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General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Anguyen92 on July 01, 2023, 11:38:00 AM
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Previous season thread. https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=57568.0
Today is free agency day. Too many names signed. Hard to recap it all. I'm not pleased with the Kings' offseason so far. They signed Cam Talbot for $1M. This goaltending tandem does not scream inspiring to me for this team. They only have space for either a 13th forward or a 7th defenseman. Can't fit both options with $1M in space left.
Edit: All right, they signed Andreas Englund for 2 years, at $1M AAV. No idea who he is. However, 3rd pairing on LD, which is what they sorta needed, but this roster doesn't scream hopeful going into the season.
Anywho, have at it.
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Chad, give your take on the Leafs signing an aging 4th liner for 3x1.5M who's more apt to make the score sheet under penalties than goals or assists? In a talent laden Atlantic division this seems like a poor choice. Reaves at $1.5M isn't terrible, per say, but 3yrs for a 36 y/o 4th liner seems silly.
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I like Trevor Lewis coming back as a 3rd or 4th line center, but it's not exactly a make or break deal.
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Bergeron v. McDavid. Discuss.
I'm KIDDING!!!! I'm KIDDING! :) :) :)
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This FA class blows. This must be the worst first day of free agency ever.
WTF are the Bruins doing? Is Chaim Bloom running the board?
Milan fucking Lucic? He sucked when he left here the first time. I like JVR, always been a Bruins Killer, but what does he have left? I'm ok with him, but why sign both him and Lucic?
And Kevin Shittenkirk?? WTF?
I'd rather the Bruins try and develop their own young talent. This is a major statement about how they view their own prospects IMO. I don't understand, as Providence had a good year last year.
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Getting one year deals until the cap goes up next year Tim. They blew their load on a 1st round exit.
This is the result.
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Getting one year deals until the cap goes up next year Tim. They blew their load on a 1st round exit.
This is the result.
Yeah, I get it.
Next year's Free Agent class is much stronger..
https://www.spotrac.com/nhl/free-agents/2024/
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The Oil gambled on the cap next year with their Connor Brown signing. It's a 800k cap hit this year but a potential 3M next year because it's an incentive filled contract. If he hits all his bonuses the Oil take a 3.5M hit next year for an expired contract. Not a big fan of the potential dead cap space, but i do like the player and cap hit for next season.
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The Oil gambled on the cap next year with their Connor Brown signing. It's a 800k cap hit this year but a potential 3M next year because it's an incentive filled contract. If he hits all his bonuses the Oil take a 3.5M hit next year for an expired contract. Not a big fan of the potential dead cap space, but i do like the player and cap hit for next season.
Like Joe said earlier, the Bruins are paying this year for Bergeron and Krejci for last year.
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Chad, give your take on the Leafs signing an aging 4th liner for 3x1.5M who's more apt to make the score sheet under penalties than goals or assists? In a talent laden Atlantic division this seems like a poor choice. Reaves at $1.5M isn't terrible, per say, but 3yrs for a 36 y/o 4th liner seems silly.
It screams Wayne Simmonds v2. I’d be surprised if Reaves gives the team 20 games by the 3rd year of the contract.
I’m just lamenting the inability to keep any of Schenn, Acciari, or RoR. Oh, and losing an RFA in Kallgren because no one remembered to qualify him?!?! The kid was a pretty good goalie the past few years when he was called upon.
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I want a re-do of the Kings' offseason. If people didn't have faith in the goalies last season, I have no faith in these goalies making some noise other than maybe Copley. One of them will start with the Reign in the AHL. Like fudge, everyone knew that the Kings' most important thing to add was a goalie. If they gave the pieces they gave to Winnipeg and got Hellebuyck instead of PLD and gave the same extension as PLD, I would have been fine with that. Sure, the contract would have ended until he's in his late 30s, but that's a future problem. These goalies signed now does not address future and, most importantly, today's concerns regarding goalies.
(https://i.imgur.com/u7XMs9Q.png)
This is it. I can see it coming. After 15 years of having a ok foundation of goaltending, they are going to go back to the dark days of the goalie carousel.
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When the Leafs had Rittich for a short period a couple years back, I modified his “Big Save Dave” nickname to “No Save Dave”. That guy is a sieve.
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Talbot isn't any better. Even in his prime he was good for at least one softie per game. At 35 y/o....good luck.
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I ‘get’ why Gretzky is the great one…..I do. But if I had my choice of ‘prime’ Gretzky or ‘prime’ Lemieux…….I’d take Lemieux all day long every time. More physical, better shot…..better two way player…..were he not to have gotten cancer his numbers would have been higher.
You get into the era thing with these two. While 99 wasn’t all that much older than 66……99 benefited from some utterly atrocious attempts at goaltending. Go to YouTube and watch his early years……he could shoot from the blue line and the puck wouldn’t leave the ice and it’d go in.
The stats are with you in this case. The yearly average of goals/game from '80-'86 ranged from 3.84-4.01; from '86-'93 it ranged between 3.24-3.74. But, everything is relative - talent, coaching, equipment, rules*. Look if it was so easy to score with that goaltending, why wasn't anyone else doing it? Lafleur, Bossy (who was a better goal scoring talent than Gretz), MacDonald, Dionne, Gartner, Kurri... all playing in their prime in the same era. But only Gretz was doing it. That means HE is the variable, not the "atrocious" goaltending. Lemieux was scoring at the same pace as his peers - Selanne, Mogilny, Hull, Bure. Gretz led the league in scoring 5 times; Mario three (the same number as Bure, Hull and Selanne). Look, I'm not diminishing Mario at all (he's #2 all-time, and COULD have been #1). But, along with Kev, I'm just pointing out why I don't think there's anything to really compare. Gretz is in a class all to himself.
*in '85, the league changed off-setting penalties to five-on-five ... because the Oilers were so fucking dangerous dominant at 4-on-4. I seem to recall the league changed the delayed offside rule (ie, 'tagging up') because of the Oilers as well.
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Yey, yep, in the season where Gretzky scored 92 (that is still just :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy), the next highest goal total was by Mike Bossy...with 64. That was Bossy's 3rd highest total ever, and he is one of the greatest scorers ever, and even he, in one of his best seasons, still finished miles behind the Great One that season in goals scored. Only one other guy had 60 or more that season, so, yeah, it's not like everyone was scoring 70+ and 80+ goals while Gretzky edged them out with 92.
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Again, to give Mario his dues, if he'd played a full 80 game schedule in '92-'93, the math puts him at 92g/214pts - which is why I call his the greatest season of all time - even at only 60 games.
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True, but I can't call a season the greatest ever when you missed 1/4 of it. The reason why he missed so many games sucks for sure, but we have to judge these things based on what players did, not what they could have done.
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True, but I can't call a season the greatest ever when you missed 1/4 of it. The reason why he missed so many games sucks for sure, but we have to judge these things based on what players did, not what they could have done.
I hear ya, but the fact he did that in just 60 games because of the radiation treatments is in my mind what MAKES it the greatest season ever. I mean, 80/90/100 points in 60 games would have been incredibly amazing. But 160!! :omg: :hefdaddy
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Guys.....like I said....I 'get' why they call him the Great One. I'm not trying to say he's not, he was in a class all by himself until 84' when Lemieux arrived. That's why I said this just falls back to the 'era' debate that always comes up in every sport. Me personally, as I mentioned.....I take prime Mario over prime Wayne every F'n time. He was just a more complete player. 99 wasn't killing penalties or laying hits on anyone who came near him....then dangling down the ice to notch a goal. 99 was a blast to watch and carved up those teams of the late 70's / early 80's but my opinion is 66 was 'better'. that's relative and all that and can be debated until the sun supernova's, just my stance on it.
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All good, it's just a good ole sports disagreement. :tup :tup
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All good, it's just a good ole sports disagreement. :tup :tup
Agreed. I mean, it’s not like Mario vs Gretz is like McDavid vs Bergeron or anything. :lol
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All good, it's just a good ole sports disagreement. :tup :tup
Agreed. I mean, it’s not like Mario vs Gretz is like McDavid vs Bergeron or anything. :lol
Holy crap….. :lol
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All good, it's just a good ole sports disagreement. :tup :tup
Agreed. I mean, it’s not like Mario vs Gretz is like McDavid vs Bergeron or anything. :lol
You're a monster. And not in the Pierre MacGuire sense.
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True, but I can't call a season the greatest ever when you missed 1/4 of it. The reason why he missed so many games sucks for sure, but we have to judge these things based on what players did, not what they could have done.
I hear ya, but the fact he did that in just 60 games because of the radiation treatments is in my mind what MAKES it the greatest season ever. I mean, 80/90/100 points in 60 games would have been incredibly amazing. But 160!! :omg: :hefdaddy
But I think the point is, it's not necessarily linear. The wear and tear of 20 games is significant, especially on top of 60 already. I'm not arguing that that season wasn't something special; it absolutely was. But Gretzky is STILL the only player to score 200 points in a season (yes, Lemieux had 199 in 88-89), and did it with GOALS (92 in 81-82, 87 in 83-84, the two most in any season of 100 or more points) and ASSISTS (163 in 85-86, and the SEVEN highest assist totals in any season of 100 or more points).
Gretzky has - still - the four highest season point totals ever, 4 out of the top 5, 8 out of the top 10, and 8 out of the top 11 highest season point totals ever. Lemieux has the other two. Between the two of them, they have the top 13 highest season point totals in the history of the league. Just the two of them.
But back to something I said in the other thread: I've seen them both. I know hockey; I've watched hours and hours of film from back when I was playing. Gretzky was DIFFERENT. He had a way of playing without the puck that was IMO unteachable, and part of what made him "great". I'm not sure I've ever seen anything like that before (or since).
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He had a way of playing without the puck that was IMO unteachable, and part of what made him "great". I'm not sure I've ever seen anything like that before (or since).
This is the factor that separates him from all others. This is where 'Hockey IQ' was born.....coaches/owners etc on the lookout for players who know where to be, where to pass etc etc without the puck or before teammates even knew/know they're open. 99 is unequaled in this case.
I'd still take Mario though :biggrin:
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Well, Kings have extended Kopitar starting in the 24-25 season. $7M AAV for two years. It's pretty risky when the contract starts at age 37, but Kopitar has shown to be very durable and has always led the Kings in season pts. for his entire career with an exception of like two seasons. Some may see this as an overpayment because of age, etc., but until his pt. totals actually takes a nosedive and until someone can actually do a better job at his roles than he does, this team still needs him as a player and leader.
https://twitter.com/LAKings/status/1677056669514186753
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What's that? I can't hear you over the deafening sound of waiting on a DeBrincat trade that has been teased for weeks.
Seriously though, even if it's an overpayment, Kopitar is a great player and leader that is at least great to know will be around with the Kings.
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Well, one of the summer offseason drama story is put to a close. The Ottawa Senators has traded Alex DeBrincat to the Detroit Red Wings. DeBrincat did not want to sign in Ottawa long term and signed a four year contract with the Red Wings for around $7.8M AAV.
Sure, the Sens probably would have liked closer to equal value for what they paid to get DeBrincat, but they can just move on from that headache of whether they can get DeBrincat to sign or not and focus on getting someone else. Maybe someone like Vladimir Tarasenko. He's still available and wants to sign somewhere.
(https://i.imgur.com/BfsLjAI.png)
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I'm cautiously optimistic about the DeBrincat deal. I'm hoping he provides the scoring the Wings need. I like the fact that Yzerman didn't give up anything of real consequence to get him and weakened a division rival in the process. I even like the contract they signed him to. Let's see what happens when the skates hit the ice.
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After a mixed bag in free agency, that trade is a HUGE win for the Red Wings. Good trade, good contract, and filling a much needed need. Much more excited for the upcoming season now.
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Chad, what's your gut feeling on the Nylander situation? He's a UFA next year, correct? Does signing Bertuzzi, even for one year, have any impact on it?
Will the Leafs pay him, especially with Matthews coming due next year as well.?
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They need to unload salary, they’re way over the cap. My gut is they will (should) move him before the season, but they probably won’t. There’s a lot more being talked about in the Toronto media - I’ll offer some of those thoughts tomorrow.
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Ryan O'Reilly going to Nashville means the grace period of me always kind rooting for him because of the role he played in the Blues winning the Cup is OVER.
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Chad, what's your gut feeling on the Nylander situation? He's a UFA next year, correct? Does signing Bertuzzi, even for one year, have any impact on it?
Will the Leafs pay him, especially with Matthews coming due next year as well.?
So, to come back on this. Word is he wants somewhere well north of $9M; Leafs want him in the low 8s. Bear in mind that any "raise" doesn't kick in until next season ... he's still locked in at $6.9M for this year, so all of the one-year contracts they signed (Bertuzzi, Domi, Klingberg) don't have any impact. There's so many variables at play though - how much is the cap going to go up for '24/'25? How much of a raise is Matthews going to get? What kind of term are they going to be able to sign Nylander for if they can extend him? Does the team extend Matthews first, then see how much cap space they have left for Willie? The real impacts for this year is whether they can unload Matt Murray's $4.8M cap hit? And, how much of a raise is Samsonov going to get (his arbitration hearing is Friday)?
Some might argue that Nylander at $6.9M was a "team friendly" price for the past few years, so it's expected that he's going to hold firm to 'get paid'. Marner is still $4M higher than Nylander. The longer they go into the season with him unsigned, the greater the likelihood that it ends up being a situation just like Gaudreau in Calgary last summer - they lost him to free agency with nothing to show for it. I don't see how the team would/could unload him at the trade deadline - at a minimum the team would keep him around as an own-rental (so to speak), even if they didn't feel they could re-sign him next summer.
Bottom line ... Matthews is non-negotiable; the team *will* absolutely re-sign him, and he'll be the highest paid player in the league when the extension is signed. Whether that's this summer, part way thru the season, or next June ... doesn't really matter. The question is whether or not the team feels they can/should extend Nylander before knowing what the Matthews price tag (and term) is going to be.
My gut says they have to move him, and end up with a net gain of at least $4M in cap space. So the return is not going to be all that great. But, it's the bed the organization has made for themselves.
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Thanks Chad. Was hoping for that kind of answer. I understand the 1 year deals don't impact the following year. I still think Bertuzzi is looking to be paid as well. Gives the Leafs a year to have those discussions with him.
I really like Nylander and will be watching.
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I think a lot of players across the league are hoping they'll 'get paid' next summer. It's like they think the cap is going up $10M or something. :lol
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Yeah. The Bruins are positioning themselves. I think they'll have like $30m to spend.
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There are going to be a LOT of dumb contracts handed out next summer, whether the cap is going up 3m or 6m. That along with years of simmering stagnant cap along with this years poor UFA class... it just all points to lots of silliness next year.
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I'm prepared for the silliness in the 2024 offseason. The Kings are going to really need to figure out how to construct their roster as they got a lot of players on RFAs and they need to figure out what to do with Matt Roy and Viktor Arvidsson in terms of whether they can or should re-sign them or they will test FA. Part of me did wish that Kopitar signed for $5M instead of $7M and placed the additional $2M in performance bonuses so that they have better flexibility to get these guys signed, but it is what it is.
Oh and also get a good young goalie locked for the future..... All three goalies signed now are UFA in 2024 and I don't see either of them coming back, hopefully.
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Performance bonuses only apply to ELCs, 35+ 1 year contracts, and some injury related thingy as well. Relatively sure not an option for Kopitar.
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^^ Well, he would have qualified under the age 35+ one year contract. He signed for two years though. No worries, tough decisions still needs to be made for the team moving forward. They have gone all in with the position they are in. Sink or swim. If they sink, Rob Blake and Marc Bergevin are out of here and some people would be ok with that (especially Marc Bergevin. That guy seems to have the tendency to do way too many volatile things for my liking).
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Patrice Bergeron has now called it a career. From what I read, very great leader on and off the ice. So, whose the next captain for the Bs? McAvoy? Pasta? No way they are going to give it to Marchand. Right?
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This moves McDavid up a spot when discussing the best players in the league now, right? :P :P
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Patrice Bergeron has now called it a career. From what I read, very great leader on and off the ice. So, whose the next captain for the Bs? McAvoy? Pasta? No way they are going to give it to Marchand. Right?
Absolutely a class act. A consummate professional. He will be missed.
As for Marchant. He has really matured. He actually is a leader in the clubhouse now. I think he will be named captain.
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This moves McDavid up a spot when discussing the best players in the league now, right? :P :P
No, he is all ready the best player in the league.
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(If he so desires) I give it less than 5 years before Bergeron is a GM. Players like him typically take that next step.
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(If he so desires) I give it less than 5 years before Bergeron is a GM. Players like him typically take that next step.
Very young kids though. We'll see. TBH, I never thought Neely would be in management but......
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(If he so desires) I give it less than 5 years before Bergeron is a GM. Players like him typically take that next step.
Very young kids though. We'll see. TBH, I never thought Neely would be in management but......
That's the 'if he so desires' part. It usually only takes a couple years of these pro athletes being at home with their wife and kids before they're back in the saddle doing something :lol
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This moves McDavid up a spot when discussing the best players in the league now, right? :P :P
See, this guy gets it. ;) ;) ;)
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Patrice Bergeron has now called it a career. From what I read, very great leader on and off the ice. So, whose the next captain for the Bs? McAvoy? Pasta? No way they are going to give it to Marchand. Right?
Absolutely a class act. A consummate professional. He will be missed.
As for Marchant. He has really matured. He actually is a leader in the clubhouse now. I think he will be named captain.
it is absolutely NOT Pasta. I know he wore the A for several games (splitting with McAvoy) but it's Marchand, that's a given. Then McAvoy for the first A and honestly I think Lindholm splits with Pasta for the other A.
Deeply saddened by this retirement, even though I knew it was coming. That guy left his heart and soul on the ice and was a joy to watch (and listen to in the interviews). One of the truly greats.
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This moves McDavid up a spot when discussing the best players in the league now, right? :P :P
See, this guy gets it. ;) ;) ;)
Hehe, that was good to resist. :hat :hat
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Yeah, I just want to say that Patrice Bergeron is one of my all time favorite players. He was never in the elite of the elite group, but he is undeniably a first ballot HOFer.
Another Cup would've been nice, obviously.
Here's a great interview he did with Elliotte Friedman last year. Shows some great insight into him as a player and a Captain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqwBSdlSGHA
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Much like Sakic and the Avs, I hate the B's, but I've got lots of respect for Bergeron. Class player, who always seemed to have great games against the Red Wings. It's going to take a while for the B's to replace him on and off the ice. They better hope Krecji doesn't bolt as well, because that would leave them really thin down the middle!
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Much like Sakic and the Avs, I hate the B's, but I've got lots of respect for Bergeron. Class player, who always seemed to have great games against the Red Wings. It's going to take a while for the B's to replace him on and off the ice. They better hope Krecji doesn't bolt as well, because that would leave them really thin down the middle!
If I had to handicap this two weeks ago, I would have expected Krecji to retire and Bergeron to play one more for that very reason (i.e. losing both would be a huge hole to fill).
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Much like Sakic and the Avs, I hate the B's, but I've got lots of respect for Bergeron. Class player, who always seemed to have great games against the Red Wings. It's going to take a while for the B's to replace him on and off the ice. They better hope Krecji doesn't bolt as well, because that would leave them really thin down the middle!
Krecji is gone. They will not resign him. It was a last hurrah for both. That's why the B's went all in last year with the trades.
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Kev/Gary
Athletic just came out with their list of 10 worst contracts going into next season, and I think Blues were the only team with two players on the list, with Parayko and Schenn. Don't know the former all that well, but always loved Schenn from his time in Philly. Article detailed his more recent decline and deficiencies, and it's really unfortunate.
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Kev/Gary
Athletic just came out with their list of 10 worst contracts going into next season, and I think Blues were the only team with two players on the list, with Parayko and Schenn. Don't know the former all that well, but always loved Schenn from his time in Philly. Article detailed his more recent decline and deficiencies, and it's really unfortunate.
Yeah....I read that one. I mean.....people bag on Parayko non stop but it's not really warranted. Armstrong 'hoped' he would fill Peitrangelo's void when Armstrong failed to keep him in StL.....and he just hasn't been able to. He's not a true #1 defender. He's a solid second pairing D man who eats up 25-30 minutes of ice time a night. The knock on him is that he's 'soft'.....which he is. The dude is huge and he plays a 'soft' game. But he moves the puck well and is solid on D. It's only when he's asked to do above and beyond that he falls short. I don't know where you will find a solid second pairing D man that's 'only' a $6.5 million dollar cap hit until 2030? The only other thing that could make this a bummer is he has had back issues. But, if that forces him out of the game they'd be clear of that contract so it's not really a big thing.
Now Schenn is a different story. He's $6.5 a year until 2028. That's brutal. The dude is full of piss and vinegar which is fine and will give you all he's got....but....his production is just horrific compared to what he's being paid and will continue to be paid. Very streaky....but even then when he's on a heater it doesn't make up for the games where he's utterly non existent. I would suspect he will get the 'C' though given his spunk and how loved he is in the locker room. But yeah....that one is brutal.
Krug's is brutal also....$6.5 mill a year until 2027. He's such a bad defender and is hurt non stop. Even his 'plus' side of being able to QB the power play can't justify what he's being paid to be horrible. He can't move a third grader out from in front of the net and is consistently overpowered in the corners or any battle for that matter. It's so bad.....Armstrong mishandled the entire Petro thing and signed this clown to that silly contract. I'd waiver the guy and be done with it.
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Putting him on waivers doesn't really solve anything in most cases. Not only does a team need to believe he has positive value, but they have to have the cap space to claim him. If they don't end you send him to the minors you're still only saving about 1m in cap hit and paying him in full. Not a smart move if you're still happy with him overall, just not at his contract price.
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Putting him on waivers doesn't really solve anything in most cases. Not only does a team need to believe he has positive value, but they have to have the cap space to claim him. If they don't end you send him to the minors you're still only saving about 1m in cap hit and paying him in full. Not a smart move if you're still happy with him overall, just not at his contract price.
Yeah.....I get it. I was more or less just insinuating get rid of him at all costs. The Blues have three young defenseman that need the playing time, Rosen, Tucker and Perunovich.... But Krug, Leddy and Scandella are three horrible contracts that are in the way of them, oh and Bortuzzo. I'd hate to lose Rosen and/or Tucker because we're stuck with aging...useless veterans.
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Much like Sakic and the Avs, I hate the B's, but I've got lots of respect for Bergeron. Class player, who always seemed to have great games against the Red Wings. It's going to take a while for the B's to replace him on and off the ice. They better hope Krecji doesn't bolt as well, because that would leave them really thin down the middle!
Krecji is gone. They will not resign him. It was a last hurrah for both. That's why the B's went all in last year with the trades.
Right. Krejci will not be back. He was kind f useless last year anyway, and was banged up going into the playoffs. He hurt them against Florida.
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Putting him on waivers doesn't really solve anything in most cases. Not only does a team need to believe he has positive value, but they have to have the cap space to claim him. If they don't end you send him to the minors you're still only saving about 1m in cap hit and paying him in full. Not a smart move if you're still happy with him overall, just not at his contract price.
Yeah.....I get it. I was more or less just insinuating get rid of him at all costs. The Blues have three young defenseman that need the playing time, Rosen, Tucker and Perunovich.... But Krug, Leddy and Scandella are three horrible contracts that are in the way of them, oh and Bortuzzo. I'd hate to lose Rosen and/or Tucker because we're stuck with aging...useless veterans.
The question then becomes, are you willing to trade a top prospect or a 1st round pick to have someone take him on?
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Apparently the solution to Matt Murray’s salary is solved thru LTIR for the entire season.
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Apparently the solution to Matt Murray’s salary is solved thru LTIR for the entire season.
I saw that. First thing I thought of.
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Putting him on waivers doesn't really solve anything in most cases. Not only does a team need to believe he has positive value, but they have to have the cap space to claim him. If they don't end you send him to the minors you're still only saving about 1m in cap hit and paying him in full. Not a smart move if you're still happy with him overall, just not at his contract price.
Yeah.....I get it. I was more or less just insinuating get rid of him at all costs. The Blues have three young defenseman that need the playing time, Rosen, Tucker and Perunovich.... But Krug, Leddy and Scandella are three horrible contracts that are in the way of them, oh and Bortuzzo. I'd hate to lose Rosen and/or Tucker because we're stuck with aging...useless veterans.
The question then becomes, are you willing to trade a top prospect or a 1st round pick to have someone take him on?
I'd make that sacrifice. He's that big a disruption to the upcoming young D talent they have.....he's just not that good. It was a horrible signing.
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Well, the Senators lost DeBrincat, but has signed Vladimir Tarasenko. 1 year at $5M. This signing surprisingly puts them at the Cap Ceiling.
https://twitter.com/ian_mendes/status/1684700175602704384?
Ok, the Mendes Tweet and basically your usual insider confirmation Tweets said it, but this reporter guy in New York wants credit for breaking it first hours before the actual signing, so I'll give it to him.
https://twitter.com/EthanGSN/status/1684609971109888026
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Yikes :omg: That’s an over pay for Tarasenko.
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Kev/Gary
Athletic just came out with their list of 10 worst contracts going into next season, and I think Blues were the only team with two players on the list, with Parayko and Schenn. Don't know the former all that well, but always loved Schenn from his time in Philly. Article detailed his more recent decline and deficiencies, and it's really unfortunate.
The guy that constructs the analytical models to create that list now has the team rankings when it comes to contract efficiency. Blues are ranked 29th (mainly on the backs of those guys Nick mentioned on top of guys like Krug, Leddy, Faulk). Kings are ranked 17th (I blindly guessed 20th since Dom Luszczyszyn's models aren't favorable to the Kings at times, mainly due to Doughty's contract). I guess those analytics don't like late 20s-early 30s player contracts that has high AAV with term due to the eventual player decline. They also don't like underperforming (so far in the case of PLD) centers getting paid a lot as well. What a surprise.
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Yeah....those types of rankings are weird because statistically they 'make sense' but hockey (and sports in general) is just an odd beast. All it takes is the right chemistry between teammates and a team that is horrible on paper ends up playing great team hockey where they're 'all in' for each other and they end up being really good. The locker room make up next year for the Blues is going to be way better now that Tarasenko is gone. He's always been an issue in the room....always. So that immediately adds to the team chemistry with him just not being there.
As far as the Blues next season...I think they have a more than solid forward group. Finally have the pieces together to roll out four strong lines with Sundquist coming back and Torpechenko having a full year under his belt. (That kid is special) But the D corps is highly suspect and Binnington in net is a minus as well. That dude cashed in big time on his brief success and the Blues are essentially stuck with him because of the ridiculous contract he was given. To say he's an average goalie is giving him too much credit.
Obviously I'll watch and root for them, hoping for a playoff birth. But I'm not expecting much from them for a bit. Gotta get these young D guys in there and get Krug, Scandella and Leddy off that roster.
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Am I the only one that did a double take at Tom Wilson's 7 @ $45m contract with the Caps?
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Wow... that's pretty rich for a guy like that. $6.5m?? Which doesn't kick in until next year, when he's 30 years old. So, you're gonna pay a guy whose career best is 24g/28a/52 pts that kind of money for the back third of his career? This is the same AAV as Chris Kreider, ffs. That kind of AAV would make sense on a 3ish year term, imo... but 7??
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Yeah, that's a hilariously bad contract.
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It's remarkably similar to the contract the Oil gave Lucic ... and we all remember how fast that one turned ugly as shit.
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I can't believe he's back in Boston. The Bruins have had a shit offseason.
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I can't believe he's back in Boston. The Bruins have had a shit offseason.
(https://i.giphy.com/media/PEtL0mS2JXMBi/giphy-downsized-large.gif)
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I knew that was coming. :lol
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It's pretty funny how the Capitals gave Tom Wilson that contract at that length. You would think the length at that number would be around the same amount of years that Bäckström and Ovi has left in their active NHL careers. I would think this contract is to ensure Ovi does his thing in attempting to break the goals record while Wilson handles the dirty business and then once Ovi goes back to Russia (since I think he wants to finish his active playing career there once his current deal is up) and the Capitals are forced to rebuild their team around younger talent (whoever that might be in five years), Tom Wilson will still be there doing the dirty business while the youth does their thing.
This could end up (down the line, not in the now) being something similar to what the Blackhawks are doing getting guys like Foligno and Perry to ensure Bedard play at the high-end superstar caliber level he needs to be while they care of the dirty work and to ensure someone does not try to make a name for himself at Bedard's expense. The problem for the Capitals is that they don't have a high-end potential young player yet that I know of. Also, I just don't think Wilson would be as effective at 35 than what he has shown at his most useful. Guys that play that style falls off hard in their 30s.
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Well, it's done. Somehow, the Sharks were able to move Erik Karlsson to the Penguins with four years left on the contract. A lot of movement happening. I don't hate it for the Penguins if this move was done 10 years ago, because if Letang and Karlsson are healthy and playing well, that's a good 1-2 punch on the blueline where teams have to play against one of them for 45 minutes per game. Of course, they are in their 30s and trends are leaning towards them declining, so who knows. Big bold move for Kyle Dubas in his 1st season as GM and President for the Pens.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F22yVAzXIAAf-Yz?format=webp&name=small)
https://twitter.com/penguins/status/1688213357734641664
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He really only gave up a 1st Rounder, and a lot of flotsam & jetsam, though some decent f&j. It's all about Crosby's window.
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Rick Jeanneret, the voice of the Buffalo Sabres for five decades, died Thursday. He was 81.
Adieu to the voice of two of the most memorable calls in NHL history. :'(
He retired as the longest-tenured play-by-play announcer in NHL history when he called his final game April 29, 2022, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as the recipient of the Foster Hewitt Award in 2012.
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This was a pretty good call.
Rick Jeanneret's famous 'May Day' Broadcast Call (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYqzx68cuJ0)
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Not gonna lie, I just about had a stroke scrolling through Facebook the other night and seeing "RIP RJ" as a post from someone who's a Sabres fan.
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This was a pretty good call.
Rick Jeanneret's famous 'May Day' Broadcast Call (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYqzx68cuJ0)
The fact this goal completed an unbelievably improbable sweep of the Bruins pleases me to no end. :D
Oh, and the fact he undressed Borque even more so than Lemieux’s famous beat down on Borque was simply *chefs kiss*
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It's Bourque you heathen. Lol
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It's Bourque you heathen. Lol
You?!? You are going to call out typos!?!?!!!
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Finally! It's my time now. Lol
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Jeanneret was good but he's no Jack Edwards.
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https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/connor-mcdavid-shows-up-to-beer-league-hockey-game-team-loses-in-blowout-182724373.html
Patrice Bergeron wouldn't have lost that game. ;) :) :) :) :)
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https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/connor-mcdavid-shows-up-to-beer-league-hockey-game-team-loses-in-blowout-182724373.html
Patrice Bergeron wouldn't have lost that game. ;) :) :) :) :)
At least, someone on the Kings finally gets to one-up McDavid in something and it's the right one.
The Richmond Hill, Ontario, native wasn’t the only ringer on the ice, as Los Angeles Kings forward Quinton Byfield — who signed autographs post-game — lined up on the winning side against his Pacific Division rival.
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Div 1 be league is legit hockey. Most players played junior A or better, and, around the Edmonton leagues, there's always a handful of pro players. Even the ball hockey leagues usually get an AHL player or two.
I'm glad some players go out and enjoy a game or two. I remember an interview with Ales Hemsky years and years ago where he said the thing he looked forward to the most after his pro career ended was to play beer league roller hockey with his non-pro buddies back home.
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Well, last year, it was announced that Nathan MacKinnon would be the highest paid AAV player in the NHL at $12.6M starting this season. Now, Auston Matthews has agreed to an extension that is $13.25M per year for four years starting in the 2024-2025 season. He will be the highest paid AAV player in the league until McDavid or Draisaitl gets their extensions. I don't know why Matthews wants 4 years instead of 8 years. Does he really think he can get a higher AAV at age 31 even if the cap spikes significantly by then?
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No, but maybe he can get 5 x $16M by then. There's no way he'd get anything north of $14M for an 8 year deal now. I think some of today's players are adverse to signing max-term deals.the #1
Plus, he makes way more money off the ice than he does on the ice. It's more a matter of principle for the guys at the top end - especially playing in the #1 (maybe #2) market in the league.
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Well, only a few more weeks to go before training camp. I might as well get this out of the way. So I've been reading this Hockey Manga series called Dogsred (which so far is about a former figure-skater in Japan that's transitioning into hockey and playing against a good high school team and getting his ass kicked so far.) and I'm having a good read of it and they seem to have a good grasp of the logic that would only work in the game of hockey. The author referenced Crosby and the Golden goal and even drew an image of him. It's really well-drawn that it is blinding. I want to see what Ovechkin looks like drawn in a manga for a contrast.
(https://i.imgur.com/FCz5H1e.png)
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I consider myself a reasonably informed NHL fan. I watch every Bruins game and as many out of town games as I can.
I saw the news that the Senators signed Jake Sanderson to an 8 yr/$64m contract, and my first thought was....I've never heard of the guy.
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^^ I think you had a similar reaction when Miro Heiskanen got his lengthy 8 years, $8M+ a year contract with the Stars. Based on what I have observed and read on a Discord group that has way too many Senators fans than one would think, Sanderson was the Senators 2nd 1st round pick they selected in the 2020 draft (5th overall behind Tim Stützle who they picked at #3). Only 77 games at the NHL level and 30+ pts as a defenseman. Apparently, fans and non-bias media really felt like the Senators really had a hit on the 1st round picks over teams like Rangers, Kings, Ducks, etc. picking those two players at the spots they did.
The main logic behind this signing from what I'm reading is that the Senators are really impressed with this guy and that they think he's only going to get better from here and thus they feel the need to lock him to term at the AAV now before his perceived value goes up? The contract does not kick in until the 24-25 season. I question if that's what Sanderson got, what will Owen Power of the Sabres will get (when he was drafted #1 overall in 2021, had a good debut season, came in with more buzz than Sanderson, and finish 2nd in Calder voting)? Plus, the Sabres will need to extend Dahlin as well. The rumor is that Dahlin is going to get $10.5M x 8 years that will kick in at the 24-25 season. Going to be interesting to see how this Senators' extension will influence what the Sabres need to do to lock their two centerpiece defensemen.
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I at least heard of Miro Heiskanen.
One thing the NHL seems to get right is that they are paying players in their prime years.
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Tomas Tatar....stats were decent last year. Anyone have some intangible/anecdotal insights? A lot of analysts are saying he will be an excellent fit for the Avalanche.
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I heard good regular season things about Tatar and was kinda confused on why he didn't get a contract with a team sooner. Apparently, the knock on him, and probably why he didn't get a contract sooner, is that he doesn't perform in the playoffs. Honestly, at the low price the Avs paid for him, I hate that he is signed in the West. I think he's going to be fine with the Avs and they'll deal with the playoff stuff when the time comes.
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Not surprised to see that it took a mere 2 months for classic Babcock to show up in Columbus. One can only hope he never resurfaces in the NHL after this latest shit show.
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Not surprised to see that it took a mere 2 months for classic Babcock to show up in Columbus. One can only hope he never resurfaces in the NHL after this latest shit show.
What an odd request to see players pictured on their cell phones.
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He was a questionable hire for the Columbus Blue Jackets when it was announced. This whole "He wants to do icebreakers by getting players to show pictures of their families or whatnot," was weird, but not nefarious, but people will still observe him on a tight leash. Apparently, the NHLPA found that it was something way deeper than it was and even traveled to Columbus to see what's going on and it seemed really bad that his time is already up. Didn't make it to official training camp or even coached a game for the Blue Jackets.
I imagine the President and the GM of the team is under huge hot water for making this hire, which was already bad in the first place due to his prior history, but now it's even worst in hindsight because of this revelation.
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Funny how the NHL handles this while the NFL wanted Tom Brady's personal cell phone.
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Well yeah, Tom Brady was cheating :biggrin:
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Well yeah, Tom Brady was cheating :biggrin:
:lol
Hand over your personal cell phone to your management Bill. Also, maybe the league could get the ball pressure right before the game starts. Nee ner, nee ner. Lol
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Well yeah, Tom Brady was cheating :biggrin:
:lol
Hand over your personal cell phone to your management Bill. Also, maybe the league could get the ball pressure right before the game starts. Nee ner, nee ner. Lol
Get over it! :lol
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:lol
Never. The offices can choke on it. :lol
Crazy though that Babcock though it was OK to ask for their cellphones.
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If I can inject some humor out of all of this mess, one thing I learned about this whole thing with the Columbus Blue Jackets. They had a mascot called Boomer....
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F6VKQ0JakAAIitd?format=webp&name=360x360)
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Blues to announced their new captain today. It’s one of two players. Brayden Schenn or Robert Thomas. Schenn has the grit and is a veteran and is who everyone thought should have gotten it over OReily. He’d be perfect. BUT, Robert Thomas is starting his eight year, $8 mil a year contract this year. He’s won a cup and is a top level player….so, it could be him for the longevity factor. He’d certainly grow into the role. If it’s me….I go Thomas simply due to his age and future. Schenn is older and oft injured.
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What does it matter? Surely the Blues season is over with a pre-season injury to Torey Krug. :D
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What does it matter? Surely the Blues season is over with a pre-season injury to Torey Krug. :D
:lol I’d be telling Krug that’s a season ending injury.
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We're not ready for this to be a reality. Brad Marchand is now the captain of the Bruins.
https://twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/1704504729118609499
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We're not ready for this to be a reality. Brad Marchand is now the captain of the Bruins.
https://twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/1704504729118609499
Watch out league! :lol :lol
(https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/av7pSUldM_XgD3ltfJvtr0yNJps=/0x0:1169x651/1200x800/filters:focal(492x233:678x419)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72668570/F6ecad8XoAA1BJ1.0.jpg)
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We're not ready for this to be a reality. Brad Marchand is now the captain of the Bruins.
https://twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/1704504729118609499
I'm ready!!!! :) :) :) :)
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Actually.....the press briefing released by the NHL clearly states that the 'C' on Marchands jersey stands for 'cunt'
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Actually.....the press briefing released by the NHL clearly states that the 'C' on Marchands jersey stands for 'cunt'
You know, I was surprised that after a week in Scotland I did not hear that damn word once!
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I can't wait for him to lick a ref's face after a bad call.
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Why so buthurt everyone? :lol
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Actually.....the press briefing released by the NHL clearly states that the 'C' on Marchands jersey stands for 'cunt'
You know, I was surprised that after a week in Scotland I did not hear that damn word once!
What!? Every TV show and movie would have you believe it's used in every other sentence uttered....
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Actually.....the press briefing released by the NHL clearly states that the 'C' on Marchands jersey stands for 'cunt'
You know, I was surprised that after a week in Scotland I did not hear that damn word once!
What!? Every TV show and movie would have you believe it's used in every other sentence uttered....
Speaking of Scottish people, in one of the audio commentaries of a Breaking Bad episode, they had Laura Fraser who plays Lydia. I'd forgotten she's Scottish as her American accent is so convincing in the show. On the commentary when everyone is saying their goodbyes, she signs out "Alright see ya later ya fukin cunts" cracking up everyone.
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Actually.....the press briefing released by the NHL clearly states that the 'C' on Marchands jersey stands for 'cunt'
Yeah, that makes more sense to me.
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Why so buthurt everyone? :lol
Jealousy!
:) :) :yarr
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Nah, wouldn't ever want him on my team. To me he moved past "he's an asshole but he's our asshole" territory. Maybe he's settled down, but I would've been embarrassed to see prime shit-stirrer Marchand ever wearing my team's jersey.
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I thought that too with Ken Linesman. but when he became a Bruin, I loved him.
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First, anyone interested in participating in a fantasy draft? I've never run one before, but there are enough free draft manager sites out there, I'm sure I could figure it out. I'm guessing 8 would be the minimum to play; 10 or 12 would be better.
Separately, anyone want to join a pool that I've been part of for about 7 years? It's $20CAD, and pretty straight forward with picks (it's not a draft). There's usually 100 people in it, first prize last year was $1200 I think (top 5 get in the money - I placed 4th a few years back; jingle.son was 5th last year).
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So what's everyone's thoughts on their teams for this presesaon thus far? Mine is with so much little space, the Kings is going to have a hard time thinking about moving down guys to the AHL like Alex Laferriere or Akil Thomas (who somehow scored a hat trick against the Golden Knights who iced a fair amount of their cup winning core that game). Both look all right so far this preseason. Also that 3rd Right Defense player spot isn't going to be easy to determine as Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke looked solid enough in preseason thus far. Internal competition and people looking to want to earn a roster spot is good to see. Just makes it hard for the organization to make the final decision.
In other news, Andrei Vasilevskiy has gone through back surgery and will out for two months of the season. The Bolts need a goalie and I think they may have an eye for someone through the waiver wire while they get through what looks to be a huge hill to climb for the first two months of the season in a highly contested Atlantic division.
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So what's everyone's thoughts on their teams for this presesaon thus far?
I think the Blues have done a good job getting bigger and 'heavier' on the forward front and honestly, have a solid four lines. I don't think the offense will be their issue. They're issue will remain at D and if they can actually defend this year. They got pushed around a lot last year by the opposition and they've not done really anything to improve that....well....because they can't. They're tied to the players they have signed so it's kind of in the players court to man up and simply play better. I can't imagine they can do worse than last season but it is the Blues so I'm sure they can find a way to outdo themselves.
And as always.....we will play the game of watching Binnington be an overpaid average goalie who will make three saves a game he shouldn't and let four shots a game that he should stop in his sleep go in. Now that the homer Pang isn't there to try and brainwash the viewers into believing nothing is Binnington's fault....that'll be interesting to see how he's treated.
I think the Blues will make the playoffs though....win a first round series and stay competitive in the second. I just don't think they have a team that can make a deep run due to their D corps.
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Red Wings are almost definitely better than last season, with DeBrincat up front and some good depth grit and scoring.
Biggest problem is they likely aren't cup contenders, and their window in a few years is made murkier by the fact that we have Holl and Chariot at overpays now and that will only get worse, and Compher who should be a great add now might also add to that in a few years. Still, I really think they could hit the playoffs again finally, which is exciting.
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Tampa's in for a rough start to the season it seems.
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Mike Babcock breaks his silence (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtE2r5NUkhg)
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So what's everyone's thoughts on their teams for this presesaon thus far?
I'm pretty thrilled with the Devils off-season/preseason. Losing Graves and Severson hurts the defense for sure, but Luke Hughes was already playing well enough to warrant 20+ minutes of ice time per game after only joining the team from college late in the spring, and Simon Nemec is also one of the highest rated D prospects in the league and may be ready to make the jump from the AHL this season. The forward group looks to be even better than last season with the shrewd Toffoli trade. Alexander Holtz, who has spent the last couple years playing very well in the AHL but not well enough when he's been called up, has been flashing some in the games so far. I think we'll also benefit from a full off-season with Timo Meier to really figure out the best line combinations, versus trying to incorporate him on the fly when we first acquired him. The goaltending isn't outstanding, but it should be good enough given the talent elsewhere. Especially if we can avoid overworking one netminder in the regular season.
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Jesus H there are some hot fucking takes in the nhl.com power rankings this week:
PAUL STRIZHEVSKY
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Florida Panthers; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Edmonton Oilers; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. Seattle Kraken; 9. New York Rangers; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Detroit Red Wings; 16. Buffalo Sabres
TRACEY MYERS
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Florida Panthers; 5. Seattle Kraken; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. Toronto Maple Leafs; 12. New York Rangers; 13. Minnesota Wild; 14. Tampa Bay Lightning; 15. New York Islanders; 16. Arizona Coyotes
I just don’t even ….
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The Panthers are going to be neutered with injuries on their blue line this season, so I'm not sure why those people are gung-ho about putting them in the top 5 in power rankings.
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Agreed... plus, you never know which version of Bobs is going to show up for the season.
Both of those writers are fucked. Ottawa, Detroit, AND Buffalo ahead of the Lightning AND Boston ... the latter 2 not even on the list (ie, in the bottom 1/2 of the league)?
Tracey's takes have got to be a troll. Kraken #5? Carolina #7? Toronto #11? Arizona #16?
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So what's everyone's thoughts on their teams for this presesaon thus far?
Ask me again in 10 days.
I just secured my Kings "birthday club" tickets for the 10/14 game. My son (whose birthday is during the off-season) will probably secure his for the Thanksgiving weekend game.
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Having the Panthers anywhere near the top 10 is silly. A Cinderella run to the final doesn't mean shit (see Oilers 2005-06). We're talking about a team that only made the playoffs because other teams lost on the last day of the season.
And in what reality is Boston going from record breaking season to finishing in the cellar? I don't pay attention to 'analyst' power rankings for this exact reason. While some might provide insights using real info or metrics, lots just want some attention. It's like predicting the stock market: you can be wrong 99/100 times, and nobody cares/notices. You predict a single dark horse that actually emerges, and you look brilliant.
PAUL STRIZHEVSKY (don't even know who he is) is hoping to look brilliant, and i very much hope the internet throws that ranking in his face when it's laughably wrong at the end of this season.
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To be fair, the actual rankings are an amalgamation of 13 different nhl.com writers. They're usually pretty reasonable (below is the current ranking). Most are fairly consistent, but some are fucking clowns... like these two. I just posted it because I thought it was good for a laugh nhl.com/Network employs people that publish this tripe.
1. Knights; 2. Canes; 3. Stars; 4. Leafs; 5. Devils; 6. Avs; 7. Oilers; 8. Bruins; 9. Rangers; 10. Kings; 11. Panthers; 12. Kraken; 13. Penguins; 14. Bolts; 15. Wild; 16. Sabres.
I think those are pretty reasonable. I'd personally put NYR ahead of the Bs, and swap the Bolts/Panthers. I think the Bolts can play at or just above .500 hockey with my plumber in net, so they to be in good shape to have a solid back 2/3 of the season.
I think it's gonna be a hard fought battle between Fla, Bos, Tampa, Buf and Ottawa for spots 2-6 in the Atlantic. On paper, the Leafs should be in good shape to take pole position; Buf/Ott are on the rise, while Bos/TB are looking to be on the decline (for understandable reasons), while Fla would do good just to hold even. Then throw in Pitt/NYI, for 4th spot in the Metro. I'm very intrigued to see how Pitt fares. The East is gonna be stacked. My bold prediction (I think I've made it here already) ... The Atlantic will send 5 to the Playoffs, and one of Bos/Fla will not make it. Although, with Vasy's injury, it's conceivable TB falls to 5th or 6th.
Of course, imagine if another team (Columbus?) has a Devils-esque 49 point improvement to really mess things up.
God I love hockey.
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Dahlin extended for 8x$11M
https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/sabres-sign-rasmus-dahlin-to-eight-year-88m-extension
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Dahlin extended for 8x$11M
https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/sabres-sign-rasmus-dahlin-to-eight-year-88m-extension
Did he just finish a bridge deal? That seems like a huge second contract.
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Dahlin extended for 8x$11M
https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/sabres-sign-rasmus-dahlin-to-eight-year-88m-extension
Did he just finish a bridge deal? That seems like a huge second contract.
Yeah... he is wrapping up a 3x$6M contract this year.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lZ-0-N4wwQ
Excited to watch some games tonight. I love watching this video. The ESPN NHL theme was a huge part of my childhood, along with the great Gary Thorne on the call. I was so happy when ESPN started covering the league again a couple of years ago. When Barry Melrose hands over the conductor wand I always lose it.
Ready for another great season!
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Predictions time. Bold (literally) are my playoff predictions
Atlantic:
Toronto
Tampa
Buffalo
Boston
Ottawa
Florida
Detroit
Montreal
Metro:
Carolina
New Jersey
Pittsburgh
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
Coumbus
Washington
Philadelphia
Central
Dallas
Colorado
Winnipeg
Minnesota
Nashville
St. Louis
Chicago
Arizona
West
Edmonton
Vegas
LA
Vancouver
Calgary
Seattle
Anaheim
San Jose
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Not bad, but i think the west shakes out differently. I don't see VAN or CGY finishing ahead of the Kraken. I think it'll be the same 4 teams from the Pacific, or even just the top 3. I wouldn't be surprised if the Central sent 5 (Nashville or St. Louis could slip into that mix easily).
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Not bad, but i think the west shakes out differently. I don't see VAN or CGY finishing ahead of the Kraken. I think it'll be the same 4 teams from the Pacific, or even just the top 3. I wouldn't be surprised if the Central sent 5 (Nashville or St. Louis could slip into that mix easily).
I think the Blues slip in this year. The cancerous distraction that was Tarasenko and his ego are gone from the locker room. I personally know the reporter for The Athletic that covers the Blues and get a lot of insider trading info. All the right things were said in public by the players, coaches and ownership....the fiasco with Tarasenko ever since he demanded a trade was a huge issue in the locker room. He was one of the veterans that were pissed that Kyrou and Thomas got 8yr/8mil deals and was the ring leader behind all the turmoil and started a lot of crap behind the scenes. Ironically, O'Reily was another one that was ticked about those two receiving those deals so it wasn't a surprise to see him shipped out and not even considered to come back. Armstrong is committed to those two for the future and so he picked his horses.....
While a locker room that gets along is desired it's not a guarantee for success....but it's better than having clicks and sects of players pitted against each other. They've installed Schenn as the captain because he's a good locker room guy. I think the difference in the room this year for the Blues will translate to more success on the ice....and they were only 10pts from a spot last year.....just 5 more wins....and I know they dropped a few that were they playing for each other a bit more they could have won rather than lost.
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Bold (literally) are my playoff predictions
First thing I thought of when I read this:
(https://i.imgur.com/AhTBRcp.gif)
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Not bad, but i think the west shakes out differently. I don't see VAN or CGY finishing ahead of the Kraken. I think it'll be the same 4 teams from the Pacific, or even just the top 3. I wouldn't be surprised if the Central sent 5 (Nashville or St. Louis could slip into that mix easily).
