OK, so I was wrong
Buffalo has looked lost against Ottawa and now is on the verge of elimination. Last night, Buffalo played as poorly as I've ever seen them play. I've been impressed by the speed Ottawa showed, as well as its determination. They simply appeared to want it more than Buffalo, beating Sabres to the puck all night long. Even in a 1-0 game, I thought Ottawa dominated. Buffalo's power play was hopeless. No one on the team was willing to take charge on ice, and that is a killer in the playoffs. For Ottawa, Daniel Alfredson is playing great. There's a player you always look to for smarts on ice, and the Heatley-Spezza-Alfredson line is awesome out there.
Big game tonite for Detroit at Anaheim, though not a series-making or breaking game. This one looks like it's going the distance, which will again give Ottawa rest between series, which they had after each of the first two rounds. Maybe that's why Ottawa looks so great against Buffalo. And where I once thought Buffalo was the only team that could give a Western team a run in the finals, I'm not so sure that Ottawa wouldn't be just as good. They have limited quality chances for the Sabres, and Ray Emery has come up big when needed. You can win with an unproven goalie, that's for sure. Heck, look at the 'Canes just last year with Cam Ward.
Finally, a little quiz to throw out there. I was talking with my son about great performances by defensemen in the playoffs, enough to win the Conn Smythe trophy for playoff MVP. I can't remember a better four-round job by a defenseman than Brian Leetch of the Rangers in 1994. And I was trying to figure out how many defensemen have won the Smythe trophy, figuring it to be a small number. The trophy seems to usually go to the highest scorer or a goalie. As it turns out, 7 defensemen have won the trophy since it's been given out (1965). There actually are 7 defensemen who've won it. Can you name them (without looking up the answers on Google)? I'll admit I only got one other one besides Leetch. To give a hint, one of my guesses was Paul Coffey, and he didn't ever win it.
Big game tonite for Detroit at Anaheim, though not a series-making or breaking game. This one looks like it's going the distance, which will again give Ottawa rest between series, which they had after each of the first two rounds. Maybe that's why Ottawa looks so great against Buffalo. And where I once thought Buffalo was the only team that could give a Western team a run in the finals, I'm not so sure that Ottawa wouldn't be just as good. They have limited quality chances for the Sabres, and Ray Emery has come up big when needed. You can win with an unproven goalie, that's for sure. Heck, look at the 'Canes just last year with Cam Ward.
Finally, a little quiz to throw out there. I was talking with my son about great performances by defensemen in the playoffs, enough to win the Conn Smythe trophy for playoff MVP. I can't remember a better four-round job by a defenseman than Brian Leetch of the Rangers in 1994. And I was trying to figure out how many defensemen have won the Smythe trophy, figuring it to be a small number. The trophy seems to usually go to the highest scorer or a goalie. As it turns out, 7 defensemen have won the trophy since it's been given out (1965). There actually are 7 defensemen who've won it. Can you name them (without looking up the answers on Google)? I'll admit I only got one other one besides Leetch. To give a hint, one of my guesses was Paul Coffey, and he didn't ever win it.
posted by Les at
8:44 AM
2 Comments:
Here's a few guesses:
Niedermeyer, Lidstrom, Bobby Orr, Doug Harvey, Al McInnis, Larry Robinson, Dennis Potvin. o
By
Unknown, At
8:34 PM
McInnis, Lidstrom, Orr (twice), Larry Robinson are correct. Add in Leetch and we're up to 5.
By
Les, At
2:32 PM
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