NHL thread [Archive] - Yellowworld Forums

CBC guy

10-05-2006, 07:25 AM

Since I didn;t see a hockey thread I might as well start one here.

If you didn't know already, I'm a huge hockey fan and I cheer for the Vancouver Canucks. Unfortunately i don't think the Canucks have enough depth this year and I don't think they'll make the playoffs. Luongo will steal a few games here and there but we just don't have the lines to go head to head with teams like the Sharks.

I predict the Sharks and the Ducks (Pronger AND Niedermayer on D is scary) to do well this season. In the East I will pick the Sabres to do well. It's way too early to predict the Stanley Cup though.

Alright, you nhl fans out there. Type away.

PS Go Canucks Go! :biggrin:

CBC guy

10-06-2006, 01:35 AM

Aww don't tell me there isn't a SINGLE NHL hockey fan on YW?

Well anyways Canucks won 3-1 against Detroit, Edmonton beat calgary 3-1, and chicago beat Nashville in a wild one 8-6. More scores to come from the first two days of NHL action!

Boy_Hong

10-06-2006, 09:43 AM

Great season opener for Oil fans, against division and provincial rivals, Calgary Shames. I'm really excited for the Oil this year. After last years finals, and losing alot of our blueline, there's alot of worry about our D. But with such offensive depth on our team, we're alot like Buffalo last year, and with solid goaltending. Roli really stepped it up. You could tell he wanted to prove that he was fit and healthy after last years injury.

How did the Canucks play lastnight? Obviously well enough to beat Detroit, but what's the feeling so far? For Edmonton, you can still feel alot of the excitement left over from the playoffs. And alot of people can't wait for "he who cannot be named" (rhymes with thonger) to return to Edm (Nov. 28) so we can boo him.

CBC guy

10-07-2006, 06:51 AM

The feeling was that Luongo looked pretty solid in his debut. The team played as a team, and we made up our deficiency in talent with grit and hard work to kill off nine Detroit pps.

We won again! A nice comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in OT against CBJ. The twins are really coming into their own.

Haha the Ducks visit Edm on Nov. 28th? I'll love to watch that but I'll be in China at the time. Oh well.

I'm glad whenever anyone beats Calgary. I just can't stand them.

Boy_Hong

10-10-2006, 08:24 AM

CBC guy

10-12-2006, 09:55 PM

.... and now the 'Nucks are 2-2.

Two hard fought 1 goal losses. But at least we got a point in the game against Minny.

Boy_Hong

10-13-2006, 01:23 PM

WHOOT!!! crazy ass game last night, Oil vs. the sharks. 2nd period was pretty much bust for the Oil. In totall, 11minors against the oil, and 4 minors against the sharks, that ain't right. We still came back from a 4-1 defecit to win by 2. Two hattricks in the same game (cheechoo/smyth). The Oil did this all playoff series against the sharks last playoffs. Come from behind and win, coming through in the 3rd period. It was awesome. Such an emotional roller coaster ride

Yeah, minny is on a roll right now. Weird how a year can make a diff, while the Canes (booo) are 0-4

I've got tix to next Tuesdays Canucks at Edm game. Back to back with the 'nucks, you know game 2 will be heated, regardless of what happens in game 1.

Hey.. what lines are the 'nucks running now?

CBC guy

10-14-2006, 04:08 AM

Not good.... lose 6-4 at home to SJS. Poor D in the 3rd. Bah.

First loss for the Canucks in home openers since 2001-2002.

sofakingdom

10-14-2006, 07:56 PM

Yeah.. we lost to Calgary in the rematch. They really haven't changed much team and strategy wise. Still playing the trap, and scoring only one more goal than the opposition, and then just sitting on that lead by grinding down the clock. Such boring hockey to watch. I hate the trap, and hated the NJ era. That really killed hockey for a while for me. The only saving grace of the Flames is Kipper. Torres ran him into the net though... it was magical!!

Wow... missed this thread, but I'm glad I found it.

Calgary fan here...

Trap? Perhaps you should go ahead and read up a little first on what the trap is before you open your "trap"... might save yourself from being embarassed.

The Flames don't play the trap and never have since Darryl Sutter took control of the Flames. The system employed by the Flames is a puck-pursuit one, which is directly against the trap which involves situating forwards either a) along your own blueline or b) in the neutral zone.

The Oilers, however, admitted to playing the trap during the playoffs last year.

With regards to Roloson... if signing a 37-year old goaltender is the answer, you've got some massive disappointment coming your way... a 37-year old goaltender who has never proven himself in the league before is not going to do so at the golden age of 37.

CBC guy

10-14-2006, 10:25 PM

Aha ha its a three-way battle between western Canadian NHL teams on YW!

(Oh BTW welcome to this thread Sofakingdom.... I'm a Canucks fan but yeah I think we need more than Caucks and Oilers fans on here to really talk about it.)

Where are all the other Canadian puck lovers out there?!

CBC guy

10-14-2006, 10:27 PM

inthesky

10-15-2006, 12:42 AM

Go Flames Go... i'm not much of a hockey fan, but i guess i should add in just cause of some hate towards calgary here..

It'll be an interesting year again (as has been the case the last 2 years) in calgary..

sofakingdom

10-15-2006, 07:52 AM

PS I love Canucks-Oilers and Canucks-Flames games. Lots of emotion as we remember all that happened in '89, '94, '04 and so on...

I have to agree that Roloson won't last much longer in the League...

But I still dislike the Flames intensely. I don't mind the Oilers as much though.

Hey pal... there's no problem with hating the Flames intensely (I feel the same way regarding the Canucks :wink: ).

It's more about little boy hong in here spouting off about the "trap" and "boring hockey", not having a clue what he's talking about.

As I mentioned, the trap is grounded on the idea of clogging up the neutral zone and lining up your defenders along your blueline. To do this, skating is at a relatively low speed and after a dump, the team will have at most ONE player pursuing the puck.

Simply not the case (or the style) for the Calgary Flames.

As for the Canucks, I was a transplanting Flames fan in Vancouver a few years ago after being raised in Calgary, which is why I loathe the Canucks (having been around all Canuck fans), but with Jovanovski, Bertuzzi and Ruutu gone, it's harder now to hate Vancouver... although they still have a few guys (Matt Cooke, for one) who continue to drive my hate for them... :smile:

All in all, it should be fun to get an NHL thread going here. Nothing more I enjoy than good hockey debate.

CBC guy

10-15-2006, 08:35 AM

Sofakingdom... when were you in Vancouver? Did you like it? (Other than the Canucks... I understand)

I could understand you guys hating Bertuzzi (whos on a bit of tear right now, damn it) and Ruutu, but Jovo? Why Jovo? Sure he hits and sure he makes dumb plays sometimes but I don't think he's cheap per se.

From our side we tend to hate Chris Simon, Darren McCarty, and Iginla. Jarome's good but he plays dirty sometimes.

On the Oilers the only guy I REALLY can't stand is Raffi Torres, him and the way he limps around after a hit to draw a penalty. Then he comes out and scores on the PP. What the hell is that?

I do like Ryan Smyth, he is the prototypical Canadian hockey player.

LOL Matt Cooke. Yes he does play cheap sometimes, but he's a puckbunny favourite at GM Place.

Do any of you go to games often? I've been to something like 10 games or so. (They're pretty expensive! I would go to more games but for the price)

sofakingdom

10-15-2006, 04:31 PM

^

I was around... East Vancouver for a while, Richmond, Yaletown... I like Vancouver a lot... weather is great, lots to do, but the people turn me off a little. If you're in the "scene", you'll understand why.

With Iginla, he's the last of a dying breed out there... a true leader, a goal-scorer who will take matters into his own hands when someone tries to push him around... rather than scoot away and hide behind his team's enforcer, he drops the gloves himself... I have tons of respect for players like that... another similiar guy, Brendan Shanahan.

I've hated Matt Cooke ever since the playoffs of 2004-2005... not sure if you knew this happened, but after his goal in the dying seconds of Game 7, he skated by the Flames bench and gave them the finger... unsportsmanlike to the max and completely unnecessary... his lack of class cost him though, as the winds of karma came back shortly into the first OT period as we know.

I used to go to a few Canucks games in Vancouver. Always went when Calgary visited and caught a few other ones with my friends when the Flames weren't in town.

Boy_Hong

10-16-2006, 11:01 AM

Wow... missed this thread, but I'm glad I found it.
rant....

Wow dude. Someone's still bitter from last years playoff performance. Hahaha. As much as I don't like Calgary, I'm not stupid as to their potential. And as much as I like Edmonton, I'm not blind to their weaknesses. Why is it that Calgary fans get so defensive when everyone else calls it like they see it? I'll readily admit that the Oil used the trap last year, and was dissapointed that they used it. But hey, it got use to game seven of last year, and Calgary to the final of 04/05 last year. Min used it all last year, and we have serious trouble playing against it, as our record vs. Min. last year was 3/8. But either way, I don't like watching Calgary cause they're a boring team to watch. Except (i said it before, and I'll say it again) for Kipper. He's absolutely amazing to watch. For me, he is the only saving grace of that team.

Boy_Hong

10-16-2006, 11:26 AM

Also wanted to say something on Roli. Considering the Oiler goalie situation we had for most part of the last season, Roli is our man. When we made a trade for a goalie, all we were looking for was (as Klowe and MacT stated) someone who could make that one or two extra save a night. In no way is Roli a Luongo or Kipper, but having confidence in your goalie, (which we didn't have in the beginning of last season) allows our team to play a little more offensive minded. And with confidence in our goalie, allows us to play a more faced paced, run and gun kind of game (our kind of game)

With the trade of "he who cannot be name", spacek and Peca (great defensive forward), we're more worried about our D, than our goalie situation.

sofakingdom

10-16-2006, 07:39 PM

Wow dude. Someone's still bitter from last years playoff performance. Hahaha. As much as I don't like Calgary, I'm not stupid as to their potential. And as much as I like Edmonton, I'm not blind to their weaknesses. Why is it that Calgary fans get so defensive when everyone else calls it like they see it? I'll readily admit that the Oil used the trap last year, and was dissapointed that they used it. But hey, it got use to game seven of last year, and Calgary to the final of 04/05 last year. Min used it all last year, and we have serious trouble playing against it, as our record vs. Min. last year was 3/8. But either way, I don't like watching Calgary cause they're a boring team to watch. Except (i said it before, and I'll say it again) for Kipper. He's absolutely amazing to watch. For me, he is the only saving grace of that team.

Not bitter, nor am I defensive. The problem I have with you claiming the Flames play the trap is simply, because they do not.

The MAXIMUM number of players that a team will send in on the forecheck if they employ the trap is ONE. Watch how the Flames play and you'll quickly notice that the forecheck is very different - one in pursuit (usually taking him around the back of the net) and one cutting in diagonally trying to rush the man with the puck to pass.

In other words, puck-pursuit.

You can NOT send in two forecheckers after the puck and STILL play the trap. It goes against the systems fundamentals - to clog up the neutral zone and give the approaching defencemen few options due to bodies at centre-ice.

It's easy for uneducated (see casual) hockey fans to quickly point at teams and label them as a "trapping" team simply because they play sound defensive hockey. Unfortunately, it's completely incorrect.

It's the same misconception by people who claim the Detroit Red Wings play amazing end to end hockey simply because they have a few guys who can dangle. They don't. They play the left-wing lock almost to perfection (moreso years before than this year), which is inherently a defensive scheme.

Boy_Hong

10-16-2006, 08:04 PM

Puck pursuit, modified trap. Whatever, it stil equates to boring hockey, my OPINION (especially if you're on the losing end, which edm usually is vs. the trap). It's easy for hardcore hockey fans (read anal-retentive - see, i can be pretentious too) to say the trap is this this and this, and if it doesn't, it's not the trap. I'll let you have this one. I've heard the same arguments from countless Flames fans, and we aren't certainly going to end the argument here.

Even better, rather than you trying to "emberass" others and prove your hockey knowledge penis is bigger than everybody else, how about trying to provide some insight into your team or others aroudn the league. Or atleast, if you're gonna provide an agrument, how about laying off the childish name calling and ethugging. We're all grown ups here. Otherwise it just make you seem bitter and/or defensive

sofakingdom

10-16-2006, 08:30 PM

Where in my argument does it appear that I am "ethugging" (whatever that means)?

You're right though, this argument is not likely to get solved here. I stand firm behind my post though. I called you out because you said they played the trap -- and they don't.

Insight for the Flames:

Best goalie in the league, playing behind a Top 5 defense in the league bodes well for the Flames' chances. Calgary definitely plays a style which is less likely to get on TSN's highlight of the night, but that's not what Darryl Sutter is trying to achieve in Calgary -- nor should it be. The offence in Calgary is fine (in my opinion), and Sutter addressed last year's problem by acquiring a great player in Alex Tanguay. It'll take some time for him to learn Calgary's system, but a guy with his talent will come around.

The pattern of paying more attention to the defensive side of things and cutting the chances down (which equates to playing less risky hockey) once the post-season rolls around is pretty apparent over the last while. Even if one were to go back to the 80s during the Oilers' glory years, one would see that post-season scoring drops and the successful teams (almost across the board) improve their goals-against numbers.

In my opinion, however, asking a team to throw away one system and learn a new one is risky and something not many teams can achieve.

What I'm saying is, over an 82-game haul, a team that is accustomed to playing "playoff hockey" is more likely to succeed in the playoffs than the ones whose coaches are suddenly putting the X's and O's in completely different spots on the white board.

CBC guy

10-16-2006, 10:56 PM

Canucks beat the Oilers 2-1! Unfortunately I;m in China right now so I was only able to get the score.

Boy Hong, how was the game? (From the Oiler's perspective anyways, I;ll get the Nucks perspective later.)

Boy_Hong

10-17-2006, 08:37 AM

Sofa - sorry for the ethugging comment. I didn't mean it that way, but that's the "tone" I got from you. just a misunderstanding... Moving on...

The offence in Calgary is fine (in my opinion), and Sutter addressed last year's problem by acquiring a great player in Alex Tanguay. It'll take some time for him to learn Calgary's system, but a guy with his talent will come around.

And it's way too early in the season to make any real judgements in offense. But with the addition of Tanguay, I know this does make alot of Edm fans nervous. I actually liked Sutter's move to not make any trades for any more offensive power last year, before the trade deadline. For me, this is him saying to his team, "I'm not making any trades cause I believe in the team the way it is, to get the job done." Despite the rumblings and fans wanting a trade of some sort, he had shown his team he believed in them, and it was up to them to step up their play.

Yeah.. Oil were manhandled by the Canucks. Only 17 shots on net the entire game. For a team who's got decent goal scorers on the top 3 lines, that's pretty pathetic. Roli looked great though, definitely kept us in the game, but the rest of the team didn't respond. Man, the Sedins/Naslund line is great. Strength, decent speed, they cycle so well. Makes nervous whenever they're on the ice. The Oil are definitely lacking some muscle offensively. We tried to carry the puck over the blue line a bit too much, only to be repelled. And when we did dump the puck, no puck support, or we couldn't cycle the puck very well for any extended period of time. I've got tix to tonights game, but I think I'm coming down with the flu. I might have to suck it up though. I'm in the mood for overpriced, and watered down draft.. haha

CBC guy

10-17-2006, 07:17 PM

Overall Nucks fans on Canucks.com seemed pretty happy to see the team long knocked for its toughness showing some grit on D. Also, the Canucks could definitely have scored 3 or more goals on the Oilers with all the chances but Roli stood on his head. Tonight though I'm worried because its Sabourin starting, not Luongo. Sabourin's never won an NHL game yet. However, there's a first time for everything! :biggrin:

And I see the Battle of Alberta already in full swing here on YW. Good to see. :wink:

sofakingdom

10-17-2006, 08:21 PM

Real barn-burner tonight in Montreal. Final score, 5-4 Habs.

If it weren't for Kiprusoff checking in his second consecutive brutal game, the Flames would have won. Even-strength they outscored Montreal 2-1. But the Habs had 3 PPGs and 1 SHG. Horrible night for Kipper.

The second line of Tanguay-Lombardi-Kobasew is really going out there and developing some nice chemistry. 1-1-1 on the road trip so far. The team seems to still be working out the kinks, so I'll be pretty satisfied with a win in Boston on Thursday.

I feel bad for Danny Sabourin. Former Flame prospect who found himself in a bad situation when he was still with Omaha. Hope he does better in Vancouver.

sofakingdom

10-17-2006, 08:22 PM

Thought I'd mention the Philly-Buffalo game too...

9-1 for the Sabres! LOL! Tampa Bay's in for a rough night Thursday when they play the Flyers who'll be looking for redemption.

Boy_Hong

10-18-2006, 01:01 PM

CBC guy

10-20-2006, 01:14 AM

Oil vs. 'Nucks part deux. What a yawner of a game. I was actually 5 min. late to this one, so I missed the first and only 2 oilers goals. We went 0/8 on the PP. Not looking good. It must have been an off night for both teams, as both looked fairly sluggish and sloppy.

Oh you were late to this one? I don't like being late to games, you might miss a goal. (or 2 in your case)

Yeah the game was pretty boring from what I can gather.

Boy_Hong

10-20-2006, 08:39 AM

yeah.. i was pretty PO'ed. I had asked a friend to go with me. He said yes, but didn't tell me he was going to be late. I'd rather go with someone else than be late. ...ugh.. oh well

Watched abit of the Philly vs. TB game lastnight. Wow, is Philly management totally out of touch with what it needs for a winning team? It was like watching 5 defenseman on the ice all the time. From their playoff performance last year, you'd think they'd make the necessary changes.

CBC guy

10-22-2006, 05:59 AM

Haha that sucks for you then.

Meanwhile Canucks win on the road again, 4-3 in OT vs the preds with Kraijek (sp?) getting the GWG in Overtime.

We're figuring to be more of a grinding team with good goaltending now, but I don't care as long as we get the W's.

sofakingdom

10-22-2006, 10:19 PM

Philly cleans house! Hitchcock fired, Bobby Clarke resigns... Clarke's not the most popular guy in the league, but he's probably one of the best GMs to ever GM in the league.

I think his resignation had more to do with his lack of desire now and I'd be willing to bet that ownership in Philly asked him to reconsider.

