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TJordan522

TJordan522

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Post any news/information about the NHL lockout or hockey in general here, or just complain about the absence of your sport. :cry:

Found this on a Detroit news site (Google News):

Q. There were rumors Thursday the Phoenix Coyotes and Anaheim Mighty Ducks were making preparations to begin training camp. Any truth to those rumors?

A. Apparently not. They were Internet rumors that were discredited.

The Coyotes supposedly were telling players to get ready to practice within the next seven days.

"Coach (Rick) Bowness may have contacted some players from time to time on a social basis," Coyotes representative Richard Nairn said. "But at no time did he tell players to be ready to report, and certainly not within the next week. The report is simply not true."

Michael Barnett, the Coyotes general manager, strongly backed Nairn.

"That's (the Internet report) completely erroneous," Barnett said. "I have not spoken to any members of our roster in two months. I don't even know where one-third of our roster is. Some of them are spread all over the globe. No one in our management group has contacted our players since November."

There was another report the Coyotes were ordering equipment in anticipation of a training camp.

The Coyotes had an explanation for that, too.

"We have been ordering equipment all season long because we supply our AHL team in Salt Lake City," Nairn said. "There's nothing to any of this stuff."

The Ducks denied any moves in anticipation of a season.

"There's no substance to that whatsoever," Ducks Coach Mike Babcock said.
 
brink_63753.jpg
 
I miss hockey more then anything.

My Leafs are playing in Europe. MY LEAFS!!! AGH!!!

If it wasn't for soccer/football...I don't know what I'd do.
 
College basketball is keeping me entertained. It's a sad existense...

Great, now I'm depressed because I can't watch hockey... I'm gonna go cry now...
 
Its bad when ESPN has to fill their normal NHL slots with crap like the Scrabble championships and arm wrestling.
I almost miss my Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts as much as my Wings.
 
[quote name='TJordan522'][quote name='punqsux']should i lock this thread to make it like the real nhl? :lol:[/quote]

Haha........... :cry:[/quote]

That's so cruel it's funny

you could lock it until/if the lock-out ends
 
[quote name='Zenithian Legend'][quote name='TJordan522'][quote name='punqsux']should i lock this thread to make it like the real nhl? :lol:[/quote]

Haha........... :cry:[/quote]

That's so cruel it's funny

you could lock it until/if the lock-out ends[/quote]

Then the thread would be locked for a few years...
 
[quote name='TJordan522'][quote name='Zenithian Legend'][quote name='TJordan522'][quote name='punqsux']should i lock this thread to make it like the real nhl? :lol:[/quote]

Haha........... :cry:[/quote]

That's so cruel it's funny

you could lock it until/if the lock-out ends[/quote]

Then the thread would be locked for a few years...[/quote]

haha sad but true. professional athletes seem to me to be the last line of workers that need MORE money, what they don''t get enough already?
i'll watch again in about ten years when most of the players have retired or burnouts and don't play anymore.
 
[quote name='Zenithian Legend']I see you're an optimist

but let me put it to you this way, if the NHL is locked out for more than 1 full year, it will die.[/quote]

have you seen the Motor City Mechanics yet? i hear thier actually pretty good...i just havent had a chance (until now) to go see a game. Oddly enough, this makes me miss the Vipers :)
 
No I haven't, I've been up at Mt Pleasant for quite awhile now, but now that I think about it I could've seen the Whalers recently since they had a game up in St Louis, which is really close to Mt Pleasant.
 
[quote name='Zenithian Legend']I see you're an optimist

but let me put it to you this way, if the NHL is locked out for more than 1 full year, it will die.[/quote]

Hopefully in the expansion / movement into new markets. The worse thing that ever happened was exapnding into the southern U.S. Atlanta? Nashville? Carolina? Florida? Tampa Bay? Phoenix? #-o

Bring back the old divisions, too. ADAMS, PATRICK, NORRIS, SMYTHE.

Make the owners realize that you can't pay players more than what you make and make the players understand that only a few niche markets will pay big bucks to see hockey (not expansion markets).

