched if not better than Ottawa. This series had all the makings of a 7 game series. Buffalo taking game 4 sends them back to Buffalo for game 5, which they dropped the first two there, but they could easily win. All of a sudden game 6 is a bit of a must win for the Senators. I’m not calling the comeback, but I’m not ruling it out either. To answer one part of your question, the Sabres ARE the real deal and are not overrated.

So why is it the Sens are cruising? Well, first of all, the series against the Devils wasn’t all that “taxing”. It only took 5 games and most of the time the Senators were in command. There was little doubt about who the better team was out there. In fact, it has been that way these entire playoffs for the Sens. So are they “just that hot team”? Actually, no. Since December 23rd (when the team was 18 wins – 18 losses – 1 overtime loss), including these playoffs, the Senators are 41 – 9 – 9. If that doesn’t speak towards their legitimacy, nothing will. They have the talent to beat anyone.

The biggest knock on them has been their physical game, which I didn’t think was addressed this off-season or at the trade deadline. Also, goaltending was a question mark; could Ray Emery really outshine the likes of Marty Brodeur or Ryan Miller? The answer to that question has been an emphatic yes. As for physicality, they don’t need it against similar-styled Buffalo and Pittsburgh. And as for the Devils series, in that instance, skill trumped toughness. And don’t get me wrong… they haven’t been playing like a bunch of pansies. They simply have had the good fortune of being able to play to their strengths.

But the real reason they are beating Buffalo so bad is special teams. The New York Rangers threw off the Sabres’ rhythm on the power play with their stern defense, and it took the Sabres 19 chances to get their first power play goal of the series Wednesday night. When two evenly matched teams face off, special teams is key; and the Sabres have been ice cold. Credit also the Senators’ penalty killers.

“2. You haven’t picked Ottawa to win a series since the first round. If the Ducks advance to the finals to play the Senators, will you pick the Ducks in the hopes that your anti-Sens picks will turn out in Ottawa’s favor, thus smighting the hated Anaheim Quack-Attackers? Or will you pick against Anaheim, picking with your heart but also with the knowledge that the Ducks – as you’ve been sayin for some time – will probably win it all?”

As of right now, believe it or not, that is a pretty big if. The Detroit Red Wings not only took back home ice by beating the Ducks 5 – 0 in Anaheim, but they also planted a seed of doubt and put a crack in the Ducks-are-invincible mentality. Even more importantly, superstar defenseman Chris Pronger got suspended for elbowing Detroit’s Tomas Holmstrom in the back of the head into the boards. This leaves a gaping hole in the Ducks’ defensive corps, and the Wings could very easily win game 4, leaving the Ducks in very, very bad shape. After all, the Wings are 35 – 5 – 9 at home this season.

But to answer your question, I will very likely be picking against the Senators in the finals. As I said above, I don’t think they have really been physically tested yet; and both the Ducks and the Wings play a very tough physical brand of hockey. And, unlike the Devils, they also have the talent to back it up. Not to mention, the team in the West will have the more experienced goaltender AND home ice advantage. I will certainly be rooting for the Senators – I hate the Wings and Ducks AND I have money riding on a Sens’ victory; but I will likely pick against them.

I know your answer will probably have to wait until we have a set Stanley Cup Finals, but the question stands; WHO YA GOT?!

Indeed we do need to wait, but if I had to give an answer at this very moment in time;

The Detroit Red Wings.

(http://vegasdavesdime.blogspot.com/2007/05/ask-me-anything-1.html)

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By Dave Consolazio, May 15, 2007 5:53 pm

Robert Horry has been known to make clutch plays at the end of the game. He always seems to bury the shot when it matters.

This time, he buried his shoulder into an unsuspecting Steve Nash.

And it turned out to be amply rewarding.

I certainly won’t be the first or last person to blog about this.

Robert Horry (who average 3.9 points per game this season… note the dot. Not 39 points. 3 POINT 9) was suspended for two games for his blatant cheap shot. He was clearly frustrated and clearly intended to injure.

Boris Diaw (9.7 PPG), who was the closest player to the shot, charged after Horry. Amare Stoudemire (20.4 PPG) jumped off the bench in disgust and started walking briskly towards Horry, but he was held back.

ALL THREE OF THEM HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED.

This is one of the biggest shams I have ever seen in my entire life. I can not be professional about this. Every positive thing I have said about how David Stern runs his league, I take back. This is a complete and utter joke.

Diaw did exactly what anyone – ANYONE – would have done in that situation. If you have any sense of camaraderie or friendship, you can understand how you would respond if your team captain was maliciously slammed to the ground.

And Stoudemire didn’t even get to Horry!

“This is a very unfortunate circumstance. No one here at the league office wants to suspend players any game, much less a pivotal game in the second round of a playoff series. But the rule, however, is the rule, and we intend to apply it consistently,” said NBA executive vice president Stu Jackson.