Whatever the case, I suspect he'll take a year off and if he chooses to come back, will have a line-up around the league from clubs asking him to join them.

CBC guy

10-24-2006, 12:32 AM

Boy_Hong

10-25-2006, 11:02 AM

sofakingdom

10-25-2006, 06:49 PM

I disagree with one of the "best GMs" part. While I give him credit for building a pretty good team on Philly (on paper) for quite a few seasons now I don't think he was one of the "best" GMs. The thing with Clarke is that he likes big, slow guys too much. Nothing wrong with Derian Hatcher and Rathje per se, but in the new NHL the Flyers could really have used some younger, faster players out there.

With players like Simon Gagne and Forsberg on their team I would think Philly should play a more uptempo style than they do. The new NHL emphasizes speed and offence.

Clarke's main problem recently, was his inability to adapt to the new salary capped league. He's taken longer than other GMs to adjust, and for that, he'll sit on the sidelines for a while (a year is what I predict).

The man's hockey knowledge and eye for talent is not rivaled by many in this league, and that's thanks to his experience.

He led a scouting team that drafted the likes of Justin Williams, Simon Gagne, Jeff Woywitka, Mike Richards, Antero Niittymaki (6th round pick!!), Jeff Carter, Joni Pitkanen... all real gems...

Pulled some absolute steals over his career with the Handzus and Esche for Boucher and a 3rd coming to mind immediately. Or predicting that Knuble would produce without Thornton on his line, acquiring him, and seeing Knuble become a very consistent forward.

He's made some very poor moves, that's for sure (signing Gauthier to a monster contract when he's no more than a 5/6 dman), but over the course of his entire career with Philly, I think he's shown that he is indeed one of the best in the league making good moves more often than bad.

sofakingdom

10-25-2006, 06:59 PM

There's nothing like playing a bad team to help you out of scoring slump. With the Oil (5-2) and the Flames (6-1), it's great to get scoring again, especially before the Oil vs. Pronger, and Flames vs. Atlanta.

I know it's only the beginning of the season, but can the Coyotes turn things around or are they destined for the bottom of the standings? Will Gretzky need to step down as headcoach before this happens? What seems should be a decent team on paper, hasn't materialized for the Coyotes yet.

Yeah, the Coyotes are absolutely horrible!

Watched the game last night and the team is just completely lost, unwilling to venture into the tough spots for the puck and turning the puck over almost every other shift in the neutral zone. Absolutely brutal.

As for being a decent team on paper, I have to disagree there. After Nagy and Doan, that team is pretty thin up front. They have big names per se, if we're talking circa 2000 players like Jeremy Roenick and Owen Nolan, but those players are well past their prime and it's certainly showing.

Comrie is a flake (I'm sure you have some thoughts about him! :biggrin: ) and Reinprecht, although skilled is extremely injury prone. He had shoulder injuries with the Avs and the Flames, and whaddaya know, looks like he's aggravated it again with Phoenix. He's made of glass and quite frankly isn't going to ever score more than 40 points for you a season because he won't get to play more than 50 games a year.

Gretzky isn't going to get fired, but I'm unsure if he's going to step down. Perhaps a GM role? But one has to wonder if the acquisitions over the summer (Nolan, Roenick) were thanks to Wayne pulling the strings anyways... and if so, perhaps he wouldn't be that great as a GM neither.

The one thing I am shocked at is the lack of effort the players put out for games... you'd think that playing for one of the best players to ever lace em up would give you some motivation...

CBC guy

10-25-2006, 11:07 PM

The thing is that it is very rare to find a great player who also makes a great coach. Jacques Lemaire is an example of a good player who also became a good coach, but they are very rare. There are a lot of former players who became coaches, but they tend to be 3rd line grinder types so they understand how to play good team defence and the importance of teamwork and motivation.

Maurice Richard, for example, resigned after only 5 games as a coach, and Gretz is having a pretty tough time too. Last year was one of the first times I've actually seen Gretzky look REALLY mad. You can practically hear the f-bombs you lip-sync on the TV whenever the Coyotes were playing.

Boy_Hong

10-26-2006, 08:54 AM

Ugh, the Oil were embarrassed lastnight by the Ducks, 6-2. Great start to the game, and kinda fell apart from there. Roli had a really off night, lettting in 6 goals on only 20 shots, ouch. I was hoping the offensive slump would have been cured by the game with the Coyotes the other night, but apparently not. We play the Coyotes again tonight, so here's hoping another easy 2 points.

Hemsky can be so frustrating to watch. The guy is so skilled, but he's always looking for the pass, rather than the shot. He'll have moved himself into a great shooting position with no one in front, and he'll pass it off to the guy being covered across ice. So frustrating, just shoot it and try for the rebound or tip in.

sofakingdom

10-26-2006, 09:41 PM

Well, that didn't go too well for the Oilers...

CBC guy

10-27-2006, 07:35 AM

Oh, forgot to update about my beloved Canucks...

They shutout the Blackhawks 5-0! Luongo looked very good and from all reports it looked like an easy night out as the Hawks were without some key players. Boucher let in a 45-foot wrist shot and it was downhill for them from there.

The funniest thing during the game was when the Hawks fans chanted "This game sucks! Lets go Beer! This game sucks! Lets go Beer!" :biggrin: :tongue:

Haha the Laffs got PWNED 7-2 by the sens on national tv.

And wow.... Oilers lose 6-2 to the Coyotes? Thought it was gonna be an easy night for the Oilers there..... guess not.

CBC guy

10-28-2006, 06:47 PM

A pretty crazy game for the Canucks th other night, 3-2 win in a shootout over Ovechkin's Capitals on home ice. Vancovuer came out flying on all cylinders and took a 2-0 lead in the 1st along with an insane 16-1 shot lead. The Caps ralleid to tie it 2-2 with goals 1:36 apart in the second (Ovechkin potted the tying goal) but overall the rink was definitely slanted in the Canucks favour. The shots ended up 44-21 in favour of the Nucks and they clearly deserved the win. If not for Kolzig's heroics the score could easily have been 6-2 or 7-2. Anyways Ovechkin hit the post in the shootout and Morrison snuck one through Kolzig's pads to win it.

On a side note the Canucks installed a new HD scoreboard in GM Place along with a power ring like so many other teams. The scoreboard looks crazy beautiful, but there's still a few kinks with the screen, and they don't have the old light-displays like they used to, which I actually did enjoy. (You know, the giant clapping hands when they broadcast "the good old hockey game" song by Tom Connors, the charging Orca logo, the spinning orca with "fireworks", and the way they used to incorporate funny little cartoon clips about avoiding flying pucks and organ music. Also the part where a cartoon player "goes into jail" when the Canucks get a PP) The new scoreboard is killer and definitely 21st century, but the game does have roots, and it would be nice if they could incorporate some old routines into the HD screen, at least sometimes.

Boy_Hong

10-30-2006, 12:24 PM

Wasn't able to watch the Oil lose to the coyotes (6-2.. ugh, how embarrasing) or beat the Caps 4-0. What a turn around. From two 6-2 defeats in a row, to a 4-0 win over the caps. A friend attended the game, and even though he said the caps didn't really play that well, Ovechkin is amazing to watch, and wasn't without his scoring chances. Roli picks up his first shutout of the year, stopping only 19 shots in the whole game. Which is alot better considering he let in 6 goals in 20 shots vs. Anaheim in that 6-2 loss.

Hey, do you keep up with the Canucks website? I'm not sure about the 'nucks site, but they'll auction off old Oil stuff every one in while on their site. When they redid our championship banners, they auctioned off the old ones. I've also seen the old pipe organ up for grabs, and an old ping pong table from the 80's, that was repainted in Oilers colors, and signed by some of the players.

CBC guy

10-31-2006, 05:47 PM

Hey, do you keep up with the Canucks website? I'm not sure about the 'nucks site, but they'll auction off old Oil stuff every one in while on their site. When they redid our championship banners, they auctioned off the old ones. I've also seen the old pipe organ up for grabs, and an old ping pong table from the 80's, that was repainted in Oilers colors, and signed by some of the players.

Surely after 2 6-2 losses in a row it was time for a pep talk? The Caps really aren't a good team (other than Ovechkin, Semin and Kolzig perhaps) but yeah it should be fun to see Ovechkin, stupid NHL will only allow us to see him once every 3 seasons, the League could definitely revise the schedule. (I remember last year I hated playing Minnesota 8 times a year!)

As for the website thing, yes I do keep up with the website. The Canucks hold sales on their website too, they sell things like game-worn jerseys, sticks, and autographed memoribilia from alumni. If you join the fan club (called "the Edge" I think) you get half price.

I don't know how they'll sell the old scoreboard though! Its really big!

Boy_Hong

11-01-2006, 08:31 AM

^Haha... that's the same thing I said about the Oilers Organ. I mean, that's hardcore Oil fan there.

Going to the Pred's game tonight. This should be another good test for us to see where we're at, team wise. Should be good.

CBC guy

11-01-2006, 08:12 PM

Sullivan exorcises Killer Whales on Halloween 3-2.

the Preds jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but the Canucks rallied yet again to make a game out of it. Steve Sullivan however managed to hack away at a loose puck and beat Luongo for the win.

The Good (For Vancouver)
Battled back from a decifit... again
big name players score (Naslund, Ohlund)

The Bad
fell behind 2-0 at home in the first period
too many scoring chances against
Luongo coulda been better... I think for a goalie of his caliber

Anyways you win some, you lose some... gotta move on.

Boy_Hong

11-02-2006, 09:32 AM

Wow, Oil game vs. preds was similar.

We fell behind 2-0 after the first. The first goal was like within 2min.. their first shot on Roli. I think the quick goal really put the Oil back on their heels for the first period. And so basically, we just kept playing catchup the whole game. Final score was 5-3 in favour of the preds. Oil were 6-0 at home going into this game, with the preds having a really good Away records so far (numbers which alude me right now, and too lazy too look up)

Good
- getting alot better at gaining the offensive zone. really mixing it up between dump ins, and carrying it over.
-decent puck movement on the PP
- decentpuck support on dump ins.
- lots of scoring opportunity
- down two goals with less than 2min. left to play, we score to come within one goal. great to see we they don't give up. (sidenote: agood 3rd of the fans walked out about 5min. earlier. something i will never understand. i paid money to sit in this seat, i don't care if we're losing)
- Hemsky's break away goal
- Staios is probably our best defenseman right now. tough as fricken nails, and still has alot of jump in his game. Really surpised me with his speed and strength lastnight. Won alot of battles against the boards, and made alot of simple, but smart plays coming out of the our end.
- though there's no bad blood between Arnot and Edmonton, everyone booing him on the third 'cause he was on the PP. I always find that funny

Bad
- Bergeron/Green defensive line. Green is matched up with Begeron so he (Green) can make up for Bergeron's lack of size. It happened a few times where Green has to travel across ice in our zone, to check the man against the boards. Bergeron is just too small
- Roli had a bit of a shakey game
- We need to shoot more. I think we only had 25 shots on the nite. We need to shoot more. We're trying to overcomplicate things always looking for the pretty play and one timer.
- PK wasn't that great
- PP, even though great punk movement and a few chances. Not one PP goal

That still leaves us one point behind the 'nucks. I was hoping they'd jump ahead of you guys after this game... haha. Oh well. Plenty of games left.

Another sidenote. Late for this game, again. This really irks me, when you invite a friend to a game, and rather than pass on the tickets because they'll be late, hold you up. There will plenty of other games to go to, don't make me late for mine.. grrrrr

CBC guy

11-03-2006, 07:23 AM

The Canucks have this rule where if you are late you have to stand in the stairs of the arena until play stops, so that you won't block the fans' view of the play by stepping in front of them to your seat. Do the Oilers have that rule too? I would think so though, its only fair.

Its annoying when other fans come in and say, 'uh, excuse me.... sorry... sorry... excuse me.... sorry." but then there's no other way I guess.

How's the crowd in Oil country these days? Loud and proud due to the Cup run? The fans there pretty knowledgeable right? Some of the Nucks fans at games only get tix b/c their company paid for them, they know very little about hockey, its kinda lame actually when they just yell "Shoooot!" When its clearly blocked by a defender. On the other hand we do get diehards who know the game well enough to know when the other team's player just scored on a great play. (you know, those where you just stand back and go "WOW!" even though it was the other team)

Of course when the Canucks score the crowd explodes and when the other team scores we slump into a bunch of swearing drunks. :biggrin:

Hope you enjoyed the game! (even tho you guys lost, but yeah)
I am SO going to a game when I get back to Canada from China!

Boy_Hong

11-03-2006, 08:50 AM

Yeah, if you're late, you have to stand in the entrance, out of people's view until the play is done. I always thought it was a safety concern, and never thought about blocking other people's views..haha

Yeah, you get all types going to the game. My favorite are the puck bunnies. They come all dolled up, as if they're going to go to the bar, and without a scrap of Oilers merch on them. I dunno, most of the fans are fairly knowledgable. Edmonton's a smaller city, where hockey is the main focus around here, so you get alot of knowledgable fans. Also, the fans are fairly friendly and usually a game doesn't go by where someone explains to someone else when the tv timeouts are. Alot of our fans will yell, SHOOT regardlesss, just 'cause we don't shoot enough, period. A player like Hemsky will weave and bob, create a shooting lane, and then pass off to a player across ice, that's being covered. Very frustrating. haha

Ofcourse, the coliseum isn't as loud as the playoffs, but it can get pretty loud. The beer has gone up in price too though. $6.50 for draught. :( haha.. and it's that cheap draught you get a headache from. I've yet to sit in a corporate suite or skybox yet though. It's stil a smaller/older rink, and there's been talks of a new rink, just nothing official yet.

CBC guy

11-04-2006, 05:59 AM

haha... puckbunnies are the best. Sometimes in GM Place you see some REALLY HOT ones... like the time there was this Punjabi girl who just LOVED her Matt Cooke ("COOOKIE!!! WOOOO!!!") and she was FINE I'm telling ya. :biggrin:

I tend to be one of those fans who explain things to new fans during TV timeouts. Its kinda fun when they suddenly "get it" and start enjoying the game a lot more. Overall hockey's pretty self-explanatory IMO... get the black thing in the other guy's net, keep it out of yours... yeah.

I don't drink beer so I wouldn't know. but yeah GM PLace food/drinks WAY overpriced. We always eat before the game and get a drink afterwards. (non-alcoholic, like BBTea lol) I ALWAYS wear my Canucks jersey. (dark 2000-2001 CCM I think)

Sometimes I think Nazzy should shoot more, but under Vignealt it seems Canucks are more trigger happy so thats a good sign.

Oilers should keep their building. Best ice in the League bar none. Has nostalgic value too. But that's my view, maybe Oiler management thinks differently.

Boy_Hong

11-06-2006, 11:05 AM

Yeah.. Edmonton has alway prided themselves as having the best ice in the league. But I think that would still transfer over in the new rink. I think alot of it is, Rexall isn't used for much, for anything else. You do get the occasional concert and such, but it's pretty much used for hockey 8 months of the year. And during the playoffs, it did get kinda muggy in there. They might be able to seal up the new coliseum better.

In reference to your question about hockey vid games, I've stopped playing those in 95? or so. NHL 95? on sega? Hahaha.. those were the days. I did try NHL 06 on xbox360 when it first came out. I actually liked this one. All the different buttons and moves, and with the new xbox controller, I found it alot easier to use than the original xbox controller. Alot more intuitive.

But on to more pressing matters. The Oil vs. Dallas game. I'm actually kinda tired of talking about it already, so I'll try and make it short cause I'm sure you've heard about it it already. Cost us a point. The call wasn't Mcgeough's call to make. He effed up, time to move on. I will be more pissed off if some changes in the officiating don't come of this. Maybe not necessarily vid review everytime a questionable call comes up, as that would really slow down the game, I think. But what about somewhat officiating by consensus. You've got 2 ref's and 2 linesman. Why can't the 4 have a quick discussion of what truly happened. Doesn't NFL and some extent CFL do that when deciding penalties and yardage?

CBC guy

11-08-2006, 01:40 AM

Haha, Magoo again, IMO the funniest ref in the NHL if not for the fact that he makes a lot of very erratic calls.

Yeah, i heard about the oil-stars game. I know you guys really hate the Stars eh? (All those playoff games... ) I don't much like them either myself. Turco's kinda too cocky for me, he always pulls a Dan Cloutier in the playoffs, like every year now.

I like the 2K sports version as it is more realistic, (better puck physics, more realistic strategies, you can actually cycle the puck for real) But EA does have much better graphics. You liked NHL 06? Yeah, it was one of EA's better efforts, they made speed burst more realistic and just made it easier to lose the puck. (Puck on a string games are pretty annoying by now) And it was pretty easy to pick up and play as you said, easier than the 2K series.

As for the Nucks.... finally ended a 3-game skid (where they did play hard every game and just came up short each time) on home ice with yet another hard-fought, desperate effort. I actually kinda like this version of the Canucks better than last year's which way too often showed a lack of desire. Fresh blood seems to help this club, and as it is still very popular in the community the team makes plenty of profits (by Canadian standards... Canucks merch is HUGE in the town), so hopefully they will stay in our town for years to come. (And win a Cup someday.... I know we will.... :biggrin:)

Anyways, as for the game itself, I guess we kinda took revenge for you guys. :tongue:. A hard-bitten 2-1 effort on home ice with the GWG only coming with 45 seconds left. Good start to the long homestand.

Boy_Hong

11-08-2006, 11:01 AM

Ugh, yeah, we hate the stars. In the early 90's, we had swept them in the first round of the playoffs. Ever since then, they've always had our number, dumping us out of the playoffs a few times. Though, this last game we lost to them, we didn't blame it on Dallas, so much as Mcgeough.

I'll have to try the 2k sports ones, but I just got guitar hero2, so I don't think I'll be playing any other games for a while now.

We lost in SO, making it 3 losses in a row. It was a fast paced game. We definitely had way too many penalties. It was weird, for a team we don't see much off (montreal), there seemed to be a lot of passion. 3 fights that night. I'm just glad we got the extra point, as we were pretty much outplayed periods 2/3. Our power play is looking really bad. The oil don't cycle the puck around enough to create those open shooting lanes, rather, they try and give the pick to Hemsky and let him quarterback the play, which just isn't working.

