# NHL



## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

In professional sports now, there is lots of excitement with the 2021 EuroCup, and the NBA playoffs -- great! 

As for the National Hockey League, the level and kind of violence in the current playoffs is really disheartening. Now, people who follow ice hockey and notice the name of my home city may suspect I'm having a case of sour grapes. All right, go and snicker, it's only 54 years since we won the Stanley Cup! But with the violence, I don't watch the games anyway -- freeing up valuable time ...


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Only been to one Leafs game. For me, hockey and baseball have to be seen live. Strangely enough I prefer to watch NBA on TV than live (but then I've never been to a playoff game).


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Although I'm a long-time fan a long time fan I've given up watching ice hockey games, but still follow the scores. Anyway, speaking of things Canadien, the big surprise of the NHL playoffs this season is that the Montreal Canadiens are in the Stanley Cup best-of-four semifinals, and they are leading their series over Las Vegas Golden Knights 3-2. Their success is not unrelated to their smothering defensive play -- no, they are not the Flying Habs of yore. I do admire their longtime goaltender Carey Price who had a tough regular season but has been stellar in the playoffs.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Habs in finals. Hopefully they can end the drought. The country could use some solidarity during these horrific discoveries.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Phil loves classical said:


> Habs in finals. Hopefully they can end the drought. The country could use some solidarity during these horrific discoveries.


Montreal vs. Tampa Bay for the Stanley Cup -- 40 years ago nobody would have believed this matchup. Tampa Bay is an exciting team to watch and Montreal is strong defensively. How about the goaltending battle: Carey Price vs. Andrei Vasilevsky -- can't get better than that.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

In today's _Globe and Mail_ there are amazing stories about players in this year's Stanley Cup final. The American sensation Cole Caufield (Montreal) won the NCAA best men's ice hockey player award last year. He started playing organized hockey at the age of ... two! Longtime Montreal goalie Carey Price comes from a tiny community in northern British Columbia; for key games his father flew him in a four-seater aircraft to Williams Lake, 300 km. away. After the team's victory in the semi-finals he said how proud he was of his mother's recent re-election as chief of the (indigenous) Ulkatchko First Nation.

As for the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning, their lineup includes star forwards Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, and captain Steven Stamkos who made a remarkable comeback from severe injury, while the defensive anchors include veteran Viktor Hedman and award-winning all-star goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevskiy. Surely this team is the favorite and Montreal will have its hands full, but anything can happen in hockey. Series starts tonight -- hoping for no gratuitous violence.


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

Roger Knox said:


> Series starts tonight -- hoping for no gratuitous violence.


Hang on.

Are we talking about the NHL, here?!

:lol:

ETA: this actually is a pretty interesting matchup.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I played hockey as a kid in the 70s and my uncle was a pro player in the 50s. My dad and I tuned in to Hockey Night In Canada every Saturday night. But I hadn't watched a game in decades until last week when I stopped by to see my parents. I couldn't get over how fast the game has become. It's like every guy on the ice is Yvan Cournoyer. It made my head spin.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Knorf said:


> Hang on.
> 
> Are we talking about the NHL, here?!
> 
> ...


Yes I take your point. Excessive violence comes back every few years and Rodney Dangerfield's old line "I went the the fights and a hockey game broke out" rattles _my_ brain again. I hate to see outstanding players subjected to beatings I cannot describe on this web site.

Toronto and Montreal consider each other rivals in many things, but some commentators here in Toronto say we should put that aside and patriotically support our Canadian team. Others think that should not matter and we should hope Tampa Bay beats our rivals.

Nonsense: both of them. I support penalties, suspensions, fines, and hiring a new "Director of Player Safety" and will avoid watching the playoff games till the National Hockey League turns the page, if ever ...


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

starthrower said:


> But I hadn't watched a game in decades until last week when I stopped by to see my parents. I couldn't get over how fast the game has become. It's like every guy on the ice is Yvan Cournoyer. It made my head spin.


That's true. I played organized hockey back in my teens, and the speed now is amazing. My criticisms are focused on the current playoffs where the referees are hardly calling anything.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Knorf said:


> ETA: this actually is a pretty interesting matchup.


It is. Despite being down 3-0 in the Stanley Cup playoff finals, Montreal kept its hopes alive with a 3-2 overtime win last night. But tomorrow night Tampa Bay has the home advantage and it could be the deciding game.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

It's all over, Tampa Bay Lightning have won the Stanley Cup and are 2020-2021 National Hockey League champions, beating the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 tonight and taking the series 4-1. Hockey in July in Florida is an anomaly, but the cheering Tampa Bay fans filled their arena and their team deserved to win. Montreal was an amazing surprise in these playoffs. They were a strong contender and I hope they continue to build on this year's progress.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

It's BAAACK!!

Yes the 2021-2222 National Hockey League season has begun, after an abnormally short summer layoff. Once one of the great franchises in league history, the Toronto Maple Leafs now are comfortably into their second half-century of not winning the Stanley Cup. I say "comfortably" because in hockey-mad Canada multiple revenue streams and other corporate strategies have ensured that they win on the balance sheet, regardless of performance on the ice. I suppose that sort of thing never happens in other professional sports ... ? Anyway, enough of that -- hope springs eternal. The Leafs now have 2 wins, 1 loss.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

My wife and I visited Toronto in 2003 and fell in love with the city.

