The NHL Thread

interesting. Really thought Tokarski would be given a chance to play more coming off his Calder Cup win but they need a stronger starter since Garon is horrible. Good trade for Tampa of course. Lindback is a big guy. I think Predators included Kyle Wilson who had flashes of brilliance in the AHL but hasn't made quite a dent in the NHL. Maybe he'll get motivated.

The Tick (Tokarski) will be the future in Tampa..... he is a winner wherever he goes:

W0rld Juniors
Memorial Cup
Calder Cup

The Swede is a short-term answer. If you ask me, should have brought in an experienced veteran to mentor him instead.

mikesbandit, I was trying to remember if you picked Landeskog as the best player who would come out of the 2011 draft so I had to dig through our old posts.

I like Grigorenko this year, but wasn't he thinking about going to the KHL (maybe I'm confusing him with Kuznetsov)???

Galchenyuk looks pretty impressive on paper but I guess he's had a past knee injury.

I used to like Yakupov until that concussion he suffered a while back. Who knows... maybe he's fine now.

I don't buy that with Aikman being anti-NY Giants. I think Eddie O was plenty fair with the Devils and seemed very fair to them. Obviously I did not see the telecast of game 5 as I was at the game, so no idea went on during that game.

Kenny Albert's partner for most of the games that he broadcasted on NBCSN was Pierre McGuire. I think most people don't like Pierre for his creepyness. As an announcer I think he actually knows his stuff, Yeah, I think his interviews before the game where he tells the player to have some fun is overdone.

I don't think Marv Albert did much national telecasts. I do recall him doing the NHL All Star game in Pittsburgh many years ago. Believe it or not Jack Edwards was doing hockey for not only ESPN, but also on OLN and Versus in the past. I agree that Steiggy could never do a national telecast.

Many announcers are more biased on local telecasts, but can put their differences aside on the national level.



TSN did a poll of the best number 1 draft pick is. Mario Lemieux did get 78.4% of the vote.

Here is the article.


The Pittsburgh Penguins finished the 1983-84 season in last place with 58 losses and 38 points. But there appeared to be a light at the end and his name was Mario Lemieux.
Lemieux had just completed the greatest single season in Canadian Major Junior Hockey history, scoring 133 goals and adding 149 assists for 282 points in just 70 games with the QMJHL's Laval Voisins. He still holds the record for most goals and most points in one season.
Surely, he could lead the Penguins out of the wilderness and provide some much needed stability for the franchise.
But not so fast. Leading up to the June 9 NHL Entry Draft at the Montreal Forum, Lemieux's agent Gus Badali made it clear that his client was not happy with the contract offer from the Penguins. So when the Penguins called Lemieux's name from the podium, the Montreal native joined the Pittsburgh brass on stage but refused to put the Penguins sweater on.
Lemieux would eventually sign with the Penguins before the start of the 1984-85 campaign and hockey in Pittsburgh would never be the same.
The 6'4" lanky centre scored his first NHL goal on his first NHL shot in his first NHL shift and he would not look back. He finished the year with 43 goals and 57 assists for 100 points en route to winning the Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie.
Lemieux continued to rack up the points but a playoff spot was proving to become a tougher task for a player like Lemieux who was not used to losing. Many point to the summer of 1987 as a turning point in his career. He was invited to take part in the Canada Cup and played alongside the greatest Canadian hockey players, including Wayne Gretzky. Lemieux went on to score the dramatic game-winning goal in the final against the Soviet Union and returned to Pittsburgh with a renewed sense of his own abilities.
He won both the Art Ross and Hart Trophies the following season, and then led the Penguins to their first post-season berth in 1988-89. That season, Lemieux again won the Art Ross Trophy with a career-high 199 points. He and the Penguins were on the rise.
Ironically, the Penguins won their first Stanley Cup in a season that saw Lemieux play just 26 games due to back problems. However, he brought the hockey world to its feet that spring, scored an eye-popping 44 points in the 1990-91 playoffs, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy along the way.
The Penguins would repeat as champions and Lemieux would be front and centre during the regular season and playoffs. He amassed 131 points in 64 regular season games to claim his third Art Ross Trophy and then led the way in the playoffs with 34 points and his second Conn Smythe Trophy. The high expectations from 1984 were being met and then some.
But in 1993, Lemieux was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, a specialized form of lymphoma, and missed almost two seasons of action. Some felt he would never play again. But the man who saved hockey in Pittsburgh wasn't done yet. In 1995-96, he made a triumphant return to the NHL, scoring 166 points to win his fifth Art Ross Trophy as well as his third Hart Trophy.
However, at the age of 31, Lemieux was forced to retire due to recurring back problems. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame that fall, becoming the only player to retire from the NHL with a points per game average greater than two.
Two years later, he saved the Penguins again, this time from financial ruin. With the team on the verge of bankruptcy, he made the transition from player to owner and kept the team in Pittsburgh.
But he still had a yearning to play so in 2000, he surprised the hockey world by returning as a player, scoring three points in his first game back in December, much to the delight of a full house at the Igloo.
Over five more seasons, he would add 77 goals and 152 assists to his already outstanding career numbers.
From first overall in 1984 to owner in 2012, Lemieux is still the face of the franchise in Pittsburgh. In 915 career games, he scored 690 goals and added 1,033 assists for 1,723 points. He won six Art Trophies, three Hart Trophies, two Stanley Cups and two Conn Smythe Trophies. He survived a battle with cancer, was saddled by constant back pain and put his personal fortune at risk and the Pittsburgh faithful are forever grateful.
He saved hockey in Pittsburgh as a player in 1984 and did it again as an owner in 1999. You can't ask more of the best first overall draft pick in NHL history.
Follow the TSN Quizmaster on Twitter and get more from this story as the draft draws closer. TSN and TSN.ca have exclusive coverage of the 2012 NHL Draft on Friday, June 22 at 7pm et/4pm pt live from the CONSOL Energy Centre in Pittsburgh.

