2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs

[Don Wassall]

Very depressing watching the Penguins get thoroughly outplayed by the Flyers in the first three games. Their defense has been horrible, and Marc-Andre Fleury has been even worse. Malkin has disappeared, hardly the first time that's happened. Philly has scored 8 goals two games in a row. What a bummer. . .

['sup bro?]

i think it's perfectly reasonable for the penguins to make a comeback. fleury is, and has always been streaky. he's capable of being a world beater, so all he really needs to do is stop sucking so much and the pens are back in business.

and the last thing we need is simmonds moving on in the playoffs.

go pens!

[Realgeorge]

The most bizarre series I ever remember in the Stanley Cup. In all three games Pittsburgh starts out sizzling and scores goals. Then they lose their nerve and give up prime chances to the Flyers. Today the game broke out into three or four major riots.

In the West, the LA Kings despite their gangland colors are dominating the Canucks who have the "President's Cup Disease."

No negro goalies this year, and very very few Black players. Caps have one (Ward) who is a joke. Flyers have Simmons who scored today. NJD, NYR, Boston, Florida, and Ottawa have none at all that I can think of (Check my work, fellas).

Who has Negroes out West? Let's see, let's see: VAN, LA, DET, CHI, none that I can think of. STL, NSH, none. SJS and finally PHX.

So this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs sport exactly two Negroes. Darn those racist hockey teams!

[jaxvid]

The Philly-Pens series has been fun to watch, all the goals/fights, but I can see how the Penguin fans are bummed out by the results. I still think the series can be competitive.

My Red Wings are down 2-1 and todays loss at home was a big downer. When did hockey games begin starting at noon? I guess it's a good thing that TV is so interested in the games that they are staggering the times to show more games, but still????

[Truthteller]

Who has Negroes out West? Let's see, let's see: VAN, LA, DET, CHI, none that I can think of. STL, NSH, none. SJS and finally PHX.

So this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs sport exactly two Negroes. Darn those racist hockey teams!

The Blues have a pair mulatto's, at least...Stewart, the former #1 pick they got in the big trade with Colorado last year. They also have a AHL caliber thug (who might not even dress in the playoffs) named Kyle Reaves. He was born in Winnipeg to a very dark-skinned black CFL "Star" in the 80's and some sort of mudshark -- white? Reaves senior even became a Canadain citizen. My guess is most of the "real brothers" that land in CFL as imports play their games in Canada then move back to the USA....But there are probably quite a few Pridless Uncle Toms that stay up in the "great white North" to be closer to the white womenz (sic)....The hockey DWF's are already hyping a teen named Darnell Nurse for next year's draft. His father is a ex-CFL receiver that stayed in Hamilton, I think? Not sure if he's a mulatto, though. His aunt, who played basketball at Syracuse, is Donovan McNabb's wife.

Chicago also has two: The mulatto from Sweden (Oduya) that used to play for the old Thrashers, who once had 6 or 7 mulatto's on their roster at once in hopes of selling more tickets to blacks in Georgia. They also have Ray Emery, the goalie.

[Matra2]

The first week of the play-offs has been incredible. Where is all the anger coming from? These teams seem to really hate each other - especially Ottawa/NYR and Philadelphia/Pittsburgh but even the STL/SJ and Nashville/Detroit series have been getting pretty violent. Not a good idea for Sidney Crosby to get involved in fighting! I think the Penguins have blown it. I can't see them coming back especially the way they've defended.

[Matra2]

BTW TV ratings in the USA are double what they were this time last year.

[Don Wassall]

The first week of the play-offs has been incredible. Where is all the anger coming from? These teams seem to really hate each other - especially Ottawa/NYR and Philadelphia/Pittsburgh but even the STL/SJ and Nashville/Detroit series have been getting pretty violent. Not a good idea for Sidney Crosby to get involved in fighting! I think the Penguins have blown it. I can't see them coming back especially the way they've defended.


Two key factors in the series -- by a seeding quirk it features the #4 overall team in the standings vs. the #6 overall team, two of the betting favorites to win the Cup. And the Flyers obviously match up well against the Penguins. They're just as fast, have lots of offensive talent, and most importantly are more disciplined and committed to defense. I've never seen a defense as horrible in the playoffs as that of the Penguins.

I'll add that I've never been a Marc-Andre Fleury fan. He has the reflexes of a cat but he's too inconsistent, his fundamentals have always been weak, and he's stunk up the joint in too many playoff games. When an inferior but determined Canadians team knocked them out in 6 games two years ago when they were defending the Cup, Fleury let in one soft goal after another, including in the first couple of minutes of a few games, which is a great way to demoralize a team. Fleury was supposedly on top of his game a lot more often this season, what a disappointment to see how pathetic he's been in the first three games against Philly.

