It's Here! The Thread For the 2003-04 NHL Regular Season!

[chrisj]

Originally posted by bbor
BTW Klayman...the only suggestion i like that does'nt disrupt the history of the game is to widen the rink,only problem is that the owners would never go for it,lost revenue and all eh.

How about letting teams decide if they want a wider rink or not? (similar to how baseball stadiums are different sizes, although teams would only really be able to pick one size or the other) Could be interesting, although I don't see it ever happening.

There is a team in the QMJHL that actually has made their rink wider though. I guess the idea is to build a team suited for the rink to try and give their team an advantage... don't think it's really worked out well though.

[sachmo71]

I'll be at the Stars-Leafs game tomorrow night. Watch for me on TV!! I'll be way up at the top, where the snow doesn't melt.

[draftman]

How about, my Rangers suck...again....and thank goodness I don't have to read about it every day in the papers because I don't live there. Pardon me for bumping into Lindros and shattering his collarbone.

[klayman]

Originally posted by sachmo71
I'll be at the Stars-Leafs game tomorrow night. Watch for me on TV!! I'll be way up at the top, where the snow doesn't melt.

I hope you beat the string of being-at-the-game-and-watching-the-worst-hockey we seem to have going. Of course, with the Leafs playing that's not likely

[bbor]

Originally posted by sachmo71
where the snow doesn't melt.

You're gonna be watching the game from Canada??

[FrogMan]

speaking of which, it snowed In Quebec City today DAMNIT!!! There was a good inch or two on the windshield of my car after work... 25 minutes later, back home, nothing anywhere... I'm not ready to get into the 6 months battle with snow yet...

FM

[bbor]

OUCH!

We had a Balmy 16 degrees here today in TO, Froggy

[FrogMan]

Originally posted by bbor
OUCH!

We had a Balmy 16 degrees here today in TO, Froggy

Yeah, it bites! I've still got my all season, all worn out tires on my car. Gonna switch 'em this Saturday. Gonna have to do some very careful driving.

Since you're in Canada, that 16 is the same 16 I know, Celsius, right?!? OH MAN!!! (in a whiny Bart voice)... This gonna be another loooooooooong Winter...

FM

[bbor]

err...ya celsius...i've been Americanized by this board

[mtaystl03]

GO BLUES!
Down 3-1 and end up scoring 4 unanswered!
OHH BAAAAAAAAAAAABY!!!!

[FrogMan]

yeah, was gonna say, nothing to boast about 16F Well, it was just about 0 today, -3 or -4 with windchill (thus the snow) and should be -6 or so tonight with the windchill... The woodstove is warm and we're ready

FM

[TurnerONU22]

Since I'm practically from Columbus (10 mins away), I've gotta throw in here that I love the moves that the CBJ's made during this offseason and I think that having MacLean a full year behind the bench, a full year of experience for Nash, and some nice acquisitions (Sydor, Marchant, ect..) that this team will be a lot better than last year's "team". Before they came here to Columbus, I knew very very little about hockey and wasn't too interested in it. Now, its my favorite sport, going to the Blue Jacket games top any other regular sporting event, and I'm pumped to see them make a run at the playoffs. Now, here's a couple questions for those that have a lot more hockey knowledge than I do:

1. Am I being realistic about thinking of the playoffs? Or are they still a year away from having a good shot at it?

2. What's your opinion of Rick Nash, I know he's gonna be an awesome wing, but is there someone that is established right now, that his style is compared to?

3. What's everyone's opinion on their new 3rd jersey? Personally, I think its sweet because its very simple, yet very fitting at the same time. If you haven't seen it, you can go to their website and its on the front page

Columbus Blue Jackets Website

[chrisj]

Originally posted by TurnerONU22

1. Am I being realistic about thinking of the playoffs? Or are they still a year away from having a good shot at it?

I actually really like Columbus. I think they have a shot at the 7-8 spot, but the playoffs aren't a sure thing for them, that's for sure - just somewhere after Detriot, Dallas, Colorado, Vancouver and St. Louis.

[ISiddiqui]

Here's an article on 10 things to improve the NHL.
Personally, I feel most of this list is crap.

I agree! He argues for calling more obstruction penalties (#1) saying that calling more penalties will disrupt the flow of the game less than the obstructors do. THEN in calling for going back to one ref (#7), he says there are too many unnecessary penalties. Wha?

[bbor]

I like what Columbus did in the offseason.They made some good aquisitions.Maclean is a smart GM/Coach,he is on the radio in Toronto all the time.

I would'nt expect him to be the coach for longer than this season,i see it purely as a cost cutting move until after the CBA is settled.

Regardless...if all things fall into place they could land in the 7th or 8th spot.

[sterlingice]

Since no one else has done it...

