2013 - 2014 NHL Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Scott Merryfield]

BUDAJ! BUDAJ! BUDAJ!

Yes, that was an entertaining game, Scott. Both goalies played great, with each goal being a deflection on a power play -- not much a goalie can do to stop those. It was certainly a rough game, which is typical for a Habs - Bruins contest. Hopefully Moen and Weise will be okay, as the team is also missing another 4th liner (Prust).

This was the beginning of a four hockey games in four nights stretch for me. Tonight and tomorrow night, our Plymouth Whalers play their first round playoff home games against #1 seed Guelph, and Thursday night I am attending the Canadiens - Red Wings game at Joe Louis Arena. These will probably be my last attended games of the season, as the Whalers will most likely get swept -- they are the #8 seed, and lost to first two games already in Guelph. The team did qualify for the playoffs for an OHL record 23rd straight year, though, while undergoing a major rebuild after two straight (unsuccessful) runs at the championship.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

After watching that game last night. . .I sure am glad that there are no shootouts in the playoffs! Good grief, that was a pathetic display.

 

[Ockeghem]

Aaron,I couldn't agree more. But regardless of the outcome of last night's game, I really despise OT and shootouts (in the regular season of course). But several of us have been down that road before. In fact, I took a turn on it the other night and the street sign read "Scott Merryfield Ave."

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Aaron,I couldn't agree more. But regardless of the outcome of last night's game, I really despise OT and shootouts (in the regular season of course). But several of us have been down that road before. In fact, I took a turn on it the other night and the street sign read "Scott Merryfield Ave."

Yeah, my co-worker hockey fans kid me about my passion on this topic. They always say "don't hold back -- tell us how you really feel".

The Canadiens faced an old friend last night -- former Plymouth Whaler goalie Matt Hackett started for the Sabres and kept the Habs off the scoreboard until midway through the third period. FYI, Matt is the nephew of former Blackhawks and Canadiens goalie Jeff Hackett. Also, ironically he was starting in place of injured Michael Nuevirth, also a former Whaler who was actually traded by Plymouth to the Windsor Spitfires for Matt Hackett back in 2007!

Oh, and if anyone cares, my Plymouth Whalers will not get swept out of the playoffs. Our excellent goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 52 of 53 shots on goal to steal a 2-1 win last night. You will be hearing Alex's name again at this summer's NHL Draft -- probably in the 2nd round, as he is ranked as the top Canadian Hockey League goaltender available in this draft. Ned is quite good -- he will be starting in the NHL some day.

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott,It seems that both of your favorite teams have had excellent goaltending lately. There's the 2-1 victory you mention above, and the 2-0 victory by the Habs last night.

BTW, I realize you don't follow the NBA like you used to years ago, but Grand Rapids is getting a D-league team. So we'll have the Griffins (hockey), White Caps (baseball), and now the Grand Rapids(?) Armor (basketball). The latter franchise is relocating from Massachusetts to Michigan. This team will be affiliated with the Detroit Pistons.

http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/2014/03/grand_rapids_to_get_nba_d-leag.html

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Scott,It seems that both of your favorite teams have had excellent goaltending lately. There's the 2-1 victory you mention above, and the 2-0 victory by the Habs last night.

BTW, I realize you don't follow the NBA like you used to years ago, but Grand Rapids is getting a D-league team. So we'll have the Griffins (hockey), White Caps (baseball), and now the Grand Rapids(?) Armor (basketball). The latter franchise is relocating from Massachusetts to Michigan. This team will be affiliated with the Detroit Pistons.

http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/2014/03/grand_rapids_to_get_nba_d-leag.html

That is great news, Scott. I know a few people here who have attended Griffins hockey games and always have good things to say about watching the team. I wanted to attend a game when we stayed in Grand Rapids over the holiday break a year ago, but my wife vetoed the idea, rightfully saying we already go to a lot of hockey games -- so I took her to a dueling piano bar instead. Didn't Grand Rapids have a minor league basketball team in the past, too?

