The Hockey Thread

[Matt Young 0]

Yeah, I get the NHL Network on DirecTV. Tonight's game was only the second Kings game they've aired this season, though.

[bob_barron 0]

You should check out Hockey Night in Canada, since you get the NHL Network. It's a lot of fun

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

You should check out Hockey Night in Canada, since you get the NHL Network. It's a lot of fun

 

This - still the best work in the business, even with the so-so hi-def cameras used outside of Toronto. Every person should see Coach's Corner at least once in their lives, they've got a great panel (I hate Al Strachan and Mike Milbury, but they know their stuff), Jim Hughson is currently the best announcer in the world, and a lot of fans still like Bob Cole for some reason or another. Finally, Ron Maclean might be my favourite tv personality ever.

[garfieldsnose 0]

Flyers will be unveiling their new 3rds tomorrow. They're bringing back the orange, an old-school type jersey with the names on the back having a white background. I love them, and am glad they got orange jerseys again. I absolutely despise the black jerseys, as there was no need at all for the retiring of the orange jerseys back in 2000.

 

Pics:

[Zetterberg is God 0]

For whatever reason I don't like the name bar style but the rest of the jersey is fine.

[treble 0]

The nameplate sucks, and I wish the orange would go all the way down the sleeve (to the black), but otherwise, they're pretty good.

[RepoMan 0]

Flyers will be unveiling their new 3rds tomorrow. They're bringing back the orange, an old-school type jersey with the names on the back having a white background. I love them, and am glad they got orange jerseys again. I absolutely despise the black jerseys, as there was no need at all for the retiring of the orange jerseys back in 2000.

 

Pics:

 

I know what I want for Christmas now.

 

[Mike wanna be 0]

Nameplate's awful, beyond that they're really good. I don't see why they have white numbers in black outline, but they can't repeat the process for the name instead of having a giant white rectangle on their backs.

[CanadianChris 0]

The worst-kept secret in hockey is out, as Brian Burke signed for 6 years to be the Leafs GM.

[Matt Young 0]

You should check out Hockey Night in Canada, since you get the NHL Network. It's a lot of fun

 

Indeed. I've mentioned before that I have been meaning to watch more games and learn about more teams through HNIC. I'm just either out on Saturday nights with friends, or attending ECHL games, so I usually only get to see the last period of game 1 between returning from the gym and leaving for the arena or wherever I may be going on nights when there are no Reign games.

 

It's definitely a good thing to have available, though. There's no Reign game Saturday, and I currently have no other plans, so I will try to watch both HNIC games. Also, I need to check on the schedule for games on Versus.

[Guest Czecherbear]

There's a Blackhawks-Ducks matinee today at 3 (1 yr time) if you're so inclined! It's some bullshit that Blackhawks games aren't aired nationwide. I think it's because WGNAmerica is on more households than Versus, thus to have a local package get more carriage than a national package makes the NHL look utterly pantsed on the whole Versus thing. Foley & Olczyk are quite a broadcasting team, I feel.

[the max 0]

Bruins roll the Islanders, 7-2. Fernandez looked very sharp for most of the game.

 

Big test tomorry. Red Wings v. Broons. Broons are 13-2-1 in their last 16 games. Outscoring opponents 58-31. I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Bruins roll the Islanders, 7-2. Fernandez looked very sharp for most of the game.

 

Big test tomorry. Red Wings v. Broons. Broons are 13-2-1 in their last 16 games. Outscoring opponents 58-31. I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

 

I think the offense is definitely for real and have been pleasantly surprised with Dennis Wideman in particular but it remains to be seen whether the team can consistently hit and grind night after night. I'm also hoping the goaltending, despite a probable decline in the future, will remain tough because both TT and Manny are playing out of their minds right now and I don't expect that to hold up down the road.

[Zetterberg is God 0]

Good win. That skipper almost ruined a pretty good peformance by Osgood.