Seattle takes a step back. Mark my words. This isn't going to be a case of Vegas 2.0. The Kraken had a double digit shooting percentage last year - 11.6%, 2nd in the league to the Oil. Up from 27th in the league in their debut. Unless Grubauer has a Vezina-like year and justifies his $5.9M salary, the Kraken are on the outside looking in come April.
I've just got a gut feel about Vancouver. The Horvat drama is done; Demko returned to form in March; Petterson is in a contract year; and Hughes makes the leap into the Top 5 D-men category this year. I think they sneak in.
The Blues' fate - unsurprisingly - rests on which version of Binnington they get. I'm not seeing how Nashville improved. When the C depth chart is Ryan O’Reilly, Tomas Novak, Cody Glass, Colton Sissons... I don't see how anyone can be brimming with confidence. And they're gonna have to ride the horse that is Saros again - I saw one prediction that he very well could be the first G in 7 years to play 70 games this year.
I was at the Pitt/Buf pre-season game on Friday, both teams icing their A-players. Fun game ... and Sid dropped the gloves. Pitt looks really good. I was sleeping on them, but they've got a really solid F lineup, and that PP looks lethal with both Letang and Karlsson on the ice.
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The Blues' fate - unsurprisingly - rests on which version of Binnington they get.
I'd love nothing more than for him to put together a full season of consistent goaltending....say.....91% save percentage realm....I just don't know that he can. He usually starts good....then slumps...then regains form. Would like to see him not have that mid season 10-15 game slump.
He is a baller when it gets to crunch time though. If that D bag Kadri doesn't run him two years ago the Blues would have taken the AV's to 7 and may have stole that series. Mo was in their favor there all due to #50's play.
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Parts of two games in so far, and now I know why I listen to music while watching games. The announcers blow. WTF? Stop trying to sell me something, I know WTF I'm looking at.
The Crosby/Bedard sitting there in full uniforms if fucking cringey as all hell.
And Sean McDonough....what the hell happened to you? Stop being such a pussy.
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Parts of two games in so far, and now I know why I listen to music while watching games. The announcers blow. WTF? Stop trying to sell me something, I know WTF I'm looking at.
The Crosby/Bedard sitting there in full uniforms if fucking cringey as all hell.
And Sean McDonough....what the hell happened to you? Stop being such a pussy.
And McDonough and Ferraro are two of the best. I'm with you on the announcers. I'd just as soon listen to Jack Edwards and his nonsense; at least it's entertaining. I think the B's are on TNT tonight, so we don't get to hear Edwards say "Welcome to the NHL, Conner!" when Marchand or Lucic knocks him on his ass.
For me, it's a crap shoot as to what's more annoying: the Kelce/Swift nonsense, or the Bedard nonsense. I agree; why were they sitting there in full get up talking about... nothing, really. Though Cros - who I'm not the hugest fan of - schooled him on the ice, more or less. I loved the opening face off; Kelly Sutherland said "Sid, welcome back for another year. Connor, welcome to the NHL." then he dropped the puck and Bedard never saw it coming. Crosby had the puck back to his D before Bedard could even take a breath.
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I still miss McDonough on the Red Sox broadcasts. He's great on baseball. I find him professional, but extremely average, and not really all that good on hockey. He's too...even, yet it's still better than whoever they had calling the Bolts' game, the excitement was so fake..and late.
And man, Connor Bedard is good though.
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Dat shot / release. Man alive, that's next tier.
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Dat shot / release. Man alive, that's next tier.
I watched a video of a guy explaining how the stick technology has bore that quick shot/release these players have nowadays. As opposed to the old wooden stick kind of ‘drag’ to create power.
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Dat shot / release. Man alive, that's next tier.
I watched a video of a guy explaining how the stick technology has bore that quick shot/release these players have nowadays. As opposed to the old wooden stick kind of ‘drag’ to create power.
It's like a slingshot now. I also saw a similar/same video a couple of years ago as well.
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Well, my mood for opening night went from around a 7-8 to now around a 4-5. Viktor Arvidsson is not able to play today due to injury. The Kings have no space and they don't even have one of their younger promising RD players (Brandt Clarke or Jordan Spence) on the opening night roster because they don't want to risk having two of their lesser Dman claimed on waivers. Also, Arthur Kaliyev got suspended pre-season, going into the start of the season, so the Kings are rolling with only 11 forwards and 6 D today. AGAINST THE AVS!!! Oh, and Cam Talbot is starting it seems.
This is going to be a painful season to grit through. Todd McLellan, as much as he's done a fine job coaching and navigating this Kings team to taste post-season until a certain point, needs this team to start well. He may have gotten a one more year extension beyond this season, but this team needs progress and people are concerned if he's the right guy to get them there or not.
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On another note, Owen Power gets a 7 year deal at $8.35m AAV per year from the Sabres. Pat Brisson (his agent) knew once that Sanderson contract from the Sens is a go, he can get slightly more for the Owen Power contract.
https://twitter.com/BuffaloSabres/status/1712253077858681234
The Sabres, as controversial as their owners have been from time to time, at least in the now, are not afraid to spend money locking their main guys up (Dahlin, Thompson, Cozens, Owen Power, etc.).
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Tim, B's look good. Pasta invisible without Bregy.
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Tim, B's look good. Pasta invisible without Bregy.
I'm a little on tape delay...Carlo just scored. Assist for Poitras!!
Pasta laid a pretty good hit on a dude behind the Blackhawk's net earlier.
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Offensively, invisible. That's what he's paid 11 plus million for.
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I'm all caught up. ;D
Chicago has the jump tonight considering they played last night. Bruins need to ratchet it up a bit here.
Where's Debrusk? Is he playing??
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Definitely, Tim.
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Offensively, invisible. That's what he's paid 11 plus million for.
Good callout. He's on pace for 164 goals! :lol
Connor Bedard is the real deal.
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Leafs were up and down, but nice to finish with a shootout win. And Matthews will see they 164 pace, and raise to 246!
Always love a hatty for Matty. That dude shows up on opening night! 12 career goals in his 8 season openers.
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Leafs were up and down, but nice to finish with a shootout win. And Matthews will see they 164 pace, and raise to 246!
Always love a hatty for Matty. That dude shows up on opening night! 12 career goals in his 8 season openers.
They gave up 5 to Montreal? Yikes!
I thought TNT tonight did a pretty fair job balancing the Bedard nonsense with the actual game, and the kid had a GREAT game. ESPN was overkill with it last night and it was gagworthy.
Speaking of gagworthy, Wayne Gretzky sucks. Big time. He looks ridiculous with that hair color, and he says jackshit. When Paul Bissonette loses his schtick, he's actually pretty good with his commentary.
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Well, that was a rough start going against the Avs. Talbot gave up some soft ones. Power Play wasn't clicking with no Arvidsson or Kaliyev. If PLD, Fiala, and Alex Laferriere was able to capitalize on their chances, things could have been more interesting. That being said, I'm going to like Laferriere. He had some good looks in his 1st ever NHL game and got into a fight. Byfield got a goal due to a Makar mis-deflection. That's something. Hope that can lead into something promising for him. He needs a good healthy season for all of our sakes.
MacKinnon and Rantanen was just torching the team all game. It's like they took the last game they played against the Kings, where neither of them had points, and went, "That's not happening again."
The road isn't going to be easy going against the Canes next. No excuses. Got to deliver, through whatever means.
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Offensively, invisible. That's what he's paid 11 plus million for.
Good callout. He's on pace for 164 goals! :lol
Connor Bedard is the real deal.
So he finally scored. Lol
Yeah, Bedard is going to be a must watch.
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Leafs were up and down, but nice to finish with a shootout win. And Matthews will see they 164 pace, and raise to 246!
Always love a hatty for Matty. That dude shows up on opening night! 12 career goals in his 8 season openers.
They gave up 5 to Montreal? Yikes!
Two were on flubs by the defence leading to breakaways (Brodie tripped over himself, and Liljegren flubbed a pass), and two others were deflections (one of them off Brodie’s stick- rough night for him). Can’t blame the goalie for them all… but some very sloppy play in front of him - especially in the first. The Leafs dominated in the 2nd, out shooting them 14-2.
Lol Edmonton. Wowzers!
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Leafs were up and down, but nice to finish with a shootout win. And Matthews will see they 164 pace, and raise to 246!
Always love a hatty for Matty. That dude shows up on opening night! 12 career goals in his 8 season openers.
They gave up 5 to Montreal? Yikes!
I thought TNT tonight did a pretty fair job balancing the Bedard nonsense with the actual game, and the kid had a GREAT game. ESPN was overkill with it last night and it was gagworthy.
Speaking of gagworthy, Wayne Gretzky sucks. Big time. He looks ridiculous with that hair color, and he says jackshit. When Paul Bissonette loses his schtick, he's actually pretty good with his commentary.
I couldn't disagree with you more:
TNT overkilled the Bedard thing; frankly, I'm already sick of it. The kids good, he's not YET the greatest. He might well be. Let him fucking play. Let him at least face each team once. Let him get to March (he played all 2:00 of an early power play and was fucking GASSED: let's see him do that in the heart of February). Let the 'Hawks settle into the .500 team they really are. I did think this was funny, though:
(https://i.imgur.com/WMgs979.jpg)
At one point, there was a face-off, and the Fleet Center was playing Taylor Swift and I immediately thought of Travis Kelce, and the announcers were talking - go figure - about Bedard, and I was like "this is the culture we live in now. Sheer overkill."
Last night wasn't his best, but I LOVE Gretzky on TNT. More often than not - especially at the end of games, and when there's not a horse to be beaten like Bedard - they let him go off and tell stories and I can watch that for hours. SO entertaining. I'm a Paul Bissonette fan too. I think he's great. If I don't get to hear Jack Edwards and look at Sofia Jurksztowicz, TNT is a good solid second best.
I think the Bruins played very well. I was impressed. I like that Poitras kid; like Bedard, he's not shy and he doesn't quit. I think the back checking was pretty solid for a team that is still assembling itself. Like with Bedard and the 'hawks, we'll see when the adrenaline wears off and they're in the middle of a ten game road stand, though. That's where the rubber meets the road.
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Leafs were up and down, but nice to finish with a shootout win. And Matthews will see they 164 pace, and raise to 246!
Always love a hatty for Matty. That dude shows up on opening night! 12 career goals in his 8 season openers.
They gave up 5 to Montreal? Yikes!
Two were on flubs by the defence leading to breakaways (Brodie tripped over himself, and Liljegren flubbed a pass), and two others were deflections (one of them off Brodie’s stick- rough night for him). Can’t blame the goalie for them all… but some very sloppy play in front of him - especially in the first. The Leafs dominated in the 2nd, out shooting them 14-2.
Lol Edmonton. Wowzers!
Yeah....that wasn't pretty. I let my 7 y/o son stay up to watch the 1st period. Thankfully they only allowed 2 goals in the opening frame. More than once he asked why the oilers were playing so bad lol.
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Yeah, didn't see that coming with the Oilers opening game.
I have Edmonton and Carolina in the Stanley Cup final with the Oilers taking it. Hopefully they won't lose too many games 8-1.
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TNT overkilled the Bedard thing;
My guess is that you didn't see the ESPN broadcast the night before. I thought TNT's Bedard coverage was tame compared to ESPN, but at least they showed his mother!! ;D
If I don't get to hear Jack Edwards and look at Sofia Jurksztowicz,..
You can have her. NESN needs to promote Meredith Gorman.
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TNT overkilled the Bedard thing;
My guess is that you didn't see the ESPN broadcast the night before. I thought TNT's Bedard coverage was tame compared to ESPN, but at least they showed his mother!! ;D
Hahaha, I'm with you on that last point! No, I saw both. It might just be me. ALL of it is "overkill" to this old man. :)
If I don't get to hear Jack Edwards and look at Sofia Jurksztowicz,..
You can have her. NESN needs to promote Meredith Gorman.
Hmmm. I am unfamiliar with the apparently talented Ms. Gorman. I may have to pay more attention.
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TNT overkilled the Bedard thing;
My guess is that you didn't see the ESPN broadcast the night before. I thought TNT's Bedard coverage was tame compared to ESPN, but at least they showed his mother!! ;D
Hahaha, I'm with you on that last point! No, I saw both. It might just be me. ALL of it is "overkill" to this old man. :)
If I don't get to hear Jack Edwards and look at Sofia Jurksztowicz,..
You can have her. NESN needs to promote Meredith Gorman.
Hmmm. I am unfamiliar with the apparently talented Ms. Gorman. I may have to pay more attention.
NESN.com
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Well, Viktor Arvidsson is going to go on LTIR. I had a feeling this was going to happen at some point in this season. At least, the Kings should have the ability to ice a full-roster now if they please while he's gone. They just couldn't do it yesterday due to the timing and CBA rules on when you can put a player on LTIR.
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Leafs were up and down, but nice to finish with a shootout win. And Matthews will see they 164 pace, and raise to 246!
Always love a hatty for Matty. That dude shows up on opening night! 12 career goals in his 8 season openers.
They gave up 5 to Montreal? Yikes!
I thought TNT tonight did a pretty fair job balancing the Bedard nonsense with the actual game, and the kid had a GREAT game. ESPN was overkill with it last night and it was gagworthy.
Speaking of gagworthy, Wayne Gretzky sucks. Big time. He looks ridiculous with that hair color, and he says jackshit. When Paul Bissonette loses his schtick, he's actually pretty good with his commentary.
I couldn't disagree with you more:
TNT overkilled the Bedard thing; frankly, I'm already sick of it. The kids good, he's not YET the greatest. He might well be. Let him fucking play. Let him at least face each team once. Let him get to March (he played all 2:00 of an early power play and was fucking GASSED: let's see him do that in the heart of February). Let the 'Hawks settle into the .500 team they really are. I did think this was funny, though:
(https://i.imgur.com/WMgs979.jpg)
At one point, there was a face-off, and the Fleet Center was playing Taylor Swift and I immediately thought of Travis Kelce, and the announcers were talking - go figure - about Bedard, and I was like "this is the culture we live in now. Sheer overkill."
So what you're saying is he's no Patrick Mahomes ;D
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:clap:
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:lol
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Leafs were up and down, but nice to finish with a shootout win. And Matthews will see they 164 pace, and raise to 246!
Always love a hatty for Matty. That dude shows up on opening night! 12 career goals in his 8 season openers.
They gave up 5 to Montreal? Yikes!
I thought TNT tonight did a pretty fair job balancing the Bedard nonsense with the actual game, and the kid had a GREAT game. ESPN was overkill with it last night and it was gagworthy.
Speaking of gagworthy, Wayne Gretzky sucks. Big time. He looks ridiculous with that hair color, and he says jackshit. When Paul Bissonette loses his schtick, he's actually pretty good with his commentary.
I couldn't disagree with you more:
TNT overkilled the Bedard thing; frankly, I'm already sick of it. The kids good, he's not YET the greatest. He might well be. Let him fucking play. Let him at least face each team once. Let him get to March (he played all 2:00 of an early power play and was fucking GASSED: let's see him do that in the heart of February). Let the 'Hawks settle into the .500 team they really are. I did think this was funny, though:
(https://i.imgur.com/WMgs979.jpg)
At one point, there was a face-off, and the Fleet Center was playing Taylor Swift and I immediately thought of Travis Kelce, and the announcers were talking - go figure - about Bedard, and I was like "this is the culture we live in now. Sheer overkill."
So what you're saying is he's no Patrick Mahomes ;D
Apparently that was a great joke, because Joe and Chad are clapping - and I'm smiling as I write that :D - but to be honest, I'm not sure I follow. He's EXACTLY Patrick Mahomes.
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That's the joke.
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That's the joke.
I'm no Conner Bedard when it comes to getting the humor. Or should I say, no Gretzky. :) :) :)
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Mario Lemieux had the best sense of humor ever! :)
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Matthews is still on pace for 246G this season!
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Matthews is still on pace for 246G this season!
Another hat trick??
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Matthews is still on pace for 246G this season!
Another hat trick??
Yes guy!
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I don't know how to feel about today's Kings game against the Canes. They got a point in a game where they honestly didn't deserve it. I'll take it. That said, they got themselves in a 3-0 hole early in the game through some pretty bad errors on their end (especially when they let in TWO short-handed goals, this game). Got leaks they need to sort out, but I would like it if they can just get off to a good start for once.
At the end of the day, the end goal for this season is for them to beat one of the Oilers or Golden Knights in a playoff series. Anything beyond that would be dandy.
Speaking of the Oilers, man, they probably want to avoid playing the Canucks for a good while now after starting the season 0-2. Canucks, even though they have a tough hill to climb, if they want to make playoffs, they are getting it done so far against a team that wants to go deeper and go cup chasing.
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Honestly, at this point, with all the changes, I love how my Bruins are playing.
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Honestly, at this point, with all the changes, I love how my Bruins are playing.
I don't know. They eeked out two wins against pretty average teams. If it weren't for their goaltending, they wouldn't be 2-0.
Disappointed to see Lindholm not up to speed. He played the best two way defense I've seen for Boston since Ray Bourgue last year. I know he was hurt in the playoffs.
Lucic looks...motivated.
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The Kings finally got a win this season after their 3rd game. Going against the Jets. PLD gets his 1st goal as a King, fitting against his old team where fans booed him as expected due to the circumstances regarding how he left Winnipeg. That said, this game was taken over by Trevor Moore, Phillip Danault, and Arthur Kaliyev. I think them having a game like this gives some assurance that things are going to be ok for now for those guys despite the Arvidsson injury (which now looks like he needs surgery.....). Talbot had what looks to be a steady as they go kind of goalie game which is what this team needs right now. Don't think that's sustainable to have those kinds of goalie performances from a guy like Talbot, so these kinds of games needs to be wins.
Sucks for the Jets that Vilardi got injured. Hope it's not too critical, but I've seen that story before.
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Glad to see the Oil finally get a win. The home opener Saturday was a better game than the season opener, and they probably deserved a better fate in that outing. It was nice to see one of the tenders finally show up last night. I still think Stuart Skinner should be the starter in net this season, but I'll take a 42 save performance from Jack Campbell any night!
Leon Draisaitl becomes the Oilers franchise leader for power play goals, passing Glenn Anderson. He's only 27 years old, and already the highest scoring German born player ever. He'll only pad that lead for the remainder of his career. I think he has a good shot at making the HHOF for that stat when he's done with professional hockey even if he can't take home a Stanley.
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Glad to see the Oil finally get a win. The home opener Saturday was a better game than the season opener, and they probably deserved a better fate in that outing. It was nice to see one of the tenders finally show up last night. I still think Stuart Skinner should be the starter in net this season, but I'll take a 42 save performance from Jack Campbell any night!
Leon Draisaitl becomes the Oilers franchise leader for power play goals, passing Glenn Anderson. He's only 27 years old, and already the highest scoring German born player ever. He'll only pad that lead for the remainder of his career. I think he has a good shot at making the HHOF for that stat when he's done with professional hockey even if he can't take home a Stanley.
Since we get Center Ice for free at the start of each season, I try and watch the Oilers when I can. I saw this game, and speaking of Draisaitl, they showed a graphic of him and McDavid against the Preds in their career, and Draisaitl's numbers were off the chart.
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Leon Draisaitl becomes the Oilers franchise leader for power play goals, passing Glenn Anderson. He's only 27 years old, and already the highest scoring German born player ever. He'll only pad that lead for the remainder of his career. I think he has a good shot at making the HHOF for that stat when he's done with professional hockey even if he can't take home a Stanley.
I'm still amazed at this - and just as amazed that it was Anderson who held the record. How it wasn't Kurri or Gretz still baffles me. 99 had almost 600 career goals with Edm; Kurri with 474; Anderson 417. I would never have thought Draisaitl's now 310 career goals would have such a greater PP% than the others.
And yeah... current course and speed, he's a lock for the HHOF.
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Leon Draisaitl becomes the Oilers franchise leader for power play goals, passing Glenn Anderson. He's only 27 years old, and already the highest scoring German born player ever. He'll only pad that lead for the remainder of his career. I think he has a good shot at making the HHOF for that stat when he's done with professional hockey even if he can't take home a Stanley.
I'm still amazed at this - and just as amazed that it was Anderson who held the record. How it wasn't Kurri or Gretz still baffles me. 99 had almost 600 career goals with Edm; Kurri with 474; Anderson 417. I would never have thought Draisaitl's now 310 career goals would have such a greater PP% than the others.
And yeah... current course and speed, he's a lock for the HHOF.
Gretz was 3rd all time for franchise PP goals behind Anderson and Smyth. Not too surprised to see Smyth there given he had a permanent office space in front of the net.
Leon has very much benefited from playing on possibly the greatest power play in league history. 2022-23 set the record, and 2019-20 was good enough for 5th all time. I won't be surprised if they put up another top 5 this season. I was wondering if Nuge's 100pts last season was just an anomaly, but it's looking like it's going to be another strong year for him. Now if only they can stop the damn puck from going in their net....
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^^ I mean yesterday's game against the Predators is a good start in that end. The Oilers smoked the Preds' goalies and if they do that, they don't have to worry much about goals the other way since the Preds offensive punches are not that high.
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^^ I mean yesterday's game against the Predators is a good start in that end. The Oilers smoked the Preds' goalies and if they do that, they don't have to worry much about goals the other way since the Preds offensive punches are not that high.
I still worry about games like last Saturday against the Canucks. Oil sent 40 pucks on the Vancouver net, and still lost because fucking Skinner had a .750 save %. Had he put up even a mediocre save % they'd have won. I don't want this to be another season where they try to outscore shitty defense/goaltending all year, only to get bounced in the 1st or 2nd round. Unless this team can miraculously re-sign Leon and Connor, their Stanley window has 3 seasons to go (including this one).
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Glad to see the Oil finally get a win. The home opener Saturday was a better game than the season opener, and they probably deserved a better fate in that outing. It was nice to see one of the tenders finally show up last night. I still think Stuart Skinner should be the starter in net this season, but I'll take a 42 save performance from Jack Campbell any night!
Leon Draisaitl becomes the Oilers franchise leader for power play goals, passing Glenn Anderson. He's only 27 years old, and already the highest scoring German born player ever. He'll only pad that lead for the remainder of his career. I think he has a good shot at making the HHOF for that stat when he's done with professional hockey even if he can't take home a Stanley.
Since we get Center Ice for free at the start of each season, I try and watch the Oilers when I can. I saw this game, and speaking of Draisaitl, they showed a graphic of him and McDavid against the Preds in their career, and Draisaitl's numbers were off the chart.
Draisaitl is one of my favorite players in the league. Love watching him play.
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^^ I mean yesterday's game against the Predators is a good start in that end. The Oilers smoked the Preds' goalies and if they do that, they don't have to worry much about goals the other way since the Preds offensive punches are not that high.
I still worry about games like last Saturday against the Canucks. Oil sent 40 pucks on the Vancouver net, and still lost because fucking Skinner had a .750 save %. Had he put up even a mediocre save % they'd have won. I don't want this to be another season where they try to outscore shitty defense/goaltending all year, only to get bounced in the 1st or 2nd round. Unless this team can miraculously re-sign Leon and Connor, their Stanley window has 3 seasons to go (including this one).
And ya gotta think, if they don't get to the finals in one or more of the next three years, one or both of them are going to think it won't happen with Edmonton. The old definition of insanity... why would they continue to keep coming back as they get into their 30s? Mind you, Sid and Ovi both did, and it worked out for them.
Most in Toronto think it's the same with Matthews... if they aren't multiple time finalists or winners in the next 5 years, why would he want to stay? The chances aren't going to get any better than the next 5 years. Marner will stay, I think he's a Leaf for life.
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The way i see it is Edmonton needs to be considered the best chance to win if there's any hope of resigning either McDavid or Draisaitl. Connor knows he'll get paid top dollar, and get his stats, in any market. He's going to want to win Stanleys.
Leafs are absolutely in the same place with Matthews. I think he walks after this contract regardless, though, to get to a US market.
I have a similar fear about McDavid. I don't think he wants to play in Toronto due to the circus, but he would definitely jump at the opportunity to go to Buffalo.
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I have a similar fear about McDavid. I don't think he wants to play in Toronto due to the circus, but he would definitely jump at the opportunity to go to Buffalo.
He would?? Why would you say that?
Buffalo is a hockey wasteland.
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The way i see it is Edmonton needs to be considered the best chance to win if there's any hope of resigning either McDavid or Draisaitl. Connor knows he'll get paid top dollar, and get his stats, in any market. He's going to want to win Stanleys.
Leafs are absolutely in the same place with Matthews. I think he walks after this contract regardless, though, to get to a US market.
I have a similar fear about McDavid. I don't think he wants to play in Toronto due to the circus, but he would definitely jump at the opportunity to go to Buffalo.
I dunno about assuming Matthews leaves. If the Leafs are winning or running up for the Cup, I can see him staying. There was an interview with nhl.com just recently where he was very “pro” staying in Toronto. If he stays a career Leaf, he could very easily go down as the best Maple Leaf in history. If that is on top of a Cup, who wouldn’t want that to be the epitaph of their career?
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I have a similar fear about McDavid. I don't think he wants to play in Toronto due to the circus, but he would definitely jump at the opportunity to go to Buffalo.
He would?? Why would you say that?
Buffalo is a hockey wasteland.
His friends and family are all in southern Ontario. Buffalo is very close. Close enough that jingle had season seats there.
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I have a similar fear about McDavid. I don't think he wants to play in Toronto due to the circus, but he would definitely jump at the opportunity to go to Buffalo.
He would?? Why would you say that?
Buffalo is a hockey wasteland.
His friends and family are all in southern Ontario. Buffalo is very close. Close enough that jingle had season seats there.
And he'd still want to go?? ;D
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I have a similar fear about McDavid. I don't think he wants to play in Toronto due to the circus, but he would definitely jump at the opportunity to go to Buffalo.
He would?? Why would you say that?
Buffalo is a hockey wasteland.
His friends and family are all in southern Ontario. Buffalo is very close. Close enough that jingle had season seats there.
I dunno about him “jumping” at Buffalo. I’d guess any team that is in the cusp in the next year or so is going to try and plan to have enough cap freedom to take a shot at him.
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^^ I mean yesterday's game against the Predators is a good start in that end. The Oilers smoked the Preds' goalies and if they do that, they don't have to worry much about goals the other way since the Preds offensive punches are not that high.
I still worry about games like last Saturday against the Canucks. Oil sent 40 pucks on the Vancouver net, and still lost because fucking Skinner had a .750 save %. Had he put up even a mediocre save % they'd have won. I don't want this to be another season where they try to outscore shitty defense/goaltending all year, only to get bounced in the 1st or 2nd round. Unless this team can miraculously re-sign Leon and Connor, their Stanley window has 3 seasons to go (including this one).
And ya gotta think, if they don't get to the finals in one or more of the next three years, one or both of them are going to think it won't happen with Edmonton. The old definition of insanity... why would they continue to keep coming back as they get into their 30s? Mind you, Sid and Ovi both did, and it worked out for them.
Most in Toronto think it's the same with Matthews... if they aren't multiple time finalists or winners in the next 5 years, why would he want to stay? The chances aren't going to get any better than the next 5 years. Marner will stay, I think he's a Leaf for life.
Really good players go to other teams to win champeenships. The truly great players make THEIR team win champeenships.
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^^ I mean yesterday's game against the Predators is a good start in that end. The Oilers smoked the Preds' goalies and if they do that, they don't have to worry much about goals the other way since the Preds offensive punches are not that high.
I still worry about games like last Saturday against the Canucks. Oil sent 40 pucks on the Vancouver net, and still lost because fucking Skinner had a .750 save %. Had he put up even a mediocre save % they'd have won. I don't want this to be another season where they try to outscore shitty defense/goaltending all year, only to get bounced in the 1st or 2nd round. Unless this team can miraculously re-sign Leon and Connor, their Stanley window has 3 seasons to go (including this one).
And ya gotta think, if they don't get to the finals in one or more of the next three years, one or both of them are going to think it won't happen with Edmonton. The old definition of insanity... why would they continue to keep coming back as they get into their 30s? Mind you, Sid and Ovi both did, and it worked out for them.
Most in Toronto think it's the same with Matthews... if they aren't multiple time finalists or winners in the next 5 years, why would he want to stay? The chances aren't going to get any better than the next 5 years. Marner will stay, I think he's a Leaf for life.
Really good players go to other teams to win champeenships. The truly great players make THEIR team win champeenships.
You're thinking basketball. By this logic, Gretzky was merely "really good" in the 90s, while the likes of Lemieux (Claude!) and Nieuwendyk were "great"
Sidney Crosby doesn't make a goalie better, or a 3rd d-pair better, or the 4th line winger better.
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If the 4th line winger ends up being with Crosby or Malkin's line, that guy actually do play better with them. Hence the idea of this tweet (there are no actual players named Buzz Flibbet and Mark Donk sadly).
(https://i.imgur.com/BdGgMlZ.png)
https://twitter.com/ATFulemin/status/1195861423802462209
By the way, for those that think McDavid never elevates anyone, this is Pat Maroon's stats in the 16-17 season with the Oilers. This is the only time Maroon scored 15+ goals in a season.
(https://i.imgur.com/VkhcYqh.png)
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Fair enough. A "great" / superstar player can elevate his line-mates. I mean, what did Jake Guentzel or Bryan Rust ever do prior to skating with Sid or Geno. Or Nick Bonnino? I can buy in to that.
But there's still 35-40 other minutes of ice-time to fill.
In basketball, one player can make the difference, as they can/will play 80% of of game minutes. Hockey relies much more on a complete team effort required to win.
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Fair enough. A "great" / superstar player can elevate his line-mates. I mean, what did Jake Guentzel or Bryan Rust ever do prior to skating with Sid or Geno. Or Nick Bonnino? I can buy in to that.
But there's still 35-40 other minutes of ice-time to fill.
In basketball, one player can make the difference, as they can/will play 80% of of game minutes. Hockey relies much more on a complete team effort required to win.
This all day long. Kobe sometimes played the ENTIRE game
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Fair enough. A "great" / superstar player can elevate his line-mates. I mean, what did Jake Guentzel or Bryan Rust ever do prior to skating with Sid or Geno. Or Nick Bonnino? I can buy in to that.
But there's still 35-40 other minutes of ice-time to fill.
In basketball, one player can make the difference, as they can/will play 80% of of game minutes. Hockey relies much more on a complete team effort required to win.
No doubt, but you watch Florida and the way Tkachuk literally lifted that team on his back. And while I agree, "championships" is the only metric that matters, that Gretzky didn't win one in the '90s doesn't mean that they didn't play way beyond where they SHOULD have. Messier is another example in New York.
Yes, you need each player to carry their water, but if a Messier or Gretzky can take away two shots a period that would otherwise get to the goaltender, for example, or take a shot or two more a period than would have been taken, that's a big difference over a course of a season.
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Fair enough. A "great" / superstar player can elevate his line-mates. I mean, what did Jake Guentzel or Bryan Rust ever do prior to skating with Sid or Geno. Or Nick Bonnino? I can buy in to that.
But there's still 35-40 other minutes of ice-time to fill.
In basketball, one player can make the difference, as they can/will play 80% of of game minutes. Hockey relies much more on a complete team effort required to win.
No doubt, but you watch Florida and the way Tkachuk literally lifted that team on his back. And while I agree, "championships" is the only metric that matters, that Gretzky didn't win one in the '90s doesn't mean that they didn't play way beyond where they SHOULD have. Messier is another example in New York.
Yes, you need each player to carry their water, but if a Messier or Gretzky can take away two shots a period that would otherwise get to the goaltender, for example, or take a shot or two more a period than would have been taken, that's a big difference over a course of a season.
re: Florida... I wouldn't minimize the contributions of players like Bobs, Montour, Goudas. It was a total team effort, Tkachuck was in the right place / right time for those OT winners.
On the other points, you aren't wrong, but there are a lot of other variables. Sure, Gretz takes away a shot or two, but then McSorley takes a crucial penalty that leads to a PPG winner.
As you like to say, I think we're more in sync than we're not. I just don't think it's entirely cut and dry to suggest if a single player can't elevate his team to a championship, he can't be considered "great", and that individual players (in hockey) can do that. The goalie is the only player on the ice for an entire game, and the only player that can conceivably do that for a game or a handful of games.
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Fair enough. A "great" / superstar player can elevate his line-mates. I mean, what did Jake Guentzel or Bryan Rust ever do prior to skating with Sid or Geno. Or Nick Bonnino? I can buy in to that.
But there's still 35-40 other minutes of ice-time to fill.
In basketball, one player can make the difference, as they can/will play 80% of of game minutes. Hockey relies much more on a complete team effort required to win.
No doubt, but you watch Florida and the way Tkachuk literally lifted that team on his back. And while I agree, "championships" is the only metric that matters, that Gretzky didn't win one in the '90s doesn't mean that they didn't play way beyond where they SHOULD have. Messier is another example in New York.
Yes, you need each player to carry their water, but if a Messier or Gretzky can take away two shots a period that would otherwise get to the goaltender, for example, or take a shot or two more a period than would have been taken, that's a big difference over a course of a season.
re: Florida... I wouldn't minimize the contributions of players like Bobs, Montour, Goudas. It was a total team effort, Tkachuck was in the right place / right time for those OT winners.
On the other points, you aren't wrong, but there are a lot of other variables. Sure, Gretz takes away a shot or two, but then McSorley takes a crucial penalty that leads to a PPG winner.
As you like to say, I think we're more in sync than we're not. I just don't think it's entirely cut and dry to suggest if a single player can't elevate his team to a championship, he can't be considered "great", and that individual players (in hockey) can do that. The goalie is the only player on the ice for an entire game, and the only player that can conceivably do that for a game or a handful of games.
JS Giguere in the 2003 playoffs being a great example of that, same with Patrick Roy in 93.
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Fair enough. A "great" / superstar player can elevate his line-mates. I mean, what did Jake Guentzel or Bryan Rust ever do prior to skating with Sid or Geno. Or Nick Bonnino? I can buy in to that.
But there's still 35-40 other minutes of ice-time to fill.
In basketball, one player can make the difference, as they can/will play 80% of of game minutes. Hockey relies much more on a complete team effort required to win.
No doubt, but you watch Florida and the way Tkachuk literally lifted that team on his back. And while I agree, "championships" is the only metric that matters, that Gretzky didn't win one in the '90s doesn't mean that they didn't play way beyond where they SHOULD have. Messier is another example in New York.
Yes, you need each player to carry their water, but if a Messier or Gretzky can take away two shots a period that would otherwise get to the goaltender, for example, or take a shot or two more a period than would have been taken, that's a big difference over a course of a season.
re: Florida... I wouldn't minimize the contributions of players like Bobs, Montour, Goudas. It was a total team effort, Tkachuck was in the right place / right time for those OT winners.
On the other points, you aren't wrong, but there are a lot of other variables. Sure, Gretz takes away a shot or two, but then McSorley takes a crucial penalty that leads to a PPG winner.
As you like to say, I think we're more in sync than we're not. I just don't think it's entirely cut and dry to suggest if a single player can't elevate his team to a championship, he can't be considered "great", and that individual players (in hockey) can do that. The goalie is the only player on the ice for an entire game, and the only player that can conceivably do that for a game or a handful of games.
Maybe, and I do think we're more in sync than not, but I'm also a BIG clubhouse guy. Gudas played out his ass, no doubt, but I think at the end of the day it was more likely Tkachuk that influenced Gudas to step up, than either the other way around, or the random fact that they both just happened to peak at the same time. Gudas was hurt, too, and watching Tkachuk leave everything on the ice is a huge motivator.
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Ehhhh ... the injury factor applies to almost every winning cup winning team. Leon a couple playoffs ago; Someone on Tampa was playing with a broken leg a few seasons back. Kadri with a broken hand when the Avs won (and still scoring in the game clinching victory).
@Rom... exactly. Hextall in '87 was absolutely unreal against a stacked Oil team who were not to be denied after shitting the bed the previous year. Quick in '12 - 12-4 with a .946 SV%. :omg:
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Apparently the Leafs think it's still pre-season. 2 goals in 2 games. Oof.
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I'm feeling good. All the Kings had to do was not go against heavyweights like the Avs and Canes and play against teams around their weight class like the Jets and Wild and they are starting to get some wins going. PLD with two goals this game (one weird one where it looked like it kicked in and one where Fleury was just upset about that previous goal and caused a bad turnover that eventually led to the 2nd PLD goal.) This is more like what we are hoping for. Trevor Moore with his 4th of the season. Things are picking up on his finishing in the early goings. Hope it continues that way since he's typically in the list of players that scores below expected goals.
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B's off to a good start. They look solid, defensively.
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B's off to a good start. They look solid, defensively.
They’ve played three sucky teams.
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B's off to a good start. They look solid, defensively.
They’ve played three sucky teams.
You keep saying that. And it's largely true (San Jose is terrible). But it's good for them to get their feet wet, and they ARE playing well together. The second period was a bit of a drop off, but Period One was solid. I'm liking what I'm seeing so far.
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Let's see how they fare in LA tomorrow. They normally crush the Kings when they come to LA. It's all right. When the Kings come to Boston, the Kings usually end up winning those games in OT or shootout.
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Ehhhh ... the injury factor applies to almost every winning cup winning team. Leon a couple playoffs ago; Someone on Tampa was playing with a broken leg a few seasons back. Kadri with a broken hand when the Avs won (and still scoring in the game clinching victory).
@Rom... exactly. Hextall in '87 was absolutely unreal against a stacked Oil team who were not to be denied after shitting the bed the previous year. Quick in '12 - 12-4 with a .946 SV%. :omg:
Hasek's 02 Cup run with the Wings was pretty stellar as well. After giving up 10 goals total in the first two games against Vancouver, he went on to post a 16-7 record, a 1.86 GAA, and 6 shutouts, which beat the previous record for shutouts by 2. Brodeur then broke that record by posting 7 shutouts in the 03 Cup run with the Devils!
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B's off to a good start. They look solid, defensively.
They’ve played three sucky teams.
You keep saying that. And it's largely true (San Jose is terrible). But it's good for them to get their feet wet, and they ARE playing well together. The second period was a bit of a drop off, but Period One was solid. I'm liking what I'm seeing so far.
I didn't watch any of the game last night, so I don't know how they looked. I couldn't really tell anything from the first two games, other than their goaltending kept them from a couple of what would've been embarrassing losses.
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Just noting, that for however briefly it lasts, that the Red Wings are on top of the Eastern Conference standings. :D
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Well, I expected this Kings/Bruins game to be a tough one to go through. I expected a decisive loss for the Kings hoping for them to show otherwise. That hope was not happening here. Swayman looked really good. Pasta had a really good PP shot to get the scoring rolling and Marchand with his two goals pretty much deflated hopes the Kings had of winning that one. The Kings got outworked hard after Alex Laferriere tied it up. That was a good first goal for him in the NHL. He had really good looks up in the games he played until that goal and it's good to see him get it. I don't want to see that guy get demoted to the AHL if Arvidsson comes back. He should be a regular NHL roster player at this point.
Hope the next time these two teams meet that the game in Boston ends in OT with a Kings win. That should be how it goes. Bruins crush Kings in LA. Kings beat the Bs in Boston in OT or shootout.
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The Leafs/Bolts game was something else last night. Samsonov gave up 3 goals on 4 shots. None of them 'soft' ... the first was maybe stopable, but the next two were good goals coming out of sloppy play by the Leafs. Then Woll came and was a brick fucking wall. The Leafs peppered Johansson (finishing with 50+ SOG), but not many of them were terribly dangerous. Then the last 10 minutes of the third, both of them played it was like a playoff game. End-to-end action and lots of great back and forth chances. Knies with his first two regular season goals (pretty nice snipes), and the Leafs had most of the puck possession in OT, finally sneaking one in.
It was a bit of a sloppy game, and was Tampa's to lose - which they did. :biggrin:
@ Nick/Rom (and Doc if he's lurking)... I'm happy for you guys. I still think they are punching above their weight class, but they are performing really good for the moment.
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Just noting, that for however briefly it lasts, that the Red Wings are on top of the Eastern Conference standings. :D
Say, I also notice the Flyers are on top of the Metro at the moment. Maybe you were premature to pull the plug on them. Just sayin... let's see how the next 77 games go. :lol
But man ... Washington looks bad. Maybe Ovi's output is starting to decline (as I always knew it would). When your linemate options are a bunch of 35 year olds and/or AHL grads, I wouldn't count on another 40 (30?) goal season.
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The Golden Knights are 6-0? Holy crap!
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The Leafs/Bolts game was something else last night. Samsonov gave up 3 goals on 4 shots. None of them 'soft' ... the first was maybe stopable, but the next two were good goals coming out of sloppy play by the Leafs. Then Woll came and was a brick fucking wall. The Leafs peppered Johansson (finishing with 50+ SOG), but not many of them were terribly dangerous. Then the last 10 minutes of the third, both of them played it was like a playoff game. End-to-end action and lots of great back and forth chances. Knies with his first two regular season goals (pretty nice snipes), and the Leafs had most of the puck possession in OT, finally sneaking one in.
I watched this game. I thought the Leaf's posession and what looked like set plays in OT were quite impressive.
Glad to see the B's win in LA last night. I only watched the 1st period, and they seemed to be getting outskated despite leading by a goal.
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It's amazing how important winning the opening face off is. The Leafs had puck control in OT for all but a stretch of about 30 seconds. It was the same last week in TB's OT loss to the Sabres - the former never even touched the puck.
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It wasn't even that they simply maintained possession...they looked like the damn Globetrotters. :lol
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@ Nick/Rom (and Doc if he's lurking)... I'm happy for you guys. I still think they are punching above their weight class, but they are performing really good for the moment.
I mean, I think that's the consensus, but still, plenty to be happy about.
Dylin centering Raymond and DeBrincat has been absolute fire.
Copp is playing a lot better.
Compher is playing great.
Ghost has been great on the back end.
Seider/Walman continues to be a top end defensive unit.
Holl/Chariot hasn't been a complete dumpster fire yet.
Even if they end up moving a bit more towards average, the offseason moves are worth getting excited about.
Just noting, that for however briefly it lasts, that the Red Wings are on top of the Eastern Conference standings. :D
Say, I also notice the Flyers are on top of the Metro at the moment. Maybe you were premature to pull the plug on them. Just sayin... let's see how the next 77 games go. :lol
They can keep on winning, won't change my tune on them. My departing was a result of being fed up with the organization, the last straw being the hiring of Torts. Once he inevitably wears out his welcome, we'll see if the rest of the management has proven the hope about them right.
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And again, I know it won't last, but while it's happening...
Your Eastern Conference leading Red Wings
AND
Your NHL goal leader, Alex DeBrincat.
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And again, I know it won't last, but while it's happening...
Your Eastern Conference leading Red Wings
AND
Your NHL goal leader, Alex DeBrincat.
Jingle.son told me about a meme floating around there showcasing his jersey #s with Ottawa (12) and Detroit (93) with the caption "thanks for matching your effort level with your jersey number" - or something to that effect.
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The Bruins are 5-0 to start the season. People really hoped Bergeron and Krejci being gone would actually lead to the downfall of the team. Hasn't happened yet. Now granted, three of those teams they should beat easily and I hoped the other two teams (Kings and Preds) would have stopped them in getting a win. I guess the next team of greater resilience to the Bs will be the Red Wings on Saturday.
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The Leafs/Bolts game was something else last night. Samsonov gave up 3 goals on 4 shots. None of them 'soft' ... the first was maybe stopable, but the next two were good goals coming out of sloppy play by the Leafs. Then Woll came and was a brick fucking wall. The Leafs peppered Johansson (finishing with 50+ SOG), but not many of them were terribly dangerous. Then the last 10 minutes of the third, both of them played it was like a playoff game. End-to-end action and lots of great back and forth chances. Knies with his first two regular season goals (pretty nice snipes), and the Leafs had most of the puck possession in OT, finally sneaking one in.
I watched this game. I thought the Leaf's posession and what looked like set plays in OT were quite impressive.
Glad to see the B's win in LA last night. I only watched the 1st period, and they seemed to be getting outskated despite leading by a goal.
That first 8 to 10 minutes or so was NOT indicative of the rest of the game. Same with last night.
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Today is going to be an interesting experiment for the NHL. All 32 teams play today and a new game is going to start every 15-30 minutes starting at 6 PM EDT (with Leafs vs Caps) until the last game (Golden Knights vs Flyers) at 11 PM.
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Today is going to be an interesting experiment for the NHL. All 32 teams play today and a new game is going to start every 15-30 minutes starting at 6 PM PST (with Leafs vs Caps) until the last game (Golden Knights vs Flyers) at 11 PM.
jingle.son and I are going to the Sens/Sabres game in Ottawa.
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Yeah, I have somewhere to be this evening but should be home to watch around 8:00 or so. I will probably have the "Frozen Frenzy" whip around show on the tv and the Hurricanes on the computer. There are some really good matchups tonight too, so it should make for a great night of hockey.
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Unsurprisingly, the NHL dropped their stance on Pride tape.
The National Hockey League today released the following statement regarding symbolic tape in support of social causes.
"After consultation with the NHL Players' Association and the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition, Players will now have the option to voluntarily represent social causes with their stick tape throughout the season."
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Unsurprisingly, the NHL dropped their stance on Pride tape.
The National Hockey League today released the following statement regarding symbolic tape in support of social causes.
"After consultation with the NHL Players' Association and the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition, Players will now have the option to voluntarily represent social causes with their stick tape throughout the season."
Just wait for a player to support Palestine or same sex only bathroom rights.
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Today is going to be an interesting experiment for the NHL. All 32 teams play today and a new game is going to start every 15-30 minutes starting at 6 PM PST (with Leafs vs Caps) until the last game (Golden Knights vs Flyers) at 11 PM.
The Leafs Caps game starts at 6pm EDT, not Pacific time (and certainly not PST, which won't start for another couple weeks). The last game starts at 11pm EDT, which is 8pm local time, which is an hour later the normal weekday start time.
The 9 eastern time zone games start between 6:00 and 8:15 local time.
The 4 central time zone games start between 7:30 and 8:15 local time.
The 1 mountain time zone game starts at 7:45 local time.
The 2 Pacific time zone games start at 7:30 and 8:00 local time.
In other words, while a few games will start a bit later than usual (and a handful of eastern time zone games will start earlier), the games are all basically starting around when they normally would.
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Whoops. Force of habit. It's edited to EDT now.
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By the way, from what I've seen elsewhere, this stunt ("Frozen Frenzy") seems to be designed to draw attention from opening night in the NBA, which is a little weird since only 3 of the games are being televised nationally (and there are only 2 NBA games being played today). Seems like the sort of thing that might have more impact if done on a weekend.
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By the way, from what I've seen elsewhere, this stunt ("Frozen Frenzy") seems to be designed to draw attention from opening night in the NBA, which is a little weird since only 3 of the games are being televised nationally (and there are only 2 NBA games being played today). Seems like the sort of thing that might have more impact if done on a weekend.
Well, they'd be battling college football on Sat and the NFL on Sun.
But if there's a bye week during the NFL playoffs or between the CGs and the SB, that'd be perfect.
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Saturday should be the kind of day the NHL should try to corner since you can't do Sunday or Monday due to football and no one wants to watch games on Fridays for whatever reasons.
Wait, College Football does that well in occupying eyeballs?
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Saturday should be the kind of day the NHL should try to corner since you can't do Sunday or Monday due to football and no one wants to watch games on Fridays for whatever reasons.
Wait, College Football does that well in occupying eyeballs?
Pretty sure they do.
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Holy shit that Sabres/Sens game was bonkers. Sabres were up 5-1 heading in to the 3rd, and at one point I joked with jingle.son that this was in the bag, and when the fans started leaving, it would make it easier for us to get out of the parking lot at the end of the game. Afterall, these weren't the 2000 Leafs that blew a 5-1 to the Blues mid-way thru the 3rd! And by the 10 minute mark, sure enough, 1/2 of what was already an arena only 2/3 full had emptied out. Sens get one back with about 4 minutes to go, then score 2 in the span of 20 seconds with just over a minute to go. Ironically, the arena was lowder at that point than any other time during the night. Luckily, Thompson iced it with an EN goal, but man did they make it interesting with some very sloppy play in the last 5 minutes.
Great night out with jingle.son.
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How far is Ottawa from you?
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How far is Ottawa from you?
6 hour drive
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All right, well, the Kings got a good enough win against the Coyotes. Not much else of note to point out. That said, the Coyotes are more competitive than I think most people will give them credit for, despite their arena situation. They got solid young players. Dynamic players that can move the puck around and create dangerous chances. They could be a solid team if their team budget isn't so dire.
So to recap as of right now, the Bs are 6-0. The Avs are 6-0. The Golden Knights are now 7-0.
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The Bs have done a good job at beating the teams they're supposed to - but they have played 5 non-playoff teams from last year. Still, undefeated is undefeated.
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How far is Ottawa from you?
6 hour drive
Nice road trip.
The Bs have done a good job at beating the teams they're supposed to - but they have played 5 non-playoff teams from last year. Still, undefeated is undefeated.
I've been largely unimpressed. Ullmark and Swayman have saved their asses. They've been great.
On D they seem ok. McAvoy is much better (healthier) than last year, but Lindholm has taken a step back. Not sure what the issue is.
I was NOT in favor of signing Shattenkirk. Would've liked them to introduce some young blood there, as Mason Lorei was their last cut to go to Providence. That kid is going to be a stud. But Shattenkirk is playing on the 3rd pair, and he has been rock solid. The guy is in position, makes the smart play, and his cool as a cucumber in traffic.
Up front, I don't think this team is as fast as they were last year. Losing Bergeron is huge obviously. Not just on the ice, but off of it. I think he had a way of calming or focusing the room. Bergeron wasn't a garbage goal guy. His goals always came at critical spots.
Losing Krejci I don't think is a big deal, honestly, but you still need to replace him with someone competent.
They're playing two rookies at center. 2022 2nd round pick Matthew Poitras (19 y/o) is playing 2nd line and has been great. He's up on his 9game tryout as it's NHL of back to Juniors for him, but he's staying.
Johnny Beecher (2019 1st rd) is playing 4th line center and that line has been most noticeable on most nights.
