05-06 NHL Discussion Thread

I am again angered by my team's refusal to invest in a quality goaltender, yet they continue to pay Jovanovski, one of the single most overrated defensemen in the league, over five MILLION dollars to not hit, pretend he's Bobby Orr and try a mad rush up the ice before losing the puck and directly causing a goal, and lob weak wristers at the opponent's net from the blue line.

Dear Florida: I will give you whatever you want for Roberto Luongo. Please write back soon.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

HAHA! Take that STUPID LEAFS!

There's nowhere I can't reach.

That's not really fair when there are a total of three players on your team with a positive +/-. Ignore also, of course, that he was second in team scoring or whatever. But don't worry. You don't need to score goals to win games!

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Sens/Red Wings would be a much better series. Calgary can be a fast team (at least, they have a couple of fast players) but they play in such a strict defensive system that they never get to show it. It's like Minnesota but with more skilled players. Iginla only had 35 goals and he was the highest scoring player on the team by TEN GOALS. That is not an offensive team.

Matching up the two teams who scored the MOST goals rather than surrendered the least (The difference between Detroit's and Ottawa's goals against is much closer than the difference between Ottawa's and Calgary's, anyway) is one I'd pay a lot MORE to see.

Also, matching up the two teams who surrendered the least goals in the cup finals would be impossible, because that would be Calgary vs. Detroit.

Edit: I put my picks in my journal for self reference, let me go dig them up.

Detroit in 4
San Jose in 5
Dallas in 6
Calgary in 7

Carolina in 5
New York in 7
Ottawa in 5
Buffalo in 5

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

How can you cheer for the Devils when they knocked your home team off in the conference finals? Fuck those trapping faggots.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I think my ideal matchups would be Dallas/Detroit in the west and Ottawa/Carolina in the east. Those would both be bitchin' series.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

The harm in cheering for them is that it actively promotes the most mind-numbing style of hockey the NHL has ever seen. I fell asleep twice during the finals between Anaheim and Jersey.

And Lalime sucks lolol.

How ya doing, buddy?

Montreal's goin' down, sorry.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Locke

Not a bad night tonight, could've been better if the Oil had pulled through in OT - but still with the sens beating tb, and calgary killing anaheim - it's started out as an awesome playoffs

Now if only I can find either a desktop or a screensaver with the playoff ladder.

Killing? Seriously? They won 2-1 and took 30 shots. The only thing that game killed was my desire to stay awake for extended periods of it.

How ya doing, buddy?

I would be liable to start killing people if they tried to decide playoff games through a shootout.

Nothing else in professional sports has the same electrifying epic feel that a triple or quadruple overtime NHL playoff game has. Baseball keeps going, sure, but it's not nearly the same pace and excitement.

A shootout is also the shittiest way ever to lose a game. If you've ever played any kind of organized sport and lost a shoout game, god it sucks. It makes you feel so helpless to have all this work and time you've put in come down to one short, regimented drill.

Edit:: Wow, that was a solid hit. His face had concussion written all over it.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Do I hear the call of a pampered Avalanche fan?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

So all four teams that played today tied up the series. Interesting.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

So with that flu going around (wish I'd known that sooner, no way would I have picked them to win in that case) and without Jagr, New York is pretty much done I think.

I was speaking idiomatically.

No they won't, but they have a way better fanbase in their city than both Philly and Buffalo combined, so I'm not really sure what he's talking about.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Fuck you to CBC for making me watch the faggot Flames when I could be watching a real series in Detroit/Edmonton.

FELIPE NO

It's always a good laugh when someone gets it into their head that it's a good idea to fight Chara.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

The penalties for stupidity are usually a lot worse, say a few months with post-concussion syndrome. =o

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Wojo

Just like that the Rangers are swept 4-0. I knew the Devils would take it in 4. Of course Brent didnt believe me in chat.

I didn't know like half their team had the flu.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Buffalo's goin' down like the bitches who cheer for them.

So, who do you all figure will take home some awards?

3:26 PM EDT, 05/04/2006
NHL Awards Finalists

HART TROPHY (MVP) - Jaromir Jagr, New York Rangers; Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames; Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks.

VEZINA TROPHY (Goaltender) - Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils; Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames; Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers.

CALDER TROPHY (Rookie) - Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals; Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames.

JAMES NORRIS TROPHY (Defenseman) - Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings; Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim Mighty Ducks; Sergei Zubov, Dallas Stars.

FRANK J. SELKE TROPHY (Defensive forward) - Rod Brind'Amour, Carolina Hurricanes; Mike Fisher, Ottawa Senators; Jere Lehtinen, Dallas Stars.

JACK ADAMS AWARD (Coach) - Peter Laviolette, Carolina Hurricanes; Tom Renney, New York Rangers; Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres.

LADY BYNG TROPHY (Sportsmanship) - Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks; Brad Richards, Tampa Bay Lightning.

LESTER B. PEARSON AWARD (MOP, as voted by NHLPA) - Jaromir Jagr, New York Rangers; Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals; Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks.