[the max 0]

If anything, the hitting and grinding will be there more than the offense. Someone is going to slow down that Lucic-Savard-Kessel line. Julien did a great thing by putting Kobasew with Bergeron on the third line, but he needs to kick Axelsson off that line. He's like a black hole of offense. Use him on the PK and trot out a line of Axelsson-Yelle-Thornton as a fourth line. Moving forward:

 

Lucic-Savard-Kessel

Ryder-Krejci-Wheeler

Kobasew-Bergeron-Nokelainen

Axelsson-Yelle-Thornton

 

should give them more balance and get Bergeron going. Julien was smart to pull Axelsson off point on the second unit powerplay with the emergence of Hunwick, but Axelsson is killing Bergeron.

 

The defense has been remarkable.

 

The goaltending...I worry about Manny. I keep waiting for him to put up the bad game, but even his bad games aren't terrible. The game against the Sabres where he got booed by idiots, the shots were close to impossible to stop. Tim Thomas...we all keep saying that he'll fall back to earth, but...he seems to just keep getting better. I think it's a case of:

 

[treble 0]

So, Jim Kelley wrote a column on SI.com basically saying that Canadians are going to revolt because 2 Americans (Burke and Wilson) are running the Leafs now. I know all the Habs fans out there are just frothing at the mouth over it!

 

My favourite part is this, though:

 

Wilson cut his hockey teeth at an American college and coached Team USA to a noteworthy win over Canada in the World Cup that, though it's over a decade old, still stings in the collective Canadian psyche.

 

Now, is there anyone out there at all who really gives a shit about the 1996 World Cup? I guess Wilson might, since he wears his ring, still, but I can guarantee you that the majority of people out there don't even remember that there WAS a 1996 World Cup. Hell, they're probably fuzzy on the 2004 one.

 

This is a good one, too:

 

"I wouldn't equate it with Barack Obama being elected president in the States," said a source familiar with the inner workings of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the parent company of the Leafs, "but it's likely to have the same kind of seismic impact up here."

 

I'm not sure I even understand what whoever that is is trying to say. I have not heard one person or columnist or anything bring up the fact that Burke is American outside of the fact that they were going to wait until after his Thanksgiving to announce the deal officially.

 

And this:

 

It was a similar affair when George Gillet of Racine, Wisconsin bought a majority interest in the fabled Canadiens in 2001, at a time when no Canadian interests had the cash or the initiative. Gillet was not warmly welcomed and has had to tread carefully to avoid alienating a fan base that is among the most passionate and loyal in sports. Even having rebuilt the team to at least within sight of its first Stanley Cup since 1993, Gillet is still perceived as simply holding the franchise until it is restored to "proper" ownership. When a story appeared last month to the effect that the team might be for sale, Gillet had to launch a media blitz to distance himself from it lest Canadiens fans take up arms out of fear that their team would be sold on the anniversary of its 100th season.

 

I remember that people were weary of Gillet, but that was mostly because the dollar was so low and there were rumours of more Canadian teams leaving to the States. But really, that was never going to happen. It's too bad that that no Canadians wanted to buy the Habs, but it didn't make any economic sense at the time. And I'm not sure what he's going for at the end of the paragraph, either. Habs fans were so upset that the owner they wanted to get rid of was going to sell the team? And, using his logic, wouldn't they want a Canadian to own the team on the 100th anniversary? And I don't follow the Habs too closely, but is there really a sentiment among their fans that want him to get rid of the team? I always thought he was perceived as one of the better owners in the league.

 

Anyway, no one gives a shit what country Burke or Wilson (who was born in Canada, but that's not important) are from. Everyone hated Ferguson by the end, and he's Canadian. Pat Quinn and Paul Maurice both got fired. It hasn't worked in 41 years, I can't wait for the columns if they do end up winning it eventually, shitting on it for not using Canadians to build the team (this is CANADA's team, dammit. Isn't that right Vancouver?). If fans end up hating the current regime, it will be because they don't like the direction the team is going, not their fucking nationality.

