Monday's notes: Stanley Cup Final is Shipping Up To Boston

by Dirk Hoag on Jun 6, 2011 7:58 AM EDT in Nashville Predators News

The NHL has been beating the Dropkick Murphy's "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" into hockey fans' heads for a long time now (since last year's Winter Classic, at least), but it's entirely appropriate for tonight's Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Bruins have suffered two close defeats up in Vancouver and need to rally on home ice if they want to make this series competitive.

Can they do it? We'll have to wait a few hours to see, but until then, I've got your morning news and notes...

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Around the NHL

Canucks At Bruins Game 3 Preview: For Whom The Bell Tolls. Time Marches On - Nucks Misconduct
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The Bruins: Game Two - CanucksCorner.com
Tom points out how remarkable it is that Vancouver doesn't really have a single standout Conn Smythe favorite, they're getting contributions from up and down the lineup.

Boston, Vancouver insist cross-continent travel won't be an issue in Final - NHL.com
At least the teams don't have to worry about playing on back-to-back days during the Final, but the flights are long.

Zdeno Chara's legacy could be shaped by Game 3 of Cup finals - ESPN
There's a ton of pressure on the Bruins captain as the series shifts to Boston.

Game 2 Drops 27% From Game 1, 43% From 2010 " Puck The Media
So much for all the buzz following Game 1, eh? It looks like the ratings for Game 2 were pretty darn awful.

Armchair GM: Poaching - Anaheim Calling
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Brad Richards Might Find More Joy with Less Money - PuckUpdate
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Mistake caused by 'Whiteout' - Winnipeg Free Press
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David Thomson's calculated romance with the NHL - The Globe and Mail
A look at the man who ultimately brought the NHL back to Winnipeg.

Rick Dudley not retained as Winnipeg general manager - ESPN
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CBCSports.ca - Crucial off-season awaits Panthers
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Fraser: Should NHL referees give post-game interviews? - TSN
Here's an idea that's long overdue.

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Robbie Russo – NHL Draft Profile | The Scouting Report
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Ratings

The Game 2 ratings were actually pretty much on par with other Saturday SCF games. They should play Game 2 on Sunday afternoon for that reason.

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by JRTheByLineGrinder on Jun 6, 2011 8:02 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

Here’s some proof for that assertion.

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by JRTheByLineGrinder on Jun 6, 2011 8:20 AM EDT up reply actions

Interviewing refs after games

In my opinion it’s a bad idea. Every question would be some fluffed-up version of “Why did you miss that call on ______” or “Why didn’t you call a penalty on ______”, and every answer would be something like “I just did the best I could.” Is that going to make anybody feel better?

by Lil cutie on Jun 6, 2011 9:22 AM EDT reply actions

Change interviewing to interrogating...

and we’ll have something. Bring in the hot lamps and go to work “Law and Order” style on them.
Start with the question.. “Why does every ref hate Nashville so much?” or “So…how many of you zebras hail from B.C.?”

Oooooo….too soon? ;)

by HardCorePredFan316 on Jun 6, 2011 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions

But how is that different from the same questions the players get asked? “What happened when you missed this play”, “What did you feel on this goal?” I think it’s a great idea. Hold everyone accountable for what happened on the ice – not just players and coaches.

OnTheForecheck.com. On twitter at @OTFMarc (NHL) and @MarcTorrence (everything else).

by Marc Torrence on Jun 6, 2011 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions

I don’t have a problem with holding everybody accountable, but that also means we have to concede that everybody is capable of making mistakes.

There’s a story of an umpire back in the day telling John McGraw that when every player played a perfect game and every manager coached a perfect game, McGraw could expect the umpire to call a perfect game.

We haven’t gotten there yet. With officials, we still expect them to make every call perfectly and we don’t hold “everyone” to the same standard.

I’m not saying give the officials free passes if they make an error (certainly, if they make an egregiously bad call, they should be punished, much like a player is scratched if he is playing poorly, and if they make enough bad calls, they should be let go, just as players and coaches are). But holding everyone to the same standard means holding everyone to the same standard.

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by JRTheByLineGrinder on Jun 6, 2011 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions

Did I just hear an "echo" of sentiment?

Nice.

by HardCorePredFan316 on Jun 6, 2011 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions

It’s what the Greeks called antistrophe or epiphora. I think.

Not a rhetorical expert.

Known by George Plaster since 4/13/2011
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by JRTheByLineGrinder on Jun 6, 2011 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions

That’s what I love about Kerry Fraser’s new weekly mailbag column at TSN (the latest is linked above). He openly talks about times he screwed up on the ice, something that we just never hear from officials. Hockey at the NHL level is insanely fast, and while mistakes are made, it’s unbelievable how good the officials are on a nightly basis.

Managing Editor of On the Forecheck, SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators, and HockeyGearHQ, a site devoted to hockey equipment. Catch me on Twitter, or join OTF on Facebook!

by Dirk Hoag on Jun 6, 2011 12:12 PM EDT up reply actions

I think one of the refs should bite Alex Burrows and see if he gets treated the same as Burrows

Canucks new slogan: Show us some hits, we'll show you our tits

by Creeping Death on Jun 6, 2011 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions

With a player you can ask all sorts of questions, some supportive and some critical. But like HCPF said above, talking to a ref after the game would be more of an interrogation than an interview. And as JR points out, refs make mistakes like everyone else.

It just seem like this is really about fans venting their frustration at refs and skewering them for bad calls. Isn’t that what radio call-in shows are for?

by Lil cutie on Jun 6, 2011 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions