The Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Playoff Hockey

[Cards4ever]

Wow, the Wild break out with 5 goals in the second, looks like I'm going to a hockey game on Wednesday!

[tucker342]

GO WILD!!!

[tucker342]

dola-

Did Anahiem win???

[sterlingice]

Still going on. Dallas just had a goal disallowed and the refs just called the makeup penalty so it's time for a power play.

SI

[JeeberD]

Tie game, two and a half to go...

[sterlingice]

Can we say "another OT game"? I hope so!

I just want the Stars to win so we can see another game 7. Then again, nothing compares to "Game 7: The Night" a couple of weeks ago.

SI

[JeeberD]

SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fuckin Stars.....................................

[sterlingice]

Wait, Ducks goal! 4-3 with a minute left. Time to see if the Stars can strike back.

SI

[JeeberD]

Well, my favorite three teams are now out of the playoffs. Who to root for now????

[bbor]

Sach...AWAY from that bridge!

[Cards4ever]

Wow, Anaheim advances!

[ACStrider]

Ugh...what a terrible way to lose a series. Losing all four games in the series in the final 2 minutes or less. Well, the Stars look like they'll still be solid next year.

[sachmo71]

bbor...

I am not amused.



Well, I suppose I can root for the Wild in the West, and the Devils in the East. Lags and Nieuwy are still in it. At least we have Arnott.






FUDGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Honolulu_Blue]

Well, I guess it's good to see the team that beat you, nay, swept you keep on advancing. Doesn't make the Wings look quite as sad. Cheers to the Ducks. Well played. I didn't think they had 4 goals in them. Steve Thomas. The man is clutch, clutch, clutch. Way to go Stumpy.

Dallas, gone. Flyers, gones. All the "big spenders" have been officially bounced. Ottawa and New Jersey should be a whale of a series. The winner has to be the favorite now, I guess. But who knows what will happen. With all of these upsets the West has become the East all of a sudden.

[Cards4ever]

Sach, don't be upset at bbor, his team hasn't won a cup since the original six days!


Doesn't look like Turco is ready to step up to the next level yet, but, I still think that he will be able to take them there, we'll see what next year brings. JSG has been amazing this year!

[sachmo71]

Yeah...but I don't blame Turco. He was less than stellar last night, but if the Stars score a couple of more goals, he wins 3 of the 4 losses. Doesn't matter...they didn't want it bad enough. The worst part is that they fooled me with the game on Saturday. After Thursdays game I was so mad at their effort I could spit. I was hoping that they would come out, lay an egg and whimper out of the playoffs. But nooooooo, they make me think that they found the desire they need to win. They show that they can beat the Ducks. Then they come out and get their hides tanned last night. At least they put up a fight.

Go Wild....

[Maple Leafs]

I'd like to offically start a rumor, which I have from excellent inside sources (i.e. I pulled it out of my ass):

Simon Gagne to Detroit for Curtis Joseph

The Wings get to do what they probably wish they could and go with Legace in net, land a speedy young skill player to start the reloading process and free up the money to resign Federov and maybe McCarthy. The Flyers were shopping Gagne all year and are probably the only team that could afford Joseph and need a goalie. Plus they get the goalie they think they let slip away five years ago, allowing them to move Cechmanek to a team willing to gamble on him.

[bbor]

Sens in 6

Canucks in 6

Canucks over Sens in 5

All Canadian final....ABVC/ESPN.......crying......losing millions.....

HNIC...reaping the benefits

[Cards4ever]

Originally posted by bbor
Sens in 6

Canucks in 6

Canucks over Sens in 5

All Canadian final....ABVC/ESPN.......crying......losing millions.....

HNIC...reaping the benefits

Ridiculous, just as bad as American fans not wanting Toronto to win the World Series.

[bbor]

If 2 Canadian teams played in the stanley cup....would any Americans care?

sorta like...if a tree falls in the forest...does it make a noise

[Honolulu_Blue]

Given the current schedule it could be HDIC instead. Though, if I recall correctly, the Finals games all tend to be on at night. Thank god for small favors. Not like I could watch any of them anyway.

That being said, I'd love to see an All-Canadian final. It'd be excellent. Also, I'd rather see Ottawa win than New Jersey, simply because I don't New Jersey to win a 3rd Cup. Lessens the Wings' accomplishment.

