UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Enjoyed your mention of my Lakers esp West and Goodrich one of best backcourt team EVER...in my opinion of course �� Wilt was the Center when I cheered for the and he had his haters...even to this day hubby and I go back and forth about Russell v Chamberlain. Hats off to the '72 Lakers for their 69-13 record too. Ah feel like yesterday!! Trivia for you guys and it's an easy one who was the 6th man on that team?

Pat Riley

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Pat Riley

Ding! Ding! Ding! Winnah! Who became of course Coach Pat Riley... Now, back to our regular scheduled programming

[Snively65]

The original Ottawa Senators were the first Stanley Cup champions (1927) when the trophy was exclusively up for grabs between only NHL teams. They beat the Bruins that year. Eddie Shore, old time hockey.

Speaking of Eddie Shore, I heard a lot about him when growing up in Durham, as my father grew up in Reading and went to lots of Bruins games in the 1930s. By "old time hockey," I am guessing that you mean such stuff as getting into a fight with a teammate during practice in your first season nearly losing your own ear (as a young one, I loved this story), ending Ace Bailey's career with a vicious head shot from behind (no helmets, eh), and of course, earning over 100 penalty minutes in multiple seasons. So, trivia questions for anyone other than Chuck, through the weekend at least, as I am sure that he knows all of these answers.
1) what is Shore's number hanging from the Garden rafters?
2) how many Hart trophies did Shore win, the most by a NHL d-man?
3) what two NHL players won more?
4) how many Stanley Cups did Shore win with the Bruins, and in what years?
5) what was today's politically incorrect name of the team on which Shore played right before he was sold to the Bruins in 1926?

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

The "old time hockey" thing is just lifted from the Hanson Brothers in "Slapshot".

Now for my guesses - and yes, most are admittedly guesses ...

Speaking of Eddie Shore, I heard a lot about him when growing up in Durham, as my father grew up in Reading and went to lots of Bruins games in the 1930s. By "old time hockey," I am guessing that you mean such stuff as getting into a fight with a teammate during practice in your first season nearly losing your own ear (as a young one, I loved this story), ending Ace Bailey's career with a vicious head shot from behind (no helmets, eh), and of course, earning over 100 penalty minutes in multiple seasons. So, trivia questions for anyone other than Chuck, through the weekend at least, as I am sure that he knows all of these answers.
1) what is Shore's number hanging from the Garden rafters? Two (2)
2) how many Hart trophies did Shore win, the most by a NHL d-man? Guessing 3?
3) what two NHL players won more? Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe?
4) how many Stanley Cups did Shore win with the Bruins, and in what years? Guessing 3?
5) what was today's politically incorrect name of the team on which Shore played right before he was sold to the Bruins in 1926? Embarrassed to admit this is a guess - Springfield Indians - which he later owned?

I read a great book on Shore two years ago - my memory is sadly slipping though ...

[Snively65]

The "old time hockey" thing is just lifted from the Hanson Brothers in "Slapshot".

Now for my guesses - and yes, most are admittedly guesses ...

I read a great book on Shore two years ago - my memory is sadly slipping though ...

Well, it is not "through the weekend yet," but I do not think that there are many others reading the thread, other than HR and us, so correcto on two of the first four questions, and very close on the two "three" answers (only one other D man won three Hart's; who?). True on the Springfield Indians, but did your book cover Shore's time before he came to Boston with the WCHL team in Edmonton? It was that banner in the rafters that triggered my father's two sons' questions about the guys behind them, and our father's stories about Shore were the most compelling for us. :-)

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Well, it is not "through the weekend yet," but I do not think that there are many others reading the thread, other than HR and us, so correcto on two of the first four questions, and very close on the two "three" answers (only one other D man won three Hart's; who?). True on the Springfield Indians, but did your book cover Shore's time before he came to Boston with the WCHL team in Edmonton? It was that banner in the rafters that triggered my father's two sons' questions about the guys behind them, and our father's stories about Shore were the most compelling for us. :-)

OK I looked it up in the book ... Edmonton Eskimos (isn't that still the name of their CFL team)?

The other d-man to have won that many Harts would have to be Bobby Orr.