If the Flyers win the Cup I won't be upset. It's been 37 years and they've had a lot of good teams since then and have always had great fan support.

[bearclaw500]

I am rooting for the St. Louis Blues. The top guns for the Blues are both American players. T.J Oshie, who was dropped from the last Olympic team in favor of Chris Druery, and David Backes. Check out the 1-2 punch here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w2oaUMBCtI

[Matra2]

Seeing all those Caps fans waving pictures of Obama the other night has turned me against them. I know, I know they were taunting Bruin goalie Tim Thomas because he doesn't like Obama and that's what sports fans do. But I still don't like it. Thinking about it given how many whites in D.C. work for the federal government and the way they vote they probably are Obama-bots to begin with. C'mon Bruins!

[Rebajlo]

The Blues have a pair mulatto's, at least...Stewart, the former #1 pick they got in the big trade with Colorado last year. They also have a AHL caliber thug (who might not even dress in the playoffs) named Kyle Reaves. He was born in Winnipeg to a very dark-skinned black CFL "Star" in the 80's and some sort of mudshark -- white? Reaves senior even became a Canadain citizen. My guess is most of the "real brothers" that land in CFL as imports play their games in Canada then move back to the USA....But there are probably quite a few Pridless Uncle Toms that stay up in the "great white North" to be closer to the white womenz (sic)....The hockey DWF's are already hyping a teen named Darnell Nurse for next year's draft. His father is a ex-CFL receiver that stayed in Hamilton, I think? Not sure if he's a mulatto, though. His aunt, who played basketball at Syracuse, is Donovan McNabb's wife.

Chicago also has two: The mulatto from Sweden (Oduya) that used to play for the old Thrashers, who once had 6 or 7 mulatto's on their roster at once in hopes of selling more tickets to blacks in Georgia. They also have Ray Emery, the goalie.

Truthteller -

Looks like You're a fellow Nords fan. Good stuff! When the "franchise" moved to Denver I was devastated. I couldn't stomach supporting the Avalanche so I've been without a team for 17 long years. As it is playoffs time, I'll switch my Rogers Rangers avatar to a Nordiques version. :icon_wink:

St. Louis' black oaf Ryan Reaves played eight minutes of the first match against the Sharks and has been scratched ever since. :thumb:

The comically-named Darnell Nurse (defenseman, Soo Greyhounds, OHL) is being well hyped for the 2013 draft, with writers playing up his height and comparing him to Chris Pronger. The Negrophiles are doubtlessly praying that Nurse will have an NHL profile comparable to that of Pronger (that's a laugh...). But forget defensemen - what they'd really like to see are high-scoring black forwards...

When it comes to non-Whites, there are way too many. Of the teams which qualified for the playoffs, only the Rangers, Senators, Panthers, Sharks and Bruins are 100% White (although I wonder about Boston's Nathan Horton, who has that dodgy Johnny Heitinga look about him. Anyway, Horton is out for the season so he shan't feature in the playoffs).

We have blacks / part-blacks (essentially the same thing) littering the following:

(a) Chicago (Ray Emery, Johnny Oduya, Jamal Mayers)

(b) St.Louis (Chris Stewart, Ryan Reaves)

(c) Philadelphia (Wayne Simmonds)

(d) Washington (Joel Ward)

(e) Nashville (Francis Bouillon)

(f) New Jersey (Bryce Salvador)

(g) Phoenix (Paul Bisonnette)

To top things off, there is this lot of non-Negro non-Whites:

(a) Vancouver (Manny Malhotra - half-Paki)

(b) Nashville (Brandon Yip - Chinese; Jordin Tootoo - half-Eskimo, er, sorry, Inuit)

(c) Pittsburgh (Richard Park - Korean; Arron Asham - Metis)

(d) Chicago (Brandon Saad - Arab)

(e) Los Angeles (Dwight King - Metis; Jordan Nolan - part-Ojibwe)

(f) Phoenix (Kyle Chipchura - part-Native American)

(g) St.Louis (TJ Oshie - quarter-Ojibwe)

(h) Detroit (Justin Abdelkader - Arab grandfather) Yes, yes, I know the guy looks about as White as one can get, but that name grates something fierce...

Mind You, I haven't really got much against blokes of Indian (i.e. Native American / Canadian) or part Indian extraction playing hockey - as long as there aren't too many of them - because they're not exactly "imports". But in the context of the big picture even the smallest drop of non-White blood is inevitably singled out for praise...

