It seems that Tim Thomas isn't the only Bruin that has a beef with a high profile Washington DC black man.

 

 

 

 

Traitor !

OK done with all Canada teams.  Whodathunk golf season now starts sooner in Canada than it does in the USA?  

 

Time to diss the Crapitals again.

 

 

Back in overtime!! Nothing like playoff hockey...

Those LA Kings are looking pretty damn good.  I'm not convinced the Rangers have the Caps number just yet.  Today's victory over them was pretty much a shitshow. 

Still waiting for an explanation of the logic/purpose behind Flyer's mismatched jersey name plates..

Can't believe how many goals so far in Phoenix-Nashville -- playoffs are always a bit bizarre.

 

 

Out of everyone left, those are the two teams I'd LEAST like to see hoist the cup.  Gotta admit I'm still a bit of a geographic hockey history snob even though my two favorite teams (Canes and Stars) are in cities supporting relocated franchises. 

It's only cool for them to move to MY town hahahaha...  Other than my special circumstances, I'd prefer that old school franchises win, especially ones where high school hockey is strong locally.

 

Oh, I wouldn't mind Nashville winning. They have great fans, and I respect their team and coach. I don't necessarily dislike Phoenix, except I hate that coyote howling after they score (I don't know why, it only makes sense, but it grates on my nerves), and the whole conspiracy thing bugs me. And Gretzky behind the bench bugged me, it was like the refs were scared to call penalties. 

So far pretty interesting. Nashville looks very vulnerable. D is disappearing and Rinne seems to be playing as if he was half his size. Phoenix looks tough, though that whole Raffi Torres thing is in the back of my mind every time I want to start to like them. Jonathan Quick is unbelievable and if the Blues lose Pietrangelo for a chunk of time they could be in trouble. They cant go down 2-0 against Quick, Kopitar, Doughty and Brown.

Flyers (Lets... Go... Flyers!) and Rangers look like they are going to roll. NJ and Wash dont quite have the horses. (Especially the way Ovi is barely playing. I get that he ain't the greatest defender in the world, but come on. You can't just hope to beat the Rangers by playing defense only. At some point they have to score and he is a dominant offensive player who is being taken out of the game by his own team's system. Find some way to hide the guy on defense so he can get some offensive rhythm going.) Flyers-- love 'em or hate 'em you gotta admit they are entertaining as hell. Forwards all over the place, questionable D, goalie on the edge! Never a dull moment. I still don't get how anyone in the national media can pick them over the Rangers, though, considering they haven't beaten them once this year. Not like the Rangers are getting worse. Lundqvist is ridiculous, their defense just flows to the shooting lanes like a huge sea monster, and now they are finding some offense. Ugh...

Nice win Caps! Still think Rangers in 6 tho. Sick shot by Ovechkin.

 

 

 

Interesting article about Ovi getting the least amount of playoff playing time in his career because the coach thinks he's a defensive liability, meanwhile the Caps are winning: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/capitals/alex-ovechkins-ice-time-is-an-elephant-in-the-room/2012/04/30/gIQAbCW2sT_story.html

 

Includes these quotes from Ovi:  “It’s most important thing right now, guys, just win the series and win the game. If you gonna talk about my game time and all that kind of stuff, it’s not a season — it’s the playoffs. How I said before, you have to suck it up and play for team.”

 

He added, “Sometimes you just have to put eye in your butt and, you know, play for everybody.”

Sucks only having one game a night to look forward to!! It's become such a perfect tv sport. HD lets you see the ice more and the puck better. There aren't too many ad breaks during the action. Watch a 20 min period then get stuff done for 15 minutes. Repeat. Watch the third period and overtime. Done in 2.5 hours... And the Last 5 minutes of a close game are tense end to end action instead of a mind-numbing procession of free throws, timeouts, and commercial breaks. (Just wish they'd go back to the home team wearing white. I still can't get used to the home team dark thing...)

Friend of my daughters is a huge Caps fan so we've been watching a lot. Caught a Flyers-Caps game and the guy is just electric in person. Big, fast, and his shots are unbelievable. You believe he is going to score every time he touches the puck. He's definitely a little goofy on defense. He plays hard, just seems confused.

I just scored a sweet Kings jersey.  Rangers are still my favorite remaining since I got to see them play when I lived on Long Island.  But, those new Kings sweaters look pretty cool and they're on a roll.  CCM Replica $25 delivered :-).  I guess at some point not to long from now I'll have at least one jersey from every single active NHL team along with a few defunct/relocated ones.

 

 

 

+1.  This is something that NBC Universal seems to finally  be doing right.  Anybody remember that stupid Fox Sports broadcast hockey glowing puck experiment they tried several hears ago?  The loaded a microchip inside the puck and made it glow different colors depending on how fast it was moving with tracers behind it.  Really kooky that was LOL!

That is sweet!!!

 

 

I'm a Caps fan who has watched about 3/4 of their games the past five years. I think you overestimate Ovie big-time.

 

Pure and simple, he just has lousy hockey sense. He is extremely talented, but he has become too predictable on offense. He is also not as fit and explosive as he was in his prime. He only has a few moves, and teams have figured out how to defend them. The blame lies on Ovechkin, not on the coaches or the system.

 

As much as I detest Crosby and Malkin, I'll give them credit for having picked up new offensive skills over the years. Ovie hasn't to the extent expected of a top 10 player making 10 million a year for the next decade.

 

His shot is hard, but not all that accurate. Even in his prime (when IMHO his accuracy was a lot better), he relied on getting tons of shots on goal (consistently one of the leaders on shot attempts). Many times those shots would be taken from bad locations or timed badly, leaving the team exposed to odd man rushes.

