My View

Random thoughts from a warped and fevered mind...

There is an amazing uproar that is occurring across the land over the new immigration law that has been passed by the State of Arizona. There are claims that it results in profiling peoples of certain races and that it is similar to what the Nazis did in Germany prior to and during World War II in requiring certain groups of people to show "papers" proving they are here legally and who they say they are. There are two salient points that are being ignored by the national media in the furor over the Arizona law. First, a law enforcement officer cannot just stroll up to someone and ask if they are here legally. Here is what the law actually says: "For any lawful contact made by a law enforcement official... where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States, a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person." The operative words are "lawful contact". This means that a police officer in Arizona is NOT going to arbitrarily walk up to someone and ask them to prove they are an U. S. citizen. It does mean that when, for example, a traffic stop occurs, the law enforcement officer can ask for proof of citizenship. Lawful contact simply means in the course of doing their job. No shaking down people on the street because they don't look like they belong here. The second point is that all of us are required to produce "papers" to prove we are here legally and are who we say we are. Ever tried to board an airplane without proper identification? Ever tried to vote without proper I.D.? (Well, excluding Chicago). There is much media hysteria focused on the recent enactment of this law in Arizona. Perhaps the media outrage should be directed toward the failed enforcement of the immigration laws currently on the books by the federal government.

My neighbors claimed that my dog chased someone on a bike. Stupid neighbors- my dog doesn't have a bike.

Remember the great fanfare when the $787 billion stimulus plan was passed by Congress? It was supposed to jump start the economy and the White House estimated that it would create or save 3.5 million jobs? Guess what? The latest quarterly survey of the National Association of Business Economists showed that the stimulus package has had no impact on the economy. 73% of those surveyed said that employment at their company is neither higher nor lower as a result of the stimulus. Imagine that. When you parse out the uses of the dollars allotted to the stimulus- at least those you can find- you see that much of the money was spent perpetuating state and federal government programs, not being used to spur job creation. I have said it before, but it bears repeating- government does NOT create jobs. Business does. This is a fact that government at all levels cannot seem to grasp. To add insult to injury, the NABE projects economic growth as measured by GDP at slightly more than 2%. That is anemic growth in the U.S. economy. And that does not bode well for a sustained economic recovery in this country.

My wife reminds me of an angel. She is always up in the air harping about something.

You may recall that once socialized medicine was passed by Congress, several major U.S. corporations announced they were taking significant write downs in earnings because of changes in the tax provisions of the bill and the necessity to account for those changes. There was an interesting response from the White House when the companies announced these changes, which were cumulatively in the billions of dollars. The White House accused these companies of "exaggerating" the effects of the tax changes. In fact, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke said the companies were being "premature and irresponsible" in taking these charges. Dutifully following the White House lead, Representatives Bart Stupak (D) and Henry Waxman (D) initiated an investigation of the companies (Deere, AT&T, Caterpillar, and Verizon) and demanded these companies supply documents detailing their analysis of the tax effects and an explanation of their accounting methods. The hearings were canceled when Representatives Stupak and Waxman were informed by their staff that the elimination of the tax deduction these companies had enjoyed resulted in a corresponding tax expense that had to be properly accounted for under accounting rules.This was confirmed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board. The problem with this entire situation is that we have leaders in this country making laws without any hint of the real impact of these laws. This is both shameful and embarrassing.

If the world were really a logical place, men would ride horses sidesaddle.

And that, my friends, is my view.

ReView and PreView- A look at the 1st and 2nd Round Playoff Predictions

It's time to take a look back at the first round predictions of the View and see how his prognosticating skills measure up. Lets see here... uh... I hope none of you used these to wager your hard earned  dollars in Vegas.

San Jose vs. Colorado

The Prediction: San Jose in 5

The Outcome: San Jose in 6

At the outset of this series, it looked as if the Sharks were going to choke in the first round again. However, they righted the ship in spite of giving the Avalanche an overtime victory by shooting the puck into their own net. Too much firepower eventually wore down the Avs Craig Anderson, and the Sharks escaped to the second round.


Nashville vs. Chicago

The Prediction: Nashville in 6

The Outcome: Chicago in 6

Wow, this one still hurts, as the Predators conceivably could have fulfilled my prediction and still be playing. As it was, they could not overcome their mistakes and gave away a hard fought series to their Central Division rival.


