Comments on: Watching Other Teams Flirt With the Stanley Cup

By: OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki)

OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki) — Sun, 04 May 2008 16:44:35 +0000

Nope, no second thoughts on the Flyers — they’re playing impressively well, but this poll is about whom Caps fans *want* to win and I for one won’t root for Pittsburgh or for Philly. A “Battle of Pennsylvania” in the conference finals should make for good theater though.

By: FlyersFan

FlyersFan — Sun, 04 May 2008 05:09:17 +0000

any second thoughts on flyers??

By: dave

dave — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:39:05 +0000

bitter… its not just for pennsylvania anymore.

LET’S GO FLYERS!!!

By: Bucky Katt

Bucky Katt — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:46:23 +0000

@radbytrade

Actually, I believe it’s in our best interest to root against the Flyers, for logical reasons outside the rivalry factor. If I am not mistaken we own your 2nd round draft pick. The earlier you lose..the higher our pick.

By: radbytrade

radbytrade — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:12:26 +0000

Root for the Flyers. If they make it to or win the Finals you can console yourselves by saying at least the Caps lost to the Eastern/Stanley Cup champs!

Go Flyers.

By: NS2NOVA

NS2NOVA — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:49:42 +0000

Curtis: Canadian Football is football as you know it, not soccer. Best way to describe the difference is that it is a faster game, only 3 downs instead of 4, on a 110 yard long and wider field, with unlimited motion in the backfield, no stupid fair catch rule and all in all a much better game than the NFL. In actual fact, the American game was developed from the Canadian game, which itself is derived from Rugby.

By: Curtis

Curtis — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:54:34 +0000

Ns2nova….I appreciate your honesty, But come on!! Soccer is a sport for upcoming actors who practice how to take a dive whenever someone kicks at there ankle. Tell me the last time a Pro Football player to a dive? (on purpose)…Oh and Go whoever is playing the Flyboys!

By: OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki)

OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:35:40 +0000

@ Greg: Correct… with Anaheim’s 102-point regular season I’d forgotten that they didn’t win the division (they had the same exact record as Pittsburgh).

By: Seriously?!

Seriously?! — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:02:14 +0000

Seriously?!?! Any one who even considers rooting for the Pens is not a true Caps fan!!! I think the only team I can stand left in the eastern conference is the Habs.

By: Greg

Greg — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:09:52 +0000

OrderedChaos:

Dallas is not a 7 seed. They are the 5 seed in the west.

By: flyboy

flyboy — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:43:01 +0000

LET’S GO FLYERS

By: DER

DER — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:21:13 +0000

Voted for Colorado, spent a few years out there and I like Stastny and my wife is an Avs fan and when shes happy everyones happy

By: NS2NOVA

NS2NOVA — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:16:16 +0000

Sorry Curtis, can’t buy into the American style football. Having been raised on the CFL, the slower more plodding and predictable NFL game never appealed to me. Call me an elitist snob, but give me the Canadian game any day.

By: JKL

JKL — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:32:19 +0000

I picked Dallas. I like how well they play, even when underdogs. And I have to support the SE division alumnus Brad Richards.

By: SovSport

SovSport — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:58:20 +0000

Kovalev. Markov.

By: MulletMan

MulletMan — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:43:15 +0000

What is this (football?) thing everyone is talking about? Also, what are these ’skins you speak of?

By: vt caps fan

vt caps fan — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:00:11 +0000

I voted for the Habs. Mainly cause I HATE the patrick division teams. And I can never root for Dallas in anything — I’m a ’skins fan.

By: Pete

Pete — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:59:35 +0000

I meant Bobby Gould…..

By: Pete

Pete — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:59:09 +0000

Look, I’m a Penguin fan that was happy to see Bobby Gold make Mario look like a raccoon, but “The Diver” stuff is weak…

Go Pens.

By: ThunderWeenie

ThunderWeenie — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:54:29 +0000

No, guys, the REAL cinderella was Edmonton two years ago. Finishing 8th in the west and, in the end, coming within one game of winning the Cup?

THAT is Cinderella.

By: OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki)

OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:39:24 +0000

@ sonia:
Ha! Fair point about the Caps being the true Cinderella this year. I’d considered Dallas as a secondary Cindy A) because they’re a 7 seed, and B) for the chance that Marty Turco could finally carry his stellar regular season play into playoff success.

