NHL (2021-2022) v. Congrats Avs. Jack Johnson is a Stanley Cup Champion.

[TAC]

So it was recently announced that the Bruins will be hosting the Winter Classic at Fenway against a yet unnamed opponent. Local sports radio is assuming that it will be the Penguins, as the Fenway Sports Group (yes, the Red Sox ownership) recently bought an ownership stake in the Pens.

[TAC]

Who the hell is Mike Kelly and why does he zoom in for analysis for the NHL Network's On The Fly? As much as I can't stand Mike Rupp, can we at least have a real analysist in studio for the show instead of this nerd?

[pg1067]

So it was recently announced that the Bruins will be hosting the Winter Classic at Fenway against a yet unnamed opponent. Local sports radio is assuming that it will be the Penguins, as the Fenway Sports Group (yes, the Red Sox ownership) recently bought an ownership stake in the Pens.

Same damn teams over and over and over and over....

[TAC]

So it was recently announced that the Bruins will be hosting the Winter Classic at Fenway against a yet unnamed opponent. Local sports radio is assuming that it will be the Penguins, as the Fenway Sports Group (yes, the Red Sox ownership) recently bought an ownership stake in the Pens.

Same damn teams over and over and over and over....

I agree completely.

[Anguyen92]

So it was recently announced that the Bruins will be hosting the Winter Classic at Fenway against a yet unnamed opponent. Local sports radio is assuming that it will be the Penguins, as the Fenway Sports Group (yes, the Red Sox ownership) recently bought an ownership stake in the Pens.

Same damn teams over and over and over and over....

I agree completely.

I mean.  This year had Wild/Blues and 2020 had Stars/Predators.  At that point, I'm sure the NHL is like, all right, enough catering to the Central teams, we threw them their bone.  Let's go back Northeast.

I want the Pacific to get some love on that end.  I don't think Vegas has an outdoors stadium or the football stadium they have is built to have outdoor settings though.

[jingle.boy]

So it was recently announced that the Bruins will be hosting the Winter Classic at Fenway against a yet unnamed opponent. Local sports radio is assuming that it will be the Penguins, as the Fenway Sports Group (yes, the Red Sox ownership) recently bought an ownership stake in the Pens.

Same damn teams over and over and over and over....

I agree completely.

I mean.  This year had Wild/Blues and 2020 had Stars/Predators.  At that point, I'm sure the NHL is like, all right, enough catering to the Central teams, we threw them their bone.  Let's go back Northeast.

I want the Pacific to get some love on that end.  I don't think Vegas has an outdoors stadium or the football stadium they have is built to have outdoor settings though.

Ya think?  We saw the disaster that Lake Tahoe was, and that was just because the skies were clear.  Imagine clear blue skies AND 85F weather.

[pg1067]

They have actually played an outdoor game in Vegas.  Went pretty well from what I recall.

And they COULD do it at the UNLV stadium.  They did it at Dodger Stadium, so why not?

[jammindude]

You could go west and still go someplace that’s cold in the winter. (Says the guy from the Pacific Northwest)

Especially since we are the home of a brand new expansion team, I don’t see why T-Mobile park (where the Mariners play) shouldn’t be in the discussion.

[pg1067]

You could go west and still go someplace that’s cold in the winter. (Says the guy from the Pacific Northwest)

Especially since we are the home of a brand new expansion team, I don’t see why T-Mobile park (where the Mariners play) shouldn’t be in the discussion.

I don't disagree, although this is all rather academic to me.  I thought long and hard about going to the game at Dodger Stadium but ultimately decided against it because it seemed virtually certain that the view would be shit, and I didn't feel like paying the bloated ticket prices just for the experience of dealing with Dodger Stadium parking and DTLA traffic just to say I was there.  I've actually gotten a bit bored with whole outdoor game thing, even from a TV viewing standpoint.


On another subject, and this is several days late, congrats to Finland for winning its first ever ice hockey gold medal!!!

[KevShmev]

Meanwhile, the NHL might as well have just released a statement saying, "We love us some Nathan McKinnon," after giving him a pass for his two-handed slash of an on-ice official.

[Anguyen92]

They didn't even mention him by name in their statement regarding the incident.  He's sitting out a game for a lower body injury anyway.

[gmillerdrake]

Meanwhile, the NHL might as well have just released a statement saying, "We love us some Nathan McKinnon," after giving him a pass for his two-handed slash of an on-ice official.

He’s the star player  on the new darlings of the league…..he was never going to get in trouble.

[jingle.boy]

Meanwhile, the NHL might as well have just released a statement saying, "We love us some Nathan McKinnon," after giving him a pass for his two-handed slash of an on-ice official.

Yeah, I saw that video, and have no idea how they could conclude he was aiming for the opposing player.  And EVEN if he was, he still should've been suspended.

Just imagine if that was Marchand or Wilson, it would've been 20 games before they even changed their shift.

