Its all over

 So I'm sad. While I'll admit I didn't actually pick my team to win their series, their loss left me in a depression filled abyss . In truth it isn't so much that they lost but more how they managed to lose.


Ok so after the first three games, it was crystal clear Vancouver Canucks were the better team. That's no slight to the Hawks but to be brutally honest one must push past sentimental connections. But honestly after game five I felt they had an excellent shot at winning this thing. By game six it was apparent that the Blackhawks would still need something of luck and good fortunes to get past game seven a victor. Neither of which came.

With a possible reeling Luongo in net and a shaky 3-0 start the Cancucks managed to tread dark waters. While Luongo was good in net, he wasn't Corey Crawford good. Moreover it felt like the injury to Bickell proved to be a bigger draw then originally believed. No one and I mean no one appeared to screen Bobby Lou very much if at all in this one. And in the end, a very early goal from Alex Burrows almost proved too much for the Hawk's miserable offense to muster.

Until less then three minutes left in the game and on a short handed penalty, Chicago's Cap'n stepped up and dragged his team into overtime. Toews is something special even if his stats this series proved ineffective.

Anyways, sudden death overtime in hockey is sorta like a having sex and a heart attack at the same time. It's wild, it's sudden and before you know it, its already over with. And then your dead.

Which brings me to the way it ended and why I'm terribly saddened.

The Canucks for all they deserve the accolades and the series (including this win) essentially won on what can only be described as an asinine play by one of Chris Campoli. While I am at times a very vindictive person (Read: See previous post about Sabres/Philly game) I won't entirely burn his jersey just yet.

Chris Campoli still looks like Shia Labeouf - (Photo by Getty images/Bruce Bennet)

It was a bad play from Campoli/good pickup by Alex Burrows. It was his fault but there were other things I could easily be up and arms about. Like the call where the puck momentarily disappeared from Luongo's presence only to reemerge no less then one second later and enter the net  easily equalizing the score. Except that the Refs called the play dead *INSTANTLY.

Campoli and Crawford (Photo Credited: Jonathan Daniel/Getty images

And as I hinted to, I felt bad for Crawford. Here is a rookie goaltender in his first  playoffs at the starting position and plays well enough to win but two overly costly defensive gaffes leave him out to dry and a **loser. 

I'll be honest. I feel really bad. Like I did when my lousy football team dropped going to Superbowl. It's such a void that will almost certainly be left open in my mind and heart for weeks.

But I'm proud of the team. They almost did the unthinkable. And almost hurts the most. It also brings you the most satisfaction in an otherwise melancholy situation.




*Which as I understand is the right call when sight of the puck is lost.

**Loser in a sense that he lost a game not a loser like Campoli***

***Who still is a loser even if he wins. JUST JOKING!

Page Break Here:




And the rest.

I'll toot my own horn for a moment. I was damn good at my original picks even if most were incredibly close and undeniably undecidable. But of course the cynical man would say most were predictable if seeds represented "the truth". IE the teams that won did so because they were supposed to. So yeah... There is that aspect to it I suppose.

Nashville beat Anaheim (4-2)

Tampa bay came back to beat Pittsburgh (4-3)

Boston as I somewhat believed came back and beat Montreal (This one I never posted) (4-3)

Philly beat Buffalo (4-3)

Vancouver beat Chicago (4-3)

And in the end I was 7 out of 8 in the first round if you don't count my Bruins pick.


As always, thanks for reading and I'll relay any new info as it becomes available for me to post regarding anything of interest. Or something like that. And yes, as promised that will be my last hockey post.

- Rossini