[Rebajlo]

I am rooting for the St. Louis Blues. The top guns for the Blues are both American players. T.J Oshie, who was dropped from the last Olympic team in favor of Chris Druery, and David Backes. Check out the 1-2 punch here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w2oaUMBCtI

bearclaw500 -

As I mentioned in my above post, TJ Oshie is a quarter-Ojibwe:

http://www.uscho.com/2007/12/07/hostility-and-abuse-or-pride-and-inspiration/

I don't rate that as a really big deal and the best of luck to him but if he happens to feature prominently in the playoffs (which so far he hasn't), I'm sure that the media shall make everyone more than aware of his "Native American" ancestry...

[Matra2]

Rebaljo - You may be in luck. Construction begins on a new hockey arena in Quebec City this September. They seem quite confident they will have one of the faltering America "franchises" within a couple of years. I don't know if they can use the Nordiques name without permission from the Avalanche.

[Don Wassall]

Great Game 5 in Pittsburgh as Fleury finally played big-time and the Penguins held off a furious Flyers onslaught during the second half of the third period to win and force Game 6 in Philly on Sunday.

Let's go Pens!!!

[Jack Lambert]

Great Game 5 in Pittsburgh as Fleury finally played big-time and the Penguins held off a furious Flyers onslaught during the second half of the third period to win and force Game 6 in Philly on Sunday.

Let's go Pens!!!


I've been loving the way Pittsburgh has played in it's last two games! Let's go Penguins!!

Oh, and take that, Flyers!

[Rebajlo]

Great Game 5 in Pittsburgh as Fleury finally played big-time and the Penguins held off a furious Flyers onslaught during the second half of the third period to win and force Game 6 in Philly on Sunday.

Let's go Pens!!!

After blowing leads in the first two games and losing the third 8-4, I thought that the Penguins might be psychologically finished but they've come back nicely... :thumb:

[Rebajlo]

Rebaljo - You may be in luck. Construction begins on a new hockey arena in Quebec City this September. They seem quite confident they will have one of the faltering America "franchises" within a couple of years. I don't know if they can use the Nordiques name without permission from the Avalanche.

Matra2 -

Yes, the 18,000 capacity arena is slated for completion in 2015. The Nords' old Colisee de Quebec (or, to use its current "corporate age" moniker, Colisee Pepsi :mad2:) is also being refurbished in case the city is granted an NHL franchise before the new arena is finished.

The Phoenix Coyotes are rumoured to be on their way out, while the New York Islanders aren't all that viable these days either, but I'm sure the last thing the Habs want is a second team in Quebec and will be fighting any such proposal tooth and nail.

As You mentioned, the "Nordiques" name is another issue, but I'd hope that any franchise based in Quebec City would be permitted to use it for the sake of tradition and continuity in the same spirit as the Winnipeg Jets.

Put it this way - I'll believe it when I see it... :icon_wink:

[Don Wassall]

Washington-Boston is another compelling series. The Capitals, chronic underachievers in the playoffs for most of their history, are leading the defending Cup champs 3 games to 2 after winning today.

[Liverlips]

I live in DC and there are a lot of bandwagon fans here. Still okay as they seem to love hockey and it must be expanding the base. I watched the game in a local bar and it was chock full o' Caps fans. A very good sign.

[Don Wassall]

The Penguins went down without a fight in Game 6. I don't know if they were worn out or what, but there was little desperation or all-out effort. Fleury took them out of the game early with yet another horrible performance, while Sidney Crosby played the role of the Invisible Man for the entire game.

They need to trade Fleury if they want to return to glory. The defense also needs a lot of shoring up. They won the Cup in '09 when they had solid, fundamentally sound defensive defensemen like Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi. And they should never have let Max Talbot leave (for Philly), he's the ultimate grinder and also a great clutch player in the playoffs.

[Rebajlo]

The Penguins went down without a fight in Game 6. I don't know if they were worn out or what, but there was little desperation or all-out effort. Fleury took them out of the game early with yet another horrible performance, while Sidney Crosby played the role of the Invisible Man for the entire game.

They need to trade Fleury if they want to return to glory. The defense also needs a lot of shoring up. They won the Cup in '09 when they had solid, fundamentally sound defensive defensemen like Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi. And they should never have let Max Talbot leave (for Philly), he's the ultimate grinder and also a great clutch player in the playoffs.

Don -

As You said, Marc-Andre Fleury's performances (apart from game 5) were charactersitically sub-par.

Claude Giroux consistently delivered the goods (translating to an impressive 14 points) throughout the series, scoring goals in four of the six games - the only time he failed to get a point was in game 1.

Giroux's total of six goals equalled the combined haul of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who scored three apiece.

