Tampa Bay Wins The Cup!!!

[Dirty Sanchez]

First of all, it does suck with tampa not playing next year. The nhl is very stupid if they let a walkout or lockout happen. they've just had one of their best playoff runs ( though u.s tv rating were down, they were by far the highest ever in Canada). Two small market teams one, many young stars were made, and both teams who made it to the final were offensive, explosive teams that didn't rely on a trap. perhaps the whl will have some success next year however, martin st. louis says he may play if the nhl locks them out.

First, at the NHL Awards last night, both Joe Sakic and Chris Pronger said the likely hood of a season next year is doubtful. At this point, it doesn't even seem the two sides are even talking, and so I am preparing for a work stoppage.

Secondly, I don't think the WHL will be very good. Beyond St. Louis, the players who have expressed interest in the league are quite average. Even if a number of current NHLer's join, its still will be lacking a lot of talent (the majority of the Euro's and Russians will return home in favour of playing here).

I agree the refs should have reviewed the goal in game 6, but when it happenedl ive action i wouldn't have thought the puck was close to the line, khabibulin madfe it look like a routine save. Can you IMAGINE the outcry if Calgary had one on that goal? the puck is an inch off the ice when u see it when it seems to be over the line, which means it may very well not have crossed, because u can see only a very faint white line of ice under the puck, which u would see if it was on the ice, but because it's slightly airboprne u should see more of the white ice.

Well, I firmly believe the puck was in (25 years playing, coaching, managing and reffing the game gives me some experience in the matter). But things get missed, and shit happens. However, the bullshit lines the league fed the Flames and the fans about the events that night are what pissed me off. First it was said they didn't have the view that showed the puck over the line (only claiming they had the over head and net cam). Then, they said the angle they didn't have originally, was inconclusive. Of course, they had yet to explain why they didn't tell the refs at the next stoppage that there may have been a goal scored. So of course once the puck was dropped, they play couldn't have been over turn. How were they able to get a good look at the play in that short of a period of time? It was a hand job the league gave Calgary.

LASt but not least, what the hell bad calls went against Calgary??
you'd have to be stupid to not call the hit from behind of lecavalier, and the hit on st louis in gaem seven was partly from behind, and partly boarding, but unquestionably a highstick. st louis was split open in the different spots on his face, i feel bad for Leopold, cuz it wasn't intentional, but it had to be called. And what about the call moments before that when the Calgary forward went to run khabibulin and the tampa player stepped in his way. the tampa guy got run over AND got a penalty... that was by far the worse call of the game. Don't get me wrong, i would have loved for Calgary to win, but it was an honest and amazing series. [/B]

Yes the hit on Vinnie was a penalty. But a major and a game suspension was a bit much. However, in the very next game, Gelinas gets hammered from behind, but because he doesn't lie on the ice, no call is made. Why? The 2 man advantage early in Game 4 was crap. The lack of a call when Donovan was tackled on his way to the net (that lead to his strained ACL and him missing Game 6 and 7) was interesting. The PP 70 seconds into Game 7 for TB seemed staged. There are more, but when a team ends with 12 more PP's in a series then its opponent, something ain't right. The call that lead to the Flames only goal was bad. But, if you had noticed, it was made by McCreary, the ref who hadn't been giving TB PP's all night (that was Fraiser). It was an even up call. I don't like even up calls, but if that entire game went by without Calgary getting a PP, hell would have broken loose. It was easier for the ref to give it at the middle of the period, then at the end. Still, a bad call, but considering all the bad calls that went against the Flames, having ONE go their way seems reasonable (still looking for the slash and the trip that lead to TB's first two PP's).

And finally, the hit on St. Louis. First, the player who hit him was Andrew Ference, not Jordan Leopold. Secondly, it doesn't matter if St. Louis was cut by the stick. Ference's stick never went about his own waist, and because of St. Louis' size, and the position he was in, he was clipped (Rhett Warriner almost lost an eye in Round 2 by Yzerman, yet that wasn't called). That doesn't make it a penalty. But more importantly, Fraiser didn't call a high stick. He called a charge. So in his diluted eyes, neither the stick, nor the cut mattered. So arguing about it is moot. Back to the call. Not only was that not a charge (a charge is a "run" at a player from one side of the ice to the other. Not 2 strides then the check.), it certainly wasn't a charge with less then 2 minutes to go in a one goal game in the seventh game of the Stanley Cup final. Unless a player is pulled down on a scoring chance, put the whistle away. The players went through over 100 games to get to this point, let them decide it. It was without question, the worse call in the history of the NHL. The hit looked devastating, and Fraiser was looking to halt the Flames momentum. Plain and simple. No true hockey fan who has been a part of the game for longer then 3 months will say that in that situation, a call should have been made. Of course, after that call, McCreary was forced to call the trip on Andy to even it up. Something he should have never had to do, if it wasn't plainly obvious Fraiser was heavily in favour of a Bolts victory.

At the Awards last night, host Ron MacLean made a few jabs at some of the calls, and Bettman just sat their with that "I don't know what the fuck I'm doing" look on his face and gave the "I love screwing over the Canadians in this league" smirk.