Anyone following the Stanley Cup final?

[AndyG]

remember when hockey went on strike about 5-6 years ago? and there was no hockey on TV? That was a great year.

To me, hockey was always a great alternative to football

+1
Hockey is a sport that has a bit of everything for everyone .... hitting for football fans, speed for basketball fans, the occasional fight, all done while on skates!!! (which are cabable of slicing through skin for the blood and gore fans, but horrific to see it happen, ala what happened to Richard Zednik a few years ago).

I forget who said it, but the best phrase I have heard regarding hockey is that it is the ONLY sport where you cannot run out of bounds to avoid trouble!

 

[AutoBat]

The 94-95 MLB strike was the best year ever. Baseball is the suckiest sport that is regularly on television in the states.

 

[CrackedPepper]

Winnipeg lost a team before - it will be interesting to see if it happens again.  If the Thrashers leave, it will be the second time they've lost a team.  In terms of attendance, there were no southern teams in the top 10 for 2010-11:

1 Blackhawks
2 Canadiens
3 Flyers
4 Red Wings
5 Maple Leafs
6 Flames
7 Blues
8 Canucks
9 Sabres
10 Capitals

Yes, I know that Washington is south of the Mason-Dixon so technically it is a southern team but they are only well attended because of Ovechkin and all the transplants from the north that attend their games.  While you can make an argument that attendance wanes with a team's success (and you'd be right), Washington is very much a "fair weather" city.  Hockey is a distant 2nd to football in terms of attendance.

Now look at the bottom 10:

20 Hurricanes
21 Predators
22 Panthers
23 Stars
24 Avalanche
25 Devils
26 Ducks
27 Blue Jackets
28 Thrashers
29 Coyotes
30 NY Islanders

Six of the ten are southern teams (the others teams just suck - Columbus and NYI have serious management issues, COL and the Devils are deep in the midst of a drought.)  Even Tampa Bay was 18th and they went deep into the playoffs!  My point: I wonder when the NHL is going to get the big picture that hockey will never be as popular in the southern US as it is up North.

 

[erogenousjones17]

My point: I wonder when the NHL is going to get the big picture that hockey will never be as popular in the southern US as it is up North.

Never, as long as Bettman's in charge. I think Winnepeg will have a better chance of holding on to the Jets (or whatever they choose to call them--why there's even talk of calling them anything but the Jets is beyond me) this time around: the city's grown and its economy, as with the entire Canadian economy, is stronger than it was when the team headed south the first time. Plus, they've got great support from the community and some well-heeled investors. I wish them the best.

That said, the Thrashers were "supposed" to come here to Québec City, so I'm also a little peeved about that. Albeit not as peeved as I am at the thought of the provincial government shelling out $200M on a new arena.  :doh:

 

[Graffiti62]

Tonight's game was a DISASTER!!! Boston beat Vancouver 8-1. How can it be so hard to slide a puck past a ginger who stops the darned things with his butt?  Seriously--Tim Thomas is nearly as unorthodox as Dominik Hasek was. Nearly--he has a long ways to go.

 

[llmtelecaster]

The 94-95 MLB strike was the best year ever. Baseball is the suckiest sport that is regularly on television in the states.

So true. I can't even put into words how much I think baseball sucks. My dad said it best...."3 minutes of action stretched into 3 hours".

 

[AndyG]

Tonight's game was a DISASTER!!! Boston beat Vancouver 8-1. How can it be so hard to slide a puck past a ginger who stops the darned things with his butt?  Seriously--Tim Thomas is nearly as unorthodox as Dominik Hasek was. Nearly--he has a long ways to go.

I don`t think that one abhorration will define this series .... but it was a weird game.
It will be interesting to see if any discipline will be brought down on Rome ... as Horton was the "unfortunate victim of a hockey play" ..... The Boston fans who want his nuts hung from the rafters should remember the Chara incident, and that karma can indeed be a b!tch.

 

[erogenousjones17]

Well put Andy. It was a clean hit; Horton just wasn't looking, and that's unfortunate.

 

[Graffiti62]

I think when people look back on it, Rome won't be villified for the check--he really didn't do anything illegal. The only thing he's guilty of is being confused of who had the puck. I know about a team wanting someone's nuts on a tree. I'm a Wings fan--all that has to be said are "Colorado Avalanche" and "Claude Lemieux." However, redemption was served, and Darren McCarty's crank to Claude's melon was what some believe was the blow that broke Detroit's Stanley Cup drought.

You know its a scrap battle when even the goalies leave their nets to clobber at each other:

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOCXfu_mWyY[/youtube]

 

[erogenousjones17]

Those Colorado - Detroit series were epic back in the day.

