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Counting The Chickens In The Hockey Hotbed of NoCal
by IwoCPO on 04/24/07 at 12:25 AM ET
Comments (65)
Oh, they’re frothing in California at the prospect of an Anaheim/San Jose Conference Final.
All 8 people, combined, who care about hockey out there, that is. I present to you Shaved Ice, a blog I’d never heard of until tonite. I’m sure it’s because I’m so isolated.
The Sharks need to play Detroit next. The Red Wings have been beaten down, bruised and frustrated by a physical Calgary team. They are poised for their annual postseason collapse, which would have happened in Round One if Calgary could have mounted any sort of offensive attack. We need the Wings now because tackling the Ducks in Round Two will be too emotional. If…wait, I mean when we beat the Ducks, and we will beat the Ducks, it will be a huge accomplishment. I fear our guard could be down and a hungry Dallas/Detroit winner will take advantage.
The Ducks have to be the final step before we play for Lord Stanley. It is hockey destiny. GO CANUCKS!
I’m not going to pick on this guy too much because I think he might be 11 and that would make me an ass. But I will, for the education of his readers, pick apart his post like Bubba with an Easter muskrat.
“The Red Wings have been beaten down, bruised and frustrated by a physical Calgary team.”
Did you watch the Wing/Flame series young man? If you had, you’d see that just the opposite is true. Holmstrom has a cut eye, Lebda a concussion or ankle or both; but he’ll most likely be back. And if he isn’t? We’re pretty comfortable with the deepest D in the league. Zetterberg, Bertuzzi, Hasek, Lidstrom, Cleary: all healthier than they were when they started the series.
Frustrated? Frustrated by what?
“They are poised for their annual postseason collapse, which would have happened in Round One if Calgary could have mounted any sort of offensive attack.”
Yeah. Good point. Calgary’s offense is inept compared to big, bad San Jose’s. I know that for a fact because I just looked it up. Your Sharks scored 256 goals this year. The Flames? Far behind.
With 255.
So that offensive attack Calgary couldn’t mount? You might have a little trouble mounting it yourself, although in Northern California….it might come a little more naturally. Sorry kiddo. Mess with the bull…
“We need the Wings now because tackling the Ducks in Round Two will be too emotional.”
Ok, maybe an 11 year old girl. Emotional? Ummm. What?
Maybe it was an off night for Shaved Ice. Perhaps not. Regardless, you’ll find them linked on the port side along with other Sharks bloggers and newspapers under the heading of, ironically, Round 2: Sharks. If any of you San Jose bloggers know of sites I’ve missed please feel free to list them in the comment section.
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Comments
Oh, it’s racked. All the way to Suckramento.
Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 04/24/07 at 01:57 AM ET
Two more Shark blogs for your precious list:
From Behind the Mask is a pretty solid one I’ve been following lately, pretty insightful actually.
Bart’s Hockey Musings posts less frequently, but pretty much follows the fate of just the SJ squad. I’ll warn you before you get overboard on personal attacks, though—even with the name Bart, she is a girl. 
And yes, they all seem to fear the Duck, for now.
Posted by Earl Sleek from Los Angeles, CA on 04/24/07 at 02:10 AM ET
Personal attacks? Surely you jest Earl. Well…if they’re deserved. Thanks for the links.
Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 04/24/07 at 02:13 AM ET
“We need the Wings now because tackling the Ducks in Round Two will be too emotional.”
Ummm..What? It’s the playoffs—everything is emotional (at least after three games or so, if it wasn’t to start). I don’t think like that, and I’m a girl! (Far past eleven, though…I think when I was eleven I imagined inflicting food poisoning on my team’s opponents so they would be too busy puking to play anything. Either that or a plane crash somewhere remote so they would all survive, but be lost in Montana for a week eating grubs.)
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 04/24/07 at 06:15 AM ET
I like “Jabber Jaws” as a title for the Sharks bloggers.
Here’s a pic.
http://www.bluelinecomics.com/pictures/Jabber Jaws the Hockey Fan.jpg
Posted by johnnygloveside on 04/24/07 at 06:46 AM ET
One more I forgot:
Two for elbowing is mostly Shark content also.
And gloveside, I love that picture, and probably never would have clicked the link, so apology unnecessary. Nice work.
