NHL and other ice hockey discussion

[samarchepas]

Look at what happened here in Denver....we got a very good team when the Nordiques came and they then became a great team with the Roy trade. The team was great for years and years and won 2 Stanley Cups (the first one was the first pro championship for the city of Denver even) and now that the team has been bad for a few years, NOBODY goes to the games. The Avalanche are 27th in attendance this year, 23rd last year, 24th the year before, and 27th the year before that. And that's with some good young talent and 2 Stanley Cups.

An expansion team would fail within 2 years.
COULD be different in Canada, because there is less alternatives AND because its the national sport (Not saying that it wouldn't fail...but saying it would in just 2 years is way too fast to say...make that 5 years.)
I'll take a Canadian exemple here, Winnipeg that got their team back, attendance is great now and its the 2nd season in Winnipeg even if the team ain't doing great...will it be the same in 5 years if the team ain't winning then? All we can do to judge that is wait and see. About the Avs, its one of the teams that REALLY got hurt by the 2004-2005 lockout. (And the last one didn't help)

[Teh One Who Knocks]

You're 100% right about the Avs being hurt by the last lockout before this years....they haven't been the same team ever since.

Plus there have been some bad personnel moves in the front office that hasn't really helped a whole lot either.

[RBP]

Best start in NHL history. Like Ever. :woot:

[samarchepas]

Best start in NHL history. Like Ever. :woot:

While this is an amazing record right there, just like the Pats when they did 16-0...if you don't win the championship at the end of the year...its not worth shit :lol:

[RBP]

28 save whitewash baby. 15-0-3. Amazing. :woot:

[Godfather]

While this is an amazing record right there, just like the Pats when they did 16-0...if you don't win the championship at the end of the year...its not worth shit :lol:

At least the stats are in the Hawks favor here (not that hockey stats ever amount to shit). The teams with the now 2nd & 3rd best starts both won the cup.

[Godfather]

They don't have a long term vision (The NHL)...will most likely look at expansions more than moving teams to make profit now (They kept the Coyotes in Phoenix because of the POTENTIAL money they could make at some point...while losing 20M$ every year)

It's so idiotic it hurts. The plans for a new organization with 4 Conferences, two with 8 teams and two with 7, is an obvious sign the league is setting up to expand to 32 teams. Time to get current NHL & NHLPA management out before the league starts to go into decline. Just look at the caliber of the worst NHL teams and the worst NHL markets. The league would benefit financially and in terms of the 'product' if there were only 26 teams.

At very least, I hope the NHL stays the same size, and Columbus and Phoenix are moved to better markets (Seattle, Quebec, Hamilton... anywhere north really)

[RBP]

In OT.. streak continues :woot:

[Godfather]

Unbelievable :lol: They're going to clinch a playoff spot like halfway through the season :rofl:

[RBP]

And they win! :cheerlead:

[samarchepas]

Now that I think of it...Habs GM Marc Bergevin was assistant GM of the Hawks last year so both his former team and his current team are 1st in their respective conference...wow :lol:

[samarchepas]

Flyers announced that they have acquired Simon Gagne from LA in a trade for a 4th round pick

[DemonGeminiX]

Welcome home, Simon.

[samarchepas]

:shock:!!!! The Montreal Canadiens have traded forward Erik Cole to the Dallas Stars in exchange for forward Michael Ryder and a 3rd round pick in 2013. (WTF IS GOING ON TODAY?!?! :lol: )

[DemonGeminiX]

:shock:!!!! The Montreal Canadiens have traded forward Erik Cole to the Dallas Stars in exchange for forward Michael Ryder and a 3rd round pick in 2013. (WTF IS GOING ON TODAY?!?! :lol: )

Is that a good trade?

[samarchepas]

Is that a good trade?

Last year I would have said no BUT this year its GREAT because Cole is having a bad start this year AND (the key factor here) is he started talking about retiring at the start of the year (with 2 years left 4.5M$ each year ) Ryder will be UFA at the end of the year, so if he doesn't do the job, you let him go and you still have a 3rd round pick and you can take his cap space for someone else.

[samarchepas]

Pavel Datsyuk at his best....:lol:
http://i.imgur.com/nrVqKXb.gif

[Godfather]

Aaaand Kesler is out hurt for another 4-6 weeks weeks.

Vaginal tear I think...

Also, the league's realignment is looking as dumb as ever. Why organize the league to have more teams out East, when Gatineau and Quebec might gets teams in two years!? Just flip the Wings for the Jets and leave it the fuck alone until you know what's going to happen the next few years.

[samarchepas]

Aaaand Kesler is out hurt for another 4-6 weeks weeks.

Vaginal tear I think...

Also, the league's realignment is looking as dumb as ever. Why organize the league to have more teams out East, when Gatineau and Quebec might gets teams in two years!? Just flip the Wings for the Jets and leave it the fuck alone until you know what's going to happen the next few years.
The PA has to approve it (And the Owners)...I don't see this happening as of now (Gatineau?...You mean Markham?)
And about Kesler...Broken foot and out for 4-6 weeks...ouch. Well most teams have their share of injuries (Habs for exemple, Diaz and Bourque both out with concussions) But if you want REALLY bad in term of injuries...look at Ottawa (Karlsson,Spezza,Michalek, Anderson)

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Greg Wyshynski | Puck Daddy


Mike Milbury of NBC Sports Network has been one of Alex Ovechkin’s most consistent and caustic critics during the Washington Capitals star’s career, whether it’s being critical of his hits or his attitude or comparing him to Chad Ochocinco or calling his game (and that of his nation) “eurotrash” or ...

But Wednesday night – Rivalry Night! – on NBC Sports Network saw Milbury trash Ovechkin’s effort against the Philadelphia Flyers during the second intermission. Mom, Dad: Hide the kids.

Among the highlights:

• Ovechkin “failed” the superstar test “miserably” with “an awful display of hockey” and “should be ashamed of himself.

• “Eight year olds don’t do this in the offensive zone.”

• Ovechkin acted “like a baby” in trying to draw a penalty. “This is ridiculous embellishment. He should be embarrassed by this and so should his teammates. That is silly. Get up and act like a man, for god’s sake.”

• He doesn’t move enough on the wall.

• He doesn’t backcheck.

• And he had the nerve to go off on a line change during a Flyers’ goal.

• Milbury called his play "inacceptable" which ISN'T EVEN A WORD.

Wow. Really, the only thing missing was Milbury destroying an Ovechkin bobblehead with his shoe or wiping his backside with a No. 8 jersey live on the air ...

(We were waiting for Milbury to call Ovechkin a crackhead, but that's actually a term of endearment for him.)

Now, during that rant, you might have heard Milbury say something about playing games on consecutive nights, which Ovechkin did: Getting an assist against Carolina to follow up his 4-point day against New Jersey on Saturday. So maybe he’s a little gassed against Philly.

Or maybe he’s a miserable failure.

Or maybe two periods isn’t exactly enough of a sample size for this evisceration.

Or maybe Mike Milbury has been doing this for several years, and will do it again.

[samarchepas]

The Calgary Flames have filed an offer-sheet on Colorado Avalanche forward Ryan O'Reilly.

The offer sheet carries an average annual value of $5 million. O'Reilly will make $1 million in base salary for 2012-13 with a signing bonus worth $2.5 million. His 2013-14 salary will be $6.5 million.

Interesting :lol: (If the Avs let him go, they will get a 1st and a 3rd round pick.)
UPDATE: Avs matched the offer...can't be traded for a full year

[RBP]

17-0-3 after a 3-0 victory tonight. :dance:

[samarchepas]

17-0-3 after a 3-0 victory tonight. :dance:

But Crawford was injured in the game.

[RBP]

Again :| He just came back! But they still shut them out with Emery in net, so...

[RBP]

I really shouldn't try to talk hockey with you guys, I don't know shit, I just watch the Blackhawks. :lol:

[Shady]

I really shouldn't try to talk hockey with you guys, I don't know shit, I just watch the Blackhawks. :lol:

Doesn't really matter as your following a Good hockey team.

[samarchepas]

I really shouldn't try to talk hockey with you guys, I don't know shit, I just watch the Blackhawks. :lol:

But you probably know more about the game itself than Gary Bettman :lol:!

[samarchepas]

Now THAT is just HILARIOUS!!! Remember when I talked about O'Reilly and the Flames? If the Avs didn't match the offer by the Flames, normally the team would receive a 1st and a 3rd round pick and O'reilly would then go to Calgary, BUT because he played in the KHL till after the start of the NHL season...He would have to get through waivers! :rofl: (So the Avs would have gotten a 1st and a 3rd round pick...and the Flames probably nothing because chances are, a team would claim him before them AND they would lose their picks :rofl:

[RBP]

Wowzer! 18-0-3... 21 in a row baby! Went to OT so I stepped out to have a smoke.. and BAM! Seabrook scores the game winner. Columbus only has 22 shots on goal... isn't that low? :-k

[samarchepas]

Wowzer! 18-0-3... 21 in a row baby! Went to OT so I stepped out to have a smoke.. and BAM! Seabrook scores the game winner. Columbus only has 22 shots on goal... isn't that low? :-k

Columbus?...just check their lineup...no surprise there :lol: (Most of their offensive came from Nash last year...now in New York) It is low BUT its only one game (Habs allow on average 25 shots per game...was like 35 last year if not more...explains why they finished last during the last season and are now 1st in the East)
This year Hawks allowed 27 shots on goal on average.

