April 26, 2006

ottawa scores 8, yahoo shows fight: I think it is funny how Ottawa scores an impressive eight goals in the hockey game against Tampa, and then Yahoo shows Chara fighting with Lecavalier on the game recap. see! fighting is still better than scoring! idiots.

posted by RadioZombie to hockey at 12:24 AM - 37 comments

Yeah, well, this is media covering a league whose commercials tell you that a wide-open slapshot from the point is an amazing goal (instead of what it is: really lousy goaltending).

posted by DrJohnEvans at 01:41 AM on April 26, 2006

First, capitalization: learn it, use it, love it. Second, if you checked out the video highlights, you'd notice they didn't even mention the fight. Third, that shot really shows what that game was about. The Sens beating up on the Lightning.

posted by v3rity at 02:10 AM on April 26, 2006

Hey look! In the Edmonton-Detroit recap, the pic is of the Red Wings celebrating, but they lost! Good thing I read the story!

posted by chicobangs at 02:37 AM on April 26, 2006

It's too bad this FPP will be deleted - I was thinking today on the way up the elevator how all the anti-fighting advocates stress that during the playoffs fighting all but disappears, showing how little it actually means when the games really count. And I'm thinking - what playoffs are these guys watching? There's always fighting in playoff games - usually early in a series and definitely in a blowout. During the regular season you rarely see a Lecavalier or Heatley fight, but in the playoffs you sure do. That whole "there's no fighting in the playoffs" speech should be rejected on the basis of truthiness.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 07:46 AM on April 26, 2006

I'm not sure if any of you guys were watching, but I though Chara showed decent retraint in not clocking Lecavalier after he took him to the ice. Chara's huge arm was cocked for almost a full second, and then he seemed to realize what a bad idea it was. You could almost see the gears turning.

posted by Samsonov14 at 07:54 AM on April 26, 2006

Yeah, that fight had an interesting progression.

  1. Chara and Lecavalier emerge from the scrum hanging onto each other, Kerry Fraser between them.
  2. Lecavalier starts throwing punches, Fraser backs off.
  3. Chara shrugs and begins returning big-ass punches.
  4. Lecavalier goes into "oh shit" mode and goes for the bear hug (mainly to get out of the way of the punches).
  5. Chara undresses Lecavalier in an effort to get out of the bear hug, and ends up wrestling him down onto the ice.
  6. Chara stares down in obvious pity at Lecavalier as he raises the Fist of Thunder ... and waits for the linesmen to come over and rescue li'l Vinnie.
Of course, I may be biased.

posted by DrJohnEvans at 08:47 AM on April 26, 2006

You're bang-on, Doc. I'm putting Lurch up for a Humanitas Award for not beating Vinny into the ice when he easily could have.

posted by wfrazerjr at 08:49 AM on April 26, 2006

nominate chara for the nobel peace prize..

posted by ktown at 09:22 AM on April 26, 2006

Of course, I may be biased. You are biased DrJ, but your account is still 100% accurate. I have to give the ref mad props for backing off and let Vinny get what was coming to him. I thought it was kind of a pansie move to wait until the ref was about ready to get inbetween them to throw a punch.

posted by njsk8r20 at 09:24 AM on April 26, 2006

That's Kerry Fraser for ya. As old-school as they come. I have to say that I'm surprised at Lecavalier's approach to that scuffle. The Iginla-Lecavalier fight from last year's finals was probably the best I've ever seen. But I guess Zdeno Chara is a whole other kettle of fish.

posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:12 AM on April 26, 2006

Disclaimer: I hate the Lightning and I want them to lose. Varada's boarding that started the whole melee still pisses me off. Why the eff did he do that when the game was already well in hand? He came in from a very long way off to hit Fedotenko who clearly had his back to the play. Sure, Varada let up a bit before the hit, but it should not have been done in the first place. Re: Chara. One of the funniest things I have ever seen in a hockey game was when the Hurricanes' Craig Adams (a smallish guy) "checked" Chara into the boards in a game earlier this season. Chara went nowhere, but poor Craig Adams literally bounced off of him and went flying backwards. I'm not totally convinced that Chara even knew that somebody hit him.

posted by NoMich at 10:18 AM on April 26, 2006

Yeah, it was good that he didn't kill Vinnie when he had the opportunity. Tampa looked like shit again. I can't see them just turning it on and being better than Ottawa. Redden, Chara, Spezza, Havlat, Heatley, Alfredsson - these guys are seriously going right now. I pity whomever faces them in the second round. They're deadlier than Detroit. I think only New Jersey has a chance to stop them right now. And it's slim.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 10:18 AM on April 26, 2006

