Stanley Cup Finals 2009: The Fast-Food Version

This year's Stanley Cup Finals are going to be remembered (by me, at least) as the Fast Food Stanley Cup Finals. It's going to be hot (teams are still sweating from their last series played), fast (possibly done in less than a week), cheap (whatever works for NBC, NBA, and AA), and convenient (to Gary Bettman and his agenda).

Ok, so the schedule came out, and everybody is not thrilled. Seriously, I am not happy either, and usually I am a happy-go-lucky guy (sarcasm). What really bugs me even more is that the NHL is waiting on the N(freakin')BA in order to schedule a time for Sunday's Game 2. ...Hold on, let me get this straight. The NHL is waiting on the NBA in order to decide when the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins will play that day? First off, you put Game 1 & 2 back-to-back, and now you're waiting to see what is going on in the NBA that day before announcing a game time?!?

You know what, I can't even blog this one. I'll be audio podcasting this one. I'm very disappointed in the professionalism of a certain pointy eared fiend, also known as Gary Bettman. This guy still doesn't get it even after 16 years. You would think he'd have it down to a science.

Audio podcast will be online within the next five hours.


Love Always,

The Rant Man

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Post Series, Intro Conference Finals: Wings vs. Hawks, Pens vs. Canes

Time to look forward to the Conference Finals!

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Rant Man's Post Series Report: Pens vs. Caps

I would have done this face to face, but I've got this 5 o'clock shadow going on.

Rant man strikes again.

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Hockey Week show 13B: The Podcast Show

This show was meant for the podcast only, exclusive of television (though it might end up there anyways), and because Rob wasn't available, heir apparent to the Hockey Week legacy Christopher Covert joins us in the studio for some discussions about Jim Balsille, contracting teams, and NHL Website Cover Pages.




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Show 13

Lucky 13! Lucky because we don't have Dave on this show. Nah, I'm just kidding. This episode, we cover all our 2nd round picks, the trophy candidates, and of course, all the news and happenings from around the league in the previous round. Enjoy!

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Merciad Article

The Merciad is the school newspaper here at Mercyhurst College, and I've been asked to write a column here, and have been doing so for a few weeks. I referenced this column on the air, and I wanted to make it accessible to everyone here.


Let’s Clear the Playoff Air

This column is purely to end some arguments before they happen with respect to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and specifically my Pittsburgh Penguins.
I would first like to apologize to NHL fans everywhere. We did not make Sidney Crosby the league posterboy. It is not the Penguins,’ nor is it their fans’ fault that he is shoved down your throats by the media. I will not refute the talk of his complaining, because he does do that, but the NHL is a very superstar-oriented league, and every star gets special treatment (yes, even Daniel Briere), and Wayne Gretzky was worse than Crosby in this. Now can we please shut up about him? I am sick and tired of people complaining about his complaining. That’s hypocrisy. Get a grip people.
Second, many people have a problem with Penguins fans. A great many of them are not Penguins fans, but merely bandwagoners. If a person claiming to be a Penguins fan cannot tell you 3 people from the X Generation (I’ll even include X Force), or have no idea what you are talking about, they are not Pens fans. They are bandwagoners, and they make us all look bad.
Let me clear some things up. If you cannot name anybody from the X Generation, you are a bandwagoner. If Ramzi Abid, Dick Tarnstrom, Konstantin Koltsov, Sebastian Caron, and Alexei Morozov mean nothing to you, you are a bandwagoner, or a sorely uninformed fan. If you cannot name when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup, you are a bandwagoner. If you didn’t follow the team for years because they weren’t very good, no matter how big of a fan you were as a kid, you ARE a bandwagoner!
But there is hope if you are new to the Penguins fandom: do not claim to be a super fan, listen to facts and stories, never claim that this team is our best team (see: 1992-93), never think that Crosby is better than Lemieux, and never, ever, consider yourself a bigger fan than those who cheered through the horrible losing seasons.
It happens with all teams. My freshman year, I learned to hate the Buffalo Sabres because of their fans, when in fact, it was only a bandwagon which has since dissipated.
So do not hate all Pens fans, look a little deeper and better direct your hatred; everyone will be a lot happier.


John Baranowski

Tears for Columbus

Emotion. A word that encompasses everything that makes us human by presence. For all of those present at Nationwide Arena this evening, emotion was the driving force behind the relentless push by the Columbus Blue Jackets to remain in the playoffs.

