the hockey thread

[Jaimoe]

I don't think Ovechkin is "hands down" the best in the league, but he certainly is the most exciting player - partly to do with his phycical play --- and is in the Top 3.

[joey_rogo]

true. i love the excitement factor tho, thats what makes him tops to me. he needs to drop the gloves, i think he could be a decent fighter if he fights with the same excitement that he plays with. of course he would need to take his visor off first.

[Jaimoe]

true. i love the excitement factor tho, thats what makes him tops to me. he needs to drop the gloves, i think he could be a decent fighter if he fights with the same excitement that he plays with. of course he would need to take his visor off first.

He fought Mike Richards, another one of the league's best players, last year in the pre-season and got creamed. He said he won't fight again, but I think he'll have to given his style.

Anyway, the big talk in Canada right now is the serious talk of banning fighting in the CHL. The NHL is also in talks and this won't go away this time. Google the name Don Sanderson from the Whitby Dunlops - a Senior A player. Senior A is two notches lower than the CHL, but the CHL was deeply moved by Sanderson's death last week in a fight.

[ManNamedTruth]

i agree with you about the rangers and pens. that has to be why the rangers were 5 games ahead of everyone for a while, so they would look good in the standings haha.

and i absolutely love ovechkin. in my opinion, he is a much better poster boy than crosby. first of all, he is hands down the best player in the league, talent wise. also, he plays with so much emotion, it's awesome. i love watching him score, even if it's against my team. every goal he scores is like the first goal he's ever scored. i've heard that he is a totally nice guy off the ice too.

ah well. here's to hoping the pens miss the playoffs.

fuck all you haters >:(

[capt. scotty]

the pens/rags game was one of the worst games i have ever watched on tv. yes, the rangers sucked, but i feel very bad for them, cause even if they were good, they had no chance. so many bullshit calls, and a bullshit penalty shot given to cindy on a blatent dive. plus, nbc kept wetting their pants the whole time talking about crosby and how awesome he is. barely mentioned malkin, and barely ever mentioned the rangers. the nhl wants the pens to succeed because of their golden boy, the pens were in 9th before the game, the game was on national tv. do the math. i call bullshit on that game. and o what do ya know, the pens are on nbc again in 2 weeks.

First off if you werent aware of this already, nationally televised games typically get more penalties called to make the game more exciting for casual viewers. While I agree that might have been a questionable penalty shot call, it def was a penalty so we wouldve been getting a PP anyway (and Crosby sucks at PS anyway, so who cares). And there were 5 penalties called on NYR to 2 on PIT, thats a normal disparity

As for TV, they went to the freakin Stanley Cup last year, of course theyre going to get a lot of exposure after doing that and having 2 of the best players in the league. The schedule/TV schedule gets set up before the year (just like how the Browns got 5 primetime games in the NFL this year), so after going that far last year and having 1 of the strongest fan bases in the league, of course theyll get a lot of TV time, which is why theyre on again in a couple of weeks.

The NHL doesnt have to want the Pens to succeed when they already are themselves

Take your rag out and look at things objectively

[capt. scotty]

and i absolutely love ovechkin. in my opinion, he is a much better poster boy than crosby. first of all, he is hands down the best player in the league, talent wise. also, he plays with so much emotion, it's awesome. i love watching him score, even if it's against my team. every goal he scores is like the first goal he's ever scored. i've heard that he is a totally nice guy off the ice too.

He is not the hands down best player in the league. He is hands down the best goal scorer, and hits much more than any star forward not named Iginla, but those are the only categories he is clearly the best in. Id have to say Crosby is the best of the bunch defensively, and Malkin is more of a mix of Ovie and Sid. Also, Ovie's been playing with Niklas Backstrom and Viktor Kozlov on the top line. When Sid and Geno arent on the same line together, which they havent for most of the year, Ovechkin clearly has more talented linemates than either of the Pens. That doesnt hurt either

Not sure why you would think hes a better poster boy. Hes Russian, Crosby's Canadian. The sport is played in North America. And both get plenty of publicity, so while when Crosby came into the league he was considered the next great one, Ovie is clearly on the same level of talent and gets plenty of promotion

[capt. scotty]

i agree with you about the rangers and pens. that has to be why the rangers were 5 games ahead of everyone for a while, so they would look good in the standings haha.

and i absolutely love ovechkin. in my opinion, he is a much better poster boy than crosby. first of all, he is hands down the best player in the league, talent wise. also, he plays with so much emotion, it's awesome. i love watching him score, even if it's against my team. every goal he scores is like the first goal he's ever scored. i've heard that he is a totally nice guy off the ice too.

ah well. here's to hoping the pens miss the playoffs.

fuck all you haters >:(

though our record right now says otherwise, theyre all jealous  :)

[Jaimoe]

the pens/rags game was one of the worst games i have ever watched on tv. yes, the rangers sucked, but i feel very bad for them, cause even if they were good, they had no chance. so many bullshit calls, and a bullshit penalty shot given to cindy on a blatent dive. plus, nbc kept wetting their pants the whole time talking about crosby and how awesome he is. barely mentioned malkin, and barely ever mentioned the rangers. the nhl wants the pens to succeed because of their golden boy, the pens were in 9th before the game, the game was on national tv. do the math. i call bullshit on that game. and o what do ya know, the pens are on nbc again in 2 weeks.

