PDRHoya99
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 766
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Post by PDRHoya99 on Apr 28, 2009 17:52:37 GMT -5
As part of #3, basketball has no equivalent of a hot goaltender. For female West Virginia fans wouldn't Patrick Ewing Jr. count?
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SFHoya99
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 17,899
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Post by SFHoya99 on Apr 28, 2009 20:25:57 GMT -5
Well played.
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jgalt
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,380
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Post by jgalt on Apr 28, 2009 20:34:51 GMT -5
No words, too happy
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Boz
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
123 Fireballs!
Posts: 10,355
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Post by Boz on Apr 28, 2009 21:14:28 GMT -5
Un.
Mother.
Frakking.
Believable.
Hey, congrats to the Caps and all, but this NJ-Carolina series was amazing, right down to -- quite literally -- the final minute.
I can't believe Brodeur gave up those goals at the end.
So, Bruins-Canes and Ovechkin-Crosby, I mean Caps-Penguins. (sorry, I appreciate both teams in their entirety, but you know that's the story, and to be honest, it's a good one for the NHL. Bonehead Bettman couldn't be more happy)
Should be an exciting semi-finals.
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jgalt
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,380
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Post by jgalt on Apr 28, 2009 21:28:51 GMT -5
Hey, congrats to the Caps and all, but this NJ-Carolina series was amazing, right down to -- quite literally -- the final minute. i agree. I was thinking about how all the press tomorrow would have been on the caps, but not now, and the Canes deserve all the attention that minute was crazy, especially the last few seconds where it looked liked NJ might tie it up. Unfortunately this is all we will here about: those two guys. In the post game presser (literally two minutes ago- what the NHL is doing with internet content is awesome: live pressers right after the games!) Boudreau was asked about the circus leading up to tonight's game, he responded "it looks like were playing the Pens right? well wait until that starts, this is just the pre circus compared to that; that is the circus" Love him! Can the canes keep this up? can they pull a bigger upset? i dont know, its possible but unlikely, Boston in 6 I am NOT going to predict the Caps Pens match up, cant bring my self to think about it, too much stress.
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The Stig
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 2,844
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Post by The Stig on Apr 28, 2009 22:56:48 GMT -5
Just got back from Game 7. Wow. Just wow. That was absolutely wild.
Last night I watched my beloved Flames get knocked out by a hot goalie. Tonight I thought I was going to see my Caps knocked out by themselves. They looked tentative in the first period, and downright scared in the second period. The crowd was getting really p*ssed.
Then the third period happened. The Caps upped their play, and the Rangers started to get a bit sloppy. The crowd started to get in it, really urging the team on. It was 99% Caps fans - there were a lot fewer blueshirts than I saw in the previous games. With about 6 minutes, they played the awesomeness that is Unleash the Fury. That got most of the fans on their feet, and Fedorov scored about a minute later.
After that, it was the loudest I've ever heard any arena in my life, and I've been to a few. Forget the VC during Hoya games. Forget the Carrier Dome when Cuse can't miss. Forget the Bradley Center when JWall has three free throws with a second to go. Forget Wachovia when Scottie Reynolds hits a 3 that their fans thought was the dagger. None of them even come close to the roar of the Caps crowd tonight. My ears were ringing in a huge way. It was louder than some car races I've been to. And it stayed that way for the entire last 5 minutes, plus a few minutes of the postgame. Absolutely incredible.
It's really unbelievable how far the Caps have come in these past 4 years. I arrived in DC in Ovechkin's rookie year. You could walk up to the door at any Caps game and get tickets. Opposing teams' fans would sometimes outnumber Caps fans. The few Caps fans in the house wouldn't be wearing Caps gear. I can't recall any conversations with random DC residents about the Caps.
