Ongoing NHL thread - Part deux

[dare2be]

Finally, Grapes gets some competition.

 

[Puck082]

Rick DP update

I dont mind seeing him on the air and doing his analysis, but he needs to be a little better in front of the camera. He seemed nervous and he was talking 100 mph.

Isles are paying him, might as well use him.....

 

[Comeds]

Was Rick able to get through both intermissions without getting injured?

 

[BGDave]

Hey Rick, Ted Nugent called and he wants his jacket back.

I particularly like the bit at 1:43 when he starts singing "Land of a Thousand Goals (Against)"

 

[Puck082]

Was Rick able to get through both intermissions without getting injured?

I think so...but he was behind the desk in a wheelchair, so he must be recovering from something.

 

[pixburgher66]

I didn't say or imply that you did, the beat writer you were citing was mentioned in my very first sentence. And I simply don't think that being the biggest ass in Europe and/or mentally ill makes it OK for media members (or anyone) to just lazily make shit up about you. If he were using that kind of bullshit narrative to badmouth Sidney Crosby I think you'd be pissed, and rightly so. I'm sure you know/realize this, but it doesn't suddenly become good journalistic technique when the target is an asshole.

No...but it's a bit more justified, hah.

Speaking again on this incident:

Andre Deveaux viciously slashes opponent before Swedish league playoff game (Video) | Puck Daddy - Yahoo Sports

He hasn't been suspended yet, and played in the next game. And his comments are scary too.

 

[pixburgher66]

I'm not crying YOU'RE crying.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I'm not crying YOU'RE crying.

Just gonna close the office door for a couple minutes...

 

[DragonfromTO]

No...but it's a bit more justified, hah.

Speaking again on this incident:

Andre Deveaux viciously slashes opponent before Swedish league playoff game (Video) | Puck Daddy - Yahoo Sports

He hasn't been suspended yet, and played in the next game. And his comments are scary too.

No, it's really not more justified.

I saw the clip the first time you posted it and have read about what happened. Doesn't change my opinion of the beat writer's lazy comments.

 

[dare2be]

I saw the clip the first time you posted it and have read about what happened. Doesn't change my opinion of the beat writer's lazy comments.

That's the Trib for ya.

 

[BGDave]

I'm not crying YOU'RE crying.

WTG Keaton. Awesome.

 

[Cobiemonster]

*sigh*

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

*sigh*

It's amazing how progressively worse GW has gotten as a hockey writer in the past few years.

 

[Cobiemonster]

It's amazing how progressively worse GW has gotten as a hockey writer in the past few years.

He's a joke

And I'm also getting tired of everyone wanting to change every god damn thing in this sport this season because "nobody is scoring!" and "teams are tanking!" and "the President's Trophy actually needs to mean something!" - it's so fucking stupid

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

He's a joke

And I'm also getting tired of everyone wanting to change every god damn thing in this sport this season because "nobody is scoring!" and "teams are tanking!" and "the President's Trophy actually needs to mean something!" - it's so fucking stupid

Agreed wholesale, and I'd throw this gimmicky 4-on-4 to 3-on-3 to shootout OT crap in there too.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

*sigh*

i would have been happiest if suckdaddys answer was "make Manny Malhotra dress up like he is in the cast of the Matrix" and he ended it right there

 

[DragonfromTO]

Agreed wholesale, and I'd throw this gimmicky 4-on-4 to 3-on-3 to shootout OT crap in there too.

Honestly I didn't have a problem with ties in the first place. I mean obviously in a perfect world I'd want sudden death until someone scores, but I get why they don't want to do that. But I didn't mind having ties.

 

[Cobiemonster]

Agreed wholesale, and I'd throw this gimmicky 4-on-4 to 3-on-3 to shootout OT crap in there too.

Yep

If they want 3 on 3 OT then just go STRAIGHT to it, teams are going to wait on a 4 on 4 so they can get to 3 on 3 - make the teams initiate if you want 3 on 3

And for the tanking aspect, teams haven't been "tanking" in the past - maybe teams know what's ahead like Buffalo and Arizona and they're doing their due diligence, but they're not tanking because it's the cool thing to do, they're doing it because they know they need something to help save their teams - and a lot of this tanking shit has been media-driven too

The lack of scoring thing isn't really the case, it's just that there is a lot more depth in the league right now - the superstars might not be hitting 100 points but there are a lot of players who are scoring 50-60-70 points because the players are so much better now than they were even a few years ago - teams are just getting more and more depth now