Vancouver vs. Los Angeles

The Prediction: Vancouver in 6

The Outcome: Vancouver in 6


Well, waddya know, blind hogs will find an occassional acorn. The offensive horsepower of the Canucks and the super powers of the Wonder Twinkies eventually got the best of the L.A. defenders and goalie Jonathan Quick. Roberto Luongo looked solid in net and the Vancouver defense did a good job of limiting a potent L.A. attack.


Phoenix vs. Detroit

The Prediction: Phoenix in 7

The Outcome: Detroit in 7


This series was a hard fought affair that saw each team make statements on the other's home ice with big wins. Tied at three games apiece, it came down to a one game match in the desert. The Desert Dogs proceeded to get walloped 6-1 in the 7th and deciding contest. Way to show up for that one, boys. Ilya Bryzgalov, who was outstanding in the series, was hung out to dry by the team in front of him, and the Yotes never mounted a serious challenge in the game to rookie netminder Jimmy Howard. Playoff experience versus playoff neophyte, and the experienced team won this one going away.


Washington vs. Montreal

The Prediction: Washington in 5

The Outcome: Montreal in 7


Ha-ya-lak me now? The Caps ran into a goaltender that was Superman and the Great Wall of China rolled into one as Jaroslav Halak led the Habs back from a 3-1 deficit to a stunning upset. In winning three straight games, Halak stopped 131 of 134 shots for a .978 save percentage. This upset is one for the ages, but the Caps can take solace in sipping champagne out of the President's Trophy for most points in the regular season. What? You mean you can't...


New Jersey vs. Philadelphia

The Prediction: New Jersey in 7

The Outcome: Philadelphia in 5


Martin Brodeur played well in this series, but the team in front of him was absolutely manhandled by the tough and physical Flyers. (Philly tough and physical? Go figure!). Flyer netminder Bobby Brian Boucher was more than just a water boy in this series as he thwarted most of the offensive chances that the Devils could generate. This could have very well been Brodeur's last run at the Cup.


Boston vs. Buffalo


The Prediction: Buffalo in 7

The Outcome: Boston in 6


I really did not think that the Booins would have enough offensive juice to solve Ryan Miller. As it turns out, the injuries to the Sabres roster had a greater negative impact on their squad than did the loss of Marc Savard for the B's. The Beantown Bad Boys just kept unrelenting pressure on Ryan Miller and the Buffalo defense until they broke.



Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa

The Prediction: Pittsburgh in 5

The Outcome: Pittsburgh in 6


The Senators were certainly feisty in this series, winning game one in Pittsburgh and taking the fight to the much heralded Pens. In the end, however, the Penguins just had too much on the offensive front for the Senators to contain and Pacal Leclair was not Jaraslov Halak in this series. Although Marc-Andre Fleury looked shaky at times, he settled in to turn in some solid goaltending for the Penguins. And yes, I am an expert.


And so the View was a rather weak 3 correct predictions for the series outcome against 5 incorrect ones, for a shabby .375 percent correct. Ouch.

But will that daunt me from making fearless second round predictions? Is the mainstream press unbiased? Wait...

Anyway, on to the second round and some bold prognostications.


Pittsburgh vs. Montreal


Once again, the Canadiens are matched up against an opponent that brings a high powered offense to the rink. The question in this series is can Jaroslav Halak and the defense in front of him continue to play out of their minds? In this series, I think not. The Penguins bring a more team approach to their attack, unlike the Capitals that preferred to let their stars try to create individually.This will present more problems for the Canadiens and will severely test Halak and their defense. At the other end of the ice, I expect Fleury to be strong and the Penguin defense to contain the Smurfs. This will be no cakewalk, as the Habs are playing loose and with confidence.

Prediction: Pittsburgh in 6


Boston vs. Philadelphia

Hide the women and children for this one. Chris Pronger will be busy getting his nasty on and the Bruins will counter with the big Z, Zdeno Chara, who is about 7 feet of surly. This is the series that could get ugly fast, with both teams determined to establish physical superiority. What remains to be seen is if either team can generate offensive chances with the carnage that will occur through neutral ice and in the attack zone. I believe the winner of this one will be the one that makes the fewest mistakes, and if the Bruins can irritate the Broad Street Bullies just enough, the Flyers will be the ones that let their emotions take over and take them out of the game.

