The NHL Thread

[Jordan]

Unbelievable tekkers from Crosby in his first NHL game in over 10 months, following suffering from a long-term concussion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9iCOMazj00

Scores his first goal in almost a year with his first shot in his first shift - a bit Lemieux-esque.

Ended up with 2 goals and 2 assists - as if nothing ever happened.

And Sid the Kid was right back to being his usual punk-ass bitch self on Wednesday.

[MC Prussian]

And Sid the Kid was right back to being his usual punk-ass bitch self on Wednesday.

Well, frustration over being held scoreless.

Other than that, all I can say is: Greatness usually comes with a pinch of erratic behaviour.

[Kilworthfox]

Well, frustration over being held scoreless.

Other than that, all I can say is: Greatness usually comes with a pinch of erratic behaviour.

Sid was betetr than could be expected vs the Isles! I never saw him coming bk with 4 points in a 5 goal game! Did I hear someone say this seasons top points scorer? 65 to go?...

[Jordan]

Bruins vs Red Wings on now--not a bad way to spend a holiday afternoon.

Capitals vs. Rangers is on a 4:00 pm local time, but I might be out during the game. The Rangers have really been out-skated in two losses after an excellent seven-game winning stream. Alex Ovechkin of the Caps seems to have found his Kryptonite somewhere recently, as he's been awfully ineffective lately--I hope that continues today.

[Jordan]

For about 20 glorious minutes on Monday night, the New York Rangers were in first place of the entire National Hockey League. If I weren't out that night, I'd have probably taken a screenshot of the standings.

Winter Classic coming up this Monday: Flyers vs Rangers in Philly.

[Jordan]

What's that old Rodney Dangerfield line--"I went to a fight, and a hockey game broke out?"

Here's the beginning of the New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils game last night:

[MC Prussian]

Mmhh... Penguins 8, Jets 4... Crosby with four assists, Malkin with five points, now eight points clear off Stamkos in the race for highest scorer this season.

Just making the Rangers a little bit more nervous - just in time.

GO PENS!

[Jordan]

Mmhh... Penguins 8, Jets 4... Crosby with four assists, Malkin with five points, now eight points clear off Stamkos in the race for highest scorer this season.

Just making the Rangers a little bit more nervous - just in time.

GO PENS!

Nobody will admit it, but every team that's either battling the Penguins in the standings, about to play then down the home stretch or is one of their potential playoff matchups is a little worried right now. Pittsburgh seems invincible.

[MC Prussian]

I don't understand a couple of things about the NHL, even though I love the game to pieces:

a) Why does it matter more in which division you are when it comes to potential playoff matchups? Shouldn't it be that the four teams with the highest points total should then go on and play the four teams below them? So the 1st placed team with most points total plays the 8th-seeded who has the 8th most points?

It's a bit of a flawed sytem right now: At the moment, Pittsburgh would have to play Philly (who they hardly ever do well against), while the Rangers could look forward to a Caps/Sabres matchup (not really hard, is it)?

b) Why did they change the tradition that the home team would play in white and the away team in dark colours?

c) Connected to that: Why are home teams mentioned second in the score window during matches?

d) And finally: Why were Winnipeg placed in the Eastern Conference?

[Kilworthfox]

A) Every Division has to be represented in the playoffs, & as winner of any division you become seeded so basicly all the teams need to do is to finish 1st in your devision and you are at worst seeded 3rd/8 teams in your conference, even if your only the 25th best team in the NHL.

B)I have no idea why...

C)It's how all American sports set out their fixtures as they say Chicago at Detroit rather than Detroit Vs Chicago

D) Winnipeg took over the franchise from the Atlanta Thrashers. Atlanta were in the eastern conference and rather than reshuffle a whole conference, they made Winnipeg travel to the South east alot this season. I expect an NHL wide reshuffle of divisions soon & possibly conferences for some teams such as Winnipeg.

Go Blackhawks, but the Pens look unstoppable for the cup and are 6/1 get on it!

Edited 21 March 2012 by Kilworthfox

[Kilworthfox]

What's that old Rodney Dangerfield line--"I went to a fight, and a hockey game broke out?"

Here's the beginning of the New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils game last night:

Fu ckin' brilliant, now thats hockey

[Jordan]

As for B, the NHL made the change in 2003, and IIRC they did so to boost merchandise sales; sales of dark-colored jerseys were low for years.

For years before expansion in the 1960s, home teams could wear whatever they wanted at home, and almost always wore dark colors at home. I don't remember the exact years, but it wasn't until the 1950s (I think) that teams were required to have a white jersey for clashes when they played away, and white home jerseys were standardized in the 1960s.

Personally, I much prefer home teams to wear their colors at home. I'm a Rangers fan, and I appreciate how their classic blue shirts are a part of the team's rich tradition (so much so that the team has been nicknamed the "Blueshirts" for generations). I also find it boring when every team wears white at home, and the fans in every arena wear white.

The NHL also has a smaller, yet more loyal and rabid fan base than the other major sports leagues. As such, fans typically tend to be more conservative with their taste in sports-related matters than fans of other sports or casual sports fans, and the NHL is always struggling to strike a balance keeping their core fans happy while trying very hard--often unsuccessfully--to attract a bigger following. Having teams wear dark at home seems more fitting for the NHL. On a sort-of-related note, as the league is undergoing a hybrid traditional/postmodern makeover (see the Winter Classic), a lot of teams are embracing a quasi-retro style. The cartoonish looks of the 1990s are dying. The Islanders, Oilers, Sabres etc. have returned to their classic looks ("throwbacks"), while not-so-classic teams like the Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets have gone with curious alternate jerseys meant to evoke old-time hockey ("faux-backs").

Edited 21 March 2012 by Jordan

[Jordan]

Pittsburgh seems invincible.

...and then they to and lose back-to-back games to the Islanders! I guess this shows there are no easy games in this league.

Rangers are now 1st in the East, 5 points ahead of the Penguins with 5 to play, owning the tiebreaker against then despite one more meeting between the two to come. The St. Louis Blues have the President's Trophy edge on the Rangers by one point, but the Rangers have a game in hand.

[Kilworthfox]

...and then they to and lose back-to-back games to the Islanders! I guess this shows there are no easy games in this league.

Rangers are now 1st in the East, 5 points ahead of the Penguins with 5 to play, owning the tiebreaker against then despite one more meeting between the two to come. The St. Louis Blues have the President's Trophy edge on the Rangers by one point, but the Rangers have a game in hand.

In a head to head 7 series the Pens will edge the Rangers in my opinion, as they have more firepower.

[Jordan]

Fortunately for the Rangers, if the season ends the way the standings are now, that's a bridge they can cross when they get there. I'd think New Jersey--the most likely candidate for the 6th seed--can dispatch of likely 3rd-seeded Florida in the 1st round (ahh, the quirks of the NHL playoff seeding system). Barring either a Rangers or Penguins collapse, this would delay any potential playoff matchups between the two until the conference finals.

The chase for the last few spots in the Western Conference playoffs is pure madness, and the race seems to change drastically every night. Like the Eastern Conference and its Southeast Division, this is largely a product of the mediocrity of one division (the Pacific, although this was unexpected before the season). It's a shame the games usually start and end so late for us on the East Coast, though I'd feel even worse for anybody in Europe that follows a West Coast team.

[MC Prussian]

It's Playoff time!!

EAST

NY Rangers (1) vs. Ottawa Senators (8)

Boston Bruins (2) vs. Washington Capitals (7)

Florida Panthers (3) vs. New Jersey Devils (6)

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (5)

WEST

Vancouver Canucks (1) vs. Los Angeles Kings (8)

St. Louis Blues (2) vs. San Jose Sharks (7)

Phoenix Coyotes (3) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (6)

Nashville Predators (4) vs. Detroit Red Wings (5)

P.S.: GO PENS!!

[Jordan]

Pens-Flyers is going to be crazy. Definitely the highlight of the first round.

I would have liked for the Rangers to win the President's Trophy, but if last night's loss means they play a struggling Ottawa team instead of the red-hot Capitals, so be it. I don't expect a cakewalk, though, as the Senators have played the Rangers very tough this season, and the Rangers have struggled at various points this season against the few teams that fan outskate them.

Bruins-Capitals is a treat for the NHL. Ovechkin vs. A big market team and defending champions.

Predators vs. Wings is the standout matchup in the West, for me. The Canucks are going up against Jonathan Quick in goal, and good goaltending is a prerequisite for causing upsets, so that series might be worth staying up late a few nights. I can see the Blackhawks knocking off Phoenix and then going on a deep run. Don't be fooled by their 6 seed; they're a very good team with lots of depth and a Cup-winning pedigree.

[Jordan]

I cannot remember ever seeing a more wild start to the Stanley Cup playoffs than what I'm seeing this year. Almost every game has been great and exciting. Also, there have been lots of "extracurricular activities" that have added hate and anger to what is naturally intense hockey anyway.