[Rebajlo]

Ah, yes, I forgot to mention the Presidents' Trophy winners Vancouver, dumped out 4-1 by Los Angeles following an overtime loss in game 5. The Canucks quickly conceded a goal within the first five minutes of both the third and then the overtime period, the latter goal stemming from a pretty weak turnover which gave it to the Kings on the proverbial golden platter...

[Matra2]

Caps oust Bruins in Game 7 sudden death. I thought the goal would be called back for goalie interference in the crease but no commentator mentioned it so I must've misunderstood the rule. Oh, and the winning goal was scored by a black guy against Tim Thomas who was accused of racism for refusing to meet Obama. I know there'll be some gloating from left libs over that.

[jaxvid]

Caps oust Bruins in Game 7 sudden death. I thought the goal would be called back for goalie interference in the crease but no commentator mentioned it so I must've misunderstood the rule. Oh, and the winning goal was scored by a black guy against Tim Thomas who was accused of racism for refusing to meet Obama. I know there'll be some gloating from left libs over that.

The local sports jocks were talking about that this morning. They are all Obama cheerleaders (and jewish) which is funny since the listening audience is neither.

[Matra2]

Ward now gets a headline article in the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/capitals/joel-ward-comes-through-when-it-counts-for-the-washington-capitals/2012/04/26/gIQAPxsAiT_story.html

[Matra2]

The local sports jocks were talking about that this morning. They are all Obama cheerleaders (and jewish) which is funny since the listening audience is neither.

I didn't even put on my local sports radio today because every presenter is a lefty (though none are Jewish) and all of them lambasted and ridiculed Thomas when he refused to meet Obama. They are so predictable I just knew they would be talking about this.

[Matra2]

The Montreal Gazette is claiming Ward is a victim of racial insults on Twitter for scoring the winning goal. Apparently calling Thomas a racist and white trash for not loving Obama is fine but a couple of people out of millions on Twitter saying something about blacks is a newsworthy subject.

['sup bro?]

The Montreal Gazette is claiming Ward is a victim of racial insults on Twitter for scoring the winning goal. Apparently calling Thomas a racist and white trash for not loving Obama is fine but a couple of people out of millions on Twitter saying something about blacks is a newsworthy subject.


http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=419556634721997&set=o.244528182305805&type=1&theater

lolz

[Truthteller]

Should not surprise anyone, but this has now become a "Developing Story" (another term for Breaking News) on cable's most notorius left-wing sports outlet, once known as ESPN. They are simply now a sporting wing of MSNBC, where they use any chance they get to push their radical left-wing agenda, then mix in a few lame sports hi-lights (mostly NBA) in order to captivate moronic teens and mature DWF's. They will no doubt try very hard to make this "non-story" the sports equivalent of the George Zimmerann ordeal in hopes they can further their agenda of divide and conquer, using black vs. white racial tensions as their weapon. My guess is really no one will care, but they will keep trying. Especially with the Caps still in the Playoffs.

The female sportcenter anchor broke into the news to show the hi-lights from last night and then dubbed this an import "Developing Story" and showed the overweight Ted Leonsis' (Caps owner) comments. The Greek tyrant went on to note the people that made these comments should be "identified" and "punished". Next, the rapidly aging Sportcenter host, who is probably forced to wear a short skirt by her bosses, went on to note a racist tweet in England got some student 56 days in jail. That's where Marxist's at ESPN want to take this -- start pushing Net censorship and potential prison terms for those that don't toe the line.

Of course, black and "hispanic" tweeters and Net posters will be able to post racist stuff against any non-Jewish or heterosexual white male with impunity. They might even be encouraged by the radicals at ESPN. For whites, well that's different. Perhaps the day will come when we will not even be able to post at Caste Football without the fear of "punishment"? I can't see that happening in the U.S. anytime soon, but in Canada it might not be that far away from happening. Note the Wayne Simmonds 'bananna saga' back in 2011?

[Deadlift]

The NY Rangers defeated Ottawa in Game 7! This made my day. :D

[Rebajlo]

The Montreal Gazette is claiming Ward is a victim of racial insults on Twitter for scoring the winning goal. Apparently calling Thomas a racist and white trash for not loving Obama is fine but a couple of people out of millions on Twitter saying something about blacks is a newsworthy subject.

The moment I read that the Negro toerag Joel Ward had scored the winning goal in game 7 against Tim Thomas, I knew the "powers that be" would somehow manage to introduce a "racism" angle. Lo and behold, before one can say "collard greens" or "pack rape" we have the heroic match winner Ward subjected to "racist" tweets by "ignorant" White fans who apparently cannot stomach seeing a black man "dominate" yet another sport.

