The NHL Thread

[fonzz41]

Originally Posted by aeroshady

I am not sure I understood this post. Did I miss something?

No, just me being an itiot.

Originally Posted by TMoore4075

Maybe Matty was with one of his wives when he typed that.

Always.

But seriously, ouch. Clear from the first round. I commented a few times during the Pittsburgh series how un-creative he looked out there. Just not his normal self. Now we know (at least partly) why.

[bradshaw06]

I honestly cant believe the leafs have fleeced both the pens and caps into trading actual picks for Daniel Winnik.

[TheLastPig]

Originally Posted by bradshaw06

I honestly cant believe the leafs have fleeced both the pens and caps into trading actual picks for Daniel Winnik.

He is really awful.





Predictions for this round.

Preds 4
Ducks 3


Pens 4
Sens 2

[Climb2safety]

No regrets. I'm a passionate person and I let my heart guide me in life. Caps had a chance for a storybook finish and I was hoping it was the tale the universe would tell this year.

I really thought they would do it last night. But, once the game started and I saw the play I knew it would be tough.

I still love the Caps, love hockey, and really like the players on the team. Great job coming back from 1-3. I respect they keep trying to fix things to get to the next level. I think they showed a lot of heart and great play even though it wasn't enough. I think they are really trying to do things the right way. One day they are going to break through.

I still love Ovie, I think he's a great player and showed a lot of leadership and class this season and playoffs.

So, we lost. That's not the main reason I get sad. I just love when my team is in playoff hockey. It's the absolute best. Game nights are so fun: beers, good food, more high fives then not, knee hockey with my son, a few games at the bar. Great times I hate seeing come to an end. That's mostly what I'll mourn. The time with friends and family.

Pittsburgh again. Oh well. I guess it's actually better to lose to them than anyone else.

One day though. One day. My hope lives on.

[aeroshady]

Originally Posted by Climb2safety

No regrets. I'm a passionate person and I let my heart guide me in life. Caps had a chance for a storybook finish and I was hoping it was the tale the universe would tell this year.

I really thought they would do it last night. But, once the game started and I saw the play I knew it would be tough.

I still love the Caps, love hockey, and really like the players on the team. Great job coming back from 1-3. I respect they keep trying to fix things to get to the next level. I think they showed a lot of heart and great play even though it wasn't enough. I think they are really trying to do things the right way. One day they are going to break through.

I still love Ovie, I think he's a great player and showed a lot of leadership and class this season and playoffs.

So, we lost. That's not the main reason I get sad. I just love when my team is in playoff hockey. It's the absolute best. Game nights are so fun: beers, good food, more high fives then not, knee hockey with my son, a few games at the bar. Great times I hate seeing come to an end. That's mostly what I'll mourn. The time with friends and family.

Pittsburgh again. Oh well. I guess it's actually better to lose to them than anyone else.

One day though. One day. My hope lives on.

Solid post man!

The last part speaks to how I feel every year as well as a Rangers fan. My only hope in life (with regards to sports of course) is that one day I get to see the Rangers win the Stanley Cup. It doesn't have to be with this group in this time, I was hoping it would be. It looks like that is not in the cards for this group of players. That said, if it happens in 10-20 maybe 30 years from now, I can live with that as well. I just want it to happen while I am still alive on this earth to see it. That is all I ask. Like you said, one day.

[~Crashintome89~]

Greg, were you not around in 1994?

[TheLastPig]

Sorry caps fans but these tweets made me

https://twitter.com/globekpd/status/862489165719642112

https://twitter.com/martybannister/s...83125422698497

[aeroshady]

Originally Posted by ~Crashintome89~

Greg, were you not around in 1994?

I was, but I was young and not really a hockey fan yet. I remember my classmates in grade school talking about it a lot during that run. Truthfully, I only remember listening to the game 7 OT winner against the Devils in the car as my dad listened.

I have talked about this a few times in this thread, but I didn't start to watch hockey until about 1996. My first team I tried to follow was the Florida Panthers because I liked their jerseys . My parents bought me one while I was in Florida that year and I followed the team a bit through the season. Then they made the finals against Colorado and I started to follow hockey officially.