Prediction: Boston in 7
Bonus Prediction: Body Count will be 5


San Jose vs. Detroit


Perennial choker against perpetual powerhouse. Can this be the year that the Sharks finally shed that label and start to play to their potential? Will this be the year that Detroit finally succumbs to an offense that can light it up? No. Unfortunately for the Sharks, they will not get past the poise and the talent of the Wings, which is peaking at the right time and playing some of the best hockey of the season. Evgeni Nabokov will experience much more pressure and attack than he did against Colorado and his own D-man Dan Boyle. Once again, the Sharks will falter and leave their fans something to grouse about besides jets flying into the airport late at night.


Prediction: Detroit in 6


Chicago vs. Vancouver


This back alley fight is another series that has the potential to get nasty early. The Canucks have had a year to think about getting put out of the playoffs by the Blackhawks, and they want revenge. The Blackhawks have had a year to think about new ways to rattle Bobby Lou, and he should get ready to smell Dustin Byfuglien's cologne for a good part of this one. Can the Canucks defense slow down the potent Blackhawk forwards? For a while, but not for the entire series. Can the Hawks forwards stop the Twinkies, Mikael Samuelsson, and Alex Burrows? Not entirely, but just enough to swing the series to their favor. For Chicago, their biggest question is can Antti Niemi handle the pressure that the Canucks will bring. He is going to face a more potent offense than he faced in the first round against Nashville. Perhaps the most important question is can Duncan Keith squirt the Green Men with Gatorade while he is sitting in the penalty box in Vancouver?



Prediction: Blackhawks in 7


So there you have it. More fearless predictions that you should not in any way use for gambling purposes. Recall that .375% success rate in the first round by the View.

The second round should provide some entertaining and exciting hockey for all fans. Sit back and enjoy, and in a couple of weeks, we will look back and see if the View sharpened up his predicting skills

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda... Predators Playoff Post-Mortem

The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Nashville Predators 4 games to 2 in their first round matchup of the Stanley Cup playoffs. For the Predators, this series will be looked upon as one of missed opportunities that cost them a shot at a first round upset.

There is no doubt that the Blackhawks are a powerful and potent team, one that presented challenges to the Predators. The Predators showed that they could handle those challenges and had the potential to make this a very interesting series. A 4-1 win in the United Center in game one served notice that the Predators were going to make this a difficult series for the highly favored Blackhawks.


Trailing 1-0, the Predators scored what can be deemed a fluke goal as J.P. Dumont lofted a soft backhand shot toward the net. The puck took a funny bounce and squirted past Chicago goaltender Antti Niemi to tie the game. The Predators would build on this momentum and take a 4-1 victory with a rebound goal by Dumont and empty net goals by Jerred Smithson and Martin Erat.

The interesting aspect of this win was that this was the Predators first road playoff win in the history of the franchise.

The keys to this victory were solid goaltending by Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne; solid play by the Nashville defense, and an aggressive forecheck that kept Chicago from setting up effectively in the offensive zone.

All those positive characteristics disappeared in the second game of the series as Chicago turned the tables on the Predators and played the Predators game in a 2-0 shutout win. Rinne made some outstanding saves for the Predators to keep the game from getting out of hand, but the Predators never mounted a serious offensive challenge to the Hawks and Niemi.

Tied at one, the series shifted to Nashville as the Predators were in good shape against a putative Cup favorite.

The Predators would take a 2-1 series lead with a 4-1 victory over the Hawks. This time, there were no empty netters. Instead, there was balanced scoring and an aggressive attack that prevented the Blackhawks from entering the zone with speed. Once again, Rinne was very good in net, the defense exerted their will on the Blackhawks, and the offense got balanced scoring. Joel Ward, David Legwand, Shea Weber, and Martin Erat tallied for the Predators. Tied at 1 at the end of the first period, the Predators would notch two goals in the second and one in the third to ice the game.

