viking mama

There ya be!! Keep the waves comin’ forward, Cats!

Who are the refs? The Cats cannot be so unfortunate, as to draw Kelly Sutherland #11 yet again? O’Rourke would mean even more misfortune.

C’mon. Hill is another…Binnington. Begging the hockey-gods to favour Bob & his Cats, more this evening. Mental energies unite! HAARRRRRRD!

Wait for it… He’s greased so many skids & served-up the goods for far too long, in far too many close & very important games, to be ignored or go unrewarded for his on-ice antics & meddlings. Post-career promotion for KS…oh, it’s happening.

I feel ya. ^Those two have some more maturing to do,..despite all of that mixed-messaging they’ve received from this league,…through things like the NHL’s “Mark Messier” Leadership Award. ^THIS is what,..,in a progressively modern & elite pro-hockey league, with the benefit of modern science & a plethora of medical professionals advising them,…the current NHL still holds up as an esteemed standard of honorable play. Pffffllllffftttt! Messier was more villain than hero. He just lucked-out in getting to wear that very enabled NYR jersey for awhile. ^That’s the stuff that Tkachuk & Bennett are trying to emulate. Folks, both on & off the ice, need to set those 2 straight.

We know why…don’t we? Referees with true integrity… cannot be manipulated, influenced, or pressured by the power-brokers.

His anti-Canucks bias totally leaked-out there for a minute. You’re not foolin’ any of us, Ron.

The trifecta of old school, ingratiated, anti-Canucks biased officials of Sutherland, O’Halloran & O’Rourke, worked that 2011 SC-Final series. ^Those dudes were also notably a part of the infamous Naslund/Steve Moore/Bertuzzi incident games & the Duncan Keith take-out of Daniel Sedin where Keith stayed in the game, after doing something so egregious he received a 5 or 6 game suspension subsequently, for it. If you are that incompetent & signifigantly responsible for that much drama & statistical damage in one team’s history…why do you effectively get to screw with that team again, in a SC-Final no less???! That decision was BS & indicated to everyone that the attempted hard-fix was in. This current series actually has penalties called. Even when opposing players are showing some self-control, discipline & restraint. So unlike when Daniel Sedin took a few pops to the face expecting a much needed PP….& got a 10 min. misconduct, wearing an “A” for questioning & ultimately embarrassing, said referee into doing his job! That shameless referee was pretty determined to call off-setting penalties, & was essentially muttering “Fight damn it!” as he watched from mere inches away. Reward the disciplined, not the undisciplined…or so you would think?! Not in 2011, NO way! The real kicker was when the off-ice officials, who decided suspensions & non-suspensions within that series, severely weighted things against the ailing Canucks roster, also. We were jobbed - if not robbed.

Kelly Sutherland is so controversial as a ref, that he has NO business refereeing in a SC-final anymore,…this despite being a senior official. In fact, being closer to retirement & up for a possible promotion to head of officiating - could be seen as an incentive to be manipulated by power-brokers. He’s now there by design, …& not because he’s earned it through a “good” reputation. I bet the players would rank him well down in the bottom half of the NHL’s referee pool. I know that we-fans sure do! The best referees have too much integrity to: succumb to bias, have waffling standards, utilize carry over justice, be improperly influenced, pressured or manipulated…but, not #11.

Ohhhhh, yahhhhhhh FLA, baby!

The guy that dissed Hank, wears all the karma now. It ain’t easy being a champion or nearly a champion & still being classy about it, either way. Cheers to the growing list of NHL hall-of-famers (SC-Champions or not) who endeavoured to lead their teams valiantly & well!

True revenge upon the Bruins who laughed at the President’s trophy Canucks going out in the 1st round to the LAKings in 2012…would be for the Panthers to win the Cup after taking out this season’s President’s trophy winners. Karma is a b!$@h…especially after Chara has dredged-up some unconfirmed anti-Canuck story/rumour, more than a decade after the fact. Why, dude?! ^Classless move that makes him look like an unworthy champion… & should FLA wins, apparently those hockey-gods agree.

