The Official 2024-25 Season Talk Thread

[DrJones]

Re: The Official 2024-25 Season Talk Thread

Ah, Bieksa with the classic "fighters prevented dirty stick work" trope.

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[ImTellinTim]

The Official 2024-25 Season Talk Thread

“I think Marty, in all fairness, is trying to tap him on the shoulder”

Never noticed that gem from that clip.

[DrJones]

Re: The Official 2024-25 Season Talk Thread

I still remember McSorley "tapping" Mike Bullard in a different spot.

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Some added context for this clip:

- this was from Game 3 of the 1988 Smythe Final (the Flames had won the Presidents' Trophy but were behind 2 games to none to the "underdog" Oilers)

- As you can see from the clip, McSorley was mad after taking a hit from Gary Roberts

- McSorley broke his stick on this play (spearing Bullard, who had just stepped off the bench, directly in the balls)

- Bullard was Calgary's 2nd leading scorer that year with 48 goals and 55 assists

- Bullard was taken off in a stretcher after this play (but did return for Game 4)

- Edmonton SCORED on this play to take a 2-1 lead which they never relinquished; McSorley got an assist on the goal!!!

From a media report following the game:

Charlie Huddy gave the Oilers a 2-1 lead at 8:54 on a controversial goal. With a linesman, unauthorized to stop play, waiting to advise referee Andy vanHellemond of a spearing penalty against Edmonton's Marty McSorley, Huddy drove a drop pass from Jari Kurri past goaltender Mike Vernon.

After a lengthy discussion, the goal was counted, and Bullard, the victim of McSorley's spearing, was taken off the ice on a stretcher. On the ensuing five-minute power play, the Flames failed to create even one good scoring chance.

"The whistle should have been blown (immediately)," Calgary Coach Terry Crisp said of the spearing call. "(The stick) hit him below the navel. It was direct as any hit in the Persian Gulf. That play took a lot of steam out of our players. The linesman said he wanted to make sure Bullard was hurt, that he was not faking it."

Even Edmonton Coach Glen Sather could not totally defend McSorley's flagrant spearing.

"It's ridiculous to do something like that, but I don't think Marty knew what he was doing," Sather said. "He reacted."

- McSorley received a 5-minute spearing major (although the Oilers goal scored on the play was allowed to stand, even though it occurred well after the spear) but was NOT suspended because Bullard wasn't "seriously" injured

- the Oilers won Game 3 4-2 and swept the Flames en route to winning the Cup in dominant fashion (16 wins and only 2 losses, still a record)

- McSorley went to LA in the Gretzky trade that summer to "protect" him

- This incident was completely memory-holed (I don't even remember it being brought up even in the aftermath of the Brashear incident) because McSorley was a "good Ontario boy" and a "noble enforcer" who prevented dirty "rat" plays like... spearing a star player in the balls or hitting someone in the head with your stick (of course, this was also the heyday of non-goon rats like Claude Lemieux and the OG himself, Kenny Linseman, who I recall clotheslined a Canucks player with his stick while Linseman was sitting on the bench)

- This kind of stuff happened ALL THE TIME in the 70s/80s/90s and was almost immediately handwaved away; some of you guys might be young enough to remember Domi sending Niedermayer to the shadow realm in the 2001 playoffs (though at least he got suspended for it)

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Some nice Mr. Magoo work from Bob Cole and Harry Neale here, BTW. "He fell all by himself!"

[DrJones]

Re: The Official 2024-25 Season Talk Thread

It truly boggles the mind to think of what hockey Twitter, Reddit, etc. would've been like if it existed in that era.

[Fiddy]

Re: The Official 2024-25 Season Talk Thread

Mega Trade incoming this evening... Sheesh!

[DrJones]

Re: The Official 2024-25 Season Talk Thread

Mega Trade incoming this evening... Sheesh!

And here I was talking about how rare it was that players who scored 100 points the previous season were traded... and it's not JT Miller! (Yet.)

[Majingir]

Re: The Official 2024-25 Season Talk Thread

As soon as I heard big trade I thought Miller was moved, just to see Rantanen and Hall to Carolina!?

[Kobalt]

Re: The Official 2024-25 Season Talk Thread

Even with his faults, hard to replace a star. He and MacKinnon were suppose to shatter the single season empty net points record

I do enjoy the fact that every time Avs make a move, everyone (well, mainly Biz) say next move is Crosby to Colorado.

[DrJones]

Re: The Official 2024-25 Season Talk Thread

Even with his faults, hard to replace a star. He and MacKinnon were suppose to shatter the single season empty net points record

I do enjoy the fact that every time Avs make a move, everyone (well, mainly Biz) say next move is Crosby to Colorado.

Weekes is also hinting that something big is afoot in Pittsburgh.

I can easily imagine it being something nightmare-inducing like Miller or Petey for Marcus Pettersson, Bunting, and a 2nd.

[Fiddy]

Re: The Official 2024-25 Season Talk Thread

Even with his faults, hard to replace a star. He and MacKinnon were suppose to shatter the single season empty net points record

I do enjoy the fact that every time Avs make a move, everyone (well, mainly Biz) say next move is Crosby to Colorado.

Ain't happening, Weekes has done this in the past with the Pens. Farming clicks!

Weekes is also hinting that something big is afoot in Pittsburgh.

I can easily imagine it being something nightmare-inducing like Miller or Petey for Marcus Pettersson, Bunting, and a 2nd.

This right here more along the lines.

[Majingir]

Re: The Official 2024-25 Season Talk Thread

It's finally happening!

We've waited years for this moment and we are going to get it.

Canucks will have Elias Pettersson and Elias Pettersson in their lineup tonight!

[Majingir]

Re: The Official 2024-25 Season Talk Thread

Pietrangelo backs out of the 4 nations due to "injury/ailment".

Despite that, he's still actively playing for Vegas.

If the NHL cared, they'd treat it similarly to the ASG. If someone backs out but plays the teams final game before or after the break, they'll be suspended for a game. Can't say you don't want to play due to injury but then you still play other games.

[DrJones]

Re: The Official 2024-25 Season Talk Thread

Pietrangelo backs out of the 4 nations due to "injury/ailment".

Despite that, he's still actively playing for Vegas.

If the NHL cared, they'd treat it similarly to the ASG. If someone backs out but plays the teams final game before or after the break, they'll be suspended for a game. Can't say you don't want to play due to injury but then you still play other games.

NHL announced today that there is no suspension. If I'm Hockey Canada and USA Hockey, I'd make it pretty clear that uninjured players who skip the 4 Nations can kiss the 2026 Olympics goodbye. Don't want a repeat of the Canada Cup days when Ray Bourque and Patrick Roy would regularly bail.

https://bsky.app/profile/wyshynski.bsky.social/post/3lgqkvpyscc2o

Also, I suspect the NHL will soon be kicking itself for not scheduling this tournament last season instead.

https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comm...hem_was_booed/

[Majingir]

Re: The Official 2024-25 Season Talk Thread

NHL announced today that there is no suspension. If I'm Hockey Canada and USA Hockey, I'd make it pretty clear that uninjured players who skip the 4 Nations can kiss the 2026 Olympics goodbye. Don't want a repeat of the Canada Cup days when Ray Bourque and Patrick Roy would regularly bail.

https://bsky.app/profile/wyshynski.bsky.social/post/3lgqkvpyscc2o

Also, I suspect the NHL will soon be kicking itself for not scheduling this tournament last season instead.



https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comm...hem_was_booed/

I'd make that point clear to players too. If you bail and aren't actually injured/missing time leading up to the tournament, you're not even being looked at in 2026 because how can you be trusted?

As for the whole anthem thing, I'll just leave it at this...anthems shouldn't be in any sporting event outside of national team games. It's not because of anything political, I dont care if its only the US anthem for US vs US team or both if its US team vs Canadian team, or just Canadian anthem it its Canadian vs Canadian, I just don't think there's much need to do anthems at some random game just because "tradition".

[DrJones]

Re: The Official 2024-25 Season Talk Thread

As for the whole anthem thing, I'll just leave it at this...anthems shouldn't be in any sporting event outside of national team games. It's not because of anything political, I dont care if its only the US anthem for US vs US team or both if its US team vs Canadian team, or just Canadian anthem it its Canadian vs Canadian, I just don't think there's much need to do anthems at some random game just because "tradition".

I agree, except it's inherently political. Any attempt to stop the practice (or limit it to national holidays like July the 4th, Veterans Day, Memorial Day, etc.) would result in holy hell breaking loose, even before the current culture wars. It's just baked into (North) American sports, for good and ill.

Moot point anyway, as the 4 Nations is an international tournament. There was a lot of anthem booing in 1996 (and at World Juniors since then), and those were primarily for "hockey" reasons, whereas this is something different. I fully expect the Feb 15 USA/Canada game in Montreal will result in a whole lot of, shall we say... non-hockey media coverage in its aftermath. Kinda wish the whole thing was held in Sweden or somewhere.