sarsippius

You're not going to sway me by including people who are CLEARLY not part of the "you guys" you are referring to (what do mean, "YOU PEOPLE" **ninja face so nobody gets upset**) in discussions about Flyer fans that make what you deem to irrelevant and out of place Pens criticisms. I try to keep my arguments at least based on logic, I think, and from from memory flyerrod, whose conversation I butted into uninvited, generally does the same. And was doing so in the posts leading up to my horrible, horrible outburst, therefore I found Polaris' misdirection away from the actual point to be out of place. If you want to use the "you guys" argument, then use it with "those guys". And I stand by the actual point I was trying to make, which is that IM(not so)HO the statistics cited do not, even if they were directly correlatable with whether is a player is a diver (which I think made a half persuasive case that this is not the case) or not, it would still have no relevance to whether or not a player embellished the hit on a specific play. I found the other side of the argument so off base that I reacted in manner that clearly offended the delicate sensibilities of some. That discussion has run its course, I hope. Ninja face smiley devil horns can't we all just get along icon

Yeah that takes some cajones to hang in that long. You could tell he was in trouble, he was basically a pylon with a stick attached, but it was enough to take up some space and cut off a shooting lane. He doesn't do that and its a full 5 on 3, Pens maybe score and its maybe a different outcome. Agree the play should be allowed to continue until the zone is cleared and the player can't get to the bench. Tough but thems the rules

Fair enough on fighting element, but I still don't agree on the relevance of the stat. IMO You could only use penalties drawn as a direct link to diving if 1-ALL penalties called were because the "victim" flopped or otherwise exaggerated the offense (i.e. no called penalties were actually valid) and 2- EVERY dive resulted in a penalty to the aggressor. If either of those conditions are not satisfied, a causal relationship can't be drawn between diving and penalties. Honestly if Briere is 8th on the Flyers, I think it illustrates my point.....otherwise he'd lead the team.

@polaris922 The F bomb sentence was half tongue in cheek, half Rodney Dangerfield schtick, can't do the ninja while phone typing. Certainty wasn't complaining that it was mean, was stating my opinion that what a Flyer does or doesn't is completely irrelevant to a discussion on what Neal did or didn't or didn't do on a specific play in a game against the Boston Bruins. But since we're here..... Penalties drawn is not a direct indicator of diving. You cited Zac Rinaldo with a 3 point something per 60, is that because he's a flopper? No, it's because he draws people into fights. I would bet dollars to donuts that his penalties taken exceed that 3 point whatever number. Quick, who's the biggest diver in O&B? That would be Danny Briere. If he's not on top of that Flyer list, ahead of Zac Rinaldo, then I would say that the statistic is flawed for the point you are trying to make.

Why does every defense of a Penguins player result in a Flyer being invoked? The discussion appeared to me be about Neal's action in a game against the Bruins, what the **** does that have to do with Claude Giroux or Scott Hartnell or Peter f**king Pan???? Nothing at all, its a logical fallacy called a red herring, an irrelevant statement to distract from the discussion at hand. As I've been reminded numerous times in these pages, Flyers are not playing hockey, they're playing golf. Right? Right. Carry on.

I don't care who you root for, that's some funny sh!t right there.

@idahophilly Glad to see you back. Like hf says, I'm just watching hockey, I really have no rooting interest.....ok well except for not wanting to see horse face raise the Cup

Exactly why he's my favorite Philly athlete ever (well, tied with #16 anyway). Gave everything he had, every time, and he wore it on his sleeve.

I won't even begin to speculate on suspension or no, trying to understand Shanny's rulings is like trying to understand rassling refereeing. But clearly these are the types of hits the league has targeted to eliminate. Bolland looks like he's getting ready to launch and tries to abort, still gets his weight high and comes off one skate at the moment of impact or a microsecond before. Shot to the head. Cooke gets a defenseless player facing the glass right between the shoulder blades. A foot from the boards. I can't stand that piece of human garbage, so I won't even pretend to have an objective opinion. But nice to him up to his old tricks. Cue the Pens defenders....

Un. Freakin. Believable. I think it will set a DANGEROUS precedent. We're going to serve people online by their internet handles? We're going to force admins to turn over personal info on members of online communities? I don't why I'm surprised.

I'm not sure exactly when the Pens became my new Rangers, mighta been game 3 last year:) I can't say as I'm really "rooting" for anyone here, just watching hockey.

This is what I don't understand. I could see the league or the city floating loans to entice ownership.....like the first couple if years. But how long has this failed experiment been going on, and everything I read STILL has to do with Phoenix indemnifying new ownership against losses. How critical is it to league success to have a team in that market???

A little plain but I like it, a bit of a nod to 50's style. But man there's something about gaudy eye- burning bright colors that don't match that only the 70's can bring.

Dont you know getting games on tv when NONhockey fans might watch for 5 minutes is more important than your passionate rooting interest? So damn selfish jeez.....

As long as my ex-wife is still stealing money from me every 15th and 30th, I'm covered.

You sir, have done your homework! Horrible arena, was actually built as a recreational rink that landed an EHL team (Jersey Aces) in the 60's. That a major professional league trying to supplant the NHL would put a team there still boggles my mind. But basically the NY Golden Blades got booted from the Garden for nonpayment of rent, and the WHA needed a place to park the franchise until they found a home for it, and they really didn't care where. Side note, the guy responsible for offering up Cherry Hill to the WHA also had grand plans to build an 18,000 seat arena there and lure an NHL or NBA team to play there. Literally 10 minutes from Philadelphia. Neighboring Moorestown fought tooth and nail against it, I think it actually went to the NJ Supreme Court before they finally gave it up. Which is likely a good thing, no way it would have ever worked. Edit: Sorry @hf101, I derailed my own thread

@yave1964 Right on, I love the nostalgia of teams and leagues gone by. My avatar is the logo of the New Jersey Knights, played about two thirds of a season in the WHA at the old Cherry Hill arena. I think my dad and I might be the only two people alive that even remember them. We also caught the the WHA Phila Blazers at the Civic Center (lasted one season) and the Phila Firebirds of the NAHL at the same place. Tons of memorabilia in the basement, programs pennants and ticket stubs, dad swears when he dies I better get to it before my mom tosses it all out!

Ah its all good, we're just having fun. As far as the Colts, it'll always feel like i swallowed a brick every time i think about it. Alotta great memories from Memorial Stadium, but that would be another thread entirely.....

@yave1964 Kansas City baby, bring back the Scouts!!!! @mojo1917 would have an anuerysm if they brought back this timeless 70's classic: Ok but in all seriousness, you raise a good point on the natural geographical rivalry that could evolve between KC-StL-CHI. Although (I don't think) much of a rivalry has really developed between CHI and StL, but you never know. I can't say that KC would be my first choice for expansion.....well let me back up one step first, i can't say that I think expansion is even a good idea at all! But if we have to, I do believe that Seattle would be a great choice. And my second choice would be (have been) Hamilton, but the Bettman has made his feeling clear about that prospect.

Come on now, I know that you know that I know there's no N in Dallas....what I was actually inferring was that I liked it better when the Dallas Stars were the Minnesota North Stars....but come to think of it do like the N logo better, everything was better were you were a young lad, whether it actually was or not. I liked the Baltimore Colts' logo better when they were in Baltimore, even though it didn't change when they went to Indianapolis.

Stop me if you've heard this one before......the league has owned this team for 4 years now, will this finally be it? Or will this be another fail that finally convinces the league to desert the desert? http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-sources-coyotes-sale-approved-hurdle-remains?utm_campaign=AP_Sports&utm_source=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Twitter Coyotes sale approved, hurdle remains PHOENIX (AP) — The NHL has approved the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to a group of Canadian-led investors, but the deal is contingent on reaching a lease agreement with the city of Glendale, two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The NHL agreed to sell the team to Renaissance Sports & Entertainment, a group headed by George Gosbee, Anthony LeBlanc and Daryl Jones, according to the people, who spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because there had been no official announcement. They said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, deputy commissioner Bill Daly and the prospective buyers will meet with Glendale officials on Tuesday for talks on a lease. The NHL bought the Coyotes out of U.S. Bankruptcy Court in 2009 and has tried without success to find a buyer who would keep the team in Glendale. The approval of the Gosbee group's sale by the NHL was first reported by Fox Sports Arizona. LeBlanc and some of this group's partners, among them Daryl Jones, were part of a previous effort to buy the team under the name Ice Edge, Inc. Gosbee, a banker and financier, is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Alberta-based AltaCorp Capital Inc. The lease with Glendale has always been a sticking point in the sale of the team. Glendale owns Jobing.com Arena, where the Coyotes play and the city has spent tens of millions of dollars to help cover the franchise's operating losses under the NHL's nearly four-year ownership of the team. Any lease deal also likely will cost the financially-strapped city, but losing the team as an anchor tenant may cost much more. If this effort falls through, Bettman could finally give up on his insistence on keeping the team in Arizona and agree to a move of the franchise, which has lost money since it moved to the desert from Winnipeg in 1996. Then-owner Jerry Moyes, to the surprise of Bettman, took the team into bankruptcy in 2009, with an agreement to sell to Blackberry founder Jim Balsille, who would move the franchise to Hamilton, Ontario. But the NHL and its band of attorneys, joined by the city of Glendale, vehemently fought the plan in a court-case that dragged out through that summer, and the judge ruled that he couldn't overturn the NHL's authority to determine where its franchises are located. When other bids failed, the NHL stepped in and bought the team. A bid by former San Jose Sharks owner Craig Jamison to buy the team was the latest attempt to fall through. Despite the uncertainty and limitations of its ownership situation, the Coyotes had surprising success on the ice, even making it to the Western Conference finals last season. The team failed to make the playoffs in this season. On Friday, the Coyotes announced it had reached agreement on a long-term contract with general manager Don Maloney and is working to re-sign coach Dave Tippett.

