For NHL Fans

[PlatinumG]

Bertuzzi's a goon.

He's not even that good. He is (much like Jordin Tootoo) a disgrace to the game, despite his skill on the puck (I'll admit, he does have some).

The Bruins are a well rounded team. They play their system VERY well, and they have some talent to finish on offense. Thomas has been playing well lately as much as I hate to admit it. I think they can make a run at the Cup this year.

That's provided the Sharks don't continue their free reign over practically every team in the NHL this year...

I'd really hate to see them win the cup, but it's starting to look like they might just be the team to do it. Either that or Dallas makes a supreme comeback and takes it :)

-PG

[Baseballboy]

Is anyone else watching the Worlds Junior Hockey Game: Canada vs USA? It's currently 5-4 Canada and the USA was leading by 3 after the first 5 minutes of the period. It's a wicked game.

[Ächilles]

My Bruins are coming. Finally. Boston is turning back into a hockey town. We always were, until the B's stopped being worth a darn.

People don't want to admit it, but the B's are a Cup-caliber team. They've handily disposed of the league's elite, and they're only looking better and better. It's time to accept that they're the real deal, it's become more than just a promising start.

Find me a man worthy of throwing down with Milan Lucic.

[Baseballboy]

My Bruins are coming. Finally. Boston is turning back into a hockey town. We always were, until the B's stopped being worth a darn.

People don't want to admit it, but the B's are a Cup-caliber team. They've handily disposed of the league's elite, and they're only looking better and better. It's time to accept that they're the real deal, it's become more than just a promising start.

Find me a man worthy of throwing down with Milan Lucic.
George Laraque. Lucic himself said he was scared to drop vs him

[Ächilles]

Very true. But Lucic is still a baby in the world of pro hockey, Laraque has been around the game over ten years now. Give Lucic some time and he'll have Cam Neely shedding a tear of pride.

[Baseballboy]

Very true. But Lucic is still a baby in the world of pro hockey, Laraque has been around the game over ten years now. Give Lucic some time and he'll have Cam Neely shedding a tear of pride.
Yeah, I think thats what they both said also, and i got to agree to it. But IMO, even though Lucic would gain years of experience, Laraque would own him.

[Ächilles]

Yeah, I think thats what they both said also, and i got to agree to it. But IMO, even though Lucic would gain years of experience, Laraque would own him.

Only up until a point. There will come a time when Lucic is a primed man while Laraque will be a lot older. He has about twelve years on Lucic, who is only a year older than me. But I suppose that that's hardly a viable means of proving who's the better ice hockey combatant.

: )

[PlatinumG]

You're also forgetting about Donald Brashear and Derick Boogaard.

If this were the NHL a few years ago, I'd thrown in Zdeno Chara (pre-B's) and Tony Twist...

I won't deny that the Bruins are doing well this year, but you've got to keep the Wings and Sharks in mind in saying that. The Wings aren't quite the dominant team they were last year, but they're ALWAYS a factor. The Sharks have such a layered attack against opponents, and are so deep talent-wise, that few teams can beat them. Boston has a lot going for them, I won't deny that, but against the Sharks in a 7 game series, I'd still say the Sharks would win, probably 8 out of 10.

Dallas are also coming around quite nicely now :)

-PG

[ExpectDeath]

Very true. But Lucic is still a baby in the world of pro hockey, Laraque has been around the game over ten years now. Give Lucic some time and he'll have Cam Neely shedding a tear of pride.

When I went to the Bruins/Pens game, Lucic fought a young kid from the Penguins, Wallace. I was amazed that Wallace stood up to him. We were down 5-2 and Wallace threw with him. The kid has some heart. Sure, Lucic got the better of him, but I give it to him for throwin' with one of the "tough" guys in the league.

You're also forgetting about Donald Brashear and Derick Boogaard.

If this were the NHL a few years ago, I'd thrown in Zdeno Chara (pre-B's) and Tony Twist...

I won't deny that the Bruins are doing well this year, but you've got to keep the Wings and Sharks in mind in saying that. The Wings aren't quite the dominant team they were last year, but they're ALWAYS a factor. The Sharks have such a layered attack against opponents, and are so deep talent-wise, that few teams can beat them. Boston has a lot going for them, I won't deny that, but against the Sharks in a 7 game series, I'd still say the Sharks would win, probably 8 out of 10.

Dallas are also coming around quite nicely now :)

-PG

I think you could toss Rutuu in there. And if you had ever seen Eric Godard from the Pens fight, I think you would put him in there too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qcxs6aWNGI

Follow that link, and it will take you to all of Godard's fights. He has thrown with Laraque, Domi, Boogard, and Cote.

[PlatinumG]

Anyone catch the Winter Classic yesterday?

I saw parts of it, but I'm not a particularly huge fan of the gimmick, myself. The first year, sure, it was a great idea that went over really well. Since then, however, I've felt that it's too much of a gimmick and not enough of a solid hockey game. Now, if they can get Minnesota and Dallas out there, with Dallas wearing the old North Stars colours and the Wild wearing some variation or Wild-themed North Stars jerseys, there's a game I'd be interested in. Seeing as that's never likely to happen, I think I'll stick with just keeping track of the normal indoor games for now...

-PG

[ExpectDeath]

It is becoming a money-making scheme for the most part, in my opinion. But when you think about it, all promotional sporting events like this are. I could bet next year it will go with two Canadian teams. Probably the Maple Leafs and someone else.

Pens are on a losing streak. It's been a while since that's happened. I think all they need is a big win to get the wind back in their sails. It seems like every period they come out flying, but they can't keep up the intensity through out the game.

[Hoolwath]

Junior (U20) Ice Hockey WC: Slovakia 5:3 USA - we're in the semifinals!!!!!!


In your face America.

[Faulty Logic]

I'm going to the Capitals game tomorrow 8 rows up form the ice ont he blue line where caps shoot twice :)

expensive as shit but i wanna have a good time

playin the rangers.... should be a GREAT game.

[PlatinumG]

Should definitely be a good one! AO's been on fire lately, so it'll be good to see he and Lundqvist dueling.

It is becoming a money-making scheme for the most part, in my opinion. But when you think about it, all promotional sporting events like this are. I could bet next year it will go with two Canadian teams. Probably the Maple Leafs and someone else.

Pens are on a losing streak. It's been a while since that's happened. I think all they need is a big win to get the wind back in their sails. It seems like every period they come out flying, but they can't keep up the intensity through out the game.

I'd wager Ottawa and Toronto, personally. Seems they're sticking very much to the storied franchises more than the "newer" teams. Can't say I wouldn't mind seeing the old Ottawa or St. Pats jerseys for one game...:).

It's definitely just a money spinner now. There's been no useful purpose to the game since the inaugural Winter Classic, despite the fact that it was a genuinely good game.

The Pens'll come back around. Fluery in net and all of their talent up front will make sure of that. Granted, I've seen rumors that Pittsburgh might be looking to ship Staal out to Florida for JayBo in order to bolster their D corps. If only they'd ditch Crosby and leave Malkin as their true #1 the team might actually go somewhere...

-PG

[Faulty Logic]

Should definitely be a good one! AO's been on fire lately, so it'll be good to see he and Lundqvist dueling.

-PG

I just wanna see AO Rip one in front of us.

[Hoolwath]

Junior (U20) Ice Hockey WC: Slovakia 5:3 USA - we're in the semifinals!!!!!!


In your face America.

I would like some american input on this.

[ExpectDeath]

I didn't get to see the game. I wish I had NHL Network!

I haven't really been following anyone in Juniors except for Johnathon Tavares and he isn't even from the U.S.

[ExpectDeath]

Hhahaha!

The Pens are down 4-1 to the Florida Panthers late in the second period. Max Talbot drops the gloves against against Campell at the puck drop and throws pretty well for a little guy. Not even a minute later, SIDNEY CROSBY drops after the faceoff with McLean. Crosby dishrags McLean's jersey then just throws a few punches to the face. My hat's off to the Penguins. They are going through a rough time, and a rough game, yet they still come together to protect their teammates and show some heart.

[A-99]

I would like some american input on this.

And canada whomped them as well even though we were down by 3.

*High Five*

Anyone see the Buffalo vrs Toronto game last week? absolutely terrible.

[PlatinumG]

Re: Crosby dropping the gloves -- it's happened before, and he did alright. I'll always think of him as the crybaby that he is, but he's not a terrible scrapper when he does go.

I didn't get to see the game. I wish I had NHL Network!

I haven't really been following anyone in Juniors except for Johnathon Tavares and he isn't even from the U.S.

Tavares is good, but I'm surprised at how well Jamie Benn has come along. He almost made the Dallas Stars right out of training camp, and he's put up HUGE numbers in the minors this season. I haven't watched this tournament too much, but the one game I did watch (Canada vs Czech Republic) he was showing a good amount of skill there, as well. Naturally, Tavares was still the showcase talent, but still...

-PG

[ExpectDeath]

I haven't really seen much from Jamie Benn other than what I have seen in highlights.

Watch the dangles...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obp8G2JFgkM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceh0Oin0k5U&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EewdHsuJaGM

[PlatinumG]

Nash's dangle against the Stars the last time they met was better (IMO) than the one above. Toews' goal was absolutely incredible, no question...and that third video just made me miss Pavel Bure...:D

I'd say Ribeiro should be counted somewhere amongst the list of decent danglers, but he loses the puck more than anyone I've seen in a long time...

-PG

[ExpectDeath]

Ribeiro definitely has a great set of hands. Top stickhandlers in the league in no order for me...Datsyuk, Toews, Nash, Crosby, Malkin, Kovi, Zetterberg, Kovalchuk, and Ovie.

Yeah, it just seems like the NHL top tier players. I think Datsyuk and Kovalchuck have to be at the top of the list.

[DOCTOR DEVICE]

The all-star selections were complete crap. Especially the West.

[PlatinumG]

I agree completely...then again, the fact that Turco was on the list from the start somewhat showed that they weren't looking for the best players to begin with...

Not surprised at all that the Habs players made such an impact on the list...

Ribeiro definitely has a great set of hands. Top stickhandlers in the league in no order for me...Datsyuk, Toews, Nash, Crosby, Malkin, Kovi, Zetterberg, Kovalchuk, and Ovie.

Yeah, it just seems like the NHL top tier players. I think Datsyuk and Kovalchuck have to be at the top of the list.

Kovalchuck's got some of the best moves I've ever seen, no question! I wouldn't count Crosby on that list, though...Malkin, definitely, but Crosby's more of a setup guy that he'll ever be a scorer (IMO), and I've never seen much stickwork from him...

Only guy I'd consider adding to that list would probably be Joe Thornton. One of the best setup guys in the West, and he's got some smooth hands.

-PG

[Red Fire]

Okay, I know I haven't posted here in awhile, but what the $^%&?

This is basically Anahiem and Chicago against Pitts and Montreal. Where's AO? Where's Steve Mason? Where's Luongo? I dont care if they are later on in the list, but seriously? Kane is good, but not All-Star material just yet. Giguere had his moment a long time ago, move on. Montreal is playing well, but Price chokes under pressure, he requires more experience. I see this game going to the West just because the Starting lineup for the East was around the last time Toronto won a Stanley Cup. And I know, "But OMFG, Malkin and Crosby *Cream pants*". If people watching the NHL hasn't noticed, Crosby and Malkin CANNOT do Defense well and Price needs it, badly.

I am really disappointed. I love seeing Crosby play with Alex, it's just amazing, so why the %^&% did this happen? I mean I can see, yes it's in Montreal ... but for &*&^ sakes people, if you want to see Montreal play, JUST WATCH A GAME THEY PLAY IN. I for one, like to see a couple excellent guys from different teams play together, the All-Star game is for that purpose, if it's just guys from the same team, i mind as well just watch a game they play in normally .... seriously ...

[PlatinumG]

Whoa! Hey Red, long time no see...now if only we could get Surge back in here we could get this rolling again like in the older days :D.

You make good points though, the ASG this year has more or less been wiped out by the fact that people aren't willing to pick the people truly deserving to be there. I understand the Montreal aspect of it, completely, but there's no reason whatsoever that they should blanket the competition just because it's in MTL...I'll hold judgment until the final list comes out, but honestly, it's getting ridiculous

-PG

[ExpectDeath]

It basically came down to this. A Montreal fan coded a program that allowed Habs fans to vote for a set roster every time you logged on to the internet. This gave all of the Habs players a HUGE advantage in the beginning of the race. A Pens forums (thepensblog.com) got word of this and organized to vote as much as possible for all of the Pens starters.

http://www.faniq.com/blog/NHL-To-Investigate-All-Star-Voting-Fraud-Montreal-Canadiens-Fans-Are-Cheating-Blog-14233

This just added to the hate I had for the Montreal fans.

[Red Fire]

Very interesting ...

And Yeah, sorry I haven't been around PG, just started a new job and logged 102 hours of work in 2 weeks :(

But nice find ExpectDeath, it makes a lot of sense that this would happen, and since there are so many better players than those nominated, it makes even more sense. I hope it gets resolved before the game.

[PlatinumG]

Ah, not a problem...I'm on the opposite end of that spectrum, sadly. Looking for work in an environment where no one's hiring...fun!

Good to see that people are questioning the voting openly. It seemed too "perfect" that the Habs got so many votes so quickly. Hopefully the league figures out a way to eliminate the automated votes and make it a fair vote...

-PG

[Red Fire]

Just off topic, but what are you looking for work for? And whereabouts?

Im one of the few lucky ones, around my area Helpdesk people are in demand and a local place just happened to get a new contract with Dominos Pizza and they needed more help, so yeah.

[PlatinumG]

Right now I'm looking for any work, quite literally. There's just nothing available, and it's been like this for a while now. I'm qualified for a wide array of jobs, as I've graduated with my BSBA in Management and am currently working on my MBA, along with having a solid background in technology. I'm hoping, if my college continues helping me out as they have done thus far (which I'm incredibly thankful for), that once I've got my MBA I'll be able to go back and get my masters in IT. That'll line me up for several fields of employment and multiple levels.

As it stands just now, though, I'd be happy enough working practically anywhere that can offer a steady paycheck.

-PG

[ExpectDeath]

Pens finally got a big win last night against one of the league's hottest teams, the Flyers. Thank god, it seems like they are keeping Malkin and Crosby together. They added Matt Cooke onto their line. Cooke seems to be the Penguins' only consistent winger. He is a grinder, and can throw the body. I think he will be able to get the puck to the two superstars, while being able to protect them as well.

[PlatinumG]

I cannot believe Dallas blew tonight's lead...they were playing absolutely fantastic hockey. Dominated the first and most of the second period only to let it slip away in the third and lose in the shootout. Ouch!

I will say this, though -- they looked great out there, and if this is a sign of things to come, then Dallas will be back in the playoff spots very quickly. Also, Steve Ott's goal was perfect :)

-PG

[ExpectDeath]

Chances are...Turco played poopy.

[Hatchet Klown]

If it's not about the Flyers, screw hockey! BOOOOOOO...

/ninja-vanish.

[PlatinumG]

Chances are...Turco played poopy.

Actually no, Turco was the reason the game didn't turn into a 9-1 route type of game. Dallas played insane in the offensive zone, but defensively everyone was a liability.

-PG

[Red Fire]

So found an interesting site to watch any sports game on. Has any NHL game on it, in case some people don't have satellite.

http://www.atdhe.net/#

Streaming and buffering is pretty quick as well.

[PlatinumG]

Wow, nice find!

If they show EPL games, they might just have become my new favourite site :D

-PG

[machiavelli33]

I agree completely...then again, the fact that Turco was on the list from the start somewhat showed that they weren't looking for the best players to begin with...

Not surprised at all that the Habs players made such an impact on the list...



Kovalchuck's got some of the best moves I've ever seen, no question! I wouldn't count Crosby on that list, though...Malkin, definitely, but Crosby's more of a setup guy that he'll ever be a scorer (IMO), and I've never seen much stickwork from him...

Only guy I'd consider adding to that list would probably be Joe Thornton. One of the best setup guys in the West, and he's got some smooth hands.

-PG

There are tons of NHL players that should be on the list. Joe Thorton for sure, he's a great passer. I'd say the best in the league right now. Also, I gotta give props to Carter. He's been a beast throughout this season, same with Setegouchi. Marleau has been pretty amazing this season too. He's been scoring and if you look at Sharks team, they have tons of great scorers.

I won't agree with you on Crosby though. Crosby can be a scorer when he needs to be, he just needs someone to set him up. Malkin doesn't really set him up all that well. Goncher usually does, but he's been injured throughout this season. Crosby is a great all rounded guy and is one of the best players in the league. I think Mike Richards and Crosby play very similar. They are both captains and good passers. Sure, they don't score goals all that often but they are a great addition to the team.

Zetterberg hasn't been great this season. Hossa suprised me actually... last season sucked for him and he made a pretty good comeback. It's hard to believe Wings aren't actually first, with the addition of Hossa and Conklin.

By the way, what did you guys think about the trade? Garon for Sabourin, Ryan Stone and 4 round draft pick (2011). I'd say it's a good trade for Pens. Garon is a pretty good goalie and maybe it'll give Fleury a kick to start playing for his number 1 spot, just like the last season.

Also, what do you guys think about the Leafs? New GM and new Coach. Both are very good and a whole new team, with a bunch of rookies and young players. Do they have a 1st round draft pick for next draft? If so, I think they can rebuild pretty easily. I can easily see Brian Burke going after few of Ducks UFA this season.

[PlatinumG]

There are tons of NHL players that should be on the list. Joe Thorton for sure, he's a great passer. I'd say the best in the league right now. Also, I gotta give props to Carter. He's been a beast throughout this season, same with Setegouchi. Marleau has been pretty amazing this season too. He's been scoring and if you look at Sharks team, they have tons of great scorers.

Aye, the Sharks have done well for themselves talent-wise. I completely disapprove of the whole Claude Lemieux publicity stunt, but I do agree that they're absolutely loaded with talent. Setoguchi surprised me when he broke in last year, especially his first game against Dallas. He played some incredible hockey and sat in perfectly on any line he was shuffled to. Incredible player, and he's only going to get better.

One player I feel is very underrated is Mike Greir. I've always like him as a player since I first saw him emerge with the Oilers (most notably during the Oilers/Stars annual playoff meetings...). Sure, he'll never be the superstar scorer on the team, but he plays a great game, and he's a physical player on the ice. ASG Worthy? No, probably not, but definitely someone that deserves more credit than he gets (like Brendan Morrow before he was given the "C")

I won't agree with you on Crosby though. Crosby can be a scorer when he needs to be, he just needs someone to set him up. Malkin doesn't really set him up all that well. Goncher usually does, but he's been injured throughout this season. Crosby is a great all rounded guy and is one of the best players in the league. I think Mike Richards and Crosby play very similar. They are both captains and good passers. Sure, they don't score goals all that often but they are a great addition to the team.

My thoughts on Crosby are much the same as the majority of the league -- he's a good player, but I'll never like him. He whines too much on the ice, and if things aren't going his way, he tends to shut down and become somewhat transparent as a game progresses. Malkin, on the other hand, always stands out to me. I notice him making good plays with the puck as well as making smart plays without it. He never lets himself shut down and fade away, and despite his current feud with AO, he's typically well-behaved and doesn't moan to the refs all game. Sometimes you'd swear Crosby was playing for the striped team, he spends so much time talking to them...

Zetterberg hasn't been great this season. Hossa suprised me actually... last season sucked for him and he made a pretty good comeback. It's hard to believe Wings aren't actually first, with the addition of Hossa and Conklin.

Hossa's been an absolute monster this year. I think most people thought he'd be more or less finished because of his dwindling numbers in recent years, but with Detroit he's just exploded. Conklin I feel somewhat sorry for. He got a great start in Edmonton, but once the team headed South, it was his head that everyone wanted. That forced him into the backup role and being shuffled around the league. He's done well with Detroit and looked more like the Conklin of old, so good for him that he's found his form again!

As far as Zetterberg goes, he's been decent, and he's still as potent as ever. Perhaps a bit slower on the goal side, but he's still racking up the points.

By the way, what did you guys think about the trade? Garon for Sabourin, Ryan Stone and 4 round draft pick (2011). I'd say it's a good trade for Pens. Garon is a pretty good goalie and maybe it'll give Fleury a kick to start playing for his number 1 spot, just like the last season.

Good move for the Pens, sure. Kind of screws Sabourin, though. I thought he had found a good team with Pittsburgh, and he was getting decent playing time. Now he's been shuffled to a team that doesn't want or need him. Seems like such a waste. Sure, he's not going to be the next Kipper, but he's still a very solid #2.

Also, what do you guys think about the Leafs? New GM and new Coach. Both are very good and a whole new team, with a bunch of rookies and young players. Do they have a 1st round draft pick for next draft? If so, I think they can rebuild pretty easily. I can easily see Brian Burke going after few of Ducks UFA this season.

They're still a long way off anything substantial. I still think the #1 pick belongs to Tampa this year, but they're making a real run for the #2 spot :D.

With Burke in place they should be able to solidify their lineup over the coming off season and get some players in that can help the team. They made a great signing with Niklas Hagman, but as he's got no supporting cast and only Nik Antropov with credible NHL skills, he's not being given enough opportunities to produce. I do think we'll be looking at a much improved Leafs team next year, though.

-PG

[ExpectDeath]

I like the trade from the Pen's view point. Garon is a young goalie, with a ton of potential. I can't wait to see him play. This will definitely push Fleury to keep that number one spot. I do kind of feel bad for Sabu though. He will have to fight for his spot pretty damn hard over in Edmonton. They have a lot of talent in the net.