But yes, they've played nobody. They play the Ducks at home tomorrow, and then next week, they have Detroit twice, Florida and Toronto. I'll take their temp after next week.
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Look, are they playoff ready? No. But they've done what they needed to do. I think they made Bedard look average last night (but then again, I've never been on the bandwagon, myself.) and they are for the most part playing good fundamental hockey. I'll take it for October.
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Look, are they playoff ready? No. But they've done what they needed to do. I think they made Bedard look average last night (but then again, I've never been on the bandwagon, myself.) and they are for the most part playing good fundamental hockey. I'll take it for October.
Well, yeah, for sure. 5-0 is better than 0-5 obviously.
The PP is a trainwreck, and they've been outplayed for large stretches of these games. They are not up to speed yet. But yeah, I'll take it.
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The Devils haven't been as strong as last year at 5v5 so far, but the power play has just been stupid good (44% and one "even strength" goal last night came right as the man advantage ended and it was still 5v4 in the offensive zone). Jack Hughes just motoring along with 14 points in his first 5 games.
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Well, this is turning into a crazy development. It's out there somewhere, but the last remaining RFA that is yet to be signed, Shane Pinto of the Senators, has now been suspended for breaking protocols relating to gambling (I'm reading that he didn't bet on anything NHL-related, but active players being involved regarding gambling on sports is a no no, despite sports betting ads has been crammed down our throats for the last few years, but that's a different topic for another day). This story, as it unfolds, got a lot of layers to tell.
https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1717576126237753753
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So let me get this straight. The Bruins loses their undefeated streak to the Ducks in OT??? Even with a 3-1 lead going into the 3rd??? The Avs also got clobbered by the Pens.
Meaning, the last undefeated team in the league is the Golden Knights...... They play the Blackhawks on Friday and got Kings on Saturday.
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So let me get this straight. The Bruins loses their undefeated streak to the Ducks in OT??? Even with a 3-1 lead going into the 3rd???
With two minutes left, to boot.
That was an ugly collapse.
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(https://i.giphy.com/media/PEtL0mS2JXMBi/giphy-downsized-large.gif)
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Man, things were ugly with the Oilers, even with McDavid healthy, to start the season. Things are horribly ugly with McDavid injured. They couldn't even get a goal on Quick whose pretty much on his last legs in a 3-0 loss to the Rangers. Both Oilers and Flames are going to be playing in a stadium in Alberta on Sunday and both teams are trending downwards in a frustrating way for the fanbases. I never think both teams are playing an outdoors game going into it pretty cold on the streak side of things.
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BTW Tim, I raz ya, but the Leafs did the exact same thing last year around this time - blew a 3rd period lead to the Ducks - and lost in OT.
It's legitimately shameful.
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(https://i.giphy.com/media/PEtL0mS2JXMBi/giphy-downsized-large.gif)
You bastard. :lol
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So let me get this straight. The Bruins loses their undefeated streak to the Ducks in OT??? Even with a 3-1 lead going into the 3rd???
With two minutes left, to boot.
That was an ugly collapse.
WTF?!? I flipped over to the Bills game with about 3:30 left, and then got sidetracked by my wife... I checked my phone and thought I had the wrong game. Three goals in basically four minutes. They weren't playing GREAT before that but they weren't playing badly either.
I'm not panicking, and this isn't a knee-jerk thing (I said this back in April of last year): I think you deal Ullmark while the new car smell is still there, and go with Swayman and bring up Bussi.
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And now no one is undefeated.
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I'm not panicking, and this isn't a knee-jerk thing (I said this back in April of last year): I think you deal Ullmark while the new car smell is still there, and go with Swayman and bring up Bussi.
I think they had a deal for Ullmark at the Draft, but it was to one of the teams on his partial no trade list, and he nixed it. He seemed pretty much resigned to the fact that he was going to be dealt, but he ended up blocking whatever deal they had in place.
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I know this was against the Coyotes, but they are a feisty team to play against nowadays, but the Kings came back from a 4-1 deficit to win in regulation. Kings was not ready at all to play in the 1st 10 minutes of the game. Copley got pulled. Talbot let in a goal early after he was in relief. The Kings were getting goalied by Vejmelka. Somehow, slowly by surely, they were making those PPs count. Doughty had a great game. He had a great shift that led to a winning goal.
Don't think they are going to have much left against the Golden Knights tomorrow, but at least, it's nice when the Kings are able to win a game after being down 3 goals rather than it be the other way around.
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No matter the team, that's always a good feeling.
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Dear lord... with 35 seconds left in a 2-2 tie, the Leafs had a defensive zone face off. They won it, but then burned that entire 35 seconds passing back and forth and just skating around their own end below the hash marks. Like, WTF? I get wanting to make sure you get the point, but c'mon. There was ample time to attack and try to get the game. As soon as the horn blew, I commented to jingle.son "The Hockey Gods will make them pay for that". Sure as shit, they lost the opening faceoff, and except for about 8 seconds when Matthews had a bit of puck control, they didn't touch the puck again.
None-the-less, taking 7 points on a 5-game road trip isn't terrible. I do find it odd though, that this is their longest road-trip of the season. Usually west coast trips will often include a game or 2 in the Central as well.
Pretty excited for the Heritage Classic tonight. It's perfectly cold in Edmonton (hovering around the freezing mark), and both teams are in dire need of a win. This could be a very intense Battle of Alberta.
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Needing a win is an under statement for edmonton. It's practically crisis mode. It's still early, but the history of teams making the playoffs after starting poorly in October and November is not great. Not great at all.
Heritage Classic should be good. I was fortunate enough to attend the first one in 2003. It was so fucking cold. -27C i believe. I was in full snowboarding gear, and it was still awful.
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Needing a win is an under statement for edmonton. It's practically crisis mode. It's still early, but the history of teams making the playoffs after starting poorly in October and November is not great. Not great at all.
Heritage Classic should be good. I was fortunate enough to attend the first one in 2003. It was so fucking cold. -27C i believe. I was in full snowboarding gear, and it was still awful.
They're 14 points behind Vegas already! Hard to believe that less than 10 games into the season, they can probably kiss their hopes of winning the West goodbye.
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Solid win against Detroit. I know the Wings were on a two-game slide, but we weathered the push in the third period nicely. That penalty shot was a thing of beauty.
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Heritage Classic was pretty good game. Edmonton looked like last year's squad. Calgary looked limp. That team is just bad, and I think will be contending for a lottery pick. Huberdeau is going to be an anchor of a contract - one killer year, and he cashed in big time. Now he looks like the 3rd liner he clearly is - at $10.5M for the next 7 years with a NMC.
Hopefully Tree learned his lesson, and doesn't do anything this stupid for the Leafs.
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Solid win against Detroit. I know the Wings were on a two-game slide, but we weathered the push in the third period nicely. That penalty shot was a thing of beauty.
That Empty Netter was a thing of beauty.
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Hopefully Tree learned his lesson, and doesn't do anything this stupid for the Leafs.
So you're saying if he gives Nylander that kind of contract now, you wouldn't be ok with it?
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Hopefully Tree learned his lesson, and doesn't do anything this stupid for the Leafs.
So you're saying if he gives Nylander that kind of contract now, you wouldn't be ok with it?
No, I wouldn't. No team can afford four $10M+ players.
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Mark Messier rules!! :lol
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Leafs just did not have it tonight. Lucky bounce on the first goal against, and killer snipe on the third. For a team that is 30th in Goals Against so far, the Kings looked like the '95 Devils, absolutely swarming the Leafs giving them no space to make any plays.
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All right. After some disappointing losses to teams like the Avs, Bruins, Canes, and Golden Knights, the Kings finally got a win against a higher-end team, against the Leafs.
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So remember that trade that didn't happen where Vegas sent Evgenii Dadonov to the Ducks, but Dadonov had the Ducks on his NTC list? Well, the Ottawa Senators (who traded Dadonov to Vegas previously) has to forfeit a 1st round pick for them mishandling and not providing the trade list to Vegas. Even though back when the botch trade happened in 2022, the league said that there would have been no punishment to the Sens regarding this matter.
https://twitter.com/reporterchris/status/1719754353345487312
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I heard this was coming down. So, failing to file NTC's is a more severe offense than covering up sexual misconduct.
Good job NHL. :tup
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Not to get all Stadler on us, which I don't want to defend Chicago and I am really pissed that they had no picks forfeited for that s***. Like what is the monetary value of a 1st round pick around #16-32 overall? Chicago paid $2 million of a fine for their crap (which is nothing to them when it comes to their overall net worth). The Senators were just negligent (intentionally or not) in providing Vegas with the trade list at the time they traded Dadonov.
Would we think it's on the Golden Knights to do their research a little on the player's modified NTC list before making that trade that became void? Yes, I personally think that. Vegas doesn't think that. They thought it's on the Senators to provide them that list and they didn't when the trade from Senators to Vegas happened. Vegas threw a fit and the league hammers the Senators to forfeit a 1st round pick in either 2024, 2025, or 2026.
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Yeah...I'd put the blame strictly on Vegas here. That's simply not doing your due diligence. You'd think if a NTC was legally binding, it would have to be explicitly laid out in the contract which teams are on the list. Sens shouldn't be penalized at all, and someone in the Knights legal department should be losing their job.
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And Dorian is fired. Timing seems too coincidental for this Dadanov thing not to have played a role. I figured he was safe until the end of the year, and I figured he was safer than DJ Smith.
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It's not just the Dadanov thing. It's also stuff like not getting Shane Pinto signed (even during the Summer before Pinto got suspended for half a season due to breaking gambling protocols). Plus, with new ownership, Dorion was already on a tight leash and unless the team is off to a much more respected start, even the smallest infraction and the owner is like, "Nahh, this guy ain't our guy moving forward."
I will say this about Dorion. That guy had quite the limited resources, but he was not afraid to make big moves. Some worked out fine like getting Brady Tkachuk, Stutzle, and Sanderson signed long-term. Some that did not work out as fine like paying a hefty price for Debrincat, only to get smaller returns in performance and getting assets back.
Now people are pondering if Peter Chiarelli is going to be the new GM for the Sens in the future.
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Now people are pondering if Peter Chiarelli is going to be the new GM for the Sens in the future.
That would welcome news to 7 other teams in the Atlantic lol. Hiring Chiarelli is a sure fire way to tank your team. A GM who literally does nothing at all would be more successful.
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Except he was the GM when the B's won the cup in 2011 but he definitely overspent after.
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Another steady win for the Kings today against the Senators, but that's not what I want to talk about here.
The surprise so far this season is that the Canucks are off to a solid start. Canucks fans thought they were going to get creamed by the Sharks, but it turns out that the Canucks won by 10-1??? This Sharks team is really in dire status. Like fudge, even the Ducks are off to a decent start (and they have solid prospects playing inspired hockey) and some people thought the Ducks was in worst shape than the Sharks.
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Lots of surprises for sure. Everyone figured Boston would be taking a step back, yet they're now 9-0-1. Swayman was amazing last night - he stopped so many high quality shots, and a few he didn't have to actually stop because the Leafs player had to make such a good (elevated) shot in the crease, they missed the net high. Holy fuck they sucked ass on faceoffs - Matthews was 0-11! I heard Coyle was 15-3 towards the end of the 3rd. Leafs bottom-6 has got to fucking do something. Bertuzzi and Domi look like ass.
But, it's only 10 games, and it was good to get a point out of that game.
Marchand with a dirty trip on Liljegren, who's "expected to miss significant time pending further evaluation" - on the replay, it looked like he broke his ankle. Brutal non-call by the zebra - he was literally 5 feet from the play and staring right at it.
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Definitely, Chad. He put his stick between his legs. You saw his skate hit the boards.
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Oilers are in massive trouble if they can't figure out how to keep the puck out of their own net. Last night against Dallas was a prime example, and sadly not the first of the season, where the Oil dominated play most of the game, and lost because of well below average goaltending. Skinner's save% was 0.84. If he has even an average nhl starter's save%, that game is an Oilers win or tie. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a starter to be at or above 0.900. Some of these goals are definitely due to defensive lapses by the skaters, but Campbell and Skinner are by no means being left hung out to dry every night.
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Yeah that's frustrating. Leafs are having the opposite problem - Goaltending (even the game vs the Bolts where Samsonov let in 3 goals on 4 shots) has been really good, with most goals being a result of defensive lapse. There have been a few softies, but even in those games, they manage to stop the bleeding, and eek out a point or two.
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Blues are an inconsistent mess. I had thought they'd be able to scrape by and snag a playoff spot but it's just not gonna happen. And it's a bummer because Binnington is playing really well....it's just that there's only so many saves you can make until one or two go in. He's getting zero help and believe me, I'm not a big fan of his....but he's been the only bright spot of the season so far.
Until the dead weight is gone it's just going to be a schizophrenic effort from them. Some nights they look fine....others it's a mess. I've already lambasted Krug enough but the dude is HORRIBLE. Turnover machine and a d-man who can't play D....even if he would accept a trade no team in their right mind would take him. So, we're stuck with him. We have a couple contracts expiring this year that will help (Bortuzzo/Scandella) so can't get rid of them quick enough....Schenn is washed up...so is Saad.....the roster is just full of guys that 'used' to be good.
I'd trade Kyrou while he still has value and while we can. He's in the first year of his 8yr/$8mil contract and the first two he can be traded. He's talented but he does not work hard, he's lazy and has an ego the size of the moon. I'd dump him and grab picks or maybe a couple veteran wingers who actually have a work ethic.
Blues have some young talent that makes you excited for the future...so....I'm thinking they're 2-3 years away from turning over the dead weight on the team and ushering in the next wave of players. Just gonna suck waiting on it all because all in all....the Blues have been pretty successful and consistent over the past decade or so of putting a competitive product on the ice. It's tough to have to now watch the struggle and decline during this transition period.
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Going back to Pierre Dorion being fired. I'm looking at a video from The Hockey Guy where he talks about the trades Dorion has done in his tenure with the Senators among other stuff. When you look back at these trades in hindsight, some look great, some looked pretty bad, but honestly, once new owners came in, he had little room for error and he blew it when it comes to all the news that hit the Sens. Like there are trades he's done that played a minor role in the last three cup winners.
Looking at Pierre Dorion's Track Record After Being Fired by the Senators (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqqrqseFSD4)
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Plus, he also brought in Pierre "Creepy" McGuire. That alone is enough to warrant a termination for cause!
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Been a hectic day in the league.
The Oilers lost, again. I know they are capable of salvaging the season, but the hole they are digging is hard to get out of when there's 3-4 teams in the Pacific that's winning games at a good pace.
The Kings smashed the Flyers, 5-0. They lit up Cal Petersen good today. I was worried they were going to get goalied by him, but that worry was short-lived. Byfield with 3 assists. He's coming along nicely and getting a healthy start is really what he needs for all of the Kings' sakes. If his finishing is the only thing that's missing for him to be a tremendous player, then I'm liking the progress of his game at age 21.
The Golden Knights obliterated the Avs, 7-0. Don't think anyone expected that. I was hoping the Avalanche were the team to finally beat the Golden Knights in regulation this season, to show that it can be done.
The Penguins, oh boy, just ran circles and lapped the Sharks hard 10-2. This Sharks team is playing some horribly uninspired hockey. Like, with rebuilding teams, you want guys on the team to get their fans excited to watch, even if the rest of the team is not great. This Sharks team has none of that at the moment.
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Fairly entertaining Leafs/Sabres game last night. Not my preferred outcome, but it was at least going to be a win-win outcome for me. When the PBP announcer (Chris Cuthbert) pointed out the stat that the Leafs hadn't lost a game where both Marner/Matthews score since 2018/19 season, I knew they were losing the game. Seriously... isn't it always the case that some kind of stat is pointed out (no matter the sport), then the exact opposite happens. I remember a few years ago, some placekicker was about to kick an extra point, and Nance was kind enough to report that he had made something like 41 consecutive PATs. 10 seconds later, wide-left. :lolpalm:
Also, 2 games in a row a no-name d-man call up gets his first NHL point against the Leafs. While not in as rough shape as the Oil, this team needs to get their heads out of their asses. The three 'big' signings by Tree (Bertuzzi, Domi, Klingberg) have all been duds for the first 10 games - Bertuzzi was pretty much benched for the 3rd period against the Bruins his defensive play was so bad.
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Also... lol-Sharks. Man alive, they are bad. I ready only 1 team in the modern era has finished with less than 20 wins - the 01/02 Thrashers. The way San Jose clearly has zero fucks to give, they're going to be hard pressed to get 20 wins in the next 70 games.
And all three of the Avs loses have been via shutout. :omg:
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(https://i.imgflip.com/8504bs.jpg)
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So cute seeing this bravado early in the season. Lol
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So cute seeing this bravado early in the season. Lol
Look, I hated the Bruins when I followed the Flyers and I'm now morally required to hate them more, I will enjoy what I can!
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OK, you get a pass. You're lucky your Lisa's side piece.
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The Ducks beat the Golden Knights in regulation to hand them their 1st regulation loss and had to score 3 unanswered goals to come back from behind? I did not see that coming as well. That team is developing into something interesting. They got solid youth players. Guys like Leo Carlsson is showing he's going to be something solid and he just got drafted this year. Mason McTavish is taking that next step in his progression and scoring big-time goals for them. Added Alex Killorn and Gudas for veteran presence and nastiness. Frank Vatrano decided he wants to score a lot of goals in the early going. They are now 2 pts. behind the Kings, which makes me a bit nervous. Those Kings/Ducks games this season are going to lead to something interesting with higher stakes on the line.
Heck, they are doing all of this without Zegras not producing much in the early goings. Could be a concern in the future if as the team gets better and he doesn't get better. Could lead to some controversial decisions in Ducks' management if they want to keep him long-term or not.
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Definitely a mixed bag of a weekend. Nice to pick up a win over Chicago last night but even moreso than losing the game, losing Jack Hughes to injury early in the St Louis game definitely stings. That puts us down both of our top two centers for at least a little bit.
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Leafs with their second OT win over the Bolts, both times coming back from being down 4-1. 6-5 makes for exciting hockey, but man this defence needs to shape up.
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Just watched Canucks vs Oilers. Boy, the Oilers are really rattled and the Canucks have been destroying them in the matchups, this season. Jay Woodcroft got ejected. McDavid and Draisaitl are unraveling. Nothing is going right for them. The Canucks from game 1 of this season must have stolen the Oilers' magic mojo when they decimated the Oilers.
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B's - Swayman - withstand the surge. They're beating decent teams. Decent teams that aren't playing great, but still, decent teams. The Bruins have a lot to work on, but for this point in the season, it's good to see. Two rookies get their first goals, too!!!
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Just watched Canucks vs Oilers. Boy, the Oilers are really rattled and the Canucks have been destroying them in the matchups, this season. Jay Woodcroft got ejected. McDavid and Draisaitl are unraveling. Nothing is going right for them. The Canucks from game 1 of this season must have stolen the Oilers' magic mojo when they decimated the Oilers.
I expect changes before the week is out. Either a new goalie will be coming in or Woodcroft is going out. I don't think Woody's the problem, although he did implement a new defensive scheme this season. That still doesn't account for the tenders and their 0.850 save %'s. I haven't watched every minute of every game this season, but I'm not seeing tons of defensive break downs leading to these goals. There's plenty of soft goals. And Skinner has been caught more than once coming way out to try to play the puck, resulting in an easy goal.
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Just watched Canucks vs Oilers. Boy, the Oilers are really rattled and the Canucks have been destroying them in the matchups, this season. Jay Woodcroft got ejected. McDavid and Draisaitl are unraveling. Nothing is going right for them. The Canucks from game 1 of this season must have stolen the Oilers' magic mojo when they decimated the Oilers.
I expect changes before the week is out. Either a new goalie will be coming in or Woodcroft is going out. I don't think Woody's the problem, although he did implement a new defensive scheme this season. That still doesn't account for the tenders and their 0.850 save %'s. I haven't watched every minute of every game this season, but I'm not seeing tons of defensive break downs leading to these goals. There's plenty of soft goals. And Skinner has been caught more than once coming way out to try to play the puck, resulting in an easy goal.
Trade Ullmark for Dreiseitl.
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Ullmark might be the only Tier 1 goalie that could be conceivably be available. I mean, who's going to give up a #1 goalie, where they have full confidence their current #2 can step in. Alternatively, who has a current #2 that would be a tangible improvement over Skinner/Soupy? Isles? Is anyone already at the point of unloading talent (eg, Kuemper in Wash)?
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Ullmark might be the only Tier 1 goalie that could be conceivably be available. I mean, who's going to give up a #1 goalie, where they have full confidence their current #2 can step in. Alternatively, who has a current #2 that would be a tangible improvement over Skinner/Soupy? Isles? Is anyone already at the point of unloading talent (eg, Kuemper in Wash)?
I'd ship Binnington to them in a heartbeat if they'd take him (and he'd approve the trade). And throw in Krug for good measure.
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Rumor from my source in the Oil's comms department is that we'll have an announcement today. Wouldn't provide any specifics, but said "shit is about to go down"
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Rumor from my source in the Oil's comms department is that we'll have an announcement today. Wouldn't provide any specifics, but said "shit is about to go down"
Per Elliotte Friedman, Jack Campbell is now placed on waivers. So the Oilers are doing what the Kings did to Cal Petersen, last year. That's not a good sign.
https://twitter.com/friedgehnic/status/1721965498756108448
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Rumor from my source in the Oil's comms department is that we'll have an announcement today. Wouldn't provide any specifics, but said "shit is about to go down"
Per Elliotte Friedman, Jack Campbell is now placed on waivers. So the Oilers are doing what the Kings did to Cal Petersen, last year. That's not a good sign.
https://twitter.com/friedgehnic/status/1721965498756108448
Well... send him back down to the minors to get his mojo back. He was not *this* bad of a goalie with the Leafs - for some stretches, yes. But he's been more bad than good in Oil country.
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He was a competently good goalie when he was with the Kings and there were days he looked a lot better than Quick. Then, they traded him, which in hindsight looks really good for the Kings. Got Trevor Moore, whose off to a good start to the season, and got a pick to draft Alex Laferriere (who looks all right so far as a roster player filling in while Arvidsson is on LTIR). People thought, once Campbell had a great stretch with the Leafs, they stole this trade massively, but things balanced itself out. Campbell played great with the Leafs, until things slightly started to fall apart for him, which is why the Leafs didn't want to re-sign him and the Oilers thought he would be their answer. That didn't go as planned.
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Yeah... Dubas looks like a genius for letting him go. He certainly hasn't shown that he's a 5x$5M starting goalie.
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Yeah... Dubas looks like a genius for letting him go. He certainly hasn't shown that he's a 5x$5M starting goalie.
Pretty fucking much lol. I'm just glad our owner has deep enough pockets that he's willing to bury the $5M in the minors. Lots of orgs wouldn't go that route.
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Yeah... Dubas looks like a genius for letting him go. He certainly hasn't shown that he's a 5x$5M starting goalie.
Pretty fucking much lol. I'm just glad our owner has deep enough pockets that he's willing to bury the $5M in the minors. Lots of orgs wouldn't go that route.
It really doesn't cost him anything more. If he's in the majors he pays 5m. If he's in the minors he pays 5m. Only difference is he could spend ~1m more on the NHL roster, so that's all it'll really cost him if they bump back up to the ceiling.
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Yeah... Dubas looks like a genius for letting him go. He certainly hasn't shown that he's a 5x$5M starting goalie.
Pretty fucking much lol. I'm just glad our owner has deep enough pockets that he's willing to bury the $5M in the minors. Lots of orgs wouldn't go that route.
It really doesn't cost him anything more. If he's in the majors he pays 5m. If he's in the minors he pays 5m. Only difference is he could spend ~1m more on the NHL roster, so that's all it'll really cost him if they bump back up to the ceiling.
I suppose that's true. It's not like they're going to go out and sign another $2-3M goalie to replace him. Nor would they even have the cap space for it. I just hope Skinner/Pickard can right this sinking ship before all is lost.
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But is the oilers problem really just a goalie problem?
I don't follow them that closely, more like watching from afar, but the defense seems to be shit also. And what about the offense? With McDavid and Draisaitl, if they lose, they should lose 6-5 and not 6-2.
I don't think they are contenders for the cup, but surely they ain't that bad?
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So funny to see Pickard's name again. He (or Garrett Sparks) was gonna be the guy that Freddie A was to 'pass-the-torch' to for the Leafs a few years back after they were a dynamite tandem to help the Marlies win the Calder Cup. Both fizzled out as NHL goalies at the time (Sparks seems to be a career minor league'r ... has only played 3 games in the NHL in the last 4 years). Pikard has bounced around through 4 teams, and hasn't played more than 10 games in a season since 2018. If he's who you're hoping is gonna save the day, well, I'll just remember one of my rules of life - "never deprive anyone of hope; it might be all they have".
:lol
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But is the oilers problem really just a goalie problem?
I don't follow them that closely, more like watching from afar, but the defense seems to be shit also. And what about the offense? With McDavid and Draisaitl, if they lose, they should lose 6-5 and not 6-2.
I don't think they are contenders for the cup, but surely they ain't that bad?
Lack of offence is definitely contributing, but Campbell has a GAA near 4 and save pct of .88 in his 50 or so games with the Oil. That's beer league level.
Absolutely the Oil need to score more. All their big guns are firing blanks. They're only averaging 2.6 goals per game, and riding 2 tenders with GAAs north of 3 per game. That's a clear recipe for losing, and these guys are cooking that dish nightly.
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This Leafs defense is so bad - they've given up at least 4 goals in every home game so far this season. 1-2-1 against 4 Atlantic rivals over the past 4 games - and the one victory was in OT. Not good.
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Another solid and decisive win for the Kings. This time against the Golden Knights. Those games are tough games to go through. Glad to see them get it done. Kopitar with 400 career goals after an empty net. Ties Luc Robitaille for 2nd in all-time points as a King. Still needs 4 more assists to break Marcel Dionne's record of all-time assists as a King. Kopitar is going to get there.
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But is the oilers problem really just a goalie problem?
I don't follow them that closely, more like watching from afar, but the defense seems to be shit also. And what about the offense? With McDavid and Draisaitl, if they lose, they should lose 6-5 and not 6-2.
I don't think they are contenders for the cup, but surely they ain't that bad?
Lack of offence is definitely contributing, but Campbell has a GAA near 4 and save pct of .88 in his 50 or so games with the Oil. That's beer league level.
Absolutely the Oil need to score more. All their big guns are firing blanks. They're only averaging 2.6 goals per game, and riding 2 tenders with GAAs north of 3 per game. That's a clear recipe for losing, and these guys are cooking that dish nightly.
So is this just a case of the players not having found their form yet and with some better goaltending they are going to win some games and gain some momentum and then everything is fine? I would like that but I have a feeling that their problems run deeper.
For a while now, the oilers are considered contenders for the cup and for a while now, they have problems with goaltending and defense. Why didn't they act and got players that solve that problems? I'm not that knowledgeable with the NHL trade rules and the salary cap, so maybe they couldn't do what they wanted to do. Was there no one available? Was it/is it a problem with money?
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Salary cap plays a massive role in the construct of any team. It's a *hard* cap, meaning every contract has an AAV (Average Annual Value), and the sum total of a 23-man roster cannot exceed the cap. They made a grave error in signing Campbell to a $25M / 5 year deal ($5M AAV) to get the kind of performance he's provided. Frankly, I think signing Nurse at $9M AAV was way too high. Go to capfriendly.com and you get all the details you need about salaries and the cap.
They are definitely under-performing, their roster is largely unchanged from last year - in fact, they've added a more defensive-minded defenceman in Ekholm, so their record is more mental performance. Rich probably has more to say about it, but those are a couple of my observations from across the country.
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Thanks for the link, it does explain some things but on the whole I'm even more confused now. :D
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All of a sudden my Bergeron over McDavid comment doesn't seem so ridiculous, does it? At least I don't think so. ;) :) :) :)
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Another solid and decisive win for the Kings. This time against the Golden Knights. Those games are tough games to go through. Glad to see them get it done. Kopitar with 400 career goals after an empty net. Ties Luc Robitaille for 2nd in all-time points as a King. Still needs 4 more assists to break Marcel Dionne's record of all-time assists as a King. Kopitar is going to get there.
Kopitar has to be one of the most underappreciated guys in the league. This is his 18th season, and he's never played fewer than 72 games in a full, 82-game season. Two Selkes, two Byngs, the Messier award. But for a superhuman Jonathan Quick, he could've won the Conn Smythe. Dude shows no signs of slowing down. He's likely to end up with 450 goals and 850 assists.
I'm low-key hoping he gets a mention in next week's episode of The Amazing Race, which will visit Slovenia for the first time ever.
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All of a sudden my Bergeron over McDavid comment doesn't seem so ridiculous, does it? At least I don't think so. ;) :) :) :)
Yeah but Bergeron has no goals this season. :lol
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All of a sudden my Bergeron over McDavid comment doesn't seem so ridiculous, does it? At least I don't think so. ;) :) :) :)
Yeah but Bergeron has no goals this season. :lol
His leadership has been non-existent. It's like he's just sitting around watching the games. Such a terrible example for the young kids.
:biggrin:
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:lol
Bergeron is a class act to infinity. I'm surprised how good the B's are playing this year so far. Swayman has been unreal.
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Well, Kings lost to the Pens in OT. Gave up a short-handed goal after a pass in their end caused a turnover in the 2nd after the Kings got a lead. PP1 needs some work on their end. That magic is not happening without someone like Arvidsson or, used to be, Vilardi. PP2 is good. Spence, Byfield, Kaliyev, Moore, Danault. I like what they bring and their skillsets gel well enough to be productive. Also, Copley is not having the same game-winning magic he brought last season to this season. Kings probably won't do anything about it yet, but they may have to consider the option of swapping him with uhhhh, Dave Rittich just to see if that can shift things better on the backup goaltending front. Talbot is fine now, but I don't know how long he can last for and playing well for and it's too early to go deadline hunting for a decent backup goalie.
Too bad I wasn't watching the game that a lot of people were having eyes on, Oilers vs Sharks. Geez, the Oilers couldn't even beat the Sharks at this point? The Pens were around the bottom in their division and they still put up 10 goals on the Sharks. The Oilers magic is not happening. Don't know what they are going to do at this point now. They waived Campbell. Skinner is not having the magic that gave him Calder votes last year. Hope the guy they brought up can turn the season around?
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Too bad I wasn't watching the game that a lot of people were having eyes on, Oilers vs Sharks. Geez, the Oilers couldn't even beat the Sharks at this point? The Pens were around the bottom in their division and they still put up 10 goals. The Oilers magic is not happening. Don't know what they are going to do at this point now. They waived Campbell. Skinner is not having the magic that gave him Calder votes last year. Hope the guy they brought up can turn the season around?
Oh boy, maybe I should get back to watching and caring about german ice hockey. :facepalm:
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Class move by Pasta; wide open for the open net two-on-one and he hands it back to Charlie for his first career hat trick. Love how the B's have coalesced into a team. Shattenkirk and Van Reimsdyk are playing like they are rejuvenated. There are worse players for Poitras and Lohrei to be in the locker room with than Marchand/Van Reimsdyk and Lindholm/Shattenkirk. I think Monty has built a really nice clubhouse.
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Well, Kings lost to the Pens in OT. Gave up a short-handed goal after a pass in their end caused a turnover in the 2nd after the Kings got a lead. PP1 needs some work on their end. That magic is not happening without someone like Arvidsson or, used to be, Vilardi. PP2 is good. Spence, Byfield, Kaliyev, Moore, Danault. I like what they bring and their skillsets gel well enough to be productive. Also, Copley is not having the same game-winning magic he brought last season to this season. Kings probably won't do anything about it yet, but they may have to consider the option of swapping him with uhhhh, Dave Rittich just to see if that can shift things better on the backup goaltending front. Talbot is fine now, but I don't know how long he can last for and playing well for and it's too early to go deadline hunting for a decent backup goalie.
I thought it was a pretty good game overall. At least 2 of the 3 goals in regulation were not on Copley. Byfield is continuing to look strong in all phases of the game. That OT winner, however, was unforgivable. Just awful technique on a simple wrap-around. And...what...20 seconds after getting the offsides play overturned?
Road record: 7-0-0
Home record: 1-2-3
Not good.
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^^ Yeah, that's why I don't want to be too harsh on Copley. The 1st goal in was Crosby being Crosby. The 2nd one was due to a bad turnover during a Kings PP. The 3rd one, he could have done better covering certain spots of the net when the Pens was setting something up. Still, given where the Kings are at in their process, they need goalies to come up big when they need them to. Just not happening for Copley at the moment. That could change as time goes on though, hopefully.
I don't even want to use the "Most of the teams the Kings faced at home thus far are great teams," excuse. I feel like all 3 OT losses (against the Golden Knights, Canes, and Pens) could have been winnable. On to the next one.
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Since I am a cord cutter I can't watch the Blackhawks, but have been seeing highlights. That Bedard kid can play hockey.
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Woodcroft out. Knoblauch in. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this. The general sentiment around town is that it was a bad move. I understand that changing a coach can boost a team, and that may be the case with the Oil since the talent is certainly there. I also understand that it's now or never for this team, and mgmt couldn't wait around another year to take a crack at the Cup. However, Woodcroft is a very good coach, and I still don't think he or his system was the problem.
As for the hiring of Kris Knoblauch...why? Glen Gulutzan is a very competent head coach already working as an assistant on the Oiler's bench. I can't imagine Knoblauch is a better option. He does have a good CHL coaching record, but major junior is a far, far cry from pro hockey. Hopefully the change in the dressing room is all this team needs to turn it around, but I reckon I'll keep playing the role of pessimist until proven otherwise.
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That Bedard kid can play hockey.
It's certainly looks like he can. I was/am in the camp that the kid was coronated WAY too early....that he hadn't earned crap.....and, he still really hasn't.....but he has some skills for sure.
This is the part where I bitch about Chicago landing him.
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^^ 9 goals, 4 assists in 13 games thus far. If you are not liking every hockey media outlet talking about him any chance they get, these stats aren't going to slow down those talks.
Oh, as for the Oilers, Woodcroft was a problem, but everyone in the team was basically a problem. Sadly, he was the guy that drew the role of head coach, meaning that he was going to get fired at any given moment since no one else in higher management would want to take the fall. I thought Woodcroft would have some rope after the Oilers won against the Kraken and I thought they would wait until they play either the Kings or Golden Knights to truly see what they have with this team. I think Woodcroft can be able to find work somewhere else as a head coach. Just got to wait for another coach to get fired in the league.
Apparently, Knoblauch was McDavid's coach when he was playing junior hockey and Oilers managements thinks this is the move to get McDavid going, and thus, get the team out of their current rut?
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After scoring 2 the other night to get to 4 on the season, Ovechkin is now 69 behind Gretzky.
He is on pace for 25 goals this year, which would place him 48 behind. With his goal per game average dipping and him getting older, he may need to play three more seasons (counting this one) to break the record, and that is assuming he stays healthy and plays every game, which could be a tall task at his age. I suspect he will play as long as he can to try and break the record.
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After scoring 2 the other night to get to 4 on the season, Ovechkin is now 69 behind Gretzky.
He is on pace for 25 goals this year, which would place him 48 behind. With his goal per game average dipping and him getting older, he may need to play three more seasons (counting this one) to break the record, and that is assuming he stays healthy and plays every game, which could be a tall task at his age. I suspect he will play as long as he can to try and break the record.
Kind of a joke if you ask me at this point. Dude may have a little gas left in the tank...but carting him out for the next three or four seasons so he can slowly creep up the list and overtake #99 is disingenuous. He's a great goal scorer but if you're time is up your time is up. IMO it'd taint the moment he took the crown from Gretzky if he just hangs around playing substandard hockey merely to break the record.
#99 'could' have played another season or two and dumped in another 15-30 goals over that time....and the Rangers begged him to......but he knew his time was over
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I'm with you, Gary. It's his call, of course, but it'd be neat if he accepted that he got the 800 and that makes him elite, but there's only one "The Great One".
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Ovi is still locked in a contract for two seasons after this season. He'll try to break the goal record, in that time frame, but I can't imagine him playing in the NHL after his contract is up in 2026. I think he may want to finish his career in the KHL.
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Ovi is still locked in a contract for two seasons after this season. He'll try to break the goal record, but I can't imagine him playing in the NHL after his contract is up in 2026. I think he may want to finish his career in the KHL.
Well.....here's to him hopefully falling short :tup
I don't 'not like' him....it's been incredible to watch him play and score the way he does.....but, I'd personally just prefer that record remain #99's
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I think Ovechkin will go down as the greatest player of his era (sorry, Crosby fans), but I don't want to see anyone break the Gretzky record.
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Last of the physical goal scorers. Much more finesse for goal scorers these days.
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It's funny... what's happening now is exactly what I was 'calling' about however many years ago people started bringing up the notion that he might surpass Gretz. And as time went on, and Ovi kept putting the biscuit in the basket, soooooo may people jumped on to the bandwagon. I resisted for a while, but seeing him get 40+ last year made we waiver in my resolve. Now he's really slowing down, and the team is
turning to shit slowing down around him (no more slick playmaking from Backstrom; Carlson isn't the stud D he used to be) with no real talented youth to backfill them.
Father time is an undefeated champion against all athletes, and I think he will defeat Ovi as well before he gets to 895.
I agree with Gary... it will be very sad if it turns out he beats the record with like 2 or three seasons of >15 goals just to limp over the finish line. And I'm in the camp of preferring to see Gretz hold the record.
As for greatest of his generation... I dunno. It'll be a different comparison ... but with 3 Cups, 1 Final and 17 straight years of playoffs, I gotta give the nod to Sid. More balanced all around, as opposed to Ovi being (for the most part) a one-trick pony.
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As for greatest of his generation... I dunno. It'll be a different comparison ... but with 3 Cups, 1 Final and 17 straight years of playoffs, I gotta give the nod to Sid. More balanced all around, as opposed to Ovi being (for the most part) a one-trick pony.
If choosing between those two it's Crosby all day long. His list of accomplishments is longer....overall team success....as Chad says....Crosby is just a more complete and balanced player.
It was fun watching Ovi park at the top of the dot and rip shots but outside of a few nice hits here and there he's not even close to being the all around player Crosby is. And, Crosby is still serviceable for his team to this day.
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I'm taking Crosby over Ovechkin and I don't even have to think about it.
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But how is Ovi in the locker room?? :neverusethis:
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I don't factor in the Olympics when discussing greater player, just FYI. Being a more well-rounded player doesn't always mean you are better, though, especially when you can score like Ovechkin.
Crosby has more Cups, but this isn't like football where championships won is a majorly deciding factor.
-Ovechkin has been All-NHL 1st team eight times to Crosby's four.
-Ovechkin has been the regular season MVP (Hart trophy) three times to Crosby's two.
-Ovechkin has made 13 All-Star games to Crosby's nine.
-Crosby has a slight edge in total points (1517 to 1496, a very small edge), but Ovechkin has 826 goals to Crosby's 557 (a huge edge). I will take the guy with over 250 more goals and a tiny amount of less total points.
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Truth of the matter is, it's splitting hairs - much like the Gretz/Mario debate. If not for Mario's health, would he be the greatest of all-time? Plus, Ovi's a winger, and there is a disproportionate amount of emphasis placed on goals when measuring individual performance. That's why Matthews is 'more valuable' than Marner.
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Truth of the matter is, it's splitting hairs - much like the Gretz/Mario debate. If not for Mario's health, would he be the greatest of all-time? Plus, Ovi's a winger, and there is a disproportionate amount of emphasis placed on goals when measuring individual performance. That's why Matthews is 'more valuable' than Marner.
As to the bolded....I'd take a team of prime era Mario's over prime era Gretzky's every day of the week. He was a better player...just was. We've had this discussion before a hundred times but for as good as 99 was a ton of those early years he was essentially shooting at empty nets. Those goalies were atrocious. He was awesome....but Mario was the full package.
And Kev, love ya to death but you can put any amount of stats or anything down and it doesn't matter to me. Crosby's all around game has been and is superior to Ovi's. I take the complete package over one trick or 'specialty' players hands down every time.
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Truth of the matter is, it's splitting hairs - much like the Gretz/Mario debate. If not for Mario's health, would he be the greatest of all-time? Plus, Ovi's a winger, and there is a disproportionate amount of emphasis placed on goals when measuring individual performance. That's why Matthews is 'more valuable' than Marner.
As to the bolded....I'd take a team of prime era Mario's over prime era Gretzky's every day of the week. He was a better player...just was. We've had this discussion before a hundred times but for as good as 99 was a ton of those early years he was essentially shooting at empty nets. Those goalies were atrocious. He was awesome....but Mario was the full package.
And Kev, love ya to death but you can put any amount of stats or anything down and it doesn't matter to me. Crosby's all around game has been and is superior to Ovi's. I take the complete package over one trick or 'specialty' players hands down every time.
Yeah, splitting hairs on the Mario/Gretz debate. It's not like the goalies got monumentally better in the 5 years between Gretz joining the NHL, and Mario joining. And at that point afterwards, they were both shooting at the same goalies. I've said it before, if it was just that simple, why was Gretz the only one putting up 150+ point seasons? I can get behind the notion of taking 'prime' Lemieux over 'prime' Gretz - the latter had a better and deeper supporting cast both in Edmonton and eventually in LA.
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Truth of the matter is, it's splitting hairs - much like the Gretz/Mario debate. If not for Mario's health, would he be the greatest of all-time? Plus, Ovi's a winger, and there is a disproportionate amount of emphasis placed on goals when measuring individual performance. That's why Matthews is 'more valuable' than Marner.
As to the bolded....I'd take a team of prime era Mario's over prime era Gretzky's every day of the week. He was a better player...just was. We've had this discussion before a hundred times but for as good as 99 was a ton of those early years he was essentially shooting at empty nets. Those goalies were atrocious. He was awesome....but Mario was the full package.
And Kev, love ya to death but you can put any amount of stats or anything down and it doesn't matter to me. Crosby's all around game has been and is superior to Ovi's. I take the complete package over one trick or 'specialty' players hands down every time.
Yeah, splitting hairs on the Mario/Gretz debate. It's not like the goalies got monumentally better in the 5 years between Gretz joining the NHL, and Mario joining. And at that point afterwards, they were both shooting at the same goalies. I've said it before, if it was just that simple, why was Gretz the only one putting up 150+ point seasons? I can get behind the notion of taking 'prime' Lemieux over 'prime' Gretz - the latter had a better and deeper supporting cast both in Edmonton and eventually in LA.
For sure....he was just in a different stratosphere.....it was like when no one could touch Tiger Woods for a decade. 99 was just 'different'....he forced an evolution in how the game of hockey was played....again....just like Tiger changed golf.
But I think #66 puts up those same points were he to have had those 4-5 years when no one was ready for that level of player. Anyway....like you said....splitting hairs. Both of them were incredible and Ovi and Sid....for as good as they are.....never got to that level.
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Oilers win two in a row. Better start planning the parade route.
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It was good to see McDavid and Draisaitl have a solid game last night, and Skinner has been solid in the net for those 2 wins.
I would definitely take prime Lemieux over prime Gretzky, but it's like arguing prime Nadal vs prime Federer. They are all amazing players that happened to overlap playing years.
Those early 90's Penguins teams are the reason I got into hockey. I played so many seasons of NHL 94 on the Sega Genesis with the Pens.
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I played so many seasons of NHL 94 on the Sega Genesis with the Pens.
Ah, those were the days :metal :D
A friend of mine got this game and we were hooked from the start. For reasons unknown I ended up playing mostly with the Buffalo Sabres and therefore I have a soft spot for them to this day.
And this game had me interested in the real NHL hockey. Before that, I had seen some german hockey and I still follow my hometown's team, but while fun, that just wasn't/isn't the same. Sadly, info about games were hard to come by back then and broadcasts of NHL games in Germany were unheard of.
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But how is Ovi in the locker room?? :neverusethis:
He's no Bergeron. Wise ass.
Gretzky over Lemieux. Lemieux was great, there's no question, and what he did in that shortened season (and WHY) is nothing short of miraculous. But Gretsky did it first, and changed the game. IMO.
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Yeah, I just can't get go deep down the rabbit hold again of 99 vs 66, but I will just say that too much of the Mario argument is dependent on "what if?"s. What if he had played in the early to mid 80s too? What if he hadn't gotten cancer? There are no what ifs with The Great One.
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Yeah, I just can't get go deep down the rabbit hold again of 99 vs 66, but I will just say that too much of the Mario argument is dependent on "what if?"s. What if he had played in the early to mid 80s too? What if he hadn't gotten cancer? There are no what ifs with The Great One.
That's where I'm parked. What if? Well, he didn't. Sad, sure, but he didn't.
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But how is Ovi in the locker room?? :neverusethis:
He's no Bergeron. Wise ass.
Yup... that's how you know I love ya.
(https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.4930564335.5290/tst,small,507x507-pad,600x600,f8f8f8.jpg)
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(https://a3.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2023%2F1113%2Fr1252762_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=920&h=518&scale=crop&cquality=80&location=origin&format=jpg)
Also, these are straight fire! Gonna try to make the trip to Raleigh for Whalers night this season!
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(https://a3.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2023%2F1113%2Fr1252762_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=920&h=518&scale=crop&cquality=80&location=origin&format=jpg)
Also, these are straight fire! Gonna try to make the trip to Raleigh for Whalers night this season!
Throwback jerseys like that are basically a slap to the face of former supporters from the city who lost their team.
They do look nice though.
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Yeah, I just can't get go deep down the rabbit hold again of 99 vs 66, but I will just say that too much of the Mario argument is dependent on "what if?"s. What if he had played in the early to mid 80s too? What if he hadn't gotten cancer? There are no what ifs with The Great One.
That's where I'm parked. What if? Well, he didn't. Sad, sure, but he didn't.
Totally valid reasoning here.
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(https://a3.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2023%2F1113%2Fr1252762_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=920&h=518&scale=crop&cquality=80&location=origin&format=jpg)
Also, these are straight fire! Gonna try to make the trip to Raleigh for Whalers night this season!
Throwback jerseys like that are basically a slap to the face of former supporters from the city who lost their team.
They do look nice though.
As a former Whalers season ticket holder in Hartford, I'm sort of there. It bugs me that they're celebrating essentially leaving Hartford in the lurch. Fuckers! :) :) :) :)
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I definitely get those arguments. Those uniforms and that logo (one of the best in all of sports) are just too good to not be used though.
Just bring back the Whalers and the Nordiques!
...and the Expos too while we're at it.
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Helluva comeback win by the Oilers.
And Vancouver - top 3 scorers in the league. I saw them being good, but not that good. I guess when you put up a 10-spot against the Sharts, and 8 against the Oilers, that helps pad the stats. Hughes is fucking legit.
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Kings got a home win against the Panthers, last night. Hopefully, that can be the start to turn things around at home. Sadly, PLD got injured where he fell and one of his leg went against a net pipe (which did not cause the net to dislodge). Left the game limping on one leg. Hopefully, it isn't serious that causes him to miss a lot of games.
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Speaking of the Panthers, there is reporting that they might be the destination for Patrick Kane. They are playing pretty well right now, and that's without Ekblad and Montour. If they get Kane and he doesn't have any more hip issues, he could help put them in a really good spot.
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What's the deal with Lucic?
https://www.nhl.com/news/milan-lucic-takes-indefinite-leave-of-absence-from-bruins
Reads like a DUI, or maybe a bar fight.
Tomorrow, I get to wake up on my birthday to an 8am hockey game. Gonna be kinda cool to have the house to myself and a cup of coffee watching the Leafs.
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What's the deal with Lucic?
https://www.nhl.com/news/milan-lucic-takes-indefinite-leave-of-absence-from-bruins
Reads like a DUI, or maybe a bar fight.
Tomorrow, I get to wake up on my birthday to an 8am hockey game. Gonna be kinda cool to have the house to myself and a cup of coffee watching the Leafs.
I read it was a 'domestic incident'
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Tomorrow, I get to wake up on my birthday to an 8am hockey game. Gonna be kinda cool to have the house to myself and a cup of coffee watching the Leafs.
Sounds like an amazing way to spend the morning.
It was like that last week for the Pats game in Germany.
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The Kings racking up sturdy and steady wins against the Blues and Coyotes. Neat.
That being said, in other news, last week, it's been announced that the Kings is going to be in Quebec City next year for a few pre-season games there against the Bs and Panthers. Apparently, people in Quebec City are not being happy that taxpayers' money is being spent to make this work. That being said, I may actually be convinced to go to Quebec City for a weekend trip, so the pitch has worked on me. Don't know if it will work on other people.
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They should be mad. They were robbed of a great franchise.
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A large part of the anger is the $7M being paid to get the Kings to play there, when the Habs have said, repeatedly, that they'd play in Quebec City for free. The premier of Quebec is a massive donkey though so I'm not entirely surprised.
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^^ Yeah, when you have the option of the Habs play there for free for a pre-season game, and you don't want them there because of reasons...., it doesn't look good. I mean I like it when the team I cheer for has a nice offer to play a few pre-season games in another city while, coincidentally, the building formerly known as Staples Center will be unavailable due to finishing renovations. It just not a smart move that Quebec City should take if it's costing taxpayer money.
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I can understand why there are no games on Thursday, but why no games tonight!??
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I can understand why there are no games on Thursday, but why no games tonight!??
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nhl/nhl-insider-provides-reasons-for-league-s-peculiar-scheduling-on-november-21-2023/ar-AA1kiNyI
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So the effect of changing the coach has already worn off for the oilers, if there was any. Do they have other options or do they just hope to somehow play better if they keep trying long enough?
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Hard to believe they could be this bad for the entire season, but the tandem of Pickard/Skinner has to be the worst in the league.
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Hard to believe they could be this bad for the entire season, but the tandem of Pickard/Skinner has to be the worst in the league.
I believe the worst tandem in the league is whoever San Jose has.
There are only 4 teams that have scored less goals than the Oilers as well.
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Hard to believe they could be this bad for the entire season, but the tandem of Pickard/Skinner has to be the worst in the league.
Don't blame Pickard. He had a .92 save pct in that game. Skinner, on the other hand, is as bad a dumpster fire as Campbell was before getting sent down. I have precisely zero expectation they'll turn this around.
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Hard to believe they could be this bad for the entire season, but the tandem of Pickard/Skinner has to be the worst in the league.
I believe the worst tandem in the league is whoever San Jose has.
There are only 4 teams that have scored less goals than the Oilers as well.
San Jose's problem is the team. I'd have more confidence in the abilities of Blackwood/Kähkönen. SJ has a better team SV% (.890) than the Oil (.870) Skinner is 71st in the league in SV%; Campbell 69th. Pikard is 53rd, but doesn't even have 2 full games under his jock.
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Hard to believe they could be this bad for the entire season, but the tandem of Pickard/Skinner has to be the worst in the league.
I believe the worst tandem in the league is whoever San Jose has.
There are only 4 teams that have scored less goals than the Oilers as well.
San Jose's problem is the team. I'd have more confidence in the abilities of Blackwood/Kähkönen. SJ has a better team SV% (.890) than the Oil (.870) Skinner is 71st in the league in SV%; Campbell 69th. Pikard is 53rd, but doesn't even have 2 full games under his jock.
But it's not the team in Edmonton? Are there some nerdy stats regarding zone time, and how much blame are the Oilers' D-men? Just asking. I don't know.
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Hard to believe they could be this bad for the entire season, but the tandem of Pickard/Skinner has to be the worst in the league.
I believe the worst tandem in the league is whoever San Jose has.
There are only 4 teams that have scored less goals than the Oilers as well.
San Jose's problem is the team. I'd have more confidence in the abilities of Blackwood/Kähkönen. SJ has a better team SV% (.890) than the Oil (.870) Skinner is 71st in the league in SV%; Campbell 69th. Pikard is 53rd, but doesn't even have 2 full games under his jock.
But it's not the team in Edmonton? Are there some nerdy stats regarding zone time, and how much blame are the Oilers' D-men? Just asking. I don't know.
Some of it is going to be attributable to team defense, but they still have the worst save pct in the league at 0.861. At some point your goalies need to stop some pucks. The Oilers shooting % is also abysmal which is contributing to their lack of success. There's no easy answer to their woes, but they're in a whole world of trouble. With the hole they've dug themselves it'll take a nearly historic run to make the playoffs. They practically need a 0.700 win % going forward to reach 100pts. Simply not gonna happen.
It's sad to think that point a game players, like Leon and Connor, aren't performing; but that's the reality of the expectation. It's not good enough for star players to just be 'good'. Fair or not, those two need to be at or near the top of the leaderboard.
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Agreed about #29 and #97. They've been consistently great, and over the past 5 years, the best 2 players in the league.
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Makes you wonder what happened that both are severely underperforming especially coming off of a season with personal bests for both of them.
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^^ Minor injuries and the mental toll of trying to carry this team that's horribly flawed in facets other than scoring could affect their production so far this season? Even then, a lot of teams would like McDavid and Draisaitl's point totals on their teams as it is right now.
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^^ Minor injuries and the mental toll of trying to carry this team that's horribly flawed in facets other than scoring could affect their production so far this season? Even then, a lot of teams would like McDavid and Draisaitl's point totals on their teams as it is right now.
This pretty much sums it up. Eventually the hopelessness of their situation was bound to catch up to them.
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John Klingberg on LTIR. Another bang up signing by the Leafs. Now all their LTIR space is taken for the year - Murray, Muzzin, and Kingberg. Teams can have a max 3 players on LTIR, right?
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John Klingberg on LTIR. Another bang up signing by the Leafs. Now all their LTIR space is taken for the year - Murray, Muzzin, and Kingberg. Teams can have a max 3 players on LTIR, right?
I think you can have as many as necessary on LTIR. They just start counting against the cap at some point. I did not fact check this though, so big ol' grain of salt
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John Klingberg on LTIR. Another bang up signing by the Leafs. Now all their LTIR space is taken for the year - Murray, Muzzin, and Kingberg. Teams can have a max 3 players on LTIR, right?
I think you can have as many as necessary on LTIR. They just start counting against the cap at some point. I did not fact check this though, so big ol' grain of salt
Well, they always count against the cap, it just how much "relief" you get I guess. LTIR rules are a fuckin mystery.
(https://i.imgflip.com/2x2jm9.jpg?a472128)
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I think you can pile as many people as you want if eligible on LTIR if the owner is ok with you spending all of that money. The very least, the Leafs can have up to 23 players (which is the max allowed) on the roster which is good news for them since they were rolling with only 20-21 players with not much cap flexibility if someone was injured and had to sit for a few games (but isn't eligible for LTIR).
At least, the Leafs are thankful that they don't have anyone that can fill a performance bonus that will eat into the 24-25 season cap. The Kings will have some players that will get a nice performance bonus that will eat into some of their cap next season. Talbot, for his 10 games played min, will have an extra million. I think Byfield, if he continues his play as it is right now, he's going to meet some of his performance bonus on his ELC (which can be met by having x amount of assists, pts, goals, TOI, etc.).
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The Oil are in a similar boat with Connor Brown. It'll cost something like $2M against the cap next year after he crossed the 10 game threshold this season.
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Well, the Bs lost big today. The Rangers lost big today. The Senators lost big against the Panthers and both teams were in something where the refs was like "Everyone on the ice is ejected."
The action
https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1729333339784417396
The Ref call
https://twitter.com/BradyTrett/status/1729330589885690220
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The Red Wings are reportedly signing Patrick Kane to a 1-year deal.
(https://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1667715/741450447_medium.gif)
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CHICAGO -- Corey Perry was placed on waivers by the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday for the purpose of terminating his contract.
On Saturday, general manager Kyle Davidson said the 38-year-old forward would remain away from the team "for the foreseeable future."
"After an internal investigation, the Chicago Blackhawks have determined that Corey Perry has engaged in conduct that is unacceptable, and in violation of both the terms of his standard player's contract and the Blackhawks' internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments," the Blackhawks said in a statement Tuesday. "As such, Corey Perry has been placed on unconditional waivers. In the event Mr. Perry clears waivers, we intend to terminate his contract effective immediately."
Perry has not played the past three games and did not practice with the team last week.
He did not take warmups and was a healthy scratch in the Blackhawks' 7-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 22 due to an "organizational decision," coach Luke Richardson said following the game.
He did not practice with the Blackhawks last Thursday and was scratched for their 4-3 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday. He also did not play in a 4-2 loss against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.
One rumour I heard was so :omg:, I'm not even going to repeat it (yet).
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CHICAGO -- Corey Perry was placed on waivers by the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday for the purpose of terminating his contract.
On Saturday, general manager Kyle Davidson said the 38-year-old forward would remain away from the team "for the foreseeable future."
"After an internal investigation, the Chicago Blackhawks have determined that Corey Perry has engaged in conduct that is unacceptable, and in violation of both the terms of his standard player's contract and the Blackhawks' internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments," the Blackhawks said in a statement Tuesday. "As such, Corey Perry has been placed on unconditional waivers. In the event Mr. Perry clears waivers, we intend to terminate his contract effective immediately."
Perry has not played the past three games and did not practice with the team last week.
He did not take warmups and was a healthy scratch in the Blackhawks' 7-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 22 due to an "organizational decision," coach Luke Richardson said following the game.
He did not practice with the Blackhawks last Thursday and was scratched for their 4-3 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday. He also did not play in a 4-2 loss against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.
One rumour I heard was so :omg:, I'm not even going to repeat it (yet).
Connor's mom has got it going on.... :lol
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Yeah, that's the rumour.
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One of the Hawks beat writers has said, emphatically, that it's 100% false. We'll see, I guess.
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So are Gloria James and Melanie Bedard BFFs?
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Yeah, that's the rumour.
Oooof. Brutal 'if' true....I think it's probably an internet rumor run rampant.
One of the Hawks beat writers has said, emphatically, that it's 100% false. We'll see, I guess.
Good thing the Hawks and those associated with the team have a history of being upfront and not covering crap up.
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Good thing the Hawks and those associated with the team have a history of being upfront and not covering crap up.
:lol
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Just read that in light of this news the Hawks were just awarded the first pick in next years draft as well.
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Imagine that whatever it is, is so much worse that Perry would rather the world believes he was playing hide the sausage with Mom Bedard. :omg:
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Imagine that whatever it is, is so much worse that Perry would rather the world believes he was playing hide the sausage with Mom Bedard. :omg:
Seriously....it makes it even more salacious and makes me want to REALLY know what happened
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Zach Wilson also wants to know.
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Not seeing it with Ms. Bedard.
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What a fucking bonkers finish to the Leafs / Panthers game.
1-1 tie with 3ish minutes to go (Leafs played like shyte in the 1st, and were lucky to be in that position)
Florida takes a 4-min highsticking double minor
With about 5 seconds to go, Leafs take a too-many-men penalty (Panthers took one earlier in the game - both were horseshit calls).
Still tied after OT and back and forth as to even strength/PP.
Leafs were sloppy a LOT this game. Panthers have an amazing fore-checking game.
Shootout ... Panthers tie it on the final shot in the 3rd round; 5th round, they win it.
But do they... replay shows it was a double-tap, therefore no goal.
Leafs score - Noah Gregor ... 4th liner who had their goal in regular time
Nick Cousins (who ended the Leafs playoff season last year with an OT winner), dings it off the post.
Leafs win. Fugly, FUGLY, game by the Leafs, but 2 points is 2 points.
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Good thing the Hawks and those associated with the team have a history of being upfront and not covering crap up.
:lol
(https://media.tenor.com/177t1ufMypAAAAAC/the-rock-clapping.gif)
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Yeah, they should inform us daily about who slept with whom. We all have a right to know. ;)
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I don’t follow the NHL much but my father got tickets for the whole family for the Canadiens vs the Red Wings this saturday dec 2nd in Montreal. Good seats too, very exciting!
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I don’t follow the NHL much but my father got tickets for the whole family for the Canadiens vs the Red Wings this saturday dec 2nd in Montreal. Good seats too, very exciting!
I'm not suggesting anyone is entitled to know what's going on or who's shagging who....but.....
If this indeed has nothing to do with Bedard's mom and Perry.....then I think the Hawks owe it to him and his Mother to come out and set the story straight. If there is truly a completely different, horribly offensive thing that Perry committed and it's not the rampant rumor that he was busted sleeping with Bedard's mom.....then they need to get the real story out there.
Even then....the damage is done with this rumor.....poor kid and his family has to deal with this now for who knows how long.....
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I don’t follow the NHL much but my father got tickets for the whole family for the Canadiens vs the Red Wings this saturday dec 2nd in Montreal. Good seats too, very exciting!
I'm not suggesting anyone is entitled to know what's going on or who's shagging who....but.....
If this indeed has nothing to do with Bedard's mom and Perry.....then I think the Hawks owe it to him and his Mother to come out and set the story straight. If there is truly a completely different, horribly offensive thing that Perry committed and it's not the rampant rumor that he was busted sleeping with Bedard's mom.....then they need to get the real story out there.
Even then....the damage is done with this rumor.....poor kid and his family has to deal with this now for who knows how long.....
Didn't Davidson already state that?
https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/chicago-blackhawks-corey-perry-clears-unconditional-waivers-contract-to-be-terminated-1.2042276
Davidson spoke out Tuesday on the rumours that had followed Perry's absence.
“As this is an individual personnel matter, I will not be able to disclose any details related to the initial reporting or the findings,” Davidson said. "However, I do want to be very clear on this point. This does not involve any players or their families, and anything that suggests otherwise, or anyone that suggests otherwise, is wildly inaccurate and, frankly, it’s disgusting.”
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I don’t follow the NHL much but my father got tickets for the whole family for the Canadiens vs the Red Wings this saturday dec 2nd in Montreal. Good seats too, very exciting!
I'm not suggesting anyone is entitled to know what's going on or who's shagging who....but.....
If this indeed has nothing to do with Bedard's mom and Perry.....then I think the Hawks owe it to him and his Mother to come out and set the story straight. If there is truly a completely different, horribly offensive thing that Perry committed and it's not the rampant rumor that he was busted sleeping with Bedard's mom.....then they need to get the real story out there.
Even then....the damage is done with this rumor.....poor kid and his family has to deal with this now for who knows how long.....
Didn't Davidson already state that?
https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/chicago-blackhawks-corey-perry-clears-unconditional-waivers-contract-to-be-terminated-1.2042276
Davidson spoke out Tuesday on the rumours that had followed Perry's absence.
“As this is an individual personnel matter, I will not be able to disclose any details related to the initial reporting or the findings,” Davidson said. "However, I do want to be very clear on this point. This does not involve any players or their families, and anything that suggests otherwise, or anyone that suggests otherwise, is wildly inaccurate and, frankly, it’s disgusting.”
Clinton also said he didn't have sexual relations with Lewinski.
The only way to put that rumor to bed is to come out and detail what the dude did. Until then, they're flapping their lips and no one is listening. Especially given that organizations history.
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The guy flat out says it doesn't involve any players or their families. I mean...that doesn't cover it?
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The guy flat out says it doesn't involve any players or their families. I mean...that doesn't cover it?
It should, yeah. My point is that is a very poor attempt to try and put the kabosh on the rumor and that the only effective way to do so is to come clean about what's went down. Again, especially with that clubs history of being dishonest.....I'm not the only one who takes any statement they make with a grain of salt. I just think with the severity of the action of outright termination of contract....the rampant rumors around 'why'.....that there should be more than a "trust me, that didn't happen"
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The guy flat out says it doesn't involve any players or their families. I mean...that doesn't cover it?
It should, yeah. My point is that is a very poor attempt to try and put the kabosh on the rumor and that the only effective way to do so is to come clean about what's went down. Again, especially with that clubs history of being dishonest.....I'm not the only one who takes any statement they make with a grain of salt. I just think with the severity of the action of outright termination of contract....the rampant rumors around 'why'.....that there should be more than a "trust me, that didn't happen"
I'm not sure I'm on board with that being the only way. I mean, you're already saying you don't believe the statement that has been made, why are you going to believe another statement (that supposedly gives the gritty details). I've got no problem with how it's being handled right now. People want to start and believe rumours, that's on them. I don't think there's any onus on private matters being brought out to the public just to placate those same people that have bought in to the rumours.
People are going to believe what they want to believe anyway, so why bother. If it's not a legal matter (like the Beech issue was), then there's no reason it *should* or *needs* to be disclosed.
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ESPN is reporting that it involved an incident with a member of the team's staff, but didn't specify what. It could be anything from harassment to racism to a physical confrontation. I agree with Gary though, that transparency would be good, especially for an organization with the recent history of the Hawks.
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The guy flat out says it doesn't involve any players or their families. I mean...that doesn't cover it?
It should, yeah. My point is that is a very poor attempt to try and put the kabosh on the rumor and that the only effective way to do so is to come clean about what's went down. Again, especially with that clubs history of being dishonest.....I'm not the only one who takes any statement they make with a grain of salt. I just think with the severity of the action of outright termination of contract....the rampant rumors around 'why'.....that there should be more than a "trust me, that didn't happen"
I'm not sure I'm on board with that being the only way. I mean, you're already saying you don't believe the statement that has been made, why are you going to believe another statement (that supposedly gives the gritty details). I've got no problem with how it's being handled right now. People want to start and believe rumours, that's on them. I don't think there's any onus on private matters being brought out to the public just to placate those same people that have bought in to the rumours.
People are going to believe what they want to believe anyway, so why bother. If it's not a legal matter (like the Beech issue was), then there's no reason it *should* or *needs* to be disclosed.
I'm only looking at it in the aspect of how this is affecting that kid and his family. Maybe it's not at all......maybe since they'd know it's not true they're fine and just ignoring the rest. Seems like a tough ask for a young kid.
I see your and Tim's point...I really do. The club statement is most likely true....but like I said, I think spilling the beans on what really went down would eliminate any speculation. Then again, maybe they can't due to Players Association agreements?
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Question for the group: do you take a risk and sign Perry for $2M or something without knowing the full details of what happened? It doesn't sound like the type of situation where the league would step in and say "nobody can sign this guy for legal reasons".
He's certainly past his prime; but at the right price, and in the right role, he could be a good depth player.
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Question for the group: do you take a risk and sign Perry for $2M or something without knowing the full details of what happened? It doesn't sound like the type of situation where the league would step in and say "nobody can sign this guy for legal reasons".
He's certainly past his prime; but at the right price, and in the right role, he could be a good depth player.
Hell. The Fuck. No. Whether the rumors about him and Melanie Bedard are true or not, Corey Perry is a scumbag.
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Question for the group: do you take a risk and sign Perry for $2M or something without knowing the full details of what happened? It doesn't sound like the type of situation where the league would step in and say "nobody can sign this guy for legal reasons".
He's certainly past his prime; but at the right price, and in the right role, he could be a good depth player.
Hell. The Fuck. No. Whether the rumors about him and Melanie Bedard are true or not, Corey Perry is a scumbag.
I think you have to take a hard pass....no matter how tempting. Whatever he did was bad enough to where a club flat out said get the F outta here. I mean, the Oilers are paying Kane and that dude is a well established POS. Whatever Perry has done must be pretty bad.
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I'd say no, but I would've also said 'no' about Kane. I've no doubt that if any of the other 31 GMs are even considering it, knowing what the situation is would be a condition of signing him to a league min contract. But I don't see this happening. If it's bad enough for a team to immediately send him home and place on waivers for the purpose of termination (ie, *with cause*), why would any other GM/owner want to touch that powder-keg.
Except maybe Columbus. :lol
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Well, Boston once signed a guy who bullied a developmentally disabled boy into licking urinal cakes, even after the NHL outright said he's ineligible to play so I wouldn't rule out some GM taking a run at Perry. Unlikely, but certainly not unthinkable.
Funny thing about Kane is that he still has lots of drama going on lol. At least he's still performing on the ice. Definitely a well established POS though. No arguments there.
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A minimum salary deal for a guy whose last contract was terminated due to alleged workplace issues? I'm going to take a hard pass on the guy.
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Well, Boston once signed a guy who bullied a developmentally disabled boy into licking urinal cakes, even after the NHL outright said he's ineligible to play so I wouldn't rule out some GM taking a run at Perry. Unlikely, but certainly not unthinkable.
Didn’t Bergevin draft some kid with a sketchy past?
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^^ Yes, he has. A player that stated he didn't wanted to be drafted in the 1st round because of the heat revolving a bad incident on the player's part! WHY DID THE KINGS HIRED THIS GUY (Bergevin that is)!
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Question for the group: do you take a risk and sign Perry for $2M or something without knowing the full details of what happened? It doesn't sound like the type of situation where the league would step in and say "nobody can sign this guy for legal reasons".
He's certainly past his prime; but at the right price, and in the right role, he could be a good depth player.
Someone paid Deshawn Watson $250M of guaranteed money without, apparently, a full understanding of what went on. This is low-hanging fruit. Not suggesting it's right or wrong (though I have my opinions), just noting this wouldn't be the most egregious signing in the history of pro sports.
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The guy flat out says it doesn't involve any players or their families. I mean...that doesn't cover it?
I mean if you want any further confirmation that the rumor is false. Corey Perry is now saying what happened had nothing to do with his former teammates or their families. As for what actually happened that led to the contract termination, it's not really something I or you or everyone else here or anyone outside of the bubble need to know every single details about. If he wants to divulge it later on and not get into legal troubles about it, that's on him to divulge willingly on his terms.
https://twitter.com/reporterchris/status/1730320098726949296
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GANU9RYWsAAV0CQ?format=jpg)
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Even though I've written those before, those kinds of statements are maddening. I mean, I get it, you have to say all that, but it just sounds so... contrived to me. In any event, the most recent article I read said that it was "a workplace issue" when asked if it was criminal, which tells me that there wasn't a rape or sexual assault involved (thank god), but in terms of what happened, it's sounding more and more as if this guy had too many beers at a corporate function and metaphorically (or maybe not) hung his weiner out.
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Even though I've written those before, those kinds of statements are maddening. I mean, I get it, you have to say all that, but it just sounds so... contrived to me. In any event, the most recent article I read said that it was "a workplace issue" when asked if it was criminal, which tells me that there wasn't a rape or sexual assault involved (thank god), but in terms of what happened, it's sounding more and more as if this guy had too many beers at a corporate function and metaphorically (or maybe not) hung his weiner out.
That's exactly the way I read it as well.
We'll see if dude cost himself a jersey retirement in Anaheim.
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My thought when I read that was maybe he was imbibing during games and got caught. They are in the middle of a season so I don't see any events that he might have gotten sloshed during. Drinking during and maybe drunk on the ice.
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My thought when I read that was maybe he was imbibing during games and got caught. They are in the middle of a season so I don't see any events that he might have gotten sloshed during. Drinking during and maybe drunk on the ice.
I don't know. I don't think he'd have his contract terminated for that. He'd be put in the program for sure though.
I think the lawyers are on to something.
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Also, they already said it involved a staff member. This isn't just about him getting shittered on company time. As has already been speculated here, he crossed an ethical, but not legal, line involving a non-player member of the organization. Perhaps while drinking or hungover. I still go back to racism or sexual harassment as my top contenders. Both of those could easily breach the team's code of conduct, and might not meet the threshold for criminal charges. Then again, if he was hungover or had some drinks and was confronted by, say the training staff, perhaps he got physical? Still wouldn't necessarily warrant criminal charges, but it would get you fired from any job.
There's so many different permutations here that theories could run abound. I'd like to say only time will tell, but I have a feeling we'll never hear the details. Funny thing is, this isn't much of a story if they come out with the details at the onset. It would've burned out after day 1. Now this story has legs because of all the speculation.
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The Leafs are going to give me a stroke before too long if they keep blowing 3rd period leads. In the past week ...
Up 3-1 over the (fucking) Blackhawks last Friday - lose in OT
Up 2-1 over the Pens - lose in Reg
Up 3-1 over the Kracken - win in SO
21 games played, and 10 have gone to OT/SO - fortunately, they're 7-3 in those, but still... gotta be able to close out these games, especially against the likes of CHI and SEA!!
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My thought when I read that was maybe he was imbibing during games and got caught. They are in the middle of a season so I don't see any events that he might have gotten sloshed during. Drinking during and maybe drunk on the ice.
I'll see if I can find it, but the article I read specifically said (as reported by I think Emily Kaplan) it was a team-organized function.
Found it (https://sports.yahoo.com/corey-perry-breaks-silence-after-having-contract-terminated-by-blackhawks-203110544.html).
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What I'm now curious about is how the rumor that he was banging Mel B. got started.
I don't know Bedard's family situation. Are his parents split up? Does his mom hang around the practice rink?
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Kings got a much needed rebound win against the Avs after a depressing 2-1 loss on Wednesday where they got goalied by the Capitals (which is weird that they are hanging on to a playoff spot, but they are not getting the pts. productions, especially from Ovi, they typically would need to be in that spot)??
Kopitar broke the all-time Kings assist record that was held by Marcel Dionne and Byfield got the two needed goals to get the Kings the comeback win.
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Very strange that the Leafs are off until Thursday?? I genuinely checked to see if it was their bye week for some reason ... nope, bye week's for everyone are before or after the ASG. Very odd to have 4 days off... then they play 12 games in 22 days (with another 3-day break around Christmas). Gonna be a tiresome stretch playing virtually every other day.
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The Kings' scheduling has been weird since Thanksgiving week. They had a Monday against the Coyotes. Then a back to back against the Ducks and Habs on Friday and Saturday. Then a four-day break before going against the Capitals last Wednesday and then another four-days until they went against the Avs today. Still got a lot of road trips planned out to even out the games played between the Kings (at 21 games) and the Golden Knights and Canucks (both at 24 games).
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What I'm now curious about is how the rumor that he was banging Mel B. got started.
I don't know Bedard's family situation. Are his parents split up? Does his mom hang around the practice rink?
Early in the season, she was at all the games with her husband. I think there's a sister in there as well. I seem to remember something about a hug when Conner was drafted too.
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The Kings' scheduling has been weird since Thanksgiving week. They had a Monday against the Coyotes. Then a back to back against the Ducks and Habs on Friday and Saturday. Then a four-day break before going against the Capitals last Wednesday and then another four-days until they went against the Avs today. Still got a lot of road trips planned out to even out the games played between the Kings (at 21 games) and the Golden Knights and Canucks (both at 24 games).
It was weird all of November.
Game on Nov. 4, then three days off, then three games in four days.
Game on Nov. 11, followed by four days off, then three games in five days.
Then the stuff you mentioned.
The Kings have played 21 games so far, which is the fewest in the league, except for the Senators, who have played only 19 games. Meanwhile, Vegas and Vancouver have played 25 games (and Columbus has played 26).
The good news is that, in terms of points earned per game, the Kings lead the Western Conference with 1.476 (Vegas has 1.44, Dallas has 1.41, Colorado has 1.333, and Vancouver has 1.32). In the Eastern Conference, the Rangers have 1.551, and the Bruins have 1.542 ppg.
The "bad" news is that the Kings schedule is packed in December with 13 games, and the only break longer than 2 days coming around Christmas (nothing unusual, but it'll be an adjustment compared to November).
Looking forward to seeing the Kings break the record for consecutive road wins to start a season on Thursday in Montreal.
What I'm now curious about is how the rumor that he was banging Mel B. got started.
I don't know Bedard's family situation. Are his parents split up? Does his mom hang around the practice rink?
Early in the season, she was at all the games with her husband. I think there's a sister in there as well. I seem to remember something about a hug when Conner was drafted too.
Is that unusual for a highly touted rookie, though? Seems like there should be more to it for that kind of rumor to get going. But what do I know?
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Well, the Kings almost blew the road wins to start a season streak in Columbus. Blue Jackets ran away with a 3-0 lead at the end of the 2nd. Kings somehow came all the way back and won it in OT. I think this is the 3rd straight game the Kings played the Blue Jackets in Columbus where the Kings had to come back from a multi-goal deficit to force OT. No matter, a W is a W. They can sort out what went wrong in due time.
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Impressive.
Buffalo almost did the same (at home) against Detroit.
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This was the day of comebacks and almost comebacks. The Kings had to rally from 3-0 to win 4-3 in OT. The Sharks were down 4-1 against the Islanders and had to score all 3 goals to tie in the last 8 minutes in the game and won 5-4 in OT. Buffalo almost came back against the Red Wings. The Canucks were down 5-2 against the Devils and was able to tie it 5-5 before the Devils scored a last minute goal to win it.
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Well, the Kings almost blew the road wins to start a season streak in Columbus. Blue Jackets ran away with a 3-0 lead at the end of the 2nd. Kings somehow came all the way back and won it in OT. I think this is the 3rd straight game the Kings played the Blue Jackets in Columbus where the Kings had to come back from a multi-goal deficit to force OT. No matter, a W is a W. They can sort out what went wrong in due time.
I have a friend who, anytime the Kings give up the first goal, posts "Shutout!" on Facebook, as a play on myth that, when you comment on a shutout, you jinx it. I routinely make fun of her for this, but it's tradition. After the third goal, I posted, "It ain't working!" Within seconds, the Kings scored the first goal, so I commented, "...and just like that! Now to get a few more." Less than 5 minutes later, they got #2 and 90 seconds after that, #3. I willed that win into being! :biggrin:
P.S. I just watched the highlight videos of the Kings' goals on ESPN. I assume it was the Columbus announcers (since they kept referring to the BJ's goalie by his first name), but on the second Kings goal, they kept referring to Phillip Danault as "Matthew Danault." Dafuq?!
Hoping they get the record tomorrow in MTL.
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Well, the Kings almost blew the road wins to start a season streak in Columbus. Blue Jackets ran away with a 3-0 lead at the end of the 2nd. Kings somehow came all the way back and won it in OT. I think this is the 3rd straight game the Kings played the Blue Jackets in Columbus where the Kings had to come back from a multi-goal deficit to force OT. No matter, a W is a W. They can sort out what went wrong in due time.
I have a friend who, anytime the Kings give up the first goal, posts "Shutout!" on Facebook, as a play on myth that, when you comment on a shutout, you jinx it. I routinely make fun of her for this, but it's tradition. After the third goal, I posted, "It ain't working!" Within seconds, the Kings scored the first goal, so I commented, "...and just like that! Now to get a few more." Less than 5 minutes later, they got #2 and 90 seconds after that, #3. I willed that win into being! :biggrin:
Hoping they get the record tomorrow in MTL.
Hopefully that doesn't foreshadow that "commenting on <something>, you jinx it". :biggrin:
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My comments only make good things happen! :coolio
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Well, the Kings almost blew the road wins to start a season streak in Columbus. Blue Jackets ran away with a 3-0 lead at the end of the 2nd. Kings somehow came all the way back and won it in OT. I think this is the 3rd straight game the Kings played the Blue Jackets in Columbus where the Kings had to come back from a multi-goal deficit to force OT. No matter, a W is a W. They can sort out what went wrong in due time.
P.S. I just watched the highlight videos of the Kings' goals on ESPN. I assume it was the Columbus announcers (since they kept referring to the BJ's goalie by his first name), but on the second Kings goal, they kept referring to Phillip Danault as "Matthew Danault." Dafuq?!
Did they at least try to give it a French-Canadian flair and say Mathieu? I mean if you are going to be wrong, but you might as well lean into it further.
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Well, the Kings almost blew the road wins to start a season streak in Columbus. Blue Jackets ran away with a 3-0 lead at the end of the 2nd. Kings somehow came all the way back and won it in OT. I think this is the 3rd straight game the Kings played the Blue Jackets in Columbus where the Kings had to come back from a multi-goal deficit to force OT. No matter, a W is a W. They can sort out what went wrong in due time.
P.S. I just watched the highlight videos of the Kings' goals on ESPN. I assume it was the Columbus announcers (since they kept referring to the BJ's goalie by his first name), but on the second Kings goal, they kept referring to Phillip Danault as "Matthew Danault." Dafuq?!
Did they at least try to give it a French-Canadian flair and say Mathieu? I mean if you are going to be wrong, but you might as well lean into it further.
Not really. It's on the second Danault goal (I think on the first one, they just used his surname): https://www.espn.com/nhl/game?gameId=401559611
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Leafs are shipping Klingberg off to Robidas Island.
https://www.nhl.com/news/john-klingberg-injury-status-hip-surgery
Guess that clears them to go get Tanev now. Rumour was they were trying to package a deal last week to get BOTH Zadorov and Tanev, but couldn't come to terms on how much salary Calgary would retain - which allowed Vancouver to swoop in and grab Zadorov. Now that Klingberg's $4.1M AAV is back on the table, that should be enough to cover Tanev (or someone else).
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The oilers win five in a row and even Skinner seems to play somewhat solid.
Is this the big turnaround or just a short lived episode?
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The oilers win five in a row and even Skinner seems to play somewhat solid.
Is this the big turnaround or just a short lived episode?
Seems like they've turned a corner. Skinner has a save % around 0.94 over these last 5 games. I don't expect him to keep up that level of play, but hopefully he's returned to his all-star form from last season. McDavid is finally healthy, and it clearly shows. He looks like a different player than he did during those first 10 games (of which he was mostly injured), and he's putting up the points to back it up.
The problem they're going to have moving forward is maintaining this level of play. They dug themselves such a massive hole that they need a 0.700 winning % the rest of the way to hit 100pts. It's not impossible, but it's a big task.
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The oilers win five in a row and even Skinner seems to play somewhat solid.
Is this the big turnaround or just a short lived episode?
Seems like they've turned a corner. Skinner has a save % around 0.94 over these last 5 games. I don't expect him to keep up that level of play, but hopefully he's returned to his all-star form from last season. McDavid is finally healthy, and it clearly shows. He looks like a different player than he did during those first 10 games (of which he was mostly injured), and he's putting up the points to back it up.
The problem they're going to have moving forward is maintaining this level of play. They dug themselves such a massive hole that they need a 0.700 winning % the rest of the way to hit 100pts. It's not impossible, but it's a big task.
Fortunately, they've got two teams ahead of them that should be easily passable (Seattle and Calgary), and Vancouver is showing that their hot start was probably just as much an anomaly as the slow start by the Oil (going 4-6 since starting 12-3-1). Heck, even Vegas has gone ice cold since starting 11-0-1.
There's a reason it's an 82-game season. ;)
I'm hoping the Leafs can pull the trigger on some D moves soon. Relying on players 7-8-9 on the depth chart is going to catch up with them - it already has to an extent, given the number of blown 3rd period leads they've had in the last month or so. Battle of Ontario tonight, and they better spank the Sens after 4 days of rest.
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Well, the Kings did it. They set the longest winning streak on the road to the start the season, with 11 wins, against the Habs. Byfield with 2 goals, 3 pts. Kopitar with 3 assists. Doughty with a goal and an assist. Top guys came to play today.
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Also, the Sharks are a weird team, man. First they went winless in like 11 or so games. Two of those games they let in 10 goals per game back to back. This road trip has been really fruitful for them. They've been scoring a lot. Winning games that no one really expected them to win. Comeback from a 3-4 goals deficit against the Islanders and Red Wings. Like they were down 4-0 against the Red Wings and scored four goals in like 5 minutes near the end of the 2nd. 3 of those was within 2 minutes (two short-handed and one where the guy that committed the penalty and was just out of the box, Vlasic, had the primary assist on the 3rd goal.
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Yeah, that game was bonkers - both teams combined to score 6 in like under 4 minutes. The 3 that the Wings scored were in 49 seconds I think?
Leafs gutted out a win, but lose Woll - who was lights-fucking-out. Absolutely highway robbery twice on Tarasenko, and stopping someone on a clear cut breakaway (I think it was Norris or Stutzle). Then a pretty bad looking injury on a nothing play. Hopefully it's not a long term thing, and he just tweaked something. Jones did an admirable job to come in stone cold, and preserve the win with the Sens pressing hard.
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Hurricanes looking rough on this Canadian swing they are currently on. Dropped 3 in a row, and have now allowed an NHL leading 7th short-handed goal after a tough loss in Calgary. It's probably time to shake up the defensive pairings. Pesce had a rough one in Edmonton and Burns is looking like a 39 year old now.
Watched a little of that wild Detroit game too, just to see how Patrick Kane looked on his debut.
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Well, the Kings did it. They set the longest winning streak on the road to the start the season, with 11 wins, against the Habs. Byfield with 2 goals, 3 pts. Kopitar with 3 assists. Doughty with a goal and an assist. Top guys came to play today.
The thing of it is that, whereas the Kings absolutely dominated the game against Montreal at Staples a couple weeks ago, the Habs outplayed the Kings for most of the first two periods last night. "Puck luck" goes along with playing well, and the Kings got a fair share of that last night. If Drew Doughty isn't on the short list of early Norris candidates, then I'd hate to see the guys who are. And Byfield's move on his first goal was a thing of beauty. He's going to be a force to be reckoned with well before he hits 25.
The Kings are now second in the league in points percentage (1.522 PPG, which trails only the Rangers who have 1.542 PPG). If the Kings can win out on this road trip, they'll get the mark for most consecutive road wins at any point in a season. That quest will have the ultimate boss fight at the end, though, with the Rangers and (possibly) Jonathan Quick in net.
Also, I'll just leave this gem from the past here: https://youtu.be/Cg-dKumr5Ys?si=yIbfB-jI8QcMmCWK
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That's a fine song, but can it beat this gem? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIhQoOC66vI
This song gained such an infamy that DownGoesBrown (who talks about history stuff from various outlets) did a dissection regarding the song. https://www.vice.com/en/article/9kwxnd/dgb-grab-bag-new-penalty-signals-cherry-seventh-best-canadian-and-hrudey-on-duty
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That DGB breakdown is awesome. The song not so much. And that video.... :lol
At least one of the TC line is in the HOF and two of them have their numbers hanging from the rafters at the Stapler.
By the way, Forgive My Misconduct was the b-side of this gem, courtesy of the Rangers: https://youtu.be/p7MsohKuvA4?si=CK2nNgGyohsFusN0 Both songs were written by Alan Thicke.
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Any time I hear "down goes brown", I think of the classic line from Joe Bowen (long-time Leafs radio PBP commentator), and this classic early 90s fight between Rob Brown (Chi) and Sylvan Lefebvre (this is a great video, preceded with a quick Domi/Probert fight - I miss the Hebsie awards).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiPxTEG2Ax8 (42 seconds).
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The Devils are finally stringing together a few wins, stayed up late to get a rare chance to watch them on TV in Seattle last night. Losing Dougie for a while hurts, but Simon Nemec has been excellent in his first few games up from the AHL.
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Sixth straight win for the Oilers, including a typical Draisaitl goal. I like that. :D
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Skinner has found his game, and McDavid looks healthy and has that points streak going. They are playing some solid hockey and climbing the standings.
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They've only allowed 12 goals in the last 7 games in this streak. Did them moving Paul Coffey to be an assistant coach for them help their defensemen?
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They've only allowed 12 goals in the last 7 games in this streak. Did them moving Paul Coffey to be an assistant coach for them help their defensemen?
A little maybe, but the goals against are a bit misleading. Skinner definitely had a good stretch with a starting tender caliber GAA and save %. The game Friday against the Wild, however, was another 0.85%. They still got the win, but 3 goals on something like the first 11 shots. One for sure was more defensive breakdown than anything (the Erikson Ek goal, if I recall), but the team can't expect any success if they can't get better defense/tending. They might muscle their way into the playoffs on the backs of their big guns, but no realistic fan in Edmonton right now thinks this team can win a playoff series with how they're playing.
At least one local reporter thinks Coffey has made an impact because he's a little more loose with the players than Dave Manson was. Maybe Manson knew he was on the hot seat with how the team started, so he was on edge all the time which eventually bled into the defensive play? Regardless, I'm glad they're playing better. There's still a long way to go until April, and that might be a good thing for the Oilers. They need to get some stuff sorted out or it'll be an early summer for these guys.
On the positive side, Calvin Pickard looked pretty good yesterday. I hope he can get some games in. Campbell is a dumpster fire right now in the AHL, and won't be back up anytime soon.
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Well...the Kings road streak is over. They looked tired the last period against the Islanders and all game against the Rangers. They have only 2 games in the next 8 days (including today), so they can hopefully right the ship. Other than Winnipeg on Wednesday all remaining December games are against division opponents.
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Blues fire Berube!
Can't say I'm all that shocked...but, as with most instances like this....this isn't on him. The Blue's roster is full of has beens and some youngsters that simply have no heart. Looking at you Kyrou. Binnington's still an average goalie who got hot and won us a cup....thanks for that bro.....but, it's been tough to watch since. The first domino was allowing Petrangelo to sign with Vegas and leave. He was the stalwart back on D....still is for Vegas....and since then it's just been downhill.
Team is loaded with brutal contracts. From Krug to Schenn to Sadd, Leddy....Kyrou is NEVER going to be a superstar. We have this year and next to trade him or his full NTC kicks in. I'd get what I could while I can for him.
Anyway....
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Damn... that's too bad. I mean, .500 hockey has to be considered pretty respectable given the expectations, no? Sure, they've lost four in a row, but they were 13-10-1 a week ago. Did they think they were going to contend for a Top 3 spot with Dallas/Colorado, and now Winnipeg finally playing to how they should given their talent? Nashville has been good, and even Arizona has turned it on (though, they too are coming back to reality). That was a pretty quick announcement - the game just ended a couple hours ago.
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Damn... that's too bad. I mean, .500 hockey has to be considered pretty respectable given the expectations, no? Sure, they've lost four in a row, but they were 13-10-1 a week ago. Did they think they were going to contend for a Top 3 spot with Dallas/Colorado, and now Winnipeg finally playing to how they should given their talent? Nashville has been good, and even Arizona has turned it on (though, they too are coming back to reality). That was a pretty quick announcement - the game just ended a couple hours ago.
The interim Coach is Drew Bannister who's been coaching the AHL affiliate for the past three years. My guess is they're going to try to jump start their $8mil a year forward Kyrou with a different approach...maybe with a guy who is more attuned to the younger folk? Berube demanded more out of everyone) him....more defensive play....responsible play...etc etc. He's just not doing it. I'm hoping they're not going to cater to the player cuz I've heard he just doesn't 'work'....that he's lazy. I'm serious when I say trade him. I'll take two or three blue collar 2nd 3rd liners over him. Yeah...he's gonna net ya 25-30 goals a year and probably end up having a few 40 goal years but he was -38 last year and is hovering around even this year. It's an improvement but I've seen all I need to see. He'll never get over the hump and be an elite player. He'll always be a defensively soft and weak second tier player. And those players suck in my eyes.
But this team has lots of issues. I know they weren't going to compete for the Cup anytime soon but it's just really lazy looking hockey with a bunch of players who are just going through the motions. Coach is usually the first to take the hit but the players definitely got him fired. The whole mantra this season was 'we're a playoff team' and I guess they're trying to make a move to keep that goal in mind
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It's ironic timing, because during the 2nd intermission of the Leafs broadcast, Darren Dreger was doing his "Insider" segment, and talked about the Blues - and the possibility of a change coming.
Literally 3 hours later, the hammer drops. Guess Dregs is truly an "Insider".
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Jeremy Rutherford, who covers the Blues for The Athletic fired some shots with his article this morning.
Rutherford: Blues’ roster, not Craig Berube’s coaching, is the root of team’s issues
He pointed and called out what everyone can see....this is a team full of bad contracts AND players simply not playing to their expectation. I know Jeremy personally and have had TONS of conversations with him. Doug Armstrong is a dick. He's a good GM but he's also arrogant and a narcissist. He told me that charity golf tournament this summer he was in a group with Armstrong and the conversation about Petrangelo leaving got brought up. At some point in that conversation Armstrong said "You want loyalty, get a dog" and started laughing.
The $$$ was there with Petro to stay. All he wanted was the full No Movement Clause. Petro is a big family man, his wife is from St. Louis and one of his kids has health issues. Dude just wanted the security....that's all. Armstrong would not give a full No Movement to him because he's NEVER done that....some sort of badge of honor that he seems to point out anytime contract talks happen.
Anyway, point is....good for JR to lob this headline out there because yeah....the coach is the first to get it in scenario's like this but this mess is all on DA and his poor vision and choices.
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That's now the second time a coach has been fired this year after losing to the Red Wings. Minnesota's head coach got canned a few weeks ago after losing 4-1 to the Red Wings.
The Red Wings needed that win last night. They've been reeling after the shit show with the Sens on Saturday. I still don't understand how Mathieu Joseph can cross-check Larkin in the neck and only get 2 minutes for roughing. What a fucking joke. I'm also pissed at the Red Wings for not being more vocal about the play. That's your captain that was unconscious on the ice after a brutal and unnecessary hit, and nothing? The head coach is praising the officiating for how they handled that whole ordeal? WTF? Joseph should've gotten a 5 minute major and a match penalty. Using the stick above the shoulders has to be taken out of the game ASAP. Wings should've handled it NY Rangers style, blasting the league, and calling out George Parros and the DPoS (typo intentional) for the inconsistency and "wheel of justice" style of dishing out fines and suspensions. Lastly, fuck the Tkachuks.
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@Gary and St. Louis ... Calgary wants a say in having some bad contracts. Huberdeau could go down as the worst contract ever if this is the kind of player he is. Kadri was always punching way above his weight class in Colorado, and that's a brutal overpayment as well.
@Rom.... we must've watched a different play. There was no cross-check to the neck whatsoever. For starters, Joseph only had one hand on his stick, and it's clearly a punch/shove to Larkin - his stick never comes close to Larkin's head. https://youtu.be/Sv8ANsUPWjk?t=170 It's unfortunate that as he's going down, Larkin ends up getting a fist in the jaw from #27/Kelly as well. I mean, it was a freak accident - I suspect it was Kelly's fist that knocked him out, but it could have also been his face hitting the ice. Thank god for face shields, or it's Kevin Stevens all over again (just thinking about that incident makes me cringe). As opposed to Perron, who went full goon mode just hitting anyone (Zub), who just happened to be standing there.
Meanwhile, great win by the Leafs last night - completely dominating the Rangers (where's Count been, btw??) in the 1st. Though, to be fair, that was as much bad play by NYR... just watch the first goal, and Willie goes through all 5 Rangers like a hot knife thru soft butter, then dishing off to Matthews. NYR showed up strong in the 2nd, but the Leafs held the line, and got a nice regulation time win. 1 point behind the Panthers, with 2 games in hand.
The Oilers are back in the hunt. This is the team we all expected. Man, they even had a DECENT start, they'd be right there with Vancouver for 2nd in the West.
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@Gary and St. Louis ... Calgary wants a say in having some bad contracts. Huberdeau could go down as the worst contract ever if this is the kind of player he is. Kadri was always punching way above his weight class in Colorado, and that's a brutal overpayment as well.
Yeah.....I'm sure other teams are saddled with some crap contracts also...as you've pointed out. It's great for the players that they're collective 'power' as players is getting them these contracts but it's as if once those are signed the 'fire' and 'desire' leave the player. They know they're good and taken care of and unless you have a true competitors spirit to actually want to win.....it's just a 'job' and they just go about getting a check and just 'play' with no real zeal.
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Seems Calgary has to overpay to get players.
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It sucks that Craig Berube got fired due to underwhelming players not delivering, but I keep hearing the phrase, "Coaches get hired to get fired," when it comes to that position in that league. He'll be fine. If he wants, he can probably find a new coaching job somewhere else. You get a short leash and if the players the GMs are plugging in the roster isn't playing up to par and it leads to bad results, the coach are always the first ones out. It's easier to replace the coach than a GM. The only exception in recent memory was the Penguins firing Ron Hextall and Brian Burke, but kept Mike Sullivan as their coach. Sullivan seems to have won the power struggle there.
Actually, I lied. The Senators fired Pierre Dorion and kept DJ Smith, but they feel they need to see what they have in DJ Smith as a coach before the new owners really want to make the choice to bring in their guy.
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@Rom.... we must've watched a different play. There was no cross-check to the neck whatsoever. For starters, Joseph only had one hand on his stick, and it's clearly a punch/shove to Larkin - his stick never comes close to Larkin's head. https://youtu.be/Sv8ANsUPWjk?t=170 It's unfortunate that as he's going down, Larkin ends up getting a fist in the jaw from #27/Kelly as well. I mean, it was a freak accident - I suspect it was Kelly's fist that knocked him out, but it could have also been his face hitting the ice. Thank god for face shields, or it's Kevin Stevens all over again (just thinking about that incident makes me cringe). As opposed to Perron, who went full goon mode just hitting anyone (Zub), who just happened to be standing there.
I agree with you on Perron. I don't mind his intent to stand up for his captain, but he crossed a line and deserves the suspension.
With Larkin though, it wasn't a freak accident. Joseph has gone after him before, as the clip shows. Joseph shouldn't have his hands that high to begin with. Why aim for his neck? That's careless, and he should've gotten a 5 minute major like they originally called. I know the net front gets crowded and pushy. IF you want to put the stick into his numbers, that's fine. Should be penalized, but hey, it's still a hockey play. What Joseph did was different, he aimed for the neck. The DPoS should have reviewed that play and taken further action.
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I don't think you're viewing the play objectively. I understand there's a history, and Joseph wasn't doing anything that isn't done 10x a night in front of the net, or in a post-whistle scrum. Perhaps a little more aggressive than a run-of-the-mill netfront battle, but I don't see it anywhere near as malicious as you do. I'm no apologist for the DPOS - they're inconsistent as fuck - but I don't think there's anything to review from Joseph here.
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I don't think you're viewing the play objectively. I understand there's a history, and Joseph wasn't doing anything that isn't done 10x a night in front of the net, or in a post-whistle scrum. Perhaps a little more aggressive than a run-of-the-mill netfront battle, but I don't see it anywhere near as malicious as you do. I'm no apologist for the DPOS - their inconsistent as fuck - but I don't think there's anything to review from Joseph here.
I agree. Slow motion can make it look way more malicious than it was. All that happened in a fraction of a second....it was just all coincidental. No matter the history.
Now the Perron crap was brutal. No matter what you can't do that to a fellow player. Dude could have shattered every bone in that guys jaw.
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Jeremy Rutherford, who covers the Blues for The Athletic fired some shots with his article this morning.
Rutherford: Blues’ roster, not Craig Berube’s coaching, is the root of team’s issues
He pointed and called out what everyone can see....this is a team full of bad contracts AND players simply not playing to their expectation. I know Jeremy personally and have had TONS of conversations with him. Doug Armstrong is a dick. He's a good GM but he's also arrogant and a narcissist. He told me that charity golf tournament this summer he was in a group with Armstrong and the conversation about Petrangelo leaving got brought up. At some point in that conversation Armstrong said "You want loyalty, get a dog" and started laughing.
The $$$ was there with Petro to stay. All he wanted was the full No Movement Clause. Petro is a big family man, his wife is from St. Louis and one of his kids has health issues. Dude just wanted the security....that's all. Armstrong would not give a full No Movement to him because he's NEVER done that....some sort of badge of honor that he seems to point out anytime contract talks happen.
Anyway, point is....good for JR to lob this headline out there because yeah....the coach is the first to get it in scenario's like this but this mess is all on DA and his poor vision and choices.
Yeah, it sucks that Berube is taking the fall for Armstrong's mistakes. Doing Pietrangelo dirty like that is especially egregious. I noticed that ex-Blues Robby Fabbri, Jake Walman and Ville Husso played well last night for the Wings!
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Jeremy Rutherford, who covers the Blues for The Athletic fired some shots with his article this morning.
Rutherford: Blues’ roster, not Craig Berube’s coaching, is the root of team’s issues
He pointed and called out what everyone can see....this is a team full of bad contracts AND players simply not playing to their expectation. I know Jeremy personally and have had TONS of conversations with him. Doug Armstrong is a dick. He's a good GM but he's also arrogant and a narcissist. He told me that charity golf tournament this summer he was in a group with Armstrong and the conversation about Petrangelo leaving got brought up. At some point in that conversation Armstrong said "You want loyalty, get a dog" and started laughing.
The $$$ was there with Petro to stay. All he wanted was the full No Movement Clause. Petro is a big family man, his wife is from St. Louis and one of his kids has health issues. Dude just wanted the security....that's all. Armstrong would not give a full No Movement to him because he's NEVER done that....some sort of badge of honor that he seems to point out anytime contract talks happen.
