Anaheim 3 Calgary 0: Earlier this week, I noted how the CBC crew working the Detroit-Edmonton game got caught up in the excitement of an amazing upset. Well, last night in Calgary, we saw the opposite effect, as a broadcast team was forced to describe the action in what may have been the most depressing third period of hockey I've seen the entire postseason.
Gone was the giddiness we saw at the beginning of the week, as the CBC team contemplated a resurrection of the Battle of Alberta. So instead of a second round series opening in Calgary, we'll see the Ducks travelling home to host the well rested Avalanche, while the Oilers will renew their less than storied rivalry with the Sharks.
Could this first round have worked out any worse for the league? There isn't one large market team left in the draw. I'm sure NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has burned through his stash of Maalox, and ordered up a few pallets worth of Zoloft for NHL operations in Toronto and New York.
Looking back, it would be easy to conclude that the series was effectively over when Francois Beauchemin took down Jarome Iginla in the opening minutes of Game Six. Heck, even Teemu Selanne admitted that seeing Beauchemin take down Iginla in Game Six got his blood boiling.
And hey, hasn't everyone's respect for Teemu reached new heights over the past few weeks? I think it's a combination of him finding his scoring touch along with his faulty dental work. Sure, getting hit in the mouth on the ice always hurts, but it never fails to make you look more like a hockey player.
Tonight, no hockey. I'm suffering from withdrawl already.
Anaheim wins series, 4-3.
