Mayhem on Ice

People all over are talking about the NHL Playoffs. Yep, that's right. The general public in America is talking about hockey.

I wish it was for a good reason.

The first round of the NHL playoffs has been dominated by Slap Shot-esque moments, dangerous situations, and serious injuries… pretty much everything but the hockey part.

Regular season games occasionally get out of hand, but in the playoffs, teams usually keep their composure a little better. Discipline is often one of the first keys out of coaches' mouths because every penalty and resulting power play has a lot more meaning this time of year. Most teams even sit their fighters in favor of more scoring depth. Playoff hockey is a showcase of good defense, good goaltending, and the occasional fight to settle a dispute.

I don't want to talk about the individual plays and suspensions. I think we can all agree some of them were really bad and that the punishments have been confusing to say the least. What I'm concerned about is what happens next to make sure this doesn’t all continue. How can the NHL stop the craziness?

First of all, the refereeing has to be more consistent. What receives a major penalty and a game misconduct in one game is let go in another game. The refs have to take a hard look at what they are calling and find a way to make it even across all series and all games. I honestly can’t blame the players for being a bit confused as to what they are and are not allowed to do. (And then being even more amped up when calls go against their team and not their opponent.) The refs also can’t favor certain players. I don’t care what anyone says, referees in the NHL protect Sidney Crosby. It might be subconscious given his “importance” to the league or his concussion problems, but it cannot happen. When any superstar player decides to be a (insert whatever bad name you want here) and start fights, let someone on the other team give him what he's asking for. Do not jump in and try to save him. People less familiar with the game may not understand the role of fighting, but hockey is a sport where the on-ice fights control the game as much as the guys in black and white stripes.  Fighting is a way for players to self-police actions, and trying to protect certain players throws this whole system off balance.

(Side note: I think one of the biggest issues with refereeing in today’s NHL is the over-calling of stick minors. I can’t tell you how many times a player gets called for hooking – without actually impeding the opponent’s progress, at all – but cross checks to the back and other actually dangerous plays get let go.)

The league’s discipline department also needs a consistency lesson. When players assault an opponent (yes, I said assault) by bashing their head into the glass, call a penalty and suspend the player, no matter who he is. The length of suspensions should be a sliding scale based on suspension history and degree of the infraction. Basing the severity of suspensions on whether the recipient of the action gets hurt or not is absurd. The same play could knock one player out, or cause no serious injury to another, but it’s the action that the NHL needs to punish, not the result.

Something that I haven't heard anyone mention during the last week is the role that the players play in these situations. The Penguins’ Matt Cooke has been suspended five times during his NHL career, and most notably, was not suspended for his atrocious hit on the Bruins’ Marc Savard. At the end of the season last year, Cooke elbowed the Rangers’ Ryan McDonagh (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emTQpD8jmuw), and was suspended for the entire first round of the playoffs, where his team lost in 7 to Tampa Bay. Since then, Cooke – who is still a scrappy, often obnoxious player – has admirably, actually learned something from his punishment. He is nominated for the Masterton Trophy this year (the NHL award given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey) mostly because of how he’s cleaned up his act. Cooke made a public point that he was going to learn how to be an effective player without getting suspended. He sat with his coach Dan Bylsma and dissected hit after hit trying to figure out how to restructure his game. You know what? It’s worked. He's dropped his penalty minutes from 129 last year to just 44 in 2012 and hasn’t been suspended this season.

Athletes often don’t deserve their role model tag (and I’m not in any way saying that Cooke is an exemplary role model for kids), but they do have a responsibility to the game and their opponents. The players need to realize their role in what’s happening and take it upon themselves to change it. I know it’s hard in the heat of the moment, but sometimes you have to skate away. Don’t hit people in the head, don’t leave your feet, and definitely don’t be a 2 year-old and push your opponent’s glove away when they are trying to pick it up. I’m not just bashing other teams, either.  I was as completely disgusted by Zac Rinaldo in Game 4 of the Flyers/Pens series (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MgWAkER0S_k#!). This game was already so far out of reach and Rinaldo flat out lost control. The Flyers were in their offensive zone, trying to get back on the board for the first time since the 1^st period when Rinaldo snapped. No, this wasn’t nearly as dangerous as some of the other plays that received suspensions, but it’s the exact play that players have to be smarter and try to avoid.

