Playoffs Round 1

Enforcers vs. USSR (4-2)
The Soviets run ended in the first round after they fought back into the playoffs, but just couldn't match the offense of the Enforcers.  The USSR, as predicted managed to win the goalie categories over the enforcers with only 2 goalie wins and a .940 SV%.  This wasn't hard considering the Enforcers goalies were Mike Smith and Kuemper from Minnesota.  Where the Enforcers won this game was on offense with the skaters beating the USSR by 5 in both goals and assists and 6 PIM.  Gabriel Landeskog was the Number One Star of the game.  He had 3 goals, 2 assists, +3 and 2 PIM.  But he wasn't the only one to tally 3 goals.  Zach Parise and Shea Weber both had 3 goals.  Iginla played a feisty game leading all players with 7 PIM including a fight.  The Soviets just couldn't keep up with the Enforcers skaters as they had only one player to score 2 goals and only one with more than 1 assists.  Enforcers move on to face the 2nd seed Assassins.

Landeskog earned Number One Star honors

Fluffy Bunnies vs. SLVB (4-2)
The difference in this game again was the goalies.  But it wasn't like the Killer Smurfs laid down in net with Ben Bishop's 2 wins and .915 SV%, however the Bunnies, fielding two of the NHL's best goalies didn't disappoint.  Carey Price had 3 wins while Rask had 2 including a shut out.  They combined for an impressive .953 SV%.  This pair could lead the Bunnies right to the Cup.  The Bunnies finished up SLVB by beating them in assists by 5 and PIM by 10 minutes lead by Joe Thorton and 6 minutes by Gudas.  The Killer smurfs wasted some great performances in the loss.  T.J. Oshie had 4 goals, 2 assists, and a +4, while Alex Steen had 3 goals, 3 assists and a +6.  The Bunnies make it to the semifinals and face a tough task ahead; the Number one seed Checkers

Rask leads the lead in shutouts

Playoffs Round 2 Semifinal Preview:

Cherry's Checkers vs. Fluffy Bunnies
This game should be a good one and will come down to who can get that extra category as I see the Bunnies winning both goalie categories with Rask and Price vs. Hiller and Crawford.  The Checkers will need to do a lot of scoring and they have the players to do so. Kopitar the Zombie and Stamkos anchor the center.  It will really comes down to the Kings as along with Kopitar, the Checkers have Jeff Carter, Drew Doughty and Slava Voynov, all will need to all come through to help the Checkers quest for a 3rd Cup.  The Bunnies have some fire power of their own, in Seguin, Flippula, and Kunitz who all have been hot lately.

Stamkos will need to be on his game for the Checkers

Outlook:  The Kings play 4 times this week.  This could be good for the Checkers.  Bunnies will get 2 wins with their net minders.  That might be enough as the Checker reign comes to an end.  No last game heroics this time.  Bunnies upset the Checkers.  (Now there is always that thing called Checkers Luck that might prevail and somehow they get the win...).

Fluffy Bunnies Ice Girls

The Enforcers vs. Alex's Assassins
It will be Getzlaf for the Enforcers vs. Corey Perry for the Assassins.  Both play on the same line so should be exciting when the Ducks go down ice for a score.  For the Assassins, David Backes is solid at center and has been playing well lately.  Hossa is strong on the wing and "Side Show Bob" Hartnell is always good for some PIM.  Oh and the Assassins also have on the ice one of the biggest Delta Bravos to put on a pair of skates, P.K. Subban.  Might have to give the Assassins the edge in PIM.  Enforcers have some injury concerns with Toews who is listed at day-to-day.  But key to their win will be if Iginla continues his hot streak, he has 30 goals on the season.  The Enforcers also have an impressive blue line with Boumeester (32 assists), Shea Weber (21 goals, 29 assists), Alec Martinez (10 goals), and Jake Gardiner (10 goals).

Getzlaf and Perry square off in the playoffs

Outlook:  With Varlamov and Fluery will be solid in net for the Assassins giving them the goalie wins.  PIM might be where this game is won and the advantage is to the Assassins.  If they can manage to win the +/-, because I see the Enforcers likely winning the goals and assists, the Assassins should get the win.

