LA Kings win Stanley Cup

[Deus Irae]

It took double overtime to do it, but they closed it out against the Rangers. Congrats to the Kings.

 

[supafly]

I don't think there was much competition this year from the East. Boston would have killed the Rangers in my opinion, and Montreal probably would have won as well had Carey Price not gone down. The NYR really lucked out in some ways, but that could be said in any sporting situation from time to time.

The city of LA has a tough hockey team though. I wouldn't have felt overly confident about the Bruins matchup with them. I think it may have ended up like last year in a 6 game loss.

 

[Deus Irae]

I don't think there was much competition this year from the East. Boston would have killed the Rangers in my opinion, and Montreal probably would have won as well had Carey Price not gone down. The NYR really lucked out in some ways, but that could be said in any sporting situation from time to time.

The city of LA has a tough hockey team though. I wouldn't have felt overly confident about the Bruins matchup with them. I think it may have ended up like last year in a 6 game loss.

Boston had two huge problems that caught up with them, IMO. The injury to Seidenberg left them short on the defense and left them with only 3 "top four" level defensemen, and the incredibly stupid Seguin trade left them without the sort of top end speed they need against certain teams.

 

[Sticky Caulk]

Lundqvist was absolutely amazing. Beyond that, the west outclassed the east this year. The Blackhawks/Kings series really was for the cup.

 

[Christiancat]

Congrats to the Kings!

 

[Froob]

Can't wait for Sunday night for Spurs to finish off the Heat. West has been so dominate in both sports. Although Rangers lost in 5 at least they played them tight. Unlike the Heat

 

[Kontradiction]

That was one hell of a game. As only a casual fan of hockey when the playoffs roll around, that game might have gotten me to start watching more religiously. I felt bad for Lundqvist when that last goal went in. Again, I'm only a casual fan so I might be wrong, but I felt he played a great game. 48 shots on goal and the last one was a heartbreaker. Quick is a friggin brick wall on the other end, though.

 

[Kontradiction]

Can't wait for Sunday night for Spurs to finish off the Heat. West has been so dominate in both sports. Although Rangers lost in 5 at least they played them tight. Unlike the Heat

The Heat's bench and Dwyane Wade have gotten very old, very fast. As a Heat fan I just hope they don't go down without a fight but they don't look like they care too much either. Riley should have his work cut out for him re-tooling that team this offseason... and that's if LeBron doesn't opt out.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

Nothing...nothing beats playoff hockey. Justin Williams SHINES in big games. Would have loved the Bs to get him a few years back when LA did. Even if the Bs made it...they wouldn't have beaten the Kings this year. After beating SJ like they did, Ducks AND Hawks?...they were on a mission.

Now i have nothing to watch until football..always hate this time of year when playoff hockey is over

 

[Froob]

The Heat's bench and Dwyane Wade have gotten very old, very fast. As a Heat fan I just hope they don't go down without a fight but they don't look like they care too much either. Riley should have his work cut out for him re-tooling that team this offseason... and that's if LeBron doesn't opt out.

Yeah they aren't even pretending to play defense. LeBron isn't even playing that well defensively. im sure as hell not counting them out though. one slip up sunday and its a series HAVE to finish this. I dont think Duncan will let them lose after last year.

 

[patman12]

Boston had two huge problems that caught up with them, IMO. The injury to Seidenberg left them short on the defense and left them with only 3 "top four" level defensemen, and the incredibly stupid Seguin trade left them without the sort of top end speed they need against certain teams.

Agree with the first, Seid's injury was huge, too many young, inexperienced Dmen. They should have done better than Meszaros at the trade deadline.

I disagree that the trade was incredibly stupid, it was a win for both organizations. Seguin was not maturing into the kind of player that the Bs needed. They got value back in Loui Erikkson, whose game fits the Julien way of play. Reilly Smith blossomed into a fantastic, young player who should continue to get better. They also saw Fraser contribute this year in the NHL and Morrow was really good in Providence. Seguin needed to play in a system that allows for his style of game and he found that in Dallas. He also needed a bit of a wake-up and the trade seemed to do that too.

Seguin's speed and skill may have helped in the MTL series but I the bigger issue was the disappearance of David Kreji and the inconsistent play of Lucic

 

[Froob]

Yeah what was the deal with Kreji going Danny Phantom? That series was a real ballbuster. Went to 7 but felt like we got blown out in 5. Should have made the final.

 

[Deus Irae]

Agree with the first, Seid's injury was huge, too many young, inexperienced Dmen. They should have done better than Meszaros at the trade deadline.

I disagree that the trade was incredibly stupid, it was a win for both organizations. Seguin was not maturing into the kind of player that the Bs needed. They got value back in Loui Erikkson, whose game fits the Julien way of play. Reilly Smith blossomed into a fantastic, young player who should continue to get better. They also saw Fraser contribute this year in the NHL and Morrow was really good in Providence. Seguin needed to play in a system that allows for his style of game and he found that in Dallas. He also needed a bit of a wake-up and the trade seemed to do that too.

Seguin's speed and skill may have helped in the MTL series but I the bigger issue was the disappearance of David Kreji and the inconsistent play of Lucic

There's no way in hell that trade was a win for Boston. And calling Reilly Smith a fantastic young player is crazy talk.

 

[livinginthe past]

Its all opinion, but before 20/20 hindsight kicked in the Seguin trade looked like a huge win.

How you can be so sure that Seguin would have been a cure-all for the Montreal woes is a mystery - Montreal have had Bostons number h2h for awhile now.

Seguin was a guy who ften went missing when his team needed him - I certainly don't remember him being much more of a playoff threat than the latest vintage of Sydney Crysby.

 

[Deus Irae]

Its all opinion, but before 20/20 hindsight kicked in the Seguin trade looked like a huge win.

How you can be so sure that Seguin would have been a cure-all for the Montreal woes is a mystery - Montreal have had Bostons number h2h for awhile now.

Seguin was a guy who ften went missing when his team needed him - I certainly don't remember him being much more of a playoff threat than the latest vintage of Sydney Crysby.

The trade never looked like a huge win. it was always getting rid of a top talent for mediocrity. What it's done is expose Julien's big coaching weakness, which is that he cannot/will not adapt. He's failed with 2 top scorer types now, because he cannot/will not adapt to players that are offensive talents first, and he doesn't have the patience to let those players develop defensively at a slower pace.

And Seguin was a young guy. It was always thought that he'd take a bit of time, which is why, when people were comparing him and Taylor in the draft, the point being made was that Taylor would be better at the start, but Seguin could well be the better player in the end. Well, he's now a top 4 point getter, averaging about a point per game, and he's doing it at center. He also scored 37. And, right now, he's only 22 years old. BTW, Kane, who Bruins fans felt was a comparable to Sequin, and was used to criticize Sequin when Sequin struggled last postseason, is 3 years older, so it was never a fair comparision. Reilly Smith, whom the other poster called a "fantastic young player", is older than Seguin.

As for "went missing", you could look to any number of Bruins for that this year, and they don't have Sequin's age as an excuse. Seguin helped get his new team into the playoffs for the first time in six years. The parts traded for Sequin helped a team that had been a Stanley Cup finalist get bounced in the second round.

Terrible trade.

 

[Zeus]

A top member of the Bruins management group is a regular customer at a local business that I patronize. This is a very high profile guy who anyone in Boston would recognize. After the Bruins won in 2011, the owner of the business asked the Bruin honcho if the team was worried about Brad Marchand's behavior in he wake of his highly public three week celebratory binge.

The Bruin honcho replied - Not worried about Marchand at all. Very concerned about Seguin (who at the time had not yet reached legal drinking age).

The mistake the Bruins made was giving Seguin the big contract because if it's true that he showed up with a problem at age 19, lining his pockets with cash was only going to add gasoline to the fire.

During the 2013 playoffs, Seguin's behavior and performance (1 goal, 7 assists in 22 games) constituted a very public statement that he put a higher priority on staying out all night carousing than he did on helping his team win the Stanley Cup.

No question that the Bruins could use someone with Tyler Seguin's skills. Trouble is that during his time in Boston, Tyler Seguin was never that player. Yeah, he's young but that doesn't excuse the way he let his teammates down last year. Because if he even bothered to show up, there would have been a parade. And if the Bruins came to regard that as unforgiveable, well I wouldn't blame them for that.

He's a talented player and I hope he gets his act together. But I'm not sure the Bruins had any real choice after what went down last spring.

 

[Deus Irae]

A top member of the Bruins management group is a regular customer at a local business that I patronize. This is a very high profile guy who anyone in Boston would recognize. After the Bruins won in 2011, the owner of the business asked the Bruin honcho if the team was worried about Brad Marchand's behavior in he wake of his highly public three week celebratory binge.

The Bruin honcho replied - Not worried about Marchand at all. Very concerned about Seguin (who at the time had not yet reached legal drinking age).

The mistake the Bruins made was giving Seguin the big contract because if it's true that he showed up with a problem at age 19, lining his pockets with cash was only going to add gasoline to the fire.

During the 2013 playoffs, Seguin's behavior and performance (1 goal, 7 assists in 22 games) constituted a very public statement that he put a higher priority on staying out all night carousing than he did on helping his team win the Stanley Cup.

No question that the Bruins could use someone with Tyler Seguin's skills. Trouble is that during his time in Boston, Tyler Seguin was never that player. Yeah, he's young but that doesn't excuse the way he let his teammates down last year. Because if he even bothered to show up, there would have been a parade. And if the Bruins came to regard that as unforgiveable, well I wouldn't blame them for that.

He's a talented player and I hope he gets his act together. But I'm not sure the Bruins had any real choice after what went down last spring.

They screwed up, big time. Why do NE fans, regardless of team, feel the need to defend even the most ridiculous moves of their teams? It's alright to point out when your team screws up. It doesn't make you less of a fan.

 

[livinginthe past]

They screwed up, big time. Why do NE fans, regardless of team, feel the need to defend even the most ridiculous moves of their teams? It's alright to point out when your team screws up. It doesn't make you less of a fan.

You appear to be mistaking a stridently held opinion for fact.....again, Deus.

Thanks for the awesome generalisation regarding 'NE fans' though.

This isn't fantasy sport where you can directly port points from one team to another - chemistry is important - the Bruins, probably a little like the Patriots, put a high value on teamplay and character.

Its nice to drool over raw skill - but there are many more complex, entangled variables at play.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

This got off topic..go figure

 

[Zeus]

They screwed up, big time. Why do NE fans, regardless of team, feel the need to defend even the most ridiculous moves of their teams? It's alright to point out when your team screws up. It doesn't make you less of a fan.

Thought I was entitled to my opinion, but I guess not. I'm not defending anybody, but thanks for the dismissive put down. I think it was a tough decision but an eminently reasonable one. I'll stand by that.

By the way, Seguin would have lasted about five minutes in Foxboro. The biggest mistake that is made over and over and over again in sports is not holding people accountable. At the end of last season with a championship on the line, Chara's playing hurt and Bergeron belongs in the hospital while the so-called future of the franchise is under house arrest because he can't be trusted to not to stay out all night.

You want to pay a guy $millions and then when he treats the playoffs like a frat party, just say "oh well, boys will be boys," be my guest. I wouldn't but that doesn't make me a mindless homer.