I figure Thornton is pretty much assured to get the Hart. The Sharks had lost ten straight or something before he arrived in San Jose, and turned Cheechoo, who's only a couple seasons removed from being a rookie - and by all appearances seemed to be a solid 30 goal guy, at best - into a GOAL MACHINE who won the Rocket Richard trophy. I don't care what kind of luck he had, no way would he have many more than half of his 56 goals (which, incidentally, is the number had had last season) without Thornton feeding him those magic passes.

I have mixed feelings on the Vezina. I think Kiprusoff probably should get it, because he is the only reason the Flames have gone anywhere the last couple of seasons. When your top scorer has 35 goals, and leads the team by at least TEN goals over the next highest scorer, you're not shooting your way to the top. It's your goaltending that's dragging you there.

However, I hate the stupid Flames, so screw them, and I hope Lundqvist wins it just 'cause it's cool to see rookies get hardware. Brodeur would deserve it too, despite his garbage beginning of the season, 'cause god damn has he ever turned it on lately. However, Devils games make me fall asleep, so forget them too. GO SWEDE GO!

Calder will be Ovechkin most likely. Not only did he finish in like what, the top three in scoring or something, as a ROOKIE, but he did it on a team who really didn't have a lot of talent for him to work with. He didn't have a Thornton or Spezza floating him passes all game like Cheechoo and Heatley did, either.

Norris I figure will go to Lidstrom, like it almost always does. This dude is just TIMELESS. You think he's getting up there in years, but then he has another career season. It's incredible. He doesn't even really have to hit people because his stick checking is so good. There's nobody in the league I'd trust more to defend against any sort of odd-man rush.

Brind'Amour should get the Selke. I think I read that he played more minutes per game than any other player in the entire league. That's basically unheard of for a forward. His experience and leadership have him almost playing a Steve Yzerman kind of role, where he sort of changed from playing a scoring role (though he never was a prolific scorer like Stevie Y was back in the day) to a more defensive team-minded role. It's cool to see guys make personal sacrifices like that for the good of the team. Also I don't want to see Lehtinen get it AGAIN.

The Jack Adams will probably be the closest race, because these three guys took three garbage teams and turned them into winners. Hell, the Rangers made the playoffs for the first time in an ENTIRE DECADE. I'm not really as knowledgeable when it comes to coaches so I don't really have a preference. They all deserve it for the jobs they've done.

The Lady Byng is a pussy trophy, and I don't care who wins it.

Last, but not least, the Pearson. These three guys are all incredible players to watch. Jagr has his name on it a few times, so I think I'd like to see Thornton or Ovechkin win it. Ovechkin is younger and has a big career ahead of him still, so I think Thornton winning it this year would be coolest, though I could see any of the three winning it, really.

Thoughts?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

If any goalie would be in the running for the Calder, I think it'd probably be Lundqvist.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Get used to it; it's a typical play by the guys on the Avs who don't have any skill. It makes me sad that rad guys like Sakic get lumped in with that garbage.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by BigHairyFeet

Woot going into overtime with Sens/Sabres, and the Sens are all over them. There is alot of confidence in their play. God willing, we will win .

EDIT: Sens fucking suck. Another disappointing year filled with chokers and average goaltending. Get rid of fucking Hasek and get someone who can play half the season instead of fixing his abductor.

You make me embarassed to be a Senators fan, you fairweather faggot.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by BigHairyFeet

You dumb tool, have you followed the Senators AT ALL for the last, oh...6 YEARS?! They always do well in the regular season, but they always choke in the playoffs. How can everyone in Ottawa NOT be disappointed yet again by such a shitty performance? And in my quote, when I say "disappointing year", I mean "so far as we didn't progress farther". You're inability to recognize that they can't play for shit in the playoffs is ridiculous.

I've been a Sens fan for more than a decade, son. Apparently you don't remember the dark times they went through after they re-entered the league, because they certainly don't always do well in the regular season. I remember a season they only won one single road game. ONE. They had like 70 losses or something ridiculous like that.

If you can't see the hilarious self-contradiction in your previous post:

Originally Posted by BigHairyFeet

Woot going into overtime with Sens/Sabres, and the Sens are all over them. There is alot of confidence in their play. God willing, we will win .

EDIT: Sens fucking suck. Another disappointing year filled with chokers and average goaltending. Get rid of fucking Hasek and get someone who can play half the season instead of fixing his abductor.

then frankly I just don't know what to say.

"YES GO SENS GOING INTO OT WOO! GO SENS! GOING ALL THE WAY! BEST TEAM EVER!"

<five minutes pass>

"FUCK SENS ARE GARBAGE GOD DAMN IT FUCK THIS GAME."

I'm not really sure where you get an inability I have for acknowledging that they sucked in the playoffs from. I've said several times over the course of this season's playoffs that the Senators play over the last month or so has been the worst I've seen all season. So really, you're just making shit up because you're mad I called you a fairweather fan. I suppose nobody likes that label, especially when it has a certain ring of truth to it.

Originally Posted by Fire On Ice

The Sens have never won the cup. An ottawa franchise did ages ago but it definately wasn't the Sens.

That Ottawa franchise was, in fact, called the Senators.

FELIPE NO

That kind of a break is typically bad news for a team 'cause they really lose the groove they were in. The most recent example, of course, is Ottawa's meltdown last week.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Series ain't over yet, holmes.

How ya doing, buddy?