The Ice Hockey Thread

[BonnieShels]

Preds have looked for real for a while.
A friend of mine (from BC) was in Nashville a few years ago, when they weren't as great to watch and he said watching the hockey crowd there was one of the oddest things ever. Never expected them to be so into it. Assumed it was another Miami. Nashville is a party town anyway. Hockey stits in that niche well.

Talbot was great the few times I saw him between the pipes last season.

Byfuglien is a beast. Playing some unbelievable hockey this year.

Re the Leafs, only we would manage to beat our rival for Connor McDavid in such a fashion. We can't even tank a season properly. At least the Pylon is out on IR.

Still think Ducks for the Cup. But would love Tampa to do it.

[Crosby87]

Tampa is weird. It seems like it depends so much on the matchup. Cally is happy, Marty StL is having a terrible year.

On Lundy: First off I think he is a good guy, you know stoic Swede thing, etc.. his version and now as the papers go..the Gulags version. I mean I fully expect him to be back. Vascular injuries are not common so much. The Gulag would never say if there was a chance he would not come back this year. I think its more out there than one might say.
Trading deadline is key, obviously.

[Crosby87]

Jagr to Florida. Rangers miss out on Sekera. Kane out for the year dooms Shy Town. Pens add grit with Winnick.

[BonnieShels]

Clarkson swapped to CBJ for Nathan Horton. Great trade. Horton is injured but we now have cap space. Looks like we're building to get rid of one of our big guns...

[Crosby87]

Hortons contract is ridiculous too though. Obviously they are hoping he retires. I was shocked they could find a taker for Clarkson though. Now if they could only deal Kessel... Toronto is years away.

[Crosby87]

Can the Pens rally for a win tonight?

[BonnieShels]

Over a year since a post in here. This is what happens when you move back to Ireland and lose access subsequently to your NHL sub. Dang.

Opening night tonight and the Leafs are tied 2-2 with the Sens after one in Ottawa.

Auston Matthews gets 2g off 2 in his first League game.

Bobby Ryan 1g and 1a off 2 as well for Ottawa.

EDIT: And just as I post, he's gotten 3.

[BonnieShels]

And there's number 4.

4-3 to TO at end of second period.

[KrisLetang]

That might be the worst Oilers loss in team history last night. Up 3-0 with 3 mins left end up losing in double OT. Goodness. Going to take a long time for that to fade. Think ANA are in great shape now. Obviously.

Was just reading the post game thread on the Oilers HF Board. They seem to be split 6 ways
1. Done with NHL, it's fixed the refs calls at the end were HORRIBLE.
2. If only we didn't trade Taylor Hall.
3.its the coaches fault.
4. Shut up all of you talking about Taylor Hall, HCTM, or the refs. It's our own fault.
5. Shock mixed with expectations of failure anyway due to last horrid 10 years.
6. NHL wants a Pens Ducks finals.

[SkStu]

It's all about the Regina Pats right now Kris.

[KrisLetang]

I love juniors! They used to be able to fight in the WHL years ago. Have you ever been to the Brandt centre Stu? You should go to a game there! There may be some Penguins property on that team, I don't know. You could scout for me.

[SkStu]

I've been to three games this season but tickets for the first two legs of the final sold out in minutes. Live games are great. I also am friendly with the family of Stuart Skinner - from Edmonton, plays for the Lethbridge Hurricanes - I am certain he will play NHL, insanely good goalkeeper.

By the way, re NHL I still refuse to watch regular season hockey. Play offs only. It's a different game.

[KrisLetang]

At first I assumed it was Stuart's looking out for each other but he does look like an elite prospect. He will def get drafted in 2 months.

What was going on with the Sens not selling out those first 2 games with the Rangers? Ticket prices? Apathy? If that ever happend in the second round with one of the medium size city US teams it would have been bonkers in the Canadian press. Move them to Quebec! Disappointed in Otts effort these last two games. I hate the Rangers. Expecting them to win today tho.

[BonnieShels]

That might be the worst Oilers loss in team history last night. Up 3-0 with 3 mins left end up losing in double OT. Goodness. Going to take a long time for that to fade. Think ANA are in great shape now. Obviously.

Was just reading the post game thread on the Oilers HF Board. They seem to be split 6 ways
1. Done with NHL, it's fixed the refs calls at the end were HORRIBLE.
2. If only we didn't trade Taylor Hall.
3.its the coaches fault.
4. Shut up all of you talking about Taylor Hall, HCTM, or the refs. It's our own fault.
5. Shock mixed with expectations of failure anyway due to last horrid 10 years.
6. NHL wants a Pens Ducks finals.

Made up for it tonight.

That first period was a thing of beauty.

Hopefully the Caps can do it tomorrow too.

[Real ale Madrid]

Nashville - an ice hockey town!

[KrisLetang]

Good for the Preds. James Neal playing well. Mr. Carrie Underwood is the captain.

I'm nervous that the Penguins are out of gas. Really worried about tonight.

[BonnieShels]

I'm really hoping they are gassed. Love watching Washington and would love Barry and Ovi to get themselves a Cup if Ottawa or E-town don't do it.
Also, that Edmonton team are shaping up to be something like 99's Oilers. Gonna be fascinating when we come good in a couple of years and that rivalry sparks because Babcock is gonna get us purring.

Was delighted for PK that the Preds are through. Still can't make sense of that trade. Glad it's biting the Habs' in the ass.

Anyway, HON WASHINGTON!!!!!

[KrisLetang]

Dreadful stuff from Penguins in the first. Crosby head first into the boards. Im starting to feel sick.

[BonnieShels]

That was a smelly goal to concede. Classic Fleury.

[BonnieShels]

Crosby (the player) isn't with it tonight. He needs to be pulled.

[BonnieShels]

I was just coming in to comment on the crappy crowd that has remained in the PPG Arena tonight as the game wore on. It was 4-0.

It went 5 as I clicked in here. I'm gonna hit the hay now as a result. I think we can call it.

[Real ale Madrid]

Nashville sitting pretty now while 2 of the other 3 series' go to 7, with the Rangers hosting the Sens tonight in game 6 in The GAhden.

[BonnieShels]

That game 6 will stand to the Caps. They should realise now that they have the firepower to mill through anyone if they put their minds to it. The Pens are done. And it would be no bad thing for them to get out now and give Sid a rest.

I'm giddy about tonight it must be said.

[Real ale Madrid]

Just watching highlights - Crosby (the player) took some hit to the head off the wall - no wonder he was off form. Caps favs now.

[BonnieShels]

Just watching highlights - Crosby (the player) took some hit to the head off the wall - no wonder he was off form. Caps favs now.

Yeah. He (the player) was always going to be targeted. Shame on the Pens for thinking he was ready to return after a concussive injury. Moronic.

That being said there was definite cause to think the poster had similar concussive injuries.

[CraftyToePoke]

All the terms of reference in this thread are knowledge I do not possess.

[BonnieShels]

All the terms of reference in this thread are knowledge I do not possess.

All?

Ottawa are beating NY right now, 3-2

WATCH IT! 10min left in the 3rd.

[CraftyToePoke]

Channel ?

[CraftyToePoke]

All?

The squirrel eats mainly bacon.

[BonnieShels]

Channel ?

CBC, Rogers Sportsnet or NBCSN...

You gotta watch Canadian teams on Canadian TV.

They won anyway, 4-2

Tomorrow is gonna be a whopper.

Caps-Pens game 7 on just after midnight and then

Edmonton-Anaheim game 7 on just after 3am

Worth being exhausted on Thursday for.

[KrisLetang]

I'm thinking all day that maybe Sully should put Crosby and Malkin together. They really miss Tanger moving the puck up. I'm steeling myself for a loss but you have to admit...wouldn't Caps losing tonight be the Cappiest thing in Cap land the Caps could do? I mean Jeez it would fit them perfectly. All the momentum. Healthier. Hotter goalie (I mean playing wise) home game. I have to wonder if they will come out tight? I have to hope. We need a few early bounces.

Rangers getting slammed up the yin yang on WFAN all day so far. Me loves it. I watched the post game on MSG last night. Ronnie Dugay looked his usual shocked/stoned (is there a cooler guy by the way?) while their ex Goalie Steve Valliquette was out for blood. And BTW did you chaps know Lundqvist has an identical twin who also played (forward) in the NHL?

[KrisLetang]

That being said there was definite cause to think the poster had similar concussive injuries.

Didn't you proposition him once in the bathroom of a Burger King in Amsterdam? That's what he tells people.

[BonnieShels]

All Caps so far. They need a goal though. Pens are good enough to use this scoreless first period in the second.

[BonnieShels]

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nkvrc9y9MRo/maxresdefault.jpg

47 years ago today

[BonnieShels]

I'm steeling myself for a loss but you have to admit...wouldn't Caps losing tonight be the Cappiest thing in Cap land the Caps could do? I mean Jeez it would fit them perfectly. All the momentum. Healthier. Hotter goalie (I mean playing wise) home game. I have to wonder if they will come out tight? I have to hope. We need a few early bounces.

I knew if WSH didn't score in the first that the Pens would grow. Ffs.

Fleury having a game and a half.

[CraftyToePoke]

You cant see the puck for long enough, it guesswork based on fellas reactions and movement as to where the f*uck the puck is at key moments.

[KrisLetang]

Years ago FOX got the NHL and they briefly tried this thing where they put kind of a comets tail on the puck for new viewers. It didn't go over well.

Well we have a Flower moon here tonight and it was a night for the Flower to say the least. Anyone else feel like WASH kind of quit around the 5 min mark? Caps are so funny. They just cannot beat the Penguins when it counts.
Anderson and his unorthodox style is going to be in serious trouble. Crosby looked great tonight. Rust and Horny put in a helluva game. Horny really raises his game. Love the guy. Leaves it all on the ice.

5th Cup for the Penguins Organization and Mario could be in the cards here. Would love to watch this next game but im exhausted after that.

[BonnieShels]

You cant see the puck for long enough, it guesswork based on fellas reactions and movement as to where the f*uck the puck is at key moments.

I was like that back in the day.

But the more you watch the more obvious it gets.

Imagine if you were watching your first game of hurling Vs now. Same deal.

[KrisLetang]

Oilers just not quite ready for prime time. Poor Gretzky (Or Gretsky if you are the actor James Woods) looked sad.

[KrisLetang]

https://s1.postimg.org/8tu2g2we7/penscapsdogsmall.gif

[KrisLetang]

Quick turn around tonight as North Hollywood and Confederate Hollywood battle it out. Can the Preds keep it going? Will Crafty Toe Poke be able to follow the action? Does Nashville really have better BBQ than Texas? Serious questions that need answers.

[BonnieShels]

So after that absolute snoozefest on Monday here's hoping that we're served up with something as daycent as last night.

GO SENS!!!

[KrisLetang]

I think Pittsburgh are out of gas. Who do you start tonight? MAF or Murray? I'm kind of loyal to MAF at this point as he is the only reason we are still alive. And yet......

[BonnieShels]

I think Pittsburgh are out of gas. Who do you start tonight? MAF or Murray? I'm kind of loyal to MAF at this point as he is the only reason we are still alive. And yet......

How wrong.

Missed the drubbing as I was in Amsterdam. Not looking forward to tonight tbh.

[KrisLetang]

Amazing job by Coaches Sullivan, Martin, and Tocchet. Best staff in the NHL by leaps and bounds. Kudos to OTT. They were much better than I thought, though in fairness Pens outplayed them badly even while losing game 6. In case anyone will argue that the league was telling the refs they couldn't have an Ottawa/Nashville final, the officiating was awful vs the Pens in both 6 and 7. Even Pee-Air was saying that the whole game last night.

[BonnieShels]

Despite the result going against what I wanted, I though that the 3rd period was one of the best, tension-filled periods of hockey I have ever seen. Then it was followed by the 1st OT. WOW!

I then dozed off (cos it was 5am). Shame about the result but now I get to put all my eggs in the Nashville basket. Which, given my record is probably a blessing for the Pens.

[Real ale Madrid]

Next season will mark 25 years since the home of Hockey won Lord Stanley's Cup. A drought of epic proportions. Ah well there is always the Olympics.

Imagine if Kilkenny went 25 years without a hurling all Ireland ?
England going 60 years without winning a football world cup? (lol)
New Zealand going 25 years without a RWC?

One of sports greatest stories.

[BonnieShels]

Next season will mark 25 years since the home of Hockey won Lord Stanley's Cup. A drought of epic proportions. Ah well there is always the Olympics.

Imagine if Kilkenny went 25 years without a hurling all Ireland ?
England going 60 years without winning a football world cup? (lol)
New Zealand going 25 years without a RWC?

One of sports greatest stories.

The reorganisation of conferences has had some doing for it. Plus the removal of 2 Canadian teams (Jets, Nordiques) in that period and the reinstatement of a Winnipeg team in 2012 has shown the sham it has been for Canada in the NHL since.