Now they say You don't tug on Superman's cape You don't spit into the wind You don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger And you don't mess around with Vin' Zdeno

posted by njsk8r20 at 10:28 AM on April 26, 2006

NoMich, I have to agree with you on the Varada hit. That was incredibly dumb, and one of the many reasons why Varada is nowhere near worth the cap space he takes up. I like the guy, and I like the energy he can bring (when he wants to), but sometimes it's just way over the top. On the plus side, the Sens had an all-V goal last night: Vermette (Varada, Volchenkov). If only Shaun Van Allen was still around...

posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:36 AM on April 26, 2006

While I'm on a roll, did any other Easterners stay up to see the end of the Detroit-Edmonton game? What a doozy. How about that Detroit "goal" that went in underneath the back of the net? I've never seen a goalie look so confused.

posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:43 AM on April 26, 2006

I was fighting to stay up but at the end of the 1rst OT I gave up and went to bed. The officials looked confused too. First they were checking the net for holes, then they kept picking the net up and feeling the bottom of it. Then they scraped the ice down to make sure it was flat and finally they just brought out a new net. And about the hitting from behind, I think half of the time the player with the puck turns to face the boards trying to draw a boarding penalty or is hoping that will stop him from getting checked.

posted by njsk8r20 at 10:49 AM on April 26, 2006

I don't think showing a fight in the recap -- a fight in which a TB player is getting beat on -- is all that odd. It's like this grand metaphor for what Ottawa did to TB on the scoreboard and works better than a single goal highlight would. yeah. It would be just as appropriate as showing the two Flyer players knocking each other out with a body check because the one Sabre they were gunning for was just too fast for them to nail. That's about a perfect analogy for how that series is going. It's all about the metaphors and analogies. Yahoo is on top of it. Yes. --- This first round has been weird thus far. Every game is a either complete blowout or a tight one goal affair midway through the third period. And if a game sometimes look like it'll be a blowout, the other team sometimes manages to make it a tight one goal third period. There's been a lot of comebacks from two or even three goal deficits this year. It's been a great first round so far (unless you're a Carolina or Dallas of Philadelphia fan).

posted by mkn at 10:52 AM on April 26, 2006

Oh, man, the game-winner was beautiful. Detroit had been coming dangerously close to scoring through the whole overtime, but Edmonton got a bit of a rush going. Somebody took a shot at Legace, who made the save, but let a rebound go. Samsonov picks up the rebound and goes around the net for a wide-open wraparound, but a Detroit player gets his stick in the way and the puck flips up into the air in the crease. Legace bats it away with his glove (trying to catch it?)... right to an unchecked Jarrett Stoll in the close slot, who puts it home.

posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:56 AM on April 26, 2006

And about the hitting from behind, I think half of the time the player with the puck turns to face the boards trying to draw a boarding penalty or is hoping that will stop him from getting checked. funny you should mention that skater. renney is accusing your devils of diving to draw boarding calls.

posted by goddam at 11:18 AM on April 26, 2006

Well Jay Pandolfo is definitely guilty of it. The worst part was the ref noticed it too. Jay was saying "I'm cut it should be 4 minutes" and the ref says "you turned around". I may be Devils fan but I am still a realist. Every team has players that do it. I can't count how many times I saw it last night. This has been happening for years now.

posted by njsk8r20 at 11:35 AM on April 26, 2006

(trying to catch it?) Legace said in a post-game interview "I thought I had the game-winner in my glove..." or some such.

posted by garfield at 12:16 PM on April 26, 2006

It was a hell of a save. If he'd stopped the next shot that still would have made the highlight films.

posted by chicobangs at 12:51 PM on April 26, 2006

Okay, so I've reviewed the play a couple of times. Varada's hit was not quite as dirty as I'd originally thought. Fedotenko wasn't facing the boards for most of the play, and he certainly wasn't when Varada lined him up. He turned at the last minute, and Varada slowed up, pushing him down to the ice instead of administering a full bodycheck. Have a look and let me know if you think I'm wrong. What did we ever do before Youtube?

posted by DrJohnEvans at 03:06 PM on April 26, 2006

It may not have been downright dirty, but it still was boarding nonetheless. And it looked like Fedotenko turned towards the boards because he was going after the puck so it wasn't like the scenario I described earlier. I wish Chara would of got a better piece of Vinnie though.

posted by njsk8r20 at 06:04 PM on April 26, 2006

This Chara-Lacavalier ''fight'' really proves my point. These ''fights'' are a real laugh. Here one player had a golden opportunity to pound an opponent into oblivion and maybe end his career but backs off. If he didn't I'm sure the zebras would have intervened. These ''fights'' are controlled as to have enough to excite the ''fans'' but not enough to severely injure anyone. What the hell is the point?????

posted by joromu at 07:10 PM on April 26, 2006

Yes, joromu. It's all a big manufactured conspiracy. It has nothing to do with an honourable fight to stand up for your teammates. It has nothing to do with respect for your opponent. It's all about getting the idiot fans worked into a frenzy and loosening their wallets. You have it all worked out, don't you.

posted by DrJohnEvans at 07:22 PM on April 26, 2006

...did any other Easterners stay up to see the end of the Detroit-Edmonton game? Yes, I did. What a bummer. After that faux gamewinner by the Wings, the announcer joked, "And you guys back home thought that you could go to bed." Chuckle chuckle... I was seriously disappointed with the way the Wings played. The second period was the worst, with the Oilers banging and trapping (pressing!), putting the Wings on their heels. They didn't even show a spark until halfway through the third, scoring two goals in eighteen seconds. I'm so tired that I don't even know if The Captain is hurt seriously or not.

posted by wingnut4life at 08:01 PM on April 26, 2006

Answer my question. If no one is going to get hurt what the hell is the sense of fighting? I'll tell you. They know that when one has a huge advantage and may have his opponent hurt the zebras step in and stop the whole thing. Right???? Phoooooo-neeeeeee!!!!

posted by joromu at 08:04 PM on April 26, 2006

That's it, I'm kicking in my $1.25. Anyone else?

posted by wingnut4life at 08:17 PM on April 26, 2006

I'll do even better, here is my $12.50 Wingnut, I told you not to remove the keychain.

posted by njsk8r20 at 08:26 PM on April 26, 2006

Sorry sk8r, it was rilly rilly starting to hurt...

posted by wingnut4life at 08:32 PM on April 26, 2006

For someone that hates "fighting" and how it appeals to "fans", but obviously "loves" the quotes on random "words", you "sure" do comment on all the "fight" related threads. Even the non-hockey ones????????? http://www.sportsfilter.com/members/search_comments.cfm?user_ID=6250

posted by mkn at 09:01 PM on April 26, 2006

Today was a perfect example of how officiating isn't working all that well in the playoffs. The NHL has instilled a fear into the refs that if they don't make the calls, they are out of the job. So they look for the calls, and now everytime a stick or hand comes near a player it is a penalty. Meanwhile, Dumont gets speared, Koivu gets a stick in the eye, players get boarded... and nothing.

posted by mkn at 09:05 PM on April 26, 2006

Here one player had a golden opportunity to pound an opponent into oblivion and maybe end his career but backs off. If he didn't I'm sure the zebras would have intervened. Well, the "zebras" couldn't have intervened in time if he wanted to hurt Lecavalier more. He voluntarily stopped punching Vinny. Why? Because he may be battling the the opposition, but he still respects him. He's trying to win, not kill. Once you knock a man down to the ice, there really isn't any reason to keep punching. You've won the fight. To keep pounding on him would simply be grotesque and unneeded. Am I to understand that if you got into a fist fight with another person and managed to knock them out, that you'd immediately straddle their prone chest and rain more punches down on their defenseless face until they suffered brain damage or death? I'm guessing you thought the Bertuzzi/Moore incident was just spiffy.

posted by grum@work at 09:32 PM on April 26, 2006

I'm guessing you thought the Bertuzzi/Moore incident was just spiffy. That was "real" hockey.

posted by qbert72 at 07:21 AM on April 27, 2006

Ignore jomoru - he knows so little about what he's talking about it staggers me that he'd actually bother to reveal it. Here one player had a golden opportunity to pound an opponent into oblivion and maybe end his career but backs off. Dude, you're an idiot. The opportunity to end careers is available to everyone who plays a pro sport. So I guess football players are all phony too when they don't elect to cut-block star players. Baseball pitchers should throw at Bonds' head or other players should spike Jeter heading into second. We could go on, but who cares - Fuck off - you can't be that stupid.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 08:39 AM on April 27, 2006

I thought you said to ignore joromu. Let's pound him into oblivion and maybe end his career!

posted by qbert72 at 09:59 AM on April 27, 2006

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