ATD #9 Foster Hewitt Semifinal: #2 Minnesota Fighting Saints vs. #3 Ottawa RCAF Flyer

[Nalyd Psycho]

Quick answer on the difference between Beliveau and Schmidt.
1. Never read anything on Schmidt being an elite puck carrier, have read Bauer was the lines transition player.

2. offensive excellence. Schmidt was good offensively, but not an elite playmaker or goalscorer. While Beliveau was a consistant top 5 presence against increadibly fierce competition. So, it is fair to say he has a better shot and offensive hockey sense.

And, just to add, if I've pushed too hard or anything, it's because I fear and respect you guys, so I'm bringing my "A" debate.

 

[Sturminator]

It might be. I've had a ton of conflicting data on this.

Yeah, chidlovski's inconsistency on this point is maddening. The only complete list I've found is here.

It's a hockey Canada site, so take it for what it's worth, but it seems to be correct in all of the particulars that I know to be true. Eurohockey's profile of Ragulin also agrees with this. Apparently, Ragulin won the Best Directorate award only in 1966.

At the risk of beating a dead horse of my own creation, the question I have about Ragulin is mostly one of competitive era. Outside of his own teammates, who are the great European forwards during his peak (63-67)? He clearly had a good deal of consistency in those years, but how good could his peak have been if he was beaten out in 4 out of his 5 peak seasons by defensemen who are not generally considered ATD material (yes, I realize Davydov was drafted in ATD#9)?

For players who competed against limited competition, I like to see something like absolute dominance before I credit their peak as something special by ATD standards. If a player in a lesser league is truly off the charts great, then we really don't know exactly how good he was - like a person with a perfect score on an intelligence test that only measures up to 120. He could have an IQ of exactly 120, or it could be 200. I think this is a fairly rational point.

The thing about Ragulin is that I don't see him as a player of this type. He wasn't off-the-charts dominant, as Sologubov arguably was. He is certainly one of the best European defensemen of the 60's, but arguably not even the best, and given the level of competition, I think that raises serious questions about just how good Ragulin's peak really was. Had Ragulin been clearly the best defenseman of his somewhat limited generation, as Sologubov was, then I would be inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt and split the difference as I generally do between how good and how bad he might have been. I don't think that's the case, though.

 

[FissionFire]

Yeah, chidlovski's inconsistency on this point is maddening. The only complete list I've found is here.

It's a hockey Canada site, so take it for what it's worth, but it seems to be correct in all of the particulars that I know to be true. Eurohockey's profile of Ragulin also agrees with this. Apparently, Ragulin won the Best Directorate award only in 1966.

At the risk of beating a dead horse of my own creation, the question I have about Ragulin is mostly one of competitive era. Outside of his own teammates, who are the great European forwards during his peak (63-67)? He clearly had a good deal of consistency in those years, but how good could his peak have been if he was beaten out in 4 out of his 5 peak seasons by defensemen who are not generally considered ATD material (yes, I realize Davydov was drafted in ATD#9)?

For players who competed against limited competition, I like to see something like absolute dominance before I credit their peak as something special by ATD standards. If a player in a lesser league is truly off the charts great, then we really don't know exactly how good he was - like a person with a perfect score on an intelligence test that only measures up to 120. He could have an IQ of exactly 120, or it could be 200. I think this is a fairly rational point.

The thing about Ragulin is that I don't see him as a player of this type. He wasn't off-the-charts dominant, as Sologubov arguably was. He is certainly one of the best European defensemen of the 60's, but arguably not even the best, and given the level of competition, I think that raises serious questions about just how good Ragulin's peak really was. Had Ragulin been clearly the best defenseman of his somewhat limited generation, as Sologubov was, then I would be inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt and split the difference as I generally do between how good and how bad he might have been. I don't think that's the case, though.

