Canucks 1 – 8 Bruins
I don’t think anybody could have foreseen the 8-1 drubbing the Bruins handed the Canucks yesterday. While some in Vancouver predicted a loss, most predicted a close loss, maybe another one-goal game with some late heroics. Instead, Canuck fans found their team on the wrong end of the second-worst blowout in Stanley Cup Final history. It was hard to take. There were tears of rage. Speaking of The Band, prior to the game, the air was electric, but when the final whistle went, the air was acoustic; it was like Dylan in reverse. Rogers Arena evolved from a viewing party into a Peanuts convention, with hordes of crestfallen fans doing the Charlie Brown all the way home. And as for me? Doctor says I’ve got a “mild mania”, which I think I developed when I watched this game:
- Prior to the game, Justin Bourne tweeted that, for the Bruins to have a chance, they had to turn the games ugly. 145 penalty minutes later, that’s exactly what transpired. Clearly, Bourne has a Sports Almanac from the future. He may or may not be Biff Tannen. At the time, I scoffed, thinking that, if Boston attempted anything so silly, the Canucks would make them pay on the powerplay. Instead, the Canuck proceeded to go 0-for-8 with the man advantage, giving up two shorthanded goals. Special teams ineptitude of this sort is the hockey equivalent of putting George McFly’s “kick me” sign on your back. Meanwhile, the Bruins went 2-for-4 on the powerplay. It was a complete reversal of fortune, like when Marty McFly gets hit with the car instead of his Dad.
- I know, as a Canuck fan, I’m supposed to be outraged at Mark Recchi taunting Maxim Lapierre by trying to force his fingers into his mouth, but A) turnabout is fair play and B) it was hilarious. I especially loved the way Lapierre pursed his lips and refused to open them as though Papa Recchi was trying to spoonfeed him mashed peas. Recchi was making airplanes sounds the whole time.
- That said, I was less impressed with Milan Lucic doing the same to Alex Burrows later. Basic rule of comedy: repeating a joke without changing it isn’t funny. Lucic should take some improv classes.
- Speaking of biting, the Bruins bit more lines from the Canucks last night than Jay-Z from Biggie. Consider the opening goal: after losing the faceoff, the Bruins capitalized on an unfortunate turnover by a Canuck defenseman after Alex Edler’s stick broke, then scored 11 seconds into the period. Sound familiar? Heck, even their second goal directly cribbed from the Canucks powerplay, as the Bruins worked it in front to Ryan Kesler for the tip.
- It was hard to fault Edler on the opening goal, although he may have exacerbated the broken stick by screening his goalie, but he looked pretty terrible on a few other plays and finished a game-low minus-4. His worst play, by far, came on Mark Recchi’s second of the evening, when Edler pinched, got caught, and let the Bruins break out on a 2-on-1. Then, rather than getting into position, Edler took a half-assed run at Brad Marchand, who centered the puck to the open man in front for the goal.
- In truth, that goal was symptomatic of why this game ended 8-1 and not 5-1. The real story of game three is that the once mature Canucks completely lost their composure, perhaps for the first time this year. They quit skating, started looking for vengeance, and the Bruins picked them apart. I’m not entirely sure what Daniel Sedin did to warrant his game misconduct short of putting Andrew Ference in a headlock after Ference elbowed him in the face, but if last year taught us anything, it’s that, when Daniel Sedin is taking misconducts, the rest of the team has gone fully insane. Shots of the bench showed the rest of the Canucks throwing their poop and swinging from chandeliers.
- Raffi Torres had some beautiful hits, but his flying elbow late in the game was unwise. Thank God he missed.
- It’s unfortunate that the second period unfolded the way it did for the Canucks, because they ended the first strongly. After killing off Aaron Rome’s major penalty (more on that in a minute) with some fabulous defensive work and goaltending, the Canucks seized the momentum and generated a number of powerplays and scoring chances while holding the Bruins shotless for the frame’s final ten minutes. Unfortunately, Tim Thomas held the Canucks scoreless, his best save coming after Mason Raymond deked Dennis Seidenberg out of his shorts. Give credit to Thomas on that one. In one fell swoop, he turned the play of the game into the save of the game. It may have been the turning point of the series.
- For others, that point will be Aaron Rome’s hit on Nathan Horton, a scary moment for which, as I write this, Rome awaits discipline. It wasn’t a particularly dirty play; if Horton pops up, it’s just a big hit. Unfortunately, he didn’t pop up, which was terrifying. Horton lay motionless on the ice, with his arm extended, for a chillingly long time. It was immediately clear that he was severely injured. Now, while it wasn’t a dirty hit, it was a dangerous hit, as Rome stood up on Horton at the blue line a beat late. As much as some will say Horton was watching his pass, the hit came long enough after he’d gotten rid of the puck that he had no reason to expect contact. The major penalty for interference was absolutely the right call. Supplemental punishment is debatable (it’s not warranted by current NHL rules), although I’d expect some. Considering the scary scene on the ice, the added attention, and the chippiness that followed, the NHL needs to take a stand on this one. Either way, the decision will be the wrong one, and all disagreement will be valid. The NHL has made it this way. Edit: four games. Wow.
- In a brief moment of catharsis, Jannik Hansen ended Tim Thomas’s shutout bid with the Canucks’ only goal of the game. Hansen’s been sniffing for a goal like hog for a truffle, and it was nice to see him finally bury one. Or, I guess, in the case of the truffle hog simile, unbury one. Whatever.
- Tweet of the night: Vancouver Sun sports editor Scott Brown, giving an example of how tonight could have been much worse: You know what would really suck? To watch that game in Boston wearing green spandex. That said, rumour has it the Green Men were well-received, which seems like a wasted opportunity. If someone had assaulted them, do you honestly think a positive ID would hold up in court? Now, isn’t it true, Sully, that your vision was obscured by a lime-green mask with no eyeholes?
- It’s a little less impressive after an 8-1 loss, but I observed, in the first two games, that the Canucks were going at Chara and putting the puck into his skates, so as to take away the pokechecking option and give them the ability to take the body on him if the opportunity presented itself. We saw a clear-cut example of this in the first period, as Alex Edler chose that option over going wide on the hulking defenseman, and nearly broke past him. It’s not a bad idea. When you’re as high up as Chara, I’d imagine looking for the puck in your feet is as disorienting as the rooftop scene in Vertigo.
- Ryan Kesler had his worst game of the playoffs last night, finishing with 17 PIM and a minus-3 rating after being on the ice for the first four Bruins goals. While it’s tough to blame him for the unfortunate tip on the first powerplay goal, one would assume that Kesler is the last person who would let Brad Marchand score a shorthanded goal. I suspect that a healthy Kesler doesn’t get burned like that. Kesler got left behind like he was Kirk Cameron. That goal was a backbreaker, Speaking of backbreakers, seeing Kesler throwing MMA ground punches on Dennis Seidenberg seemed like a step backwards, too.
- While I thought Victor Oreskovich had a strong game and the fourth line had some decent shifts, Jeff Tambellini was directly at fault on two goals. I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds himself in the press box for the remainder of this series. His error on Paille’s shorthanded goal was inexcusable, as was his lame attempt to check Brad Marchand on Mark Recchi’s second. Expect to see Tanner Glass on Wednesday if he’s healthy.
- In one of the most bizarre plays I’ve ever seen, Tim Thomas prevented a Henrik Sedin goal by taking the Canuck captain down like he was working a defibrillator. I’ve never seen that before in my life. It was infuriating at the time, although, if Luongo had done that to Krejci, say, it would have been pretty badass. CBC showed a graphic of Thomas’s statline: 35 saves and 1 hit. Funny stuff. That said, if there wasn’t already a question about the fairness of Thomas initiating contact, there is now. There doesn’t seem to be much recourse, however, so assume it will continue. In game 4, expect Thomas to shoot Mason Raymond with an Airsoft rifle prevent a breakaway or tase Ryan Kesler to clear a powerplay screen.
- Alex Burrows took a measure of revenge by slashing Thomas on the hand after he covered a puck near the side of the net in the back half of the third. This set off a full-scale meltdown. It was like the scene in 28 Weeks Later where the virus gets into the compound. You had to feel for the poor referees, who were so desperate to see the game finish without the players cannibalizing one another that they started whistling penalties for nothing. Ryan Kesler took a boarding call for a clean hit, for instance. Then, the officials just started throwing players out of the game. Seidenberg, Lucic, Thornton, Ference, Bieksa, Kesler, Burrows all hit the showers early. By the game’s end, there were, like, three guys at each bench. It looked like a poorly organized pickup game. One guy was wearing Rollerblades.
- An unlikely couple, Mark Wahlberg and Tie Domi were sitting together in the stands. They looked friendly, although things got less friendly when Wahlberg said, “Say hi to your mother for me,” and Domi beat the Hell out of him for talking smack ’bout his mom.
