Sportsmeat

Here's a good mushroom stool upholstery pic for you. I got nothing on hockey.
 

Since when does Ya Shoes count as "numerous people?"
 

Numerous meaning two? Ya and Jose?

I heard Mike and the Dog breaking this down yesterday in the car and I think I can offer a few important points:
- Mike knows Lou
- Lou is not about ego
- There were grumblings (maybe rumblings, or stumblings, the cell phone connection was bad) about this coach when he was in Montreal
- Devils looked sluggish in recent weeks

If the Knicks fired a coach everytime they looked sluggish, there would be no coaches left for them to hire.
 

Apparently he did not like the feeling of the team. They have not been sharp the last few weeks and have put themselves in a position where they have to fight for the Division. There have been grumblings that some of the key players on the team have questioned some of the strategic decisions made by Jullien. The locker room is not entirely happy. Although they have won 4 of 5, they have not been necessarily been playing “devil hockey” (insert joke here). This could also be a product of injuries, as their poorer play has coincided with injuries to there 3 tops scorer, a top defenseman and top defensive forward.

All that said; as a huge Devil fan I am not worried. Lou has the pulse of the team. This franchise is all him. He did the same in '03 w/ eight games left and installed a new coach that led them to the cup. He took over the team last year after an ugly first half and led them on a tear of winning 11 in a row to close the season to win the division and sweep the blue shirts in the first round. This guy is a great GM, maybe the best in all of sports, and knows his team. He has made many subtle moves (not to say this is subtle) that have paid huge playoff dividends that I cannot question. 3 Cups in 10 years. 1 game seven final loss, 6 or so 100 point seasons in the last 10 all with poor fan support.

More importantly, in case you have not noticed and I am sure you have not, Brodeur (one of if not the best goalie of all time) is having his best career year. A fun thing to watch for all you stat guys our there: With 3 to play, Marty is 2 wins shy of breaking the all time single season win record. Luongo in Vancouver is 1 win behind with a game in hand.
 

On an unrelated note, in my work CBB pool, I was 32 of 36 with the last two places being pools with ND and Albany as winning the title.

That should warrent a Maddog based on performance...


MASTERS POOL?
 

Now as a Flyers fan (yeah I know they blow this year), I don't have many good words for the Devils.

You've got all of the evidence but it points in opposite direction. Brodeur is having a career year in wins (and he hasn't been standing on his head the whole time) and they're 5th in the leage in total points. They're in a fight for the division because the Pens are having a great season (with 2 youngs phenoms). Any NHL team would take 105+ points and a solid goalie (represented by Marty's Win total). They're 5 points behind the league leader in points (can anyone stop Det)? With that, you're telling me the coach has done something wrong? That they should have won 60?

I think the GM's made some good moves over the years. This ain't one of them. He's in a no lose situation - if they take the cup, he's a genius/god; if they lose, then it's becuase the coach had messed up the team hence his firing. Coaches turnover quite a bit in the NHL but rarely does a team fire a winning coach right before the playoffs (without a scandal outside of the sport). That doesn't happen in any league let alone twice in 4 years. The players may boost performance in the short term - everyone works harder when the person who is in charge of your pay (or whether you get shipped to freaking Minnesota)is watching.

I am impressed by how the Devils have adapted. The last 10+ years (where they got those 3 Cups), the Devils play was like watching old people f*ck - slow and sloppy. They removed the skill (and the energy) from the game every time they took the ice. The clutch and grab style took away the finesse that draws so many eyes during the olympics. With the exception of the EGG line (Elias, Gomez, and I can't remember), their offense was dragging people to the ground and hoping a free puck popped out. The NHL changed the rules (did they just call it the Anti boring Devils rule?) to prevent this and you're seeing the young (speedy) stars benefit. The Devils have adapted with good GM moves and good coaching.

I hope Lou can get the blood off his tie from wedging that butcher knife between Julien's shoulder blades.
 

Gary, you sound like a bitter flyer fan that could never get over the hump (beat the Devs).

Just watching last nights games, there was much more energy in the team.

The Devil trap is long gine. They play smart, conservitive hockey. Which is exactly what is need to win in the playoffs.
 

And to answer earlier questions, "numerous" was two people.