NHL and other ice hockey discussion

[Teh One Who Knocks]

[Teh One Who Knocks]

No doubt an answer to a question from some reporter that had never watched/covered hockey before.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

And yet for some reason NFL players insist that they already play too many games and only play once a week while NHL players are out there between 2 and 4 times a week for 82 games, not counting playoffs

[Godfather]

And yet for some reason NFL players insist that they already play too many games and only play once a week while NHL players are out there between 2 and 4 times a week for 82 games, not counting playoffs

That actually blows me away. I guess 200lb guys flying around on skates really amps up the force but still NFL players are HUGE.

If anything it's a case to shorten the NHL season a bit. I wouldn't mind a 62 game schedule, get the playoffs done by May at the latest. I don't really want to be watching playoff hockey when it's nice enough to go outside after work in the summer personally.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Boston is 25-9-3 since the start of the new year and have moved past Tampa in the standings after beating them last night.

Hat trick for Pasta too and he has 28 goals since January 1st, the most in the NHL



Bruins are finally clicking on all cylinders now.

[Godfather]

That's good timing for them, playoffs just around the corner and they don't have to play completely out of their minds to make it in... the race in the east is weirdly not tight at all. The two wildcard teams are 15 points ahead of the rest of the pack so even if Boston slips into a wildcard slot they should have no trouble making the playoffs.

It's a bit tighter for the wildcard slot in the West, 4 teams fighting for wildcard are within 7 points. My nucks are only 4 points back from a wildcard slot but the Stars hold it with 3 games in hand so it doesn't look good. Oh well, we have most of our core locked up for one more year so here's hoping.... sucks to suck.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

[DemonGeminiX]

Can't blame the kid. If I was on the ice, I'd want to fight Gritty too. Why couldn't they just put the Phillie Phanatic on skates?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Ethan Sears - New York Post




Islanders legend Mike Bossy, whose scoring touch helped drive the franchise to four straight championships, died after a battle with terminal lung cancer. He was 65.

Bossy’s diagnosis became public last October, when he stepped away from his job as an NHL analyst for the French language network TVA Sports to deal with his health.

“The battle I am about to wage will not be easy,” Bossy wrote at the time in French, in an open letter. “Know that I will give 100 percent, nothing less, with the objective of meeting you again soon, after a very eventful hockey game. You will never be very far in my thoughts. On the contrary, you will occupy a privileged place and you will be one of my motivations to get better.”

Renaud Lavoie, a former colleague of Bossy’s at TVA, was the first to report the news of his passing.

Bossy played the entirety of his 10-year career on Long Island, earning a place as both a franchise great and one of the best goal scorers the sport has ever seen, before retiring with a chronic back injury. He finished his career with 573 goals, scoring over 50 in nine straight seasons, an all-time record. Famously, he scored 50 goals in 50 games during the 1980-81 season, matching Maurice “Rocket” Richard’s record.

Of his scoring, former teammate Chico Resch told Sports Illustrated in 1981 that Bossy “scores goals as naturally as you and I wake up in the morning and brush our teeth.”

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991, with a list of accolades that includes eight All-Star appearances, three Lady Byng Trophies, the 1981-82 Conn Smythe Trophy and the 1977-78 Calder Trophy.

“He was, needless to say, a slender hockey player,” former teammate Bob Nystrom told The Post in October. “That’s for sure.”

Bossy was also a loud opponent of fighting in hockey, saying he would never take part in a fight, despite playing in an era where it was accepted as a regular part of the game.

“The New York Islanders organization mourns the loss of Mike Bossy, an icon not only on Long Island but across the entire hockey world,” Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said. “His drive to be the best every time he stepped on the ice was second to none. Along with his teammates, he helped win four straight Stanley Cup championships, shaping the history of this franchise forever. On behalf of the entire organization, we send our deepest condolences to the entire Bossy family and all those who grieve this tragic loss.”



Michael Dean Bossy was born in 1957, the sixth of 10 children and the fifth of sixth sons to Dorothy and Borden Bossy. He grew up in Montreal with an English mother and Ukrainian father, meeting his wife, Lucie, at the snack bar of an arena where he played midget hockey when he was 14.

At 15, Bossy began playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for Laval National, and his 532 QMJHL points remain a record.

When he entered the NHL draft, Bossy’s aversion to fighting was mistaken for a lack of toughness, and he fell to 15th overall, nearly choosing the World Hockey Association instead of the Islanders over money.



“I didn’t think [Islanders general manager] Bill Torrey was offering me enough, and he reminded me that I was the 15th player drafted, not the first,” Bossy once told SI. “But I told him I deserved more because I was going to score goals for him. Bill asked me how many. ‘Fifty goals,’ I told him.”

