Friday, February 10, 2006
GAME 58: MIGHTY DUCKS 3, CANUCKS 1
Mighty Ducks 3, Canucks 1
[posted in full Fri 7 Jul ~12:43a]
The Canucks ran out of gas on the seventh and final game of their road trip four nights before. They came home two nights earlier and beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-4 in a game they should have won anyway. In this game, it was the pesky Anaheim Mighty Ducks (who next year will remove Mighty from their name), who have former Canuck GM Brian Burke running the show. With last year's Manitoba Moose coach Randy Carlyle as the bench boss, the Ducks have a lot of Canuck ties. Some probably had more motivation than others in this game. How would it go?
1st period
Carlyle brought one of his Manitoba Moose players with him to Anaheim, and it paid dividends as Joe DiPenta flicked a shot from the right point that went off the stick of a Canuck in front and got inside the far post on Alex Auld.
»» 1, ANAHEIM, Joe DiPenta 2 (Andy McDonald) 5:41
»» MIGHTY DUCKS 1, CANUCKS 0
On a possession that went end to end quickly, Keith Carney fed a long pass to Teemu Selanne, who took it across the blueline on the right side and waited for Andy McDonald to fill the high slot before getting the puck to him. McDonald put it through Auld on the short side.
»» 2, ANAHEIM, McDonald 19 (Teemu Selanne, Keith Carney) 11:00
»» MIGHTY DUCKS 2, CANUCKS 0
The dying seconds were ticking away on an Anaheim power play. Todd Marchant didn't put up a shot from close range on the right side and centered to Dustin Penner, who was stopped. The puck found its way to Joffrey Lupul in the left-wing corner, who passed to Ruslan Salei at the point before taking it back and walking in from behind the left hash, where he flung a shot toward the net and it went in with one second left to go in Jarkko Ruutu's interference penalty. Auld was pulled from the Vancouver net and Maxime Ouellet was put in.
»» 3, ANAHEIM, powerplay, Joffrey Lupul 19 (Ruslan Salei, Todd Marchant) 17:16
»» MIGHTY DUCKS 3, CANUCKS 0
Morrison rushed across the blueline on the right side and dropped it back for Markus Naslund, who snapped it from the back of the right circle to beat Ilya Bryzgalov on the glove side.
»» 4, VANCOUVER, Markus Naslund 26 (Brendan Morrison, Jarkko Ruutu) 19:04
»» MIGHTY DUCKS 3, CANUCKS 1
Vancouver was outshot 13-8 in the period. The Canucks were 0-for-1 on the power play while Anaheim was 1-for-2.
2nd period
With 6:34 left to go in the period, the Canucks were getting out of their own end and a pass went to Daniel Sedin along the boards on the right side, where he collected the pass and got down a bit before Vitaly Vishnevski barreled him into the boards. With 5:38 left in the period, Selanne took a long nice pass that got him behind the Vancouver defense and all alone for a breakaway chance on Ouellet, but the little-used backup goalie made a nice stop with the right pad to give the home fans at least something to cheer about. Right on to the other end, Richard Park put a shot on the net that was stopped high by Bryzgalov, but that led to action on the other end, as McDonald was all alone with Bieksa and put a shot on Ouellet that was stopped. Anaheim outshot the Canucks again, this time 10-6 (23-14 overall). They were 0-for-2 on the power play (1-for-4) while Vancouver was 0-for-2 (0-for-3).
3rd period
With just under eight minutes left in the game, Vancouver changed lines and only Anson Carter was on behind the Anaheim net as a puck went off of Bryzgalov's stick and got loose in front of the net, but it wasn't cashed in. The rest of the Canuck line came onto the ice and Carter passed to Morrison skating down the slot, but Morrison's shot was stopped and covered by Bryzgalov. With 2:15 to go, Matt Cooke drilled Keith Carney behind the Anaheim net. Vancouver outshot Anaheim 14-7 in the final period, but they finished behind 30-28 in that department. The Canucks were 0-for-2 on the power play (0-for-5 total) while Anaheim didn't draw a penalty in the final frame and finished 1-for-4. Auld stopped 10 of 13 before being pulled. Ouellet stopped all 17 shots he faced.
Three stars -- (1) Anaheim's Andy McDonald, (2) Anaheim's Scott Niedermayer, (3) Anaheim's Teemu Selanne
skater, goals-assists-points
Naslund 1-0-1
Morrison 0-1-1
Ruutu 0-1-1
Sure, it was frustrating enough for the Canucks to fall behind 3-0 in the first period. It was even more frustrating to see that late goal in the first period not turn into something more to start the second period. Worse yet is that after that first goal, Anaheim was able to sit on a 3-1 lead for the rest of the game.
