Re: The NHL Thread
 

Sens will retire Alfie's number in December before a game against...the Wings.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Pens meeting with him (or at least his reps) this week apparently.

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/p...s/201608160140

http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/...penguins-among

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I just want it to be over. Just sign and move on.

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If after all this he signs in Boston like we all sorta expected....

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I always wonder where this hype actually generates from, if this is his agent, the media, him, teams...

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So he hasn't signed with the Phantoms yet? My sources must have been led a different way this time.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Rangers supposedly had some of their celebrities talk to or message Vesey today per twitter. Isles had or, more likely, he volunteered, Tavares be in Boston as part of the contingent to recruit Vesey. What do you think holds more value?

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Vesey to Boston

woop!

can the kid play?

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Never mind, not in Boston yet.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Bettman re. advertising not coming to NHL sweaters: "I am a believer in the history, tradition and exactly how special NHL sweaters are."

Ya know, until we get a huge offer that makes me change my mind.

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Penguins re-sign Matt Cullen to 1 year 1 mil deal.

http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.ht...id=DL|PIT|home

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Hope this stays. Love the tradition hockey has

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yep, bolded nailed it

not bad

would've liked a hard play on Vesey though. not sure that's an option anymore

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Oh, look. Technology! Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-to-use-...?tid=278386054

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As long as they don't make the puck glow. I'm good.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

But Bettman never goes back on his word!

Except that one time.

And the other.

And ... actually, I'm gonna shut up now. :lol

If they wanted to sell space to people who make hockey gear and hockey products ... I don't know that I would be against that.

But "This sweater brought to you by Big Mac?" GFY.

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I personally can't wait to see Little Ceasar's ads on Red Wings sweaters. Surely it'll look awesome.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

The world cup one they showed months ago didn't look too bad BUT they won't just stop at one tiny one. Sure they'll say that's all it'll be but then more adversiters will come up and say I'll give you $$ and then another says I'll give you $$$$$ and then the ads will cover up the Blackhawks logo because Morton's Steakhouse is important.

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I read in the trib and on twitter (although, I forget who posted it) that Cullen's signing doesn't mean they can't sign Vesey if they and he wanted.

http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/...ins-rutherford

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Wings have forward issues and cap issues too and they were interested. If he's as good as you think he'll be, you find a way to make room for him if he wants to sign.

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I know someone else already said it on the last page, but I kind of hope Vesey is a bust. Guy just strikes me as an entitled douchebag.

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I guess it's mostly the media's fault though and not really Vesey's. But I gotta say, I'm not digging this LeBron-style decision hype nonsense, at all. Again, it's really not his fault, though he probably is loving it, but it's just making me dislike the kid. Fucking sports writers (not you, Roose)

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He Lost me when he didn't sign with Nashville. I'm done with him.







Unless he signs with the Rangers...than he is the best thing since sliced bread.

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yo, the fox glow puck from the 90s was great and anyone who says otherwise is a freaking idiot.

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Anyone use Bauer equipment?

http://www.tsn.ca/owner-of-bauer-hoc...arket-1.549259

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yea i heard that as well but i just don't see it now. i hope i'm wrong because he's the perfect fit for this team. a young, energetic winger, who would be in a room full of Cup champs and playing with 3 of the best players in the world

that would bring anyone back down to earth (assuming Vesey needs to come back down)

Benn is a center

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Yeah, so?

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Wait until teams start doing nickname sponsorships: "Little Caesar's Detroit Red Wings."

Ah, shit. That's true. Give 'em an inch ...

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So thoughts on where the over-hyped Vesey goes? And what you think, not what you want. I'm thinking Boston with Buffalo as option 2.

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Unbelievable, that does not look remotely fun.

Save yourself some money, just get a blank Sweden shirt and get a uniform shop to put on the letters and numbers.

Well, yeah of course he did benefit from playing with Kane but the two of them seemed to have a chemistry from the start and I believe Kane benefitted a lot himself from playing opposite Panarin.

I think if he plays well he will get time on the ice on any team. Look how much teams have leaned on first year guys in the past two years and rode them to cups or great seasons for OK teams - Saad, Panarin, Sheary, Murray, McDavid, Eichel, Ghostiesbere, Parayko, Larkin and almost half of Tampa!

