NHL

[SteveThaiBinh]

Part 10 was here.

 

This is the continuation of the hockey thread. It is hockey, right, not handball?

[Arclam]

Just as hockey was starting to become a favorite of mine, the Coyotes file for bankruptcy and it sounds like they may move to Ontario. New arena they were under lease for another 25 years funded by the taxpayers of city of Glendale, now possibly without any tenant. Between the lockout and the fact that they have not gone to the playoffs in 7 years in a league where more than half get in, the team never got much of a chance to build a fanbase. Poor management and even more inept coaching. My interest in the league and the playoffs is just about dead now.

 

I just hope I get the chance to give Gretzky a kick in the nuts before they leave. The man should be banned from coaching anything above little league hockey. Saw more inspired play from the Minor League Team in town than I did from any team Gretzky could throw on the ice.

[Kor Qel Droma]

Don't forget the great one was pulling in close to six million a year while coaching.

It was a dumb move putting the team in Phoenix to start with.

[Deraldin]

Woo! Vancouver takes game three in Chicago by a score of 3-1. Chicago pulled their goalie with two minutes left and only got a couple shots on net with the extra man. Half the time was actually spent in their own defensive end along the boards.

 

Go Vancouver!

 

Also, I really, really hate that damn delay of game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass. Something like five delay of game penalties between the two teams in the three games in this series so far?

Edited May 6, 2009 by Deraldin

[Arclam]

I don't fully buy the whole deal about it being dumb to move to Phoenix, at least any more than it would be to move any sports franchise to Phoenix, not just hockey teams. Phoenix is likely the most fair-weather sports city in the world. A bunch of band wagoners. If you don't win soon after moving here, you won't get much of a fanbase, and if you don't field a competitive team at least periodically after that, you will lose some of what you did have. For years it looked like we would lose the Cardinals, and not many people cared. The Diamondbacks have had trouble putting people in the seats some years.

 

The Coyotes, in a league where more than half of the teams go to the playoffs each year, never got past the first round of the playoffs and have not been to the playoffs since before the lockout and the new arena opened (in a not very centralized location for the Phoenix area). They have just not been able to incite any passion among people here with their poor performance.

 

I also think something like this could happen to northern cities. Since 2004, Phoenix has had seasons where they had better attendance than cities like Buffalo, Chicago (mutltiple years) and Boston (again, multiple years), in the years when those teams were struggling on the ice as much as the Coyotes were.

 

I maintain that the Coyotes issues have more to do with poor management than there not being any fanbase. It is here, waiting for the team to put on a show worth watching on at least a semi-consistent basis.

 

My hint to the team, whether they move or not: Ax Gretzky.

 

Also to the NHL: Get a better TV deal or push Versus really hard to to the cable companies. I am not paying for some special sports tier just to watch NHL. Especially when I hear that Versus announcing sucks. Can anyone confirm that?

Edited May 6, 2009 by Arclam

[Kor Qel Droma]

I heard a story from my manager tonight about a guy visiting Glendale watching sports fans paying the seven bucks to get into the Phoenix game, loading up on the promo food and then leaving to go watch the NFL ( or is it the baseball stadium?) next door, carrying armloads of swag.

 

Honestly, Bettman and his expansions haven't really amounted to much, not counting Minnesota and Columbus. Atlanta, Nashville, and Tampa all come to mind.

 

edit: also, TSN released a pretty interesting poll on the dirtiest players in the league

 

double edit: I realize Tampa has been around longer than Gary, my bad

Edited May 6, 2009 by Kor Qel Droma

[Krookie]

Wow...Malkin dominated that game last night. So much for not being on their level, huh Volourn? He only had one goal, but so many scoring chances.

[Volourn]

"Wow...Malkin dominated that game last night. So much for not being on their level, huh Volourn? He only had one goal, but so many scoring chances."

 

1 game, and 1 goal proves nothing. He isn't at their level. This is simply a fact.

 

It's as follows:

 

Ovechkin Crosby

 

Malkin Datsyuk and a bunch of other losers

 

Rest of league

[Hurlshort]

Would Jagr in his prime be at the same level as Ovechkin and Crosby?

 

I'm not sure, I know Lemieux and Gretzky are on that level. Interesting debate. I'd say the verdict is still out on Malkin.

[Volourn]

It also says a lot that even when Malkin has a 'great' game both Crosby and Ovechkin still had more points. Go figure.

 

 

"Would Jagr in his prime be at the same level as Ovechkin and Crosby?"

 

Absolutely. The guy was the no doubt best player in the game for a good 4-5 straight season keeping the Pens competitive even when Lemieux was having his health problems, and their SC championship claibre team was being dismantled around him. He's also the guy who greatly helped Kovalev have perhaps his best season in the NHL.

 

And, let's not forget how he (along with Lunqvist) stopped the Rangers playoffless streak, and he nearly won MVP and the Art Ross the first season back from the cancellation until the very last month or so.

 

The verdict is in on Malkin. He's an awesome player but not at Crosby and Ovechkin's level.

