Just thought I'd throw this

[BUFFJEDI]

Out here.

Carolina is in the stanley cup:) I'm not a big Hockey fan,I have seen a few games.(very cool). The reason I'm posting this is .When they first came to Carolina I was One of the first to do pomtion's for them Tv spots,live spots and such.Just thought I'd share. They were playing out of greensboro at the time :)

Btw > what are there odds of taking it all ?? like I said not much on hockey:(

[CMJ]

The 'Canes are an amazing story. Sure they won their division and were the #3 seed out East, but NOBODY even thought they'd get past the Devils in the first round(the Devils had won the East 2 years in a row..hell I had them pegged winning the East this year too). Then everyone had Montreal penned in to goto to Eastern Finals...and Caroliina takes it in 6. Then they slowly destroy Toronto in 6 Games(to be fair the Leafs were gassed...2 hard fought series plus a trillion injuries).

So to answer your question buff. Whoever comes out of the west will be favored(at this point I say the Wings take out Colorado in Game 7)...but I wouldn't be shocked if the Hurricanes won. They have been on an amazing cinderella streak.

I'll be rooting for Carolina, because I really despise both the Avalanche and the Red Wings.

[BUFFJEDI]

well I'll keep my fingers crossed.It looks like the only Champ we will have in Carolina for a LONG time.Maybe that glass slipper will fit. :)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Yeah it must suck if your a pro fan in NC, Charlotte left to New Orleans the Panthers stink, but at least the Cannes are doing well, hey some cities never win a championship so if they win you guys will have at least one.

[BUFFJEDI]

How true:(

I'm really glad that the hornets are gone (well the owners) once they let ZO go my reason for Hornets ball left me.The panthers just flat out suck!! They play like, Hey we got our millions so why should I care.But than agian the ONLY Football team that matters is The cowboy's :):):) .But the hurricane winning would be so Ubber cool.Atleast we could have that to hold us over for the next 50 years:( but than agian there is alway next year:D

[Jedi Master Carr]

The owner of the hornets is an idiot too moving the team to New Orleans a worse market than Charlotte. New Orleans is in the top 5 in crime and it has the fastest decline rate of its population of all the major cities, it is a terrible market that is why the Jazz never could make there. Watch in 5 years they will have to move somewhere else, the same with Memphis I can't seem them surviving there either.

[BUFFJEDI]

That's almost Exactly what I have said(great minds think alike ;) )

Charlotte , although not a perfect town has the kind of people that a sport franchise can grow with.(or course if they are wining)and the owners are not crying about no money,and want the taxpayers ti fit the bill.The crime rate is not great but Nothing compared to N O , and the money in charlotte is greater.I highly doubt that they will have 1'000 striaght sold out games like charlotte did(or whatever the number) I a few years the owners will want more than New O, is willing to offer and they will leave as you have said.Sad Given a chance with better owners(smarter owners the Charlotte hornets could have gotten there rings:(

[Jedi Master Carr]

Yeah I was surprised how well the city supported the team. After the announcement was made I thought nobody would go to the game but instead the place was half full I think that does show something.

[JMK]

The chances of Carolina winning it all are actually very little. If the Stanley Cup was a one game thing, then I'd give them a decent shot. But there's just no way in hell that they will beat either Detroit or Colorado 4 times in 7 games. If they do, then every player on that team should go straight to the hall of fame! I've watched pretty close to every game in these playoffs, and no one has looked as good as the Red Wings or Avalanche.

[BUFFJEDI]

:p

[JonathanLB]

Red Wings will not win. Experience will prevail. Avs in 7 :) Better be anyway, I've been following the Avs religiously lately. Watched every game since they were down 3-2, came back and won the series, then the 6 games in this series.

In the Stanley Cup, I think the Avs will win in 6. If the Red Wings make it, probably Red Wings in 6 or 7. I'd rather see Carolina upset the Red Wings if they make it, though. Wings blow, Avs rule. :)

[CMJ]

"Experience will prevail"? Nobody has more experience than the Wings...their roster is litered with former Cup winners and Hall of Famers.

Kyle...yes, Carolina has a pretty lousy shot at winning it all, BUT I thought they had a pretty lousy shot at making it this far. Don't underestimate them.

[JonathanLB]

But the Wings are built for victory this season and are the younger team. The Avs have more experience. They continually have re-iterated that throughout the games if you've been watching...

I think the Wings are a fun team to watch, I like them, but I'd much rather see the Avs advance. It was really cool seeing them come back down 3-2 also, the last series I mean.

[darth_mcbain]

The Red Wings - Avs game will be close to call - I'm hoping for the Avs... They always seem to do well in game 7s. I'll be watching that one tonight.

I have to agree though - I think that the 'Canes will be tough pressed to beat either Detroit or Colorado in 7. They are good enough to pull a few games of the series, but I don't think they can ultimately match up.

[JMK]

I'll be shocked if the finals went past 6 games. Mortified even.

[CMJ]

Well Kyle it's definitely gonna go 5. :) Unless the Hurricanes sweep. ;)

They looked really solid last night.

[JMK]

The Wings just didn't play their best. They had an emotional let down after the long series with Colorado, they'll be much better tonight. Plus, Detroit went down 2-0 in the opening series vs Vancouver (who was the hottest team at the time) and won in 6.

[CMJ]

Hey...I know the Wings will PROBABLY win. I just don't think it's gonna be as tilted a series as you did.

[Jedieb]

Awhile back one of our least favorite SW bashers wrote a cover story for ESPN the magazine callling the Red Wings the "best team ever." What a jagoff. I'm glad they've stumbled and struggled. I'm torn between wishing some of the old Detroit veterans finally get their cup or seeing Mitch Albom eat his words. How he thought anybody would take him seriously since he's from Detroit is beyond. Again, real objective work their Mitch. Putz.

[JMK]

Mitch Albom is a putz. One of the most egotistical journalists I've ever read about. Geez, between the racism and Albom, Detroit is really churning out the great articles lately!

But still, Red Wings rule!

[JMK]

Is anyone up watching this hockey game? It's currently the 6th longest Stanley Cup final game in NHL history. Really though, it should have been over a long time ago. Detroit has drawn iron 4 freakin times.

[CMJ]

It was a great game! Both teams had several chances to end it in OT(plus Detroit had fate on their side scoring with 1:17 to go).

I had a feeling this was gonna be a good series.

[JMK]

I still hate all of the tackling and hooking that goes on. I hope Carolina changes its game plan soon and decides that the neutral zone trap makes for lousy hockey. Of course, that system got them there, so I doubt they'll change.

[CMJ]

I have no problem with the trap. I actually prefer defensive hockey to shootouts...call me strange. ;)

[JMK]

I prefer a well balanced game. Boring games like 2-1, or 1-0 that are played via the trap and waiting for a mistake are NOT indicative of what hockey should be. Not at the NHL level. That brand of hockey bores me to tears, the skilled players have to have room to strut their stuff. It would be the same as if they added a 4th and 5th outfielder in baseball, and deepened each park by 50 feet in all areas. It would be a pretty lame game.

[CMJ]

See thats the thing Kyle..I don't find it boring. I mean there was wide open ice at times...the teams just couldn't stuff it.

Carolina doesn't play the trap nearly as well(or should I say suffocatingly) as say Jersey in '95. I remember watching a game where the opposition on had like 9 shots for the GAME.

[JMK]

I think the Canes play the trap as well as anyone, just that Carolina is faster and has a better transition game to ide the fact that they're slowing the other team down. With Jersey, they had no team speed, so when they trapped, it showed. They gave up 6 shots to the Leafs in a series deciding game 2 years ago.

[Jedieb]

I'd like hockey so much better if all the holding, grabbing, and slashing were outlawed. I think it really holds the game back. Now, I understand that it's part of the culture of the game. I've played street hockey and nothing can make you want to get into a fight faster than a guy hitting you with a hockey stick, but it doesn't HAVE to be this way. IMO, the NHL encourages the violence and rough play. Can you picture any other sport in which the refs stand by and ALLOW a fight to take place? Can you see that in the NFL or MLB?
"Yeah, let the pitcher and the hitter wail on each other until one of them gets the other's jersey off, then we'll separate them."

If slashing, grabbing, and punching were REALLY called the way they are in other sports you'd get a much cleaner and better game. But hockey culture is embedded in the minds of those that play it and I don't think we'll ever see it change.

[JMK]

The problem is that the NHL now frowns on fighting. It doesn't happen very much anymore, and if a player fights too often, they get suspended. The reason why all this hooking, holding and stuff is going on is because fighting is so frowned upon. The game has only become like this over the past 8-9 years. Pretty much since Bettman took over. If you let the players police themselves as they were once allowed, then I guarantee this cheap crap would go away. The players do it now because they know they'll get away with it.

[JMK]

6:45 left. 2-0 Detroit, close to a 3-1 series lead, heading back to Detroit. And this game, although only 2-0 isn't even close. Carolina has used all of their wildcards, all of their get out of jail free cards.

Make that 3-0. What a beauty!

[JMK]

No more NHL for me this year.:(
But the Wings spanked the Canes clear out of the playoffs and the better team won.