NHL Playoffs thread - Pick the Winners

[snoopy369]

Chicago Tribune has a page with fresh video. Stanley Cup celebration going on now at Haray Caray's. Cup is there.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...2533.htmlstory

Sweet, I know where I'm taking my lunch now...

[Sava]

lucky

[Sava]

for next season, i am gonna see if I can get CBC
Jim Hughson > Mike Emrick

I can't listen to Emrick anymore. He wouldn't shut up when the Hawks were parading around with the Cup.

[Sava]

Sweet, I know where I'm taking my lunch now...

too late

the party is moving

The team -- and the Cup -- are believed headed to The Pony Inn in Lakeview.

@8:33am our time

[snoopy369]

Yeah, I saw... will just have to see where it is around lunchtime I guess

[Sava]

The parade will be Friday. Sounds like that is going to be a real ****show

[snoopy369]

Hmm, now I know what day to take off.

[Garth Vader]

Congrats Asher and Guynemer!

Why did they snub Crawford for the Conn Smythe? Wasn't Kane invisible for a series or two?

[snoopy369]

Kane was initially invisible, but did eventually score quite a few goals/assists and won a couple of games for us by himself. Game 5 he scored both goals prior to the EN, and in the 6-5 game he was very good. I would guess the 6-5 game is what cost Corey the award, and giving up a few pretty lame goals (including one last night).

He also didn't have any shutouts, which seem to be important for goalies getting the award. Quick for example had an incredible finals (0,1,1,2 goals allowed) and 3 shutouts in total. Crawford only had one shutout, and 9 games with 1 or 0 goals allowed, which is quite good but not nearly at Quick's level. Thomas' 2011 was also very solid - 4 shutouts (2 each in the conference finals and finals).

[Sava]

He also didn't have any shutouts, which seem to be important for goalies getting the award. Quick for example had an incredible finals (0,1,1,2 goals allowed) and 3 shutouts in total. Crawford only had one shutout, and 9 games with 1 or 0 goals allowed, which is quite good but not nearly at Quick's level. Thomas' 2011 was also very solid - 4 shutouts (2 each in the conference finals and finals).

The Conn Smythe has always pissed me off. 2003 was stupid. Gigure got it even though the Ducks lost... and Brodeur had 3 shutouts in the Finals, in addition to a lower GAA and Save % than Gigure.

Crawford also had better numbers than Gigure did in that year.

Every Chicago media member who cast a vote gave it to Crawford. The blame has to be on the Canadian idiots who only saw the Hawks in the Finals.

[Ben Kenobi]

Yeah, the Conn Smythe seems to require about 3-4 shutouts. A split of 1/8 in 9 games is actually rather hard to do.

[snoopy369]

I think Giguere won because he singlehandedly dragged a mediocre team to the cup finals with his 1.62 GAA (which was tops, Brodeur was 1.65) while Brodeur was tending goal for one of the best teams in hockey. Giguere did have five shutouts, including totally dominating the 1-seeded Wild with 3 shutouts in a sweep. I imagine that sweep was really what did it for him; the finals was a letdown, but even then his play helped take it to seven games against a far superior team.

[Sava]

The NHL has been good the last few years (even without the Hawks winning), despite offensive numbers continuing to suck. It's good to see the major markets having success... the LA's, the Boston's. Having two original sixes in the Finals was great. This is so much better than some of the bull**** years when it was a Carolina in there, or Edmonton, or Calgary, or Tampa Bay... nobody cares about those teams. Vancouver is a scumbag city, but at least big enough to matter a bit. But aside from Toronto and Montreal, the rest of Canada is basically a feeder system for the rest of the serious NHL teams... the franchises that matter.

Even a desolate failure of a city like Detroit is a more legitimate NHL franchise than the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Winnepeg Jets. Those teams should be perpetually devoid of talent... kind of like that team the Harlem Globetrotters always destroys.

[Sava]

I think Giguere won because he singlehandedly dragged a mediocre team to the cup finals with his 1.62 GAA (which was tops, Brodeur was 1.65) while Brodeur was tending goal for one of the best teams in hockey. Giguere did have five shutouts, including totally dominating the 1-seeded Wild with 3 shutouts in a sweep. I imagine that sweep was really what did it for him; the finals was a letdown, but even then his play helped take it to seven games against a far superior team.

Hmm. Wikipedia gave me false stats. 1.92 GAA

Hockey reference ftw

But still. MVP is usually the player most valuable to a team's success. By definition, it should not go to the losing team.

[notyoueither]

Great game. I do not recall a finish like that.

Congrats to the winners.