Lupul on the trading block?

Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: "The Flyers' season has only been over for 10 days and already Joffrey Lupul's name is popping up as possible trade bait to get more speed on the back-end, certainly an achilles heel for Philadelphia. If not Fort Saskatchewan's Lupul, then it's Fort McMurray's Scottie Upshall. Both had good playoffs for the Flyers, with Lupul eliminating the Washington Capitals in Game 7 in overtime in the first playoff round and Upshall being a general pest with some offensive touch."

Here is the full article courtesy of the Edmonton Journal.

It wouldn't be the spring without a Joffrey Lupul rumor. That being said, Matheson is one of the most connected writers in North America and when he writes a rumor there is most certainly some substance to it. In fact, trading Lupul for some back-end help makes sense for the Flyers. Maybe the Oilers are interested? They have a young mobile defenseman named Joni Pitkanen who is reportedly on the block.... (I kid, I kid).

Update: Jonathan over at Copper & Blue also had Pitkanen come to mind. It just makes too much sense...

Will Sakic be back?

Terry Frei of the Denver Post: "Last week, Avalanche general manager Francois Giguere again said he wasn't going to push Sakic, who will turn 39 on July 7, for a decision. But it likely will come in the next month as the front office assesses its signing strategy and salary cap situation — both before and after the opening of the unrestricted free agency period July 1. If he decides to return, he almost certainly would sign another one-year contract with Colorado, shooting to be with one franchise for his entire career, like the other No. 19 and longtime captain in the Colorado-Detroit rivalry."

Here is the entire article courtesy of the Denver Post.

This is a great article by Frei. Reading how much respect Red Wings center Kris Draper has for Sakic is interesting but in no way surprising. As for Sakic's possible return, I believe that the slippery center will return for another season. Not only can Sakic be a leader in the dressing room, but he can still play the game at an extremely high level.

News You Can Use

• Steven Stamkos was excited to receive some advice from Sidney Crosby.
• David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail points to defense as the reason for the Wings' success against the Penguins.
  
• Alex Walling profiles a nasty contract dispute in the QMJHL.
• Memorial Cup history: 1953 and 1954
  
• Check out this story about the absence of bench clearing brawls in the NHL.
  

Drew Doughty wants to play for the Kings

From Helene Elliot's column in the L.A. Times: "'I'm really hoping that I play' for L.A., Doughty said Monday during a visit to Joe Louis Arena to watch the Red Wings' and Penguins' game-day skates. 'They were actually my favorite team growing up and I looked up to Wayne Gretzky as a little kid. Playing there would be a dream come true.'"

Here is the full column courtesy of the L.A. Times.

Later on in the article, Kings GM Dean Lombardi admits the Kings will most certainly be taking a defenseman with the second overall pick in this summer's entry draft. Therefore, the pick is believed to be between Doughty and Zach Bogosian. It does not look like the team can go wrong with that pick because both defenseman are very highly touted. Personally, I have seen more of Doughty than Bogosian and I have to say I was impressed with what I saw. As an underage defenseman at the World Junior Championships, the kid was dynamite with the puck and skated extremely well. With such a need on defense, the Kings look primed to add another young talented player to an already young talent-laden roster.

Penguins versus Flyers at Penn State?

Gary Bettman: "The possibility of having the Penguins play the Flyers at some point in Happy Valley is intriguing and it's on the list of possibilities that we are and will explore. I also have no doubt that if you played every year in Happy Valley the weather would not cooperate every year. These games are difficult to put on. They're risky. They're expensive. And they're dependent on things that are not within our control."

Here is the full article from Philly.com.

I am not overly surprised by Bettman's comments. First off, without any concrete information about outdoor games in the future, I do not expect Bettman to start curbing fan enthusiasm over this particular possibility. He is better off feeding the fire which he has done with these vague comments. In the end, there is not much to read into here.