Ragulin, in his final season as a player, participated in the '72 Summit Series and acquitted himself rather well against the best of Canada. Keep in mind this was the absolute end of his career and not his prime when this happened. I think that series proved that he could compete with NHL players considering he did so against the best NHLers and not just some random NHL team with only a few stars. Did he shutdown Esposito? No, but then again nobody in the NHL was shutting him down during the absolute pinnacle of his prime either. Ragulin also got under Esposito's skin in that series, drawing a 5-minute high-stick major on him and making the burly Canadian look like a thug when Espo tried to goad him into a fight. Esposito said every time the two skated by each other he'd get a sneaky spear into the ribs from the big Russian. Sounds alot like Ragulin was playing an NHL-style game against Canada's brightest star in that series and was being effective.

"Up until that time, there was a perception that no matter how good a European player was relative to other European players, they were not good enough to play in the NHL. After that series came the realization that European players can play in the NHL." - Ken Dryden on the 1972 Summit Series

If a Ragulin on his last legs as a hockey player could compete in the NHL, I'd assume that an in-his-prime Ragulin in the mid-60s would have been just as effective and probably even moreso.

Another thing to consider is that the international stage boasted far better overall talent in the 60s than it did in the 50s. The Czechs were a much improved team with some strong players (they actually won 3 of 5 Best Defenseman awards during Ragulin's peak, as well as 1 Best Forward and 1 Best Goalie). I'd imagine that international voters were like any other voter in the world where players who post big offensive numbers tend to get ranked much higher than the more stay-at-home players like Ragulin who don't take chances to post huge numbers.

 

[God Bless Canada]

Yeah, it has been a lot of fun, gentlemen. I actually would have done more, but this is peak time at work. Had to do a special publication for the local Relay for Life, had a big concert in town last night with City and Colour that drew national media coverage, and today will be spent smoking stogies and drinking beers with friends at an event in a neighbouring community. I love my job.

Just one point I didn't get to yesterday: Nalyd said Martin will line up against Larmer. We'll take that match-up. You really underestimate Larm's speed. But more importantly, you underestimate Larm's hockey sense. Speed is nice, but hockey sense is even nicer. The guy who can out-think his opponent will have the edge. And that edge goes to Larm's. The guy was one of the best two-way wingers of the 80s. You could line him up as the hard-shooting goal-scorer; you could line him up against the opposition's best. And you weren't going to see guys blowing by him.

Schmidt was outstanding offensively. He won an Art Ross. He put up over a point-per-game twice, and came damn close twice, at a time when very, very few players did it. Again, a point-per-game when Schmidt played was like 100-120 points in the 70s (might have underrated how easy 100 points was in the 70s), and 120-150 points in the 80s and most of the 90s. Bauer and Dumart were by no means offensive forces, yet Schmidt elevated their games. Bauer's a good second line scoring winger in this thing; Dumart is likely one of the top 5 or 10 defensive forwards ever, but by no means, based on what I've read, was he an offensive force.

And, as has been established, you won't be goading Schmidt into any bad penalties. I like Sullivan for the role you have for him, but he's going to be in trouble lining up against Uncle Milt.

And you always have to remember it's all about constructing lines. I think we've found the perfect linemates for Schmidt: a rough-and-tumble goal scorer in Cam Neely who can dominate the front of the net; and the multi-purpose, rugged, but clean offensive player in Bucyk who had five top-10 finishes in both goals and assists. I think Bucyk and Neely are more effective linemates for Schmidt than Martin and Gare (who I'm a huge fan of) for Beliveau. Gare just seems to be out-of-place on this line; Beliveau isn't a guy who needs a defensive conscience. And you have Martin there to play the role of the gunner.

Still waiting to hear which one of our defencemen will lay an egg.

Also, you mentioned earlier that Ezinicki was a 20-goal scorer. I don't see it. I see a 17-goal season, and a 16-goal season, but not 20. I really respect Ezinicki, I really like him as that tough, grinding fourth line winger. I still don't know if he has the defensive ability to play the role you want. He could be a weak (I never thought I'd use that word about Wild Bill) link on that third line from a defensive perspective. I don't know if he has that Bobby Schmautz/Shane Doan defensive ability to make him a strong asset for a third or a fourth line.

