Let me tell you, I am picking the right games to miss. Unexpectedly, I had to leave the house during the game tonight and it seems I was saved some frustration.
I was heading out the door just as Brassard wristed the first one past Raycroft and I walked back in as the final buzzer sounded.
Given that Budaj was in for the 3rd period, I can assume Raycroft didn't get much better after the first goal.
And as the Jackets had only three shots on goal in the 3rd, I assume the Avalanche really turned on the pressure but couldn't convert.
Tough loss and a tough opponent coming up on Sunday in the Sharks, who currently lead the Red Wings 3-1 at the end of the 2nd.
I hope this season isn't as up and down as it's been so far or I'll need to stock up on some mood altering medications to even out the highs and lows.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Avs Jammed up by Jackets, Lose 4-2
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3 Comments:
Raycraft looked horrible imo.
It was also a different team in the 3rd. I am not sure if it was 'Hey Budaj is in net, we have a chance now' or if it was the ass chewing they got during the intermission.
You might like this:
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/blogs/2008/10/post.html
Thanks John. I read Stock's column on Saturday and I both agree and disagree with it.
If a player has his head down and gets rocked, yes it's his fault for not protecting himself. I think there are situations where it's unnecessary but I'll get to that in a second.
First, I disagree with his analysis of the Sauer-Kostitsyn hit. Sauer's arms were up in AK's face and though most of the damage was on Kostitsyn's head hitting the ice, that was still a high hit which should have been penalized. Elbowing, roughing, whatever you want to call it, it was a penalty.
Now to his bemoaning of "What happened to the game I grew up with?".
I'm not sure what game he grew up loving but I don't recall hits being as brutal back then as they are today.
I'm not going to claim to have watched a ton of games from the 70's and early 80's but the ones I have seen were a much slower pace than what exists today.
Even games in the late 80's weren't as crash-and-bang as they are today. Players now are faster, stronger and outfitted in freaking chain mail.
That increase in speed - and an increase in the armor players wear - makes a huge difference.
But the biggest difference comes from the attitude around body checks.
It used to be a check was to take a player off the puck. Now players use it to punish an opponent - with or without their heads down - and we applaud it as "good hockey"
I'm sure some people will think I'm a trying to "wussify" the game but that's not my belief at all.
I love highlight reel hits as much as anyone but I absolutely hate to see players get injured, especially if it's a brain injury. And that's what a concussion is. It's your brain being damaged as it rattles around in your head.
I think hitting has an integral part in the game but I think players and fans alike are losing sight of what a check is meant to do.
Throwing a check is done to remove someone from the puck. Not remove their head from their body.
/steps off soapbox
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