Hockey Night In DSP

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 5:29 pm

Damn Wild is on top on the NW division now as my 'Nucks will try to regain first place vs Avs tonight at the garage. When I look at the Wild schedule for the rest of the season, it's possible that they may end up first in the NW as they have easier games coming up including a couple of encouters with EDM and play a lot of the games at home.

I think it's darn time EDM should win a couple of more games. Come on Oils!

We'll see how hungry COL is as they are fighting for the 8th and final spot and have back to back games with VAN.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 2:44 pm

biggest drops in the NHL:

Jeff O'neill. He is being scratched...with bates battaglia getting ice time over him.

other's thoughts?

nyisles16 · Post by **nyisles16** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 2:57 pm

shhh.. if you listen carefully, you may just hear the Isles season being flushed down the toilet..

a big, well cant say it here

, goes out to DiPietro, otherwise now known as "T-P".. while he came back for a spell after his bonehead move, he now is back out indefinitely (failed a neurological exam after saying he did not feel well)

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 3:11 pm

nyisles16 wrote:shhh.. if you listen carefully, you may just hear the Isles season being flushed down the toilet..

a big, well cant say it here , goes out to DiPietro, otherwise now known as "T-P".. while he came back for a spell after his bonehead move, he now is back out indefinitely (failed a neurological exam after saying he did not feel well)

yashin....any team with yashin will always choke.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 3:27 pm

Sudz wrote:biggest drops in the NHL:

Jeff O'neill. He is being scratched...with bates battaglia getting ice time over him.

other's thoughts?

Tear up about five or six Oilers' names and put them into a hat, especially Torres, Pisani, Lupul, Horcoff, Sykora and Hemsky. But the biggest offender by far is Joffrey Lupul.

Lupul scored 28 goals as a rookie last season in Anaheim and was seen as a shoo-in for 30 and first- or second-line status this season in Edmonton. He has 16 goals, 11 assists and is <b>-24</b> in 75 games this season. He was a healthy scratch twice last week despite the team claiming he had a touch of the flu.

Tough to top that.

Take care,
PK

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 3:31 pm

TSN has learned that Jack Johnson and the Los Angeles Kings have agreed to terms on a new contract.

The former Michigan star defenceman will make his NHL debut Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks.

Johnson announced Sunday that he has decided to forego his final two years of eligibility to play in the NHL.

"With all my close friends, the seniors, gone now and everything, I thought it was time for me to pretty much go for a new challenge," Johnson told The Michigan Daily, a student newspaper.

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Johnson had 16 goals and 21 assists in 35 games this season for the Wolverines, who finished 26-14-1.

The Ann Arbor native enrolled at Michigan already drafted No. 3 overall in the 2005 NHL draft by the Carolina Hurricanes. He plans to return to classes after playing in the Kings' remaining six games and intends to earn a degree, said his father, Jack Johnson, Sr.

the hurricanes trading this kid for a bag of perfumed crap was STUPID.

gonna haunt them for a LONG time

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 4:10 pm

A. Yashin is worth just half of what's he's making and that's stretching it a bit. A couple of underachievers this season with lots of upside potential is CBJ's N. Zherdev and another Russian, S. Samsonov playing in MON.

A busy schedule tonight with playoffs implications. Look forward to the TOR-CAR and CAL-MIN showdowns. The 'Nucks are a bit thin lately on D, but hopefully we'll get Ohlund, and Salo back soon.

Hard to believe that G. Bettman agreed that fighting is part of the game in response to T. Fedoruk's injury last week.

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=201672&hubname=nhl

Airdog · Post by **Airdog** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 4:49 pm

Jeff O'Neill was playing well when all of the Leafs' players were injured but now that they're back he has seemed to disappear. At least Battaglia is a consistent forechecker.

Gigantic game for the Leafs tonight. Another "must win". Their win against Buffalo on Saturday made Friday's loss that much harder to stomach.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 4:53 pm

Samsonov is a good call, James. Yashin is a bust, but he's been hurt.

Another: Adrian Aucoin, who has done little on the Chicago blueline at $4 million per season.

How about Martin Gerber in Ottawa? He's Muckler's Folly.

Take care,
PK

nyisles16 · Post by **nyisles16** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 5:00 pm

pk500 wrote:Samsonov is a good call, James. Yashin is a bust, but he's been hurt.

Another: Adrian Aucoin, who has done little on the Chicago blueline at $4 million per season.

How about Martin Gerber in Ottawa? He's Muckler's Folly.

Take care,
PK

quite honestly, Yashin could have come back sooner from the injury, but I believe he was scratched for several games for the fact that he & Nolan had some words.. Yashin was actually benched for most of the game when he came back for the fact he did not play into Nolan's system

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 9:38 pm

Kiss the Islanders goodbye: DiPietro out indefinitely with post-concussion syndrome:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=201754&hubname=

Shame. The Isles deserved a spot with their play before Ricky D went down.

