This afternoon is game #4. It will be really interesting to see how the Canes come out. I have to believe alot of their wind was knocked out of their sales from the triple overtime Detroit win on Thursday. They were so confident in overtimes before. I will be watching Detroits' legs in the third period as well. If the game is tied in the third, I will exepct both teams to try to finish with a flurry and avoid another possible triple o.t. I gotta believe the ratings for game 3 went through the roof. Lets go Hurricanes!!!!! That crowd was like way noisy!!!!!

It's too bad some comments made following game three (what a GREAT!!! game) have been lost. I hope the Canes can come out and play with the same heart & skill they have been showing to now, but fear that loss may have been the straw that breaks their back. It would be a pity.

Whenever people say they don't like hockey, I wish they could see game three. Even without a firm grasp of the rules or a familiarity of the players, a game with that much excitement and "gasp" moments (as an example, Irbe's out-of-this-world save on Steve Y.--you know the one) would hook them.

~Adam

ditto Adam. Well said!

Where I come from, puckman, game 4 is tonight, not this afternoon. Time zones and all that.

Game 4 is almost a must-win for the Canes. Another loss will make it extremely difficult for them. A win tonight and they are guaranteed at least a 6th game.

Is this game the one where that factor I kept harping about all year to no avail--Detroit's age--finally comes into play? Just one day of rest after a 3-OT game? They'll get 2 days off before game 5, which makes it even more important for the Canes to try and steal this one.

Joe,

That's a good question, honestly. Though the ESPN commentators didnt' say anything directly, Detroit started slowing down in the 2nd and 3rd OT's. The first OT was all Detroit, but that started to change as the morning came! <G>

Trevor

Well, apparently it wasn't much of a factor tonight. I'll be very surprised if the series doesn't end on Thursday night.

Since so many people talk - and joke - about the ages of the Red Wings, it's like an "in your face" thing that it was Igor Larionov (the NHL's oldest player)that made the overtime goal to win the game (he had two goals total in that game), and scored again tonight.

I think it'll be over Thursday.

I love you Dom!

I agree that the season will end on Thursday night. Saturday night was a backbreaker for the 'Canes.

While I think it's a pretty much foregone conclusion that Detroit will now win the cup, I wonder if it won't go to 6 games. Carolina has had an incredible road record during the playoffs. They may be able to take it to a game 6.

Trevor

Thank You Carolina...It's Been Nice

Now that the Wings have won their 3rd cup in 6 years, I guess we will have to wait for trade discussion to heat up to keep the board active over the summer.

Hey Hey Hockeytown!

It was INCREDIBLE being at Joe Louis tonight! It was fantasic...it was wild...it was magical...it was everything I thought it would be!

I already knew about Scotty retiring...and we'll find out if Dom will be in a day or two.

still...I LOVE YOU DOM!

[ June 14, 2002: Message edited by: Marty ]

[quote]Originally posted by phillyrunner:
Now that the Wings have won their 3rd cup in 6 years, I guess we will have to wait for trade discussion to heat up to keep the board active over the summer.

---

Well, the Flyers already made a trade, but it's too disgusting to talk about.

Okay, Joe, I'll talk about it, now that you've opened the door.

So, yeah, Joe, what's the deal with that trade? I was thinking either a) Clarke wants to put an end to that nagging "who’s your #1 goaltender, Cechmanek or Boucher?" question; or Gretzky really likes having Canadians on his roster. Now the Coyotes have Burke & Boucher sharing the duties, and Clarke will be kicking himself for not sticking with Boucher, unloading Cechmanek's bloated salary and buying a proven goal-scorer (like maybe Selanne or Holik or Satan?). Or any forward who can drop Primeau to the checking line.

Anyways...my point is, Clarke is an idiot. The Coyotes are more, the Phlyers, less.

One more thing. Congratulations to Scotty Bowman for winning yet another Stanley Cup, and for a great career. I hope he writes a book.

The Flyers organ-EYE-zation lives in a plastic bubble, thinking that they're one of the elite teams with great talent. I have no idea why they don't realize that they've become a laughingstock.

I have no idea why Boucher was traded instead of Cechmanek. Cechmanek's the one who alienated some of his teammates during the playoffs, to the point that some of them shot the puck at his head during practice. And though their numbers were similar during the year, Boucher seems to be the more fundamentally sound goalie AND proved himself able to handle the playoff pressure in 2000. Meanwhile, Booby Clarke calls some player who scored a grand total of 15 goals "the complete package." Utterly disgusting.