Re: The NHL Thread
 

Oh baby, did they ever!

Re: The NHL Thread
 

I just really don't care beyond a very casual "it's Tuesday night and nothing else is on, guess I'll flip it on in the background" type of thing.

Really, I just hope every Blackhawk walks out of there without being injured so we can start the season.

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I'm kind of surprised about how little I care as well. I thought I would be more into it. Usually I get super hard for international hockey. Doesn't help that the Americans crashed and burned.

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I've been quasi-into it. It hasn't helped that there are two games a day (mostly weekdays) and one is at 3 p.m.

But Team NA was incredible to watch. Canada is dominant. I don't equate it to international basketball as much as Greg does. There are at least a few countries that can give Canada a run and anything can happen in one game or a 2 out of 3. As the 96 Americans showed. But this crop of teams, I think NA, Sweden, and Russia can all hang with Canada. They are absolutely the favorites though. The U.S in basketball is another story imo. They are always favored to win by gigantic amounts in every game. (Doesn't always happen) Whereas Canada, while favorites, I don't think are "expected" to beat Russia by 5 goals. As an example.

From the games I've seen, I've enjoyed. And I get why do this now and it could cause injury to your NHL team's best players. But when your team (my case the Flyers) don't really have any elite players (Giroux has been the healthy scratch on the Canadian team and don't give me Voracek is elite. I know you guys won't but his contract says he is....) and have never won a Cup (in my lifetime) then I just don't really care that much about injuries. Just a different mindset compared to some of you Pens and Hawks fans.

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Depending on the injury, I'd rather the injury be now than during a normal Olympic Break. If you're in a playoff battle and your best player gets hurt on virtually March 1st....That's a terrible time to get hurt.

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yea but the Olympics actually matter

and every game is worth the same amount of points

would rather Crosby/Malkin/Murray etc. just play in a tournament every 4 years instead of every 2 years

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Failed experiment. Move on. No more WCoH.

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I blame ESPN, I can't get into the broadcast because I'm not used to Bucci, Levy, or Melrose. Kevin Weekes is terrible on a live broadcast. The games, themselves, are fun and interesting. But honestly, the coverage of the tournament just isn't there. I think there would be a completely better vibe if it was done by NBC and NBCSN.

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"Matter" is perspective though. To a player clearly it's a bigger deal being in the Olympics but a gold medal game in the WC or Olympics means the same to an NHL franchise, nothing. The Pens wouldn't be "Crosby got hurt in the WC gold medal game and will miss October! Damn those games are worthless!" compared to "Crosby got hurt in the Olympic gold medal game and will miss March. Oh well...." He (or any player) gets hurt in a game that isn't 1 of 82 then it wasn't worth it.

To the points, first my smart ass remark. Overtime games aren't quite worth the same.... Second, while yes you are correct, if I had a choice I'd take the injury and struggles in October over March.

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i really don't think "matter" is perspective in this case, though

it's very clear that the Olympics mean WAYYYY more to the players so there's that.

plus, the Olympics are played on a world stage and have a tradition and history (especially here in the US)

of course i never want a player to get hurt, but if he does, i'd want it to be in the Olympics where the games actually carry weight.

i get that the franchises won't care outside of the NHL's 82, but honestly, who cares what the owners think?

like i said, star players in a meaningful tournament every 4 years is way better than 1 meaningful and 1 meaningless every 2 years

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It's either Olympics or World Cup though. They're not doing both.

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Players thinking one thing and owners another, makes it a matter of perspective. Players it matters, owners it doesn't.

Do I care what the owners think? No but my feelings are like theirs (at least I assume it's theirs) my concern is the Detroit Red Wings. Yes the Olympics are a larger stage and bigger deal but if Dylan Larkin got hurt in this tournament or the Olympics, I'd be equally as upset because either way it hurts the Wings. I am a fan of Olympic hockey but the Wings are my team and both tournaments are meaningless to me because it doesn't win them games, get them in the playoffs or win them the Cup.

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i guess the bolded is where we differ

i'm a huge USA hockey fan when it comes to the Olympics

not quite as much as i love the Penguins, but it's honestly pretty close

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Levy just can't carry the important games. Melrose is fine in the studio as a gimmick for ESPN, but he's not a color guy. Weekes is great in the studio, awful during broadcast.

I like Bucci, but I agree that he's just not the guy for this.

Obviously Doc is the pipe dream, but shit...get Bob Cole, Pat Foley, Rick Peckham, Dave Strader, Bob Miller, or Chris Cuthbert. There are so many guys that do this for a living. Bring them on.

Brett Hull is a drunk, concussed mess. As much as I hate Chelios, I thought he did a good job.

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Hockey is hockey for me. As long as the players are playing hard, I will enjoy it whether it's NHL, international, minor leagues, or even youth. It's a beautiful sport - THE most beautiful sport - at all levels when the players care.

Admittedly, I only watched a couple games of the WC, but what I saw competition-wise just didn't hold my attention (the exception being the controlled chaos of fun that was Team NA).

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Bucci has gotten better over the past 3-ish years, but I agree. I appreciate him trying to expand his offering to the sport, but where he really shines is his writing. Easily one of my favorite hockey writers out there today.

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unfortunately, i wasn't alive for the miracle, but man do those highlights and the movie give me chills

i'll always remember my franchise's captain tearing out the hearts of Americans in Vancouver. the juxtaposition of that game is unparalleled

i'll never forget where i was when TJ Oshie took 6 turns in the shootout against Russia and scored 4 times

WCoH will never be able to create drama and attention like the Olympics does

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ESPN, the bits I did watch, was a cluster fuck. When you don't cover this sport virtually at all and sure as hell don't broadcast it and then just throw stuff together...it's gonna be bad. I wanted the NHL back on ESPN a while ago but I think NBC has done a decent job of it since. We get much more attention than ESPN could ever give or want to give.

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And I agree with that, but I'd rather it not involve my Wings players because they are my #1..priority I guess you'd say. Zetterberg was forcing himself to stay in and play in 2014. Any other year, I bet he has surgery in late January or early February and would be back before the start of the playoffs. Instead he went to the Olympics, hurt his back worse and didn't come back until halfway through the first round.

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no i totally get that. it's a catch 22 most of the time for me

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ESPN saying Murray broke his hand and is out 3-6 six. Just saw it on the crawl. EFFE this faux Olympic BS

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Thanks world cup. You've just given pens management the excuse they were looking for to keep Fleury. Ugh.

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Just heard a crazy stat; Toews has played 48 games in a Canadian jersey. He has won 44 of those.

Looking good to add another w tonight. Beating the Ruskies 4-2 with 12min left.

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5-2, 10:30 left.

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Got some good stuff on my snap chat of Dustin dressed as chewbaca for his daughters bday. Same name as on here

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Did you let him know that if he ever loses the bottom portion of the costume you can use the top half during playoffs and still be a convincing Chewie?

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Russian sucks, this tournament is dumb, Don Cherry is the worst

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Sweet goal by JT. What a move and shot.

That Toews record with Canadian jersey is ridiculous.

Agree this is definitely not on the Olympics scale but it could have been if USA was better.

I was alive the Miracle on Ice but very young and don't remember much. My older brother and cousin were into hockey and into that. I watched some of the games on tape over the next few years as my cousin had them on tape and we'd occassionaly bust them out. I remember playing the tournament on Atari hockey many times.

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Just because it was brought up in another thread and I'm not curious -

Do you like the trapezoid or no? Thought it was pretty much unanimously hated by hockey fans, but was pretty surprised when TheLastPig said he likes it. I think it's awful. Opinions?

Re: The NHL Thread
 

really indifferent on it.