Hockey Hall Of Fame Adds New Members

By definition, a hall of famer is a group of persons judged outstanding, as in a sport or profession. It means that you were the best of all time, or one of the best of all time, at your profession. You were so much better than anybody else to ever come along to play a specific sport. In terms of hockey, if you get the call that you are being inducted into the hockey hall of fame, it means that you were the best in the sport of hockey to ever come along. Now there will be seven new names to take enshrinement at the Hall in Toronto in November. Those seven names just happen to be Bill Hay, Peter Kramanos Jr. Angela Ruggiero, Phil Housley, Chris Pronger, Sergei Federov and Nicklas Lidstrom.

Bill Hay got his start in the league as a player with the Chicago Blackawks, playing in the windy city from 1959-60 to 1966-67. Hay is known for becoming the first NCAA graduate to play in the NHL. His resume includes contributions while serving as president and chief operating officer of Hockey Canada, president and chief executive officer of the Calgary Flames, and most recently as chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Hay was known for building a pretty good Hawks team during the 1990's.

Peter Karmanos has been involved in hockey for more than four decades. He started the Compuware youth hockey program, has owned Ontario Hockey League franchises for 30 years (including the Plymouth Whalers, which was the first in the United States) and bought the Hartford Whalers in 1994 and moved them to Raleigh, N.C., to become the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997. If it wasn't for Pete Karmanos, the Hurricanse wouldn't be as settled in and popular in Carolina as they are. Him and Billy Hay will be inducted into the builders category in the Hall.

Now to the players who are going to be inducted. Angela Ruggiero Ruggiero has done a number of great things to really help put women's hockey on the map, not only in North America, but on an international level as well. She won gold at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, silver at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and 2010 Vancouver Olympics and bronze at the 2006 Turin Olympics with the United States women's team. The 2004 Patty Kazmaier Award winner at Harvard as the best player in NCAA women's hockey, Ruggiero helped the United States win the world championship in 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2011 and finish second six times. In 2003 she was voted the best women's hockey player in the world by The Hockey News, which is a huge honor. Having been an active hockey player from 1998 to 2011, Ruggiero has taken the level of Women's Hockey to new heights, helping set a new standard for blueliners.

Keeping with American players who helped change the game, enter Phil Housley. The St. Paul Minnesota Native is the 2nd highest scoring american born player in league history. His 1,232 points is 2nd only to Mike Modano amongst American born scorers. Those point totals were amassed over 1,495 games played during 21 seasons with eight teams. Housley has suited up for the Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Not only are those 1,232 points 2nd among American born scorers, it puts him 4th in NHL history for points among defensemen. One of the top offensive defensemen of his generation, Housley had at least 60 points in a season 12 times. Housley had good hands and great vision on the ice, as evident by his high assist totals. He had himself a pretty good shot, but was known more for his great passing and great skating.

Housley did more than just prove himself at the NHL level, as he was also a force on the international level. He represented the United States at the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, winning a silver medal, and two times in the Canada Cup. Housley also appeared in the NHL All-Star Game seven times.It's been quite a long time for Housley, who last played a game in the NHL in 2003. After twelve long years, his wait list is finally over.

Joining him in the hall is fellow blueliner Chris Pronger. Pronger started his career in 1993-94, playing for the Hartford Whalers, then moved along to the St. Louis Blues, where he had his longest tenure. Pronger followed that up with a stop over in Edmonton with the Oilers, before playing with the Anaheim Ducks and Philadelphia Flyers. That's a pretty impressive team list to cover over an 18 year career. Pronger finished his career playing in 1,167 games, scoring 157 goals and adding in 541 assists, for a grand total of 698 points. He wasn't put out on the ice for his scoring touch. Pronger quickly became known as one of the most physical defensemen of his era. His hits were hard and could be heard almost anywhere in the entire building. Pronger also logged an incredible amount of ice time. He averaged more than 30 minutes per game in two seasons for the Blues, and more than 25 minutes per game in every full season he played from 1998-99 to 2009-10.

One thing that Pronger can hang his hat on is that he and Bobby Orr are the only two blueliners in league history to win the Hart Trophy and Norris Trophy in the same season. Orr did it in 1970 and 1972, while Pronger pulled it off in 2000. Pronger also is a member of the Triple Gold club. He won the 1997 World Championship with Canada, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and won the Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Ducks; He also won gold at the 1993 World Junior Championship and reach the Cup Final with the Oilers in 2006 and the Flyers in 2010. Pronger was a tough as nails leader who would carry his teams on his back. He logged big minutes night in and night out, was a physical presence on the ice and was a game changer. He could shut down the opposing forwards better than most blueliners in the game.

Probably the best European defenseman ever gets a call for the hall on his first ballot. Nicklas Lidstrom will go down in history as one of the greatest blueliners to ever step foot on the ice in the NHL. He was so good at his position, he was awarded the Norris trophy seven times, tied with Doug Harvey for the 2nd most ever. The only blueliner to win more is Bobby Orr with eight. North American hockey fans first got a look at Lidstrom during the 1991-92 season, when he debuted with Detroit. Lidstrom spent his entire twenty year career with the Wings, playing in 1,564 games, scoring 264 goals and adding in 878 assists for a total of 1,142 points. His games played is 4th most amongst d-men all time and his points are good for 6th. Lidstrom won the Stanley Cup four times, and in 2002 he became the first player born and trained in Europe to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He was also the first European to captain a Stanley Cup champion, in 2008. with the Wings, his last cup ring.

Lidstrom can do a little bit of everything. One of the best skaters at that position, could move quick to cut off the walls for the opposition. Only three times in his career did Lidstrom fail to score double digits in goals in a season, his career best being 20 goals in 1999-2000. He was a leader and one of the most composed defenders in the game, only hitting the 50 minute mark in penalties once in a season, that coming in 2006. He never really wanted the spotlight on himself. That showed great character from a great leader.

Rounding out this group is a teammate of Nick Lidstrom in Detroit. He may be one of the best two way centers in the 1990's. Sergei Federov came over from Russia in 1990-91 to play with the Wings after defecting from Russia. While playing in Moscow, Federov, Pavel Bure and Alexander Mogilny made up one of the greatest lines ever put together. After joining the Wings, Federov became a part of another very dangerous unit in the Russian Five: Federov centering Igor Larionov and Vyacheslav Kozlov, with Viacheslav Fetisov and Vladimir Konstantinov on defense. Fedorov played 18 seasons in the NHL with the Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals. He had 483 goals and 1,179 points in 1,248 games, and 176 points in 183 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Towards the end of his career, Federov's numbers started to decline. In fact, after the 2004-05 mlockout his play began to go downhill. Before that, Federov had scored at least 25 goals in every season except one (that was 1997-98 when he only played in 21 games). He hit the 100 point plateau twice in his career. Fedorov won the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award in 1994, and was a two-time winner of the Selke Trophy (1994, 1996). Those two Selke Trophy wins showed how great of an all around player Federov was. To be able to excel at both ends of the rink takes a special kind of player, and Sergei Federov was that and then some. He could create magic on the ice, and was able to do it at top flight speed, which is an even rarer combination.

So there you have it, your Hockey Hall of Fame, Class of 2015!

And The Awards Go To............

Now that the NHL season has come to an end, its time to hand out some hardware. This is always the time of the year to honor the individuals in the great team sport known as hockey. Some guys cleaned up the hardware, while others came as a bit of a surprise. So lets not waste any time and jump right in. Here's who walked away with what hardware last night in Las Vegas.

Mark Messier Leadership Award: (Awarded to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season. Awarded by Mark Messier, himself)
Winner: Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks

William M. Jennings Trophy (Awarded to the goaltender(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it in the regular season)
Winners: Corey Crawford (CHI) and Carey Price (MTL)

Art Ross Trophy (NHL Scoring Champion)
Winner: Jamie Benn Dallas Stars (87 points)

Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy (Top Goal Scorer)
Winner: Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals (53 Goals)

NHL Foundation Player Award (Awarded to the player who applies the core values of hockey to enrich the lives of people in his community)
Winner: Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks

King Clancy Memorial Trophy (Awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community)
Winner: Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Awarded to the player who exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability)
Winner: Jiri Hudler, Calgary Flames

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (Awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey)
Winner: Devan Dubnyk Minnesota Wild

Ted Lindsay Award (Awarded to the NHL's outstanding player as selected by the members of the NHL Players Association)
Winner: Carey Price Montreal Canadiens

NHL General Manager of the Year Award (Awarded to the top National Hockey League General Manager)
Winner: Steve Yzerman Tampa Bay Lightning

There were a couple of other guys who were up for this award that it could have gone to. Look at Glen Sather of the Rangers, for assembling them into a Presidents Trophy winning team. You could mention Bob Murray of the Ducks, for getting that team to the best in the West. You could even have looked at Garth Snow for building the Islanders into a playoff team. But they got this one right by giving it to Yzerman. Just llok at what he has been able to do. Yzerman has turned the team around in the last five seasons. He made the moves to help propell this Tampa team into the Eastern Conference Champions.