NHL Morning Papers: Stanley Cup Finals Edition (Tuesday)

Here are the morning papers for the Stanley Cup Finals which resume tomorrow night:

Detroit Red Wings (1) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (2):

• The Red Wings are destroying the NHL's dream match up with their dominant play, opines Bob Wojnowski. Apparently Johan Franzen thinks he kind of deserved Gary Roberts' hit to the face. Meanwhile, Michel Therien thinks that Chris Osgood is a good diver. The Penguins' line up changes did not work, writes George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press. Here is Mike Babcock's post-game interview.
• It is not looking good for the Penguins right now, writes Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Gene Collier wonders where all the Pittsburgh superstars have been hiding? Meantime, Ron Cook of the Post-Gazette wonders if he can select the Wings to take the series in three games? Finally, Georges Laraque was not happy that he was healthy scratched for Game 2, however, the big winger was professional about it.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

2008 NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS GAME 2 LIVE BLOG

PERIOD 3

0:22 into the Third Period- Marian Hossa gets called for a minor holding penalty.

Writer's Note: Egads!

3:10 into the Third Period- The pace of this game has slowed down considerably and is better suited for the veteran-laden Detroit Red Wings. The Pens just can't seem to create an offensive flow in the Red Wings zone as they appear to be treating the puck like a hot potatoe.

3:42 into the Third Period- Malone and Datsyuk get coincidental minor roughing penalties after Malone hammers Zetterberg after the whistle blows.

6:00 into the Third Period- HELLO PITTSBURGH!! YOU HAVEN'T SCORED A GOAL YET IN 5+ PERIODS. IT'S TIME TO PUT THE PUCK IN THE NET.

Writer's Note: Aside from Gary Roberts forechecking tenaciously and Tyler Kennedy sliding into the Red Wings Zone off of the bench, the Penguins look as lifeless as Norm on an episode of Cheers.

7:49 into the Third Period- Dallas Drake Tripping Penalty.

8:04 into the Third Period- Ryan Malone takes a goaltender interference penalty after he gets a little too close to Osgood, thus putting the confident Red Wings back on the power play.

8:48 of the Third Period- Valteri Filppula scores one of the nicest goals of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs when he takes a pass from Johan "Mule" Franzen in the neutral zone, splits the defence, blows by Pens defenseman Kris Letang, then buries a forehand shot as he is falling to the ice on a delayed penalty. Filppula scores his 4th goal of the playoffs on the power play and puts the Wings up 3-0.

11:55 into the Third Period- Maxime Talbot is called for a minor roughing penalty.

The Wing second powerplay unit (Jiri Hudler-Daniel Cleary-Valteri Filppula) skates circles around the Pens in their own zone and continues to dominate in almost every aspect of the game.

15:13 into the Third Period- Sidney Crosby gets a weak backhand shot on Osgood but he easily clears the puck into the corner.

Writer's Note: This game is pretty much over as CBC breaks to another television timeout. The Illegal Curve team (Rich, Drew, Neil) is already thinking about highlights of Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals and the French Open tennis tournament.

16:09 of the Third Period- Defenseman Ryan Whitney takes a roughing penalty as Pittsburgh continues to play the rough stuff with Franzen.

Writer's Note: The Penguins have clearly given up tonight. The Whitney penalty is their 10th of the game. This is quite mind-boggling as Laraque and Talbot are normally your partners in crime. Gary Roberts and Ryan Malone have played on the edge the whole game.

18:52 of the Third Period- Chris Osgood is bumped behind the net by Petr Sykora which leads to a Evgeni Malkin stage dive, which then leads to a short fight between Gary Roberts and Pavel Datsyuk.

Third Period Ends.

The Red Wings win Game 2 by a score of 3-0 and take a commanding 2-0 lead in the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals.

Writer's Post-Game Analysis- Pittsburgh got really chippy in the 3rd period and are simply being outplayed by a team which boasts 11 Stanley Cup Winners. Not much can be said here that hasn't been said already. The Wings took both games in Detroit and head to Pittsburgh with all of their poker chips in hand. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, returns home dejected and sans anything to rally around. Are we going to see a Stanley Cup Finals sweep or is Pittsburgh going to make this a series? Hopefully, and this is for everyone's sake, it is the latter.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg.

2008 NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS GAME 2 BLOG

PERIOD 2

- Detroit begins the second period on the power play and spends most of the opening minutes in Pittsburgh territory.

5:00 into the Second Period- Pittsburgh begins to gain a little momentum in the game when Pittsburgh's No.1 Unit of Crosby-Hossa-Malone begins to play a Calgary Flames-style of dump-and-chase smash mouth hockey.