Posted by Earl Sleek from Los Angeles, CA on 04/24/07 at 07:59 AM ET
I just found this one on Yahoo. Pretty good…seems to know hockey, but also fears the Ducks. I don’t like that he thinks Detroit is a better matchup than Anaheim, but at least he respects our squad:
“Detroit is a very skilled and experienced team that is capable of beating a lot of NHL teams, including the Sharks.”
Posted by WingHead from San Francisco on 04/24/07 at 12:10 PM ET
It’s interesting to see different perspectives on the whole San Jose/Anaheim thing. I’ve been to quite a few Ducks games this season, and just about everyone I talk to seems as if they couldn’t care less about San Jose…they imagine Detroit to be where the real rivalry is.
Detroit has the status of a feared, elite hockey team. Anaheim still suffers Emilio Estevez jokes. They also know that unlike a Calgary/Oilers or Rangers/Islanders series, an Anaheim/San Jose matchup will grab zero attention outside of the State. Fans want to see the Ducks take down the Wings in a hard fought series so the hockey world will take notice.
Though I admit I haven’t been to a Ducks/Sharks game before…maybe it brings out a different element.
While I’m at it, one last thought on Ducks fans from a diehard Wings fan: Say what you will about hockey fans in California, they’re a really impressive group. They don’t just cheer for their team during the winning seasons. Plus, they cheer for the players despite the high level of turnover on their team these last few years. Over the last decade I’ve seen a real maturation of the fans there, both in their respect for their team and in their knowledge of hockey.
But I digress. Suck it, San Jose. 
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 04/24/07 at 12:10 PM ET
LOVE the Jabberjaws pic! Don’t apologize for posting pictures that cool.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 04/24/07 at 12:32 PM ET
“The Red Wings have been beaten down, bruised and frustrated by a physical Calgary team.”
LOL
Solid proof they didn’t actually watch any of the games.
Posted by Paul on 04/24/07 at 12:45 PM ET
“I think when I was eleven I imagined inflicting food poisoning on my team’s opponents so they would be too busy puking to play anything.”
Scotty Bowman would like you. To this day, most of us are convinced (though we have no proof) it was he who ordered the visitors’ locker room to get a fresh coat of paint in 1996 for the St Louis Blues. Nothing like fresh paint fumes to get you geared up for an NHL playoff game. Oh, and there were reports that someone had mucked with the thermostat. Next season? Fresh paint again.
“That room has had eight coats of paint the last two years,” former Blues defenseman Marc Bergevin told reporters at the time. “It looks nice, though.”
Posted by Paul on 04/24/07 at 12:53 PM ET
Am I the only one to notice that although Shaved Ice is much happier to face the Wings in the secound round rather than the Ducks, he/she/it completes his/her/its post by shouting GO CANUCKS!
Cause he/she/it spent the entire post wishing for a thrid round of Californian duelship (is that a real word?) then finishes with a GO CANUCKS?
What gives?
Posted by Luc on 04/24/07 at 01:53 PM ET
The eleven year old girl strikes back.
Posted by SharksFan from San Jose, CA on 04/24/07 at 02:14 PM ET
Luc, your sense of timing is worse than those men in the Versus commercials.
The post was written before last night’s G7 had occured, so the only way the Sharks could avoid the Ducks in the 2nd round was a G7 victory by the Canucks. Had Dallas won, then SJS and ANA would have been forced into a round 2 confrontation.
Thus, Go Canucks (in G7).
Posted by Earl Sleek from Los Angeles, CA on 04/24/07 at 03:21 PM ET
I’ve never quite understood it when people use name-calling (in this case, calling a Sharks blogger an 11-year-old girl) to show how mature they are, compared to the other person.
It’ll get settled on the ice, whether or not you think all Sharks fans are mouth-breathers, or have bad taste in music, or wear white after Labor Day, or are 11 year old girls, or don’t exist.
Go Sharks.
Posted by Ian from San Francisco, CA on 04/24/07 at 03:42 PM ET
Ian…
That’s a pretty name.
Have your testicles dropped yet, Ian?
Posted by O-Joe on 04/24/07 at 04:54 PM ET
Your own readers don’t want to play San Jose, they admit that San Jose is a horrible matchup. Read the comments from your previous post:
http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/A2Y/comments/ohgood_its_san_jose/
I guess you want to throw out the season series record, I guess you want to overlook the talented forwards, I guess you want to over look a goaltender who went 17-2-1 in the final 20 before the playoffs.
