Kane's OT Goal Take Hawks To The Stanley Cup posted by richard Kagan

Patrick Kane's drive from an odd angle eluded goalie Michael Leighton in OT of game 6 and the Chicago Blackhawks ousted the Philadelphia Flyers in a taut, thrilling finish to win Hockey's version of the Holy Grail.

The Hawks won the game 4-3, outplayed and outshot the Flyers for most the game. Yet the Flyers would not go away.  Scott Hartnell tied the game late in the third period at 3-3 to send the hometown fans in to a frenzy.  It appeared a Chicago team would yet again, find a way to lose a game they had all but won.  Antti Niemi, the Hawks goalie made a brilliant save in the final minute of the third period to keep his team from avoiding what would have been a terrible defeat.  He made some key saves in OT, and it was the heroics of Patrick Kane, a supremely talented winger, who came to the fore.  He was silent for most the Finals.  But he kept skating and found his game. His teammate, Jonathan Towes, had a great Playoffs performance and won the Conn Symthe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player.  If Antti Niemi won the award, no one would argue.  Niemi was stellar in goal throughout the playoffs, and especially in the clutch, when the Hawks needed a big save. And some of his stops were jaw-dropping.  Niemi will go down in 'Hawks history as the clutch playoff goalie.

The Hawks overall talent won over the grit and guttiness of the Flyers.  They played a great Finals, it just so happened that the Hawks were the better team, and played that way.

People will talk about how it has been 49 years since the Hawks last won the Cup.  But that drought is over, because the Hawks management made some great moves, acquiring key players in quest of the Holy Grail, that it finally found.

Hawks 1 Win From the Cup posted by richard Kagan

The Chicago Blackhawks returned to the United Center and beat the Flyers 7-4 on Sunday to take a 3-2 games lead in the Cup Finals.  The Hawks need one more win to win their first Stanley Cup since 1961 when Bobby Hull was a young gunner.

That is a long time ago.  Last night Hull could been seen beaming as he and fellow Hall of Famer Stan Mikita looked on as the Hawks put on an offensive show.  Winger Dustin Byfuglien finally showed up last night, scoring 4 points on 2 goals.  Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews both had moments of brilliance.  Kane reminds one of Denis Savard.  He is so quick and graceful on the ice.  His wrap-a-round wrist shot went to the net and almost caught the Philly goalie off guard.  Goalie Michael Leighton was pulled after the first period, with the Hawks leading 3-0.  Philly scored twice in the second period while Chicago added another goal.   You have to admire the grit of the Flyers.  They sinply don't give up.  They played hard but not particularly smart.  And the Hawks made them pay.

Byfuglien threw his weight around and sent pesky Chris Pronger to the ice in a heap after a brutal check.  Pronger has been dishing it out good, and he got some back in return.

Antti Niemi made some great saves in the third period to keep the Flyers at bay.  The Hawks are going to have to play great in the next game in order to beat Philadelphia on their home ice.  Do they have one great game left in them?

Let's hope so, because that is what is going to take.  The Flyers are a very good, quick, opportunistic team that isn't going quietly into the night.  The Hawks are going to have to seize the Cup from them.  It should be a heck of a game.

Kane and Toews Need to Step Up posted by richard Kagan

This is a very good Chicago Blackhawks team.  They have a 2-0 Cup Finals lead over the Flyers and their leading All-stars, Patrick Kane, and Jonathan Toews have been held scoreless.  That shows you the depth of this team.  Thank you Dave Bolland, et al.  Kane and Toews looked sharper in the last game, but still failed to score.  They are getting coaching and watching videos prior to game 3, that is for sure.

This Series is far from over.  Philadephia seems to have more lives than a cat.  They bounced Boston in game 7 trailing at one point 3-0 in the game, and won 4-3, after coming back from an 0-3 series deficit.  That is quite a feat.  So, don't count them out.  Trailing 2-0 for them is a piece of cake.  The Hawks have to withstand the initial Flyers blitz in the opening 5 minutes of the game, and then establish their own game.  One Chicago player termed a road win, a "greasy" win.  Right now, they'll take one any way it looks.  But all four lines have to do their part, and the defense needs to continue to play superlative.  Annti Niemi needs to put in another great game in goal. 

The Hawks need this game.  You don't want to give life to a ghost.  Win the game and see if the Flyers can rally from another big hole.  That is not very likely.  Both teams know this a big game.  It could be a pivotal game in the Finals.

Niemi Sparkles in 2-1 'Hawks Win posted by richard Kagan

The Chicago Blackhawks won a 2-1 thriller to take a 2-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Finals.  Antti Niemi, the Blackhawks goalie was simply awesome in net as he made one great save after another to lead Chicago in a pulsating win.  The Finals resume with Game 3 back in Philadelphia.

As pourous as the Chicago defense was in their 6-5 win in Game one, Niemi and the defense was terrific in holding off a desperate Flyers effort.  Niemi made 32 saves, some of those defied description.  He was all over the crease and net, and cut off angles and made hard saves look easy coming up with some amazing blocks.  He was on his game.

