The NHL Thread

[Chunklets]

Well, hockey has descended upon us once again, so I thought I'd set up this thread for folks who wanted to talk about it!

Anyway, I've gazed into the crystal ball re: the Oilers, and here's what I see happening:

Goaltending: :smallsmile: Better than last year, with Mathieu Garon in as Rollie's backup. All due respect to Jussi Markanen, who damn near won us a Stanley Cup, but he wasn't good enough over the course of a full season to give Roloson the kind of rest a 37-year-old goalie needs. Hopefully Garon can play about 30 games.

Defense: :smallconfused: Considering that late last year the Oil had five healthy defencemen in their entire system, it's easy to say that there's been an improvement. Ironically, with Souray and Pitkanen in, it's an offensive improvement; I'm not convinced that this lot is going to be much better at keeping the pressure off the goalies than last year, but they're going to score more goals.

Forwards: :smalleek: This could be a bit scary. The offense was dreadful last year, and Sykora and Lupul, who could at least put the puck in the net sometimes, have gone. Yes, the Oilers have added Dustin Penner and Geoff Sanderson, but I still foresee some shutouts against this season. On the plus side, Hemsky's still exciting (and one of these years he's going to get 100 points), and for once we have a couple of rookies (Cogliano and Gagner) and Nilsson to get excited about.

Big Games: :smallamused: Oct. 20th against Mike Keenan's Flames, when Edmonton fans will get a chance to boo both Keenan and Calgary on the same night! The only thing that would make this more perfect would be Eddie Belfour in goal for the Flames. Nov. 30-Dec. 2, the home-and-home against the Ducks. The big question here is whether Brian Burke will actually try to kill Kevin Lowe.

2007-2008 Oilers MVP: Ales Hemsky, finally.

2007-2008 Oilers Unsung Hero: Dennis Grebeshkov.

Guy I really want to see called up from the minors pronto: Slava Trukhno.

Player who's going to get the most grief from Edmonton fans: Chris Pronger (for once, this "award" doesn't go to an Oilers player), closely followed by Michael Nylander.

Prognosis: It's going to be fun to watch the kids develop, and there's the nucleus of a really good team here, but we're not likely to make the playoffs this year.

2007-2008 Stanley Cup Champion: The New York Rangers, says I! The Sens and Ducks will have something to say about it, though.

Dark Horse Team: Pittsburgh.

[North]

The Rangers? Well thats a long shot bet! :smalltongue:

I went to the Calgary/Edmonton preseason game. That Cogliano kid was pretty good, but he was getting thrown around the ice. Im really hoping he doesnt get injured.

Stupid Ducks. I hates the Pronger more then the Comrie.

Yeah Pittsburgh is going to be a threat this year. They just need more good people besides Crosby. Same with Washington they got Ovechkin but they need a lot more. It would be amazing to see either of those players on a team with some other real good players but that wont happen till free agency, if that.

Also I dont think Burke should be whining so hard, he wasnt crying when we got screwed on the Pronger deal.

[Don Julio Anejo]

Burke is a moron for whining. Yeah, Selanne is gone, and if Niedermeyer retires the team loses second best dman in the league. But if Nieds stays, he still has the most rigged team in the NHL: Macdonald, Kunitz, a much improved from previous preseason Pahlsson, Getzlaf, Penner on the front. Now that they've added Bertuzzi they can literally steamroll everyone. And on defense - well, Pronger (duh), Niedermeyer (if he stays) and now - FRICKIN' MATHIEU SCHNEIDER. I'm sorry but that's stockpiling 3 out of top 6 defensemen in the league and with Beauchemin they don't even need to play 5 and 6.

Pittsburgh doesn't really need anyone. I mean look at this: Crosby, Malkin, Jordan Staal, Oullet, and their other young players like Armstrong and Whitney are pretty decent. This was already the best young core last season (albeit with no good defensive prospects and Gonchar is getting old), now they added Cherepanov. All they need is a few years to rip it up like Edmonton in the 80s. Although they are going to be screwed in something like 6-7 years when these players will want 6+ million and will go on to different teams.

Although being a Canucks fan I have no idea why Nonis would add 2 more defensemen when we're already kinda oversaturated and we have easily top 4 players on our farm team (Bourdon, Edler). But signing Sanford as our backup and Shannon and Raymond were pretty good moves.

[Rowanomicon]

This the Canucks' year!

Oh, who am I kidding?
I'd really like them to do better than last year though.

Cup Winners: Anyone but Detroit please!
I'd really like it if a Canadian team won.

[Don Julio Anejo]

This the Canucks' year!

Oh, who am I kidding?
I'd really like them to do better than last year though.

Cup Winners: Anyone but Detroit please!
I'd really like it if a Canadian team won.

They should do better than last year. Especially if Nazzy actually plays and doesn't act emo. Last year they had a completely different team, new coach, new system, etc. Now they're used to each other so we won't get .500 hockey till Christmas anymore, although I'm doubtful if we can score enough - by the time playoffs rolled around everyone figured out how to shut down the Sedins and we had to rely on other people to score (luckily for us they did. Hooray for Cownan the Bra-barian!)

[Chunklets]

The Rangers? Well thats a long shot bet! :smalltongue:

I went to the Calgary/Edmonton preseason game. That Cogliano kid was pretty good, but he was getting thrown around the ice. Im really hoping he doesnt get injured.

Stupid Ducks. I hates the Pronger more then the Comrie.

Yeah Pittsburgh is going to be a threat this year. They just need more good people besides Crosby. Same with Washington they got Ovechkin but they need a lot more. It would be amazing to see either of those players on a team with some other real good players but that wont happen till free agency, if that.

Also I dont think Burke should be whining so hard, he wasnt crying when we got screwed on the Pronger deal.

Yeah, Cogliano's not very big (5'10"), is he...

I admit to mixed feelings on Pronger. If, as the rumours continue to insist, his wife's desire to leave Edmonton was founded on Chris's behaviour vis-a-vis the young ladies in town, then he's guilty of being a colossal twit, and Oil fans have every right to be seriously angry with him for getting himself into that situation. On the other hand, he was a big part of a very special season here, and if his choice was leaving Edmonton or losing his marriage, then I guess I can't blame him for putting his family first. That said, I have no problems with him being boo'ed off the ice when Anaheim plays here! :smallamused:

The whole Brian Burke act is getting old. Not only did he get Pronger from us on the cheap (and, as Don Julio pointed out, he's got a pretty good team already), but out of the Penner deal he's getting what's likely to be a high first-round draft pick in a draft year that's going to be fairly strong. So yeah, he should zip it about now.

The Canucks? I agree that they will be better, although IMHO they're still a solid scorer or two away from being true Cup contenders. It'll be interesting to see if they make some trades over the course of the season to try to address that, or choose to build from within the system.

Edit: As of right this very moment, Nik Antropov is on pace to score 492 goals for the Leafs this season...

[Don Julio Anejo]

Somehow I can see ourselves trade Edler/Bourdon to Pittsburgh for Staal or something like that. Pittsburgh has no defensemen other than Gonchar.

Pronger - the reason he was going after the ladies is because he wasn't getting any from his wife in the first place because she hated Edmonton. I don't think ANY Canadians like him now. In Vancouver he was booed more than Anson Carter (who threw away the season of a lifetime and awesome linemates in exchange for a crappy season at 2.5 mil and not even getting signed the season after that).

The cup - best contender is still Anaheim. Buffalo is out of the loop now that both Drury and Briere are gone, although I think they'll still do better than expected because now most teams won't consider them a threat. Despite Buffalo 3rd line = any other team 1st line.

Ottawa has a decent chance. Colorado and Pittsburgh will probably make lots of noise in the playoffs, but won't get the cup itself.

Canucks will as usual steamroll regular season and get out in round 1-2 in the playoffs. If we don't get owned by Minny. As for forwards it looks like we're trying to build from within the system. Kesler is becoming a Pahlsson-type checking centre, Sedins are right now our top line with whomever plays on their line, and we're trying very hard to make Jannik Hansen and Michael Grabner into top-line finesse forwards.

[Chunklets]

Carter, oddly enough, surfaced in Edmonton last month, but promptly got concussed. I don't know what his status with the Oilers is right now. And I didn't realize that Pronger was as unpopular elsewhere as he is here! Good for the Vancouver fans...

[Rowanomicon]

I'm actually quite impressed with the Leafs tonight.

As for the good ol' 'Nucks I think they need to play a more physical game. They tend to do well when they hit and check a bunch.
They also need to kill off some of the referees in the league...
Cookie and Mo' seem to work good together.
I like Cowan, I hope he does well this year.
Juice is also good.
Is Mitchell still with the 'Nucks? He's an excellent defenseman .

I'm actually interested to see how Bertuzzi does with the Ducks, he seems to have been shaping himself up. He claims that he's just as good as he was in his prime with Vancouver, if not better. Let's see if he can walk the walk.

[North]

Yeah like Ryan Smyth and the Avalanche Im really interested to see how he does there.

But from what I hear albeit its third hand from the source. Pronger wasnt just sleeping around. He knocked up a sports reporter for one of the local stations. So his wife was get out of a hockey town NOW! It wouldnt have been as bad if he hadnt whined about wanting to leave so publicly we wouldnt have been hosed on the deal.

Yeah I saw Anson Carter on our roster? What the heck?

[Lucky]

But if Nieds stays, he still has the most rigged team in the NHL: Macdonald, Kunitz, a much improved from previous preseason Pahlsson, Getzlaf, Penner on the front. Now that they've added Bertuzzi they can literally steamroll everyone. Penner's gone to Edmonton, so, not surprisingly, he won't be a large part of Edmonton's offense.


...now they added Cherepanov.The Rangers picked up Cherepanov, the Pens got Esposito.


I'm actually quite impressed with the Leafs tonight.

And then you lost. :smallbiggrin:

[Robberbaron]

I used to watch the NHL, then they lost an entire season, and I said to heck with y'all.

[Chunklets]

Yeah I saw Anson Carter on our roster? What the heck?

I guess the Oilers figured there was nothing to lose by taking a look at Carter. I still don't know what his status is right now - he's not on the 23-man roster, and he's not listed as injured (although he is, in fact, out with a concussion) or in the system. They may have just cut him loose.

[Rowanomicon]

And then you lost. :smallbiggrin:

Actually I like the Sens better, I was just impressed with Toronto's playing. Toronto is, in fact, my least favorite Canadian team (besides Calgary). I still like them batter than any American teams though.

'Nucks
Sens
Oilers
Canadiens
Leafs
Flames
Most American Teams
Dallas
Detroit

[Chunklets]

Well, I think last night turned out just about as well as an Oiler fan could hope - the kids played very well, and we managed to hold San Jose's offence to two goals (Yes, one could have wished for a regulation victory, but two points is two points).

To add to the fun, we got to watch a whole table of Calgary fans slink out of the bar (without tipping their waitress, I might add) looking sad at the end of the Flames-Flyers game. :smalltongue:

Ah yes, first night of the hockey season in Edmonton...

[Sheyna]

I'm really, well, I don't want to say impressed, but I'm glad the way the Lightning played last night. I can't give all that much commentary, since I only listened to the game on the radio (which totally rocks), but I was happy to see that Lecavilier was back on form. After being away from Tampa for two years (USF Class of 97!), I was so happy to see the game up here when Vinny got his 50th goal.

And good news for the NHL ... the Devils weren't playing the trap last night. YAY! (And the Lightning still won .. Yay again!)

[Chunklets]

And good news for the NHL ... the Devils weren't playing the trap last night. YAY! (And the Lightning still won .. Yay again!)

I'd heard that Sutter was moving the Devils away from the trap - that's just going to be weird to watch... :smallbiggrin:

[North]

Ick a tie with San Jose. A wins a win but...

[Meynolds]

*Just realizes hockey season has started*

Yes! The Flyers won their first game!

Playing the Oilers next . . . Say, Chunklets, aren't you an Oilers fan? :smalltongue:

[Chunklets]

*Just realizes hockey season has started*

Yes! The Flyers won their first game!

Playing the Oilers next . . . Say, Chunklets, aren't you an Oilers fan? :smalltongue:

And just how would you have acquired that information, sir? :smallbiggrin:

My sister and brother-in-law are going to Oilers-Flyers game tomorrow, lucky dogs.

