NHL 2010-11 Season Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Scott Merryfield]

I think the Bruins blew that lead just to screw with the Habs. The Rangers are now tied with Montreal for the #6 seed in the east, but the Canadiens have a game in hand.


I do not seriously think the seeding matters that much in the east, though. I do not see a clear-cut favorite to come out of the conference -- any of the top 5 teams have a close to equal shot, IMO.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

No way the Bruins want the Rangers. I'll take Carey "Losing record in the playoffs" Price and the Hamilton Bulldogs over King Henrik and the Madison Square Bore-ons any day. The Rangers give the Bruins fits, whereas the Habs that formerly beat the B's were broken in two last meeting. Just look at their records in the last two weeks.

 

[phil*]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Marty-Turco-bets-fan-during-Blackhawks-Habs-game?urn=nhl-wp1867


I wonder what Pete Rose thinks of this.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

I don't think Marty Turco being banned from the HHOF is going to be an issue.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Originally Posted by phil* /forum/thread/305908/nhl-2010-11-season-discussion-thread/90#post_3797796

 

[Walter C]

I like to think the Flyers are just bored and waiting for the playoffs to begin, instead of actually struggling as the regular season winds down.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

For potential playoff success, I always look at the goaltending as my final determining factor. Since the East teams are all so close, I think goaltending is even more critical this year. Here's my view of the playoff teams situations:


1. Washington: The Caps are in an envious position, in that they have three fine young goalies in Neuvirth, Varlamov and Holtby. However, none of them have much playoff experience (only oft-injured Varlamov has any), so Washington's coaching staff has to hope one will step up come playoff time. I think Neuvirth has the best chance of doing this, but I'm biased (he was the starting goalie on the Plymouth Whalers 2007 OHL championship team).


2. Philly: I was amazed how far the Flyers got last season with their collection of goalies. We will see if they can repeat this year, but I think they are at a disadvantage in this area compared with the other contenders. I think they will need their young goalie Bobrovsky to take the next step for them to get out of the East, as I do not see Boucher as the answer.


3. Boston: Tim Thomas has been solid when healthy, and he's healthy this year. The Bruins have an advantage here because they know who their goalie will be. That is not the case for the other division winners.


4. Pittsburgh: Fleury is a streaky goalie -- he can be unbeatable, or he can look awful. He will need to be unbeatable for the Pens to do anything with Crosby and Malkin out. Kovalev is a poor substitute for those two superstars.


5. Tampa: Probably the least impressive goalie situation of all the playoff teams. The Lightning have lots of impressive scoring power, but the goaltending will be their undoing. They may get past the Pens in the first round if Fleury is shaky, but I do not see them going any further.


6. Montreal: Carey Price had his best regular season, but he is unproven in the playoffs. Until he shows otherwise, you have to mark the Habs down in this area. Throw in all the injuries, and I think the Canadiens have the least chance of all the 8 teams of getting out of the first round.


7. Buffalo: Maybe the best goalie in the East in Ryan Miller. It's too bad he doesn't play on a better team. Miller is good enough to carry a team through an upset or two, ala Halak last year.


8. New York: Lunquist is another fine goalie, and makes the Rangers a scary low seed to face in the first round.

 

[phil*]

[/b]

 

[Walter C]

I think you will have to wait til Game 3 to find out.


With the way the Flyers just limped into the playoffs, I pretty much see one and done. Hopefully I am wrong!

 

[Jeff Gatie]

They boo Chara anyway, even though every one of them would kill their first born to have him on the their team, so who cares? Anything else happens and they will reassure themselves the title of overreactionary, demented, crybaby fans that they've already earned 10 fold. Maybe Max Pacioretty can calm things down by taking him to a movie and a leisurely skate.


Anyone wanna bet which fanbase boos a national anthem?

Whatever.


Bring on the second season, the most exciting in all of sports! Let's hope Montreal doesn't win the first round, those police cars are expensive.

 

[phil*]

The 2nd (French) Canadian federal leadership debate has been moved up from Thursday night to Wednesday night so as not to conflict with Game 1 of the Habs Bruins playoff series. Glad to see we're (Canada) a country that knows its priorities!

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Montreal Police announce that the Zdeno Chara "investigation" is ongoing, but Mr Chara "probably" won't be questioned during the playoffs. IMHO, that's self preservation. As I said, those police cars are expensive. If the Habs are down 2-0 going into Montreal, Big Z might be in leg irons just to stave off the Molotovs. That said, I got tics to the Thursday game. Hope it's a great one with minimal drunken fights between Boston and French accents in the stands. Fights on the ice I'm all for.

 

[phil*]

Originally Posted by Jeff Gatie /forum/thread/305908/nhl-2010-11-season-discussion-thread/90#post_3800055

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Don't think it will help phil, if past playoffs series are any clue, there will be fights all over. Something about 7 hour drunken bus rides that cause fans to disrespect a team, a fan base, and a country, despite being vastly outnumbered. The last Habs vs. B's playoff I went to I saw 2 drunken Habs fans, carrying Canadian flags behind them like a cape, charge through a mom and dad with 2 small children, singing Ole. The little girl was knocked over and the boy was horrified. When I and a buddy told them to slow down, they swore at us in French. Mind you, this was in the parking area. Last Habs game I went to, a fight started in section 304 because a bunch of Habs fans were booing. Booing is ok, you say? Fine, but they were booing a disabled Iraq/Afghanistan vet who was being honored on the Jumbotron, getting a standing ovation from the rest of the crowd. The sad thing is, that brave man and his family were being filmed in the stage section in front of section 303, about 20 feet away from those idiots in 304. All fan bases have idiots, I know. But I've never seen anything that comes close to what I see from Habs fans. Booing the anthem is bad, but booing a wounded war veteran and his family? That's an extreme no matter who you root for, and isolated or not, it makes the organization and its fans look positively wretched.

 

[phil*]

Jeff,actions like those you've described are typically those of neanderthals who take their zealousness to the extreme. Every fan base has their "lunatic fringe" which doesn't represent the actions or feelings of the majority. I can remember a few years ago fans in Toronto booing their OWN national anthem..why? Because a few of the words were being sung in French.


Those drunken 7 hour bus rides can probably be partially attributed to the fact that Canadian beer has a much higher alcoholic volume per se than American suds.Not that this is offered as an excuse,though.


Getting back to the Habs Bruins series, the Bruins should rightfully be favoured to win because of their superior seeding,the results of the last 2 games played in Boston between the teams, and the fact that the Bruins will probably try to exorcise their "demons" re: previous playoff results vs the Habs and last year's monumental collapse against the Flyers.


Having said all of that,because of this,I would say the pressure is squarely on Boston. I don't foresee too many 7-0 routs in this series.

 

[phil*]

Habs will have a new player in their lineup for the series against Boston.

 

[Ockeghem]

The Habs have beaten us this year, and we recently drubbed them 7-0. I can't call this series at all.


I think Phoenix is going to give Detroit some trouble, especially at Joe Louis, where the Red Wings (a la the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers on their respective home floors lately) can't seem to win very often.


Go Bruins!

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Honestly phil, I've been to hundreds of games, against every team. I've also attended games in other cities. I've never seen an opposing fan base act with more ignorance, disrespect, and undeserved entitlement in another team's building than Habs fans. And it's not just the occasional Neanderthal, it is hundreds to thousands. Sure they used to buy up all the tickets, so there is bravado in numbers, and the majority are young and stupid, but I used to go to Whalers playoff games where Bruins fans actually outnumbered Whale fans, and we never acted like that (and I was as young and stupid as you could get). Personally, I blame it on the unrealistic, hyper-fanatical attitude towards hockey in that area, coupled with the almost nationalistic sense of entitlement the NHL has historically bestowed on Montreal, from the first rights to French players rule, to the unspoken first power play at home rule seen right till the present day. Sure the 21,000 screaming idiots are great at the Bell, and can definitely intimidate a team and the refs; but Boston ain't the Bell, and some (most) need to learn to respect that. Being a longtime fan of this great sport, I long for the days of tuxedos and ball gowns at the Forum, those people knew their hockey. IMHO, judging from the booing of even the most blatant and obvious calls against, half the yahoos I see wouldn't know a blue line from a clothesline, and are only in it for the party and the rioting, and it reflects very badly on the most historic franchise in the sport.

 

[phil*]

Originally Posted by Jeff Gatie /forum/thread/305908/nhl-2010-11-season-discussion-thread/90#post_3800232

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Originally Posted by phil*

No I haven't. I've been to Flyers games in Philly (I lived in PA for 7 years). They are ignorant, disrespectful and downright obnoxious, but it's their house! I've never had a problem with ignorant Philly fans coming to the Garden. Sure they cheer their team, but they know they are in enemy territory, and generally behave. They don't show a "We are superior, because hockey is rightfully ours, no matter who's building we are in" attitude which Habs fans seem to have. Sure Philly fans booed Santa Claus, but they never booed a disabled veteran in another team's rink!