TOEWS ON THE BREAKAWAY!! Hawks lead the series 3-2 Only depressing thing about that goal is technically Crawford gets an assist meaning he has more points than Patrick Sharp
With the way the Chicago and St. Louis series is going, I'm gonna say that whoever comes out of it will either win it all, or will probably get swept in round 2 from exhaustion.
Look like Boston will likely finish off the Wings tonight, sadly. I was really hoping to see a Montreal vs. Detroit play-off series for the first time in my life. The last time we had one was freaking 1978!
Oh well, hopefully the Habs can ignore Boston's antics and goony play and beat them this year!
The Hossa penalty was utter nonsense, and Eddy Olczyk's justification was worse. Apparently if the puck has left your stick you aren't making a shooting or passing motion. I was under the impression that the purpose of shooting or passing was to make the puck leave your stick, but apparently I was mistaken.
Oh, and then Steve Ott tackled Johnathan Toews when he didn't have the puck and the response of the referee was to skate over and wag his finger. Great job officials, truly you are a credit to your profession.
Well, as much as I want the Blues to rally back, it appears the season is over for them. Great series, and good job to the 'Hawks! Wish I could've watched the game today :/
djones520 wrote: I can be sad that the Wings went down in the first round, but my spirit is uplifted by the fact that so did the Blues.
Shut yo pie hole! (and I say that with love)
I don't think we'd resign Miller after this either.
Now all I ask is if someone would thrash the 'Hawks next.
Don't fall into the same routine that many idiot Redwings fans do, and blame the goalie for the teams failures.
Miller has been playing good hockey. There were times were he had room for improvement, sure, but over all he's played well. Your team only scored 1 goal. They didn't lose because Chicago scored, they lost because they couldn't score.
djones520 wrote: I can be sad that the Wings went down in the first round, but my spirit is uplifted by the fact that so did the Blues.
Shut yo pie hole! (and I say that with love)
I don't think we'd resign Miller after this either.
Now all I ask is if someone would thrash the 'Hawks next.
Don't fall into the same routine that many idiot Redwings fans do, and blame the goalie for the teams failures.
Miller has been playing good hockey. There were times were he had room for improvement, sure, but over all he's played well. Your team only scored 1 goal. They didn't lose because Chicago scored, they lost because they couldn't score.
Same exact reason Detroit lost.
Yeah I know... I would be stoked if he signed with us... but, I can see Blues fans blaming it all on him.
We couldn't scored for gak... that's the real problem.
Yeah the Blues had what 2 PP goals on a feth ton of opportunities and couldn't get it in the net Apart form the 3rd tonight and the Toews goal in the 1-0 win Miller has been really very solid throughout the series
I did not know Trevor Daley had wheels like that, two really nice goals...
Also the Blues should definitely re-sign Miller, preferably before the entry draft, so you can give the Sabres your 1st rounder. Clearly you guys couldn't fulfill the "make it to the conference final" part of that agreement, so you'll have to make it up to us by inking him to a nice new contract
rabidguineapig wrote: I did not know Trevor Daley had wheels like that, two really nice goals...
Also the Blues should definitely re-sign Miller, preferably before the entry draft, so you can give the Sabres your 1st rounder. Clearly you guys couldn't fulfill the "make it to the conference final" part of that agreement, so you'll have to make it up to us by inking him to a nice new contract
I'd be down with that... but we actually have a very good goalie in the minors who's ready for the NHL.
Tough decision really.
I'd be okay with NOT resigning Miller if we'd us that money to get a pure sniper somehow.
Ya if Allen comes up and plays well you're set, it'll absolutely come down to how much money Miller is gonna want this summer. I could see him going to Minny to join all his ex-Sabre buddies too. They seem to be splashing the cash lately.
rabidguineapig wrote: Ya if Allen comes up and plays well you're set, it'll absolutely come down to how much money Miller is gonna want this summer. I could see him going to Minny to join all his ex-Sabre buddies too. They seem to be splashing the cash lately.
Actually, if Anaheim wants him... he's going to be a "Duck".
His wife works in Hollywood...
We'll see.
I'm rooting for the Ducks now. I would root for the Wings had they defeated Boston.
I don' think the Sharks are going to make it either :( Kings definitely have the momentum and the Sharks haven't played a solid period of hockey since 2nd period of Game 3 (they REALLY started nosediving in the 3rd period of Game 3), doesn't help when the officiating is this terrible either, last nights game... I was screaming at the TV...
Quick left the net and started fighting with Thornton even though Thornton didn't touch him and the Sharks put the puck in the net (on the whistle). The refs disallowed the goal (nobody was really surprised) and gave San Jose the penalty.
Stalock blocked a shot and had the puck covered up for like 5 seconds and he kept looking at the ref (and presumably yelling at him to blow the whistle), a Kings player used his stick to push Stalock into the net and force the puck out from between his legs... they gave the Kings the point, even though he very clearly stopped the puck and had control for more than long enough to warrant the whistle (and the Kings only started pressuring him again when they realized he wasn't getting the whistle).