The Canucks were 24-for-59 (41%) in the faceoff circle. Brendan Morrison was 5-for-11. Trevor Linden was 3-for-6. Ryan Kesler was a nice 11-for-18. Henrik Sedin was an icky 4-for-17. Todd Bertuzzi was 1-for-4. Markus Naslund led the team with seven shots. Mattias Ohlund and Bryan Allen had four shots apiece. Ohlund delivered five hits to lead the Canucks. Steve McCarthy and Jarkko Ruutu dished out three hits apiece.
Plus-skating Canucks were Allen, Sami Salo, and Ruutu at plus-1. Daniel Sedin, Kevin Bieksa, McCarthy, Henrik Sedin, Bertuzzi, and Anson Carter were minus-1. Ohlund was the lone minus-2. All other Canuck skaters were even.
At the end of the night, Vancouver dropped back into third place as Colorado leapfrogged them in the standings for the first time in quite a long time. The record of 32-20-6 (2-3 shootout, two overtime losses) and 69 points leaves them a point back of Colorado and four points back of Northwest Division-leading Calgary. They also only lead the Edmonton Oilers by two points.
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Thursday, February 09, 2006
THE 2006 SCHEDULE, GO FOR IT
In Sports And Bremertonians' efforts to try to get over Super Bowl XL, I'm going to give you guys a chance to predict what the 2006 schedule for the Seahawks will look like.
2006 SEAHAWKS OPPONENTS
HOME
Arizona, San Francisco, St. Louis, Green Bay, Minnesota, New York Giants, Oakland, San Diego
AWAY
Arizona, San Francisco, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Denver, Kansas City
My 2006 Seahawks schedule?
THU, SEPT 7 SAN DIEGO (NBC)
SUN, SEPT 17 at Arizona
SUN, SEPT 24 at Tampa Bay
SUN, OCT 1 MINNESOTA
SUN, OCT 8 Bye
SUN, OCT 15 at Detroit
SUN, OCT 22 OAKLAND
SUN, OCT 29 at St. Louis
SUN, NOV 6 GREEN BAY
SUN, NOV 12 at San Francisco
SUN, NOV 19 ST. LOUIS
MON, NOV 27 at Denver (ESPN)
SUN, DEC 3 SAN FRANCISCO
SUN, DEC 10 NEW YORK GIANTS (NBC)
SUN, DEC 17 at Kansas City
SUN, DEC 24 at Chicago
SUN, DEC 31 ARIZONA
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
---The Mariners have a six-game homestand the first week of the NFL season, therefore the Seahawks won't be able to play in Qwest Field on Sept. 11 or 12. So that's why I'm calling for the Seahawks to play the Chargers in the first game of the season on Thursday, Sept. 7. TOMLINSON! ALEXANDER! NBC! (If Alexander comes back to Seattle)
---Three national television games for the Seahawks (Sept. 7 vs San Diego, Nov. 27 at Denver, Dec. 10 vs New York Giants). The San Diego and New York games will be on NBC, while the Denver game is on ESPN.
---The NFL wants to save the Giants-Seahawks matchup for later in the season. I'd be very shocked if that matchup isn't a prime time game. To paraphrase Bob Papa, "WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO JAY FEELY?"
---I'm going to be in St. Louis for a couple of days in late October, so I want a Seahawks-Rams matchup on Oct. 29. The Seahawks will travel to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City Dec. 17, which falls during winter break. There's a method to my madness.
--Somehow, I don't think the NFL will give the Seahawks a later bye again. Expect an earlier bye. I'm predicting a Week 5 bye.
The OFFICIAL 2006 schedule will be released in April.
Post your predictions in the comments box.
2006 SEAHAWKS OPPONENTS
HOME
Arizona, San Francisco, St. Louis, Green Bay, Minnesota, New York Giants, Oakland, San Diego
AWAY
Arizona, San Francisco, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Denver, Kansas City
My 2006 Seahawks schedule?
