[NHL] 07-08 Playoffs - Page 19

Braen · 05-21-2008, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunder

I don't think you understand the level of retardation I have to deal with when it comes to the average Stars fan (not Braen). When I say they are a disgrace to the NHL, I mean it. They are the fairest of fairweather fans. They know shit-all about the game, and they know shit-all about the league and it's history. If you were to mention the Hartford Whalers to this kind of fan, you would get a blank stare. These people are pure hockey idiots. And I hate them.

While I appreciate the compliment you have understand, hockey is still "new" here. It wasn't a sport you could play as a kid around here, it wasn't offered in school and it was barely on the TV before the Stars arrived. So, in a sense, most Stars fans are just that, Stars fans and not true hockey fans. I know many around here would stop down for a Stars game, but if a Nashville/Columbus game was on VS., the average Stars/Dallas fan probably would pass it over for the World Series of Poker replay.

Me? I love hockey even when it involves teams I personally can't stand or have a complete lack of connection too. To me, hockey is the perfect sport. When two teams are going back and forth, coast to coast, trading shots and great saves, trading great scoring chances, trading big hits, that to me is sports perfection. If you want an example of what great hockey can look like, check out game 6 of the Stars/Sharks series. Even in OT they were taking big chances, making for incredible hockey. I spend lots of time teaching hockey to those around me during games and I hope one day to have a son so i can get him into hockey, instead of just baseball or football. Hell, maybe even my daughter (who is being born Saturday) can play women's hockey. I would love to coach it.

This is a bold statement but I hold it to be true. Hockey players consistantly lay more out on their particular field of play than any other sport out there. They play 82+ games a year, playing a rough, hard hitting, fast reacting sport when people are looking to hit you. Now i won't say it is as rough as football, but it is damn close and they play games on back to back days, moving much faster... and on fucking ICE! There are stories from the Stanley Cup playoffs of players playing through injuries that would turn your stomach, because that is what a hockey player does, they play through the pain because there is something about that Cup.

Anyway, it is true that many/most Dallas fans are casual hockey fans, not all of us are and many of us are learning as fast as we can. Some of us have 20 years of "No hockey in Texas" to overcome and unlike L.A., we didn't get the greatest player of hockey ever to get the town into it and give us a head start.

Eomer · 05-21-2008, 07:41 AM

Yeah, you pretty much nailed why I like hockey so much. Seeing Chris Draper score off his goddamn face, and not even seem to notice, really makes me even that much more disgusted with soccer players writhing on the ground because they wook a wee tumble after getting clipped.

And that mentality, for whatever reason, extends to amateur hockey players even. I play men's league, and last night was game 4 of our league's final (5 game series). We were facing elimination, but managed to force the final game. At least two guys on each team by the end were bleeding fairly badly from high sticks, slashes, pucks in the face whatever (it's technically non-contact, which means you can't take runs but you don't necessarily have to avoid contact either). And this in a league that doesn't mean anything to anyone, there might be half a dozen girlfriends and wives watching, that's it.

findar · 05-21-2008, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eomer

Yeah, you pretty much nailed why I like hockey so much. Seeing Chris Draper score off his goddamn face, and not even seem to notice, really makes me even that much more disgusted with soccer players writhing on the ground because they wook a wee tumble after getting clipped.

to be fair... that whole diving rule has made players actually play tough. other leagues need something similar(the card'ing in soccer isn't used enough)

Eomer · 05-21-2008, 08:22 AM

The diving rule is pretty recent, though. It really has nothing whatsoever to do with the toughness of hockey.

findar · 05-21-2008, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eomer

The diving rule is pretty recent, though. It really has nothing whatsoever to do with the toughness of hockey.

its still a great step in the right direction after watching the nba for the last 10 years.

Ishad · 05-23-2008, 01:09 PM

Looking like Franzen won't start game one. I'm still taking the wings.

Tarrant220 · 05-23-2008, 08:09 PM

FUCK YOU GARY BETTMAN

Why the octopus still won't twirl in Detroit - Puck Daddy - NHL - Yahoo! Sports

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Why the octopus still won't twirl in Detroit

By Greg Wyshynski

With Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings set for Joe Louis Arena on Saturday night, angst over one of the postseason's biggest controversies continues to linger in the Motor City: The NHL's decision to ban octopus twirling on the ice.

