No Silver Cup

Thanks to S (and Gongshow Gear) this beauty of a video invaded my newsfeed on Facebook.

Chad Brownlee, a Canadian Country music singer — who used to play hockey (Vancouver Draft pick), wrote this song about his beloved Canucks. Yes, I know … our most loyal outspoken readers hate the Canucks but trust me ladies & gents. This is worth the listen.

Even if you don’t like the song just take a few minutes to admire him because he’s truly a beautiful man. And his voice…is just… ::sigh::

He models the song after Red Solo Cup by Toby Keith. Hence why the title is No Silver Cup.

Note: He’s wearing a GSH sweater & bucket!! The same bucket S & I rock on a weekly basis! Which says “Free Agent” — ladies, take note.

You know he’s a good man when he watches/plays hockey. You know he’s a COMPLETE winner when he rocks GSH swag. He’s gonna make a lady verrrrrryyyyyy happy one day.

Hey Chad,

We’re Free Agents too!

xoxo

Wheel. Snipe. Party.  

*L & S

Sweet Baby Jesus…

I was planning on waiting until the end of the first round to give my thoughts on who came out on top, but considering the way a few series have been going, all I have to say is this:

For the Vancouver/LA series:

For Pens/Flyers:

In the name of all that is good and holy, what the FRICK is going on?!

 

What do you guys think about these series?  Let us know!

-M

It’s Knuckle Puck Time!

Favorite time of year.  EVER.  Except for maybe my birthday (for those of you who are dying to know, my 21st is coming up on April 15!)  I love the playoffs, because it’s completely anything goes.  Every fan comes out with their predictions and hopes to God that they can say “I told you so” to their friends in the form of stealing their money from the pot.  My friend’s family does a pool every year, and even the dog gets picks.  Take a wild guess as to who has won the last 2 years.  The dog.

Always wondered how they did this without opposable thumbs

So, even though I’m your resident Western Conference girl, I’m gonna give you my picks for both the Eastern and Western Conference first rounds in two different posts just to give your eyes a break form reading my obviously riveting ideas.  Get pumped guys, $#!+ is about to get real.

That's right, Georgie. Time to put on your big boy pants.

Nashville Predators vs. Detroit Red Wings

This is definitely a matchup that will be an interesting one to watch.  The Red Wings are a staple in the NHL playoffs, having qualified for the playoffs every season since 1990-1991 (not including the lockout).  The Predators, however, have lost in the first round of the playoffs 5 years out of the 8 they’ve qualified in their short history.  But I think this year will be different.  They have home ice advantage, and Detorit is constantly riding the struggle bus on their road games.  Shea Weber and Ryan Suter can shut down Pavel Datsyuk, not to mention making major contributions on the power play.  Then again, the Red Wings are the Red Wings.  Their roster is stacked, with players like Lidstrom, Datsyuk, Kronwall, and Stuart, making them a very intimidating team on paper.  At the end of the day though, with their injury problems and road woes, I don’t think that this is Detroit’s year, especially with a first round against Nashville.  The Preds have waited long enough, and they deserve to make it through the first round, especially with their depth.  Predators in 7.

St. Louis Blues vs. San Jose Sharks

I’m still in shock that St. Louis is sitting just below Vancouver on the top of the Western Conference.  But this is why I love hockey:  any team could just be the one to win it all.  Alright, let’s get down to business.  In my opinion, it’s just this side of no contest.  The Blues are going to take this series.  They’ve dominated the regular season and took over the toughest division in the NHL, which, in case you’ve forgotten, holds 4 out of the 8 playoff spots.  Their goaltending tandem is completely solid, as opposed to the Sharks, whose goalies have struggled throughout the season.  Even given that, the Sharks are a playoff-built team.  They’ve made it very far in past years, but have yet to reach the coveted finals and seem to always fall short.  This might be another year for that.  Blues in 6.

