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NHL - - Summer 2016

COOL MAN said:
I did a little research on the Gaspe Peninsula after reading your post, and that looks like a REALLY cool place to get away from it all. Speaking of seeing mooses :) glad you didn't run into Bullwinkle driving down the road; I understand that's a pretty common occurrence in that area.

Not sure if we were connected with one another at the time, but if not......my son spent a month in Newfoundland three years ago at a summer Opera Program in St. John's at Memorial University, and he just loved it. He'd like to go back again, and he's interested my wife and me to that comparatively remote area of the world as well. If we ever end up there, I'd certainly make the other Maritime provinces part of the trip as well.
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I do remember you mentioning of your son's experience in Newfoundland CM...I don't blame him for wanting to head back there at some point, I love the place and the people there an awful lot. Perhaps a summer home there in the future myself (if I can ever finish my garage reno), and stash away just a little more coin over the next year or so. And yep...I think you and the wife absolutely love a sojourn out east...each maritime province really has a unique character and charm.
Gaspe surprised me an awful lot. Had no idea that the scenery would be that dramatic along the coast. It rivals NFL draft in that regard. And although when you get that far up into the French hinterlands,there is very little English spoken, I can honestly say most of the locals really gave an effort with broken English to my broken French!

Quick moose story for ya....the wife and I in the lead car and our friends in their rental vehicle behind us on our way back to our beach cabin from Corner Brook just after dusk (a darned dangerous time to be driving in Nfld for that matter ,and no longer practiced by us lol), and who's standing smack dab in the middle of the road with us bearing down the hill? Bullwinkle himself, and his apparent date for the evening having a conversation!!! With little time to react and having looked in the rear view at our friends with a tractor trailer up their ass....the quick decision was slow a bit and go around em on the shoulder...we made it unscathed , they weren't as lucky! One moose got pretty spooked and turned into their windshield a bit, glancing her mug right of it and tearing the passenger side mirror clean off. All occupants and moose (s) ok :scream:! That is one evening I will NEVER forget....even the several glasses of wine I had later when grounded couldn't erase it from my memory! I think we still have pics of the tufts of moose hair lodged in the windshield trim lol!
Another thing you would notice in Newfoundland BTW is almost all the tractor trailers etc have massive 'moose bars' protecting the grill...they look almost as menacing as the beast they're meant to save the driver from....
 
torontoeers said:
I do remember you mentioning of your son's experience in Newfoundland CM...I don't blame him for wanting to head back there at some point, I love the place and the people there an awful lot. Perhaps a summer home there in the future myself (if I can ever finish my garage reno), and stash away just a little more coin over the next year or so. And yep...I think you and the wife absolutely love a sojourn out east...each maritime province really has a unique character and charm.
Gaspe surprised me an awful lot. Had no idea that the scenery would be that dramatic along the coast. It rivals NFL draft in that regard. And although when you get that far up into the French hinterlands,there is very little English spoken, I can honestly say most of the locals really gave an effort with broken English to my broken French!

Quick moose story for ya....the wife and I in the lead car and our friends in their rental vehicle behind us on our way back to our beach cabin from Corner Brook just after dusk (a darned dangerous time to be driving in Nfld for that matter ,and no longer practiced by us lol), and who's standing smack dab in the middle of the road with us bearing down the hill? Bullwinkle himself, and his apparent date for the evening having a conversation!!! With little time to react and having looked in the rear view at our friends with a tractor trailer up their ass....the quick decision was slow a bit and go around em on the shoulder...we made it unscathed , they weren't as lucky! One moose got pretty spooked and turned into their windshield a bit, glancing her mug right of it and tearing the passenger side mirror clean off. All occupants and moose (s) ok :scream:! That is one evening I will NEVER forget....even the several glasses of wine I had later when grounded couldn't erase it from my memory! I think we still have pics of the tufts of moose hair lodged in the windshield trim lol!
Another thing you would notice in Newfoundland BTW is almost all the tractor trailers etc have massive 'moose bars' protecting the grill...they look almost as menacing as the beast they're meant to save the driver from....
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Hysterical [roll] well, that is, if you weren't stuck staring at those two big asses 5 feet in front of your windshield while you're tooling along the back roads at 90 KpH in the dark.

