First Round Playoffs: One down, seven to go

May 7, 2013; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks mascot waves a flag on a broom to celebrate the “sweep” against the against the Vancouver Canucks after the Sharks win game four to take the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at HP Pavilion. The San Jose Sharks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s give a hearty cheer to the San Jose Sharks. They are the first team to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They defeated the Vancouver Canucks in overtime of game four by a score of 4-3.  Patrick Marleau’s shot went past Corey Schnieder with 6:42 left.  This makes the Canucks the first team in the post season to check out local tee times at a nearby golf course.

All the people who taught me hockey instilled in me a loathing for all thing Vancouver. That hatred got cemented on the Aaron Rome hit on Nathan Horton in game three of the 2011 Stanley Cup Championship. I saw them as dirty players who would embellish hits, draw penalties, and in general do whatever they could in the bounds of legality(and occasionally over them) to get their team a win.

Karma. That magical force in the universe that always seems to deliver that one glorious(or horrific)moment of comeuppance to those who weren’t expecting it. I thought the Canucks were due for an overdose of it even after we hoisted the Stanley Cup in Vancouver in front of a weeping Ryan Kesler.  That team had played beyond what I thought were the bounds of propriety.

That karma hit finally arrived tonight. Thirteen minutes into the overtime period, Canucks’ winger Daniel Sedin was called for boarding Sharks’ forward Tommy Wingels. That led to the final of San Jose’s three power play goals in the game. You know what? I think Sedin was right on that call. I watched the play. I didn’t see anything that looked like a hit that required a boarding call. (Then again, I’ve haven’t really shut up about the calls made this season on anyone.)

The karma hit came because members of the Canucks team accusing the Sharks of embellishment and dirty pool in order to get ahead here. Perhaps if they had focused more on playing cleaner hockey, they wouldn’t have found themselves down a person for those first two power play goals. Perhaps the icing on the cake was Sedin being assessed a ten minute penalty for abusive language after the game was over.

Below the Sedin tweet is a curious but true fact that I thought I’d share with everyone courtesy of someone I follow on Twitter.