Brassard told Newsday that the team’s fans pushed him to do it.

“The crowd was chanting to shoot the puck,” Brassard said. “I didn’t see myself giving a pass to one of my teammates there. I think I had to shoot it.”

Brassard and goalie Henrik Lundqvist’s 29-stop performance helped the Rangers force a deciding Game 7 over the Washington Capitals.

Washington pulled their goalie in the final minute of the game to add an extra attacker.

The Capitals then went into an offensive hyper drive in which they launched a slew of shots at Lundqvist as the clock winded down.

Lundqvist  stood tall and Monday’s Game 7 will decide the winner of this Eastern Conference series in Washington.

Video: Derick Brassard scores Game 6′s only goal

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Just when it appeared as if it was all but certain that the current campaign was a wrap, the NHL and their players found common ground early Sunday morning.

The details are still presenting themselves.

And there are contractual language issues to be sorted out, but the worst is over.

We still have a lot of work to do,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told ESPN, “but it’s good to be at this point.”

The suits are not the only ones to breathe a sigh of relief.

“I am happy deal has been reached and excited to get back to playing hockey,” Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby said.

“You knew you were in that position, and I think as a union we got the best deal we could possibly get, and you’re happy,” Phoenix Coyotes forward Shane Doan said. “You’re just excited to play hockey again and do what you really enjoy and have a passion for.”

The details that were leaked in the report point out to a mutually conciliatory agreement.

Based on the major issues that were being fought over, its seems that both sides caved and held strong on certain points.

The players were not successful in moving the date of free agency.

Yet they did make headway in other areas as noted below.

What is on the table is a 10-year deal with an opt-out provision after eight years  for either the league or the players.

Contract term limits were also placed in to deal.

Other sticky issues regarding the salary cap were addressed.

The first year the cap will sit at $6o million. Clubs can spend up to $70 million during the transition period. The floor is $44 million.

The 2013-14 numbers are $64.3 million with the same $44 million floor as season one.

Player salaries will be capped at a 35 percent variance from year-to-year.  The only hitch is that the last contractual year cannot be more than 50 percent of the highest salaried year.

The NHLPA will set up a $60 million dollar growth fund that will be derived from $200 million dollars of revenue sharing.

The major events now center around Tuesday which is when the board of govenors and the NHLPA could both ratify this deal and bring it home.

Keep your fingers crossed as the NHL lockout has been as bitter as any that we have ever seen.

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There is one name, however, that won’t be inscribed, but definitely remembered, for his part in helping the Kings win its first Stanley Cup.

That name is Steve Bernier.

The Devils fourth-liner, whose formula for success consisted of hard-nosed play and sacrificing his body, only did what he’d been trained to do.

New Jersey’s aggressive forecheck was one of the main reasons for the Devils success this postseason, but 10:50 into game 6, Bernier’s execution of their signature strategy landed him a five-minute major, spurring the Los Angeles Kings three-goal outburst that lead to the Stanley Cup being let out of its box for a home-ice celebration.

To be clear, Bernier didn’t lose the Devils the Stanley Cup.

The Devils were in the middle of digging themselves out of a three-game hole, a hole Bernier didn’t single-handedly place them in.

Bernier isn’t even entirely to blame for costing the Devils the game.

New Jersey had a formidable penalty kill, boasting a 89.6 kill rate in the regular season, but somehow collapsed under the pressure of the five-minute major.

Martin Brodeur, who had been the catalyst to the Devils attempted comeback, let three past him in those five minutes; something he hadn’t done in a playoff game in 14 years.

Really, it wasn’t even the penalty that cost the game — the Kings won the game and the series.

In a series that was defined by missed chances, the Kings finally found a way to answer when opportunity knocked and put away the Devils for good.

A few tweaks to a formerly anemic power play, consisting of pulling the umbrella higher and running regular line combos rather than using a forward on the point, proved to be too much for the Devils.

Add in the play of a struggling Dustin Brown, who had sat the last four minutes of game five, coming back to life back in game six.

After having the proverbial fire lit under his ass, the King’s captain exploded for three critical points (1 g, 2a) in his Cup clenching performance.

Finally, consider the Kings ability to keep their foot on the pedal. They didn’t sit back on their heels after securing one of the most dangerous leads in hockey, instead they kept the tempo high, motivated by the knowledge a period doesn’t win a game. Or a Cup.

No, if anyone should be held accountable for the five goal outburst (plus empty-netter) that cost the Devils the Cup, it’s not Bernier, it’s the strategy implemented by Kings head coach Darryl Sutter.

But the reality still remains that Bernier will be play the part of the scapegoat, his reputation forever coupled with the Devils’ 2012 demise.

The scapegoat title is sadly the natural order of things in today’s sports culture – What’s a hero without a villain? But my intention to defend his bearing of the whole blame is not to be confused with relieving him of any of the blame for the penalty he deservedly received.

The referee’s decision to call a boarding major on Bernier is something that will be a hot topic of discussion, mostly due to the impact of said call. But, realistically, it was the only call that could be made despite all the noise that argues otherwise.

The post Did Steve Bernier hand the Stanley Cup to the Kings? appeared first on Players View.

Quick, like many of the top goaltenders in the game today, is what the announcers like to overgeneralize as a “butterfly goaltender.” But, consider for a moment that this technique was invented by Glenn “Mr. Goalie” Hall back in the ‘50s, so imagine the various adaptations to this style that have materialized since his reign into the ‘70s—particularly ones that are immune to flying Bruins wearing the number 4.

Quick has tailored his unique style of butterfly in a way that runs counter to popular goaltending trends. In what some goaltending purists may deem as “unorthodox,” Quick’s confidence in his ability to play aggressively and rely on reflexes, grounded firmly in a butterfly base, resembles that of the netminder standing roughly 180 feet directly in front of him.

The Devils’ 40-year-old phenom, Martin Brodeur, is the pepper to Quick’s salt. The overplayed media angle on the age difference between the future Hall Of Famer and the young up-and-comer doesn’t really do much justice to explain how two goalies with fairly similar styles are in such different current circumstances.

Even though L.A. leads the Stanley Cup Playoffs Finals 3-0, the first two over-time games were each one stolen chance away from New Jersey heading to Hollywood with a two game lead. Even game 3 was heart-stoppingly close through the first two periods, and despite a deceivingly unbalanced 4-0 score, it was much closer in terms of scoring chances.

On the first two goals the Kings got past Devils netminder, it could be said that Brodeur didn’t really even have a chance. He can’t be expected to stop a player standing unattended, swiping at the puck for the 4^th time before finally netting it. The second goal was even less his fault.

A textbook scoring triangle by the Kings entering the zone ended in a tic-tac-toe passing highlight reel that beat Brodeur off the far post on Dustin Brown’s perfect lead pass to the hot-handed Anze Kopitar streaking past the Devils defender.

But even though Brodeur “didn’t have a chance,” the same could be said for Quick on many accounts, but somehow he keeps coming up with the saves. When Ryan Carter found himself alone, off the post with the puck on his stick and Quick looking in the opposite direction for the puck, his gimme goal was inexplicably denied by Quick’s blocker.

In that moment, two things became crystal clear: One, the Kings are taking the cup, and two, Jonathan Quick isn’t human.

The post The championship flurry of the King’s Jonathan Quick. appeared first on Players View.

Rarely could two teams look so similar, from the aggressive style of play to the ridiculously strong goaltending— both teams are even captained by Americans, ensuring that only for the second time ever will a U.S. born player be the first to hoist the cup.

While these two franchises might not have the history of bad blood like some matchups, there has always got to be a starting point, right?

It is all but guaranteed that this will be a hard-hitting, shot-blocking, low-scoring series; basically a hockey fan’s dream, as well as the reason the sport almost died in 2004.

Despite the fact LA and New Jersey were the 3^rd and 4^th highest scoring teams in post-season play, don’t hold your breath for the puck to be dropped at center—you’ll need all the air you can get to survive watching the back-and-forth battle that I predict will go the full seven.

Ah, but who will take it in seven? Rather than slip in my prediction at the end, I will state my position and defend it. Most predict the series to end in six, but these teams are too closely matched (and too well rested) to leave anything on the ice.

I think there could be no better ending for the record setting 8-straight road winning team than drinking from the Cup on enemy territory.

Hollywood is no stranger to the tale of the underdog, and this script has the 8^th seeded Kings defeating the hockey giant Devils all over it.

How will they do it? What must the Kings be wary of in their quest for the Holy Grail of hockey?

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Torts

The play in question was a penalty shot award to the Flyers with a mere 19 seconds left in the game, with the home team down by one goal, and the potential for overtime lingering. Torts loosely implied that were was some conspiracy to send the game into the extra session in order to boost TV ratings. Naturally the NHL office wasn’t thrilled about this and the Rangers coach was on the receiving end of a punishment.

It makes me curious to see why the league would fine the Rangers coach so much, especially in light of it’s fantastic HBO 24/7 series that leads up to the Winter Classic. Perhaps one of the most understated buildups to league’s annual showcase (more so than the All-Star game, but less than the playoffs) is the incredible access and the excellent editing the show provides for the casual fan. Being that I haven’t paid too much attention to hockey since the cancellation of the 2004-2005 season (outside of the playoffs of course), this gave some amazing insight to what goes on behind the scenes and what players do in their spare time. Much of the program was raw, uncensored, yet fulfilling. Where else could see what concussion treatment looks like, and then watch players spend time doing community service and at home with their families?\

The NHL has done a terrific job of rebuilding its image in wake of the 2004-05 debacle. 24/7 has proven as such. But there were MUCH worse things said and done behind the scenes on that show than what Tortorella is getting fined for. Yes, a majority of the country does not subscribe to HBO and don’t have the pleasure of watching what could be called hockey porn, but that doesn’t mean that what was said on there was any worse than what the coach said in public. The fine undermined what was a terrific game between two rivals in the hotly contested Atlantic Division and took the focus away from the two teams and put it on the coach who in all honesty, was probably telling the truth. I mean who wouldn’t the NHL’s signature contest to go into overtime and build more hype around an already terrific season? Makes sense, all too much actually, so don’t mar the event based on some element of conspiracy that has even the most minuet element of truth.

The fan based brawl that took place during the Winter Classic is below.

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That how is not a signal to marvel at his four point (two goals, two assists) contribution to the November 21st game against the New York Islanders either.

That how is the pace at which Crosby returned to the ice. There was not one ounce of rust in his game that much we saw. He skated with the power and the shiftiness that earned him the title of “the next great one.”

He provided a clear direction for his teammates during his playing time both in his cues and in his performance.
The Stanley Cup winner put on a clinic in the one game where had had every reason to be hesitant as he dipped his toes back into the water for the first time since January.

Instead, he treated his re-entry with the respect that it deserved. He gave the fans the triumph that they came to see and he gave sports fans as a whole something to talk about for some time to come.

It’s rare that these moments of magic happen. But when they do, make a mental footnote of it, so you can share the story with your grandkids.

With 61 games left on the Penguins schedule, sit back and watch the fireworks. Sidney Crosby has just made his intentions known.

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