Lord Stanley's run in

[PRB]

Lord Stanley's run in

Heliotrope wrote:

I've seen the Stanley Cup skated around every year but one since I was 13, but I think this year could be miss number 2. I am bored with this matchup.

I haven't missed a cup final since 2000 but this year for some odd reason -- the first year I have lived in Canada while it has all being going on -- I have missed all but 2 conference finals games and partly watched game 1 and missed game 2 of the final. What on earth is wrong with me?

[Amor de Cosmos]

Lord Stanley's run in

Age and ennui?

I'm not sure I've seen a Stanley Cup final series since the 'Nucks played the Rangers. I'm a dreadful homer about most sports (soccer and football are exceptions) and hockey's the worst. Also, it's 23 degrees here, sunny with blue skies. Why, if you have the choice, would you be stuck inside watching a sport that should have ended two months ago?

[Reed John]

Lord Stanley's run in

It must be harder to care on the west coast where the games come on in the late afternoon instead of the evening.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Lord Stanley's run in

There's that too, especially this season when the "Western" reps in the final and semis aren't all that western at all.

[PRB]

Lord Stanley's run in

Finally I have a night with nothing to do and game 3 is on so I am actually quite excited about sitting down to watch it and following it up with a 10pm kickoff of Toronto FC.

[Reed John]

Lord Stanley's run in

I am currently at game three of the Calder Cup finals at The Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Hershey Bears are up 2 - 0 on the Manitoba Moose in the second intermission. Hershey is the Capitals affiliate, so a lot of Caps fans also drove the two hours up here tonight.. The Moose are Canucks. I can't believe I've never been here before. Great atmosphere. Sold out arena of 10,500. Great game too.

I'm not sure, but the Bears may be the oldest continuously operating minor league hockey team under the same name. They've been here since the 30s.

[evilC]

Lord Stanley's run in

"Detroit, Pittsburgh Both Attempting To Lose Stanley Cup, Avoid Expensive Victory Parade"

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[jason voorhees]

Lord Stanley's run in

Sounded like a blast, reed. I'll always remember that Game 5 of the ECHL Kelly Cup, when the Trenton Titans came back from 2-0 in the 3rd to win 5-2. There was only 6,000 in that, and the roof nearly came off.

Hockey probably translates the best from the pros to the minors in terms of crowd passion (versus baseball or basketball minor league championships.)

That onion article is hilarious. The "conference champ" sign should be a regular at every game. I hope more of these "loser" signs make their way into games. It's very, for lack of a better word, Will Ferrel-esque.

[jason voorhees]

Lord Stanley's run in

And there you go, Game 7.

[Reed John]

Lord Stanley's run in

The Moose won last night so the series goes back to Manitoba for game 6 and 7 with the Bears up 3-2. They've been filling their 15,000 seat arena up there. If Bettman would stop trying this quixotic attempt to make the NHL popular on TV and focus on markets where people attend games, Winnipeg could probably have an NHL team (again).

Minor league teams can build a loyal fanbase if the team is loyal to its fans. If the Bears win, it will be their 10th Calder Cup in the 71 year history of the club. That's nothing to sneeze at. Minor league teams tend to get moved a lot, fold and then return, change names to stupid shit like the "Ice Tigerz" (you know, for the kids), change leagues, etc, etc. But the Hershey Bears have been the Hershey Bears in the AHL since 1938 in that same spot. The Giant Center (formerly Hersheypark Arena) has been renovated a few times, but it's still basically the same barn.

The SC Stingrays won the Kelly Cup this year (over the Alaska Aces) so two Caps' affiliates have a chance to win titles this year. That speaks well of the organization.

I think Detroit will win handily in game 7, but anything can happen. It's nice that it's going 7 games.

[ursus arctos]

Lord Stanley's run in

The Giant Center (formerly Hersheypark Arena) has been renovated a few times, but it's still basically the same barn.

I'm thrilled to hear this. I'm obviously favorably disposed toward the Bears and saw a game at the Hersheypark Arena eons ago. I had mistakenly assumed that they had moved to a new rink, which I found somehow sad.