 

Not the greatest defender? I say maybe the worst defender in the entire NHL. He constantly loafs and coasts on defense, has poor positioning and stick fundamentals. He get inspired on defense maybe 10% of his shifts. You can't "hide a guy on defense" at the upper levels of hockey. It's a team game, and good teams find the weakness. Like exposing a defender with a broken stick.

 

Backstrom is by far the Caps best player. Semin is by far their best sniper.

One more item to add to my rant on Ovie. He's insisted over several coaching regimes to play the point on the PP. In his prime years, he was devastating on the half wall. One of the most dangerous weapons in hockey. At the point, his shot is generally not as effective (last night's goal not withstanding) and the weaknesses in his puck handling get exposed.

 

I'm a Caps fan, when Ovie is on he can light up a rink and be very entertaining, but I just don't think he's a very good hockey player.
 

That's very insightful JL.  Did you play in college?  I can relate a little as IIRC from my two years of sub age 10 organized hockey playing defense I was usually on point while on offense.  It seemed a lot easier as the whole game was happening in front of me.  When I wandered farther in while on offense stuff was happening all around me instead of just in front of me.

 

Thanks for the insights.  You really seem to know your stuff!

Geographic history snob? Actually, I wouldn't go with irony, more like hypocrisy.

 

FYI, there is plenty of good highschool/youth hockey being played in Phoenix. Oh, that blue thing fox put in the puck...they put that in there for you: the moron American hockey fan.

There is also plenty of EXPENSIVE youth hockey being played in North Carolina. But, it ain't the same as a good old state (or province for you Canadian morons) high school hockey tournament where every television in the whole town is tuned in to watch their kids play/win.  Not even close.

 

Around here it is more expensive for a 6 year old to learn to play ice hockey than golf.  Up north it cost more along the line of a t-ball league versus an outdoor rink hockey league assuming you can snag some used equipment.  Definitely more fun to see pro teams playing in arenas where that element is able to thrive than it is where only the upper middle class and rich kids can actually play and compete scholastically. 

 

Canada seems to have the best climate for that.  Why is it that they can't seem to support a lot of competitive professional franchises in any sport?  I'd say the tax rates are prohibitive and the best talent migrates south to keep more of of their earnings, but that doesn't explain why soccer/football stars don't mind staying in higher tax regions of the world like Europe.  Humm,  I just don't get it.

Edited by crgildart - 5/1/12 at 12:27pm

 

Actually, I see no difference. The kids play their hearts out regardless, more than any other sport I have seen or played. Who watches it is not a concern; I guess that is what separates players from bandwagon sports fans.  

 

The reason why hockey is cheap in Canada and say Minnesota is because they are community subsidized rinks and programs in contrast to privately owned ones elsewhere in the country. I now ask, what do kids have to do with seeing a game in MSG? You really think there are city kids playing hockey in NYC or going to Ranger games? You are completely delusional, your reality from which construct your ideas and thoughts from is based on a bunch of nonsense. The only place in North America where kids have an equal opportunity to play hockey, more specifically they aren't upper middle class or rich kids, is in Minnesota area or Canada. These are the only environments that meet your conditions. You can't play high school and not have played 10 years of youth hockey. To play youth hockey in Buffalo is the same price to play in Phoenix. There is no difference. You might get ripped off in Raleigh, but it still isn't cheap anywhere else. So by your crazy set of axioms, only Minnesota and Canadian teams should be playing for the cup, which is in complete contradiction with the nonsense you posted above in this thread. Go figure.

 

Your last paragraph is ridiculous. Beckham? Players go where teams pay the most money. In no way is what you said even correlated to the dynamics of Canadian sports or the NHL. 

 

Please go back to something like College football. Yeah, go back to cheering a bunch of oafs undeserving of their free college education, in a realm where money and sports is more important than education. 

Back to hockey, I wonder if Bryz can take Philly to the promise land. I have my doubts. LA is looking pretty strong out west. Kopitar is a beast if he gets going and Quick? Look out.

 

 

FWIW, I grew up in MINNESOTA, And, I played organized hockey there not New York. That is what I was referring to.  That is my main frame of hockey world USA reference.  I moved to NY after college, then to the Dallas area (held the cup in 99), where there is also some rockin' hockey programs for spoiled little rich kids, then to NC in 1999, the only place I ever got to see a Stanley Cup game in person, then they won the cup on my birthday in 2006.  FWIW, there is also some good hockey going on at affordable pee wee and high school levels in several rural areas throughout the Great White North.  Your level of ignorance and idiocy is glaring!

 

And, I'll gladly go back to college football right after it starts back up again.  GO SOONERS!!!!!!!!!!!

Buddy, 

 

" I'd prefer that old school franchises win, especially ones where high school hockey is strong locally."

 

What does this have to with where you grew up? I pointed out the Rangers, because you claimed you'd cheer for them as opposed to re-locations and expansions even with strong local hockey.Then you said that the only hockey programs counted were ones that were considered important locally and

"...[it isn't] where only the upper middle class and rich kids can actually play and compete scholastically". 

 

Those conditions you have set aren't met anywhere in the USA sans MN. Everything you have said in this thread is basically nonsense as you keep contradicting yourself and blabbing out more idiotic worthless bs than a dogshit factory. 

 

 

 

 Two questions and then some :

How good is the OK hockey team   ?

 

How do you get BS from a DS factory ?   Do they trade ? Or is BS  a byrproduct of producing DS ?

 

 

 Go Huskies !     Seattle is working  to build an arena and get a team after having WHL teams for many years. It's been a while since they won the Stanley Cup,.   They coiuld call them the New Mets.