 

But, then aagin, the future is always unknwon until it happens so who really knows. *shrug*

Edited May 7, 2009 by Volourn

[Krookie]

It also says a lot that even when Malkin has a 'great' game both Crosby and Ovechkin still had more points. Go figure.

 

 

"Would Jagr in his prime be at the same level as Ovechkin and Crosby?"

 

Absolutely. The guy was the no doubt best player in the game for a good 4-5 straight season keeping the Pens competitive even when Lemieux was having his health problems, and their SC championship claibre team was being dismantled around him. He's also the guy who

 

don't you mean exactly the same way Malkin did last season when Crosby was injured?

[Volourn]

One season = 4-5 seasons? And, it's not like Crosby missed the entire season either.

[Hurlshort]

I just looked at Malkin's stats. He had 20 points in 22 games last season in the playoffs, and has 12 so far this year. He also has over 100 points in the last two seasons. That's fairly monstrous. He was statistically the best player in the NHL this season. I'm still willing to say he needs more years to prove he's a superstar, but I'm not quite sure what Volourn has against him.

[mkreku]

The weirdest thing happened to me last night. I was watching the Pittsburgh - Capitals game online because I couldn't get it on anyone of my channels. Well, this online place had a chat window next to it and while I was watching, I kept commenting the game commentators, turning everything they said into some sort of sexual innuendo. I thought I was kind of funny, and so did one other person who kept laughing and calling me a "nutter".

 

When the game ended I got a personal message from this person with an email address, so I added it to my MSN. It turned out that the person who thought I was a nutter was a 21 year old (or so she said) girl from Wales. She sent me a message saying something like "u want to c2c?". Naturally, I answered "No, I don't want to 'c2c', that sounds like a disease". So she laughed and invited me to a cam session with the words "hahaha this is for u k" (I'm too dumb for abbreviations like that). I clicked the link and this girl flashed her boobs for me! I'm not kidding! She actually thought I was so funny that she rewarded me with a glimpse of her boobs! It was awesome.

 

Needless to say, I love hockey.

[Hurlshort]

Cybering is kinda like peeing in the shower, it's ok to do it but you shouldn't tell anyone about it.

 

And are you sure she was 21? I just don't want to see you on "To Catch a Predator"

Edited May 7, 2009 by Hurlshot

[Krookie]

Cybering is kinda like peeing in the shower, it's ok to do it but you shouldn't tell anyone about it.

 

And are you sure she was 21? I just don't want to see you on "To Catch a Predator"

 

What do you mean? That'd be hysterical. "HEY I TALKED ABOUT VIDEO GAMES WITH THAT GUY!"

[Volourn]

"I'm still willing to say he needs more years to prove he's a superstar, but I'm not quite sure what Volourn has against him."

 

My bad. I don't rate him as one of the top two players in the game. I didn't know that equated with hating or being against him. What a huge insult to believe that Ovechkin, and Crosby are the best. Crime against humanity, I guess. *shrug*

[Krookie]

"I'm still willing to say he needs more years to prove he's a superstar, but I'm not quite sure what Volourn has against him."

 

My bad. I don't rate him as one of the top two players in the game. I didn't know that equated with hating or being against him. What a huge insult to believe that Ovechkin, and Crosby are the best. Crime against humanity, I guess. *shrug*

 

I didn't know having something against him meant hating him either. Go figure.

 

 

Anyway, yeah, Malkin is on their level, Leading the league in points isn't easy. When he falls back to the 80-90 point region I'll say they're better than him, but for right now, he's just as much an allstar as Ovechkin and Crosby. He doesn't get the spotlight in the media because (much like Semin) doesn't speak to much English.

[Hurlshort]

Well, I just think you have to look at the stats. Thornton has a few 100 point seasons and he's usually in the 90 range, but he hasn't utu enough numbers in the playoffs, and so I'd definitely put him a level below Malkin, Ovechkin, and Crosby.

[mkreku]

Cybering is kinda like peeing in the shower, it's ok to do it but you shouldn't tell anyone about it.

 

And are you sure she was 21? I just don't want to see you on "To Catch a Predator"

I didn't cyber! I wouldn't even know how to do that. And no, I'm not sure she was 21, but she looked like it. She was definitely more than 15, which is the legal age in Sweden, so I am safe

 

Anyhow, nothing like that has ever happened to me before so I had to tell someone. I didn't exactly feel like bringing it up at work so this became my venting place. THE HOCKEY THREAD IS MY SECOND HOME.

[Hurlshort]

Well, if it happens again, make sure to take a snapshot or something. You know, for evidence.

 

Detroit ripped the Ducks tonight.

[Kor Qel Droma]

*Influence gained : mkreku*

 

makes me think of that video from the Oilers SCF run where they had the table hockey Ryan Smyth talking about girls flashing them.

[mkreku]

Fantastic game between Caps - Penguins going on right now. Just a tip, if you're sitting there picking your navel. Very physical, lots of chances in both directions and I can't decide which team is the better tonight.

[Krookie]

I guess even superstars like Malkin deserve a lucky bounce of a stick in OT.

[Volourn]

Whatever it takes to get a win.