 

Final Week and Playoff Preview

The playoffs are upon us and the third season is behind us.  Here is a recap of last week's action and a look at the upcoming playoffs

USSR vs. Goon Crew (3-2-1)
In the biggest game of the week, the USSR needed some wins to capture the last playoff spot.  The Crew were just playing for pride.  The Crew controlled most of the game until the final day, starting out with 15 PIM from Blake Wheeler.  The Soviets got their top performance from an unlikely place, at the blue line with Mark Giordano who had 1 goal, 3 assists and a +3.  The other unlikely hero of this game was goalie Chad Johnson, who usually is only a back up, racked up 2 wins and a .964 SV%.  The win propelled the USSR into the playoffs in the final spot.

Johnson coming up big

Nyquist earned MVP of the week honors

Around the league...Assassins tuned it up for the playoffs tying the Krampus Carols 3-3.  Assassins had two players score 3 goals each, Hartnell and Backes, while Matt Moulson "ice"  tallied 3 goasl, 3 assists for Krampus.  Goalies forgot to play in this game...Bunnies finally get back on the winning track beating the AshBusters 3-2 behind Flippula's 3 goals, 2 assists and 2 PIM.  AshBusters finished the season strong in net getting 6 wins between Lundqvist and Howard....The Enforcers knocked out the Mayhem from the playoffs.   Iginla for the Enforcers had 5 goals on the week while Getzlaf had 5 assists....Checkers were on auto pilot tying Who Gives a Puck 3-3.  The scariest part of this game?  As if the Checker's weren't good enough, Stamkos is back and scored 5 goals 2 assists, +2 and 2 PIM against Who Gives a Puck. Nyquist however out did him, scoring 6 goals, 1 assist, a +5 for the Puck.  SLVB ends Heisenberg's Ice season 4-2 sending Sid "The Kid" Crosby home for the playoffs.  Bishop for SLVB was the only Goalie to post stats in this game.  Whats up with that?

Round One Playoffs:

The Enforcers (3) vs. USSR (6)

Iginla has been on fire

The Enforcers are entering the playoffs hot.  Iginla has ben red hot scoring 8 goals in the last 2 weeks.  After being shut out by the Checkers 6-0 the Enforcers enter the playoffs on a 3 week winning streak.  They are a dangerous team with Getzlaf, Toews, and of course Iginla.  To counter the Enforcers, the USSR will need to have Ovechkin live up to his reputation considering The Enforcers lead the league in goals scored.  In goal the edge might go to the USSR who will be putting in net Louongo, now with Florida, and back up Chad Johnson, in hopes the Bruins will continue to rest Rask from time to time.  The Enforcers on the other hand will rely on the goalie glove of Mike Smith.  The other goalie for Enforcers is a rookie Darcy Kuemper who has had 1 win in his last 6 starts.
Outlook:  Despite the questions in goal for the Enforcers, its hard to go against them as they are on a roll and lots of fire power.  Even if Ovechkin tries to put the Soviets on his shoulders the same result will likely happen as did the Olympics; early exit.

Fluffy Bunnies (4) vs. SLVB (5)
This should be a good one.  Inter-office rivalry.  Both teams have some strong skaters.  Seguin and Kunitz are top scorers for the Bunnies and you can't forget about Flippula and MacKinnon with the big Center Joe Thornton.  SLVB are hoping Steen and company can match the Bunnies offensive power.  T.J. Oshie adds a good offensive threat while Milan Lucic brings some nastiness to the game with 78 PIM.  Radko Gudas might have to say something about that for the Bunnies as he has 138 PIM on the season!  Would like to see these two heavy weights go at it!  In net, the Bunnies have Rask and Price, rivals in the NHL, teammates in the CFHL.  They are potentially the best goalie duo in the league.  Bishop is solid for the Killer Smurfs and has carried the goalie stats as Bernier has been struggling.

Gudas getting a noogie from Iginla

Outlook: This one will be close.  Can the Bunnies get their offense scoring again and if they do will the SLVB be able to keep up?  If most of the skater stats end up being close or tied, the edge would go to the Bunnies with Rask and Price.

Bunny fans ready for the playoffs

Tax Increase on Cigars in Ohio Not Right

It came to my attention the other day while listening to The General Cigar Dave, that here in Ohio, Governor Kasich has proposed, as part of his budget bill, an increase to the tobacco tax.  The plan for this increase, among other tax increases, is part of an effort to help fund a state income tax cut.  This increase in tax on tobacco is not only focused on cigarettes, but other tobacco products, including cigars, pipe tobacco, and even e-cigarettes.  (E-cigarettes too?  Really?)

