[Tournament] 2008-09 NHL season discussion thread

I'm glad people take everything I say seriously.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I wasn't too keen on that Conklin signing, as I thought the Wings had a competent backup goalie in Jimmy Howard. But with the signing of Hossa, I have realized Detroit is trying to undermine their nearest competition in the league to make this next year as easy as possible.

I hope he turns into PURE AWESOME in the first game and dominates the league.

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Pittsburgh is fucking dead to me. I hope they wind up dead last.

Long live the Habs.

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

Originally Posted by Beard Overflow

Pittsburgh is fucking dead to me. I hope they wind up dead last.

Long live the Habs.

Aren't you a Bruins fan?

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by The Dopefish

Aren't you a Bruins fan?

The Bruins will always be my #1. Always.

But I always need to pick a team I'll pull for in the second round of the playoffs when the Bears die in the first.

And man, am I ever tired of seeing Pittsburgh lose the guys who brought together the locker room. So I'm cheering for my second favourite team. Team Laraque.

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So your next choice is your favorite team's arch-rival? That makes more sense to you than stumping a team that loses a couple guys here and there but will likely make their own chemistry from being together and succeeding year after year?

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by The Dopefish

So your next choice is your favorite team's arch-rival? That makes more sense to you than stumping a team that loses a couple guys here and there but will likely make their own chemistry from being together and succeeding year after year?

Man, don't forget I lived in Montreal. When they aren't playing the Bruins, I have nothing but love for that team. I've never been able to route against Original Six in any form. That's the heart of the game. You can't hate on the origins.

And it absolutely does. Bruins are my sentimental favourite. I go for them based on gut instinct and loyalty. My number two is generally filled with players I really like. And that's a very distinct kind of player. Your Milan Lucic, or George Laraque... Gritty players. Pittsburgh has tons of talent now, and I'll watch them because the hockey's great, but they just don't feel right to me anymore. So I'm pulling for Georges in Hab-town. Allez les rouge et bleu.

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

Originally Posted by The Dopefish

Brian Rolston is a Devil.

I officialy have no reason to watch Hockey now. There goes my 'vintage' Rolston jersey. What a fucking waste of $150.

Seriously. It seems like the ENTIRE Wild roster has changed, save for Koivu, Gaborik, Bouchard, and...I guess Boogaard. At least we got Brunette back.

Here's waiting on Demitra.

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I don't want to be one of those guys who jumps the gun or anything, but as soon as we hired Gillis as a GM I said it could never end well, and so far my team's just completely falling apart.

Gillis as an agent has a horrible reputation with the other GMs, as in the actively dislike him. I can't see him ever being able to broker a mutually beneficial deal in good faith, because everyone is going to be out to stick it to him for costing them more money as an agent.

Nonis had a three-year plan he was working towards, and I really wish Vancouver's ownership would've let him use the last year now that we'd have some cap space. Instead, they got impatient, fired him, and now look at where we are. Offering a player who's never been the best player in the league - even when he was young, let alone now - the highest salary in the league. Jesus christ.

Additional Spam:
And at last, Jagr signs with... nobody!

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Hasn't been a post in a while so I'll take the initiative.

I'm so fucking sick of this Sundin shit. This is exactly like the crap Niedemeyer pulled last year...Do I retire? Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes. No!!!!!!! I DONT KNOW

What a bunch of bullshit.

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

Two huge hits in one week:

YouTube Video

Doug Weight ruins Brandon Sutter's day

YouTube Video

Milan Lucic checks Mike Van Ryn through glass

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

Oh hell yeah! Went to go see Flames vs. LA! We should've lost the game, but came up 6 in a row!

GO FLAMES GO!

So maybe there are SOME perks of my job (AKA, GO FLAMES GO!) | Facebook

I was speaking idiomatically.

It's a pretty good time to be a Penguins fan right now. 4th in the conference, but the team is very balanced. Big wins against the Wings and Flyers in the last two games.

Story of the East is Boston though. Well, actually the story is Tim Thomas. He's carrying the B's right now. The games on Dec. 30 and Jan. 1 between the Pens and them will be huge.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Thomas and Lucic, man. Fuck it's a great time to love the Killer Bs.

FELIPE NO

Lucic. I know Bergeron's supposed to be the cornerstone of the Bruins but I'd take Lucic any day of the week.

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

Originally Posted by The Dopefish

Lucic. I know Bergeron's supposed to be the cornerstone of the Bruins but I'd take Lucic any day of the week.

I've been watching Lucic since juniors. Still don't know how the nucks passed on him.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

He was the 50th pick (or something) in the draft; everyone missed their chance.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Yeah, but not everyone got to watch him play on a nightly basis like Vancouver did. God what a stupid decision.

How ya doing, buddy?