Take care,
PK

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 12:35 am

Yeah, that's not good news for the Isles PK. It's the type of injury that can call it a career and let's hope that's not the case for Rocky. But that's one of the reasons you don't sign someone to a 15 year contract.

Short uneventul tilt between Brashear & Laraque, probably the toughest heavyweights in today's NHL.

With CAL winning, things have cleared somewhat in the West for the final playoff spot as the 'Nucks take care of the Avs and with about six games left, things are a bit tight for COL. The ony thing to watch is to see who finishes first in that division.

Different scenario in the East though, TOR & MON seem to be playing well lately, Tampa better be careful and with Di Pietro's injury NYI has a nice incentive to make it thru. Although, since the Simon suspension the Isles have been on decline. Who can figure out the Canes this season?

Airdog · Post by **Airdog** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 11:03 am

The Leafs really pulled through big time last night, when it was needed most. I love how the goals are coming from the guys you wouldn't expect but if they make the playoffs the big guns are going to need to pot some.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 11:12 am

What do you cats think of Mike Brophy's proposal to curb goons?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ ... 0327212728

Interesting.

Take care,
PK

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 12:35 am

It's an interesting proposal PK. I would buy into the principle no problem, now I just don't know which heavyweight goon can play at least 10 minutes without causing a stir while helping his team win and staying disciplined. I can think of G. Laraque during his days in EDM where he was just impossible to move behind the net and show some flashes of that in PHO. Now in PIT, we all know what he was brought for, so we'll see how coaches cope with the tough guys if this theory has any legs.

Last season two improbable finalists reached the SC finals. This year we already know that EDM won't be in the playoffs but what's up with CAR?
They made their chances slimmer with a whoopass beating by none other than the lowly Flyers.[/i]

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 10:51 am

how about the defending champs getting PUNKED by toronto and philly.

and the CRL beat writer was saying that the pens will be upset in the 1st round.

laurenskye · Post by **laurenskye** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 8:44 pm

If anyone else can get the Wings/Predators game WOW. talk about a playoff atmosphere! Every hit the crowd is into it.

Oh, and PK, my point was that you hang your hat on a pathetic franchise that has traded away any talent they have sine '88 and made know attempt to win a cup. Yes they over achieved last year to no credit to the owner. If Gretz or Mess were in Detroit they would have been here for thier entire career.

They have failed in the playoffs but look at thier run. For a team that at the beginning of the year everyone said they are too old to do anything and then get 100 points, and then they say they should win it all , and then they lose in the first couple rounds.. well make up your minds! Did they overachieve in the regular season or underachieve in the playoffs?

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 9:01 pm

laurenskye wrote:If anyone else can get the Wings/Predators game WOW. talk about a playoff atmosphere! Every hit the crowd is into it.

Oh, and PK, my point was that you hang your hat on a pathetic franchise that has traded away any talent they have sine '88 and made know attempt to win a cup. Yes they over achieved last year to no credit to the owner. If Gretz or Mess were in Detroit they would have been here for thier entire career.

Give me a F*CKING break.

First, under the first season of the salary cap last year, the Oilers traded for or signed as free agents Chris Pronger, Sergei Samsonov, Michael Peca, Dwayne Roloson, Jaroslav Spacek and Dick Tarnstrom. Those are all proven NHL stars or very solid players.

I would say that was a committed effort toward winning by the management once the shackles of small-market economics were lifted.

Second, do you think Peter Pocklington WANTED to trade Gretzky and Messier? Do you think Cal Nichols and EIG WANTED to let all of the talent leave in the 90s and 00s?

Of course not. But until the economic sanity of the salary cap was brought to the NHL last season, the league was baseball -- the owners with the deepest pockets won and kept talent.

Just a little FYI you might want to digest. Let's look at the Wings' and Oilers' total payrolls for the 2003-04 season, the last before the salary cap:

Wings: $77,856,109 (First in the NHL)
Oilers: $33,375,000 (23rd in the NHL)

The Wings' payroll was <b>more than double</b> that of the Oilers. And you wonder why guys stay in Detroit and leave Edmonton? Do you think that EIG just sat on an extra $40 million, collecting interest, in the 2003-04 season instead of using it on player salaries? It's called simple market economics, something the salary cap thankfully neuters.

And do you think young players are going to stay in Detroit for their entire careers like Stevie Y did? Dream on -- it's not going to happen. Someone is always going to bid more than Illitch because that owner will have more cap space.

Since the salary cap was instituted, my "pathetic" franchise has played in the Stanley Cup Finals. Yours? Out in the first round.

