the 4th star

With the Carolina Hurricanes into the second round and into the hockey spotlight once again, it’s time for people to start bugging the few remaining people in Hartford about the Whalers and why they still love them.

Earlier this week, the New York Times had a fantastic piece on the Hartford Whalers Booster Club, complete with great links to the last Whalers goal scored at the Civic Center and the awesome Brass Bonanza. Today, the Boston Globe, already searching for story lines before the Bruins even take the ice with the former Hartford franchise, the Carolina Hurricanes, follows it up with a similar yarn.

Both entertaining. Four things:

1. How is it that Hartford had something cool like the Brass Bonanza and Winnipeg did not? The best we could do is play Van Halen’s Jump before each game. That was great and everything, and hearing that song forever makes me think of the Jets, but God, did we suck. And don’t write in and tell me about how awesome the White Out was. Sure, it was loud, and I had a lot of fun when Dave Ellett scored, but we stole that gimmick from the Nordiques.

2. Aren’t you Jets fans glad that the Coyotes are a terrible team? With no chance of winning the Stanley Cup in the near future, that means there’s no chance of reporters showing up at our doors asking us to walk down memory lane.

3. The Globe story alludes to people in Hartford cheering for the Hurricanes. I remember when the Jets left. Some people loaded their hockey loyalties into the moving van, too, continuing to cheer for the franchise. I wonder if there are any Coyotes fans left in Winnipeg these days?

4. An interesting point made in the Globe about attendance figures across the NHL. You mean wins and losses have an impact on crowd numbers? Outrageous.

The Whalers’ owner, Peter Karmanos, easily could have kept the franchise in Hartford, but bolted for the perceived bountiful riches of Raleigh, where the fan following has been passionate in good times (like now), torrid in winning times (including a Stanley Cup in 2006), but oftentimes, shall we way, fickle. Which makes Raleigh like many towns throughout the Original 30. Let us not forget, before the Bruins began pumping some oxygen into the Garden these last couple of years, the club’s season-ticket base plummeted to a range of some 6,000.

What! Hockey fans fickle? Gentlemen, throw on your Jimmy Mann jerseys and set your memories to selective…

No way, man! I remember the Winnipeg Arena was packed to the rafters each night, 15,000 strong. The best part about those nights were that even though the place was packed, as I remember it, we could move right down to the glass without any problem or worry. And there were broads everywhere. Hot ones, like waitress-hot. Plus, you’d think we’d have to walk past the north end of Winnipeg Stadium to get our car at the end of that cold, January night. No way, man! Turns out we could always get a spot at Chi-Chi’s. That was awesome, too! I don’t remember the score most of those nights (too much booze and broads and burritos), but I’m sure the Jets won. They always won.

The Slowest. Hockey. Draft. Ever. (SHDE) is through to the second round, and things are shaping up well for the 4th Star. Not only did I receive bonus points for breakfast appearances, yours truly also successfully made the argument that an additional point should be awarded (to me) for being the only one out of the seven participants to not drop a player after the first round.

Currently, we sit in second place, just two points back of this guy named Chapko. While some might be worried about the prospects of catching him, given he has the likes of Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, Getlaf, and Perry in his stable, we should draw your attention to: All of his guys have played six or seven games each, while four of my guys have been on the happy side of sweeps. So to be just two back without having really played any games yet, I’m comfortable with that. It all balances out, you know? Plus, I only expect to lose one guy (Staal) after the second round, so I should be cool.

A breakdown of my guys:

• Evgeni Malkin, Penguins — Leads the NHL in post season scoring.
• Eric Staal, Hurricanes — A point a game player, if he can get up to 12 before he gets bounced by Boston I’ll be thrilled.
• Michael Ryder, Bruins — My last pick has been a pleasant surprise. Ah, the freedom of never seeing the checking line.
• Marian Hossa, Red Wings — Only four points in the first round, but he should at least maintain that pace against the Ducks.
• Brian Rafalski, Red Wings — Same deal. Not enough chances to put up those quiet, three-point nights so far.
• Henrik Sedin, Canucks — Four points in four straight, too. The puck follows him around so I’m not worried. Not too worried, anyway.

An SHDE obit to close things out here:

Poor Dr. Hudson. Down to just Washington defenceman Mike Green after Staal ripped his heart out with a late one against the Devils last night. Three New Jersey players and two Sharks proved to be the wrong stimulus package for the economic doctor this spring. Here’s hoping Green didn’t concuse himself when he slammed into the boards in Game 7. Here’s hoping he gets an adult haircut before the second round starts, too. Dude, you do not play in Saskatoon anymore. Grow up.

Your second round schedule, as promised. All times are Eastern and all excuses to watch hockey are in play:

And to throw some love at the Manitoba Moose, who begin a second round series with the Grand Rapids Griffins this weekend, here is their schedule. No word of television, or the possibility of television at this point, but all games are on CJOB 680. The times are in Winnipeg hours:

Kristen Bell, certainly not hard on the eyes and a lock for Hump Day with those shapely sticks, is a Detroit Red Wings fan. Nothing really left to say here, other than to provide you with another image or two as we head into the second leg of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The full series previews, or reasonable facsimiles, are now posted. Coming later today I hope to have a full schedule of all the match-ups, as well as a Slowest. Hockey. Draft. Ever. update.

(before reading further, know that my Left Coast hockey bias is really leaning Larry these days)

The last time the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks met in the post season was in 1995. That year, a spring removed from the Stanley Cup finals for the Canucks, the Blackhawks destroyed Vancouver to the tune of a four-game sweep. I seem to recall Chris Chelios controlling that series. He may have even had an overtime winner. I really only remember Kirk McLean looking terrible.

The last time the teams shared a meaningful exchange, however, was in the summer of 1999. That year, Canucks general manager Brian Burke was looking to make a splash with his third overall pick, targeting not one player at the top of the draft but two. Twins, if you will.

Fanhouse makes sense of the tangled web Burke weaved:

The wheeling and dealing began when Vancouver sent defenseman Bryan McCabe and a 2000 first-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks (which became Pavel Vorobiev, who did next to nothing) for the fourth overall pick (which landed with the Rangers and became Pavel Brendl). Brian Burke then sent the No. 4 selection and a pair of third-round picks to the Tampa Bay Lightning for the top overall pick. Next, Vancouver sent the top pick to the expansion Atlanta Thrashers for the No. 2 selection and a conditional 2000 third-rounder. The deal was that the Thrashers would take Patrick Stefan, leaving the Canucks to take the Sedins in sequential order.

Now, Vancouver (3) and Chicago (4) in a second round sandwich.

1. Captain Crunch. Much like everything to do with the Canucks and any success people project them to have, it starts and ends with Roberto Luongo. He’s the best goaltender in the world right now and as long as he can see it, he will probably stop it. The young and aggressive Hawks will probably do what the St. Louis Blues tried, crashing the net at every opportunity and hope a few pucks squirt out into the open.

2. Speed Kills. As God’s Gift to Annoying Hockey Broadcasting (McGuire) alluded to Monday night, the Hawks are flat out fast. They can really motor. So too can the Canucks, as long as Willie Mitchell and Mats Sundin are on the bench. As we saw in the Blues series, the Canucks quick transition can be one of the better aspects of their game. This will be a fast series. Quick, someone get that tall, bald Swede some oxygen!

3. Talk The Talk. Alex Burrows, Ryan Kesler, Kevin Bieksa, Adam Burish, Dave Bolland — there are some real solid yappers on the ice here, and that should make for some instant intensity. The Canucks will have some rust, and considering how the Hawks just came out of a war with Calgary relatively unscathed, they will have a real test the first couple games. Chicago looks dangerous. Still, the Canucks have a guy named Luongo. Yo, that’s what I’m talking about, yo!

Vancouver in Game 7. They then go on to win the game and take the series.

It hasn’t even started yet, and I’m already sick of the Pittsburgh Penguins-Washington Capitals series. The ‘countless story lines’ the television set will bring is making me ‘swine’ ill.

If there’s one saving grace here in Canada, and there is only one, it’s that the CBC is covering this series. The price? Well, there will not be a daily doubleheader now, as TSN took the Detroit-Anaheim match-up with their first choice, but the cost is small for the Canadian hockey viewer. I don’t think I could take Crosby-Ovechkin TSN slurpfest for the next two weeks. No one could.

The marquee match-up: Washington Capitals (2) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (4).

1. Black Russian. Better player, Alex Ovechkin or Evgeni Malkin? Forget about the highlights. Watch both players play, like really watch them, in all three zones, and then re-evaluate your position.

2. Been There, Done That. Who actually thought the Rangers had a chance against the Caps? Oh yeah. After watching Washington struggle against an inferior New York squad, I have to wonder about the make-up of the new Big Red Machine. They didn’t look as polished as they should, and I think a little experience, mixed with a little talent — like the Penguins have — could be the determining factor for the flightless birds.

3. Toughness. Neither team has it, making it the ideal match-up in the eyes of the league. I’m sorry. I can’t write anymore. This is tough. I’m too upset over the loss of Sean Avery and John Tortorella to continue.

This is a tough one to pick, too. Penguins in seven.

James Duthie, on the TSN set as the good time boys wrap up the first round match-up between the Carolina Hurricanes and the New Jersey Devils during SportsCentre this evening:

“It is such a shame this series got so little hype.”

Gee, I wonder who controls the hockey hype machine…?

Well, get ready to crank it up like the Nature Boy, JD, ’cause TSN doesn’t have Alex Ovechkin, the New York Rangers, Sidney Crosby, or the sexy innocent youth of the Chicago Blackhawks to work itself up into a lather over, and it looks like the Hurricanes will have to do for round two. And I don’t want to hear about how great Cam Ward is, or how he should garner some consideration for one of the top two spots on the Canadian Olympic team in 2010, Mr. Magoo Mr. McGuire. Before you open your mouth, watch the third Devils goal in Game 7. Ward was down on the ice before the puck even came into the ‘Canes zone.

Anyway, it’s the Boston Bruins (1) vs. the Carolina Hurricanes (6).