Eddie Shore was on two (2) Stanley Cup winners in Boston (1929 & 1939). By the time 1941 rolled around, he'd been traded to the New York Americans (!) and then moved on to the aforementioned Springfield Indians (AHL).

[Snively65]

OK I looked it up in the book ... Edmonton Eskimos (isn't that still the name of their CFL team)?

The other d-man to have won that many Harts would have to be Bobby Orr.

Eddie Shore was on two (2) Stanley Cup winners in Boston (1929 & 1939). By the time 1941 rolled around, he'd been traded to the New York Americans (!) and then moved on to the aforementioned Springfield Indians (AHL).

Excellent on all; now back to the remaining trivia questions, which I thought watcher would have answered by now?

But, to get this thread back to Div 1 hockey for a moment, I was just reviewing the Bentley thread, and noticed that schiegs posted something a couple pages back that Bentley was rumored to be playing UNH again this season; schiegs usually seems to know stuff about Bentley that I do not.

[NCAA watcher]

Excellent on all; now back to the remaining trivia questions, which I thought watcher would have answered by now?

But, to get this thread back to UNH hockey for a moment, while perusing the Wisconsin thread and their happiness at having a new "spring" era and good new recruits after the gloom of a worsening situation. Led Zep is in court, and I was reminded of their actual best song while waiting for UNH's next "spring":

I've felt the coldness of my winter
I never thought it would ever go. I cursed the gloom that set upon us, 'pon us, 'pon us...
But I know that I love you so. But I know that I love you so

These are the seasons of emotion and like the wind they rise and fall
This is the wonder of devotion - I see the torch we all must hold.
This is the mystery of the quotient, quotient - Upon us all, upon us all a little rain must fall.

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Ha, ha, ha. But, that tune cannot put a damper on the beautiful spring weather that I am experiencing this weekend. :-)

Six HEA teams have "off-season" threads on page 1 at the moment: UNH, BU, NU, UVM, Lowell, and Maine (their thread is titled "into oblivion," or something like that). Three HEA teams have regular season threads on page 2: BC (trophy time), PC (road to Tampa), and UConn (future is bright). UMass has "new coach" thread and NICC has "leaving HEA" thread on page 3. That leaves only Merrimack as MIA, I think.

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

But, to get this thread back to UNH hockey for a moment, while perusing the Wisconsin thread and their happiness at having a new "spring" era and good new recruits after the gloom of a worsening situation. Led Zep is in court, and I was reminded of their actual best song while waiting for UNH's next "spring":

I've felt the coldness of my winter
I never thought it would ever go. I cursed the gloom that set upon us, 'pon us, 'pon us...
But I know that I love you so. But I know that I love you so

These are the seasons of emotion and like the wind they rise and fall
This is the wonder of devotion - I see the torch we all must hold.
This is the mystery of the quotient, quotient - Upon us all, upon us all a little rain must fall.

Every time I hear that ("The Rain Song"), it brings me back to seeing the original release of the Zep concert movie The Song Remains the Same at the old Wellington Circle drive-in back in my HS days.

We'll never have great long-form music of that quality again in the mainstream. I'm not saying folks can't make great long-form music again ... just that there aren't any incentives on that kind of creativity, and if/when something does leak out (almost by accident) with that kind of quality, it will never even get close to the mainstream. Sad but true.

[NCAA watcher]

Mainstream? Access today allows you to pick and choose you're own music. I know I veer around Zep, and lately am not as into them as I had been. Even rain song doesn't hold a lot of play time on my iPod.

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Mainstream? Access today allows you to pick and choose you're own music. I know I veer around Zep, and lately am not as into them as I had been. Even rain song doesn't hold a lot of play time on my iPod.

Talking about it from a new music approach - just hard to envision where the next huge band(s) might be coming from. Maybe I'm dating myself here, but it's been awhile since a rock band rose to the same stature as the likes of those who dominated the music scene back in the '60's and '70's. Maybe U2 was/is the last rock band with any long-term huge global reach, and they're basically from the '80's? And to be fair, Rush (also '70's) may be the last rock band from the pre-U2 era that hasn't descended into a glorified oldies act at this point.

Probably just down to a combination of MTV and god-awful punk largely killing off long-form rock music early on, and then subsequent trends veering toward the pop/rap/hip-hop formats since the '90's.