- A lot of people talked about the “trade” of Aaron Rome for Nathan Horton, and how it benefited the Canucks. Not so. With Rome gone, and without the calming influence of Dan Hamhuis to settle the remaining five guys, the Canuck blueline fell completely apart. Rick Bowness needs to get that group settled and ensure this never happens again. If Hamhuis can’t play Wednesday, I wouldn’t be surprised if Alberts is taken out of the next game as well, and we see the Ballard/Tanev pairing return for consistency’s sake.
- So. Roberto Luongo. I agreed, at the time, with the decision not to pull him after the fifth goal, especially after CBC editorialized (yet again) with a quick cut to Cory Schneider after the fourth. Luongo wasn’t the reason the Canucks were down five, and the next day’s story would have been all about his “collapse” if Vigneault had made any sort of tacit admission that Funny Bob was at fault. Unfortunately, the Canucks quit playing defense after that, and Luongo was peppered for three more quick ones before the final whistle. In retrospect, pulling your goalie after five is better than leaving him in for eight, media idiocy be damned. He should have been pulled. It’s unfortunate that this happened, too, because I felt like the media was finally coming around on Luongo and Thomas was beginning to get the dumb questions. Back to start.
- And finally, this really isn’t a cause for panic. As Kevin Bieksa said, “it’s not aggregate scores. It’s not Champions League. It’s the Stanley Cup final.” Truth is, whether it’s 8 goals or 2 goals or 100 goals, it’s just one loss, and the Bruins still need to win three of the remaining four to win the Cup. They likely won’t get another laugher like this one. If the Canucks can regroup and get the split in Boston, they’ll return to Vancouver with a 3-1 series lead. Unflip your pools. It’s June.
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Jenny Wren
June 7, 2011Oh damn I did not get my way:
The Canucks went and lost today!
Chicken Chick says that it’s okay,
For they have still four games to play.
And of those four they must win two;
That’s surely something they shall do!
And if they don’t what happens then?
Next season they will try again.
But I for one don’t want to wait.
I wish I had some faith in fate.
For then I’d know their number’s up,
And they will win the Stanley Cup.
But as it is I just can pray
That Jenny Wren will get her way!
kim r
June 7, 2011Thanks for taking the hit and trying (and succeeding) in finding something interesting to write about. We’ve seen this before – debacles – and they manage to come out of it okay. It will be funner they win it here rather than in Boston.
Have to comment on Rome, though. It’s not in here as this was too early and you probably will have a post on it, but 4 games for Rome? At least we know the NHL minions can count at least to 4, but probably would have to remember to use the other hand for anything over 5.
I really have to wonder that if it were Scott Stevens that laid out that hit whether we’d still be picking up the slobber leaking out from the TeeVee. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t abide the hit and I absolutely loathe Scott Stevens, but there has always been a double standard.
And also wonder whether Rome was sacrificed for not suspending Burrows. I can just see them thinking “oh boy we can look like we’re on top of this”. Bah.
Having said all this, I bet a lot of people aren’t unhappy with the NHL doing what AV won’t do – bench Rome. Sorry, Mr. Horton.
As always, an enjoyable read gentlemen. Time to hunker in for the barrage of “Lou’s a bum” comments today. Sigh.
PetriSkriko
June 7, 2011A few observations:
- I really don’t understand why Alberts and Rome were chosen over Tanev and Ballard in the first place, but we’ve speculated about that for a long time now. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. I’d take mobile puck movers over hired goons (“Hired goons?”) any day.
- I miss Hamhuis so much already
- I thought it was a dirty hit by Rome. Horton had already taken another stride to go into our zone between the time he got rid of the puck and when Rome hit him. And the hit was high. If that had been a bruin on, say, Alex Burrows, I’d have been screaming bloody murder.
- I’m still in awe that Lapierre, Hansen, and Torres has been our most consistently good line over the entire postseason. What a remarkable thing.
- Thought Manny looked really strong out there again
- Why does nobody talk about Lucic’s propensity to sucker punch guys? He’s done it 3-4 times to my memory… doesn’t the league want to crack down on that sort of thing?