Speaking of Lucic, he was an assist away from another Gordie Howe hat-trick, but he beat the crap out of Komisarek and he was fired up afterwards. He's like a better PJ Stock. Bruins tarred and feathered the Habs in Boston, 6-1. I'd love to go to a game now.

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

As if the All-Star Game wasn't a farce already, Canadiens fans have decided stuffing the ballot is their primary objective this year, and they have done extremely well. For a time, there was no bot protection on the ballot page, so some Habs fans worked up a script to automate votes for Habs players and Wings players, and with the exception of the West's starting d-men and goalie, all starting spots are held by Habs and Wings.

Frankly, this aggravates me, but I'm one of an apparently dwindling number of people who enjoy watching the All-Star Game year after year. It doesn't bother me that there aren't any Penguins starting (I'd rather Milan Lucic be on the roster than Sidney Crosby at this point), it bothers me that people don't enjoy or respect it enough anymore to care that this kind of tomfoolery should go unchecked or undefended. I wasn't a big fan of it when Rory Fitzpatrick was the big name two years ago (even though it was a little funnier), but...with the rules being that every team has to be represented, plus the fact that the Habs aren't even the best team in their division, it's just very sad to me that this is what it has come to.

(Plus, Tim Thomas is fourth is goalie voting in the East. If you're reading this, you should be angry.)

My suggestion is this: Habs vs. NHL All-Stars, Habs must play their first-liners for at least 20-30 minutes (d-men: 30-40 minutes). Gives the game a old-timey, host team vs. everyone else All-Star Game feel. There you go, Canadiens fans. You want your cake? Well, you're gonna have to eat it right now, in 30 minutes, and with nothing to drink.

Just don't be surprised if your team gets embarrassed in the process.

I was speaking idiomatically.

The whole reason the vote for Rory campaign started was to raise awareness of how ridiculous it is to allow fans to vote on players in the all star game. And this is why! You can't really blame fans too much for taking advantage of a broken system that is begging to be exploited.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

At the same time, though, every other sport (NBA, MLB, NFL, MLS, and I'm sure your AFLs and WNBAs) have fan voting and, for the most part, the fans don't act like a bunch of fucking morons when doing it. And between MLB's ASG actually meaning something and the NFL's meaning the least...yeah, sometimes there are some duds on the roster but with the kind of behavior we're seeing with the NHL ASG this year you'd think you'd start to see people writing in Peyton Manning at running back and Eli Manning at nose tackle for the Pro Bowl.

I don't think having the fans vote is all bad, but if they're going to make a mockery of it then you have to change something about the game itself to make it worth the fans' while to actually vote for players who should be in the game. I'd rather have home-ice advantage go to the winning conference before we have to stop having the fans do any voting.

And, of course, the number of people who vote probably shouldn't exceed the number of people who watch the game.

FELIPE NO

So if home ice goes to the winning conference, what incentive is there to finish the season first overall? A trophy? Nobody gives a shit about the Presidents' and nobody ever will; the Cup is all that matters.

Fan voting is never good for a sport, be it regarding rule changes, all-star game lineups, or anything else, because fans are stupid and the only way to control that stupid is to regulate its impact. Currently it is being allowed to roam free, and that will lead to nothing but embarrassment.

If the fans make a mockery of it, as you so put it, you don't give their fuck-ups even greater consequences what the fuck. You spank them and send them to their room without dinner.

How ya doing, buddy?

First off, MLB started the practice of making the game worth something and it's worked wonders (for the most part) on the game itself. Not that there was an issue with fan voting to begin with (unless you listen to the baseball writers).

I honestly don't think the NHL intends for the voting to be shat on by its fans, but at the same time they didn't fix the problems they had two years ago last year and obviously the problems still exist. Like I said, they should still give home-ice to the conference that wins the ASG. Do THAT first, then if the fans continue to piss on the balloting then stop them from being able to vote altogether. From what I've read on hockey boards, fans would take it more seriously if the game meant something.

In the long run, giving anyone home-ice advantage in the playoffs is irrelevant often enough that it wouldn't be that great an incentive anyway. I think the All-Stars (in any sport) should be handled by the players and coaches exclusively and leave it at that. We've seen enough cases in the history of fan voting to warrant its end.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

First off, until fairly recently MLB was two legally distinct leagues, and before home field advantage was given to the winner of the ASG it alternated between the National and American league team playing. The two situations are incomparable.

I don't think anyone intends for internet voting to be abused, but it always will be, and that is why if you care at all about the integrity of the voting process you simply don't allow it. The results are always stupid.

As far as home ice advantage goes, well, besides potential lost revenue which owners would certainly have an issue with, do you know how many times the team with home ice has won the cup in the last ten playoffs? That's right. Ten. How about the last twenty playoffs? Sixteen. Good luck convincing anyone that is involved with hockey in any way that home ice is meaningless.

There's nowhere I can't reach.