[Serge]

Wow. I wish I still had the time to follow the NHL. Anyways, I got tickets to the Capitals / Penguins game on March 8. I can't wait.

[PlatinumG]

Serge! Good to see you posting again, if only once ;)

You don't want to keep track of Dallas this year, that's for sure. Caps aren't doing too bad, though. Perfect game to get tickets to, I must say. Another round of AO vs Malkin...should be a good one!

I like the trade from the Pen's view point. Garon is a young goalie, with a ton of potential. I can't wait to see him play. This will definitely push Fleury to keep that number one spot. I do kind of feel bad for Sabu though. He will have to fight for his spot pretty damn hard over in Edmonton. They have a lot of talent in the net.

That's just it, though. They've already said that Sabourin isn't going to see NHL playing time with them. Or rather, that they're set in goal with the current 1-2 rotation, leaving Sabourin as the odd man out. This makes it a bit of a bum deal for him, considering the fact that he was doing alright in Pittsburgh.

-PG

[ExpectDeath]

He was doing alright, but they had to change something. I agree with what Machiavelli said, that it would push Fleury to play better, and I really think it has. Fleury has played amazing the past few games. I am just waiting for the rest of the team to catch up.

[PlatinumG]

Aye, the extra push is always good. Certainly never hurts.

Turco certainly needs someone to push him down in Dallas...he's still playing somewhat lazy hockey...

-PG

[ExpectDeath]

You know I hate Turco, I'll have to agree.

I heard the the Oilers put Sabu on waivers?

[Red Fire]

So I was at work, watching the Columbus and Calgary game. I then saw one of my fav players, Dion, put out a cheap-shot to a great player.

I don't know if he meant to hit him that hard, but that was disgraceful. Umberger was really hurt, and he is a great player.. So great, that right after he was smashed into the glass, his next shift, he scored a goal.

I just wanted to say that I hate seeing that. A great player nearly ruin another great players' Hockey Career. It's a game ruiner for me.

[Jeffery]

So I was at work, watching the Columbus and Calgary game. I then saw one of my fav players, Dion, put out a cheap-shot to a great player.

I don't know if he meant to hit him that hard, but that was disgraceful. Umberger was really hurt, and he is a great player.. So great, that right after he was smashed into the glass, his next shift, he scored a goal.

I just wanted to say that I hate seeing that. A great player nearly ruin another great players' Hockey Career. It's a game ruiner for me.
Bah, If you don;t like fighting, go watch gymnastics.

[machiavelli33]

Aye, the Sharks have done well for themselves talent-wise. I completely disapprove of the whole Claude Lemieux publicity stunt, but I do agree that they're absolutely loaded with talent. Setoguchi surprised me when he broke in last year, especially his first game against Dallas. He played some incredible hockey and sat in perfectly on any line he was shuffled to. Incredible player, and he's only going to get better.

Woot! Claude Lemieux played for 7 minutes! I think he played pretty good for a 43 year old.

Sharks whole team is loaded with talent. They have Pavelski, Cloewe, Setoguchi, Cheechoo, Michalek, etc... They got some mad good players. Only hard would be to decide who to keep. They're eventually going to start getting paid around 4 mill. Dan Boyle and Rob Blake take a huge part of the salary cap but they've deserved it. Dan Boyle by far has been the best defencemen.

Stupid Tampa Bay... lol


One player I feel is very underrated is Mike Greir. I've always like him as a player since I first saw him emerge with the Oilers (most notably during the Oilers/Stars annual playoff meetings...). Sure, he'll never be the superstar scorer on the team, but he plays a great game, and he's a physical player on the ice. ASG Worthy? No, probably not, but definitely someone that deserves more credit than he gets (like Brendan Morrow before he was given the "C")

Grier is underrated, but he is a great player in my opinion. He leads the team well, kill P-K, make those good decision with the fore-checking and can score too. An amazing third-fourth liner.

Brendan Morrow has been sucking this season. Only one from Stars that has done good is Erikson.


My thoughts on Crosby are much the same as the majority of the league -- he's a good player, but I'll never like him. He whines too much on the ice, and if things aren't going his way, he tends to shut down and become somewhat transparent as a game progresses. Malkin, on the other hand, always stands out to me. I notice him making good plays with the puck as well as making smart plays without it. He never lets himself shut down and fade away, and despite his current feud with AO, he's typically well-behaved and doesn't moan to the refs all game. Sometimes you'd swear Crosby was playing for the striped team, he spends so much time talking to them...

Crosby hasn't done that this season. Last year, he whined but he's still a young player. He's going to start becoming more mature, especially now that he is a Captain. I love it when he fights though! I wish he did more.

Malkin and Ovechkin is so gewd!

I wish Gonchar would come back. If he did, Pens would have their scoring back then. He's their set-up guy to get Crosby and Malkin going... if he does, then they are a good contender for the Stanley Cup.


Hossa's been an absolute monster this year. I think most people thought he'd be more or less finished because of his dwindling numbers in recent years, but with Detroit he's just exploded. Conklin I feel somewhat sorry for. He got a great start in Edmonton, but once the team headed South, it was his head that everyone wanted. That forced him into the backup role and being shuffled around the league. He's done well with Detroit and looked more like the Conklin of old, so good for him that he's found his form again!

Hossa, Franzen and Datysuk... THEY ARE BEASTS!

Franzen is still pretty underrated for a guy who played great last season, even in the playoffs. Wings wouldn't be as good if they didn't acquire Hossa.

Rough for Conklin... only if he was in a crappy team to prove himself.


As far as Zetterberg goes, he's been decent, and he's still as potent as ever. Perhaps a bit slower on the goal side, but he's still racking up the points.

Zetterberg doesn't do quite as well without Lidstrom.

Wings need to get some young blood now. They have too many oldies on their team.


Good move for the Pens, sure. Kind of screws Sabourin, though. I thought he had found a good team with Pittsburgh, and he was getting decent playing time. Now he's been shuffled to a team that doesn't want or need him. Seems like such a waste. Sure, he's not going to be the next Kipper, but he's still a very solid #2.

Yeah, rough for Sabourin. I don't get why Oilers did that for Sabourin. As soon as they got him, the coach said he'll get sent to minors or put on waivers. I'm wondering like why did you trade for him? Why not for someone you could actually USE?



They're still a long way off anything substantial. I still think the #1 pick belongs to Tampa this year, but they're making a real run for the #2 spot :D.

With Burke in place they should be able to solidify their lineup over the coming off season and get some players in that can help the team. They made a great signing with Niklas Hagman, but as he's got no supporting cast and only Nik Antropov with credible NHL skills, he's not being given enough opportunities to produce. I do think we'll be looking at a much improved Leafs team next year, though.

-PG

Fletcher did an amazing job tearing apart the team to rebuild. McCabe for Van Ryan... I thought that was brillant. Too bad he's been injured for a while, but Van Ryan is a really good defencemen.

Grabovski is a great pick-up too. I just wish I could see more of his fights between him and Koistysin's brothers! :bigsmile:

I think Burke should trade Kaberle... for a first round draft pick. I hope we already have 1 of our own. If so, draft a great forward first, then draft an OD. We should keep Kubina. He's a good defencement and is a good powerplay specalist. He's a good leader too.

Toskala has been pretty dissapointing but it's not all his fault, Leafs defence isn't all that good. They allow a lot of ODD rushes and breakaways.

They almost kicked Bruins ass yesterday... damn shootout. We scored 2 but allowed 3. :dry:

OMGWASH! Who saw Tim Thomas tackle Blake yesterday? I love Tim Thomas playing style. It's like they have a defencement and a goalie!

I like the trade from the Pen's view point. Garon is a young goalie, with a ton of potential. I can't wait to see him play. This will definitely push Fleury to keep that number one spot. I do kind of feel bad for Sabu though. He will have to fight for his spot pretty damn hard over in Edmonton. They have a lot of talent in the net.

Yep. Sabu is being waived, I think. I'd recommend Leafs to pick him and see his skills. Afterall, it's their rebuilding year. We should play Pogi too, I don't get why they keep playing Toskala and we should get Joseph to give pointers on all these goalies.

You know I hate Turco, I'll have to agree.

I heard the the Oilers put Sabu on waivers?

Turco is amazing in playoffs.

I think these teams have the best chance to win the cup:

Sharks - That's kind of a duh. I'll be pissed if they don't win
Flyers - Sick team, wish they had Briere back. He's out for another 2 weeks. They got a good core though
Bruins - I'm still not convinced if they have what it takes to win the cup
Canucks - If they can get it rolling with Sundin, they'll be a tough team
Wings - Lidstrom is back and they are doing good so I think they can go for back-back wins

[PlatinumG]

You know I hate Turco, I'll have to agree.

I heard the the Oilers put Sabu on waivers?

It was only a matter of time. He was never going to play for the Oilers. Shame...

So I was at work, watching the Columbus and Calgary game. I then saw one of my fav players, Dion, put out a cheap-shot to a great player.

I don't know if he meant to hit him that hard, but that was disgraceful. Umberger was really hurt, and he is a great player.. So great, that right after he was smashed into the glass, his next shift, he scored a goal.

I just wanted to say that I hate seeing that. A great player nearly ruin another great players' Hockey Career. It's a game ruiner for me.

I agree. It's a complete waste for good players to be cheap-shotting one another. Granted, there are players that make a living out of it (Tootoo...), but when the genuinely good players start doing it the game loses something. It's sad watching it happen.

Woot! Claude Lemieux played for 7 minutes! I think he played pretty good for a 43 year old.

Sharks whole team is loaded with talent. They have Pavelski, Cloewe, Setoguchi, Cheechoo, Michalek, etc... They got some mad good players. Only hard would be to decide who to keep. They're eventually going to start getting paid around 4 mill. Dan Boyle and Rob Blake take a huge part of the salary cap but they've deserved it. Dan Boyle by far has been the best defencemen.

Stupid Tampa Bay... lol

Aye, Boyle's been a beast against Dallas this year, and has definitely been their best D-man throughout the year. Blake...well, he's always been a great D-man. I don't think he'll be playing next season, personally, but if he does, I highly doubt he'll be taking a salary increase. More than likely it'll be heading down the other way.

Grier is underrated, but he is a great player in my opinion. He leads the team well, kill P-K, make those good decision with the fore-checking and can score too. An amazing third-fourth liner.

Brendan Morrow has been sucking this season. Only one from Stars that has done good is Erikson.

True, but you're forgetting that he hasn't played with the team since right after Sean Avery was kicked out. The whole team played pathetically until he was shown the door, Morrow included. With him out of the picture Morrow has been a great pre and post-game motivator, and I'm sure when he returns to the ice (I'm thinking next year, even if Dallas did make the playoffs) he'll be back to playing like he should be playing.

Crosby hasn't done that this season. Last year, he whined but he's still a young player. He's going to start becoming more mature, especially now that he is a Captain. I love it when he fights though! I wish he did more.

Malkin and Ovechkin is so gewd!

I wish Gonchar would come back. If he did, Pens would have their scoring back then. He's their set-up guy to get Crosby and Malkin going... if he does, then they are a good contender for the Stanley Cup.

I've seen him do it this season, on a couple of occasions. I hope he does mature, as he could be a truly great player if he'd quit acting like a spoiled brat.

Gonchar's a good setup man, but he's also a great defensive presence on the ice, which I'd say helps a bit more than the offensive production. Much like Sergei Zubov's presence helps the team defensively as well as offensively.

Hossa, Franzen and Datysuk... THEY ARE BEASTS!

Franzen is still pretty underrated for a guy who played great last season, even in the playoffs. Wings wouldn't be as good if they didn't acquire Hossa.

Rough for Conklin... only if he was in a crappy team to prove himself.

Well, I think they'd still be just as potent as they are this year. They've got some insane talent coming up through their minor league system. Had Hossa not signed, they could've brought up a youngster who could've turned up some decent numbers. Probably not Hossa-like numbers, but decent.

Zetterberg doesn't do quite as well without Lidstrom.

Wings need to get some young blood now. They have too many oldies on their team.

Aye, but as I said, they've got some very good prospects working their way through the minors. They'll get their younger players in soon enough, and be just fine when it happens.

Yeah, rough for Sabourin. I don't get why Oilers did that for Sabourin. As soon as they got him, the coach said he'll get sent to minors or put on waivers. I'm wondering like why did you trade for him? Why not for someone you could actually USE?

Either way, had Sabourin not been involved he would've ridden the bench or been sent down because of Garon coming in. They traded a useless portion of their team for two useless portions and a draft pick. Good deal for the Pens, rubbish deal for the players going the other way. Hopefully Sabourin will get picked up by a decent team and push for a starting job. Dallas currently has no confidence in Stephan, for whatever reason, so they could easily pull Sabourin in and have him push Turco.

Fletcher did an amazing job tearing apart the team to rebuild. McCabe for Van Ryan... I thought that was brillant. Too bad he's been injured for a while, but Van Ryan is a really good defencemen.

Grabovski is a great pick-up too. I just wish I could see more of his fights between him and Koistysin's brothers!

I think Burke should trade Kaberle... for a first round draft pick. I hope we already have 1 of our own. If so, draft a great forward first, then draft an OD. We should keep Kubina. He's a good defencement and is a good powerplay specalist. He's a good leader too.

Toskala has been pretty dissapointing but it's not all his fault, Leafs defence isn't all that good. They allow a lot of ODD rushes and breakaways.

They almost kicked Bruins ass yesterday... damn shootout. We scored 2 but allowed 3.

OMGWASH! Who saw Tim Thomas tackle Blake yesterday? I love Tim Thomas playing style. It's like they have a defencement and a goalie!

I think it should be the other way with the defensemen. Trade Kubina and keep Kaberle. I'm not a fan of Kubina, and the money they paid for him was excessive. He's a good d-man, sure, but he's not worth what they're paying him, and they could use that cap space to bring in one or two d-men of the same calibre.

-PG

[machiavelli33]

Aye, Boyle's been a beast against Dallas this year, and has definitely been their best D-man throughout the year. Blake...well, he's always been a great D-man. I don't think he'll be playing next season, personally, but if he does, I highly doubt he'll be taking a salary increase. More than likely it'll be heading down the other way.

I think he'll probably play another season. He's doing pretty good in this season so I don't see any reason why he wouldn't play. Boyle salary will probably go up and most likely Blake will go down, but not by much. He's been a factor for Sharks P-K and P-P.



True, but you're forgetting that he hasn't played with the team since right after Sean Avery was kicked out. The whole team played pathetically until he was shown the door, Morrow included. With him out of the picture Morrow has been a great pre and post-game motivator, and I'm sure when he returns to the ice (I'm thinking next year, even if Dallas did make the playoffs) he'll be back to playing like he should be playing.

Even after Sean Avery, Morrow has still been sucking. The other players have been fairly good, except for him and Madono.

I don't think Dallas will make the playoffs. West is hardcore right now, with Oilers, Blue Jackets fighting for the spot, It'll be hard for Dallas to get in.

Do you think any team will even take Sean Avery now?



I've seen him do it this season, on a couple of occasions. I hope he does mature, as he could be a truly great player if he'd quit acting like a spoiled brat.

Gonchar's a good setup man, but he's also a great defensive presence on the ice, which I'd say helps a bit more than the offensive production. Much like Sergei Zubov's presence helps the team defensively as well as offensively.

That is what it takes to be a quality defencemen.

I'm dissapointed at Phaneuf though, Flames have been doing good, scoring wise but Phaneuf hasn't been nearly as good as he was last year. I think he had 17 goals and bunch of assists last season. He was a beast last year, I was hoping for him to continue that.

While, I'm talking about Flames, have you guys seen Cammalarri play? He's been fantastic this season and it's probably been his best season out of all of them. Him and Bertuzzi we're great pick-ups. I would still like to see Huselius in Flames though. =/


Well, I think they'd still be just as potent as they are this year. They've got some insane talent coming up through their minor league system. Had Hossa not signed, they could've brought up a youngster who could've turned up some decent numbers. Probably not Hossa-like numbers, but decent.



Aye, but as I said, they've got some very good prospects working their way through the minors. They'll get their younger players in soon enough, and be just fine when it happens.

If they didn't bring in Hossa and brought up their prospects, then Wings wouldn't be that good right now. They have like 68 points right now, 3rd best in the league. Hossa has 20+ goals, he gave his team a good boost.

It pisses me off that Detroit and Boston are usually good in every sport. >_<
At least Lions had the worst season you could possible ever have in NFL. :D



Either way, had Sabourin not been involved he would've ridden the bench or been sent down because of Garon coming in. They traded a useless portion of their team for two useless portions and a draft pick. Good deal for the Pens, rubbish deal for the players going the other way. Hopefully Sabourin will get picked up by a decent team and push for a starting job. Dallas currently has no confidence in Stephan, for whatever reason, so they could easily pull Sabourin in and have him push Turco.


A lot of teams could use a goal tender like Sabourin. He's a very decent back-up. Tampa could use him, who knows he could probably start.



I think it should be the other way with the defensemen. Trade Kubina and keep Kaberle. I'm not a fan of Kubina, and the money they paid for him was excessive. He's a good d-man, sure, but he's not worth what they're paying him, and they could use that cap space to bring in one or two d-men of the same calibre.

-PG

I like both of them, but I think it'd be better for the Leafs to keep Kubina. Kaberle handles the puck well and moves it out of the zone but having Kubina on the powerplay and PK is good.

Isn't Kubina salary like 4 mill? Around the same as Kaberle. Besides, Leafs have a lot of cap to waste. Habs are getting a lot of URFA like Komisarek. I'd suggest going after a few of them, but go after the young ones. I want Leafs to be set for the future... so they can win a freaking stanley cup.

BTW, what did you think about Tim Thomas tackling Jason Blake? Could there be a penalty against that?

[ExpectDeath]

I wanna see a clip of the Phaneuff hit on Scumberger.

[PlatinumG]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__T-WaV5OQk -- yeah, it's a bad hit. Takes him from behind, hits him in the numbers and Umberger knows nothing about it until after the fact.

I think he'll probably play another season. He's doing pretty good in this season so I don't see any reason why he wouldn't play. Boyle salary will probably go up and most likely Blake will go down, but not by much. He's been a factor for Sharks P-K and P-P.

He's a great player, there's no question, but he's been one of those "on the verge of retiring" players for the past few seasons now. It just seems like it'd be his time to retire after this year more than it has before. Not sure how else to phrase that...

Even after Sean Avery, Morrow has still been sucking. The other players have been fairly good, except for him and Madono.

I don't think Dallas will make the playoffs. West is hardcore right now, with Oilers, Blue Jackets fighting for the spot, It'll be hard for Dallas to get in.

Do you think any team will even take Sean Avery now?

Morrow went out (I think) one game after Avery was suspended, so you can't really judge his post-Avery play.

I think Dallas will make the playoffs, but they've got a lot of work to do in order to get there. They're fortunate that players like Modano and Eriksson have stepped up this season, and that Brad Richards has found a better fit that's working quite well. The team has some very strong points, but without solid goaltending and with little in terms of 3rd/4th line scoring prowess, the team's not getting much done on the ice of late. They're going to get better, whether that's through trading or through bashing some hard heads to wake them up, they'll get there.

Avery -- yeah, he'll get picked up. There are teams that thrive on players like that. I'd be extremely amused to see him join Jordin Tootoo in Nashville, those two together would fight each other more than opposition players...and neither one deserves to be in the NHL...

That is what it takes to be a quality defencemen.

I'm dissapointed at Phaneuf though, Flames have been doing good, scoring wise but Phaneuf hasn't been nearly as good as he was last year. I think he had 17 goals and bunch of assists last season. He was a beast last year, I was hoping for him to continue that.

While, I'm talking about Flames, have you guys seen Cammalarri play? He's been fantastic this season and it's probably been his best season out of all of them. Him and Bertuzzi we're great pick-ups. I would still like to see Huselius in Flames though. =/

Phaneuf'll get there, no question. He's a hell of a hockey player and one of the better defensemen in the league. His offense is more or less a "bonus" for the club, and he'll definitely get it back.

Cammalleri's always been a great player, he just never got the recognition he deserved when playing with LA. He's one of the more underrated forwards that's managed to get a team that helps him in showing what he can do, and the fans appreciate that. He's a very good player at the NHL level, and it's great to see him excel

If they didn't bring in Hossa and brought up their prospects, then Wings wouldn't be that good right now. They have like 68 points right now, 3rd best in the league. Hossa has 20+ goals, he gave his team a good boost.

It pisses me off that Detroit and Boston are usually good in every sport. >_<
At least Lions had the worst season you could possible ever have in NFL.

There are a lot of "what-if" scenarios that could be drawn there. If Hossa hadn't signed, Datsyuk could be the 20+ goal man, easily. Or Zetterberg, or even Franzen. My point is that Detroit could have pulled up some of their minor league talent and given them a run. They've got great players waiting to come up, and there's no reason one of them couldn't have turned into the James Neal of the Detroit Red Wings.

I like how people forget their history with regards to Detroit -- they weren't always the invincible Red Wings ;). The 80s especially weren't that great for the Wings, but most people overlook their periods of mediocrity to focus on their successes. They'll have their fall from grace soon enough.

A lot of teams could use a goal tender like Sabourin. He's a very decent back-up. Tampa could use him, who knows he could probably start.

He'd be a better backup in Tampa than their current rotation, no question. He won't pass Smith as the starter, though. Smith's an incredible goalie and completely deserves the number 1 spot. His problem is that he's not getting the support from the players that he needs. Sabourin backing him would make for a VERY good team though, no question.

I like both of them, but I think it'd be better for the Leafs to keep Kubina. Kaberle handles the puck well and moves it out of the zone but having Kubina on the powerplay and PK is good.

Isn't Kubina salary like 4 mill? Around the same as Kaberle. Besides, Leafs have a lot of cap to waste. Habs are getting a lot of URFA like Komisarek. I'd suggest going after a few of them, but go after the young ones. I want Leafs to be set for the future... so they can win a freaking stanley cup.

BTW, what did you think about Tim Thomas tackling Jason Blake? Could there be a penalty against that?

I didn't see the Tim Thomas hit :(. You won't see a penalty shot due to a goalie hitting a player, though. You should see a penalty, but a penalty shot? Not usually.

Kubina's a $5Mil salary, which is steep for him. He's worth about $2.5-.6 to most teams, and that's realistically what he plays to. Kaberle's an elite defenseman that deserves his salary and does a good job of earning it. I'd still say trade Kubina, bring in two $2.5Mil level players and have twice the production. I just don't see him as being worth $5Mil of cap space, whether or not the Leafs have it to spare.

-PG

[PlatinumG]

...I hate to double-post, but someone's gotta' mention it -- Zdeno Chara broke Al Iafrate's hardest shot record in today's ASG skills competition, posting a 105.4MPH blast (previous record was 105.3). Doesn't quite match Sheldon Souray's 106.7, but as that wasn't sanctioned, it doesn't count...

Good job by big Z!

-PG

[ExpectDeath]

He definitely fired that one. Ovie winning the breakaway challenge was a complete joke, and he looked like a complete r-tard. Malkin won the target shooting. Go Pens.

[PlatinumG]

It was kind of obvious that AO would win it, though...the others were just plain boring...

Malkin and Heatly were doing pretty good in the accuracy shooting, I'm shocked they both hit 4-for-4, and Malking almost did it twice! Impressive.

-PG

[Red Fire]

Very enjoyable game to watch, even if I had to stream it and the quality wasn't what my HDTV would have given me :(

Surprisingly enough, the worst goaltender (as per save to shot ratio) was Lundqvist and not Thomas (which is who I thought would screw up most). Lund let in 6 goals on 21 shots, which isn't that great. I can't stand Thomas, sure he is doing well this year, but if I just kept falling down left and right where the puck is, yeah I'd be doing well too. I like the fact that the West discovered Thomas's weakness, which is his glove, he goes down about an hour before the shot and leaves the upper area wide open.

On a side note, surprise surprise to me was that the Montreal players played extremely well. Kovalev taking home the MVP with 3 points and scoring the shootout get and go.

The All Star Competition was fun to watch especially because Savard had a earpiece and mic and it was nice hearing stuff from him on the ice, I wish they'd do that to more games, although that seems like a bad distraction it would make the NHL really more enjoyable for me. Just hearing what the players say to one another and such instead of learning to read lips.

All in all, I gave in and watched the game and competition, and I enjoyed it all.

[PlatinumG]

They do have that "Mic'd Up" thing during the regular season, which helps to see what they say to each other, but yeah, it'd be nice to know what they say and think during the game. Granted, a lot of it would have to be run through filters first...

I'm not much of a Tim Thomas fan, either. It's a feel-good story, sure, but he's almost as bad as Hasek with his wasted movement and flopping in front of pucks. Decent stats, but not a natural goalie.

Can't say I wasn't shocked to see Kovalev take the MVP home...I don't think he was the best player, but what else can we expect when it's in Montreal...

-PG

EDIT -- Inserting a random thought here. With Gerber on the way out in Ottawa, I wouldn't mind seeing Dallas pick him up to push Turco. Primarily because he'd be great to have as a backup seeing as Dallas have no confidence in Stephan for one reason or another, and secondly...because I'd LOVE to see what he'd do with his Darth Vader mask, given the perfect setup for a "Stars"-Wars theme :D

[machiavelli33]

He's a great player, there's no question, but he's been one of those "on the verge of retiring" players for the past few seasons now. It just seems like it'd be his time to retire after this year more than it has before. Not sure how else to phrase that...

He can still go for another season. He's playing fantastic in this season.


Morrow went out (I think) one game after Avery was suspended, so you can't really judge his post-Avery play.

I think Dallas will make the playoffs, but they've got a lot of work to do in order to get there. They're fortunate that players like Modano and Eriksson have stepped up this season, and that Brad Richards has found a better fit that's working quite well. The team has some very strong points, but without solid goaltending and with little in terms of 3rd/4th line scoring prowess, the team's not getting much done on the ice of late. They're going to get better, whether that's through trading or through bashing some hard heads to wake them up, they'll get there.

They might make the playoffs. But the west is really tough in the standings. Columbus, Oilers, Wild, Stars are all fighting for the playoff spot.

Turco hasn't been great this season, along with the team. Erikson has played great, but Madono hasn't and neither has Morrow. I think Morrow will start to pick during the season half of the season. Brad Richards has been playing better then last year, but still not as good as he should be.

Avery didn't ruin everything in that team. When you're on the ice, and you see a player doing that, fighting and roughing, you don't really notice that. Players just want to win the game. Even after he left, they haven't played all that great.

Personally, I hate Dallas... in every sport, no clue why. They may have a chance to make the playoffs... but meh.


Avery -- yeah, he'll get picked up. There are teams that thrive on players like that. I'd be extremely amused to see him join Jordin Tootoo in Nashville, those two together would fight each other more than opposition players...and neither one deserves to be in the NHL...

That would be horrible. It'd be another Dallas Stars team. Orr and Avery, Tootoo and Avery. A team like Pens should pick him up. They could use a pesky player to get under players skin.


Phaneuf'll get there, no question. He's a hell of a hockey player and one of the better defensemen in the league. His offense is more or less a "bonus" for the club, and he'll definitely get it back.

Word. He's their one of their main core player, so if he wants to help his team win the cup, he'll have to pick up his slack.


Cammalleri's always been a great player, he just never got the recognition he deserved when playing with LA. He's one of the more underrated forwards that's managed to get a team that helps him in showing what he can do, and the fans appreciate that. He's a very good player at the NHL level, and it's great to see him excel

A lot of players are like that. It's bad there are so many crappy teams these days, who are doing horribly financial wise.

There are talks going on about moving Phoenix, Nashville, Atlanta etc...
Personally, I think Atlanta is doing okay, but Phoenix and Nashville, they are horrible. Phoenix even has Gretzky as their coach, and they're still not able to sell the tickets. They have a decent team, with talented players... but that city is just not meant for Hockey.


There are a lot of "what-if" scenarios that could be drawn there. If Hossa hadn't signed, Datsyuk could be the 20+ goal man, easily. Or Zetterberg, or even Franzen. My point is that Detroit could have pulled up some of their minor league talent and given them a run. They've got great players waiting to come up, and there's no reason one of them couldn't have turned into the James Neal of the Detroit Red Wings.

Wings are known for devolping players. When I heard that Zetterberg, Datysuk came from 5 and 6 round draft pick... I was just like WTF?!?! Heck, even Lidstrom came from 3rd round draft pick.

There coach and GM is one of the best... but you still have to be careful. This season can be huge down for the Wings. There are some insane free agents from their team and others. Zetterberg, Franzen and Hossa are all free agents.

Few other good ones are, Gaborik, Tanguay, Koivu, Sedin twins. These are few forwards

Defencemen: Komisarek, Ohlund, Rob Blake, Neidameyer (however it's spelled)

Honestly, if any team wants to go from crap to good, so they can make the playoffs, they must sign some of these guys. Teams like Islanders, Leafs, Blues, can go from crap to good. If I were the Leafs, I'd go after the Sedin twins. They play great together, and a great defecemen like Komisarek or Ohlund if you want some extra offense.


I like how people forget their history with regards to Detroit -- they weren't always the invincible Red Wings ;). The 80s especially weren't that great for the Wings, but most people overlook their periods of mediocrity to focus on their successes. They'll have their fall from grace soon enough.

Every team has their ups and down. Boston was crap... and now they're good at every sport now. Red Sox are amazing, Celtics are amazing and the best in the league along with the Bruins.

I hate Celtics though. I like Red Sox, because they got that big PAPI and Bruins got that big Z.

I hate Detroit in pretty much all sports. I some-what like the Wings, but it's more fun to hate on them so I can argue against people. :D



He'd be a better backup in Tampa than their current rotation, no question. He won't pass Smith as the starter, though. Smith's an incredible goalie and completely deserves the number 1 spot. His problem is that he's not getting the support from the players that he needs. Sabourin backing him would make for a VERY good team though, no question.


Fo' sure. Imagine if Tampa still had Dan Boyle... they would be pretty damn amazing. We know that they can score, they have fantastic scorers... but they have no defencemen to push the puck up and score on PP.

Also, there have been a lot of Rumours about trading LeCavalier... and If I'm Tampa, I'd say yes. We can get a great loads of players/draft picks of him. But they're not willing to trade him for some reason. I heard there was a offer from Oilers offering 5 players and 3 drafts picks. I'm thinking in my head... holy shit.

Habs are offering 3 players and few draft pick.s I'd say it's not good for Habs because they are offering Markov, their best OD, and Higgings and Plekanec.

Those two are pretty good players... but then again having LeCavalier, would be having a franchise player which you know you can count on to score. Kovalev is so inconsistent, they have no-one on their team which carry their scoring. They have many good scorers, but not a great scorer.
I think it's good for both, but offer somebody else instead of Markov.


I didn't see the Tim Thomas hit :(. You won't see a penalty shot due to a goalie hitting a player, though. You should see a penalty, but a penalty shot? Not usually.

Never said a penalty shot, it wasn't a break-away. It was more like a football tackle. Kinda funny, he totally threw himself toward Blake... Blake is like what is going on?


Kubina's a $5Mil salary, which is steep for him. He's worth about $2.5-.6 to most teams, and that's realistically what he plays to.

Kaberle is worth more and teams would have more interest, so it'd easy to get something good out of that from him, from Kubina you won't get all that good, not because of his cap, because Kaberle is worth 4.5 and Kubina is 5. I think he is worth more then 2.5 mill, most players are over paid these days, so I don't know.

I'm pissed at that though, the players will complain if their salary is reduced and it should be. People like Gomez are being paid 8-10 mill... to score what? Like 20 goals?

I heard that the NHLPA made a 25% salary cut? They said it'll probably be temporary until the economy is back to being good again.
-PG[/QUOTE]



On a side note, surprise surprise to me was that the Montreal players played extremely well. Kovalev taking home the MVP with 3 points and scoring the shootout get and go.




Funny thing is... Kovalev played good when nobody was really playing, lawlz.

They do have that "Mic'd Up" thing during the regular season, which helps to see what they say to each other, but yeah, it'd be nice to know what they say and think during the game. Granted, a lot of it would have to be run through filters first...

-PG

EDIT -- Inserting a random thought here. With Gerber on the way out in Ottawa, I wouldn't mind seeing Dallas pick him up to push Turco. Primarily because he'd be great to have as a backup seeing as Dallas have no confidence in Stephan for one reason or another, and secondly...because I'd LOVE to see what he'd do with his Darth Vader mask, given the perfect setup for a "Stars"-Wars theme :D

The mic thing was good, they also talked to Loungo and it was nice to know what the players we're thinking.

Gerber... to Dallas. Hmm, that's really not bad. But Gerber records speak for itself, he's never even won a playoff game, but it could probably push Turco.

I wonder how much he'll get paid.

[ExpectDeath]

Very enjoyable game to watch, even if I had to stream it and the quality wasn't what my HDTV would have given me :(

Surprisingly enough, the worst goaltender (as per save to shot ratio) was Lundqvist and not Thomas (which is who I thought would screw up most). Lund let in 6 goals on 21 shots, which isn't that great. I can't stand Thomas, sure he is doing well this year, but if I just kept falling down left and right where the puck is, yeah I'd be doing well too. I like the fact that the West discovered Thomas's weakness, which is his glove, he goes down about an hour before the shot and leaves the upper area wide open.


I had to do the same thing. We don't get Versus for some reason up at school, which really pisses me off.

It was surprising to see Lundqvist do the worst in the shootout, because he has the best save percentage in the regular season in the shootouts. I agree with you 100% with Thomas. I am a goalie myself, and i cringe every time I see Thomas play.

The Allstar Game/Skills Competition were both fun to watch. I was pretty surprised.

[ExpectDeath]

I just read on hockeynews that the Wings just signed Zetterberg to a 12 year contract? Outrageous. I don't see where they are pulling all this cash from. I think securing Zetterberg might allow them to bring in Hossa next year for a long term/low cash deal. This is looking bad for the rest of the league. All the Wings need is a solid starting tender.

[machiavelli33]

12/73 Mill. Around 6-7.5/year. Pretty good, but they won't have enough cash to bring in Hossa. They also have to sign Franzen. He's become one of their best players.

Wings have a solid goaltender. Osgood was pretty solid last year, in the season, as well as the playoffs. Besides, Wings have good D which helps the goalie out.

That's one of the biggest free agents gone... these few weeks until the trade deadline will be pretty interesting. If those free agents don't get signed by the trade deadline, then I really doubt they'll stay in that team.

Canucks are on a horrible losing streak, lawl. Do you still like Sundin now? He was meant to be a Leaf.

[ExpectDeath]

The only reason Osbad played any good in the playoffs last year was because the Wings kept all of their opponents to about 20 shots last year. I don't know if they can do the same this year. Well, I hope they can't.

[PlatinumG]

I've felt that way about the Wings goalies for a long time. They're not particular great goalies, they just have great players out in front of them. Hasek was the best example of this, IMO...

-PG

[Red Fire]

The only reason Osbad played any good in the playoffs last year was because the Wings kept all of their opponents to about 20 shots last year. I don't know if they can do the same this year. Well, I hope they can't.

I've felt that way about the Wings goalies for a long time. They're not particular great goalies, they just have great players out in front of them. Hasek was the best example of this, IMO...

-PG

Yeah, it pays to have amazing Defense in the way. So many coaches are saying 'Block the shots'. I believe the one year when Miller was in net for the Sabres and he took them to the cup final, the Sabres had the most block shots in the league. Much can be said about this with the Blue Jackets goaltender, LeClaire last year. He had the best Save Percentage, and Shutouts, and Goals Against. Why did this happen to a goaltender all of the sudden? Well, in almost every game where he played well enough for those Stats, the shots on net were only about 16-18 shots. To be a great goaltender, you have to be as good as Luongo, who played for Florida and had the most shots on net as a goaltender and still had an amazing Save Percentage. I agree with you guys about the Detroit goaltending. I kept saying to everyone I know, "All the other team has to do in order to beat Detroit, is register more than 20 shots on net. Cuz once you hit 20 shots, Osgood can't stop anymore".:cool:

[PlatinumG]

Dallas is another great example of that. They're not league-leaders in blocked shots, but a huge portion of their defense comes from dropping for a shot. Turco's a great goalie when needs to be, but his job is made a lot easier by the defense out in front of him. That's half the reason he's struggled this year...the depletion of Dallas' defensive options. The good news is that Dallas have the 4th best record in the Western Conference since November 30th (when Avery was booted), so they're definitely turning it around. Now that they're sitting in 9th in the league they're well on their way to playoff hockey at last (seemed they'd never get there this year)...

Aye, Detroit's very exposed when you start to get traffic on net and shut down their crease violations (FINALLY saw that called against Holmstrom last night...well...he was the reason for one of Detroit's goals being called off, but same thing...) and they're about as useful as the current Ottawa Senators team...

-PG

[machiavelli33]

The only reason Osbad played any good in the playoffs last year was because the Wings kept all of their opponents to about 20 shots last year. I don't know if they can do the same this year. Well, I hope they can't.

Wings are a good puck possession team. They hardly take any penalties and don't give up the puck too often. Osgood hardly has to block any shots. He's still a good goalie but probably an over-rated one.

I've felt that way about the Wings goalies for a long time. They're not particular great goalies, they just have great players out in front of them. Hasek was the best example of this, IMO...

-PG

Their forwards and defense men make up the lack for a great goalie.

It's still so hard to believe that Datysuk and Zetterberg we're picked in 5th and 6th round while Lidstrom got picked in 3rd round... and they are Wings franchise players.

Yeah, it pays to have amazing Defense in the way. So many coaches are saying 'Block the shots'. I believe the one year when Miller was in net for the Sabres and he took them to the cup final, the Sabres had the most block shots in the league. Much can be said about this with the Blue Jackets goaltender, LeClaire last year. He had the best Save Percentage, and Shutouts, and Goals Against. Why did this happen to a goaltender all of the sudden? Well, in almost every game where he played well enough for those Stats, the shots on net were only about 16-18 shots. To be a great goaltender, you have to be as good as Luongo, who played for Florida and had the most shots on net as a goaltender and still had an amazing Save Percentage. I agree with you guys about the Detroit goaltending. I kept saying to everyone I know, "All the other team has to do in order to beat Detroit, is register more than 20 shots on net. Cuz once you hit 20 shots, Osgood can't stop anymore".:cool:

Blocking shots isn't that useful anyways. Every time a player is about to take a shot, not even a shot on powerplay but like 2-2 rush. You don't need to try to block it. The other player might just get the rebound and easily get it in. Goalies can stop most of the shots that come there way when they aren't being screened.

Canucks finally got a win. Eastern and Western conference is so cloooseee... I'm just dying to see who can get in the playoffs.

BTW, how come nobody is talking about the Devils? I don't really like them but they are playing fantastic without Brodeur, whom everyone thought was like the only good player on the team. They won 8 straight until yesterday, when the Capitals beat them. Nonetheless, they are playing fantastic. They are getting some good scoring, especially from Parise. I'm hoping he can get 50 mark this season. ^_^

[ExpectDeath]

The Devils are playing well enough to get the wins every night. The have been moving away from the Devils' trap stereotype, and more to a scoring team. Parise has had a GREAT year. I can't wait to see how Broduer plays when we comes back, and how the team will play around him.

Pen's season is down the drain. No comment.

[PlatinumG]

I was ecstatic to see Jamie Langenbrunner win player of the month, though it did surprise me somewhat. He's been a huge factor for the Devils, even more so since taking the "C," great to see him doing so well.

Broduer...well, he is what he is. I agree everyone was stuck with this image of him being the only Devil worth anything, and now that he's not there, it's great to see them put that to bed. Don't get me wrong, I do believe he's a contributing factor to a good portion of their success (not of the present success, of course, but in general), but not having the spotlight so intensely focused on him is a good thing for the franchise.

-PG

[Red Fire]

I like Brodeur, but I totally agree with you PG. He is not "The Team". He is just a factor. However, as good as Brodeur gets, he will never beat Patrick Roy. Even if he does beat all of his records, the way Roy played and the way Roy loved the game will never be beaten. I know this is off topic, but it's been bugging me hearing my friends say "Brodeur is better than Roy". Maybe in stats, yes, but in the heart of the game, never.

All of this being said, Backstrom recorded another shutout, giving him 6 total and in 2nd place behind Mason. Is it just me or are the "no-name" teams the ones getting the best goaltenders nowadays? Nashville had Elias, Vokoun, and Chris Mason. Columbus had Denis, Steve Mason and LeClaire. Minnesota had Roloson, and now Backstrom. Im not trying to say these were crap teams, they were just not hard contenders for the playoffs, but now they are making headlines with their goaltending choices, amazing, now if only Toronto could grab a goaltender who could stop a 30 foot shot.:p

[ExpectDeath]

I agree. Roy definitely had more love for the game. Skill wise, I 'd say they are two of the top 3 or 4 goalies of all time (Roy being my favorite). I crack up every time I hear this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSIb26OqYIY (Listen at about 6 seconds to what Roy says in response to Ronieck)

[PlatinumG]

The "no-name" teams aren't necessarily the best for goalie production, but they have more opportunities for goalies. Teams that are successful typically like to ride one guy all the way (San Jose, Calgary, Dallas, etc), teams that are less successful use more options and give lesser-known guys a chance. Backstrom was a HUGE success story for Minnesota, and Mason's been a huge success story in Columbus (like LeClaire before him and Denis before that). You could say Tim Thomas came about in the same fashion with Boston, and Ryan Miller. The smaller teams that get these big stoppers have more opportunities to use them because, in all honesty, what do they have to lose by using them?

Dan Ellis and Mike Smith are great examples of "academy training" as I like to call it. They were groomed in the Dallas system and then moved on to teams where they're getting the chance to be #1 goalies. Smith's not getting the chance to stand out to the same degree as Ellis has in his time with Nashville, but he's a very solid goalie that, despite a loosing record, has put up some incredible stats and practically stood on his head to keep Tampa even remotely close to being "in it." The Senators are now even using an AHL goalie to push themselves forward. It's the same thing, teams with little success have more room to try things out. That's where the out-of-nowhere goalies come from, and it's a big part of league development.

Roy will always be better than Brodeur, no question. IMO, though, Roy fails in comparison to Hextall in terms of being a recognizable character. :)

-PG

[machiavelli33]

Brodeur is good but boring. His personality is boring, he doesn't really do the kind of thing that Nabokov, Tim Thomas would do. Watching goalies pull off some crazy saves are fun.
Roy response to Roenick is hilarious.

Sens goalie may be good Platnium, but they still need to blow it up, in my opinion. Unless they're able to get an experienced coach like Tortella or Pat Quinn, the organization won't really go anywhere. Their line one hasn't been great but they have been good. They've almost scored half of Ottawa's goals. I'd suggest trading Heatley for few good players and draft picks. I'm sure teams would love to have him. They can't really get rid of Fisher, Vermette and Kelly, they haven't been producing enough and they are being over paid. It's funny that Sens owner think that they shouldn't blow the organization up. They're still paying for 2 coaches that have been fired for the last seasona and this season.
I think trading Joe Corvo and Patrick Eaves for Stillman and Commondore was the trade that messed up the Sens. They we're doing great with Corvo and they picked up Stillman and Commondore who did nothing. It all went downhill from there.
At least yesterday game was good. I didn't really think Bruins deserved that victory. Sens outplayed them after the 1st period.

Leafs goalie, Justin Pogge, is pretty good. Sure, he gave up a bunch of goals in his last 2 games, but he made some fantastic saves against the Sabres. I was watching the game halfway until I got so bored that Leafs couldn't even get in the Sabres zone, truly pathethic game. I suggest starting Pogge for 10-15 games to see how he can actually play. Playing with a team in an away game and back to back, you know that the team won't do well. But Ron Wilson has sent him down to the minors. =/

[Red Fire]

Well Toronto had a HUGE to dig out of. They fired their 2nd worst GM and hired their worst GM. Why didn't they try and trade Sundin last year? Honestly, everyone knew there was no way in hell he'd be returning, and yet they kept him even though they all knew there was no chance for a playoff run.

The Sens just need to get organized, they are way too scattered to do anything, same goes for Toronto.

Anyone else love how Ovechkin can be injured for awhile and once he is back, he is 100% back and top of the league in goals again? I can't wait to see Crosby do that (oh wait he never will).

I agree with you on the sense the team has nothing to lose so they start out-of-nowhere goaltenders. But what about Carolina? Started Ward, and was taken to the finals. The Sabres were in the playoffs and Biron missed performed and was sat the rest of the way as Miller took the reigns. And who else is pissed at last years playoff between Calgary and San Jose. Kipersuff let in 3 goals on 3 shots in the 1st period. Basically everyone thought it was the end of the game already. They pulled Kip and put in CuJo and he had a shutout (technically) and Calgary came back and won that game 4-3. Next game, they bench CuJo and put in Kip .... that really pissed me off. Talk about waaaaaaaaaay too much confidence in Kip.

Edmonton, the one year when Roloson brought them to the Cup Final, played Roloson everygame, and then he was injured, so they brought in their backup and wow, he played amazing. I still have nothing but respect for the backup, and the next year they played him more. So why didn't Calgary play CuJo more? Honestly, pissed me off (I know I am getting off topic, and it's probably because I am on Oxycontin but whatever)

[PlatinumG]

Sometimes the "hot goaltender" approach isn't the coach's favourite approach. Why, when it's usually your best bet, don't they take that option? No idea...I'd say it's a personal preference. Stupid, but it is at their discretion.

...Also, 10-2 :D...

-PG

[machiavelli33]

Well Toronto had a HUGE to dig out of. They fired their 2nd worst GM and hired their worst GM. Why didn't they try and trade Sundin last year? Honestly, everyone knew there was no way in hell he'd be returning, and yet they kept him even though they all knew there was no chance for a playoff run.

There we're rumors of Sundin being traded. Fletcher wanted to trade him but he didn't want to be traded. He had the no trade clause and decided to use it. Canucks and bunch of other teams wanted him...


The Sens just need to get organized, they are way too scattered to do anything, same goes for Toronto.

I like their new coach. Maybe their team will get back to good ol self but for that to happen, I think they need to fire their GM Brian Murray. He's a better coach then a GM and ever since he took over, he ruined the team.


Anyone else love how Ovechkin can be injured for awhile and once he is back, he is 100% back and top of the league in goals again? I can't wait to see Crosby do that (oh wait he never will).

Crosby doesn't want to be a scorer. He is a leader and tries to help his team by assisting them, because he gets covered well, like how Kobe would be covered in Basket-Ball. He draws attention and passes to his teammate so they can score. Unfortunately, they don't have someone that can finish, like Carter, Hossa, Ovechkin, Parise.


I agree with you on the sense the team has nothing to lose so they start out-of-nowhere goaltenders. But what about Carolina? Started Ward, and was taken to the finals. The Sabres were in the playoffs and Biron missed performed and was sat the rest of the way as Miller took the reigns. And who else is pissed at last years playoff between Calgary and San Jose. Kipersuff let in 3 goals on 3 shots in the 1st period. Basically everyone thought it was the end of the game already. They pulled Kip and put in CuJo and he had a shutout (technically) and Calgary came back and won that game 4-3. Next game, they bench CuJo and put in Kip .... that really pissed me off. Talk about waaaaaaaaaay too much confidence in Kip.

The teams have to trust their main goalies but yeah, other goalies should be given a better chance.

Who thinks that Chris Mason may actually be the best goalie ever? He's in Columbus, who isn't a great team and has tons of injuries but Chris Mason still pulled off the wins, by getting shut-outs and having a great save percentage. Other goalies like Osgood, Tim Thomas have a great team and a good defense that the goalie doesn't have to do too much.

Mason is still a rookie, and a great one, but who knows, some sort of injury can ruin his career...


Edmonton, the one year when Roloson brought them to the Cup Final, played Roloson everygame, and then he was injured, so they brought in their backup and wow, he played amazing. I still have nothing but respect for the backup, and the next year they played him more. So why didn't Calgary play CuJo more? Honestly, pissed me off (I know I am getting off topic, and it's probably because I am on Oxycontin but whatever)

CuJo is pretty old. It's hard to trust a guy who hasn't played great over the last few years, especially in the playoffs.

[ExpectDeath]

Crosby doesn't want to be a scorer. He is a leader and tries to help his team by assisting them, because he gets covered well, like how Kobe would be covered in Basket-Ball. He draws attention and passes to his teammate so they can score. Unfortunately, they don't have someone that can finish, like Carter, Hossa, Ovechkin, Parise.

Agree 100%. Crosby has never been much of a scorer in Pittsburgh. He put up more goals in Juniors because he was so much more skilled than everyone and just completely dominated the game. I would love to see the Pens pick up a decent winger around the deadline to try and make one last push at the playoffs.

Red Fire, how long was Ovie actually injured?


Who thinks that Chris Mason may actually be the best goalie ever? He's in Columbus, who isn't a great team and has tons of injuries but Chris Mason still pulled off the wins, by getting shut-outs and having a great save percentage. Other goalies like Osgood, Tim Thomas have a great team and a good defense that the goalie doesn't have to do too much.

Mason is still a rookie, and a great one, but who knows, some sort of injury can ruin his career...


I wouldn't say that Mason is the best goalie ever, but I'm sure he has a great career ahead of him. LeClaire was playing like this at the beginning of last season, but for some reason he died off. I see great potential in Mason though. I can't wait to see how he plays in 3 or 4 years.

[PlatinumG]

Just clearing up one thing -- While Chris Mason is absolutely dominating St Louis' goalie debate just now, and has actually forced the Blues to dump Legacy in the minors, it's Steve Mason that's been shutting the doors and putting up Vezina-worthy numbers in CBJ. I think he'll definitely be finalist for the Vezina and the Calder (come on James Neal!), and hopefully he'll earn many more awards in his career, because he is a great goalie.

They're both incredible goalies, but I wouldn't call either one of them the best goalie ever. That's a subject that you'll never get a definitive answer on with some of the greats that did play (Fuhr, Worsley, Manniago, Esposito, Roy, Hextal, Andy Moog, Mike Vernon, etc) and some of the future greats that still and have even yet to play.

-PG

[ExpectDeath]

I was thinking Steve Mason when I made my post.

Mach got me all mixed up!

[machiavelli33]

I know they're both of them. That's why I said Chris Mason. :P

I think they both have the potential to be great goalies, but if they keep playing like they are playing right now, and get even better. They'll be one heck of a goalie.

On a side note, this is about Baseball, but it involves all sports and I'm talking about Steroids. A-Rod has admitted to taking steroids... I'm listening to the interview and I'm thinking this guy is pathetic. He says "I got caught up because everybody was doing it those days". The league should give a hardcore punishment to those who even take a dose of Steroids or any performance enhancing drugs. I'd suggest cutting their salaries into half for the rest of the person career, suspend him for like 50 games and make him pay a fine. It makes me sick that those players cheat in a sport which there getting millions of dollars to play.
Oh and just to make A-Rod look more stupid, his 2005 and 2007 year, where he won the MVP, he had better batting and home runs and RBI then the season he took Performance Enhancing Drugs (2001-2003).

Back to Hockey, apparently Sean Avery is back in the story, he has cleared waivers and Rangers are thinking of acquiring him. I still think Rangers will suck with him. They have only scored like 4+ goals this season like 4 times. Their leading scoring is Naslund, when it should be Gomez or Drury, the people who are being over paid. I wish there was no New York Giants, otherwise I can say that they're a fail team in all sports.

[PlatinumG]

I'm not really interested in the Steroids debate. It's pathetic that athletes feel it's necessary to take them, and those that do should have the grace to stand up and admit it. Good for him that he did, so many years later. I'll never respect players like him because of the money they "respectfully" take to stand around for a few hours until the occasional ball rolls their way. It's a shame that the sport has degraded to that point, but there you go...

Sean Avery's been close to joining the Rangers for a while now. The Rangers love him, and he did alright with them, so why not send him back there. I don't agree with the way they're taking him (re-entry waivers once he's reconditioned), but as long as he's out of the Dallas picture, I'll be fine with it.

-PG

[machiavelli33]

Still... it pisses me off that the best players like Barry Bonds, Clemens, and A-Rod all have turned out to be fake. Disgusting.

They want to take time with Avery, so I've heard. Stars are actually playing very well without him, except for Turco. He's still struggling.

THE BEST OF THE WEST BEATS THE BEAST OF THE EAST! What a fantastic game! I know it's one game but I'm sure that Sharks are better then Bruins.

BTW, I want to know what times you guys like and dislike.

Like:
Leafs
Flames
Sharks
Penguins
Oilers
Flyers

Dislike:
Bruins
Stars
Rangers
Islanders
Blues
Lightning
Habs
Senators
Coyotoes

The rest I don't like or dislike.

[PlatinumG]

Turco's actually playing very well lately. He's consistently putting 1 or 2 Goal against games up, as opposed to the 4 to 5 GAs he was putting up previously. His GAA has dropped from a 3.5 to a 2.8 and his save percentage has skyrocketed. He's a big part of the Stars current success. Granted, it also has a LOT to do with the shot blocking and the play of Steve Ott of late. He's really stepped up to fill the shoes of Brendan Morrow, somewhat. He's really been throwing up the points, too. Great to see him really take hold of his skills and use them.

Teams I like:

Dallas
Boston (not Tim Thomas, though...)
Minnesota (I know...Stars fan doesn't hate the Wild?!?)

Teams I Dispise:

Nashville
Phoenix
San Jose
Anaheim (mostly just Chris Pronger)
Buffalo
Oilers
Canucks

...the rest...meh.

-PG

[Red Fire]

Im only putting what I like and dislike as right now I have ADD and dont feel like reading all your posts :P

Like:
Leafs
Blue Jackets
Sabres
Nordiques (R.I.P)
Panthers
Capitals
Blues

Dislike:
Wings
Senators
Habs
Penguins
Flyers
Devils
Coyotes
Islanders

The rest ... same as PG, meh ...

[machiavelli33]

Only 3 teams? Figured you would like more teams.

Guys, check out this site: http://www.hockeybuzz.com/cap-central/team.php?team=BUF
It lets you know all the teams salary cap, and players salaries, UFA and RFA.

Who thinks that Carbeanou is getting fired this season?
I think he is, along with Canucks and possibly Rangers. Canucks are starting to play well, except for Luongo, but Rangers are just terrible. They can't score, they just have good goal tending.

[PlatinumG]

There are several cap-stat sites, that's a decent one, but they don't keep it as up-to-date as they should.

There's no chance Carb's getting fired, IMO. He's a solid coach and a respected leader, and his connection with Bob Gainey (Dallas '99) practically assures that. Yes, his team are slumping right now, and it's typically the coach that pays when that's the case. That said, I think it'll be a "ride with it until the end of the season and then trade like crazy" sort of approach.

-PG

[ExpectDeath]

Like
Penguins
Kings
Wild

Dislike
Flyers (isn't that a given)
Habs
Sens
Ducks
Wings

[Godmic18]

Like: Avs

Dislike: Most every other team.

[machiavelli33]

There are several cap-stat sites, that's a decent one, but they don't keep it as up-to-date as they should.

There's no chance Carb's getting fired, IMO. He's a solid coach and a respected leader, and his connection with Bob Gainey (Dallas '99) practically assures that. Yes, his team are slumping right now, and it's typically the coach that pays when that's the case. That said, I think it'll be a "ride with it until the end of the season and then trade like crazy" sort of approach.

-PG

Anything can happen, especially when a team is underachieving. Their GM could be in trouble too. They have tons of free agents which he must take care off. I think at least 8-10 are UFA and 2-3 are RFA. I don't see Saku or Kovalev staying in Habs, and I think he might go after signing Sedins, but I think that might be the hardest free agent to sign. They'll probably come as a package and be worth around 5-6.5 mill, which I think would be over paying them. They don't really play all that great, but who knows. Also, he wasn't able to keep Streit, Souray and didn't keep Ryder which turned out to be a factor for the Bruins. I'm hoping Leafs can trade Antropov for 1st rounder to Habs, and hopefully they'll still keep losing like the Sens last year and don't even make the playoffs. :p

There are a few good UFA goalies too, like Backstrom, Garon, Conklin. I'd suggest Senators getting Conklin and Leafs for somehow to get rid of Toskala and bring in Backstrom.

I can't wait, I'm getting all tingly inside. ^_^

[ExpectDeath]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0sjGv2TvN0&feature=related

I'll just leave this here..

[Duraza]

The Avalanche are like...

Epic fail right now :(

[PlatinumG]

Anything can happen, especially when a team is underachieving. Their GM could be in trouble too. They have tons of free agents which he must take care off. I think at least 8-10 are UFA and 2-3 are RFA. I don't see Saku or Kovalev staying in Habs, and I think he might go after signing Sedins, but I think that might be the hardest free agent to sign. They'll probably come as a package and be worth around 5-6.5 mill, which I think would be over paying them. They don't really play all that great, but who knows. Also, he wasn't able to keep Streit, Souray and didn't keep Ryder which turned out to be a factor for the Bruins. I'm hoping Leafs can trade Antropov for 1st rounder to Habs, and hopefully they'll still keep losing like the Sens last year and don't even make the playoffs. :p

There are a few good UFA goalies too, like Backstrom, Garon, Conklin. I'd suggest Senators getting Conklin and Leafs for somehow to get rid of Toskala and bring in Backstrom.

I can't wait, I'm getting all tingly inside. ^_^

Antropov's definitely going somewhere, no question. The Habs could easily pick him up, but I sincerely doubt he'll go for a first rounder. The Leafs need NHL-caliber players, so he won't go for just a pick.

I think Koivu will stay, but I don't see too many other FAs staying around. Kovalev's one that I can see going, no question...

The Sedins in Montreal? Not likely. You're right in that they'll probably be a package deal, but I don't see them going from one fishbowl atmosphere to another. They'd be better served in a market like Columbus (wow, could you imagine that? Nash and the Sedins...yikes!) or St Louis. Somewhere where they can be the star players and yet blend into obscurity if they need time away. In the bigger hockey markets like Canada or the North Eastern US teams, it's very hard to do that.

With regards to the UFA goalies, I don't see Backstrom moving at all. Minnesota has too much of a love affair with him and will do everything in their power to keep him. If he goes, it will not be cheap. Even if he does go, there's no guarantee that he'll even sign, so you could be coughing up HUGE money or big name players for rental goalie. Not particularly smart.

Something tells me we'll be seeing Dallas make a move for a goalie in the very short run. Thankfully Ron Tugnutt's retired, but knowing Dallas we'll probably see the resurgence of Roman Cechmanek or someone similar...

It's definitely going to get interesting as the deadline gets closer, but I'm not too sure we'll be seeing too many big names moving.

-PG

[machiavelli33]

The Avalanche are like...

Epic fail right now :(

I was so hoping for them to beat the Habs. They broke out of their losing streak!

Avs have to stop signing so many crappy free agents. They have Hedjuk, which I think they picked up from drafting. Tucker turned out to be horrible for the Avs but I'm glad Leafs released him.

BTW, nice to see you again Duraza, it's been a while.

Antropov's definitely going somewhere, no question. The Habs could easily pick him up, but I sincerely doubt he'll go for a first rounder. The Leafs need NHL-caliber players, so he won't go for just a pick.

I think Koivu will stay, but I don't see too many other FAs staying around. Kovalev's one that I can see going, no question...

The Sedins in Montreal? Not likely. You're right in that they'll probably be a package deal, but I don't see them going from one fishbowl atmosphere to another. They'd be better served in a market like Columbus (wow, could you imagine that? Nash and the Sedins...yikes!) or St Louis. Somewhere where they can be the star players and yet blend into obscurity if they need time away. In the bigger hockey markets like Canada or the North Eastern US teams, it's very hard to do that.

With regards to the UFA goalies, I don't see Backstrom moving at all. Minnesota has too much of a love affair with him and will do everything in their power to keep him. If he goes, it will not be cheap. Even if he does go, there's no guarantee that he'll even sign, so you could be coughing up HUGE money or big name players for rental goalie. Not particularly smart.

Something tells me we'll be seeing Dallas make a move for a goalie in the very short run. Thankfully Ron Tugnutt's retired, but knowing Dallas we'll probably see the resurgence of Roman Cechmanek or someone similar...

It's definitely going to get interesting as the deadline gets closer, but I'm not too sure we'll be seeing too many big names moving.

-PG

Well, I've been thinking of what Leafs can do with the Antropov, they have choices like getting a player and probably a 3rd rounder, or send him to Flyers? They're over cap, and they don't need Briere to take up 6.5mil especially seeing as he has been injured when Flyers signed him. It would free up some of their cap, and maybe Antropov will play better with them, especially if we can make it on the first line with Richards, and Carter. Richards can easily set him up. Since some of their cap is free, they can also try to sign a better goalie or a decent goalie like Biron, perhaps Conklin?

Koivu staying with the Habs? It's hard to comment on that because he has been with them for so long, and is a captain but do they really need him in the line-up? I can see Habs getting him if he signs for 2 mill, maybe 3.

Minnesota may like Backstrom, but does Backstrom like Minnesota. If I were Minnesota, I would do anything to try to keep Backstrom because Gaborik doesn't really want to stay there, so you have to keep your main players. They already lost Demitra and Rolston, you cannot afford to lose a great goalie like that.

We'll have to wait 2 weeks until we start seein teams making up their minds on what to do. I wouldn't be suprised if Blues and Islander start selling out. Islanders have no chance of making the playoffs, Blues can still do it. They're only like 5-7 points out and West is pretty damn tight.

Anyways guys, I made my own list for Vancouver 2010:

Line 1: Lecavalier, Thorthon, Iginla (Captain)
Line 2: Cammaliri, Crosby, Carter
Line 3: Nash, Getzlaf, Heatley (This line was special in Team Canada)
Line 4: Marleau, M. Richards, Doan (All Captains...WEEEE!)
Subs: Toems, Perry (So tough to decide from Spezza, E. Stall, St. Loius etc...)

I'm not sure how well Cammaliri will do next season, but if he plays like how he played this season, then I think he would deserve to be in the line-up.

Defence:
Pair 1: Pronger, Neidamayer (I still think they get it done on "O" and "D")
Pair 2: Phaneuf, Green
Pair 3: Boumesster, Keith
Subs: Boyle, Regher

Goalies:
1. Luongo
2. Brodeur
3. This one is tough to decide, I'd like to say Steve Mason but he is only a rookie and Marty Turco is a good choice because he gets it done in high pressure

Let's see your team guys!

[ExpectDeath]

It won't matter what Canada's roster is. Russia is going to take over the world after the '10 tourney.

Good news...HCMT (Head Coach Mike Therrien) got fired!

[PlatinumG]

Aye, I heard about that. I doubt it'll do much for the Pens, but new blood never hurts...

-PG

[machiavelli33]

It won't matter what Canada's roster is. Russia is going to take over the world after the '10 tourney.

Good news...HCMT (Head Coach Mike Therrien) got fired!

I truly hope that doesn't happen. I want Team Canada to win. I had some thought of first - 3rd line because it's hard to figure it out but this is what I was thinking:

Line 1: LeCavalier, Crosby, Iginla (All captains baby :cool:)
Line 2: Nash, Getzlaf, Heatley
Line3: Marleau, Thorthon, Carter
I'll stick with my same line 4. What do you guys think?

I didn't think he totally deserved it. Sure, they have great players, but Fluery is struggling, and when Gonchar plays in his first game this whole season, his coach gets fired the next day. Crosby and Malkin are great players, but they need a finisher. Malkin and Crosby are playing on same line setting up...who? If they still had Hossa, they would be one heck of a team then.

Aye, I heard about that. I doubt it'll do much for the Pens, but new blood never hurts...

-PG

Yep, it truly doesn't. Just look at Sens coach Cory Clouston. He is using the teams stregth which is their speed and having 2 players forecheck them. Their last coach played more of a trap defense which is bad because Sens are an aggressive offensive team.

[PlatinumG]

I think you need to swap Crosby and Thornton. I'd also swap Nash and Vinny L, that'd be a hell of a first line to go up against. ;)

Agreed about the Sens. I have no idea why a coach would try to play a Defensive system with the players the Sens currently have. There's no way you'll turn Spezza and Heatly into two-way forwards, they're offensive players. It's good to see them on their way back up, I just hope it's not too little too late.

-PG

[Faulty Logic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhHynGESrOQ

[machiavelli33]

Anyways guys, I made my own list for Vancouver 2010:

Line 1: Lecavalier, Thorthon, Iginla (Captain)
Line 2: Cammaliri, Crosby, Carter
Line 3: Nash, Getzlaf, Heatley (This line was special in Team Canada)
Line 4: Marleau, M. Richards, Doan (All Captains...WEEEE!)
Subs: Toems, Perry (So tough to decide from Spezza, E. Stall, St. Loius etc...)

I'm not sure how well Cammaliri will do next season, but if he plays like how he played this season, then I think he would deserve to be in the line-up.

Defence:
Pair 1: Pronger, Neidamayer (I still think they get it done on "O" and "D")
Pair 2: Phaneuf, Green
Pair 3: Boumesster, Keith
Subs: Boyle, Regher

Goalies:
1. Luongo
2. Brodeur
3. This one is tough to decide, I'd like to say Steve Mason but he is only a rookie and Marty Turco is a good choice because he gets it done in high pressure

Let's see your team guys!

That's what the line-up was last time. I don't agree with putting Nash in but the line he is already in is great and they played amazing in 2008 Team Canada and I think they'll do great again.

[machiavelli33]

/bump

Fantastic game by the Leafs and Canucks. I was so glad that Leafs fan gave Sundin an standing ovation (I have no idea how to spell that lol). It had a great ending as well.

Anyone else lol'ing about Habs and the crimes that Koistisyn brothers and Hamirlik have done? Just more distraction for them. At least Kovalev played good against the Sens.

I wish Pens would start getting in rollin'. They lost to the Capitals today and are bit behind the 8th spot. I say it's their goalie, Fluery has been allowing a lot of soft goals in lately. He's going to need to step it up in order to get Pens to their last year self, Gonchar is also back in the line-up and has 2 goals so far, so he isn't doing so bad. I suggest Pens to get a big sniper and possibly getting rid of either Crosby or Malkin? Malkin is getting 8.5 next year and Crosby is making 8.5 too. I suggest keeping Crosby because he is their captain, Malkin and Crosby pretty much play the same way though. Maybe do a little Malkin and Heatley trade and possibly draft picks. I think they should also sign Sykora, I believe he is a UFA and sign Armstrong and reunite him with Crosby. They should also get rid of Whitney, I'm not sure for who though.

Sens also made a trade:
To Islanders: Mcmamond and 1st round draft pick (San Jose)
To Senators: Mike Cromie and Chris Campoli

I like that they got Campoli, but getting Cromie was pretty useless. He sucks, but at least he is a free agent this year, so they don't have to sign him.

[ExpectDeath]

As for the Caps/Pens game yesterday...It was absolutely horrible. The Pens played so sloppy. There passes were completely off half the time. I didn't see the hustle that I saw down the stretch last year. Their power play was horrendous, they couldn't get the puck in the zone half the time. The Capital's penalty kill was getting more chances than our power play.

I REALLY don't think that you could trade Malkin or Crosby though. There are no players on their skill level, other than Ovie. Having the two best players in the league can't be a bad thing. As much as I hate to say it, I would like to see them trade Fluery. He just isn't playing well enough. He has been extremely inconsistent this year. I wish we would have just stuck with Conklin. He has much cheaper, and played solid.

This season is a loss for the Pens.

[PlatinumG]

I'm not so sure...Malkin's more of an asset than Crosby, and there are teams that could make substantial offers to sign them (Dallas, for instance, could offer Ribeiro, 1st Round and possibly James Neal or Fabian Brunnstrom -- Sens could drop Spezza or Heatley and a first rounder -- Toronto could send Kaberle, Antropov and Hagman with a pick, etc). Will they trade them? Not likely.

Also, don't rule out Comrie for the Sens. He's a solid player, and one that could do well in a real hockey town. He did alright the last time he was in Ottawa, and from what I saw of him during his time in Phoenix, he could very well be a solid performer. Was he worth McAmmond and a first rounder as a rental? Not a chance, but it's still a solid pickup for the Sens. The Isle I'm sure are thrilled with their return, as well.

-PG

[A-99]

Heyyy, I don't really have the energy/time to follow hockey all that much right now, and being in the states doesn't help. Could someone give me a real brief cap on what teams are leading/doingwell and players etc.

[machiavelli33]

Trading Fleury? I doubt that'll happen. He's young and talented but anything can happen when you're young. I believe he also has a big fat contract making it harder to trade him. They will probably have to stick with him until the contract ends and besides a lot of young goalies last year are struggling like Carey Price.

I think it could be a boost for Sens to get Malkin. He's a good play maker and scorer. So trading Malkin to get Heatley and 1st rounder would be a boost for either team. Pens would get a great scorer and with Crosby, I think they would make a pretty good team. Gonchar is also back now, and he is scoring so it's a good sign for him.
I doubt the Leafs trade though, Kaberle, Antropov, and Hagman 1st rounder for Malkin. I don't think I would do that trade even if I weren't in a rebuilding state. Hagman and Antropov are pretty good 20-30 goal scorers. Pens are gonna have to get rid of one of them. They have Staal too, who is developing, so I don't think they are going to need Crosby and Malkin, especially since they are both making 8.5mil each.

I heard the Salary cap is coming down to 44-46mil? Is this true? If so, then are the players taking a salary cut?

BTW, Rangers coach is fired and Tortrella has been hired. That's the second coach Leafs have gotten fired. First it was Pens coach and now Rangers coach. I'd say it's the GM. He gave out huge contract to people who we're never worth that much in there career. Redden is not worth 8mil, Gomez is not worth 8mil, Drury is not worth 7.5mil and Rozwiel is getting paid a lot too. They are just lucky they have Lundquist otherwise their team is screwed.

[ExpectDeath]

I think the idea of trading Fluery is just as well warranted as trading Malkin. Malkin has been the team's biggest producer this year. The rumor that has been going on around the city all year is that we will end up trading Stall, Whitney, or both. I think we could definitely get a good finisher for either of them. I would hate to see either of them go though. Stall is a great, young, third line center that can play well with pretty much anyone. Whitney is young as well, and can point the power play just as well as anyone else in the league.

I'm glad the Rangers fired Tom Renney. Didn't Tortrella win the coaching award a few years back? They definitely need to drop Redden, Gomez, or Drury. There's no way they can keep all of them, and pay them all outrageous amounts of money each year. They are all washed up.

[max2k106]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhHynGESrOQ

He's so good it makes me hurt knowing I will never be this good.

[machiavelli33]

I think the idea of trading Fluery is just as well warranted as trading Malkin. Malkin has been the team's biggest producer this year. The rumor that has been going on around the city all year is that we will end up trading Stall, Whitney, or both. I think we could definitely get a good finisher for either of them. I would hate to see either of them go though. Stall is a great, young, third line center that can play well with pretty much anyone. Whitney is young as well, and can point the power play just as well as anyone else in the league.

Staal could probably in line 2. I believe he has 20 goals right now that's pretty good for him as he is still developing. Paying 4mil for Staal isn't really a horrible amount but paying 2 players 8.5mil is massive, Pens are starting to become like the Rangers. They are handing out massive large contracts to their players. They can trade Malkin right now because he is being paid around 2.5 and his 8.5mil starts next year, so I think team would be willing to take him but I wonder who the team would want for Malkin. If they can get rid of Fleury and his fat contract, then that would be great too. I'd rather see Conklin or Backstrom in Pittsburg.

How much is Whitney being paid?


I'm glad the Rangers fired Tom Renney. Didn't Tortrella win the coaching award a few years back? They definitely need to drop Redden, Gomez, or Drury. There's no way they can keep all of them, and pay them all outrageous amounts of money each year. They are all washed up.

I'm not sure if it's completely Tom Renney fault. Rangers other players were doing pretty good, except for their main stars. Their GM should be fired for giving Drury, Gomez, Redden and Rozwiel for giving massive contracts. Those guys were never worth the money that they are paying them for, even in their prime time. Maybe it could be the coach, but I somehow doubt it. The coach can only tell players to take shots and try to score, it's up to the players to actually try to get them in.

But that's New York for ya. They always overpay and spend huge amounts to cash to keep players. As you know, that's exactly what they have done in New York Yankees and being forced to pay a huge amount for doing that.

[ExpectDeath]

He's so good it makes me hurt knowing I will never be this good.

That was a sick goal. As much as I hate Ovie, he is great.

Staal could probably in line 2. I believe he has 20 goals right now that's pretty good for him as he is still developing. Paying 4mil for Staal isn't really a horrible amount but paying 2 players 8.5mil is massive, Pens are starting to become like the Rangers. They are handing out massive large contracts to their players. They can trade Malkin right now because he is being paid around 2.5 and his 8.5mil starts next year, so I think team would be willing to take him but I wonder who the team would want for Malkin. If they can get rid of Fleury and his fat contract, then that would be great too. I'd rather see Conklin or Backstrom in Pittsburg.

How much is Whitney being paid?

I don't think they could put Staal on a line with Crosby or Malkin. They have tried it before, and I really don't think he is fit to play well with superstars like that. He is more of a penalty killler/consistent third line center. I don't think that he will be blooming into a 40 goal scorer any time soon. He will probably make his career averaging 25 goals a season. That's not what they need though. They have plenty of players that can kill penalties/play on the third line (Talbot, Cooke, Kennedy, Minard, Thomas). We need a finisher, and we could get that for what we pay for Staal. I still don't see how you think that spending 8.5 mil a year on the two best players in the NHL is a bad thing. Any of the teams in the NHL would die to get either Malkin or Crosby on their team for 8.5 million a year. It's not like they aren't worth the 8 million a year. Would you rather have two average players, say Jordan Staals, over Malkin or Crosby. I'd take the quality over the quantity any day.

I am pretty sure that we are paying Whitney somewhere between 4 mil a year and 4.5. We just signed him to an extension this past summer.

[PlatinumG]

Heyyy, I don't really have the energy/time to follow hockey all that much right now, and being in the states doesn't help. Could someone give me a real brief cap on what teams are leading/doingwell and players etc.

Basically, Sharks and Bruins are the teams to beat this year. Detroit's still Detroit, and the West is about as open as it possibly could be at this point in the year. Everyone from fifth to fifteenth is still technically in the race. Chicago are holding on tightly to their fourth place spot. The East I haven't been keeping track of too much, but I believe it's a somewhat similar story.

I think it could be a boost for Sens to get Malkin. He's a good play maker and scorer. So trading Malkin to get Heatley and 1st rounder would be a boost for either team. Pens would get a great scorer and with Crosby, I think they would make a pretty good team. Gonchar is also back now, and he is scoring so it's a good sign for him.
I doubt the Leafs trade though, Kaberle, Antropov, and Hagman 1st rounder for Malkin. I don't think I would do that trade even if I weren't in a rebuilding state. Hagman and Antropov are pretty good 20-30 goal scorers. Pens are gonna have to get rid of one of them. They have Staal too, who is developing, so I don't think they are going to need Crosby and Malkin, especially since they are both making 8.5mil each.

I heard the Salary cap is coming down to 44-46mil? Is this true? If so, then are the players taking a salary cut?

BTW, Rangers coach is fired and Tortrella has been hired. That's the second coach Leafs have gotten fired. First it was Pens coach and now Rangers coach. I'd say it's the GM. He gave out huge contract to people who we're never worth that much in there career. Redden is not worth 8mil, Gomez is not worth 8mil, Drury is not worth 7.5mil and Rozwiel is getting paid a lot too. They are just lucky they have Lundquist otherwise their team is screwed.

Malkin going to the Sens would be one hell of a move for him. Not just for the ROI the Pens would get, but because he would be on a team that matches his playing style of the letter. We think he plays great with Crosby, but if you put him in the Sens system, you're easily looking at a Rocket Richard candidate, IMO.

I wouldn't say never with the Leafs. Antropov's practically a given that he'll be traded at some point, and Hagman's just good enough trade bait to make one very enticing package deal. If the Leafs want a shot at bringing in genuine talent, they're going to have to give up genuine talent. That's either going to be a deal for Kaberle or a package deal involving him, Antropov and/or Hagman. They're the biggest assets on the team at this point in time, and would bring the most bang for their buck.

The Rangers dug their own graves this year, IMO. First they let go of their fan-favourite Sean Avery (still hate the fact that Dallas wound up signing him...desperately hoping they don't let him go on re-entry waivers, though...that's a horrible deal for Dallas), then they start spending stupidly on worthless players. Drury I can almost understand, but he needs to take a massive pay cut or move on. Gomez definitely needs to leave, and Redden...well...he'd be a good pickup for most teams. I'm shocked he's been so horrible with the Rangers.

I think the idea of trading Fluery is just as well warranted as trading Malkin. Malkin has been the team's biggest producer this year. The rumor that has been going on around the city all year is that we will end up trading Stall, Whitney, or both. I think we could definitely get a good finisher for either of them. I would hate to see either of them go though. Stall is a great, young, third line center that can play well with pretty much anyone. Whitney is young as well, and can point the power play just as well as anyone else in the league.

I'm glad the Rangers fired Tom Renney. Didn't Tortrella win the coaching award a few years back? They definitely need to drop Redden, Gomez, or Drury. There's no way they can keep all of them, and pay them all outrageous amounts of money each year. They are all washed up.

Staal's a good asset, actually. He'd make for some very tasty trade bait, definitely. Whitney has potential, too, though he's a bit pricey for his contributions. Personally, I'm not ruling out a move for Malkin, even if it doesn't happen this season. He's obviously the elite player on the team right now and could fit in nicely with practically any team in the league, with a massive return for the Pens. Whether they move anyone or not is yet to be seen, but the possibilities are still out there.

Staal could probably in line 2. I believe he has 20 goals right now that's pretty good for him as he is still developing. Paying 4mil for Staal isn't really a horrible amount but paying 2 players 8.5mil is massive, Pens are starting to become like the Rangers. They are handing out massive large contracts to their players. They can trade Malkin right now because he is being paid around 2.5 and his 8.5mil starts next year, so I think team would be willing to take him but I wonder who the team would want for Malkin. If they can get rid of Fleury and his fat contract, then that would be great too. I'd rather see Conklin or Backstrom in Pittsburg.

How much is Whitney being paid?

They won't get Backstrom, guaranteed. Conklin's an option, but he's tried the starting position before, and it hasn't worked out so well for him. I'd stick with Fluery for the short run. He's a solid goalie, and still has the potential to be an elite goalie in the NHL. He's struggled a bit with the expectations people have thrown at him, but that's something teams need to understand while their players are going through it.

Also, if Malkin were to go now, he'd be worth a boatload to the Pens, so you'd expect any deal involving him to be nothing short of a "blockbuster" trade. The Sens are the team with the most to gain, IMO (though Toronto can make a push and accommodate his salary easily), and losing either Spezza or Heatley would do more good than harm given the player going the other way.

I don't think they could put Staal on a line with Crosby or Malkin. They have tried it before, and I really don't think he is fit to play well with superstars like that. He is more of a penalty killler/consistent third line center. I don't think that he will be blooming into a 40 goal scorer any time soon. He will probably make his career averaging 25 goals a season. That's not what they need though. They have plenty of players that can kill penalties/play on the third line (Talbot, Cooke, Kennedy, Minard, Thomas). We need a finisher, and we could get that for what we pay for Staal. I still don't see how you think that spending 8.5 mil a year on the two best players in the NHL is a bad thing. Any of the teams in the NHL would die to get either Malkin or Crosby on their team for 8.5 million a year. It's not like they aren't worth the 8 million a year. Would you rather have two average players, say Jordan Staals, over Malkin or Crosby. I'd take the quality over the quantity any day.

I am pretty sure that we are paying Whitney somewhere between 4 mil a year and 4.5. We just signed him to an extension this past summer.

He hits the books at 4Mil even.

There's really no downside to having Malkin and Crosby, that's true. Talk to the Sens about paying big money for their players. They're paying up in the 20Million range just to keep Heatley (7.5 [going to 10Mil next season]), Spezza (7.0 [going to 8.0 next season]) and Alfie (4.5 [going to 5.5 next season]) together. That's an extreme amount of money, and a very good reason for them to look towards making a move for one or more elite level players for the same cash.

-PG

[machiavelli33]

Pens and Sens have to make a big move to get rid of some of their cap, especially Sens. If Heatley is making 10mil next season, then that's a huge amount to pay up. They won't have enough money to bring in a good defense men or a goalie. I think the Sens might break up Spezza because he isn't producing as much as he was before, it might be because the Sens are struggling but if you are one of their main players, you would need to step up.

Low scoring night in the NHL yesterday, I was dissapointed with the Sharks loss, but Leafs beat the Rangers again! I'd prefer for them to lose so we can win the lottery. I'd be awesome to see Tavares with the Leafs instead of with the Islanders. =p

[PlatinumG]

Spezza's been linked with a move away since last season, and I think it's only a matter of time before both he and Heatley are gone. It's more than likely that Heatley won't go South of the border ever again, but he's definitely going to be constantly under the microscope in Ottawa until he either has a massive season and stops the speculation or is traded. Spezza could go practically anywhere, really. Any team in the league would be happy to add him, and as I said, I think either he or Heatley could go in a deal for Malkin. It's still an option, and it's a very solid one for either team...

Also -- Ryan Whitney traded to the Anaheim Ducks for Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangradi...seems like it's starting, doesn't it? Good move by the Pens, though. Kunitz is one hell of a player, and he's an improvement on the salary side to Whitney.

-PG

[ExpectDeath]

Told you guys we would trade Whitney! He has been playing like bum the past two years, other than on the power play. They even tried to move him up to wing last year. It's great to get rid of some cap, and pick up a finisher like Kunitz. I can't wait to see how he fits in.

[PlatinumG]

I've seen him enough over these past few seasons to say he's definitely going to fit in well on this Pens squad. He's a solid player, but he was trapped playing in a defensive system. Moving to a system that thrives more on offensive skill, he should be right up there in the goal scoring department.

Dallas just traded Doug Janik to Montreal fro Steve Begin. I quite like this move. Another spare part, but one we desperately need with all the injuries. He's also a fairly decent player in his own right.

-PG

[machiavelli33]

The trade for Stars was pretty good, I don't really understand why Bob Gainey did that...

Whitney and Kunitz trade wasn't bad for either team, Anaheim got themselves a young good defense men and now they'll probably get rid of Pronger and S. Neideimayer. Any team to pick up Pronger would be a major boost but people are low on cap right now. I think Devils might try to get Pronger because they can use some of that toughness from him and they could use some offense from their D which Pronger can also provide. Brodeur is back and got a shutout in his first game back so that's great for Devils and if they can get Pronger, they can be a really good stanley cup team.

Oh and it's pissing me off that Leafs are starting to win... for no reason. >.<
They are not going to get into the playoffs, might as well just call up most minor league players and play them and lose a little so we can try to win the lottery. We're ahead of Colorado and Phoenix now. =(

[PlatinumG]

Apparently Gainey traded Begin because he requested the move. He had been scratched for the past five games and wanted a place to play regularly. Dallas are in the middle of another injury epidemic, so it was a sound more for him. He'll get to at least finish out the regular season, and chances are that he'll go deep into the playoffs, too. Seeing as he's a UFA at the end of this year, I'd say that giving up Janik for a rental was the best move Dallas has made so far. Definitely beats going out and getting another rental like Ladislav Nagy and coughing up a first rounder for him. We could still afford to lose Andrew Hutchinson, too, but seeing as he's actually fit in quite nicely on the back end, I wouldn't be so hasty to trade him away just yet.

I doubt Pronger will go this season. They've fixed the back end a bit, but without Pronger and Niedermayer the Ducks will go nowhere. I expect Niedermayer will retire after this season, though. Pronger leaving would also be a nice move for the Pacific division. He's a great d-man, but he plays dirty.

Don't worry about the Leafs, they'll keep on losing. They're reaching the point where they're going to need to start selling before the deadline passes. I still expect Kaberle and Antropov will go, which'll practically guarantee a plummet towards the bottom once again.

-PG

EDIT -- Here's a tasty piece of news I've been hearing and reading about all day today, from multiple sources. Supposedly Dallas are rumored to be working a deal with Ottawa for Jason Spezza. If it goes through Ottawa would pick up Mike Ribeiro, a first round pick and a defenseman (most likely Daley) for Spezza, and possibly a last minute "toss him in to sweeten the pot" sort of player that likely would wind up down in the AHL. It's completely unconfirmed rumor, but it's been persistent...something I'm very eagerly watching and hoping to see.

[ExpectDeath]

How much does Ribeiro make a year? You really think Spezza (and all of his cap) is worth Ribeiro, a first round pick, and a pretty decent defenseman?

Kunitz play great last night for the Pens. He meshed in very well, especially with Staal. I really think they need to get rid of Staal in a trade for a finisher, but I'm not sure if I want to give him up. He played great last right along with Kunitz. Pens ended up beating the Hawks 5-4 (of course Malkin scored in O.T.) Fluery made some key saves and played pretty solid, even though he gave up four. Letang got a lot more playing time and I think he stepped up in place of Whitney. Pens don't need Crosby to win. ^^

[PlatinumG]

How much does Ribeiro make a year? You really think Spezza (and all of his cap) is worth Ribeiro, a first round pick, and a pretty decent defenseman?

Ribeiro's at $5Mil/year, which is why they'd have to include Daley ($2.3Mil + $5Mil = $7.3Mil, which would then take the rest of the cap space for the left-over salary), because their only other big money D-men are Sydor ($2.5Mil) and Zubov ($5Mil). The numbers add up, and it would be a sensible move because Ribeiro's current style of play is starting to rub the team the wrong way. He's too slow and too much of a showboat to really help the team in it's current struggles. Dallas needs a player that can play a higher tempo game and get the puck in the net. Spezza's having some troubles this year, but given a new location and a less fishbowl-like atmosphere he could be that guy, at least until Morrow and Richards get back into the lineup (put that line together and WOW!). He'd play great alongside MikeyMo and Loui Eriksson...

I'd like to think Dallas wouldn't have to cough up the first rounder for Spezza, but there's no way he's going for less than two good players and a high pick.

Kunitz play great last night for the Pens. He meshed in very well, especially with Staal. I really think they need to get rid of Staal in a trade for a finisher, but I'm not sure if I want to give him up. He played great last right along with Kunitz. Pens ended up beating the Hawks 5-4 (of course Malkin scored in O.T.) Fluery made some key saves and played pretty solid, even though he gave up four. Letang got a lot more playing time and I think he stepped up in place of Whitney.

Kunitz should fit in perfectly, he fits the Pittsburgh style so perfectly. He'll bring a lot of solidity to the top two lines and work hard to get and keep possession. He's a big part of what the Pens have been needing.

Pens don't need Crosby to win. ^^

Glad to see a Pens fan finally admit that ;)

[machiavelli33]

It's trade deadline today... oh and that Spezza trade will not be happening. I don't think it would be a great trade for the Sens. Spezza is a good 30-40 goal scorer.

Sabres: Sign F Tim Connolly to a two-year, $9M contract extension
Sens trade: G Pascale Leclaire, 2nd-Round Pick Columbus: F Antoine Vermette
Sens: Sign D Filip Kuba to a three-year contract extension
Canucks: Burrows signs four-year $8 contract extension

Note: Chris Pronger will not be traded
Kaberle is injured
Moore will not get a contract extension

EDIT:
Calgary: D Jordan Leopold
Colorado: D Lawrence NycholatD, Ryan Wilson, 2nd-Round Draft Pick

Pens: D Andy Wozniewski
Blues: D Danny Richmond

Sabres: G Mikael Tellqvist
Coyotes: 4th-Round Draft Pick

Leafs: Claim G Martin Gerber off waivers from Ottawa - That's a shocker
Leafs: Claim D Erik Reitz off waivers from NY Rangers

Stars: Claim F Brendan Morrison off waivers from Anaheim - Nice move

Pens: Claim F Craig Adams off waivers from Chicago

Trade - Boston aquires: D Steve Montador
Ducks: F Petteri Nokalainen

[max2k106]

Pens don't need Crosby to win. ^^

Correction. Pens don't need Crosby to lose.

[machiavelli33]

Trade:
Flames: F Olli Jokinen
Coyotes: F Matthew Lombardi
F Brandon Prust
1st-Round Draft Pick

[ExpectDeath]

The Flames are lookin' real good. That Jokienen trade could definitely work out for them. I'm glad to see Ray Shero picking up some depth and placing Satan on waivers. It looks like they are preparing for a pretty big move with all the cap that they have freed up. Some big names are left (Bowmeister, Cole, Voros, ANTROPOV). I really hope the Pens can make a big pick-up.

[Hatchet Warrior]

Anyone have an idea of who drafted Jean-Philippe(Josh) Lamoureux?

[ExpectDeath]

The guy that went to North Dakota?

The Av's drafted him.

[Hatchet Warrior]

Sweet deal.

Yeah, he went to UND.
He was an awesome goalie and I hope he does good in the NHL as well. It's just to bad we lost him and two other key players or we'd get another title this year.

The Flames are looking real hot right now. I watched them stomp the Wild last Friday.

[ExpectDeath]

The Pens picked up Bill Guerin from the Islanders. I really wish that they would have gotten Antropov or Havlat, but I can't wait to see Guerin play with Crosby or Malkin.

[ExpectDeath]

The Rangers just picked up Antropov. This is a great deal for the Rangers, they really didn't have to give up much for him (2nd round pick/maybe a prospect). Antropov will really add to the Ranger's struggling offense, and he will also be a great asset to their powerplay. I just don't know how the Rangers can pay for all of this?

[machiavelli33]

The Rangers just picked up Antropov. This is a great deal for the Rangers, they really didn't have to give up much for him (2nd round pick/maybe a prospect). Antropov will really add to the Ranger's struggling offense, and he will also be a great asset to their powerplay. I just don't know how the Rangers can pay for all of this?

Wow... huge pick-ups for Flames. They added a good player in the back-end and a good player in line 2. But I don't understand why they did that trade, they gave up Lombardi, which sucks. I think they could have had a better deal with Antropov, who doesn't cost as much and you don't have to keep him. He is also another 20+ scorer and could probably get 30 with the right play-maker. I don't think they'll be able to keep Cammalliri.

I don't get how Rangers can afford this eiter... they picked up Derek Morris as well and claimed Sean Avery from waivers. Rangers could be a solid team if Gomez, Drury and Redden start picking up the slack. They could easily win the cup then.

I don't get how they can afford this either. I was really hoping for the Leafs to get a 1st rounder and I'm surprised that big players didn't go like Ryan Smith, Boumesster, still it was a nice trade deadline.

[max2k106]

Yeah, Bruins got Recchi. Deep playoff run this year.

[machiavelli33]

Yeah, Bruins got Recchi. Deep playoff run this year.

Eh... they still have many young players that don't have any or much playoff experience.

Pens did good picking up Guerin. They have good depth and pretty good scoring. I'm not sure why they sent down Satan to the minors. They should put him on the 3rd or 2nd line. He's a decent player.

Line-ups:
Kunitz, Crosby, Guerin
Sykora, Malkin, Dupuis
Cooke, Staal, Satan (should be there)

I think that's how the lines should look. Sykora plays well with Malkin. They also picked up Craig Adams from waivers so they could put him in line 4 which wouldn't be too bad. Pens are lookin' good with their new coach.

My playoff picks, these are the teams I'd rate that I think have the best chance of winning the cup.

1. Sharks
2. Wings (If Hossa comes back from injury)
3. Devils
4. Flames
5. Pens
6. Bruins

[ExpectDeath]

They sent Satan down to Wilksberre to clear waivers so they didn't have to keep paying him his 3.5 or 4 million salary.

East Conferense (chance to win the cup)
1. Red Wings
2. Sharks
3. Flames
4. Devils
5. Pens
6. Bruins
7. Rangers
8. Flyers

[Duraza]

The avs are STILL epic fail!!11

I miss Bourgue, Roy...*sniff*

the whole stinking team >.>

[ExpectDeath]

I loved their '01 Cup team. Forsberg, Roy, Bourque, Sakic, Foote...

[max2k106]

If the playoffs were to start now with the current standings, heres how I think it would go down in the Eastern Conference:

Boston Bruins vs. Pittsburgh Penguins - Bruins win in 5
New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers - Devils win in 6
Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers - Capitals win in 7
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Montreal Canadiens - Flyers win in 5

[PlatinumG]

Wow, looks like I missed out on all the trade talk fun :D.

I'm disappointed with Yesterday. There was a lot of activity, and the Leafs seem to have made themselves very strong in net, but there weren't any truly great deals. Jokinen to the Flames was expected if you've been following that saga, and Antropov moving was likewise expected, the only thing that really shocked me about the moves Yesterday was that the Canadiens didn't go all-out to sign VinnyL. They're obviously in a massive love affair with him, so it makes no sense that they wouldn't take him now before his NTC kicks in at the end of this season.

Also massively disappointed Mike Ribeiro wasn't moved. He's been a (brace yourself, it's oxymoron time!) strong weak-link for Dallas since Morrow went out of the lineup, and he doesn't really fit in well with Dallas' style of play. He showboats and hangs onto the puck for too long, and the amount of turnovers from him are getting ridiculous. He'd be great on an all-out offensive team, but Dallas isn't one. The rumors about him going with Daley in order to pick up Spezza sounded really promising, but they obviously never materialized. Would've been a perfect move for Dallas...

On the plus side, I'm happy to see them pick up Brendan Morrison. He's a solid player that's more or less an exact duplicate of Brendan Morrow (and, conveniently, is taking the #11 on the squad...). If he can stay healthy and acclimate quickly, there's a good chance he could make a big impact with the Stars.

-PG

[max2k106]

I hear Sean Avery went to the local Dick's Sporting Goods in exchange for a used pair of socks.

[machiavelli33]

The avs are STILL epic fail!!11

I miss Bourgue, Roy...*sniff*

the whole stinking team >.>

The good ol' days... for Colorado anyways.

If the playoffs were to start now with the current standings, heres how I think it would go down in the Eastern Conference:

Boston Bruins vs. Pittsburgh Penguins - Bruins win in 5
New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers - Devils win in 6
Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers - Capitals win in 7
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Montreal Canadiens - Flyers win in 5

You're underestimating the Penguins. They have been on fire since hiring interim coach (6-1-1). They also added Kunitz and Guerin and Kunitz has already been a good factor for them.

I don't believe too much in Boston mostly because I don't like them and I don't see them as a great playoff team. They might be able to pull off the win in 6... but I somehow doubt it.

Wow, looks like I missed out on all the trade talk fun :D.

I'm disappointed with Yesterday. There was a lot of activity, and the Leafs seem to have made themselves very strong in net, but there weren't any truly great deals. Jokinen to the Flames was expected if you've been following that saga, and Antropov moving was likewise expected, the only thing that really shocked me about the moves Yesterday was that the Canadiens didn't go all-out to sign VinnyL. They're obviously in a massive love affair with him, so it makes no sense that they wouldn't take him now before his NTC kicks in at the end of this season.

Also massively disappointed Mike Ribeiro wasn't moved. He's been a (brace yourself, it's oxymoron time!) strong weak-link for Dallas since Morrow went out of the lineup, and he doesn't really fit in well with Dallas' style of play. He showboats and hangs onto the puck for too long, and the amount of turnovers from him are getting ridiculous. He'd be great on an all-out offensive team, but Dallas isn't one. The rumors about him going with Daley in order to pick up Spezza sounded really promising, but they obviously never materialized. Would've been a perfect move for Dallas...

On the plus side, I'm happy to see them pick up Brendan Morrison. He's a solid player that's more or less an exact duplicate of Brendan Morrow (and, conveniently, is taking the #11 on the squad...). If he can stay healthy and acclimate quickly, there's a good chance he could make a big impact with the Stars.

-PG

If they we're to try to get VinnyL, I'd say they would be screwed because Tampa was asking for major young talented players like Higgins and also wanted Markov. I expected them to do something like filling Lang gap, but apparently they didn't. Their team won't be too bad if Lang and Tanguay were to come back.

As for the Leafs, they net isn't "strong"... it's better but not strong. Gerber would be a good back and I think he is for half the money and Toskala is out for the rest of the season after playing his best games over the last few weeks. Kozlig is injured but I did like the pick-ups they acquired for our prospect. I doubt he'll turn out good and we got a 4th rounder and a defense men.

I wonder what the conditional pick is for Antropov? I'm sure it depends on how far Rangers get but could possibly get a 3rd rounder of that?

[ExpectDeath]

They said on the NHL Network yesterday that it was a second round pick, and maybe a prospect.

[machiavelli33]

I checked and it said conditional pick and 2nd rounder. That's horrible price for Antropov... apparently people can make trades where they give away a talented forward (Upshall) and a 2nd rounder for Carcillio. But I guess everyone knew that Burke was desperate to trade him, he wasn't going to sign him anyways.

Crosby is back and he has 3 points in 2 games. Guerin, Kunitz and Crosby seem to be connecting and they are on fire. I think they have won 6 or 7 straight? They are 8-1-1 in last 10... so props to their coach.

Oh and props to the Leafs for playing so well lately and they are still playing decent, they are tightening up defensively and learning Ron Wilson game. I'm really liking them, I just hope they lose like 15 of the remaining 17 games. =P

[Serge]

Went to the Caps game tonight. It was fun, but post lockout hockey isn't the same. Also, Ovechkin didn't play so great, would have loved to see him light it up.


EDIT:

And why do people find the need to show up late and scream obscenities?

[ExpectDeath]

The Pens are real hot right now. They have completely turned this season around. It's actually fun to watch them now. Guerin and Crosby look great together. I think Balsma should move Kunitz back with Staal though. They played great together. Maybe move Kunitz down to the third line with Staal and Kennedy, but keep Kunitz on the number one powerplay, then move Dupuis on the Crosby/Guerin line.

@Serge

Pens vs Caps...Pens win. ^^

[Red Fire]

I know I have been lacking the posting in my own thread, but been very busy. Made 21 webpages recently, logged 82 hours at work in the past week (good lord I just realized that).

All I have to say is ... Second weekend in a row where Detroit let in 8 goals.

Brodeur ... nice job stopping the last team in the entire league from scoring 7 goals on you. At least when Roy let in that much, he was still smiling and having fun, or start a fight with the other goaltender, lol.

[ExpectDeath]

Nash and Scumbergler ran the show on Osgood. That was a fun highlight to watch.

For the Caps fans (serge):

http://www.thepensblog.com/images/stories/games/67/indiankid.jpg

[machiavelli33]

The Pens are real hot right now. They have completely turned this season around. It's actually fun to watch them now. Guerin and Crosby look great together. I think Balsma should move Kunitz back with Staal though. They played great together. Maybe move Kunitz down to the third line with Staal and Kennedy, but keep Kunitz on the number one powerplay, then move Dupuis on the Crosby/Guerin line.

@Serge

Pens vs Caps...Pens win. ^^

I think they're better off playing together in line 1. Kunitz brings good experience and is a good scorer so they could use him in line 1, especially in the playoffs.
I'd love to see the Pens vs Caps in 1st round. Crosby and Ovechkin rivalry is gewd.

Habs have fired their head coach Guy Carbeneau... after winning against Dallas on Sunday and making a pretty good come-back. They killed off penalty's and scored few goals to win the game. I predicted he was going to get fired by the end of season and I was right... I just didn't expect him to get fired after win.

I predicted Rangers, Habs, Pens and Canucks coach to get fired this season, but I got it 3/4.

Do you guys think he deserved to get fired?

EDIT: I made a post back about Chris Mason but I actually meant Steve Mason. It was a while back. =p

[machiavelli33]

The intense part of Hockey has started. POST SEASON PUSH!

News:
- Gary Roberts has retired (R.I.P.)
- GM meeting discussing about fighting and the salary cap

For the fighting, I love the fighting in Hockey and I don't think it should be taken out, it's great for entertainment and gets the players going, which is quite odd in my opinion. Although to lower the fighting in NHL nowadays, the coaches can try teaching some sportsmanship and respect to the hockey players for one another? Because there is absolutely no respect for each other. They are always doing low dirty cheap hits from behind for absolutely no reason. If you look at NBA, they show respect for each other, they say "hello" and shake hands with them before starting a match. For hockey, they trash talk with one another, it's pretty ridiculous in my opinion.

I hear the salary cap is going down next year, but nobody knows by how much and players are forced to take a 15% cut this year and give it back to their owners, which would estimate around 4mil. That seems fair enough to me seeing as most players are overpaid now.
Few teams are about to get screwed next season, such as Rangers, Sens and maybe even Flyers. Rangers have too many players under contract and they are huge contract. I can easily see Islanders, Atlanta getting really good next year since they can easily go for any free agents.

Oh and a huge question: Who is the better goalie? Brodeur or Roy?

[Red Fire]

Roy.

[machiavelli33]

Roy.

Mind explaining why?

Personally, I think Brodeur is a better goalie, but he's boring. Roy was much more exciting to watch and had a better personality.

Brodeur may beat his wins record today!

[ExpectDeath]

I went to the last Pens/Bruins game. What a win. The Pens started Garon, which is always a questionable call against the number one team in the east. He looked really shaky, but it's understandable considering his lack of playing time. The game turned into an offensive shootout, which the Pens seemed to over power them in. It was a great game to watch. The Pens ended up winning 6-4.

[machiavelli33]

Do you recall which players did most of the work? Crosby, Kunitz, and Guerin. They play so damn well together.

Pens are losing right now to Atlanta, Imma laugh if they actually lose to them lol, but Thrashers have one few games with Kovulchuck, so props to them.

[ExpectDeath]

Kunitz played amazing, and Crosby had a great game too. Malkin was rumored to be "sick." It really seemed like he had a rough time playing.

Pens tied up with the Thrashers, because of guess who...Kunitz.

[PlatinumG]

...whoops. Disappeared again, didn't I...


Oh and a huge question: Who is the better goalie? Brodeur or Roy?

Roy, no question.

I hate how everyone suddenly thinks of Brodeur as being the best ever because of all of this media hype, but he's not. He's not even really close in my eyes. He's won 553 games now, yes, and that's impressive, but when you play with a team whose defensive core consists of guys like Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens for 15 years, you're going to pull a lot of wins. It's like Chris Osgood. He's a moderately skilled goalie at best, yet he keeps putting up the wins because the Wings let so few shots actually get to the net, that his workload is practically nil. He was affable in St. Louis and just as poor on with the Isles, yet magically he becomes the savior of the Wings. Roy had genuine skill and the attitude of a 12 year old. He was perfect in the net, and fought almost as much as Hextall did. He is, without question, better than Martin Brodeur.

Also -- I think it's irresponsible for hockey fans to dub a goalie the "best of all time," given that you can't compare this NHL to the past NHL of the '50s, '60s etc. The game was different then, the equipment was different then, and the athletic abilities were different then. For all we know, Roman Cechmanek could've been a hockey legend had he played 20 years earlier. The fact that people are comparing Brodeur and Roy to Sawchuck and Esposito is laughable.

-PG

[machiavelli33]

I agree with you on the first part and the second part, because Brodeur did have a great defensive team throughout his career, but he has been good, maybe not as good as Roy, because his team wasn't that great and he made it great. Devils can survive without Brodeur and they have proven that this season but he is still a great goalie. This is why Steve Mason has impressed me a lot this season, but Blue Jackets aren't a great team, especially defensive wise and you know what, he is leading in most shutouts with 9 and he is a rookie. Although Brodeur is going to give future goalies hard time breaking his record, because he still has couple of years ahead of him, which he can really set the bar unless Devils become crap. =p

The equipment was way different back then and I think playing skill is better then ever before. They were great players but if you put them like right now, I doubt they would be that good, which is why I don't consider Gretzky that great either, there isn't a huge gap, but there is an enough gap to make the difference.

Oh and doesn't Brodeur use similar equipment that was around 10-20 years ago? I'm pretty sure he doesn't use the same big equipment like everyone else does.

[ExpectDeath]

It's just the style that he uses. He has used Heatons for the past 15+ years. They went from Heaton Helites, all the way to CCM/Heatons (the style he uses now). My older brother idolized Brodeur and bought almost all of the sets of equipment. Brodeur is more of a standup/hybrid goalie, so he keeps his pads smaller to allow him more movement. In 1998, I'd say that the pads that goalies used were much bigger because the 11'' pad rule wasn't passed by then. ^^

[PlatinumG]

Speaking of the equipment in the past, anyone remember Giguere's puffed out equipment from the '03/'04 season, before the post-lockout equipment crackdown? Geez, he was about twice his actual size in net. I'm still convinced he uses equipment that's beyond the league maximum, but at least it's not nearly so blatant as it was that year.

I agree with you on the first part and the second part, because Brodeur did have a great defensive team throughout his career, but he has been good, maybe not as good as Roy, because his team wasn't that great and he made it great. Devils can survive without Brodeur and they have proven that this season but he is still a great goalie. This is why Steve Mason has impressed me a lot this season, but Blue Jackets aren't a great team, especially defensive wise and you know what, he is leading in most shutouts with 9 and he is a rookie. Although Brodeur is going to give future goalies hard time breaking his record, because he still has couple of years ahead of him, which he can really set the bar unless Devils become crap. =p

The equipment was way different back then and I think playing skill is better then ever before. They were great players but if you put them like right now, I doubt they would be that good, which is why I don't consider Gretzky that great either, there isn't a huge gap, but there is an enough gap to make the difference.

Oh and doesn't Brodeur use similar equipment that was around 10-20 years ago? I'm pretty sure he doesn't use the same big equipment like everyone else does.

I agree with you about Mason. He's been insane this year, and if he can stay consistent he'll be a franchise goalie for years to come. That said, though, Pekka Rine has been just as good as Mason, IMO. He's not played as many games or earned as many shutouts as Mason, but he's been as consistent IMO.

Brodeur's going to set the bar pretty high over the next couple of seasons, but I honestly don't think the record is going to be broken in the near future (meaning next 15 years or so). The game's so level now that it's harder for goalies to rack up the wins year after year (save for Detroit, obviously). I think we could see goalies come close, but they won't break it I don't think...

-PG

[machiavelli33]

You never know if the goalies get away with the equipment, because even Spezza got away with having an illegal stick for years until he was recently caught by Ron Wilson. :P

The record will be hard to break, because they are trying to find ways to get more scoring, by trying to make the nets bigger or changin' up the rules a little and the way goalies play butterfly nowadays, it's extremely hard for the players to beat the goalies. They usually get deflections or lucky bounces and from time to time they can get one heck of a shot in.

Anyways, the season is coming close to an end, so let's talk about the MVP. Personally, I kind of think Parise deserves it. I'm not a fan of Devils but Parise has been a beast this season and since Brodeur went out, he helped carried that team. Their scoring is great now, better then it used to be even with Gomez. He has been consistent throughout this year so I kind of think he deserves it.
Most people will probably pick Ovechkin I think.

[Duraza]

Better goalie out of Brodeur and Roy?
Easily Roy, as others have stated, and given reasons to support. Brodeur's just a silly boy. Albeit a decent goalie.

[ExpectDeath]

Decent goalie...Are you kidding me?

[PlatinumG]

You never know if the goalies get away with the equipment, because even Spezza got away with having an illegal stick for years until he was recently caught by Ron Wilson. :P

The record will be hard to break, because they are trying to find ways to get more scoring, by trying to make the nets bigger or changin' up the rules a little and the way goalies play butterfly nowadays, it's extremely hard for the players to beat the goalies. They usually get deflections or lucky bounces and from time to time they can get one heck of a shot in.