There’s no question that the NHL is in a tough spot. There are some new fans watching because they want to see what crazy hit happens next. You have the players on the ice who are literally at risk if this stuff keeps up. Then, you have actual fans grimacing at the joke these playoffs are turning in to. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say that Game 3 between the Flyers and Penguins was the best hockey game they've ever seen. I have to wonder how many hockey games these people have actually watched, or if they really prefer cage fighting. That was not a hockey game. There was no defense. There was no structure. The NHL playoffs so far have rarely been anything but pure Mayhem on Ice, and I hope the NHL can fix it. 

Things I Think Heading into Game 1 of Flyers vs. Penguins

IT'S TIME FOR HOCKEY PLAYOFFS!!!!!

Okay, sorry. I just had to get that out.

I've been thinking a lot over the last week... dangerous I know. Here are a few things that are on my mind as we head into Flyers/Penguins Game 1 tonight.

1. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally here. If you're not a hockey fan, you might think I'm crazy, but it literally does not get any better than this. Nothing compares to how intense, gut-wrenching, liver killing, nail biting and grueling the NHL playoffs are. No other sport puts such a challenge between its teams and the championship. Baseball may be my favorite sport, but I love hockey playoffs more than anything.

2. I don't know if the Flyers have it in them to win the Cup this year, but I really don't want them to lose to the Penguins in the playoffs, again. The Battle of Pennsylvania has resulted in playoff exits for the Orange and Black twice since the lockout. The eliminations in 2008 and 2009 (in the Conference Finals and Quarterfinals respectively) at the hands of Sidney Crosby et al. were two of the more difficult moments of the last few seasons. I really don’t want to have to stomach that again. Not to mention losing would mean an early exit for a team that has been more fun to watch than any Flyers team in quite some time.

3. If the Flyers do beat the Penguins, it justifies everything the organization did in the off-season. The Mike Richards Flyers couldn't beat the Pens, but what if this Captain-less team can? It may be unfair to judge the most recent iteration of the Flyers on their first playoff series together, but I can't help think how much it would mean if they pulled it off.  I'm not sure anyone thought the Flyers would be as good this year as they were (especially given the almost 350 games lost to injury), but if they can somehow advance out of the first round, it would more than justify every move the front office made last summer. Not that there are many doubters left, anyway.

4.  Peter Laviolette will not win Coach of the Year, but he has been amazing. I never thought the Flyers were "rebuilding" but it was hard to imagine a team with so many new, young players being able to dominate in the league. Yet that's exactly what the Flyers did this season. They have eight players with more than 15 goals and multiple players having career years. Peter's ability to plug so many new pieces into his system and still yield a balanced attack is truly impressive. He's infused confidence into his players, even when they may not have been deserving of his faith. His sarcasm, seemingly never ending supply of orange power ties, and unparalleled use of timeouts have made him one of my favorite Philadelphia sports figures, ever. Oh and then there's that time he tried to attack Dan Bylsma. He is the best.

5. What if the rookies don't collapse? Everything I've heard and read has the Flyers losing the series because of the inexperience (and quantity) of their rookies. While I understand that view point (and it may be right) I have to bring up another scenario: What if the rookies continue to exceed expectations? They've been doing it all year. Their coach trusts them in any and all situations. It's entirely possible that the rookies step up, shut down the Penguins stars, put the puck in the back of the net and help the Flyers advance to the next round. Seriously, stranger things have happened. It may also be a good thing that no one in the media expects them to win. Without the burden of being the favorites, the rookies can focus on winning hockey games.

6. How cool would it be if Jah-RO-Mur scored the series-winning goal? I'm imagining Joffrey Lupul's Game 7 OT winner against the Caps in the 2008 Quarterfinals, only with Jah-RO-Mur… in Pittsburgh. It probably won’t happen, but it would be the coolest thing ever.

There are a lot of other things on my mind like how Claude Giroux is going to be unbelievable, that Max Talbot is going to the X Factor in the series, and that I really miss Captain Prongsy. However, writing this is getting me too excited, so I must stop.