[RBP]

Blackhawks streak in tact! Overtime! 22 games - amazing!

[RBP]

And another victory! :cheerlead:

[FBD]

that was a BULLSHIT delay of game. twice over. that streak should have ended right friggin there.

[RBP]

that was a BULLSHIT delay of game. twice over. that streak should have ended right friggin there.

:nana:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

that was a BULLSHIT delay of game. twice over. that streak should have ended right friggin there.

You're talking to people that think the Blackhawks are 'undefeated' because somehow those 3 OT losses aren't 'real' losses :roll:

[RBP]

You're talking to people that think the Blackhawks are 'undefeated' because somehow those 3 OT losses aren't 'real' losses :roll:

It's 4 losses, but none in regulation. That would be that big fat fucking 0 in the middle. :dance:

[RBP]

It's 4 losses, but none in regulation. That would be that big fat fucking 0 in the middle. :dance:

Nope. You're right, Lance. Only 3 losses :dance:

[Shady]

that was a BULLSHIT delay of game. twice over. that streak should have ended right friggin there.

You can call bullshit all you want. The fact is that anytime a player lifts the puck oover the glass, without hitting off another player, they will call delay of game, especially when they're trying to get it out of their zone.

[Godfather]

God damn I hate Kane but what a beast he is... that OT winner was hilarious.

[Shady]

It looked like he almost forgot how to skate. It was like watching a 5 year old trying to score.

[Godfather]

Guys try going in slow way too often... Kane is one of the only guys who can actually make it work.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDy_nGNXpD8

From last night's Pens/Bolts game

[RBP]

Wow, nice goal! :tup:

[samarchepas]

What's impressive here...He JUST came back from a concussion! :shock:

[FBD]

You can call bullshit all you want. The fact is that anytime a player lifts the puck oover the glass, without hitting off another player, they will call delay of game, especially when they're trying to get it out of their zone.

I dunno, the first one went into the penalty box. how's that different than the bench?

[Shady]

I dunno, the first one went into the penalty box. how's that different than the bench?

At least 5 ft of vertical glass.

[samarchepas]

At least 5 ft of vertical glass.

Yup...There is no penalty when the puck get to the bench because there is no glass.

[Shady]

Also, see number 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delay_of_game_%28ice_hockey%29

[RBP]

Another win :cheerlead:

wow, 10 straight wins (a franchise record) and still undefeated in regulation.

now 20-0-3

[samarchepas]

Habs are doing great this year...except against the Islanders!!!!! :lol: (was on a 11 games streak with at least a point)...lost 6-3 tonight. (Still first in the conference though)

[RBP]

Make that 21-0-3 after tonight's win ;)

[DemonGeminiX]

24 game point streak, that's pretty cool. The 79-80 Flyers set the league record at 35 games with a 25-0-10 record. Let's see if the Blackhawks can beat it.

[Godfather]

24 game point streak, that's pretty cool. The 79-80 Flyers set the league record at 35 games with a 25-0-10 record. Let's see if the Blackhawks can beat it.

That's crazy, Hawks have a long way to go yet but what an unbelievable run.


Apparently if you take the average points the final 8th position team needs to make the playoffs, and Pro-Rate it for this shortened season, it's about 53-55 points this year. So presumably the Hawks could win roughly 4-5 games the entire second half of the season and cruise into the Playoffs :lol:

They also have more Wins than 5 teams have Points!

[Teh One Who Knocks]

24 game point streak, that's pretty cool. The 79-80 Flyers set the league record at 35 games with a 25-0-10 record. Let's see if the Blackhawks can beat it.

And that was back before the bogus stat of OT losses gave you points points in the standings, you know, when a loss was a loss was a loss. :roll:

Points for a loss in OT is the most gaytarded thing the NHL still does....well, that and shootouts in regular season OT games.

Before shootout rule.....the penalty shot, the most exciting play in hockey and possibly all of sports.

After the shootout rule..... :yawn:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

And, while I'm bitching about the NHL, what was the purpose behind swapping home and away uniforms? :-s

I liked it when the home team wore their white unis and the away team wore the dark ones, and then suddenly a few years ago it switched. Why? :wha:

[FBD]

And that was back before the bogus stat of OT losses gave you points points in the standings, you know, when a loss was a loss was a loss. :roll:

Points for a loss in OT is the most gaytarded thing the NHL still does....well, that and shootouts in regular season OT games.

Before shootout rule.....the penalty shot, the most exciting play in hockey and possibly all of sports.

After the shootout rule..... :yawn:

haha whaaaa....you get points for an OT loss?? pardon my not following this shit very closely :D

I like OT shootouts, its better than three 5 minute periods then going home unsatisfied. I dont think there should be ties though. at all. ties are the sports organizers having given up.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

haha whaaaa....you get points for an OT loss?? pardon my not following this shit very closely :D

I like OT shootouts, its better than three 5 minute periods then going home unsatisfied. I dont think there should be ties though. at all. ties are the sports organizers having given up.

Yeah, the winning team in OT gets the 2 points for a win, but the losing team in OT still gets a point :roll:

And there's nothing wrong with ties, especially in a sport like hockey. Using shootouts to determine who wins a rather meaningless regular season game is stupid and it devalues the importance and excitement of a penalty shot. And NHL OT was only one 5 minute period, then the game was over.

And when it comes to the playoffs, there is NOTHING better than the NHL....sudden death and play until you win. There is nothing that tops the excitement of a 2 or 3 or 4 OT game in the playoffs in the NHL, nothing.

[FBD]

1 point for ot loss :lol: well...you didnt lose in regulation, after all.

I also like the idea of playoff play until you win. I love the NHL playoffs...I usually barely watch anything all season long, but the playoffs are great, I love the raging spirit of competition.

but I dont think you can convince me ties are a good idea :D

[Shady]

And when it comes to the playoffs, there is NOTHING better than the NHL....sudden death and play until you win. There is nothing that tops the excitement of a 2 or 3 or 4 OT game in the playoffs in the NHL, nothing.

:qft:

[Godfather]

This is a fantastic article on how some NHL are starting to quietly attempt to use advanced statistics like other sports in order to get an edge:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/opinion/2013/03/nhl-teams-ready-to-embrace-advanced-statistics.html

So much for the idea that stats don't hold up in hockey!!

[FBD]

I'm pretty sick of hearing about the coincidence of silver happening to call the electoral fraud ahead of time

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/CULDlzd.png

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The NHL finally did something using common sense :faint:

I kinda like the fact that the B's and Wings now become division rivals :-k

[samarchepas]

The NHL finally did something using common sense :faint:

I kinda like the fact that the B's and Wings now become division rivals :-k

Not QUITE if you think about it, (Florida teams in the same division as Montreal, Toronto etc..) And the fact that it will be harder to make the playoffs in the East because there are more teams there. But I agree with the Wings...FINALLY where they belong (In the east) and the same for Winnipeg in the West.

[Godfather]

I like the teams which will play each other lots but hate that the uneven alignment is an obvious signal of coming expansion. The league could stand to shrink two teams not grow, the quality of some teams and lack of fans is dismal. And nothing regarding expansion is set yet so why not swap Detroit and Winnipeg for now and leave it alone until you know what the plan is?!

[DemonGeminiX]

Yay! Expansion! More overgrown whiny pussies skating around in diapers!

The NHL should get a sponsorship deal with Depends!

:cheers:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Not QUITE if you think about it, (Florida teams in the same division as Montreal, Toronto etc..) And the fact that it will be harder to make the playoffs in the East because there are more teams there. But I agree with the Wings...FINALLY where they belong (In the east) and the same for Winnipeg in the West.

Where else would you put the Florida teams? I think it makes the most sense to put them in the division they put them in.

[RBP]

It had to go somewhere. :dunno:

http://i.imgur.com/i0kH356.jpg

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Okay there Mugzy ;)

[samarchepas]

WOW...Just...WOW!!!! I'm speechless! :shock: The Habs won against the Bruins tonight 6-5 in the shootout. (They were losing 4-1 and then 5-3 in the 3rd and tied the game with 8 seconds to go.)

[RBP]

Sounds like a great game!

[samarchepas]

http://tryimg.com/3/raskb.gif Rask after the game :rofl: (its not the first time he does that too...)

[samarchepas]

Jarome Iginla's 18-year tenure with the Calgary Flames has come to an end.

The team announced that it has dealt Iginla to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for college prospects Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski as well as Pittsburgh's 2013 first-round draft pick. :shock:

[DemonGeminiX]

I read that Crosby took a puck to the mouth yesterday, and that he's now out indefinitely and is gonna need extensive dental work to repair the damage.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Sean Leahy | Puck Daddy


If you're not a fan of outdoor hockey, then you will not like the NHL's plans for next season. Beginning with the 2013-14 season, the outdoor game concept the League has cashed in on will expand dramatically.

