Re: The NHL Thread
 

I agree to a degree. Duchene definitely could've had him, but it's not like he let him off scott (heh) free. He had some good pressure on him and John Scott still had to make the shot and get it in...and he had a very nice looking top shelf goal. But, yes, the guys were all giving him the chances but regardless he really impressed me out there.

Great article :thumbsup

Re: The NHL Thread
 

I don't think we're disagreeing. I think Duchene put a good amount of pressure on him to let him know he was there and wasn't just giving up on him. Scott did a good job too of using his body to block him out and such. But like you said, he could've had him if it was, say, a real game. Pulled the ol' trick I used to employ on guys that were bigger than me where I would just skate in front of them and bend over (n/h).

But again, this isn't to diminish Scott's accomplishments over the weekend. Quite the opposite.

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We're always on the same page, Matty. :eiffeltower

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NHL just named John Scott first star of the week

:rolleyes give me a break

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Agreed, though when I played D if I got caught chasing someone down I would have just used my usual trick and put my stick under his and pushed his up to deny him the shot - it is easier and I am less likely to get hurt than bending over. That said, Can't take anything away from Scott, he still had to burn the goalie and he buried that puck in the back of the net.

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The NHL is now all over this. It's ridiculous. The responses to this tweet are making me :lol:lol:lol

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:lol every single one is on point

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Really sad to see the league playing it off like this. Sucks our sport is run by these assholes.

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Now watch, the league will try to bring in a non All Star type player like Scott every year to try and recreate the magic.

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The league is so out of touch this sounds like something they would absolutely consider

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that's fine too.

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Right?

What's sad is they actually got it right with the 3 on 3 format. Yep, they actually did something RIGHT. And a lot of that is lost because of the dick way they handled all the Scott stuff.

But then again, if they hadn't been such dicks, this wouldn't have been as cool a story. So I guess it all works out for us. :)

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Wouldn't surprise me. They'll be like "oh the fans really liked this." Yes we did, because of how you treated him and then the way it awesomely worked out yesterday for him. Douche bags.

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"Please tell Bettman to eat a dick."

Eh, fans say that in response to everything they tweet.

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Caps will have no less than five regulars out tonight for various reasons. Should be fun considering we're playing one of the better teams in the conference.

Very much ready to get back to real hockey 2-4 nights a week.

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Who's out besides Ovi? Haven't been up on my normal reading the last few days.

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Ovie, Holtby, Johanssen, Orpik, Beagle all out tonight

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I know rules are rules but sometimes I think they need to be applied with a modicum of common sense. Toews is serving a game suspension tonight for missing the all star game because he was sick. I could get it if he just a wanted the time off but wasn't sick anyone who watched the Carolina game right before the break could see he was not right. He was lagging when coming back to help the D - one of his strengths, spent just over ten minutes on the ice and walked off the ice during the second period. Ok maybe it was a show but I doubt it, he is a class act who always gives it his all. I think given the circumstances this suspension should be waived. Also curious who will be wearing the C tonight in Colorado.

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I assume there won't be a C. Is that not normally the case when he misses games?

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The NHL is weird about this. I get it but yeah common sense needs to come into place. I guess they are thinking that if you were injured enough or sick enough to miss the all-star game should miss the next real game? But that's crap so...whatever. Datsyuk and Lidstrom were suspended in 2011 or 12 because they skipped but Crosby wasn't because he showed up for the other crap which makes no sense to me. If you are injured, should you be traveling...Again I get it from stand point they don't want it to be the Pro Bowl but come on.

Also as for who wears the C tonight? I hope no one. I always thought a captain is a captain and if he's out, it should be 3 A's for that night or those games if it's longer.

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Ohhhhhh, I didn't realize "regulars" included Orpik and Beagle. I assume it's just a maintenance day for Holts, right? He didn't get injured in the ASG. Hope MoJo is OK. And we all know why Ovi's out.

