What's better than pot pie and late-night pucks?
Earlier this season, I did a running diary during a game between the Avalanche and the Canucks. The format got a lot of response, so I thought I would bring it back for my favorite thing in sports, Sunday night hockey.
The listed times reflect the time left in the period.
OLN has been showing some late-night feeds from the CBC, which has been a real treat this postseason. Is there a better play-by-play man than Jim Hughson right now? However, on Sunday, OLN has its own broadcast team from San Jose for Game 5 between the Sharks and Oilers.
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I'm microwaving a chicken pot pie as the first period is about to begin. If I would give one health tip, and I've called in sick once in my 17 years in the television business, it would be to shove as much saturated fat into your mouth as possible as close to bed time as possible.
It has worked for me.
First Period
Opening faceoff: Joe Thornton against Ryan Smyth. Thornton wins the faceoff. He's 3-for-98 on faceoffs in the series. At least, it seems that way. Before this series, we gave Edmonton a chance because of its success with faceoffs.
19:24 left: OLN just put up a graphic saying 80 percent of Game 5 winners go on to take the series. That was followed by a graphic that stated Ted Nugent killed 35 rabbits in April. A career high.
18:38: Goaltender interference against Edmonton. Entering Game 5, San Jose's power play is 1-for-20 in the series. When OLN put that graphic on the screen, the entire ice surface was covered. CNBC hockey! Edmonton kills another power play. Question: Who has more teeth? Smyth or the front row of a Toby Keith concert?
16:03: It's funny how some guys still aren't totally programmed for the tag-up offside rule. We still see some guys wait for their teammates to clear the shot before shooting the puck back in.
13:34: The game is off to a slow start. One shot on goal per team in the first seven minutes. Both teams have had one good chance to score. Milan Michalek is back for San Jose after Raffi Torres' borderline cheap shot in Game 2. That is big. Michalek was allowed to play here in Game 5 after he was asked his name and he said, "Lou." That was an improvement over his Game 4 answer of "Marlene."
11:31: Edmonton scores first. Fernando Pisani makes it 1-0. OLN then sounded its goal horn, which makes me want to kill rabbits. The horn is stupid. Stop. My sense is this game is not going to be a good watch. The players look tired, and Edmonton looks as if it might play this game a bit conservatively. Another power play for San Jose. Now, it's 1-for-21 on the man advantage.
10:24: Thornton is in butt-on-the-boards mode. He has to attack the net when he sees others prepared to shoot and attack. He's watching too much and isn't rebound-ready. Power play over. 1-for-22. Thornton made a couple of nice plays, but nothing doing. The puck is bouncing a lot. My chicken pot pie is done. I'm very hungry, but I can't leave this chair. I have cashews next to me to hold me over.
(Hey look, a Magic Johnson instructional DVD commercial. The OLN salesperson who sold that spot should be salesperson of the year.)
8:13: Another good save by Dwayne Roloson. He has his "A" game in the early going. Power play for Edmonton. Vesa Toskala didn't lose a home game in regulation this year, and he hasn't lost a home game in the playoffs. I love how Jonathan Cheechoo and Chris Pronger are going at it. Cheechoo is unafraid, and Pronger is not letting his size affect his approach. Pronger and Zdeno Chara are so good because they use their size against every player with contempt. Even the little guys. Some big NHL players almost seem to feel bad about being so big instead of using their size to annihilate people.
(Hey, an NHL promo with actual NHL players! Nice job, boys.)
5:30: Another San Jose power play. Referee Bill McCreary's moustache has just applied for statehood. Hey, the KFC goal cam! Nice. I had KFC last week. Another Sharks power play bites the dust. 1-for-23. Only 12 shots on goal so far in this game. I'm waiting for both coaches to rip off their faces only to reveal that Jacques Lemaire and Darryl Sutter are coaching.
1:25: OLN just put up a graphic for its Dodge Intermission Report that included the phrase, "Sound From the Locker Room," with no "s" on "sound." I hope that sound isn't Marcel Goc in stall No. 2. First period is over. One of the least eventful of the playoffs. Time for some chicken pot pie. Sorry, KFC.
Second Period
Mmmm, good pie. Even though it was sitting in the microwave for 15 minutes after "cooking," the density of the pot pie kept the inside warm. Never underestimate the density of a chicken pot pie.
Opening faceoff of the second period -- Thornton wins it again.
19:39: Icing, Edmonton. The first of many. The Oilers are going to turn into the Wild for the rest of this game, which should make Roloson happy. Counterpunch hockey time. The Oilers are the hungrier team right now. San Jose has more weapons, but the Oilers are hungrier.
18:40: Penalty, Edmonton. Again, Sharks 1-for-23 for the power play. Coach Ron Wilson said the Sharks needed to stay on the perimeter more and not pass through traffic. Let's see whether the Sharks fix their power play. Nope, 1-for-24.
15:30: Thornton scores. Scott Thornton. Classic playoff goal. Win the faceoff, screen the goalie, get the shot on net. The Oilers have nothing right now. This game is the Sharks' for the taking if they assert their will. Power play, Edmonton. Here is the Oilers' chance to score and play their defensive game again. I haven't noticed Ales Hemsky in this game yet. And Sergei Samsonov won't be back here next year. He has Blackhawk written all over him.
13:29: Goal, Oilers. Smyth. The Sharks defensemen are soft in front of Toskala. Smyth pushed off and created space for the goal. He has no fear in front of the net. 2-1 Oilers. We have a glass problem in the corner. OLN's Billy Jaffe is talking so fast his mouth just caught on fire. He seems like a very happy man. They are throwing back to the studio to show highlights of the Hurricanes' series-clinching win over the Devils. Back to the game. Glass fixed. 12:33 left in the period, 2-1 Edmonton.
11:05: Another power play for San Jose. Why aren't Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau on the ice together on the power play? Oh, they are now. I would put Marleau and Thornton on a line together for a few equal-strength shifts.
9:09: Another Edmonton power play. You have to hand it to these officials. They are calling the holds to the net and are letting players be more physical. The officiating is the best it has been all year. I think we have found the happy medium. Joe Thornton has to shoot once in a while. He is a one-dimensional passer. A gigantic Adam Oates.
(OLN's feed just went off the air. I am very frightened. Phew, it just came back.)
5:16: Marleau is playing way too cute. He is playing like Ottawa was playing against Buffalo. With the Oilers playing Minnesota Wild hockey, San Jose must screen, shoot and crash. Edmonton won't give the Sharks any odd-man rushes or room to make plays. The lanes are clogged. One more Oilers goal and this game is over. The Oilers have one shot in the last 10 minutes. Joe Thornton has picked it up a notch. That is beautiful to see. He needs to play faster. This is the kind of game where he needs to change his game up a bit to be a bigger force. Play like a little guy. Be nasty and relentless and go where the most goals are scored.
56.1 seconds: Another Sharks power play. Will it matter? They are 1-for-25 in the series, 0-for-6 in this game. Second period ends. This has been the least entertaining playoff game I have watched so far this postseason.
(I will now grab a plugged-in toaster and jump into my bathtub. One of those "Take Me Fishing" promos just came on. For those of you watching CBC in Canada, Buffalo and/or Detroit, you are spared this nauseating commercial. Instead, you are watching promos of second-rate television shows and local tire commercials.)
Third Period
OK, let's go, boys. This game has been like watching a Drew Barrymore movie. Pick it up!
19:48: Goal, Oilers. Shawn "turn your head and" Horcoff off a great effort by the Oilers' Conn Smythe candidate Smyth. Smyth for Smythe, tea for two, sugar, Mr. Poon? This game is over. Chicken pot pie in the microwave over. Marleau turnover behind the net. He has been awful.
19:28: Joe Thornton has a great chance, coming down on the off wing to score, and shoots the puck three feet wide. That's why he doesn't shoot.
19:17: Goal, Christian "I'm cold, please turn the" Ehrhoff. Finally, a power-play goal for the Sharks. The KFC goal cam just showed me the Sharks screening Roloson. Whenever they show the KFC goal cam, my cholesterol goes up. The contract for goal cams is usually one a period, so I think I will make it through the game without needing a quadruple bypass.
17:30: Tie game. Cheechoo scores. 3-3. The Sharks are doing better on faceoffs, and that has kept them in the game. I still think Edmonton wins this game. The Oilers are in control. The game finally is getting energized. Joe Thornton and Kyle McLaren get the assists. Why can't the Boston Bruins get players like that?
16:09: Another icing by Edmonton. The Oilers are hanging on for dear life.
15:57: Goal, Edmonton. Fernando "You look marvelous" Pisani on a two-on-one. I need Toskala to win this game. With Martin Brodeur out of the playoff hockey pool I entered, I am in good position if the Sharks can get some wins. There are not many goalies left in those Stanley Cup playoff pools. Those are crucial points. My remaining players in the playoffs: Eric Staal, Chris Drury, Corey Perry (that could be my undoing), Toskala and Samsonov.
11:58: Neutral zone 1-2-2 trap in full mode for the Oilers. The Sharks have to get into their heads that they will have to work for the tying goal. My bet is they won't. Meanwhile, the Ducks are on a beach somewhere in their Speedos working on their playoff tans. If the Sharks had Scott Niedermayer, that would complete them.
9:09: Edmonton is really imposing its will on this game. You can feel it. It's very impressive to watch. The Oilers are very North American, and you see how well they mesh. They smell victory, and it smells like KFC chicken. Meanwhile, Neil Smith just mentioned during the broadcast that his résumé is on Monster.com and he is available for GM work. I wonder what this game sounds like or looks like or feels like on CBC? Power play, Edmonton. Here is where the Oilers can ice the game. Power play over. 6:54 to go before Edmonton goes up 3-2 in the series. You can feel it.
6:29: McCreary's moustache just called a penalty. It looked like a clean hit after Michael Peca cleared the puck. Seconds later, Jarret Stoll scores. This chicken has been dipped in grease and cooked. The Oilers can now go home and win the series on Wednesday. San Jose had better get an attitude adjustment real quick.
5:08: The Sharks have completely lost their composure. They need Frank the Tank to scream, "We gotta keep our composure!" Actually, it's too late for that. Two penalties on one play. The Oilers go on to win 6-3 as Smyth scores. The worst part of this game is that I heard the OLN goal horn as the visiting team scored six times.
Is the series over? Back in 2001, it sure looked as if the Devils would win the Stanley Cup when they returned home to New Jersey up 3-2. They lost Game 6 at home and Game 7 in Denver. Right now, it appears all hope is lost for the Sharks. This is the time for leadership. Talented teams are fine when the going is good, but when adversity sets in, things can go downhill real fast.
That's where leaders come in to keep things calm and keep confidence high. At the same time, the leader confronts and reboots, reboots the team's computer to dredge the team of bad habits and sets the syllabus for playoff victory. But, who on the Sharks can or will do that?
The Sharks have Americans, Canadians, Swedes, Finns, Germans and Russians. Kofi Annan should be coach of this team. And most of them are young. Who has the personality and experience to understand what needs to be said and what needs to be done? We know who leads Edmonton's room and all the support that helps prop up Smyth.
Still, the exciting facet of this Stanley Cup season is that leaders can emerge. Out of the doubt and youth, a young player can emerge to seize the day. The Sharks are a young team. Only three players are over 30.
The Oilers have their leader. Who will step up for the Sharks? Who will become a man and seize the day? Go to the media and make some strong comments. Set the agenda. Let the hockey world know he is taking on the responsibility and will lead the way. It will fun to see who steps up, who acts like a man.
The Mother of All Mailbags
John,
I'm originally from Pittsburgh, and just can't help but notice the overwhelming New York bias towards Jaromir Jagr's accomplishments this season. He's on his way to (deservedly) winning the Hart Trophy almost unanimously, save the pockets of Thornton fans, and yet, when Jagr was dominating the league from 1998-01 with four straight scoring titles (and one in 1995), the league went well out of its way to give the trophy elsewhere.