During TSN's "Insider Trading" segment Tuesday, Darren Dreger reported that the league will begin a stadium series next season featuring six outdoor games, starting with the Jan. 1, 2014, Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium. The other five match-ups will be:

• Ducks vs. Kings at Dodger Stadium, Jan. 25
• Devils vs. Rangers at Yankee Stadium, Jan. 26
• Islanders vs. Rangers at Yankee Stadium, Jan 29
• Penguins at Blackhawks, Soldier Field, March 1
• Senators at Canucks, BC Place, March 2

Contracts are to be finalized, according to ESPN's Katie Strang, but that's just a matter of paperwork.

Yes, the New York Rangers will be in not only one, but two outdoor games in the week leading up to Super Bowl XLVIII, which will be held Feb. 2 at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey.

With all 30 teams clamoring to host or be part of a Winter Classic, creating these other dates on the NHL calendar allows the "Teams Not Regularly Featured on NBC" to get in a game over time. Beyond next season, expect to see places like Minnesota, Colorado and St. Louis play host. Everyone gets involved, the NHL keeps teams happy and keeps growing revenues from an event rakes in so much money.

But will this kill the novelty of what the Winter Classic has provided? Considering every level of hockey has done such an event, with the number of these growing annually since the Penguins and Buffalo Sabres played in the very first Winter Classic in 2008, the novelty might have already worn off.

We just hope the NHL's ice guru, Dan Craig, will get a few extra weeks vacation for this new workload.

[Richard Cranium]

Haven't given you guys an update lately on my beer league exploits,

We finished the regular season in 1st place by a single point. I ended up with the 2nd best GAA in the league, not bad considering I am easily old enough to be every other goalies father..

We won our first round playoff game last week beating the team that knocked us out in the first round the last two years. The semi is Tuesday night and if we win that the final is Wednesday..

[Richard Cranium]

we lost 4-3 in the semi Tuesday night. 2 more Sunday night scrimmages and I'm done until September.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=q6BvNrdKfKY

[DemonGeminiX]

Hahahaha... she's got a dirty mind.

:lol:

[DemonGeminiX]

I love how the playoffs are on and the NHL network won't show any of the games. What greedy fuckers. And people wonder why I've turned away from hockey.

[-(

[Richard Cranium]

http://nhl.aoso.ru/

[DemonGeminiX]

Lance! They fired that reporter chick!!!

http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/msn/video_reporter_who_said_chicago_blackhawks_had_a_t remendous_amount_of_sex_fired/13542461

[Teh One Who Knocks]

That's BS

[Noilly Pratt]

How dumb. They should realize that it would bring in more viewers. Now they've created an internet hero, and I bet she has greater success because of it.

[DemonGeminiX]

So I hear that there was a hockey game last night and a fight broke out?

9 game misconducts and 236 penalty minutes? That's frickin' crazy, man! Is this how the playoffs were back in the 60s and 70s?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Greg Wyshynski | Puck Daddy


The Boston Bruins helped their city’s healing process after bombings at the Boston Marathon killed three people and injured well over 250 more. Their first game after the tragedy featured a stirring rendition of the National Anthem, “WE ARE BOSTON!” chants and a video montage themed to the slogan “Boston Strong.”

Well, one Toronto Maple Leafs fan felt all of this was fair game for Stanley Cup Playoffs smack talk, showing up to Game 3 of their series with Boston with this sign:

http://i.imgur.com/o4B7pvQ.jpg

Well, the ribbon’s a bit much.

To the surprise of no one, the backlash on social media was immediate and vicious towards this fan. Even Toronto radio host Jeff Blair felt the sign was idiotic.

http://i.imgur.com/yxtVw4g.png

And it is. And tasteless. And disrespectful to what the city went through, and what the victims continue to go through.

Even as a guy who doesn’t need to hear the national anthem at a sporting event or ever seen another war veteran used on the Jumbotron to strategically pump up the crowd during the game, the notion that “Boston Strong” should be fair game is more than a little nauseating.

We’re two days removed from a man who lost both legs in the bombing being honored before Game 2, and this is what we see at Game 3.

Wonder if this guy showed up at a Yankees/Blue Jays game in 2001 with a sign depicting a pair of middle fingers as the falling Twin Towers …

[DemonGeminiX]

That dude should get his ass beat.

[Shady]

Canucks get SWEPT!!!!!

[Noilly Pratt]

Canucks get SWEPT!!!!!

I'll say it before anybody else does...

GO CANUCKS GO! has changed to...

GOlf CANUCKS GOlf! :D

[RBP]

The Conference Quarterfinal round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs won't end until well after 11 p.m. ET on Monday night, but we won't have to wait long for the start of the Semifinal round. The NHL announced that two games will open the Conference Semis on Tuesday night, May 14.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Ottawa Senators in Game 1 of their series from Consol Energy Center at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday evening, while the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks will kick off the Battle of California at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday evening from Staples Center in L.A.

The NHL also announced that the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings will begin their Western Conference Semifinal series at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday night, May 15. The top-seeded Blackhawks will host Games 1 and 2 of that series.

It's expected that the other Eastern Conference Semifinal series will also begin on Wednesday night. Two Game 7s will be played on Monday to determine that matchup. It'll be the Bruins or Maple Leafs versus the Capitals or Rangers, depending on who survives and advances Monday.

[Richard Cranium]

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1135818/thumbs/o-NHL-PLAYOFFS-2013-TORONTO-MAPLE-LEAFS-facebook.jpg

[RBP]

:lol: great picture

[DemonGeminiX]

Wow, they blew a 3 goal lead that they held the entire game and lost in OT. Ouch.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

They blew a 2 goal lead with less than 90 seconds to play :dance:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

And cheer up Leafs fans, your team is part of history now :thumbsup:


According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Bruins are the first team in NHL history to win a Game 7 after trailing by three goals in the third period.

:dance:

I just read that the Bruins and Rangers are meeting in the playoffs for the first time since 1973....that's crazy!

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/Oqx5JrS.jpg

[Richard Cranium]

http://wac.9ebf.edgecastcdn.net/809EBF/ec-origin.boston.barstoolsports.com/files/2013/05/BKMgu9bCAAA2C99.jpg-large-480x545.jpg

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/qCdBCtj.jpg

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/aDXiEPL.jpg

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/nHpr1gM.jpg

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/daZvsSq.jpg

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Wow, Joe Sakic in the front office and Patrick Roy behind the bench next season....this is either gonna be awesome or go down in flames for the Avs.

[DemonGeminiX]

:|

They renamed the divisions:

Eastern Conference

Metropolitan Division: Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals

Atlantic Division: Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs.

Western Conference

Pacific Division: Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks

Central Division: Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Campbell Conference: Norris Division, Smythe Division

Wales Conference: Adams Division, Patrick Division

That's the way it should be.

[DemonGeminiX]

Jagr signed a one year deal with the Devils.

[RBP]

2 months until Hockey. :woot: The Blackhawks are poised for a repeat.

[DemonGeminiX]

Doubt that. The age of dynasties has gone the way of the Dodo bird.

[Richard Cranium]

NHL finalizes sale of Phoenix Coyotes

Board approves transaction, securing future of franchise

The NHL announced Monday afternoon the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to a group headed by George Gosbee and Anthony LeBlanc. The transaction, which closed Monday, was approved by the League's Board of Governors – terminating League ownership of the club.

"The National Hockey League believes in Arizona as an NHL market and that these new owners can provide the Coyotes the opportunity to secure a stable, long-term future in Glendale," Commissioner Gary Bettman said of IceArizona AcquisitionCo., LLC. "We thank Mike Nealy, Don Maloney, Dave Tippett, team captain Shane Doan and all the players and staff for consistently going 'above and beyond' on behalf of the franchise during this long and complex process. We thank the Coyotes' devoted fans for their patient, perseverant support. We are extremely pleased that a positive resolution has been achieved for the fans, the city, the Coyotes and the League."

IceArizona is a group composed of several business leaders from across North America. Renaissance Sports and Entertainment, LLC will act as the managing partner of IceArizona.

"We are extremely pleased to have finalized the transaction with the NHL and to take ownership of the Coyotes franchise," said Gosbee, Chairman and Governor of the Coyotes. "We extend our sincere gratitude to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly for their hard work and commitment to the Coyotes franchise and our great fans here in Arizona. We also thank the City Council members and residents of the City of Glendale for their tremendous support. Finally, to our fans and partners in the Valley, thank you for your continued loyalty, commitment and patience for the Coyotes. The future looks bright for our franchise."

"We are thrilled to be taking over a team led by one of the NHL's best general managers in Don Maloney, one of the best coaches in Dave Tippett, and the League's longest serving and most respected captain in Shane Doan," said LeBlanc, Alternate Governor and pending CEO of the franchise. "The Coyotes are here to stay and we will continue to work hard on and off the ice and have a strong presence in our community. Our ultimate goal is to bring a Stanley Cup championship to our tremendously resilient, passionate and dedicated fan base here in the Valley. We have a lot of work to do and we can't wait to get started."

[Richard Cranium]

My Beer League season started last Wed night, we lost 6-5 in OT.

