Chicago wins Cup, 48 hours earlier than scheduled! Mass Panic at Blog desk!

I was thinking that this post was going to be a comparison of the Tortorella/Vigneault trade but my Chicago Blackhawks upset my schedule a little bit by winning the Stanley Cup 48 hours before I wanted them to. So in honor of their accomplishment and this, my 100th post on this blog (with still no job offers) here's a look at comparing some facts that the TSN sports reporters dug up.

The Turning Point - the consensus seems to be that it was when Coach Quenneville reunited Patrick Kane with Jonathon Toews and Brian Bickell on the top line says every pro hockey analyst ever.

Ogie says - uh, i'd say the Turning Point was when Brian Bickell tied it and then Dave Bolland scored that goal-ahead goal 17 seconds later. Instead of going back to Chicago for Game 7, The double B's changed that making all of Chicago's Black Aces race to get their gear on to prepare for the presentation about to happen in less than 2 minutes.



The Conn Smythe Award - the consensus was Patrick Kane with Corey Crawford making a strong case for himself.  Tuuka Rask had an outside chance to be one of only 2 others to win the award in a losing cause.

If Bettman were on skates, they'd be
the same size.

Plus, Chara didn't even buy him a drink first or after.

Ogie says - I'd go with Brian "Dill" Bickell because he's got a great nickname, had 17 points, made only $600,000 and nobody ever heard of him before the playoffs. He's an unrestricted free agent this summer and may have priced himself out of the Blackhawks, thanks to GARY BETTMAN.

Injuries - The consensus is that playing through injuries are what hockey is about. Patrice Bergeron had torn muscles, cracked ribs, a separated shoulder, 2 bionic knees and a slight bout of gas. He still played a large part in Game 6, despite that.

Ogie says - There are going to be a lot of hung-over Chicago fans calling in sick with a slight headache. Just saying...

Goaltending - Rask was great. Crawford was great. Both looked nearly unbeatable except for their classic  eighties GAA in Game 4, reminding us all that we hate goalies.

Ogie says - I can't believe nobody pointed out the similarity between these two;

Theon Greyjoy  

he's so old, his mullet was considered
cool at one time.

The Ceremonial Hand-off; After receiving the Cup, all eyes were on who was going to be getting the Cup next? Would it be goalie Cory Crawford? Bickell? Kane? No, it went to Michael Handzus, his 1st cup since joining the league in 98-99, playing with 7 different teams, including a previous stint with Chicago.

Ogie says - Thankfully, next was Jamal Mayers, who actually never played in the finals, but was always cut after the warm-ups. Which must have FUCKING SUCKED. If you play 15 years and you are on the team that wins it, your name should be on the cup no questions asked. Then the other old fart who's never won, Michal Rozsival, so points for Toews for respecting his elders. A great, great Captain.

Marian Hossa - The guy has played in the Stanley Cup Finals 4 years of the last 6. But let's not make a big deal about that.  Everybody on the Oilers in the eighties also did the same thing.

Ogie says - But he did it with 3 different teams, 3 years in a row. For the record; Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, miss, miss, Chicago.

Refereeing - (silence. A lone cricket chirps)

Ogie says - Seriously, this is what makes the regular season so lame and two referee system so frustrating. If any of the last two series was regular season, each team would have 10 power plays each with the amount of infractions going on and we would all be tuning out quicker than an episode of According To Jim. It was like 'somebody' told both referees to not call any more of that chintzy shit they usually do and try to let the players decide who wins. They didn't want another Stephen Walcom call on their hands.

Boston Garden - The Stanley Cup has been handed out 8 times in Boston - only twice to the Boston Bruins. Home of the greatest Game 7 comeback in playoff history also home of the quickest collapse in team history.

Ogie says - Despite trying to milk the Boston Bombing for a couple more ounces of 'city pride aka Boston Strong', it wasn't enough. At least they out-classed Vancouver by keeping the ceremonial booing of the Commissioner GARY BETTMAN to an acceptable level.  

The X Factor - consensus is that Jaromir Jagr and Tyler Seguin's inability to put the puck in the net was a mitigating factor in their loss.

Ogie says - Dave Bolland.

I just won the F%%@ing Cup. Time to fight a Sedin!

Always a favourite of mine since this great interview clip back in 2011 talking about the Sedin twins or if you are old-fashioned and can't be bothered cutting away;

"Well, they’ll never become Hawks,” Bolland told WGN Radio in Chicago. “I don’t think we’d let them on our team. That’d probably be one thing. We’d be sure not to let them on our team. And, yeah, they probably still would be sisters. I think they might sleep in, like, bunk beds. The older one has the bottom one, the younger one’s got the top.” 

Bolland said that he and his teammates don’t particularly enjoy their road trips to Vancouver and Rogers Arena. “There’s a lot of weirdos there,” Bolland said. “You don’t want to be out there too long.”

Can't argue with these facts; Bolland had five points in the final, including the first Cup-winning goal ever in the final minute of a game.

And, he's right. There are a lot of weirdos in Vancouver. Like these guys.

She's the exception, but seriously, she shouldn't
wear that to a hockey game. She'd catch a chill.

Plus, these guys would be drooling all over her.