@DaGreatGazoo I did not know that. Now Canada does too: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/story/2013/05/25/sp-hockey-canada-body-checking-pee-wee.html Hockey Canada votes to ban bodychecking in peewee hockey The game of hockey will soon change for peewee-level players across the country after a vote by Hockey Canada on Saturday that banned bodychecking. Hockey Canada's board of directors overwhelmingly voted to eliminate bodychecking for peewee players at its annual general meeting in Charlottetown on Saturday, with only the Saskatchewan Hockey Association voting against. The decision comes in the same month that both Hockey Alberta and Hockey Nova Scotia did away with bodychecking for its peewee players, who are usually 11 and 12 years old. Quebec had also previously banned it. The Canadian Paediatric Society thinks it's a massive step in the right direction. "The Canadian Paediatric Society applauds the leadership taken today by Hockey Canada to remove body-checking from Pee Wee level hockey across the country," Dr. Andrew Lynk, president of the organization, said in a press release. "This evidence-based decision puts brain safety first, and will enhance player development by focusing on fundamental skills, fun and lifetime fitness." Debate over when to allow players to start hitting has inflamed emotions on both sides of the argument for years. But research that came out of Alberta last year showed there was a three-fold increase in the risk of injuries for peewee players who check in Alberta, compared to those in Quebec where bodychecking is not allowed until bantam. Paul Carson, vice-president of hockey development for Hockey Canada, said safety was a key factor in the board's decision. He said reaction at the meeting was mixed, but most thought it was the right move. "While some would be reluctant because of their traditional beliefs of the game, they also understood that the safety and the area of skill development were critical issues to consider," said Carson on Saturday. Saskatchewan Hockey Association disappointed Kelly McClintock, general manager of the Saskatchewan Hockey Association, maintains that bodychecking is a skill that should be taught to children as young and eight and nine. "Our membership has always been very strongly in favour of having bodychecking as early as possible," he said. "It's always been a pretty emotional discussion." He said the association was disappointed, but not surprised that the motion passed. The changes will take effect in the upcoming 2013-14 hockey season, which begins in September. Hockey Canada said the board has agreed to develop a bodychecking standard for coaching, to be implemented in the 2014-15 season. But McClintock says that's putting "the cart before the horse." "For us it was probably a little bit more of a concern over the process, that it happened very quickly in the last three weeks to a month," said McClintock. "I think we have to look at the process that we follow when we're going to do something like this." Halifax Mooseheads coach Dominique Ducharme, who is in Saskatoon for the MasterCard Memorial Cup, noted that 11- and 12-year-old kids can vary drastically in size. "The more the players at a younger age can work on their skills, beside wondering about getting body checked and body weight and height difference, I think maybe [in] the long run it might just help develop players with even better skills," he said. But Mooseheads forward Stefan Fournier said bodychecking teaches players an important aspect of the game at an younger age. "When you're a peewee hockey player the game's not as fast. It teaches you to learn to keep your head up when you're skating around. That kind of stuff does limit head injuries," said Fournier, a day before hitting the ice at the Memorial Cup final against the Portland Winterhawks. "The game's fast and if you have your head down for a split second you can get caught."

I liked this one much better.

@hf101 I'm really torn on this. Like Theo Fluery said, you do this and you're raising a crop of hockey players that don't learn to keep their heads up. But on the other hand, how can you argue against protecting young kids as they learn the game? Athletes at every age are bigger, stronger, faster, and wearing literally five times the body armor as players 40 years ago, the risk of concussion is exponentially higher. It's the same debate that we've seen take the forefront in football (albeit mostly because the NFL is trying save its own butt from lawsuits), and open, thoughtful dialogue is never a bad thing.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/hockey-canada-could-ban-bodychecking-for-peewee-players-1.1296372 Hockey Canada could ban bodychecking for peewee players CTV News.ca Staff Published Friday, May 24, 2013 10:23PM EDT Last Updated Friday, May 24, 2013 10:31PM EDT Pre-teen hockey players across Canada could soon be banned from bodychecking. Delegates at Hockey Canada’s annual general meeting in Charlottetown are expected to vote this weekend on whether to eliminate the practice for peewee players – mostly 11- to 12-year-olds – as has been done in Alberta, Nova Scotia and Quebec. There has long been disagreement over whether to allow hitting among young hockey players.