I was definitely out of it, very unaware of the puck when it was in close. Bunch of weird goals I had no chance on, deflected in off of my own defenseman while he was behind the goal line. Got my rusty skates sharpened before the game, the guy used the holder for thinner bladed forward skates so the stone never cut the inner 1/3 of my blades. The sun was in my eyes, the puck is too small and the nets too big.

[Richard Cranium]

We won 5-2, great game. We are .500 now. :cheers:

One of the teams playing after us had a worthless no show goalie, like a sucker I agreed to stay and fill the void. "We" lost 5-3 and I am really, really, really sore.

[DemonGeminiX]

Oh wow, the NHL preseason is in full swing. The season starts on October 2nd. Wasn't even thinking about it. It snuck up on me.

[FBD]

NHL finalizes sale of Phoenix Coyotes

Board approves transaction, securing future of franchise

The NHL announced Monday afternoon the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to a group headed by George Gosbee and Anthony LeBlanc. The transaction, which closed Monday, was approved by the League's Board of Governors – terminating League ownership of the club.

"The National Hockey League believes in Arizona as an NHL market and that these new owners can provide the Coyotes the opportunity to secure a stable, long-term future in Glendale," Commissioner Gary Bettman said of IceArizona AcquisitionCo., LLC. "We thank Mike Nealy, Don Maloney, Dave Tippett, team captain Shane Doan and all the players and staff for consistently going 'above and beyond' on behalf of the franchise during this long and complex process. We thank the Coyotes' devoted fans for their patient, perseverant support. We are extremely pleased that a positive resolution has been achieved for the fans, the city, the Coyotes and the League."

IceArizona is a group composed of several business leaders from across North America. Renaissance Sports and Entertainment, LLC will act as the managing partner of IceArizona.

"We are extremely pleased to have finalized the transaction with the NHL and to take ownership of the Coyotes franchise," said Gosbee, Chairman and Governor of the Coyotes. "We extend our sincere gratitude to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly for their hard work and commitment to the Coyotes franchise and our great fans here in Arizona. We also thank the City Council members and residents of the City of Glendale for their tremendous support. Finally, to our fans and partners in the Valley, thank you for your continued loyalty, commitment and patience for the Coyotes. The future looks bright for our franchise."

"We are thrilled to be taking over a team led by one of the NHL's best general managers in Don Maloney, one of the best coaches in Dave Tippett, and the League's longest serving and most respected captain in Shane Doan," said LeBlanc, Alternate Governor and pending CEO of the franchise. "The Coyotes are here to stay and we will continue to work hard on and off the ice and have a strong presence in our community. Our ultimate goal is to bring a Stanley Cup championship to our tremendously resilient, passionate and dedicated fan base here in the Valley. We have a lot of work to do and we can't wait to get started."

are they going to move them somewhere the team isnt hemorrhaging money? to avoid having the local politicians suck the locality dry in tax money to pay for it? :dance:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/gYUcSId.jpg

[FBD]

Hartford is such a disgusting city. I guess I dont mind AHL...they fk up a lot, but at least you can get good seats on a moment's notice.

[Richard Cranium]

The Whale? I would think bringing back the Whalers would be the rallying cry?

[Richard Cranium]

We lost 6-4. Behind 1-0 after the first period. I would guess I had more saves in the first period than 3 games combined. My team was completely worthless. Gave up 4 in the second period, nothing soft and a shitload more saves. I berated my entire team between the 2nd and 3rd for playing like a bunch of Kansas City faggots, That had good effect as we scored 4 unanswered goals to come within 1.. Then I let up a soft fucking goal... and that was that..

[DemonGeminiX]

We lost 6-4. Behind 1-0 after the first period. I would guess I had more saves in the first period than 3 games combined. My team was completely worthless. Gave up 4 in the second period, nothing soft and a shitload more saves. I berated my entire team between the 2nd and 3rd for playing like a bunch of Kansas City faggots, That had good effect as we scored 4 unanswered goals to come within 1.. Then I let up a soft fucking goal... and that was that..

https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/7816486912/hEC294AC0/

[Richard Cranium]

We won, 6-0

We scored 2 pretty early in the first period, was 2-0 until early in the 3rd when we opened it up.

This was the same team that I subbed against 2 weeks ago, losing 5-3, they saw a little different side of me last night.

[FBD]

The Whale? I would think bringing back the Whalers would be the rallying cry?

So rallying that the CT Whale is now gone and they are once again the Wolfpack :lol:

[DemonGeminiX]

The Flyers fired Laviolette.

[FBD]

So rallying that the CT Whale is now gone and they are once again the Wolfpack :lol:

Dammit Ken Gernander, you had best make your team practice five thousand penalty shots.

I liked me date much more than I thought I was going to :lol:

[Godfather]

First episode of 24/7 was a bit of a let-down compared to the two prior seasons, but still fun no less. Anyone else seen it yet?

[DemonGeminiX]

Ummmm... no. :idk:

[Godfather]

Did you watch two years ago? It's an HBO 4-part series leading up to the NHL Winter Classic. This is the third time they've done it. Cameras are allowed to follow the two teams who will be featured, pretty much unfiltered. It's pretty incredible to get access to elite sports teams (and the Leafs) like that, definitely my favorite sports documentary series.

Your Flyers were done two years ago, that's what got me really liking them as a team.

[DemonGeminiX]

I don't have HBO, so I didn't get to see it.

My Flyers suck really hard this year. :sad2:

[Godfather]

I drafted Giroux with my first pick, 5th overall in my 16 man pool :banghead: He's picked it up recently at least.

I don't have HBO either, I just 'borrow' it from the internet. It's not usually very tough to find.

[DemonGeminiX]

I'm sorry to say, but after the last strike, I've kinda fallen out of love with the NHL. That and since the Thrashers have left Atlanta, I don't get as many games on Dish Network anymore. Sometimes they'll show the Predators, sometimes the Hurricanes, but for the most part they're just games I can't get into.

[Godfather]

Ya I was wondering if you or Lance had gotten back into it. That's too bad. Funny to see revenues still jumping like they did. All the suckers like me couldn't stick to our guns and punish the league/players for their bullshit :lol: Fuck

[DemonGeminiX]

Ok, I'm watching hockey now because I hate basketball and there's nothing else on TV.

[RBP]

Ya I was wondering if you or Lance had gotten back into it. That's too bad. Funny to see revenues still jumping like they did. All the suckers like me couldn't stick to our guns and punish the league/players for their bullshit :lol: Fuck

I am just hear to say fuck you. 3-2 loss at home. Grrrr

[DemonGeminiX]

:hand:

You still got a point.

[Godfather]

I am just hear to say fuck you. 3-2 loss at home. Grrrr

:lol: I thought that was going to turn into a laugher when Chi was up by 2 goals so quickly.

Getting beaten by the Canucks in a shootout is pretty wacky. We suck balls at it.

[Godfather]

Ok, I'm watching hockey now because I hate basketball and there's nothing else on TV.

Good time to get back into it. The World Juniors are starting very soon, then it's Olympic hockey! So pumped.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Greg Wyshynski - Puck Daddy


The surging popularity of the National Hockey League in the U.S. can’t be denied.

The revenue confirms it. The ratings confirm it. The buzz around star players and successful teams, nationally and locally, confirms it. We just had over 105,000 fans watch a game worth two points in the standings, freezing their rumps off in the snow.

It’s been an ongoing trend since the League rebooted after the 2005 lockout. There’s been some luck involved, like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin arriving and having a steady parade of big market teams in the Stanley Cup Final. But the end result is still an unprecedented level of enthusiasm for the product.

Meanwhile, what the National Basketball Association has experienced over the last five years can be correctly termed an “enthusiasm gap.” Some markets thrive because their teams are winners; other markets that had winning teams once upon a time have decided the product is stale; still other markets simply haven’t built, or rebuilt, fan bases due to a lack of success.

In 2013-14, the comparison between the leagues reveals how stark a difference in enthusiasm we’re seeing. Or, at the very least, how much more aggressive the NHL is being in pushing its product.

From Nina Falcone of CSN Chicago, news of sellouts in the land of puck and lack thereof on the hardwood:


Throughout the 2013-14 season, 15 NHL markets have averaged at least 100 percent capacity in their home stands: The Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Minnesota Wild, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets.

The Red Wings lead the charts at a 118.5 percent capacity, an average of 23,780 fans per game, while the Blackhawks take second at a 109.2 percent capacity, averaging 21,528 fans per game. (Note: Without the Winter Classic, the Red Wings are averaging 20,066 fans per game. If you don't count the outdoor game, the Blackhawks are leading the attendance charts. Expect the Blackhawks to get a healthy bump when they play their game at Soldier Field on March 1.)

The NBA, on the other hand, has only eight markets averaging at least 100 percent capacity this season: The Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets.

From ESPN.com’s charts, here’s how this thing breaks down through Wednesday night:

http://i.imgur.com/Kg8mQpo.jpg

Pretty impressive, right? And of the 15 teams that are selling out every night, 10 are located in the U.S., which hasn’t always been the case in the NHL when it comes to full capacity.