The next year my Dad got me tickets to a Rangers game at MSG. I will never forget that game. The Rangers tied with the Buffalo Sabers (in the Hasek days!). I totally fell in love with the Garden and the NY Rangers. I started watching every game on TV and by the time the Rangers were playing in the ECF that year I was a die-hard. So in summary, yes, I was around in 1994, but I missed out on being a fan for their Cup win. I watch the videos over and over again and try to imagine what it must have been like to be a die-hard during that run!

[aeroshady]

Originally Posted by TheLastPig

Sorry caps fans but these tweets made me

https://twitter.com/globekpd/status/862489165719642112

https://twitter.com/martybannister/s...83125422698497

Brutal, but both very funny.

[fonzz41]

Originally Posted by aeroshady

I was, but I was young and not really a hockey fan yet. I remember my classmates in grade school talking about it a lot during that run. Truthfully, I only remember listening to the game 7 OT winner against the Devils in the car as my dad listened.

I have talked about this a few times in this thread, but I didn't start to watch hockey until about 1996. My first team I tried to follow was the Florida Panthers because I liked their jerseys . My parents bought me one while I was in Florida that year and I followed the team a bit through the season. Then they made the finals against Colorado and I started to follow hockey officially.

The next year my Dad got me tickets to a Rangers game at MSG. I will never forget that game. The Rangers tied with the Buffalo Sabers (in the Hasek days!). I totally fell in love with the Garden and the NY Rangers. I started watching every game on TV and by the time the Rangers were playing in the ECF that year I was a die-hard. So in summary, yes, I was around in 1994, but I missed out on being a fan for their Cup win. I watch the videos over and over again and try to imagine what it must have been like to be a die-hard during that run!

This is actually a really cool story, thanks for sharing. Brings back a lot of memories about the magic and majesty of hockey when I was a kid.

Would be cool to hear everyone else's stories about how they got into hockey. Let's hear 'em fellas! How did you guys get into hockey?

My dad played hockey growing up, so we were always a hockey family, so I'll just share how I got into the Avs in particular. Living in Utah, we played the sport more than followed any particular team. Back in about 94-95, my parents went on a trip to Denver, and when they returned they brought me back a t-shirt of the new hockey team that was going to start playing there: the Avalanche. The shirt had cartoon caricatures of three of the players: Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic, and Claude Lemieux. I had no idea who the three of them were (again, we played a lot of hockey, but didn't really watch much). In fact, I pronounced Joe's name as SAY-kic at first.

Fast forward a bit, and I'm at my grandparents house, flipping through their TV, when lo and behold, I come across an Avalanche game! Their first season. Playing the Canucks. Joe Sakic (I quickly learned how to pronounce his name) scored three goals that game, and Lemieux got into a fight. I was hooked. Sakic was (is) my favorite player, sharing the spot with Footer (once I switched to defense I really started to emulate his game), and the Avs have been my team. But it all started with a t-shirt.

[TheLastPig]

Not really anything specific. Just watching Lemieux when I was younger drew me in strongly. I really became a diehard for good during Lemieux's comeback game and experiencing all the emotions that came along with it. I remember going to my step-dad's friend's house who had like a 95 inch tv with the sound absolutely blasting. Made me feel like I was in the arena. Watching Austin Lemieux on the ice staring up into the rafters that night really hit me in the feels.

[fonzz41]

Originally Posted by TheLastPig

Not really anything specific. Just watching Lemieux when I was younger drew me in strongly. I really became a diehard for good during Lemieux's comeback game and experiencing all the emotions that came along with it. I remember going to my step-dad's friend's house who had like a 95 inch tv with the sound absolutely blasting. Made me feel like I was in the arena. Watching Austin Lemieux on the ice staring up into the rafters that night really hit me in the feels.

I remember watching Lemieux's first game back. Even as a non-diehard Pens fan, that was special to experience.

[jrkarger]

Originally Posted by fonzz41

This is actually a really cool story, thanks for sharing. Brings back a lot of memories about the magic and majesty of hockey when I was a kid.

Would be cool to hear everyone else's stories about how they got into hockey. Let's hear 'em fellas! How did you guys get into hockey?

