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Round 3: New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

This is such a minor and probably petty thing on my part but it was something that stuck in my mind the other day. I was watching TSN and they had one of their segments previewing Game 7 tonight and first they had Aaron Ward give a little bit of a break down and then they cut to Darren Dreger and asked something like "Who do you think will come out on top"

And Dreger proceeds to again talk about how these teams are evenly matched and it's "Tampa's speed" against the "clutchness" of Henrik Lundqvist and all the other dime store analysis that anyone with half a working brain could tell you.

But then he finishes it up with something like "I'm not going to make a prediction because it's just too close to call."

I mean...what does he think his job is? Does he think he's reporting on peace talks between Israel and Palestine and unfounded speculation might really be unfair? It's a hockey game. It's close. Give a guess. Nobody will care or remember if you get it right or wrong. I think Tampa will win...see? That's it. Your journalistic credibility is not on the line if you guess wrong.

Self-seriousness among sports media is, legitimately, the dumbest thing in the world. And hockey right now? It's got a lot of it.
 
There it is. Picked Tampa to win it all before the playoffs. Chicago and Anaheim both look like juggernauts but I'm still sticking with Tampa. So fast, so skilled, so responsible.
 
Nik the Trik said:
This is such a minor and probably petty thing on my part but it was something that stuck in my mind the other day. I was watching TSN and they had one of their segments previewing Game 7 tonight and first they had Aaron Ward give a little bit of a break down and then they cut to Darren Dreger and asked something like "Who do you think will come out on top"

And Dreger proceeds to again talk about how these teams are evenly matched and it's "Tampa's speed" against the "clutchness" of Henrik Lundqvist and all the other dime store analysis that anyone with half a working brain could tell you.

But then he finishes it up with something like "I'm not going to make a prediction because it's just too close to call."

I mean...what does he think his job is? Does he think he's reporting on peace talks between Israel and Palestine and unfounded speculation might really be unfair? It's a hockey game. It's close. Give a guess. Nobody will care or remember if you get it right or wrong. I think Tampa will win...see? That's it. Your journalistic credibility is not on the line if you guess wrong.

Self-seriousness among sports media is, legitimately, the dumbest thing in the world. And hockey right now? It's got a lot of it.
Click to expand...

This is great. I've hated that about Dreger for a long time and I think this is the 2nd post i've read on here recently about this. He is absolutely useless and is a total fence sitter. All he does is summarize the obvious with no real insight or opinion.
 
Tampa Bay  2  NYRangers O  Tampa Bay wins series 4 games to 3.

Crown the Tampa Bay Lightning champions, as in Eastern Conference champions (Prince of Wales Troohy) and a berth to battle for Lord Stanley's silver chalice!

Congratulations to the Lightning on their very thorough victory.  Tampa Bay played a near-perfect game, as they had done in Game 5 also a 2-O win at MSG.  Tonight, they skated player-for-player, skate-for-skate frustrating the Rangers, getting in their way offensively and defensively, cutting the lanes, and generally preventing New York from acquiring any really dangerous shots in front of Bishop.

Speaking of Ben Bishop, he was solid and shut the door effectively on whatever chances the Blueshirts had. As good as Bishop was for Tampa Bay, the Rangers' Lundqvist was stellar, stopping virtually anything and everything the Lightning offence threw at him...

...until in the middle of the third period, when Tampa Bay's Alex Kilhorn 's backhander sent the puck trickling between the pads of Lundqvist.  Then, a few minutes later, Ondraj Palat added the insurance marker, wlen his shot found the upper corner of the net on Lundqvist's glove side. That effectively signalled game over.

Should we not reserve some accolades for the New York Rangers?  They had a banner season and a great playoff run, coming back from brinks of elimination these never-say-die Rangers.  Alas, Game 7 was not to be as they faced a quicker, more disciplined, determined and hungrier team.

Congrats to Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay captain, on his first Stanley Cup foray in his seven year career.

Once again, congrats to Tampa Bay, savour the victory, and good luck in the Cup Final!

For more, click here:
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/lightning-advance-to-stanley-cup-final/
 
Bummer I was really pulling for the Rangers. Big Lundqvist fan as well as friends with Kevin Hayes dad. So now I could truly care less. Sick of Chicago winning.. not a fan of TB..and other than Boudreau getting a cup don't care about Anaheim.. Although tonight should be great hockey
 
Manson said:
Nik the Trik said:
This is such a minor and probably petty thing on my part but it was something that stuck in my mind the other day. I was watching TSN and they had one of their segments previewing Game 7 tonight and first they had Aaron Ward give a little bit of a break down and then they cut to Darren Dreger and asked something like "Who do you think will come out on top"

And Dreger proceeds to again talk about how these teams are evenly matched and it's "Tampa's speed" against the "clutchness" of Henrik Lundqvist and all the other dime store analysis that anyone with half a working brain could tell you.