Tonight even the cheapest tickets were going for twice face value on Stubhub. The VC was packed, and almost everybody was rocking the red. The place was silent after the Rangers goal, and absolutely exploded after both Caps goals. Random people were coming up to people in Caps gear in the Metro asking about the game. I got chased down by people on the Key Bridge asking about the result, and cars were honking at anybody in a Caps shirt. For once, it felt like the Caps were really the biggest show in town.
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mchoya
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
Posts: 377
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Post by mchoya on Apr 29, 2009 0:00:10 GMT -5
I should be feeling angry right now. For the second time this year, when the red vs. blue showdown hit DC I've backed the wrong side and now need to take it when people say "in your face".
But, that's the only reason I'm mad. I should have seen this loss coming from a mile away. Once the Capitals put a half-decent goalie in, the Rangers were done. This team all year was one that couldn't score and would shoot itself in the foot with bad puck possession and out of position defense.
Let's see... 1) Couldn't score? Check. (One goal on FOURTEEN shots) 2) Bad puck possession? Check. (How many shots did the Rangers get in the last five minutes?) 3) Out of position defense? Check check checkity check. (Wade EditedING Redden is a waste of space. I eagerly await five more years of screening the series-clinching goal for the other team.)
After the Pittsburgh loss last year, I told the biggest only two Ranger fans that I know that anything other than a trip to conference finals would be unacceptable. Clearly, the man who is responsible for putting such an atrocious product on the ice needs to go. Had it not been for a 7th round draft pick miraculously working out, the Rangers would still be in the cellar of the Eastern Conference. Let's take a look at the brilliant personnel moves made this year:
1) Wade Editeding Redden 2) Markus Naslund 3) Dimitri Kalinin 4) That waste of cap space preventing us from bringing back Brendan Shannahan, a man who wanted to come back to the Rangers for a low salary, and instead watching him go to the Devils for about 380k
And other brilliant moves: 1) Scott "I disappear in the playoffs when NJ isn't involved" Gomez 2) Pavel Bure 3) Eric Lindros 4) Theo Fleury
In case you don't get it: FIRE SATHER. Just imagine, Knicks fans, if Isiah got you to the scraps of the playoffs, he'd still be around.
And finally, a special place in my heart is reserved for Torts, who decided to bench one of the five guys who actually gave a damn for a series clincher. Are you kidding me? What an egotistical jerk.
Oh well. In the words of Henry Hill after Tommy DeSimone got whacked, "There was nothing we could do about it...We had to sit still and take it." --- To be fair to my adopted home city, I will be rooting for the Caps in the coming rounds and wish them success (I've loved Ovie much more than that Sidney Crosby). The conspiracy theorist in me will say that the NHL got the series it wanted, but the realist in me will say that the NHL would be orgasmic over NY vs. Boston because then they could show a bunch of Red Sox-Yankees clips and say that the two cities hate each other. Plus, they would have kept the nation's biggest media market.
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Boz
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
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Posts: 10,355
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Post by Boz on Apr 29, 2009 9:25:26 GMT -5
It was pretty unbelievable watching the Rangers play the last two minutes of a game in which they trailed by a goal against a good, but not great, defensive team. They basically looked like a bunch of pee-wees with about six months total on skates. Then, just a few minutes later, watching Carolina play the last two minutes of a game in which they trailed by a goal against a much better defensive team. Aggressive, controlled, precision passing, you name it. Night and day. 100% night and day. And there is your Rangers loss right there. (well, that and Lundquist never should have given up that second goal; Federov made good use of a screen, yes, but Lundquist knew the shot was coming and what's more knew where it was coming...should have had that one). But enough about the Rangers (who I still have some lingering hate for from the Messier era). On to the winners. First game of the second round is on Thursday: www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=420555Obviously, I'm happy that Boston's been able to rest, but of course, one is always concerned whether they've lost momentum or not. In this case, I lean more toward happy than concerned because the rest has allowed Tim Thomas to recover from the flu, Patrice Bergeron to get his foot a little healthier, and most importantly, Andrew Ference to rejoin the team for Round 2. Shane Hnidy was making too many defensive mistakes in Round 1 and with Hunwick out for the season, Boston needed Ference back to pick up the blue line.