Anyway, point is....good for JR to lob this headline out there because yeah....the coach is the first to get it in scenario's like this but this mess is all on DA and his poor vision and choices.
Yeah, it sucks that Berube is taking the fall for Armstrong's mistakes. Doing Pietrangelo dirty like that is especially egregious. I noticed that ex-Blues Robby Fabbri, Jake Walman and Ville Husso played well last night for the Wings!
There are a lot of ex blues that play well when we play them :lol It's an unwritten law.
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I'm over here feeling bad that the Wings are down 1-0 to the Canes until they show that the Leafs are currently losing to... the Blue Jackets... 5-0. HOW?!?
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Especially after whipping the Rangers 2 nights ago. Thankfully I’m out of town, and can’t even watch the game if I wanted to.
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Wait a minute, the Leafs actually scored 5 unanswered goals in the 3rd to erase a 5-0 deficit? Jebus, Columbus. First you blew a 3-0 lead against the Kings and now you blow a 5-0 lead against the Leafs?
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But they couldn’t complete the comeback. Oh well. 1 point is pretty amazing after sucking so bad in the first 2 periods.
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Oilers had 57 shots but just scored 4 goals and still lost the game, that's not very effective. Skinner wasn't looking good again and so their winning streak is at an end.
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So Jordan Kyrou was asked yesterday moring:
Reporter: "What's your relationship with Berube"
Kyrou: " I've got no comment, he's not my coach anymore"
Berube was openly rough on Kyrou, called his work ethic out and consistently challenged him to become a better two way player. Despite being 'pretty good'....Kyrou is still floundering in that 'good but not great' tier with no signs of really taking the next step. He's getting a paid $8mil a year and has 5 goals right now. When he was given that contract there were several veteren players....including O'Reily and Schenn who were utterly pissed because he just doesn't work real hard.
So, he says that in that interview and by mid afternoon 'X' , FB....Instagram.....all blew up and was giving him a hard time because on the surface it looks like he dissed Berube....who StL fans LOVE and were pissed that was fired. And players like Kyrou are the reason he was fired. So the no remorse aspect of it fired the fans up.
Blues played Ottowa last night and Kyrou started. As the starting line up was announced he was boo'd when he was announced. And, in the game everytime he touched the puck he was boo'd. Fans were pissed and let him know.
FF to the media after the game and he's being interviewed, clarified his statement...but...became visibly upset/emotional. Talked about how he loves playing in StL and realized he upset the fans that he loves....on and on.
I have been and am a big Kyrou detractor. I think he's lazy and really didn't earn that contract....but....I know the hope from the team was that eventually we'd be getting a steal at $8mil a year for him. I'd still trade him because I don't think he has the drive to be the gamechanger they'd hoped for. BUT....I felt pretty bad seeing that....a young 25 year old kid going raw emotion. My hope is that this instance unlocked something in him that no training or drills could.
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So another coach bites the dust in their tenure. DJ Smith has been fired from the Ottawa Senators and from what I've been reading. It's a long time coming honestly. If he's not getting the team better results when the team on paper has been the best it's been in a long while, it's a pretty obvious move. The Sens already fired their GM. On top of that, Daniel Alfredsson has been promoted to being Assistant Coach now and Jacques Martin will be interim coach.
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Long overdue. He was a decent Asst in Toronto, parlayed that into a HC for a team that was rebuilding, but never got them over even the smallest of humps. AFAIC, the Sens are the biggest under-achievers in the league so far this year. Nearly EVERYONE had them as taking another step forward and seriously contending for a WC spot. Some pundits even had them 3rd in the Atlantic. Right now, the only hunt they're in is for a lottery pick. They've fully max'd their cap to the point that one of their brighter young players has to sit the year because they couldn't sign him as an RFA - shit, they couldn't have even afforded him on a league-min contract.
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I spent years watching Patrick Kane do some crazy stuff. This Bedard kid appears to be on another level entirely. This 'Michigan' goal that he pulled off, wow.
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Yeah, that Bedard goal was insane. But even crazier was the ending of the Stars-Predators game today! I had never seen a team lose in regulation when they were ahead with only 13 seconds to go in the 3rd period!
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Yeah, that Bedard goal was insane. But even crazier was the ending of the Stars-Predators game today! I had never seen a team lose in regulation when they were ahead with only 13 seconds to go in the 3rd period!
That was bonkers.
I don't understand why there wasn't a penalty shot for Josi's "save"?? (is the rule "covering" the puck in the crease maybe?). Or at least a penalty. He clearly closed his hand on the puck and then threw it. It was a great play to save a goal (literally), but c'mon... that's should be a penalty all day long.
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Yeah, that Bedard Michigan goal (aka Svech) was nasty! Also 2 in one night with Zegras scoring one too. How do y'all feel about that type of goal? Some people saying it should be outlawed, and it's like traveling in basketball. Obviously, they are still not super common at this point, and the skill required to pull it off in a game is super impressive. Personally, I think it's an awesome way to score a goal and should be a legal play.
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Yeah, that Bedard Michigan goal (aka Svech) was nasty! Also 2 in one night with Zegras scoring one too. How do y'all feel about that type of goal? Some people saying it should be outlawed, and it's like traveling in basketball. Obviously, they are still not super common at this point, and the skill required to pull it off in a game is super impressive. Personally, I think it's an awesome way to score a goal and should be a legal play.
As long as the stick doesn't go over the shoulders it should be good.
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Yeah, that Bedard goal was insane. But even crazier was the ending of the Stars-Predators game today! I had never seen a team lose in regulation when they were ahead with only 13 seconds to go in the 3rd period!
That was bonkers.
I don't understand why there wasn't a penalty shot for Josi's "save"?? (is the rule "covering" the puck in the crease maybe?). Or at least a penalty. He clearly closed his hand on the puck and then threw it. It was a great play to save a goal (literally), but c'mon... that's should be a penalty all day long.
I didn't see the play, but as you describe it, Wotherspoon for Boston was called for the same thing and it WAS a penalty shot.
(Not for nothing, but Swayman saves the penalty shot, then the Bruins give up an even strength goal about 12 seconds later. Frustrating.)
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Yeah, that Bedard Michigan goal (aka Svech) was nasty! Also 2 in one night with Zegras scoring one too. How do y'all feel about that type of goal? Some people saying it should be outlawed, and it's like traveling in basketball. Obviously, they are still not super common at this point, and the skill required to pull it off in a game is super impressive. Personally, I think it's an awesome way to score a goal and should be a legal play.
I don't know; I think the rules are getting ridiculous. The puck touches the glove incidentally and it nullifies a goal; I think they should allow everything short of sticking the puck down your pants and sliding skate first into the net. It's good for hockey. If you want to try to skate down the ice with the puck on your stick go for it. Someone like Marchand is going to hand you your stick blade, but go for it! ;)
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Yeah, that Bedard goal was insane. But even crazier was the ending of the Stars-Predators game today! I had never seen a team lose in regulation when they were ahead with only 13 seconds to go in the 3rd period!
That was bonkers.
I don't understand why there wasn't a penalty shot for Josi's "save"?? (is the rule "covering" the puck in the crease maybe?). Or at least a penalty. He clearly closed his hand on the puck and then threw it. It was a great play to save a goal (literally), but c'mon... that's should be a penalty all day long.
I didn't see the play, but as you describe it, Wotherspoon for Boston was called for the same thing and it WAS a penalty shot.
(Not for nothing, but Swayman saves the penalty shot, then the Bruins give up an even strength goal about 12 seconds later. Frustrating.)
Here you go. https://youtu.be/NC9dNXcCws8?t=12
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Yeah, that Bedard goal was insane. But even crazier was the ending of the Stars-Predators game today! I had never seen a team lose in regulation when they were ahead with only 13 seconds to go in the 3rd period!
That was bonkers.
I don't understand why there wasn't a penalty shot for Josi's "save"?? (is the rule "covering" the puck in the crease maybe?). Or at least a penalty. He clearly closed his hand on the puck and then threw it. It was a great play to save a goal (literally), but c'mon... that's should be a penalty all day long.
I didn't see the play, but as you describe it, Wotherspoon for Boston was called for the same thing and it WAS a penalty shot.
(Not for nothing, but Swayman saves the penalty shot, then the Bruins give up an even strength goal about 12 seconds later. Frustrating.)
Here you go. https://youtu.be/NC9dNXcCws8?t=12
First off, those announcers are blowing Josi like he's Patrick Mahomes.
Second, that's exactly what Wotherspoon did, and the call was, hand pass in the blue crease and thus a penalty shot. That should have been a penalty shot by that standard.
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Yeah, that Bedard goal was insane. But even crazier was the ending of the Stars-Predators game today! I had never seen a team lose in regulation when they were ahead with only 13 seconds to go in the 3rd period!
That was bonkers.
I don't understand why there wasn't a penalty shot for Josi's "save"?? (is the rule "covering" the puck in the crease maybe?). Or at least a penalty. He clearly closed his hand on the puck and then threw it. It was a great play to save a goal (literally), but c'mon... that's should be a penalty all day long.
I didn't see the play, but as you describe it, Wotherspoon for Boston was called for the same thing and it WAS a penalty shot.
(Not for nothing, but Swayman saves the penalty shot, then the Bruins give up an even strength goal about 12 seconds later. Frustrating.)
Here you go. https://youtu.be/NC9dNXcCws8?t=12
First off, those announcers are blowing Josi like he's Patrick Mahomes.
Second, that's exactly what Wotherspoon did, and the call was, hand pass in the blue crease and thus a penalty shot. That should have been a penalty shot by that standard.
That's what I thought. Well, the Hockey Gods made up for the blown call with that ending, so all is fair in love-and-war.
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Pretty good game so far. Anyone else watching?
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Pretty good game so far. Anyone else watching?
(https://d3dfsf9oc1ojzp.cloudfront.net/original/4X/8/c/9/8c9d143c79f9a48aa06e62d875abecbb346bce6a.gif)
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We started off the year so lame that I was about ready to give up on this season. But the first shut out in winter classic history up against the reigning Stanley Cup champions and a 10 point streak is looking pretty good right now!
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That was a pretty well-played game by the Kraken. They seemed to gotten a good pep in their step since last month. Grubauer got injured last month or so, but that's a blessing in disguise as Joey Daccord has seemed to step up for them. Gave the Kings a lot of issues making good saves in the two games against the Kings I've seen from him.
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Speaking of the Kings, that Kings Oilers game from a couple of nights ago was a really good watch.
I couldn't watch the Winter Classic. I was over at the relatives, and could not change the tv from whatever pre-CFP bowl game was on. Caught the highlights last night though. Both teams had nice uniforms, but I especially liked the Kraken ones.
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Sorry guys. This is the final year of the NHL…
(https://i.imgur.com/BWecZeq.jpeg)
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The Leafs played about as perfect a game as they've had all year, shutting out the Kings (their first loos by shutout this season). The Kings looked flat for the first 1/2 of the game, and then just couldn't get it going strong enough to bust anything through the Leafs D and Jones. There didn't appear to be a lot of high danger chances, but Jones was always in the position to make the save. The PP in the 2nd was particularly strong - 6 shots by the Kings, but nothing look terribly dangerous.
I've got a c-note that says the Leafs lose one or both of the next two games in California. #laugh-cry
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The Leafs played about as perfect a game as they've had all year, shutting out the Kings (their first loos by shutout this season). The Kings looked flat for the first 1/2 of the game, and then just couldn't get it going strong enough to bust anything through the Leafs D and Jones. There didn't appear to be a lot of high danger chances, but Jones was always in the position to make the save. The PP in the 2nd was particularly strong - 6 shots by the Kings, but nothing look terribly dangerous.
I've got a c-note that says the Leafs lose one or both of the next two games in California. #laugh-cry
Anaheim and San Jose? Puleeze.
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The Leafs played about as perfect a game as they've had all year, shutting out the Kings (their first loos by shutout this season). The Kings looked flat for the first 1/2 of the game, and then just couldn't get it going strong enough to bust anything through the Leafs D and Jones. There didn't appear to be a lot of high danger chances, but Jones was always in the position to make the save. The PP in the 2nd was particularly strong - 6 shots by the Kings, but nothing look terribly dangerous.
I've got a c-note that says the Leafs lose one or both of the next two games in California. #laugh-cry
Anaheim and San Jose? Puleeze.
The Leafs record against the bottom 6 teams is 31st in the league (as of last week). They have lost twice to each of CBJ, Ott, Chi, and Buf (getting ass-raped 9-3 to the latter just before Christmas; and both CBJ losses were 6-5 in OT). All told, their record against those 4 teams is 2-5-3. Now they get their chance to pad that shit-ass record playing the other 2 teams in the bottom-6 for the first time.
The Leafs have for years, played to the level of their competition, frequently shitting themselves against the bottom dwellers. Against the bottom-5 last year, they were 5-4-2.
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I feel like I deserve most, if not all, the credit for the Oilers' run during the last 20 or so games. After that ugly loss to SJ back in November, I made a wager with one of my former season seat comrades. I gave him 2:1 odds on a $100 wager that the Oil miss the playoffs. For me, that represented a win-win. I either win my $100 or get to see my beloved Oilers in the playoffs. My betting against them clearly gave them all the motivation they needed to turn the corner.
There's no other logical explanation for their recent success ;D
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I feel like I deserve most, if not all, the credit for the Oilers' run during the last 20 or so games. After that ugly loss to SJ back in November, I made a wager with one of my former season seat comrades. I gave him 2:1 odds on a $100 wager that the Oil miss the playoffs. For me, that represented a win-win. I either win my $100 or get to see my beloved Oilers in the playoffs. My betting against them clearly gave them all the motivation they needed to turn the corner.
There's no other logical explanation for their recent success ;D
HAHA, I can get behind that logic.
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The Kings looked flat like shit for the first 1/2 most of the game
ftfy
To the Leafs' credit, to my eye, the Kings looked like shit BECAUSE the Leafs were faster and more aggressive.
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The Kings looked flat like shit for the first 1/2 most of the game
ftfy
To the Leafs' credit, to my eye, the Kings looked like shit BECAUSE the Leafs were faster and more aggressive.
Especially in the first 10 minutes of the game, they took it to the Kings. I'd say after that PP where they got 6 shots, they slightly out-played the Leafs - the SOG would tell that story for sure... SOG were 20-9 at the start of that PP, and ended up 31-29 in favor of the Kings. They just weren't difficult shots. Only once was I wow'd with a save that Jones made (in the 1st, against Moore).
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In the 3 rough losses in the last games the Kings had, goaltending held up ok enough, but the Kings. at this point, aren't able to dictate their pace they like and force the other good teams to play their game, and not the other way around. The best they looked in that sense was against the Oilers in the 1st period of that game, but it's the Oilers, you ain't telling McDavid and Draisaitl to play the game they don't want to do, which is how the Oilers were able to even things out in the 2nd.
I think the game was going to be lost against the Leafs was when Matthews came in during the 1st and had quality shots and chances. Even though, he wasn't on the scoresheet, he helped set the tone on how this game was going to go. This leads to the Kings playing from behind mentally in that sense which is going to harder to dig deep, get the quality shots and rebounds and 2nd shots needed to get goals. Plus, Martin Jones is in net. The Kings have had their struggles against him, no matter how well Jones has played good or bad in his career, since they traded him. PK was fine, which is a plus compared to last year, but everything else right now seems very sluggish.
Also, I'm sorry Jingle, but Nylander playing at a pace where he's going to want Pastrnak money. The only sell the Leafs have to Nylander taking a discount is that no great team has the cap space to sign a guy like him since those slots he would fill are already filled. Unless he likes winning, he could go to a team like the Ducks. They got a lot of space and could use a big FA signing. Play wing with fellow Swede, Leo Carlsson, and be a mentor for him?
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Also, I'm sorry Jingle, but Nylander playing at a pace where he's going to want Pastrnak money. The only sell the Leafs have to Nylander taking a discount is that no great team has the cap space to sign a guy like him since those slots he would fill are already filled. Unless he likes winning, he could go to a team like the Ducks. They got a lot of space and could use a big FA signing. Play wing with fellow Swede, Leo Carlsson, and be a mentor for him?
Word is that contract negotiations have been going on for about 2-3 weeks now, and they're close to coming to terms. Friedge suggested on the broadcast last night that it could be done before they return home next week. Word is it'll be 8 years, $88M-$90M
So yeah, that'll put his AAV 3rd amongst wingers, behind Panarin and Pasta, and ahead of Marner (for the time being). The Leafs have a few big selling points - A) They can afford to front-load it and pay most of that contract as signing bonuses over the first few years. Also... 8 years. Any other team would have to put his AAV close to $13M for him to get that total contract value, since they can only go 7 years... and no team is going to make him the highest (or Top 3) paid player in the league.
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Well, the Kings needs something to give people a jolt after some sluggish play in the last few weeks. They've tried changing up the line combinations in the 3rd against the Leafs and today, they have brought up Brandt Clarke to the main roster. Been a point a game player with the Reign thus far. He should be hungry enough and give the team something to get excited about and feed off of that enthusiasm. Where he will play in the defense pairings with 4 right-handed shot defensemen now? No idea.
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So the Kings waived Tobias Bjornfot yesterday and now the Golden Knights claimed him. I have seen this movie too many times in recent memory when it comes to the Golden Knights ending up getting players that recently played for the Kings. Vegas would end up turning them into pretty good players having purpose that they did not have on the Kings.
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The Leafs absolutely dominated the Ducks last night, but were nearly goalie'd by Lukas Dostal. Yes, that Lukas Dostal ... As in "who the fuck is that"? The same goalie that got pumped for an 8-pack by the Avs earlier in the season. He of a 1-7 record in his last 8 starts. Leafs finally beat him on their 50th SOG with about 6 mins to go in the game - a PP marker by Tavares on their 5th PP of the game. Matthews had 12 SOG, and they weren't inconsequential shots ... they were damned good scoring opportunities. This kid set the Ducks regular-time franchise record in saves. And the kid almost made the stop on Matthews GWG. I dunno what his Goals-saved-above-expectation stat would've been, but the score could've easily been 6-1 or more.
They eeked that one out.
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This B's/Pens game is nuts.
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So how are all of you feeling about this idea that's been floating around in the league of a four-team (USA, Canada, Sweden, and Finland) best on best mini-tournament in 2025 which is a small launchpad to, hopefully, having NHL players in the 2026 Olympic games?
On the one hand, it's been since 2016 since there was anything close to a Best on Best competition. On the other hand, this mini-tournament is going to clearly exclude legit top players from playing since they don't rep those countries that's floating around. The league has been kicking and screaming of being against this kind of format involving top NHL players due to various reasons, but they seemed to be willing to want to make it work if this small tournament happens to get people excited about Best on Best hockey.
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I'd like to say something is better than nothing, but there's going to be a lot of "best" players not eligible - all the Russians, Draisaitl, Pasta, Kopitar, Stutzle, Hischier are some that immediately come to mind.
Maybe the league is announcing it with enough time for some of these players to get dual citizenship somewhere?? :lol
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What is "best on best" hockey?
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International hockey with NHL players being allowed to play on a roster based on their nationality.
https://icehockey.fandom.com/wiki/Best-on-best
Like for instance on Team Canada, you would have Crosby, McDavid, MacKinnon, Makar, Bedard, etc. all on one team.
For USA, you would have Matthews, Eichel, all 3 Hughes Brothers, both Tkachuk brothers, Adam Fox, Thatcher Demko, etc. on one team.
There hasn't been a top-end event where it is country vs country that involves NHL players since 2016 going back to the World Cup of hockey.
As a Kings fan, I'm not too heavily invested in it since probably the only guy that's a lock to make one of these teams is Adrian Kempe for Team Sweden, but if you have events like best on best international hockey every two years or so through Olympics or other means, people tend to be more invested in those events than a regular NHL season.
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I'm with Chad: it's better than nothing. I just want them to allow the players to play in the Olympics, dammit! I'm an Olympic fan as it is, and having my favorite sport in there is all the better.
I'd rather them do another world cup style tournament than this 4 team proposal, but I understand the sensitivities with including Russia at the moment. And I would rather it be 6 teams instead of 8. The 4 in the current proposal plus Russia and an All-Europe team. That would cover pretty much all the top players outside maybe a few who may not be good enough to make team Canada or even USA, but would possibly crack one of the European rosters.
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Why invent a new format when there's already a worldcup where supossedly the best nations compete for a title?
Yeah, the timing isn't right, it starts around the time when the playoffs start but a lot of NHL players that play for teams that didn't make the playoffs join their respective home countries, so there's definitely an urge for foreign players to play for their national team. And for me the tournament doesn't have to be every year. I would prefer a four year rhythm alternating every two years with the olympics.
But I'm sure if the NHL says, that all of their players are allowed to join, the organizers will find a suitable time for that tourney. And then the winning team would really be a deserving world champion.
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Why invent a new format when there's already a worldcup where supossedly the best nations compete for a title?
Yeah, the timing isn't right, it starts around the time when the playoffs start but a lot of NHL players that play for teams that didn't make the playoffs join their respective home countries, so there's definitely an urge for foreign players to play for their national team. And for me the tournament doesn't have to be every year. I would prefer a four year rhythm alternating every two years with the olympics.
But I'm sure if the NHL says, that all of their players are allowed to join, the organizers will find a suitable time for that tourney. And then the winning team would really be a deserving world champion.
The world cup format wasn't great though. Lots of the fringe teams from Europe have no business being there with the top 4 or 5 teams. You can throw Czechia in there if you want to round out the top 6, but the caliber drops off considerably from there. Normay, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Slovakia...these countries can't even come close to filling their roster with NHL caliber players, let alone quality players to match those other countries.
The idea behind the under 24 North American team and the Team Europe from the last go around was to provide a more competitive tournament. The Olympics and World Championships suffer from too many teams and not enough quality until the medal rounds.
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But isn't the NHL itself a role model for too many teams and not enough quality until the playoffs?
And where to draw the line? Make it four and political reasons aside, Russia should be in there. And then who is left out? Finland? Or USA? And what about Czechia?
And while I agree with you that most of the european countries you mentioned won't have no chance of winning such a tournament there can always be some surprises, so to exlude them beforehand reeks a little bit of arrogance.
So maybe make it eight teams, the top six are set and the last two are determined by a small qualifying round beforehand.
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Blues are in Detroit on Feb. 24. Just realized it's a noon game.
Haken plays Detroit that evening.
Methinks I have a day to plan. :D
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So how are all of you feeling about this idea that's been floating around in the league of a four-team (USA, Canada, Sweden, and Finland) best on best mini-tournament in 2025 which is a small launchpad to, hopefully, having NHL players in the 2026 Olympic games?
Your post is the first I've heard of it. Would it be during the season? If so, I think it's a bloody awful idea (I also don't like having NHL players in the Olympics in the middle of a season).
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So how are all of you feeling about this idea that's been floating around in the league of a four-team (USA, Canada, Sweden, and Finland) best on best mini-tournament in 2025 which is a small launchpad to, hopefully, having NHL players in the 2026 Olympic games?
Your post is the first I've heard of it. Would it be during the season? If so, I think it's a bloody awful idea (I also don't like having NHL players in the Olympics in the middle of a season).
Same here.
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A wild weekend for the Devils. Against the Blackhawks Friday night Brendan Smith knocked Bedard out early with a big, but clean hit, and the game got very chippy from there (21 total penalties in just the first two periods). We also lost Jack Hughes for an undetermined amount of time to an injury late. Then last night we came out flat and basically got caved in for the first two periods against a very good Vancouver team. Down 3-0, brought it back to 3-2, down 5-2, brought it back to 5-4. Then we got a powerplay late in the 3rd and I guess the refs were just determined not to give us a 5 on 3 powerplay no matter how egregious Vancouver got. I know the refs didn't cost us the game, we shouldn't have been down 3 goals at two different point in the game, and we still had the 5v4 powerplay we could have converted on to tie things up, but that didn't stop me from being apoplectic for a while after the final whistle last night at what didn't get called.
https://twitter.com/2much_man/status/1743828472881938567
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Yeah, that was pretty bad.
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8x$11.5M for Nylander is expected to be announced today.
Hopefully he keeps playing like a Top 5 winger in the league for at least 4 more years.
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8x$11.5M for Nylander is expected to be announced today.
Hopefully he keeps playing like a Top 5 winger in the league for at least 4 more years.
Way too much money, in my opinion, for a 27 y/o who hasn't performed at this level until now. He's been good the past 3 seasons (including this year), but very much pedestrian the rest of his career.
Chad, what's the perception in TO: are we finally seeing the 'real' Nylander this year, or is this a very dicey looking contract?
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8x$11.5M for Nylander is expected to be announced today.
Hopefully he keeps playing like a Top 5 winger in the league for at least 4 more years.
Way too much money, in my opinion, for a 27 y/o who hasn't performed at this level until now. He's been good the past 3 seasons (including this year), but very much pedestrian the rest of his career.
Chad, what's the perception in TO: are we finally seeing the 'real' Nylander this year, or is this a very dicey looking contract?
He's been improving every year, so I don't think this is a Huberdeau situation. In a vacuum, his play warrants it. But as everyone will point out, these guys (Matthews, Nylander, Marner) are getting paid without having produced much of anything in April/May. I'm not sure what options the team has. Let him walk? I think $11.5M is a little rich, but no one can predict the future. Will he still be a point-per-game guy in 7-8 years? What will the Cap look like in the 2030s? Some players can play through the value of their deal through the back half (McDavid, Crosby, Stamkos, Panarin currently come to mind). If he can be a 90-100 point player in 2030, then I'd guess it's justified.
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Honestly, I would have let him walk and use that space to address other needs that's been ongoing. As I stated before, is there any other good team that has the space or need to sign a guy like Nylander (or Marner when discussions are going to happen next year) that they didn't have already?
Now I understand why Treliving cannot let Nylander walk since he already let a high-end player walk during his time with the Flames and absolutely cannot let the same thing happen again in Toronto. That being said, I question GMs and the high-end players there on their desire to want to win in the Leafs.
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Honestly, I would have let him walk and use that space to address other needs that's been ongoing. As I stated before, is there any other good team that has the space or need to sign a guy like Nylander (or Marner when discussions are going to happen next year) that they didn't have already?
Ok... let's play that out. $6.9M (what he's earning now), means a $4.5M raise. Where would you spend that $4.5M? What players are readily available to plug whatever holes you think need plugged, and how do you replace the production he takes with him?
Let's also remember, UFA's with big salary that will NOT be coming back next year:
Klingberg - $4.1M (yes, he's on LTIR, but they hadn't 'refilled' that salary yet)
Bertuzzi - $5.5M
Samsonov - $3.5M
Brodie - $5M
That's $18M available; plus the $4M bump in cap the entire league is getting. Also, Tavares' $11M expires end of next year, so it's really only one more year of tight cap gymnastics the team has to do.
Domi is a wild card. I can see the team keeping him - at our around the same $3M pricetag.
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You're not keeping Bertuzzi? :)
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You're not keeping Bertuzzi? :)
I mean, unless he becomes the second coming of Cam Neely, they better not keep him.
Also, that Nylander contract is official now.
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So we have a trade today. Cutter Gauthier (whose unsigned and is playing in the NCAA, drafted #5 overall by the Flyers in 2022) has been traded to the Ducks for Jamie Drysdale (defensemen that was drafted #6 overall in 2020) and a 2nd round pick.
So apparently, Gauthier has outright proclaimed that he did not want to sign with the Flyers. Flyers decided to respect his wishes and moved him out and got a young Right-handed defensemen (whose had some rough luck with injuries thus far) and a 2nd round pick. There's some soundbites out there from Keith Jones and Torts, basically saying, "If Gauthier doesn't want to be here, he's not going to be here and we're excited about Jamie Drysdale."
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I forget who exactly it was in Torts first season, but they picked him up on waivers, was actually playing a meaningful role with decent minutes, and after a few months was like... "loooooool, I'd rather play in Europe, let's terminate this contract". And now you have a huge prospect just fucking off.
Look, Flyers have had issues, but are a pretty beloved organization from most players; they spend, they compete, they take care of their own, and have a great history. So why does this shit keep happening? It's gotta be Torts.
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I don’t necessarily think it’s Torts, either. Gauthier stated that he didn’t want to play in the AHL, that he wanted to go straight from college to the NHL, and the Flyers didn’t want to accommodate that. I read an nhl.com article on Torts that said the players really like him and like playing for him. Also, he really loves dogs.
https://www.nhl.com/news/flyers-john-tortorella-to-coach-1500th-nhl-game
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The guys from 32 Thoughts (Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek) have speculated that if there is one thing that is concrete about this situation regarding Gauthier, Torts have no impact/influence at all in Gauthier not signing with the Flyers. It may have been the fact that the Flyers did not want to provide performance bonuses in the contract which would put them over the cap if Gauthier meets the requirements which would eat into the cap going into 24-25.
https://twitter.com/FAN590/status/1744786021596680486
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Hot damn the Sharks are a hot mess. They looked like a Junior B team against the Leafs last night. By the end of the 2nd period, a stat flashed up that the Leafs had almost 14 minutes of offensize zone possession; the Sharks had 5.
The Isles ought to be a tougher game, but they're in a bit of a slump as well. Then there's a stretch of tougher teams - Avs, Oil, and Canucks in the next 10 days. Those should be exciting games.
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Man did the Leafs lay an egg last night. Two brutal defensive plays directly led to the tying and winning goals. That was a very winnable game, and with the stretch of games they have up to the all-star break (Avs, Oil, Canucks and 2 vs Jets - along with Red Wings, Flames, and Kraken in between), they really should've taken 2 points.
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Oil have a chance to set a new franchise record for consecutive wins tonight. A win over the Habs would given them 10 straight wins. It still strikes me as odd that a team as dominant as the Oilers were for that four year stretch in the 80s never put together a 10 game win streak. As a side note, i haven't googled the longest win streaks in NHL history, so maybe even 9 is a massive feat. This guy definitely doesn't know.
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Oil have a chance to set a new franchise record for consecutive wins tonight. A win over the Habs would given them 10 straight wins. It still strikes me as odd that a team as dominant as the Oilers were for that four year stretch in the 80s never put together a 10 game win streak. As a side note, i haven't googled the longest win streaks in NHL history, so maybe even 9 is a massive feat. This guy definitely doesn't know.
You realize that both the Oilers AND the Kraken have 9 game winning streaks going right now, right?
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Florida and Winnipeg streaks ended tonight.
And the Leafs choked out a 3-0 qst period lead. Tavares was pretty much benched the 3rd period. Horrible defensive effort by that team.
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The Kraken on a 9 game winning streak. The Oilers on a 10 game winning streak. Meanwhile, I'm sitting here being befuddled as the Kings have gone 0-4-4 in their last 8, thinking what the heck is the issue here? Every loss really isn't them getting blown out. Only two of those losses were though (against the Leafs and one of the Red Wings games). It's like the team keeps blowing two-goal leads, or blowing leads, or the depth players just not getting the goals to seal the deal, or the goalies just not able to keep things out of the net long enough to secure the W. Like there are solid individual performances in those Ls, but not enough of a team performance to turn those Ls to wins, if that makes sense.
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The Kraken on a 9 game winning streak. The Oilers on a 10 game winning streak. Meanwhile, I'm sitting here being befuddled as the Kings have gone 0-4-4 in their last 8, thinking what the heck is the issue here? Every loss really isn't them getting blown out. Only two of those losses were though (against the Leafs and one of the Red Wings games). It's like the team keeps blowing two-goal leads, or blowing leads, or the depth players just not getting the goals to seal the deal, or the goalies just not able to keep things out of the net long enough to secure the W. Like there are solid individual performances in those Ls, but not enough of a team performance to turn those Ls to wins, if that makes sense.
It's been frustrating as fuck. The inability to hold a lead is obvious. Talbot has a couple glaring weaknesses (wraparounds and breakaways - both of which involve lateral movement), but he's been getting hung dry by the defense - particularly on a couple goals yesterday.
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After the Leafs blew the game against the Isles, and I saw what the rest of their schedule looked like up to the All-Star Break, I mentally figured they'd go 2-7 in that stretch, and they are not letting me down. Another awful effort last night against a Detroit team that couldn't leave Detroit until 4pm yesterday afternoon because of the weather - they would've been better off taking a bus yesterday morning. Puck drop got pushed by almost an hour because the team didn't get to the arena until almost 6pm. And then Kane goes down; and then the Leafs get 3 power plays in the first 10 minutes (which they do precisely zero with). Playing against James Reimer who is 1-9 in his last 10 games, and has let in 5 goals or more in his last 5. Despite the shit-ass performance, they were still up 2-1 to start the third... and for the 2nd straight game, they give up 3 goals in the 3rd. Terrible luck on one of them that Reilly's stick snapped on a one-timer attempt, giving Sprong a breakaway from his own blue-line, but still. What a colossal dump they took.
Now Detroit is only 1 point behind them in the standings.
So, 0-2-1 to start this stretch. They might get a couple more loser points, but at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if they go 1-5 or even 0-6 given the caliber of teams they have ahead (Oil, Canucks, Kraken, Jets (2) ... with the Flames sprinkled in there). 5 games against 4 of the hottest teams in the league right now. :facepalm:
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I'm actually a touch worried about the Leafs coming to town tomorrow amid their slump. I fear they'll be hungry for a win considering how the weekend went.
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I'm actually a touch worried about the Leafs coming to town tomorrow amid their slump.
You shouldn't be.
I fear they'll be hungry for a win considering how the weekend went.
You'd think that, wouldn't you?
They should've been hungry - and able - to beat Detroit yesterday given how they'd choked away the previous 2 games, and the cluster fuck of Detroit spending the entire day in an airport ... but they come out and lay an absolute dump.
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Nice to see the Wings get back on the winning track after the horror show that was the month of December. Nice to see them score 3 goals in the 3rd rather than give up 3 goals in the 3rd! Should bode well going forward.
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Hey Rich... told you there was nothing to worry about.
(not so) Bold prediction ... Keefe is fired before they return home. Why Tree gave him a 2 year extension before the season started is a mystery. Hell, why Shanny hired Tree is a mystery ... he's proving his a pretty tit-useless GM 6 months into the job*.
The mental lapses that are delivering these collapses over the last 4 games are piling up.
*Exhibit A:
Bertuzzi has been a bust. Boy, sure wish the Leafs had Hyman at $5.5M in stead of this lump of coal.
Klingberg was a bust - at least he got sent to Robidas Island.
Domi has been decent
Reaves was a stupid fucking signing, and ya can't even reclaim him from LTIR, because there are already 3 massive contracts on LTIR!
Samsonov has been a bust
I'm ok with the Matthews signing
Willie for $11.5x8 is bound to be a bad contract within 4 years (maybe less). I mean, the premise to Willie for re-signing should've been "Do you want to get paid, or do you want to take a bit of a discount so we can build some necessary parts around you to truly be a Cup contender?". Who knows whether it was Tree or Willie that chose the former.
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How is it the Oilers can win 11 straight games and still only be in 4th place? And the Kraken win 9 of their last 11, and still be in 6th? Is the Pacific Division just that good? No one else above us seems to be doing that great except for maybe Calgary.
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^^ Well, the Oilers and Kraken just had horrible starts while the Golden Knights and Kings had good starts. The Flames weaved in and out in between. At this point, though, things have evened itself out smoothly and it's pretty much anyone's spots to claim except for #1 in the Pacific (The Canucks have somehow held on to winning at a consistent rate throughout the entire season thus far). Golden Knights are running through their injury bugs that they would normally have and the Kings would run through their usual frustratingly inconsistent play that they also would normally have in a section of the season.
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I suppose now that I look at it again, 4 teams (3-6th place) are only separated by 3 points. So you make a good point.
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Hey Rich... told you there was nothing to worry about.
(not so) Bold prediction ... Keefe is fired before they return home.
I was a touch worried when they went down 2-0, but it clearly worked out ;D
If Keefe is done, who do you see as the replacement? Also, how much of this slump is coaching? Seems to me, and corroborated by your comments, that the issue is more personnel. If throw that blame on Dubas and Treliving. I mean, after how things went with Treliving in Calgary, I'm honestly not surprised things are turning south for the Leafs. 'Twas a bad hire.
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Hey Rich... told you there was nothing to worry about.
(not so) Bold prediction ... Keefe is fired before they return home.
I was a touch worried when they went down 2-0, but it clearly worked out ;D
If Keefe is done, who do you see as the replacement? Also, how much of this slump is coaching? Seems to me, and corroborated by your comments, that the issue is more personnel. If throw that blame on Dubas and Treliving. I mean, after how things went with Treliving in Calgary, I'm honestly not surprised things are turning south for the Leafs. 'Twas a bad hire.
Roster construction is for sure a problem, but they've been losing these last four games mostly on bad decision making - both in coverage, and basic execution (Brodie not touching the puck on a delayed penalty call, allowing the puck to go right to the front of the net to kickstart the Avs comeback was one of the dumbest things I've seen anyone do all year). Those can/should be on the coach to some degree. Keefe's choices on line rotation have been a little suspect as well - like, benching Tavares for basically the entire 3rd period against the Avs, then asking him to go out and be the 6th man for the 6-on-5 was ??? Putting Matthew Knies on three different lines three games in a row doesn't help a kid who's already in a bit of a funk. Not benching/scratching Brodie who has been so awful, I'd rather have Cody Ceci back. Both Jones and Sammy had goals given up because of bad body positioning. I mean, it's just a smorgasbord of problems at the moment.
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It's funny that you're longing for 2 former Leafs who are performing quite well in Edmonton lol. And that's an understatement in Hyman's case. His contract is looking almost better than Draisaitl's right now considering his production.
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^^ Well, the Oilers and Kraken just had horrible starts while the Golden Knights and Kings had good starts. The Flames weaved in and out in between. At this point, though, things have evened itself out smoothly and it's pretty much anyone's spots to claim except for #1 in the Pacific (The Canucks have somehow held on to winning at a consistent rate throughout the entire season thus far). Golden Knights are running through their injury bugs that they would normally have and the Kings would run through their usual frustratingly inconsistent play that they also would normally have in a section of the season.
What worries me is that this often happens around the Grammy road trip, so I really hope they can right the ship and not have a second swoon. Maybe I'll be a good luck charm when I'll be in the building on Saturday.
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11th win for the Oilers is great.
They don't score that much, but they get even fewer goals. I've not seen the games, only some highlight reels, so is it that they play a more defensive game as a whole? I mean Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins and even McDavid are nowhere near where they were last season regarding points.
Can they play even better or is this as good as it gets?
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It's funny that you're longing for 2 former Leafs who are performing quite well in Edmonton lol. And that's an understatement in Hyman's case. His contract is looking almost better than Draisaitl's right now considering his production.
Hyman I'm legitimately longing for. I mean, he was a solid 3rd guy on the top line with Marner and Matthews, but he's been next-level in Edmonton. I don't think anyone could have foreseen him doubling his goal production. Clearly he was just the right guy to complement McJesus. I mean, I can't see Hyman being on a 55 goal pace without someone like McD as his centreman (maybe MacKinnon).
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11th win for the Oilers is great.
They don't score that much, but they get even fewer goals. I've not seen the games, only some highlight reels, so is it that they play a more defensive game as a whole? I mean Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins and even McDavid are nowhere near where they were last season regarding points.
Can they play even better or is this as good as it gets?
McDavid and Draisaitl both have another level to play to. It's been a bit of a down season for both of them. Nuge, on the other hand, is playing to expectations. Nuge hitting 100pts last season was without a doubt an anomaly. I'd happily take a point-per-game Nuge any day considering he used to be good for 60 -ish points. Hyman is punching a bit above his weight, as well, which is helping out on the offensive side. Same with Bouchard, although he's still on the way up so this might just be the new normal for him.
If anything, I'd say Kane is the biggest underperformer on the roster right now. He'll still probably hit 30G this season, but he'll need to work for it. I'm not complaining either. This team will likely finish with 4 or 5 30 goal scorers, and Draisaitl, McDavid and Hyman might all eclipse 40.
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It's funny that you're longing for 2 former Leafs who are performing quite well in Edmonton lol. And that's an understatement in Hyman's case. His contract is looking almost better than Draisaitl's right now considering his production.
Hyman I'm legitimately longing for. I mean, he was a solid 3rd guy on the top line with Marner and Matthews, but he's been next-level in Edmonton. I don't think anyone could have foreseen him doubling his goal production. Clearly he was just the right guy to complement McJesus. I mean, I can't see Hyman being on a 55 goal pace without someone like McD as his centreman (maybe MacKinnon).
No doubt about it. It's like when Jonathan Cheechoo played on a line with Joe Thornton in SJ. I remember Cheechoo even saying in an interview that he just needs to keep skating, and the puck ends up right on his tape every time. Mind you, that was clearly a one-off season for Cheechoo, whereas Hyman is performing year-over-year right now.
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Regarding Hyman, doesn't he had a fair amount of almost goals and had goals called back on top of what he's been doing this season? Probably would have already reached 30 at this point if some of those near moments went his way.
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Well, that's 12 in a row for the Oilers. I didn't get a chance to watch the game last night due to my weekly jam session, but the sports radio on the way home indicated that it was an ugly win. Either way, I'm glad they got the points and kept the streak going.
They're now 20-3 in their last 23, and looking even better than the team that finished last season going 29-3 down the stretch. They've allowed 2 or fewer goals in the last 10 games, which is almost more remarkable than the 12 game winning streak. There's still half a season to go, but the Oilers are very much looking like the team they were expected to be at the start of the season.
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Indeed they are. Bad time to be coming up to the AS break and team breaks.
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In the last five games the Oilers were down a goal or two but still won each game. That's an impressive comeback ability they show there.
And Draisaitl had a very lucky goal and three assists.
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In the last five games the Oilers were down a goal or two but still won each game. That's an impressive comeback ability they show there.
And Draisaitl had a very lucky goal and three assists.
A stat flashed up during the leafs game last night that Colorado, Detroit and Calgary lead the league in 3rd-period comeback wins (8 each). The Leafs contributed to that with the Avs and Red Wings, and narrowly avoided that with the Flames.
Not sure where Edmonton fits in that stat.
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The comebacks for the Oilers usually start in the 2nd. Any team that thinks they can get off to a 2-0 lead against the Oilers at the end of the 1st and think, "Well, our job is done for the night," think again.
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Anyone who thinks that about ANY team ought to give their head a shake. Even the Sharts have done that a couple of times.
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So Patrick Roy is now the new head coach for the New York Islanders after the Isles went through their rough slump. I wonder how much more the Kings higher-ups can tolerate until they need to change something, either with roster or coaching?
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So Patrick Roy is now the new head coach for the New York Islanders after the Isles went through their rough slump. I wonder how much more the Kings higher-ups can tolerate until they need to change something, either with roster or coaching?
Woodcroft is available. It would be kinda funny if they replaced their current former-oilers coach with another former-oilers coach
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I am not ok with the uni's being worn by the Oil. The jerseys are ok. This pants and gloves are not. They look like diarrhea.
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Oilers just keeps on winning. They got.... oh goodness, the Blue Jackets and Blackhawks next. They'll get to 15 straight wins after carving those two teams up. You know, what? I just need the Kings to maintain a wild card spot. They'll should take their chances against the Jets or Canucks. Let the Oilers and Golden Knights duke it out 1st round.
And yes, the Oilers Heritage Classic jersey with the number on the crest is fine, but good gravy at those pants and gloves looking like old-school goalie pads.
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B's dropping a 9 spot on the Habs pleases me.
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So Patrick Roy is now the new head coach for the New York Islanders after the Isles went through their rough slump.
That combination with the New York media could be either hilarious, volatile....or both. :mehlin
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I'm seeing online reports that the Oilers have signed Corey Perry. What the actual fuck?
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I'm seeing online reports that the Oilers have signed Corey Perry. What the actual fuck?
Why not? They signed Evander Kane and he's a huge POS.....maybe they want to make some cool T-Shirts to sell that can have both of them on there dressed as huge piles of crap?
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I'm seeing online reports that the Oilers have signed Corey Perry. What the actual fuck?
Why not? They signed Evander Kane and he's a huge POS.....maybe they want to make some cool T-Shirts to sell that can have both of them on there dressed as huge piles of crap?
Did we ever find out what happened in Chicago?
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I'm seeing online reports that the Oilers have signed Corey Perry. What the actual fuck?
Why not? They signed Evander Kane and he's a huge POS.....maybe they want to make some cool T-Shirts to sell that can have both of them on there dressed as huge piles of crap?
Did we ever find out what happened in Chicago?
What we do know is that he wasn't shagging Bedard's mom.
The story that has been all but confirmed is that he got pretty drunk at an event where the entire organization was there.....and did 'something' that was inappropriate. Maybe hit on someone....made a rude remark....fought....it's not really been confirmed as to what exactly it was.....only that it WASN'T him banging Bedard's mom and that it had to to with getting loaded and saying/doing something pretty inappropriate.
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We, the public, probably will never know since there might have been NDAs between the Blackhawks, Perry, and the person/people internally that was affected by Corey Perry's actions that led to the contract termination. All I can say is that I just hope the teams that wanted to sign him knew all of those details and determine that this s*** was not going to fly again if Perry signs with them.
For the Oilers, they are willing to skirt around the edges when it comes to that kind of stuff like they did a few years back with Evander Kane. Gl to them and it just keeps getting worst and worst in this division where an annoying player to go against is now back in the Pacific after a long 5 years or so out of it.
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It's confirmed, Corey Perry was signed by the Oilers.
Was there anything else apart from that Chicago incident that he did so that people find him annoying or a POS?
And apart from that, is he still good enough to help the Oilers? What do they hope to get out of him?
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^^ I think he can provide a veteran voice. Certainly be better than most of their 4th line options. Maybe can move up the lineup if needed. Be annoying to play against.
At the very least, he can get this team to a Stanley Cup finals, only to lose in the finals, but the Oilers certainly would take a guy that can get them to the finals at this stage of their window.
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^^ I think he can provide a veteran voice. Certainly be better than most of their 4th line options. Maybe can move up the lineup if needed. Be annoying to play against.
At the very least, he can get this team to a Stanley Cup finals, only to lose in the finals, but the Oilers certainly would take a guy that can get them to the finals at this stage of their window.
Apt summary.
He'll add grit and a touch of scoring depth to the 4th line.
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Things might be coming to a head on this topic. Did it get coverage in the States?
Five players from Canada’s 2018 World Juniors team have been directed to report to police in London, Ont., to face charges of sexual assault, The Globe and Mail reported this morning, citing two unnamed sources.
https://www.tsn.ca/hockey-canada/report-five-members-of-canada-s-2018-wjc-team-told-to-surrender-to-london-police-1.2066984
This would explain the "temporary" leaves of absence players have been granted (Carter Hart, Dillon Dube, Michael McLeod, and Cal Foote); and Alex Formenton has been granted a leave by his team in the Swiss league.
I'm gathering the careers of these players are virtually over.
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Things might be coming to a head on this topic. Did it get coverage in the States?
Five players from Canada’s 2018 World Juniors team have been directed to report to police in London, Ont., to face charges of sexual assault, The Globe and Mail reported this morning, citing two unnamed sources.
https://www.tsn.ca/hockey-canada/report-five-members-of-canada-s-2018-wjc-team-told-to-surrender-to-london-police-1.2066984
This would explain the "temporary" leaves of absence players have been granted (Carter Hart, Dillon Dube, Michael McLeod, and Cal Foote); and Alex Formenton has been granted a leave by his team in the Swiss league.
I'm gathering the careers of these players are virtually over.
TSN has it at the top of their page, though I saw World Juniors and didn't read the rest of the headline.
ESPN's NHL page doesn't have it.
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It's been an ongoing investigation for about 18 months, that's why I was asking.
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You posting it is the first I've heard of it, I believe.
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You posting it is the first I've heard of it, I believe.
Ok then... so no coverage. :lol
It was a massive scandal for Hockey Canada back in 2022 - amongst other problems the governing body was going thru.
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Things might be coming to a head on this topic. Did it get coverage in the States?
Five players from Canada’s 2018 World Juniors team have been directed to report to police in London, Ont., to face charges of sexual assault, The Globe and Mail reported this morning, citing two unnamed sources.
https://www.tsn.ca/hockey-canada/report-five-members-of-canada-s-2018-wjc-team-told-to-surrender-to-london-police-1.2066984
This would explain the "temporary" leaves of absence players have been granted (Carter Hart, Dillon Dube, Michael McLeod, and Cal Foote); and Alex Formenton has been granted a leave by his team in the Swiss league.
I'm gathering the careers of these players are virtually over.
Pretty much. Perhaps a good lesson for future team Canada players (really, solid advice for anyone): don't gangbang a minor while on a company business trip.
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You posting it is the first I've heard of it, I believe.
I've read about this whole incident when this became more public in 2022. Reporters like Rick Westhead (who writes for TSN) and Katie Strang (who writes for The Athletic) has been following the trail of information relating to this for a good long while.
There were hearings held by the Canadian Members of Parliament to the previous heads of Hockey Canada, last year or late 2022, that didn't go so smooth in Hockey Canada's camp.
On a lighter note, one of the guys that was part of that Parliament group had a name that screams that he should be in Parliament. Anthony Housefather.
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Things might be coming to a head on this topic. Did it get coverage in the States?
Five players from Canada’s 2018 World Juniors team have been directed to report to police in London, Ont., to face charges of sexual assault, The Globe and Mail reported this morning, citing two unnamed sources.
https://www.tsn.ca/hockey-canada/report-five-members-of-canada-s-2018-wjc-team-told-to-surrender-to-london-police-1.2066984
This would explain the "temporary" leaves of absence players have been granted (Carter Hart, Dillon Dube, Michael McLeod, and Cal Foote); and Alex Formenton has been granted a leave by his team in the Swiss league.
I'm gathering the careers of these players are virtually over.
Pretty much. Perhaps a good lesson for future team Canada players (really, solid advice for anyone): don't gangbang a minor while on a company business trip.
Define "gangbang". Asking for a friend.