But then he finishes it up with something like "I'm not going to make a prediction because it's just too close to call."

I mean...what does he think his job is? Does he think he's reporting on peace talks between Israel and Palestine and unfounded speculation might really be unfair? It's a hockey game. It's close. Give a guess. Nobody will care or remember if you get it right or wrong. I think Tampa will win...see? That's it. Your journalistic credibility is not on the line if you guess wrong.

Self-seriousness among sports media is, legitimately, the dumbest thing in the world. And hockey right now? It's got a lot of it.
Click to expand...

This is great. I've hated that about Dreger for a long time and I think this is the 2nd post i've read on here recently about this. He is absolutely useless and is a total fence sitter. All he does is summarize the obvious with no real insight or opinion.
Click to expand...

I agree with you and Nik.

Dreger is nothing but a talking head.
 
I feel bad for Henrik as the Rangers really did a piss poor job of showing up in Game 7.  Tampa thoroughly outplayed them.  I'm glad that atrocious penalty call in the 2nd period didn't cost anything.  An absolutely clean stick check getting called for a penalty in a game where the refs overall did a fantastic job of not getting in the way of the game.
 
Frank E said:
Manson said:
This is great. I've hated that about Dreger for a long time and I think this is the 2nd post i've read on here recently about this. He is absolutely useless and is a total fence sitter. All he does is summarize the obvious with no real insight or opinion.
Click to expand...

I agree with you and Nik.

Dreger is nothing but a talking head.
Click to expand...

Thing is, in this Twitter-obsessed news landscape where people genuinely seem to care who tweeted out news fifteen seconds before everyone else...sure, if that's what he does then fine(although I don't know if he's good at that either).

But if you're going to pretend he's an expert on the game and providing analysis? At least try to say something. There's legitimately nothing worse than someone pretending their analyzing a game and just regurgitating the same thing other people have already said, ad nauseum. We're intelligent hockey fans, if you don't have something fresh or interesting to say, a real point of view or insight...why bother?
 
L K said:
I'm glad that atrocious penalty call in the 2nd period didn't cost anything.  An absolutely clean stick check getting called for a penalty in a game where the refs overall did a fantastic job of not getting in the way of the game.
Click to expand...

I was watching the NBC feed and one of the guys said that if you were putting together a DVD of how to stick check an opponent that play would have been on it.
 
Nik the Trik said:
Frank E said:
Manson said:
This is great. I've hated that about Dreger for a long time and I think this is the 2nd post i've read on here recently about this. He is absolutely useless and is a total fence sitter. All he does is summarize the obvious with no real insight or opinion.
Click to expand...

I agree with you and Nik.

Dreger is nothing but a talking head.
Click to expand...

Thing is, in this Twitter-obsessed news landscape where people genuinely seem to care who tweeted out news fifteen seconds before everyone else...sure, if that's what he does then fine(although I don't know if he's good at that either).

But if you're going to pretend he's an expert on the game and providing analysis? At least try to say something. There's legitimately nothing worse than someone pretending their analyzing a game and just regurgitating the same thing other people have already said, ad nauseum. We're intelligent hockey fans, if you don't have something fresh or interesting to say, a real point of view or insight...why bother?
Click to expand...

I agree...it's like they spend zero time preparing some fresh or interesting analysis, but maybe that's just a poor production job.  Hockey really needs some better opinion/analysis guys...I actually enjoyed some of the ex-coaches that they used to have on the panels. 

Jeff O'Neill is an idiot, but at least he states his stupid opinions and (poorly) argues them.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
0 shots by Stamkos last night. Johnson had an assist and more ice-time. It's all coming together guys!
Click to expand...

I can't remember...do we want Stamkos to be a Leaf next year or no?
 
Nik the Trik said:
Thing is, in this Twitter-obsessed news landscape where people genuinely seem to care who tweeted out news fifteen seconds before everyone else...sure, if that's what he does then fine(although I don't know if he's good at that either).

But if you're going to pretend he's an expert on the game and providing analysis? At least try to say something. There's legitimately nothing worse than someone pretending their analyzing a game and just regurgitating the same thing other people have already said, ad nauseum. We're intelligent hockey fans, if you don't have something fresh or interesting to say, a real point of view or insight...why bother?
Click to expand...

Yeah, the Babcock speculation was a perfect example.  I heard the same question directed at Dreger that was directed at McKenzie:  "Is Babcock staying in Detroit or leaving?"

Dreger said his standard "It's too close to call at this point", then went on the summarize the obvious factors involved.

McKenzie's response: "I literally have no idea, if I had to guess, I'd say 60/40 he's leaving just because he's waited this long".

I don't care that McKenzie was ultimately right, I care that he threw the listener a bone, albeit a small one.
 
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