Let’s drop the puck and see what happens.
GO SHARKS!!!!
Posted by Toby from California on 04/24/07 at 05:13 PM ET
dear toby, lucky for all the nay-sayers the detroit red wings will be playing the game. not their own readers. lets go red wings!
Posted by hockey mom from pa on 04/24/07 at 05:26 PM ET
“Your own readers don’t want to play San Jose, they admit that San Jose is a horrible matchup.”
Dallas would be easier, sure.
“I guess you want to throw out the season series record”
Not totally, but both teams are quite different from 4 monhts ago.
“I guess you want to overlook the talented forwards, I guess you want to over look a goaltender who went 17-2-1 in the final 20 before the playoffs.”
How about a goalie who has never lost a playoff series when wearing the Winged Wheel? How about San Jose’s anemic PP? How about everyone saying “Detroit wont’ be able to handle Calgary’s physical play” yet it’s Calgary who is golfing?
“Let’s drop the puck and see what happens. “
Exactly. My favorite thing about this series is that it should be clean, good hockey. Not the cheapshot festival that is Nashville and Calgary.
Posted by Paul on 04/24/07 at 05:28 PM ET
Somebody needs to inform the 11-year-old girls that:
a. This is playoff hockey. The results from the regular season don’t mean diddle-de-dick, except to those searching for something to feel good about.
b. Neither Chris Osgood nor Joey MacDonald will be in net for the Wings in this series, as was the case for a couple of the practice season games.
Posted by O-Joe on 04/24/07 at 05:57 PM ET
O-Joe
The results from the regular season don’t mean diddle-de-dick,
Tell that to the OP who quoted regular season goals-for in comparing the Flames and Sharks. How’s this: Sharks playoff goals per game 3.2, Flames: 1.7.
Paul:
My favorite thing about this series is that it should be clean, good hockey
I’m glad we found something we can agree on.
Posted by Mike on 04/24/07 at 06:15 PM ET
“Tell that to the OP who quoted regular season goals-for in comparing the Flames and Sharks. How’s this: Sharks playoff goals per game 3.2, Flames: 1.7.”
So you admit the Wings defense is better than Nashville’s. Thanks.
Posted by Paul on 04/24/07 at 06:24 PM ET
Sports Illustrated picks the Sharks to win in seven. Seems no one is a believer.
Posted by Can'tStoptheGrier on 04/24/07 at 06:31 PM ET
That and the fact that that cue-ball in net for Nashville still couldn’t carry Hasek’s stuff, even at age 42.
Posted by O-Joe on 04/24/07 at 06:32 PM ET
“Sports Illustrated picks the Sharks to win in seven. Seems no one is a believer.”
Everybody said all these same things about Calgary. Ho hum.
Posted by Paul on 04/24/07 at 06:36 PM ET
So you admit the Wings defense is better than Nashville’s. Thanks.
With Kronwall, sure. But that 20 minutes has to go somewhere. Let’s say the Wings are slightly better than the Preds on D even without him. So it’ll take an extra game or two for the Sharks to win the series.
Posted by Mike on 04/24/07 at 06:39 PM ET
I’ve never quite understood it when people use name-calling (in this case, calling a Sharks blogger an 11-year-old girl) to show how mature they are, compared to the other person.
I don’t think anyone is making the case that IwoCPO is more mature than the 11 year old girl in SJ, Ian… just that he knows hockey better than one.
Everyone knows girls mature more quickly than boys. Duh.
Posted by HockeyinHD on 04/24/07 at 06:49 PM ET
Exactly. Thank you HD. This blog doesn’t exactly, you know, reek of maturity.
And Ian, grow some thick skin or take a hike. It’s all about sarcasm sister. Handle it or head back to the wine tasting.
Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 04/24/07 at 06:53 PM ET
” So you admit the Wings defense is better than Nashville’s. Thanks.
With Kronwall, sure. But that 20 minutes has to go somewhere.”
Actually, Kronwall was a bit of a defensive liability…and, uh, they didn’t have him for the first round, so how is the absence of Kronwall relevant?
Posted by Paul on 04/24/07 at 06:57 PM ET
BTW, Mike…you seem to be forgetting that defense isn’t just about the guys on the blue line.
