Who Wins The 2013 Stanley Cup? - Poll

[AZ BU Fan]

Four teams left in the chase for the Cup,

Boston, Chicago, LA, Pittsburg.

Who is your favorite to win it all?

Great hockey coverage by NBC and its various channels....

[Da Coach]

Pittsburgh is looking like they are done.
It would be nice to see Boston vs. Chicago in the finals. I'd love to see the Blackhawks win again, but the Bruins are playing the best right now. I think it will be Boston.

[doug shank's crossover]

Pittsburgh is looking like they are done.
It would be nice to see Boston vs. Chicago in the finals. I'd love to see the Blackhawks win again, but the Bruins are playing the best right now. I think it will be Boston.

The Bruins are thugging Pittsburgh and taking out their key goal scorers (Crosby). The Pens don't have a deep enough roster to make up for that. The Hawks on the other hand have been winning without their key goal scorers being prolific (Kane, Toews, Sharp)....winning on the backs of guys like Bickel and Seabrook. So, if Boston tries to focus on shutting down Toews and Kane, they'll be doing nothing more than what Detroit and LA have done. Hawks win.

[Chico]

Looks like nobody really cares.

[Da Coach]

Looks like nobody really cares.

Maybe there aren't many hockey fans among Bradley fans?
I have been a lifelong Blackhawks fan and was a fan when they won the 1961 Stanley Cup. I was at several of the games in the 2010 playoffs, including the finals.
In fact, I am just about to head up to Chicago today for game 5. Hope to see them close out the Western Conference championship tonight.
Here was what 2010 looked like-

[tornado]

yes,
I see you in that picture

[Da Coach]

Hawks win on a hat trick from Patrick Kane in double overtime.
Hawks host the Bruins in game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals next Wednesday.

[AZ BU Fan]

Hawks vs Bruins... Should be great series, both teams playing well.

BF.com folks are missing out if they don't watch on NBC...

Don't need to be a hockey nut to appreciate how skilled these guys are, and, how tough.
(Guy stays on the ice after blocking a shot and fracturing his leg, for 90 seconds defending while his team is a man short until play is stopped and he can be replaced...)

Great TV...

[tornado]

the NHL and NBC are both tickled that the Hawks & Bruins are in the Finals -
Game 1 getting great audience

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2013/06/stanley-cup-final-game-1-overnight-rating-best-since-97/#1

[Da Coach]

It could have turned out to be one of the most watched finals ever. But for some reason, NBC decided to use the Stanley Cup Finals to promote their new NBCSports network (formerly Outdoor Life then Versus network). Game 1 was on NBC and got great ratings, but games 2 & 3 will be on the NBCSports Network, which only a fraction of people can receive. NBCSN reaches less than 80 million homes, while NBC network reaches over 400 million homes worldwide. So games 2 & 3 are guaranteed to get far lower ratings. Games 4, 5, 6, & 7 will be back on NBC.

[AZ BU Fan]

Sounds like the NHL sold its soul to NBC for their network rights... You end up with broadcast decisions which screw fans in order for NBC to grow their sports channel and recoup their investment..

Bruins gave away Game 1... While Chi controlled puck for most of the time after period 1, Bruins had many more quality chances to score missing an incredible number of chances. Hawk players were rattled by Bruins' big checking players turning over the puck to avoid possible big hits. Bruins 'thugs' played with more skill than they are given credit for, and delivered mostly clean hits. Hawks looked much faster, but threw mostly long shots on net and caught a couple breaks.. Fun to watch!

[Da Coach]

It is actually Comcast that is to blame here. Comcast owned Versus, but when they bought out GE to become the owner of NBC Universal, they morphed Versus into NBC Sports Network. They hoped to grow their NBCSN into another ESPN, but after last summer's Olympics ended and the NHL season was delayed, they loaded it with sports that nobody cared about and their ratings dropped off to almost nothing-

http://deadspin.com/5972528/nobody-is-watching-nbc-sports-network

So now they are apparently sacrificing some of their prime sports programming that would have been more profitable to place on their main NBC channel, just to make people aware of and boost viewership of NBCSN.

[tornado]

Today's PJS column covering the Stanley Cup finals & Blackhawks

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/x1806087533/Blackhawks-fever-infects-fans-who-re-fuzzy-on-game

I found it a little insulting ..basically claiming that a lot of Blackhawks hockey fans are clueless..
The Hawks have been selling out for a ong time and their fans are rabid and knowledgeable - sure maybe some don't know everything but you think all the young women they show at the Cubs games know the pitcher's ERA??
Gimme a break...

Here's a few of the absurd things they seem to dwell on...

-that hockey jerseys are not called jerseys, they are "sweaters" - and anyone who knows anything calls them sweaters...
This comes as a bit of a surprise to me as I am a hockey & Blackhawks fan for half a century and I have never heard anyone dwell on this silly distinction before.

-hockey is "a mystery to many"

-"fans who don’t know the difference between the blue lines on the ice and the Blue Line train that runs out to O’Hare"

-"A lot of these people, all they know is that somebody in Chicago is going for a championship"

-"Those fans probably also don’t know that it’s superstition that keeps hockey players from shaving during the playoffs"

-"...why the jerseys are called sweaters (because, he said, it’s cold on the ice) to why the players suddenly stop playing for no apparent reason"

-"it’s also difficult to get people to admit they’re getting swept up in the frenzy over a game they don’t quite understand.
“I don’t think anyone wants to own up to it"

-".. when fans wanted merchandise with the name of Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, (pronounced TAVES), they instead would say “toes.”

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/x1806087533/Blackhawks-fever-infects-fans-who-re-fuzzy-on-game#axzz2WIsIc48W

BTW - for those who insist it's a "hockey sweater" and not a "hockey jersey" - I suggest try one thing..
Google both terms - you will get more than 30 times as many hits for JERSEY than for sweater - AND the very TOP hit you get when searching
for "hockey sweater" is a website titled "HOCKEY JERSEY"!! LOL..
so I think the guy is dead wrong or ignorant.


Actually - if there's anyone who might be a bit clueless it's the guy who wrote that column - he is not even a sports writer and has essentially never covered hockey before.

[Chico]

Always did wonder why when discussing a hockey player who gets traded or injured etc. they always have to say how many penalty minutes he has racked up..

[Da Coach]

Always did wonder why when discussing a hockey player who gets traded or injured etc. they always have to say how many penalty minutes he has racked up..

Penalty minutes aren't usually a good thing, except it sometimes shows that player's willingness to get physical, or fight to protect his team's star players.

Good start tonight for the Blackhawks. Go Hawks!