2004 Hawks Preview
Ouch. We hope the Wings choke again.

Seriously, tho- the team might actually be heading in the right direction for the first time in... quite a few years. Now, maybe it's just ownership being cheap, but after the debacles with Theoren and others, they've just decided to go with a youth movement. Lots of young talent, especially with the forwards. Tuomo Ruutu looks like he might be the real deal and it would be nice to have someone who can actually score. Maybe he'll be the next Amonte or JR, you know the only guy on Chicago who can actually score a goal. God forbid, this franchise actually get some offense... but I digress. A talented but very green offense with a less-than-mediocre defense... well, it's going to be a long season. Again. The franchise is becoming more and more removed from their playoff streak of 28 straight years.

This team isn't going anywhere this year unless Thibault is the second coming of Patty Roy and while he's won me back from the ranks of those that thought he was a worthless, overhyped piece of trash- he's solid, not a once-in-a-generation/best-of-all-time player.

SI

[sachmo71]

Well, the Hawks could always get Joseph. He was waived again a few days ago...

[bbor]

Originally posted by sachmo71
Well, the Hawks could always get Joseph. He was waived again a few days ago...

I don't think Mr.Wirtz would like to pay Cujo's salary eh.

[klayman]

Originally posted by bbor
I don't think Mr.Wirtz would like to pay Cujo's salary eh.

I don't think anyone wants to pay Joseph's salary...

[klayman]

Originally posted by mtaystl03

Down 3-1 and end up scoring 4 unanswered!

Actually they were down 3-0

stupid oilers.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally posted by klayman
I don't think anyone wants to pay Joseph's salary...

Someone has to take his salary. Please! Anyone, anyone? What the Wings are hoping to do is trade him and pay a portion, I would say around 30-40% of his salary to help coushin the blow. I just hope the Rangers keep sucking or someone elses goaltending goes kaput. The Wings need some more punch upfront. They have looked completely listless over the last two games and the loss of Hatcher for the year doesn't help. I have no idea what the Wings could get for CuJo some names like Lang and Nedved have been floated. I assume it will be some veteran forward with a big contract of his own. It would be a contract swap, the Wings picking up the difference between CuJo's contract and the forward's. That's the only way I can see this working. No one is going to bail out the Wings.

It's nice to see Colorado losing so badly, 6-3 in Edmonton (go Oil!) and 4-1 versus Boston. They are giving up waaaay too many goals. It's what most people expected (and I hoped for), the young tandem isn't holding up too well. Unless things improve dramatically Colorado will have to make a trade for a veteran netminder (Khabibuhlin? Burke? Kolzig?) to have any shot in the play-offs. That being said, I don't know if the blame falls squarely on the young goalies' shoulders, Colorado's defense isn't all that great from the blueline out. Blake, Foote, and Morris are good, but after that? Chris McAllister, Skoula, and a bunch young guys? As for checking forwards? Jim Cummins? What?? Is there a decent penalty killer outside of Forsberg?

Good to see Hemsky scoring at about a point a game pace. Have him in a fantasy league. The kid needs to shoot more though. He really does.

[Maple Leafs]

For whatever it's worth, the Caps will be trading Steve Konowalchuk to the Pens tonight. That probably means that Mike Grier will be the new captain.

[Karim]

I think Rick Nash is the real deal. He put on about 15 pounds in the off-season and I don't think he's stopped growing. He'll be one of the top power forwards in the league eventually and I can see him being on the Canadian National Team somwhere in the future.

I also really like Marc Denis. He's a workhorse and Maclean will get them playing better defense. Brathwaite will also lessen Denis' workload which should keep him fresher.

I picked Nash and Denis for my fantasy team so I may be biased.

And I do like their new jersey...

As far as rules changes are concerned, what I would really like to see is:

1) serve the full two or four minute penalty;
2) play 4-4, 4-3, 3-3 if penalties allow (the old Oiler's rule from the early 80s)
3) pull the nets away from the boards back to where they were (get the action in front, not in the corners)
4) automatic icing

[Karim]

dola

and for the love of Christ, get the goalies playing with properly sized equipment circa 15-20 years ago...

[bbor]

Wow....Leafs beat Dallas....nice work.

WTF is with the new Stars Uni?

[ice4277]

Originally posted by bbor
Wow....Leafs beat Dallas....nice work.

WTF is with the new Stars Uni?

