The Quest for Lord Stanley's Cup (NHL Playoffs 2008)

[beachbum13]

I don't know of another sport that posses fans like the Stanley Cup Playoffs. There's nothing quite like losing a playoff game in overtime to keep you awake for the next three days If the Sharks win tonight....I may have to keep the playoff beard going

I see you got OT...... 1 - 1

San Jose ..0 0 1 0 0
Dallas ......0 1 0 0 0

2-1 Dallas after 5 hours 14 minutes and four overtimes!

WOW

four days of rest then off to Detroit
should be a great series, Turco is playin well in the net for Dallas

I guess I was tempting fate with my post about the Flyers/Pens 5 OT game!!! It's extra spevial when you win those games and extra hard when you lose!

[beachbum13]

YEAH BABY !!!!

[beachbum13]

I'm goiong to the warm up tonight!






East Division Finals
Phantoms vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Best-of-Seven
Phantoms tied 1-1

Game 1
Thursday, May 1
Phantoms 5, Penguins 2


Game 2
Saturday, May 3
Phantoms 4 at Penguins 5


Game 3
Monday, May 5
Penguins at Phantoms
7:05, Wachovia Center

Game 4
Wednesday, May 7
Penguins at Phantoms
7:05, Wachovia Center

*Game 5
Friday, May 9
Phantoms at Penguins
7:05

*Game 6
Saturday, May 10
Penguins at Phantoms
7:05, Wachovia Center

*Game 7
Tuesday, May 13
Phantoms at Penguins
7:05

* - if necessary

[beachbum13]

There will be blood

Flyers, Pens ready for battle
By MIKE ZEISBERGER -- Sun Media


PITTSBURGH -- The 400-kilometre stretch of Pennsylvania Turnpike between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia officially turned into a highway of bad blood at about 5:17 p.m. local time yesterday.

At that moment, when Marian Hossa's dramatic overtime goal sent the 17,172 loonies crammed into the Mellon Arena into a frenzy, the matchup for the 2008 Eastern Conference final became set.

And it will be a contest that features, to be blunt, two teams that despise each other.

The Pittsburgh Penguins versus the Philadelphia Flyers. Interstate rivals. Division rivals. Bitter rivals.

Sidney Crosby knows it. Minutes after Hossa's shot had eluded New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist at 7:10 of the first extra period to give the upstart Penguins a 3-2 win and a 4-1 victory in this best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final, Sid the Kid's thoughts already had turned to The City of Brotherly Shove, a place where the fan base might very well loathe him more than anywhere else.


"The playoffs are always intense but it throws a little spice into it when it's Pittsburgh and Philadelphia," said Crosby, who finished the afternoon with a pair of assists.

"If you want a rivalry, there's one right there. I'm sure everyone's well aware of it."

Mike Richards certainly is.

A five hour drive to the east, Richards and his Flyers teammates in Philadelphia already were preparing to lock horns with the young, speedy Pens last night. Having eliminated the Montreal Canadiens in five games with a 5-4 win at the Bell Centre Saturday, the Flyers understand there is little time to bask in the glow of that victory, especially when the task at hand involves attempting to slow down, if not stop, Pittsburgh's dynamic duo of Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

"I think so," Richards said in a phone interview from the Philadelphia area. "In order to do that, we have to stay out of the penalty box. Discipline is something we have struggled with through the first two series but we have shown signs of getting better at it."

Richards knows the intensity will be at a season-high, both on the ice and in the stands.

"It's a division rival, the crowd is going to be energized, and the two buildings are going to be very loud," he said. "It's going to be tough. Every game we played them this year was a tough physical contest."

It will be especially that way for Crosby, who has stepped into the role of Public Enemy No. 1 for the leather-lunged, at-times cruel, Flyers fanatics. Crosby may wear No. 87 on his back but, as a local columnist once noted, in Philly he is "Hatey Seven."

The bitterness toward Crosby dates back to his first game at the rabid Wachovia Centre on Nov. 5, 2005. On that night, Sid the Kid lost a handful of teeth courtesy of Derian Hatcher's stick, was penalized for complaining to the officials, and was tagged with the reputation of being a diver.

Only in Philly does the "Sidney Crosby Sucks" forum on the Internet receive mention in the local papers. That is what is in store for him, not to mention another showdown with Hatcher, who is still on the Flyers roster.

Yet that in itself might not be enough for the Flyers to smother Crosby and Malkin. The Penguins captain has racked up 37 points in 20 career games against the Flyers, while Malkin has 24 points in 17 previous encounters.

Stopping the Penguins vaunted power play will be key. Pittsburgh went 5-for-23 (21.7%) with the man advantage against the Rangers, a significant reason for the Pens' success.

"(Pittsburgh's) special teams did us in," Lundqvist said.

Richards hopes he won't be saying the same thing in a couple of weeks.

[gpblxbeach]

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO
STARSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[Tequila Revenge]

I don't know of another sport that posses fans like the Stanley Cup Playoffs. There's nothing quite like losing a playoff game in overtime to keep you awake for the next three days If the Sharks win tonight....I may have to keep the playoff beard going

I see you got OT...... 1 - 1

San Jose ..0 0 1 0 0
Dallas ......0 1 0 0 0

2-1 Dallas after 5 hours 14 minutes and four overtimes!

WOW

four days of rest then off to Detroit
should be a great series, Turco is playin well in the net for Dallas

A mere SEVEN periods of hockey Congrats to the Northstars!!

[lovin_jimmy]

YAY STARS!!!!
WOOO HOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

[Hockey Mon]

Well, this weekend has created quite a dilema for me. My choice of teams to root for are:
-A team from Dallas (difficult for a Redskins fan)
-A team that denied my team the Cup several years ago (the Wings)
-A team from PA I dislike
-A second team from PA I dislike

Talk about a lesser of 4 evils!!

Well, congrats to all the winners and man o man, are we gonna have some good hockey!

[beachbum13]

Not sure how many would have picked this Final Four???

[buffettbride]

I'm going to root for the Penguins. I loathe Detroit AND Dallas and the Flyers just have never done anything for me. So, I pick the cute arctic bird from Pittsburgh.

[Tequila Revenge]

I'm going to root for the Penguins. I loathe Detroit AND Dallas and the Flyers just have never done anything for me. So, I pick the cute arctic bird from Pittsburgh.

Agree mostly. Is there an old fart that hasn't won a cup yet? CAN NOT root for a team from Dallas, especially after a heart breaking quadruple OT loss However, Philly is an old time hockey power from my childhood. Pitt reminds me too much of the Mario Lemau days... can't quite get behing that one.

[beachbum13]

I'm going to root for the Penguins. I loathe Detroit AND Dallas and the Flyers just have never done anything for me. So, I pick the cute arctic bird from Pittsburgh.

Agree mostly. Is there an old fart that hasn't won a cup yet? CAN NOT root for a team from Dallas, especially after a heart breaking quadruple OT loss However, Philly is an old time hockey power from my childhood. Pitt reminds me too much of the Mario Lemau days... can't quite get behing that one.

How about the under dog? The Flyers were the worse team in the NHL last year!

[Dr.Corona]

Please explain to me why SO MANY people are anti Red Wings!
I could understand it back in the pre-salary cap days when they went out and played NY Yankees and bought a ton of talent. But it's not that way anymore.
We've got no dirty players (are you listening Avs fans/see Claude Lemieux--Ducks fans/see Chris Pronger).
Some nice skilled players in Zetterberg & Dat-zook (sp.) who are also high sportsmanship guys. Goaltenders aren't of the cocky variety (are you listening Avs fans/see Patty Wah). And one of the best defensemen in the game all-time in Nick Lidstrom!

So Please.......ENLIGHTEN ME!!!

[beachbum13]

Please explain to me why SO MANY people are anti Red Wings!
I could understand it back in the pre-salary cap days when they went out and played NY Yankees and bought a ton of talent. But it's not that way anymore.
We've got no dirty players (are you listening Avs fans/see Claude Lemieux--Ducks fans/see Chris Pronger).
Some nice skilled players in Zetterberg & Dat-zook (sp.) who are also high sportsmanship guys. Goaltenders aren't of the cocky variety (are you listening Avs fans/see Patty Wah). And one of the best defensemen in the game all-time in Nick Lidstrom!

So Please.......ENLIGHTEN ME!!!

I love the Red Wings!!! Who aare on my fantasy team, during fantasy sason.

Why I hate the RW. (And I use hate as in "western confernce hate" cuz there's much more hatered for many Eastern Confernce teams)
Why? They beat the Flyers in 1997 when I had season ticket and ruined my dream of seeing them win the cup in person!!!!

AND because they think that they are "hockey town" when everybody knows it's Philly!!!!

[C-Dawg]

Not sure how many would have picked this Final Four???

I had 3 of the 4...expected the Pens to beat the Habs in conference finals, and Dallas to beat them for the cup.

[gpblxbeach]

GO STARS

Won't pull for anyother sports teams from Tx.

[OceanCityGirl]

does anybody remember when the flyers had songs on the radio in the 70's. Let's go you Philadelphia flyers let's go you orange and black.
And when one of their players had the song, Baby how long will you keep me in the penalty box, baby how long you know it's lonely in the penalty box. I know I broke the rules but rules are broken by fools.
Wow you really do remember some weird random stuff.

[Hockey Mon]

Please explain to me why SO MANY people are anti Red Wings!
I could understand it back in the pre-salary cap days when they went out and played NY Yankees and bought a ton of talent. But it's not that way anymore.
We've got no dirty players (are you listening Avs fans/see Claude Lemieux--Ducks fans/see Chris Pronger).
Some nice skilled players in Zetterberg & Dat-zook (sp.) who are also high sportsmanship guys. Goaltenders aren't of the cocky variety (are you listening Avs fans/see Patty Wah). And one of the best defensemen in the game all-time in Nick Lidstrom!

So Please.......ENLIGHTEN ME!!!

The Wings smoked my Caps in the finals. I hold gudges, at least in hockey.

[Hockey Mon]

AND because they think that they are "hockey town" when everybody knows it's Philly!!!!

Are you serious?

[I'm an Altered Boy]

Go Pens!!!