THU, SEPT 7 SAN DIEGO (NBC)
SUN, SEPT 17 at Arizona
SUN, SEPT 24 at Tampa Bay
SUN, OCT 1 MINNESOTA
SUN, OCT 8 Bye
SUN, OCT 15 at Detroit
SUN, OCT 22 OAKLAND
SUN, OCT 29 at St. Louis
SUN, NOV 6 GREEN BAY
SUN, NOV 12 at San Francisco
SUN, NOV 19 ST. LOUIS
MON, NOV 27 at Denver (ESPN)
SUN, DEC 3 SAN FRANCISCO
SUN, DEC 10 NEW YORK GIANTS (NBC)
SUN, DEC 17 at Kansas City
SUN, DEC 24 at Chicago
SUN, DEC 31 ARIZONA
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
---The Mariners have a six-game homestand the first week of the NFL season, therefore the Seahawks won't be able to play in Qwest Field on Sept. 11 or 12. So that's why I'm calling for the Seahawks to play the Chargers in the first game of the season on Thursday, Sept. 7. TOMLINSON! ALEXANDER! NBC! (If Alexander comes back to Seattle)
---Three national television games for the Seahawks (Sept. 7 vs San Diego, Nov. 27 at Denver, Dec. 10 vs New York Giants). The San Diego and New York games will be on NBC, while the Denver game is on ESPN.
---The NFL wants to save the Giants-Seahawks matchup for later in the season. I'd be very shocked if that matchup isn't a prime time game. To paraphrase Bob Papa, "WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO JAY FEELY?"
---I'm going to be in St. Louis for a couple of days in late October, so I want a Seahawks-Rams matchup on Oct. 29. The Seahawks will travel to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City Dec. 17, which falls during winter break. There's a method to my madness.
--Somehow, I don't think the NFL will give the Seahawks a later bye again. Expect an earlier bye. I'm predicting a Week 5 bye.
The OFFICIAL 2006 schedule will be released in April.
Post your predictions in the comments box.
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Wednesday, February 08, 2006
GAME 57: BLUES 4, CANUCKS 2
Blues 4, Canucks 2
[posted in full Fri 7 Jul ~12:06a]
The Saint Louis Blues are one of the league's worst teams this year. In two meetings against them this season, the Vancouver Canucks are winless. That's bad. Could they break that disturbing streak in this game?
1st period
With the Canucks in the Blues' zone three minutes into the game, Mattias Ohlund creamed Petr Cajanek into the left-wing boards, helping lead to a shot by Henrik Sedin which was stopped. About halfway through the period, Keith Tkachuk got behind the defense and rushed down the right side toward the net, where he centered backward to Cajanek coming down the slot, who backhanded through the glove side on Alex Auld, who couldn't cover that half of the net in time.
»» 1, SAINT LOUIS, Petr Cajanek 7 (Keith Tkachuk, Mark Rycroft) 9:48
»» BLUES 1, CANUCKS 0
On a pickoff of an errant outlet pass by the Blues, Markus Naslund dished off to Richard Park, who wristed one into the net past Curtis Sanford from just inside the right hash.
»» 2, VANCOUVER, Richard Park 7 (Markus Naslund) 14:18
»» BLUES 1, CANUCKS 1
Naturally, the period had to end horribly. A Cajanek shot from the left side looked to be covered up by Auld, but it wasn't and Cajanek was able to get the puck again, take it behind the net, and come out the other side. Cajanek then put a shot on the net through traffic that was stopped, but Vladimir Orszagh was on the doorstep and stuffed it into the net.
»» 3, SAINT LOUIS, Vladimir Orszagh 4 (Cajanek, Tkachuk) 17:00
»» BLUES 2, CANUCKS 1
Ohlund lost control of the puck behind his own net and Mark Rycroft came away with it and put a shot on the net from the left side that was stopped. Ryan Johnson came from the right side to hack at the puck and was stopped, but Rycroft made good on the rebound to turn a tie game into a two-goal lead for the Blues in the final three minutes of the period.
»» 4, SAINT LOUIS, Rycroft 5 (Ryan Johnson, Dallas Drake) 19:43
»» BLUES 3, CANUCKS 1
The Canucks outshot the Blues 13-11 in the period. Saint Louis was 0-for-2 on the power play while the Canucks were 0-for-1.
2nd period
Patrick Lalime took over in the Saint Louis net. Ohlund passed down the left-wing boards to Brendan Morrison in the corner, who passed to Naslund behind the net. Naslund found Bertuzzi parked in front of the net and hit him with a pass, and Bertuzzi punched it through. If only it always worked like that this season.
»» 5, VANCOUVER, powerplay, Todd Bertuzzi 20 (Naslund, Brendan Morrison) 3:57
»» BLUES 3, CANUCKS 2
Vancouver doubled up the Blues 12-6 in shots for the period (25-17 overall). The Canucks were 1-for-3 (1-for-4) on the power play while the Blues were 0-for-2 (0-for-4).
3rd period
Jarkko Ruutu and Kevin Bieksa got loose on a 2-on-1 and Ruutu took the shot from the left, which was stopped by Patrick Lalime. Johnson smushed Bertuzzi into the boards near the left point later in the period. Later in the period, the Blues had a two-man advantage, and Tkachuk got the puck off a faceoff and beat everyone to the net, deking and putting it past Auld.
