PLAYOFF BEARD: ONE MAN'S DEBACLE IS ANOTHER'S ...

by Neate Sager, Out Of Left Field

They don't make international incidents in sports like they used to.
Think about it. Pretty much anyone born in 1980 or later has was too late for the good old days of Olympic boycotts, overt state-sponsored cheating, the East German women shaving their backs before a big swim meet and quixotic applications of the rules by referees who made the cops in Superbad look quick-witted.

America got hosed out of an Olympic basketball gold medal in 1972. Fifteen years later, Canada lost a world junior hockey title after the entire Soviet team wigged out during the final game of the tournament and started a bench-clearing fight. Point being, outside of international soccer (who cares, right?), there hasn't been a really good screwjob in an international sports event.

In other words, Finland's greasy 3-2 win over Team USA at the world hockey championship on Sunday was vintage. In a one-goal game, one of Finland's goals clearly went through the side of the net and was somehow counted even after a video review. (This came on the same day where in the NHL, a Sidney Crosby was waved off because the ref was only 99.5% sure the entire puck was over the goal line; the Pittsburgh Penguins won anyways.)

Plus there was a brawl at the end ...



Beauty.

On the NHL side, the inevitable Pittsburgh-Detroit Stanley Cup final is drawing nearer; both teams are up 2-0. The middle of the third round is where the playoffs get pretty academic, the weather's too nice to sit inside analyzing some stupid hockey game to death.

Sidney Crosby banking in a goal off the skate of Philadelphia's Lasse Kukkonen in the Penguins' 4-2 win tonight was fairly trippy. Philadelpha might be able to win the next two games at home and go back to Pittsburgh tied 2-2, but the Penguins are owning this series. Watching Flyers oaf Derian Hatcher try to keep Sidney Crosby away from the net is like watching an elephant try to guard a fly, by the way.

Blame the San Jose Sharks for ruining the Western Conference playoffs when they soiled the good linen in the last round vs. a tight, well-coached but duller than dishwater Dallas in the last round.

The Red Wings are just toying with San Jose, the same way Roger Federer can get through early-round match after playing some 110th-ranked Cypriot who had to sweat his balls off playing four matches in three days in the qualies just to get into the main draw. The Sharks would at least present a physical challenge.

Dallas is in awe of the Red Wings, who aren't convinced yet that their best game is needed. Two more games and the Wings should be in the final.

(Last piece of business: Some irresponsible bloggers have started a Facebook group with the stated aim of voting the Penguins' Gary Roberts into the starting lineup for the MLB all-star game. Hey, he's got a better chance than Nate McLouth.)