Jack Adams Award (Awarded to the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success)
Winner: Bob Hartley Calgary Flames

I think the biggest reason the Award went to Hartley is because nobody had the Flames going where they did in the playoffs. Calgary hadn't made the playoffs since 2009, they got there this year. Clagary hasn't won a playoff series since their run to the finals in 2004. Guess what? They did that this year too, before they lost to the Ducks in the 2nd round. Bob Hartley had a big factor in that. He managed to take this team of young players to buy into the system and made it work. Work well it did.

Frank J. Selke Trophy (Awarded to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game) 
Winner: Patrice Bergeron Boston Bruins

For the 3rd time in his playing career, Bergeron takes home the Selke as the top defensive forward in all of hockey. Bergeron is quickly establishing himself as one of the best two way centers that the game has to offer. He can do it all. He can win faceoffs, score and shut down the opposition. This marks the 2nd straight year, and 3rd time in the last four years, that Bergeron has captured the trophy. In fact, Bergeron joins Jere Lehtenen, Pavel Datsyuk and Guy Carbonneau as three-time winners. They all still trail behind Bob Gainey, who holds the Selke record with four wins.

Calder Memorial Trophy (Awarded to the league's most outstanding rookie player)
Winner: Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers

You could have made the argument for Mark Stone of Ottawa, or Johnny Gaudreau of Calgary, or even Filip Forsberg of the Predators. But it went to Ekblad of the Panthers. He had one of the best seasons by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history. His 39 points were just two short of the record for points by an 18-year-old rookie defenseman. Ekblad played a significant role on his team after being picked first overall last June.

James Norris Memorial Trophy (Awarded to the defenseman who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position) 
Winner: Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators

To a degree I think this award is taking on a bit more of an offensive touch to it. It is for the best defenseman in the entire league. this year, for the 2nd time in his career, it went to Erik Karlsson of the Sens. The offensive-minded defenseman had 66 points in 82 games this season while helping the Sens reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He was one of the big reasons that the Senators made their late season push to make it into the post season. Karlsson also had a bounce back year personally, after missing a good chunk of time last year to the leg injury. His performance on the Snes blueline this year made him worthy of the award.

Vezina Trophy (Awarded to the league's top goaltender)
Winner: Carey Price Montreal Canadiens

This award looked like it may have been a runaway for a different netminder at the start of the season. For a chunk of the season, it appeared that Pekka Rinne of the Predators was going to have the trophy. He was standing on his head in the early part of the season and he kept the Preditors near the top of the division all year long. Sadly for him, Rinne had to deal with injuries, and wasn't quite the same goalie in the latter half of the year. You could also have made an argument for Devan Dubnyk of the Wild, who turned his game, and maybe his career, around after coming to Minnesota. The Wild rode his stellar play into a solid playoff run, making it into round two. Price, on the other hand, was the most consistent netminder of any goalie in the entire league. Price had the best season of NHL goalie by a mile and is the single biggest reason the Canadiens finished with the second best record in the league in the regular season. He lead the league with 44 wins, a 1.96 GAA and a .933 save percentage. This is Price's first Vezina win and probably won't be his last.

Hart Memorial Trophy (Awarded to the league's most valuable player)
Winner: Carey Price Montreal Canadiens

Carey Price became the first goaltender since Jose Theodore to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP. He finished off an impressive haul that includes the Vezina and Jennings Trophies and Ted Lindsay Award. It was a historic season for the goaltender. Price received 139 of 157 possible votes. It was a landslide win for the Habs netminder who could be adding plenty more trophies to his bustling case over his career. You cloud have made the argument for the other two finalists, Alex Ovechkin and John Tavares as well. With Ovechkin, he scored 53 goals and helped lead the Capitals into the a 2nd place finish in their division. With Tavares, he lead the Islanders from a team last year who missed the playoffs, to this year making the playoffs. He scored big goals, made big plays and finished second in the league in scoring, just one point behind Jamie Benn for the scoring crown.

My reasoning for why Price should have won is sort of the same reason as to why he won the Vezina. He lead the league in wins, the best save percentage and lowest goals against average in the NHL. Montreal won the division, riding the back of their workhorse netminder. The reason for the award is you are the most valuable player to not only your team but to the league as well. Without Price healthy and between the pipes for the Habs, Montreal doesn't sniff the playoffs. He was the best player in the league by a longshot. Price becomes just the 3rd goalie in history to win the Vezina and Hart in the same year. The other three are Jacques Plante in 1962, Domink Hasek in 1997 and 1998, and Jose Thedore in 2002.

So there you have the NHL award winners for the 2014-15 season!

Milestone Weekend In Major League Baseball

When you go to a Major League Baseball game, or any pro sporting event for that matter, you always go with the expectation of something magical to happen. This past weekend, the baseball world saw not one but two magical moments happen within a span of 48 hours. First one came in New York, with the second one happening in Washington DC.

Detroit was in town to play the Yankees for a three game weekend series. When the series opened up, Alex Rodriguez was sitting at 2,999 lifetime hits. Starting for the Tigers on Friday night was Justin Verlander, a guy who Alex Rodriguez has had good success against in his career. So with two outs and nobody on in the first inning, A-Rod came to the plate. On the first pitch Justin Verlander threw, this happened:


It was the 13th homer of the year for Rodriguez, but just as important it was the 3,000 hit of his career. He becomes just the 29th player in the history of the majors to collect 3,000 hits and just the 3rd, joining Derek Jeter and Wade Boggs, to pick up his 3,000th hit on a home run. Of the 29 men who have picked up 3,000 hits in the Majors, Pete Rose, Derek Jeter (but that will change in less than five years) A-Rod and Rafael Palmeiro are the only ones not in the Baseball hall of fame. Jeter will no doubt get in when he comes on the ballot. Palmerio is a maybe, with the steroids and all I highly doubt he is going to get in. Pete Rose isn't in because of betting on baseball. That just leaves Alex Rodriguez in question.

A lot of people will jump on the bandwagon that because of the steroids, Alex shouldn't have the 3,000 hit milestone. I can't see that happening here. When it comes to the home run argument, then yes you have a case to stand on. See when it comes to taking steroids, that only really helps with power hitting. I highly doubt that steroids can help you actually hit the baseball. Being able to hit a baseball is the hardest single skill in all the sports world to be able to do. You need to have great hand-eye coordination in order to be able to hit a baseball moving somewhere around 90 miles an hour in about sixty feet. You need to be able to get your hands and eyes in sync to be able to get a bat on the ball. Steroids can help with the distance, but not really with making contact, at least I don't think so. So you can say what you want about steroids and whether or not Alex took them, that's totally up to you. He still had to be able to hit a baseball 3,000 times, which is a very hard thing to do. Alex wasn't the only one to have a special weekend this past weekend in the Majors.

Then there was the the No-No thrown in Washington. Max Scherzer of the Nationals tosses the second no-hitter in the Majors this season and the 289th in the history of the game. This was coming off Scherzer throwing a complete game one hitter. In his last start, on Sunday in Milwaukee, Scherzer took a perfect game into the seventh inning against the Brewers, only to settle for a one-hit shutout with 16 strikeouts and just one walk in his nine innings.

Then the day before father's day, he would get his revenge. Scherzer was on his game against the Pirates, throwing 106 pitches and striking out six while walking nobody. It should have been a perfect game, but the perfecto was broken up by this:


I mean come on Tabata, you could have gotten out of the way of the pitch. Its's kind of clear that he turned right into the pitch and it cost Scherzer the Perfect Game. That's another argument for another day. Scherzer still kept his composure, getting the next hitter, Josh Harrison, to fly out to left field to complete the No-Hitter.

What makes this no hitter impressive is that Scherzer did it against a hot Pirates team. Pittsburgh came into that game having won 21 of their previous 27 games but that didn't bother Scherzer. He struck out 10 and allowed just 11 balls to be hit out of the infield. Between this start and his last start against the Brewers, Scherzer retired 54 of the 57 batters he faced in the two baseball games. So far, it's safe to say that Max Scherzer has been worth every penny, at least to this point, of the $210 million he's being paid.