We took my son to visit a college several years back, and on the way home, I nailed Bambi running across a rural 4-lane blacktop in the dark while we were doing about 65 MPH. From what I could tell, he didn't survive (though he sacrificed plenty of hair in the broken right front turn signal bezel) after we watched him spin across the road and underneath the guard rail and down over the hill.

Also, equally hysterical that the local truckers in NFLD have cow (well, moose) catchers mounted to their grill work. Not sure I'd necessarily realize that's the purpose of all that tubing if I saw a truck passing by. I also read that Gaspe isn't the best place in the world for someone who doesn't have at least some vague understanding of French......besides, they probably wouldn't like me anyway if I told them I was born near Pittsburgh and therefore rooted for the new champs.
 
COOL MAN said:
Hysterical [roll] well, that is, if you weren't stuck staring at those two big asses 5 feet in front of your windshield while you're tooling along the back roads at 90 KpH in the dark.

We took my son to visit a college several years back, and on the way home, I nailed Bambi running across a rural 4-lane blacktop in the dark while we were doing about 65 MPH. From what I could tell, he didn't survive (though he sacrificed plenty of hair in the broken right front turn signal bezel) after we watched him spin across the road and underneath the guard rail and down over the hill.

Also, equally hysterical that the local truckers in NFLD have cow (well, moose) catchers mounted to their grill work. Not sure I'd necessarily realize that's the purpose of all that tubing if I saw a truck passing by. I also read that Gaspe isn't the best place in the world for someone who doesn't have at least some vague understanding of French......besides, they probably wouldn't like me anyway if I told them I was born near Pittsburgh and therefore rooted for the new champs.
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Yikes! Glad the you remained intact after that impact...and hopefully just the minimal vehicle damage...

No worries for you up there in 'da Gaspesie' fella...I actually saw one gent wearing a #66 Pens T up there one day and he was definitely a local...besides I'd likely be public enemy number 1 up there as an English speaking Canadian(although as I say many surprised me with their good nature) with relatively limited French...as an American with no expectation from them of knowing the language they'd fully embrace your presence...apparently I'm supposed to be fluent bilingual lol....
The funny thing is my wife's entire family including her mom are French Canadians from Sudbury area (fairly large Francophone community up there), yet she doesn't speak a link of it lol....
 
COOL MAN said:
Kunitz will be finishing up his $3.875 million/year contract next season, and I myself have heard or read nothing thus far to indicate the team intends to consider a buyout.

We all know he was of little comparative value during this past regular season, but also saw how much he came on in the playoffs. He's had more health problems in the past couple seasons than he seemingly had his entire career, so I think there's a decent chance he retires after next season with his 3 rings, Olympic Gold Medal, and upwards of $36 million+ in total salary. No matter how you slice it, that's a pretty damned impressive career, and I think he'll have earned his retirement.
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While I was away last week, I believe I saw that Chris Kunitz had his day with the Cup, and it got me to wondering how much longer he'll play. It made me recall similar thoughts OM recently had (as part of our Cup thread).

I knew he'd had a pretty nice career, but it wasn't until I looked it up at the time and realized how impressive it really was. Perhaps it isn't much by Flying Frenchmen-lifer standards of the 50's, 60's, and 70's, but the fact of the matter is there aren't too many recent players......at least those who weren't career guys on dominant Islanders and Oilers teams......with better, more successful carer resumes than Chris Kunitz. In fact, I find myself wondering if he might actually be in the fringe of Hall of Fame consideration.

Obviously, he doesn't have traditional H-O-F stats; 241 goals in 11 seasons (35 goals in 2013-14, and 20+ goals in 6 others) but his leadership and team status.....plus the Olympic medal.....cannot, IMO, be discounted as anything other than truly exceptional. I actually wouldn't bet too money on him getting elected....the fact he never made the All Star game is probably sufficient rationale alone to keep him from posing for a plaque.....but I don't think he has to apologize for walking into the building and feeling like he's least on the rough periphery of the property.
 
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On Eklund's site, Pens blogger Ryan Wilson is doing a summer series on expansion Draft possibilities for all teams. The following his his take on the Blue Jackets:

Columbus

Welcome to NMC central. When I first started this exercise I thought Columbus was going to have one of the worst situations regarding the expansion draft and I think that holds true. They will be losing a quality forward with the current roster construction. This is the downfall of throwing a NMC to anybody with a pulse.