More impressive: The NHL traditionally has higher ticket prices than the NBA. For example, in the 2012-13 season the NHL had an average ticket price of $61.01 which topped that of the NBA ($50.99) according to Team Marketing Report. (And that was in a year with a lockout for the NHL.)

Yes, the numbers are incredible. Look at road attendance: The NBA has 16 teams playing on the road to buildings 90 percent or higher in capacity filled; the NHL has 29(!) teams playing in buildings with 90 percent or higher capacity.

But then again, it was the same way in 2011-12, too; 29 NHL road teams playing in buildings with a 90-percent or higher capacity; and 12 NBA teams doing the same.

And wait a moment … 16 teams played to 100 percent or higher capacity at home in 2011-12 as well, over 41 home dates!

What about 2010-11? Oh, man, upset: Only 28 road teams played in buildings that had 90 percent or better filled capacity for the season.

The teams that sold out every night in 2010-11? There were 12 of them, with the Los Angeles Kings (99.8 percent), Minnesota Wild (99.7), New York Rangers (99.5) and Ottawa Senators (99.3) less than one percent away from joining the total.

None of this is meant to provide needles for the NHL’s balloons. It’s completely accurate to say that the League has seen a surge at the gate in many markets, and that success from three years ago has been sustained through a work stoppage. It’s been over 15 years in the making, but it can be argued that the NHL is hot and the NBA is not.

But this is also a reminder that, in the end, attendance figures are rubbish.

Both leagues go with “tickets distributed.” Not sold, not a turnstile count, but distributed. It’s a completely nebulous bit of creative accounting that is easily manipulated by a team if it needs to, say, keep a sellout streak alive.

Unlike puck possession, is one case where what you observe at the rink is always going to be more accurate than the stats: How many times have you been to the arena, seen empty rows and luxury boxes and yet the game is a sellout?

Remember when Jerry Moyes bankrupted the Phoenix Coyotes? One of the documents in the case was about turnstile count vs. reported attendance. The Coyotes’ tickets distributed in 2008-09: 14,626 on average for 41 home dates. The turnstile count, according to Moyes: 10,943 fans on average.

Look, hockey fans: We can still pop the champagne here. The League’s really, really going strong. We’ve taken slings and arrows from basketball fans while watching the diminishing returns of the NBA – a league that has its stars clustered on a handful of teams while desperately trying to generate new ones on moribund franchises – and it’s good to see hockey’s popularity getting recognized in comparison with its arena-mates.

But never lose sight of the fact that attendance is a shell game of frequently fudged numbers. Our league’s always been pretty damn good at papering buildings – 14,709 a night for the Florida Panthers this season? – and maybe we’re just better at it, overall, than the other guys.

Or maybe hockey's just cooler and better and more awesome and popular than basketball. We'll also accept that answer.

[Godfather]

I'm thrilled to see the NHL thrive for the most part. I have a dream that one day, the NHL will be like the NFL and make so much revenue on tv/online viewership that stadium ticket prices don't matter because they don't actually need anyone to come to games to be profitable :lol: The teams that charge out the ass can bring the prices down again. Instead of a bunch of buttoned-up yuppies in the lower bowl who show up late, dick around on their blackberries, and get pissed when you stand and cheer... there can actually be fun-loving passionate fans, and a real home-ice advantage back in the stadium (and people will be able to afford a few beers to get riled up).

I've met all these awesome fans, especially in Toronto and Vancouver, wearing jerseys and rattling off stats but they've never been to a game because it's that expensive. That's just sad.

/rant

[Godfather]

I'm so excited for the Olympicsc right now though, far more so than the NHL :mrgreen:

I foresee a repeat of Canada VS USA at Sochi. I think Russia will fall apart again, and it will be that much more crushing for Ovie when it happens on home soil.

[redred]

https://i.4cdn.org/wsg/src/1388436122418.gif

[DemonGeminiX]

Oh wow. The Flyers are now 2nd in the division. The last time I checked (over a month ago), they were dead last.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The B's were doing so well, now they're on an Epic Fail of a road trip :wha:

[Godfather]

The B's were doing so well, now they're on an Epic Fail of a road trip :wha:

It's not pretty but they're still second in the East! Definitely the team the East goes through still I believe. Pitt looks great right now but Boston is just so tough. I don't think Flurry has the resolve to take that kind of net-crashing that will allow their offense to do its thing.

[Godfather]

Oh wow. The Flyers are now 2nd in the division. The last time I checked (over a month ago), they were dead last.

:dance: I couldn't believe the start to the season they had, it made zero sense. Glad to see G and that team bouncing back.

[Godfather]

I think the West vs East is an interesting little stat that has defined the first half of this season. Last I read, the West was 136-68-30 versus the Eastern Conference in games played. One Eastern Conference NHL'er said some nights it feels like they're a Junior B team playing against a Major Junior team. It doesn't mean anything as far as playoffs go, but it's an odd swing given that a few years ago the East seemed far better.

Vancouver is just hoping for a Wildcard slot to make the playoffs right now. In the East they and Colorado would be 3rd and 2nd respectively :shock:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I think there was a hockey game in Boston last night :-k

























































http://i.imgur.com/Em2MXQo.gif

http://i.imgur.com/MXUz9bq.gif


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZtR9nLPDWA

8-[

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Milan Hejduk announced his retirement from the NHL through the Colorado Avalanche website after 14 seasons with the team.


http://i.imgur.com/y5ZeFm6.jpg

[Godfather]

Helluva career. Always impresses me to see a guy hang 'em up with the same team that drafted him. Can't be many (if any?) Nordiques drafts left?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

That's a good question, I don't think there are any left, but I could be wrong :-k

[DemonGeminiX]

I don't know about drafts, but I yanked this from Wikipedia:

The last active NHL player who played for the Nordiques was Adam Foote who, on April 8, 2011, announced his retirement after the 2010–11 season. Foote played 16 years with the Nordiques/Avalanche franchise over two stints. The last Nordique still active in professional hockey is Martin Rucinsky, who plays for HC Litvínov of the Czech Extraliga as of December 2013.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

According to Wiki, Tim Thomas is the last active player in the NHL that was drafted by the 'Diques:


In the lockout shortened 2012–13 season, Hejduk became the last player drafted by the Quebec Nordiques still active in the NHL after goaltender Tim Thomas opted for a year on hiatus.

That must have been written before Thomas came back with the Panthers this year.

[Godfather]

Fuck fuck Fuckity fuck. Two top goalies traded away for piss all in 8 months.... This is fucked

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Fuck fuck Fuckity fuck. Two top goalies traded away for piss all in 8 months.... This is fucked

:empathy:

I think Tim Thomas is available now :P

But seriously, you guys got Markstrom in the trade, he was supposed to be the future for the Panthers, so if you guys can develop him, who knows? I do agree though that I dunno what they're thinking getting rid of both their goalies like that. Vancouver is only 2 points out of the final wild card spot right now :-k

[Godfather]

:empathy:

I think Tim Thomas is available now :P

But seriously, you guys got Markstrom in the trade, he was supposed to be the future for the Panthers, so if you guys can develop him, who knows? I do agree though that I dunno what they're thinking getting rid of both their goalies like that. Vancouver is only 2 points out of the final wild card spot right now :-k

:lol: I was looking forward to Thomas and Luongo playing on a team together. Lou's twitter account and sense of humor would have made for some funny shit.

They've been so horrible since Vancouver I'd be shocked if they made the playoffs. It's just a weird thing after they played the second best month Franchise Record in December! Oh well, on the bright side it'll help them draft a bit higher, but this is supposed to be a bit of a slim draft class. And maybe Torts and our GM will get fired!

[Godfather]

Meanwhile your Avs are looking great! MacKinnon broker Gretz's point streak record for a rookie at 13 games. Guy is going to be a star for many years.

All the Av's odd-year draft picks are working really well right now... Duchene & O'Reilly 2009, Landeskog 2011, MacKinnon 2013. Go figure.

[Godfather]

Found this online:

MI HS team Grandville is eliminated from playoffs by Catholic Central just hours after tragic death of their captain. CC mourns with them after the game.
http://i.imgur.com/wEi64Dr.png

While the CC players stood at center ice waiting for the handshake line, the Grandville players huddled around their crease. CC -- apparently spontaneously -- skated down the ice and enveloped the mourning Grandville squad.

CC's student section also put on a "maroon out" in support of Grandville, whose school colors are maroon and white.

Here's more on the fallen Grandville captain -- http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2014/03/grandville_hockey_co-captain_r.html

[samarchepas]

:lol: I was looking forward to Thomas and Luongo playing on a team together. Lou's twitter account and sense of humor would have made for some funny shit.

