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NHL 2011-12 Season Discussion Thread

post #1 of 145
10/12/11 at 8:47am
Thread Starter 
I thought it would be a good time to start a thread for the 2011-12 NHL season. Who is favored to win it all this year? Will the Bruins repeat?

I read this morning that Boston signed Peverley to a three-year extension. I like this move, as he was a ton of fun to watch during last year's playoffs.

http://espn.go.com/boston/nhl/story/_/id/7087824/boston-bruins-sign-rich-peverley-three-year-extension
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post #2 of 145
10/13/11 at 5:01am
I think the battle for the Cup will be wide open again this year. Boston will have a very difficult time repeating, IMO, because it's hard to imagine Tim Thomas repeating his incredible playoff performance again.

My Habs are already battling injuries, as Cammalleri just joined Markov, Lars Eller, Spacek, Ryan White and Chris Campoli on the injured list. This is not a good way to start the season. Also, I'm not sure that Erik Cole is going to add the scoring punch they hoped for when he was acquired in the off season. Hopefully he doesn't become another Scott Gomez -- the most overpaid, useless player on the roster.
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post #3 of 145
10/13/11 at 10:32am
Thread Starter 
Scott,

My early pick to win it all is Pittsburgh. But Vancouver will probably be hungrier this year, and I can never count out the Red Wings.
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post #4 of 145
10/13/11 at 11:35am
If the Penguins get Crosby and Malkin back healthy, I could definitely see them winning the Cup. I really liked their pickup of James Neal last season (and not just because he's a former Plymouth Whaler smiley_wink.gif ). I'm surprised that Dallas let him go.

The Canucks and Luongo have to prove they can get it done in the playoffs. Right now they are just the next version of San Jose and Ottawa, IMO -- i.e. teams built for the regular season, but not the playoffs. Same with Washington.

I do not know what to make of Philly. They solved their goaltending issue, but let their two best front liners go and added Jagr.
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post #5 of 145
10/13/11 at 11:49am
Thread Starter 
Well, Philly ruined Boston's banner party on opening night. They didn't seem to have any goaltending issues in that game, unfortunately.

I read 'Plymouth Whaler,' and immediately thought of the ol' Hartford Whalers! I watched them when they were part of the WHA (and of course when they were in the NHL). I don't really think of them when I watch the Carolina Hurricanes, though.

I wonder how the Winnipeg Jets will do as far as attendance is concerned. I hope the fans support their team very well.
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post #6 of 145
10/13/11 at 3:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ockeghem View Post

Well, Philly ruined Boston's banner party on opening night. They didn't seem to have any goaltending issues in that game, unfortunately.
I read 'Plymouth Whaler,' and immediately thought of the ol' Hartford Whalers! I watched them when they were part of the WHA (and of course when they were in the NHL). I don't really think of them when I watch the Carolina Hurricanes, though.
I wonder how the Winnipeg Jets will do as far as attendance is concerned. I hope the fans support their team very well.

The Plymouth Whalers actually derived their name from the old Hartford Whalers. Local Detroiter and Compuware founder Peter Karmanos purchased an Ontario Hockey League franchise about 20 years ago called the Detroit Junior Red Wings (originally called the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors). After he purchased the Hartford Whalers of the NHL, he became a competitor to another local Detroit businessman who happened to own the Detroit Red Wings (Mike Illitch). Therefore, the name of the team was changed to the Detroit Whalers. Karmanos built a new arena for his team in Plymouth in the late 90's and the team has been known as the Plymouth Whalers ever since.

I think Winnipeg will be fine. I watched their home opener versus the Habs on CBC, and the fan support was incredible. The city supported the team very well before, but it was moved due to a battle over building a new arena. I think Manitoba is very excited to have their team back, and I doubt you'll see an empty seat in the arena. Their biggest issues will be the size of the arena (it's the smallest in the league) and generating revenue from local broadcast rights in such a small market. Hopefully they can be financially solvent, since the city has much more passion for the team than the lackluster support in Atlanta.
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post #7 of 145
10/14/11 at 7:45am
Thread Starter 
Scott,

Thanks for that information -- very interesting. smile.gif

This is quite an interesting clip. I wonder if anyone will try to take out Asham in future games?

http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/11792/capitals-penguins-clash-marred-by-fight
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post #8 of 145
10/14/11 at 7:48am

At worst, I think the attendance for some games in Winnipeg will equal that of Atlanta, but that would be few and far between. They should be fine, as the team is sols out for the next few years. And oddly enough, their next game is against the Phoenix Coyotes.