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hoopsmccan
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,433
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Post by hoopsmccan on Apr 29, 2009 10:10:49 GMT -5
Good points, Boz. I couldn't believe the Rangers' "attack" at the end of the game. They didn't even get a chance to pull their goalie because they never controlled the puck and resorted to trying three quarters of the ice passes. And Lundquist kept the Rangers in it most of the series, but high, short side was not his friend. Having watched Gomez (live in NJ) and Drury (wife is a big Sabres fan) play quite a bit, its amazing to watch them play for the Rangers. Its the new trend...players come to NY to play mediocre and passionless (see NY Yankees roster).
On to the next round...with the Devils and Flyers out, I'm not sure who to root against.
hm
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hifigator
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 6,387
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Post by hifigator on Apr 29, 2009 11:11:04 GMT -5
I'm so glad that Devils game wasn't on down here. That just would have made me very angry.
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jgalt
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,380
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Post by jgalt on Apr 30, 2009 9:23:00 GMT -5
Not playoffs but this is really interesting, especially the implications in the last paragraphs: sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Glendale-city-manager-The-NHL-has-been-running-?urn=nhl,160111 If they league had any say in the trades the Yotes made, that is a BIG deal. all of the teams players went to lost in the first round, but if they had one those conspiracy theories that people like so much could get some backing. could this be the end of the Yotes? I kind of hope so. Glendale became an economically viable city on the back of the economic boom, when that was over people became much more concerned about paying their mortgages than going to see a mediocre hockey team. Move the team to Canada, Winnipeg would be nice or Quebec because of the history of previous teams, although it could lead to a rejection of the new team if it is not "respectful" of the history. The league probably feels that a team in Las Vegas or something would be better because of the idea there is more money in the city or that it would give them more exposure to the American media. But it is clear that just having teams in the US doesnt make the media take notice; good games, compelling story lines and events like the Winter Classic lead to popularity. It took a great team in Washington to make the Caps popular again and one bad season could completely reverse the trend in an instant.* In the short term a city in Canada MAY not pay the highest return, but it wouldnt go bankrupt ten years later- look at the wild: they have made the playoffs a number of times but are so boring, but hockey obsessed Minnesota loves it so much the Wild have sold out EVERY game they have ever played. History and loyalty also lead to popularity and this is something that a team in Canada will provide almost immediately. ok sorry for the long post, anyone else have thoughts on this? *(and that would suck because i have really enjoyed listening to the guys on SportsTalk980 try to talk about hockey, which they do surprisingly well because they readily admit they no nothing so they shut their mouths and listen to the experts, something guys like Colin Cowherd dont due- listened to him for two hours yesterday and he spent the whole time ranting about how the last few minutes of sporting games are called differently than the rest of the game and how that is ok, not one mention of the two awesome game sevens that were on the night before, BS)
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Apr 30, 2009 9:24:34 GMT -5
Bring Back the Nordiques!
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Boz
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
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Post by Boz on Apr 30, 2009 9:56:37 GMT -5
The NHL never belonged in Arizona, I don't think they ever supported the team strongly if at all and, IMO, they can't get out of there soon enough.
If Quebec City is clamoring for a team, then I have no problem with them moving there. Have to shuffle the divisions around a bit, but that's no big deal.
However, if the NHL wants to keep the franchise in a populous US city that would, you know, actually support an NHL franchise, I can think of any number that are more appropriate than where the Coyotes are now.
Start with Milwuakee, for crying out loud. You've also got Indianapolis, Seattle (OK, that's iffy), Portland. Hell, even Okla. City or Tulsa. These places all have minor league hockey, just pick whichever one has the best support/attendance for the minor league team and put the Coyotes there.