The Pittsburgh-Philly series has had plenty of controversy, as expected, but the Flyers have stunned the Pens, leaving the supposed Cup favorites in a 3-0 hole. The Flyers mounted remarkable comebacks in the first two games and have scored 8 goals in back to back games. How do the Penguins--let alone any team--allow that to happen? The Penguins had better get their act together quickly, or the next round they'll be playing in will be at the golf course.

It's ironic that public opinion in the hockey world seems to be heavily in favor of the Flyers being the heroes, vanquishing the villainous Penguins; considering the Flyers' reputation, this is irony in its highest form. But I, personally, have never been so happy to see Philadelphia win games as I am now, and I'm glad the petulant Penguins are getting their comeuppance. The Penguins embarrassed themselves on the ice today, and since the referees had no interest in stopping some of the Penguins' diving and chippy play, the Flyers took it upon themselves to police the ice. Even Sidney Crosby and Claude Giroux got into a little scrap with each other--what were the odds of that happening?

I've still not quite got my voice back from the Garden last night in the Rangers-Senators Game 2, a disappointing loss for my Blueshirts that has left the series tied, 1-1, heading into Ottawa for Game 3. That was certainly a testy affair, with two incidents that have drawn suspensions, but I'll touch on that later.

Boston-Washington and Phoenix-Chicago have both been tight-checking goalie battles, both tied 1-1 with all four games going into overtime. Nashville looked really good today winning in Detroit to take the series lead, 2-1, and what did I say about Los Angeles? Quick & Co. shocked the President's Trophy-winning Canucks by taking the first two in Vancouver.

Anyway, back on the suspension topic. This season, future Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Brendan Shanahan took the responsibilities of being the NHL's player discipline czar. I always liked Shanahan as a player, and have always thought he has offered sensible suggestions to fix problems in the league throughout his career and post-retirement league activities. As such, I was happy to see him take the new post, particularly since cheap shots and injuries--especially concussions--have recently increased and have become a massive problem in the league.

However, despite Shanahan's heavy-handed start, some of his recent decisions have been absurd, and I think he's shown himself out of his depth when handing out (or withholding) supplemental discipline. The explanations given for these decisions indicate that the consequence of the play (mostly the severity of any injury) matter more than the malice involved in the act, which has led to some curious punishment decisions this week.

At the end of the Nashville-Detroit Game 1, Nashville's Shea Weber grabbed Detroit's Henrik Zetteberg by the back of his head and slammed it into the glass--not unlike something you'd see in the WWE. While Z was not injured, the act was delivered with enough force to have apparently broken Z's helmet. It was violent, disgusting and it was condemned throughout the league and hockey media. However, Shanahan and his team only deemed the act worthy of a $2,500 fine.

Later that night, Vancouver's Byron Bitz was given a match penalty for boarding after blatantly hitting Los Angeles' Kyle Clifford from behind and driving his head into the glass. Clifford left the game injured and has not returned, and Bitz--who has no previous record of any suspensions--was given a two-game "Shanaban."

Last night, early in the NY Rangers-Ottawa game, Ottawa's Matt Carkner jumped the Rangers' Brian Boyle. The Senators were angry about an incident in Game 1, where Boyle have their star defenseman, Erik Karlsson, a few jabs to the head. The Senators were hell-bent on revenge; Carkner was scratched for Game 1, but he was added to last night's lineup purely as a goon to go after Boyle.

After a few hits along the boards, Carkner found himself near Boyle and jumped him. Boyle had no interest in fighting, but Carkner dropped his gloves, landed a two punches to the head, knocked Boyle down and threw five more punches while Boyle was down on the ice. This sparked a big melée, and Carkner was slapped with a fighting major, plus a minor and a game misconduct for instigating. Carkner was given a one-game suspension. In the video released by the NHL to explain the suspension, Shanahan also mentions that Carkner had been disciplined for a similar attack in 2009 (where he broke the NY Islanders' Tim Jackman's orbital bone with a few sucker punches in an attempt to avenge a teammate).

Later in the game, Rangers' rookie Carl Hagelin attempted to hit the Senators' Daniel Alfredsson on the forecheck in the corner of the Ottawa zone. Hagelin came in hard, raised his arm on the hit and landed a solid elbow to Alfredsson's head, inflicting an injury on the Ottawa captain which forced him to leave the game. Hagelin was given a major penalty for elbowing. Hagelin maintained after the game that he only raised his arm towards the end to shield himself from Alfredsson's stick, and that as a fellow Swede, he grew up a big fan of Alfredsson, who has a stellar reputation both in Sweden and the NHL. In 64 regular season games this year, Hagelin only collected 24 penalty minutes, all minors. Yet out of all four of these incidents, this was the one that received the longest Shanaban--3 games.