[Matt Young 0]

I'm not opposed to advertising on uniforms of minor league teams- the Ontario Reign have a Toyota logo on the back of their jerseys, beneath the number- but what I saw tonight was too much. Their opponents, the Bakersfield Condors, had Carl's Jr./Hardee's star logos inside the numbers on their jerseys. I mean, come on.

[Matt Young 0]

Really fun game between the Kings and the Blackhawks. The Kings won 5-2, but it was a lot closer than the score indicates. Both teams were evenly matched most of the way through, but the Kings scored 3 goals on 6 shots (including Derek Armstrong, who barely plays, reminding us of his existence) and finished with 4 unanswered goals for the victory. The Hawks looked great for 2 and 1/2 periods, but just shit the bed in the last half of the 3rd with penalty after penalty.

 

Philadelphia at Toronto followed by Vancouver at Calgary on HNIC tonight. Hopefully, the guys at the gym will switch one TV to thje NHL Network or else I'll miss 2/3 of the Flyers/Leafs game.

[Zetterberg is God 0]

Man, Kyle Quincey sure is showing why it was a mistake for the Wings to let him go.

[Guest]

I was surprised to see Army score. At the beginning of the game I thought Moller and O'Sullivan were in purgatory on his line, but hey, it worked out well. John Zeiler should be coming back from his suspension on Monday, hopefully he gives Hollweg a taste of his own medicine. Zeiler's pretty good at that.

 

Kyle Calder still sucks, but hey, he scored. Whatever gets the win.

 

And yeah, Kyle Quincey is pretty freaking good.

 

[garfieldsnose 0]

Biron's having a game like he did in the beginning of the season. Fucking Leafs.

[the max 0]

Bruins being outshot 20-12 through two. They lead 3-1. First goal was a great move by Ryder to split two Red Wings and make a fantastic pass to Wheeler. The second was a puck possession goal with Kessel skating circles around the Wings D and seemingly missing on a shot from the point that fluttered by Conklin. Third goal was Bergeron stealing the puck in the corner and feeding Kobasew in the slot with space. That's a goal just about every time.

 

They look for real. I hope they can keep this up.

[garfieldsnose 0]

I can't believe the luck of Boston. It's somewhat sickening.

[the max 0]

Bruins win 4-1. Last 17 games: 14-2-1. Outscoring teams 62-32.

 

Just, wow. They finally have a capable front office, coaching staff and players. Love it.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Manny Fernandez really played tough as nails too, stopping numerous dead on shots and playing smart (diving on a loose puck several times).

[the max 0]

Fernandez was the right call tonight. Against teams like Detroit and Montreal, you need a solid positional goaltender with better rebound control. Fernandez has that; Technically speaking, Fernandez is one of the best in the NHL when he's healthy. Thomas is the new generation Hasek. You love him when he's on, but when he's off he can be absolutely brutal. Thomas probably gets the start thursday against the Panthers.

[Matt Young 0]

I'm disappointed that Czech didn't post during or after the Blackhawks game. My disappointment has nothing to do with my team winning/me wanting to gloat, lest you get the wrong idea. I just wanted to be able to talk hockey with him, and for once I would have known what he was talking about when discussing a Blackhawks game.

[jimmy no nose 0]

Suddenly Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are battling for the league lead in points after Crosby's 4 point night and 9 points in the last 3 games.

 

This early in the season it doesn't mean too much, but I was trying to figure out how impressive it would be to go 1-2 on the same team, then I remembered that 95-96 happened. Lemieux and Jagr both ran away from the rest of the league, and Ron Francis was only 1 point out of third place.

[Zetterberg is God 0]

Good job by the Bruins tonight but holy crap I wish I knew what was wrong with the Wings defense. The only thing I can think of is the loss of Todd McLellan. I can't believe he made that much of a difference but then again San Jose has been stellar thus far.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

The NHL.com Poll of the Day:

 

How fast can the Leafs rebound under Brian Burke?

This season:

14.68 %

Two to three seasons:

44.97 %

More like five seasons:

15.78 %

Forever and a day:

24.57 %