[Anguyen92]

Another win for the Kings yesterday against the Coyotes, in the same building four days later.  Got a needed small cushion over the Oilers and Stars which is really needed going against the Ducks on Friday.  That Kings/Ducks game will be one that will have a lot more meaning for the 1st time in recent years.  Wish I could be there tomorrow, but ticket prices in the resale markets are in three-digits now.  Don't think you would see that last year (although few fans were there) or 2-3 years ago.

[pg1067]

Another win the Kings yesterday against the Coyotes, in the same building four days later.  Got a needed small cushion over the Oilers and Stars which is really needed going against the Ducks on Friday.  That Kings/Ducks game will be one that will have a lot more meaning for the 1st time in recent years.  Wish I could be there tomorrow, but ticket prices are the resale markets are in three-digits now.  Don't think you would see that last year (although few fans were there) or 2-3 years ago.

Holy crap...I just went to the Sucks' website, and prices for ALL seats start at more than $100.  WTF?  I suppose they do that because they know Kings fans will take over the Pond.  Per some posts at letsgokings.com, the "Royal Army" is meeting at the Tilted Kilt and "marching" to the Pond "with their flags and drums."  It's been a while since I attended a Duck Roast, but it sounds like they're as fun as ever.


In other news, this guy has apparently signed with the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL:

[Anguyen92]

^^ Hasn't played a game professionally in 10 years and sure loves having his name out there.  This is obviously a PR move for the ECHL team and for Mr. Sean Avery.

[jingle.boy]

Avery was 10lbs of talentless douche in a 5lb bag.

[axeman90210]

Meanwhile, the NHL might as well have just released a statement saying, "We love us some Nathan McKinnon," after giving him a pass for his two-handed slash of an on-ice official.

Yeah, I saw that video, and have no idea how they could conclude he was aiming for the opposing player.  And EVEN if he was, he still should've been suspended.

Just imagine if that was Marchand or Wilson, it would've been 20 games before they even changed their shift.

For the record, I'm always in favor of a 20 game suspension for Marchand or Wilson

[Snow Dog]

^^ Hasn't played a game professionally in 10 years and sure loves having his name out there.  This is obviously a PR move for the ECHL team and for Mr. Sean Avery.

Must be giving hockey a sloppy second chance. Or is it the other way around?

[SchecterShredder]

^^ Hasn't played a game professionally in 10 years and sure loves having his name out there.  This is obviously a PR move for the ECHL team and for Mr. Sean Avery.

Must be giving hockey a sloppy second chance. Or is it the other way around?

 I really,  really hope a reporter asks him that lol. He's done so much ridiculous shit over his career i almost forgot about that comment

[romdrums]

^^ Hasn't played a game professionally in 10 years and sure loves having his name out there.  This is obviously a PR move for the ECHL team and for Mr. Sean Avery.

Must be giving hockey a sloppy second chance. Or is it the other way around?

 I really,  really hope a reporter asks him that lol. He's done so much ridiculous shit over his career i almost forgot about that comment

I still love the story of when he was coming up with the Detroit Red Wings.  They were playing a game against the Avs in the 2002-2003 season, and he tried chirping at Joe Sakic, calling him out by his first name.  Brett Hull grabbed his jersey, forced him to the bench and said something to the effect of, "You are not allowed to do that!  He is Mr. Sakic to you!" as Brendan Shanahan, Steve Yzerman, and Chris Chelios all looked at him and nodded in agreement.

[Anguyen92]

Well, PR stunt it is.  That's obvious.  He was only there for two days.

https://www.orlandosolarbearshockey.com/news/2022/2/solar-bears-release-sean-avery?fbclid=IwAR2ALK8921l8b8oO6Itc6z_ufhnsVI_PTN3LGy7L1C_FqOmUWTxbUc4_3Nw

[Anguyen92]

Ahhhh, a nearly flawless win against the Ducks today.  The kind of win I was hoping the Kings would get in a key game like this.  Got some separation on everyone else fighting for a spot and even leapfrogged the Golden Knights who lost to the Coyotes today.  Coyotes is really helping the Kings out this week.  Losing the games against them and winning the games that would help the Kings out (won against Stars and Golden Knights).

[pg1067]

Ahhhh, a nearly flawless win against the Ducks today.  The kind of win I was hoping the Kings would get in a key game like this.  Got some separation on everyone else fighting for a spot and even leapfrogged the Golden Knights who lost to the Coyotes today.  Coyotes is really helping the Kings out this week.  Losing the games against them and winning the games that would help the Kings out (won against Stars and Golden Knights).

Man...they were on fire last night.  They seemed one step ahead of, and so much faster than, the Sucks at every turn.  Hopefully they'll keep it going today against the Islanders.

[TheCountOfNYC]

The Rangers really needed to NOT lose to the Penguins today. If they have any hope of staying alive in the division race, they can’t afford to play like that against Pittsburgh or Carolina.

[pg1067]

Ahhhh, a nearly flawless win against the Ducks today.  The kind of win I was hoping the Kings would get in a key game like this.  Got some separation on everyone else fighting for a spot and even leapfrogged the Golden Knights who lost to the Coyotes today.  Coyotes is really helping the Kings out this week.  Losing the games against them and winning the games that would help the Kings out (won against Stars and Golden Knights).