The Rangers released a statement following the NHL's decision saying that while they accept and will not appeal Hagelin's suspension, they are "thoroughly perplexed" with the punishment as it relates to other incidents that received supplementary discipline reviews, feeling that it is inconsistent. And I--not just because I am a Rangers fan--am also "thoroughly perplexed." I've seen all four plays and watched Shanahan's explanation videos for the three suspensions (NHL.com has those videos for all incidents that warrant a ban), and while I'd agree that Hagelin's elbow definitely deserved extra punishment, that hit more closely resembles a hockey play than any of the other three incidents.

I know the league wants to get rid of all of those types of plays--as it should--but I think the league is sending a terrible message when it determines that a high, hard hit delivered in the run of play is three times worse than seven punches to the head of a defenseless player--and a premeditated violent act, at that. Or that it's worse than hitting a player from behind that has no way to brace himself for having his head driven into the boards. Or that any of those plays are somehow worse than grabbing the back of an opponent's head and slamming it into the boards for no good reason. Or, worst of all, that having such an inconsistent, logic-defying method for determining supplemental discipline will somehow help eliminate unnecessarily violent play and reduce injuries.

I'm always amazed that the NHL, in my opinion, consistently puts out the most entertaining, exciting, well-played product out of any major professional sport (I suppose controversy also makes for entertainment) despite constantly scoring own goals, whether it be in regards to media, team ownership, rule changes and enforcing disciplinary standards.

[shen]

Canucks on the brink of elimination? Obviously the attention here is focused more on the upcoming World Cup than the playoffs, so the media are excited about the prospect of Hansen joining up with an already strong Danish line-up

[MC Prussian]

I don't know what it is that has the Pens reeling. Clearly they went into the matchup knowing they can beat Philly at home.

The amount of goals they've let in so far is also astounding to say the least. I know the weren't the best in regular season, but allowing 20 goals in three games...

As it stands, I don't mind Pittsburgh losing out in the first round because they simply don't deserve this miracle of winning the next four straight.

Crosby behaved like a petulant little child yesterday, the fighting was unnecessary (it was a wake-up call that never found a response) and has gone down a bit in my sympathy charts.

This year's surprise package is clearly LA. God knows how they manage to play hockey in Southern California.

[Uncle Phil]

I said I'd make an effort to watch some of the playoffs this year as I haven't watched any hockey at all for a very long time. I haven't done yet though...

Anyway, come on the Devils!

[Mike the Metal Ed]

Pens - Flyers was amazing last night, got a really HQ NBC stream too. Great to see the Senators keeping it competitive against the Rangers, but they could just as easily lose the next 3 games.

[Jordan]

I said I'd make an effort to watch some of the playoffs this year as I haven't watched any hockey at all for a very long time. I haven't done yet though...

Anyway, come on the Devils!

Both Devils-Panthers 3rd periods have been great. The Devils comeback fell short on Sunday night, but they still have the home-ice advantage now thanks to the split in Florida. In fact, I appreciate how that series has had a lot less cheap shots and shenanigans than all of the others.

I can't stand the Devils, but I've still got to think they'll win this series. In fact, I'm rooting for the Devils to win and the Bruins to beat the Caps so we can have a Rangers-Devils playoff series--that would be spectacular. If this looks likely over the next few days, I might preemptively buy tickets at The Rock for a Devils home Round 2 game; it's fun going there as a Rangers fan

Canucks on the brink of elimination? Obviously the attention here is focused more on the upcoming World Cup than the playoffs, so the media are excited about the prospect of Hansen joining up with an already strong Danish line-up

Over here, if anybody is even familiar with the World Championships, they just know it as that tournament where all the players from crappy teams that either don't make the playoffs or get knocked out early go The USA usually fares very poorly in that tournament. It wasn't very much a big deal in Canada, either, until recent years. The 2005 Worlds probably kick-started all of that, because the NHL lockout allowed teams to play their strongest sides. There have also been a rise in Canadian hockey-related patriotism and more television options up north, so the Worlds now get a little more attention from the Canadian press and public than they did before.