[Raiser Blade]

Woot! Southern California beat Canada at its own sport! I mean we don't even have snow down here. Anyways go Ducks!

[Meynolds]

And just how would you have acquired that information, sir? :smallbiggrin:

My sister and brother-in-law are going to Oilers-Flyers game tomorrow, lucky dogs.

An avatar I made told me. :smallwink:

I'm not actually planning on going to any games this season, I'll just watch when they're on TV. I've just always had trouble figuring out what is going on in a live game for some reason.

[Lucky]

Woot! Southern California beat Canada at its own sport! I mean we don't even have snow down here. Anyways go Ducks!Er, not really. Half their roster, including their top 3 defensemen, their goalie, and their top 2 centres, were Canadian. As far as I recall, no one from California was even on that roster.

[Raiser Blade]

Er, not really. Half their roster, including their top 3 defensemen, their goalie, and their top 2 centres, were Canadian. As far as I recall, no one from California was even on that roster.

I didn't say they were native to california. I was merely pointing out that a california team beat a canadian team.

It would be like a canadian team beating a california team at beach volleyball.

[Em Blackleaf]

I didn't say they were native to california. I was merely pointing out that a california team beat a canadian team.

It would be like a canadian team beating a california team at beach volleyball.

Hehe. :smallamused:

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

I wouldn't discount the Wild. They did much better than expected last year, and should be better this year. Backstrom proved to be much better that I thought he be last year after replacing the injured Fernandez, and should be just as good if not better this year. His only weakness seems to be shootouts, of which the Wild were in many last year. A healthy Gaborik for a full season along with a supporting cast of Demitra, Rolston, Koivu, and Bushard has a very potent offense. With Burns, Johnsson, Nummelin, Hill, among others on defense, they should have a well balanced team.

[Chunklets]

It would be like a canadian team beating a california team at beach volleyball.

Not particularly, I'm afraid. It would be like a beach-volleyball team of Californians representing Canada beating a team of Californians representing California. :smallbiggrin:

Anyhoo, the Cup will come back to Canada one of these years, but I don't think it will be this year. Ottawa, maybe (although I'm still not sold on Ray Emery), and Vancouver has an outside shot if they can pick up the offense a bit. The Flames don't have the depth (and if Kiprusoff gets hurt, they are finished), while the Habs, Oil, and Leafs are all re-tooling this year.

I agree with the purple gelatinous one's comments re: Minnesota. Barring a bad run of injuries, I think they can be a real handful for the rest of the league this year (assuming, of course, that Backstrom doesn't have an off-year).

[Rowanomicon]

I was mad today.
There was a Canucks Season Preview on tonight and I only had time to watch the first half, but some stupid baseball game went into extra innings...grrr. Damn Yankees (the team not the nationality...I swear).

Anyway, I hope Minnesota doesn't get back to their formal defensive glory. I used to hate the. Then they got worse (eg. last season) and now I can live with them.

I hope Detroit doesn't win the cup (as 3 of the 5 guys on the season preview predicted) or my neighbour will lord it over me forever.

I just realized how interesting it is that last years playoffs made me hate Dallas but not Anaheim.

[Lucky]

Good god. It would appear that Havlat truly is made of glass, as he is now out of the line-up again. I truly feel sorry for Hawks' fans. It must hurt seeing their 6 million dollar man limp off the ice yet again.

On the point of Toronto and their re-tooling job: Fire John Ferguson. Then trade Sundin, Blake, Toskala, and whoever else you can at the trade deadline for prospects and draft picks. You know, the exact opposite of what you are doing. What you're doing right now simply isn't smart.
For years, the Leafs have traded away their future to keep team perfectly level in mediocrity. This is a team that missed the playoffs last year, and still didn't have a draft pick in the first two rounds. They didn't get the first pick until the 74th spot. They just shipped off a 1st, 2nd, and 4th round draft pick for Toskala the year after they sent Rask away for Raycroft. Then they signed a 34-year old 1-time 40 goal scorer, in the hopes he can contribute for a few years. Do they have a shot at the Stanley Cup yet? Uh... no. Do they have a shot at the play-offs? Barely.
The best possible thing that Toronto could do is accept defeat and move their top players for future gain, so they can build a contender. Take examples from Chicago and Pittsburgh, who both toiled in futility for many years, but now one is already a Cup threat, while one is headed for a meteoric rise in the standings over the next few years.

Finally, on the topic of Minnesota, more specifically Gaborik: He's good, real good. People forget how good he is because he keeps getting hurt. If he gets healthy, he'll be a scary threat. He had the 2nd highest goals-per-game last year, behind only Lecavalier. Think about that, if he played 82 games, he was on pace for 51 goals.
Of course, if he plays 82 games, that will reflect in Demitra's stats as well as whoever gets slotted in with that pair.
That is the story of why I'm scared to go out into the Wild.

[Rowanomicon]

*sob*

It's early in the season. It's OK. This game means nothing. It's all gonna be OK...

Curse you San Jose!

[Don Julio Anejo]

I was at a rehearsal punching myself in the head about missing the season opener... Now I`m looking at the game log and realizing I was better off at the rehearsal...

2 Lucky: dude, it`s Toronto. They never do what`s sensible. Pavel Kubina anyone? They hire the biggest baddest free agent they can get their hands on, overpay him a time and a half and then sob about why they suck playing with pluggers in every single other position (well, except Sundin). Unfortunately, the team is going to make an exorbitant amount of money no matter what, so the management doesn`t even try to win anymore. Yeah, Toskala is good, but f*ck! 1, 2 and 4th picks for him? I`d rather keep Raycroft and actually use the picks.

At least Nonis is smart in this department. We`re owning the drafts right now with something like 3-4 second round picks the last couple of years. Yeah, we have no offence, but if we were to make a cup run in the next few years, we can just ship off a couple of D prospects (Edler, Bourdon) or Cory Schneider (the best goalie not in the NHL and the kid is still something like 20) and get ourselves if not a Paul Statsny type rookie, then at least Jordan Staal.

[Harold]

heres my predictions:

East
1.Ottawa senators (as much as i hate so say it)
2. NY rangers
3.Pittsburgh pengs
4. Philadelphia flyers (got a lot better since last season)
5. buffalo sabres (because they lost their 2 best players, briere and drury)
6.tampa bay
7.Atlanta thrashers
8.Carolina hurricanes
9.New jersey Devils (have to get someone good that isn't brodeur)
10. Montreal Canadiens
11. Toronto maple leafs
12.Boston bruins
13. florida panthers
14. Washington caps
15. NY islanders

West
1.Anahiem ducks
2.detroit redwings
3.san jose sharks
4. vancouver canucks
5.colorado Avalanche
6.minnesota wild
7.dallas stars
8.calgary flames
9.Nashville Predators
10.blackhawks
11.Columbus Blue Jackets
12.Edmonton Oilers
13.St. louis
14.Los Angeles Kings
15.Phoenix Coyotes

[Lucky]

I was at a rehearsal punching myself in the head about missing the season opener... Now I`m looking at the game log and realizing I was better off at the rehearsal...

2 Lucky: dude, it`s Toronto. They never do what`s sensible. Pavel Kubina anyone? They hire the biggest baddest free agent they can get their hands on, overpay him a time and a half and then sob about why they suck playing with pluggers in every single other position (well, except Sundin). Unfortunately, the team is going to make an exorbitant amount of money no matter what, so the management doesn`t even try to win anymore. Yeah, Toskala is good, but f*ck! 1, 2 and 4th picks for him? I`d rather keep Raycroft and actually use the picks.

At least Nonis is smart in this department. We`re owning the drafts right now with something like 3-4 second round picks the last couple of years. Yeah, we have no offence, but if we were to make a cup run in the next few years, we can just ship off a couple of D prospects (Edler, Bourdon) or Cory Schneider (the best goalie not in the NHL and the kid is still something like 20) and get ourselves if not a Paul Statsny type rookie, then at least Jordan Staal.They used to do what was sensible, you know, all of 40 years ago. :smallannoyed:


heres my predictions:

East
1.Ottawa senators (as much as i hate so say it)
2. NY rangers
3.Pittsburgh pengs
4. Philadelphia flyers (got a lot better since last season)
5. buffalo sabres (because they lost their 2 best players, briere and drury)
6.Tampa bay
7.Atlanta thrashers
8.Carolina hurricanes
9.New jersey Devils (have to get someone good that isn't brodeur)
10. Montreal Canadiens
11. Toronto maple leafs
12.Boston bruins
13. Florida panthers
14. Washington caps
15. NY islanders

West
1.Anaheim ducks
2.Detroit redwings
3.san jose sharks
4. Vancouver canucks
5.Colorado Avalanche
6.Minnesota wild
7.Dallas stars
8.Calgary flames
9.Nashville Predators
10.blackhawks
11.Columbus Blue Jackets
12.Edmonton Oilers
13.St. Louis
14.Los Angeles Kings
15.Phoenix CoyotesMajor points of disagreement are bolded.

Tampa Bay is largely the same team as last year, with a thin defense and porous goaltending. They added a bit more offense, but offense was never a problem for them. I can't see them finishing that high at all in the much improved Eastern Conference, they'll be lucky if they even making the playoffs.

Washington is a team on the rise, and they added a couple key players in Nylander and Poti, as well as bringing Backstrom over from Sweden. They finally have quality centres for Ovechkin and Semin, as well as more offense from the blueline, and it should show in the standings. They might finish around 9th or 10th, and should fight for a playoff birth.

Anaheim and San Jose can't both finish in the top 3, as they share the same division.

The Kings are a much better team than last year, with goaltending finally appearing to be stable, to go along with their solid blueline and depth of scoring. They don't yet have any real stars that will score a lot, but they should get good production from their top 3 lines.

[Chunklets]

The Oilers seem to have signed Kevin Lowe to a contract extension. I'm guessing that Brian Burke is just thrilled...

I think it's a good move. Lowe was, IMHO, unfairly blasted for the Smyth trade, and actually did all he really could over the summer to improve the team. If he trampled on some toes to do it, so be it.

[Lucky]

I think it's a good move. Lowe was, IMHO, unfairly blasted for the Smyth trade, and actually did all he really could over the summer to improve the team. If he trampled on some toes to do it, so be it.I have very little issue with the fact Smyth was traded, it was unfortunate, but as Gretzky proved many years ago, anyone can be traded.
The problem I had with the trade, is that it appears as though Lowe was only really talking to one team. It seems that he knew if the contract talks didn't work, he'd be shipping him off to the Islanders for a package that had been pre-negotiated. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's that he didn't talk too much to other teams, and therefore really didn't get the value he could have for Smyth, and instead settled for less.

[Chunklets]

I have very little issue with the fact Smyth was traded, it was unfortunate, but as Gretzky proved many years ago, anyone can be traded.
The problem I had with the trade, is that it appears as though Lowe was only really talking to one team. It seems that he knew if the contract talks didn't work, he'd be shipping him off to the Islanders for a package that had been pre-negotiated. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's that he didn't talk too much to other teams, and therefore really didn't get the value he could have for Smyth, and instead settled for less.

I guess it is entirely possible that Lowe had had talks with the Isles (and perhaps other teams) to prepare for the possibility that he wouldn't be able to sign Smyth, and that the Islanders offered what he felt was the best deal. It is definitely one of those deals we're going to have to wait on to judge its final value; so far, Mr. Nilsson looks like a keeper, though.

Sad news (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=220161&hubname=nhl)about Jeff Blake, no? At least it sounds like the prognosis is good.

[Lucky]

I guess it is entirely possible that Lowe had had talks with the Isles (and perhaps other teams) to prepare for the possibility that he wouldn't be able to sign Smyth, and that the Islanders offered what he felt was the best deal. It is definitely one of those deals we're going to have to wait on to judge its final value; so far, Mr. Nilsson looks like a keeper, though.Well, I think it's not too much of a gamble to say it was a short-term win for New York, and will be a long-term win for Edmonton. The real question, and one that will no-doubt go unanswered, is could Edmonton have gotten more?


Sad news (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=220161&hubname=nhl)about Jeff Blake, no? At least it sounds like the prognosis is good.That's truly scary, and I much as I say I hate the Leafs, I wouldn't wish that upon anyone. The good news is that it appears to be easily treatable, *knock on wood*. Blake says he will not miss any games with the Leafs, and that everyone agrees the odds are in the favour of him beating it.

One more topic that I'd like to bring up, as I'm currently watching the Sens game, is the great play of Martin Gerber in net. This guy had pretty much been regarded as trash since the start of last year, and now here he is, with a 1.64 GAA and a 0.953 Sv% in his first 3 games. Pretty soon it might be Emery who's regarded as the overpriced backup.

On that note, good to see Toskala put up a huge game against the Canadiens, I'd hate to see what would happen if he turns out to be a bust as well.

[Chunklets]

One more topic that I'd like to bring up, as I'm currently watching the Sens game, is the great play of Martin Gerber in net. This guy had pretty much been regarded as trash since the start of last year, and now here he is, with a 1.64 GAA and a 0.953 Sv% in his first 3 games. Pretty soon it might be Emery who's regarded as the overpriced backup.

Gerber seems to have done pretty well again today! Remind me - wasn't he intended to be the starter last year, and then lost the job to Emery? Or am I just confused, as usual? Whatever the case, if Gerber keeps this up, I agree that it may be a bit hard to get Emery back into the starting lineup!

The Oil get their first road game this evening, at Detroit. Last year, playing away from home did not treat the Oilers well, so I think they need to at least show some fight in this game, to try to convince the fans that things are going to be different this time around. In other news, I think Chris Chelios is playing his one-billionth game or something tonight...

[Lucky]

Gerber seems to have done pretty well again today! Remind me - wasn't he intended to be the starter last year, and then lost the job to Emery? Or am I just confused, as usual? Whatever the case, if Gerber keeps this up, I agree that it may be a bit hard to get Emery back into the starting lineup!He was intended to be the starter, but quickly lost the job to Emery after the team started terribly. Of course, for the rest of the year he was regarded as an overpriced backup.


The Oil get their first road game this evening, at Detroit. Last year, playing away from home did not treat the Oilers well, so I think they need to at least show some fight in this game, to try to convince the fans that things are going to be different this time around. In other news, I think Chris Chelios is playing his one-billionth game or something tonight...And yet, he's still only eigth on the all-time list. It's incredible to think with how long he's been going, that he's not even in the top 5.

[Rowanomicon]

I'm interested to see how Danny Sabourin (spl?) does with Pittsburgh this year.

[Chunklets]

I'm interested to see how Danny Sabourin (spl?) does with Pittsburgh this year.

I think he did a fairly competent job in limited relief for the Canucks last year, although his numbers weren't that great. Do you know how much the Penguins are anticipating playing him this year?

Overall, I wasn't too disappointed with the Oilers' loss last night, especially if I blot the first 25 minutes or so of the game from my memory. It looked quite a lot like a team with a lot of young talent getting out-played by a more experienced but still very talented team. Which, in fact, it was. The one thing that did bother me a bit was the fact the the Oilers were knocked back on their heels to start all three periods - other teams will be looking at that and going "Hmmmm..." While the score would undoubtably have been worse had Roloson not been sturdy throughout, the Oilers nonetheless did make a game of it, and the top two lines played fairly well once they'd figured out which way was up. The Powerplay really, really, needs work, though...

[Lucky]

It's as much of a guarantee as you can get in sports that Sabourin will play quite a few more games than he did last year, especially with Fluery being such a young goalie. This really is his make-or-break year to establish himself as an NHL-worthy backup. With only 15 NHL games to his credit in the past 5 seasons, he really needs to prove he can hold his own.

You can't really expect Edmonton to beat Detroit, and they played a fair game. It's good to see Cogliano pot his first, him and Gagne have been rather impressive so far into the season, especially considering Gagne's only 18.

I must say, I was not expecting Carolina to destroy Toronto quite as wholly as they did. Toskala got absolutely shelled in net. Poor guy.

[Rowanomicon]

It's as much of a guarantee as you can get in sports that Sabourin will play quite a few more games than he did last year, especially with Fluery being such a young goalie. This really is his make-or-break year to establish himself as an NHL-worthy backup. With only 15 NHL games to his credit in the past 5 seasons, he really needs to prove he can hold his own.

Well if his performance from when he did play last year is any indication he should definitely prove that he is ready to be a starting goalie in the NHL.


You can't really expect Edmonton to beat Detroit

But we can dream!


I must say, I was not expecting Carolina to destroy Toronto quite as wholly as they did. Toskala got absolutely shelled in net. Poor guy.

No, neither was I, it was a shame. I hope it's not a pre-view of the rest of Toronto's season.

[Lucky]

Well if his performance from when he did play last year is any indication he should definitely prove that he is ready to be a starting goalie in the NHL.
Whoa... whoa... Slow down there buddy, starting goalie? :smalleek: I pity any team who has Sabourin as a starter. Yes, he did play fairly well last season, though consistency was an issue. The fact is, however, he only played 9 games. 9 games does not a career make.


But we can dream!Well, if John Ferguson can do it every year, I don't see why you can't.


No, neither was I, it was a shame. I hope it's not a pre-view of the rest of Toronto's season.I've yet to see any video, but I really hope that most of the goals weren't Toskala's fault. Judging by the fact he lasted the whole game, I'd assume they weren't. If it turns out he played poorly, I see no end to the goalie controversy in Toronto.

[Rowanomicon]

OK, OK, Sabourin might not be ready to be a starting goalie just yet, but I think he's on his way. He did quite well for us last year when we needed him (or when we just decided to give Luongo a break).

He fended off Anaheim and helped bring the Canucks to a win against them. That's pretty impressive. Anaheim has one of the best offensive games in the league, but I don't really need to tell you that.

[Lucky]

OK, OK, Sabourin might not be ready to be a starting goalie just yet, but I think he's on his way. He did quite well for us last year when we needed him (or when we just decided to give Luongo a break).

He fended off Anaheim and helped bring the Canucks to a win against them. That's pretty impressive. Anaheim has one of the best offensive games in the league, but I don't really need to tell you that.I doubt very much that he will ever be a starting goalie. At the age of 27, he has 15 NHL games to his name, posting a career .888 Sv% and 3.05 GAA, with 2 wins, 8 loses, and 1 overtime lose. Barring some sort of Cinderella-story turn around, he's a career back-up at best.

[Rowanomicon]

I definitely agree that he needs to both prove and improve himself (and his record) before he can be a starting goalie, but I'm saying that I believe that is quite possible.

Sure, it is also possible that, for whatever reason, he never proves himself or gains the experience and record he needs, but if that's the case he'll be a darn good fall back for any team to have.

[Lucky]

I definitely agree that he needs to both prove and improve himself (and his record) before he can be a starting goalie, but I'm saying that I believe that is quite possible.

Sure, it is also possible that, for whatever reason, he never proves himself or gains the experience and record he needs, but if that's the case he'll be a darn good fall back for any team to have.This is true, I will not deny that anything is possible, thus is the world of sport. He is, at the moment, a decent backup, and will have the chance this year to prove he is a good, if not great, backup goalie. I think he has a very good chance to be a great backup.
I will admit, however, that, if I were the General Manager of Pittsburgh, he would by no means be my first choice. I feel that Marc-Andre Fluery would be best suited with a veteran goalie who is past his prime, much like he had last year, so he can tap the experience vaults of whoever the veteran backup may be. With him being a very young goalie, he would most certainly benefit from the veteran presence of someone along the lines of a Robert Esche, or a Curtis Joseph.

[Don Julio Anejo]

As a goalie Sabourin is actually pretty good, on par with guys like Sanford and Conklin and easily better than our last starter two years ago Auldy the Bauldy. His stats are seriously skewered by two things. The first one is playing with Roberto Luongo and getting no games. The second one is us putting him in against teams we never had a chance of beating in the first place and hanging him out to dry. Or putting him in when we're getting steamrolled by the other team and even Luongo isn't enough to make a difference (mainly because if we were going to throw a game away, might as well let Luongo get some rest).

Although Lucky, I see your point on putting in Cujo or someone like that in Pittsburgh. Fleury has lots of potential, he could even be as good as Brodeur/Luongo in 5-6 years, but he does need someone to learn from first hand.

PS: it sucks that my schedule is screwed up and I haven't been able to catch any Canucks games so far and won't be able to watch the next two either.. :frown:

[Lucky]

As a goalie Sabourin is actually pretty good, on par with guys like Sanford and Conklin and easily better than our last starter two years ago Auldy the Bauldy. His stats are seriously skewered by two things. The first one is playing with Roberto Luongo and getting no games. The second one is us putting him in against teams we never had a chance of beating in the first place and hanging him out to dry. Or putting him in when we're getting steamrolled by the other team and even Luongo isn't enough to make a difference (mainly because if we were going to throw a game away, might as well let Luongo get some rest).I suppose this is true. The fact remains, however, that he still has a lot to prove.


Although Lucky, I see your point on putting in Cujo or someone like that in Pittsburgh. Fleury has lots of potential, he could even be as good as Brodeur/Luongo in 5-6 years, but he does need someone to learn from first hand.As far as I see it, his potential is limitless. What he needs is the best available support so he can reach as high as he can go. I simply don't see Sabourin benefiting his development. With the role of the backup goalie more often than not being quite minimal, it helps if they can add more to the team through experience, leadership, work ethic, attitude, etc. I don't know much about his work ethic or attitude, but I'm sure his experience and leadership leave more to be desired.
Now, I would like to reiterate that I have nothing against Sabourin, and actually I think he can be quite good. It's just I feel he was a better fit in a place like Vancouver, and would have been better off in other places like Dallas, New Jersey, or Calgary. In other words, teams that have good, established goaltenders that have pretty much reached their peak, or even past it, and have little left to gain from an experienced backup.


PS: it sucks that my schedule is screwed up and I haven't been able to catch any Canucks games so far and won't be able to watch the next two either.. :frown:Man, that does suck. I know I've caught 3 of the 4 Sens games, and was still annoyed I had to miss the Sens vs Rangers game.

[Chunklets]

Well, the Oil have now gone ten straight periods without being able to score on Niklas "No Relation to Ralph" Backstrom, and frankly, last night they never really looked like scoring. Only Hemsky was the least bit dangerous, and the powerplay was dreadful. Sigh. I honestly couldn't tell whether it was a case of Edmonton being that bad, or Minnesota being that good. Bit of both, perhaps. At least the Oilers get to come home now, although next up is Roberto Luongo (probably) and the Canucks. Oilers-Canucks games are usually lots of fun to watch - the Oilers will have to take what chances they're given, though.

[Rowanomicon]

*sob* Go away, leave me alone. *sob* I don't want to talk about it! *sob*

(Yes, I think the Oilers/Canucks game shall be good.)

[Chunklets]

Tonight is actually precisely when I don't want to my Oil to have to face the Canucks. Vancouver's coming off a terrible blow-out loss, one of their guys was the victim of a nasty cheap-shot (and I think that 25 games is about right for that one...) in said blow-out loss, and then they got called out in public by their GM. Methinks they'll be a pretty snarly and focused bunch tonight.

Speaking of the Boulerice thing - what is up with the Flyers this year? Are they actively trying to recreate the whole Broad Street Bullies thing? Don't they realize that it won't work?

[Chunklets]

Well, I have to say, despite the Oilers' eventual loss, I enjoyed watching the game last night. Lots of nice, fast, free-skating hockey. And, hey - we got a powerplay goal! Woo-hoo!! I did think that MacT jumped the gun with the goalie change, though... And, the Oilers and Canucks get to do it again tonight!

Anyway, in an attempt to stave off the marking of Latin exams, I decided to try my hand at one of those "Power Rankings" things that real sportswriters do (and I'm 95% sure I got each team in there once and only once!). My impressions are based on the results so far, up and including the first periods of some of tonights games. Feel free to disagree, mock, yell, throw things, etc. etc. If I remember, I will update it on weekends.

{table="head"]Rank|Prev.|Team|Notes
1|--|Ottawa Senators|Forget the loss. They've still got the top three scorers in the NHL.
2|--|Minnesota Wild|Only given up 2 goals in their first three games.
3|--|Tampa Bay Lightning|A good 3-0 start, but they're down a couple to Florida early tonight.
4|--|Detroit Red Wings|Will age catch up to them?
5|--|Carolina Hurricanes|Only team to beat Ottawa so far.
6|--|Washington Capitals|I am not yet convinced, but they've started well.
7|--|Montreal Canadiens|Haven't lost in regulation yet!
8|--|Colorado Avalanche|Nice to see Stastny's kid doing well.
9|--|San Jose Sharks|A bit of an uneven start, here.
10|--|Philadelphia Flyers|Good early play has been overshadowed by disciplinary stuff.
11|--|New York Rangers|2-0 at home, 0-2 on the road.
12|--|Anaheim Ducks|Definitely better than their record so far.
13|--|St. Louis Blues|Are they really that improved?
14|--|New York Islanders|Lose places for getting crushed by the Leafs.
15|--|Vancouver Canucks|Not really on track yet, but getting there.
16|--|Dallas Stars|This team is almost astonishingly average.
17|--|Columbus Blue Jackets|Have looked good on defence so far.
18|--|Toronto Maple Leafs|Got routed this week, but bounced back with a blow-out of their own.
19|--|Boston Bruins|Won a crazy one over LA last night!
20|--|Nashville Predators|And... now they've got a goalie crisis.
21|--|Pittsburgh Penguins|Way too early to panic here.
22|--|New Jersey Devils|Their record's a bit skewed, since they haven't played at home yet.
23|--|Calgary Flames|The Keenan era has begun... poorly.
24|--|Edmonton Oilers|A bright beginning to the season, but they've lost their way a bit since.
25|--|Buffalo Sabres|A surprise team this year for all the wrong reasons so far.
26|--|Florida Panthers|Poor start, but they're mangling TB tonight.
27|--|Chicago Blackhawks|It'll be fun to see what the new bosses do!
28|--|Phoenix Coyotes|They're still bad.
29|--|Los Angeles Kings|Rookie #1 goalie = some long nights.
30|--|Atlanta Thrashers|Outscored 17-4 so far. :smalleek:

[/table]

[Rowanomicon]

Yeah, last night was a great game! I'm not just saying that because my team won (although that does help:smallbiggrin: ); it was a fun hockey game to watch.

I realised that I don't want them to increase net size, and not just because Luongo threatened to quit if they did. I feel that changing the game to increase scoring would, in a way, cheapen the value of each goal.

As to your rankings:
it looks generally good. I didn't examine in too closely.
The one thing I'd say though is that I think you should switch the Leafs and the Blue Jackets.

[Chunklets]

I agree 100% on the issue of increasing net size - it's just not necessary. If they keep the goalie pads at a reasonable size, and let the forwards skate a bit, there will be plenty of goals.

Those were two quite entertaining hockey games. I actually thought the Oilers were better last night than on Friday, and were a bit unlucky not to get more than one goal. Nonetheless, well done to the Canucks - if the Sedin twins can keep up that kind of play throughout the season and into the playoffs, the team could go far!

As to the rankings - yeah, things get a bit muddled in the middle... :smallbiggrin: It was actually quite fun to do - hopefully ranking the teams will become easier as more games get played!

[Meynolds]

Hello fellow hockey fans.

On a whim, I created a Ken Dryden avatar for myself, after discovering a book entited The Game by Mr. Dryden.

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/7564/kendrydencd2.png

[Don Julio Anejo]

I'm a Tretiak fan myself being as we're both Russian and share the same first name...

I still can't catch any games due to me having a rehearsal EVERY SINGLE NIGHT WE'RE PLAYING but all I have to say is - WHAT WERE WE SMOKING before the Philly game. It being Vancouver and all, I know pretty well what the Canucks were smoking, but still, where was Vigneault looking?

[Chunklets]

Meynolds: That's a great avatar (and a classic hockey book as well)!

Don Julio: Well, the Canucks seem to have things back on track now, unfortunately at the expense of my Oilers... :smallbiggrin: The Sedins, in particular, were awesome in both those games.

[Chunklets]

Oh, swell... (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=220828&hubname=) :smallfurious:

Yeesh. Moreau last year, and now Souray...

[North]

Oh, swell... (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=220828&hubname=) :smallfurious:

Yeesh. Moreau last year, and now Souray...

:smallsigh:

I will remain calm................

*makes strangling noises*

[Endeavourl]

We have Langenbrunner and White both out before the season even started...:smallmad: (And Janssen too, but I guess he's not as important with Asham here now)

[Chunklets]

We have Langenbrunner and White both out before the season even started...:smallmad: (And Janssen too, but I guess he's not as important with Asham here now)

Yeah, and I think it will take the Devils some time to adjust to the new coach, who seems to want to put in a totally new system. New Jersey'll be fine, but it may take a little while!

As for the Oil, that was one ugly win last night, but I'll take it. Roll on Calgary!

[North]

Yeah you know were in trouble when Raffe Torres scores two goals.

[Chunklets]

Yeah you know were in trouble when Raffe Torres scores two goals.

True enough, although I must say that I like Scoring Goofy Goals Raffi much better than I like Taking Mind-Bogglingly Dumb Penalties Raffi, who was basically the player we had all last year!

[North]

True enough, although I must say that I like Scoring Goofy Goals Raffi much better than I like Taking Mind-Bogglingly Dumb Penalties Raffi, who was basically the player we had all last year!

Most definitely. I agree. I like Torres. Just ....odd that he was the big goal scorer when we should have a lot more "better" scorers.

[Meynolds]

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of his 500th goal:

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/1008/mauricerichardgq9.png

[Endeavourl]

Yeah, and I think it will take the Devils some time to adjust to the new coach, who seems to want to put in a totally new system. New Jersey'll be fine, but it may take a little while!

As for the Oil, that was one ugly win last night, but I'll take it. Roll on Calgary!

Even if it's more entertaining to watch, I'm not sure I like this new system :smallannoyed: . Sure, we had a couple of high scoring games that we've won recently, but also those shutouts. I just don't think the Devils have the offensive talent to pull this off day in and day out (and our defense is not as experienced from previous years). With Brodeur not playing as well as he normally does, I'm a bit worried for our season. Hopefully we come out at .500 for this road trip, and the new building will energize us.

[Chunklets]

Even if it's more entertaining to watch, I'm not sure I like this new system :smallannoyed: . Sure, we had a couple of high scoring games that we've won recently, but also those shutouts. I just don't think the Devils have the offensive talent to pull this off day in and day out (and our defense is not as experienced from previous years). With Brodeur not playing as well as he normally does, I'm a bit worried for our season. Hopefully we come out at .500 for this road trip, and the new building will energize us.

What do you think of the whole Matvichuk situation? I confess that I lost a bit of respect for Sutter over that whole affair.

And Mustiado, well done again! I actually met Maurice Richard once, when I was a little kid. He seemed like a nice fellow!

[Endeavourl]

What do you think of the whole Matvichuk situation? I confess that I lost a bit of respect for Sutter over that whole affair.

I agree. After what Matvichuk went through last season and the way he played in the playoffs, he deserved at least a shot.

A heartbreaking game today, Devils came back from being down 3-1 in the 3rd to lose with 3 seconds left in overtime. Devils PK, where are you? :smallfrown:

[North]

Big Game tonight.

Colorado vs Edmonton

First time Ryan Smyth will play against us :smallfrown:

The Oil gave him a tribute and everyone was cheering him and he cried. I miss that guy.

[Don Julio Anejo]

OMG seriously, it's like the Canucks are getting high before every game right now :frown:

First LA, which was just plain embarassing... Now Carolina??? It's one of the teams we should just plain own, they left way too many chances for counterattacks (yes, I finally got to watch a hockey game) that we never exploited. And then we took 9!! penalties (well, it's kinda the opposite of what happened last year against them - we took 2 penalties, the Canes took 9 and we went 4/9 on the PP). And our PK didn't show up (way to be league's best, killing 7/9.. that's 77% when we were 90% most of last year).

[Rare Pink Leech]

OMG seriously, it's like the Canucks are getting high before every game right now :frown:

I think the Leafs are too. That would explain a 2-2-2 record against six straight backup goalies, and more blown leads than I care to remember. They're letting the leads evaporate because the stuff they're smoking is causing them forget (A) they're playing a real game, not just practice, and (B) they have a lead. It's getting painful to watch, and this coming from a true blue Leafs fan, not a band-waggoner.

[Chunklets]

Big Game tonight.

Colorado vs Edmonton

First time Ryan Smyth will play against us :smallfrown:

The Oil gave him a tribute and everyone was cheering him and he cried. I miss that guy.

Yeah, I thought it was a very touching and classy performance by both Smyth and the Oilers. I had to chuckle though - I don't know if you saw it, but they had Smyth mic'd up for the game, and at one point they showed him telling his teammates, shortly before the first Av goal, to shoot high glove-side on Roloson (for those of you who didn't see the game, guess where the first Colorado goal went...). Not that I blame him, though!

As for the respective woes of the Leafs and Canucks, I didn't expect great things from the Leafs this season, although I did expect better things than last year. Their defence (and I include the goaltending in this), is still not quite good enough. The Canucks baffle me. The looked very good against the Oilers (and say what you will, but the Oilers played pretty well in both those games, most of the time), but that's been about it. And what's up with Luongo getting chewed by his coach in public?

[MCerberus]

My continued attempts to be optimistic about the Blues has lead to my chronic cynicism. Back in "the good days" we could always blame those damned octopus throwers because they were our Kyptonite. This was denial because no matter the talent. MacInnis, Hull, Gretzky, Shanahan, Fuhr, Demetre, Pronger.... and still they choked. Now look where they are.


I need a hug.

[Chunklets]

My continued attempts to be optimistic about the Blues has lead to my chronic cynicism. Back in "the good days" we could always blame those damned octopus throwers because they were our Kyptonite. This was denial because no matter the talent. MacInnis, Hull, Gretzky, Shanahan, Fuhr, Demetre, Pronger.... and still they choked. Now look where they are.


I need a hug.

It looks like the Blues got their own back on Pronger last night, though (nice 4-point night from Kariya, btw), not that beating Anaheim has been a real chore this year so far... :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: Anyhoo, I do think that the Blues are going to be ok this year, although I'd be a bit concerned about the ages of some of their better players.

[MCerberus]

The Blues have disappointed the city so much our local news barely mentions them and I can't catch a game ever. Even on a cable network that usually runs localish sports it's a crap-shoot for Hockey.


Also am I the only American in this thread?

[Chunklets]

I'm a bit surprised to hear that there isn't better coverage of the Blues, even with the Cardinals and Rams in there competing for airtime. I've always thought of the Blues as one of the better supported teams out there. Has it always been this way, or is this a product of the team's recent struggles?

I don't think you're the only American on this thread, but so far it does seem mostly to be supporters of the various Canadian teams!

[Chunklets]

Hey look! It's another edition of Chunklets' Irregularly-Occurring Power Rankings! Feel free to boo.