I also would have very little problem with contracting them, but then you'd have to find another team to contract too, and everything would get all screwy. Besides, I am 100% sure the NHL isn't considering that as an option.
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theexorcist
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 3,506
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Post by theexorcist on Apr 30, 2009 9:58:14 GMT -5
I've been to Quebec City. It's TINY. It doesn't have the infrastructure (notably companies that buy luxury boxes) to compete with any city in the NHL.
I hate to say it, but it may be better to contract the Coyotes and move the next team in doom to Winnipeg. The NHL is probably best-served by consolidating its product.
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The Stig
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 2,844
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Post by The Stig on Apr 30, 2009 10:32:03 GMT -5
I think Winnipeg is more likely to get a team than Quebec. They're about the same size, but the neo-Jets would be the only team in Manitoba, while the neo-Nordiques would always have to compete with the Canadiens. A team in Hamilton would also have trouble for similar reasons, since they'd be sandwiched between the Sabres and the Leafs. As far as places in the US to go, Milwaukee seems like an obvious choice, but the market is already saturated. An NHL team would only have a chance if the Bucks left town (which could happen). The AHL team in town used to draw pretty well (back in the IHL days), but these days they only draw about 5,000 in an 18,000 seat arena. The AHL team with the best attendance is actually Hershey. They wouldn't be able to support an NHL team for obvious geographic reasons. I get the sense that most Hershey fans have become Caps fans, due to their proximity to DC and the close relations between the teams. I always run into a few Hershey fans at Caps games. The second best AHL attendance is Manitoba, who play in Winnipeg. They have a new arena there, which seats about 15,000. It would be small for the NHL, but it might not be too small. Here's the AHL numbers: www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ctnow&page=mlh/stat/ahl-attendance.htm
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mchoya
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
Posts: 377
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Post by mchoya on Apr 30, 2009 10:38:41 GMT -5
I was having a discussion in December with my friend about this very issue. If the NHL wanted to, it could contract to 28 teams. This would give two 14-team conferences, with two 7-team divisions in each one. It involves the NHL abandoning its southern strategy, but is that really a bad thing? Heck, even hifi was rooting for the Devils. First, contract Atlanta (a franchise that has never recovered after being blasted out of the playoffs) and the LA Kings (If Arte Moreno is to be believed, Anaheim has the same media market, plus the Ducks are far and away the better team). So, now that you have 28 teams, how to organize them and how to relocate them? First, I'd abandon the Eastern/Western Conference names and go back to Wales and Campbell Conferences. The NHL has history, let's use it. And now for the new NHL proposal I had Prince of Wales Conference- Northern Division: Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Indianapolis Racers (move Nashville), Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Quebec Nordiques/Thunder Bay Lightning (move Tampa Bay and let the RIM executive buy a team and relocate it)
- Mid-Atlantic Division: Carolina Hurricanes, Hartford Whalers (move the Islanders, who are going to get out of town anyway), New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals
Clarence Campbell Conference- Western Division: Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets (bring Phoenix home)
- Midwestern Division: Calgary Flames, Chicago Black Hawks, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Kansas City Scouts (move Florida and have a team play in the new Sprint Center), St. Louis Blues
Notes: I wanted to put two Canadian teams in each division to create natural rivalries. I recognize that skews the geography in the division (especially in the Campbell Conference). I tried my best to preserve as many divisional rivalries as possible, but my lack of familiarity with the intricacies of the Western Conference will throw that goal off. I would also revamp the standings system: 3 points for a regulation win, 2 for an OT/Shootout Win, 1 for an OT/Shootout loss. I would also change the format for the playoffs because I think 57% of the teams making the playoffs dilutes the regular season. I would have a format similar to the NFL's. The top team in each division would get a first-round bye. Then the next four teams in each conference would get a playoff slot, making a total of twelve teams in the playoffs. Re-seeding would occur after every round. --- I hope I haven't bored you all. Any comments would be appreciated, because I want to bounce my ideas off of more people.