 

The Flyers are looking good so far, but it's only the beginning of the season. Hopefully, I can make it out to some games this season!

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post #9 of 145
10/22/11 at 7:56pm
Walter have you seen the last two Flyer games?
Washington made them look silly and at this point I'd give them the edge n the quest for the cup. Only problem is that they usually hack one up in the playoffs every year.

Flyers are very good but also really, they take a ton of bad penalties and Scott Hartnell doesn't help either, he stinks.
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post #10 of 145
10/23/11 at 3:57pm

I was only able to listen to part of the Caps game on the radio, tuning in the 3rd period. Needless to say, I didn't listen long. But I'm not worried, being that it's still early in the season.

 

Too bad that Flyers games are blacked out on NHL Center Ice. Currently been watching some of the other games during the free trial, though I'm not sure when it ends.

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post #11 of 145
10/24/11 at 10:58am
It's difficult to take the Caps seriously until they do something in the playoffs. We have seen this from them over and over. I refuse to pick them in our office playoff pool again -- I've been burned a couple of times.
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post #12 of 145
11/1/11 at 9:22am
Last Saturday night at the Whalers game, newly elected Hall of Famer Doug Gilmour was sitting right behind us (our seats are right in front of the press box / broadcast booth). Gilmour is the general manager for the Kingston Frontenacs -- the visiting team that night. I got his autograph for a co-worker who is a big Leafs fan.

A couple of weeks ago, Kris Draper and Chris Osgood were sitting behind us. They were scouting the Ottawa goalie, who was a 2011 draft pick by the Red Wings.
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post #13 of 145
11/24/11 at 6:34am
Thread Starter 
I've been watching this current Bruins streak with a lot of interest. How I wish the Bruins - Sabres game of last night was on television! And on Monday night, I wanted to watch the Bruins - Canadiens game (which was listed as being on Versus); however, when I tuned in, there were only highlights being shown (like NHL On the Fly), even though the Bruins - Canadiens game was still in the third period. I have no idea why that game was not on television (other than NESN). frown.gif

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/bruins/post/_/id/8098/page/rapidreaction/six-observations-bruins-4-sabres-3
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post #14 of 145
11/28/11 at 8:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ockeghem View Post

I've been watching this current Bruins streak with a lot of interest. How I wish the Bruins - Sabres game of last night was on television! And on Monday night, I wanted to watch the Bruins - Canadiens game (which was listed as being on Versus); however, when I tuned in, there were only highlights being shown (like NHL On the Fly), even though the Bruins - Canadiens game was still in the third period. I have no idea why that game was not on television (other than NESN). frown.gif
http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/bruins/post/_/id/8098/page/rapidreaction/six-observations-bruins-4-sabres-3

The Monday Bruins - Habs game was pre-empted by Versus for Cindy's return in Pittsburgh, which started 30 minutes earlier. I was very pissed off when I turned on Versus at 7:30 and saw the Penguins game being shown. I had looked forward to watching Montreal vs. Boston all day long while at work. furious.gif I switched the game off and watched a BD movie instead.

Speaking of the Penguins and Habs, I returned home from out of town Saturday night just in time to catch the end of overtime in their game. I cannot figure out why the whistle wasn't blown to stop play before Pittsburgh scored the winning goal. Carey Price clearly had the puck covered.
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post #15 of 145
11/28/11 at 8:56am
Thread Starter 
Scott,

Okay, thanks for the explanation. I was uncertain what happened.

Regarding the Penguins - Habs game --

You probably saw this, but the winning goal scored by Pittsburgh was almost contested, as some thought the Habs' goalie was interfered with during/prior to the game-winner.
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post #16 of 145
11/28/11 at 10:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ockeghem View Post

Regarding the Penguins - Habs game --
You probably saw this, but the winning goal scored by Pittsburgh was almost contested, as some thought the Habs' goalie was interfered with during/prior to the game-winner.