I do think we have an edge in goal. I really like Hap Holmes. I don't think he's going to steal any games, but he won't hurt you, either. I think he's better off as a No. 2 (much like we have Hughie Lehman as our No. 2), but he's an okay No. 1. I do think Cheevers gives us an edge. I know what Holmes did with the four Cups; Cheevers was widely lauded as the best big-game goalie of his time. And I think this type of series is right up his alley. He won't face a lot of shots. Not with the types of teams that are assembled. When it came to those one-goal games, making the big save at the right time, Cheevers rates among the greatest of all-time. He might only face 20 shots per game, but I don't think either team is going to be pulling away in any games, so every save he makes will be huge. He won't be in a situation in which he can let one sail by (or bail out in the net) when it's a three-goal game late in the third period.

One aspect to Cheevers game that we haven't covered is his puck-handling ability. He wasn't the first goalie to capably handle the puck (our own Hughie Lehman might have been the first). But it gives us a real edge to have a goalie who can capably advance the puck up the ice. Especially when Minnesota's bottom two lines, and Adam Graves, and even Jean Beliveau, are out there, because those are guys who can really be effective with the forecheck, and could cause some problems for our defence if we didn't have a nomad like Cheevers, or a goalie who simply can't handle the puck. (Dominik Hasek, anyone?)

And, as I've stated before, I think we have the edge behind the bench. And if it comes down to it, coaching will be the difference in this series. I really like Burns. Hey, the guy was a cop before he was a coach. The only thing better than that is to be a sports reporter before he was a coach. (ie: Tommy Gorman. Tommy was also big into horse racing. Can't beat that). Gorman took a last place Chicago team to the Cup in 1934, and then after he left the Hawks, he took a middle-of-the-pack Montreal Maroons team to the Cup in 1935. I would have loved to have a guy like Tommy Ivan (favoured smart, two-way hockey, which I think fits our squad perfectly, with guys like Schmidt, Bucyk, Lemaire, Larmer, our third line and Russell out there) or Dick Irvin Sr. (who perferred the aggressive, hard-nosed style, which also suits our team). But after the run of coaches started, Gorman became the guy we zeroed in on. We thought we might be able to get Dick Irvin Sr., but we were very happy to get Tommy Gorman. I have him as one of the top 10 coaches of all-time, and along with Pete Green, the most underrated coach in the ATD.

Is my old friend/rival/partner in crime Murphy doing the write-ups for this one? Or do we get the understated and punctual efforts (which you know I love) of TC or Jungosi?

 

[FissionFire]

Yeah, it has been a lot of fun, gentlemen. I actually would have done more, but this is peak time at work. Had to do a special publication for the local Relay for Life, had a big concert in town last night with City and Colour that drew national media coverage, and today will be spent smoking stogies and drinking beers with friends at an event in a neighbouring community. I love my job.

Just one point I didn't get to yesterday: Nalyd said Martin will line up against Larmer. We'll take that match-up. You really underestimate Larm's speed. But more importantly, you underestimate Larm's hockey sense. Speed is nice, but hockey sense is even nicer. The guy who can out-think his opponent will have the edge. And that edge goes to Larm's. The guy was one of the best two-way wingers of the 80s. You could line him up as the hard-shooting goal-scorer; you could line him up against the opposition's best. And you weren't going to see guys blowing by him.

Schmidt was outstanding offensively. He won an Art Ross. He put up over a point-per-game twice, and came damn close twice, at a time when very, very few players did it. Again, a point-per-game when Schmidt played was like 100-120 points in the 70s (might have underrated how easy 100 points was in the 70s), and 120-150 points in the 80s and most of the 90s. Bauer and Dumart were by no means offensive forces, yet Schmidt elevated their games. Bauer's a good second line scoring winger in this thing; Dumart is likely one of the top 5 or 10 defensive forwards ever, but by no means, based on what I've read, was he an offensive force.

And, as has been established, you won't be goading Schmidt into any bad penalties. I like Sullivan for the role you have for him, but he's going to be in trouble lining up against Uncle Milt.

And you always have to remember it's all about constructing lines. I think we've found the perfect linemates for Schmidt: a rough-and-tumble goal scorer in Cam Neely who can dominate the front of the net; and the multi-purpose, rugged, but clean offensive player in Bucyk who had five top-10 finishes in both goals and assists. I think Bucyk and Neely are more effective linemates for Schmidt than Martin and Gare (who I'm a huge fan of) for Beliveau. Gare just seems to be out-of-place on this line; Beliveau isn't a guy who needs a defensive conscience. And you have Martin there to play the role of the gunner.

