Why Hockey Is The Best Sport

[Imran Siddiqui]

This will just lead to more dump and run.

Indeed. We need less dump and chase, NOT more!

I would also love to see elimination of the two-line pass rule, no-touch icing, and no fighting.

Where were you a few months ago, when the Canadians were ripping on me for suggesting that hockey banned fighting?

[notyoueither]

He was hiding from the fight.

[Ben Kenobi]

Get rid of the instigator and 3rd-man-in rules and let 'er rip!

I wouldn't go that far. Leave fighting in, it's a part of the game.

[Asher]

Americans just don't appreciate combat.

[notyoueither]

Having watched Conan meet the Maple Leafs, it is assured that the Gods of hockey will never allow the Leafs to win another thing, EVAR!

[Tingkai]

You'll be eating your words in June when the Leafs win the cup. They've got a team this year that never gives up. Everything is in place to end the drought. Besides which, everyone knows the gods of hockey live in Toronto.

[Brundlefly]

w00t!

We beat NJ 4-1! Niittymaki makes 35 saves! Suddenly we're goalie-rich!

[Kontiki]

Originally posted by joncha

As for the goalie issue, just treat them as skaters if they chose to wander outside of the (expanded if necessary) crease. "Problem" solved.

jon.

That's the way it was until about 1991, and I agree that that's what it should return to. You leave the crease, you're fair game to get smoked with a bodycheck behind your net. I don't like the proposed "can't go behind the goal/icing line" at all.

Of course, you could also open up the game alot if you actually just called all the obstruction like they said they were going to. All of the proposed changes will do little to make the game more exciting if you can still practically jump on someone's back when they are taking it to the net.

[Imran Siddiqui]

You'll be eating your words in June when the Leafs win the cup.

Don't you say this every year

[Flubber]

The goalie behind the net rule is interesting and I think is designed so you don't have the situation where firing the puck into the end immediately results in the goaltender going back and firing it out.

IF this rule is to be implemented it had to be clarified since a goalie should always be able to handle the puck within a few feet of his net. If the puck is "behind" the goal by being 12 inches from the post, is the goalie just supposed to wait there ??? It may be better to draw a puck handling box OR simply say that a goalie cannot handle the puck within x feet of ther boards since I think the intent is to bring back the shoot-in as a viable strategy.

Other items

-- fatter blue lines -- huh ?? I don't see this making a big difference

-- Tighter goalie equipment rules-- GOOD
-- fighting -- no reason to take it out-- it really has little impact on the rest of the game-- seriously . .. its usually a sideshow among guys who know their job is to fight-- They do their thing and then the game continues

Visors-- should be a personal choice for players-- I do agree that there seems to be less concern by players to control their sticks now

3 point games-- mixed feelings-- I do feel that teams go ultraconservative sometimes late in regulation to preserve the point and go for the extra point in overtime-- AS for invalidating records versus other years, they did that already when they decided to give points for overtime losses-- Many games yield 3 points already.

Tag up offsides-- GOOD -- I never understood why they ended this

Redline-- I would eliminate the two line pass rule and make icing only applicable from beyond the far blue line

Sean Burke trade-- it appears to help both clubs-- Burke is not my choice among the top 5 goalies in the league BUT he solidifies them and I think gives them a legitimate shot to go far in the playoffs

Flames beating Atlanta with the return of Mikka between the pipes -- YES YES YES-- The flames had been dropping games to struggling teams of late and hopefully this heralds a return to some winning ways. Kiprisov was not superlative last night but he was good and did not give up any back-breaking weak goals as Turek does too often. If Mikka returns to his pre-injury form, he will steal some games and the Flames should make the playoffs for the first time in what seems like forever

[Ben Kenobi]

Yes, I'm pleased to see Calgary doing so well.

Now if those sad-sack oilers can ever get their act together...

Naw, the Leafs won't win.

They've got to get past the West, with Colorado, Detroit and Vancouver.

[Imran Siddiqui]

They've got to get past the West, with Colorado, Detroit and Vancouver.

Wasn't this said about the Devils last year . And they didn't even have to play any of those teams .

[Ben Kenobi]

And they didn't even have to play any of those teams.

And it will be the same thing this year.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi

They've got to get past the West, with Colorado, Detroit and Vancouver.

I know your comment was about the leafs but the 3 above-named teams are on tap for Calgary at the beginning and end of the long road trip they are about to start. 6 of 8 of their opponents are solidly in playoff positions

Feb 11 2004, Wed AWAY Canucks
Feb 13 2004, Fri HOME Mighty Ducks
Feb 15 2004, Sun AWAY Wild
Feb 19 2004, Thu AWAY Canadiens
Feb 21 2004, Sat AWAY Senators
Feb 22 2004, Sun AWAY Devils
Feb 24 2004, Tue AWAY Avalanche
Feb 26 2004, Thu HOME Red Wings

I surely hope they can take out the wild and Ducks since arguably they are facing 4 of the top teams in the league in this stretch and they could go on a losing streak even if playing fairly well

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
And it will be the same thing this year.

Wow... another Stanley Cup win without facing the Avs, Red Wings, or Canucks? Sweet .

[Ming]

Enjoy it while you can folks... "the BEST SPORT" may not even be played next year as the owners consider shooting themselves in the head by locking he players out.... morons... so enjoy... something Black Hawks fans can't since we have the chief moron as an owner.

[Ben Kenobi]

Wow... another Stanley Cup win without facing the Avs, Red Wings, or Canucks?

