Wow. One one hand it’s kind of weird that Shea Weber didn’t get any punishment at all for his hit on Henrik Zetterberg, and now we see that the NHL is going to drop the hammer on Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres.

Torres has been suspended for 25 games for his hit on Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa. Brendan Shanahan felt that Torres knew that Hossa didn’t have puck and that he deliberately violated the rules of charging, check-to-the-head, interference, rape and gang rape.

We don’t know exactly how long Torres is out because we don’t know how long the Coyotes will be in the playoffs. He’ll serve whatever games in the playoffs and then it will carry over into next regular season. He will not be allowed to play in any preseason games either.

It’s estimated that this suspension will cost him $21,341 per game heading into next year. Ouch. Don’t think that doesn’t hurt.

Still…nothing for Shea Weber??

This is hardly a shocker. I think we all knew something like this was coming the minute he opened his mouth. Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville was absolutely livid following his team’s Game 3 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes. And rightfully so.

It wasn’t just the loss. Raffi Torres absolutely leveled Marian Hossa to the point where he had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher and sent to the hospital. Oh, and he didn’t have the puck. And there was no penalty called.

So, yeah, he was pissed.

“I had a hard time. I saw exactly what happened,” he said. “How four guys missed it tonight, it was hard. The refereeing tonight was a disgrace.”

Yep, that last line is the one that did it. Professional sports leagues tend to not appreciate it when you publicly criticize officiating. And thusly, they have lightened Mr. Quenneville’s wallet by $10,000.

We all saw that one coming.

The NHL playoffs have been amazing this year so far. A lot of that could be due to the absolutely bloodbaths that a few of these series have become. There has been a lot of dirty play, and Raffi Torres of the Phoenix Coyotes has been one of the poster boys.

During Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, he decided that it would be a good idea to leave his feet and drive his shoulder into the head of Marian Hossa, who didn’t have the puck. Hossa had to be carted off and taken to the hospital.

And the NHL apparently didn’t appreciate the hit. They have suspended Torres indefinitely and he’ll need to have an in-person hearing on April 20th with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.

Here is the hit that landed him in hot water with the league:

Jonathan Toews will not play for the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday when they take the ice to skate with the Nashville Predators. It’s the 16th consecutive game that he will miss due to a concussion.

However, he has skated with his teammates in practice for five straight days, so that’s a good sign. Still, Toews has gotten close before, so he’s dialing back expectations.

Toews is “being a little bit more realistic with myself,” he said. “Even if I do feel completely 100 percent you might need a day or two just to make sure it’s going to stay that way.”

Toews says he’s optimistic about returning to the ice.

“I getting back to that stage where I’m progressing and getting closer to feeling the right way,” Toews said. “I’m just staying positive and hoping this is the time we break through.”

There are seven games left in the regular season and then the playoffs. The Hawks currently have the 6th seed and are relatively safe with Phoenix a full five points behind them.

Toews isn’t overly concerned with his injury and says he “absolutely” believes he will play again this season.

“I’m positive and just telling myself I’ll get through this,” Toews said. “(And) not let those little setbacks that have happened weigh me down and find a way to get back to 100 percent.”

On December 20th, Pittsburgh Penguins defensman Deryk Engelland thought he could make Jello out of the head of Chicago Blackhawks forward Marcus Kruger. The big man launched himself into his head and pasted him up against the boards. It was pretty nasty.

And the NHL would tend to agree with that last sentence. Its Department of Player Safety came down on Engelland today, levying a three-game suspension.

This is precisely the kind of crap the NHL wants to get rid of. So, Engelland will sit for a while and will be eligible to return against the New Jersey Devils on December 31st.

Thanks to Ben Pavlovic for passing this along, it’s one of the sickest hockey goals we’ve ever seen. Based in Chicago, Ben says that there’s been a lot of talk about this goal in his Vinesprout offices, but maybe too much talk.

Regardless, some talk is required of Chicago Blackhawks super stud Patrick Kane’s shootout goal two days ago against the Minnesota Wild. How much is too much? We’ll let Ben decide.

But seriously, someone counted 14 dekes? This is pretty insane, take a look.

Over the course of a year, a lot can happen in sports. And probably in business. And in life too, we guess. But definitely in sports, things happen quite a bit.

