NHL'13/'14 Thread
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One more piece of evidence that Ovechkin has no business being NOMINATED for the Hart this season ... let alone winning it. :nono:
http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/?id=2013021133-625-h
A league-worst -36 shouldn't be nominated for anything. It's very clear from that replay that Ovechkin didn't care whatsoever about losing his man and allowing a goal on that shift; he didn't even try to quicken his pace, he completely gave up on the play. That's who he is as a hockey player. He wasn't on offence, so he had no chance of shooting the puck at the net, so he didn't care what was going on at the time. A very talented, but one-dimensional player, who is, as talented as he is, hockey dumb.
Ryan Smyth announces that he will retire following Saturday's season finale:
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/ryan-smyth-announces-retirement-1.2606909
One of my all-time favourite players and Oilers. He may not have raised the Cup in his NHL career, but he won a Gold Medal in Salt Lake City, which puts him on a very short list of players who can make that claim. He's a hero and the day we traded him to the New York Islanders and I watched him cry in his press conference and say that "this is where my heart is" is one of the few moments in my life that has brought me to actual tears. Glad to see him retire as an Oiler (even if he held on for a year or two too long).
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/ryan-smyth-announces-retirement-1.2606909
One of my all-time favourite players and Oilers. He may not have raised the Cup in his NHL career, but he won a Gold Medal in Salt Lake City, which puts him on a very short list of players who can make that claim. He's a hero and the day we traded him to the New York Islanders and I watched him cry in his press conference and say that "this is where my heart is" is one of the few moments in my life that has brought me to actual tears. Glad to see him retire as an Oiler (even if he held on for a year or two too long).
Anyone think the Wild can do any damage in the PS? I expect them to be a challenge for whoever they face in the first round but I don't foresee them going past round two.
Personally I want the Blues to win it all, even more so than the Wild. I like Ryan Miller too much. The Blues were downtown the other day walking all around Rice Park. Ken Hitchcock actually walked right past me and my girl when we sitting on a bench. I missed Miller by a few minutes otherwise I would have got a picture with him.
Any way, I hope the Blues finally do it this year. But if they see us in the first round they could have their hands full. Any team that sees the Wild are in trouble in my opinion, especially is Bryzgalov plays like he has been the last few games.
Personally I want the Blues to win it all, even more so than the Wild. I like Ryan Miller too much. The Blues were downtown the other day walking all around Rice Park. Ken Hitchcock actually walked right past me and my girl when we sitting on a bench. I missed Miller by a few minutes otherwise I would have got a picture with him.
Any way, I hope the Blues finally do it this year. But if they see us in the first round they could have their hands full. Any team that sees the Wild are in trouble in my opinion, especially is Bryzgalov plays like he has been the last few games.
Has anyone been checking the papers for Jagger's obituary? 0-6 to close out the year... Damn. I thought he was just overreacting a couple weeks ago when he started talking about how the sky was falling (I've done this too, across multiple sports). I like the Blues, so I hope they figure it out pretty quick, because you probably aren't gonna get a lot of second chances in a series against the Blackhawks.
In other news, The Bruins will play Detroit. I'm a bit nervous about this, because the Wings' record and spot are deceptive. They're a great, talented, deep team. However, Boston is all those things and with better goaltending/system. We'll either beat them or beat ourselves, I think.
In other news, The Bruins will play Detroit. I'm a bit nervous about this, because the Wings' record and spot are deceptive. They're a great, talented, deep team. However, Boston is all those things and with better goaltending/system. We'll either beat them or beat ourselves, I think.
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
I had to go into hiding while the regular season was still with us. The past 2 weeks have been tough as I watched arguably the best team in the NHL possibly morph into the worst. Anyway, it's playoff time, everything starts anew. Bring on Chicago....we'd have to face 'em eventually anyway....might as well get it out of the way.
I lost all respect for Mike Yeo when he sent classic goon-squad member Mike Rupp out to take out T.J. Oshie with this deliberate headshot. At the time, it was highly probable that the Blues would be playing the Wild in the first round. Classless.