There was a lot of confusion and arguing at the end of the game, but the NHL Network feed from CBC cut to the studio during all the commotion, and no explanations were offered by the network. It was a very bizarre finish.
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post #17 of 145
12/1/11 at 5:04am
The axe is falling on coaches rather swiftly the past couple of days. Boudreau gets canned in Washington, Maurice in Carolina and Carlyle in Anaheim. Boudreau gets Carlyle's job in typical NHL coach recycling fashion, but the Caps and Canes each give a shot to someone new. I really liked Muller as an assistant in Montreal (and he was a fine player, too), so I hope he does well in Carolina. Dale Hunter will be interesting to watch in Washington. He's been one of the best coaches in the Ontario Hockey League (London) for many years (he and his brother Mark also own the team), but will he be able to handle the transition to the NHL?
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post #18 of 145
12/6/11 at 8:22am
The NHL announced their realignment plan. Instead of six divisions within two conferences, there will now be four "conferences", two with eight teams, and two with seven teams. The conferences are not yet named. Hopefully, they will bring back the Smythe, Adams, Patrick and Norris names.

Supposedly, a new schedule will guarantee that each team plays everyone at least twice, so every team will visit each arena at least once per season.

The breakdown:

Anaheim
Calgary
Colorado
Edmonton
Los Angeles
Phoenix
San Jose
Vancouver

Chicago
Columbus
Dallas
Detroit
Minnesota
Nashville
St. Louis
Winnipeg

Boston
Buffalo
Florida
Montreal
Ottawa
Tampa Bay
Toronto

Carolina
New Jersey
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Washington


I guess if Phoenix ends up moving east to Quebec, this would accommodate that relocation, as they would slide out of their current 8 team "conference" to the seven team "conference" with the other eastern Canadian cities.
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post #19 of 145
12/8/11 at 2:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Merryfield View Post

Supposedly, a new schedule will guarantee that each team plays everyone at least twice, so every team will visit each arena at least once per season.


I think that's the best thing about this. While I thought it was a mistake to abandoned home-and-home format to begin with, it's good that it has finally been corrected.

 

This realignment does sound like the return to the old days, as the setup just looks so similar, along with the playoff format.

 

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post #20 of 145
12/9/11 at 8:10am
After having a few days to think about it, I do like the new format. While there are a few issues with the new alignment, I think this was overall a very good compromise.

Pros:
1. Teams will visit every city under new schedule
2. Most existing rivalries kept intact
3. Each division spans no more than two time zones. Should help teams in Western Conference, both in travel and road game TV viewing.
4. Provides some flexibility for franchise relocations
5. Playoff format should revive those intense intra-divisional playoff series of the Adams, Norris, Smythe and Patrick division era

Cons:
1. Teams in 7-team divisions have a greater chance of making playoffs than teams in 8-team divisions
2. Detroit fans did not get reunited with traditional rivals like Toronto and Montreal, as they wanted (but this was never going to happen anyway)
3. Not clear how playoffs will work once victors emerge from each divisional playoffs. What happens to Clarence Campbell and Prince of Wales trophies?
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post #21 of 145
1/12/12 at 7:54pm
Thread Starter 
Thankfully, the entire Bruins - Canadiens game was on television in our area tonight (NHL Network). The game was a fairly good one, but the real story was that Mike Cammalleri was traded -- apparently during the game. The timing was a bit odd, at least to me.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/7457110/calgary-flames-acquire-f-mike-cammalleri-montreal-canadiens

There's also a link on what the Bruins and a few other teams may / could do to beef up their teams.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/13788/rumblings-montreal-moves-cammalleri-bs-devils-wild-have-tough-decisions
Edited by Ockeghem - 1/12/12 at 8:16pm
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post #22 of 145
1/13/12 at 4:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ockeghem View Post

Thankfully, the entire Bruins - Canadiens game was on television in our area tonight (NHL Network). The game was a fairly good one, but the real story was that Mike Cammalleri was traded -- apparently during the game. The timing was a bit odd, at least to me.
http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/7457110/calgary-flames-acquire-f-mike-cammalleri-montreal-canadiens
There's also a link on what the Bruins and a few other teams may / could do to beef up their teams.
http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/13788/rumblings-montreal-moves-cammalleri-bs-devils-wild-have-tough-decisions