This is an obvious 7F/3D situation

Forwards: Brandon Dubinsky (NMC), Nick Foligno (NMC), Scott Hartnell (NMC), David Clarkson (NMC), Brandon Saad, Cam Atkinson, Alexander Wennberg

Defense: Seth Jones, Ryan Murray, Jack Johnson

Goalie: Sergei Bobrovsky

Available to Las Vegas: Boone Jenner (it doesn't matter who else is available).

OK so the big news here is Boone Jenner's availability. Based on the rules of this exercise I can only work with the current roster so something has to give on the forward front. It was Jenner or Atkinson. Alexander Wennberg is 21 years old and has already put up a 40 point year in the NHL. I'm not leaving him exposed. I like Atkinson's impact on possession and while his goal scoring ceiling probably isn't as high as Jenner I believe he creates more overall offense at even-strength with his playmaking. Clearly this is not an ideal situation.

You may notice I protected Jack Johnson(!). I still think he is a very bad player but his perceived value around the league is higher than it should be and I think there is some value in keeping him for a trade. The other guys on that list aren't very good either and don't have trade value.

In real life the Blue Jackets need to find somebody to take Scott Hartnell. This can avoid the whole Jenner/Atkinson exposure issue and should be priority #1 right now.​

I myself do not think Columbus will protect Jack Johnson at Jenner's expense. Of course, they need defense whether or not they keep Johnson, and I don't think they have anything available to take JJ's place in the System. Plus, free agency doesn't help them due to their current Cap situation.

I do think there's a reasonably high possibility, at some point, they find a landing spot for Hartnell which, as Wilson says, solves their problem. However, if I were taking Hartnell off their hands, I'd demand the CBJ keep a million of his salary (which they may be unable to do). But this is the kind of deal somebody might be able to hang Kekelainen (and Davidson) out to dry..

I also wonder if JK might try and find a way to move Brandon Dubinsky, who really seems effective only when he's putting the wood to Sid's neck. That's be a nice cap hit to move if he can find a taker (like the Rangers, who are in the early stages of their tear down, and might not be interested in reacquiring a player like BD).

Probably the funniest (or most pathetic) thing about this entire situation is Clarkson's NMC.....how in the hell did he convince the Laffs to put one of those into that idiotic FA contract he weaseled out of them ??
 
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COOL MAN said:
On Eklund's site, Pens blogger Ryan Wilson is doing a summer series on expansion Draft possibilities for all teams. The following his his take on the Blue Jackets:

Columbus

Welcome to NMC central. When I first started this exercise I thought Columbus was going to have one of the worst situations regarding the expansion draft and I think that holds true. They will be losing a quality forward with the current roster construction. This is the downfall of throwing a NMC to anybody with a pulse.

This is an obvious 7F/3D situation

Forwards: Brandon Dubinsky (NMC), Nick Foligno (NMC), Scott Hartnell (NMC), David Clarkson (NMC), Brandon Saad, Cam Atkinson, Alexander Wennberg

Defense: Seth Jones, Ryan Murray, Jack Johnson

Goalie: Sergei Bobrovsky

Available to Las Vegas: Boone Jenner (it doesn't matter who else is available).

OK so the big news here is Boone Jenner's availability. Based on the rules of this exercise I can only work with the current roster so something has to give on the forward front. It was Jenner or Atkinson. Alexander Wennberg is 21 years old and has already put up a 40 point year in the NHL. I'm not leaving him exposed. I like Atkinson's impact on possession and while his goal scoring ceiling probably isn't as high as Jenner I believe he creates more overall offense at even-strength with his playmaking. Clearly this is not an ideal situation.

You may notice I protected Jack Johnson(!). I still think he is a very bad player but his perceived value around the league is higher than it should be and I think there is some value in keeping him for a trade. The other guys on that list aren't very good either and don't have trade value.

In real life the Blue Jackets need to find somebody to take Scott Hartnell. This can avoid the whole Jenner/Atkinson exposure issue and should be priority #1 right now.​

I myself do not think Columbus will protect Jack Johnson at Jenner's expense. Of course, they need defense whether or not they keep Johnson, and I don't think they have anything available to take JJ's place in the System. Plus, free agency doesn't help them due to their current Cap situation.

