Better Late Than Never, as Cheech (Marin) Would Say

Congrats to the 2009 Stanley Cup Champs: The Pittsburgh Penguins.

No, I don't think the Pens are fat. I just wanted a Penguin that looked like a bowling pin.

I watched a bit of the parade this morning and was pleased, though also somewhat disappointed, to see the Malkin was not following Zetterberg's example and using the Conn Smythe trophy as a hat.

Game 7

Today @ 5pm
NBC HD, CBC HD, RDS HD
Series tied at 3 a piece
This one's for all the marbles

This is the last game day of the season. In a little under 12 hours from now, the game begins. A SCF game 7 is like nothing else is sports. Set your brains to roller coaster and enjoy the ride.


Post Game Update:

PENS WIN! Whooooooooooooo Congrats ot the Pens and their fans!

Congrats on a very well played series and playoffs to the Wings!

Post Dinner Post Game Recap:

Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, that was one hell of a ride. I thought I was going to lose it a few times, and it wasn't even the Sharks that were playing! I pretty much tossed ever piece of bad news and stress that had come my way in the past few days into this game and rode the games highs and lows like it was my own team out there in place of the Pens. It was such a roller coaster. I have no idea how anyone who's a "eal" fan of either team gets through a game 7 in the SCF, aside from maybe a liberal use of booze. I felt an amazing amount of relief once the game was over. There is really nothing like a SCF game 7 in any other sport. Nothing.

Malkin wins the Conn Smythe, and doesn't drop it. I pretty much always expect someone to drop the trophies. I don't know why. He looked so happy. I was very happy for him.

I'll try to get some Penguins with Cup art busted out to ya all this weekend. We'll be following all the rumors and news we can find over the summer,, so stick with us.

2008-2009 has been one hell of a season.

Is This The End?

Tonight @ 5pm
NBC HD, CBC HD RDS HD
Wings lead series 3-2

We all know how this game went last year. In the dark recesses of my mind, this fact was churning, causing me to dream about tonight's game.

In my dream, at first it seems like the Wings had won. I was annoyed. But then, it was discovered that the game had yet to happen. What I had seen of the Wings skating around the ice with the Cup was imagined. The game had yet to be played. As I compared some odd seals representing each of the two teams, I awoke. I have no idea what this means, other than I apparently have too much hockey on the brain.

Post Game Recap:

Holy effing poop popsicles on a stick. That was a GAME.

Games 1 and 2 were made up for with game 6.

Nuts.

Tivo'd it? watch this game. Holy crap.

Save by Scuderi was sick.

MAF was amazing. Osgood was good too, but MAF needed it more.

Pens were all over the place. The Wings had nothing until the third.

The third was nuts. Everything the third period in a game 6 of the finals should be.

Some tricky penalties, but only a few for both sides. This game flowed.

@wilw sums it up best: Two post-game six thoughts: 1. Wow that whole game was a freakin' highlight reel. 2. I can't wait for game seven.

Whooooooo

Game 7 here we come!

They aren't the Sharks, but I can still dig it. Go Pens!

SCF, Day 5, Game 5

Today @ 5pm (how steadily scheduled)
NBC HD, CBC HD, RDS HD
Series is tied at 2 a piece
pining for the big screen

May or may not be home for this one. RL occasionally interferes with hockey watching. One thing we can all be sure of, however, is that one team will win tonight and one team will lose.

Book it.

Post Game Recap:

That was awful. I got home in time to the second and third and I kind of wished our dinner plans had not fallen through because that was painful to watch. Wow in a bad way. I'd like to see this go 7. Go Pens.

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Moving on to better things, here's an article I found on digg that talks about whether or not scoring the first goal in game has any impact on who wins. I'll give you a hint, it dpends on who you ask and what games you look at.

SCF, Day 4, Game 4

Today @ 5pm
VERSUS HD, CBC HD, RDS HD
Wings lead series 2-1

The good ladies at HLOG will be live blogging tonight's game. Please stop by and join us if you can.

SCF, Day 3, Game 3

Today @ 5pm
VERSUS HD, CBC HD, RDS HD
Wings lead 2-0

Post Game Recap:

Until they talk to Tavares for 5 seconds, this game was all about TOO MANY MEN ON THE ICE!

I'm sure that's a big conspiracy theory today, but I am confident that occasionally people just can't count. How many times have you had to recount heads when out with a group for dinner? Yeah. Like that. It was funny, and it was obviously a penalty that should have been called, but it wasn't. Moving on.

OMG TAVARES!
That interview was...over very quickly. They asked him if he was ready to assume a leadership roll like Crosby had. Like he's going to say "no, I don't want to take on a leadership role. I kinda want to suck for a few years." Not going to happen, but I suppose they have to ask him something, so might as well lob a pre-approved softball.

This game was much more of what I had been looking for in terms of pace and battles. Both teams actually seemed to realize they were playing for something special last night. The last five minutes of this game was CRAZY! Loved it.

SCF, Day 2, Game 2

Today @ 5pm
CBC HD, NBC HD, RDS HD
Wings lead series 1-0
I found myself missing Versus

A few of us had a discussion last night about Versus and their NHL coverage. Apparently a lot of the problems with it stem from format. From what I heard last night, they actually have some guys who really know their stuff, but they aren't given any time to say anything useful. It's all short, generic sound bites. Maybe that's the point. Ease new fans into it. I don't know.

NBC, on the other hand, acts like covering hockey is doing the NHL a favor. (Credit to SwisherThresher for that line) I'm sure they have a pretty decent team that does like hockey, but the way the network handles scheduling is just atrocious. Yep, we're still annoyed they pre-empted a game for horse racing. But the coverage is what it is, and it's nice to have the games on TV here in the States. I do appreciate that.

Post Game Recap:

Remember what i said about the hockey gods being unpredictable?

Yeah.

The Pens played better, hand more chances, better chances, but the puck would just not go in the net. I've seen games like that as a Sharks fan, albeit in the regular season, so I can kinda of sympathize. But not really. This is the SCF. That's just brutal.

SCF, Day 1, Game 1

Today @ 5pm
NBC HD, CBC HD, RDS HD
Is it wrong that I kinda prefer Versus to NBC?

So here we are. Our long journey has come to an end. The Stanley Cup Finals.

I really want to be excited about this match up. It's two teams of titans squaring off in what should be an epic rematch of last year's finals. I'd love to see the Pens be the better team this time around, and take home the Cup, and yet, that spark of excitement just isn't there for me. Maybe once the game starts things will change. I don't know. I'll be watching regardless of my enthusiasm level. It's like the World Series or the Super Bowl. You kinda have to watch.

Post Game Recap:

Well. That was...well, it just kinda was. The goals were all kinda fluky, no spectacular saves, (though there were a few spectacular how did that not go in moments) no big hits, and towards the end both teams seemed very aware of the fact that they be playing again in less that 24 hours. The saddest and simultaneously most hilarious moment was when MAF "pooped" the goal into his net.

I was watching in a hockey bar with other fans and that was probably the best part of my watching experience. Talking and hanging out with other fans during the game. I kinda hope game 2 is better. It wasn't a bad game, it just felt a little lackluster to me. Let me put it this way. The reaction to Access Hollywood coming on after the game was more passionate the the teams appeared to be towards the end. Yeah.

Rematch City

I think I speak for everyone here, which at the moment is just me, myself and I, when I say "Go Pens!"

Pens in 6.

Thankfully the series starts Saturday, not the 5th. That would have been a helluva wait. Thankfully we have baseball and SYTYCD to fill the short void, but not everyone does.

Stanley is in the Building

We here at Couch Tarts would like to congratulate the Redwings on their Stanley Cup win tonight. We'd also like to congratulate the Pens on a well fought series. This series gave us one of the best hockey games I have seen in a while. I am sad to see this season come to an end.
Thanks for the ride, gentleman. We'll see you both next year!

Things I Learned This Weekend

I am no good at picking teams. I should stop.

I am one of three people on the planet who liked "Temple of Doom"

Osgood took lessons at the Marty Turco school of goal tending. Unlike Turco, I have no love for Osgood. He isn't anywhere near as funny and he doesn't sell the hits anywhere near as well as Turco does. I'm still trying to figure out how he went from doing his best swiss cheese impression at the All-Star Game to become an impenetrable wall of stoppage. He needs to stop doing his job so well so my pick of Pens in 6 can, you know, happen.