The Avalanche are shopping both Duchene and Landeskog. That's really interesting. Duchene would fit nicely in Montreal.
Official Hockey discussion thread
- Thread starter IronDuke
- Start date
soundwave
Educated Fool
So...I decided to give the NHL a chance last night. My two 'go-to' sports have always been Football and American Football. I've always kinda avoided hockey because I can never see the puck so I always felt lost.
After being patient, and giving it a proper go by actively watching an entire period, it was really exciting. I stopped trying to always watch the puck and focused on the players.
(Not that anyone cares - but I thought it was cool that I finally got into it
)
After being patient, and giving it a proper go by actively watching an entire period, it was really exciting. I stopped trying to always watch the puck and focused on the players.
(Not that anyone cares - but I thought it was cool that I finally got into it
)
soundwave
Educated Fool
Nice! I will definitely try to. The Sharks are the closest team to me so I'll schedule a trip.
Sharks shouldn't be too expensive to go see, either!
Hockey has changed a lot since the lockout in 2004 - intentionally. A much faster game, a game about carrying the puck rather than dumping it, and much less trapping.
Hockey has changed a lot since the lockout in 2004 - intentionally. A much faster game, a game about carrying the puck rather than dumping it, and much less trapping.
The Miracle on Ice. One of the best Olympic hockey moments ever. Probably #2 after this one:
bearfan
Ancient Mariner
Might be biased, but the Miracle on Ice is #1 by far in my book ... massive upset, Cold War stuff, amateurs versus (essentially) pros, etc. Just a huge moment that transcended the sport.
The Crosby goal was part of a really good game and probably a better game than the Miracle on Ice, but not historic or of much interest beyond the hockey world.
The Crosby goal was part of a really good game and probably a better game than the Miracle on Ice, but not historic or of much interest beyond the hockey world.
Oh, absolutely. In terms of impact for the game, the Miracle is when big business in the US outside of traditional hockey markets started getting interested. It led almost directly to the 1990s expansion - which I have always argued is good for hockey.
But the 2010 Olympics did huge numbers in Canada, specifically that game, which also did massive numbers in the USA. If 1980 suggested that hockey is a viable sport in Anaheim, Dallas, Raleigh, Orlando, and Vegas, then 2010 confirmed this assumption.
bearfan
Ancient Mariner
That was really my point .. Miracle on Ice was a game changed for hockey in the US ... the circumstances around it were a once in a lifetime kind of deal that really cannot be repeated.
ESPN 30 for 30 had an interesting documentary on it from the Russian point of view, really enjoyable.
From a pure hockey perspective, it really was a miracle, a bunch of college players beating the Red Army team was just incredible .. a real David versus Goliath kind of deal. Not all that many of the US players made it to the NHL, virtually the entire Red Army team could have been in the NHL at that time.
Edit: Actually more of them made it to the NHL than I thought, but still they were college players versus pros with a lot more experience and a ton of skill
ESPN 30 for 30 had an interesting documentary on it from the Russian point of view, really enjoyable.
From a pure hockey perspective, it really was a miracle, a bunch of college players beating the Red Army team was just incredible .. a real David versus Goliath kind of deal. Not all that many of the US players made it to the NHL, virtually the entire Red Army team could have been in the NHL at that time.
Edit: Actually more of them made it to the NHL than I thought, but still they were college players versus pros with a lot more experience and a ton of skill
Last edited:
Absolutely, absolutely. I will never suggest otherwise. In terms of impact to hockey, the Miracle on Ice is really the end of one era and the beginning of the new. People in the US started to watch hockey for the first time in a long time. It helped, of course, that they got caught up in the highest-scoring era of them all. Imagine turning on a hockey game after the Miracle to watch, say, Edmonton vs Boston.
The rise of players in American hockey capitals like Yzerman & Lemieux, a whole era that really ended in a bang with NYR's '94 Cup and the crowning of the first American Conn Smythe winner - Brian Leetch.
Then the trap came along.
Then the trap came along.
The Sunbelt Era is next, victories in the new cities added by Bettman's southern strategy - Colorado in 96, Dallas in 99, Colorado in 01, Tampa Bay in 04, Hurricanes in 06. Then we have the New Dynasties - Kings, Penguins, and, of course, Blackhawks.
bearfan
Ancient Mariner
Currently the biggest benefit to the NHL is HD TVs .. it was really hard to watch in black and white, hard to watch in SD on smaller screens (experiments like the glowing puck were a nice effort, but did not work). Before HDTV and bigger TVs, it was just hard to follow the puck unless you were already well versed in hockey and would know where the puck was based on how the players moved. You could always follow the ball in baseball, football, and basketball in older TV era formats, but not the puck
bearfan
Ancient Mariner
I agree - Canadians are born with the innate ability to understand where the puck is at all time, probably people in Minnesota too...but most others need help with this. HD makes it so much better to follow, and I think it's been a huge help.
We're waiting patiently. Generally Canadian cities still get pretty decent Cup parades even when we don't win due to hometown heroes.
TheTalisman
Ancient Mariner
It will be 24 years this year since a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup!
The Calgary Flames were one goal away, in overtime of game 6 in the 2004 finals. That's the closest a canadian team has been to winning a championship during this period.
Don't remind me.