jgalt
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Post by jgalt on Apr 30, 2009 12:30:48 GMT -5
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. So would have the Penguins at points in the nineties. Just though I would point that out ;D
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theexorcist
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Post by theexorcist on Apr 30, 2009 12:39:11 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. My scythe was based in two cases on ownership decisions (Islanders, Coyotes). The rest of the teams have little to no fan base despite quite a few years of existence and are non-traditional hockey markets. The Capitals and Penguins, by contrast, have a more solid history. I still think that the point needs to be made that the NHL did overexpand and that it does need to contract rather than relocate yet again.
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Apr 30, 2009 12:49:20 GMT -5
mc wrote:
. It involves the NHL abandoning its southern strategy, but is that really a bad thing? Heck, even hifi was rooting for the Devils.
I am certainly not the diehard hockey fan that many of you are. But by the same token, I am certainly in the minority down here, in enjoying NHL playoff games as much, if not more than NBA. We all enjoy watching and rooting for our own teams. The real test as to your "fandamonia level" is when it comes to watching other games between teams towards which you are otherwise apathetic. nuff said on that
As for "my" teams, I grew up a Flames fan by default ... an Atlanta Flames fan, when they were featured on the original Superstation. When they headed north to Calgary, I lost interest in the franchise for sure. I still enjoyed watching hockey from time to time, but certainly wouldn't have been classified as a "hockey fan." However, there has NEVER been ANY doubt that I was a sports fan. Hockey, though not my first choice, is a sport for sure. In any case, when I was in college, one of my roommates was a big NJ Devils fan. Almost by osmosis, I became one as well. Later on, when online sportsbooks were the boom, I would put a few dollars on the Devils to win the Stanley Cup ... at least until the year preceding when they actually did. Sure enough, the very next year, they won. I was still very happy, although without any financial windfall.
Oh, and yes, I was a bandwagon Lightning fan for sure. In fact I jokingly called them the "two-time" and "back-to-back" NHL champs -- due to the lockout.
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jgalt
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by jgalt on May 2, 2009 10:03:14 GMT -5
So who saw the Brown hit on Hudler last night? In my opinion, that is exactly the same as Brashear's hit on Betts. The only difference is that Hudler could return to the game, but the degree of injury rule is total BS. If the NHL wants to be fair they should issue a 5 game suspension to Brown just as the did to Brashear. Some will claim that Brash was "headhunting" which is not true or that he used an elbow, which (by the NHLs own admittance) is not true. In both instances, the hit was late and resulted in a player being injured. To me, Brown is even more responsible for the hit: he was looking right at Hudler when he passed the puck, but continued on a direct path toward him, he had plenty of time and ice to change directions. Brashear was not "locked on" to Betts before the hit occurred, he WAS looking for anything Blue to hit, but had only a small amount of ice to gain speed and took only a few stride towards Betts. In my opinion the Brash check became worse because Betts turned into Brash right before it (Im not trying to blame Betts here, he has every right to turn as he did and Brash shouldnt have it him, all i am saying is that the hit was compounded by the turn Betts made). In Brown's case, even if Hudler had braced for impact, Brown had so much momentum that he would have knocked just about anyone to the ground hurting them. Chance Brown gets suspened? 100% Chance it is a five game suspension that is consistent with Brahear's? 0%
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mchoya
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Post by mchoya on May 2, 2009 10:06:34 GMT -5
At least the refs made a call in the Ducks-Red Wings game, unlike in the Caps-Rangers one.
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"Brashear was not "locked on" to Betts before the hit occurred, he WAS looking for anything Blue to hit, but had only a small amount of ice to gain speed and took only a few stride towards Betts"
That's being dumb then. You can't just go around hitting people in the head because you feel like it. If he wants to be a goon, then let him be smart about it (e.g. hitting players after they hit him, starting fights with enforcers, etc.)
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on May 2, 2009 14:44:07 GMT -5
Forget about Crosby, Malkin, and Ovechkin - the star of that one was Varlamov. That save on Crosby was absolutely sensational.
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SFOHoya
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Post by SFOHoya on May 2, 2009 15:14:53 GMT -5
Putting a second team in TO is a no-brainer. Anyone know if there is another arena in the area that could sustain an NHL team (Mississauga? Oshawa?). Copps Coliseum in Hamilton seats nearly 18K, so that could work. Though a team in Hamilton would pull fans from the Leafs and Sabers bases, my sense is that both teams can shed some fans without it affecting attendance.
I can't see the NHL returning to Quebec City without an updated / new Colisee (seats 15,750) and the province / city are unlikely to invest in a new arena
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on May 2, 2009 16:07:57 GMT -5
Here's a video of the save:
Absolutely incredible!
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on May 2, 2009 18:31:11 GMT -5
wow that's siiiick!
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Boz
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Post by Boz on May 3, 2009 2:02:55 GMT -5
Incredible comeback by the Blackhawks tonite.