Tobacco is the easiest tax to increase, with only 23% of Ohioans as smokers, leaving a hefty 77% of non-smokers who would likely favor this tax increase since it doesn't affect them at all.  But lets take a deeper look at the real reasons for these tax increases.

This is truly an effort for the Ohio government, with pressure from anti-smoking organizations, to try to dictate how people should live their lives and live healthier.  Hey, no one disagrees that smoke free is healthier than not.  No one says that smoking is good for you.  However, everything in moderation is just fine and is the given right and freedoms we have here in the USA.  And this is why cigars should not be included in with cigarettes, that contain addictive qualities, while cigars are enjoyed in moderation and are not addictive, nor do most people have to chain smoke them one after another like cigarettes, but I digress.

"Tobacco tax increases are a highly effective means of reducing smoking and other tobacco use, but the increase must be large enough to have the desired public health impact."  This was a statement made by the American Lung Association in a joint statement with the American Cancer Society.

In another interesting comment, and this is the one that really shocked me, made by Ohio Tax Commissioner Joe Testa, Joe Testa said, "These tobacco taxes will absolutely help people decide to quite or not start a tobacco habit."  Really?  What kind of country are we living in where the government starts calling the shots, or passes ridiculous bills to force people to live the life THEY want us to live.

Government dictating how we live.  How we should live.  Deciding whats best for us.  Hmm.  Sounds a bit like Communism, wouldn't you say?

The exorbitant increase in tobacco tax would be an increase from 17% to 49% on wholesale prices.  While I am not a cigarette smoker, I certainly enjoy a fine hand rolled premium cigar from time to time.  And this proposed tax increase in Ohio it would increase the retail price of an $8 cigar to nearly $12 per stick.  That is just simply unacceptable.

Now some people might say, "Well I don't smoke at all," said 77% of Ohioans.  "This is good if it helps reduce the number of people that smoke, because smoking kills."  Okay, well whats to stop the Government to come after the next thing that is not "good" for you?  Why not increase tax on sugar, candy, soda pop, butter, crisco oil, red meat... I guarantee that there is something that everyone of us enjoys that would be deemed unhealthy in some fashion.  Remember Mayor "Bloom"berg of New York City that wanted to pan 40oz sodas?

I am, or at least I used to be, a fan of Governor Kasich.  I liked his no-nonsense attitude.  I liked his support for the disabled, the veterans, the elderly, the mental health, and developmental disabilities.  But this stance on increase tax on tobacco to help the "health of Ohioans" is too much government control and begins a slippery slope.

So as I conclude this, while smoking a fine cigar and sipping on a wonderful scotch, consider what this tax really means and the direction we are heading.  Speak out and be heard.  Don't let our freedoms continue to be diminished.

Week 18

3 wins this week for Niemi

Quick recap on Week 18 and an update on how the final week is shaping up and who will make it to the playoffs....

Goon Crew 4 Who Gives a Puck 1 - Goon Crew pick up a nice win but too little too late.  They dominated the goalie category tallying 5 wins and a .943 SV% with Mason and Niemi while Puck's goalie woes that started the season seem to be rearing their ugly head as they had no wins at all.

Krampus Carols 3 Heisenberg's Ice 3 - In another meaningless game as both teams are out of playoff contention, Carols and Ice tie it up.  If it wasn't for the huge difference in goalies, the Krampus might have not fared as well as they only tallied 2 goals and 9 assists.  Sidney Crosby had 2 goals and 2 assists to lead the Meth Dealers.

AshBusters 3 SLVB 3 - The Killer Smurfs struggled against the last place AshBusters as they continued to hold onto the 5th spot.  It was an Assist Fest as the two teams combined for 41 assists with the AshBusters coming out on top 24-17.  Giroux had 5 and Karlsson had 4 for the AshBusters while Okposo lead the Smurfs with 6!

Giroux' Girlfriend...oh these hockey players...

Mayhem On Ice 2 Checkers 1 - Checker were playing for nothing while the Mayhem are fighting for the final playoff spot.  And the showed.  The Mayhem took it to the Checkers punching them right in the neck with 40 PIM! Two guys for the Mayhem were in double digit PIM; Jamie Benn with 14 and Erik Johnson with 10.