They've been so horrible since Vancouver I'd be shocked if they made the playoffs. It's just a weird thing after they played the second best month Franchise Record in December! Oh well, on the bright side it'll help them draft a bit higher, but this is supposed to be a bit of a slim draft class. And maybe Torts and our GM will get fired!
The way I see this, its a very similar situation that the Habs had to deal with a few years ago when Pierre Gauthier was the GM of the Habs. TOTAL lack of vision on what he was doing during the last year (Head coach got fired during the year by him, bad trades...including Cammalleri IN THE MIDDLE OF A GAME against Boston. At the end of the year, the owner stepped up and fired pretty much the entire management of the team.)
Back to the Canucks case, they had Luongo and Schneider, can't trade Luongo because of his contract so they trade Schneider THEN they trade Luongo a few months later...WTF?! And I didn't even talk about the Kesler case!
Since Bergevin is in place, you can easily tell he has a plan and follows it. I nearly fell off my chair when he got Vanek at the deadline for a 2nd round pick and Sebastian Collberg (small forward) should help the team to get some goals.

[DemonGeminiX]

'bout damn time you showed up, Sammy. Welcome back.

[samarchepas]

'bout damn time you showed up, Sammy. Welcome back.
Thanks :)
Oh believe me, I would have showed up WAY sooner if I knew about the place! :lol: Dunno when the move was made but I didn't know about it until a few days ago (Thanks to redred for telling me)

[Godfather]

Hey Sam great to see you back!! Habs are killing it, good time to see you around!

We missed ya during the Olympics, any belated thoughts on the men's Canadian team winning gold again?

[samarchepas]

Hey Sam great to see you back!! Habs are killing it, good time to see you around!
We missed ya during the Olympics, any belated thoughts on the men's Canadian team winning gold again?
Great to see you too GF! (missed it here)
Loved it during the Olympics, but right about now...I HATE the Olympics :lol: (Price didn't play a game since winning the gold because of a knee injury when he was there)
Apparently, its not really serious and the team is taking it safe (right thing to do) He said he would be in the net if it was in the playoffs.
To top it off, the team has problems to score goals too lately, even with Vanek :lol: (Lost tonight 4-0 against the Sharks)

[redred]

Thanks :)
Oh believe me, I would have showed up WAY sooner if I knew about the place! :lol: Dunno when the move was made but I didn't know about it until a few days ago (Thanks to redred for telling me)

welcome back mate , thought we grabbed everyone ,but looks like we missed a few then i remembered i may be able to get a message to you via PSN :tup:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/UF5EoWO.png

http://i.imgur.com/kiAPfza.gif

BAM! :dance:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Meanwhile your Avs are looking great! MacKinnon broker Gretz's point streak record for a rookie at 13 games. Guy is going to be a star for many years.

All the Av's odd-year draft picks are working really well right now... Duchene & O'Reilly 2009, Landeskog 2011, MacKinnon 2013. Go figure.

MacKinnon is the real deal....awesome job that Patty is doing with this team. They are exceeding everyone's expectations. Bring on the playoffs :thumbsup:

Bruins/Avalanche for the Cup :cheers:

[FBD]

sweet, stanley cup soon :dance: I'll have to see if I can conjure up something that will "play TV" :lol:

[Godfather]

Really scary situation during the Dallas-CBJ game tonight when Rich Peverly collapsed on the bench. Sounds like Rich is stable and going to be okay but the game was postponed because everyone was shaken. Glad the NHL takes medical preparedness so seriously.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txA0TNZmeLg&feature=youtu.be

Vid with sound is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txA0TNZmeLg&feature=youtu.be

[DemonGeminiX]

I just read about that. Messed up.

[Godfather]

Fucking... what happened tonight. Wow. We are the new Leafs.

[samarchepas]

Fucking... what happened tonight. Wow. We are the new Leafs.

Losing 7-4 after having a 3-0 lead...ouch! :lol:
I've said it before and I'll say it again, being 11th in the West right now and the obvious mess the management of the Canucks is lately, don't be surprised
if Gillis and Tortorella get fired at the end of the year. Firing Vigneault,hiring Tortorella and trading the team's #1 goalies and trying to trade Kesler.
If you feel that your boss is destroying your company, will you feel safe working there? Of course not. Lack of leadership does that.
The Canucks still have a good core, they better fire Gillis ASAP before he destroys the team even more.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Fucking... what happened tonight. Wow. We are the new Leafs.

The Islanders??? Really???? :shakehead:

[samarchepas]

The Islanders...WITHOUT Tavares...:lol:

[Godfather]

Losing 7-4 after having a 3-0 lead...ouch! :lol:
I've said it before and I'll say it again, being 11th in the West right now and the obvious mess the management of the Canucks is lately, don't be surprised
if Gillis and Tortorella get fired at the end of the year. Firing Vigneault,hiring Tortorella and trading the team's #1 goalies and trying to trade Kesler.
If you feel that your boss is destroying your company, will you feel safe working there? Of course not. Lack of leadership does that.
The Canucks still have a good core, they better fire Gillis ASAP before he destroys the team even more.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall in this organization. Amazing to go from a cup contender 3 short Springs ago, to this... There are rumors flying like crazy. Some say Tortorella has lost the dressing room, others say Gillis is entirely to blame for having no direction or making any moves to make us younger/better, and others again say it's ownership who has caused all these poor decisions or held back the GM from doing what he really needs to. Personally I'm worried it's all three... It's impossible to get rid of ownership when the franchise value is so strong, and I'm not sure they're going to eat ~$15 in contracts given to Torts and Gillis if one or both are fired.

So basically... we're fucked :lol:

[samarchepas]

I'd love to be a fly on the wall in this organization. Amazing to go from a cup contender 3 short Springs ago, to this... There are rumors flying like crazy. Some say Tortorella has lost the dressing room, others say Gillis is entirely to blame for having no direction or making any moves to make us younger/better, and others again say it's ownership who has caused all these poor decisions or held back the GM from doing what he really needs to. Personally I'm worried it's all three... It's impossible to get rid of ownership when the franchise value is so strong, and I'm not sure they're going to eat ~$15 in contracts given to Torts and Gillis if one or both are fired.

So basically... we're fucked :lol:

Most fans in the east pretty much :facepalm: when Tortorella got hired by the Canucks. I've seen him with the Rangers and the Lightning, he still coaches like in the old NHL, loses his team and gets fired after a while.
Gillis IS to blame too for bad moves and no direction as you said. The management part is hard to tell, MAYBE the owner got tired of "nearly winning the Cup" and told Gillis to fire Vigneault.
Torts and Gillis contracts...should be pocket change for a Canadian team :lol: (They will lose more money with tickets if they DON'T make the change)

[Godfather]

There are even stronger rumors than that. The most interesting are that Gillis did not want to hire Torts in the first place, wasn't given the green-light to trade Luongo last year due to salary retention (which now we're doing anyways), and wasn't permitted to trade Kesler at the deadline for what he was worth (Aquilini's wanted insane value). I hope that's not true... but there are too many rumors for it not to have some truth to it.

Still.. Gillis blows, he's done nothing but make bad trades (mostly with Florida for some reason 7 now). The problem is that Gillis and Torts both have around 4-years left at $2 million each. That's nothing compared to the valuation of the team ($700 million per Forbes) but it's also not pocket change for any organization in term of micro/short-term economics. Especially when the sell-out streak is over and people are pissed.

[Godfather]

http://i.imgur.com/tJ0Lj3S.jpg

[samarchepas]

There are even stronger rumors than that. The most interesting are that Gillis did not want to hire Torts in the first place, wasn't given the green-light to trade Luongo last year due to salary retention (which now we're doing anyways), and wasn't permitted to trade Kesler at the deadline for what he was worth (Aquilini's wanted insane value). I hope that's not true... but there are too many rumors for it not to have some truth to it.

Still.. Gillis blows, he's done nothing but make bad trades (mostly with Florida for some reason 7 now). The problem is that Gillis and Torts both have around 4-years left at $2 million each. That's nothing compared to the valuation of the team ($700 million per Forbes) but it's also not pocket change for any organization in term of micro/short-term economics. Especially when the sell-out streak is over and people are pissed.

Part in bold, dunno about you, but if I was a season ticket holder and the team doesn't make changes, I'd SERIOUSLY reconsider about getting my tickets next year. 8 millions is not much if you think about it. (Its a LOT of money for us, I know :lol: )
You'll know by next year if the ownership cares more about money than the fans and their team.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Hey GF, someone is paying for the mess with the Canucks...they fired the concessions staff :lmao:

http://vansunsportsblogs.com/2014/03/11/because-someone-had-to-pay-canucks-fire-entire-concession-staff/

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Adam Proteau - The Hockey News


http://i.imgur.com/Dgb41Tu.jpg

I’ve never had a problem admitting one of my pre-season predictions was wrong. And man alive, was I ever wrong about the Colorado Avalanche this year. Like anyone else with functioning retinas, I could see the Avs had an astonishingly talented collection of forwards, but their defense concerned me enough to peg them as a non-playoff team.

Well, the regular season is more than 80 percent complete and all doubt about Colorado has had a flamethrower taken to it. The Avalanche not only are bound for the post-season, they’re also tied with the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference standings, a single point behind the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks and just two wins and five points behind the league-leading Blues. And although stars such as Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan O’Reilly have been instrumental in that success, I’m here today to pay respect to the man I believe is the key force behind Colorado’s stunning turnaround from the worst team in its conference in 2013-14 to one of the league’s most dangerous.

