No worries – just try to be better in the future. That’s all I can ask.

I really thought Tampa Bay was going to be a lot better this year. They seemed poised to make a big jump up in the standings much in the same way the Kings did this year, or the Caps did in ‘07-’08. Lots of young talent, some great goal scorers and playmakers (St. Louis-Stamkos-Malone and Tanguay-Lecavalier-Downie seemed like a pretty legit top 6), two healthy goaltenders (instead of a constant rotation of AHL-caliber rookies like Mike McKenna and Karri Ramo) and a much-improved blue line. Instead, they’ve been better, but still aren’t good, and wouldn’t even be challenging for a playoff spot if the rest of the east weren’t so miserable.

that hawk tried to get at ovie after he left the box, had to be re-directed by the linesman. But there was certainly not an immediate reaction (during play) by anyone on the hawks.

Oh, I’m sure I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t fault him in the least. I probably would in his shoes.

For a guy of Ovechkin’s caliber? I wouldn’t be shocked if they made an exception.

Until there’s an enforceable formal transfer agreement in place, I’m not sold on any restrictions on jumping ship. The KHL took Radulov with open arms, what’s changed since then?

Not to get too “tinfoil hatty” but his strongest critics yesterday seemed to come from guys in the Canadian press, like McKenzie and Dreger.

Then again, Burnside ripped him then, and defended him yesterday.

So you’re saying the theatrical element is staged?

So Ovechkin is now Stone Cold Steve Austin? How long before he’s shotgunning beers and flipping off Commissioner Bettman?

CONSPIRACY!

No, seriously. I do think the marketers are kind of exploiting happenstances and selling it à la WWE. The concern I have is that the law of unintended consequences applies here.

That is the sort of adverb that reveals the lie. Part of Ovechkin’s charm — when he wasn’t threatening to actually win the Cup — was that he was a “throwback,” a player who conjured the tough but skilled players such as Maurice Richard (think Richard wasn’t above the sort of hits Ovechkin has laid on guys that have been called “dirty?” or Gordie Howe?)

Now, he’s a sideshow joke? A cartoonishly evil thug?

“theatrical” elements, by definition, do not evolve organically. Theatre is entirely the province of imagination.

Kind of makes you wonder what the Russian “good guy/bad guy” movies were like during the cold war

But Mr President! You’re going to allow Ovechkin into the war room? Bu bu bu but he might see the big board!!!!!!

Actually, I think Bruce would play Gorbie in the movie version:

I agree with almost all of this but I will vehemently deny that there was anything wrong with the Kaleta hit. If that hit was “borderline” or “dirty” then every single player in the league has carte blanche to put themselves in a vulnerable position the moment before impact. Kaleta saw AO coming, didn’t get tight to the boards, and then turned his back to AO. Should AO have approached that hit assuming Kaleta was going to be a total ass? If that’s the burden we are putting on our physical players then how can you ever hit. Even the NHL rules point out the burden on the puck carrier to defend himself. Kaleta was derelict in his duty. I’d go so far as to say he was intentionally trying to draw a PIM, but I can see how some would disagree with that.

(And we do have the egg-shell skull stuff as well.)

Bull Shit Hockey?

Go Flyers.

Loving the misuse of cliche there.

Whenever I see comments like that, I think back on an F&B sig. To paraphrase:
Opinions of yours I don’t care about: politics, religion, Ovechkin.

If anyone cares, that’s from miah, whose body of work at The Rink you can search for and see why s/he was banned for yourself. I assure you it was not for simply defending his/her team or disagreeing. But you knew that.

Btw, for someone who’s happy to not be taking place in our “discussions,” s/he spent a lot of time here, posting more than five times as many comments on our site as on his/her “home” site, Pensburgh.

this

I’m not even sure what I did to get called out there. Maybe for past transgressions but I wasn’t really even that involved in that thread. But as J.P. noted, Miah isn’t telling the full story.

Ha. There are some things where I do smell a rat, but I subscribe to Hanlon’s Razor:

Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity.

This isn’t a Panther, is it?

(I’m traveling in Beijing. It’s late. What can I say?)

Sorry. It’s going to change.

I wonder if Nicklas Backstrom is sorta becoming a household name? Maybe not with the poor CHI-WAS ratings, but maybe he shows up on NBC and Milbury’s map now…(remembering to Milbury leaving Backstrom off his list of Swedish players to watch).
At any rate, if he keeps improving…what do you think his top season will be? I think ~40 goals and 110 points at most with scoring the way it is now. Hard to improve when your team is so good offensively.

Makes sense. I think I get it.

G. Campbell quits.

Ovechkin deals his borderline stuff out before Panthers’ games to keep the league on alert. They never know when the lunatic Ovie will emerge.

Because suspending Ovechkin doesn’t help his son, C. Campbell never suspends Ovie again.

And the rest of the league is too dumb to figure out the pattern.

With two goals in 57 games he’ll probably get fired before he quits. But then again if his father keeps supsending Ovechkin before he plays the Panthers, he’s too valuable to let go.

I dunno, which is worse at his job?

We are talking about a League whose Commissioner has had two work stoppages on his watch, hence c’est la vie.

Exactly.

Perceptions. The NHL seriously needs to manage perceptions a WHOLE lot better, or the casual fan will be quickly turned off from the game.

Bingo.

I know that the hierarchy is full of men who are retired NHL’ers, and therefore there’s a good chance they will have sons eventually playing in the league. When they do, they should not be in any position to affect their careers.

Interesting take over at “”http://www.litterboxcats.com/2010/3/16/1375438/tuesday-caterwaul-panthers-gameday" target="new">The Litter Box" that I hadn’t seen until just now.

"With Alexander Ovechkin now suspended two games for his hit on Chicago’s Brian Campbell – including tonight’s in Sunrise – there exists a small contingent of hockey fans who claim bias from the NHL executive who ruled on the matter: league disciplinary czar Colin Campbell. What possible favoritism could be in play? Campbell’s son Gregory is a Panther. (Got to wonder who still may have been unaware of that fact…)

Brushing aside the inevitible confusion resulting from three principals in this affair sharing a surname and the smashingly obvious opportunities for a sitcom pilot (“My Three Soups”?), I must agree there is the potential for an appearance of bias, given (Colin) Campbell’s ruling directly affects a game in which his son’s club is involved.

In previous matters regarding the Panthers, Campbell the Elder typically recuses himself from the disciplinary process in an effort to eliminate the perception of favoritism, but not in this case. All the more confounding considering Ovie’s suspension was not automatic.

Alex The Great remains just that, and everyone will have forgotten all about this when Washington squares off against Pittsburgh in a week.

What is a problem has been the Caps’ having no difficulty gutting the Cats all year – with or without Ovechkin: A 26-12 goal differential in five games fleshes that out pretty handily."

Maybe Ovechkin should be a little more judicious with his hits, then Campbell won’t have to make the decision to suspend him the night before a Panthers game. Just a thought. ducks

I feel like this calls for a photoshop