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Things might be coming to a head on this topic. Did it get coverage in the States?
Five players from Canada’s 2018 World Juniors team have been directed to report to police in London, Ont., to face charges of sexual assault, The Globe and Mail reported this morning, citing two unnamed sources.
https://www.tsn.ca/hockey-canada/report-five-members-of-canada-s-2018-wjc-team-told-to-surrender-to-london-police-1.2066984
This would explain the "temporary" leaves of absence players have been granted (Carter Hart, Dillon Dube, Michael McLeod, and Cal Foote); and Alex Formenton has been granted a leave by his team in the Swiss league.
I'm gathering the careers of these players are virtually over.
Pretty much. Perhaps a good lesson for future team Canada players (really, solid advice for anyone): don't gangbang a minor while on a company business trip.
(https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-829f09f5383354ddd4a97119910d084f-pjlq)
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I knew generally that there was this scandal that might blow up a bit at some point down the line, but only because a Devil (Mike McLeod) was suspected as being party to whatever happened. Seems accurate given he was announced to be on an indefinite leave today.
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Red Wings' Blog "Winging It In Motown" has been pretty good about making sure this story has gotten eyeballs on it amongst Wings fans. I've been waiting to see who this would affect. It's good to see Alex Formenton's name in there, and that he's now going to cooperate with authorities. He was the only player that didn't make a statement one way or another when this story began getting greater scrutiny.
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I'm genuinely stunned that the Leafs took all 4 points from Winnipeg in this home-and-home. Nice way to head into the AS break.
After the Leafs blew the game against the Isles, and I saw what the rest of their schedule looked like up to the All-Star Break, I mentally figured they'd go 2-7 in that stretch, and they are not letting me down.
So, 0-2-1 to start this stretch. They might get a couple more loser points, but at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if they go 1-5 or even 0-6 given the caliber of teams they have ahead (Oil, Canucks, Kraken, Jets (2) ... with the Flames sprinkled in there). 5 games against 4 of the hottest teams in the league right now. :facepalm:
While it wasn't a great start to that stretch, they went 4-4-1, which is better than the 2-7 (or some combination of losses/OTL's) I was figuring on. Makes it that much more disappointing that they blew multi-goal and/or 3 period leads in the first 4 of those games. :facepalm:
Edmonton is peaking at the WRONG time! :lolpalm:
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Yeah, not an ideal time for an extended break. I don't think this is necessarily a peak, either. Obviously, this streak is an outlier. However, this is a team that was expected to compete for the West this season, and this could just be them finally playing to their potential. I wouldn't be surprised if they finish very strong, and battle Vancouver for 1st in the Pacific.
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Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the coin, I'm ready for the Kings to go into this all-star break. They need to reset their mindset with the way they've been losing games in the last month and a half.
I can understand the Jim Mora meme now, because I'm thinking regarding the Kings. "Playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win another game."
On a not-so-lighter note, one of the guys that took an indefinite leave of absence has turned himself into the London, Ontario Police. Alex Formenton, the guy that did not re-sign with the Senators and has been playing in the Swiss league since, has turned himself in "to defend his innocence." All right, I want to see what kind of defense these people will have.
https://twitter.com/robyndoolittle/status/1751661719837929705
Edit: Wow, this is post 4500 for me? Been here in DTF for around 11 years and made it to this point. Neat.
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Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the coin, I'm ready for the Kings to go into this all-star break. They need to reset their mindset with the way they've been losing games in the last month and a half.
What are the odds that McClellan is still behind the bench for the Feb. 10 game against Edmonton? First game after the ASB.
I don't think he's the problem, but I think it's going to be a case of, "you can't fire the players."
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Another OTL for the Kings. Oof. I feel for you guys. Tree has made a bunch of bad deals for the Leafs, but that PLD trade is looking like a total ass-raping by Chevy on Blake (Blake is/was the GM, yes?).
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^^ It's a pretty rough deal. The issue with Rob Blake trading solid wingers like Iafallo and Vilardi is that it makes the winger depth on the bottom 6 weaker as a trade off to ideally make the top 3 Center spots strong. Problem is that PLD hasn't been a strong fit. The wingers he's working with are just meh or a player, fresh out of college, that got the call-up at the last second because Arvidsson has been on LTIR.
Now will I think PLD could be a solid $8.5M player throughout the length of the contract? I mean I have to hope so since that's what the Kings sold the fans on. As for the now? No and quite frankly, something in the room needs to change. Whether it is a mindset adjustment, or a roster adjustment, management change, coaching change. Whatever. They just can't keep running the same thing, working around the minor things and what little resources of cap space they have, game by game and hoping for something different. I can live with that thought in the first week of January, not in the last week of January when things are clearly not moving in the right direction.
Also, Byfield has been hit with illness and not been playing for the last few days. That's rough, since he's been a bright spot in this rough patch. This team, especially Kopitar and Kempe, feels lethargic without him and Lizotte (whose on IR).
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Cap challenges are a league-wide thing though, no. All I ever hear on every broadcast is how roster construction is primarily dictated by cap constraints - ffs, the Leafs have $35k available to them! PLD seems to be a "not a fit" now a third team in a row. At what point does this guy realize it's likely HIM that is the issue? That AAV is going to be a boat anchor.
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Cap challenges are a league-wide thing though, no. All I ever hear on every broadcast is how roster construction is primarily dictated by cap constraints - ffs, the Leafs have $35k available to them! PLD seems to be a "not a fit" now a third team in a row. At what point does this guy realize it's likely HIM that is the issue? That AAV is going to be a boat anchor.
I doubt that PLD has that capability of introspection, TBH.
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^^ I don't care what his state of mind now and this is nothing new. This is something that the team should have been aware of from the start and now that we are at this point, there needs to be a big jolt to get the entire team going. Whether PLD goes (impossible at this stage, I know) or he gets productive in a positive manner or Todd McLellan goes out the door or Rob Blake goes out the door, I don't care. There are issues the Kings are having now, not just PLD. They need to find a way to fix those issues before the season really does become lost.
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Things are starting to get more real when it comes to the 2018 World Juniors Hockey Canada incident. Now you have law firms of players reporting that they are confirming that their clients has been charged, will prove their clients' innocence, and will not comment any further regarding this matter for the time being.
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Yeah. I mean, without a doubt all 5 are going to retain lawyers - they're being charged, and will be going to court. Formenten, McLeod and Hart are booked. Just Dube and Foote to go.
Said day all around - for the victim, these boys, Hockey Canada and the NHL. Nothing good is coming out of this.
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Foote and Dube confirmed to be lawyered up, but regardless I agree, this is a sad day and hopefully, there can a path forward for everyone and, especially, the survivor affected by this gets the justice that can be warranted.
https://x.com/rwesthead/status/1752479121161023688?s=46&t=nZO0iQ5wC22RdOkV5t6tVA
https://twitter.com/rwesthead/status/1752458680014934289?t=BcxXY0voHOIstjSaGrngTA&s=19
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The Kings did not blow a two-goal lead against the Preds (they almost did at times, but they ended up winning the game anyway and that's all splendid going into the all star break).
Anywho, I think 60-70% of all NHL trades from September to now has been made by the Canucks. They made another one today. They have traded Andrei Kuzmenko (who had a solid last season with them, not so much this season) to Calgary for Elias Lindholm. The Canucks have been leading the league in points for much of this season. They decided this time is the best time to go all-in and I don't blame them. They got some big money decisions to make in 24-25, but to them, that's later down the line. Now, they are having a great season and they are going reach for whatever margins they can get to make the team better to go for a big playoff push.
Here's the trade.
(https://i.imgur.com/weWhUaH.png)
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Lots of news going on going into this weekend. Apparently the four-team international tournament is a go for 2025 as well as NHL players being in the Olympics in 2026.
https://twitter.com/reporterchris/status/1753454852678586444?t=yrWQfxTEOp_BtdLduFGtEg&s=19
Most important news, well at least to me and PG, Todd McLellan has been fired as head coach for the Kings! I have mixed emotions about this. He pretty much did all he could to get the most amount of juice out of this team in the last 5 seasons. I guess the last 1.5 months which had so many blown leads in games the Kings needed to win....., that was the end of the line for him. I really thought the win against the Predators would have keep his job, but I guess the team was like no matter what, after this road trip, that's it.
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It's official, got my tickets for the Blues visiting the Red Wings later this month. :D
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It's official, got my tickets for the Blues visiting the Red Wings later this month. :D
I got the Blues in Buffalo next Saturday. Then when I go to pickup jingle.son from Ottawa to bring him home for reading week, we're catching Vegas in Ottawa on the 24th, and then driving home the 25th when we have Sabres/Canes tickets.
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What's up with Bieber, Bubble, McRae and Arnett? Do they have any connection with ice hockey or are they just there for show?
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Bieber is a huge Leafs fan and designed the Leafs' 3rd jersey (the one with the golden leaf if you turn it inside out). Buble is a huge Canucks fan which is why he is the special guest captain on Quinn Hughes' team. I don't know what the other two's connection to hockey is though.
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These celebs don't really have any actual connection, aside from the loose connections mentioned below. They're just famous Canadians. The whole draft at the ASG is, frankly, silly. It was silly a decade ago when they first tried it (although a tad amusing watching Kessel go last), and it's silly they brought it back. I had no problem with using divisional all star teams. Maybe this format resonates well with young fans, but this 40 year old can do without.
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So here's a fun fact, there's a list of the mascot profiles going around that had their name, their biggest rival, the best-looking mascot, favorite color, and favorite song to dance to.
The Ducks' Wild Wing had Rock the Pond from the D2 movie as his favorite song. It's been years since I've listened to that song. I hate that this song is associated with the Ducks. This song slaps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gHpdrsMh7w&pp=ygUScm9jayB0aGUgcG9uZCBzb25n
The Kings' Bailey choose a fine song from a band from LA. GNR's Welcome to the Jungle.
On another note, it seems like the NHL seems to have a sturdy schedule on how they want the league to spend their February week or so off moving forward where it's All-Star break every two years and then either one of a World Cup of Hockey or Olympics.
https://twitter.com/AGrossNewsday/status/1753494288959181096
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So here's a fun fact, there's a list of the mascot profiles going around that had their name, their biggest rival, the best-looking mascot, favorite color, and favorite song to dance to.
The Ducks' Wild Wing had Rock the Pond from the D2 movie as his favorite song. It's been years since I've listened to that song. I hate that this song is associated with the Ducks. This song slaps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gHpdrsMh7w&pp=ygUScm9jayB0aGUgcG9uZCBzb25n
Wait...what? You're kidding, right? That song is horribly cringeworthy. When we used to go see the Kings as the Pond for "Duck Roasts," I always used to laugh at that one.
The Kings' Bailey choose a fine song from a band from LA. GNR's Welcome to the Jungle.
At least he didn't pick that AWFUL Briggs song. For me, the appropriate goal song for the Kings will always be Rock & Roll Part 2 by Gary Glitter.
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^^ Wow, we're not going to be on the same page on that one. I like "This is LA" from The Briggs.
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Should be a good game tonight! Will the Oilers tie the streak tonight in Vegas? I think they get it done, but the time off with the break makes it a little more dicey I believe.
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Leafs be Leafing last night. Sloppy play, and two dumbass moves led to the 2nd and (game winning) goals.
2nd - 1st career goal for the kid
3rd - ex-Leaf Pierre Engvall's first game back in Toronto ... gets the GWG with 2 mins to go, and it was his first point in 19 games.
Only the Leafs could pull that off.
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I had the most "interesting" experience of my 30+ years of attending hockey games on Saturday.
First, the Kings demolished the Oilers. Just a regular season game, but it was a great way to start the post-McClellan era.
So...here's the cast of characters, in roughly the way we were sitting:
F Z H
G
M P S
I'm P. S is my 21yo son. M is the former Marine sitting to my left. G is a guy who was probably my age. Z is a woman who was going to ride the Zamboni during first intermission. F is Z's female friend, and H is a hipster guy. It appeared that F, Z, H and G all knew each other. We were seated behind and slightly to the right of the net where the Kings shoot twice.
About 5-8 minutes into the first period, Z stands up while play is going on and starts yacking with F. Keep in mind that, in addition to lingering, Z was wearing some sort of oversized baseball style cap. As I said, play was ongoing, and there was action happening in front of the Edmonton net. When she continued to linger, I said/yelled, "down in front." I'm not sure I was heard. A couple seconds later, M said the same thing. He was louder and was heard. There was then some back and forth between F, Z, H and M. It sounded friendly at first, and I didn't really hear what was said. Next thing I heard was H saying something like, "she's riding the Zamboni because she beat cancer." M then said, "that doesn't give you the right to stand there and block my view; the game's going on." There were a few more seconds of heated jawing when G stood up and started saying things to M. This resulted in my and my son's view being further blocked. I then stood up and told G to sit down and shut up (at this point, I had no idea that he knew Z). G responded by inviting me outside, at which point my 6'3" well-built kid stood up. Although I didn't hear him say this, he says that he said something like the following: "I don't care if we both get tossed out of this game, but you will NOT speak to my dad like that!" G gave my son a look, which my son described as, "the look on his face was like no one had ever spoken to him like that in his life." I put my arm in front of my son to push him back a couple inches and again told G to sit down and shut up, at which point I sat down and told my son to sit down. Eventually things de-fused, although H continued to make comments every time someone would get up or get down (while the crew was cleaning the ice).
Wild night!
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I had the most "interesting" experience of my 30+ years of attending hockey games on Saturday.
First, the Kings demolished the Oilers. Just a regular season game, but it was a great way to start the post-McClellan era.
So...here's the cast of characters, in roughly the way we were sitting:
F Z H
G
M P S
I'm P. S is my 21yo son. M is the former Marine sitting to my left. G is a guy who was probably my age. Z is a woman who was going to ride the Zamboni during first intermission. F is Z's female friend, and H is a hipster guy. It appeared that F, Z, H and G all knew each other. We were seated behind and slightly to the right of the net where the Kings shoot twice.
About 5-8 minutes into the first period, Z stands up while play is going on and starts yacking with F. Keep in mind that, in addition to lingering, Z was wearing some sort of oversized baseball style cap. As I said, play was ongoing, and there was action happening in front of the Edmonton net. When she continued to linger, I said/yelled, "down in front." I'm not sure I was heard. A couple seconds later, M said the same thing. He was louder and was heard. There was then some back and forth between F, Z, H and M. It sounded friendly at first, and I didn't really hear what was said. Next thing I heard was H saying something like, "she's riding the Zamboni because she beat cancer." M then said, "that doesn't give you the right to stand there and block my view; the game's going on." There were a few more seconds of heated jawing when G stood up and started saying things to M. This resulted in my and my son's view being further blocked. I then stood up and told G to sit down and shut up (at this point, I had no idea that he knew Z). G responded by inviting me outside, at which point my 6'3" well-built kid stood up. Although I didn't hear him say this, he says that he said something like the following: "I don't care if we both get tossed out of this game, but you will NOT speak to my dad like that!" G gave my son a look, which my son described as, "the look on his face was like no one had ever spoken to him like that in his life." I put my arm in front of my son to push him back a couple inches and again told G to sit down and shut up, at which point I sat down and told my son to sit down. Eventually things de-fused, although H continued to make comments every time someone would get up or get down (while the crew was cleaning the ice).
Wild night!
What's that joke? "I went to a boxing match and a hockey game broke out!" What fun is a hockey game if'n there isn't some jawing in the stands?!?
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I mean...I can't recall ever seeing anything like that happen, much less being in the middle of it. Normally, the reaction to "down in front" is to get down or get out.
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Love that kid, man!
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What does everyone think of Morgan Reilly cross checking that dude after the EM net goal the other night?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW1pqSHmMzY
No clue what the precedent is, but does 10-15 games sound about right?
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What does everyone think of Morgan Reilly cross checking that dude after the EM net goal the other night?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW1pqSHmMzY
No clue what the precedent is, but does 10-15 games sound about right?
You have a cross check... to the head... WAY after the whistle. Whatever they give, it'll either be not enough or just enough. I can't see them giving out any punishment that makes me say it's a little harsh. And yeah, Ottawa dude with a little bit of a dick finish, but you simply can not, under any circumstance, do that.
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It's the DOPS. They won't give that high of a number. The NHLPA will want to appeal that fast. I say it should be around 6 games. That's what David Perron had when he cross-checked a Sens player and all that Sens player did was try to get signal to bring medical attention out when Dylan Larkin went down after a collision. I understand that players wants some form of retribution when they feel wronged, even in the little ways, but these kinds of actions should not be condone. If you want to grab someone, have heated words with them, whatever. That's fine to blow the steam off. Cross-checking to the head should never be the retaliation action.
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It's the DOPS. They won't give that high of a number. The NHLPA will want to appeal that fast. I say it should be around 6 games. That's what David Perron had when he cross-checked a Sens player and all that Sens player did was try to get someone's attention when Dylan Larkin went down after a collision. I understand that players wants some form of retribution when they feel wronged, even in the little ways, but these kinds of actions should not be condone. If you want to grab someone, have heated words with them, whatever. That's fine to blow the steam off. Cross-checking to the head should never be the retaliation action.
I fully get why Perron was suspended, and I am not defending him at all for that.
HOWEVER
He was at least reacting to his captain being hurt, and he thought he was going after the guy who hurt him.
Firing that puck into the back of the net doesn't hurt a fucking thing.
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What does everyone think of Morgan Reilly cross checking that dude after the EM net goal the other night?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW1pqSHmMzY
No clue what the precedent is, but does 10-15 games sound about right?
Yikes. That reminded me a lot of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Zpx9TbebU
Ridley saw Reilly coming, and I don't know Reilly's disciplinary history, but Dale Hunter got 21 games when he did it.
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Love that kid, man!
I mean...if I ever needed someone to have my back in a fight, I'd pick him 10/10 times.
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I wouldn't be surprised if they have him 15+. I also wouldn't be surprised if it's only 6. It's the DoPS, after all. If anything, they're consistently inconsistent.
It was a brutal play, and i hope they give him 20. Reilly could have just punched him repeatedly instead. Gets the same message across for a misconduct or, at worst, a 1 game sit (not sure what the specific rules are with majors in the dying minutes).
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(https://i.postimg.cc/mgjLdFVk/FB-IMG-1707782338658.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/XrZ6qqR6)
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I'm honestly baffled that this is seen as a big problem and by some even as an excuse to cross check a player to the head. What is so bad about a slap shot into an empty net?
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I'm honestly baffled that this is seen as a big problem and by some even as an excuse to cross check a player to the head. What is so bad about a slap shot into an empty net?
It's seen as poor sportsmanship at that point in the game. 100% an unnecessary dick move. But that's all it is, and again, punishment against that reaction from Morgan should be harsh.
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I'm honestly baffled that this is seen as a big problem and by some even as an excuse to cross check a player to the head. What is so bad about a slap shot into an empty net?
It's seen as poor sportsmanship at that point in the game. 100% an unnecessary dick move. But that's all it is, and again, punishment against that reaction from Morgan should be harsh.
Look, I've played hockey since I was 10, and competitively up into college, so I'm okay with the violent nature of hockey, and I get the notion of defending your teammates. But there's a line; you can defend your teammate without committing a felony. If some dipshit wants to slap shot an open net, fine, but next time, bury him in the boards. Make his life miserable in the slot. Whatever; there are a 100 ways of sending the message without doing potential permanent, disabling injury to the guy.
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First, I'm not defending Reilly. He deserves a suspension... imo, 4ish games is the right call. I wasn't even going to post, as I know I'm not going to change anyone's mind, as ya'll have your position... and most of you will probably think this is coming from a homer lens, but I'm going to be as factual as I can be. And let's separate the "why" Reilly did it from the "what" he did. WHY he did it is 100% understandable, and how does anyone think Brady Tkachuck would've responded if it was the other way around? Can anyone name me one major team sport where a flagrant showboat / attempt to embarrass the opposing team isn't met with some kind of response?
I'll wait.
Also, in the history of forever, has anyone taken a full clapper like they were gunning for the All-Star hardest shot record? Ever seen Ovi do that? If it's a nothing thing, then why don't players do it all the time? (Hint: the answer is because it's classless, and will get you in shit).
I'll wait.
Like it or not, there is a "code" in all pro-sports, and flagrant attempt to embarrass the other team is one of those codes. 'Codes' don't just apply to standing up for your teammates. Shit, in Giroux's hallway and dressing room post-game interview he wouldn't/couldn't defend Grieg's actions, or lambaste Reilly - just stating 'emotions were high'.
Now, on to the WHAT. Facts on discipline from this year alone (and I don't need to go back too far to pull up other examples of logic defying discipline action from DPS):
Ryan Strome can go knee-on-knee to Kyle Connor, knocking him out for 8 weeks - no discipline
Matt Grzelcyk can spear an unsuspecting player (who is looking the other way) in the nuts - $5000 fine
Rasmus Anderson can knock Laine silly leaping shoulder first into Laine's head (who's still dealing with problems from that) - 4-games
Brendan Gallagher (a notorious 'greasy' player) can skate across the ice and head-hunt an unsuspecting player throwing a chicken-wing elbow to Adam Pelech - 5-games
David Perron intentionally cross-checks an unsuspecting player in the head for something Artem Zub didn't even do - 6-games (which I personally thought was far too harsh).
Ridley Grieg ... his own action incited the response (you can agree with it or not, it doesn't change the fact it's true - Reilly isn't going to do this if Grieg just nudges the puck into the net), saw Reilly coming, and (naturally) in an attempt to defend himself, the cross-check ends up riding up his shoulder into his head (ie, the shoulder was the principle point of contact - look closely at the replay (agree with it or not, it doesn't change the fact that it's true - I'm happy to screen cap it for anyone that disagrees). Additionally, he popped back up like a used-car air-blowup clown, and participated in full practice on Sunday. No injury to the player. Also, Reilly has no history - fuck, he's got 100 PIM in his career.
And you all think this Reilly's actions are more egregious than any of those others I listed?
Again, Reilly deserves punishment and a suspension. His error was in cross-checking high - there's no place in the game for that, and it needs to be removed. But let's pump the brakes insinuating this is the worst thing since Dale Hunter (which also, is a terrible comparison... the only similarity between the two is that it was a hit after a goal - everything else is completely different).
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I don't know why Matt Grzelyck is on your list. Perfectly justifiable, IMO.
(That is my tongue in cheek way of saying I agree with you 100%. I think he should be punished, I don't think he should have done that, but I'm like you, I don't think it's the most egregious thing in the world, even if that didn't come through in my last post.)
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First, I'm not defending Reilly. He deserves a suspension... imo, 4ish games is the right call. I wasn't even going to post, as I know I'm not going to change anyone's mind, as ya'll have your position... and most of you will probably think this is coming from a homer lens, but I'm going to be as factual as I can be. And let's separate the "why" Reilly did it from the "what" he did. WHY he did it is 100% understandable, and how does anyone think Brady Tkachuck would've responded if it was the other way around? Can anyone name me one major team sport where a flagrant showboat / attempt to embarrass the opposing team isn't met with some kind of response?
I'll wait.
Also, in the history of forever, has anyone taken a full clapper like they were gunning for the All-Star hardest shot record? Ever seen Ovi do that? If it's a nothing thing, then why don't players do it all the time? (Hint: the answer is because it's classless, and will get you in shit).
I'll wait.
Like it or not, there is a "code" in all pro-sports, and flagrant attempt to embarrass the other team is one of those codes. 'Codes' don't just apply to standing up for your teammates. Shit, in Giroux's hallway and dressing room post-game interview he wouldn't/couldn't defend Grieg's actions, or lambaste Reilly - just stating 'emotions were high'.
Now, on to the WHAT. Facts on discipline from this year alone (and I don't need to go back too far to pull up other examples of logic defying discipline action from DPS):
Ryan Strome can go knee-on-knee to Kyle Connor, knocking him out for 8 weeks - no discipline
Matt Grzelcyk can spear an unsuspecting player (who is looking the other way) in the nuts - $5000 fine
Rasmus Anderson can knock Laine silly leaping shoulder first into Laine's head (who's still dealing with problems from that) - 4-games
Brendan Gallagher (a notorious 'greasy' player) can skate across the ice and head-hunt an unsuspecting player throwing a chicken-wing elbow to Adam Pelech - 5-games
David Perron intentionally cross-checks an unsuspecting player in the head for something Artem Zub didn't even do - 6-games (which I personally thought was far too harsh).
Ridley Grieg ... his own action incited the response (you can agree with it or not, it doesn't change the fact it's true - Reilly isn't going to do this if Grieg just nudges the puck into the net), saw Reilly coming, and (naturally) in an attempt to defend himself, the cross-check ends up riding up his shoulder into his head (ie, the shoulder was the principle point of contact - look closely at the replay (agree with it or not, it doesn't change the fact that it's true - I'm happy to screen cap it for anyone that disagrees). Additionally, he popped back up like a used-car air-blowup clown, and participated in full practice on Sunday. No injury to the player. Also, Reilly has no history - fuck, he's got 100 PIM in his career.
And you all think this Reilly's actions are more egregious than any of those others I listed?
Again, Reilly deserves punishment and a suspension. His error was in cross-checking high - there's no place in the game for that, and it needs to be removed. But let's pump the brakes insinuating this is the worst thing since Dale Hunter (which also, is a terrible comparison... the only similarity between the two is that it was a hit after a goal - everything else is completely different).
Well, I certainly won't take on any sort of defense or try and find logic in the DPS, I think everyone here will agree on that.
On your opening points tho... the next time we see a case of some guy being shot by police for something like jaywalking or whatever crazy story comes up, you can't just respond with, well, a response was justified.
Like was already said, make his next game hell, but do it legally and don't take a cheap shot after, and I can't stress this enough... A PUCK GOT SHOT INTO THE NET. We can go around in circles all day about what level of dick move that is, but it *did* *not* *effect* *anyone* or the game, in any way.
One of my absolute biggest annoyances at all announcers is when someone takes a penalty "defending their teammate", and acts like that is better than scoring a goal or doing something to actually help the team.
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First, I'm not defending Reilly. He deserves a suspension... imo, 4ish games is the right call. I wasn't even going to post, as I know I'm not going to change anyone's mind, as ya'll have your position... and most of you will probably think this is coming from a homer lens, but I'm going to be as factual as I can be. And let's separate the "why" Reilly did it from the "what" he did. WHY he did it is 100% understandable, and how does anyone think Brady Tkachuck would've responded if it was the other way around? Can anyone name me one major team sport where a flagrant showboat / attempt to embarrass the opposing team isn't met with some kind of response?
I'll wait.
Also, in the history of forever, has anyone taken a full clapper like they were gunning for the All-Star hardest shot record? Ever seen Ovi do that? If it's a nothing thing, then why don't players do it all the time? (Hint: the answer is because it's classless, and will get you in shit).
I'll wait.
Like it or not, there is a "code" in all pro-sports, and flagrant attempt to embarrass the other team is one of those codes. 'Codes' don't just apply to standing up for your teammates. Shit, in Giroux's hallway and dressing room post-game interview he wouldn't/couldn't defend Grieg's actions, or lambaste Reilly - just stating 'emotions were high'.
Now, on to the WHAT. Facts on discipline from this year alone (and I don't need to go back too far to pull up other examples of logic defying discipline action from DPS):
Ryan Strome can go knee-on-knee to Kyle Connor, knocking him out for 8 weeks - no discipline
Matt Grzelcyk can spear an unsuspecting player (who is looking the other way) in the nuts - $5000 fine
Rasmus Anderson can knock Laine silly leaping shoulder first into Laine's head (who's still dealing with problems from that) - 4-games
Brendan Gallagher (a notorious 'greasy' player) can skate across the ice and head-hunt an unsuspecting player throwing a chicken-wing elbow to Adam Pelech - 5-games
David Perron intentionally cross-checks an unsuspecting player in the head for something Artem Zub didn't even do - 6-games (which I personally thought was far too harsh).
Ridley Grieg ... his own action incited the response (you can agree with it or not, it doesn't change the fact it's true - Reilly isn't going to do this if Grieg just nudges the puck into the net), saw Reilly coming, and (naturally) in an attempt to defend himself, the cross-check ends up riding up his shoulder into his head (ie, the shoulder was the principle point of contact - look closely at the replay (agree with it or not, it doesn't change the fact that it's true - I'm happy to screen cap it for anyone that disagrees). Additionally, he popped back up like a used-car air-blowup clown, and participated in full practice on Sunday. No injury to the player. Also, Reilly has no history - fuck, he's got 100 PIM in his career.
And you all think this Reilly's actions are more egregious than any of those others I listed?
Again, Reilly deserves punishment and a suspension. His error was in cross-checking high - there's no place in the game for that, and it needs to be removed. But let's pump the brakes insinuating this is the worst thing since Dale Hunter (which also, is a terrible comparison... the only similarity between the two is that it was a hit after a goal - everything else is completely different).
Well, I certainly won't take on any sort of defense or try and find logic in the DPS, I think everyone here will agree on that.
On your opening points tho... the next time we see a case of some guy being shot by police for something like jaywalking or whatever crazy story comes up, you can't just respond with, well, a response was justified.
Like was already said, make his next game hell, but do it legally and don't take a cheap shot after, and I can't stress this enough... A PUCK GOT SHOT INTO THE NET. We can go around in circles all day about what level of dick move that is, but it *did* *not* *effect* *anyone* or the game, in any way.
The police shooting analogy makes zero sense.
Based on the bold, you believe it's a nothing issue. Which is fine. But don't bury your head in the sand of your perceptions - if it were a nothing issue and shouldn't offend or bother anyone, please explain why it doesn't happen more frequently. You want to boil it down "a puck got shot into the net". Don't be naiive enough to think that's all it is. You're smarter than that.
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Kevin Weeks is reporting that Reilly got/will get a five-game suspension.
https://twitter.com/KevinWeekes/status/1757541926385947126?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
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Lamp's been lit all night long in Edmonton. McDavid with a 6pt night so far, but there's still a couple minutes left so you never know with that guy
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Speaking of the lamp being lit.... Sabres school the Kings for a converted touchdown - and Tage-fucking-Thompson doesn't get a single fucking point. That guy will single-handedly cost me money in my pool - he was in the box with Matthews and Rantanen (amongst others), and if I'd taken either of those two, I'd be in the Top 5 in my pool right now (as opposed to 15th).
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Thanks for your answers. Interesting to read your points of view on that matter.
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By the way, I was joking about the Grzelyck play above, but I saw it again during last nights game (congrats to a lock Hall of Famer, Brad Marchand for 1,000 games; boo to the B's for giving away a point) and now I'm not joking. That was dumb luck that the stick happened to catch a nut. Bullshit for that to be a fine.
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By the way, I was joking about the Grzelyck play above, but I saw it again during last nights game (congrats to a lock Hall of Famer, Brad Marchand for 1,000 games; boo to the B's for giving away a point) and now I'm not joking. That was dumb luck that the stick happened to catch a nut. Bullshit for that to be a fine.
Yeah, he obviously wasn't trying to the guy. Just sticking his stick between his legs to tie him up.
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I'm not sure if you guys are serious. And if so, then we're watching different plays.
https://youtu.be/u3RmWajKu9w?t=34
This is the better angle (https://youtu.be/u3RmWajKu9w?t=117) - he isn't even aiming to tie up Pacioretty's stick. Grz is literally angling his stick AWAY from Pacioretty's, and directly into his groin.
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He was trying to tie him up. He was not trying to spear him.
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I'm standing by my assessment. He was tying him up and just happened to catch a nut. That's a standard move that happens about 10 times a game for both teams in every NHL game. Had it not clipped sack, we would not be talking about this.
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I'm standing by my assessment. He was tying him up and just happened to catch a nut. That's a standard move that happens about 10 times a game for both teams in every NHL game. Had it not clipped sack, we would not be talking about this.
Egg Sac ly
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First, why would he be trying to tie him up when the puck is floating around the blue line with no one in possession of it? Second, you're completely not seeing how Pacioretty's stick is at 1 o'clock, and Grz is swinging for 9 o'clock? Grz has been in the league how many years, and he's that useless of a defensemen that he would miss Pac's stick be a good foot, while swinging his stick away from Pac's stick?
C'mon guys, you're smarter than that.
My last piece of video evidence is that immediately after the hit behind the net by Pac, Grz is staring him down and instantly goes to him with nary of thought of what the rest of the play is. https://youtu.be/u3RmWajKu9w?t=195
There's no arguing he speared him in the nuts. If you honestly think it wasn't intentional, I got nothing else for ya. It's pretty clear to everyone else on that ESPN broadcast that it was. My bigger beef is with DPS. They clearly saw it as punishable, but the extent of the punishment is a joke.
Message to the rest of the league, if you want retribution for anything, spear someone in the nuts.
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First, why would he be trying to tie him up when the puck is floating around the blue line with no one in possession of it? Second, you're completely not seeing how Pacioretty's stick is at 1 o'clock, and Grz is swinging for 9 o'clock? Grz has been in the league how many years, and he's that useless of a defensemen that he would miss Pac's stick be a good foot, while swinging his stick away from Pac's stick?
C'mon guys, you're smarter than that.
My last piece of video evidence is that immediately after the hit behind the net by Pac, Grz is staring him down and instantly goes to him with nary of thought of what the rest of the play is. https://youtu.be/u3RmWajKu9w?t=195
There's no arguing he speared him in the nuts. If you honestly think it wasn't intentional, I got nothing else for ya. It's pretty clear to everyone else on that ESPN broadcast that it was. My bigger beef is with DPS. They clearly saw it as punishable, but the extent of the punishment is a joke.
Message to the rest of the league, if you want retribution for anything, spear someone in the nuts.
As soon as a forward comes into the slot the defenseman is supposed to engage. That engagement can take several forms, from actual physical engagement to just shadowing, but the Bruins play an aggressive physical style. For some, that means positioning yourself between the player and net, and putting your stick between the legs of the player to limit his ability to move laterally (to screen or tip shots). That's what Grzelyck was doing, except he "missed". Except for the actual nut contact, I've done that move 1000 times in my playing days.
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Chad, you've been fucking cranky lately.
Look, he speared him. In the nuts. But there was no intent, I'm sure of it.
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So I was watching a Youtube video from The Hockey Guy who talked about Brad Marchand and his career thus far after he crossed the 1,000 games mark. One thing that really got me surprised. He's billed under 6 feet tall and is under 180 pounds and everyone hates playing against this guy. Small dude. Very hated and well skillful dude that has had infamous moments though.
The Controversial Career of Brad Marchand After 1000 Games (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAIbSRlM908)
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So I was watching a Youtube video from The Hockey Guy who talked about Brad Marchand and his career thus far after he crossed the 1,000 games mark. One thing that really got me surprised. He's billed under 6 feet tall and is under 180 pounds and everyone hates playing against this guy. Small dude. Very hated and well skillful dude that has had infamous moments though.
The Controversial Career of Brad Marchand After 1000 Games (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAIbSRlM908)
I'm not immune to the criticisms, but watching him almost every game for several seasons now, and he's just a joy to watch. NO ONE works harder, NO ONE is more diligent, and NO ONE gets more out of his skills than he does. I particularly love how he's changed his game and stepped up to be the leader and is definitely doing justice to the "C" on his sweater.
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Brandt Clarke fakes Linus Ullmark into the Charles River for his first career NHL goal - and an OT game winner to boot!!!
GKG!
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I don't know what's up with the Kings when playing against the Bruins in Boston. For the last 3 years, seems like against all odds, the Kings find a way to come from behind to force OT in Boston and ends up winning it in extra time. Like for most of this game, the Kings' coverage on the Bruins goals were bad, bad, bad, I can't emphasize on how bad it was. Sometimes, I keep thinking to myself, "Are they aware of who they are playing against?" It was divine intervention that got them to force OT and good timing for Brandt Clarke (who was serving a penalty) to get out the box at the right time and got his 1st career goal in the NHL.
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B's are in a funk.
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B's are in a funk.
No shit. Man they have sucked big time lately.
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Well, another come from behind victory for the Kings. This time against the Pens. I thought they would get goalied by Jarry and not much was going their way for 54 minutes in the game. Kempe was able to get two quick goals (one of them short-handed) to seal the W though. Things are trending upwards so far in the last week (aside from the 7-0 game against the Sabres).
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So Bettman has announced after the Morgan Rielly suspension appeal that they will keep the suspension as it is and had documented why it is the case in this document which showcase Bettman's lawyer and corporate side and sadly exposes players' emotional, to a detriment at times, side of things.
https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2023-24/RiellyRuling.pdf
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So Bettman has announced after the Morgan Rielly suspension appeal that they will keep the suspension as it is and had documented why it is the case in this document which showcase Bettman's lawyer and cooperate side and sadly exposes players' emotional "I'm butthurt that player x showed me off so he needs to feel pain," side.
https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2023-24/RiellyRuling.pdf
He got fewer games than Perron? What a joke.
He then appealed that somehow? What a bigger joke.
At least that was upheld.
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Well, for suspensions of a certain length (4+ games), there are no downside to appealing it. Either the suspension gets upheld, or maybe the player gets one game back and the wages it comes with it.
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Just saw this: Wild 10 Canucks 7
How can this be? Were they playing without goalies and without defense, shooting on soccer goals? :D
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So Bettman has announced after the Morgan Rielly suspension appeal that they will keep the suspension as it is and had documented why it is the case in this document which showcase Bettman's lawyer and corporate side and sadly exposes players' emotional, to a detriment at times, side of things.
https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2023-24/RiellyRuling.pdf
Well-written and well-reasoned decision.
Just saw this: Wild 10 Canucks 7
How can this be? Were they playing without goalies and without defense, shooting on soccer goals? :D
Either that or a time machine back to the late '80s/early '90s. What's even more "wild" is that Vancouver was up 5-2 before Minnesota reeled off SIX unanswered goals in a span of 5:45 (the first of which came at the very end of the second period). Vancouver then got two goals to make it close before Minnesota got two ENGs to close it out. THREE players had hat tricks!
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A couple days late, but I have to pimp this ridiculous Quinton Byfield goal from Tuesday:
https://www.facebook.com/LAKings/posts/pfbid02eEiobwEzzpqRahaLENn8vqNQ2M6pricWkuyS3JWy2dxLzFuMsBECrg94J3ZoWURCl
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Wings pulled off a huge victory last night over the Avs. Holding the Avs to only one goal is pretty impressive. The Wings seem to play really well in front of Alex Lyon, and it's great to see him stabilize the goaltending situation there. I'm hoping this momentum continues and they get back into the postseason.
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I'm two rows behind Binnington right now and it's been a fantastic first Wings game thus far.
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I'm two rows behind Binnington right now and it's been a fantastic first Wings game thus far.
Man, you got to witness a vintage Blues-Red Wings game today! It’s gotta hurt just a little extra for Gary that Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat led the charge on that one!!
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I'm two rows behind Binnington right now and it's been a fantastic first Wings game thus far.
Man, you got to witness a vintage Blues-Red Wings game today! It’s gotta hurt just a little extra for Gary that Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat led the charge on that one!!
Doesn't hurt 'as' much anymore but there's still that tinge of "F those guys" that will never leave :lol
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DeBrincat and Kane did it again tonight to the Blackhawks. DeBrincat scores the tying goal late in the third, and Kane nets the OT game winner!
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What a crazy finish to the Blackhawks Red Wings game! Also, the Chicago fans ovation for Kane before the game was amazing, and even after he scores that goal in OT for the Red Wings of all teams, they gave him another great ovation. It was pretty classy all-around and a great moment in sports history.
I went to the Hurricanes Panthers game last Thursday, and it did not disappoint. The 3rd period was awesome. The game got pretty chippy, Florida had a goal called back after the review showed an offsides in the buildup, and Sebastian Aho scored with 20 sec left in the game to win it 1-0. PNC Arena went nuts!
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Watched Sens/Knights in Ottawa Saturday night (was picking up jingle.son from school to bring him home for reading week). Sens looked awful the first period, but managed to hang around, then had a strong 3rd to tie it up. OT was amazing, and then Stutzle winning it in the shootout. Nice home-team win.
Drove home Sunday, then caught the Canes/Sabres in Buffalo. Similar story. Refs called 2 really soft penalties on Dahlin, the 2nd one leading to the 2-1 leading goal. A couple shifts later, Owen Power played like he was not going to be denied, and sure enough, scored the equalizer. UPL was a stone wall in the shootout, and the Sabres only needed 1 past Spencer Martin.
Two nice games in a row to be in attendance for.
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What on earth is Reading Week?
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Last year the Red Wings got blown out in back to backs with Ottawa that caused them to officially go into sell mode around this time. I feel like this weekends games pretty much made it so they are a playoff team this year.
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What on earth is Reading Week?
Freedom to Read Week is an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom.
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UPL was a stone wall in the shootout, and the Sabres only needed 1 past Spencer Martin.
Ukko-Pekka Luokkinen is such a fun name to say. When my son was younger, if he saw that name while I was playing one of the EA Sports NHL games, he would walk around saying "Ukko-Pekka Ukko-Pekka". Quite hilarious!
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What on earth is Reading Week?
A week in the middle of a semester that they get off - just like March Break for elementary/secondary schools.
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What on earth is Reading Week?
The Canadian equivalent to the US college spring break. Supposed to be used to catch up on your assigned textbook readings, prepare for midterms, etc.
As you can imagine, it's used for going away and getting blotto instead.
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What on earth is Reading Week?
The Canadian equivalent to the US college spring break. Supposed to be used to catch up on your assigned textbook readings, prepare for midterms, etc.
As you can imagine, it's used for going away and getting blotto instead.
HAHA, I was thinking about your last line, but you beat me to the punch:
"Americans: Week off from school in the spring: GET WASTED IN FLORIDA."
"Canadians: Week off from school in the spring: Catch up on your assigned textbook readings."
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What on earth is Reading Week?
The Canadian equivalent to the US college spring break. Supposed to be used to catch up on your assigned textbook readings, prepare for midterms, etc.
As you can imagine, it's used for going away and getting blotto instead.
:lol
I figured it was. I've never heard of that term before.
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I can honestly say i never went away for Reading Week. Mind you, I also never used that time for studying either.
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I can honestly say i never went away for Reading Week. Mind you, I also never used that time for studying either.
Ditto. Jingle.son was pretty sick last week, so fell behind on his projects that are due next week. He’ll be doing a lot of schoolwork while home this week. :-\
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Kings somehow find themselves back into 3rd in the Pacific. I’m mixed between this team doing nothing and them getting a winger. Bringing back Tyler Toffoli is an option, but it would be expensive to make it work and probably not worth it.
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Bad week for the flu bug to run thru the Leafs. They looked completely life-less the last three games, and were lucky to get 2 points out of the Sabres game. The Bs made them look like and ECHL team. 8-point swing, and the Bs got themselves back into contention with Florida for 1st. Leafs are all but guaranteed 3rd in the Atlantic, and neither option of Boston or Florida having home-ice advantage gives me any hope for this year's playoffs.
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Looked like the Leafs’ primary goal last night was to try and rough up the Bruins. They seemed to be taking a lot of liberties.
And Woll cannot let Frederic score 5- hole on that breakaway.
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Looked like the Leafs’ primary goal last night was to try and rough up the Bruins. They seemed to be taking a lot of liberties.
And Woll cannot let Frederic score 5- hole on that breakaway.
Yeah, that was soft; as was the 4th goal. Woll is definitely playing himself into the backup position.
What the hell was McCabe thinking on those first two cross-checks. Completely senseless... and it didn't help that the refs got the call wrong to give them a 5-on-3 for 2 full minutes.
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Looked like the Leafs’ primary goal last night was to try and rough up the Bruins. They seemed to be taking a lot of liberties.
And Woll cannot let Frederic score 5- hole on that breakaway.
Yeah, that was soft; as was the 4th goal. Woll is definitely playing himself into the backup position.
What the hell was McCabe thinking on those first two cross-checks. Completely senseless... and it didn't help that the refs got the call wrong to give them a 5-on-3 for 2 full minutes.
I thought they had one thing to achieve and that was to try and intimidate the Bruins.
Poor Ryan Reaves. He looked like he showed up at a gay bar looking to dance with a woman.
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Hurricanes made the move for Guentzel and are going in on making a deep run this year. I'm glad they made the move to get another winger who can score some goals. We'll see what else happens before the deadline today.
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Kings somehow find themselves back into 3rd in the Pacific. I’m mixed between this team doing nothing and them getting a winger. Bringing back Tyler Toffoli is an option, but it would be expensive to make it work and probably not worth it.
I'm struggling with what we have to trade. The only guy on the roster I'd really be willing to see go is Dubois, but I'm sure he has very little value on the market. I don't know exactly where we are with draft picks, but I'd rather not fall back on the '90s and early '00s MO of trading away draft picks for aging veterans.
Kevin Fiala's OT winner last night was a thing of beauty, by the way.
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Maroon to the Bruins
Canes are looking at Kuznetsov
Tofolli to the Jets
Okposo to the Panthers
Less than 3 hours to go
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I’m all right with the Kings not doing anything. The only thing that’s on the table is a first round pick and they can’t get Toffoli for that, might as well not trade it.
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Remember when Jack Edwards suggested Maroon was overweight? Can't wait for the first interview! :lol
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Loving - well, for them, hating it for me - that pickup by the Knights.
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And at the buzzer beater. Bob McKenzie reported that Hertl is going to the Golden Knights. What’s the Sharks doing helping Vegas?
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I'll laugh my ass off if the Knights don't make it to the playoffs. I mean, Hertl is on LTIR until the playoffs, so he's only valuable this year if they actually make it there. And how helpful is he going to be having never played a game with the team? Also, how does Vegas afford him going forward? Also, why the hell would SJ retain salary - for 6 MORE YEARS!. Teams can only retain salary for 3 contracts at a time, so they've boxed themselves into only doing that for 2 more contracts at a time.
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Maroon to the Bruins
Hmm... He is exactly what they need, but he is literally my least favorite player in the NHL.
Oh, and he just had back surgery and is at least a month away.
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So I ended up buying that ticket for Pens/Oilers. It’s a rare treat to watch Crosby and McDavid. This may end up being almost close to one of the last times that both are in the same game.
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Maroon to the Bruins
Hmm... He is exactly what they need, but he is literally my least favorite player in the NHL.
Oh, and he just had back surgery and is at least a month away.
Rumor is Ullmark nixed a deal and speculation it was to the Kings. I'm glad; I would have moved Ullmark if the deal was right, but it had to be an unequivocal top six center.
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Maroon to the Bruins
Hmm... He is exactly what they need, but he is literally my least favorite player in the NHL.
Oh, and he just had back surgery and is at least a month away.
Rumor is Ullmark nixed a deal and speculation it was to the Kings. I'm glad; I would have moved Ullmark if the deal was right, but it had to be an unequivocal top six center.
I'm not sure who he is, but I'd definitely have given up our #6 center for Ullmark! :biggrin:
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:lol :lol
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Maroon to the Bruins
Hmm... He is exactly what they need, but he is literally my least favorite player in the NHL.
Oh, and he just had back surgery and is at least a month away.
Rumor is Ullmark nixed a deal and speculation it was to the Kings. I'm glad; I would have moved Ullmark if the deal was right, but it had to be an unequivocal top six center.
I'm not sure who he is, but I'd definitely have given up our #6 center for Ullmark! :biggrin:
(Well, by "top six center" I mean someone to be a center on the first or second line.)
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He's now nixed two deals. You'd think by now, the Bruins would try and trade him to teams NOT on his No Trade list.
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I learned something new today.
Yesterday, Minnesota and Nashville were tied 3-3 at the end of regulation. Minnesota is (as of right now) 6 points out of the second wild card spot in the west, so they pulled their goalie in OT. They scored and won. However, had Nashville scored with the Minnesota net empty, not only would Nashville have earned 2 points, Minnesota would have lost the 1 point they earned for getting to OT. I had no idea that was a rule. Ballsy move by the coach!
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I remember hearing that rule a few years back. Ballsy indeed.
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I think I saw a quote from the coach after the game where the reporter asked him about that rule and he wasn't aware of it :lol He figured they were playing with house money with the one point already locked in.
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I think I saw a quote from the coach after the game where the reporter asked him about that rule and he wasn't aware of it :lol He figured they were playing with house money with the one point already locked in.
I'd be surprised if the coach wasn't aware. I saw that at least one of the players wasn't (I think Boldy... the guy who scored).
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Maroon to the Bruins
Hmm... He is exactly what they need, but he is literally my least favorite player in the NHL.
Oh, and he just had back surgery and is at least a month away.
Rumor is Ullmark nixed a deal and speculation it was to the Kings. I'm glad; I would have moved Ullmark if the deal was right, but it had to be an unequivocal top six center.
I'm not sure who he is, but I'd definitely have given up our #6 center for Ullmark! :biggrin:
(Well, by "top six center" I mean someone to be a center on the first or second line.)
I think that's a little throwing shade at a player like Pierre-Luc Dubois whose not living up to the cost the Kings pay to get him in the trade or the cost of the contract. I mean if you take a small look at the Kings center depth chart below. Yeah, you could feasibly say he's the Kings' 6th center as of now when it comes making impacts. Some fans are at the point where if the Kings can find a way to move him without any pain that would be great. That's not happening though.
Like I'm not going to believe the Bruins are going to think PLD is going to be their answer for a Top-line Center to replace Bergeron and Krejci and that they are going to trade Ullmark to get there. That's not happening at all. No reality in that happening.
1. Kopitar
2. Danault
3. Lizotte
4. Turcotte (maybe?)
5. Byfield (currently playing wing, but hopefully in a few years after a few more growth in his game after Kopitar retires, he can slot back to C and hopefully be really good at it).
6. PLD
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1. Kopitar
2. Danault
3. Lizotte
4. Turcotte (maybe?)
5. Byfield (currently playing wing, but hopefully in a few years after a few more growth in his game after Kopitar retires, he can slot back to C and hopefully be really good at it).
6. PLD
You forgot Lewis, and I'd have given up him or anyone on that list not named Kopitar or Byfield for a guy like Ullmark (as much as losing Danault would have hurt). Of course, it's a moo point now.
