Hockey Dreams

[EDSGOLF]

Any good hockey players out there? Here is your chance to make it to the NHL:

http://corelcentre.com/acts/makingthecut-04.aro

[broken27]

Any good hockey players out there? Here is your chance to make it to the NHL:

http://corelcentre.com/acts/makingthecut-04.aro

Was going to enter, but it would likely just be a waste of money. If Mike Keenan is making the decisions, I'm already out of the running since I'm not a 250lb power forward.

I'd rather go to Gretzky's Fantasy Camp to tell him how much I think he sucks.

Dan

[Big_duck]

Was going to enter, but it would likely just be a waste of money.

Dan

Gee Broken, as a reporter, I would have thought your would figure out some way to 'George Plimpton' your way in for free.

[broken27]

Gee Broken, as a reporter, I would have thought your would figure out some way to 'George Plimpton' your way in for free.

Well, there are some options, but they're kind of shady. I'll be at the Entry draft though. That'll be a lot of fun, especially since I'll be assigned the task of interviewing Czech prospects (I speak Czech). That'll give me a unique angle.

Dan

[sensfan63]

I'd rather go to Gretzky's Fantasy Camp to tell him how much I think he sucks.

Dan

I hope to God you're not serious.

[broken27]

I hope to God you're not serious.

Why, is God a Gretzky fan? Of course I'm joking, but I do have a much lower opinion of 99 than most people. Playing on a stacked Edmonton team didn't hurt him statistically. Would still rank him in the top-3 of all time though.

Dan

[sensfan63]

Why, is God a Gretzky fan? Of course I'm joking, but I do have a much lower opinion of 99 than most people. Playing on a stacked Edmonton team didn't hurt him statistically. Would still rank him in the top-3 of all time though.

Dan

Of course, how could I forget? Jagr is your #1 all-time. What a solid pick.

[Ty Webb]

What is wrong with Jagr? He is a solid, two way play who doesn't float around the net and gives 110% every shift of every game. Plus, he never whines and has a lovely mullet.

Of course, how could I forget? Jagr is your #1 all-time. What a solid pick.

[EDSGOLF]

Of course, how could I forget? Jagr is your #1 all-time. What a solid pick.

If Lemieux would not have been injurred all those years, he would have all the records!

[mberube]

I do agree that the Oilers team helped his record book BUT he did have many great years AFTER the Oilers era.

I am not sure about Lemieux having his records cause Wayne's records are very impressive but Lemieux would be up there.

[jonf]

Why, is God a Gretzky fan? Of course I'm joking, but I do have a much lower opinion of 99 than most people. Playing on a stacked Edmonton team didn't hurt him statistically. Would still rank him in the top-3 of all time though.

Dan

So, Gretzky was only good cuz he played with Kurri Messier, Coffee etc? I'd say that Kurri, Messier, Coffee etc were only 'great' because they played with Gretzky. I do, however, believe that Bobby Orr was the greatest player of all time - no one skated like him, no one controlled the game, or scored like him, and he played Defence.

[em69]

What is wrong with Jagr? He is a solid, two way play who doesn't float around the net and gives 110% every shift of every game. Plus, he never whines and has a lovely mullet.

I hope your kiddin'...

[broken27]

Why is it that none of you can accept that your OPINION is no more important or valid than someone else's? Why is a FLOATER, injury prone cry-baby whiner like Lemieux any better than Jagr? Or Tretiak, or Stastny, Orr, Gretzky, Yzerman (that's 5 not including Gordie Howe or Mike Bossy)? Because YOU think so???? Because Don Cherry thinks so?

Come on people..... Why can't you figure it out? It's all about loving the game, no matter what ridiculous discussions arise from it. The difference between good fans and bad fans is when it becomes an attack on someone's opinion. Like whoever you want to, but don't for a moment suggest that I have to like him too, or consider him the most skilled player ever.

Cheers, enjoy the Lames versus the Dolts.

Dan

[sensfan63]

Cheers, enjoy the Lames versus the Dolts.

Dan

You always have the funny lines...

I forgot, Flames-style hockey is boring. You know, fast and aggressive forwards chasing down all the loose pucks and creating scoring chances when there shouldn't be scoring chances...

