Lemuel Gulliver wrote:

alandeus wrote:Brett Hull's going to show up out of nowhere and kick in the winner for the Wings....

Al, You could get shot in Dallas for saying that [though it's the gods' honest truth].

Actually he shot it in with his toe barely touching the crease.

That was an awesome game. Now, good night.

GO PENS!

lemur68 wrote:

atnight wrote:Malkin's lack of production could be linked to injury, but I don't see too many other Pens scoring in bunches, either. But I suppose what the media is zeroing in on is his lack of contribution, period. I think injury or not, he's a kid, and adversity has made its way into his head. He responded to adversity in the series with the Rags by slew-footing a guy, and against the puck-possessing Wings, he's responding by trying desperate 1 on 4 attempts, and/or forgetting the team game in general. By game 2, he (and many of the Pens) were playing beaten before the series was over. He'll grow up, but I doubt we'll see it in this series.

He's being a typical Russian, alternating flashes of superstar ability with mental breakdowns. At least Malkin managed to keep it together until the Finals.

I think this Euro/Russian stereotype will eventually come to pass, but I know what you mean. As I said, Datsyuk received similar criticism in the past, but he was also a much later pick than Malkin. Gonchar took a long while to be more than offensive, but he's really rounded out well for the Pens. Zubov is just brilliant for the Stars. Ovechkin has been awesome out of the gate. Nabokov may win the Vezina. But yeah, occasionally you get finicky guys like Kovalev, or even worse, Yashin. Zherdev might end up being that guy, too, but he may just hate playing Hitchcock's trap. I know I would.

It's funny though- your description of "a typical Russian" reminds me of Jagr more than anyone else, and he's a Czech.

Let the game begin!
Im going with Pittsburgh tonite..
And Game 7.
Malkin is going to wake up - my predicition.

atnight wrote:Zherdev might end up being that guy, too, but he may just hate playing Hitchcock's trap. I know I would.

As a Blue Jackets fan, I am all too aware of the trials and tribulations of Nik Zherdev. He follows up a 27-goal season with a 10-goal season, then goes back up to 26 this past year. He's been in the league since 2003 and still claims ignorance of the English language to avoid talking to media. As well as Alexander Svitov, picked third overall by Tampa Bay in '01 and has a whopping 13 goals in 179 games between the Lightning and Jackets, and is currently in Russia. Though of course Russians don't have a monopoly on first-round busts (see: Daigle, Alexander; Falloon, Pat).

That third Detroit goal can feast on a dick.

Dude, that was SOOOO CLOSE to OT...fuck.

lemur68 wrote:That third Detroit goal can feast on a dick.

I am entertained that the difference between Game 7 and golf was that shitty goal.

fuck the Pens, congrats to the Wings, I'm glad this season is over. Can't wait to watch my CAPS win the eastern conference next year.