The crowd grew anxious as the Jackets were down to the Red Wings 3-1 at the end of the 1st period.

Hope was restored as the Jackets came back and brought it within one with Nash netting his first playoff goal under two minutes into the second period. The crowd is curious as to what will happen next. R.J. Umburger gives the fans revived hope by scoring, not even four minutes later, and the now the reset button has been hit, the game is tied, 3-3. The crowd is ecstatic, but only for a moment as under a minute and a half later Marion Hossa throws in back-to-back goals to regain the two goal lead for the Red Wings; 5-3. The crowd becomes somber, yet hopeful, again.

The Blue Jackets, making the playoffs amidst tough competition, vowed never to give up. The last five minutes of the second period is where renewed hope was given to Columbus, OH and fans across the globe. Kris Russell guns home his first goal for the Jackets in the playoffs, Columbus within one, 5-4, then minutes later, a team franchise presence, Fredrik Modin buries the tying marker that sets the crowd through the roof. The noise factor, the emotion, the drive by a team seeing the playoffs for the first time in their 8 seasons in the NHL, it was clear in a desperate situation, a do-or-die game. The intermission comes, the fans are anxious and excited.

Third period, the most intense physical game I've seen by far in the playoffs, the Columbus Blue Jackets fought for a fifth game. The intensity, the electricity, fans on their feet for close to almost the entire period. This is hockey. This city found its passion, as 18,889 fans threw their voices, wore down their heels, and cheered their hearts out. Though probably 2,000 Red Wings fans found their ways of paying a high $$ to buy their way into the attendance, the Blue Jackets faithful definitely overpowered and remained passionate throughout. The hush moments, totaling a mere 10 minutes of playing time, are nothing compared to the 50 minutes of pure chaos beaming from the hearts and souls of hockey fans supporting their boys on the ice.

Dead-locked at a score of 5-5 with under 2:00 minutes to go, the Blue Jackets come face to face with something nobody could have possibly seen coming; a particularly unusual penalty against the home-team with under 1:40 to go in the 3rd period of a tied game that could spell out the fate of their post-season. The penalty, the must call, too many men on the ice...

Johan Franzen scores the game winner on the power-play with :47 seconds left in the 3rd period. Detroit goes on to win a tightly disputed contest 6-5 on a Franzen power-play goal on a penalty call for too many men on the ice.

Blue Jackets fans, I will give you three words to live by for next year, and I heard these words over the public address right after the penalty was called. "Don't Stop Believing."

No team should ever have to remember the termination of their playoff run due to a too many men on the ice penalty. Yes, if you see the replay, the change being made was right at the point where the Jackets connected with the puck as the player was one foot and a half from the bench. It's unfortunate, close, but strangely necessary. In a playoff season where players get punched in the head off the face-off, crosschecked in the head, and checked from behind face first into the boards, you would think that in the dying seconds of a situation that spells out the fate of your team, too many men on the ice is the last penalty you would think could potentially end your season.

Columbus, you deserved to be in the playoffs. It was a great season. Steve Mason will win the Calder Trophy, and I believe that without a doubt in my mind.

Before I close this out, I want to clarify why I titled this article 'Tears for Columbus'. Fans, and players of the Blue Jackets, the passion you showed tonight from start to finish, even though you knew this game could potentially be the end of the line for your team, it moved me. The disappointment of seeing your team lose with :47 seconds left in regulation time because of a too many men on the ice penalty? I felt the same hurt you all felt. Here's the kicker: Even though I'm a Red Wings fan, I still feel proud of the display you all put on for your team in a very difficult situation. All I have to say is, I want to see this same kind of emotion next year because that is what pumps the heart of teams like these.

~Rant Man~

Hockey Week Season 2: Episode 12: Rob is Out, Stearns vs. Baranowski In

Rob isn't here, and because of that, what originally was thought to be a slow news day devolves into our most heated show yet. See if you can follow along with the arguments!

As always, comments are very welcome, so go ahead and post 'em!

*Apologies from the Rant Man. This was one of my worst shows. I was not making any valid points. I am having some personal issues. I should be in the clear in the next two weeks.
~Rant Man~

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Hockey Week Season 2: Episode 11 (04/15/09): Rant Man in Studio for Playoff Predictions

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Stearns comes back to the studio one more time, and with it we have our playoff picks, which is always our biggest show of the year. Enjoy!