»» 6, SAINT LOUIS, powerplay, Tkachuk 10 (unassisted) 7:45
»» BLUES 4, CANUCKS 2
One last good Auld save came against Scott Young on a breakaway from the back of the right circle. The Canucks again outshot the Blues 8-7 (33-24 total). They were 0-for-3 on the power play (1-for-7) while the Blues were 1-for-3 (1-for-7). Auld stopped 20 shots.
Three stars -- (1) Saint Louis' Keith Tkachuk, (2) Saint Louis' Mark Rycroft, (3) Saint Louis' Petr Cajanek
skater, goals-assists-points
Naslund 0-2-2
Bertuzzi 1-0-1
Park 1-0-1
Morrison 0-1-1
This is the type of loss -- a home loss, no less -- for which the Canucks will kick themselves at the end of the season if they end up missing the playoffs. The Blues, especially with an overweight Keith Tkachuk and without the traded Doug Weight, were supposed to be beatable. The Canucks couldn't beat Curtis Sanford and Pat Lalime in the Saint Louis net.
The Canucks were 27-for-59 (45%) in the faceoff circle. Brendan Morrison was a stellar 11-for-16, Trevor Linden was 1-for-5, Ryan Kesler was 4-for-10, Henrik Sedin was 8-for-19, Josh Green was 3-for-7, and Todd Bertuzzi was 0-for-3. Bertuzzi led the team with five shots. Richard Park and Markus Naslund had four shots apiece. Morrison, Linden, and Henrik Sedin had three shots apiece. Kesler led the team by delivering five hits while Jarkko Ruutu laid out three of his own.
No Canucks ended up on the plus side of the plus-minus ledger in this game. Mattias Ohlund, Morrison, Naslund, and Bertuzzi (kinda the guys that are supposed to carry this team) all finished minus-2 for Vancouver. Kevin Bieksa and Prestin Ryan were minus-1. All other Canuck skaters were even.
The loss puts Vancouver at 32-20-5 (2-3 shootout, two overtime losses), good for 69 points, but leaving them two points behind Calgary for the lead in the Northwest Division.
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Monday, February 06, 2006
GAME 56: CANUCKS 7, BLUE JACKETS 4
Canucks 7, Blue Jackets 4
[posted in full 6 Jul ~12:51a]
The seventh game of the Canucks' season-long seven-game road trip was a loss in Edmonton, against whom the Canucks are now winless in five tries. After they sputtered and ran out of gas, how would the home cookin' do?
1st period
After an Anson Carter centering pass from the right wing leaked through the slot and into the corner, it was tapped behind the net by Henrik Sedin, where it got to Daniel Sedin, who leaked it into the low slot for Carter again, who finished stick side over a sprawling Marc Denis. Daniel Sedin got his 200th NHL point on the play, and brother Henrik was tied for the Canucks' scoring lead with 55 points.
»» 1, VANCOUVER, Anson Carter 21 (Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin) 2:29
»» CANUCKS 1, BLUE JACKETS 0
Tyler Bouck on the left side inside the blueline centered to the high slot for Bryan Allen, whose shot was blocked, but it banked out to Bouck on the left side near the goal line this time. Bouck centered down low for Josh Green, who put it past the glove side on Denis.
»» 2, VANCOUVER, Josh Green 4 (Tyler Bouck, Bryan Allen) 3:42
»» CANUCKS 2, BLUE JACKETS 0
Brendan Morrison hooked Nikolai Zherdev right after the Green goal. Todd Bertuzzi nearly had a wraparound goal at the 7:20 mark, but it was ruled that he took the net off with his left shoulder. Later he cashed in as he took a pass from Morrison on the left side and rumbled down the slot, taking Morrison's pass off his skate and powering it past Denis on the glove side. Markus Naslund jumped back ahead of Henrik Sedin for the team scoring lead.
»» 3, VANCOUVER, powerplay, Todd Bertuzzi 19 (Brendan Morrison, Markus Naslund) 12:52
»» CANUCKS 3, BLUE JACKETS 0
Mattias Ohlund took the puck from his own end, carried it across center, then skated across the blueline before unloading and beating Denis to the glove side with a long slapshot.
»» 4, VANCOUVER, powerplay, Mattias Ohlund 9 (Alex Auld) 16:18
»» CANUCKS 4, BLUE JACKETS 0
The Canucks outshot Columbus 10-6 in the period. The Blue Jackets were 0-for-2 on the power play while the Canucks were 2-for-3.
