4/16 - Ratto Report

I’m Ray Ratto, and this is a minute about love, hate and hockey.

We are not likely to learn tonight whether the St. Louis Blues are better than the San Jose Sharks, worse than the Sharks, or on a par with the Sharks. In a series tied at one-game apiece, Game Three doesn’t often reveal that much, except in hindsight.

We are, however, going to find out if they actually do dislike each other as much as they seemed to Saturday night.

You remember the 132-minute hate-fest they shared in St. Louis’ 3-0 Game 2 victory. It was a brutal series of beatdowns exceeded only by the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia game the next afternoon. Hey, it’s the playoffs. The kids start chafing after awhile.

But it take a lot of energy to do that twice in a row, the kind of energy that only a palpable dislike can create. In short, you really have to hate a guy to want to punch him out twice.

In other words, it’ll take some doing to repeat Saturday’s car crash. It could happen, don’t get us wrong, but don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t. Unless that’s what you’re in it for.


This is Ray Ratto for KNBR 680, The Sports Leader.