I didn’t watch a lot of either game, but got enough. I was a little busy writing a short story. Yes, you read that correctly. I got an idea for one and started writing. I am also writing one with David. Just an experiment. Anyway … onto the hockey.
Red Wings 5, Blackhawks 2
Mathieu Schneider scored with about 6 minutes left in the third period to give the Wings a 3-2 lead. It then opened the flood gates.
Draper scores late in the third after the puck made a strange deflection off the boards.
Blackhawk goalie Khabibulin (pronounced HOBBY-BOO-LIN for those that don’t know) went behind the net to play the puck, but it hit the door for the Zamboni and fluttered out in front of the goal. Draper was storming in and shoved it into the empty net. That would have seemed to put the game out of reach, but Shanahan added an extra goal a couple of minutes later.
Manny Legace won his 10th game in the month of October. He is the first goalie in NHL history to win that many in the opening month. Pretty good for the Wings “back-up” goalie. Mitch Albom talks about him in his COLUMN today.
Flyers 5, Panthers 4 - OT
Down 4-2 going into the third period, the Flyers struck back with two goals from two guys that hadn’t scored yet. The last coming in the last minute of play.
Highly touted rookie Jeff Carter celebrates his first NHL goal, helping the Flyers comeback victory.
First it was Jeff Carter, one of two rookies that helped lead the Philadelphia Phantoms to a Calder Cup last year. Both him and Richards had great pre-seasons. But Carter has struggled since then.
The second goal came from Peter Forsberg. After 14 assists, and still being in the top 5 in scoring, Forsberg had been without one. His first couldn’t have gotten too much more important. He had already missed a penalty shot (hitting the crossbar) earlier in the period. But off a rebound on Panther goalie Roberto Luongo, he tapped it in out of midair.
Flyers’ defensemen Joni Pitkanen scored the game winner a minute and a half into overtime.
Bertuzzi Returns to Denver
Todd Bertuzzi made his long awaited return to Denver. I am sure the Avalanche fans had been waiting to heckle him now for 18 months. They got their chance last night. Many fans were wearing prison garb with Bertuzzi’s name on them.
One of the many Avs’ fans dressed as a prisoner heckles Bertuzzi during warm-ups.
I will not defend Bertuzzi. He deserves all the heat, and more, that any NHL fan can dish out to him. I do, as he asked in a press conference at the start of training camp, think he deserves a second chance. And no, I don’t think he should be charged for a crime. Let’s get real here, what happens on the ice is much different then what happens out in the real world. But I DO feel that he still shouldn’t be playing yet. Not at least for another month. He got damn lucky that the NHL erased all suspensions after the lockout.
October 28th, 2005 at 5:03 pm
Manny sets record of 10 wins in OCT.
October 28th, 2005 at 6:14 pm
I was at the Flyers game, and despite the fact that I’m a Rangers fan, it was awesome.
October 28th, 2005 at 8:42 pm
meh, had it been anyone else receiving the hit they would of gotten up or A minor injury. cmon, moores a weakling of the sport.
Moore knocked naslund, he got it back. its all amplified cuz he cant take a blow. people acting like its McSorley & Brashear incident.
I dunno, sounds like more new era stuff, cleaner isnt always better…
October 29th, 2005 at 7:47 am
I am not focusing on the injury. Quite honestly, the injury could have occured when everyone piled onto Moore. What gets me is that he hit him from behind when Moore was clearly trying to get away. You don’t do that. As much as you may want to fight, if the other guy doesn’t, you let him go. Bertuzzi played the role of a super-thug, and should be punished on that.
That is what shocked me with Darren McCarty back in 1997 against Claude Lemieux. As much as I loved watching Mac beat the snot out of Lemieux, Mac should have been suspended for it.
McSorely on the other hand is a whole other case.
October 29th, 2005 at 4:26 pm
that was my point, although you do make a good point (which was why the nhl did do what they did), I stil think that hit from behind wouldnt have occured if moore would have done the right thing: stand up rather than try to forget the naslund hit.