NHL '09/'10 Season Thread

[Mauser98k]

EDMONTON -- Edmonton Oilers goalie Nikolai Khabibulin is facing charges of drunk driving and speeding following an incident in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Khabibulin was pulled over in a black Ferrari that was seen speeding down a street just after midnight Feb. 8, officer Dave Pubins said Wednesday.

"The officer estimated the driver's speed to be well over 60 miles an hour, and the speed limit there was 45. In fact, his radar got the vehicle travelling at 70," Pubins said.

"The driver identified himself as Nikolai Khabibulin and the officer noticed that Khabibulin had an odour of alcohol emanating from him. Khabibulin also admitted to drinking earlier in the evening."

Khabibulin said he had consumed one glass of wine, according to a report prepared by the arresting officer, but had watery, bloodshot eyes and was speaking slowly.

He was booked on charges of driving under the influence and excessive speed and then released. He is due back in court Feb. 26.

Oilers General manger Steve Tambellini issued a statement late Wednesday saying the team was "aware of the reports from Phoenix."

"Nikolai has been fully cooperative with the authorities," Tambellini said in a statement. "Until the continuing legal process is completed we will have no further comment."

Khabibulin joined the Oilers in the off-season after stints with the Chicago Blackhawks, Phoenix Coyotes and the Winnipeg Jets, as well as a run with the Tampa Bay Lightning that included a Stanley Cup win in 2004.

The Oilers had high hopes for the 37-year-old Russian, and signed him to a four-year, US$15-million deal. But he has missed most of the season with back problems, and had season-ending surgery for a herniated disc last month.

 

[rodfarva]

Just about every of the top condending team could field another roster.

When I think of an American B team, several players right off the top of my head come to mind:

Modano
Guerin
Tkatchuk
Gomez
Martin
Okposo
Buflugyn
Connolly
Rolston
Oshie


There are many more American born NHLers as well. Considering guys like Fedorov and Jagr and ages 40 and 38 respectively, I really wonder about picking such a young team .

No other top contending team could field a roster anywhere close to the Canadians B Team. It's true, don't argue. And that list of players you put up is pathetic compared to the list of Canadian players I named. Modano? Tkachuk? Oshie? Byfuglien and Okposo will be great players in the future, but right now? They're not good enough to compete in the tournament at hand.

P.S. I am aware that Canada squeaked out a victory in the shootout against the Swiss, and that is inconsequential to everything that is being said about countries being able to field secondary rosters at the Olympics, so don't try to use it as a point to make because it's irrelevant.

P.P.S. That game against the Swiss was concerning. The Swiss played incredible defence against Canada, but we should have come to play. That was shameful. If we play with that lack of heart against the US, we will lose.

 

[Doc Scurlock]

No other top contending team could field a roster anywhere close to the Canadians B Team. It's true, don't argue. And that list of players you put up is pathetic compared to the list of Canadian players I named. Modano? Tkachuk? Oshie? Byfuglien and Okposo will be great players in the future, but right now? They're not good enough to compete in the tournament at hand.

P.S. I am aware that Canada squeaked out a victory in the shootout against the Swiss, and that is inconsequential to everything that is being said about countries being able to field secondary rosters at the Olympics, so don't try to use it as a point to make because it's irrelevant.

P.P.S. That game against the Swiss was concerning. The Swiss played incredible defence against Canada, but we should have come to play. That was shameful. If we play with that lack of heart against the US, we will lose.

Hopefully that was their wake-up call. Jonas Hiller, guy almost stole the game. Hey, Anaheim, we'll trade you our old drunken injured goalie for him, I'll even throw in a free trip to West Edmonton Mall for you.

 

[STDiva]

G: Brian Elliott (OTT), Chris Mason (STL), Marty Turco (DAL). (Obviously there's a huge drop-off in goaltending from the A team to the B team.)

No Cam Ward??

 

[feller469]

Swiss took Canada to a shoot-out before losing. Was Canada looking ahead to Sunday or is the pressure getting to them?

 

[PlasmaTwa2]

No Cam Ward??

Assuming that we are talking about these players when they are at their best, than yeah, he forgot Ward. Personally, if he had been healthy this entire season I would have taken him over Fleury.

 

[STDiva]

Assuming that we are talking about these players when they are at their best, than yeah, he forgot Ward. Personally, if he had been healthy this entire season I would have taken him over Fleury.

I'd take him over Luongo. Fleury would have been my starter.

 

[rodfarva]

No Cam Ward??