Assassins 4 USSR 2 - The Soviets continue to fight to try to catch the Mayhem, and even with a only 2 win week for the Mayhem, USSR couldn't take advantage of it getting only 2 wins of their own and still remain 2 points behind.  The Assassins are pretty much locked into the 2nd playoff spot. Ovechkin took a shit this week with only 1 goal and a -6.

Ovechkin had a bad hair week too I guess

Enforcers 4 Fluffy Bunnies 2 - Enforcers move to the 3rd playoff spot with the victory over the somewhat mild Bunnies.  However the game wasn't mild with a combined 53 PIM.  Dion Phaneuf lead all players with 20 PIM for the Enforcers, and we all love it when Phaneuf makes the news letter, don't we??

Dion we love when you play well! Hi Elisha!

Playoff Picture...Checkers game really doesn't matter as they have #1 spot locked up and with Stamkos back it might be a third time in a row with the Cup...Assassins have a 5 point lead over the Enforcers for the #2 spot and are in the lead over Krampus Carols 4-2.  Only 2 goals and a +1 separate them from the Krampus so still up in the air...Enforcers are doing all they can to capture the second spot, and the bye, as they are up 5-1 (was 6-0 earlier).  With big leads in goals, +/- and SV% Enforcers are gunning for the Assassins...The Bunnies are not exactally entering the playoffs at their peak as they are down 3-1 to the last place AshBusters and facing their 4 straight losing week...SLVB is content with the 5th spot but as the Bunnies falter they will likely move up to the 4th spot...

Fluffy Bunnies may have the best fans in the league

Biggest race is for the 6th and final spot as the USSR are outside looking in on the Mayhem as the Mayhem lead by 2 points.  Mayhem are getting it handed to them by the Enforcers right now 5-1, that's not good.  The USSR are tied with the Goon Crew 3-3, that's good! If scores hold the USSR sneak into the final spot.  With lots of games left for both the Crew Goalies and the USSR its still in question and will come down to the end of the week, but looking good for the Soviets thus far (Putin needs some good news these days)

CFHL Week 17

SLVB owner apparently was
distracted late in the game.

Only 2 weeks left in the regular season left.  There are only 7 teams still alive as 5 of the 12 are eliminated and one has already clinched the number one seed.

Checkers vs. SLVB (3-2-1)
The Checkers are just waiting for the playoffs to begin. They have wrapped up everything they can in the regular season.  But that didn't stop them from making a comeback on Sunday to beat the Killer Smurfs who were leading going into Sunday Evening.  But in typical Checker fashion their late night Kings came through.  This time it was Jeff Carter who not only tallied 2 goals but 10 PIM to give the Checkers the victory in PIM which was the difference in the game.

Ball sack had 2...goals that is.

Assassins vs Heisenberg's Ice (4-1-1)
The Assassins continue their strong play and would be leading any other division but they happen to be playing in the Norris with the Checkers.  They had 3 guys tally 2 goals a piece!  Bozak "Ball Sack", Corey "Dog" Perry, and "Stig" Maatta.  Fleury and Varlamov were both strong in net combining for 3 wins and a .938 SV%.  If they hang on to their current spot in the standings they could get a bye in the first week of the playoffs along with the Checkers, both from the Norris Division.

Who Gives a Puck fan!

Who Gives a Puck vs. Fluffy Bunnies (5-1)
In the upset of the week, Who Gives a Puck took it to the Bunnies winning all but goal categories.  In an otherwise disappointing season for the Puck this one might have made their season, knocking off one of the top teams in the league.  "Hard to take this loss," said Bunny owner Fluffy Tyler,"when you have the best player of the week!"  He was referring to Tyler Seguin who had 4 goals and 5 assists and a +2 (how do you have 9 points and only a +2?).  Puck goalie Quick singlehandedly won the goalie stats with 3 wins and a .937 SV%.

Enforcers vs. Krampus Carols (4-2)
This was a tale of two weeks.  Last week the Enforcers got shut out by the Checkers and the Krampus beat the Goon Crew 5-1.  This week it was Enforcers turn.  They were lead by Toews 4 goals and Weber's 12 PIM.  Hard not to mention Krampus Carol's goal tending.  They had 5 wins between Ryan Miller (who now with the Blues should get plenty of wins), and Old Man Brodeur.

USSR vs AshBusters (5-1)

Holtby struggling (can't say I mind that)  

USSR has been playing playoff hockey for the past few weeks and this week played hard enough to take a 1 point lead for the final spot over the Mayhem.  Its not like they had a tough match up with the AshBusters the worst team in the league.  If the USSR are going to continue their quest they will need to get a little more goal production (no one scored more than 1 goal) and get better goalie play.  That might be tough.  Luongo is now playing for the Panthers (not exactly a power house) and Holtby might lose his job to Halek.

Bergeron and wife Stephanie
Very Sharp!

Goon Crew vs. Mayhem on Ice (2-2-2)
In a game where the Mayhem needed a win to keep in front of USSR, the Goon Crew managed to tie up the game late in the week on Sunday.  The game was 4-1-1 for the Mayhem going into Sunday.  Bergeron  tallied a goal to tie goals and had a +2 to go along with McDonagh's +2.  This ended up being a +5 swing in favor of the Crew to give them the +/- category and tying the game at 2s.

Player of the Week: Tyler Seguin, Fluffy Bunnies - 4 goals, 5 assists +2

Goalie of the Week: Jonathan Quick, Who Gives a Puck, 3 wins, .937%

CFHL Week 16

Checkers and Goon Crew owners
enjoyed some sun during the break

Welcome back from the Olympic break.  Was a break for me too.  Plus by this time, as its the 16th week, I realize that the Fantasy Hockey League is a rather long season (and we didn't even start at the beginning of the NHL season)

So now that I'm done bitching...here is Week 16 round up.  Its getting down to the final week of the regular season and the separation in the league standings is quite evident.  Quite evident of who is not going to make the playoffs (looks like me) and who still will.

Checkers vs. Enforcers (6-0)
The Checkers picked up right where they left off and shut out the Enforcers solidifying their dominance as the number one team in the CFHL.  The Checkers now have 127 points 17 more than the second ranked Fluffy Bunnies.  I think we could say that the Checkers will be the number one seed in the playoffs.  In fact they seem even stronger than their two previous championship seasons.  This week against the Enforcers, it was the Checker's centers that lit it up.  Kopitar the Zombie and Pavelski, both fresh off the plane from Sochi, combined for 5 goals, 4 assists, and a +7.  The Enforcers got little help from anyone, including their goalies who had no wins.  Getzlaf had an Olympic hangover, no goals, only 1 assist.  Despite the loss, the Enforcers are still in the playoff hunt at the number 4 spot.

Enforcers' owner with the Checkers Mascot

Hartnell had 20 PIM

Assassins vs. Fluffy Bunnies (4-2)
The Assassins made a big move to try to capture the 2nd seed and bye as they beat the currently 2nd ranked Fluffy Bunnies, pulling to only 2 points behind.  In a rather low scoring game (only 8 goals between both teams) it was the sin bin that was the difference as Scott "Side Show Bob" Hartnell racked up 20 PIM leading the Assassins 42 PIM to only 8 from the Bunnies.  Varlamov, after a disappointing Olympic run for Russia, felt back at home with the Assassins tallying 2 wins and a .934 SV%.  The Bunnies just looked flat getting only 3 goals and only 1 goalie win.

USSR vs. SLVB (4-2)
Possibly the only "bubble" team, the USSR made a case for themselves in being that bubble team that might sneak into the playoffs.  After all, the fans from the Mother Land have to have something to cheer for, considering the let down in Sochi.  Ovechkin lead the Soviets with 3 goals and 2 assists, while Duchene added 5 assists.  The victory puts the USSR in 7th place, 3 points from the 6th and final spot.  SLVB seem to be pretty secure in the 5th spot with 104 points.  However it appears the Ginger Twin Experiment is over as one is on IR and the other has been benched.

Ovechkin in Sochi

CFHL Ice Girl or Blue Martini Bartender?

Around the League...Mayhem on Ice have moved into the final playoff spot only 3 points ahead of the USSR, after their win over Heisenberg 4-1.  Jamie Been had a goal, 2 assists a +3, and 2 PIM to lead the Mayhem....Krampus Carols beat up on the Goon Crew and probably have smashed their playoff hopes.  St. Louis had 4 goals for Krampus and Ryan Miller tallied 2 wins and a .937 SV%...The two cellar dwellers, Who Gives a Puck beat the AshBusters 4-2. Jonathan Quick was strong for the Puck with 2 wins and a .980 SV%, a little too late however for Who Gives a Puck....