B21

...to the 2019 offseason, Pittsburgh Penguins! We welcome you!

(Because I'll be damned if I let any of you fuggers have the pleasure.)  

There is no such thing as "too much playoff hockey". 

On 6/12/2018 at 10:55 PM, hf101 said:

This is impressive.

 

 

Meh. Trump had more for his inauguration. 

5 hours ago, yave1964 said:

Hockey predictions that I got right in 2017-18 by yave1964

You forgot the " ...with foreward by Hockie Junkie".

9 hours ago, Poulin20 said:

Great defensive plays I made in the 2018 playoffs by Chris Letang.

 

Big saves I made in the 2018 Conferemce Semifinals by Matt Murray.

 

My biggest contributions in the 2017-2018 Pittsburgh Penguins playoffs run, by Derek Brassard

 

3peat, by the 2017-2018 Pittsburgh Penguins.

Well played... 

9 hours ago, Poulin20 said:

To the first tee at Oakmont, Cindy, Jenny, Fat Phil, and the rest of the girls, We Welcome You!!

Oakmont > Merion. 

3 hours ago, ruxpin said:

"Wait,  you didn't say 'Give them an ass licking?'"  -- by Brad Marchand    (Chapter One of "Class," by the same author)

You could retitle that "How Not To Get E Coli" - by Brad Marchand

The Art of Smiling - by Mike Sullivan

Weight Watchers: My Untold Story - by Ken Hitchcock

My Neck - by Barry Trotz with forward by Bruce Boudreau

Why I Love NHL Officials - by Flyers Fans

I like. Just noticed the "V" in the helmet. Not too over the top - they look "professional".  I do think that it's not a coincidence that the focal colors are black and grey what with the Raaaaaaaaaiders coming to town in a few years.

We welcome you back to Pittsburgh, Lord Stanley.

"3rd Period Shots on Goal"

By the 2015-16 San Jose Sharks

Epilogue by Joseph James Pavelski with "contributions" from Joseph Eric Thornton

"The Salad I Ate From Lord Stanley's Cup"

By Phil Kessel

This book was made possible by donations from Nabisco, Oscar Meyer, Primant Brothers and viewers like you.

I can't cheer for the Canucks. Just not in my DNA.

Rangers? Not with a core that was greatly comprised of my own team's group.

 

I watched with distaste.

I think British Columbia is well west of the PA/Ohio border. 

But I think the point is..... fans root for Chicago. Even non-Blackhawks fans are rooting for Chicago right now. They like the dynasty as much as anyone else. I'm not sure the same can be said of Toronto. I don't think people ever root for Toronto (outside of Leafs fans). I don't think anyone wants to see the Leafs in the playoffs ever again... outside of Leafs fans.

 

It's a very different dichotomy and it's puzzling.

 

I remember people cheering for New York when they ended their Cup drought in 1994. Most of the time, fans want to see streaks like that end. 

I'm not rooting for Chicago.  If I had to guess, I'd say fans of the other 28 teams are leaning towards the Bolts.  Fans like underdogs. 

As for the Rangers, I think that was more about Messier than the Rangers though I can almost guarantee that any hockey fan north of Mason-Dixon and east of the PA/Ohio border was pulling hard for the 'Nucks.

I thought Toronto was Canada's team?   

...because it would be so awful that long suffering Toronto fans were able use their financial leverage to actually win something for a change?

Of course not.  If you prefer being able to buy a Cup versus actually earning one the way every other NHL team does. You'd make a great Yankees fan though at least you acknowledge a financial advantage (if there were no cap).  Yankee fans don't even do that.

Ten years ago the Blackhawks were on the verge of bankruptcy because their owner had alienated every fan in Chicago. The team was invisible in its own marketplace. People in the NHL wanted to see that organization get back on its feet because it's not good for business to have an original six team on its deathbed. They went from being in the abyss (literally a dead franchise) to being a modern day dynasty in just one decade.

And why? They retooled on the fly after their first Cup.  Won another and are in line for a 3rd.  Go ahead and point to Kane and Toews.  I'll raise you a Saad (2nd round), Duncan Keith (2nd Round), Seabrook (14th overall - kinda where the Leafs usually draft), Shaw (5th round) and Crawford (2nd Round).  What exactly did the NHL do to help them?  

All Toronto fans want is their turn. We can't win with financial might in baseball because of the Yankees, but you don't see Major League Baseball putting in a salary cap to help Jays fans. Hockey is the only sport where Toronto is #1 in revenue. It's the only sport where a Toronto franchise could (in theory) be like the Yankees if they wanted to be... but the salary cap prevents it.

Take it up with your ownership and front office.  If you spend to the cap limit you are still outspending about 80% of the NHL.  How much of a financial advantage do you want?

Speaking as a Leafs fan, how many Cups did the Leafs win prior to the salary cap (in my lifetime)? 0.  The only difference was, the team was more interesting. At least they could make the playoffs 50% of the time. It's not like the Leafs were preventing anyone else from winning with their big spending. All they did was buy aging veterans at the end of their career. But that's still better than the no-name, no-talent crap we've had to put up with for the past decade. 

Thanks for making my point. Even before the salary cap "unfairly" restricted the Leafs ability to buy a Cup, they still couldn't buy a Cup.

The best thing that could happen to the NHL right now would be Toronto winning 3 of the next 5 Stanley Cups. 

Actually - not a reflection of the Leafs but that's the worst thing that could happen to the NHL.  Not that I would care - I have nothing against the Leafs.  But...the best thing that could happen to the NHL is Phoenix winning next year, Florida the year after, Dallas the year after that and then Edmonton/Pittsburgh meeting for the Cup for the next 3 years (can McJesus take the mantle from an "aging" Sidney Crosby?).

I'm all for having a cap and revenue sharing (if they're set right)...

Only a handful of teams actually spend right up to the cap. I'm guessing your idea of "right" is high enough for the Toronto Maple Leafs to add a few $10,000,000 superstars to their roster when no one else really can.

That gets right back to the insane notion of teams whose fans who spend the most on tickets having the "right" to sign the best players.

Don't disagree. That's what you want.

....but when fans in some NHL cities are paying 10x more than others and not getting to watch a better on-ice product as a result, then I take issue with it.

Take issue with 48 years of player mismanagement then.  17 different teams have won the Cup since the Leafs last did in 1967.  Another 6 have made at least 1 appearance in the Finals. I'm betting not all had the highest payroll in the league at the time.

This thread just took a turn for the better. 

the NFL can franchise tag players... there are ways in the NFL to keep your star players. they are allowed to restructure their contracts and cut players when needed.  the NHL cannot.

I'd love for the NHL to adopt and NFL model but that only works in the NFL because the contracts (only bonuses) are not guaranteed.  The players options are often take less via a restructured deal or get cut.  

If fans in Toronto and New York suddenly stopped paying for it, the league's tune would change very quickly about how great things were going. And it may very well happen in Toronto for the first time ever. The "good faith" of Leafs fans has just about been exhausted. There is a very real risk that the Leafs lose their business advantage in the coming years and start having unsold tickets. If the Toronto market weakens / loses its appetite for NHL hockey, that would be a serious blow to league revenues. To me, it's a house of cards right now. 

1967.  If that was going to happen, it would have happened by now.  That's the benefit of such large markets.  If Fan A, loses interest, there is always a Fan B, C or D who will buy that ticket.

Why Polls Are Stupid

by: JagerMeister

Teams I Never Played For

By: Jaromir Jagr

Foreward By: Mark Arcobello

Honorable Mention:

Mario's 5 goals 5 different ways....

Power Play

Shortie

Even Strenght

Penalty Shot

Empty Net

 yes at different times AND the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Pittsburg had an NHL team in the mid 1920's along with the MLB of the same name.

The Steelers wee originally called the "Pirates" from 1933 to 1940, too.  I'm just happy all of our teams are black and gold.

I don't know how you guys deal with green/silver, red/white/blue, orange/black and red/maroon/blue/light blue.

 

  I do think Goc is a natural center and might fit better on the 4th line....although he's certainly good enough to be a 3rd line player. This will work itself out.

I'm leaning that way as well.  At least to start I'd have Goc center Adams and Comeau and try Downie on a wing with Sutter and Spaling.  If Tocchet turns him around he'll fit right in.  If he reverts back to the dumb penalties he gets bumped to the 4th line.

Good deal and a fair number. All hands on deck now.

LMFAO at this one...