Based on this season, definitely not. 14-21-5 with a 2.73 GAA. Elliott, Mason, and Turco all have played much better this season. Ward would've been my number 3 before the season started, but he definitely lost his opportunity by playing so poorly.

 

[lachemo]

Im done with this Olympics shit, I need my Rangers back....

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

Swiss took Canada to a shoot-out before losing. Was Canada looking ahead to Sunday or is the pressure getting to them?

They sucked!

 

[lurkingdirk]

They sucked!

And yet, they won. :thefinger

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

And yet, they won. :thefinger

They should have creamed that team. It's laughable quite frankly. :1orglaugh

 

[PlasmaTwa2]

They should have creamed that team. It's laughable quite frankly. :1orglaugh

Russia should have creamed Slovakia, as well.

And as I recall, the Americans were having some troubles with Norway for about 90% of the game.

 

[rodfarva]

Russia should have creamed Slovakia, as well.

And as I recall, the Americans were having some troubles with Norway for about 90% of the game.

Well said.

 

[Mauser98k]

after being named the new head coach of the Norfolk Admirals not too long ago and compiling a record of 13-2-2, Jim Johnson has been named an Assistant Coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

former Lightning assistant coach Wes Walz was offered the job as head coach of the Admirals but was fired when he turned it down. i fear this may be the beginning of the seemingly traditional new ownership shitstorm.

 

[Thunderbolt]

after being named the new head coach of the Norfolk Admirals not too long ago and compiling a record of 13-2-2, Jim Johnson has been named an Assistant Coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

former Lightning assistant coach Wes Walz was offered the job as head coach of the Admirals but was fired when he turned it down. i fear this may be the beginning of the seemingly traditional new ownership shitstorm.

Let's just hope they don't fuck everything up.

 

[rodfarva]

Canada annihilated Russia. Canada is better than Russia. They always were better than Russia. I always knew this. Now you should know it too. The NHL puts the KHL to shame. If Canada comes to play like they did against Russia, they cannot lose, period.

When there are only six players out of their 23 who are worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as our 23 then you know they aren't as good. The rankings meant nothing because they weren't based on any kind of best-on-best results. The opinions of the experts meant nothing. You shouldn't have listened to them. All you had to do was look at the rosters and surmise for yourself who had the best team. If you had done that, the only answer would have been Canada.

On the other hand, one big thing I've noticed in this tournament so far is that the rest of the world is really catching up in terms of hockey. Norway gave Slovakia and the U.S. all they could handle, the Swiss gave Canada and the U.S. all they could handle, Germany gave Sweden and Finland all they could handle, Latvia gave the Czechs all they could handle, Slovakia beat Russia and Sweden. There have been very few easy games, even when they were supposed to be easy games.

P.S. I'm not saying Canada is guaranteed the gold medal by any means. Slovakia is no pushover, and if we face Finland or the U.S. for gold it'll be a great game. Anything can happen in a one-game elimination. The U.S. already beat us, thanks in no small part to Martin Brodeur's horrendous goaltending, so if we don't show up to play we won't win. But if we do, we can't lose.

P.P.S. Our team in Torino was a joke. We finished seventh because we were truly that bad. We lost to Russia then because Russia had a better team.

 

[PlasmaTwa2]

^ Of course we are better than Russia, but we are not 7-3 better. That score was more of a Russian failure than it was a Canadian victory. If Russia would have played Bryzgalov earlier, they might have had a chance. Why they didn't play him at the start of the second is beyond me.

 

[rodfarva]

^ Of course we are better than Russia, but we are not 7-3 better. That score was more of a Russian failure than it was a Canadian victory. If Russia would have played Bryzgalov earlier, they might have had a chance. Why they didn't play him at the start of the second is beyond me.

I agree with everything you're saying here. If Bryzgalov had played from the beginning it might not have been such a dominant performance and Bykov was crazy not to go with Brygalov to start the second. I do not agree that it was more of a Russian failure though. Canada played an exceptional game and nothing was going to stop them from winning it. Russia didn't fail. We shut down Ovechkin, something you thought was impossible. Our defence stepped up huge and made four of the big five forwards for Russia look invisible. Semin was the only one who played well out of those five. Maxim Afinogenov also played really well.

 

[rodfarva]

The Canadian women played an exceptional game against the U.S. today and won a well-deserved gold against an arguably superior team. The skill that Poulin showed was something I have never seen in women's hockey, which I have watched a lot of over the years. Shannon Szabados was phenomenal.

Maybe the Oilers should pay Szabados $7 million a year to play goal and let Shawn Horcoff go play for the Canadian women's team, if he could make it, that is.