2nd period
Denis was pulled from the Columbus net in favor of Pascal Leclaire. After a giveaway by Kevin Bieksa, Adam Foote in the high slot found Rick Nash parked in the low slot and hit him with a pass, and Nash stuck it through on the stick side on Alex Auld.
»» 5, COLUMBUS, Rick Nash 15 (Adam Foote) 8:57
»» CANUCKS 4, BLUE JACKETS 1
Later in the period, the Canucks were caught out of position and Nash was stopped by Auld, but Nash was tripped up on the play and awarded a penalty shot. Auld got the right pad on the penalty shot by Nash. The Canucks outshot the Blue Jackets 16-14 (26-20 total). Columbus was 0-for-1 on the power play in the period (0-for-3 overall) while Vancouver was 0-for-3 (2-for-6).
3rd period
Leclaire was pulled from the net and Denis was put back in the game. David Vyborny skated near the goal line on the left side and passed to Zherdev near Auld's stick side and it appeared the puck knuckled and fluttered past Auld.
»» 6, COLUMBUS, powerplay, Nikolai Zherdev 18 (David Vyborny, Duvie Westcott) 1:47
»» CANUCKS 4, BLUE JACKETS 2
Just thirty seconds later, Rostislav Klesla dodged Anson Carter's defense and wristed a hard one from the left faceoff dot past Auld on the glove side.
»» 7, COLUMBUS, Rostislav Klesla 4 (Jaroslav Balastik, Vyborny) 2:17
»» CANUCKS 4, BLUE JACKETS 3
Off a faceoff inside the blueline, Carter got a hold of the puck and took it to the goal line on the right side and spotted Daniel Sedin skating to the low slot, who snapped it through the stick side.
»» 8, VANCOUVER, powerplay, D Sedin 15 (Carter, H Sedin) 4:32
»» CANUCKS 5, BLUE JACKETS 3
Morrison fed the outlet pass to Bertuzzi on the left side across the blueline, who fed backward to Kevin Bieksa, who fed Naslund skating in front of him. Naslund made good on the chance.
»» 9, VANCOUVER, powerplay, Naslund 25 (Kevin Bieksa, Bertuzzi) 7:16
»» CANUCKS 6, BLUE JACKETS 3
Mattias Ohlund fed Bieksa at the right point for a slapshot which was blocked out in front. The puck bounced to Trevor Linden at the left hash, who wristed it through. Denis didn't go post to post quickly enough to cover his stick side.
»» 10, VANCOUVER, powerplay, Trevor Linden 6 (Bieksa, Ohlund) 15:32
»» CANUCKS 7, BLUE JACKETS 3
Vyborny along the goal line on the right side centered to Nash down low as Columbus made good on the 5-on-3.
»» 11, COLUMBUS, powerplay, Nash 16 (Vyborny, Klesla) 18:46
»» CANUCKS 7, BLUE JACKETS 4
The Canucks were outshot 13-12 in the period but held a 38-33 advantage for the game. Columbus was 2-for-6 on the power play in the period (2-for-9 total) while Vancouver was 3-for-5 (5-for-11). Auld stopped 29 shots.
Three stars -- (1) Bertuzzi, (2) D Sedin, (3) Columbus' Rick Nash
skater, goals-assists-points
Bertuzzi 1-1-2
Carter 1-1-2
Naslund 1-1-2
Ohlund 1-1-2
D Sedin 1-1-2
Bieksa 0-2-2
H Sedin 0-2-2
Allen 0-1-1
Auld 0-1-1 (goalie)
Bouck 0-1-1
Green 1-0-1
Linden 1-0-1
Morrison 0-1-1
It isn't generally good to pile up a 4-0 lead afer 20 minutes and nearly blow it, but the Canucks came away with the two points and beat a team they should have beat, so that's something positive.
In the faceoff circle, the Canucks were 29-for-74 (39%). Brendan Morrison was 6-for-14, Trevor Linden was 1-for-4, Ryan Kesler was a brutal 3-for-16, Henrik Sedin was a nice 15-for-25, Josh Green was 1-for-4, and Todd Bertuzzi was 2-for-8. Daniel Sedin led the team in shots with seven. Mattias Ohlund was second in shots with six. No other Canuck had more than three shots, though the team had 38 altogether. Markus Naslund led the team in takeaways with two. Morrison, Todd Bertuzzi, and Anson Carter gave away the puck twice apiece. Ohlund blocked three shots.
Plus-skating Canucks included Sami Salo, Linden, Tyler Bouck, Steve McCarthy, and Josh Green, all at plus-1. Minus-skating Canucks included Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, and Carter at minus-1 and Ohlund at minus-2. All other Canuck skaters were even.