Chris Pronger and Joe Sakic won it in 2000 and 2001, respectively, even though both of their teams would have made the playoffs without them, a claim which certainly couldn't be made about the Jagr-less Penguins. Dominik Hasek won it in 1998 despite Buffalo finishing seventh in the conference and the Penguins second, and hype-monster Eric Lindros won it in '95 and was the media's front-runner for MVP in 1999 before getting injured. I'm no conspiracy theorist, but my question is, do you think the media has had a conscious aversion to Jagr's accomplishments over the years because of his character, or did he just not get the exposure he deserved because he was in Pittsburgh? Certainly you don't disagree that his trophy case is at least two Harts short at the moment.
Dan Hopper
New York City
The MVP is chosen by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association in the 30 NHL cities. Most of them are North American, and that will always be a minor issue for a European come award time. But, by and large, writers are enlightened men and women who call it as they see it. Some of them don't see enough games to make an educated guess. When you cover one team, it's hard, impossible, to see all the games and get a good feel for all the players without just looking at the stats and e-mailing other beat writers.
From watching the games this year, I just thought Jagr's game carried the Rangers from Game 1. No other player in the league has a better combination of passing and shooting in the NHL than Jagr. He had very little to work with in terms of puck-moving defensemen and scoring depth. The Sharks have much better defensemen than the Rangers and obviously more scoring depth.
The Rangers came out of the blocks 4-1-2. They got warm in November and stretched their record to 17-7-3 by Dec. 1 to set up their season. They won all six of their February games to seal their playoff fate. I just believe Jagr was the constant presence throughout. I have no problem if Joe Thornton wins the MVP. He is the game's premier centerman because he does what no other center does better in the NHL. He makes his linemates better. And rich. He looks to pass first. He should be better at faceoffs and should shoot 200 shots a day in the summer to improve his shot, but he is obviously a big-time player whose numbers warrant MVP consideration and a Hart Trophy. I'm just saying if I had a vote, and I don't, I would vote Jagr MVP, an eyelash ahead of Thornton.
Hi John,
Easy question here: Would getting swept by Buffalo in the second round with this Senators team be John Muckler's defining failure?
Best,
Geoff Wolinetz
My defining failure of John Muckler was in 1999. I was in Toronto covering Wayne Gretzky's Hall of Fame induction. Sunday morning, Muckler underpaid for a Sunday newspaper and ignored the cashier as she tried to get his attention. After he left, I paid what he owed her. Goaltending is the most important position in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the Senators did not manage that position well in the offseason or at the trade deadline.
Hey Bucci:
Do you ever see the league trying to do away with fisticuffs in the NHL? Seems like they've basically gotten rid of the "goons" right now, but seems like they're trying to all together to do away with fighting with that "5-minute instigator" rule. What are your thoughts on the pugilistic arts in the NHL, needed or do-awayable?
Josh Kidd
Minneapolis
I love fighting in the NHL. It is thrilling, exciting and magnetic. Is it a deterrent? In some cases, perhaps, but I think that is a small factor. Major penalties, significant suspensions and fines would deter the "run around the ice" rat from doing dangerous things as much as fighting. My position is that the NHL should ban fighting. If you fight, you are tossed. The players are getting too big and too strong. We've already seen players have to retire from broken eye bones and multiple concussions. Bare-knuckle fighting can kill. Even Ultimate Fighters wear gloves inside the octagon. My other point on fighting is that we would still see fights like we see fights in the NBA, NFL and MLB. The NHL won't have to explain itself when someone dies on the ice if it bans fighting now.
John,
After watching the East go 1,2,3,4 in the first round and the West go 5,6,7,8, my question is, do you think this is a sign of a very strong and well-balanced Western Conference and a more lopsided East, or is it a case of a Western Conference in which the top teams weren't as good as their regular-season records showed.
Cameron Linthicum
Telford, Pa.
Let's face it, Stanley Cup playoff series are like Barry Melrose falling down while drinking his first beer of the night. Once the fall begins, it's hard to bring it all back. But, with the NHL lubricating the game, the NHL is a fast, young man's game. We've said that all year. The new NHL will be less about superstars and more about fast-skating teams with four lines of speed and hands. That's why Carolina, Buffalo, Anaheim or San Jose probably will win the Cup. I can't see how Edmonton can survive the rest of the playoff series. If the Oilers win the Cup, they probably will have a combined total of 12 teeth left and 14 torn ACLs. Have you ever seen a team give more than Edmonton has?
Mr. Buccigross,
This is in regards to your last column and the question about the SlingBox from that Silicon Valley guy. You will find that this box is the biggest technological godsend a deprived hockey fan could possibly dream of.
This box will allow me to watch Hockey Night in Canada on my laptop while in the boarding lounge at Frankfurt airport or in a wireless equipped Starbucks in Manila. The SlingBox is manna from hockey heaven, and you would be doing your overseas readers a great service by bringing it to their attention through your column.
Richard Gizbert
London
John, I would like to get your opinion on the recent rash of "legal" hits to the head. So far in the playoffs, I have seen three major hits to the head. The Umberger hit in the first round, Connolly in the second round (poetic justice?), and finally the Torres hit on Michalek. In my opinion, all of these hits could have been done in a manner that did not endanger the receiving player so much. The player "putting the hurt on" did not have to hit them in the head and could [have], at the very least pulled up and not hit them at full force. He knew how vulnerable the player he was hitting was. I would never let any of my boys get away with doing anything like that in any sport they are playing. They would be done for the season, at the very least.
Steve
Albuquerque, New Mexico
The Torres hit on Michalek was one in that grayest of David Gray areas. Michalek let up in the neutral zone after making a pass, something you never do. And Torres made the hit a second or two late, after Michalek made the pass. It was the same hit Scott Stevens put on Paul Kariya in the 2003 Stanley Cup finals. It's unsportsmanlike, and the only thing that can come of it is an injury. The shoulder pads and elbow pads are lethal these days, and the players too fast and strong. But, never forget how fast the game is and how many split-second decisions are made.
Bucci,
Mind spilling the beans on how you do the scoring in your playoff pool that you've talked about? We're doing one this year based on a similar concept (one player from each team), but it sounds like you've had more years to refine. Always looking for ways to make it better.
Miss you guys on ESPN,
Chris Vosler
Two points for a goal. One point for an assist. We get bonus points for an overtime goal, but I don't know how many. Goalies get two points for a win and I think three for a shutout win. As you can see, I'm not good at rules. I'm in the top five or so of the 112 entries. I was hurt by Ray Emery getting bounced. I was hoping for a least a couple more wins in the Buffalo series. I have Toskala as my other goalie, so the longer he goes, the better my chances.
Hey JB,
Just wanted to ask you what the heck ever happened to John Vanbiesbrouck. I know he retired and I heard about what happened in his first stint as a coach/owner. But was that it? I was a big Beezer fan and looked forward to seeing him behind an NHL bench someday.
Paul B.
Fairlawn, N.J.
The Beezer did some NHL games on HDNet. He did well and has a future if he keeps working on his TV game. He could be a good analyst.
Dear Mr. Buccigross,
What are the odds that Patrik Elias could be with the Flames next season?
Joey, age 15
Ontario, Canada
Elias will be one of the best players on the open market. He will be offered huge money by numerous teams. I'm talking like five years at $7 million to $8 million a year. Will New Jersey go that high? The Devils probably will hope for a 10-15 percent hometown discount and maybe offer Elias the captaincy as incentive. Elias is one of those pliable players who could fit in on any team. Calgary needs offense, and he would be an electric infusion. But, I think the Devils will offer enough to keep him.
John Buccigross' e-mail address -- for questions, comments or cross-checks -- is john.buccigross@espn.com.
