Any Publishers Out There?...

As a 25-year old male (I am hesitant to ever refer to myself as a "man") with great taste in movies, it was only natural that I would see Julie & Julia on opening weekend.

Apparently in real life, this girl cooked like 500 Julia Child recipes in 365 days, made a blog about it, and it got turned into a movie and now a book. This girl, played by a short-haired, emo-dressing Amy Adams, wasn't very interesting, and her writing didn't seem to be particularly good.

That said, this website does not call itself a blog, though we might seem like that to the naked eye. See, we have an actual URL. You don't have to go to http://www.nyhockeyrivalry.blogspot.com to get to this site (although you can, and your destination will be here). Me and Bryan - uh, Bryan and I - are both talented writers. He loves writing about video games and floundering hockey teams, while anyone who knew me and high school and college can tell you I like writing about bank robberies, people who kill themselves at the end of a journey, and hockey teams on the playoff bubble. In real life, we're both smart and quirky. Okay, I don't know what quirky means, but I'm compassionate, and I often seek out blind men just to walk them across busy intersections. (True story: actually once helped an old man cross the street. A saint? No, but it was lovely.)

So, if any publishers are out there reading this, feel free to email me. Okay, so some of our material is time-sensitive, but we can work out a deal.

And if no one is interested in turning this website into a book then a movie (starring Jonah Hill as both Bryan and me in an career-making role), then I do write sports stories. I have a great one about a former Rookie of the Year who made nearly a million dollars last year. He gets arrested for beating up a cab driver over 20 cents. Far-fetched, I know.

Playoff Bet Update, Finals...

An update on the playoff bet: If the Penguins win tomorrow, I will have ended with 12 points, ahead of Bryan's 10. If Detroit wins, I will end with 10, and he with 8. (We both thought Pittsburgh would do it in 6 games.)

Regardless, I am crowned Playoff Prediction Champion. A glamorous title, indeed. However, unlike Miss California, I will not be fired and I will not tell you my views on gay marriage. I will tell you, however, that I thought a movie on gay marriage, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, was awful and predictable, and I wish it wasn't made.

Anyway, as per terms of the bet, Bryan owes $100. Originally, I wanted the money to be given to the Garden of Dreams, since this is a hockey site, after all.

I have since changed my mind. Let James Dolan donate to the Garden of Dreams.

Bryan, please make your echeck payable to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, a group out in Utah that houses 2,000 homeless dogs, cats, horses, pigs, burrows, rabbits, etc. They also work with animal shelters all across the country and they helped rescue stray dogs on the streets of New Orleans after Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav.

In the spirit of gamesmanship, I will be matching your gift with a donation to the Freeport Animal Shelter (in particular, my favorite dog there, Cinderella), in Freeport, Long Island, which just received 17 dogs from Hurricane Gustav that were going to be euthanised in shelters down south to make room for new lost dogs this hurricane season.

Ah, now only if Wade Redden could give away 90% of the $6.5M my season tickets go towards. I wouldn't feel so angry about him eating up that much Cap room if he gave the animals all of his money.

Enjoy your Game 7 tomorrow. For a while there, we had a string of Game 7's. There were 4 of 5 since 2001 until the past 2 years. Always exciting knowing the Stanley Cup will be awarded but not knowing to whom. (Am I grammatically correct there?)

Skill vs. Will

As tonight's Islanders-Flyers game unfolded, I couldn't help but think I'd seen it somewhere before.

The game reminded me of another battle, one that also involved the fighting city of Philadelphia. Only in this game, the Islanders were reminiscent of Philadelphian Rocky Balboa, while the Flyers played the role of Apollo Creed. The Flyers, not unlike Creed, appeared to think they'd coast to victory without putting in any work. And why wouldn't they? The Islanders, after all, had just played the night before in Detroit. That they squeaked out a victory over the defending Stanley Cup champions is irrelevant. The Islanders would be sore and tired; in a season like the one the Islanders have had, it'd be perfectly understandable.