That's something else I have a problem with, actually. I think the changes to the game need to stop. I don't know about you all, but I don't want the NHL turning into a goal fest. I LOVED the old defensive style. In my eyes, there was nothing better than watching a tight 0-0 or 1-0 or 1-1 game going into the dying minutes. To me, it kept me "on the edge of my seat" far more than these current games do with their outlandish 6-1 scorelines or 5-4 magical comebacks. I like goals, don't get me wrong, but if that's the overlying product that the NHL wants to sell, they're going to alienate more real hockey fans and wind up with nothing more than a sport populated by fans that know nothing about the sport besides "puck in net = good. Other team must suck, 'cause that's what they told me." (I'm looking at you, Coyotes, Kings and Ducks)

Leave the game alone, NHL. Bigger nets and smaller pads aren't going make the game better, they're just going to make players like Donald Brashear look like Joe Thornton. We don't need it, I sure as don't want to see it, and it's distasteful to move the game so far from it's roots on the basis of scoring more goals.

Anyways, the season is coming close to an end, so let's talk about the MVP. Personally, I kind of think Parise deserves it. I'm not a fan of Devils but Parise has been a beast this season and since Brodeur went out, he helped carried that team. Their scoring is great now, better then it used to be even with Gomez. He has been consistent throughout this year so I kind of think he deserves it.
Most people will probably pick Ovechkin I think.

Parise's been a beast, no question. If it was me, though, I'd say this season's MVP has to be either Jarome Iginla or the dive expert Roberto Luongo. We all know Brodeur'll probably get it, though...and the Vezina...

*cough* James Neal for Calder *cough*

-PG

[ExpectDeath]

I couldn't see Brodeur winning the MVP considering how many games he missed. Malkin has been making a VERY strong case for MVP. I'd love to see him win it.

[machiavelli33]

That's something else I have a problem with, actually. I think the changes to the game need to stop. I don't know about you all, but I don't want the NHL turning into a goal fest. I LOVED the old defensive style. In my eyes, there was nothing better than watching a tight 0-0 or 1-0 or 1-1 game going into the dying minutes. To me, it kept me "on the edge of my seat" far more than these current games do with their outlandish 6-1 scorelines or 5-4 magical comebacks. I like goals, don't get me wrong, but if that's the overlying product that the NHL wants to sell, they're going to alienate more real hockey fans and wind up with nothing more than a sport populated by fans that know nothing about the sport besides "puck in net = good. Other team must suck, 'cause that's what they told me." (I'm looking at you, Coyotes, Kings and Ducks)

Leave the game alone, NHL. Bigger nets and smaller pads aren't going make the game better, they're just going to make players like Donald Brashear look like Joe Thornton. We don't need it, I sure as don't want to see it, and it's distasteful to move the game so far from it's roots on the basis of scoring more goals.

Tight games are pretty nice to see, but there are tight games that go around often right now in this league and that is why they are trying to change it. They think that scoring isn't enough but personally, I think it's pretty good right now. There are a lot of tight games, low scoring and high-scoring wise. I don't really want them to increase the net size.

But if you look at what they are trying to attract, then there point of view is good, because they want to attract new fans especially Americans fans. I'm sure they would like to see more scoring but I think what might attract them is putting NHL on ESPN.



Parise's been a beast, no question. If it was me, though, I'd say this season's MVP has to be either Jarome Iginla or the dive expert Roberto Luongo. We all know Brodeur'll probably get it, though...and the Vezina...

*cough* James Neal for Calder *cough*

-PG

Luongo has been injured for a big portion of this season as well as Brodeur. I really doubt they would win MVP or anything at all.

Iginla isn't a bad choice, because he has been a great captain for that team, but hasn't done the scoring like he did last year but he still racked up good points, mostly because he doesn't always have to carry the team. He kept that team well with each other and didn't go on big losing streaks like the Canucks.

The candidates for MVP in my opinion is:Parise, Malkin, Ovechkin, Crosby, Datsyuk, Iginla... from my highest to lowest.

Rookie of the year by far: Steve Mason... Neal and Ryan are good candidates. Stamkos is playing really good now and is racking up good amount of points with St. Louis.

I couldn't see Brodeur winning the MVP considering how many games he missed. Malkin has been making a VERY strong case for MVP. I'd love to see him win it.

Yeah, same here. I don't want to see Ovechkin win it this year again and besides he hasn't been great as he was last year and was pretty crap in the beginning of the year but has played really well after the all-star break.

There has been a lot of talk about Ovechkin celebration of his 50th goal, because he scored it during the 3rd period when they are winning like 4-1 and there was about 3-5 minutes to go and it was a rookie goalie. I know it's a big mark hitting 50, but he has done it twice before and doing it right in front of some crappy rookie goalie against a crappy team, doesn't mean too much... oh I forgot to mention it was pre-planned.

I like his personality off the ice, because he is funny and gives us something different and I don't mind if he does his celebration but he shouldn't have it pre-planned. I'd like to see Canadians give us a little more emotion during the interviews, be a little more funny and give us something different.

Your opinions?

[PlatinumG]

Tight games are pretty nice to see, but there are tight games that go around often right now in this league and that is why they are trying to change it. They think that scoring isn't enough but personally, I think it's pretty good right now. There are a lot of tight games, low scoring and high-scoring wise. I don't really want them to increase the net size.

But if you look at what they are trying to attract, then there point of view is good, because they want to attract new fans especially Americans fans. I'm sure they would like to see more scoring but I think what might attract them is putting NHL on ESPN.

Yes, but there's a massive difference in the way tight games are handled in this NHL, versus in the pre-lockout NHL. To me, it's not exciting in the least to sit and watch the current system. There's flow, sure, but there's just not enough of the old lock-it-down defense that made the old game great. You're not allowed to take the body or make the forwards pay the price of going to the net. It's too easy for them, and it's WAY too easy to take a penalty for touching a player with a free hand or getting your stick perpendicular to the body. That's not hockey, that's nitpicking nonsense. I found some old Dallas games that I'd taped from the '99 season, and when I watched them, I felt excited about the game again. They were all very defensive and very tight games, and I couldn't have been happier to have been watching them. I don't get that feeling with today's game. I feel, as a hockey fan, that the new NHL has done nothing but alienate the fans of the pre-lockout game.

Having the games back on ESPN would be nice. Especially since Gary Thorne's been relegated to Little League baseball and not much else lately...:D

Luongo has been injured for a big portion of this season as well as Brodeur. I really doubt they would win MVP or anything at all.

Iginla isn't a bad choice, because he has been a great captain for that team, but hasn't done the scoring like he did last year but he still racked up good points, mostly because he doesn't always have to carry the team. He kept that team well with each other and didn't go on big losing streaks like the Canucks.

I wasn't at all serious with the Brodeur nomination...Iginla, definitely, and even Luongo still has the potential. You've got to remember, he's been designated as the Captain of the Vancouver Canucks this season. Yes, he's been injured for a decent stretch this term; however, even throughout his injury he was still working to lead the team off the ice. Much like Brendan Morrow has been with the Stars ever since going out injured (he traveled with the team most of the time, and is at every home game ready to offer advice and be a locker-room leader for the team), and that's admirable. His on-ice play, while I hate to admit it, has been equally impressive. He might not have played as much as we all deem to be adequate, but the game he has featured in have been very good performances from him. Hell, I'll even sight last night's game versus Dallas. He played a very strong game. I'd consider his all-encompassing year as being MVP-worthy, if not by the practical standard.

As for Iginla, you can't really find fault with him. He's a top point producer once again, he's done well in leading his team through good times and times of controversy (Sean Avery incident, most notably), and he always stands up for his mates when called upon. That is the very definition of an MVP in my book.

The candidates for MVP in my opinion is:Parise, Malkin, Ovechkin, Crosby, Datsyuk, Iginla... from my highest to lowest.

Rookie of the year by far: Steve Mason... Neal and Ryan are good candidates. Stamkos is playing really good now and is racking up good amount of points with St. Louis.

Stamkos...well...I'm not sold on him. Lots of hype and not much deliverance. He's doing well now, sure, but he's still not producing at particularly high levels for what he's supposed to be.

Mason, Neal and Ryan are really the only players I can see as being Calder quality. Brassard would've been had he not ended his season by fighting James Neal...but...well, there you go.

-PG

[machiavelli33]

I like low scoring games and high scoring games. It depends on what my mood is. Sometimes, I just want to see a tight low scoring game, where the goalies are on their game making amazing saves and sometimes I just like to see what the players do best.

Rookie of the year is getting tough to decide now. Ryan has 30 goals and he has brought the Ducks back into the playoffs and there is Steve Mason, who is bringing the Blue Jackets to their first playoff I think.

The games in NHL are so weird right now. The good teams are just up and down in their games. I was laughing at the Habs since they were so happy for beating crappy teams like Islanders, Lightning, Thrashers and Leafs and now Markov and Schneider are injured for a while now, so pretty much they are useless in the playoffs. I still think they wouldn't have made past the first round even with Markov and Schneider because their team is really just not that good.

I'm really happy with what Burke is doing right now. He brought in good prospects like Hanson and Brodzyak, I'm hoping they'll develop well. He also made a clear statement that he will be making a lot of moves over the off-season and is going to trade or release players to rebuild the team. I expect Kaberle, Kubina, Finger, Hagman, Stajan to be traded and I think he'll probably have to release Stempnaik and Mayers. I think he'll keep Poni, Grabovski, and Kulemin. I think they make a very good 2nd line. Poni is in his prime and can get you around 25 goals. Grabovski has 19 goals, and Kulemin has 15 right now. They are both rookies and I think they'll get better and develop well.
I just hope we can get a top 5 pick in the draft and hopefully trade Kaberle for 15ish draft pick and Kubina for possibly a 20ish pick... obviously in a package deal. =p

EDIT: Sorry for disappearing for a while guys... I'm sure you all missed me oh so much. :rolleyes:

[PlatinumG]

Well...the season's over for the team that matters *cough*, so here's hoping Detroit don't win another cup.

Go...uh...Blue Jackets!

-PG

[machiavelli33]

This sucks... I wanted Leafs to lose today so we can be sixth or fifth, but we're stuck at 7, again.

Anyways, what did you guys think of Burke signing Bozak and Hanson?

here's hoping Detroit don't win another cup.

Go...uh...Blue Jackets!

-PG

That's what I hope for as well.

Blue Jackets have made it to the playoffs for the first time in their franchise... thanks to Steve Mason.

Playoff's Match-up:

Eastern -

(1) Boston vs (8) Montreal - Bruins in 5
(2) Washington vs (7) Rangers - Washington in 7
(3) New Jersey vs (6) Carolina - New Jersey in 6
(4) Philadelphia vs (5) Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh in 6

Western -
(1) San Jose vs (8) St. Louis - San Jose in 4
(2) Detroit vs (7) Anaheim - Anaheim in 7 - I think Ducks can pull of an upset
(3) Vancouver vs (6) Columbus - Vancouver in 5
(4) Chicago vs (5) Calgary - Calgary in 7

Let's see your picks guys!

[PlatinumG]

Burke's been a busy boy since making his way North. I don't think it's too far fetched to assume this'll continue well into next season. I hear he's also looking at the Swedish Elite League top goalie Jonas Gustavsson, though he's got sincere competition from Dallas on that one. No matter which team lands him, he's going to be something special at just about any level. Dallas trying to sign him shows me that Marty's not in their long-term plans anymore, which is kind of sad, but very understandable. They also need a goalie that can spend a year playing backup to Marty and get acclimated to the North American game before taking over properly. He could easily be that guy on either team.

With regards to playoff matchups:

Eastern -

(1) Boston vs (8) Montreal - Boston in 6
(2) Washington vs (7) Rangers - Washington in 6
(3) New Jersey vs (6) Carolina - New Jersey in 5
(4) Philadelphia vs (5) Pittsburgh - Philadelphia in 7

Western -
(1) San Jose vs (8) St. Louis - San Jose in 5
(2) Detroit vs (7) Anaheim - Detroit in 5
(3) Vancouver vs (6) Columbus - Vancouver in 4 (hate to say it, but they'll sweep)
(4) Chicago vs (5) Calgary - Calgary in 7

-PG

[machiavelli33]

Burke's been a busy boy since making his way North. I don't think it's too far fetched to assume this'll continue well into next season. I hear he's also looking at the Swedish Elite League top goalie Jonas Gustavsson, though he's got sincere competition from Dallas on that one. No matter which team lands him, he's going to be something special at just about any level. Dallas trying to sign him shows me that Marty's not in their long-term plans anymore, which is kind of sad, but very understandable. They also need a goalie that can spend a year playing backup to Marty and get acclimated to the North American game before taking over properly. He could easily be that guy on either team.
-PG

Talk about being bang on! I just read it, and it seems like Gustavsson has said it himself that he is considering either Dallas or Toronto. Both teams could really use a goalie. Turco is getting old and he is starting to lose his edge, while Toronto really has no goalie. I don't think Toskala is that good, and when he was good is when he was in Sharks which is not a hard thing to do considering they have been a great team for a while. We have Justin Pogge as our goalie prospect and do I really think he is going to be great? Nope.

I got this off the article:
Gustavsson just won the Swedish Elite League championship with Farjetsad and the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet said he will move to the NHL next season, and the two team’s that he is considering are Toronto and Dallas.

Since he is not a draft, he can choose which club he wants to on the long list of NHL teams that expressed an interest.

But the choice is between two clubs.

- It’s Toronto and Dallas, which are clearly hottest, “says Erik Granqvist.

http://torontosportsmedia.com/toronto-maple-leafs-hockey/brian-burke-sets-eyes-monster/

And people say Burke doesn't like having Europeans? Heh.
Please come to Toronto! :bigsmile:

[Coffin Fedder]

I hope my Sioux do something better then they did last season. They sucked it up a lot of last season from what they usually do. Really got to me in all honesty. Especially they way the lost to Maryland in the playoff game, freaking .01 seconds left on the clock and lose in overtime when they were up. That's just wrong.

[PlatinumG]

Ahh...college hockey talk! Not had much college hockey talk in a LONG time...matter-of-fact, I've not even watched college hockey in a long time. I did watch the Womens championship a couple of weeks ago, but that wasn't much of a match. Never did have a team I favoured in the college ranks, either, but you can't deny that the college game has so much more spunk to it. A lot like the old NHL, and the fans feel it so much more, as well. Shame it doesn't get more publicity until the Frozen Four.

Talk about being bang on! I just read it, and it seems like Gustavsson has said it himself that he is considering either Dallas or Toronto. Both teams could really use a goalie. Turco is getting old and he is starting to lose his edge, while Toronto really has no goalie. I don't think Toskala is that good, and when he was good is when he was in Sharks which is not a hard thing to do considering they have been a great team for a while. We have Justin Pogge as our goalie prospect and do I really think he is going to be great? Nope.

I got this off the article:
Gustavsson just won the Swedish Elite League championship with Farjetsad and the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet said he will move to the NHL next season, and the two team’s that he is considering are Toronto and Dallas.

Since he is not a draft, he can choose which club he wants to on the long list of NHL teams that expressed an interest.

But the choice is between two clubs.

- It’s Toronto and Dallas, which are clearly hottest, “says Erik Granqvist.

http://torontosportsmedia.com/toronto-maple-leafs-hockey/brian-burke-sets-eyes-monster/

And people say Burke doesn't like having Europeans? Heh.
Please come to Toronto! :bigsmile:

I think Pogge's going to be an alright goalie in the NHL, but he was brought up too quickly. Much like Climie in Dallas, he isn't NHL-ready at this point, but Dallas brought him up while Turco was injured and he was ten times more confident and far more capable than Tobias Stephan's been all year (in his whopping 10 starts). He'll be a good NHL goalie after a year or so in the AHL, and with Bachman and Beskorowany on their way up Dallas are going to have some very solid goalies moving forward.

I'd love to see the Stars land Gustavsson, as he's at that level where he's more or less ready for the NHL, but could use some time in the minors to adjust to the North American style. He's got insane lateral mobility and insanely fast legs. The only aspect of his game that I've seen that he really needs to work on is rebound control.

It's going to be a tight race to see who gets him, but no matter who does, they're going to come out of the race as a much better team defensively. I'm somewhat hoping Toronto don't sign him, to be honest. There's the Dallas factor, definitely, but more for the fact that he's looking for NHL time NOW, and he's simply not ready. If he signs with Toronto, they'll look to make him their #1 guy, with Toskela (or an equivalent replacement) playing the number 2 role so it seems they've got depth. If he's thrown in there too quickly, he'll sink, just like Pogge. People will lose faith in him, and he'll have a nightmare of a time trying to regain his form. If he signed with Dallas, he'd play second string to Marty for a year, have time to develop alongside one of the better goalies in the league, and have Andy Moog there ready to help him at any given point.

Honestly, who would you rather have coaching you, Andy Moog or Corey Hirsch? :D

-PG

[PlatinumG]

Draft lottery's up tonight. A chance for someone to steal the #1 pick from the Isle. Burke's come out today and publicly announced that he wants Tavares and Gustavsson. For that to happen, he's going to have to trade away AT LEAST his first round pick and either Kubina or Kaberle, possibly with someone the likes of Hagman to go with it. I don't see it happening, it's just not a trade that benefits both sides in either case.

Also, if Dallas get chosen they'd jump from 8th overall to 4th (meaning Matt Duchene becomes a possibility). Dallas could do with a high pick for once, assuming they don't do what they always do and trade it away for a player we don't need (I'll give Armstrong credit, though, he did make the move for Norstrom using that method, which was a wise pickup). Having a pick as high as 4th or, at the lowest, 9th is going to be a boost for Dallas, so here's hoping they can get the missing pieces they need.

Duchene + Gustavsson...Mmm...

-PG

EDIT -- strike that idea, Isle win the lottery and keep first pick overall. Burke wants it, so now comes the "trade the farm" period where he'll offer everything short of his own family members in order to get the 1st overall pick. I doubt the Isle are truly interested in trading, so it's going to need to be something HUGE.

[machiavelli33]

Yeah, Burke has made it clear he wants Gustavsson and Tavares. I think he is going to try to do anything to get them. Burke said that he'll be meeting Gustavsson agent soon to try to make a deal.

As for the #1 overall draft, I think his chances are low at getting it but New York GM is pretty stupid so we might be able to get it. He gave away his 5th to Toronto and then traded Toronto #7 for #8. I was actually shocked he said that because I thought he would want to go after Hedman, who is the next "Pronger". He's got the massive size that Burke wants but hey, he wants to build the team around Tavares I guess. I don't think it would be a great trade if he were to trade #7 and Kaberle to get 1st overall mostly because I think he should try to trade Kaberle and Kubina to hopefully get a draft pick that's in top 10. I'd really like to see Toronto pick Braydan Shenn and Ryan Ellis. They are pretty good skilled players and Braydan Shenn would fit in nicely with his brother.

Let's see what Burke does...

[PlatinumG]

Burke's not willing to listen to talk about brothers, he's only interested in Tavares and Gustavsson, and while I completely agree Toronto would be better placed making a move to gain a second high draft pick rather than just Tavares, he's got his mind set.

You'll never get Kaberle and Kubina traded as a package. They're too much cap space, and no guarantees with Kubina. Kaberle could easily go with someone like Hagman and/or Jason Blake, but as a package he'll never unload them both, at least not in one deal (he could work a three team trade, wherein both players go).

I'm hoping (and this is no offense to Leafs fans) that Burke doesn't get either Tavares or Gustavsson. He's going to rush them both into the NHL, and they'll both need an adjustment period (only a few games, I'd wager) in the AHL before they're actually ready. That's not what they need, and it'll damage their careers if Burke pushes them into the NHL too quickly.

I agree that he should be focusing on Hedman rather than Tavares, but once he's made up his mind, he's rarely going to listen to reason. Hell, I'd even be understanding if he traded up to get Matt Duchene, but not Tavares...

-PG

[ExpectDeath]

Playoff talk > Draft talk.

Pens played solid. Completely dominated Philly, which I was really surprised of. The third line played really well and definitely added a TON of energy to the team (Staal, Cooke, Kennedy). Fluery played as good as you can ask him to play. The Flyer's only goal was a pretty fluke one. I'm really happy at how this series is lookin'.

[PlatinumG]

Like I said, the worthwhile team's not there, so playoff talk = boring :p

Nah, the playoffs are halfway decent, but there's a lot of interesting talk outside of the playoffs. For instance, Tobias Stephan has, not entirely unexpectedly, quit the Dallas Stars organization. This makes the chase for Jonas Gustavsson all that much more exciting.

;)

-PG

[machiavelli33]

Burke's not willing to listen to talk about brothers, he's only interested in Tavares and Gustavsson, and while I completely agree Toronto would be better placed making a move to gain a second high draft pick rather than just Tavares, he's got his mind set.

You'll never get Kaberle and Kubina traded as a package. They're too much cap space, and no guarantees with Kubina. Kaberle could easily go with someone like Hagman and/or Jason Blake, but as a package he'll never unload them both, at least not in one deal (he could work a three team trade, wherein both players go).

I'm hoping (and this is no offense to Leafs fans) that Burke doesn't get either Tavares or Gustavsson. He's going to rush them both into the NHL, and they'll both need an adjustment period (only a few games, I'd wager) in the AHL before they're actually ready. That's not what they need, and it'll damage their careers if Burke pushes them into the NHL too quickly.

I agree that he should be focusing on Hedman rather than Tavares, but once he's made up his mind, he's rarely going to listen to reason. Hell, I'd even be understanding if he traded up to get Matt Duchene, but not Tavares...