Tossing octopi on the ice has been a Detroit hockey tradition dating back to 1952, and longtime arena operations manager Al Sobotka has been whipping around cephalopods to whip Wings fans into a frenzy since 1991. But back in the first round of the playoffs, the NHL vowed to hit the team with a $10,000 fine if Sobotka or anyone else dared twirl an octopus thrown onto the playing surface. The decision sparked massive and immediate fan protests, but the policy has remained in place.

This week, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman defended the League's decision on WDFN's "The Stoney and Wojo Show," claiming the twirl ban is an issue of safety:

"Actually, there's a very good reason for it. We haven't fined or given a delay of game penalty for the throwing of the octopus because we understand and respect the tradition. Having said that, when you swing the octopus around - and I don't know the exact term for it -- but octopus 'gunk' gets on the ice and occasionally has gotten on the players -- the goaltenders -- as it goes by. Occasionally, when it freezes on the ice, it creates a potentially hazardous situation for the players. It's not about interfering with a tradition; it's about making sure nobody gets it in their eyes, like a goaltender nearby, or that nobody blows out a knee getting caught on some frozen gunk."

Somehow, blowing out a knee on octopus goo has escaped us on injury reports for the last 17 years.

The Detroit News has a terrific mini-documentary that details octopus tossing history, and the passion, the sights and the smells that go along with it. While Sobotka's great on-ice tradition has been halted, the News reports he can still swing the octopi on the concourse.

Ichu · 05-25-2008, 12:02 PM

Two 200 pound men careening towards a solid wall in a race for a puck is A'ok, but god fucking forbid someone slip on some octopus cum.

Ishad · 05-25-2008, 12:45 PM

I laugh every time I watch it, but I still feel a little bad for fleury:

YouTube - fleury falls in entrance of game one in stanley cup finals

Angerz · 05-25-2008, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ishad

I laugh every time I watch it, but I still feel a little bad for fleury:

YouTube - fleury falls in entrance of game one in stanley cup finals

Probably slipped on Octopus goo.

Tarrant220 · 05-26-2008, 08:59 PM

Wings again, dominate the hell out of the Pens. I don't think they'll sweep but Detroit is playing almost perfect right now.

Eomer · 05-27-2008, 07:04 AM

Haven't had a chance to watch much of the games, just a few minutes here and there. But Detroit is incredible the way they control the puck. They almost never make a bad pass, and if they get possession in their own zone, it's down in the Pens zone 100% of the time. Meanwhile the Pens, even when they get the puck, turn it over almost constantly and give up odd man rushes and chances all over the place.

Mike Babcock is a hell of a coach, that's for sure. Detroit's a machine the way they move the puck.

All that said, the series is a long way from over. It'll be interesting to see how the Pens play at home. They're a young team and emotion might be a good thing.

This reminds me of the Oilers in '83. Not that I remember it, but they were the same hotshit young team that walked through the first three rounds, only to be swept by the Islanders, who were at the tail end of their dynasty. There's a lot of similarities.

Sunder · 05-27-2008, 08:21 AM

The Red Wings did what they were expected to do. They dominated at home. Now we'll see what happens in Pittsburgh. I'm betting the Pens come out and play like they have all post-season and start shelling Osgood with pucks. The anemic offense from the Pens we saw in games 1 and 2 won't last forever. They'll take at least one game at home. Their forwards are just too good not to.

Solariss · 05-27-2008, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunder

The Red Wings did what they were expected to do. They dominated at home. Now we'll see what happens in Pittsburgh. I'm betting the Pens come out and play like they have all post-season and start shelling Osgood with pucks. The anemic offense from the Pens we saw in games 1 and 2 won't last forever. They'll take at least one game at home. Their forwards are just too good not to.

I hope so... I want to see Detroit win it at home anyways.

Eomer · 05-30-2008, 09:46 AM

Not playoff related, but: 31% of NHL ticket revenue from Canadian teams

Now, that's good news and bad news. Good news that the NHL is doing quite well financially. Bad news that most of the revenue growth has come from the run up in the Canadian dollar. Good news is that the loonie is expected to stay high for a long time due to Canada's resource wealth. Bad news because the NHL is barely treading water in the US, for the most part.

