NHL '11 - '12 Thread

[icehog3]

Funny, everyone on NHL on XM is picking the Yotes. I don't see it.

Everyone there (14 of 16) is picking Nashville over Detroit. I think the Wings will be in it, and I pick them to win it.

Sharks-Blues could be the big upset. Elliott is day-to-day, I am not sold on Halak, and the Sharks have been to the dance before.

I pick the Canucks to beat Quick and LA, but would love to be wrong.

[Ahbroody]

Originally Posted by icehog3

Funny, everyone on NHL on XM is picking the Yotes. I don't see it.

Everyone there (14 of 16) is picking Nashville over Detroit. I think the Wings will be in it, and I pick them to win it.

Sharks-Blues could be the big upset. Elliott is day-to-day, I am not sold on Halak, and the Sharks have been to the dance before.

I pick the Canucks to beat Quick and LA, but would love to be wrong.

I can see why a lot would pick the Yotes Tom. The goalie is red red hot. They have balanced scoring. As I said earlier they have the goalie advantage. If he steals a game or two then thats likely the series. I want the Hawks though so I cant pick against them.

As for Wings Preds they are really deep with recent moves and they have the goalie advantage. I think Peca steals a couple games and the series.

The Sharks Blues is tough if they can split the first two the blues youth and inexperience I think creeps in and sticks get gripped. As a whole though I just dont see the Sharks getting it done. While I know they stepped up at the end of the season when they had two, I just have seen them go ice cold to often this year.

Geoff I really think you are hoping it doesnt get nasty, but I am hoping it does and can see it. You have to look at both teams recent history. I cant see it not happening looking at last years playoffs and this season.

[Adriftpanda]

Berry Effing Melrose just predicted my Canucks will get beat by LA, suck it BM!

[357]

Originally Posted by Adriftpanda

Berry Effing Melrose just predicted my Canucks will get beat by LA, suck it BM!

He's pridicted the Wings would lose all 4 cup finals they've won recently: 97, 98, 2002, 2008. Wings won those series': 4-0, 4-0, 4-1, and 4-2 respectively. He's a DB. No offense Tom.

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by 357

He's pridicted the Wings would lose all 4 cup finals they've won recently: 97, 98, 2002, 2008. Wings won those series': 4-0, 4-0, 4-1, and 4-2 respectively. He's a DB. No offense Tom.

He's no Admiral.....

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by mithrilG60

Nope, just $2500 fine and a stern "We'll take this into account if you're a naughty boy again in these playoffs". Yet Bitz has a hearing with Shannahan over his hit on Clifford which likely means at least a game. I fail to see how the NHL can possibly say the Bitz hit is suspendable if the Weber WWE head-to-the-turnbuckle move isn't. BOTH actions should result in suspensions. More inconsistency from the league, how the hell are they supposed to change any behaviour when they constantly send the players mixed messages on what is and what isn't acceptable behaviour?

Agreed....Weber should get a game if the NHL really wants to take "hits" to the head out of the game.

$2500 to Weber at 7MIL per season if comparable to a guy making $50,000 a year getting a $15 fine. Freaking joke.

[Gophernut]

No quit in the Flyers tonight. Gotta love playoff hockey!

Originally Posted by Gophernut

No quit in the Flyers tonight. Gotta love playoff hockey!

Truer words have never been spoken! GO FLYERS!

[yourchoice]

Wow... I am spent and it's only game 1.

[icehog3]

Great Pens-Flyers game, a lot of character shown by Philly.

Two lucky goals by the Preds to beat the Wings 3-2, I am still not convinced.

[mithrilG60]

Pathetic showing by the Canucks as a team, but at least Luongo was brilliant. Kings definitely deserved that win, played like they wanted it much more. Hopefully the league has a chat with the ref's about making calls when they're out of position, 2 very blatant errors tonite between the Briere offside and Kesler hand pass.

[357]

Originally Posted by icehog3

Great Pens-Flyers game, a lot of character shown by Philly.

Two lucky goals by the Preds to beat the Wings 3-2, I am still not convinced.

I agree. Wings outplayed the Preds in the 2nd and 3rd, big time.

Originally Posted by Ahbroody

I agree Preds goals two were odd, but the Preds speed created the first odd goal. Won the race and got the lucky redirect. Did not like Weber slamming Zs head into the glass at end of game. Wonder if anything will come out of that.

I have a feeling Weber gets 1 game suspension for that move. Total bush league. If it was regular season it would be 5 games. The game was over. This was not a check where his target moved or put his head down last minute. First he punched him in the back of the head, then grabs his head and slams his face into the boards. It doesn't get more blatant than that.

If the Wings play the same way tomorrow as they did in the last 2 periods of that game, they'll win game 2 for sure.

[mithrilG60]

Originally Posted by 357

I have a feeling Weber gets 1 game suspension for that move. Total bush league. If it was regular season it would be 5 games. The game was over. This was not a check where his target moved or put his head down last minute. First he punched him in the back of the head, then grabs his head and slams his face into the boards. It doesn't get more blatant than that.

Nope, just $2500 fine and a stern "We'll take this into account if you're a naughty boy again in these playoffs". Yet Bitz has a hearing with Shannahan over his hit on Clifford which likely means at least a game. I fail to see how the NHL can possibly say the Bitz hit is suspendable if the Weber WWE head-to-the-turnbuckle move isn't. BOTH actions should result in suspensions. More inconsistency from the league, how the hell are they supposed to change any behaviour when they constantly send the players mixed messages on what is and what isn't acceptable behaviour?