The rabid calls for the "identification" and "punishment" of the "perpetrators" provide an eerie foretaste of "Christmas future" (sorry "Holidays future"...). Here is what befell the Welsh bloke who made "vile and abhorrent" tweets about the black football player / heart attack victim Fabrice Muamba in the UK, that green and pleasant bastion of "democracy" and cooked breakfasts:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17515992

Oh, yes, there's nothing better than that much-vaunted "freedom of speech", is there?

By the way, "Coal" Ward can add that magnificent effort to his prodigiously monstrous haul of six goals and eighteen points in 72 regular season games. :flame:

Yeah, on dat dere ev'dence wot we needs is mo' supa-affletick bruvvas in hockee, gnomesayin'....

http://stoopidhousewives.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/screen-shot-2011-11-13-at-1-50-40-pm.png?w=344&h=526&h=526

[Deadlift]

The NY Rangers defeated Washington in Game 1 of their series. I'm anticipating an exciting series that goes at least 6 games.

[Matra2]

It would be funny if the Phoenix Coyotes won the Cup only to be moved elsewhere, especially Quebec. (When the Nordiques moved from Quebec, where they never won anything, to Colorado, they won the Cup in their first year).

[white is right]

Give me this over the NBA's storming off the court after losing.......http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlpVm0TUNaU Also I love this tradition....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3c7Ts6rf0M

[Don Wassall]

The Kings look unbeatable in the West, while the Devils have the Flyers on the ropes in the East. I wonder what the odds were on an L.A.-New Jersey final if that's what it turns out to be.

[Liverlips]

Don't count out the Caps!

[Don Wassall]

I'd rather see the Caps win than L.A. or NJ. They've mostly been cursed over the years in the playoffs (thanks mainly to the Penguins :boink:) and it would be cool to see Ovechkin raise the Cup. But first they have to get by the Rangers.

[bearclaw500]

I have been watching the Rangers - Caps series and it has been a battle. Despite low scoring it has been a very entertaining series. Great goal tending on both sides. (I am pulling for the Caps.) In the West, I am pulling for the Kings. About 10 years ago I was employed in the bar/restaurant business and Willie Mitchell (Def - LA kings) was a frequent patron. He gave me a $100 tip almost every night he was there. Contrast to Daunte Culpepper, who came in one night in a silver jacket with $ symbols all over it, and gave me the "deer in the headlights" look when I had the audacity to charge him for his vodka cranberry.

[Matra2]

It's true the Caps-Rangers series being a war. They are about to go to overtime after a Rangers power play goal (Ward was the offender) with just 6 seconds to go. They played almost 3 entire overtime periods in a single game last week.

[Don Wassall]

It's true the Caps-Rangers series being a war. They are about to go to overtime after a Rangers power play goal (Ward was the offender) with just 6 seconds to go. They played almost 3 entire overtime periods in a single game last week.

Geez, I left to check out a few things on the internet and the Rangers had already won in overtime. A heartbreaking loss for the Capitals, looked like they were going to win until Ward's idiotic penalty late in regulation.

[Matra2]

For anyone still up the Nashville @ Phoenix game is only half over. Very entertaining thus far.

[Don Wassall]

Phoenix eliminates Nashville and will play the Kings for the conference final. It was kind of comical to watch the Coyotes home crowd with their "white out" shirts on even though the home team wore red and the opponents wore white lol. But it's basically two fledgling NHL cities and good to see both of them doing well.

Whether it's Phoenix or Los Angeles out of the West it'll be a surprise; likely the same from the East unless the Rangers prevail. The NHL playoffs are like none other with so many underdogs winning during the ultra-grueling two-month test that the ultimate Cup winner produces. As Deadlift noted in the NBA playoff thread, it's quite a contrast as the NBA rarely produces upsets in its playoffs.

[Don Wassall]

After knocking off the Penguins, the Flyers go out in 5 games to the Devils. Pretty shocking.

Nice to see 40 year old Marty Brodeur still playing at a high level.

[jaxvid]

After knocking off the Penguins, the Flyers go out in 5 games to the Devils. Pretty shocking.

Nice to see 40 year old Marty Brodeur still playing at a high level.

I'm shocked in the same way about Nashville beating Detroit. It seemed like they were built for a long playoff run.

I still don't like hockey success in places like Phoenix, LA, San Jose, or Florida. They don't deserve it. The few fans they have are mostly northern transplants. Meanwhile hockey mad Canada gets almost nothing.

[Matra2]

Their goalie will probably get much of the blame - and he deserves some - but to me the Flyers lacked intensity right from the start. They looked like a totally different team from the one that beat Pittsburgh. Maybe they don't hate the Devils the way they hate Pittsburgh. Maybe the Pittsburgh series took a lot out of them. Having almost a week off between series probably hurt their intensity level too. Even last night with their season on the line there was no urgency or passion. Brodeur, who has looked more beatable of late than at any time in his career, was rarely troubled by the Flyer offence. Players like Hartnell, Jagr and Giroux who were stand-outs against Pittsburgh were anonymous throughout the Devils' series.