The rule, of course, refers to “leaving the immediate vicinity of the bench”.

Lets recap.

A bench player (Horry) takes a ridiculous cheapshot (obviously called a flagrant foul) on the team’s leader and MVP, Steve Nash, who has already had his nose cut open and been kneed in this series. A starter (Diaw) jumps in to defend his teammate. Another starter (Stoudemire, who happens to completely change the dynamics of a game when he is involved) reacts out of emotion and jumps up and heads towards the offender. Both starters are suspended.

San Antonio now has a very good chance to beat the depleted Suns in game 5, and go on to win the series.

The response from the league? Rules are rules, and no exceptions can be made.

This entire situation completely disgusts me. I’ve lost what little respect I had for basketball, and I can’t even begin to imagine what Phoenix Suns fans must be feeling right now.

NOT MAKING AN EXCEPTION AND PENALIZING THE SUNS SENDS THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE: When you need a boost in a best of 7 series, send in your worst bench player; hell, even sign a thug off of the streets. Right in the key next to the opposing bench, take their best player by the shoulders and kick him squarely in the groin. When he keels over, punch him in the jaw and send him down to the floor, than turn to the opposing team, flick them off, and say “What are you going to do about it?” They all spring up and attack; and they are all suspended in the next game.

Right? I mean after all, according to Bulls’ coach Scott Skiles;

“A rule is a rule, and in the past handful of years since they put that in, there have been I think less than five, maybe less than three, but there have been a couple occasions where someone just put one foot on the floor and got suspended. So if you’re going to have a hard and fast rule like that, I think you’ve got to abide by it, and you can’t make any exceptions.”

Basketball teams should start hiring enforcers like hockey has. Go ahead and attack the Kobes, LeBrons, and Nashs of the league. If anyone dares step up and defend them, they’ll be suspended for it.

What a disgrace.

(http://vegasdavesdime.blogspot.com/2007/05/robert-horry-makes-most-clutch-shot-of.html)

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By Dave Consolazio, May 9, 2007 3:46 pm

THE EAST

Series Result: Ottawa Senators over New Jersey Devils in 5
My Prediction: New Jersey Devils over Ottawa Senators in 7

I admitted that the Senators were the more talented team, but that I felt the Devils were the more “playoff-savvy” team, and they also had Marty Brodeur. None of that seemed to matter; talent prevailed, and Ottawa certainly didn’t look like a team that will be fazed by anyone in these playoffs. New Jersey needs to start figuring out how they are going to put pucks in the net next year; especially if they lose Scott Gomez.

Series Result: Buffalo Sabres over New York Rangers in 6
My Prediction: Buffalo Sabres over New York Rangers in 6

I should be typing up right now how I was wrong about the Sabres, and how legitimate of a team the Rangers were. I knew they had scoring depth but had no idea they had such a stingy defense until I watched them play. But alas, with 8 seconds left in Game 5, Chris Drury tied the game up at 1 apiece, and the Sabres went on to win it in overtime. They carried their momentum into game 6 and took care of business. This Ranger team is very good, but it is getting quite old. If they can add some young talent, they could be a threat as soon as next year. And they’ve already got a definite keeper in Henrik Lundquist.

Conference Final:
#1 Buffalo Sabres VS. #4 Ottawa Senators
Two teams that play very similar styles; fly up and down the ice, and score a lot of goals. Both teams got to play their game in the first round, but the Rangers and Devils, who each play much more Eastern-style-gritty-defensive hockey, forced these teams to slow down the pace a bit and play a lot more defense and take a lot less chances. Ottawa and Buffalo survived, though, and now they will get the chance to play the explosive style hockey that got them to this point, because neither of these teams will be afraid, and both will encourage the high tempo. I believe that the Sabres do it all just a little bit better… and that they’ve got a bit better goaltender in Ryan Miller. That being said, though, there is a lot of bad blood between these teams and they are very evenly matched. It should be an excellent series that just might take all 7 games to decide. I’m just proud to have picked both of these teams in the pre-season to win the cup; pretty cool that I’ll have one of them representing me making money in the Stanley Cup Finals. As if I needed a reason to root against two of the King’s biggest rivals, anyway?

BUFFALO IN 7.

(http://vegasdavesdime.blogspot.com/2007/05/hockey-conference-finals-preview-east.html)

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By Dave Consolazio, May 9, 2007 12:06 pm

THE WEST

Series Result: Detroit Red Wings over San Jose Sharks in 6
My Prediction: San Jose Sharks over Detroit Red Wings in 6

The series certainly lived up to its expectations. Both teams fought hard, goals were hard to come by, and it easily could have gone either way. But the bounces went in Detriot’s favor. Don’t get me wrong; they deserved to win this series and did at points in the series outplay the Sharks (look no further than games 5 and 6) – but a little luck never hurt anyone, either, and the Wings made the most of it.