The Hawks broke through for 2 quick goals and held on as fans gasped at the frenetic end to end action.  Earlier I wrote that Chicago would have to play well because the Flyers would push them.  In this game Philadephia pushed the Hawks to a high level, perhaps the best game we've seen them play in the playoffs thus far.  The Hawks played smart, and didn't take stupid penalties, and the score might have been higher except that Leighton made equally stellar saves for Philly.

But the two goal lead held up and now the Hawks are closer to the Cup than they've been in generations, it seems like eons ago.  How both teams played at the up and down pace for long lengths of time was incredible.  Viewers saw Prime-Time Hockey tonight.  And, Blackhawks fans saw their team take a 2-0 lead in the Finals.

Pronger – Byfuglien Battle Takes Center Stage posted by Jeff Ponder

Who would have thought that the battle of an aging defenseman and a 17-goal scorer would be the top story heading into the Stanley Cup Finals? 

Chris Pronger has made a living of punishing people when they decide to stand in front of his goaltender.  The 35-year old defenseman has amassed 18 penalty minutes thus far in the 2010 playoffs, including many cross-checking and interference calls while clearing out the front of his net.  But he does not seem to ever give it a rest.  Does Pronger seem to get terrified by the mere thought of Byfuglien standing in front with him?  He seemed to downplay the thought when he was asked if the media is blowing the Byfuglien – Pronger battle out of proportion.

“I think you guys are,” he said.  He also was not too impressed when he was told that the Chicago forward scored three game-winning goals in the Western Conference Final all from the slot.

“Congratulations,” he added.  “It's pretty easy to talk about it.  We got a lot of days before that first game.”

Byfuglien may have only punched in 17 goals in the 82-game regular season, but four of his eight goals in the playoffs have been game-winning goals, which is something that has soared his team into the Stanley Cup Finals.  So obviously Pronger isn't the first one to downplay Byfuglien's presence in front of the net.

“He's just another guy in front of the net,” commented Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo just before the Western Semifinal Series.  Luongo surrendered 23 goals to Chicago in the six-game series, including a hat-trick from Byfuglien in game three.
Continue reading "Pronger – Byfuglien Battle Takes Center Stage"

Hawks To Hoist Cup? posted by richard Kagan

We know the Chicago Blackhawkss will open the Stanley Finals at home.  But will they be able to win and hoist the Cup on home ice?  That remains to be seen.  The series starts Saturday night and it will be a rollicking finals.  Both teams will bang the boards and each other.  We may see some fights.  We will certainly see goals. 

The question is can Antti Niemi continue his great playoff run for another ten days?  Whoever has the hot goalie will win the Finals.  Defense always wins it.  The Blackhawks have a great defensive corps and the guys need to step up now.

There is plenty of talent to go around.  The Hawks have four solid lines and are deep defensively.  Niemi has been terrific down the stretch. 

The Flyers will test the Hawks.  They will not back down.  The Hawks will have to play their best hockey to win.  It says here that the Flyers will push the Hawks to play great, and the series will end in 6 games. 

The Tri-fecta, the Trinity, TGIF for Boston Sports. posted by Joe Franciosa, Jr.

Red Sox vs. Yankees. Celtics vs. Cavaliers in game 3 of a 1-1 series. Bruins vs. Flyers in possible series sweep.

There are so many story lines for this Friday night in Boston Sports.

Red Sox: You just swept the Angels. The Angels have problems of their own, being staked to a 4-0 lead after the ist inning thanks to the Dice-man's proclivity to gamble on his pitches. I understand that the Japanese strike-zone is different than MLB...but Dice-dude, you've been here 3 years now. I know you can speak English. You have to at least understand it, or else what exactly is V-mart and his own heavy accent conveying to you when he goes to chat on the mound after you walk 3 straight? What does John Farrell say while the umpire walks all the way out to the mound to break the conversation up. That's always a great way to get on the Ump's good side. Throw a ton of balls, and then make the Ump actually walk the 60'6" to the pitchers mound. In any event, the Sox offense again came up huge. The Angels certainly helped, but at this point we'll take whatever help we can get. On a 4 game win-streak, Bring on the Yankees!

Celtics: You have the momentum. Keep it. Don't come out flat. Don't wait for the crowd to get you going. Get the crowd going and you'll get yourselves further into the play-offs. The Cav's think they have the experience and the talent to finally get Lebron a ring. If Lebron is at 80%, and the rest of his team can't pick up any of that other 20%, do they really deserve to advance? Celtic basketball is better than Cavalier basketball. Enough said.

Lack of Movement May Have Doomed Flyers posted by Jeff Ponder

Ray Emery was brought in to be the goaltending answer in Philadelphia.  How things change in just a few months.

Emery signed a deal on July 1 by the Flyers for one year, spelling the end for former Flyer goalies Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki, whose contracts had let out on the same day.  The Flyers then signed Brian Boucher as a back-up, so it was apparent that the team was ready to commit to Emery as the starting goalie.