CBC guy

11-09-2006, 05:08 PM

You play Guitar Hero? That game is sweet! Good thing I had some experience with guitar freaks at the arcade before tackling Guitar Hero. I just go hooked on music games after playing Drummania... (also at the arcade)

I take it the game was in Montreal? (seeing as we play NE on the road this year) Hemsky seems to be the type who holds on to the puck for ages eh? Gretz used to do that, but Gretz is Gretz. Not everyone can play the style he did. NHL definitely rewards those who shoot more.

Well, seems like you won't see the Habs again for 2 years.... :tongue:
(Will happen to us too after we play them)

Boy_Hong

11-10-2006, 12:03 PM

I dunno though... Gretz made alot smarter plays than Hemsky does, though.

Regardless, the OIl are in a huge slump. No shots in the first period vs. Detroit. Roli comes up with 45 saves in a 3-0 losing cause. They play CBJ tonight, so here's hoping they can break out of this slump, cause right now, they playing like total crap

sofakingdom

11-12-2006, 01:33 PM

CBC guy

11-13-2006, 04:30 AM

Good game last night versus the Canucks in Vancouver... Iginla with a dominating performance and a simply amazing display of power and strength on his goal that made it 2-1... sometimes I think in the shootouts, the Flames should just send another player to slash and chase Iginla down the ice... only way he seems to score on breakaways LOL.

Gotta say... it's much harder to despise the Canucks now with the likes of Jovo, Bertuzzi and Ruutu gone... their current team has a lot less attitude and a lot more drive and grit.

Sedins are awesome along the boards and can really control the puck possesion style of game very well...

Good game and a great comeback led by captain Iginla.

Damn from the looks of it you guys came back hard on the back of your captain. I remember the "good" Bertuzzi used to do this sometimes, (I think in the 02-03 season he single-handedly scored a hattrick to tie a game with the Leafs 3-3 after being down 3-0 and steal us a point) when he felt like it. Was it a good, intense adrenaline-inducing game? (I couldn't watch any NHL right now b/c I'm in China. :frown: )

By 05/06, Crow was too chummy with the guys in the room and this caused his message to be disregarded by many vets like Bertuzzi who was mired in a season-long slump. Jovo always at least played with passion (he could've been a bit smarter though) but Bertuzzi was showing a distinct lack of effort, especially compared to his brilliant 01-02 and 02-03 campaigns where we all thought he was going to become one of the best in club history. Ruutu, well, he's a motor mouth who can deke on breakaways. :biggrin:

It was desperately clear that the team needed a major shakeup and a change of direction as the team's many fans were ripped off and there were currents of discontent in Van-city. Sports pubs throughout the lower mainland resounded with debates about whether Jovo, Bert, etc should stay. Eventually the answer was no. Jovo had to go for cap reasons (Nucks fans still like him... unlike Bert he at least tried hard every shift) and Bert just needed to leave as one of the most enigmatic players in Vancouver Canucks history.

Now, the new coach won't take crap from his players. we basically handed our offense to the Sedins, who are getting better and better and basically becoming our go-to guys. Luongo, while still not quite comfortable yet (IMO) has shown enough to prove that he is a better goalie than either Cloutier or Auld. (IMO: ESPECIALLY Cloutier that piece of crap :biggrin: ) You're right, there's a lot less attitude because there are less egos in the dressing room now. With Bert gone, now everyone knows that it is performance, not prestige, that counts with this coach. Earlier this year, when Bulis wasn't playing that well, Vigneault benched him for a full period. Bulis was pissed, and scored a goal on his first shot in the next game. Crow would never have done that.

Having said all that, I don't believe this Canucks team has the depth to win a playoff spot this year. We need more scorers. This was never a problem in the 'West Coast Express" years but now it is. I will be happy with 8th and maybe a plucky 6-game series in the first round. (They will have exceeded my expectations then) Nevertheless the season's a long one at 82 games, we've only really just begun!

GO CANUCKS GO! :biggrin:

sofakingdom

11-13-2006, 10:51 PM

China, eh? Honestly, I'd go through nervous withdrawals if I couldn't watch hockey during the normal hockey season... it'd be just too weird.

Not saying you're one of those fans, but it's funny that the same Canuck fans who used to bash the Flames style of hockey are now watching their favourite team play a similar style of hockey.

Interesting take here from Vancouver's own, Cam Cole:

http://www.canada.com/topics/sports/hockey/blogs/camcole.html

It's a cliche, and I almost feel guilty doing it, but ... oh, what the heck. This is a blog, after all.

Markus Naslund is a terrific person and his hard work this year has been impressive for one so skilled, but whenever the Canucks play the Calgary Flames, the issue of captaincy inevitably comes up, because head coach Alain Vigneault felt he had to put Naslund back with the Sedin twins in order to get some offence -- that is, to get offence out of Naslund.

The Flames, meanwhile, use Iginla to get everyone else going. When he was nailed in open ice by Matt Cooke, he got mad AND he got even ... and then some. But then, Iginla -- who scored the first goal and set up the second -- is the type who isn't afraid to put the team on his back and do the heavy lifting. Naslund is quiet, cerebral , stylish ... and on nights like Saturday, at least, suffers by comparison.

As for the Canuck's playoff hopes, I think the problem that needs to get addressed is defense... not offense. I'm still not convinced that Ohlund, Salo, Mitchell, Krajicek, Bieksa, Edler/Bourdon/whoever else is good enough.

Boy_Hong

11-14-2006, 10:13 AM

The Flames, meanwhile, use Iginla to get everyone else going. When he was nailed in open ice by Matt Cooke, he got mad AND he got even ... and then some.

Oh god... that's one of the things I love to hate about Iginla. Nothing shakes this guy. I remember an Oil vs. Flames game last season, Torres caught Iginla coming around the Oilers net with his head down and just flattened Iginla. He went down, but got right back up. I think Iggy was more pissed at himself for getting caught with his head down, then getting hit. If memory serves me correct, he went on to score a few shifts later.

CBC guy

11-20-2006, 06:37 PM

OK, another update, I was busy last week so...

Anyways I found out the Canucks lost 3 games in a row at home. 6-0 to the Ducks (That was a terrible game obviously) 3-2 to the Flames (already talked about it) and 3-2 to the Wings in strong efforts but coming up short at the end. Then a small break in the schedule: two weaker teams come into the garage and the orca whales finally got to feed on some broken saxophones (STL Blues) 4-2 and on some Black bird (CHI Blackhawks) carcasses 2-1 on Grey Cup day. With the BC Lions in the Grey Cup, GM Place still sold out from what I heard.

both times the Canucks held a hefty shot lead but could only manage narrow wins against slightly weaker opposition on home ice. We just might need better finishing as we end up with all these shots but so few goals. I think this is like the 3rd or fourth 2-1 win for the Canucks already this year? A few years ago those could have been 4-1 or 5-1 laughters. Nevertheless 2 pts are 2 pts.

On another Canadian-sport related note, the BC Lions' defence clocked in a methodical performance to take home the Grey Cup, as expected. Last year we had that big win streak but we were inconsistent in the playoffs. This time we started less strongly but came out in a dominant manner and with a consistent attitude. With printers gone ( he was a fan favourite though) DD was the clear QB and he delivered. Even the backup QBs were good this year for some reason. We never trailed in the final, so that's a good sign. Hopefully the BC Lions can keep this up. Kicker Paul MacCallum, a native of Vancouver, tied a Grey Cup record with 6 FGs. After having manure dumped on his lawn in 2004 with the Riders, MacCallum goes from goat to hero in two years. Sweet redemption for him.

CONGRATS LIONS!

GO CANUCKS GO!

LOWER MAINLAND SPORTS FAN FOR LIFE

Boy_Hong

11-27-2006, 03:13 PM

A week off of work, and now I can finally update. Too many games to update from, and too much work to get caught up on.

Big game for us tomorrow night, as "He Who Shall Not be Named" returns to Edmonton for his first game back since requesting the trade. I'm not sure if the Oil will be able to squeek out a win here. Ducks seem too good all around. Surprised that Playfair didn't play Kipper in the Flames vs. Anaheim the other night.

CBC guy

11-27-2006, 09:25 PM

The prongerster is back in E-town eh?

Another Vancouver update... pretty bleak. After a stirring 4-3 win in OT where we came back from 3-1 down in Detroit (meaning we sweep the Wings in the Joe this year) we fall apart 6-0 to the new-look preds and then 4-1 to Wolski's Avs.

As for Pronger... I'm sure he'll get a nice Edmontonian welcome there.... :biggrin:

Boy_Hong

11-30-2006, 09:13 AM

Ugh.. Oil lose to the Ducks the other night. We squander a 2-0 lead, to lose it in OT. Oil played a great 1st and partial 2nd period. But Ducks really pour it on in the last half. The game should have been ours. We still had great scoring opportunities in the 2nd and 3rd period to increas our lead, but the ducks come within 1 by the 2nd intermission. Kunitz scores the tying goal with 16seconds left in the game, and Getzlaf scoring the game winnner on a bad give away by Ryan Smyth in neutral zone. Should be happy with the point, but we basically gave the ducks the 2 points. The 3 stars of the game were all given to OIlers. Though it doesn't really mean anything in the end.

