NHL

[Justadude]

The Blackhawks are another team that's finally dug out of a decade-long hole. Great to see them not only winning, but doing it with future Hall of Famers who will be the cornerstone of the team for a long time.

[dgreco]

Oh, and did anyone catch the Penguins - Bruins game last night. Crosby had a Gordie Howe hat trick with the first fight of his NHL career. He did pretty good too, and I would say he won the fight, connecting more punches then Ferrance(sp?). I went back and forth between that game and watching Gaborik light up the Rangers. It was a good night in the NHL.....

B's Penguins was a good game last night, except it is another night where the B's lose a shootout. They need to win more of those.

[Justadude]

Just curious about your reactions to this:

The other day I was talking about Chris Simon and the idea of "Hockey Hell" came up. Hockey Hell is a place for players who are forever banished from the good graces of the Hockey Gods. Basically the only qualification was that the players are all cheap-shot artists and general dirtbags. Here's what we came up with as a roster for Hockey Hell:

Chris Simon

Claude Lemieux

Ulf Samuelsson

Dale Hunter

Jordin Tootoo

Darcy Tucker

Billy Smith

Bobby Clarke

Darius Kasparitis

Jesse Boulerice

Sean Avery

Bryan Marchment

Matthew Barnaby

Thoughts? Anyone you'd add or subtract? I almost put Ron Hextall on there for being a cheap-shot artist, but I always liked the guy's heart and willingness to fight anyone, plus he scored TWO goals.

[Mobuchu]

That could be a very long list, but the first that comes to mind is Tie Domi. What a piece of crap he was. I could watch the video of Stevens knocking him on his ass all day long.

Edited December 22, 2007 by Mobuchu

[MadVlad]

Add Ville Nieminen

[dgreco]

Bruins and 'Guins rematch today at 3. Should be a good after the game a few days ago.

[MadVlad]

Pitt downs the B's again. The wheels are starting to fall off the cart....

[Justadude]

^ Missing a guy like Bergeron will cause slumps like this. The B's will be ok, it's not like they're being blown out of the water, but having a top playmaker in the lineup makes the difference in close games like these.

[nashvillwill]

So, we have passed the All-Star break. What do you guys think? My Preds are hot! It was so nice to be able to watch hockey on NBC today. Down south we don't get much hockey on the big networks. Which reminds me, the New Years Day game was spectacular. To bad Sid is now injured. Ovechkin is a rich man now, and rightly so. The Red Wings are incredible. The Central Division went from what many though would be the toughest in the league, to a bunch of bottom feeders(yes, my boys included). I am really excited about the new scheduling format for next season. Although i love the Western Conference, there is so much talent in the East that i never get to see in person. When i see a broadcast of 2 Eastern teams, I feel like i am watching a different sport. Don't misunderstand me you Eastern faithful, we kick some ar-se out here, i just feel like i miss so much since our closest divisional rival is a 6 hour drive away. However, I am a goalie fanatic, and there are so many great ones in the East!

Thought?

[nashvillwill]

double post, sorry

Edited February 4, 2008 by nashvillwill

[Justadude]

So, we have passed the All-Star break. What do you guys think? My Preds are hot! It was so nice to be able to watch hockey on NBC today. Down south we don't get much hockey on the big networks.

I cannot recommend the NHL Center Ice package strongly enough. I know the price tag for a whole season is a little steep, but you can get a half-season package now for like $150. When you consider that you're getting something like 10 games per night for the next few months, you're paying about 25 cents per game (or something like that). I follow the Boston Bruins, which means I get to see my team ~8 times per year on broadcast networks (which is better than it used to be when they were losing). Since I got Center Ice right after the new year, I haven't missed a single one of their games. It's a HUGE improvement in the experience of being a fan... plus you get cool stuff like Hockey Night in Canada, which blows away even the higher-quality American broadcasts.

Which reminds me, the New Years Day game was spectacular. To bad Sid is now injured. Ovechkin is a rich man now, and rightly so. The Red Wings are incredible. The Central Division went from what many though would be the toughest in the league, to a bunch of bottom feeders(yes, my boys included).

I am beginning to think Ovechkin may be the best player I've ever seen, which says a lot after the Mario and Gretzky years. But he is the real deal, as his 4-point, three-injury performance against the Habs will attest. Last night against Columbus I tuned in during OT and basically just kept my eye on him the whole time he was on the ice... and sure enough he scored with ease to win the game. Just an unbelievable, complete player that will definitely win a lot of hardware before it's all over.

Edited February 7, 2008 by Justadude

[dgreco]

with about 10 games left the playoffs are close, the current playoff matchups are.

EAST

NJ Devils

Philly Flyers

Montreal Canadians

Boston Bruins

Carolina Hurricanes

NY Rangers

Pitt Penguins

Ottawa Senators

[dgreco]

WEST

Detroit Redwings

Vancouver Canucks

San Jose Sharks

Colorado Avalanche

Minnesota Wild

Calgary Flames

Anaheim Ducks

Dallas Stars

[Justadude]

It's getting close to the end... most teams have 2 games left and only a couple of playoff seeds are decided. A lot is going to hinge on this week -- will the Caps make it in? If so, will the Hurricanes fall out after leading the division all season? Is it conceivable the Sens could miss the playoffs after their great run? Will the Preds have enough left in the tank to fend off the Canucks? And good lord, the Northwest Division...

[dgreco]

2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

Eastern Conference

1 Montreal Canadiens

vs.

8 Boston Bruins

(Montreal Leads 8-0 in the series)

2 Pittsburgh Penguins

vs.

7 Ottawa Senators

(Ottawa Leads 3-1 in the series)

3 Washington Capitals

vs.

6 Philadelphia Flyers

(Series is tied at 2-2)

4 New Jersey Devils

vs.

5 New York Rangers

(New York Leads 7-1 in the series)

[dgreco]

2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

Western Conference

1 Detroit Red Wings

vs.

8 Nashville Predators

(Detroit Leads 5-3 in the series)

2 San Jose Sharks

vs.

7Calgary Flames

(Calgary Leads 3-1 in the series)

3 Minnesota Wild

vs.

6 Colorado Avalanche

(Minnesota Leads 5-3 in the series)

4 Anaheim Ducks

vs.

5 Dallas Stars

(Dallas Leads 5-3 in the series)

[dgreco]

Game 1 of the series

5 New York Rangers 4

over

4 New Jersey Devils 1

[dgreco]

Game 1 of the series.

2 Pittsburgh Penguins 4

over

7 Ottawa Senators 0

Edited April 10, 2008 by dgreco

[dgreco]

Game 1 of series

6 Colorado Avalanche 3

over

3 Minnesota Wild 2

[dgreco]

Game 1 of series

7Calgary Flames 3

over

2 San Jose Sharks 2

[dgreco]

Game 1 of series

1 Montreal Canadiens 4

over

8 Boston Bruins 1

[dgreco]

Game 1 of series

1 Detroit Red Wings 3

over

8 Nashville Predators 1

[dgreco]

Game 1 of series

5 Dallas Stars 4

over

4 Anaheim Ducks 0

[dgreco]

Game 2 of series

2 San Jose Sharks 2

over

7Calgary Flames 0

Series tied 1-1

[dgreco]

Game 1 of series

3 Washington Capitals 5

vs.

6 Philadelphia Flyers 4