Still waiting to hear which one of our defencemen will lay an egg.

Also, you mentioned earlier that Ezinicki was a 20-goal scorer. I don't see it. I see a 17-goal season, and a 16-goal season, but not 20. I really respect Ezinicki, I really like him as that tough, grinding fourth line winger. I still don't know if he has the defensive ability to play the role you want. He could be a weak (I never thought I'd use that word about Wild Bill) link on that third line from a defensive perspective. I don't know if he has that Bobby Schmautz/Shane Doan defensive ability to make him a strong asset for a third or a fourth line.

I do think we have an edge in goal. I really like Hap Holmes. I don't think he's going to steal any games, but he won't hurt you, either. I think he's better off as a No. 2 (much like we have Hughie Lehman as our No. 2), but he's an okay No. 1. I do think Cheevers gives us an edge. I know what Holmes did with the four Cups; Cheevers was widely lauded as the best big-game goalie of his time. And I think this type of series is right up his alley. He won't face a lot of shots. Not with the types of teams that are assembled. When it came to those one-goal games, making the big save at the right time, Cheevers rates among the greatest of all-time. He might only face 20 shots per game, but I don't think either team is going to be pulling away in any games, so every save he makes will be huge. He won't be in a situation in which he can let one sail by (or bail out in the net) when it's a three-goal game late in the third period.

One aspect to Cheevers game that we haven't covered is his puck-handling ability. He wasn't the first goalie to capably handle the puck (our own Hughie Lehman might have been the first). But it gives us a real edge to have a goalie who can capably advance the puck up the ice. Especially when Minnesota's bottom two lines, and Adam Graves, and even Jean Beliveau, are out there, because those are guys who can really be effective with the forecheck, and could cause some problems for our defence if we didn't have a nomad like Cheevers, or a goalie who simply can't handle the puck. (Dominik Hasek, anyone?)

And, as I've stated before, I think we have the edge behind the bench. And if it comes down to it, coaching will be the difference in this series. I really like Burns. Hey, the guy was a cop before he was a coach. The only thing better than that is to be a sports reporter before he was a coach. (ie: Tommy Gorman. Tommy was also big into horse racing. Can't beat that). Gorman took a last place Chicago team to the Cup in 1934, and then after he left the Hawks, he took a middle-of-the-pack Montreal Maroons team to the Cup in 1935. I would have loved to have a guy like Tommy Ivan (favoured smart, two-way hockey, which I think fits our squad perfectly, with guys like Schmidt, Bucyk, Lemaire, Larmer, our third line and Russell out there) or Dick Irvin Sr. (who perferred the aggressive, hard-nosed style, which also suits our team). But after the run of coaches started, Gorman became the guy we zeroed in on. We thought we might be able to get Dick Irvin Sr., but we were very happy to get Tommy Gorman. I have him as one of the top 10 coaches of all-time, and along with Pete Green, the most underrated coach in the ATD.

Is my old friend/rival/partner in crime Murphy doing the write-ups for this one? Or do we get the understated and punctual efforts (which you know I love) of TC or Jungosi?

Murphy has commitments that will prevent him from doing any write-ups this round. TC will be handling the Foster Hewitt division write-ups.

 

[Transplanted Caper]

Murphy has commitments that will prevent him from doing any write-ups this round. TC will be handling the Foster Hewitt division write-ups.

Cool. I'll be away tonight, but my hungover self will write these tomorrow provided the results are in.

 

[Sturminator]

Ragulin, in his final season as a player, participated in the '72 Summit Series and acquitted himself rather well...

What series did you watch? It would probably be better for Ragulin's cause if you didn't mention 1972.

I think that series proved that he could compete with NHL players considering he did so against the best NHLers and not just some random NHL team with only a few stars.

Actually, both Bobbys (Orr and Hull) did not play in the Summit Series. The best of Canada stayed in Canada.