Buddy was at the game and said the booing wasn't as loud as he thought it would be. The crazy thing was, Mick McGeogh was originally slated to ref this game. McGeogh and Pronger on the ice? Just imagine how loud it'd be in there.

CBC guy

12-01-2006, 05:47 AM

McGeough... the ref all western Canadian fans love to hate.... :biggrin:

Just thinking about his chunky self "skating" around waving his arms like crazy makes me laugh.

Boy_Hong

12-04-2006, 09:05 AM

^Hahaha

Another tough week in Oiler hockey. 3 home losses in a row, 7-2 to Col and 4-0 to CBJ. And our leading goal scorer, Ryan Smyth is out with a fractured thumb. Injuries now include Smyth (fractured thumb), Moreau (dislocated shoulder), Hemsky (shoulder), Bergeron (pneumonia) and Staios now just starting to get back on the ice from a knee injury. I see a rough couple of weeks if not months for the oil. Roli's starting to get overplayed, as he looks like he's starting to look pretty sloppy. If we can just make it out of the next two months in decent position, I hope we'll be ok for the the home stretch. Glad the injuries are happening now, rather than in Feb-April.

Except I was looking forward to the Edmonton vs. Carolina rematch next week, but now I'm dreading it.

CBC guy

12-05-2006, 11:40 PM

Aiyahh.... disaster for the Nucks, good for the Oil...

4-0 Edm. I did not see the game, (I'm in CHina remember) what happened to make it so bad?

I'm sure you enjoyed every second of those 4 goals in 18 shots. :wink:

Boy_Hong

12-06-2006, 09:04 AM

It was a weird game. The first goal was on our first PP, on the first shot of the game. Horcoff slapped it from the top of the van faceoff circle, deflected of of you dman's stick, and then off of another dman's arm, and in. Kinda indicative of how the rest of the night was going to be. Van had some great chances, and almost had 20 shots on net in 2nd period, but couldn't capitalize. And then when they did find the back of the net, twice, it was called down as no goals by the refs. (McGeogh was reffing, but didn't call either non-goal). I'll admit, it wa nice to see us pull out a win after a 3game slide, and having a few injuries. Van suffered 3 injuries as well, in that game. One was a dirty hit from Winchester on Pyatt? Can't remember who at the moment. Knee on knee which I though winchester could have easily avoided. Matt Cooke tried taking him out later in the game but Winnie moved out of the way last minute, causing cooke to crash into another Van player. Winchester tried to start something with Cooke, but Cooke backed down. Alot of the play from both teams were kinda sloppy and lack luster, I just think Oil got the luckier bounces that game.

Watched Flames beat 'Canes lastnight. Mixed feelings about that one. One hand, I want to see the Flames crush the 'Canes, but don't want the Flames to get the 2pts. Hamrlik goal was really nice. Man, can that guy blast them, I don't remember him having that kind of shot when he played for us in the.. early 90's?

sofakingdom

12-11-2006, 09:02 AM

With Saturday's victory the Flames have extended their home-winning streak to nine games tying a club record with a chance to set a new one Tuesday against Minnesota.

The old problem of scoring has left the Flames now, but not according to Jim Hughson who so eloquently predicted Saturday's game would be a "low-scoring affair between two teams that struggle to score".

Calgary is 6th in the West in scoring behind Anaheim, Nashville, Colorado, San Jose and Detroit only.

Probably partly due to Tanguay shaking his early-season slump, but I think more so thanks to the emergence of secondary scoring from Calgary's 2nd line of Huselius-Lombardi-Kobasew.

Saturday's game was good with the Flames really taking it to Vancouver for the first two periods, but stood around for the third and allowed Vancouver to come close to tying it. I give Vancouver credit for the effort but any one who watched the game saw the ridiculous effort Calgary put out in the final frame.

Luongo isn't an elite goalie in my opinion. He's better than average... but thus far in his career has done nothing to deserve the 'elite' title he seems to get from fans and the media.

Things are going well in Calgary apart from the special teams. With that being a systematic thing, I expect it to be resolved in time. 5 on 5 the Flames are so far ahead of the pack, it's unreal... 1.95 Goals For/Goals Against ratio is good enough for first in the league with Detroit coming in second a ways behind at 1.64.

lethal

12-19-2006, 01:18 AM

Yutaka Fukufuji, backup goalie for the Los Angeles Kings became the first Japanese-born player to dress for an NHL game.

CBC guy

12-21-2006, 01:57 AM

the canucks reel off a 3 game win streak.... 5-2 vs the hapless yotes ( with jovo) 3-1 vs the flames (a bit of revenge for the last few games against the flames) and then 2-1 vs minny before falling 5-2 to minny again on the road. i'm all for division rivalries but playing the same teams 8 times is ridiculous. next year we won't even play the leafs, habs, or sens and as canadian teams go that is just wrong.

anyways, about the japanese player thing, the kariya brothers are half-japanese, although they are technically canadian due to being born in vancouver.

did yutaka play? i wouldn't mind seeing that. i remember i went to a canucks game a few years ago vs the penguins, where the backup goalie was actually called up from ubc because cloutier was hurt and auld was playing in manitoba. it was pretty funny because for the pregame warmup i was like, " ok, there's naslund, there's hedberg, there's sopel... who the hell is this guy with the ubc goalie mask? is that cloutier?' turns out he was studying for exams and the canucks gave him a chance to dress for the game. at one point he almost had to come into the game as hedberg was run over, but johan was fine and the ubc guy was left with a free jersey and an experience of a lifetime. (he got free autographs and stuff from all the canucks, who he said were very friendly) he was pretty nervous-looking on the jumbotron when hedberg went down though. :tongue:

Boy_Hong

12-21-2006, 08:50 AM

Hahaha. That's funny about the UBC kid. Yutaka was called up, but I don't think he had a chance to play. I think he was sent down already.

I think in the last 8 games.. Oil have gone something like 2-6? They're so inconsistant. It's hard to figure out what we're gonna get out of them. I've been taking some time off from watching them, as work has been stressing me out enough already, I really don't feel like sitting down and yelling at the TV for 3 hours. haha.

No doubt about the 8 games vs. divisional rivals. It just gets too frustrating. We saw Colorado twice in what feels as many weeks. I'd rather see them whittle that down to 4 games/divisional rival

Boy_Hong

12-30-2006, 09:54 PM

Dec30, Van completely owned us this game. Only watched the 1st and 3rd period. The oil are slumping and just can't seem to get anything going. We need serious help on D. Our PP is terrible all month. Though we may have outshot Van, I really didn't see any realy scoring chances. Just goes to show great Van D and Luongo played. I can see the oil slipping further before they really start getting their shit together. Just hopefully they bring in some help on D in time. And we've seriously need to do something about our PP. It's 25th in the league.. and it's just horrendous to watch. I'd rather see us play 5/5 than be on the PP.

noname

01-13-2007, 08:58 PM

Yutaka Fukufuji made his NHL debut today, and won against the Kings, 6-5
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=AiT1aw.TUbxygxoNeQ_TsPl7vLYF?slug=ap-blues-kings&prov=ap&type=lgns

sofakingdom

01-16-2007, 09:01 PM

Yutaka Fukufuji made his NHL debut today, and won against the Kings, 6-5
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=AiT1aw.TUbxygxoNeQ_TsPl7vLYF?slug=ap-blues-kings&prov=ap&type=lgns

Actually, Fukufuji plays for the Kings, and lost 6-5 to the Blues.

noname

04-06-2007, 10:26 AM

Interesting that neither of last year's Stanley Cup finalists - Carolina and Edmonton - will be in this year's playoffs

I'm happy that the Rangers have made it. I hope they do better this time. Last year, playing the Devils made it possible for me to see a playoff game (by going to NJ), but I hope they have a different 1st round opponent this time.

If the Islanders win their last 2 games, and get help in the Toronto vs. Montreal game (I believe the Leafs have to beat the Habs in regulation), we'll see Richard Park (from Korea) in the playoffs. For those who don't know, Charles Wang owns the team.

The schedule-makers have done a good job in setting up some of the final regular season matchups:

In the East:
- Atlanta vs. Tampa Bay, for the Southeast Division title, and the difference between the #3 seed with home ice, and the #6 or #7 seed
- Montreal vs. Toronto, most likely for the final spot, or to give the Islanders the chance at that spot (if NYI wins their last 2)

In the West, Calgary vs. Colorado for the final spot

noname

04-08-2007, 03:28 PM

Congrats to the Islanders, who had 4 must-win games (and needed help from other teams), and won them all, including the last game in a shootout against the Devils.
Would've been crushing if they had lost, as they had the lead until 0.7 second left.
Richard Park scored 2 goals for the Isles in the last game
I believe that's the first time ever that a playoff spot has been decided by a shootout.

CBC guy

04-09-2007, 04:16 PM

Damn its been so long since Ive been on YW, work and stuff kept me occupied.

Anyways a great second half of the season for the Vancouver Canucks. At the start of the season to be perfectly honest I did not expect them to make the playoffs. Yet now Luongo is playing out of his mind and I think we have a very good shot at beating Dallas. Also nice to win the NW Division, the toughest division in the NHL, but thats not our main objective. Our main objective is to get 16 wins before anyone else does. That's all that matters now, and that's the way it should be. Go Canucks Go.