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jgalt
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Post by jgalt on May 3, 2009 21:50:56 GMT -5
Tough night for the B's tonight, now we will see how they bounce back from their first loss (not to mention they will be on the road) Great ducks/wings game today, there havent been enough overtimes (outside of the NJ-CAR series) Finally: This is still incredibly awesome: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/photo/varlysave_blog.jpgBonus Fact: Since drafting Crosby the Pens have never won a series where they have trailed 0-1 (ok it only represents one series, but come on give me a little something here ;D)
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Boz
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Post by Boz on May 4, 2009 8:16:28 GMT -5
I wouldn't show that particular picture. From that angle, it sure looks like a goal. And just so you know I'm not a hypocrite, yes, Carolina did score at the end of the second period last night. Bad call by the officials not to reverse that one. At the time, I said I'd take it. Turns out it wouldn't have made a difference. Boston didn't play awful last night, they just couldn't finish. Some of that was Cam Ward playing much better, but more of it was Boston just seeming to fumble around with the puck in their skates or mis-hit their shots nearly every time they got a scoring chance. It was more than a little disturbing. They played poorly in the middle of the rink though, and that's not like them. I'll expect a much more intense effort on Wednesday. I am going to call this one a wake-up call. I think they'll respond just fine. Be interesting to see if the Caps avoid/get the same bug. All of the teams that were rolling (Detroit, Boston, Vancouver) hit speed bumps over the weekend. The Caps struggled for much of the Rangers series, but they have now won 4 in a row, so I'd call that rolling too. Should be a fun game. Caps have to work on their neutral zone play as well, now that I mention it. WAY too many chances for the Pens in Game 1; Varlamov won't be able to bail them out every time. If they shore that up though, they're looking pretty good.
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whatmaroon
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Post by whatmaroon on May 4, 2009 11:01:54 GMT -5
Great save by Varlamov, but Crobsy really needed to do a better job of burying that puck. A stronger shot, or one better placed on (his) left side makes it in.
The Hawks are making a habit of spotting a couple goals, then fighting back-they did it against Calgary, and have now done it the first two games against Vancouver. As a fan, it's hugely nerve-wracking, and against a better team it's too easy to see them getting smothered into oblivion. It's been mighty nice to see Luongo is actually human, though.
Query for fans of other teams: how good are Seabrook and Keith considered to be around the league?
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Boz
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Post by Boz on May 4, 2009 11:19:14 GMT -5
I think you'll find a fair number of NHL analysts who would consider Brent Seabrook & Duncan Keith to be one of the top young defensive pairs in the league. The fact that both are under 30 is good news for Chicago's future (assuming they keep them, that is).
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jgalt
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Post by jgalt on May 4, 2009 12:52:12 GMT -5
I think you'll find a fair number of NHL analysts who would consider Brent Seabrook & Duncan Keith to be one of the top young defensive pairs in the league. The fact that both are under 30 is good news for Chicago's future (assuming they keep them, that is). They are definately in the top 10 young defenders and they will probably end there carreers being in the top 10 in the league (for that time, not all time). keeping them together would be a great move by Chicago, developing defenders together can really pay off if they develop good chemistry
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on May 4, 2009 20:49:45 GMT -5
Wow, Crosby and Ovechkin clearly read the script for this series! I think that's the first time I've ever seen players on different teams score hat tricks in the same game.
The celebrations in the NHL offices in Toronto are probably as big as the celebrations in the Verizon Center right now. This series is really living up to the billing.
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jgalt
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Post by jgalt on May 4, 2009 20:51:59 GMT -5
well it was "anything you can do i can do better" night in DC. Crosby and Ovie with hat tricks, but Varly makes the difference again. This kid is starting to look like the real deal. Best part is that I dont think the Caps are even playing at there best. Pens will definately win one in Pitt, but Im confident Washington can grab one at Mellon.
Dont know if this was caught on the Versus broad cast, I was watching CBC on the internet: After the 3rd Washington goal the fans were chanting "Hey, You Suck!" to that song Rock and Roll part 2 (or whatever it is) and they caught Ovie on the bench singing along, cant imagine Don will like that.
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Post by BubbleVisionBiff on May 5, 2009 10:59:50 GMT -5
My first NHL playoff game. Could not have asked for a better contest. Unbelievable to see both those guys playing at such a high level. Also very impressed with the Caps crowd (saying that as an Islander fan who hates the Caps). Incredibly loud and into the game on every play; 95% in red. A reminder that VC can be a very exciting place to play.
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jgalt
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Post by jgalt on May 5, 2009 20:04:51 GMT -5
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on May 5, 2009 20:49:56 GMT -5
The whole Phoenix experiment was really badly thought out. The team was strong when they moved down there, but they didn't have a proper arena to move into. Then when the team started to suck, they moved out to a new arena in the middle of nowhere.
It says a lot that the only sellout the team had in recent times was in Winnipeg.
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