We all know they pull this on so many new guys that the 'next Gretzky' label is absurd because there will NEVER be another Gretzky. Anyone who has been watching the NHL for a while can recall that Lindros, Jagr, Hull, Roenick, Crosby, Kane, McDavid, etc, etc have been compared to 99 but IMO only Jagr really deserves to be in the same conversation as Gretzky.

Saw that, classy.

Yeah, Hawks did the same and sent Kane with Bowman. Not a bad sales pitch to send a guy with 3 cups, a Conn Smyth, a Calder and the reigning MVP and scoring champ to help sell a kid on a team.

Yeah, that was awful!

You could get him with an ECL with some incentives to see how he pans out, guessing that is what the Hawks would offer as well. That said both our teams will either have to accept that they will only have him for 2 years or do some reshuffling to retain him if he works out as hoped.

Damn. As for Bauer stuff, not in like 25+ years. :lol

I think he'd be a perfect fit on Pittsburgh or Chicago. Honestly he will get to play for championship team, be surrounded by seasoned veterans and have a legit shot at winning a cup as a rookie. As for his maturity and what some say is arrogance I have to believe being in a locker room with guys like Crosby, Toews, Kane, Kessel, Hossa, Malkin, Letang or Keith is going to humble almost anyone.

Having said all that the thing is he is young and thinks he is going to have a shot at the cup plenty of times.Generally does not work out that way for most guys because even getting to a conference final is a pain (ask Barbs) and it generally is not until guys hit say 25-30 before they wake up and think 'Shit, I really want to win a cup to cement my legacy and it is a helluva lot tougher than I ever thought.'

Funny you mentioned our running joke about Benn because last week Canada noted that he will likely be slotted into center at times during the WCoH.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

I use Bauer protective equipment, that's about it. Their Vapor line fits me perfect for gloves, pants, shin pads, etc. Plus their buckets are the only ones that don't give me headaches. And the visors don't fog up nearly as much as the Oakley ones do.

Sticks and skates are another story. Their sticks are always way overpriced and really hard to find at a decent price in my flex and curve. I like CCM's RBZ line for sticks, and love love love my Reebok skates.

Really a shame, but I'm not surprised. Bauer always had this market cornered where it felt like they could push people around in order to sell their stuff. Hockey is such a niche sport, and equipment has gotten SO overpriced over the last decade+, that this really doesn't shock me.

Honestly? I think it's going to be Chicago.

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Germany.

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Sounds like it's between Rags and Hawks for Vesey.

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Gotta give credit to Nashville for getting a 3rd rounder here. Buffalo gave it up and got nothing.

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Now Vesey announcement probably not coming today.... surprise.

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This whole thing is just comical at this point. The kid hasn't even played one second of professional hockey at any level, and it's more ridiculous than the hype Stamkos got when he resigned with the Lightning.

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It's tired. :thumbsup

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Doesn't this give him a bad rep around the league? First at least reports that he said he would sign in Nashville (although of course Vesey's camp denies it) but even that they said they would want top 6 minutes. He would have every opportunity in Nashville for that so I smell BS on that one. If he does end up in Chicago, his chances to stay in the top 6 are higher with the Preds than Chicago. Also add into it that they told the Wings he wanted to stay closer to home and if he ends in Chicago people would start to question him and/or his agents if they ever have talks with them. Now this is dragging out too only adds fuel to it too.

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I think this will be a situation where he looks back and wishes he controlled his agent better. I have a good feeling his agent is "leaking" things and making this whole thing more ridiculous than it needs to be. They keep denying the Nashville stuff, the Detroit stuff, now the NYR/CHI stuff...it's also so absurd.

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The agent stuff could be true. I can accept, even if I don't agree with it, the going to free agency. Those are the rules and for whatever reason, didn't want to be in Nashville. So listening to pitches is cool and probably the best idea but it sure needs to be controlled better.

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It's official. Vesey is a
NYR.

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Of the reported finalists, aren't they the worst off going forward? Devils and Leafs are building, Sabres are turning it around and Pens and Hawks are Cup contenders. Bruins and Rangers would have been at the bottom imo. Some aging players and don't seem to be trending in the right direction.

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Again, only two years. Not a long term situation. "Building" teams seems like the worst option.

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But he's an RFA after the two years. Not like he just jumps to Buffalo after these two years.

