I've been away for a bit, where's the NHL talk?

[ThatPercussionGuy]

The Wild Wild West is at it again!

Detroit had a HUGE lead, but San Jose has crept up and may still overtake the Red Wings for the Presidents Trophy. Dallas has fallen off a bit, but remains experienced....

The East is like the West in the NBA, it's crazy!! I can't even begin to predict what'll happen there.

Overall the quality of play I believe has been very high this year. The lockout was such a massive mistake, but I think this is year the NHL started to help fans forget that ridiculous move.

GO WINGS!


Tckleguy

 

[Snail Shell]

As much as the Wings have been dominant all year, I still think that their points are over-inflated by playing significantly worse teams 8 times a year. They'll do damage in the playoffs, but they won't win the cup I don't think.

The East is nuts as always. 😛

The way it looks from my angle, the East will be one of Pittsburgh, Ottawa, Montreal or New Jersey. The West will be one of Detroit, Dallas or San Jose. I'll say, for fun, Montreal beating Ottawa in 7 for the East crown; San Jose beating Detroit in 7 for the West crown and San Jose in 6 for the Cup.

See you in April!

Snail Shell

 

[subZer0]

Did you know that the Stanley Cup was made in Sheffield, England - my home city?

😀

 

[ThatPercussionGuy]

In the past you perhaps could say that about Detroit, but not this year:

VS. WEST VS. CEN VS. NW VS. PAC
Detroit 43-18-5 13-11-2 15-2-3 15-5-0

San Jose is playing extremely well right now and it could be their year. I'm praying for a Detroit-Montreal matchup, an original 6 finals would be huge!

 

[Knox The Hatter]

I LIVE for seeing an original six finals...

...and wouldn't one with Montreal and Detroit be best viewed on a black and white Admiral TV set? 🙂

 

[Knox The Hatter]

Did you know that the Stanley Cup was made in Sheffield, England - my home city?

😀

No surprise there!

 

[ThatPercussionGuy]

I LIVE for seeing an original six finals...

...and wouldn't one with Montreal and Detroit be best viewed on a black and white Admiral TV set? 🙂

lol. That might be a bit of a stretch....but I'll take it any way I can get it. An original 6 finals is a must!

 

[Snail Shell]

This is true about Detroit. I nonetheless stand by my prediction of San Jose over Montreal in 7 in the final. 🙂

Snail Shell

 

[falcon]

sigh.....another year goes by and another playoff season missed by my kings. 🙁 will the sadness ever end for los angeles?

Falcon

 

[Tickle Fiend]

I only realized the NHL season was still going when I saw this thread. As usual it's being buried by Pacman Jones, the NBA, the NFL Draft, March Madness, the start of baseball, and even golf. I haven't heard a thing about hockey.

 

[ThatPercussionGuy]

I only realized the NHL season was still going when I saw this thread. As usual it's being buried by Pacman Jones, the NBA, the NFL Draft, March Madness, the start of baseball, and even golf. I haven't heard a thing about hockey.

You're correct Fiend, hockey is definitely on the back burner of sports highlights and such these days. Hopefully the emergence of Ovechkin and Crosby along with the buzz the outdoor game created this year ESPN will take another chance and bring it back. The quality of hockey has been really good this year, now if they'd only change the schedule back to the way it was. 8 games against you division foes is ridiculous.

 

[falcon]

Yeah I can agree with you there. Hockey doesn't even get the publicity that the other major sports do. You wouldn't even know that its on tv!!! And also about playing against your division teams (not even your own conference but your whole division) is way too much. I get sick of seeing the Kings play the Sharks, then Dalls, then Fuckaheim, then the Yotes, back to Dalls, home against the Yotes, then back to Fuckaheim, home against the Sharks, then they go on the road for like 12 fucking games. LOL!!!! (of which they lose 10) Its crazy. I'd love see the west coast teams play against the east coast teams a lot more often. The eastern conference has a lot of great and exciting teams to watch and when we only get to play agianst them once or twice a year, that kinda sucks. Just my two scents anyway.

Falcon

 

[Ray<3tiklishft]

I've been a hockey fan all my life (47 years). When I was a kid, I got to see Gordie Howe play at the old Olympia Stadium, as well as many other players and games there, including the last game in 1979. I saw Bobby Orr score the Stanley Cup winning goal while flying thru the air, on the old black and white TV. I've seen great hockey players and great plays in great games over the years. And I still play, too....competively, I might add. But, not too many people I knew were hockey fans. Not even a casual interest. The ones that did know hockey as well as I did were few and far between.

My point is, hockey is sports best kept secret. I used to love being at Olympia watching the Red Wings and at Joe Louis Arena, when hardly anybody was there. The people who were there were real hockey fans.

That was before Mike Ilitch bought the team and sold out to corporate people for big bucks and squeezed out real hockey fans like me. Most of those snoots didn't know the first thing about hockey. Owning season tickets was a status symbol for them. They spent most of their time in the Olympia Room (a lounge in Joe Louis Arena) watching the game on TV rather than in their seats watching the game live.

Hockey was very territorial. The fans who watched usually had a pro or semi-pro team in their city or town. Outside of them, no one else cared about hockey.

But the infamous NHL owners lockout of the players cancelled a whole season and turned away not only the few casual fans it gained over the last few years, but many die-hards (like me) as well. But my love for the game has brought me back.

So, that being said, I can't wait for the NHL playoffs. Between the Wings on Fox Sports Net, Versus, Hockey Night In Canada on CBC (the Canadian network) and the NHL network, NHL.com and ESPN.com/nhl....I'll be in hockey heaven. And I have the NCAA hockey tournament with The Michigan State Spartans and Michigan Wolverines participating in that as well. (The Spartans made the "Frozen Four" last year and won the final game by scoring the winning goal with less than a minute left in the game to capture the college hockey championship.)

If most of the country doesn't watch or follow hockey, why would it surprise you that a bunch of tickle-philes don't post about hockey in these forums?

GO WINGS!!!