It's time that Gary Bettman realized that no, you're not going to fucking develop hockey as a major league sport by shoving it down the throats of people in North Carolina or Georgia. It's just not going to work. There's some exceptions of traditional hockey markets embracing teams, like Dallas and San Jose. But those are exceptions. It's time to go back to the bread and butter and realize that the NHL will remain unique amongst major pro sports in North America as a league that gets the majority of it's money from ticket sales, and no endorsements, TV rights etc. There will never be "grassroots" hockey in the South, hockey is about as expensive as you can get for sports due to the equipment and facilities required. Roller hockey is a sad joke.

So start relocating teams, or bringing in new expansion teams in to markets like Hartford, Seattle/Portland, Hamilton, Winnipeg, Quebec City, and Halifax. It'll take a lot of work to get proper arenas built, but if that's what the NHL has to do, that's what it has to do. Give up on this fantasy of the NHL challening the NBA, MLB, or *cackle* the NFL. It's not going to happen. It's time to be realistic. Hockey will probably remain a niche sport in perpetuity, start catering to markets that will embrace it, instead of markets that will largely ignore it.

Fuck, maybe it's time to seriously consider a European/Russian conference. Perhaps work out a deal with the oligarch who's starting the new Russian league in a decade or two to essentially become the European half of the league. There's a ton of hockey fans in Eastern Europe, Germany, and Russia.

Putting a team in Mobile and New Orleans isn't going to magically solve the NHL's problems in the US.

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05-21-2008, 07:41 AM	#272 (permalink)
Eomer Registered User Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 8,888 +4 Internets	Yeah, you pretty much nailed why I like hockey so much. Seeing Chris Draper score off his goddamn face, and not even seem to notice, really makes me even that much more disgusted with soccer players writhing on the ground because they wook a wee tumble after getting clipped. And that mentality, for whatever reason, extends to amateur hockey players even. I play men's league, and last night was game 4 of our league's final (5 game series). We were facing elimination, but managed to force the final game. At least two guys on each team by the end were bleeding fairly badly from high sticks, slashes, pucks in the face whatever (it's technically non-contact, which means you can't take runs but you don't necessarily have to avoid contact either). And this in a league that doesn't mean anything to anyone, there might be half a dozen girlfriends and wives watching, that's it.

05-21-2008, 08:22 AM	#274 (permalink)
Eomer Registered User Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 8,888 +4 Internets	The diving rule is pretty recent, though. It really has nothing whatsoever to do with the toughness of hockey.

05-23-2008, 01:09 PM	#276 (permalink)
Ishad Fires of Heaven WoW Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 334 -2 Internets	Looking like Franzen won't start game one. I'm still taking the wings.

05-23-2008, 08:09 PM	#277 (permalink)
Tarrant220 Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 331 -2 Internets	FUCK YOU GARY BETTMAN Why the octopus still won't twirl in Detroit - Puck Daddy - NHL - Yahoo! Sports Spoiler Alert, click show to read: Why the octopus still won't twirl in Detroit By Greg Wyshynski With Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings set for Joe Louis Arena on Saturday night, angst over one of the postseason's biggest controversies continues to linger in the Motor City: The NHL's decision to ban octopus twirling on the ice. Tossing octopi on the ice has been a Detroit hockey tradition dating back to 1952, and longtime arena operations manager Al Sobotka has been whipping around cephalopods to whip Wings fans into a frenzy since 1991. But back in the first round of the playoffs, the NHL vowed to hit the team with a $10,000 fine if Sobotka or anyone else dared twirl an octopus thrown onto the playing surface. The decision sparked massive and immediate fan protests, but the policy has remained in place. This week, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman defended the League's decision on WDFN's "The Stoney and Wojo Show," claiming the twirl ban is an issue of safety: "Actually, there's a very good reason for it. We haven't fined or given a delay of game penalty for the throwing of the octopus because we understand and respect the tradition. Having said that, when you swing the octopus around - and I don't know the exact term for it -- but octopus 'gunk' gets on the ice and occasionally has gotten on the players -- the goaltenders -- as it goes by. Occasionally, when it freezes on the ice, it creates a potentially hazardous situation for the players. It's not about interfering with a tradition; it's about making sure nobody gets it in their eyes, like a goaltender nearby, or that nobody blows out a knee getting caught on some frozen gunk." Somehow, blowing out a knee on octopus goo has escaped us on injury reports for the last 17 years. The Detroit News has a terrific mini-documentary that details octopus tossing history, and the passion, the sights and the smells that go along with it. While Sobotka's great on-ice tradition has been halted, the News reports he can still swing the octopi on the concourse.