-PG

He's not going to rush them into NHL. They haven't rushed Pogge into NHL either. They may have called him up earlier, but that's to give him experience and see how well he does. When you enter the draft, it means you are ready for NHL. Pogge knows he's not ready for NHL so he'll have to work harder to get better. Burke said Toskala is still his main guys but he would like to have Gustavsson for the future.

I never said that Kubina or Kaberle will get traded as a package and I don't want them to get traded as a package. Both of them can land you a first round pick and you really can't say they can't. Tampa gave the Sharks 1st rounder to Sens to get Mezaros and Kubina is a pretty good player who can be extremely useful on PP because he's got a mad bomb from the point and maybe if he had a better players to play with, then maybe he can rack up few more points.

If I was Burke, I'd try to trade Kubina to Senators, because they don't have a shot from the point, they may have fixed the OD situation with Kuba and Campoli but they still need someone like Kubina for PP. You could also try to give Kaberle to Tampa and somebody else obviously to get their 2nd rounder because I don't think Tampa is really interested in getting a good forward or defense men because they need an OD. I don't think they are rebuilding either otherwise they would have traded LeCavalier to Montreal. They have Stamkos who is the #1 overall draft and is extremely talented. We could really use a #2 overall, #7 and #9 overall. People say Leafs are a young team, but right now they are not. They have to get younger and get rid of Blake, Stempniak, Mayers, Stajan, Finger and tons more. I'm hoping Burke doesn't try to make the playoffs next season because they still need to tear this team down and I doubt it would all be done by this season. We have a lot of players under contract right now, but next season we lose their contract and that's where you bring some of the free agents, but only after they've drafted what they need.

Playoff talk > Draft talk.

Pens played solid. Completely dominated Philly, which I was really surprised of. The third line played really well and definitely added a TON of energy to the team (Staal, Cooke, Kennedy). Fluery played as good as you can ask him to play. The Flyer's only goal was a pretty fluke one. I'm really happy at how this series is lookin'.

I was happy with yesterday results. Washington and the Rangers was a pretty good game, even though I don't like either team. I'm hoping Rangers get by the first round and I think that gives us a better draft because we have a conditional for Antropov.

[ExpectDeath]

I wish we got Versus up here on campus. All we get are the the local sports stations and ESPN. That means the only series I can watch are the Pens'. I'm depressed. I wish they would just play some games on ESPN. It's not like ESPN would lose money playing a NHL game every once in a while, especially in the playoffs.

[ExpectDeath]

Double post...Whatev'

I went to the Pens game last night! Well I didn't actually make it inside, but we watched from the yard outside the rink on the huge projector that they put up. It's about 1/100th as good as being inside in the game but it was still a great experience. I really think that they should spread this around the league (if they haven't already). There were a couple thousand people outside, and it was a small scale model of the atmosphere inside the arena. It was a great time, topped by an even greater game. I jizzed in my pants when Fluery made the kick save on Carter. Guerin is a god. Thanks Ray Shero.

Go Pens.

*Edit

Save the triple post.

For all you Ovie lovers...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0904/nhl.playoffs.separated.at.birth/content.32.html

There are a couple other funny ones on that page. It takes forever to load each image though.

[Angelic-Hotfox]

good game yesterday between Philly and Pitt. If the Pens didn't score during the 5 on 3 in OT I would've laffed

[Gypsy]

I jizzed in my pants.

Lock eyes from across the room...

Anyway, everyone but Detroit sucks.

[bdog1321]

Why does this thread have ANY posts?

[ExpectDeath]

http://pics.bikerag.com/Uploads/data/500/258Troll_spray.jpg

[Gypsy]

Why does this thread have ANY posts?
GTFO.

Oh btw, anyone else watching the Rangers Caps game? Seriously, how awesome is Lundqvist? Doesn't matter how many shots you get if none go in.

[ExpectDeath]

I wish I had NHL Network. Lundqvist really picked it up during the end of the season, and it seems to be playing very well in this series. He really carried the Rangers the last month of the season. Drury coming back will really help NY.

[spencer 555]

For some reason lundqvist really shines when he can play decent enough to make the playoffs during the season. So far his performance in season games has been less then impressive, but dam he's beast in playoff games :)

[Gypsy]

Yeah there isn't alot of hockey broadcast on national tv.

I'd laugh if the Sharks went down in the first round. I'm definitely pulling for Anaheim in that one.

Edit: Lundqvist for the shut-out.

[ExpectDeath]

I really hope the Sharks don't go down first round. I have them going to the Western Finals in a poll for 300 bucks.

;)

[Gypsy]

Haha, good luck with that, they looked pretty bad in the first game. Another thing I would love to see is Calgary going down.

[ExpectDeath]

That's another thing I'd hate to see happen (based on my poll) but I think it might.

The Ducks' play completely contradicts the Sharks' play, which is why I think they will win. Hiller played great the first game, if he can keep that up I think they will win the series. They also have a bunch of the Cup winners left on their team. Sharks can't make it in the playoffs. They aren't built for it.

FMBracket.

[spencer 555]

The sharks are the best team on paper so I dunno if they will ED :P

[ExpectDeath]

Paper-Smaper.

They have been at the top of the league the past three+ years, and have gone no where.

[spencer 555]

Thats why I said I dont know about that, the best team on paper has always done poorly in my playoff experience. IE senators, detroit a few years back. Please dont bring up the old oilers/canadians to argue my point :P

[machiavelli33]

Rangers have signed Gilroy to a 2 year contract worth 7 mil (3.5 per year). I find it funny that they pay this much for a defense men who has never played in the NHL... and they have a cap of about 48 mil next year with 11 free agents. The cap will probably be going down... so have fun screwing your team next year, Rangers. :)

Double post...Whatev'

I went to the Pens game last night! Well I didn't actually make it inside, but we watched from the yard outside the rink on the huge projector that they put up. It's about 1/100th as good as being inside in the game but it was still a great experience. I really think that they should spread this around the league (if they haven't already). There were a couple thousand people outside, and it was a small scale model of the atmosphere inside the arena. It was a great time, topped by an even greater game. I jizzed in my pants when Fluery made the kick save on Carter. Guerin is a god. Thanks Ray Shero.

Go Pens.

*Edit

Save the triple post.

For all you Ovie lovers...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0904/nhl.playoffs.separated.at.birth/content.32.html

There are a couple other funny ones on that page. It takes forever to load each image though.

Seems like you had fun... lucky you. No playoffs hockey in Toronto. :(

I watched that Pens and Philly game and man was it good. The first 10 minutes of the game was absolutely bomb. There were so many hard hits and the way it ended in OT was just AWESOME!

Why does this thread have ANY posts?

Because Hockey is the most exciting sport out of all the sports. Has hits, it's faced-paced and the draft/prospects and free agency is better then any other sports.

GTFO.

Oh btw, anyone else watching the Rangers Caps game? Seriously, how awesome is Lundqvist? Doesn't matter how many shots you get if none go in.

Lundqvist is a monster... he ate up like every shot and shut out the Capitals. Rangers are so lucky that they have Lundqvist, otherwise I don't think they would've made the playoffs if they had a decent goalie like Osgood.

Oh, and Osgood is over rated. He played decent, but not great against Columbus facing only 20 shots.

I really hope the Sharks don't go down first round. I have them going to the Western Finals in a poll for 300 bucks.

;)

Same here... but I expect Sharks to bounce back. They need to get a little more aggressive on the offensive and stop being such a lame defensive team. I know good defensive wins you the game, but you need to score at least 2 goals in the playoffs otherwise teams won't be that successful in the playoff.

Oh and Luongo is a BEAST!

[Red Fire]

Mind explaining why?

I shouldn't have to.

[Gypsy]

Enh Mach, Osgood doesn't have to be great for the Wings to win.

[machiavelli33]

I know that... but people shouldn't think he is "great" when Wings have one of the best defense in the league along with the Bruins. Same goes for Tim Thomas.

[ExpectDeath]

He is far from great. He plays average. I could bet that Detroit has one of the fewest shots against in the league. Even look at the shots he get...Their entire team is very skilled and can play defense very well. Most of the shots he sees are from the outside or clear shots from the point.

CHEERS PENGRUINS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRQiNkTTqQo

[Gypsy]

Physical hockey game is physical. Philly is playing really well so far. They needed this game big time though.

[ExpectDeath]

I hope you saw Kuntiz' hit. The guy is reckless. Two goals on two shots for Fluery. The first goal by Carter...He toasted half the team. The second was a fluke bounce off of one of the Pens' skates. I know they can bounce back from this.

LetsGoPens.

[Ächilles]

The B's destroyed Montreal last night. Did anyone see Bergeron's fight? It was his first fight all season and he dropped the dude who started with him.

[Gypsy]

Late goal for the Pens certainly does make this game more interesting.

[ExpectDeath]

Malkin played amazing. Philly outplayed the Pens though. Fluery let in a few softies, but I'll let that go simply because of how great he has been playing lately. I can't wait for the next game. I'm sure it's going to be even more physical.

[Warcow]

Pretty awesome game between Calgary and Chicago tonight, good physical playoff hockey. Hopefully we can take our next home game as well and keep the series alive. I still can't believe we've blown leads twice going into the third.

[ExpectDeath]

http://i41.tinypic.com/wtvxjn.gi

Pens play tonight. I'd like to see a win this game, then take the series the first back back home.

[machiavelli33]

I can't get enough of that hit. It was so AMAZING!

Sharks won yesterday so it looks like they're back in the series and they scored 2 PP goals, so let's see if they continue that in the next game vs Anaheim in Anaheim.

Wow, Carolina won with 0.02 seconds left... BTW, what did you guys think about J. Jokinen bumping Brodeur out of his crease? I think it was a fair call.

[Ächilles]

Montreal gets their last nail in the coffin tonight.

Lucic is back too, which makes it all the more sweeter.

[The Butcher]

http://i41.tinypic.com/wtvxjn.gi

Pens play tonight. I'd like to see a win this game, then take the series the first back back home.

Scoreboard buddy, scoreboard.

[Gypsy]

Scoreboard?

April 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–1 Philadelphia Flyers
April 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 OT Philadelphia Flyers
April 19 Philadelphia Flyers 6–3 Pittsburgh Penguins
April 21 Philadelphia Flyers 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh leads series 3–1

Elimination tomorrow. Speaking of which, goodbye Columbus.

[The Butcher]

Scoreboard?

April 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–1 Philadelphia Flyers
April 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 OT Philadelphia Flyers
April 19 Philadelphia Flyers 6–3 Pittsburgh Penguins
April 21 Philadelphia Flyers 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh leads series 3–1

Elimination tomorrow. Speaking of which, goodbye Columbus.

Which game was that video from?

[Gypsy]

The one game that Philly won. I hate Crosby so I'd prefer to see Philly prolong this, but Pitt has been the better team in this series.

[The Butcher]

The game that Philly won.

My scoreboard remark was directed at the video, which was directed at that game.

Nice talking to ya.

[Gypsy]

Convenient omission from my quote there.

Nice talking to ya.

Yeah, you too. Why would you brag on one win to ED when Pitt is going to win the series? I guess that is really more or less what interested me.

It would be so typical if Philly came back to win this and made me eat my words.

[The Butcher]

Convenient omission from my quote there.



Yeah, you too. Why would you brag on one win to ED when Pitt is going to win the series? I guess that is really more or less what interested me.

It would be so typical if Philly came back to win this and made me eat my words.

Me and ED are buddies, it was some playful Philly/Pitt banter between the two of us. I'll be sure to never include in you in any kind of playful banter in the future, cuz you are easily butthurt.

/goes back to the NFL thread

[machiavelli33]

How was Gypsy supposed to know that?

[The Butcher]

How was Gypsy supposed to know that?

I guess he shouldn't have responded to a post that was directed to another member then?

Doesn't the change the fact as to how serious he got over it.

Look, I'm not getting into an argument in a thread I hardly ever post in, if you want to continue this conversation in anyway, please PM or VM me, don't junk up the thread, I'm not going to be "that guy" in this thread.

[ExpectDeath]

GTFO MA THRED BUTCH.

Fluery stole the game last night. I can't remember seeing any goalie play that well in a playoff game. Simply amazing.

[Ächilles]

Second period.

Bye bye.

:)

[Ächilles]

I seldom use this term as I hate internet jargon, but I feel the situation not only appropriates it, but necessitates it:

Owned.

[machiavelli33]

Habs get swept... haha. They deserve it for being such asses. The fans booed the team and booed American national anthem in game 3. Oh and Price did exactly what Roy did, putting his hands up.

Calgary and Chicago game was amazing. The series is tied up at 2-2 but Chicago got the adv.

Washington is getting owned by Rangers, well I should say Lundqvist. The team hasn't done much to help Lundqvist out and with Avery taking stupid penalties again, it just adds that much more pressure.


I guess he shouldn't have responded to a post that was directed to another member then?

Doesn't the change the fact as to how serious he got over it.

Look, I'm not getting into an argument in a thread I hardly ever post in, if you want to continue this conversation in anyway, please PM or VM me, don't junk up the thread, I'm not going to be "that guy" in this thread.

Gypsy didn't get serious and he hardly ever does.

I don't want to argue either. I want to talk about the PLAYOFFS!

[Office_Shredder]

The ducks sharks series reminds me a lot of the ducks wings series two years ago... the ducks just keep finding ways to put pucks in the net. Low quantity of high quality opportunities, which is pretty much antithesis to conservative hockey doctrine

[machiavelli33]

They kind of remind me of the Devils, who aren't great at scoring but when they attack, they make it go in.

If the Sharks lose, I'm just going to stop picking them for my entire life. I realize Ducks are a good team, they have excellent defense, they have scoring too thanks to Ryan, Perry and Getzlaf and their goalie is playing great as well. But it's unacceptable for the Sharks to playing this horrible.

Yesterday games sucked... 3 teams were shut out yesterday and it was tough loss for Columbus against Wings.

Anyone thinking Bob Gainey will be fired under new ownership? The owner wants to sell the Habs.

[Office_Shredder]

Washington is getting owned by Rangers, well I should say Lundqvist. The team hasn't done much to help Lundqvist out and with Avery taking stupid penalties again, it just adds that much more pressure.


Say what you will, but didn't Avery not play tonight?

[max2k106]

Ovechkin is the sickest goal scorer in the league . . . . so sick.

If Washington loses to the Rangers and the Sharks blow it against anaheim, I think the B's have a very good shot at the whole thing . . . *knock on wood*

[Office_Shredder]

Ovechkin is the sickest goal scorer in the league . . . . so sick.

If Washington loses to the Rangers and the Sharks blow it against anaheim, I think the B's have a very good shot at the whole thing . . . *knock on wood*

I agree the Rangers aren't going to be able to keep this up (more specifically, Lundqvist can't keep this up) but the Ducks can be a deep threat, and if they eliminate the sharks it is more a testament to the Duck's play than the Shark's play I think.

[ExpectDeath]

Ovie's goal was sick.

Flyers suck. Bring on the next round. DoitPens.

[ExpectDeath]

http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/27438/2548622610093418993S600x600Q85.jpg

(I didn't make this.)

[baller12]

Ovie is my favorite player besides datsyuk but there's no way they can come back to win it

[Serge]

Since when does Ach like hockey?

I'm hoping that 4-0 win over NY is a sign that the Caps are going to pull out a win in this series. I'd hate for them to lose in the first round of the playoffs the first year I'm following them. What do you figure their chances are?

[ExpectDeath]

Coming off the win, and Tortorella's explosion, I think the Caps have a great chance. Tortorella was even calling out the Ranger's star players, which I thought was pretty unprofessional. Call them together for a meeting. Doing something like that is just going to pit your team against you. Varlamov(sp) is playing great. I'm really glad the game is on NBC so I can actually watch it!

[Gypsy]

I wish I could watch this but they've been on a weather alert/coverage thing for some time now...

[machiavelli33]

GG Rangers, losing when you have the series lead 3-1.

I feel sorry for the Devils, they first had the heart breaker losing in .2 seconds and now with 31.7 secods left? Brodeur wasn't really that good in this series and I think Ward out played him.

Second round prediction:

Eastern:

(1) Boston vs (6) Carolina - Boston in 6
(2) Washington vs (4) Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh in 6

Western:

(2) Detroit vs (8) Ducks - Ducks in 7
(3) Vancouver vs (4) Chicago - Vancouver in 6

Let's see Pittsburgh and the Canucks in the finals!

[Ächilles]

Since when does Ach like hockey?

I've always like hockey. In fact, everyone in Boston has always loved it, we were always a hockey town. The problem is that we hate the owner.

Everyone in Boston refused to support the B's for years because of the owner, Jeremy Jacobs. Jacobs, even with the B's doing this well, is still a soulless, money-leeching fuck-head. He NEVER invests in the team and is only about how much money he can bring in selling bumper stickers and hot dogs. He traded away Ray Bourque because he didn't want to carry his contract. Hell, he traded away Joe Thorton so he didn't have to pay him, and next year Thorton won league MVP.

In fact, we hate him so much that we made this site: https://pleasesellthebruins.com/

It's like being a German-American in the forties, and wanting to be proud of your heritage, but Hitler just won't sell the Third Reich. How can you openly support that?

Anyways...

San Jose is done. I can't believe it. They were my pick to win the cup all year, and then boom, first round. And now Jersey's out too? Habs swept first round? This is turning out to be one of the most interesting cup runs ever.

B's play South Carolina on Friday. My personal opinion is that the Hurricanes don't stand a chance, but alas, I'm biased : )

[Gypsy]

(2) Detroit vs (8) Ducks - Wings in 4


Fixed.

[machiavelli33]

Ducks have too much good defense and they have 2 great goalies to go with it, their offense is awesome now with Bobby Ryan in the mix with Getzlaf and Perry.

Ducks will shut down the Wings forward with Pronger, S. Neidemayer, Whitney, Beauchemin. There is no way they'll get swept by the Wings. Heck, Wings goalie isn't even that great and the Sharks had a pretty good defense and a goaltender who didn't play all that great but that's mostly because Ducks overpowered them. Ducks easily shutdown the offense of the Sharks, their 1st and 2nd line and I expect them to do that again against the Wings.

[Gypsy]

No need for that analysis, you just have to believe. Wings are repeating, I have no doubts. :P

[ExpectDeath]

Eastern:

(1) Boston vs (6) Carolina - Carolina in 7
(2) Washington vs (4) Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh in 6

Western:

(2) Detroit vs (8) Ducks - Red Wings in 5
(3) Vancouver vs (4) Chicago - Vancouver in 6

[Spit_101]

Dammit Rangers...

No more hockey season for me. :( But they did get farther than I expected.

[Ächilles]

I don't care if we win in any sport.

So long as New York loses worse.

: )

[DOCTOR DEVICE]

Eastern:

(1) Boston vs (6) Carolina - Carolina in 7


I lol'd.

[ExpectDeath]

http://www.jasonrubacky.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/tim-thomas-drew-carey.jpg

I lol'd.

[Ächilles]

You say that like it's a bad thing. The Drew Carey Show was awesome.

Plus, Thomas is easily one of the best goalies in the NHL.

[ExpectDeath]

Oh god the Drew Carey Show was horrendous. Drew Carey was also THE WORST cast member on Whose Line.

Thomas has it easy on a defensively sound team. He makes the easy saves, and plays completely sloppy. The numbers don't lie, but I can't stand the way he plays. He reminds me of Hasek. I cringe every time I watch him make a save.

[Ächilles]

Oh god the Drew Carey Show was horrendous. Drew Carey was also THE WORST cast member on Whose Line.

Thomas has it easy on a defensively sound team. He makes the easy saves, and plays completely sloppy. The numbers don't lie, but I can't stand the way he plays. He reminds me of Hasek. I cringe every time I watch him make a save.

Can you do better?

[Office_Shredder]

Oh god the Drew Carey Show was horrendous. Drew Carey was also THE WORST cast member on Whose Line.

Thomas has it easy on a defensively sound team. He makes the easy saves, and plays completely sloppy. The numbers don't lie, but I can't stand the way he plays. He reminds me of Hasek. I cringe every time I watch him make a save.

Hasek, the goalie with the best career save percentage ever? Playing on an allotment of teams that could hardly be called defensively dominant?

:confused:

[ExpectDeath]

I never said that Hasek wasn't one of the best goalies of all time. I said that his playing style reminds me of Haske, and that it makes me cringe every time I watch him make a save. I can't stand the way either of them play.

[Ächilles]

It's looking like you might be right, ED.

:rolleyes:

[Office_Shredder]

I never said that Hasek wasn't one of the best goalies of all time. I said that his playing style reminds me of Haske, and that it makes me cringe every time I watch him make a save. I can't stand the way either of them play.

It's just bizarre to criticize a goalie by comparing him to one of the greatest of all time

[Wizzy`]

It's just bizarre to criticize a goalie by comparing him to one of the greatest of all time

O_O when did you get back?

[ExpectDeath]

Can you do better?

No. I never said I did. I don't think I am on the level of any goalie in the AHL/NHL. I was criticizing his playing style, not his skill level.

[Ächilles]

Like you said, the numbers are there. Can't deny that. He's stopping shots and has been on top of every type of goalie statistic across the board all season.

Game two tonight. I'm not seeing Carolina being able to do.. anything. After the last game, they just don't seem to have an answer for how physical the B's play.

Actually, the commentators were saying every member on the team has one eye on the puck and the other on Lucic.

[Gypsy]

Overtime. Come on Wings!

Ducks are pretty damn good.

[machiavelli33]

Told ya. The Ducks won in the third OT and it probably wouldn't have gone to OT if it wasn't for that first goal by the Wings but it really set the Ducks on.

Ducks have the home court advantage now, not that it matters much in Hockey but it's still nice to get some energy from the crowd.

Oh and Getzlaf is a beast. He's leading in points in playoffs with 13.