No, but then again nobody in the NHL was shutting him down during the absolute pinnacle of his prime either.

Not true. The previous year, an underdog Habs team had given Esposito fits en route to knocking the Bruins out in the first round. And that was Esposito with Orr on the ice.

Ragulin also got under Esposito's skin in that series, drawing a 5-minute high-stick major on him and making the burly Canadian look like a thug when Espo tried to goad him into a fight. Esposito said every time the two skated by each other he'd get a sneaky spear into the ribs from the big Russian. Sounds alot like Ragulin was playing an NHL-style game against Canada's brightest star in that series and was being effective.

You are grasping at straws. Without Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito went 7-6-13 in the 8 game Summit Series, and was easily the most dominant offensive player on either side. Spin Ragulin's performance all you like; it wasn't pretty.

 

[FissionFire]

Not true. The previous year, an underdog Habs team had given Esposito fits en route to knocking the Bruins out in the first round. And that was Esposito with Orr on the ice.

Yes, because scoring only 10 points in 7 games against the Habs was a much more dominating performance than 13 points in 8 games.

Of course, that underdog Habs team won the Cup and featured a defense of Laperriere, Lapointe, Tremblay, Harper, and Bouchard and a center tandem of Beliveau and H.Richard. Yes, despite all that HHOF talent he STILL got 10 points in 7 games. Sure, they slowed him down but so did Ragulin. Esposito's 1.63 points/game was lower than either his 1970-71 or 1971-72 total so it's not like Esposito was dominating at a far higher level than he was dominating the NHL and really not that far off the pace of him 1970-71 "given fits" playoff total of 1.43 points/game against the Habs. I'm not saying Ragulin stopped Esposito. I'm just saying he was just as effective against him (possibly a slight bit moreso) than the many of the top NHL players were against him. Am I saying Ragulin would dominate the NHL? Hell no, but I am saying that he wouldn't be dominated by it either and that'd he been a good defenseman in the league, not some 3rd pairing scrub.

And again, like I said, Ragulin was less than a year from retirement when he met up with Esposito at his peak, and he did a pretty good job all things considering.

P.S.: The first goal of Game 8 was credited to Esposito but it was really touched by the Russian defenseman so Esposito's numbers should only have been 6-6-12 in 8 games for a 1.50 points/game average and is that really significantly better than the 1.43 average against the Habs team you say "gave him fits"? Richard Bendell has a nice analysis on how inaccurate alot of the stats from that series were and provides some revised numbers here on Joe Pelletier's 1972 Summit Series.com website.

Just another thing to consider as well.....despite playing head-to-head most of the series, Esposito was only a +2 and Ragulin only a -2 so it's not like at even strength Ragulin was being abused when it came to goals scored against him.

 

[Sturminator]

You obviously didn't watch the 1971 playoffs if you think Phil Esposito was effective. After a season in which he put up damn near a goal-per-game and shattered the NHL single season record, Espo scored one even strength goal in the series. It looked even worse on the ice than it did on the scoresheet. Of course, that was Dryden's Conn-Symthe year, so the opposing goalie had something to do with it.

You credit those Habs with being better than they were. It was Beliveau's last year in the league (he was ancient) and Lapointe's first. In the immortal words of Jules Winfield, the Habs were "in a transitional period". It was bloody shocking that they won it all. Jacques Lemaire actually drew the assignment of checking Espo, and did a great job of it. My memory of that performance is one of the reasons I regard Lemaire perhaps more highly than some. At any rate, there's a reason those Habs were matched up against the powerhouse Bruins in the first round that year: they weren't that good.

Phil Esposito wasn't superman.

 

[God Bless Canada]

Just quickly on the home ice front, it's not going to be much of a factor. We think we've built a team that shouldn't have trouble on the line matching front. I don't think Minnesota will want to get the Beliveau line out there against either of our top two lines, and even our third and fourth lines have guys who will cause problems for Beliveau and Bure. (Beliveau-Skov is not going to be a fun fight for the Gros Bil). And there won't be easy match-ups against our defence, either; every pairing has a defenceman with the size and the toughness to go against Beliveau, and the speed, smarts and aggressiveness to play against Bure. That's what we wanted after about the sixth round - a defence with the speed and smarts to match Detroit's outstanding offensive talent, but also the aggressiveness to lean on their smaller forwards; and then have the speed, toughness, hockey sense and courage to match up with Minnesota's excellent team. We think we succeeding. And they're accentuated by terrific team defence.