That would be head coach Patrick Roy, who is the clear frontrunner to win the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s best bench boss. You can make an argument that any one of Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper, Anaheim’s Bruce Boudreau and St. Louis’ Ken Hitchcock are deserving of recognition, but Roy still stands out as the cream of the crop.

The Hockey Hall-of-Famer has been better in his rookie NHL coaching season than anyone could have imagined. His legendary competitive fire hasn’t singed or stunted the growth of any of the Avalanche’s young players. In a league where special teams can make or break a franchise’s ability to win, Roy has found a way to scratch and claw out victories despite not having a power play or penalty kill ranked in the top 10. He’s made them into as solid a road team (20-9-2) as they are in Denver (22-9-3). And after they stumbled through a tough December in which they went just 5-5-4, the Avs have lost two straight games only once.

You don’t see that type of win/loss about-face just because your youngsters are maturing. You get that with structure, adaptation and confidence. That comes from the coaching staff. In this case, that comes from Roy.

It’s tough to overstate how remarkable Roy has been this year. Icons like him don’t normally make this smooth a transition to the coaching side of the game. Neither do former goaltenders: if he does win the Jack Adams, Roy will be the first ex-NHL netminder to do so. (Jacques Martin was a goalie, but never in hockey’s top league.) And he’ll have done it working with the NHL’s third-lowest payroll.

The Avalanche are to some degree still learning who they are, but under Roy, they’re no longer questioning what they are: a slick, smart squad that can run up the score on an opponent as easily as it can play (and win at) a low-scoring game. Roy has done in six months what his predecessor Joe Sacco couldn’t do in four years. Any way you slice it, that’s impressive.

Roy’s cockiness has and always will rub some people the wrong way. However, it’s rubbed off on the Avs, who are much better for it. And that’s why, if he doesn’t hear his name announced as this year’s Adams Award winner, it will be as big a robbery as the kind he’d routinely make when he was stopping pucks for a living.

[Godfather]

Good article for sure. It's partly an underdog story, but it was also about time some of the high draft picks stepped up to the plate and took the reigns. Roy seems to be more than capable of drawing that out of them, they'll be very dangerous in the playoffs.

[Godfather]

The Avs will steep competition this year though. Other than Boston and Pittsburgh, the East for whatever reason nowhere near as strong. The top 6/8 teams in the league are all in the Western Conference. The current 3rd seed in the East would be in a tight race for a Wildcard spot out here :lol:

Not to say a Western team will win the Cup ... I haven't followed Boston at all, but the Penguins look strong and Fleury's new goalie coach has him playing incredible again.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

... I haven't followed Boston at all

9-1-2 in their last 12 games...and 6 wins in a row after thumping Montreal last night :dance:

[samarchepas]

9-1-2 in their last 12 games...and 6 wins in a row after thumping Montreal last night :dance:

Budaj is a good backup...but I'm sick of having him as the starter every night :lol:
Since Price is injured, the team is having BIG problems with scoring goals (He should be back soon)

[samarchepas]

Price comes back (wasn't great, but that was to be expected, its been almost a month without action for him)
And...that was probably the most insane comeback I've seen in years!!! It was 4-1 Sens with a little more than 3 minutes to go.
Tied the game with 0.3 seconds to go and won in OT!

[FBD]

I did that playing xbox hitz last night, too :dance:

[samarchepas]

I did that playing xbox hitz last night, too :dance:

well, for real, its the first time in the League's history that it happens in the last 5 minutes of a game :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

9 in a row for the B's :banana:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/hfocOo2.gif

Tuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuka!

[Teh One Who Knocks]

10 in a row! :woot:

Only 2 points behind the Blues now for the most points in the league :banana:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/LdCFllf.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/uvV0MYp.gif


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckeM_eE3bOk

[Godfather]

Bobby! One of the greats, happy bday.

[Godfather]

This is a funny article on how the spirit of the Broad Street Bullies lives on.

http://beta.thescore.com/news/459335

I didn't post it because it has too many photos and I'm lazy :lol:

[Godfather]

http://i.imgur.com/sK0Ie8J.gif

[samarchepas]

http://i.imgur.com/sK0Ie8J.gif
Why do I get the feeling that this kid didn't leave his chair till the end of the game? :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

12 in a row! :banana:

[Godfather]

Absolutely insane :lol: I think the Bruins should just get a By to the Eastern Conference finals... maybe the Cup Finals with Pitt being so decimated on the blue line....

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Well, the streak is over, but still got a point in the loss (but don't get me started on that because I think that's a stupid rule...)

[FBD]

http://i.imgur.com/sK0Ie8J.gif

had to send that to my brother up in AK, he laughed his ass off watching it 20 times in a row :lol:

[samarchepas]

I'd trade Pacioretty while his stock is so inflated :lol: You know you have a bad team when he's your best player. I'll eat dirt if he scores 30 goals again next year. He's just not that good at hockey...



I just HAD to bring that up...Guess who scored his 35th goal tonight...:lol: (its not the "Vanek effect" too, he had 29 before the trade)

[Godfather]

:lol: damn

[DemonGeminiX]

Enjoy your dirt entrée.

[samarchepas]

:lol: damn

Want anything with that dirt entrée? (I'm not heartless....:point: .....:lol: )

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/XYS9W7j.gif

Rollin', rollin', rollin'.....15-1-1 for the month of March :cheers:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Well, it was a nice story while it lasted, but looks like the Avs aren't gonna go very far. Local sports radio here is reporting that Matt Duchene's leg injury will keep him out for 4 weeks.

[Godfather]

http://i.imgur.com/UOFPnbW.png


Still reason to be positive. If the playoffs started now you'd face the Hawks. Toews got smoked the other night and could be out a while too (although he's listed as day-to-day) and Kane is on IR. The season still goes another two weeks, so if the Avs can beat the Hawks, he could be back for the second round. This might also set the stage for Mckinnon to step up another level and cement his Calder win too.

That's definitely a series I'd love to see. If they play one another, I'll probably cheer for whoever comes out of that in the West.

Habs in the East!

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Habs in the East!

:slap:

What team has the best record in the entire NHL? :hand:

[Godfather]

Also, I vote this as a candidate for goal of the year

http://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/large/846284882.gif?1396215569
Better quality HTML5 at full speed:
http://gfycat.com/PlayfulSophisticatedFieldspaniel

[Godfather]

Here's the Orpik hit. I'm sorry you Americans have to listen to Mike Milbury so much, that guy is a moron. This was a hard but clean him IMO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uVA52fCaQ0

[Godfather]

:slap:

What team has the best record in the entire NHL? :hand:

I only have one Canadian team to cheer for :lol: This isn't who I'm gambling on, it's who I'm cheering for. I can't like the Bruins, you know that :P

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Only one Canadian team gonna make the playoffs? :shock:

:rofl:

[Godfather]

I don't even recall a Canadian team winning a Cup. I was 5 years old when the Habs did it last in '93 :lol: Pitiful.

[samarchepas]

I don't even recall a Canadian team winning a Cup. I was 5 years old when the Habs did it last in '93 :lol: Pitiful.

Worse here...I was 4 :lol:
I might be a Habs fan BUT I was way too young back then to remember it :lol:

[Godfather]

I remember the Canucks losing in '94 vaguely. I drank shots of apple juice out of a shot glass with the men at the party who were drinking hard after the game :lol: Didn't understand what they were drinking but I certainly understood that they were trying to find a way to drown the pain :rofl:

[DemonGeminiX]

Damn kids. I was 18 in '93 and in 94, I remember the Mark Messier led New York Rangers winning the Cup in 7 over the Trevor Linden led Canucks. It was a fantastic series. Made Pavel Bure and Mike Richter household names. Messier was determined to win that Cup for NY... NY hadn't won a Cup since 1940.

[Godfather]

Fucking Messier. How ironic that he came the Vancouver years later and was determined to do nothing except fuck up the team in the late 90's.

[Noilly Pratt]

I remember that well, GF. Good to see you, BTW.

Did you hear the stat tonight - our chances of getting a playoff spot now - less than 1%. :( Not surprised, sadly.

[Godfather]

I remember that well, GF. Good to see you, BTW.



Did you hear the stat tonight - our chances of getting a playoff spot now - less than 1%. :( Not surprised, sadly.

Good to see you too bud!

Ya it's pretty weak. It was only 3% before the Ducks blew us out (again) but at least before that we'd been playing fun hockey again. It has been a very strange season. December was the 2nd best month in franchise history in terms of wins. Then it all fell apart in January/February. Oh well.

[samarchepas]

The Habs will be in the playoffs this year, they got in even if they lost tonight (It will be against Tampa, only thing that needs to be determined is who gets the home ice advantage)

[Teh One Who Knocks]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8kLHfu-GSY

I think someone is gonna get suspended...

[FBD]

I dunno, call me ruthless but looks like Kostka tried way too hard to avoid any contact whatsoever. Its fking hockey, man. If he went with contact he wouldnt have gotten an elbow to the jaw, looked like Murray would have been giving him a forearm to the chest if Kostka hadnt have made some funny maneuver to avoid contact. Sure major it or toss him from that game, but suspension sounds really harsh.