{table="head"]Rank|Prev.|Team|Notes
1|1|Ottawa Senators|No real reason to move them out of here yet.
2|2|Minnesota Wild|11 goals against in 8 games is ridiculous.
3|10| Philadelphia Flyers|I seriously considered ranking them #1, but I think this is about right.
4|4|Detroit Red Wings|I'm still concerned about how old this team is.
5|9|San Jose Sharks|Starting to play like we know they can.
6|7|Montreal Canadiens|May taper off, but so far so good for the Habs.
7|5|Carolina Hurricanes|Overtime woes ahoy!
8|3|Tampa Bay Lightning|Have flattered to deceive. I've always wanted to use that phrase in the context of NHL hockey, and now I have.
9|8|Colorado Avalanche|Well, they’ve got the “Ryan Smyth’s Return to Edmonton” thing out of the way…
10|13|St. Louis Blues|Nice start!
11|21|Pittsburgh Penguins|If this is actually the year that Fleury breaks out, they could be very very good.
12|16|Dallas Stars|I still can’t really put my finger on whether they’re very good or not.
13|14|New York Islanders|Oh c'mon, it's the Islanders. You know they're doomed at some point.
14|17| Columbus Blue Jackets |They go as Rick Nash goes, and so far he’s gone well.
15|19|Boston Bruins|I’m still not sure which way things are going to go for them.
16|12|Anaheim Ducks|I’m still not convinced they’re as bad as they’ve been playing. Happy, but unconvinced.
17|6|Washington Capitals|Have backed up after a great start.
18|23|Calgary Flames|Keenan yanked Kiprusoff for the first time this past week!
19|15|Vancouver Canucks|Shouldn't be panicking just yet, despite Luongo's troubles.
20|27| Chicago Blackhawks |Patrick Kane is your early Calder Trophy favourite, but they need better goaltending.
21|11|New York Rangers|Consecutive 1-0 losses suggest that maybe, and I’m goin’ out onna limb here, the problem might be the offence.
22|18|Toronto Maple Leafs|Need to figure out how to score on backup goalies.
23|22|New Jersey Devils|Still adjusting to the new system. Have treated Matvichuk abominably.
24|26|Florida Panthers|I have no idea what to say about the Florida Panthers. Anybody?
25|29|Los Angeles Kings|Still a work in progress, but they’ve got the NHL’s leading goalscorer at the moment.
26|24| Edmonton Oilers |Shades of late last year, with the defense getting injured en masse.
27|25|Buffalo Sabres|Rough off-season is taking its toll, I think.
28|20| Nashville Predators|I really doubt that the franchise’s instability is helping much.
29|28|Phoenix Coyotes|The David Aebischer experiment is over, for the time being.
30|30|Atlanta Thrashers|Still giving up more than four goals per game.

[/table]

[MCerberus]

The Blues *used* to be a well-supported team up until the strike. At that point many of the fans decided that it's just a waste to support a team that can never really follow through. Hopefully that might change with the Cardinals having a bad year and the Rams being the Rams. St. Louis is a big sports town and clamors for a team to be behind.


We made a Brett Hull candy bar at one point.

[Chunklets]

Woo-hoo!

A very good night for the Oil; they beat one of their current bogey teams, Minnesota, Ales Hemsky got two goals (so maybe Dan Barnes will shut up about him for awhile*), and the Oilers even scored an actual real live power-play goal! I don't know how many opportunities we're going to get to celebrate the Oilers this year, so I'm taking this opportunity... :smallwink:

*For those of you unfamiliar with the Edmonton sports scene, Dan Barnes is a columnist for the Edmonton Journal. Reading him frustrates me, since he seems incapable of writing a column without taking a potshot at somebody. Hemsky's been in his sights a bit lately.

[Endeavourl]

When Madden and Pandolfo are the leading goalscorers on the Devils, you know something has gone horribly wrong :smallfrown:.

Those couple of victories against the Lightning and Leafs a couple of games ago gave me some hope, but that 5-0 loss to the Penguins was just a downer. With a power play that hasn't done much in the last 8 games or so, and the league's worst PK, I'm starting to believe ESPN's ranking of 30th for the Devils.

[Rowanomicon]

Damnit! BC bud is just too good! Curse out potent pot; it hinders Vancouver's playing.

Oh well we beat Colorado and I got to gloat at the Colorado fan I work with. Well, worked with, but whatever...

[Rare Pink Leech]

When Madden and Pandolfo are the leading goalscorers on the Devils, you know something has gone horribly wrong :smallfrown:.

I don't think that's as much of the Devils' problem as Brodeur is. If he was playing up to snuff, it wouldn't matter who is the leading scorer.

I hope to hell he's playing hurt, because the only other alternative is that Brodeur has lost his mojo :smallfrown: That is not a good thing, especially since I still want to see him break Roy's goaltending records.

I just noticed something ... Luongo's not playing as well as he did last year, either. Think it has something to do with the fact both men played 76+ regular season games last year?

If Brodeur is no longer an elite goalie (which I hope isn't the case), who do you think Canada's goalies for the 2010 Olympics would be? Off the top of my head I'd think Luongo, Emery, and Ward (not necessarily in that order), but I'm also drawing a blank on other Canadian goaltenders. It's still a few years away, so who knows? Maybe Price or Pogge has a shot at the third position (although incluidng Pogge is just wishful thinking from the Leafs fan in me).

[Chunklets]

When Madden and Pandolfo are the leading goalscorers on the Devils, you know something has gone horribly wrong :smallfrown:.

Those couple of victories against the Lightning and Leafs a couple of games ago gave me some hope, but that 5-0 loss to the Penguins was just a downer. With a power play that hasn't done much in the last 8 games or so, and the league's worst PK, I'm starting to believe ESPN's ranking of 30th for the Devils.

Actually, their new power rankings (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/powerranking)have a different team in 30th :smallfrown: (and rightly so at the moment, although it pains me to say it...).

As for the Devils, is it just me, or is Sutter starting to look a little bit lost on the bench? It seems to me that every time the TV cameras show him, he's either screaming at the Devils players, or staring off into space. Given that Lou is not known for his patience with coaches, I wonder if he might be the next coach out the door. I also wonder if that might not be the best move for the team.

[Endeavourl]

I don't think that's as much of the Devils' problem as Brodeur is. If he was playing up to snuff, it wouldn't matter who is the leading scorer.

I hope to hell he's playing hurt, because the only other alternative is that Brodeur has lost his mojo :smallfrown: That is not a good thing, especially since I still want to see him break Roy's goaltending records.

I just noticed something ... Luongo's not playing as well as he did last year, either. Think it has something to do with the fact both men played 76+ regular season games last year?

If Brodeur is no longer an elite goalie (which I hope isn't the case), who do you think Canada's goalies for the 2010 Olympics would be? Off the top of my head I'd think Luongo, Emery, and Ward (not necessarily in that order), but I'm also drawing a blank on other Canadian goaltenders. It's still a few years away, so who knows? Maybe Price or Pogge has a shot at the third position (although incluidng Pogge is just wishful thinking from the Leafs fan in me).

I don't think it is totally Brodeur's fault that his stats are horrible this season. Sutter changed the Devil's system, and with new and unproven defensemen, Brodeur has to get used to worse coverage. He was quite good those couple of games against the Maple Leafs and Rangers. However, there are also games where he could be playing better :smallannoyed: . I don't think the number of games played has anything to do with his recent play, he's always been able to play the majority of the games in a season. He is getting older though.

As for other Canadian goalies, I've always liked Fernandez, and Biron is playing well in Philly.


Actually, their new power rankings (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/powerranking)have a different team in 30th :smallfrown: (and rightly so at the moment, although it pains me to say it...).

As for the Devils, is it just me, or is Sutter starting to look a little bit lost on the bench? It seems to me that every time the TV cameras show him, he's either screaming at the Devils players, or staring off into space. Given that Lou is not known for his patience with coaches, I wonder if he might be the next coach out the door. I also wonder if that might not be the best move for the team.

Yeah. Lou should never have fired Julien :smallconfused: . I doubt that Sutter will be fired anytime soon (Lou doesn't like admitting he's made a mistake), but his system isn't working with the Devils.

[skywalker]

I'm a US fan of a US team.

Go Avalanche.

I also seem to be unique in this thread in that I'm a fan of a team that's doing well.

EDIT: Although I do kinda wish we could sort out our goalie issue...

[Chunklets]

I'm a US fan of a US team.

Go Avalanche.

I also seem to be unique in this thread in that I'm a fan of a team that's doing well.

EDIT: Although I do kinda wish we could sort out our goalie issue...

Yeah, Stastny's kid has been a revelation, hasn't he! I do sort of agree with you about the Av goalies, although I thought Budaj did decently well last night, at least after the first period. What's the word on Theodore - is he more or less the permanent back-up now?

And, further to the topic of Colorado goalies, I see that the Avalanche have just made a trade for the Blues' Jason Bacashihua. With no disrespect to Mr. Bacashihua intended, I don't know if this particularly counts as "sorting out the goalie issue."

[Rare Pink Leech]

I'm a US fan of a US team.

Go Avalanche.

I also seem to be unique in this thread in that I'm a fan of a team that's doing well.

EDIT: Although I do kinda wish we could sort out our goalie issue...

Thanks for rubbing it in our faces :smallyuk: :smallwink:

Also, is anyone else saddened by Eric Lindros formally retiring today? I mean, the way he was playing the last few seasons you knew it was coming, and it was the worst kept secret that he was announcing it today, but it still kinda sucks. Let us bow our heads and remember the player he could have been, if it weren't for all those concussions. There's a lesson in this, kids: DO NOT skate with you head down. As a Leafs fan, I wish injuries hadn't shortened his one campaign in the Blue & White. 11 goals and 11 assists in 33 games was a pretty good output.

[MCerberus]

The blues aren't exactly doing horrible... in fact they're in the basement with a winning record for the central. They seem to be powered by my pessimism so I'll have to try harder.

[Endeavourl]

At least the Devils managed to look respectable tonight. Zubrus and Pelley both got their first goals of the season in the gritty 4-1 win :smallbiggrin: .

[Gowron]

Woo! 3-2 over the flames!

Then again, Calgary seems to be stuck in the same rut Vancouver is.

But, a win's a win!

[Chunklets]

Also, is anyone else saddened by Eric Lindros formally retiring today? I mean, the way he was playing the last few seasons you knew it was coming, and it was the worst kept secret that he was announcing it today, but it still kinda sucks. Let us bow our heads and remember the player he could have been, if it weren't for all those concussions. There's a lesson in this, kids: DO NOT skate with you head down. As a Leafs fan, I wish injuries hadn't shortened his one campaign in the Blue & White. 11 goals and 11 assists in 33 games was a pretty good output.

As you say, sad but inevitable. I don't know that I have ever fully forgiven Lindros for his treatment of the Nordiques, but he was a hell of a hockey player in his prime.

Last night seemed to be the night for struggling teams to get big wins - New Jersey for sure, but how about the Capitals beating the Sens!?!

[Rare Pink Leech]

So ... the newest Hockey Hall of Fame class is inducted tonight (at least, I think it's tonight). I've not seen a list of HHOF classes from year-to-year, but you'd have to imagine Messier, Francis, MacInnis, and Stevens is one of the all-time greats. I mean ... wow, just wow.

Also, I hate to rub it in the faces of all the non-Canadians here, but I just can't help myself from pointing out they're all Canadian :smallbiggrin:

[MCerberus]

So ... the newest Hockey Hall of Fame class is inducted tonight (at least, I think it's tonight). I've not seen a list of HHOF classes from year-to-year, but you'd have to imagine Messier, Francis, MacInnis, and Stevens is one of the all-time greats. I mean ... wow, just wow.

Also, I hate to rub it in the faces of all the non-Canadians here, but I just can't help myself from pointing out they're all Canadian :smallbiggrin:

I don't care because MacInnis still lives here. Go mac!:smallbiggrin:

[Rare Pink Leech]

I don't care because MacInnis still lives here. Go mac!:smallbiggrin:

That's alright, I'll let you have your consolation prize :smalltongue:

Anyway, I just went through Wikipedia's list of HHOF inductees, and this is indeed once of the greatest all time. I'd tentatively call it the greatest, because (at least in my opinion) none of the other classes had four unbelievable players. Obviously any HHOF member was an amazingly good player, but all four men this year are exceptional. Anyway, here are other classes I'd rank among the very best, starting with the most recent:

1999 - Wayne Gretzky - Sure, he was the only one inducted this year, but hey, it's Gretzky we're talking about. 'Nuff said.

1997 - Mario Lemieux, Brian Trottier - Another small class, but you can't ignore these two.

1992 - Marcel Dionne, Woody Dumart, Bob Gainey, Lanny McDonald - This one is mainly on the strength of Dionne, Gainey, adn McDonald (sorry, Dumart).

1983 - Ken Dryden, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita - All three are unbelievably exceptional players.

1972 - Jean Beliveau, Bernie Geoffrion, Hap Holmes, Gordie Howe, Hooley Smith - This one is on the strength of Beliveau, Geoffrion, and Howe.

That's my list of other exceptional classes, based on a fairly quick read-through of all the inductees. By no means definitive, especially since I may be underestimating the impact of older players. With the exception of the 1999 and 1997 classes, I looked to include only classes with 3+ "exceptional" players.