I think the Jets feel some pressure. Two of the last four teams that have moved have won a Cup. Canes and Avs have lifted the Cup. The new Jets and Thrashers hardly ever made the playoffs. The Coyotes and the old Jets have barely made the playoffs and done anything.

The Jets have the fanbase and support, but they are eventually going to get frustrated if this team does not start making the playoffs.


Let the Rick Nash talk continue.

TSN.ca

The market for Columbus Blue Jackets winger Rick Nash is heating up ahead of next week's NHL Draft.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, as many as seven teams have had 'significant discussions' with the club in the last 10 days about acquiring Nash.
The report adds that the New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes are among the teams that have expressed interest.
Blue Jackets' general manager Scott Howson said that the club had, "significantly more discussions this week," but would not comment directly on the most recent trade talks regarding the team captain.
Nash was available leading into the NHL trade deadline during the season, but the Blue Jackets didn't find the right deal. The 27-year-old has six years remaining on his contract with a $7.8 million cap hit. Nash also has a full no-movement clause, which means that he will have to approve any potential trade.

You're not a Giants fan so you wouldn't understand. Giants fans can tell that Aikman is rooting against NY especially when they play Dallas. He's always bashed the Eli too.

Marv did national broadcasts for years when the NBA was on NBC....he was a pro.

Pierre has grown on me this year and I would enjoy the broadcast more if it was just Doc and Pierre. They don't need 3 guys talking over each other...too many cooks in the kitchen.


I know you get freaked when I talk about games being fixed but here are some from last weekend:

Did you see that fixed fight between Pacquiao and Bradley??

Did you see that the horse that won the Preakness and the Kentucky Derby bowed out of the Belmont because there were rumors that the trainer was "milkshaking" the horse??

When there are millions of dollars on the line I would never just accept things at face value, you shouldn't either.

Oh yeah, crooked NHL ref Stephan Auger "retired" today...interesting.

Let's get your picks for next weeks awards and why?

The nominees!
http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=62242


Here are mine:

Hart: Malkin- Without Crosby for most of the year he was the reason why the Pens were one of the best in the east in the regular season.

Vezina: I think Quick should win this for the mere fact his team could not score goals. I know there is a east coast bias, so Lundqvist will probably win it.

Norris: Karlsson was impressive with his offense, but not his defense. Weber is the best overall complete defensemen last year. Weber wins it.

Calder: Early in the year I would have said Landeskog. Just looking at the numbers he only scored 1 more point than Henrique and played 8 more games than Henrique. Henrique deserves it.

Lady Byng: I have no clue, but why not Moulson. A plus player on a bad Islanders team.

Selke: Datsyuk still one of the best defensive players on offense in the NHL.

Adams: A good competitive race, but got to give the edge to Hitchcock. He made that team one of the best regular season teams in the league. That says a lot for a team that was not playing great early in the year for him to take over and do that is remarkable.

Masterson: Alfredsson as he was a big help why the Sens proved many people wrong and made the playoffs. Most people thought he was done and he did a nice job for Ottawa this year.

Lindsey: I will give this one to Lundqvist. Stamkos does not deserve an award for being on a team that did not make the playoffs.

Messier: Doan once again carried the Coyotes to a divisional title and led his team to the semis.

Foundation Award: Fisher as he claimed Underwood.

GM Of The Year: Armstrong for the Blues. A nice job with this team!!

Yeah, but you ask almost every NFL fan they will say some announcer has a bias towards or against their team. Many people think Nantz kisses the Pats ass too much because he is friendly with the Krafts. I really don't think that. I think Jim calls it down the middle. I had a housemate in college that was convinced that Dan Dierdorf hated the Redskins, which I saw nothing.

Aikman is on with Francesa on FAN during the season and I hardly show anti-NY Giants against them.

You got me with the NBA as I never watch that crap.

I think Pierre is very good at what he does. He just seems like a weird guy, but so be it. Eddie O was sick for about 4 days and it was Emrick and Pierre and they did sound good together.


I did not see the boxing match, but did hear it was fixed. Boxing has always been shady and that won't change.

I don't even know what milkshaking a horse is? I don't follow that sport.


I think when things are judged there will always be questionmarks with certain decisions. When a sport is going on I always here this is the worst officiated sport. Baseball has that time now and so will the NFL. The NHL gets that when they play. Somethings are not going to change.


I just think you believe the fix is always against the Devils. You kept saying the Rangers will make it to the finals because the league does not want the Devils there, which is complete BS. The Devils outplayed them and deserved to make the finals.

My team has been raped numerous times by Bettman so I can't just assume that there is a level playing field for all 30 teams. I don't always think there is a fix against the Devils but I can't look at everything the same as a fan of a team that gets everything their way would.

I'll say it again, while I can't prove there is any "fixing" in the NHL I think I have given numerous examples of "fixing" in MLB, NBA, NCAA, boxing and horseracing so I'm not sure why NHL fans don't think it can happen to them.





My voting would've been different if I took playoffs into account but here are mine:

Hart: Malkin. Best all around player through 82 games. Carried that team with no Sid.

Vezina: Lundqvist. East coast bias plus he was a runner up for a few years now, it's his time.

Norris: Weber. Karlsson can put up points but Weber is better all around.

Calder: Henrique. Homer pick and I know he won't win it but I love this kid. Henrique was the best rookie all year but Landeskog turned it on late and he's younger. Landeskog will win but I'm never picking against Henrique...ever.

Selke: Datsyuk. He was at the top of the league in takeaways. His name alone will get him the most votes.

Adams: Hitchcock. He took a young team that was doing nothing and took them to the top of the league.

Byng: Who fucking cares? I always hated this award.

I don't care much for the other awards and Lady Byng annoys me as well, but I'll put my winner in for that one anyway.

Hart: Stamkos
Vezina: Quick (even though Lundqvist should win)
Norris: Weber
Calder: Landeskog (even though Henrique should win)
Byng: Moulson
Selke: Bergeron
Adams: Hitchcock (even though Dineen or DeBoer should have been nominated)

NHL Ref's never get any respect, even when they are retiring, hahahhahaha
http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2012/06/15/referee-auger-announces-retirement/

The comments from the readers/ NHL fans are the best

1. herc883 - Jun 15, 2012 at 1:05 PM
   Thank you Auger, you prick. This guy was terrible. Most biased official ever!
   
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2. spiciercheez - Jun 15, 2012 at 2:46 PM
   Finally!!!
   
