So are these Finals karma or what? Is this the universe's way of showing Anaheim how it feels to have your offense shut down?
The Devils have definitely gotten to the Ducks. The Ducks are hardly even shooting the puck now.
It's also interesting how much a factor Jeff Friesen and Oleg Tverdovsky have been in this series against their former team. The way players move from team to team, it's pretty rare to see players taking it personally and stepping up to stick it to their old friends the way Friesen and Tverdovsky are.
You also have to be pretty impressed with Martin Brodeur. Two back-to-back Stanley Cup shut-outs? That's pretty good. But doing it while all of the hockey world is calling you the heir-apparent to Patrick Roy? That's amazing. Brodeur is pure focus.

So Patrick Roy retired. I'm pretty indifferent. Sure he was an amazing goaltender, probably one of the best ever. But he deserves to rest. No one should have to play through pain like Roy did this season. It's a loss for hockey, sure, but Roy's a person. He's not some trained animal to do tricks for us.
Having said that, the big question is who's going to replace him in Colorado? It's looking like it'll either be David Aebischer, his backup, or Phil Sauve, from Colorado's farm system. And just to make things a little more awkward, Sauve's dad is Roy's agent. It's all almost Oedipal.
I'm recommending a goalie tandem. It works. Minnesota proved that. It lets Aebischer get used to more work and it lets Sauve get used to NHL action.
And hey. Former Roy backup Craig Billington, recently retired himself, was coaching Roy in Colorado this season, helping Roy pick up on any flaws in his game. Suit Billington up and go with three goalies. The more the merrier.

Jim Kelley says to make the nets bigger. That seems hard. Can't we just shrink the goalie equipment? It'll still protect them. Current equipment protects the goalie, but you can usually fit a defenseman or two behind their pads, too. Why not bring them back to the old size? I bet a lot of places never sold their inventory of smaller goalie equipment. The NHL can probably get some great deals on it.
Mighty Duck Jean-Sebastien Giguere agrees with me: "You change the whole game around if you [make the nets bigger]. It would be like basketball making the hoop bigger. It's silly. You change the whole record book. I think the game is fine right now."
I wouldn't say fine. But bigger nets? That just seems difficult. Like it would require a lot of measuring.

Scott Stevens might pull a Bo Jackson/Deion Sanders. Nets coach Byron Scott watched the Devils play the Ducks in game one. Apparently it was a scouting trip (scroll down to end of article): "That Scott Stevens, he can play for us."
Too bad the seasons overlap.

The Times does an extended piece on Richard Farina, the NHL's fan of the year — the official name is the Seventh Man Award.
Farina is just your average, run-of-the-mill rabid Islanders fan. I don't know. I mentioned him yesterday (see below). I felt like I should follow-up today.

There's a sucker born every minute.
Don't believe me?
The Kings traded a second-round draft pick for Flyers goalie Roman Cechmanek.
Cechmanek is a strong-enough regular season goalie (he had a 1.83 goals against average during the regular season, but he was playing behind a very tight defensive system) who sort of dies in the playoffs. Of course, since the Kings probably aren't going to the playoffs for a while, it might not be an issue for them.
The Kings aren't signing Felix Potvin, their regular goalie. You have to wonder if he'll end up in a Flyers uniform. After all, Philadelphia is looking for a number one.

Another article on what a huge sports town New Jersey is. They could have an NBA and an NHL championship team. At the same time. This year. Right now. And still nobody cares or wants to come to games.
I think the Nets and the Devils should embrace the indifference of the world and change their names to The Rodney Dangerfields. The Devils sounds kind of evil and the Nets sounds kind of obvious. Can you imagine an NHL team called the Goal Posts? Or a baseball team called the Warning Tracks?
But the Rodney Dangerfields? That has a nice ring to it.

OK. So this US Army chopper pilot was named NHL fan of the year and got to be commissioner for a day. I'm with you. It's pretty dumb stuff. But how cool is Very Temporary Commissioner Richard Farina? Very cool: "I wanted to dissolve the New York Rangers franchise for the day and hold a dispersal draft," Farina told Newsday.
The NHL didn't let him do that, of course.
Maybe next year.