I do think there's a reasonably high possibility, at some point, they find a landing spot for Hartnell which, as Wilson says, solves their problem. However, if I were taking Hartnell off their hands, I'd demand the CBJ keep a million of his salary (which they may be unable to do). But this is the kind of deal somebody might be able to hang Kekelainen (and Davidson) out to dry..

I also wonder if JK might try and find a way to move Brandon Dubinsky, who really seems effective only when he's putting the wood to Sid's neck. That's be a nice cap hit to move if he can find a taker (like the Rangers, who are in the early stages of their tear down, and might not be interested in reacquiring a player like BD).

Probably the funniest (or most pathetic) thing about this entire situation is Clarkson's NMC.....how in the hell did he convince the Laffs to put one of those into that idiotic FA contract he weaseled out of them ??
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LMFAO...and therin lies the rub...I can think of no more suitable organization to take over the Clarkson contract than the weasels in Columbus....then again I am still trying to figure out how with a Fin GM they managed to botch this latest draft so badly??? You feel the same on this one CM? WTF went wrong over there in order to have them do this?

We'll beat em up with cheap shots, hire the bombastic asshat coach that'll teach em! Or actually...oops....it appears that speed, skill and determination wins Stanley Cups nowadays?!?...what now????

If Jenner goes to Vegas then he's out of our wheelhouse and maiming someone else...let it happen.
 
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torontoeers said:
LMFAO...and therin lies the rub...I can think of no more suitable organization to take over the Clarkson contract than the weasels in Columbus....then again I am still trying to figure out how with a Fin GM they managed to botch this latest draft so badly??? You feel the same on this one CM? WTF went wrong over there in order to have them do this?

If Jenner goes to Vegas then he's out of our wheelhouse and maiming someone else...let it happen.
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I don't want to say out of hand that Kekelainen screwed up, especially if he felt as though they just HAD to get a center (and they DID). But he's going to get justifiably roasted if Dubois isn't centering their top line in about 3 years (or sooner)....or worse, if Puljujarvi ends up a 35 goal guy.

I know the Dubois kid is supposed to have size AND attitude, which fits perfect with what JK and Torts are trying to do. But I think they might need to move him along thru their system quicker than they might ideally prefer, especially if the fans in Columbus start screaming for him. I do find myself wondering if it was Torts who really campaigned for Dubois, because he's obsessed not only with beating the Penguins but grinding them into dust.

But no matter what happens with Dubois, I'd dearly love to get Jenner the hell out of this Division......though I still don't think that's going to happen. BJ is VERY popular in Columbus, and is arguably the heart of the franchise; so much so that he's probably their next Captain.
 
COOL MAN said:
I don't want to say out of hand that Kekelainen screwed up, especially if he felt as though they just HAD to get a center (and they DID). But he's going to get justifiably roasted if Dubois isn't centering their top line in about 3 years (or sooner)....or worse, if Puljujarvi ends up a 35 goal guy.

I know the Dubois kid is supposed to have size AND attitude, which fits perfect with what JK and Torts are trying to do. But I think they might need to move him along thru their system quicker than they might ideally prefer, especially if the fans in Columbus start screaming for him. I do find myself wondering if it was Torts who really campaigned for Dubois, because he's obsessed not only with beating the Penguins but grinding them into dust.

But no matter what happens with Dubois, I'd dearly love to get Jenner the hell out of this Division......though I still don't think that's going to happen. BJ is VERY popular in Columbus, and is arguably the heart of the franchise; so much so that he's probably their next Captain.
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Damn do I despise that Jenner...but then you knew that lol...and likely feel similar ....I think you're bang on with Torts and Dubois...but then you , I and the rest of us with a hockey brain will soon be asking (if we aren't already).....why do they keep going down this ensemble of meatheads road? What has it done for the Cryers all these years (when the games matter)??? I'll take one perhaps 2 of that lug head type with some O upside max...The BJ's are doomed IMO....
 
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torontoeers said:
Damn do I despise that Jenner...but then you knew that lol...and likely feel similar ....I think you're bang on with Torts and Dubois...but then you , I and the rest of us with a hockey brain will soon be asking (if we aren't already).....why do they keep going down this ensemble of meatheads road? What has it done for the Cryers all these years (when the games matter)??? I'll take one perhaps 2 of that lug head type with some O upside max...The BJ's are doomed IMO....
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To my way of thinking, that's the way many old-time Canadian team builders....and game watchers like Grapes.....develop teams when theirs isn't close enough to the top of the Draft (as is/was the case with teams like the Penguins and Black Hawks, and maybe the Oil and Laffs) to get a shot at the top incoming young talents. In other words, if you can't skate/match-up with the talent rich teams, then just bury them into the wall. It's just always going to be easier to find horses than playmakers/goal scorers, especially now that players are so much bigger physically than they used to be.

