Who should I root for?

With the Penguins' loss in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, I'm wondering who I should root for in the Eastern Conference. I debated this issue with my college friends a long time ago. I was upset that the Islanders had upset the Penguins in the second round of the 1993 playoffs and I wanted to see them crushed in the next round. But my friends argued that I should want to see the team that beat my team win the title. That way, they said, I could take comfort in the fact that my team lost to the eventual champion.

So which is better? To see the team that ended your season defeated in the next round, so that their fans may know your pain? Or would you rather see that team hoist the trophy and celebrate, knowing that you lost to a champion?

There's always a third option: don't watch the rest of the playoffs and try to forget the whole thing happened. So far that's the course I've chosen. 

Congratulations Canada, and thoughts on a great hockey tournament

I had a bad feeling about today's gold medal game from the start.  I knew Team USA couldn't surprise Canada the way they did last week, and I didn't expect a total collapse like we saw from Finland in the semifinal game on Friday.  Canada played some incredible hockey in their quarterfinal against Russia and survived a late threat from Slovakia to get to the championship.  They were on a mission.  From the start, Canada knocked us off their game.  Their defense reminded me of the Detroit Red Wings against the Penguins last year (and the year before).  We couldn't get clear shots.  We couldn't control the puck.  Dump-and-chase wasn't working.  But a goal in the 2nd period gave Team USA some life, and we looked better in the 3rd.  When we tied the game I was incoherent for a good five minutes.  And things started out well in the extra period.  But overtime games are often won on quirky goals from defensive mistakes, and this game was no different.  Sidney Crosby, captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, scored the game-winner for Canada and set off a riotous celebration in the arena.  The crowd's rendition of "O Canada" was as rousing as I've ever heard it.  The members of Team USA looked as if someone had shot their dogs. 

But no one on our team should be upset for too long.  I'm disappointed Team USA couldn't pull off the upset.  And make no mistake: throughout this tournament and in this game, we were the underdogs.  Today, in front of a raucous home crowd, facing a superior team, it's a small miracle we stayed in the game at all.  Canada's 2-0 lead could easily have become a rout.  Canada played an excellent game and deserves all the credit for winning the gold.  But before the Olympics few hockey experts thought Team USA had a chance to go this far, let alone come within a OT goal of winning it all.  Ryan Miller played out of his mind for two weeks and for that alone he shouldn't ever have to pay for a beer again.  (H/T Amanda Rykoff)  We played our hearts out today.  And with some luck, we'll get them back in 2014.

In the immediate future, I hope this tournament will be a boost for hockey and the NHL here.  For the past two weeks we've seen some incredible games from the best players in the world.  We have the best professional hockey league in the world right here in North America.  The teams play for the greatest trophy in sports.  Casual hockey fans who got into the game over the past two weeks owe it to themselves to check out a NHL game on TV, if not in person.  The biggest problem, of course, is the TV exposure.  So many of the NHL's games are buried on Versus.  I watch as many Penguins games as I can on Versus, and I have no idea where that channel is on my cable box.  I have to look for it each time I tune in.  If the NHL's games are too difficult to find, people will move on to March Madness and baseball and hockey will continue to languish.  But there is no postseason better than the NHL playoffs.  It's two months of games just like what we've seen in Vancouver.  I'd love to see more people become fans of the game, and now is the perfect time.

In the not-so-immediate future, the NHL has to commit to sending its players to Sochi, Russia, for 2014.  They're going to face a revolt from the players' union if they don't.  Many of the Russian players plan to go home and play for their national team even if it means violating their NHL contracts.  And I'd be shocked if Sidney Crosby, Eric Staal, and Roberto Luongo didn't want to defend their gold medals in four years.  The PR hit would be devastating for a league that is still trying to recover from the 2004 lockout.  The NHL is in enough trouble.  And this tournament was so much fun to watch.  Send the players to Russia.  It's the right thing to do.

Congratulations again, Canada.  You were the best team today and you earned a great victory.  Enjoy those gold medals.  We'll see you in Russia.

If that was a preliminary game I can't wait for the medal round

I was as excited about Team USA vs. Team Canada as I was for game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last year.  Well, maybe not quite as much, but it was close.  I've enjoyed every game of this tournament so far, even the blowouts, and I couldn't wait to see how Canada's superstar lineup fared against the USA's young squad.  The game didn't disappoint.  There were beautiful goals, frenetic breakaways and an absolutely clutch performance by Team USA's goalie, Ryan Miller.  With the win, Team USA earned a bye into the quarterfinals and will play again on Wednesday afternoon.  Canada has to face Germany on Tuesday afternoon for a quarterfinals slot of their own.

I watched most of the game in the same position I'd had for game 7 last year: on the edge of the couch, leaning over the laptop on the coffee table and screaming "get it out of there!" every time the puck entered the USA end.  I nearly forgot to breathe a couple of times.  It might not have been for a medal, but anyone watching that game would agree that the intensity on both teams was at championship levels.  And the crowd!  They hurled chants and insults at Miller and cheered their hearts out for the home team.  If you saw that game and didn't come away thinking that hockey could be fun to watch again, I don't want to know you.

I may have watched the game by myself, but I wasn't alone.  I tweeted throughout the game and kept a close eye on my Twitter feed for my friends' reactions.  I've been watching games this way for several years.  Before Twitter, it was the Deadspin commenter community.  But the forum doesn't matter.  I can share the experience of an event like an Olympic hockey game with hundreds of other people from the comfort of my couch and not feel at all isolated or lonely.  The online community can't replace the fun of watching a game with your friends in the same room or actually going to the game.  But it's a viable alternative when you can't be there in person.   

Friday, February 19 in Olympic hockey

Sweden looked good against Belarus in the afternoon game.  Belarus goalie Andrei Mezin kept his team in the game late into the 3rd period.  The Swedes took an early 3-0 lead, then Belarus fought back with goals in the 2nd and 3rd periods to keep the game close.  Sweden needed a late goal from Daniel Alfredsson to seal the victory.  Sweden faces Finland on Sunday in one of three "Rivalry Sunday" matchups.

The Czech Republic had a 4-0 lead on Latvia in the 2nd period when Latvia scored two quick goals to cut the deficit in half.  Up until that point I had declared Latvia the "punching bag of Group B" but I had to revise my statement to "the punching bag is hitting back!"  I'm not sure the metaphor holds up.  The Czechs held on to win the game 5-2.

The late game pitted Finland against Germany, and it wasn't much of a match.  Finland won 5-0.  I'd say they're ready for Sweden on Sunday.
 

Thursday, February 18 in Olympic mens' hockey

Team USA looked great against Norway, but Norway isn't that good this time around.  Still, a win is a win, and if you're going to succeed in this tournament you have to win the games you know you can win.  We'll call this game a confidence builder for Team USA and hope that it helps them to bigger wins in the medal round, or better play against Canada on Sunday.  More on that below.

Canada and Switzerland went to a shootout to settle their game Thursday night.  I was at rehearsal and then at the bar so I didn't get to see any of the game until I got home, but the Swiss put up a fight against a superior-on-paper Canadian team.  It took a  sudden-death shootout goal from Sidney Crosby and a monster save from Martin Brodeur to seal the victory for Canada.  I still like Canada's chances at the gold, but a game like this one shows that there are no guarantees.

For more evidence that there are no guarantees in this tournament, look no further than last night's late game, Slovakia vs. Russia.  Slovakia had to play 24 hours after losing to the Czech Republic and faced a dominating Russian squad coming off a lopsided win over Latvia two days ago.  I switched over to CNBC-HD for the start of the game only to find that the channel was horribly pixelated.  It was nearly impossible for me to tell what was going on for much of the game.  Russia took a 1-0 lead in the 2nd period on a goal from Alexei Morozov and survived a 2-man advantage power play by Slovakia to start the 3rd.  But Slovakia stayed with the Russians and despite the terrible picture I didn't see the kind of passing and puck-handling from Russia that I saw on Tuesday.  Late in the 3rd period Marian Hossa put a shot past goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to even the game at 1-1.  A five-minute overtime period settled nothing, so for the second time in a day the fans got to see a shootout.  Alex Ovechkin went 1-for-3 as the shootout went into sudden death and it took a sweet, patient goal from Slovakia's Pavol Demitra to win the game.

Slovakia surprised Team Russia, and Canada survived a scare against Switzerland.  On today's show, On The DL Podcast's Dan Levy wondered if the teams with fewer NHL players have had more time to practice and get to know each other.  The loaded NHL all-star squads from the USA, Canada, and Russia have played well but they've only had a few days working as a team, since the NHL had games scheduled through last Sunday.  I agree with Dan: the big teams are going to play better as the tournament goes on, but the performances by Slovakia and Switzerland show that the medal round seedings aren't set in stone.

One correction: I didn't know until last night that all 12 teams in the tournament will make the medal round.  However, the top four teams from the round-robin receive byes into the quarterfinals and have one less game to play.  The other eight teams have to play elimination games to make the quarterfinals.  With a scant two weeks to play all the games, having that bye could be crucial to getting through to the gold-medal game.  Given the stakes and the goal differential right now, Sunday's USA (+7)-Canada(+9) game looms even larger than it did before the Olympics started.  Time Warner Brooklyn had better fix CNBC-HD before Sunday or there will be angry tweets coming from my apartment.

Wednesday in Olympic hockey

Today's games have already started, with Team USA in control early with a 2-0 lead over Norway at the 1st intermission.  I had plans last night so I only saw Finland's victory over Belarus and the end of the Czech Republic-Slovakia game this morning on my DVR.  Finland showed some of the dominance we've seen from them in past Olympics.  But what I really enjoyed was seeing Jaromir Jagr back on the ice for the Czech team.  He's 38, a fact of which the announcers continually reminded the viewers.  And Jagr didn't skate as many minutes as he did on past Olympic teams, at least not at the end of the game where the Czechs were playing keep-away with Slovakia.  But he scored the game-winning goal and assisted on another.  He has a reach like no one else I've seen, carrying the puck far out in front yet keeping it in control the entire time.  Watching him handle the puck while sweeping around behind the goal brought back memories of his years with the Penguins.  He can still do astounding tricks with the puck.  The Czechs are in a tough group with the Russians, but with a win in hand over Slovakia and a likely win against Latvia they stand a good chance to make the medal round if Jagr can continue to produce like he did last night.

It's the most wonderful time... of the quadrennial

The Winter Olympics are on and that means Olympic hockey.  I love that the NHL shuts down its season for three weeks to allow its players to compete for their national teams in the Olympic hockey tournament.  In 1998 I stayed up all night watching the games from Japan.  Four years ago I recorded as much of the tournament as my DVR would allow and watched hours of hockey each night.  This time, the games are on during the afternoon and evening, threatening my productivity at work and my sleep schedule.  Somehow I'll muddle through. 

Yesterday's action featured Team USA's 3-1 win over Switzerland, in which our team looked good but not dominant.  Canada crushed Norway 8-0, and in the late game Russia rolled over Latvia 8-2 as if it was still the Cold War.  I went to bed last night with the score 4-0 at the end of the second period and watched the rest of the game this morning.  I needn't have bothered.  The Russian team looks especially strong.  Alex Ovechkin is already nearly impossible to stop, and with crisp passing and fluid movement the team has an old Red Army feeling to it.  Vladimir Tretiak, Team Russia's manager, watched the game from a skybox wearing an old-school dark blazer with a red collar.  It was like Darth Vader observing stormtroopers on parade.  I'd like to see Team USA play well in this tournament, but I can't help wishing for a Canada-Russia gold medal game.  How exciting would that be?  Team Canada trying to win on home ice vs. possibly the greatest Russian team in 20 years?  I'm getting chills.  But it's a long way off.  We're only one day in and some of the teams haven't taken the ice yet.  There's plenty of great hockey ahead.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are your 2009 Stanley Cup Champions

I've been waiting a long time to see the Pittsburgh Penguins win a 3rd Stanley Cup. I was barely a hockey fan when they won their first two championships in 1991 and 1992. I knew little of the rules of the game and I watched only a few of the games in those playoff runs. I remember watching the clinching game 6 of the 1991 Stanley Cup Final, but I wasn't really aware of what it meant to be a hockey fan.

Two years later at Georgetown, I was surrounded by sports fans of all kinds. I bet all of my friends on my dorm floor that the Penguins would repeat (or "threepeat") in 1993. And when the Penguins won 16 or 17 straight games at the end of the regular season, it seemed like a safe bet. Sadly, the Penguins lost in the conference semifinals, and I learned not to bet on my teams again.