P.S. Plz dont flame me but yeah I laughed when Toronto beat MTL in regulation (knocking out the Habs) only to lose out in a shootout to the Isle's 3rd goalie. LOL

P.S. 2: Boy Hong, Man I feel bad for the Oilers this year. Tough one to take, especially the 17 losses in a row or whatever? Even the Keenan-run madhouse in GM Place in the late 90s never lost this much this fast.

CBC guy

04-11-2007, 09:43 PM

Come on Canucks gave up a 2 goal lead in the 3rd and now have to go to OT. Everyone predicted this would be a low-scoring series, and here they are a 4-4 tie, so I guess if you're a neutral its a good game to watch with all the goals but as a Nucks fan I am just a tad pissed until they win it in OT.

Note: This post may be updated when the game ends.

Also, Ottawa beat Pittsburgh 6-3, SJ beat Nashville 5-4 in double OT and Minny and the Ducks are still tied 1-1.

CBC guy

04-11-2007, 10:44 PM

Double OT now... GO Canucks Go.... Come on...

noname

04-11-2007, 11:09 PM

On the first day of the playoffs, we already have a triple-overtime game - between Canucks and Stars
Luongo has already faced almost 60 shots in his playoff debut

CBC guy

04-11-2007, 11:10 PM

Yep 3rd OT... Damn Go Canucks... Come ON Canucks

But yeah this has turned out to be a classic.

I wonder if the fans will have enough energy to celebrate if the Nucks win?

CBC guy

04-11-2007, 11:11 PM

Luongo was a little shaky in regulation by his standards but now he's a fricking brick wall. (Hope I didn;t jinx him_)

CBC guy

04-11-2007, 11:26 PM

Longest game in NHL history for the Vancouver Canucks. Wow.

noname

04-11-2007, 11:51 PM

Going to a 4th OT!

CBC guy

04-11-2007, 11:53 PM

Fuck I need to sleep soon. I'll leave the TV on in my room as I sleep.

PS I'm sure this game is great for a neutral to watch, but if your'e a fan of one of the teams its driving us CRAZY.

PS 2: Luongo has faced 66 shots I believe?

CBC guy

04-12-2007, 12:32 AM

FUCK YEAH CANUCKS SCORED ..... DAMN CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED VCANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED VCANUCKS SCORED CANUCKS SCORED

Haha.. sorry for going a little berserk there, but yeah. :D

noname

04-12-2007, 12:33 AM

After over 138 minutes, it's finally over!
Canucks win with 1:54 left in the 4th OT!
Stars set a new modern NHL record with 76 shots

CBC guy

04-12-2007, 12:35 AM

After over 138 minutes, it's finally over!
Canucks win with 1:54 left in the 4th OT!
Stars set a new modern NHL record with 76 shots

They really set an NHL record? Wow... Luongo is going into NHL history for this one game. What a game to debut in! I was pissed earlier that Vancovuer frittered away a 4-2 lead but a win is a win. However, I noticed both Cooke and Burrows were hurt, and that's hard to replace.

mrazntre

04-12-2007, 12:55 AM

CBC guy: Canadians really do love their hockey huh?

I watch it occasionally, but I don't do so enough to be called a fan. I'm more of a basketball guy, some football, some baseball...hockey's not too high on my priority list, but that might be because I grew up in SoCal. I'm only watching NHL games if the Kings are playing.

noname

04-12-2007, 09:02 PM

CBC guy

04-15-2007, 12:35 AM

First playoff win in 10 years for the Rangers!
First 1-0 series lead since 1994!
I hope the playoffs end the same way as it did that year :)

In the Devils-Lightning game, what a stupid attempt at a hand pass by Holmqvist (the Lightning goalie), which allowed the Devils to go up 5-3, and put the game out of reach.

In the little that I saw, the Sabres sure looked good in the opener against the Islanders

YOu a Rangers fan? Damn... as a Vancouver fan.... yeah no need to explain.

But anyways more updating:

Stars 2, Canucks 0. What a boring game this was. Dallas got 2 quick goals and that was pretty much it. Prefer not to talk about it lol

Isles 3 Sabres 2. Wow Dipietro is back, believe it or not, and now the Isles have a prayer. But nothing more. Buffalo wins in 5 I think

Rangers 2 Thrashers 1: Wow was Hedberg sloppy tonight. both goals should not have been so wide open, especially Avery;s goal. Wow

Pens 4, Sens 3: In the best game of the night, PIT-OTT lives up to its billing with 7 goals. OTT had this game but couldn't hold on to the lead. Crosby scores the GWG in what may the first of many playoff GWGs for Sid the Kid.

And in response to a previous post, yes, we Canadians do love our hockey. :biggrin:

noname

04-15-2007, 09:43 PM

Another OT game for the Stars and Canucks, but this one took much less time
5th time out of 7 meetings this season that their game ended with a 2-1 score

CBC guy

04-16-2007, 12:32 PM

Yes... the Canucks were brutal for the first two periods, but picked it up after Stu Barnes goal. Luongo was great again, the main reason why Van was even in this game.

Hansen, the call-up, has been a pleasant suprise for Vancouver so far, and already has one assist. Good skater and lots of poise for a young guy, look for more of him under Vigneault's sytem.

Turco is now 1-8 in playoff OT I think? That resigned look when Pyatt scored was good to see for a Nucks fan but as a hockey fan its still tough to see a goalie never catch a break. As soon as Turco just kneeled there and stopped moving I just knew it went in.

Next game for this series is tommorow in Dallas.

PS. Last night the Mavs played before the Stars so Dallas had to change the court to the ice in 2 hours, and they pulled it off. Good job dallas crew wherever you are, you did better than I thought you would.

noname

04-17-2007, 06:55 PM

Utter domination of the Thrashers in the Rangers' first home playoff win in 10 years

noname

04-17-2007, 07:46 PM

Canucks take a 3-1 lead, with yet another 2-1 result

CBC guy

04-17-2007, 08:55 PM

Wow 7-0 for th Rangers. The Thrashers were utterly lost out there tonight.

2-1 for the Canucks, we're coming home with a 3-1 series lead. However, I'm not taking anything for granted until we actually close out the series.

noname

04-18-2007, 06:50 PM

How sweep it is!
First series win for the Rangers in 10 years!
First team to advance!

CBC guy

04-18-2007, 08:53 PM

How sweep it is!
First series win for the Rangers in 10 years!
First team to advance!

Congrats to the Rangers, they totally outplayed the Thrashers in every game and deserved the series win.

As for Atlanta, boy was that a short playoff debut.

noname

04-19-2007, 09:26 PM

3rd overtime game (out of 5) between the Canucks and Stars, this time scoreless in regulation
Wow, Canucks came so close to an empty-net goal earlier in that game

Flames hold serve at home to even the series with the Red Wings, 2-2

Dang, fight broke out between Ducks and Wild before their Game 5 even started

Also, Senators advance, winning the series over Penguins, 4-1

noname

04-19-2007, 09:51 PM

Dallas takes advantage of a Vancouver too many men on the ice penalty to win Game 5 and stay alive
They snapped a 6-game OT losing streak in the process

noname

04-19-2007, 09:51 PM

Ducks are the first team in the West to advance

CBC guy

04-21-2007, 08:58 PM

Brutal..... just brutal... 3 shutouts for Turco WTF is that. Canucks need to come up big at GM Place boys we can still take this series out of our ass.

inthesky

04-22-2007, 03:27 AM

well flames lost to detroit in the 5th game of the series. looks like detroit may take it; calgary will likely win the next game at home, but likely wont be able to take Game 7 in detroit, they're just too strong of a team.

noname

04-22-2007, 04:45 PM

matchups in the East are set:
Sabres vs. Rangers
Devils vs. Senators

CBC guy

04-22-2007, 10:58 PM

Ok now Detroit beat the Flames in 2 OT to advance past the 1st round for the first time since 2004.

One matchup in the west is set: Detroit-San Jose, rematch of that memorable 1994 first round upset. This should be a good battle.

Anaheim will play either Dallas or Vancouver (please be Vancouver... oh God please...) in the 2nd round.

noname

04-23-2007, 08:47 PM

3 shutouts by Turco not enough for the Stars

After 8 scoreless periods (including an OT), Canucks finally score on Turco, not once but twice
Without the empty-netters, it would've been yet another 2-1 result

West matchups will be:
Red Wings vs. Sharks
Ducks vs. Canucks

CBC guy

04-23-2007, 09:09 PM

YEAH.... PARTY ON ROBSON BABY!!!! WOOOOO!!!!

As for the game... it shouldn't have come down to game 7 in the first place. The 1st period was pretty brutal again for Vancouver: No speed, no hits, and most importantly no grit. 2nd period the Canucks got a bunch of pps and it finally paid off with a huge goal by Henrik Sedin to finally stop the scoring drought. Then Linden got another huge goal (6th goal for him in game 7 situations: He is a gamer I'll tell you that) on another PP. Luongo stoned Barnes with a great glove save, then Modano rang one off the crossbar. Finally, Stars pulled Turco and the Nucks got not 1 but 2 empty netters. I still consider this a 2-1 decision though. Nonetheless we are off!

The series against Anaheim is going to be tough and brutal, with no quarter asked and none given. It starts Wednesday, which means the Canucks got penalized for letting it slip to game 7 by having almost no rest. I won't be suprised if we drop game 1, but we'll see what happens!

