The Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Playoff Hockey

[JeeberD]

Oh, sorry, the end of the game got me carried away...

[sachmo71]

Well, since you brought it up...did they win?

[JeeberD]

Yup. 103-99. They're now up two games to none... Huzzah!!

[bbor]

GO RAPTORS!...uhh...wait...maybe not...

C'mon Lebron

[Vince]

Man, I wish I was more of a Hockey fan...and I wish the Sharks didn't suck absolute ass this year.

Great discussion guys.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally posted by bbor
I agree with ML...the Leafs are one of the most fiscally responsible teams in the league.Granted..they have the 7th highest payroll..BUT...they could easily have the HIGHEST payroll in the league.

They have a self imposed budget and they stick to it.

Unfortunatly for us

I think a part of their "self imposed" budget has to do with the fact that the Leafs, for on reason or the other, have lost out on numerous "big ticket" players. Not for lack of trying: Guerin, Holik, Kasparitis, Lindros (via trade), etc. They have certainly tried to open the checkbook, but with little luck. That being said, I guess they could have tried to offer Holik and/or Kasparitis more cash than the Rangers, but that would have just been stupid.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally posted by sterlingice
Toronto can't spend like Detroit, Colorado, St Louis, or New York, tho. The Wings are the Yankees of hockey: greatness through excessive spending.

SI

Excessive spending? Yes, they have the second highest payroll in the league, but I don't think you could call any of the Red Wings' spending "excessive." They really did not go out and buy the Cup. TI'll use the 2002 team as an example.

They had an incredibly deep and strong talent base through a few very good drafts (Yzerman, Fedorov, Lidstrom, McCarty, etc.). They then went ahead and made some good trades (Shanahan, Chelios, Maltby, Larionov, etc.). And added a few final pieces in free agency (Hull, Robitaille, and Hasek).

Yes, Hasek was acquired via a trade, but in reality it was a salary dump by the Sabres.

Robitaille and Hull signed for around 4.5 and 5 million a year, respectively. I don't think that could be considered "excessive" for the type of pedigree and talent these two future hall-of-famers bring to the table. This isn't 9.5 million for a third-line checking center here.

Hasek was brought in for around 9 million. This, it could be argued, was excessive given hockey's lack of a big-time TV contract, etc. THere is no more important position in sports, in the post-season, than a goalie in the NHL (see: Giguere, Fernandez, etc.).

Yes, the Wings did pay "excessively" to keep its own players. They had to fork over a HUGE boat-load of cash to keep Fedorov (thanks to the Hurricanes) and pay Lidstrom and Yzerman around 10 million and 9.5 million, respectively. But again, the best defensemen in the league two years running and the heart and soul of your team. Excessive, perhaps a bit. But it's not like they went out and out-bid other teams like the Yankees or Rangers. That's not how the team was built.

I can't think of one player in which they spent "excessively" on to get the Cup 2002. They didn't steam roll other teams by offering excessive contracts. Robitaille got dicked over by the Kings. Hull got barely any offers of note and lingered for weeks in free agency. Haske took LESS to come to Detroit (sorry Primer/Mizzou).

The Yankees the Red Wings are not.

[Cards4ever]

Hey, check this out!

http://www.theinformationminister.co...p?ID=612193908

[sachmo71]

If any player in this league deserves 9 million per year, it's Yzerman.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally posted by sachmo71
If any player in this league deserves 9 million per year, it's Yzerman.

Wiser words have never been spoken.

[Cards4ever]

http://www.divealanche.com/index.html

All you anti-Av's fan will find some humor here.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally posted by Cards4ever
http://www.divealanche.com/index.html

All you anti-Av's fan will find some humor here.

This is excellent! You've done well here, Cards!

[bbor]

Originally posted by sachmo71
If any player in this league deserves 9 million per year, it's Yzerman.

At his age....and with those knees?

If he receives this kind of contract it will be for hwat he has done in the past for the franchise...it will be a reward contract...not for what he will do in the future.

That being said..he is still prolly a 6 mil a year player.

[Cards4ever]

Originally posted by Honolulu_Blue
This is excellent! You've done well here, Cards!

Just passing it on, I'm sure you realize, that there is probably an anti-Wings site too!

[MylesKnight]

I tried telling all of your a$$es before..

LIGHTNING-WILD - Stanley Cup Final!

[Cards4ever]

Originally posted by MylesKnight
I tried telling all of your a$$es before..

LIGHTNING-WILD - Stanley Cup Final!

Well, as much as I enjoy watching Lecavlier and St Louis, I don't think that will happen, but who knows, Khabulin might be capable of taking his deep into the playoffs.

[sterlingice]

Originally posted by sachmo71
If any player in this league deserves 9 million per year, it's Yzerman.

You have got to be kidding me. I can think of a handful of goalies and definately Modano and Sakic spring to mind among centers. I guess if you're playing the sentimental "deserves" you can say that about a lot of guys (i.e. Tony Gwynn deserved about $20M from the Pads towards the end of his career but that's not what players are paid for) in the league but I don't think that's what we're talking about here.

SI

[MizzouRah]

No Red Wing deserves more than $1 mil per year.

Anyhow, now that my Blues are playing golf once again, I think Philly vs Anaheim.


Todd

[henry296]

With Round 2 starting tonight, I figured I'd make some picks

New Jersey and Philly in the East
Dallas and Minnesota in the West. If that happens wouldn't that be something.

Todd

[Cards4ever]

Thanks to SkyDog for stickying this for us!

Dallas and Anaheim are 1-1 and NJ-Tb are 0-0.

These should be good games!

[ice4277]

Wow, the Ducks are up on Dallas 3-1; what is this world coming to?

[sterlingice]

Originally posted by ice4277
Wow, the Ducks are up on Dallas 3-1; what is this world coming to?

Wow, if you want to talk about a team flicking the switch- WOW! At about 15 minutes left, Dallas just ramped up the tempo immensely and now we're awaiting another OT.

SI

[tucker342]

the playoffs have been really good this year... I'm quite impressed.

[sachmo71]

Sorry, I didn't get across what I was trying to say regarding Yzerman. He is one player in this league who has earned his high paycheck. I'm not sure if he's worth it anymore, but he can sleep well at night knowing he's earned his pay. The guy never quits, even in the most meaningless game. I respect that.

[bbor]

WOW...a stickied hockey thread...awesome

[sachmo71]

The game that wouldn't end. Chief, tell your boys to roll over and die so I can go to bed!!!

Dallas and Anaheim going into 3rd OT.

[Chief Rum]

Don't bother going to sleep. The boys will just follow you into your nightmares. You'll be counting sheep, when Jiggy will come out of nowhere to snatch them out of the air.

Chief Rum

[Cards4ever]

Would someone just please score!

[sterlingice]

Originally posted by Cards4ever
Would someone just please score!

You want this to end? There's still tons of chances. It's not like one of those games where you just see both teams dragging down the ice. Turco and Giguere have just been awesome.

SI

[Cards4ever]

Originally posted by sterlingice
You want this to end? There's still tons of chances. It's not like one of those games where you just see both teams dragging down the ice. Turco and Giguere have just been awesome.

SI

But I gotta get up in the morning!

[sterlingice]

Anaheim's coach needs to get another line out there. Put together your three least tired guys to counter that line by Dallas.

SI

[AnalBumCover]

The Ducks game is taking me away from the Lakers/T-Wolves game... Thank goodness for Picture-in-picture.

[AnalBumCover]

SCORE!!!!!!!!!

[sterlingice]

WOW!!! What a game! (if it's over)

Screw that Lakers/Wolves game and watch a real sport!

SI

[sachmo71]

Great game. Too bad my team had to lose. It's going to be a long series.


Hats off to your boys, Chief. We'll see you on Saturday.

[AnalBumCover]

No goal... wow. and the game continues....

[sterlingice]

No Goal! No Goal! Whoa!?! (Panger's call was classic "wait. wait. wait. wait. wait." as he's watching the puck)

SI

[Cards4ever]

I disagree with that call

[Chief Rum]

OMG, that call was such BS. These refs are a pile of steamin' poo!

And the beat goes on...

Chief Rum

P.S. sachmo, come back!

[AnalBumCover]

anyone know the saves count so far?

[sterlingice]

Kindof low since it was a defensive game.

Anaheim 10 11 6 20 47
Dallas 4 8 11 34 57

SI

[Cards4ever]

wow, that was a bad call, if you look at that one angle, the puck dropped across the line before anything else happened.

[sterlingice]

Ok, see- I think I might be seeing what the refs saw.

Look at the net- it actually get moved a couple of seconds before the deflection off of Turco. Check out the hand on the net from the guy they thought kicked it in. You can see it move about the same time as it's actually shot but before it's deflected in. Then again, I may just be seeing things.

SI

[Cards4ever]

I'm not so sure SI, from what I see, it was jarred on the other side. Oh well, it's done and over with now.

[sachmo71]

The net came off of it's moorings, but only by about an inch or so...I thought it had to come all the way off.
Thomas kicked the puck? Not that I could see.
I think Anaheim got screwed, but the game goes on. Dallas is the luckiest team in the NHL. We need to put a clover leaf somewhere on our uniforms!

[Travis]

Dammit, I have to go to work now, this sucks. Anaheim is going to feel like they've played 10 periods if they don't pull this out though.

[mrushh]

As a Stars fan who is VERY happy, I must admit that call appears to SUCK, big time.

[bbor]

when the puck is in the crease the net must be all the way down on the ice or it is considered "off it's moorings"

[Ksyrup]

I REALLY need some sleep before tomorrow morning. And yet here I sit.

[bbor]

new game....

Name an ot scorer for each team

mine are

Stars Hatcher

Ducks:Niedermeyer