I Took Notes!
off the top:
In the NHL rulebook, figure skates were previously referred to as "fancy skates." Go figure.
I have a tremendous urge to punch Greg Millen. Not only does he consistently foul up player's names and stats, but he keeps calling Smokey "SCHMOlinski." GRRRAUGH! That would be like people calling me "Bella." What a dork.
Oh, and what the hell is the alternate logo for the 'Canes? It looks like a tattered flag flying from a hockey stick. What flag is that?
the score:
So, the grand total of about two thousand people who were at the game tonight had absolutely no idea what constituted a call in the game. They were cheering on offsides, and booing perfectly legitimate penalties. I don't think these southerners should be allowed to have hockey. They just don't get it. Due to the lack of accoustically deafening bodies, you could pretty much hear everything said both on and off the ice. Heehee, there was this little Sens fan there. It was cute.
An interesting stat that I learned from the colour folks, when they weren't goofing off: the combined goals from the top scorers on the Hurricanes' team is only four more than the goals made by Marian Hossa alone this season.
And what a night for Mr. Hossa it was. Now, forget my personal biases for a moment and let's have ourselves a little Hossa love-in. When he wasn't getting a piece of all three goals tonight (1-2), he was passing perfectly to his teammates and making all the right plays. A good example of this would be the beautiful pass to Langfeld in the first that he only just failed to convert (as an aside, poor Josh -- he really got nailed a couple of times tonight! Well, I guess that's what he's here for). In Hossa's case, bigger is definitely better. There were two occasions when, realizing his capacity to magically disappear like Superman, one of the 'Canes tangled him up at the blue line. In the first period, he just turned around and decked the guy. In the third, he held on to the puck long enough to pass it to Vanner, who potted his first of the season into the empty net. And speaking of Superman, have you seen Hossa skate? Well, if you watched tonight's game, you would've seen numerous examples of him turning on the afterburners and leaving the opposing team far behind. That man is FAST. And he was so smiley tonight. Definitely in a good mood. It was very cute. Sorry, personal bias slipping in here. Can you see why he's my favourite player, though?
What else happened this game?
Jacques Martin wore a hideously ugly suit. I don't know what he was thinking. I know where he got it, too, and I'm amazed they sell something that disgusting.
Poor Super-K. First, he loses yesterday's game. Then, because Carolina doesn't know how to build a hockey arena, there's no room for him to sit behind the Ottawa bench, so he has to sit by himself in the hallway off the corner near the visitor's net. He looked so lonely. There weren't even any people near enough to heckle him. Awww . . . I really want to pinch his cheeks. He's super.
In the first period, there were a lot of steals, which made it a little bit more exciting. You also got to see some of Patty's improved puckhandling skills. Now, the rubber generally goes in the direction he sends it. Not to mention he was mega skilled in saves, tonight, too.
The second was again a Hossa show, with a few other players, like Schaefer, Rachunek, and Spezza, showing that they, too, were having a good night. Neil showed that he was a gentleman after totally winning a fight and then not going in for the kill. He's definitely getting better at his inside rights . . . Pothier made a terrible giveaway that I'm sure he's still kicking himself for, but Patty saved his ass, so it was all good. I blame Vanner for the 'Canes only goal of the night. Sure, he took his penalty before Rachunek did, but his was stupid, while Rachunek's was questionable, so in the ensuing 5-on-3 face-off in their zone, poor Patty didn't have a chance. I guess he made up for it, though, by scoring with 2 seconds to go in the third. In the second, Carolina seemed to wake up a bit, and there were amazing scoring chances on both sides.
I think Ottawa was smart in picking black for their shorts colour. Other teams, when they fall on their asses a lot, tend to look like they've had an accident, because the snow melts on their butts and darkens whatever colour they're wearing. Carolina is especially bad for that.
A few words about the state of officiating. I heard that Kevin Pollock was one of the referees and I groaned, knowing that he never calls anything that needs to be called, and always happens to see the questionable plays. In the first and second period, though, I thought maybe I should change my opinion. In the third, I changed it back. The referees are what's wrong with the NHL, folks. Everybody knows it, but only a few, like Roenick and Hossa, will say it. And they get nailed for it. It's not a matter of removing the red line, making no-touch icing, or widening the ice. It's a matter of cracking down on cheaters and cleaning up the game.
So, the third was rife with cheating, and Spezza bore the brunt of it, with a high stick to his already tender jaw. As a result, it was not an exciting period, and tensions were high. You could chalk the 'Canes high spirits up to the "trade energy" generated by acquiring Williams, but I think it was the huge open-ice hit to Alfie that really raised the Sens' dander and got them fighting back. Kudos to Chara for standing up for his little cap'n.
All in all, it was a game worth seeing, and I hope you did.
off the ice:
Congratulations,
Martin Havlat on being the NHL's offensive player of the week. With seven points (3-4) in three games and a +4 rating, I can believe it. Tied for third in scoring on the team with
Jason Spezza, he has certainly made a comeback from the prima donna who missed training camp. Critics feared that he would become the next
Jagr, known more for his hysterics on and off the ice than for his scoring ability. But young Marty has persevered this season, keeping mum about accusations by other teams that he is a dirty player, practising hard, playing harder, and generally showing the world that he deserves to be on this team. Well done!
in other news:
I'm not sure what to think about this new
movie. It's got Hugh Jackman in it, and he's on my "list of five," so I'm obviously going to see it, but I think it looks a little cheesy. Is this based on something I should know about? Some book, or comic, or something?
Posted by Ally at January 20, 2004 12:00 AM