Smaller goalie pads, call holding penalties, bigger rinks, automatic icing calls, and no two-line offsides (keep 3 line) would make the game faster.

The NHL will be back, but corporate sponsorhip and corporate stadium deals (seats, boxes) will be WAY DOWN. TV coverage will be back to local and some ESPN coverage. The weak markets will have to fold, even with salary caps.
 
[quote name='Zenithian Legend']You want to bring back the old divisions... and yet you want to change the game to make it "faster" ](*,)[/quote]

The game was fast during the mid-80's. Why isn't defensive holding being called? Is it because the forwards today are fast? Why are goalie pads (and sticks) bigger than ever? I liked the Avs, but Patrick Roy's pads were as big as the damn net (and his XXXXL jersey!!).

BTW, the game today is BORING. It really is. Let the players play and score. And bring back the historical rivalries. I loved the Blues / Red Wings match ups.
 
goals-per-game.jpg

Goals per game 1946-1998

From Hockey Stats Study

Another thing to remember with the expansion fiasco is if you have more teams, you have more players that today can play in the NHL that otherwise would never have played if there were fewer teams. More teams = dilution of talent.
 
[quote name='johnnyoski']Its bad when ESPN has to fill their normal NHL slots with crap like the Scrabble championships and arm wrestling.
I almost miss my Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts as much as my Wings.[/quote]

Its worse when the Scrabble championship and arm wrestling are getting better ratings than regular season NHL games ever did.
 
Hey Cornfedwb... is anyone talking about the Blue Jackets? Or is hockey not exactly up there with NFL or MLB in Ohio (let alone OSU sports)?
 
[quote name='tickdude']
goals-per-game.jpg

Goals per game 1946-1998

From Hockey Stats Study

Another thing to remember with the expansion fiasco is if you have more teams, you have more players that today can play in the NHL that otherwise would never have played if there were fewer teams. More teams = dilution of talent.[/quote]

There are a couple of arguements against the dilution of talent arguement that I've seen that are pretty good. First of all is that if there are players who are less talented then the goal scoring of the talented players should go up. Seeing as how the star players should be able to skate circles around players who shouldn't be in the NHL.
Another is that when expansion started there weren't very many europeans in the NHL. So there have been an influx of europeans that could have caused the talent level to not drop as much.
And one more is that during the high scoring eighties it was a time when there were a lot of young players in the NHL as there seemed to be a slew of old timers retiring. It could be after a lockout that there will be quite a few old timers not returning allowing some of the inexperienced youngsters to play which in turn could cause more scoring.

More mistakes seems to equal more goals and higher scoring.
 
[quote name='Consummate Canuck'][quote name='tickdude']
goals-per-game.jpg

Goals per game 1946-1998

From Hockey Stats Study

Another thing to remember with the expansion fiasco is if you have more teams, you have more players that today can play in the NHL that otherwise would never have played if there were fewer teams. More teams = dilution of talent.[/quote]

There are a couple of arguements against the dilution of talent arguement that I've seen that are pretty good. First of all is that if there are players who are less talented then the goal scoring of the talented players should go up. Seeing as how the star players should be able to skate circles around players who shouldn't be in the NHL.
Another is that when expansion started there weren't very many europeans in the NHL. So there have been an influx of europeans that could have caused the talent level to not drop as much.
And one more is that during the high scoring eighties it was a time when there were a lot of young players in the NHL as there seemed to be a slew of old timers retiring. It could be after a lockout that there will be quite a few old timers not returning allowing some of the inexperienced youngsters to play which in turn could cause more scoring.

More mistakes seems to equal more goals and higher scoring.[/quote]

Good points, but if we look at positions, the goaltending pool is the least likely to depreciate with expansion. On the other hand, the other positions are more likely to have more mediocrity creep in, just because there are more job openings. I would suspect that this would actually decrease scoring (perhaps not chances but goals scored). Just an idea.

Still, I hope the players and management see eye to eye soon. And you guys in Canada need another team or two to bring the NHL back (Winnipeg? Quebec? Saskatoon?).
 