My dad played hockey growing up, so we were always a hockey family, so I'll just share how I got into the Avs in particular. Living in Utah, we played the sport more than followed any particular team. Back in about 94-95, my parents went on a trip to Denver, and when they returned they brought me back a t-shirt of the new hockey team that was going to start playing there: the Avalanche. The shirt had cartoon caricatures of three of the players: Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic, and Claude Lemieux. I had no idea who the three of them were (again, we played a lot of hockey, but didn't really watch much). In fact, I pronounced Joe's name as SAY-kic at first.

Fast forward a bit, and I'm at my grandparents house, flipping through their TV, when lo and behold, I come across an Avalanche game! Their first season. Playing the Canucks. Joe Sakic (I quickly learned how to pronounce his name) scored three goals that game, and Lemieux got into a fight. I was hooked. Sakic was (is) my favorite player, sharing the spot with Footer (once I switched to defense I really started to emulate his game), and the Avs have been my team. But it all started with a t-shirt.

Very cool.

I'll give this a shot.

I was only 9 and 10 years old for the Pen's 91 and 92 cup runs so they seem like a blur in my memory. Which is why (if you guys remember I posted about last year) I hold the 2009 cup run in such high regard... again sorry Tim.

Anyway, I remember being on vacation at my buddy's family hunting camp up in the giggle weeds of the Allegheny National Forest during the 91 cup finals. The cabin didn't have TV so his parents took us all to the local bar to watch game 6. Yeah I was nine years in a po-dunk hoopy bar watching the Pens win their first cup.

I followed on an off after that. I remember being at game 6 of the 96 ECF at the height of the rat craze when the Panthers beat the Pens and went on to win game 7. I still hate those effing rats.

I still casually interested until the 99 playoffs. The Pens were the 8th seed and the Devils the 1st. My SGA in high school had money left over for the school year so they bought a row of seats for Game 3 of first round. So I went knowing only Jagr and Barasso on the team. Marty Straka had two goals and the Pens won four to two. We all had such a kick ass time that the SGA got another row of seats for Game 6. We were so high up in the old Civic Arena that we could touch the old dome ceiling.

Now the talk around town was that this could be the last game ever for the Pens because they were in such dire financial straights. The Pens were down 3-2 in the series and losing the third period. Straka scores to tie the game and Jagr blew one passed Brodeur in OT. My best friend and I jumped out of our seats so fast and the upper bowl of the old arena was so steep that if I hadn't grabbed his shirt my poor friend would have fell down the damn stairs.

I've been hooked ever since.

Even during the lean Rico Fata era we would get student rush tickets. Day of with a student ID you would get the best seat available for $20. I can't tell you how many times we sat right behind the goal. My roommates and I saw MAFs very first game; a 3-3 tie against the Kings but MAF stopped a penalty shot.

We were behind the glass and net and Mario took a bad shot to mouth and busted his upper lip wide open in the middle of the first period and left the ice. Second period starts and no Mario on the ice. About halfway through the second Mario comes back onto the ice. The Pens bench door opens as if Mario is coming back to the bench. He shakes his head no and points to some yay-hoo who is lining up for the face off (probably Milan Kraft or Kris Beech) and shoos him toward the bench. Mario then proceeds to score right off of the faceoff. Naturally my roommates and I are right behind the net and start losing our shit. FoxSportsNet proceeds to then use that goal in the Pens promo material for the rest of the season. So there my buddies and I are on FSN acting like nitwits for the rest of the season.



tl;dr.... Jagrs' OT goal in the '99 first round hooked me.

[TheLastPig]

Thinking back on past Pens teams just reminded me how much I loved Marty Straka.

[jrkarger]

Originally Posted by TheLastPig

Thinking back on past Pens teams just reminded me how much I loved Marty Straka.

The year they beat the Sabres in 7 games... that lang-straka-kovalev line was unstoppable!

[barbogast]

This is an awesome turn of conversation. Great stories, guys.

I was born straight into Capitals fandom. My dad was born in DC in 1961 and was 13 during the first season of the Capitals. He was originally a Bullets fan as a younger kid but his father is originally from Montreal so with that came a strong love of hockey, and when the Caps came into existence, an immediate allegiance was born. Fast forward to my birth year (1987) and I was born straight into it. My dad got a job teaching at UVA (how I ended up being born in Cville, fyi), and he brought his Caps love with him. It was basically choiceless for me, it wasn't like I was forced to sit in front of a hockey filled TV screen or anything, but I also fell in love with it for as long as I can remember. A lot of that probably has to do with how passionate my dad was (and still is) about the Capitals. He used to call HTS between periods (anyone remember when teams did that?) and talk to Al Koken and I always thought was just the coolest. He knew the game so well and taught me so much about it. He's still got one of the smartest hockey minds I've ever been around. The guy knows the game like he knows his own hands. He played a little in college but was pretty much all business after that, but his love for the Capitals never changed even a little bit.

