He Is The Strongest Man I Know

This is Pete, pictured here with a dapper young version of myself. Pete is from a modest upbringing in a Polish neighborhood outside of Buffalo. He is married with two kids and a dog (but no boat or pool). He is the embodiment of an approachable person and cant even go to the gas station without running into someone he knows. He treats all people with the respect they deserve and expects to be treated the same. In the time I have known him I have never heard him shy away from saying what he is thinking or pulled a punch except where it would be constructive. He calls it like it is, no bullshit.

He has raised a family (with the help of his wife, of course) of two successful and healthy children and an even more successful dog. He has practically rebuilt the entire interior of his home. He is a gentleman. He is a barrel-chested man who would gladly hold the weight of the world for a friend. He taught me to find the fun and humor in every situation. He taught me "No means No" and "Measure twice, cut once" and that attitude is the determining factor in everything you do. He has taught me more than a lifetime of schooling ever could. He is the strongest man I know, in more ways than one.

He is emotional and yet is everything a man should be. He is not macho and does not need to be. He is smart though he would never admit it. He is goofy. He knows what is right and what is wrong. He is an excellent judge of character.

He is meticulous. He is a finisher. He has a mean streak that can still make me shake. He is stubborn at times. He drinks cheap wine out of cups. He never sits on the couch. He talks to the dog and wishes desperately she would respond. He listens. He makes his own entertainment. He sleeps on the floor. He can shake the house with his snoring. He is patient. He is perfectly happy being the life of the party yet can still have a good time standing in the corner with a friend. He will wear out, not rust away. When he does something he does it completely and learns as much about it as he can. He is a man of character.

He loves hockey and plays the game with everything he has. He makes no excuses. It is the only aspect of his life where the score counts. He is old-school. He loves competition. He thrives under pressure.

He is what I aspire to be.

Happy Father's Day Dad

First Round Impressions

Player I was most impressed with: This one is a tie between Brent Seabrook and Kris Versteeg. Seabrook averaged more than 26 minutes of ice time in the 6 game series and was incredibly smart with the puck. Seabrook had 1G and 5A in 6 games, was a +1 with 2 PIM. I hope all this time doesn't burn him out if the Hawks make a deep run. Versteeg, a rookie, has 2G and 5A for 7 Pts in his first playoff series.

Player I was most disappointed with: Carey Price. Price was just awful in his teams quick exit, so much so that his fans mocked him for making an easy save on a dump-in late in a game that was over in the second period.

Stat I had never heard before: Brian Campbell has played in the playoffs in every season that he played more than 60 games. He has played 53 (and counting) playoff games and has 5G and 19A for 24 Pts is a -2 and has 30 PIM (2 of those cost the Sabres a shot at the cup, stupid puck over the glass rule). Not bad for a 29 year old.

Series Upset: This one is pretty obvious, the Sharks usually wait another round before rolling over but all it took this year was 6 games.

"Where did that guy come from?": Simeon Varlamov. Wow was this dude huge for the Caps. The 20-year old allowed just 7 goals in 6 games including 2 shutouts and a .962 save percentage. Oh yeah, his six playoff games doubled his total of NHL games played to a whopping 12.

Caps, Hawks, Canes and Ducks Win

I'm kind of glad the Sharks are out so I never have to see this guy again (other than in my nightmares)

The Anaheim Ducks finished their unlikely series victory over the Sharks last night. The Sharks simply could not get anything going and any time they did Jonas Hiller was there with an answer. Joe Thornton (I refuse to call him Big Joe, you dont call Martin St. Louis Small Marty, do you?No) attempted to inspire his team by dropping the gloves 1 second into the game and fighting Ryan Getzlaf. It did not work unless he was trying to ensure that Getzlaf got a playoff Gordie Howe Hat trick. This leaves some big questions for the Sharks. Do they try again as is? Do they ditch the GM or coach? Do they dismantle their veterans like Marelau, Cheechoo and Thornton and start fresh? Its hard to say they should do any of those things especially considering they were the leagues best team and just failed to put it together in the second season. It certainly is not Nabokov's fault, though he did let in a few softies. The scoring just was not there. Should they have been more active at the deadline? Probably not, that room has enough leaders and guys that have playoff experience and were cruising along at that point. So where should the team go from here? Its not a question I have the answer to and I certainly do not envy the decisions Sharks president Greg Jamison has to make in the coming months (as great as Marleau would look in a Sabres sweater). The Shark's defeat leaves the Bruins with home-ice advantage for the rest of the playoffs.