As for crowd noise should this series reach a Game 7: it's a factor, but not insurmountable. Not like at the junior level. The guys (on both sides) are polished players who have been in hostile environments before. They might get intimidated if they were in junior. Crowd noise won't intimidate a Schmidt or a Robinson or a Skov. Plus, they've all probably played in more hostile environments, such as the old Chicago Stadium or the old Boston Garden.

 

[raleh]

NP and FF, this has been the most fun I've had on HFboards. Well done.

 

[Transplanted Caper]

Flyers Take Game One on the Road

The Ottawa RCAF Flyers scored a pivotal win on the road last night, beating the Minnesota Fighting Saints 3-1 in their best-of-7 Hewitt division semi-finals. All the talk before the game was how important it was for the Flyers to come away with a split of the first two games, and after Game One, that goal has been achieved. Bill Barilko opened the scoring for the Flyers with a one-timer that eluded several legs and went under the glove of Hap Holmes. A strong forecheck kept the Fighting Saints at bay most of the game, and the Flyers went up by two on a goal by Milt Schmidt who continued his fantastic playoffs with another great all-around effort last night. The second goal seemed to wake the Saints up and they would go on the offensive for the better part of the 3rd period. Jean Beliveau finally put one past Gary Cheevers who had made 30 saves up until that point, to cut the lead in half. With minutes remaining, the Saints would fight hard for the equalizer, but would fight too hard when Earl Seibert took an elbowing penalty late in the 3rd. Despite the blood trickling from the nose of Steve Larmer, Burns and the Saints were irate with the call. Their mood didn't get any better when Cam Neely would convert on the powerplay to put the Flyers up 3-1 in the game, and 1-0 in the series.

Tonight was the perfect road game for us. We came in, kept it simple, used our forecheck to keep their offensive stars as neutralized as possible and converted on our opportunities. Home or away, it's how we're going to have to play all series long. - Coach Tommy Gorman after his team's Game 1 win.



Final: 3-1 Ottawa

Ottawa Leads Series 1-0

 

[Transplanted Caper]

Series All Square Going to Ottawa

The Minnesota Fighting Saints were much more poised last night, and were able to handle the Ottawa forecheck, helping them to a 4-3 win last night. After the loss in Game One, the pressure was on Minnesota to ensure they'd be going on to Ottawa with the series tied. Jean Beliveau would get Minnesota off to a fantastic start scoring 2 goals in the first period, the first on the powerplay, to put the Saints up 2-0 at the first intermission. Tommy Gorman's intermission pep talk seemed to work and Ottawa came out flying in period number two and were able to keep their intensity at that high level for virtually the entire 20 minute frame. Johnny Bucyk would score the first of 3 2nd period Ottawa goals midway through the frame, and goals by Larry Robinson and Shayne Corson would follow in the next ten minutes to put Ottawa 20 minutes away from stealing two straight games on the road. But the Saints were not going down without a fight. Syd Howe and Adam Graves had a phenomenal final frame and used their bodies to create room for Bure who would tie the game up with 10 minutes remaining in the 3rd. Once again, the deciding factor would be a powerplay goal, but this time the Saints would be the beneficiaries, when Beliveau completed the hattrick with 4 minutes remaining, propelling the Saints to victory.

Final: 4-3 Minnesota

Series Tied 1-1

 

[Transplanted Caper]

Flyers Take Series Lead On Home Ice

The Ottawa RCAF Flyers took advantage of a boisterous home town crowd and won Game 3 of their series with the Minnesota Fighting Saints last night. Beginning with 18,000 belting out the national anthem, the crows was on its feet for a good portion of the night cheering their team on. Jacques Lemaire opened the scoring for the Flyers at the midway point of the first period on a feed from Steve Larmer. The Saints would get one back a few minutes later when Beliveau fired a shot that just eluded Gary Cheevers and we were all even at a goal apiece. From here on out it would be all Ottawa, and whenever the Saints did get a chance it was kicked, swatted or corralled by Gary Cheevers who was excellent in goal for Ottawa. Cam Neely would make it 2-1 Ottawa with a goal in the 2nd period, and before the period was out, Johnny Bucyk would give the homes side a 2 goal advantage. With a two goal lead going into period number 3, Tommy Gorman ensured his played a safe, slow game the rest of the way. Great discipline kept Ottawa out of penalty trouble in the 3rd, as the game would end in a 3-1 Final.

