[OT-NHL] The Annual NHL Playoffs Thread: 2003

[Lord Zardoz]

This is dissappointing

The Vancouver Canucks have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Anyway, there are two reasons I like seeing Canadian teams go far in the playoffs. One is that I am Canadian. The other is that the Canadian crowds tend to be more appreciative (in my opinion).

In all of the games I have watched so far, Everytime that a Canadian team has the lead on home ice, the crowd is going nuts. When the same happens on home ice for an american team, its not nearly as big a deal. The Vancouver crowd was going nuts when it was 2-0. Some, but not many, of the american teams manage that.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[Nightfall]

Datt,

I'm picking the Wild to win the series and thus have an interesting match. Two similiar styled teams (NJ and the Wild) in a pretty brutal contest.

 

[EarthsShadow]

I'm still rooting for the Ducks. I don't like Minnesota cuz they got rid of my Av's, so all the way Ducks. No matter what, though, I am going to cheer for the Western side in the stanley cup finals, no matter who gets there. Both teams are underdogs and when was the last time we saw the 6 and 7 seeds make it this far? Probably never.

 

[MThibault]

Hey Billy (I can call you Billy, can't I?)

Don't sweat it. The Canucks are just starting to come into their own. I'm from Ottawa and we've been working (slowly to be sure) towards our breakout year for almost 3 years now. Hopefully this will be the year.

I see the Canucks only getting better next year, and the year after that.

Cheers

(Go Sens.)

 

[Corinth]

I, on the other hand, am pleased as punch that the Wild pulled it off. Takes me back to the salad days of when Doug Woog ruled the Gophers' hockey program and made one championship run after another using nothing more than locally-grown talent. If a Canadian team had to go down in post-season play, it's never a bad thing to lose to the Minnesotan team; we're practically Little Canada as it is.

 

[Kastil]

Well I've been watching the playoffs off and on now. My team didn't have a wish and a prayer to make it. Yes, the Penguins prolly won't make it next year either but got it stick my team. There is no other.

My bet is on the Sens to go all the way. ::coughs:: Can't go wrong with an ex-Pens player in goal. GO PATRICK!

As for the Wild, I watched that game (and went to work bleary-eyed and in desperate need of coffee!) and though I saw many penalities not called, (C'mon! He knocked the stick right out of the goalie's freaking hand!) the Wild took it to the hole when it looked like the Canucks were gonna spank them good.

All in all this final round should be intense. GO SENS! :-D

 

[GreyOne]

What's to do?

Another heartbreaking year.

I respect the Wild for winning. They were the better TEAM. But like 'em? Sorry, their style of play leaves me WELL and TRULY cold.

The curse of Vancouver continues. I've been down all day. I shelled out for playoff tickets (went 5 times) and I'm just totally disappointed. I've been a hardcore fan since '92. Every year I come back for more. I probably will again.

I don't know what it is with the Canucks. It always seems to be ex-Canucks that help do them in too. Ronning, Hendrickson. Wes Walz almost was a Canuck for God's sake. Why is it, every team seems to break a record with my club?

I think the Canucks do have another 1-2 years with the current core of players before we see a different incarnation. They are such a great group of guys. I don't know what went wrong.

Phooie.

Go Ducks.

 

[Harlock]

I've decided to make my predictions for the conference finals:

Stars take Detroit in 7. After the grueling series against Colorado in the conference semis, Detroit is tired and worn out. They'll give up a couple of games early on but fight back from 2 down to 3 and 1 then to 3 and 3 only to get beaten in the last game by a blue liner from a Stars defenseman just like they ended it against Vancouver in game 6 of the conference semis...

Devils beat Sens in 6. Yeah, I know these teams match up well against each other on paper but defense wins hockey games. Brodeur will just be a wall. He'll get two shut outs against the vaunted Sens offense.

In the Finals, the Stars will sweep New Jersey because Big John, Paragon's friend, already has plans to poke Brodeur in both eyes as well as go Tonya Harding on the coaching staff. Tough break for the Devils.

I also predict Big John merchandise will sell like hotcakes in Dallas, TX for a short while as his 15 minutes plays out. Woohoo, go Stars.

My predictions for 2003-2004 - Boston dominates all of hockey. The Bruins hire Big John as a defenseman and he blinds nearly every goalie in the league, except for Giguere who Boston trades for. Boston dominates the league for the next ten years since Giguere is so young and Big John turns out to be one heck of a hockey player winning the Norris trophy and alternating as MVP with Jiggy year after year. Big John even cleans up his act and wins the Lady Byng trophy for gentlemanly play in his final landmark season with the Bruins.

Go B's!

 

[Holy Bovine]

I've been away from this thread too long.

And not that these remarks matter much at this late date, but FWIW, my second round predicitions are:
1) Devils in five or six. They're just too solid top to bottom for Tampa bay to match up with.
2) Flyers in six. Ottawa is a fraud until proven otherwise.
3) Stars in seven. The Ducks are impressing the heck outta me, but this was my original thought and I'm sticking with it.
4) Vancouver in seven. The Wild will keep things close, but the Canucks have too much offense.

Overall, I love the high number of close and OT games. Good luck to those of you who still have rooting interests beyond hating one team or another .

I hope you didn't lose too much money on these predictions there Quickbeam.

Of course who would ever expect Anahiem and the Wild for the Western Conference final? Wow. Minn can be a damned exciting team to watch at times and Vancouvers lack of disipline and teamwork doomed them in the end. That last period of game 7 all I saw was 5 individuals skating for Vancouver - Minn was a well-oiled machine out there (and how many of their guys got sticks to the face with no calls? Three? Four? Just awful offciating). I am personally very happy to see Bertuzzi be the goat as his late period antics cost the Canucks any hope of bouncing back. Too bad he took classy guys like Trevor Linden with him

And Crawford (the coach) is a classless ass - he didn't even look at anyone when he shook their hands at the Minnesota bench. Just kind of walked the length of the bench then scampered off the ice. That's sportsmanship

Stanley Cup final? Sens and Wild. The Sens have already beaten a team similar to NJ in Philly (and quite handily).

 

[Berk]

Minnesota outscores the Canucks 16 - 5 in the final three games of the conference semis. Tht's one heck of a time to find your offense. I went to the kitchen in the 2nd period to make some chocolate milk up. I hear two goals while I am away and the crowd is loud, so I know who it is scoring. I figure game over. Two goals in a minute and one second. Oh, wait, Wild scores one with some time left in the second. Then wham! I'm just speechless. Ducks vs. Wild. I wish I had a time machine. I would score so muh cash in Vegas betting on this... Anyone know how to find betting odds on the internet? I wonder what the odds were and what the payoff on say, $1,000 US of the Wild making it to the Conference finals? Then the ducks. Unreal. I love this game! BTW, my predictions for the conference finals are that I would guess wrong, so I'm simply going to sit back and enjoy me some hockey.

I believe Vegas was offering 100:1 odds against the Wild for making it into the stanley cup finals. As for game by game odds it depends on what the lines where and the over-under's. Let's just say that if you put the 1k on each of their wins and let it ride on the wins themselves you would be over 200k richer. Wild are the ultimate underdogs. Haven't really seen such odds against someone or something since Tyson-Douglas. Which if you bet 1k on Douglas to win you woulda won around 42k if I remember. Think Douglas was a 42:1 underdog