AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2008 > May > 27
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
422 Million Miles Away
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
That is how far NASA’a Phoenix Mars Lander traveled from Earth to Mars where it landed over the weekend. That is quite a distance.
However, it pales in comparison to the gap that seems to be separating the level of play between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals.
In six periods the Wings have outscored the Pens 7-0 and have outshot them 70-41. In fact, the Wings have dominated Pittsburgh in just about every stat except for post-game whining and crying.
This is not to suggest that Pittsburgh is not a worthy participant in the finals. Certainly the Penguins have shown that they are strong enough to be considered among the top two of the thirty teams in the NHL. Their march to the finals was as strong as any playoff push I have seen of late.
But the distance between the best team and the second best…at least right now… is about as vast as that of third and fourth planet in our little solar system.
The Penguins will have game three on Wednesday night and game four on Saturday to close the gap. Personally, I think they have to win both or it’s over. Going back to Motown down 3-1 for a game five…un-good.
Dollar For Your Thoughts
Atlanta councilman Jim Maddox has proposed a $1 surcharge on all tickets to major sporting events and concerts. Well, I guess that’s easier than…gee, I don’t know…cutting excessive spending, maybe?
Anyway, it seems as though it would be used to offset the cost for police and other city workers that are needed to work these events. Other cities have done so as well, and for more than a buck.
But the question I have is…if/when the city gets their financials back in the black, are they gonna drop the surcharge then?
Sure they will, right about the time that they tear down the tollbooth on 400 that was placed there until the road was paid for.
Wolves Go On A Penguin Hunt
Here are links to the Chicago Wolves and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins playoff stats. The two teams are set to drop the puck Thursday night in game one of the Calder Cup Finals.
Jason Krog leads the league in post-season scoring, (9 goals and 19 assists). Ondrej Pavelec’s .928 SV% and 2.17 GAA is a bit better than the Penguins’ John Curry, (.908 & 2.47)
The AHL’s Eastern Conference champs do, however, lead the league in hyphens and forward slashes.
Bettman Considers Pad Size
If things are left up to commissioner Gary Bettman, the size of goalie pads will continue to decrease. Interesting photo of the commish, however. Maybe we could do a “Caption This” with it?
Mine would be: “I swear, before my selective surgery… my ears were THIS big”.
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