2013 - 2014 NHL Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Ockeghem]

Scott,You're right, there were rumors of Thornton not coming back. But I thought he was going to re-sign for at least one more year. I liked his toughness on the ice, and he was second-to-none with a water bottle (from the bench only, of course).

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Scott,

I was surprised to read that Thornton is 36 years old. I did not realize he had been around that long.

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott,I didn't know his age either.

When I was looking at the feats of Bill Russell (for another thread) recently, I came across an interesting tidbit. I knew that he had eleven rings in thirteen years with the Boston Celtics. What I did not know is that Henri Richard also had eleven rings (Stanley Cups) as a player for the Habs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Richard

Jean Beliveau had several as a player and as an executive (seventeen combined), but we're not counting those today.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I knew that Henri "The Pocket Rocket" Richard held the record for most Cup wins by a player, but for some reason I always thought the number was 12, not 11. I guess we do not remember things as well as we get older. He is the first Habs captain I really remember watching play -- unfortunately I cannot remember much of Beliveau, who he replaced. Beliveau retired after the '71 Cup, and that is the first Cup I remember seeing the Habs win.

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott,I remember Jean Beliveau all too well, unfortunately. But compared to Cournoyer, Beliveau was a saint on ice.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I loved Yvan Cournoyer, aka The Roadrunner! He and Dryden were my first two "favorite Habs".

 

[Scott Merryfield]

The first line in this article on ESPN regarding Shawn Thornton made me laugh:

BOSTON -- His playing days with the Boston Bruins are now a memory, but Shawn Thornton has earned the right to be mentioned in the same breath as Bobby Orr, Terry O'Reilly, Ray Bourque and Cam Neely.

Phil Esposito is going to be so pissed being left out of the Shawn Thornton comparisons.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

The first line in this article on ESPN regarding Shawn Thornton made me laugh:




Phil Esposito is going to be so pissed being left out of the Shawn Thornton comparisons.

That is absurd, unless you are discussing his role in the community. Shawn is the unofficial Mayor of Charlestown, he's woven himself into the community and he now calls Boston home. His charitable efforts are unmatched, his foundation is one of the most popular in town, and he is beloved by none other than Boston legend David Ortiz, who calls him a close friend and gave him his locker for the '10 Winter Classic. Shawn even skipped bringing the Cup to his hometown in '11, instead he took it to his adopted Charlestown and marched it through the streets, bars, and the gym where he boxes. His wife stated that wherever he ends up, his last stop will be Boston because she's never living anywhere else. He will be missed, until he comes back home and lands a job in broadcasting or as a Bruins ambassador, both roles he was born to play.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Dominik Hasek, Peter Forsberg, Rob Blake, Mike Modano, and Pat Burns have all been elected to the Hall of Fame. Well deserved for all of them! Mike Modano is from Westland, Michigan, which is the town right next to where I grew up.

In other news, the Habs have resigned impending free agent Andrei Markov to a three year deal that will probably keep him in Montreal for the rest of his career. He will be 38 when the contract expires. While Markov has slowed down a little, he is still better than anyone available in free agency.

The NHL draft is this weekend, too. Since I follow junior hockey closely, I always enjoy seeing where players I've been watching play get taken.

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott,

Good information there. The Bruins regular-season schedule was released a few days ago. I'm thinking that the Canadiens' schedule was also released. These two teams meet in the Bruins' first pre-season game, too.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Scott,

Good information there. The Bruins regular-season schedule was released a few days ago. I'm thinking that the Canadiens' schedule was also released. These two teams meet in the Bruins' first pre-season game, too.

Yes, Scott, the schedules were released for all teams. The Habs open on the road against the Leafs (it's the 6th straight year the two rivals have opened against each other), and their home opener is against the Bruins. I did see that Montreal and Boston are playing a preseason game, too. Preseason hockey is pretty boring, though - it's a lot like preseason football. I went to a Habs - Wings preseason game several years ago (got free tickets), and I doubt I'll ever go to another one.

 

[Richard Travale]

Silly! The Habs are in Vancouver on a Thursday night. Sigh… That makes it very difficult for me to travel to see the game. I’ll go, but it will be very difficult

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Richard,

What are ticket prices like in Vancouver? They have become outrageous in both Toronto and Montreal (at least $200), so we have not made a road trip in quite a few years. We used to go see the Habs play in Toronto, but I just cannot bring myself to pay the current prices. I'm afraid, once Detroit builds its new arena, that prices here may get into that territory, too.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

For anyone interested, here is a pretty good article previewing the top prospects for this weekend's NHL Draft. FWIW, I have seen 4 of the top 6 TSN prospects play in the OHL. I think Ekblad (ranked as the #1 prospect) is going to make a fine NHL defenseman -- he has size, but can skate and move the puck. Ho Sang is someone who may be there when the Habs pick in the first round. He's intriguing -- he has a lot of talent, but he's a black hole, as the puck goes into him but never comes out. He was a highly touted talent when he came into the OHL, but he's played selfish hockey whenever I've watched him.

As for my hometown Plymouth Whalers, Alex Nedeljkovic, Alex Peters, Matt Mistele, Josh Wesley, Connor Chatham and Yannick Rathgeb are all listed in the final NHL Central Scouting rankings. Nedeljkovic is a first round talent, but as a goalie he will probably not be picked until the 2nd round (teams do not use 1st round picks on goalies much anymore). I would expect Peters (defense), Mistele (forward) and Chatham (forward) to all get selected in later rounds, too.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Not many surprises at last night's NHL Awards:

Hart Trophy - Crosby
Norris Trophy - Keith
Vezina Trophy - Rask (was close with Varlamov)
Adams Trophy - Roy
Selke Trophy - Bergeron
Calder Trophy - MacKinnon

About the only surprise may have been the Lady Byng (sportsmanship), which went to Colorado's Ryan O'Reilly. Rumors are the Avs may be looking to move him because he is a negative influence in the locker room.

 

[Ockeghem]

Bergeron also won the Foundation Player Award and the NHL 15 Cover Vote.

Foundation Player Award:

http://bruins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=723740

"The NHL Foundation Player Award is awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) player 'who applies the core values of (ice) hockey—commitment, perseverance and teamwork—to enrich the lives of people in his community.' This marks the first time Bergeron has been named the winner of the NHL Foundation Award."

NHL 15 Cover Vote:

http://bruins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=723706

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Does the NHL 15 cover carry the same jinx as the Madden cover? If so, I would want that "honor"!

 

[Carlo_M]

Does the NHL 15 cover carry the same jinx as the Madden cover? If so, I would want that "honor"!

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/how-have-the-last-10-ea-nhl-cover-boy-fared/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/cover-jinx-nhl-giroux-rinne/
Nothing close to the Madden curse.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/how-have-the-last-10-ea-nhl-cover-boy-fared/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/cover-jinx-nhl-giroux-rinne/
Nothing close to the Madden curse.

Thanks, Carlo! BTW, my post should have been "I wouldn't want that honor".

I did find the one year as funny -- being traded to the Leafs just by itself would be a curse!

NHL 09, Dion Phaneuf – Phaneuf may be the closest thing to a curse on this list. After landing on the cover, the Flames defenceman posted the worst plus-minus of his career and his play began to decline in his fourth season. A year later, Phaneuf was shipped out of Calgary in a surprise deal with the Toronto Maple Leaf.

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott,I re-read your post a few times and wondered if you didn't mean to write 'wouldn't!'