Thursday Water Cooler – June 10th, 2010
Here we go with today’s sports water cooler talk. Here, you won’t just find the straight news; you’ll find the stuff everyone is talking about – the ice breakers, the Twitter Sports Picks and topics…well, basically all the stuff you discuss at the water cooler.
Enjoy!
You can probably guess what story gets top billing today…
NHL news: Chicago Blackhawks end 49-year Stanley Cup drought
Was it somewhat of an anticlimactic moment? Sure. At first, no one even knew if Patrick Kane’s bad-angle wrister had beaten Michael Leighton. But it did and the Hawks wound up with the overtime victory over Philadelphia in Game 6. The win gave them their first Stanley Cup in 49 years, ending the sport’s longest drought. The dubious honor now shifts to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are stuck at 43 years and counting.
Jonathan Toews, a captain at 22, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. His 29 points tied a franchise playoff record and his 22 assists are a new franchise best.
As the Hawks were winning, business as usual went on in the rest of the NHL. The Tampa Bay Lightning are set to name Guy Boucher, former Hamilton Bulldogs bench boss in the NHL, their next head coach; Columbus has named Scott Arniel their new head coach; he comes from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.
Also, defenseman Rob Blake is set to retire. The 40-year-old rearguard has a Norris Trophy, a Stanley Cup, seven All-Star selections and 777 points under his belt. He’ll definitely get some Hall-of-Fame consideration.
NFL news: The unnamed Packer in sex scandal is finally revealed
We finally know the name of the one Green Bay Packer who inadvertently dragged six teammates into a sexual assault investigation last week. Cornerback Brandon Underwood is the one man now officially charged in the case, in which two women are the accusers. He apologized to his team for the distraction.
Underwood’s teammates were less than impressed with having their names tossed into the mix. Clay Matthews respected Underwood’s willingness to address the team during a meeting but admitted that “he’s definitely going to have to earn our trust back.”
NBA news: Izzo close to joining Cavs but wants to wait for LeBron; Celtics owner challenges David Stern
Contrary to some reports that Tom Izzo had already left Michigan State and signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers for five years and $30 million, he’s still playing a crucial waiting game. Izzo reportedly wants to hear a detailed outline of how the Cavs plant to succeed if LeBron James chooses to sign somewhere else. If he’s presented with an organized, logical rebuilding plan, he may sign with or without King James.
The Boston Celtics’ fury over officiating in the NBA Finals extends beyond head coach Doc Rivers. Minority team owner Jim Pallotta reportedly went right to the top and confronted commissioner David Stern after Boston’s 91-84 defeat in Game 3 on Tuesday night.
Sources say Pallotta told Stern the league should be embarrassed by the refereeing in the series. Game 3 had three reviewed calls in the fourth quarter alone.
The league hasn’t commented on the confrontation yet, though Stern did say that every Celtics/Lakers matchup has complaints about officiating.
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