Ahead 2-1 in the series and with game four at the Bridgestone Arena, the Predators had an opportunity to put the Hawks down two games and in a very difficult position.

Instead, it was the Blackhawks that rose to the occasion with a 3-0 win over the Predators. Once again, the Blackhawks turned the tables on the Predators and stymied their offense with solid defense and an aggressive forecheck. When the Predators got scoring opportunities, Niemi was able to clean up any chances.

Now tied at two games, the series shifted back to Chicago, and in game five, Chicago dominated for the first half of the game. The Predators opened well, with David Legwand getting the first goal of the game with a beautiful shot to the far side post with Joel Ward screening Niemi. From there, things fell apart for the Predators as the Blackhawks scored the next three goals and outshot the Predators 24-8.

With the Predators on the penalty kill late in the second period, the potent Hawk offense was swarming and looking to add to their advantage. A funny thing happened on the way to cruising to what appeared to be an easy victory for the Hawks. They gave up a short handed goal on the power play to make the score 3-2. The Predators were able to go in to the second intermission with a successful penalty kill, a score, and a bit of momentum.

That momentum carried over into the third period as Martin Erat tallied two goals to give the Predators a 4-3 lead. As the time in the period evaporated, it was apparent that Chicago was gripping their sticks tightly and the Predators were improbably going to win this game for a 3-2 series lead.

That all came crashing down in the final :20 seconds of the period. With Marian Hossa in the box for a five minute major for boarding, the Predators controlled the puck and appeared ready to burn up the remaining time on the clock. Martin Erat had the puck behind the Chicago net, and instead of just eating the puck and letting the time run off the clock, he amazingly threw the puck into the slot where it was controlled by Chicago. The started a breakout, and with :13 seconds on the clock, Patrick Kane scored as Joel Ward lost coverage on him at the side of the net. 13 seconds away from an amazing win, and instead the two teams were now headed to overtime.

The Predators had 3:37 of power play time (the carryover of  Hossa's penalty) to begin the overtime period. As it was, the Predators abysmal power play once again shot blanks. Hossa was able to cme out of the box and score the game winner just :10 seconds after his penalty expired. What should have been a 4-3 win for the Predators in regulation was now a heartbreaking 5-4 overtime loss.

In game six, the Predators fell behind in the first period 3-1. One of the goals was a freak goal, as Brent Seabrook was just attempting to dump the puck in the zone. Pekka Rinne, seeing this, skated behind his net to stop the puck. Instead, the puck hit the skate of Patrick Kane, who was going off the ice for a line change. The puck radically changed directions, and before Rinne could react back to the front of the net, found its way into the goal.

The Predators battled back to tie the game at 3, but Chicago would once again reclaim the lead with a power play goal. They would later add an empty net goal to make the final margin 5-3 and capture the series 4-2.

For the Predators, the series will be remembered as a series that presented opportunities to win games that were lost because of failure to capitalize on their advantages. Losing game five was heartbreaking. This was a game that the Predators should have won.

The Predators only managed one power play goal on 26 attempts. A timely goal with the man advantage could have swung momentum to the Predators in several of these contests.

The Predators will also rue the lack of production from some of their offensive stalwarts. Jason Arnott tallied two goals, both in game six. Otherwise, he was invisible in the first five games. Steve Sullivan competed hard, but was held without a goal. After scoring two goals in the first game, J. P. Dumont was held scoreless for the rest of the series.

Leading goal scorer Patric Hornqvist missed most of the series, playing ten minutes in game one and the entire game in game six. It was revealed after the series that Hornqvist had a broken left hand. Losing the leading scorer from the regular season certainly hurt the Predators offensive effort.

As painful as the loss of this series was, it was part of the learning experience for this team. They notched their first road playoff win. They found out they could not only compete with, but defeat one of the best teams in the Western Conference in a pressure packed playoff environment.

It is now time to look back on the pain of the loss of this series and realize what could have been.

It is also time to build on the potential and the growth that this team has shown. Use the pain of this loss and the lessons learned to get back to the playoffs and finally break through and win a series.

It's now time to take the next step. It's time to stop wondering about what could have been.

Predator's Barry Trotz Named Finalist for the Jack Adams Award.