[samarchepas]

I think he will get a few games, if the league wants to reduce the numbers of hits to the head, it starts with that.
Elbow on the chin, what might save him is that he's not known as a "dirty" player (Plays tough but not dirty)

[Joebob034]

Streak snapped!

A view from my seat last week against MTL
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/5579/e66w.jpg (http://img703.imageshack.us/i/e66w.jpg/)

Too bad they lost. Sat next to some MTL fans. They were nice, kind of dorky but nice. We went to the casino after the game and some crusty old Canadians, who were Wings fans, loved my Mickey Redmond jersey.

[deebakes]

Damn kids. I was 18 in '93 and in 94, I remember the Mark Messier led New York Rangers winning the Cup in 7 over the Trevor Linden led Canucks. It was a fantastic series. Made Pavel Bure and Mike Richter household names. Messier was determined to win that Cup for NY... NY hadn't won a Cup since 1940.

i was a huge bure fan at that time, had the canucks skate jersey at the time :tup:

http://i62.tinypic.com/2j2u4p2.jpg

[Godfather]

That's sweet! I had the same jersey deeb. Bure was my favourite growing up and I wore #10 in hockey because of him. At least until he skipped town. They recently retired his jersey which I'm still on the fence about.

[DemonGeminiX]

i was a huge bure fan at that time, had the canucks skate jersey at the time :tup:

http://i62.tinypic.com/2j2u4p2.jpg

I had and still have several Lindros Flyers' jerseys from the 90s. Before we all found out he had no chin. I still remember the Flyers-Devils playoff game where he came back from that long ass injury and Scott Stevens delivered a huge open ice check that knocked Lindros' ass out. I'll never wear his jersey's again, that little bitch.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVeqzYgTELk

[DemonGeminiX]

Keep your heads up, boys:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdiY-2u6U9Q

[FBD]

only one that didnt look legal was #4, that was a straight up elbow to the face...just about every other one just looks like a bad combination of circumstances...and dudes getting caught head down. gotta love the glass break, I saw that happen live once, it was fkn awesome. I was even telling my mom about it the day after and dropped the f bomb when describing the impact I was so fired up, and she just looked at me a little weird, and my face turned red, because I was pretty young :lol:

[samarchepas]

Just as I thought, Murray got a 3 games suspension. As DGX says, Keep your heads up, boys...lots of hits to the head happen because the one being hit was too busy to look at the puck to see
what was coming, LOOK UP!! but what REALLY makes me angry, its when a player does this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBtneaiswMg He turns, see the guy coming to hit him, TURNS HIS BACK at the
last second just for guy going for the hit to stop.

[FBD]

looked to me like a bonehead move by ranger, stuck his ass out and put his head down, wtf was he thinking.

good call on the suspension, you know your shit and how they call it :lol:

[samarchepas]

Habs beat the Senators 7-4 tonight, Sens had a 3-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game and blew it :lol: (6 goals in a row)
And again GF, guess how had 3 goals and 2 assists tonight? That's right, Pacioretty!(38 goals now) :razz:

[Godfather]

This is a cool infographic

http://i.imgur.com/akCegO5.png

[Godfather]

Habs beat the Senators 7-4 tonight, Sens had a 3-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game and blew it :lol: (6 goals in a row)
And again GF, guess how had 3 goals and 2 assists tonight? That's right, Pacioretty!(38 goals now) :razz:

His 39th was a good one too :lol: I was wrong about the guy. Leads the league in GWG's, and has some sort of 6th sense about getting breakaway opportunities.

This was his 39th for anyone who missed it:
http://gfycat.com/MistyBlandCoot

[samarchepas]

39 goals now...to think that he had 2 goals in his first 21 games! :lol: (Both him and Desharnais had a rough start this season)
But since then...the guy is on fire! :lol: I will admit that I too, had doubts with him but it changed when he was sent down to the Hamilton Bulldogs
He played with Desharnais there, that's when he "awoke", since then he scores 30 goals every year (15 last year because of lock-out)
Have him signed till 2018-19, the fan in me can only HOPE they can sign Vanek too.

[samarchepas]

Mike Gillis is out as the president and general manager of the Vancouver Canucks.
Looks like they made the right decision after all...now find someone capable of doing a better job.

[Godfather]

Welp, the Canucks were officially eliminated last night GM Mike Gillis was fired today. About time. The guy inherited most of the core that got us to the cup finals, most of his trades have been huge busts. He has also tried to chase a moving target with this team and admitted it himself, to not having an identity. Worst of all, his handling of Luongo, Schneider and a few others, he made the organization look bad and even unappealing to other players. Good riddance.

[DemonGeminiX]

The Flyers clinched a playoff spot.

[deebakes]

So did the Wild :woot:

http://i62.tinypic.com/111qryr.gif

[Joebob034]

The Wings will probably get bounced in the first, but who cares? The streak continues, 23 years and counting.

[Noilly Pratt]

...and in Vancouver, just in time for Season Ticket sales, they've put Trevor Linden in as "President" and he has free reign to keep Tortorella as coach or replace next year... Is that a figurehead position or will he make a difference?

[Godfather]

I think what really matters is who he hires as GM, because while Trevor is highly respected, has 10-years of business expertise and time as head of the NHLPA, nobody really believes he's ready to be a General Manager yet. But maybe it can be like Sakic where he has an increasingly larger role in the organization as time go on? I'm optimistic.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/IOXD8DP.png

Race for the President's Trophy is a tight one...

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Fucking Bruins....they had 2 easy points to grab last night and then they lose in a stupid fucking shoot-out to Winnipeg :facepalm:

[FBD]

:lol:

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/minnesota-beats-north-dakota-goal-23284585

I got dragged to a bar and watched the 2nd half of of period 2 and then the 3rd period of the NCAA game between North Dakota and Minnesota. GOOD fuggin game!!! 0-0 up until about 8 left in the 3rd, minnesota scores. With as tight as things were I thought we wouldnt be seeing more, but dammit if that wasnt an unbelievably precise shot that tied it - going up on the net to the backhand side with a guy on him, Gaarder backhands, off the goalie, and he was somehow able to tuck the puck in there forehand off the rebound, there was like a puck's size hole in the goalie's guard, unreal.

Looked like it was gonna be all over when north dakota got on a pp with a minute and a half left, they had a few good shots that looked like they might have gone in, some good goaltending and D from minnesota, then bam, like 5-6 seconds left and a little tipper that went towards ND's end...with good hustle, dude makes it there and great shot placement along the ice, off the inside post and netted, fuggin .6 seconds left!


most glad that when the people I was with were all "we're going outside for a smoke" I said "there's 1:10 left in this game, fuck that, I am watching hockey!"

damn that was good! too bad they show all this stuff on shit channels that you have to pay $100 a month for. Fk that.

[samarchepas]

Fucking Bruins....they had 2 easy points to grab last night and then they lose in a stupid fucking shoot-out to Winnipeg :facepalm:

Habs did the same thing...but worse against the Islanders :lol: (2-0 Loss ....could have been worse if Price was not in the net)

[DemonGeminiX]

I don't know how you guys feel about the way they set the playoffs up, but I think it's stupid.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The Bruins clinch the President's Trophy today :cheers:

The Avs actually have a shot at the #1 seed in the west if they beat Anaheim tomorrow.


I don't know how you guys feel about the way they set the playoffs up, but I think it's stupid.

Are you surprised? 99.99% of everything the NHL has done under Bettman has been stupid :dunno:

[DemonGeminiX]

The Bruins clinch the President's Trophy today :cheers:

The Avs actually have a shot at the #1 seed in the west if they beat Anaheim tomorrow.

:hand:

That just means they're gonna lose in the first round of the playoffs.

:nana:




Are you surprised? 99.99% of everything the NHL has done under Bettman has been stupid :dunno:

I know. :sad2:

[FBD]

I don't know how you guys feel about the way they set the playoffs up, but I think it's stupid.

outside of the "well it guarantees either #2 or #3 is gone after first round"...how was the old way better? this is one of those things where really only caring about having a good game on tv, I just dont even pay any attention to minutiae like this.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

:hand:

That just means they're gonna lose in the first round of the playoffs.

:nana:

It could happen, wouldn't surprise me if it did :dunno:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/HGrjDxY.png

http://i.imgur.com/yNgWapI.png

[Teh One Who Knocks]

BOS/DET - Bruins in 6
MTL/TAM - Lightning in 7
PIT/CLB - Pens in 5
NYR/PHI - Flyers in 7
COL/MIN - Avs in 6
CHI/STL - Hawks in 6
DAL/ANA - Ducks in 5
SJ/LA - Sharks in 7

[DemonGeminiX]

So they're actually going to show the games in the early rounds on TV. Nice.

I haven't really paid attention this season, but...

BOS/DET - Bruins in 6
MTL/TAM - Canadians in 7
PIT/COL - Penguins in 4
NYR/PHI - Rangers in 7
COL/MIN - Avalanche in 5
CHI/STL - Hawks in 5
DAL/ANA - Ducks in 5
SJ/LA - Kings in 6

[deebakes]

http://i62.tinypic.com/111qryr.gif

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/NiOQmTp.png