The win puts Vancouver at 32-19-5 (2-3 shootout, two overtime losses), good for 69 points and first place in the Northwest Division, with wins being the tiebreaker. Calgary won in San Jose, and though they have a game in hand, they have one less win than Vancouver. The Canucks lead the third-place Oilers by only two points and lead fourth-place Colorado by five.
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A NEW DAY, BUT STILL THE SAME OL' STORY
Note to self: Never post just minutes after your team loses in the Super Bowl.
Today is a new day and I still feel like crap.
While the officials did blow a few calls last night in Super Bowl XL, the Seahawks just didn't get the job done. I think that pisses me off more than anything else. You can't leave points out there on the field. Not on the biggest stage in the football world.
Regardless of what some people say about Seattle sports fans, we are very disappointed today. It's not like sports is just a one-day a week deal for people in the Pacific Northwest. We love our teams, whether they be the Seahawks, Mariners, Sonics, Blazers, Huskies, Cougars, Ducks, Beavers, Zags, etc.
I watched the game last night with a group of friends, one of them being a Steelers fan. To his credit, he didn't brag too much about the Steelers. Then again, he isn't nearly as passionate as I am. Then again, who is? Heh. I will admit that I raised some hell last night, throwing my 2002 Seahawks cup across the wall, cracking it in the process. I don't think I've ever been that animated. Last night, however, was worthwhile just for the fact that I got to talk to David for the first time in over two years. A phone conversation, not just a instant message conversation! That's what the Super Bowl does, folks.
I don't believe that this is the last we've heard from the Seahawks. It is very important that they find a way to bring back Shaun Alexander and Steve Hutchinson. The Seahawks' success wouldn't be possible over the past few seasons without those two players. Don't ask me who is the more valuable player. In my opinion, they're both valuable.
I'm going to be a miserable SOB this week, but at the same time, I'm also going to be a proud SOB. The Seattle Seahawks won 13 games this season, a franchise high. They were the first Seahawks team since 1984 to win a playoff game. And of course, they were the first Seahawks team to make it to the Super Bowl. No longer will the list of teams to never make it to the Super Bowl include the Seahawks.
Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans. They do have some very good fans. They know who they are. I won't give credit to those fans who just jumped on the bandwagon over the last few weeks, just because of Jerome Bettis. Yes, he's from Detroit and while I did feel like the last two weeks were the Jerome Bettis Invitational, he is a classy guy and is worthy of Hall Of Fame consideration.
The Seahawks and their fans have had a taste of what the Super Bowl is really like. Maybe next season, the Seahawks will win the damn thing. Sounds good to me.
February 4, 2007 in Miami, anyone?
Today is a new day and I still feel like crap.
While the officials did blow a few calls last night in Super Bowl XL, the Seahawks just didn't get the job done. I think that pisses me off more than anything else. You can't leave points out there on the field. Not on the biggest stage in the football world.
Regardless of what some people say about Seattle sports fans, we are very disappointed today. It's not like sports is just a one-day a week deal for people in the Pacific Northwest. We love our teams, whether they be the Seahawks, Mariners, Sonics, Blazers, Huskies, Cougars, Ducks, Beavers, Zags, etc.
I watched the game last night with a group of friends, one of them being a Steelers fan. To his credit, he didn't brag too much about the Steelers. Then again, he isn't nearly as passionate as I am. Then again, who is? Heh. I will admit that I raised some hell last night, throwing my 2002 Seahawks cup across the wall, cracking it in the process. I don't think I've ever been that animated. Last night, however, was worthwhile just for the fact that I got to talk to David for the first time in over two years. A phone conversation, not just a instant message conversation! That's what the Super Bowl does, folks.
I don't believe that this is the last we've heard from the Seahawks. It is very important that they find a way to bring back Shaun Alexander and Steve Hutchinson. The Seahawks' success wouldn't be possible over the past few seasons without those two players. Don't ask me who is the more valuable player. In my opinion, they're both valuable.
I'm going to be a miserable SOB this week, but at the same time, I'm also going to be a proud SOB. The Seattle Seahawks won 13 games this season, a franchise high. They were the first Seahawks team since 1984 to win a playoff game. And of course, they were the first Seahawks team to make it to the Super Bowl. No longer will the list of teams to never make it to the Super Bowl include the Seahawks.
Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans. They do have some very good fans. They know who they are. I won't give credit to those fans who just jumped on the bandwagon over the last few weeks, just because of Jerome Bettis. Yes, he's from Detroit and while I did feel like the last two weeks were the Jerome Bettis Invitational, he is a classy guy and is worthy of Hall Of Fame consideration.
