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Post by mister frau blucher on Feb 22, 2012 13:28:47 GMT -5
A week until the trade deadline. I don't think my Pens will be too active, unlike the last few years. If Sid comes back for the playoffs, they will be a favorite for the Cup. There is no salary cap in the playoffs, so if they put him on IR they could pick up a rugged winger now (guys on IR do not count against the slary cap), but the uncertainty of his return means he may be back before the playoffs.
The Rangers will be the team to beat in the East, though if Boston finds their form from two months ago they will be unstoppable. In the West, Detroit is automatic at home and sub-average on the road. The Canucks look to be in good position. The Sharks are fading.
For the trade deadline, Rick Nash is the potential star, but I do not see ownership giving their underachieving GM the green light to trade the pillar of the franchise. Particularly since said GM should get a pink slip in the offseason. Jeff carter could wind up going, though. Gaustad and Knuble would be final puzzle pieces to a few teams that are poised to make a run at the Cup.
Exciting times!
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Post by vladtaltos on Feb 22, 2012 23:20:22 GMT -5
When the Flames were in Atlanta, I was a huge hockey fan (this was, of course, many years ago in my pre-teen years). They were the only team in town that was winning in the mid to late 70s, and really had a great fan base. The Flames' owner had lost his shirt in real estate investments and had to sell the team to recoup some of his losses. Their leaving wasn't due to poor attendance, it was always fairly good, the team making the playoffs their last seven years in ATL had a lot to do with that.
The Thrashers were destroyed by terrible ownership from day one (if your favorite franchise is owned by a dozen different people, and no one knows who gets the final word, your favorite team is in trouble. Let the Thrashers serve as a warning). Unlike the Flames, the Thrashers did suffer from poor attendance their last few years in the NHL.
I'd be a huge hockey fan if the Flames had never left town. As it is, I know nothing about the present day game.
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Post by mister frau blucher on Feb 23, 2012 11:20:41 GMT -5
That is interesting, vlad. I had heard that the Flames got plenty of love in Atlanta, and that is why they were in line to get another hockey team when the league expanded. I'd also heard how atrocious the Thrashers ownership situation was. They seemed to do a very poor job keeping their players happy, much less the fans. Teh organization had some horrible off-ice problems, like the Dan Snyder situation, and though that was not their fault it still takes a toll.
The Flames are a good distance form Atlanta now, but you can still be a fan! They are a class organization, with some management issues, but they have one of the game's great captains in Jerome Iginla. They are on the playoff bubble right now, but I usually pull for them to make it.
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Post by vladtaltos on Feb 23, 2012 19:25:02 GMT -5
Like a lot of fans I kept track of them for a few years after they left, up until they won the Stanley Cup over Montreal. I still recall some of their stars from that team--Theo Fleury, Lanny McDonald, Mike Vernon.
It's tough following a team so far away. There's no local TV station airing their games, and after so many years it's tough to reconnect. In the Thrashers absence we get treated to a mix of Predators and Hurricanes' games on local sports cable. Of the two, I'd probably root for Nashville in the playoffs, but I know nothing about them other than they have a good W-L record.
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Post by mister frau blucher on Feb 24, 2012 10:35:18 GMT -5
Nashville is a class organization, that has built their team the right way - through the draft and limited, targeted free agency/trades. They always play solid defense, that is where their strength is both in talent and system. They have had the same coach their entire existence, Trotz, and he has patiently and methodically built them up into a playoff team. The style is not that exciting, but they do have good fans.
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Post by mister frau blucher on Mar 13, 2012 13:27:03 GMT -5
Crosby coming back on Thursday against the Rangers. The plan is to put him on the third line, between Tyler Kennedy and Matt Cooke. With the top two line combinations clicking and scoring regularly, it makes sense to ease him into the lineup. When the playoffs roll around the line combos will change.
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Post by vladtaltos on May 28, 2012 8:53:17 GMT -5
I'll admit it, the LA Kings have my attention, and have made this years hockey playoffs worth watching. I'm more of a Southern and East coast sort of sports fan, but what's not to like about a #8 seed rolling into the finals of their sport? They knocked off #1 seed Vancouver, then #2 seed St. Louis, and then #3 seed Phoenix to get to the Stanley Cup Final, all with the home ice disadvantage.
