NHL Season 08-09

[Devolver]

Well, I would of been really upset if the Canes lost. I know saying ref calls are questionable when they are against your team...everyone does it.

But seriously? Some of those Icings were just....asinine to say the least. But all is well now I suppose. It just makes me wonder...to people that live/cheer for Boston, how does it feel to get beat by a team that over 80% of their state doesn't care about? (well in my experiences anyway)

I wish hockey would get bigger here ><

[Ishido]

Fuck yes Wings.

Interesting matchups. I can't wait to see the Wings and Hawks, should be a great series. I hope Datsyuk explodes, he's really due for it.

[KoalaTrap]

Scott Walker.. haha soooo awesome who would have thought that non-suspension would matter...

Love hearing John Forslund with the call too.. I grew up watching him call games for the Whalers and now in NC. Such a good game, close the entire way and really could have gone the B's way easily. Whalers finally beat the Bruins in the playoffs; there's some people in Connecticut getting crazy drunk tonight.

Edit: Devolver, the Bruins are probably the most under appreciated Boston team. I mean have any B's fans even posted here? Look at all the 'Canes fans posting. RBC Center is the loudest arena in the league, but yeah outside of Raleigh and the hardcore fan base most people don't give a shit about hockey.

[Selamis]

I'm happy that the canes won. I think the pens matchup better against them. That said, I think it'll be a good series.

Pens in 5
Hawks in 6

rematch of the '91 Stanley Cup.

Think it was 92, could be wrong. Either way, if it is, hoping for a different outcome this time than a Pens sweep!

[Sepukku]

I know we have Canes/Wings fans here, but hockey's future just took a step back today... Ducks/Hawks and Pens/Anyone would be great for the future of the game, but Carolina is snooze-city and Boston having a full-fledged resurgence would be huge. They still sit behind the Red Sox, Celtics, and Patriots in Boston - perhaps not even in the same league as them, it seems. All throughout the playoffs i've heard multiple times, "Anyone but detroit again."

[Gadritan]

Well, I would of been really upset if the Canes lost. I know saying ref calls are questionable when they are against your team...everyone does it.

But seriously? Some of those Icings were just....asinine to say the least. But all is well now I suppose. It just makes me wonder...to people that live/cheer for Boston, how does it feel to get beat by a team that over 80% of their state doesn't care about? (well in my experiences anyway)

I wish hockey would get bigger here ><

The non-calls killed me too. Ruutu got yanked down with a freehand to the face about 10ft away from the ref and there was no call. Ward was blatantly slashed in the face after a save, no call.

The penalties called against CAR were extremely questionable to say the least.

In the end they pulled through like they always do though. Gotta' love a team with that kind of heart.

Not to mention Ward still has a perfect record in playoff series and game 7s (4-0).

Unfortunately I don't think hockey will get much bigger here unless the Panthers go to shit and Duke and UNC are no longer the dominating forces in NCAA basketball. Hell, even the Braves are more popular here than the Canes.

[KoalaTrap]

I know we have Canes/Wings fans here, but hockey's future just took a step back today... Ducks/Hawks and Pens/Anyone would be great for the future of the game, but Carolina is snooze-city and Boston having a full-fledged resurgence would be huge. They still sit behind the Red Sox, Celtics, and Patriots in Boston - perhaps not even in the same league as them, it seems. All throughout the playoffs i've heard multiple times, "Anyone but detroit again."

I'm sorry but the Bruins are a duller team than the 'Canes. Savard and Lucic were decent but Kessel was meh. The Bruins defense (which was #1) clamps it down better than any team. I know it would obviously be better to have another original six team who has had a long ass Stanley Cup drought still in the mix, but I honestly wonder how many people who say the 'Canes are not exciting have actually watched them play this year.

This postseason the Hurricanes have:
Won a game with .3 seconds left in a game.
Won a game 7 down by 1 goal with 83 seconds left in regulation.
Won a game 7 in OT against the #1 seed with less than 90 seconds left in OT.
Plus they have Cam Ward.

Yeah sounds like a snoozefest to me.

Everyone will pick Pittsburgh to win anyway so don't worry, but honestly, that's what Carolina wants anyway.

I agree with the Detroit stuff though

[Ishido]

I know we have Canes/Wings fans here, but hockey's future just took a step back today... Ducks/Hawks and Pens/Anyone would be great for the future of the game, but Carolina is snooze-city and Boston having a full-fledged resurgence would be huge. They still sit behind the Red Sox, Celtics, and Patriots in Boston - perhaps not even in the same league as them, it seems. All throughout the playoffs i've heard multiple times, "Anyone but detroit again."

Obviously this isn't how everyone thinks considering the ratings the finals got last year, and the fact that the Wings draw the best attendance on the road of any team in the NHL. They embody the "skill first, physical second" that the NHL seems to want as well, so I don't see any problems there. And if people are tired of them winning, others need to step up and beat them. "Beating the dynasty" seems like it could draw people just as well as 2 teams with young and skillful players.

[Ace-o-fire]

Obviously this isn't how everyone thinks considering the ratings the finals got last year, and the fact that the Wings draw the best attendance on the road of any team in the NHL. They embody the "skill first, physical second" that the NHL seems to want as well, so I don't see any problems there. And if people are tired of them winning, others need to step up and beat them. "Beating the dynasty" seems like it could draw people just as well as 2 teams with young and skillful players.

some one understand where i'm comming from.

if wings do win this year (and it looks like a bit of a long shot) guess what, now you have a pissed off NHL fan base at them wanting a team to take them down.If they NHL plays it right this can be better then, them sucking on Cosby's dick

[Gadritan]

This postseason the Hurricanes have:
Won a game with .3 seconds left in a game.
Won a game 7 down by 1 goal with 83 seconds left in regulation.
Won a game 7 in OT against the #1 seed with less than 90 seconds left in OT.
Plus they have Cam Ward.

Yeah sounds like a snoozefest to me.

Everyone will pick Pittsburgh to win anyway so don't worry, but honestly, that's what Carolina wants anyway.

As I mentioned previously too, CAR has 3 of the top ten players for hits too. More than any other team. And big hits always make for an exciting game. There were quite a few nasty ones against BOS.

I don't know why the Canes were looked at as such an underdog. Look at the playoff and game 7 experience that the Canes have. Experience goes a long damn way in the playoffs, game 7s in particular. The team that can remain cool and confident 9/10 is the team that wins.

It's doing all the little things right when you're under that kind of pressure that wins championships, and the Canes have proven time and time again that they are that team.

And yes. The Canes have Ward. There's a reason he's never lost a playoff series. There's a reason he's 4-0 in game 7s. And who's the most important man on the ice? The goalie. They can't win if they can't score. It still amazes me that he's only 25 years old.

I think they're the most dangerous team in the NHL when their back is against the wall. It's where they shine. They live for adversity.

So let everyone pick PIT to win. Yes, the Canes and all of us Caniacs prefer it that way. It makes the victories all the more sweet.

Edit: And oh shit. Paul Maurice has won 6 straight playoff series.

[Flarega]

These hockey playoffs have been great. It sucks that the NHL doesn't have a ton of publicity, because honestly I think they should be totally dominating the NBA playoffs which has been getting lots of it.

Lots of game 7s, lots of OTs, I love it.

[KoalaTrap]

I agree. I hope one day ESPN and the NHL will make nice and it will return there because the playoffs are so good and it's not just this year, even though this year is fantastic, it's every goddamn year with all these young stars. I enjoy Versus coverage but the NHL needs ESPN, and I hope after this year and last year ESPN sees that the NHL is still a marketable league. I remember being in the 8th grade when the Rangers won in 94 and Sports Illustrated had a cover split saying how the NHL playoffs were kick ass and the NBA playoffs sucked.

I think the NBA playoffs have been fairly good. The Celtics/Bull series, currently Rockets/Lakes, Celts/Mag... but the NHL needs to return to national spotlight big time.

Edit: Gadritan, I'm pretty sure it's just cause they play in Carolina, and they don't get much national coverage.

[Ishido]

NHL playoffs are by far the best playoffs in sports. I've heard from several places that ESPN is now regretting lowballing the NHL on the TV rights bidding, but can't find any concrete source on that. I would not be surprised, the NHL has higher attendance records this year when compared to the NBA. It would be fantastic to have more games on TV, flipping to ESPN and seeing them playing all kinds of random crap while NHL games are going on is painful.

Hopefully everyone makes good decisions after the '11 season when the VS contract is up.

[Flarega]

Oh, I agree that the bulls/celtics series was great. Still, the fact that the eighth seed in the eastern conference can have a losing record, coupled with the fact that a lot of the series that have gone to game seven have had a number of games that were hardly competitive(rockets/lakers last 3 games, all of atlanta/miami) makes the NBA much harder to watch.

Edit: I also hate the timeout system in the NBA, I think it breaks up the action way too much.

[KoalaTrap]

ugh '11 season.. I knew the contract was longer than this year but '11 is blargh.. Gary Bettman is dumb dumb dumb sometimes.

[Sepukku]

Carolina = Shitty market. Trap/defensive style. Yawn.

Detroit = Shitty market, poverty city. Yesyesyeshockeytownblahblahblah. You rock the place in the playoffs, but you had empty seats all through the regular season. In December $9 regular season tickets were offered for some of the Dec/Jan games, including even DET-SJ a week before Xmas. What a joke. Detroit = old as fuck too. Is Chelios going to have a stroke soon? How is Lidstrom's retirement villa coming along? Osgood has been playing since like Mario Lemeiux was born.

Neither team is flashy the way Washington/Chicago/Philly/Pittsburgh is. You ever think thats why last years finals rated well? Cause it was the new, exciting Pens, not the old as fuck, cant drive a limo, nose hair trimming Wings? Psssh...

[Dense]

All throughout the playoffs i've heard multiple times, "Anyone but detroit again."

Then you have been speaking with ignorant people. The other choice from the last series, Anaheim, won the cup in 2007. You can't have it both ways. Just admit that you're a hater, and stop trying to justify it in some way...

Detroit is a great team to hate, they've been very good for a very long time. Justifying that because you've seen them win the Cup last year is a cheap way out of giving them credit for being relevant for so long, imo.

[Dense]

Carolina = Shitty market. Trap/defensive style. Yawn.

Detroit = Shitty market, poverty city. Yesyesyeshockeytownblahblahblah. You rock the place in the playoffs, but you had empty seats all through the regular season. In December $9 regular season tickets were offered for some of the Dec/Jan games, including even DET-SJ a week before Xmas. What a joke. Detroit = old as fuck too. Is Chelios going to have a stroke soon? How is Lidstrom's retirement villa coming along? Osgood has been playing since like Mario Lemeiux was born.

Neither team is flashy the way Washington/Chicago/Philly/Pittsburgh is. You ever think thats why last years finals rated well? Cause it was the new, exciting Pens, not the old as fuck, cant drive a limo, nose hair trimming Wings? Psssh...

How about Abdelkador? Franzen? Helm? Hudler? Hank? Datsyuk? Conveniently skipping the youth movement in the organisation which has allowed them to stay relevant. Your comments are a joke.

If you really believe in that whole poverty city garbage, then perhaps it's best for the people to have at least ONE thing to look forward to in an economically starved area during hard times? Don't you think?

[Gadritan]

Carolina = Shitty market. Trap/defensive style. Yawn.

I have to wonder how many Canes games any of you people that keep saying they're boring have even watched.

Trap/Defensive? Seriously? What in the fuck are you basing this on?

Edit: Nevermind. I forgot you were the idiot that compared someone getting hit in the NHL to someone being raped. I'd been auto-tuning out your post since then. Somehow this one slipped in.

[Ishido]

Carolina = Shitty market. Trap/defensive style. Yawn.

Detroit = Shitty market, poverty city. Yesyesyeshockeytownblahblahblah. You rock the place in the playoffs, but you had empty seats all through the regular season. In December $9 regular season tickets were offered for some of the Dec/Jan games, including even DET-SJ a week before Xmas. What a joke. Detroit = old as fuck too. Is Chelios going to have a stroke soon? How is Lidstrom's retirement villa coming along? Osgood has been playing since like Mario Lemeiux was born.

Neither team is flashy the way Washington/Chicago/Philly/Pittsburgh is. You ever think thats why last years finals rated well? Cause it was the new, exciting Pens, not the old as fuck, cant drive a limo, nose hair trimming Wings? Psssh...

The best offense in the regular season isn't flashy? Also empty seats through the regular season = 3rd highest average attendance? Sorry that it doesn't sell out every game, Detroit don't have the NHL marketing us like Pit, nor does the Joe have a 16,xxx person capacity. It's an "old team" because the Wings don't put their 19-20 year old draft picks into the league right away, they're put in the AHL or left elsewhere to mature. It's worked so far, no reason to change it. Sorry that your team got beaten by a team that you're insinuating is "too old" last year.

The reason the finals drew well last year was a combination. I'll give the Pens the bigger draw, because it's hard to compete with Crosby when it comes to publicity in the NHL. However, I'm willing to bet that the Wings facing them attracted more than any other Western team would have.

Also as dense said, doesn't the fact that Detroit is so bad economically make the attendance more impressive than other places?

Also without Cheli the average age of the team is reduced by 2 years (no joke).