Here's to a (hopefully) long and memorable playoffs!

“What I’m asking is don’t just play the game to let it go by. Play the game to make a difference. Every guy in here, go out there and don’t let this settle in. Go take charge of it right now. Let’s be great start to finish, every guy in here. We’re being great tonight.” – Peter Laviolette

Opening Day is No Time for Battered Fan Syndrome

Opening Day – the most glorious day of all the days – is tomorrow. The pure joy that I feel heading into this event cannot be diminished, but I am a little annoyed by the general feeling of doom and gloom I am sensing from Phillies fans. Everywhere I go, I hear people worrying about the season and preparing themselves for a subpar team.  

Um... What?

This recent behavior has left me with this (possibly offensive, but true) realization: Phillies fans suffer from something I'm going to call Battered Fan Syndrome. The biggest symptoms of Battered Fan Syndrome include a severe inferiority complex, inability to appreciate success, consistent complaining about the "stress" that comes with being a fan, and threatening to jump off the bandwagon but always coming back for more. This type of damage can only be caused by such miserable years that a World Series and five straight playoff trips can't help. (Not to mention the harm that comes from the other three Philly teams.) The media often exacerbates this condition with its pretty much constant negativity and ability to press the panic button faster than the speed of light.

The syndrome explains why Phillies fans are never comfortable being on top and are completely consumed by their fear of the good times ending and being back in the gutter. But Opening Day 2012 is not the time to let the ghosts of summers past creep into your brain! No, it’s not ideal to begin the season without your starting right side of the infield and no, nothing will ever top the Clifton Phifer rapture of last Spring Training, but let’s try to be rational.

First of all, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley aren't dead. Ryan will be back 100% most likely before the All-Star break, and while it could take him some time to regain his swing, he will be fine. The outlook for Chase might be slightly cloudier, and while it's upsetting because we love him and will miss seeing his beautiful face on the field, let's remember his numbers last year. He hit .259 with 11 HR and 44 RBI and only played in 103 games. The Phillies finished with 102 wins. If they could perform in 2011 with Chase's fill-ins, 2012 should actually be no different.

Then there's good ol' Charlie. He still can't manage a bullpen, but the man knows how to win ballgames. It's clear from Spring Training’s emphasis on bunting, and the focus on adding utility depth during the off-season, that this team is ready to win games by any means necessary. Charlie and his staff seem dedicated to the "Get 'em on, Get 'em In" strategy (see: Juan Pierre) and clean, fundamental baseball. This game plan will only help the team when Ryan is back in the line-up, considering he hasn’t hit more than 35 homeruns in the last two years.

I’m going to throw Jim Thome into this list of reasons to be positive, as well. This guy is a huge reason that the organization is where it is. When he signed here in 2003, he ended the era of superstar players running out of town, and started the era in which people like Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee choose to come to Philly. Now, he’s back – possibly for his last season – and just seeing him in red pinstripes again gives me a feeling that anything is possible. He is a mentor for the younger players on the team, an experienced veteran who has been through pretty much everything, and someone who can infuse some fun into the team – something I think was missing from the 2011 campaign.

Oh, and of course there are those starting pitchers. No one can touch the Phillies rotation. Roy, Cole, Cliff, Vance and Joey B. are hands down the best 1-5 in the league. Other teams' rotations have gotten better, but they aren't this good, experienced or diverse. I truly don't even see any reason to comment more on this.

After seven awful, baseball-less months and images of the Cardinals winning the World Series on repeat, it's finally time for the 2012 Phillies season to begin. Whether you're worried about Ryan and Chase or Cole's contract status or the glowing centerfield acid trip in Miami (no wait, that actually is worth being upset over), Phillies fans, I beg you to relax. Have a cheesesteak, enjoy the quality product this organization has on the field, and remember: Life is always better during baseball season. There may come a time when the Fightins' are at the bottom of the NL East again, but IT IS NOT THIS (Opening) DAY.

 

(Cue inspirational 9th inning movie clip, Lord of the Rings style: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXGUNvIFTQw)