NHL 2010-2011 season

[undead]

It's always gotta be me, eh?

Well... 'ave at it!

The Jackets are off to a 0-1 start. We aren't expecting much as we're in total rebuilding mode starting with the coaching staff. We lost few players during the off season and acquired fewer. We're essentially taking the team we had last year, adding a new coach, and figuring out where the kinks lie. Expect more acquisitions during the NEXT off season and even potentially some trade deadline moves (depending on our place in the standings), but for now, we'll be a semi-lackluster team with a mediocre coaching staff until things begin to click. I normally would be upset that we made such few moves this season, but I like the angle they're taking. Let the new coaching staff get used to the team we have and make the appropriate changes as they deem necessary.

I'm not expecting much this year, but I look forward to watching the Jackets grow as a franchise starting with 2010.

 

[axl blaze]

the Columbus Blue Jackets look bad again, and set for another rebuilding season with yet another coach. wait, it is a new coach right? I can hardly keep up these days.

at least the Pittsburgh Penguins looks good again; Sydney Crosby should have another career season. I am interested to see how Alexander Ovechkin turns out as well...

 

[undead]

The Penguins are 0-2. They don't look THAT good.

The BJs didn't look as bad in game two. They're 1-1 now under their new (5th) coach! They certainly admitted prior to the start of the season that they weren't expecting to set any records this year, hence the lack of off season acquisitions. They're trying to mold their team to a new system. Scott Arniel had spent some time under Lindy Ruff (Buffalo), working with the Sabres' penalty kill, so our PK units should be more sound this year. Having a lot of young players who will more than likely be prone to penalties... it's nice to know our PK will be decent. Steve Mason's already looking more like the 08-09 Mase rather than the 09-10 Mase. That's a huge positive!

 

[_a_A_C_c_]

i am excited that the winter classic is at heinz field. i am crossing my fingers that i will be able to get tickets

 

[Khadijah]

Ryanlaughlin--Pittsburgh didnt seem to be doin too bad tonite But i think its just that the devils were so bad that anybody woulda looked good next to them, and i hate to say that cuz Im sure you can guess im a Devils fan all the way.

I really hope they dont have another one of their crappy seasons this year...i want to see some payback for the way they just miserably failed in the playoffs last season but they lookin like a sad bunch so far, come on, i know it was preseason but when they played washington on saturday and the score was 2 to 7....SEVEN? losin by 5? in hockey? god damn that is pathetic.. one thing about the devils, when they are good they just tear shit up ...but when they suck , they realllly suck.

They got a good team this year too and i am pissed to see they aint working together at all so far, playin sloppy as hell. It sucks to watch them just totally fail to live up to their potential. plus marty aint so young no more, and ever since he got his knee surgery he aint been quite as tight as he use to be...They got a bad habit of just lettin it all fall on him, and that is alot to have on one players shoulders. They got some really good players but they just aint got no damn teamwork so far. seems like instead of havin a plan, they just kinda....let shit happen.....They loose as hell, looks like a bunch of fuckin newjacks and they got kovalchuk, parise, elias, langenbrunner, zubrus, these dudes are good players but they just aint gettin it done so far.

Technically its the first game of the season if you dont pay the preseason games no mind....so i aint tryna jump the gun and start bein disappointed too early. I really hope they will come back on wednesday kick some ass and get their confidence back.

But if not,and they keep suckin all season, ima just have to give up on them and go to my contingency plan which is just to root for whoever is beatin the Rangers/Flyers (My 2 arch enemy teams lol)

 

[undead]

Kovalchuk, Parise, Elias, Langenbrunner, Zubrus, etc. are all good players indeed, but the Devils have always been reliant on playing a trap system. I can't say for sure how much they rely on that system still as I haven't paid em much attention in the last couple seasons, but if they're still playin a heavy trap, those offensive guys aren't gonna get the same production as they might on a team playing a different, more offensive, system.

If they're gonna start building a team with more offensive guys... then they should adjust their system to reflect that style of play.

Not that I can say much cause my team isn't exactly a Cup contender. :D

OOOOh and a_c... I WANT to go to the classic!!!!!

 

[axl blaze]

I remember a year ago when the Winter Classic was held at Fenway Park in Boston. the roof of the building I used to live in had an unforgettable view of the ballpark. you could literally look right down into the stadium. during last years Winter Classic I wanted nothing more than tickets to the Bruins/Flyers game, or at the very least to be back in my old apartment, so I could watch the game from my roof with beers aplenty.

I wonder why outdoor hockey matches are so popular? this December we get treated to the "Big Chill at the Big House"... which will be a game between in-state rivals Michigan and Michigan State, held at Ann Arbor. I think the first outdoor hockey match between those two was in 2001 in East Lansing and it broke some attendance records.

I guess it's just rad to watch hockey being played outdoors. why not? when it's cold and snowy outside it makes sense to have a little more fun and hold the game outdoors. if you compare attendance for teams playing indoors and attendance for teams when they get the chance to play outdoors, you will quickly notice a large spike.

since most professional franchise and collegiate athletic institutions essentially care about MONEY first and foremost, it's kinda shocking that hockey doesn't play all their games outdoors

 

[ATLL765]

We definitely are not playing any type of trap....To be honest, the team looks like a AHL team playing in the NHL. Offensive production while not very good, hasn't been terrible at 6 goals in 3 games, but our defense has been atrocious with 14 goals against(1 of those is a the traitor Paul Martin's empty netter though) I won't start calling for anyone's head until another month or so passes and things stay this way, we only have 2 defenseman that played all of last season returning in One Eye White and Andy Greene, everyone else is new/really young, so it's tough to say they should be playing better.

That being said, a very "convenient" injury has popped up this week in that Rolston may have a sports hernia and if so would be put on LTIR and therefore the Devils would be allowed to further exceed the salary cap by his cap hit of a smidge more than 5 million, so with him, Salvador, and Salmela being on LTIR, the Devils are legally allowed to exceed the cap by just over 8.5 million rather than the 3.5 million they are allowed to exceed it by now. This would certainly relieve the Devils of the cap issue short term and who knows what "lingering issues" they will be told to have...I mean might have from Salvador's concussion and Rolston's sports hernia.

That all being said, it's pretty lame that Crosbitch and co. get another Winter Classic. Though as someone else pointed out to me recently, the winner of the winter classic has always been the loser in the stanley cup final, so it's good to watch if you're a bettin' man I guess.

 

[axl blaze]

Crosby might not be the most hardened of all the NHL superstars, but calling him a bitch is way outta line. the NHL needed a player like Crosby, in that he hits a lot of goals. it's well known across the board in all of sports that the plebeians need offense, goals, and points to be interested in a sport.

Crosby is not only the savior of Pittsburgh hockey, he is the savior of professional hockey as a whole. his battles with Alexander Ovechkin have been nothing short of epic. without these two hockey would once again be relegated to the cellar of sports relevancy

 

[Dark Horse]

Devils have a new coach - John MacLean. So far though they haven't been 'dying hard.'

It's early days. They have to work Kovalchuk into the picture so that he and Parise are producing at the same time. Brodeur is 38. Maybe he doesn't recognize October anymore. The Devils will likely start rolling but will it look like it usually does if the coach doesn't play it the usual way ? He could end up fired if it doesn't get straightened away within a few weeks.

Columbus ? Tough division to try to get into the playoffs from. Seriously - Detroit, Chicago, Nashville and St. Louis. Of course it can be done, but the D is looking ...pretty average. The Jackets need breakthrough seasons from guys they've been waiting for i.e. Voracek, Brassard, Filatov, Russell. Otherwise you can be a pretty good team in that division...but just good enough to lose a lot of close games.

I'm a Vancouver fan and I'm trying to ignore whatever is happening right now. The team is getting hyped, but like a lot of other teams it hasn't found a groove. The Canucks are meant to be in the Stanley Cup part of their cycle. They will need to go deep this season because it doesn't matter how well you play at this point if you don't get the results. Expectations are too high for any kind of feel good early exit from the playoffs. There's no sneaking up on anyone.

