because obviously, if he’s scoring that much, his stick must be illegal. it’s not like he usually scores a lot or anything.

…a curved stick doesn’t keep a puck from bouncing… how does that make sense?

Desperate, much?

Has lead his team well. Now they all complain about everything.

grasping much? sheesh…….

ya know, if you really think you got something on a guy, is it the best call to shout it out?

Pretty clear who’s been floating around in someone’s head. Memo to MAF: it’s going to get a lot worse.

I hope they do challenge his stick. I don’t think Bylsma’s that stupid, though.

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 Red Jesus.

Flail at him in the press

The Waaaaambulance is in high gear today. We’re also “littering the series” with illegal picks that should be called as interference.

And what does Boudreau have to say in response to the Kunitz non-suspension?

Simply: “It is the league’s decision. We thought it should have been more, but we’re not going to lose sleep over it.”

Play on.

Now might also be a good time to remind Fleury of Ovi’s shooting percentage, and that’s just the one timers he doesn’t whiff on.

I don’t really see how these factors indicate some secret advantage in technology here

..the most memorable stick-curve infraction was McSorley in that Kings-Habs Stanley Cup Game 1 right? But anyhow, I forget: If a team challenges an opponent’s stick-curve and it is found to be LEGAL, does the challenging team then incur a minor? Must be, right? Sidebar: I recently found out that in the official rules of Scrabble there is no penalty for challenging a legitimate word in error…meaning a player could conceivably challenge every word with impunity. If the stick-curve rule were to work that way, I’m sure coaches would challenge more often.

There is no way with all this media attention AO will play with an illegal stick. Or is there? Baseless speculation sure is fun.

Considering how often Ovie whiffs or shanks his shots, if that is an illegal stick, he should consider using a legal one.

…what a douche. Ovie and the rest of the NHL is undoubtedly laughing their butts off.

while we’re discussing this, it is interesting to observe how—similar to tennis-racket technology—hockey sticks have changed through the years. That’s essentially just a piece of straight wood!

they should just get rid of the measurements nonsense all together.

they are afraid of Brashear

Ovi uses illegal curved sticks. He uses legal ones too. Almost every single European player uses illegal curves before they get to the NHL and many of them keep trying to use them after they are in the show.

1) They need to do away entirely with limitations on curves. That silly rule was started to protect goalies(then they didn’t wear masks- really, its true- LOL) Now with the body armour they wear its archaic to have the same rules in place. Banana blades have advantages and disadvantages
2) Just another playoff time mind games issue. Probably going to have zero impact one way or the other

Ovechkin will not be using an illegal curve tonight after all this media hype. The Pens really shouldn’t have shown their hand if they actually wanted to try to get a PP from this.

It’s not that Ovi uses a stick with an illegal curve, or anyone else ( more than just Ovi do, and not just European players). The problem is catching the player with the illegal stick when they actually have it on the ice. The mechanics of stick challenges in the NHL are brilliant in that they ensure that the entire game isn’t a series of stick checks. Once the a coach asks for a stick measurement there will be someone going to the box for 2 minutes to feel shame, either the player who’s stick is being challenged, or a player on the ice for the challenging team (if the measurement asked for is found to be legal, the challenging team gets a delay of game penalty).

If Ovie is using an illegal curve, they should call him on it. The measuring device is provided at the arena and if the requested measurement should be made. I think though, they better get it right as the Pens PK hasn’t been all that good in the series so far…

1. I think the stick-curve rule was prompted by Bobby Hull? As many have noted, it has been mooted by the advances in goalie’s protective gear, and it ought to go the way of the dinosaur. Since it’s the interwebs, I’ll note that I personally see a whole shedload of Canadian parochialism in the rule: “The Golden Jet”, cruising into the zone with his 3-inch curve and breaking out the hammer was not “hockey as it should be played”, i.e., two farm boys from Red Deer mucking and grinding in the corner, and the odd French guy providing some glitz and glamour. The fact that the Golden Jet could do better than the guys from Wawa, well, that fact had to be regulated back into control. Rant over.

2. This issue was first raised by the Empty Netters guy. I think he’s both looking for a story and hoping to get in to AO’s head. He noted in a column yesterday or today that AO immediately switched sticks after scoring his third goal yesterday as support.

3. I firmly believe that most of the snipers in the league have and regularly use illegal sticks. I remember Bondra dashing over to the bench and speaking urgently to the equipment guy once – they replayed the scene with a closeup on his face and you could read his lips: “I need my legal stick”. Laughlin just about died laughing.

4. Much ado about nothing.

“What can I say?…Nothing.”

From TEB on WaPo

Calling for a stick measurement and it going against them:
“Against the Ducks, the Oilers had improbably rallied from a 4-1 deficit with two late goals and 2 minutes 11 seconds left on the clock — lots of time left to perhaps force overtime. At that juncture, MacTavish called for a stick measurement against Ducks winger Teemu Selanne, thinking that if Selanne’s stick were illegal, the Oilers could go on the power play. The stick delivered into referee Kerry Fraser’s hands proved to be legal after all, putting the Oilers a man down and effectively ending all hopes of a possible comeback.”
You better be right, is all, because the ensuing power play may be a series backbreaker.

“When asked directly about Ovechkin’s stick, Crosby tried to be evasive, saying, “He’s got a big curve. I really don’t know. I don’t know curves well enough to know what’s illegal and what’s not.”

Here is the story

""I don’t think that’s really a concern," Crosby said when asked about the size of his blade curve. “I don’t have to change my stick in the third period or anything like that. I don’t have to worry about the curve becuase all you need is a 2×4 to shovel in trash by the net.”

and MAF is growing his butt tickler out

Both of the Alexes have sticks like this

I don’t know where vermont is, but:

WE BELIEVE!

Sounds like a case of the whine flu if you ask me.

I don’t think it really matters. Ovechkin is gonna score no matter what kind of blade curve he has.
I am just hoping his “illegally” curved blade continues to put the puck in behind Fleury so the Capitals win this series.