2013 NHL Thread

[Thriller Ant]

David Perron returns to action for the Blues tonight against Chicago. He's missed 97 games, since Nov. 4 last year when he was blind-sighted by Joe Thornton and suffered a serious concussion. Perron is a huge talent and the Blues missed him quite a bit last year. The Blues have been red hot since Ken Hitchcock took over the team, and the return of Perron should be a nice extra boost to keep the Blues hot.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I think Staal's return is the bigger piece of the picture for the Rangers, to be honest. Without him, they're a decent defensive corps. Del Zotto, Girardi, McDonaugh and Eminger have done a nice job holding down the fort, better then I expected, to be honest. Staal's return really makes this a very good defensive club, and would provide a tremendous spark on the PP.

Yes, it will undoubtedly make a huge impact and take a "good" group of defenseman into "great" territory, but Staal does nothing for the PP because he rarely plays there.

And I'll agree on one more thing: Getting Ryan wouldn't be trying to buy a championship, it would be an investment into now and the future, as he's only going to get much, much better.

This much we agree on for sure, but with Boudreau's hiring the Ducks are going to wait it out, though I don't doubt Ryan (or other pieces) are still moved for depth by the deadline.

The Ducks are in horrendous shape roster-wise when you look at the next two seasons. Hagman, Blake, Selänne (will retire) and Koivu are all that really make up their "depth" right now and all four are UFA's and likely to move on.

To make matters worse, Getzlaf and Perry are both up for contract renewal at the end of next season as well and the only thing coming through their system right now is Etem and Palmieri — or in essence not enough to even remotely replace what could be lost in Getzlaf, Perry and Selänne.

 

[CH David]

Did the NHL Network do any coverage about David Perron coming back at all? Fairly certain ESPN didn't, which goes to show if you aren't a huge star or play on the east coast, you ain't shit to them. Dude came off over a year of being out due to a concussion. Crosby was out since January and we had Crosby watch leading up to his return, but not much was made about Perron, as far as I know. Complete crap. Dude scores in his first game back, good on him.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Did the NHL Network do any coverage about David Perron coming back at all? Fairly certain ESPN didn't, which goes to show if you aren't a huge star or play on the east coast, you ain't shit to them. Dude came off over a year of being out due to a concussion. Crosby was out since January and we had Crosby watch leading up to his return, but not much was made about Perron, as far as I know. Complete crap. Dude scores in his first game back, good on him.

On The Fly covered it last night, yes. Had a post-highlights phone interview with him too just talking about what it felt like to come back after such a time, etc.

I thought the coolest thing about it all wast that before they aired the game highlights they noted that Perron received a text message from Joe Thornton prior to his return wishing him luck, etc. Perron went on to call him a classy guy and said he really appreciated it.

 

[hatehabsforever]

What the NHL Network should be talking about, and I'm sure they are talking about, is the fact that the Bruins haven't lost a game, except for one shootout loss, in over a month. 13-0-1 is pretty goddamn impressive, whether you are a fan of the Bruins or not. I watched their game last night against the Leafs and they are solid from top to bottom. Great goaltending from 2 different guys, a balanced offensive attack, and stellar defense.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

What the NHL Network should be talking about, and I'm sure they are talking about, is the fact that the Bruins haven't lost a game, except for one shootout loss, in over a month. 13-0-1 is pretty goddamn impressive, whether you are a fan of the Bruins or not. I watched their game last night against the Leafs and they are solid from top to bottom. Great goaltending from 2 different guys, a balanced offensive attack, and stellar defense.

They are, homer, relax. Same as they're talking about the Rangers winning 12 of their last 14 and the Wins' 7-game streak. Same as they're also talking about how Carolina is on a 5-game skid now, despite firing Paul Maurice.

 

[hatehabsforever]

So the Bruins take care of business again tonight, taking out the Penguins, in Pittsburgh no less. Only one point out of first now, with three games in hand. And as an added bonus, the Rangers too. 14-0-1, absolutely outstanding!

In an unrelated matter, what does everyone think about the proposed four conference realignment?

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Strongly, strongly, strongly suggest you all watch this three-part documentary series by John Branch/New York Times on brain trauma and Derek Boogaard who was just diagnosed with having a degenerative brain condition thought to be due to his repeatedly taking blows to the head for as long as he did (Boogaard was an enforcer since age 15).