Seeing the Saddledome entirely in red sweaters is one of the coolest things in the game

Another team searching for answers is the Calgary Flames. They were handily beaten by the Blackhawks in game 6 and earned a first-round postseason exit for the fourth time in a row. Head coach Mike Keenan should probably be packing his bags at this very moment. The Flames retooled well at the deadline picking up Olli Jokinen and looked to be a force in the West but Jokinen fell flat after a hot few games and the team looked uninterested after taking two games at home to tie the series. With Dion Phaneuf out with an undisclosed injury and Miikka Kiprusoff not looking his best, the Hawks easily took control of the game and took the series 4-2. They now face a formidable opponent in the form of the Vancouver Canucks. Look for another physical series here.

Ouch

I'm beginning to feel bad for the Devils/Hurricanes series. Tonight was an easy choice in terms of games to watch between the best player in the world and a tight but relatively uninteresting matchup. Both games turned out to be interesting but I'm glad I watched the Caps game. The Hurricanes scored twice in the last 2:00 minutes of regulation to tie and eventually beat the Devils. Thank whatever god you pray to that we wont have to hear "Doc" Emrick and Pierre "Cue Ball" McGuire chatter nonstop about a Staal vs Staal battle that could have happened if the Canes faced the Rangers. That would have been awful. Now we have to leave them to their favorite talking point of who is the better player, Donald Brashear or Hal Gill... kidding.

I imagine this is how Lundqvist feels right about now

I got my wish in the East, the Capitals beat the Rangers despite managing only 3 shots in the first period, their worst showing in a single period all season. They got a lucky bounce and veteran Sergei Federov scored on a rocket of a wrister with 5 minutes left in regulation to give the Caps the win. They advance to the second round for the first time in over 10 years. Its unfortunate that the whole John Tortorella being a 12-year old thing had to be the major talking point of the series and not the stellar play of Simeon Varlamov. Perhaps that is a good thing now that I really consider it. As Don Cherry always says, all the pressure is on the goalies in the playoffs. Tortorella's inability to control himself in a hostile environment along with the whining of Glen Sather kept much of the attention off the 20-year old goaltender. If we handed out the Conn Smythe award today, I would give it to him. Lets see how he handles the challenge of facing Bing Crosby and Malkin as well as probably more media attention. The league is likely to promote this matchup at off-the-charts levels so it will be interesting to watch the young tender deal with the added pressure.

*Note* The last image is from the Nashunal Hocky League O' Laffs. A very funny site, check it out of you have not yet done so.

Weekend Wrap-Up: Western Conference

Hiller doesn't have much to look at

The Sharks won a must-win game 5 at home on Saturday and must keep that going Monday night in Anaheim. They gave up a 2 goal lead only to win in OT on a lucky goal that Patrick Marleau basically pushed into the net, taking

Hiller with him. The Sharks still have a tough climb ahead of them but they battled all season long to have home-ice advantage, a place where they had the best record in the league.

Heads Up

The Blue Jackets kind of got the short straw when it comes to first-round match-ups. The Red Wings were not the team they wanted to face in the club's first ever playoff appearance. They were swept with the final loss coming Thursday night in a thrilling 6-5 game. The Jackets, like the Blues, will be back in post-season contention again next year.

St. Louis/Vancouver: This ones all ova

Great flow

The home team has won every game between the Blackhawks and Flames. Interestingly enough, Saturday's game was the first in the series that the team that scored first actually won. The Hawks dismantled a sloppy and careless Flames team to take a series lead of 3-2. This one will probably go 7 games an we, as hockey fans, should feel lucky for that. This has been the best of the Western Conference series. Every game has been a very entertaining affair with plenty of trash-talking, big hits and pretty plays. If you watch one of these games you will swear that Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Dion Phaneuf never leave the ice as all three are averaging over 24 minutes of ice time in the series

Next Round's Dream Matchups:

(1) San Jose vs. (4) Chicago

(2) Detroit vs. (3) Vancouver

The San Jose/Chicago series would be a fast-paced battle between two teams whose style of play compliment each other well. No body wants to play either Detroit or Vancouver right now so we might as well eliminate one of them.

A Very Carrie Moment

Four months and no outlet for my borderline unhealthy Carrie Milbank obsession. Here we go:

My Ice Princess at the Winter Classic.

Oh sweet jesus you cant do this to me.

In an interview Carrie was asked what her favorite beer was. Her response?

Wells Banana Bread…it’s like dessert only you actually get better looking the more you consume, or at least the more others consume around you

What an answer.

There is a Cup touching joke to be made here somewhere...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Eastern Conference

Savard gives Chara a wet one on the cheek

Some very big games have been played since my last post. I'll start with the sweep. The Montreal Canadiens can polish off their golf clubs after a disappointing end to their centennial season. The Bruins balanced attack and tight defensive play as well as stellar goaltending from Tim Thomas was just too much for the streaky Canadiens club. Like I said earlier, its kind of a shame to see them go out this way on such a momentous occasion for the team as well as the city of Montreal but the team certainly did not offer the hockey gods much in terms of humility and good behavior. In hockey, as in life, that will come back to bite you. The Bs now sit and wait to find out who they will play next. I would love to see another Original 6 matchup but that would mean the Rangers would have to beat out the Caps, something I do not want to see happen.

Check out the guy in the blue shirt behind Ovie. Go watch the WNBA dude.

Speaking of the Caps/Rangers series, each team has taken one game since my last post putting the series at 3-2 Blueshirts. NBC must be

thrilled to be televising this afternoon's game. The Rangers took game 4 at home with another 1 goal victory. Just when things looked bleak, Ochovechkin scored this absolute beauty to cap off a 4-0 Caps win at home. This video is awesome by the way. I love the roar of the crowd when Ovie goes between Derek Morris' legs. The Caps should have a slightly easier time in MSG today as Jn Tortorella has been suspended by the league for throwing a water bottle at a fan. I hope that doesn't mar a potentially amazing comeback by the Capitals.

Not this year, Brian.

The Devils and Hurricanes series continues to hold the least interest for me despite it being the closest of all the Eastern Conference series. The Devils have a 3-2 edge over the Canes with game 6 set to be played in Carolina tonight. I have honestly barely seen any of this series partially because of a dislike for both teams, partially because there are usually more interesting games to be watched. That being said, there could be a silver lining in the Devils winning the Cup in the form of the possible retirement of Marty Brodeur. It might almost be worth it.

Too much, too soon.

The picture pretty much sums up this series. These two teams really do not like each other. In the end the Flyers just could not hold off the Penguins marquee players. Some timely saves by M-A Fleury and a few lucky bounces helped the Penguins advance once again. Game 6 was a bit like a microcosm of the Penguins season, they started off weak then a spark spurred a turnaround (the Talbot/Carcillo fight and the reaplacement of Michele Therienne respectively) and now the Pens look tough to beat. While I am on the topic of Carcillo, I would like to apologize for bashing him so badly in my last post. His fight with Max Talbot proved to be the turning point for the Penguins, despite Carcillo winning the fight handily. Carcillo had no reason to fight whatsoever with his team up 3-0 and controlling the tempo of the game. It was an undisciplined move by one of the few classless players in the NHL and it arguably cost his team the game. So thanks, Dan.

Next Round's Dream Matchups:

With series wins by the Hurricanes and Capitals (both down 3-2 at present) things could shake down like this:

(1) Boston vs (6) Carolina

(2) Washington vs (4) Pittsburgh

Someone in the NHL's marketing department just wet themselves with excitement. The Bruins/Canes matchup would be a fast-paced, hard-hitting affair and I don't even have to mention why the other series would be ideal.

*Editor's note: My formatting got all screwy for some reason, sorry about that.

Crashing The Net, 4 Month Catch-Up Edition

Yikes, somehow I managed to let life get in the way of my hockey addiction and, therefore, have not posted in quite some time. Thats about to change. I'm unfortunately going to have to completely pass over everything that happened in the remainder of the regular season. I will, on the other hand, give you my take on what has happened thus far in the playoffs. Without further ado, here we go.