- I reeeaaalllly miss Hamhuis
Rituro
June 7, 2011“And finally, this really isn’t a cause for panic. As Kevin Bieksa said, “it’s not aggregate scores. It’s not Champions League. It’s the Stanley Cup final.” Truth is that 8 goals or 2 goals or 100 goals, it’s just one loss, and the Bruins still need to win three of four to win the Cup. They likely won’t get another laugher like this one. If the Canucks can regroup and get the split in Boston, they’ll return to Vancouver with a 3-1 series lead. Unflip your pools. It’s June.”
THANK you, Harrison. Yeesh, coming to work and facing a dozen gloom-and-doom co-workers was the most infuriating thing about that loss. It never fails to sadden me that a seemingly sane hockey fan can confidently proclaim “Canucks in 6″ and then flip the pool when Vancouver loses.
For the record? Still saying Canucks in 7, still not concerned that they *gasp!* lost a game and still convinced there’s a chance for a split in Boston.
I really wish there was a way to get Rome out of Coach V’s roster other than via a four-game suspension, though. Here’s hoping for the best out of Ballard/Tanev.
Scarlet Ibis
June 7, 2011Games one and two were truly tight
Now we were home on Monday night
It was game three and my team won
They trounced your team eight goals to one
‘Twas Bobby Lou’s same old story
It’s best you better think of Cory
Though it won’t matter which you play
The Boston Bruins will have their way
And whither were the twins Sedin
Their cycle nowhere to be seen
For your team’s fans I’m somewhat sad
For what seemed good has now turned bad
I guess you know I warned you so
From here on in it ‘s, “NO Nucks NO!”
vancityt
June 7, 2011I’ve been waiting for this IWTG before having any kind of pool-flipping moment. Thanks, once again, for your calming perspective.
I wonder, though, if after Chicago Luongo and Vigneault came to some sort of agreement about what’s best for Luongo’s mental health under these sorts of circumstances: pulling him, I think, would have done worse mental/ego damage to him than having him finish it off: everyone knows (or they should) that those last 3 goals aren’t wholly his fault. He’s not blameless, but the shame of being pulled, IMO, far outweighs the frustration and disappointment of losing by such a large margin.
Now as for the just-announced Rome suspension… I’ll wait for that PITB perspective-maker, also.
Timmy Wong
June 7, 2011CBC really needs to work on its camera and production work. twice now in these playoffs I’ve seen them pan out to some goalie sitting on the bench and guess what…NOTHING HAPPENS!
Is their production staff the rejects of VS/OLN broadcasts, because it seems to be that way…
SteveB
June 7, 2011I don’t think that I could handle listening to Team 1040 after that debacle without first taking a few deep breaths and reading IWTG.
.
Kezzi
June 7, 2011Wait… that really happened? I thought I had a nightmare. When I woke up this morning I thought “8-1? Hahahaha no way that could EVER happen in a Stanley Cup final, especially with these Canucks.”
One thing you gotta say for them though is when the Canucks decide to lose they don’t fool around. They even help out by scoring on their own net. Luongo should have known that was coming…. last game Henrik tried to beat him five hole. Maybe the guys are getting frustrated trying to beat the Wild Bush Man at the other end so they figure Lu is softer. Sure looked that way last night. I thought Thomas was actually one of the reasons Boston won, which sounds silly in an 8-1 game but that first period could have come out a lot different if not for him.
Four games? That’s insane. After what they have let go. Okay, so it’s made clear… it IS about how badly the guy is hurt. That was a clean hit as far as technique… he was about two seconds too late and should have pulled up. Frankly I’ve been worried about the Canucks approach to the toughness of this series from the start. They are doing exactly what killed them against Chicago last year. We know you are tough guys. Yeah, Boston is gonna make you hurt, your bruises will probably just be finished healing by the time training camp rolls around, but play YOUR game! Especially since the power play has fizzled.
I like Tanev and Ballard both going in. They need the mobility. The Canucks are not going to win going toe to toe with the rough stuff. They need to use their speed and mobility, get back to what works for them. And Tambellini… yeah he’s done. Tanner Glass had a pretty good year and a terrible playoff so far. It’s redemption time Tanner. We NEED you! Maybe playing with Manny will help him get untracked.
Boy, this game sure was a cold shower on the city. Maybe we should just put the Cup back on it’s display case and wait to see how this shakes out. It never was a sure thing and last night was a harsh plummet to reality for most of us.
Kezzi
June 7, 2011Also… had to laugh at Thomas hitting Henrik. It looked legal to me, and I thought “well why not?” I think Henrik was a little surprised lol. Man these Bruins are nasty.
Nathan
June 7, 2011“By the game’s end, there were, like, three guys at each bench. It looked like a poorly organized pickup game. One guy was wearing Rollerblades.”
Money.
Joel Willoughby
June 7, 2011I have it on good authority that the ‘sleep consulting firm’ the Canucks rely on thought it would be a good idea for the team to get some extra rest between 5-8 PM (Pacific Time) last night…
Harrison Mooney
June 7, 2011Ha! Comment of the day.
J21
June 7, 2011The airplane doesn’t work on my baby daughter when she’s “pulling a Lapierre.” Rather, you have to make her laugh, then shove in the food before she knows what hit her. Is this “pulling a Bergeron,” I wonder?
Suspending Rome for 4 games is completely out of line with the NHL’s discipline structure, but it doesn’t surprise me. I think they want to keep him out of the lineup for the duration (“Question: what do Mike Murphy and Canuck fans have in common?“) to avoid shenanigans later. If it were anyone but Rome, I think there’d be more of a cry of outrage from the Vancouver faithful. Boston has no moral leg to stand on to claim unfairness from what was, as you note, only a dirty hit because it was late. Not a head shot (though everyone will say it is because Horton still got a concussion out of it), not a jump (though everyone will say it is because Rome bounced up afterward), and not a Rule 48 ((though everyone who doesn’t know Rule 48 will say it is). And like any Bruin wouldn’t have done the exact same thing.
I’d certainly be pissed if I were them, much as I’m pissed that Hamhuis and Samuelsson can’t play. Injuries suck, and it sucks that they matter in the standings and in playoff results. But it wasn’t “Rome taking a cheapshot to get one of their top scorers out”, as, undoubtedly, the short-memoried Internet fans will claim.
Finally — “Truth is, whether it’s 8 goals or 2 goals or 100 goals, it’s just one loss” — true in theory, but can you imagine the Canucks actually winning a Cup with a negative goal differential for the playoffs? I sure can’t, and that much scares me. They seem to have veered pretty far from their regular season form (yes, there were lots of EDM/CGY games that helped things out differential-wise) and that is bad news. They seem to have to scratch and claw to get any goals against the likes of Crawford, Rinne, Niemi and Thomas, whereas they seem to have no trouble giving up goals by the boatload when they lose. Again, somewhat frightening.
Rituro
June 7, 2011(“Question: what do Mike Murphy and Canuck fans have in common?“)
A selective amnesia concerning Colin Campbell?
David
June 7, 2011I checked out a forum @ The Boston Globe today – don’t go without putting on something flame retardant. They seem to think the Rome hit merits a 100 game suspension, and a decade-long prison term.
I wonder what they said when Chara tried to behead Pacioretty using a dull stanchion?
I am cool with Rome getting 4 games, but I am not cool when it’s handed out so unevenly. It was late, it was to the head, but I don’t think it was a Matt Cooke hit.
peanutflower
June 7, 2011Super fan that I am, I must admit I turned that one off at 4-0. The game turned ugly right from the start and it just wasn’t the Canuck’s style of play when they are missing Sammy and even Hammy. Rome’s hit was debatably legal and not suspendable according to the NHL north south rule (so says Glenn Heally in about the only thing I agree with him on) and the 4-game suspension leaves us puzzling even more about consistency or lack thereof. But perhaps now we’ll see the more fluid and possibly more unflappable Ballard and Tanev. Thomas hitting Henrik, well, that’s just plain taking advantage of the situation and is even more egregious when Thomas couldn’t be hit back. Boston is a marginally dirty team and the Canucks, while they may be chirpers and whiners a bit (it pains me to say that) they don’t play like that by and large. That was the westcoast express days, not now. An interesting stat I came upon was the gender ratio at the game. Apparently the Boston crowd has a significantly higher testosterone level than the Vancouver crowd. I think that was pretty evident for this game.
DanD
June 7, 2011Totally agree with Bieksa’s sentiments there. It was interesting to watch the Boston fans dance around after the goals started getting pumped in quickly. Sure your team is up by a ton and getting the win. But it kind of seemed a little overboard. Like taunting a wild animal you think is dead, only to find out it can still get up and bite you really hard. I hope that’s what happens in game 4.
DanD
June 7, 2011Since you guys are so literary, perhaps I could compare it to the White Witch’s evil hordes taunting Aslan in “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” Perhaps a little dramatic, but it’s just what I was reminded of.
peanutflower
June 7, 2011Yah, and look what happened there.
Rituro
June 7, 2011…Jesus comes back as a lion?
