Stanley Cup Final by Numbers

So here we go - The 2011 Stanley Cup Final. The Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins. Let's make the prediction on the winner after some numbers fun, shall we?

• 87 - The amount of years the Boston Bruins have been in the NHL.


• 40 - The amount of years the Vancouver Canucks have been in the NHL.


• 40 - the amount of years the Canucks have been Cupless.


• 39 - the amount of years the Boston Bruins have been Cupless.


• 5 - The amount of times Boston has lost a Stanley Cup final since their last Cup in 1972.


• 2 - the amount of times Vancouver has lost a Cup Final.


• 17 - The number of Canadian players on the Boston Bruins roster. Coincidentally, the Vancouver Canucks also have 17 Canadians on their roster. Ironically American born Ryan Kesler wears number 17.


• 2 - The number of Americans on the Boston Bruins roster.


• 5 - The number of Americans on the Vancouver Canucks. So dear Boston fans, if you chant "USA" at the Stanley Cup Finals like you have been known to do previously, you will actually be cheering more Canuck players then Bruins players so kindly STFU and save yourself the embarrassment.


• 2 - the amount of 2010 Olympic gold medalists playing in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final - Center Patrice Bergeron of Boston and goalie Roberto Luongo of Vancouver both played for Team Canada last year. Coincidentally there are also 2 Olympic silver medalists playing in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final - Center Ryan Kesler of Vancouver and goalie Tim Thomas of Boston both played for Team USA last year.


• 21 - The number of points Henrik Sedin has in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs.


• 54 - The amount of wins the Canucks had in the regular season. Unfortunately, none of those wins were against Boston. We played them once in regular season and lost.


• 18 - The amount of games it took BOTH the Bruins and Canucks to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Canucks went to 7 against Hawks, 6 against Preds and 5 against Sharks. Bruins went 7 against Habs, 4 against Flyers and 7 against Tampa. This means, theorectically the Canucks are getting stronger with every series and the bruins are not.


• 63 - the amount of penalties the bruins have taken in the post season.


• 28 - the percentage number (28%) of goals the Canucks have scored on PPs in post-season.


• 61 - the number of Power Play chances the Bruins have had in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to score.


• 5 - the number of power plays goals the Bruins managed to score on 61 chances


• 4 - the amount of facts directly above this one that make it clear that if the Bruins do not play 5-on-5 hockey they will lose the Stanley Cup. (and I'm okay with that).



• And last but not least: 5 - the number of games I think it will take the Vancouver Canucks to win the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins.

Open Letter to Ryan Kesler

Dear Ryan Kesler,

I was devastated when I read that you apparently said "I hate Canadians". I was devastated and fuming mad.

You were the first Canuck I got behind when I moved to Vancouver. And not just because you grow the hottest playoff beard on the team. I loved the way you played aggressive but clean. I loved the passion you seemed to have for the game. I loved your sense of humor (walking arm-in-arm with Ohlund after you had a media-worthy dust-up in practice).

I defended your hair (your flippy airplane wings/faux hawk combo is adorable!) And I even had a nickname for you: "Leg-Kick Kesler" because you almost always kick your leg up when you shoot. My fiance actually ran into you once and got his picture with you. When he told me about it, the conversation started like this; "I'm so sorry that I saw Ryan Kesler without you. Don't kill me please."

Most importantly I spent $300 to see you play with Team USA against Norway and endured hardcore attacks from everyone I know for also buying a Team USA T shirt and American flags to wear/bring to the game. As a Canadian girl, during an Olympics on home soil, you should realize that I almost had to go into the witness protection program for that one! (Which in Canada I am fairly certain means moving to Winnepeg.)

And then I hear "I hate Canadians". And I think... wow. He hates me. He hates us. The people who support him in-and-out through every season - and even when he's not in a Canucks jersey (did you hear the cheers when they put the medal on your neck? Just your neck, no other Team USA players) Ryan Kesler "hates" us. Wow. Like Brodeur said in the same article, "hate" is a strong word.

But tonight TSN announced you swear you were "misquoted". They say that you now say you don't hate Canadians, you just get miffed that they claim the game of hockey as "their own".

Dude... Those Coca-Cola commercials got to you, huh? (Please note I am using "huh" instead of "eh" ... trying to speak American, out of respect, of course).

I can sympathize because after you & Ryan Miller smoked our butts in that first USA-Canada match-up I threw up a little in my mouth every time they played that damn ad. I wanted to file a harrassment charge against Coke with the CRTC.

But think about it Ryan - you've lived here long enough now, you must know. Hockey is all we've got! Our basketball team here in Vancouver lasted 3.5 seconds, the Raptors are.... the Raptors. We don't have an NFL team. The Expos are R.I.P and the Blue Jays might as well be. And until there's more MILF Curlers to keep the Olympic interest going year round ..... it's just hockey, Ry. Just hockey.

We don't boast about anything else. Ever. And we apologize for everything - except hockey... and Nickleback even though we owe everyone a BIG "sorry" for them. We need to own hockey - or else all we have is Health Care. We can't have a Health Care Night in Canada, Ryan. That's not going to gather generations of families together around their television sets every Saturday. And seriously, what the hell would Don Cherry do if we didn't have hockey - sell used cars? Or worse, Toyotas?!

But you almost left us with just that. You, your incredible goalie and the rest of the well-oiled, fine-tuned machine that was Team USA. You almost took our only game right out from under us. (and we don't hate you for it, btw)

Silver isn't a consolation prize, Kes. It's an achievement. One Ovechkin didn't manage to come close to. Or the Twins. Or Demitra. Or Salo. Seriously, you should be proud. You were so good out there for those 2 weeks, we'd have sacrificed a moose in a satanic ritual if it meant we could have had you on our team.

