SUMMER HAS GOT US ALL LONGING FOR HOCKEY - 2011-2012 IS GOING TO BE CRAZY !!!

The  Bruins are champs, Luongo is a joke and the NHL season looms large for NHL diehards.  Last season was crazy !!!  I am going nuts listening to the NFL and NBA strike BS and I want the NHL's best back on the ice. The Hawks and Flyers'  final from the previous year set us up for a great season and the Bruins versus Canucks final had everyone glued to their seat till the last game of the year.

The summer holiday has been good to NHL fans.  Jets drama was finally resolved with the Thrashers moving north.  Winnipeg is going to compete and the fans in the coldest city in Canada are going to give the ex Thrashers the royal treatment.

We also went through the draft and free agency.  The realignment of sides has not been very dramatic if you leave out Philly.  The Broad Street Bullies looked desperate and got rid of some serious firepower on the front line.  This was the price to pay in order to get decent goaltending.  We remain unconvinced that European goaltending will be the answer for the Flyers.  Don Cherry would probably agree with us.  If goaltending remains a problem for Philadelphia; look for panic and seismic changes behind the bench and on the ice.

It was sad to see the Habs and Leafs so quiet this post season.  The fans in both cities are taken for granted by their home teams.  Something needs to change.  fans need to vote with their dollars.  Vancouver and Boston showed us last year that you have to spend dollars and make moves in order to win.    

Canucks Looking to Kick the Bruins to the Curb

This series is looking more and more like the Canucks versus Hawks series from earlier in the playoffs.  The Canucks were all over the Bruins at the start of this match up just like when they faced the Hawks. The backlash from the Bruins was almost a copy of the Hawks comeback against Vancouver.  Now the Canucks are looking to put the knife into Boston just like they finished off Chicago.

The "Cinderella" team this year is Vancouver and destiny wants them to lift the Cup in victory.  Luongo will have to go into Boston with his A Game and character players like Lapierre or Kesler are likely to come out as heroes in a hard fought game.  The Canucks are able to win when it counts and that is the sign of a champion.   Luongo has managed to show up and play large when it counts.  This should be the case on Monday.

The Canucks are good and lucky whereas the Bruins are good and brawny.  If Vancouver can turn away from provocation from the Bruins forwards when they are fore checking, the Canucks  will see their first Stanley Cup victory.

Boston is a great team but Vancouver is well balanced.  They are winning despite the nonexistent output from many of their stars.  We expect this trend to continue as the Canucks try to put the nail into Boston's coffin.  We expect a great game tomorrow and hockey skills and character will win the day.  The fire in the eyes of Torres, Lapierre, Burrows, and Kesler will devour the Bs.   Luongo will be crowned king by the Vancouver fans but every victory has been a true team effort by the 'Nucks.  

OH CANADA LOVES THE OH CANUCKS !!!

Looks like the entire country of Canada is getting ready for the Crazy Canucks of Vancouver to face off against the Bruins for the Stanley Cup.  Canada is hockey crazy but it has been two decades since they have had a Canadian based team to rout for in the final. These have got Canadians routing for them from coast to coast so NO PRESSURE !!! LOL !!!

The green men are now legends across the NHL.  The boys from Beantown will step into the pressure cooker when they head to the West Coast.  These comedians in the green tights will drive the uppity Bruins a little crazy.  I can't Chara and the boys standing for the theatrics without some snap back.   

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hCK5cGVMq6GDvo4pgswV5321Mdxg?docId=6868358

The Bruins are well known for being a little weak in the knees when it comes to playing on the road. Andrew Ference couldn't tolerate playing in front of the Habs hometown crowd and had to resort to the one figure salute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGF0PXpKbws

The green men are a little nuts and Ference will have to expect some kick back for what he does then and maybe what he has done in the past.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXUUiK5IMNo

Luongo is key to a Canucks victory and championship.  We think he is up to the task.  The question is which Tim Thomas will show up for the Bruins.  Will it be the guy who defended the net against the Habs and the Flyers or will it be the one who sneaked the Bruins past the Lightning. We like Vancouver for now as champs.  It might change but heck the Canucks have the green men.  How can the Bruins' compete with that ??

A CANUCKS VERSUS BRUINS FINAL SEEMS TO BE IN THE CARDS

Monday night's clash between Tampa Bay and Boston was a perfect example of a good team getting lucky.  The Bruins triumphed 3-1 over the Lightning despite being outshot and out hustled.  The final score was deceptive, Boston was under fire all night but Thomas came up big as expected.

http://getrealhockey.blogspot.com/2011/05/looking-for-bruins-to-bounce-back-tim.html

The Black and Gold have got tons of character and we think the next game will be the last for this series. These guys will not let the Bolts off the hook and Tampa could come unglued in the next game if Boston manages to get an early lead.  The young stars playing for the Lightning don't seem to want it bad enough right now.   Bergenheim is done and Stamkos and the other Bolt hotshots have yet to produce to the level expected. In order to beat Boston they are going to have to score a ton of goals against Thomas and that will be almost impossible.  Tim Thomas is a clutch player and he is going to want to play for a ring.   He can taste it !!!

Now a Bruins versus Canucks final seems a definite possibility. Vancouver has got the Sharks number and we don't see them letting up. Joe Thornton fell to Raffi Thomas late in the last Sharks encounter but he has stated that he will play in the matchup on Tuesday.  This will not be enough for the Sharks.  The Sedins and Salo have come alive and the hustle of Torres and Kesler will close the book on San Jose.

 

We know have a Luongo versus Thomas matchup staring us in the face, if things go as expected. The final is going to be a barn burner.  This is going to be sweet boys and girls, so stay tuned !!!

LOOKING FOR THE BRUINS TO BOUNCE BACK !! TIM THOMAS IS KEY !!

The Lightning have been firing on all cylinders during the current playoff round versus the Bruins.  Tampa Bay has a high flying group of sharpshooters which have proven to be somewhat of a problem for  Tim Thomas and the Bruins' blue liners.  Young forwards like Purcell and Bergenheim are consistently good and  Stamkos and Lecavelier are always a problem for opponents.   The Bruins have to come out tonight and keep the Bolts back peddling.  The B's are stronger and they have an in your face game that should put Tampa on their heels.  Once the Bruins lose control of the middle of the middle of the ice, it's game over.  

The obvious question here is how far can Tampa go on the back of a 41 year old goaltender.  Roloson  looks a little tired and more heroics could be hard to come by.  Tim Thomas is ten times the goalie that Roloson is on any night.  Thomas led the Bruins past the Habs and he was a big reason that the Flyers were sent packing with ease.  Bergeron, Chara, and Seguin will also have to play a decisive role if Boston is to take a lead tonight. This team is better rounded than Tampa and they will have to take it up a notch.  Our writers have been on top of Boston all year so we have high expectations.   

http://getrealhockey.blogspot.com/2010/10/cup-aspiring-bruins-ink-bergeron-to.html

http://getrealhockey.blogspot.com/2010/12/old-man-recchi-still-very-much-wrecking.html

Boston is a beast when they are locked and loaded.  The question is, which Boston team will show up tonight ???

Vigneault, Higgins, Lapierre - Winning is becoming a HAB-it for Canucks !!!

The Canucks are aiming straight for the Cup and with their recent play, they are making believers out of the entire league.  The team which boasts superstars like Salo, Luongo and the Sedins; has a distinct Montreal taste to it.   Vancouver is a well balanced group which has the European flash with North American grit.  Kesler and Torres have been key components to the recent run but we tip our hat to Higgins and Lapierre as well.  These two recent acquisitions by the Canucks have the common thread of having played for the Montreal Canadiens.  

Playing for the Habs gave both players the tough skin to endure high pressure situations.  The playoffs are the ultimate pressure cooker for NHLers and Higgins and Lapierre have responded in a standout way for Vancouver.  When the Blackhawks were spooking the Canucks in the first round both these guys became leaders off and on the ice and gave them the edge to carry on.  Alain Vigneault ,who was the bench boss for the Habs at one time , obviously recognized the plus for playing for Montreal.  His acquisition of Lapierre and Higgins could prove to be the understated catalyst for a Canucks victory in the final for the Cup.  Nothing is guaranteed but we like the odds. 

Go Canucks !!!  Eat your heart out Montreal !!!    The Canucks have the winning Hab - it !!!

HOPKINS, CANUCKS AND THE END OF THE WORLD !!!

Last night was bound to be different.  Just like the "rest" of the world, anything was expected as the clock approached 6 PM.  For weeks the internet was buzzing with doomsday  predictions from the founder of FamilyRadio.com.  Luckily for everyone from New Zealand to Hawaii, the 6 PM deadline came and went and the biggest winner of the night turned out to be the entire planet.  When the clock struck 6 PM last night and the earth didn't open up and swallow up my couch, I got ready for a week of sports spectaculars. 

With "disaster" firmly us, Bernard Hopkins showed everyone that anything is possible.  He managed to battle to a new championship  by beating Jean Pascal in Montreal.  The victory was convincing and the crowd in Montreal seemed stunned when Hopkins was declared World Champion at the age of 46.  By becoming World Champion , Hopkins became a boxing legend "again" and he will be revered like of George Foreman who became World Champion at the age of 45.

The NHL playoffs are still at the top of the watch list for us, this week.  The Bruins and the Lightning are locked in a death match swinging back and forth.  We still like Boston to come out on top to eventually face the Canucks for the Cup.  Tim Thomas is the key for Boston and he is going to have to buckle under and shut down the run and gun Lightning offence.       

The Vancouver Canucks are back at it and managed to smash the Sharks back into their place on Sunday with an afternoon victory.  Niemi has been doing his best to imitate Brian Boucher all series long.  The goaltending for the Sharks has been sad and it is starting to affect the team as a whole. The firepower from the Sharks is in short supply and the Canucks seemed poised to make an appearance in the final.  Sami Salo and the Sedin twins are producing as expected and the Canucks freight train is firmly on track.  These guys are going to be tough to stop.  These guys are starting to look like a team of destiny.