At one point Kopitar grabbed a Sharks players stick, they gave the Sharks player a penalty for hooking.
Like seriously, just hand the Kings the goddamned series at this point.
Man I was hoping that Pittsburgh would blow it, Lumbus came so close. I'll basically be rooting for whichever Western team makes it to the cup final, I strongly dislike all Eastern teams with the exception of Montreal but I can't see them getting through Boston.
If Steve Mason can repeat that performance then the Flyers stand a good chance of beating the Rangers at Maddison.
Hopefully the wild can pull off a shock win tonight but in all honesty the game is the Avs to lose: same situation for San Jose although the Kings do have a bit more momentum and Quick deserves a huge amount of credit for keeping the Kings in that series.
One thing on facebook that's really been bugging me is about ~25% of the comments on Blackhawks stuff is people saying we should ditch Crawford and should never of let Niemi go. Niemi is a great goaltender as well but I just don't get this hate for specific sports figures in Chicago. I mean Corey Crawford and Jay Cutler could solve world hunger, solve the problem in the middle east and cure cancer and still a large chunk of Chicago fans would hate them.
I also find it funny how my cousin hasn't yet twigged I'm not a Canadiens fan
Stalock blocked a shot and had the puck covered up for like 5 seconds and he kept looking at the ref (and presumably yelling at him to blow the whistle), a Kings player used his stick to push Stalock into the net and force the puck out from between his legs... they gave the Kings the point, even though he very clearly stopped the puck and had control for more than long enough to warrant the whistle (and the Kings only started pressuring him again when they realized he wasn't getting the whistle).
.
I saw that and it looked like Stalock was looking to the refs to get them to blow the whistle because he knew the puck was underneath him but he didn't know where it was.
So despite P.K being a complete liability as an actual defenseman, the Habs still managed to pull it out by the skin of their teeth! (Too bad that dumb*** P.K had to score twice, including the winner.)
Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote: Well the Hawks are 1-0 after one but had a second goal stolen by the refs
And the Pens had a goal allowed that shouldn't have been.
But that one is more on the NHL being too stupid to allow proper video review than the ref's incompetence!
They won game 3 4-0
We looked extremely mediocre for the most part and just weren't getting good shots when we were in their zone, that being said Andrew Shaw did go out in game 2 and didn'tplay game 3 and he really is the guy who's job it is to screen the goalie so it probably didn't help. Nick Leddy also got benched for that dumb penalty he took in game 2.
Dear God, Boston are providing a tense series against Montreal. As much as I want Boston to win no sure thing the way it is going in swings and roundabouts. Can see this, and most of the games at this point going all the way to game 7.
mega_bassist wrote: Yeah, and the Pens got the boot, too. I'm pretty sure the Sharks are going to come out with a win tonight.
And that hit was gnarly.
I'm sure the Sharks will come out with a win tonight
I'm happy, Hawks won and the Penguins were knocked out Ducks should win their series but never count out Jonathan Quick, and i hope to god the Canadiens don't win
So Boston just lost 3-1 to Montreal, now I can't see the Rangers beating out Carey Price unless Lundqvist goes on a hotter hot streak than Price;s.
It also means both Ducks and Hawks would have home ice advantage should either make it
Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote: So Boston just lost 3-1 to Montreal, now I can't see the Rangers beating out Carey Price unless Lundqvist goes on a hotter hot streak than Price;s.
It also means both Ducks and Hawks would have home ice advantage should either make it
GO HABS GO!!!
Nothing sweeter this time of year than bouncing the big bad Bruins... well, except maybe bouncing those Make-ya-Laughs, but that would first require them to actually avoid their traditional Failuary/March Sadness implosion!
Can't wait for another original six series!
Here's hoping the Hawks win the west and we can enjoy an original six Cup final for the first time since basically forever.
Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote: So Boston just lost 3-1 to Montreal, now I can't see the Rangers beating out Carey Price unless Lundqvist goes on a hotter hot streak than Price;s.
It also means both Ducks and Hawks would have home ice advantage should either make it
GO HABS GO!!!
Nothing sweeter this time of year than bouncing the big bad Bruins... well, except maybe bouncing those Make-ya-Laughs, but that would first require them to actually avoid their traditional Failuary/March Sadness implosion!
Can't wait for another original six series!
Here's hoping the Hawks win the west and we can enjoy an original six Cup final for the first time since basically forever.
You mean firs original 6 final since last year of course right?
What happened to the Sharks? The usual playoff performance of the team, that's what. This was the last straw for me. They've lost me as a fan with their piss poor performances in the playoffs year after year. I've gotten rid of any Sharks gear I have and won't be back as a fan till they can prove to me that they can win when it counts in the playoffs.
What happened to the Sharks? The usual playoff performance of the team, that's what. This was the last straw for me. They've lost me as a fan with their piss poor performances in the playoffs year after year. I've gotten rid of any Sharks gear I have and won't be back as a fan till they can prove to me that they can win when it counts in the playoffs.
mega_bassist wrote: For a second, I thought I was watching wrestling. There's no way that was just holding.