GPG:
Montreal - 2.63
Tampa Bay - 3.21
Detroit - 2.93
NY Rangers - 3.04
Pittsburgh - 2.76
NY Islanders - 3.05
Washington - 2.93
Boston - 2.64
Ottawa - 2.91
Florida - 2.50
Philadelphia - 2.61
Columbus - 2.76

Average of Top 12 teams in East: 2.83 GPG

Nashville - 2.86
St. Louis - 3.04
Chicago - 2.84
Anaheim - 2.91
Vancouver - 2.87
Calgary - 2.95
Minnesota - 2.88
Winnipeg - 2.83
Los Angeles - 2.67
Dallas - 3.11
San Jose - 2.79
Colorado - 2.73

Average of Top 12 teams in West: 2.87 GPG

82 players have at least 20 goals this season, compared to 101 last season - 92 players had at least 50 points last season and this season 74 do and there are 27 players who are within 5 points of 50 and could possibly reach 50 points by the end of the season

Sure it's not as high as last season, but the teams that are really bad are part of the problem - once they improve it'll go back up

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Yep

If they want 3 on 3 OT then just go STRAIGHT to it, teams are going to wait on a 4 on 4 so they can get to 3 on 3 - make the teams initiate if you want 3 on 3

Teams waited for the shootout in the current format; why wouldn't they just wait for the 3-on-3 in the new format? Just like they would skate for a tie in the old format. There's no perfect answer, but teams getting into the playoffs because they've won 8 shootouts has always seemed wrong to me. Like Dragon said, I was always cool with the tie - it wasn't ideal but it was fair.

And for the tanking aspect, teams haven't been "tanking" in the past - maybe teams know what's ahead like Buffalo and Arizona and they're doing their due diligence, but they're not tanking because it's the cool thing to do, they're doing it because they know they need something to help save their teams - and a lot of this tanking shit has been media-driven too

It's obviously a by-product of the hype around McDavid. We weren't ready for it because the last time there was a guy like this in the draft (Crosby) the season was cancelled. I'm just sick of hearing about it - I don't blame the teams for doing what they're doing, I don't think there is any miracle on earth that could've made the Buffalo Sabres a competitive team this season and I'm just fine with them being at the bottom of the league. [/QUOTE]

The lack of scoring thing isn't really the case, it's just that there is a lot more depth in the league right now - the superstars might not be hitting 100 points but there are a lot of players who are scoring 50-60-70 points because the players are so much better now than they were even a few years ago - teams are just getting more and more depth now

GPG:
Montreal - 2.63
Tampa Bay - 3.21
Detroit - 2.93
NY Rangers - 3.04
Pittsburgh - 2.76
NY Islanders - 3.05
Washington - 2.93
Boston - 2.64
Ottawa - 2.91
Florida - 2.50
Philadelphia - 2.61
Columbus - 2.76

Average of Top 12 teams in East: 2.83 GPG

Nashville - 2.86
St. Louis - 3.04
Chicago - 2.84
Anaheim - 2.91
Vancouver - 2.87
Calgary - 2.95
Minnesota - 2.88
Winnipeg - 2.83
Los Angeles - 2.67
Dallas - 3.11
San Jose - 2.79
Colorado - 2.73

Average of Top 12 teams in West: 2.87 GPG

82 players have at least 20 goals this season, compared to 101 last season - 92 players had at least 50 points last season and this season 74 do and there are 27 players who are within 5 points of 50 and could possibly reach 50 points by the end of the season

Sure it's not as high as last season, but the teams that are really bad are part of the problem - once they improve it'll go back up

And this isn't exactly new - in both 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons there was only 1 player scoring over 100 pts. Even during the lockout year only one player (St. Louis) was on pace for a 100+ pt season over 82 games.

I think this is more a by-product of reduced minutes for star players and spreading the production across 3 or 4 lines than it is about reduced scoring. Of the top ten current points leaders half are logging fewer minutes than last season and two of the guys who are logging more minutes than last year (Tarasenko and Voracek) are playing different roles than they were a season ago that explains those minutes. As teams adjust to a 4 line game we'll see scoring rebound.

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

It's obviously a by-product of the hype around McDavid. We weren't ready for it because the last time there was a guy like this in the draft (Crosby) the season was cancelled. I'm just sick of hearing about it - I don't blame the teams for doing what they're doing, I don't think there is any miracle on earth that could've made the Buffalo Sabres a competitive team this season and I'm just fine with them being at the bottom of the league.

How far are we taking the word miracle here? Because my proposed Cody Hodgson for Crosby and Malkin trade would surely have helped the competitiveness.