HOCKEY NIGHT in DSP 07-08

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 6:36 pm

Naples39 wrote:Thrashers kind of remind me of Flyers last year. They made the preceeding postseason, but were blown away in the first round. Poor form carried over to next season, and team fires coach (Flyers started 1-6 last year, 0-6 for Atlanta).

Having watched the game last night, the Thrashers didn't really play all that bad, and were probably the better team in the first period. Problem is they didn't score, then fell apart once Flyers picked it up their play and banged in a goal. Again reminds me of early season Flyers last year.

Not saying Atlanta is destined to finish dead last, but confidence is a funny thing.

Also B. Clarke did the franchise a great favour by resigning, he realized the team he had assembled wasn't ready for the new NHL. I am not sure if Wadell knows which direction is best for his team. Scoring was never a problem for ATL last season.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 7:10 pm

The hits keep coming for the Oil.

Souray is out. Sure, he's a defensive liability. But his shot makes every goalie and defenseman cower in the league -- it's a weapon.

Moreau is still out with a broken foot. Moreau missed nearly all of last season with a separated shoulder, so I shudder to think the same thing could happen to Souray.

Stoll isn't the same player since his concussion last season.

I'm trying to keep my chin up, but it's hard.

Take care,
PK

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 9:36 am

The Blues are off to a 4-1 start and if not for getting off to a slow start in their opener against Phoenix, they could be undefeated. More importantly they haven't really given up any goals in their last 3 games....a couple of own goals and then last night, Chicago's goal was awarded by NHL league officiating..

My Blues are playing well and they've been doing it without Jay McKee, Eric Brewer and Eric Johnson on the Blueline, although McKee returned last night. They will get a good test on saturday night at home against Minnesota. That should give us a good indication where we are at so far. Andy Murray has been phenominal and always has his team ready to go. I love how he grades his team in 5 game increments and so far after the first 5 games, the team has passed with flying colors. The Blues currently sit 4th in the Western conference with 8pts in 5 games and they've played 1 to 2 games less than just about everybody else in the conference so we have points in hand!

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 9:44 am

Tim:

The Blues are playing well, but the Oilers were 5-2 after seven games last season and finished 2-18 in the last 20 games of the regular season.

My point: It's VERY early.

I hope the Blues and Blackhawks do well this year. One, somebody needs to put a fight to Detroit in the Central, which has been the weakest division in hockey for the last five years. Two, it's good for hockey to bounce back in St. Louis, one of the original 1967 expansion franchises.

Barclay Plager must be smiling from above about this start, and that's very cool.

Take care,
PK

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 10:01 am

pk500 wrote:It's an overreaction, but you need to step back and understand the position of Atlanta ownership. Hockey is an afterthought in the Atlanta market, at best, when the team is successful, so an 0-6 start isn't going to compel anyone but the hardcore to follow the team and buy tickets.

You are probably right PK, but there was talk about Hartley's job already being on the line this year, on the Atlanta sports radio channels at the start of the season, which I thought was odd since he just led them to their best season ever. Apparantly mgt. was upset with his flip flopping on the goalies last year during the playoffs and also with Hartley's "strict" approach to coaching. There was talk about "having fun" again and playing more "loose". The overwhelming public sentiment on the firing is that the GM should be the one going...not the coach. The Thrashers brought in some smaller sized players and look very outsized out there right now. Kovalchuck is leading the team in fighting penalties right now, so that tells you something is wrong.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 10:25 am

pk500 wrote: I hope the Blues and Blackhawks do well this year. One, somebody needs to put a fight to Detroit in the Central, which has been the weakest division in hockey for the last five years. Two, it's good for hockey to bounce back in St. Louis, one of the original 1967 expansion franchises. Take care, PK

Very true. And I think the league should make TOR or MON 'Hockeytowns' or any Canadian city for that matter, attendance has been rather poor at the JL arena.

One of the rumors to fill the vacancy in ATL is Pat Quinn.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 10:30 am

JackB1 wrote:Kovalchuck is leading the team in fighting penalties right now, so that tells you something is wrong.

Indeed.

The role of a tough guy is vastly underrated in the "new NHL," especially in the regular season.

Any coincidence that last year's Stanley Cup finalists, Anaheim and Ottawa, have two of the league's premier enforcers in George Parros and Brian McGrattan? I think not. Neither saw much ice during the playoffs, but their presence during the regular season ensured that skill players on both teams like Selanne, McDonald, Heatley and Alfredsson didn't get mugged nightly.

