Game 5 Live-Blogging

PREGAME

Ah, the beautiful pregame introduction. Emerick narrates and tells me about Ducks fans who have taken the day off work in anticipation of the Cup Finals. Snark: Well, with a 5 p.m. start time, no wonder Ducks fans have to take the day off work. Musing: How much fun will it be for me to take the day off work, with a SPECIFIC PURPOSE in mind (rather than just I felt like it) when MY team is 60 minutes away from the Cup?

Speaking of being 60 minutes away from the Cup, Bill asks Bozo 1 and Bozo 2 if the Ducks that burning question. Both Bozos answer the question in the affirmative: the Ducks will win this game. My own musing: I hate what I once heard termed (in college, yes) "the rhetoric of certainty." Can't we just ENJOY the game without hearing guarantees? Unless those guarantees are going to come from the people who actually decide the game, of course (snark: which hopefully will be the PLAYERS and not the officials).

Pierre asks Danny Alfredsson about shooting that puck at Scott Niedermayer. Danny Alfredsson's answer reveals that he has a future career as a politician somewhere as he claims his shot wasn't deliberate. More frightening than Alfredsson revealing that he has the weasel characteristics that make a politician is the fact that I agree with both Bozos. Brett Hull is right on the money when he says, "Does anyone believe that?" and Ferraro makes the point that 40 goal scorers generally have control over where they shoot the puck. I mean, say what you will for Alfredsson, but a general inability to take accurate shots will not be found in any scouting report of the Ottawa captain.

Pierre talks to Chris Pronger pregame. We all know Chris Pronger is a huge behemoth, but the way Pierre is staring up at him, it really looks like Pierre is purring in his ear. And if one wants to talk about "media bias," well, I think Pierre really does have some affection for Chris Pronger. Not that it matters when it comes to coverage of a hockey game, even the deciding game of the SCF, but Pierre's tone with Prongs was different than his tone with Alfredsson. But then, you know, Pierre once coached Pronger. It's nice for a coach to hope for a former player to succeed. Too bad Murray can't hope for the players he drafted to succeed. Actually, considering it's Murray, it's not bad at all.

A brief tidbit about Ryan Getzlaf, including how Randly Carlyle "rides" him--and "rides" him appears to mean uses him in all situations rather than, you know, "rides" him the way Carlyle has done throughout the year, such as when Getzlaf gets named the game's #1 star and Carlyle still proclaims everything in his game that could and should be improved. (Note: I like both Carlyle and Getzlaf. I actually think the way Carlyle rides Getzlaf, riding in every sense, is more entertaining/interesting/helpful than just praising a young star player. At least I enjoy it.)