New England Hockey Talk

[MGB Boy]

Surprise, surprise, the Bruins sent Toivonen down to Providence today to get his game back together. They called up someone named Brian Finley to take his place. Stats say the guy has a total of 107 minutes of NHL time, all with Nashville. His AHL stats this year are nothing spectacular, middle-of-the-pack numbers. Huh. Bruins haven't gotten stellar goaltending this season, but that's really not their biggest concern, they've got more issues than just that. For example, when the team with the worst penalty kill in the league (Boston) gives a team with one of the best powerplays in the league (Atlanta) 11 powerplay opportunities in one game, they can't really expect to win, can they? Four of five Atlanta goals were on the PP. It's a no-brainer...

-Ricardo

[faster,Tobias!]

Well, we've finally had some good periods of hockey out of the Flames and I'm brreathing a little easier. The big test on whether it is a flash or the real deal will be tonight Vs. Dallas. It won't be an easy game, considering the Stars were robbed in Vancouver last night.

EDIT: Another win! And Kipper was hot, the team was skating and digging....have they turned the corner? I think so. Anaheim up next...

[bethandlouis]

So Hannu Pretzel Man got sent down? I thought that the game against the Sens was going to be a joke. I had to work so Louis taped it for me. He said it was a very exciting game. Then I saw them score 3 unanswered points and said some bad words. There was no one in front of Olie (and he looked like he was going to eat some of the players he was so mad). When they put Brent Johnson in it was, "Oh, look there's a defence squad. " It is as if they expect Olie to stop everything. He may be as a big as a wall but he still needs help.

Sad I missed that Habs game. Looks like it was fun. A couple of years ago I missed one home game at MCI center (now Verizon center) it was the one against Philly where the refs and judges had to stay nearly 3 hours after the game just to tally up the penalties. It was some ridiculous number and it really made me wish I went to that game. (i think they even called it early because it was just becoming a battle royale)

[faster,Tobias!]

There is so little fighting now in the NHL - I admit that when I had first arrived in Canada from the UK it was the fisticuffs that really drew me to hockey. A game that had the finesse of soccer and the hard edge of rugby plus boxing; a perfect combination! But with the cap and consequent inability of teams to carry purpose specific and one dimensional (ie. goons) players, the leagues determination to make it a 'family' game and the worry that a 20 goal scorer will break his hand on someone's melon, I can see the NHL having as many fights as the university game in just a couple of years. Shame really, because it is an element that is unique to the game.

[MGB Boy]

Can't honestly say I miss the fighting too much. Oh sure, a nice little donnybrook is entertaining from time to time, no doubt about that. But I'd rather see that roster spot be used for someone with some skill to entertain me rather than someone with a nickname like "Knuckles" whose sole purpose is to try to injure the other team's stars and get into periodic fights with the other team's designated goon. I don't mind that the occasional fight still happens, I'm just glad that the role of "designated fighter" is gone...

-Ricardo

[faster,Tobias!]

I don't disagree. The kind of player I like to watch are the Gary Roberts (when he was younger) / Brendan Shanahan/ Jarome Iginla types - more than capable of playing, immune to intimidation but also able to change the teams tempo by a well timed scrap. But obviously there is peril inherent in having star players risk injury - the role specific heavies wouldn't be missed when they were hurt - and thus I think the number of fights has dropped to a point below what I would like.

[MGB Boy]

True. I don't mind a guy who can fight so long as he's well rounded. I'm a Bruins fan, and Cam Neely is pretty much a god among Bruins fandom, for precisely that reason. He could score 50 goals in 48 games and he could thrash Claude Lemieux to within an inch of his life. I was at the game where they retired his number, and the video they showed was pretty much evenly divided between amazing goals and either devastating checks or fights. Played with passion in all aspects of the game. But it's the one dimensional Chris Nilan / Bob Probert / Tie Domi types that I really don't miss. They brought nothing to the games but their fists, they were often useless when not fighting and predictable in regard to whom/when they'd fight. I'm my team's goon, you're your team's goon, let's fight. Didn't do it for me. Granted, if Cam were playing today I suspect management would be pretty nervous about him smashing a 50-goal-scoring bone on someone's helmet during a fight, so you're certainly right about the overall drop in fights. But like I said, if that's the consequence of driving the goons out of the game, I can live with it.

-Ricardo

[bethandlouis]

Weighing in on the fighting. I think that it's kind of good that they got rid of a lot of the fighting in the NHL a lot of those fights take up a lot of time (especially the ones that get the whole team involved); however, I think that fights in hockey has to happen (well not have to but is inevitable). Hockey is the only sport where you can vent your frustrations after a late hit of a stick poke on the person who did it to you. Yeah it's illegal but it's in the rulebook. I don't play hockey but I'm an avid fan of hockey (I would play if I had better ankles). So this is mostly conjecture. I like that there isn't a goon squad and that the players they are getting to play now are skillful. I like to have a well rounded player one that can score goals and hold his own if the gloves are going to come off. Just my opinon.

[faster,Tobias!]

Yeah baby!!
The Flames have to take confidence from handing the Ducks their first loss of the season. Damn Oilers won though, I was hoping their slide would last a little longer

[bethandlouis]

That was a very good game. Also a good game were the caps, although they are starting to get too many shots on goal. The outshot the rangers 14-5 in the first period and by the 3rd the rangers had out shout them 40-28 (or something ridiculus like that). Olie almost had a shutout (2mins left in regulation). Also watched some of the Buffaslug game (who ended up winning I was sure it would go into OT and with the Cap game getting interesting I couldn't switch). Good Job to the the Bruins for winning against the Sens. Was a very interesting game (as far as I could tell).

[MGB Boy]

Yep, I made the slog down to Boston for a second straight weekend to see the Bs play. They are now 2-0-0 in games I've attended. This summer the Sox were 3-0 in games I attended. Said it before, I'll say it again, someone in Boston needs to buy me season tickets and a private plane so I can go to all the home games. My next Bs game is Dec 23rd against the hated Habs...

-Ricardo

PS Hey Beth, Rob finally found the picture of Mr Curmudgeon from the 2002 highland games. I was right, he took it, not me. That's why I didn't have it...

[jcsinnh]

Hey, Rico, did you go to the UVM - BC basketball game last night? Your magic was impressive as usual. Wanna go to Mohegan Sun with me?

[bethandlouis]

I was starting to worry about you. Was going to send someone to poke a stick in your general direction. Caps beat the Panthers last night so it's good to see that they can beat a last place team. The caps are number one in shots on goal (receiveing not giving) certainly not something you want to be #1 for but we'll take it. Olie and Brent are taking an average of 36.2 goals a game. The NHL average is around 30.

Listening to the commentators (because of the Hall of fame inductions and St. Patrick being among them) they were talking about the Bs netminding. Did they send Timmy down too? I knew about Hannah( ) but I though that Timmy was doing pretty good.

Live hockey this saturday as Louis and I travel to the garden to see the B's take on the Caps.

[MGB Boy]

Quote: Originally Posted by jcsinnh (original)

Hey, Rico, did you go to the UVM - BC basketball game last night? Your magic was impressive as usual. Wanna go to Mohegan Sun with me?

No sir, I can't take credit for that. The basketball game was down at Chestnut Hill, and I'm not nuts enough to do three trips down to Boston in ten days. I watched it on NESN from the comfort of my couch prior to heading to the rink for my Monday night hockey.

Quote: Originally Posted by bethandlouis (original)

The caps are number one in shots on goal (receiveing not giving) certainly not something you want to be #1 for but we'll take it. Olie and Brent are taking an average of 36.2 goals a game. The NHL average is around 30.

I thought it was better to give than to receive? Greedy Caps. The Bs are just a couple spots behind them on that stat, though. But your Caps take the cake with the worst shot differential per game in the league, they are getting out-shot by 9.7 shots per game. The Red Wings are at the other end, out-shooting opponents by 11.5 shots per game. They're only giving up 20.8 shots per game, I wanna be their goalie.

Quote: Originally Posted by bethandlouis (original)

Listening to the commentators (because of the Hall of fame inductions and St. Patrick being among them) they were talking about the Bs netminding. Did they send Timmy down too? I knew about Hannah( ) but I though that Timmy was doing pretty good.

Timmy is still there. He's done okay, but not too consistent, he'll string together a couple strong nights and then throw in a bad one. Not as good as he did last season but then again the D in front of him and Hannu this season has been very prone to standing and watching, not picking up and/or muscling guys out in front, etc., and folding like a house of cards in the third period. My summary of the Bs goaltending would be "hasn't been great, but the team has bigger problems". Hannu got sent down to Providence (AHL) and Finley got called up to be Timmy's back-up, then Hannu hurt his ankle in Providence and the Baby Bs needed an emergency goalie, so they sent Finley back down to play on Sunday, but the NHL says all teams must have two goalies, so when they sent Finley down they called up Brown from Long Beach (ECHL) while Finley was in Providence, then after that game they recalled Finley to the NHL and sent Brown down to Providence. Keeping up with all this? Good. In the midst of all of this, Boston Globe columnist Kevin Paul Dupont has been on a one-man "the Bruins goalies suck/they never should have given up Raycroft" crusade since before the season started, so he keeps pushing rumors that the Bs are going to pick up Nabokov or Toskala from San Jose, or Bryzgalov or Giguere from Anaheim. Never mind that Raycroft sucked last season and demanded a trade mid-year and then again just before the draft (and the second time, they shipped him out)....

Quote: Originally Posted by bethandlouis (original)

Live hockey this saturday as Louis and I travel to the garden to see the B's take on the Caps.

Have fun! Cheap parking ($5.50 flat rate after 5pm) at the Museum of Science, only about a 10 minute walk from the rink...

-Ricardo

[MGB Boy]

TIMMY!

Hey, it's the first time we've won two in a row since March. We're allowed to get a little excited.

-Ricardo