So congratulations to Max Scherzer on throwing a no-hitter and to Alex Rodriguez on picking up career hit #3,000!

Golden Championship! Warriors Win NBA Crown

The Drought is Over! For the first time in forty years the Golden State Warriors are the NBA Champions! It comes on the strength of a six game series win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Golden State capped off the title win with a 105-97 victory in game six. It's been a long time coming for the city of Oakland, who hasn't seen a championship since the 1988 World Champion Oakland Athletics.

Golden State jumped out to a big lead, going up 28–15 in the 1st quarter. However, the Cavaliers went on a big run to cut the deficit to 2 at halftime, trailing 45–43. Cleveland carried that momentum into the 2nd half, taking an early 47–45 lead in the third quarter. This was the only time in the 2nd half that the Cavs would get a lead. Golden state took over the basketball game from there out, outscored the Cavaliers 28–18 in the 3rd quarter. The Warriors were, at one point, leading by as many 15 before taking a 12 point lead into the 4th, leading 73–61. Once the 4th quarter got rolling, the Cavs cut the deficit down to 7, but the Warriors pushed the lead back to 15.

The Cavaliers, led by J.R. Smith, made a late surge to cut it to 4 with under 40 seconds remaining. However, the Warriors hit their free throws and closed out the series clinching win, giving the franchise their first title since 1975.  Lebron finished the game with 32 points, followed by 19 from J.R. Smith and 17 from Timofey Mozgov and last but not least, 15 points from Tristin Thompson. They were the only Cavs players to hit double digits in points in this basketball game.

Golden State woke up after falling down early. Stephen Curry dropped nine of his twenty five points in the 1st, all of it coming in a span of 4:15. Then Igoudala took over from there. He hit three of four shots after missing his first three shots. Ball movement proved to be the key to Golden State’s early success, as the Dubs recorded assists on 11 of their 12 first quarter field goals. Cleveland didn’t do themselves any favors, as the Warriors notched 14 points off the Cavs’ nine turnovers. Cleveland spent most of the game shooting themselves in the foot.

Its no surprise that J.R. Smith didn't really show up till the basketball game was already out of reach. That doesn't come as a surprise, that has been J.R. Smith's MO his entire career. He plays when he wants to. To a degree I almost felt bad for Lebron. Almost. The guy had a fantastic series, practically carrying the Cavs on his back. He's only one guy, it's not possible for him to do everything himself. The two guys you would expect to be his supporting cast were hurt. The rest of the team had a chance to step up and help. Mozgov did an admirable job, so too did Thompson, but that was about it. There had been some questionable coaching by David Blatt, like not playing Mozgov more early in the series. I'll give Cleveland credit for going down fighting in game six, as they had a couple of good runs in the 2nd and 4th quarters. But it wasn't enough.

Golden State did in the finals, what they did against Memphis in the West Finals. Were down early in the series, made adjustments and dominated the rest of the series.Stephen Curry and Andre Igoudala each dropped 25 points. Then you chip in 16 from Draymond Green, and 10 each from Sean Livingston and Festus Ezeli. This goes to show the difference between Cleveland and Golden State. Golden State had their big gun in Stephen Curry, just like the Cavs have Lebron. Golden State had more depth scoring and role players, something which the Cavs never did. Even if they would play, it wouldn't be until the game was pretty much out of reach. Golden State was a dominating team this season, beating the league going wire to wire to win the crown/

Andre Igoudala, who did not start for the Warriors until Game 4 of the Finals, was named the Finals MVP for his instrumental defense against LeBron James. Igoudala came in the series in game four and had a major impact, shutting Lebron down and forcing the rest of the Cavaliers to try and help out the King, which is something they clearly weren't ready for.

So congratulations to the Golden State Warriors, your 2015 NBA Champions!

Dynasty? Hawks Win 3rd Cup In Six Seasons

For the 3rd time in the last six seasons, Lord Stanley's Cup will make its home in the Windy City. On the strength of a 2-0 win in game six, the Blackhawks clinched their first Stanley Cup on home ice since 1938. Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane provided the offense, while Goalie Corey Crawford was stellar with 23 saves, winning his fourth game of the Final in which he surrendered one goal or less. It was his second shutout of the playoffs.

Crawford had to make a couple of big saves, and get a little bit of help, to keep the Lightning off the board. First came a little bit of luck. Tampa managed just four shots on goal in the first, but came oh so close to taking the lead early, when at the 12:11 mark of the period, Steven Stamkos rang one off the crossbar. He had Crawford beat dead top rights over the catching glove, but couldn't beat the post. Chicago controlled most of the play in the opening period and got a little help form the post to keep the game scoreless. To the 2nd period we went and Chicago got bailed out just 56 seconds into the period. Steven Stamkos got a clean breakaway against Crawford. The puck bounced on him just a bit and he had to settle it down. Stamkos then made his move and was stopped not once but twice by the left leg of Cory Crawford.

Shot totals were a little closer in the 2nd, as it was a 10-7 edge in favor of the Blackhawks. Chicago finally broke through. At the 2:47 mark of the period, Ducan Keith managed to do this:


Patrick Kane got the play going and then found Keith in the middle of the ice. Tampa Bay goaltender Ben Bishop stopped Keith's first shot, but he went around Lightning center Cedric Paquette and put the rebound off Bishop into the net for his third goal of the playoffs. This move and goal was a little like the goal Scott Niedermayer scored in game two against the Detroit Red Wings in the 1995 finals. Chicago would hold that one goal lead going into the 3rd period.

Once that 3rd period got going, so to did the Lightning. Tampa fired off 14 shots in the final period, but Cory Crawford was there to shut the door tight. No save he made in that final period was bigger than the point blank chance that Ondrej Palat had. Tampa was on a powerplay and there was a mad scramble in front of the net. Palat took a couple of whacks at the puck but was stopped, the last one coming on a phenomenal glove save by Crawford.

Chicago had their fair of chances in the 3rd as well, firing off nine shots on net. The Hawks finally added the huge insurance goal when this happened:


Brandon Saad started the rush, took the puck to the line and left a drop pass for Richards. Richards fed Kane with a pass for a one-timer and the first two-goal lead in almost 355 minutes of play in the series. For Kane, it was his 11th goal of the playoffs and 1st goal in this finals series, which is a bit of a surprise for a guy who has a high level for scoring goals as he does.

Chicago held on to that 2-0 lead to clinch the title. Game Six was the only one in the series that had a two goal lead in it at any point. Every win the Hawks had in the series, they managed to score just two goals in each of the games.

A couple of things to note about this series from the Lightning perspective. First of all, Ben Bishop was quite impressive in this series. Why? Because it was revealed that he had played game three five and six with a torn groin. He helped keep the Bolts in this series with an injury and he still played pretty well. I kind of feel that with the way he played, Bishop deserved a bit better of a fate than he got. One of the reasons I fell the Bolts came up short in this series was the triplets line. They were held in check the entire series. Three goals from that entire line over the course of six games? That can't happen. Palat, Kucherov and Johnson had been playing outstanding all playoffs long and then decide to not show up at all in the finals. Bad time of year for that line to go cold.

Once the Hawks finished celebrating, and the teams shook hands at center ice, it was time to hand out some hardware. First up was the Conn Smythe trophy, going to the playoff MVP. This years winner was Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith. Keith was a unanimous choice for the award, in doing so, he becoming the ninth defenseman to win it. Keith was a machine during the playoffs, averaging more than 31 minutes of ice time in 23 playoff games. Also, the 21 points Keith registered are tied for 10th-most by a defenseman in a postseason. It was almost a no-brainer that he was going to win it.

After that the Hawks got the cup. After Jonathan Toews took the trophy, the first person he handed it off to was 40-year-old defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who missed most of this season because of a blood clot in his lung and joined the Blackhawks in late February in a trade from the Philadelphia Flyers. Chicago has a modern day dynasty. This marks the 3rd title in six seasons and is the third championship for eight Blackhawks players, and for Quenneville. Toews, Kane, Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Bryan Bickell were drafted by the Blackhawks, Patrick Sharp joined in a trade in 2003, and Marian Hossa signed as a free agent in 2009.

Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks, your 2015 Stanley Cup Champions!

Lebron Dominates But Not Enough Against Warriors

Heading into game five, whoever has won this game has gone on to win the NBA championship in 20 of the previous 28 instances. Hearing a stat like that has to make you happy as a Warriors fan, and worried as a Cavaliers fan. Despite the best effort of Lebron James, Golden State came away with a 104-91 win and will take a 3-2 series lead heading back to Cleveland.

The first three quarters were tight, with neither team leading by more than seven points. Both teams scored 22 points in the 1st quarter. The Warriors led 51-50 at halftime, then built on that lead, heading into the 4th quarter leading 73-67. The Cavaliers opened the 4th quarter on a 13-6 run. LeBron's deep three pointer gave the Cavaliers a 80-79 lead with just over 7:30 remaining in the ballgame. However, the Warriors responded with a huge run, closing out the game on a 25-11 run. Stephen Curry scored 37 points, going 13 of 23 shooting from the floor in the victory. In fact, 17 of his 37 points came in the 4th quarter.

LeBron James had his second triple double of this NBA Finals series, posting 40 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. It was his sixth career finals triple double, placing him second all-time behind only Magic Johnson (8). James also became the second player in NBA Finals history to score 40 points in an NBA Triple Double after Jerry West in 1969 NBA Finals. The Cavaliers lost consecutive playoff games for the first time this postseason. They had been 3-0 in playoff games following a loss.

A few interesting notes about game five last night. I give Lebron all the credit in the world. Dropping yet another triple double in the finals and another 40 point game are you kidding me!?!?! This guy is playing out of his mind and carrying this basketball team on his shoulders. Lebron has kept Cleveland in this series, and to make this more impressive, there's no Kevin Love or Kyrie Irving. Outside of Lebron, J.R. Smith (14 points), Iman Shumpert (10 points) and Tristan Thompson (19 points) were the only Cavs players to hit double digits in points. Timofey Mozgov played only nine minutes total in the game and didn't score a single point. Matthew Dellavedova, who had been a solid complementary scorer to Lebron, was held to just five points in the game. It doesn't help when you go two for nine from the floor, including one for five from three point range. That's what sets the Cavs and Warriors apart.

Cleveland has to rely on Lebron to do most of the work. He's the best player in the game today, there's no arguing that fact. What is being disputed is how deep the Cavs are. Cleveland just has no support for Lebron. Look at what the Warriors have been able to do. Stephen Curry led the way with 37 points.  Besidse Curry, there were three other starters, Klay Thompson (12 points), Andre Iguodala (14 points) and Draymond Green (16 points), hit double digits. The only starter who failed to hit double digits was Harrison Barnes who had eight points. In fact, the Warriors also got 13 points from Leandro Barbosa off the bench. That's the biggest difference. There's way more depth and a supporting cast behind Curry than their is Lebron.

Golden State can close out the series, and win their first NBA title since 1975, tomorrow night in Cleveland!

Curry, Iguodala Lead Warriors To Even Series

During the first three games of this years finals, the pace was kind of on the slow side, just the way the Cavaliers like to play it. During game four, the speed and pace of the game picked up, a style of play which favors the Warriors. It showed as Golden State came away with a 103-82 victory in game four, pulling the series even at two games apiece.

Golden State showed why they were the best team in the league during the regular season. Stephen Curry dropped 22 points, looking like he had returned to form that most fans were used to seeing. He wasn't the only one to drop 22 points, as Andre Iguodala did the exact same thing. It showed the depth and versatility that this Warriors team posses. Surprising leading the way for the Cavs, at least in the scoring department, it wasn't Lebron James. King James finished with 20 points, well below his average that he's had in this series, and 12 rebounds. Again these are below the standards that the King has set for himself in the finals. It turns out that Timofey Mozgov led Cleveland with 28 points. Then you also saw that surprising stud Matthew Dellavedova had 10. To be fair, Dellavedova had been battling leg cramps after a hospital stay for dehydration following game three. But I give him all the credit in the world for trying to fight through this and keep playing. That's what the finals can do to a person. Not just in the NBA, but in any sport for that matter.

Not having both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving is showing the Cavs are lacking a little bit of depth and firepower. Case in point: The Cavs shot just 2-of-18 from the field and were outscored 27-12 in the fourth quarter. Cleveland got nothing from their bench, J.R. Smith missed all eight 3-point attempts and Cleveland's reserves combined to score seven points. Now I think the Cavs fans are starting to realize how frustrating it is having J.R. Smith in the Lineup. Welcome to the Knicks experience of having J.R. Smith. Cleveland was outplayed by a better, deeper Warriors basketball team in this one.

Andre Iguodala had a big game for the Warriors at both ends of the floor. He drained four 3-pointers as part of the 22 point output he had. Iguodala was also able to keep James in check on the defensive side of the ball. Case in point: King James went 7-of-22 from the field and 5-of-10 from the free throw line. Yeah, I'd say thats a pretty good way of keeping the King in check. Of course Stephen Curry made four three pointers as well, including a deep dagger in the fourth over Iman Shumpert to end any thought the Cavs had of a comeback. Draymond Green added 17 points and Harrison Barnes had 14 for Golden State, which didn't lose three straight games all season while racking up 67 wins. Hell, if the Warriors get a lead of fifteen or more in any basketball game this season, they are a perfect 57-0. I'm not sure about anybody else, but this looks a lot like what happened in the last round against Memphis.

Golden State's ball movement was better, the shots that didn't drop in the first three games were on the mark and the Warriors are headed home feeling much better about things. They are still the team to beat. They may have found their groove again at the end of game three. If that was a sign of things to come, the tide may have just changed in this finals series

Blackhawks Struggle Early But Even Finals

After coming off a surprising win in relief in game three of the series, Andrei Vasilevskiy got a start in game four to replace Ben Bishop. He wasn't tested very much, but when he was, Chicago took advantage of it. We've played four games in this years Cup Finals and they have all been decided by one goal, something that has only happened twice in NHL History. Chicago pulled off the win, coming away with a 2-1 win in the hockey game, pulling even in this series with the Lightning.

When the puck dropped to start the game, Chicago looked really off their game. In fact, they were downright bad at the start of the hockey game. In the opening twenty minutes, the Hawks managed just two shots on net. TWO SHOTS ON NET FOR THE HAWKS IN THE OPENING TWENTY MINUTES! For a team that has as much firepower as they do, it was scary that they couldn't get that much pressure on the Bolts rookie netminder in his first playoff start. Chicago not only mustered just two shots on net, they also handed the Lightning three powerplays in the first, giving Tampa ample opportunity to take an early advantage. Cory Crawford was fantastic in the first twenty minutes, stopping all nine shots he faced. With the first three games of the series being as close as they have been, Tampa was given golden opportunities to pull away early in this game, but couldn't capitalize on the chances they had.

So to the 2nd period we go, and Chicago managed to find their game again and come through. Tampa kept their pressure up, by firing eight shots on the net of Cory Crawford. But the Hawks came back and fired twelve shots of their own. Chicago finally breaks through and gets on the board first. It happened at the 6:40 mark of the 2nd period. Patrick Sharp got the whole thing started, as he had a mini-breakaway and hit the right post. That didn't stop the Blackhawks, who kept the pressure on. Sharp deflected a shot on net and then pushed the rebound wide to the left of Vasilevskiy. Jonathan Toews was near the far post and directed the puck for his 10th goal of the playoffs, and his first of this series.

Just a little over five minutes later, at the 11:47 mark, Tampa got themselves even. Valtteri Filppula carried the puck behind the Chicago net and slipped it past the two Blackhawks defenders who went with him back toward the left post, which he had skated by. Alex Killorn was alone there as everyone's attention shifted toward the other side of the net. His shot was in the net before Crawford realized what was happening and turned his head back to Killorn, who scored his ninth goal of the postseason. Steven Stamkos played a role in this play as well. There was a delayed call on the play as he had been knocked down at the side of the net. Then for some odd reason, three Hawks players, Brent Seabrook, Trevor Van Reimsdyk and Andrew Desjardins all decided to follow the puck behind the cage and totally forget that Killorn was open in front. Crawford, too, was at slight fault because he was so distracted following Filppula that he wasn't paying attention to the back door, which lead to the goal.

Chicago had two golden opportunities to take the lead late in the 2nd, one from a long shot from the slot by Seabrook and another from a rush by Toews, both of which were turned aside by Vasilevskiy. The best chance Chicago had early in the 3rd was a shot by Kimmo Timonen that beat Vasilevskiy but rang square off the post. Off the ensuing faceoff after the Timonen shot rang off the post, this happened:


It was one of the few mistakes that Vasilevskiy made all hockey game. Saad found space five hole on the rebound for his 8th of the post season, a shot which turned out to be the game winner.