Of course, they could be lazy and NOT chase down loose pucks and then skate off the ice after another 2-minute shift...but hey, that's not their style (insert name "Jagr" anywhere you feel appropriate).

[broken27]

Why is it so important to everyone to make me believe that this isn't boring hockey? I'm sticking to my opinion, regardless of what you want to say.

Enjoy it. I know I've barely been able to pay attention to it for more than a period here and there.

Dan

[sensfan63]

Why is it so important to everyone to make me believe that this isn't boring hockey? I'm sticking to my opinion, regardless of what you want to say.

Enjoy it. I know I've barely been able to pay attention to it for more than a period here and there.

Dan

Then you must think even less of the regular season in the NHL, then...because these are two of the more fun teams to watch.

I'm not trying to MAKE you believe anything, I'm just saying your opinion is stupid...

Which is my opinion...I suppose we can stop going in circles now.

[The Shtick]

Then you must think even less of the regular season in the NHL, then...because these are two of the more fun teams to watch.

I'm not trying to MAKE you believe anything, I'm just saying your opinion is stupid..

I guess that my opinion sucks too then. Dump and chase hockey is BORING no matter who wins the puck. I'd rather see players carry the puck through the neutral zone and create chances that way (like P. Bure, JAGR, Selanne, Lemieux, Bondra, Bossy, Neely, Vaive, Hawerchuck, Kurri, Mullen, Foligno, etc) did/does.

What?? Is there still hockey on T.V.? Just kiddin'.... although I do watch the highlights on Sportscentre. At least they don't show the dump and chase plays unless Pierre MacGuire gets air-time.

[sensfan63]

I guess that my opinion sucks too then. Dump and chase hockey is BORING no matter who wins the puck. I'd rather see players carry the puck through the neutral zone and create chances that way (like P. Bure, JAGR, Selanne, Lemieux, Bondra, Bossy, Neely, Vaive, Hawerchuck, Kurri, Mullen, Foligno, etc) did/does.

What?? Is there still hockey on T.V.? Just kiddin'.... although I do watch the highlights on Sportscentre. At least they don't show the dump and chase plays unless Pierre MacGuire gets air-time.

Well, we've been living with dump-and-chase hockey for about 12-15 years now. I agree that hockey has become boring since the advent of the dump-in (I can hear Harry Neale so many years ago complaining about giving up possession of the puck), but that's why it is so exciting with two fast, aggressive forechecking teams. It's the best the NHL has to offer right now, that's my point.

The only way it's going to change is if the ice surface gets larger. The Olympics were proof of that, the hockey was great. Take out the first two rows of seats in every rink, expand the ice surface with that space, hockey will become a lot more exciting, people will want to go to the games, and teams will have an easier time filling the seats because of the "new" excitement...

I never said the opinion sucked, I said it was stupid...

[broken27]

Well, we've been living with dump-and-chase hockey for about 12-15 years now. I agree that hockey has become boring since the advent of the dump-in (I can hear Harry Neale so many years ago complaining about giving up possession of the puck), but that's why it is so exciting with two fast, aggressive forechecking teams. It's the best the NHL has to offer right now, that's my point.

The only way it's going to change is if the ice surface gets larger. The Olympics were proof of that, the hockey was great. Take out the first two rows of seats in every rink, expand the ice surface with that space, hockey will become a lot more exciting, people will want to go to the games, and teams will have an easier time filling the seats because of the "new" excitement...

I never said the opinion sucked, I said it was stupid...

It's nice of you to be so vocal in your defence of boring hockey. Maybe you can explain the pitiful ratings this series is getting on TV. Couldn't be BORING, could it? Dump-chase, dump-chase. You are apparently confusing forechecking with the chase part of the Flamers' ridiculously boring style of play.

You likely wouldn't believe how little I care about your opinion, nor do I think you'd care since you've decided my opinion is stupid anyway. I could stoop to your level and start throwing arbitrary insults your way, but I prefer taking the high road when it comes to subjective things like whether something is boring or not.

The only thing I'd suggest is that if you're defending Calgary's style of play, you shouldn't even mention the Olympics, since they are polar opposites.

Dan

[mberube]

It's nice of you to be so vocal in your defence of boring hockey. Maybe you can explain the pitiful ratings this series is getting on TV. Couldn't be BORING, could it? Dump-chase, dump-chase. You are apparently confusing forechecking with the chase part of the Flamers' ridiculously boring style of play.
Dan

Sorry Dan but you are wrong. The ratings are as high (In Canada) as they ever were!

Stanley Cup ratings continue to rise in Canada and struggle in the U.S. CBC's broadcast of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final between the Calgary Flames and the Tampa Bay Lightning drew 3.450 million viewers. That makes Monday's game, a 1-0 Tampa win, the second-highest rated Stanley Cup final game ever for the network. Only Game 7 of the 1994 final between Vancouver and the New York Rangers drew more, with 4.957 million tuning in to watch the 3-2 Rangers win.

http://www.recorder.ca/cp/hockey/040601/h060129A.html

The ratings are low in the state only. Baseball and Basketball are more important to them then hockey. It is not because of the style of play.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hocke...-ratings_x.htm

[broken27]

Well, I'm not the only one who thinks it's a boring series: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=86035&hubName=

And the numbers speak for themselves in terms of viewership: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_yl...v=ap&type=lgns

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp...55&hubName=nhl

Who cares if people in Canada are watching this crap? There's no money in it for the NHL, since the CBC can't afford to cough up any real money. The bottom line is that this series wasn't supposed to happen, and is the worst possible thing for the league heading into the lockout.

Dan

PS - I never told anyone else not to watch it. Apparently doctors are prescribing it to cure insomnia.

[mberube]

ABC ratings are down. The US are not hooked on hockey like most Canadians are. The Americans don't watch Junior or NCAA hockey. They were not even aware that the US won the junior cup this year until news at 6. Plain fact is that hockey is way down there when it comes to watching sports on TV in the US. What do I care if there ratings are down! They can stop watching altogether and it would do hockey a lot of good. Take 10 teams out and keep hockey in the northern part of America. Talent goes up, trap goes out. Well that's my opinion.

By the way, Dan, you should change your logo. It's too violent.

[broken27]

ABC ratings are down. The US are not hooked on hockey like most Canadians are. The Americans don't watch Junior or NCAA hockey. They were not even aware that the US won the junior cup this year until news at 6. Plain fact is that hockey is way down there when it comes to watching sports on TV in the US. What do I care if there ratings are down! They can stop watching altogether and it would do hockey a lot of good. Take 10 teams out and keep hockey in the northern part of America. Talent goes up, trap goes out. Well that's my opinion.

By the way, Dan, you should change your logo. It's too violent.

Mike, there's nothing violent about my logo at all. It's a smiling red skull. Smiling because he's happy he doesn't have to watch the Flames play.

If you're prepared to lose 10 teams from the NHL, which would require a lot of help from the NHLPA that will not be forthcoming, that's fine. You're saying you don't like trap hockey, and yet are somehow arguing with me about this series. Can't have it both ways man. Either the trap is boring, and thus this series is boring (even with the weak-side lock system), or you like the trap and find this series entertaining.

I don't cheer for teams based on what country they are located in. I cheer for good hockey players, and with the exception of Iginla and Kiprussoff, Calgary is a bunch of lunchpailers. Tampa is better, in my opinion, because they have a lot of talented players, but they are being sucked into the mind-numbing boredom that is Calgary hockey.

You can keep arguing with me, but I still won't watch more than the odd period here and there.... My Senators went out a long time ago, so my season's pretty much over.

Dan

[mberube]

I would be smiling too if I hade no upper lip!!!

I never said that it was an awesome series. I was just stating the fact that the ratings were down in the US only. I have not really watched this series cause I was to busy playing or practicing my golf game.

Is Calgary playing the trap? I don’t think so. They do clog up the center ice but the key to there success is that the dump and then they chase. The chasing makes the D pay big time. I think this series is a gaolie series. The best gaoler will win.

Last time I checked, the Sens played the trap.

PS: I am not trying to change your mind. I gave up that a long time ago!

[broken27]

I would be smiling too if I hade no upper lip!!!

I never said that it was an awesome series. I was just stating the fact that the ratings were down in the US only. I have not really watched this series cause I was to busy playing or practicing my golf game.

Is Calgary playing the trap? I don’t think so. They do clog up the center ice but the key to there success is that the dump and then they chase. The chasing makes the D pay big time. I think this series is a gaolie series. The best gaoler will win.

Last time I checked, the Sens played the trap.