I guess this is how my parents felt when big band/swing music slowly went away starting in the '50's ...

... anyway, I'll check in again tomorrow and pare the trivia list a little bit, and see if we can get more answers.

[Snively65]

Talking about it from a new music approach - just hard to envision where the next huge band(s) might be coming from. Maybe I'm dating myself here, but it's been awhile since a rock band rose to the same stature as the likes of those who dominated the music scene back in the '60's and '70's. Maybe U2 was/is the last rock band with any long-term huge global reach, and they're basically from the '80's? And to be fair, Rush (also '70's) may be the last rock band from the pre-U2 era that hasn't descended into a glorified oldies act at this point.

Probably just down to a combination of MTV and god-awful punk largely killing off long-form rock music early on, and then subsequent trends veering toward the pop/rap/hip-hop formats since the '90's.

I guess this is how my parents felt when big band/swing music slowly went away starting in the '50's ...

... anyway, I'll check in again tomorrow and pare the trivia list a little bit, and see if we can get more answers.

Ok, I could have answered much earlier all of the bouncy (squeak) ball questions besides the Lakers question that HR nailed.

I was in Boulder working on my PhD in the 1970s when the ABA Denver Nuggets amassed an incredible starting lineup that consisted of David Thompson (NC State, perhaps the greatest pure shooter before Steph Curry), Marvin Webster (rim protector), Dan (the Missle) Issel (power forward), Bobby Jones (lockdown defensive forward), and Larry Brown (point guard). Sadly for me, the Nugs lost in their ABA championship series against Dr J and the New York Nets (Bobby Jones was hobbled with a foot injury, I think). So, Denver was the only one of the four ABA teams that merged with the NBA to never win a championship in either league (Nets, Indianapolis Pacers, and Los Angeles / Utah Stars did, with the Stars one of the other three besides the Lakers to win in two different cities). The other two franchises to win in two different cities are the Warriors (Philadelphia and San Francisco) and Bullets (Baltimore and Washington), I think. For two cities with different franchises to win squeakball championships, how about the aformentioned Philadelphia (Warriors and '76ers) and Los Angeles (Lakers and Stars). That is all I got, as I do not follow football that much, other than the Patriots.

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Quiz refresh - going into yesterday, Snively65 and FiveHole12 were tied at 4, and HR and 'Watcher had 1 apiece.

We've already run the board on Major League Baseball ... pulling things up, next up is pro football. For purposes of these questions, "NFL Championships" will be constituted of Super Bowl (1966-present) and NFL Championship Game (1933-1965) winners. AFL Championship (1960-1965) and AAFC Championship (1946-1949) winners will be considered only for the questions that are specifically geared to multi-league winners. None of the WFL, USFL or XFL are considered here, as none of their teams were eventually merged into the NFL. Surprisingly, no one has taken a sniff of any of these yet:

* Name the only franchise to have won the NFL Championship in three (3) different cities?
* Name the only three (3) franchises to win the NFL Championship in two (2) different cities?
* Name the five (5) cities to win NFL championships with two (2) different franchises?
* Name the only two (2) franchises to have won championships in two (2) different leagues?
* Name the only (1) franchise to have won championships in different leagues, in two different cities?

BONUS POINTS (True or False):

The NFL began competition in 1920. The 2001 Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots marked the first time a New England based team were recognized as NFL champions?

When the San Diego Chargers waxed the Boston Patriots 51-10 in the 1963 AFL Championship game, it marked the first time ever that a Boston based team had played in a professional football (NFL/AFL/AAFC) championship game?

A New England city has never hosted a professional football (NFL/AFL/AAFC) championship game?

Now onto squeak ball (nod to Snively65) ... this section includes only NBA Championships, with any ABA (1967-1976) exceptions specifically outlined. HR had the lead in this sub-category, still making Jerry "Mr. Clutch" West very proud indeed:

* Name the only three (3) franchises to have won NBA Championships in two (2) different cities?
Minneapolis/LA Lakers plus two more still outstanding
* From the last question ... what is the only (1) franchise to have won in different cities, with different nicknames?
* What are the only two (2) cities to have had two different franchises win a professional (NBA/ABA) championship?
* Name the only one of the four ABA franchises to merge with the NBA to never win a championship in either league?

