Polaris922

#1. Boo! #2. blah... #3. congrats! LOL

As much as it pains me to watch my boys' season end... congrats to you and your Flyers! Your boys just wanted it more I think, from the very start of the series. Bryzgalov finally outplayed Fleury in game 6, and Fleury just didn't match up with three soft goals. You guys get to move on and I get moved further out into the sidelines than before. Enjoy the rest of your playoffs! I'll be at the concession stand ...

You called it.. Bryz outplayed Fleury who let in three soft goals. Congrats to you and your Flyers... guess I'll be watching even more from the sidelines now.

Just the image of that made me throw up a little...

When I typed it it was meant as a joke to prod more Pens fans into responding and get some conversation going. After I posted it I reread it and realized it sounded more of a barb to Flyers fans and didn't intend it to go that way so I deleted it. Sometimes after being up all night my sarcasm comes across more as cynicism, and that was not the intention. I'd rather look back and correct a mistake than leave it be for the sake of spite!

I never said it was worse. Neal got a suspension he deserved. When I first saw it I'd hoped it was more Neal not looking where Coutourier was skating, but upon review I can't tolerate that kind of crap from anybody. It was dirty and deserved the suspension. I was simply saying I felt Schenn left his feet to make the hit and led with both elbows up. That to me was dirty too.

I don't think Schenn avoided a nasty hit. I think Asham hit him in the chest as his target to do to him what he felt Schenn just did with elbows to Martin's chest. I honestly think if Asham had wanted Schenn's throat he'd have had it. Schenn doesn't even really move till the stick is in him. Who could? I don't think anybody saw that vicious of a cross check coming. Asham got what he deserved.

I argue that Schenn's h it was dirty because he does leave his feet prior to contact, and leads with both elbows up into the chest. You see the timing and elbows differently than I do. Maybe you got a better video feed than the one I'm watching. I felt it was a dangerously high hit. Though I do not think there was an intent to injure, I think the elbows up made it reckless and caused an injury. I do NOT think it was the same as what Neal did, nor did I say as much. Neal got a deserved suspension for the hit on Coutourier. I do, however, feel Schenn's hit was still dirty.

Looking for a great game today... what will it be? Tightly officiated? (Which I think works in the Pens favor) Or anything goes again??

Actually Schenn should've retaliated at the spot when they were going after each other. I have no problem with hitting back, I do think it makes it pretty dirty when it's after the whistle, well after the exchange and on the way to the bench. Crosby is no different than Gretzky in that light to be honest. I remember Gretzky complaining a lot when lesser players held him up and what not, but players didn't take shots at star talent then like they do now, because back then McSorley came in and cleaned you out without worry of a stupid instigator penalty. The more the leage does to crack down on fighting and such, the worse it gets for the talent in the league!

I agree Asham should get suspended for the punch to the head of Schenn while he was down, but in all honesty (and I've been through this on the Flyers' forum as well) Asham's stick never hits Schenn in the throat. Asham got what he deserved for hitting the guy while he was down, which I believe was in response (not justified!) to Schenn's falling like he's been shot by a rifle. Schenn left his feet hitting Martin (dirty play), Asham crosschecks him dangerously high (penalty), then punches him while he's down (dirty play). I feel both Asham AND Schenn deserved suspensions for this incident. Why Schenn? Because the league is saying the severity of the injury caused by an illegal hit is weighed into the decision as well. So in my book it would've been Schenn for one game and I have no problem with Asham for four due to the punch while Schenn is down.

I'm no fan of Steigerwald as a broadcaster, and I think he's way off base with a lot of what he says. The Jagr stick thing comes from Jagr's days in Pittsburgh when he played pretty much every game with an illegal stick, and got caught doing it fairly often. Errey played with him for some of those days, and made several comments about it. Not a big thing though, it was always a topic of discussion with him here, with the Caps, the Rangers, and now with you guys. I'd rather have Mike Lange back myself. I dunno why the Pens insist on that idiot Steigerwald anyway.

Sorry Doom if it seemed to be mocking at all. My mockery was more for the Pens and Flyers fans alike that think every little thing is a penalty. I sit in my seats sometimes arguing with the so called "fans" around me who think every little piece of contact is a penalty. Makes me sick to hear sometimes...

Apparently you didn't read what I posted. I AGREED with the Asham suspension BECAUSE of the punch when he was down. I never said the league felt the stick hit him in the throat, I said I get frustrated by Pens fans who called it "Schenn's dive from the Asham crosscheck". I'm not just calling Flyers players out for diving. I call them ALL out. My point was that, as I said, EVERY team has divers. I think somewhere along the line some players decide it's worth the conduct to get their team a man advantage, and it's disgusting. WHEN ANYONE DOES IT. Pens, Flyers, I don't care who. I don't think you read what I posted with untainted eyes. As for Crosby being singled out, I've found it's only when they play serious Atlantic Division rivals such as yourselves or the Rangers. That's pretty much the only time we hear it, and it spreads quickly. Again I never claimed the Pens are the good guys and make excuses for their antics. I simply said they're no different than any other team in that regard, and I certainly never made excuses for it. It disgusts me as a fan more than it will ever disgust any Flyers fan. I was agreeing with a lot said here, especially Aziz's perspective. Thanks for replying, I just wish you would read what I typed next time without assuming I'm a "homer". And save your insults for the kids on your block, I came here thinking I might be participating in an intelligent conversation about an issue I googled "Malkin hit on Grossman", and this is what I get.

Oh and yes Schenn's hit on Martin was charging. He leaves his feet prior to contact. But no Pens fans are whining that he should be suspended for it. Amazingly... *shrugs*

I know you're going to say "of course" because I'm a Pens fan, but it's nice to see Aziz has it right. I get frustrated listening to Pens fans shout about the same types of plays you guys are. "Schenn's dive from the Asham crosscheck" as they call it. Yes in slow-motion you can see the stick never hits Schenn's throat. What I think the suspension was most deserved for was the punch when Schenn was down. THAT was uncalled for. I've spoken to Asham about it, actually, and he stated emphatically the stick never went above his shoulder pads. Regardless, I get frustrated too. I see Briere dive, Schenn last night took Malkin's shove and turned it into a spectacular swan dive behind the net, putting Malkin in the box... Coburn's sudden fall when his skate barely skips off Adam's in Game 4... let's face it... hockey is a contact sport. Stuff happens. But every team has players who embelish it. Every team has players who, like Aziz said, get away with more than others. Every team has players who can't even smile without getting two minutes. (i.e. Cooke when getting crosschecked repeatedly suddenly got a holding the stick penalty when he'd been penalized for having his stick held earlier as "hooking".) Crosby takes a beating from Flyers fans because he's a pansy or whatever some like to think. But the truth of it is he's a pure hockey talent, and he takes a LOAD of abuse that never gets called. ALL superstars whine to the refs. Yes, even Giroux. If a Pen talks to the refs it's whining, if a Flyer does it it's just discussing the play? It's the same across the board. ALL great players complained to refs because ALL great players have been clutched and grabbed by lesser players every game. And for the record, the "elbow" to Grossman looks more like a high shoulder to me. The concussion came from Kennedy hitting him earlier. I agree if Grossman had stayed down they may have reviewed it, but even the Flyers management didn't complain to the league about it, with Grossman "reportedly" saying it was negligible contact. I can't find that anywhere to confirm it, was said on NHL radio. Aziz it's great to see a Flyer's fan who is a true fan of hockey, not just the home team. I don't think there are many of us out there anymore who really try to look at things without, in your team's case, orange tinted lenses.