 

[Jusatele]

No Ducks, No final
nuff said

ok truely I live near the ducks

but I have been a Rangers fan for 40 plus years,

Hockey is the worlds best sport, and sport that you are allowed to take out the ref if he is in way of play works for me.

 

[llmtelecaster]

I love a good sports brawl. That Colorado/Detroit video was pretty cool. Being a huge basketball fan, my equivalent to that would probably be the Ron Artest vs. The City of Detroit brawl. Even the fans got in on some of that  :headbang:

 

[AndyG]

So Rome gets 4 games for the type of hit that results in an injury that Chara gets nothing for.

It is no small wonder that Colin Campbell's son's team gets preferential treatment?  Ok, that might be a bit conspiracy theorist, but it pi$$es me off to no end how inconsistant the NHL is when it comes to dicsipline.  That is the ONLY thing that sucks about hockey in its current state.

 

[mayfly]

Kinda reminds me of the 80's Oilers.  You never saw this on TV, but whenever someone would check Gretzky, Big Dave Semenko would skate directly to the guy who did the checking and punch him.  In the face.  Not once, not twice, but several times in succession.  It was like "bam bambam bambambam bam bambam".  Done.  Then Gretzky's line would take a break while Dave sat in the box.

The things you see when you're actually in the building 

 

[Graffiti62]

No Ducks, No final
nuff said

ok truely I live near the ducks

but I have been a Rangers fan for 40 plus years,

Hockey is the worlds best sport, and sport that you are allowed to take out the ref if he is in way of play works for me.

I have a fraternity brother who grew up in Panorama City, CA and is a huge Ducks fan. I'll admit that they've done a LOT since the team was bought from the Disney company, but I have a hard time rooting for a team that employed the criminal element known as Chris Pronger, whether currently or in the past.

 

[TJD]

:evil4:Hey guys (and gals). I don't usually post in off topic stuff but obviously Bruins fans are the great minority here so it is my moral obligation to respond as a "Boston is the center of the sports universe" card acrrying member. Ok..we Boston fans ARE annoying..I don't blame you all. Not as overtly violent as Philly fans but equal in passion. First of all, I have some Canadian (Habs) fan friends who I can't even discuss Hockey with. I love them but when it comes to objectivity they don't have it. The Chara hit on Pachoretti should have been a suspension I agree. The only difference with the recent Horton hit was that Horton was actually hurt and not faking his supposed death after being hit. Montreal fans will also say there was no "conclusive evidence" that Bergeron was bitten. What, they don't have HIDEF tv either?..c'mon. Remember the McClaren hit on Zednik a few years ago? Remember the outcry from Habs fans then? How does that hit look now? He was suspended  for the series solely because Montreal cried. Anybody who plays or really knows hockey will see that Zednik..1--actually had the puck  2 was skating with his head down..3 wasn't even really hurt. Also, McClaren wasnt trying to injure him, he was caught out of position and flung his arm out to catch a piece of Zednik and ended up hitting him in the head. 2 min penalty at best. Lastly, the soccer-like diving and crying should not be part of hockey. The diving Sedin sisters and that puke Burroughs can't get hit enough for me. I'm expecting the B's to lose but hopeful anyway. ps..really happy for WINNIPEG hopefully called the Jets! While they're at it get rid of the south teams and bring back Qubec and The WHALE too!!!

 

[DangerousR6]

Nope. watching the Dallas/Miami NBA finals; thought the Mavs were toast in the 4th quarter, after that comeback, there's no telling what will happen now, could go either way/seven games to find out.

Go Mav's.... :headbang:

 

[TJD]

+++ :headbang: :headbang: I agree..GO MAVS!! and B's

 

[Graffiti62]

+++ :headbang: :headbang: I agree..GO MAVS!! and B's

I'm still pulling for Vancouver, but I do agree with wanting Dallas to win. I felt horrible when most of SportsCenter today focused more on the marginal play that LeBron James had, as well as the potential causes (moon phase, gas from lunch, thought he left his headlights on, forgot to put his trash on the curb), and they barely talked about how great of a game Dirk Nowitzki had, even with a damaged tendon in his hand, and fighting a high fever and a nasty case of the flu. Seriously--if you can pull off a big athetic feat like he had considering that he probably felt like he had just rolled in his own crap, you're a champ in my book man!

 

[erogenousjones17]

TJD: Habs fans are easily the worst in all of sports. In hockey, Sens fans come second for their obliviousness, followed by Boston fans for the simple fact that they root for the Bruins.  :icon_jokercolor: