Around The NHL: Stanley Cup Finals Game 6, McLean

Last night, the Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks, 5-2, in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The series is now tied 3-3 and will head back to Vancouver for Game 7 on Wednesday. You can find the game recap on TSN here. 

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CH: I absolutely did not see this coming. I thought Vancouver would really take it to Boston in this game, but just the opposite happened. Tim Thomas was outstanding again and probably locked in the Conn Smythe Trophy regardless of if Boston wins the Stanley Cup or not. It would be well deserved. As far as the other side goes, I don't understand Roberto Luongo. He's put together three magnificent games at home and three absolutely atrocious games on the road. He was downright terrible last night and should have had at least two of the goals he gave up. Major props should be given to Cory Schneider, who came into the game and kept Vancouver in a game they were far out of, even after giving up an early goal. But regardless, there is no controversy. Roberto Luongo is the goalie for Game 7 without any doubt.

AT: Luongo just can't handle this kind of pressure in an opposing arena I suppose. It's one thing to be great in San Jose when it's the conference finals, but when it's the Stanley Cup finals, it's really hard not to realize the pressure's getting to him. I really hope he can rebound and shake this stigma. And yes, Luongo as game 7's starter. No question in my mind.

CH: Two other Vancouver storylines to touch on here: Mason Raymond and the Sedin line. Starting with Raymond, you have to feel absolutely terrible for this kid. Vancouver was incensed that Boston did not get a penalty on that play, and they were right. The puck was nowhere near Raymond. Reports are now coming out that Raymond has a fractured vertebrae and will miss not only Game 7, but up to 6 months. That's already half of the 2011-12 season. It's the same situation with Horton - they wait their whole lives for this moment and to go out with a major injury - its heartbreaking.

AT: Just awful for Raymond. Such an awful injury to go through that could mess with his career in a serious way. Just as with Horton, you can only hope for the best and that they can rebound next season when they return. Just awful to leave a Cup final game like this. This series troubles me.

CH: Secondly, it was nice to see Henrik Sedin wake up with his first point of the finals last night. Granted, it was a 4-0 game but if that's what gets him going the Canucks will be in much better shape. I realize going up against Zdeno Chara is no picnic, but that line needs to be better. Guys like Max Lapierre and Chris Higgins have been more noticeable and that cannot happen in the Stanley Cup Finals. If that line has a big game on Wednesday, I believe the Canucks will win. If not, it could really go either way. I do know that Wednesday will be a fantastic hockey game.

AT: I feel so bad for the Vancouver police officers taking their shift around the time that game will end. It's going to be nuts. The Sedins definitely need to wake up and the 'Nucks need to show the world that they're the team that powered through the regular season and the 2nd and 3rd rounds, not a bunch of chokers.

According to TSN, the Ottawa Senators are calling an 11:00 AM press conference today to announce Paul McLean as their new head coach. McLean has spent the last six seasons as an assistant coach on Mike Babcock's staff with the Detroit Red Wings.

NHL.com

CH: This is somewhat shocking to me. I thought Dave Cameron from Mississauga would be the choice seeing as Eugene Melnyk owns both the Senators and the Mississauga OHL team. Cameron was considered a real up-and-comer as he coached the World Juniors team as well. That said, McLean has certainly paid his dues with Detroit. He won a Stanley Cup with the team in 2008 and went to two more Cup finals in 2009 and 2003 (with Anaheim) as an assistant coach. His transition should be an interesting one. The Sens are going with inexperience here, which may turn out okay since they traded a ton of their veterans at the deadline last year. Good luck to McLean.

Around The NHL: Stanley Cup Finals Game 5 Thoughts

Friday night, The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals by a score of 1-0. Vancouver takes a 3-2 lead in the series, needing just one win to become Stanley Cup Champions with Game 6 coming Monday night in Boston. Roberto Luongo made 31 saves to record the shutout, and Max Lapierre scored his second goal of the playoffs to give the Canucks the lead (and win). 

You can find the Game 5 recap on TSN here:

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CH: This was a fantastic game from start to finish. Lots of mini-storylines in this game with the constant momentum switches. The Canucks broke through on a quirky goal, with Lapierre shooting from almost directly to the side of the net and Tim Thomas out of position. The puck went off Thomas and into the net to give the Canucks the lead. That said, Thomas was absolutely brilliant again tonight. He kept the Bruins in the game with some incredible saves, but it just wasn't enough as Roberto Luongo was outstanding as well. The Canucks played great team defense tonight, but when that wasn't there Luongo was there to back them up. A far cry from Games 3 and 4, and an ovation well deserved from the Vancouver crowd.

AT: I couldn't even tell if it was a real setup or just a missed shot, but knowing Bieksa it was a great way to set Lapierre up for the goal. Great way to beat the seemingly impenetrable Thomas.  You have to hand it to Lou. He deserved some (very well deserved) criticism after games 3 and 4 and he comes back home and throws up a shutout. The goalies have made this series as exciting as it is.

The one disappointing thing from this game was the constant flopping by guys like Alex Burrows and Max Lapierre. There is no doubt this series has been intense, and that's an understatement. Vancouver had 33 hits in the first 35 minutes of the game. Still, after every whistle if someone even breathed on Burrows he flopped down like a dying fish. It's unacceptable. The worst part is that on plays like the Milan Lucic slewfoot, Burrows didn't have to embellish it at all. It was a clear penalty, but he hurt himself and his team. The irony of it all was watching Chris Higgins falling on a legitimate tripping penalty, and then getting reprimanded on his bench for diving. That's the reputation the Canucks have set for themselves.

AT: They really need to leave stuff like that to soccer. This is the Stanley Cup finals.. play like it is.

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Previewing Game 6 would really just state the obvious. It will be a complete battle out there. I do have to say though, I'd like to see the Cup awarded at home for the first time since 2007. So I'll be rooting for Vancouver in a seventh game, but there's no question Game 6 will be a great one no matter the outcome.

Later today we'll have our next draft prospect preview up.

Around The NHL: SC Finals Game 3 Thoughts

The Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 8-1 tonight. The Bruins cut the Canucks' series lead in half, as Vancouver leads 2-1 going into Game 4 Wednesday night in Boston. 

AP

CH: I needed to get my thoughts together before I wrote this post because there were so many storylines to this game. Let's start with the Aaron Rome hit on Nathan Horton. What an absolute disgrace that was. I was completely speechless when I saw the hit. It was unnecessary, reckless, harmful, and with a total lack of respect for the opponent. Rome, in my opinion, should be suspended for 5 games. He should not have the privilege of potentially raising the Stanley Cup with his teammates on the ice. Mike Murphy will certainly have his hands full with this one.

Moving onto the Recchi and Lucic taunts: I have to admit I laughed, but realistically there is no place for that within the context of the game. You can't say that you're over the biting incident and then go and mock the Canucks about it. This should have been dead and buried after the NHL opted not to suspend Alex Burrows. It needs to be completely dead now.

As far as the play on the ice, it was a complete domination. I felt the Canucks had a chance to steal the game after the Bruins did not score on their major powerplay, but that never happened. Boston just took it to Vancouver, even though the Canucks did have 40+ shots. Roberto Luongo should have been pulled after the fifth goal, but Alain Vigneault gave Luongo the option to stay in. That's a point where the coach  needs to take control and pull the goalie for the sake of his confidence. However, on the flip side, Tim Thomas was outstanding tonight.

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Without saying much else other than the fact Boston put up an 8-spot in the Stanley Cup Finals, it's time to look ahead to Game 4. Vancouver has a ton to prove here. Roberto Luongo has a ton to prove here. However, this is not a terribly pivotal game. Vancouver has the chance to take a commanding series lead, but they will still hold home ice advantage regardless. I believe the Canucks will recover nicely and win Game 4, but no matter what this series has taken on a whole new landscape after Game 3.

AT: Man, what I would've done to be a fly on the wall in the Bruins locker room after the first period. I can only imagine what Julien said to this team. Obviously, it created a whole new perspective for the players and he encouraged them to play their hearts out the entire game and take it to them until the final buzzer. As the final score shows, they certainly did.

The taunts need to end. Okay, it's the Stanley Cup finals, but I fear it's going to turn into something a lot worse if the NHL doesn't put an end to it. As for the hit, absolutely disgusting. There was no chance for Horton to react to that. A shoulder to the head is never, ever acceptable.

Around The NHL: June 1, 2011

Around the NHL will be a (somewhat) daily entry that goes over what the Top 5 NHL stories of the day are, in our opinion. So here we go:

5. Kevin Dineen named 11th Head Coach in Florida Panthers history.

Photo Credit: AP

Miami Herald     ESPN    TSN     Sun-Sentinel 

CH: This is Dale Tallon's first coaching hire as Panthers GM. Dineen is undoubtedly a good AHL coach, but as we've seen here on Long Island, the transition to the NHL game does not always carry over. However, the Panthers are a rebuilding team so the desire to hire an inexperienced coach may make sense. Overall, this is a pretty important hire for the Panthers as Tallon is putting a lot of faith in Dineen. It should be interesting to see how the Panthers respond in 2011-12 and beyond.

AT: The Portland Pirates had a great past season, even though they lost in the 2nd round. It should be interesting to see how Dineen works with such a young team. Good luck, Kevin.

4. Calgary trades 2009 1st Rounder Tim Erixon to Rangers

Photo Credit: Getty Images via Calgary Herald

Calgary Herald     ESPN     TSN     Newsday   

  

CH: This is flat out a major steal by the New York Rangers. Calgary was unable to sign Erixon, who would have re-entered the draft and could have even gone in the top 10. They say Erixon may be NHL ready. The Rangers traded Roman Horak and two second-round picks, before quickly signing Erixon before the 5 p.m. deadline. Erixon will compete for a spot on the Ranger blueline and could be part of their young core there for years to come.

AT: Erixon should be a staple in the Rangers blueline for years to come. They got a future top 4 D-Man who has already matured 2 years since the draft for very little. Great trade by the Rangers, and quite shocking - though one has to figure the Flames didn't have much of choice.

3. Gary Bettman's "State of the Union" Address

ESPN

CH: This went pretty under the radar this year, but the fact that Bettman's annual address came the day after relocation to Winnipeg was announced left a lot of intrigue for the hockey media. Amongst other things, Bettman announced that re-alignment will not occur in 2011-12. Winnipeg will play in the Southeast this year, which means they will play the Islanders four times (two on Long Island). Come 2012-13, Bettman hinted at a more "balanced schedule." Bettman also shot down any rumors of Quebec City receiving a team in the near future and also stressed harsher disciplinary actions regarding supplemental discipline.

AT: Atla--er, Winnipeg should have a fun time with all of that travel. Playing division rivals 24 times a year is going to create a lot of Delta miles for both Winnipeg and others in the Southeast division. As for Bettman's strong words on discipline, well... I'll believe that when I see it.

Photo Credit: AP

2. Colin Campbell Resigns; Shanahan Takes Over

 TSN     ESPN

CH: Had there not been a Stanley Cup Finals game last night, this would have been the number one story of the day without a doubt. This was a much needed change for the NHL, as Colin Campbell was unfit to handle the job at this juncture. The game is evolving every day, which makes it imperative a "new-school" player be the one to hand out supplemental discipline. I wish Shanahan the best of luck, because this is a thankless job and he will face a ton of criticism while doing it. However, he is unquestionably the best choice for this job right now.

AT: Adios, Mr. Campbell. There was never a decision you made that didn't make some people scratch their heads. I will give him credit for finally laying the hammer down on Matt Cooke, but in general Campbell was simply unfit, as Carey mentioned. Shanahan knows the newer, faster game and should be a bit more fair. Time will tell.

1. Vancouver Defeats Boston 1-0 in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals

Vancouver Sun     ESPN     TSN     Boston Globe

Photo Credit: Boston Globe

CH: Wow. This was a fantastic hockey game from start to finish with hard hitting, outstanding goaltending, and even some shenanigans. We'll save the commentary on the Burrows/Bergeron incident for tomorrow. This game revolved around Luongo and Thomas, who both put on a heck of a show. The goal by Torres with just seconds left on the clock to win the game for the Canucks was a beautiful play. However, Boston certainly had their chances. Their powerplay was downright brutal last night. Vancouver didn't score on their extended powerplays either, but they at least generated some chances. What I can say, is this has the chance to be a much closer series than a lot of pundits expected.

AT: This was the battle of the goalies. The 37 year old Thomas who has the agility of a cat and the younger Luongo who still doesn't get his due from some people put on one of the better Cup final games I've seen in a while. Kesler in setting up that final play to get the puck to Torres was absolutely brilliant. The best part of it all? This game 1 had a higher TV rating in Boston than game 1 of Boston vs. Los Angeles in last year's NBA final. Hockey's back, baby.