But things have not worked out as general manager Bobby Clarke has hoped.  It was announced just before the trade deadline that Emery has a degenerative bone disorder and may never play hockey again.  That leaves the Flyers with the tandem of Mike Leighton (claimed off re-entry waivers from Carolina in December) and Boucher.  While Leighton has played well enough the past few games to keep Philadelphia in the playoff picture, it keeps the Flyers goaltender depth very low compared to the rest of the league.

Rumors circled that there were certain goaltenders available on deadline day.  These included Cary Price of the Canadiens, Marty Turco of the Stars, Tomas Vokoun of the Panthers, and both Dwayne Roloson and Martin Biron of the Islanders.  A deal could have been worked out for one of these goaltenders.  Panthers' GM Randy Sexton put price tags on almost all of his players, and Vokoun could have been had for some picks and some offensive help.  The Islanders were also in the market for a goaltending change too.  Recently activating oft-injured Rick DiPietro off injury-reserve, the team probably wanted to move one of their goalies due to their over-abundance in the position. 
Continue reading "Lack of Movement May Have Doomed Flyers"

Golden Effort Falls Just Short posted by Brad VanFossan

A Golden Effort Falls Just Short By Brad VanFossan I know it’s more than just a hockey game when my 63 year old father is looking forward to watching, and has been watching most of the hockey games during this Olympics. I know it’s more than just a game when patrons at bars ask to turn the hockey game on, both the men’s and women’s games, as I have seen happen over the last couple weeks. This is about reliving nostalgia for those who were around for the 1980 Gold Medal team‘s “Miracle“ run. And it’s about wanting to experience that same feeling for those of us who were too young or weren’t around then. This is the kind of thing the brings generations of sons and fathers together creating memories that become part of family lore. More importantly, this is a message to the world that hockey isn’t a secondary sport in the United States anymore, but one we can excel at, and even be the best.  It’s almost time for the opening face off, winning twice on enemy territory won’t be easy, but I think if anyone can, it’s this group of relentless young men. No matter what the outcome, they will put forth an effort to be proud of.My in game thoughts from the penalty box: -In the first U.S./Canada match up the U.S. was able to score first, taking the crowd out of things for a bit, today Canada scored first, it’s the first time the U.S. has trailed all Olympics. -Jonathan Toews goal was off of a rebound, not too much cause for concern yet. The U.S. is still playing pretty well, theyContinue reading "Golden Effort Falls Just Short"

Buffalo visited by ghost of hockey past posted by Goon Squad

There used to be a bumper sticker that said, "Only the Lord saves more than Bernie Parent."

The Hall of Famer goalie, who had two Stanley Cup winning seasons with the Flyers, was in Buffalo signing autographs at Benchwarmers Sports Bar.
Parent is best recognized here as a goalide during the infamous 'Fog' game at the Aud in May of 1975.



Somehow a bat had gotten into the old Memorial Auditorium and was flying around the ice for quite a while during the game.
Jim Lorentz decided to take matters into his own hands. He was about to take the faceoff when he saw the bat coming. He raised his stick and swatted the bat in mid-air, ending its tour of the Stanley Cup finals.
Rick MacLeish picked up the dead bat and dumped him into the penalty box.

Right after the bat met his untimely death, a fog settled on the ice.
It was as if the bat's spirit decided to haunt the game in revenge.

In 1975, arenas were not air conditioned.

Temperatures at ice level reached 90 degrees.
With the humidity, the heat and the presence of over 16,000 screaming fans, it produced the first ever fog game.
The refs had to delay the game several times because the fog had become so dense that the players could not see halfway down the ice.

Players skated around in a unsuccessful attempt to clear the fog.

Flyers deal Gagne to Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired two-time 40-goal scorer SimonGagne from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman MattWalker and a fourth-round draft pick in 2011. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL

Lightning acquire LW Gagne from Flyers (AP)

Simon Gagne gladly waived his no-trade clause to leave the only NHL team he ever played for and join the Tampa Bay Lightning. New Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman added a big offensive chip to his club by trading for the longtime Philadelphia Flyers forward Monday. Tampa Bay sent defenseman Matt Walker and a fourth-round pick in next year's draft to Philadelphia to get Gagne, who spent... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Flyers sign enforcer Dan Carcillo to 1-year deal

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed Dan Carcillo to a one-year contract. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL

Flyers sign Carcillo to 1-year contract (AP)

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed Dan Carcillo to a one-year contract. The 25-year-old winger had 22 points and 207 penalty minutes in 76 regular-season games for the Eastern Conference champion Flyers last season. In the playoffs, the 6-foot, 205-pound Carcillo had two goals and two assists as the Flyers advanced to the Stanley Cup finals. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Flyers sign F Zherdev after KHL stint (AP)

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed free agent forward Nikolai Zherdev (NIH-koh-ligh ZHAIR-dehv) to a one-year contract. Zherdev had 39 points in 52 games with Atlant-Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League in 2009-10. Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren announced the move on Friday. Zherdev was selected by Columbus as the fourth overall pick in the 2003 draft. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports