2013 - 2014 NHL Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Scott Merryfield]

I'm glad you let me off easy. I had visions of twenty-four Stanley Cups being shown in your next post, with all of them somehow being hoisted above the ice by Yvan Cournoyer.

I am soooo hoping that NESN gives me a freebie tonight.

I wish I would have thought of that!

I watched the first period on TSN, but then had trouble with the stream. Now I'm stuck watching NESN and listening to Jack Edwards. Yuck!

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott,I love Doc Emrick for hockey. Congratulations on the 2-1 victory tonight.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Scott,I love Doc Emrick for hockey. Congratulations on the 2-1 victory tonight.

It was a tough game. You could tell the Habs were running out of gas in the third period, playing their 3rd game in 4 nights. The defense kept blocking shots, though, and Carey Price was excellent.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Arrrrrrrrgh.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I wouldn't get too upset, Aaron. It's a long season, and there will be several more Habs - Bruins games. It is going to be an interesting race in the East. Barring injuries, Pittsburgh, Boston, Montreal and Detroit should all be jockeying for the top 1-2 spots in the conference the rest of the way. I am not sure that Tampa will be able to hang in there without Stamkos. Meanwhile, it appears the Leafs are doing their typical quick start and then fade, which really breaks my heart.

I did have some fun with the Red Wings fans at work this week, though. They had been sending me emails with the division standings earlier this season, showing both Detroit and Toronto in front of the Canadiens. I was able to return the favor this week.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I just saw the lowlights of the Pens - Bruins game from last night. I think Shawn Thornton is going to be taking a long vacation after his disciplinary hearing, and James Neal will be getting a shorter one. Thornton's actions are inexcusable, and should be dealt with harshly by the league.

The Habs, meanwhile, move into a tie for first in the conference with the Pens, thanks to the Bruins late comeback win.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

When I saw the Thornton incident, it actually wasn't quite as bad as it sounded like from what I'd read, but yeah, he's getting an extended vacation.

It's a real shame about Chris Kelly. A freak accident lost in the noise of the not-so-accidental incidents from the game.

Too bad there aren't any more scheduled Bruins-Pens games -- that matchup is turning into a major event. Of course, if they meet in the playoffs, it's going to be crazy.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Even Don Cherry, the ultimate pro-fighter and Bruins backer, was very contrite during his Coach's Corner segment on CBC Saturday night regarding the Thornton incident. It's the most subdued I've ever seen him -- Cherry was truly upset by Thornton's actions.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

James Neal gets a 5 game suspension for his part in the Bruins - Pens ugly-fest. Shawn Thornton is getting an in-person hearing, which means more than 6 games. IMO, it will be at least 20 games for Thornton.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I see that Capitals rookie and Plymouth Whalers alumnus Tom Wilson is in hot water for a check from behind against the Flyers Schenn, and will probably be getting a few games suspension. Wilson is a tough power forward with good puck handling and scoring skills, and delivers hits like a freight train. He was suspended for 5 games last year in Plymouth for a similar hit.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Preparations for the outdoor games at Comerica Park and Michigan Stadium are coming along. You can see a photo of the rink at Comerica Park "in progress" in this article. I have tickets to the Sunday Ontario Hockey League doubleheader as part of our Whalers season ticket package. Really looking forward to attending this unique event.

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott,So you're one of the 120,000 tickets that have already been sold! Nice. I see too that your Plymouth Whalers are one of four teams in the two 'warm-up' games before the Maple Leafs - Red Wings tilt. You're going to have a great time. And that's a lot of water!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Scott,So you're one of the 120,000 tickets that have already been sold! Nice. I see too that your Plymouth Whalers are one of four teams in the two 'warm-up' games before the Maple Leafs - Red Wings tilt. You're going to have a great time. And that's a lot of water!

Scott, the OHL outdoor game was included with our season ticket package, since this is actually a "home" game for the Whalers. Interestingly, for Saginaw Spirit season ticket holders (the "home" team for the other game), the team just reduced their price by the equivalent of one game and gave them the option of buying tickets to the outdoor game separately.

We are getting a very good deal, since our seats only cost me $12 each, which is my normal price for a home game (our normal seats are at center ice). Additional tickets are $38 each for the OHL game. The Wings - Leafs alumni game is much more money, and prices for the actual NHL game are outrageously priced. There is also an AHL game featuring the Red Wings affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins being held at Comerica Park, as well as the annual Great Lakes Invitational NCAA tournament, which includes Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech and Western Michigan universities this year.

The only game being played at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor is the NHL game between the Wings and Leafs. They are expecting about 110,000 people for that game. They are expecting 20,000+ for the OHL game at Comerica Park in Detroit, but I have not seen projections for the other games at Comerica.

With the Maple Leafs, London Knights (OHL) and Windsor Spitfires (OHL) all playing in the games, the border crossings between Canada and Michigan are going to be very busy that weekend!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

The annual World Junior Hockey Tournament has begun, this time being held in Sweden. I would recommend anyone out there with the NHL Network check out some of the games. It is always a very entertaining tournament. This year there are two current and one former Plymouth Whalers in the tournament -- current players Ryan Hartman (USA) and Yannick Rathgeb (Switzerland), and former Whaler Connor Carrick (USA). This will be the first look at the next hockey phenom for those who do not watch the OHL, too, as Connor McDavid of the Erie Otters is playing for Team Canada, even though he is only 16 years old. McDavid is already slated to be the #1 overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, and is a prospect on the same level that Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemeiux and Eric Lindros were in their junior days.

Team USA started the defense of its gold medal from last year's tournament well, defeating the Czech Republic 5-1. You can find tourney coverage and the schedule here and here.

 

[Sumnernor]

There is also yearly a world Championship in ice hockey. It usually occurs in May at the same time that the Stanley cup is going on. Usually the US and Canada have teams. I am not sure where it is to be year but I find it much more interesting than the Stanley Cup. If you enjoyed the hockey in the Canadian Olympics, you would will like this. You will not see the best players who are playing in the Stanley cup. Other countries will be Sweden, Russia and Finland.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Team USA beat Slovakia 6-3 this morning in a game that was closer than the score indicated. Plymouth Whaler Ryan Hartman had a goal and an assist. Meanwhile, Team Canada was upset in a shootout by the Czech Republic 5-4 in a very entertaining game.

I would highly recommend tuning in, if possible, for the game between USA and Canada on New Year's Eve at 11:30am EST. These two teams always put on a show against each other. Once again, they are considered the top two teams in the tourney.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I attended the Winter Classic Ontario Hockey League doubleheader at Comerica Park yesterday. It was a lot of fun, although the games were pushed back a couple of hours, which meant the Plymouth - London game was not over until 10pm, making it darn cold while watching the Whalers game. The Whalers beat the London Knights 2-1 in a shootout, with their young goalie Alex Nedeljkovic playing outstanding in net -- he stopped 44 of 45 shots.The announced attendance was 26,384 -- an OHL record. In the first game, the Windsor Spitfires beat the Saginaw Spirit 6-5.

There was a Fan Zone setup outside Comerica Park. While most of the exhibits were lame, the Hall of Fame tent was fun to walk through. Many of the league trophies were on display.

I left my Canon dSLR camera at home, but brought along my wife's point & shoot to take some pictures. Here are a few:

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Finland upset host Sweden 3-2 in overtime of the gold medal game of the World Junior Hockey Championship. The Swedish team was loaded with future NHL talent. The Fins upset Canada to get to the gold medal game. Team Canada lost the bronze medal game to Russia, which makes two straight years that Canada has failed to win a medal -- a rare occurrence that has junior hockey fans to the north quite upset. Team USA, last year's gold medal winner, was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Russia after going 3-1 in the round robin portion of the tourney.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

With the announcement of Team Canada this morning, it looks like most of the Olympic teams are set. From my count, it looks like Chicago and St. Louis have the most players going to Sochi with 10 each. Montreal is well represented with 8 players, including 3 of their top 4 defensemen and both goalies. Here are the Habs:

USA - Max PaciorettyCanada - Carey Price, PK SubbanSlovakia - Petr BudajCzech Republic - Tomas PlekanecSwitzerland - Rafael DiazRussia - Andrei Markov, Alexei Emelin

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Amazing the pics we can get from a "left the SLR at home" point & shoot nowadays.