I have him to thank for my lifetime of misery. Fortunately he goes through it to, so there's that. We actually had a much briefer than usual conversation after last night's defeat. There's just not a lot left to say about it anymore.

But yeah, my dad is 100% the reason I love the Capitals. And this is why I could never even consider rooting for another team. Also where my never relenting hatred of the Philadelphia Flyers comes from.

Also, my dad is the shit. I want them to win the Cup for him more than I do for me. Talk about someone who's put in the time. Dude's literally a day 1 fan. He deserves a better playoff hockey fate.

[salrx95]

I guess Kane isn't all that bad.

http://www.espn.com/sportsnation/sto...r?sf78269877=1

[salrx95]

I've spoken of my early fandom before but for those who may have forgotten/not seen it:

I didn't like hockey early on in life. In fact, an Islanders Cup game in 1980 occurred during my First Communion party as a kid and that made me dislike hockey more. My older brother and cousin were big into hockey already (played roller hockey) and they had the game

Fast forward 4 years when I was 11 (I had followed the sport a little more as Isles were dominant and everywhere but yet to see a game) and my dad got tickets to take my older brother, cousin, himself and one more to the 1984 game deciding Game 5 of the Patrick Division semifinals (the opening round) against the hated Rangers. i was asked to go and off I went. The game went to overtime and is considered an all time classic. Ken Morrow , the steady bearded stay-at-home defenseman score to send the Rag$ packing and let 1940 live once again. That game and watching it live got me hooked. And the drive for five was alive. Sadly, Edmonton beat us in the finals to end our cup run and 19 consecutive series wins ended, a streak and record that will stand forever.

It wasn't long before hockey became my favorite sports.

I saw a few games the next season and fast forward 2 years and my brother and I went in for half season tickets. My dad owned an Italian Deli in Queens and I worked all summer long to pay for those seats. It was near the end of their careers but I got see a lot of the Cup heroes often along with up and coming stars like Pat Lafontaine. My dad, for the first season of our tickets until my brother got his license, drove us back and forth. He'd drop us off and pick us up after the game. I love that man. 50 minute drive round trip many times a year.

My first jersey was Brent Sutter, #21. I had the C added years later once Potvin retired and he inherited the captaincy for years until he was traded to the Hawks.

In the early 90's, often times the Isles playoff game wasn't on live and we would set the alarm to wake up in the middle of the night to watch the replay since Rangers/Knicks had first dibs on MSG. Thankfully, they finally came out with MSG2 and then MSG3 for nights like those. Can you imagine going to sleep early, getting up at 1am to first start watching the game.

I've seen so many games at the old barn. Great place to see a game. The 93 playoff run during college was awesome, especially both OT wins vs the Crapitals in the first round. That and the Penguins series was a hell of a 3 week ride. Even the lean years during the fishstick jersey years near the end of the college was fun. Stands were half empty but with our college ID , we would get half price tickets and buy the worst seat in the house and sit wherever we wanted. Good times.

Been a lot of ups and downs in my 33 years of hardcore fandom but it's been a hell of a ride.

[Dramageek]

Great stories, all.

I can trace the roots of my fandom back to the late 1980's. I remember my older brother got to go to these things called hockey games, and I was curious. I came around to learning about the players, and that the Pens had this amazing talent named Mario Lemieux. I vaguely recall going to one of his first games back from that bone disease he had during the 1990-91 season and doing a poor job of making a sign welcoming his return.

I also vaguely remember the first cup run, watching Game 6 against the Northstars at my neighbor's house. I would have been about 9. It wouldn't be until the following year that my Pens fandom was forever cemented. I followed them throughout the year, saddened by the loss of Badger Bob Johnson (though it wouldn't be until recently that I learned they called him "Badger" because he was from Wisconsin and coached Badger hockey team ). I don't know why, but I remember getting exorbitantly excited during the 1992 playoffs. In my 10-year old brain, I never doubted that they would come back and beat (you guessed it!) the Capitals. (Sorry, Barbs.) I followed those playoffs ferociously, hating Adam Graves for breaking Mario's hand, and feeling immense glee when they beat the Rags and stormed through the rest of the playoffs.