As for the West, I guess I would have to go against Vancouver. It's tough as I love Jovo, Bertuzzi, and Naslund, I hate Crawford because he carry's the Ave taint! Too bad. Anahiem winning it would be a slap in the face to hockey. The Mighty Ducks? Ugh. Well, not too bad a slap. A solid team. Great goalie. Youngish star in Kariya. And Keith Carney is a co-worker's wife's cousin. A tentative link if there ever was one, but it's all I got. He's a nice guy. I emailed my friend a list of questions and Keith answered each one.

[Cards4ever]

Originally posted by bbor
If 2 Canadian teams played in the stanley cup....would any Americans care?

sorta like...if a tree falls in the forest...does it make a noise

If 2 American teams played would any Canadians care? Hockey fans would, and if the situation was reversed, sure they would. Are you anti-American?

[sterlingice]

I may be from the US, but I don't mind seeing Canadian teams win and invite it, in most cases. I certainly like them more than the Wings and Blues and even someone like the Rangers or Kings. This is, of course, provided the Hawks aren't playing.

SI

[Cards4ever]

I cheer for different teams, and never really cheered against Canadian teams cause they were from Canada. I always thought that Canadians were our friends, but, I'm beginning to wonder after seeing this anti-American stuff.

[ice4277]

Originally posted by bbor
HNIC...reaping the benefits

I thought SkyDog didn't care about hockey....

[bbor]

Originally posted by Cards4ever
I cheer for different teams, and never really cheered against Canadian teams cause they were from Canada. I always thought that Canadians were our friends, but, I'm beginning to wonder after seeing this anti-American stuff.

Cards...i am far from Anti-American

But...i am anti-ESPN/ABC..

Here is why....ABC is dictating to the NHL when games should be played,regardless of when the best time to show the game would be,they are scheduling games at times when it will least interupt their programing(ie:saturday afternoon games)

So in essence,they are HURTING the game more than helping it in the states....and in Canada all they are doing is making it a nuciance to watch the games,as well as killing the TV ratings for games here.Watching hockey on Saturday afternoon here is paramount to watching NFL on Sunday NIGHT.......Watching baseball Weekday afternoons.It just does'nt work.

Who the hell watches hockey on a Saturday afternoon??

[bbor]

DOLA!

I was looking over WC Tourny results and noticed that a player named "Fairchild" scored a hattrick for team USA.That can't be Kelly Fairchild could it???

I thought this guy retired years ago.....if not i truly do feel sorry for the state of USA hockey if they are using at best ECHL calibre players to represent them.

[tucker342]

Who else is going to play for the team when none of the NHL players want to play(which I can understand why)?

[ISiddiqui]

Watching hockey on Saturday afternoon here is paramount to watching NFL on Sunday NIGHT

I always enjoy watching Sunday Night Football! What's wrong with it?

And weekday afternoon baseball is also good!

[Cards4ever]

Originally posted by bbor
DOLA!

I was looking over WC Tourny results and noticed that a player named "Fairchild" scored a hattrick for team USA.That can't be Kelly Fairchild could it???

I thought this guy retired years ago.....if not i truly do feel sorry for the state of USA hockey if they are using at best ECHL calibre players to represent them.

Kelly Fairchild is playing in Germany I believe, and yes, that is him.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally posted by Maple Leafs
I'd like to offically start a rumor, which I have from excellent inside sources (i.e. I pulled it out of my ass):

Simon Gagne to Detroit for Curtis Joseph

No way the Flyers trade Gagne. The only possible way I see them doing it is if they get Iginla from Calgary. Gagne and Justin Williams are the future of the Flyers.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally posted by Cards4ever
... I'm beginning to wonder after seeing this anti-American stuff.

Cards, there hasn't been a Canadian team in the finals in ten years. Do you really think that a Canadian hockey fan who cheers for Ottawa or Vancouver (or both) is "anti-American"?

[Cards4ever]

Originally posted by Maple Leafs
Cards, there hasn't been a Canadian team in the finals in ten years. Do you really think that a Canadian hockey fan who cheers for Ottawa or Vancouver (or both) is "anti-American"?

A Leaf fan cheering for Ottawa? Isn't that like a Viking fan cheering for the Packers?

Read what he wrote, he wonders if Americans would care, why wouldn't we? We are hockey fans too. As I said, cheering for teams just because they are Canadian based in hockey, is ridiculous as cheering for American teams in baseball.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally posted by Cards4ever
A Leaf fan cheering for Ottawa? Isn't that like a Viking fan cheering for the Packers?