In 1992-93 when the Habs won it all, there were 7 Canadian teams in the league with the addition of Ottawa that year. In the subsequent years the Great White North lost Winnipeg (to Phoenix) and Quebec (to Denver). So from 1995 onward there were only 5 Canadian teams.

In 1993-94, the Canucks (who beat Calgary and Toronto along the way) were beaten by the Rangers 4-1 in the Stanley Cup final.

In their last season of 1994-95, the Nordiques would finish top of the newly re-organised Eastern Conference but would be defeated in the first round by the reigning champions New York rangers. Of the 4 teams qualifying for the Play-offs that year, only the Canucks got past the first round only to be swept by Chicago.

The controversy of the Nordiques relocation was further compounded by the Avalanche's victory in 1995-96. The Nordiques had been on a rise as could be seen in the previous seasons so it isn't beyond the realms of possibility that they would have won the Cup considering how it did actually pan out. Coupled with the Avs win in 2000-01 there is certainly a case to state that without the upheaval the Nordiques could have won more. They had Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy at this time!!!

It's obviously taken very hard in Canada that they haven't won a Cup in so long but tbh Toronto, Edmonton and Ottawa are making great strides and one of them will win a Cup in the next 5 years.

Looking at the stats since the Habs' last victory:





Season:
Teams in conference final:
Teams in Cup final:
Notes:




1992-1993
2 (MTL, TOR)
1 (MTL)
MTL beat LAK 4-1 to claim Cup


1993-1994
2 (VAN, TOR)
1 (VAN)
VAN beat TOR 4-1 in conference final. NYR beat VAN in game 7 of final


1994-1995
0
0
QUE were top-seed in Eastern conference. Lockout shortened (48 games) season


1995-1996
0
0
COL win cup in first season since move from QUE


1996-1997
0
0
COL beaten in game 6 of conference final by eventual champions DET


1997-1998
0
0



1998-1999
1 (TOR)
0
Beaten 4-1 by BUF in conference final


1999-2000
0
0
COL got to a conference final losing in game 7 to reiging champions DAL


2000-2001
0
0
COL won Stanley Cup against reigning champions NJD


2001-2002
1 (TOR)
0
COL beaten in game 7 of conference final by eventual champions DET


2002-2003
1 (OTT)
0
Beaten in game 7 by eventual champions NJD


2003-2004
1 (CGY)
1 (CGY)
Beaten in game 7 by TBL


2004-2005
Season not played
Season not played
Season not played


2005-2006
1 (EDM)
1 (EDM)
CAR beat EDM in game 7


2006-2007
1 (OTT)
1 (OTT)
ANA beat OTT 4-1


2007-2008
0
0
COL swept in conference SF by eventual champions DET


2008-2009
0
0
COL failed to make play-offs


2009-2010
1 (MTL)
0
Beaten 4-1 by PHL in conference final


2010-2011
1 (VAN)
1 (VAN)
BOS beat VAN in game 7 which preceded the VAN riots


2011-2012
0
0
PHX were beaten 4-1 by LAK in the conference final


2012-2013
0
0
Lockout shortened (48 games) season


2013-2014
1 (MTL)
0
I was living in Ottawa at the time. I was petrified that the Habs got so close after sweeping a highly fancied TBL and the reigning champions BOS in a game 7. *shudders*


2014-2015
0
0
TBL got revenge on MTL in the second round, defeating them 4-2


2015-2016
0
0



2016-2017
1 (OTT)
0
OTT beaten by PIT in game 7 of conference final


2017-2018
1 (EDM)
1 (EDM)
Just have a feeling that they'll go all the way…

[tr class="lastRow"]



---

Excluding 2004-05:
23 seasons played
Giving 11/23 where at least one Canadian team has qualified for a conference final
12 teams in total qualifying for conference finals (TOR and VAN in 1993-94)
And 5 years where teams got to the Stanley Cup final


So yeah... #bringstanleyhome

[KrisLetang]

I think Toronto will have the best chance in a few years time for glorious Canada. Maybe sign Tavares as a FA next year? Or trade for him? I'm not 100% sure Lou still has his eye on the ball though.

Lot's of opinions this morning about last nights game. Getting 0 shots in the second period was troubling. But everyone is like well, Nashville outplayed them. Who cares? They still lost. Subban is a helluva player though.

[BonnieShels]

Not going well at all at all..