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(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/62necDwQb5E/hqdefault.jpg)
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Interesting story on Cody Hodgson...
https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/ex-nhler-cody-hodgson-on-comeback-trail-after-eight-years-1.2088753
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Glad you caught that, Chad! :biggrin:
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This sequence was bonkers last night. Leafs have a PP, and as it's ending 2 Flyers lose their stick, then one more breaks his stick blocking a shot. The Leafs end up 5-on-4 and only 1 Flyer has a stick! Easy pickins.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekrfp0o10C0
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Awful story. Just 52..
https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/simon-s-family-says-ex-enforcer-died-by-suicide-strongly-believes-cte-played-role-1.2092785
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Yeah, they talked about it in the broadcast, and then I saw to dead it was suicide and likely due to CTE. Terrible.
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Kind of a funny incident in last nights Kings blowout win over Minnesota.
The Kings were up 6-0 after two periods. Most of the first half of the third period was uneventful. Around the 9:00 marks, Pierre-Luc Dubois got into a scuffle with Ryan Harman. They each got a roughing minor and a misconduct and went to the dressing rooms. Another wild player also got a roughing call. About 5 minutes later, another fracas broke out on the ice. Nothing major. However, according to the postgame interview with Kings captain, Anze Kopitar (who scored his 1,200th career NHL point during the game), referee Francois St. Laurent ("Frankie," as Kopitar called him) skated over and said, "ok...everyone on the ice hit the shower." It didn't really register with me until this morning when I looked at the box score and saw misconduct penalties assessed at 14:16 to all five Kings skaters and all five Wild skaters. Kopitar said (jokingly) that he was worried it might cost him the Lady Byng. :lol Don't mess with this guy!
(https://i0.wp.com/scoutingtherefs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/FS08.jpg?resize=120%2C120&ssl=1)
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It didn't look like much in comparison to that Senators/Panthers game where you can justify booting everyone out during that blowout. I will say, if this was a closer game like a two-goal difference with 6 minutes left on the clock, this would be a horrible trade-off for the Kings.
(https://i.imgur.com/iJUk9DQ.png)
Also, for fun, here is that video of every skater on ice in that Senators/Panthers game getting ejected.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOhAkdr_QdQ
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Leafs really deserved a better fate than a 4-3 loss against the Flyers. They hit 5 posts, and the Flyers blocked 35 shots.
They made up for it last night.
Leafs-Oilers for Saturday. It's go-time Rich.
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Leafs really deserved a better fate than a 4-3 loss against the Flyers. They hit 5 posts, and the Flyers blocked 35 shots.
They made up for it last night.
Leafs-Oilers for Saturday. It's go-time Rich.
Need to take care of the Sabres first. Don't worry, though, Chad. Leafs will get their turn.
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Kind of a funny incident in last nights Kings blowout win over Minnesota.
The Kings were up 6-0 after two periods. Most of the first half of the third period was uneventful. Around the 9:00 marks, Pierre-Luc Dubois got into a scuffle with Ryan Harman. They each got a roughing minor and a misconduct and went to the dressing rooms. Another wild player also got a roughing call. About 5 minutes later, another fracas broke out on the ice. Nothing major. However, according to the postgame interview with Kings captain, Anze Kopitar (who scored his 1,200th career NHL point during the game), referee Francois St. Laurent ("Frankie," as Kopitar called him) skated over and said, "ok...everyone on the ice hit the shower." It didn't really register with me until this morning when I looked at the box score and saw misconduct penalties assessed at 14:16 to all five Kings skaters and all five Wild skaters. Kopitar said (jokingly) that he was worried it might cost him the Lady Byng. :lol Don't mess with this guy!
(https://i0.wp.com/scoutingtherefs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/FS08.jpg?resize=120%2C120&ssl=1)
The other thing I forgot to mention was that, during the postgame interview, Anson Carter (I think) asked Kopitar if he'd ever previously had a misconduct penalty. Kopitar responded that, during his third season, he wasn't scoring, and they "had a shitty power play," and he swung his stick against a pane of glass and broke it (in fact, this incident happened during the second game of the 2008-09 season, a 1-0 loss to the Sharks). I'm always surprised when stuff like this slips through and doesn't get bleeped.
On another note, Wayne Simmonds announced his retirement from the NHL a couple days ago. Of all the guys the Kings traded in the process of building the 2012 and 2014 Cup winners, he was the one guy I really hated to see leave.
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The Predators have went 15 games without losing in regulation, including winning 13 games in this stretch. Apparently, the funny part was that after they lost to the Stars 9-2 at home, the Predators organization cancelled plans for the team and staff to see U2 in the Sphere in Vegas and since then, there is no slowing them down at all in collecting points that should lock the 1st Wild Card spot in the West.
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The Predators have went 15 games without losing in regulation, including winning 13 games in this stretch. Apparently, the funny part was that after they lost to the Stars 9-2 at home, the Predators organization cancelled plans for the team and staff to see U2 in the Sphere in Vegas and since then, there is no slowing them down at all in collecting points that should lock the 1st Wild Card spot in the West.
And now a 3-0 win over the Panthers. Most impressive.
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Leafs really deserved a better fate than a 4-3 loss against the Flyers. They hit 5 posts, and the Flyers blocked 35 shots.
They made up for it last night.
Leafs-Oilers for Saturday. It's go-time Rich.
Need to take care of the Sabres first.
Apparently the first two periods were competitive. Did the Sabres crack a keg open in the 2nd intermission. Yowzer!
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...sigh.....
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Were the Oil bad, or did the Leafs just get very fortunate? I'm leaning towards more of the former, but a bit of the latter. I mean, the 1st goal, broken coverage. The third goal... What the hell was Bouch thinking - he just let Matthews take the puck, end then played as effectively as a pylon as Holmberg went to the net. The 4th goal was just a dumb decision to try and avoid the off-side.
And the Leafs were without Marner, Jarnkrok, and Bertuzzi. I could care less about Bertuzzi, cuz he's been about as useful as a bag of pucks for 85% of the season. Jarnkrok is a shut-down kinda player, and a big asset defensively. Marner is Marner.
Nice to get 2 points out of that game, and fortunately Samsonov's injury isn't anything serious. Now Carolina at 6ET today. Tough game to have to travel and play in less than 24 hours - though, they had the exact situation against Carolina last year, and pulled out a W somehow. Doubt that's gonna happen tonight.
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Oil were bad for 2 periods. Tough to dig out of the 5 goal lead they handed the Leafs. Bouch has been making silly plays at the blueline all season. Terrifies me heading towards the playoffs.
Oil also have a 23hr turnaround between game starts. Thankfully it's just the Sens *furiously knocking on wood*
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Oil were bad for 2 periods. Tough to dig out of the 5 goal lead they handed the Leafs. Bouch has been making silly plays at the blueline all season. Terrifies me heading towards the playoffs.
Oil also have a 23hr turnaround between game starts. Thankfully it's just the Sens *furiously knocking on wood*
I think that early PK the Leafs completed changed things. For the first 90 seconds or so, the Oil dominated them. I was 100% certain they were going to get a PP goal. Killing it off was big, and then that first goal really seemed to put Edmonton in a funk for the next 36 minutes of gametime.
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Wow. Zach Hyman with 50 goals for the season. I know people are going to downplay it saying, "But he plays with McDavid all the time and gets all the PP time and 80% of his goals is from up close to the net." My counterpoint will be that prior to Hyman signing with the Oilers, there were guys playing with McDavid that could not get this level of production, let alone getting like 20-30 goals if it was that easy getting a lot of goals being stapled to McDavid.
Oilers' Zach Hyman Mobbed By Teammates After Netting 50th Of Season (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsuJA5VlEmc)
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It’s a bit of both. Hyman is an ideal fit for McJesus, but he’d never have scored 50 in Toronto.
Guess you didn’t point that wood hard enough, Rich.
Tough loss for the Leafs. Unlucky bounce for the 2nd Canes goal. Woll was rock solid with 41 saves. Carolina’s defence was suffocating, and man do the Leafs special teams suck ass right now. Marner can’t come back soon enough.
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Canes are 6-0-1 over the last 7 and playing really well. Guentzel and Kuznetsov are fitting in nicely. If they can get Svech going, they have a good shot a making a run at the Cup.
The game on Friday against the Caps that they lost in the shootout was wild!
Also, Ovi is scoring goals now, and the Caps are in the wild card hunt.
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Also, Ovi is scoring goals now
:tdwn
Firmly mark me down in the category of 'boo' when it comes to this. I get that he's a true goal scorer and one of the best to ever do it....but....just not a fan of him seemingly going to break the record. I can't sit and give great examples as to 'why'....other than I just feel like this push to do it is disingenuous and manufactured
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:tdwn
Firmly mark me down in the category of 'boo' when it comes to this. I get that he's a true goal scorer and one of the best to ever do it....but....just not a fan of him seemingly going to break the record. I can't sit and give great examples as to 'why'....other than I just feel like this push to do it is disingenuous and manufactured
Gary, with you 1000000%.
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Also, Ovi is scoring goals now, and the Caps are in the wild card hunt.
I hadn't paid too much attention to Ovechkin this year. He's had 26 goals in 67 games, which is .388 goals per game. Over the prior five seasons, he scored .625 goals per game and over the prior 10 seasons (the first post-lockout season through last season), he scored .605 goals per game. Remarkable consistency. Is it just age that caused the drop-off this year?
He needs 46 to catch Gretzky (who turned 38 in his final season, while Ovechkin will turn 39 shortly before the start of next season). If he can get a few more this season and get back to his more normal pace, he might be able to get the record toward the end of next season. He will, however, need about 40 more seasons to catch Gretzky's career assists record (assuming he maintains his career pace of .492 assists per game). :biggrin:
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First... Guentzel looks great on the line with Jarvis and Aho. The Canes are my pick to make the Final out of the East at this point.
Second, I'm in the Team-Gretzky camp, but can't deny the consistency (1st half of this season notwithstanding) Ovi has put forth - which includes his lack of significant injury. Plus, there's the 46 WHA goals that don't count. And Ovi has 26 OT (regular season) goals in his career (which he's always played at 4-on-4 or 3-on-3); Gretz had 2 (all at 5-on-5).
Fair or not, in my mind there's a bit of an asterisk behind this - Ovi's got a 20+ lift in his goal total that Gretz never had the opportunity for; and Gretz has a 40+ goal reduction that is part of his "pro" (but not NHL) total.
I get it ... different eras and all, but Gretz will always be the greatest goal-scorer in history for me, unless Ovi hits 950ish.
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People say there is asterisks if Ovi breaks the record, you got to remember. Gretzky had like one shortened season (due to lockout) in his NHL career (and the seasons where he had his fair shares of injuries) while Ovi missed his rookie season (04-05), the 2013 season had only 48 games in the season, and the 2021 season had 56 games, and the 2020 season was missing 10 games due to the pandemic. Missing around 150 games in that span due to circumstances non-health related that's out of his hands. He could have broken that record like last year if he had a chance to play those games.
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The wife and I will be in DC to see the Red Wings tomorrow night for the first time in ten years (Covid and life have interfered since). Win or lose, it’s always been a great experience seeing all the fellow Detroit fans. So far, the Cap fans have been nothing but kind (and even pleasureable) to chat and sit with.
This is the first year in eons where I’ve been following the Wings on a game by game basis (instead of checking the standings every 7-10 days) and even watched a few games in the process. Their six game winning streak put them 8 points up for the 8th spot a while back, only to be followed by a seven game losing streak. >:( Caps are now one point up with one less game played. The first time we’ll be in attendance where the game truly means something.
I do ‘follow’ the Capitols, and tune in for some games. Glad they won the Stanley Cup a few years back, while all the too early exits have been disappointing. Any hockey talk just dries up around here after they’ve been eliminated.
Ovechkin: well, I’m not a fan of Putin fans, so my rooting interest of him has become nil over the last few years.
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People say there is asterisks if Ovi breaks the record, you got to remember. Gretzky had like one shortened season (due to lockout) in his NHL career (and the seasons where he had his fair shares of injuries) while Ovi missed his rookie season (04-05), the 2013 season had only 48 games in the season, and the 2021 season had 56 games, and the 2020 season was missing 10 games due to the pandemic. Missing around 150 games in that span due to circumstances non-health related that's out of his hands. He could have broken that record like last year if he had a chance to play those games.
Fair point... I forgot his rookie season would've been 04/05
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The subject of asterisks next to records makes zero sense in this context. I get having one next to Bonds' HR record considering he was on more juice than a large scale, commercial Florida orchard. If we're going to asterisk Ovi's goal total, then we might as well just erase all stats prior to the 90s or asterisk all those record considering how awful defense and goaltending was. All stanley cup wins prior to the 70s expansion? Might as well not count those either since there were fewer teams.
Either you have separate eras like the NBA or you take the records as they stand.
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I agree with SchecterShredder. And it's not a new issue; WWII severely impacted the stats of many great players. Oh well.
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People say there is asterisks if Ovi breaks the record, you got to remember. Gretzky had like one shortened season (due to lockout) in his NHL career (and the seasons where he had his fair shares of injuries) while Ovi missed his rookie season (04-05), the 2013 season had only 48 games in the season, and the 2021 season had 56 games, and the 2020 season was missing 10 games due to the pandemic. Missing around 150 games in that span due to circumstances non-health related that's out of his hands. He could have broken that record like last year if he had a chance to play those games.
I don't know what sort of asterisk you might put on Ovechkin getting the record. Assuming Ovechkin gets it, it will take him slightly more games.
Gretzky: 894 goals in 1,487 games = 0.6012 GPG
Ovechkin: 848 goals in 1,414 games = 0.5997 GPG
But that's not asterisk-worthy. What you'll typically hear is chatter unrelated to the goals record: oh, well, while he was scoring all those goals, Gretz also had nearly thrice as many assists as Ovechkin. I think a lot of folks forget that defensive play when Gretzky was on the Oilers was not close to the same level it has been during Ovechkin's career.
During Gretzky's tenure in Edmonton (1979-1988) goals per game in the NHL ranged between 3.51 and 4.01. By contrast, during Ovechkin's career (2005-2024), GPG ranged from 2.71-3.14. When you break down Gretzky's Oilers numbers to the rest of his career, the distinction becomes even more clear:
Gretzky with Edmonton: 583 goals in 696 games = 0.8376 GPG
Gretzky with everyone else: 311 goals in 791 = 0.3932 GPG
Gretzky in Edmonton was on video game mode. It would be interesting to run a simulation with Ovechkin on the '79-'88 Oilers.
Honestly, aside from otherworldly goal scoring ability, the biggest thing Gretz and Ovechkin have in common was/is the ability to stay healthy. Gretzky played in 92.48% of his teams' games (his worst seasons injury-wise were '87-'88, when he missed 16 games, and '92-'93, when he missed 35). Ovechkin's percentage is even better; he has played in 95.99% of his team's games (his lowest GP total in a normal season was 72 games in 2009-10!). Of course, you don't break records like these without staying healthy, but both of these guys were very fortunate in that regard.
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I agree with SchecterShredder. And it's not a new issue; WWII severely impacted the stats of many great players. Oh well.
My Dad and I once did the math on Ted Williams, given that he lost a total of 5 full seasons due to WWII and the Korean War. Just taking the average season for him, and multiplying those numbers by 5, and he would have finished 2nd in home runs at over 650 when he retired, with close to 3500 hits. His numbers were amazing, but they would've been that much more ridiculous if he hadn't lost time to those wars.
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I don't know what sort of asterisk you might put on Ovechkin getting the record. Assuming Ovechkin gets it, it will take him slightly more games.
Gretzky: 894 goals in 1,487 games = 0.6012 GPG
Ovechkin: 848 goals in 1,414 games = 0.5997 GPG
But that's not asterisk-worthy. What you'll typically hear is chatter unrelated to the goals record: oh, well, while he was scoring all those goals, Gretz also had nearly thrice as many assists as Ovechkin. I think a lot of folks forget that defensive play when Gretzky was on the Oilers was not close to the same level it has been during Ovechkin's career.
During Gretzky's tenure in Edmonton (1979-1988) goals per game in the NHL ranged between 3.51 and 4.01. By contrast, during Ovechkin's career (2005-2024), GPG ranged from 2.71-3.14. When you break down Gretzky's Oilers numbers to the rest of his career, the distinction becomes even more clear:
Gretzky with Edmonton: 583 goals in 696 games = 0.8376 GPG
Gretzky with everyone else: 311 goals in 791 = 0.3932 GPG
Gretzky in Edmonton was on video game mode. It would be interesting to run a simulation with Ovechkin on the '79-'88 Oilers.
Honestly, aside from otherworldly goal scoring ability, the biggest thing Gretz and Ovechkin have in common was/is the ability to stay healthy. Gretzky played in 92.48% of his teams' games (his worst seasons injury-wise were '87-'88, when he missed 16 games, and '92-'93, when he missed 35). Ovechkin's percentage is even better; he has played in 95.99% of his team's games (his lowest GP total in a normal season was 72 games in 2009-10!). Of course, you don't break records like these without staying healthy, but both of these guys were very fortunate in that regard.
How much of that was BECAUSE of Gretsky, though?
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How much of that was BECAUSE of Gretsky, though?
I'm not going to do every season, but the lead average goals per game in 1981-82 was 4.01, which is the highest number in the post-expansion era. There were 840 games played that season, so that tells me that there were approximately 3,368 goals scored that season (4.01 x 840 = 3,368.4). 1981-82 was Gretzky's 92 goal/120 assist season, so that's 212 goals for which he was directly responsible. Let's assume that a league average player scored 75 points that season, so that reduces the total number of goals from 3,368 to 3,231 (3,368 - 212 + 75). Over 840 games, that gives us an average of 3.85. I'm sure that's a flawed analysis (if nothing else, it's way oversimplified), and it says a lot about the value of Gretzky. It's also a bit of a chicken/egg question. Was the league average so high because of Gretzky, or did Gretzky score so much because no one was playing defense?
By the way, Gretzky's +/- that season was 80, which is tied for 12th all-time (but not his personal best, which was 100 in 1984-85 - third all time behind Bobby Orr's 124 in 1970-71 and Larry Robinson's 120 in 1976-77).
Also by the way, 49 of the top 50 all-time best +/- seasons were from 1985-86 or earlier. Anyone want to guess the most recent top-50 +/- season?
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My Dad and I once did the math on Ted Williams, given that he lost a total of 5 full seasons due to WWII and the Korean War. Just taking the average season for him, and multiplying those numbers by 5, and he would have finished 2nd in home runs at over 650 when he retired, with close to 3500 hits. His numbers were amazing, but they would've been that much more ridiculous if he hadn't lost time to those wars.
The Splinter was a g-damn beast. Dude broke combat pilot training records and was John Glenn's wingman in Korea.
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All things being equal.....if I had to pick a player 'in his prime' to build a team around it's Mario Lemieux every day of the week and twice on Sunday. You could put Mario in his prime in todays game and he's getting you 35/40 goals a year.....#99 might break 20 if he was lucky.
I know we've had this discussion a hundred times before....it's the whole 'eras' thing....but...IMO Mario was a better goal scorer and all around player than #99....and Ovi isn't even in the same realm as Mario as a complete player.
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All things being equal.....if I had to pick a player 'in his prime' to build a team around it's Mario Lemieux every day of the week and twice on Sunday. You could put Mario in his prime in todays game and he's getting you 35/40 goals a year.....#99 might break 20 if he was lucky.
I know we've had this discussion a hundred times before....it's the whole 'eras' thing....but...IMO Mario was a better goal scorer and all around player than #99....and Ovi isn't even in the same realm as Mario as a complete player.
I'll agree that Lemieux would probably fare better in "today's NHL" than would Gretzky. Not sure I'm prepared to go beyond that.
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Lindholm/Tkachuk/Gaudreau were all +50 a few years back. Which is pretty goddamned amazing a single line did it together.
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I'm not going to do every season, but the lead average goals per game in 1981-82 was 4.01, which is the highest number in the post-expansion era. There were 840 games played that season, so that tells me that there were approximately 3,368 goals scored that season (4.01 x 840 = 3,368.4). 1981-82 was Gretzky's 92 goal/120 assist season, so that's 212 goals for which he was directly responsible. Let's assume that a league average player scored 75 points that season, so that reduces the total number of goals from 3,368 to 3,231 (3,368 - 212 + 75). Over 840 games, that gives us an average of 3.85. I'm sure that's a flawed analysis (if nothing else, it's way oversimplified), and it says a lot about the value of Gretzky. It's also a bit of a chicken/egg question. Was the league average so high because of Gretzky, or did Gretzky score so much because no one was playing defense?
By the way, Gretzky's +/- that season was 80, which is tied for 12th all-time (but not his personal best, which was 100 in 1984-85 - third all time behind Bobby Orr's 124 in 1970-71 and Larry Robinson's 120 in 1976-77).
Also by the way, 49 of the top 50 all-time best +/- seasons were from 1985-86 or earlier. Anyone want to guess the most recent top-50 +/- season?
All I know is that I've seen Gretzsky, Howe (though not in his prime) and Lemieux play live, and to this day I've never seen anyone play the game like Gretzky.
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The Mt. Rushmore will always be Howe, Orr, Gretz, Lemiuex (in chronological order). I really don't see anyone ever surpassing the impact those four had on the game of their era. I mean for every conversation that brings up a "generational" talent in this millenium, another one comes around within a few years. Ovi, Sid, Kuch, McDavid, Matthews, Bedard. And the hype is already building for Cellebrini.
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First... Guentzel looks great on the line with Jarvis and Aho. The Canes are my pick to make the Final out of the East at this point.
That's the other piece I didn't mention. Jarvis has been so good over the past month or so. I really love his game.
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That's the other piece I didn't mention. Jarvis has been so good over the past month or so. I really love his game.
And as jingle.boy continually reminds me, Jarvis was the 1st rd pick the Canes got from the Leafs in order for them to dump Marleau's salary on them a few years back.
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Lindholm/Tkachuk/Gaudreau were all +50 a few years back. Which is pretty goddamned amazing a single line did it together.
Gaudreau was the leader at +64. Prior to that, the last player to get a +60 or higher was Vladimir Konstantinov in 95/96, and Gretzky with a +69 ( :metal) in 86/87.
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Gaudreau was the leader at +64. Prior to that, the last player to get a +60 or higher was Vladimir Konstantinov in 95/96, and Gretzky with a +69 ( :metal) in 86/87.
That's the one. Gaudreau's +64 season in 2021-22 is the only +/- in the top-50 all time that occurred post-1986-87 (I previously wrote 1985-86 - off by a year).
Here's another fun trivia question. Of the top-50 +/- seasons in NHL history, 45 of them were posted by Canadian born players, and 3 were posted by U.S. born players. Can you name the other two? One is probably fairly easy, but the other is not.
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Without looking .... Apparently Konstatinov is one. :lol
Surely Lindstrom is the other.
Salming?
If it's a forward, Tikkanen or Kurri?
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Kurri is one of them, and he is Finnish. Ken Hodge is the other, and he's British.
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Without looking .... Apparently Konstatinov is one. :lol
Surely Lindstrom is the other.
Salming?
If it's a forward, Tikkanen or Kurri?
Who's Lindstrom?
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Who's Lindstrom?
lol... my bad.
Also, technically Rod Langway was born in Taiwan (which I didn't know until about 45 seconds ago).
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Without looking .... Apparently Konstatinov is one. :lol
Surely Lindstrom is the other.
Salming?
If it's a forward, Tikkanen or Kurri?
Konstantinov's best +/- season was +60 in 1995-96, which is #59 on the all-time list, so nope, not him.
Lidstrom's best season was "only" +43. And Salming's best was +45.
Kurri is correct - the easier of the two. He put up a +78 in 1984-85 (tied for 16th all-time with 83-84 Gretzky and the immortal Brian Engblom, who has two top-50 +/- seasons as a result of his time in Montreal).
Hodge put up a +69 in 1970-71 with the Bruins (tying him with several others, including Gretzky, for 33rd all-time).
Also, technically Rod Langway was born in Taiwan (which I didn't know until about 45 seconds ago).
Hmmm...not sure why the site I was looking at listed Hodge as British (based on being born in Birmingham even though he was raised in Canada) but didn't do the same with Langway.
Oh well.
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Mundane, but true! :lol
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lol... my bad.
:D No worries. You wouldn't believe (or maybe you would) how often it happens on the Red Wings' FB accounts. I love trolling those people. What made it even more fun was when the Wings had Gustav Lindstrom on their defense for a while. I would ask if he was who they meant all the time!
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This looks cool! I don't remember this story/situation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0Kl7yt-Lps
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This looks cool! I don't remember this story/situation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0Kl7yt-Lps
It was a while ago and I didn't follow a lot of the peripheral stuff back then like I do now. Just read about this the other day about how the success of 'Air Force One' basically kept Sakic in Colorado. Crazy....
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I never heard about this story regarding Sakic as well. I guess that explains why in 97-98 according to CapFriendly he made $17M that year. The Rangers were willing to throw money at anything after Messier left and Gretzky was on his last legs of his career and I guess this was one of these plays they wanted to do in the period before there was a salary cap.
(https://i.imgur.com/lklNI2Q.png)
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This looks cool! I don't remember this story/situation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0Kl7yt-Lps
Yeah...I don't remember this either. Per Wikipedia: "As a free agent during the summer of 1997, Sakic signed a three-year, $21 million offer sheet with the New York Rangers as a restricted free agent. Under the collective bargaining agreement at the time, the Avalanche had one week to match the Rangers' offer or let go of Sakic in exchange for five first-round draft picks as compensation. While it seemed as if the Avs could not afford to keep Sakic as they had already committed large amounts of salary to Peter Forsberg and Patrick Roy, an unlikely lifeline would appear in the form of the movie Air Force One, produced by Avalanche owners COMSAT and a blockbuster hit that summer. Its profits enabled Colorado to match the offer, which instigated a salary raise for many NHL players."
Interesting, but it seems like a bit of a stretch for anything longer than a 10-15 minute featurette.
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So let's look at this, I mean it's not for certain that the Avs would've made the same picks, but here's the 5 First Round spots they would've received. Of course, this doesn't account for any different/higher placement they might have made with the addition of Sakic to the roster.
1998 - 7th (Manny Maholtra)
1999 - 4th (Pavel Brendl)
2000 - 8th (traded to Tampa / Nikita Alexeev)
2001 - 10th (Dan Blackburn)
2002 - 10th (traded to Calgary / Eric Nystrom)
Based on that, seems the Avs made the right decision. Those were some pretty meek draft years. Other than the Sedins, there are like no HOF'rs that I could easily see from the first 2 rounds in any of those years.
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I guess Keefe calling the team out after the debacle against the Devils did the trick. Solid defensive and offensive effort against the Caps - who've been on a roll in March against every team not from Toronto.
Time for retribution against the Sabres. jingle.daughter and I are going to the game tonight - shocked that it's the only game on the schedule today.
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Yeah, that was a wild game the other night Chad. Tonight is huge for the Devils slim playoff chances, the scoreboard broke in our favor last night. I'm expecting a loss though, we tend to play up or down to our competition a lot this year.
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Yeah, that was a wild game the other night Chad. Tonight is huge for the Devils slim playoff chances, the scoreboard broke in our favor last night. I'm expecting a loss though, we tend to play up or down to our competition a lot this year.
Well, Buffalo isn't exactly that far "down" from NJ (only one point behind). Buffalo played a rock-solid game last night, and WHERE THE FUCK WAS THAT VERSION OF TAGE THOMPSON THE PREVIOUS 70 GAMES!?!?!?
Seriously, I'm raging because that guys play (45 points so far) is going to cost me at least $2000. I'm in two pools this year, both are "box" format pools; one pays out the top 5, the other pays out the top 3. I'm currently in 5th in the first pool, and 9th in the latter. That is despite the fact that idiot me thought Thompson was going to continue his play from last year (47 goals/ 90+ points), yet in both pools, he's the worst performing player - by far - in his box. If I would have selected ANY other player from the box that he was in, I would be in 1st in one pool, and 2nd in the other. >:(
I just hope that Buffalo team doesn't show up tonight against the Leafs.
It's amazing that at -30 in team goals, the Caps are in the driver seat for the WC8. Man, when they lose, the loose big; when they win, they win small.
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Interesting start to the Rangers/Devils game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phGAeWcsSw8
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Interesting start to the Rangers/Devils game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phGAeWcsSw8
Rempe got his ass kicked
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Rempe is an ass.
And yeah, that was bizarre. Like the teams knowingly set the lineup so that they'd lose 3 players each (minimum) in the first 2 seconds??
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What even was the point of this? For that matter, what are these guys looking to accomplish with bare knuckles against helmets and visors?
And what was happening at the 55 second mark? Shesterkin was out above the faceoff dot with his blocker on the ice between his legs. He bent over to pick it up and then seemed to head back to his crease. Did we almost get the goalies involved?
And what happens if all 10 skaters drop the gloves simultaneously?
27 penalties called in the first period and only 2 in the final 2 periods. LOL!
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Well, the Devils wanted a response in regards to Rempe's actions in previous games (he was kicked out of two games against the Devils prior to this) and both teams decided this is the way to sort this out. Plus Kurtis MacDermid wanted to fight Rempe for some time now.
While we can sit around and watch this and have a time watching it, I really question what use does Rempe have for the Rangers long-term other than fighting.
On a side note, here's a Tweet from the NHL on TNT page where you got guys like Lundqvist and Anson Carter reacting to it in real time.
https://twitter.com/NHL_On_TNT/status/1775700483581112674
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Well, the Devils wanted a response in regards to Rempe's actions in previous games (he was kicked out of two games against the Devils prior to this) and both teams decided this is the way to sort this out. Plus Kurtis MacDermid wanted to fight Rempe for some time now.
Which is all fair ... but what's with Trouba and Miller dropping them too??
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^^ Does Trouba really need any reason to get his pound of flesh on someone? I can't explain why K'Andre Miller dropped the gloves himself. He's too useful for the Rangers and would be a net loss if he get the 10 min. misconduct.
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I mean...ok...but for everyone on the ice to square off? And 8 of the 10 skaters got ejected, and Lazar and Vesey don't get ejected solely because they happened to drop their gloves quicker than everyone else? I don't know a ton about either team. I assume losing Rempe is meaningless, but aren't Trouba and Miller pretty good? The Rangers won, and the Devils aren't making the playoffs, so I guess whatever, but still.... And what happens if someone breaks bones smashing a hand into the other guy's visor?
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Rempe seems to do his best work without the puck...or a stick.
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Rempe seems to do his best work without the puck...or a stick.
plenty of elbow grease.
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OK...coming down to the wire here (cue Fates Warning).
- The Stars and Avs have 4 GR and are separated by 5 points. I don't see the Avs catching the Stars, so Dallas will be C1 and Colorado will be C2 or C3.
- The Avs and Jets are only separated by 2 points, and Winnipeg has a game in hand.
- The Jets are up by 6 points on the Predators and have a game in hand. I don't see the Preds catching the Jets, but the Jets remaining games are pretty brutal (NSH, DAL, COL, SEA and VAN).
- The Blues and Wild aren't mathematically eliminated, but they're dead in the water. The Blues are 5/6 points back of Vegas and the Kings, and both of the latter teams have games in hand. Minnesota's elimination number is only 1.
- Vancouver is 5 points up on Edmonton, but the Oilers have two games in hand. Edmonton should be able to beat up on Arizona (2 games) and SJ. The game against Vancouver on Saturday will be big.
- The Kings have a mathematical chance to catch Edmonton for second place and a really easy remaining schedule. However, Edmonton has a game in hand and would have to absolutely tank the remaining games. No way Vancouver and Edmonton aren't P1 and P2 (probably in that order).
- The Kings are one point up on Vegas and 3 games up in the RW column. Given the Kings remaining schedule (ANA x2, CAL, MIN and CHI - all at home except one game in Anaheim), I expect the Kings to hold onto P3, which will mean a 3rd straight first round series against the Oilers. :|
- That leaves Vegas and Nashville to duke it out over the two WC spots. Nashville is up by 2 points, but Vegas has a game in hand. Both teams have a couple tough games, and it may come down to Nashville's final game at Pittsburgh.
C1: Dallas
C2: Colorado/Winnipeg
C3: Winnipeg/Colorado
P1: Vancouver
P2: Edmonton
P3: Los Angeles
WC1: Nashville/Vegas
WC2: Vegas/Nashville
6 of the same 8 teams as last year with Nashville and Vancouver swapping in for Seattle and Minnesota. I only took a quick look at the east, and there are 6 teams that clinched, all of whom were in it last year. If NYI makes it, that'll be 7 of 8, with only NJ (likely) missing from last year.
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East is locked in except for the final Metro spot, and the final WC spot.
Atlantic:
Boston is 3 up on Florida with 3 to play. Boston has Pitt and Wash who both are in the thick of it, then close with Ottawa. Florida has Columbus and Buffalo, the closes at home with Toronto. Toss a coin, as Florida will have the tiebreaker.
Toronto is 3 back of Florida with a game in hand. Toronto has NJ, Detroit, then a B2B closing out with Florida and Tampa. Detroit will still have something to play for on Saturday. I'd say toss another coin depending on where things are at when Toronto goes to the sunshine state next Tuesday for those final 2 games.
Tampa is 6 back of Toronto, both with 4 to play. They'd have to win outright (against Ott/Wash/Buf/Tor), and the Leafs would have to only get 2 out of 8 points (TB holds the tie breaker). Pretty sure Tampa is locked in to WC1, but that final game of the season could be very interesting.
A1: Boston
A2/A3: Florida/Toronto (I'd be fine with Toronto finishing 3rd... they've had a better road record this year than at home)
WC1: Tampa
Metro
NYR is 3 up on the Canes with 3 to play. NYR has Phi/NYI/Ott; Carolina has StL/Chi/CBJ. Technically, Philly is still in it, and NYI is definitely fighting for the last Metro spot. I think NYR hangs on to the top seed.
M1: NYR
M2: Carolina
The final Metro and WC2 are gonna be a dogfight. Too many permutations to work out, but as of last night:
NYI - 87 pts with 4 games to play (Mtl, NYR, NJD, Pitt)
Wash - 85 w/ 4 to play (Buf, TBL, Bos, Phi)
Pitt - 84 with 4 to play (Det, Bos, Nash, NYI)
Det - 84 with 4 to play (Pitt, Toronto, Mtl/Mtl - B2B games)
Phi - 83 with 3 to play (NYR, NJD, Wash)
Some tough matchups there. I don't see Philly winning outright (considering Montreal absolutely bitch-slapped them last night), and all four of the others getting less than 4 points. Pitt/Detroit matchup is huge tomorrow night.
Playoff style hockey is upon us.
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Philly getting beatdown by the Habs was definitely a surprise. Red Wings/Pens is gonna be huge tomorrow night.
Also, Svechnikov scored his 3rd Michigan last night in a big win over the Bruins. He has 2 goals and 1 assist in the last 2 games. Getting him going will be huge for the Canes chances.
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Philly getting beatdown by the Habs was definitely a surprise. Red Wings/Pens is gonna be huge tomorrow night.
Also, Svechnikov scored his 3rd Michigan last night in a big win over the Bruins. He has 2 goals and 1 assist in the last 2 games. Getting him going will be huge for the Canes chances.
That was an amazing goal, and I couldn't help thinking "This is how it's done, Bedard, you punk" when watching it on replay.
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The move he made in the corner to get behind the net was really nice too.
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The move he made in the corner to get behind the net was really nice too.
I love Johnny Beecher but that will be what we like to call a "learning experience". :lol
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I love Johnny Beecher but that will be what we like to call a "learning experience". :lol
HAHAHAHAHA, true that.
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What does "scored his 3rd Michigan" mean?
Also, the Kings took a complete dump against Anaheim last night. Very disappointing to see them play down to the competition like that. I don't really want to play Edmonton again in the first round, but the alternative is likely Dallas, and I want that even less.
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What does "scored his 3rd Michigan" mean?
Also, the Kings took a complete dump against Anaheim last night. Very disappointing to see them play down to the competition like that. I don't really want to play Edmonton again in the first round, but the alternative is likely Dallas, and I want that even less.
You might get Vancouver if the Oil can over-take them.
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Vancouver would be the ideal matchup, but the matchup that seems less likely. It seems like the Kings are leaning more towards facing the Stars or Oilers. Not really good matchups that gives the Kings a high chance of winning a round.
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You might get Vancouver if the Oil can over-take them.
I'd be totally down for that. For whatever reason, the Kings have matched up really well against Vancouver this season: 3-0-1 record and a 15-7 goal margin.
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I would think Kings fans would prefer Vancouver over Edmonton or Dallas. Dallas looks like a strong candidate for winning the west, and Edmonton has had their number for years now.
I'm hoping the Oil can run down Vancouver, but I think we'll run out of runway. As far as the 1st round goes, I'm fine with either of LV or LA, but would rather see Vegas. I want to see them get absolutely stomped, and I think the Oil can deliver that beating.
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Has anyone been following the recent saga in regards to the Arizona Coyotes and their search for a new building? It seems like people's patience have beyond ran out and now it looks like there may be a contingency plan for the NHL to move the team to Salt Lake City, Utah if the Coyotes don't have a set plan and confirmed that they will build a new arena in Arizona. Recent developments in keeping the team in Arizona is for the owners to win a land auction in late June. Don't think anyone in the NHL is going to wait any longer and it seems like they are developing two schedules, just in case. One if the Coyotes stay in Arizona and one if they move to Salt Lake City.
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/39915208/coyotes-relocate-salt-lake-city-part-nhl-plan
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I would think Kings fans would prefer Vancouver over Edmonton or Dallas. Dallas looks like a strong candidate for winning the west, and Edmonton has had their number for years now.
I'm hoping the Oil can run down Vancouver, but I think we'll run out of runway. As far as the 1st round goes, I'm fine with either of LV or LA, but would rather see Vegas. I want to see them get absolutely stomped, and I think the Oil can deliver that beating.
I think your big advantage is having two games in hand on Vancouver. Vancouver's max point total is 112, while Edmonton's is 111. If both teams win tonight and you guys beat the Yotes on Friday and Vancouver on Saturday, then I think you're in the driver's seat. Three games in four days could be a bit taxing, but....
And yeah, I'd rather face Vancouver than either Dallas or Edmonton, but it's not like there's a non-difficult path through the Western Conference playoffs.
Has anyone been following the recent saga in regards to the Arizona Coyotes and their search for a new building?
This nonsense has been going on for YEARS. The move from Winnipeg to Phoenix was ill-advised, and the fans have never truly supported the team. They're always at/near the bottom in terms of attendance (although now that they're in a tiny arena, they have 100% attendance). I hated Shane Doan, but I respected the heck out of him, and it sucks that he was stuck in an unsupportive market. At this point, it's a complete joke, and the team needs to get out of there (and probably sold since I'm sure the ownership group bears a lot of the blame).
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This nonsense has been going on for YEARS. The move from Winnipeg to Phoenix was ill-advised, and the fans have never truly supported the team. They're always at/near the bottom in terms of attendance (although now that they're in a tiny arena, they have 100% attendance). I hated Shane Doan, but I respected the heck out of him, and it sucks that he was stuck in an unsupportive market. At this point, it's a complete joke, and the team needs to get out of there (and probably sold since I'm sure the ownership group bears a lot of the blame).
Agreed. I'd like to see the NHL relocate the team to Utah (or wherever they were planning to expand) rather than dilute the league with more teams. Maybe fortunes will change for the Coyotes if Auston Matthews has the 'Gretzky effect' on the fan base after he signs there as a free agent (sorry, Chad).
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Agreed. I'd like to see the NHL relocate the team to Utah (or wherever they were planning to expand) rather than dilute the league with more teams. Maybe fortunes will change for the Coyotes if Auston Matthews has the 'Gretzky effect' on the fan base after he signs there as a free agent (sorry, Chad).
Well, if that were to happen, it's still 4 years away. I don't think the league has the appetite to wait that long. Also, who knows whether he'll pull a 'Tavares' and leave for his hometown. Not everyone does that - Stammer didn't when the Leafs recruited him hard back in '17; Kane didn't when he had his chances. Sid and MacKinnon have stayed put (though to be fair, they don't really have a 'home' team in the NHL). I can see him staying here to solidify himself as the greatest Maple Leaf of all-time - I'd think that would be a greater professional accomplishment and immensely gratifying vs playing for his hometown - especially if they're still a dumpster fire. Especially since Wilie and (in all likelihood) Mitch will still be here.
But, that's four years from now. Lots can happen between now and then.
Back on topic, I've been wanting the league to move that team to Houston for a couple of years ... but SLC would be just as good an option, if not better. Anywhere but AZ - it's clearly been a failed experiment that the league should've pulled the ripcord on a long time ago.
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Well, if that were to happen, it's still 4 years away. I don't think the league has the appetite to wait that long. Also, who knows whether he'll pull a 'Tavares' and leave for his hometown. Not everyone does that - Stammer didn't when the Leafs recruited him hard back in '17; Kane didn't when he had his chances. Sid and MacKinnon have stayed put (though to be fair, they don't really have a 'home' team in the NHL). I can see him staying here to solidify himself as the greatest Maple Leaf of all-time - I'd think that would be a greater professional accomplishment and immensely gratifying vs playing for his hometown - especially if they're still a dumpster fire. Especially since Wilie and (in all likelihood) Mitch will still be here.
But, that's four years from now. Lots can happen between now and then.
Back on topic, I've been wanting the league to move that team to Houston for a couple of years ... but SLC would be just as good an option, if not better. Anywhere but AZ - it's clearly been a failed experiment that the league should've pulled the ripcord on a long time ago.
Hartford!!!!!!!!
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Abilene is a more populated city than Hartford...although Abilene has got a lot of what you don't need.
My vote would be Quebec City, but I don't know the arena situation in Hartford or QC. I know SLC has a building that might be NHL quality.
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QC would throw as much money as necessary at a new arena if it brought back the Nordiques. We're talking about a place where they ponied up $8M for the Kings for one night. $800M for a a full-time NHL team would be a bargain to them.
I truly fear losing Draisaitl to one of the California teams when his contract is up in Edmonton. He has a Ryan Miller-esque situation going on where his partner is an aspiring actress, so I could see him relocating closer to Hollywood. He's getting paid max $ wherever he goes, and the only advantage the Oil have is that extra year they can add on the contract.
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QC would throw as much money as necessary at a new arena if it brought back the Nordiques. We're talking about a place where they ponied up $8M for the Kings for one night. $800M for a a full-time NHL team would be a bargain to them.
I truly fear losing Draisaitl to one of the California teams when his contract is up in Edmonton. He has a Ryan Miller-esque situation going on where his partner is an aspiring actress, so I could see him relocating closer to Hollywood. He's getting paid max $ wherever he goes, and the only advantage the Oil have is that extra year they can add on the contract.
And that extra year could amount to $10M to Leon, so that's pretty big coin to disregard. I mean, the Oil could offer him 8x14M which is $112M total. Any other competing offer would have to be at $16M AAV. Who's gonna do that? Would he even be able to garner $15.5M? Would he take a $7M-$10M haircut just to move closer to his partner's aspirations? Are they a serious/life-long thing?
Just saw the segment on Sportsnet about the Coyotes - a decision could come down before the playoffs start?? Wow.
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I'd take the league minimum and play in Dubuque if Celeste Desjardins asked me to.
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Just reviewed the tie-break rules, and it's not great for my beloved Oilers. They essentially need to finish with more points than Vancouver, unlike last year where they held the tie-break against Vegas (not that it mattered in the end). It's going to make the game Saturday that much more important.
I'd take the league minimum and play in Dubuque if Celeste Desjardins asked me to.
Just did a quick fact check on Google, and you're 100% correct
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Just reviewed the tie-break rules, and it's not great for my beloved Oilers. They essentially need to finish with more points than Vancouver, unlike last year where they held the tie-break against Vegas (not that it mattered in the end). It's going to make the game Saturday that much more important.
I'd take the league minimum and play in Dubuque if Celeste Desjardins asked me to.
Just did a quick fact check on Google, and you're 100% correct
Back in the 80s, when he was at his peak, Andrew Dice Clay a comment in his skit along the lines of "show me the hottest woman in the world, and I'll show you 10 guys that are tired of putting up with her shit".
I wonder if she's the heir to the Desjardins Financial empire?
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Abilene is a more populated city than Hartford...although Abilene has got a lot of what you don't need.
My vote would be Quebec City, but I don't know the arena situation in Hartford or QC. I know SLC has a building that might be NHL quality.
QC already built a new arena several years ago trying to get a team back there, and yep it has hosted some exhibition games. SLC could be a good option too, but I would love to see another Canadian team. Bring back the freakin' Nordiques already...
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Just reviewed the tie-break rules, and it's not great for my beloved Oilers. They essentially need to finish with more points than Vancouver, unlike last year where they held the tie-break against Vegas (not that it mattered in the end). It's going to make the game Saturday that much more important.
Right now, both teams have a max. points potential of 111. Vancouver has a 4 game advantage on Edmonton in the RW column, so if both teams max out, the only way for Edmonton to win the tiebreaker would be if the three remaining Vancouver wins are in OT or SO and all of the Edmonton wins are in regulation. Vancouver has a smaller advantage in the ROW column, but it won't get to that.
Kings magic number is 2 points. If they don't get it tonight against Calgary, the fanbase is going to start gripping hard.
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LA gets in, much, I'm sure, to Gary's chagrin. I know the blues still have a chance, but if they catch anyone, it'll be Vegas. I wouldn't mind if they did bump Vegas, too. I have a healthy dislike for the golden Knights
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Both the Kings and Golden Knights really having a hard time getting the two points needed to clinch the spot and finalize the Western Conference playoff spots. Heads will roll if the Kings miss. I can assure you that.
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LA gets in, much, I'm sure, to Gary's chagrin. I know the blues still have a chance, but if they catch anyone, it'll be Vegas. I wouldn't mind if they did bump Vegas, too. I have a healthy dislike for the golden Knights
(https://media.giphy.com/media/3oEdv6sy3ulljPMGdy/giphy.gif)
Although, I probably have an unhealthy dislike for them. :lol
I've been hoping so hard they miss the post season after all the cap/LTIR manipulation they've done, and all the trade deadline moves they made.
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Abilene is a more populated city than Hartford...although Abilene has got a lot of what you don't need.
My vote would be Quebec City, but I don't know the arena situation in Hartford or QC. I know SLC has a building that might be NHL quality.
The arena situation in Hartford? Shit show. Old, outdated, and we (the City) can't figure out how to fund even basic renovations. It's in the news on a weekly basis, independent of hockey. (Uconn plays their larger home basketball games - men and women - there and Uconn hockey plays their larger home hockey games there.)
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Not even a vague chuckle for the Abilene reference? :biggrin:
I think everyone who isn't a Vegas fan hates Vegas and would be perfectly happy to see them on the golf course.
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LA gets in, much, I'm sure, to Gary's chagrin. I know the blues still have a chance, but if they catch anyone, it'll be Vegas. I wouldn't mind if they did bump Vegas, too. I have a healthy dislike for the golden Knights
I don't want them to make it honestly. They don't deserve it. They've lost to the worst teams in the league this year......have massive personality issues in the locker room.....have a GM who has hamstrung the organization with brutal long term contracts rife with undefendable NTC's.....they deserve nothing.
It'd be hilarious for Vegas to crap the bed and let the Blue's sneak in but it's not going to happen. I can think of 7 games this season off the top of my head that the Blues utterly blew due to just horrendous effort...meaning....zero effort....that's at minimum 7 pts that they 'should' have had and it's not even a conversation. I'm not tore up at all about them going to miss....that's what they get for being dysfunctional.
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As frustrating as that is, every single team has those kinds of stories. Look at the Oilers 2-9-1 start. Leafs have twice blown a 2-goal lead with less than 2 minutes to play. It's the way of the league, and as frustrating as it is, is also the reason it's as exciting as it is. Every team has also been on the flipside of that coin at one point - playing against an uninspired team. The Leafs were the benefactor of that on Tuesday when the Devils basically gave up 1/2 way thru the game once they were down 4-2, and mailed it in for the rest of the game.
I can best sum it up with this phrase - some days your the dog; some days you're the hydrant.
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As frustrating as that is, every single team has those kinds of stories. Look at the Oilers 2-9-1 start. Leafs have twice blown a 2-goal lead with less than 2 minutes to play. It's the way of the league, and as frustrating as it is, is also the reason it's as exciting as it is. Every team has also been on the flipside of that coin at one point - playing against an uninspired team. The Leafs were the benefactor of that on Tuesday when the Devils basically gave up 1/2 way thru the game once they were down 4-2, and mailed it in for the rest of the game.
I can best sum it up with this phrase - some days your the dog; some days you're the hydrant.
For sure. I don't think it's a unique situation.....just a situation that has caused me to not really GAF about this particular incarnation of the team/roster.
I'd ship Jordan Kyrou as soon as I could. He has one more season before his full NTC kicks in. I don't care if he will score 30 goals a year....give a shit less....kid is a waste of talent. Doesn't work hard and is a cry baby. I'll take 2-3 'meat and potatoes' players over his soft ass. Can't stand him and should the rumors and stories be true....neither can any of his teammates. So, I'd trade him for some pics or a couple 2nd, 3rd liners who actually have a work ethic.
And I'll just stop there. There's no reason to lament the dumb ass contracts that were handed to Krug, Schenn, Saad.....and a few others. Don't care that it lowered the AAV's.....they have hamstrung the club for years.
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It always amazes me how the same team (the Kings) can look like shit one night (against Anaheim on Tuesday) and then look unbeatable (last night). Maybe it was as simple as Calgary not giving a shit. IDK.
Anyway...only one more playoff spot open in the WC. Vegas is 3 points up with a game in hand and currently owns the first two tiebreakers. Given the teams' remaining schedules, I'd say it's a foregone conclusion at this point.
For all practical purposes, the C2 v. C3 matchup is set between Winnipeg and Colorado (with home ice still TBD). Everything else is subject to change, although the EDM/LA re-re-match still seems most likely.
And it looks like, other than 6 teams having clinched, absolutely nothing is set in the EC.
