Hockey

[Alpe d'Huez]

Can't remember a playoffs with so many suspensions, and all of them deserved.

The NHL needs someone like Roger Goodell of the NFL to shake things up.

I'm finally around to watching with some dedication. I just wanted to say I agree with he two above comments. As a matter of fact, the NHL could learn something from the NFL. Legal play or not, exciting or not, Bettman and Shanahan better be proactive about this or they're going to find themselves down the line embroiled in some serious lawsuits...or worse.

Hockey is finally gaining popularity again, thanks in part to their last CBA, great TV contracts, and the mess that is the NBA. But there's a narrow line between capitalizing on this, and screwing it up by not taking action where needed.

Excellent CBS article on the situation.

 

[pedaling squares]

Jonathon Toews is quoted in the National Post today saying that in respect of the Torres hit, that " he doesn't consider that to be hockey". However, he seemed to have no problem at all when Duncan Keith tried to ram his armour plated elbow through the back of Daniel Sedin's brain pan. That was just good old fashioned hockey I guess.

Every team is full of hypocrites. They cry out when their player is targeted but say nothing when their teammate does the targeting. 'Captain Serious' Jonathan Toews is Captain Outrage today, but was Captain Silence when Keith targeted Sedin in an even more predatory act than Torres' hit. I'm so sick of the hypocrisy. The league is going to come down hard on Torres but they let others off with worse acts. The NHL needs some real leadership. They are happy with the high tv ratings in the first round of the playoffs and don't seem to care that the best parts of the sport are being ignored, with the attention on the increased violence and decreased respect among players.

 

[Nielsa]

I never cease to be amazed at the way the media treat certain Canucks players.

In general I think there're too many sports shows trying to force-feed their viewers with these banale narratives: This and that guy carries his team, and if the team fails, it's 95% his fault.
Nothing new, goes back to the stories about Troy, or ancient Chinese mythos etc. Not to compare these sportscasters to Homer and others, of course.

 

[palmerq]

chicago v phoenix gong to overtime again :S another late goal for chicago amazing

 

[plooton]

none of these teams are my favourites, but as Frolík tied it, they could make it, after all - BH is more attractive traditional team.

 

[pedaling squares]

After getting stoned by Smith all night, it must have been torture for the Blackhawks players to watch another soft goal trickle past Crawford in overtime. Terrible goaltending.

 

[Boeing]

Vancouver in 7

 

[plooton]

Vancouver in 7

But I'd like to.

 

[Nielsa]

Nashville .

 

[palmerq]

After getting stoned by Smith all night, it must have been torture for the Blackhawks players to watch another soft goal trickle past Crawford in overtime. Terrible goaltending.

they should bring back huet :S

 

[pedaling squares]

25 games for Raffi Torres! The NHL tries to look progressive by hammering 3rd and 4th line players like Torres and Matt Cooke. And that's ok, it sure worked with Cooke, he's a changed man. But the league turns a blind eye when Shea Weber and Eygeni Malkin target their opponents' heads. And they blew it on the Duncan Keith elbow. Different standards for different pay grades = bush league.

 

[palmerq]

25 games for that :S it's a bit bad and maybe ban worthy but sedin hitting keith then keith hitting sedin was a lot worse I thought.. Didn't look to me like torres tried to injure him anymore than any other ice hockey hit, didnt look like he was headhunting either.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Agree with Squares. I'm reminded of how another sport hands down suspensions.

I guess we should at least be glad Pat McQuaid isn't the commissioner in the NHL.

 

[plooton]

Agree with Squares. I'm reminded of how another sport hands down suspensions.

I guess we should at least be glad Pat McQuaid isn't the commissioner in the NHL.

Why? There are any questionable practises from his side? What cases do you have in mind?

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Uh, there's about 20 threads in The Clinic about him. Links here. We don't really need to discuss him here, so I'll drop it and stay on topic.

 

[Fetisoff]

25 games for that :S it's a bit bad and maybe ban worthy but sedin hitting keith then keith hitting sedin was a lot worse I thought.. Didn't look to me like torres tried to injure him anymore than any other ice hockey hit, didnt look like he was headhunting either.

Really??? Well, as much as I dislike Shanahan, but as they say a picture is worth a thousand words.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=629019
You can skip the first 3/4 of the video to the last part, where it shows Torres' previous "non-head hunting" incidents, especially the Eberle and the Colorado one


P.S. ****ing Sharks. You done that to me again

 

[palmerq]

Really??? Well, as much as I dislike Shanahan, but as they say a picture is worth a thousand words.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=629019
You can skip the first 3/4 of the video to the last part, where it shows Torres' previous "non-head hunting" incidents, especially the Eberle and the Colorado one


P.S. ****ing Sharks. You done that to me again

well I am not a canadian so ice hokcey is still strange to me.. but I dont think this was worth a 25 game ban I heard Vigneault saying it was more of a hockey play than the keith v sedin hit/attack even though I am sure alain is just using it to have a go at keith I agree with that.. Looking at it more it does seem a bit savage but I think there are worse things that go on.. On more viewings I would say it's a bannable offence but 25 games seems very harsh I think torres just got a bit carried away not an attack of maliciousness.

