OT: Around the NHL: Welcome the Vegas Golden Knights!

[BHD]

Count me in the same camp as Ogre. Although, I could watch them for days because of how well they play their system.

 

[66-30-33]

****, we should do anything in our power to get either of those two.

Simmonds AND Hornqvist on the same team? 2 of the best centers AND the 2 BEST net front guys on the same team? Our PP would have to change a bit...2 guys infront of the net for example giving the other goalie hell, or run 2 PP lines with 2 great front net guys.

 

[Hockeygod66]

I think I'd take the championships.

It's always entertaining when your favorite team is winning championships.

 

[TorstenFrings]

I can sort of agree with DyingAlive on this. What good are championships if you can't even be bothered to watch the playoff run because your team bores you to sleep each time you try and tune in?

For me, hockey is entertainment. Sure, winning is fun, but so is actually enjoying the 60 minutes of game play, regardless of result.

But IF it really is your team, does this bore you to tears? I have been a fan of some pretty spectacular winning teams and some pretty boring winning teams and of course winning in an exciting fashion always trumps winning in a boring fashion, but winning boringly still trumps losing well.

 

[Dying Alive]

But IF it really is your team, does this bore you to tears? I have been a fan of some pretty spectacular winning teams and some pretty boring winning teams and of course winning in an exciting fashion always trumps winning in a boring fashion, but winning boringly still trumps losing well.

For me, yes. I got more enjoyment out of the X-Gen Pens than I did out of the MJ Pens at the beginning of last season. I'm sure part of that was due to expectations - as in, I expect a team with as much offensive firepower as the Pens have to actually play offense.

 

[TorstenFrings]

For me, yes. I got more enjoyment out of the X-Gen Pens than I did out of the MJ Pens at the beginning of last season. I'm sure part of that was due to expectations - as in, I expect a team with as much offensive firepower as the Pens have to actually play offense.

Okay, I was thinking more in terms of winning championships than games. I completely see your point now that you mentioned MJ, if that counts as a winning team, then I concur.

 

[ColePens]

I would take titles over anything. Championships >>>> all.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

All I'll say on the subject is I think the Kings could have grabbed the attention of a bigger chunk of this city had they been winning while playing a more appealing style of play.

Fans will take championships over anything, and you're not going to find a single Kings fan who would trade those rings for a more entertaining product...but I'm not talking about Kings fans, I'm talking about the majority of this city that has never watched a hockey game in their lives.

The NFL wasn't back in town yet and the Lakers were hopeless...that was the time for the Kings to make their big push, but I don't know how many new fans those titles created. They definitely shored up the fan base, turning plenty of casual fans into devoted fans, but I don't know how many people went from not watching hockey at all to having a genuine interest in the sport past those playoff runs.

At the end of the day LA is a tricky market. There's so many people located in such a spread-out area with such unique demographics that the only guarantee to having the attention of the masses is to win. Even the Lakers can quickly become borderline irrelevant in this market. Winning titles gets you front and center in terms of local coverage at least...appealing play and losing isn't going to move the needle.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

But IF it really is your team, does this bore you to tears? I have been a fan of some pretty spectacular winning teams and some pretty boring winning teams and of course winning in an exciting fashion always trumps winning in a boring fashion, but winning boringly still trumps losing well.

I stopped watching hockey for a good stretch of years during the peak of the Dead Puck Era because I simply hated the way the game was being played, not because my team was or wasn't having success.

I mean, the *end result* is nice if my team wins a championship while playing boring hockey. But forcing myself to sit through games, when I don't know how the game will actually end at that point, isn't.

Basically, maybe if you told me that you could read the future and knew with 100% certainty the Pens would win a Cup despite playing boring hockey, I'd tune in. But if we're talking about "enjoying the journey" and not knowing the final result, I'd find it hard to enjoy my team's games if they were boring.

 

[SirBrad]

someone told me a few weeks ago Columbus would cool down and all they've done since is heat up more.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

And then there's the Buffalo Bylsmas ...

 

[Dying Alive]

The Habs have been skidding a bit and the Caps pulled out an OT win against Buffalo last night but lost their previous 3 before that. They both have games in hand but the Pens are gaining ground.

Somewhat related: the Metro is ridiculous this year. 4 teams currently in the top 10 of the league, 3 of those teams are in the top 5, and Philly is just outside the top 10 at number 12. I'd love to see someone make an argument that the Metro isn't the best division in hockey this season.