Writer's Note: The hockey that Pittsburgh is playing right now may be the result of something Gary Roberts said in the dressing room or on the bench because Roberts looks more into this game than anyone. By the way, the Department of Homeland Security has just issued an Amber Alert regarding Pens sophomore superstar Evgeni Malkin. An A.P.B has also been sent out by Pens coach Michel Therrien. Where are you Evgeni?? Where is your 106 points that you scored during the 2007'08 regular season???

9:30 into the Second Period- Detroit is playing brilliantly as they continute to play their authentic puck-possession game that won them the Presidents Trophy and the Western Conference Championship Tropgy. Detroit's superb Top 3 defensemen (Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronvall) move the puck so eloquently and break up everything at their own blueline that they essentially dictate the pace of the game, which totally throws off the entire Pittsburgh Penguins strategy.

10:45 into the Second Period- Kid Rock is interviewed by CBC's Scott Oake in the crowd and looks like he has consumed at least 6 Miller Lights. Best line of the interview: Scott Oake asks Kid Rock what he likes about the Red Wings. Kid Rock responds " It's like what I tell the girls, Everything. "Kid Rock says "Rock on Canada". Bob Cole interjects by saying "Thanks Kid."

Writer's Note: 97% of the tickets available for Kid Rock's concerts have not been sold.

13:25 into the Second Period- Marian Hossa has a decent scoring opportunity when he touch-tips a Rob Scuderi centering pass, but it is effortlessly stopped by a well-positioned Chris Osgood, who is a remarkable 11-2 so far in the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

15:35 into the Second Period- Andreas Lilja falls down on a phantom check, resulting in an excellent Pittsburgh scoring chance . Gary Roberts takes the puck, spins around and dishes a beautiful feed to 19-year-old Jordan Staal who one-times the puck wide of Chris Osgood. Pittsburgh is unable to bury the rebound opportunity, but has one of the best scoring chances of the period.

17:30 of the Second Period- Ryan Malone takes a slashing penalty at the worst possible time.

Writer's Note: Frustrating. Very Frustrating. The Penguins were displaying lots of sustained pressure in the Wings zone and appeared to be on the brink of a score.

Second Period is over.

*** Writer's Note: The Second period ends just as it started. The Wings remain in the lead by a score of 2-0 with one period to go in Game 2. The shots are 22-12 Detroit and the Pittsburgh Penguins are playing like a bunch of 15-year-old A-3 players instead of the crew that captured the Prince of Wales Trophy for winning the Eastern Conference championship. The Wings simply look like a much better-prepared team. Wings head coach Mike Babcock, the hockey mastermind, has his troops prepared for the Crosby and Malkin show. Maybe the Penguins will mount a comeback in the third. Or maybe Lidstrom and Rafalski will continue to shut down the entire Pens team. We shall wait and see.

Stay tuned for our Period 3 Live Blog...

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg.

2008 STANLEY CUP FINALS GAME 2 BLOG

Welcome to Illegal Curve's live Game 2 blog of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings.....

**Red Wings lead the series 1-0**

Pre-Game Notes.... Teams winning Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals have won 78% of the time since the NHL adopted a Best-of-Seven format..... In other words, 53 of 68 Finals since 1939 have gone to the team winning the all-important first game...... Pens veteran forward Gary Roberts replaces Enforcer Georges Laraque in the line-up....... Wings Left Winger Johan Franzen (12 goals, 3 assists in 2008 NHL Playoffs) is back in the line-up after missing six games with post concussion-like symptoms.....

FIRST PERIOD

3:00 into the First Period - The pace of the opening period of Game 2 is quite frantic with both teams displaying the type of skating and athleticism that was expected by most hockey pundits and hockey enthusiasts. The Red Wings have had a few shots from the outside, courtesy of Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Samuelsson, but Marc-Andre Fleury. The Pens, on the other hand, have yet to register a shot.

6:20 into the First Period- Pens uber-superstar Sidney Crosby continues to be smothered by the tight-checking Detroit Red Wings defense corps, and specifically Brett Lebda.

Writer's Note: When Crosby swings his stick in frustration at Lebda like he just did, you know he wishes he had a lot more room out there.

