OT: Around the NHL - Dallas/Tampa

[Gurglesons]

Matt Murray 2016 vibez.

 

[Tom Hanks]

 

[Night Shift]

Really happy for Tampa. They deserve this after coming close so many times or having great seasons that ended in disappointment.

 

[Ryder71]

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the greatest hockey team on the planet, the TB Lightning. The 2020 Stanley Cup Champions.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Can't wait to see JJ back on the ice.

I can wait. If it's 3yrs until the league resumes again, let it be so.

 

[killa3312]

They have been chasing it since 2015. Lost in finals to Hawks. Then ECF to us. Then 2nd round. Playing alot of hockey over the years. Losing in first round last year seemed like it gave them a boost this season. A reset.

Not to mention tthis whole covid thing. Of course it would favor them the most.

But good for them. Now that they got their win, I dont see them as a team that will prevent us from getting to the cup(assuming we get past first round first ). I see Leafs being the ones to finally start taking over as top playoff contenders.

Lol, Toronto. Those clowns aren’t winning anytime soon. The core of the Lightning is still the best in the league and now that they’ve finally gotten over the top they could go on a run of a few cups.

 

[Tom Hanks]

 

[Ryder71]

Lol, Toronto. Those clowns aren’t winning anytime soon. The core of the Lightning is still the best in the league and now that they’ve finally gotten over the top they could go on a run of a few cups.

Colorado will be very tough also.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I think they’ll try earlier if they can due to this....

“One major schedule sticking point is that the NHL likely needs to conclude the 2021 season before July 22, when its American television rightsholder, NBC, flips to coverage of the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. With 12 games per month, that could allow for a shortened 48- or 60-game regular season in four or five months.”

I really think they need to shorten it, I was hoping they would to like 64 to 72 games and cancel the All-Star game and keep it as a break instead.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Florida, Horny in more ways than one.

Me and @ColePens are still in the Patric Hornqvist Booster club. He nixed the idea of being called the Horny Boyz, some people just don't like any sort of fun.

 

[BHD]

Pat Maroon is the new Chris Kunitz. A guy who, while not super talented, is good enough (and lucky enough) to find himself on winning teams.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Pat Maroon is the new Chris Kunitz. A guy who, while not super talented, is good enough (and lucky enough) to find himself on winning teams.

I guess Pat Maroon did win a Cup in Edmonton, after all.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Close Conn Smythe - not a surprise

 

[AlphaMikeFoxtrots]

I guess Pat Maroon did win a Cup in Edmonton, after all.

Oh my

 

[canadianguy77]

Lol, Toronto. Those clowns aren’t winning anytime soon. The core of the Lightning is still the best in the league and now that they’ve finally gotten over the top they could go on a run of a few cups.

I can see it being pretty tough for them. They only have around 5 million in space for next season with 15 players under contract. Granted having Hedman, Kucherov, Stamkos, Vasilevskiy, Point and McDonagh is a pretty freaking good starting off point, they’re definitely going to lose some pretty good depth.

 

[YYCLetangStan]

My intro to hockey came at age 10 when the Bolts beat the Flames for their first cup. Andreychuk lifting it at centre ice after Game 7 hurt 10 year old me in ways that can’t be understated lol.

Congrats to them. This is something special.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Lesson that *should* be taken away: Look at the guys on the back end who can move the puck like Hedman, Sergachev, Shattenkirk, McDonagh. That's the type of defense you need in today's game.

JR's lesson: We need to sign Luke Schenn and Brayden Coburn.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Lesson that *should* be taken away: Look at the guys on the back end who can move the puck like Hedman, Sergachev, Shattenkirk, McDonagh. That's the type of defense you need in today's game.

JR's lesson: We need to sign Luke Schenn and Brayden Coburn.

I am curious what a defense that utilizes Matheson, Letang, Marino, and Riikola could do.

But you know, JJ exists and ol' 2 goal Marcus.

 

[EVGENIMERLIN]

Congrats to the Bolts. Cooper seems like a solid guy, that team has a lot of fun talent, and I bet some friends that Hedman would be a better NHL’er than Tavarez and I am stick to my Guns there

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Steven "Passenger" Stamkos..

 

[CascadiaPenguin]

Lol, Toronto. Those clowns aren’t winning anytime soon. The core of the Lightning is still the best in the league and now that they’ve finally gotten over the top they could go on a run of a few cups.

wanna bet?? ;-)

 

[cygnus47]

Lesson that *should* be taken away: Look at the guys on the back end who can move the puck like Hedman, Sergachev, Shattenkirk, McDonagh. That's the type of defense you need in today's game.

JR's lesson: We need to sign Luke Schenn and Brayden Coburn.

The Bolts have been the team that's best followed the internet version of what people think GMs should do. Draft for skill over all else, pay your best players only, build depth of skilled players at forward and D over time and don't go "all-in" too early. They've also had the balls to trade away good players at the right time and stayed the course to give their team chances to win without making "culture" trades. Their leadership is just their best players, they haven't brought in random vets and bled 2nd and 3rd round picks every year. They sign quality depth guys with a year or two of term instead of trying to get "size" or "jam".

It seems like all those things should be no-brainers but most GMs don't have the brains or balls to stand up to their fans or owners when things dip in the short term.

It was funny that Ray Shero actually believed in all those things but then he didn't have the balls to trade away good players at the right time or see when Bylsma was killing us. I always thought it would've been crazy how deep our team could've been if we'd just been willing to trade Orpik in ~2012 and let guys like Despres play, let Kunitz or Dupuis walk, paid Jagr instead of making a stand on principle, played Iginla in the right position, played an offensive system when we had crazy PMD depth. We had SO many assets back then but Shero refused to do anything but piss away all our picks on rentals that Bylsma would misplay.

 

[BHD]

I am curious what a defense that utilizes Matheson, Letang, Marino, and Riikola could do.

But you know, JJ exists and ol' 2 goal Marcus.

I think Pettersson has a bit more to give. Johnson, though, ruins everything.

 

[BHD]

I guess Pat Maroon did win a Cup in Edmonton, after all.

Same with Kunitz in Atlanta.

Also, I'm fine with Tampa winning. They're such a good team that you can say they won because they were the best team in the league.

 

[Ignatius]

Close Conn Smythe - not a surprise

Point got the Kuznetsov treatment, he was the one player that really drove the team and put them over the top but likely did not win the Smythe due to the media darling status of players like Ovechkin and Hedman. Same thing with Phil and Sid in 2016, though I think Ovi and Sid (in 2016) were given the award more for "legacy" reasons.