By: sonia

sonia — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:27:29 +0000

Also, Dallas is not allowed to be this year’s “Cinderella story”. I heard some announcer call the Flyers’ season a “Cinderella story” the other night, and that pissed me off too. There can only be one Cinderella, and that was the Caps this year!!!!!

By: sonia

sonia — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:26:08 +0000

I’ve been living in NYC for the past few years, and as a result have developed some liking for the Rangers. I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a “fan” (mostly because of Jagr…maybe that will change when he leaves town), but I follow them more than any of the other teams, and it would be cool to have my local team win it all.

By: katzistan

katzistan — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:56:05 +0000

Gotta go with the Habs - nothing against them as a team, and the whole Kovalev rejuvination thing is a nice story line. Hoping Price can hold up - not optimistic so far. Habs-Wings in the final would be nice. Other than the Sharks, I don’t really like any of the Western teams, and given that the other Eastern teams are all Patrick division, none of them are getting my vote.

Who the heck is voting for the Pens??? Can you take that off the list, too?

By: Greg

Greg — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:14:28 +0000

LET’S GO PENS!!

By: ThunderWeenie

ThunderWeenie — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:56:28 +0000

Josh,

I’ve gotta weigh in here, and not just as an Ottawa fan. (Actually, some of what I’m about to say contradicts my position as an Ottawa fan, but what the hell…)

This bit about large markets and viewership goes to a very fundamental issue about the NHL. Every year, whenever a team that is not the New York Rangers dares to make it to the finals, we hear the U.S. broadcasters bitch and moan about how “small market teams” do nothing for TV ratings. You hear similar complaints every year during the baseball playoffs, too.

Here’s a novel idea: STOP EXPANDING, THEN!!!!!!

Seriously–if there are only about half a dozen markets that truly cut it in the minds of the media folks, then why do we have 30 NHL teams and not, say, six? Why is the League even in those small markets if they are so useless? I’ve long thought that the League was far, far too big. The broadcasters (and Josh) seem to agree.

BTW, you can’t blame everything on the small markets like Ottawa. I note that the Cup final ratings last year were abysmal in spite of the fact that one of the teams involved came from the second-largest metro area in the United States. “Large market” clearly does not always mean “large hockey market”.

So…it couldn’t be that Bettman’s strategy of “growing the footprint of the game” and putting hockey teams into a whole bunch of places where no one cares has been a dismal failure, now…could it? Nahhhh…..

End of off-topic rant!!

By: josh

josh — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:28:35 +0000

Go for what’s good for hockey. A Detroit/NY Stanley Cup 2 of the original six in large markets. That’d shut the idiots on ESPN up. Or a Detroit/Pitt series. Superstars galore.

Either way, it’ll be a good final four with large market and well known teams involved. Nothing against Carolina, Ottawa and such, but noone really cares about them. The Rangers, Wings, Pens, Canadiens, even Flyers and Sharks will generate a lot more viewership.

By: Curtis

Curtis — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:18:12 +0000

I don’t care if you love hockey!! And it is your favorite sport. Now that the caps are out you have to move on. Rooting for another team is against the man rules! Plus how could anyone root for the flyers. I understand that we all feel a little sad, glum, and even a bit teary eyed, but we should all get over it and look forward to FOOTBALL. Then the cold weather will come again…and soon the stinking flyers will be in our building again …so we can toss empty pizza boxes at them again…So buck up Cap fans…

By: NS2NOVA

NS2NOVA — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:24:46 +0000

Only reason I’m cheering for the Habs is because I want to see Philly kicked out at this round, otherwise I wouldn’t be giving them a second look. All of my usual fall back teams fell back this year, with the exception of the Avs, but I just can’t bring myself to cheer for Forsberg. Looks like I’m just gonna have to bandwagon onto Dallas this year.

By: JR

JR — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:05:55 +0000

Didn’t mean to pour salt on the wound Thunder. Actually I rooted for the Sens during these years the Caps were on hiatus. Looks like it’s time for a mini-rebuild up in OT-wa.

Sharks are maddening. So much talent, although at some point you have to get some realistic expectations for Patrick Marleau. What team gags and gives up four goals in the 3rd period when ahead 2-1 in a near must win game?

On more symmetry - Sharks: R. Wilson, Sens: B. Murray
LOL