6:55 into the First Period- Evgeni Malkin coughs up the puck in the neutral zone, resulting in a takeaway. On an innocent looking play in the Penguins defensive zone, Brad Stuart takes a nifty pass from Valteri Filppula and blasts a mediocre slap shot which eludes Marc-Andre Fleury. The goal is Stuart's first of the postseason.

Writer's Note: Malkin had one hand on his stick and must start playing more intelligently in the neutral zone. Stuart's shot was half-decent but could have easily been stopped by Fleury.

8:00 of the 1st - Pens d-man Rob Scuderi gets highsticked in the face by teammate Hal Gill, as he was checking Filpulla. Scuderi is bloodied as he took Gill's blade right in the forehead.

Writer's Analysis: Oy Vey. Did the 6'7'' Hal Gill just high stick his own defense partner? That was painful to watch. The Penguins are struggling to get anything going offensively and seem to be running around like a bunch of contestants on Supermarket Sweep in their own zone.

11:18 into the First Period- Wings Playoff Stalwart Tomas Holmstrom taps in a rebound off of a Henrik Zetterberg backhand that slipped through the pads of Fleury. Detroit takes a 2-0 lead at the Joe Louis Arena and looks to be in absolute control of the game.

11:33 into the First Period- Brad Stuart takes a silly tripping penalty, putting Pittsburgh on the power play, where they struggled so badly in Game 1.

13:00 into the First Period- The Penguins have some pressure in the Wings Zone on their power play but fail to get many quality shots. With 30 seconds left in the power play, the Penguins continue to have stage fright under the bright lights of the Stanley Cup Finals

15:14 of the First Period- Ryan Malone takes a lazy interference penalty. The shots are currently at 11-3 in favour of the Red Wings. Early in the power play, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are buzzing around like a bunch of killer bees, but Detroit fails to get many shots on net.

17:49 of the 1st- Daniel Cleary takes a hooking penalty. The shots are 12-3 in favour of Detroit and the Penguins could really use something to build on going into the second period.

Gary Roberts has the best chance of the Penguins power play when he has two whacks at the puck in front of Chris Osgood but then takes a roughing penalty with 14 seconds left in the period, thus ending the Pens powerplay.

The Joe Louis Arena buzzer sounds and the Wings have a 2-0 lead after one period. The shots after the first period are 12-6 in favour of the Red Wings.

Writer's First Period Analysis: The first period goes to Detroit in a unanimous decision. Detroit gets early goals from Stuart and Holmstrom and manhandles the Penguins young guns in their own end. The best example of how dominant the Wings were in the First Period was shown during Pittsburgh's second power play when Niklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski simply did not let Crosby, Malkin, Malone or Hossa set up in the slot for chances on Osgood.

Stay tuned for Period 2....

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg.

STANLEY CUP FINALS GAME 2 BLOG TO BE BROADCAST LIVE

Thanks to the overwhelming success of Sunday's live Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 blog, IllegalCurve.com will have a live period-by-period blog for tonight's Game 2 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings....

Please keep your web browsers locked to Illegal Curve for all of the latest news, highlights and analysis during the Red Wings/Penguins series as we continue to strive towards providing the best hockey coverage on the World Wide Web.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg.

Bob Cole is enjoying a comeback season at CBC

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star: "But as Cole showed again on Saturday night during the opener of the Stanley Cup final, he's enjoying a bit of a revival a year after most had written him off. Sure, there was plenty of evidence that Cole's not the play-by-play guy he used to be – regularly failing to identify players and missing the obvious from time to time – but there's also enough to indicate he's still one of the best in the game."

Here is the full article from the Toronto Star.

I will admit it. I get razzed sometimes because I still think Bob Cole is great. For me, it isn't a big game if Bob Cole isn't calling the game. While I understand he gets criticized for being partial to certain teams or misidentifying the players from time-to-time, his voice makes the game that much more meaningful. Let's enjoy his last few seasons at CBC instead of calling for his retirement.

Guy Lafleur favours Kovalev over Koivu

Lafleur: "I have the conviction that Kovalev is more useful to the Canadiens than the captain, especially if (Kovalev) continues to play as he did this year."

Here is the full blog entry at Habs Inside/Out.