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3. dawglb - Jun 15, 2012 at 3:08 PM
   Just glad to hear he isn’t suing the NFL for concussions he would have had,….had he chosen to be an NFL referee instead of an NHL ref.
   
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   • supr49er - Jun 15, 2012 at 3:14 PM
     This augurs well for the league. Sorry…
     
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4. DTF31 - Jun 15, 2012 at 4:42 PM
   Hopefully Chris Lee is to follow
   
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5. imleftcoast - Jun 15, 2012 at 5:38 PM
   Lying douchebag. Hopefully, that lip-reading sack of dicks Ron McLean will retire as well.
   
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6. jimw81 - Jun 15, 2012 at 7:12 PM
   Say goodbye to aunger’s 9 min power play.
   
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7. taytay099 - Jun 15, 2012 at 9:21 PM
   He was a terrible ref and I’m glad he’s retiring. NHL needs more refs like Stephen Walkom, Paul Devorski, Dan O’Halloran and Dennis LaRue.
   
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8. RoseTintedVisor - Jun 16, 2012 at 12:28 PM
   good bye you sack of trash.

Fucking double post.
Anyways, ALC, guess where I'll be going to on August 16-20 of this year?

Unless there is something proven or comes out I am not going to assume the NHL games are fixed. Maybe the other sports had things proven to make it fixed, but as of right now the NHL has been ok so far.

I guess we are in agreement on all the awards. I still think Quick should get the Vezina even before the Kings Stanley Cup run, but we know Lundqvist will get it.

I really did not realize the numbers of Henrique to Lands for the Calder. Henrique really deserves it if you are basing it on numbers.



Geez, I was bored before I was actually watching the MLB Network. They do a great job, but it's just baseball.

There is not much going on in the NHL now.

I have a hard time giving the Hart to a player that did not lead his team to a playoff spot, and a good 8 points behind that last spot.

When I was younger I kind of followed who the officials were, but these days I have no idea who any of the officials are for the most part. I thought Bill McCreary seemed to be one of the best officials and was very personable with the coaches. He would explain why there was a call made.

Some fans are just too brutally honest with officials.

I was always a Bill McCreary fan too.


Draft on Friday. Free agency starts on July 1st. Then be prepared for lockout talk.


If you're bored you can watch the NBA Finals!!!!

You forgot the best most anticipated event of the year...........................

The NHL Awards show on Weds.

Who will be performing? KC and The Sunshine Band!!!

I was just reading an article at Sports Illustrated and they took a shot at the Devils for making the finals. I went to that website because I wanted to see if the Kings made the cover or an article on the finals. I guess that didn't work.

No way I will ever watch basketball. Golf is more fascinating.

Looks like the Rangers are still targeting Nash according to Larry Brooks!

Radulov could be back in the KHL.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/rangers/blueshirts_still_targeting_nash_9m9dPQb45DU7297YL5PVlN

Right. I think I'm basing it on goals and points. I think Henrique was a better Calder candidate, but the writers/voters will probably give Calder to Landeskog.

In other words WRUS, my picks here are what the writers/voters will probably pick.

I agree... I think Malkin carried the Pens while Crosby was out. But people just love how Stamkos hit the 60 goal mark this season.

Nothing like cherry picking to 60 goals when your team has been out of the playoffs for the last month of the season.

Nothing like cherry picking to 60 goals when your team has been out of the playoffs for the last month of the season. Still would like to see a pic of his Mom. I think someone on here mentioned she was hot. Can't find a google image of her though.

I think she is in this video:

All in good fun
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-p...-kings-stanley-130830098--nhl.html#more-36078

Also ****BREAKING BAD SEASON PREMIERE JULY 15****

That's actually a pretty funny prank.

I'm going to order Season 4 on DVD today so try not to ruin Season 5 for me too much.

NHL draft Friday, June 22nd at 4:00pm PST/7:00pm EST on NBCSN.

Grigorenko may end up being the best forward out of this draft. Doubt he'd be going to the KHL since he plays junior in North America already.

I think Ryan Murray will end up being the best player overall in this draft. He is mature beyond his years, already playing with Canada in the World Championships in May and didn't look out of place at all.

there may not be all-out game fixing, but there definitely is "game management" by the officials. Just look at the PP differential for teams behind and ahead in the score.