As a side note, I wasn't the biggest fan of capping the number of players who can be inducted in any year (I was happy when they increased it to four players from three a few years back), but now I understand why: in 1966 they inducted nine players, in 1965 twelve players, in 1961 fourteen players, and in 1962 twenty-seven players. That's right, 27 players were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962!

Oh, and linky (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_members_of_the_Hockey_Hall_of_Fame) for anyone wanting to look through the list themselves.

[Chunklets]

Thanks for posting that link - that's a neat thing to look at!

I would also submit as an overly impressive class the induction group from 1979, featuring Bobby Orr, Henri Richard, and Harry Howell as players. Furthermore, I was interested to see that the 1983 class had Harry Sinden as a builder, and the 1997 class Glen Sather in the same capacity, making those two even more impressive.

I guess the large classes in the early days of the Hall had to do with the need to get caught up a bit on the players from the very early days of ice hockey. Incidentally, I would heavily recommend reading the wiki-bios of some of those early guys, like "One-Eyed" Frank McGee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_McGee_%28ice_hockey%29)(what a little snapshot of early Canadiana - his uncle was a Father of Confederation, he won four Stanley Cups, scored 14 goals in one game, and was killed at The Somme). And of course, one should never forget this fellow (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howie_Morenz).

[Rare Pink Leech]

I was this close to including the class of 1979, but it only included two players that I deem "exceptional". Which is being a bit of a hypocrite, since I included the class of 1997, even though they only had two players.

On a completely different note ... when the Sabres released their new jerseys last year, I didn't hate them (unlike most people, it seems), except for those damn numbers of the chest. Needless to say, I was devastated when I found out yesterday that both the Sharks and the Islanders have adopted the numbers on the chest this season. I sure hope this doesn't become a trend in the NHL over the next few years.

[Chunklets]

I was this close to including the class of 1979, but it only included two players that I deem "exceptional". Which is being a bit of a hypocrite, since I included the class of 1997, even though they only had two players.

On a completely different note ... when the Sabres released their new jerseys last year, I didn't hate them (unlike most people, it seems), except for those damn numbers of the chest. Needless to say, I was devastated when I found out yesterday that both the Sharks and the Islanders have adopted the numbers on the chest this season. I sure hope this doesn't become a trend in the NHL over the next few years.

I would count Harry Howell as an exceptional player (I'm just assuming here that he is the one whom you weren't counting that way). He played 21 seasons in the NHL, on defence, and got into the majority of games in most of those seasons (actually, check that, in all of those seasons bar one). He also played a further 3 seasons in the WHA. Now, he did play on bad teams throughout most of his career (sub-par Rangers teams, and then a couple of post-'67 expansion teams), so he didn't see a lot of the playoffs, nor did he put up big numbers in his career. However, it's worth keeping in mind that he was a defensive defenceman...

On a completely unrelated note, this site (http://www.hockeydb.com/index.html)is a fun place to go look up old hockey stats! :smallbiggrin:

On the question of uniforms, I'm neither here nor there on the issue of uniform numbers on the fronts of sweaters. However, I do like putting the city name there, over the logo. As far as I know, only two teams (Vancouver and Dallas) are doing it so far, but I think it looks quite smart. What I don't particularly like are the sleeve stripes that only go half way around; in fact that's the only thing that I really object to with the Oilers' new unis.

[Rare Pink Leech]

I think you're right about Howell being "exceptional" ... I hadn't heard of him until reading through the list of HHOF inductees, so I basically passed him over when considering the various classes.

I definitely agree with you on the half-sleeve stripes ... I think they look terrible. I'm surprised the Oilers decided to do that ... and saddened that the only one team to do so is the Panthers. I mean, if the Panthers are doing it, you know something's wrong.

I'm definitely not a fan of Vancouver splashing the city's name over the logo. That's not to say that I'm against including the city's name, since Toronto, Washington, Tampa Bay and Dallas both integrate it nicely, but for the Canucks, well, it just stands out too much.

Wow ... I just checked out the website http://nhluniforms.com/ to confirm which cities have their name in the team's logo, and I just really noticed Dallas's uniforms for the first time. Not only do they also have the number on the front of the jersey, they don't even have a friggin' logo on their home jerseys (unless you count the player's number!)! Yuck! That's a shame, since I really liked Dallas's old jerseys.

[[..]Stigma[..]]

Well, hockey has descended upon us once again, so I thought I'd set up this thread for folks who wanted to talk about it!

Anyway, I've gazed into the crystal ball re: the Oilers, and here's what I see happening:

Goaltending: :smallsmile: Better than last year, with Mathieu Garon in as Rollie's backup. All due respect to Jussi Markanen, who damn near won us a Stanley Cup, but he wasn't good enough over the course of a full season to give Roloson the kind of rest a 37-year-old goalie needs. Hopefully Garon can play about 30 games.

Defense: :smallconfused: Considering that late last year the Oil had five healthy defencemen in their entire system, it's easy to say that there's been an improvement. Ironically, with Souray and Pitkanen in, it's an offensive improvement; I'm not convinced that this lot is going to be much better at keeping the pressure off the goalies than last year, but they're going to score more goals.

Forwards: :smalleek: This could be a bit scary. The offense was dreadful last year, and Sykora and Lupul, who could at least put the puck in the net sometimes, have gone. Yes, the Oilers have added Dustin Penner and Geoff Sanderson, but I still foresee some shutouts against this season. On the plus side, Hemsky's still exciting (and one of these years he's going to get 100 points), and for once we have a couple of rookies (Cogliano and Gagner) and Nilsson to get excited about.

Big Games: :smallamused: Oct. 20th against Mike Keenan's Flames, when Edmonton fans will get a chance to boo both Keenan and Calgary on the same night! The only thing that would make this more perfect would be Eddie Belfour in goal for the Flames. Nov. 30-Dec. 2, the home-and-home against the Ducks. The big question here is whether Brian Burke will actually try to kill Kevin Lowe.

2007-2008 Oilers MVP: Ales Hemsky, finally.

2007-2008 Oilers Unsung Hero: Dennis Grebeshkov.

Guy I really want to see called up from the minors pronto: Slava Trukhno.

Player who's going to get the most grief from Edmonton fans: Chris Pronger (for once, this "award" doesn't go to an Oilers player), closely followed by Michael Nylander.

Prognosis: It's going to be fun to watch the kids develop, and there's the nucleus of a really good team here, but we're not likely to make the playoffs this year.

2007-2008 Stanley Cup Champion: The New York Rangers, says I! The Sens and Ducks will have something to say about it, though.

Dark Horse Team: Pittsburgh.

First, let me just say, OIL FOR LIFE.

*ahem*

Goaltending

Well, it can be said that eventually Markkanen bailed himself (and almos the Oilers) out during that extremely high-pressure toss in into the Stanley Cup finals. I think this is when he found his niche, but sadly, twas a little too late.

Now though, we can have great faith in giving Roli the rest he has earned and putting the trust of netminding in Matthieu, I mean, this guy can play, and will be a decent starter when Roli hangs the pads up.

PLUS, when it comes time for Roli's spot to be filled, Garon's backup position could be filled by Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers or Devan Dubnyk, who will, by the time they are called upon, will have developed into decent backups.

Defence

Probably Edmonton's biggest problem last season, it seemed the woes were gone, I mean, the Oilers signed wannabe-forward Joni Pitkanen and power-play scoring defenceman extrordinaire Sheldon Souray, but these are players that don't want to just protect the zone, rather, make a goal-scoring name for themselves. And BOTH are injured! Which puts the Oil in just as bad a position as last year, because 2 goal-scoring defencemen is better than no goal-scoring defencemen.

Grebeshkov though, isn't ready. He needs more time, though with Greene and Roy gone aswell, we've gotta play him.

Offence

Hemsky, Horcoff, Torres. In my opinion, these three together can really pull the Oil farther up the goal-scoring train. Though mixing any of these guys up with Oil regulars like Reasoner, Moreau (when he comes back), and Stoll, there is a chance. Watching Edmonton play makes me think back to 05-06. Usually either matched with or dominating their oponents in cycling and forechecking, the Oil's only problem is confidence and patience.

I can see Hemmer breaking out after christmas, ending up with 85+ points. 68 games played last season, and he was tied for the Oil's top scoring spot with Sykora at 53 points, Sykora playing all 82 games. And even still, he's only 23, he's got quite a few more seasons up his sleeve, and more time to get up to that 100+ point player we all know he can be.

Horcoff, who is currently the Oil's top scorer with ~15 points, will also see a great season. I'm guessing about 80-90 points if he keeps this up.

On to Cogs and Gagner. Cogs currently one of only three Oilers to have broken 10 points (others are Horcs with 16 and Hemmer with 12 - I can see Cogs Hemmer and Horcs being a productive line if thrown together), could have about 50+ points this season, and even more next. Gagner, the freshly 3-year signee of the Oil, while not doing bad as opposed to the rest of the team, will break into his expected potential by February (sort of late, but if the Oil is to make the playoffs, his scoring capabilities will be great).

And to steal some of your thunder;

Picks

07-08 Oilers MVP: Shawn Horcoff, he'll be the next captain, you watch.

07-08 Unsung Hero: Ales Hemsky, like always will work his ass off, and get no recognition for it.

Farm team call-up: Rob Schremp.

Prognosis: Will be the hardest-working, best looking team not to make the playoffs.

07-08 Stanley Cup Champs: Well I see the Sens and the Wings in the finals, the Red Wings in 6. (Another 2 years and the Sens will win!)

Dark Horse Team: Pens.


EDIT


As for the Oilers' new jerseys, I love 'em. They're waaaaaaay better than last season's, though I think adopting the vingtage orange and blue jersey (from the 80's) as a third, just alternated to suit the look of the RBK Edge unis would be exceptional.

And having the name above the logo wouldn't work for teams like the Oil. Maybe the city name could be written along one of the copper trim bits on the sides or under the neck, but not like Vancouvers. It works for them, but not for any other team IMO.

[MCerberus]

Mmmm what a tasty second period that was for the Blues. I do enjoy it when the Octopus throwers lose.

[Chunklets]

Stigma[..];3515868']Now though, we can have great faith in giving Roli the rest he has earned and putting the trust of netminding in Matthieu, I mean, this guy can play, and will be a decent starter when Roli hangs the pads up.

Well, the boy did pretty well last night, didn't he! :smallbiggrin:

On the topic of goalies, I saw highlights of the New Jersey vs. Rangers game last night, and all I can say is "Who was that in net for New Jersey, and what have they done with the real Martin Brodeur?" Ok, he did make one jaw-dropping save, but at least two of the goals were directly his fault.

[Lucky]

On the topic of goalies, I saw highlights of the New Jersey vs. Rangers game last night, and all I can say is "Who was that in net for New Jersey, and what have they done with the real Martin Brodeur?" Ok, he did make one jaw-dropping save, but at least two of the goals were directly his fault.

If anything it confirms it's Brodeur in net. He's always been this way; if he's not playing well he'll let you know it in the biggest way. Not that he's a streaky goalie, in fact he's one of the most consistent in the league. It's just when he is in a slump, everyone will know it.

[Rare Pink Leech]

If anything it confirms it's Brodeur in net. He's always been this way; if he's not playing well he'll let you know it in the biggest way. Not that he's a streaky goalie, in fact he's one of the most consistent in the league. It's just when he is in a slump, everyone will know it.

Pretty much. I hope he does get out of soon, though. As much as I have never liked the Devils, I'd hate to see his streak of 30-win seasons come to an end. What's it at, 11 straight seasons now? 12?

[Lucky]

Pretty much. I hope he does get out of soon, though. As much as I have never liked the Devils, I'd hate to see his streak of 30-win seasons come to an end. What's it at, 11 straight seasons now? 12?11. Plus 6 40+ win seasons in his last 9. Not to mention his record setting season last year of 48 wins.

[Don Julio Anejo]

The Canucks are doing the same thing as last year before Christmas... playing .500 hockey, outshooting their opponents 30-20 or even 35-15 and yet losing. Mainly because it usually goes like this:

"Kesler: OMG I got a puck! Gotta make a run for it."