I was lucky to have an uncle (who, alas, is no longer with us) that had Pens season tickets at the time. I still remember his seats at the old Igloo. Section C26, Row E, Seats 9 and 10. Sensing my budding interest in hockey, he took me to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Hawks. It's the slightest bit bittersweet because I doubt I'll ever attend a sporting event that exciting again. If you recall, the game started poorly for the Pens, as they found themselves down 4-1. But being a budding optimist, I never doubted they would come back. My 10-year-old brain thought "Ed Belfour will get tired of making all of these saves." (I was 10 dammit! ). But lo and behold, they did! I can still feel the energy of that place when Jagr (who's still playing!) beat 4 hawks to score the incredible tying goal.

With the score tied at 4 and time ticking down, I actually was hoping for OT. They had gone into OT against the Bruins in the previous series, but my dad sent me to bed, knowing that OT could take all night. Being at the game, I knew we'd never leave until it was over, and OT would mean staying up way past my bedtime But then Mario Lemieux sent me to bed with that spectacular goal off of Larry Murphy's pass. The crowd blew the roof off the Igloo.

I had a blast watching the Pens take the next three. I had the wherewithal to tape Game 4 and even years later I would break that tape out from time to time to see childhood heroes win it all. I've been a rabid fan ever since, through the ups and downs, Lemieux's injuries and cancer, his return from the same, the thrilling, rat-infested near miss against Florida in 1996, "Dying Alive," routinely beating the Caps, Lemieux's glorious return from retirement, Darius Kasparitis in Game 7, the Rico Fata era, the lockout, the Crosby lottery and the return to the glory days. Going back to the OT theme, I couldn't fall asleep during the 4 OT thriller against the Caps where Nedved scored the winner. That was one of the first times I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. Of course, I nodded off minutes before the goal, but I got the good news as soon as I woke up. I'm hardly an athlete, but my brother and I would play street hockey in front of our house, Wayne's World style. I was addicted to NHL Hockey on Sega Genesis. The playoffs became like a second Christmas season for me. I wore out the VHS Tapes from the 1991 and 1992 Cup Runs (and began to wonder if I would ever add to the collection. Patience paid off here.)

My uncle's season tickets helped cement it into place. I went countless games. I fully admit to being a spoiled hockey fan as a Pens fan. I got to see up close the brilliance of Lemieux, Jagr, Ron Francis, Kevin Stevens, Rico Fata, Francois Leroux (some of these are not like the others.) Alas, my uncle stopped getting tickets when the prices went up and the team started to decline in the early 2000's, and I would never get such easy access to games again. But no matter, I still follow in whatever ways I can. Getting to see Crosby, Malkin and these great teams not too long after the Lemieux and Jagr era is an embarrassment of riches, for sure.

Many thanks to the great game of hockey.

[TheLastPig]

Looks like that backstrom crying with his dad stuff was fake news

https://twitter.com/tjoshov/status/862711749023289344

[lockman21]

I started to like hockey when the Hawks won the Cup in 2010 and I was like "dang this toes guy is good I should like hockey" and here we are.

[salrx95]

Originally Posted by lockman21

I started to like hockey when the Hawks won the Cup in 2010 and I was like "dang this toes guy is good I should like hockey" and here we are.

Don't you mean Tony Amonte? or maybe Eric Daze or Alexei Zhamnov?

[daveshookme]

37 years ago, my father was one of 5 boys (7 kids altogether) were watching the tape delayed Miracle on Ice. Immediately after all 5 boys went out to their mothers garden, flooded it, and when it froze they all learned how to play hockey for the first time.

12 years later I was born and they still had the rink every winter. It kept growing in size and sophistication. Lights suspended between trees overhead, curved boards made of plywood...

So when I was maybe 2 or 3 my dad put me on skates for the first time. One of my uncles was a huge rangers fan and had spray painted their logo onto one of the boards at center ice, so that's the team I stuck with. Didn't hurt that Gretzky was there then.

