If anyone forgot, The puck drops tonight!

James_E · Post by **James_E** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 3:39 pm

Airdog wrote:
James_E wrote: Belfour looked bad in the shootout if you ask me.
Agreed.

James_E wrote: But the key here was that I liked how the game was called. Both Havlat and O'Neill (for the leafs) made nice rushes up the wing, used speed to get around the defender and towards the net to get a scoring chance.. and DIDN'T GET HUGGED.
The one play in the third period where O'Neil came off the wing and ended up head first into the net was pretty amazing (sad that I think that was, but it's super rare to see stuff like that without clutch/grabbing), but would've been nice if he got his stick on the puck It was classy of Hasek to give him a tap on the shoulder with his glove instead of going nuts on him as you might expect from many goaltenders. Although if Hasek was in any position other than lying directly on the ice he probably wouldn't have been in the right mental state to be tapping anybody.

Yes. that was a classy move by Hasek. I was impressed to see him do that. Great poke check too.

vader29 · Post by **vader29** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 6:47 pm

pk500 wrote:Sam Rosen also mentioned on the OLN national telecast that the NHL will consider heavy fines of players who dive repeatedly.

I'll believe it when I see it, but Sam is among the most credible NHL play-by-play men on TV.

Take care,
PK

Mike Lange also mentioned it in the Pittsburgh broadcast about the fines for diving and I looked in the rules for the new CBA and it is in there:

UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT

In addition to the minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct/diving that may be assessed by the Referee during a game, Hockey Operations will review game videos and assess fines to players who dive or embellish a fall or a reaction, or who feigns injury in an attempt to draw penalties.

The first such incident will result in a warning letter being sent to the player.

The second such incident will result in a $1,000 fine.

The third such incident will result in a $2,000 fine.

The fourth such incident will result in a one-game suspension.

Public complaints or derogatory comments toward the game also will result in fines.

Rules changes are here:
http://www.nhl.com/nhlhq/cba/rules_changes072205.html

Last nights Pens-Devils game was very enjoyable to watch with the new rules, great end to end action throughout the entire game. Brodeur played absolutely amazing though keeping his team in the game after the first period with the Penguins having two 2 man advantages and getting 17 shots in the first period.

laurenskye · Post by **laurenskye** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 7:01 pm

The refs job is definately going to be tested. With the new icing rules (or lack there of) twice in the Wings/Blues game the blues iced it and tried to change players, a no no in the new NHL. They had to go to the bench and remember who was on the ice and make them come back out.

Maybe time to impliment replay into the NHL.

To their credit they got it right but I can see potential problems.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 8:18 pm

Vader:

On second thought, maybe it was Lange I heard say instead of Sam. I watched bits of so many games last night between OLN and Center Ice that my head was spinning.

Spinning more than usual, I guess I should add.

Last night was pure pucks bliss!

Take care,
PK

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 4:56 pm

The OLN telecast got a .4 rating....ouch.

The Pens drew a 7.5 though locally and arenas were at 98% capacity on opening night.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 6:24 pm

Leebo33 wrote:The OLN telecast got a .4 rating....ouch.

The Pens drew a 7.5 though locally and arenas were at 98% capacity on opening night.

OLN is going to have to change up their telecasts using better equipment and camera angles. I won't be tuning in until they do. My center ice package and hockey on Hdnet is more than enough for me.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 6:27 pm

Overall the fans responded favourably despite the mess among owners & players last season, especially in America. Good to see and with the good word that games are faster and more exciting, more people will flow in.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 10:33 pm

What I've really noticed now that a number of games have been played are all the comebacks that are happening. Sure, scoring is up (whatever that means after two nights--5.15 gpg to 6.3 I think), but these comebacks could turn out to be the real story of the 'new NHL.'

Just look at the two flyers games. I don't think the flyers lost a single regular season game last year when leading after 2 periods, yet they did it to the lowly rangers on opening night. Then tonight, down 2-0 to the devils when it looks like brodeur was really on his game, the Flyers storm back to score 5 unanswered goals. I mean when was the last time the devils collapsed like that? 1993? This is an NHL I could get used to, and is the very essence of exciting games.

laurenskye · Post by **laurenskye** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 9:03 am

Yeah, Thursday the Wings were up 4-1 with 5 minutes left and the Blues scored 2 quick goals. After the game Chelios said it is much harder to lock down opponents and hold on to the lead with the new rules.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 10:24 am

I know it's early but i've been pimpin the Buffalo Sabres since a new labor agreement was reached....they're off to a 2-0 start and get a real test tonight against the Senators in Ottawa.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 11:15 am

I think the real test for the Sabres will be how they are playing in January or February. Young teams often can get off to a hot start or play really well for a short amount of time, but the real test of quality is consistency, and the likes of Dumont, Vanek, Conolly and Afinogenov still have to prove they can do it all season.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 12:23 pm

Watched Washington-Atlanta last night on Center Ice. If there's a worse team in the NHL this year than the Caps, then I guess the NHL admitted an AHL team as an expansion club.

Atlanta's power play is fearsome. Superb lateral passing, simply exhausting a tired PK unit until a open shot is found. Atlanta is a pretty decent team.

Sorry, but Ovechkin is far from "the best player in the NHL" after watching this game last night. He was invisible.

If Ovechkin scores 40 or more goals this year, then the kid truly is a superstar because he's the only offensive threat the Caps have. Opposing teams will learn that, and their checking lines will hammer Ovechkin into submission every night.

Vanek is the non-Crosby rookie to watch, not Ovechkin. He's one of a decent handful of threats on Buffalo, so he'll have more room to skate and shoot than Ovechkin. Tim is right: Buffalo is a real sleeper, with some nice young offensive talent.

Damn, Center Ice is fantastic. I'm seriously considering a moratorium on game purchases for a while, scraping up some discretionary income on eBay and teeing it up for Center Ice.

Take care,
PK

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 12:31 pm

pk500 wrote:Vanek is the non-Crosby rookie to watch, not Ovechkin. He's one of a decent handful of threats on Buffalo, so he'll have more room to skate and shoot than Ovechkin. Tim is right: Buffalo is a real sleeper, with some nice young offensive talent.

Damn, Center Ice is fantastic. I'm seriously considering a moratorium on game purchases for a while, scraping up some discretionary income on eBay and teeing it up for Center Ice.

Having watched Vanek while at the U of MN, the kid is an offensive stud. Good to hear it sounds like he's playing well with the Sabres. JP Dumont, in one of my NHL 2000 seasons, developed into a 95 or something when he was still on the Blackhawks. How's he doing these days? I know he got the first goal of this NHL season, but other than that, I haven't followed him.

And yes, PK, the Center Ice is awesome. Not sure I can justify the purchase, but it would be cool to have for this season. There is just so much uncertainty on who will be good that it would be nice to drop in to watch teams like Nashville, Buffalo, or Pittsburgh on a regular basis. Might have to ask the wife...

The early news from the Wild is that they have concentrated on getting skaters, so they think the new rules could help them open up the offense. They can skate with, or around anyone in the league...or so they think. Watch out for Pierre Marc Bouchard, he's a playmaker, sort of a poor man's Martin St. Louis due to his size and quickness.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 12:35 pm

pk500 wrote:Damn, Center Ice is fantastic.

Yeah, it is. I'm not even a diehard hockey fan and I couldn't imagine passing on it this year. It's a superb value at $129 even if I just watch the Pens games and skip around the other games during intermissions/commercials. I watched most of the Penguins game last night. It had a much better flow than the first game as the players seemed to adapt a bit and not get called for penalties every two minutes.

The Pens offense started to click in second half of the game with a couple goals and plenty of chances. At least they squeezed a point out of a road game, although the shootout performance was pitiful as it was in the preseason as well. I'm looking forward to the home opener tonight.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 12:42 pm

pk500 wrote:Watched Washington-Atlanta last night on Center Ice. If there's a worse team in the NHL this year than the Caps, then I guess the NHL admitted an AHL team as an expansion club.

Atlanta's power play is fearsome. Superb lateral passing, simply exhausting a tired PK unit until a open shot is found. Atlanta is a pretty decent team.

Sorry, but Ovechkin is far from "the best player in the NHL" after watching this game last night. He was invisible.

If Ovechkin scores 40 or more goals this year, then the kid truly is a superstar because he's the only offensive threat the Caps have. Opposing teams will learn that, and their checking lines will hammer Ovechkin into submission every night.

Vanek is the non-Crosby rookie to watch, not Ovechkin. He's one of a decent handful of threats on Buffalo, so he'll have more room to skate and shoot than Ovechkin. Tim is right: Buffalo is a real sleeper, with some nice young offensive talent.

Damn, Center Ice is fantastic. I'm seriously considering a moratorium on game purchases for a while, scraping up some discretionary income on eBay and teeing it up for Center Ice.

Take care,
PK

Paul,

I didn't realize Empire sports is no longer and it looks like the Sabres broadcasts are now going to be on MSG. Looks like the Sabres post game show with Mike Robitaille is no longer on and that sucks. I always looked forward to hearing what big Mike had to say after the games. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind and tell it like it is.

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 12:49 pm

Mike Richards is off to a nice start with the Flyers, registering a goal and 2 assists, through 2 games. On the other hand, I'll admit that Jeff Carter has looked lost out there on the ice.

mobiggins · Post by **mobiggins** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 1:01 pm

How about Luongo? That guy's making a mockery of the 'new NHL' with two straight shutouts to start the season! Amazing.

And speaking of comebacks, don't forget the Stars scoring 5 unanswered goals to beat the Kings 5-4. I think that's the biggest opening night comeback ever. Or it might be in franchise history. Damn, my memory sucks.

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 1:04 pm

mobiggins wrote:How about Luongo? That guy's making a mockery of the 'new NHL' with two straight shutouts to start the season! Amazing.

And speaking of comebacks, don't forget the Stars scoring 5 unanswered goals to beat the Kings 5-4. I think that's the biggest opening night comeback ever. Or it might be in franchise history. Damn, my memory sucks.

Roberto Luongo is the best goaltender in the NHL, and I thought that 2 years ago.