Yeah, that thing is NASTY. Makes me yearn for the mid-90's LA Kings alternates

[Draft Dodger]

Originally posted by Maple Leafs
For whatever it's worth, the Caps will be trading Steve Konowalchuk to the Pens tonight. That probably means that Mike Grier will be the new captain.

close.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally posted by Honolulu_Blue
It's nice to see Colorado losing so badly, 6-3 in Edmonton (go Oil!) and 4-1 versus Boston. They are giving up waaaay too many goals. It's what most people expected (and I hoped for), the young tandem isn't holding up too well. Unless things improve dramatically Colorado will have to make a trade for a veteran netminder (Khabibuhlin? Burke? Kolzig?) to have any shot in the play-offs. That being said, I don't know if the blame falls squarely on the young goalies' shoulders, Colorado's defense isn't all that great from the blueline out. Blake, Foote, and Morris are good, but after that? Chris McAllister, Skoula, and a bunch young guys? As for checking forwards? Jim Cummins? What?? Is there a decent penalty killer outside of Forsberg?

I don't think it's the goalies' fault. Sauve did play pretty bad against the Oilers, but it was his first NHL game. The Avs seem to be trying to score 10 goals a game - they need to put some emphasis on their own end.

I love the acquisition of Konowalchuck - seems like a good guy to have on the team.

Personally, I'd like to see the Avs experiment and split up all that talent onto 3 lines, not two. Put Forsberg and Hejduk on 1, Selanne and Kariya on another, Sakic and Tanguay on a 3rd. Not sure it will ever happen, but that's what I'd like to see.

[bbor]

I think the Avs biggest problem is their coach.Who the hell leaves that kinda line up in the hands of a rookie coach?

Seems like a waste....Perhaps you need a Ted Nolan in there????

[Draft Dodger]

Originally posted by bbor
I think the Avs biggest problem is their coach.Who the hell leaves that kinda line up in the hands of a rookie coach?

Seems like a waste....Perhaps you need a Ted Nolan in there????

I'd love to have Ted Nolan. Of course, I'd prefer to have Hartley back, but that's another story.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally posted by bbor
I think the Avs biggest problem is their coach.Who the hell leaves that kinda line up in the hands of a rookie coach?

Seems like a waste....Perhaps you need a Ted Nolan in there????

Ted Nolan. There has to be something seriously wrong with the guy. Well, there had to be. As of late, from what I've read, whenever he's been interviewed for a job teams have found him completely out of touch with the league. He seems reluctant start again in the minors or take on any role that isn't NHL head coach. It's too bad really, but something has to be wrong there.

I loved Tony Granato as a player. He had a special place in my heart after playing so well for me in my first ever Strat-O-Matic hockey league. I had the 1991 Kings and the line of Gretzky-Granato-Sandstrom was unstoppable, with Granato scoring well over a goal a game. It's sad to see him coaching the Forces of Darkness.

[ice4277]

Originally posted by Honolulu_Blue
Ted Nolan. There has to be something seriously wrong with the guy. Well, there had to be. As of late, from what I've read, whenever he's been interviewed for a job teams have found him completely out of touch with the league. He seems reluctant start again in the minors or take on any role that isn't NHL head coach. It's too bad really, but something has to be wrong there.

I heard something about him possibly having the biggest ego on the planet. After what happened between he and the front office in Buffalo I think a lot of GM's are leery of working with him.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally posted by Honolulu_Blue
He seems reluctant start again in the minors or take on any role that isn't NHL head coach.

Exactly. Ted Nolan had two problems:

- He tried to backstab his GM, which meant he was going to be blacklisted for a season or two

- In the meantime, he refused to take a minor league or even assistant coaching job anywhere. So now that teams would be willing to hire him, they can't, because he's been out of the loop so long.

The guy was a great coach, but he brought this on himself.

[sterlingice]

I go to check the box score for my fantasy team's stats for the day and what do I see:

"Colorado 6:22, Adam Foote 0 (power play) (John-Michael Liles, Milan Hejduk)".

Man, it must be a bad year when you don't even get credited for a goal you score.

SI

[bbor]

Damn the Oil got their @ss handed to them tonight.

Any word on Comrie returning?

[klayman]

Fewer goals being scored and shutouts way up in first two weeks of NHL season
at 16:51 on October 23, 2003, EST.
NEIL STEVENS

(CP) - If the early trend continues, NHL goal scorers will have their worst season in history.

Only 4.7 goals a game were scored, on average, in the 87 games played through the first two weeks of the new season. The average was 5.7 after the same number of games one year ago, and keep this in mind: it went down from there - to 5.3 by season's end.

The league continues its crackdown on obstruction fouls, and it recently reduced the size of goaltenders' leg pads, but neither has fuelled offences.

There were 20 shutouts in the 87 games compared to six through the same number of games a year ago. There were two scoreless games on the same night for the first time in 69 years.

Granted, it doesn't take a lot of goals to make a game entertaining. Some of the best this season have been low-scoring contests. We're merely pointing out a trend.

Maybe the trend will reverse itself next week. A suggestion: don't hold your breath.

A season has never ended with fewer than five goals a game being scored on average.

The lowest average, 5.2, was recorded in 2001-2002.

