Stanley Cup Playoffs - 2014

[Voltron]

Sharks finally score!

[Voltron]

Fuck this game. That call on the second goal was total bullshit.

[robm321]

Sharks are doing their usual playoff flop.

[Absorbine_Sr]

Agreed. But it still looks like the Sharks wheels have come off tonight. I will cheer for them in game 7.

Fuck there's been some intense hockey so far in these playoffs.

[Voltron]

How can Quick end up with no penalty after starting that fight?! The Sharks choked but the officials handed LA the momentum.

[The Monkey]

Fucking Rangers.

[Absorbine_Sr]

Fucking Rangers.

 

Yeah, watched a good part of that game and the Rangers just couldn't get a clue. But they have another chance Dinny.

[Voltron]

Fucking Rangers and fucking Sharks. Fuck.

[The Monkey]

The playoffs suck.

[grawk]

not as much as no playoffs

[agile_one]

Hang in there, Dinny and Al.  All will be made right.

[Aura]

Rangers needed to capitalize on Philly's first period fuck-ups. 

 

Tonight will be pretty rad, hopefully Allison doesn't need the TV.

[Wmcmanus]

Rangers needed to capitalize on Philly's first period fuck-ups. 

 

Tonight will be pretty rad, hopefully Allison doesn't need the TV.

 

I watch a ton of sports on my laptop at: http://gofirstrow.eu/  

It's a great free cite, once you get over the fact that it can be kind of fickle at times... oh, and the fact that you have to close all sorts of pop up screens.

Actually, the only thing I pay for anymore is the MLB.com package, which gives unlimited live and archived access to every MLB game.

[agile_one]

Rangers catching fire in 2nd. Up 2-0

[robm321]

2-1, go Rangers 

[grawk]

go notrangers

[Absorbine_Sr]

Rangers win. Dinny, you can exhale now.

[agile_one]

Rangers hold on. Good game.

Now we need Avs and Sharks to do same.

[grawk]

damn, oh well.  I'm not doing so well this year int he playoffs, much like the regular season.  So far, just the notPenguins, Ducks, and notRangers left in the mix.

[Absorbine_Sr]

Rangers hold on. Good game.

Now we need Avs and Sharks to do same.

Have to differ here Gene. I'm rooting for the Wild.

[Voltron]

Sharks suck in the playoffs.

[mikeymad]

took them to 7  -- but.. (yes)

[Wmcmanus]

I'm not a big hockey guy, but I do enjoy watching.  Just noticed that Montreal was the only Canadian team to make the playoffs.  Not much representation there.  1/7th of the contingent, when 16/30 teams overall make the playoffs.  Toronto and Vancouver were both essentially .500 teams and the rest of them were basement dwellers.  Has this been the norm in recent years?  If so, what is driving it?  Small market teams (Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Ottawa) having a hard time competing financially for the top players in the league?  Have player salaries escalated out of control like in baseball, basketball and football with free agency or the like?  Just curious what the back story is, or if it was just a down year for the Canadian teams.

Edited May 1, 2014 by Wmcmanus

[HeadphoneAddict]

Dammit, Avs won in OT every time except the 7th game, so we're out. (

[grawk]

I'm not a big hockey guy, but I do enjoy watching.  Just noticed that Montreal was the only Canadian team to make the playoffs.  Not much representation there.  1/7th of the contingent, when 16/30 teams overall make the playoffs.  Toronto and Vancouver were both essentially .500 teams and the rest of them were basement dwellers.  Has this been the norm in recent years?  If so, what is driving it?  Small market teams (Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Ottawa) having a hard time competing financially for the top players in the league?  Have player salaries escalated out of control like in baseball, basketball and football with free agency or the like?  Just curious what the back story is, or if it was just a down year for the Canadian teams.

Toronto doesn't make the playoffs because their fans will sell out the arena no matter what.  Montreal is generally really tough.  

 

In general the NHL is divided into haves and have nots, like most other sports.  If you can afford to skirt the salary cap rules, have good management and coaching, you can put together a perenial team.  That's about 8 teams in the NHL.  Then there are another 16 teams on the bubble every year. who compete for the other 8 spots into the playoffs.  Then there are the 6 teams that for a number of reasons just can't compete.  The islanders, jets, panthers, jets/thrashers, bills, and lately the oilers fit this category.