Final : 3-1 Ottawa

Ottawa Leads Series 2-1

 

[Transplanted Caper]

Back and Forth Series Continues As Minnesota Wins Game 4

The Minnesota Fighting Saints eeked out a 2-1 win last night against the Ottawa RCAF Flyers to tie the series up at 2 games apiece going back to Minnesota for Game 5 tomorrow night. The Saints were able to keep the hometown crowd out of their heads for almost the entire night, and played a patient game, ensuring to capitalize on the opportunities they did get. It woudl actually be Ottawa opening the scoring on a goal by Glen Skov which sent the fans into a frenzy. The Saints played several,simple and effective shifts afterwords and ensured that the Flyers wouldn't gain any momentum from their early goal. Minnesota would respond of a goal of their own when Earl Seibert fired a point shot past Cheevers to tie it up at one. Neither team wanted to given an inch after that. Strong, physical play with several scoring chances at each end marked a good portion of the rest of the game, but the goalies were both up to the challenge and kept the game tied up at one late into the 3rd period. Fainlly, the tie was broken when the Saints came in on a 3-2. After a fake pass, the puck was left for Seibert who came across the blueline and fired one right past Cheevers and into the net, for this 2nd of the night and the game winner.

Final 2-1 Minnesota

Series Tied 2-2

 

[Transplanted Caper]

Minnesota One Win Away

The Fighting Saints put a stop to the back-and-forth wins in this series by winning their second consecutive game, putting the team up 3 games to 2, and one step away from the division finals. As has been the custom more often than not in these playoffs, Jean Beliveau was once again the leader, tallying 2 goals in his team's 4-2 triumph over the Flyers. Beliveau would open the scoring for Minnesota midway through the first period on the powerplay putting the Saints up 1-0. Milt Schmidt would answer for the Flyers alter on a goal assited by Larry Robinson. The Saints would then score 2 back to back goals in a matter of minutes. The first on a beautiful deke by Pavel Bure, and the 2nd on Beliveau's 2nd goal of the night, which would wind up being the game winner as the Saints went tup 3-1. Larry Robinson would get his 2nd point of the game when he fired a point shot past Holmes to make it a one-goal game, but this was as close as Ottawa would get on thsi night, Despite a huge push at the end of the game, they wouldn't get anything else past Holmes on this night. Bobby Holik would fire one into an empty net late in the 3rd and the Saints were one game away from a series win.

Final 4-2 Minnesota
Minnesota Leads Series 3-2

 

[Transplanted Caper]

Schmidt Scores 3 As Ottawa Stays Alive

Milt Schmidt was far and away the best player on the ice as the Ottawa RCAF Flyers knocked off the Minnesota Fighting Saints 5-2 in Game 6 of the Hewitt Division Semis last night in Ottawa. Schmidt would tally a natural hattrick in the 2nd period to blow the game wide open and the Flyers never looked back. The Flyers would notch the first goal of the game when Larry Robinson scored his 2nd goal in as many games. Minnesota would respond late in the first when Syd Howe scored a big goal to tie the game up at 1. Once the first intermssion was over, the fans were about to witness a performance that they'll remember forever. Milt Schmidt was a man possessed in this period. He would hit the scoresheetf first with a powerplay goal to give his team a 2-1 lead. This goal lifted the Flyers' spirit and they would control the play for several minutes afterwords and be rewarded when a rebound from a Hap Day shot wound up right in front of Schmidt. He made no mistake and fired it past Holmes for a 3-1 Ottawa lead. Perhaps most impressively,with Ottawa holding the fort on a late 2nd period penalty kill, a Larry Robinson blocked shot kareemed the right way and Bobby Rousseau and Schmidt game in on a 2-1, Schmidt recieved the pass and found the back of the net, for the natural hattrick, with one on the poweplay, one at even strength, and one on the penalty kill. The Flyers were up 4-1 going home. Jean Beliveau would try and get his team back into the game with an early 3rd period marker to cut the lead to 4-2, but the Flyers came back soon after on a goal by Lemaire to put the game away.