The NHL needs an "assault/battery" penalty. Jeebus. o.O
In some OT Hockey news: The Blues decided to resign Elliot and let Miller go.
I'm hoping they can sign some offence in the offseason.
That trade looks a little less awful for you now that it's only a 3rd round pick instead of a first, eh? I was hoping Miller wouldn't fall flat on his face because I like him, but the added bonus of a contract in St Louis and a 1st rounder to B-Lo would have been nice
whembly wrote: Just wanted to say that last night's Kings vs Hawks was something else...
Why or why did the hawks let off the gas pedal?
Strange game.
i wouldnt say we let off the gas peddle, quick made a lot of A+ saves. The biggest issue is we get 0 production out of our top 6 forwards and once the kings started to push Q started to double shift the top 6 which were garbage last night. Crow is generally good for 1 meltdown a series, glad he got it out of the way early. Should last through the cup now
Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote: So the Hawks seem to be doing their best to repeat last years series against Detroit, it does not make for a good sleep schedule
i might be the biggest hawks fan around, but I'm not sold on them being able to win 6 and 7. I dont think you can beat the Kings when getting very little product from your top players not to mention the poor defensive showing last night, with the exception of the first OT the hawks defense was poor at best. and dont get me started on faceoffs
i might be the biggest hawks fan around, but I'm not sold on them being able to win 6 and 7. I dont think you can beat the Kings when getting very little product from your top players not to mention the poor defensive showing last night, with the exception of the first OT the hawks defense was poor at best. and dont get me started on faceoffs
Don't forget officials that don't call obvious tripping penalties on scoring chances.
i might be the biggest hawks fan around, but I'm not sold on them being able to win 6 and 7. I dont think you can beat the Kings when getting very little product from your top players not to mention the poor defensive showing last night, with the exception of the first OT the hawks defense was poor at best. and dont get me started on faceoffs
Don't forget officials that don't call obvious tripping penalties on scoring chances.
with as crappy as the hawks power play has been I dont get too upset when we dont get a call, I wish we could just trade power plays for 2 minute run offs
with as crappy as the hawks power play has been I dont get too upset when we dont get a call, I wish we could just trade power plays for 2 minute run offs
I don't care if the 'Hawks win or lose, my beef is with the incompetence of the officials, the NHL, and the media.
Don't forget officials that don't call obvious tripping penalties on scoring chances.
and
dogma wrote:
I don't care if the 'Hawks win or lose, my beef is with the incompetence of the officials, the NHL, and the media.
I wonder, if the tripping penalties you mentioned really were obvious, is this really just incompetence?
This is a professional sport with money riding on it, would crass incompetence be allowed to proliferate that far?
Is there a pattern here, in your opinion do these incidences of 'incompetence' form a pattern or are they random.
If the latter you just need better officials.
Otherwise the NHL just got interesting.
I wonder, if the tripping penalties you mentioned really were obvious, is this really just incompetence?
This is a professional sport with money riding on it, would crass incompetence be allowed to proliferate that far?
John Madden was a football announcer for years, and Mike Ditka is still heralded in Chicago. Both succeeded on dumb luck.
So, yeah, incompetence is allowed to proliferate that far.
Is there a pattern here, in your opinion do these incidences of 'incompetence' form a pattern or are they random.
Of course there is a pattern. The NHL wants to maintain "playoff hockey" because they can use it in marketing, and placate many owners (and fans) who want the rules to dissolve after the regular season.
The conspiracy theorist in me also considers that the NHL desperately wants an NY LA final.
I wonder, if the tripping penalties you mentioned really were obvious, is this really just incompetence?
This is a professional sport with money riding on it, would crass incompetence be allowed to proliferate that far?
John Madden was a football announcer for years, and Mike Ditka is still heralded in Chicago. Both succeeded on dumb luck.
So, yeah, incompetence is allowed to proliferate that far.
John Madden did not succeed on dumb luck. The guy was actually quite a football genius. While he was the coach of the Oakland Raiders, he won Superbowls with them in what were the last times that they got there with a "defensive team", he really knew what the feth he was doing with a defense. Part of his success in the booth as a broadcaster was because he was so good at breaking down what would otherwise be complicated football concepts to the common idiot, and/or spouse who may be watching the game..
If we're really looking at incompetence proliferating, just look at Jerry Jones
John Madden did not succeed on dumb luck. The guy was actually quite a football genius. While he was the coach of the Oakland Raiders, he won Superbowls with them in what were the last times that they got there with a "defensive team", he really knew what the feth he was doing with a defense.
He won a Superbowl, thanks to the talent around him. Though I'll give him credit; he was a good coach. But he was also a gakky broadcaster.
Part of his success in the booth as a broadcaster was because he was so good at breaking down what would otherwise be complicated football concepts to the common idiot, and/or spouse who may be watching the game..
He oversimplified, often awkwardly.
To bring it back to the NHL I regard Madden in the same way I regard Don Cherry.
To bring it back to the NHL I regard Madden in the same way I regard Don Cherry.