Of course, I think teams like the Cryers, Bruins, and Blue Jackets (and probably half dozen or so others) seemingly will always bias toward the 6-3 220 kid rather than the 5-11 180 guy, even if both are rated similarly by the scouts (or the smaller guy is rated marginally higher)......just as the reverse seems typically to be the case with some franchises (like the Penguins).
 
COOL MAN said:
If you haven't seen this yet, check out this KHL preseason game where a Russian player goes bonkers and runs the entire opposing team......including their friggin' bench.

http://www.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/...anged-player-causes-enormous-brawl?ref=justin

Not even sure this happened even at the end of Slap Shot......
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LMFAO! What a gong show!....one thing is apparent to me...if this loon bin attempted his act on a North American rink, he'd be the one lying face down on the ice within seconds....Russians /KHL should seriously consider hiring the Klitchko brothers to advise on how to throw a haymaker lol...

Did you guy's see this one? Nice story...
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novasc...bered’-crosby-comes-back-to-sign-fan’s-jersey
 
I don't know much, but there's one thing I know beyond a shadow of a doubt: I'm sick to death of Jimmy Vesey, no matter how good some (not all) people think he might be.

No matter how many teams he's jerking around, I'll be shocked beyond belief if he doesn't sign with the B's. But outside maybe Jaromir Jagr.....who has a little more juice than Vesey.....I'm not sure too many players are as purely audacious as this kid (and his agent).
 
COOL MAN said:
Hey t, maybe you've seen this piece; but if not, take a look at it and give us your take on it.......

http://news.nationalpost.com/sports...montreal-canadiens-are-canadas-team-poll-says
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Well CM As I sit in Kanata (Ottawa) Ontario and their 3%, about a mile from the Sens arena tonight...heading to a cousins wedding tomorrow (I actually was chatting with Euell about how it was breaking my heart I was missing the Mizzou game live lol) ...I tend to agree. And It's honestly not my anti Leaf opinion that's influencing it...I know a lot and I mean a lot of Habs fans in the GTA... consistent past (long past) success breeds a devoted Fandom IMO...most Canadians outside of Toronto area also hate both it and Torontonians...huge exception being the Blue Jays...I think since they are the only baseball game in the country (since those beloved Expos for some), many choose to ignore the Toronto on the uniform , instead concentrating on the Maple Leaf, and call them 'Canada's Team'...this is hard to argue...they truly are just that...even all the way out to Vancouver they will hold their nose and support the Jays, although there are also more than a handful of Mariners fans out there. What i'd be really interested in seeing is a breakdown of ALL nhl teams fan support amongst Canadians. The media really seems to pump this 'how many Canadian teams are in the playoffs ' etc BS IMO...when in reality I think most Canadians with a half a brain realize that the teams league wide still have plenty of Canadian players on roster from 'insert small town wherever here'...lots of Bruins fans, Philly ****$ (my brother in laws married into family being one...they don't like me much this year lmfao), Pens,Wings etc...my $ says that the Bruins would be at least 6% on that chart, and the other US traditional markets just under 5%...if the Habs are number one up here I'm ok with it...anything but the whiney Leaves fan is good with me...well Philly...F Philly....ALWAYS F PHILLY!
 
torontoeers said:
Well CM As I sit in Kanata (Ottawa) Ontario and their 3%, about a mile from the Sens arena tonight...heading to a cousins wedding tomorrow (I actually was chatting with Euell about how it was breaking my heart I was missing the Mizzou game live lol) ...I tend to agree. And It's honestly not my anti Leaf opinion that's influencing it...I know a lot and I mean a lot of Habs fans in the GTA... consistent past (long past) success breeds a devoted Fandom IMO...most Canadians outside of Toronto area also hate both it and Torontonians...huge exception being the Blue Jays...I think since they are the only baseball game in the country (since those beloved Expos for some), many choose to ignore the Toronto on the uniform , instead concentrating on the Maple Leaf, and call them 'Canada's Team'...this is hard to argue...they truly are just that...even all the way out to Vancouver they will hold their nose and support the Jays, although there are also more than a handful of Mariners fans out there. What i'd be really interested in seeing is a breakdown of ALL nhl teams fan support amongst Canadians. The media really seems to pump this 'how many Canadian teams are in the playoffs ' etc BS IMO...when in reality I think most Canadians with a half a brain realize that the teams league wide still have plenty of Canadian players on roster from 'insert small town wherever here'...lots of Bruins fans, Philly ****$ (my brother in laws married into family being one...they don't like me much this year lmfao), Pens,Wings etc...my $ says that the Bruins would be at least 6% on that chart, and the other US traditional markets just under 5%...if the Habs are number one up here I'm ok with it...anything but the whiney Leaves fan is good with me...well Philly...F Philly....ALWAYS F PHILLY!
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So, Kanata.......it seems I've traditionally heard the Canadian Tire Arena (and all the way back to the original Palladium days) was a legitimate building stuck in a comparatively rural location that was logistically difficult for Greater Ottawa to reach on game night. Does that jibe with reality, or is this more a reaction to a generally underachieving (but apparently well supported) franchise burdened with one of the most polarizing owners in the game ??
 
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Over the weekend, I've found myself reminiscing about the past season.....and considering to what extent Sid has benefited from the 2nd Cup. It's no secret another ring is something he/his legacy desperately needed; arguably more than any player in the League (even Ovechkin, who's now solidly #1 on the list of players who needs a/another Cup).

Aside the typical regional cement heads from Philly and NY/NJ who'll never change their spots.....and perhaps to a lesser extent fans from Boston (who currently have too many of their own problems to deal with) and Detroit (who I honestly think despise Sid as much as Claude Lemieux).....the remainder of the hockey world seems to have grudgingly accepted to what extent the second Cup has fully legitimatized Sid's current/future status as a true elite. In fact, I think at least some of the generalized Canadian population might actually pull for him in the WCH.

I mentioned this earlier in the summer, but I remain happy all that "best player in the world" stuff has already begun its slow and inevitable shift to everyone's favorite Canada kid, Connor McDavid. Of course, I myself think that kind of talk this summer has been borderline foolish.

OTOH, if he finds some way to have a big WCH.....which I myself honestly do not expect......the hockey Press will be delighted. Regardless, Sid will presumably be pretty happy the hockey Press' obsession with him will be on the decline now that McDavid.....and Auston Matthews.....have arrived.

Speaking of McDavid or Matthews, I'll be interested to see who gets the lion's share of the pre-WCH press. I continue to find it deliciously ironic that neither is playing for their home country. Believe me, I don't want Torts getting credit for anything Matthews does......and the longer things progress, I'm actually borderline shocked McDavid isn't playing for Canada. Of course, I'm certain neither Torts nor Pope Mike wants guys that young on their rosters in an International tournament anyway, no matter how talented they happen to be.

OTOH with Bergeron, Carter, Crosby, Geztlaf, Giroux, Seguin, Stamkos, Tavares, Thornton, and Toews already on the roster, I'm not exactly sure who CM was supposed to beat out (even as a winger). And in his defense, I don't think anyone wants to see him playing 3rd line.....or with that Canada squad, being the last forward off the bench.

So, for CM and AM alone, the North America team idea seems like a pretty good one on the surface. And, as much as everyone in (most of) Canada is pulling personally for McDavid, I assume Matthews will get at least as much of the League's (or certainly, GTA's) coverage.

BTW, speaking of the NA squad, I saw last week that Matt Murray is currently being viewed as their #1 goaltender; good for him. I think lots of folks thought Johnny GIbson was going in as #1; but I myself am not sure Hellebuyck isn't their #2 guy right now (and will be quick to come in if Murray falters). I hate to say this about a Pittsburgh kid; but even though I acknowledge what he accomplished before entering the League.....and aside having a US passport.....I'm not sure exactly what Gibson has done as a pro to make the roster.

Even as deep as this Tournament happens to be, I honestly think the North Americans have a solid shot at medaling.....and are actually a decent dark horse to win the whole shootin' match. Unfortunately, I'm inclined to think goaltending is their biggest weakness. Meanwhile, if Carey Price is ready to play.....and I do think that's a pretty big if......Canada probably remains pretty close to unbeatable.
 
