Sofa King Depressing: Stanley Cup Defense Ends in Game 7

Are you seriously using the fact that the "CRAW-FORD" chants are part of your argument? Name one arena in the entire league that cheers for the away goalie, regardless of how well he is playing. Speaking from a Vancouver Canuck's perspective, I do believe that crawford played absolutely lights out and I can't help but wonder how chicago is going to afford him as he was just gold in net that night. I've been reading your blog ever since this series started and while I do admit it is a good read at times, you stoop to pretty unprofessional levels when it comes to talking trash about the canucks. Sure it was uncharacteristic of Henrik to say what he did, and I'm surprised as well. All-in-all a good series, and a rematch that will be thrilling to both teams' fans for years to come. P.S: What's with all the Canadian hate, chicago does realize its team is more or less canadian right. That's only this years team, what about last year when the cup spent more time in British Columbia than anywhere else. Wait, that was mostly the 3rd and 4th liners, and they're worthless come playoff time right?

ryan, thanks for the Crawford comments - he was a great surprise for us this year. One of the bright spots in a season marked by flickering lights. One of the highlights of the series for me was the Kesler/Toews duels. Neither one did a lot on the score sheet - yet it was like to rams butting heads out there on the pond. sedin's comment was just uncalled for - i wonder if he wished he could take it back.(the tongue is definitely sharper than the sword.) Contrast his remark with the villainous Chris Pronger last year after the Flyers defeated the canadiens. A reporter asked him if he thought Game 4 was going to be so easy - his reply showed the class of a wily veteran, one who has been in many of these playoff wars; "By no stretch of the imagination have any of these playoff games been easy." I realize we probably had some players last year that ran their mouth - it's always an option when you emerge victorious. I've come to realize the "bigger" person can still pass along an atta-boy tohis adversaries.

"I officially hope he takes a puck to the throat in practice. The class of this comment rivals the stupidity of Canucks fans for chanting “CRAW-FORD, CRAW-FORD” when Corey Crawford was the best player on the ice for most of this series – on either side." The irony is pretty fantastic. Keep it classy :)

By the way, before some canuck fan points out my ignorance I realize i mentioned more than one thing - my bad.

Why can't we all just get along? just wanted to mention one thing - Chris block at thethirdmanin.com wrote something I didn't notice on Campoli's gaffe. Toews was kneeling along the boards so rather than try to take that route, he decided to try to loft if out of the zone. Unfortunately, Burrows - who was a force all night, picked his pocket. Everything happens so fast at this level. i'm sure all of us with a few beers in our bellies could have made a better decision than Camps. I've liked what Campoli gave us this year and all in all i'd say he had a decent playoff series. Although last night was one of his weaker efforts even before the ill-fated pass. Jeff and Tim, one of the bright spots this season was discovering this website. your both knowledgeable and humorous writers. Jeff you nailed it on the head when you said, our season ended fittingly with a turnover in the d-zone. Tim, I'll never forget your bravado in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, boldly predicting victory before even Toews did. We were about 10inches from victory last night. all Sharp appeared to have to shoot at was upper left hand corner. He rushed it (again that incredible speed that everything takes place with out there on the ice), and in a way it was fortunate. Vancouver may have had a reenactment of Jonestown Two if it had tickled the twine. I wouldn't let the Vancouver nozzles who have nothing better to do than rub our faces in it get to you; we'll be a stronger team next year. Will the Canucks? At least I never once saw you guys whine about the officiating. keep passing the open windows - we're not light years away from regrouping and beaching those bellicose Beluga's next year. To the levelled headed canuck fans who are thankful they survived and know they got to witness some great hockey - good luck. You'll need it trying to figure out those defensive minded Predators.(Good luck trying to stay awake during the nest series.) To the rest of you nozzles remember God gives grace to the humble, but the law to the proud. We all know what pride commeth before now, don't we.

Every team has douche fans and every player makes douche comments now and then (See Toews, Jonathon). It's all good. The Hawks didn't have any business winning that series really. It's only by the good graces of the Canucks and the fact that they can NEVER do anything easy that it was a series. I dig this blog and your writing in particular. I will keep reading. Well for a while anyway. Then I'll forget until next years playoffs where it just won't seem right if these two teams don't meet. Adieu Hawks Nation!

as opposed to ur team hoisting the cup?

sorry i cant hear u over the roar of canucks fans

If you Canucks fans read everything I wrote (not saying you didn't, but then you've ignored the latter part of it), I wanted to come on here and discuss how great the series was and how Vancouver deserved to win. In fact, that's pretty much all I wrote about the first three games of this series, and even said after Game 4 and Game 5 the Canucks would come out ahead. However, given Sedin's comment and the comments of some really idiotic and completely clueless Canucks fans coming on this site to make shitty remarks because they have nothing better to do with their lives, pretty much wiped away any good thoughts I may have had about the Canucks. So yes, George Stevens, I am bitter. And yes, Rudes, I would like to see Sedin take a puck to the throat in practice to knock the wind out of him for a bit - not die from it, like you seem to think I meant. People like Snowcap have class and can discuss things intelligently, like I've done this series by looking at it from all angles. Maybe this post wasn't as forgiving to the Canucks, but some people like "Jesus Saves" and "Confused" who have come to this site in search of a pointless fight are morons, and Sedin's comment completely and utterly threw me over the top - misunderstood or not. Sorry to respond this long to a comment, which I usually don't and let people have at it. But I don't feel calling me out in this instance is exactly warranted, given how SOME Canucks fans and players have been talking with seemingly zero respect. After a series where two teams made of more heart than any we've seen in recent memory just finished an epic seven-game series which ended in overtime, I'd expect more from adults. This post was a retaliation to those idiots, not the Canucks fan who have come on here for the discussion, which has been appreciated.