So much so, that things can get hidden. Sure, everyone saw the big touchdown pass or penalty shot or ill-timed bathroom break, but did you see what set those up? Did you see the hidden plays within the game? Probably not, so OTR here is to unveil the Top 10 Hidden Plays of 2010 (in no particular order, because then certain plays would stand out and no longer be hidden).

-Kyle Korver’s three against Portland: With 11:42 left in the first quarter, Kyle Korver drained a three in his only start of the season. The lead changed hands 19 times during the whole game. Korver ended the game 1-for-9 with three points, but Utah managed to squeak out a 109-106 victory. After the game, Deron Williams was asked what the biggest play of the game was, which he answered “That first three we hit.”

Photo Caption: Korver explains to Michele Tafoya exactly what was going through his head when he launched the first three.

-Placido Polanco’s ground out to 1st on April 23rd (5th inning): Placido was looking for a curveball, and he got it. With a swing of the bat he forced the ball to the 1st baseman, moving Shane Victorino to 3rd. Victorino didn’t score, however, because it was the 3rd out anyway. But, Chase Utley led off the next inning with a HR rallying the Phillies to win 89 of their last 148 games.

-The seven-yard swing pass to Michael Bush: Oakland Raiders QB Jason Campbell dropped back to pass and found Michael Bush open in the left flat for a gain of seven yards that set up a 3rd and 2. What he didn’t see was Darrius Heyward-Bey sprinting wide open up the right sideline for a sure touchdown pass that would have given Oakland a 7-3 lead over the 49ers in the middle of the second quarter. However, Darren McFadden picked up the first down on 3rd and 2 to put the Raiders in business at their own 40-yard line. They didn’t win the game, but the pass to Bush set up a manageable third down and gave the Raiders the sense that, “Hey, maybe we can get this thing going.”

-The Redskins release Hunter Smith: Sometimes, the best plays are the ones made during the week and not during an actual game. That was the case after the Washington Redskins dropped a heartbreaker to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a last-second extra point. The snap went right through the hands of punter Hunter Smith and the game was over. Smith was subsequently given his walking papers the following week, because Mike Shanahan places a heavy emphasis on his punters being able to hold kicks. The team – playing with heavy hearts after losing Smith – rallied together and went out and fought the Dallas Cowboys tooth and nail. They didn’t win the game, but it was all about gamesmanship that day.

-Doug Collins’ decision not to tell his team to finish the game strong: In sports, what you don’t do, is many times more important than what you actually do. The Sixers had a home tilt with the Boston Celtics. With about three minutes to go in the second quarter, All-NBA forward Andre Iguodala tried forcing an errant pass into Elton Brand who was double teamed, leaving a wide open Jodi Meeks in the corner. Iguodala, in a sheer act of athleticism, vision and excellence, guided the ball directly off the defending Kevin Garnett’s shin. Sixer’s ball.

On the ensuing inbounds play, Iguodala heaved a desperation three-pointer with eight seconds on the shot clock, hitting the backboard and eventually landing in Boston’s hands. The genius in all of this? Coach Doug Collins on the sideline directing his squad. Pacing up and down the court, you clearly heard Collins instructing his team on how to handle these intimidating Celtics. And I quote, “C’mon guys…finish the half strong!”

Designing plays and coaching strategies pale in comparison to this cutting edge style. And it worked as the Sixer’s built a seemingly insurmountable two-point halftime lead.

On the final play of the game, Garnett was guarded by Jrue Holliday. Garnett laid in the winning bucket with 1.7 seconds to go in the game. Noticeably absent was Collins telling his team to “finish the half strong” as he did earlier in the game. Had he done that, the Sixers may be one game closer to still missing the playoffs.

-Djokovic double faults in U.S. Open Final: Novak Djokovic made a monumental error early in the U.S. Open finals against Rafael Nadal. Serving with the advantage in the third game of the first set, Djokovic mysteriously – and to the surprise of everyone watching – double faulted! That made it deuce and several more points were played before Djokovic finally wins the game. In a five set match, extra points can kill you. And it did. Djokovic seemed tired at the end of the match and was unable to muster the necessary energy to win. Nadal won the entire tournament because of a single double fault.

-Kane takes mindless penalty against the Blues: It was right in the middle of a hotly contested battle between the Chicago Blackhawks and the St. Louis Blues. With Chicago leading 2-1 in the early minutes of the second period, Patrick Kane gets called for what is now known as “The Hooking Penalty.” The Blues failed to score on the power play, but Chicago was clearly shaken to their core. It was all they could do to keep it together before finally scoring a third goal later in the period. The third period was scoreless and the Blackhawks went on to win the game and eventually the Stanley Cup. But, if the Blues had managed a power play goal there, it’s no telling what could have happened to the Blackhawks season. Hence, the catchy nickname for the now-infamous penalty.

-Jeff Gordon’s two-car pass: With 177 laps left in the Pepsi 500, Jeff Gordon took an inside position to not only pass Tony Stewart, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. as well. The move catapulted him to 17th place with his speed reaching 194mph during the pass. Gordon eventually crashed into the wall with 50 laps left. Stewart eventually won the race. But the pass clearly effected Earnhardt’s psyche for the rest of the race, as he finished 32nd.

-Jimmer Fredette’s pre-game left-handed lay-up drill: Hosted by the Lobos of New Mexico in front of a hostile crowd in Alburqueque, BYU Cougar Jimmer Fredette decided to start pre-game warm ups exactly one hour before tip. Noah Hartsock grabbed a ball and started a line on the right while James Anderson started a line on the left. Without hesitation, Fredette yelled for Hartsock to throw the ball to Anderson, “Let’s practice left-handed lay-ups.” And boy did it pay off. The Cougars went on to shoot 10-for-13 from the left side (all lay-ups). Amazingly, Fredette shot 4-for-4, a number that hasn’t been matched since.

-The lack of an early onside kick in the Meadowlands: It is now well documented by the United States media that the Philadelphia Eagles performed a stunning upset against the New York Giants on a last-second punt return by DeSean Jackson.

One of the highlights of the comeback was a David Akers onside kick that went uncontested by the Giants. But it was the onside kick they didn’t make, that is the real hero for Philadelphia.

Down by two touchdowns in the second quarter, the Eagles could have gone for a surprise onside kick in order to get the ball back. However, they didn’t!

Why? We’ll never know. But if they had tried an onside kick early on, the Giants would have known to look for it at another point in the game and most certainly would have seen it coming, which would have halted the Eagles comeback attempt.

It’s now famously known (or not known) as “The Phantom Onside Kick.”

The Chicago Blackhawks look like they will be without the services of their best player. After suffering a left leg injury in the team’s win over Calgary on Sunday, Patrick Kane will probably miss about three weeks.

“Kane’s probably going to be out upward of three weeks,” head coach Joel Quenneville said today. “We’re hoping that’s the maximum. He’s progressing right now.”

Kane has actually only missed three regular season games in his short career. Think the Flyers would have rather had him over JVR? Yeah.

Jeremy Morin looks like he’ll be recalled from Rockford. But, the Blackhawks are also missing Marian Hossa, so they might have to look for other options as well.

Former Chicago Blackhawks goalie and Stanley Cup champion Antti Niemi has decided to accept a contract with the San Jose Sharks, a source tells ESPNChicago. It’s a one-year, $2 million deal.

This tells us even more about how much it means for an individual to win a championship. People rag on Dan Marino and Jim Kelly for not winning a Super Bowl. Well if winning it all was so important to the status of an individual, how come Niemi couldn’t get a job until September? Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl in 2000 and the team rewarded him by signing Elvis Grbac.

But, we digress. Niemi was awarded a $2.75 million salary from Chicago by an arbitrator. Great, right? Nope, they decided it was too much to pay him and they passed. In some fairness to the Blackhawks, they aren’t flush with cap room.

Former Montreal Canadians, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, and Atlanta Thrashers defenseman Chris Chelios, with his wife and children seated in front of him, officially retired from the NHL on Wednesday at Joe Louis Arena.

Chelios will remain on board with the Red Wings serving the organization in a multifaceted role as adviser to hockey operations.  He will be assisting coach Mike Babcock with input after games and helping with player development, specifically mentoring the young defensemen in the organization.

PHOTO CAPTION:  Svetlana needs to be mentored, too

The 48-year old played a record-tying 26 NHL seasons as a defensemen, playing in 1,651 games; scoring 185 goals and 948 points.  He was part of three Stanley Cup winning teams — 1986 with Montreal and 2002 and 2008 with Detroit.