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Speaking of the WCH, I just saw a CBC post on my FB timeline stating the following combinations have been practicing for Canada.

Not sure these are considered in any order; it's merely how they were listed in the piece (and the designated Center is the middle of the three names), though I wouldn't be surprised if this was the current order off the bench.
  • Marchand -- Crosby -- Bergeron
  • Tavares -- Gezlaff -- Stamkos
  • Seguin -- Toews -- Couture
  • Thornton -- Giroux -- Duchene
Odd man: Perry​
  • Vlasic -- Weber
  • Muzzin -- Doughty
  • Pietrangelo -- Burns
Odd man: Bouwmeester​

I myself am a little surprised Gezlaff is playing center over Tavares, but what the hell do I know.....pretty fair overall lineup no matter the combos. I won't deny I'm not personally bananas about Marchand with Sid, though I think he and Bergeron play together with the B's. I do find myself wondering on whose line Jamie Benn would have been playing had he shown-up (maybe Toews and Seguin); meanwhile, Pickles is said to have replaced Keith in the Weber pairing.

On a squad with four pretty impressive lines, Tavares-Gezlaff-Stamkos in particular looks pretty intimidating for any opposing defense pairing......and I assume a line as good as Thornton -- Giroux -- Duchene (somebody needs to be on the 4th line, I guess) will probably be lucky to play much more than 10 minutes/game outside the PP.
 
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COOL MAN said:
Speaking of the WCH, I just saw a CBC post on my FB timeline stating the following combinations have been practicing for Canada.

Not sure these are considered in any order; it's merely how they were listed in the piece (and the designated Center is the middle of the three names), though I wouldn't be surprised if this was the current order off the bench.
  • Marchand -- Crosby -- Bergeron
  • Tavares -- Gezlaff -- Stamkos
  • Seguin -- Toews -- Couture
  • Thornton -- Giroux -- Duchene
Odd man: Perry​
  • Vlasic -- Weber
  • Muzzin -- Doughty
  • Pietrangelo -- Burns
Odd man: Bouwmeester​

I myself am a little surprised Gezlaff is playing center over Tavares, but what the hell do I know.....pretty fair overall lineup no matter the combos. I won't deny I'm not personally bananas about Marchand with Sid, though I think he and Bergeron play together with the B's. I do find myself wondering on whose line Jamie Benn would have been playing had he shown-up (maybe Toews and Seguin); meanwhile, Pickles is said to have replaced Keith in the Weber pairing.

On a squad with four pretty impressive lines, Tavares-Gezlaff-Stamkos in particular looks pretty intimidating for any opposing defense pairing......and I assume a line as good as Thornton -- Giroux -- Duchene (somebody needs to be on the 4th line, I guess) will probably be lucky to play much more than 10 minutes/game outside the PP.
Click to expand...
Well CM....you have given me a lot to digest...as usual...and I love it. First....the new arena in Ottawa is going in soon apparently downtown on a 3 year plan from what I hear...yes the majority whine about the literally 20-30 minute 'trek' out to the boonies to take in a game. I have to say the place all of a sudden appears on the landscape out of nowhere lol. And the exit is still called 'Palladium Drive'. They have gotten fairly creative around it however ...many hotels, and a Tanger outlet within 5mins of the arena.
On a side note the wife was rather depressed to know the Team Canada practice was happening Sat and Sunday 2 mins down the road and we didn't know lol. 'We were that close to Sid and we didn't see him???' Something tells me she would have foregone her day of shopping on Sunday to hang out at the arena parking entrance to see 'her man' or any of the others for that matter lol!

So....get this. And I'm certain you can take it from a hockey centric/ Canadian perspective.....I just checked the schedule on the WHC website...Sept29? In the Burgh for Cubs /Bucs and it is game 2 of the final at 8pm?!? Yikes! Espn2 I see has the broadcast...so perhaps we leave the game early (which I know us Canucks seem a cocky confident bunch to assume we are there but it is what it is :wink:), and the game 3 if necessary? Oct1 7pm when we are at KST/WVU LOL. Please dear God be a day game! Right now 6 Canadian WVU fans are freaking right the F out ....lmao....

I need to address your lineup scenarios tomorrow....and I am scratching my head a bit...
Team USA? Any word on the lines? And who has the net in your opinion? Quick I am assuming?
Price being off for almost a calender year worries me I have to say...need him sharp!
 
The most I've read thus far about other countries' line combinations is with the Russians; sounds like Ovechkin -- Kuznetsov -- Kucherov is their top line, with Tarasenko -- Malkin -- Kulemin their #2 unit. As for the US, I've read one account that says their top line is Pacioretty -- Pavelski -- Kane.

Regarding the US goal......and even though I guess I'm just personally assuming Bishop is #1.....I seriously doubt Torts will be too concerned about playing Quick (and perhaps will do that). Is anyone in the Tournament as deep as the US in goal ?? I mean, Cory Schneider is pretty damned good, and presumably won't see anymore ice time than Flower did in Sochi.

I suspect you know at least as much (or probably more) about that subject currently as yours truly. But now that NHLN Radio has come back this week with standard programming after the summer break, I'll at least start learning more about the event than simply what I've been reading.

The simple fact of the matter is that, nationally speaking, the WCH is a total and complete non-story here in the States. To be honest, I don't even know how big a story it is in US-based NHL cities. I suspect....as is true for the League in general......its core US interest is largely limited to the traditional Northeast, and to a lesser extent, Minnesota (and an even lesser extent Michigan, where football is pretty important).

It obviously doesn't help that ESPN.....in putting the Gawd-forsaken NBA in its rearview mirror (for perhaps a month or so)......has just gone all football all the time, which was going to be an issue for any US WCH fans figuring them to really get behind the event. OTOH, I admit I seldom use ESPN much for anything aside live game broadcasts (and a little CF/CB pregame coverage) anymore. In other words, they could be leading off every damned Sportscenter these days with the WCH, and I truthfully wouldn't know it.

Back to Ottawa, I had no idea they were working on a new arena; inconceivable I've not heard anything about that in NHLN Radio (and they talk a lot about the Sens). Probably, I just missed those discussions. As for the schedules for 10/1, not sure I can help you with that :wink:
 
COOL MAN said:
Regarding the US goal......and even though I guess I'm just personally assuming Bishop is #1.....I seriously doubt Torts will be too concerned about playing Quick (and perhaps will do that). Is anyone in the Tournament as deep as the US in goal ?? I mean, Cory Schneider is pretty damned good, and presumably won't see anymore ice time than Flower did in Sochi.
Click to expand...

I just heard USA Today's Kevin Allen on NHLN Radio a little while ago, and he certainly seems to think Jonny Quick is the clear #1 for the USA; in fact, he somehow seems to think Schneider is every bit as likely (if not more so) to play than Bishop. Like I said before, shows you what I know......

Meanwhile, NHLN Radio was also reporting the US lines (at least what I thought I heard) are currently setup as follows:
  • Pacioretty -- Pavelski -- Kane
  • Parise -- Stefan -- Wheeler
  • Abdulkater -- Kesler -- Oshie
  • Van Riemsdyk -- Backus -- Dubinsky or Callahan (not sure)
Those 3rd and 4th lines will certainly play a Torts kind of game. They better pray for NHL stripes in their key games; otherwise, that whole 3rd line (along with Dubinsky and Callahan from the 4th) will be in the box the entire series.
 
Early rumored NA line combinations and defense:
  • Schiefele -- McDavid -- Drouin
  • Gaudreau -- Eichel -- Saad
  • MacKinnon --RNH -- Larkin
  • Couturier -- Matthews -- Trocheck
Odd Man: Miller​
  • Reilly -- Ekblad
  • Ghost -- Parayko
  • Murray -- Jones
Odd Man: Trouba
​
Early rumored Finland lines:
  • Laine -- Barkov -- Jokinen
  • Granlund -- Koivu -- Donskoi
  • Teravainen -- Filippula -- Lehtera
  • Korpikoski -- Haula -- Komarov or Aho
Man, this is looking like one damned fun tournament....while the mega powers (Canada, Russia, Sweden, and the USA) justifiably should be favored, that NA squad looks better and better to me if their goaltending (hello again, Matt M) holds together. And don't count out those damned Finns who, as always, are probably the darkhorse of the entire field.....and can probably win a relatively low scoring tournament if Rinne and Rask decide to show up.
 
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