Karen
June 7, 2011When you’re as high up as Chara, I’d imagine looking for the puck in your feet is as disorienting as the rooftop scene in Vertigo. — LOVE!
My pool has remained un-flipped all day long, despite office Leaf and Bruin fans (yes, those do exist, apparently!) doing their best to convince me otherwise.
I fall into the group of people not overly concerned with the Rome suspension. Yes, 4 games is overkill, but hey, at least it’ll keep him out of the lineup. As for AV’s children… not sure if Rome is still holding them for ransom in the form of ice time…
Fingers crossed that we see the return of the Tanev/Ballard duo. Fingers crossed harder that if we do, Ballard doesn’t do anything to warrant AV making him sit on his hands at the bench for any long period of time.
peanutflower
June 7, 2011I just don’t get the Ballard thing. Why doesn’t he play? He’s made a few mistakes, but haven’t they all? I wonder what the real story is….
BruinsAreAlive
June 7, 2011It was all fun and games when the Nucks were winning.
The Nucks actually bit someone and laughed about it. The Sedin sisters did a stupid intro about Alexis being a vegetarian, Don Cherry laughed about the hungry hockey player and LaPierre mocked Bergy further by sticking a finger in his mouth.
So what happens? Boston gets payback … and now we will see what the Nucks are made of. Are they going to fight back in Game 4 or are they going to turtle?
If the Nucks turtle and lose Game 4 .. the series is over. If the Nucks fight back, then we have a series.
I think the Nucks turtle … Luongo gave up after the 2nd intermission, and his past leads me to believe that he will return to mediocrity … and at that point, it will be CHECKMATE.
Harrison Mooney
June 7, 2011So, your thinking is… if the Canucks win game three, and take a 3-1 lead heading back to Vancouver, then it’s series on, but if Boston ties the series at 2 heading back to Vancouver, then it’s checkmate?
*shakes head*
BruinsAreAlive
June 7, 2011If they show up and lose 2-1 or 3-2, it’s a series.
If they lay down and play dead like they did yesterday, it’s over.
If they win, we will need a miracle.
PetriSkriko
June 7, 2011See: Chicago series 2011 games 4 and 5. Thanks for playing.
Justin
June 7, 2011Totally agree on the Rome hit being suspend-able, but 4 games seems a tad bit excessive to me..but I’d be a liar if I didn’t say that this makes me happy in the sense that Ballard will be getting a chance to play in the Final, finally. Alberts should also be replaced by Tanev, just because Alberts is a big guy but doesn’t use his size to his own advantage, but that could also be because he’s about as slow as he is tall. Boston lost all sense of sportsmanship, but we completely crashed and lost all sense of composure..it was like watching the St.Louis series all over again from ’08-’09…but it’s okay, the Canucks are too good of a team to let this one game get to their heads, they’ll bounce back with their zen-like composure and just redeem themselves by shutting up all those Boston fans in TD Garden by winning Game 4, and taking a 3 – 1 series lead back to VanCity where we’ll take it all in front of a home crowd.
Kesler for MVP!
BruinsAreAlive
June 7, 2011Bruins lost all sense of sportsmanship????? I agree but can you think about why it happened?
Sportsmanship was lost when AB bit PB.
It got worse when the Nucks showed no remorse and the NHL let it go.
It got worse when people (Cherry and Sedin sisters) made jokes about it.
It reached a peak when LaFlopierre put a finger in PB’s mouth.
Now Lucic and Ference punch them in the face and they wonder why.
kim r
June 7, 2011Oh call the waaaaaaaaaaaaambulance. You lost all credibility to your discussion with the name calling and “Sedin sisters”. How original.
Go away. You embarrass hockey fans and Bruin fans.
BruinsAreAlive
June 7, 2011It was fun when players were biting each other wasn’t it?
kim r
June 7, 2011You are not a very good troll. We have standards here and you don’t fit them. No more attention from me. Have a nice day!
BruinsAreAlive
June 7, 2011Thanks for not answering the question … I made $20 from a bet … because I knew I wouldn’t get an answer. Thanks again.
Harrison Mooney
June 7, 2011You made a bet that nobody would answer your biting question?
Here’s your answer: yes, it was fun.
You lose the bet.
Chicky
June 7, 2011This poor misguided fool wouldn’t fit the troll standards even if we passed it a measuring tape and a scale.
Lame and totally unoriginal. Must be a 5 minute Bruins bandwagoner.
kim r
June 7, 2011Must be. Anyone with any hockey knowledge would know how ancient and tired “Sedin sisters” is. Shows a definite lack of creativity.
And as Mr. Mooney stated, yes, it’s fun. Too bad the troll didn’t mention the wager initially.
Here’s for trolls still taking the finger biting incident seriously:
Mikita's Helmet
June 7, 2011The Sedin sisters do
BruinsAreAlive
June 7, 2011Brad Marchand said that he found Kesler’s bra on the ice after the goal to make it 3-0. He has handed it over to the Nuck’s staff, and they thought it belonged to LaFlopierre.
On a side note, Kesler sure knows how to fight. Take a guy down and THEN punch.
Kesler for MVP.
Harrison Mooney
June 7, 2011If you watched that fight, Seidenberg actually tackled Kesler to the ice the moment they dropped the gloves. Then Kesler rolled over and started wailing on him.
BruinsAreAlive
June 7, 2011Here is what the blog says:
Speaking of backbreakers, seeing Kesler throwing MMA ground punches on Dennis Seidenberg seemed like a step backwards, too.
CHECK MATE.
No need to reply. Just delete my post … that would be easier for you.
Chicky
June 7, 2011Quick, someone get a fire extinguisher, this troll is going down in a ball of flames.
Dude, seriously, LAME MUCH? Here, I’ll even be so polite as to open the exit-stage-left door for you.
Harrison Mooney
June 7, 2011Yeah, I wrote that. Kesler needs to be above that garbage. But Seidenberg also tackled him rather than fight like he intended he would.
peanutflower
June 7, 2011I read this blog because I know I will get intelligent, thoughtful and as impartial as is possible writing, and equally intelligent, thoughtful and hopefully as impartial as is possible comments from PITB readers, not to have the same old crap comments about the sisters and all that from thug troll fans. It’s too bad that other people have found this blog because I wanted it all for myself.
Harrison Mooney
June 7, 2011We aren’t as disappointed as you are. Trolls = traffic.
peanutflower
June 7, 2011Yah, I know that. But still. The comments on the Sun and Province articles are seriously amazingly horrible, from both sides. It’s amazing how people can spell words to get them by the weird censor thing and how quickly it turns into a US vs American debate.
Daniel Wagner
June 7, 2011Wait, US vs American?
Daniel Wagner
June 7, 2011Oh my goodness, I have just now discovered that WordPress translates “: )” into an actual smiley-face.
I don’t know if I’m excited or saddened.
peanutflower
June 7, 2011Crap. Well, it’s almost right if you put the “US” in lower case letters. You know what I meant.
That’s a pretty great smiley face feature, yes it is. And I agree with leaving Luongo in — totally the right move. Pulling him would have been a total embarrassment and I’m sure he has the mental fortitude to deal with this game.
Mikita's Helmet
June 7, 20118 goals and the second worst defeat in the Cup finals history isn’t an embarrasment. LMAO
Jason
June 7, 2011I’m surprised there was no mention of Salo, he somehow managed to finish the night a +1!
I also agree Luongo played pretty well, but the team in front of him just gave up after the 3rd goal. I think AV made the right call leaving him in there after the 5th goal, it’s a shame that his teammates hung him out to dry for 3 quick goals at the end though. I guess he could have put Schneider in after the 6th but with 2 minutes left I doubt he was expecting Boston to get 2 more.
piker
June 7, 2011That has to be the stat of the night:he had 23 minute of ice time. Also, was Eddie Lack really the back up last night? http://www.nhl.com/ice/rosters.htm?id=2010030413
Frank
June 7, 2011What I don’t get about last night’s game is the fact that AV did not use his time-out (he hardly ever does, but anyway). After they went down 3-0, why did he not use the time-out to calm down the players, tell them to play with their heads, and not lower themselves to the level of dirty play that the Bruins exhibited with all the slashing, hacking and whacking. He (and the team) should know that we cannot win games that way. This just looked too much like last years games against Chicago. A scary déjà-vu indeed.
Hopefully they can regroup and in the next games keep their composure. Because if they don’t they will be too distracted to be able to solve Thomas and keep their goals against to a minimum by tight defensive play.
Harrison Mooney
June 7, 2011I think, most of the season, AV has trusted his leaders to do the calming down. Unfortunately, two of his assistant captains were too busy taking misconducts to help with that.
Frank
June 7, 2011True. Although I still don’t know why Daniel got the misconduct. As he himself said, it was a friendly hug!