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Woooo!!! We got Lebron!!!

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FWIW regarding why Vesey chose NYR: http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2016/08/19/...cting-rangers/

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Yeah, I figured Kevin Hayes played a big part. Supposedly Jimmy Hayes was a big reason why he didn't want to go to Boston. Jimmy telling him not to go there.

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If that's true, that's a huge slap to the face of Bruins.

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Rumors will be rumors, but apparently he's not happy with his healthy scratches and his ice time.

Honestly, the Hayes brothers seem like stereotypical entitled brats. Jimmy was that way in Chicago, he even started a Twitter campaign himself called #FreePirri when Brandon Pirri wasn't getting ice time in Chicago (and now look, Pirri is a 25 year old free agent that no one wants).

Re: The NHL Thread
 

It was always going to be the case that he fans of the teams who didn't sign him were going to be upset. I would have been too and said a lot of the same.

I hope this works out well for everyone. I excited to see what he can bring to our team. Hopefully he can develope into a solid NHL player that can help keep this team in the hunt.

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I'm not upset in the slightest.

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Well I didn't mean you really. As far as I am concerned, you don't have the right to be upset about anything for at least another 5 years since you team has won so many freaking cups in the past 6 years!

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I heard the Avs made a pitch to Vesey as well, but it was for their head coaching job.

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I saw someone ask EJ Hradek on twitter if Vesey was elibigle for the 2016 NHL draft would he go 1st overall.

:lol :lol :lol :lol

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Honestly after all this stupid hype I can't remember the last time I hoped a player fails as much as I hope Vesey does

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Yeah, but you are also a pretty bitter hockey fan who already dislikes the Rangers. At least now you know how everyone else feels/felt about Ovi (and Crosby).

Anyway, here are my thoughts:

I know a lot of people are just upset that he didn't sign with their team, or are upset about how he went about this. I too was not the biggest fan of him not signing with Nashville during the playoff run.

That said, people around the internet are really trashing his choice to go the the Rangers, and that has resulted in some pretty bad posts.

The NY Rangers did take a step back last season. However, people are talking like they are a last place team now. They just earned 101pts last year and lost to the eventual Cup champions. Maybe they did take a step back, but when the step is one back from ECF and SCF in the last 3 years, it is not really a huge step in the wrong direction. They will be competitive and have a real chance of being a top 5 team in the east again next year. His addition should only help this.

Of course NY makes sense for him. Like them or not, the NYR are a first class organization. Everything from the top to the bottom is the best of the best. It is easy to see how anyone without a bias could be blown away from what the team has to offer. Amazing facilities, world class building, superstar life style and the best city on the planet for having everything to offer someone. I'm not a Yankees fan, but it is a similar situation in baseball. There is a reason why players keep choosing these teams.

This was a huge win for the NYR. They basically got a first round pick back for nothing. Huge help with the cap issues as well. If things don't work out, it is basically a two year trial for very little money. A lot of the disappointment in people's posts has to be that they know their team missed a great chance. This deal literally can't backfire for the Rangers. Only one with pressure is the player himself, and that is the best motivation.

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NYR as the best of the best? Please

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Sorry dude, NY was one of the last spots i would have gone but that's me. I personally would have signed with Nashville because they drafted me but that's me and I can accept he didn't since it's the rules. He's with the Rangers for 4-5 years since he'll be an RFA when this contract is done. Obviously if he fails or asks to be traded that chances things but you know what I mean. Do I see NYR being a great team in that time frame? No. Maybe they rebound this year but they have some bad contracts and some aging guys too. Boston is the same way imo. Not knowing exactly what he wanted, I would have looked at Buffalo hard because in 4-5 years they should be really good and it would be cool to be part of that team as they grew. Islanders would have been a good place to look too because they are relatively young and a playoff team that seems to be trending up. NJ would have been tempting with Hall, Henrique and Schneider but still a big question mark. I get the Chicago and PIT arguments but you'd have a shorter leash there than in some other places and sometimes young players need to work through it and harder to do that if your ice time is greatly reduced. Again, I don't know why wouldn't want to be in Nashville. Rangers better than them? No. More guaranteed ice time in NY than NAS? No. Sure it's closer to home but not like you are going home every weekend. NYC is a cool city but you could have gone to the Isles and still been near the city and had a better team.

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Not my words, literally have heard this time and time again that what they have to offer can't be beat. Maybe matched at best. Money is not an issue and the team has the best of everything. I'm not taking about the team's playing ability, I'm talking about the comfort that these guys are given by staff and equipment.

Again, I started off by saying I was disappointed he didn't sign with the Preds. I would have.

That said, it is easy to see why he picked the Rangers. A lot of what you said here is personal bias. That's okay, but he you have to remember he had his personal bias too.

As to the bad contracts: if he turns out to be successful, the Rangers already addressed a position on the team for no cost. If he is not successful, they didn't waste a lot of money.

Yes the Islanders are in NYC too, but anyone who knows the city knows that there is a big difference between Brooklyn and Manhattan. Also, he would be playing in a building that had attendance issues and is not even meant for hockey. They are a second class team in their own building. Plus, you are comparing the Rangers with a team that multiple of the top sports announcers in NY have called a "third rate team" that has issues even scheduling a radio show interview.

I think everyone keeps looking at this and saying "the Rangers??! They are not going to win the cup anytime soon!" When the reality is JV made a decision based on life style a team could offer and not hockey trends. Which when you step back from it all, was obvious from the start since the Preds would have been the perfect fit for him for both playing time and instant chance at a cup.

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It literally has zero to do with the Rangers. It didn't matter where he ended up. The comparison to Ovie and Crosby isn't a good one since neither of those players bailed on the team that drafted them and then made a huge production out of where he ended up signing. The fact that it's the Rangers doesn't have anything to do with it.

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You and I are so alike it hurts.

But seriously, Vesey picked a team. The reasons were his own. Good luck to him. Now back to my nightly sacrifices to the hockey gods in the hopes that the Avs hire Hartley.

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My comparison was only to the point that those two players were very hyped up and everyone who was not a Caps or Pens fan wanted to see them bust. Both have been great, although Ovie may always be considered a bust if he never makes a finals at the very least.

Fair point to the rest. I think I had mentioned as a joke a few pages back that I felt similar "unless he signs with the Rangers." Obviously I don't like how he treated the Preds situation. I am just merely defending the reasoning behind the decision to sign with NY and explaining that things are not as bad for the Rangers as people have made them out to be.

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:lol:lol:lol

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:lol

I just think he's going to be totally screwed by this hype. I think realistically, 30-35 points is a good expectation. If he scores 10 goals with 20 assists, I think you got what you can expect. Anything beyond that is too much.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

well he's in the perfect media market for reasonable expectations and very little attention

:rolleyes

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Vesey probably ended up in the worst possible place where he can succeed. Have fun having the most expectations out of a third round pick in history of the league.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Agreed. The media hype was created around Vesey for a couple reasons, not the least of which was simply a slow offseason where there wasn't much else to talk about. 30 points in a rookie season for a player like him? That's a solid rookie campaign. :thumbsup

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Vesey = third round Daigle?

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But...But...He won the Hobie Baker Award! I wish him the best, but I agree that he really did not put himself in the best position to succeed.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

It's "Hobey" Baker. Might as well have just said the NBA was better than the NHL. Sheesh.

Seriously though, if you look at previous Hobey Baker winners, there's not a lot of NHL success there. Look no further than when the Hawks signed Drew Leblanc as a free agent a couple years ago. Also a 23 year old that signed coming off his Hobey Baker Award win. There was a lot of hype around that, and he was a total bust.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Have to agree with Chris.

In the last 10 years, Jack Eichel (2015), Johnny Gaudreau (2014) and Matt Carle (2006) really had any type of NHL success. And before Carle, Ryan Miller (2001).

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Yep. And Eichel is obviously in a different class considering he probably would have been a #1 pick in any other draft than his own the last 5 years.

Not to say Vesey doesn't have potential to be a productive player, but there just isn't any correlation between being a productive NHL player and being a late draft picks that have a late coming out party and win the Hobey Baker.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Goddammit! I'll go to the box for two minutes and feel shame.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Going back to Vesey, I can't say I'm too bummed about not getting him. I think I'm just more bummed he didn't pick us. It would have been a nice get and given us more credibility that we snagged a guy like when most of the league and the "big boys" were after him.

