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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2006 19:21:39 GMT -5
The problem with Team USA not using NHL players, is that they will get slaughtered by the other countries that do. Demolished.
Plus, USA hockey doesn't care about the NHL. They're in the business of winning golds, not keeping Modano and DiPietro ready for a Cup run. The only way pros aren't in a future Olympics is if EVERYONE avoids it. Then, you'll see teams that have a lot of European pros win golds... Russia, Switzerland, etc. Unless the NHL teams allowed kids under their contracts in the minors/juniors to play.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2006 12:05:35 GMT -5
First the Czechs, now the Canucks? LET'S GO SWITZ-ER-LAND!!! Granted Team Canada dominated just about every aspect of the game, but you gotta give credit to those crazy Suisse.
Also, I don't know how they disallowed Nash's goal. The glove was BEHIND THE POST with the puck in it. Stupid biased Russian ref.
Team USA v. Slovakia is gonna be a sweet game. 2pm baby!!!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2006 11:54:55 GMT -5
This tourney is nuts. There's too much to talk about... Canada not dominating (shut out TWICE???), Finland taking it to everyone (total stunner to me in that pool), Switzerland sneaking in as the #2 seed (and likely to get squashed by Sweden), DiPeitro actually playing well (although USA can't score), and the utter collapse of the Czech squad (I knew they'd collapse once Hasek went down).
Emrick and Davidson aren't bad... but I'd rather have Thorne and Clement in the booth. That, and the "ESPN National Hockey Night" music (since CBC has the HNIC tunes).
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Feb 22, 2006 14:06:29 GMT -5
Well, THAT was a quality showing by the U.S. team! Hopefully they won't embarrass themselves further like they did in Nagano. Keep those hotel rooms clean, fellas!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2006 9:00:53 GMT -5
And now back to your regularly scheduled NHL season...
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Feb 27, 2006 18:00:59 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2006 14:50:10 GMT -5
I can't figure out why all these talking heads in the media keep saying Team USA's men's hockey was a "bust" for losing in the first round of the medal round. Hello, look at the rosters. At best they were the fifth best team (Canada, Czech, Russia, Sweden and then maybe behind Finland and even Slovakia).
Of course, these so-called "sports writers" tend not to know anything about any sport not called football or baseball...
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Mar 3, 2006 9:33:37 GMT -5
Are you scared, Buffalo?
Are you?
You should b......oh, hell, I can't even pull this off.
Any chance the Sabres can lay down this weekend? We really need those four points. As Peter Griffin said to the U.S. Senate. . ."Come ON!"
Hopefully PJ will come back soon. He has been great all year. They'll need him if they have any chance of sneaking in.
(as for the U.S. team, while it may be true that they did not have the most talented roster, I think only coming away with three points in all of their games qualifies as a bust. If they had done OK in the prelims and lost to Russia, fine, I can see that; but they didn't do much of anything the whole time in Italy)
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2006 22:28:08 GMT -5
I can't promise anything, Boz. But I forsee a split.
Sabres are killing the Leafs. This is better than sex. But the best part is, tonight was the night they retired #16 for Patty LaLaLaLaLaLaLaLa-Fon-Taaaaaaaine!!! They are showing all these old highlights, all these old calls by Jeaneret... brought a tear or two to my eye.
In his honor, I'll have my Patty La jersey on tomorrow night when the Sabres invade the Fleet TD Waterhouse Bank Arena Garden Center Arena. Keep your eyes peeled, Boz.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2006 13:46:34 GMT -5
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Post by Boz on Mar 6, 2006 11:03:27 GMT -5
- sigh -
All in all, it was a pretty crummy weekend. Even Duke losing during "Duke Coronation Night on the ESPN Networks" didn't make it that much better. I'm not expecting anything good tomorrow night.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2006 18:26:39 GMT -5
I know I've said it before... but this Sabre team is turning into something really special.
How many coaches can throw four legit lines out there day in and day out? Lindy Ruff can, I know that much. Two games ago, the Vanek-Afinigenov-Roy line combined for seven points in a 6-2 schellacking of the Maple Laughs. Then Saturday night, Briere-Dumont-Hecht combined for seven as well in the come-from-behind win at Boston.
Tim Connolly is coming back within a week. Adam Mair is going to be back by the playoffs. Whoever gets sent down/healthy scratched is going to be one productive minor leaguer/guy in the press box. Probably Pominville at this point as he won't have to clear waivers, with Pyatt/Mair alternating as the healthy scratched.
Now that Noronen has accepted a conditioning assignment in Rochester, Darcy HAS to deal Marty. Now. If he throws in a forward (Connolly?) with Biron, they should be able to get a serious blue-liner. Or keep Connolly, and just get a pretty good one, esp. considering McKee is likely gone next year.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Mar 8, 2006 11:06:19 GMT -5
I await the well-earned boasting and derision.
But maybe you reserve that for when the Sabres beat good teams.
20 games left. B's 7 points out. Doesn't look good.
As for your Sabres...yes, I hate them because they are a traditional rival, but I do sincerely congratulate you for the season they are having (because we, as fans, always have so much to do with that). Just remember, "special" seasons are only as good as your first round playoff matchup.
Boston had a pretty impressive team two years ago too. Maybe not four lines deep, but pretty damn solid. We all know how that worked out. I won't necessarily be rooting for you, Buffalo, but I won't really be rooting all that hard against you either. And that's about all I can manage for now, to quote John C. Rielly from Perfect Storm.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2006 11:21:57 GMT -5
Good point on the first round matchup. And it looks like - for the 6th time in our last 7 playoff appearances - that could be Philly. Tough matchup, especially if they are healthy. Hope that home ice advantage gives 'em the boost they'll need.