 

[axl blaze]

Columbus ? Tough division to try to get into the playoffs from. Seriously - Detroit, Chicago, Nashville and St. Louis. Of course it can be done, but the D is looking ...pretty average. The Jackets need breakthrough seasons from guys they've been waiting for i.e. Voracek, Brassard, Filatov, Russell. Otherwise you can be a pretty good team in that division...but just good enough to lose a lot of close games.

this is very true. I live in Columbus, and I think the NHL hates us to put an expansion team in a division with these beasts

 

[Khadijah]

well, I feel much better after Wednesdays game. Devils really picked it up. its like they turned their "on" switch or somethin....realized how shitty they did on monday and snapped outta it...I mean they werent brilliant or nothin, but there was a definate change. They were takin madd shots all game long, it was a total opposite of monday. and martin was just savin em left and right, everytime he was just on it. another shutout to add to his record, for a guy his age that aint too bad, I gotta give it to him. he aint in his prime no more but he hangs on pretty tight for as long as he been playin. I was on the edge of my seat right til the end, that one time the puck was like a inch from bein in the goal and didnt make it was disappointing but i had a pretty good feeling the whole game that theyd come out on top... so when kovalchuk scored I was like damn right, bout time you started earnin that contract. I hope this means they will be performin better than in preseason but you know how it is...you can never be sure, so Ima wait and see before i start talkin about they doin good. its still too early to tell, but Im glad to see the turnaround for sure.

 

[Dark Horse]

Lacy, you still got problems out there. I know it because i've got Parise in a hockey pool and he is simply not on the scoresheet.

I understand the Devils have not been icing a full lineup because of cap issues. Ouch.

Could Kovalchuk be a curse ?

 

[Khadijah]

I agree--after last night I just turned on the islanders game halfway thru the 3rd period, cuz i couldnt bear to watch the devils eat shit for no longer.

even with rolston, volchenkov, salvador, and a few other guys iirc out in LTIR they are over the cap by about 3 million, at least thats wat i read on wednesday. havin those guys out aint helpin their game at all.

anyways....the 2nd period was just a fuckin wreck last night. Im mad disappointed.

My man used to be a goalie, and he pointed out to me that when marty goes down on his knees to block a shot, if you pay attention, its like he gets stuck where hes at. he has a hard time moving quick once hes down, so its hard to protect against the rebounds, when you watch carefully u can see that he has to kinda push himself with his hands to move over and he aint got as much movement in his legs. they said his knee injury in 05 was minor but he seems to have suffered more from it as the years go by. how much of it is due to his age and natural slowing down and how much of it is that, who knows, but both of those things put together dont help.

He aint playin at his best right now--wats the point of playing him in every game when his performance aint the level that it has been in the past. They might as well pull him and put hedberg in and give marty a break let him conserve his energy. some people might say, hey hang on to him, hes the best thing they got goin for them, might as well try and hold onto at least something--but the way he is performin now, I dont agree. He aint playin at that superstar MB level, hes just good average. If he is just average might as well play another goalie who got a little more energy and mobility and get at least the same performance and give him a break for a minute. you cant replace the best, but if the best is just playing so so then there aint no point to tiring him out for no result.

The fact that its so early in the season and Im already sayin that tho, aint a good look. Too bad, you can only be the best ever for so long. i definately think he is done after his contract is up in 2 years.

iunno yall. Ima just keep painfully watchin and see wat the deal is. they are havina tough season for sure. Kovalchuk mighta been more of a sacrifice than he is worth, we just gonna have to see.

I got long term experience bein a suffering fan tho--Outside of hockey, My fam's teams have always been the jets and the mets, so im used to bein let down. Well see how it goes, you can only watch and see wat happens. Now that the Sabres are gettin beat left and right, the wednesday win against them dont even feel so good becuz its like oh great, the only team you could beat is ranked last in their division

It does hurt to see the devils at #5 man...at least the islanders are doin good tho, they are my backup team for when the devils fuck up their season and dont make it to the playoffs.

 

[ATLL765]

^Then I guess you should be glad that the devils have made the playoffs 19 of the past 20 years and every season from 96-97 up until the present, only bettered by Detroit's consecutive playoff appearance record, because the Islanders are more well known for trading away players that later become grade A stars than they are for doing anything positive. Not to mention DiPietro's been cursed ever since he signed that fat contract, which is a tough break for the team and him because he's real good, just not when he's constantly injured/rehabbing from said injury.

Although the past 3 years of the early exits have been less than fun, although last year I had given into the fact that it was going to happen unlike in 08-09 where I was 100% we were making it to round 2 only to be crushed in the last two minutes of that game. I didn't even see the game winning goal because after the tying foal when in, my head was in my hands in disbelief that I'd spent $20 to see this debacle live. Just talking about it makes my blood boil.

All that being said, I think next year will be a better year for the Devils unless Lou can pull a rabbit out of his ass with some nifty trades, which won't have to happen soon because Salvador and Rolston will magically stay hurt and on LTIR as long as Lou says they're hurt. This team I GUARANTEE will get it's act together and once it does and we're seen by other GMs to be in less of desperate situation than we seem to be now, a trade will be made. Lou will not allow a trade to happen that sends away a useful player+prospect/draft pick and have us get nothing of value in return when we have to give a 1st rounder sometime in the next few years as per the NHL.

One last note here: what's everyone's thoughts on what should happen to Rypien the Vancouver player that was in the altercation with a fan in Minnesota this week?

 

[Pegasus]

i am excited that the winter classic is at heinz field. i am crossing my fingers that i will be able to get tickets

If it's anything like when it came to Boston this last year, those tickets will be very hard to get a hold of... Pricey, too...

 

[ATLL765]

I like watching the Winter Classic, but I'm not so sure I'd want to actually be there for one. I imagine the sight lines are terrible in such large venues like a football field or baseball diamond. I love watching it on TV though and I think even if there was one close enough for me to see, I wouldn't cough up the cash to see it anyways. Too much money for a crappy seat out in the cold, no thanks, the couch+a few beers sounds a whole lot more fun to me than that.

Edit: Hell yessss!!!! The Devils won tonight WOOOO!!!! Now we're a whopping 3-7-1.

 

[axl blaze]

Rypien pushing over that Minnesota fan and his brother was complete bullshit. you can see it here that the fan does nothing more than clap at Rypien being kicked out. sure, he might have said something that set the hockey player off, but as a professional athlete you have to be able to take fans booing or loud mouthing you

I can't believe that the kid and his brother got kicked out following this altercation. I would be so pissed them I got pushed by a "professional" athlete and then subsequently kicked out of the game!

 

[Dark Horse]

Oh those Devils.....killing me in my pool. I own a very quiet Parise, who it now appears might be hurt.

Can it be the back end isn't moving the puck very well ? Up front the personel doesn't appear much changed unless you consider Kovalchuk to be a negative.

On the Rypien stuff, the 'kid' is 28 years old. He and whomever he was with were moved to a different part of the arena in Minnesota after the incident. They were not asked to leave.

I'm a Vancouver fan. Rypien really did lose it there. He is mostly a fighter, not an agitator in the same way that Burrows or Kesler are, nor a cheap shot artist in the way Matt Cooke is.

There seems to be two main ways of thinking about this. One, Rypien did the unthinkable and deserves a hefty suspension for initiating physical contact with a fan. I think this thinking is okay if for no other reason than to show other players they can't do this. The other way of thinking is that fans, whether or not they are paying customers, are not entitled to hurl abuse at people and expect they will not be held accountable (certainly when they are within reach, eh ?). I agree with this, too.

In the event, this young man got his shirt grabbed, was apparently later seen high-fiving other fans and in the end apparently comes away no worse for the experience. So, Rypien's six games is probably a fitting suspension given it was a very brief encounter without any damage being done. Rypien, and other NHL players, will likely learn from this. I'm not sure it teaches fans to be respectful, but that might be too much to hope for. One thing is true....there aren't nearly ENOUGH fans in U.S. arenas this season.

 

[ATLL765]

I have Parise on my fantasy team too. They say it's a "lower body injury" which could mean anything from a bruise to amputation, but from what I saw when it happened and interviews with Parise, it's most likely a groin thing. He said he hurt it in a practice in August and it's been nagging him ever since and also it seems like he play gets worse over the course of a game, which would also indicate a groin injury as that would tend to worsen as the game goes on.

This definitely would somewhat explain his fairly lame stats so far. They say surgery is likely, so no way he's out less than 2 weeks, but who knows....at least now the Devils should be the team allowed to exceed the cap more than any other team haha. If Parise goes on LTIR we should have like 15 mil in cap relief with that.

To make a note on Rypien, I think he should've been made an example of. These guys are professionals and should be able to handle being verbally abused by the fans of other teams. I mean what do they expect? I understand he was probably worked up after his encounter with the Minnesota player just before that, but this is unacceptable. It's not even like this would really hurt the Canucks if they had suspended him for 10+ games, he's not exactly a big contributor to the team as far as I know, so where's the harm done there? You make a point that is impossible to go unnoticed by players and you get good PR by showing you have zero tolerance when it comes to these types of events.

Since this seems relevant here and it's quite entertaining
Here for all your viewing pleasure is the reasoning behind all NHL suspensions:

NSFW:

NSFW: