In The Crease

Emotions lost in the new NHL economics

As new Islander Ryan Smyth took the ice tonight, I didn't feel the urge to join the ovation at Nassau Coliseum. I didn't feel that bad for Smyth, either, who cried his way out of Edmonton yesterday. Lost in the equation were the Edmonton fans. These were the fans who watched their eighth-seed team get all the way to the Finals last season only to lose Dwayne Roloson to injury in Game One, rally from a 3-1 series deficit, and fall short in Game Seven. Follow that up by losing both Micheal Peca and Chris Pronger (and a few more for good measure) in the offseason, and then topped by a shocking deadline deal that sent Oiler-lifer Smyth east. ESPN's Damien Cox writes about Edmonton's plight:

"They believed somehow it was the inalienable right of every one of the 30 franchises to identify one or more key players and then be able to retain the services of those players. In Edmonton, they really believed that. So they supported the owners' lockout of the NHL Players' Association and even gave NHL commissioner Gary Bettman an ovation when he came to town. ...

So all the promises of the "new economic order" captivated the imagination of Edmonton fans, maybe more than fans anywhere else. It would be an even playing field again. The big, dirty cities like New York and Philadelphia and Toronto wouldn't be able to steal all the good Oilers players away, and the self-proclaimed "City of Champions" would be great again."

As a Sabres fan, I can vouch that I felt the cap would bring this too. And so far, it's been great for Buffalo, except that it might prevent them from keeping both Chris Drury and Daniel Briere around after this season.

But Smyth's situation reminds me more of a former Sabres' contract fight -- Michael Peca. Well, pretty much every sob-story-negotiation does. But the facts are similar in this case. Agent Don Meehan represent the player. (I swear he drives evil in to them...) The team and the player are within $100,000s of each other. Both sides are stuck in concrete, not willing to budge. The city is head-over-heels in love with the guy, as he is the heart of the team. And in the end, the fans end up losing. Big time.

I was moved by Smyth's statement as he departed Edmonton. The tears, the emotions... they seemed genuine. But what I don't get -- in both Peca and Smyth's case -- is why it came to this. Why couldn't either of them take a slight hometown discount? Why did negotiations escalate to the point where both sides were completely irrational and unreasonable? Chalk it up to good old human nature. With both sides so entangled in their positions, they completely forgot about the problem and therefore couldn't possibly find a resolution.

In professional sports, it's cold, hard economics that fans are forced to accept. But there's always the hope that the next heart-and-soul player is coming. Although the Peca debacle hurt for a long time, Tim Connolly turned out to be more than just a pretty face and a washed-up juniors star. And Daniel Briere was picked up for a song. It happens. And, if Smyth keeps his words, the Stanley Cup will come back to Edmonton, anyway:

"I want to thank them [the Islanders] for this. I'm going to go there and do my best to make the playoffs and win that cup so I can bring it down here to Edmonton because that's where my heart is."

All I ask is the same thing I asked six years ago -- if this is where your heart is, why leave?

Shine for me Stanley

So I've been MIA again for a while, but I'm back for some seventh game ramblings...

-I can't decide whether I'd be more surprised to see Carolina or Edmonton win the Stanley Cup. Carolina seems to be in a freefall after Game Six; they were not competitive in that game, not even its power play could find a goal (which is pretty surprising). I still look at the rosters and think that Carolina is more stacked with talent that Edmonton. But they didn't look like that team in the last two games. It's hard to believe in a team that has failed to win the Stanley Cup for two straight games.

But Edmonton would still be a surprise victor too. Jussi Markkanen has made you forget that playoff standout Dwayne Roloson went out with an injury in Game One. Chris Pronger hasn't dominated this series as he had others. Shawn Horcoff has had a quiet Finals. And don't forget, this is the EIGHTH seed we're talking about it here.

-Most people say that numbers mean nothing. But don't believe them for a second. If Edmonton hopes to win tonight, they would have to overcome these odds:
    -It would be the first time since the 1979 Baltimore Orioles that any team in the major sports has      come back from a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-seven series to win the championship.

    -The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs are the only other team in NHL history to come back from a 3-1         deficit to win the Stanley Cup.

    -Home teams are 11-2 in Game Seven of the Finals.

-Before the series, I said I wasn't sure who I would cheer for. But as the series wore on (a lot longer than early indications), I've found myself pulling for the Oilers. I think the trigger was the Roloson injury; without him, they seem so much more likable. And please, I'd take Craig MacTavish over Peter Laviolette any day of the week. MacT's expressions on the bench are priceless, and he almost seemed shocked when the Oilers won Game Six. Laviolette still rubs me the wrong way in his press conferences.

-Speaking of Laviolette... I think we should refer to him as the "master of bold moves" from now on. In the first round, he pulls Martin Gerber for Cam (who?) Ward, a 22-year-old who just happens to be the most level-headed person on the planet. Then, in the conference finals, Laviolette deserts his rookie wonder to go back to Gerber. Gerber nabs a shutout, but then gets pulled in the next game for allowing three goals on 11 shots. Ward lost Game Six on a weak goal by Daniel Briere, but Laviolette has since stuck with him.

Laviolette pulled another trick out of his bag in Game Six of the Finals, when Erik Cole suddenly appeared in the lineup after not playing since Mar. 4. He hadn't been taking contact in practice; he had a broken vertebrae in his neck for crying out loud. But there he was, inserted in the lineup for the injured Doug Weight. Cole wasn't bad, but he wasn't good either -- he was falling all over the ice and seemed to have trouble keeping speed (ooh shocker!). It'll be interesting to see how the move pans out in Game Seven.

-I'm conflicted about the chance of Michael Peca winning the Stanley Cup. He was my favorite player for the longest time, and I still admire his game. But the Buffalo break-up was so sour. And Edmonton isn't Buffalo; it seems wrong to see "our" captain win with another team.

Still, Peca holds a spot in Sabres history. He still spends time in Buffalo in the offseason. Remember his comments after Edmonton's controversial goal in Game Three of the Finals? When Ryan Smyth was bulldozing over Cam Ward en route to the winning goal?

"...the 1999 finals, when Peca played for Buffalo and wound up on the wrong side of Dallas' cup-winning goal. He said there's no comparison between that play and Smyth's goal in Game 3.

"Not even close," Peca said. "That was a goal that shouldn't have counted, and it cost us the Stanley Cup." '

That comment reminded me of Rhett Warrener's comment a couple of years back about still having nightmares about the play. And Peca has always embodied the "Buffalo" mentality:

"While you might say the Oilers are following the yellow brick road in their dreams of winning their first Stanley Cup since 1990, Peca discerns an even closer parallel to his hockey role in another movie. It's one of Sylvester Stallone's less memorable films -- Over the Top.

"I identify with the character he plays in that movie the most because he's a small guy who arm-wrestles this giant guy who has never been beaten and wins..." ' (NHL.com)

-One reason to root against Carolina, courtesy of WGR's Jeremy White: save yourself the pain of seeing Rod Brind'amour's face on a magazine cover.

-One reason to cheer for Edmonton: Fernando Pisani. We're all cousins of Little Italy's favorite son. Listen to the "Fernando" song at Edmonton's Team 1260 website.

Playoff predictions: Finals

"No one remembers who came in second. There is no immortality for second best."

Yes, the "My Stanley Cup" commercials are really lame. But hey, the Lance Armstrong-imposed quote is dead on for the Final round. Neither of these teams were meant to be here. Both were picked to struggle to make the playoffs -- and the Edmonton Oilers did. Both cities should find the berth a well-deserved blessing. And whoever wins gets immortality, while the loser... is the loser.

I haven't decided who I'm going to root for yet. Let's be honest -- it's not like I can cheer for the team that beat my favorite team. And Edmonton? If you subtract Michael Peca, Chris Pronger and Dwayne Roloson, I'd love them to death. But those are arguably the three most valuable Oilers in this playoff run. And the pick...

(2) CAROLINA Hurricanes vs. (8) EDMONTON Oilers
Series Breakdown
Carolina (112 pts, 52-22-8), Edmonton (91 pts, 41-28-13)
Season series: Didn't face each other (ugh!)

Before I get on a rant on how every team should play each team in the league at least once, I'm just going to get to it: I'm picking Edmonton to win this thing. Edmonton's goaltending is better. Eric Staal, by far the best forward left in the playoffs, was running out of gas at the end of the Buffalo series. And even if he suddenly reemerges, Chris Pronger and Michael Peca are there. It's not that I don't give Carolina enough credit -- they are a great team, from top to bottom. But Craig MacTavish is bringing the Cup back to Edmonton.

Pick: Edmonton in 6