Then again, could be the Rangers... and for some reason I don't fear them at all. Despite their impressive record they just don't come across as a scary team. Not sure why...
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Mar 29, 2006 11:16:43 GMT -5
Playoffs starting soon. This thread has to go back front & center.
No, my Bs won't be there -- what a clusterf### of a season -- but still the best time of year. Can't wait for business to pick up.
And that Sabres-Flyers series, looking more and more likely, is going to be one of the best 1st round matchups there are. Hope it works out that way; it should be great. I'd be much less intersted in Sabres-Rangers.
On a side note, the Hoyas were too hot for me to comment on the Samsonov deal -- if you can call that a deal. The only saving grace on that one for me is that Marty Reasoner went to my high school. It's pretty fun to watch him playing for the Bs now. But good GOD, thank the lord O'Connell is gone. Sully's probably gone too, sooner or later.
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Cambridge
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Post by Cambridge on Mar 30, 2006 0:41:53 GMT -5
This is about the time of the year where I start to pay attention to hockey. Please fill me in Buff and Boz on what I should be looking forward to this playoffs.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2006 8:43:58 GMT -5
This is about the time of the year where I start to pay attention to hockey. Please fill me in Buff and Boz on what I should be looking forward to this playoffs. THE EAST 1 - (and only 'cause they're close to my heart) one of two monster surprises of the season, my beloved Buffalo Sabres are looking to enter the playoffs as a #4 seed and only because the division winners are seeds 1-3 automatically (otherwise, my boys would be #3... maybe #2 by the time things shake out). NO stars, just a bunch of young, hungry, grinders who play a real exciting attacking brand of pucks. Just coming out of a 6 game winless streak, but go four lines deep and have one of the top rookies in the league between the pipes. 2 - Ottawa has the nastiest, most explosive offense in years. Hasek is hurt, so they may need to rely on Ray Emery in the crease to carry them, but that hasn't proven to be much of a problem recently. They've got the most points in the NHL, scored the most goals... and Emery has been pretty solid. They'll be the prohibitive favorites to win it all. 3 - NY Rangers - the other huge surprise - may win their division and get that #3 seed. Jagr is going to win the Hart, Lundqvist may get the Calder (he's their goalie), and the Rangers may be looking at a date with the second round of the playoffs (unless they DON'T win their division and have to play the Sabres in the first round, who they have yet to beat in regulation this year). 4 - Philly and Carolina. Quite the enigma. Both have had great years, lost elite players to injury and seem to be plateuing now. But I could see both making runs in the playoffs... there's just so much talent on both rosters. 5 - Montreal, TB, and NJ are the bottom three seeds. Not much has been made of them in the press, but there's no reason we should be surprised if they throw in a first round upset here or there. Montreal has gotten hot since replacing Jose Theodore with Cristobal Huet between the pipes. Not too deep, though. But if they draw Ottawa, they CAN beat 'em... and that'll be one HELL of an upset (although I doubt it). It will be interesting to see if Hasek comes back. TB - they're currently the 6 seed, but have been underachieving all season. I don't think they get out of the first round as they'll probably have to play one of the division winners (all of whom are deeper and have gotten better goaltending all season). Jersey is almost a carbon copy of TB. A few high scoring players/lines, not a lot of depth, "ok" goaltending. Again, I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled off the 1st round upset, but I'm not counting on it. There's nothing they've done recently to make me feel like they're charging into the playoffs with the kind of momentum other 6-8 seeds have had when they've pulled off upsets. ALL THAT SAID, every year one team gets a hot goalie and beats everyone. All these teams have a goalie who can get hot and take the team on their back (except maybe Philly... they never get good goaltending . I'll do my west recap a bit later.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2006 16:03:25 GMT -5
This is preposterous. Danny Briere gets checked, and as he's falling to the ground, his stick hits Leech in the neck. Briere gets suspended TWO GAMES for an "illegal hit."
Last night, Darcy "Biggest Edited Fake Tough Guy In The World" Tucker not only throws an elbow towards Hecht's head, but goes knee-on-knee and knocks him out for at least two weeks.
AND THE NHL DOES NOTHING. Fu-king typical. The NHL jerks need to get their act straight and quit giving the appearance of preferrential treatment to the Toronto Make Believes. What a punk. I seriously hope someone on the Sabres destroys him the next time they meet.
April 16. At Buffalo. He better not pull a Kaspiritis and suddenly have a "tweaked hammy" or some other fake injury like THAT Edited did the Sabres-Rangers game after he low-bridged Connolly and knocked him out for a month. I'm so livid right now its ridiculous.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Apr 5, 2006 9:05:59 GMT -5
Hmmm, this all sounds so familiar. . . .
As a fan who has been victimized by "knee-on-knee" action in the past, Buff, I hope you know that I am rooting for a full recovery for Hecht. I may dislike the Sabres, but that's a crappy thing to happen to any player, particularly when you're pretty certain it was intentional by the other player.
Tucker will get his, you can count on that. Whether it's April or even next season, players will have a long memory on something like that. Just hope that Jochen doesn't suffer long term for it.
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Cambridge
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Post by Cambridge on Apr 6, 2006 0:07:54 GMT -5
thanks for the recap buff. your primer will make this a much more enjoyable experience.
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