Zetterberg and Draper are two of the best defensive forwards in the league. Datsyuk is damn fine at it, too - and showed it for all the weeks when he didn’t have Zetterberg on his line.
The bottom line is the Wings are one of the top defensive teams in the league. This was true for the regular season, and true in the first round. #1 in shots against, #2 in goals against in the regular season. In the first round they allowed four fewer goals having played two more games than the Sharks, are #2 in GA/G, and #1 in SA/G. All the stats are in Detroit’s favor.
Posted by Paul on 04/24/07 at 07:11 PM ET
Sorry, make that having played one more game than the Sharks.
Posted by Paul on 04/24/07 at 07:12 PM ET
Danny “five teams in five years” Markov? Kyle Quincey? Andreas Lilja? I have major respect for your top two D, they are the best around but then there is a major drop off in my Motown my friends. Patrick Marleau will not be intimidated by Kyle Quincey on the boards. Look out MVP Joe Thornton - Andreas Lilja is chasing you! You better watch your back Bill Guerin, I think Danny Markov is going to change teams again!
You can’t seriously think you’re going to win a Cup. Seriously, you think you are? No wait….seriously?
Posted by Can'tStoptheGrier on 04/24/07 at 07:12 PM ET
“Danny “five teams in five years” Markov?”
Obviously you haven’t watched him much as a Wing, nor in the first round.
“Andreas Lilja?”
See above.
“Kyle Quincey? “
The kid was solid, and Lebda will be back. And before you type “Brett Lebda?” I’ll point out, again, obviously you haven’t watched these guys much.
“I have major respect for your top two D, they are the best around but then there is a major drop off in my Motown my friends.”
Actually, there’s not. Try top 3. Lidstrom, Chelios, Schneider (hint: you’ll need two hands to count the Norris Trophies).
” Patrick Marleau will not be intimidated by Kyle Quincey on the boards. Look out MVP Joe Thornton - Andreas Lilja is chasing you! You better watch your back Bill Guerin, I think Danny Markov is going to change teams again!”
Just wait and see. You obviously don’t know anything about the Wings’ d-men.
“You can’t seriously think you’re going to win a Cup. Seriously, you think you are? No wait….seriously? “
You’d need both hands, both feet, and a friend’s hands and feet to count the Stanley Cup rings on this team. How many do the Sharks have? I think you’d need just one finger - and I’ll tell you which one…
Posted by Paul on 04/24/07 at 07:27 PM ET
Paul,
First of all, 6 games is not exactly a significant sample size. I agree playoffs and regular season are different animals, but to make sweeping conclusions that Detroit’s defense is better based on stats from a single series is patently ridiculous.
I’m not going to go into a polemic about how Detroit has faced inferior opposition than the Sharks during the regular season, but there is evidence to support it. An extra few games against Columbus or St. Louis would pad our GA stats too. Since you brought up regular season goals against, I’ll point out Detroit and San Jose gave up exactly the same number - 199. Detroit played 37 games against playoff teams, San Jose 42.
Posted by Mike on 04/24/07 at 07:36 PM ET
Who is Brett Lebda? Is he like Kayser Soeze?
Posted by Can'tStoptheGrier on 04/24/07 at 07:46 PM ET
“to make sweeping conclusions that Detroit’s defense is better based on stats from a single series is patently ridiculous.”
Um, that’s why I included regular season stats. Keep trying to deny it, but the Wings are basically the top defensive team in the league any way you look at it. Again, count the Norris Trophies. While you’re at it, count the Selkes. And the Vezinas. And the Pearsons. And the Harts. And the Jennings.
I know you want to poo-poo the Wings. But you can’t. Just be a man and admit they’re a formidable team with mountains of experience.
“An extra few games against Columbus or St. Louis would pad our GA stats too.”
I get so tired of this crap. Ever think that maybe the reason the other Central Division teams have such a tough time is that they have to play Detroit and Nashville so much? Everyone wants to say - look how bad they are, that’s why the Wings beat them. How about “look how good the Wings are, that’s why the other teams lose”?
Posted by Paul on 04/24/07 at 08:15 PM ET
“Since you brought up regular season goals against, I’ll point out Detroit and San Jose gave up exactly the same number - 199.”
Not sure where you get your stats, but NHL.com says 191 for the Wings, 197 for the Sharks. Not a huge difference, but a difference.
Also, if you look at 5-on-5 the Wings let in the fewest in the league, 104 (11 fewer than #2), and San Jose let in 129. That shows that San Jose wins with the PP. How was their PP in the first round?
Again, I know you want to poo-poo the Wings. Keep trying, but you won’t succeed. The stats favor them, and that’s a fact.
Posted by Paul on 04/24/07 at 08:18 PM ET
Ever think that maybe the reason the other Central Division teams have such a tough time is that they have to play Detroit and Nashville so much?
Yeah, I used to think that, but then we played them ourselves.
It is pretty defensible to say that if Colorado, for example, could switch divisions with Detroit, that Colorado’s stats would be inflated to some degree. But I will grant you this: just because Detroit has a divisional advantage on some other teams, that does not mean that Detroit is not a dominant squad.
It’s just what it is: beating weaker teams reveals very little about a team’s strength. Maybe they’re just good enough to beat the bad teams, maybe they’re dominant.
Posted by Earl Sleek from Los Angeles, CA on 04/24/07 at 08:25 PM ET
“It’s just what it is: beating weaker teams reveals very little about a team’s strength. Maybe they’re just good enough to beat the bad teams, maybe they’re dominant.”
Well, if you look at their late-season games, they Nashville repeatedly, beat Anaheim, and actually lost to Chicago. If there were a weakness I could point to, it’s that the Wings play down to their opponents - or up to them.
We can argue stats all night - and I will if you want since there’s NO FREAKING HOCKEY TO WATCH!! LOL
But when it comes down to it, they play the games for a reason….
Posted by Paul on 04/24/07 at 08:31 PM ET
Just be a man and admit they’re a formidable team with mountains of experience.
Don’t put words in my mouth. I never said the Wings aren’t a good team, or that they don’t have experience. I said I thought they were overrated, and the Sharks would win. If you’re expecting me to bow to the almighty altar of Hockeytown, you’ll be waiting awhile.
Posted by Mike on 04/24/07 at 09:04 PM ET
An extra few games against Columbus or St. Louis would pad our GA stats too.
As opposed to LA and Phoenix?
Seriously, find some grippage. It’s like there were no poor teams in the Pacific or something, to hear you Sharks fans go on.
Posted by HockeyinHD on 04/24/07 at 09:09 PM ET
Jeez Mike. It took you that long to figure it out? Of course that’s what we expect.
Seriously, it’s been fun watching this debate tonite. Two knowledgable hockey guys.
Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 04/24/07 at 09:10 PM ET
“Don’t put words in my mouth. I never said the Wings aren’t a good team, or that they don’t have experience.”
OK, now show me where I said you said…oh, never mind.
can they just start tomorrow? geez.
Posted by Paul on 04/24/07 at 09:24 PM ET
Good grief. In the dim history of two seasons (2003-2004) ago it was the Pacific which only had two playoff eligible teams. I wonder if these SJ guys spun the ‘well, our division sucks so we must suck’ card come playoff time, or if it’s just an oh-so-convienent (il)logical crutch to lean on heading into a series now.
Then again, in 2003-2004 they were both what… 8 year old girls? I’m pretty sure they weren’t flashing NHL highlights during skits of the Wiggles.
Posted by HockeyinHD on 04/24/07 at 09:27 PM ET
I suppose I’ll bite again.
Hmm, what has happened since ‘03-‘04… oh, that’s right, divisional play has upped to 8 games per year. It’s more comforting now since the lockout to be in a weak division, perhaps that’s where it’s been coming from?
You are right to condemn the Pacific for making their claims when at the same time trodding all over the Queens and Dogs, though. But still, the grass always looks greener in that softsack Central, with a third team to kick around.
Posted by Earl Sleek from Los Angeles, CA on 04/24/07 at 09:51 PM ET
“It’s more comforting now since the lockout to be in a weak division, perhaps that’s where it’s been coming from?”
Yeah, it’s not like the Wings won anything before then. Oh, wait…
Now, what exactly did the Sharks win before the lockout? Hmmmm….who does it seem to have helped, again?
Posted by Paul on 04/24/07 at 11:01 PM ET
can they just start tomorrow? geez.
What, and miss out on all this fun? :-D
I’m pretty sure they weren’t flashing NHL highlights during skits of the Wiggles.
If you must know, it was between episodes of Blues Clues.
Posted by Mike on 04/24/07 at 11:07 PM ET
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