First off if you werent aware of this already, nationally televised games typically get more penalties called to make the game more exciting for casual viewers. While I agree that might have been a questionable penalty shot call, it def was a penalty so we wouldve been getting a PP anyway (and Crosby sucks at PS anyway, so who cares). And there were 5 penalties called on NYR to 2 on PIT, thats a normal disparity

As for TV, they went to the freakin Stanley Cup last year, of course theyre going to get a lot of exposure after doing that and having 2 of the best players in the league. The schedule/TV schedule gets set up before the year (just like how the Browns got 5 primetime games in the NFL this year), so after going that far last year and having 1 of the strongest fan bases in the league, of course theyll get a lot of TV time, which is why theyre on again in a couple of weeks.

The NHL doesnt have to want the Pens to succeed when they already are themselves

Take your rag out and look at things objectively

If there's one thing that ruins the sport for casual viewers, it's constant penalties and power-plays. It slows the game down and isn't a good representation of all that is good and exciting about hockey.

[Jaimoe]

and i absolutely love ovechkin. in my opinion, he is a much better poster boy than crosby. first of all, he is hands down the best player in the league, talent wise. also, he plays with so much emotion, it's awesome. i love watching him score, even if it's against my team. every goal he scores is like the first goal he's ever scored. i've heard that he is a totally nice guy off the ice too.

He is not the hands down best player in the league. He is hands down the best goal scorer, and hits much more than any star forward not named Iginla, but those are the only categories he is clearly the best in. Id have to say Crosby is the best of the bunch defensively, and Malkin is more of a mix of Ovie and Sid. Also, Ovie's been playing with Niklas Backstrom and Viktor Kozlov on the top line. When Sid and Geno arent on the same line together, which they havent for most of the year, Ovechkin clearly has more talented linemates than either of the Pens. That doesnt hurt either

Not sure why you would think hes a better poster boy. Hes Russian, Crosby's Canadian. The sport is played in North America. And both get plenty of publicity, so while when Crosby came into the league he was considered the next great one, Ovie is clearly on the same level of talent and gets plenty of promotion

Ovechkin won the Calder Trophy without having Backstrom or Semin on his line since they weren't in the league yet. Kozlov has been a major disappointment since he came into the league. He was a #6 overall pick and he's just now emerged as a 1st line player.

Ovechkin is great no matter who he plays with because he has the ability to make his own plays.

BTW, I'd rank Ovechkin #2 in the NHL as the best bodychecker. #1 goes to star defenseman Dion Phaneuf. He's the best bodychecker I've seen in my 40 years and Calgary has the meanest defense in the NHL. Phaneuf's defense teammate Robyn Regehr is just as fierce as a hitter.

Oh yeah, don't forget everyone that Crosby is 21 and Ovechkin is 23. Also, Ovechkin is my #1 as bodychecking forwards go, with Boston's great young player  Milan Lucic at #2 and Jordan Tootoo at #3.

[ManNamedTruth]

i agree with you about the rangers and pens. that has to be why the rangers were 5 games ahead of everyone for a while, so they would look good in the standings haha.

and i absolutely love ovechkin. in my opinion, he is a much better poster boy than crosby. first of all, he is hands down the best player in the league, talent wise. also, he plays with so much emotion, it's awesome. i love watching him score, even if it's against my team. every goal he scores is like the first goal he's ever scored. i've heard that he is a totally nice guy off the ice too.

ah well. here's to hoping the pens miss the playoffs.

fuck all you haters >:(

though our record right now says otherwise, theyre all jealous  :)

There's no other explanation. If he played for joey rogo's or jamoie's favorite team and took those teams to the finals, I don't think you'd be hearing them complaining about him.
I also think we'll get back on track and make the playoffs.

[capt. scotty]

the pens/rags game was one of the worst games i have ever watched on tv. yes, the rangers sucked, but i feel very bad for them, cause even if they were good, they had no chance. so many bullshit calls, and a bullshit penalty shot given to cindy on a blatent dive. plus, nbc kept wetting their pants the whole time talking about crosby and how awesome he is. barely mentioned malkin, and barely ever mentioned the rangers. the nhl wants the pens to succeed because of their golden boy, the pens were in 9th before the game, the game was on national tv. do the math. i call bullshit on that game. and o what do ya know, the pens are on nbc again in 2 weeks.