Vancouver Canucks vs. Los Angeles Kings

Ah, the Canucks.  Anyone who has read my posts before knows what I think of the Canucks.  I’m not a fan.  However, they’re the President’s Trophy winners for the second year in a row, so you have to give credit where credit is due.  Truly, I think the Kings have a shot with a goaltender whose name should speak for itself.  Jonathan Quick is one of a few goalies in the league that send shivers down the spine of any player skating towards him down the ice with the puck on his stick.  But, aside form the goalie duel that will be one of the best, I think this will be one series that will absolutely go to 7 games.  Like everyone says, now the regular season doesn’t matter.  It’s win or go home, and I’m hoping for an upset on this one.  The Canucks aren’t drastically different than they were last year or the year before, aside from the acquisition of David Booth from Florida earlier in the season.  I think they can only make it past the first round if Roberto Luongo stays hot, because when he’s on he’s great, and when he’s not, it’s a collapsing Jenga tower of crap.  Their forwards are phenomenal, but they’re such perfectionists as well.  You can see it so easily when something doesn’t go their way, they start yet another collapse of frustration.  And for those of you reading this thinking I just want an upset because I’m not a huge Vancouver fan, just hold your horses.  I simply think the Kings’ cooler heads will prevail.  Kings in 7.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Phoenix Coyotes

I wish I could say I wished for this matchup.  If we’re being honest, I wanted both Phoenix and Chicago to make it to the semis, but unfortunately for me and one of these teams, they can’t both make it.  Now, given past experience, normally this would be a shoo-in for the Blackhawks to win the series in probably 5 games.  However, the Coyotes have won 3 of the 4 regular season meetings with the Blackhawks and have one hell of a solid goaltender in Mike Smith, who is coming off of an absolutely stellar 5-game run.  This is an underdog team, and the underdog fights a hell of a lot more because they feel they have something to prove.  Not to mention, poor Captain Sexpanther is still sidelined with an injury, which could prove to be a major break for the Coyotes.  With that said, I don’t believe that Phoenix is a playoff-built team.  They don’t have the playoff experience to survive against a team that is truly stacked.  Basically what I’m saying is forget the regular season.  The Blackhawks are the legitimately deeper, better, more talented team, and I think the only thing that can save the Coyotes is one hell of a performance from Mike Smith.  He’s their not-so-secret weapon.  With that said, if the Blackhawks don’t underestimate the Coyotes and Captain Sexpanther comes back healthy, they should be unstoppable.  Blackhawks in 6.

What do you guys think about the Western Conference?  Let us know in the comments, and get your playoff beards ready!

-M

Oh HELLLL Naw!

I’m about to get all ghetto up in here.  5 GAMES?!  FIVE?!  I don’t get it.  There needs to be some kind of solid guideline for how many games a player gets suspended for, because that seems excessive.  Keith has never been suspended in his entire seven year career with the NHL.  Seven years, and no suspensions.  Then he gets 5 games?!  I give up.  Ask me if I like the Shanabanner now, because I can already tell you:  NO.  Sedin got up on his own, he wasn’t bleeding, it was more of a shock to the system than anything else.  Okay now I’m getting angry.  I’m going to go watch 2010 Stanley Cup footage to decompress.

Off to the slammer...

I’m not only worried about Keith, but his D-partner Brent Seabrook is going to be bro-less for a little while now.  And they’re like an old married couple!  This gives M the sadz, because Seabs needs his bro.  And the Hawks need him too.  With Captain Sexpanther still sidelined and their top D-man out this close to the playoffs, it makes me nervous.  And I don’t do nervous.

In all seriousness, I do think Keith deserved a suspension.  It was a nasty hit.  But it boils down to the amount of time he was suspended for, and that seems unfair.  Since I know Joel Quenneville and Keith won’t publicly say anything negative about the league’s decision, I will:  THIS SUCKS. Period.

What do you guys think??  Tell us in the comments!

-M

Lethal Weapon

Well, it’s unfortunately come to this.  Duncan Keith, one half of the dynamic first defensive pairing for the Chicago Blackhawks, got an elbow up on a hit to Daniel Sedin during the Blackhawks 2-1 overtime win Wednesday night.

As much as I love the Blackhawks, and I know how intense the rivalry is with the Canucks, that was an undeniably dirty hit.  However, I think the difference between this hit and other elbows we’ve seen flying this season, I truly believe it depends on the person it comes from.  Duncan Keith is not a dirty player by any stretch of the definition.  He plays the game how it should be played:  straight-up skill.  I do think this hit warrants a suspension though.  Probably 2-3 games, depending on what Sedin’s evaluation says.

I will say one more thing:  this will heat up the rivalry even more, and especially going into the playoffs, these teams could realistically meet again.  And when they do, it’s going to be an all out brawl.

What do you think?  How long should Keith be suspended for?  Let us know in the comments!

-M

Peek-A-Boo

S likes to give me heart attacks every once and a while…just for kicks.

She snuck this goodie in the bottom of an email — which was completely unrelated to hockey. You know when your heart does one of those “I think I’m going to stop beating” things? Yeah– prepare yourselves.