Nah. They'll fall behind Montreal, grab the 7th slot and get pounded by Philly in the first round.

Vancouver will go to the cup against the Leafs.

[Imran Siddiqui]

They'll fall behind Montreal, grab the 7th slot and get pounded by Philly in the first round.

You wish. Philly can't beat Jersey in the playoffs... it's a fact. .

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

Quote:

They'll fall behind Montreal, grab the 7th slot and get pounded by Philly in the first round.

You wish. Philly can't beat Jersey in the playoffs... it's a fact. .

Bite me Imran.

[Flubber]

Oh and I agree with Ming on the whole lockout thing. The players and owners have seen this coming for YEARS and yet nobody seems willing to move-- All a lockoput does is cost everyone money, peeve off the fans and leave a smaller pie to be shared-- idiots all around. I know the owners are taking a pretty hard line on where their revenues actually are but the players are looking at such things as related Tv and stadium revenues as being part of the pie as well

[Guynemer]

Fighting--it is a completely useless sideshow.

I've lived in Ann Arbor for nearly eight years, home to the University of Michigan. U-M is consistently one of the top schools in the nation when in comes to hockey. College hockey has no-touch icing, no two-line pass rule, and no fighting. The games are MUCH BETTER than the NHL product, which I love. The games are more fluid, with less stopages, and more wide open offensive play. No fighting is a major part of this: you just don't see those big *****-waving pissing matches that you see in NHL, which completely interrupt the flow of the game and really have no place in such a beautiful sport.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

Quote:

You'll be eating your words in June when the Leafs win the cup.

Don't you say this every year

The Leafs are in their best position in years. They have made really smart trades and have enough depth to do it. All they really need is a stand up defenceman. If they get Gonchar, they will be favourites to come out of the east. And they have the easiest run in of any of the other contenders. Most are at home where they have a very good record. And they are the meanest team in the league.

Without their best defenceman, the Devils are going to have some problems and it appears that he's gone for the season.

Philly's problem is that Burke is neither Belfour or Brodeur. They better hope that the Leafs don't win the Northeast division or there is a good chance that Philly will meet Ottawa, and Ottawa has beaten them twice already in the playoffs IIRC. The Devils were very lucky to beat Ottawa last time as well, so they should be scared.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Ohh and for the record anyone (including the stinkin devils) other than the Leafs.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Originally posted by Guynemer
Fighting--it is a completely useless sideshow.

I've lived in Ann Arbor for nearly eight years, home to the University of Michigan. U-M is consistently one of the top schools in the nation when in comes to hockey. College hockey has no-touch icing, no two-line pass rule, and no fighting. The games are MUCH BETTER than the NHL product, which I love. The games are more fluid, with less stopages, and more wide open offensive play. No fighting is a major part of this: you just don't see those big *****-waving pissing matches that you see in NHL, which completely interrupt the flow of the game and really have no place in such a beautiful sport.

re: fighting its all part of the game within the game and needs to remain.

[Guynemer]

To which, I carefully and thoughtfully reply:

pppppppppffffffffftttttttttttt.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

That does it "wanna go?"

[Imran Siddiqui]

The Leafs are in their best position in years.

Didn't you say that last year?

Without their best defenceman, the Devils are going to have some problems and it appears that he's gone for the season.

Perhaps, but that also depends on if you think Stevens is actually their 'best' defenseman . Stevens is a good stay at home guy who has a lot of leadership (and that what makes me believe he'll be back for the playoffs), but Niedermeyer and perhaps Rafalski are better defensemen. And with Brodeur having a great year, the Devs will be tough to beat again.

And hockey don't need no stinking fighting.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Poke, jab, poke.

Your wife eats pu$$y.

and if Stevens comes back for the playoffs it would be a good thing. I like Stevens if only for the reason that he finally finished Lindros in Philly.

I hope he doens't come across the blue line with his head down.

[Pekka]

I think what happened was that in NHL when the European players and their style of playing, which is in a bigger rink had an effect, as they were used to appreciate more skill and speed because it's harder to close the offense with hard hits if there's more space and it's more difficult to suffocate the game with that. So what happened is when these players started finally coming to NHL in bigger groups is that they found out they couldn't move so much and had to be even more skilled and faster, or learn how to adjust to the hard hitting game.

Now, few people can raise their level so much it's possible to forget the physical hitting game. So you're pretty much out if you can't adjust, because as skilled player you are supposed to make points for the team, result or out, and if you can't adjust to the harder physical side, you can't do anything for the team.

But they started adjusting, and gaining some toughness. That made a dangerous player, fast, skilled and who can take hits. That came back to Europe, and as NHL is the number one league and followed closely in here and is every hockey players dream, people figured out, hey you need to be able to take the hits, and even more so you need to deliver some back.

So, as the new generation of hockey players came, they already knew the physical side. But they weren't as good as the NHL players in it, more like able to play in that game and take the punishment, and occasionally give some back, but it didn't take away their skill so much anymore. The American and Canadian players in NHL, they also evolved more into skillful players, as they realized they need to be able to be as fast, and also have the other depths too. And so it happened, but also nwo you see new generation of European players, who can solely be physical.

So what you have now is the evolution of the players, they are big, they hit hard, they are able to take hits, they are fast, they are skilled.

So these days it's tough to say who's european, who is american, who is canadian, you just can't tell. They look the same, they play the same, and I think it was essential that they got mixed up in order to grow better players and bring the game yet to another level, and I think it's all great.

[Guynemer]

Is that your face, or did an elephant **** on your neck?

* Guynemer drops the gloves *