Attending games at the minor league level can be a lot of fun -- the venues are usually smaller, so the seats are closer to the action, the prices are reasonable, and you do not have to suffer through the delays of "TV timeouts", so the action seems to flow better and the games take less time. I have not attended any minor league baseball games here, but we have done so down in Myrtle Beach, SC several times -- the Pelicans are a Class A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, and formerly of Atlanta. Seats right behind home plate are only $11 each! Our Whalers season tickets cost us an average of $12.50 per seat right at center ice, and includes VIP parking.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Hey, Aaron, I noticed that Vince Trocheck is doing well since being called up down there in Florida. He had a goal in regulation and another in the shootout last night, and has three goals since being called up earlier this month. You are going to really like watching this rookie. He was so much fun to watch here in Plymouth last season.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Cool, I will keep my eye on him. Which reminds me, it's time to look into minor league baseball tickets. . .

 

[Ockeghem]

What a great night to be an NHL fan. The two games I'll be watching intensely tonight are the Chicago - Boston game and the Montreal - Detroit game. Both of these are televised in my area, too. Each game begins at app. 7:00 p.m. Yeah!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

What a great night to be an NHL fan. The two games I'll be watching intensely tonight are the Chicago - Boston game and the Montreal - Detroit game. Both of these are televised in my area, too. Each game begins at app. 7:00 p.m. Yeah!

I'll be watching the Montreal - Detroit game live, in person.

 

[Ockeghem]

I'll be watching the Montreal - Detroit game live, in person.

Scott,I'll be switching back-and-forth. I'll look for you at the 'Joe.'

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott must be quite pleased! The Habs are up 2-0 in the first period. And my Bruins are up 1-0 in the first as well.

The Red Wings are the only team in the East that the Canadiens have yet to defeat this season. Oh and Scott, one of your defensemen has fifty-one points thus far. If he were to end up leading the Habs in total points, he'd be the first defenseman to do so for Montreal since the 1921-1922 season! I can't recall the name of the Habs' last player to lead the team in points, but I'll know it when I hear it.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Scott, that 2-0 lead didn't hold up, but the Habs hung on in a nailbiter. The Wings looked terrible in the 1st period, but picked up their play afterwards. Both sides had too many defensive breakdowns that resulted in goals. Luckily the Canadiens were able to hang on for the win. There were lots of Habs fans at Joe Louis Arena, so I felt right at home.

I do not remember the defenseman from that 1922 season, either. If Subban ends up leading the team in scoring, it's more of a negative, IMO. They just are not getting enough scoring from the forwards. Last night the #1 line of Pacioretty, Desharnais and Vanek played well, though, so hopefully they are starting to gel for the playoffs.

I see your Bruins shutout the Hawks last night. That's an impressive win.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

That Bruins-Hawks game was a gem, especially after the circus that was the Habs-Bruins the other night. The Blackhawks play the game "the right way", and no offense to Scott, but those Habs most certainly do not. Last night's game proved that the Bruins can and will play any style the other team wants. When the Hawks play clean, the Bruins play clean. When the Habs play like a bunch of jackwagons, the Bruins oblige. I know it is Montreal's game plan to dive/taunt/turtle/cheap shot in order to get the more fiery Bruins (ahem - Milan Lucic) off their game, but by all the hockey Gods, have a little pride! The Rocket still watches the games boys, and there is no way he is proud of PK Subban's arms-raised "Who me?" Little Lord Fauntleroy routine after he just clocked Boychuk in the back of the head.

And in case anybody still hasn't heard . . . Patrice Bergeron is the Perfect Hockey Player.

Yes, I said "Perfect Hockey Player".

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Well, duh.

So annoying that the B's-Habs debacle was nationally televised instead of the Finals rematch. Sigh. . .

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Well, duh.

So annoying that the B's-Habs debacle was nationally televised instead of the Finals rematch. Sigh. . .

Seriously. And if I hear that the reason Emelin won't fight is because "he's got a metal plate in his face!!" one more time, I'm going to strangle a puppy. If 'ol Plate Face can't back up his actions, then he shouldn't be lighting people up with questionable hits. Marchand has submarined two people in his career; his gloves were dropped before anyone even confronted him, and that little rat is 5'8". Metal plate or not, at 6'1" 230lbs, Emelin can do the same or he shouldn't throw predatory hits.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Well, the Bruins are not the bastions of high moral ground in the NHL, either, guys, and people outside of Boston definitely have a different opinion on Lucic and some of his antics. The guy loves to dish it out, but whines when someone hits him with a completely legal hip check. There was absolutely nothing wrong with Emelin's hit on Lucic, yet the guy continued to whine about it for days. You would have thought someone ran him head first into the stanchion and broke his neck.

As for diving, remember this classic from last season?

 

[Jeff Gatie]

The Bruins are dirty when they have to be, I'm not taking any moral high ground on that one. But they answer for it, like Boychuk was willing to with PK. There was nothing illegal about the hip check, but it was low, and if you are going to go low you may have to answer for it. Marchand did it to Sedin . . . a perfectly legal check that sent him ass over tea kettle, and Marchand came up gloves off. When you light a guy up, be prepared to pay the piper or don't light him up.

Look, I played the game. and I liked to hit. If I had a guy lined up like Emelin lined up Lucic, I had a choice. I could knock his head off, I could hit him shoulder to chest and knock him off the puck, or I could go low. Two of those options might get what I called a "WHOA!!" moment out of the crowd, but I knew if I chose them I might have to dance. Sometimes I chose the "WHOA!!", sometimes I didn't, often depending on who I had lined up. But when I did choose it, I danced. Emelin, playing in the NHL, knows this far more than me and yet he still chose to go low.

As far as Lucic whining is concerned, you are right. His flaw is he likes to talk. He's absolutely correct, but calling him a chicken is childish, and he's been around long anough to not get baited by the "we consume our own" Boston press corp.

And Scott, the Pacioretty/Chara thing? He chipped a vertabrae and was going to be available in the 2nd round of the playoffs. He wasn't even in the hospital overnight, he didn't even have to wear a Philly collar, which would be the bare minimum if any damage to the spinal cord was even remotely possible. So all the hyperbolic talk about "milimeters from paralysis" and "attempted murder" was a stain on every Habs fan who ever lived. So let it go. Just Let. It. Go.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Sorry, Jeff, but I just don't agree with the "have to answer for it" mentality because a player bruises someone's ego with a legal check. We will have to agree to disagree on that.

...and I was attempting to be funny with the stanchion comment. Sometimes humor doesn't come across well on the Internet.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Sorry, Jeff, but I just don't agree with the "have to answer for it" mentality because a player bruises someone's ego with a legal check. We will have to agree to disagree on that.

...and I was attempting to be funny with the stanchion comment. Sometimes humor doesn't come across well on the Internet.

Depends on the player. Emelin has a reputation, not quite Cooke, but certainly equal to Orpik. He also lost a season to hitting Lucic straight on, so there is history ( a lot more "history" than Habs fans claimed existed between Chara and Pacioretty). And legal or not, Emelin went low, he knew he was going low, and anytime you aim below the center of gravity, you can hurt a guy bad.

Also tell me, did Johnny Boychuk, who is as heavy, yet clean, a hitter as there is, deserve to be mugged by PK for a hit that was straight up and as clean as clean hits get? Or is punching someone's head from behind only a good tactic when you are trying to rile someone up and then feign innocence in order to draw a penalty? Which carries more honor and respect, sticking up for a teammate after he gets lit up, or being a weasly coward by punching someone, then hiding behind the refs when he retaliates?