I know, I know…most of our loyal readers are NOT Canucks fans. But come on, ladies. You can’t deny that this is indeed beautiful. And THIS (unlike Keslers’ nude shoot from ESPNMag) is NOT photoshopped.

nnuuugggghhhhh....

Enter Chris Higgins. Not going to lie– I had no idea who this beauty is. But I do now. Left winger for the ‘nucks. A 6’0”, 205lb, 28 year old absolute gem. AND the cherry on top: he’s an East Coaster (New York).

Kesler who? …I’m all over Higgins now. That’s right. This is me calling *DIBS* — to all you ladies in the Hockey’s Finest office. (Except you, D.)

So, go ahead. Do what I know you all want to do. Blow it up to poster size, print it out, and tack it to your ceiling like you’re 12 again. Enjoy!

*L

Best of the West

Before we get into what will be an EPIC matchup in the Western Conference, I’ll do a mini “L” freakout on the ASG selections.

SAY WHAT?!

There are two things that immediately come to my mind when I hear the ASG roster.

1) I can’t wait to see all the Hawks from our championship team reunite.  This year it’s Captain Sexpanther, Lil’ PK, Big Hoss, Soupy, and BUFF.  I wish Duncs and Sharpie were in there (I have NO idea why Duncs isn’t in there, but Sharpie’s injured), but hey, I’ll take what I can get.

2) I try to keep a calm head about who they do/don’t pick for the rosters, but DAMN, NHL, you make it really hard sometimes!  Where is Selanne?  Neal?  HELLLOOOOOO?!  Smh.

Even Trekkies are upset

It’s safe to say that Sobfest 2012 started a bit too early for me.  But I digress.

Now, onto the GOOD stuff :)

I love the Western Conference.  Every night, unless Columbus is playing (sorry dudes), there is some sort of a fantastic matchup.  The Western Conference, in my opinion, is the tougher of the two conferences.  Yes, the East has it’s stars, but the teams in the West faceoff in epic battles every night and truly fight for points.

Tonight, especially in the Central Division, we have some epic matchups.  Canucks vs. Blues.  Blackhawks vs. Wild.  Red Wings vs. Coyotes.  Predators vs. Avalanche.  Yes, I know what you’re thinking, “M, you crazy bag lady, how in the world are those good matchups?”  Well, my little hockey fiends, try this on for size:

Hang in there, Columbus :(

As you can see, the Blackhawks and the Blues are tied for first, with Detroit only 2 points behind and a game in hand, and Nashville is not too far off.  So, provided the Red Wings lose, Nashville could close the gap, and we could have ourselves an even better battle here.  No other division in the League has a battle for the top division spot going on right now, or at least one as close as this.  And, for that matter, no other division has 4 out of their 5 teams occupying 4 of the top 8 spots.  This is where I do a celebratory cabbage patch dance.

Tiger Tiger Tiger WOODS, y'all!

Okay I’m back.

If I had to pick one game to watch though, it would be Blues vs. Canucks.  The Blues are on a hot streak (4 wins in a row) and Brian Elliott is a brick wall, but never count out the Wonder Twins.  The Canucks have a great goal differential (but measly in comparison to the Bruins), definitely due to the solid play of the Wonder Twins and Kesler.  The Blues have been solid at home, as most teams are, but the Canucks are 15-9-1 on the road, compared to 12-5-2 at home.  I think it’ll really come down to goaltending.  Schneider is always solid, but if the Blues happen to get Luongo in net, it’s truly anybody’s game.  Luongo can be great, but if you crash the net once, he collapses like a drunk guy at a frat party.  If the Blues take this one, they’ll truly solidify their place among the top Western Conference teams, and everybody better watch out because the Blues are BACK.

-M

It’s Gonna Be Legen….wait for it…..

DARY!  Hey everyone!  My name is Marissa and I’m the newest writer for the lovely ladies here at Hockey’s Finest.  I’ve been a hockey fan for most of my life, but now I get to show these to my mommy and convince her that her “tomboy” of a daughter might actually do something productive with that obsession.  I’ll be following most of the Western Conference, so get ready for some sweet blog-lovin’ for the California teams, and I’ll attempt to be nice to the Vancouver Canucks.  But I can’t help it if the Wonder Twins get on my nerves.

Now, before anyone gets on my case about this, let’s get one thing straight:  Yes, I’m from the Chicago-area (first suburb north).  No, I am not a bandwagon Blackhawks fan.  I repeat:  there are no bandwagons that I’m currently on.  Let me tell you a little story, children.  My first hockey game was at the tender age of 5, Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues.  There were four fights in the first period and, according to my dad, I was cheering and jumping up and down for every single one of them in a cute floral dress.  So yeah, you could say I got started young. (Right there with ya, M. Starting early = the hardest habit to kick. I’m addicted and proud to admit it. -L)

Someone's gonna go on timeout

But let’s get down to the cold, hard facts, people.  I live in a (now) great hockey town, with a team that isn’t too hard to look at. (If you want brownie points, you can send me PKane in a box for my birthday. You have until August to seal the deal. -L)

Age:  20

Hometown Team:  Chicago Blackhawks

Favorite Team:  Chicago Blackhawks (what can I say, I’m loyal), but if I was forced to pick another team that I lurve, it would have to be the either the New York Rangers or the Anaheim Ducks.  I have a soft spot for Brandon Dubinsky, and Bobby Ryan and I made a Twitter connection.

Still have no idea what he was talking about

Future hubby:  Jonathan Toews aka Captain Sexpanther.  60% of the time it works every time. (S will NOT be happy about this. But– she’ll have to deal. -L)

Wish-he-was-my-grandpa player:  Stan Mikita.  Dude was the bidness back in the day.

Coach I admire:   Mike Babcock (Red Wings).  I know, it’s almost a crime for me to say anything positive about the Red Wings as a Blackhawks fan, but you can’t deny that they have one stellar team, and Babcock knows how to coach them (every year they’re a given to get into the playoffs).  I think that rivalry is one of the greatest in sports, not just hockey, but it’s one built on respect.  I went to the first Blackhawks-Red Wings tilt this year (HOLY CRAPOOLA it was awesome), and even though every cheer from Hawks fans was “DE-TROIT SUCKS”, I know every legitimate hockey fan in that building was thrilled to be in the same building as Lidstrom and Datsyuk.  Sick mitts, those two.

Twitterbug:  Bobby Ryan.  Like I said, we have a special bond.  And I really want to know what he was talking about.

Least Favorite Team:  Vancouver Canucks and Philadelphia Flyers.  DUH.  I would say the Red Wings, but they’re a truly talented team.  I feel like Vancouver and Philly are filled with a bunch of goons.

Least Favorite Player:  Truthfully, it used to be Dan Carcillo (he was a PEST in the Finals against Chicago), but now that he’s a part of the Blackhawks and I’ve seen his personality more, he’s actually one of my faves.  Plus Kaner needed another guy to bromance with while Captain Sexpanther sulked about people being mean.

Favorite Hockey Memory:  It’s a TIE!  For my 20th birthday, my parents surprised me with a Jonathan Toews jersey (I screamed in the middle of a restaurant), which was AH-MAZING.  Then, obviously, the Red Wings-Hawks game on December 30.  Fantastic way to close out 2011, Captain Sexpanther scored on a penalty shot, and our seats were right behind the penalty box.  Unforgettable night for sure.

Non-hockey related fun facts:  I can quote almost any movie at the drop of a hat, I do pretty good impressions of Sarah Palin, Harry Caray, and the Swedish Chef (yeah, you read that right), and I once held the door open for Joe Biden at a movie theater in Washington, DC.

But those are stories for another day, kids :) I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to be writing for Hockey’s Finest, but you can be it goes a little something like this:

Iiiiiin West Philadelphia, born and raised

You stay classy, hockey fans! (HAH! Classy hockey fans…HAHAHA…what a thought. -L)

-M

Holy Mother of God

No words can describe what S & I think of this picture…

...................

Coming to a news stand near you on Friday. Enjoy, ladies. This will be a Puck Bunny’s version of Play Girl — and the wallpaper for my new apartment.

Countdown: 40 days

So, I was all for doing a Tuuka Rask post…but S won this battle (You’re welcome readers -S). [Insert wise-crack about the--Canucks not winning the Cup so we should give them something--here]

Here you go Canuck fans…

There are Maxime Lapierre days left until our favorite time of the year!!

All kidding aside, Lappy (and the Canucks) are pretty much awesome. And even though they played my hometown team in the Cup Finals–and got VERY nasty–I still love them. Shhh!! Don’t tell any of my Boston friends! I’m already close to being evicted from my own city. (We will happily accept you into the Bolt Brigade down here in Tampa after your eviction! -S)

Anyway, happy 40 days left on this countdown. And we’re even closer to the start of training camp! YAHOO! :)