Good for them! If they win, they'll be the first #8 seed to win a Stanley Cup EVER! I'll be rootin' for 'em.
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Post by mister frau blucher on May 30, 2012 9:38:45 GMT -5
Yeah, I am definitely pulling for the Kings. I dislike the Devils since they are in the Atlantic with the Pens, though I like a few of their players. Their style is more interesting, which is ironic as they brought the Trap into the game. But the Kings are a great story, and have just rolled through the playoffs. Keep goin', guys!
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Post by sgthulka on Jun 12, 2012 16:56:48 GMT -5
I can't believe that as of last night I live in Hockeytown, USA! Whodathought? Hooray Kings!
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Post by vladtaltos on Jun 12, 2012 18:35:03 GMT -5
Congrats to the Kings, sgthulka. The first #8 seed to take the Stanley Cup. The most impressive thing to me was the way they steamrolled through the opposition. It was a lot of fun watching them.
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Post by mister frau blucher on Jul 1, 2012 14:00:52 GMT -5
Pens traded away Staal to carolina in a monster deal, getting their third line center Sutter and a great d-man prospect and their first round pick. On one hand, Carolina could have waited a year and gotten Staal for nothing as an unrestricted free agent. But I think it made more sense for carolina to get him now, to help pull Eric Staal out of his slump, and it gives them a chance to be a very solid team right now.
Good for pittsburgh, too. Staal had made it pretty clear he was going to test free agency after the season, so it would be a bit tough in the locker room. This way we get a solid 3rd line center and two great d-prospects.
Free agency opens up today - the pens are targeting Parise to play on Sid's wing and Suter to be a top-2 d-man. Doubt they can get both, but the potential to be competitive for the cup for the next 5-8 years is very tempting to a lot of these guys!
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Post by darkscar on Jun 3, 2013 8:55:44 GMT -5
I won't pretend to be the biggest hockey fan in the world, but having seen a few of the playoff games over the last couple of weeks, I will say Good Job to the teams and players duking it out. It's been entertaining stuff to watch. The NHL is beating out the NBA in terms of entertainment. I don't have a rooting interest, so I'll just say good luck to all, keep up the tension and suspense.
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Post by vladtaltos on Jun 3, 2013 9:29:47 GMT -5
I won't pretend to be the biggest hockey fan in the world, but having seen a few of the playoff games over the last couple of weeks, I will say Good Job to the teams and players duking it out. It's been entertaining stuff to watch. The NHL is beating out the NBA in terms of entertainment. I don't have a rooting interest, so I'll just say good luck to all, keep up the tension and suspense. I was able to catch the Bruins crazy comeback over the Leafs, where they scored two goals in the last 1:30 with the goalie pulled to tie the game. At that point, you knew the Bruins were going to win in OT. That's just the way the whole momentum thing works. I usually root for the underdog, which would be the Kings, I guess. But they won it last year, so yeah, not so much rooting for anyone, just good games. Maybe a favorite will develop.
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Post by mister frau blucher on Jun 5, 2013 9:34:11 GMT -5
The Bruins were the powerhouse in the East early in the season, practically unbeatable, but they cooled off as the season developed, like so many hot teams early do. The pens started off ragged but really came together the last two months of the season. Nearly got knocked off in the opening round, like the B's almost did, then both teams cruised through the second round.
The B's are dominating the Pens because they are executing, and getting a few bounces. In game 1, the Pens had four shots bang off the goalpost - if they had been an inch better, they would have won that game 4-3. In the second game, the B's shots managed to find the thin seams early in the first and second periods, and the rest of their success was positioning and execution. The Pens just got bogged down in frustration.
Game 3 should be different. Teams that fall behind at home in a series (and the Pens have done it before) tend to play a better game on the road, when the pressure is seemingly off. If we can get better positioning out of our D-men (to cut off the point blank shots and clear any rebounds) and get our offensive talent going, we can return to Pittsburgh tied at 2 games each.
We'll see. Like a sage once said in a wise movie: "I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue."
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Post by darkscar on Jun 11, 2013 8:56:11 GMT -5
Too bad about the Penguins, Frau. It looks like it took them a couple of games to hit their stride, and when they did, they lost two really tight games that could have gone either way.
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