Goes to the other side, no one is with him because they're changing. Randomly shoots the puck from the blue line near the boards so even a peewee goalie could stop it. Of course, there's no one to pick up the rebound so there's an odd-man rush going the other way.

10 seconds later:

"Morrison: OMG I got a puck! Gotta make a run for it!"

[Chunklets]

Nice start to his Coyotes career for Bryzgalov - a 28 save shutout against LA!

I actually think that's a smart pickup by Phoenix, and I'd imagine they'll look to resign him, if they can. It probably means the end of David Aebischer's NHL career for now, though.

[Lucky]

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/5351/franticsjo9.gif http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/5351/franticsjo9.gif http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/5351/franticsjo9.gif http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/5351/franticsjo9.gif http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/5351/franticsjo9.gif

We lost! We lost! To Toronto! :eek:

Panic! Panic!

Anyways, that sucks. Big time, but next game will be better.

I still can't believe Burke couldn't move Bryz for even just a 7th-rounder. But good it's good for Bryz to finally get a chance in a starter role. Great start too, as Chunklets said, good for Pheonix.

Brodeur hit 500 tonight, in one less season than Roy pulled it off. No doubt he will cement himself as the winningest goalie in NHl history before his career is out. I think the biggest question is whether he gets 12 more shutouts and cracks Sawchuk's record for most shutouts. That would be a wonderous accomplishment.

Lucky out.

[Don Julio Anejo]

Yeah, much better! We got outshot like crazy, we had to kill a 5 on 3, yet we won 4-1!!!

Mainly because we actually tried to set up our shots, not randomly throw them at the net, and 5 on 5 looked like a powerplay for us almost the entire game except for the last 10 minutes.

Oh, and always nice to see Kipper owned by a wrister from the blue line... He didn't even react to it! Just stood there...

PS: we are 8-0-1 against division, yet we still suck :frown:

PPS: Dion Phaneuf is one tough SOB.

[Methedras]

Red Wings > All

Another cup for Hockeytown!

[Don Julio Anejo]

Thanks you Markus Naslund and your hat trick. We're now back on top of the Northwest! :tongue:

Well, we're still tied with Minny, but who cares ::smallbiggrin:

[Chunklets]

Thanks you Markus Naslund and your hat trick. We're now back on top of the Northwest! :tongue:

Well, we're still tied with Minny, but who cares ::smallbiggrin:

What's your take on the Canucks-Wild rivalry that seems to be picking up steam?

[Rare Pink Leech]

So the Leafs got blitzed 5-1 by the Coyotes tonight. Bryzgalov sure is doing wonders for that team ... four straight wins, with just over a 1.00 GAA.

Let me preface what I am about to say by saying that I am a Leafs fan, and I only want what's best for my team, but I was really disappointed tonight - I was hoping Phoenix would really blow us out of the water by an even larger margin. This is a team that badly needs some personnel shakeup, and a 7-1 loss would have helped facilitate it.

I think the first thing that needs to happen is Ferguson has to be fired as GM. I've been neutral with regards to Ferguson until recently, but we need someone who's willing to shakeup the team. He has done good - he's revamped our scouting system, and he's been great at finding solid third- and fourth-liners (Kilger, Pohl, Battaglia), but he's also continued the trend of trading away first-round draft picks and good prospects for players. Plus, Ferguson's spent nearly half of our payroll on a defence that's worst in the league, and has locked up nearly the entire team that missed last year's playoffs to multiyear contracts. Other than Steen, Stajan, and Wellwood, who are all RFAs this year, and Sundin, whose a UFA, I think the rest of the team are all inked for at least another two years.

The next person who has to go is McCabe. I know it's popular to bash McCabe this year, but I've been a supporter of him for a while. It seems obvious to me now, however, that he can no longer be the elite defencemen he was while staying in T.O. He seems obliged to do at least one horrible giveaway a game, most of which seem to find the back of our net. He's certainly not playing like a $7 million+ player, nor the highest paid player on the Leafs. He desperately needs a fresh start. There are two challenges to this, however: 1) his price tag, and 2) the fact that he has a no-trade clause. But players have been convinced to lift those in the past, and I'm sure there are a number of teams looking for an offensive defencemen and/or veteran players who would gladly take him.

[Lucky]

So the Leafs got blitzed 5-1 by the Coyotes tonight. Bryzgalov sure is doing wonders for that team ... four straight wins, with just over a 1.00 GAA.

Let me preface what I am about to say by saying that I am a Leafs fan, and I only want what's best for my team, but I was really disappointed tonight - I was hoping Phoenix would really blow us out of the water by an even larger margin. This is a team that badly needs some personnel shakeup, and a 7-1 loss would have helped facilitate it.

I think the first thing that needs to happen is Ferguson has to be fired as GM. I've been neutral with regards to Ferguson until recently, but we need someone who's willing to shakeup the team. He has done good - he's revamped our scouting system, and he's been great at finding solid third- and fourth-liners (Kilger, Pohl, Battaglia), but he's also continued the trend of trading away first-round draft picks and good prospects for players. Plus, Ferguson's spent nearly half of our payroll on a defence that's worst in the league, and has locked up nearly the entire team that missed last year's playoffs to multiyear contracts. Other than Steen, Stajan, and Wellwood, who are all RFAs this year, and Sundin, whose a UFA, I think the rest of the team are all inked for at least another two years. I'd like to say that I agree with you completely. The Leafs need to stop trading their future for mediocre present gains. That seems to be have been Ferguson's Modus Operandi since he was hired, and it's starting to cost him.


The next person who has to go is McCabe. I know it's popular to bash McCabe this year, but I've been a supporter of him for a while. It seems obvious to me now, however, that he can no longer be the elite defencemen he was while staying in T.O. He seems obliged to do at least one horrible giveaway a game, most of which seem to find the back of our net. He's certainly not playing like a $7 million+ player, nor the highest paid player on the Leafs. He desperately needs a fresh start. There are two challenges to this, however: 1) his price tag, and 2) the fact that he has a no-trade clause. But players have been convinced to lift those in the past, and I'm sure there are a number of teams looking for an offensive defencemen and/or veteran players who would gladly take him.
I do disagree here, I don't think there is a single team looking for an offensive defencemen willing to take his salary and cap hit that McCabe would also be willing to go to. Despite the bashing and jeering he receives, he loves Toronto, and he loves playing for the Maple Leafs, I don't think he'll willingly give it up.

With McCabe and Kubina, and to a lesser extent Gill, I don't think they'll be going anywhere until the last year of their contracts, and then as a trade-deadline pick-up. If not, then the Leafs just have to wait until their contracts expire.

I do think Sundin needs to go at the deadline. He's doing great this year, and his value hasn't been higher for years, and I doubt it will be higher in future years.

[Don Julio Anejo]

I may be a minority here, but personally I think trademark players should stay in the city they're in. Like Gretzky in Edmonton, Sakic in Colorado, and IMO, Sundin in Toronto. It's kinda hard to cheer for someone when after the deadline they could be putting pucks in the back of their old net.

Canucks - Wild rivalry... first I've heard of it, what with everyone in Vancouver usually bashing first Calgary, then the Leafs (and if there's any energy left, it usually goes to Edmonton). But if it did develop, it would be the most boring rivalry ever, kinda like last year's series Vancouver-Dallas in the playoffs (3 of the games were 1-0 shutouts for Dallas, another 3 were 2-1 games).

The entire thing going would be "We can trap Gaborik, Demetra and Rolston better than you can trap the Pinky and the Brain (Sedins) and Naslund."

[MCerberus]

I'm quite happy with what's been happening with the blues. Some decent defense and goalkeeping and the blues are tied for 3rd. The inability to take close games into overtime seems to be hurting the points though. :smallconfused: .

[Don Julio Anejo]

Woo!! Second straight shutout for Bobby Lu! We blanked Anaheim 4-0 :biggrin:

[Chunklets]

Woo!! Second straight shutout for Bobby Lu! We blanked Anaheim 4-0 :biggrin:

...and it was nice to hear the Vancouver faithful giving Pronger the gears (and boy, didn't he deserve it last night!)! :smallwink:

[Don Julio Anejo]

Heh it's kinda funny that the only thing all three Canadian Northwest teams (as in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary) agree on is hating Pronger :biggrin:

[Endeavourl]

Too bad Bryzgalov didn't string 5 in a row like the Devils did tonight (after Brodeur gave up two weak goals too! I just hope Pando is alright).

In other goalie news, I like how Leclair is leading the West in All Star votes :smallsmile:

[Rare Pink Leech]

Big couple of nights for the two best goalies in the game right now.

First, Luongo sets a club record with three shutouts in a row.

Tonight, Brodeur recorded his 94th regular season shutout, just 9 behind Sawchuck's 103. But, when you consider the fact that Brodeur has 22 playoff shutouts and Sawchuck "only" 12, Brodeur is now the all-time shutout-iest goalie in NHL history.

So, is Brodeur the best goalie in history? For me it's a tossup between Bordeur and Roy. Roy has one more cup, but Brodeur has Olympic gold. Then again, Roy has three Conn Smythes, more than anyone else. Brodeur will beat his numbers, but that's a consolation prize compared to three playoff MVPs.

[Chunklets]

So, is Brodeur the best goalie in history? For me it's a tossup between Bordeur and Roy. Roy has one more cup, but Brodeur has Olympic gold. Then again, Roy has three Conn Smythes, more than anyone else. Brodeur will beat his numbers, but that's a consolation prize compared to three playoff MVPs.

George Hainsworth (http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/hainsworthgeo.shtml)ftw!!! :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin:

Seriously, on the question of Brodeus vs. Roy, I'm going to wimp out and call it a tie.

The Canucks are flying right now, and, with Ottawa's recent difficulties (6 losses in a row, as of this afternoon), can probably lay claim to being the best Canadian team at the moment.

It was nice to see the Oilers offence finally click last night (that breakaway pass from Gilbert to Cogliano was a thing of beauty)! Actually, it was a really good game by the Oil - they got into penalty trouble in the second, killed it off, and put the game away. And of course, the fact that it was against Anaheim made it all the sweeter...:smalltongue:

[Don Julio Anejo]

We're on a roll, but I wouldn't call us the best Canadian team yet. Louie is flying and the Sedins with Naslund are scoring (and looks like he's regained his touch), we don't have very much else going for us. We still need a legitimate second line, as in at least another top 6 forward, because Nazzy seems to be extremely streaky and so does Mo after Vigneault took over as coach.

Kesler has a shot at top 6 next year, but he's just way too useful for us as a two-way checking forward a-la Sami Pahlsson. So without at least another decent forward I doubt we can make any noise in the playoffs. We just can't score if even one of our major players is shut down, and if one of the Sedins gets hurt, the other one is suddenly going to be worth 1/2 of what he really is for a while.

Brodeur vs. Roy... I personally don't like calling someone who's still playing greatest goalie ever so until Brodeur retires, it's more like Roy vs. Dryden vs. Sawchuck in my books.

[Rare Pink Leech]

I have a theory regarding the Toronto hockey media. I came up with it sometime last year, and this past week and a half has basically confirmed it. The media's perception of the Leafs is based entirely on their last three games. Two weekends ago we had lost several straight, including that embarrassing 5-1 loss to Phoenix. Everyone was freaking out, the entire roster and front office staff had to be blown up, etc. etc. Now, however, we've taken 5 out of a possible 6 points in the last three games, and they have all be good efforts. Now there's talk of the Leafs slugging it out to a playoff spot. This has repeated itself time after time.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they've won three in a row. But I also recognize that this is a team that is going nowhere in the next few years, and changes still need to come. I just wish everyone would still howl for changes. Who knows, maybe someone would listen? (Who am I kidding, no one would listen. But I can still hope :smalltongue:)

[Don Julio Anejo]

Nah, it's the same in Vancouver. We lose 3 games in a row, Vigneault has to be fired as coach for playing the trap that never works because we're not New Jersey, Naslund should wave his no-trade clause and Luongo is overpaid.

We win 4 of the last 5 and suddenly Luongo is god in goalie pads, Vigneault is the best thing that ever to happen to us, defense wins championships and Kevin Bieksa is on pace for a 60 point season as a rookie defenseman.

It was the same in 2005-06 when we were barely slugging out for a playoff spot and letting in 4 goals a game on a good night.

And I'm guessing it's the same in any hockey town.

[Sleet]

Farewell to a great veteran.

Mark Recchi has been placed on waivers by the Penguins; he wasn't producing this season, so I can't blame them. But he's had a great career for the Pens, Canes, Flyers, and I think the Habs, and he's always been a favorite player of mine, fun to watch and one of those guys who looks like he has fun playing the game. It's sad to see it wrapping up.

[Rare Pink Leech]

Nah, it's the same in Vancouver.

[snip]

And I'm guessing it's the same in any hockey town.

Ah, it's good to know that Toronto isn't alone in this stupidity. It gets really annoying, especially when your team isn't very consistent all year.


Farewell to a great veteran.

Mark Recchi has been placed on waivers by the Penguins; he wasn't producing this season, so I can't blame them. But he's had a great career for the Pens, Canes, Flyers, and I think the Habs, and he's always been a favorite player of mine, fun to watch and one of those guys who looks like he has fun playing the game. It's sad to see it wrapping up.

I wouldn't count him out yet. In a few days the Penguins will call him up again, and when he goes through re-entry waivers other teams will be able to pick him up for free. I think the Pens would even be on hook for half his salary, but I could be mistaken. There's bound to be a team willing to pick up a veteran player for absolutely nothing in return. Besides, TSN.ca (which is a very reliable source for anyone who doesn't know it) reports that he is far from ready to hang up the skates. We'll see him playing for another team soon enough.

[Sleet]

We'll see him playing for another team soon enough.

I really hope you're right. I'd like to see him end his career on _his_ terms.

[Lucky]

And I'm guessing it's the same in any hockey town.
Fire Paddock! Gerber sucks! Emery sucks more! :smallfurious: Trade them both!

Grrrrrrr!!!

[/7 game losing streak rant.]


Farewell to a great veteran.

Mark Recchi has been placed on waivers by the Penguins; he wasn't producing this season, so I can't blame them. But he's had a great career for the Pens, Canes, Flyers, and I think the Habs, and he's always been a favorite player of mine, fun to watch and one of those guys who looks like he has fun playing the game. It's sad to see it wrapping up.
I think he will be picked up, if not now then on re-entry. I can't see 29 teams passing on him twice. There's even talk in Ottawa of picking him up. If Ottawa, the #1 team in the East, might be interested, you can imagine a lot of other teams would be.

In a few days the Penguins will call him up again, and when he goes through re-entry waivers other teams will be able to pick him up for free. I think the Pens would even be on hook for half his salary, but I could be mistaken. Correct. The Pens will be required to pay half of his remaining salary and take half of his remaining cap hit, and the team acquiring him will take the rest of his remaining cap hit and salary.

Note: I stress remaining not to point an error in your thinking, but just to answer that now for future reference.

So the team picking up Recchi would pay about 750,000. (Half of 1.5 million, which is approximately what remains on his 2,000,000 salary, based on the fact we're about a quarter of the season.

[Rare Pink Leech]

Yeah, picking up half his remaining salary and having that count against the cap sounds right. I knew it had something to do with half, but couldn't remember pas that :smallsmile:

And we'll definitely see him get picked up. Nobody picked Recchi up the first time he went through waivers is because if they want to play him, they'd have to send him through re-entry waivers, allowing a third team to then pick him up. That's why no one is ever picked up the first time through.

Edit: According to this (http://tsn.ca/tsn_talent/columnists/darren_dreger/), not only are the Stars and Sharks supposedly interested, they'll only take a $600,000 cap hit, which is peanuts.

[MCerberus]

It's going great over in St. Louis. The media is even starting to give the Blues some attention again. The games have even started to not blackout all together (so I can watch more)... well everything's great except for that loss to the Flames...

@V Well the central is pretty rough as it is. the Wings... I still hate them.

[Don Julio Anejo]

The Blues have the least goals against in the league (tied with San Jose with 56)... Impressive considering how much they got scored on last year. And they would probably dominate any other conference except Northeast (Ottawa)...

They deserve some credit.

Also, I'm sad Edmonton lost tonight. I was cheering for them tonight, even tuning out most of the Canucks game to watch. Although it seems weird Pittsburgh isn't doing that great (I'm talking about the whole season, not the last several games) considering their stacked (albeit inexperienced) offense. But... 3-4 years from now they can make a cup run.

PS: I want Recci for the 'nucks..

[Sleet]

Although it seems weird Pittsburgh isn't doing that great (I'm talking about the whole season, not the last several games) considering their stacked (albeit inexperienced) offense.

It's inexperience. They can't play consistently, esp. in goaltending. Fleury is a talented kid, but he plays like a kid sometimes, letting his emotions get the better of him, relying on reactions instead of technique, and so on. He's been improving lately - not flopping down butterfly-style on every single shot, for instance - but we'll have to see if it's soon enough to help turn things around.

[Endeavourl]

I'm a bit disappointed in press coverage here for the Devils. 8 game winning streak and the article shows "Elias snubbed" as the headline on the sports section of the Star Ledger. Of course, the Nets/Knicks game got way more coverage :smallmad:

The Blues are doing very well this year, I'm impressed with their play as well.

What do you guys think about Niedermayer coming back?

[Don Julio Anejo]

I'm a bit disappointed in press coverage here for the Devils. 8 game winning streak and the article shows "Elias snubbed" as the headline on the sports section of the Star Ledger. Of course, the Nets/Knicks game got way more coverage :smallmad:

BC Lions win the Grey Cup (Canadian Superbowl). Vancouverites:

"OMG we have a football team???" :tongue:


What do you guys think about Niedermayer coming back?
Meh. I kinda expected it, he still likes his hockey, retirement thing was more of a vacation for him. But heck, look at their top 4... Niedermeyer, Pronger, Schneider, Beauchemin. Unless two people go down, they don't even need the other two defensemen, these guys can play 25-30 minutes each.

Now if only they could sign Souray and Jovanovski, Gonchar or Zubov :biggrin:

[Chunklets]

Also, I'm sad Edmonton lost tonight. I was cheering for them tonight, even tuning out most of the Canucks game to watch. Although it seems weird Pittsburgh isn't doing that great (I'm talking about the whole season, not the last several games) considering their stacked (albeit inexperienced) offense. But... 3-4 years from now they can make a cup run.

PS: I want Recci for the 'nucks..

I was disappointed in the outcome of the game, obviously, but it was fun to watch two teams who are definitely going with youth movements (During one powerplay, the Oilers iced Cogliano, Gagner, Nilsson, Gilbert and Grebeshkov - total age about 100).

I agree the Recchi would be a good fit with the Canucks, but the nasty rumours I'm hearing have him ending up in Calgary.

[Rare Pink Leech]

Also, I'm sad Edmonton lost tonight.

I'm mad Edmonton lost to Pittsburgh. I watched the first two periods, but I got up early yesterday so I was really tired (since I live in Toronto, the game started 2 hours later than I'm used to) and since the game had been pretty boring I went to bed.

I wake up the next morning only to find out Crosby had an amazing period, leading the Pens to victory :smallfurious: Why couldn't he have done it earlier in the game? I never get to see him play, and I missed the only good period.


What do you guys think about Niedermayer coming back?

I'm happy he's back (especially since this means there's a good chance he'll get to play for Canada at the 2010 Olympics), but he took waaay too long to decide.

When the story first broke in the summer that he was contemplating retirement, it mentioned that Burke wasn't giving him a deadline to decide, and I agreed with that. Niedermayer has done more than enough for hockey and the Ducks that he deserved all the time he wanted. By the time training camp started and he hadn't made a decision, I thought it had dragged on too long. I think it's ridiculous how long he took - I mean, sh*t or get off the pot. He caused the dynamics of the team to change in his absence, and has created a lot of uncertainty in the dressing room, both at the beginning of the season and now, since it looks like someone (probably Schneider) is gonna have to get traded to make room under the cap.

[Chunklets]

I'm mad Edmonton lost to Pittsburgh.

Apparently, so is Craig MacTavish, for some reason... :smalltongue: Stoll and Torres are going to get to take in tonight's game vs. St. Louis from the pressbox. It will be interesting to see how that works out...

[Don Julio Anejo]

NOOOOOOoooo!!!!

My show is at 8:00PM Saturday and we're rehearsing before that.... Dammit I'm missing what should be the most interesting game this season!!! :mad: :frown:

It's Crosby in Vancouver dammit!

[Lucky]

Recchi to Atlanta (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=224712&hubname=nhl)

Not surprisingly, he got picked up on re-entry waivers, as many people predicted.

I'm not too sure about Atlanta picking him up, but I'm glad someone did.

[Sleet]

OT Penguins vs. Canucks: Dang, but Luongo is a marvelous goalie. What a game.

Update: What a save vs. Crosby on the penalty shot. Brilliance.

Update 2: This Letang kid is pretty good, too. :smallsmile: Wow. What a hockey game. I wish they were all half as entertaining as this one.


Recchi to Atlanta (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=224712&hubname=nhl)

Pens fan here: Best of luck to him. We'll miss ya in the 'Burgh, Recchin' Ball.

[Rare Pink Leech]

So St. Louis traded Doug Weight to Anaheim for Andy McDonald ... that's quite the shocker. Now Anaheim only needs to dress four defencemen a night ... Niedermayer, Pronger, Beauchemin, and Schneider are all 30-minute men. Their roster now comprises 12 forwards, 4 defence, 1 goalie, 1 backup goalie, and 2 backup defencemen :smallbiggrin:

[Don Julio Anejo]

Well, Anaheim's got to be overloaded with something. Last year they had two starter goalies.

On topic. WOO. Not only did we blank New Jersey 5-0 (that's FIVE-OH) but we finally beat a team by more than 4 points in as long as I can remember, and to top it off it was Brodeur(!) that we scored on 5 times. Although granted, New Jersey didn't have their legs and played fairly lazily. Ice seemed to be sucky too, the puck skipped over players' sticks every third pass.

[Endeavourl]

Well, Anaheim's got to be overloaded with something. Last year they had two starter goalies.

On topic. WOO. Not only did we blank New Jersey 5-0 (that's FIVE-OH) but we finally beat a team by more than 4 points in as long as I can remember, and to top it off it was Brodeur(!) that we scored on 5 times. Although granted, New Jersey didn't have their legs and played fairly lazily. Ice seemed to be sucky too, the puck skipped over players' sticks every third pass.

Horrible game (from my point of view :smalltongue: )

The first period, we played pretty well, but you got lucky with that deflection off of a skate. Devils kept trying to beat Luongo on the edges and missing the net instead of just getting shots on goal. I turned it off after Trevor Linden's goal :smallannoyed:

[Don Julio Anejo]

Everyone seemed really, really lazy. I missed most first and a part of second, so can't say about that, you know about it more than me. I tuned in around Naslund's first goal... Beautiful set ups both times for him but it looked like New Jersey plain didn't care and Canucks tried just enough not to get screwed over too badly. Any other night, it would be something like 5-2 for any other team. Except Edmonton, it would still be 2-1 SO.

Yeah, lots of missed nets, I counted 3 when I was watching (granted that was a nice save by Brodeur off Salo's slapshot)

EDIT: I can't believe Anaheim is doing pretty badly right now for a team of its' caliber. SOMETHING is screwing them over, and it's not the lack of talent (which is arguably even better this year) and coaching (which is the same). Teemu Selanne?

[Chunklets]

EDIT: I can't believe Anaheim is doing pretty badly right now for a team of its' caliber. SOMETHING is screwing them over, and it's not the lack of talent (which is arguably even better this year) and coaching (which is the same). Teemu Selanne?

I wonder how the Anaheim dressing room is these days... If I were a member of that team, I'd resent Niedermeyer waltzing in halfway through December and forcing the team to trade its longest-serving player as a result.

[Rare Pink Leech]

Not really related to the NHL per se, but I thought I'd post it here anyway ....

Congratulations to Team Canada for winning their fourth straight gold medal at the World Junior Hockey Championships! You've done us all proud, boys!

It was really amazing watching the games and hearing all the Canadians in the stands cheering on their team, even though the tournament was held in the Czech Republic this year. I can hardly imagine what it's going to be like when the tournament's held in Canada three of the next four years .....