Nobody bothered to tell any of this to the Islanders, who came into the game with nothing to lose - just like Rocky. And just like Rocky, the Islanders started out with a bang, scoring in the first period. Only the NHL's rule to only count goals that are in the net at the buzzer (as opposed to shots that are taken before buzzer, but go in after) prevented this from being a 2-0 game at the first intermission. Not only were the Islanders winning, but they were more than holding their own against the Flyers, who desperately needed the two points.

I imagine the scene in the Flyers' dressing room to be identical to the scene in Apollo Creed's corner after the first round. Apollo's trainer asks what happened, then delivers the words that say it all:

"He doesn't know it's a damn show. He thinks it's a damn fight. Now finish this bum, and let's go home."

Apollo woke up. So did the Flyers. The Islanders got a quick goal to start the second, perhaps the hockey gods' way of making up for the missed opportunity at the end of the first. But the goal woke the Flyers up, and the Broad Street Bullies started swinging. Daniel Carillo took on Nate Thompson. Exactly one second later, Riley Cote fought Joel Rechlicz to a minute-plus standoff, with both players landing some major punches. And you could hear the bell ring and watch the referee and trainers separate Rocky and Apollo at the end of Round 2. Cue "Going The Distance" - you could tell it was going to be a war.

The period maintained its chippy status, and as the second period would down and the third period began, the Flyers started to play hockey again. Eventually, they started to wear down their inferior opponents. And just like Apollo knocked Rocky down in the 14th round, the Islanders were dealt a knock-down blow of their own - three goals in 3:55 of game time.

You could almost imagine the Islanders on the canvas flailing, trying their best to get up. Mickey tells Rocky to stay down. Islanders fans figured it was over, that their impressive run had to run out sometime, and it may as well be now; no sense earning points that could jeopardize the first overall pick. But the underdog doesn't listen to reason, just to the challenge ahead of him. Rocky rose and hit Apollo so hard that the defending champion spits up blood. The Islanders scored a goal 32 seconds later to tie the score. With nothing to lose, there was no way they were going to stay down.

When Rocky and Apollo squared off in Round 15, the final round, it was a cautious meeting of two exhausted fighters who simply wanted to survive. The overtime between the Islanders and Flyers played out in a similar fashion. Both teams had their chances, but it was a draw and it was meant to end as such. The Flyers won the shootout. Apollo got the decision. None of it matters.

Ain't gonna be no rematch.

Don't want one.

For the Islanders, these past two nights were their Stanley Cup Final. They knocked off Detroit in their home stadium, traveled overnight, and took the Flyers, a legitimate Cup contender, to the brink just 24 hours later. That's a tremendous amount to be proud of. No matter what happens with the draft, this is the team the Islanders are going to be next season - tireless and with plenty of fight, with just enough skill to compete every night. If they land John Tavares, great. If they get a big-time free agent, even better. The moral of the story is, the Islanders finally have an identity, and if they can fight this hard with the odds stacked against them in a meaningless game, imagine what they can do when things are going their way.

Sean Avery Suspended for Free Speech...

Last year, Chris Pronger stomped - yes, stomped - on Ryan Kesler's face. The dirty player, glorified by the NHL Network and nearly every hockey pundit out there, received 8 games as a punishment. 

It was his 8th time being suspended.

Today, Sean Avery referred to all-around nice guy (is my sarcasm evident online?) Dion Phaneuf's girlfriend as "my sloppy seconds." He was suspended "indefinitely" because of conduct "detrimental to the League or game of hockey." My guess is it will be a 5-game suspension and he will be fined.

Uh, it's true, isn't it? Kim Bauer went to Phaneuf right after she broke up with Avery. One Canadian hockey player to the next. Sounds like sloppy seconds to me. She went from Avery to Long Island native Mike Komisarek to Phaneuf with barely enough time for a shower.

Here's the full text, said in Canada, where apparently they don't have freedom of speech like the States do...

