Sunday, May 30, 2010

Stanley Cup Final Game 1: Welcome Back Kopper


Just a few quick notes on Game 1 and Chicago in general:

*The anthem in Chicago is as loud as they say it is.

*11 goals in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. If you can find someone who thought it was going to be that loose and that wild before hand, you've found yourself a liar.

*Tomas Kopecky was added to the Hawk lineup because Adam Ladd couldn't go and he scored the game-winning goal. A young, hungry player with extra energy to burn is big in games like this, especially when everyone else burns much of it away in the first two periods.

*That being said, Chris Pronger played too much. Sure, he is a workhorse but he simply didn't have enough to keep it up in the third period. Poor Ryan Parent played one shift, Chicago scored and that was it. His first Stanley Cup Final game lasted 40 seconds.

*No penalties for the Flyers. Yeah, right. No penalties called on the Flyers is more like it. But officiating wasn't what decided this game, thanks to Chicago's PK.

*Blair Betts scored a goal, I admit to letting out a yelp before the no-cheering-in-the-press-box stopped a standing o. Go Bettsy! Interesting angle I haven't seen yet is #11 vs #11 - Bettsy versus John Madden - penalty killing, faceoff winning, smart hockey players.

*I picked Troy Bouwer to score the Cup-winning goal over at Carp's blog. He certainly picked things up in Game 1 ...

*The Chicago fans went wild as a guy danced to Dropkick's "Shippin up to Boston" ... yeah, it didn't make sense to me either.

*Flyer fans can still be happy as Roy Halladay pitched a perfect game. Sure baseball is a dreadfully boring sport, but that is still a hell of an achievement.

*Saw Dan Carcillo after the game and managed not to go after him for fighting Gaborik. Still came closer to doing it than Girardi did back in January.

*Met Sam from Second City Hockey before the game selling issues of the Committed Indian - the grassroots game-night program he helps write and produce. It is awesome and something we should do in New York somehow. Unlike the actual Ranger program, it actual informs and entertains the reader, and for just three bucks. Brilliance.

*Oh, and that picture up top? That was my view for the game. Dude. So awesome.

2 comments:

Sobjw said...

If those scumbag Flyers somehow manage to win this series, the lone bright spot for me will be Betts raising the Cup over his head. All the other Flyers can go DIAF for all I care.

mike said...

Carcillo probably would've turtled if you went after him, since he prefers to attack Europeans instead of Americans.