Assuming the Habs decide between one of these two players next off-season, I cannot say that I agree with Lafleur in this instance. While the article notes that both of these players are entering the final seasons of their respective contracts, there are a number of issues to take into consideration. First, is Kovalev's motivation level. The talented winger earned his $4.5 million salary this past season but prior to that he was overpaid. Additionally, Kovalev will be 35 by the time these negotiations come around. So factor in motivation and age as two major issues to consider. As for Koivu, durability was a problem earlier in his career, however, the rugged center has not missed more than fourteen games in any of the past five NHL seasons. Additionally, he is a terrific playoff player and a leader in the dressing room. If it were up to me, I'd give my money to the 33 year old Koivu before the 35 year old Kovalev.

NHL Morning Papers: Stanley Cup Finals Edition (Monday)

Here are the morning papers for the Stanley Cup Finals which resume tonight at 8pm EST:

Detroit Red Wings (1) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (2):

• The Red Wings want to make sure they continue to play well on the penalty kill, writes Helene St. James. In injury news, Johan Franzen is expected to suit up for the Wings within the week. Bob Wojnowski profiles Chris Osgood's road back to the Wings. The NHL has to be happy with the television ratings from Game 1. It was so loud at Joe Louis Arena during Game 1 that Wings coach Mike Babcock said, "I thought we were in Canada."
• The Penguins have changed their lines for Game 2 tonight. The Red Wings just controlled the middle of the ice and the neutral zone for most of Game 1, writes Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Wings' penalty killing attack seemed to have thrown off the Penguins a bit on Saturday night. Things are looking up for Mario Lemieux these days, writes Chuck Finder.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

2008 Memorial Cup Gaffe

For those who missed it, the Spokane Chiefs captured the 2008 Memorial Cup. Check out this youtube clip of team captain Chris Bruton dropping the cup and it breaking into two pieces!

NHL Morning Papers: Stanley Cup Finals Edition (Sunday)

Here are the NHL morning papers for the Stanley Cup Finals which began last night:

Detroit Red Wings (1) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (2):

• Detroit really seemed like Hockeytown again last night, writes Michael Rosenberg. If you did not know before, Mikael Samuelsson loves to score goals. Chris Osgood was terrific in the first period last night. Last night's game made one thing apparent, Tomas Holmstrom is a marked man. Here is the video of Marc-Andre Fleury's hilarious fall out of the Pittsburgh bench when coming onto the ice.
• Even after last night's game, Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette thinks the Red Wings are beatable. Last night's game would have been different had the Penguins capitalized on their first period power plays. The Penguins may have their hands full with Zetterberg and Datsyuk, but they are not going to let the media bother them. Apparently Gary Bettman is happy the Penguins stayed put in Pittsburgh.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

2007'08 NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS FINALS GAME 1 LIVE BLOG

THIRD PERIOD

3rd period is about to begin......

The Illegal Curve Contributors are gathered at Richy P's house and are waiting in eager anticipation of the all-important, do-or-die final frame.

Detroit starts the period on the powerplay.

2:16 into the Third Period- A broken play by Pittsburgh in their own zone results in some serious Detroit pressure. The puck was bouncing around in the slot and Samuellson turns, fires, and counts his 2nd unassisted goal of the game, 4th of the playoffs.

Writer's Note: Samuelsson is clearly Johnny-on-the spot tonight. Funny, because Samuelsson is horrible and is a career 30 point player.

10:00 into the Third Period- The Wings are playing an extremely smart puck possession game and are frustrating the young Penguins. They have squeezed all the life out of Pittsburgh's young guns.

Writer's Note: Pittsburgh's excellent first period has obviously been wasted as they have played awful thus far in the third. This game has suddenly got very boring as Pittsburgh has lost all of the momentum to the upstart Red Wings. This game looks more and more like a New Jersey Devils/Anaheim Ducks Stanley Cup final series circa 2003 instead of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals Shootout that all of the hockey broadcasters were predicting. I would rather watch a re-run of Married with Children than this snoozefest. The shots are 32-18 overall in the game. WOW.

14:00 into the Third Period- Illegal Curve.com founder Richard Pollock is sick of the trap-style hockey being played by the Detroit Red Wings and switches his 61'' HDTV to Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals game between the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics.

15:26 into the Third Period- Niklas Lidstrom takes his second penalty of the game, an interference penalty.

