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2010-11 NHL Season part I: Blackhawks Down in Atlanta

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Re: 2010-11 NHL Season part I: Blackhawks Down in Atlanta

The young woman in red made the All-Star draft much more enjoyable. :D

But it was kind of fun in general.
 
Re: 2010-11 NHL Season part I: Blackhawks Down in Atlanta

Biggest surprise, easily, is Dallas. I've never thought all that highly of "Let 'em in" and figured he'd be out with another injury by November, leaving them with Raysloth and untested AHL prospects.

TBL being as high as they are is a little surprising, but it's not like Stevie Y walked into a total rebuilding situation there and I figured they had a shot to be a playoff team. Leading the Southeast Division with a Crapitals team that is trying to learn how to play D, a bad Florida team, a "Jekyll & Hyde" Carolina team, and an Atlanta team that is building towards the future, isn't too shocking. The trade for Roli will be good for them, as they don't really have much of a defense yet, and he probably sees Tampa as his last stop and his last distant chance at a Cup. And because Ellis apparently doesn't get paid enough to be a sieve.

Vancouver won't surprise me until LUUUUUUUU makes it out of the second round without shedding tears. :p

SJ is actually about where I figured they'd be without Blake and Nabokov, and with Thornton as captain. Same for Chicago, with "THE CORE" and all.

Biggest disappointment so far, IMO, is LA. Over the summer we kept hearing about how this was supposed to be a big year for them, and they're currently sitting in a tie for 10th place. Still a little over thirty games to played, so there's plenty of time in the custerfluck that is the Western Conference standings to slide into a road playoff spot, but they definitely haven't lived up to expectations.

Detroit is Detroit, and save for Howard's moderate case of sophomoritis, mixed in with another injury-riddled campaign, I can't ask for much more except another playoff run. :)
 
Re: 2010-11 NHL Season part I: Blackhawks Down in Atlanta

MoFan said:
Devils are the most disappointing team in a landslide.
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Can something be termed "disappointing" if nobody is disappointed about it? :confused:

Regarding JF's question... I think this is at least in part due to the fact that the NHL gets less national TV exposure. Picking one example at random, Shea Weber is a great player, even if he isn't as well-known as, say, Chelios, because: someone remind me what channel Vs. is on my cable again? 481?

Additionally, I wonder how our perspective on guys from that game might be skewed by the crazy offensive environment of the '80s. If nobody in the league played defense, would Brad Richards' typical year look a lot like Ron Francis' typical year? Would Martin Havlat get hit less and stay healthy more and put up some 50-goal seasons? Would Rick Nash's career numbers look a lot like Dino Ciccarelli's? I don't know the answers to these questions, of course, but I think players' stats influence the way we view them, and I think the overall characteristics of the era strongly influence their stats. Consider that in 1987-88, 8 guys had 50 goals and 12 players had at least 100 points (including somebody I've literally never heard of named Mike Bullard). In 2007-08, 3 guys had 50 goals and 2 had 100 points. Is our view of, say, Jason Spezza shaped by the fact that he had a really solid year and put up "just" 92 points when it seemed like everybody who played in the NHL through the '80s had at least one 100-point season? I think it is.
 
Re: 2010-11 NHL Season part I: Blackhawks Down in Atlanta

Brenthoven said:
I dunno if I'd want to ask him about that. I bet he's testy.
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Ouch - that's cold. At least he gets a new Honda CRX and 20K to his favorite charity (cancer) for getting picked last.

Some funny stuff from the draft:

For the first time in their hockey careers, the Canucks’ Daniel and Henrik Sedin will face off against each other. Daniel went No. 5 to Staal, while his twin brother was picked sixth and will suit up for Lidstrom.

“All I know is (Lidstrom) got the better Swede,” said Henrik after the selection.

None was better than Rangers defenceman Marc Staal telling the TV audience he expected to be selected No. 1 overall by brother Eric and couldn’t believe he was still sitting there in Round 6.