To watch the three-part series:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/04/sports/hockey/boogaard-video.html#chapter/1
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/04/sports/hockey/boogaard-video.html#chapter/2
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/04/sports/hockey/boogaard-video.html#chapter/3​

For more on the report and his degenerative brain condition:

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=382060

NEW YORK -- Rangers enforcer Derek Boogaard suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain ailment related to Alzheimer's disease that is caused by repeated blows to the head, the New York Times reported.

The 28-year-old Boogaard, who died in May of an accidental overdose of alcohol and the painkiller oxycodone, was found to have had CTE -- which can be diagnosed only after the death of the patient, according to the third story of an extensive three-part series on Boogaard posted on the newspaper's website Monday night.

Dr. Ann McKee, the director of the centre's brain bank, saw signature brown spots near the outer surface of Boogaard's brain, which are revealing signs of CTE.

Such damage in someone as young as Boogaard was surprising. Symptoms of the condition include memory loss, impulsiveness, mood swings and addiction.

Had Boogaard lived, his condition likely would have worsened into middle-age dementia.

The disease was more advanced in Boogaard than it was in famed enforcer Bob Probert, who died of heart failure in 2010 at 45. He played 16 seasons in the NHL and often struggled with alcohol and drug addiction.

 

[CH David]

Strongly, strongly, strongly suggest you all watch this three-part documentary series by John Branch/New York Times on brain trauma and Derek Boogaard who was just diagnosed with having a degenerative brain condition thought to be due to his repeatedly taking blows to the head for as long as he did (Boogaard was an enforcer since age 15).

To watch the three-part series:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/04/sports/hockey/boogaard-video.html#chapter/1
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/04/sports/hockey/boogaard-video.html#chapter/2
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/04/sports/hockey/boogaard-video.html#chapter/3​

For more on the report and his degenerative brain condition:

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=382060​

That was some intense stuff. First off before I get into most of it, I think it is interesting to note that Chris Nowinski is helping out with this. It's why his wrestling career was cut short so it's good to see him trying to help all athletes.

As far as the Boogaard situation and fighting in hockey as a whole, enforcers, and such, too much food for thought. You look at what happened to Bob Probert as an older example. The fighting in hockey, even if Bettman says in that last video that it isn't accepted, it's that you allow the fight and then penalize the players.

As a fan of the game, I respect what enforcers do. Backing up the stars and making sure they don't take dangerous hits, only to get a broken nose, concussion, shoulder injury, the list of injuries goes on, as shown in the documentary. Then the next day they go back to the rink, and do it all over again. That's a rough job, probably the toughest in sports, and the players need to be helped because of the toll it can take on the brains. People are always concerned about concussions in the NFL, but I rarely hear about it for the NHL.

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but the NHL now has taken a bit of a stand in saying that at the faceoff, players get penalized if they are talking about a fight before the puck is dropped. Maybe I made that up. Not sure. I'm all for player protection, hence the penalties on checks and hits to the head, but I must agree with Bettman on the stance the NHL has about fighting at this point in time.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

That was some intense stuff. First off before I get into most of it, I think it is interesting to note that Chris Nowinski is helping out with this. It's why his wrestling career was cut short so it's good to see him trying to help all athletes.

As far as the Boogaard situation and fighting in hockey as a whole, enforcers, and such, too much food for thought. You look at what happened to Bob Probert as an older example. The fighting in hockey, even if Bettman says in that last video that it isn't accepted, it's that you allow the fight and then penalize the players.

As a fan of the game, I respect what enforcers do. Backing up the stars and making sure they don't take dangerous hits, only to get a broken nose, concussion, shoulder injury, the list of injuries goes on, as shown in the documentary. Then the next day they go back to the rink, and do it all over again. That's a rough job, probably the toughest in sports, and the players need to be helped because of the toll it can take on the brains. People are always concerned about concussions in the NFL, but I rarely hear about it for the NHL.

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but the NHL now has taken a bit of a stand in saying that at the faceoff, players get penalized if they are talking about a fight before the puck is dropped. Maybe I made that up. Not sure. I'm all for player protection, hence the penalties on checks and hits to the head, but I must agree with Bettman on the stance the NHL has about fighting at this point in time.

Correct. It's referred to as "staged fighting", which is to say both clubs simply line-up enforcers and have them go at it to get the crowd into it or for no other reason but simply to fight, which frankly I'm 100% for eliminating from the game. As powerful as the NYT/Boogaard piece was, I still don't agree with the idea of eliminating fighting (period) from the game. It still has too much of an influence on the outcome of a game to not. Too much momentum and confidence is gained when two men fist fight for their club to simply eliminate what IMO is still a core element of the game (and has been for 94 years).

