There are a lot of obstacles. Hockey is the most provincial sport we have, and once everyone is out, those fans tend to not give a shit. We have spent a lot of time coming up with reasons to hate everyone else. We want everyone to lose. A large part of hockey fans is Bile.
Hockey fans in the south have had a hard time jumping on the bandwagon of any of the southern teams, as they still feel they don't belong in those places, even if Nashville and Tampa have turned into some of the strongest hockey markets around. There are a few hockey fans who would like to wear the jersey of a goon who retired 20 years ago.
This is the thing. Hockey might be the most popular sport. More so than football. Every team that didn't win the Cup immediately is trying to figure out how they can win it again, even if they've messed up.
The Hawks and Wings convinced everyone that they didn't need a star goalie to win. Even though Jonathan Quick has been an average since 2012 the Kings convinced everyone. Everyone thought you needed four centers. The Blues made everyone think they had to be large and mean, even though they had pivoted to being more of a skill team. The Lightning told everyone they needed to score beyond their top two lines and speed as well, which is why the two players are rich now.
The highest- scoring team in the NHL has been the Panthers. Is the team a good defensive team? Not particularly. They won the Presidents' Trophy out of a division that had four other playoff teams as well. They are 12th in goals-against per game. They are 13th in expected-goals against per game.
As the NHL Playoffs got underway yesterday, and especially right about the time the Cats lose their first playoff game, the airwaves and sites will be filled with hockey writers opening up their book of cliches to tell us all that a team can't score its way to a parade. It is the easiest way to sound and be right. The Cup is only won by one of 16 teams that can do it, and teams with a real chance of winning it are about one in six or seven. They won't win.
We need a team that is able to glory. We need a team that says it will score six if you score five. Sergei Bobrovsky has a poor playoff history, so the panthers might have to do that. They may run into the Lightning in the next round, who can certainly score with them and have a proven and superb playoff goalie.
It would be better for the league if every team started combing through their rosters to figure out how to score four goals per game. It would make the product better. It would definitely rattle the cages of the side of the hockey world that needs rattling to have a team from South Florida make a run. The cries of "Undeserving!" and "Not Proper Hockey Town!" would be comforting.
The panthers don't have to win it all. The blue line of the Avs would accomplish the same. The hockey press is still certain that he plays a heavy, slow game, which he hasn't done in a long time, because he's coached by Darryl Sutter. Avs-Panthers is a must-see TV show.
Get over it. Go for the panthers. It is the road to a better day.
There are plays that are meant to convey something more than what is accomplished on the floor or field. They act as a marker of confidence and swagger that an opponent can't hope to dents. We talked about the penalty against Benzema. Even though they were ahead, and even though they had mostly domed Madrid last Tuesday, there is still an inner fortitude that can be cracked.
Yesterday afternoon, Giannis was on that tip.
In Milwaukee's 101-89 Game 1 win over the Celtics, Giannis was already doing whatever he wanted. He wanted a triple-double. But this move? This is touching someone's nose. The best player in the league makes it clear that in this series, he'll go wherever and do whatever, and the Cs have better get used to it. It is derogatory, arrogant, and the height of the game. If the Bucks win this series quickly, we will all look back at this and know that Boston realized there is something wrong with Milwaukee.
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