The Philadelphia Flyers had an amazing run through the playoffs and at times got some great goaltending from Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton. But, the bottom line is that they are backups who should not be starting on a team that has a Stanley Cup on the brain.

So, one would think that if the Flyers got the chance to sign the goalie who won the Stanley Cup, they’d go for it, right? Nope.

With Chicago Blackhawks goalie Antti Niemi on the open market after Chicago balked at the idea of paying him $2.75 million (which is what an arbitrator ruled was his worth). And, according to Flyers GM Paul Holmgren on Monday, the Flyers aren’t interested either.

We understand why they aren’t. Niemi is just not that great. But, what is a little concerning is the fact that Holmgren thinks he’s set with Leighton, Boucher and Johan Backlund. You can’t really be okay with that group on a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, right?

The Chicago Blackhawks won a Stanley Cup with Antti Niemi as their goalie. Great, right? Re-sign him, right? Not really. First of all, he’s not that good and they won in spite of him rather than because of him (thank you to the Philadelphia Flyers for having Michael Leighton in their net).

Second of all, the Hawks have salary cap problems. They’ve already traded half of the team away. So, when Niemi won a one-year, $2.75 million contract via arbitration, the Blackhawks had to walk away.

Not that good + Costs too much money = Sign Marty Turco.

And that’s just what Chicago did. They announced today that they have added Turco on a one-year, $1.3 million deal. He’ll be 35-years old in two weeks and had a 2.72 GAA last year with the Dallas Stars.

“Marty is the perfect veteran addition to our tremendous core that is already in place as we look to begin our defence of the Stanley Cup,” said Blackhawks General Manager Stan Bowman in a statement. “He is joining us with the intention of adding a Stanley Cup to his lengthy list of accomplishments over the last decade and we are looking forward to his immediate contributions.”

Turco spent his entire 10-year career with the Dallas Stars.

“Joining the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks is an unbelievable opportunity for me both professionally and personally,” said Turco in a release. “The Blackhawks are a first-class organization in a world-class city and at this point in my career I am excited to be a part of a team that will give me such a good chance to win the Stanley Cup.”

Regrets to all those who tried to name the new Chicago Blackhawks drink at the John Hancock Observatory after something that rhymed with “Niemi.”

Maybe Cristobal Huet will get it together?

This is great. The main reason that the Philadelphia Flyers couldn’t conquer the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals was goal tending. Sure, the Blackhawks didn’t have great goal tending either (we aren’t huge Antti Niemi fans), but they had enough firepower elsewhere to take the Fly Guys down in six games.

Well, maybe both of these teams would be interested in this cat. And when we say cat, we mean cat.

Yep, it’s a hockey-playing feline, and we are grateful to whoever recorded this and put it on YouTube. This cat can make all the tough saves. We guess the big question with the kitty is whether he’s able to hold up to the pressure of the playoffs. Still, he’s probably worth working out.

Yes, we all know by now that the Chicago Blackhawks are the 2010 Stanley Cup champions of the NHL. And there are tons of people in the Chi-town area (and those not in the area who just like to jump on bandwagons. Those folks are also huuuuuge Los Angeles Lakers fans and think that Drew Brees is so the best QB of all time) who are celebrating in many different ways.

The John Hancock Observatory, one of the nicest tourist stops in the entire city (the architectural tour is our personal favorite, but we’re just sayin’), is celebrating by adding a brand-new cocktail to their bar menu. No, it’s not like they decided it was high time that a Mint Julip was available, they actually brought in their own specialist to make something completely new and exclusive.

“We’re all Blackhawks fans here at John Hancock. What better way to celebrate the team’s momentous achievement than to dedicate our latest spirit creation to the Hawks. Join us a thousand feet up this Fourth of July holiday weekend and toast the Stanley Cup Champions,” said general manager Daniel Thomas.

Well, we didn’t make it for 4th of July, but the drink is still there. The cocktail, made by Bridget Albert (we want her job so bad), consists of Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, fresh lemon sour, ginger and blackberries.

“I was inspired by the fresh and lively spirit of our beloved Chicago Blackhawks, and I wanted to make a cocktail that would complement the exuberance of the fans and help Chicago celebrate the Stanley Cup,” said Albert.

Photo Caption: After seven of these, we’ll like whatever damn hockey team you tell us to like.

But here is the cool part: They want you to name the drink. We think the contest is going on for the month of July and you can have a chance to name the drink. Go to their Facebook page to “Like” them and then you can enter to name the drink. You can also contact them on Twitter, which you can find by doing a search for them on Twitter because we just aren’t here to hold your hand all the time.

Check out their website for more info on the John Hancock Observatory.

While Dustin Byfuglien didn’t do much against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Final, he did help the Chicago Blackhawks tremendously in their journey to that point. And yesterday, they rewarded him by trading him to the Atlanta Thrashers, along with Brent Sopel and a bunch of others.

They sent Byfuglien, center Ben Eager, defenseman Brent Sopel and prospect Akim Aliu, a second-round pick in 2007, to Atlanta for the first-round pick (No. 24) Atlanta acquired from New Jersey in the Ilya Kovalchuk trade, a second-round pick (No. 54) that also came from New Jersey, prospect Jeremy Morin, veteran forward Marty Reasoner and winger Joseph Crabb,

Got all that?

“He’s a special player,” Hawks GM Stan Bowman said of Byfuglien. “There’s a few different ways you can make up for the loss of him. He’s a great player and we’re certainly going to miss him. I don’t think there’s one guy who can replicate what Buff did.”

The Blackhawks simply had too much salary and everyone knew they had to make a move to get some breathing room. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews were clearly safe, no one was worried about them. But Byfuglien was expendable and had some trade value. Not like that idiot Adam Burish.

Byfuglien seems to be taking it all in stride.

“It is what it is,” Byfuglien said on ESPN 1000 in Chicago. “It’s part of the job. You’re not going to stick in one spot the whole time, so I’ve got to go.”

“What we saw in the playoffs is the Dustin Byfuglien I imagined and who could become one of the league’s elite power forwards,” Thrashers GM Rick Dudley said. “He has soft hands and he is as big a player as there is in the NHL. That combination is attractive.”

The Chicago Blackhawks are celebrating a Stanley Cup championship right now and deservedly so. They mopped up the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Finals and then held off a gritty Philadelphia Flyers team to close the deal.

Here’s the problem though. They have a lot of salary on the team and most likely can’t keep everyone together. With the the draft just a couple weeks away, it’s a tradin’ time in the ol’ NHL (we don’t know why we just wrote that like that).

So who is on the block?

“It’s going to be a tough couple weeks if players do leave,” Patrick Sharp said. “We’ve just got to enjoy right now and celebrate as much as we can.”

Funny he should say that, because he’s likely to be one of the guys available in a trade. He has two years remaining on his deal with a cap hit of $3.9 million. He’d be a hell of a deal, especially at 28-years old.

“Sharp is a guy any team would love to have,” a league executive told the Daily Herald. “He might not be an elite player, but he’s just a notch below. There are no flaws in his game.”

Sharp is a phenomenal two-way player and he’s well aware that some other team might like to have him.

“I heard all those rumors since the start of last season and took it upon myself to block them out of my mind and not read too much into it,” Sharp said. “I like to think I have a good relationship with Stan and Joel (Quenneville), and whatever happens is going to happen. I can’t make the decision on that.”

Other players who might draw some interest are Kris Versteeg, Dustin Byfuglien and Brian Campbell. Certainly not Adam Burish, however. He’s just a mouth who can’t even get on the ice. Nice to know he has time to bash one of the game’s best though.

But anyway, this much is clear: GM Stan Bowman’s phone will be ringing quite a bit in the next couple weeks. That is, if it’s not already.

Chris Pronger is apparently not very popular around the NHL. We never knew Pronger to be a dirty player, but for whatever reason, opposing players hate him. Especially the Chicago Blackhawks.

Adam Burish gave a post-game interview right after the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup on the Flyers’ home ice and he was asked about Pronger. They just won the Cup so you can imagine that the took the high road and gave him credit for being such a tough competitor.

Yeah, well, he didn’t. Check this out. He refers to Pronger as “the biggest idiot in the league” and says he’d like to punch him again. That’s all well and good, but does anyone remember even hearing Adam Burish’s name called during the Stanley Cup? Of all the players on the Hawks to chirp about Pronger….Burish? It would just have more weight if it came from Jonathan Toews.

The Chicago Blackhawks are a relatively young team. As such, they probably do stupid, immature things like…say….oh I don’t know…..beat up cab drivers?

It was very clear for most of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers that defenseman Chris Pronger was going to be a problem for the Hawks. Despite a dip in play towards the end of the series, Pronger fomented the Blackhawks top line and forced them to split up their lines in order to counteract #20.

The Chicago Tribune reacted in a mature fashion by Photoshopping a picture of Pronger to look like he had a figure skating skirt on. That’s pretty much what you’d expect from a major newspaper, right?

So here we have this photo showing that the Blackhawks themselves don’t have a ton of respect for Pronger. We don’t get it. How can one group of NHL players not just respect Pronger for what he is? He’s a phenomenal player that absolutely dominated in the playoffs. Shouldn’t there be a respect there?

We guess not. Someone thought it was appropriate to add “is gay” to Pronger’s lineup board thing. See above.

The Chicago Blackhawks ended a 49-year Stanley Cup drought in Philadelphia Wednesday night as they downed the Flyers 4-3 in overtime. Congratulations to the Blackhawks, they earned it.

The Blackhawks eased their way into the Stanley Cup Finals for the most part. They stomped on team after team until they finally did the “hot knife through butter” act on the San Jose Sharks.

But they Flyers wouldn’t go so easily. They went goal for goal with the Blackhawks, but in the end, Chicago had too much. Too much Kane, too much Toews, too much Keith and maybe even too much Niemi (although we don’t think he’s very good).

The frustrating part for Flyers fans had to be the way it ended. Yet another softy went past Michael Leighton and the puck got lost in the net and no one knew what happened. Patrick Kane was the only person that knew for sure that his shot slipped through, and he started the celebration.

So congrats to the Blackhawks from OTR! You earned it.

The Philadelphia Flyers got stomped like a narc at a biker rally Sunday night against the Chicago Blackhawks and face a 3-2 deficit in the Stanley Cup Finals. The series comes back to Philadelphia Wednesday night as the Flyers look to take it to Game 7.

But the bigger question is, what in the hell are those Flyers fans chanting when they score a goal at home?

That’s what OTR is here for. It’s a song called “Bro Hymn” by Pennywise. We don’t know what the Flyers pay Pennywise for the rights to use it, but it’s not enough. This is about 50x better than that stupid Amstel Light commercial song that the Blackhawks use in Chi-town.

So sing along…..and Get! Flyer’ed! Up!

The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that Michael Leighton will start Game 6 in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks.

“Leighton will start Game 6,” the Flyers tweeted.

Leighton has been the starter ever since Brian Boucher went down during the Boston Bruins series. His numbers are filthy, but he is very scary to watch. OTR doesn’t understand this. We know he was your guy for a while, but Boucher is clearly doing the better job.

Yes, Leighton has made some incredible saves, but the easy ones are killers. He needs to close his damn five hole and recover quicker after making the initial save.

We think he’s on a very tight leash for Game 6. Still….Two Teams, One Cup.

Philadelphia Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette had a short answer this morning when he was asked about his starting goaltender for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks.

“I don’t comment on lineups,” Laviolette said.

Laviolette said that he’s already made up his mind who his starter will be for Game 6 Wednesday night, but that he hasn’t told the goalie yet. He was asked if he thinks more about the team or the goalie in this type of situation.

“Both,” he said. “Whatever is best for the team and whatever is going to give us the best chance to win one hockey game.”

We don’t really get Leighton. On one hand, his numbers are staggering in these playoffs and are damn near impossible to argue with. On the other hand, watch him play. His five hole is the size of the Courtney Love’s vagina, he gives up soft goals and his defense has been tremendous at blocking shots and keeping rebounds clean.

Brian Boucher may not be Patrick Roy in his prime, but he was clearly the more sound goaltender during Sunday night’s loss in Game 5. OTR likes that Boucher plays more under control than Leighton. He can make a save and stay in position (for the most part) to make another save if he has to. Leighton can make the first save, but there are serious problems if his defense doesn’t clear the rebound. One save and then he’s out of position.

To be honest, we don’t know that either of these guys are Stanley Cup goalies (they aren’t, but Trent Dilfer and Mark Rypien aren’t Super Bowl QB’s either). But it is what it is. These are the guys they have and they’ll have to try to win with them.

If you read the Chicago newspapers without knowing what’s happening in the Stanley Cup Finals between the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers, you’d think that the Blackhawks were down three games to none and would be forced to play the rest of the series without a goalie.

Words like “desperation” and “urgency” aren’t tough to find in relation to the Blackhawks. Folks, it’s 2-2 for god’s sake.

The Hawks took the first two games in Chicago and the Flyers held serve in Philadelphia. They say that a series doesn’t start until someone loses at home, and so far, this series hasn’t even started.

With many in the media throwing the pressure onto the Blackhawks, Patrick Kane reminds everyone that there is just as much pressure on the Flyers to perform Sunday night in Game 5.

Kane acknowledged that the Hawks are up against it a bit, but added “(the Flyers) probably think they have pressure on them too. You look at the situation we’re in, it’s 2-2, Game 5 and you’re battling for a Stanley Cup here and the lead in the series. This game is probably the most important game. We win this one we get two chances to win the Stanley Cup in Games 6 and 7. Yes, there’s pressure on us but at this stage I think there’s pressure on everyone.

“(Game 5) is a huge game–biggest one of the season for us and for them,” Kane added after this morning’s skate. “It’s a game everyone will be watching and a game you should be pretty excited about.”

The Chicago Blackhawks have some super studs up on their front line, but so far in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers, the group has been relatively quiet. The top line of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Dustin Byfuglien had been a powerhouse entering the Finals, but the big, physical Flyers defense has posed some problems.

Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville shuffled his lines in the third period of Game 4 and had some success. He says that the shakeup was “a little bit more effective.”

Down 4-1, the Blackhawks were able to get a little bit more done offensively and fired in two quick ones to get the score to 4-3. That was until Jeff Carter took it upon himself to steal a puck and put home an empty-netter for the 5-3 win.

Still, the Blackhawks are encouraged by the changes and momentum of that third period.

“We sent a lot of pucks on net, we won a lot more battles,” former Flyers forward Patrick Sharp said. “That sense of urgency has been building throughout the season and especially in the playoffs. Right now it never has been higher. We have to start that first shift (Sunday) like we finished the third period.”

As for Byfuglien, who we think every Flyers fan must thoroughly hate right now, he entered this series with eight playoff goals. It seems like the Flyers defensemen (particularly Chris Pronger) have been able to stifle him and get him to take some stupid penalties.

Pronger was asked if he took any satisfaction in knowing that they were shuffling their lines because of him.

“I don’t necessarily think it’s that. If you go back and look, our forwards have done a great job,” he said, deflecting any credit. “You look at the line that’s scoring against them, it’s the (Danny) Briere line. They’ve done a great job of making them play defense. Which, obviously, they don’t want to do. They want to play offense. They want to have the puck. They want to control the pace of the game, control the game that way.”

As for Kane, the young budding superstar would like to remind himself of just how great he can be by thinking back to his performance in this year’s Olympics.

“I think that’s something you can look back on,” Kane said. “That was another high level where maybe at the time you are trying to do too much and trying to prove too much. But I think as time went on, I think you get a little more comfortable with the situation, the big stage.”

Puck drops at 8 PM Sunday night. Even if you don’t like ice hockey, this series has been a scorcher.

Many Philadelphia Flyers fans are excited about the play of Michael Leighton in net. Yes, he’s been pretty good, especially when you consider what would be expected out of a guy who was out of the NHL to start the year.

But has he really been that good? Or could he be benefitting from a tough defense led by Chris Pronger?

When Pronger was traded to the Oilers, they made a Cinderella run through the playoffs and all the way to the cup finals against Carolina behind goaltender Roloson. In game 1…Roloson was knocked out with an MCL injury and in came backup Jussi Markkanen. Markkanen posted a 2.17 GAA and pushed the series to seven games. Not bad for a backup goalie? Problem is, he didn’t stay in the NHL long and signed with Jokerit a year and a half later. So was it that he was a good goalie? Or did he have a hell of a defensemen in front of him like Pronger?

In 2007, Pronger was traded to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. The Ducks get to the Cup finals and face off against the Ottawa Senators. In the series, Jean-Sebastien Giguerre posts a 1.97 GAA and wins the Con Smyth Finals MVP award. Immediately following that “amazingly great goaltending” he signs a four-year deal. In the first year of that deal he goes 17-31-6. Where is he playing now? Toronto? He is still in the league, but is he as great as we all thought after that series? Or did he have a hell of a defenseman in front of him like Pronger?

In 2010, the Flyers acquire Pronger. Cinderella run into the Cup finals seeing the starting goaltender, Boucher, go down. Enter Michael Leighton who has played very well. But I caution you to honestly ask this question: Is he a great goaltender who is posting shutouts while standing on his head? Or does he have a hell of a defenseman in front of him like Pronger?

It’s easy to look at goalie stats and attribute them to high-end play, but sometimes (and most likely this time) it has way more to do with who is playing in front of you. Pronger should get a percentage of all these new goalie contracts.

Ok, this is great. Thanks to Fooks for tipping us off on this one. We admit that we are in the tank for the Philadelphia Flyers, but this is hysterical.

In Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals Monday night, the Philadelphia Flyers lost 2-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks to go down two games to none.

In the process, Dan Carcillo popped his own teammate. He nailed Jeff Carter in what can only be considered an accident.

Ever see those “History will be made” NHL commercials? This is probably made by a Blackhawks fan and we applaud them. Carcillo has been a healthy scratch since Carter came back, but was finally activated due to ineffective play by several Flyers.

His reward? This.

We post this knowing full well that it’s a pretty awful song. This dude sHERBS (it’s either him or his group, but we don’t really care) made a rap song about the Philadelphia Flyers.

We would suspect that you’d have to be a pretty hardcore fan (and deaf) to really appreciate this song that we think is officially titled “Briere, Betts and Pronger.”

We don’t have anything against white people rapping, some are pretty good at it. We just don’t think this dude is one of them. But it’s sports related and falls into the category of Two Teams, One Cup. This song is definitely in the cup and the Flyers are probably hoping that the Chicago Blackhawks will spread it all over their chests and drink it.

The Philadelphia Flyers are into the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1997, when they were lambasted by the Detroit Red Wings. Mike Richards is part of the reason they have made it this far and are squaring off with the Chicago Blackhawks.

We admit, we love these “History Will Be Made” NHL videos. Well, Perry does especially.

So, we thought we’d post this to get Flyers fans into the rock’n'roll spirit of the Stanley Cup. Is there a rock’n'roll spirit to the Cup? Did we just make that up?

Anyway, here you go, Mike Richards’ brilliant goal to even Game 5 at one apiece on Monday night. One of the great hustle plays.

We are down to Two Teams, One Cup!

The Philadelphia Flyers took down the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night for the fourth time in the series. By NHL rules, that means that they won the series and will advance to the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1997, when they had their lunch eaten by the Detroit Red Wings.

The Chicago Blackhawks were already in the winner’s circle after they swept the lifeless San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Finals. So now, we are down to just two teams who will vie for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

It’s official: Two Teams, One Cup.

It seems that someone else has already done a version of this marketing slogan, but we will not be deterred. We’d show you what it was, but it has been deemed legally obscene in the United States. Oh well.

So we look forward to Saturday as we’ll roll out our Two Teams, One Cup series, where OTR will follow the Stanley Cup race. Good luck to the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Chicago Blackhawks can blow us.

The Chicago Blackhawks have named Antti Niemi as their starting goalie for Tuesday night’s showdown with the Dallas Stars. Niemi had 34 saves on Saturday to help the ‘Hawks break a three-game losing streak and beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1. The last time Niemi started back to back games? He got pulled in the first period after giving up three goals.

“I just have to make sure it [getting pulled] doesn’t happen again,” Niemi said after Monday’s practice.

Cristobal Huet was in goal as the team lost three in a row, but he says he understands the decision to go with Niemi.

Photo Caption: Niemi does his Ray LeBlanc impression.

“The end result the last three games [wasn't good],” Huet said. “I can only blame myself for not getting the job done. I didn’t get any bounces, but I felt pretty good those games to give the team a chance but it didn’t happen.”