Series Result: Anaheim Ducks over Vancouver Canucks in 5
My Prediction: Anaheim Ducks over Vancouver Canucks in 5

What can I say that I haven’t already said? Did I not say that the Ducks were the better team, and that Luongo would steal one (and only one) game in this series? Did I not say that the Ducks are the best team in the West? The Wild turned out to be no match for them, and then they got Vancouver, who was the weakest team left in the West. Give one of the league’s most talented teams easy match-ups, and this is how they will turn out.

Conference Final:
#1 Detroit Red Wings VS. #2 Anaheim Ducks
Well, one thing appears pretty clear; I underrated the Red Wings. I really didn’t think they’d be able to step up to the challenge of beating the Sharks, but they certainly did, and they didn’t even need all 7 games to do it, swiping two games on the road from them. And now they find themselves with home ice; something the Ducks haven’t had to face until this point. I predicted that a long series against the Sharks might do some damage, and it sure did – losing Mathieu Schneider, who not only gets the job done on defense but more notably has a blast from the point that bolsters Detroit’s powerplay. The Ducks meanwhile are completely healthy. In the Wings, the Ducks will face an offense like they haven’t seen before; TWO (not just one, Minnesota and Vancouver) very capable scoring lines, and two gritty checking lines that were built for playoff hockey. They also face a team that has waited a long time to get back to this point; knocking on the door of another Stanley Cup final. This will be the Ducks’ hardest challenge yet; and I think they will overcome it. With Neidermayer and Pronger healthy, there is never a hole in their defense; with Giguere in net, the tone is always very calm and reliable; and with an offense full of young guns that can pitch in, especially on the power play, this Duck team will be a little too fast up front – and a little too strong down low – for the Red Wings to handle.

ANAHEIM IN 6.

(http://vegasdavesdime.blogspot.com/2007/05/hockey-conference-finals-preview-west.html)

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By Dave Consolazio, May 8, 2007 10:27 pm

So I didn’t get the chance to blog in depth yesterday (had to study for my last final of the year), but two dominant starts deserve to be touched on, as do how I feel about the team they affect.

Brad Penny and the Los Angeles Dodgers (19 – 14)

First things first, Brad Penny’s performance on Monday was nothing short of masterful. 7 innings pitched, 5 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, and 14 strikeouts. For a guy that walks a lot of batters and doesn’t strike out many, this game was certainly uncharacteristic; in a great way for Dodger fans.

I have mixed feelings from what I’ve seen from the Dodgers. The team that was a popular World Series pick before the season started just doesn’t do it for me. They are a good team. They have a good offense, a good pitching staff, a good bullpen. Good. Not great. I think that good/consistent may very well win them the race in the NL West, where the teams with great pitching also have BAD offenses (San Fransisco, San Diego). But at this point if I were picking teams out of the NL West, I would definitely put the Mets ahead of the Dodgers, and you could make a case for the Braves. But one team I’d definitely take over the Dodgers right now is…

Chris Capuano and the Milwaukee Brewers (23 – 10)

Monday’s 8 innings pitched, 7 hits, o runs, and 9 strikeouts improved Capuano’s season to 5 – 0. I’ve gotten into a few arguments over the last few days over the Brewers and whether or not they are legit. Get used to them, because they are.

Needless to say, they can’t keep up this torrent pace, or they will win 113 games. They will, however, take the NL Central.

I knew coming into the year that this team would have one of the best pitching staffs in the league. Ben Sheets is a true ace that when healthy is nearly impossible to hit. Capuano is almost as good. Rounding out the rotation are Jeff Suppan, a veteran that may not have the best stuff, but is a leader and a winner, Dave Bush, who I still feel will improve as this season goes on and pressure is taken off of him, and Claudio Vargas, who is a more than able 5th pitcher. If anyone goes down with injury, young Carlos Villanueva (currently in the bullpen) will make an excellent replacement starter.

My question was on offense… who does this team have? Well, it seems that young guns Rickie Weeks, Prince Fielder, and JJ Hardy are ready to be key players RIGHT NOW. The offense is young and explosive. You could argue that Hardy will cool down, but I would then argue that Weeks and Bill Hall are due to heat up. A couple of capable veterans round off the lineup of a team that I think will take the NL Central.

No? Who will? The Cards will have a tough time doing it with their aging bats and without Chris Carpenter. The Astros don’t have the talent. The Pirates don’t have the offense. The Reds don’t have the bullpen. The Cubs? Well, somehow they’ve been blowing fantastic pitching; and I don’t think Lilly and Marquis can keep it up, anyways.

Look out; the Brew Crew just might be legit.

(http://vegasdavesdime.blogspot.com/2007/05/baseball-reflections-monday.html)