It will be interesting to see if the Devils can keep this going. They didn't look that good against Florida in the first round.

[Don Wassall]

I think a lot of it has to do with the Devils playing disciplined, tight defense, something neither the Penguins or Flyers wanted or were able to do themselves. When they're on New Jersey sucks the lifeblood out of talented offensive teams. At least that's my take on it from watching just a couple of games of the series. The Flyers certainly did lack intensity last night, much like Pittsburgh in Game 6 against Philly. It's like the outcome was a foregone conclusion by both teams.

Bryzgalov wasn't quite as bad as Fleury, but he was lousy. Both let in lots of soft goals at the most inopportune times.

[bearclaw500]

Another awesome game between the Caps and Rangers. Going down to the last second again. On to Game 7. Go CAPS!!!! :clap2:

[bearclaw500]

The Caps and Rangers- game 7 tonight in New York 7:30 EST.

[Matra2]

Every single Rangers game seems to have a very low score. That's not necessarily a bad thing and Lundquist has been great in net but I'm finding their games less interesting. I think LA-Phoenix will also be low scoring. If it is an LA-New York Rangers final Bettman will be delirious with joy. If it's New Jersey-Phoenix - not so much!

[Liverlips]

Second round produces record ratingsThe NBC Sports Group's coverage of the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs have averaged 1.06 million viewers, making the Conference Quarterfinals and Conference Semifinals the most-watched first two rounds on record (since 1994, when cable program data started).

On NBC, NBC Sports Network and CNBC, this year's Conference Semifinals averaged 1.32 million viewers, making them the most-watched Conference Semifinals on record. More than 39 million total viewers have watched this postseason on NBC, NBC Sports Network and CNBC, up 23 percent from last year.
According to Fast National data released by The Nielsen Company, this year's Conference Semifinals:
-- Averaged 1.29 million viewers on the NBC Sports Network, up 43 percent from last year and the best on record for a single cable network.
-- Averaged 1.32 million viewers across NBC, the NBC Sports Network and CNBC, up 28 percent from last year and the best on record.
Saturday night's Game 7 between the New York Rangers (http://rangers.nhl.com) and Washington Capitals (http://capitals.nhl.com) was watched by 1.68 million viewers on the NBC Sports Network, making it the second most-watched Conference Semifinal game on cable this year. Game 3 of the series -- which was won by the Rangers in triple overtime -- was watched by 1.85 million viewers, making it the most-watched Conference Semifinal game of 2012. The NBC Sports Network was the No. 1 network overall in both markets during the game.
In New York, Saturday's Game 7 received a 4.8 HH rating, the highest local rating ever in the market for a NHL game on the NBC Sports Network. The telecast was up 129 percent from 2008's two-game average. In Washington, the game received a 7.67 HH rating, the second-highest local rating ever in the market for a NHL game on the NBC Sports Network. The telecast was up 19 percent from the market's 2011 Semifinal average.
Sunday night's Western Conference Final Game 1 between the Los Angeles Kings (http://kings.nhl.com) and Phoenix Coyotes (http://coyotes.nhl.com) delivered record ratings for both local markets. The NBC Sports Network was the highest-rated cable network in both local markets during the telecast of the game.
In Los Angeles, Game 1 received a 2.14 HH rating, the highest local rating ever in the market for a NHL game on the NBC Sports Network. In Phoenix, it received a 5.56 HH rating, the highest local rating ever in the market for a NHL game on the NBC Sports Network.

[white defensive back]

Every single Rangers game seems to have a very low score. That's not necessarily a bad thing and Lundquist has been great in net but I'm finding their games less interesting. I think LA-Phoenix will also be low scoring. If it is an LA-New York Rangers final Bettman will be delirious with joy. If it's New Jersey-Phoenix - not so much! Lets go Rangers!

[Don Wassall]

Game 2 of the Rangers-Devils series was intense and entertaining. I'm rooting for the Devils because of Marty Brodeur but I think the Rangers are a little better and will pull out the series and face the #8 seed Kings, who have inexplicably turned into a great imitation of the 1977 Montreal Canadiens since the playoffs began.

[Rebajlo]

The Kings dispose of the Coyotes by 4 games to 1, following a 4-3 OT win in game 5.

