Who Throws a Shoe?!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Posted by Kerrzy
Gary Bettman swung through Edmonton last week, speaking to a local group ahead of one of the Oilers worst-ever losses on home ice.
Bettman threw his support behind a new rink for the Oilers, discussed his disgust over the whole Sean Avery thing and talked about how much more exciting the NHL is this year with more come-from-behind wins and lead changes.
While I, too, am down with a downtown rink for the Oil, think the Sean Avery thing was ridiculous and agree that the NHL is very exciting this year, not to mention high scoring…that’s about all myself and Mr. Bettman agree on.I just wish someone had told me he was coming – I would have had my shoes ready!
Also…classic quote from President Bush about the shoe-throwing incident:
"I don't know what the guy said, but I saw his sole.”
Now -- lets take a moment to reflect on last Tuesday’s blowout at Rexall Place.
An own goal, a shorthanded goal (on the same play), four power play goals and eight different scorers…that was the case in Chicago’s 9-2 thumping of the Edmonton Oilers, which exactly 13 years and one day since the last time the Oil allowed nine goals in a game.
Even worse for Sam Gagner, he was playing against his former London Knights teammate Patrick Kane, who scored the game’s opening goal and added two assists.It was as if the Blackhawks were shooting into one of those NHL prototype nets!
Remarkably, that was the second time in five days that an NHL game ended with that score (the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the NY Islanders 9-2 on December 11th). So the question remains – how long until we finally see a team hit double digits???
Teams have been flirting with the elusive double-digit mark all season long, and quite frankly, I think it’s time.
And to those who still say “we need to increase scoring in the NHL” – Thursday night saw an 8-5 win for Boston, a 6-0 shutout for the Red Wings (over the league-best San Jose Sharks, just sayin’), a 6-5 shootout win for Dallas and a 6-3 win for the Pens (with a couple of *2-1’s, a 4-2 and a 5-2).The number of high scoring affairs so far this season is hopefully putting “ways to increase scoring” on the backburner of the NHL’s decision makers – but what better a way to do it than by scoring 10+ goals in one game!
(*For the record: The Lightning were ROBBED in the shootout against Colorado...there’s no way Mike Smith “threw his stick” on that play)