Not sure who it is on NBCSN, but I'd equate him with Madden... With his brilliant analysis of "these guys really showed a lot more hustle than the other guys, and the scoreboard reflects that hustle".... ya don't say?
Of course there is a pattern. The NHL wants to maintain "playoff hockey" because they can use it in marketing, and placate many owners (and fans) who want the rules to dissolve after the regular season.
Ok, food for thought. Often crashing incompetence is not conspiracy per se, but cronyism. Could officials be naturally incompetent because of a jobs-for-the-boys mentality that doesn't reward competence but connections?.
If so wont that work with two other representative cities?
Not really, because Chicago is a "Western" team, but they really aren't coastal at all... Personally, I would think that if officials are really trying to game anything, they'd be wanting a Chicago/NY matchup.... Either way you slice it, they probably don't want to see Montreal playing for the cup
Ok, food for thought. Often crashing incompetence is not conspiracy per se, but cronyism. Could officials be naturally incompetent because of a jobs-for-the-boys mentality that doesn't reward competence but connections?.
Its possible, but as I am lead to understand there is a shortage of officials at the NHL level. As such I think its a case of "Take what you can get." with heavy doses of poor rule writing and league managment.
For the East Coast vs West Coast showdown yes?
If so wont that work with two other representative cities?
No.
La and NY are the two largest markets in the NHL, so a Stanley Cup series pitting those teams against one another will likely have high viewership, and therefore generate more revenue for the league.
As a general addendum: there were many awful missed and poor calls in the Candiens Rangers game.
Apparently skating behind your own net and into offensive player is interference, and crashing the net while in possession of puck is goalie interference.
rabidguineapig wrote: NY and LA might be two of the largest NHL cities but they are certainly not the biggest NHL markets, especially not LA.
A Toronto/Vancouver series would attract nearly every eye in both metros, so ~8 million people.
That's about half as many people that live in the LA metro (~16 million). If we include the NYC metro we're looking at a number around 36 million. If even 25% of that audience watches the series it means more money for the NHL than Toronto/Vancouver, or 'Hawks/Candiens, could ever provide.
What a clutch period from Crawford, Quick looks really pissed off at the end of the period as well
Automatically Appended Next Post: Hawks force game 7!!! Kane has been absolutely clutch these past two games (7 Points, 2 G 5 A ) and his line (Saad - Shaw - Kane) have blown open the Kings defence Crawford has also been phenomenal and other players like Ben Smith have really stepped up to help the Hawks
Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote: What a clutch period from Crawford, Quick looks really pissed off at the end of the period as well
Automatically Appended Next Post: Hawks force game 7!!!
Kane has been absolutely clutch these past two games (7 Points, 2 G 5 A ) and his line (Saad - Shaw - Kane) have blown open the Kings defence
Crawford has also been phenomenal and other players like Ben Smith have really stepped up to help the Hawks
i rather liked watching crow stand at the line at the end of the period waiting for quick, quick bumps him and then crow starts shaking his gloves asking quick if he wants to go. Crow is the most underrated goalie in the league and never gets any of the credit he deserves
That was pretty funny and I think it rattled Quick a bit
I like Crawford and he is one of the top goaltenders but other goalies like Quick, Price, Lundqvist, Rask and potentially Niemi are better but when Crawford shows up like he did last night in the playoffs he can really do it all.
rabidguineapig wrote: NY and LA might be two of the largest NHL cities but they are certainly not the biggest NHL markets, especially not LA.
A Toronto/Vancouver series would attract nearly every eye in both metros, so ~8 million people.
That's about half as many people that live in the LA metro (~16 million). If we include the NYC metro we're looking at a number around 36 million. If even 25% of that audience watches the series it means more money for the NHL than Toronto/Vancouver, or 'Hawks/Candiens, could ever provide.
Buffalo had a higher TV rating for Game 7 than LA did... It doesn't matter how many people live in LA, a vast majority simply don't care about hockey.
(@NBCSportsPR) June 02, 2014
That number is thanks in large part to Chicago’s group of dedicated hockey fans. Chicago posted a 22.7 overnight rating for Game 7, easily the highest-rated TV market in the country. However, there were three other markets that either surpassed or approached the number in Los Angeles (4.8).
1. Chicago (22.7)
2. Buffalo (7.3)
3. Los Angeles (4.8)
4. Minneapolis/St. Paul (4.3)
5. Boston (3.9)
This is from: nesn.com/2014/06/blackhawks-kings-game-7-sets-tv-ratings-records/
I am not a hockey person at all but living in Canada makes me feel obligated to care. I don't know much about it but I looked up the teams and LAs roster seems to be about 70% Canadians so I will be cheering for them!
I hope he doesn't let the door hit him on the way out. I have no problems with Spezza as a person, but he just wasn't as good this year as he was last year when he could hide in a line with a little more talent.
Devils are in the market for a couple top 6 forwards, rumors say we're looking at Spezza, Statsny, Vrbata, possibly Vanek (as its questionable as to whether or not the Wild can make him a serious offer), Callahan, Lecavalier, and apparrently the Leafs are shopping almost the entire team lol.
djones520 wrote: Don't blame the team for the fans. The team won that cup, they earned it. Don't rain on their parade cause their fans are douches.
Don't care.
I will say this is quite possibly one of the top 5 greatest journeys in sports playoffs. I'm still shocked how it happened.
Would rather even see the red wings, a team I hate as much as any other sports team win it.
Outside of Rivalries, I hate teams associated with fair weather and bandwagon fans. Worse than those "disgusting fans" Like Raider fans. Or anyone from Philly.
chaos0xomega wrote: Devils are in the market for a couple top 6 forwards, rumors say we're looking at Spezza, Statsny, Vrbata, possibly Vanek (as its questionable as to whether or not the Wild can make him a serious offer), Callahan, Lecavalier, and apparrently the Leafs are shopping almost the entire teamlol.
djones520 wrote: Don't blame the team for the fans. The team won that cup, they earned it. Don't rain on their parade cause their fans are douches.
They could have done us all a favor and at least tanked a bit till game 6 or 7... now I'm gonna have to hear about gak like basketball and soccer
You'd have to anyways. ESPN's official policy is that high school lacrosse is a better draw then NHL. I'm sure they spent a whole 2 minutes discussing the victory today, and then went on to regail us with WNBA for an hour.
djones520 wrote: Don't blame the team for the fans. The team won that cup, they earned it. Don't rain on their parade cause their fans are douches.
This is how I feel about it. I mean, they're the ones who out-played the other teams...they deserve the right to have the trophy.
not to mention this happens in every single sport, fair weather band wagon jumping fans are a part of sports. The majority of the people in my section at the Hawks victory rally last year didnt know the first think about hockey. The world cup is another great example, every 4 years Americans care about soccer
Piston Honda wrote: Ugh, seeing LA hoist the legendary Lord Stanley is disgusting.
As much as I hate the Rangers, I would rather have seen a dedicated fan base enjoy the moment.
Not a team that ranked 29th in viewership and suddenly has a bunch of fans.
Not sure what dedicated Rangers fanbase you're referring to lol, most of the Rangers 'fans' I know/have met over the past few weeks don't know that they haven't been to a Final in 20 years, can't name the goalie let alone two other players, etc. etc. Can you say, all aboard the bandwagon?
What was it, there was that popular quote, if the Ranges had to leave New York only 18,500 people would care? lol
What was it, there was that popular quote, if the Ranges had to leave New York only 18,500 people would care? lol
Much the same was said of the Blackhawks, then ~2 million people showed up for the 2010 parade. Cities with O-6 teams have dedicated, if frustrated, fan bases.
Piston Honda wrote: Ugh, seeing LA hoist the legendary Lord Stanley is disgusting.
As much as I hate the Rangers, I would rather have seen a dedicated fan base enjoy the moment.
Not a team that ranked 29th in viewership and suddenly has a bunch of fans.
Not sure what dedicated Rangers fanbase you're referring to lol, most of the Rangers 'fans' I know/have met over the past few weeks don't know that they haven't been to a Final in 20 years, can't name the goalie let alone two other players, etc. etc. Can you say, all aboard the bandwagon?
What was it, there was that popular quote, if the Ranges had to leave New York only 18,500 people would care? lol
At least rangers fans can say they were in the top 10 in tv viewership.
I am shocked that all top view avg. viewership were American teams.
Being a devils fan, it sucks seeing my team have gakky ratings.
I know devils fans are few but loyal, but the worse of them are the ones that show up when the Devils do well and the FLyers or Rangers are sucking ass. Makes me feel like the Devs are a substitute team for the "average" fan in the NY/NJ/Phi area.
I was looking at some viewership compared to MLS (major league soccer) I'm shocked to see quite a few teams in that league have better ratings than a number of NHL teams.
hope this does not spell doom for NHL coverage, there is already so little of it already. I've seen more about the Miami heat losing and what will happen to the BIG 3 than the entire series of the Stanley cup. Which got about 2 to 3 minutes of coverage per game.
edit: realized the viewership was for US based teams only. Wonder what Canada's ratings are like?
Not a great day for the hawks, the entire division top to bottom got better, Richards wasnt my first or second choice but I think hes still got some life left in the lefts and its a pretty cap friendly contract
ironicsilence wrote: Not a great day for the hawks, the entire division top to bottom got better, Richards wasnt my first or second choice but I think hes still got some life left in the lefts and its a pretty cap friendly contract
Yeah, Dallas just stocked up heavy. Minnesota should be a pretty rough contender as well. I'm not seeing any real huge changes with the other teams in the division though.
Ryan miller off to Vancouver, I wonder how long he'll last before being traded Blackhawks also managed to sign Brad Richards who should fill the void at the second line's centre.
God... I hope we trade him before preseason's over. Honestly, we should never have gotten rid of Schneider. IMO he was tons better than Luongo.
Yeah, I don't like that acquisition at all. Vancouver should be in rebuilding mode, and a 33 year old goalie isn't going to cut it; especially with an 18 million USD contract.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Piston Honda wrote: seems like the West is home to all the power house teams and probably the fav. will come out of the west once again. what is it 4 out of the last 5?