[Ahbroody]

Originally Posted by mithrilG60

Bitz should get a game for that hit, but he may get away with time served given that the LA player was so low Bitz would have had to lift his elbow to avoid him.

If u look at it honestly this argument is laughable. Clifford was already engaged with another player battling for puck. Bitz raised his elbow and skated towards a player facing the boards who was already engaged with another player and deliberatly delivered an elbow shot to the face. This is exactly the hit the league wants out of the game. Watch the hit honestly. He lifts and cocks the elbow then skates at clifford. He made zero effort to play the puck. ZERO. His whole intent was deliver the hit.

Originally Posted by 357

I have a feeling Weber gets 1 game suspension for that move. Total bush league. If it was regular season it would be 5 games. The game was over. This was not a check where his target moved or put his head down last minute. First he punched him in the back of the head, then grabs his head and slams his face into the boards. It doesn't get more blatant than that.

I agree it was not good. 5 games. 5 games in the regular season? Mike the punch to the back of the head that happened first happens in almost every game and after the whistle constantly. Its honestly a non factor. The hulk smash was bad but no apparent injury.

Originally Posted by mithrilG60

Nope, just $2500 fine and a stern "We'll take this into account if you're a naughty boy again in these playoffs". Yet Bitz has a hearing with Shannahan over his hit on Clifford which likely means at least a game. I fail to see how the NHL can possibly say the Bitz hit is suspendable if the Weber WWE head-to-the-turnbuckle move isn't. BOTH actions should result in suspensions. More inconsistency from the league, how the hell are they supposed to change any behaviour when they constantly send the players mixed messages on what is and what isn't acceptable behaviour?

Two players who are involved in a battle on the boards and one goes to far and goes WWE is not the same as a player targeting a players head who he is not engaged with. Z and Weber were engaged in a battle on the boards together. Again Bitz came a fair distance with his elbow raised and cocked and intentionally hits Cliffords face with his elbow. Who he was not engaged with. Weber got heated and went to far. In the moment. Vs calculated intent to deliver a blow to the head.

[357]

Originally Posted by Ahbroody

I agree it was not good. 5 games. 5 games in the regular season? Mike the punch to the back of the head that happened first happens in almost every game and after the whistle constantly. Its honestly a non factor. The hulk smash was bad but no apparent injury.


Two players who are involved in a battle on the boards and one goes to far and goes WWE is not the same as a player targeting a players head who he is not engaged with. Z and Weber were engaged in a battle on the boards together.

I disagree. Z was on the ice trying to stand up. The play was over, the puck was far away, and the GAME WAS OVER. Watch the video:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hocke...hit/54204916/1

The puck is 30 ft away and the clock reads 00.0. when Weber smashes his face into the boards. How is this WWE move in any way related to a "hockey move/play"? There was no battle for a puck that was 30 ft away. That play was long over. Going to far is crosschecking while trying to knock a guy off the puck, not face-smashing him from behind when the puck's long gone. You can't associate that crap with any hockey play.

[357]

Originally Posted by mithrilG60

Nope, just $2500 fine and a stern "We'll take this into account if you're a naughty boy again in these playoffs". Yet Bitz has a hearing with Shannahan over his hit on Clifford which likely means at least a game. I fail to see how the NHL can possibly say the Bitz hit is suspendable if the Weber WWE head-to-the-turnbuckle move isn't. BOTH actions should result in suspensions. More inconsistency from the league, how the hell are they supposed to change any behaviour when they constantly send the players mixed messages on what is and what isn't acceptable behaviour?

What's rediculous to me is that they factor the net result into the punishment. Apparently intent is not important as net result. So if I take my skate off and try to slit someone's throat but fail, I'll just get a fine. However, if I'm biting my fingernail and it flies off, hits someone in the eye resulting in vision loss I'll be banned from the league for life. Granted I know these are extreme and over-the-top examples, but it seems to be what would happen if you follow the league's logic (or lack thereof).

Wouldn't they be better off severly punishing all players who intend to injur rather than just those who succeed?

[icehog3]

That Briere offsides was brutal.

The Dustins (Penner and Brown) are my heroes of the day.

[mithrilG60]

Originally Posted by icehog3

That Briere offsides was brutal.

Ya, there was no question about that call. The Kesler hand pass was kind of understandable but having two badly missed calls on the first night of the playoffs should be enough for the league to have a quiet word with all the officials.

Originally Posted by icehog3

The Dustins (Penner and Brown) are my heroes of the day.

Carter's soccer redirection to Penner was unreal.

Bitz should get a game for that hit, but he may get away with time served given that the LA player was so low Bitz would have had to lift his elbow to avoid him.

[yourchoice]

Originally Posted by icehog3

That Briere offsides was brutal.

That was a bad call, no doubt.

Another non-call in that game that I didn't hear a very good explanation of was why the icing was waved off that ultimately led to the Pens third goal. My market had our local announcers (NBC Sports was blacked out). Did the NBC guys explain what happened with that?

[Ahbroody]

Bitz gets a game I think. Replay shows targeted head with elbow.
Was a chippy game. I expect more in game two.

That offsides call was bad in the philly game.

I agree Preds goals two were odd, but the Preds speed created the first odd goal. Won the race and got the lucky redirect. Did not like Weber slamming Zs head into the glass at end of game. Wonder if anything will come out of that.