"I am really happy to be back in Calgary, I love Canada. I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about. Enjoy the game tonight."

Suspended indefinitely for speaking his mind and neither cursing nor threatening a player. Apparently, it would have been less dangerous for him to step on someone's face with a skate blade (8 games), or elbow Dean McAmmond's head (1 game) after he was suspended for elbowing Thomas Holmstrom's head from behind (1), or kick Ville Nieminen with his skate (also 1 game), or cross-check Brendan Morrow in the face (2), or swing a stick at Jeremy Roenick's helmet (4 games). Maybe he should have fractured Pat Peake's thyroid cartilige when he swung his stick at his neck (Pronger received 4 games).

Oh, but calling the star of The Girl Next Door sloppy seconds is a heinous act.

Maybe the NHL was too busy reviewing Mike Mottau's vicious hit on Frans Nielsen and the subsequent 2-game suspension to actually hear what Avery heard. 

Thanksgiving...

I'm thankful for hockey, the New York Rangers, Tom Renney, the real Santa appearing at the Macy's Day Parade, hockey fans who like to talk about hockey so I don't feel like a moron for loving it in a baseball state, and Home Alone on FX right now. Now, if only I could find Surviving Christmas with Ben Affleck on TV.

Off-Topic...

Yes, this is off-topic. I understand. But I had to share this news with the world.

They are making a sequel to Point Break, which I consider the 4th best movie of all-time. For the uninitiated, Keanu Reeves (in a star-making performance) and Gary Busey (before he jumped the shark) are FBI agents chasing Patrick Swayze (in the coolest performance ever) and his gang of bank-robbing surfers. Anthony Kiedis and John C. McGinley (in a pre-cursor to his Scrubs role) also have bit parts.

I am extremely undecided on this. First off, it will be 18 years later. Second off, Bodhi (Swayze) died at the end. Well, it was an open ending, but he went off into a 50-foot wave, got swallowed, and Johnny Utah (Reeves) said "He's not coming back."

So, will Utah even return? Will he have to infiltrate another gang and bang a Lori Petty lookalike?

I'm afraid this movie will not enhance the original like Young Guns II did to Young Guns. I think it might bring it down, like Caddyshack II or D3: The Mighty Ducks. Why did they have to kill Hans off?

Sidenote: What kind of title is "D2" or "D3"? Talk about taking the easy way out. The Basic Instinct sequel wasn't called I2: Basic Instinct and it wasn't G33 and a Third: The Naked Gun. Just something that I've pondered for a few years.

Sabres Game Wrap and the Dreaded Three-Point Game...

Rangers Post by Zach

Despite the best efforts of the referees tonight, the Rangers beat Buffalo in the infamous 3-point game.

Now, I don't mind giving the bonus point to Buffalo, because the Rangers got the deuce, but I'm sure Philadelphia fans, Islander fans (like my counterpart with the Islanders namesake, Bryan), and Bruin fans all care about it.

Imagine the voting for the Oscars are going on. Someone loves the overrated Juno, but they also think the No Country for Old Men was excellent. So they vote once for Juno but then they also give a half of a vote to No Country. Meanwhile, Michael Clayton is running strong and is only trailing No Country by a few votes for first place. How is Michael Clayton supposed to feel knowing that when someone likes his movie, he only gets one vote, but when a member of The Academy is undecided, he or she can give an extra half-vote to the team ahead of them.

Get it?

I think a win in regulation should be worth 3 points, a shootout or overtime win worth 2 points, a loss in those two situations worth 1, and a regulation loss worth nothing.

The only drawback would be that if a team is up 2-0 or 3-1 with 10 minutes left in the 3rd, the Trap would make its return (although don't be fooled, teams playing in Newark and one of the Twin Cities still use this method). That is why this scoring method wasn't - and will probably never be - brought into use after the Lockout.

But isn't it very infuriating when an exciting game is tied 4-4 with 9 minutes left in regulation, and the action stops? No team wants to take a chance until they get their guaranteed Christmas bonus point.

