Hockey Talk
Watching San Jose making another early playoff exit can't help but make one empathize with the futility of the fans that support and follow the Sharks. While San Jose had a great regular season winning the President's trophy in the process, this team couldn't even get past the first round losing to its arch rival Anaheim in six games. I knew when the seedings came out that San Jose had the worst possible matchup for a number one seed but I still figured that they would be able to defeat Anaheim in 6 or 7 games. Alas, San Jose again showed that the regular season means little other than it gets you into the playoffs. However, once the playoffs begin, your regular season record means nothing, and you have to prove yourself all over again. It seems that some teams are just not able to get over the hump and gain hockey immortality by winning a Cup. San Jose may just be one of those teams. They are a team loaded with stars and veterans, and much was expected of them this year. With free agency and the salary cap, it's hard to keep a nucleus of players together for long, and this may have been their best chance to win a cup. The Ottawa Senators are another team that had some great teams in recent years, but were never able to complete the deal, although they did at least make it to the finals two years ago. While many are called, few are chosen, and it makes one appreciate even more the teams that are able to win hockey's biggest prize. Unfortunately, San Jose will not be one of those teams again this year.
Washington Capitals Hockey
Sports and Culture
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Home Ice Advantage?
Hockey Talk
I used to believe that home ice was more of an advantage in hockey than other sports but watching this years playoffs makes me wonder if that is really the case. The latest statistic that I saw showed that home teams had won just over 50% of the games so far making home ice a virtual non factor in most of the playoff series. For instance, the San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals both lost both of their first two games at home, and won their first game of the series on the road. Other teams such as the Red Wings, Canucks, and Bruins won all their games at home and on the road so I guess the point is, if you are a championship caliber team, you're going to win whether at home or on the road. While the fans can bring a lot of excitement to a game, it still comes down to the players on the ice and while fans and others that follow the game like to believe there's a big advantage to getting home ice in the playoffs, the benefit of home ice is probably overstated.
Washington Capitals Hockey
Sports and Culture
I used to believe that home ice was more of an advantage in hockey than other sports but watching this years playoffs makes me wonder if that is really the case. The latest statistic that I saw showed that home teams had won just over 50% of the games so far making home ice a virtual non factor in most of the playoff series. For instance, the San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals both lost both of their first two games at home, and won their first game of the series on the road. Other teams such as the Red Wings, Canucks, and Bruins won all their games at home and on the road so I guess the point is, if you are a championship caliber team, you're going to win whether at home or on the road. While the fans can bring a lot of excitement to a game, it still comes down to the players on the ice and while fans and others that follow the game like to believe there's a big advantage to getting home ice in the playoffs, the benefit of home ice is probably overstated.
Washington Capitals Hockey
Sports and Culture
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Do Seedings Really Matter?
Hockey Talk
The structure of the NHL playoffs seem to be about as fair as you can make it, with the 1st seed playing the 8th seed, the 2nd playing the 7th, etc. The idea is that teams with the better records throughout the regular season play the playoff eligible teams with the worst record, providing incentive for the teams to get the higher seed. The higher seeds also get home ice advantage in that they get to play the first two games at home, and the deciding 7th game at home as well. While playing at home may give a slight advantage to the home team, I believe in general home ice is not as important as some would make it out to be. Playoff caliber teams win at home and on the road, and while most have a slightly better record at home, there are teams such as Anaheim that have a better road record than home. The other thing that can negate the seeding matchups is that many teams heading into the playoffs make significant roster moves picking up key players that make them a different and in many cases better team than the record indicates. Overall, while the higher seeds win the majority of the time, it seems that every year, there is a lower seed or two that makes it to the Conference or Stanley Cup Finals, and some favorites get bumped out early. That's what makes the playoffs so interesting and unpredictable. The key thing I believe is just to get into the playoffs, and after that, anything is possible.