Writer's Note: If the Penguins are going to do anything, such as scoring a goal, now would be a great time. Their power play has been horrible so far tonight and they would be wise to get something, ANYTHING, going here.

16:30 into the Third Period- Pittsburgh gets a weak shot on net that Osgood stops easily. The super-skilled Evgeni Malkin looks like Casper the Friendly Ghost out there.

17:18 into the Third Period- Wings defenseman Brad Stuart rifles the puck down the ice and a speedy Daniel Cleary gets to the puck first. He roofs a shot past a shaky Marc-Andre Fleury, scoring shorthanded for his 2nd goal of the postseason. Cleary's goal eliminates any chance the Penguins had at making a late game comeback.

Writer's Note: What was Fleury thinking there? He clearly had a terrible oportunity to play that puck and then looked unprepared for Cleary's attack.

18:08 of the Third Period- Jarkko Ruutu slashes Samuelsson in the mid section and gets a penalty.

Writer's Note: Ruutu is a moron. He was effective in the first three rounds as a tenacious grinder but that was a ridiculous penalty to take.

19:47 of the Third Period- Henrik Zetterberg scores his 12th goal of the playoffs on the power play as he wrists a beautiful shot past Fleury.

Writer's Note: This game was over a long time ago but that was the figurative nail in the coffin. What a goal by Zetterberg. If it wasn't for Samuelsson's two-goal performance, Zetterberg would be the clear favourite for 1st star of the game.

The Horn sounds. This game is over. Detroit wins 4-0 and takes Game 1 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals.

Writer's Post Game Analysis: Detroit dominated this game in almost every area. The final shot count was 36-19 for Detroit and they simply did not let Pittsburgh get comfortable in their home rink. The Wings checked the Penguins effectively and didn't allow them to get any momentum from those three early period penalties. Kudos to Mikael Samuelsson who had a great game and scored goals at crucial parts of the game. Chris Osgood also deserves a mention here as he was good when he needed to be. He only faced 19 shots, but he stopped all of them, many coming on the power play. When we look back at this game, we will see a Detroit shutout, regardless if Pittsburgh fell asleep in the final two periods, which means the Wings had a better start to this series then they could have ever imagined.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg.

2007'08 NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS FINALS GAME 1 LIVE BLOG

SECOND PERIOD

The Wings start the second on the man advantage as they look to score the game's first goal.

Sidney Crosby takes a slashing penalty 1:55 into the second.

Writer's Note: Crosby is playing a little over-anxiously. The Pens need Crosby on the ice early in the middle frame as he is the catalyst on the first line and allows Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis to buzz around the ice, typically drawing a lot of attention.

Fleury continues to play like a human wall as he stymies the Red Wings top snipers. Fleury easily stops a Pavel Datsyuk rebound shot as the Pens continue to outbody the Wings forwards.

6:10 into the Second Period- Ex-Atlanta Thrasher and Trade Deadline Pick-up Pascal Dupuis has a tremendous breakway chance but is stopped by Osgood, the celebrated veteran.

8:00 into the Second Period- The Wings Top 5 Unit (Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Holmsrom, Lidtsrom and Rafalski) is clearly skating circles around the Pens third line but still can't get any substantial threat going in the offensive zone.

Writer's Note: This game is going at a Donovan Bailey-like pace but players on both teams are holding their sticks very tightly. The Wings have had more pressure so far but the Pens blueline corps, featuring the likes of Rob Scuderi, Brooks Orpik and Ryan Whitney, continue to play very well

13:01 of the Second Period- Wings forward Mikael Samuelsson scores on a beautiful wrap-around goal as Marc-Andre Fleury is slow to move side-to-side across the goal line. The Wings go up 1-0. The puck actually goes off of Fleury's skate but nonetheless Samuelsson used his speed and quick hands to score a beauty.

Writer's Note: I believe that's Samuelsson's third goal and 10th point of the playoffs but I cannot confirm because NHL.com and Sportsnet.ca are saying that Jarkko Ruutu scored the game's first goal. That's funny because it is 1-0 Detroit and Ruutu has not been remotely close to scoring a goal. It appears the chief statistician working for the NHL thinks that the other #37 scored the goal. Is the NHL's stats department autistic? Nonethless, it's been minutes since the goal and they still haven't changed it.