After that was scored, the Lightning seemed to turn the pressure back up again. Tampa kept pouring on the offense but Crawford slammed the door shut, allowing Chicago to come away with the victory and evening the series.

Game five of the series will be played at Amalie Arena down in Tampa Saturday night, with the teams heading back to the United Center in Chicago on Mnday for game six. Both games start at 8PM!

First No Hitter of 2015!

When people think of the San Francisco Giants and their pitching staff, they think of the big names they have on that staff. Guys like Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain (who's currently hurt), Jake Peavy (also currently hurt), Tim Hudson and Tim Lincecum. Chris Heston isn't the first name to come to mind when you think of the Giants pitchers. After last night, his name won't be forgotten now. In just his 13th Major League Start, Heston threw the first no hitter in Major League Baseball this season.

It's the first no-hitter tossed in the bigs this year, the last one being thrown by Jordan Zimmerman of the Nationals on the last day of the season last year,. This was the 288th no-hitter thrown in Major League History. With the perofmrnace, it backed a 5-0 win by the Giants over the New York Mets in Queens. Heston finished with allowing three baserunners in total, all of who reached base after getting hit by a pitch. Heston finished by striking out 11, six of which went down looking. He allowed just two balls into the outfield, flyouts by Wilmer Flores in the second inning and Michael Cuddyer in the seventh. The last pitch was a 91 mph sinker that froze Tejada (ESPN). Heston ended his no-no by throwing called third strikes past pinch-hitter Danny Muno, Curtis Granderson and Ruben Tejada, capping off the night. The last hard hit ball the Mets had in the game came when Brandon Crawford made a backhand stop deep at shortstop and threw to first to retire Eric Campbell for the final out of the eighth.

Heston did have an outstanding performance on the hill, I'm not taking anything away from him by any stretch of the imagination. What really makes me wonder is just how easy of a no hitter was that anyway? The New York Mets, who are still a first place team mind you, made that look kind of easy. Heston did an outstanding job of making the Mets look foolish. Heston does deserve credit, but he had help from the Mets bats, or I should say lack there of. The Mets showed no life whatsoever in this baseball game, at least from an offensive perspective. New York's bats have been struggling as of late and its getting tough to watch. Nobody hit anything hard for the Mets last night. Yes they did make contact, but you could tell that there was no force behind any of the swings the Mets took last night. It was signs of a team that is in a bit of a struggle right now. Darrell Ceciliani was the last Mets player to get a hit, an RBI single in the top of the 9th Sunday against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.

Here's part of what is so mind boggling with where the Mets are in the division standings right now. Despite leading the NL East, the Mets are 25th among the 30 teams in runs, a dearth partly due to injuries to David Wright, Daniel Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud. How are they still even a first place team with a weak offense like that? It also helps that the Washington Nationals have struggled as of late as well and the rest of the NL East is pathetic. Still its a small miracle that the Mets are not only atop the division but have a winning record right now. It's really amazing that the team can still do what its doing right now. Again I'll give credit where its due, Chris Heston did what was expected of him to do. He made the pitches he needed to make, finding a way to get hitters out when he had to. New York just didn't have an answer for him tonight.

Heston has become the 22nd rookie since 1901 to throw a no-hitter, and the first one to do it since Clay Buchholz tossed one for the Red Sox in 2007 against Baltimore. The Giants have pitched 17 no-hitters, including nine since the team moved from New York to San Francisco. This marks the 4th straight season that a Giants pitcher has thrown a no-hitter (Matt Cain tossed the perfect game in 2012 vs. Houston, Tim Lincecum threw one in July 2013 vs San Diego and then again against San Diego in June of 2014). This was the seventh no-hitter against the Mets, but the first since Houston's Darryl Kile in 1993.

Lebron and Dellavedova Shine in Game Three

When the NBA Finals started, there was more pressure on Lebron James than ever. Why? Because he was missing two all stars,. and his two running buddies, in the Cavs lineup. Conventional wisdom would tell you that not having both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, that the Cavs would have struggled bigtime against the best team in basketball. Then again, Lebron is playing out of his mind, and they are getting major contributions from Matthew Dellavedova.

The first half was close throughout, with the Cavaliers leading 24-20 after the first quarter. They led 44-37 at halftime. Stephen Curry had a bigtime struggle from Game 2, a performance which carried over to the first half of Game Three. Curry was held to 3 points in the first half. For a guy of his talent, the reigning league MVP is playing well below par, at least for the high standard he set for himself.

By the time the game moved into the third quarter, the Cavaliers seized control. Cleveland outscored Golden State 28-18 in that 3rd period. They led by as many as 20 in the third quarter before taking a 72-55 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The 55 points scored by the Warriors was their lowest scoring output through three quarters all season. However, the Warriors fought back, making it a 1 point game as they cut the deficit to 81-80 late in the fourth quarter. Curry scored 17 of the Warriors' 36 4th quarter points. However, Dellavedova made a basket while being fouled. He made the free throw to put the Cavaliers up 84-80. After Curry committed a turnover, James hit a three pointer to give the Cavs an 87-80 lead.

Curry hit a handful of three pointers down the stretch, but the Cavs made their free throws and closed out the win. James led all scorers with 40 to go along with 12 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals. Through 3 games, James scored 123 points, the most points scroed by any player in the first three games of any Finals series. Dellavedova scored 20, a playoff career high. Curry led the Warriors with 27. It was the first time that the Cavaliers held a lead in a Finals series in their franchise history.

A few things to take note of from this 3rd game of the finals. First and foremost is the DOMINATION by Lebron James. Through three games, James has played 142 of 154 possible minutes, scored 123 points and taken 107 shots. If that's not a dominating performance, than I don't know what is. The King is literally carrying the offense on his back right now, taking this team to a place it has never been before. The big question I still have, and I think I'm wrong with this, is can the King keep going? I say I'm not sure. But based on what I've seen from the start of the series, Lebron is putting himself in some elite company for everything he has been able to do in this series.

The other major note has been Stephen Curry. Sure the league MVP was able to drop 17 points in the final quarter of the basketball game to get the Warriors back in it, but it was too little too late. A lot of credit has to go to Matthew Dellavedova. Dellavedova has stepped up bigtime in this series, hitting big shots (dropping 20 points on the Warriors) and pretty much making life miserable for Stephen Curry. He has played an outstanding brand of basketball. While Lebron has been carrying the bulk of the load for the Cavs, Dellavedova has been there playing a great supporting role.

One final note was the play of Stephen Curry. He didn't start off great, but came on in a very strong finish in the 4th quarter. What I want to know is which Stephen Curry are we going to get in game four? Is it going to be the one who showed up in Game Two and most of Game Three? Or is it going to be the guy who showed up in the 4th quarter of Game Four? Only time will tell!

Lightning Take Lead In Cup Finals

Heading into this years finals, the matchup on paper was a grizzled veteran team taking on a group of young and hungry kids. After the first game, it looked like the veterans would take control of the series. Somebody forgot to tell the Lightning that. The boys from the Sunshine State have showed up, and in a big way, taking the last two games of the series to take a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The first five minutes of play in this one was controlled by the Lightning. All that pressure has payed off. At the 5:09 mark of the opening period, Ryan Callahan ripped sizzler off the post an in to give the Bolts a 1-0 lead. For Callahan, it was his 2nd of the playoffs. He got behind Chicago defenseman Johnny Oduya, who had slipped a second earlier, and took a slap shot from the top of the right circle into the top right corner of the net past Corey Crawford. It was that unmistakable sound of the puck going right off the post and in. That goal seemed to wake the Hawks up in the opening frame, as they dominated play the rest of the period. Towards the end of the period, Chicago got a powerplay, when Braydon Coburn was called for hooking. Big mistake, as it gave the Hawks powerplay room to work. Chicago had plenty of chances with that man advantage, before Brad Richards finally cashed in on it. Richards scored on a power play at 14:22 to make it 1-1, and for Richards it was his 3rd of the playoffs. The Hawks got traffic in front of Ben Bishop and he had trouble seeing the shots clearly.

To the Second period we go, both teams were caught trading chances. The best chance came at the 8:55 mark of the period when Nikita Kucherov got a clean breakaway, but was robbed point blank by Crawford on a fantastic play. Hedman had a great chance on a Tampa Powerplay but was kicked out by Crawford on a Lightning powerplay with about three minutes left in the frame. When the 3rd period started, the Blackhawks took control back of the hockey game. Chicago retook the lead, when at 4:14 of the 3rd, Marian Hossa slipped a pass from the left circle to Brandon Saad. Saad took a one-timer from the slot while going down to one knee. It was Saad's seventh goal of the postseason. It gave the Hawks a lead for the time being. While the Chicago goal was being announced to the crowd, Chicago won the faceoff, but Tampa Bay quickly gained possession in the neutral zone when defenseman Matt Carle poked the puck to Tyler Johnson. He got it to Nikita Kucherov, who swopped into the zone on the right wing and sent the puck toward the net. Crawford never quite got the handle on it and Ondrej Palat was there to punch it across the goal line. The goal came at 4:27 of the 3rd. For Palat, it was his eighth goal of this postseason, and the 31st by a member of "The Triplets" line.