Now, finally on to the NHL, which for our purposes will extend back to 1927 when the Stanley Cup was competed for solely by the NHL's teams, and awarded to the winner of the NHL playoffs. I've eliminated the true/false questions, which were all answered. Questions will include the WHA and its Avco Cup (1973-1979) where appropriate:

* Name the two (2) franchises who have won both the Stanley Cup and the Avco Cup?
* 4 WHA franchises merged into the NHL in 1979. Which is the only one not to have since won the Stanley Cup?

BONUS POINTS: In 1967 the NHL expanded by six teams, doubling in size for the '67/'68 season. Of those initial expansion franchises, which is the only one (1) whose lineage (including franchise mergers and/or moves to different cities) cannot be traced to winning the Stanley Cup since? St. Louis Blues, correct from 'Watcher's "ghost" response

Still plenty of low hanging fruit out there - including all the football, and even some hockey. I'm now going to catch up on Snively's latest answers in the next post. He'll be ahead after, but maybe not by as much as he thinks/hopes.

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Great recollection of the Denver Nuggets of the ABA era, Snively65! Confession time, back in the '70's I was a huge ABA fan, and my two favorite players of the era were Dr. J (Julius Erving) and The Iceman (George Gervin). I'm still a fan of the Spurs, not so much from their current extended run (although it's been great fun, and Manu Ginobli is DA MAN) but for the Spurs of the late ABA/post-merger NBA era. Gervin, Larry Kenon, James Silas, and of course one of the great nicknames of all time, Billy "The Whopper" Paultz. Seeing Gervin reprising his old "Iceman" poster in the recent Gatorade "Ice" commercials with Dwyane Wade has been great fun in recent weeks.

BONUS ABA HOOPS QUESTION: Erving and Gervin were once ABA teammates (besides All-Star games). Name that team?

Gervin finished his NBA career in Chicago as a back-up to ... Michael Jordan with the Bulls, with whom he was not tight. Link to an old item which describes the reason why - an incident reminiscent of what Shaq went through in his first NBA All-Star Game a decade later.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1...rence-all-star

Anyway, so much for my ABA/Gervin flashbacks. Back to the most recent answers:

I was in Boulder working on my PhD in the 1970s when the ABA Denver Nuggets amassed an incredible starting lineup that consisted of David Thompson (NC State, perhaps the greatest pure shooter before Steph Curry), Marvin Webster (rim protector), Dan (the Missle) Issel (power forward), Bobby Jones (lockdown defensive forward), and Larry Brown (point guard). Sadly for me, the Nugs lost in their ABA championship series against Dr J and the New York Nets (Bobby Jones was hobbled with a foot injury, I think). So, Denver was the only one of the four ABA teams that merged with the NBA to never win a championship in either league (Nets, Indianapolis Pacers, and Los Angeles / Utah Stars did, with the Stars one of the other three besides the Lakers to win in two different cities). The other two franchises to win in two different cities are the Warriors (Philadelphia and San Francisco) and Bullets (Baltimore and Washington), I think. For two cities with different franchises to win squeakball championships, how about the aformentioned Philadelphia (Warriors and '76ers) and Los Angeles (Lakers and Stars). That is all I got, as I do not follow football that much, other than the Patriots.

Denver Nuggets are indeed the only merged ABA franchise to have never won a league title. The Spurs have won five (5) NBA titles since the merger (none before), while the Indiana Pacers (3) and New York Nets (2) won their only titles in the ABA.

Teams to win NBA Championships in two different cities? Warriors (Philadelphia and Oakland) yes. Bullets ... close but not quite. Washington won in '78 and came close with three Finals losses in the same decade - the first while still in Baltimore. The only Baltimore Bullets team to win a pro basketball title was in 1948 in the BAA - a predecessor to the NBA (which began in 1950).

There is still one NBA franchise left on the board to win in two different cities, and it's also the one with different nicknames in each city.

Two cities with two different franchises winning NBA/ABA titles? Philadelphia (Warriors/76'ers yes; Los Angeles no. The LA Stars never won the ABA Title. They did win in Utah the year after they left LA.

So three points for Snively65 for the Nuggets, Warriors and Philadelphia. You're in the lead with 7 points.