You know what time it is... (sorry, one day late):
My preseason prediction of Los Angeles over Pittsburgh is still possible, and I'm going to stick with it (even though Boston really does seem unbeatable in the East).
Honestly, I know some people are sick of hearing it, but it would be truly shocking to see anyone besides the Bruins win the East. The only other team that really looks like a legitimate Cup contender is MAYBE Pittsburgh. As for the West, however, WOW! This is a crapshoot if ever there was one! There are AT LEAST five teams that could come out of this and surprise no one: Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, St. Louis, and Chicago (and that's not even mentioning the #2 seed Colorado Avalanche!). That being said, it doesn't bode well if any of these teams gets beat up en route to the Finals and Boston/Pittsburgh only has to play one really competitive series en route. Now, THAT being said, this is playoff hockey and anything can happen, so let's enjoy it!
Western Conference
Colorado over Minnesota
St. Louis over Chicago (I know the Blues limped into the playoffs, but I'm going with my gut on this one)
Anaheim over Dallas
Los Angeles over San Jose (it could go the other way, and I think whoever wins this series could win it all; the Sharks have a younger and better roster than ever with a Cup-winning goaltender and less pressure than they've face in a LONG time. (And if I hadn't picked the Kings preseason I'd be picking the Sharks right now))
Eastern Conference
Boston over Detroit (kind of a worst-case scenario for a Presidents' Trophy winning team to have to face the playoff-hardened Red Wings in the first round. However, Tuukka Rask vs. Jimmy Howard... need I say more?)
Montreal over Tampa Bay (les Habitants FTW!!! I hope they take it all the way (hope))
Pittsburgh over Columbus
Philadelphia over New York Rangers (the Flyers could surprise some of us. Claude Giroux has been the hottest player in hockey since getting over his early-season struggles)
Award predictions
Hart Memorial Trophy: Sidney Crosby (recorded 17 more points than anyone else... I do think that Tuukka Rask deserves some consideration, but Sid the Kid will take it and probably should)
Vezina Trophy: Tuukka Rask (I think this is a no-brainer, but who are the other two nominees gonna be?!?!?! Semyon Varlamov led the league in wins and was third in save percentage (with a sparkling .927), so if he's not nominated then the NHL awards are broken (and let's face it, they are anyway; Ryan O'Reilly not being nominated for the Selke in '11/'12 and Nail Yakupov not being nominated for the Calder last season). And then there's Marc-Andre Fleury, Antti Niemi, Ben Bishop, Carey Price, Henrik Lundqvist, Kari Lehtonen, Steve Mason, Corey Crawford, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Jonathan Quick (all deserving))
James Norris Memorial Trophy: Duncan Keith (this should be a runaway, he's the best in the world)
Calder Memorial Trophy: Nathan MacKinnon (this kid is good! Ondrej Palat, Torey Krug, and Frederik Andersen are all pretty good too (though I think Andersen will be overlooked due to a lack of games played))
Frank J. Selke Trophy: Patrice Bergeron (I really think this ought to go to Gabriel Landeskog, but this award has become a bit perverted by perceptions rather than attention to evidence (such as statistics))
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Ryan O'Reilly (normally I would not care about this award, but listen to this: O'Reilly only committed ONE minor penalty all season (80 games played) and that ONE minor penalty was for playing with a broken stick (committed in his 72nd game of the season)! All of that while playing a clean two-way game and leading the league in takeaways with 83. That is Pavel Datsyuk territory!)
Jack Adams Award: Patrick Roy (complete runaway; from second-last in the league to second-best in the West without much of a change in player personnel is pretty impressive. I know some might say that Semyon Varlamov was a big difference-maker for them (which he was), but the team was 4th in goals (as opposed to 26th last season) and 15th in goals against, so their success did NOT rely on defence/goaltending)
P.S. My Vezina and Norris predictions are consistent with my preseason predictions.
My preseason prediction of Los Angeles over Pittsburgh is still possible, and I'm going to stick with it (even though Boston really does seem unbeatable in the East).
