Hockey Randomness

[RonnieFranchise]

Panthers, Wild, Oilers all do or die tonight. Who is most likely of the three to be shaking hands?


I’m going Panthers. Think McDavid finally breaks out against a team he lit up in the regular season and MAF is always good for a stinker at some point. With low pressure the Wild might get some past him tonight.

[Gaucho]

All three.

[mikey]

Only the Wild are done tonight, I think...

[meow]

I am going say the Oilers. Last night was a pretty crushing loss.

[MR25]

And then people give out hot takes about why those players can't score. The beginning and end of it is there's an infraction against them every shift but the league feels it important to "let them play" even though it's preventing their talent (and what people actually want to see) from being able to play.

[meow]

That’s playoff hockey, baby

[MR25]

It's bullshit to watch, is what it is.

[willeyeam]

That’s playoff hockey, baby

we know, that's the issue

[Kane]

Call me crazy, but the stars should be able to shine all year long.

[willeyeam]

Nah, this is what we've always done, so it has to be that way. Or something

[shmenguin]

The league is busted. It needs new leadership, and I don’t understand how owners sit by and accept a mediocre product. It’s baffling.

[Kane]

Because they still get paid.

[MR25]

And most of the owners were around when clutch and grab was still a thing. And the new GMs now are players who played in that era, so I'm sure there's some semblance of "Well I had to play through that and I came out fine, everyone else should have to, too" at play here.

[shmenguin]

Because they still get paid.

Not much.

You have Tampa going far in the bubble, but the other 5 finalists over the last 3 years don’t really tell any story that makes sense. The Caps win with their worst team (and used head trauma as a tactic along the way), Vegas gets to the finals because the seeding system allowed their 2 biggest threats to eliminate each other, St Louis and Boston were ok but nothing interesting or special and then I don’t even remember who Tampa played. Dallas?

There’s a disconnect between the post season and what would actually be good for the sport. It can’t keep being 2 seasons with 2 sets of rules.

Buncha cowardly officials convincing the league that they can’t figure out how to ref once the calendar turns past a certain point and the good Canadian boy network running things thinks it’s fine.

[mikey]

The clutch and grab stuff now is not in the same atmosphere of what was happening 20 years ago either...

[RonnieFranchise]

I am going say the Oilers. Last night was a pretty crushing loss.

winner

[MR25]

The clutch and grab stuff now is not in the same atmosphere of what was happening 20 years ago either...

Didn't say it was. Just that I feel there's an above-normal tolerance of it with the old boys club that runs things.

[willeyeam]

I'd be curious what the effects of actually calling interference on dump and chases would be. D would have to play a bit bigger gap, might make things fun

[meow]

I am going say the Oilers. Last night was a pretty crushing loss.

winner

As per usual

[mikey]

The clutch and grab stuff now is not in the same atmosphere of what was happening 20 years ago either...

Didn't say it was. Just that I feel there's an above-normal tolerance of it with the old boys club that runs things.

Also, we seem to forget that when they went to the "no touching!" rules in 2006 and 2007, the game was garbage and everyone died of concussions because of the unchecked speed on the forechecks and the like...so it's not exactly easy to strike this balance, and it's not completely for lack of effort either...

They're not and haven't done all they can, but it's not like sweeping changes and evolutions haven't happened in my immediate memory...

[Tomas]

Here is a question for people who follow hockey more than I do:

Why don't teams pull out their goalie at the end of a period when they have face-off in the offensive zone with, say, less than 4 seconds to go?

I noticed that yesterday, at the end of the second period, Islanders had the face-off with something like 2 seconds to go. The laws of physics make it impossible for the defending team to score an empty net goal, yet Barry Trotz left goalie in. Interestingly, Islanders got a good scoring chance out of the face-off - but I bet that with an extra player the opportunities for scoring would be even better.

[willeyeam]

teams have started doing that a bit more lately

[shmenguin]

The clutch and grab stuff now is not in the same atmosphere of what was happening 20 years ago either...

Didn't say it was. Just that I feel there's an above-normal tolerance of it with the old boys club that runs things.

Also, we seem to forget that when they went to the "no touching!" rules in 2006 and 2007, the game was garbage and everyone died of concussions because of the unchecked speed on the forechecks and the like...so it's not exactly easy to strike this balance, and it's not completely for lack of effort either...

They're not and haven't done all they can, but it's not like sweeping changes and evolutions haven't happened in my immediate memory...

the last shot this core (including multiple hall of famers) has for a cup is being taken away because diarrhea on skates is allowed to do whatever they want to our skill players to stay competitive.

so with that said, this is now a hot topic that i don't know how rationally i'm treating it.

but give me 06 and 07 and the 7 PP's per game over this crap. there's a fairness to that. and it's no more ugly than what the islanders are doing. and as far as the unchecked speed goes, penalize all head contact. all of it. and make each tier of contact a greater penalty than it is today. players will learn, and accidents are already punished with puck-over-glass calls. it's not a new framework.

but overall, this league stinks, as far as just being a business entity goes. my engagement is bound by nostalgia at this point and little else.

[DigitalGypsy66]

The Great One peacing out on the Oilers...partially blames the pandemic? Now?

[NTP66]

McDavid disappointed Gretzky so much that he left Edmonton.