Its been that way for a while. In the last 25 years the only Eastern teams consistently favored to win the Cup have been the Devils and the Penguins.
edit: realized the viewership was for US based teams only. Wonder what Canada's ratings are like?
Hard to say. Nielsen is in an adversarial partnership with a company called BBM that uses a separate (and less intrusive) methodology which Nielsen does not trust.
Piston Honda wrote: Ugh, seeing LA hoist the legendary Lord Stanley is disgusting.
As much as I hate the Rangers, I would rather have seen a dedicated fan base enjoy the moment.
Not a team that ranked 29th in viewership and suddenly has a bunch of fans.
Not sure what dedicated Rangers fanbase you're referring to lol, most of the Rangers 'fans' I know/have met over the past few weeks don't know that they haven't been to a Final in 20 years, can't name the goalie let alone two other players, etc. etc. Can you say, all aboard the bandwagon?
What was it, there was that popular quote, if the Ranges had to leave New York only 18,500 people would care? lol
At least rangers fans can say they were in the top 10 in tv viewership.
I am shocked that all top view avg. viewership were American teams.
Being a devils fan, it sucks seeing my team have gakky ratings.
I know devils fans are few but loyal, but the worse of them are the ones that show up when the Devils do well and the FLyers or Rangers are sucking ass. Makes me feel like the Devs are a substitute team for the "average" fan in the NY/NJ/Phi area.
I was looking at some viewership compared to MLS (major league soccer) I'm shocked to see quite a few teams in that league have better ratings than a number of NHL teams.
hope this does not spell doom for NHL coverage, there is already so little of it already. I've seen more about the Miami heat losing and what will happen to the BIG 3 than the entire series of the Stanley cup. Which got about 2 to 3 minutes of coverage per game.
edit: realized the viewership was for US based teams only. Wonder what Canada's ratings are like?
If this included international viewership (which is frequently done via online streaming) Devils would have higher ratings, we have a pretty large following outside of New Jersey, especially in the Czech Republic (and I'm guessing thats only going to grow as we just signed Havlat).
Also realize that the past 2 years the Devils haven't been doing too hot, sadly American hockey fans, especially Devils fans, tend to be a somewhat fickle bunch.
Anyway, my thoughts on the first day of free agent frenzy:
-Tampa Bay, much like the state of Florida, has evidently become New Yorks retirement home, though I think their new additions make them a serious force to be reckoned with this coming season.
-The Rangers are paying Tanner Glass upwards of 1 million USD a year to be one of the worst players in the NHL.
-Most of the Western Conference teams that aren't in Canada seriously got scary good on offense (Blues, Wild, Stars, Avalanche I'm looking at you especially), but for the most part continue to suffer from a lack of solid Defense and Goaltending which keeps them from being serious contenders for the cup IMO.
-The Sharks didn't make any big moves, kinda okay with it, but kinda disappointed. Somethings gotta give in San Jose, they are too great a team to not have ever won a cup
-Penguins didn't really seem to address any of the issues that seriously plagued them the past few seasons in their attempts at re-winning the cup, still overly reliant on Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury who haven't really been showing up for them in the postseason, mostly just small name signings, etc.
-Flyers seem to be in a similar holding pattern of 'meh', also pretty sure they're over the cap limit unless the rumors they're trying to shift Lecvalier are true.
-Moulson seriously picked Buffalo over the Devils? I get that its closer to home for him and he's played there before, etc. but seriously he's going to spend half his contract there in relative irrelevancy until Buffalo's prospects from next years draft develop. I guess he enjoys being a big fish in a small pond.
-Speaking of the Devils... Cammalleri will be a huge boon to us if he continues to put up the number of points he has in the past, and Havlat could turn out to be the best signing of the year if he stays healthy and the chemistry he displayed with Elias in international play holds true for next season with the Devils... I was feeling pretty good about stuff at this point, then Lou resigned Bernier and Gionta, and to make things even worse I realized that the fact that Fayne walked and Volchenkov got bought out means that we no longer have depth on the blue line like we did last season (and that seriously saved us) as we have no NHL ready defencemen left in the AHL, and we are pretty much *forced* to field Salvador on a nightly basis now, and while Larsson, Merrill, and Gelinas are all pretty good, they are still inexperienced (especially those last two) and mistake prone... hoping we somehow sign Vrbata or get a second top forward via trade somehow... also I guess we're the Sharks/Czech players retirement home now? I'm okay with this.
ironicsilence wrote: Not a great day for the hawks, the entire division top to bottom got better, Richards wasnt my first or second choice but I think hes still got some life left in the lefts and its a pretty cap friendly contract
Yeah, Dallas just stocked up heavy. Minnesota should be a pretty rough contender as well. I'm not seeing any real huge changes with the other teams in the division though.
wild signed vanek, avs signed Iginla, blues picked up Stastny, Stars got Spezza. All the playoff teams got much better. Central seems to be the division everyone wants to play in.