That is definitely true about the goaltending. Especially with the number of European goaltenders now in the league. Although with the increase in equipment sizes and a number of other rule changes it has allowed for a decrease in scoring. Also there is always the saying that you can't teach scoring but you can teach defense.

As far as Canadian teams go I can't really see how Phoenix has been a better market than Winnipeg. That move was bad but there was no one in Winnipeg who wanted to own the team and it wasn't being supported. Quebec, I'm not sure the circumstances there but it didn't see to much support either. Of course when you have bad teams that happens. Hard to say if Colorado will support the Avs if they ever start doing really bad. I'd like to see Winnipeg and Quebec back but I'm unsure of the viability of it. Saskatoon... Well I just can't see a hockey team surviving there.
 
[quote name='Consummate Canuck']Also there is always the saying that you can't teach scoring but you can teach defense.[/quote]

:lol:

[quote name='Consummate Canuck']As far as Canadian teams go I can't really see how Phoenix has been a better market than Winnipeg. That move was bad but there was no one in Winnipeg who wanted to own the team and it wasn't being supported. Quebec, I'm not sure the circumstances there but it didn't see to much support either. Of course when you have bad teams that happens. Hard to say if Colorado will support the Avs if they ever start doing really bad. I'd like to see Winnipeg and Quebec back but I'm unsure of the viability of it. Saskatoon... Well I just can't see a hockey team surviving there.[/quote]

I lived in St. Louis when there was talk of the team moving to Saskatoon. Wow, that was scary. I do not know much about Saskatoon except for the University. Not a big enough community, huh?

Phoenix is not as bad a place to have an NHL team as Nashville or Carolina. And the fans in Florida (for the Panthers and Tampa Bay) are fair-weather (from experience - look at the Marlins, for example) and not capable of supporting a team. I think what happened is these cities lure teams with lots of incentives and great revenues for the first few years, but if these teams do not win, attendance goes way down, and the promise of a sustainable hockey team disappears. Tampa Bay's attendance last year was great, but that was because of their great season and playoff appearance. Look at the Panthers - made it to the Stanley Cup, right? Then what happened? :whistle2:k

The Avs may survive, something that the Colorado Rockies hockey team could not. But where did the Rockies go? NJ and the Devils have been great as far as championships and hardcore fans.

I still believe you have to play the sport or be exposed to it, at least, when you are a kid, to fully appreciate it as an adult. Hockey and the southern U.S., for the most part, do not allow those opportunities unless you have the bucks, and rich kids have better career options than playing hockey.

It's a family thing in Canada and in Minnesota (I know...my wife is from Minnesota and it's a religion. The state high school hockey championship is TELEVISED, including the playoff matches. WOW!)
 
if they made goalie equipment smaller, that would suck a lot, just take out two-line passes, use the international rink size, and everything will be great

oh, and somehow win back the fans so they make money
 
To win back fans, you need 3 easy steps
-Get rid of offsides rule
-Less expansion teams, dammit!
-Need at least one super all star like Wayne Gretzky caliber.

And, go Penguins!
Mario Lemieux can destroy all of you guys!
Best goal ever in 2000? Dunno, sometime when he was the owner...
He was in the box for some penalty, gets out, skates full blast at the goal and someone passes him the puck. He shoots, scores.
Awesome goal :p
 
[quote name='Wshakspear'][quote name='Zenithian Legend']I see you're an optimist

but let me put it to you this way, if the NHL is locked out for more than 1 full year, it will die.[/quote]

have you seen the Motor City Mechanics yet? i hear thier actually pretty good...i just havent had a chance (until now) to go see a game. Oddly enough, this makes me miss the Vipers :)[/quote]

Sorry. Can't let myself shell out 10 bucks for a ticket to see a team whose mascot is the "Greasy Monkey".
 
I wana watch some Ranger hockey almost going into shock w/o hockey. To be honest i have not misses one ranger game for the past like 7 years.
 
[quote name='MrFriday18']I wana watch some Ranger hockey almost going into shock w/o hockey. To be honest i have not misses one ranger game for the past like 7 years.[/quote]

Sorry to hear you've had to put up watching that crap for the last 7 years. Ever since they won the Cup its almost like a new curse was placed on that team.
They have the league's highest payroll and still manage to miss the playoffs every year.
 