You read too many Ottawa papers. Ottawa has an intense, burning, gut-searing rivalry with Toronto. Toronto is vaguely aware that Ottawa has a team. To be honest, if my Leaf bias come into play I'd cheer harder for the Sens, since I still look at the Devils as a bigger rival after the '00 and '01 playoffs.

The questions of whether Americans would care is valid. There was an article today that suggested an Ottawa/Vancouver final would break the XFL's record for lowest rated prime-time broadcast ever, so it's not like it's a non-issue.

[Cards4ever]

So, if American teams are involved, all of sudden the ratings are going thru the roof? The only way the ratings are going up is if LA or NY are involved anyway.

TV dictates everything about pro sports today, it's the way it is. So, if ABC/ESPN puts more money in the pockets of teams from Ottawa/Vancouver/Edmonton by playing Saturday afternoon, what do you think those teams are going to do? Isn't that the important thing for those teams, revenue? Or is it by keeping Canadian fans happy by playing the traditional Saturday night game? So, don't pin it all on ABC/ESPN, pin it on your local owners who will get down on there knees for a dollar.

[Cards4ever]

dola- Go NJ, Anaheim/Minnesota!

[Maple Leafs]

Originally posted by Cards4ever
So, if American teams are involved, all of sudden the ratings are going thru the roof? The only way the ratings are going up is if LA or NY are involved anyway.

That would be the best-case scenario, ratings-wise, but there are some teams that are better draws than others (just like any sport). Most Americans have probably never seen a Vancouver or Ottawa national game, so of course they'll be less interested in seeing them play. Add on to that there's no "home market" for ABC to boost ratings, and yes, a Vancouver/Ottawa series will be the worst-case scenario for ABC's ratings.

Explain to me again why this bothers you?

Originally posted by Cards4ever
TV dictates everything about pro sports today, it's the way it is. So, if ABC/ESPN puts more money in the pockets of teams from Ottawa/Vancouver/Edmonton by playing Saturday afternoon, what do you think those teams are going to do?

Well, the owners don't get a say in it. The schedule comes from the league, and the owners can like it or lump it. I hate afternoon hockey, but I don't have a problem with the network that shells out the most cash (ABC) choosing the timeslots it thinks will work best.

[bbor]

Cards...you are blowing this wayyyy out of preportion.

American hockey is VERY local.People in Dallas....do not tune in to watch Minnesota play...or Jersey....they tune in to watch Dallas play.

So...if 2 Canadian teams make the finals the NHL ratings on ABC would be close to Nil,.

In Canada.....if 2 Canadian teams...or just one for that matter makes the Cup final...the ratings in Canada would be huge(not as huge as if Toronto made it).

I think our countries have 2 different types of viewers.In Canada we are starved for hockey and will watch any hockey.We will cheer for a Canadian team over an American team because we are Canadian,Not because we hate Americans.

In America no one will watch a game unless it involves a local team....that does'nt happen here..hockey is hockey...it does'nt matter who is playing.

It has NOTHING to do with Anti-Americanism...it has everything to do with Hockey.We don't like people messing with our Saturday noght tradition....much like Americans don't want anyone screwing with their Sunday afternoon traditions or Monday nights for that matter.

[Honolulu_Blue]

It's true. Hockey for the most part is local. Even where it is local there is usually only moderate interest in the team.

There are, of course, some exceptions.

In traditional US hockey "hot beds" there are fans, more like our Canadian bretheren, who watch hockey because they love hockey. You will find these types of exceptions all over, but most tend to be concentrated in areas like Minnesota, Michigan, Massachusetts, Philly, etc. Even in these "hot beds" the audience is pretty small when compared to other sports.

Sad, but true. Sad, but true...

An all-Canadian Stanley Cup final will more easily slip pass the nation's conscience than one with a US team or two. Though, given the US teams left: Minnesota, Anaheim, and NJ, I reckon, ratings-wise, it wont make that much a difference anyways.

[ice4277]

bbor and Leafs are right on this one Cards...even here in "Hockeytown" very few people could give a shit about what happens to the rest of the playoffs now that the Wings are out. Few Americans would watch a Sens-Canucks final. For that matter, few Americans will likely watch the finals this year no matter who plays. And I hope that a Canadian team wins the Cup as well; does that make me anti-American?