Piston Honda wrote: Ugh, seeing LA hoist the legendary Lord Stanley is disgusting.
As much as I hate the Rangers, I would rather have seen a dedicated fan base enjoy the moment.
Not a team that ranked 29th in viewership and suddenly has a bunch of fans.
Not sure what dedicated Rangers fanbase you're referring to lol, most of the Rangers 'fans' I know/have met over the past few weeks don't know that they haven't been to a Final in 20 years, can't name the goalie let alone two other players, etc. etc. Can you say, all aboard the bandwagon?
What was it, there was that popular quote, if the Ranges had to leave New York only 18,500 people would care? lol
At least rangers fans can say they were in the top 10 in tv viewership.
I am shocked that all top view avg. viewership were American teams.
Being a devils fan, it sucks seeing my team have gakky ratings.
I know devils fans are few but loyal, but the worse of them are the ones that show up when the Devils do well and the FLyers or Rangers are sucking ass. Makes me feel like the Devs are a substitute team for the "average" fan in the NY/NJ/Phi area.
I was looking at some viewership compared to MLS (major league soccer) I'm shocked to see quite a few teams in that league have better ratings than a number of NHL teams.
hope this does not spell doom for NHL coverage, there is already so little of it already. I've seen more about the Miami heat losing and what will happen to the BIG 3 than the entire series of the Stanley cup. Which got about 2 to 3 minutes of coverage per game.
edit: realized the viewership was for US based teams only. Wonder what Canada's ratings are like?
That viewership ratings system is a pile of BS as it ignored the Canadian franchises by claiming "data unavailable"
The Loafs, believe it or not, average the most viewers in the entire league, and despite only a single play-off appearance in 9 years, play to a sold out ACC every single home game.
Basically, we're so hockey mad, even a polished turd is worth paying an average of $150/ticket to go and get depressed!
47 years and counting since their last Cup win! Look out Cubs, the Make-ya-Laughs are coming after your record!
edit: realized the viewership was for US based teams only. Wonder what Canada's ratings are like?
That viewership ratings system is a pile of BS as it ignored the Canadian franchises by claiming "data unavailable"
The Loafs, believe it or not, average the most viewers in the entire league, and despite only a single play-off appearance in 9 years, play to a sold out ACC every single home game.
Basically, we're so hockey mad, even a polished turd is worth paying an average of $150/ticket to go and get depressed!
47 years and counting since their last Cup win! Look out Cubs, the Make-ya-Laughs are coming after your record!
Piston Honda acknowledged that the viewer ratings didn't include Canada or the Canadian based teams.... Do you have any articles/graphs and gak to illustrate what you're saying about them?
$21 million per year for Toews and Kane for the next 8 years.
O.o
Even if the cap goes up to $75 million after next year, they have just over $9 million to spend for 8 roster spots. Not that I feel bad for them or anything.
$21 million per year for Toews and Kane for the next 8 years.
O.o
Even if the cap goes up to $75 million after next year, they have just over $9 million to spend for 8 roster spots. Not that I feel bad for them or anything.
<---St. Louis Blues fan.
We've become rather good at dancing the salary cap tight rope but even so I'm struggling to come up with a scenario that has the hawks keeping Sharp and or Seabrook for much longer
chaos0xomega wrote: -Penguins didn't really seem to address any of the issues that seriously plagued them the past few seasons in their attempts at re-winning the cup, still overly reliant on Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury who haven't really been showing up for them in the postseason, mostly just small name signings, etc.
A high-priced winger isn't what's needed, though. The Pens were built too much for regular season hockey. They don't have a lot of size or grit, and their 3rd and 4th lines are definitely nothing to write home about. They picked up a couple guys who should help some. Plus they have a ton of talented defensemen in the system, and it's about time they bring some of the kids up and see what they can do instead of chasing FAs.
Consider that in some recent years, injuries have derailed them. In others, it was Marc-Andre Fleury meltdowns. Neither really happened this year but you saw the same result -- another early exit by a team that just can't adjust once the rulebook goes out the window.
People criticized the Pens for dumping Bylsma and Shero, but the organization was getting the same results from them year after year -- big regular seasons, lousy playoffs. They aren't bad at their jobs at all, but a change was needed. It's *very* similar to Andy Reid and the Eagles. Honestly, it looked the players gave up on Bylsma this season after they realized that he can't adjust if the things he wants -- stretch passes, etc. -- aren't working.
I like a lot of what I've read about the new coach's system -- seems much more sound and also much easier on the defensemen.
chaos0xomega wrote: -Penguins didn't really seem to address any of the issues that seriously plagued them the past few seasons in their attempts at re-winning the cup, still overly reliant on Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury who haven't really been showing up for them in the postseason, mostly just small name signings, etc.
A high-priced winger isn't what's needed, though. The Pens were built too much for regular season hockey. They don't have a lot of size or grit, and their 3rd and 4th lines are definitely nothing to write home about. They picked up a couple guys who should help some. Plus they have a ton of talented defensemen in the system, and it's about time they bring some of the kids up and see what they can do instead of chasing FAs.