My "pathetic" franchise definitely underachieved this season, no question. It had 11 guys out due to injury or illness most of this month, and five of its six defensemen are rookies right now. But guys like Lupul, Torres, Horcoff, Hemsky and Pisani have disappointed, for sure.

laurenskye wrote:They have failed in the playoffs but look at thier run. For a team that at the beginning of the year everyone said they are too old to do anything and then get 100 points, and then they say they should win it all , and then they lose in the first couple rounds.. well make up your minds! Did they overachieve in the regular season or underachieve in the playoffs?

Does it really matter? They didn't win the Cup. They were upset in the first round in six games by a No. 8 seed. 'Nuff said.

You can hang that President's Trophy banner proudly if you get it this season, along with the Central Division banner. Those are the only banners going into the rafters this year at the Joe. So burst with pride.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 9:36 pm

laurenskye wrote:Oh, and PK, my point was that you hang your hat on a pathetic franchise that has traded away any talent they have sine '88 and made know attempt to win a cup.

Forgot this one. The Oilers made a pretty damn good attempt to win the Cup in 1990. In fact, their names are engraved on it for that season.

Take care,
PK

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 12:24 am

laurenskye wrote:If anyone else can get the Wings/Predators game WOW. talk about a playoff atmosphere! Every hit the crowd is into it.

Oh, and PK, my point was that you hang your hat on a pathetic franchise that has traded away any talent they have sine '88 and made know attempt to win a cup. Yes they over achieved last year to no credit to the owner. If Gretz or Mess were in Detroit they would have been here for thier entire career.

They have failed in the playoffs but look at thier run. For a team that at the beginning of the year everyone said they are too old to do anything and then get 100 points, and then they say they should win it all , and then they lose in the first couple rounds.. well make up your minds! Did they overachieve in the regular season or underachieve in the playoffs?

I don't ever remember a team winning a cup that actually didn't make an attempt to win it. Hats off to the 1990 Edmonton Oilers then. They won it without trying...

Airdog · Post by **Airdog** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 1:02 am

Leafs come back twice but lose in overtime. I'm disappointed, but one point is better than none.

Sundin has got to start putting the puck in the net though. He's getting about as close as you can get without scoring (hitting the post every game it seems), and he's getting a lot of points, but he needs to score.

Antropov's assist to Gill, and his hard work to create the play to begin with, was my vote for play of the game.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 9:06 am

Tim:

Nice win for your Blues last night. JD is building a handy little team there -- the future is looking pretty bright, especially if Guerin returns.

Man, Stempniak has a rocket for a wrist shot.

Take care,
PK

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 10:10 am

If Colin Campbell is going to waffle on about whether the NHL really needs fighting to protect its players, then he should start doing his damn job and suspending players who make dangerous hits.

In Wednesday's game, Craig Adams of Carolina rammed Dennis Gauthier into the boards directly from behind and almost broke Gauthier's wrist off. No penalty, no suspension.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 10:24 am

Feanor wrote:If Colin Campbell is going to waffle on about whether the NHL really needs fighting to protect its players, then he should start doing his damn job and suspending players who make dangerous hits.

In Wednesday's game, Craig Adams of Carolina rammed Dennis Gauthier into the boards directly from behind and almost broke Gauthier's wrist off. No penalty, no suspension.

Damn good point. Campbell is yet another member of the high-level NHL management that has his head stuck so far into the sand that he can see molten magma from the Earth's core.

Take Bettman, for example. Attendance is flat; the U.S. TV package sucks. Yet Gary sings about how revenues are up for each team. Well, no sh*t, you dweeb: Nearly every team raised ticket prices considerably after last season, alienating non-corporate fans even further.

Now Campbell. He worries about the effect of fighting on the game while countless players have been sidelined by concussions this season due to the epidemic of hits to the head on open-ice checks. Plus, as Feanor said, the number of skaters getting run from behind and goalies getting run, period, is alarming. Yet Colie never addresses those issues.

I love this great game, but the NHL brass needs to realize that Clarence Campbell has been dead for nearly 23 years and that it might be time for the league to enter the 21st century.

Take care,
PK

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 11:54 am

Feanor wrote:If Colin Campbell is going to waffle on about whether the NHL really needs fighting to protect its players, then he should start doing his damn job and suspending players who make dangerous hits.

In Wednesday's game, Craig Adams of Carolina rammed Dennis Gauthier into the boards directly from behind and almost broke Gauthier's wrist off. No penalty, no suspension.

I certainly agree with your larger point, but this Gauthier hit is much ado about nothing among Flyers fans if you ask me. I've seen it numerous times on TSN and I don't even think it was a penalty, let alone a suspension. Gauthier was being rightfully chased along the boards, and tried some spin move. Adams had every right to squish him rather than let him spin by.