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The Leafs laying a defensive and special teams turd against NJ last night all but sealed them into A3. They'd need to win out and have Florida drop their last two (against Buf and Tor).
Tampa is virtually locked into WC1 - Toronto's magic number is 2 with both teams having 3 GR (including game 82 against each other at Amalie)
With NYR's loss to the Flyers last night, M1 is interesting now.
And M3/WC2 is still a dogfight between 5 teams. I'm amazed how the Caps (-42), Flyers (-26), and Isles (-20) are in the hunt with such atrocious goal differentials. Buffalo, Ottawa, Arizona, Seattle, Calgary all have better goal diff'ls!!!
Also... something just dawned on me. One of these three players will NOT be a 1st or 2nd team All-Star at C:
Connor McDavid
Nathan MacKinnon
Auston Matthews
:omg:
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So I think the news is pretty much confirmed. The Arizona Coyotes will be moving to Salt Lake City, Utah, next season. How the league is going about it is interesting. They are going to buy the Coyotes from the previous owner for what is projected to be one billion dollars and then the owner that will move the team to Utah will buy the team from the league for around $1.2-1.3 Billion dollars. The owners of the rest of the team split the revenue gains among themselves.
The team will have a lot of picks, solid young talent, and a lot of cap space and will need to re-sign an entire defense core, but if this new owner is willing to spend and try to build a good team, they could be a surprise playoff team next year.
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Why on earth would they give the current owner a billion??
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Because the current owner owns the team and ugly legal things could happen if a pro sports league just yanks a team out of an owner's hand. Plus, they see this as a window to make some extra money when the opportunity can call for it. Helps to compensate for the small revenue that was made when the Coyotes played at Mullet Arena for two seasons.
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Well damn. Vegas clinched.
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Brad Marchand scored is 36th shorthanded goal last night.
He's in some serious company...
Shorthanded goals, career (NHL history):
73 – Wayne Gretzky
63 – Mark Messier
50 – Steve Yzerman
49 – Mario Lemieux
39 – Dave Poulin, Butch Goring, Jari Kurri
36 – Brad Marchand, Sergei Fedorov
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Holy shit, what a game last night for the Red Wings!! Came back from a 4-1 deficit in the 2nd period to win 5-4 in overtime!! I hope they saved some of that for tonight's game in Montreal. And I really hope the Flyers beat the Capitals tonight!
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Yeah, that was pretty freaking incredible.
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Holy shit, what a game last night for the Red Wings!! Came back from a 4-1 deficit in the 2nd period to win 5-4 in overtime!! I hope they saved some of that for tonight's game in Montreal. And I really hope the Flyers beat the Capitals tonight!
I'll agree with all of the above! Whatever happens tonight, I won't forget last night.
Arizona: amazing how that owner is going to be rich while being so incompetent.
As to the 'new team' scroll down to the "Will it be the Utah Coyotes, or a new team identity?" section if you haven't already. Use the city name, and the nicknames listed are good.
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/39940303/nhl-arizona-coyotes-move-utah-new-name-schedule-players-coaches
Brad Marchand scored is 36th shorthanded goal last night.
He's in some serious company...
Shorthanded goals, career (NHL history):
73 – Wayne Gretzky
63 – Mark Messier
50 – Steve Yzerman
49 – Mario Lemieux
39 – Dave Poulin, Butch Goring, Jari Kurri
36 – Brad Marchand, Sergei Fedorov
Had no idea Yzerman was 3rd. One list you wouldn't find Gordie Howe on ;)
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I like the idea of the Utah team being known as The Swarm. That has so many good layers to it. My dark horse pick will be Mountain Goats. I don't know why I think that. I just like the way it sounds.
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Having grown up in the SLC area and watched minor league hockey there in my childhood and teen years, count me in with calling the new team the Salt Lake Golden Eagles. Not sure whether there would be trademark issues or if the nostalgia would be marketable, but it'd be cool nonetheless.
(https://i.ibb.co/PYH5fYQ/SLGE.jpg)
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What a fun ending to the season, I have to root for the Flyers to win tonight so that the Red Wings can hopefully make the playoffs. :lol
Also, my man Ghost with a season saving hop at the end of regulation to keep in a puck that went on to be the game tying goal.
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What a fun ending to the season, I have to root for the Flyers to win tonight so that the Red Wings can hopefully make the playoffs. :lol
Also, my man Ghost with a season saving hop at the end of regulation to keep in a puck that went on to be the game tying goal.
There is a scenario where the Flyers get the last spot you know, right? :lol
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The Flyers getting in is quite a big long shot. First, they got to win against the Capitals in regulation. Also, they need both the Penguins and Red Wings to lose their final game of the season in regulation. Could happen and people's heads are already spinning at this race for the final Wild Card spot.
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The Flyers getting in is quite a big long shot. First, they got to win against the Capitals in regulation. Also, they need both the Penguins and Red Wings to lose their final game of the season in regulation. Could happen and people's heads are already spinning at this race for the final Wild Card spot.
I can't help but think the Red Wings are on borrowed time with a three straight OT games (2 wins) in the past week.
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Jingle.son just made my day.
https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/jack-edwards-to-retire-from-bruins-broadcast-team-at-end-of-2023-24-season/
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Jingle.son just made my day.
https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/jack-edwards-to-retire-from-bruins-broadcast-team-at-end-of-2023-24-season/
Made my day as well! :lol
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Let us relive some good times from this guy.
EXCLUSIVE - NESN's Jack Edwards Calls Patrice Bergeron's Game 7 GWG (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NVmIsUtAv8)
Bear & the Gang Episode 1 (Boston Bruins) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHzZD8SEto)
This is a bias pick, but I'm also including this montage video as well since this has Jack Edwards in commentary for a few of these Kings win in OT against the Bruins in Boston.
https://twitter.com/ryanstahl_/status/1758980217295569272
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why you got to hurt me like that?
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There's this one..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4fAG4qrPE4
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Regarding the coyotes move..
https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/nhl-wants-arizona-coyotes-move-to-salt-lake-city-settled-before-playoffs-1.2104655
"The Associated Press reported Saturday that the Coyotes will likely be sold to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith shortly after the team's final game on Wednesday, and that the deal will include a provision guaranteeing current owner Alex Meruelo an expansion team in Arizona if a new arena is built within five years."
WTF??
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Again, this needed to be done in this way to avoid any possible messy lawsuits that Meruelo may want to invoke. Plus, I'm sure the NHL will have a much more rigorous screening process before possibly expanding to Arizona in the future that confirms that A. the building in Arizona has been built and state of the art and that and that it is a feasible location for people to go to games and B. the team is guaranteed to be in the building for a few decades or so.
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4th go-around vs the Bs. This ought to be entertaining.
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So, Detroit screws Philly by getting to Overtime. Once Detroit had 90 points, Philly was eliminated. I guess Torts wasn't scoreboard watching, or it was all happening in real time, as he pulls the goalie trying to go for the regulation win, and then hands Washington their own W, thereby eliminating themselves, Detroit, and Pitt before they even get a chance to claim the last spot.
Crazy stuff.
Atlantic matchups are going to be fun to watch.
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So much drama in the East tonight! I feel so heartbroken for Detroit fans right now. It really looked like their long playoff drought was going to end tonight after tying their game with 5 seconds to go (their 2nd miraculous comeback in two days). They just needed Washington to lose, but then an early whistle cost Philly a goal and in the third period with the score tied, the desperate Flyers (who needed to win in regulation to keep their hopes alive) gave Washington an empty net.
But on the bright side, we're going to be treated to another Toronto vs Boston series and those are always fun. I hope the Maple Leafs can finally slay the dragons this time!
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4th go-around vs the Bs. This ought to be entertaining.
Hi there.
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But on the bright side, we're going to be treated to another Toronto vs Boston series and those are always fun. I hope the Maple Leafs can finally slay the dragons this time!
You and 5M other fans, brother.
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Man, so disappointed after last night's gut punch. I'm happy that the Red Wings did everything they could in these last few games to help their playoff chances, and holy fuck were these last 3 games just wild, but if they had gotten one more point in any of the games against Washington or Pittsburgh, they'd be in. So close...
On the positive side, the development of Lucas Raymond into an elite winger is super exciting, and I really hope he can become a guy who hovers around 80-100 points per season. Moritz Seider taking on all challengers (he's the first defenseman with 200+ hits and 200+ blocked shots in the same season in a while) is also encouraging. Simon Edvinsson showed he belongs in the top 4 next season, and I hope he becomes a left-handed version of Seider. I hope they'll send Edvinsson down to GR for the playoffs so he gets that experience. Dylan Larkin has proven himself as a 1C, and he faced incredible adversity this year and still put up solid numbers. I think he's now a Captain in the mold of his predecessors Zetterberg, Lidstrom and Yzerman.
Alex DeBrincat is a great complement to Larkin and Raymond on the first line. I think he plays better away from Kane. Speaking of Kane, I hope he sticks around in Detroit. I wouldn't mind bringing back Ghost Bear, because I don't think the Wings have the defensemen available to replace his production yet. David Perron, I'm 50/50 on. I think he's great in the locker room and a pro's pro, but I don't know that the Wings can continue to play him like they have been, as I don't think he's got the speed to keep up anymore.
I think they still need to work on improving their D and their goaltending situation. It will be interesting to watch how they start bringing their prospects up. But, I think they've legitimately turned the corner and should be expecting to make the playoffs next year. I know the Atlantic is the toughest division in the league right now, but they can do it.
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I was hoping the Penguins would make it, but oh well...
Really hope that Matthews gets to 70 tonight. Also, last game for the Coyotes tonight.
Bring on the playoffs!
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I imagine the Bolts will be resting a few players since there's nothing to be gained or lost on the outcome. I think the Leafs would if they didn't have so many injuries - they literally only have 12 healthy forwards on the roster - they'd have to put a D-man up front to rest anyone. I'm sure Tampa wants to get Kuch to 100 assists as well. I think Keefe and Coop should just make a gentlemen's agreement, get those milestones over with early, then just play a little shinny for the rest of the evening.
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The Hockey Gods gave a solid FU to Matthews the past two games. 11 shots and a crossbar against a goalie playing just his 7th NHL game. And some even better chances last night against the Panthers.
This is why Toronto fans can't have nice things! :lol
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This is why Toronto fans can't have nice things! :lol
WTF? You'll just have to settle for a guy that scored 69 fucking goals. What an awful proposition.
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So what are the side bets between Chad, Tim and Joe?
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I don't bet.
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What is the side bet between Chad and Joe?
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I don't bet.
Not even for fun? Not money but like….change your avatar to “whatever” if you lose?
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WTF? You'll just have to settle for a guy that scored 69 fucking goals. What an awful proposition.
The laughing emote was an indication that I wasn't being entirely serious. :-*
I'm making no side bet, as I have about 4% faith the Leafs can advance. This team is A) banged up, and B) not as good as previous years - particularly on the blueline. Four losses to finish the year, giving up 5+ goals in all of them. I know they didn't give a rats ass about the last 2 games, but still.
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Something tells me that Mathews is perfectly okay with hitting 69 goals for the year.
(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/450/154/820.jpeg)
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How many did he score against the Bruins this year, anyone know?
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Not even for fun? Not money but like….change your avatar to “whatever” if you lose?
Nope. That’s not fun. The games are stressful enough.
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How many did he score against the Bruins this year, anyone know?
1 in the Shootout loss on Nov 2nd; 2 in the OT loss on Dec 2nd;
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1 in the Shootout loss on Nov 2nd; 2 in the OT loss on Dec 2nd;
So... are you rooting for him NOT to score this round? :lol
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So... are you rooting for him NOT to score this round? :lol
Well, he got 0 goals in the other 2 losses, so I'm rooting for whatever produces a W. :lol
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Chad, how do you feel about the TB-Fla series? I feel like TB is peaking at the right time, and I'm leaning towards picking them in the series.
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All right, well. It's now officially official. The transactions are done. The Coyotes are going to Utah. Here are the names that were filed to be trademarked. The last two are just generic names if they don't want to commit to a team name right now. Blizzard, Venom, and Fury.... 2 of those names are pants. The Utah Venom could be ok.
https://twitter.com/wyshynski/status/1781077789027823671
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Chad, how do you feel about the TB-Fla series? I feel like TB is peaking at the right time, and I'm leaning towards picking them in the series.
Either way, it's gonna be a great series. The way TBL's PP looks, and Vasilevsky between the pipes, Stamkos is on a tear, Hedman almost in Norris Trophy form.
But ...
Florida has the lowest or 2nd lowest GAA in the league (depending how many the Jets give up tonight), and I think they're goaltenders are the best 1-2 tandem in the league (no disrespect to Swayman/Ullmark, or Hellebucyk/Broissot). They're very deep up front as well. And if Tkachuk comes anywhere close to how he played 12 months ago ...
I think that's going to be the series to watch. Avs/Jets too. And if the Oilers are playing the Knights ... damn, there's a lot of good hockey this round!
Predictions tomorrow before everything gets going on Saturday.
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This is what sucks about being on the east coast. It's almost 10:30, and the Kings game hasn't even started yet.
So...Dallas clinched the #1 spot in the Western Conference. Winnipeg and Colorado are locked in at C2 and C3. Vancouver and Edmonton are locked into P1 and P2, and Nashville is locked in at WC1. The Kings and Vegas are playing Chicago and Anaheim. If both earn 2 points, the Kings get stuck with playing Dallas. If the Kings win and Vegas doesn't, then we get Edmonton for the third year in a row.
Ugh.
And those names for Utah SUCK. Blizzard is too much like Avalanche, and they all sound like Arena Football league names.
Now I wonder if the Kings will move the Frozen Fury to Phoenix....
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My emotions went through the ringer in that Kings/Blackhawks game. First it was 1-0 Hawks, then it was 3-1 Kings and I was like, "All right, time to get into another 6-7 games of hell against the Oilers." Then the Kings allowed 3 straight goals and then I had to adjust to, "All right, time to get swept by the Stars." Then, a last minute PPG goal to tie the game and now it's official, Kings vs Oilers Round III.
Kempe made quick work in that OT goal.
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I'm lol'g hard that the Knights lost to the Ducks. Kinda pissed too, cuz I was looking forward to an Oilers/Knights series.
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I'm lol'g hard that the Knights lost to the Ducks. Kinda pissed too, cuz I was looking forward to an Oilers/Knights series.
They 100% threw that game. No way they wanted to play the Oilers in Rd.1.
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Maybe they don't want to play the Oilers in round 1, but they got a pretty rough gauntlet to go through against the Central playoff teams.
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Maybe they don't want to play the Oilers in round 1, but they got a pretty rough gauntlet to go through against the Central playoff teams.
Well yeah.....the Cup winner is coming from the Central IMO.....it's one of the three....AVs, Dallas or Vegas.
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Well yeah.....the Cup winner is coming from the Central IMO.....it's one of the three....AVs, Dallas or Vegas.
The Avs aren't getting thru the Jets, so that'll be a neat trick. Georgiev has not proven to be a consistent goalie. It's gonna be a great series, but I think the Jets take it.
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Ok... just to get this out in case I forget tomorrow morning.
Atlantic
Fla v TBL
Bos v Tor (Tim, you better not be picking Toronto - you jinx them every year! :lol)
Metro
NYR v Was
Car v NYI
Central
Dal v LVK
Wpg v Col
Pacific
Van v Nash
Edm v LAK
Atlantic Rd 1
Bos v TBL
Metro Rd 2
NYR v Car
Central Rd 2
Dal v Wpg
Pacific Rd 2
Edm v Nash
Eastern
Car v TBL
Western
Dal v Edm
Stanley Cup
Car v Edm
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The Avs aren't getting thru the Jets, so that'll be a neat trick. Georgiev has not proven to be a consistent goalie. It's gonna be a great series, but I think the Jets take it.
We shall see.
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The Avs aren't getting thru the Jets, so that'll be a neat trick. Georgiev has not proven to be a consistent goalie. It's gonna be a great series, but I think the Jets take it.
We shall see.
Georgiev - .897/3.02
Hellebucyk - .921/2.39
Here's the bigger stat - Helle led the league in goals saved above expectation - almost 32; Georgiev? MINUS 12
Clearly the Avs can out-score their defensive weaknesses - they led the league in GF. But can they do that solely against the best goalie in the league? Oh, and for goalies with 20+ starts, Broissot LEADS the league in SV% - .927 (thus giving the Jets the Jennings trophy). Though, a quick scan of the past 10 years shows more than a couple of Jennings Trophy winning teams were bounced in the first round. :lol
Still, they say defense wins championships. I'll take the Jets defensive prowess over the Avs offense.
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Ok... just to get this out in case I forget tomorrow morning.
Atlantic
Fla v TBL
Bos v Tor (Tim, you better not be picking Toronto - you jinx them every year! :lol)
Metro
NYR v Was
Car v NYI
Central
Dal v LVK
Wpg v Col
Pacific
Van v Nash
Edm v LAK
Atlantic Rd 1
Bos v TBL
Metro Rd 2
NYR v Car
Central Rd 2
Dal v Wpg
Pacific Rd 2
Edm v Nash
Eastern
Car v TBL
Western
Dal v Edm
Stanley Cup
Car v Edm
Swap carolina for florida. Otherwise, that's my playoff bracket, too. Oilers win the cup in mine, of course ;)
Tampa will give them a run, but FLA is the better team.
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We shall see.
Georgiev - .897/3.02
Hellebucyk - .921/2.39
Here's the bigger stat - Helle led the league in goals saved above expectation - almost 32; Georgiev? MINUS 12
Clearly the Avs can out-score their defensive weaknesses - they led the league in GF. But can they do that solely against the best goalie in the league? Oh, and for goalies with 20+ starts, Broissot LEADS the league in SV% - .927 (thus giving the Jets the Jennings trophy). Though, a quick scan of the past 10 years shows more than a couple of Jennings Trophy winning teams were bounced in the first round. :lol
Still, they say defense wins championships. I'll take the Jets defensive prowess over the Avs offense.
Dumb stat. Don't we expect them to save all of them? :) :) :)
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Atlantic
Fla v TBL
Bos v Tor (Tim, you better not be picking Toronto - you jinx them every year! :lol)
I'm not picking Toronto. ;D
Seriously, before like the last 3 years or so, the Leafs were my preseason Cup pick.
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Atlantic
Fla v TBL
Bos v Tor
Metro
NYR v Was
Car v NYI
Central
Dal v VGK
Wpg v Col
Pacific
Van v Nash
Edm v LAK
Atlantic Rd 1
Bos v TBL
Metro Rd 2
NYR v Car
Central Rd 2
Wpg v VGK
Pacific Rd 2
Van v Edm
Eastern
NYR v TBL
Western
Edm v VGK
Stanley Cup
NYR v VGK
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FML if Vegas makes the finals again.
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FML if Vegas makes the finals again.
It will be whoever wins the Dallas-Vegas series in the Finals.
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Atlantic
Fla v TBL
Bos v Tor
Metro
NYR v Was
Car v NYI
Central
Dal v VGK
Wpg v Col
Pacific
Van v Nash
Edm v LAK
Atlantic Rd 1
Bos v TBL
Metro Rd 2
NYR v Car
Central Rd 2
Wpg v VGK
Pacific Rd 2
Van v Edm
Eastern
NYR v TBL
Western
Edm v VGK
Stanley Cup
NYR v VGK
I don't like it, personally (I want the Bruins to win it, and I don't really like Vegas, Tampa, or Edmonton), but that's a pretty realistic bracket right there.
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I don't exactly love it either! :lol
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The Avs aren't getting thru the Jets, so that'll be a neat trick. Georgiev has not proven to be a consistent goalie. It's gonna be a great series, but I think the Jets take it.
We shall see.
We indeed saw just what kind of goalie Georgiev is. Man, that was bad. The Jets defence wasn't much better, but I've got more confidence that the #1 defensive team in the league can improve on that. Not sure how many more goals the Avs offence needs to get in order to out-score their defence/goal-tending woes - I mean, if 6 wasn't enough then wth??
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I'm sticking with my beginning of season pick of Hurricanes v Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final.
That Jets Avs game was wild! I will definitely be glued to watching that series. The atmosphere in Winnipeg was awesome too.
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I thought the Rangers looked good yesterday. Really physical.
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I thought the Rangers looked good yesterday. Really physical.
Well, it was Washington, who were down 2 (and likely 3 now) D-men.
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Yesterday was kinda glorious. Hockey from basically 10am to 10pm. I didn't sit down and watch every minute of it, but I had it on all day and sat down several times.
TB v. FL is going to be a battle.
I'd like to see TOR make a series of it, but they seemed to no-show in game 1.
NYR v. WAS should be an easy one.
Didn't see any of the CAR/NYI game.
The WIN/COL game was a bit of a joke. Defense anyone?
The VAN comeback was interesting. They seemed pretty lifeless, then 2 goals in 12 seconds, and they took a stranglehold. I hope it's a long and difficult series in the unlikely event my Kings pull off the upset against Edmonton. The Kings need to have video of the February 10 game on a loop.
Vegas can go fuck themselves.
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I think there was only one goal by the Avs (Nate's shot thru the 50 - hole) that is on Helle. One deflection, one screen, one a perfect shot off the post, and one fluke that bounced of 3 or 4 different sticks/body-parts before falling in behind him.
As opposed to Georgiev ... he should've had like 3-4 of the Jets goals.
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There was this one really weird goal where Adam Lowry of the Jets had a shot, the puck went off the post, went floating across the red line of the net, hit the other post, and it curved completely over the line and then out. The refs initially called it no goal until play stopped and they reviewed it and it was good.
Jets' Adam Lowry Awarded Second Goal After Review Shows Puck Goes Post-Post And In
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyc0AB4M-Ko)
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There was this one really weird goal where Adam Lowry of the Jets had a shot, the puck went off the post, went floating across the red line of the net, hit the other post, and it curved completely over the line and then out. The refs initially called it no goal until play stopped and they reviewed it and it was good.
Jets' Adam Lowry Awarded Second Goal After Review Shows Puck Goes Post-Post And In
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyc0AB4M-Ko)
Shades of game 6 of the 2004 SCF.
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I hope it's a long and difficult series in the unlikely event my Kings pull off the upset against Edmonton. The Kings need to have video of the February 10 game on a loop.
Looking back at that game. There were two key guys that were the difference makers that night. Byfield and PLD. Those two guys have had uneven periods of not being productive and these are the two guys that, if the Kings are going to be in this series, they need to be X factor difference makers. This series may live or die on how well these particular guys produce.
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There was this one really weird goal where Adam Lowry of the Jets had a shot, the puck went off the post, went floating across the red line of the net, hit the other post, and it curved completely over the line and then out. The refs initially called it no goal until play stopped and they reviewed it and it was good.
Jets' Adam Lowry Awarded Second Goal After Review Shows Puck Goes Post-Post And In
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyc0AB4M-Ko)
I don't think it "curved" ... I think it's mostly an optical illusion of how the puck was spinning and ended up bouncing JUST over the line when in reality after it went post-to-post, it was ostensibly riding along the line the whole way.
Basically, curling with a puck. The ultimate Canadian goal. :lol
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I did see where the AVs have engaged Calgary in a one game rental agreement for Kadri so he can suit up and take out Hellebuyck in a completely uncalled for effort towards the net that defies physics. They're trying to spark some of that cup run magic they had when they faced a team that the goalie had their number.
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I did see where the AVs have engaged Calgary in a one game rental agreement for Kadri so he can suit up and take out Hellebuyck in a completely uncalled for effort towards the net that defies physics. They're trying to spark some of that cup run magic they had when they faced a team that the goalie had their number.
Why not Kypper?
Jeez man, get over it already!!
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/90/33/7a/90337a4429583a390d36bd98ba016855.gif)
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Kyppers was way worse and more intentional….for sure. But Kadri is a way bigger POS than Kiprios. And nah….Ill hold on to both and complain about them sporadically throughout the future. :lol
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Well, Chad. The Leafs deserved this game tonight. They outplayed the B's.
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Mr. LTIR scores a deflection goal twenty something seconds into the game. :facepalm:
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Mr. LTIR scores a deflection goal twenty something seconds into the game. :facepalm:
The rehab served him well. Can't rush an injury.
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The rehab served him well. Can't rush an injury.
Especially when it’d put your organization over the cap
I get the rules weren’t broken……but that loophole needs to be addressed. It’s a whole lot of BS
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A player recovering from a lacerated spleen probably shouldn't even be playing at all this soon. Either the Golden Knights doctors are miracle workers and some tomfoolery is happening there. I am all for this patch rule where if a player is on LTIR at Game 82 of the season, they should not play in the first round.
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A player recovering from a lacerated spleen probably shouldn't even be playing at all this soon. Either the Golden Knights doctors are miracle workers and some tomfoolery is happening there. I am all for this patch rule where if a player is on LTIR at Game 82 of the season, they should not play in the first round.
Along those lines, if a player is on LTIR for the entirety of the period from the trade deadline, and the end of the season, they should be ineligible for Round 1. I mean, if a player is legit on LTIR towards the end of the season, then the team hasn't had the opportunity to manipulate the cap at the deadline. Like, if Marner's ankle sprain had him out until the end of the season, I don't think that situation should be penalized with Round 1 ineligibility. But if a team can wilfully and intentionally put themselves over the cap at the deadline, and keep a player out for the rest of the season ... said player should be ineligible for Round 1.
And yeah, the Leafs were the better team ... but still only squeaked by. Matthews played probably his best game of the season - most ice time by any Leaf; 1G 2A; 70% on faceoffs, and saved a game-tying goal towards the end of the game.
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LA has no answers for the Oil (they just scored their 4th as I type this).
Edit ... apparently I typed too soon (it's 4-2 now).
Err.... 4-1.
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Well, the 2nd started as 2-0. It's now 4-2. I was ready to give up on the game, but the Kings scoring the last two goals has given me some hope and delusion.
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That Isles/Canes game was bonkers. What determination by the Canes.
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This was a very fugly played game by the Kings and the Oilers just ran over them left and right. McDavid with 5 assists and Hyman just needs to stand in his area to pick off the passes and get a hat trick.
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Along those lines, if a player is on LTIR for the entirety of the period from the trade deadline, and the end of the season, they should be ineligible for Round 1. I mean, if a player is legit on LTIR towards the end of the season, then the team hasn't had the opportunity to manipulate the cap at the deadline. Like, if Marner's ankle sprain had him out until the end of the season, I don't think that situation should be penalized with Round 1 ineligibility. But if a team can wilfully and intentionally put themselves over the cap at the deadline, and keep a player out for the rest of the season ... said player should be ineligible for Round 1.
That's the real issue. TB and Vegas have made no effort to hide how they've exploited the LTIR. Everyone knows what they were doing.....it's just by the letter of the law they weren't "technically" doing anything wrong. It needs to be addressed.
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That's the real issue. TB and Vegas have made no effort to hide how they've exploited the LTIR. Everyone knows what they were doing.....it's just by the letter of the law they weren't "technically" doing anything wrong. It needs to be addressed.
when it was Kane in 2015 it was an anomaly and I don't think it ruffled many feathers. Kuch in 2021 was clear and pretty blatant, and was pretty close to crossing the line. The fact that Stone/LVK have exploited this for THREE YEARS IN A ROW is egregious (though, to be fair... in 2022, he was activated before the end of the season).
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^^ In 2022, in order for them to put Stone in the roster, they had to put Eichel or Pacioretty at the time on LTIR. Thank goodness, they missed playoffs that year.
Edit: Turns out, all 3 guys were healthy to play on the same roster near the end of that season. It's just that a lot of other players were on LTIR at the end of that stretch.
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^^ In 2022, in order for them to put Stone in the roster, they had to put Eichel on LTIR, who makes $10M...... Thank goodness, they missed playoffs that year.
'twas the other way around ....
Stone was put on LTIR on Feb 14/2022
Eichel was reactivated from LTIR on Feb 16/2022 (convenient!)
Stone was reactivated April 12/2022
Season ended April 29 that year, so they were both on the roster at the end of the year. But yeah... missed the playoffs. Wah wah.
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This was a very fugly played game by the Kings and the Oilers just ran over them left and right. McDavid with 5 assists and Hyman just needs to stand in his area to pick off the passes and get a hat trick.
Piss poor effort by the Kings. I turned it off after 4-0. I went back to it a couple times later but didn't pay much attention. On offense, the King had no idea what to do with the Oilers aggressiveness, and on defense, they just stood around waiting for something to happen. They were playing scared. Just embarrassing.
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For those that despise Kadri. You can go ahead and steer clear away from reading his book.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C6HDH0hpakZ/
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For those that despise Kadri. You can go ahead and steer clear away from reading his book.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C6HDH0hpakZ/
Reason enough for to join DTF's SS next year for the shot at an opportunity to get Gary. :lol
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Reason enough for to join DTF's SS next year for the shot at an opportunity to get Gary. :lol
:lol And....I will subsequently post a video of me burning that book
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:lol And....I will subsequently post a video of me burning that book
It'd be so worth it. :lol
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:lol And....I will subsequently post a video of me burning that book
Was it you that had the crossbow when we were all opening gifts with heavy duty weapons a few years back? You could fire a few arrows thru it - that'd be fun to watch.
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'twas the other way around ....
Stone was put on LTIR on Feb 14/2022
Eichel was reactivated from LTIR on Feb 16/2022 (convenient!)
Stone was reactivated April 12/2022
Season ended April 29 that year, so they were both on the roster at the end of the year. But yeah... missed the playoffs. Wah wah.
I don't get what the exploit is.
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I don't get what the exploit is.
2022 wasn't as egregious/blatant/obvious cap circumventing as it was last and this year.
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2022 wasn't as egregious/blatant/obvious cap circumventing as it was last and this year.
But how does it circumvent the cap? If you're on LTIR you don't count against the cap? What if you get sent down to the minors?
The answer would be to make LTIR a set amount of time, no matter whether you're healthy or not.
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But how does it circumvent the cap? If you're on LTIR you don't count against the cap? What if you get sent down to the minors?
The answer would be to make LTIR a set amount of time, no matter whether you're healthy or not.
Bingo.
What's odd is that they penalize a team for burying salary in the minors, but not on ltir. I suppose their hope is that a player wouldn't play along with sitting out on ltir under suspicious circumstances when they're ready to play. I can't imagine any pro athlete would prefer not playing. We're talking about very competitive ppl.
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But how does it circumvent the cap? If you're on LTIR you don't count against the cap? What if you get sent down to the minors?
The answer would be to make LTIR a set amount of time, no matter whether you're healthy or not.
But when it's legit, it's fine. Like when Marner was out with a high ankle sprain, the Leafs get relief on his $11M salary so they can bring up kids from the minors to fill the missing player and still stay under the cap. Or players that have legit season ending injuries like Landeskog, Muzzin, Lehner (the tatter two are really a career ending) and the like.
The rub is when it conveniently happens A) on a BIG contract, B) before the trade deadline, and a C) the team then deals for players while that "injured" salary gets relief against the cap, and the player is miraculously cleared to go in Game 1 of the playoffs.
Tampa was dressing a $90M roster in the 2021 playoffs - which teams can only do if a big name player is on LTIR before the deadline, but ready to play in Game 1. Vegas is currently dressing a roster on the ice that is just under $90M, let alone their 23-man roster is north of $90M. And looking at Capfriendly, the Leafs are WAY over, but their LTIR players are legit LTIR and NOT going to be dressing for the playoffs.
It's not actually cheating, but it's gaming the system to earn an unfair advantage.
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But when it's legit, it's fine. Like when Marner was out with a high ankle sprain, the Leafs get relief on his $11M salary
(https://www.reactiongifs.com/r/2013/12/of-course.gif)
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(https://www.reactiongifs.com/r/2013/12/of-course.gif)
What? He was legit injured, after the trade deadline, and came back before the end of the season. Exactly what LTIR is designed to protect.
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What about requiring the team to ice a cap compliant roster during the playoffs? It's not perfect, but it addresses the gaming the cap side of the issue.
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At the end of day, Stone assumes the risks he's taking for playing these games when no one will blame him if he doesn't play. We all know he's injured prone at this stage and oppositions will take liberties at him and if he gets more hurt during these playoffs, that's on him. He's still a useful player for the Golden Knights though if he's able to play.
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Demko out week-to-week. That doesn't bode well for Vancouver.
And that save by Bobs :omg:. Possibly a Top-5 save of all-time that I've ever seen. I mean sure, it's largely luck, but still :omg: Chaneling his inner Hasek.
I'm kinda pissed at the scheduling ... there's four series I'm watching - Leafs/Bruins; Panthers/Bolts; Oil/Kings; Jets/Avs ... and the latter two games are simultaneous on Friday night. :angry:
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I'm kinda pissed at the scheduling ...
To me, my issue are things like the B's/Leafs playing tonight and not again until Saturday.
Two weeks for the first round? I know the NHL gets its TV money and all, but this is the kind of thing that causes me to lose interest as I get older.
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To me, my issue are things like the B's/Leafs playing tonight and not again until Saturday.
Two weeks for the first round? I know the NHL gets its TV money and all, but this is the kind of thing that causes me to lose interest as I get older.
There's only 2 extra days in the round if it goes a full 7 games. Gone are the days of playing back-to-back in the playoffs.
My bigger beef (especially last year) was the gaps between rounds. Like, the WCF ended on a Monday last year, and Game 1 of the Finals was on Saturday. It totally killed my interest in the finals. And it totally screwed the Panthers, after having swept the Canes, they had 10 days off between series'. Whatever mojo and momentum they had from the first 3 rounds was snuffed right out with that 10-day layoff. Bobs looked ordinary, and the rest of the team was flat.
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My bigger beef (especially last year) was the gaps between rounds. Like, the WCF ended on a Monday last year, and Game 1 of the Finals was on Saturday. It totally killed my interest in the finals. And it totally screwed the Panthers, after having swept the Canes, they had 10 days off between series'. Whatever mojo and momentum they had from the first 3 rounds was snuffed right out with that 10-day layoff. Bobs looked ordinary, and the rest of the team was flat.
It definitely affected the Bruins in 2019.
I didn't pay very much attention to the rest of the league this year and watched way less out of town games than I have in many years.
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I didn't pay very much attention to the rest of the league this year and watched way less out of town games than I have in many years.
Sounds like a 'you' thing. :lol
And damn... I'd forgotten the Bruins were off for 11 days back in '19. Though, to be fair - they one Game 1, and it was a 7-game series, so I don't think the layoff impacted them that much. Honestly, that was the last really great SCF.
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Sounds like a 'you' thing. :lol
And damn... I'd forgotten the Bruins were off for 11 days back in '19. Though, to be fair - they one Game 1, and it was a 7-game series, so I don't think the layoff impacted them that much. Honestly, that was the last really great SCF.
Well, it did because Marchand injured his wrist during a prime time scrimmage at the Garden one of the nights. He wasn't the same in the Finals.
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My bigger beef (especially last year) was the gaps between rounds. Like, the WCF ended on a Monday last year, and Game 1 of the Finals was on Saturday. It totally killed my interest in the finals. And it totally screwed the Panthers, after having swept the Canes, they had 10 days off between series'. Whatever mojo and momentum they had from the first 3 rounds was snuffed right out with that 10-day layoff. Bobs looked ordinary, and the rest of the team was flat.
Yep. If that series started a two, three days later it's a different story.
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Well, it did because Marchand injured his wrist during a prime time scrimmage at the Garden one of the nights. He wasn't the same in the Finals.
Ah... gotchya.
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Two weeks for the first round? I know the NHL gets its TV money and all, but this is the kind of thing that causes me to lose interest as I get older.
Unless you have back-to-back games (which is rare in the playoffs), you can't do a 7-game series in any less than 13 days....
Obviously, you run into issues when a team sweeps and its opponent in the next round goes 7 games, but that's nothing new, and there isn't much of anything you can do about it.
My bigger beef (especially last year) was the gaps between rounds. Like, the WCF ended on a Monday last year, and Game 1 of the Finals was on Saturday. It totally killed my interest in the finals. And it totally screwed the Panthers, after having swept the Canes, they had 10 days off between series'. Whatever mojo and momentum they had from the first 3 rounds was snuffed right out with that 10-day layoff. Bobs looked ordinary, and the rest of the team was flat.
The 2023 ECF was a sweep that ended on May 24. The WCF went 6 games and ended on May 29. The SCF started on June 3. Had the WCF gone 7 games, the 7th game would have been played on May 31, which would have given the winner two days of rest before the SCF started. The SCF is the only round where you could feasibly start early if both teams are ready (if you did it with the earlier rounds, you'd have the potential for a team having a two week layoff before the SCF). However, with all of the scheduling requirements relating to the SCF, I assume it's hard to accelerate the schedule.
It definitely affected the Bruins in 2019.
That one was not well planned. The ECF was a sweep and ended on May 16. As in '23, the WCF went 6 games. The WCF ended on May 21, and the SCF didn't start until May 27. Not only did the Bruins have an 11 day layoff, the Blues had 6 days.
Had the ECF gone seven days, and assuming one day off between ECF games, the ECF would have ended on May 22, which still would have made for a crazy long layoff even if both series had gone 7 games. I assume that had something to do with Memorial Day weekend, but who knows.
Yep. If that series started a two, three days later it's a different story.
Perhaps, but 2-3 days later (May 26 or 27), Vegas was still playing Dallas in the WCF. Sweeping the conference finals generally means a LONG layoff before the SCF starts
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Just for funsies, I went and looked at teams that swept the conference finals and how they did in the SCF.
2023 - FLA lost (10 day layoff)
2022 - COL won (9 day layoff)
2019 - BOS lost (11 day layoff)
2013 - BOS lost (5 day layoff)*
2010 - CHI won (6 day layoff)**
2009 - PIT won (4 day layoff)**
2003 - ANA lost (11 day layoff)
1992 - PIT won (3 day layoff)+
1992 - CHI lost (4 day layoff)+
1990 - BOS lost (6 day layoff)
* - In 2013, Boston swept on June 7. Chicago won in 5 games on June 8, and the SCF started on June 12. I assume the acceleration of the schedule had something to do with that being the lockout season that started late.
** - In both of these series, the other CF ended in 5 games, and they appeared to have accelerated the schedule.
+ - Obviously, with both teams sweeping, someone had to win and someone had to lose. It's also clear that they accelerated the schedule, but I have no idea what the TV deal was like in 1992).
I think the obvious conclusion is that, if Boston sweeps the ECF, you should bet heavily on the opponent in the SCF. Also, I think it's notable that there have been only 10 conference finals sweeps in the last 35 seasons (1989-2023). Last, I assume that the current TV deals make accelerating the schedule less feasible.
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Just for funsies, I went and looked at teams that swept the conference finals and how they did in the SCF.
2023 - FLA lost (10 day layoff)
2022 - COL won (9 day layoff)
2019 - BOS lost (11 day layoff)
2013 - BOS lost (5 day layoff)*
2010 - CHI won (6 day layoff)**
2009 - PIT won (4 day layoff)**
2003 - ANA lost (11 day layoff)
1992 - PIT won (3 day layoff)+
1992 - CHI lost (4 day layoff)+
1990 - BOS lost (6 day layoff)
* - In 2013, Boston swept on June 7. Chicago won in 5 games on June 8, and the SCF started on June 12. I assume the acceleration of the schedule had something to do with that being the lockout season that started late.
** - In both of these series, the other CF ended in 5 games, and they appeared to have accelerated the schedule.
+ - Obviously, with both teams sweeping, someone had to win and someone had to lose. It's also clear that they accelerated the schedule, but I have no idea what the TV deal was like in 1992).
I think the obvious conclusion is that, if Boston sweeps the ECF, you should bet heavily on the opponent in the SCF. Also, I think it's notable that there have been only 10 conference finals sweeps in the last 35 seasons (1989-2023). Last, I assume that the current TV deals make accelerating the schedule less feasible.
I was going to say something along the same lines.... :) :) :) :)
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Well, the Kings was able to eek out a win of that one barely in OT, despite blowing a 3-1 lead. Big-time goal Kopitar still has something left in him. Byfield-Kopitar-Kempe line is always money at the most important moments.
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Well, the Kings was able to eek out a win of that one barely in OT, despite blowing a 3-1 lead. Big-time goal Kopitar still has something left in him. Byfield-Kopitar-Kempe line is always money at the most important moments.
I'd suggest the Kings got some help from substandard goaltending by Skinner. Oilers deserved a better fate last night.
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Boston/Swayman/Marchand come up big. Bertuzzi and Domi tried their antics to get under the B's skin, but it didn't work.
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Boston/Swayman/Marchand come up big. Bertuzzi and Domi tried their antics to get under the B's skin, but it didn't work.
Domi's bump was unnecessary. There were some pretty bad missed calls (on both sides).
Leafs special teams is the difference.
1 for 11 on the PP (0/5 last night). They have no answer for a PK that attacks, and the Bs are swarming.
5 for 10 on the Bruins PP (2/3 last night - though, one was to the EN)
And it's not simply because the Bs special teams have been great - the Leaf PP/PK has been BRUTAL since the beginning of March.
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Which is weird since the B's PP was terrible the last 20 plus games.
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Which is weird since the B's PP was terrible the last 20 plus games.
Which just goes to show how brutal the Leafs PK is. That's on the coaches, imo. Same with the PP. They've got enough talent to not be this pathetic.
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I had a good chuckle at the Leaf's coach bitching about how Marchand gets away with everything. Has he seen his history? :lol Besides, it goes both ways, the high stick to McAvoy? Miss calls like you said Chad, on both sides.
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I'd suggest the Kings got some help from substandard goaltending by Skinner. Oilers deserved a better fate last night.
I mean...
Doesn't a winning team always get some help from substandard play by members of the losing team?
The first Holloway goal was completely on Talbot. Then Hyman's goal to tie it at 3 was a result of the Kings seemingly not having figured out that letting Hyman stand around by himself on the weak side filing his nails while everyone focuses on McD/Draisaitl is not a good idea.
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I had a good chuckle at the Leaf's coach bitching about how Marchand gets away with everything. Has he seen his history? :lol Besides, it goes both ways, the high stick to McAvoy? Miss calls like you said Chad, on both sides.
I thought that was hilarious too, though I took it with some pride as well. Watching Bertuzzi and Marchand spar is like watching Anakin and Obi-wan spar.
The difference of course is that Marchand has the hockey numbers to back it up. He's now tied with Cam Neely for most playoff goals EVER for the Bruins. Unbelievable.
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I thought that was hilarious too, though I took it with some pride as well. Watching Bertuzzi and Marchand spar is like watching Anakin and Obi-wan spar.
Darth Vader and Obi-Wan more likely.
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He's now tied with Cam Neely for most playoff goals EVER for the Bruins.
(https://64.media.tumblr.com/cb21561f06b231f4187a2379828aa3cc/tumblr_opdr9wfjFz1spx4u4o1_640.jpg)
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I read the sad news today about Bob Cole passing away. I personally haven't heard much about his big commentator moments, but I'm sure to many Canadians that heard him call a lot of big games over the decades, to them, he was even bigger than Doc Emrick and Gary Thorne.
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I read the sad news today about Bob Cole passing away. I personally haven't heard much about his big commentator moments, but I'm sure to many Canadians that heard him call a lot of big games over the decades, to them, he was even bigger than Doc Emrick and Gary Thorne.
Doc was the voice I always associated with US broadcasts. But there really is no comparison. Cole called games from 1969-2019 - but was calling less and less in his final years (naturally). He was to Canada what Rick Jeanerret was to Buffalo. From the moment I started watching the NHL until the 2010s, his was the only voice I associated with the PxP call. Sure, TSN and regional Sportsnet broadcasts had other voices, but Cole was the voice of Hockey in Canada for 30+ years. His voice was to TV as Foster Hewitt was to radio.
For these ears, there will never be a better PxP man.
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Doc was the voice I always associated with US broadcasts. But there really is no comparison. Cole called games from 1969-2019 - but was calling less and less in his final years (naturally). He was to Canada what Rick Jeanerret was to Buffalo. From the moment I started watching the NHL until the 2010s, his was the only voice I associated with the PxP call. Sure, TSN and regional Sportsnet broadcasts had other voices, but Cole was the voice of Hockey in Canada for 30+ years. His voice was to TV as Foster Hewitt was to radio.
For these ears, there will never be a better PxP man.
Well, except for Jack Edwards. But I hear you.
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Darth Vader and Obi-Wan more likely.
haha, that's fine. As long as we're clear that Marchand is the master, and Bertuzzi is the inferior acolyte.
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Well, except for Jack Edwards. But I hear you.
I think you mixed up "better" and "worse". News of his retirement got an audible "fuck yeah" out of me. :lol
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I thought Tampa was putting it together and might be able to upset the Panthers. I was wrong.
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Remember this guy?
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.18169-9/13076839_1166344130065434_2923511105005124012_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=h5FB-JXI9GgAb6hpXTs&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfCpak5wY_nH5P912FVl7kpnrEi1DHk25xzJvQ7zmIqy1g&oe=665335C8)
Well, the Kings apparently took his top comment there to heart...
(https://scontent-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/439665668_10161544981682630_2151167740324765049_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_p526x296&_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=qTZyuJAt6VAQ7kNvgH-sODZ&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-2.xx&oh=00_AfCdL3E6ha4goeELl2saIC77cRv78qclYu4UXGGixJ9-tQ&oe=66318869)
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Ok, people can make the argument that the Kings should have gone on the PK if any King skater that's not Talbot had their hand on the puck and given all of the chaos in that moment, I'm not going to argue against the idea that something like could have happened to get a stoppage of play. Also, people are making the argument that there should be a goal. I go, "Do you have any conclusion evidence from the camera angles that the puck cross the line?" I don't see it. The refs didn't find anything. The situation room in Toronto couldn't find anything and they got more camera angles of access than what the viewers anywhere can have.
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The Sportsnet broadcast did a good job of tracking where/when the puck was visible during that whole scrum. First, ZERO way to see if it ever crossed the line (I don't believe it ever did). Second, it was clear that one of the Kings players (I think Arvidson) put his arm/wrist over the puck, but I'm unsure if seeing that upon review is something that the refs/rules can call for a Penalty Shot over.
The end result is that the play unfolded exactly as it did. The right call was made.
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I was just going for a joke, but...
I never once saw the puck cross the goal line and never saw anyone cover the puck with his hand. The initial shot squeaked through Talbot's legs and was headed toward the goal line until it was legally knocked away with a stick. The puck remained in view for another second or so, until it disappeared under someone who was already in the crease.
Rule 63.6 states as follows: "No defending player, except the goalkeeper, will be permitted to fall on the puck, hold the puck, pick up the puck, or gather the puck into the body or hands when the puck is within the goal crease."
Rule 67.4 states as follows: "If a defending player, except a goalkeeper, while play is in progress, falls on the puck, holds the puck, picks up the puck, or gathers the puck into his body or hands from the ice in the goal crease area, the play shall be stopped immediately and a penalty shot shall be awarded to the non-offending team."
As it was explained on the Kings broadcast, the only reviewable aspect of the play was whether the puck crossed the goal line. Whether any of the highlighted things happened is apparently not reviewable, and obviously, the ref who had climbed on top of the net didn't see any of those things occur. The other thing they mentioned is that, if a player is lying in the crease and the puck gets legally knocked underneath that player, that's not a penalty.
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Holy Christ ... Are the Avs on fire, or are the Jets playing like ass?? Clearly 'defense wins championship' need not apply in this series. #1 offense vs #1 defense, and the Jets are getting clowned. 5G in the third, three of them on the PP. Wow.
And the Hockey Gods hate Toronto - their #2 offense can't get more than 2 goals a game, and the PP is running at 9%. :tdwn
And I'm fucked in my pool - I loaded up on Oilers, Stars, Canes, and Bolts. :(
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^^ I mean two out of four from that list is looking promising so far. Meanwhile, the Kings are playing like garbage after letting the first goal in. Again..... If the Kings were able to score a powerplay goal when the game was around 1-0 or 3-1, maybe things could have looked better for them (not saying they would win the game, but how they end the game could have looked better).
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^^ I mean two out of four from that list is looking promising so far. Meanwhile, the Kings are playing like garbage after letting the first goal in. Again..... If the Kings were able to score a powerplay goal when the game was around 1-0 or 3-1, maybe things could have looked better for them (not saying they would win the game, but how they end the game could have looked better).
It wasn't a draft pool - it was a box/player selection. So losing 8 of 21 players in the first round is fatal in a pool with over 300 entries.
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Meanwhile, the Kings are playing like garbage after letting the first goal in. Again..... If the Kings were able to score a powerplay goal when the game was around 1-0 or 3-1, maybe things could have looked better for them (not saying they would win the game, but how they end the game could have looked better).
That was such a depressing effort...after the way they played in game 2 and after coming home. The thing is that, as bad as they looked in games 1 and 3, a win tomorrow night evens the series. I'm not optimistic, but I'm hopeful.
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Brad Marchand passes Cam Neely as the all time goal scorer in the playoffs for the B's. That's a hell of an accomplishment.
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Another brutal effort by the Leafs' special teams.
Fine time of year for Willie to have some mysterious illness/injury, and Matthews too. When they lose in the next or following game, I really hope the new CEO & President of MLSE clears house - all the way from Shanahan down to Keefe and the entire coaching staff. This team can not 'run-it-back' for a 5th year in a row. I also stand by my belief that the Tavares signing cost them more in trade and cap inflexibility than what his on-ice performance has gained them. $11M for a guy who hasn't scored more than 36 since the first year of his contract. :facepalm:
I'm about to go all Gary-2014 on this team. And they're stuck with the same roster construction for next year. Matthews and Nylander extensions kick in. Marner and Tavares have one year and full NMC. Zero percent chance either of them agrees to a trade. What the team should do is let each of them run out their contract, see how Marner performs in the playoffs, then determine his value. It's clear this roster is not capable of succeeding in the playoffs. If he wants to stay in Toronto, then he'll stay at a price that takes into consideration his playoff performance. And Tavares... if he wants to stay, he ought to take a 50% haircut. 60ish points a year ain't worth more than $5M AAV, and it's not like he's going to get better as he gets older.
Goddamn I hate being a Leafs fan this time of year.