It's kind of sad, because I quite like international hockey. The world scene has gotten a lot more competitive recently. And I also think the NHL should play on IIHF-sized rinks, but I guess that's a whole other topic. I was talking to someone from Latvia recently who told me about how people were crying on the streets of Riga when they beat Russia in a game at the Worlds. And those celebrations in Helsinki when Finland beat Sweden for the gold were hilarious. There is clearly an enthusiasm gap for the Worlds between us and them that's about the same size of the Atlantic Ocean.

As for Danish players--one more Quick masterpiece, and one more dominant performance by Dustin Brown, and Denmark gets a big boost with Hansen. Also, I really like Frans Nielsen from the NY Islanders, who has got to be on the Danish squad, right? He's a good two-way player (great penalty killer, too) with lots of speed. If he brings his game to the next level, and the Islanders get more attention, he might be a solid candidate for the Selke award (best defensive forward) or even the Lady Byng (most sportsmanlike/gentlemanly player).

I don't know what it is that has the Pens reeling. Clearly they went into the matchup knowing they can beat Philly at home.

Philly had won all five games they had played at the new Consol Energy Center before losing the last game of the season there, which was essentially a meaningless game as the Penguins-Flyers playoff matchup was set in stone. It's not surprising that Philly went to Pittsburgh and got results, but the 3-0 series line is a bit stunning. There was a lot of talk towards the end of the season of the Flyers' surprising dominance in Pittsburgh and how it might have even gotten into the Penguins' heads, but then again, that may have all been media-fueled nonsense.

This year's surprise package is clearly LA. God knows how they manage to play hockey in Southern California.

I swear, I don't know how people in SoCal do it--if I lived there, I'd never do anything inside! When teams travel in the Southwest or Florida, you can always guess who's going to have a poor game by the darkness of his suntan.

Pens - Flyers was amazing last night, got a really HQ NBC stream too. Great to see the Senators keeping it competitive against the Rangers, but they could just as easily lose the next 3 games.

Last night's game was really tight, and although the Rangers had several good chances, there's no way they win that one if Henrik Lundqvist isn't the best goaltender in the world. As far as 1-0 games go, that one was awfully exciting.

Oh, and hockey in HD... it's a match made in heaven.

Edited 17 April 2012 by Jordan

[shen]

Over here, if anybody is even familiar with the World Championships, they just know it as that tournament where all the players from crappy teams that either don't make the playoffs or get knocked out early go The USA usually fares very poorly in that tournament. It wasn't very much a big deal in Canada, either, until recent years. The 2005 Worlds probably kick-started all of that, because the NHL lockout allowed teams to play their strongest sides. There have also been a rise in Canadian hockey-related patriotism and more television options up north, so the Worlds now get a little more attention from the Canadian press and public than they did before.

I really like Frans Nielsen from the NY Islanders, who has got to be on the Danish squad, right? He's a good two-way player (great penalty killer, too) with lots of speed. If he brings his game to the next level, and the Islanders get more attention, he might be a solid candidate for the Selke award (best defensive forward) or even the Lady Byng (most sportsmanlike/gentlemanly player).

It was the WCs and the Olympics that got me into liking hockey in the first place. That was back when Forsberg was still a young 'un and Hasek was stellar for the Czechs. It might not be a big deal to the American public, but ever since the WCs in 2003 where a Danish team who'd never played at that level before sensationally beat the US 5-2 and drew against Canada (who went on to become champions), there has been a lot of attention from NHL clubs. Nielsen was the first Dane to play in the NHL just five years ago, and now there are six with more on the way. If it wasn't for their achievements in the World Cups they would've never had that breakthrough I think. And yes, he's in the squad, as are Larsen (Stars), Eller (Canadiens) and Regin (Senators). Don't know whether Bødker (Coyotes) will join up, but Hansen probably will if the Canucks bow out.

[Uncle Phil]

Both Devils-Panthers 3rd periods have been great. The Devils comeback fell short on Sunday night, but they still have the home-ice advantage now thanks to the split in Florida. In fact, I appreciate how that series has had a lot less cheap shots and shenanigans than all of the others.

I can't stand the Devils, but I've still got to think they'll win this series. In fact, I'm rooting for the Devils to win and the Bruins to beat the Caps so we can have a Rangers-Devils playoff series--that would be spectacular. If this looks likely over the next few days, I might preemptively buy tickets at The Rock for a Devils home Round 2 game; it's fun going there as a Rangers fan

My allegiance with the Devils stems from the NHL 97 game. Me and a few mates all randomly picked teams and I got the Devils. My family in America has no real interest in hockey, they prefer the Astros baseball team.

The Rangers should progress against the Senators right?