 

[Fetisoff]

well I am not a canadian so ice hokcey is still strange to me.. but I dont think this was worth a 25 game ban I heard Vigneault saying it was more of a hockey play than the keith v sedin hit/attack even though I am sure alain is just using it to have a go at keith I agree with that.. Looking at it more it does seem a bit savage but I think there are worse things that go on.. On more viewings I would say it's a bannable offence but 25 games seems very harsh I think torres just got a bit carried away not an attack of maliciousness.

Well, speaking of carried away I always think of the Alexander Perezhogin incident. The guy has never been a "tough guy", never suspended before (or after it again), Stafford tries to baseball slash him, misses, so he retaliates, swings back in exact same manner and actually connects.... Year and a half suspension received. So much for being carried away...

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

 

[palmerq]

well in my opinion whacking someone over the head like that is quite different from a play that is sort of encouraged in ice hockey

 

[palmerq]

phoenix v chicago on just now, 1-0 to phoenix so far close to the end of the 2nd.. what are the odds of it going to overtime after chicago equalise with a less than 2 minutes left after pulling their goalie :S..

mon the coyotes, they are my 2nd team

 

[Fetisoff]

phoenix v chicago on just now, 1-0 to phoenix so far close to the end of the 2nd.. what are the odds of it going to overtime after chicago equalise with a less than 2 minutes left after pulling their goalie :S..

mon the coyotes, they are my 2nd team

Actually I think they will win in a definite fashion today (3-1, 2-0 kinda thing, no overtime). Not a big fan of either team, but actually wouldn't mind phoenix going deep in the west now at all, since my 1st team got put out today (but what a performance by my 2nd team, if they put out the B's at least it's not gonna be a boring *** unwatchable B's vs STL Stanley cup for sure)

 

[palmerq]

I like phoenix because no one else seems to and all I ever hear about them is where they will relocate to, so I feel a bit sorry for them and I like coyotes and err vrbata did really well for me in the fantasy league this season... So I hope you are right..

I do not have great faith in the canucks I have noticed towards the end of the season they were having a tough time scoring and I was not too surprised to seem them down 3-0 to the kings(although I did not think it would happen)... Seems to me many people here in vancouver have bit of a submissive attitude towards the hockey they were all cheering and wearing the shirts for the first 2 games of the play offs, now at work I hardly hear anything about the canucks... maybe the team are like this too, I don't know... We do look a lot better with daniel back but if losing one player makes such a huge difference from being president cup winners to 3-0 series trailers v la then that is a very worrying sign... I think if the canucks win on sunday then it will go to game 7 and then it is either teams series and I hope the canucks do it! I am far from convinced by them though.. I also think luongo was harshly treated he did well i the first 2 games and after all the talk from the management that he was for sure going to be starting the playoffs I think it's a bit harsh and low to just drop him and make it look like it's his fault the canucks are 3-0 down... I am not a luongo supporter though and I think his contract was a bad idea but even though i am only a canucks supporter of a few years I will miss the fellow..

 

[Fetisoff]

I like phoenix because no one else seems to and all I ever hear about them is where they will relocate to, so I feel a bit sorry for them and I like coyotes and err vrbata did really well for me in the fantasy league this season... So I hope you are right..

I do not have great faith in the canucks I have noticed towards the end of the season they were having a tough time scoring and I was not too surprised to seem them down 3-0 to the kings(although I did not think it would happen)... Seems to me many people here in vancouver have bit of a submissive attitude towards the hockey they were all cheering and wearing the shirts for the first 2 games of the play offs, now at work I hardly hear anything about the canucks... maybe the team are like this too, I don't know... We do look a lot better with daniel back but if losing one player makes such a huge difference from being president cup winners to 3-0 series trailers v la then that is a very worrying sign... I think if the canucks win on sunday then it will go to game 7 and then it is either teams series and I hope the canucks do it! I am far from convinced by them though.. I also think luongo was harshly treated he did well i the first 2 games and after all the talk from the management that he was for sure going to be starting the playoffs I think it's a bit harsh and low to just drop him and make it look like it's his fault the canucks are 3-0 down... I am not a luongo supporter though and I think his contract was a bad idea but even though i am only a canucks supporter of a few years I will miss the fellow..

Do you think Luongo's done in Vancouver as of this off-season, and they'll go with Schneider?

 

[palmerq]

Do you think Luongo's done in Vancouver as of this off-season, and they'll go with Schneider?

well from the look of the news and the sports radio that I always listen to this is the end of luongo... I'll be honest I don't know but by the look of it picking schneider for the very important game 4 just looks like canucks have lost faith in luongo and he is no longer the number 1 and in my opinion there is no way they will keep a guy who has a hefty wage and a long contract for backup.... all the newspapers and radio here say it is the end of him too, most speculation say he is off to tampa bay, I hear his wife is from florida(and may still live there :S), that makes sense tampa are not bad and lacking a goalie... everyday in the news paper there is another column of how luongo is on his way out... So I guess he is done, it makes sense too..

Apprently luongos contract is not as bad as it looks, i think in 2 more years luongo can opt out of it and in 4 more years the team who owns the contract can opt out of it and his cap hit is somewhere around 5.5 million so 4 years @5.5 isnt that bad...

I just think(even as an opponent to luongos contract) it is a bit of a low blow to the guy who has been a very good goalie to just drop him for the most important game of the series especially after he played well... Luongo was in goals for canadas gold winning game in the olympics he is a big game player...

 

[palmerq]

1-1 chicago.... overtime? :S