The Seahawks and their fans have had a taste of what the Super Bowl is really like. Maybe next season, the Seahawks will win the damn thing. Sounds good to me.
February 4, 2007 in Miami, anyone?
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Sunday, February 05, 2006
LETDOWN SEAHAWKS!
Where do I start?
-- The 3rd-and-forever play where Roethlisberger ran left and found Hines Ward inside the 5 turned the entire tide of the game. It also reeked of last year, i.e., not getting off the field on third down, especially on 3rd-and-28. That's almost 4th-and-26 bad. And it came after such a nice Grant Wistrom sack. That hurt.
-- Jerramy Stevens had a bunch of drops, another thing that reeked of last year, though it was the entire receiving corps last year. He also caught the touchdown pass, immediately making it so that he did more in this game than Joey Porter did. Too bad it's small consolation.
-- Etric Pruitt was the Terreal Bierria of the game. Face it, once Marquand Manuel was declared out of the game with the groin injury, Pittsburgh had its way with the secondary after that. It's crap that it had to come down to that, but them's the breaks, and it sucks.
-- The Rocky Bernard injury really did not help matters.
-- Special teams zoo
-- I think you can blame Josh Brown for maybe one of those missed field goals.
-- It seemed they had Hasselbeck taking a whole lot more shots down the field than usual, though definitely not with as great success. I knew when DJ Hackett lined up that they were going to him the one time, and if he would have caught that ball...
-- With all the three-and-outs the Seattle defense forced in the first half, the offense failed to pick them up beyond the three points. There were way too many stalled drives. Also, Michael Boulware's interception was followed by an offensive three-and-out. The crazy-ass Roethlisberger play came on the next Pittsburgh possession.
-- Untimely penalties negating big returns, big plays, etc.
Of course, the last two of those points are somewhat contingent on the officials. Seriously, for a game with the magnitude of a Super Bowl, there were a lot of shoddy calls, and it's really been going on for the entire playoffs, not just this game, and not just because I'm a Seahawk fan; we're not the only team that's been screwed here [add ~8:45p -- some evidence; thanks to Lucero for that link -- he's been doing a great job over there all season]. The Darrell Jackson push-off was a bit debatable (if there's any gray area between contact and a push-off, I don't think he pushed off), and I thought Jackson had the left foot down and kicked the pylon with the right foot on the one catch that would have been a touchdown. I think it was Sean Locklear that was called for a phantom hold. It's like they flew in NHL officials to officiate the Super Bowl or something.
So what are we left with? I've got a feeling this was their one shot. Shaun Alexander might bolt. When are we going to see a Seahawk team win eleven straight again? This team was too special. It can't be like this again. Can it be a different path ending in a Super Bowl? Sure. I just wish it could have been with this group of guys who were so resilient in every game before this one. They captivated the entire Northwest region.
So you might be able to understand how crappy I feel right now knowing that my team got this far and couldn't quite pull it off, since I'm left over the next eight months to watch a baseball team that hasn't gotten to the World Series and won't do it this year.
GO CANUCKS GO! Sure, pitchers and catchers for said local pro baseball team report to Peoria in mere weeks, and I'll track the team day to day as best I can, but they're going to have to really pull something out of nowhere to rival what the Seahawks did this season, and they haven't made moves this offseason to warrant that in my wildest dreams.
The rest of my night looks like it will involve sleep but definitely won't involve ESPN. That means it's all Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network.
My special thanks to everyone that's hung with us this season, be it just by stopping by the page or leaving comments or being in the game threads. You help make it all worthwhile.
-- The 3rd-and-forever play where Roethlisberger ran left and found Hines Ward inside the 5 turned the entire tide of the game. It also reeked of last year, i.e., not getting off the field on third down, especially on 3rd-and-28. That's almost 4th-and-26 bad. And it came after such a nice Grant Wistrom sack. That hurt.
-- Jerramy Stevens had a bunch of drops, another thing that reeked of last year, though it was the entire receiving corps last year. He also caught the touchdown pass, immediately making it so that he did more in this game than Joey Porter did. Too bad it's small consolation.
-- Etric Pruitt was the Terreal Bierria of the game. Face it, once Marquand Manuel was declared out of the game with the groin injury, Pittsburgh had its way with the secondary after that. It's crap that it had to come down to that, but them's the breaks, and it sucks.
-- The Rocky Bernard injury really did not help matters.
-- Special teams zoo
-- I think you can blame Josh Brown for maybe one of those missed field goals.
-- It seemed they had Hasselbeck taking a whole lot more shots down the field than usual, though definitely not with as great success. I knew when DJ Hackett lined up that they were going to him the one time, and if he would have caught that ball...
-- With all the three-and-outs the Seattle defense forced in the first half, the offense failed to pick them up beyond the three points. There were way too many stalled drives. Also, Michael Boulware's interception was followed by an offensive three-and-out. The crazy-ass Roethlisberger play came on the next Pittsburgh possession.
-- Untimely penalties negating big returns, big plays, etc.
Of course, the last two of those points are somewhat contingent on the officials. Seriously, for a game with the magnitude of a Super Bowl, there were a lot of shoddy calls, and it's really been going on for the entire playoffs, not just this game, and not just because I'm a Seahawk fan; we're not the only team that's been screwed here [add ~8:45p -- some evidence; thanks to Lucero for that link -- he's been doing a great job over there all season]. The Darrell Jackson push-off was a bit debatable (if there's any gray area between contact and a push-off, I don't think he pushed off), and I thought Jackson had the left foot down and kicked the pylon with the right foot on the one catch that would have been a touchdown. I think it was Sean Locklear that was called for a phantom hold. It's like they flew in NHL officials to officiate the Super Bowl or something.
So what are we left with? I've got a feeling this was their one shot. Shaun Alexander might bolt. When are we going to see a Seahawk team win eleven straight again? This team was too special. It can't be like this again. Can it be a different path ending in a Super Bowl? Sure. I just wish it could have been with this group of guys who were so resilient in every game before this one. They captivated the entire Northwest region.
So you might be able to understand how crappy I feel right now knowing that my team got this far and couldn't quite pull it off, since I'm left over the next eight months to watch a baseball team that hasn't gotten to the World Series and won't do it this year.
GO CANUCKS GO! Sure, pitchers and catchers for said local pro baseball team report to Peoria in mere weeks, and I'll track the team day to day as best I can, but they're going to have to really pull something out of nowhere to rival what the Seahawks did this season, and they haven't made moves this offseason to warrant that in my wildest dreams.
The rest of my night looks like it will involve sleep but definitely won't involve ESPN. That means it's all Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network.
My special thanks to everyone that's hung with us this season, be it just by stopping by the page or leaving comments or being in the game threads. You help make it all worthwhile.
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FIVE BLOWN F*CKING CALLS
I hope everybody enjoyed the Jerome Bettis Invitational.
This is the absolute worst moment of my Seattle sports fan life.
The Seahawks were the Washington Generals all week long to Pittsburgh's Harlem Globetrotters. I've never seen as poor of an officiated game as I did tonight.
One for the thumb. Enjoy it, Pittsburgh.
Seattle fans? We're used to this crap.
We now return you to the Jerome Bettis Invitational, currently in progress.
(I'll have more this week. Right now is not the time for a long post.)
This is the absolute worst moment of my Seattle sports fan life.
The Seahawks were the Washington Generals all week long to Pittsburgh's Harlem Globetrotters. I've never seen as poor of an officiated game as I did tonight.
One for the thumb. Enjoy it, Pittsburgh.
Seattle fans? We're used to this crap.
We now return you to the Jerome Bettis Invitational, currently in progress.
(I'll have more this week. Right now is not the time for a long post.)
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SUPER BOWL XL: SEAHAWKS VS STEELERS
SUPER BOWL XL (Ford Field, Detroit)
Seattle Seahawks vs Pittsburgh Steelers (ABC)
We've seen and heard so much hype for the last two weeks that our heads are ready to explode. Well, at least mine is. More than ever, I hate the two-week gap between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl.
I realize we haven't posted a lot over the past two weeks, but we have lives. I'll say this, though: We weren't going to deny our readers the usual game thread. Then again, this isn't your usual game thread. This is the Super Bowl game thread. It will definitely be bigger than last year's, considering that the Seahawks are playing in the damn game.
Forget about the media letting us know that Jerome Bettis is from Detroit. Forget about the fact that Joey Porter is a punk. Forget that the Steelers are the "favorite".
If you're a Seattle sports fan, your life could change for the better in a matter of hours. I'm tired of bitching and moaning about how Seattle is a tortured sports town. Seattle sports fans are ready for a championship. I wasn't around in 1979 when the Sonics won the NBA title. Neither was David.
Our generation needs a championship. It might as well come from the Seahawks.
Enjoy yourselves as always. And remember, celebrate with class, should the Seahawks defeat the Steelers. We're a classy bunch, the proud base of Seattle sports fans.
GO SEAHAWKS!!!!!!!
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