NHL Off-Topic thread

[Kobalt]

Someone voted McDavid 5th for Hart, that ballot had Pasta as 1st.

When did Jack Edwards get a vote?

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by Kobalt

Someone voted McDavid 5th for Hart, that ballot had Pasta as 1st. When did Jack Edwards get a vote?

Supposedly it's a Penguins writer trolling for attention.

Last year he didn't have Matthews or McDavid in his top 5 for Hart, but he did have JT Miller!

[Majingir]

Quote: Originally Posted by DrJones

Supposedly it's a Penguins writer trolling for attention. Last year he didn't have Matthews or McDavid in his top 5 for Hart, but he did have JT Miller!

I always think in events like this, baseball HOF among other things, there needs to be rules set.

A voter who blatantly casts a blatantly "funny ballot" (aka voting out of spite, or doing so for attention or so on) loses their vote going forward.

[pietasterp]

Quote: Originally Posted by DrJones

Yep. The number of pro athletes who have Hall of Fame talent and are good people is smaller than most think. Don't disqualify them (unless the aforementioned criminal allegations), but don't whitewash their foibles either. I would vote for Schilling and (probably) Fleury to make their respective HOF, but I'd revoke their privilege to make an official speech. They wanna hold their own press conference and tell us all about how the MSM refuses to acknowledge that the moon is made of green cheese, be my guest.

I don't necessarily agree with not letting them speak, although I would imagine there are (or should be) criteria re: not making any political statements at the podium on your HoF acceptance day. But that debate will send this thread careening off-course, so I'll pivot back to the relevant topic.

With respect to the hockey Hall of Fame, how many of you have been to the facility in Toronto? I went 10+ years ago or so, and while the first part of the experience is a little underwhelming (why do I enter through what looks like a shopping mall?), the ending in the trophy room and the original building is pretty spectacular, essentially redeeming the entire experience. Definitely ends on a high note.

Also, obligatory "Canadians are nice" comment, but the stewards and attendants there are really nice. If they see you hunting the name wall for a specific player, they'll come over and point it right out to you, and answer endless questions about the hardware, facility, etc. And the gift shop has some pretty cool merch too (shout-out old-school 1970's era "Hockey Night in Canada" t-shirts w/ original logo).

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by pietasterp

With respect to the hockey Hall of Fame, how many of you have been to the facility in Toronto? I went 10+ years ago or so, and while the first part of the experience is a little underwhelming (why do I enter through what looks like a shopping mall?), the ending in the trophy room and the original building is pretty spectacular, essentially redeeming the entire experience. Definitely ends on a high note.

I was there back in 2008 (and recently revisited the gift shop last September) and have the same thoughts. Shame the "real" Cup wasn't on display when I was there. Both the museum and gift shop pale in comparison to Cooperstown, of course. I was pretty disappointed at the lack of 2022 class-specific merch when I popped in (having a HHOF t-shirt with Luongo and the Sedins woulda been nice).

[pietasterp]

Quote: Originally Posted by DrJones

I was there back in 2008 (and recently revisited the gift shop last September) and have the same thoughts. Shame the "real" Cup wasn't on display when I was there. Both the museum and gift shop pale in comparison to Cooperstown, of course. I was pretty disappointed at the lack of 2022 class-specific merch when I popped in (having a HHOF t-shirt with Luongo and the Sedins woulda been nice).

Have to agree - Cooperstown is the gold standard for a sports Hall of Fame. Everything is a distant second to that.

The basketball HoF is a disgrace, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame seems like a High School Football Hall of Fame from the 1970s. Just a cheap-feeling facility all-around. Pretty disappointing for what is de facto America's pastime.

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by pietasterp

Have to agree - Cooperstown is the gold standard for a sports Hall of Fame. Everything is a distant second to that. The basketball HoF is a disgrace, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame seems like a High School Football Hall of Fame from the 1970s. Just a cheap-feeling facility all-around. Pretty disappointing for what is de facto America's pastime.

Haven't been to either of those. In May, I visited the FIFA Museum in Zurich, and it was decent, if not as comprehensive as I would've liked. The real World Cup trophy was there, which is cool. An area devoted to games, with a heavy EA presence, felt a little strange (up until a couple months ago, I'd worked on FIFA Mobile for 5 years).

There's a R&A World Golf Museum not far from the Old Course in St. Andrews which is small but pretty good. Highly recommend visiting St. Andrews if you golf or follow it. On non-tournament Sundays, the Old Course is open to pedestrians. I got there at the perfect time - last weekend of September (2018) - the town was virtually empty of tourists, but the weather (always flaky in Scotland at the best of times) was great. Golf shops, lots of pubs, and a fantastic ruined 12th century cathedral with an atmospheric graveyard to stroll through. Good times.

[pietasterp]

Quote: Originally Posted by DrJones

There's a R&A World Golf Museum not far from the Old Course in St. Andrews which is small but pretty good. Highly recommend visiting St. Andrews if you golf or follow it. On non-tournament Sundays, the Old Course is open to pedestrians. I got there at the perfect time - last weekend of September (2018) - the town was virtually empty of tourists, but the weather (always flaky in Scotland at the best of times) was great. Golf shops, lots of pubs, and a fantastic ruined 12th century cathedral with an atmospheric graveyard to stroll through. Good times.

I have actually been lucky enough to be able to play the Old Course at St. Andrews (just about a year after you were there), and it was a day that could have gone on forever if I had my way. Brisk but not wet weather which warmed up, and just an absolutely history-rich stroll through the grounds. I hacked it up of course, but my semi-legitimate excuses are basically no sleep, long drive in the wee hours of the morning (from Glasgow!), no warm-up (there are no driving ranges on the ancient courses!), rental clubs, and also I suck at golf.

Somehow I did not make it into the R&A museum which is right off the 1st tee/18th green (as you noted) - a significant oversight on my part, although I thoroughly enjoyed the town of St. Andrews. Scotland is just a great country, and St. Andrews is about as good as it gets. If I could somehow get myself assigned to Edinborough, I'd spend half my weekends in St. Andrews.

Quote: Originally Posted by DrJones

Haven't been to either of those. In May, I visited the FIFA Museum in Zurich, and it was decent, if not as comprehensive as I would've liked. The real World Cup trophy was there, which is cool. An area devoted to games, with a heavy EA presence, felt a little strange (up until a couple months ago, I'd worked on FIFA Mobile for 5 years).

Well, not the "real" World Cup trophy...