We thought the hockey museum was great.

Even though I am a Cap fan, I will be pulling for Toronto.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

arpeggio said:


> My wife and I visited Toronto in 2003 and fell in love with the city.
> 
> We thought the hockey museum was great.
> 
> Even though I am a Cap fan, I will be pulling for Toronto.


Thanks arpeggio, great to hear you enjoyed your visit to Toronto. The Maple Leafs get criticized locally whatever they do. If they won three Stanley Cups, boo birds would say it'll all fall apart. They receive more negativism than all other sports here combined. They'd be happy to know you're pulling for them, as am I.

As well as the pro team there are fine youth hockey programs in Toronto. A young person I know received excellent mentorship in one that has helped him in many ways.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

My oldest son was a product of the youth hockey program in the Washington, DC area.

He was a goalie.

Virginia Tech had a non-scholarship ice hockey team and he was one of there goalies.

Because of a knee injury he no longer plays goalie, but he still plays in the various adult recreational teams in Fairfax County, Virginia.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Now we're into March and the trade deadlines are over I start to think about the NHL playoffs. At this point the success of Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Colorado suggests one of them will win the Stanley Cup, with the possibility of a three-peat for Tampa Bay. Still scratching my head about the recent dominance of ice hockey by teams in the southern USA, time to get used to it! As for Toronto we're having a good season but have to do something about the goaltending to be a playoff contender. This is galling because our best goalie Frederik Andersen was traded away last year to guess who? -- Carolina -- where he's having a stellar season. I tell you the reason the Maple Leafs haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1967 is bad management. All teams make mistakes but ours have been spectacular. We've had and have great players, fans, finances -- still hoping that this year we'll finally do something in the playoffs.


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

There's a very head-shaking situation here in the Phoenix area: the Coyotes have lost their lease in their Glendale arena. They'll soon start using a new 5K seat arena belonging to Arizona State University in Tempe. For the the foreseeable future it would appear. Their only other alternatives were non-starters. Including sharing the Suns' arena, which they did before their own was built in Glendale. Or the 15K seat Veterans' Memorial Colosseum, the original home of the Suns.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

progmatist said:


> ... Coyotes have lost their lease in their Glendale arena. They'll soon start using a new 5K seat arena belonging to Arizona State University in Tempe.


That's a sad development. A 5K arena can't support an NHL team for long.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

As it stands in the Stanley Cup Playoffs we have Tampa Bay through to the semi-finals, with stellar play from goaltending legend Andrei Vasilevsky and solid performances up and down the lineup. Toronto has given them the most trouble so far while Florida Panthers, No. 1 in the league this year, lost to them in the quarter-finals four games to none. That shows once again the difference between a regular season team and a playoff team. If Tampa Bay wins the cup this year it will be three in a row -- who can stop them? Clearly a playoff team, with other legendary players like Victor Hedman, defence, and Steve Stamkos, forward.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Last night there was the first game of the NHL playoff finals between Colorado Avalanche and (guess who?) Tampa Bay Lightning -- the league's two best teams this year. A closely-fought battle with Colorado prevailing 4-3 in overtime. Colorado's stars include forward Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar, but on any given night there are other top players who may stand out. Too early to predict the series result. 

Colorado's fans sing in unison with powerful effect.


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## Nate Miller (Oct 24, 2016)

that was a really good game. I'm a Penguin fan, so I dont have a dog in this fight, but Tampa Bay is scary. The Avs won in overtime, but they were up by 2 goals at home, which in the Cup finals is statistically a lead pipe lock to win the game, but Tampa came back...on the road...to tie the game up with alot of time left.

they say that you're never in trouble until you lose at home, so Tampa came close to stealing game 1 (and home ice) but even if they drop game 2, all the Avs have done is hold serve. 

I haven't seen alot of Colorado this season, but they are now 13-2 in these playoffs and 3 wins away from the Cup

so Lord Stanley, pass me the brandy...it looks like its going to be a good series


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

I'm surprised to see Colorado up 2-0 in the series now, especially with their 7-0 victory over Tampa Bay in Game 2. If Andrei Vasilevsky is getting tired it might be because he's been Tampa Bay's sole-use goalie for so long, while most other teams split duties between two goalies nowadays. It'll be interesting to see how Tampa Bay does in the next two games where they have home advantage.


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## Nate Miller (Oct 24, 2016)

back in Tampa in game 3 the Bolts showed us why they are the defending champs. They got beat like a rented mule in game 2, and then they took it out on Colorado in front of the home crowd. Momentum is a funny thing in a hockey series. Game 1 goes to overtime, then the next two games are blow outs with each team taking turns kicking the stuffings out of the other.

The series is also getting a little testy. There were more fights in game 3, including an all-out brawl in front of the Colorado bench at the end of the 2nd that left both teams shorthanded for the start of the third.

who knows what we're going to see in game 4. So far, Colorado looks like the better team, but in hockey the best team doesn't always win and Tampa looks like they might have figured something out, so we'll have to wait and see


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Well, that's it, Colorado won last night 2-1 to win the Stanley Cup and end Tampa Bay's string of NHL championships at 2. Both teams were outstanding and I can't believe how good these players are now. Young Colorado defenseman Cale Makar is already being compared to all-time greats.


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