NHL 2011 - 2012 Discussion Thread

NHL is back! What are your feelings, your predictions, your plans?

Are you excited for the season, or afraid your team is gonna bomb out? Who do you think is going to win their division? Who is going to go on to become Stanley Cup winners?

The pre-season is underway now and sports recaps are energized with the added adrenalin of hockey coverage - Finally after a summer that was not devoid of hockey news - a lot of it sad: RIP Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team, Wade Belak, Rick Rypien and Derek Boogaard.

As for my local preferences, The Maple Leafs showed some guts against Ottawa last night with a 4-2 win in the first pre-season game. Maybe - just maybe they can carry on the with the performance they dazzled with for the end of last season. Will Vancouver (the best team in the reg season last year) make it to the finals again (and have to face those Leafs ? LoL).

And - The Winnipeg Jets are back. How great is that?



(sorry Atlanta fans - it should have been Phoenix - but then, you also need bums in seats)

Please discuss, enjoy the season.... and...

Game On!

 

The only problem I have with the Atlanta move is that even if the Jets sell out every game, which they probably will, they will still only have about 1500 more people attending per game than in Atlanta. They need a bigger arena to really take advantage of the all feel good emotions of getting the Jets back.

And after such a downer off-season, I don't think I've ever been so geeked to watch a pre-season game as I was last night. Usually by now I've been watching the Prospect Tourney in Traverse City, and finishing up with Wings training camp. But I couldn't go this year because of poorly timed hernia surgery. I'm just glad the NHL got off their ass and finally decided to televise a decent number of pre-season games this year.

Division Winners will be Boston, Pittsburgh, Washington, Detroit, Anaheim, and Vancouver

And not to thread jack, but I do have a post in here about this fantasy hockey league that needs a few managers.......

And finally, GO WINGS!!!

 

I'm still smarting from that epic fail in the Cup Finals. Fucking Boston, man. They were too good. I still have nightmares about Tim Thomas and his fucking smirk. ARRGHGHHHHH HULK SMASH.

 

Two sleeps to go. Just sayin.

 

Got my Center Ice and Gamecenter Live subscriptions and I'm ready to go!! I didn't get to go to Wings training camp for the first time in 10 years because of surgery, so I need my fix. Although between suspensions and injuries, I'm not sure there is going to be anyone left to play on opening day.

 

Tonight!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=fvwp&v=NqLMURZNlj0

 

As a Blackhawks fan, your tears taste delicious.

We've got this weird experiment going with Kane as a center. I just don't see it working. His size and speed make him a winger. I think we might have found a pretty good goalie, although it remains to be seen how well he'll hold up for the entire season. There was a big hangover from winning The Cup in 2010, and I'm hoping that's dissipated - we didn't lose anyone in the last two years that wasn't having a career year in 2010, and I think things look very good for our core group to do very well assuming that the injuries keep to a minimum. But the injury bug is always a big question mark, especially when the injury bug might actually be Kane needing to get drunk and get laid while calling it "the flu".

 

no reason why Chicago or Vancouver can't return to the big show this season...

 

There is a huge hangover from the Cup this year in this city. Nobody I know is really jazzed about hockey. The riots really soured people on the 'rah rah go 'Nucks' douchebaggery that pervades the city on game nights. That, combined with all the deaths of hockey players in the off season, with Ryp and Demitra being ex-Canucks... It's too soon. The wounds are too fresh. I'm sure I'll get into it eventually, my heart just isn't in hockey right now.

 

ooo.. this bodes well for the east

 

Have the DVR set just in case someone has to have a visit tonight. Banner being raised

 

Leafs in 2012. That's all I'm going to say.

 

the Riots pissed me off as well......didn;t really follow the camps.....nor the preseason.

i 'll wait and see as the first 10 games or so get us all going again.

and am anticipating all the luongo bashing........even though we went to game 7 of the final BABY..........

GO CANUCKS GO!!!!

 

That's more like it!

And Montreal is being fairly un disciplined tonight. Toronto needs to capitalize on all these power plays.

 

NikLid..... I think the Jets are just using the sell out thing for the next few years so they can build bigger in the future. Right now it may be baby steps onto something better this time.

This year is a hard one to predict.... a lot good young teams are on the verge of something great and some will falter....

I have been closet kings fan for awhile now and I hope this year is something good for them, Doughty, Kopitar, Quick and now Richards, let the boys become men. Edmonton has the best youngest team, but I personally think the ownership doesn't have the balls or money to keep their team around for very long. I hate Toronto with a passion so they naturally have no chance. Vancouver has an uphill battle for choking last year. Montreal is almost as bad as Toronto in my mind... Ottawa went about rebuilding in my mind the right way, sell off assets for returns and in a few years they'll be good again (something Calgary needs to learn)... Calgary still just put bandaids on their problems and its too late to get anything in return for their investments. I love where Winnipeg is at, right ownership, excited fans but really not too much on the ice, I love some of their players and hopefully that adrenaline will carry them into the playoffs. Wings will be consistent as always but I think they will need to start to get younger talent around as they are the team of my heart, the process to get better means getting younger in this day and age.... but long live Nik.

For the rest of the NHL.... Anaheim is lost without anyone on the blue line to lead the team, it was built upon Neidermayer, and is lost within Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan... Not going to lie, I was pissed when Boston won, I hate Chara and I hate how Thomas hides behind Chara but they are a very complete team and have not needed to change much.... Buffalo.... love how ownership took the right steps to make them a better team, they're one of my picks to be a top team in the east this year.... Carolina is on the outs, expect them to be contracted or sold somewhere else, unless some super star or someone steps in to take the team to another level. Chicago is going to beat Detroit in their division this year, good core of young players and excellent team front to back.... Colorado is a young team, loved them when I saw them in Detroit a few years ago and they've made good moves for a team as young as them... I like how Columbus got Jeff Carter but I think they've just had poor results from players they've drafted.... Dallas, how I use to hate having my wings play you, they lack any fight let alone will be bottom in the west, IMHO... Florida, the biggest surprise in the offseason making moves to make it a viable franchise in the future... Minnesota is a wild card for me, they have the pieces, picked up some scoring in Heatley but what will fall into place at the right time... Nashville was a surprise in the playoffs last year but I think they didn't do enough over the summer to take them longer in the playoffs... New Jersey, Kovalchuk is a cancer to whatever team he is on and Brodeur no longer can carry the team on his back, bottom of the east... Islanders, potential but not enough to do anything with.... Rangers, same problem every time, throw money around, expect a different result.... Philly, biggest surprise in the offseason, they took risks and I think it'll be next year before anything major happens but they'll be in the top in the east... Phoenix, let Doan go back to Winnipeg and cut this cancer out of the league, few decent players on the team and its a losing cause... Pitts, without Crosby, they'll do just enough to be worthy of mention, Crosby will lead them to the playoffs if he's back this year... Sharks, will tank in the playoffs as usual, Thorton and Marleau are getting older, although Clouture has been a surprise and they have some good young up and comers... St.Louis is another wildcard young team, about two years ahead of Edmonton, lets see if they can take second in that division... Lightning, Stamkos is a beast, I love him but St.Louis and Lecavalier are getting older, need some young guns to come in and step up.... Washington, up to Philly making good offseason moves, they would've been contenders for the top but will Ovechkin elevate to a whole new level is their biggest question.

 

you hate Toronto with a passion? What is the source of this hate? I can see intense dislike if the team has regularly trounced your fav over the years, but this team is nothing like the one from even 3 years ago. I also can see hating the Senators just because of the arrogance of the Sens nation & the team's collective personality. Or the Habs, just because of historical rivalry. So there must be something in the Leafs that causes a reaction?

At any rate, they are my home team so I root for them. My next is any O6 team that is last standing in the playoffs. Sentimentally, I've liked the Kings & Washington over the years. But a playoff game between Toronto & Philadelphia brings back the classic barnstormers of the past. The days of attrition playoff battles with the Broad Street Bullies.

 

Great game for Reimer!

 

Agreed! I'm a huge Wings fan, have been for many years, so I always like to see them do well. I went to Detroit to see a game a couple years back, but usually try to catch at least one or two games in Columbus (it's always nice to go to an away game with more Wings fans than the home team). I'm quite excited to watch tonight's opener! GO WINGS!

 

4-0 end of second... I love my Wings.....

I hate Toronto because its fashionable to be a Toronto fan in Canada and every year you think you're going to win the cup.... not with Ron Wilson and not with Phaneuf as captain....

 

I challenge the validity of this statement. The opposite is true... It's fashionable to hate on Toronto. Pretty much everywhere outside Toronto hates Toronto.