Nashville Predators Head Coach Barry Trotz was today named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, given by the NHL to the Coach of the Year. Trotz is a finalist along with Dave Tippett of the Phoenix Coyotes and Joe Sacco of the Colorado Avalanche.

Trotz has been the only head coach in the history of the Predators franchise, and is the second longest tenured Head Coach in the NHL, just a few months behing Buffalo's Lindy Ruff.

Looking at players and coaches in the NHL, we as fans often focus on the statistics or wins and losses. It is instructive to go beyond the numbers and take a look at this head coach that consistently turns out a great team regardless of the components that he has been given.

If you listen to Predators Head Coach Barry Trotz after a game, it is difficult to tell from the tone of his voice if the Predators have just won or lost a game. Trotz is an even keeled coach that has piloted the Predators since their inaugural season, and the coach of the playoff bound Predators sounds the same as the coach that guided an expansion franchise through its formative years.

Yet underneath that calm demeanor there is a drive to excel that pushes Trotz- and subsequently his players- to consistently exceed the expectations of the hockey world. As the Coach of a team that doesn’t spend as freely as some of the large market competitors, Trotz is called upon to squeeze everything out of the talent that he is given.

And squeeze he does.

Successfully.

The Predators will have made the playoffs in 6 of the first 12 years of their existence, and 5 of the last 6 years. This is despite having a smaller budget for payroll than most teams. This is despite having a roster purge as former owner Craig Leipold was attempting to sell the team and being forced to re-assemble a team that could be competitive. This despite turmoil that has occurred with both current and past owners.

So who is this coach that has quietly built another contender out of the Predators?

A native of Manitoba, the 48 year old had a career as a player that ended with the WHL Regina Pats in 1982. Trotz was never known as a star, but was a rugged and steady player who overcame serious injury to achieve success in the minors. Trotz began his coaching career at the University of Manitoba in 1984 as an assistant coach. His career has seen him as a Head Coach and General Manager (Dauphin Kings); a scout for the Washington Capitals; and Head Coach of the Portland Pirates, the Caps AHL affiliate. He was named as Head Coach of the Nashville Predators in 1997 and the Predators played their first season in the NHL in 1998.

Trotz is a coach that respects his players and puts the responsibility for the play on them. Although he will “call out” a player in the media, it is more of an exhortation to bring their game back to a certain level of performance rather than berating the player in public. This approach is appreciated by the players, and because Trotz respects them, they in turn respond to his coaching.

This is not to say that Trotz can’t light up a player or the team when necessary. I travelled with the Predators on a Western Canada road trip several years ago, with the first stop in Vancouver. The Predators played an uncharacteristically lifeless game and lost 2-0. I caught up with Coach Trotz the next day in Calgary, and we talked about the game. He told me that once the doors were closed, he had some choice words for the team, and that he called out several of the “stars” on the team. His comment was that if you want to be treated like a big dog, then play like a big dog.

And therein lies, I believe, the foundation of the success of Barry Trotz. He respects his players as players, and more importantly, as people. The fact that the team had to be chastised never even made it to the beat reporter from Nashville following the team. This was family to Trotz and he dealt with it behind closed doors. He did not embarrass the players. He clearly defined expectations and in turn expected his players to respond to him.

They did then.

And they have consistently over the years.

Trotz continually preaches the value of resiliency to his team. He tells them there will be moments in a game, and stretches in a season, where things don’t work, where the individual or the team suffers a setback. Trotz continually coaches his team to focus not on the breakdown or the tough patch, but to focus on the comeback. Take the punch, get off the mat, and fight back. This has been bred into the DNA of the team to the point that players often bring this up when talking to reporters. The philosophy of Trotz- and by extension the Predators- is not to dread the setbacks. They know they will come. Instead, have the fortitude and the ability to overcome adversity.

Trotz has framed his coaching style with a healthy dose of reality, and in turn, has imparted that to his players. When the Predators opened the season 2-6-1, it appeared as if the pundits would be right and this team would not remotely come close to the playoffs. 73 games and 95 points later, the Predators had secured a 7th seed in the highly competitive Western Conference with 100 total points. When asked about the turnaround of this team, Trotz gave a very telling answer. “They (the players) stopped trying to be who they wanted to be and started playing like who they were.” Trotz has said all along that the current edition of the Predators will not have some of the flash of teams past, but that they can be very successful by doing the little things, the hard things that lead to wins. Going to the net, winning puck battles, and playing fundamentally sound hockey would lead to a successful season. When this squad embraced that reality, the wins and the points began to pile up.

