*QUACK*

So, the Ducks have swept the Avalanche and continue to gain momentum. Ilya Bryzgalov and the Ducks defence did an almost perfect job of shutting down Joe Sakic and the Avalanche offence. I didn't think the Ducks would be able to do it, and do it so easily! It's shaping up to be an All-Californian Western final (because we know the Oilers don't have a chance in hell. You know it. I know it. Your dog knows it.)

Jose Theodore? The goalie with the great hair wasn't very great in net for the Avs in the postseason. Big shocker, I know.

9GP, 4-5 record, 3.04GAA, and 90.2SV% (which ranks him 9th among starting goalies)

While Bryzgalov was providing the Ducks with exceptional goaltending, Theodore was pretty shaky throughout the entire series, apart from one glove save that caused TSN's Pierre McGuire to orgasm on national TV.

Bryzgalov's numbers are eye-popping: 8GP, 0.87GAA and a 96.7SV% with 3 shutouts. No other goalie has more than 1 shutout.

Does it shock anyone that Patrice Brisebois was a team worst -7? (to go along with just 1 puny assist)

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Post of the Day: The Hairy Swede has the 12 best hockey program covers from a bygone era. Check out the Larry Pleau beauty, which had me in absolute stitches. Pleau just looks way too suave and smooth...

2nd post of the day comes from SHARKSPAGE, where PJ/Jon/whateverhecallshimselftoday, interviews Predators colour-man Terry Crisp, who channels Tom Benjamin in his response on officiating:

I'm the last guy you should ask about officiating because I've been the guy beating the drums all year that I didn't like it. I liked a lot of our rule changes and I like the way the game evolved, the way the game got better in a lot of areas. I just think they took too much out of the officials' hands, not letting them decide from their own makeup.

When I played, you knew what the makeup of an official was. He had control of the game and it was him calling it. I think now there's too many ticky-tacky penalties. They keep saying they're going to call them. I can't argue with it. I think in the playoffs, you can hear fans all around the league saying they wish that the referees would allow the players to play a little more "playoff-type hockey." And I do too.

If they're going to stay with it, call diving. Just call plain diving. Not unsportsmanlike. Not anything else. Put it in the book as diving. Believe me, every referee and every player and every fan knows when a guy dives. Don't give the other guy the ticky-tack little lay-on. Don't give him a penalty. Get the guy for diving. I guarantee you you'll see a lot less guys butterflying around the ice.

At the World Championships, things got just a little rowdy. Oh, those crazy Latvians...

Canada scored a staggering nine power-play goals en route to an 11-0 win at Riga Arena Thursday night in one of the most extraordinary games in international hockey history. The game, refereed by American Rick Looker (who worked in the DEL this year), was dominated by a total of 23 minor penalties, 16 of which were incurred by the Latvians.

The Canadians had already scored 4 power-play goals by the time Looker called the eight penalty of the game against the Latvians at 18:00 of the first period. Fans renewed their whistling and littered the ice with refuse, the most interesting item being a single shoe. That culprit, no doubt, was easily discovered. More dangerously, the idiot element in the crowd threw coins as well, difficult to spot and dangerous to players. At this point, Looker had no choice but to send the teams to the dressing room early so the ice could be properly cleaned off.

Latvian forward Janis Sprukts came out onto the ice, went to the penalty box, and took the microphone from the PA announcer. In Latvian, he told the fans that he understood their anger at the referee--the players felt the same--but please, he begged, let the teams finish the game. He skated off the ice, back to the dressing room, and the Zambonis came out to clean the ice.

You know it's getting bad when one of the players has to beg for the crowd to stop acting like children.

The IIHF had to grit its teeth and issue the following statement this morning.

We regret and strongly condemn the behaviour of the fans during the Canada-Latvia game. We call on all fans to display good sportsmanship and proper conduct for the remainder of the championship and we urge them to show this in Latvia's upcoming game against the USA on Saturday, May 13.

The Latvian ice hockey fans have a reputation for being the most supportive and vocal in the hockey world and we all wish that the good reputation is maintained.

Recurring incidents could potentially hurt the reputation of the event, and throwing objects on the ice is dangerous, as serious injuries to top world athletes can happen as a result of this.

Maybe it was a bad batch of [INSERT POPULAR LATVIAN BRAND] beer. It's time like these where we need legal weed, man!