Hopefully they focus on the right things tomorrow and play whistle to whistle. And hopefully the referees will call some of the slashes and cross checks against the Canucks. Let the NHL make an example of that as well!
Justin
June 7, 2011here’s a funny read that I found on facebook from Yann Sauve:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/canucks-have-become-nhls-most-hated-team/article2050961/
So apparently we’re the most hated team in the league after game 3? This made me laugh so hard that it ripped a hole through Pekka Rinne’s glove which unleashed the sheer power of the black hole which resided within it.
Mikita's Helmet
June 8, 2011We’ve hated you for the last three years in Chicago. Now that you’re in the Cup Finals, no longer under the radar, or in a deep, dank hole where y’all belong, other team’s fans are beginning to see the light.
Pepe Silvia
June 7, 2011Whelp, if you have to lose, lose big.
…although it seems the Canucks don’t have a problem with that. It’s mindbottling the way they can just shut down like that.
peanutflower
June 8, 2011That’s almost as bad as the Rozner or whatever article here: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110607/sports/706079781/
Man, I’ve got to shut off my computer. These artciels are totally depressing. I love my team and I know that these kinds of articles aren’t true (are they?) but it still sucks that no one loves us. Please excuse any spelling mistakes etc. as I’m typing blind due to the weird way replies work on this site. Does anyone else notice that?
Mikita's Helmet
June 8, 2011Truth hurts, does it not?
Best quote from the article:
“Typical, pulling hair and biting people. Sort of like a little girl,” Bolland said last week. “Stuff like that isn’t meant for hockey. So some of those things have to be taken care of.”
you must be joking
June 7, 2011trolls=traffic ?
Not for long! Crap is everywhere — life’s too short for it. I’m looking for interesting, mindful stuff. I found you by word of mouth (a cyclist buddy who still cares about hockey). Any sign of troll bait, and you’re off my bookmarks and unliked in FB.
I really like the “disappearing” feature of enough negative comments. It would be better if the replies to the disappeared comment also disappeared (in case the blog software designers are hockey fans).
On another note, if this had been a FIFA game (yes, that organization that makes the NHL look positively well-governed), those referees would never, ever ref another game above a local div 3 match. But then, this *is* the NHL, and random penalties and wildly-shifting application of the “rules” is all part of the fun. I was reminded why I haven’t watched an NHL finals in 20 years.
Meh.
Daniel Wagner
June 8, 2011To clarify, we have no interest in baiting trolls. We just don’t have any problem with trolls appearing, particularly if they are willing to interact with us and eventually get around to the point of intelligent communication. It’s actually a little bit flattering to draw the attention of trolls, particularly because we don’t go out of way to be controversial or adversarial.
kaboomblahstick
June 7, 2011My (utterly stupid) classmates think Rome is better than Ballard since he’s a bigger physical presence against the also big and physical Boston, and therefore, should not be suspended so he can play. They even think I’m stupid for suggesting Ballard to play instead of Rome, regardless of the suspension. #facepalmmoment
Though I would admit, even though I was expecting a suspension for Rome’s (probably clean) hit, 4 games is a bit much, is it? Oh well, I’m okay with Ballard and his hipchecks anytime.
Wonder what Colin Campbell would have done… Time to spin the Wheel of Justice.
Noodle
June 7, 2011I hope Horton makes a full and speedy recovery. That is all.
Chazz Ranger
June 8, 2011THREE Back to the Future references in the first point alone. Sweet.
Awesome IWTG as always, and great thread in general, with bonus: added trolls!
Less Rome and Hamhuis = moar Ballard/Tanev. That’s good. But not as good as a healthy Hamhuis.
I love the feeling of knowing I DON’T need to flip the pool. It may go to 7 in triple OT or just go to 5, but I know the Nucks will do it. Toooo much at stake to NOT win the Cup this year…
beninvictoria
June 8, 2011how does one “unflip” a pool?
SteveB
June 8, 2011OK, time for some inspiration. The Canucks have a window here to achieve something they have never succeeded at before. Flush that mess, take a deep breath and lay the game that got them here. Do not settle for close enough, Do it.
peanutflower
June 8, 2011Has anyone noticed the really strange behaviour on this blog when you try to reply to a post that’s in the middle of other posts, if that makes any sense?
Harrison Mooney
June 8, 2011Little bit. There are issues with the engine that have yet to be worked out. I think we’ll be making some changes in the summer.