Trotz has often been described by many adjectives- stoic, hard working, underappreciated. All are accurate. But if you want to really understand the success of Barry Trotz and his ability to get the most out of his team, it starts with these three characteristics: respect; resiliency; and realism.

Quietly and steadily, the resilient Barry Trotz molds realistic expectations for his team and helps them achieve their maximum potential.

And now, he has the respect of his peers.

Hawks Close Out Series with a 5-3 Victory

Missed opportunities will be the theme of a series the Nashville Predators had an opportunity to win against the Chicago Blackhawks as the Hawks closed out the series with a 5-3 win at Bridgestone Arena. Missed opportunities in the form of a power play that was awful throughout the series. Missed opportunities in failing to close out the Hawks with 13 seconds remaining in game 5. Missed opportunities by allowing a couple of untimely and freakish goals in game six.

Missed opportunities.

Now the Predators have an off season to think about what could have been.

In a game that saw both teams go back and forth in the first period, the Hawks claimed a 4-3 lead at the end of the first period. Given the way that the period played out, one could expect the final score to be something atrocious like 10-9. Instead, after the explosive scoring of the first, both teams settled in to a defensive struggle.

Duncan Keith opened the scoring at 6:38 of the first period with his first goal of the series when he wired a shot past a screened Pekka Rinne for the tally.

Shea Weber would answer at 8:50 of the first with a shot from the blue line that eluded Chicago goaltender Antti Niemi.

With the home crowd roaring at full volume, Chicago proceeded to score the next two goals and threatened to blow the game wide open. 20 Cent tallied at 9:54 with a fluke goal. Looking as if he was going to dump the puck behind the net for a change for the Hawks, his shot caromed off the side board and past an out of position Rinne for one of the strangest goals I have seen. Patrick Sharp added another goal at 12:03 as the Hawks swarmed Rinne and the Predators defense. The Predators were in trouble and needed to answer.

Answer they did.

Jason Arnott finally got off the schneid and tallied a power play goal, taking a nice feed from Patric Hornqvist, who was seeing his first action since the first game of the series. Great to see the Captain finally contribute.

Arnott would tally his second goal at 19:05 to tie the game at three with a deflection of a Dan Hamhuis shot. The home crowd was in full throat and the momentum was with the home team.

That would be quickly short circuited as the Hawks went on a power play, and as they had often done in this series, tallied within just a few seconds of going to the man advantage.Jonathan Toews was crashing the crease and gathered in a rebound and knocked it past Rinne at 19:29 to give the Hawks a 4-3 advantage going into the first intermission.

That 4-3 score would stand through the second period as Chicago would have 10 minutes of power play time and would out shoot the predators 16-4. The penalty kill was successful, killing off all the Hawks man advantage situations, but it certainly took the energy out of the team and killed the opportunity to build any momentum.

The third period would see the Predators out shoot the Hawks 15-3, but the Predators could not solve Niemi. The Predators would have six minutes of power play time, but once again the special teams reverted to form and went scoreless. The Hawks would add an empty netter by John Madden for the final score of 5-3.

The Predators will look back on this series and see numerous missed opportunities. Failing to close out Chicago in game 5 was a punch in the gut. Kudos to this team for coming back and giving a valiant effort in this game. Lesser teams would not have shown up.

The Predators missed opportunities to bury shots throughout the series. Failing to finish scoring chances cost the Predators. The power play was an abysmal failure, scoring one time in 25 chances. These are areas that have to improve in the coming season.

It would be easy to focus on these shortcomings and the disappointment of another first round exit. Instead, focus on the positives about this team. This team was picked by some to finish 14th in the West. Instead, they recorded 100 points and finished 7th. This team has a young core of players that got their first taste of playoff experience, and they acquitted themselves very well. This team exceed all expectations and surprised the so called experts with their performance.

The loss is disappointing. Losing another playoff series in the first round is disappointing. That's good. We should expect more. As painful as this is, it is a learning experience and part of the growth process.

This team has a bright future. Focus on the positives. Sure, I wish the outcome were different, but I feel that this team is building in the right direction.

There is more to come, Predator fans. Good things.

And the Predator nation will be there to witness those successes.

7th Man- Are You In?

Game 5 in the Predators-Blackhawks series was a punch in the gut to the Predators and their fans. 13 seconds away from an improbable comeback victory over the highly favored Hawks saw the game get tied up and then lost in overtime.

This loss was painful. You can dissect the reasons for the loss all you want, but the fact is that the Predators had an opportunity to take control of the series and gave it away. The hurt from this one is palpable.

After the game, I had an opportunity to read a lot of "tweets" on Twitter that said many of the Predators supporters had given up, that the series was over. There is only one thing to say:

No, it's not.

Time and again over the course of this season, we have asked, no, demanded, that our boys bounce back. We have asked that they get back to their winning ways. And they have responded. A team that was picked to be last, or very near the bottom in the Western Conference, refused to give in to conventional wisdom and the challenges of a grueling season and continually rebounded. They fought and scraped their way into the playoffs and logged an unbelievable 100 point season. They did not quit.

And now 7th man, the call to you is not to quit either.

The call is to overcome the pain and frustration of a bitter loss and get ready to bring it on Monday night. The call is to be there for our boys and rise as Predator nation in support of the team that has laid it on the line all season.

It's no secret our barn is a tough place for visiting teams. It's tough because of you, 7th man. When we bring the energy and the noise, we are an intimidating and unstoppable force. This game is our challenge, our time to bounce back and bring the volume in support of the team we love.

Whatever happens Monday night, the 7th man has to be right there alongside the Predators, exhorting and encouraging them, yes even willing them to a win.

This series is not over. The hurt of the loss in game 5 has to be turned into energy and enthusiasm for our boys.

I expect them to bring it Monday night.

7th man- will you bring it?

Are you in?

Preds Give Away Game 5 in a Heartbreaking Loss to the Hawks

13 Seconds.

Thirteen seconds away from capturing game 5 and putting the pucker factor in Chicago off the charts. 13 seconds and with the man advantage.

Yet at the 13 second mark, 20 Cent Kane scored the game tying goal to send the pivotal contest to overtime. The Predators would fall to the Blackhawks in overtime as Cup Whore Marian Hossa would tally the game winner for a 5-4 victory for the Blackhawks. A victory that frankly should have never happened.

This loss hurts for a lot of reasons. The Predators battled back from a 3-1 deficit to take a 4-3 lead. The aforementioned prostitute for the Cup- Marian Hossa- was off for a boarding major. The Preds just needed to control the puck and run out the clock.

They didn't.

This is the kind of loss that can rip the heart out of a team. A team that is of lesser character will lay down in game six and the series will be over. This team will not do that.

Kudos to Marty Erat for showing up offensively. His two goals were huge today.

Also, props go to David Legwand, Joel Ward, Denis Grebeshkov, and Ryan Suter, all who played strong games.

As to the Predators power play... well to say it was- and is- abysmal is a compliment. Now 0- for 22, the power play has been a joke, and the futility with the man advantage is costing the Predators.

So here we are. The Predators and their fans have had their heart ripped out and now face the prospect of having to win two games against the powerful Hawks. How do we- yes the fans AND the team- respond?

Right now, as I write this, it is so easy to hang one's head and say it is over.

NO, IT'S NOT!

Look at this realistically. Down 3-1, it would have been easy to say it was over. This team didn't quit and didn't stop battling. Joel Ward's shorty at the end of the second period breathed new life into the Preds. Erat's goal to tie it up showed the Preds they could still compete and comeback against the Hawks. His second goal should have won it.

There was no quit in the team. They showed heart and battled. Yes, they should have won this game, and the loss is heartbreaking, but this team has shown they have the ability to rebound.

It will take focus. It will take passion. It will take heart. These things didn't disappear at the end of this game.

And, Predator fans, it's going to take heart and passion from us as well. Hear this- if you don't have it, don't show up.

Now it becomes a matter of the Predators laying it all on the line. You know there is no tomorrow. You have to play like it.

Time to bounce back.