This Series Goes To Eleven

Last year's seven gamer against the Philadelphia Flyers was filled with aggression at the start, which quickly morphed into a combination of hatred and respect as the series progressed through seven games.* In many ways it was the epitome of how playoff hockey should be played. Hard hitting, great goaltending on both sides, with both teams displaying intense will to win.

This year, the Capitals have drawn the New York Rangers as a first round opponent, and superficially the series has worked itself out in a very similar fashion. The Caps found themselves down three games to one and have fought back to tie the series and force a game seven on home ice. Except the incidents surrounding this series have been utterly bizarre. The presence of Sean "Don't Call Me Steve" Avery accounts for some of that. This series, Avery's antics boiled down to punching people and getting penalized for it, but that isn't newsworthy.

Even forgetting Avery for a second, the series has taken a strange turn. To wit:

1. The Rangers head coach sprayed fans and then threw the water bottle at them during the third period of game 5 in DC. That act was so well received that Tortorella decided to do an encore which featured waiving a hockey stick at the fans and attempting to climb into the stands presumably to enjoy a cup of tea with them. He was suspended. From the Department of Irony Department: Tortorella was restrained by the only other head coach to ever be suspended in the history of the NHL playoffs, Jim "Have another doughnut, you fat pig!" Schoenfeld.
   
   
2. The Rangers GM Glen Sather was so incensed by the conduct of the fans in DC during Game 5 that he wrote a letter (?) to league president Gary Bettman. In that letter, Sather a) complained about the "obscene language" used by Caps fans, b) claimed that the Caps organization had purposefully mis-installed the glass behind the Rangers bench making it easier for fans to scream obscenities at the visitors, and c) invited Bettman and his wife, Mable**, to dinner at the Sather household.
   
   
3. During Game 6 in New York, Donald Brashear hit Ladell Blair Betts late from behind resulting in what the NY Times is saying is a broken orbital bone, which is the bone around the eye. Brashear, who was not penalized on the ice for the hit, has since been suspended for six games.
   
   
4. Possibly in retalization for the Brashear hit on Betts, Brandon Dubinsky of the Rangers laid a late and dangerous hit from behind to the head of Mike Green of the Caps well after Green had played the puck. Green's head hit the boards at a dangerous angle. During the resulting scrum, Dubinsky, who was penalized for his hit but has not been suspended, claimed that Shaone Morrisonn of the Capitals bit him. Morrisonn, who usually wears a visor on his helmet, was shocked to hear of this accusation.
   

And all this is before a Game 7 has even been played. Should be an interesting one tonight, eh?


*As always, I am speaking from a fan's perspective. I have no idea how the players feel or felt towards each other.
**Could also be "Patricia"