With the next pick, Staal selected Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

“I thought I would go higher. I’m crushed,” said Marc Staal, tongue firmly planted in cheek, before being selected in Round 7.
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jmh said:
I wonder how our perspective on guys from that game might be skewed by the crazy offensive environment of the '80s. If nobody in the league played defense, would Brad Richards' typical year look a lot like Ron Francis' typical year? Would Martin Havlat get hit less and stay healthy more and put up some 50-goal seasons? Would Rick Nash's career numbers look a lot like Dino Ciccarelli's? I don't know the answers to these questions, of course, but I think players' stats influence the way we view them, and I think the overall characteristics of the era strongly influence their stats. Consider that in 1987-88, 8 guys had 50 goals and 12 players had at least 100 points (including somebody I've literally never heard of named Mike Bullard). In 2007-08, 3 guys had 50 goals and 2 had 100 points. Is our view of, say, Jason Spezza shaped by the fact that he had a really solid year and put up "just" 92 points when it seemed like everybody who played in the NHL through the '80s had at least one 100-point season? I think it is.
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You're not alone in your thinking. From Chris Stevenson in the Toronto Sun:

Not to put a damper on the love everybody was feeling for Wayne Gretzky and all his records last week on the occasion of his 50th birthday, but watching those endless highlights the thought occurs: "Wow, was the goaltending really that bad back then?" The answer is, "yes." Or rather, goaltending has really, really improved over the past 20 years. There's no disputing the Great One's greatness because his numbers were so much better than everybody else's in the same era, but seeing those skinny, standup goalies 15 feet out of the net waving at Gretzky's shots does make you wonder how many goals Sidney Crosby and Steven Stamkos would have been scoring back then.
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Re: 2010-11 NHL Season part I: Blackhawks Down in Atlanta

The NHL should use this "in the neighborhood" offsides rule during the regular season as well. :D
 
Re: 2010-11 NHL Season part I: Blackhawks Down in Atlanta

I don't want to have to hate Stan Lee. Don't think I am being left much choice here, though.
 
Re: 2010-11 NHL Season part I: Blackhawks Down in Atlanta

I will say, the HNIC guys talking to Staal and Thomas during the game, during the shifts, is awesome.
 
Re: 2010-11 NHL Season part I: Blackhawks Down in Atlanta

You have to admit, Ovechkin makes things happen. Even if it is a penalty shot against his own team.
 
Re: 2010-11 NHL Season part I: Blackhawks Down in Atlanta

MinnesotaNorthStar said:
Let's be fair, this idea is one of many reasons that that should be allowed to happen.
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Ugh... I hate that people who don't know this game run it... and those who do know the game (the good ol' boys) are ruining it.
 
Re: 2010-11 NHL Season part I: Blackhawks Down in Atlanta

The Guardians are going to be stupid to us, but this idea is likely being marketed to kids, and for that, it does make some sense.
 
Re: 2010-11 NHL Season part I: Blackhawks Down in Atlanta

First Time said:
The Guardians are going to be stupid to us, but this idea is likely being marketed to kids, and for that, it does make some sense.
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Even as a kid, I'd wonder WTeFF? Now, I may not be your average bear, but this is beyond ridiculous. Peter Puck made more sense. Yep, I just said that:

<iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ci8eeZHHuns" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe>
 
Re: 2010-11 NHL Season part I: Blackhawks Down in Atlanta

The biggest problem I see with this Guardian thing is, The Predator is not actually The Predator.
 
Re: 2010-11 NHL Season part I: Blackhawks Down in Atlanta

FadeToBlack&Gold said:
Biggest surprise, easily, is Dallas. I've never thought all that highly of "Let 'em in" and figured he'd be out with another injury by November, leaving them with Raysloth and untested AHL prospects.
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Krahn could be a serviceable NHL backup. He's shown a lot of brilliance in his starts in the AHL (well, at least two years ago when assigned to the Wolves for a bit, and when he's come to town as a Texas Stars player; his days with Calgary in Quad City/Omaha, he was lit up by the Wolves like a Christmas Tree). I think he's been bit with the injury bug in the last few years though.

Bachman is really trying to steal a job; I'm really surprised that one of these two weren't the backup to Kari at the start of the year. But Raycroft was probably a backup plan after Kari's scare at the end of last season (and it worked out having him for this season with Kari's tweaks too).

I miss him from ATL, but he's doing just as well, if not better with Dallas.
 
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