NHL Around the NHL - Washington hoists the Cup

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Fenway

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http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threa...-18-iii-rangers-fire-alain-vigneault.2429429/
 
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Fenway

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Following are NBC Sports Group’s Game 1 broadcast teams for Wednesday and Thursday.
Game 1 MatchupPlay-by-PlayAnalysts
PHI-PITJohn ForslundPierre McGuire
MIN-WPGGord MillerDarren Pang
LAK-VGKChris CuthbertRay Ferraro
CBJ-WSHGord MillerJoe Micheletti
NJD-TBLRick PeckhamBrian Engblom
TOR-BOSMike “Doc” EmrickMike Milbury, Pierre McGuire
COL-NSHKenny AlbertAJ Mleczko, Brian Boucher
ANA-SJSBrendan BurkeMike Johnson
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

NBCSN WILL be available in New England along with NESN

NBC Sports’ coverage of Stanley Cup Playoff first-round games on NBCUniversal cable networks (NBCSN, USA Network, CNBC and Golf Channel), as well as NHL Network, will air side-by-side and will be available for streaming on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app in local markets alongside regional sports network game telecasts. (Local blackouts apply in Las Vegas and Pittsburgh in the first round).
 

BruinsFanMike82

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Apr 15, 2009
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Hmmm, decisions decisions... Go with Edwards/Brickley/Kraemer or Emrick/Milbury/McGuire? I'm leaning towards the latter.
 

Aeroforce

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Apr 28, 2012
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Houston, TX
I remember reading an article on Marc Bergevin in The Hockey News from the early 2000's, stating he was the 'funniest man in hockey.' I never understood what was so funny about him, until I saw some of the trades he made as Habs' GM.

The season series' between the teams meeting in the first round were mostly lopsided; hopefully the playoffs are different.

As much as I dislike the playoff format, it did deliver Philly/Pittsburgh in the first round.

I'd love to see Vegas' Cinderella story continue, but I do understand why many pundits are picking the Kings. The playoffs are different, and the Kings have a distinct advantage with #1C and #1D.
 

Fenway

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I remember reading an article on Marc Bergevin in The Hockey News from the early 2000's, stating he was the 'funniest man in hockey.' I never understood what was so funny about him, until I saw some of the trades he made as Habs' GM.

The season series' between the teams meeting in the first round were mostly lopsided; hopefully the playoffs are different.

As much as I dislike the playoff format, it did deliver Philly/Pittsburgh in the first round.

I'd love to see Vegas' Cinderella story continue, but I do understand why many pundits are picking the Kings. The playoffs are different, and the Kings have a distinct advantage with #1C and #1D.

I have issues with the format BUT with the unbalanced schedule how do you fix it???

The obvious solution would be to take the Top 4 from each division and scrap the wild card - then you would have had

ATLANTIC
Tampa vs Florida
Boston vs Toronto

METRO
Washington vs Columbus
Pittsburgh vs Philly

Florida in - New Jersey out

CENTRAL
Nashville vs Colorado
Winnipeg vs Minnesota

PACIFIC
Vegas vs LAK
Anaheim vs San Jose

No changes

:dunno:

 

Aeroforce

Registered User
Apr 28, 2012
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I have issues with the format BUT with the unbalanced schedule how do you fix it???

Simple - ditch the unbalanced schedule with the playoff format. ;)

It's not as bad as before. At least now every team plays in every city at least once. I know there are travel and logistic problems, but does the current format really help? Why did the the Bruins not play the Habs until nearly mid season, and then play them three times in a week?

I understand the league wanting to build rivalries, but with the direction of the game going more toward speed and skill (which I'm fine with), does playing the same bottom feeder teams in your division accomplish that?

Balance the conference games (or as balanced as possible), play the other conference twice (home and away), and do a 1-8 like the NBA. Right now Houston and Golden State won't meet until the Conference Finals. But the NBA will likely get Nashville/Winnipeg in the second round, possibly the two best teams in the Western Conference.

Which is reminiscent of last year when Washington and Pittsburgh met in the second round, and created a trap-tastic Conference Final with Ottawa (that almost yielded an upset).
 

Fenway

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But but his French is perfect!

Sam Pollock was the greatest NHL GM of all time and while he was a Montreal native, English was his mother tongue.

Montreal was last dominate in 1979 - since then they lucked into Cups when favorites were knocked out early in 1986 and 1993. The Habs in many ways are like our NBA Celtics - lots of banners when the league was smaller but much tougher today.

Montreal had a very good shot at winning the Cup in 2014 but after beating us in a Game 7 they had to play the Rangers 40 hours later because of NBC and Price got hurt on a cheap shot and they haven't been close since.

The Molson family has made numerous business errors and allowed hated rival Labatt to become the biggest seller of beer in Canada. The family is also petty. In 2014 the long time anthem singer at Centre Bell made a bad career choice when he did a commercial for Budweiser (Labatt) - he hasn't worked a Habs game since. Fans are still angry at Geoff Molson about that.

I made a friend this night in 2013 when I spotted a sign in the crowd and a Mom back in Chelmsford was happy. I sent a message to @dafoomie asking him to upload it and he did.

It's the little things in life that matter

 

Rubber Biscuit

Registered User
Sep 9, 2010
13,752
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Long Island
I have issues with the format BUT with the unbalanced schedule how do you fix it???

The obvious solution would be to take the Top 4 from each division and scrap the wild card - then you would have had

ATLANTIC
Tampa vs Florida
Boston vs Toronto

METRO
Washington vs Columbus
Pittsburgh vs Philly

Florida in - New Jersey out

CENTRAL
Nashville vs Colorado
Winnipeg vs Minnesota

PACIFIC
Vegas vs LAK
Anaheim vs San Jose

No changes

:dunno:

This is what I would do but I would also change the schedule so it's heavier on divisional matchups. Probably 6 games vs every team in your division
 

Dueling Banjos

Registered User
Oct 29, 2014
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5,850
Agreed. You'd think after 82 games of making everyone look foolish, you'd start taking them seriously. Apparently not.

Just what they needed, extra motivation. Might do wonders for them, in the same manner as room full of 'leftovers' before the start of regular season, eager to prove former teams wrong.
 
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