[Cards4ever]

The owners have a say when they vote on contracts. If they could make money by playing at 2 in the morning, they would do it.

Now, onto this

"We will cheer for a Canadian team over an American team because we are Canadian"

So, do you only cheer for the Canadian players on the Canadian teams? Do you see what I'm getting at? It sounds like you are cheering for the Canadian Army or something.

[Cards4ever]

I like teams because of how they play, or certain players, not where they come from. I also hate teams for the same reason. Do you remember when people cheered against the Jays because they were from Canada? Didn't you think that was ridiculous?

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally posted by Cards4ever

"We will cheer for a Canadian team over an American team because we are Canadian"

So, do you only cheer for the Canadian players on the Canadian teams? Do you see what I'm getting at? It sounds like you are cheering for the Canadian Army or something.

I don't think this sort of behavior is odd, unusual, inconsistent, or whatever. I think it'd be quite natural. It doesn't happen so much in North American sports, as in most cases there are only a handful of Canadian teams in each league. Hockey is Canada's national pastime. It's their game. It's their passion. Of course they would like to see a Canadian team win. Especially given the current climate of the (their) sport which has seen US cities take Canadian teams, US TV stations alter schedules of national traditions (imagine a Canadian television station buying the rights of Monday Night football and scheduling the game for Tuesday afternoons), and the currenty economic state of the game has long handcuffed most (save Toronto) Canadian teams success (large salaries/payrolls). So of coruse Canadians are going to rally around a team from their country.

As for the slippery-slope argument (see: Canadian players on the Canadian teams), it's pretty much a given that in sport the team is what counts, more so than the individual player. There are, of course, exceptions, but most fans are more team-focused than player-focused (i.e., I hated Chelios, loathed him, he became a Wing, and one year later... Same with Hasek.)

You find this sort of thing MUCH more common in European soccer. With tournaments like the UEFA Cup and the Champions league, fans will almost always cheer for the team from their nation. Unless it's THE hated rival, most Brits will support the English squads (even if not outright fans and the team has French, Spanish, Brazillian, etc. players) over teams from Germany, Italy, or Spain. Same goes with the other nationalities.

Quite common.

[bbor]

I agree with HB....i think he has made everything clear and given perfect examples.

Cards...if i was Anti American...i would'nt watch the Stanley cup final if there were 2 American teams involved...as it is i don't care who is in the final i will watch it because it is HOCKEY.

Now i prefer it to be 2 Canadian teams for their own good health...not because they are Not American.

Even though i would rather piss glass rather than see Ottawa win the cup before Toronto does

I will end with this.....

GO NUCKS

[bbor]

Dola....Cards...one more question...how would it go over if the NFL got a Canadian Commisioner.....and he tried to make the game 3 downs instead of 4?

Or if there was a Canadian team in the super bowl....would most American fans cheer for the American team or Canadian and if this game was broadcast back to Canada...and the Canadian networks wanted the game on at 12 pm on a tuesday afternoon...how would that go over?

[Cards4ever]

Originally posted by bbor
Dola....Cards...one more question...how would it go over if the NFL got a Canadian Commisioner.....and he tried to make the game 3 downs instead of 4?

Or if there was a Canadian team in the super bowl....would most American fans cheer for the American team or Canadian and if this game was broadcast back to Canada...and the Canadian networks wanted the game on at 12 pm on a tuesday afternoon...how would that go over?

If the CBC had the money to do that, would we have any choice? The networks already do that to us here, tonights game is at 8, normally games start at 7, so, how is the network doing us any favors?

Isn't the best thing for hockey is it to grow? If it turns more people on to hockey, isn't it good for teams in other areas to advance? Or, don't you care about making hockey more popular?

[Franklinnoble]

I'm not going to read through 10 pages here, because I don't care for hockey... but why does this thread merit a sticky?

[Cards4ever]

Originally posted by Franklinnoble
I'm not going to read through 10 pages here, because I don't care for hockey... but why does this thread merit a sticky?

Because:

1-it eliminates the need to start new hockey threads all the time
2-there is enough hockey fans to support it
3-I asked SkyDog for a sticky
4-It will be unstickied after the Cup.

[sachmo71]

The hidden agenda strikes again!

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by Cards4ever
Because:

1-it eliminates the need to start new hockey threads all the time
2-there is enough hockey fans to support it
3-I asked SkyDog for a sticky
4-It will be unstickied after the Cup.

Thanks.