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theexorcist
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 3,506
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Post by theexorcist on Apr 30, 2009 11:51:20 GMT -5
Ooooh. My turn (wait until I throw out my college football playoff proposal again in about five months).
Prince of Wales and Campbell are confusing. Vaporize 'em. All-Star Game becomes North America versus the World. Standings - 2 points for a win or Shootout win, one for a tie (loss). Get rid of that "Shooutout win" column - I get confused when I see four columns for standings and have to do algebra to figure out which means what.
You can keep sixteen teams in the playoffs or move it down to twelve. I'd keep it at eight due to increased playoff gate receipts.
Now here's where the fun starts. Bye, bye, Blue Jackets, Coyotes, Islanders, Kings, Lightning, Predators, and Thrashers. One goes to Winnipeg and becomes the Jets.
That leaves 24. You then negotiate a deal with Fox and have Jack Bauer do pregame intros. If you want to be a baby, keep the Blue Jackets and Predators, and move one of the teams to Toronto (the market can sustain it) and one to KC. Six games per team in division, four in conference, 2 against other conference (1 if it's seven per division) - 78 games either way.
Eastern: North - Boston, Buffalo, Montreal, Rangers, Ottawa, Toronto, (Toronto 2nd) Atlantic - Carolina, Florida, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, (Columbus)
Western: Central - Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Minnesota, St. Louis, Winnipeg, (Nashville, Kasas City - Winnipeg moves to Pacific) Pacific - Anaheim, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, San Jose, Vancouver
Had it been done this year, the Eastern playoff seeds would have been the same. San Jose would have still played Anaheim. If Columbus was moved to Winnipeg, the Jets would have still gotten Detroit. Thanks to the elimination of divisions, Chicago would have played St. Louis and Vancouver would have gotten Calgary.
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Boz
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
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Post by Boz on Apr 30, 2009 12:03:21 GMT -5
Just start from the bottom and work your way up: sports.espn.go.com/nhl/attendance?year=2009Yes, there are some changes from year to year, and teams that suck in a given year won't draw for that year. But there are some consistent bottom-dwellers. Also, this year-to-year chart is part of the reason why, while I always have and always will love the Bruins, I still hate Boston. ;D ;D
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jgalt
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,380
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Post by jgalt on Apr 30, 2009 12:19:06 GMT -5
The AHL team with the best attendance is actually Hershey. They wouldn't be able to support an NHL team for obvious geographic reasons. I get the sense that most Hershey fans have become Caps fans, due to their proximity to DC and the close relations between the teams. I always run into a few Hershey fans at Caps games. Reverse it: Caps fans have become Hershey fans, specifically the newer fans who are into knowing every little minutia about all 50 players under contract and think they are cooler if they watch/listen to every Hershey game. This kind of behavior is more common in music when hipsters try to our hip each other by finding more obscure bands to "like" but they all just end up following each others tastes. The Hershey fans like the Caps players who used to play in Hershey and won the Calder up there a few years back. It also doesnt hurt that Boudreau used to coach there.
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The Stig
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 2,844
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Post by The Stig on Apr 30, 2009 12:29:10 GMT -5
Just start from the bottom and work your way up: sports.espn.go.com/nhl/attendance?year=2009Yes, there are some changes from year to year, and teams that suck in a given year won't draw for that year. But there are some consistent bottom-dwellers. Also, this year-to-year chart is part of the reason why, while I always have and always will love the Bruins, I still hate Boston. ;D ;D It's hard to use just numbers, because things change so quickly. A few years ago the Caps would have been near the top of any list of teams to be relocated. Heck, even two years ago they were near the bottom of the league in attendance, even with Ovechkin. It's amazing what a new coach, superb drafting, and a genius marketing department (Rock the Red) will do. The real question is which of the bottom-dwelling teams wouldn't be successful even if they started winning.
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