Ongoing NHL Thread Part IV - A New Hope

[dash]

On the one hand, seeing all the other division winners eliminated along with Calgary in the first round lessens the disappointment somewhat. On the other hand, I feel a great opportunity for a deep run has been wasted.

 

[davnlaguna]

6 of the Top 8 gone.

 

[Sir Robin Of Camelot]

 

[dare2be]

6 of the Top 8 gone.

Or in Bossman terms, 8 of the top 16 gone.

 

[elocomotive]

I'll be rooting for the Sharks, Blues, and Blue Jackets from here on out. Would love to see another new champion crowned this year and another long suffering and deserving group of fans get their day in the sun.

It's time for an avatar to change as the sun sets on our run as the defending champs.

(cue the Enya song please...)

A serene train meandering through the mountains of the home of his favorite sport, satisfied with his hockey journey (and maybe stopping off in the next town for a colonoscopy).

 

[elocomotive]

Maybe a kinder, gentler Eloco emerged from all of this. One more focused on life and love, and less obsessed with hockey. One who learned to enjoy the journey more than the results. One who is more patient and has learned to treat his fellow man better. One who is more empathetic.

 

[elocomotive]

And lastly....
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... I hope one of the Islanders spears Justin Williams through his asshole and the stick comes out his eye socket.

Eat a dick, Carolina fans. You undeserving bandwagoning, fuck biscuits!!!

 

[elocomotive]

jk

 

[dare2be]

One who is more empathetic

You can't spell empathetic without pathetic.



Happy trails, my friend.

 

[forty_three]

You can't spell empathetic without pathetic.



Happy trails, my friend.

SO DARE! WHO IS YOUR PICK FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE PLAYOFFS?!?!?!

 

[dare2be]

SO DARE! WHO IS YOUR PICK FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE PLAYOFFS?!?!?!

You want me to jinx it or what? Cuz I will.

 

[naslundfan19]

Can someone refresh my memory on why the 2-1 joke became a staple here?

 

[BGDave]

This may come across as sour grapes, but has there ever been a less interesting second round of playoffs? Ever??

I have watched the Battle of Winterfell twice and will probably watch it a couple of more times this week. Just cant get excited about any of the 4 series.

Nah, its probably me.

 

[gob]

This may come across as sour grapes, but has there ever been a less interesting second round of playoffs? Ever??

I have watched the Battle of Winterfell twice and will probably watch it a couple of more times this week. Just cant get excited about any of the 4 series.

Nah, its probably me.

 

[dash]

This may come across as sour grapes, but has there ever been a less interesting second round of playoffs? Ever??

I have watched the Battle of Winterfell twice and will probably watch it a couple of more times this week. Just cant get excited about any of the 4 series.

Nah, its probably me.

No, it's not just you. I mean, the only series I'm excited about in the 2nd round is Boston - Columbus, the rest of them I don't have much interest in the outcome. Still coming to terms about how the best regular season in 30 years for Calgary ended so abruptly.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I won't even lie, I've watched exactly eight minutes of the second round (NYI-Carolina) and that's despite the Leafs aftertaste having long since washed out of my mouth.

There's literally nothing I'd like to watch less right now than more Boston Bruins hockey and none of the other series are even a little enticing.

Of the sixteen teams who contested the past four conference finals, only six were teams that existed in their current locations before 1992. There's a decent chance that only one similar team advances to this year's final four. I can't speak to how much hockey is or isn't growing in those markets but in an era where hockey is completely overshadowed stateside by the NBA I can't imagine the lack of major, historically-strong hockey markets competing deep into the playoffs is doing the NHL's long-term popularity any favours.

Throw in the fact that 16 of the top 20 regular season scorers are not playing in the second round of the playoffs and at the very least you've lost a lot of your personality-based marketing muscle 1/4 of the way through the postseason.

While the current playoff format may have made things a little more interesting (particularly in the first round), there's a decent argument to be made that it hasn't made things more exciting. The NHL has a pretty serious problem on its hands with the NBC deal expiring soon if that is the case.

 

[obxyankeefan]

At this point with the teams left, I am just rooting for certain teams to lose.

I will not mention the cities of Boston and Dallas that I am talking about though.

 

[dare2be]

Of the sixteen teams who contested the past four conference finals, only six were teams that existed in their current locations before 1992. There's a decent chance that only one similar team advances to this year's final four. I can't speak to how much hockey is or isn't growing in those markets but in an era where hockey is completely overshadowed stateside by the NBA I can't imagine the lack of major, historically-strong hockey markets competing deep into the playoffs is doing the NHL's long-term popularity any favours.

You kinda contradict yourself there. Having more traditional, established markets in the playoffs isn't going to have as much of an appreciable impact on NHL popularity as would having more upstart markets in the playoffs would. It's simply a matter of potential long-term gains vs. short-term losses.

 

[gob]

I won't even lie, I've watched exactly eight minutes of the second round (NYI-Carolina) and that's despite the Leafs aftertaste having long since washed out of my mouth.

There's literally nothing I'd like to watch less right now than more Boston Bruins hockey and none of the other series are even a little enticing.

Of the sixteen teams who contested the past four conference finals, only six were teams that existed in their current locations before 1992. There's a decent chance that only one similar team advances to this year's final four. I can't speak to how much hockey is or isn't growing in those markets but in an era where hockey is completely overshadowed stateside by the NBA I can't imagine the lack of major, historically-strong hockey markets competing deep into the playoffs is doing the NHL's long-term popularity any favours.

Throw in the fact that 16 of the top 20 regular season scorers are not playing in the second round of the playoffs and at the very least you've lost a lot of your personality-based marketing muscle 1/4 of the way through the postseason.

While the current playoff format may have made things a little more interesting (particularly in the first round), there's a decent argument to be made that it hasn't made things more exciting. The NHL has a pretty serious problem on its hands with the NBC deal expiring soon if that is the case.

In regards to the Eastern conference.... Both wild card teams are winning. Is playoff restructuring changing that?

Sorry Kucherov and Ovechkin couldn't win in the first round.

 

[puckhead]