Tampa just kept chipping away and chipping away. Then, with 3:11 left in the hockey game, this happened:


It was a beautiful rush by Hedman to get the open ice for Paquette, his 3rd of the post season. Chicago put on some late pressure but it was to no avail as the Bolts held on for the win.

Yes he did come back and play but Ben Bishop looked a little bit shaky in this hockey game. When Tampa scored, it was because the had pressure and net front presence, not allowing Bishop to be able to see the puck as it was heading towards the cage. When the Rangers were able to light the lamp against Tampa, they got traffic constantly in front of Bishop. Sure Chicago is getting traffic in front of the big Tampa netminder, but its not with much consistency. I think with time, the Hawks can find a way around it and possibly come back in the series.

Lebron Shines As Cavs Force Game Five

Game Two of the NBA Finals turned into another thriller at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Two pieces of history were made in this high stakes basketball game. Game two, once again, went into overtime, making it the first time in NBA Finals history that the first two games went to overtime. Also history has been made as the Cleveland Cavaliers have finally won a game in the NBA Finals, a first in franchise history. Cleveland pulled off a 95-93 win in overtime, pulling them even with the Golden State Warriors, and Cleveland did it, in large part, on the will and strength of one Lebron James.

King James led the way for the Cavs, pulling down his 5th career triple double in the finals. Lebron finished with 39 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists. Those 39 points were good enough to lead all scorers. The King really was at his best, as James either scored or assisted on 66 of Cleveland's 95 points. Combined, through the first two games, the King has dropped 83 points. Those two game totals in the Finals was second all time to Jerry West's 94, which West accomplished in the 1969 Finals.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 34 points and Curry added 19, but was only 5-for-23 from the floor, including 2-15 from 3-point range. The margin was close through the first three quarters until Cleveland built a 79-68 lead with 5:00 remaining in the final period. However, a late Warriors 19-8 run tied the game at 87, capped by a Curry layup with eight seconds remaining. James had a jump shot to win the game in regulation, but misfired and the rebound tipback attempt by Tristan Thompson was unsuccessful. In the overtime, James scored the first five points, but Draymond Green answered with back-to-back baskets and Curry added two free throws for a 93-92 lead with 10.1 seconds left.

The ensuing Cavaliers possession resulted in a three point attempt by James Jones which missed, but Matthew Dellavedova was fouled on the rebound by Harrison Barnes. Dellavedova hit both free throws to give the Cavaliers the lead. After a timeout, the Warriors went to Curry, who missed a jumper which James rebounded and he was fouled. James hit one of two at the line and with no timeouts left, the Warriors had to go the length of the floor to get a last shot attempt, but Curry's pass near midcourt was stolen by Shumpert as the clock ran out.

The victory for the Cleveland Cavaliers was their first ever single game Finals victory, having lost Game 1 of this series, and being swept in the 2007 Finals to San Antonio.

Now everybody has been talking about the play of King James, and with good reason. But there was another surprising factor that took place in this game. That was the fact hat Stephen Curry, the League's MVP, was having a down night. Sure Curry dropped 19 points, but he went 5 for 23 and, even more shocking, was the fact that he was 2 of 15 from three point range. Curry only hit two three pointers in the entire basketball game. He's coming off an MVP season, one of the best three point shooters in the entire league. Held to hitting just two shots from three point range is considered a down night for one of the best shooters in the entire sport. I know it's just one game, but Curry has to forget about the night he just had and rebound for game three. A lot of credit has to go to Matthew Dellavedova for playing fantastic defense against Curry.

Cleveland did an excellent job in this basketball game of shortening up the court. The Cavaliers slowed the pace down to their style of play and never let the Warriors play at their speed. Cleveland dominated the game. If your the Warriors, this looks awfully familiar to what happened against Memphis. We know how that series ended. Good for Cleveland that they finally won a game in the finals. Now the question is: Will the Cavs take advantage of what happened in game two or will the Warriors respond in game three? Only time will tell

Lightning Pull Even In Finals

The first two games of this years Stanley Cup Finals have been interesting to say the least. Chicago had pulled off the late game heroics to take the opening game, but the Bolts returned the favor in game two, despite having to go through two goalie changes in the process.

Tampa got the scoring started in the first, when at 12:56 of the opening frame, Cedric Paquette scored his 2nd of the playoffs. The Lightning came out of the 1st period carrying the one goal lead, the same exact thing that happened in game one. Play in the first period was pretty even, with Tampa coming away with a 12-11 advantage in shots. Tampa had a golden chance to get even with about 4:49 left in the 1st period, on a beautiful passing play. Brandon Saad brought the puck over the line, feeding Patrick Kane, who then threw a nice cross rink pass to Jonathan Toews crashing the net. Toews tried to stuff it five hole on a sliding Bishop, but Bishop closed the pads in time, making a fantastic save, keeping it a 1-0 Bolts Advantage.

Moving to the 2nd frame, Tampa once again had more shots on net, but this time it was both teams each scored twice. Chicago got the jump just 3:04 into the middle frame, Andrew Shaw connects for his 5th of the playoffs. The Hawks weren't done there, as Teuvo Teravainen kept his hot shooting in the finals, scoring a powerplay goal. The goal came at the 5:20 mark and was his 4th goal of the post season. At this point your starting to think back to game one that this could be an exact replica of what happened in the opener of the series. Then Tampa came back, and in a big way/

The Triplets line, who had been quite in game one of the series, finally came back with a bang in game two. Nikita Kucherov connected for his 10th of the playoffs, at the 6:52 mark of the 2nd, to pull the Lightning even. Kucherov hadn't found the back of the net since the game six loss to the Rangers in the east finals, so that was kind of a monkey off the back. Tampa would re-take the lead at the 13:52 mark as Tyler Johnson scored his 13th of the playoffs, and his first since game three of the East finals. So the triplets line was able to find the back of the net, helping the Bolts reclaim the lead heading into the final period.

Here's where things got interesting. Lightning starting goaltender Ben Bishop left the game twice in the third period, once briefly and then for good with 7:41 left. Bishop started the period and was in net when Brent Seabrook scored 3:38 into the final period, the 7th of the playoffs for Seabrook. That caused a bit of agitation from Tampa, a case in which they may have had a right to complain. As the shot was coming in from Seabrook at the point, Marian Hossa was crashing the net. Hossa got to the crease at the same time the puck did and Hossa may have bumped into the leg pad of Bishop as the shot was coming in. Bishop went to the refs to complain about the contact, but it fell on def ears. Bishop didn't have something to complain about because all Hossa did was tap his leg pad, it didn't stop Bishop from trying to make that save. So now the Hawks have the game tied up at three.

Here's where things turn interesting. Patrick Sharp goes off for high sticking, to give the Lightning a powerplay. Ben Bishop leaves for an unknown reason, and is replaced by his backup, rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy. Then about a minute after the powerplay started, Jason Garrison rips a shot past Crawford, Garrison's 2nd goal of the playoffs, to give the Lightning a lead. While the team was celebrating the goal, Bishop returned from the room to take his place between the pipes. That didn't last long, as a few minutes later Bishop went back to the room and Vasilevskiy came back out to finish the game. Vasilevskiy played 9:13 in the game, stopping all five shots he faced.

Because he was on the ice during Garrison's winning goal, Vasilevskiy was credited with his first playoff victory, and became the first goalie to win a Finals game in relief since Lester Patrick helped the New York Rangers defeat the Montreal Maroons in overtime of game two of the 1928 Stanley Cup Finals, 2–1. Once the game went final, nobody from the Lightning said what exactly was going on with Ben Bishop, and since then, nobody still has any idea what is going on with Ben Bishop. Nobody from the organization, whether it be general Manager Steve Yzerman or head coach Jon Cooper, have said what has happened with there starting goalie. Its a smart move, because if Bishop may be dealing with an injury, you don't want to give Hawks players a target to go after. Nobody knows yet who is going to be the starting netminder for the Lightning for game three, which is tonight.

