Since a lot of the Chicago fans who will be trolling visiting us in this upcoming series may not be familiar with me, let me take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Kent, I joined NM in January. I have a little blog/podcast that's been horribly neglected for reasons I won't get into here, but I have 3 functions here at NM. I do the Morning Coffee, where I recap the previous night's action, give a little insight into the upcoming stuff for the day, etc. I am the resident metal historian, having been involved in the metal scene for over 20 years. I am also NM's grouchy old man. So I welcome you to our little corner of the interwebs. So sit down, have a cup of coffee and make yourself comfortable. Not too comfortable though. It's not going to be a long stay. More after the jump...
The next couple weeks are going to be a lot of fun. There's going to be stats hurled at you, relevant or not. 'Experts' will weigh in with their opinions on who is going to win. People in Vancouver will get mad at things said by journalists based in Toronto. You guys will discover the Calgary fans jumping on your bandwagon are like that creepy guy who starts hanging with your friends at the party, talking loudly about how drunk he is after a beer and a half, who gets so annoying you try and hook him up with a girl just to distract him long enough so you can bail and hide at Denny's.
A bit of a change since we met up last time. You bring it up. A lot. That's fine. Whatever calms those fears inside you. That's right. We know about that. You talk loud and proud. And why not, you have a talented and exciting young team, that will win a Stanley Cup someday. But it's there. That little voice inside you that tells you something is not right. You've already seen confirmation of it. You struggled against the Predators, and could very well be playing them still if they hadn't done you a solid and imploded so embarrassingly. I don't want to lay it all out in one shot, lots to write about over the next few days. But that seed is growing, and we know it.
As mentioned, I like the metal and often provide a little bit of the heavy stuff to help wake you up here at the 'Coffee. As it turns out, one of my favorite bands is from Chicago: Trouble. The kings of American stoner metal, they've been around since the 80's and are still going strong. Saw them open for Pantera one time, super nice guys and an amazing live act. Here's a little hit off their musical bong...
They seem more like they'd fit in over here on the West Coast. Laid back, gettin' their buzz on. Might be good advice for dealing with the pain to come. As far as metal over here, BC has a nice little scene going right now, with 3 Inches Of Blood and Bison BC the most recent notables to make waves in the scene. But the face of BC metal is definitely Devin Townsend. An insanely talented multi-instrumentalist, he's known as 'The Mad Scientist' for his unorthodox approach. Being bi-polar kind of lends to that as well. This track sets up the series nicely I think, as you prepare for a team that bears little resemblance to the squad you faced last year.
This is our time. This is our game. And you're in our way for what we want. We will be relentless as we take you down. So there you go. You can call us cocky, but that would be a tad hypocritical. There is a quiet confidence about the Canucks right now, and you should be afraid. Your time will come, Hawks fans. Just not this time.
The Capitals feeling the pressure of the President's Trophy curse?
Sure as hell looks like it. With an opportunity to put a dagger into the Canadiens at home, they lost again. Jaroslav Halak was awe-inspiring as he stopped 53 shots in a 4-1 Montreal victory. Habs fans took to the streets in celebration, apparently forgetting that they still have to win game 7. Ahh, Habs fans. They're like Leafs fans, except their team makes the playoffs.
I've already seen some discussion that should Montreal pull off the upset that the Caps should fire Bruce Boudreau. Really? I have a huge issue with this. Boudreau's a hell of a coach, but there are some issues they should fix before letting him go. First, their goaltending is over rated. Their goalies are good, but not great. Second, if RJ Umberger tells you there's an issue with your defense, apparently you should listen to him. The Habs have been able to take advantage of a defense that spends far too much time thinking about offense. The speedy snipers Montreal has have gotten them to game 6 because of this. I think the mix is wrong in Washington. Tomas Fleischmann is a bit of an enigma, and Alexander Semin has been completely ineffective for the Caps. Fix those things, then look at the coaching. Not to say the Habs aren't outcoaching Boudreau here, because they are. Bruce needs to relax, take a deep breath and stop blaming the boards for everything.
The other game 7 is being played tonight, as the Coyotes and Red Wings decide who will take on the Sharks in round 2. Phoenix laid a beating on Detroit in game 6 at the Joe, and this one should be an all out war. It will likely be a game time decision if Shane Doan can go for the Coyotes tonight, and you have to think getting him back in the lineup would be a huge boost for the Coyotes. As pessimistic as I am about the Coyotes and the season they've had, they certainly have made the most of this opportunity. This is what everyone plays for. The opportunity to get that one game to decide it all. For the most part we've been supporters of Travis and the gang at Five For Howling, and wish them the best of luck tonight as they take on those douchebags from Detroit.
And finally, since it's going to be brought up. The mayor's office in Vancouver decided to declare today Vancouver Canucks day in the city. Some have called this a repeat of the 'parade route' incident. It's not, for two reasons. First, they've done this to get people to show their support for the team as they move forward. On the surface, nothing wrong with that. The second part, and the part that I have a problem with, is that this is being done as a political move by a mayor who will likely see his popularity fade as the Olympics hangover subsides and the horror of the bill and what legacy is left behind comes to light. Grandstanding by the politician, and not the team here folks. So sit down, eat a twinkie and shut it.