What I agree with most with Bettman here is the remark he made regarding all this research coming to light where he said "I think while their work is worthwhile, [but] the people we talk to think that their [BU] tendency to reach conclusions at a very preliminary stage is great for headlines but not necessarily for advancing research."

 

[CH David]

Correct. It's referred to as "staged fighting", which is to say both clubs simply line-up enforcers and have them go at it to get the crowd into it or for no other reason but simply to fight, which frankly I'm 100% for eliminating from the game. As powerful as the NYT/Boogaard piece was, I still don't agree with the idea of eliminating fighting (period) from the game. It still has too much of an influence on the outcome of a game to not. Too much momentum and confidence is gained when two men fist fight for their club to simply eliminate what IMO is still a core element of the game (and has been for 94 years).

This is probably the biggest thing. You can't get rid of it as a whole. It's always been in the game. Just getting two guys out there just to fight, screw that. But a guy protecting his star, for instance Jamal Mayers sending a message if Jonathan Toews gets hit hard, completely acceptable to me. Now I think trying to get your team back into the game after coming out sluggish should still be allowed, but the player has to take it on himself, not the coach telling the player to go after some guy. Would this be agreed upon?

What I agree with most with Bettman here is the remark he made regarding all this research coming to light where he said "I think while their work is worthwhile, [but] the people we talk to think that their [BU] tendency to reach conclusions at a very preliminary stage is great for headlines but not necessarily for advancing research."

Another wholehearted agreement here. Something worth noting, since I don't recall them mentioning in the video, are they working with former players/enforcers to see if they show symptoms? If they aren't then they can't get past the preliminary stage. When you can find out/make an educated guess what is actually going to happen, not tendencies based on people that have passed, then conclude from there.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

This is probably the biggest thing. You can't get rid of it as a whole. It's always been in the game. Just getting two guys out there just to fight, screw that. But a guy protecting his star, for instance Jamal Mayers sending a message if Jonathan Toews gets hit hard, completely acceptable to me. Now I think trying to get your team back into the game after coming out sluggish should still be allowed, but the player has to take it on himself, not the coach telling the player to go after some guy. Would this be agreed upon?

Yup, and the NHL agrees to an extent, too, because when a coach sends out an enforcer to instigate a fight, the instigator penalty comes in to hurt the offending club. I don't actually like that rule, but I understand why they put it in place.

Another wholehearted agreement here. Something worth noting, since I don't recall them mentioning in the video, are they working with former players/enforcers to see if they show symptoms? If they aren't then they can't get past the preliminary stage. When you can find out/make an educated guess what is actually going to happen, not tendencies based on people that have passed, then conclude from there.

Yes. A lot of former enforcers are working with them, as well as other sports performers who've suffered concussions. There's a ton of steam behind the NHL working to try to eliminate concussions from the game.

@jessespector:

Bettman: "We are being extraordinarily proactive (on concussions), but there's a gap in the medical science."

 

[Davi323]

The NHL just approved a MAJOR realignment plan:

(Image taken from SB*Nation)

The top four teams in each conference will advance to the postseason.
From that point, the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be intra-conference.
There will be four conference champions, each of whom will advance to a final four.
The four teams will likely be reseeded based on regular season results, with No. 1 playing No. 4 and No. 2 playing No. 3. The winners will meet in the Stanley Cup Final.

Essentially, the Eastern and Western Conferences as we know it are gone. We could see any combination of teams meeting in the Stanley Cup finals now.

As a fan of the Detroit Red Wings, I am thrilled with this new concept. I favored the Red Wings moving back to the Eastern Conference because of the travel schedule, not really out of a desire to renew old rivalries...I just got sick of games starting at 10-10:30pm Eastern time, both during the regular season and the playoffs. I love the fact that the first two rounds of the playoffs will be your own conference opponents. It will cut down travel, which gives each team a slightly longer rest between playoff games when switching from home/away, and guarantees that you won't have any whacked out start times until at least the semis. Everyone will more or less be in the same time zone until the Final Four. As a Red Wings fan, this is a major WIN.

I do kind of wonder what the format for the NHL All-Star game will be now, though...how will they divide up 4 conferences into 2 teams? Alternate partner conferences each year? A+B vs. C+D, then A+C vs. B+D, then A+D vs. B+C? Just stick with the North America vs. the World format? Or, will they set up a 3 game mini tournament, so there are 4 All-Star teams that will play 2 semis plus an All-Star final in one weekend?

 

[Unsold Bacon]

The NHL just approved a MAJOR realignment plan:

(Image taken from SB*Nation)

The top four teams in each conference will advance to the postseason.
From that point, the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be intra-conference.
There will be four conference champions, each of whom will advance to a final four.
The four teams will likely be reseeded based on regular season results, with No. 1 playing No. 4 and No. 2 playing No. 3. The winners will meet in the Stanley Cup Final.

Essentially, the Eastern and Western Conferences as we know it are gone. We could see any combination of teams meeting in the Stanley Cup finals now.

As a fan of the Detroit Red Wings, I am thrilled with this new concept. I favored the Red Wings moving back to the Eastern Conference because of the travel schedule, not really out of a desire to renew old rivalries...I just got sick of games starting at 10-10:30pm Eastern time, both during the regular season and the playoffs. I love the fact that the first two rounds of the playoffs will be your own conference opponents. It will cut down travel, which gives each team a slightly longer rest between playoff games when switching from home/away, and guarantees that you won't have any whacked out start times until at least the semis. Everyone will more or less be in the same time zone until the Final Four. As a Red Wings fan, this is a major WIN.

I do kind of wonder what the format for the NHL All-Star game will be now, though...how will they divide up 4 conferences into 2 teams? Alternate partner conferences each year? A+B vs. C+D, then A+C vs. B+D, then A+D vs. B+C? Just stick with the North America vs. the World format? Or, will they set up a 3 game mini tournament, so there are 4 All-Star teams that will play 2 semis plus an All-Star final in one weekend?

This sounds exciting for me teams changing in sport is always fun(relocation, expansion,division realignment etc.). I always like to see how it plays out.

Did they really need to do all this though because one team moved?

 

[It's Damn Real!]

This sounds exciting for me teams changing in sport is always fun(relocation, expansion,division realignment etc.). I always like to see how it plays out.

Did they really need to do all this though because one team moved?

Yes, because in the six-division system, Winnipeg was part of the South East, which mean it/the team was (is) traveling thousands of miles more than most teams to compete with "inter divisional" teams mostly located in Florida and North Carolina.

That is hell on the club, and incredibly taxing (financially) on the franchise.

Add to this the potential for [financially] teetering franchises like the Phoenix Coyotes to flirt with relocation as well and you've got a recipe for disaster if this type of move isn't actually made.

 

[Davi323]

Yes, because in the six-division system, Winnipeg was part of the South East, which mean it/the team was (is) traveling thousands of miles more than most teams to compete with "inter divisional" teams mostly located in Florida and North Carolina.

That is hell on the club, and incredibly taxing (financially) on the franchise.

Add to this the potential for [financially] teetering franchises like the Phoenix Coyotes to flirt with relocation as well and you've got a recipe for disaster if this type of move isn't actually made.

Plus, if Phoenix does collapse, because it's already in one of the two conferences with 8 teams instead of 7, they could relocate geographically to one of the 7 team conferences without really unbalancing anything. All it would do is change which conferences had the 8 teams...

The thing is, the NHL is lagging behind. They are doing something different, unique to them, changing their conference philosophy in a radical way may be a boost in the arm.

 

[GANLEYBRAND]

That just killed the fun in having less than 15 teams competing against one another

 

[It's Damn Real!]

That just killed the fun in having less than 15 teams competing against one another

For now, perhaps, but something you have to keep in mind is that this is not the first or even the second time the NHL has realigned it's divisions. They've done it multiple times. The people complaining about losing the O6 rivalry of the Leafs/Wings sure have been quiet in recent years, eh?

As is the norm, most will complain due to the unfamiliarity and general newness of the new format until they get used to it, same as they did the shootout and the removal of ties from the game as well as more, and eventually well simply get used to it and enjoy the game.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Wrote this up for our 25-game mark grades thread over on my Rangers' forum, but it's relevant here, too:

The question was obviously to grade the team.

I'm breaking this down into 5 groups broken out between those "Excelling" (highest tier) to those "Failing" (lowest), with a fifth "Incomplete/Ungradeable" tier given to account for players (other than goaltenders) who've played less than 10 games:

Excelling (A- to A+)
Richards, Callahan, Gáborík, Stepan, Girardi, Lundqvist, McDonagh

• Richards was off to a bit of a slow start but was beginning to show great chemistry with Gáborík early. While I was admittedly upset when he was taken from him (in what I felt was a premature/knee-jerk move at the time), he's managed to develop chemistry with predominantly north/south players in Callahan and Fedotenko for the time being. Though I think he'll eventually be returned to Gáborík (or should), the one/two punch combo is a nice treat.

• Callahan is probably off to the biggest tear behind Gáborík, especially in the goal-scoring department where his accuracy has picked up big time and so too has his power play presence. The fact he's blocking less shots is also a plus, because it likely means he stays in the line-up longer with less serious injuries and wear & tear on his body.

• Gáborík is on pace for another 40-goal season which is great for the Rangers, though he's struggling a bit to do much else with the puck other than score himself. I know he's a goal-scorer, and I know Stepan is the play-maker, but the two could stand to share the load between one another a bit more.

• Stepan has gone from third-line center to first-line play-making center in the course of a single season. Will it last? Maybe not this season, but the fact he's done this well with the opportunity should stand to reason that he's likely to keep it full-time for at least the number of years Gáborík remains here. The future is bright with this one.

• Girardi is a work horse who I still feel is a little overrated by the fan base, but otherwise has done a tremendous job filling the void left by Marc Staal's absence. The fact he's eating 30:00 a night, however, should be a bit of a question mark heading into the new year as I doubt any player can really withstand playing that many minutes and expect to be worth much come playoff time.

• Lundqvist is Lundqvist.

• McDonagh is just 60-something games into his NHL career but looking more and more like the real deal with each game that passes. Those Chelios comparisons seem spot-on. This kid seems to be capable of doing anything on the ice.​

Suceeding (B- to B+)
Sauer, Anisimov, Fedotenko, Del Zotto, Eminger, Biron

• Sauer is having a great bounce-back year where most sophomores tend to struggle with the dreaded Sophomore Slump. He's been injured, which hasn't helped his year much, but when healthy he's part of the reason our defense has been as successful as it's been.

• Anisimov looks to be putting up another 'career year' by means of slowly-but-surely offensive progression and his game has actually translated fairly well to left wing, though I'm not sure he'll actually remain there all season, especially come playoff/deadline time.

• Fedotenko has been a bit of a pleasant surprise, though I still hate how much JT relies on him when the team needs a spark or solid shift. Good veteran presence, but I'd expect him to finally get bumped back into the bottom-6 for the playoffs.

• Del Zotto's game has improved tremendously away from the puck, though with it he's still not quite living up to the offensive potential he's capable of producing. He's still very young, though, so I'm willing to give him time to find that again. The good thing is that his defensive play isn't suffering even half as much as it was last season.

• Eminger is one of the guys I didn't want to bring back but am almost glad we did due to the number of injuries the club sustained early on. He knows the system and and knows what's expected of him so you can't really ask for much more out of a third-pairing guy who'll do whatever is asked of him.

• Biron is probably the best back-up goaltender we've had since before the lockout and is a guy I'm very confident with having in net. He's prone to his fair share of crap games, but there isn't a back-up in the league who isn't. I've always said he's a 1B keeper who's probably be a starter on a handful of teams in the league. Columbus would probably kill for him.​

Treading Water (C- to C+)
Woywitka, Avery, Dubinsky, Prust

• Dubinsky just made it into this group due to how well he's played defensively, but as I've repeatedly made note of, he was not signed to be a $4.2M penalty killer and his offense is almost entirely nonexistent save for a few games where he's managed to record an assist or two. 1 goal in 25 games? For shame.

• Avery made it to the list by default seeing as though despite being brought back to the club after a[n unfair] demotion to the AHL to start the season, his role here has been largely sheltered with only a handful of minutes a game.

• Woywitka was a waiver claim and has done OK for one, but the team will undoubtedly try to improve that third pairing come playoff time, because as great of a team mate as he may be, he is by no means integral or even important to the future of the club.

• Prust has largely regressed from his role last season where he was not just a pugilist but also one of our key PK cogs and a short-handed threat. He's not failing, but he's not doing much to open many eyes either and he made a lot of defensive blunders early on.​

Failing(D- to F)
Boyle, Christensen

• Christensen is a depth player, but he's a depth player with an issue — if he's not playing with top-6 players, he sucks, which makes him sort of an irrelevant piece to have on a team who's top-6 is relatively full. I suppose he's not a bad option (at his price) to keep around as insurance in the case one of them goes down injured, but he's otherwise completely unnecessary.

• Boyle is struggling big-time to find his game in both ends of the ice. He's got a lot of hockey left to turn it around, but at $1.8M you'd expect a little more offense, or at the very least a better defensive effort if he's not going to be scoring like Dubinsky is providing.​

Incomplete/Ungradeable
Staal, Wolski, Bell, Newbury, Hagelin, Mitchell, Deveaux, Erixon, Rupp, Zuccarello, Strålman​

 

[CH David]

Blackhawks won Thursday and again today in overtime. Thursday against the Isles, and today against the Sharks. Patrick Sharp had the overtime winner in both games, after the game Thursday hopped on a plane and got home in time for his wife to give birth to their first child. Cool stuff for him. But damn it for the team as the Wild are still in first place in the West, and actually in first in the whole NHL. The Hawks just need to keep collecting the points right now and find their identity before the playoffs. A winger and maybe a defensive defenseman would be the right piece, but who knows.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Tough week for the NHL.

Claude Giroux, Sidney Crosby and likely Jeff Skinner all expected to miss significant time with concussion-related issues.

On a more positive note, however:

A review of his contract might lead one to call him “Richie Rich,” except Brad Richards is every bit a lunch pail pro with as much of a blue-collar approach to his work as anyone in the Rangers’ room, if not the NHL.

Richards could have come to the Rangers last year at the trade deadline. But, according to an individual with knowledge of the situation, he (Richards)declined to waive his no-move clause when he learned of the bounty (three Grade A assets) the Stars were demanding in return, not wanting the Blueshirts to be diluted upon his arrival.

And so Broadway would wait for Richards, who has recorded 25 points (11-14) with the promise of better things ahead.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/rangers/brad_star_shines_yB0EeKPohdJtrU7yRMU0zN#ixzz1gQcEKkqj

Just goes to show you how cerebral of a player he really is. He understands the game so well both on and off the ice, where a lot of players tend not to recognize the intelligence required to win off the ice.

It's difficult to gauge exactly what would have come of the trade because there's no real telling who those "Grade A" pieces were or if that was in fact a legitimate offer or simply what the Stars were asking (which could have been negotiated down), but in hindsight I suppose it was in fact a good thing not to risk removing any of the pieces the club had in place in order to acquire him if the team knew (or at least had something of a working knowledge) that he was coming here in free agency regardless.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I find it shocking that of all the hockey fans on here none are watching the HBO 24/7 series right now featuring the Rangers and Flyers. I realize they may not be your own clubs, but this is some seriously compelling television.

I opened a thread on it in the TV section but it's gotten no replies yet, so I figure I'll make a plea here that you guys join in. Perhaps some of you are watching already but just didn't see it, or maybe this will get you to actually start to watch.

The TV thread: http://forums.wrestlezone.com/showthread.php?t=196822

 

[It's Damn Real!]

...and just like that, the New York Rangers are officially tied for first place in the Eastern Conference after beating three divisional rivals and slowly but surely climbing the ranks of the NHL the last number of weeks.

Dare I say this team is for real? Aside from the Boston Bruins, I don't think there's another team in the NHL who's team has bought into their coaches system like this. Even the best scoring/winning clubs like Philly and Chicago have major holes that they haven't been able to master with a system the way the Bruins and Rangers have.

At this point I actually consider the Rangers a Bruins-lite (in that they lack the same size the B's have, but employ the same strategy and team-wide philosophy).

 

[hatehabsforever]

The Rangers have been on quite a roll for the last period of time. But they aren't tied for first place last time I checked. The Bruins are a point ahead of them, and the Rangers are tied for second. You probably forgot to include the drubbing they gave the Florida Panthers, 8-0 in case you missed it. As I've told you before, I have very little faith in Theodore and the Panthers.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

The Rangers have been on quite a roll for the last period of time. But they aren't tied for first place last time I checked. The Bruins are a point ahead of them, and the Rangers are tied for second. You probably forgot to include the drubbing they gave the Florida Panthers, 8-0 in case you missed it. As I've told you before, I have very little faith in Theodore and the Panthers.

Having faith in them and their being a playoff team can be mutually exclusive. I don't consider them a legitimate post-season threat, but I do consider them a playoff team.

The Rangers were tied for first... then the Bruins won (again).