HipE · Post by **HipE** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 1:22 pm

Leebo33 wrote:
pk500 wrote:Damn, Center Ice is fantastic.
Yeah, it is. I'm not even a diehard hockey fan and I couldn't imagine passing on it this year. It's a superb value at $129 even if I just watch the Pens games and skip around the other games during intermissions/commercials. I watched most of the Penguins game last night. It had a much better flow than the first game as the players seemed to adapt a bit and not get called for penalties every two minutes.

The Pens offense started to click in second half of the game with a couple goals and plenty of chances. At least they squeezed a point out of a road game, although the shootout performance was pitiful as it was in the preseason as well. I'm looking forward to the home opener tonight.

I really like the new line of Crosby, Recchi and Palffy. I think those three guys have been the Pens best players through the first three games, and they seemed to get a ton of quality scoring opportunities on the rush last night. I don't know if it was just that LeClair is too slow, but when he was on the line with Crosby and Recchi they looked terrible.

I've been very impressed with Crosby so far. He is very fast, extremely strong on the puck and an excellent passer (see: game tying goal last night). He had quite a few good scoring opportunites last night, if Cam Ward wasn't standing on his head, he could have easily had a couple of goals. I think he has been the best player for the Pens in both of their games so far, and he really seemed to be coming on in the second and third period last night. I'm really looking forward to the home opener tonight (in HD!), I'm hoping this is the game the Pens offense breaks out.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 1:32 pm

Itemized deductions:

Yeah, Leebo, Center Ice is a great value for me simply because I can see all 82 Oilers games. That's about $1.50 per game right there. But when you factor in all of the other games I can watch, and the great channel surfing around 9:30 p.m. each night to find the game(s) with the best finish down the stretch, then Center Ice is a steal.

The nice thing about being an Oilers' fan with Center Ice is that most of their games start at 9:30 or 10:30 p.m. my time. That gives me plenty of time to do other stuff before the start of the game, including watch some East Coast NHL games!

F*ck, it's almost a certainty I'm going to get it. My gaming will be cut back considerably, but no biggie. Center Ice is giving me a ton of entertainment value. The game is so much better this season with the new rules.

Good call on Luongo. Anyone who has the GAA and save percentage he's had in front of Florida's defense in years past has to be a stud.

I also agree with HipE. Crosby is suffering from backlash simply because he's been hyped to the heavens, but the kid is a star. He has great rink presence and superb awareness for passes. He won't wow people like Ovechkin because passing is a subtle art that's appreciated much less than goal scoring. But Crosby is a superb passer, really fun to watch.

I wasn't a big fan of the shootout when it was announced, but the Carolina-Pittsburgh shootout last night changed my mind immediately. Really suspenseful, with the game on Crosby's stick as the Pens' last shooter! Plus the shootout highlights are tailor-made for "SportsCenter" and other sports highlight shows, which is good to expose the game in the U.S.

And Tim, yeah, Empire went under last year or the year before. Not sure how much the loss of hockey last year put them down, as I'm sure advertising revenue during Sabres' games formed a big chunk of the network's revenue. I miss Roby, too. Post-game host Brian Blessing was so smooth, so neighborly, and he was a great foil to Roby, who can be a real curmudgeon, a tell-it-like-it-is prick. It was great fun to watch Roby rant and rave after a bad performance by Buffalo, but Roby also praised the team when it played well.

Take care,
PK

mobiggins · Post by **mobiggins** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 2:23 pm

Sully wrote:
mobiggins wrote:How about Luongo? That guy's making a mockery of the 'new NHL' with two straight shutouts to start the season! Amazing.

And speaking of comebacks, don't forget the Stars scoring 5 unanswered goals to beat the Kings 5-4. I think that's the biggest opening night comeback ever. Or it might be in franchise history. Damn, my memory sucks.
Roberto Luongo is the best goaltender in the NHL, and I thought that 2 years ago.

He really was robbed of the Vezina two years ago. He put up mad numbers for a sorry-ass team. But "the club" went with Brodeur, as usual.
Watch out if Hasek manages to even finish out the season, he'll get the Vezina for sure, no matter his GAA or SV%.
Man, I can't stand that d*****bag.

mobiggins · Post by **mobiggins** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 2:23 pm

d***** is censored?

C'mon, it means 'shower' in french!

He's a shower bag!

Jackdog · Post by **Jackdog** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 2:33 pm

mobiggins wrote:d***** is censored?

C'mon, it means 'shower' in french!

He's a shower bag!

Jackdog · Post by **Jackdog** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 2:40 pm

PK, I am glad your going to pull the trigger on Center Ice. I got it for us last night. My pop's really enjoyed watching the Wings a couple of nights ago. We watched about 5 games last night.

Watching some great hockey and knocking back some Guinness Drafts with my Dad. Good times. Plus I will be able to check it out once I get back home via "The Slingbox". Great deal IMO.

laurenskye · Post by **laurenskye** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 5:39 pm

I would be all over Center Ice if it was High def, but it certainly is not with the free view. Are they high def with the sport package like Sunday ticket?

Watch a game on HDnet in High def and you'll see what I mean.