My Thoughts:

Eastern Conference

• Bruins vs Canadiens. To be honest, I was hoping for a little bit more out of this series. It currently stands at 3-0 Bruins and looks to be over tonight in Montreal. The Bruins just have too much depth for the Habs and Thomas has looked good when needed. Its hard not to root, at least a little bit, for the Canadiens, this being their Centennial season and all. However, living in New England has turned me into a bit of a Bruins fan and how can you not like a guy like Marc Savard. The Bs are going to be very tough to stop.

• Capitals vs Rangers. The Rangers have a 2-1 series lead after taking both games at the Verizon Center. Ochovechkin (my name for Alex Ovechkin following his 50th goal celebration) has been held without a goal in this series but has still been a force, most notably in game 3 at MSG. His strong defensive play and great backchecking on a short handed bid by the Rangers could have been a game-changing effort. I fully expect him to solve Lundqvist tonight and he may need to because I doubt the Caps' young goalie Simeon Varlamov can continue to stand on his head the way he has the last two games. If the Caps win tonight, look for this series to get heated as it heads back to DC for game 5.

• Devils vs Hurricanes. I'll admit it, I have barely watched this series. Not because I'm not interested but because I've have hated watching the Devils play for so long that its kind of a force of habit. What I do know is that the series is tied at two a piece with both teams splitting games at home. This one might go 7 games.

• Penguins vs Flyers. I hate the Flyers, I really do. They have a few players I admire as hockey players (read: Mike Richards) but I really despise them as a team, especially after they acquired cement-head Dan Carcillo at the trade deadline. As such, I could not be more pleased with the Pens having a 3-1 series lead as they head home for the potential last game of the series tomorrow. Biron is not a Stanley Cup-worthy goaltender. I'm sorry, its just fact. I loved the guy during his time in Buffalo and was sad to see him go, especially now that we dont have an NHL-calibre backup, but he is not the guy to lead a team to the Cup. Both Crosby and Malkin have been playing well for the Pens and Bill Guerin seems to have found new life after being dealt at the deadline. M-A Fleury stole the crucial fourth game for them and may be asked to do so more often as the Pens move forward. For this to really be considered the rivalry it is hyped up to be, the Flyers should start winning some games... Nevermind, forget I mentioned it. I could very easily see a Penguins vs Bruins Easter Conference Final.

Western Conference

• Sharks vs Ducks. Wow. That is pretty much all I can say at this point. For the Ducks to take both games in San Jose, a place the sharks played astonishingly well all season long, is absolutely out of this world as far as I'm concerned. It looked like the Ducks were selling off a lot of their talent at the deadline and were ready to start rebuilding but the veteran core pulled them into a playoff spot and now has the President's Trophy winners on their heels. The Sharks pulled out a lucky win yesterday on a night when Evgeni Nabokov did not look his best. Are the Sharks destined for post-season failure once again? I sure hope not and if they can win another at the Honda Center to pull even headed back to the Tank as well as get the power play back together I don't honestly see it happening. Yet.

• Red Wings vs Blue Jackets. This one was over before it even started. I had hoped the Jackets would at least win one hame game, and they still technically have a chance to, but the Red Wings are just too good and this was a mismatch from the start. I almost feel bad for the Columbus fans... Almost.

• Canucks vs Blues. Bummer. I was really pulling for the Cinderella story Blues to at least make a series of it. No dice however as the Canucks stifled the Blues' power play and Luongo outshined Mason. The Blues will be back in the playoffs sometime soon and I think the extended time off will actually hurt the Canucks despite the fact that they are a tad banged up, missing Sundin (a trade deadline acquisition) and Sammi Salo (how is this guy still in the league?)

• Blackhawks vs Flames. Whhooo baby does this series have all the makings of a classic. Until two days ago, the Flames had not won a game against the Hawks in over a year. With the series at 2-1 Hawks and game four set for tonight in Calgary, its anybodies game. Things got quite chippy in game three and look for things to stay that way for the remainder of the series. Chicago gets a boost as Pat Kane returns tonight after fighting off the flu but after the tongue-lashing Jarome Iginla took last time, I would not want to go up against this team.