Great news hockey fans! The NHL Players' Association is dragging its feet on an outdoor game between the Oilers and the Habs.
Why? My guess is that it's because it's something hockey fans want to see and the NHL and the NHLPA love to make fans miserable.
Do you ever wonder what sports would be like without all these governing bodies? I sure do.

OK. So Mighty Duck Dan Bylsma told a radio show that he was looking forward to shaking hands with Devil Scott Stevens after the Ducks win the Stanley Cup.
Dumb thing to say, right? All it does is make the Devils get mad, right?
Right.
So Bill Plaschke, a hell of a columnist (who rarely touches hockey), takes us inside the comments, the reason for them, and the repurcussions (l: laexaminer; p: laexaminer).
Who knew talking trash could be so deep and interesting?
Plaschke should do more hockey stuff. Even if he does work out of California.

I'm going to be honest here. I think Martin Brodeur coached his forwards on Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Before the first game (which the Devils won 3-0), he talked about the need for the Devils to just put shots on net and hope for good bounces. The Devils outshot the Ducks and it worked. Also helping was the way the Devils worked the net down low. Giguere couldn't have stopped Grant Marshall's third period goal with bricks, cement, and a trowel. He was just surrounded by Devils.
Also, I was shocked that the Devils knew who to shut-down. The Ducks are so anonymous and their talent is pretty evenly distributed. I was wondering if Devils Scott Stevens and John Madden would sit on the bench all night, not even recognizing their checking assignments.

Welcome to News That Could Have Waited Until After the Stanley Cup Finals. I'm your host, Steven Ovadia.
Let's get to it, shall we?

*Patrick Roy is retiring. Not much of a shock. But couldn't this have waited until after the Finals?

*The Sabres sign coach Lindy Ruff to a new contract. Good for them. Too bad they traded away most of their good players and still don't have a number one goaltender. I think this announcement could have waited until after the Finals.

*The Ottawa Senators coaching staff is re-signed for next season. Big shock. Jacques Martin took his team to within one game of the Finals. And let's be honest. For Ottawa, almost making it to the Finals is pretty good. They're just glad to not choke in the first round. But still. Were any of you wondering if the Senators were going to re-sign their coaching staff? Or were you thinking about the two teams actually in the Finals.
I thought so.

*Patrick Lalime shaves. This is huge. They should have interrupted programming for this one.

How tough is Mighty Duck Petr Sykora?
Pretty tough. He won't return former linemate and current opponent Patrik Elias' phone calls.
Now that's tough. And sort of rude.

A Red Wings fan I work with asked me who I thought would win the Ottawa-New Jersey series once Ottawa had pushed everything to game seven. I joked that the Devils would win since Martin Brodeur wouldn't want to go home and deal with his divorce.
Score one for PuckUpdate.
Anyway, there's not really much news to report. Mostly family stuff.
Like what?
Like Paul Kariya's sister is a boxer (l: laexaminer; p: laexaminer). I was going to make some jokes about how she's the only fighting Kariya, but Paul beat me to it: "I haven't been in a fight in my career."
In other family news, Carol Niedermayer, mother of New Jersey Devil Scott Niedermayer and Might Duck Rob Niedermayer announced she wants the Ducks to win the Cup since Rob never won one while Scott has twice. Things could have gone easier for Mama Carol. The Devils tried to get Rob at the trade deadline but couldn't work anything out with Calgary.

Poor Martin Brodeur. It seems like the Devils goalie must constantly deny things.
Two years ago when the Devils squared off against Colorado, he was constantly denying that it was a big deal playing against Patrick Roy, a Montreal legend.
This year, Brodeur is constantly denying he's a butterfly tender. I guess it's an issue because Anaheim's Jean-Sebastien Giguere kneels (literally) in the Holy Church of the Butterfly.

Tim Panaccio suggests giving the Norris Trophy to a defensman's defenseman like Derian Hatcher or Scott Stevens. It's usually gone to more offensive defenseman, like Ray Bourque, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Chris Pronger. Interestingly, Stevens says he would give the Norris to his partner Scott Niedermayer. I think Stevens earned the Norris when he took that slapshot to the face from Tampa and came back to play the next game. He deserves some sort of award for that one.