I’ve said it before, hockey can make for strange bedfellows. Playoff hockey is even worse. If the (mostly agreed upon horrible) schedule saw me having to hope for a win here and there for the few teams I truly hate, the playoffs have seen me actively rooting for, among other things:
-
Marty Turco to lose his playoff demons
-
The team who the Avs were in a battle with for the last playoff slot to go on a first round tear
So far, the first of those has been the case, but as for the second, not so much. The Flames, who were finally one point ahead of the Avs when the season was over, have done nothing but fall apart at the wrong times. They decided that if they weren’t going to be in Calgary, they might as well not play at all. The only reason I want them to do well at all is to knock the Detroit Red Wings out in the first round. That is it, that is all they have to do for me. They wouldn’t have me as a fan or anything, but is that too much to ask? Just win in the first round?
But then, I get home last night, after working for the Opera all day, and what do I find in the reports? Slashing, sucker punching, blow out game, McLennan in for the Kipper. The Backup, who looked like a tool for the final game of the season, losing to the Avs 6-3 in a game that had all the physical play of an All Star game (except for Dion Phaneuf, who didn’t get the memo), gets a match penalty. When does that happen?
If this were not the NHL, if this were not the playoffs, if this wouldn’t have happened on NBC (a national audience), if this were the Federal Hockey League, you can bet we would be seeing the goon squad in the Wings line up, making the last game in Slap Shot look like a wine tasting. Ogie Ogilthorpe would be on the ice, making sure the Flames kept their asses in line.
So here we are, the Wings are up in the series three games to two, and I should be pulling hard for the Flames. I mean, I want the Wings to lose. I REALLY want the Wings to lose. But is this a team, with this kind of response, with this kind of behavior, that I want to move on in the playoffs? The sad part is, for the moment, it will have to be. Is little as I like the Flames, I like the Wings even less. So, here’s hoping for a Round 2 sweep of the Flames.
During the game on NBC, the decision gets handed down. McLennan gets a five game suspension, Playfair gets a fine ($25,000), and the Flames get a huge fine ($100,000). Works for me. McLennan, what a team player, eh?
Also, during the game, Doc Emerick gives me this little gem. “Sometimes, life isn’t fair.” Really, Doc? You think? Thanks for that.