NHL Season 07/08

[LasciviousXXX]

There's definitely not enough chatter in here about the great sport that is Hockey.

This is the place for it!!

Ok, two weeks in and we're seeing some surprising teams coming out and playing hard this year. Just have to give a shout out to my favorite team (and yours) the Detroit Red Wings who are 3rd in the league right now with an impressive start.

I have to say I'm also excited about the Ottawa's start so far as we see a Canadian team really show their dominance. Still on the fence about Calgary this year but I'm hoping they'll pick up momentum as the season wears on.

The Eastern conference has some really good matchup this week as I'm looking forward to the Hurricanes/Penguins game this Fri.


So let's talk Hockey!!!!

[gvarsity]

My Devils are in a rebuilding mode but working back to .500 so heres to a decent season.

Minnesota Wild are off to a hot start.

My Minnesota Golden Gopher won their Icebreaker tournement again to start the college season beating RPI and Michigan.

Here is to a winter of great hockey.

I'm surprised Icehog hasn't sounded off already.

[Bluesman]

Rangers fan here. I'm still waiting for them to make a believer out of me with the addition of Drury and Gomez this season.

[rx2010]

Avs fan here, hoping to make it up to Denver for a game or two this season


I really wish hockey were on TV more it's hard to keep up with games barely being on

[SmokeyJoe]

Love my Carolina Hurricanes! They are off to a great start... Could we once again posess:

[Darrell]

[SIZE=7]GO SHARKS!!!


[/SIZE]

[GHC_Hambone]

My sig says it all...

[yourchoice]

Originally Posted by SmokeyJoe

Love my Carolina Hurricanes! They are off to a great start... Could we once again posess:

Awesome photo there!!!

I'm hoping the Flyers play with more heart than they did last year. They're getting off to a better start so far!

Leauge wide, it should be interesting...Will San Jose live up to the hype? How far can Crosby carry Pittsburgh at 20 years old? Will Selanne play this year?

[LasciviousXXX]

Originally Posted by rx2010

Avs fan here, hoping to make it up to Denver for a game or two this season


I really wish hockey were on TV more it's hard to keep up with games barely being on

As an Avs fan I just have to say................ TURTLE!!!!!

Sorry couldn't resist. Yeah I was sorely disappointed with the lack of Hockey on any major channel so this year I switched to the Center Ice Package on DirecTV. 40 games per week is awesome! Also, they just started showing the center ice games in HD so WOOHOO!!

Bluesman, I think good things will happen for your team this year. Of course I'm partial to Brendan Shanahan and I was devastated when the Wings didn't renew him but I think Shany paired with Jagr and the addition of Drury will be a winning combination for the Rangers this year. One of my best buds is a Rangers fan... I constantly feel sorry for him

[LasciviousXXX]

SmokeyJoe, I really like Cam Ward's play so far this season. I think you can continue to expect good things from him this season if he continues to keep that save percentage up there. He's a fast flexible goalie and I think contributes a lot to the team.

However Cullen.... I don't know, I'm still on the fence.

[SmokeyJoe]

I know what you mean about Cam Ward... he is young, but as a former Conn Smythe winner - I am excited about his future. I think he has a lot of great hockey ahead of him...

And the Rangers! Shanahan is a beast, even at his age. Be interesting to see how much he changes the culture of that team. He is a winner - period.

Crosby is the variable... can he be the leader they expect him to be? All the skills in the world, but will he be mentally tough enough for the long haul? That captain's "C" could prove to be quite heavy.

Thanks for starting this thread. We need more hockey!

[rx2010]

Originally Posted by LasciviousXXX

As an Avs fan I just have to say................ TURTLE!!!!!

Sorry couldn't resist.

I gotta be honest, the thing that genuinely disappoints me nowadays are the Avs/Wings games

I remember from 96- about 2003ish, and especially in the 90's, they hated each other, HATED, now it's like, we used to not like each other

I miss Foote/Shanahan, Lemiuex/McCarty,Roy/Vernon/Osgood, all of those, that was hockey, some of the luster is gone now

[LasciviousXXX]

Originally Posted by SmokeyJoe

I know what you mean about Cam Ward... he is young, but as a former Conn Smythe winner - I am excited about his future. I think he has a lot of great hockey ahead of him...

And the Rangers! Shanahan is a beast, even at his age. Be interesting to see how much he changes the culture of that team. He is a winner - period.

Crosby is the variable... can he be the leader they expect him to be? All the skills in the world, but will he be mentally tough enough for the long haul? That captain's "C" could prove to be quite heavy.

Thanks for starting this thread. We need more hockey!

Too true, Hockey talk is good

I hear you about Shanahan. Coming from a winning dynasty like Detroit he brings a lot to the table for NY. I actually was really impressed with his playing with his one season with the Whalers (I miss that team) and I think he can definitely bring some much needed cohesiveness to the Rangers.

Crosby, he's always the talk of the town, and with good reason. Me personally I don't think he'll be able to pull it together as a Captain this season. I see him being awesome in about 3 years but right now he's just got too much going on, he just needs to buckle down and focus on his team and the game. I think we'll be seeing good things from him, just not as soon as everyone expected.

What's your thoughts on the Coyotes this year? I only really follow them because I live in AZ. I've seen them just muck it up for the past few seasons but I'm seeing some real hope this season.

[LasciviousXXX]

Originally Posted by rx2010

I gotta be honest, the thing that genuinely disappoints me nowadays are the Avs/Wings games

I remember from 96- about 2003ish, and especially in the 90's, they hated each other, HATED, now it's like, we used to not like each other

I miss Foote/Shanahan, Lemiuex/McCarty,Roy/Vernon/Osgood, all of those, that was hockey, some of the luster is gone now

I agree with you bro.

I think a lot of that is due in part to the new regulations of the game. Which granted make it a better technical Hockey game but you do lose some of that Raw energy that you used to feel when the teams play each other.

I think another thing that really added to the decline of the larger rivalries was the 04-05 lockout. I think with the new salary restrictions it got rid of a lot of the franchise/dynasty aspect of the game. Teams like Colorado and Detroit could no longer afford to keep the same players they had for years and with the exit of some of those players went a lot of the passion that lay in those rivalries. I damn near cried when they let McCarty go. He was bad-ass all the way and was just the spirit of the Wings during that time. Plus with years of longevity with the team and with his team-mates came the loyalty to them. So when Draper got hit, hell yeah he was pissed... that was his friend.

I think in general the salary restrictions and new rules of play are a positive for the sport but I definitely think you're right. It has hurt the larger dynasty teams.

[TripleF]

Well, I've got to get a plug in here for my favorite team, and NHL Stanley Cup Champions.......

The Tampa Bay Lightning.

Lookin' good right out of the gate at 3 -1