Now that the series is even at one, it means there will be at least five games in the finals. There hasn't been a sweep in the Stanley Cup Finals since Detroit swept Washington in 1998

Blackhawks Pull Off Game One Win

Game one dropped Wednesday night in Tampa with a bit of a bang. Considering the fact that both teams have plenty of firepower, it was guys who you didn't really expect that helped the Blackhawks pulled out a 2-1 win in the opener and take the first game of this years Stanley Cup Finals.

Tampa Bay took control of the game early, dominating the opening minutes of play. Tampa took five of the first six shots of the hockey game. On the 6th shot Tampa took in the game, Alex Killorn did this:



Yeah Killorn knocked the puck out of mid-air on a fantastic goal. He kind of baseball bat swung it past Cory Crawford at the 4:31 mark. For Killorn it was his 8th of the playoffs. In this year's playoffs, Tampa Bay is a perfect 9-0 when they net the first goal. From there, the Lightning just kept the attack coming. Tampa fired 18 total shots through the first two periods of the hockey game. Cory Crawford was very good in the early going. He had to be good and made a couple of outstanding saves. One of his more impressive stops came with about 1:45 left in the middle period, when he stoned Steven Stamkos from point blank range. A very though thing to do considering just how good a shooter Stamkos really is. In fact Tampa Bay held Chicago to 13 shots on goal through two periods, which is no small feet with the kind of fire power that the Blackhawks have at their disposal.

Chicago had a couple of golden chances in the middle frame. The best one coming at about the 8:46 mark of the 2nd period, with the Hawks on a power play. Marion Hossa, a very dangerous shooter, was left wide open in the slot and had Ben Bishop beat high over the glove. Only problem is Hossa got too much air under the shot and sailed it high over the crossbar. Heading into the 3rd frame, with the Lighting still holding a 1-0 lead, it has ment one thing, the Bolts come away with a win. The Lightning were 41-0-2 when leading after two periods in the regular season and postseason combined.

Crawford kept the Lightning at bay in the 3rd, stonning Ryan Callahan on a breakaway with a little over eight minutes left to go in regulation. That seemed to be a turning point in the hockey game. Why? Because two minutes later, at the 13:28 mark, Teuvo Teravainen scored his 3rd of the playoffs to tie the game at one. It came off a screen that was set in front of Ben Bishop, who never saw that shot come through. Then, two minutes later, at the 15:26 mark, Teravainen was at it again. He picked the pocket of JT Brown and sent it to the high slot for Antoine Vermette, who beat Bishop high to the glove side for his 3rd of the playoffs. The score would hold up, giving the Hawks a 2-1 win and a 1-0 lead in the series.

This handed Tampa the first loss after scoring the opening goal and their first loss all year after taking a lead in the 3rd period. Cory Crawford kept the Hawks ion this hockey game, while it took a while for the Blackhawks to get their offense going. Tampa did a good job of keeping up the pressure heading into the 3rd period, but that's where the game changed. Callahan got robbed on the breakaway, and Tampa had only five shots on net in the final frame. They gave too much room for the Hawks to come back into the game, which they found out the hard way isn't going to work. For Tampa Bay to come back in the series, keep the Hawks out of their crease, which is how Chicago tied the game. Bishop was screened on the point shot that beat Bishop to tie the game. Tampa has looked shaky at times at home during this years playoffs and it happened again at the end of regulation in the opener. Tampa needs to fix this problem going through the rest of the series.

2015 NBA Finals Preview

And here we go. We started this journey way back in October. 30 teams all felt they had a chance to claim the crown. Then fast forward to April, where the playoffs rolled in with 16 teams standing. After a month and a half of battle, there are two teams left standing. What's on the line? Winner gets the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, as winners of the NBA Crown.

This year's finals matchup pits the best team in basketball the Golden State Warriors taking on the Eastern Conference Champions the Cleveland Cavaliers. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, they made the post season after winning the Central division, going 53-29 during the regular season. Once the Cavs entered the playoffs, they have had a somewhat easy trip to the finals. The Cavaliers swept the Boston Celtics in the first round, then bounced the Chicago Bulls in six games during the second round, while finally sweeping the Hawks in the conference finals. This marks the 5th straight year that an Eastern Conference team has Lebron James on its roster to play in the finals (this year with CLE and the last four with MIA). The last East team to play for a title without Lebron on the roster was the 2010 Boston Celtics who fell to the LA Lakers in seven games. Cleveland hasn't played for an NBA crown since getting swept by the Spurs in 2007, the only other time the franchise has made the finals.

As for the Golden State Warriors, they had the best record in the NBA during the regular season, going 67-15, including 39-2 at home. With the season the team had, rookie head coach Steve Kerr became the willingest rookie head coach in league history. In fact, Golden State became just the 10th team in league history to notch at least 67 victories. The last team to win 67 or more games was the 2006-2007 Dallas Mavericks. The last team in NBA history to win 67 or more games during the regular season and walk away with the NBA title was 1999-2000 Los Angeles Lakers. Golden State got to this point in the playoffs by sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round, then they disposed of the Memphis Grizzlies in six games during the second round, finally taking care of the Houston Rockets in five games in the conference finals. For the Warriors, this marks the 7th time they have made the finals, winning the title three times. Their last championship victory came in 1975, sweeping the Washington Bullets. Ironically enough, that championship win was the last time that the Warriors have played in the finals.

These teams split the two meetings during the regular season. Golden State won in Cleveland, 112-94 on January 9th. Cleveland took the matchup out on the west coast, a 110-99 win on February 26th. The two teams have never faced eachother before in the playoffs.

Here are the dates, times and channels for every game in this series:
June 4 9:00 pm Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, Oakland, California ABC
June 7 8:00 pm Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, Oakland, California ABC
June 9 9:00 pm Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ABC
June 11 9:00 pm Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ABC
June 14 8:00 pm Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors* Oracle Arena, Oakland, California ABC
June 16 9:00 pm Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers* Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ABC
June 19 9:00 pm Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors* Oracle Arena, Oakland, California ABC

So now that we know how each team got here, and when they tip off, lets take a look at what they have to do to come out with a victory and the title.

If your the Cavaliers, there's plenty at stake for you, from a team and individual perspective. Lebron decided to come home over the summer. He felt he did a lot of growing up while playing in Miami, which he did. Now he wanted a chance to come back to his hometown and carry the team and city to a title, something Cleveland has been starving for. Kevin Love hasn't played since the end of the opening round against Boston, and Kyrie Irving has had his moments, but still has injury troubles to deal with. Even still, with Lebron in charge, Cleveland hasn't been challenged in the east, going 12-2 in this years playoffs. Lebron has been effective this year, as he’s posted 27.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 8.3 assists. The only other player in league history to notch at least a 27-10-8 in a postseason was “The Big O,” Oscar Robertson (Sports Illustrated).

Lets not forget, there is more to this basketball team than just Lebron James. He can't do everything himself, he has had some help in this years playoffs. JR Smith and Iman Shumpert, both castoffs from the New York Knicks, have come up big so far for the Cavs, especially from behind the three point line. Shumpert is hitting about 36.8% and Smith is operating at a 39.6%. Both guys have each drained four or more three-pointers in a combined seven playoff games so far. And, they have provided solid defense, which has been a big help for Cleveland in this years playoffs. They have had help on the defensive end. Throw in the talent of guys like Tristan Thompson, grit of Matthew Dellavedova and a (presumably) healthy Kyrie Irving following a handful of days off. This bunch gives Cleveland enough firepower to compete with Golden State.

One thing that the Cavs are going to have to pay attention to in this series is the possibility of taking contested jumpers. Or rather, their ability to hit them. Around 28 percent of the Cavaliers' total shot attempts have been open or wide-open threes to this point. The problem here? They won't get THAT many open looks against the Warriors in this series. Cleveland has to try to find those open looks again. If they cannot, then the Cavs have to be able to hit the shots when the get them. If they can't then this could be a quick series. Cleveland was able to get more open looks in previous rounds, but against a defensive team like that of the Warriors, it won't be there as easy.

Now the Golden State Warriors are the best team in basketball, being lead by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Both of those guys have had outstanding playoffs this year, there is no disputing that. Both guys are now benefiting from having a week off between games. Head contusion befell Stephen Curry, falling hard in game five against the Rockets. Meanwhile it was a concussion suffered by Klay Thompson, when he was struck in the head by an knee in game five as well. Golden State is a team that likes to move the ball around and keep pace moving. They have great ball movement, which allows their shooters to get open looks and knock down shots.

One thing that the Warriors have going for them is depth. They have the Splash Brothers, that's for sure. But they also have guys like Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green. Golden State is deep in the shooting game, and one of the few teams this season that have finished in the top ten in the league on both the offensive and defensive side of the basketball. While the Cavs may be able to matchup offensively to Golden State, its the defensive side of the ball where the two teams differ. Cleveland finished 18th in the NBA while the Warriors finished in the top ten. Having a team that is in the top ten in both catagories is very very rare to have. Its going to make for a fun series to watch.

What the Warriors are going to have to work on in this series is the pace of the game. Golden State likes to move a fast paced game, but the Cavs don't Cleveland plays more of a slower pace game, something that the Warriors can't handle very well. If you look at what happened against the Grizzlies in the last round, the two games that Memphis won, they controlled the pace. Golden State has to get the jump on the Cavs and push the pace quickly. If Cleveland is allowed to control the game and set the tempo, Golden State may have trouble trying to adjust to whats going on.

Prediction
Its been an easy topic for discussion that the East is the weaker of the two. Cleveland had a slightly easy trip to the finals, at least by comparison to what the Warriors had to go through. With that being said, the Cavs have impressed me being able to get to where they are with what they have. Lebron may have lower numbers than expected for a guy his talent, but he has had to do almost everything for the Cavaliers in the playoffs, because Love has been hurt and Irving has been ineffective. At the same token, the Warriors are just that much better. Golden State has had unlimited weapons in the playoffs. Cleveland is a good team, there is no denying that. But they have yet to face a team in this years playoffs who are as deep and well rounded as the Warriors. Cleveland will take a game or two in this series but its almost a no brainer.

Warriors in 6!

2015 Stanley Cup Finals Preview

The time has finally arrived. At long last there are only two teams left standing. We started this journey back in October with 30 teams. Then the field was shrunk down to sixteen. Now, after a month and a half of battle, there are two teams left standing. What are they fighting for? The biggest prize in all of hockey, The Stanley Cup!

Playing for the biggest prize in all of hockey are the Western Conference Champions the Chicago Blackhawks taking on the Eastern Conference Champions the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa Bay got here by finishing second in the Atlantic Division, earning 108 regular season points. During the post season, Tampa Bay reached the finals by beating the Detroit Red Wings in seven games, then followed that up by beating the Montreal Canadiens in six games, finally downing the New York Rangers in Seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Tampa became the first post-1967 expansion team to beat three Original Six teams on the way to the Stanley Cup Finals and the only team in NHL history to face an Original Six team at every stage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This trip to the finals marks just the 2nd time ever that the Lightning will play for the Cup. The last time that the Lightning played for the Cup was 2004, and they beat the Calgary Flames in seven games in that series.

Their opponents in this final series will be the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago finished the regular season in 3rd place in the Central Division (behind Nashville and St. Louis) with 102 regular season points. Once the playoffs got rolling, the Blackhawks beat the Nashville Predators in six games in the opening round, then swept the Minnesota Wild in round two, then finally beating the Anaheim Ducks in the Conference Finals in seven games. This marks the 3rd time in the last six seasons that the Hawks are playing for the Stanley Cup, having won in both 2010 and 2013. This now marks thirteen total appearances for the Hawks in the finals, with them claiming the title six times.

This marks the first time the two teams have met in the playoffs. During the regular season, Chicago and Tampa split the games (Hawks won in a shootout and Lightning win in regulation).

Here are the date and times for every game in this series:
June 3 Chicago Blackhawks 8:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
June 6 Chicago Blackhawks 7:15 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
June 8 Tampa Bay Lightning 8:00 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks United Center
June 10 Tampa Bay Lightning 8:00 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks United Center
June 13 Chicago Blackhawks 8:00 p.m.* Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
June 15 Tampa Bay Lightning 8:00 p.m.* Chicago Blackhawks United Center
June 17 Chicago Blackhawks 8:00 p.m.* Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena

So now that we know when the two teams will play, lets see how well they stack up against one another.

Offense

Tampa was the highest scoring team in the league during the regular season. tampa being lead by none other than their Captain Steven Stamkos. Stamkos has had an impact so far in the playoffs, with seven goals and 10 assists. He has a good supporting cast. Valtteri Filppula (11 points), Alex Killorn (seven goals, nine assists) have provided a scoring punch. Tampa is getting contributions from role players like Brian Boyle, J.T. Brown and Ryan Callahan. But you can't deny that the hottest line in all of hockey is the triplets line of Tyler Johnson (21 points), Ondrej Palat (15 points) and Nikita Kucherov (19 points).

Don't get me wrong, the Blackhawks are no slouch. Jonathan Toews (9 goals, 9 assists) and Patrick Kane (10 goals and 10 assists) are leading the charge, as always. Brandon Saad and Patrick Sharp have been contributing factors in the playoffs as well. Throw in Marian Hossa as well to having an impact in this years playoffs. Its not hard to see why the Hawks have been able to hang around this long in the postseason.  Chicago wasn't expecting to have Kane back till early 3rd round of the playoffs but was able to make it back in time for the first round and has had a huge impact.

Its been close to call as to who has the edge. Chicago still has a deep, talent laiden, veteran offense. But the Bolts have the offense that has been firing on all cylinders at the right time as we head into the finals.

Advantage: Lightning

Defense

Tampa has had a fantastic playoffs with a solid defense corps. Victor Hedman (10 points, plus-11) is their best defenseman that the lightning have. Hedman is plenty capable of taking over a game with his skating ability, excellent positioning and impressive offensive ability. Partner him with Anton Stralman (seven points, plus-two) and you have something going on the top pair. Stralman is a tough, smart shot-blocker who will also play the physical game. Then behind them, you have Jason Garrison and Braydon Coburn, both of whom have been solid during the playoffs. Rounding out the Bolts defense is Matt Carle and Andrej Sustr. Outside of Hedman and Stralman, I'm a little worried about the back end of the Lightning blueline. I say this because with the way the Hawks offense operates, I'm not sure that they can handle well the onrush of the Chicago attack. Hedman and Stralman should be fine, but the guys behind them worry me a bit.

With the Blackhawks, they have been a fantastic surprise with what they have been able to pull off this year in the playoffs. Some thought that the Hawks defense was too banged up to make it out of the Western Conference Finals against the Ducks. Well they proved everybody wrong. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, along with Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya, have played big minutes and boy did they ever. They swallowed up minutes and had big performances in the playoffs so far. Duncan Keith has had a very solid offensive performance, with two goals, 16 assists, and a plus-13 rating so far in the post season. He has had stellar play and leadership skills, and he asserted himself in every game. Same thing can be said for Seabrook, who has comntributed six goals, four assists, and a plus-six raiting. He is a solid blueliner who has an offensive upswing. Then there's Hjalmarsson, who has been a brilliant shot-blocker, a solid puck mover and an underrated performer. Same thing can be said for Oduya as well.

Advantage: Blackhawks

Goaltending

This is probably the most important aspect of hockey. Without great goaltending, it's not possible to get this far in the playoffs. Ben Bishop, who has gone 12-8, with a 2.15 goals-against average, and a .920 save percentage has been good for Tampa Bay. He was outstanding in the final two road games in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Rangers. But in his games at home against the same Rangers club, he was suspect. it wasn't just in the east finals, its happened in the other rounds as well. He has been good I'm not denying that at all. What I'm saying is he just hasn't been consistent across the board. This could be a problem going forward against a team like Chicago.

Meanwhile, the Hawks have their own battle tested netminder between the pipes in Cory Crawford. Crawford has a 9-4 record, to go along with a  2.56 GAA, and a .919 save percentage. Crawford knows what he's doing come playoff time, as he has a Stanley Cup ring to his credit. Now he is in a position to get his second as Chicago's No. 1 goalie. Crawford struggled in the first round against Nashville, but he bounced back and has been dependable ever since. Crawford has superb quickness and the ability to bounce back from a bad game. He is mentally strong and is at his best when the pressure is on.

Advantage: Blackhawks

Predictions
Tampa Bay has had their offense clicking at the right time. The Bolts are getting hot and seem to be moving right along, which looks very similar to what they did in 2004, the last time they made a finals appearance. There is one big difference between then and now. Back then, Tampa had more solid goaltending and defense than they do right now. Bishop and the defense corp have been good in the playoffs but not great. Chicago's goaltending hasn't been out of this world either but the defense has been outstanding. Tampa's offense can steal them a couple of games, but when their backs are against the wall Chicago has proven time and again they have what it takes to get the job done.

Prediction: Blackhawks in 6!