A decline started after the 5.8 average of 1996-97. It was 5.3 for the next two years and 5.5 in each of the following two years.

It was 6.3 in 1995-96, 7.3 in 1986-87 and a staggering 8.3 in 1981-82, when Wayne Gretzky scored 92 goals.

Tell youngsters about that and you'll be accused of fibbing.

Who's to blame for the shortage of goals?

Coaches can be fingered. A lot of them have their players applying trapping defences to thwart opponents' attacks. It's the surest way to be competitive night after night. It can produce boring hockey but in the struggle of trying to make the playoffs, points are pertinent and pretty is panned.

Goaltenders are guilty, too.

The quality of goaltending is so high that, of masked bandits who had appeared in a minimum four games, 21 had save percentages in excess of .900 as of the completion of games played Wednesday night.

Rick DiPietro of the Islanders had allowed only three goals on 68 shots before Thursday's game versus Montreal. That's a .956 save percentage through four games.

Roberto Luongo of the Florida Panthers was at .955 after stopping 231 of 242 shots in seven games.

Nikolai Khabibulin of the Tampa Bay Lightning was at .950, Andrew Raycroft of the Boston Bruins was at .948 and Sean Burke of the Phoenix Coyotes and Patrick Lalime of the Ottawa Senators each were at .942.

Jeff Hackett of the Philadelphia Flyers already had two shutouts.

At this rate, arena maintenance crews won't have to replace many red light bulbs this winter.

At least the Oilers are doing their part in allowing 6 goals a game the last 2 games.

Comrie won't help this team at all. Last I heard, he doesn't want to come back here at all.

[sachmo71]

Kovalachuck...wow...

[ice4277]

Originally posted by sachmo71
Kovalachuck...wow...

I'm glad he was available as a free agent at the start of the in my fantasy hockey league

[bbor]

I think it is usaual for goalies to be ahead of shooters at this point of the season.

As goalies play more and wear down,and as back-ups play more games...as well as forwards finding their range i think goal scoring will go up as the season progresses.

[bbor]

I'm calling it now...Fluery for the Calder...this guy is freakin amazing.

If he gets on a good team he could break some goaltending records.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Yay for Yzerman, Hasek, and the Wings. Way to put it to Dallas, lads!

[sterlingice]

It's great to see Smith fired today, but I fear that as long as Wirtz is the owner, the team will continue to suck. At least this is a step in the right direction.

SI

[Karim]

Until Wirtz dies and Pulford is gone, Chicago isn't going anywhere.

[bbor]

Lafs win 3rd in a row...Torontonians are planning sir Stanleys parade route

On a more serious note./...the Lafs honoured Gilmour tonight,very nice ceremony.

Antone catch the Oil/flames game?

1st fight 2 seconds into the game
2nd fight 12 seconds into the game
3rd fight 34 seconds into the game

3 fights in 34 seconds...Awesome.A total of 14 fighting majors were handed out.

Someone send me tickets to the rematch...i wanna go!

[ice4277]

Originally posted by bbor

Someone send me tickets to the rematch...i wanna go!

Isn't that going to be the outdoors game as well?

[FrogMan]

unless there's more than one outdoor game, I thought the Habs were part of one...

FM

[Tekneek]

One outdoor game. Edmonton vs. Montreal. That's it. There is no other outdoor game scheduled for the NHL.

[ice4277]

Originally posted by Tekneek
One outdoor game. Edmonton vs. Montreal. That's it. There is no other outdoor game scheduled for the NHL.

Oops, I thought it was going to be Edmonton/Calgary outdoors. My bad.

[Karim]

Yeah, that was an awesome game! The BOA is back!

The Greasers didn't want the Flames for the outdoor game because they figured it wouldn't give them enough media exposure. I think NYR was the original team sought.

On another note, where does Jarome Iginla fit among NHL wingers? The year he won the Art Ross and Rocket Richard trophies, he basically did it by himself. I realize McAmmond and Conroy had career years but that was a by-product of playing with Iggy I think.

Last year he was injured early which hurt his productivity in the first three months. When he got healthy, he scored at a ridiculous pace and still ended up with over 30 goals.

So is he a 30+, 40+ or 50 goal forward? I remember thinking during the Olympics when he was playing with Sakic and Gagne, what if? If he had sweet passer like a Weight or Oates and didn't have to create everything himself, I think he would definitely be elite. Stuck with the Flames (as much as I hate to say that), I don't think he'll evolve beyond a consistent 35-40 goal scorer and rugged winger. Although, in today's NHL, that's pretty impressive.

[bbor]

One note to add on last nights Oil/Flames game.Oliwa...noted NHL goon scored his first goal in 4 years...on a break away...and holy shit what a move he put on Salo...he looked like Gretzky.