The entire Canadiens season has been odd. When they fired the coach, they should also have fired GM Pierre Gauthier. He's taken a team that Bob Gainey had on the rise and ruined it since Gainey retired. Cammalleri was one of the few bright spots amongst the forwards, so I do not see where this makes the team any better. Meanwhile, the team is still stuck with useless, overpaid Scott Gomez, the human pylon Hal Gill, and the overrated Erik Cole. There will be no playoffs in Montreal this season.
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post #23 of 145
1/13/12 at 10:52am
It looks like next season's New Year's Day Winter Classic game is going to be Toronto vs. Detroit at The Big House in Ann Arbor. That matchup is guaranteed to fill the stadium to almost 120,000 people! Estimated attendance for the Michigan - Michigan State "Big Chill" hockey game last year was around 117,000. Leafs fans will pour across the border for the game.
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post #24 of 145
1/15/12 at 6:12am
To the Bruins fans (Scott and Jeff) -- I met Tyler Seguin's girlfriend last night. She was our waitress. My wife and I usually go out to dinner before the Saturday night Whalers games, so we each were wearing a Whalers sweatshirt, which started the conversation. Her name is Kathryn, and she's been dating Tyler for a couple of years (they met in high school in Plymouth). She was excited about going to Ottawa to watch him in the All-Star game, and usually visits him every couple of weeks in Boston.

She said she was probably one of the few people hoping he didn't get selected first in the draft, because she didn't want to travel to Edmonton. laugh.gif She's planning on going to school in Boston next year (didn't find out which school).
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post #25 of 145
1/15/12 at 6:42am
Thread Starter 
Scott,

Wow, that's a neat story! Thanks for sharing. I know you probably follow the Canadiens more than you do the Bruins [ smiley_wink.gif ], but did you happen to tell her that Seguin has been having a tremendous year thus far, and that he only looks to be getting better? smile.gif
Edited by Ockeghem - 1/15/12 at 6:55am
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post #26 of 145
1/15/12 at 7:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ockeghem View Post

Scott,
Wow, that's a neat story! Thanks for sharing. I know you probably follow the Canadiens more than you do the Bruins [ smiley_wink.gif ], but did you happen to tell her that Seguin has been having a tremendous year thus far, and that he only looks to be getting better? smile.gif

Scott,

I actually do pay attention to how Seguin's doing for a few reasons: (1) I try to keep track of former Whalers in the NHL, (2) I really liked Seguin when he played here (he was a nice kid as well as a tremendous talent), and (3) he's on my fantasy hockey team.

Anyway, I did tell her that Tyler is the only Bruin I like. laugh.gif
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post #27 of 145
1/17/12 at 1:30pm
Seems like a good girl. Not many gold-digging puck bunnies would be working as a waitress when her boyfriend is an NHL millionaire. Can't pick a better college town than Boston either.
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post #28 of 145
1/19/12 at 5:51am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Merryfield View Post

It looks like next season's New Year's Day Winter Classic game is going to be Toronto vs. Detroit at The Big House in Ann Arbor. That matchup is guaranteed to fill the stadium to almost 120,000 people! Estimated attendance for the Michigan - Michigan State "Big Chill" hockey game last year was around 117,000. Leafs fans will pour across the border for the game.

Scott,

I heard this morning on one of my favorire sports programs that there are still a few hitches to get through before this can become finalized. For one thing, The Big House shuts down in November, with all employees going home. So they would have to re-open it, and there are some logistics involved with that. But the real issue seems to have something to do with Michigan's liquor license laws. I also heard (on the same sports program) that Comerica Park is being considered as a fall-back plan should The Big House not work out. Personally, I think it will occur in Ann Arbor, as I don't think the U. of M. will let this opportunity slip through their hands.
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post #29 of 145
1/19/12 at 8:49am
I think that U of M and the NHL will work out their issues and have the game in the Big House, too. The normal November stadium shutdown did not stop them from having a UM - MSU hockey game there last year, and I'm sure they can work around the liquor issue, since it is not a university event. It's a huge win-win for both sides. Michigan gets a premiere event in their stadium, and the NHL can set a world attendance record in the only location where it is really possible for them (except for maybe the new stadium in Dallas -- but that wouldn't be outdoors, and I'm not sure they could get 100k fans to attend a game in Dallas).

The other stumbling block is Red Wings owner Mike Illitch, who wanted everything in downtown Detroit where his business interests are located (Tigers, Red Wings, restaurants, theaters, casino). Setting up Comerica Park as a secondary outdoor site for all the other festivities and ancillary games was a concession to appease him. The annual Great Lakes Invitational college hockey tournament, as well as the alumni game and some other games, would probably be held at Comerica.
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post #30 of 145
1/21/12 at 11:44am
A doozy between the two beasts of the east going on right now. Thank the Lord it isnt like the Bruins/Rags snoozefests of the past, and Lundquist looks beatable. Let's hope their usual third period domination act pulls it out for the B's.
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