Hockey Newsletter - Apr. 28, 2000
That's the way the puck bounces...
Talk about your Ice Follies! The first round of the 2000 playoffs saw pucks thrown in the net, pucks deflecting off bums -- literally, not figuratively -- into the net, and pucks ripping through the mesh at the side of the net. And when goals like that happen in the playoffs, you know there are going to be upsets. The darlings of the CTVSportsnet.com newsletters both lost in the first round when things just didn't bounce their way. Jaromir Jagr's cross-ice pass from the left wing hit Calle Johansson just below the left butt-cheek and ended up behind Olie the Goalie ending the season for the Washington Capitals, the early Eastern Conference favourites. And in the West... well good golly! St. Louis Blues defenceman Marc Bergevin threw the puck into his own net in one game, and bobbled another one in his mitts in the final game that led to a 2-on-0 for the Sharks and the winning goal. Those incidents coupled with a handful of nutty deflections sent the Blues to the greens Tuesday in a surprising first-round upset.
And don't ever bring up the John LeClair goal to a Sabres fan if you know what's good for you. After an off-season of whining about last year's missed call in the final game of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the poor Buffaloes will spend another summer crying foul about the puck that exploded off LeClair's stick and ripped through the mesh beside Hasek. We can smell a lot of therapy for Lindy Ruff during his long golf season.
Into Round 2
TORONTO VS. NEW JERSEY - Dog Trap
When captain Scott Stevens was the leading scorer in a first-round series, you know the league's in trouble. Especially when one of the NHL's most exciting players was in the same series. Pavel Bure had only 4 points in 4 games because when he picked up the puck and headed down the ice, he got caught in that annoying playoff phenomenon called the New Jersey trap. And fans are expected to pay $100 a seat for this kind of entertainment?
Well, not so fast. If any team is going to beat this trap, it's Stumpy and the kids from Hogtown. Ottawa plays the same kind of game that the Devils do, and the Leafs found a way to win. The Leafs will have to take chances in the centre ice zone which could make them vulnerable to turnovers and odd-man rushes at their net. But when the Cujo is between the pipes, maybe the risk is worth taking.
PHILADELPHIA VS. PITTSBURGH - Eric who?
The CTVSportsnet.com editorial team has always had the sneaky suspicion that Eric Lindros would NEVER captain a team to ANY championship. Whether it's the Flyers to the Cup™ or Team Canada to the gold, the guy just somehow can't pull it off. So now the boys from Philly are led by a different Eric, and it looks like they may be the best in the East after all. And while we feel badly for the Big E's battered and beaten body and the psyche-bashing he's endured from GM Bobby Clarke, we can't help but gloat at our pre-season hunch. Sorry, Eric.
The Pens, however, are out to prove they're still one of the elite teams in the NHL. The Battle of Pennsylvania will be a David and Goliath affair. The giant brutes on a team with all the money facing a squad of smaller highly-skilled skaters on a team that is up to its eyeballs in debt. Hmmm... the bigger they are, the harder they fall.
COLORADO VS. DETROIT - Lotsa Rest for the Wicked
Okay, poolies, how many of you picked Lapointe in your draft? Or Draper? Well this Detroit playoff team is showing everyone that any one of their players, 1st string to 4th, can win a game in the post season. Which makes the coaches breathe easier when they look down in their net and see the inconsistent Chris Osgoode.
However, their round 2 opponents will not be as generous as those LA-LA Kings. In fact, the Colorado Avalance may be the best team left in the Stanley Cup playoffs, with or without Forsberg! They've had injuries all year long, but now they're collectively healthy and rested which is crucial in a long playoff campaign. As always, Patrick Roy can NEVER and we mean NEVER be counted out in the playoffs. He's won 3 Cups already, 2 of them single-handedly... and this year he's got a hungry Ray Bourque in front of him. And what about the young'uns... had anyone heard of Alex Tanguay before April? You might want to update your hockey pools!
DALLAS VS. SAN JOSE - The Former Hab-Captain Series
And speaking of playoff pools, Kirk Muller anyone? Or if he's been taken, why not pick up Guy Carbonneau for cheap? These 2 Dallas geezers are skating like 20-year-olds and putting up numbers that should put most teams to shame. Oh, and while we're at it, Mike Keane may still be up for grabs. On the other side of the ice, Vince Damphousse and the upstarts from the Silicon Valley upset Pierre Turgeon and the President's Trophy winners this week. There is no reason why they won't surprise the defending Cup champs in this 2nd round. Already, the Sharks have nothing to lose, while their big-shot opponents have everything to prove. This one could go either way.... really! So if you don't know who to cheer for, just start chanting: GO HABS GO!