We sent JT but I guess it was the Susan Sarandon and Liam Neeson videos that swayed him.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Wings emailed me a presale password to buy tickets today. Sure hope I can get tickets to the last (regular season) game at JLA. Here's hoping it's not the last game there. My backup game, or maybe I do both, is the Hawks on my birthday. Tickets to that game are actually cheaper than the last game against the fucking Devils. I better not be busy right at 10am. I'll lose out on the last game for sure if I don't try right at 10.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Fuck, only singles for both of those games unless my dad and I wanted to sit in different rows, like him in front of me, for the Hawks game. Guess I'll try for next week when they go on sale to the public. Last game will probably be the same but maybe more available for the Hawks game. I thought about other games but none of them really matter to me. Looking at weekends or when I'm off at christmas, Bruins at Halloween? no. Sabres a few days after christmas? Eh.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Apparently the Wild have changed their goal song to Prince's Let's Go Crazy , which is just awesome.

https://twitter.com/mnwild/status/768127510865448961

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This just vaulted them from one of the most boring and unoriginal goal songs to one of the best. Fucking love this.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Bob Boughner and Kevin Dineen are allegedly "major candidates" at the top of Colorado's list right now.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/re...-coaching-job/

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Kevin Dineen is the best.

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Only quality ones available because we're a few weeks from training camp, you mean?

Re: The NHL Thread
 

I always enjoy holiday shows. good luck!
Fucking awesome.

hi guys. miss you.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

My eternal thanks to Patrick Roy for that.

I guess the biggest problem has been getting permission from other teams to talk to their assistants and such. Can't say I blame those other teams.

Miss you more.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Miss Hollywood up in here.

As for my ticket issue, I think I'll try and see what the public on sale date next Monday does. I'm assuming the presale only had a certain number of tickets. Not that it means I'll get tickets to the last game but might be more available for all games. Maybe I'm just getting old where I don't want the spend the money on an "eh" game. The Wings being average doesn't help. Do I really want to spent a lot of money (cause they ain't cheap) to watch them play the Bruins for the 3rd time in 3 years? Not really. Only games I'd want to see are against Tampa, Pit, Chicago.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

I've gotten to the point where I only buy tickets on Stubhub or something a couple days before the game. I don't even bother with Ticketmaster's on-sale dates anymore. Way too much stress.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZDa2yQ_ncY

Re: The NHL Thread
 

I mean, I'd rather drop an extra $50/ea on the same tickets to avoid the stress and headache of dealing with all that.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Eh doesn't bother me too bad. Just feel like I'm getting old where I'd rather sit at home and watch it on tv than drive 45 minutes downtown, pay $70+ for a ticket plus parking, have to deal with traffic getting out and then getting home late. I can watch it on tv and go to bed when it's over. I'd spend the money on Hawks, Pens, TBL or that last game at JLA but that's it. Like I said, I'll try on Monday but if not...oh well.

But hey, that new arena is gonna be awesome.

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nh...rena/89233964/

My favorite part "New seats are 21 inches wide, compared to 17-18 at Joe Louis Arena" They are amazingly fucking tight at JLA and I'm skinny. Can't imagine what an even slightly overweight person feels like going there.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

lol @ that roof though

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Forgot when Lightning single season tix went on sale to get tix for Hawks vs. Lightning...will also just stubhub closer in.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

:lol :lol That's great. The Wings will have some good times at the Hot 'n Ready.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

"Pizza, pizza!"

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Good read about the Hartford Whalers on ESPN today. Check it out if you get the chance.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Hudler to Stars. 1 year, $2 million

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Stars goaltending is still a big ?. $10mil combined for their goalies who are a combined 64 years old. Offense will be great though.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Saw Rask didn't make the list of top 10 goalies. I would have to agree, he gives up soft goals at the worst times and can't win in big games

Re: The NHL Thread
 

I hate that I like Pietrangelo so much, but dude deserves to be captain of that team. Underrated defenseman, for sure.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

The roof at the Hot N Ready is amazing. Just fantastic.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

:thumbsup One of my favorite in the league right now, especially after last year's playoffs. Definitely deserves the C.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

Wow, nice move by Arizona in getting Logan Crouse from FLA. Sure, taking on Bolland's contract for another couple years is a chunk of change, but worth it if Crouse pans out. They are building a hell of a team down there.

Re: The NHL Thread
 

I miss Bolly so much.

<3 <3 <3