Since then, I've watched the Penguins falter in the conference finals in 1996 and again in 2001, and then last year in the Stanley Cup Final. When the Penguins were in 10th place in February, I didn't expect them to even make the playoffs. They switched coaches and went on a tear. When they were down 2-0 to the Capitals, I thought Ovechkin had their number. Then the Pens came back to blow out the Caps in game 7 in Washington. They swept the Carolina Hurricanes, something I never expected, and that put them back in the Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings. They were overmatched by last year's Red Wings squad, and I feared the same fate would befall them this year. When they were down 2-0 to the Wings, once again I thought all was lost. I should have had more faith in my team. They won every must-win game, beating the Wings at home in games 3, 4, and 6, and in the process overcoming a terrible 5-0 blowout in game 5. Going into game 7, all I could think was "anything can happen."

The Penguins played out of their minds in game 7. They controlled the puck, clogged the area in front of their net, and blocked shots as much as possible. Marc-Andre Fleury deserves all the credit in the world for bouncing back from a disastrous performance in game 5 to allow only two goals in the last two games. The Penguins played most of game 7 without team captain Sidney Crosby, who left the game early in the 2nd period with an injury and only played two shifts in the 3rd. Throughout game 7, my heart was in my throat. I thought I got worked up for Steelers games, but it turns out that it's easier for me to watch football than hockey. In football, I scream at the TV on every play, but each play is only 10 seconds long. Then I get a break and a chance to breathe. During game 7, I held my breath every time the Wings got the puck into the Penguins' zone. As the game wore on and I saw my team playing their game for the first time all series at Joe Louis Arena, I was able to relax a little. Then the Wings tied the game and I was back to hyperventilating and trying not to scream at the TV.

When it was over I nearly forgot to cheer. I saw my team carry the Stanley Cup around the rink. Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Fleury, Staal, and the rest will have their names on the Cup along with Lemieux, Jagr, Ron Francis, and the rest of my heroes from those great teams in the early 1990s. It was a great night for hockey. Now I need to make room for a Penguins poster on my Steelers championship wall.

Game 5

I should have gone to bed by midnight last night. I'd gone to bed late on Sunday night and suffered for it all day Monday. By the time I left work, I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to eat a quick dinner, watch Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final between Detroit and Pittsburgh, and go to bed. However, the hockey gods had something else in mind last night.

After the 1st period, I was cautiously optimistic that the Penguins could hold on to their lead. They haven't looked as good in the Finals as they did cruising through the Eastern Conference playoffs, but last night they owned the 1st period. The Red Wings cut the lead to 2-1 in the 2nd period, but I still had hope that I'd see a game 6 on Wednesday. In the 3rd period, two quick goals by the Wings put them minutes away from winning the Cup on home ice and ending the season for Pittsburgh. I started thinking about the groveling messages I'd have to leave for James and my Deadspin friends from Detroit. Then, with time running out, Max Talbot put a rebound past Chris Osgood and tied the game at 3-3. We're going to OT.

I spent the next two hours trying to stay calm and not panic every time the puck was in the Penguins' zone, or on every shot that Marc-Andre Fleury faced. On each one I saw for a brief second the end of the game. Likewise, when the Penguins managed to get the puck into the Wings' zone, I saw them extending the series on each shot. Also, the combination of being tired and excited had me all kinds of punchy. When the announcers said that Petr Sykora said he'd score the game-winner I thought he played for the Wings. It took me a few minutes to remember he was on my team. And at 12:45 AM, Sykora got a centering pass from Evgeni Malkin and shot the puck past Osgood to win the game. I may have woken up my neighbors with my screaming. It was one of the most exciting hockey games I've ever seen.

Now the series goes back to Pittsburgh for Game 6 on Wednesday night. I know the Red Wings are still favored to win the whole thing, but I'm just glad I get to see at least one more hockey game this season. I think the Penguins are more confident now and will give them another game to remember. And I'm really excited about the future of the Penguins. These young players have grown up tremendously during this playoff run. They have a bright future ahead of them.

Stanley Cup playoff hockey in HD? Not tonight.

One of the joys of having HDTV is watching sports, and at this time of year, watching the Stanley Cup playoffs in HD. This past week I've been watching all the games on Versus HD, which magically appeared in my channel lineup when the playoffs started.

However, tonight's game between the Penguins and the Rangers is only on Versus in SD, at least here in NY. I can't believe that the Penguins don't broadcast their games in HD, so I have to assume that Time Warner is blacking out Versus HD for some reason.

I should just be thankful that I can see the game at all.