My Oilers are a prime example of how losing an enforcer can hurt a team. Edmonton lost Georges Laraque to Phoenix before last season -- Laraque moved to Pittsburgh at the trade deadline last season -- and had no true tough guy in its lineup for most of the season.

The end result was that a number of Oilers' players were run by opponents, resulting in concussions for Jarret Stoll and injuries for Ales Hemsky. The valuable Ethan Moreau was forced to goon it up in the regular season and was lost for the year less than 10 games into the season with a shoulder injury.

Not much has changed this season. Zach Stortini is a decent goon, but he's no Laraque. So what happened last weekend? Price free-agent defenseman Sheldon Souray dropped the gloves during a frustrating loss to Vancouver and suffered a separated shoulder. He's out for six weeks.

Look at the top two teams in the league right now -- Ottawa and Minnesota. Both have tons of skill players, but both also have supreme goons: McGrattan in Ottawa and Boogaard in Minnesota.

No coincidence, I think. Goons still play an integral role as deterrents and enforcers in the NHL, regardless of what that weasely little puke Gary Bettman would like us to believe.

Long may that trend continue, too!

Take care,
PK

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 11:18 am

pk500 wrote:
JackB1 wrote:Kovalchuck is leading the team in fighting penalties right now, so that tells you something is wrong.
Indeed.

The role of a tough guy is vastly underrated in the "new NHL," especially in the regular season.

Any coincidence that last year's Stanley Cup finalists, Anaheim and Ottawa, have two of the league's premier enforcers in George Parros and Brian McGrattan? I think not. Neither saw much ice during the playoffs, but their presence during the regular season ensured that skill players on both teams like Selanne, McDonald, Heatley and Alfredsson didn't get mugged nightly.

My Oilers are a prime example of how losing an enforcer can hurt a team. Edmonton lost Georges Laraque to Phoenix before last season -- Laraque moved to Pittsburgh at the trade deadline last season -- and had no true tough guy in its lineup for most of the season.

The end result was that a number of Oilers' players were run by opponents, resulting in concussions for Jarret Stoll and injuries for Ales Hemsky. The valuable Ethan Moreau was forced to goon it up in the regular season and was lost for the year less than 10 games into the season with a shoulder injury.

Not much has changed this season. Zach Stortini is a decent goon, but he's no Laraque. So what happened last weekend? Price free-agent defenseman Sheldon Souray dropped the gloves during a frustrating loss to Vancouver and suffered a separated shoulder. He's out for six weeks.

Look at the top two teams in the league right now -- Ottawa and Minnesota. Both have tons of skill players, but both also have supreme goons: McGrattan in Ottawa and Boogaard in Minnesota.

No coincidence, I think. Goons still play an integral role as deterrents and enforcers in the NHL, regardless of what that weasely little puke Gary Bettman would like us to believe.

Long may that trend continue, too!

Take care,
PK

There is little doubt that every team needs a "goon" to protect it's skilled, usually smaller players. But today's "goon" must also be somewhat skilled in other areas of the game to justify a spot on the team's roster.
Hockey is a physical game and will always be, so there will always be a need for enforcers to protect the smaller, skill players. It will never go away. Fighting may decrease, but intimidation will always exist. The threat of a bone crushing retaliatory check is sometimes enough to keep
your players safe.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 11:29 am

Indeed. While I agree overall with PK's assessment of the enforcer, if you got a goon in your team, that player must skate well and be able to contribute a solid 8-10 minutes for the team. Most teams have four lines rolling in the new NHL and if you got just a goon that just fights, that's not good enough.

I always wonder how much better the Sedins twins would be if they had a G. Laraque or D. Brasherar in the team.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 11:48 am

10spro wrote:Indeed. While I agree overall with PK's assessment of the enforcer, if you got a goon in your team, that player must skate well and be able to contribute a solid 8-10 minutes for the team. Most teams have four lines rolling in the new NHL and if you got just a goon that just fights, that's not good enough.

That's probably the biggest fallacy in the NHL today. A complete bill of goods.

George Parros, Derek Boogaard and Brian McGrattan have skill? Since when?

Let's look at their career lines:

Parros: 97 games, three goals, four assists, -1, 252 PIM.

Boogaard: 119 games, two goals, five assists, +2, 295 PIM.

McGrattan: 112 games, two goals, five assists, -1, 246 PIM.
Note: McGrattan had 551 PIM's in his final AHL season.

Sure, there are guys like Chris Neil who can fight and play the game. But the idea that the "new NHL" has eliminated cementheads who do nothing but hit, fight, intimidate and cycle the puck into the corner is folly.

Those true neanderthals still exist in the NHL -- and I'm glad they do -- and always will if fighting remains legal.

Take care,
PK

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 12:11 pm

Boogard is going down saturday night if he plays. He's not well liked by most teams but the entire Blues locker room has a problem with him.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 1:01 pm

tjung0831 wrote:Boogard is going down saturday night if he plays. He's not well liked by most teams but the entire Blues locker room has a problem with him.

And who on the Blues will have that Herculean task? I can think of only one player who has "taken down" Boogaard in the last three seasons -- Laraque.

Here's a Boogie classic: He just DESTROYED Todd Fedoruk, who taunted Boogaard into a fight. Mistake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfl75-WaV6A

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 1:22 pm

ESPN's plays of the week:

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/vid ... id=3065427

Ah, it is the greatest sport in the world ...

Enjoy,
PK

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 2:36 pm

pk500 wrote:
tjung0831 wrote:Boogard is going down saturday night if he plays. He's not well liked by most teams but the entire Blues locker room has a problem with him.
And who on the Blues will have that Herculean task? I can think of only one player who has "taken down" Boogaard in the last three seasons -- Laraque.

Take care,
PK

D.J King or Matt Walker. Tape the game....Boogaard is going down and it's gonna be ugly. Walker is as underrated a fighter as there is in the NHL. Boogaard is probably gonna have to fight both King and Walker before the game is over...it's gonna be a long night...Boogaard might wanna pack a lunch.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 2:59 pm

I'll watch with glee, and either of those guys will be my new hero if they drop the Boogeyman.

Take care,
PK

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 3:23 pm

pk500 wrote:ESPN's plays of the week:

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/vid ... id=3065427

Ah, it is the greatest sport in the world ...

Enjoy,
PK

GREAT assist by Malkin..

reminded me of one of my own in college

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 3:41 pm

pk500 wrote:I'll watch with glee, and either of those guys will be my new hero if they drop the Boogeyman.

Take care,
PK

it will be a tall order for both King and Walker for sure but it's a saturday night home game, it will be a sell out so maybe the home crowd adrenaline will kick in. I kid you not though, there is some serious bad blood between the Blues and Derek Boogaard. I assume the Blues will pick their spots on saturday night but they'll be looking for him...they don't want to do anything to hurt the team though, Andy Murray will be stressing that. Looks like i'll be going to that game as well.

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 9:47 pm

Flyers win again. This is fun. I forgot what it feels like to win after that miserable season last year.

PK, how's Pitkanen looking for Edmonton? I've been very impressed with Joffrey Lupul's play through 6 games. I believe he has a 5 game point streak.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 9:53 pm

Sully wrote:Flyers win again. This is fun. I forgot what it feels like to win after that miserable season last year.

PK, how's Pitkanen looking for Edmonton? I've been very impressed with Joffrey Lupul's play through 6 games. I believe he has a 5 game point streak.

Since losing to Edmonton, the Flyers are 4-0, outscoring the opposition 19-3. Simply outstanding.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 11:35 pm

Pitkanen looks tentative at best.

Good for Lupul. I still say he is overrated, although the change in scenery clearly is doing him well. The pressure of playing in his hometown, compounded by his lack of scoring and mania for all things Oilers in Edmonton, made last season a bad fit for Loops.

Philly obviously is a better fit. But I'll never mistake Joffrey Lupul for Reggie Leach, man.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 10:18 am

Foppa may not be playing yet this season, but he's still making a mint -- from an unlikely source:

http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2007/10 ... o-the-nhl/

Take care,
PK

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 10:21 am

pk500 wrote:Foppa may not be playing yet this season, but he's still making a mint -- from an unlikely source:

http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2007/10 ... o-the-nhl/

Take care,
PK

Crocs cost $90 a pair in Sweden?

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 10:25 am

I guess the coach firing worked for Atlanta!

The team responded with a big win over the Rangers. We'll see
if it's just a temporary fix or not.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 10:34 am

Two fun reads at ESPN.com:

Milestone alert:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/s ... LHeadlines

Buccigross' latest column:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/s ... LHeadlines

It's sort of ironic that ESPN couldn't give a crap about the NHL on its TV programming, but its lineup of hockey writers online -- Buccigross, Hradek, Amber, Melrose and Burnside -- provides very good coverage.

Take care,
PK

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 5:52 pm

I agree that Lupul has looked very strong so far, but it's the play of Mike Richards that has surprised me most. I knew he'd be better, but he already has 4 goals and he only had 10 all of last season.