GO CANUCKS GO

To Inthesky: Too bad about your Flames eh?

inthesky

04-24-2007, 10:34 PM

^^ haha i guess so. but honestly, detroit was a better team the whole series. watching that game was torture, flames just couldnt penetrate the puck possessing tactics of the red wings. they were outshot 50-19(?), if it wasnt for kiprusoff, series would have been over in 4 games. lidstrom did an excellent job of shutting down iginla, and just overall they were able to keep the puck away from calgary with such quickness.. i dunno about the way they screen kipprusoff though, it seems like interference. i'm wasnt suprised when jamie McLennan snapped.

Other than that ugly aspect, kudos to them, i hope they make it far. but i do want a canadian team to take it this year. (maybe ur canucks?)

noname

04-25-2007, 09:26 PM

3 goals in 4 minutes set the tone for the Sabres against the Rangers in Game 1

CBC guy

04-25-2007, 10:15 PM

Brutal game by the Nucks, a 5-1 loss in game 1, but w/o Bieksa and Salo I guess it wasn't totally unexpected.

Anaheim is a freaking monster.

noname

04-27-2007, 07:51 AM

Quite unusual for Martin Brodeur to give up 4 goals in 1 period, off just 8 shots
Devils almost came back, but Sens held on
Lots of scoring for two "defense-minded" teams

CBC guy

04-28-2007, 03:01 PM

More updates:

Canucks 2-1 win in double OT over the Ducks. Selanne looks back in form, but Luongo stood on his head. So did Gigure, but Jeff Cowan the Bra-barian banked in a lucky shot off a strong forecheck by good old Trevor Linden and gave us the win.

Detroit let in 2 early goals against the Sharks but come back to tie the series with a strong third period, 3-2 the final score.

noname

04-29-2007, 10:41 PM

Yet another double-OT game in the playoffs - I believe more overtime games have needed 2 or more OT's to be decided than just 1.
Rangers back in the series with the Sabres (finally!)
Michael Rozsival scored the game-winning goal , after being hurt in Game 1

The previous night, the Devils needed 2 OT's to beat the Sens, and knot that series at 1-1

CBC guy

05-01-2007, 10:50 PM

AWWW FUCKING SHIT..... NO..... WE LOST A 2-0 LEAD... WAY TO GET MY HOPES UP BOYS....

We battled hard but standing back so much in the 3rd bit us in the ass....

The NHL playoffs are the best thing since sliced bread, but no wonder they cause so many nervous breakdowns. There might well be a riot in downtown Vancouver tonight.

noname

05-02-2007, 10:28 PM

For the second time in the series, Sharks lose a 2-goal lead against the Red Wings, and then the game, and that's accounted for Detroit's 2 wins.

I hope the Rangers continue playing well against the Sabres, holding them to just 2 goals in the last 2 games. Interesting series in that the officials have had to review a play in almost every game.

CBC guy

05-03-2007, 10:40 PM

Well, that's all she wrote for my beloved Vancouver Canucks. Another year, full of potential, has gone down to dissapointment. The Ducks were bigger, meaner, and most importantly, had more composure as the series wore on. We were the underdogs and it showed in that we just couldn't get over that final hurdle, which the Canucks had done on so many occasions from Christmas onward.

It always feels weird when the team you love is eliminated. One day, you're still so into it, the next day its like, "its over?!"

Luongo has been blooded in the playoffs now, and all we can do now is hope he has learned from this experience and can move on. Vancouver is in for another battle next year.

I won't alibi this playoff loss, but the Ducks were just a little bit better in all areas. The loss that hurt most was game 4 where we had a 2-0 lead in the 3rd and couldn't hold it.

Thus, that's all folks. I'll still post in this thread, but not as much.

noname

05-03-2007, 11:02 PM

Senators are now Canada's last hope for winning the Cup

CBC guy

05-05-2007, 10:02 PM

Ottawa advances! Beats NJD 3-2 to go through to the conference finals for the 1st time since 2003.

Detroit also beats SJ 4-1

noname

05-06-2007, 06:19 PM

CBC guy

05-06-2007, 08:46 PM

Too bad for that period in which the Rangers gave up 4 goals to the Sabres, but they put up a good fight both in that game, and for the series. But what could've been, when they had that lead with 7 seconds left in Game 5.

Sabres vs. Sens in the Eastern Conference Finals should be a fiercely fought series, with the bad blood between the two teams.

Wow 4-goal 2nd period for the Sabres. Rangers again battle but couldn't get it done in the end in MSG.

Eastern Finals should be fun to watch. Anaheim will play either Detroit or San Jose. The way it's going, I like Detroit's chances.

noname

05-07-2007, 09:22 PM

Western Conference Final is set, with Ducks to face Red Wings

CBC guy

05-08-2007, 04:26 PM

Sharks lose 2-0 in game 6 and Wings advance.

I'd pick the Ducks in 6 (they are way too strong) and the Sabres in 7.

noname

05-14-2007, 06:55 PM

A bit surprising that Senators have taken a commanding 3-0 lead on the Sabres

CBC guy

05-14-2007, 07:58 PM

A bit surprising that Senators have taken a commanding 3-0 lead on the Sabres

I'd say the Senators have been the better team in this series. Sabres looked more rattled than they should this time of year.

CBC guy

05-16-2007, 11:39 PM

Sabres stave off elimination with a 3-2 win that almost slipped away

Wings got a big 5-0 decision in Anaheim, Pronger suspended one game for hit from behind. Should be a bigger suspension IMO

CBC guy

05-23-2007, 09:39 PM

Anaheim and Ottawa play in the Finals! Go OTTAWA

Meanwhile, the Memorial Cup is in full swing in Vancouver. GO GIANTS

noname

06-06-2007, 07:28 PM

The Stanley Cup is going to Disneyland
For the third year in a row, a Canadian team reaches the finals, but loses
Chris Pronger gets to lift the Cup a year after just missing out

CBC guy

06-06-2007, 08:49 PM

Damn it Anaheim wins the Cup.

But at least Selanne wins it, so its not so bad. But yeah I was cheering for the Sens.

Well that wraps it up. 9 pages since October, not bad for a non-hockey forum LOL

kitchen

06-07-2007, 09:26 PM

maybe i'm bitter, but i'm sick of seeing teams in places that don't even get snow win the cup!

CBC guy

06-08-2007, 10:45 AM

LOL

http://forum.canucks.com/index.php?showtopic=162593 :biggrin:

We all hate Bettman don't we all.

CBC guy

06-14-2007, 07:34 PM

NHL awards:

Hart: Crosby
Pearson: Crosby (he got 2 awards?!)
Vezina: Brodeur
Selke: Brind'amour
Jack Adams: Our very own Alain Vigneault!
Norris: Lidstrom
Lady Byng: Datsyuk

http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=318418

PS: Iron Mike Keenan is officially the coach of the Calgary Flames. You guys have fun with him there. :tongue:

noname

07-03-2007, 01:51 PM

wow, Rangers got both Chris Drury and Scott Gomez on the first day of free agency.

Meanwhile, looks like the Sabres are quickly coming apart, with Briere and Zubrus also signing with other teams

tripostrophe

07-03-2007, 02:32 PM

epmd

07-04-2007, 01:18 PM

all that screaming for the sens and they come up short :(

big US teams are stocking up on the stars this off season... rangers, flyers, even the ducks got todd bertoozi. 3 canadian teams in the finals and 3 losses, could be the last year for that (how can canadian teams compete with all this movement down there (in the states)

CBC guy

07-04-2007, 06:56 PM

impressed that CBC was able to predict the Ducks getting into the finals.

I don't watch hockey much, but watched it a bit a few years back and found it rather entertaining...watched the finals between the Avalanche and the Devils I believe?

I'm the hockey man! :wink:

Ah yes the year Ray Bourque won the cup in 2001. I was so happy for him when he finally won it all.

As for the free agent signings, its been a crazy two days, and a bunch of posters have already beaten me to it, but looks like NYR and ANA have stocked up for a big push next season.

Brian Burke is loyal to Bertuzzi. Todd might (emphasis on *might*) have a big year next season. (If he doesn't wreck the dressing room LOL)

CBC guy

10-02-2007, 11:29 PM

Alright perhaps its time to revive this thread?

The NHL season has started already with the LA Kings and Anaheim Ducks exchanging 4-1 wins in London. I don't know why the NHL picked two teams on the West Coast to go to London for this, (I remember the Pittsburgh Penguins had to travel to Japan to play the Nashville Predators... ouch talk about loooong flights) Wouldn't it have been easier for say, the Sabres and the Rangers to play in London?

Anyways, the NHL season has once more sneaked up on us! I'm still getting used to the new jerseys, but I'm just hoping for a year of good, entertaining hockey.

Another pet peeve of mine is the retarded NHL schedule. Division Rivals play each other 8 times, including (new this season) the last 6 games or so of the regular season? That is brutal, as we don't get to see marquee teams from the other Conference. (Or once every 3 years) This experiment with division rivalries was interesting, but we should really wittle it down to 4 games/division rival and play EACH AND EVERY TEAM at least once a year.

Ok, let's get the party started! (Again, LOL)