Final 5-2 Ottawa
Series Tied 3-3

 

[Transplanted Caper]

The Saints Go On

In an epic Game 7 matchup, the Minnesota Fighting Saints knocked off the Ottawa RCAF Flyers 3-2 to win Game 7 and move onto the Hewitt Division Finals. It seemed as if the entire state of Minnesota was stuffed inside the arena on this night and once again the crowd was loud from start to finish. The crowd would have reasont to cheer early on when Earl Seibert fired a puck past Gary Cheevers and into the back of the net to give the homeside a 1-0 lead. Cam Neely would have a monster shift soon after, levelling Saints with a couple of huge hits and springing in on a two-on-one with Bucyk. Nelly would pass to Bucyk who immediately fired a pass back to Neely who ended the give and go with a howizter past Holmes, tying the Game at one. Midwayy through period number two, Jean Beliveau would find Rick Martin and Martin would not err, scoring his first of the series in the pivtoal 7th game to put his team up 2-1 heading into the final frame. The Flyers were not ready to roll over though and came out firing in the final frame and would be rewarded on a huge goal by Milt Schmidt that set the stage for an epic final ten minutes. It wasn't officially overtime, but it might as well of been. One more goal and this game, and this series would be over.and with 4:07 remaining......

The point shot by Robinson goes nowhere, what a block by Langway. Day tries to keep it in, but he can't get to the puck in time, the puck is chipped away by Martin, Martin coming down the wing, fires a pass and finds Danny Gare, Gare shoots! BIG SAAAVE by Cheevers, another shot OH BABY! What a save there by Cheevers! OH WHAT A HIT BACK THERE BY SIEBERT! The puck comes loose, SCOOOOOORES! JEAN BELIVEAU! AND THIS ONE IS OVER! WHAT A SERIES! AND...NOW...THE SAINTS MOVE ON!

Final 3-2 Minnesota
Minnesota Wins Series 4-3

1. Jean Beliveau
2. Milt Schmidt
3. Earl Seibert


Congrats to both teams on a great series.

 

[raleh]

Thanks for the write ups TC. Great series you guys. Beliveau got a lot of points! haha.

Good luck in the next round!

GBC, I think we'll win next time. (How often have I said that?)

 

[shawnmullin]

I thought this Ottawa team was built for the playoffs... and they were, but Minnesota is a great team to. I won't tip my hat. Anyone could've won this. I definately thought heading into the original voting that Ottawa would go further. Congrats to the Saints!

 

[God Bless Canada]

Congrats to Minnesota. Good job assembling your team. If I would have been checking in all day, I would have known it was over when we had a 2-1 series lead. Every time TC does a recap for my series, the team that leads 2-1 goes on to lose.

 

[pitseleh]

This will go down as one of the all-time epic playoff round threads. Both sets of GMs did a hell of a job putting together a team and arguing their case.

 

[Transplanted Caper]

Congrats to Minnesota. Good job assembling your team. If I would have been checking in all day, I would have known it was over when we had a 2-1 series lead. Every time TC does a recap for my series, the team that leads 2-1 goes on to lose.

I don't have enough intelligence to do any of this on purpose though

 

[FissionFire]

This was an incredible series and major props to GBC and raleh for a tremendous team. Once that BBB line was assembled NP and I had to alter our strategy somewhat in the draft to be able to defend it. I'd say the Holik pick was as a direct result of making sure we had a big, physical defensive center who could play you guys without getting outmuscled. Congrats on an excellent team. I really think that you guys would still be alive in any other division and I hope to meet up again in the future. Well, not really since your teams scare the pants off me lol.

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

I would have felt fine losing to GMs of your caliber. But damn it feels good to win.