NHL Season Talk
igotthatbeat
263 Posts
So we're at the quarter mark and so far this has been the best season since I can remember.Every other game is a barn-burner straight out of the glory days of the 80's NHL! The new rules and CBA has forced some of the old and slow players out of the game or into smaller roles and has really brought on the new wave of young and exciting players...Crosby is the real deal, Ovechkin is no joke, Eric Staal is a beast, and Labarbera has been killer between the pipes.The GOOD...-Carolina Hurricanes & Montreal Canadiens surprising start-LA Kings 2nd overall in the west-Scoring through the roof this year-Shootouts (finally!)-Kharlamov's induction into the Hall of FameThe BAD...-No national coverage from ESPN (thank goodnes for the center ice package!)-Fighting is all but extinct-Still one referee too many -Brett Hull's retirement (the junior jet still had something left in the tank)-Don Cherry's wardrobeThe UGLY...-Penguins start despite all thier offensive weapons-Columbus worst team in the league-LA Kings new enforcer Ryan Flinn-Tim Hunter behind the bench in San Jose 
Comments
Yes. Yes good hockey in NC.
I am having a nightmare so far, as I am a Bruins fan. We have some great players, but injuries and youth on the blueline have us fighting to stay in every game.
Right now they are on a FIVE GAME LOSING STREAK, and the most frustrating thing is that in almost every game, they play really well for two periods, tend to be leading or tied after two, and then go to absolute shit in the third, and lose by 3 goals. It's getting ugly. Bruins are NOT adjusting to the "new" NHL, at least as far as penalties go - they seem to take about 10 bad penalties per game, half of them in the third period. The only silver lining is that they have picked up 1 point in alot of those losses, so if they can get it turned around, it won't take too much of a win streak/consistent results to get right back in the mix.
ANYWAY:
New NHL: I like the less icings, LOVE the return of "tagup" offsides (which I think speeds up the game and reduces whistles more than any other rule change), like seeing the emphasis on skating and creativity instead of trapping and sluggish grunt work. Still, WAY too many penalties are being called. Players are getting wise and diving all over the place. At least once a game, a nice, clean perfect D play is called a penalty, and it kills momentum and can change the whole turnout of the game.
Trust me, I have seen the evidence:
PS
I hate all the hype, but between the few games the B's and Pens have already played, and all the Pens games on OLN, I have to say wathcing Crosby play is awesome. He just flies around all night, he seems to be in the middle of everything - they triple-shift him, and he just keeps going. The game against Philly last week on OLN was the best I saw this season - and a big part of that reason was Crosby.
Best thing this year by far is seeing Ovechkin play. This guy genuinely appreciates every moment he has in the league, playing his heart out. Not afraid to mix it up and take the body, he does it all and thrives on immense pressure. Washington is basically an AHL team save Kolzig and Ovechkin, these two guys are literally carrying the team on their backs night in night out. Crosby is great and all, but I see Ovechkin as the true complete package. His stick handling combined w/ his breakneck speed makes for a sublime combination.
soul - boston is hurting big time man, zhamnov has disappeared off the map entirely. It's still early though and you do have a good team on paper. Raycroft needs to regain his lost cofidence and Thornton needs support. Right now he's a one man show, and he can only do so much. Plus 3 rookies on the blue line means you'll have to suffer some growing pains.
Some of the penalties are overkill and I've seen some dives but I'm really liking the way theyre calling obstruction.
Obstruction penalties such as holding, hooking, and interference slow down the game and limit the creativity of the good skaters. All the power plays from these types of calls are part of the reason why scoring is up big time. I could care less for the new goalie puckhandling rule though.
I've got center ice seats 6 rows from the glass costing $150 a piece to the Kings vs Hurricanes Game DEC 8th in Los Angeles.
Tell wifey it's
Aser -
Yes, good points all around on the B's. Zhamnov has yet to do even one positive thing in a game - he is either invisible or detrimental.
That game where the B's beat you guys pretty badly (with some help from Belfour acting whacky) was one of the only good ones this year...by the time we played again last week, you guys took advantage of every weakness, took almost no penalties, and put that power play of yours to good use. We made it easy for you, which is hard to watch on this end.
Good point also on the "year of the rookie." Seeing alot of youth has sped the game up and made it seem more fresh in general. I like alot of the veterans that retired en masse this season, but I was pretty happy to see most of them go. Youth is vital to keeping the league competitive and interesting, and the salary cap pretty much forces teams to play younger, cheaper players. I just wish they weren't half of our defensive line-up
Lovin this kid on the Capitals. Just flat out amazing. I been going to every game I can. Scores goals like a madman, hits like a freight train, and even took out Buffalo's goalie the other night.
http://www.rh71.com/Projects/Ovechkin/