Washington Capitals Hockey
Sports and Culture
The structure of the NHL playoffs seem to be about as fair as you can make it, with the 1st seed playing the 8th seed, the 2nd playing the 7th, etc. The idea is that teams with the better records throughout the regular season play the playoff eligible teams with the worst record, providing incentive for the teams to get the higher seed. The higher seeds also get home ice advantage in that they get to play the first two games at home, and the deciding 7th game at home as well. While playing at home may give a slight advantage to the home team, I believe in general home ice is not as important as some would make it out to be. Playoff caliber teams win at home and on the road, and while most have a slightly better record at home, there are teams such as Anaheim that have a better road record than home. The other thing that can negate the seeding matchups is that many teams heading into the playoffs make significant roster moves picking up key players that make them a different and in many cases better team than the record indicates. Overall, while the higher seeds win the majority of the time, it seems that every year, there is a lower seed or two that makes it to the Conference or Stanley Cup Finals, and some favorites get bumped out early. That's what makes the playoffs so interesting and unpredictable. The key thing I believe is just to get into the playoffs, and after that, anything is possible.
Washington Capitals Hockey
Sports and Culture
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Hockey's 2nd Season Begins
Hockey Talk
Several of my friends believe that the NCAA 'March Madness' Tournament is the most exciting sports event occurring at this time of the year, but I'm here to cast my vote for the NHL playoffs. The marathon battles that lead to the Stanley Cup finals are unequaled anywhere in professional sports as the two survivors that get to compete for the ultimate hockey prize known as Lord Stanley's Cup will have to battle through 3-seven game series to get the chance to become Stanley Cup Champions. While most of the teams from last year are back in the East, the West features some fresh faces including the first ever trip to the playoffs for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the return of the St. Louis Blues after a lengthy absence. This year features some intriguing first round matchups including a series between long time rivals the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks, and a repeat of last years Eastern Conference Final between the Flyers and Penguins. The thing that strikes me about this year's playoffs is that in looking at the matches, seedings don't really seem to mean a whole lot, and it wouldn't surprise me to see the lower seeds beat the higher seeds in several of the matches. Let the fun begin!
Washington Capitals Hockey
Sports and Culture
Several of my friends believe that the NCAA 'March Madness' Tournament is the most exciting sports event occurring at this time of the year, but I'm here to cast my vote for the NHL playoffs. The marathon battles that lead to the Stanley Cup finals are unequaled anywhere in professional sports as the two survivors that get to compete for the ultimate hockey prize known as Lord Stanley's Cup will have to battle through 3-seven game series to get the chance to become Stanley Cup Champions. While most of the teams from last year are back in the East, the West features some fresh faces including the first ever trip to the playoffs for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the return of the St. Louis Blues after a lengthy absence. This year features some intriguing first round matchups including a series between long time rivals the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks, and a repeat of last years Eastern Conference Final between the Flyers and Penguins. The thing that strikes me about this year's playoffs is that in looking at the matches, seedings don't really seem to mean a whole lot, and it wouldn't surprise me to see the lower seeds beat the higher seeds in several of the matches. Let the fun begin!
Washington Capitals Hockey
Sports and Culture
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Staged Fighting
Hockey Talk
It looks like the NHL might crack down on "staged fighting" next year by increasing the penalty to 10 minutes or some other heavier action. When they say "staged fights" they're talking about the ones that happen right after the drop of the puck. I have no problem with this because my attitude towards fighting is if your pissed off enough to want to drop the gloves and go at it, you're not going to wait until the referee drops the puck to do it. Staged fighting reminds me too much of WWW wrestling, and we all know how 'real' that is.
Washington Capitals Hockey
Sports and Culture
It looks like the NHL might crack down on "staged fighting" next year by increasing the penalty to 10 minutes or some other heavier action. When they say "staged fights" they're talking about the ones that happen right after the drop of the puck. I have no problem with this because my attitude towards fighting is if your pissed off enough to want to drop the gloves and go at it, you're not going to wait until the referee drops the puck to do it. Staged fighting reminds me too much of WWW wrestling, and we all know how 'real' that is.
Washington Capitals Hockey
Sports and Culture
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