First off if you werent aware of this already, nationally televised games typically get more penalties called to make the game more exciting for casual viewers. While I agree that might have been a questionable penalty shot call, it def was a penalty so we wouldve been getting a PP anyway (and Crosby sucks at PS anyway, so who cares). And there were 5 penalties called on NYR to 2 on PIT, thats a normal disparity

As for TV, they went to the freakin Stanley Cup last year, of course theyre going to get a lot of exposure after doing that and having 2 of the best players in the league. The schedule/TV schedule gets set up before the year (just like how the Browns got 5 primetime games in the NFL this year), so after going that far last year and having 1 of the strongest fan bases in the league, of course theyll get a lot of TV time, which is why theyre on again in a couple of weeks.

The NHL doesnt have to want the Pens to succeed when they already are themselves

Take your rag out and look at things objectively

If there's one thing that ruins the sport for casual viewers, it's constant penalties and power-plays. It slows the game down and isn't a good representation of all that is good and exciting about hockey.

To fans it doesnt represent the best of hockey, but people stumbling onto the channel want to see goals, and they easiest way to get a goal is on the PP

[Jaimoe]

i agree with you about the rangers and pens. that has to be why the rangers were 5 games ahead of everyone for a while, so they would look good in the standings haha.

and i absolutely love ovechkin. in my opinion, he is a much better poster boy than crosby. first of all, he is hands down the best player in the league, talent wise. also, he plays with so much emotion, it's awesome. i love watching him score, even if it's against my team. every goal he scores is like the first goal he's ever scored. i've heard that he is a totally nice guy off the ice too.

ah well. here's to hoping the pens miss the playoffs.

fuck all you haters >:(

though our record right now says otherwise, theyre all jealous  :)

There's no other explanation. If he played for joey rogo's or jamoie's favorite team and took those teams to the finals, I don't think you'd be hearing them complaining about him.
I also think we'll get back on track and make the playoffs.

I'm a fan of hockey and I cheer for players on any team that I like. My favourite players come from all sorts of teams. My fav forward is probably Vinny Lecavalier or Joe Thornton, but love both Eric and Jordan Staal. I'm a big fan too of Milan Lucic and Iginla. My favourite player in the league is a defenseman, which hasn't been the case wiht me since Bobby Orr: Dion Phaneuf is my fav along with Robyn Regehr. Growing up I loved many of the Bruins from the 70's, but in the 80's and 90's, my favourtie players were Wendel Clark and Steve Yzerman, from two rival teams.

So, I could care less where a player plays. I don't hate Crosby and I do think he's either the best or second best player in the league. No one gets more attention than he does, and he gets abused physially more than anyone else.

[capt. scotty]

and i absolutely love ovechkin. in my opinion, he is a much better poster boy than crosby. first of all, he is hands down the best player in the league, talent wise. also, he plays with so much emotion, it's awesome. i love watching him score, even if it's against my team. every goal he scores is like the first goal he's ever scored. i've heard that he is a totally nice guy off the ice too.

He is not the hands down best player in the league. He is hands down the best goal scorer, and hits much more than any star forward not named Iginla, but those are the only categories he is clearly the best in. Id have to say Crosby is the best of the bunch defensively, and Malkin is more of a mix of Ovie and Sid. Also, Ovie's been playing with Niklas Backstrom and Viktor Kozlov on the top line. When Sid and Geno arent on the same line together, which they havent for most of the year, Ovechkin clearly has more talented linemates than either of the Pens. That doesnt hurt either

Not sure why you would think hes a better poster boy. Hes Russian, Crosby's Canadian. The sport is played in North America. And both get plenty of publicity, so while when Crosby came into the league he was considered the next great one, Ovie is clearly on the same level of talent and gets plenty of promotion

Ovechkin won the Calder Trophy without having Backstrom or Semin on his line since they weren't in the league yet. Kozlov has been a major disappointment since he came into the league. He was a #6 overall pick and he's just now emerged as a 1st line player.

Ovechkin is great no matter who he plays with because he has the ability to make his own plays.

Obviously Ovie can create his own plays, hes 1 of the best in the league. I didnt say hes not great on his own, just that having Backstrom and Kozlov on his line (Im pretty sure Semin plays with Fedorov on the 2nd) is a big help. Backstrom is a great young player and a perfect complement to Ovie with his passing ability, and almost has 50 points already. I know Kozlov isnt anything too special, but hes better than Ruslan Fedotenko, Max Talbot and all the other bums that have been on the Pens 1st and 2nd lines.

Matt Cooke has looked very good since Therrien finally moved him to the top line though. I have no idea why it took him this long to do it either, since Cooke is the closest thing to Malone now on the team and clearly Sid or Geno need someone on their line who can dig pucks out of the corner, crash the net, and play in front of it. Another reason I dont like Therrien.

[Jaimoe]

the pens/rags game was one of the worst games i have ever watched on tv. yes, the rangers sucked, but i feel very bad for them, cause even if they were good, they had no chance. so many bullshit calls, and a bullshit penalty shot given to cindy on a blatent dive. plus, nbc kept wetting their pants the whole time talking about crosby and how awesome he is. barely mentioned malkin, and barely ever mentioned the rangers. the nhl wants the pens to succeed because of their golden boy, the pens were in 9th before the game, the game was on national tv. do the math. i call bullshit on that game. and o what do ya know, the pens are on nbc again in 2 weeks.

First off if you werent aware of this already, nationally televised games typically get more penalties called to make the game more exciting for casual viewers. While I agree that might have been a questionable penalty shot call, it def was a penalty so we wouldve been getting a PP anyway (and Crosby sucks at PS anyway, so who cares). And there were 5 penalties called on NYR to 2 on PIT, thats a normal disparity

As for TV, they went to the freakin Stanley Cup last year, of course theyre going to get a lot of exposure after doing that and having 2 of the best players in the league. The schedule/TV schedule gets set up before the year (just like how the Browns got 5 primetime games in the NFL this year), so after going that far last year and having 1 of the strongest fan bases in the league, of course theyll get a lot of TV time, which is why theyre on again in a couple of weeks.

The NHL doesnt have to want the Pens to succeed when they already are themselves

Take your rag out and look at things objectively

If there's one thing that ruins the sport for casual viewers, it's constant penalties and power-plays. It slows the game down and isn't a good representation of all that is good and exciting about hockey.

To fans it doesnt represent the best of hockey, but people stumbling onto the channel want to see goals, and they easiest way to get a goal is on the PP

I respectfully disagree. The curious may want to see goals, but to actually sit though a game loaded with penalties is torture, no matter if you are a fan or not. Penalties take away any sort of flow or physical play, two things a potential new American audience would find appealing - and we are only talking about the American fanbase here.

I'm actually pleased that some of you guys care enough about the NHL and seem to be fairly knowledgeable at least regarding the NHL in general. Canadian hockey fans just assume - rightly for the most part - that most US sports fans don't watch or give a damn about hockey or know much about it. I'm enjoying this thread.

[capt. scotty]

Well at least we both agree the game is more exciting typically without penalties, or at even strength at least

Who gives a shit about those casual fans anyway  :P



....bout to check out these afternoon games since I just realized some were going on

[capt. scotty]

....bout to check out these afternoon games since I just realized some were going on

Glad I did!!

Awesome 3rd period in the BOS/STL game..2-1 STL only to see BOS come back and make it 4-2...STL comes back and ties it with .1 seconds left on a goal with a possible high stick. STL wins in a shootout, crazy fast move by TJ Oshie for STL who got 1 of the shootout goals.

WAS/NYI 3rd didnt have the scoring like that game, but still very entertaining...NYI comes back to tie it but WAS wins 2-1 in OT....Thanks for starting off my fantasy week right with a .964 save percentage and win Theodore  [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Oh, and Ovie had both goals for WAS

[Jaimoe]

Boston has impressed me more than any other team this year. They scraped into the playoffs last year, but they are one of the best teams in the league this year, even with key injuries to Sturm, Bergeron (I hope his career isn't over at age 23), Kessel and Lucic.

[capt. scotty]

Yeah, they def havent looked as good over the last week or so without Kessel and Lucic

David Krejci is def a big reason, as is Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez, why theyre #1 right now

[Jaimoe]

Yeah, they def havent looked as good over the last week or so without Kessel and Lucic

David Krejci is def a big reason, as is Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez, why theyre #1 right now

The sad thing is, Bergeron would be their best player if he didn't get that concussion last year, when he was run from behind. Bergeron got re-injured a few weeks ago and it has everyone worried. This guy is a rising star, even more so than Kessel and Krejci.

[capt. scotty]

Yeah, they def havent looked as good over the last week or so without Kessel and Lucic

David Krejci is def a big reason, as is Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez, why theyre #1 right now

The sad thing is, Bergeron would be their best player if he didn't get that concussion last year, when he was run from behind. Bergeron got re-injured a few weeks ago and it has everyone worried. This guy is a rising star, even more so than Kessel and Krejci.

I was aware of that last year, but wasnt he healthy the 1st 2 months this year?? He wasnt doing much before he got injured again