1. Staal Tactics. In his last four seasons, the Thunder Bay native has scored 45, 30, 38, and 40 goals. That’s 153 goals. He led the ‘Canes past the Devils (thank you very much), and he’s going to have to score at least half that many for his club to have any chance of beating the Bruins.

2. Size Matters. Like Montreal, Carolina just doesn’t have the balance up front, and with smallish forwards named Ruutu, Samsonov, and Whitney (again like Montreal), they will be hard pressed to get into the scoring areas. Chara and Lucic should have a field day along the boards with these guys. In fact, the B’s might want to consider bringing up Greg Hawgood for this series, just to keep him fresh. Wait, the Bruins are in the second round? What year is it again?

3. History Lesson. This is what’s called a segue. As the former Hartford Whalers franchise, the Hurricanes do have some ancient history with mighty, mighty Bosstones. Adams Division rivals, the clubs only met twice in the post season, with the Bruins thumping the Whalers in 1990 and 1991. I know, I know — why am I typing about this, right? Well, you try finding something interesting about a series no one cares about.

Boston in six. Hopefully it goes that long.

Sure, Selke nominee Mike Richards hanging out with porn stars is cool and all that, but this post might be the best thing I’ve seen in the last two months. Well, there was that guy on a 10-speed wearing a balaclava and a cowboy hat in the North End the other day, but that played itself out long ago.

Thanks to PD for the heads up. Thanks to me for finding the pic of Richards and Gina Lynn. Thanks to Richards for wearing that stupid hat. And thanks to you for not asking me how I know who the female is without even having to double check. Seriously, someone told me who it is. I swear.

I successfully picked the Detroit Red Wings to squeak by the Columbus Blue Jackets, and now the defending Stanley Cup champions enter the second round of the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. That might not be a good position to be in right now.

The Anaheim Ducks of Anaheim pulled off the upset Monday night, beating the San Jose Sharks with relative ease. Six games of relative ease. I got that one way wrong, as I thought that a one-line team would be no match for the deep pool of talent the Sharks had on the roster. Should have taken the Joe Thornton-Patrick Marleau Duo of Death factor into that account, but you can’t always be right when predicting the future, can you?

So it’s the Red Wings (2) and Ducks (8).

1. Broken Wings. That was a physical series, one that no doubt wore some of their players down. After all, there’s a physical deterioration when you throw a hit, too. There’s a feeling Bobby Ryan is hurt, a sense that was seemingly confirmed with his invisibility in the Game 6 clincher. The Red Wings, on the other hand, are well rested and ready to go. Rust? Sure, but a period will shake it off and the real (and rested) Red Wheel of Wing should be flying.

2. Bubble Boys. One area Detroit matches up well against the Ducks is on the defensive side of the puck. Kris Draper is expected back, and unlike the Sharks — who have only a couple puck moving defencemen to rely on — the Red Wings have plenty of mobility on the back end. Nick Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, and Nik Kronwall should deal well with the one-line Anaheim attack. Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, Ryan Whitney and company were instrumental in the Ducks’ success. They’ll need to be just as good against the Red Wings.

3. His Name is Jonas. As in Hiller, who allowed just 10 goals against the Sharks. Two shutouts and a .957 goals against average, while facing 230 shots. Same old story, if he continues to do exactly what he’s done to get to this point, then the Ducks win. If he doesn’t, then the Red Wings win. Detroit won’t get into the physical stuff with Anaheim, and I suspect the Red Wings will have more than their fair share of power play chances. That, plus keeping the Getzlaf line in check, will be the difference.

The Red Wings in seven games.

Sorry to keep beating this dead horse that is the New York Rangers, but when a sideshow this entertaining keeps progressing to the level where the hockey is secondary, you have to keep whacking it. Great exchange yesterday between head coach John Tortorella and New York Post writer Larry Brooks, two gentlemen who clearly do not care for one another.

The account from fellow Post writer Jay Greenberg:

Actually the only thing obvious remains the Ranger coach’s lust for confrontation and hard-headed ability to make a bad situation worse. Pathetically, this is how he tried to put the incident behind his team yesterday before it headed to Washington for Game 7.

“I have no response, I’m not discussing that,” Tortorella said when asked by the Post’s Larry Brooks for a reaction to his suspension.

“You’re not discussing the fact you were suspended for a playoff game?” responded Brooks.

“That’s just what I said,” said Tortorella. “Next question.”

“That’s unbelievable, John. Unbelievable.”

“You guys have your opinions, write ‘em. Next question.”

“So after a player commits a mistake, he doesn’t have an obligation to talk?”

“You guys think you’re entitled to all information, Larry.”

“I’m asking for your opinion, not information.”

“You have your opinion. You don’t need mine and I’m not going to give it to you. Next question, please.”

Actually, I have a question.

What is more annoying in this exchange (and remember, these two have a history), the fact that a combative beat writer thinks he’s entitled to every single thought that pops into the head of Tortorella, or the fact that a combative head coach refuses to recognize publicly that his actions and suspension (and subsequent response from his team in Game 6) has more to do with the outcome of this series than the play of Alex Ovechkin and Henrik Lundqvist?