13:13 of the Second Period- Ryan Whitney takes a holding penalty as the Wings have built on the momentum of their first goal and are giving the Pens a conniption in their own zone.

Writer's Note: Pittsburgh needs to calm down. This is ice hockey, not American Gladiators.

15:58 into the Second Period- Zetterberg absolutely hammers Sidney Crosby at the blueline, leading to a scoring chance for fellow linemate Tomas Holmstrom.

Writer's Note: Zetterberg has been the best player on the ice so far. He is skating around with panache and has been playing physically as well. I said he is playing with panache, not pancakes. Jordan Staal,on other hand, looks like he had pancakes earlier this afternoon. NOTE: The NHL and all other websites have still not posted the correct goal on their websites.

The Wings outshoot the Pens 16-4 in the period and have commanding control of the game. Overall, the Wings have a 27-16 shots advantage in the game.

Stay Tuned for the Third Period Blog...

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg.

2007'08 NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS FINALS GAME 1 LIVE BLOG

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings is about to start... The Hockeytown crowd is going wild as CBC King Don Cherry holds a stuffed octopus at the northern end of the rink.

Writer's Note: Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury leads the visiting team onto the ice before the national anthem and falls down flat on his face as the scruffy-faced puckstopper looks very excited. Is this Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals or an episode of Dancing with the Stars?

PERIOD 1

-Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang take a cross-checking penalty 3:51 into the first period as the Red Wings come out with more energy in front of the hometown Joe Louis Arena crowd.

Writer's Note: Letang needs to be careful here. He is a talented young rookie defenseman but uber-talented veterans Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Cleary will eat the smallish QMJHL star up if he doesn't stick to his position.

Detroit Red Wings super pest Tomas Holmstrom takes a high-sticking penalty 15 seconds later, nullifying the short Red Wings power play.

Writer's Note: I realize Holmstrom is highly effective at goalie-crashing but he is not useful on the Wings power play if he pulls Sean Avery-esque antics.

Valtteri Filupula has a great scoring chance when he blows past Pens d-man Hall Gill and tries to stuff the puck past Marc-Andre Fleury, knocking the young goalies mask off in the process.

6:25 into the First Period- The Red Wings top line of Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmstrom is buzzing in the Penguins zone, but most of the shots are coming from 30 feet away. Pens top two defensemen Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney will have their hands full all night with this dynamic triumvirate.

8:00 into the 1st- No goals yet. Both teams are playing tight defense with few scoring chances and a lot of excellent neutral zone play.

10:15 into the First Period- Nicklas Lidstrom takes a hooking penalty. Pens were 5 for 18 on the power play versus the Philadelphia Flyers during the Eastern Conference Finals and are instantly in a good position on the road in Game 1.

2 minutes later- The Red Wings kill off the Lidstrom penalty with ease. Zetterberg looks especially effective on the PK, rushing down the ice and killing a good 30 seconds off the power play.

12:38 into the First Period- Winnipeg native Darren Helm (#43) takes a tripping penalty. On the powerplay, Hossa has a great chance to score right in front of Wings goaltender Chris Osgood, but has his stick lifted by Wings d-man Brian Rafalski.

Writer's Note: Hossa should have buried that. He had the best scoring chance of the first period and should've had a tighter grip on his stick. Don Cherry will have something to say about that during the first intermision on Coach's Corner.

After the Wings kill off another penalty, Nicklas Lidstrom walks in and fires one by Fleury and looks to have the first goal of the Stanley Cup Finals. But referee Paul Devorski notices that Holmstrom interferes with Fleury and waves the goal off. With 4 and a half minutes left in the period, the Pens have yet another power play opportunity.

Writer's Note: Holmstrom takes another penalty for goaltender interference. WHAT A BAD CALL. AN ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE GOALIE INTERFERENCE CALL by Devorski and O'Hallaran. Wings coach Mike Babcock is livid. So is the Illegal Curve team watching the game. The Refs need to chill.

Pittsburgh fails to score on their third power play of the period and look disorganized and sloppy.

19:00 of the First Period- Pens defenseman Hal Gill takes a high-sticking penalty with exactly one minute left in the period. The 6'7'' blueliner looks dejected as he skates into the sin bin.