Anyway, just my thoughts for today. I'm happy with the system as it is if the Trap never comes back as prominently as it was in the Dark Days of the NHL, aka June 2004 and before.

One-Year Anniversary...

This is both a Rangers and Islanders post by Rangers writer Zach.

After I saw Borat and Superbad, I got depressed. Not because I hated both movies, but because I believe I will never see a comedy as funny as either of those two movies were. In all of my cinema-adventuring years, I have never seen another movie I thought were comedic gold quite like these two.

I had the same feeling last March, after a home-and-home series with the Islanders and Rangers. The games in question were the March 5th game at the Garden and the March 8th game at the Coliseum, both won 2-1 by the Rangers. (For NHL.com recaps, click the links.)

March 5 - Rick DiPietro makes 56 saves, an Islander-record. Admittedly, many of those saves were bad-angle shots or shots that Marty Straka shot right at the logo on his jersey. However, some were incredible stops, including one he made with his head that no goalie short of Jesus Christ himself should have stopped. The lone regulation goal was a rebound by Petr Prucha on a Jed Ortmeyer shot from the hash marks. Carolina's-own Matt Cullen scored five-hole in the shootout, and then Henrik Lundqvist stopped Randy "Not Luc" Robitaille for the win.

As a strong opponent of DiPietro, saying that this was all his game kills a little piece of me inside. But, as a smart hockey fan (after all, I am a Rangers fan), I have to admit that he played spectacularly. Yes, like I said before, some of those saves were ones my Shooter-Tutor could have made. However, DiPietro stood on his head, figuratively, and in some instances, literally. The shootout was a perfect end to one of the most exciting regular-season games I could remember.

March 8 - Forever tainted as the "Chris Simon Game," where he Paul Bunyon-ed Ryan Hollweg, this game stood on its own as a fantastic match. Simon happened to score the lone Isles goal that game, and 8 minutes later, newly-acquired Paul Mara's howitzer from the point tied it up.

With the score tied 1-1 in the third, Hollweg hit Simon into the boards, Simon swung his stick at Hollweg's face, and Petr Prucha scored on the 5-minute power play to give the Rangers the lead. With 20 seconds left, Trent Hunter thought he scored the tying goal. One of the longest video reviews I can remember followed. There were 16,234 people in the Nassau Coliseum that night, and 8,117 were chanting "GOAL!" with 8,117 throwing in a "NO!" before it. The ruling: Inconclusive Evidence. The puck might have crossed the line, but the War Room in Toronto had no evidence and had to stand with the referee's initial decision. If the ref had initially ruled a goal, that decision would have stood also.

The parking lot was ripe that night. Ranger fans chanted "Inconclusive Evidence," "Eighth Place," and "No Goal!" Islander fans griped - rightfully so - about the now-infamous No Goal call.

And I questioned whether or not we will ever see such passionate, intense, well-played hockey again.

Of course, we would, and we wouldn't have to wait long. From a Rangers standpoint, every game in the sweep of Atlanta was great. The 7-0 game stands out, but it was a far cry from the home-and-home. I would put Games 3 and 4 of the series against Buffalo up there, where Michal Rozsival slapped home a double OT winner in Game 3 and another no-goal call went the Rangers way with 17 seconds left in Game 4. However, that was the playoffs. Playoff hockey is a whole different beast.

The current home-and-home just finished were good games, with the Rangers getting 3 out of 4 points and moving into 6th place in the East. This March's series did lack the excitement of last March's games, though. I guess we will have to wait to this year's playoffs to see if we can find some more games as exciting. Hopefully for New York, both teams will be in there.

Maybe comedy movies like Borat and Superbad are the regular season of movies. Great, great movies like those two games last season. I might never see a funnier movie than those two like I might never see better regular season hockey games than I did in March of 2007. However, there are better movies that have been made, just not better comedies, movies like Braveheart and American Beauty. Those are the playoffs of movies. A different standard, a different level.

Playoff hockey. I can't wait.