Alliedassault - Official NHL Playoffs Thread

I bet Jaques Martan could take Ottawa further than this guy.

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Got this off the flames board, which was subsiquently taken off a Flyers board:

On one of the Flyers boards, a fellow Flyer fan wrote this post concerning these Finals. Enjoy.

The anatomy of the fix
First thing's first, Tampa deserves their props. They're a ****, **** good young team that has done things the right way. Their GM did a great job in backing his coach when the star players complained...a lesson that certainly be learned by the moron running our favorite team. They have one of the top coaches in the NHL and bust their asses every night. They were the best team in the East and deserved to be in the Finals. I have no ill will towards them whatsoever and that should have been evident when I built them up all year during the regular season.

However....they are illegimate champions due to either intentional or non-intentional incompetence of the NHL. Calgary was robbed, and I honestly can't think of a worse injustice ever placed upon a team, at least in my lifetime. Here's a timeline of how the events unfolded:

1. 4:30 mark of the 3rd period, game 1.

Corey Stillman leaves his feet and delivers a board/charge/elbow to the face of Nilsson. No penalty is called on Stillman until a scrum breaks out after the hit and he gets 2 for roughing. No penalty, no suspension.

2. Calgary goes up 2-1 in the series with a game 3 win and Kerry
Frasier and Brad Watson are your referees for Game 4.

At the 1:52 mark of the 1st period, Frasier cites Mike Commodore for tripping. A subsequent scrum breaks out at center ice with all players pushing and shoving and Kerry Frasier decides to take only Clark off the ice and give Tampa a full 2:00 five-on-three powerplay. No replay is shown of the Clark call and Tampa goes on to score.

3. 15:47 of the 3rd period, Game 4.

In a 1-0 game Ville Niemmenen is given a 5:00 boarding major with 4:13 left in the game. I challenge anyone to give me an example of a major penalty being handed out in a SCF game late in the 3rd period of a close game. It's unheard of. Upon seeing replays, Frasier was standing 5 feet away from the play and made no call. Either Brad Watson made the call from all the way on the other side of the ice or they called a penalty on the play because Lecavilier layed on the ice. Either way, this unprecedented call puts Tampa on a PP for the remainder of the game and ensures them tying up the series.

4. The NHL announces the next day Niemmenen is suspended 1 game for the hit.

When pressed why Stillman wasn't suspended for his game 1 hit, Colin Campbell responds he would have been had Nilsson not been able to play in Game 2. Lecavilier would return to the ice for Tampa in Game 5.

5. Game 5, with Calgary leading 2-1 in the third, a total phantom holding the stick call is made on Rhett Warrener.

After watching the replay, it is seen that Lecavilier actually high sticked Warrener who grabbed the stick to get it out of his face. Tampa goes on to score to tie the game.

6. The NHL pulls scheduled referees Kerry Frasier and Brad Watson from Game 6 due to fan complaints.

The NHL cites the referee's safety as being an issue in the decision.

7. This is the big one.....Calgary scores with 8 minutes left in regulation to go up 3-2.

While nobody notices the puck go in at regular speed, ABC shows several replays and all 3 announcers vehemently agree the puck is in the net. John Davidson comments "I can't believe this, if they drop the puck it's over." The off-ice officials do not even review the play....and if they actually did, come to a "conclusive" decision in less than 20 seconds. Similar "possible goal" situations such as Michael Handzus' attempt that wasn't even close in Game 7 of the ECF had play stopped and were reviewed thoroughly....play was never stopped in this case. The go-ahead goal was scored and the NHL did everything they could to ignore it.

8. TSN breaks the news that Kerry Frasier will work game 7.

This of course is the same man who was pulled from Game 6 due to Calgary's fans.

9. 70 seconds into the game Frasier makes his prescense felt calling a slash penalty.

No replay is shown. Half way through the first, another penalty is called on Calgary and again no replay is shown. TB takes advantage and gets the all-important first goal. At this point, 35% of Game 7 has been played with Tampa being at a man advantage.

10. 14 minutes left, 2-0 TB, Gary Thorne comments..."I'd love to see Dave Andreychuk score a goal and put this away."

11. To be fair, with Tampa leading 2-0 in the 3rd, Bill McCreary makes a horrificly embarrassing call to put Calgary on the PP.

The Flames score and make it 2-1. Calgary gets their first break from an official in the 3rd period of game 7.

12. With under a minute left, Frasier whistles a charge call on Calgary after a text book shoulder-to-chest hit on Martin St. Louis.

St. Louis is cut from a stick, but it cannot be a high stick because he was on his knees and the stick was below the dasher. Just a horrible call that goes against the history of the sport. On a personal note, there's no doubt in my mind that Frasier was just waiting to hit Calgary, the Flames, and their city with a big **** you. He did it and essentially ends the game and seals the Cup for TB.

Now, these happenings, not "because they beat the Flyers" is why the veterans on this board are p'd off. **** happens is not a good enough rationale for these events....in my opinion it's a systematic pattern of Calgary taking it in the ass. As a fan of hockey, that's not right, and it's a perfect ending for this bush-league and the garbage this sport has become. The bitching (at least from me) isn't a Tampa thing, it's an NHL thing.

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I hate Mark Recchi

Congratulations to the 2004 Stanley Cup Champions....the Calgary Flames.

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