I've never liked the Rangers, but as they are the only remaining team with a 100% White roster I am hoping that they:

(a) at least reach the final; and

(b) win the Stanley Cup

Remember, the Devils have part-black Bryce Salvador, while the Kings "boast" the visibly part-Indian (i.e. Native American) Jordan Nolan and Dwight King... :icon_wink:

[white is right]

The Kings dispose of the Coyotes by 4 games to 1, following a 4-3 OT win in game 5.

I've never liked the Rangers, but as they are the only remaining team with a 100% White roster I am hoping that they:

(a) at least reach the final; and

(b) win the Stanley Cup

Remember, the Devils have part-black Bryce Salvador, while the Kings "boast" the visibly part-Indian (i.e. Native American) Jordan Nolan and Dwight King... :icon_wink: I assumed King was a Mulatto as he has "kinky" hair and is quite swarthy. Nolan is the son of Ted Nolan he of the I've been blackballed out of the NHL because of my feud with John Muckler.

[Don Wassall]

Game 1 of the Finals goes into overtime. The NHL bigwigs presumably are happy that two huge markets are represented, but the Devils and Kings also have two of the least passionate fan bases in the league. It will be interesting to see what the TV ratings are. The crowd in Newark (!) for Game 1 was quiet for much of the game, not much different than a crowd at a regular season game in many cities.

['sup bro?]

I've never liked the Rangers, but as they are the only remaining team with a 100% White roster I am hoping that they:

does nj have a non-white?

['sup bro?]

Alec Martinez is a good example of a white hispanic. his cheek bones are very european.

[Matra2]

The crowd in Newark (!) for Game 1 was quiet for much of the game, not much different than a crowd at a regular season game in many cities.

I don't think too many Devils fans are from Newark itself. Apparently the arena was built in a "bad area" as part of an urban rejuvenation plan.

[GiovaniMarcon]

Here in Los Angeles I noticed a lot of "Go Kings" banners on storefronts and bars, so even though LA is totally undeserving of a Stanley Cup, it's good that White athletes are getting some recognition here, especially since Kobe Bryant and the stupid Lakers predictably imploded and blamed everything on Pao Gasol and Blake.

If the Kings actually manage to win the cup, I predict lots of sensible celebrating by Whites, and of course some looting, fighting, vandalism, and possible shootings and murderings by the Blacks and Latinos, who will suddenly realize that they like hockey as much as basketball if it gives them a chance to act like sub-animals.

[Freethinker]

does nj have a non-white?http://www.trentonian.com/storyimage/TT/20120529/SPORTS03/120529724/AR/0/AR-120529724.jpg&MaxW=620&MaxH=330
Bryce Salvador

[Arnold Von Winkelried]

I've always supported The Bruins, also because of the team whiteness. I've however asked myself about two of their players : Nathan Horton (who has a bit a Pepe look) and Chris Kelly (who could pass as a mestizo).

317 318

Does someone know anything about their ethnic background ?

In this final I see the Kings winning over the Devils in 6 or 7 matchs.

[Matra2]

A quick search turns up nothing on Horton's ethnic background.

Speaking of the Bruins it looks like goalie Tim Thomas is done with them. He says it like to take a year off but pundits are saying he might just go somewhere else.

http://bostonglobe.com/sports/2012/06/01/bruins-not-expecting-tim-thomas-play/gyQ8Q7EqLzSyuypTY1SeBK/story.html

[Arnold Von Winkelried]

A quick search turns up nothing on Horton's ethnic background.

Speaking of the Bruins it looks like goalie Tim Thomas is done with them. He says it like to take a year off but pundits are saying he might just go somewhere else.

http://bostonglobe.com/sports/2012/06/01/bruins-not-expecting-tim-thomas-play/gyQ8Q7EqLzSyuypTY1SeBK/story.html

Sad. It was one of my favorite players in the team, for his sportive performances and his political views.

[Don Wassall]

The Kings win in New Jersey in overtime for the second game in a row. The Devils played very hard all game knowing how desperate their plight was already. Marty Brodeur was tremendous (still better at age 40 than the wildly over-rated Marc-Andre Fleury will ever be -- sorry but I'm still not over the Penguins pathetic first round performance), but then again Jonathan Quick has been an impenetrable bulwark for LA for the entire playoffs.

Assuming they finish off New Jersey -- especially if they do it in four straight now that the next two games are in LA -- has there ever been a better playoff run by a team in any of the four major pro leagues in the U.S., taking into consideration that the Kings entered the playoffs as the number eight seed in the West?

[Rebajlo]

does nj have a non-white?

'sup bro -

Mate, You only had to read the rest of the post from which You quoted that line in order to discover the identity of the said non-White player. :icon_wink:

Freethinker kindly provided a photo of Bryce Salvador...