Rarely has there been a more prescient self-evaluation.

“Whether in hockey or anything else — like learning French, like cooking on a barbecue, washing my car — I am a perfectionist,” Bossy told UPI in a 1986 profile. “At times it’s an obsession — I look at myself and I think I’m crazy. But it’s been with me all my life, that drive. I’m just never satisfied, that’s probably one of the things that drives me the most.”

His personality was often described as aloof. He was regarded during his playing career as a private person, and because he spent offseasons at home in Montreal, it was written that he spent less time on Long Island than his teammates. Still, Bossy was a beloved figure, with the Islanders raising his No. 22 to Nassau Coliseum’s rafters just five seasons after his abrupt 1987 retirement due to a back injury.

After hockey, Bossy worked as a radio comic on a French-language station, as a vice president for Titan, as a PR person and a broadcaster for the Quebec Nordiques, MSG Networks and most recently, TVA.

His death is another blow to the Islanders, who have now lost three members of the 1979-80 championship team that kicked off one of the sport’s greatest dynasties since January. Clark Gillies passed away on Jan. 21, Jean Potvin on March 15.



The trio of tragedies has rocked the organization to its core.

“He lives Islanders,” coach Barry Trotz said of Bossy upon his diagnosis. “And he’s obviously an Islanders legend. … I’m kind of in awe of him. I used to watch him all the time.”

Bossy is survived by his wife, Lucie, his two daughters, Josiane and Tanya, and two grandchildren.

[DemonGeminiX]

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporter




Montreal Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur has died at the age of 70, the team announced Friday.

No cause of death was given, but Lafleur had announced his most recent right lung cancer diagnosis in October 2020. He had previously had a cancerous lobe removed from his left lung in 2019.

"We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Guy Lafleur," Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said in a statement. "All members of the Canadiens organization are devastated by his passing. Guy Lafleur had an exceptional career and always remained simple, accessible, and close to the Habs and hockey fans in Quebec, Canada and around the world. Throughout his career, he allowed us to experience great moments of collective pride. He was one of the greatest players in our organization while becoming an extraordinary ambassador for our sport."

The winger affectionately known as "The Flower" and "The Blond Demon" played 14 seasons with Montreal (1971-85) and was a cornerstone of five Stanley Cup-winning teams, including in 1977, when he was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Lafleur was electric on the ice, becoming the first player in league history to produce six consecutive seasons with 50-plus goals and 100-plus points (1974-80).

During the height of his career in the 1970s, Lafleur was a three-time Art Ross Trophy winner as the NHL's points leader, a two-time Hart Trophy winner as league MVP and a three-time winner of the Lester B. Pearson Award (now known as the Ted Lindsay) as most outstanding player according to the NHL Players' Association.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman honored Lafleur's unmistakable flair as a player.

"You didn't need to see Guy Lafleur's name and number on his sweater when 'The Flower' had the puck on his stick," Bettman said in a statement. "As distinctively stylish as he was remarkably talented, Lafleur cut a dashing and unmistakable figure whenever he blazed down the ice of the Montreal Forum, his long blond locks flowing in his wake as he prepared to rifle another puck past a helpless goaltender -- or set up a linemate for a goal."

Lafleur was hampered by injuries in the 1980s and butted heads with coach Jacques Lemaire when he took over during the 1983-84 season. The two had played together during some of the Canadiens' best seasons of the 1970s but didn't find the same common ground as coach and player. Lafleur asked Montreal general manager Serge Savard for a trade in 1985 and was denied. Lafleur ultimately decided to retire.

Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, Lafleur that same year decided to unretire and return to the NHL for the New York Rangers. At the time, only Gordie Howe had ever gone back to the NHL after entering the Hall; Mario Lemieux did it years later.

After one season in New York, Lafleur moved on to spend two years with the Quebec Nordiques -- where he mentored future star Joe Sakic -- before finally hanging up his skates for good in 1991.

Born in Thurso, Quebec, Lafleur grew up idolizing Montreal legend Jean Beliveau. After a successful junior hockey career, Lafleur was drafted first overall by the Canadiens in 1971 and went on to become a franchise icon in his own right.

All told, Lafleur appeared in 1,126 NHL games with 560 goals and 1,353 points. In 2017, he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players of All Time.

[DemonGeminiX]

[Godfather]

My nucks are eliminated from the playoffs. Think we'll end up missing it by a couple of points at most... we'll get a mid-tier draft pick and still be maxed out on salary cap next year. It sucks to suck

[DemonGeminiX]

It sucks to suck

Yes, yes it does. #FlyersDeadLastInTheDivision