Oh that's right, another fail sports thread for you all not to post in. But it's ok. I won't let your collective lack of awesomeness put a damper on my day.
Hockey has one of the best playoffs in sports. Especially when it comes to overtime. Nothing is more edge-of-your-seat, gonna have a heart attack intense than this. And it can go on forever. With the postseason getting underway last night, figured I'd see if any others out there enjoy this time of year as much as I do.
Oh, and F Pittsburgh.
Ever since the lock-out, and all the rule changes...I hate the game. It's just not the hockey I know. Just watching the Wings game last night, I was quickly reminded of why I don't care. What a sad excuse for a professional sport.
The best playoff in sports? Maybe the best, hardest trophy to win in all of sports. The playoffs are too long. What is it...40+ games? That's like a whole new season. I would love to see maybe the top two teams in each division, or even one. It would make the reg season more meaningful. I don't like that a fourth seed team can just make it in, and win the whole thing. Hey, you were in 4th place ya know?
One thing that is cool about the playoffs is the overtime. No more shoot-outs.
But that's my opinion.
I actually like shoot-outs in the regular season - Their were way too many ties in hockey. Who wants to spend 2.5 hours of your life watching game after game where their might not be a winner. It's like kissing your sister or Aunty Tilly - nobody wants to do it.
This being said I don't watch hockey but hockey is way better than baseball.
I hear what you're saying about the post-lockout era, and a lot of it pissed me off too. Some parts of the game will never be the same, but it is good to see some of the old-style hockey coming back - ie the close, tight checking and low scoring games.
And while the playoffs do last a little while, they're not so bad. It only takes 16 wins to get the Cup. Sometimes you just get a lot of series go 7, which is fine w me. Got no complaints at all tho about a 4th seed being able to win the Cup... isn't that what you should want? In any sport for that matter, not just hockey. You should want to watch a postseason where the outcome isn't easily predictable, where the underdog has a legitimate shot at toppling the #1 seed. Who wants to watch playoffs where the finals are already predetermined and its definitely going to be team x vs team y? What's the fun/excitement in that?
And yes, overtime is fantastic. Esp when you get it in a game 7, or when it goes 2,3,4 periods deep. Great stuff to watch. Shootouts are stupid, hated them ever since they were introduced, thought I'd get used to it, but it's still a dumb idea and pathetic attempt to appeal to your more casual fan.
I'm rooting for my boys in red, the NJ Devils. The odds of them winning are astronomical, but I still like it.
I agree about the length of the playoffs, it has a lot to do with the fact that so many teams get into the playoffs to start with. Then we begin the series games, which take forever. I wouldn't mind a streamlined system with only the division leaders and a wild card or two.
The Devils are in a decent position to make a run at things, actually. They have more offensive potency than the Panthers do, and even if he's getting on in years Martin Brodeur is still among the best all-time at his position (and you could make a legit case that he IS the best all-time). Now is the time for Ilya Kovalchuk to show that he's the barrels of cash he's being paid, and a strong run might serve as a carrot to help keep Parise in New Jersey when his contract expires.
Plus, assuming New York beats Ottawa and Boston beats Washington, then the Devils would draw the Rangers in round 2, which is a good match-up for them (and would probably involve at least one more line brawl). If they were to make it to the conference finals I wouldn't be at all surprised.
If there's one thing I love, it's a Devils/Rangers line brawl. Each one is like a delicious, bloody orange.
The Devils got the money spot with that 6 seed. Florida's not very good, just happen to be good enough in a horrible division. The one thing I hate about playoff seeding is that division winners are guaranteed spots 1-3, when really their points were so low they should have been at the bottom of the conference.
As much as I hate the Devils tho, I'd very much like to see them win their series. Need somebody lower than the Flyers to make it outta the first round. As long as Philly doesn't have to play the Rangers, they're more than likely making it to the finals.
Gotta love all the early OT games so far this year tho - Nothing else like it.
im tryin to get into hockey, i used to play it, but thats when i visited ohio, im from florida and i know the panthers suck, but now im im nc and the hurricanes...well.....suck and its hard to get into cuz in the south, not that many fans, so could you plz help me get into the nhl, like the best players on every team would rweally help, plz
If you're trying to get into hockey just turn on any of the playoff games that are on every night. So far almost every series has been pretty exciting to watch. And if that doesn't do it for ya well then I dunno, maybe you just have no soul like Felonious
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-pu...005721806.html
There are 3 refs circling this whole thing before it will obviously start, then they let it start only to stop it because they guy's jersey comes off? Am I missing something? Is fighting legal in hockey? That rule quoted under the video seems to indicate so. If you're going to fight, join the UFC. If you're going to play hockey, play hockey. About halfway through the vid when it shows how it started, the one guy starts backing up and taking his stuff off before the other even looks at him. Looks staged.
spata said:If you're trying to get into hockey just turn on any of the playoff games that are on every night. So far almost every series has been pretty exciting to watch. And if that doesn't do it for ya well then I dunno, maybe you just have no soul like Felonious <img />
While it's true I'm without soul, every sport without football has too many games. To all those hockey fans here, how many of you watch every game of your favorite team. It's too tedious and time consuming at least for my life, I'm just not type of person who will catch a game when I can either. Football is great in that aspect - I can usually set my schedule around my game and Sunday is a true holy day for me in the Fall and Winter!
Not exactly legal, but you only get a 5min penalty for it, and its pretty much an accepted part of the game. There are times when players talk about fighting, like in the vid you could tell they discussed it when they were lined up, so as soon as the puck dropped they were both ready to go. Other times it just sorta happens when ppl get too pissed off.
Refs will generally let them fight for a bit to get it out, and will jump in at (usually) appropriate times. Typically when the players are tired and worn down, when they're up against the boards, or like in the video, when someone goes to the ice.
Its been a topic of a lot of debate over the years, whether or not to try and get it out of the game. But its been part of the sport for decades, and I don't see it going away anytime soon. Nor do I have a problem with it. Not only can a well-timed fight be entertaining to watch, but can also lift a teams spirit and swing the momentum of the game, as well getting the crowd back into the game to make some noise for the home team.
Edit: @felonious - I actually love that there are so many games. And while it would be a bit of a stretch for any fan to say they watch every minute of every game, I watch a ton of games. Out of the 82 game season, I think its fairly accurate to say I saw 70 of them. Love the sport, love the team, and love that there is almost always a game watch during football/hockey seasons. I hate waiting a week between games for football and being forced to listen to the same breakdowns/analysis every day.
I guess, just seems backwards that you could suspend someone for 2 dozen games in the NBA for the same thing that's encouraged in the NHL. Everybody whines about how they're supposed to be role models, etc.
I admit to being one of those guys who not only watches every game for his home team (Yay, Bruins!), but will watch any game that's on television regardless of who's playing, provided it's broadcast in my area.
And when it's not broadcast in my area, then I'll watch on NHL GameCenter Live. There have even been times when I'm watching one game on television, and switching back and forth between a few others on my laptop.
I'm sort of insane that way.
felonious said:
spata said:If you're trying to get into hockey just turn on any of the playoff games that are on every night. So far almost every series has been pretty exciting to watch. And if that doesn't do it for ya well then I dunno, maybe you just have no soul like Felonious <img />
While it's true I'm without soul, every sport without football has too many games. To all those hockey fans here, how many of you watch every game of your favorite team. It's too tedious and time consuming at least for my life, I'm just not type of person who will catch a game when I can either. Football is great in that aspect - I can usually set my schedule around my game and Sunday is a true holy day for me in the Fall and Winter!
Im gonna be honest, i watch all 82, no wait, 164 games in the nba for my teams, so i have no problem with that, oh and who saw that rangers fight, the first hockey game i watch, thats what i see
3 Game 7s coming this week, 1 tonight and 2 tomorrow, and 2 of the 3 game 6s went to overtime. Great stuff to watch. Should be some awesome hockey to watch. Lets go Devils/Caps/Sens
I'm sweating bullets over the Devils game 7. They haven't put together two wins in a row in the postseason in a few years, and Florida's been making the Devils PK work overtime. Fingers crossed.
Two Game 7's tomorrow should be exciting to watch for hockey fans, funny thing is its going up against the NFL draft. I'm going to make an interesting prediction and say the NFL draft has better rating than the two hockey games combined!
A few of the guys I work with are going to the Rangers game so hoping they pull it out! For the Jersey forum peeps, hope your Devils come through as well too!
Unbelievable game last night. Game 7s are great on their own, but going into OT is really something special. I know I keep saying this but its worth repeating; there really is nothing in sports like playoff hockey.
I'm just glad that wasn't the Flyers last night. My stress level is high enough as it is watching them, not sure I could take a game 7. Why can't every game just be like 5-0?
Tonight should be just as exciting, if not more so. Caps pulled it out last night which was awesome, here's hoping the Sens can do the same. Don't really care about the Devils/Panthers anymore - Only reason I wanted NJ was to avoid the Rangers in round 2, but Wash took care of that already. All things considered I'd be happy to see them go home now and join cry-baby Crosby and the ugliest player in the league on the golf course.
Another great night of hockey last night. Both of those games were awesome to watch, with the Rangers holding on to win behind the king and NJ-FL going into double OT.... Yes double overtime, in a game 7, awesome stuff.
Gotta give the Sens some credit, they definitely threw everything they had at NY and made for an exciting game, but Lundqvist is just way too good. Scares the hell outta me. Hopefully the Caps can take care of them.
Matchups for round 2 are all set now:
Flyers vs Devils
Rangers vs Capitals
Blues vs Kings
Coyotes vs Predators
Should be some more good hockey to watch
So that whole thing about the Devils' chances being astronomical? Yeah, maybe a little better than that.
God, I hate the Rangers.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