[Rebajlo]

I assumed King was a Mulatto as he has "kinky" hair and is quite swarthy. Nolan is the son of Ted Nolan he of the I've been blackballed out of the NHL because of my feud with John Muckler.

white is right -

Wasn't Ted Nolan a class act, eh? Worst luck, Jordan Nolan got an assist in Game 1 of the final.

Dwight King is definitely a Metis. His older brother DJ, a goon who played for the Blues and Capitals but is currently with the AHL's Hershey Bears, looks a bit more "Native American":

http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nhl/players/full/2363.png&w=350&h=254


http://2.cdn.nhle.com/capitals/v2/photos/mugs/8470294.jpg

[Rebajlo]

I've always supported The Bruins, also because of the team whiteness. I've however asked myself about two of their players : Nathan Horton (who has a bit a Pepe look) and Chris Kelly (who could pass as a mestizo).

317 318

Does someone know anything about their ethnic background ?

In this final I see the Kings winning over the Devils in 6 or 7 matchs.

Von Winkelried -

I mentioned Nathan Horton's "dodgy Johnny Heitinga" look earlier in this thread, but I've never found any evidence which supports the theory of his non-White parentage. In today's climate, I'd say that if he had a single black great-grandparent, for example, this would be very well advertised...

Chris Kelly may appear a bit "suspicious" but, yet again, I don't know of any non-White parents or ancestors. In many photos, he looks completely White.

Here he is during his time with the Senators:

http://cdn.nhl.com/senators/bc/images/news/insideimage/1418_3.jpg

http://2.cdn.nhle.com/senators/v2/photos/mugs/8467967.jpg


As in the case of Nathan Horton, if he was part-black / mestizo, the NHL powers that be would trundle this information out as evidence that "hockey is for everyone"...

[Rebajlo]

Assuming they finish off New Jersey -- especially if they do it in four straight now that the next two games are in LA -- has there ever been a better playoff run by a team in any of the four major pro leagues in the U.S., taking into consideration that the Kings entered the playoffs as the number eight seed in the West?

Don -

I wouldn't have a clue about the NBA, NFL, or MLB but in the NHL one would have to go back to the days of the "Original Six" to find an "equivalent", when the fourth-placed Maple Leafs swept the first-placed Red Wings in the 1949 final.

In that era, of course, four of the six teams progressed to the playoff stage. Toronto, however, had won the two previous Stanley Cups.

If we go all the way back to 1938 (!) when the NHL comprised eight teams, the Chicago Black Hawks defeated the Maple Leafs 3-1 in the best-of-five finals series. Chicago had finished third in the American Division and had the worst regular season record of the six teams which qualified for the playoffs.

My hockey trivia occassionally comes in handy... :bigsmile:

[Don Wassall]

The Devils managed to stay alive for Game 5, but for them to come back and win the series would be even more phenomenal than the Kings' playoff run to this point.

A couple of things I'm really enjoying about the finals -- the broadcasting crew of Doc Emrick, Eddie Olczyk and Pierre McGuire is very good, as are Mike Milbury and Keith Jones in the studio. Even more impressive is the professionalism shown by the two teams on the ice -- no pushing and shoving after every whistle, which is so common in the NHL. If the Kings and Devils can refrain from such antics in this kind of a high-pressure situation, then so can every other team. Toughness and fighting are essential elements of the sport, but the constant mini-scrums after whistles have always struck me as lending a Roller Derby (or pro wrestling if you prefer) aspect to the league.

[Don Wassall]

The Devils were outplayed for much of the game but managed to squeak out another win to send it to Game 6 in L.A. tomorrow.

[Arnold Von Winkelried]

As predicted, the Kings won the Stanley Cup in 6 games. Jonathan Quick was named MVP of the play offs and has been one of the most valuable asset for the Los Angeles team alongside with Kopitar and Brown.

[Don Wassall]

After such a dominating, out of nowhere playoff run, it'll be interesting to see if the Kings put up a strong defense of their title next season in the parity-driven NHL.

[Matra2]

I'm not a big fan of parity. I prefer dynasties, underdogs, and a bit of consistency from year to year.

[white is right]

I'm not a big fan of parity. I prefer dynasties, underdogs, and a bit of consistency from year to year. Yes when teams like Chicago have to gut their teams to keep Kane and other stars and the following year are barely making the playoffs something is wrong. I noticed that the maligned LAPD was in full riot mode over what was described as a few hundred revelers. Nice to see law order was kept.....:frusty:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD6hI02v-so&feature=related

[Rebajlo]

Those hefty penalties the Devils conceded in the first period of the final game pretty much killed them off, given that the KIngs scored three power play goals in four minutes.

The Kings lift the Grail - who would have predicted that a few weeks ago? I certainly didn't...