PS: I am not trying to change your mind. I gave up that a long time ago!

The Senators play a modified trap, and score more goals than any other team in the NHL. The difference is that they have skilled players who carry the puck. One thing you'll see with a new coach is that they will drop the "trap" that they play (more of a "swarm" system really) and use their strengths better by employing a hockey version of the "long-ball" system you see in soccer.

Calgary is playing a weak side lock system (sometimes called left-wing lock), and dumping and chasing. Normally the WS-Lock doesn't work with a dump-and-chase style, however, so you end up with very long stretches of the game with no scoring chances or shots. Detroit had a very good run with the LW-Lock, culminating in a few Cups. They had the talent to exploit the turnovers created by their defensive system.

Dump-and-chase might make the D pay, but that's not why I watch hockey. It's tedious. Who would argue that Bobby Orr's rushes were a thing of beauty? Or Guy Lafleur's hair flying behind him on a quick-out play? Today's game is boring, plain and simple. It's less of a sport and more of a business, so management and coaches take a far more reserved, "defence-first" approach to it and it sucks the life out of the game.

Dan

[mberube]

Well, I cheer for Calgary or any other Canadien team cause Canadien teams are affected by the Americanizing of Hockey. Calgary was and probably is still facing budget problems and this is why there is only one highly priced player on the team.

I love the fact that Betman is not able to sleep whell at night cause there is a big chance the cup will spend the sumer north of the american border.

Go Canadien teams Go!! Oups ...... Go Flames Go!

[broken27]

Well, I cheer for Calgary or any other Canadien team cause Canadien teams are affected by the Americanizing of Hockey. Calgary was and probably is still facing budget problems and this is why there is only one highly priced player on the team.

I love the fact that Betman is not able to sleep whell at night cause there is a big chance the cup will spend the sumer north of the american border.

Go Canadien teams Go!! Oups ...... Go Flames Go!

Mike, the ironic thing is that Bettman knows that the BEST thing for hockey is for the Cup to come to Canada. But he's also smart enough to realize that Calgary is the absolute WORST of the 6 possible cities in Canada to have a winner. If Tampa wins, it's great for exposure to Canadians who retire and move to Tampa. Same thing, in terms of population (close, anyway) and hence viewer share. Still going to be mostly Canadians watching if hockey is as dull as it has gotten now.

Calgary broke even at some point in round 2 or 3 of the playoffs, I recall reading about it.

Cheer for whoever you want to man, that's perfectly okay with me. Hell, someone has to cheer for the teams I dislike, otherwise there would be nobody to dislike!!!

Last night's game in my opinion was 2.5 periods of boring hockey with very limited intermittent scoring chances and good goaltending. Then it got a bit better when Tampa evened it up, and overtime was okay, but still lacks that energy you get when Detroit plays Colorado or Ottawa plays Toronto. There's just something uninteresting about this series. To me, anyway...

Dan

[broken27]

More Crappy Ratings

Dan

[jonf]

Last night's game in my opinion was 2.5 periods of boring hockey with very limited intermittent scoring chances and good goaltending.
Dan

I'm not going to try to tell you that you should find this series interesting, because you don't have to enjoy it - we all have our preferences about how hockey should be played. I do have to ask you which game you were watching though. Calgary had 25 shots through 2 periods. There were plenty of scoring chances in the first, and Calgary lead 14-3 in the shots category in the second - plenty of scoring chances there. Granted, most weren't breakaways or two on ones (some were), but in terms of action in front of the net, i thought there was plenty.

[broken27]

I'm not going to try to tell you that you should find this series interesting, because you don't have to enjoy it - we all have our preferences about how hockey should be played. I do have to ask you which game you were watching though. Calgary had 25 shots through 2 periods. There were plenty of scoring chances in the first, and Calgary lead 14-3 in the shots category in the second - plenty of scoring chances there. Granted, most weren't breakaways or two on ones (some were), but in terms of action in front of the net, i thought there was plenty.

I said there was limited scoring chances and that they came in spurts. Realistically, there were maybe a handful of good chances in the first three periods, outside of the goals that were scored, which added up to a whopping total of two a side. Overtime was a little bit better, with some actual excitement to the pace of play. But not enough. Might watch tonight, might not. Depends on what else is on!

Dan