CHICAGO (May 8) — While hopping all over the Stanley Cup map this spring, I’ve been fortunate to land at a couple of games that provided astonishing results. The first was the seventh and deciding match in Newark between the New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes. Fans at the Prudential Center were on the verge of busting into celebration when the visitors tied the game with 1:20 left [Jussi Jokinen], then won it with 31.7 seconds remaining on the clock [Eric Staal]. As I mentioned in this space last week, I don’t know that I’ve ever heard such deathly silence in a National Hockey League arena than in the immediate moments after Staal’s shot from the right-wing circle beat Martin Brodeur.
A reasonable facsimile of that game occurred here in Chicago Thursday night, with the stakes not quite as high. A tentative, plodding affair between the Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks appeared to unfold in slow motion when compared, for instance, to the speed and puck movement of the Pittsburgh-Washington series. But, Vancouver played a classic road game and appeared on its way to securing a 3-1 series lead, with a chance to eliminate the ‘Hawks at GM Place on Saturday. In fact, the Canucks had everything except a two-goal lead. Darcy Hordichuk, of all people, scored on a breakaway in the second period and it seemed as if his first career point in the post-season would stand up as the winner. But, Vancouver never really threatened to extend its advantage, choosing, rather, to keep Chicago’s dangerous shooters to the outside, while counting on Roberto Luongo to bail them out when they got close.
Luongo likened the strategy, afterward, to “playing with fire” and, alas, the Canucks got burned when they provided veteran Martin Havlat a bit too much space to maneuver in front of the visitors’ goal. Havlat whipped a high shot past Luongo with less than three minutes left in regulation time, igniting an otherwise-moribund United Center. Given the dramatic swing in emotion, it came as no surprise when Chicago settled the matter early in overtime on a tip-in by Andrew Ladd of a Dave Bolland spin-around shot from the blueline. It had been a long, frustrating night for the 21,000-plus fans that trekked to the city’s west side, but the Blackhawks’ supporters deserve a lot of credit for showing loyalty and restraint. Not once during the home team’s struggle through 55 minutes did the denizens of Madison Street boo the players in red and black. Had this been a game in Toronto, Philadelphia, New York, or half-a-dozen other cities in the NHL, derision would have been raining down from all corners.
So, the Blackhawks wrecked my pre-series forecast of a five-game Vancouver triumph [it was looking mighty good in the dying monents Thursday], and the west semifinal is now entirely up for grabs. If given the choice, I’d still like to be in the Canucks’ position – heading home for a pivotal Game 5 with a potential deciding match also at GM Place. But, Chicago has a couple of factors squarely in its corner… the first being good old momentum. Though the ‘Hawks head back into enemy territory, they do so with a generally good feeling and a desire to get things underway quickly in Game 5. The Canucks, on the other hand, will have difficulty shaking off Thursday’s gut-wrenching loss and probably need some time to re-establish their swagger and confidence. If they emerge on Saturday with flat feet, the young, energetic visitors could swing the series irreversably in their favour. Remember, the Blackhawks know what it feels like to overcome a two-goal deficit and win a playoff game in Vancouver. So, a quick start by the Canucks isn’t likely to have the desired effect.
The flip-side belongs to Detroit, which heads home deadlocked in its series with Anaheim, after bursting Jonas Hiller’s bubble in a 6-3 Game 4 triumph at the Honda Center. Give the defending champions a sniff, and they’re likely to devour whatever obstacle remains en route to the conference final. The Ducks may have blown their last real chance to up-end the Red Wings, as they did in the 2007 West championship.
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So, I’m trying to get this straight: The NHL contends it assumed control of the Phoenix Coyotes early last winter and has been operating the debt-ridden franchise ever since. Though it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth, and has a terrific venue in the Jobing.com Arena, Phoenix has proven to be a lukewarm market in the absence of a competitive team — placing it alongside a half-dozen other worrysome spots in the league. Even the presence of the most recognizable name and face in the hockey world has failed to ignite passion for the sport in the dessert. But, the NHL is insisting it wants to keep the team in Glendale, Arizona. I have one question: Why?
Many people in Canada will say it’s because of Gary Bettman’s ego. But, if that is truly the driving force in a business comprised of 30 independent owners, the NHL is in far worse shape than any of us can imagine. Phoenix should not be maintained as a franchise location in the absence of feasibility any more than Oakland, Cleveland or Kansas City — failed markets in the ’60s and ’70s — two of which were also bailed out and temporarily operated by the league.
At some point, economic sanity has to prevail over back-door politics. Bettman has worked hard to enhance the viability of hockey in non-traditional U.S. markets. Though it appears to be his folly, he doesn’t act independently. Bettman is without question the front man for the league – and, perhaps, its chief policy maker — but he remains in the employ of 30 multi-millionaire individuals or companies. Are all of these people oblivious to the problems that exist in the NHL… issues that are as plain as day to even the most casual observer? If it’s true that Bettman has cast a spell over the gullible owners — a frequent charge north of the border — then something has to give. And, this doesn’t even address the farsical notion that the league is in “partnership” with the players’ union it crushed in 2005.
What a mess the commish is presiding over these days.
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