The First Period ends in a scoreless draw. The Red Wings outshoot the Penguins 12-11. The Wings will start the next period with one minute left in Hal Gill's minor penalty.

Writer's First Period Analysis: Wow. A pretty topsy-turvy opening frame. The Red Wings take a lot of uncharacteristic penalties but the Penguins fail to put any pucks behind Chris Osgood. I would give the slight edge in the period to the Wings who do an awesome job of killing off both of Holmstrom's penalties. This game looks to be a wild affair as both teams have energy and the playoff fight in them. Sidney Crosby didn't register anything on the scoresheet but did have two shots on net and looked more poised than Malkin, Staal or anyone else on the Pittsburgh roster.

Stay tuned for Period 2......

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg.

2007'08 NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS FINALS GAME 1 LIVE BLOG

Illegal Curve Readers....

Please stay tuned to your favourite hockey blog for a live period-by-period analysis of the Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings. Illegal Curve correspondent Ezra Ginsburg will have all the action covered.....

The HD Corner - Stanley Cup Final Preview

Due to the overwhelming success of my recent preview, the editors at Illegal Curve thought it was only fitting that I do another preview, this time of the two networks broadcasting the Stanley Cup final. The following is a comparison of CBC’s broadcast team against NBC’s (Versus has games 1 and 2, while NBC will cover the rest using predominantly the same personalities). Now let’s get this party started.

Play by Play
Bob Cole vs. Doc Emrick
Bob Cole will call the action for CBC, and Doc Emrick will man the mike for NBC. Great Scott!!!...Doc wins this battle. Emrick’s calling duties are always dead-on, and he never seems to play favorites, unlike Cole's fetish with the Maple Leafs. Look for Cole to be rooting for fellow Maritimer Sid the Kid and the Pens during this matchup.
Edge: Dock Emrick of NBC

Colour Commentary
Greg Millen vs. Eddie Olczyk
Annoying Greg Millen goes up against Eddie Olczyk here. Although Eddie O does NBC and Versus studio work, he also takes part in colour duties periodically. The former productive NHLer and Pens coach brings a tremendous amount of enthusiasm, but will sway his vote towards the Pens. Millen on the other hand was a terrible NHL goalie, but does bring some interesting insight from seeing so many pucks go in through is five-hole. If this was any other series, Eddie O would get the nod, but due to his penchant for cheering for the Pens, I regrettably give this category to Millen.
Edge: Greg Millen of CBC

Best Jewish Personality
Elliotte Friedman vs. Pierre McGuire
Rumoured to be partially of the Jewish faith, I’m hard pressed to admit that there is a possibility Pierre and I could share a bowl of borscht at a downtown Montreal deli someday. He is so annoying and pompous, that he makes it an easy decision to tune into CBC. Elliotte Friedman on the other hand is a real mench, with great sideline reports throughout the series, and a history of asking the tough questions. And no, I don’t mean him asking “why is this night different from any other night?” twice a year.
Edge: Elliotte Friedman of CBC

Most Colourful
Don Cherry vs. John Vanbiesbrouck
Donald S’s crazy suits give him the edge in this category alone, not to mention his brief run-in with the 10 second audio delay on Coach’s Corner back in the day. His wit, coaching insight, and love of all things Canadian makes him a must see every night of the playoffs. Now onto the Beezer….The editors at Illegal Curve will have a conniption if I make this next joke about his colourfulness. Let’s just give the edge to Grapes and be done with it.
Edge: Don Cherry of CBC

Most Likely to have your Back in a Brawl
Scott Oake vs. Christine Simpson
You don’t want to mess with Scott Oake and his towering 6’9” frame, the Zdeno Chara of the CBC broadcasting team. Despite his hair plugs being quite obvious when seen in HD, his mammoth hands alone would crush anyone that tried to tell him that the Jets aren’t someday coming back to his hometown. For NBC, the ever-so manly Christine Simpson could definitely drink NBC studio host Bill Clement under the table, and also uses less hair spray than her cocky brother and CBC competitor, Craig. Scott Oak wins for his custom tailored Moore’s suits.
Edge: Scott Oake of CBC

Final Verdict:
CBC gets the nod. Let the games begin!