Honestly, I know some people are sick of hearing it, but it would be truly shocking to see anyone besides the Bruins win the East. The only other team that really looks like a legitimate Cup contender is MAYBE Pittsburgh. As for the West, however, WOW! This is a crapshoot if ever there was one! There are AT LEAST five teams that could come out of this and surprise no one: Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, St. Louis, and Chicago (and that's not even mentioning the #2 seed Colorado Avalanche!). That being said, it doesn't bode well if any of these teams gets beat up en route to the Finals and Boston/Pittsburgh only has to play one really competitive series en route. Now, THAT being said, this is playoff hockey and anything can happen, so let's enjoy it!
Western Conference
Colorado over Minnesota
St. Louis over Chicago (I know the Blues limped into the playoffs, but I'm going with my gut on this one)
Anaheim over Dallas
Los Angeles over San Jose (it could go the other way, and I think whoever wins this series could win it all; the Sharks have a younger and better roster than ever with a Cup-winning goaltender and less pressure than they've face in a LONG time. (And if I hadn't picked the Kings preseason I'd be picking the Sharks right now))
Eastern Conference
Boston over Detroit (kind of a worst-case scenario for a Presidents' Trophy winning team to have to face the playoff-hardened Red Wings in the first round. However, Tuukka Rask vs. Jimmy Howard... need I say more?)
Montreal over Tampa Bay (les Habitants FTW!!! I hope they take it all the way (hope))
Pittsburgh over Columbus
Philadelphia over New York Rangers (the Flyers could surprise some of us. Claude Giroux has been the hottest player in hockey since getting over his early-season struggles)
Award predictions
Hart Memorial Trophy: Sidney Crosby (recorded 17 more points than anyone else... I do think that Tuukka Rask deserves some consideration, but Sid the Kid will take it and probably should)
Vezina Trophy: Tuukka Rask (I think this is a no-brainer, but who are the other two nominees gonna be?!?!?! Semyon Varlamov led the league in wins and was third in save percentage (with a sparkling .927), so if he's not nominated then the NHL awards are broken (and let's face it, they are anyway; Ryan O'Reilly not being nominated for the Selke in '11/'12 and Nail Yakupov not being nominated for the Calder last season). And then there's Marc-Andre Fleury, Antti Niemi, Ben Bishop, Carey Price, Henrik Lundqvist, Kari Lehtonen, Steve Mason, Corey Crawford, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Jonathan Quick (all deserving))
James Norris Memorial Trophy: Duncan Keith (this should be a runaway, he's the best in the world)
Calder Memorial Trophy: Nathan MacKinnon (this kid is good! Ondrej Palat, Torey Krug, and Frederik Andersen are all pretty good too (though I think Andersen will be overlooked due to a lack of games played))
Frank J. Selke Trophy: Patrice Bergeron (I really think this ought to go to Gabriel Landeskog, but this award has become a bit perverted by perceptions rather than attention to evidence (such as statistics))
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Ryan O'Reilly (normally I would not care about this award, but listen to this: O'Reilly only committed ONE minor penalty all season (80 games played) and that ONE minor penalty was for playing with a broken stick (committed in his 72nd game of the season)! All of that while playing a clean two-way game and leading the league in takeaways with 83. That is Pavel Datsyuk territory!)
Jack Adams Award: Patrick Roy (complete runaway; from second-last in the league to second-best in the West without much of a change in player personnel is pretty impressive. I know some might say that Semyon Varlamov was a big difference-maker for them (which he was), but the team was 4th in goals (as opposed to 26th last season) and 15th in goals against, so their success did NOT rely on defence/goaltending)
P.S. My Vezina and Norris predictions are consistent with my preseason predictions.
Wild will probably get swept with the goaltending we're working with.
icerfan
Nikkala made me do it!
Filthy goal, just filthy.
I don't really know what's going on with Harding. The off season (which we'll be in within a week) should yield more insight on the mess of a goalie situation. IMO Kuemper should be the goalie of the next half decade and I am not sure about Harding. Brygalov didn't let in a bunch of junk but he's just not a guy I trust with the future. Harding led the league this season when he played in GAA and save percentage but not sure how his health will affect his situation going forward. Pretty sure Backstrom is done, although I would not mind seeing him continue on here but at a lesser hit to the cap.
Wicked!
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