I think many Canadians were surprised to realize when the lines were carved in the ice that you weren't on Team Canada. Because we love you & admire you like you are one of us. That's why the alleged "hate Canadians" comment hurt so much.

Trust me, considering you one of us is the best compliment we could give you. It means we think you aren't just playing OUR game.. your playing YOURS too.

Does that help a little?

If not please also keep in mind - Coca-Cola is an American company.

Truce?

Canada vs Russia Vancouver 2010

We knew this day would come. Canadians and Russians alike wanted this day to come. But wait... there's no medal on the line?!

Today - February 24 2010 - Team Canada and Team Russia will battle for a chance to make it to the semi-finals. Yep, this do or die game tonight, is only a quarter final game. That means one of the two biggest, greatest forces in hockey won't make it to medal contention.

And the question echoed around the world is "How the hell did this happen?"

My answer is Babcock. Mike Babcock is not coaching this team effectively and his decisions have been questionable at best.

Starting Luongo was okay in Game 1 because Norway wasn't a threat and it was Luongo's home ice. Both Brodeur and Luongo were in a slight slump in the NHL at the time the games were halted and they began this Olympic quest. Lou nailed a shut-out.

But we started slow against Norway - slower than we should have. The lines were being juggled but I understood, babcock was just trying to find the best fit. And he did when he lined up Crosby with Iginila. We took off. Iginila scored a hat trick! By the end of the game I felt like Team Canada had found their legs and lines. That we were starting the long haul for gold on the right foot.

Then is game 2 against Switzerland.... I couldn't find the Crosby-Iginla line that had worked so well. Babcock was mixing it up yet again. Why?! And Brodeur was in net. We started slow again. Too slow. It's like they're 3 year olds Babcock has awoken in the middle of the night and thrown them into skates and it's not until the 2nd period that they realize they're in the middle of a game. We took too long to get started and Jonas Hiller was too good. More importantly Brodeur was not good.

One of the 2 goals scored by Switzerland to tie the game, should never have gotten in. It was cheap and easy. Luckily Brodeur did stand on his head in a shoot out and Sidney Crosby - the best player on the face of the planet right now - finally woke up and scored on his 2nd shoot out shot. We won, but a tie isn't worth full points. Luckily, miraculously for us, Russia on the very same day also ened up in a shoot out with Slovakia and some how Alexander the Great, Number 8, didn't find the net. Russia lost.

My thoughts at that point were, okay, we'll kick the USA's Ralph Lauren wearing asses (really? Giant polo horses on your Winter Olypic gear makes sense?!) and move ahead of Russia and let them struggle for a medal shot.

But Kesler announced he hated Canadians (way to go douchebag, you still have to play IN Canada when this is done, for a team whose fans know ow to hold a grudge) and he wasn't kidding. The Americans came out full force and Ryan Miller was on fire. Babcock was switching lines like the players were icons on slot machines in Vegas. Crosby-Nash-Staal, Nash-Iginla-whatever. it was a gong show. Babcock had the nation fuming.

Brodeur sucked. No other words for it. Brodeur totally sucked. He spent the majority of the game flailing like a fish. And his "incredible puck-handling skills" landed a puck on the stick of a USA player who promptly put it in Brodeur's net. He should have been pulled after the 1st period but Babcock didn't do it. After a loss of 5-3 that shattered a nation's dreams, the chants could be heard throughout Vancouver.

"Luongo! Luongo! Luongo!"

Canada wants Bobby Lou. And as we fought German for a chance to stay in it, we got Roberto Luongo and he did great! His size, his flexibility and his experience in hard situations came through. For those who aren't a Canucks fan, here is why Luongo is the best goalie choice now that we're under the gun (why he should have stayed #1 goalie the entire series so far). Team Canada hasn't been playing to the best of their abilities. Luongo has consisitently gotten the Canucks to the playoffs and kept them in the playoffs - standing on his head, making save after save while the Sedin Twins fall asleep and the rest of the team shits the bed. It happens every freaking year. And he comes through.

Luongo is used to it. Luongo can do it.

Babcock seems to finally be sticking with what works. Crosby & Iginla were line mates once again against Germany and it worked. Luongo worked. Hell even Niedermyer showed up and made his presence known.

But Russia... was what we did against the Germans going to be enough against Russia? I can't say for sure. I know Russia has it's own weaknesses - defence primarily. I know that Ovechkin has had off days too in this tournament. I know Crosby has beaten Ovechkin more than once and can definitely do that again. I know Ovechikin is a dirty, sneaky son of a bitch who checks hard and dirty (Jager). I know if he pulls that again, we may actually have him ejected. Olympic rules are no purposeful hits to the head or neck. And no fights.

If Ovie doesn't get kicked out for an illegal hit, our boys (Pronger, Weber, Nash, Crosby) better keep their heads because Ovechkin will be pushing buttons as much as he will be making slapshots. No fights Pronger. No fights.

My dream would be that Ovie gets carried away and does something illegal and gets kicked out. That we come out and start the first period the way we've started the 2nd and 3rd in other games. Hard, fast, dominating. That Crosby and Iginla keep scoring together. That Luongo stands on his head. That Russia shits the bed.

That we win. Please hockey Gods may we win.

We can do it. It's going to be a dog fight but we can do it. I believe.