Man...they were on fire last night.  They seemed one step ahead of, and so much faster than, the Sucks at every turn.  Hopefully they'll keep it going today against the Islanders.

And they have been!

Also, WTF happened in Detroit?!  A flashback to the no-defense days of the '80s?

[Anguyen92]

On top of that, we have the option to get another free McFlurry tomorrow since the Kings scored in the last min. of the 2nd.  They've done that four times this season, and I've cashed in on that 3 times.  One of them, I ate on the way to the Wiltern for a concert (it's easier to eat food when you are stuck in traffic at the 5 North).

Also, yeah, when I came home after doing something, I checked the scoreboard and see that it was 10-7 Leafs???

Found this video in my feed, watch as Leafs superfan Steve Dangle (who managed to land a nice sweet gig on the Sportsnet Youtube channel to livestream and watch Leafs games every Saturday where people can watch the game and watch his reactions.  Only available to Canada only) reacts to everything that had happened in that 3rd period mess.  Please note around 4:00 minutes, he screamed pretty loudly.  You have been warned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa8mdlALGos

[jingle.boy]

That Leafs/Wing game was fucking bonkers.  Never seen anything like that ever in my life - seriously, that's not hyperbole at all.  Campbell is a fucking sieve.  He's got a bad case of Binningtonitis.  Up 7-2 to start the third (and btw, those first two goals Campbell gave up were awful), and then let them get to 7-6 and 8-7!?!?!!?  I mean, c'mon.  That doesn't even happen in beer-league games.  And all but one of them (deflection) was entirely stoppable.  That 5th one was especially brutal.  Even when they got the 10th goal, no Leaf fan could feel comfortable.

Thanks for posting that Dangle clip Ang.  I don't usually care too much for Steve, but that was a worthwhile watch.  Pretty much mirrored my reactions.  That game was a absolutely steaming hot mess.  How does a team hold the Pens and the Wild to 1 goal each, then do what they did in that 3rd period?!?!?

[jingle.boy]

I really hope the Avs are peaking too early, because they look unstoppable - maybe it'll be a case like Tampa 3 years ago... cruising thru the regular season with no real adversity, then choking on it in Round 1.  How many 3rd period comebacks do they have?  More than a handful, that's for sure.

[romdrums]

Hehe, no D in the D last night.  I figured the Wings were done after it got to 7-2, but they lit up the 3rd.

[jingle.boy]

Hehe, no D in the D last night.  I figured the Wings were done after it got to 7-2, but they lit up the 3rd.

Hardly... they just threw pucks at the night, and neither Campbell or Mrazek could stop a beachball.  Matthews even got one of the deflections for an 'own' goal.  Guess he really wants the Rocket! 

[crazy climber dude]

I really hope the Avs are peaking too early, because they look unstoppable - maybe it'll be a case like Tampa 3 years ago... cruising thru the regular season with no real adversity, then choking on it in Round 1.  How many 3rd period comebacks do they have?  More than a handful, that's for sure.

Yes, they SEEM a little more gritty than the last few years with the same core group. Comebacks are typically a good assessment of that (grit)....last night in Las Vegas for example. And especially since that was the second night of a back to back....the ridiculous 6 unanswered goals against Winnipeg.

As an Avs fan here in Colorado, I am most encouraged by MacKinnon finally breaking out and getting more goals....he was still contributing with a lot of assists during the season (when healthy), but they need him to score big goals too. Also nice to see Kuemper bounce back after the 5-1 loss against the Bruins. Though to be fair, the Avs were bad all over the ice that afternoon in Boston.

Still, yes....and as discussed earlier....the spectre of regular season success not translating will likely haunt this current team. UNTIL----they do something much deeper in the playoffs. Hoping Kuemper is still dialed in when they start in May....and that Landeskog, Makar, MacKinnon, Kadri, and Rantanen are healthy as possible. If those things align, I wouldn't want to play them.

[gmillerdrake]

I really hope the Avs are peaking too early, because they look unstoppable - maybe it'll be a case like Tampa 3 years ago... cruising thru the regular season with no real adversity, then choking on it in Round 1.  How many 3rd period comebacks do they have?  More than a handful, that's for sure.

They’re looking good but they looked the same way last year. When go time hits you gotta play. I still
Think their goaltending is suspect and until they do something in the playoffs they’re just a really good regular season team. But they do look scary.

[KevShmev]

In the meantime, Binnington has looked great his last few starts, so hopefully he is turning it around to where both he and Husso can be great options come playoff time.  Goalies can be so darn fragile.

[jingle.boy]

In the meantime, Binnington has looked great his last few starts, so hopefully he is turning it around to where both he and Husso can be great options come playoff time.  Goalies can be so darn fragile.

No kidding... and it's tough have the patience to know when / how often to play them so they can get out of their funk, vs just making it worse - while losing game and/or having the team lose confidence in him.