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Teams generally don't give out a C when the captain is hurt, suspended, or otherwise unable to play. They'll have 3 guys wearing an A. For example, in Washington tonight, no one will be wearing the C. With Orpik hurt, I'll be curious which two players get As besides Backstrom. Gotta think Laich gets one, and maybe Alzner for the other?

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Yeah just an extra day off for Braden. Apparently BT has said he wants to get Grubauer into a few more games down the stretch, presumably to not burn Holtby out for what they are hoping will be a long playoff run. Hopefully Marcus doesn't become a long term thing. He's having an underrated year, plus could been trade bait if they so choose (which I'm not saying I'm a fan of that idea). Still unsure of what exactly happened, it came in the recent game against the Flyers right? Can't remember if it was before that. It does sound like Orpik is close to practicing with the team again. It would be nice to have him back within the next few weeks.

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I think it's a fair rule. This is the "Sidney Crosby Rule", and I'm actually all for it. The All Star weekend festivities are really an important occasion for the league, and more importantly, young fans. Selected players should attend if at all possible. If you're actually injured or sick to the point that you're missing games, then that's fine, no suspension. If there wasn't an All Star break, and a player really is that sick/injured then the player would miss at least one game anyway.

The All Star break isn't intended as an occasion to get a rest, although it works out that way for some guys. It's intended to get all the league's stars in one place for a fun weekend. If a selected player can't make it, there has to be a consequence. It sucks here that it's Toews, but I think its a fair rule.

You can't really just start "making exceptions" because Toews was lagging in an actual game. If Toews was that sick, he should have sat out the Carolina game to rest, and then we wouldn't be in this situation.

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Agreed, the Sidney Crosby incident was nonsensical to me if you want my honest answer.

Yeah, that is what I am hoping they do, question would be who gets the third A if they go that route, Keith and Seabrook are the alternates right now.

Yeah, it is a rest for guys who are not elected obviously. In the case of Toews it seems odd to me, I mean he played ten minutes in that carolina game, they should compromise and give him a ten minute suspension - assuming he is feeling well enough to play anyhow.

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such a dumb rule to make players miss a meaningful game because they either didn't want to play or couldn't play in a gimmicky exhibition

NHL is a real joke sometimes

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So what, if anything, do you enjoy about the NHL?

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there's a lot to like about the NHL

but what, am i supposed to enjoy mandatory suspensions for players because they don't play in an exhibition? am i supposed to enjoy a perpetual cycle of cheap head shots and subsequent discipline that is laughable? am i supposed to enjoy a league that does not let it's stars be put on display, where the top points scorers are lucky to break the 90 point threshold?

it's a great sport with great young talent, great officals and great fans but constantly handcuffs itself

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Ugh, Neuvirth hurt now. Flyers call up Anthony Stolarz. Mason expected to start tonight. I hope we see Stolarz play.

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I kind of go both ways on the whole Skip-the-All-Star-Game-Get-Suspended thing.

On one hand, it's not like the All-Star game is a surprise to these players, you know? It's not like all of a sudden it's like, "Hey, I had no idea that if I played well I would be selected to participate in this weekend event. No one told me about that!" They know it's coming, and that if they play well they will be participating. It's part of the job. There are downsides to being a professional athlete in terms of doing things you sometimes don't want to do, but that's part of the job and these guys get that.

On the other hand, saying "you guys are so great that we want you to come have loads of fun at the All Star weekend. Oh, and by the way, you HAVE to come" seems a little disingenuous, right? I mean, once the guys are there I bet they have a pretty good time, but still.

But I also get that if they just left it up to each player to decide whether they came or not, it could get unorganized and chaotic pretty quick trying to find replacements and such. Can you imagine if 5, 10, 15 players suddenly decided they weren't going to come? So there does need to be a rule in place. I get that. It sucks for players like Toews who are legitimately sick. But honestly, a one game suspension really isn't that bad. And hey, if they're really sick it actually gives them an excuse to sit out a game and get better. And with hockey players having that mentality of "play til I physically can't skate", sometimes they need that forceful excuse to get them to actually stop and heal.