Bob for the series win & MVP! Calling it now.

Du’oh!

I said Bo was a fine captain for us,.. which is better than adequate, but I did not call him a great captain. I’m sure his pride was stung by being moved along - instead of Miller. But, I don’t think he has poor memories of his time as a Canuck or residing & playing in/for this city, unless we inexplicably turn on him, now. I’d be proud to have Bo as a member of the Canucks alumni, at anytime, in a heart-beat! I ask anyone who’s even considering drawing a breath to “boo” him at his return to reconsider. Take the high road! I’ll be cheering thanks to Bo for his many years of valiant service, however,….I do still expect to see plenty of Canucks-fans with markered-up signs telling him all sorts of things, “for free”!

I hope Horvat’s return doesn’t produce the boos, that BUF produces for Eichel. I do, however, favour trolling him with signs stating all of the things that we are happy to tell him “for free”. He’s a good NHL player & was a fine Captain Canuck & I’ll tell him that for free. Saying something nice in return, will actually help him to regret his ill-timed comments, more. Besides,..former Canucks often return to our community, as players, advisors, coaches, investors, administrators, entrepreneurs or as visitors participating in Canucks’ alumni events. They deserve these opportunities & us keeping all these doors open for them,…until, as in Mark Messier’s case (wink), they don’t! So, who am I rooting’ for…DAL or VGK? I predicted FLA or CAR would win this year’s SCup, but Vegas has the character veterans to remain a resilient threat. We have had some friction & history with the DAL organization, on & off the ice. So, I think they can live, learn & wait awhile longer, before receiving this kind of reward. Jaimie Benn, Tyler Seguin & the majority of Texans, yah, I’m talkin’ to you!

The arrogance drips off of him onto every panelist sitting nearby, who frequently has more cred. The deluge of name droppings are generally all about pumping his popularity with small town Canada…than adding to the dialogue. It’s gratuitous! I don’t mind hearing a wee story with direct relevance, but so often his diatribes are very stretching & not. A leopard cannot change his spots. He’s just feeding his personal geriatric cult, like a dude in a local beer hall &/or legion. “I know so & so, I saw this, I saw that,....me, me, me, plus more me, equals we!” Did he mention he’s a hockey “host” who is supposed to move the conversation & commentary along without monopolizing it?! Nope, because in his mind, he’s a famous Canadian icon. He must be heard! HNIC is his show & he will speak the most words! I doubt he reads critiques, but, it is high-time he realizes his words or mere presence are not “all that” to everyone. I realize there’s some irony in this being a lengthy post, but I’m just shooting the breeze on a fan-board where there’s unlimited time & space. Ron is stealing air-time away from his co-hosts, whose careers are just beginning…let ‘em speak!

Overheard comment on our group/watch: “HNIC should have someone sweeping up all of Ron’s name droppings, so that no one trips over them on the way out!”

This post-game show is agony. Why am I still watching? Basically, the Ron MacLean show, as he arrogantly refuses to be short on words &’name-droppings. His co-hosts can barely get a word or comment in edge wise and Ron’s in his full glory free-wheeling it. Click!!

It’s a weak hope for him, his team & the DAL fan-base,…especially if he’s given a lion’s share of play-time during the next game? Whaddya wanna do, coach?

Oh, boy oh boy, oh boy,…can Benn shelve the “stupid stuff” upon his return, if/when he gets the chance? If successful, will the DAL coach change-up much in his line-up here, tonight? A well-rested, more cerebral Jaimie Benn could very well put them over the top in game 6, and I bet we see it!

^ …which they are! Juice for his cred, humour, personality & the win…all day or evening long! He’s missed!

Last 2 shifts had me leaping off the couch! So many close-call moments! DAL pressing hard to stay in this series. And - there it IS!

Well, that 120 shots per game pace the VGK started out with, as we expected, has petered-out. VGK on pace for 32 shots per game vs 44 shots for DAL now! This game mimics how a pendulum swings!