Overall in the East, Tampa has 30 points and is currently out of a playoff spot. They'd be 5th in the Western Conference.

 

[Shockmaster]

someone told me a few weeks ago Columbus would cool down and all they've done since is heat up more.

They're reminding me of the 2011-12 Rangers where that team over-achieved. The next year they were sick of Torts. Wouldn't surprise me if the same happened with the Blue Jackets. Torts has a very short shelf-life.

 

[WayneSid9987]

Columbus's prospect pool was just too good not to pan out at some point.
They really got their D set with the Jones acquisition as well.
Werenski, Murray, Jones. All great young D-Men.
And Bobrovsky, when he's on, can be very good.
As much as some don't want Torts to succeed, he's lucked into a pretty good roster.
Especially on the back end.

 

[TNT87]

Lovejoy scores his first of the year.

 

[Brandinho]

Disgusting behavior in the Devils-Canucks game. Hall blows up Larsen with what seemed like a clean hit, Larsen hits his head on the ice and is out cold, then several players on both teams are in such a hurry to start a scrum that they end up kicking the prone Larsen in the head with their skates. He ended up getting stretchered off.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Disgusting behavior in the Devils-Canucks game. Hall blows up Larsen with what seemed like a clean hit, Larsen hits his head on the ice and is out cold, then several players on both teams are in such a hurry to start a scrum that they end up kicking the prone Larsen in the head with their skates. He ended up getting stretchered off.

yikes

 

[Brandinho]

yikes

There's video of the incident.

https://twitter.com/TheStanchion/status/806307752360353792

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Disgusting behavior in the Devils-Canucks game. Hall blows up Larsen with what seemed like a clean hit, Larsen hits his head on the ice and is out cold, then several players on both teams are in such a hurry to start a scrum that they end up kicking the prone Larsen in the head with their skates. He ended up getting stretchered off.

Where's the common sense? Player is out cold, so it would seem obvious that you shouldn't start pushing and shoving right over where the guy is out cold.

 

[Sjoelbak]

Where's the common sense? Player is out cold, so it would seem obvious that you shouldn't start pushing and shoving right over where the guy is out cold.

Props for Markstrom doing everything he can to get the scrum away from Larsen there.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

My co-worker is trying to say that it was an elbow. I'm not seeing it.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

The Habs have been skidding a bit and the Caps pulled out an OT win against Buffalo last night but lost their previous 3 before that. They both have games in hand but the Pens are gaining ground.

Somewhat related: the Metro is ridiculous this year. 4 teams currently in the top 10 of the league, 3 of those teams are in the top 5, and Philly is just outside the top 10 at number 12. I'd love to see someone make an argument that the Metro isn't the best division in hockey this season.

Overall in the East, Tampa has 30 points and is currently out of a playoff spot. They'd be 5th in the Western Conference.

The Habs are really not a team to be worried about, they always have these kind of starts to the season. They have no depth, they're good to win a round like usual, maybe 2 if they get all the luck possible + pray that Price can steal them another round. They're not going anywhere, they're a bunch of midgets and come playoff time Markov and Plekanec are tired and disappear

 

[Shady Machine]

The one thing the Habs have this year is a player of Radulov's caliber. He's no longer a legit offensive star (if he ever was one) but he's still a guy that can take over a game.

Add in Galchenyukk continuing to develop into a top offensive player and Patches. That's a pretty decent top 3 up front.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Disgusting behavior in the Devils-Canucks game. Hall blows up Larsen with what seemed like a clean hit, Larsen hits his head on the ice and is out cold, then several players on both teams are in such a hurry to start a scrum that they end up kicking the prone Larsen in the head with their skates. He ended up getting stretchered off.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one infuriated by that. I get the desire to go after a guy for what appeared to be a questionable hit in real-time (with the benefit of replay absolving Hall of any wrong-doing)...but rushing over your guy who is out cold on the ice to do so is just...dangerous, stupid, wrong, and stupid (need to repeat this word a few more times). What if he has a neck injury and you're jerking the guy around because you just have to get your glove in somebody's face? Idiots.

My co-worker is trying to say that it was an elbow. I'm not seeing it.

Your co-worker is seeing what they want to see.

 

[BHD]

The play on Zajac was pretty bad, too. It was an ugly game all around.