Side tangent, the local news came out to cover our rink every year. Was dope as fuck. So much fun. My youngest uncle still has a rink in his driveway, it's actually really nice. We had one at our house for a few years, I'd be out there every night watering it or shoveling snow off or resurfacing... I miss having a backyard rink.

That's the story of how I fell in love with the sport, and the reason I don't see anything every topping the miracle on ice game in so many categories.

[daveshookme]

Originally Posted by salrx95

Don't you mean Tony Amonte? or maybe Eric Daze or Alexei Zhamnov?

Tony Amonte. Talk about a name I haven't heard in a while.

[TMoore4075]

I didn't get into any sports until 94 so I was about 11. I remember the Wings losing early but didn't really care all that much. What a shit year 94 was for Detroit sports. Pistons sucked, Wings knocked out early, Tigers sucked and well the Lions are the Lions. 1995 I paid a little more attention to hockey and remember my dad being really disappointed when the Wings lost to the Devils. I mean that was the first time the Wings were in the Finals in 29 years so the first time since my dad was 16 and that's fucking amazing to me. I got a lot more into hockey in 96 and how much was I watching the Wings go for 62 wins. I remember being absolutely heartbroken when they lost to the Avs. I had only been watching full time for a year and on and off for a couple years and I remember thinking they're never gonna win because I knew their history. 41 years at that point. One of the most vivid memories I have is from that World Cup in Sept 96 and Canada blowing that late lead to the US. I was rooting for Canada because Coffey, Yzerman, Primeau and to have them lose that too...ugh. But I remember my dad saying he was hoping they'd win for Yzerman because "He's never gonna win a Cup." he said that to my mom but I heard it and it really sat with me and I was with him. I mean he had been watching for 30 years and never saw a Cup. Then next year was so much fun in the playoffs. It became a father and son thing to watch the playoffs in our basement. I became more about all of the NHL in 98 though and watched as many games and in the playoffs having CBC in my area was so much fun. So many great memories of all hockey from then on. I just don't get how people cannot love this sport or if they are a fan of a certain team how they can't watch the rest. My high school graduation party day was the day of game 7 between the Avs and Devils and I wanted to watch the end of the game because I didn't miss cup winning games and none of mine or my sister's friends who were over wanted to watch it so I went upstairs to my mom to see if would mind putting it on for a couple minutes. I hated the Avs but watching Ray lift the Cup was great. Then another great Avs moment for me was watching games 6 and 7 against the Wild 2 years later...Andrew Brunette for ya Matty. Was watching in my dorm the day before my last final and have never jumped up and down like that for a team that wasn't the Wings.

[jrkarger]

Originally Posted by barbogast

my never relenting hatred of the Philadelphia Flyers

Respeck!

Originally Posted by Dramageek

I got to see up close the brilliance of Lemieux, Jagr, Ron Francis, Kevin Stevens, Rico Fata, Francois Leroux (some of these are not like the others.)

You forgot Konstatine Koltsov!

[TMoore4075]

The Pens being the 8 seed in 99 and knocking out the Devils. That's a memory that sticks out to me. Still have upsets now but they were crazier back then when there was a larger gap between the top teams and the bottom playoff teams.

[jrkarger]

Originally Posted by TMoore4075

The Pens being the 8 seed in 99 and knocking out the Devils. That's a memory that sticks out to me. Still have upsets now but they were crazier back then when there was a larger gap between the top teams and the bottom playoff teams.

That was the year the Sabres lost to the Stars in the finals. I just looked... the Sabres were the 7th seed; swept the Sens in the first round and took care of the leafs in 5 games in the ECF.

Crazy

[TMoore4075]

Originally Posted by jrkarger

That was the year the Sabres lost to the Stars in the finals. I just looked... the Sabres were the 7th seed; swept the Sens in the first round and took care of the leafs in 5 games in the ECF.

Crazy

98 and 99 the top 3 teams in the East were knocked out. No wonder NBA fans don't typically like the NHL. I NEED my top teams to always win. They'd have seizures if that's what happened in the NBA.

[~Crashintome89~]

Originally Posted by aeroshady

. I started watching every game on TV and by the time the Rangers were playing in the ECF that year I was a die-hard.

How'd that series turn out?