Consider that in some recent years, injuries have derailed them. In others, it was Marc-Andre Fleury meltdowns. Neither really happened this year but you saw the same result -- another early exit by a team that just can't adjust once the rulebook goes out the window.
People criticized the Pens for dumping Bylsma and Shero, but the organization was getting the same results from them year after year -- big regular seasons, lousy playoffs. They aren't bad at their jobs at all, but a change was needed. It's *very* similar to Andy Reid and the Eagles. Honestly, it looked the players gave up on Bylsma this season after they realized that he can't adjust if the things he wants -- stretch passes, etc. -- aren't working.
I like a lot of what I've read about the new coach's system -- seems much more sound and also much easier on the defensemen.
The Pens also need to get a big power forward to play alongside #87 and help protect him.
Sure, Sid needs to avoid all the goofy after the whistle BS, but you can hardly blame him for loosing it when he's taking cheap shot after cheap shot... or hard (sometimes cheap) hit after hard hit.
Opponents need to start actively fearing hitting Crosby and/or Malkin, instead of happily being allowed to declare open season on them.
Until then, the Pens will suffer as both Crosby & Malkin get devoured by the seemingly 'no rules anymore' physical grind that's play-off hockey in the NHL... Their stars get pummeled senseless, and the rest of the team can't pick-up the scoring slack.
Experiment 626 wrote: The Pens also need to get a big power forward to play alongside #87 and help protect him.
Sure, Sid needs to avoid all the goofy after the whistle BS, but you can hardly blame him for loosing it when he's taking cheap shot after cheap shot... or hard (sometimes cheap) hit after hard hit.
Opponents need to start actively fearing hitting Crosby and/or Malkin, instead of happily being allowed to declare open season on them.
Until then, the Pens will suffer as both Crosby & Malkin get devoured by the seemingly 'no rules anymore' physical grind that's play-off hockey in the NHL... Their stars get pummeled senseless, and the rest of the team can't pick-up the scoring slack.
The ideal fit would be Rick Tocchet from 20 years ago on the ice, moreso than the current version behind the bench.
The guys they acquired include Patric Hornqvist, Steve Downie, Blake Comeau and Christian Ehrhoff. Hornqvist isn't an enforcer/protector, but he's a top 6 guy who isn't afraid to go to the net, unlike most every other Pens forward (James Neal, don't let the door hit you on the way out!). Comeau can hopefully help their bottom 6 and add some grit. Downie is there for obvious reasons.
Ehrhoff is their closest thing to a splash signing, but he took a 1-year deal, which is perfect for the Pens because it lets them can ease the young dmen in instead of rushing them. They lost lot on the blue line in free agency.
It's not a great haul, but they all seem to address needs, at least. A big power forward (not necessarily a high-scoring winger) would be great, but the right guy has to be available, they have to have cap room and/or desireable trade assets, etc. Many thought they'd trade Kris Letang, but they held onto him. I think a move on that front is more likely to happen at the trade deadline.
chaos0xomega wrote: -Penguins didn't really seem to address any of the issues that seriously plagued them the past few seasons in their attempts at re-winning the cup, still overly reliant on Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury who haven't really been showing up for them in the postseason, mostly just small name signings, etc.
A high-priced winger isn't what's needed, though. The Pens were built too much for regular season hockey. They don't have a lot of size or grit, and their 3rd and 4th lines are definitely nothing to write home about. They picked up a couple guys who should help some. Plus they have a ton of talented defensemen in the system, and it's about time they bring some of the kids up and see what they can do instead of chasing FAs.
Consider that in some recent years, injuries have derailed them. In others, it was Marc-Andre Fleury meltdowns. Neither really happened this year but you saw the same result -- another early exit by a team that just can't adjust once the rulebook goes out the window.
People criticized the Pens for dumping Bylsma and Shero, but the organization was getting the same results from them year after year -- big regular seasons, lousy playoffs. They aren't bad at their jobs at all, but a change was needed. It's *very* similar to Andy Reid and the Eagles. Honestly, it looked the players gave up on Bylsma this season after they realized that he can't adjust if the things he wants -- stretch passes, etc. -- aren't working.
I like a lot of what I've read about the new coach's system -- seems much more sound and also much easier on the defensemen.
The Pens also need to get a big power forward to play alongside #87 and help protect him.
Sure, Sid needs to avoid all the goofy after the whistle BS, but you can hardly blame him for loosing it when he's taking cheap shot after cheap shot... or hard (sometimes cheap) hit after hard hit.
Opponents need to start actively fearing hitting Crosby and/or Malkin, instead of happily being allowed to declare open season on them.
Until then, the Pens will suffer as both Crosby & Malkin get devoured by the seemingly 'no rules anymore' physical grind that's play-off hockey in the NHL... Their stars get pummeled senseless, and the rest of the team can't pick-up the scoring slack.
The Pens need the Hanson Brothers back on ice! Putting on the foil!
Only depressing thing about that goal is technically Crawford gets an assist meaning he has more points than Patrick Sharp 
Must have been a great game to watch,
habs take new York 4 to 2