I really miss the NHL, too.. I'm SO sick of my friends raving about how great the MLB and NBA are and how hockey is a crappy, boring sport with overpaid whinos... It's sickening.. I even thought that the NHL had been improving lately. With the addition of the olympic hurry-up rule(dropping the puck at the face-off after 15 seconds no matter what), the game was starting to speed up. But yeah, there are still a lot of problems with the NHL. Hopefully it returns so that those problems can be fixed.

I'm pretty optimistic about the whole situation, though. After a whole year of this crap, the lower paid players are going to start getting restless. They won't have as easy of a time withstanding no paychecks as a Steve Yzerman or a Joe Sakic can. Even if the NHL never returns I expect to see those players being grouped together in some sort of new league. I saw rumors that the WHA might be brought back(It merged with the NHL what, in the late 80's, early 90's?), and that a lot of the players are eager to play whether it's the NHL or not. Another interesting rumor I read(this is all from links from fark.com, BTW) was that Canadian hockey enthusiasts were pushing to have the stanley cup playoffs with the best of the Canadian teams(college, minor league, etc). They're using the fact that Lord Stanley originally created the cup to be given to the best Canadian team each year. I haven't seen any progression with this, though.

Anyway, I'm rambling here. I'd love to see the NHL brought back; as a hockey player, referee, and spectator. But if it isn't, that isn't the end of professional hockey as we know it, either. In my mind, anyway. Just gotta wait and see, but like I said; I'm optimistic.

-Adam
 
[quote name='shadow9689']To win back fans, you need 3 easy steps
-Need at least one super all star like Wayne Gretzky caliber.
[/quote]

thats where mr sidney crosby will come in.

and whoever said expanding to the south was a bad idea is a moron, the point is to grow the love for hockey, not try to concentrate to part of the country, the thrashers coming here have made hockey a lot more popular down here
 
Another 3 on 3 meeting tomorrow...without Bettman or Goodenow!
:p

There's an editorial from Dan Wetzel today that summarizes the major points I was making yesterday...

The tipping point

Major points:
In essence, the Atlanta Thrashers can't continue to operate – let alone compete with Detroit, Colorado and Toronto – unless payrolls are severely limited. That's because the market for hockey in Atlanta can't compete with the market for hockey in Detroit, Denver and Toronto.

Expansion will be bumbling Bettman's legacy, once his tenure mercifully ends. He gambled the NHL's future on the concept that bringing the league to the South would draw in enough fans to make the league truly national.

It was a sucker's bet and now the chips are due.

And if you are a loyal hockey fan, you are about to pay for it with one (or maybe two) lost Stanley Cup chases.
Click to expand...

He refuses to admit that expansion watered down the talent base, killed off traditional rivals and confused longtime fans. He brushes off the fact the NHL's new deal with NBC is the same as the network has for arena football. He doesn't agree that the league is divided into markets that can sustain hockey and markets that can't, even if it is as obvious as a turnstile count.

Twelve years into his disastrous tenure, Bettman still thinks he's the smartest guy at the rink.

He insists on a salary cap that will save franchises which only need saving because they have too few fans who, barring a run to the Cup finals, actually care.

So people who love hockey aren't getting hockey as part of the pipe dream that people who don't get hockey might one day love hockey.
Click to expand...
 
^^^
That pretty much sums up the league's problem.
Expansion fees were a way for the league to make a quick buck and now that most of those franchises are about to go belly up.
 
[quote name='Zenithian Legend']God... what if, somehow, someway they get it together and play a 30-40 game season...oh that'd be orgasmic.[/quote] [-o
 
So what was this deadline of Jan 14th for?
I thought there was a definitive date for cancelling the season if no agreement was reached?
 
[quote name='johnnyoski']So what was this deadline of Jan 14th for?
I thought there was a definitive date for cancelling the season if no agreement was reached?[/quote]

That was to announce the All Star Game being cancelled, probably.
 
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