Does the town still have the lamposts shaped like Hershey's Kisses and smell of chocolate?

[Reed John]

Lord Stanley's run in

Sadly, I am mistaken.

For some reason, I recall reading that The Giant Center was the same as the Hershey Arena. But just now I read on the website The Giant Center is a new rink as of 2002. It's roughly the same location, near the entrance to the park and Hershey Stadium, where they play the PIAA football championships and Big 33 game. But a few hundred yards to the west, on the other side of Chocolate World facility. I thought it seemed like a different spot, but figured my memory was just wrong. It certainly feels like an old arena that has been spruced-up with new paint and drywall (for example, to get to the second level, you have to walk up a fairly steep flight of stairs. That doesn't seem very ADA compliant), but apparently it cost $65 million and has more luxury boxes than the old arena (which has none, I guess).

The old arena is still there. The Bears practice there and some local college club teams play there. There used to be a rink underneath the arena where I played as a kid. It was small and crappy, but at that time it was the Lancaster club's home rink. They have their own now, I think.

I assume they still have those Hershey Kiss lamps. I haven't been through that part of town recently.

By the arena, it doesn't smell like chocolate. It smells like cow manure. There are still several working dairy farms right there by the park. I'm not sure, but maybe that's part of Milton Hershey's will that it stay farm land because I know that Hershey is a fairly desirable address and there's been a fair bit of housing development around that area.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Lord Stanley's run in

The Moose won last night so the series goes back to Manitoba for game 6 and 7 with the Bears up 3-2.

This obviously good news, especially as both Cory Schneider and Cody Hodgson — seen as key parts of the Canucks future — are playing well. The Moose have been the only Canadian pro-team playing in the post-season since the 'Nucks were knocked out. Sad really.

[Reed John]

Lord Stanley's run in

Cory Schneider, the pride of Marblehead, Massachusetts (but he went posh. After his freshman year, he transfered from MHS to Exeter and then played for BC).

[Amor de Cosmos]

Lord Stanley's run in

Yeah. Next season is important for him. He's dominated the AHL and will probably be Luongo's back-up for a good part of the year. If he performs well the Canucks will have a decision to make. If he falls apart in games — as he did when Big Louie was injured — he'll probably become trade bait.

[Reed John]

Lord Stanley's run in

This sounds vaguely positive.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=4249055

[evilC]

Lord Stanley's run in

Is game 7 on any UK terrestrial/digital channel at all? I thought it might be on 5, but it seems not.

I'll be gutted if it isn't!

[jason voorhees]

Lord Stanley's run in

I mean maybe Detroit can come back, but Pitt's really going to win this thing, aren't they ?

Still an incredible performance, win or lose.

[Reed John]

Lord Stanley's run in

Pennsylvania is hockeyland tonight. Penguins win The Stanley Cup and the Hershey Bears win their 10th Calder Cup. Both on the road.

[Incandenza]

Lord Stanley's run in

How crazy would that have been if Detroit scored on that last shot? It almost happened.

The trophy presentations were hilarious, especially Bettmann really having to speak loudly into the mic so he could be heard over the booing, but pretending that everything was fine.

[Incandenza]

Lord Stanley's run in

I just found out that Dan Bylsma, the Penguins coach, used to be a player for the Long Beach Ice Dogs, an IHL franchise that was affiliated with the Kings.

[evilC]

Lord Stanley's run in

Wow!

I just looked up the whole thing on ESPN (without knowing the result first). Incredible.

I had an exhausting day at work yesterday and, despite meaning to stay up and watch the game on channelsurfing.net, I went for a 'nap' at 8pm (meaning to get up again ay 9 to watch the TT highlights, actually). Fatal. Next time I stir it's 5am. Forgetting about the playoffs, I went back to sleep and next woke at 9am. Bollocks!

Oh well. I'm just so happy the Penguins won.

Go Hawks! (And Penguins, in their absence!)

[PRB]

Lord Stanley's run in

Penguins deserved it. To win 4 of the last 5 games in the way they did really proved their worth. I am not a Pens fan at all but they played well and Crosby really came of age during these playoffs.