Got Bitter?

I'm thinking Henrik was misunderstood. Hawks fans and writers are jumping on that comment, but Henrik and Daniel really are the epitome of class, so I can only imagine it was misunderstood or lost in translation. I think he meant that it never should have gotten to game 6 or game 7. The Canucks should have played the same way in game 4 and 5 as they did in games 1-3. I think he meant that the Hawks should never have been given the opportunity to get back into this series, and for that it's the Canucks' fault.

Being a Canucks fan, I admit I've apologized for our fans once or twice in my life but after reading Hawks blogs, newspaper articles and fan posts over the last few weeks, I've been shocked. Calling our players assholes, gutless and hoping they get hurt (which you've so eloquently done above as well). The blogs I've seen in Vancouver have done nothing but give the Blackhawks the respect they deserve while lambasting the Canucks when it's deserved. That said, the 'hawks didn't have any business being in a game seven. The Canucks created that problem by sh*tting the bed in games 4 and 5 (which is ridiculous). The hawks didn't have to win 4 in a row - they got 2 for free. I'm not making excuses for the Canucks, it's garbage and maybe they'll still meltdown but it's true, those games were freebies. Look, no one can argue that the 'hawks may have the best top five in the league or that Dave Bolland is EXTREMELY effective against the Sedins but come on. If you take a step back and think about the series and don't come to the conclusion that Vancouver was the better team through most of it (1,2,3,6 and 7) then you don't know anything about hockey. The only reason you were in the last two games was due to your gifted young soon-to-be franchise goalie. Why can't hawks fans and media just do what we did the last two years. Look at it objectively, bend over, swallow your pride and just admit that you didn't have what it took to beat a better team.

Ahem. Vancouver fan here. Sedin comment probably looks indelicate in Chicago. You're right. He shouldn't have said it. There might have been a better way to make the point that if he and his team mates hadn't imploded when they were up 3-0 in the series then, yeah, Chicago should have been out in 4. Didn't happen and he was part of why it didn't happen so nuff said about that. The Hawks played from the 4th game on with the heart of a champion and provided one of the most thrilling series ever. I'm a Montreal native and have been cheering the Habs since the 50's but now live in Vancouver and have adopted the Canucks since '94. Thanks for a great series, Chicago. You have been killers the last couple years and with Jonathan Toews, you make every other team's fans jealous of Hawks having the best captain in the NHL. He's easily my favourite player in the league. And he's still a kid! Let's face it, this cap b.s. is both creating parity and destroying dynasties. If Canucks are good enough to win the cup this year, they will doubtless lose a few essential members of this year's team to cap pressure. I was sick about what happened to the Hawks in the off-season and know how you guys must feel. At least you got one cup. We haven't even won it yet and we know we're losing players next year. Life sucks. Best of luck on the links this spring. Cheers.

Fk that loser Campoli from Ottawa, another loser team from Canada. Message to Campoli, you are the last line of defense, your partner is way across the other side of the ice & you try to flip it over the diminuitive Burroughs? Great play you hack. From you peewee coach to the pros, they tell you OFF THE BOARDS!!! & this guy wants to re-sign with Chi. Come on Hawks you can do better than this guy. & while you're at it take Pisani with you. Another in a long list of LOSERs from Canadian teams. & where the FK was Kane? Dipsy-doodling may have worked for you last year but this year........????? PS Nuck fans can now spout at the mouth now that they won, but wonder what they would be saying if they lost. 7 games to CHI who lost how many players from last year & had no GOALIE controversy. CHI, a team with HEART unlike those 2 Swedes, like Don Cherry says NEVER HAVE HEART when it matters.

I know all you butthurt Hawk fans are gonna be crying over Sedin's comment (despite being exactly the same thing Toews said but whatever, you're hypocrites) but if you dried your tears for a moment you might realize he was criticizing the Canucks play by saying that. The Canucks should've put the game away by Game 6 at the absolute latest, instead they let the Hawks force game 7. At least they redeemed themselves by making an entire city cry when their hopes were the highest. I ain't even mad about 2009 and 2010 anymore, LOL

Wait a second...they outplayed us for 5 games and got 4 wins? If my 4th graders were that bad at math I'd send them to tutoring.

f*!#ing Campoli.

WOW! Canucks beat the Hawks for the first time in the playoffs! And it only took them three tries and a game 7 OT! Watch out! That team is really going places! How many of Lord Stanley's Cups do you guys have now? Maybe Luongo can finally be spokesman for LA Looks hair gel and get all the free gel he wants. Us Hawk fans know he's much rather have that over a stupid trophy anyways. I think that's aboot right, wouldn't ya say eh?

Hahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahhahahahahahhahahahaha. Hawks lost. I think this was all a plan to give the fans hope for some miracle comeback and then snatch it away at the last second. Teehee.

Well here we go boys. Just like I told you, my Nucks took it to the Hawks. I am willing to admit when I'm wrong though. I thought it would take 5 games, and it took 7 plus OT. Hawks battled through it. Hats off to Crawford. But the better team won. Kane was pretty much useless, dontcha think?

Cheer up my four feathered friend. It was a valiant effort. They just didn't have the horses.