05-25-2008, 12:02 PM	#278 (permalink)
Ichu Registered User Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Calgary, Canada Posts: 185 -1 Internets	Two 200 pound men careening towards a solid wall in a race for a puck is A'ok, but god fucking forbid someone slip on some octopus cum.

05-25-2008, 12:45 PM	#279 (permalink)
Ishad Fires of Heaven WoW Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 334 -2 Internets	I laugh every time I watch it, but I still feel a little bad for fleury: YouTube - fleury falls in entrance of game one in stanley cup finals

05-26-2008, 08:59 PM	#281 (permalink)
Tarrant220 Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 331 -2 Internets	Wings again, dominate the hell out of the Pens. I don't think they'll sweep but Detroit is playing almost perfect right now.

05-27-2008, 07:04 AM	#282 (permalink)
Eomer Registered User Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 8,888 +4 Internets	Haven't had a chance to watch much of the games, just a few minutes here and there. But Detroit is incredible the way they control the puck. They almost never make a bad pass, and if they get possession in their own zone, it's down in the Pens zone 100% of the time. Meanwhile the Pens, even when they get the puck, turn it over almost constantly and give up odd man rushes and chances all over the place. Mike Babcock is a hell of a coach, that's for sure. Detroit's a machine the way they move the puck. All that said, the series is a long way from over. It'll be interesting to see how the Pens play at home. They're a young team and emotion might be a good thing. This reminds me of the Oilers in '83. Not that I remember it, but they were the same hotshit young team that walked through the first three rounds, only to be swept by the Islanders, who were at the tail end of their dynasty. There's a lot of similarities.

05-30-2008, 09:46 AM	#285 (permalink)
Eomer Registered User Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 8,888 +4 Internets	Not playoff related, but: 31% of NHL ticket revenue from Canadian teams Now, that's good news and bad news. Good news that the NHL is doing quite well financially. Bad news that most of the revenue growth has come from the run up in the Canadian dollar. Good news is that the loonie is expected to stay high for a long time due to Canada's resource wealth. Bad news because the NHL is barely treading water in the US, for the most part. It's time that Gary Bettman realized that no, you're not going to fucking develop hockey as a major league sport by shoving it down the throats of people in North Carolina or Georgia. It's just not going to work. There's some exceptions of traditional hockey markets embracing teams, like Dallas and San Jose. But those are exceptions. It's time to go back to the bread and butter and realize that the NHL will remain unique amongst major pro sports in North America as a league that gets the majority of it's money from ticket sales, and no endorsements, TV rights etc. There will never be "grassroots" hockey in the South, hockey is about as expensive as you can get for sports due to the equipment and facilities required. Roller hockey is a sad joke. So start relocating teams, or bringing in new expansion teams in to markets like Hartford, Seattle/Portland, Hamilton, Winnipeg, Quebec City, and Halifax. It'll take a lot of work to get proper arenas built, but if that's what the NHL has to do, that's what it has to do. Give up on this fantasy of the NHL challening the NBA, MLB, or cackle the NFL. It's not going to happen. It's time to be realistic. Hockey will probably remain a niche sport in perpetuity, start catering to markets that will embrace it, instead of markets that will largely ignore it. Fuck, maybe it's time to seriously consider a European/Russian conference. Perhaps work out a deal with the oligarch who's starting the new Russian league in a decade or two to essentially become the European half of the league. There's a ton of hockey fans in Eastern Europe, Germany, and Russia. Putting a team in Mobile and New Orleans isn't going to magically solve the NHL's problems in the US.